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Love Without Truth Isn't Love · In the Stillness Podcast

• 0:00
  Hey y'all, welcome back to the podcast.
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  This is friendly. Happy Friday We.
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  Made it. Today we are.
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  Transitioning from first John into second John, which?
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  Is already super. Short and.
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  Sweet but. It is nothing short of
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  significant. It is.
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  Truly amazing to me how much depth God can pack into only a
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  few. Verses.
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  This morning we're going to be talking about two things John
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  keeps reiterating and tying together over and over again.
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  That is. Truth and love and I.
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  Believe. This message is so incredibly
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  important, especially in the world that we're living in right
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  now. Let's go ahead and.
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  Read We're going to be in verses one to three from the Elder.
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  To God. 'S chosen woman and her
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  children. I love you all as those.
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  Who are in the truth? And I'm not the only one.
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  For. All who come to know the truth
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  share my love for you. Because.
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  Of the living truth. That has.
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  A permanent home in US and will be.
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  With us forever grace. Mercy and peace belong to us,
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  flowing from the presence of God, the.
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  Father. And from.
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  Jesus Christ. Son of the Father and from the
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  Realm of. True love.
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  OK, I want to discuss a little bit of context before going
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  straight into what I wrote down for these.
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  Verses first of all. John.
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  As we. Read in first John He.
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  Was the author of that. Book and.
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  He also wrote the Gospel of. John.
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  He wrote. 3rd John, so the one after this one, and also
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  revelation he was one of. Jesus 12.
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  Disciples and he. Wrote this letter to believers
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  he deeply cared. For and loved.
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  The purpose of this letter of. Second John.
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  Was to highlight. The essentials.
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  Of. The Christian life.
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  While. Also warning against false
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  teaching and deception and throughout this.
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  Short book, as I said earlier. John keeps reminding us truth
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  and love. Those are the essentials.
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  The word love is actually. Used by John 62 times in the New
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  Testament. And what's so interesting is all
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  the other New Testament authors combined used it 116 times.
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  He uses truth. Constantly too.
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  John repeats stuff intentionally because to him these are not
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  just random topics, they are foundational to following.
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  Jesus Christ. So one thing.
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  That really. Stood out to me for my quiet
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  time is. How distorted truth has.
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  Become in our culture. I feel like that was what the
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  Lord was. Really pressing on my heart.
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  To reflect. On.
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  Because truth today has. Become whatever.
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  Feels right to you. You hear my truth is my truth
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  your. Truth is your truth.
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  But guys. Truth is not personal
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  preference. Truth exists outside of us.
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  And our culture tends to. Twist words.
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  Constantly meanings. Evolve.
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  They get changed, things get taken out of context.
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  Words become tools to build our own egos instead of what is
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  honest and transparent. We have started.
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  To become so. Skeptical of truth that people
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  literally. In their conversations have to.
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  Swear to tell the truth. Why is that?
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  Because. Deception has become normal, but
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  John is reminding us that. God is the absolute God.
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  Is the standard of. Truth.
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  Not society, not our feelings or opinions.
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  And Jesus did not just. Speak truth.
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  In his ministry. He said he is the truth.
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  In John 14 verse 6. I am the way.
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  The truth in the life no one comes to.
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  The Father. Except through me, he is not
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  just a. Truth.
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  He is the truth. So if we really do.
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  Want to know? What is true we don't start
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  with? Ourselves and we don't start
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  with. Culture we start with.
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  Jesus, John was writing partly to warn believers.
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  About false. Teaching entering the church and
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  that is so important for us today because not everything
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  labeled quote UN quote Christian.
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  Is actually biblical. It is.
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  So important that we analyze everything we hear, everything
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  we listen to. With the word of.
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  God, we cannot live. Spiritually passive.
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  Even when you listen to sermons, when you listen to podcasts.
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  That's why. I encourage y'all.
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  To really ask the. Lord, what he wants to reveal
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  to. Y'all, because the reality is.
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  As humans, we're still going to misspeak and make mistakes.
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  But the Word of God is the. Truth and there are no mistakes
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  in it. So when you're going to the word
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  of God and evaluating what you hear in a sermon, what you hear
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  in a podcast, then if you are truly doing that.
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  It will keep you. Aligned.
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  You have access to the Bible. You can know his.
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  Truth for yourself. And one.
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  Day Every. Single one of us.
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  Will stand before God. And be held accountable for.
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  What? We believed and what?
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  We followed, so that is. Why it matters to actually know
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  scripture instead of just consuming opinions about it?
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  Are we actively? Seeking.
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  Truth every. Single day.
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  Are we? Spiritually nourished.
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  Or is it possible that you are rushing past God's word?
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  Without letting it really sink into you.
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  Truth is not just meant to be glanced at and skimmed over.
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  The Bible is meant to transform us.
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  That is why Scripture tells us. To be transformed by the
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  renewing of our minds. The Bible has the power to do
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  that because his words are. Living and active.
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  They are. Sharper than A2 edged.
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  Sword. They Pierce through the.
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  Division of soul and spirit, bone and marrow, and they
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  discern our thoughts and intentions.
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  So let scripture purify. Your mind transform your heart
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  from the inside out now also. Here is what is.
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  So important, John. Never.
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  Separates. Truth from love and honestly
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  people tend to fall into extremes.
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  I feel like there. Is a pendulum swing a lot of the
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  times and some people they. Emphasize truth but become harsh
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  or. Cold and self-righteous.
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  About it others. They swing to the other end,
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  they emphasize. Love but.
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  Remove truth completely and they affirm that everything no
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  matter. What God says is out of love,
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  but. Jesus never.
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  Separated the two. In fact, he embodied truth and.
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  Love perfectly. He was fully truthful.
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  And fully loving simultaneously and real.
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  Love, Biblical love is very. Different from the world's
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  version. A world that talks.
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  About love constantly. We see.
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  It through movies, songs, romantic novels, social media.
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  Love is everywhere. As an idea, as a concept, but
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  sincere. Love is actually scarce.
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  Real love. Costs something.
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  It is selfless. It's.
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  Giving. It's sacrificial.
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  It stays faithful. It tells the truth it.
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  Cares about someone else's heart and soul and ultimately real.
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  Love dies to self because that is exactly what Jesus.
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  Christ demonstrated on the cross our.
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  World builds. Love around self.
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  But Christ. Is the complete opposite of self
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  centeredness. He laid.
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  His life. Down SO.
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  When we claim to. Follow Jesus.
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  We are called to flee for both falsehood.
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  And selfishness. We are to pursue.
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  Walking in truth and acting in love.
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  Not one without the. Other truth without love is
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  just. Religion.
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  But love without truth. Can turn into compromise.
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  So This is why. The Christian life.
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  It requires both. And I love where John says the
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  truth remains in US and will be. With us forever.
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  Because if you really do. Belong to Christ.
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  The living truth, Jesus. Lives inside.
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  Of you through the Holy Spirit you.
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  Are not left defenseless in a world.
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  That is full of. Deceit and deception.
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  You are. Safeguarded in Christ.
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  The Bible says that. We are hidden with Christ in
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  God. But we do have.
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  To stay planted in him every single day.
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  Because. The world is not going to.
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  Stop throwing. Things at us trying to redefine.
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  Truth redefine. Love.
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  God's. Truth does not change.
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  It says Jesus Christ. Is the same.
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  Yesterday. Today.
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  And forever. So if Jesus Christ is the truth.
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  His definition of love has not changed either.
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  So as. We move into this weekend and
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  reflect on these things. On this Friday I want to leave.
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  You guys with this pursue truth deeply.
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  And love people genuinely don't seek the world's version.
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  Seek out Jesus's. Version.
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  He is both. And when you abide in Him, and
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  you remain in Him, his. Spirit will.
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  Empower you. To live.
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  In the truth and to live in love at the same time.
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  So let's move into prayer now. Dear Father.
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  Thank you for being our. Source of truth, even.
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  In a world that. Is full.
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  Of confusion and all kinds of false teachings.
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  Thank you. That your.
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  Teaching does not. Shift with culture.
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  Or with opinion. Would you keep us?
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  Firmly planted in your truth, God.
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  Would you teach us to love the way that Jesus loved,
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  selflessly, sincerely? To.
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  Lay our. Lives down for you and for
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  others. Remove.
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  Pride I. Pray that it would not grow in
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  our hearts. May we flee from selfish
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  ambition, from compromise. Make us.
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  Alert to. Anything that tries to.
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  Deceive us. May we reflect.
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  Both truth. And love.
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  Together so that. Our lives can point people back.
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  To you, Jesus, we. Pray this in your name, Amen.
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  OK y'all, that is Friday's episode.
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  I'm praying. For you guys as.
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  You head into another weekend. I love what we're.
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  Already learning through second John and am really expectant for
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  what's to come in the next. Podcast episode.