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Speaker 1: Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to

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Speaker 1: our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry.

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Speaker 2: If you enjoy today's message, why don't you be a

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Speaker 2: blessing and share it with a friend.

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Speaker 1: We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in

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Speaker 1: your life. Well, God's bless you. It is always a

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Speaker 1: joy to coming to your homes. We love you and

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Speaker 1: we're believing for God's very best for you and your family.

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Speaker 1: We pray for you every day, and if you're ever

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Speaker 1: in our area, I hope you'll come out and be

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Speaker 1: a part of one of our services. These are the

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Speaker 1: finest people in all of Houston right here at Lakewood.

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Speaker 1: We'd love to have you be a part. Thanks for

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Speaker 1: tuning in today. I like to get started each week

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Speaker 1: with something funny, and I heard about this man that

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Speaker 1: died and left his wife twenty thousand dollars. After the funeral,

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Speaker 1: his wife told a friend that she was totally broke.

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Speaker 1: She said, what do you mean you're broke? I thought

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Speaker 1: you had twenty thousand dollars. She said, well, I spent

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Speaker 1: five thousand on the funeral and fifteen thousand on the

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Speaker 1: memorial stone. The friend said, wow, that was some stone.

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Speaker 1: How big was it? She held up a finger and said,

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Speaker 1: three and a half carrots? All right, hold up your bible,

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Speaker 1: say it like you mean it. This is my Bible.

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Speaker 1: I am what it says I am. I have what

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Speaker 1: it says I have. I can do what it says

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Speaker 1: I can do. Today I will be taught the word

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Speaker 1: of God. I boldly confess my mind is alert, my

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Speaker 1: heart is receptive. I will never be the same. In Jesus' name,

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Speaker 1: God bless you. I want to talk to you today

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Speaker 1: about not being critical toward yourself. So many people have

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Speaker 1: a war going on on the inside. They're not really

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Speaker 1: happy with who they are. They go around thinking if

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Speaker 1: I was just a little taller, if I just had

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Speaker 1: a more outgoing personality, if I just had green eyes

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Speaker 1: instead of these brown eyes. They're always wishing they were

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Speaker 1: something different. But if you're going to enjoy your life,

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Speaker 1: you have to be happy with who God made you

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Speaker 1: to be. If you don't get along with yourself, you'll

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Speaker 1: never get along with other people. And the scripture says

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Speaker 1: here in Ephesians two ten, we are God's masterpiece. That

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Speaker 1: means you are not average, you are not ordinary. You

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Speaker 1: were one of a kind. When God created you, he

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Speaker 1: went to great links to make you exactly like He wanted.

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Speaker 1: You didn't just happen to get your personality. You didn't

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Speaker 1: just accidentally get your nose, your skin color, your gifts.

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Speaker 1: God on purpose designs you to be the way you are,

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Speaker 1: and you need to see yourself as unique as an original,

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Speaker 1: as God's very own masterpiece. One time, when I was

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Speaker 1: in my early twenties, I was in India sitting on

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Speaker 1: the beach watching the sunset. It was a beautiful picture.

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Speaker 1: The water was so crystal clear, and as far as

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Speaker 1: I could see to my left and right, it was

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Speaker 1: just miles of the beach and beautiful palm trees. The

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Speaker 1: sun was huge on the horizon, just about to go down.

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Speaker 1: As I sat there, I thought about what a magnificent

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Speaker 1: picture that was, and the thought came to my mind

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Speaker 1: about how God is such an incredible painter. And as

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Speaker 1: I was just reflecting and thinking about my life, I

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Speaker 1: heard God speak something to me, not out loud, but

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Speaker 1: right down in here. He said, Joel, you think this

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Speaker 1: is a beautiful picture, do you? I said, yes, God,

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Speaker 1: I think it's magnificent. He said, well, what do you

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Speaker 1: think would be my most prized painting, my most incredible creation.

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Speaker 1: I said, God, I think it would be this. This

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Speaker 1: is magnificent. He said, no, it's not this. I thought

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Speaker 1: about it a moment earlier that year, I'd been in

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Speaker 1: the Rocky Mountains and that was so spectacular. I said, God,

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Speaker 1: I bet it's the Rocky Mountains. He said, no, it's

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Speaker 1: not that. I said, well, what is it? The Solar System,

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Speaker 1: the Milky Way? He said, Joel, if you want to

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Speaker 1: know what my most prized painting is, the one that

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Speaker 1: I'm the most proud of, it would be you. I

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Speaker 1: thought me, God, it couldn't be me. I'm just ordinary.

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Speaker 1: I'm just like everyone else. He said, no, Joel, you

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Speaker 1: don't understand. The sunsets are a dime a dozen. When

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Speaker 1: I made the mountains and the solar system and the oceans,

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Speaker 1: that's good. I was proud of that. But when I

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Speaker 1: made you, I breathed my life into you. I made

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Speaker 1: you in my very own image. Friends, you are God's

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Speaker 1: most prized possession. Don't go around feeling wrong about yourself

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Speaker 1: on the inside, wishing you had more talent, and wishing

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Speaker 1: you were taller, and wishing you could do something that

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Speaker 1: A friend does No. When God made you, he stepped

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Speaker 1: back and said, that was good. You have exactly what

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Speaker 1: you need. You are not supposed to go around thinking

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Speaker 1: negative thoughts toward yourself. Well I'm so slow and I'm

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Speaker 1: not attractive, and I don't like my nose. No, when

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Speaker 1: God was passing out the noses and the years and

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Speaker 1: the height and the personalities, you did not get in

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Speaker 1: the wrong line. God made you like you are on purpose.

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Speaker 1: I know. When I was growing up, I was very short.

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Speaker 1: I graduated from high school at five foot six and

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Speaker 1: I grewsome after that. But in school some of my

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Speaker 1: friends kind of give me a hard time. My nickname

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Speaker 1: was Pinat, and don't you start calling me that either.

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Speaker 1: But in school there were times I was tempted to think, God,

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Speaker 1: that's a disadvantage, and why am I so short? And

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Speaker 1: how can I keep playing sports? But one day I

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Speaker 1: read where short people live in averages six years longer

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Speaker 1: than tall people, and I started thinking, God, if you're

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Speaker 1: tall today, don't be discouraged. Just know you're gonna beat

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Speaker 1: us to heaven. My brother Paul, when he was growing up,

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Speaker 1: he always felt like his nose was kind of large,

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Speaker 1: and me being his younger brother and the great encourager

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Speaker 1: that I am. I used to tell him, Paul, when

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Speaker 1: God was passing out noses, you thought he said roses

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Speaker 1: and said I'll take a big red one. I've always

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Speaker 1: been an encourager. For what am I saying? You didn't

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Speaker 1: get in the wrong line. Quit wishing you were different,

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Speaker 1: you were taller, had more hair, or different personality. If

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Speaker 1: God wanted you to be taller, I can guarantee you

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Speaker 1: he would have made you taller. If God wanted you

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Speaker 1: to be a different skin color, he would have made

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Speaker 1: you that way. But it seems like these days we're

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Speaker 1: always wishing that we were something different. I've known dark

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Speaker 1: skinned people that put cream on them to try to

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Speaker 1: become lighter. Then I know light skinned people go lay

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Speaker 1: in a tanning bed all day try to become darker.

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Speaker 1: And I'm not saying to go overboard. If you want

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Speaker 1: to get a tan, get a tan. If you have

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Speaker 1: straight hair and you want curly hair, permit. If you

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Speaker 1: have gray hair and you want brown hair, dyet. If

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Speaker 1: you have no hair and you want hair, buy it.

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Speaker 1: Oh boy. But my point is made myself. My point

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Speaker 1: is we have to accept who God made us to be.

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Speaker 1: Don't you dare go through life with that negative recording

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Speaker 1: constantly playing in your mind. You have been painted by

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Speaker 1: the most incredible painter there could ever be. God not

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Speaker 1: only designs you, but he breathed his life into you.

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Speaker 1: When he got done, he stepped back and said, Wow,

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Speaker 1: another masterpiece. He stamped his approval on you. You know how,

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Speaker 1: in the back of our shirts, we have a tag

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Speaker 1: says made in America, made in China, made in Mexico. Well,

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Speaker 1: somewhere on you, you've got a tag that says made

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Speaker 1: by Almighty God. When you get up every morning, you

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Speaker 1: need to remind yourself. I have the fingerprints of God

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Speaker 1: all over me, the way I walk, the way I smile,

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Speaker 1: my personality, my gifts. I am God's masterpiece. That's a

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Speaker 1: whole lot better than going around thinking, man, I'm slow,

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Speaker 1: I'm unattractive, I'm not talented. Oh quit criticizing God's creation

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Speaker 1: some of you. This is exactly what's holding you back.

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Speaker 1: You're not at peace on the inside. You smile on

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Speaker 1: the outside, but on the inside you're constantly beating yourself up,

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Speaker 1: thinking negative thoughts towards yourself. I'm asking you today to

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Speaker 1: put a new recording in your mind. Don't allow another

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Speaker 1: negative word to come out of your mouth towards yourself.

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Speaker 1: Don't lie in bed every morning thinking about everything wrong

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Speaker 1: with you. Celebrate who God made you to be. Start

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Speaker 1: meditating on the fact I am God's masterpiece, I am

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Speaker 1: one of a kind, I am equipped, i am annoyted,

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Speaker 1: I'm not average. I'm God's very own creation. Because so

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Speaker 1: many people today live with this nagging, vague feeling on

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Speaker 1: the inside, They've done it so long now it's in

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Speaker 1: their subconscious mind telling them I'm not up to par

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Speaker 1: and I never do anything right, and I've made so

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Speaker 1: many mistakes. It's their own self defy feeding thoughts that

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Speaker 1: are keeping them in mediocrity. But the Scripture tells us

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Speaker 1: our faith is made effective when we acknowledge everything good.

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Speaker 1: You cannot go around acknowledging the wrong and expect your

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Speaker 1: faith to work properly. You may have a dozen things

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Speaker 1: you feel like or a disadvantage, a dozen things that

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Speaker 1: you dislike about yourself. Well, I'm so shy, and I

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Speaker 1: don't like my nose and I didn't finish college. As

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Speaker 1: long as you're dwelling on that, you're adding fuel to

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Speaker 1: the fire your faith is working, but it's working in

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Speaker 1: the wrong direction. Those things will get bigger and bigger,

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Speaker 1: and eventually there'll be stumbling blocks that'll hold you back.

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Speaker 1: But if you can just learn to retrain your mind

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Speaker 1: and acknowledge the good things about you. In other words,

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Speaker 1: I may not be as talented as they are, I

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Speaker 1: may not be as attractive as they are, but you

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Speaker 1: know what, I'm organized, I'm good with my family. I'm

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Speaker 1: a hard worker. I'm disciplined. If you will acknowledge the

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Speaker 1: good things that God has put in you, then you'll

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Speaker 1: see the good begin to increase. A while back, I

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Speaker 1: was in someone's home. They had all these paintings on

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Speaker 1: the wall. And I'm not an expert in art, but

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Speaker 1: they were not very impressive to me. In fact, some

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Speaker 1: of them looked like they'd been painted by a child.

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Speaker 1: They were very modern and abstract, paint thrown here and

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Speaker 1: paint thrown there. But later that evening they told me

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Speaker 1: how they had paid over a million dollars for just

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Speaker 1: one of those paintings. All of a sudden, I thought, Wow,

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Speaker 1: that is beautiful, isn't it. My eye for art really

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Speaker 1: came out. Come to find out it was an original Picasso,

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Speaker 1: painted by the famous artist Pablo Picasso. What dawned on

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Speaker 1: me that night was it's not necessarily what the painting

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Speaker 1: looks like, it's who the painter is. The painting gets

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Speaker 1: its value from its creator. Somebody that halfway knew how

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Speaker 1: to paint could copy that and tried to sell it,

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Speaker 1: but they wouldn't have gotten one percent. The painting was

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Speaker 1: valuable because it had Pablo Picasso's fingerprints on it. It's

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Speaker 1: the same way with us. We don't get our value

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Speaker 1: from what we look like or what we can do.

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Speaker 1: Our value comes from the fact of who our painter is.

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Speaker 1: Almighty God has breathed his life into each one of us.

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Speaker 1: I love the way David said it. We are fearfully

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Speaker 1: and wonderfully made. I wish you could get that down

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Speaker 1: in your spirit. You are extremely valuable. You are one

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Speaker 1: of a kind. Don't go around criticizing yourself, wishing you

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Speaker 1: were something different. Accept yourself, Approve yourself. You've been wonderfully made.

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Speaker 1: I wonder what would happen if all day long we

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Speaker 1: would focus on that instead of the negative. We'd go

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Speaker 1: around thinking about I'm God's masterpiece, I'm talented, I'm creative,

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Speaker 1: I've been wonderfully made. One thing I can tell you

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Speaker 1: for sure is the enemy does not want you to

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Speaker 1: feel good about yourself. You can do a thousand things

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Speaker 1: right and do one thing wrong, and that mistake will

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Speaker 1: play over and over. You can have a thousand good

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Speaker 1: things about you, but one thing you dislike, and that'll

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Speaker 1: stay on the forefront of your mind. I dare you

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Speaker 1: to get up each day and look in the mirror

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Speaker 1: and say, good morning, you, wonderful thing you have been

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Speaker 1: fearfully and wonderfully made. I read a story about a

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Speaker 1: man that died in extreme poverty. He had been homeless

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Speaker 1: at one time, living on the streets, but now he

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Speaker 1: had this small, run down apartment. After the funeral, the

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Speaker 1: family came over to take care of his belongings. He

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Speaker 1: had this picture on the wall and they took it

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Speaker 1: down and ended up selling it at a garage cell.

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Speaker 1: The person that bought it took it up to the

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Speaker 1: local art gallery. Come to find out it was extremely valuable.

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Speaker 1: It had been painted by an artist that lived back

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Speaker 1: in the eighteen hundreds and he was very famous. They

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Speaker 1: had an auctioned off at this worldwide auction That painting

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Speaker 1: sold for over three million dollars. Sometimes we're living in

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Speaker 1: defeat because we don't recognize the value of what we have.

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Speaker 1: Every one of you has been painted by the most

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Speaker 1: famous painter there could ever be. But if you don't

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Speaker 1: understand your value, and you go around thinking, well, Joe,

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Speaker 1: I'm not that talented and I'm just kind of ordinary,

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Speaker 1: I've made a lot of mistakes. If you let that

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Speaker 1: negative recording keep playing, just like this man, even though

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Speaker 1: you have what you need, you'll never tap into it.

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Speaker 1: Every morning when you get up, you need to remind

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Speaker 1: yourself I am not average, I'm not ordinary. I'm one

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Speaker 1: of a kind. I have God's fingerprints all over me.

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Speaker 1: Start the day off by getting your mind going in

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Speaker 1: the right direction. Don't focus on what you don't have,

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Speaker 1: the mistakes you've made, and the chances you've blown. No,

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Speaker 1: let all that go and start focusing on the good.

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Speaker 1: I think it's interesting. When God created the heavens and

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Speaker 1: the earth, he said, let there be light, and light

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Speaker 1: came and God said it was good. He separated the

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Speaker 1: waters from the sky and God said it was good.

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Speaker 1: He made night and day, and again God said it

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Speaker 1: was good. What's my point? When God did something good,

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Speaker 1: he praised himself. He looked back and said, I like that.

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Speaker 1: That was good. We need to learn to do what

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Speaker 1: God did. When you accomplished something, when you give it

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Speaker 1: your best, you need to look back and say, I'm

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Speaker 1: proud of what I did. That was good. I know

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Speaker 1: people that cannot compliment themselves. They're so hard and critical

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Speaker 1: toward themselves. They can work hard and give it their best,

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Speaker 1: but it's always well, I just didn't do it good enough.

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Speaker 1: If I just had a little more time, if I

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Speaker 1: could just do it again, then I would feel good. No,

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Speaker 1: you got to learn to not acknowledge what you didn't

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Speaker 1: get done. Don't acknowledge the mistakes you've made. Find something

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Speaker 1: you did right, and acknowledge the good. It may not

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Speaker 1: be what you're going to end up with, but still,

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Speaker 1: after you work hard all day and give it your awe,

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Speaker 1: you need to be able to say I did good today.

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Speaker 1: I gave it my best, and I feel good about

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Speaker 1: what I accomplished. Think about this. When God made the

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Speaker 1: heavens and the earth, and he first said it was good,

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Speaker 1: the fact is he hadn't separated the waters from the sky.

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Speaker 1: It was still kind of a mess. It was still chaotic,

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Speaker 1: he hadn't made the fish and the other animals, he

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Speaker 1: hadn't created the beautiful mountains, the beautiful oceans. Yet God

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Speaker 1: still paused for a moment. He still took time to say,

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Speaker 1: you know what, it's not perfect, I'm not done yet,

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Speaker 1: but it's still good. In other words, it's not where

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Speaker 1: it's going to end up, but so far, so good.

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Speaker 1: In the same way, you may not have reached all

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Speaker 1: your goals just yet. You may not be exactly where

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Speaker 1: you want to be in life, but you need to

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Speaker 1: learn to pause on a regular basis and say, I

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Speaker 1: did good today. I gave it my awe. May not

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Speaker 1: have got as much done as I would like to,

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Speaker 1: may not have kept up with my coworker, but bottom

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Speaker 1: line is, I did my best and I have to

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Speaker 1: say it was good. Have a lot of people tell me, Joel,

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Speaker 1: I can't feel good about myself. I've got these addictions,

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Speaker 1: things I'm struggling with. I'm so impatient, I'm kind of

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Speaker 1: hot tempered. That's why I go around feeling lousy on

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Speaker 1: the inside. But you have to recognize God is still

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Speaker 1: working on you. You are not a finished product. Little

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Speaker 1: by little God changes us. As long as we are

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Speaker 1: pressing forward. As long as we're doing our best, God

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Speaker 1: is pleased with us. You need to take time every

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Speaker 1: day to find something where you can say I did good.

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Speaker 1: I may not have done it as well as my neighbor,

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Speaker 1: but I did it to the best of my ability,

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Speaker 1: and I know it was good. And especially when you're

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Speaker 1: struggling with something that you need to overcome, you have

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Speaker 1: to stay positive toward yourself. And when that negative recording

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Speaker 1: comes back telling y'all you're just a failure, you're never

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Speaker 1: gonna change, you're never gonna get over that, you need

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Speaker 1: to just turn it around and say, no, I may

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Speaker 1: not be where I need to be, but at least

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Speaker 1: I'm not where I used to be. At Least that's good.

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Speaker 1: Too often we tend to focus on how far we've

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Speaker 1: got to go, but sometimes you've got to look back

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Speaker 1: and thank God for how far you've already come. Don't

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Speaker 1: go around beating yourself down. Well, I went to work,

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Speaker 1: but I didn't get enough done. I cooked dinner, but

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Speaker 1: I burnt the bread. I gave in the offering, but

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Speaker 1: I didn't give enough. Don't get out of that critical

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Speaker 1: frame of mind. Have the attitude I may not have

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Speaker 1: done perfect today. I may have made some mistakes, but

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Speaker 1: I am not going to live negative toward myself. I'm

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Speaker 1: going to find something I did right so I can

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Speaker 1: say it was good. In other words, I may have

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Speaker 1: burnt the bread, but the meat loaf was pretty good.

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Speaker 1: I may have lost my temper in traffic this morning,

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Speaker 1: but I didn't take time this afternoon to go help

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Speaker 1: a friend in need. That was good. Years ago, Victoria

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Speaker 1: and I built a home. This was before our children

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Speaker 1: were born. We didn't have a main builder. We decided

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Speaker 1: to contract it ourselves, and over all the home turned

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Speaker 1: out great. We were very pleased. But after living there

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Speaker 1: a couple of years, I noticed that part of my

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Speaker 1: fence was sagging a little bit. I found out later

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Speaker 1: that I didn't put the right size piers underneath my

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Speaker 1: brick column, and it caused it to be a little

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Speaker 1: bit crooked. And you know, year after year it had

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Speaker 1: gotten worse and worse. And every time I drove up

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Speaker 1: to my house and saw my sagging fence, a voice

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Speaker 1: would say to me, why did you try to build

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Speaker 1: this house. You are not a builder. You didn't know

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Speaker 1: what you're doing. Now you've got a crooked fence. Your

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Speaker 1: neighbors are probably laughing, and how much is that gonna

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Speaker 1: cost a fix? I mean, for a while, for months,

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Speaker 1: every time I pulled in, I let that one mistake

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Speaker 1: kind of sour me. But one day I learned what

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Speaker 1: I'm telling you. Instead of focusing on one thing that

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Speaker 1: was wrong, I looked at all the other things that

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Speaker 1: I did right. Yes it was a mistake, but overall,

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Speaker 1: in the big scope of things, I did good. And

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Speaker 1: when I drove in, I quit focusing on that, and

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Speaker 1: I started focusing on the fact that my driveway is straight,

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Speaker 1: my garage doors work, I've got hot water, the air

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Speaker 1: conditioner is perfect, the floors are holding up, the windows

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Speaker 1: are beautiful, the doorbell rings, the design is great. There

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Speaker 1: are a thousand good things that I did right. I

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Speaker 1: made a decision. I wasn't going to let that one

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Speaker 1: mistake caused me to lose my joy. You got to

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Speaker 1: learn to focus on what you did right and not

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Speaker 1: the few things that you did wrong. A while back,

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Speaker 1: I was in another state doing an interview with this

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Speaker 1: very well known journalist, and a friend of mine met

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Speaker 1: me there. He's a pastor as well. He has a

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Speaker 1: real gift of encouragement. Anytime you're around him for fifteen minutes,

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Speaker 1: he makes you feel like you're the greatest thing in

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Speaker 1: the world. He's always building people up, and so I

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Speaker 1: did the interview. We got in the car together with

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Speaker 1: a group of us, and we were driving back to

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Speaker 1: the hotel. One of the first things I said was, man,

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Speaker 1: I feel like I really did good. I wasn't trying

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Speaker 1: to brag. These were all people I knew very well,

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Speaker 1: But I said, I think I answered really great, and

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Speaker 1: the Lord helped me, and I just don't see how

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Speaker 1: I could have done it any better. He told me

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Speaker 1: later that conversation changed his life when he saw how

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Speaker 1: positive I was toward myself. He recognized what his problem was.

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Speaker 1: He could compliment everyone else, but he couldn't compliment himself.

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Speaker 1: He would call me on Sunday afternoons and spend fifteen

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Speaker 1: minutes telling me how great my message was. But driving

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Speaker 1: home from his own church after he had spoken, he

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Speaker 1: would think, well, I just didn't do it good enough,

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Speaker 1: and I wasn't clear on this point, and if I

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Speaker 1: just done a little better over here, then I would

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Speaker 1: feel good. Why is that very often we have two

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Speaker 1: sets of lenses. We look at other people a certain way,

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Speaker 1: we can compliment them. We can see the good that

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Speaker 1: they do. But then we put on another set of

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00:20:56,880 --> 00:21:01,040
Speaker 1: lenses to look at ourselves. Usually we're much more critical.

380
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Speaker 1: We tend to pick ourselves apart. We focus on the

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Speaker 1: little things that we didn't do right. You need to

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Speaker 1: give yourself the same credit that you give other people.

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Speaker 1: It's all a part of our internal dialogue, the recording

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Speaker 1: that's playing in your mind. When I walk off the

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Speaker 1: platform each week, after I get done speaking, I say

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Speaker 1: to myself, that was good. I gave it my all,

387
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Speaker 1: and I pleased with what I'm done. I've found it's

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Speaker 1: healthy to approve yourself. It's healthy to look back like

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Speaker 1: God and say I did good. But too often we

390
00:21:35,520 --> 00:21:40,000
Speaker 1: have to have this outside validation, this outside approval, so

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Speaker 1: we can feel good about ourselves. I know, when I

392
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Speaker 1: first started ministering seven or eight years ago, when I

393
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Speaker 1: was done, if I didn't get a dozen compliments, I

394
00:21:50,119 --> 00:21:52,280
Speaker 1: didn't have a dozen people tell me they thought it

395
00:21:52,359 --> 00:21:55,919
Speaker 1: was good, I would drive home feeling condemned, thinking, oh

396
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Speaker 1: I didn't do good. I got to do better next week.

397
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Speaker 1: But now I've learned I don't have to have other

398
00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:05,320
Speaker 1: people's approval to feel good about myself. I know I've

399
00:22:05,359 --> 00:22:09,520
Speaker 1: been made in the image of Almighty God, and as

400
00:22:09,560 --> 00:22:12,119
Speaker 1: long as I do my best, I can put my

401
00:22:12,160 --> 00:22:15,439
Speaker 1: shoulders back and feel good about who I am. Now,

402
00:22:15,480 --> 00:22:17,720
Speaker 1: I'm kind of naive when I get done each week,

403
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Speaker 1: I think that was my best one so far. That's

404
00:22:20,240 --> 00:22:22,879
Speaker 1: better than last week. Well, Joel, that's kind of arrogant

405
00:22:22,920 --> 00:22:25,240
Speaker 1: in it. No, I don't announce it to anyone. I'm

406
00:22:25,240 --> 00:22:29,240
Speaker 1: talking about on the inside. Your internal dialogue has got

407
00:22:29,240 --> 00:22:32,919
Speaker 1: to be positive towards yourself, and we cannot rely on

408
00:22:33,160 --> 00:22:38,000
Speaker 1: outside approval and outside compliments to feel good about who

409
00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:41,400
Speaker 1: we are. Most of the time we fall into one

410
00:22:41,440 --> 00:22:45,879
Speaker 1: of two categories. We're either a self validating person it's

411
00:22:45,880 --> 00:22:49,680
Speaker 1: the way we should be, or we need this outside validation.

412
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Speaker 1: That's when we have to have people constantly complimenting us,

413
00:22:54,600 --> 00:22:57,719
Speaker 1: telling us we're okay, telling us we did good in

414
00:22:57,840 --> 00:23:00,679
Speaker 1: order for us to be secure. But when you're not

415
00:23:00,720 --> 00:23:04,960
Speaker 1: a self validating person, life is a roller coaster. You're

416
00:23:05,040 --> 00:23:07,760
Speaker 1: up when people are complimenting you, and you're down when

417
00:23:07,800 --> 00:23:11,119
Speaker 1: they're not. When we live this way, we end up

418
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Speaker 1: sacrificing who we really are to try to please other people.

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00:23:15,200 --> 00:23:18,040
Speaker 1: So we can win their approval. That's where we're getting

420
00:23:18,040 --> 00:23:21,120
Speaker 1: our worth and value. Do they think that I did

421
00:23:21,119 --> 00:23:24,080
Speaker 1: good today? Do they approve the way I look? Did

422
00:23:24,119 --> 00:23:27,760
Speaker 1: they compliment me after my presentation? No, that's the wrong approach.

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Speaker 1: Be secure in who God made you to be. I

424
00:23:31,400 --> 00:23:33,879
Speaker 1: know now sometimes people come up to me after a

425
00:23:33,920 --> 00:23:35,800
Speaker 1: service and I don't think they really mean it, but

426
00:23:35,840 --> 00:23:38,400
Speaker 1: they'll say things like, Joel, I didn't get anything out

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00:23:38,400 --> 00:23:41,359
Speaker 1: of that today, and I just didn't understand that point.

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00:23:41,400 --> 00:23:43,960
Speaker 1: I'm not sure you were right on over here. Five

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Speaker 1: years ago, that would have ruined my whole week. I'd

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00:23:46,640 --> 00:23:49,320
Speaker 1: have gone home so depressed. Now I've learned to just smile,

431
00:23:49,440 --> 00:23:51,639
Speaker 1: say God bless you. I hope you come back next week.

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Speaker 1: On the inside, I'm thinking I can't help it if

433
00:23:55,160 --> 00:24:01,400
Speaker 1: something's wrong with you. Too often we let onenegative comment

434
00:24:01,960 --> 00:24:06,280
Speaker 1: cancel out a dozen positive comments. Why is that the

435
00:24:06,400 --> 00:24:11,199
Speaker 1: negative voices always sound the loudest When we're insecure and

436
00:24:11,240 --> 00:24:14,400
Speaker 1: we're trying to get our approval from the outside rather

437
00:24:14,480 --> 00:24:18,000
Speaker 1: than the inside. We let other people and their opinions

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00:24:18,040 --> 00:24:21,480
Speaker 1: control us. There's such a freedom when you realize, as

439
00:24:21,520 --> 00:24:24,440
Speaker 1: long as I'm doing my best, being who God created

440
00:24:24,440 --> 00:24:27,080
Speaker 1: me to be. I don't have to have other people's approval.

441
00:24:27,560 --> 00:24:29,840
Speaker 1: And it's great when you get it, but if you

442
00:24:29,880 --> 00:24:33,240
Speaker 1: start depending on it and it doesn't happen, if you're

443
00:24:33,280 --> 00:24:36,480
Speaker 1: not careful, you'll start changing and trying to be something

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00:24:36,520 --> 00:24:39,040
Speaker 1: that you're not. You've got to be secure and who

445
00:24:39,040 --> 00:24:41,720
Speaker 1: God made you to be. You want to honor God,

446
00:24:42,080 --> 00:24:46,040
Speaker 1: accept yourself. You want to make God happy. Approve yourself.

447
00:24:46,680 --> 00:24:50,480
Speaker 1: Don't go around feeling wrong on the inside. The Apostle

448
00:24:50,520 --> 00:24:54,199
Speaker 1: Paul said we should be to the praise of God's

449
00:24:54,200 --> 00:24:58,000
Speaker 1: glory in this passage. He's not saying that we should

450
00:24:58,000 --> 00:25:01,879
Speaker 1: give God praise with our words, although that's important. The

451
00:25:01,960 --> 00:25:05,439
Speaker 1: point he's making is our life should be a praise.

452
00:25:06,280 --> 00:25:09,920
Speaker 1: When you understand your value and not only who you are,

453
00:25:10,320 --> 00:25:14,359
Speaker 1: but who you are, then your very presence is giving

454
00:25:14,400 --> 00:25:18,000
Speaker 1: God praise. You're saying, in effect, God, thank you for

455
00:25:18,119 --> 00:25:21,800
Speaker 1: making me me. I don't wish I had green eyes,

456
00:25:21,920 --> 00:25:24,520
Speaker 1: thank you for these brown eyes. I don't wish I

457
00:25:24,520 --> 00:25:27,880
Speaker 1: had a different personality. I like my personality. I don't

458
00:25:27,880 --> 00:25:30,520
Speaker 1: wish that I was taller. I believe on the right height.

459
00:25:31,200 --> 00:25:33,879
Speaker 1: When you're secure in who God made you to be,

460
00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:36,639
Speaker 1: and you go out each day being your best with

461
00:25:36,720 --> 00:25:40,399
Speaker 1: a smile on your face. Your life is giving God praise.

462
00:25:40,840 --> 00:25:43,840
Speaker 1: In other words, driving to work, you're giving God praise.

463
00:25:44,200 --> 00:25:46,480
Speaker 1: Mowing the lawn you're giving God praise. Going to the

464
00:25:46,480 --> 00:25:49,440
Speaker 1: grocery store, you're giving God praise. Walking through the mall,

465
00:25:49,520 --> 00:25:52,880
Speaker 1: you're giving God praise. I can hear victoria now, Joel,

466
00:25:52,920 --> 00:25:54,840
Speaker 1: I'm going to the mall God to give God praise.

467
00:25:57,000 --> 00:26:01,000
Speaker 1: I'm asking you today to honor God by exc accepting yourself.

468
00:26:01,680 --> 00:26:04,240
Speaker 1: You are valuable, you are one of a kind. Be

469
00:26:04,400 --> 00:26:07,240
Speaker 1: the best that you can be. Don't ever wish that

470
00:26:07,320 --> 00:26:10,240
Speaker 1: you were something else. If God wanted you to be different,

471
00:26:10,400 --> 00:26:13,080
Speaker 1: he would have made you that way. Get up every

472
00:26:13,080 --> 00:26:16,760
Speaker 1: morning and make positive affirmations over your life. I'm the

473
00:26:16,800 --> 00:26:20,760
Speaker 1: apple of God's eye. I'm his masterpiece. His fingerprints are

474
00:26:20,800 --> 00:26:24,920
Speaker 1: all over me. Get your mind going in the right direction. Remember,

475
00:26:24,960 --> 00:26:27,000
Speaker 1: we don't get our value from what we look like

476
00:26:27,520 --> 00:26:30,760
Speaker 1: or from what we can do. Our value comes because

477
00:26:30,800 --> 00:26:34,000
Speaker 1: of who our painter is. God breeds his life into us.

478
00:26:34,520 --> 00:26:36,840
Speaker 1: So don't ever go around and think, well, Joel, I'm

479
00:26:36,880 --> 00:26:39,920
Speaker 1: just a business person. I'm just a school teacher. I'm

480
00:26:40,040 --> 00:26:43,119
Speaker 1: just a stay at home mom, No, you're not just anything.

481
00:26:43,400 --> 00:26:46,040
Speaker 1: You're a child of the most High God. Put your

482
00:26:46,040 --> 00:26:49,120
Speaker 1: shoulders back, hold your head up high, and be secure

483
00:26:49,720 --> 00:26:52,480
Speaker 1: in who God made you to be. If you will

484
00:26:52,560 --> 00:26:56,520
Speaker 1: learn to accept and approve yourself and not have that

485
00:26:56,640 --> 00:26:59,919
Speaker 1: negative recording playing in your mind, but instead have a

486
00:27:00,560 --> 00:27:03,960
Speaker 1: write opinion about who you are, and you're gonna rise higher.

487
00:27:04,160 --> 00:27:06,520
Speaker 1: God's going to pour out his blessings and you will

488
00:27:06,560 --> 00:27:09,320
Speaker 1: live that life of victory that God has in story. Amen,

489
00:27:09,400 --> 00:27:13,840
Speaker 1: do you receive it today? Will? We never like to

490
00:27:13,960 --> 00:27:17,320
Speaker 1: close off broadcast without giving you an opportunity to make

491
00:27:17,440 --> 00:27:20,320
Speaker 1: Jesus the lord of your life. Would you pray with me?

492
00:27:20,920 --> 00:27:26,240
Speaker 1: Just say, Lord, Jesus, I repent of my sins. Come

493
00:27:26,280 --> 00:27:31,399
Speaker 1: into my heart. I'll make you my lord and savior. Friends,

494
00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:33,720
Speaker 1: if you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got

495
00:27:33,760 --> 00:27:37,120
Speaker 1: born again. Get in a good Bible based church, keep

496
00:27:37,160 --> 00:27:39,920
Speaker 1: God first place. He's going to take your places you've

497
00:27:39,920 --> 00:27:43,520
Speaker 1: never dreamed of. It's easy to get stuck in life

498
00:27:43,600 --> 00:27:47,720
Speaker 1: because of fear and lack of confidence. We've been through disappointments,

499
00:27:48,080 --> 00:27:51,360
Speaker 1: but I'm excited about Victoria's new book, Grace to Go.

500
00:27:51,880 --> 00:27:54,639
Speaker 1: It'll help you move past what's holding you back and

501
00:27:54,680 --> 00:27:56,760
Speaker 1: step into new levels of your destiny.

502
00:27:57,119 --> 00:27:58,960
Speaker 2: My heart for this book is that you want to

503
00:27:59,040 --> 00:28:02,280
Speaker 2: sciper the cur bridge, the gifts and the faith that

504
00:28:02,320 --> 00:28:04,320
Speaker 2: God has put in you so that you can see

505
00:28:04,359 --> 00:28:07,480
Speaker 2: your dreams come to pass. It's not too late, the

506
00:28:07,560 --> 00:28:10,800
Speaker 2: obstacles are not too big. The grace of God equips

507
00:28:10,840 --> 00:28:13,919
Speaker 2: you to go beyond your comfort zone and overcome what

508
00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:14,920
Speaker 2: looks impossible.

509
00:28:15,320 --> 00:28:16,879
Speaker 1: You are stronger than you think.

510
00:28:17,040 --> 00:28:19,720
Speaker 2: You are not alone. You are Grace to Go.

511
00:28:20,600 --> 00:28:22,920
Speaker 3: As our way of saying thank you for your gift

512
00:28:22,960 --> 00:28:26,560
Speaker 3: of any amount this month will send you Victoria Ostein's

513
00:28:26,600 --> 00:28:30,400
Speaker 3: brand new book, Grace to Go. Step onto the bigger,

514
00:28:30,560 --> 00:28:34,960
Speaker 3: bolder life that belongs to you. This inspiring resource will

515
00:28:34,960 --> 00:28:39,320
Speaker 3: help you break through fear, insecurity, or regret and activate

516
00:28:39,360 --> 00:28:43,320
Speaker 3: the faith to move forward. Each chapter will stir your spirit,

517
00:28:43,680 --> 00:28:47,959
Speaker 3: renew your perspective, and empower you to live boldly. You

518
00:28:48,000 --> 00:28:51,640
Speaker 3: don't have to wait for perfect conditions. God's grace meets

519
00:28:51,640 --> 00:28:54,440
Speaker 3: you where you are and propels you into a future

520
00:28:54,640 --> 00:28:58,600
Speaker 3: full of purpose and peace. With an additional gift, will

521
00:28:58,600 --> 00:29:02,160
Speaker 3: send you the Grace to Go fold bundle featuring Grace

522
00:29:02,240 --> 00:29:06,400
Speaker 3: to Go by Victoria Ostein and Pray Bold by Jolostein.

523
00:29:06,920 --> 00:29:10,920
Speaker 3: These two powerful books will stir your faith, break hesitation,

524
00:29:11,320 --> 00:29:13,280
Speaker 3: and help you believe big again.

525
00:29:14,280 --> 00:29:17,719
Speaker 2: Grace is power. When you receive it by faith, it

526
00:29:17,840 --> 00:29:20,320
Speaker 2: enables you to take the next step so you can

527
00:29:20,360 --> 00:29:22,000
Speaker 2: become all you are created to be.

528
00:29:22,520 --> 00:29:24,800
Speaker 1: Victoria and I are so grateful to spend this time

529
00:29:24,800 --> 00:29:27,800
Speaker 1: with you. We pray for you and your family every day.

530
00:29:28,280 --> 00:29:31,240
Speaker 1: Thank you so much for your prayer and support. Your

531
00:29:31,240 --> 00:29:35,040
Speaker 1: generosity is helping people around the world. Special thank you

532
00:29:35,080 --> 00:29:37,840
Speaker 1: to our Champion of Hope partners for your monthly gifts.

533
00:29:38,120 --> 00:29:41,000
Speaker 1: If you're not a partner, I hope you'll consider becoming one.

534
00:29:41,200 --> 00:29:44,680
Speaker 1: Remember you can watch the services online every Sunday morning,

535
00:29:45,000 --> 00:29:48,520
Speaker 1: download our daily podcast, watch you on YouTube the new

536
00:29:48,600 --> 00:29:52,520
Speaker 1: Joelostein Network social media. Of course, listen on Serious XM

537
00:29:52,560 --> 00:29:56,240
Speaker 1: twenty four to seven. We'll help you stay encouraged and inspired.

538
00:29:56,640 --> 00:29:59,000
Speaker 1: If you're a pastor, we'd like to invite you to

539
00:29:59,040 --> 00:30:02,120
Speaker 1: our Pastor's Gift. We'd be honored to spend the day

540
00:30:02,160 --> 00:30:04,760
Speaker 1: with you here at Lakewood. We'll share some of the

541
00:30:04,800 --> 00:30:08,600
Speaker 1: things we've learned, insights and behind the scenes via Time

542
00:30:08,640 --> 00:30:11,800
Speaker 1: of Inspiration and encouragement. We'd love to meet you.

543
00:30:12,640 --> 00:30:16,640
Speaker 3: These two powerful books will stir your faith, break hesitation,

544
00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:20,720
Speaker 3: and help you believe big again. Be sure to request

545
00:30:20,800 --> 00:30:25,440
Speaker 3: your copy of these powerful resources today for an additional donation.

546
00:30:25,600 --> 00:30:29,240
Speaker 3: This month, we are also offering the NLT Large Print

547
00:30:29,360 --> 00:30:33,200
Speaker 3: Thin Line Reference Bible. This Bible also enables you to

548
00:30:33,240 --> 00:30:36,640
Speaker 3: connect through your smartphone or tablet to a vast, power

549
00:30:36,760 --> 00:30:42,480
Speaker 3: packed array of study notes, devotionals, interactive maps, videos, worship music.

550
00:30:42,960 --> 00:30:46,600
Speaker 3: You can request these inspiring resources by calling eight eight

551
00:30:46,640 --> 00:30:50,800
Speaker 3: eight five six seven Joel or logging on to Joelosine

552
00:30:50,800 --> 00:30:55,040
Speaker 3: dot com today. Call or click anytime twenty four hours

553
00:30:55,080 --> 00:30:59,680
Speaker 3: a day, Start fresh, step forward. You are graced to go.

554
00:31:00,320 --> 00:31:01,920
Speaker 3: Request your copies today