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Speaker 4: Hi, this is Joelan Victoria. Thanks for listening to our

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Speaker 4: podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry.

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Speaker 5: If you enjoy today's message, why don't you be a

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Speaker 5: blessing and share it with a friend.

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Speaker 4: We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in

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Speaker 4: your life. Oh God bless you. It is always a

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Speaker 4: joy to come into your homes. We love you and

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Speaker 4: we're praying that you're going to have a blessed, prosperous year.

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Speaker 4: I encourage. If you're ever in our area, I hope

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Speaker 4: you'll stop by. We give you a personal invitation. I'm

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Speaker 4: you will make you feel right at home. But thank

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Speaker 4: you so much for tuning in today. And I like

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Speaker 4: to get started each week with something kind of funny,

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Speaker 4: so listen to this one. An elderly preacher was dying.

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Speaker 4: He sent word for two of his members, an IRIS

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Speaker 4: agent and a lawyer, to come to his house. When

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Speaker 4: they arrived, the preacher held out his hands in motion

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Speaker 4: for them to sit on each side of the bed.

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Speaker 4: The men were very moved to be with the minister

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Speaker 4: in his final moments. The lawyer finally asked, Preacher, what

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Speaker 4: made you choose the two of us. The preacher mustered

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Speaker 4: up some strength and said, weekly Jesus died between two sinners,

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Speaker 4: and that's how I want to go. All right, hold

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Speaker 4: up your bibles. Let's say it together. Ready, this is

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Speaker 4: my Bible. I am what it says I am. I

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Speaker 4: have what it says I have. I can do what

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Speaker 4: it says I can do. Today, all be taught the

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Speaker 4: word of God. I boldly confess my mind is alert,

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Speaker 4: my heart is receptive. I will never be the same

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Speaker 4: I am about to receive the incorruptible, indestructible, ever living

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Speaker 4: seed of the Word of God. I'll never be the same, never, never, never,

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Speaker 4: I'll never be the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you.

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Speaker 4: You sound great as usual. We've been talking about being

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Speaker 4: willing to take a risk and not living with the

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Speaker 4: play it safe mentality, and if we're going to be

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Speaker 4: all God's created us to be, we've got to get

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Speaker 4: out of our comfort zones and learn to take some

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Speaker 4: steps of faith. Faith is just like a muscle. The

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Speaker 4: only way it grows is when it's stretched, is when

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Speaker 4: it's being pushed. And so often we just want to

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Speaker 4: stay where it's comfortable and where we've got everything figured out.

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Speaker 4: But really, God is not in the comfort business. Once

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Speaker 4: you reach a certain level, he may leave you there

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Speaker 4: for a little while, but eventually he's going to begin

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Speaker 4: to stir you. He won't let you get stagnant, and

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Speaker 4: he'll bring opportunities across your path, or he'll deal with

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Speaker 4: you in certain areas that you need to stretch in.

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Speaker 4: You need to stretch to take that new position at work,

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Speaker 4: or maybe you need to stretch in your finances. You've

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Speaker 4: gotten stagnant in your giving. Some of you need to

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Speaker 4: stretch just to forgive somebody, or stretch to have a

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Speaker 4: better attitude. But whatever it is, we should always be

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Speaker 4: using our faith. A lot of times we think we're

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Speaker 4: gonna get to the place where we can just relax

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Speaker 4: and it's easy and I don't have to stretch, But

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Speaker 4: that's not how it works. You cannot please God without faith.

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Speaker 4: You have so much in you, There's so much more

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Speaker 4: you can accomplish. God is always going to be giving

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Speaker 4: you opportunities to stretch. Some of you today you're kind

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Speaker 4: of bored with your life. There's no enthusiasm. You don't

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Speaker 4: get up each day with excitement, and it's all because

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Speaker 4: you've gotten comfortable. You're not stretching, you're not being challenged.

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Speaker 4: And if you want to get to that next level

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Speaker 4: and see God begin to do the extraordinary, then you've

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Speaker 4: got to start sowing some extraordinary seeds. In other words,

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Speaker 4: you've got to press beyond the norm. You can't just

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Speaker 4: get up and keep doing the same thing the same

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Speaker 4: way day after day and expect to get different results.

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Speaker 4: You got to get out of your boat and stretch

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Speaker 4: yourself and do some things that you may not be

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Speaker 4: used to doing. You've got to be willing to take

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Speaker 4: some risk, and you need to accept the fact that

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Speaker 4: when you step out, everybody may not agree with your decision.

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Speaker 4: Some people may criticize you, they may judge you, You

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Speaker 4: may ruffle a few feathers, But you're going to have

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Speaker 4: to ask yourself, am I going to live to please people?

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Speaker 4: Or am I going to live to please God? Now

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Speaker 4: I know when the Compact Center became available our new facility,

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Speaker 4: I had to step out and do something out of

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Speaker 4: the ordinary. I had to press beyond the norm. See,

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Speaker 4: my father always told how he didn't feel like he

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Speaker 4: should ever move the church from this location, and so

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Speaker 4: when we began to grow and we needed a larger auditorium,

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Speaker 4: the first thing I did was to look for property

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Speaker 4: as close to this place as possible. I thought, Man,

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Speaker 4: I'm the new pastor, I'm young, and I'm sure not

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Speaker 4: gonna rock the boat. I'm sure not gonna announce that

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Speaker 4: we're moving the church. After all, we'd been here at

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Speaker 4: that time for some forty three years. But when all

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Speaker 4: these other doors for other property just supernaturally closed down,

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Speaker 4: the Compact Center came across our path, and I knew

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Speaker 4: that God had opened that door. I knew down and

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Speaker 4: here it was something that we should pursue. But I

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Speaker 4: had to make a decision. Was I going to be

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Speaker 4: bold and have the courage to do something different, or

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Speaker 4: was I gonna let the fear of man, the fear

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Speaker 4: of being criticized, the fear of everybody not agreeing to

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Speaker 4: keep me in my boat. It'd been very easy to

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Speaker 4: just play it safe and stay in my comfort zone.

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Speaker 4: I finally decided I was gonna take that step of

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Speaker 4: faith and do what God had put in my heart.

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Speaker 4: And the first weekend that I announced it to the church,

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Speaker 4: I can probably say that about ninety nine point nine

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Speaker 4: percent of the people were totally on board. People were

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Speaker 4: excited about it, but there were a few that just

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Speaker 4: didn't agree with the decision. He said, Joel, you're making

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Speaker 4: a big mistake. You know. Even your father said he

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Speaker 4: wouldn't move the church, and now we're just selling out

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Speaker 4: to go across town. I remember one man in particular.

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Speaker 4: He came up to me practically every service, month after month,

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Speaker 4: and he told me how disappointed he was in me,

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Speaker 4: and what a big mistake I was making, and how

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Speaker 4: bad I was gonna miss it. And on and on. Finally,

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Speaker 4: after about six months, he came to me, I'll never

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Speaker 4: forget it. He had this long, serious face. He said, Joel,

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Speaker 4: I hate to tell you this, but because you're not

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Speaker 4: willing to change your mind, I'm gonna have to leave

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Speaker 4: the church. You can imagine how disappointed I was. I

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Speaker 4: knew at that point that God still answered prayer. I

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Speaker 4: got on on my knees. I said, God, you are

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Speaker 4: a good God. But I understand everybody has a right

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Speaker 4: to have their own opinion. That's fine, but too often

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Speaker 4: we let the fear of what other people are gonna

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Speaker 4: think to keep us from trying something new. And some

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Speaker 4: of you today, the whole reason you're not stretching into

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Speaker 4: that next level is because you just don't want to

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Speaker 4: deal with the criticism. You don't want to ruffle any feathers,

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Speaker 4: and you're worried about what your friends and coworkers are

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Speaker 4: going to think and what Uncle Bob and Aunt Susy

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Speaker 4: will say, and so you're just staying in the boat

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Speaker 4: where it's safe. But the sad thing about that is

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Speaker 4: you will never know what you could have been. You

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Speaker 4: will never know how high you could have gone unless

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Speaker 4: you press beyond the norm and do what God's put

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Speaker 4: in your heart regardless of what the critics are going

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Speaker 4: to say. Let me ask you this, twenty years from now,

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Speaker 4: are you going to be more disappointed by the risks

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Speaker 4: that you did take or by the risk that you

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Speaker 4: didn't take. Be bold and have the courage to do

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Speaker 4: something different, sow an extraordinary seed and press beyond the norm.

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Speaker 4: You've got to learn to stretch into that next level

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Speaker 4: of faith, and always remember you're never going to get

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Speaker 4: to the place where you arrive. I know when we

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Speaker 4: get down to compact, it'll be easy to think, Man,

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Speaker 4: we finally made it. Now we can relax. Now, you

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Speaker 4: know as well as I do, God's gonna have another

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Speaker 4: area for us to stretch in. He'll bring something else

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Speaker 4: across our path. That's what it means to be in

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Speaker 4: God's perfect will. You'll be stretched. You won't be always

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Speaker 4: real super comfortable. But too many people today they just

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Speaker 4: live with that play it safe mentality and they're not

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Speaker 4: willing to stretch, and so they stay in their same

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Speaker 4: routine day after day, and yes they're comfortable, but they're

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Speaker 4: missing out on God's best. Now I've discovered we can

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Speaker 4: even get comfortable in disobedience. You can get comfortable with

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Speaker 4: bad habits, with bad addictions. You can get comfortable with

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Speaker 4: unforgiveness in your heart. We get to the place where

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Speaker 4: we say, you know what, I've been this way so long.

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Speaker 4: It's just easier to stay right where I am. In

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Speaker 4: other words, I don't want to have to stretch to

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Speaker 4: overcome this addiction. I don't want to have to stretch

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Speaker 4: to forgive that person that hurt me. Or I don't

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Speaker 4: want to have to stretch to let go of my past.

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Speaker 4: It's too easy to hold onto the pain. It's too

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Speaker 4: easy to live in self pity. And see when I'm

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Speaker 4: talking about stretching today, Sometimes it takes a step of

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Speaker 4: faith just to forgive somebody. Maybe somebody did you wrong,

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Speaker 4: walked out of a relationship, something very unfair. Listen, you're

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Speaker 4: gonna have to stretch yourself in order to let that go.

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Speaker 4: Or maybe you've made some mistakes in life, You've made

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Speaker 4: some poor choices, and now you're just sort of sitting

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Speaker 4: on the sidelines thinking you're all washed up and God

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Speaker 4: could never use you. Listen, you're gonna have to take

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Speaker 4: a step of faith in order to forgive yourself. You

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Speaker 4: need to get back in the game. God still has

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Speaker 4: a good plan for your life. He still has something

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Speaker 4: for you to accomplish. And don't make the mistake of

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Speaker 4: getting comfortable in mediocrity. And don't let the fear of

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Speaker 4: what other people gonna say about you keep you from

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Speaker 4: pressing forward. I've learned people will criticize you no matter what.

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Speaker 4: You stay in the boat, they'll judge you. If you

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Speaker 4: get out of the boat, they're gonna still judge you.

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Speaker 4: You might as well step out and do what God's

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Speaker 4: put in your heart and let that criticism bounce off

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Speaker 4: of you like water off of a dust's bout. Don't

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Speaker 4: know about you, but I'm not perfect. There's some things

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Speaker 4: that I'm probably not doing exactly all right. But you

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Speaker 4: know what God sees my heart. Man looks on the outside,

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Speaker 4: but God looks on the inside. You step out and

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Speaker 4: do what you feel good about, and God will take

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Speaker 4: care of your critics. God will fight your battles for you.

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Speaker 4: But friends, we cannot get comfortable in mediocrity. You got

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Speaker 4: to press beyond the norm, learn to take some steps

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Speaker 4: of faith and stretch yourself. I think about Moses as

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Speaker 4: a young man. He was called to deliver the children

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Speaker 4: of Israel. But he got in a hurry and made

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Speaker 4: a big mistake and he killed a man, and he

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Speaker 4: ended up having to flee to the desert. And he

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Speaker 4: lived out there year after year after year, and eventually

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Speaker 4: he got comfortable out there. See it's easy to learn

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Speaker 4: to function in our dysfunction. We get comfortable with bad attitudes,

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Speaker 4: comfortable with bad addictions, comfortable with unforgiveness, with mediocrity, and

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Speaker 4: we know deep down in here it's not right, but

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Speaker 4: instead of doing something about it, that we take the

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Speaker 4: easy way out and just learn to live with it.

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Speaker 4: Moses had been out there year after year, and once

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Speaker 4: again God came to him. You notice the call was

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Speaker 4: still on his life. And that's the great thing about God.

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Speaker 4: He never gives up on you. Doesn't matter how many

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Speaker 4: mistakes you've made. Does it matter how many times you've

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Speaker 4: blown it, God will always give you another chance. You're

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Speaker 4: never too far gone. I believe today God's speaking to

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Speaker 4: some of you about areas you need to stretch yourself

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Speaker 4: in and get free from the bondages that are holding

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Speaker 4: you back. The easy thing is to just accept it. Well, Joel,

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Speaker 4: this is just the way I am. I've always been

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Speaker 4: a negative person. I've always had these addictions. That's just

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Speaker 4: the way it's got to be. No, that's not the

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Speaker 4: way it's got to be. You can change. Don't learn

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Speaker 4: to function in your dysfunction. God has a place of

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Speaker 4: victory for you. You got to start taking some steps

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Speaker 4: of faith. You've got to be willing to press beyond

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Speaker 4: the norm. Forty years later, God showed up and said

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Speaker 4: to Moses, I want you to go stay before Pharah,

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Speaker 4: and you tell him to let my people go. Now,

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Speaker 4: Faiah was one of the most powerful people of that day,

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Speaker 4: and Moses came up with all the reasons why he

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Speaker 4: shouldn't do it. He said, God, I can't talk good.

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Speaker 4: I'm not eloquent of speech. God, I stutter. You know

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Speaker 4: that man is not gonna listen to me. You might

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Speaker 4: as well get somebody else. And so often we do

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Speaker 4: exactly the same thing. God, I can't overcome this addiction.

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Speaker 4: You know I've had it too long. God, I can't

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Speaker 4: take that new position at work. I'm not qualified or God,

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Speaker 4: I can't forgive that man. You know how bad he

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Speaker 4: hurt me. Now, why don't you quit telling God what

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Speaker 4: you can't do? And let God tell you what you

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Speaker 4: can do. Why don't you quit looking at what you

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Speaker 4: don't have, and let's start looking at what God does have.

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Speaker 4: You are not a weak, defeated, not able to person.

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Speaker 4: You have the power of the most High God on

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Speaker 4: the inside of you. And God says you can do

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Speaker 4: all things through Christ. That means you can overcome any addiction.

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Speaker 4: You can break any bad habit, you can forgive any wrong,

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Speaker 4: you can accomplish your dreams. You are well able to

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Speaker 4: fulfill your destiny. I love what God said to Moses.

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Speaker 4: He just kept on complaining about his lack of ability

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Speaker 4: and how he wasn't a good speaker, and finally God said, Moses,

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Speaker 4: let me ask you a question. Who made your mouth?

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Speaker 4: Who makes the death to hear? Who makes the blind

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Speaker 4: to see? Who makes the dumb to speak? Isn't it

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Speaker 4: me Moses? God was saying, in effect, Moses, there's nothing

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Speaker 4: too difficult for me. You get out of your comfort

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Speaker 4: zone and quit fearing the people, and I'll help you

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Speaker 4: do everything I've called you to do. And Moses took

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Speaker 4: that step of faith. He got out of his routine.

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Speaker 4: He did something out of the ordinary, and God showed

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Speaker 4: up and did the extraordinary. But too many people today

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Speaker 4: are comfortable in mediocrity. God brings an opportunity across their path,

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Speaker 4: like he did for Moses, an opportunity to grow, an

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Speaker 4: opportunity to advance, but they just have that weak not

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Speaker 4: able to mentality. Joel, I can't change. I've been this

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Speaker 4: way forever. I can't forgive, I can't let go of

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Speaker 4: my past, and they end up staying right where they are.

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Speaker 4: But I'm challenging you today to stretch yourself and take

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Speaker 4: a step of faith, start doing something out of the ordinary,

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Speaker 4: so in uncommon seed. Maybe you're here and you really

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Speaker 4: need to forgive somebody. You know, you're holding onto a grudge,

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Speaker 4: and you think I can't do it. I've been this

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Speaker 4: way too long. Know what you're really saying is I

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Speaker 4: don't want to change. I'm just gonna keep drinking this poison. Hey,

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Speaker 4: you say, Joe, you don't know what they did to me.

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Speaker 4: It was so unfair, it wasn't right. No, I'm not

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Speaker 4: doubting any of that. You may have every reason in

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Speaker 4: the natural to live your life angry and bitter on

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Speaker 4: the inside. I'm simply asking you to give that to God.

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Speaker 4: He will be your vindicator. God will make your wrongs

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Speaker 4: right if you will just dare let that go. God

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Speaker 4: has promised he'll take all the unfair things that have

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Speaker 4: happened to you and he'll turn it around and use

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Speaker 4: it to your advantage. But you're gonna have to stretch

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Speaker 4: yourself and take that step of faith and be willing

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Speaker 4: to forgive, Otherwise you'll live a very negative and bitter life.

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Speaker 4: And some of you today, God wants to bring somebody

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Speaker 4: new into your life, but you've been so hurt in

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Speaker 4: a relationship in the past you're not even willing to

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Speaker 4: step out and try your attitude. Man, I've been burned once.

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Speaker 4: I'm not gonna let that happen again. And unfortunately, just

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Speaker 4: like Moses, you're learning to live with mediocrity. Just because

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Speaker 4: somebody did something unfair to you, somebody walked out on you,

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Speaker 4: doesn't mean you're supposed to live the rest of your

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Speaker 4: life lonely and unfulfilled and defeated. God still has a

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Speaker 4: good plan for you. But if you don't stay open

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Speaker 4: and you're not willing to stretch yourself and get past

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Speaker 4: the fear of being hurt again, then you want to

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Speaker 4: experience the great things God has in store and it's

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Speaker 4: so easy for us to get stuck in a rug.

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Speaker 4: It's so easy to get up and do the same

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Speaker 4: thing the same way every day, not expecting anything better,

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Speaker 4: not releasing our faith, not stepping up when opportunities come.

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Speaker 4: That's why we end up being so stagnant. I don't know.

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Speaker 4: Maybe Moses wouldn't have had to stay out there in

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Speaker 4: the wilderness for forty years if he had not gotten

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Speaker 4: so comfortable. Maybe God came to him time and time again,

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Speaker 4: but he was just too set in his ways. I

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Speaker 4: believe most of you in here you know down deep

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Speaker 4: what you should do. You know the areas God's talking

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Speaker 4: to you about, stretching, forgiving, stepping out and taking that

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Speaker 4: new position. But you just keep putting it off and

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Speaker 4: putting it off. But I'm encouraging you today to make

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Speaker 4: some positive changes. Don't stay out year after year in

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Speaker 4: the wilderness, unhappy, unfulfilled, bitter on the inside, all because

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Speaker 4: you're not willing to do something about it. Friends, we've

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Speaker 4: got to stay open. If you want to see uncommon,

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Speaker 4: unusual things happen in your life, you've got to start

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Speaker 4: sowing some uncommon seeds. I don't know about you, but

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Speaker 4: I don't want to get stagnant. I don't want to

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Speaker 4: be at this same place next year as I am

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Speaker 4: right now. I want to be a bigger giver. I

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Speaker 4: want to forgive people quicker, I want to try people better.

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Speaker 4: I want to have a stronger annoying in my life.

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Speaker 4: So I'm gonna make sure that I keep stretching myself

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Speaker 4: and pressing into that next level of faith. And that's

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Speaker 4: what I'm challenging each of you to do today. Start

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Speaker 4: sewing an extraordinary seed. Do something out of your normal routine.

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Speaker 4: You can't keep doing the same thing the same way

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Speaker 4: and expect to get different results. If you want to

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Speaker 4: see the uncommon unusual happen in your life, you got

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Speaker 4: to sew some uncommon seeds. For instance, if you normally

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Speaker 4: pray ten minutes in the morning, why don't you get

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Speaker 4: up a little earlier and start praying fifteen minutes. Do

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Speaker 4: something that makes you stretch. If you normally give ten

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Speaker 4: percent of your income, why don't you stretch yourself and

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Speaker 4: start giving eleven percent. Get into that next realm of faith.

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Speaker 4: Or maybe you come home at night and you usually

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Speaker 4: just watch TV, why don't you turn that off and

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Speaker 4: spend that same time with your family sewing extraordinary seed.

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Speaker 4: I have a friend of mine that owns his own

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Speaker 4: business and things were very slow. He was really struggling

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Speaker 4: in it. And over the Christmas holidays, he told all

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Speaker 4: of his friends, his coworkers, his family that he didn't

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Speaker 4: want any Christmas gifts this year, but he wanted them

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Speaker 4: to take the same amount of money that they normally

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Speaker 4: spend on him and give it to a children's home

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Speaker 4: down in Mexico. He sold an uncommon seed and he

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Speaker 4: began to see God's favor in a greater way. What

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Speaker 4: I'm saying is, do something out of your routine, do

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Speaker 4: something that stretches you. Because if you're not putting a

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Speaker 4: demand on your faith and you get comfortable, then you're

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Speaker 4: just going to stay right where you are. You're not

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Speaker 4: going to grow, You're not going to increase. We want

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Speaker 4: see God's favor and blessings like we should, and really

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Speaker 4: that's just what the enemy wants. He wants us to

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Speaker 4: be complacent. He wants us to be passive where we think, oh,

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Speaker 4: this is good enough. I'm not really happy in my marriage,

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Speaker 4: but at least we get along. My husband doesn't treat

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Speaker 4: me good, He's not affectionate. He doesn't take time for me.

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Speaker 4: But I guess that's better than nothing. Now, don't just

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Speaker 4: sit back and live that way year after year. Start

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Speaker 4: sowing a seed by treating him better than ever. If

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Speaker 4: you start treating that man with more respect, with more honor,

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Speaker 4: if you go out of your way to be kind, considerate,

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Speaker 4: to meet his needs, God will honor that. Your action

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Speaker 4: will cause him to treat you in a different way.

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Speaker 4: But notice it all starts when you take that first

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Speaker 4: step and do something out of your normal routine. Husbands,

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Speaker 4: in the same way, you want to see your relationship

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Speaker 4: with your wife go to a whole new level. Then

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Speaker 4: start treating that lady better than you've ever treated her before.

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Speaker 4: Do something out of the norm. Take her breakfast in

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Speaker 4: bed in the morning, rub her feet at nine, bring

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Speaker 4: her home flowers for no leason at all. Well, you say, Joel,

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Speaker 4: that sounds like a waste of money to me. But listen,

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Speaker 4: you need to stretch your faith. You ow stingy thing. Ladies.

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Speaker 4: I said it so you wouldn't have to. One time,

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Speaker 4: years ago I mentioned this in one of my sermons,

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Speaker 4: And the next morning, bright and early, our alarm clock

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Speaker 4: went off and Victoria sat straight up in bed. I

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Speaker 4: looked over at her, and she's smiling real big, and

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Speaker 4: I thought, what's going on? She's smiled and she said,

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Speaker 4: I like my egg scrambled. I thought I was talking

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Speaker 4: to them, not to you, but some of you today.

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Speaker 4: You need to make a decision that you're gonna stretch

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Speaker 4: yourself and just smile more often. Are you gonna stretch

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Speaker 4: yourself and have a better attitude. You're gonna be kinder,

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Speaker 4: You're gonna be more caring. You're gonna wait there at

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Speaker 4: the door for ten seconds and hold it open for

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Speaker 4: the people behind you instead of just busting on through.

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Speaker 4: When you do that, you're sowing a seed. And the

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Speaker 4: whole principle of the Bible is what you sew, you're

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Speaker 4: gonna reap. And if you don't like what you're reaping today,

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Speaker 4: you've got to change what you're sewing. And I dare

429
00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:55,080
Speaker 4: you to give up something for God and just see

430
00:21:55,119 --> 00:21:58,399
Speaker 4: what happens. Instead always praying for your needs, pray for

431
00:21:58,440 --> 00:22:01,640
Speaker 4: somebody else's needs. Instead of going out to eat one night,

432
00:22:01,960 --> 00:22:04,600
Speaker 4: save that money and give it to that friend that's struggling,

433
00:22:05,040 --> 00:22:08,000
Speaker 4: or instead of always being negative and critical toward people.

434
00:22:08,200 --> 00:22:10,240
Speaker 4: Why don't you change your attitude and start seeing the

435
00:22:10,280 --> 00:22:12,800
Speaker 4: best in them, start giving them a little room, start

436
00:22:12,800 --> 00:22:16,359
Speaker 4: overlooking their faults. You'll be amazed at what will happen

437
00:22:16,400 --> 00:22:19,479
Speaker 4: in your life if you will dare just do something

438
00:22:19,480 --> 00:22:21,919
Speaker 4: out of your normal routine that honors God in a

439
00:22:21,920 --> 00:22:25,959
Speaker 4: greater way. I remember something Victorian I did years ago

440
00:22:26,440 --> 00:22:29,120
Speaker 4: when we first got married. Victoria worked at her family's

441
00:22:29,240 --> 00:22:31,520
Speaker 4: jewelry store here in town. She'd been there for a

442
00:22:31,560 --> 00:22:34,119
Speaker 4: long time. But as we begin to travel with my

443
00:22:34,200 --> 00:22:37,080
Speaker 4: father all over the world, we got very busy, and

444
00:22:37,080 --> 00:22:40,040
Speaker 4: eventually she had to leave that position. And here we

445
00:22:40,040 --> 00:22:42,560
Speaker 4: were a young couple, and we'd stepped out and bought

446
00:22:42,560 --> 00:22:46,000
Speaker 4: a town home and had several other obligations. But we

447
00:22:46,080 --> 00:22:49,000
Speaker 4: made a decision early on when she left that position,

448
00:22:49,359 --> 00:22:52,119
Speaker 4: that we were going to keep giving the same amount

449
00:22:52,119 --> 00:22:55,000
Speaker 4: of money. We decided we were going to stretch ourselves

450
00:22:55,240 --> 00:22:58,119
Speaker 4: and continue to tie our income just as if she

451
00:22:58,200 --> 00:23:01,120
Speaker 4: were still working. In other words, words, we sowed an

452
00:23:01,160 --> 00:23:05,000
Speaker 4: extraordinary seed. We did something out of the norm that

453
00:23:05,080 --> 00:23:08,160
Speaker 4: made us stretch ourselves. And of course it had been

454
00:23:08,160 --> 00:23:11,159
Speaker 4: okay to cut back our giving. Bible talks about the

455
00:23:11,240 --> 00:23:14,320
Speaker 4: tithe is the first ten percent of our income, and

456
00:23:14,359 --> 00:23:16,960
Speaker 4: we could have easily justified it, but we wanted to

457
00:23:17,000 --> 00:23:20,960
Speaker 4: sow an uncommon, unusual seed. And we did that month

458
00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:23,800
Speaker 4: after month, year after year. And I can't even begin

459
00:23:23,880 --> 00:23:26,680
Speaker 4: to tell you in all the ways that God blessed us.

460
00:23:27,200 --> 00:23:29,240
Speaker 4: When we went to sell that town home a couple

461
00:23:29,280 --> 00:23:31,760
Speaker 4: of years later, we sold it for nearly twice what

462
00:23:31,800 --> 00:23:34,440
Speaker 4: we had bought it for. Next piece of property. God

463
00:23:34,560 --> 00:23:39,000
Speaker 4: supernaturally blessed us on and on. All these unusual, uncommon

464
00:23:39,040 --> 00:23:41,879
Speaker 4: things began to happen to us. And I know it

465
00:23:41,960 --> 00:23:45,280
Speaker 4: was in part because we kept stretching ourselves and just

466
00:23:45,400 --> 00:23:49,720
Speaker 4: sowing those extraordinary seeds. And I'm not talking about just money.

467
00:23:49,960 --> 00:23:53,679
Speaker 4: You can sow an extraordinary seed of your time. Instead

468
00:23:53,680 --> 00:23:56,199
Speaker 4: of just rushing home from work, wyon't you stop by

469
00:23:56,240 --> 00:23:59,320
Speaker 4: the hospital and visit that friend that's not feeling well.

470
00:24:00,160 --> 00:24:02,040
Speaker 4: You go over to that neighbor's house it's kind of

471
00:24:02,040 --> 00:24:05,879
Speaker 4: been down and Moe's lawn for him. That's an uncommon seed.

472
00:24:06,320 --> 00:24:09,080
Speaker 4: Instead of just running into the office every morning, won't

473
00:24:09,119 --> 00:24:11,480
Speaker 4: you take five minutes and see how the security guard's

474
00:24:11,480 --> 00:24:13,919
Speaker 4: doing out front, or why don't you go encourage that

475
00:24:14,080 --> 00:24:17,480
Speaker 4: coworker that's really been struggling. See, you can sow an

476
00:24:17,520 --> 00:24:21,560
Speaker 4: extraordinary seat of time, a seat of kindness, a seat

477
00:24:21,600 --> 00:24:24,840
Speaker 4: of encouragement. When you get out of your routine and

478
00:24:25,119 --> 00:24:28,480
Speaker 4: you start doing the extraordinary, you're putting yourself in a

479
00:24:28,520 --> 00:24:32,879
Speaker 4: position to receive the extraordinary. In the Book of tewod Kings,

480
00:24:32,960 --> 00:24:36,120
Speaker 4: chapter four, there's a story about a very poor widow.

481
00:24:36,520 --> 00:24:39,720
Speaker 4: She's just lost her husband and he's left her an

482
00:24:39,720 --> 00:24:43,080
Speaker 4: incredible debt that she's not able to pay, and now

483
00:24:43,160 --> 00:24:45,960
Speaker 4: the creditors are on their way to her home to

484
00:24:46,040 --> 00:24:48,720
Speaker 4: take her two sons as payment for that debt. That's

485
00:24:48,760 --> 00:24:52,080
Speaker 4: what they did back in those days. Well, evidently Elisha

486
00:24:52,440 --> 00:24:54,760
Speaker 4: was a friend of the family because he showed up

487
00:24:54,800 --> 00:24:57,360
Speaker 4: during this time of crisis, and she began to tell

488
00:24:57,440 --> 00:25:00,639
Speaker 4: him the problem and how serious the situation was. And

489
00:25:00,720 --> 00:25:03,720
Speaker 4: Elisha asked her, they're in verse four, what do you

490
00:25:03,880 --> 00:25:06,679
Speaker 4: have in the house? In other words, he was saying,

491
00:25:07,080 --> 00:25:09,320
Speaker 4: do you have anything you can pay them back with?

492
00:25:09,680 --> 00:25:11,680
Speaker 4: Do you have any jewelry, do you have any furniture?

493
00:25:11,680 --> 00:25:14,520
Speaker 4: You have anything at all? She said, no, Elisha, all

494
00:25:14,560 --> 00:25:18,440
Speaker 4: we have is this one pot of oil. He said, Okay,

495
00:25:18,440 --> 00:25:20,280
Speaker 4: here's what you need to do. You need to go

496
00:25:20,400 --> 00:25:24,679
Speaker 4: out to all of your neighbors and borrow every empty container,

497
00:25:24,800 --> 00:25:27,800
Speaker 4: every empty vessel that you can find. And so she

498
00:25:27,920 --> 00:25:29,880
Speaker 4: went out door to door and she began to gather

499
00:25:29,960 --> 00:25:33,840
Speaker 4: up all these empty containers. Notice she's doing something out

500
00:25:33,840 --> 00:25:37,359
Speaker 4: of the norm. She's doing something uncommon. She had to

501
00:25:37,400 --> 00:25:40,159
Speaker 4: get out of her comfort zone, don't you know. Some

502
00:25:40,200 --> 00:25:42,600
Speaker 4: of those neighbors ask her, why do you need this.

503
00:25:42,920 --> 00:25:45,000
Speaker 4: You're gonna have a big party tonight. What's going on?

504
00:25:45,440 --> 00:25:47,800
Speaker 4: She said, no, I'm just doing what God told me

505
00:25:47,880 --> 00:25:50,240
Speaker 4: to do. I'm sure they looked at her like her

506
00:25:50,280 --> 00:25:53,400
Speaker 4: elevator didn't go all the way up. Has God ever

507
00:25:53,440 --> 00:25:55,440
Speaker 4: asked you to do something that in the natural doesn't

508
00:25:55,480 --> 00:25:58,960
Speaker 4: make sense, like apologize to somebody even though it wasn't

509
00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:01,760
Speaker 4: your fault. Give somebody some money, yet you know you

510
00:26:01,840 --> 00:26:04,439
Speaker 4: need it more than they do. Listen, do it anyway.

511
00:26:04,480 --> 00:26:06,879
Speaker 4: God's ways are not our ways. When you sow an

512
00:26:06,920 --> 00:26:10,879
Speaker 4: extraordinary seed, you're gonna reap an extraordinary hardness. Well, she

513
00:26:10,960 --> 00:26:14,000
Speaker 4: got these vessels and containers all back to her house

514
00:26:14,119 --> 00:26:17,160
Speaker 4: and she said, okay, Elisha, now what he said. Now

515
00:26:17,200 --> 00:26:20,080
Speaker 4: you need to take the container that you have and

516
00:26:20,119 --> 00:26:23,280
Speaker 4: pour the oil into one of those empty containers. Again,

517
00:26:23,359 --> 00:26:25,440
Speaker 4: it didn't seem to make any sense, but she did

518
00:26:25,480 --> 00:26:28,040
Speaker 4: it anyway. And she noticed once she got the first

519
00:26:28,040 --> 00:26:31,720
Speaker 4: container for she still had some leftover in her original container,

520
00:26:31,920 --> 00:26:33,760
Speaker 4: and so she poured it into the next one and

521
00:26:33,800 --> 00:26:36,080
Speaker 4: filled it up. And then she did it again and

522
00:26:36,119 --> 00:26:40,800
Speaker 4: again and again. God was supernaturally multiplying the oil as

523
00:26:40,840 --> 00:26:42,880
Speaker 4: she was pouring it. And when it was all said

524
00:26:42,880 --> 00:26:45,240
Speaker 4: and done, she had every one of those containers full

525
00:26:45,280 --> 00:26:47,960
Speaker 4: to the top. And Elishah said to her in verse seven,

526
00:26:48,400 --> 00:26:51,200
Speaker 4: now go sell the oil, and you can pay off

527
00:26:51,280 --> 00:26:53,520
Speaker 4: all of your debts. And not only that, you can

528
00:26:53,600 --> 00:26:56,720
Speaker 4: live off the money that's left over. Friends, when you

529
00:26:56,800 --> 00:26:59,960
Speaker 4: step out and you do the extraordinary, you sew an

530
00:27:00,080 --> 00:27:03,080
Speaker 4: uncommon seed. God will meet all your needs in abundance.

531
00:27:03,280 --> 00:27:05,720
Speaker 4: You won't have enough to just barely get by. You

532
00:27:05,800 --> 00:27:09,159
Speaker 4: will have plenty left over as well. So let me

533
00:27:09,240 --> 00:27:12,119
Speaker 4: challenge you again to get out of your routine. Dare

534
00:27:12,200 --> 00:27:17,000
Speaker 4: to step out of that comfort zone sow some extraordinary seeds. Remember,

535
00:27:17,040 --> 00:27:19,440
Speaker 4: if we keep doing the same thing the same way,

536
00:27:19,800 --> 00:27:23,080
Speaker 4: all we can expect are the same results. Why don't

537
00:27:23,119 --> 00:27:25,679
Speaker 4: you make a decision with me that at least in

538
00:27:25,840 --> 00:27:29,720
Speaker 4: one area of your life, you're gonna do something out

539
00:27:29,840 --> 00:27:33,440
Speaker 4: of your normal routine that honors God in a greater way.

540
00:27:33,840 --> 00:27:35,520
Speaker 4: I don't know. Maybe you're gonna get up earlier and

541
00:27:35,520 --> 00:27:38,640
Speaker 4: spend more time with God. Maybe you're gonna forgive somebody

542
00:27:38,640 --> 00:27:41,200
Speaker 4: that you haven't been willing to forgive. Maybe you're gonna

543
00:27:41,200 --> 00:27:43,080
Speaker 4: have a better attitude, and you're just gonna step out

544
00:27:43,119 --> 00:27:46,080
Speaker 4: in faith. But I challenge you, at least in one

545
00:27:46,119 --> 00:27:49,040
Speaker 4: area for a month or so, you do something out

546
00:27:49,080 --> 00:27:51,399
Speaker 4: of your normal routine, and you see if you're not

547
00:27:51,440 --> 00:27:53,760
Speaker 4: amazed at what God will do. God wants to do

548
00:27:53,800 --> 00:27:56,480
Speaker 4: more than we can ask or think. But I'm convinced

549
00:27:56,760 --> 00:28:00,479
Speaker 4: we have to give him permission by sowing those uncommon sins.

550
00:28:01,000 --> 00:28:03,720
Speaker 4: So if you'll do your part today and press beyond

551
00:28:03,800 --> 00:28:06,600
Speaker 4: the norm, be willing to take a few risks, quit

552
00:28:06,640 --> 00:28:08,960
Speaker 4: worrying about what people are gonna think. If you'll do

553
00:28:09,080 --> 00:28:12,160
Speaker 4: your part, God do his part, He'll bless you in uncommon,

554
00:28:12,320 --> 00:28:15,760
Speaker 4: unusual ways, and you'll experience the victories that He has

555
00:28:15,800 --> 00:28:17,840
Speaker 4: in story. Amen, do you receive that today?

556
00:28:19,760 --> 00:28:19,920
Speaker 3: Well?

557
00:28:19,920 --> 00:28:22,520
Speaker 4: We never like to close our broadcast without giving you

558
00:28:22,560 --> 00:28:25,320
Speaker 4: an opportunity to make Jesus the Lord of your life.

559
00:28:25,560 --> 00:28:29,280
Speaker 4: Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord Jesus, I

560
00:28:29,400 --> 00:28:33,720
Speaker 4: repent of my sins, Come into my heart. I make

561
00:28:33,800 --> 00:28:37,199
Speaker 4: you my Lord and savior. Friends, if you prayed that

562
00:28:37,280 --> 00:28:40,000
Speaker 4: simple prayer, we believe you got born again. Get in

563
00:28:40,040 --> 00:28:43,240
Speaker 4: a good Bible based church, Keep God first place. He's

564
00:28:43,280 --> 00:28:46,920
Speaker 4: gonna take your places you've never dreamed of. Thanks so

565
00:28:47,040 --> 00:28:50,360
Speaker 4: much for listening to today's message. I hope you'll subscribe

566
00:28:50,560 --> 00:28:53,240
Speaker 4: so you can receive the latest podcast to keep you

567
00:28:53,360 --> 00:28:55,760
Speaker 4: encouraged and inspired all through the wik.

568
00:28:55,640 --> 00:28:57,880
Speaker 5: Help us to continue to share the message of hope

569
00:28:57,880 --> 00:28:59,400
Speaker 5: with those all around the world.

570
00:29:00,120 --> 00:29:03,000
Speaker 2: Joeloasting dot com or click the link in the description

571
00:29:03,360 --> 00:29:04,680
Speaker 2: to partner with us today.

572
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Speaker 4: We hope you'll share this message with a friend and

573
00:29:07,480 --> 00:29:10,280
Speaker 4: be sure to follow us on social media. We're praying

574
00:29:10,360 --> 00:29:13,440
Speaker 4: for you. I know God's best is still ahead. We'll

575
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Speaker 4: see you next time.

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599
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600
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