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Why Many Christians Feel Spiritually Unprepared (And What the Bible Says) · Relish: a Christian podcast

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  Relish pleasing or zestful flavor a quantity
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  just sufficient to flavor to be pleased or gratified by enjoy we are hoping
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  that what we bring to your table today might add some spice to your life welcome
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  back to another episode of relish
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  i am rowan miller and this is pastor don patterson don how are you doing,
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  Good. Oh, yeah. That's good. Lovely winter, you know.
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  Yeah. All winter. One thing about Iowa, we can verify the fact that we're in
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  Iowa because we have all four seasons.
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  There's no doubt that we have all four seasons. Although this year,
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  did you notice winter got started before winter started?
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  Yeah. We got snow before winter started. And now here we are about Christmas time. Oh, boy. Yeah.
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  And it tried snowing like long before, like back in November even.
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  Yes that didn't stick but yeah yeah but since we got snow on the 29th that means
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  we'll have 29 snows really is that what they say that's what they say that's
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  the old uh boy old uh husband's tales,
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  interesting so we haven't we've got what three got three
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  down now only 26 more to go what
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  a deal yeah all right
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  well we'll jump in the questions here oh yeah you have one for
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  me i have one for you yes i do consider the
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  fruits of the spirit and we've been talking about that right which come
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  easily to you and which don't uh yeah i think right away i think um peace is
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  one that's come easy it it didn't used to but i think that's one i've worked
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  on and spent more time on and.
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  And you have brothers so that's amazing right yeah
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  i think a lot of a lot of people have told me
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  how like laid back and relaxed I seem to be and even in basketball uh like just
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  talking with Steven Bender our coach he was saying how he knows how I don't
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  get too high or too low during a game I'm kind of just level throughout the whole game but yeah.
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  Um, yeah. And you've had some, I remember last year you had a really good year
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  in one of your sports and I, and all of a sudden in the last, it didn't go well.
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  And, and I was really concerned about you, but you, you were great.
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  Yeah. You just, you were peaceful all the way through that time.
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  It didn't. Yeah. It had, it happened.
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  You were chill and you did good.
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  I would say that I would confirm that. So, which don't go easy.
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  I mean, he's didn't used to, but I'd say patience.
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  I think a lot of us, that's a fairly common one.
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  I'm not the most patient guy you'll meet. Really?
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  Not really. I think my dad is a great example of patience.
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  I've seen that more from high school with him teaching and this year being principal,
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  but I think he's a great example of patience.
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  I think he is, yes.
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  Cool. Yeah. Well, what you got for us?
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  We'll start with... I'll roll up my sleep. Yeah.
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  I'm breaking the sweat here, but... Yeah. What if a member of a Mennonite church were to join the army?
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  Or Navy or Mennonite.
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  We actually had that during World War II and during the Korean conflict.
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  Really? There were churches that had, and there was one who had a member come
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  and had served and wanted to come and be a member.
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  And they said, no, since you served in the military, you can't be a member of this church.
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  And so it was a period of time where it was difficult for a lot of people.
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  A lot of people left the church during that time. Um.
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  That being said, one of the things that the Mennonite church did is if you confess
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  your sins, you're faithful and just.
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  And so if you confessed that it was a sin, then you could be in church. All right.
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  Um, part of that was hard because people invested a great deal.
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  I don't think we as Anabaptists have a really good idea of what it's like to be a warrior.
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  And so these are individuals who had been actually warriors in a skirmish.
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  They had a mindset of, I'm doing this sacrifice for my country.
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  And so they had that mindset.
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  What the church didn't understand is we're all to have that mindset as far as the kingdom.
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  We're all to be warriors. I mean, when we go to Ephesians 6 and we see the armor of God—,
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  It talks about this warrior, I mean, putting these things on and getting ready for battle.
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  What hasn't happened is we're not carrying that into the church and making that
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  part of our preparation as disciples
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  for spiritual warfare or any kind of warfare, but spiritual warfare.
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  So what happened is the Anabaptist Mennonite churches lost all,
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  and I'm not saying just a little bit, they lost all concept.
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  Of the concept of warrior all concept of warrior and so,
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  i i was in a church let's see just a week or two ago and and spiritual warfare was a foreign,
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  subject they had no no way no uh concept in their minds as to how there is spiritual
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  warfare or our part in spiritual warfare or preparation for spiritual warfare.
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  None of that because warfare and all of its concepts were out.
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  That's how, and that's actually a product of that, uh, period,
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  especially World War II, World War I as well, uh, where Anabaptists didn't participate in warfare.
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  Almost, I'm going to say this mean, almost militaristically against warfare.
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  And so then it took that concept out of the churches and we ended up being weaker
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  spiritually because of it.
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  That being because we couldn't carry, it's almost like everything we learn in the Bible,
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  all the spiritual concepts, almost every spiritual concept Jesus anchored in
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  a real-time illustration,
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  something that every reader, every listener could practically learn from.
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  Ah, yes. Oh, you don't build your house on a sand. You build it on the rock. Yeah.
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  Duh. Because if you build it on the sand, it washes away. There's nothing to
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  hold it together. If you build it on the rock, yeah, it's going to be good.
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  Build it on a foundation. Right. Makes sense.
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  So if we do away with something that Jesus had right in front of him all the
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  time, the Romans had military strength around him all the time.
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  He contrasts that several times as to what it's like to be in the kingdom of heaven.
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  But he had it there as an illustration.
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  Having it totally removed, then they didn't have anything, the church didn't
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  have anything to work from.
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  So it was a situation we created for ourselves. I'm not sure it was positive altogether.
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  Now, did I answer that question? I don't know.
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  But the question was about whether a member could be part of the military.
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  Yeah, like what would happen if they, yeah. Yeah.
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  And that's how it was handled then. We don't keep those same parameters.
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  We want people to be a people of peace. Right.
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  We see Jesus teaching that. Right.
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  If it's in the past and not present, I'm fine.
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  But maybe not in the, like being active duty or something like that.
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  Probably active duty. Yeah, I have a little more. Yeah.
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  That being said, we still need those examples around us of people who are willing
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  to put their lives on the line.
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  Right. Because that's basically what we're being asked to do as Christians.
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  We forget it, but when we are being witnesses, it's interesting,
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  the word for witness in the Greek is martyr. Really?
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  Montero. So if we're to be witnesses to the point we'd give our life for it.
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  What better example of that than a soldier? Right.
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  Who puts their life on the line. So I still think Onward Christian Soldiers
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  is not a bad Christian hymn, because we are to be warriors for the gospel.
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  Put on the full armor of God. Breastplate, the belt of truth, the, right,
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  feet shed shed your feet
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  with the gospel of peace and the helmet of salvation and take up the sword of
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  the spirit only one offensive with all the defense there yeah right well done
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  good job i've heard that a couple of times have you it's around yeah okay imagine that.
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  This next question have you ever struggled with idols in your life before,
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  no i didn't think so but i was listening to a program uh today on the podcast
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  imagine a podcast and i was i was uh it was challenging us to consider what
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  are idols in our lives and me.
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  An idol is anything that would take even an iota of priority over God.
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  And we can make just about anything an idol. And so it was challenging. I was challenged. Boy,
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  do I take my day off as an idol, guard it? Nobody gets into my day off.
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  Or do I, my Model T, oh, don't mess with my Model T. Don't be cranky with my Model T.
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  I hope not.
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  But it was interesting that you bring that question on a day that I've already
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  been challenged on that.
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  I think maybe today there isn't an idol, but I think I need to watch to make
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  sure one doesn't come up. Right.
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  And take its place, take God's place.
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  That's the most important thing, that nothing takes God's place in our priority system. Right. Yeah.
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  Yeah. I know for me, at times, I'll read or do devotions or both right before I go to bed.
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  And so if I'm out late for whatever reason, then I just go to bed right away
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  instead of moving that to another
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  time or taking the time that night to do it or something like that.
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  So even something like, like just hanging out with friends or doing.
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  Might take its place. Yeah.
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  At times it can. I found that in my own life when I was doing it of an evening.
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  And, uh, when Charlene and I decided let's do it in the morning together, then, uh, we just got up.
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  I think it was 35 minutes early. Yeah. So that we could get it in. Right.
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  Maybe that's what I need. And, uh, it can be done. but you know it's sometimes
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  really hard to get out of that warm bed when it feels so good and it's snowing
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  outside and blowing and i don't want to get up anyway and then to get up and right,
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  uh i i do find that after doing it for so such a long time uh the two of us
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  together uh it's hard not to all right this is this is what we do we get up
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  and we do yeah get this and this and this and
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  Then we sat down together and had our devotions and read.
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  We have our devotions and we read two devotions and then read a chapter of the Bible. Nice.
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  She reads one, I read one. So it's share. Yeah. Share and share alike. Yeah.
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  So how does, how would one get over their idol?
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  Or what are the steps to like recognizing it and overcoming it?
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  I find that some of the best ways is to do just like we would with any other sin.
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  Confess our sin. I mean, it's as if we need us to name the sin across our lips and lay it before God.
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  It's as if we got to expel it, if you will.
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  Otherwise, if I said, well, I've got this problem, I got this problem,
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  but I'm not going to tell you what the problem is.
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  And we don't have any challenge to get rid of it.
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  I like the public, if we can confess it publicly, or at least to a buddy and
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  say, you know, I'm dealing with this, then we can keep each other in check on
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  that. And that's helpful.
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  So confessing our sin, because it needs to go across our lips,
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  it needs to be expelled, if you will, and expel it in such a place we can have
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  accountability, that's extra special.
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  That's like adding whipped cream on your pumpkin pie.
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  So then when we expel it, don't take it back in again.
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  Just leave it out there and put something else in its space.
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  I think Jesus had a good way of saying it.
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  He likened it to cleaning house and then not putting anything else back in. And then...
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  In that illustration, they got the house all swept, and then the demons came
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  back and said, boy, this is a great place. Let's hop back in again.
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  And so if we don't fill it with something, it's like we just invited things
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  to happen the same way once again.
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  So if you're having trouble with an idol or any other sin,
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  expel it, maybe in the company of somebody else for accountability,
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  And then fill it with something else that would be godly, that would be magnifying the Lord,
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  giving more to the kingdom.
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  Yeah. Kingdom building, yeah.
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  I found that to be most helpful to get it out and then put something else in
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  his place that god values yeah i think i was i was watching one of the videos as part of that.
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  The videos that you sent out for the class oh yeah i think he said i forget
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  who it was but But one of them said, like, they were asking if questions to help you, like,
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  I think, recognize for his idols, maybe it's something else.
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  But they asked, like, do you spend more time on your phone or on social media
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  than you do in the word or in prayer?
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  And I think, wow. Yeah, most everybody. No conviction there.
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  Oh, it's every teenager, every order than that, even like.
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  Oh and one thing about it it documents it it knows how much you can the phone
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  knows how long you've been on that social media yeah i get a notice yeah i don't
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  have any social media but i,
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  i play some games on there so cool yeah
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  that's my thing but i i want to commend you for
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  staying away from social media that that's
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  amazing that's a wonderful boundary yeah started
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  with my parents but i'm just hearing stuff from friends that have it and some
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  of them got it and deleted it and don't have it anymore but cool it's just they
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  didn't think it was worth it so commend you for that i commend you for that
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  i'm not sure where you'd have any time for it anyway.
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  Right senior in high school yeah you just gotta basketball if you just stay
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  busy then you don't have time for it but this is very true this is very true
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  right yeah oh i commend you for that that's that's amazing because that does
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  take a lot of time yeah it does,
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  Um, we'll just do one last question here to close. What is the difference between
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  grace and works and salvation?
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  And can a Christian lose their salvation?
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  Oh my, that's a whole nother. Yeah. Okay. So grace would be, uh,
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  God's riches at Christ's expense. And that is where we gain access to the kingdom
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  because Jesus shed His blood for our sin.
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  And so we don't merit it at all.
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  Ephesians 2, 8, 9, and 10 would say, it is by grace we are saved through faith,
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  not by works, lest any man should boast.
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  But it goes on in verse 10 and says, but you do the works that He has laid out for you.
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  I should have brought my other Bibles so I didn't have to work through all the
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  stuff I've got in this one.
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  Come on.
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  See, my newer Bible has much sharper pages. They flip much better.
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  For we are God's workmanship, and that takes care of that idol business,
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  created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
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  The works we're supposed to be doing.
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  James would come back and say, well, you say you have faith. Yeah.
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  But I'll show you my faith by my works. And so he's saying, hey, watch me.
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  You'll see my faith by the way it's worked out.
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  And it is by grace we're saved through our faith.
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  And faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not
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  see, Hebrews 11, verse 1.
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  So then your last part of that question is really interesting.
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  Gee, that's almost a whole other subject altogether. But if we go to Hebrews 6.
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  Oh, come on. Hebrews chapter six. Come on.
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  Come here. You got it faster than I did. Oh, my goodness. So you have a crispy Bible.
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  Pages are nicer, yeah. Yes, we're going to have to get a crispy Bible.
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  It is impossible. This is Hebrews chapter six, verse four.
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  It's impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the
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  heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness
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  of the word of God, and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away,
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  to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss, they're crucifying
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  the Son of God all over again and subjecting Him to public disgrace.
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  Okay, five things there. So, those five things are part of, if you've gotten
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  all five things, then, okay, here's the flip thing. It's impossible to,
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  It's impossible to fall away.
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  Nice. Okay. Now, in chapter 10, then, I think it's around, okay, verse 29.
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  So then it says, how much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished
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  who has trampled the son of God underfoot?
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  Who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified
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  him and who has insulted the spirit of grace.
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  For we know him who said, it is mine to avenge, I will repay.
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  And again, the Lord is the judge of his people.
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  It's a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
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  Okay. Well, I think what these two scriptures,
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  what the author of Hebrews is trying to do is say, your salvation is important
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  and it's not just a subtle commodity, but it is of vital importance to God,
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  it probably ought to be to you.
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  And so, this salvation that we received by grace, through faith,
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  and not by works, so that we can't boast, we must acknowledge that it's God's doing.
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  It's God's doing from Jesus' birth to the cross, from the beginning of Genesis
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  all the way to Revelation.
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  It's God's work. He's given us
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  an opportunity to participate in it and be part of it. But it's His work.
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  Let's be grateful. Let's acknowledge it. Let's magnify his holy name.
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  Let's not step or trample the Son of God underfoot or treat as unholy the blood of the covenant.
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  That's really bad stuff.
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  Now how close do we come to the question no it's good,
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  i think you got it okay it's really important that we take our salvation seriously
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  right it is not just a insurance policy a fire insurance policy to get us out
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  of hell it's more than that,
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  yeah and let us know if you want to hear more on
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  that topic from don oh yeah i'm sure he
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  could he could talk for a while on that so
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  i could yeah yeah we could yeah really
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  yeah let us know how you enjoyed this episode and send us any more questions
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  or comments or anything and share with somebody reactions yeah right well thank
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  you don for answering the questions today good questions Ron.
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  Hope they weren't too hard for you, but.
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  No, no, I didn't need a nitro or anything. We're good.
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  All right. Well, thank you guys for listening and we'll see you next time.
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  Thank you for joining us for this podcast. Feel free to become part of this
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  ministry by sharing with others.
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  Our goal is to help each other grow deeper in our understanding of who God is
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  and is calling to us in our daily lives.
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  Thank you again for joining us and may God bless your day.