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Speaker 1: It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness, for

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Speaker 1: the throne is established by righteousness Proverbs sixteen twelve. Dear Lord,

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Speaker 1: your word is clear that leaders are held to a

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Speaker 1: higher standard. Those who desire to lead will be held

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Speaker 1: accountable for everyone under their care. That is why we

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Speaker 1: pray for the leaders of our communities. We pray for

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Speaker 1: the decision makers, movers, shakers, and people in power. We

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Speaker 1: pray that they would understand the gravity of their position

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Speaker 1: and humble themselves lest they be humbled by You. We

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Speaker 1: all occupy some sort of influence in this world. Therefore,

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Speaker 1: we all need to be dependent on You, filled with

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Speaker 1: fear and reverence. Help us to seek your will and

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Speaker 1: lead well in Jesus' name. Amen, Thank you for joining

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Speaker 1: me in prayer. Stay tuned for today's free podcast Meditative

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Speaker 1: Prayers with Zach Clinton, where you can draw close to

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Speaker 1: God and find strength in him.

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Speaker 2: My friends, welcome to your meditative prayer on Stoic Leadership.

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Speaker 2: To get the most out of your spiritual journey, use

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Speaker 2: pray dot com every day and make prayer a priority

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Speaker 2: in your life. Again. Our goal for today's meditative prayer

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Speaker 2: is all about Stoic leadership. So let's just pause just

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Speaker 2: for a second, maybe put aside the day's distractions, and

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Speaker 2: prepare to spend a moment with God. Close your eyes,

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Speaker 2: take a deep breath in, and then slowly breathe out.

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Speaker 2: Now take captive every thought and focus your attention on

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Speaker 2: what God has for you. Again. Today will be meditating

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Speaker 2: on Proverbs chapter sixteen, verse twelve from the King James version.

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Speaker 2: It says it is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness,

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Speaker 2: for the throne is established by righteousness. Now, let's take

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Speaker 2: a moment just to pour out your adoration to God

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Speaker 2: for his unfailing righteousness. God, I give you praise, for

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Speaker 2: you are just and perfect in all of your ways.

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Speaker 2: I worship you for your unwavering truth, your impartial fairness.

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Speaker 2: I adore you for you are who you say you are,

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Speaker 2: and you do not change like shifting shadows. Father, I

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Speaker 2: praise you for your eternal kingdom, your reign which will

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Speaker 2: know no end. You see leaders act with integrity. If

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Speaker 2: you wish for your leadership to stand the test of time,

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Speaker 2: you must lead with honesty and humility. You must not

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Speaker 2: give into the temptation of corruption, nor compromise on truth.

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Speaker 2: For there is no middle ground between right and wrong.

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Speaker 2: Ced shortcuts can seem worthwhile in a moment of need,

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Speaker 2: but in the long run will only yield qualms, quarrels,

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Speaker 2: and will disqualify you from leadership. To go the distance,

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Speaker 2: you cannot be divided within. Steadfast and stoic leaders are

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Speaker 2: grounded in their identity in God. You must stand firm

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Speaker 2: on righteousness, speak truth and love, and serve justice with mercy.

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Speaker 2: There must be no room for iniquity, bribes, nor favoritism,

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Speaker 2: for justice cannot be swayed, honor cannot be bought, and

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Speaker 2: truth is impartial. Perhaps you've been struggling in your integrity

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Speaker 2: with God. Perhaps there have been moments in your life

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Speaker 2: where corruption was prevalent. Right now, this is your moment

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Speaker 2: to come before God and confess your sins to him,

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Speaker 2: to tell him what is hindering honesty in your heart

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Speaker 2: and preventing you from walking in truth. Now, as we transition,

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Speaker 2: let's just take a few minutes to dwell on the

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Speaker 2: integrity of God's word. Thank Him because his word is

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Speaker 2: truth and it will endure forever. Thank the Holy Spirit

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Speaker 2: for honoring God's promise to help you. Maybe think of

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Speaker 2: past situations where God's integrity was manifested in your life.

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Speaker 2: How his righteousness protected and blessed you. Thank God for

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Speaker 2: those past experiences and future ones to come, and thank

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Speaker 2: Him for his word that does not return void but

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Speaker 2: accomplishes that which it was sent for. God is present

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Speaker 2: and he is listening to you. Every day we have

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Speaker 2: an opportunity to act with Godly integrity. So reach out

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Speaker 2: to Him this moment and ask Him to make you

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Speaker 2: into a great leader. Ask God to take away the

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Speaker 2: iniquity in your heart, to cast out all evil thoughts,

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Speaker 2: and to give you a desire for honesty. Ask the

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Speaker 2: Holy Spirit to enable you to lead as Christ's led,

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Speaker 2: to use you to minister to others through justice and love. Remember,

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Speaker 2: lasting leadership requires righteousness. If you want your work to

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Speaker 2: stand the test of time, and if you wish to

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Speaker 2: establish a legacy, then you must lead with righteousness. Trust

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Speaker 2: in the truth of God's word and in the grace

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Speaker 2: of His wisdom. Lean on the Holy Spirit to guide

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Speaker 2: you to lead with godly justice, and watch God establish

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Speaker 2: the work of your hands. Be blessed, my friends. Thank

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Speaker 2: you for completing today's meditative prayer on pray dot com

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Speaker 2: by incorporating this healthy habit as a daily practice, I

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Speaker 2: believe you're not only making prayer priority, but you're also

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Speaker 2: strengthening your walk with God. My name is Zac Clinton,

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Speaker 2: vice President of the American Association of Christian Counselors, and

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Speaker 2: we love being a part of your life. To find

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Speaker 2: further information, inspiration, help hop and encouragement, I'd also encourage

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Speaker 2: you to visit our website at www dot AACC dot net. Again,

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Speaker 2: that's AACC dot net.