Why a Prodigal 3: Lions at War, episode 76

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If you love a prodigal, you can discover help and hope

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for your wilderness journey right here

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at When You Love a Prodigal.

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And also help and hope for your own life journey.

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Today we are talking about the third part

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of why a prodigal, why has my loved one become a prodigal?

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And the title of this is Lions at War.

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As you listen today, I encourage you to jot down

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any ideas that might be new to you

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and a promise to hold onto.

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The lion is always on the prowl.

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I was sitting on my back porch

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when I used to live in California,

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watching a small mouse totally absorbed

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in some cookie crumbs left there by a neighbor child.

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The mouse was so absorbed,

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he did not see the cat stealthily approaching.

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My warning shout was too late

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and the cat took off with her supper.

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And another story, on that same back porch,

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our cat had taken her brand new kittens

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and hidden them kind of in a secluded corner of this porch.

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But not hidden from the eagle eye of a soaring eagle.

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When mama cat headed for a needed break

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from her demanding duties,

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the eagle dropped in, clutched a kitten in each talon

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and soared off to her nest.

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Why do I tell you such terrible stories?

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Because our world is full of danger for mice and kittens,

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but also for you and me and especially for our prodigals.

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When you love a prodigal,

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you get used to the lion stalking.

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You know we have an enemy.

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We're told in 1 Peter 5,

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be alert and of sober mind.

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Your enemy, the devil,

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prowls around like a roaring lion,

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looking for someone to devour.

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That enemy, Satan, hates that we love and follow Jesus.

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And he hates that those we love, our children,

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our family, our friends,

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would also learn and choose to be followers of Jesus.

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He entices, he tempts, he frightens, he inflicts harm.

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He is determined that your loved one

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not belong to the kingdom of God.

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He is relentless and he has an army of demons

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to do his bidding.

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But of course, we also know there is the true lion,

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the lion of Judah, our very own Jesus,

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who is equally determined as described in Revelation 5.5.

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He is also a good shepherd.

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He's a lion, but he's a shepherd.

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And he pursues and woos and protects and intervenes

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and rescues those who have wandered away,

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run away or turned away.

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His love, mercy and grace are powerful weapons

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in this battle, drawing our prodigals

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from destructive choices and wanting lifestyles

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into the light of our savior.

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And it happens, they turn and they return.

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And we think the battle is won, we rejoice.

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The evil one is defeated, our loved one is restored.

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Well, yes and no, that's true,

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but that lion keeps talking.

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Our enemy, the devil, does not give up.

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He is always looking for an opportune time

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to resume his attack.

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Sometimes he comes right at our prodigal,

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other times he comes in disguise,

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and still others he sneaks in his light.

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When our former prodigal was making many bad choices,

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the enemy found he was easy prey

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and his efforts weren't subtle.

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As our loved one began to turn back,

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the devil was sneakier in his efforts

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to pull him away from us and the Lord.

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And as our Josh has now sought to make good choices,

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to not listen to the devil's whispers,

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the lion has several times attacked him directly.

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Most recently, as he worked at his well-drilling job,

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a large metal cylinder broke off and shot out,

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hitting him hard on his hip.

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He thought his hip was broken,

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but gratefully it was just a deep bruise.

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I pictured an angel reaching out

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and redirecting that lethal projectile

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from his head or his heart.

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Grateful indeed.

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But the reality is we are at war.

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At least we are part of a war in the heavenlies,

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a battle between good and evil,

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between God our creator and Jesus our savior

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and the devil, the roaring lion, the liar.

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Do I believe that?

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I do believe it.

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And much of the strife, tension, warfare,

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and violence we see around the world today

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is more than just conflicting ideologies,

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warring tribes, people demanding freedom,

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nations seeking to dominate.

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It is because powerful forces will use any conflict,

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any misunderstanding, any power grab

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to increase turmoil and animosity, fear, and more.

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The devil's forces are involved,

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but they're not taking sides.

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They're playing one side against another.

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Now, you may think that these battles in the heavenlies,

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that have nothing to do with the battles on earth,

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but they have a lot to do

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because this is the place where the devil

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is trying still to defeat our God.

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Our God, on the other hand, is a God of love and peace.

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Yes, his angelic forces are engaged in the battle

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to protect the earth and all its inhabitants

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from the destructive intentions of our enemy of Satan.

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And there are many of God's children

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who are actively involved for the kingdom of God

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where battles are won.

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They're doing it on their knees.

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They're worshiping God.

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They're speaking out his truth.

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They're living out his love.

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They're standing with the lion of truth,

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Jesus against the lion of lies, Satan himself.

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But here's something exciting.

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I believe that our former prodigals

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will be front-line warriors on behalf of the king of heaven.

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There is a group that's close to my heart

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who will, I believe, play a major role in this war.

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Former prodigals, boys and girls, and men and women

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who have been, in essence, to hell and back,

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many have turned and returned.

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They've been redeemed and restored.

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They're ready to put on their armor

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and be filled with his spirit in places and ways

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most of us know nothing about.

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Others aren't there yet.

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They're still wandering.

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Many of us have wanderers still.

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They're wandering, running from the love of family

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and of God, often bringing great harm to themselves

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and hurt to those who love them.

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Many, though, are on their knees,

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beseeching God for their safety, for their turn and return,

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pursuing them with love and perseverance.

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I have had this word from the Lord for years.

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The prodigals we have prayed for

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and continue to pray for diligently

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will be part of the holy warriors confronting the enemy.

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Many of them will be in the front, leading.

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They have encountered the enemy

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and know better than most of us what we are up against.

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There's a relentless enemy and a victorious savior.

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We know that our Jesus, our savior, is the great king

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and will emerge triumphant.

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In fact, he is already one

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when he rose from the dead and conquered death.

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But Satan continues to pursue to the end,

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seeking to capture as many as he can take with him.

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He is a real enemy.

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Jesus said, the thief comes only to steal

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and to kill and destroy.

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But I have come that you may have life

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and have it to the full and abundantly.

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Peter warns us, be alert and of sober mind.

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Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion,

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looking for someone to devour.

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But know this, when we resist the devil with praise of God,

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with thanksgiving, with worship, he flees.

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We're told to resist him and he will flee.

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You mentioned the name of Jesus, he doesn't like it.

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He's out of there.

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If you praise God and point out

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all of his good characteristics, oh, the enemy hates that.

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So as we praise and thank and worship, the devil flees.

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You have an enemy, but you have

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a very effective weapon against him.

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And when we pray on behalf of our prodigals,

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we are opening the gates of heaven

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and unleashing the power of God.

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Don't quit praying.

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That is your weapon in this battle.

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God hears and he will answer.

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He knows your loved one.

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He knows where they are.

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He knows what's going on.

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And he's wooing them back, saying, come on, I love you.

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I have a much better plan for you.

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And be assured of this.

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Jesus says, my father, who has given them to me,

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these he loves, is greater than all.

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No one can snatch them out of my father's hands.

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Is that not a promise you can grab hold of?

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God's got them in his hands.

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Satan's buffeting them, hitting them,

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pushing them, trying to destroy them.

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God says, you can't have them.

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Don't quit.

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Don't give up.

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Keep on going to the throne of grace.

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You have an open invitation.

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We will see our loved ones turn and return.

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And I believe they will be the frontline warriors

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for the Lord.

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So did you capture a thought that was new to you?

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And were you able to catch hold of a promise

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for your prodigal?

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If this has encouraged you,

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would you tell someone you know about it?

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If you listen on Apple, you can rate and review it.

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And I would be grateful.

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Next week, we will look at another powerful way

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that we can overcome the evil one.

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God bless you.