Stay Positive 111 - How to Stay Strong in Challenging Times (Part 1)

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You pray it and he can answer it.

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The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man

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avails much.

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God will put the prayer in your heart to pray

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so that he can answer it.

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Goes into the hearts of the people,

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doesn't return void, it produces results.

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Hello everybody, I just wanna thank Pastor Anthony

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for inviting me to share this word with you today.

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I trust that this word is gonna speak to your heart.

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I believe it's a Rhema word for us in this season

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and in this time.

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I'm gonna talk to you today about how to stay strong

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in challenging times.

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With that in mind, I'm gonna go ahead and start reading

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from Isaiah chapter 60, verse one and two.

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It says in this scripture,

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arise, shine, for your light has come

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and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.

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For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth

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and deep darkness the people,

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but the Lord will arise over you

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and his glory will be seen in you.

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I believe that we are living right smack

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in the middle of these two verses.

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We're living in a time and we're living in a season

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where darkness, gross darkness is covering the earth.

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There's many trials, there's many afflictions,

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there's many negative things going on in the earth,

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but at the same time, my friends,

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I want you to understand that the glory of God

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is rising in the church and God has given us weapons,

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God has given us tools and God has given us strategies

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whereby we can overcome the darkness,

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overcome the challenges that are facing us

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in this day and in this hour.

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See, I know and I believe that we are a chosen generation,

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we are a royal priesthood, we are a holy people

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and we have been called and we have been ordained

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to live in a time such as this

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and those who God calls, he equips.

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He has put on the inside of each and every one of you

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the thing that you need to stand up

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and to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.

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So as we enter into this message,

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I want you to keep that in mind,

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that yes, you can do all things through Christ

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who strengthens you, that yes,

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that you have been born for such a time as this,

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that yes, you have everything that you need

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to stand strong in these challenging times

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and what I'm gonna do for you today

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is I'm gonna highlight four specific things

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that will help you to stay strong

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in these challenging times.

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The very first thing I wanna emphasize

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is that it's very important for us

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as we enter into this season,

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actually we already are in this season,

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it's very important that we intertwine our life with God.

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Let me say that again,

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it's very important that we intertwine our life with God.

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It's important that we put God first place in our lives.

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It is important that we make him Lord over our lives.

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It's important in this time and in this season

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that we give Jesus Christ our all.

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It's not a time and it's not a season

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for you and I to be on the fence.

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It's either black or white.

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There's no in the middle, there's no in between.

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So if you're gonna stand strong in these challenging times,

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it's very important that you put God first place in your life.

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I'm gonna go ahead and read from Isaiah chapter 40,

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verse 28 through 31.

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Now if it sounds like I'm talking very fast,

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it's because I am.

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It's because I have a lot to say to you today.

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And I like what my son said to me one time.

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He paid me one of the highest compliments

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anybody could ever pay me.

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He said, Mommy, I like your ministry

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because you don't water down the Bible.

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You give us a lot of scriptures.

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And that's what I think we need my friends.

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We need to war a good warfare.

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And the way we're gonna war a good warfare

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is by knowing the scriptures,

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understanding the scriptures,

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and practicing the scriptures.

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So if I give a lot of scriptures,

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and it seems like a lot to you,

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then I just encourage you to go back in the replay

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and listen to this message over and over and over,

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because faith comes by hearing,

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and hearing by the word of God.

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And this will encourage you and strengthen you

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in this challenging time.

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So Isaiah chapter 40, verse 28 through 31.

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It says here, have you not known?

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Have you not heard?

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The everlasting God, the Lord,

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the creator of the heavens and the earth,

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he neither faints nor is he weary.

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Isn't that good news?

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We serve a God who is not fainting.

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We serve a God who is not weary.

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We serve a God who is not surprised

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by these challenging times.

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He says his understanding is unsearchable.

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He gives power to the weak,

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and those who have no might, he increases strength.

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Even the youth shall faint,

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and be weary, and the young men,

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they will utterly fall.

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But those who wait upon the Lord shall what?

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They shall renew their strength.

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They shall mount up with wings like an eagle.

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They shall run and not grow weary.

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They shall walk and not faint.

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Now those of you that have been in the church

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a long time and are seasoned Christians, so to speak,

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this is a very familiar passage of scripture.

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But there's something I want to emphasize

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in this verse today,

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that's something you may have never heard before.

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When we look at this verse, it says here,

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those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.

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That word wait in the Hebrew,

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it means that they that wait upon the Lord,

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it's that word wait means,

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is the transliteration from the Hebrew,

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and it means to twist or to bind once a rope.

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So those that wait upon the Lord,

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those that twist or bind once a rope,

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their life with God will not grow weary.

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They will mount up with wings like an eagle.

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They shall run and not grow weary.

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This verse reveals the active nature

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of intertwining one's life with the life of God.

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When we intertwine,

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when this intertwining is taking place,

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the person is made strong.

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He who waits, twists his life with God, is made strong.

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That's why we need to put God first place in our life.

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So when you wait upon the Lord,

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and you intertwine your life with God,

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you are like this piece of rope, you are strong.

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And this rope can be used to pull some very heavy things.

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But if we don't intertwine our lives with God,

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and we don't put him first place,

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and we don't quote wait upon him,

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our lives become fragmented and weak.

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And God is saying to you today,

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I want you to intertwine your life with me

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so that you're made strong.

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He doesn't want you to grow weak.

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He doesn't want you to grow weary in well doing.

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He wants you to intertwine your life with him.

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See, many people are afraid to give God their all

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because they think that God wants

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to take something from them.

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God does not wanna take anything from you.

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God wants your life.

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And when you give God your all,

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and you give him your everything,

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you are not only made strong,

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but your path is like the path of the righteous.

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Your path will grow brighter and brighter and brighter,

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and you will have hope for your future.

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So it's important that we intertwine our life with God.

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Okay, listen my friends, this is a very important truth.

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You have to know God for yourself.

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You have to know God for yourself.

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You have to have a personal, intimate relationship

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with God, with Jesus Christ for yourself.

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You cannot rely on your mother's God.

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You cannot rely on your father's relationship with God.

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You cannot rely on your pastor or your leader's

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relationship and intimacy with God.

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You have to know God for yourself.

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You are the one that is responsible

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for intertwining your life with God.

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It is a personal responsibility.

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And as you do that, you are made strong, okay?

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Now, he says you'll mount up with wings like an eagle.

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Eagles are mentioned 32 times in the scriptures,

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and they are referred to as an example

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of the Christian life.

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Listen, I'll slow down for just a minute

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so you can breathe, okay?

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Eagles are mentioned 32 times in scripture,

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and it's in reference to the Christian life.

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And God is saying here, when you wait upon me

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and intertwine your life with me,

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you're gonna mount up with wings like an eagle.

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And with that in mind, let's talk about the eagle.

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Eagles are incredible beings, they're unusual birds.

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And they are born, born to soar higher

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and faster than any bird.

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They are especially able to soar above the clouds

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and the storms.

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When it rains, and I've seen this in my backyard, okay?

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When it rains, most birds head for shelter.

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But the eagle is the only bird that in order

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to avoid the rain soars above the clouds.

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Not only that, just a side note,

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when they're soaring above the clouds,

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they're able to see, actually,

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even at an altitude of 1,000 feet,

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they can spot prey over an area almost three square miles

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from a fixed position.

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Eagles are powerful, powerful creatures.

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And God compares us as Christians to an eagle.

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It's his will and it's his plan and it's his purpose

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that you and I have the life of an eagle

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where we are strong and we are strengthened.

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Listen to this, eagles love a storm.

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When clouds gather, and I thought this was interesting,

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the eagles actually get excited.

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The eagles use the storm's wind to lift it higher.

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Once it finds the wind of the storm,

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the eagle locks their wings and uses the fierce,

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raging storm to lift him above the clouds.

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This gives the eagle an opportunity to rest.

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This gives the eagle an opportunity to glide

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and rest its wings.

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In the meantime, all the other birds,

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you know, they're just hiding in the trees

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and in the leaves, in the branches of the tree.

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What are we saying?

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We're saying this.

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It's very simple.

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When we intertwine our life with God,

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we can use the raging storms of life

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to rise to greater heights.

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My friends, God is calling us to rise to greater heights.

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But he's saying the very first thing we all have to do

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is intertwine our life with him,

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go deeper with him, higher with him,

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put him first place in areas

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where we have not yet made Jesus Christ the Lord of our life.

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Number two, okay?

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How do we intertwine our life with God?

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Now this may be very simplistic,

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but you know what the Lord said to me,

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there's many that are listening

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that have been Christians a long time.

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And he gave me the scripture that says

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that we should take heed to the things that we have heard

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lest at any time we let them slip.

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And the Lord said to me, some of my people,

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they've let some of these basic truths slip.

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And I wanna remind them today,

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not only to put me first,

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but I want to remind them to put my word first place

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in their lives.

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Put the word of God first place in your life.

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Not someone's experience, not someone's story,

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but put the word of God in your heart.

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Make a fresh commitment to study to show yourselves

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approved unto God.

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Make a fresh commitment to make a conscious,

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disciplined effort to put more of the word of God

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in your heart and in your life.

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Because if we're gonna survive in these challenging times,

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we have to know what God has to say in his word.

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It's not some experience, it's not what we think.

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What does God say in his word?

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Okay, let me just talk to you about some scriptures

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about the word of God.

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1 Peter 1.23, and why we need to put it in our hearts.

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1 Peter 1.23 talks about the word of God.

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And the Bible says that the word of God

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is an incorruptible seed

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that lives and abides forever.

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The word of God is so quick and powerful,

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it is sharper than a two-edged sword,

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it pierces and divides asunder.

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Soul and spirit goes right into your heart

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and it is an incorruptible seed,

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the scripture says, that lives and abides forever.

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So when you study the word or you put the word in your heart,

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it goes into your heart and it does not return void,

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but it produces something within you.

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The word of God renews your mind.

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The word of God strengthens you in your faith

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because faith comes by hearing and hearing

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by the word of God, not having heard,

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but a continual hearing and hearing by the word of God.

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So it's very important that we put the word of God

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in our lives, that we take time to study the word of God,

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we take time to read the word of God.

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I don't know about you, but sometimes I get distracted.

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And I'm telling you straight up,

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because I'm not a phony baloney preacher.

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I'll tell you what goes on in my life

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because I'm just like you.

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You know, the Bible says all have sinned

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and fallen short of the glory of God.

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There is none righteous, no, not one.

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And the things that tempt me, tempt every single one of us.

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And I don't know about you, but sometimes in the morning,

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when I wake up, the very first thing I do

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is I look at my phone and then I go on social media

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and I look at my inbox and then I look at the emails

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and then I look at Instagram.

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Oh, those Instagram stories, they're really fun, aren't they?

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And you know, the Lord's been really dealing with me.

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He's like, Margie, if you wanna stay strong

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in these challenging times, read the Bible app.

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Read the scripture, read the Bible app.

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And he corrected me.

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He says, you're being lazy, you're being distracted,

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you're distracted and it's causing you

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to get distracted off of your course.

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He says, I want you to put your word in my heart

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so that you don't sin against me.

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Because you see, when you put the word of God in your heart,

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it produces character, it produces strength,

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it produces stability, it builds you,

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it strengthens you and it anchors you, okay?

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So the word of God is food for your spiritual life, okay?

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You know the prayer from Luke chapter 11,

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verse one through eight, it's that famous prayer,

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the Our Father, but in the Our Father,

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Jesus said, give us this day our daily bread.

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What is bread?

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Bread, you know, there's spiritual bread and natural bread.

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What does natural bread do?

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Natural bread strengthens you.

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Natural bread nourishes you.

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Natural bread helps you to be strong.

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Carbs are good when you wanna work out

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and have a good workout.

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So he's saying, give us this day our daily bread, okay?

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So let's talk about the spiritual side of bread.

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Daily bread for spiritual strength.

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Like your body needs food, your spirit,

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or your inward man needs the word of God.

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The word of God is substance, the word of God is bread.

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The word of God will keep you strong.

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You see, my friends, many of you know this,

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some of you don't, but you are a triune being.

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The Bible says, I pray your whole spirit, soul and body

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be preserved blameless to the coming

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of the Lord Jesus Christ.

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The Bible also talks about the hidden man of the heart.

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So you are a spirit.

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You have a soul, which is your mind, will,

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and your intellect, and you live in a physical body.

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What we do oftentimes is we feed our physical bodies

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three full meals a day, and then one snack,

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especially late at night.

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And it causes us what?

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To be strong, and many of us even work out

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to keep us strong.

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We're feeding our body, we're taking care of our body,

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and then we have the mind.

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Many of you are very intelligent.

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Some of you are gifted in intelligence.

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You're very smart and creative,

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and your mind is very sharp.

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And so therefore with our mind, we feed our mind

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by reading things, by studying,

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by doing all kinds of things that feed our intellect.

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But what about our spirit?

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What about the hidden man of the heart?

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We need to stop feeding our spirit one cold snack a week

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and start feeding our spirit the word of God

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so that we can stand strong in these challenging times.

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Otherwise, my friends, we're not gonna make it.

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If we don't know what the Bible has to say

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about our circumstances and our challenges,

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then we, my friends, are not going to make it.

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The word of God also creates stability.

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I'm not gonna read the verse to you

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because I'm trying to get through this.

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The Bible talks in Matthew chapter seven,

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verse 23 through 24,

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that Jesus said,

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whoever hears these sayings of mine and does them,

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I will what?

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He says, if you hear them and you do them,

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he said, I'll liken them unto a wise man,

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someone who's very smart,

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someone who's not neglecting the word of God,

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someone who's disciplined themselves to study

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even when they don't feel like it

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or they don't even understand at times what they're reading.

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I will liken him unto a wise man, which what?

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Which built his house upon a rock.

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Listen, this all's gonna go together.

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When the rains come and the storms come

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and beat against your house, your house won't fall.

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00:19:14,600 --> 00:19:15,420
Why?

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Jesus said because you've built your house

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on hearing my word and doing my word.

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So when these storms come and these winds come

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00:19:24,400 --> 00:19:27,140
and these challenging circumstances come,

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00:19:27,140 --> 00:19:28,800
your house isn't gonna fall.

401
00:19:28,800 --> 00:19:30,840
You're not gonna have a nervous breakdown.

402
00:19:30,840 --> 00:19:32,700
You're not gonna have panic attacks.

403
00:19:32,700 --> 00:19:34,780
You're not gonna go into depression.

404
00:19:34,780 --> 00:19:38,520
You're gonna be still and know that he is God

405
00:19:38,520 --> 00:19:40,700
because you know what he said in his word

406
00:19:40,700 --> 00:19:42,820
about your challenging times.

407
00:19:42,820 --> 00:19:45,820
So the word of God makes you strong,

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00:19:45,820 --> 00:19:49,320
creates stability in your heart and in your life,

409
00:19:49,320 --> 00:19:52,680
not only that but in your family, in your home,

410
00:19:52,680 --> 00:19:55,000
in your church and in your ministry.

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00:19:55,000 --> 00:19:58,680
Now practically speaking, and I think sometimes as leaders,

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00:19:58,680 --> 00:20:00,320
we need to be practical.

413
00:20:00,320 --> 00:20:02,800
How do we put the word of God first

414
00:20:02,800 --> 00:20:04,400
so that we can stay strong?

415
00:20:04,400 --> 00:20:06,680
Number one, read the Bible.

416
00:20:08,040 --> 00:20:10,400
Okay, read the word of God.

417
00:20:10,400 --> 00:20:13,840
A Bible app or I strongly, to be honest,

418
00:20:13,840 --> 00:20:15,440
I know this might be old fashioned,

419
00:20:15,440 --> 00:20:19,040
I strongly encourage you to have a Bible,

420
00:20:19,040 --> 00:20:22,400
to have a physical paper Bible

421
00:20:22,400 --> 00:20:25,800
because we're always on our phones.

422
00:20:25,800 --> 00:20:28,280
How about making a devotional time with God

423
00:20:28,280 --> 00:20:32,080
and we open up our Bible and we read one of the books

424
00:20:32,080 --> 00:20:34,880
of the New Testament and then underline it

425
00:20:34,880 --> 00:20:37,760
and make it real and make it personal.

426
00:20:37,760 --> 00:20:41,240
So how do we put the word of God first in our lives?

427
00:20:41,240 --> 00:20:44,100
Number one, read your Bible.

428
00:20:44,100 --> 00:20:46,800
So Margie, I read my Bible

429
00:20:46,800 --> 00:20:50,320
and I just don't understand what it says or what it means.

430
00:20:50,320 --> 00:20:51,720
Well, I have a remedy for that

431
00:20:51,720 --> 00:20:54,600
because in the word of God, there's always the answer.

432
00:20:54,600 --> 00:20:59,600
You start praying Ephesians 1 verse 18 over your life.

433
00:20:59,720 --> 00:21:01,320
It's a simple prayer.

434
00:21:01,320 --> 00:21:03,760
Pray that the eyes of your heart,

435
00:21:03,760 --> 00:21:05,640
the eyes of your understanding

436
00:21:05,640 --> 00:21:08,360
would be opened and enlightened.

437
00:21:08,360 --> 00:21:11,200
Pray that prayer every time you open up your Bible

438
00:21:11,200 --> 00:21:12,600
to read the scriptures.

439
00:21:12,600 --> 00:21:14,400
Pray that prayer for yourself.

440
00:21:14,400 --> 00:21:17,200
It's Ephesians chapter one verse 18

441
00:21:17,200 --> 00:21:20,280
and you will see that the eyes of your spirit,

442
00:21:20,280 --> 00:21:23,320
the eyes of your heart will begin to be opened

443
00:21:23,320 --> 00:21:26,080
and enlightened and you'll be able to understand

444
00:21:26,080 --> 00:21:29,680
the scriptures like you've never understood them before

445
00:21:29,680 --> 00:21:32,320
or it would seem kind of like lifeless,

446
00:21:32,320 --> 00:21:34,160
it's going to come alive

447
00:21:34,160 --> 00:21:37,520
because the Holy Spirit is the great illuminator

448
00:21:37,520 --> 00:21:39,440
and when you begin to pray,

449
00:21:39,440 --> 00:21:41,920
it opens up the door for God to work

450
00:21:41,920 --> 00:21:44,760
and so the Holy Spirit gets active and engaged

451
00:21:44,760 --> 00:21:48,360
and he begins to open up the eyes of your heart.

452
00:21:48,360 --> 00:21:51,480
Number two, how do you put the word of God first?

453
00:21:51,480 --> 00:21:53,000
Study the Bible.

454
00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:56,160
So you have 15 minutes out of your day,

455
00:21:56,160 --> 00:22:00,120
take those 15 minutes, get a great devotional book

456
00:22:00,120 --> 00:22:05,120
and study the word of God or just get a commentary.

457
00:22:05,240 --> 00:22:08,800
Take one scripture and just meditate on it

458
00:22:08,800 --> 00:22:11,680
and think about it and study it and study it.

459
00:22:11,680 --> 00:22:13,560
What happens when you do that is

460
00:22:13,560 --> 00:22:16,320
it starts to build something inside of you

461
00:22:16,320 --> 00:22:19,280
because what we're doing is we're building something

462
00:22:19,280 --> 00:22:20,920
on the inside of you.

463
00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:23,840
So you build the word of God within you

464
00:22:23,840 --> 00:22:26,080
and it causes you to stay strong.

465
00:22:26,080 --> 00:22:28,920
Number three, we already said it but I'll say it again,

466
00:22:28,920 --> 00:22:30,640
meditate on it.

467
00:22:30,640 --> 00:22:33,200
Meditate on the word of God, Joshua 1,8.

468
00:22:34,160 --> 00:22:37,680
God told Joshua, listen, you wanna be successful,

469
00:22:37,680 --> 00:22:40,880
I'm gonna give you a key and he said to Joshua,

470
00:22:40,880 --> 00:22:44,960
this book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth

471
00:22:44,960 --> 00:22:48,520
but meditate on it, how often?

472
00:22:48,520 --> 00:22:53,520
Once a week, meditate on it day and night, day and night.

473
00:22:55,800 --> 00:22:59,040
What I would encourage you to do is take one scripture,

474
00:22:59,040 --> 00:23:02,080
take a scripture for example that meets your need,

475
00:23:02,080 --> 00:23:04,520
your need for the day or your need for the week.

476
00:23:04,520 --> 00:23:06,320
For example, let's say you're anxious,

477
00:23:06,320 --> 00:23:08,400
you have a problem with anxiety.

478
00:23:08,400 --> 00:23:11,180
Well, find a scripture that meets your need.

479
00:23:11,180 --> 00:23:14,720
So the Bible says, don't be anxious for anything

480
00:23:14,720 --> 00:23:17,680
but by everything, by prayer and supplication,

481
00:23:17,680 --> 00:23:22,460
with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God

482
00:23:22,460 --> 00:23:26,100
and the peace of God that passes all understanding

483
00:23:26,100 --> 00:23:29,040
will guard your heart and mind through Jesus.

484
00:23:29,040 --> 00:23:33,440
So if you have anxiety, take that one scripture

485
00:23:33,440 --> 00:23:34,920
and meditate on it.

486
00:23:34,920 --> 00:23:37,240
What does it mean to meditate on it?

487
00:23:37,240 --> 00:23:39,800
It means to think about it, to ponder it,

488
00:23:39,800 --> 00:23:44,040
to think upon it, visualize it, visualize yourself

489
00:23:44,040 --> 00:23:46,920
allowing the peace of God to rule in your heart,

490
00:23:46,920 --> 00:23:49,680
visualize yourself doing what the Bible says,

491
00:23:49,680 --> 00:23:51,960
I think it's Isaiah 26, three,

492
00:23:51,960 --> 00:23:56,960
visualize yourself being still and knowing if he is God.

493
00:23:57,100 --> 00:24:01,120
If God said be still and know that I am God,

494
00:24:01,120 --> 00:24:02,920
well then he means what he says.

495
00:24:02,920 --> 00:24:06,440
What he wants us to do is he wants us to come

496
00:24:06,440 --> 00:24:10,040
into agreement what he already said about us

497
00:24:10,040 --> 00:24:12,680
because it's not his will that you be anxious

498
00:24:12,680 --> 00:24:15,640
or worried or fretful about anything.

499
00:24:15,640 --> 00:24:19,940
He wants his peace to rule as an umpire in your heart.

500
00:24:19,940 --> 00:24:22,440
So when you begin to meditate on these scriptures,

501
00:24:22,440 --> 00:24:24,780
meditate on the word of God that meets your need,

502
00:24:24,780 --> 00:24:27,680
it's going to change you and change your life.

503
00:24:27,680 --> 00:24:30,140
The word of God will change your life.

504
00:24:30,140 --> 00:24:31,860
How else do we put the word of God in us?

505
00:24:31,860 --> 00:24:33,240
Listen to it online.

506
00:24:33,240 --> 00:24:37,320
What I do is, and I sometimes just put scripture tapes in

507
00:24:37,320 --> 00:24:39,440
and I listen to it while I'm doing dishes

508
00:24:39,440 --> 00:24:41,680
or I listen to it while I'm walking my dog

509
00:24:41,680 --> 00:24:44,280
or I listen to it when I'm driving in my car.

510
00:24:44,280 --> 00:24:48,600
I listen to it sometimes, not even necessarily with my head,

511
00:24:48,600 --> 00:24:52,240
but that scripture, that word is going into my heart.

512
00:24:52,240 --> 00:24:54,120
It's not returning void.

513
00:24:54,120 --> 00:24:57,880
That which is flesh is flesh, that which is spirit is spirit.

514
00:24:57,880 --> 00:25:01,400
That spirit word, that seed is going into my heart.

515
00:25:01,400 --> 00:25:03,200
Whether I comprehend it or not,

516
00:25:03,200 --> 00:25:05,120
or I'm listening wholeheartedly or not,

517
00:25:05,120 --> 00:25:09,120
the word is spirit and life and it's going into my heart.

518
00:25:09,120 --> 00:25:10,520
It doesn't return void.

519
00:25:10,520 --> 00:25:13,600
And then when I need something in a circumstance

520
00:25:13,600 --> 00:25:17,040
that I come up against, the Holy Spirit will draw it out

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and bring all things to your remembrance.

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You can listen to scriptures on tape.

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I produce multiple scriptures on subjects.

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Freedom from anxiety, worry and fear,

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the heart of the Father, prayer scriptures,

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so on and so on and so forth.

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And I just listen to them over and over

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and over and over again.

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And it produces faith in my life, okay?

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How else are we to be able to stand strong

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in these challenging times?

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I would encourage you to cultivate an active

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and a simple prayer life.

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Thank you so much for tuning in to today's podcast.

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It has been such a joy sharing this time with you.

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For more inspiration and resources on today's topic,

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please visit our website at margieflora.org.