Transcript

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What's up, faithful agents?
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Welcome to another episode of the Faithful Agent Podcast.
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I am your host, Garrett Maroon, and excited to be with you once again.
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Just a few quick housekeeping notes.
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The conference is coming up, as you heard at the very beginning of this episode.
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The fourth Faithful Agent Conference is coming October 3rd and 4th in Greenville, South Carolina.
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Go to faithfulagent .com backslash conference to check it out.
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It is going to be another incredible.
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experience honestly we're gonna learn and grow together we're gonna talk about tactically how do we grow our business we're gonna talk about spiritually how do we pop your hearts and where do we put our businesses in terms of in and offering to the lord we're gonna talk about how to be good stewards of what we have our gifts are time our talents our treasures how do we steward those things well and i want you to be there with us so we can learn together I promise you you will love coming to the Faithful Agent Conference.
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Just ask any of your friends who have come before it is a life -changing experience truly.
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So would be overjoyed to see you there if you have questions or need anything at all just email me garret at faithfulagent .com or message us on Facebook and go to our Facebook page.
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We're happy to share any and all resources questions answered whatever it is that you need.
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We would be honored to have you join us at the conference.
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So Without further ado, I thought I'd try something a little bit different today.
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And I was going to, instead of reading a chat GPT joke, because let's be honest, they're getting a little bit old.
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I was going to find the funniest church signs that I could find.
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You all know what I'm talking about.
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You're driving past a church.
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They have a sign out front and they always say, pray without ceasing, whatever, which those are good, right?
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Don't even say that.
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But some of them are hilarious.
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So I thought I'd pull up some of the funniest ones and read them to you.
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Here's one that I enjoyed from a place called Faith Family Worship Center.
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Some people forget how to pray until the cop makes a U -turn.
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Lord, help us to be the people our dogs think that we are.
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With all this rain, we need an ark.
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Fear not.
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Wait for it.
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We know a guy.
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That's fantastic.
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Anyways, that's good.
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All right.
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If you guys like that, Let me know if you didn't, I'll just stop telling jokes.
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But you know, I feel like that's part of the fun.
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Anyways, let's dive into something that I was reading this morning and something that we talked about actually in our group coaching group that I thought was really applicable and wanted to share this with you all.
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Just a few quick thoughts again here today.
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Acts 12, I'm going to read a quick passage from Acts 12 verse six through 11.
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now and the access as a reminder is that really beginning of the church as we know it in all the apostles going out everything that's happening actually james one of the the brother john was just killed by hered the king and so the and then he arrests peter so peter's thrown into prison because here trying to make the jews happy peter's thrown into prison but it says right before for six the earnest prayers made for him to god by the people of the church so Here we pick it up Acts 12 verse 6.
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wrap your cloak around you and follow me." And he went out and followed him.
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He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.
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When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city.
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It opened for them of its own accord.
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And they went out and went along one street and immediately the angel left him.
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When Peter came to himself, he said, now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel.
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and rescued me from the hand of herit and from all that the jewish were expecting i remember this morning i'm reading this passage in on reminded of not only the amazing stories in scripture and not just stories but trees that happen right i'd love to picture myself being there imagine being peter and you know maybe he knows maybe doesn't i guess it doesn't specify that here it is going to bring you out before the people the next day.
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And they've just killed James.
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So what is likely going to happen?
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Probably not something good.
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And so there you are laying that night, right?
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Herod's gonna bring you out the very next day.
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You're sleeping between two soldiers bound with two chains.
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So it's very possible your arms are literally bound to these other men and there's guards in front of the prison door.
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So Herod is clearly afraid something might happen and you are woken up by an angel of the Lord.
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and no one else wakes up right all the other people stay asleep peter literally thinks he's having a vision because how could he not and he wakes up peter in the chains fall off as a office hands he's literally sleeping between these two prison or two guards and the change fall off his hands it's amazing and then what does he do he walks through the door of the prison and no one notices right the guards don't notice and then they come to the the big gate leading into the prison which would open into the city in the gate opens up its own accord it just opens and they go out and then peter realizes well wait a minute that actually happened right he's rescued me the lord has rescued me from the hand of heredit from all that the jewish people were expecting i love that story for so many reasons number one just this reminder that for us as believers it is such a great imagery of no matter what we might feel in prison by right maybe it's a it's nagging sin maybe it's a health issue maybe it's a struggle in your business maybe it's a struggle in relationships whatever it is that you might feel in chained by isn't change a word i've no idea but you know what i mean whatever you feel in prison by the lord literally can free you from the chains just like that Peter has physical chains on his wrist and the Lord sends an angel who touches them boom they fall off.
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That's awesome right?
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I read that story to my kids last night in our family worship and my son said that's so cool right?
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He's a five -year -old boy said wow that is so cool an angel made the chains fall off the shackles fall off of his hands and then he walked right out of the prison.
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Don't forget that we serve a God.
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who does those kinds of things and can do those kinds of things, whatever it is that you might feel enchained by, again, I'll keep using that word, whatever you might feel imprisoned by, the Lord can just release you from those things.
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We should not stop praying and asking that the Lord would release us of those particular chains and bondage.
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Now, He might not, right?
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He would still be good even if He didn't free Peter, but He's also good because He did free Peter.
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Right?
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No matter what, we can worship Him as Job reminded us.
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Excuse me, that no matter what happens, blessed be your name.
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In good times and bad times, hard times, easy times, whatever it is, we can worship the Lord no matter what, because He desires good for us in whatever that looks like.
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But number one, don't forget that the Lord can free you from whatever chains are going on.
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in your life, whatever is holding you back, whatever you feel imprisoned by, whatever is going on, don't forget that's the God that we serve.
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And number two, in that same mindset, we often forget that we serve this kind of God.
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You know, as I'm reading back through the book of Acts and I'm reminded at the way the church has been started and all of these incredible things that the apostles do, whether it's through healing somebody or whether it's through being a gospel witness, whether it's through this angel releasing Peter from prison or Saul on the way to Damascus, just immediately the Lord changes his heart and he becomes a believer and the greatest human advocate for the gospel that has ever existed and wrote half of the New Testament, the Lord just changed his heart like that.
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I think it's easy for us to just forget the God that we serve, forget the kind of God that we serve, right?
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Again, all the...
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Gnar settlement stuff.
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We're all tired of talking about this.
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I know that I am.
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But the reality is, again, there's fear only because we've forgotten who is this God that we serve.
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What is His character?
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What is He capable of?
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Right?
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It's really easy for us to look around, and I confess this, right?
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We look around and we see someone else that has something that we don't or, you know, in our context, maybe they're selling a lot of homes, their business is going well, and we're struggling.
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It's easy for us in our sinful pride, to be honest, to look and say, why is my, our first thought is, why is my not business?
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Why is my business not like that?
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Why is the Lord not blessing my business?
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As opposed to joyfully celebrating with them that the Lord has chosen that that would be the type of business they have in this season for whatever reason.
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We so quickly turn in doubt and start to wonder, Lord, why aren't you doing anything about this?
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And we move off of the goodness and kindness of the Lord we run away from all of those things in the reality is we get stuck in this place were like well I guess my business is chained up again time for me to do something about it and instead of humbling ourselves we hunker down instead right I I think is believers when a season is difficult when things aren't going well in our opinion when our business maybe is it where should be or or relationships whatever it is i know that my tendency is to hunker down and try to work harder as opposed to humbling myself before the lord right is hunkering down is reaction to i think i'm in control and i can do it right that's what hunkering down looks like i think i'm in control i can fix this problem therefore i'm gonna just work a little bit harder as opposed to humbling myself and saying, Lord, You and You alone are in charge of it all, and I trust You in it.
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Father, give me the wisdom in what You want me to do.
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Whatever is holding me back, whatever I might feel chained by, You can release those things.
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Lord, grant me that grace that You would release me and let me walk through the gate into whatever it is that You might have for me, Lord.
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Those are the kinds of things we need to be reminded.
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Those are the kinds of things that we need to walk in.
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Those are the reminders we need to give one another and we need to encourage one another with whatever you're going through agent whatever your struggle is in life whether it's business relational faith spiritual those the same thing out whatever it is financial whatever it is that you're going through right now never forget that you serve a god that we serve a god who frees us from our chains now it might not happen in this life but in the life in eternity to come We will be free from all of these things.
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We need to remind ourselves and remind one another who is the God that we serve.
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What is His character?
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How do we learn about His character?
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Reading the Word.
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How do we remind ourselves?
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How do we learn not to hunker down but humble down when things aren't going well?
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We read the Word.
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We get in fellowship with one another.
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The reality is, my friends, as we go through this business life is there's ups and downs in the real estate marketer industry or whatever is happening we have to remind ourselves the character of the god that we serve the right question is not well i wonder what's about to happen in my business or what's about to happen in this relationship or what's about to happen with my pipeline whatever it is those are two right first questions the right first question is not well i wonder what's coming in the business what do you think the right first question is hey What's the character of God?
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And the answer is, He's a provider.
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Right?
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He's going to provide for you and your business in every season.
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Right?
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The right answer is, He's a God that releases us physically from the bondage that we're in.
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right answer is, He's a Father in heaven who, Luke 12, Jesus says, your Father in heaven knows what you need.
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Therefore seek the kingdom of heaven first.
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Those are the right answers.
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Those are the reminders that we need.
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Let us not forget that the wisdom of the world is but folly to the Lord.
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Brothers and sisters in Christ, seek first the wisdom of the Father.
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Remind yourself and your brothers and sisters the character and nature of God.
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That's how in whatever season we're in, business, financial, personal, relational, spiritual, whatever it is, that's how we remain hopeful.
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and humble.
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And that's hard.
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We need one another to do that.
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But that's how we remain hopeful and humble.
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Agents, I hope above all things you'll take away.
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You remind yourself the character of God.
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Who is he and what is he capable of doing?
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He's a God that releases us from our chains.
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He's a God that releases us from our bondage.
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He's the God that no matter what our situation, can overcome it.
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Should he choose to for our good in his glory.
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He can overcome it.
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love you, faithful agents.
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I hope you will come to the conference genuinely.
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Not for me.
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I'd love to see you there.
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I hope you'll come for you to be in a community and be surrounded by people who will remind you of these very truths.
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I love you, faithful agents.
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I will see you next week.