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Speaker 1: Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks so much for

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Speaker 1: listening to the podcast. Twenty twenty four is going to

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Speaker 1: be an amazing year for you and your family though

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Speaker 1: that we're praying for.

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Speaker 2: You, so get ready, keep your expectations up. It's going

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Speaker 2: to be a great year.

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Speaker 1: Hope you enjoyed today's message.

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Speaker 2: Thank God, we are comfident in you this morning. In Jesus' name,

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Speaker 2: I want to remind us all today to be good

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Speaker 2: to people. We have to be good to people. See,

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Speaker 2: people matter to God. People matter most to God. And

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Speaker 2: it's so easy these days to find things that we

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Speaker 2: disagree on. There's so much information, there's so many things

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Speaker 2: swirling that we can easily find things that we disagree on.

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Speaker 2: You know, you're never going to agree one hundred percent

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Speaker 2: of the time with anyone. But the point that we

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Speaker 2: need to make in our life to God, the things

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Speaker 2: that we need to do is continue to show respect

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Speaker 2: for people. We have to show respect, whether we agree

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Speaker 2: with people or not. When we show respect, you know

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Speaker 2: what we're doing. We are honoring God and we're promoting

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Speaker 2: the gospel. We're promoting the good News. We're saying God,

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Speaker 2: I respect these people because they matter to you. And

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Speaker 2: when I show respect, I'm showing the good News. I

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Speaker 2: am promoting the Gospel on this earth. See, as a believer,

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Speaker 2: the truth is, people don't really care what you say.

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Speaker 2: They don't care if you go to church every Sunday,

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Speaker 2: if you're honest, you don't lie, you don't steal, you

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Speaker 2: don't cheat. You know, it gets their attention. It's what

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Speaker 2: you do. See, it's not what you say, but it's

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Speaker 2: what you do in faith. It's what you do through

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Speaker 2: faith that makes the difference. You know, especially in church.

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Speaker 2: In the Church, we should make sure that we don't

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Speaker 2: have petty disagreements. See the church, no matter what your

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Speaker 2: beliefs are, in the Church of Jesus Christ, we should

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Speaker 2: stand under the umbrella of the Blood of Jesus Christ.

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Speaker 2: All right, we should be in unity because that makes

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Speaker 2: the difference to the people who aren't believers. That's what's

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Speaker 2: going to cause them to believe. That's what's going to

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Speaker 2: get their attention. You know, I've seen believers literally argue

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Speaker 2: over the different translations of the Bible. See, we're better

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Speaker 2: than that. We're better than that. We got to stay together.

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Speaker 2: It's not what you know, it's what you do it's

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Speaker 2: how you act. It's how you show your faith. How

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Speaker 2: do you express your faith? Listen to what it says

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Speaker 2: in Galatians five sixteen. It says, in Christ Jesus, there's

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Speaker 2: neither circumcision or non circumcision. None of that has any value.

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Speaker 2: The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

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Speaker 2: That scripture is saying, you may know a lot of stuff,

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Speaker 2: you may know all the rules, and you may know

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Speaker 2: how to look really good and say the right things,

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Speaker 2: but that is not where the value is. The value

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Speaker 2: in God's eyes is us expressing our faith in Him

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Speaker 2: through love to other people. That's what gets people's attention,

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Speaker 2: and that's what pleases God. You know, some people are

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Speaker 2: more difficult to love than other people, and that's just

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Speaker 2: bottom line. See, it's easy to love people that love you,

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Speaker 2: people that agree with you see things the way you do.

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Speaker 2: But there'll always be people that are more difficult to love.

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Speaker 2: And so let's just talk about that a minute, because

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Speaker 2: that's the thing that we probably need to work on

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Speaker 2: the most. It's loving in faith. See, sometimes you have

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Speaker 2: to love in faith. See Jesus was empowered on this

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Speaker 2: earth by the Holy Spirit. It says that he was

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Speaker 2: empowered to do good. See, everywhere Jesus went he did good.

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Speaker 2: He did good, He was empowered, he was anointed with

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Speaker 2: power to do good. And you know, in doing good,

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Speaker 2: he brought healing everywhere he went. And you and I

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Speaker 2: have been anointed to do good. We've been anointed to

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Speaker 2: bring healing to this earth, to promote the good news

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Speaker 2: of Jesus Christ. That's what you're anointing does. It brings

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Speaker 2: God on the scene. It brings God on the scene.

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Speaker 2: So we have to step back in this time of

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Speaker 2: division and discord and disagreement, and we have to say,

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Speaker 2: what is my purpose. My purpose is to further the gospel.

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Speaker 2: My purpose is not to get my opinion out there.

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Speaker 2: I can do more through love than I can spreading

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Speaker 2: my opinion. Because see, God is the one who works

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Speaker 2: through the expression of love. And when you are loving,

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Speaker 2: when you are making conscious decisions to express your faith

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Speaker 2: in God through love, God is working in your life.

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Speaker 2: I read a quote that says this. It says faith

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Speaker 2: acts before it feels. Faith acts before it feels.

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Speaker 1: You.

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Speaker 2: See, our flesh wants to feel it. We want to

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Speaker 2: like you because you're like me. But the spirit faith,

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Speaker 2: the things of God says, I am going to love

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Speaker 2: in faith. I'm going to give you the benefit of

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Speaker 2: the doubt. I'm going to remember that God loves you.

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Speaker 3: And you matter to God.

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Speaker 2: You see, that's what faith says. Feelings say, no way,

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Speaker 2: Faith says, I must, I must. This is something that

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Speaker 2: happened to me when I was in the sixth grade,

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Speaker 2: and I never forgot this. I was just coming from lunch.

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Speaker 2: I was in junior high school. I was walking down

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Speaker 2: the hall and this girl, I think she was in

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Speaker 2: the eighth grade. I had never even seen her before.

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Speaker 2: I didn't know the girl. I've never talked to her.

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Speaker 2: She walks up to me and she says, I'm gonna

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Speaker 2: beat you up. And I was like why. She said,

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Speaker 2: I don't like the way you act. I looked at

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Speaker 2: her and I said, I'll change. Do you know That

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Speaker 2: girl looked at me, turned around and walked off, and

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Speaker 2: I never saw her again. I never saw her again.

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Speaker 2: It's kind of interesting that that's what came up out

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Speaker 2: of me. I guess I didn't want to get beat up.

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Speaker 3: Now.

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Speaker 2: My mind for a split second said I'm not changing.

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Speaker 2: I don't even know who you are. You don't even

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Speaker 2: know me. But thank God that's what came up. Because

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Speaker 2: I look back now and I think that simple answer,

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Speaker 2: that simple answer of humility, brought healing. Because think about

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Speaker 2: this just a minute. If you disagree with someone, or

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Speaker 2: if someone doesn't like you, or someone's causing you trouble,

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Speaker 2: and you act the same way to them, maybe you

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Speaker 2: disrespect them. Nothing changes, nothing changes. You're gonna dislike them,

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Speaker 2: they're gonna dislike you, is much or more than ever before.

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Speaker 2: Nothing changes. But when you make a choice to love

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Speaker 2: by faith, to express your love for God by loving

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Speaker 2: other people, the potential for change is huge. And I

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Speaker 2: believe the attitudes of our heart change. We we dislike

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Speaker 2: those people less and less and less when we choose

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Speaker 2: to express our faith through love. That's why the Bible says,

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Speaker 2: pray for your enemies, Pray for those who do wrong

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Speaker 2: against you. You see, you may have some relationships in

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Speaker 2: your life that will never change. Those people, no matter

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Speaker 2: how kind you are to them, will never be kind

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Speaker 2: to you. They'll never show you the respect that you're

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Speaker 2: showing them. They may never change. But I can tell

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Speaker 2: you this, you'll change. You'll change, and that's what matters

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Speaker 2: the most to God. God is not going to ask

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Speaker 2: us how many people we changed. He's going to ask us,

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Speaker 2: did we change? Did we walk in love? Did we

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Speaker 2: express our faith through love? Because that's what's going to

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Speaker 2: change everybody around us. That's what's going to change everyone

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Speaker 2: around us. So when you do good, let me tell

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Speaker 2: you something. You're not only doing other people a favor

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Speaker 2: because so you can't argue with somebody who won't argue back.

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Speaker 2: You're not only doing them a favor and promoting love

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Speaker 2: and healing, You're doing yourself a favor. You're changing, You're

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Speaker 2: breaking down walls and barriers that would like to keep

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Speaker 2: you limited. God will do great things in your life.

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Speaker 2: He will enrich you when you choose to express your

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Speaker 2: faith in love. Listen to what it says in Proverbs

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Speaker 2: eleven seventeen. It says those who are kind benefit themselves.

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Speaker 2: One version says, your own soul is nourished when you're kind.

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Speaker 2: See when you're good to people, you're nourishing your own soul.

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Speaker 2: You're bringing healing to them. If you love God today,

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Speaker 2: if you want to live for him, then you need

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Speaker 2: to step back in this world full of conflict and

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Speaker 2: say I'm going to begin to express my faith in

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Speaker 2: God by loving people, especially those difficult, unlovable people. You see,

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Speaker 2: you can do more by your actions than you can

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Speaker 2: by your words. I want to encourage you today to

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Speaker 2: look for opportunities to be good to people, not only

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Speaker 2: those who are difficult, but those who are in your

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Speaker 2: own backyard. Maybe it's your coworker, maybe it's the man

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Speaker 2: that mows the lawn, or maybe it's a family member

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Speaker 2: that can use your help. The scripture says, don't withhold

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Speaker 2: good when it's in your power to act. Listen, you're

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Speaker 2: anointed to do good. You have the power to treat

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Speaker 2: people right, whether you agree with them or not. And

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Speaker 2: if you love God, God wants you to use that

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Speaker 2: same love and express it truth faith to all those

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Speaker 2: around you, because that's where the healing comes in. Amen. Amen,

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Speaker 2: It's January. Time to renew my faith.

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Speaker 3: It's January. It's time to start a new season. It's January.

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Speaker 3: There is no better time than now to set the

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Speaker 3: course of our year ahead.

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Speaker 1: The beginning of the year is a great time to

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Speaker 1: start afresh and a new to let go of negative

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Speaker 1: things of the past and to get ready for the

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Speaker 1: new things God has in store. Every January we create

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Speaker 1: a new devotional calendar that will help you throughout the year.

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Speaker 1: When you start the day off in faith, grateful for

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Speaker 1: what God's done, making positive declaration over your future, You're

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Speaker 1: setting the tone for a blessed day and a victorious year.

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Speaker 1: This devotional will help you get your mind going in

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Speaker 1: the right direction so you can go out each day

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Speaker 1: in faith knowing that God is in control that His

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Speaker 1: plans for you are for good. I'd love to send

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Speaker 1: you a.

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Speaker 3: Copy as our way of saying thank you for your

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Speaker 3: gift of any amount this first month of the year.

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Speaker 3: We would like to send you a copy of our

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Speaker 3: brand new twenty twenty four three hundred and sixty five

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Speaker 3: day devotional calendar. Do you want to set a faith

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Speaker 3: course for your life in twenty twenty four? Do you

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Speaker 3: want to see your life take off in new directions

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Speaker 3: of influence, favor, and for vision in the year ahead?

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Speaker 3: Using this devotional calendar is as easy as one, two three.

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Speaker 3: One wake up with an expectancy in your heart. Two

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Speaker 3: reflect on the daily scripture, verse and devotional from Joel.

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Speaker 3: Three capture God's promises to you on journaling lines for

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Speaker 3: writing and reflection. Be sure to request your copy of

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Speaker 3: the twenty twenty four devotional calendar, available this month by

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Speaker 3: simply visiting us at Joelostein dot com or calling eight

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Speaker 3: eight eight five six seven Joel