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Better Together Victoria Osteen · A Better Tomorrow

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  Speaker 1: Amen. You may be seated. So good to have you
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  Speaker 1: in the house of the Lord. The older that I get,
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  Speaker 1: the more I live on this earth, the more I
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  Speaker 1: understand how important relationships are and how important it is
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  Speaker 1: to be in community with one another. You know, I
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  Speaker 1: can look back over my life and I can see
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  Speaker 1: how God placed me in an amazing family. You know,
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  Speaker 1: sometimes when we're in the moment, we don't understand how
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  Speaker 1: great the moment really is. But I look back now
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  Speaker 1: and I see how God put people, friends, family in
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  Speaker 1: my life that not only held me accountable, that not
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  Speaker 1: only sharpened me, but prayed with me, supported me, linked
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  Speaker 1: arms with me so that I could weather the storms
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  Speaker 1: of life. And I believe that is what God has
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  Speaker 1: intended for all of us, to live a life that
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  Speaker 1: is together. You see, God intended us to have families
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  Speaker 1: and make community. When He created Adam, He stood back
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  Speaker 1: and He said, it's not good that Adam is alone.
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  Speaker 1: And He created Eve. What he was doing was putting
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  Speaker 1: in the heart of every one of us community, family, love.
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  Speaker 1: He said, Adam, Eve, I want you to go, I
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  Speaker 1: want you to multiply, increase the earth. He was saying,
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  Speaker 1: I want you to grow your family strong, bring the
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  Speaker 1: other people that are in community with you. See, that's
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  Speaker 1: what God intended for every single one of us to do.
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  Speaker 1: I can truly say today that I am what I am,
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  Speaker 1: not because of all my great decisions, but Not because
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  Speaker 1: I was so smart, because I had people in my
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  Speaker 1: life who helped me, who motivated me, who challenged me.
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  Speaker 1: Even when I didn't want to hear it, I listened.
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  Speaker 1: It made a difference in my life. And I believe
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  Speaker 1: you could probably say the same thing. I've had good
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  Speaker 1: people in my life. You see, we need to be
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  Speaker 1: those good people. We were never intended to live this
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  Speaker 1: life isolated, as an island unto ourselves. God intended us
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  Speaker 1: to be in community with one another, to motivate, to strengthen,
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  Speaker 1: and support one another. You see, that's the healthy way
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  Speaker 1: to live. Ecclesiastes says it like this, two people are
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  Speaker 1: better off than one, for they can each help one
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  Speaker 1: another succeed. If one person falls, the other one can
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  Speaker 1: reach out and help them up. You see, we need
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  Speaker 1: each other. If you're going to live a successful life,
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  Speaker 1: you've got to understand the people in your life that
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  Speaker 1: are like-minded are important, and they are worth developing a
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  Speaker 1: strong relationship with, a strong community with. Good relationships are
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  Speaker 1: two-way streets. It's as much about what you give than
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  Speaker 1: what you receive. The Bible tells us to encourage one
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  Speaker 1: another daily. It doesn't say wait around to be encouraged.
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  Speaker 1: It says we are to have an exchange of encouragement
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  Speaker 1: on a daily basis. Do you know when you need encouragement,
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  Speaker 1: the greatest thing that you can do is to speak encouragement?
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  Speaker 1: Because when you speak encouragement to them, you literally breathe
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  Speaker 1: God's life into them. And as a result, you breathe
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  Speaker 1: God's life into your own soul. You see, God says
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  Speaker 1: this should be an exchange of encouragement. We can't live
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  Speaker 1: as islands to ourself. You know, sometimes it feels like
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  Speaker 1: it would be easier to do it alone, doesn't it?
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  Speaker 1: Because sometimes the people in our life are annoying, and
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  Speaker 1: they're aggravating, and they're troublesome. But you know what? God
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  Speaker 1: is saying, it's okay. If you're with the right group
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  Speaker 1: of people, the people I've put you with, you have
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  Speaker 1: potential in that group of people. If there are people
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  Speaker 1: in your family that you don't think that they can
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  Speaker 1: get it right, that's okay because you're there for them.
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  Speaker 1: And I can tell you, someone else is there for you.
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  Speaker 1: It's interesting because I believe that we're our happiest and
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  Speaker 1: our healthiest when we are helpful to other people. In fact,
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  Speaker 1: there was a study on happiness. And it was interesting
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  Speaker 1: because it talked about what actions that we can do
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  Speaker 1: that create this emotion of happiness within us. And you
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  Speaker 1: would think it was when we go on vacation that
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  Speaker 1: we're our happiest. When we get a present, we're our happiest.
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  Speaker 1: But it was saying that the emotion of happiness is
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  Speaker 1: really a sense of when you are helpful, and your
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  Speaker 1: purpose is tied to someone else and helping them. That
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  Speaker 1: gives you the greatest heightened sense of happiness. In fact,
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  Speaker 1: it was interesting, they called it the helpful high. That's
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  Speaker 1: what they labeled it. It's the helpful high. See, I
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  Speaker 1: can't imagine getting high on anything but being helpful knowing
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  Speaker 1: that it's such a euphoric feeling. It doesn't even have
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  Speaker 1: a hangover. You can be helpful and get high at
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  Speaker 1: the same time. I believe that's why this church works.
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  Speaker 1: I believe that's what makes this church what it is.
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  Speaker 1: Because this church is a place that you can come
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  Speaker 1: and be loved and encouraged and prayed for. This church
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  Speaker 1: is a place that people will link arms with you.
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  Speaker 1: And I love this church because you don't have to
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  Speaker 1: be perfect to be loved. You don't have to be perfect.
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  Speaker 1: No one's judging you. They're just loving you and being helpful.
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  Speaker 1: You know, it's interesting because we all have people around us.
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  Speaker 1: You know, sometimes we think, well, God, I can't help everyone.
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  Speaker 1: But can I tell you that if you'll look very closely,
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  Speaker 1: God will have many people around you that you can
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  Speaker 1: invest into, that can be a part of your life.
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  Speaker 1: I was talking about how, you know, one way to
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  Speaker 1: be a helpful person is is to be a person
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  Speaker 1: that has the best interest of someone else. And what
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  Speaker 1: I mean by that is the Bible says we're to
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  Speaker 1: be sharpeners to one another. And think about that word
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  Speaker 1: just a minute. If you've ever cut your hand on
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  Speaker 1: a knife, you'll understand sometimes sharp things hurt. They don't
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  Speaker 1: always feel so good. But God is saying, I want
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  Speaker 1: the people in your life to sharpen you as you
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  Speaker 1: sharpen them. But that only comes from a trusted person. community,
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  Speaker 1: a place where you know there's a sincere love. I
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  Speaker 1: can tell you that my greatest growth has come when
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  Speaker 1: I've been challenged by the people that love me the most,
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  Speaker 1: when I've been held accountable by the people who love
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  Speaker 1: me the most. Because they not only hold me accountable,
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  Speaker 1: they not only sharpen me, but they're also there to
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  Speaker 1: link arms with me and support me. You see, that
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  Speaker 1: is where we're going to find help and growth. What
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  Speaker 1: am I saying today? I'm saying we're better together. We
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  Speaker 1: were meant to be together. I found this wonderful story
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  Speaker 1: about the redwood trees in Northern California. And these trees
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  Speaker 1: grow 350 feet up in the air. They grow very
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  Speaker 1: close together. The interesting part is their roots are very shallow.
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  Speaker 1: They're only about five and a half feet underground. You
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  Speaker 1: would think something so incredibly tall would have to go very,
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  Speaker 1: very deep in the ground to hold itself up. But
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  Speaker 1: the extraordinary fact about this tree is that the roots
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  Speaker 1: don't go deep, but they spread wide. Those roots find
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  Speaker 1: the other tree's roots. And they begin to intermingle their
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  Speaker 1: roots together. And they say that they find nutrition with
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  Speaker 1: one another and that literally the way their roots are
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  Speaker 1: so intermingled, they hold each other up. That a tree
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  Speaker 1: in the middle of those trees can die from old
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  Speaker 1: age and it can stay there a hundred years because
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  Speaker 1: it's so intermingled with the other trees. You see, it
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  Speaker 1: finds its strength in all climates from being woven together
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  Speaker 1: with the other trees. So whether the winds are blowing,
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  Speaker 1: the rains are coming down, or whether there's a drought,
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  Speaker 1: there is always stability in the forest of the redwood trees.
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  Speaker 1: And if we could be as united together in our
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  Speaker 1: lives as those redwood trees are, I believe we could
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  Speaker 1: withstand any storm that we could withstand any drought because
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  Speaker 1: we're not only holding one another up, but we are
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  Speaker 1: giving nourishment to one another. You see, God intended us
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  Speaker 1: to be together. He intended us to start in our families.
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  Speaker 1: The Bible talks about giving your life away. Who are
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  Speaker 1: you entwined with today? Who are you investing in? Who
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  Speaker 1: are you giving your life to? I believe there should
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  Speaker 1: be people in our lives that we ask God, can
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  Speaker 1: I invest in this person? You see, you can give
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  Speaker 1: people money. You can give them cars. You can do
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  Speaker 1: nice things for them. But can I tell you, when
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  Speaker 1: you give them your greatest commodity, which is yourself, it
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  Speaker 1: makes all the difference in the world. When you entwine
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  Speaker 1: your life with someone else, even if it's seasonal, and
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  Speaker 1: you invest in them, I believe that's when you'll stand strong,
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  Speaker 1: you'll grow, and you will be able to withstand the
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  Speaker 1: storms of this life. Amen?
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 1: He's an awesome God.
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  Speaker 2: Don't wait for the perfect time. Don't wait for things
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  Speaker 2: to change. Don't wait another day. Start believing and taking
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  Speaker 2: action now.
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  Speaker 3: The scripture says, write the vision and make it plain
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  Speaker 3: to see. There's something powerful about writing down what you're
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  Speaker 3: believing for. That's why I'd love to send you my new.
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  Speaker 1: I Believe Planner.
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  Speaker 3: It's a place to write down your dreams, your prayers,
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  Speaker 3: and the promises you're standing on. What stays before your
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  Speaker 3: eyes has a way of staying in your heart. Every
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  Speaker 3: time you see what you've written, Let it be a
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  Speaker 3: reminder to thank God that it's already at work behind
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  Speaker 3: the scenes, even.
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  Speaker 1: When you can't see it.
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  Speaker 3: As you keep your faith in front of you day
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  Speaker 3: after day, you'll be encouraged, your expectation will grow, and
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  Speaker 3: you'll begin to see God bring those dreams to pass.
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  Speaker 2: The I Believe Planner is a beautiful new resource designed
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  Speaker 2: to help you believe God for more in your health,
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  Speaker 2: your family, your future. Inside, you'll find a weekly I
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  Speaker 2: planner will inspire you for the rest of this year
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  Speaker 2: and set you on a course for breakthrough throughout 2027.
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  Speaker 3: Victoria and I are praying for you and your family
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  Speaker 3: every day. Thanks so much for your prayer and support.
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  Speaker 2: Request your copy of the I Believe Planner, available this month.
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  Speaker 2: to believe God for more.
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  Speaker 1: This is your moment.
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• 12:36
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