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Most of us eat every day,
some of us too much, because yesterday's

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food is not enough to supply energy
for today's needs. Why then, do

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some of us expect yesterday's portion of
heavenly manna, the word of God to

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keep us through today's challenges. On
this program, we are going to change

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all of that. Let's experience God's
words today and receive the power we need

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to live healthy, vibrant lives.
Welcome to Your Daily Portion with your host,

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author speaker, Elle David Harris.
Good morning, Good morning, Good

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morning. It is Monday, July
fifteen, twenty twenty four. Hello,

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my name is El David Harris.
I am your host, and this is

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your Daily Portion where we give you
God's word every single day, and today

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is no exception. We are continuing
in our Lesson study series through the Book

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of Mark. Our caption for today
is calling Levi and the fasting question,

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or the question of fasting. Calling
Levi and the question of fasting. That's

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complicated. I know we'll get into
that in just a moment, but first

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I'd like to say welcome to you
and ask you to please go over to

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your Daily Portion dot com. Please
join our online community where we uncomplicate things.

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If you have a question concerning the
lesson, well that's the place that

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you ask your question. Right.
If you have some discussions surrounding the lesson,

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that is the place where you can
have your discussion. I know you're

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in the chat, you're in the
comment sections and so forth. But there

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are people on the radio two hundred
radio stations, people on devices where you

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can't communicate. So come into the
community at your daily portion dot com.

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And this is a way that we
will continue to build faith and fellowship.

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Let's go ahead and pray, and
then we will get underway. Father and

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Heaven. Thank you for giving us
this new day. Thank you for loving

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us. Please help us when we
hear your call to accept your call.

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In Jesus' name, I pray,
Amen and Amen again, Levi. And

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the question of fasting controversies, controversies. If this is your first day with

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us, then you'll need to scroll
back for just a few days and you'll

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see that that is kind of what
we are. There are people who,

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when they're in God's presence, they
choose controversy instead of conversion. There are

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people who, when they are in
the presence of God, they choose to

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be cantankerous rather than to be converted
by God. And so what we're dealing

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with here is, you know,
several instances where God pressed through the dark

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cloud of people trying to figure out
how they're supposed to like respond to him

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over and against their con controversial nature, like it's weird. And so we

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go into the Bible Book of Mark, chapter two for this part of the

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story, beginning at verse thirteen,
and the Bible reads and he went forth

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again by the seaside, and all
the multitude resorted to him. I think

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we said something like that before,
like yesterday, there may be an echo

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in here. When Jesus was present, people knew where he was because he

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was a prominent figure. Why was
he a prominent figure Because he was transforming

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people's lives, healing the sick,
raising the dead, giving people food when

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they didn't have any food, like
delivering people from sin bondage. And so

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there are a lot of people there, and he taught them. That's what

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he did. That's what made what
he did so special Verse fourteen. And

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as he passed by, he saw
Levi, the son of al Faeos,

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sitting at the receipt of custom.
And he said to him, follow me.

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Now, Levi Matthew, by the
way, was a tax collector.

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And the tax collectors might as well
have been like one of the worst types

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of people in that culture in that
day, like they would they would put

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tax collectors and pick negative sin fill
in the blank right here, like put

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all of that into into one.
Buts like Levi Matthew was from a set

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of people in the community that the
people just said, just call him a

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sinner, like he's a tax collector
center same thing. Okay, So this

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is what we're dealing with. And
so Jesus is calling Levi Matthew. And

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part of it is because they these
guys were scammers, like some of them

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were genal, like they would overreach, and so that's what we're dealing with

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here. And it says he said, follow me, and he arose and

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did what followed him Verse fifteen.
And it came to pass that as Jesus

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sat at meat in his house,
many publicans and sinners and more of them,

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you had more tax collectors and sinners
set also together with Jesus and his

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disciples, and there were many that
followed him, and the scribes and the

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Pharisees saw him eat with oh,
my goodness, publicans, Like you're eating

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with tax collectors and sinners. That's
what they That's what they're saying, like

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he's eating with publicans and sinners,
and of course and their mindset. It

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was like, if you're eating with
them, then you're just like them,

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and so you're condoning their lifestyles and
behavior. So you should not be unclean

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like that, like you should not
be attached or associated with these people,

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because how how could you be how
could you be from God and be willing

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to eat in the presence of publicans
and sinners. Boy, they had it

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all wrong. They had it all
wrong. And they said, unto his

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disciples, how is it that he
eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?

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And when Jesus heard it, he
said, unto them, Uh, they

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that are whole have no need of
a physician, but they that are sick.

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What is Jesus saying here? Is
he saying that the people who are

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asking these controversial questions from a dark
heart, that they're sick and they need

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a physician, and that they should
be getting healed. But rather they are

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being controversial. They are standing in
the way of other people. Getting healed,

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as he also potentially saying that,
well, why would you are you

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gonna You're just gonna have a club, a club full of an exclusive club

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full of people that are special and
don't need any assistance, and bring them

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all together. Jesus is saying that
in my presence, all of the laying,

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the main, the blind, the
sick, the halt, the people

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who can't speak, the people who
are sick, the people who are sinners

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in the quote worst ways, those
individuals get the deliverance that they need.

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So what's the controversy here? Continuing
verse seven, Oh, no, I

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said that already verse seventeen, Verse
eighteen. At seventeen it says, I

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came not to call the righteous,
but sinners to repentance. And the disciples

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of John and of the Pharisees used
to fast. And they came and say,

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unto him, why do the disciples
of John and the Pharisees fast,

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but your disciples they don't? Verse
nineteen, and Jesus said, unto them,

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can the children of the bride chamber
fast while the bridegroom is with them?

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As long as they have the bridegroom
with them, they cannot fast Jesus

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is saying, why are you worrying
about fasting? The fullness of the presence

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of God in human form is here. The power of God is present to

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heal. And you want to have
a discussion about fasting. Why I'm right

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here the epitome of all that you
could get or the benefit that you could

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derive by fasting and praying, and
your sackcloth and ashes, throwing dust and

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covering yourself in burlap bags. All
of the benefit that you could receive by

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humbling yourself in that way is present
right here. So why in the world

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would you do all of that when
I'm right here? Ask what you need?

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Experience all that God is gonna do
this in this space and time,

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and you're worrying about fasting. Come
on, man verse twenty. But in

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the days it will come when the
bridegroom shall be taken away from them,

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and then they shall fast in those
days. No man also soe a piece

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of new cloth on an old garment, else the new piece that filled it

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up would take away from the old, and the rent is made worst.

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And no man putteth new wine in
old bottles, else the new wine doth

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burst the bottles and the wine spilleth, and the bottles will be marred,

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and the new wine must be put
into new bottles. I said to you

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yesterday on that last point, that
there are people who are so stubborn spiritually

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speaking, people spiritually spiritual know it
alls, people who would rather be in

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air quotes, technical right in their
own eyes and arguments than to actually experience

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the presence of God, to experience
the power of God unto salvation in their

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hearts, to deliver people who are
bound financially, spiritually, emotionally, and

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ear in some other way from a
health perspective, they would rather have an

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argument and have discussion, intellectual discussion
to make themselves feel intelligent, than to

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accept the word of God. And
so what God is saying to us is,

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first of all, be present for
people who need to be connected to

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God, and also be present when
you need to be connected to God,

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like don't make yourself so rigid that
you cannot change. Make it a great

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day. Thanks for joining us listening. Friends. Always remember we cannot live

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by bread alone, but by every
word that comes from the mouth of God.

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This has been your daily portion with
El David Harris. Make it a

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great day. Yeah,