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Speaker 1: Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick.

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Speaker 2: I'm the pastor of Elevation Church and this is our podcast.

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Speaker 2: I wanted to thank you for joining us today.

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Speaker 1: Hope this inspires you. Hope it builds your faith.

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Speaker 2: Hope it gives your perspective to see God is moving.

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Speaker 1: In your life. Enjoy the message.

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Speaker 3: Boy, how are you thankful for just a place where

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Speaker 3: you walk in and doesn't matter what you carried in,

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Speaker 3: just a moment in the presence of God, can change

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Speaker 3: your perspective, can lift the burden, can give you a

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Speaker 3: new look outlook on the day. And how about how

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Speaker 3: your church served all those in western North Carolina.

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Speaker 1: I mean, how amazing.

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Speaker 3: I know you celebrated it, but I just think that's

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Speaker 3: the way it ought to be.

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Speaker 1: That that when.

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Speaker 3: There's hurting, the church ought to show up, that when

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Speaker 3: people are in need, and all across the world you showed.

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Speaker 1: Up in an amazing way and making a difference.

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Speaker 3: You know, you gave a couple of cold water, as

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Speaker 3: the New Testament says, in the name of Jesus. And

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Speaker 3: I love what they said in the video that we're

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Speaker 3: gonna give them some coat.

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Speaker 1: We're gonna give them Jesus too.

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Speaker 3: We're gonna pray, We're gonna believe with them, We're gonna

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Speaker 3: stand with them.

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Speaker 1: What an amazing thing. So honored to be back at elevation.

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Speaker 3: I love your your pastors, and I know everybody does,

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Speaker 3: but I love them on another level. I was thinking

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Speaker 3: before we got on the plane yesterday and made our

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Speaker 3: way down, I was thinking, I've been coming down to

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Speaker 3: Charlotte to set in a room, to set in a

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Speaker 3: life recording, to set in a revival, all these kind

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Speaker 3: of services for I think about eighteen years now and

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Speaker 3: in this place. I know has marked your life, but

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Speaker 3: I want you to know it's so deeply marked my life.

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Speaker 3: There's been so many turning points, so many moments. I

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Speaker 3: know we could all give our own testimony of how

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Speaker 3: it was a it was a song, it was it

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Speaker 3: was something that carried you in a season. It's something

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Speaker 3: that caused you to make a decision. And that only

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Speaker 3: happens because two people with a vision said yes to God,

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Speaker 3: laid it all on the line. Come on, can we

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Speaker 3: put our hands together and thank God for our pastors.

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Speaker 3: What a gift they are to the body of Christ.

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Speaker 3: Are you ready for the Word of God today? Are

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Speaker 3: you ready? Let's go once you have a seat. Tell

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Speaker 3: somebody beside you. I'm glad you set by me. I'm

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Speaker 3: glad you set by me. I bring greetings from the

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Speaker 3: great state of Virginia that is showing off right now.

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Speaker 3: It's fall in Virginia. Doesn't get much better. And my

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Speaker 3: wife Tammy, our four kids. It's a lot, y'all, and

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Speaker 3: we're grateful for them most days. And I'm kidding Acts

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Speaker 3: Chapter twelve, verse five. And I was telling chunks earlier.

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Speaker 3: The later I get in my forties, the smaller the

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Speaker 3: print on my Bible keeps getting. I think someone is

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Speaker 3: switching it out. So I have to wear these now.

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Speaker 3: Acts Chapter twelve, verse five says this. It says, so

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Speaker 3: Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly

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Speaker 3: somebody shall earnestly praying to God for him. So Peter's

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Speaker 3: in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God

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Speaker 3: for him. I want to bring a message entitled how

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Speaker 3: to handle a setback? How to handle the setback? Let's

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Speaker 3: pray together, Father, we have our hearts and minds open.

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Speaker 1: We pray.

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Speaker 3: Holy spirits speak to us. We haven't come just to

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Speaker 3: do church. We've come that we might hear from heaven.

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Speaker 3: So we believe your word has the power to change

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Speaker 3: us and transform us, and so do that in these moments.

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Speaker 3: We asked this in Jesus' name. Everybody said Amen. Amen.

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Speaker 3: So I was thinking the other day about middle school.

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Speaker 3: So you're thinking, why would you do that to yourself?

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Speaker 3: But I was thinking about I grew up in East Tennessee,

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Speaker 3: and I went to this middle school called Lyndby Middle School.

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Speaker 1: And I don't know how it is today.

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Speaker 3: It's not like this in my kid's school, so I

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Speaker 3: don't know if it is across the board. But in

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Speaker 3: East Tennessee, football was everything. Because the town was so small,

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Speaker 3: we had nothing else to do, so we might as

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Speaker 3: well watch football, all right. And so middle school, while

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Speaker 3: I was on Thursday night and after every Thursday night

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Speaker 3: football game, there was a dance every home game, and

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Speaker 3: uh it was. It was less like a dance and

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Speaker 3: more like a standoff. It was like, guys on one

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Speaker 3: side of the gym, come onyo with me, girls on

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Speaker 3: the other side of the gym, and you just kind

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Speaker 3: of stood there and stare at each other.

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Speaker 1: There was always a few.

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Speaker 3: Brave people that got out in the middle, but that was.

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Speaker 1: Not your boy here.

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Speaker 3: But there was this girl I had a crush on,

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Speaker 3: and I was like, this is the moment, this is

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Speaker 3: my moment. I'm gonna go over. I'm going to ask

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Speaker 3: her to dance. And that was even a big step

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Speaker 3: for me because I grew up in.

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Speaker 1: A very.

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Speaker 3: Conservative Denomination church and I I was for sure that

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Speaker 3: I'd have to go get repentance for the dance. But

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Speaker 3: it was worth to try, or y'all try like it

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Speaker 3: was worth the experiment. And so walked all the way

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Speaker 3: over the long walk, all the way over to the

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Speaker 3: other side of the gym, and went up made the request.

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Speaker 3: I don't even remember what I said. I think I

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Speaker 3: kind of blacked out, and she graciously declined, thank you.

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Speaker 1: Thanks.

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Speaker 3: A lot of counseling later, I'm over it, but I

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Speaker 3: appreciate this sympathy. And so then I make the long

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Speaker 3: walk back right to the other side to trash talking

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Speaker 3: from guys who realized that I got rejected for the

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Speaker 3: dance invitation, and just in my middle school life, that

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Speaker 3: was a major setback. Hello, somebody, major setback in my

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Speaker 3: social climate, in my personal identity, self esteem, you know,

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Speaker 3: all those major setback and how many of you know

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Speaker 3: that life is full of setbacks. If you've lived any

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Speaker 3: bit of life at all, you know that life is

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Speaker 3: full of setbacks. It's moments where you feel like I'm

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Speaker 3: take making five steps forward and then it feels like

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Speaker 3: sometimes it's eight steps Backwards's I feel like I'm things

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Speaker 3: are going well, and then it's the phone call out

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Speaker 3: of nowhere and you feel like, wow, there's a major setback.

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Speaker 3: It's the relational issue where you felt like, man, we

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Speaker 3: were getting traction and now feels like a major setback

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Speaker 3: in life.

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Speaker 1: And life can be full.

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Speaker 3: Of setbacks, and I would propose that the text we

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Speaker 3: just read is a major setback in the New Testament Church. Now,

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Speaker 3: can we go to Sunday school for a minute? Okay,

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Speaker 3: a few of you.

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Speaker 1: That's great. A confidence is real high right now? All right,

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Speaker 1: So here's.

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Speaker 3: What's happening in the context of what we just read

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Speaker 3: in Act chapter twelve, verse five, is this is the

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Speaker 3: New Testament Church is growing.

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Speaker 1: I mean it's gangbusters.

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Speaker 3: It's day one, three thousand people come to faith in

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Speaker 3: Christ and there's the birth of the New Testament Church.

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Speaker 3: What a great launch day, right, I Mean that was

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Speaker 3: a great campus launch, like three thousand in one day.

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Speaker 1: Here they all are for getting baptized.

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Speaker 3: I mean, it's just people are overflow, over overflow.

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Speaker 1: It's going great.

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Speaker 3: And then the Bible says they're being added to their

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Speaker 3: number daily. Wow, I mean not just on Sundays, but

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Speaker 3: they're being added to the number every.

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Speaker 1: Day of the week. People are coming to faith in Christ.

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Speaker 3: This movement is growing, This thing across Christianity is expanding,

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Speaker 3: and in the middle of that, it's disrupting and upsetting

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Speaker 3: all of the religious social political climate of the day.

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Speaker 3: They are not all about this new movement that has

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Speaker 3: started called Christianity. And so King Herod, who is the

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Speaker 3: current king, decides he's going to start eliminating some of

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Speaker 3: the leaders from the church. Now, this is Herod a

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Speaker 3: grip of the First. Am I going too far into

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Speaker 3: Sunday school. Okay, heard a grip of the First which

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Speaker 3: is the grandson of Herod, who was alive whenever Jesus

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Speaker 3: was born. Here's all you need to know about the Herods.

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Speaker 3: They all crazy, y'all, all of them. They all crazy.

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Speaker 3: They all want to kill people. They're just all a

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Speaker 3: little off in their mind. This is that Herod, and

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Speaker 3: so he gets James, not James, the brother g James,

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Speaker 3: the brother of John, and he kills him. So a

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Speaker 3: major leader in the church in Jerusalem is now dead.

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Speaker 3: And the Jews are really happy because it is disrupting

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Speaker 3: everything going on around them. Are off tracking so far, saymen.

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Speaker 3: So Harod goes, okay, that grained me favor. I want

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Speaker 3: to get more favor with the people, and so he goes,

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Speaker 3: I'll go after.

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Speaker 1: Peter and I'll arrest Peter.

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Speaker 3: Now he arrested them during a week of celebration for

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Speaker 3: the Jewish people, so he couldn't bring him up to trial,

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Speaker 3: which the trial would just be a sham. And most

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Speaker 3: likely what was happened is Peter was going to have

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Speaker 3: the same fate as James. And so this is where

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Speaker 3: we come into the text. Peter is kept in prison.

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Speaker 3: He's kept there because the celebration hasn't ended. But the

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Speaker 3: church was praying. This isn't a complex message. When you

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Speaker 3: face a setback, prayer is a great place to start.

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Speaker 3: But I want to go a little little word nerd

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Speaker 3: on you for a moment. I love I really parked

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Speaker 3: on the word, but the conjunction. But now I grew

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Speaker 3: up in East Tennessee. So language wasn't my strongest suit.

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Speaker 3: But I do know this about conjunctions is that they

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Speaker 3: bring together two phrases that are in contrast.

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Speaker 1: To one another.

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Speaker 3: Some would say some won't go this far, but some

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Speaker 3: would say in contradiction to one another. Or the second

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Speaker 3: phrase is the exception to the first phrase. So that

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Speaker 3: means what's happening on this side of but is contradicted

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Speaker 3: or contrasted to what's happening on.

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Speaker 1: This side of but.

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Speaker 3: And we see this in the text that it says

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Speaker 3: Peter was kept in prison. And there could have been

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Speaker 3: a whole lot of options for the text to say

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Speaker 3: after that. It could have said, it could have used

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Speaker 3: another conjunction, and it said and.

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Speaker 1: The church is depressed.

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Speaker 3: It's could have said Peter was kept in prison and

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Speaker 3: the church was beginning to plan the funeral, Peter was

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Speaker 3: kept in prison, and the church was going under and hiding.

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Speaker 3: And sometimes is this not true in our life? That

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Speaker 3: the setback comes in our life and our first response

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Speaker 3: is not always to go to God in prayer. Often

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Speaker 3: it is to go down the rabbit hole of the

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Speaker 3: darkest thing that could turn out. I don't know about you,

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Speaker 3: but I'm preaching to me today. My mind when I

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Speaker 3: get the phone call, when I get the bad news,

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Speaker 3: in my mind, I end up going down the dark

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Speaker 3: rabbit hole of how everything could go wrong. But the

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Speaker 3: church decided to pray. I want to encourage you today

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Speaker 3: that when the setback comes, you get to choose what

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Speaker 3: is on the other side of the conjunction. That you

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Speaker 3: get to decide what is on the other side of

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Speaker 3: the butt, that you can go, Yeah, I got the

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Speaker 3: phone call and it's not looking good. But I serve

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Speaker 3: a God that is greater than any circumstance I'm going

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Speaker 3: through that you can get the bad news and go.

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Speaker 1: This year may not be going the way I want.

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Speaker 3: It to, but I serve the God of the breakthrough.

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Speaker 3: You get to determine if you want it to be

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Speaker 3: an end or you wanted to.

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Speaker 1: Be a butt. The church was prayed.

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Speaker 3: They could have gone a whole lot of directions, but

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Speaker 3: they said, no, we're gonna We're gonna pray. And the

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Speaker 3: Bible says that they were earnestly praying. In other words,

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Speaker 3: they went to they went to battle on this thing,

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Speaker 3: which tells me that they really believed in the power

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Speaker 3: of prayer. They didn't see prayer as the last resort.

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Speaker 3: They saw it as the first option that they ran

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Speaker 3: to God first. I've been in situations where I've thought

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Speaker 3: to myself, WHI I've done everything I know to do.

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Speaker 3: Now I'm gonna pray. It's not great for a pastor

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Speaker 3: to say, right, but no. They believe there was something

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Speaker 3: powerful about prayer. They believe that whenever they prayed, that

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Speaker 3: Heaven listened. Evidently, they believe that whenever they prayed that

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Speaker 3: God moved on their behalf. That maybe they believe that

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Speaker 3: Old Testament verse that says the ear of God is

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Speaker 3: not death, that he can't hear your prayers, nor is

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Speaker 3: his arm too short that he can't reach down and

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Speaker 3: change your situation.

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Speaker 1: They believed what all Spurgeon.

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Speaker 3: Said, that prayer is what touches the slender nerve of

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Speaker 3: omnipotence that begins to move.

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Speaker 1: In our life.

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Speaker 3: That God actually responds to prayer, That I want to

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Speaker 3: shake something up on the inside of you that that

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Speaker 3: goes no, no, no no. I may be going through a

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Speaker 3: battle right now, but if I'll call out to God,

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Speaker 3: God is able to work on my behalf.

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Speaker 1: And they earnestly prayed.

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Speaker 3: It wasn't It wasn't a nice little prayer. It wasn't acute,

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Speaker 3: like well phrased prayer.

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Speaker 1: You know what I'm talking.

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Speaker 3: About, Like, Lord, we just pray that if you might

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Speaker 3: consider please.

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Speaker 2: No.

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Speaker 1: I have this picture in my mind that it's like

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Speaker 1: ugly cry pray. Y'all try it. It's the I'm gonna

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Speaker 1: I'm not getting up God until you do.

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Speaker 3: Something kind of prayer. There was something that rose on

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Speaker 3: the inside of them. I was thinking about this. My

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Speaker 3: wife and our kids. We were years ago when we

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Speaker 3: called the bigs in the littles there. They're seventeen, fifteen,

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Speaker 3: seven and five. Same wife. Just want to claire that

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Speaker 3: for everybody. Don't want y'all thinking anything, posting anything.

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Speaker 1: Same wife.

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Speaker 3: We just took a big break. So our school picture

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Speaker 3: this year was senior kindergartener. I will live forever my

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Speaker 3: oldest son could bring my grandson to my youngest son's

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Speaker 3: high school graduation.

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Speaker 1: Let that sink in yell. Some of you are like,

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Speaker 1: what were you thinking? I wasn't. I like my wife,

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Speaker 1: I wasn't thinking.

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Speaker 3: Okay, we were at this water park when the bigs

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Speaker 3: were smaller. You called the bigs in the littles whenever

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Speaker 3: the big kids were smaller. We were at this water park,

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Speaker 3: and which is from the devil in general, going to

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Speaker 3: a water park as a family. You don't know what's

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Speaker 3: in that water. I mean, I don't care how much

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Speaker 3: chlorine you put in it. But we were there. Anybody

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Speaker 3: else with me in the House of God, go on,

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Speaker 3: I felt the Holy Ghost on some of y'all.

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Speaker 1: Are like, yes, I felt that Jesus all right.

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Speaker 3: We were at this water park and the kids come over,

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Speaker 3: you know, they're just their kids, and they run over

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Speaker 3: and they jump on these chairs. And what they didn't

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Speaker 3: know is that there was another lady with her kids

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Speaker 3: walking towards those chairs. We saw it, and before my

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Speaker 3: wife could get out of her mouth, her kids jump up.

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Speaker 3: They were already heading towards those chairs. The lady makes

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Speaker 3: some smart comment about it. Well, my wife is a

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Speaker 3: real Christian. Most days. Before I could get her like,

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Speaker 3: come on your talking about for I could be like,

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Speaker 3: let's act like we've been here before, something rose up

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Speaker 3: out of her comments, came out of her.

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Speaker 1: Are y'all following me? They earnestly prayed.

296
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Speaker 3: On the inside of them, came up out of them

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Speaker 3: and begin to come out of their mouth. I'm talking

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Speaker 3: about a Jacob. I'm gonna wrestle with you until you

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Speaker 3: bless me kind of prayer. Did you know that the

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Speaker 3: word that is used there earnestly is only used one

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Speaker 3: other time, and Luke, the author of Acts, used it

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Speaker 3: in the Book of Luke's when it describes Jesus praying

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Speaker 3: in the garden against simony. This was that kind of prayer,

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Speaker 3: this kind of God. I'm not getting up until you

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Speaker 3: touch me.

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Speaker 1: God.

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Speaker 3: I'm not letting go until there is a breakthrough.

308
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Speaker 1: God. I'm not gonna stop.

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Speaker 3: Calling on your name until you move on, my behalf.

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Speaker 3: Can I tell you there are some setbacks in our

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Speaker 3: life that they don't need some nice little prayer. They

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Speaker 3: don't need some nice little patty Cake prayer, some little,

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Speaker 3: nice little Paul's prayer.

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Speaker 1: They need God. I'm getting on my knees, on my face.

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Speaker 3: And until you touch, until the spirit of God shows up,

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Speaker 3: until you give me a breakthrough, until I feel a

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Speaker 3: release in my spirit.

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Speaker 1: God, I'm not letting go. And some of you, instead.

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Speaker 3: Of pressing in, you've got stuck because the setback will

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Speaker 3: either cause you to lean in or shrink away. And

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Speaker 3: for some of us we just accept the lot in life. Well,

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Speaker 3: this just must be how life is going to be. Well,

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Speaker 3: this just must be how it's going to turn out.

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Speaker 3: For me, Well, some of us we believe the life

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Speaker 3: of the enemy. This is what I deserve. And can

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Speaker 3: I tell you that we serve the God that is

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Speaker 3: able to do exceedingly, abundantly and above all that we

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Speaker 3: can ask, think or imagine. So here's what that means

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Speaker 3: is that if you are if you are only expecting

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Speaker 3: what your imagination can create, you are limiting God by

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Speaker 3: the ability of your intellect. And my God is not

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Speaker 3: limited by my imagination. That's why Paul said more than

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Speaker 3: I can ask, think or.

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Speaker 1: Imagine.

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Speaker 3: So they earnestly prayed. I'm hoping some this sparks the

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Speaker 3: spirit of God. Something on the inside of you goes no, no, no,

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Speaker 3: I'm gonna less. I'm gonna I'm gonna let that fire

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Speaker 3: reignite on the inside of me. God I'm calling, I'm

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Speaker 3: I'm gonna lean back in like I've never some of

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Speaker 3: you you've just you're like, well, I've just given up

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Speaker 3: on the prayer. No, no, no, no, It's time to re

342
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Speaker 3: engage it. It's time to lean back into it and

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Speaker 3: go God, I'm not leaving you alone. I'm gonna keep

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Speaker 3: knocking and knocking and knocking and knocking and knocking. Well, God,

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Speaker 3: what if God does answer after knock ten, the knock eleven,

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Speaker 3: knock eleven, I think somebody preests the message one, don't

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Speaker 3: stop on six because it may be that next knock.

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Speaker 3: It may be that next thing that causes the breakthrough

349
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Speaker 3: in your life. And you know what's powerful about prayer

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Speaker 3: is that prayer is get you in agreement with God.

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Speaker 1: It gets you in agreement with God. There's real power

352
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Speaker 1: in agreement.

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Speaker 3: Agreement means I'm gonna have the same opinion as whoever

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Speaker 3: I'm coming into agreement with. And I think one of

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Speaker 3: the one of the greatest schemes of the enemy in

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Speaker 3: our life is he gets us in agreement with lies.

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Speaker 3: He gets because we live out of the agreements that

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Speaker 3: we make. And if he can get us agree with

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Speaker 3: him about a situation. And I know we're thinking I

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Speaker 3: would never agree with the devil. I don't think we

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Speaker 3: wake up and we like make this volitional, intentional decision

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Speaker 3: that I'm I'm gonna come agreement with what the devil

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Speaker 3: is saying about my life.

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Speaker 1: But enough lies spoken over our life.

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Speaker 3: We begin to adopt that lie and come in and

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Speaker 3: we begin to align our decisions and our life with

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Speaker 3: that lie. And so a setback comes into our life,

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Speaker 3: and we can begin to believe the negative narrative in

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Speaker 3: our mind that this will never change. And how do

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Speaker 3: you know we come into agreement because we stop fighting

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Speaker 3: for the change. I'll never use God can never use

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Speaker 3: me that way, God can never love me that whatever

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Speaker 3: you want to fill in the blank with. We begin

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Speaker 3: to come into agreement with those things, and then we

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Speaker 3: begin to live out of that place of agreement instead

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Speaker 3: of agreeing with God. And so no longer, no wonder

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Speaker 3: we don't see breakthrough in life. No wonder we don't

378
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Speaker 3: see the miracle that we want to see because God

379
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Speaker 3: is still working that way, and God is still doing

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Speaker 3: those things in the earth.

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Speaker 1: It's because we've come in agreement with the wrong things.

382
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Speaker 1: I would like to break.

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Speaker 3: The agreement of the enemy over your life today and

384
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Speaker 3: go The lie of the enemy is not not what

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Speaker 3: you should be agreeing with.

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Speaker 1: It's the truth of God's word.

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Speaker 3: But you may be thinking, pastor, but what I what

388
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Speaker 3: I see and what is tangible and what is front

389
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Speaker 3: of me is not great.

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Speaker 1: I get that. I'm not saying I'm.

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Speaker 3: Just saying, don't go with what you see, go with

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Speaker 3: what God said.

393
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Speaker 1: That you can go with what you see.

394
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Speaker 3: And it's and it's challenging in faith because it's all

395
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Speaker 3: around you, it's right in front of you.

396
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Speaker 1: I walk into that.

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Speaker 3: Situation every day, or I wake up every morning with

398
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Speaker 3: that challenge, or I step into that. I feel it,

399
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Speaker 3: I see it. It's all around me.

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Speaker 1: I get it. I get it. But there has to

401
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Speaker 1: be a choice.

402
00:20:10,520 --> 00:20:12,880
Speaker 3: In your mind that goes no, no, no, I'm gonna

403
00:20:12,880 --> 00:20:15,840
Speaker 3: come into agreement with what God has said over me.

404
00:20:16,240 --> 00:20:19,480
Speaker 3: I'm gonna I'm gonna break any agreement with lies that

405
00:20:19,600 --> 00:20:20,760
Speaker 3: says this is the end.

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Speaker 1: I'm let me give an example.

407
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Speaker 3: You can get the diagnosis and go this is the

408
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Speaker 3: end for me, or you could go, no, I'm gonna

409
00:20:26,840 --> 00:20:28,680
Speaker 3: come in agreement with the word of God that says

410
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Speaker 3: I will live and I will not die.

411
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Speaker 1: Are y'all following me? This is why I think.

412
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Speaker 3: I think this is what Paul was getting at in

413
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Speaker 3: the Phlippians three, whenever he said I'm forgetting what is

414
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Speaker 3: behind me and I'm pressing on. One translation says, I'm

415
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Speaker 3: straining towards that which is ahead of me. In other words,

416
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Speaker 3: I'm breaking away from some things in my past, and

417
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Speaker 3: I'm pressing towards And he tells us towards the upward

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Speaker 3: call of God in Christ Jesus.

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Speaker 1: So my eyes are fixed on the prize of.

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Speaker 3: Jesus, and I'm breaking away from some things in my past.

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Speaker 1: Now think about this.

422
00:21:04,200 --> 00:21:06,920
Speaker 3: Paul's in a prison in either Ephesis or Rome when

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00:21:06,920 --> 00:21:10,399
Speaker 3: he's writing this, and he has some things to forget,

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Speaker 3: does he not? I mean, do you imagine how many

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Speaker 3: times that he's declaring the word of God or preaching

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Speaker 3: the word of God that the enemy's like, yeah, but

427
00:21:16,800 --> 00:21:20,679
Speaker 3: you killed these people. Yeah, but you tried to destroy

428
00:21:20,760 --> 00:21:23,840
Speaker 3: the church in your past life. And Paul goes, no,

429
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Speaker 3: I'm forgetting what is behind me. I am breaking away

430
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Speaker 3: from this narrative in my life. And this may not

431
00:21:30,200 --> 00:21:31,760
Speaker 3: seem very powerful to you, but I want you to

432
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Speaker 3: understand this idea of forgetting. So the biblical idea of forgetting.

433
00:21:36,800 --> 00:21:39,080
Speaker 3: To understand that, you have to understand the biblical idea

434
00:21:39,160 --> 00:21:41,840
Speaker 3: of remembering. Are you go with me? We're not playing

435
00:21:41,880 --> 00:21:44,960
Speaker 3: word gymnastics. I'm going somewhere. Okay, you have to understand

436
00:21:44,960 --> 00:21:47,840
Speaker 3: the Biblical idea of remembered and remembering in the Bible sense,

437
00:21:47,960 --> 00:21:51,160
Speaker 3: isn't being able to recall facts and figures and being

438
00:21:51,200 --> 00:21:53,439
Speaker 3: able to retell a story. That's not remembering, that's been

439
00:21:53,480 --> 00:21:57,040
Speaker 3: able to recall data. If you're tracking with me, say, man, okay,

440
00:21:57,080 --> 00:22:00,040
Speaker 3: that's just being able to recall. The Biblical sense of

441
00:22:00,040 --> 00:22:02,720
Speaker 3: of remembering is this is I dig up something from

442
00:22:02,760 --> 00:22:07,119
Speaker 3: my history, especially where I see the faithfulness of God,

443
00:22:07,680 --> 00:22:10,640
Speaker 3: and I bring it into my present in.

444
00:22:10,640 --> 00:22:11,320
Speaker 1: Such a way.

445
00:22:11,560 --> 00:22:15,320
Speaker 3: One scholar said that it has potency in my current reality,

446
00:22:15,800 --> 00:22:19,960
Speaker 3: or it begins to change my current reality. In other words,

447
00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:22,080
Speaker 3: this would be the example. In the Old Testament, they

448
00:22:22,080 --> 00:22:24,600
Speaker 3: would build ebenezers, they would build stones of remembrance.

449
00:22:24,640 --> 00:22:26,320
Speaker 1: Why because they were an oral tradition.

450
00:22:26,440 --> 00:22:30,280
Speaker 3: They passed down stories of God orally to their generation

451
00:22:30,359 --> 00:22:32,840
Speaker 3: after generation, so they could come back to that stone

452
00:22:32,840 --> 00:22:34,840
Speaker 3: of remembrance and go, oh, let me tell you what

453
00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:38,439
Speaker 3: God did for our family in this moment. And this

454
00:22:38,520 --> 00:22:41,160
Speaker 3: would be told in a moment where they needed faith

455
00:22:41,240 --> 00:22:43,560
Speaker 3: to be built. Are you tracking with me? This is

456
00:22:43,600 --> 00:22:45,720
Speaker 3: how it would work for us? Is that we come

457
00:22:45,760 --> 00:22:48,760
Speaker 3: to some crossroads in our life, or to some setback,

458
00:22:48,880 --> 00:22:51,240
Speaker 3: or to some painful moment in our life, it would

459
00:22:51,240 --> 00:22:54,200
Speaker 3: be us going whoa time out before I spiral down

460
00:22:54,240 --> 00:22:57,879
Speaker 3: the path of anxiety and spiral down the path of depression,

461
00:22:58,119 --> 00:23:00,600
Speaker 3: and spiral down the path of everything is going in

462
00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:02,879
Speaker 3: the wrong direction. It's not gonna work out for me.

463
00:23:02,960 --> 00:23:05,080
Speaker 3: This isn't gonna turn out great. Before that, I'm going

464
00:23:05,119 --> 00:23:07,639
Speaker 3: to time out and go wait, I've been here before.

465
00:23:07,920 --> 00:23:11,359
Speaker 3: The situation looks different, the names are different, and what

466
00:23:11,440 --> 00:23:13,600
Speaker 3: I'm dealing with is different, but I've been in a

467
00:23:13,680 --> 00:23:16,919
Speaker 3: similar place before. And when I was there before, I

468
00:23:17,040 --> 00:23:20,960
Speaker 3: remember that God showed up for me in the middle

469
00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:24,040
Speaker 3: of this storm. That God came through from me in

470
00:23:24,119 --> 00:23:27,480
Speaker 3: the middle of this storm. And I am still standing today.

471
00:23:27,760 --> 00:23:30,439
Speaker 3: And the same God that did it yesterday is the

472
00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:33,160
Speaker 3: same God that'll do it today and the same God

473
00:23:33,160 --> 00:23:37,040
Speaker 3: that'll do it in all of my tomorrows now Here

474
00:23:37,160 --> 00:23:43,840
Speaker 3: is remembering that when that happens, instead of anxiousness, peace

475
00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:47,919
Speaker 3: that passes understanding feels your heart and mind. That is

476
00:23:47,960 --> 00:23:55,160
Speaker 3: it having potency in your current reality. We're believers. We're

477
00:23:55,200 --> 00:23:59,439
Speaker 3: supposed to be different. There's supposed to be a contrast

478
00:23:59,480 --> 00:24:03,400
Speaker 3: to our life that when the world goes how can

479
00:24:03,480 --> 00:24:07,439
Speaker 3: you be walking through hell but you have peace in

480
00:24:07,520 --> 00:24:11,040
Speaker 3: the middle of it. How can you be dealing with

481
00:24:11,080 --> 00:24:14,200
Speaker 3: that tragedy but there is a joy. I'm not saying

482
00:24:14,200 --> 00:24:17,200
Speaker 3: that it's not pain for you. I'm not saying we are.

483
00:24:18,240 --> 00:24:21,800
Speaker 3: We're just like avoiding reality. I say, we're looking to

484
00:24:21,880 --> 00:24:26,000
Speaker 3: a different reality. We're looking to a Kingdom reality. We're

485
00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:28,919
Speaker 3: looking to a word of God reality. And so I

486
00:24:28,960 --> 00:24:32,760
Speaker 3: am walking. I may be walking through chaos, but chaos

487
00:24:32,920 --> 00:24:35,560
Speaker 3: is not in me, although it is all around me,

488
00:24:36,080 --> 00:24:38,920
Speaker 3: because I am remembering the faithfulness of God.

489
00:24:38,960 --> 00:24:42,760
Speaker 1: All right. Put it in opposite, Paul says, I'm forgetting

490
00:24:42,760 --> 00:24:43,639
Speaker 1: what is behind me.

491
00:24:45,560 --> 00:24:49,000
Speaker 3: So any sin of my past, mistakes, of my past

492
00:24:49,119 --> 00:24:52,240
Speaker 3: issues from my past, things that the enemy is wanting

493
00:24:52,280 --> 00:24:54,880
Speaker 3: to shame me of, Paul is going in the same

494
00:24:54,920 --> 00:24:58,080
Speaker 3: way that I remember to have potency in my current reality.

495
00:24:58,320 --> 00:24:59,240
Speaker 1: I forget what.

496
00:24:59,359 --> 00:25:02,600
Speaker 3: Is behind me, and so I'm no longer held or

497
00:25:02,760 --> 00:25:05,879
Speaker 3: bound by the issues of my past, or bound by

498
00:25:05,920 --> 00:25:08,560
Speaker 3: the sin of my past, or bound by the things

499
00:25:08,560 --> 00:25:11,399
Speaker 3: that people have spoken over me. I'm no longer bound

500
00:25:11,440 --> 00:25:13,879
Speaker 3: by when they walked out and said you're not worth

501
00:25:13,920 --> 00:25:16,040
Speaker 3: loving and no one will ever want to be with you.

502
00:25:16,280 --> 00:25:19,280
Speaker 3: I'm not bound by when they spoke death over my life.

503
00:25:19,359 --> 00:25:20,240
Speaker 1: I'm forgetting.

504
00:25:20,680 --> 00:25:24,040
Speaker 3: I am breaking agreement with what is behind me, and

505
00:25:24,080 --> 00:25:26,800
Speaker 3: I'm pressing in to everything that is ahead of me.

506
00:25:26,840 --> 00:25:28,960
Speaker 3: Come on, put your hands together in the House of God.

507
00:25:29,720 --> 00:25:37,520
Speaker 3: There's power in agreement. There's power in agreement. Be careful

508
00:25:37,520 --> 00:25:41,000
Speaker 3: who you agree with. Be careful what word you come

509
00:25:41,040 --> 00:25:45,040
Speaker 3: in agreement with. Just because they said it doesn't mean

510
00:25:45,040 --> 00:25:51,679
Speaker 3: you have to agree with it. Just because they spoke it,

511
00:25:53,000 --> 00:25:54,080
Speaker 3: don't mean you got to listen.

512
00:25:55,520 --> 00:25:55,800
Speaker 1: Hello.

513
00:25:55,920 --> 00:25:59,480
Speaker 3: Just because they posted it don't mean you need to follow.

514
00:26:01,240 --> 00:26:04,159
Speaker 3: Some of y'all need some spiritual amnesia. I need some

515
00:26:04,200 --> 00:26:07,679
Speaker 3: men in black. Google it if you don't know the

516
00:26:07,680 --> 00:26:16,640
Speaker 3: movie Forgetting what is behind I'm forgetting what. I'm coming

517
00:26:16,720 --> 00:26:20,280
Speaker 3: out of agreement, and I'm coming into agreement with the

518
00:26:20,320 --> 00:26:24,320
Speaker 3: word Prayer brings me in. Prayer is aligning my heart.

519
00:26:24,400 --> 00:26:26,120
Speaker 3: And it may not be the first time you pray.

520
00:26:26,920 --> 00:26:29,480
Speaker 3: It may be the second time you pray. But as

521
00:26:29,560 --> 00:26:32,440
Speaker 3: you seek the Lord in prayer, what happens you come

522
00:26:32,520 --> 00:26:36,280
Speaker 3: more and more into agreement. Why do you think we

523
00:26:36,359 --> 00:26:38,639
Speaker 3: want you in e groups? In church and on a

524
00:26:38,760 --> 00:26:41,840
Speaker 3: volunteer team and get plugged into the community of God.

525
00:26:41,880 --> 00:26:42,959
Speaker 1: Here. Why do we want that?

526
00:26:43,040 --> 00:26:45,760
Speaker 3: Because sometimes you need some people around you that go, no, no, no,

527
00:26:45,800 --> 00:26:48,639
Speaker 3: what that's not true. No no, no, no no, You're not

528
00:26:48,640 --> 00:26:50,880
Speaker 3: gonna this is not the end for you. No no, no, no.

529
00:26:50,960 --> 00:26:52,680
Speaker 3: You need some people that when you're like I don't

530
00:26:52,680 --> 00:26:54,560
Speaker 3: even feel like getting out of bed right now, they're like,

531
00:26:54,640 --> 00:26:57,520
Speaker 3: I will come drag you from your house and I

532
00:26:57,560 --> 00:27:00,840
Speaker 3: will bring you to campus. I will come by you,

533
00:27:01,080 --> 00:27:03,800
Speaker 3: I will grab your hand. When you can't pray, I'll

534
00:27:03,840 --> 00:27:06,560
Speaker 3: pray for you. Because you need some people. Why because

535
00:27:06,720 --> 00:27:08,800
Speaker 3: the Bible says in Matthew eighteen, when two or three

536
00:27:08,800 --> 00:27:11,879
Speaker 3: are gathering, they touch and agree. Why because there's not

537
00:27:11,920 --> 00:27:14,399
Speaker 3: only power and agreement with God. There's power when I

538
00:27:14,480 --> 00:27:19,439
Speaker 3: come in agreement with people around me. There's power in

539
00:27:19,520 --> 00:27:27,600
Speaker 3: your agreement. Now here's where we suck the shout out

540
00:27:27,600 --> 00:27:33,280
Speaker 3: of the room, because there would be no reason to

541
00:27:33,400 --> 00:27:38,679
Speaker 3: pray if Paul hadn't have been in prison. It was

542
00:27:38,720 --> 00:27:45,399
Speaker 3: actually the pain of prison that purposed the church to pray.

543
00:27:46,040 --> 00:27:49,600
Speaker 3: So if everything had have been going Rosie in the

544
00:27:49,640 --> 00:27:53,840
Speaker 3: New Testament Church, I propose the church wouldn't have learned

545
00:27:53,840 --> 00:27:58,280
Speaker 3: to pray the way they prayed. Now, I'm not saying

546
00:27:58,320 --> 00:28:04,159
Speaker 3: that God put Peter in because I don't believe it's

547
00:28:04,200 --> 00:28:07,320
Speaker 3: in the character of God. But I do believe that

548
00:28:07,359 --> 00:28:13,840
Speaker 3: God has a way of working all things together for

549
00:28:13,880 --> 00:28:18,520
Speaker 3: the good of those who love Him and are called

550
00:28:18,560 --> 00:28:24,439
Speaker 3: according to His purpose. It was the pain that elevated

551
00:28:24,480 --> 00:28:27,640
Speaker 3: their prayer to a new level. It was the pain

552
00:28:27,720 --> 00:28:30,960
Speaker 3: of prison that gave them a muscle that they did

553
00:28:31,000 --> 00:28:34,280
Speaker 3: not have before in faith. And some of you, you're

554
00:28:34,359 --> 00:28:36,640
Speaker 3: looking at pain right now in your life, going God,

555
00:28:36,720 --> 00:28:38,840
Speaker 3: why are you doing this to me? And I would

556
00:28:38,840 --> 00:28:41,800
Speaker 3: want to reframe the question what is God wanting to

557
00:28:41,840 --> 00:28:46,200
Speaker 3: do for you? That sometimes we put the wrong frame

558
00:28:46,240 --> 00:28:48,280
Speaker 3: around it, and when we frame it wrong, we see

559
00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:51,400
Speaker 3: it wrong. Recently, my wife and I went on we

560
00:28:51,440 --> 00:28:56,720
Speaker 3: celebrated twenty years married, and we went on, Yeah, thank you,

561
00:28:56,720 --> 00:28:58,600
Speaker 3: you should have pulled for her.

562
00:28:59,160 --> 00:28:59,920
Speaker 1: She's stuck with me.

563
00:29:00,920 --> 00:29:03,320
Speaker 3: We went we went on an anniversary trip and we

564
00:29:03,320 --> 00:29:05,320
Speaker 3: were going to the We were visiting these museums and

565
00:29:05,360 --> 00:29:09,040
Speaker 3: we had this guide and uh, the God was taking

566
00:29:09,120 --> 00:29:12,360
Speaker 3: us through and I'm guys, I'm I would like to

567
00:29:12,440 --> 00:29:16,000
Speaker 3: be more cultured and I'm pretty simple.

568
00:29:16,040 --> 00:29:18,160
Speaker 1: Give me some barbecue in college football and let's call

569
00:29:18,200 --> 00:29:19,640
Speaker 1: it a day. Like, I'm good to go.

570
00:29:19,680 --> 00:29:22,280
Speaker 3: But we went into all these art galleries and I

571
00:29:22,280 --> 00:29:25,560
Speaker 3: mean it was it was pretty amazing. But the way

572
00:29:25,760 --> 00:29:30,920
Speaker 3: the the guide was framing it for me like actually

573
00:29:30,920 --> 00:29:35,520
Speaker 3: made me interested in what I was seeing. And so

574
00:29:35,800 --> 00:29:38,840
Speaker 3: she's like, these are one of a kind. You'll never

575
00:29:38,880 --> 00:29:41,520
Speaker 3: see it was Michaelangelo. We're going to see some da Vinci.

576
00:29:41,600 --> 00:29:47,840
Speaker 3: I was like, all right, I've heard those names. And

577
00:29:47,920 --> 00:29:51,680
Speaker 3: so we walk in there and I'm walking slowly. I'm like, yeah,

578
00:29:51,720 --> 00:29:55,200
Speaker 3: look at the use of color. I have no idea.

579
00:29:55,240 --> 00:29:57,680
Speaker 3: I don't know what I'm saying. I mean, who says that.

580
00:29:57,720 --> 00:30:00,440
Speaker 3: I'm like, yeah, look at look at that's that's from

581
00:30:00,520 --> 00:30:01,800
Speaker 3: Renaissance period right there.

582
00:30:01,800 --> 00:30:03,760
Speaker 1: It's amazing.

583
00:30:05,360 --> 00:30:09,239
Speaker 3: Take the guide away, Take the framing away. I had

584
00:30:09,240 --> 00:30:12,120
Speaker 3: to walk through there and been like I've seen that

585
00:30:12,120 --> 00:30:16,280
Speaker 3: at Target. Come on, somebody, anybody else with me. I'd

586
00:30:16,280 --> 00:30:19,200
Speaker 3: have been like, I've seen that before. It was a

587
00:30:19,240 --> 00:30:23,560
Speaker 3: hobby lobby. I don't know who that guy is. Well,

588
00:30:23,600 --> 00:30:27,040
Speaker 3: what happened? She set it up with a different frame

589
00:30:27,120 --> 00:30:29,920
Speaker 3: for me. Are you tracking with me? Can I set

590
00:30:30,000 --> 00:30:32,560
Speaker 3: up the pain of prison in a different frame for you,

591
00:30:32,920 --> 00:30:35,440
Speaker 3: that just maybe what you're seeing as God, why are

592
00:30:35,480 --> 00:30:37,800
Speaker 3: you doing this to me? And that's the language you said,

593
00:30:37,800 --> 00:30:39,800
Speaker 3: why is this happening to me? Why is this thing

594
00:30:39,840 --> 00:30:42,479
Speaker 3: coming to me now? No, maybe God is doing something

595
00:30:42,560 --> 00:30:43,040
Speaker 3: for you.

596
00:30:43,320 --> 00:30:43,960
Speaker 1: Maybe there's a.

597
00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:47,000
Speaker 3: Muscle of faith that God is wanting to build and

598
00:30:47,040 --> 00:30:51,239
Speaker 3: he's capitalizing on what seems like a painful situation in

599
00:30:51,280 --> 00:30:54,200
Speaker 3: your life to grow something deeper on the inside of

600
00:30:54,240 --> 00:30:56,760
Speaker 3: you so that you can handle a more weight. Could

601
00:30:56,800 --> 00:30:59,360
Speaker 3: it be that God sees so much potential in your

602
00:30:59,440 --> 00:31:02,080
Speaker 3: life and see so much for you down the future.

603
00:31:02,280 --> 00:31:05,080
Speaker 3: Because our God is outside of time, you're tracking with me.

604
00:31:05,560 --> 00:31:07,280
Speaker 3: He doesn't have it in a beginning, and he doesn't

605
00:31:07,320 --> 00:31:09,640
Speaker 3: have an end, so he doesn't live within time. He

606
00:31:09,680 --> 00:31:12,640
Speaker 3: lives outside of time, and so he is standing outside

607
00:31:12,680 --> 00:31:14,760
Speaker 3: of time watching the day you were born and the

608
00:31:14,840 --> 00:31:18,640
Speaker 3: day you die at the same time, and.

609
00:31:18,600 --> 00:31:19,600
Speaker 1: He's outside it.

610
00:31:19,720 --> 00:31:22,680
Speaker 3: So could it be that he knows right now, in

611
00:31:22,760 --> 00:31:26,000
Speaker 3: this momentary moment where you are dealing with this pain,

612
00:31:26,080 --> 00:31:29,640
Speaker 3: he's going, Yeah, but six months from now, I'm about

613
00:31:29,680 --> 00:31:32,120
Speaker 3: to do something in their life that will blow their mind.

614
00:31:32,360 --> 00:31:34,720
Speaker 3: But before they get to there, I need to grow

615
00:31:34,840 --> 00:31:37,520
Speaker 3: something in here. I need to grow some care. Could

616
00:31:37,560 --> 00:31:40,880
Speaker 3: I propose that that character grows really good in pain.

617
00:31:41,880 --> 00:31:44,440
Speaker 3: Could I say that faith gets a muscle you never

618
00:31:44,520 --> 00:31:47,400
Speaker 3: had when you're walking through something challenging. Could I say

619
00:31:47,400 --> 00:31:50,200
Speaker 3: that there's something developed on the inside of you that

620
00:31:50,400 --> 00:31:53,640
Speaker 3: just maybe without it wouldn't be developed, and then you

621
00:31:53,640 --> 00:31:56,920
Speaker 3: wouldn't be prepared for the blessing God wants to put

622
00:31:56,960 --> 00:32:05,680
Speaker 3: into your life. It was the pain of prison that

623
00:32:05,840 --> 00:32:11,400
Speaker 3: brought the church to pray. Could we frame it different?

624
00:32:13,040 --> 00:32:15,720
Speaker 3: Could you see it different? Oh, God, you're not doing

625
00:32:15,760 --> 00:32:19,800
Speaker 3: this to me. There's something you're doing for me in

626
00:32:19,840 --> 00:32:23,400
Speaker 3: this because God is moving you from victory to victory.

627
00:32:24,840 --> 00:32:27,440
Speaker 3: The only problem is we don't know how long two

628
00:32:27,600 --> 00:32:36,720
Speaker 3: is victory two. We want it to be victory to victory.

629
00:32:38,600 --> 00:32:40,920
Speaker 3: In my experience, sometimes it's victory to.

630
00:32:45,240 --> 00:32:52,320
Speaker 1: Victory. Come on, somebody. The text goes on to say this.

631
00:32:54,560 --> 00:32:57,200
Speaker 3: Says, the night before Herod was to bring him to trial,

632
00:32:57,240 --> 00:33:01,240
Speaker 3: Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, which is fascinating to me,

633
00:33:02,120 --> 00:33:04,400
Speaker 3: bound with two chains and centuries stood guard at the

634
00:33:04,560 --> 00:33:09,600
Speaker 3: entrance there there were there were actually sixteen guards over him.

635
00:33:10,080 --> 00:33:14,640
Speaker 3: They must have been really scared of Peter, and it said.

636
00:33:14,680 --> 00:33:17,640
Speaker 3: Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light

637
00:33:17,760 --> 00:33:20,800
Speaker 3: shone in the cell, and he struck Peter on the

638
00:33:20,920 --> 00:33:23,800
Speaker 3: side and woke him up. Quick, get up, he said,

639
00:33:24,080 --> 00:33:26,360
Speaker 3: and the chains fell off Peter's wrists. And then the

640
00:33:26,400 --> 00:33:29,479
Speaker 3: angel said to him, put on your clothes and sandals,

641
00:33:29,520 --> 00:33:31,440
Speaker 3: and Peter did so, wrap your cloak around you and

642
00:33:31,440 --> 00:33:34,480
Speaker 3: follow me. And the angel told him, and Peter followed

643
00:33:34,520 --> 00:33:36,120
Speaker 3: him out of the prison. But he had no idea

644
00:33:36,280 --> 00:33:38,680
Speaker 3: that what the angel was doing was really happening. He

645
00:33:38,760 --> 00:33:41,480
Speaker 3: thought he was seeing a vision. Peter's like, in that

646
00:33:41,560 --> 00:33:46,560
Speaker 3: moment between awaken a sleep, you know what I'm talking about.

647
00:33:47,480 --> 00:33:50,760
Speaker 3: It's that it's that moment like when your preschooler walks

648
00:33:50,760 --> 00:33:53,800
Speaker 3: in and stands at the side of your bed quietly.

649
00:33:56,560 --> 00:34:01,360
Speaker 3: That's so true. It I'm preaching right now, and you're like,

650
00:34:01,680 --> 00:34:05,600
Speaker 3: I rebuke that devil. Then they're like, Dad, I'm like, oh,

651
00:34:05,600 --> 00:34:06,920
Speaker 3: I'm sorry.

652
00:34:07,680 --> 00:34:09,120
Speaker 1: Theoretically heard that happens.

653
00:34:11,520 --> 00:34:13,440
Speaker 3: They passed the first and second guards and came to

654
00:34:13,480 --> 00:34:15,239
Speaker 3: the iron gate leading to the city and opened for

655
00:34:15,280 --> 00:34:17,120
Speaker 3: them by itself, and they went through it, and when

656
00:34:17,160 --> 00:34:19,000
Speaker 3: they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the

657
00:34:19,040 --> 00:34:21,839
Speaker 3: angel left him. He's like, you got to go from here, Peter.

658
00:34:23,760 --> 00:34:28,839
Speaker 3: This is so interesting to me that the two responses

659
00:34:29,000 --> 00:34:36,279
Speaker 3: to setbacks or to pressure. Think about this. The church

660
00:34:36,320 --> 00:34:40,920
Speaker 3: is under pressure, but Peter is too. He's actually the

661
00:34:40,920 --> 00:34:46,000
Speaker 3: one in chains. The churches is in duress and they

662
00:34:46,040 --> 00:34:49,160
Speaker 3: go to praying. Peter's intress and he goes to sleeping.

663
00:34:51,719 --> 00:34:57,000
Speaker 3: I think they're both great responses to a setback. Yes,

664
00:34:57,040 --> 00:34:58,680
Speaker 3: there is time to lean in and pray, but there's

665
00:34:58,680 --> 00:35:03,560
Speaker 3: also time to rest in the sovereignty of God. Have

666
00:35:03,640 --> 00:35:06,080
Speaker 3: you ever felt that way, that you're stuck between two things?

667
00:35:07,360 --> 00:35:11,120
Speaker 3: Life is never as simple as we make it. It's

668
00:35:11,160 --> 00:35:14,400
Speaker 3: never one issue I'm dealing with. It's it's I'm chained

669
00:35:14,440 --> 00:35:25,120
Speaker 3: between betrayal and unforgiveness. I'm changing, I'm chained between lack

670
00:35:25,160 --> 00:35:30,080
Speaker 3: of direction, and I got friendships that are falling apart.

671
00:35:30,800 --> 00:35:33,040
Speaker 3: It's rarely that we're dealing with one thing and Peter

672
00:35:33,440 --> 00:35:37,200
Speaker 3: is stuck and he's he's chained in between two different

673
00:35:37,239 --> 00:35:39,759
Speaker 3: things and in the middle that the Bible says that

674
00:35:39,800 --> 00:35:40,440
Speaker 3: he's sleeping.

675
00:35:42,200 --> 00:35:44,560
Speaker 1: I mean, think about this, like, like put yourself in

676
00:35:44,640 --> 00:35:48,319
Speaker 1: that situation. I don't think I would be sleeping and

677
00:35:48,360 --> 00:35:49,360
Speaker 1: there was no Xanax.

678
00:35:50,239 --> 00:35:54,200
Speaker 3: There there's no Nike will, there's no come on advill PM.

679
00:35:54,239 --> 00:36:00,400
Speaker 3: Thank you Jesus, the Christian one. I don't take drugs.

680
00:36:00,440 --> 00:36:08,960
Speaker 3: I just go to sleep with ADBULPM. There's none of that.

681
00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:11,759
Speaker 3: But Peter is asleep in the middle of it. I

682
00:36:11,760 --> 00:36:14,840
Speaker 3: started asking myself how in the world was Peter sleeping

683
00:36:15,280 --> 00:36:19,240
Speaker 3: in between two guards chained? Knowing what happened to James,

684
00:36:19,280 --> 00:36:21,360
Speaker 3: he had to know the next morning. This isn't a

685
00:36:21,400 --> 00:36:24,520
Speaker 3: real trial. I'm probably going to be murdered, but he's sleeping.

686
00:36:25,560 --> 00:36:27,439
Speaker 3: Here's what I feel like, the Spirit of God said

687
00:36:27,440 --> 00:36:30,279
Speaker 3: to me, is that why would I be awake at

688
00:36:30,360 --> 00:36:35,840
Speaker 3: night worrying about tomorrow when God was already there. Why

689
00:36:35,920 --> 00:36:39,120
Speaker 3: would I be worrying right now and losing sleep when

690
00:36:39,120 --> 00:36:42,080
Speaker 3: God is in all of my tomorrows? And if God

691
00:36:42,160 --> 00:36:44,879
Speaker 3: is already in my tomorrow, then he's already taking care

692
00:36:45,000 --> 00:36:47,560
Speaker 3: of what I can I just encourage somebody today. Some

693
00:36:47,640 --> 00:36:50,080
Speaker 3: of you got a conversation tomorrow, you gotta have. Some

694
00:36:50,160 --> 00:36:52,399
Speaker 3: of you don't know what you're walking into tomorrow. Can

695
00:36:52,440 --> 00:36:54,600
Speaker 3: I tell you the God that is all places at

696
00:36:54,600 --> 00:36:57,440
Speaker 3: all times, is already in all of your tomorrows? That

697
00:36:57,520 --> 00:37:00,680
Speaker 3: He's already been there, he's already seen the conversation, He's

698
00:37:00,719 --> 00:37:03,080
Speaker 3: already dealt with the situation. And if he can be

699
00:37:03,120 --> 00:37:05,719
Speaker 3: trusted in your today, he can be trusted in all

700
00:37:05,760 --> 00:37:11,520
Speaker 3: of your tomorrows. So why stress? Why worry? Why be

701
00:37:11,600 --> 00:37:15,600
Speaker 3: overwhelmed in the middle of it? Peter was sleeping in

702
00:37:15,719 --> 00:37:21,640
Speaker 3: between two soldiers, because I think Peter was like, God's

703
00:37:21,680 --> 00:37:25,239
Speaker 3: already there, God's already got me. Can I tell you

704
00:37:25,320 --> 00:37:30,240
Speaker 3: God's already got you that? If he knows the hairs

705
00:37:30,320 --> 00:37:35,560
Speaker 3: on your head? Don't you think he's got those things

706
00:37:35,560 --> 00:37:38,759
Speaker 3: that are worrying you. Don't you think he's in the

707
00:37:38,800 --> 00:37:43,960
Speaker 3: middle of the setback that you're facing right now? If

708
00:37:43,960 --> 00:37:46,000
Speaker 3: he can be trusted with your salvation, can he be

709
00:37:46,040 --> 00:37:50,759
Speaker 3: trusted with your finances? If he can be trusted with

710
00:37:50,800 --> 00:37:55,920
Speaker 3: your eternity, can't he be trusted with your child? If

711
00:37:55,960 --> 00:37:59,560
Speaker 3: he can be trusted with the forgiveness of your sin?

712
00:37:59,640 --> 00:38:04,359
Speaker 3: Can't he be trusted? But that roommate situation that is

713
00:38:05,560 --> 00:38:10,800
Speaker 3: wearing you out, worrying you, He's already in your tomorrow.

714
00:38:13,080 --> 00:38:19,160
Speaker 3: Why should I be up worrying about it? Why it's

715
00:38:19,280 --> 00:38:24,840
Speaker 3: the band to come out and join me? So he

716
00:38:24,840 --> 00:38:28,520
Speaker 3: says that he the angel kicks him or strikes him.

717
00:38:28,520 --> 00:38:30,880
Speaker 3: I don't know what he did. I just picture he's like,

718
00:38:32,120 --> 00:38:36,800
Speaker 3: get up, Peter, and then he says, he walks past

719
00:38:36,880 --> 00:38:42,160
Speaker 3: all the guards and he gets out in the street,

720
00:38:42,200 --> 00:38:45,520
Speaker 3: and then he is able to take off by himself.

721
00:38:45,640 --> 00:38:47,120
Speaker 3: I want, I want to point this thought out to

722
00:38:47,160 --> 00:38:52,759
Speaker 3: you that Peter didn't escape, Peter was delivered. There's a

723
00:38:52,760 --> 00:38:58,480
Speaker 3: big difference in the two that if Peter had escaped,

724
00:38:58,560 --> 00:39:02,279
Speaker 3: that would have been Peter's doing. And sometimes when we

725
00:39:02,320 --> 00:39:05,440
Speaker 3: face a setback, that is our approach. I need to

726
00:39:05,480 --> 00:39:07,360
Speaker 3: pay my way out of this. I need to network

727
00:39:07,400 --> 00:39:09,279
Speaker 3: my way out of this. Who can I talk to?

728
00:39:09,360 --> 00:39:11,120
Speaker 3: Who can I see? I mean some of us would

729
00:39:11,120 --> 00:39:13,200
Speaker 3: have been like Peter was kept in prison, and the

730
00:39:13,280 --> 00:39:16,359
Speaker 3: church was lobbying the local political leaders, and the church

731
00:39:16,480 --> 00:39:18,680
Speaker 3: was out talking to everybody, and the church was posting

732
00:39:18,719 --> 00:39:21,320
Speaker 3: about it, and the church was trying and raise awaren

733
00:39:21,520 --> 00:39:22,839
Speaker 3: for I'm not against.

734
00:39:22,560 --> 00:39:22,880
Speaker 1: Any of that.

735
00:39:22,960 --> 00:39:25,000
Speaker 3: I'm just saying their approach was to go to God,

736
00:39:25,080 --> 00:39:28,080
Speaker 3: to seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness,

737
00:39:28,080 --> 00:39:30,120
Speaker 3: and then all these other things that you're worrying about

738
00:39:30,239 --> 00:39:32,560
Speaker 3: will be added unto you as well. But if Peter

739
00:39:33,120 --> 00:39:35,759
Speaker 3: had escaped, then Peter could have end back in the

740
00:39:35,800 --> 00:39:38,719
Speaker 3: situation he was in. But when God delivers you, then

741
00:39:38,719 --> 00:39:41,320
Speaker 3: God will cause you to walk right past the people

742
00:39:41,560 --> 00:39:44,239
Speaker 3: that and change you and prisons you up, and you

743
00:39:44,280 --> 00:39:46,160
Speaker 3: will be Let me say it this way, whom the

744
00:39:46,200 --> 00:39:49,960
Speaker 3: sun sets free is free. Indeed, are you tracking with me?

745
00:39:50,560 --> 00:39:52,640
Speaker 3: I just want you to when you face a setback,

746
00:39:52,680 --> 00:39:53,960
Speaker 3: don't seek to escape it.

747
00:39:54,239 --> 00:39:57,080
Speaker 1: Seek God deliver me out of this. God.

748
00:39:57,120 --> 00:39:59,160
Speaker 3: I want you to do this because if you get

749
00:39:59,200 --> 00:40:01,440
Speaker 3: the chains off of I don't have to pick the

750
00:40:01,440 --> 00:40:02,600
Speaker 3: lock and try.

751
00:40:02,360 --> 00:40:03,480
Speaker 1: To figure it out myself.

752
00:40:03,520 --> 00:40:05,480
Speaker 3: God, if you will get the chains off of me,

753
00:40:05,760 --> 00:40:06,960
Speaker 3: you will open the door.

754
00:40:07,120 --> 00:40:07,960
Speaker 1: If you open the.

755
00:40:07,920 --> 00:40:10,680
Speaker 3: Door, I can walk right past the critic, I can

756
00:40:10,719 --> 00:40:12,959
Speaker 3: walk right past the person that was trying to set

757
00:40:13,040 --> 00:40:13,480
Speaker 3: me back.

758
00:40:13,640 --> 00:40:14,680
Speaker 1: I can walk right.

759
00:40:14,520 --> 00:40:17,080
Speaker 3: Past them all because the Angel of the Lord is

760
00:40:17,120 --> 00:40:20,040
Speaker 3: with me, and I will the scap be delivered, but

761
00:40:20,200 --> 00:40:24,960
Speaker 3: not escape from it. I'm wanting God to move on

762
00:40:25,000 --> 00:40:28,960
Speaker 3: my behalf. And so the end of the story is this.

763
00:40:29,200 --> 00:40:34,040
Speaker 3: He goes back and he talks. He goes and knocks

764
00:40:34,080 --> 00:40:36,000
Speaker 3: on the door where they're all gathering, and they're all praying,

765
00:40:36,440 --> 00:40:38,439
Speaker 3: and the servant girl comes to the door. She didn't

766
00:40:38,440 --> 00:40:40,360
Speaker 3: even open it. She runs back and she's like, I

767
00:40:40,360 --> 00:40:43,560
Speaker 3: heard Peter's voice out there. And they come back and

768
00:40:43,560 --> 00:40:47,360
Speaker 3: they're like, it couldn't be. I just love the humanity

769
00:40:47,400 --> 00:40:50,640
Speaker 3: God gives us. In the Bible, they're praying, these great

770
00:40:50,640 --> 00:40:53,479
Speaker 3: people of faith, earnestly praying, Peter's at the door. There's

771
00:40:53,520 --> 00:40:54,919
Speaker 3: no way God's answered our prayer.

772
00:40:55,000 --> 00:40:57,920
Speaker 1: That's what they're saying. Being couraged today.

773
00:40:58,480 --> 00:41:00,239
Speaker 3: If you feel like you got a mustard seed of faith,

774
00:41:00,280 --> 00:41:04,600
Speaker 3: that's enough. He says, I that can't be him. And

775
00:41:04,640 --> 00:41:07,440
Speaker 3: then they said this, which is telling. They said it

776
00:41:07,520 --> 00:41:10,960
Speaker 3: must be his ghost. Now in that time, they believe

777
00:41:11,000 --> 00:41:13,800
Speaker 3: that that your spirit remained for four days after your death.

778
00:41:14,719 --> 00:41:17,080
Speaker 3: This is why Jesus waited to go to lazarus tomb

779
00:41:17,120 --> 00:41:22,279
Speaker 3: to make sure they knew he was dead dead. They

780
00:41:22,320 --> 00:41:24,239
Speaker 3: believed that. So what they were saying is they must

781
00:41:24,280 --> 00:41:26,439
Speaker 3: have already killed him, and now his spirit has come.

782
00:41:28,800 --> 00:41:31,040
Speaker 3: And then they knock on the door. He knocks again.

783
00:41:31,080 --> 00:41:34,640
Speaker 3: They finally open it, and then they rejoice that God

784
00:41:34,640 --> 00:41:37,520
Speaker 3: has answered their prayer. Here's what I want to leave

785
00:41:37,520 --> 00:41:42,680
Speaker 3: you with, the same God, the same God that got

786
00:41:42,719 --> 00:41:48,000
Speaker 3: Peter out of prison, is the same God that is

787
00:41:48,040 --> 00:41:52,400
Speaker 3: working in your life today. The Church didn't have some

788
00:41:53,280 --> 00:41:56,640
Speaker 3: specific system of prayer that got God to listen to

789
00:41:56,680 --> 00:41:58,000
Speaker 3: them and move on their behalf.

790
00:41:58,080 --> 00:41:58,719
Speaker 1: They didn't have the.

791
00:41:58,760 --> 00:42:01,839
Speaker 3: Right words that they together in the right sentence. They

792
00:42:01,880 --> 00:42:04,720
Speaker 3: didn't have some golden ticket. They just had an earnest

793
00:42:04,920 --> 00:42:08,920
Speaker 3: prayer before God. And God heard their prayers. And I

794
00:42:08,960 --> 00:42:11,080
Speaker 3: want you to know today that if you will earnestly

795
00:42:11,200 --> 00:42:15,160
Speaker 3: pray before God, God hears your prayers, and God will

796
00:42:15,200 --> 00:42:18,080
Speaker 3: move on your behalf because He's a God that loves

797
00:42:18,120 --> 00:42:18,399
Speaker 3: you and.

798
00:42:18,440 --> 00:42:21,440
Speaker 1: Is for you. And the same God I want you

799
00:42:21,480 --> 00:42:22,279
Speaker 1: to hear this, the.

800
00:42:22,200 --> 00:42:25,120
Speaker 3: Same God that part of the red Sea is the

801
00:42:25,160 --> 00:42:27,799
Speaker 3: same God that is working in your life today. That

802
00:42:27,880 --> 00:42:30,040
Speaker 3: our God's arm is not too short.

803
00:42:29,760 --> 00:42:31,320
Speaker 1: To reach into your situation.

804
00:42:31,719 --> 00:42:35,000
Speaker 3: The same God that was cloud by day and fire

805
00:42:35,040 --> 00:42:37,759
Speaker 3: by night is the same God that is working in

806
00:42:37,800 --> 00:42:39,080
Speaker 3: your situation today.

807
00:42:39,280 --> 00:42:40,360
Speaker 1: And the same God.

808
00:42:40,160 --> 00:42:42,600
Speaker 3: That took down Goliath with a little rock is the

809
00:42:42,640 --> 00:42:44,280
Speaker 3: same God that is working today.

810
00:42:44,480 --> 00:42:46,160
Speaker 1: And the same God that said.

811
00:42:46,040 --> 00:42:49,200
Speaker 3: Lazarus get up out of that tomb is the same God.

812
00:42:49,000 --> 00:42:50,080
Speaker 1: That is working today.

813
00:42:50,280 --> 00:42:53,319
Speaker 3: And the same God that caused Jesus to rise up

814
00:42:53,320 --> 00:42:56,400
Speaker 3: from the grave is the same God that is working today.

815
00:42:56,680 --> 00:42:59,840
Speaker 3: And so while you're praying, why don't you get praised.

816
00:43:00,520 --> 00:43:02,480
Speaker 3: That's the same God that did.

817
00:43:02,320 --> 00:43:04,399
Speaker 1: It for them, will do it for you too.

818
00:43:05,480 --> 00:43:10,319
Speaker 3: You can pray and you can praise, but that's the

819
00:43:10,360 --> 00:43:10,960
Speaker 3: same God.

820
00:43:13,239 --> 00:43:14,600
Speaker 1: It's the same God.

821
00:43:16,239 --> 00:43:18,040
Speaker 3: And I don't know what you're facing today, and I

822
00:43:18,080 --> 00:43:20,480
Speaker 3: don't know what you're dealing with. I don't know what

823
00:43:20,560 --> 00:43:21,440
Speaker 3: has you overwhelmed.

824
00:43:21,440 --> 00:43:25,560
Speaker 1: But I do know this that Peter was kept in.

825
00:43:25,520 --> 00:43:32,000
Speaker 3: Prison, but the church prayed, and when the church prayed,

826
00:43:33,480 --> 00:43:38,640
Speaker 3: all of heaven moved. And that same God will do

827
00:43:38,719 --> 00:43:41,320
Speaker 3: it for you today. Come on, do you believe the

828
00:43:41,360 --> 00:43:49,200
Speaker 3: word of God today? Every head bout, every eye closed,

829
00:43:49,200 --> 00:43:53,200
Speaker 3: at all of our campuses. You know, for some of you,

830
00:43:53,280 --> 00:43:56,280
Speaker 3: the greatest prayer you could ever pray is the prayer

831
00:43:56,280 --> 00:43:57,239
Speaker 3: that says, God, I.

832
00:43:57,239 --> 00:44:00,360
Speaker 1: Surrender my life to you. It's the greatest prayer.

833
00:44:01,760 --> 00:44:04,880
Speaker 3: It's the prayer that says, I'm far from you, my

834
00:44:04,960 --> 00:44:09,160
Speaker 3: sin is separated me from you. But I want relationship

835
00:44:09,200 --> 00:44:11,799
Speaker 3: with you. I want to know you personally, not know

836
00:44:11,920 --> 00:44:14,839
Speaker 3: about you, not check a box. I want to know

837
00:44:14,880 --> 00:44:16,920
Speaker 3: you personally. The Bible says, if we confess with our

838
00:44:16,920 --> 00:44:19,640
Speaker 3: mouth at Jesus is Lord. That means I'm done calling

839
00:44:19,680 --> 00:44:23,200
Speaker 3: the shots God. I'm surrendering to you. And we believe

840
00:44:23,239 --> 00:44:25,080
Speaker 3: in our heart that God raised Jesus from the dead.

841
00:44:25,120 --> 00:44:29,719
Speaker 3: That's the resurrection. Then we will be saved. We can

842
00:44:29,760 --> 00:44:31,640
Speaker 3: have a brand new beginning today. And some of you

843
00:44:31,680 --> 00:44:34,120
Speaker 3: today you need to come back to God or maybe

844
00:44:34,160 --> 00:44:36,520
Speaker 3: today you need to begin a brand new relationship with Him.

845
00:44:37,239 --> 00:44:39,319
Speaker 3: We're going to pray in just a moment together as

846
00:44:40,239 --> 00:44:42,760
Speaker 3: a church family for those who are taking this step today,

847
00:44:42,840 --> 00:44:45,640
Speaker 3: and no one prays alone. If you say that's me.

848
00:44:47,440 --> 00:44:49,360
Speaker 3: I need a fresh start today, I need a new beginning.

849
00:44:49,400 --> 00:44:53,400
Speaker 3: The Bible says if anybody's in Christ, they're a new creation.

850
00:44:54,440 --> 00:44:56,680
Speaker 3: God can make you new today. They can be a

851
00:44:56,800 --> 00:44:59,960
Speaker 3: day of brand new beginnings. So let's pray this outline.

852
00:45:00,040 --> 00:45:02,960
Speaker 3: I'll across all of our locations. Are you found, just say, Jesus,

853
00:45:03,640 --> 00:45:07,080
Speaker 3: I need you. I ask you to forgive me of

854
00:45:07,120 --> 00:45:10,880
Speaker 3: all my sin. I believe you died for me. I

855
00:45:10,920 --> 00:45:14,600
Speaker 3: believe God raised you from the dead. Today I'll make

856
00:45:14,640 --> 00:45:17,960
Speaker 3: you my Lord and savior. Thank you for a brand

857
00:45:18,000 --> 00:45:20,759
Speaker 3: new beginning in Jesus' name.

858
00:45:21,560 --> 00:45:21,960
Speaker 1: Amen.

859
00:45:22,520 --> 00:45:24,440
Speaker 3: Amen, Come on, if you made that decision today, will

860
00:45:24,480 --> 00:45:26,760
Speaker 3: you just slip your hand up, come on every campus.

861
00:45:26,760 --> 00:45:28,200
Speaker 3: You're coming back to God today.

862
00:45:29,880 --> 00:45:31,000
Speaker 1: Thank you for joining us.

863
00:45:31,320 --> 00:45:33,759
Speaker 2: Special thanks to those of you who give generously to

864
00:45:33,840 --> 00:45:37,320
Speaker 2: this ministry. Is because of you that this ministry is possible.

865
00:45:37,760 --> 00:45:39,960
Speaker 2: You can click the link in the description to give

866
00:45:40,040 --> 00:45:44,200
Speaker 2: now or visit Elevationchurch dot org slash podcast for more

867
00:45:44,200 --> 00:45:48,040
Speaker 2: information and if you enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe.

868
00:45:48,320 --> 00:45:49,640
Speaker 1: You can share it with your friends.

869
00:45:49,920 --> 00:45:52,200
Speaker 2: You can click the share button, take a screenshot and

870
00:45:52,239 --> 00:45:54,359
Speaker 2: share it on your social stories and tag us at

871
00:45:54,400 --> 00:46:00,000
Speaker 2: Elevation Church. Thanks again for listening. God bless you