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The Greater One in You · In the Stillness Podcast

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  Hey everyone, welcome back to In THE Stillness.
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  This is friendly. Happy Tuesday.
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  I don't know what your week has started off like.
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  Maybe it's already been busy heavy, or maybe you're just
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  trying to stay consistent and continue showing up.
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  But wherever you are right now, I'm so glad that you're joining
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  me. Today's combo is real.
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  It's direct, but it's also very encouraging.
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  We are going to be talking about something that truthfully
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  effects all of us whether we realize it or not.
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  And it's what it actually means to live in authority as a
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  believer of Jesus Christ. So let's go ahead and read the
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  scripture for today. We are going to be in first John
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  chapter 4, verses 4 to 6, little children.
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  You can be certain that you belong to God and have conquered
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  them, for the one who is living in you is far greater than the
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  one who is in the world. They belong to this world, and
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  they articulate the spirit of this world, and the world
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  listens to them. But we belong to God, and
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  whoever truly knows God listens to us.
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  Those who refuse to listen to us do not belong to God.
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  That is how we can know the spirit of truth and the spirit
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  of deceit. OK, let's just be honest for a
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  second. This world that we live in, it
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  does not just tolerate evil, it often celebrates it.
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  You see it everywhere. It is all up in your face in
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  movies, TV shows, in the music we listen to, in celebrities,
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  award ceremonies, even cultural trends.
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  Things that clearly go against the heart of God are not only
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  accepted, but oftentimes applauded.
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  And Scripture is so clear about all of this.
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  The spirit of the Antichrist is not just some distant future
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  thing. It is already at work right now.
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  It shows up through deception, through voices that distract and
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  pull us away from the truth, through influences that really
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  make sin look normal and sometimes desirable.
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  But Jesus warns us for a reason. In Matthew Chapter 7.
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  He says to beware of false prophets who come to you in
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  sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
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  So that is the danger. Deception does not always look
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  obvious, and for believers who are not truly grounded in the
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  Word and being alert and guarded, it can be really easy
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  to be pulled off the narrow path.
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  Rejecting Jesus is not always loud.
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  Sometimes it just looks like ignoring His teachings, picking
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  and choosing what might feel comfortable in the moment,
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  following parts of the gospel, but not all of it.
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  But y'all, we are not called to partial obedience.
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  Ephesians 4 verse 27 says give no opportunity to the devil.
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  Other translations say don't give him a foothold.
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  But that is what compromise does.
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  Compromise creates space for the enemy to operate in your life.
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  So a real question to sit with is, is there any sin in your
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  life currently that you've been justifying or even compromising
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  on? This is not to bring
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  condemnation because there is no condemnation for those who are
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  in Christ Jesus, but this is an invitation back into alignment.
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  While this is all super serious, we are not meant to live
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  stressed, anxious, or even overwhelmed by the darkness and
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  evil in this world. Jesus says in John chapter 16
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  verse 33 that in this world you will have tribulation, but take
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  heart, for I've overcome the world and that directly connects
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  us to 1st John 4/4 that we just read earlier.
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  The one who lives in you is greater than the one who is in
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  the world. So yes, evil does exist.
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  It is so real and prominent, but it is not superior to the Spirit
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  of God that is within you. Think about what you carry as a
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  believer. You have access to the Word of
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  God. You have the Holy Spirit, God's
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  presence, dwelling inside of you.
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  You have Jesus in heaven interceding for you.
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  There is nothing, nothing greater than what is within you.
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  And yet so often I think we live like we are powerless, like we
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  have less than what we have. Scripture says in Ephesians 2,
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  too, that Satan is the Prince of the power of the air.
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  So he influences the systems of this world, culture, societal
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  standards, what is really normalized.
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  And John, it says actually in the commentary, uses the word
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  world in that way over 100 times, and it's implying society
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  patterns that we're surrounded by.
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  So think today like how success is measured by money or status,
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  maybe how beauty is defined, what is celebrated versus what
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  is actually holy and pure. Satan uses all of it to distract
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  and to deceive. But The thing is, all of it
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  pales in comparison to Jesus Christ.
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  Matthew 28 verse 18 says that all authority in heaven and on
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  earth has been given to Jesus. Y'all it is all authority
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  entirely. Isaiah 66 verse one says heaven
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  is my throne and the earth is my footstool.
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  So if Jesus has all authority, the devil has no authority.
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  Even in the book of Job, Satan had to ask God for permission to
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  test him, and someone who has to ask permission is under
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  authority. So why do we keep giving the
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  weaker 1A voice in our thoughts, in our relationships,
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  friendships, in our own homes? I think so often we allow fear
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  to speak in, we let insecurity speak, we let lies speak.
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  But we have authority in Christ Jesus.
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  So just ask yourself, what am I listening to?
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  What am I believing and who am I believing?
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  Is it shaped by the world's perspective or by God's truth?
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  Because there is a difference between what the world
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  celebrates and what God honors. This part really stood out to
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  me. I was praying and asking the
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  Lord to give me a contrast to humility, another word other
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  than pride. And I felt Him whisper the word
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  hubris. And of course I've heard this
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  word before, but I was like, what does that mean?
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  And so I looked it up and y'all, it means excessive pride.
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  The Holy Spirit literally gave me a synonym in the Greek word
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  for the opposite of humility. It made so much sense because
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  sometimes what looks like discipline in the world is
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  actually idolatry that is rooted in pride and control, in self
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  exaltation, not in devotion to God.
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  But the bottom line is that God is after your heart.
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  Malachi 4 verse 2 says But for you who fear my name, the sun of
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  righteousness shall rise with healing in its rays.
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  Nehemiah 111 It says, Let your ear, Lord, be attentive to the
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  prayer of your servant who delights to fear your name.
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  So these verses point to the fact that God delights in those
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  who Revere Him, who love to live for Him.
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  And that does not mean that life becomes easy, but look at what
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  He promises. Isaiah 26 tells us that He keeps
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  in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they
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  trust in Him. Psalm 16, verse 11.
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  In your presence there's fullness of joy.
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  At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
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  So even in trials, even in hardship, you can have peace,
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  you can have joy. The question is, are you letting
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  yourself live in that? Because living in authority does
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  not mean ignoring reality. It means standing firm in truth
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  in the midst of it. Sometimes that truth is not what
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  people want to hear. People naturally want messages
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  that make them feel good, that affirm what their desires want,
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  but truth, real truth that is rooted in the Word of God.
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  It corrects us, It rebukes us, it teaches us so that we can be
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  thoroughly equipped as servants of God.
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  And if we're more focused on being liked than being faithful,
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  we're not going to be effective witnesses for the Kingdom.
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  We have to be delivered from people pleasing.
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  It is not a popularity contest. It's about being a faithful
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  witness. So before I close out in prayer,
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  I want to take a moment to reflect on these things.
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  Where in my life might I be compromising?
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  Am I giving the devil a foothold anywhere?
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  What voices have I been listening to?
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  Is it God's voice or is it the world's voice?
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  Do I truly believe that the Spirit within me is greater than
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  anything around me in this world?
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  And lastly, what would it look like for me to actually live in
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  that divine authority that I've been given?
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  So let's go ahead and pray. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you
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  for this message. Thank you for this truth.
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  Thank you that your Holy Spirit leads us and guides us into all
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  truth and points us back to you. I pray for wisdom, wisdom from
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  heaven that is pure, that is sincere, impartial, humble.
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  I pray that we would recognize deception quickly and to choose
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  truth boldly. Father, would you give us hearts
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  that are all in for you? Not partially.
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  We want to be fully devoted to you as servants, as daughters
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  and sons, as friends of God. Remind us that Your Spirit lives
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  within us and because of that, we are not powerless.
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  We are actually more than secure in You, Jesus Christ.
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  I pray that you would teach us to walk in humility.
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  May we delight in revering and fearing Your name.
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  May we live in the authority that you have entrusted to us
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  through Jesus. God, keep us steady.
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  Keep us grounded. May we draw closer and closer to
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  You every day, and I pray that you would draw closer to us.
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  We pray this in Jesus name, Amen.
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  OK guys, well that's today's podcast episode.
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  Praying that y'all are blessed by it, that you can continue
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  learning more about the heart of God, growing in intimacy with
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  the Father, and that y'all have a wonderful rest of your
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  Tuesday. I'll see y'all in the next
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  episode.