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Speaker 1: Hey, this is Stephen Furtick. I'm the pastor of Elevation Church,

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Speaker 1: and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank you

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Speaker 1: for joining us today. I hope this inspires you. I

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Speaker 1: hope it builds your faith. I hope it gives you

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Speaker 1: perspective to see God is moving in your life. Enjoy

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Speaker 1: the message. We want to welcome our eFam, our extended

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Speaker 1: family all over the world right now. We're flinging the

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Speaker 1: doors open, man, the digital doors. Come on in. The

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Speaker 1: church is open. The Spirit is here. So, God bless you.

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Speaker 1: Just turn to the person next to you and say,

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Speaker 1: if Pastor Steven knew you, you would be his favorite

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Speaker 1: church member. Just tell him that. I believe that. Now

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Speaker 1: some of us are glad to be here. We have

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Speaker 1: learned that there is bread in the house of the Lord.

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Speaker 1: I'm going to do a no-no. I'm going to use

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Speaker 1: the same Scripture I used last week. Sit down. Y'all leave.

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Speaker 1: Let's study. I came home last week, and I told Holly,

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Speaker 1: I don't know how good that went. She said it

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Speaker 1: was amazing, and I was frustrated. I said, I don't

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Speaker 1: think I did it the way I was supposed to.

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Speaker 1: Holly said, Maybe you didn't fail. Maybe you just weren't finished.

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Speaker 1: Turn in your Bible to 2 Corinthians. Can y'all believe

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Speaker 1: she backtalks me like that? The Bible says submit to

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Speaker 1: your husband. You're not supposed to be quoting scriptures at

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Speaker 1: the man of God. I'm kidding. but it's good. It's good.

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Speaker 1: Second Corinthians chapter 12. And I want to talk a

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Speaker 1: little more about your thorn. That was the subject last week.

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Speaker 1: So this might be uncomfortable. I'm going to talk about

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Speaker 1: your thorn for a moment or two, but I want

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Speaker 1: to read this context. And I just want to remind

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Speaker 1: you that usually when God speaks, he speaks in sentences

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Speaker 1: and paragraphs and You know, like a lot of times

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Speaker 1: what we'll take is we'll take a single sentence from

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Speaker 1: the Word of God, and that's cool. It's better than nothing.

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Speaker 1: But to really get the full impact of what God speaks,

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Speaker 1: it's better if you understand the context of when he

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Speaker 1: spoke it. And I don't know if we sometimes read

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Speaker 1: Scripture verses, Bible verses like they're captions on Instagram or

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Speaker 1: something like that. They're not. This was a letter Paul

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Speaker 1: wrote to a church that he loved, that he was

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Speaker 1: incredibly frustrated with. Oh, you can definitely feel that way

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Speaker 1: about one person, one church. You can really love and

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Speaker 1: be really frustrated with … I made the case one

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Speaker 1: time in this pulpit. A lot of people disagreed. You

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Speaker 1: can't really be truly good and frustrated with somebody you

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Speaker 1: don't really, truly love. You'll feel the most intense feelings of,

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Speaker 1: I want to kill you if you are a parent,

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Speaker 1: the person that came from your very body. It goes

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Speaker 1: the other way, too, with kids and parents, but This

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Speaker 1: is the lesson Paul is giving. If I had outlined

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Speaker 1: the message last week the way I should have, where

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Speaker 1: you could take notes and all of that, I would

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Speaker 1: have used three points. A mentor, a metaphor, and a therefore.

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Speaker 1: I forgot to tell you that last week, because I

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Speaker 1: was so busy preaching about Paul as a mentor to

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Speaker 1: the church. Not an advice columnist, not a broke cousin

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Speaker 1: who tells you where you need to invest your money

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Speaker 1: and what kind of digital currency you need to invest in,

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Speaker 1: but he's not one of these advice-giving fools. He's got

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Speaker 1: real authority. What surprised us about Paul, though, was that

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Speaker 1: with such great apostolic authority and such intellectual brilliance, instead

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Speaker 1: of taking the opportunity to exceed his authority, he opened

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Speaker 1: himself up with personal vulnerabilities. What was amazing about it

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Speaker 1: was … I'm going to read it to you in

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Speaker 1: just a moment in case you missed it. His vulnerability

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Speaker 1: did not compromise his authority. His being real about what

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Speaker 1: he struggled with didn't keep him from being powerful and

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Speaker 1: being called, and it doesn't for you either. You don't

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Speaker 1: have to fake it. You don't have to go through

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Speaker 1: life pretending The people you pretend to be somebody you're

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Speaker 1: not to in order to get them to like you,

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Speaker 1: they don't really like you when they like you. They

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Speaker 1: like you that you showed them that you concocted just

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Speaker 1: to get their approval. So, it's worthless anyway. If you've

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Speaker 1: got it, you've got it. If you know, you know.

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Speaker 1: If God is with you, God is with you. Nobody

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Speaker 1: can do anything to change it. Not even the Devil. Oh,

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Speaker 1: I feel a no weapon formed against me shall prosper.

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Speaker 1: Rising up in my spirit. In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul

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Speaker 1: says in verse 6,' Even if I should choose to boast,

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Speaker 1: I would not be a fool, because I would be

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Speaker 1: speaking the truth.' Paul is the opposite of most of us.

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Speaker 1: He has everything to brag about, but he doesn't. A

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Speaker 1: lot of us have nothing to boast about, but plenty

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Speaker 1: to boast about. Y'all ought to say, amen. Let the

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Speaker 1: church say, ouch. He said, I'm not even going to

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Speaker 1: tell you about my trip to heaven. I went to

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Speaker 1: the third heaven, but don't worry about that, because what

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Speaker 1: I want to actually tell you about … He uses

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Speaker 1: a metaphor. He says, because of these surpassingly great revelations, therefore,

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Speaker 1: in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was

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Speaker 1: given a thorn. That's the metaphor. He says it was

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Speaker 1: a thorn. Wise scholars have spent centuries trying to identify

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Speaker 1: what the thorn was when Paul clearly did not want

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Speaker 1: us to know, or he would have spelled it out

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Speaker 1: if he would have wanted us to know whether it

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Speaker 1: was a physical issue, because it could have been that,

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Speaker 1: or a spiritual issue, because it could have been that.

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Speaker 1: or an emotional issue, it could have been that, or

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Speaker 1: an opponent of the gospel because he was an ambassador

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Speaker 1: of Christ. Paul was responsible for delivering the theology we

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Speaker 1: still study today two millennia later. Justification by faith is

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Speaker 1: a doctrine we would not know about as we know

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Speaker 1: about it if it had not been for Paul. Yet

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Speaker 1: maybe the greatest gift Paul ever gives to those of

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Speaker 1: us who struggle with stuff Those of us who are

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Speaker 1: confused sometimes about the way God is working in our life.

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Speaker 1: Those of us who are not quite sure if we're

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Speaker 1: going to be in the VIP section of heaven or

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Speaker 1: whether we're going to have to sneak in past the

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Speaker 1: security in the back door and hope God doesn't call

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Speaker 1: us out. This is what I want you to know

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Speaker 1: about that Paul. He gives us the gift of showing

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Speaker 1: us that there is a thorn. Now, everybody say this.

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Speaker 1: There is a thorn. There is a thorn. The people

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Speaker 1: who don't say it are probably lost in the metaphor,

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Speaker 1: so let me break it down. The thorn is that

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Speaker 1: thing you don't talk about on the first night of E! Group.

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Speaker 1: The thorn is the thing you don't tell somebody in

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Speaker 1: the grocery checkout line, and you really shouldn't. It's not

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Speaker 1: wise to share everything with everybody. We kind of live

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Speaker 1: in a culture where everybody is boasting and posting so much.

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Speaker 1: It's refreshing that Paul has the discretion to say, I

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Speaker 1: had this thing, this thorn. It came from Satan. Look

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Speaker 1: at this. It was a messenger of Satan to torment me.

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Speaker 1: That's what I flipped last week that God showed me.

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Speaker 1: He showed me torment. If you flip that, it's mentors.

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Speaker 1: If you say torment and you say it the other

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Speaker 1: way … You weren't here last week. That's what I

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Speaker 1: did last week. He said, the thing that is tormenting you,

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Speaker 1: if you'll submit it to my throne … This is

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Speaker 1: what you have to learn to do. Take that thorn

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Speaker 1: to the throne. Don't take that thorn to people, because

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Speaker 1: people don't have the power to turn it around. So

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Speaker 1: Paul did something so wise. He said, God, would you

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Speaker 1: take this away? God said nothing. Paul said, God, I

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Speaker 1: don't know if you're busy doing something for Peter over there,

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Speaker 1: but Paul, I need you over here. Take this thorn away.

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Speaker 1: What was it? We found out last week. It was

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Speaker 1: his mentor, because some things you can only learn through

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Speaker 1: what you are afflicted by. And yet, The warning is

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Speaker 1: so clear in my spirit that the Lord wants me

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Speaker 1: to tell you today it's not really about the thorn.

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Speaker 1: It's not really about the thorn. That's not the real thing,

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Speaker 1: the thing we bring to God. Fix this. Change this.

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Speaker 1: Or if you're like me and you're a control freak

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Speaker 1: and you think everybody else needs to get on the

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Speaker 1: same page with you, fix them. Some of y'all's thorn

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Speaker 1: weighs 197 pounds and is sitting next to you. This

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Speaker 1: is the message Paul gives us. Watch this. Get ready

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Speaker 1: to shout. If God doesn't remove it, you can expect

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Speaker 1: him to use it. So, whatever you bring down …

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Speaker 1: the Lord, I don't care if it's an addiction, a propensity,

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Speaker 1: and you say, well, God, make me not want to

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Speaker 1: do this anymore. I don't want to want that anymore.

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Speaker 1: I don't want this desire anymore. I don't want this

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Speaker 1: darkness anymore. I don't want this feeling anymore. Well, sometimes

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Speaker 1: God will take it away. I have some things in

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Speaker 1: my life that I prayed about, and God got me

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Speaker 1: through them. I have other things. These are the thorns

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Speaker 1: that God said, I'm not going to remove it. So

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Speaker 1: then Paul says, all right, all right, all right. If

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Speaker 1: God is not going to take the thorn away that

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Speaker 1: is tormenting me, you've been tormented by it long enough.

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Speaker 1: You ask God three times. It's amazing how Paul gives

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Speaker 1: us this contrast of action and acceptance. I ask God

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Speaker 1: to do it. I believe God could do it. Because

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Speaker 1: when I first read this, I'm like, Paul, you needed

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Speaker 1: to just have more faith. You know, now unto him

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Speaker 1: who is able to do immeasurably more than we ask

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Speaker 1: or imagine. Paul's like, I wrote that verse, dummy. It's

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Speaker 1: Ephesians 3.20. This is 2 Corinthians 12. Talking about the

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Speaker 1: things that God chooses not to remove. The things God

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Speaker 1: gives you grace for. in the place of change. This

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Speaker 1: won't change, but I have grace for it. Make the

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Speaker 1: confession by faith right now with your mouth, I have

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Speaker 1: grace for it. I have grace for it. They had

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Speaker 1: an ad campaign when I was a little boy called

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Speaker 1: Got Milk? I'm revising it right now to say, Got Grace?

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Speaker 1: The Lord told me to tell you today … I

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Speaker 1: hear the Lord saying … I hear it so clear.

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Speaker 1: I can't get it out of my spirit. There's no shortage.

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Speaker 1: Put it in the chat right now or say it

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Speaker 1: with your vocal cords. If you have breath, say it.

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Speaker 1: There's no shortage. When I asked the Lord to take

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Speaker 1: the thorn away … We're living in a time where

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Speaker 1: you haven't heard very much about no shortage. I mean,

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Speaker 1: when it started out … I know the word global

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Speaker 1: pandemic just makes your mouth dry even to hear it,

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Speaker 1: because we don't really want to talk about it or

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Speaker 1: hear about it anymore. I try not to talk about

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Speaker 1: it too much in the pulpit, because God knows you

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Speaker 1: hear it everywhere else. But I knew it was bad.

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Speaker 1: We were scared when COVID came, because God didn't take

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Speaker 1: it away, and then they didn't even have enough masks.

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Speaker 1: for us to wear because there was a mask shortage.

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Speaker 1: Then the people who ended up in the hospital …

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Speaker 1: There's a ventilator shortage, and then there's a staff shortage,

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Speaker 1: and then there's a test shortage, so we can't even

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Speaker 1: know now. There was a shortage, but then it started

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Speaker 1: getting crazy. The things we were short on because of

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Speaker 1: the supply chain that seemed to have nothing to do

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Speaker 1: with sickness … I went to buy my oldest used

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Speaker 1: car the other day, and the price is like 60

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Speaker 1: percent more right now for a used car. Because the

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Speaker 1: dude was telling me, oh, well, there's a chip shortage

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Speaker 1: of new cars, so the used cars are more expensive.

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Speaker 1: All I heard is, you're ripping me off. This is

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Speaker 1: the worst time to buy a car. I don't even

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Speaker 1: want him to drive. I'm scared to death to put

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Speaker 1: him on the road. Now it's expensive to do, because

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Speaker 1: there's a global chip shortage. But I knew it was bad.

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Speaker 1: I knew it was bad when Holly came home from

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Speaker 1: Chick-fil-A one day. This is when I knew … My God,

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Speaker 1: why have you forsaken us? When Chick-fil-A had a sauce shortage,

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Speaker 1: if there is one restaurant God loves, it's the one

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Speaker 1: that's closed on Sunday. When Chick-fil-A is running out of Polynesian,

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Speaker 1: oh God, where is your promise? The glory is upon you.

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Speaker 1: She said, Holly said, they said, Welcome to Chick-fil-A. You know,

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Speaker 1: all happy like they do at Chick-fil-A. Then she said,

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Speaker 1: I want a grilled chicken sandwich. She said, We don't

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Speaker 1: have any chicken. I said, Chick-fil-A didn't have chicken. I

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Speaker 1: think y'all might see where I'm going with this if

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Speaker 1: you work ahead a little bit. She ended up ordering

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Speaker 1: something she didn't even want, but that's not the point,

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Speaker 1: because I'm not really talking about Chick-fil-A or how they

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Speaker 1: didn't even have ranch dressing or kale for a kale salad.

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Speaker 1: Y'all think Holly's first choice was kale? That girl loves

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Speaker 1: waffle fries more than she loves worship. They didn't even

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Speaker 1: have a kale salad. She just had to make it work.

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Speaker 1: To me, it's kind of crazy when Chick-fil-A doesn't have

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Speaker 1: grilled chicken, but what would be crazier than that, if

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Speaker 1: you can imagine a thing like that, if you can

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Speaker 1: imagine something crazier than that, here's what it might be.

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Speaker 1: you to think as a Christian that you're going to

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Speaker 1: need grace from your Father in heaven. For some reason,

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Speaker 1: there's a global supply chain issue in heaven where there

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Speaker 1: are not enough angels to staff because we can't get

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Speaker 1: any angels to come in and work. Here's one thing.

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Speaker 1: There's no shortage of angels in heaven to praise God. So,

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Speaker 1: the Bible even says this. If you don't praise him,

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Speaker 1: the rocks will cry out. Jesus said that. So, for

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Speaker 1: everybody who's like, I don't like all of that when

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Speaker 1: he tells us, you know, praise the Lord and give

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Speaker 1: God glory. I don't really feel like it. I've only

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Speaker 1: got three hours of sleep. That's fine. You don't have to.

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Speaker 1: There's no shortage of glory to God in heaven. There's

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Speaker 1: an angel right now saying, Holy, holy, holy is the

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Speaker 1: Lord God Almighty. Holy, holy. So if you don't want

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Speaker 1: to say he's holy, there's an angel saying it. You

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Speaker 1: can take a break. You can take the day off.

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Speaker 1: God will always have a praise. God will always have

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Speaker 1: a praise. God will always have a worshiper. God doesn't

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Speaker 1: command you to praise him because he needs it. He's

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Speaker 1: not an egomaniac. You need it. You need it. When

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Speaker 1: you give him glory, it releases grace.

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Speaker 2: There's something about it. Once you realize he's able to

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Speaker 2: do immeasurably more than you ask or imagine, there is

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Speaker 2: no shortage in heaven of what you're hurting for on earth.

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Speaker 1: There's no shortage. There's no shortage. In fact, I love

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Speaker 1: people who come to church, and they're like, Pastor, if

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Speaker 1: you preach, it's good. If you don't preach, it's good.

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Speaker 1: I don't really care. I brought my own sauce. I

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Speaker 1: have my own relationship with God. I want y'all to

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Speaker 1: start bringing your Bibles back to church. I want y'all

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Speaker 1: to start a leather-bound Bible, a big, fat, leather-bound Bible,

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Speaker 1: a holy Bible back to church with a pen and

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Speaker 1: a highlighter so you can go through that thing. When

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Speaker 1: I'm not there … Because I'm not going to follow

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Speaker 1: you to work tomorrow. Be weird. They probably wouldn't let

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Speaker 1: me in anyway. Security! But when you have your own

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Speaker 1: word from God, Are you so focused on your thorn

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Speaker 1: that you are missing your therefore? I'm going to make

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Speaker 1: you a little grilled chicken scripture sandwich real quick. I'm

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Speaker 1: going to give you this little scripture sandwich real quick.

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Speaker 1: In 2 Corinthians 12, verse 7… I love the Word

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Speaker 1: of God. I love it more. The more I study it,

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Speaker 1: the more ignorant I realize I am about it. I

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Speaker 1: would have missed something like this. 2 Corinthians 12.7. He said,

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Speaker 1: I had these great revelations. I saw this amazing glory

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Speaker 1: in my life. Paul is saying this. I was gifted

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Speaker 1: by God in a unique way. I studied under Gamaliel.

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Speaker 1: Check my resume. I come from good stock, a Hebrew

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Speaker 1: of Hebrews, tribe of Benjamin. That's me, your apostle to

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Speaker 1: the Gentiles, Paul. But because of how good God had

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Speaker 1: been to me and what he had shown me, here

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Speaker 1: comes the teaching. Therefore … in order to keep me

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Speaker 1: from becoming conceited, in order to keep me grounded in

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Speaker 1: grace … Are you grounded in grace or are you

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Speaker 1: grounded in your giftedness? If you're grounded in your giftedness

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Speaker 1: and you fail, your faith falls apart. Are you grounded

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Speaker 1: in grace or are you grounded in your feelings? Are

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Speaker 1: you grounded in grace or are you grounded in the

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Speaker 1: latest blessing God gave you? Are you grounded in grace

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Speaker 1: or are you grounded in your goals? Because you're not

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Speaker 1: going to reach all of them. Paul said elsewhere in Philippians,

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Speaker 1: I press toward the mark, toward the goal. Paul is

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Speaker 1: still pressing, and I'm thinking, I'm going to reach the goal.

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Speaker 1: You're not going to reach the goal. So he said,

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Speaker 1: to keep me grounded in grace, God gave me a

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Speaker 1: gift I didn't ask for. Heaven has no gift exchange program,

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Speaker 1: but God delivered it in an unusual way. This is

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Speaker 1: what we studied last week. Put the same verse back up.

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Speaker 1: Everybody say, therefore. In order to keep me from becoming conceited,

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Speaker 1: I was given a thorn in my flesh, an angelos.

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Speaker 1: Same word that we take angel from. In Greek, it's angelos.

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Speaker 1: It could say an angel of Satan. We've never heard

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Speaker 1: of that before. To us, angels were touched by them

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Speaker 1: and Thomas Kinkade and light and all this, but he said, no,

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Speaker 1: it came through an angel, and I hated the angel.

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Speaker 1: It was a messenger. That's all angel means, messenger. That's

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Speaker 1: what the word means. It's the same word. He said,

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Speaker 1: the messenger that God brought it through was my enemy,

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Speaker 1: so God gave me a gift through my enemy. That's

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Speaker 1: the context of this great verse where he said, my

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Speaker 1: grace is sufficient for you. There's no shortage of grace.

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Speaker 1: Can I tell you something as a pastor who's pastored

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Speaker 1: through the last two years right now? They might be

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Speaker 1: short right now on masks. They might be short right

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Speaker 1: now on staff. I'm sure in your industry you could

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Speaker 1: tell me a shortage that's affecting you, because I know

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Speaker 1: that you have some too in your industry. In my industry,

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Speaker 1: there's no shortage of thorns right now. I think the

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Speaker 1: last 20 months have been some of the thorniest in

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Speaker 1: I've ever pastored people through. There is no shortage of

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Speaker 1: the things Paul lists. There's no shortage. I said that

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Speaker 1: a minute ago, and y'all shouted. But when I said

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Speaker 1: there's no shortage of thorns, you didn't shout, and you

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Speaker 1: shouldn't shout about that. After all, Paul said nobody in

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Speaker 1: their right mind asks God for a thorn. There's no

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Speaker 1: shortage of marriage problems in my church today. There is

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Speaker 1: no shortage of things that can make you feel so

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Speaker 1: bad about yourself if you wanted to right now. One

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Speaker 1: of the things the last almost two years now has

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Speaker 1: done to a lot of people is put them in

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Speaker 1: isolation in a season, and then things grew in the

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Speaker 1: dark that are now coming forth and growing, and they're

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Speaker 1: not good. There's no shortage of thorns right now. In

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Speaker 1: some ways, I want to thank all of you who

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Speaker 1: are honest enough about your thorns to come to church.

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Speaker 1: In some ways, I feel like I owe every big

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Speaker 1: sinner in here a big thank you, because you give

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Speaker 1: me job security. As long as you have thorns, I

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Speaker 1: have a job. Don't ever get your life fully together,

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Speaker 1: because then you won't need me, and I need to

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Speaker 1: be needed. I don't preach for the praise of men. Amen? Amen.

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Speaker 1: There's no shortage of thorns. There's just those that are

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Speaker 1: better at hiding them than others. All you see is

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Speaker 1: the lilies in the life of the person next to you.

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Speaker 1: I am so thankful that Paul taught me the theology

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Speaker 1: of the thorns. The theology of the thorn. This is

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Speaker 1: the theology of the thorn. When I am weak, then

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Speaker 1: I am strong. I need that one. I'm thankful for

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Speaker 1: everything Paul taught me, but above all, maybe the greatest

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Speaker 1: lesson he taught me was to look for the therefore.

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Speaker 1: Have you been more thorn-conscious than grace-conscious? in your life lately?

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Speaker 1: The Devil would love to do that to you. In fact,

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Speaker 1: here's what I think about this passage. I don't know

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Speaker 1: if you care what I think about it, but this

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Speaker 1: is what I think about it. I don't think it

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Speaker 1: matters as much what Paul's thorn was as it matters

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Speaker 1: how Paul thought about his thorn. Likewise, I don't believe

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Speaker 1: the most important thing about your life is the challenge

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Speaker 1: you're facing. or the insecurity you have or the mistake

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Speaker 1: you made or the things you do that nobody knows

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Speaker 1: you do or the thoughts you think people would be

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Speaker 1: shocked … Me and Elijah were talking the other day.

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Speaker 1: How much would we pay to keep all of our

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Speaker 1: thoughts from being broadcast on a screen in front of

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Speaker 1: the whole world? We both decided, everything we have. Every

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Speaker 1: dollar I have. There could not be too great of

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Speaker 1: an amount. Even if it's just in your thought life,

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Speaker 1: those thorns … Paul is convincing you today, and you

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Speaker 1: need to lean into this word, because this is bigger

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Speaker 1: than a Sunday lesson. This is bigger than a YouTube clip.

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Speaker 1: This is bigger than an Instagram post, what God is

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Speaker 1: saying today. He is saying, if you keep looking at

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Speaker 1: this thorn … Paul doesn't talk about the thorn for

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Speaker 1: seven verses. Paul doesn't give a whole chapter to the

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Speaker 1: thorn like we do. We get so stuck about what's

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Speaker 1: wrong with us We get so stuck. Is that why

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Speaker 1: he called it a thorn? Because it's the thing you

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Speaker 1: get stuck by and stuck with and stuck in? But

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Speaker 1: Paul doesn't talk about the thorn. He talks about the therefore.

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Speaker 1: Did you see it in the text? Come on. Did

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Speaker 1: you see it in the text? It's in the text, class.

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Speaker 1: It's in the text. We are not going to recess

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Speaker 1: until y'all get this lesson. He said, therefore … This

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Speaker 1: is the important thing. What is your thorn therefore? Some

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Speaker 1: people never find out. They get so stuck in what's

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Speaker 1: wrong with them, what they can't do, what others can

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Speaker 1: do that they can't do, what others got that they

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Speaker 1: didn't get. But Paul said, it was in order to

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Speaker 1: keep me from becoming conceited. What a thing to admit.

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Speaker 1: Paul said, I would have had such a big head

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Speaker 1: I couldn't have fit through the church door if God

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Speaker 1: didn't give me this thorn. What is it therefore? I

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Speaker 1: could preach all day. When we title this message on YouTube,

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Speaker 1: we may call it The Power of Therefore. The Power

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Speaker 1: of Therefore. When you find out not only what has

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Speaker 1: been tormenting you, But what is it there for? Is

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Speaker 1: this here to teach me something? And notice, people can't

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Speaker 1: tell you this. They mean well, but they'll say, well,

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Speaker 1: the reason your kid is misbehaving is because you should

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Speaker 1: have told him to the other school. The other school

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Speaker 1: there … You see, we homeschool our kids, Brother Steve,

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Speaker 1: and that's why our kids don't struggle with any of it.

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Speaker 1: Those kids sometimes are the biggest crackheads at age 21.

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Speaker 1: Sometimes nothing against homeschooling, nothing against not homeschooling. But Paul

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Speaker 1: did not ask Silas … about his thorn. I'm not

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Speaker 1: saying don't get input from people, but some things only

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Speaker 1: God can show you what it's there for. Only God

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Speaker 1: can show you why he gave you that gift. That's

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Speaker 1: why a beautiful young girl … You have to make

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Speaker 1: sure you go to your Father to find out what

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Speaker 1: your beauty is there for. It is not for some

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Speaker 1: boy to put his hands all over something he doesn't own.

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Speaker 1: That's not why God gave you that beauty, so you

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Speaker 1: can spread it around until you feel empty. No, no.

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Speaker 1: You have to ask God, what is my gift there for?

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Speaker 1: I don't just get to do whatever I want with

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Speaker 1: my life. It's borrowed. I don't just get to do

423
00:28:31,820 --> 00:28:35,479
Speaker 1: whatever I want with my gift. It's borrowed. It's on loan.

424
00:28:35,740 --> 00:28:41,320
Speaker 1: It belongs to God. I'm a servant of him. It's

425
00:28:41,340 --> 00:28:44,540
Speaker 1: so powerful, the power of therefore. Put it in the chat.

426
00:28:44,860 --> 00:28:49,340
Speaker 1: Put it in your mouth. Put it in your spirit. Say, therefore. Therefore. Therefore.

427
00:28:49,780 --> 00:28:54,460
Speaker 1: Some of us, we so glorify the thorn. Oh, my thorn. Oh,

428
00:28:54,520 --> 00:28:57,840
Speaker 1: I'll tell you right now. Oh, man, if you knew

429
00:28:57,900 --> 00:29:04,580
Speaker 1: about my thorn. But Paul said, therefore, it was there

430
00:29:04,640 --> 00:29:09,860
Speaker 1: for a reason. Only God can show you what that is. Therefore.

431
00:29:11,140 --> 00:29:14,330
Speaker 1: My favorite therefore in Scripture, I looked at 20 of them,

432
00:29:15,250 --> 00:29:18,290
Speaker 1: but I only want to give you two. The first

433
00:29:18,370 --> 00:29:21,330
Speaker 1: one comes from Romans 8, where Paul said what the

434
00:29:21,370 --> 00:29:22,630
Speaker 1: law was powerless to do and that was weakened by

435
00:29:22,670 --> 00:29:24,770
Speaker 1: sinful nature, God did by sending his own son, likeness

436
00:29:24,790 --> 00:29:27,239
Speaker 1: to sinful man, to be a sin offering. There is

437
00:29:27,840 --> 00:29:34,720
Speaker 1: therefore now. No condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

438
00:29:38,430 --> 00:29:43,640
Speaker 1: That's my second favorite therefore. My first favorite … I

439
00:29:43,660 --> 00:29:45,160
Speaker 1: don't know if I should break it out right now,

440
00:29:45,220 --> 00:29:50,480
Speaker 1: because I'm just not sure if you … No, I'm

441
00:29:50,500 --> 00:29:56,320
Speaker 1: not sure yet. I'm not convinced yet. Should I show them, Lord?

442
00:29:58,080 --> 00:30:01,640
Speaker 1: Should I take them to my secret stash? over here

443
00:30:01,700 --> 00:30:06,340
Speaker 1: in Lamentations. Now, how are you going to preach about Lamentations?

444
00:30:06,940 --> 00:30:09,700
Speaker 1: You're talking about, therefore … Well, this is the perfect

445
00:30:09,740 --> 00:30:13,710
Speaker 1: place to look at it. See, Lamentations was a very

446
00:30:13,790 --> 00:30:18,070
Speaker 1: sad book in the Bible. It's sadder than a Nirvana song.

447
00:30:18,310 --> 00:30:21,290
Speaker 1: I mean, this is really sad stuff, and it can

448
00:30:21,310 --> 00:30:24,250
Speaker 1: really bring you down. Jeremiah the prophet was ministering in

449
00:30:24,290 --> 00:30:27,010
Speaker 1: a very hard time. He wasn't seeing much fruit. All thorns. Now,

450
00:30:27,030 --> 00:30:30,590
Speaker 1: listen to how he starts. in Lamentations 3.19. Actually, let's

451
00:30:30,610 --> 00:30:32,130
Speaker 1: go to verse 18. Did I give you 18? I

452
00:30:32,230 --> 00:30:33,690
Speaker 1: think I gave you 18 right before I came out,

453
00:30:33,910 --> 00:30:37,260
Speaker 1: just in case. So I say, my splendor is gone,

454
00:30:37,540 --> 00:30:40,220
Speaker 1: and all that I had hoped from the Lord. What

455
00:30:40,240 --> 00:30:43,920
Speaker 1: a place to start. I remember my affliction and my wandering,

456
00:30:44,160 --> 00:30:47,310
Speaker 1: the bitterness and the gall, so I'm stuck in the thorns.

457
00:30:47,440 --> 00:30:52,910
Speaker 1: I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me.

458
00:30:53,030 --> 00:30:57,370
Speaker 1: That's a prophet saying that. That's a prophet saying that.

459
00:30:58,480 --> 00:31:03,060
Speaker 1: He said, the memories haunt me. The bitterness, I taste

460
00:31:03,120 --> 00:31:07,030
Speaker 1: it right now while I'm talking. It's still on my tongue.

461
00:31:07,070 --> 00:31:11,590
Speaker 1: You can smell it on my breath. I'm still stuck

462
00:31:11,650 --> 00:31:20,710
Speaker 1: in that. 21 says, yet this I call to mind,

463
00:31:23,740 --> 00:31:32,220
Speaker 1: and therefore … That's my favorite word in the Bible today. Therefore,

464
00:31:34,020 --> 00:31:40,190
Speaker 1: I have hope. It is … Go on. That's not

465
00:31:40,210 --> 00:31:44,330
Speaker 1: the good part. This is the good part. Because of

466
00:31:44,370 --> 00:31:49,780
Speaker 1: the Lord's great love, we are not consumed, for his

467
00:31:49,840 --> 00:31:55,080
Speaker 1: compassions never fail. Here's the verse you might know. They

468
00:31:55,140 --> 00:32:05,280
Speaker 1: are new … every morning. There's no shortage. If you

469
00:32:05,320 --> 00:32:08,940
Speaker 1: screwed up three days ago, there's grace for it right now.

470
00:32:09,240 --> 00:32:13,540
Speaker 1: There's no shortage. They might not have sauce at Chick-fil-A,

471
00:32:13,920 --> 00:32:18,720
Speaker 1: but there's no shortage of mercy in the house of God.

472
00:32:19,880 --> 00:32:27,680
Speaker 1: They are new every morning. Watch this. Well, Pastor Stephen,

473
00:32:27,720 --> 00:32:30,470
Speaker 1: I can't praise God. You don't know what I've been doing.

474
00:32:30,670 --> 00:32:32,390
Speaker 1: You don't know what I've been struggling with. What do

475
00:32:32,430 --> 00:32:37,970
Speaker 1: you think his mercy is there for? Amazing grace. How

476
00:32:38,110 --> 00:32:43,090
Speaker 1: sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. When

477
00:32:43,130 --> 00:32:47,040
Speaker 1: he hung up on that cross and he didn't come down,

478
00:32:47,620 --> 00:32:54,070
Speaker 1: what do you think he was there for? That's what

479
00:32:54,710 --> 00:33:02,910
Speaker 1: his grace is there for. Your weakness. That's what his

480
00:33:03,330 --> 00:33:08,830
Speaker 1: grace is there for. The insults. That's what his grace

481
00:33:09,490 --> 00:33:15,469
Speaker 1: is there for. The persecution. That's what his grace is

482
00:33:15,570 --> 00:33:23,980
Speaker 1: there for. The hardship. The difficulty. The thorn. is what

483
00:33:24,060 --> 00:33:33,830
Speaker 1: grace is there for. See, Paul had to pray about

484
00:33:33,870 --> 00:33:40,270
Speaker 1: that thing three times, three seasons. You think he wasn't fasting?

485
00:33:41,430 --> 00:33:44,490
Speaker 1: You think he wasn't keeping a journal, a thorn journal?

486
00:33:47,990 --> 00:33:51,820
Speaker 1: You think Paul wasn't doing everything in his power Do

487
00:33:51,840 --> 00:33:53,160
Speaker 1: you get that thing to go away? And you have

488
00:33:53,180 --> 00:33:55,780
Speaker 1: been too, and that's good. Because we don't want to

489
00:33:55,840 --> 00:33:58,400
Speaker 1: glory in our thorn. Some people will pervert any message

490
00:33:58,440 --> 00:34:01,330
Speaker 1: you preach. You know, well, Lord, I'm going to just

491
00:34:01,350 --> 00:34:05,350
Speaker 1: go over here on this pornographic website. Hey, Lord, that's

492
00:34:05,390 --> 00:34:07,010
Speaker 1: what grace is there for. I'm just going to go

493
00:34:07,030 --> 00:34:11,910
Speaker 1: on over here and just do it. Thornographic website, I

494
00:34:11,950 --> 00:34:16,680
Speaker 1: should have said. Where you just keep recreating the weakness

495
00:34:16,719 --> 00:34:21,350
Speaker 1: by not dealing with it. Grace is there to change

496
00:34:21,370 --> 00:34:23,310
Speaker 1: you too. It's there for you when you fail, but

497
00:34:23,350 --> 00:34:24,819
Speaker 1: it's also there to build you up so you can

498
00:34:24,840 --> 00:34:29,219
Speaker 1: get stronger. When I am weak … Some of us

499
00:34:29,480 --> 00:34:35,100
Speaker 1: worship our weakness. Just going off on people. That's how

500
00:34:35,219 --> 00:34:39,109
Speaker 1: I am. That's just my thorn in the flesh. You

501
00:34:39,130 --> 00:34:42,129
Speaker 1: heard old Pastor Furnick over there at the elevation. He

502
00:34:42,170 --> 00:34:44,640
Speaker 1: said it'll be a grace for it. Now you need

503
00:34:44,680 --> 00:34:46,939
Speaker 1: to put the grace on me. Well, they're not God.

504
00:34:46,980 --> 00:34:49,600
Speaker 1: They might slap you across your face if you act

505
00:34:49,640 --> 00:34:52,319
Speaker 1: thorny out there. It's not like, oh, well, let's just

506
00:34:52,400 --> 00:34:58,080
Speaker 1: all be. Everybody, let's have a thorn party. Let's all

507
00:34:58,100 --> 00:35:01,780
Speaker 1: tell our thorn stories. My thorn is bigger than your thorn.

508
00:35:01,800 --> 00:35:05,460
Speaker 1: That's not why we came to church. We want to

509
00:35:05,480 --> 00:35:09,390
Speaker 1: be transformed. We want to receive grace for what we

510
00:35:09,430 --> 00:35:16,609
Speaker 1: struggle with. He said, I prayed … Raise your hand

511
00:35:16,650 --> 00:35:18,910
Speaker 1: if you want me to go deeper in this, or

512
00:35:18,950 --> 00:35:21,910
Speaker 1: you can raise it on the chat. Just put in

513
00:35:21,930 --> 00:35:26,840
Speaker 1: the chat right now, I've got grace for this. The

514
00:35:26,860 --> 00:35:28,640
Speaker 1: beautiful thing is you don't even have to specify what

515
00:35:28,700 --> 00:35:30,500
Speaker 1: this is to the other people in the chat. It's

516
00:35:30,540 --> 00:35:33,279
Speaker 1: none of their business. It's none of mine. You take

517
00:35:33,320 --> 00:35:35,219
Speaker 1: it to God, and you get the grace you need

518
00:35:35,280 --> 00:35:39,859
Speaker 1: for the season. Don't take it to so many other

519
00:35:39,920 --> 00:35:41,640
Speaker 1: people either to tell you what they would do if

520
00:35:41,680 --> 00:35:46,100
Speaker 1: they were you. They're not. The God who knows your

521
00:35:46,120 --> 00:35:51,279
Speaker 1: thorn knows the grace that you need. Now, this is

522
00:35:51,320 --> 00:35:54,200
Speaker 1: pretty beautiful. How many of y'all actually really love the Bible,

523
00:35:54,239 --> 00:35:55,859
Speaker 1: and you're not even a little bit bored right now?

524
00:35:58,260 --> 00:36:04,710
Speaker 1: All right. For you. That's not the only therefore in

525
00:36:04,750 --> 00:36:07,109
Speaker 1: the passage. He said three times verse 8. He says,

526
00:36:07,130 --> 00:36:09,450
Speaker 1: Rebecca said Corinthians 12. I don't even think I'm going

527
00:36:09,469 --> 00:36:11,670
Speaker 1: to get to the other scripture today. That's all right.

528
00:36:12,640 --> 00:36:14,939
Speaker 1: Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away.

529
00:36:16,700 --> 00:36:20,879
Speaker 1: Is he the Lord of your thorn? Does he get

530
00:36:20,920 --> 00:36:23,200
Speaker 1: to decide what to leave in your life, who to

531
00:36:23,239 --> 00:36:26,439
Speaker 1: leave in your life, and what to remove? Is he

532
00:36:26,500 --> 00:36:31,180
Speaker 1: the Lord of your thorn? He says, I was given

533
00:36:31,219 --> 00:36:35,930
Speaker 1: a thorn. The messenger was Satan, but the master was

534
00:36:35,989 --> 00:36:41,230
Speaker 1: the Lord. So whatever the devil is doing in your

535
00:36:41,270 --> 00:36:47,160
Speaker 1: life … He doesn't get the ultimate authority. It's not

536
00:36:47,550 --> 00:36:52,000
Speaker 1: about the thorn. It's the story you tell yourself about

537
00:36:52,040 --> 00:36:57,219
Speaker 1: the thorn. Now, Paul could have just as easily come

538
00:36:57,260 --> 00:36:59,520
Speaker 1: to the conclusion, because he said, it was a messenger

539
00:36:59,560 --> 00:37:03,270
Speaker 1: of Satan to torment me, but verse 9, God said

540
00:37:03,310 --> 00:37:05,130
Speaker 1: to me, my grace is sufficient for you, for my

541
00:37:05,170 --> 00:37:08,049
Speaker 1: power is made perfect in weakness. I read that so

542
00:37:08,090 --> 00:37:09,730
Speaker 1: many times this week. I felt there was something in

543
00:37:09,790 --> 00:37:13,339
Speaker 1: it for us, and there is. But he said to me, Okay,

544
00:37:14,360 --> 00:37:17,660
Speaker 1: back to verse 8. Three times I pleaded with the Lord.

545
00:37:19,489 --> 00:37:26,589
Speaker 1: Verse 9, but he said to me. So, Paul asked

546
00:37:26,630 --> 00:37:29,190
Speaker 1: three times, and God said, My grace is sufficient for you,

547
00:37:29,230 --> 00:37:31,450
Speaker 1: for my power is made perfect in weakness. Then what's

548
00:37:31,469 --> 00:37:37,150
Speaker 1: the next word in verse 9? Therefore. That's the sandwich. Therefore,

549
00:37:37,750 --> 00:37:40,219
Speaker 1: to keep me from becoming conceited, There was given to

550
00:37:40,280 --> 00:37:42,009
Speaker 1: me a challenge that I could not handle in my

551
00:37:42,070 --> 00:37:44,750
Speaker 1: own strength, something that made me realize I don't have

552
00:37:44,770 --> 00:37:49,030
Speaker 1: enough IQ to do this. I don't have enough physical

553
00:37:49,150 --> 00:37:53,090
Speaker 1: stamina to do this. I don't have enough experience to

554
00:37:53,150 --> 00:37:55,750
Speaker 1: do this. He said, that's what it was there for,

555
00:37:55,830 --> 00:37:58,910
Speaker 1: because I had so many things going for me in

556
00:37:58,969 --> 00:38:02,590
Speaker 1: my life that there had to be this thing. It

557
00:38:02,630 --> 00:38:05,469
Speaker 1: was said one way by one preacher. He said, the

558
00:38:05,610 --> 00:38:10,210
Speaker 1: thorn took him to the throne. It reminded him he

559
00:38:10,270 --> 00:38:16,190
Speaker 1: wasn't in charge. But then after he says that, he says,

560
00:38:17,160 --> 00:38:19,060
Speaker 1: he said to me, my grace is sufficient for my

561
00:38:19,100 --> 00:38:23,740
Speaker 1: power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will not post,

562
00:38:24,580 --> 00:38:29,129
Speaker 1: but boast all the more gladly about my weakness so

563
00:38:29,170 --> 00:38:32,629
Speaker 1: that Christ's power in me Rest on me. Not so

564
00:38:32,690 --> 00:38:36,170
Speaker 1: I can just stay complacent, stay selfish, stay mean, stay hateful,

565
00:38:37,010 --> 00:38:40,299
Speaker 1: stay sick, stay in this bad physical condition. That's not

566
00:38:40,320 --> 00:38:48,000
Speaker 1: what I'm glorying in. But he said, therefore, I realized

567
00:38:48,060 --> 00:38:50,910
Speaker 1: what the thorn was there for. He could have taken

568
00:38:50,950 --> 00:38:56,610
Speaker 1: this any way. Remember, Paul persecuted the same church he

569
00:38:56,670 --> 00:39:00,879
Speaker 1: ultimately helped to build. Now, if this had been your thorn,

570
00:39:00,940 --> 00:39:03,500
Speaker 1: whatever it was … Is it Paul's eyesight? Who knows.

571
00:39:03,600 --> 00:39:06,680
Speaker 1: Was Paul a little short? Who knows. Was Paul talking

572
00:39:06,719 --> 00:39:08,800
Speaker 1: about the people who followed him around in every city

573
00:39:09,120 --> 00:39:10,630
Speaker 1: trying to run him out? Was he talking about the

574
00:39:10,650 --> 00:39:14,090
Speaker 1: people who threw actual stones at him trying to persecute

575
00:39:14,130 --> 00:39:16,750
Speaker 1: him for the gospel? We go, oh, persecution. I relate

576
00:39:16,770 --> 00:39:20,270
Speaker 1: with Paul. You don't relate with Paul because one atheist

577
00:39:20,350 --> 00:39:22,450
Speaker 1: on your Facebook said they didn't like your Bible verse.

578
00:39:22,800 --> 00:39:29,890
Speaker 1: That is not what he's preaching about here. But Paul...

579
00:39:30,780 --> 00:39:33,640
Speaker 1: could have just as easily told himself this thorn story.

580
00:39:33,760 --> 00:39:38,560
Speaker 1: You ready? Well, this is what I get. This is

581
00:39:38,600 --> 00:39:40,359
Speaker 1: God punishing me for all the bad things I did.

582
00:39:43,200 --> 00:39:45,239
Speaker 1: I guess it doesn't matter how much I change. God's

583
00:39:45,260 --> 00:39:51,690
Speaker 1: never going to really accept me I do happen to

584
00:39:51,730 --> 00:39:55,649
Speaker 1: know that Paul struggled with, he studied, but he also

585
00:39:55,710 --> 00:40:01,800
Speaker 1: struggled with an inferiority complex. Because one time he called

586
00:40:01,840 --> 00:40:05,040
Speaker 1: himself the least of the apostles as one abnormally born

587
00:40:05,820 --> 00:40:08,140
Speaker 1: because he didn't physically walk with Jesus like Peter did.

588
00:40:10,239 --> 00:40:14,260
Speaker 1: He could have just as easily told himself this story

589
00:40:16,110 --> 00:40:21,310
Speaker 1: about the thorn. Well, I guess... I guess if God's

590
00:40:21,350 --> 00:40:23,299
Speaker 1: not going to take this thorn away from me, it's

591
00:40:23,340 --> 00:40:28,520
Speaker 1: really not worth serving him. He could have just as

592
00:40:28,580 --> 00:40:31,120
Speaker 1: easily told God, well, if you would have wanted to

593
00:40:31,260 --> 00:40:32,899
Speaker 1: use me more, then you should have made me more whole.

594
00:40:35,880 --> 00:40:37,600
Speaker 1: I tell the Lord these kinds of things all the time,

595
00:40:37,640 --> 00:40:40,130
Speaker 1: just to be honest with you, because I can get

596
00:40:40,170 --> 00:40:44,470
Speaker 1: in this thing of comparing myself to people whose thorns

597
00:40:44,510 --> 00:40:47,089
Speaker 1: I don't see. I'm not saying they don't have them.

598
00:40:48,210 --> 00:40:54,170
Speaker 1: I just don't get a viewing party. And I don't

599
00:40:54,190 --> 00:40:58,790
Speaker 1: think it's as important what your thorn is. You could

600
00:40:58,830 --> 00:41:04,759
Speaker 1: name it if you wanted to in your heart. I

601
00:41:04,780 --> 00:41:08,859
Speaker 1: think the story you tell yourself about the thorn. Because

602
00:41:08,920 --> 00:41:12,640
Speaker 1: Paul says, the Lord said to me. Show him again

603
00:41:12,660 --> 00:41:16,390
Speaker 1: in the text. He said to me. He said to me.

604
00:41:17,510 --> 00:41:21,069
Speaker 1: He said to me. I don't think he heard God

605
00:41:21,130 --> 00:41:24,219
Speaker 1: out loud, and I don't think God's voice was the

606
00:41:24,260 --> 00:41:29,580
Speaker 1: only one speaking to him about that thorn. Remember, he said,

607
00:41:30,040 --> 00:41:35,120
Speaker 1: a messenger of Satan was sent to torment me. So,

608
00:41:35,160 --> 00:41:37,370
Speaker 1: at the same time Paul's trying to do ministry, or

609
00:41:37,390 --> 00:41:39,290
Speaker 1: you're trying to raise your kids, or you're trying to

610
00:41:39,330 --> 00:41:42,330
Speaker 1: grow up in a really weird, wicked world and have

611
00:41:42,350 --> 00:41:46,230
Speaker 1: some integrity about you, there are two voices going on, really.

612
00:41:47,860 --> 00:41:50,620
Speaker 1: There are two stories being told. He said, there's a

613
00:41:50,680 --> 00:41:56,310
Speaker 1: messenger of Satan that's tormenting me, and then there's the

614
00:41:56,330 --> 00:42:02,670
Speaker 1: voice of grace that's coming forth to strengthen me. If

615
00:42:02,730 --> 00:42:05,110
Speaker 1: I listen to the first voice, the messenger of Satan,

616
00:42:05,630 --> 00:42:08,580
Speaker 1: in this season of my life, I will not have

617
00:42:08,620 --> 00:42:11,759
Speaker 1: the strength to get up and face myself in the

618
00:42:11,800 --> 00:42:15,040
Speaker 1: mirror tomorrow. If I listen to the message of Satan

619
00:42:15,060 --> 00:42:17,779
Speaker 1: in my life, I'm going to wind up like Elijah

620
00:42:17,800 --> 00:42:20,970
Speaker 1: in The prophet, not my son Elijah. The prophet, Elijah.

621
00:42:22,000 --> 00:42:25,180
Speaker 1: who had the power … You talk about strong. You

622
00:42:25,219 --> 00:42:28,200
Speaker 1: talk about a mentor. You talk about somebody who had

623
00:42:28,239 --> 00:42:32,279
Speaker 1: the sauce, who had the glory of God. Elijah Eliyahu,

624
00:42:32,680 --> 00:42:36,240
Speaker 1: my God is Yahweh, called down fire on the prophets

625
00:42:36,300 --> 00:42:40,299
Speaker 1: of Baal, called down fire on the prophets of Asherah.

626
00:42:40,300 --> 00:42:43,390
Speaker 1: 850 died in the valley that day as the nation

627
00:42:43,430 --> 00:42:46,330
Speaker 1: was turning back to God, spoke, and the rain stopped,

628
00:42:46,670 --> 00:42:49,290
Speaker 1: spoke again, and it rained a cloud the size of

629
00:42:49,350 --> 00:42:53,569
Speaker 1: a man's hand. Then how in the world Did Elijah

630
00:42:53,630 --> 00:42:59,790
Speaker 1: wind up standing at the mouth of a cave in

631
00:42:59,790 --> 00:43:08,739
Speaker 1: 1 Kings 19? Strong people have weak moments. Strong Christians

632
00:43:08,800 --> 00:43:16,580
Speaker 1: have sharp thorns. Every believer has places of brokenness. I

633
00:43:16,640 --> 00:43:21,160
Speaker 1: need you to know this so you don't quit. so

634
00:43:21,219 --> 00:43:25,020
Speaker 1: you don't stop coming to church because you think God

635
00:43:25,060 --> 00:43:28,900
Speaker 1: doesn't have enough grace for you or because you stopped

636
00:43:28,980 --> 00:43:31,500
Speaker 1: showing up for the role God gave you because you

637
00:43:31,540 --> 00:43:36,060
Speaker 1: don't think you're smart enough. You're not, and the thorn

638
00:43:36,200 --> 00:43:40,610
Speaker 1: is there for you to realize,' I need your wisdom, God.

639
00:43:41,030 --> 00:43:43,810
Speaker 1: I don't look to the north, the south, the east,

640
00:43:44,130 --> 00:43:48,130
Speaker 1: or the west for my wisdom. My help comes from

641
00:43:48,670 --> 00:43:53,739
Speaker 1: the Lord.' So, God has given it to me like this.

642
00:43:54,180 --> 00:43:57,140
Speaker 1: Turn to somebody next to you and say, The thorn

643
00:43:57,219 --> 00:44:01,560
Speaker 1: came from the enemy, but the grace came from God.

644
00:44:01,580 --> 00:44:05,359
Speaker 1: I'm going to say it again. The thorn came from

645
00:44:05,400 --> 00:44:09,030
Speaker 1: the enemy. That was the messenger. I hated the angel

646
00:44:09,070 --> 00:44:11,220
Speaker 1: that brought it. You don't have to like what's happening

647
00:44:11,260 --> 00:44:13,670
Speaker 1: in your life. You don't have to like the people

648
00:44:13,710 --> 00:44:15,730
Speaker 1: that are in your life. You don't have to like

649
00:44:15,770 --> 00:44:18,550
Speaker 1: the challenge. You don't even have to like your personality,

650
00:44:18,870 --> 00:44:21,830
Speaker 1: but you do have to realize … that it must

651
00:44:21,890 --> 00:44:36,430
Speaker 1: be submitted to God's purpose. Stand up. I want to

652
00:44:36,469 --> 00:44:43,130
Speaker 1: show you something, and we're out of here. The power

653
00:44:45,660 --> 00:44:51,330
Speaker 1: of your therefore. is greater than the power of your thorn.

654
00:44:53,770 --> 00:45:12,300
Speaker 1: God's purpose will prevail. Paul said three times … That's

655
00:45:12,800 --> 00:45:18,870
Speaker 1: a significant number in Scripture. Three represents perfect unity. Jesus

656
00:45:18,950 --> 00:45:21,630
Speaker 1: prayed three times in the Garden of Gethsemane. He said, Nevertheless,

657
00:45:22,130 --> 00:45:23,489
Speaker 1: I'm going to take this cup even though I don't

658
00:45:23,530 --> 00:45:27,210
Speaker 1: want it. I'm going to do this, what I came

659
00:45:27,230 --> 00:45:31,110
Speaker 1: to do. This is what I came for. Don't you

660
00:45:31,150 --> 00:45:34,280
Speaker 1: see it? You are running from the stuff God put

661
00:45:34,360 --> 00:45:39,180
Speaker 1: you there for. You are not praying about the things

662
00:45:39,440 --> 00:45:45,020
Speaker 1: God's grace is there for. You don't just get to

663
00:45:45,239 --> 00:45:47,540
Speaker 1: bring God your praise. You get to bring him your

664
00:45:47,580 --> 00:45:56,110
Speaker 1: pain too That's what the grace is. Therefore, three times

665
00:45:56,190 --> 00:46:00,390
Speaker 1: I asked the Lord to take it away, but he

666
00:46:00,450 --> 00:46:05,250
Speaker 1: said to me, I ain't here to allow. My grace

667
00:46:05,330 --> 00:46:10,920
Speaker 1: is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect

668
00:46:12,040 --> 00:46:15,400
Speaker 1: in weakness. For us, that's a cute scripture. For Paul,

669
00:46:15,820 --> 00:46:19,239
Speaker 1: that was a story he had to tell himself. Every

670
00:46:19,280 --> 00:46:23,940
Speaker 1: time that thorn pressed into his flesh, God's power is

671
00:46:23,980 --> 00:46:28,400
Speaker 1: made perfect. Every time it presses your flesh, I want

672
00:46:28,440 --> 00:46:32,029
Speaker 1: you to tell yourself a different story. You don't get

673
00:46:32,070 --> 00:46:36,250
Speaker 1: to choose your thorn. You get to choose your story.

674
00:46:40,800 --> 00:46:46,100
Speaker 1: He said there's no shortage of grace. There's no shortage. Now,

675
00:46:48,520 --> 00:46:52,330
Speaker 1: He said, three times I asked, and one time he answered.

676
00:46:54,130 --> 00:46:57,330
Speaker 1: You know what that means? That means the first two

677
00:46:57,390 --> 00:47:03,529
Speaker 1: times that Paul prayed about his thorn. Silence. Some of

678
00:47:03,610 --> 00:47:07,839
Speaker 1: us are standing in the silence right now, asking God

679
00:47:07,860 --> 00:47:09,620
Speaker 1: to do stuff, and he didn't say yes, but he

680
00:47:09,660 --> 00:47:16,580
Speaker 1: didn't say no either. That waiting place. That's what grace

681
00:47:16,640 --> 00:47:23,489
Speaker 1: is there for. That silence. It's the story you tell

682
00:47:23,530 --> 00:47:27,130
Speaker 1: yourself about that silence that determines whether or not you

683
00:47:27,170 --> 00:47:32,320
Speaker 1: walk in grace or whether you give up. The story

684
00:47:33,560 --> 00:47:38,380
Speaker 1: in the silence. Three times I asked, one time he answered.

685
00:47:39,600 --> 00:47:40,720
Speaker 1: My grace is sufficient.

686
00:47:40,739 --> 00:47:44,839
Speaker 3: Silence.

687
00:47:44,860 --> 00:47:53,150
Speaker 1: Silence. I don't know if this is gonna get better. Silence.

688
00:47:57,510 --> 00:48:03,589
Speaker 1: I'm waiting for this to come through. Silence. I have

689
00:48:03,660 --> 00:48:05,760
Speaker 1: no idea if my kid's life is gonna turn around.

690
00:48:05,780 --> 00:48:11,500
Speaker 1: They're gonna come back to God. Silence. I don't know

691
00:48:11,540 --> 00:48:16,460
Speaker 1: if I'll ever be in a loving relationship again. Silence. Silence.

692
00:48:18,760 --> 00:48:26,920
Speaker 1: I'll know if I'll ever feel better. What story are

693
00:48:26,940 --> 00:48:31,930
Speaker 1: you telling yourself in the silence? Satan wants to use

694
00:48:31,969 --> 00:48:37,310
Speaker 1: that silence and plant a seed. See, God doesn't love you. See,

695
00:48:37,350 --> 00:48:40,290
Speaker 1: God isn't with you. See, the whole thing is a

696
00:48:40,310 --> 00:48:43,299
Speaker 1: bunch of fairy tales and myths. See, you'll never be

697
00:48:43,320 --> 00:48:46,560
Speaker 1: good enough. See, you can't change. Everybody else can. See,

698
00:48:46,840 --> 00:48:49,520
Speaker 1: you knew this church thing wouldn't work. See, there's no way.

699
00:48:49,739 --> 00:48:53,950
Speaker 1: You never stick to it. You never do it. But

700
00:48:54,010 --> 00:48:58,970
Speaker 1: I believe the Spirit wants to plant a different story

701
00:49:00,530 --> 00:49:05,610
Speaker 1: in the silence so you can know that's where grace lives,

702
00:49:08,390 --> 00:49:12,850
Speaker 1: the story in the silence. Then he said to me,

703
00:49:13,219 --> 00:49:14,790
Speaker 1: And he'll say it to you too if you let him.

704
00:49:16,910 --> 00:49:24,580
Speaker 1: My grace is sufficient. for what you struggle with. My

705
00:49:24,640 --> 00:49:29,740
Speaker 1: grace is sufficient for your mistakes. My grace is sufficient

706
00:49:29,780 --> 00:49:34,110
Speaker 1: for your inexperience. My grace is sufficient for your sin.

707
00:49:34,530 --> 00:49:37,890
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, where sin abounded, there did grace abound that

708
00:49:37,989 --> 00:49:43,100
Speaker 1: much more I praise God for grace that is greater

709
00:49:44,420 --> 00:49:50,540
Speaker 1: than all my sin. I spent all week thinking about

710
00:49:50,940 --> 00:49:56,129
Speaker 1: the silence. I asked God. He didn't answer. I tried that.

711
00:49:56,450 --> 00:49:58,950
Speaker 1: It didn't work. I waited for it. I don't even

712
00:49:59,010 --> 00:50:02,030
Speaker 1: see a sign of it coming. I have no idea

713
00:50:02,110 --> 00:50:08,430
Speaker 1: what that was there for. I saw Elijah, God's great prophet. See,

714
00:50:08,450 --> 00:50:10,310
Speaker 1: Paul wasn't the only preacher who had to deal with

715
00:50:10,330 --> 00:50:14,730
Speaker 1: the silence. You're not the only one either. The great

716
00:50:14,810 --> 00:50:20,600
Speaker 1: prophet who called down fire from heaven in 1 Kings 19,

717
00:50:20,600 --> 00:50:26,180
Speaker 1: verse 13. The Bible says that God was passing by Elijah.

718
00:50:26,219 --> 00:50:28,680
Speaker 1: He was depressed now. He was discouraged now. He was

719
00:50:28,760 --> 00:50:33,030
Speaker 1: tired now. He was exhausted now. The nation had rebelled

720
00:50:33,070 --> 00:50:36,010
Speaker 1: against God, and he had been suffering from the ramifications

721
00:50:36,050 --> 00:50:38,130
Speaker 1: of a drought for so long, and he was considered

722
00:50:38,150 --> 00:50:40,910
Speaker 1: by many to be the troublemaker who started it all.

723
00:50:42,070 --> 00:50:45,270
Speaker 1: Even after calling down fire from heaven, he still felt

724
00:50:45,310 --> 00:50:49,380
Speaker 1: something in his soul. It was the isolation of the

725
00:50:49,400 --> 00:50:53,740
Speaker 1: drought that landed him in this place. Elijah said something

726
00:50:55,739 --> 00:50:59,100
Speaker 1: in 1 Kings 19 that you may have said a

727
00:50:59,120 --> 00:51:03,200
Speaker 1: few times this past week. I have had enough, Lord.

728
00:51:06,090 --> 00:51:10,969
Speaker 1: I'm sick of this. A woman named Jezebel, who was

729
00:51:11,010 --> 00:51:14,250
Speaker 1: the wife of Ahab the king, was chasing Elijah. She

730
00:51:14,330 --> 00:51:19,760
Speaker 1: sent a messenger to threaten him, which lets me know

731
00:51:19,840 --> 00:51:22,799
Speaker 1: there was really nothing she could do to him. She

732
00:51:22,840 --> 00:51:25,940
Speaker 1: was just trying to intimidate him to the point that

733
00:51:25,980 --> 00:51:28,219
Speaker 1: he would leave the place where God had assigned him.

734
00:51:29,500 --> 00:51:31,680
Speaker 1: That is what Satan is trying to do to you

735
00:51:31,760 --> 00:51:35,040
Speaker 1: right now. is trying to run you off from the

736
00:51:35,100 --> 00:51:37,960
Speaker 1: place where God's greatest grace is about to be released

737
00:51:38,000 --> 00:51:40,890
Speaker 1: in your life, that place of weakness, that's where the

738
00:51:40,930 --> 00:51:47,879
Speaker 1: grace is coming. That's where the grace is coming. So,

739
00:51:48,100 --> 00:51:51,800
Speaker 1: let me preach this for every Jezebel, for every thorn

740
00:51:52,050 --> 00:51:54,850
Speaker 1: that has been threatening you, that has been tormenting you,

741
00:51:55,130 --> 00:51:57,910
Speaker 1: that has been pressing into you, that has been causing

742
00:51:57,950 --> 00:52:00,710
Speaker 1: you pain in your spirit. It's worse than pain in

743
00:52:00,730 --> 00:52:04,149
Speaker 1: your body. It's a pain in your spirit. You can't shake,

744
00:52:04,210 --> 00:52:07,330
Speaker 1: and God won't remove it. The Bible says when Elijah

745
00:52:07,969 --> 00:52:10,759
Speaker 1: heard the voice of God … By the way, God

746
00:52:10,840 --> 00:52:17,969
Speaker 1: didn't shout to Elijah. He whispered. Elijah pulled his cloak

747
00:52:19,489 --> 00:52:24,069
Speaker 1: over his face and went out and stood at the

748
00:52:24,130 --> 00:52:28,790
Speaker 1: mouth of the cave. I know it's just a figure

749
00:52:28,810 --> 00:52:32,259
Speaker 1: of speech, but knowing that it's called the mouth of

750
00:52:32,300 --> 00:52:37,180
Speaker 1: the cave makes sense to me. That was the place

751
00:52:37,219 --> 00:52:40,900
Speaker 1: where he had holed up waiting to die. That was

752
00:52:40,940 --> 00:52:43,080
Speaker 1: the place where he had shut himself in because he

753
00:52:43,100 --> 00:52:46,480
Speaker 1: didn't want to take it anymore. That was the place

754
00:52:46,520 --> 00:52:49,049
Speaker 1: where he was all by himself with nothing but the

755
00:52:49,130 --> 00:52:52,109
Speaker 1: movies in his mind to watch of how bad his

756
00:52:52,150 --> 00:52:56,469
Speaker 1: life was. So now he's standing at the mouth of

757
00:52:56,510 --> 00:52:59,850
Speaker 1: the cave, and so are you. The only voice you

758
00:52:59,870 --> 00:53:03,540
Speaker 1: hear in the cave is an echo, the thoughts that

759
00:53:03,580 --> 00:53:09,480
Speaker 1: bounce around your head, the thoughts that torment you. You've

760
00:53:09,760 --> 00:53:13,500
Speaker 1: already thought those enough that if those thoughts could bring

761
00:53:13,520 --> 00:53:17,210
Speaker 1: you out, they would have by now. So when he

762
00:53:17,270 --> 00:53:21,529
Speaker 1: stood at the mouth of the cave, he heard the

763
00:53:21,570 --> 00:53:26,549
Speaker 1: voice of the Lord. The voice said, What are you

764
00:53:26,640 --> 00:53:32,020
Speaker 1: doing here, Elijah? I could ask you the same question.

765
00:53:33,680 --> 00:53:41,580
Speaker 1: What are you there for in the cave? When God

766
00:53:41,600 --> 00:53:45,050
Speaker 1: has a great ministry for you, when God has a

767
00:53:45,070 --> 00:53:49,500
Speaker 1: great future for you, Remember Jeremiah said,' This I recall

768
00:53:49,580 --> 00:53:54,549
Speaker 1: to my mind. Therefore I have hope.' What are you

769
00:53:54,630 --> 00:53:57,310
Speaker 1: doing in the place of shame when there's so much

770
00:53:57,530 --> 00:54:02,150
Speaker 1: mercy with your name on it? What are you doing

771
00:54:02,230 --> 00:54:05,760
Speaker 1: running around to people to get what can only come

772
00:54:05,840 --> 00:54:10,850
Speaker 1: from God? So God said to Elijah, I've still got

773
00:54:10,890 --> 00:54:13,609
Speaker 1: an assignment for you if you want it. I've still

774
00:54:13,650 --> 00:54:16,430
Speaker 1: got a job for you if you want it. I've

775
00:54:16,489 --> 00:54:19,680
Speaker 1: still got grace for you if you want it. I've

776
00:54:19,719 --> 00:54:22,170
Speaker 1: still got a hope for you if you want it.

777
00:54:22,580 --> 00:54:25,480
Speaker 1: I've still got a future for you if you want it.

778
00:54:26,000 --> 00:54:34,900
Speaker 1: I've got joy for you. There's no shortage. It's the

779
00:54:34,960 --> 00:54:38,520
Speaker 1: power of a therefore. Lift your hands. The Lord is

780
00:54:38,600 --> 00:54:43,300
Speaker 1: passing by. The mountains were ripped apart. That wasn't God.

781
00:54:44,060 --> 00:54:47,820
Speaker 1: The wind came sweeping through. That wasn't God. The fire

782
00:54:47,900 --> 00:54:52,060
Speaker 1: came sweeping through. That wasn't God. The earth started shaking.

783
00:54:52,100 --> 00:54:57,880
Speaker 1: That wasn't God. It was in the whisper that Elijah

784
00:54:57,920 --> 00:55:04,410
Speaker 1: heard his voice. Lord, I thank you for a new

785
00:55:04,489 --> 00:55:10,010
Speaker 1: story in the silence. We come against every false belief

786
00:55:11,090 --> 00:55:14,050
Speaker 1: and every messenger of Satan that was sent to torment

787
00:55:14,330 --> 00:55:18,290
Speaker 1: us today. We flip it in Jesus' name. No, no,

788
00:55:18,290 --> 00:55:28,020
Speaker 1: not in our strength. In Jesus' name. What tormented you

789
00:55:28,060 --> 00:55:31,200
Speaker 1: before is going to bring you to the throne of

790
00:55:31,300 --> 00:55:35,480
Speaker 1: God for a greater release of grace. I speak greater

791
00:55:35,580 --> 00:55:40,240
Speaker 1: anointing over your life, greater anointing over your leadership, greater

792
00:55:40,320 --> 00:55:45,370
Speaker 1: anointing over your relationships, greater anointing over your mind. Here

793
00:55:45,430 --> 00:55:50,190
Speaker 1: comes your peace. Here comes your joy. Here comes your provision.

794
00:55:50,530 --> 00:55:55,779
Speaker 1: There is no shortage in heaven. for a heart that

795
00:55:55,840 --> 00:56:04,550
Speaker 1: is open to God. Lift your hands. If he dresses

796
00:56:04,570 --> 00:56:05,989
Speaker 1: the lilies.

797
00:56:07,210 --> 00:56:17,690
Speaker 3: With beauty and splendor, how much more will he clothe you?

798
00:56:18,810 --> 00:56:33,040
Speaker 1: If he watches over Hang out one second. Here it is.

799
00:56:33,440 --> 00:56:35,200
Speaker 1: This is the new story I want you to tell

800
00:56:35,219 --> 00:56:44,040
Speaker 1: yourself in the silence. The more thorns you're dealing with,

801
00:56:45,260 --> 00:56:55,689
Speaker 1: the more grace you are to expect. Holy is your name, God.

802
00:56:56,690 --> 00:57:00,770
Speaker 1: Glory to your name, God. We worship your great name, God.

803
00:57:01,210 --> 00:57:04,910
Speaker 1: We worship your great name, God. Glory to your name, God.

804
00:57:05,250 --> 00:57:09,009
Speaker 1: Release your glory in this place. Release your glory on

805
00:57:09,090 --> 00:57:14,520
Speaker 1: every location. Release your glory. Lake Norman, release your glory.

806
00:57:14,580 --> 00:57:18,320
Speaker 1: Release your glory right now all over the world through

807
00:57:18,340 --> 00:57:22,450
Speaker 1: this broadcast, through this sermon, through this worship moment. I

808
00:57:22,490 --> 00:57:26,690
Speaker 1: pray a great release of grace, a great release of glory.

809
00:57:27,030 --> 00:57:27,690
Speaker 1: We give you.

810
00:57:27,610 --> 00:57:28,370
Speaker 2: Glory, Lord.

811
00:57:31,940 --> 00:57:41,320
Speaker 1: We give you glory, Lord, a new story for the silence. Father,

812
00:57:41,340 --> 00:57:45,090
Speaker 1: we bring those thorns right now to the throne. You

813
00:57:45,150 --> 00:57:49,730
Speaker 1: are the Lord of the thorn, and you are the

814
00:57:49,790 --> 00:57:55,830
Speaker 1: God of all grace. When I stood up today to preach, Lord,

815
00:57:56,730 --> 00:58:00,490
Speaker 1: I had no idea whose thorn I would be preaching to,

816
00:58:01,140 --> 00:58:04,960
Speaker 1: but you did. I had no idea who would take

817
00:58:05,000 --> 00:58:07,860
Speaker 1: the time to come to church to log on, but

818
00:58:07,910 --> 00:58:12,689
Speaker 1: you did. And they didn't even know what they came for,

819
00:58:14,050 --> 00:58:21,690
Speaker 1: but you did. So now I know what I was

820
00:58:21,730 --> 00:58:29,580
Speaker 1: here for. God wanted me to receive this grace, and

821
00:58:29,620 --> 00:58:34,810
Speaker 1: I receive it right now. in the name of Jesus.

822
00:58:38,070 --> 00:58:42,830
Speaker 1: I receive grace right now in the name of Jesus.

823
00:58:44,550 --> 00:58:50,530
Speaker 1: I receive healing right now in the name of Jesus.

824
00:58:51,730 --> 00:59:04,240
Speaker 1: I receive joy right now In the name of Jesus,

825
00:59:05,280 --> 00:59:08,910
Speaker 1: and I celebrate your grace, God. I celebrate your grace

826
00:59:09,470 --> 00:59:17,450
Speaker 1: for my thoughts. I celebrate your grace. Come on. We

827
00:59:17,470 --> 00:59:19,830
Speaker 1: didn't come to have a pity party about our thorn.

828
00:59:20,230 --> 00:59:24,470
Speaker 1: This is a celebration of grace. Sing that song again.

829
00:59:30,720 --> 00:59:35,050
Speaker 1: There's no shortage. My God will supply all your needs.

830
00:59:35,090 --> 00:59:40,250
Speaker 1: How much more will it glory? How much more will

831
00:59:40,330 --> 00:59:49,180
Speaker 1: it glory? If he watches over all every sparrow. How

832
00:59:49,380 --> 00:59:54,900
Speaker 1: much more does he love? How much more does he love?

833
00:59:55,420 --> 01:00:10,760
Speaker 1: If he dresses the lamb. Therefore I will boast all

834
01:00:10,800 --> 01:00:13,890
Speaker 1: the more gladly in the things I used to complain

835
01:00:13,950 --> 01:00:20,110
Speaker 1: about You know what? When Paul was locked in prison

836
01:00:20,150 --> 01:00:23,310
Speaker 1: at Philippi when God opened the prison doors cuz he

837
01:00:23,370 --> 01:00:27,620
Speaker 1: sang a song at midnight Paul didn't even leave He

838
01:00:27,680 --> 01:00:30,620
Speaker 1: wanted to leave the jailer to Christ. He said, I'm

839
01:00:30,660 --> 01:00:33,260
Speaker 1: not coming out until I find out what I was

840
01:00:33,300 --> 01:00:36,640
Speaker 1: there for. Do you not know that the church at

841
01:00:36,680 --> 01:00:42,040
Speaker 1: Philippi was born out of that situation? So tell the Devil,

842
01:00:42,400 --> 01:00:46,120
Speaker 1: I'm not leaving until I find out what God has

843
01:00:46,180 --> 01:00:50,990
Speaker 1: for me in this situation. I've come too far to

844
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Speaker 1: turn around. Take a screenshot and share it on your

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Speaker 1: social stories and tag us at Elevation Church. Thanks again

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Speaker 1: for listening. God bless you.