Sermon
Recorded February 16, 2025, with Rhonda Harrison.
Publisher transcript
Transcript
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It's time for the Champions in Christ broadcast
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with Rhonda Harrison on 1017 Bay of Thrones.
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Good morning and welcome to Champions in Christ.
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We're so glad you joined us today. This is the
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day that the Lord has made. Let's rejoice and
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be glad in it. God is such a good God and he
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loves you today and he loves me today and guess
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what? that love never changes. No matter what
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you do, no matter what you say, it cannot change
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the love God has for you and for me. And I'm
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so happy to be with you today and we're going
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to go in the Bible and we're going to start off
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talking about God's love again, but this time
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we're going to go a little different direction.
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Let's go in Mark chapter 2 and verse 1 and I'm
Mark 2 chapter mention
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reading out of the living translation. And it
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says when Jesus returned to Capernaum several
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days later, the news spread quickly that he was
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back home. Soon the house where he was staying
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was so packed with visitors there was no room
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even outside the door. While he was preaching
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God's word to them, four men arrived carrying
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a paralyzed man on a mat. They couldn't bring
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him in to see Jesus because of the crowd. So
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they dug a hole through the roof above his head
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and then lowered the man on his mat right down
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in front of Jesus. Wow talk about that's some
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real friends. I mean they had heard that God
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was healing people through Jesus and they wanted
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to make sure their friend got in front of Jesus
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and it was so packed that they went and tore
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a hole in the roof just to get him in front.
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That's some really good friends. Do you have
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good friends like that, that stand beside you
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through thick and thin, that will fight with
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you through everything you're going through?
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It's great if you do, but if you don't, guess
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what? God will do that with you. Jesus is your
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best friend. He will help you. He will be with
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you through that trial, through that circumstance,
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and He will answer your prayers. So let's continue.
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It says, then they lowered the man right down
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in front of Jesus seeing their faith. Jesus said
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to the paralyzed man, my child, your sins are
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forgiven. But some of the teachers of the religious
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law who were sitting there thought to themselves,
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what is he saying? This is blasphemy. Only God
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can forgive sin. But Jesus knew immediately what
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they were thinking. And so he asked them, he
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said, why do you question in your hearts? Is
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it easier to say to the paralyzed man, your sins
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are forgiven or stand up and pick up your mat
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and walk? So I will prove to you that the Son
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of Man has the authority on earth to forgive
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sin." And then Jesus said and turned to the paralyzed
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man, stand up, pick up your mat and go home.
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The man jumped up, grabbed his mat and walked
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out through the stunned onlookers. They were
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all amazed and they praised God exclaiming, we
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have never seen anything like this before. Wow,
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what a miracle, right? Here this man comes and
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he's paralyzed and they bring him and Jesus says,
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my child, your sins are forgiven. Why did he
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say, what's the difference in saying that and
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take up your mat and walk? Either way, the words
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of life came out of Jesus and salvation, when
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we get born again, we are saved and that salvation
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is all inclusive. Why is it all inclusive? Because
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when Jesus took our sin upon him and became a
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curse for us, for cursed is everyone who hangs
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on a tree that the blessing of Abraham might
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be upon us, he also before being on the cross,
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he was stricken 39 times, whipped. right? With
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the cat of nine tails and it was ripping the
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flesh right off his back and it's by those stripes
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we're healed. That's what your Bible says. That's
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what my Bible says in Isaiah 53, 4, and 5 and
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in 1st Peter 2, 24. He talks about by those stripes
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we were healed. Jesus took our sin and took our
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sickness. Hallelujah. Do you know in Isaiah In
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Isaiah, it was prophesied 700 years before Christ
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was on the scene. That's how perfect the Word
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of God is. You know, that was prophesied that
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many years before and then Jesus shows up and
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everything they prophesied came to pass. God
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is a good God. He loves you and he blesses you.
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He loves you and he blesses you. Let's talk about,
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you know, the difference. There's a scripture
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in John 10, 10. It said, the thief comes to steal,
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kill, and destroy, but I have come, this is Jesus
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speaking, that you may have life and life abundantly.
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So the word of God being true says that the thief
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comes to steal, kill, and destroy. The thief
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is the enemy, the enemy that was allowed to get
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involved on the earth when Adam fell. When Adam
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sinned, that opened up the earth. The earth became
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cursed. Satan had rule and reign. So he likes
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to run around. And although Jesus gets blamed
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for sickness, he doesn't put sickness on people.
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He came to heal people. He came to set them free.
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And so let's talk about sickness for a minute.
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If the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy,
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Let's talk about sickness. Does sickness steal?
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Yes, it steals your health. It steals your time.
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It steals your money. Does it kill? Yes, many
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people die of disease and sickness. Does it destroy?
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Yes, it destroys lives. It destroys family. And
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who did Jesus say still kills and destroy the
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thief? But Jesus is I've come to give life and
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more life abundantly. That's why. healing and
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divine health is of God. Right? He's not doing
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it to teach his children something. There are
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lots of ways to teach children. Would you put
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sickness on your child to teach them something?
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Heavens no. Heavens no. And neither would Jesus.
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Jesus healed every person in the Bible that came
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to him. The only thing he required is that they
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believe and they act out their belief. So with
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every person that said, I believe they had to
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act because faith without works is dead. So it's
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an amazing thing that God created man to live
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heavenly on earth when he created Eden and Adam
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and Eve and they were doing great, right? Adam
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named every animal that was ever created. Can
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you imagine that? Wow. That's how fully functional
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our brain was back then before the fall. They
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were living it out. The only thing they couldn't
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do is eat of the tree of the knowledge of good
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and evil. And that's the thing the enemy came.
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He tested them by having them question what God
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said to them. And that's what he likes to do.
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He likes to put a doubt, a thought in your mind.
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Not every thought that comes in your mind is
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yours, but it's whether we take that thought.
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Right? You don't have to take every thought in
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your brain. Every thought that comes in your
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head is not your thought. It may be put there
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by something you heard. It may be put there by
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the enemy. Maybe put there by God. Maybe put
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there through something you read. So you want
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to take out those thoughts that are not in line
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with God's Word and replace them with thoughts
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in line with God's Word. Meditate on the Word
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day and night. That means think about it, dwell
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on it, chew on it, because it's going to bring
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life and health to all your flesh. That's what
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the Bible says. You know, in Exodus 15 -23, he
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said, I am the God who heals you. I am the God
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who heals you. Hallelujah. You know, and after
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that design, you know, the land was cursed. Then
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came the plan of redemption and Jesus came to
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take those stripes to bear our sin, to be raised
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from the dead. That took care of it. That was
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the payment for our sin and our sickness. It's
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all inclusive. And now we are the proof of his
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design by going out, preaching the word, teaching,
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laying hands on the sick that they would recover.
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Casting out demons, that's what Jesus told his
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disciples to do and that's what he's still telling
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his disciples to do, the good news. There is
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no bad news when it comes to Christ. It's all
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good. The same word of God that Jesus used out
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of his mouth, we use today. He used the word.
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He spoke the word against the enemy. You know,
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when he was tempted 40 days in the wilderness,
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how did he defeat the enemy in the wilderness
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with temptation? He spoke the word. He said,
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it is written, man shall not live by bread alone,
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but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth
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of God. We are to live by every word out of the
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mouth of God. And do you know, when we do that,
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let's turn over to Mark. 11, 22 through 25. I
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want to read you what Jesus promises. He says,
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and Jesus said to the disciples, have faith in
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God. I tell you the truth. You can say to this
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mountain, be lifted up and cast into the sea
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and it will happen. But you must trust in your
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heart and have no doubt. I tell you, you can
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pray for anything. And if you believe you receive
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it, it will be yours. But when you're praying,
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forgive anyone you're holding a grudge against
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so that your father in heaven will forgive your
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sins. In other words, every time we pray, believe
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in God for something and he said anything we
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ask, we will have what we say. If we trust him
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and believe it, we can't hold unforgiveness that
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will hinder our prayers because if we don't forgive,
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he can't forgive us. So hallelujah, I mean, he
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has given us all authority over all the works
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of the devil. That's what the word of God says.
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You know, in first John chapter five, in verse
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12, it starts out and says, these things I've
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written to you that you believe on the son of
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God, that you may know that you have eternal
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life and that you may believe on the name of
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the son of God. which is Jesus and this is the
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confidence that we have in him that if we ask
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anything according to his will he hears us. Well
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if Jesus healed every person while he was on
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earth that came to him and asked why wouldn't
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he heal you why wouldn't he heal me he didn't
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stop and ask them well tell me about your life
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tell me about your sin in your life he didn't
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do any of that he had mercy and compassion. And
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that's why He came to redeem us and restore us
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to that rightful place of divine health, salvation,
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prosperity. He wants you blessed. You're His
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child the same way you want to bless your children.
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The Bible says if we being evil know how to give
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good gifts to our children, how much more does
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our Heavenly Father want to give good gifts to
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us? Glory to God. Thank you, Jesus. You know,
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Mark 1027 says, with men it is impossible, but
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not with God, for with God, all things are possible.
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That's right. All things. There's no exception.
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Anything is possible. And when we read that previous
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verse about speak to the mountain, if there's
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a mountain in your life today, whether it's a
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mountain of debt, a mountain of sickness and
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disease, a mountain of strife, a mountain of
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hatred, a mountain of discontent, any mountain
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that's in your way. The Bible says as we just
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read, speak to that mountain and command it to
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be cast into the sea in the name of Jesus because
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that's where the power and the authority comes
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from. It's just like a policeman standing in
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the street. If he was in plain clothes and you
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didn't know, that he had the authority and he
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didn't know he had the authority to stop traffic.
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People would either run around him or run over
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him. But when he's in that uniform and he knows
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his authority with that badge, then we obey most
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of the time, right? Same with Jesus. When we
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know our authority and we know what's in the
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will the New Testament Old Testament means will.
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Someone has to die for a will to be valid. But
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when that will is valid and it is because Jesus
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died, he's also he's also the mediator of the
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testament of the will. Then it is true and we
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have to stand and we have power and authority
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over all the works of the devil. You know, first
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Peter 2 24 says he carried our sins on his body
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on the cross so that we being dead and sin should
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live in righteousness by whose stripes we were
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healed. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Remember that
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table we talked about last week in Psalms 23
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-5 that He prepares a table for us in the presence
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of our enemy? Hallelujah. Guess what's on that
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table? Healing and divine health. You know, we
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can't live by circumstance and situation. We
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live by the Word of God because Jesus said, I'm
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the way, I'm the truth, and I'm the life. He's
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the truth so everything else there are things
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that happen in life that we don't understand
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But we don't live by experience if you're a born
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-again Christian. We live by the truth We live
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by the word so we don't let what happens there
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are many factors that play in To things people
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go. Oh, well God didn't answer my prayer Well,
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you don't know all the factors and we won't know
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till we get to heaven. But if we stick to it,
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if we believe him, if we trust him and we do
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as he says and put action to our faith, we can
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have whatsoever he wills. Isn't that exciting?
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Isn't that just wonderful? God is faithful. He
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is faithful. to a thousand generations. He is
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faithful. Are you a part of that generation?
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Am I a part of that generation? Absolutely. Absolutely.
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Have faith in God. Trust his word. He will never
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fail you. He will never fail you. Right? Jeremiah
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30 17 says, I will restore health and heal all
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your wounds. Maybe you're brokenhearted today.
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Maybe you've went through a divorce, a breakup.
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Maybe you're having family issues. Maybe you
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just found out your dad isn't who your dad who
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you thought your dad was. Maybe you've been abandoned
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today by someone or your parents or who knows
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life happens all over the world. But you know
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what? God is the healer. God will never abandon
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you. He'll never leave you. He'll never break
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up with you. He loves you today. And you can
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turn to Him. Just call on that name. Just say,
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Jesus, I need you. And He's right there listening.
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And you ask Him for help. Just say, Jesus, help.
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He will help you. He will heal your brokenhearted.
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He will give you a dream. He will give you a
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new beginning. Jesus is all about new beginnings.
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You know, we all fall off the horse. It's not
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what the falling that matters. It's the getting
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up. Are you gonna get up, pull up your bootstraps,
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and head in a new direction with a new heart
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towards God? Or are you gonna just lay there?
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You don't want to lay there, there's too much
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life to live, too much blessing God has for you.
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He not only forgives our sin, He forgets our
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sin. He throws it, the Bible says, as far as
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the east is to the west and down deep into the
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sea of forgetfulness. Aren't you thankful for
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that? I sure am. I sure am. Another place in
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Psalms 147 .3. It says, he heals the brokenhearted
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and binds up their wounds. Glory to God, glory
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to God. You know, Luke 10, 19 says, Jesus gave
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us all authority over all the works of the devil.
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Hallelujah. That means he may try, but if we
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stand our ground, just like, A father protects
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his children. Our God, our Father, our Heavenly
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Father protects us through the power of the Holy
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Spirit. He gives angels charge over you to keep
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you in all your ways, least your feet dash against
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the stone. That's in Psalms 91. We are so blessed
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people. I don't care what land you're in. I don't
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care what country you're from or what country
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you're in right now. Jesus is faithful if we
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trust him. If we trust him, that's the key. You
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know, Matthew 18, 18 says, I tell you the truth.
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This is Jesus speaking. Whatever you bind on
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earth will be bound in heaven. Whatever you permit
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on earth will be permitted in heaven. I also
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tell you if any two of you agree on earth as
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touching concerning anything you ask my father
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in heaven will do it for you. For where two or
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three are gathered in my name. am among them
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he's there if you he's there with you right now
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whether you're alone or with someone but when
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you're with two or three and you come in agreement
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over God's Word he will be faithful to do what
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you need him to do the answer will be there if
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you trust him and your actions meet his meet
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your faith right praise the Lord Praise the Lord.
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Proverbs 17 22. Laughter does good like a medicine.
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Have you laughed lately? Have you watched something
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funny? Turn the news off and turn on something
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funny and laugh, laugh, laugh. It does your your
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body good like a medicine. You know, in third
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John two, Jesus said, I would have it that you
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would above all things prosper. be in health
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even as your soul prosper he said above everything
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he wants you healthy and prosperous what does
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that mean people go prosperous and salvation
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to go to heaven one day no that yes that included
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but he also wants you prosperous on earth he
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will bless the hand your hands whatever you put
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them to that's what the word of God says he became
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poor that we might become rich will everybody
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become rich no but it's available If you've got
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the due diligence, if you trust God, if you use
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wisdom, make right choices, be diligent, diligent,
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diligent in business, not slothful. The Bible
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says don't be slothful in business, but be diligent.
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God is faithful. He's faithful to do it. If you
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lock arms with him, he has big dreams for you.
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Dream big. Big don't waste your dreams. Don't
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waste your life time keeps ticking every day
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every day. We can't take back five minutes ago.
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We can't change anything that happened 30 seconds
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ago or 20 years ago. Let go of the past grab
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a hold of your future and let God lead you and
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guide you put good things in and you'll get good
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things out right garbage in garbage out good
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things in good things out. We're going to go
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to a song right now and I'm going to come right
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back to you on the other side. When Giants come
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calling my name My God is so much bigger than
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troubles I face Why would I hunger for power
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riches or fame? Better than all of these things
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So I won't be ashamed Cause they know the bad
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right our God is bigger greater stronger than
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that mountain and we heard his command speak
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to the mountain I encourage you to do that today
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but it's only if you're a child of God that all
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these promises are yes and amen to those that
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believe in him so today if you've never believed
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in him Or maybe you did and you walked away and
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you blame God for something or maybe life threw
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you a curve ball and you got involved with the
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wrong group. Guess what? You can do a turnaround
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today. Maybe you prayed a prayer many years ago,
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but you're not sure if you're born again. God
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wants you to be sure. He'll give you that assurance
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in your gut. You will know that you know and
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nobody can take you out of the hand of God. So
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pray this prayer with me, dear Jesus, forgive
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me of my sin, cleanse me, wash me. I yield to
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your Holy Spirit. Fill me with your goodness.
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Thank you for dying on that cross and rising
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again. I declare you as my savior and my God
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in Jesus name. Amen. And I want to tell you today
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friend, you are born again. You are in that right
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place with God and all these promises are for
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you. And I want to say yes and amen. And I want
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to encourage you to read your Bible. Get in the
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New Testament. I would start there because that's
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where we live. Start in the New Testament. If
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you don't have a Bible, you can contact us at
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championsinchrist3 at gmail .com and we will
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send you a new Bible free of charge and we just
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want you to have God's Word. Go to a good church
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that preaches the whole Word of God. Turn on
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some great preaching. Turn on worship music.
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There's so much good music out there today. We
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are so blessed to have it. And we want you to
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know that we are here for you. Champions in Christ,
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that's who we are, and we are here for you. We
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want to give you opportunity. We will be taking
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a trip to India. We've been asked to come and
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minister the Word of God and some churches and
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orphanage and schools. Give you opportunity to
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sow into that. If you'd like to, you can contact
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us. We can tell you more about it at championsincrist3
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at gmail .com. But today we want you to go out.
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We want you to make it a great day. Why? Because
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God loves you. We love you and you are a champion
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in Christ.