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Marketplace Proverbs & Coffee With Ernie · Marketplace Proverbs and Coffee with Ernie-A Proverb Per Day Keeps Stinking Thinking At Bay

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Here's a thought-provoking question.
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  SPEAKER_00: Does the way you live truly reflect what you believe?
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  SPEAKER_00: It's a question that can make us pause and reflect.
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  SPEAKER_00: And talking about our beliefs is simple.
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  SPEAKER_00: But living by them,
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  SPEAKER_00: especially when times get tough, whether it's dealing with a difficult customer...
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  SPEAKER_00: Facing a tough quota or making sacrifices shows our genuine commitment.
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  SPEAKER_00: Remember, it's in these moments that our true character shines through.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Marketplace Proverbs and Coffee with Ernie,
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  SPEAKER_00: where a proverb a day keeps stinking thinking away.
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  SPEAKER_00: I'm Ernie Lansford,
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  SPEAKER_00: and it's my desire to help you connect biblical wisdom
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  SPEAKER_00: to everyday marketplace decisions,
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  SPEAKER_00: allowing you to build relationships that far outlast any transaction.
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  SPEAKER_00: And I do my best to bring timeless biblical truth into the marketplace
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  SPEAKER_00: where I truly do believe that influence is real and choices are constant.
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  SPEAKER_00: And frankly, relationships matter far more than any results.
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  SPEAKER_00: So grab a cup of coffee and let's get started.
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  SPEAKER_00: Today's anchor verse is Proverbs 1 verses 32 through 33.
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  SPEAKER_00: Quote,
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  SPEAKER_00: For the waveriness of the simple will kill them,
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  SPEAKER_00: and the complacency of fools will destroy them.
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  SPEAKER_00: But whoever listens to me will live in safety and be secure without being afraid of harm.
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  SPEAKER_00: That's Proverbs 1, 32-33.
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  SPEAKER_00: Oswald Chambers shared a heartfelt message in one of his daily devotionals,
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  SPEAKER_00: Living Your Theology.
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  SPEAKER_00: Emphasizing that God's truth isn't meant to stay just in our minds,
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  SPEAKER_00: instead it should naturally shine through in our daily actions.
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  SPEAKER_00: Now that really caught my attention.
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  SPEAKER_00: Our beliefs should be reflected in how we live.
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  SPEAKER_00: If I claim to value integrity, others should see it in my actions.
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  SPEAKER_00: If I believe that people matter, they should genuinely feel cared for.
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  SPEAKER_00: And if I say I follow Jesus,
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  SPEAKER_00: it should be evident not just on Sundays,
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  SPEAKER_00: but every day, especially in how I treat those around me.
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  SPEAKER_00: That's what true authenticity looks like from my perspective.
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  SPEAKER_00: Philosopher Eric Hoffer once wrote,
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  SPEAKER_00: quote, Doubting our self-worth, we're terrified of independent thinking.
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  SPEAKER_00: Therefore, we prefer to be agents of a larger cause or vision.
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  SPEAKER_00: These belief systems tell us how to act and what to believe.
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  SPEAKER_00: They lend nobility and meaning to our lives."
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  SPEAKER_00: Now, I got that quote after reading Mr.
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  SPEAKER_00: Fred Smith's book,
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  SPEAKER_00: You and Your Network, published by Christianity Today magazine in 1984.
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  SPEAKER_00: And Mr. Smith extended Mr. Hoffer's thought with an analogy.
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  SPEAKER_00: Quote, Individuals are like light bulbs seeking a socket, which we identify as a cause.
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  SPEAKER_00: The doctrine of the group becomes our electric current.
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  SPEAKER_00: It reminds me of the old Mascot from Alabama Power in the 1950s,
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  SPEAKER_00: ready kilowatt, always ready to get plugged in.
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  SPEAKER_00: He's the right socket.
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  SPEAKER_00: Well, let's think about that, about sockets.
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  SPEAKER_00: We seek sockets to belong, find purpose, and feel valued, linking our lives to something larger.
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  SPEAKER_00: These natural desires reflect God's design for relationship and purpose.
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  SPEAKER_00: But connecting to the wrong socket can lead us astray.
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  SPEAKER_00: The marketplace offers many sockets.
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  SPEAKER_00: Success, money, recognition, culture, organizations, social groups, even reputation.
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  SPEAKER_00: And once connected, as Mr. Smith states, the current flows.
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  SPEAKER_00: And we may start thinking,
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  SPEAKER_00: speaking,
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  SPEAKER_00: and acting to fit the group's expectations rather than our true convictions.
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  SPEAKER_00: This can cause authenticity to fade,
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  SPEAKER_00: leading us to play a role and lose sight of our genuine self.
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  SPEAKER_00: I've seen it in business and, frankly, being transparent, experienced it myself.
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  SPEAKER_00: Think about this.
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  SPEAKER_00: A salesperson becomes quotas.
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  SPEAKER_00: Executives become titles.
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  SPEAKER_00: Entrepreneurs tied to their companies.
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  SPEAKER_00: That's all they want to talk about and live for.
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  SPEAKER_00: And even in Christianity, it can become religious persona.
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  SPEAKER_00: We could be devoted to our devotion rather than devoted to Jesus.
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  SPEAKER_00: True authenticity asks, Who am I when no one is watching?
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  SPEAKER_00: And does that person reflect who I claim to be?
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  SPEAKER_00: Proverbs 1, 32 and 33 shows we can ignore or we can listen to wisdom, shaping how we live.
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  SPEAKER_00: Authenticity begins with listening to God's voice through His Holy Spirit,
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  SPEAKER_00: Scripture, and wise counsel, and then acting on it.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's easy to have a meaningful experience with people in the church on a Sunday,
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  SPEAKER_00: but then fall back into routines on Monday.
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  SPEAKER_00: Reading the right scripture doesn't guarantee right decisions.
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  SPEAKER_00: Discussing integrity is easy,
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  SPEAKER_00: especially if a purchase order is involved,
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  SPEAKER_00: and saying that people are important is meaningful.
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  SPEAKER_00: But how we truly treat others reflects our true values.
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  SPEAKER_00: And do you look at people as an ATM?
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  SPEAKER_00: Or do you look at people to add significance to them?
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  SPEAKER_00: You know, understanding what's right is different from actually living it.
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  SPEAKER_00: And this makes Mr.
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  SPEAKER_00: Chambers' devotional challenge feel personal to me.
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  SPEAKER_00: The truths we hear Let's translate into the truths we practice.
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  SPEAKER_00: If we claim to believe it, let's demonstrate it.
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  SPEAKER_00: Not flawlessly or dramatically, but reliably with consistency.
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  SPEAKER_00: That's how authenticity truly influences our relationships and our work.
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  SPEAKER_00: People don't seek perfection.
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  SPEAKER_00: They want to trust that the person they see is the person they get.
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  SPEAKER_00: People desire consistency,
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  SPEAKER_00: integrity,
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  SPEAKER_00: and real trust, and trust deepens when our private beliefs match our public actions.
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  SPEAKER_00: Proverbs 11.3 says, The integrity of the upright will guide them.
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  SPEAKER_00: Integrity means wholeness,
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  SPEAKER_00: not just honesty,
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  SPEAKER_00: and involves being consistent and authentic, shaped by God's truth.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's a lifelong process of becoming.
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  SPEAKER_00: Authenticity isn't about pretending to have it all together.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's about genuinely embracing who we are as God continues to shape us and build us
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  SPEAKER_00: and mold us into the person he wants us to be.
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  SPEAKER_00: And as I explore Proverbs every day,
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  SPEAKER_00: I ask myself, am I just reading a green and underlining text?
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  SPEAKER_00: Or am I embracing wisdom?
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  SPEAKER_00: Am I really living it?
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  SPEAKER_00: Because over time, what's inside us shows up.
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  SPEAKER_00: As the old saying, what's in the well comes up in the bucket.
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  SPEAKER_00: And when it does, let's ensure others see the real, authentic us.
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  SPEAKER_00: Today's customer success code, what's in the well,
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  SPEAKER_00: Your action points for today.
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  SPEAKER_00: Action point number one is check the socket.
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  SPEAKER_00: What voices, groups,
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  SPEAKER_00: goals, or expectations are providing the electric current for your life right now?
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  SPEAKER_00: Are you plugged into the right source?
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  SPEAKER_00: Action point number two is let's test our theology.
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  SPEAKER_00: Name one belief you say is important to you.
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  SPEAKER_00: Now ask, Would the people closest to me see evidence of it in how I live?
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  SPEAKER_00: As the old saying go,
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  SPEAKER_00: if you were on trial for being a Christian, is there enough evidence to convict you?
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  SPEAKER_00: And action point number three is close the gap.
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  SPEAKER_00: Where is there a difference between your private convictions and your public behavior?
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  SPEAKER_00: Don't condemn yourself now, but identify one small step toward alignment.
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  SPEAKER_00: And action point number four is live what you believe.
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  SPEAKER_00: Take one truth you've learned from scripture and intentionally put it into practice today.
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  SPEAKER_00: Don't just carry the light.
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  SPEAKER_00: Walk in it.
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  SPEAKER_00: Let's pray.
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  SPEAKER_00: Father, thank you for your truth and for the wisdom you give us through your word.
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  SPEAKER_00: Help me not merely to know what I believe but to live what I believe.
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  SPEAKER_00: Show me Where I've allowed expectation of others,
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  SPEAKER_00: the marketplace, success, or my own image to become the current that drives my life.
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  SPEAKER_00: Help me listen to your voice and have the courage to act upon what you show me.
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  SPEAKER_00: Align my private convictions with my public actions.
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  SPEAKER_00: And let my integrity guide me.
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  SPEAKER_00: My relationships reflect you.
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  SPEAKER_00: And my life become evidence of what I say I believe.
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  SPEAKER_00: In Jesus' name, amen.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_00: Well, thank you for joining me for this episode of Marketplace Proverbs and Coffee with Ernie.
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  SPEAKER_00: I speak numbers 624 through 26 over you.
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  SPEAKER_00: May the Lord bless you and protect you.
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  SPEAKER_00: May the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you.
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  SPEAKER_00: May the Lord look with favor and give you peace.
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  SPEAKER_00: If this message encouraged you, please share it.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_00: Please endorse it and ask others to subscribe.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_00: That's how we create more customer success masters is through hearing the word.
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  SPEAKER_00: And remember, success is temporal.
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  SPEAKER_00: Adding significance to others is infinite.