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Speaker 1: Well, we're gonna get to the message in just a moment,

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Speaker 1: but I wanted to make sure you knew about Elevation Nights.

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Speaker 1: It's gonna be amazing eight cities October twenty sixth through

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Speaker 1: November fourth. You got to go to Elevation Nights dot

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Speaker 1: com to see if we're coming to a city near you.

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Speaker 1: It's gonna be me, Elevation Worship, a few friends, and you.

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Speaker 1: I want to see you there. I want to see

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Speaker 1: you and everybody that you know there. Go to Elevation

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Speaker 1: Nights dot com. I can't wait to see you soon.

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Speaker 1: Here's the message. I want to go back to corinth

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Speaker 1: this week. We were last week talking about a troubled

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Speaker 1: mind and an open door, that greatest opposition comes in

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Speaker 1: the moments of greatest opportunity. I believe God gave somebody

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Speaker 1: discernment last week about a door that you're standing in

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Speaker 1: front of and the devil that you're fighting to get

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Speaker 1: through it. Well, this week, I want a journey further

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Speaker 1: into the book of Second Corinthian tewod Corinthians, Chapter twelve,

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Speaker 1: and I'm real excited. I'm gripping onto the pulpit just

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Speaker 1: trying to calm down Oh man, this is so good.

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Speaker 1: This is so good. I already heard it. Holy Spirit

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Speaker 1: preached it to me, and I promise you it's good. Now.

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Speaker 1: I might mess it up trying to preach it to you,

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Speaker 1: but the way God gave it to me birthday. So

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Speaker 1: we're going back to Corinth. This is a very culturally

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Speaker 1: compromised church, confused church. But we're going to Corinth one

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Speaker 1: more time. And Apostle Paul is getting personal with these believers.

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Speaker 1: And I believe he has a personal word to speak

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Speaker 1: to us today. Not Paul, but God. Second Corinthians twelve,

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Speaker 1: verse six. Paul says, even if I should choose to boast,

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Speaker 1: I would not be a fool, because I'd be speaking

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Speaker 1: the truth. It's quite confident this apostle. He's like, I

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Speaker 1: could back it up. If I told you everything that

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Speaker 1: God had did for me, it wouldn't be boasting, It'd

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Speaker 1: just be facts. Wow. But I refrain, he said, so

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Speaker 1: that no one will think more of me than is

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Speaker 1: warranted by what I do or say, or because of

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Speaker 1: these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me

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Speaker 1: from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh,

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Speaker 1: a messenger of Satan to torment me. Three times. I

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Speaker 1: pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me,

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Speaker 1: but he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you,

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Speaker 1: for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I

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Speaker 1: will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so

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Speaker 1: that Christ's power may rest on me. And that is why,

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Speaker 1: for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses and insults, in hardships,

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Speaker 1: in persecutions, in difficulties, For when I am weak than

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Speaker 1: I am strong. Now I want to preach about verse seven. 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 in my flesh, a messenger of Satan

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Speaker 1: to torment me. We're going to call this message the

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Speaker 1: mentor you didn't ask for, the mentor you didn't ask for,

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Speaker 1: Holy Spirit, and minister your word in Jesus' name. Amen,

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Speaker 1: be seated. Be seated, the mentor you didn't ask for.

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Speaker 1: Had a argument with some family members recently, not necessarily.

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Speaker 1: Argument wasn't contentious, It just was I probably stated in

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Speaker 1: my position too strongly now that I look back on it.

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Speaker 1: We were talking about people who had influenced our life

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Speaker 1: for Christ and somebody said the word mentor. I don't

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Speaker 1: even know if that's a buzzword anymore. It was a

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Speaker 1: big buzzword when I was starting Elevation Church. Mentor, who's

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Speaker 1: your mentor? You need a mentor in the ministry, And

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Speaker 1: it's still obviously a corporate America term. Culturally, I don't

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Speaker 1: know so much anymore. It's been replaced by influencers. And

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Speaker 1: I don't know if we talk in the language of mentor.

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Speaker 1: But I made a statement to my family who attend

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Speaker 1: our Greenville campus, Holly's sister and usband, a dad, and mom,

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Speaker 1: and I said I don't believe in mentors anymore. And

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Speaker 1: everybody said, now, that's extreme, and it probably was. Looking back,

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Speaker 1: it probably was extreme, But you have to understand, I've

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Speaker 1: just had some weird experiences with weird people, so I'm

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Speaker 1: probably coming from that standpoint of the idea of a mentor.

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Speaker 1: You know, if it was Paul, I could get it.

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Speaker 1: Because Paul was a master builder. He called himself that.

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Speaker 1: Now do you see why God had to give him

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Speaker 1: a thorn to keep him humble? He called himself a

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Speaker 1: master builder. But everybody is not, mister Miyagi, and in

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Speaker 1: certain moments, of my life I've been I guess a

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Speaker 1: little bit resistance to people who have a lot of

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Speaker 1: expertise without much experience seems to be the day where

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Speaker 1: living in there is no shortage of unsolicited opinions. And

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Speaker 1: even one time when the church was first getting going,

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Speaker 1: we need a building to meet and I went to

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Speaker 1: meet with a guy and I can remember the room.

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Speaker 1: I don't remember his name. I remember the room, and

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Speaker 1: I remember something so weird that happened. And this is

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Speaker 1: probably why I don't really like the term mentor that much.

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Speaker 1: Because I was talking about, you know, we need some resources,

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Speaker 1: and can we use your building to meet on when

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Speaker 1: you're not using it and things like that, and the

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Speaker 1: guy took it a little too far. He said, son,

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Speaker 1: you're here asking me for a building and a little

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Speaker 1: bit of money for your budget, but seems like to me,

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Speaker 1: what you really need is a daddy. And then he goes,

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Speaker 1: Larry Bryan is my witness. He goes, I'll be your daddy.

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Speaker 1: Understand that the idea of a mentor, you know, is

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Speaker 1: just a little complicated for me, not just because of

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Speaker 1: that one experience, but I think early in my life

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Speaker 1: I did want somebody I wanted God to give me

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Speaker 1: somebody who kind of like you can do on I

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Speaker 1: see this video game that Graham plays called two K,

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Speaker 1: and he builds a player is called my player, and

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Speaker 1: he goes in and he gives the player everything, not

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Speaker 1: only cosmetically, but the skills and abilities. And I kind

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Speaker 1: of always wanted God to give me someone who would

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Speaker 1: give me the right amount of lateral movement and the

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Speaker 1: right tattoos on my left arm, and the right hide,

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Speaker 1: and the right speed and the right dunking. You know,

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Speaker 1: I kind of wanted I kind of wanted ministry to

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Speaker 1: be like my player on two K, where somebody could

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Speaker 1: supercharge me with the answers and stuff. And one time, Holly, y'all,

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Speaker 1: Holly has this ability to say stuff in a sentence

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Speaker 1: that will stick with you. So I was complaining that

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Speaker 1: I didn't really have like I had great dad, great mom.

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Speaker 1: I had great people in my life who helped me

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Speaker 1: long a way I can stand up here for a

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Speaker 1: year and list them. But I was looking for that

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Speaker 1: one person who would put their arm around me and say, now,

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Speaker 1: this is how you do it in regards to preaching

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Speaker 1: and leadership, and this is when you should build the building,

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Speaker 1: and this is when you should launch this part of

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Speaker 1: the ministry. And this is how you. Iire the right

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Speaker 1: staff and basically somebody to shepherd me through a mistake

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Speaker 1: free ministry and life and marriage, a one stop shop.

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Speaker 1: And Holly said to me, you know, in the middle

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Speaker 1: of my discouragement, this is what she said to comfort me.

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Speaker 1: You know, God is never going to give you what

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Speaker 1: you're asking for. He's going to give you a lot

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Speaker 1: of people to guide you, but He is not going

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Speaker 1: to let your guides become your God. She said that

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Speaker 1: that sweet little HOLLI ferdict, thank you for your service,

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Speaker 1: hour's outreach. She talked to the Man of God that

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Speaker 1: way in my face, God is never gonna give you

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Speaker 1: book club Holly Bird, lover Holly French for I love.

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Speaker 1: And Holly said that to me, can you believe it?

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Speaker 1: She was right. God wasn't going to give me what

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Speaker 1: I was asking for. One reason is that God cannot

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Speaker 1: give you a mentor for where you are that will

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Speaker 1: limit you from where He is ultimately leading you to be.

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Speaker 1: If God would have sent me in that season of

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Speaker 1: my life, one person that I would pattern my life

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Speaker 1: after totally, she said something important. He's going to give

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Speaker 1: you a lot of guides, but he wants to be

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Speaker 1: your God, and he gave you a unique gift, and

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Speaker 1: only he knows. She didn't say all this. I'm preaching

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Speaker 1: off of what she said to me fifteen years ago.

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Speaker 1: God is not going to give you a my player

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Speaker 1: career mode for your ministry. God is not going to

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Speaker 1: give you one person to model after, because if you

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Speaker 1: modeled after them completely and entirely, you would be them.

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Speaker 1: And He already has them, so he could kill you.

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Speaker 1: If God gave you one person, the person that you

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Speaker 1: compare yourself to, and think of all I got just

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Speaker 1: be like them, and if I could have what they

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Speaker 1: have and do what they do, if God gave you them,

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Speaker 1: it would make you unnecessary. She was trying to get

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Speaker 1: me to see that in life, I will have many guides,

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Speaker 1: but only one God, only one God who knows me.

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Speaker 1: And what I love about God the more I experience

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Speaker 1: his will and his plan for my little life is

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Speaker 1: that He's the only one who can match the courses

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Speaker 1: to the calling. When you go to college, If you

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Speaker 1: go to college, if you stay in college, you'll have

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Speaker 1: to declare a major eventually, say is that you take

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Speaker 1: you can take any classes you want to. You can

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Speaker 1: show up when you want to. Nobody's gonna make you

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Speaker 1: do anything. You can have a point seven GPA Eric

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Speaker 1: Phillips if you want to. You can party and flunk

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Speaker 1: out and come to North Greenville and follow me there

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Speaker 1: and ask me to help you get your life together

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Speaker 1: if you want to, Eric Phillips. But you can't declare

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Speaker 1: a major and then pick the I think a lot

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Speaker 1: of us wow want to pick an outcome that we

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Speaker 1: want in our lives, but then we want to customize

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Speaker 1: the courses because we live in that age where we

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Speaker 1: think like we think that that mentorship is like a menu,

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Speaker 1: Like you're a cheesecake factory where the menu is thicker

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Speaker 1: than the Bible. The menu. If you've been a cheesecake factory,

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Speaker 1: the menu is thicker than the Septuagint. And that's kind

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Speaker 1: of how we want to do. That's kind of how

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Speaker 1: the Corinthian Church wanted to do with Paul. I'm so

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Speaker 1: furious at this church because they had the best pastor,

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Speaker 1: the master pastor, Paul. How can they be fighting with

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Speaker 1: each other and divided within each other when Paul is

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Speaker 1: their pastor? How can they have such a master mentor

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Speaker 1: like Paul and be so petty. How can they have

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Speaker 1: a master mentor like Paul and be so immiture? And

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Speaker 1: now he's writing them a letter, not as an advisor,

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Speaker 1: not as a critic, as a father, to say to you,

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Speaker 1: I see some things in your life. This is one

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Speaker 1: reason I don't like the concept of a mentor either,

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Speaker 1: because usually if we ask somebody to be our mentor,

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Speaker 1: we mean, will you be my mentor until I don't

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Speaker 1: agree with you anymore, then I'll get another one. Lord,

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Speaker 1: you told me this message was going to be hard

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Speaker 1: to preach, but you didn't tell me it was going

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Speaker 1: to be this hard to preach to them. Now help

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Speaker 1: me out. No, we do this all the time. It's like, okay, okay, okay,

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Speaker 1: here's how I typically do it in my life. It's

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Speaker 1: like I want to select certain things that I want

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Speaker 1: God to bring into my life to teach me lessons.

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Speaker 1: But not only do I want to select the lesson,

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Speaker 1: I want to select the outcome of the lesson. And

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Speaker 1: Paul Paul is having none of it. He's saying, you

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Speaker 1: cannot customize Christ. You can't customize Christ. What Paul went

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Speaker 1: through to be who he was, it cost him greatly.

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Speaker 1: In chapter eleven of Second Corinthians, he mentions a shipwreck,

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Speaker 1: he mentions a stony, he mentions many storms, He mentions betrayals,

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Speaker 1: he mentions opponents. All of that. In Second Corinthians, Chapter eleven,

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Speaker 1: Paul who paid the price to be an apostle of

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Speaker 1: Jesus Christ. He mentions all the things that made him

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Speaker 1: such a master pastor. Now he's writing to a church

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Speaker 1: that is in rebellion, and he's reminding them of his resume.

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Speaker 1: He says, I could brag even more, but I'm not

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Speaker 1: going to. I just want you to judge me based

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Speaker 1: on my results and see if I'm somebody worth listening to.

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Speaker 1: But before you judge me based on my results, let

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Speaker 1: me remind you a little bit more of what qualifies

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Speaker 1: me to be in this position. We live in a

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Speaker 1: day with a lot of advice and not much authority.

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Speaker 1: Everybody has an advice column, but very few people have

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Speaker 1: true authority. Paul is not writing advice in the scripture.

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Speaker 1: Sometimes we read the Bible like its quotes on pinterests.

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Speaker 1: My grace is sufficient for you. Well, that's true. But

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Speaker 1: before Paul said that sentence in that quote, he puts

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Speaker 1: it in a context that's a little more interesting. That's

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Speaker 1: what I want to speak to you a little bit

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Speaker 1: about today. Is that context. Paul mentions that he had

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Speaker 1: a revelation of God. He actually talks about himself in

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Speaker 1: the third person. At one point, he says, I know

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Speaker 1: a man who was caught up to the third heaven.

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Speaker 1: But he's talking about himself. This is Paul. And no

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Speaker 1: wonder Paul needed something to keep him grounded because there

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Speaker 1: was so much glory on his life. No wonder Paul

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Speaker 1: needed something in his flesh because he had so much

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Speaker 1: revelation in his spirit. But I'm getting ahead of myself,

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Speaker 1: aren't I? Because Paul said I saw amazing things, and

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Speaker 1: I could tell you even more about it, but I'm

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Speaker 1: not going to. I don't want to boast about it. Instead,

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Speaker 1: he opens a window and he shows to the wound

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Speaker 1: that he calls a thorn, and the weakness that most

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Speaker 1: people would hide. I think we need more mentors like Paul,

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Speaker 1: more people who will show us not only the great power,

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Speaker 1: but the problems that they have to overcome to operate

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Speaker 1: in that power. I don't ever want my kids to

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Speaker 1: see me not struggle. You say, well, don't you want

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Speaker 1: to set a good example. I want to set an

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Speaker 1: example of overcoming struggle, not avoiding it, not avoiding it.

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Speaker 1: Paul is like that, and we need this message now

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Speaker 1: more than ever. I really think there's a timely word

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Speaker 1: from God because now everybody wants to share their opinion,

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Speaker 1: whether or not it's even solicited. We live in a

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Speaker 1: day of twelve year old life coaches. I used to

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Speaker 1: read the guy's books early on until I realized he

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Speaker 1: had started six churches and all of them imploded. He

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Speaker 1: was a church planting consultant. Oh but you don't have

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Speaker 1: to pay for a consultant these days. Just go to

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Speaker 1: the comment section of any Facebook post and you will

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Speaker 1: find consultants in the comments. Speaking of Holly, about a

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Speaker 1: year ago, she showed me a comment. I asked her

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Speaker 1: to send it to me, because this is just unbelievable, y'all,

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Speaker 1: what people will offer in the way of expert opinion

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Speaker 1: that you did not solicit. I mean, she put a

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Speaker 1: picture of me and her on Instagram and somebody said,

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Speaker 1: y'all are so cute and awe and hearts and pendus

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Speaker 1: with hearts and all of the things that we put

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Speaker 1: to feign emotion and somebody said, Hi, Holly, not sure

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Speaker 1: if you noticed, but just wanted to say, your skin

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Speaker 1: looks so great. It's glowing and super clear. Thought you

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Speaker 1: should know. Ha, do share if you've recently changed something

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Speaker 1: in your skincare red heart. Three comments later, you're ready

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Speaker 1: for this. I feel like you look way better without eyeliner.

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Speaker 1: All the makeup for so many years is making your

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Speaker 1: skin saggy. I might give y'all her user name so

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Speaker 1: y'all can look her up and talk to her after core.

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Speaker 1: How many y'all would enjoy that? Yeah? Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.

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Speaker 1: Y'all aren't safe. Y'all learn not mature enough to handle it.

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Speaker 1: And I got permission to share this, HOLI, so I

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Speaker 1: can share it. The lady said botox can help with

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Speaker 1: the wrinkles. To listen to this, you're still beautiful. Thanks.

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Speaker 1: I wish I could show y'all her profile picture because

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Speaker 1: she's got crazy eyes. Her eyes are crazy, this woman,

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Speaker 1: and she misspelled your and she misspelled she's a makeup consultant, y'all.

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Speaker 1: She's an amateur Mary kay in the comments section, but

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Speaker 1: she needs a spelling teacher for the fifth grade words. Sorry,

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Speaker 1: sanctify me. Lord, you're still beautiful. I just don't watch this.

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Speaker 1: I just don't think you need so much makeup is

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Speaker 1: ruining your skin. And in the words of my kids,

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Speaker 1: who asked, who asked? Who asked? The unsolicited opinions of

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Speaker 1: people about how you should raise your kids, About how

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Speaker 1: you should relate to your husband, About what age you

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Speaker 1: should be married by if you're married, About what age

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Speaker 1: y'all really should start thinking about having kids. I mean,

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Speaker 1: you're not getting any younger. Paul is not a consultant

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Speaker 1: in the comments to the Church of Court that's trolling

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Speaker 1: them with some little slivers of truth that are quoted

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Speaker 1: out of context and telling them great advice and plan

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Speaker 1: that he asks for their life independent of God's will.

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Speaker 1: He's an apostle by the will of God speaking to

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Speaker 1: people that he has a relationship with. This is not

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Speaker 1: some generic advice from an inspirational speaker who wants to

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Speaker 1: sell you something for two hundred and ninety nine dollars

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Speaker 1: and ninety nine cents on an infomercial or an e course.

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Speaker 1: This is not an influencer on Instagram that needs you

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Speaker 1: to follow them in order for them to get a

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Speaker 1: swipe up. Commission from a store. This is Paul, and

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Speaker 1: he does something dangerous because they respect him, but they're

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Speaker 1: starting to question him because there are super apostles that

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Speaker 1: have infiltrated the church and they started to inundate God's

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Speaker 1: people with opinions. You know, you really don't have to

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Speaker 1: follow Christ like that. You should mix a little Judaism

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Speaker 1: and a little bit of Christianity. And so now there's

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Speaker 1: so many mixed opinions. Paul has to set the record

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Speaker 1: straight and say I could lay down my authority if

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Speaker 1: I need to. I don't want to do it like that.

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Speaker 1: I would rather speak to you out of the love

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Speaker 1: for my heart. But in order that you just don't

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Speaker 1: think that I'm putting my authority on you to tell

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Speaker 1: you what I want you to do. I want to

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Speaker 1: talk to you about my adversity that really touched me.

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Speaker 1: Because it's difficult to find somebody who will break it

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Speaker 1: down for you to the level that Paul does. It's

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Speaker 1: difficult to It's not difficult to find somebody who'll complain

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Speaker 1: to you. It's not difficult to find somebody who will

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Speaker 1: tell you what they would do. It's not difficult at

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Speaker 1: all to find a parent whose kids are out of

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Speaker 1: the house. Their kids are lawyers and doctors now. And

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Speaker 1: what you should do and your kid is seven, that's

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Speaker 1: very easy. That's very easy to do. But Paul, in

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Speaker 1: the middle of his struggle to walk in the authority

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Speaker 1: of an apostle and what God has called him to do,

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Speaker 1: he shows appropriate vulnerability. I could go on and on

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Speaker 1: about going to the Third Heaven. I could go on

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Speaker 1: and on about what I endured. I'm choosing not to

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Speaker 1: do that. Instead, I want to tell you about my thorn.

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Speaker 1: I want to tell you about my thorn. Somebody says,

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Speaker 1: show me the thorn, show me the thorn. The thorns. Ah,

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Speaker 1: it's a metaphor, y'all. It's a metaphor. It's even like

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Speaker 1: a cliche. This is the verse we get it for.

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Speaker 1: It's like a thorn in my side, right, It's a metaphor.

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Speaker 1: Most of the things that we really deal with, when

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Speaker 1: we sing about them in church, we have to put

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Speaker 1: them in a metaphor form, because if we really mentioned

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Speaker 1: what we really struggle with, it will scare people and

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Speaker 1: they would judge us. At least we think they would

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Speaker 1: probably surprised. You. The person with their hands lifted higher

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Speaker 1: than you this morning. They probably got more thorns than you,

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Speaker 1: but that's not the point of this message. Paul said,

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Speaker 1: I want to tell you about my thorn. Now. Since

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Speaker 1: I've studied this text all week, I've learned a lot

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Speaker 1: about different interpretations of what Paul's thorn was. Historically, some

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Speaker 1: people say that poor Paul had epileptic seizures. Nothing funny

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Speaker 1: about that. But the reason that they trace it is

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Speaker 1: because when he was blinded and knocked off of his

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Speaker 1: horse on the road to Damascus where he was going

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Speaker 1: to persecute Christians, that he never quite recovered, and that

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Speaker 1: was his thorn. Other people would say that there was

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Speaker 1: something wrong with Paul's eyesight. When he wrote to the

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Speaker 1: church at Galatia, he talked about how large his letters

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Speaker 1: were because he wrote with his own pen, and he

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Speaker 1: even mentioned that the Galatians would be willing to give

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Speaker 1: their own eyes to him if necessary. Some scholars say

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Speaker 1: that it was from the blinding on the road to

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Speaker 1: Damascus that his eyesight never fully recover. Other people don't

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Speaker 1: associate it with blindness or seizures at all, or a

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Speaker 1: medical condition. Luther and Calvin, they identified it with a

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Speaker 1: spiritual temptation that Paul faced. And there is a little

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Speaker 1: bit of support for this scripturally because in Tewod Corinthians

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Speaker 1: eleven he mentions that I inwardly burn, I inwardly burn,

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Speaker 1: not just persecution. Some people think that Paul Storn was

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Speaker 1: the opponents who were saying about Paul. He's not real

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Speaker 1: and he's not valid, and you can't believe him, and

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Speaker 1: you know his letters are good, but he doesn't speak

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Speaker 1: so well. It was those opponents that were coming against him.

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Speaker 1: And so Paul does what we do when you have

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Speaker 1: something in your life that you can't mention, he gives

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Speaker 1: it a metaphor. The metaphor, and no matter how many

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Speaker 1: different scholars and how many different theologians trace the Greek

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Speaker 1: and the precedence and all of the different things that

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Speaker 1: it could be, it seems to be a lot of

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Speaker 1: confusion about what was Paul's thorn. But this is the

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Speaker 1: thing I was excited to tell you. I studied all

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Speaker 1: week and I found out y'all what Paul Scorn was.

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Speaker 1: And from this pulpit I am going to announce to

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Speaker 1: you today. You don't look like you believe me for

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Speaker 1: the first time. Come on, there have been thousands of

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Speaker 1: years of preachers. But today I am going to definitively

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Speaker 1: tell you what was Paul's thorn in Tewo Corinthians, chapter twelve. Now,

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Speaker 1: before we get there, let's talk a little bit about

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Speaker 1: the metaphor. First of all, a thorn is a small thing.

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Speaker 1: We sing about a God who can do big things.

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Speaker 1: But when Paul went to talk about what God had

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Speaker 1: taught him that meant the most to him in his life,

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Speaker 1: he did not talk about a big thing, talked about

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Speaker 1: a small thing. He said three times. The King James

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Speaker 1: says thrice, thrice. I just want to put that in there. Thrice.

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Speaker 1: I ask God to take it away three times. Now,

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Speaker 1: this does not mean three times Paul prayed, take it away,

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Speaker 1: take it away, Take it away, Okay, God, I guess

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Speaker 1: I gotta live with it, Which brings me to an

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Speaker 1: important point. If you've got a thorn in your life

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Speaker 1: that you're dealing with it, nobody knows about it, and

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Speaker 1: you need God to take it away, ask him, ask him.

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Speaker 1: Don't say God's no for him. I was taught this

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Speaker 1: in negotiating. I was taught this in dating. Don't say

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Speaker 1: somebody's no for them. Well, they wouldn't want to go

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Speaker 1: out to eat with me. Well, you know what, You're

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Speaker 1: not out to eat with them now, And if you

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Speaker 1: ask them and they say no, you still won't be

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Speaker 1: out to eat with them. So it would be the

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Speaker 1: same result if you risk the rejection and put yourself

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Speaker 1: out there and get some practice, and then you can

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Speaker 1: analyze the process by which you might have failed at

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Speaker 1: the endeavor of getting a date, apply it to your

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Speaker 1: next opportunity, and maybe one day you'll name your kid

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Speaker 1: Stephen after you get married. Because I told you, don't

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Speaker 1: ever let somebody else. Don't let anybody else say God's

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Speaker 1: no for him? Ask God? Did you ask him? You

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Speaker 1: upraight about it? You did because I thought you just

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Speaker 1: were like worrying about it. Did you ask him to

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Speaker 1: do it? And I don't mean, you know, throw it

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Speaker 1: on top like a sprinkle after you tried everything else?

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Speaker 1: He falla, he won't and you I don't want to No, no, no,

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Speaker 1: I'm saying, like Napaul doesn't throw on words. He said,

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Speaker 1: I pleaded with God. I don't think it even means

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Speaker 1: he asked God three times. I think it means He

426
00:28:04,440 --> 00:28:10,240
Speaker 1: launched three separate campaigns to try to get God to

427
00:28:10,320 --> 00:28:15,880
Speaker 1: change a situation, and after every campaign to get God

428
00:28:15,920 --> 00:28:21,600
Speaker 1: to change it failed, then he accepted it. But at

429
00:28:21,680 --> 00:28:25,879
Speaker 1: least ask, at least ask if you need God to

430
00:28:25,920 --> 00:28:29,040
Speaker 1: heal somebody? I know, of course, Well, if it's God's will,

431
00:28:29,080 --> 00:28:35,080
Speaker 1: he'll heal them. Okay, great, ask him, ask him. Well,

432
00:28:35,119 --> 00:28:37,040
Speaker 1: I know God probably won't do that for me because

433
00:28:37,040 --> 00:28:40,600
Speaker 1: I'm probably not gonna ask him. He's a big boy.

434
00:28:41,600 --> 00:28:44,520
Speaker 1: Let him say his own. No, he doesn't need you

435
00:28:44,560 --> 00:28:46,800
Speaker 1: to protect him, like God doesn't need you to be

436
00:28:46,840 --> 00:28:49,000
Speaker 1: his assistant. Ah, you can ask him that right now.

437
00:28:49,200 --> 00:28:52,360
Speaker 1: He's very busy to care about your little problem. Ask

438
00:28:52,440 --> 00:28:56,080
Speaker 1: him for yourself. Maybe he likes you more than you

439
00:28:56,120 --> 00:28:59,000
Speaker 1: think he does. Maybe he'll say yes and surprise you.

440
00:29:00,040 --> 00:29:02,200
Speaker 1: I ask God. Sometimes I'm like, I'm like, okay, I

441
00:29:02,200 --> 00:29:04,280
Speaker 1: don't have much time to study today, but God, would

442
00:29:04,280 --> 00:29:08,240
Speaker 1: you give me my message quick? And sometimes he doesn't,

443
00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:12,880
Speaker 1: but sometimes he does. So now I ask him every time,

444
00:29:13,520 --> 00:29:15,520
Speaker 1: and if he says no, and I have to study

445
00:29:15,560 --> 00:29:18,160
Speaker 1: all week, I was gonna have to study all week anyway.

446
00:29:18,400 --> 00:29:23,840
Speaker 1: It never hurts to ask, but ask him, ask him,

447
00:29:25,080 --> 00:29:28,880
Speaker 1: ask him. I used to review Collie. You can't pray

448
00:29:28,920 --> 00:29:37,800
Speaker 1: for a good parking space. She said, why not. That's

449
00:29:37,840 --> 00:29:42,360
Speaker 1: a good question. Ask him? Ask him. I got some

450
00:29:42,480 --> 00:29:44,800
Speaker 1: things I'm asking God for that are so stupid. I

451
00:29:44,840 --> 00:29:47,720
Speaker 1: would never tell you about him. You would laugh me

452
00:29:47,760 --> 00:29:51,320
Speaker 1: out of the room. But I'm not asking you, am I.

453
00:29:52,920 --> 00:29:57,800
Speaker 1: That's why I didn't ask you. I don't ask people

454
00:29:57,800 --> 00:29:59,760
Speaker 1: who don't have the authority to give me what I'm

455
00:29:59,760 --> 00:30:04,600
Speaker 1: asking for. So some stuff I gotta ask God. I

456
00:30:04,680 --> 00:30:09,720
Speaker 1: gotta ask God. I need to see your supervisor, somebody

457
00:30:09,720 --> 00:30:13,240
Speaker 1: with the authority to get it. Thought, I'll need advice.

458
00:30:13,600 --> 00:30:17,120
Speaker 1: How need authority? How need somebody who's got the keys

459
00:30:18,280 --> 00:30:23,400
Speaker 1: to walk me through this door. You're asking people questions

460
00:30:23,400 --> 00:30:32,040
Speaker 1: who don't even have the keys. My family has launched

461
00:30:32,160 --> 00:30:38,360
Speaker 1: three separate campaigns against me to get a dog, and

462
00:30:38,440 --> 00:30:41,800
Speaker 1: I can mark each phase of the campaign is really grim.

463
00:30:42,000 --> 00:30:45,320
Speaker 1: But he's enlisted everybody in the family. The only one

464
00:30:45,320 --> 00:30:49,400
Speaker 1: who's standing with me in solidarity is Elijah, my firstborn son,

465
00:30:49,920 --> 00:30:52,640
Speaker 1: bless of my flesh and bone of my bones. We

466
00:30:52,720 --> 00:30:58,920
Speaker 1: don't want a dog. So the first phase he wrote

467
00:30:58,920 --> 00:31:02,640
Speaker 1: a song, Daddy can a dog? Daddy can I get?

468
00:31:04,160 --> 00:31:06,920
Speaker 1: He took the piano lessons that I paid for and

469
00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:09,840
Speaker 1: perverted it against me to ask me for a pet

470
00:31:10,040 --> 00:31:18,520
Speaker 1: that I parenthally have already prohibited. Then he started Phase

471
00:31:18,560 --> 00:31:22,000
Speaker 1: two that went on for months. Phase two signs all

472
00:31:22,040 --> 00:31:26,320
Speaker 1: over the house and text messages with pictures of rescue

473
00:31:26,360 --> 00:31:32,400
Speaker 1: dogs all day law the saddest Sarah McLaughlin eyed dogs

474
00:31:32,680 --> 00:31:37,920
Speaker 1: you've ever seen in your life, just flooding my text message.

475
00:31:39,280 --> 00:31:41,440
Speaker 1: And this is what Paul meant in the text where

476
00:31:41,440 --> 00:31:45,040
Speaker 1: he said a messenger of Satan. No no, no, that's

477
00:31:45,080 --> 00:31:49,640
Speaker 1: not in the Greek. But and the third phase they're

478
00:31:49,680 --> 00:31:56,120
Speaker 1: currently doing because he finally realized, Mom, you're the only one.

479
00:31:56,920 --> 00:32:01,120
Speaker 1: And now all of Hell and and all of Holly

480
00:32:01,560 --> 00:32:05,440
Speaker 1: and everybody in my house except Elijah, my true son

481
00:32:05,640 --> 00:32:11,400
Speaker 1: in the faith, my Timothy is against me. Not just three,

482
00:32:11,520 --> 00:32:17,080
Speaker 1: not just three prayers that they said three seasons, three seasons,

483
00:32:18,760 --> 00:32:21,040
Speaker 1: and when you see God about something for a whole season.

484
00:32:23,400 --> 00:32:25,480
Speaker 1: Whatever Paul's thorn was, And I'm gonna tell you what

485
00:32:25,480 --> 00:32:27,560
Speaker 1: it was in a minute, I have not forgotten to

486
00:32:27,560 --> 00:32:28,840
Speaker 1: tell you what it was. I'm gonna tell you what

487
00:32:28,840 --> 00:32:33,680
Speaker 1: it was because all the commentators have something different to say.

488
00:32:33,680 --> 00:32:35,600
Speaker 1: But I found out what it was. I found out

489
00:32:36,120 --> 00:32:39,080
Speaker 1: what it was. I studied all weekend. I found out

490
00:32:39,080 --> 00:32:40,680
Speaker 1: what it was. I asked God to show me quick.

491
00:32:40,720 --> 00:32:42,320
Speaker 1: He didn't show me quick. So I kept studying it

492
00:32:42,440 --> 00:32:47,000
Speaker 1: and I found out what it was. But before we

493
00:32:47,240 --> 00:32:52,280
Speaker 1: get to what it was, let's talk about what it represents.

494
00:32:54,200 --> 00:32:57,960
Speaker 1: You think maybe Paul didn't mention it by name because

495
00:32:58,000 --> 00:33:00,360
Speaker 1: he did not want to limit the application to the

496
00:33:00,400 --> 00:33:05,240
Speaker 1: people that he was sharing it with. A metaphor gives

497
00:33:05,280 --> 00:33:09,880
Speaker 1: you more room than an issue does. So fas exactly

498
00:33:09,880 --> 00:33:11,440
Speaker 1: what he struggle with, you go, I don't struggle with that.

499
00:33:11,960 --> 00:33:16,160
Speaker 1: I'm better than Paul. Or if it was something that

500
00:33:16,400 --> 00:33:19,480
Speaker 1: is less than what you strugle with, you go, huh, Well,

501
00:33:19,640 --> 00:33:21,640
Speaker 1: if he calls that a struggle, there's no hope for me.

502
00:33:23,160 --> 00:33:24,800
Speaker 1: I used talk to guy and he'd be like, I've

503
00:33:24,800 --> 00:33:26,960
Speaker 1: been really struggling lately. I've had to cut my prayer

504
00:33:27,000 --> 00:33:29,400
Speaker 1: time to two hours a day. And the way that

505
00:33:29,400 --> 00:33:31,080
Speaker 1: would make you feel. He was a pastor, and he

506
00:33:31,080 --> 00:33:33,920
Speaker 1: would say that to the church and the guy sitting

507
00:33:33,960 --> 00:33:35,400
Speaker 1: out there that has to do a real job and

508
00:33:35,440 --> 00:33:38,120
Speaker 1: can't just sit around reading about Bartholomew and Thomas and

509
00:33:38,320 --> 00:33:41,320
Speaker 1: Alpheus and all these Bible names all week. It's sitting

510
00:33:41,320 --> 00:33:45,920
Speaker 1: there feeling like crap comparing himself. Oh that's your thorn.

511
00:33:47,280 --> 00:33:50,160
Speaker 1: I was gonna show you mine, but I'm gonna put

512
00:33:50,160 --> 00:33:55,640
Speaker 1: this thorn right back here where it was. Oh God,

513
00:33:57,120 --> 00:33:59,760
Speaker 1: that's why the power of a metaphor. I don't mean

514
00:33:59,800 --> 00:34:01,800
Speaker 1: to make this English class, but I keep coming back

515
00:34:01,800 --> 00:34:04,440
Speaker 1: to the power of a metaphor. We've got one new

516
00:34:04,440 --> 00:34:06,400
Speaker 1: song we've been singing in the church when are recorded

517
00:34:06,440 --> 00:34:09,560
Speaker 1: on October sixth, where it has all these everythings you're like,

518
00:34:09,680 --> 00:34:12,880
Speaker 1: I can plug a song in a serment. I've been

519
00:34:12,920 --> 00:34:15,880
Speaker 1: doing this a long time. I've been this time and

520
00:34:16,200 --> 00:34:19,279
Speaker 1: I like the song because it gives you examples. It says,

521
00:34:19,320 --> 00:34:22,880
Speaker 1: I'm calling on the God of Jacob, I'm calling on

522
00:34:22,920 --> 00:34:27,720
Speaker 1: the God of Moses. I'm calling on the God of David.

523
00:34:28,920 --> 00:34:31,960
Speaker 1: That's my favorite one because it says I'm calling on

524
00:34:32,000 --> 00:34:35,839
Speaker 1: the God of David, who made a shepherd boy courageous.

525
00:34:36,520 --> 00:34:40,560
Speaker 1: But this is my favorite line. I may not face Goliath,

526
00:34:41,760 --> 00:34:47,960
Speaker 1: but I've got my own giants now. The reason it

527
00:34:48,080 --> 00:34:50,640
Speaker 1: says it like that because I wrote that with a

528
00:34:50,640 --> 00:34:53,160
Speaker 1: few friends. And the reason we chose to say it

529
00:34:53,280 --> 00:34:57,440
Speaker 1: like that is because if it addressed the specific issue,

530
00:34:57,719 --> 00:35:02,279
Speaker 1: that would be too awkward. And limited. So we just

531
00:35:02,360 --> 00:35:05,520
Speaker 1: say I may not face Goliath. That's the name of

532
00:35:05,560 --> 00:35:09,400
Speaker 1: a particular enemy that David faced. But I've got my

533
00:35:09,640 --> 00:35:13,960
Speaker 1: own giants. So when you sing that line, no matter

534
00:35:14,000 --> 00:35:21,480
Speaker 1: how dirty, dark, stinky, rotten, filthy, corrupted, perverted or subversive

535
00:35:21,840 --> 00:35:26,000
Speaker 1: your giant is, you can sing it with a big

536
00:35:26,000 --> 00:35:28,840
Speaker 1: old smile on your face, because all the way it

537
00:35:28,880 --> 00:35:32,680
Speaker 1: be too awkward. Right, I'm calling on the God of

538
00:35:32,800 --> 00:35:38,520
Speaker 1: David who made a shepherd boy courageous. You know, I

539
00:35:38,600 --> 00:35:41,279
Speaker 1: may not face go LII can't be too specific here,

540
00:35:41,920 --> 00:35:48,200
Speaker 1: Yeah a metaphor, I mean, no face go Lie'm a

541
00:35:48,320 --> 00:35:51,840
Speaker 1: functional alcoholic. You're gonna get gona do they gonna do that?

542
00:35:51,840 --> 00:35:55,640
Speaker 1: I'm gonna do that. It doesn't even rhyme. Let's at

543
00:35:55,719 --> 00:36:03,040
Speaker 1: least get it to rhyme. I mean I can't dying, right,

544
00:36:04,160 --> 00:36:12,520
Speaker 1: you like that one? You can't say you mean now

545
00:36:12,680 --> 00:36:17,800
Speaker 1: says go liar? My kid's expulsive liar. Right, you can't

546
00:36:17,800 --> 00:36:20,239
Speaker 1: sing about them while they're sitting next to you. So

547
00:36:20,280 --> 00:36:21,800
Speaker 1: funny thing is funny thing is The funny thing is

548
00:36:21,840 --> 00:36:24,399
Speaker 1: funny thing is two people sitting next to each other

549
00:36:25,320 --> 00:36:27,760
Speaker 1: singing about the other one that they came to church

550
00:36:27,800 --> 00:36:30,680
Speaker 1: with and the other one didn't know. You're my liar.

551
00:36:31,480 --> 00:36:34,200
Speaker 1: You're the one look straight ahead right now, right now,

552
00:36:34,320 --> 00:36:37,080
Speaker 1: right now, right now, looks straight ahead, right now. You

553
00:36:37,120 --> 00:36:41,040
Speaker 1: didn't even know you're the one I'm singing about. You're

554
00:36:41,080 --> 00:36:48,000
Speaker 1: the one I'm crying about. And I can't tell you

555
00:36:47,320 --> 00:36:57,279
Speaker 1: you're my thorn. Oh that's mean, poster Steven. But it

556
00:36:57,320 --> 00:37:01,000
Speaker 1: begs the question, doesn't it. Why? Why would a god

557
00:37:01,719 --> 00:37:05,279
Speaker 1: who has enough power to take down a giant with

558
00:37:05,400 --> 00:37:10,680
Speaker 1: a rock leave something as small as a thorn? Wow?

559
00:37:12,160 --> 00:37:16,200
Speaker 1: Why would a god who said you could have mustard

560
00:37:16,239 --> 00:37:20,040
Speaker 1: seed faith and move something as big as a mountain?

561
00:37:20,480 --> 00:37:25,080
Speaker 1: Why would that God leave something as small as a

562
00:37:25,280 --> 00:37:29,080
Speaker 1: thorn in the life of someone as important this Paul?

563
00:37:30,280 --> 00:37:33,600
Speaker 1: And it begs a better question? Why would God allow

564
00:37:33,680 --> 00:37:38,200
Speaker 1: you season after season to sing about goliaths, to sing

565
00:37:38,239 --> 00:37:41,640
Speaker 1: about mountains, to pray about them, to ask about them,

566
00:37:41,800 --> 00:37:44,840
Speaker 1: to strategize and maybe it'll be different this time? And

567
00:37:44,920 --> 00:37:50,600
Speaker 1: Paul said, I asked three times, three times now. I

568
00:37:50,680 --> 00:37:55,160
Speaker 1: launched three separate campaigns that I waged with heaven to

569
00:37:55,200 --> 00:37:57,839
Speaker 1: see if God would take this away so I could

570
00:37:57,840 --> 00:38:02,600
Speaker 1: be more effective for him. This was something that I

571
00:38:02,719 --> 00:38:05,719
Speaker 1: wanted and it was something that I thought God would want.

572
00:38:06,600 --> 00:38:08,719
Speaker 1: And we don't get to know. Was it physical or

573
00:38:08,719 --> 00:38:10,839
Speaker 1: we don't get to know was it mental or did

574
00:38:10,840 --> 00:38:14,000
Speaker 1: the Great Apostles struggle with depression? See, we probably couldn't

575
00:38:14,040 --> 00:38:16,040
Speaker 1: handle that. Then we would listen to him if he

576
00:38:16,040 --> 00:38:18,600
Speaker 1: said rejoicing the Lord always, because we'd be like, oh,

577
00:38:18,680 --> 00:38:21,279
Speaker 1: you're a hypocrite, Paul, you're canceled. You can't struggle with

578
00:38:21,320 --> 00:38:23,640
Speaker 1: that and preach to me, because we like, we like

579
00:38:23,719 --> 00:38:25,640
Speaker 1: to cut people out when they don't live up to

580
00:38:25,680 --> 00:38:29,279
Speaker 1: our exact standards. But all have sin and fall in

581
00:38:29,400 --> 00:38:37,120
Speaker 1: short of a glory of God. Oh oh, Paul, go oh, pau,

582
00:38:37,680 --> 00:38:51,799
Speaker 1: go oh oh. Thorns all up in the seat next

583
00:38:51,800 --> 00:38:53,880
Speaker 1: to you. Don't get too close to her. You might

584
00:38:53,920 --> 00:38:59,040
Speaker 1: get stuck. She's got thorns. And I want to say

585
00:38:59,040 --> 00:39:00,960
Speaker 1: something else before I tell you what pulse thorne was,

586
00:39:00,960 --> 00:39:02,600
Speaker 1: because you're not gonna believe it when you see it.

587
00:39:05,400 --> 00:39:07,560
Speaker 1: I want to I want to make sure that you

588
00:39:07,640 --> 00:39:11,560
Speaker 1: understand that life will give you an ample supply of thorns.

589
00:39:13,160 --> 00:39:18,439
Speaker 1: You don't have to ask for one. Okay, Lord, all right, Lord.

590
00:39:18,440 --> 00:39:21,120
Speaker 1: I hear the preacher today. He's saying, we got to

591
00:39:21,160 --> 00:39:27,080
Speaker 1: suffer from persecution, bringing on luid. I'm ready, gun. I

592
00:39:27,160 --> 00:39:28,960
Speaker 1: was in a fair service one time and somebody start

593
00:39:28,960 --> 00:39:32,360
Speaker 1: praying God, I just pray for a trial by fire.

594
00:39:34,719 --> 00:39:36,759
Speaker 1: I backed up so quick. Hold up, y'all, I got

595
00:39:36,800 --> 00:39:40,319
Speaker 1: a phone call. I didn't come back. Don't. I don't

596
00:39:40,360 --> 00:39:42,320
Speaker 1: even want to be in the prayer circle with somebody

597
00:39:42,400 --> 00:39:44,640
Speaker 1: dumb enough to pray that. And oh God, when I'm

598
00:39:44,680 --> 00:39:56,040
Speaker 1: with somebody and they start praying for patience, it's all

599
00:39:56,080 --> 00:40:00,399
Speaker 1: in the text. It's all in the text. He said

600
00:40:00,440 --> 00:40:06,960
Speaker 1: in verse seven. I was given a thorn. I didn't

601
00:40:07,000 --> 00:40:09,680
Speaker 1: ask for it. Because I'm preaching the people that are

602
00:40:09,680 --> 00:40:15,520
Speaker 1: fighting something you didn't ask for. I'm preaching to people

603
00:40:16,000 --> 00:40:20,279
Speaker 1: who are fighting something that you didn't ask for. And

604
00:40:20,440 --> 00:40:23,080
Speaker 1: all these categories Paul lists will make a good starting

605
00:40:23,120 --> 00:40:25,560
Speaker 1: place for us to evaluate our life and see what

606
00:40:25,719 --> 00:40:28,200
Speaker 1: is that thing where we need God. He mentions hardships,

607
00:40:28,320 --> 00:40:32,840
Speaker 1: He mentions insults, He mentions persecutions, he mentions difficulties. He

608
00:40:32,960 --> 00:40:36,800
Speaker 1: mentions all of these things weaknesses. He mentions them categorically

609
00:40:37,239 --> 00:40:44,719
Speaker 1: and metaphorically. But this is not a shopping list. Life

610
00:40:44,719 --> 00:40:47,640
Speaker 1: will give you enough of those you don't have to

611
00:40:47,680 --> 00:40:53,400
Speaker 1: go looking for them. Insults. Life will give you plenty

612
00:40:53,440 --> 00:40:56,839
Speaker 1: of those. You don't have to infer them when they're

613
00:40:56,840 --> 00:41:01,680
Speaker 1: not there. Do you see how she looked at me? No,

614
00:41:02,560 --> 00:41:05,160
Speaker 1: I don't even think she was looking at you. Yes

615
00:41:05,200 --> 00:41:06,680
Speaker 1: she did, she was looking at me. Did you hear

616
00:41:06,680 --> 00:41:08,319
Speaker 1: how they said that? They said that about me? They

617
00:41:08,320 --> 00:41:13,160
Speaker 1: were talking about me. Insults. Life will give you enough.

618
00:41:14,280 --> 00:41:17,560
Speaker 1: You'll get insulted for real. Somebody will be on your

619
00:41:17,600 --> 00:41:19,600
Speaker 1: comments looking for you to have a boat talk so

620
00:41:20,000 --> 00:41:23,160
Speaker 1: Mary Kay consultant Ninja in the comments, trying to take

621
00:41:23,200 --> 00:41:27,640
Speaker 1: you down. You won't have to go looking for a hardship. Yeah,

622
00:41:27,680 --> 00:41:33,000
Speaker 1: it'll give you enough. And that's why for me, this

623
00:41:33,640 --> 00:41:37,560
Speaker 1: is just me in my house. Social media is really dangerous.

624
00:41:38,520 --> 00:41:41,200
Speaker 1: I'm not saying it's bad because right now while I'm preaching,

625
00:41:41,239 --> 00:41:43,520
Speaker 1: they're posting on an account about my sermon on the thing.

626
00:41:45,200 --> 00:41:48,759
Speaker 1: But for me, because life gives me enough thorns, I

627
00:41:48,800 --> 00:41:51,919
Speaker 1: have enough insecurity. I deal with enough in my head.

628
00:41:53,040 --> 00:41:55,080
Speaker 1: I mean, I got enough movies to make me miserable

629
00:41:55,080 --> 00:42:00,960
Speaker 1: the rest of my life. Regrets things I replay, self doubt,

630
00:42:01,640 --> 00:42:06,040
Speaker 1: even self loathing. Well hold on, no, Pastor Stephen, you

631
00:42:06,080 --> 00:42:10,200
Speaker 1: are a preacher. You should have worked through these issues.

632
00:42:13,080 --> 00:42:20,000
Speaker 1: Paul had a thorn. You have a thorn if you

633
00:42:20,120 --> 00:42:23,239
Speaker 1: keep looking at me this fake I'm gonna interview your

634
00:42:23,280 --> 00:42:26,200
Speaker 1: family members and I'm gonna find out your thorn, and

635
00:42:26,200 --> 00:42:28,919
Speaker 1: I'm gonna put you on blast in the pulpit next week.

636
00:42:32,960 --> 00:42:36,720
Speaker 1: But what got me about it was that social media

637
00:42:38,160 --> 00:42:42,960
Speaker 1: can be like a thorn store. Where As if you

638
00:42:43,000 --> 00:42:47,640
Speaker 1: don't have enough already to feel worried about or to

639
00:42:47,680 --> 00:42:51,360
Speaker 1: compare yourself, if it's not hard enough to be a

640
00:42:51,400 --> 00:42:53,520
Speaker 1: teenager with the fear of missing out, you can go

641
00:42:53,560 --> 00:42:55,279
Speaker 1: and find proof that you're missing out of all the

642
00:42:55,280 --> 00:42:57,239
Speaker 1: people that didn't invite you, and watch the things that

643
00:42:57,239 --> 00:43:01,360
Speaker 1: they're doing. It can be like a for me. For me,

644
00:43:01,440 --> 00:43:04,319
Speaker 1: I don't go on Facebook because it gonna make me

645
00:43:04,360 --> 00:43:07,239
Speaker 1: too angry. And I may not face Goliath, but I

646
00:43:07,320 --> 00:43:10,360
Speaker 1: already got a really bad temper. I may not face

647
00:43:10,480 --> 00:43:19,920
Speaker 1: goal liar, but I have anger is shoes right, So

648
00:43:19,960 --> 00:43:24,080
Speaker 1: I don't need all that. I don't need more thorns.

649
00:43:25,000 --> 00:43:27,960
Speaker 1: I don't need to borrow your thorns. I don't need

650
00:43:27,960 --> 00:43:30,800
Speaker 1: to be swimming in the sewage of other people's anger

651
00:43:31,080 --> 00:43:34,000
Speaker 1: when I've already got enough anger of my own. I'm

652
00:43:34,040 --> 00:43:38,200
Speaker 1: not looking for me. Instagram is like it's like thornhub.

653
00:43:38,680 --> 00:43:43,359
Speaker 1: It's like it's just like it's this. Oh God, he's

654
00:43:43,360 --> 00:43:47,240
Speaker 1: preaching a real sermon today. He's saying real things today.

655
00:43:47,560 --> 00:43:52,640
Speaker 1: To me, this is like a I'm not looking for insults, hardships, persecutions, weaknesses.

656
00:43:52,960 --> 00:43:56,280
Speaker 1: I've already got enough of those. I need a word

657
00:43:56,320 --> 00:44:00,440
Speaker 1: from God. I need an encouraging voice. I needed that

658
00:44:00,520 --> 00:44:09,359
Speaker 1: I can aspire to. That looks like crisis. Ah. He said,

659
00:44:09,360 --> 00:44:12,480
Speaker 1: A thorn was given to me. And he says a

660
00:44:12,600 --> 00:44:16,200
Speaker 1: strange phrase. He says it was a messenger of Satan.

661
00:44:16,640 --> 00:44:21,000
Speaker 1: The word in Greek for messenger is angelos. What does

662
00:44:21,040 --> 00:44:31,359
Speaker 1: that sound like? Angelos? Angelos, angelos angel the same word

663
00:44:31,400 --> 00:44:35,680
Speaker 1: that is used for messenger. Y'all don't believe me. Put

664
00:44:35,719 --> 00:44:38,799
Speaker 1: my Bible verse back up. He said, because of these

665
00:44:38,800 --> 00:44:41,359
Speaker 1: surpassingly great revelations, therefore, in order to keep you from

666
00:44:41,360 --> 00:44:43,799
Speaker 1: a coming sid, I was giving a thorn, a messenger

667
00:44:44,760 --> 00:44:53,319
Speaker 1: of Satan. Angelos, same word as angel, the same word

668
00:44:53,320 --> 00:44:57,120
Speaker 1: as angel, an angel, a messenger. It's the same word.

669
00:44:57,120 --> 00:45:01,000
Speaker 1: There's no difference in the word an angel of Satan

670
00:45:01,760 --> 00:45:07,799
Speaker 1: to tormin me an angel of Satan. I don't want

671
00:45:07,840 --> 00:45:11,719
Speaker 1: that kind. I don't. I never prayed for Satan to

672
00:45:11,760 --> 00:45:14,440
Speaker 1: give me anything in my life. And Paul didn't like

673
00:45:14,480 --> 00:45:15,920
Speaker 1: it either, and he said, the first time he got

674
00:45:15,960 --> 00:45:18,480
Speaker 1: that thing, hit with that thing, he said, return to cinder,

675
00:45:21,200 --> 00:45:25,120
Speaker 1: and he did it three times. And sometimes that works

676
00:45:25,160 --> 00:45:26,480
Speaker 1: and God helps you through it and you're like, oh,

677
00:45:26,480 --> 00:45:28,160
Speaker 1: I don't. I'm not going to struggle with that anymore.

678
00:45:28,160 --> 00:45:30,920
Speaker 1: And that's awesome, and you can testify and help others.

679
00:45:31,120 --> 00:45:34,000
Speaker 1: But in this case, Paul said, in this case, he said,

680
00:45:35,400 --> 00:45:38,319
Speaker 1: I had to see that it was given to me,

681
00:45:39,719 --> 00:45:44,799
Speaker 1: even though the enemy delivered it. He said, it came

682
00:45:44,840 --> 00:45:49,560
Speaker 1: from an angel, an angel of Satan gave me a

683
00:45:49,600 --> 00:45:54,279
Speaker 1: gift from God. And that's why I think this week,

684
00:45:54,280 --> 00:45:57,879
Speaker 1: when it comes to the thorns in your life, even

685
00:45:57,920 --> 00:46:00,200
Speaker 1: if it's a person that gets on your nerves, raise

686
00:46:00,200 --> 00:46:03,200
Speaker 1: your hand. If there's one in your life, so so

687
00:46:03,200 --> 00:46:07,719
Speaker 1: so this week, tell them you're such an angel. Now, Now,

688
00:46:07,719 --> 00:46:09,720
Speaker 1: if they go to church here, don't say that, because

689
00:46:09,800 --> 00:46:13,640
Speaker 1: they'll they'll know the Greek. But if they don't go

690
00:46:13,680 --> 00:46:15,560
Speaker 1: to church here, they won't have a clue what you're

691
00:46:15,560 --> 00:46:20,839
Speaker 1: talking about. Say, man, you're just like an angel's mean

692
00:46:23,880 --> 00:46:29,799
Speaker 1: and what the angel brother is a thorn? And I

693
00:46:29,840 --> 00:46:33,560
Speaker 1: started to get confused because he said, it is angel.

694
00:46:33,640 --> 00:46:40,600
Speaker 1: You're you're teenagers. Did you know your teenagers parents are angels? Uh? Teenagers?

695
00:46:40,640 --> 00:46:44,879
Speaker 1: Did you know your parents are angels? I can't wait

696
00:46:44,960 --> 00:46:48,760
Speaker 1: all week, people walking around their house feeling like, what's up? Angel?

697
00:46:48,920 --> 00:46:51,879
Speaker 1: Angel and angel? Everybody, all the angels saluting each other.

698
00:46:52,000 --> 00:46:54,480
Speaker 1: That God is using to keep us dependent on him.

699
00:46:56,120 --> 00:46:58,200
Speaker 1: You gave me a gift of realizing how much I

700
00:46:58,320 --> 00:47:09,440
Speaker 1: need God. Oh yeah, oh yeah, You're gonna see angels

701
00:47:09,480 --> 00:47:12,399
Speaker 1: everywhere this way. But the verse back off. He said,

702
00:47:12,920 --> 00:47:15,200
Speaker 1: it's a messenger from Satan. He said, but I don't

703
00:47:15,320 --> 00:47:17,400
Speaker 1: like to I don't. I don't have to like the

704
00:47:17,520 --> 00:47:23,400
Speaker 1: delivery service to open the package. So it was an angel,

705
00:47:24,200 --> 00:47:28,120
Speaker 1: a messenger of Satan, in order to keep me from

706
00:47:28,200 --> 00:47:33,279
Speaker 1: getting so conceited. God knows what you're prone to. God

707
00:47:33,360 --> 00:47:36,000
Speaker 1: knew that Paul was prone to pride. So what God does,

708
00:47:36,480 --> 00:47:44,759
Speaker 1: He matches your thorn, your course to your calling. The

709
00:47:44,920 --> 00:47:47,640
Speaker 1: reason I can't pick my own mentor in life is

710
00:47:47,760 --> 00:47:50,040
Speaker 1: I don't know what I need because I don't even

711
00:47:50,040 --> 00:47:53,040
Speaker 1: know who I really am yet, and I certainly don't

712
00:47:53,040 --> 00:47:54,960
Speaker 1: know who I'm gonna be when God gets done with me.

713
00:47:56,920 --> 00:47:59,719
Speaker 1: So God is so good that he knows how to

714
00:47:59,760 --> 00:48:10,040
Speaker 1: man your thorn. Your thorn from his throne. He said

715
00:48:10,080 --> 00:48:19,320
Speaker 1: it was sent a messenger. Yeah, Satan, to torment me,

716
00:48:21,160 --> 00:48:28,320
Speaker 1: torment me. You've been tormented by it. You've been tormented

717
00:48:28,360 --> 00:48:32,040
Speaker 1: by it. It torments you when there's a weakness and

718
00:48:32,120 --> 00:48:34,760
Speaker 1: you can't get stronger in it. It is to torments

719
00:48:34,800 --> 00:48:38,279
Speaker 1: you that I should be further along, and I did

720
00:48:38,320 --> 00:48:42,560
Speaker 1: it again. It torments you that other people can do

721
00:48:42,680 --> 00:48:58,920
Speaker 1: that easily, but it's not easy for me. It torments you. Torment, torment, torment, torment, tormentor, mentor, mentor, mentormentor, mentor,

722
00:49:00,120 --> 00:49:12,280
Speaker 1: mentor men poor mentor mentor mentor. Paul Storn was his mentor.

723
00:49:24,400 --> 00:49:26,800
Speaker 1: I told you i'd tell you what Paul Storn was,

724
00:49:27,000 --> 00:49:31,800
Speaker 1: and I did. It was his mentor. It was the

725
00:49:31,960 --> 00:49:40,520
Speaker 1: thing God gave him to teach him grace. So I

726
00:49:40,600 --> 00:49:42,880
Speaker 1: actually don't have to interview anybody to find out what

727
00:49:42,960 --> 00:49:48,680
Speaker 1: your thorn is. I already know it's your mentor. It's

728
00:49:48,719 --> 00:49:54,640
Speaker 1: the mentor you didn't ask for. It's the thing that

729
00:49:54,760 --> 00:49:58,600
Speaker 1: showed up in your life. Because see, you've been trained

730
00:49:58,600 --> 00:50:01,200
Speaker 1: in a lot of things. Some of you have a

731
00:50:01,280 --> 00:50:04,680
Speaker 1: master's degree. Some of you know how to run a business.

732
00:50:05,440 --> 00:50:07,960
Speaker 1: Some of you know how to make straight a's, some

733
00:50:08,080 --> 00:50:10,480
Speaker 1: of you know how to impress others. Some of you

734
00:50:10,600 --> 00:50:12,920
Speaker 1: know how to dress. Some of you know how to

735
00:50:13,000 --> 00:50:15,480
Speaker 1: talk real good and you can flatter people and say

736
00:50:15,560 --> 00:50:18,440
Speaker 1: things to get out of the situation. But there are

737
00:50:18,600 --> 00:50:22,880
Speaker 1: some things that can only be learned in Thorn University.

738
00:50:25,520 --> 00:50:27,719
Speaker 1: There are some things that God can only teach you,

739
00:50:27,880 --> 00:50:34,360
Speaker 1: not through advice, but through adversity. Paul was not a rookie,

740
00:50:35,239 --> 00:50:39,040
Speaker 1: and Paul was not a nude, and Paul Paul was

741
00:50:39,080 --> 00:50:43,520
Speaker 1: not an unsolicited dear abby advice columnist. Paul was an

742
00:50:43,560 --> 00:50:47,040
Speaker 1: apostle of Jesus Christ, and he didn't even want to be.

743
00:50:48,640 --> 00:50:52,000
Speaker 1: Paul never even applied to be an apostle. He was

744
00:50:52,080 --> 00:50:56,399
Speaker 1: just riding on his donkey through Damascus and God Pop

745
00:50:56,520 --> 00:51:00,239
Speaker 1: knocked him off his donkey and said, new Boss, I

746
00:51:00,400 --> 00:51:06,960
Speaker 1: am Jesus whom you are persecuting, and had delete him

747
00:51:07,000 --> 00:51:10,719
Speaker 1: by the hand. You got a new mentor now, Paul.

748
00:51:11,960 --> 00:51:16,680
Speaker 1: This is difficult because Paul studied under watch this Gameleo

749
00:51:17,440 --> 00:51:21,240
Speaker 1: Gamalio was a father of the Sanhedrin, not just a member.

750
00:51:21,520 --> 00:51:25,560
Speaker 1: Gamaliol was the grandson of Hillel. The Gamaleo was so powerful,

751
00:51:25,800 --> 00:51:28,879
Speaker 1: they said the glory of the Torah died when Gamalio died,

752
00:51:29,120 --> 00:51:33,160
Speaker 1: but he was steeped only in Judaism. When Gamalio mentored Paul,

753
00:51:33,360 --> 00:51:35,520
Speaker 1: he could teach him so much. He could teach him

754
00:51:35,520 --> 00:51:37,960
Speaker 1: about the law, He could teach him about the oral tradition,

755
00:51:38,200 --> 00:51:40,680
Speaker 1: and Paul sat at his feet. He defends himself in

756
00:51:40,800 --> 00:51:43,080
Speaker 1: Acts twenty two, verse three. He said, I grew up

757
00:51:43,080 --> 00:51:45,560
Speaker 1: in Jerusalem, and I sat at the feet of Gamalio.

758
00:51:45,840 --> 00:51:48,360
Speaker 1: He was my mentor. But one day, as I was

759
00:51:48,440 --> 00:51:51,480
Speaker 1: going to persecute the church and wipe out those who

760
00:51:51,560 --> 00:51:54,120
Speaker 1: were members of the way, help me, Holy Spirit, I

761
00:51:54,239 --> 00:51:57,160
Speaker 1: got knocked down by something bigger than me. I got

762
00:51:57,239 --> 00:52:04,800
Speaker 1: blinded by a light I didn't even ask for. And

763
00:52:04,880 --> 00:52:09,000
Speaker 1: Gomalio could teach me about grammar, but he couldn't teach

764
00:52:09,040 --> 00:52:14,120
Speaker 1: me about grace. It took a thorn to show me

765
00:52:14,239 --> 00:52:19,960
Speaker 1: that I didn't ask for it. And God, if you

766
00:52:20,000 --> 00:52:23,520
Speaker 1: want to take it is still on the table. You

767
00:52:23,600 --> 00:52:28,200
Speaker 1: can have it back anytime. But the torment stops here.

768
00:52:30,640 --> 00:52:36,399
Speaker 1: I will not be tormented by this thorn one more day.

769
00:52:39,040 --> 00:52:43,200
Speaker 1: If you are not going to take this thorn away,

770
00:52:44,239 --> 00:52:47,560
Speaker 1: then God, you will need to give me the grace.

771
00:52:51,719 --> 00:52:56,759
Speaker 1: So when Paul preaches. When Paul preaches and he talks

772
00:52:56,800 --> 00:52:59,640
Speaker 1: about the thorn, I want you to realize that that

773
00:52:59,880 --> 00:53:03,400
Speaker 1: is the thing that God wouldn't take away. But he

774
00:53:03,440 --> 00:53:06,960
Speaker 1: says in verse seven something very interesting. He says, Therefore,

775
00:53:08,040 --> 00:53:11,440
Speaker 1: in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was

776
00:53:11,520 --> 00:53:14,239
Speaker 1: given a thorn. And I just read that a bunch

777
00:53:14,280 --> 00:53:22,080
Speaker 1: and I eventually began to see. Therefore, Therefore, therefore, in

778
00:53:22,280 --> 00:53:25,400
Speaker 1: order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given

779
00:53:25,520 --> 00:53:28,520
Speaker 1: a thorn. It came through an instrument of Satan. But

780
00:53:28,640 --> 00:53:31,320
Speaker 1: God used it as a vessel of grace. Isn't that

781
00:53:31,440 --> 00:53:35,480
Speaker 1: what he did with Paul. Paul who was a tool

782
00:53:35,800 --> 00:53:38,160
Speaker 1: who was used by the enemy to torment the church,

783
00:53:39,239 --> 00:53:42,360
Speaker 1: and when God transformed him, he became a vessel for

784
00:53:42,560 --> 00:53:45,880
Speaker 1: the gospel. And if God can do that through Paul,

785
00:53:46,719 --> 00:53:49,520
Speaker 1: now he said, I'm gonna do it for Paul, and

786
00:53:49,640 --> 00:53:53,520
Speaker 1: if you can receive it, He's gonna do it for you. Therefore,

787
00:53:54,280 --> 00:53:57,960
Speaker 1: I was given a thorn. God didn't take it away.

788
00:53:58,400 --> 00:54:03,160
Speaker 1: He showed me what it was. Therefore, so ask God

789
00:54:03,280 --> 00:54:08,400
Speaker 1: for this. Ask God for therefore. I'm celebrating today because

790
00:54:08,440 --> 00:54:12,279
Speaker 1: God gave me a Therefore, I'm not celebrating that the

791
00:54:12,440 --> 00:54:16,640
Speaker 1: thorn is gone. I'm celebrating that God gave me a

792
00:54:16,840 --> 00:54:20,640
Speaker 1: there form. I'm gonna find another church that preached us

793
00:54:20,680 --> 00:54:27,080
Speaker 1: in this is too good. Somebody celebrate the therefore therefore

794
00:54:29,160 --> 00:54:32,640
Speaker 1: so so, he said, Therefore, all the more gladly, for

795
00:54:32,880 --> 00:54:38,560
Speaker 1: Christ's sake, I will boast in the things that make

796
00:54:38,640 --> 00:54:44,600
Speaker 1: me appear broken. Therefore I will glory not in the thorn,

797
00:54:46,520 --> 00:54:51,919
Speaker 1: but in the grace that God released for it. Don't

798
00:54:51,920 --> 00:54:56,480
Speaker 1: glory in the thorn. Don't walk around just worshiping your weakness.

799
00:54:59,239 --> 00:55:02,640
Speaker 1: But he said, I'm elebrating because I've got a grace

800
00:55:02,719 --> 00:55:09,080
Speaker 1: for it. I've walked with hundreds of people through seasons

801
00:55:11,040 --> 00:55:16,960
Speaker 1: of unimaginable struggle, and what they all seem to have

802
00:55:17,080 --> 00:55:20,400
Speaker 1: in common when you talk to them, if they go

803
00:55:20,520 --> 00:55:25,759
Speaker 1: on living, is that God gave them a grace that

804
00:55:25,960 --> 00:55:37,239
Speaker 1: was proportional to the problem. And if they live through it,

805
00:55:38,640 --> 00:55:41,400
Speaker 1: they live long enough to talk about not just what

806
00:55:41,520 --> 00:55:47,759
Speaker 1: I went through, but what God taught me. And they

807
00:55:47,800 --> 00:55:50,600
Speaker 1: stopped talking about the thorns so much, it's like, even

808
00:55:50,640 --> 00:55:52,480
Speaker 1: if it was a really big thing, they start in

809
00:55:52,600 --> 00:55:57,279
Speaker 1: comparison to the glory of the grace that God gives them.

810
00:55:58,640 --> 00:56:04,000
Speaker 1: They start making it look like a small thing. So

811
00:56:04,160 --> 00:56:08,359
Speaker 1: I wonder who you are today, and I wonder what's

812
00:56:08,400 --> 00:56:11,560
Speaker 1: your thorn. But I don't really need to know, because

813
00:56:11,640 --> 00:56:19,040
Speaker 1: God already showed me that thorn is the mentor you

814
00:56:19,120 --> 00:56:24,440
Speaker 1: didn't ask for. Is the thing that's gonna teach you.

815
00:56:26,480 --> 00:56:30,440
Speaker 1: One old preacher said, the thorn is what takes you

816
00:56:30,520 --> 00:56:38,800
Speaker 1: to the throne. Because Paul said, I know me, and

817
00:56:38,960 --> 00:56:42,279
Speaker 1: God knows me, and I would have gotten out ahead

818
00:56:42,280 --> 00:56:46,200
Speaker 1: of myself if God didn't give me this. So take

819
00:56:46,280 --> 00:56:52,120
Speaker 1: your thorn to the throne and ask God. I didn't

820
00:56:52,120 --> 00:56:53,839
Speaker 1: ask you for this thorn, but I'm asking you now.

821
00:56:55,560 --> 00:56:58,520
Speaker 1: I need a grace for this season. I need a

822
00:56:58,600 --> 00:57:01,919
Speaker 1: grace for this insult. God, you told me to turn

823
00:57:02,000 --> 00:57:04,200
Speaker 1: the other cheek. I'm out of cheek. So only God,

824
00:57:04,320 --> 00:57:11,640
Speaker 1: so many, so many, some grace. Three seasons I've petitioned you.

825
00:57:12,600 --> 00:57:18,880
Speaker 1: Still no dog. So if you won't give me a breakthrough,

826
00:57:20,160 --> 00:57:25,040
Speaker 1: give me a therefor reveal something here in my life

827
00:57:25,080 --> 00:57:28,320
Speaker 1: that I couldn't see anywhere else. I'm not telling you

828
00:57:28,400 --> 00:57:30,760
Speaker 1: to thank God for your thorn. I'm not there yet.

829
00:57:31,640 --> 00:57:33,520
Speaker 1: Some people can do that. I'm not that good of

830
00:57:33,560 --> 00:57:36,640
Speaker 1: a Christian. I'm not, Paul, and most of y'all aren't either.

831
00:57:38,520 --> 00:57:40,400
Speaker 1: So if we can't thank Him for the thorn, which

832
00:57:40,520 --> 00:57:47,560
Speaker 1: is understandable, let's thank him for the Therefore, Therefore I

833
00:57:47,600 --> 00:57:51,360
Speaker 1: will boast all the more gladly about what God gave

834
00:57:52,360 --> 00:57:58,160
Speaker 1: me through it. It's a pivotal moment when you don't

835
00:57:58,200 --> 00:58:02,560
Speaker 1: allow the enemy to torment you anymore, and he don't

836
00:58:02,600 --> 00:58:05,480
Speaker 1: want you to see this because he wants to keep

837
00:58:05,520 --> 00:58:11,240
Speaker 1: you weak where you won't worship. Paul said. Therefore, I

838
00:58:11,400 --> 00:58:15,919
Speaker 1: boast all the more. I glory in what the thorn

839
00:58:16,000 --> 00:58:19,240
Speaker 1: brought me to long glory in the thorn. I don't

840
00:58:19,320 --> 00:58:22,160
Speaker 1: like the thorn. I tried to send it back. I

841
00:58:22,240 --> 00:58:26,120
Speaker 1: didn't order the thorn. But regardless of how it came,

842
00:58:28,440 --> 00:58:32,160
Speaker 1: right now I need grace everybody under the sound of

843
00:58:32,200 --> 00:58:34,440
Speaker 1: my voice. This is not your chance to slip out

844
00:58:34,480 --> 00:58:43,480
Speaker 1: of the room. Early, stand up, and in this moment,

845
00:58:44,960 --> 00:58:47,280
Speaker 1: I wonder would you receive what you really need from God?

846
00:58:50,480 --> 00:58:52,280
Speaker 1: And I wonder can you be humble enough to lift

847
00:58:52,320 --> 00:58:56,280
Speaker 1: your hands like you need it, and not clench your

848
00:58:56,320 --> 00:59:03,480
Speaker 1: fists like you got this, because that's the posture of

849
00:59:03,640 --> 00:59:10,840
Speaker 1: power right there. That's it. And Lord, we thank you

850
00:59:10,960 --> 00:59:14,840
Speaker 1: further therefore, and we thank you for the Holy Spirit,

851
00:59:14,960 --> 00:59:22,080
Speaker 1: our divine mentor, and we thank you that you're teaching

852
00:59:22,160 --> 00:59:23,960
Speaker 1: us about your grace in this season. There is a

853
00:59:24,000 --> 00:59:26,480
Speaker 1: supernatural grace that comes upon you in seasons like this.

854
00:59:27,840 --> 00:59:30,480
Speaker 1: There is a supernatural grace that comes upon the saints.

855
00:59:32,000 --> 00:59:37,440
Speaker 1: There is a grace for your thorn. And one day,

856
00:59:40,000 --> 00:59:42,320
Speaker 1: if we cannot be so proud and arrogant to deny it,

857
00:59:43,600 --> 00:59:45,440
Speaker 1: if we cannot be so bitter about the fact that

858
00:59:45,520 --> 00:59:49,000
Speaker 1: it happened, one day, maybe we'll get to talk about

859
00:59:49,040 --> 00:59:54,000
Speaker 1: what God taught us like Paul did. And maybe one

860
00:59:54,080 --> 00:59:58,800
Speaker 1: day we can say, when I'm weak, then I'm strong.

861
01:00:00,920 --> 01:00:04,520
Speaker 1: Maybe we can let God in. Maybe he's bigger than

862
01:00:04,560 --> 01:00:11,760
Speaker 1: our thorn. Maybe his grace is sufficient for you too.

863
01:00:14,600 --> 01:00:21,280
Speaker 1: The Spirit of the Living God fall fresh, anoint us

864
01:00:21,360 --> 01:00:28,240
Speaker 1: with oil for the thorns in our flesh and the

865
01:00:28,360 --> 01:00:32,120
Speaker 1: pressure that we face, and the temptation that we're under,

866
01:00:33,640 --> 01:00:36,640
Speaker 1: and the weakness that we know all too well. We

867
01:00:36,800 --> 01:00:44,520
Speaker 1: need your oil. I lift up every thorn to you today.

868
01:00:46,240 --> 01:00:49,720
Speaker 1: We ask you to take it away, and we probably

869
01:00:49,840 --> 01:00:57,120
Speaker 1: keep asking, but while we're working through it, we thank

870
01:00:57,160 --> 01:01:02,560
Speaker 1: you for the Therefore, it's there for a reason. We'll

871
01:01:02,640 --> 01:01:05,840
Speaker 1: see what it is in time and time and time

872
01:01:07,120 --> 01:01:12,200
Speaker 1: in time. I want to tell you one more thing

873
01:01:12,240 --> 01:01:18,040
Speaker 1: while you pray. While you pray, Satan was the messenger,

874
01:01:19,120 --> 01:01:29,880
Speaker 1: but he wasn't the master. While you pray, consider that,

875
01:01:31,480 --> 01:01:38,000
Speaker 1: consider this that in God's hands, Paul, who tortured and

876
01:01:38,240 --> 01:01:46,720
Speaker 1: tormented the church, became a mentor for the gospel. That's

877
01:01:46,760 --> 01:01:50,200
Speaker 1: what's going to happen in your life. The sufferings of

878
01:01:50,320 --> 01:01:55,760
Speaker 1: this present time are not worth comparing with the glory

879
01:01:55,920 --> 01:02:02,960
Speaker 1: that will be revealed in you. And so God, I

880
01:02:03,120 --> 01:02:06,200
Speaker 1: thank you for a release of your glory. I thank

881
01:02:06,240 --> 01:02:08,919
Speaker 1: you for these things that drew us closer to you. God.

882
01:02:09,280 --> 01:02:11,960
Speaker 1: We wouldn't have prayed. We would have been proud. We

883
01:02:12,000 --> 01:02:14,720
Speaker 1: would have thought it was our strength, our might, our armor,

884
01:02:14,840 --> 01:02:19,720
Speaker 1: our sling, our sword. It wasn't. In this moment of weakness,

885
01:02:19,800 --> 01:02:25,640
Speaker 1: we declare we are strong, we are blessed, we are filled,

886
01:02:26,880 --> 01:02:32,440
Speaker 1: We are overcomers, we are conquerors, we are more than conquerors.

887
01:02:33,200 --> 01:02:37,439
Speaker 1: Let the weak say, I am strong. Let the Corse say,

888
01:02:38,000 --> 01:02:45,120
Speaker 1: I am rich. We're thank you for in Jesus' name,

889
01:02:46,120 --> 01:02:54,880
Speaker 1: we offer you this praise, and the whole church said amen. Well,

890
01:02:54,920 --> 01:02:57,000
Speaker 1: if you enjoyed today's podcast, there are a couple of

891
01:02:57,040 --> 01:03:00,680
Speaker 1: things I'd love for you to do. Make sure to subscribe, rate,

892
01:03:01,000 --> 01:03:03,960
Speaker 1: and review this podcast. You can also help us reach

893
01:03:04,040 --> 01:03:07,880
Speaker 1: others by investing today at Elevationchurch dot org, slash give

894
01:03:08,320 --> 01:03:11,080
Speaker 1: and thanks again for joining us on the Elevation Podcast.