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<v Speaker 1>Hey, everybody, this is Pastor Rick's Daily Hope, and we

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<v Speaker 1>are so glad you're here. As we approach the new year,

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<v Speaker 1>it's a great time to reflect on your relationship with God.

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<v Speaker 1>What's behind you, what's ahead. And that's why Pastor Rick

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<v Speaker 1>has a timely and powerful message for you called how

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<v Speaker 1>Much You Matter to God? Now, if you've ever doubted

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<v Speaker 1>your value or wondered about your place in God's plan,

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<v Speaker 1>this message is for you. So let's get right to

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<v Speaker 1>Rick for the first part of this message.

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<v Speaker 2>Now, as an evangelist, I spend much of my time

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<v Speaker 2>with people who totally disagree with me. But does that

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<v Speaker 2>make sense? I mean, if you have the gift of

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<v Speaker 2>sharing the good news, you don't just share it with

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<v Speaker 2>people who already understand it. So I spend much of

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<v Speaker 2>my time talking to people who totally disagree with me,

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<v Speaker 2>and I would disagree with them, and I have. You know,

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<v Speaker 2>they've written all kinds of things about you know, Rick

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<v Speaker 2>Warren has at dinner with this religion group or that

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<v Speaker 2>religious group, or he's had dinner with you know, atheists

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<v Speaker 2>or Gaze or worst of all liberals, you know, And

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<v Speaker 2>I mean that's like the highest sin of alls. That's

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<v Speaker 2>the impardonable one, okay, liberals, And and you know, as

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<v Speaker 2>if you know, well, then that means I agree with

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<v Speaker 2>everything everybody I've ever had dinner with, well, of course not.

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<v Speaker 2>Can you imagine if Jesus we're alive today, what the

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<v Speaker 2>bloggers was to say about Jesus having dinner with a

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<v Speaker 2>prostitute or a corrupt government official or all the other

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<v Speaker 2>quote sinners. He hung out with lepers. These were the

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<v Speaker 2>off cast of society that nobody wanted to hang out with.

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<v Speaker 2>It'll be black people who have aids today. Who people

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<v Speaker 2>are I'm afraid I might get it, so I want

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<v Speaker 2>to get it away as far away as possible. And

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<v Speaker 2>you know, Jesus his answer to all of this was always, Hey,

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<v Speaker 2>the well don't need a doctor. It's the sick people

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<v Speaker 2>who need a doctor. And Jesus says many times, several

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<v Speaker 2>times he actually says, I didn't come for the righteous.

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<v Speaker 2>I came for the unrighteous. I didn't come for the saved.

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<v Speaker 2>I came for the lost. I didn't come for people

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<v Speaker 2>who think they've got it all together and don't need

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<v Speaker 2>to be saved. I came to save people who realize

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<v Speaker 2>they're broken. They don't have it all together. The things

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<v Speaker 2>don't always work in life. Frankly, people who think they

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<v Speaker 2>don't need to be saved, I don't have any time for.

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<v Speaker 2>But I came to be with people who know they

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<v Speaker 2>need help. I came for the insecure. Now. The truth is,

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<v Speaker 2>I've learned this after thirty years of pastoring. Everybody is insecure.

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<v Speaker 2>Everybody in this room, everybody's listening is insecure. He said,

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<v Speaker 2>Oh no, I'm not insecure. Oh really, Let me have

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<v Speaker 2>thirty minutes with you and I'll uncover you're hidden the insecurities.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm do it quite quickly. I'm very good at discovering

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<v Speaker 2>what people's insecurities are. It's the reason why people don't

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<v Speaker 2>get help before things get really bad in their life.

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<v Speaker 2>If your marriage is tanking and going down and you

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<v Speaker 2>don't get counseling, or your business is tanking and you

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<v Speaker 2>don't get help, or you got a relationship problem with

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<v Speaker 2>your parents or your kids and you don't get help

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<v Speaker 2>and you don't get counseling. And why do people are

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<v Speaker 2>afraid to go to a counsel because of insecurity? What

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<v Speaker 2>if that counselor reveals something to me that I can't

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<v Speaker 2>handle and he points out a truth about myself that

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<v Speaker 2>I don't really want to know. That's called insecurity. And

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<v Speaker 2>it's the reason why people wait until it's too late

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<v Speaker 2>to get help in an area of their life. It's

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<v Speaker 2>because of their own insecurity. What can they uncover that

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<v Speaker 2>I can't handle now? The truth is, one of your

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<v Speaker 2>deepest needs in life is to feel secure. One of

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<v Speaker 2>your deepest needs in life is to feel valued, to

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<v Speaker 2>feel valuable, to feel like your life matters, that it counts,

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<v Speaker 2>that it's significant, that you're not just a cipher, that

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<v Speaker 2>you're not just some kind of zero in life. You

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<v Speaker 2>want your life to matter. You want your life to

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<v Speaker 2>have value and significance. And as a result, you're constantly

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<v Speaker 2>doing two things, evaluating and comparing, and you do it

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<v Speaker 2>all the time. You do it consciously and you unconsciously.

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<v Speaker 2>You're evaluating yourself and you're comparing yourself to other people.

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<v Speaker 2>And we compare everything. It's an indoor national favorite pastime

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<v Speaker 2>of Americans. And the problem is the four ways that

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<v Speaker 2>we judge our value are all spurious. They're all false,

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<v Speaker 2>they're all phony, they're all fake. How the world tells

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<v Speaker 2>you you determine your value is one hundred percent wrong.

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<v Speaker 2>So let me just mention them, because I want you

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<v Speaker 2>to understand that your value is not based on what

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<v Speaker 2>the world says about it, just what God says about you. Now,

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<v Speaker 2>there are four things that the world tells you you

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<v Speaker 2>need to look at. If you want to know how

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<v Speaker 2>valuable you are, you might write these down. The first

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<v Speaker 2>way we judge our wealth are worth is by our appearance,

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<v Speaker 2>and that is how do I look? And we think,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, if I look good, then I must be good.

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<v Speaker 2>And if I don't look so good, then I must

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<v Speaker 2>not be so valuable. I must not be important. And

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<v Speaker 2>our society has an entire industry that is built on

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<v Speaker 2>the idea that your value is based on your appearance.

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<v Speaker 2>It's called Hollywood, and Hollywood says, if you really are ravishing,

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<v Speaker 2>you're stunning, you're really gorgeous, you're really handsome, then you're

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<v Speaker 2>really worth a lot. But if you're not so hot,

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<v Speaker 2>then you're not. Oh, I'm a poet and I don't

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<v Speaker 2>know it. Now. The problem with this is there aren't

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<v Speaker 2>that many really stunning people in the world. I mean,

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<v Speaker 2>most of us are just normal, average looking people. In fact,

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<v Speaker 2>everybody around you is normal average except you you're stunning,

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<v Speaker 2>but you're the only person in this room that actually

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<v Speaker 2>really is stunning. All the rest of us are just

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<v Speaker 2>kind of normal looking. Okay, we're just normal people with

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<v Speaker 2>normal looks. Now, if you only have high value in

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<v Speaker 2>your life by being super attractive, that leaves most of

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<v Speaker 2>us out, and the Bible says that's not what you

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<v Speaker 2>valuate yourself on. The second false way to evaluate your

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<v Speaker 2>worth is not appearance, but by affluence, and affluence is

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<v Speaker 2>what do I own? And that's the myth of materialism

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<v Speaker 2>that says if I have a lot of things, then

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<v Speaker 2>I must be worth a lot. That if I have

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<v Speaker 2>a lot of values, then my personal value is a lot.

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<v Speaker 2>But if I'm poor or I'm broke, then I'm not

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<v Speaker 2>worth much as a person. Now, I've told you many

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<v Speaker 2>times never connect your self worth with your net worth,

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<v Speaker 2>because if you connect yourself worth with your net worth,

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<v Speaker 2>the recession will cause depression. And I have seen that many,

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<v Speaker 2>many times. I've seen a lot of people who when

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<v Speaker 2>their business hits the toilet, then their personal feeling about

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<v Speaker 2>themselves hits the toilet. And when they tank in their portfolio,

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<v Speaker 2>then they tank and how good they feel about themselves

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<v Speaker 2>and I'm just not a very good provider, and on

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<v Speaker 2>and on and on. Your value and your valuables have

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<v Speaker 2>nothing to do with each other. Your self worth and

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<v Speaker 2>your net worth have nothing to do with each other.

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<v Speaker 2>The greatest things in life, as I've said many times,

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<v Speaker 2>are not things. But the world tells you you got

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<v Speaker 2>a lot of money, you got a lot of stuff,

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<v Speaker 2>then you are really a valuable person. Not true. The

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<v Speaker 2>third thing that we judge our worth on is achievement,

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<v Speaker 2>and that is what have I accomplished? And if I

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<v Speaker 2>get a lot of things done, then I feel good

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<v Speaker 2>about myself. And if I reach a lot of goals,

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<v Speaker 2>then I feel good about myself. And if I get promoted,

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<v Speaker 2>or I win a trophy, or I get an honor,

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<v Speaker 2>and I have accomplished a certain thing, then I must

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<v Speaker 2>feel good. And this is what creates workoholism, and it

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<v Speaker 2>drives us because we want to feel good about ourselves,

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<v Speaker 2>so we're trying to achieve to prove that we are worthwhile.

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<v Speaker 2>The fourth is approval, and approval Basing your worth on

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<v Speaker 2>approval says how well am I liked? And if I'm

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<v Speaker 2>liked a lot, then I must be worth a lot.

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<v Speaker 2>And if i'm only like a little, then I'm worth

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<v Speaker 2>a little. And if I'm not liked by anybody, then

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<v Speaker 2>I'm worthless. That's just not true. Some of you have

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<v Speaker 2>spent your entire life trying to gain the approval of

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<v Speaker 2>somebody who's never going to give it. And if you

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<v Speaker 2>haven't got your parents' approval by now, I'm sorry, you're

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<v Speaker 2>not going to get it. But here's the point. You

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<v Speaker 2>don't need it to be happy. Your happiness is not

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<v Speaker 2>dependent upon the approval of other people. If you build

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<v Speaker 2>your worth on what other people think of you, then

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<v Speaker 2>you you are going to be devastated every time you

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<v Speaker 2>get criticized, and it's going to hurt like the dickens.

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<v Speaker 2>And you're going to tend to always be going around

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<v Speaker 2>saying what will other people think? And if you're always

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<v Speaker 2>asking that question, what do other people think? You're already

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<v Speaker 2>a slave to the approval of other people. You've got

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<v Speaker 2>to learn to trust what God says about you. Now

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<v Speaker 2>it is true. Psychological studies have shown that you tend

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<v Speaker 2>to base how you feel about you on what you

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<v Speaker 2>think the most important person in your life thinks about you.

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<v Speaker 2>That's where you get most of your self esteem. What

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<v Speaker 2>you think the most important person in your life thinks

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<v Speaker 2>about you. So I highly recommend you make the most

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<v Speaker 2>important person in your life Jesus Christ, because he's going

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<v Speaker 2>to tell you the truth, and he's going to love

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<v Speaker 2>you unconditionally. And he's not going to say I love

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<v Speaker 2>you if I love you, if I love you, if

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<v Speaker 2>I love you, if I love you, if you love me,

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<v Speaker 2>I love you, if or I love you, because that's

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<v Speaker 2>conditional love. Jesus said, I love you period. In fact,

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<v Speaker 2>you can't make me stop loving you. Now. The problem

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<v Speaker 2>with these four things, appearance and affluence and achievement and approval,

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<v Speaker 2>is that they are are all unstable, unreliable sources of security.

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<v Speaker 2>I mean, let's just go down the list. Our beauty fades.

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<v Speaker 2>Anybody want to give a testimony on that. Okay, our

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<v Speaker 2>beauty fads. And if you think you're not looking so great,

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<v Speaker 2>now wait ten years. Okay, all right, okay, unless you're

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<v Speaker 2>like me on the Daniel plan, and in ten years,

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<v Speaker 2>I'm not half the man I used to be. All right,

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<v Speaker 2>Beauty fades. Possessions wear out, Okay, successes are surpassed. No

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<v Speaker 2>matter what goal you reach, somebody is going to break

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<v Speaker 2>your record. And you're going to feel bad then if

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<v Speaker 2>your self esteem is built on that, and other people

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<v Speaker 2>are going to reject you no matter what you do.

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<v Speaker 2>Some people just aren't going to like you. That's their problem,

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<v Speaker 2>not yours. The only solid foundation for self esteem, for

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<v Speaker 2>feeling good about you is understanding how much you matter

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<v Speaker 2>to God. That's what we're going to look at today,

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<v Speaker 2>how much you matter to God. And if you get

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<v Speaker 2>what we're going to look at today, it'll change your life.

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<v Speaker 2>And it will set you free from the expectations of others,

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<v Speaker 2>from the grip of materialism, from the pressure of workaholism,

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<v Speaker 2>from the need to have to improve and always look

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<v Speaker 2>your best at every time. When you see yourself as

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<v Speaker 2>God sees you, it transforms you. Now. A great example

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<v Speaker 2>of this is a guy in the Bible named Zachias,

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<v Speaker 2>and his story is in Luke chapter nineteen. If you

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<v Speaker 2>have a Bible, you can turn to Luke nineteen. It's

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<v Speaker 2>there on your outline. You can read the verse with me.

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<v Speaker 2>It's also on the screen. Now, Jesus is going through

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<v Speaker 2>a town called Jericho, and of course large crowds are

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<v Speaker 2>following Jesus wherever he goes. He's walking through these cities,

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<v Speaker 2>and crowds are following him everywhere. And there's a guy

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<v Speaker 2>in this town named Zachias, who is the most hated

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<v Speaker 2>man in the city. And the Bible tells us this

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<v Speaker 2>story Luke nineteen. Jesus was going through the city of Jericho,

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<v Speaker 2>and a man was there named Zachius, and he was

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<v Speaker 2>the chief tax collector, and he was wealthy. Now he

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<v Speaker 2>wanted to see who Jesus was, but he was too short,

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<v Speaker 2>too short to see above the crowd. So he ran

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<v Speaker 2>ahead of the place where Jesus would come, and he

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<v Speaker 2>climbed a sycamore tree so he could see him. Now,

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<v Speaker 2>when Jesus is walking through, when Jesus comes to that place,

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<v Speaker 2>and then there was this sycamore tree, he stops and says.

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<v Speaker 2>He looked up, and he said to Zachias, Zachias, hurry

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<v Speaker 2>and come down. I must stay at your house today.

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<v Speaker 2>Zachias came down quickly, and he welcomed him gladly. Now

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<v Speaker 2>all the people who saw this, they began to complain,

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<v Speaker 2>Jesus is having dinner with the sinner. Jesus is staying

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<v Speaker 2>with a sinner. But Zachias stood and said to the Lord,

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<v Speaker 2>this is at his house. I will give half of

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<v Speaker 2>my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone,

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<v Speaker 2>I will pay them back four times as much. And

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<v Speaker 2>Jesus says to him, Salvation has come to this house today.

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<v Speaker 2>This man is a true son of Abraham. In other words,

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<v Speaker 2>he's the real deal. He's in with us, and I,

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<v Speaker 2>the son of Man, have come to seek and save

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<v Speaker 2>people like him who were lost. This is an amazing story, now, Zachias,

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<v Speaker 2>of the four ways that we judge our value, this

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<v Speaker 2>guy has struck out on three of them. Okay, he's

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<v Speaker 2>struck out. He is wealthy because of his corruption, but

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<v Speaker 2>he has struck out in three different ways. In the

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<v Speaker 2>first place, Zakias doesn't like his appearance. The Bible tells

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<v Speaker 2>us he was short. In fact, he was so short

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<v Speaker 2>he couldn't see above the crowd, and he was shorter

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<v Speaker 2>than everybody else in the city. In fact, tradition tells

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<v Speaker 2>us that Zakias was the shortest man in the city

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<v Speaker 2>of Jericho. In fact, the Greek word here for short

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<v Speaker 2>describes the body of an underdeveloped child. This man is

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<v Speaker 2>not just short, like a lot of people short. He

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<v Speaker 2>is abnormally short. He's a little person probably dwarfed. He's

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<v Speaker 2>abnormally short, an undeveloped, fl developed body. Now because of that,

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<v Speaker 2>he's probably teased and ridiculed his entire life about his height.

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<v Speaker 2>Can kids be cruel and ruthless on the playground, Oh,

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<v Speaker 2>you can remember it. Kids can be meaner than adults.

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<v Speaker 2>And on the patio they can say all kinds of

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<v Speaker 2>mean things about the way you look, or the way

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<v Speaker 2>you dress, or what you did. And probably Zachias's entire

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<v Speaker 2>life was given hurtful, cruel nicknames, and he learns real

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<v Speaker 2>quickly don't worry about the opinions of other people because

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<v Speaker 2>he was constantly made fun of. He didn't like his appearance.

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<v Speaker 2>He's abnormally short, stunted, he falls short second. Zachias was

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<v Speaker 2>not liked by anybody else, so the approval factor is zero.

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<v Speaker 2>In fact, he was the chief tax collector, and that

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<v Speaker 2>means he's hated by everybody. Now, tax collectors are never

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<v Speaker 2>popular people. I mean, you don't just call up the

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<v Speaker 2>irs and say come over for dinner and do an audit. Okay,

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<v Speaker 2>that's not something you normally normally want to do. But

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<v Speaker 2>in those days it was even worse because the Roman

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<v Speaker 2>tax system was one hundred percent corrupt to the core

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<v Speaker 2>in the first place. In order to become a tax collector,

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<v Speaker 2>you had to bribe an official to get that job,

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<v Speaker 2>because once you got it, you were going to make

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<v Speaker 2>an a whole lot of money. But you had to

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<v Speaker 2>bribe an official to become a tax collector, so he

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<v Speaker 2>had to be dishonest justs to get the job. Then,

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<v Speaker 2>in the Roman tax collection system, Rome didn't care how

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<v Speaker 2>much you collected as long as they got their percentage,

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<v Speaker 2>and you could collect two, three, four, five, up to

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<v Speaker 2>ten times as much as Rome required and keep it

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<v Speaker 2>all for yourself. So really a tax collector in this

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<v Speaker 2>day is is more like a mafia extortionist. He can

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<v Speaker 2>come to your house and say you're gonna pay me

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<v Speaker 2>this amount of money, when Rome's only said this much,

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<v Speaker 2>and he said this much, and if you don't do it,

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<v Speaker 2>I'm going to throw you in jail. I'm going to

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<v Speaker 2>make you an offer you can't refuse, and you will

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<v Speaker 2>pay tribute to me. So everybody hated the tax collectors

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<v Speaker 2>because not only did they represent Rome, which was the

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<v Speaker 2>invading country of Israel, and they were under subjugation by

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<v Speaker 2>a foreign country, so they hated Rome. But second, the

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<v Speaker 2>Roman tax collector was corrupt, and you knew that that

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<v Speaker 2>guy was going to get rich off of you by

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<v Speaker 2>being dishonest, and you couldn't stop him. He could extore

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<v Speaker 2>all he wanted to from you. Now for a Roman,

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<v Speaker 2>for a Jew, which Zachias is, to become a Roman

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<v Speaker 2>tax collector is like treason. It's like going over to

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<v Speaker 2>the enemy's side. No who self respecting Jew would ever

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<v Speaker 2>become a Roman tax collector. It was unthinkable, without a doubt,

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<v Speaker 2>as Zachias was disowned by his family, because no family

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<v Speaker 2>is going to have a son who represents Rome in

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<v Speaker 2>the most corrupt area of taxes. So he's disowned by

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<v Speaker 2>his family. In fact, in those days, you were barred

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<v Speaker 2>from going to worship if you worked for Rome. You

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<v Speaker 2>could not go to the Jewish synagogue because they believed

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<v Speaker 2>you had sold out. In fact, Jewish law in that

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<v Speaker 2>day meant that the Roman anybody who was a tax

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<v Speaker 2>collector for Rome that wasn't considered in the same class

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<v Speaker 2>as a murderer. So he is not a popular This

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<v Speaker 2>is the most hated, unpopular man in the entire city

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<v Speaker 2>of Jerusalem. So he not only has an appearance problem,

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<v Speaker 2>he's got an approval problem, he's not doing good. And

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<v Speaker 2>worst of all, notice it says he was the chief

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<v Speaker 2>tax collector, which means this is the guy on top

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<v Speaker 2>who runs the whole scam. You couldn't pick a more

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<v Speaker 2>hated person in the city of Jericho that Jesus stops

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<v Speaker 2>to talk to and invite himself to dinner. Now, not

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<v Speaker 2>only is Zacheus, he doesn't like his appearance and he

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<v Speaker 2>has no approval. He's hated by everybody. But Zacchius doesn't

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<v Speaker 2>like himself. How do we know that because he's not

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<v Speaker 2>a proud of his achievements. He's got all this wealth,

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<v Speaker 2>but he got it by stealing from people, from extorting

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<v Speaker 2>it from people. You cannot be happy and guilty at

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<v Speaker 2>the same time. You cannot give up your integrity and

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<v Speaker 2>have harmony and happiness in your life. He knew he'd

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<v Speaker 2>ripped off people. He knew that all his success was

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<v Speaker 2>achieved by cheating others. So he lost all his self

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<v Speaker 2>respect and he didn't like his life. And he's got

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<v Speaker 2>a lot of money. He's got a lot of money,

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<v Speaker 2>but he's a very lonely, very unhappy man. He's miserable

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<v Speaker 2>and he feels pretty hopeless about his life, but on

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<v Speaker 2>one single day, his life does a one to eighty

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<v Speaker 2>and in one snap of a finger bailed his life

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<v Speaker 2>is transformed. What happens Jesus shows up.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks so much for listening to Pastor Rick's Daily Hope.

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<v Speaker 1>You know your prayers and financial support have a huge

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<v Speaker 1>impact on millions of people here and around the world,

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<v Speaker 1>so we really appreciate that.

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<v Speaker 2>Thank you.

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<v Speaker 1>And now Rick's going to share a letter from one

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<v Speaker 1>of our listeners who says Daily Hope is making a

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<v Speaker 1>real difference in their life.

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<v Speaker 2>Today, I want to share with you a very special

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<v Speaker 2>testimony from one of our listeners named Marquita, and thanks

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<v Speaker 2>to Daily Hope and your support, she recently asked Jesus

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<v Speaker 2>Christ to be the leader of her life. Here's a story. So,

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<v Speaker 2>Pastor Rick, I wanted to let you know that I

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<v Speaker 2>have prayed the prayer of salvation that you included in

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<v Speaker 2>the Deepening the Eyes of Faith message. I've been listening

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<v Speaker 2>to your messages for years. In fact, my child wouldn't

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<v Speaker 2>even be here today if it weren't for your words.

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<v Speaker 2>You wrote there may be accidental parents, but there are

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<v Speaker 2>no accidental children. Well, I've given birth to a beautiful

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<v Speaker 2>baby girl, and she's the light of my life. In fact,

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<v Speaker 2>it now hurts to remember a time that I was

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<v Speaker 2>fighting to decide whether I was going to have her

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<v Speaker 2>or not. But I repeated your words throughout my pregnancy.

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<v Speaker 2>There are accidental parents, but they're no accidental children. And

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<v Speaker 2>although I'm a single mom today, with the support of

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<v Speaker 2>my family, we're thriving. I want to make sure that

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<v Speaker 2>she grows up to find her purpose and to serve God.

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<v Speaker 2>So thanks for renewing my faith in God. And as

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<v Speaker 2>I still try to find and fulfill my purpose, please

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<v Speaker 2>pray for me and my child. Wow, Marquita, you are

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<v Speaker 2>so right. God does have a plan and a purpose

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<v Speaker 2>for every single baby. There are no accidental babies. So

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<v Speaker 2>I want to take a moment right now and just

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<v Speaker 2>pray for you in this broadcast, a pray for you

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<v Speaker 2>and for your daughter. Lord, I'm asking you right now

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<v Speaker 2>to put your hand of protection, your hand of blessing,

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<v Speaker 2>your hand of guidance on Marquita and her daughter, and

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<v Speaker 2>I'm praying for both of them to know your purpose,

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<v Speaker 2>to feel your presence, to discover your power, to live

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<v Speaker 2>in your plan for each of their lives. In Jesus'

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<v Speaker 2>name Amen.

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<v Speaker 1>If you'd like to help support Pastor Rick's Daily Hope,

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<v Speaker 1>generous friends of this ministry have provided a one hundred

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<v Speaker 1>thousand dollars matching grant, and that means that every dollar

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00:22:38.039 --> 00:22:41.240
<v Speaker 1>you give to help share the transforming love of Jesus

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<v Speaker 1>through Daily Hope will be doubled up to one hundred

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<v Speaker 1>thousand dollars. But there's only a few more days to

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<v Speaker 1>have your gift doubled. Anything not matched will be lost,

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<v Speaker 1>So please give your best gift today. Just go to

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<v Speaker 1>Pastororick dot com or text the word hope to seven

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<v Speaker 1>zho three to zero nine. Again, that's Pastorick dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>Or text the word hope to seven oh three oh

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<v Speaker 1>nine and thank you so much for your support. Be

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<v Speaker 1>sure to join us next time as we look into

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<v Speaker 1>God's Word for our daily hope. This program is sponsored

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<v Speaker 1>by Pastor Rick's Daily Hope and your generous financial support.