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Consumed by Christmas [Morning Devo] · The BLAZE (Bible Study)

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  Speaker 1: Wanting family. Good morning, God bless you. Welcome back to
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  Speaker 1: the Morning Devo. We're close closing in on Christmas Day
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  Speaker 1: from the time it's recording and this year that we
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  Speaker 1: recorded and the amen. So I'm calling this one consumed
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  Speaker 1: by Christmas. And yeah, it sounds like what it sounds like, right,
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  Speaker 1: I don't want you or myself or your family or
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  Speaker 1: my family to be consumed by Christmas. And I'm gonna
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  Speaker 1: explain that because it needs and it deserves explanation. It
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  Speaker 1: doesn't sound good right from winning devotion consumed by Christmas,
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  Speaker 1: I wrote down this, Not every celebration is holy, not
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  Speaker 1: every tradition brings us closer to God. Please hear that
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  Speaker 1: clearly and closely, Amen, and be honest with yourself. Read
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  Speaker 1: it again. Not every celebration is holy. I think if
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  Speaker 1: you live long enough, you are understand that. Right, you'll
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  Speaker 1: understand that not every celebration is holy, and not every
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  Speaker 1: tradition brings us closer to God. We're gonna read first
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  Speaker 1: John Chatter number two, verse number fifteen today on the
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  Speaker 1: Morning Devo on calling this one consumed by Christmas. Consumed
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  Speaker 1: by Christmas today on the Morning Devo. So, if you
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  Speaker 1: have any questions, comments, concerns, pray requests, or anything along
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  Speaker 1: those lines. Please don't hesitate to leave it on a
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  Speaker 1: live chat. That's what we're here for.
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 1: Don't be afraid. Amen, nobody's nobody's gonna argue, nobody's going
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  Speaker 1: to debate over here on the Morning Devo.
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  Speaker 2: We just want to.
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  Speaker 1: Listen to one another here, one another out. We're gonna
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  Speaker 1: pray for one another.
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 1: We're gonna enjoy each other's company today and every on
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  Speaker 1: the Morning Devo. My main mission is to inspire you
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  Speaker 1: or encourage you to read the Gospel, read the Bible,
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  Speaker 1: read the Word of God for yourself, so that way
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  Speaker 1: you won't be deceived by influencers that have all kinds
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  Speaker 1: of weird views about the scriptures or their comments series
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  Speaker 1: about the scriptures. Instead, just go to the scriptures yourself, Amen,
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  Speaker 1: and see what Holy God Holy Spirit will have for you.
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 1: So we are excited about what's happening on the holidays.
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  Speaker 1: As a matter of fact, if you look at that
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  Speaker 1: word holiday closely, Amen, we probably already do this. But
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  Speaker 1: it's a spend on Holy.
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  Speaker 2: Day, right.
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  Speaker 1: The holiday is supposed to be a holy day. So
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  Speaker 1: if it's not holy Amen, watch out, don't celebrate, don't
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  Speaker 1: get involved with something that's not holy, and they're calling
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  Speaker 1: it a holiday. Should be a holy day, Amen. And
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  Speaker 1: as a matter of fact, every day should be a
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  Speaker 1: holy day. If you're in Christ, think about it. And
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  Speaker 1: we should be celebrating Christ daily, not just waiting on
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  Speaker 1: calendar events to celebrate the Lord Jesus. That's crazy, right, yo,
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  Speaker 1: Katan Yeva is the Jonathan God bless you.
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  Speaker 2: Man.
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  Speaker 1: It's good to see you on the Morning Devo. Good morning,
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  Speaker 1: my brow and my friends. Sis to Joanne, I see you,
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: good morning, God bless you. Welcome back to the Morning Devo,
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  Speaker 1: my sister and my friend. So let's go for it.
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  Speaker 1: Let's take a moment to pray. After we pray, we
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  Speaker 1: shut us out for like sixty seconds, and then on
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  Speaker 1: the other side of those sixties we'll get right into
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  Speaker 1: today's Morning Devo. Then I'm corner consumed by Christmas, and
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  Speaker 1: I need you to have an open heart. Understand who
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  Speaker 1: I am. You know I love everybody out there, Amen,
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  Speaker 1: And so I mean no harm. I'm just gonna take
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  Speaker 1: it from what the scripture says, and that perspective when
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  Speaker 1: it comes to these holidays that we celebrate. So Father,
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  Speaker 1: I thank you for the celebration of your birth. Thank
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  Speaker 1: you for coming into this world born from a virgin
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  Speaker 1: living a perfect, sinless life, living a life according to
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  Speaker 1: the mission and purpose that you have lived a life
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  Speaker 1: on earth for, and that you lived thirty three and
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  Speaker 1: a half years, went and laid down your life on
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  Speaker 1: across to die for our sins, to pay the sin
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  Speaker 1: that we couldn't afford and you and have to pay.
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  Speaker 1: So that's greace, that's mercy. And thank you, Lord God
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  Speaker 1: for resurrection, that you rose from the grave three days
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  Speaker 1: after to prove once and for all to all, for
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  Speaker 1: all eternity, for all the world to see that you
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  Speaker 1: are the God in the flesh, God in the flesh,
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  Speaker 1: emanual God with us Holy Spirit, God, Amen. Thank you
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  Speaker 1: Father for sending your son. Thank you Jesus for sending
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  Speaker 1: your Holy Spirit, three persons, one essence, one God. I pray,
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  Speaker 1: Lord God, that we will get more understanding of who
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  Speaker 1: you are today and move forward in that understanding and
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  Speaker 1: not in hype or not in theory, but understand truly
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  Speaker 1: who you are by way of Holy Spirit, and move
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  Speaker 1: forward and claim this day to be a holy day
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  Speaker 1: because you are spoken of you're worshiped. We're not following
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  Speaker 1: man made traditions. We're following Holy God ways of living
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  Speaker 1: that will really prosper and advance our character, our integrity.
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  Speaker 1: Our family will benefit from it, our friends will benefit
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  Speaker 1: from it. The Gospel message will continue to move forward,
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  Speaker 1: and Jesus Christ will be made more famous, at least
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  Speaker 1: in our territory. Right now, so I praise you, Lord God.
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  Speaker 1: I pray a hedge of protection over every single person
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  Speaker 1: that's listening and watching right now. We come against demonic forces.
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  Speaker 1: We come against the evil one. We come against principalities
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  Speaker 1: and powers and rulers in heavenly places that are not
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  Speaker 1: doing your will. We come against those things. I dispatch
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  Speaker 1: right now by the authority of yoshiwahamashiek Ark we in angels,
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  Speaker 1: ministering angels, and warring angels to annihilate the tactics of
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  Speaker 1: the enemy over our lives, including myself, my wife, our children,
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  Speaker 1: our grandchildren, our family members, our friends, their family and
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  Speaker 1: their family members. In the powerful name of Yeshiahamashiak, Jesus
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  Speaker 1: the Christ, the Lord of Hosts, and Jesus Holy Name.
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  Speaker 1: We pray it is by faith and those who agreed,
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  Speaker 1: we say amen to the Amen. Listen, Christmas time is here,
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  Speaker 1: but don't be consumed by man made traditions. A man,
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  Speaker 1: let's look at the words. When we come back, we're
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  Speaker 1: gonna be in First John, chapter number two, verse number fifteen.
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  Speaker 2: I've right back, and Amen.
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  Speaker 1: I share it to a lot of groups, and I'm
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  Speaker 1: noticing that a lot of groups are really helping me
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  Speaker 1: put this out, and I'm grateful for that. I always
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  Speaker 1: say that because I understand how it is in the
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  Speaker 1: podcast world, in the radio broadcasting world, and the love
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  Speaker 1: stream world. Not everybody wants to connect with others because
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  Speaker 1: there's a lot of weird things going on. And I
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  Speaker 1: thank you that you don't consider me weird and you
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  Speaker 1: allow me to be on your group. Amen, as long
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  Speaker 1: as we stick to the script the scriptures.
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  Speaker 2: Amen, We're good.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you podcast world for allowing my podcasts and my
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  Speaker 1: live stream to go on your page as well.
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 1: So let me get back to where we were here.
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  Speaker 1: I'm just making sure that the radio is still broadcasting
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  Speaker 1: because a lot of times lately my audio has been
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  Speaker 1: interrupted for you know, whatever reason. Amen. I don't want
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  Speaker 1: to overspiritualize it, but for whatever reason, Yeah, my markers
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  Speaker 1: and my titles, and the broadcast has been interrupted for
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  Speaker 1: weird reasons. I don't know why, and it says we're streaming.
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  Speaker 1: And meanwhile, when I look at the radio, it says
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  Speaker 1: that we're playing a song, but we're not.
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you Team Jesus for sharing this out. Let me
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  Speaker 1: get to the scriptures. I don't want to get sidetracked, Hill,
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  Speaker 1: and you pay for a network to do what it's
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  Speaker 1: supposed to do and all short and that's why I'm
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  Speaker 1: thinking sometimes I think it's spiritual. Amen, But let's stick
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  Speaker 1: to the script for what God has for us today,
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  Speaker 1: how he planned it out. Consumed by Christmas. So if
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  Speaker 1: you're listening from celebrated network so Winners with a z
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  Speaker 1: Org and you see all kind of crazy titles, but
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  Speaker 1: you're hearing us. Amen, my apologies. I'll get with the
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  Speaker 1: tech team and I'll see how we can resolve that issue.
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  Speaker 1: It's been happening more and more lately, consumed by Christmas.
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  Speaker 1: Let me get this on the screen for those who
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  Speaker 1: are with me watching a man on the live stream,
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  Speaker 1: and we're gonna see what we see and we're gonna
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  Speaker 1: read what we read word for word for those who
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  Speaker 1: are just listening on the podcast as well, so consumed
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  Speaker 1: by Christmas. Listen to this in First John, chapter number two,
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  Speaker 1: verse number fifteen. This is from the amplified version of
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  Speaker 1: the Bible. The Bible says, do not love the world
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  Speaker 1: of sin that listen, opposes God and his precepts. If
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  Speaker 1: you haven't noticed that the world system is an opposition
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  Speaker 1: of God's words and God's precepts, then you're bugging wake up.
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  Speaker 1: Smell the coffee.
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 1: This world system does not honor God the way we
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  Speaker 1: as believers honor God because he's our father in heaven.
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  Speaker 1: So do not love the world of sin that opposes
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  Speaker 1: God and his precepts, nor the things that are in
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  Speaker 1: the world. So do not love the things of the world.
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  Speaker 1: And do not, you know, love the things that are
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  Speaker 1: in the world. If anyone loves the world, this is
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  Speaker 1: what the scripture says. That's not what I'm saying. If
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  Speaker 1: anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is
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  Speaker 1: not in him. So listen. This settles it for me.
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  Speaker 1: If I see people loving the things of the world,
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  Speaker 1: loving the world system, they're opposing God. According to what
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  Speaker 1: we've just read. Amen, And the love of the Father
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  Speaker 1: is not in them. I don't think it means that
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  Speaker 1: they're not saying I just think that the love of
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  Speaker 1: God is not being this played through those people, those
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  Speaker 1: kind of people. Brother Frank, I see you. God bless you,
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  Speaker 1: God bless you. Love your shirt. Oh thanks, Amen, I
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  Speaker 1: think somebody you know gave it to me who was
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  Speaker 1: a youth. I forgot who gave me this shirt, or
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  Speaker 1: maybe I brought it myself. I don't know, but thanks
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  Speaker 1: for the compliment, my brother, my friend.
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 1: So listen, consumed by Christmas is the thing You could
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  Speaker 1: be consumed by holiday, Amen, and not even realize it
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  Speaker 1: because of traditions. Right, we're just following the flow of
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  Speaker 1: what's happening in the world, and you might fall in
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  Speaker 1: love with a system or a tradition that's really opposing God.
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  Speaker 1: An eyewakener rate an eye opener, I should say, not
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  Speaker 1: an eyewakener, eyewakening her word. Then, so let's go. Of course,
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  Speaker 1: when I talk about Thanksgiving and my notes were going
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  Speaker 1: to Thanksgiving, so consumer driven holidays, right, it trains our
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  Speaker 1: mindset and our hearts to crave things like I gotta
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  Speaker 1: get this and I gotta get that. We crave things
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  Speaker 1: instead of craving truth. Think about it, especially in social
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  Speaker 1: media world. All right, if you need answers and I
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  Speaker 1: do this sooth Google, what does this mean?
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  Speaker 2: AI?
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  Speaker 1: What does this mean? Because you want a quick answer.
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  Speaker 1: But when it comes to my life, I ain't going
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  Speaker 1: on Google and I ain't going on AI for a
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  Speaker 1: quick answer for my life. I go to the scriptures
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  Speaker 1: for things about my life. Hopefully you do the same.
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  Speaker 2: Right.
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  Speaker 1: So the world is trying to train our hearts to
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  Speaker 1: crave things instead of truth right around this season. The
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  Speaker 1: world system wants your sales, wants your money once your
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  Speaker 1: dnetto instead of you wandering your salvation. This is how
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  Speaker 1: the world is training us during these holidays. It's supposed
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  Speaker 1: to be Holy Days gifts instead of gratitude. Now I
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  Speaker 1: expect a kid to not really get this. A man
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  Speaker 1: trying to show my daughters they're young ten and five, listen,
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  Speaker 1: be grateful for what you already have and everything else
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  Speaker 1: is a bonus.
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 1: If we don't have ten twenty thirty gifts under the
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  Speaker 1: Christmas tree, don't be disappointed because you're imagining that your
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  Speaker 1: friends have that many gifts under the Christmas tree without
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  Speaker 1: any evidence. You ever notice that kids compare themselves with
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  Speaker 1: their friends based upon what their friends are telling them,
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  Speaker 1: not what they see, but based upon what their friends say.
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  Speaker 1: So they ask. They ask their friend how many gifts
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  Speaker 1: did you get for Christmas? And a friend will be
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  Speaker 1: capping and be like, I got like thirty gifts. Meanwhile,
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  Speaker 1: you know, unfortunately, meanwhile they probably only got two gifts
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  Speaker 1: or listen, true story. Some kids don't get nothing, hey man.
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  Speaker 1: But of course if you're a child, if you're a kid,
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  Speaker 1: you want to hide that, and you don't want to
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  Speaker 1: put shame on your name or your family's name a man,
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  Speaker 1: or they might feel guilty or shamed or embarrassed that
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  Speaker 1: they don't don't have any pressure. That's why we got
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  Speaker 1: to be careful of how we treat one another.
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 1: I'm never people who know me, you know, I'm not
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  Speaker 1: frighten about I have this amount of money, I have
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  Speaker 1: this amount of wealth, I have this amount of possessions. Nope,
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  Speaker 1: what I have is what I have, and what I
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  Speaker 1: have I'm grateful for and what i have I'll share
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  Speaker 1: with others.
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  Speaker 2: That's it.
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  Speaker 1: But kids are you know. I expect kids to do
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  Speaker 1: what kids do, but I want them to grow right.
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  Speaker 1: I don't want them to stay in that kids my mentality,
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  Speaker 1: that kids my stay trapped by the world's system. I
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  Speaker 1: want them to grow in the knowledge of God, of
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  Speaker 1: who God is in their lives. So the world says
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  Speaker 1: gifts gifts and don't have gratitude, right, the world wants
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  Speaker 1: you to be under the pressure instead of experiencing peace.
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  Speaker 1: So the world tells us, buy more and you'll be
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  Speaker 1: fulfilled more. But Jesus tells us life doesn't consist. Life
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  Speaker 1: does not consist in the abundance of possessions. So these
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  Speaker 1: holiday seasons, the world way of doing it opposes the
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  Speaker 1: word of God, the living word of God, which is
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  Speaker 1: the Lord Jesus. You don't believe me, we luke Chapter twelve,
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  Speaker 1: Verse number fifteen. Jesus himself says, life doesn't consist in
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  Speaker 1: the abundance of possessions. It doesn't consist. Like you're not
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  Speaker 1: valued more because of how much you have from this
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  Speaker 1: world and man. God values us because of what He
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  Speaker 1: did for us and what he did for the world.
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  Speaker 1: He is the greatest gift. We already spoke about. That
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  Speaker 1: scripture reminds us what we just read. Do not love
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  Speaker 1: the world or the things in the world first John
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  Speaker 1: two fifteen. We read it. That doesn't mean we reject joy.
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  Speaker 1: That doesn't mean we reject family. That doesn't mean we reject celebrating.
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  Speaker 1: Like our Jehovah and his friends, they don't want to
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  Speaker 1: celebrate nothing. That's extreme. Right, We're supposed to be the
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  Speaker 1: most happiest, joyful people on this planet Earth because we
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  Speaker 1: have what we need. We have the King of Kings,
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  Speaker 1: the Lord of Lords. We have the promises of God,
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  Speaker 1: we have salvation. We have Holy Spirite living in us
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  Speaker 1: and through us and working his way, Amen, and doing
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  Speaker 1: what he wants to do through us. Amen. And it's
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  Speaker 1: a privilege. So it doesn't mean to reject the joy,
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  Speaker 1: doesn't mean reject family, doesn't mean not to celebrate. The
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  Speaker 1: means reject idolatry disguised as tradition, reject idolatry disguised as
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  Speaker 1: Christmas holiday. Amen, Good morning's the joice, I see you.
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  Speaker 1: Good morning, God, bless you. Welcome back to the morning.
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  Speaker 2: Devo.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for the blessings over the group as well.
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  Speaker 1: It's good to see my sister and my friend. So
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  Speaker 1: as believers, born again believers, brothers and sisters in Christ,
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  Speaker 1: children of the Living God, we are called to live
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  Speaker 1: intentionally a man, intentionally, not emotionally driven by culture, not
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  Speaker 1: emotionally driven by church, not emotionally driven by traditions, not
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  Speaker 1: emotionally driven by these trends, that these marketing cycles are
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  Speaker 1: going to control the way we do Christmas. Now, don't
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  Speaker 1: don't let it happen. And man, I fight it every
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  Speaker 1: year and people think I'm against Christmas or they think
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  Speaker 1: that I'm a scrooge. I call myself a scrooge during
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  Speaker 1: Christmas time. Amen, I become scroogeous, not because of Christ
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  Speaker 1: being born. I love the fact that Jesus was born.
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  Speaker 1: You should love the fact that Jesus was born. I
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  Speaker 1: come against commercialism and it comes right into my living
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  Speaker 1: room by way of TV, radio promotions, commercials, social media.
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  Speaker 1: And then our children are looking at us like, aren't
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  Speaker 1: we supposed to be doing that xyz? And sometimes we
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  Speaker 1: as parents get influenced, We get the guilt trip. Oh,
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  Speaker 1: I gotta get my daughter this, I gotta get my
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  Speaker 1: son this, and I got listen. I didn't even know
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  Speaker 1: what to get my son and he's thirty three years old.
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  Speaker 1: I don't remember the mus the last time I gave
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  Speaker 1: him a Christmas present. Because I don't know what he wants. Amen.
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 1: I guess I should have asked, right, everybody want something, amen.
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  Speaker 1: But my point is that instead of not celebrating something
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  Speaker 1: because you don't have something, amen, why don't we do
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  Speaker 1: it the way God does it? Why don't we do
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  Speaker 1: it the way God sees it? That not to love
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  Speaker 1: the traditions, the things of this world and have all
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  Speaker 1: these possessions, but to love God. And because you love God,
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  Speaker 1: you love others. And because they see the love displayed
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  Speaker 1: through you and through me, they will get the gift
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  Speaker 1: of salvation. They will get the gift that keeps on giving.
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  Speaker 1: They would give the gift of Holy days Amen, in
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  Speaker 1: their hearts, in their minds, in their lives, and the
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  Speaker 1: whole family will benefit from that. Toys, games, gift cards
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  Speaker 1: and all those things run out. I think the longest
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  Speaker 1: things that remain as a gift are board games. Amen.
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  Speaker 1: And I don't know who created that word board games,
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  Speaker 1: because it's you could put a spin on that word
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  Speaker 1: board games, and you could be bored of playing those games,
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  Speaker 1: b o ried. I don't know who created that. But
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  Speaker 1: as believers were called to live intentionally right, our calendar
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  Speaker 1: should reflect our convictions. Our celebrations should point upward instead
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  Speaker 1: of inward. Amen, just think about it. I'm just laying
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  Speaker 1: these backs out so you could investigate these things for
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  Speaker 1: yourself and think about it. Be honest, because I know
• 19:25
  Speaker 1: every time holidays come Listen, I'm not a multi millionaire.
• 19:29
  Speaker 1: I have multi million dollar ideas in my head. Amen.
• 19:33
  Speaker 1: And when I share my ideas, amen, not a lot
• 19:37
  Speaker 1: of people think it's going to be worth investing it.
• 19:41
  Speaker 1: And I understand that everybody has their decision to make,
• 19:44
  Speaker 1: everybody has their opinion. But I keep on keeping on
• 19:46
  Speaker 1: according to the scripture, according to what God has promised me.
• 19:49
  Speaker 1: Whether I see the financial blessing or not, I still
• 19:54
  Speaker 1: strive to move forward in that way because I know
• 19:56
  Speaker 1: in that direction, the direction that God has for me,
• 20:00
  Speaker 1: and the direction that God has for you is the
• 20:02
  Speaker 1: best direction for us to go in anyway. So before
• 20:06
  Speaker 1: you participate in the traditions of this world, the parties
• 20:13
  Speaker 1: of this world, the practices of this world, ask yourself,
• 20:18
  Speaker 1: does this honor God? Or does it feed my flesh?
• 20:23
  Speaker 1: Whatever that is. You might be like, well, it's Christmas time,
• 20:26
  Speaker 1: I have to drink coquito with alcohol in it? Does
• 20:31
  Speaker 1: honor God? Or does that feed your flesh? How about
• 20:34
  Speaker 1: this one? Does Christmas time or any holiday for that matter,
• 20:39
  Speaker 1: draw you closer to Christ? Or does it draw you
• 20:43
  Speaker 1: deeper into comparison? Comparing yourselves with what other people are
• 20:48
  Speaker 1: doing during these holiday seasons Christmas, New Year, right, Thanksgiving?
• 20:54
  Speaker 1: Are you drawing closer to Christ? Or you're comparing yourself?
• 20:57
  Speaker 1: You're being drawn into comparison. That's a dangerous place to
• 21:01
  Speaker 1: be drawn into. Man, that comparison stuff. Be careful, am
• 21:05
  Speaker 1: I celebrating freedom? There's a question or financing a distraction
• 21:13
  Speaker 1: in your life. That's for another time. That's for another time.
• 21:18
  Speaker 1: So choose. I would suggest that you would choose the
• 21:22
  Speaker 1: simple things of life over pressure. Like we have enough
• 21:27
  Speaker 1: pressure in the world as adults. If you have bills
• 21:31
  Speaker 1: to pay, if we have obligations, and you know, as
• 21:36
  Speaker 1: an adult, right, all those obligations, those bills and all
• 21:41
  Speaker 1: that those things are there should be handled and by
• 21:46
  Speaker 1: the grace and mercy of God will handle it. But
• 21:50
  Speaker 1: don't put so much pressure. And man, I always tell
• 21:53
  Speaker 1: this to young people. Don't put all the pressure on
• 21:55
  Speaker 1: your shoulders, especially young Christians. I always say, no pressure,
• 21:58
  Speaker 1: don't put too much pressure on yourself. The world is
• 22:01
  Speaker 1: trying to challenge every one of us every step of
• 22:06
  Speaker 1: the way as being born again believers. The world is
• 22:08
  Speaker 1: trying to challenge it all. Don't put all that pressure
• 22:11
  Speaker 1: on yourself. Choose the simple things of life. Purpose over popularity.
• 22:18
  Speaker 1: That's a big one. I need to get into that.
• 22:21
  Speaker 1: Maybe in the new year we're really honed down on that.
• 22:25
  Speaker 1: We'll hone down on purpose over popularity, especially in the
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: culture that we're living in that everybody and their mom
• 22:32
  Speaker 1: and their dad is an influencer online and they're searching
• 22:36
  Speaker 1: and seeking popularity over purpose. How about this one Christ
• 22:41
  Speaker 1: over culture. Christ Jesus, if you look at his life
• 22:44
  Speaker 1: through the Gospels, he was always anti most of the
• 22:47
  Speaker 1: time anti culture of his culture. Oh, Jesus is not
• 22:51
  Speaker 1: supposed to do this today because today's the day the Sabbath.
• 22:54
  Speaker 1: So how dare you save someone, rescue someone, heals someone
• 22:59
  Speaker 1: on the Sabbath. I'm not supposed to do anything. Yeah,
• 23:02
  Speaker 1: they told Jesus that he faced that by the culture
• 23:05
  Speaker 1: back then. Imagine the culture now. Frank says, none of
• 23:08
  Speaker 1: that honor's God true. None of that list that I
• 23:13
  Speaker 1: was talking about earlier honors God. I agree with you,
• 23:16
  Speaker 1: my brother. I'm just putting out there so that way
• 23:18
  Speaker 1: people you know, we think about this, including myself, Like
• 23:21
  Speaker 1: when I ask these questions, don't think that I have
• 23:24
  Speaker 1: to ask them to myself too. I'm trying to be
• 23:27
  Speaker 1: as honest as I could be here. Eternity is worth
• 23:33
  Speaker 1: more than any sale or any product that you purchase
• 23:38
  Speaker 1: online or in the store. Yes, so you can make
• 23:41
  Speaker 1: kids happy. But from experience, if you're a parent, or
• 23:45
  Speaker 1: if you have grandchildren, or you have nieces, nephews, young
• 23:50
  Speaker 1: kids and your family, or you have friends that have
• 23:53
  Speaker 1: young kids, by experience, we know that that excitement of
• 23:56
  Speaker 1: something that they have new amen could literally I've seen
• 24:01
  Speaker 1: it with my own eyes. Literally, that excitement could go
• 24:03
  Speaker 1: away in two minutes when they get another gift that
• 24:06
  Speaker 1: they feel is better than the first gift. And they'll
• 24:08
  Speaker 1: do it right in front of you, because they're kids,
• 24:09
  Speaker 1: they'll do it right in front of you. Oh, this
• 24:11
  Speaker 1: is nice. And then someone will come in with a
• 24:13
  Speaker 1: big gift in li Oh I like that, and they
• 24:15
  Speaker 1: will literally throw your gift down and run to the
• 24:19
  Speaker 1: bigger thing. Listen, excitement and the joy of a child
• 24:23
  Speaker 1: getting a gift for the first time. I like more.
• 24:26
  Speaker 1: My five year old says, when you give us something,
• 24:28
  Speaker 1: she's so grateful. She goes, Wow, this is the best
• 24:31
  Speaker 1: thing I've ever had, or she'll say, this is what
• 24:34
  Speaker 1: I always wanted all my life, all the five years.
• 24:37
  Speaker 2: Amen.
• 24:38
  Speaker 1: And it's cute, right, But I hope and pray that
• 24:41
  Speaker 1: we will keep that attitude of gratitude to be so
• 24:44
  Speaker 1: grateful for what we have right now, so that way
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: when the challenges and the pressures of life and the
• 24:51
  Speaker 1: traditions of these celebrations of the world, the world customs,
• 24:55
  Speaker 1: the culture and all that won't pressure us into guilt.
• 24:58
  Speaker 1: Because if you think about it, I have a lot
• 25:01
  Speaker 1: like my younger my youngest brother has ten kids. Imagine
• 25:06
  Speaker 1: that Christmas list man trying to get at least this
• 25:11
  Speaker 1: is besides the parents and the other family, cousins and
• 25:14
  Speaker 1: all that, at least ten ten gifts with ten children,
• 25:19
  Speaker 1: then even children no more, and some of them are adults.
• 25:22
  Speaker 1: Can you imagine how much pressure that would be now
• 25:24
  Speaker 1: for those who are blessed financially and it's nothing. You
• 25:28
  Speaker 1: have the finances to get your whole family gifts. Praise God,
• 25:32
  Speaker 1: And I hope you're praising God for that, because the
• 25:36
  Speaker 1: health to gain wealth comes from the Father, hey man,
• 25:39
  Speaker 1: and he has grace upon us all. And when it
• 25:41
  Speaker 1: rains right, it reiins onderjust and the unjust. So that's
• 25:44
  Speaker 1: the grace of God over your life. So celebrate the
• 25:46
  Speaker 1: grace and that again, you need to be grateful for that.
• 25:49
  Speaker 1: But guys like me, men like me that we don't
• 25:53
  Speaker 1: have all that financial blessing to get every single person
• 25:58
  Speaker 1: in our family a gift. I don't fall into the
• 26:01
  Speaker 1: guilt and shame that the world tells you. Well, get
• 26:03
  Speaker 1: a credit card or get alan. You gotta do this
• 26:06
  Speaker 1: because everybody else is doing this. You can't make people
• 26:09
  Speaker 1: unhappy if you don't give them gifts or put all
• 26:11
  Speaker 1: these amount of gifts under your tree. That's the world system.
• 26:14
  Speaker 1: So if you start loving that instead of loving the God,
• 26:18
  Speaker 1: the Kingdom, principles of God. Amen. The Bible says that
• 26:22
  Speaker 1: we're opposing God and the love of God is not
• 26:24
  Speaker 1: in us. I'm just saying, a man, take yourself off
• 26:27
  Speaker 1: the hook. Go to the Lord. If you need something
• 26:29
  Speaker 1: for someone and you don't have that something, Amen, you
• 26:32
  Speaker 1: think it's that important. God will provide amen for your needs,
• 26:36
  Speaker 1: not for your want sometimes.
• 26:37
  Speaker 2: Amen.
• 26:38
  Speaker 1: Sister Joanna says, I'm thankful for God, but he gave me.
• 26:41
  Speaker 1: I didn't have what I have today. I laid the
• 26:44
  Speaker 1: heart life over in Puerto Rico. I didn't have what
• 26:48
  Speaker 1: I had here today. And I thank the Lord. Thank
• 26:51
  Speaker 1: the Lord for everything. He gives me the strength every
• 26:53
  Speaker 1: morning to wake up and give me strength to my
• 26:57
  Speaker 1: husband to wake up my husband. And not feeling too good,
• 27:01
  Speaker 1: I just thank God for another day he gives to
• 27:03
  Speaker 1: me and my family, another year that we come into.
• 27:07
  Speaker 1: I hope everything goes okay for the new year. God
• 27:10
  Speaker 1: is too good and I pray for my family too,
• 27:13
  Speaker 1: that He is with them and guides them and keeps
• 27:16
  Speaker 1: them safe. I love my Lord. Amen, I love him too.
• 27:18
  Speaker 1: We love you too, Sister Joanne. But I'm out of time.
• 27:22
  Speaker 1: Go to First John, chapter number two. Read the whole chapter.
• 27:27
  Speaker 1: We can't th out of verse fifteen, and it opened
• 27:29
  Speaker 1: up all these ideas, right. I praise God for that. Amen.
• 27:33
  Speaker 1: So God bless you all. God keep you all. Remember
• 27:36
  Speaker 1: always that God himself, God is good. Peace