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<v Speaker 1>Hi, everyone, Welcome to Pastor Rick's Daily Hope, the Bible

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<v Speaker 1>teaching ministry of Rick Warren. Well, we hope you've had

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<v Speaker 1>a meaningful Thanksgiving surrounded by the people that you love.

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<v Speaker 1>And today we are picking up right where we left

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<v Speaker 1>off in our powerful series radicalis developing spiritual roots. So

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<v Speaker 1>let's join Rick right now for the first part of

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<v Speaker 1>a message called Radical Faith.

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<v Speaker 2>Last week, as we began a new series, I said,

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<v Speaker 2>what the world needs is more radical Christians, not fanatical.

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<v Speaker 2>We got plenty of fanatics. We don't need any more fanatics,

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<v Speaker 2>but we need radical believers, not casual, but radical in

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<v Speaker 2>the true sense of the meaning of the word radical.

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<v Speaker 2>And I explained to you last week that that word

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<v Speaker 2>radical is misused by most people today. Most people think

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<v Speaker 2>it means extreme, over the top, on the edge, excessive, fringe, fanatical.

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<v Speaker 2>But the word radical actually means from the roots. That's

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<v Speaker 2>what it means, from the roots. It's from the Latin

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<v Speaker 2>word radicalous, and that's what we're calling the series Radicalius,

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<v Speaker 2>a fourteenth century English word that literally means from the roots.

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<v Speaker 2>It's from the word radics that we get the word radish.

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<v Speaker 2>And what is a ratish? It is a big root.

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<v Speaker 2>And when we talk about eradicating something that means to

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<v Speaker 2>eliminate it, you pull it up by its roots. You

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<v Speaker 2>eradicate it. When we talk about radical surgery, you cut

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<v Speaker 2>it out at the root. You cut out the disease.

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<v Speaker 2>You don't leave, you don't put a bandied over. You

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<v Speaker 2>cut it out at the source, so there's no root left.

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<v Speaker 2>And I explained to you last week that in every

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<v Speaker 2>field the word radical means rooted or from the roots.

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<v Speaker 2>In botany, the word radical means the leaves closest to

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<v Speaker 2>the root are the radical leaves. In math, the radical

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<v Speaker 2>in math is always the root of the equation, and

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<v Speaker 2>the radical sign in math is the square root sign

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<v Speaker 2>or the cube roots sign. It's always about the root number.

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<v Speaker 2>In chemistry, a free radical to a radical is two

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<v Speaker 2>atoms together, and free radical is one with an unpaired electron.

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<v Speaker 2>It's the smallest thing you can get to. In linguistics,

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<v Speaker 2>the radical are the consonants usually three, that create the

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<v Speaker 2>sound of a word. And in grammar, the radical is

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<v Speaker 2>the root of the word without the prefixes of the suffixes.

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<v Speaker 2>It always means from the root. And when I say

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<v Speaker 2>what we need today, are radical believers. We need people

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<v Speaker 2>who have spiritual roots. Most people have no depth in

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<v Speaker 2>their lives. They have no roots in their lives, and

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<v Speaker 2>so they're blown away like tumbleweeds whenever the rogue winds come,

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<v Speaker 2>and they dry up when the heat's on, and they

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<v Speaker 2>wither when they go through the times of drought. Now,

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<v Speaker 2>I want to go back to theme verse. It's on

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<v Speaker 2>the screen Colossians two seven. Let's read it aloud together.

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<v Speaker 2>Keep your roots deep in Him, build your lives on Him,

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<v Speaker 2>and become stronger in your faith as you were taught.

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<v Speaker 2>He says, I want you to have spiritual roots. This week,

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<v Speaker 2>I want us to talk about the root of radical faith. Now,

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<v Speaker 2>what is faith? Faith is kind of like a diamond,

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<v Speaker 2>and it has many facets to it, many faces to it.

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<v Speaker 2>If you want to understand what it really means to

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<v Speaker 2>have faith, you go to a chapter in the Bible

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<v Speaker 2>called Hebrews eleven. Hebrews eleven is the faith chapter in

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<v Speaker 2>the Bible, just like One Corinthians thirteen is the love

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<v Speaker 2>chapter in the Bible. Hebrews eleven is the faith chapter.

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<v Speaker 2>And in that chapter we have God's Hall of Fame,

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<v Speaker 2>we have God's top ten guys, we have the guys

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<v Speaker 2>that God says, these are the people to model if

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<v Speaker 2>you want to live a life of faith. And he

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<v Speaker 2>talks about Joe, talks about Abraham, and he talks about Moses,

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<v Speaker 2>when he talks about Noah, and he lists all of

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<v Speaker 2>the people that you've heard about through the Bible that

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<v Speaker 2>are the heroes of the faith. It's God's Hall of

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<v Speaker 2>fame list. And we're gonna look at seven of those

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<v Speaker 2>people today because they model seven facets of radical faith.

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<v Speaker 2>Let's get right into it now. The Bible says in

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<v Speaker 2>Hebrews eleven, verse six, without faith, it is impossible to

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<v Speaker 2>please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe

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<v Speaker 2>he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

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<v Speaker 2>I cannot overemphasize the importance of faith in your life.

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<v Speaker 2>The Bible says, without faith, it is impossible to please God.

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<v Speaker 2>The Bible says, whatever is not a faith is sin.

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<v Speaker 2>The Bible says, according to your faith, that will be

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<v Speaker 2>done unto you. The Bible says the just shall live

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<v Speaker 2>by faith. God wants you to learn to trust him,

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<v Speaker 2>that's the reas, and he puts you on this planet

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<v Speaker 2>to learn to love him. And to learn to trust him.

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<v Speaker 2>And so living by faith is not some little side issue.

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<v Speaker 2>You can't please God. Let me say that again. You

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<v Speaker 2>cannot please God except through faith. Not by working hard,

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<v Speaker 2>not by trying hard, not by being your best, not

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<v Speaker 2>by being perfect. None of those ways work anyway. The

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<v Speaker 2>only way you bring pleasure to God is by loving

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<v Speaker 2>him and trusting him. So what does it mean to

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<v Speaker 2>have radical faith? I hope you're taking notes this week?

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<v Speaker 2>Number one? Faith, the Bible says in verse one of

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<v Speaker 2>Hebrews eleven, Faith is believing when I don't see it.

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<v Speaker 2>Faith is believing. Radical faith is believing when I don't

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<v Speaker 2>see it. What I mean by that, well, the Bible

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<v Speaker 2>says in verse one Hebrews eleven. Faith is being sure

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<v Speaker 2>of what we hope for and certain of what we

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<v Speaker 2>do not see. Faith is visualized the future in the present.

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<v Speaker 2>Faith is seeing in advance. Now. This principle is found

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<v Speaker 2>all through the world, regardless of whether a person is

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<v Speaker 2>a Christian believer or not. Before we say, well, I'll

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<v Speaker 2>believe it when I see it. You've heard that people

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<v Speaker 2>say that I'll believe it when I see it. But

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<v Speaker 2>God says, there's some things you have to believe in

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<v Speaker 2>order to see it. Now, anybody who is a professional

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<v Speaker 2>understands this. Architects know that they have to believe it

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<v Speaker 2>that the building can exist before it's built, and they've

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<v Speaker 2>got to see it in their mind and believe it

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<v Speaker 2>in their mind's eye before it gets on paper, before

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<v Speaker 2>it becomes a building. Nothing just happens. It starts by

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<v Speaker 2>believing that it could look like this before you see

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<v Speaker 2>it happen. Any athlete knows that in order to win

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<v Speaker 2>the race, you've got to see it in your mind.

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<v Speaker 2>You've got to believe it's possible before it happens. Nobody

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<v Speaker 2>goes to the Olympics thinking I'm not going to win.

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<v Speaker 2>They go with the attitude of I believe I could

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<v Speaker 2>win this. You have to believe it in order to

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<v Speaker 2>see it. And they see themselves mentally crossing the finish

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<v Speaker 2>line before they ever run the race, and they go

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<v Speaker 2>over and over and over in their minds, rehearsing and

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<v Speaker 2>rehearsing that vision, that image. Any artist has to see

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<v Speaker 2>the painting in their mind and believe it's possible before

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<v Speaker 2>they put the paint to the canvas, or before they

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<v Speaker 2>do the sculpture, they've seen it in their mind, and

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<v Speaker 2>they've believed it in their mind before they saw it

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<v Speaker 2>as a reality. A scientist has to think it's possible

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<v Speaker 2>to do this, like go to the moon, and they

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<v Speaker 2>have to believe it before it becomes reality. Some things

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<v Speaker 2>you have to believe before you see it. Or In

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<v Speaker 2>von Braun, who is the father of the American Space program, said,

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<v Speaker 2>no great achievement has ever been achieved in history without faith.

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<v Speaker 2>It's believing before you see it. You have to believe

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<v Speaker 2>it's impossible long before it happens, and faith trust God

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<v Speaker 2>to make the vision the dream become reality. That's radical

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<v Speaker 2>faith believing before I see it. Number two, faith is

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<v Speaker 2>obeying when I don't understand it. Faith is obeying when

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<v Speaker 2>I don't understand it. And God gives us two examples

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<v Speaker 2>of this in his Hall of Fame, Noah and Abraham.

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<v Speaker 2>Noah in Hebrews eleven seven, it says this it was

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<v Speaker 2>by faith that Noah built an ark to save his

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<v Speaker 2>family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him

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<v Speaker 2>about something that had never happened before. Now can you

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<v Speaker 2>imagine this circumstance. What if God came to you one

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<v Speaker 2>day and said, by the way I think I'm going

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<v Speaker 2>to destroy the whole world, and I'm going to do

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<v Speaker 2>it with the flood, But i want you to build

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<v Speaker 2>a big ship and I'm going to save your family.

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<v Speaker 2>Would you believe that? Highly unlikely? He said, I want

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<v Speaker 2>you to build an ark. Now, it says there he

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<v Speaker 2>did this to warn him about something that never happened before.

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<v Speaker 2>Why there had never been a flood? Why? The Bible says,

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<v Speaker 2>up to this time it had never rained. That's why,

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<v Speaker 2>by the way, when they saw the rainbow, they'd never

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<v Speaker 2>seen a rain before. Why it had never rained before.

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<v Speaker 2>It says that there was a condensation that came up

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<v Speaker 2>from the ground before the flood, something like dew on

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<v Speaker 2>the on the ground where it can the condensation. We

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<v Speaker 2>don't even know how it actually happens, but we do

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<v Speaker 2>know that people lived much longer before the flood than

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<v Speaker 2>after that. Before the flood, people lived two hundred, three hundred,

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<v Speaker 2>four hundred years a long time. And after the flood

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<v Speaker 2>something changed in the climate in the atmosphere, and people

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<v Speaker 2>didn't live as long. They lived about as long as

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<v Speaker 2>we do. So something changed. So God comes to Noah

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<v Speaker 2>and says, Noah, I want you to build an arc

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<v Speaker 2>what's an arc? It's a big ship. Now Noah lives

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<v Speaker 2>in a rack at this time, he's nowhere near an ocean.

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<v Speaker 2>And so how he says, I want you to build

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<v Speaker 2>an arc in the middle of the desert, right, And

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<v Speaker 2>what's gonna happen. It's gonna flood. What's a flood? Well,

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<v Speaker 2>lots of rain? What's rain? So would you believe this?

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<v Speaker 2>How would you like to be? Noah's three sons, ham,

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<v Speaker 2>Shem and Jacob, And they're always having explained their weirdo dad,

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<v Speaker 2>what's your dad doing in the front yard there? He's

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<v Speaker 2>been working on that thing for a long time. He's

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<v Speaker 2>building an arc to save the world. And he's only

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<v Speaker 2>going to save our family and not you. Right. It

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<v Speaker 2>was probably very, very embarrassing, But Noah did it. It

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<v Speaker 2>said he obeyed God even when he didn't understand it.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm glad he did. We're all here as a result.

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<v Speaker 2>And then there was a guy named Abraham who obeyed

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<v Speaker 2>when he didn't understand it. The Bible says in verse

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<v Speaker 2>eight it was faith that made Abraham obey when God

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<v Speaker 2>called him to go out to a country that God

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<v Speaker 2>had promised to him, and he left his own country

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<v Speaker 2>without knowing where he was going. Abraham was another guy

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<v Speaker 2>who lived in what's now modern day Iraq. He lived

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<v Speaker 2>in a city called Er. Now, how'd you like to be?

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<v Speaker 2>Where are you're from? I'm from Er, And God said Abraham,

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<v Speaker 2>I'm going to make you the father of a great nation.

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<v Speaker 2>It's going to be the nation of Israel. And I'm

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<v Speaker 2>going to give you your own country. But you're seventy

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<v Speaker 2>five years old. And what I want you to do

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<v Speaker 2>is I want you to go on the greatest adventure

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<v Speaker 2>of your life, follow me to a new country. Now,

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<v Speaker 2>Abraham doesn't get any of the details. God says, I

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<v Speaker 2>want you to pack up everything at seventy five years

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<v Speaker 2>of age and leave. Just when you're ready to settle down,

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<v Speaker 2>I want you to get it in gear, just when

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<v Speaker 2>you're ready for social security, get ready for social insecurity.

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<v Speaker 2>Just when you're ready to hang it up on the wall,

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<v Speaker 2>you take it down and dust it off, because now

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<v Speaker 2>you're going for the biggest ride of your life at

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<v Speaker 2>age seventy five. And no, and Moses starts, I mean,

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<v Speaker 2>Abraham starts asking where are we going? Lord? Well, you've

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<v Speaker 2>never heard of this place, and how long is it

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<v Speaker 2>going to take? To get there. Well, don't worry about it.

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<v Speaker 2>How will I know when I'm there? I'll tell you

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<v Speaker 2>would if God told you right at retirement, you're getting

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<v Speaker 2>ready for the biggest journey of your life. And I

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<v Speaker 2>want you to move to someplace you've never been before,

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<v Speaker 2>and I'm going to start over and build a great

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<v Speaker 2>nation through you. Would you believe that Abraham became the

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<v Speaker 2>father of faith because and the father of a nation

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<v Speaker 2>because he obeyed when he didn't understand it. Now, obedience

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<v Speaker 2>always involves taking risks. See, some people want to obey

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<v Speaker 2>God when there's a guarantee. God, I'll do this if

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<v Speaker 2>you'll guarantee it'll work out. God says, no, no, no, this

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<v Speaker 2>is a risk here, you know God, I'll start this

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<v Speaker 2>new business. I'll move to this new location, all in

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<v Speaker 2>roll in school. I'll go after my dream. If you'll

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<v Speaker 2>guarantee it. God's I'm going to guarantee it. He wants

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<v Speaker 2>you to live by faith. Nineteen seventy five, when I'm

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<v Speaker 2>twenty five years old, living in Fort Worth, Texas, and

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<v Speaker 2>I get an idea in my mind, and God says,

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<v Speaker 2>I want you to move to southern California, to a

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<v Speaker 2>place called the saddle Back Valley and start church. Now,

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<v Speaker 2>there were plenty of reasons for me to doubt that.

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<v Speaker 2>First place, I had never been a pastor. Second, I

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<v Speaker 2>had never been to the Saddleback Valley. I didn't what

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<v Speaker 2>to look like. Third, I had no money, fourth, no members, fifth,

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<v Speaker 2>no building, no support, and a lots of reasons to

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<v Speaker 2>doubt what God had told me to do. I'm glad

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<v Speaker 2>I opaid him. Sometimes God asks us to do the

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<v Speaker 2>impossible just to stretch our faith, and sometimes God asked

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<v Speaker 2>you to do something that doesn't make sense at all

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<v Speaker 2>for the same reason to stretch your faith. You see

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<v Speaker 2>in the Bible, in just the New Testament alone, there

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<v Speaker 2>are one thousand and fifty commands where God says, I

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<v Speaker 2>want you to do this, and I don't want you

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<v Speaker 2>to do this, and I want you to do this,

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<v Speaker 2>and I don't want you to do this. And these

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<v Speaker 2>one thousand and fifty commands. Many of them are inconvenient,

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<v Speaker 2>Any of those commands are unreasonable. Many of those commands

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<v Speaker 2>actually seem impossible. But they are all there for your benefit.

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<v Speaker 2>Because God only acts in your life for good. He

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<v Speaker 2>only acts in your life because he loves you. He

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<v Speaker 2>knows what will make you happy more than you will.

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<v Speaker 2>And when you follow his commands, you get all these

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<v Speaker 2>blessings in your life. And when you ignore them, you

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<v Speaker 2>do it to your own detriment. You just hurt yourself.

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<v Speaker 2>You get broken hearts, you get broken minds, you get

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<v Speaker 2>broken bodies, you get regrets, you get shame, you get guilt,

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<v Speaker 2>you get resentment, all these other things worry because you

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<v Speaker 2>don't do it God's way. God says, the plans I

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<v Speaker 2>have for you, they're good plans, plans for future, plans

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<v Speaker 2>for hope. So every time God tells you in the

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<v Speaker 2>Bible to do something, even when it's inconvenient or irrational

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<v Speaker 2>from your point of view, or illogical or impossible, and

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<v Speaker 2>you say, Okay, I'm gonna do it, because because you

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<v Speaker 2>say so, Lord, because you say so, I'm going to

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<v Speaker 2>do it, you always always get blessed. And whenever God

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<v Speaker 2>asks you to do something, it's a test. It's a

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<v Speaker 2>test of your faith. What am I gonna trust God

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<v Speaker 2>or my gut? That's the test? Am I gonna trust

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<v Speaker 2>God or my gut? Am I going to test what

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<v Speaker 2>I feel is the right thing to do? Or am

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<v Speaker 2>I gonna do what God says is the right thing

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<v Speaker 2>to do. It's always a test of your faith. Faith

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<v Speaker 2>is believing when I don't see it, and faith is

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<v Speaker 2>obeying when I don't understand it when it doesn't make

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<v Speaker 2>sense to me. You see, the Bible says, there's a

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<v Speaker 2>way that seems right to man, but the ends there

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<v Speaker 2>are the ways of death. In other words, a lot

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<v Speaker 2>of things that look like the right thing to do,

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<v Speaker 2>seem like the right thing to do, would be easier

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<v Speaker 2>to do, would be more convenient to do, might even

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<v Speaker 2>be more popular to do. But God says it seems right,

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<v Speaker 2>but it's gonna end in a dead end. It's a

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<v Speaker 2>dead end, and you're just gonna hit the wall and

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<v Speaker 2>you're gonna hurt yourself. Don't do it. In fact, I

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<v Speaker 2>usually figure out what would I naturally do in the

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<v Speaker 2>circumstance and do the opposite, because my natural inclination is

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<v Speaker 2>to do what's best for me to do. It's selfish

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<v Speaker 2>to do what self centered, to do, what's easy, to do,

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<v Speaker 2>what's convenient. So God comes along and says things like,

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<v Speaker 2>whenever anybody hurts you, you forgive them what I don't

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<v Speaker 2>want to forgive him. I want to hurt him back.

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<v Speaker 2>In fact, I want to hurt them more than they

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<v Speaker 2>hurt me. My natural inclination is to not forgive people

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<v Speaker 2>who hurt me. My natural inclination is to slug him back,

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<v Speaker 2>get it right back. But God says, no, No, that's

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<v Speaker 2>the way that seems right. But it ends in a

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<v Speaker 2>dead end. It ends in death. You're gonna only hurt yourself.

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<v Speaker 2>You don't understand how much resentment's going to hurt you

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<v Speaker 2>more than it hurts them. So when God tells you

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<v Speaker 2>to do something like forgive your enemies, that rarely feels right,

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<v Speaker 2>and it doesn't just you know, go with your system.

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<v Speaker 2>But it is right. It's the right thing to do.

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<v Speaker 2>And God says, if you do it, you'll be blessed,

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<v Speaker 2>and he blesses you for obeying. Now, as a kid,

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<v Speaker 2>how many of you had parents who asked you or

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<v Speaker 2>told you to do something that when they told you

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<v Speaker 2>to do it, you thought that is sheer nonsense. Can

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<v Speaker 2>I see your hands? The rest of you were raised

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<v Speaker 2>by wolves. I say, okay, because every parent has done that.

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<v Speaker 2>And they're like, do it why? Because I say so?

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<v Speaker 2>Oh great, that's not a reason. Because I say so.

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<v Speaker 2>What they're saying is trust me. I know better. Than you,

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<v Speaker 2>And how many of you, looking back, can actually admit

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<v Speaker 2>now that some of the things your parents told you

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<v Speaker 2>to do, which seemed like nonsense, were actually in that

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<v Speaker 2>moment quite wise? Can I see your hands? Yeah? Now,

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<v Speaker 2>if our parents, who were imperfect and were sinful and

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<v Speaker 2>we make mistakes, can often know the right thing that

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<v Speaker 2>we don't know to do, how much more does a

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<v Speaker 2>perfect loving God know what you need? And he says

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<v Speaker 2>do it? And he said, why Lord, why should I

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<v Speaker 2>do it? Because I say so? This is a test.

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<v Speaker 2>Will you trust me? You see, if you learn to

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<v Speaker 2>do whatever God tells you to do, even when it

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<v Speaker 2>seems absurd I can't do that, you will grow a

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<v Speaker 2>great faith and you will build a great life. You'll

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<v Speaker 2>have a radical faith that believes when you don't see

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<v Speaker 2>it and obeys when you don't understand it. On the

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<v Speaker 2>other hand, if you don't do that, if you say, God,

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<v Speaker 2>I don't understand it, so I'm not gonna do it.

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<v Speaker 2>I only do what I understand. You know what, You're

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<v Speaker 2>gonna miss most of the blessings that God plan for

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<v Speaker 2>your life. Your life will be so limited, so stunted,

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<v Speaker 2>so shortened, so inferior, so limited, compared to the kind

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<v Speaker 2>of life that God wants to do in your life.

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<v Speaker 2>God wants to bless you far more than you realize,

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<v Speaker 2>but you've got to get blessable and how do you

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<v Speaker 2>do that by trusting Him? Wow?

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<v Speaker 1>What a great message from Pastor Rick today, and I

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<v Speaker 1>have some exciting news to share with you. For just

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<v Speaker 1>a limited time, you can get the Daily Hope Devotional

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00:19:12.599 --> 00:19:16.279
<v Speaker 1>three hundred sixty five days of Purpose, Peace and Promise

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00:19:16.559 --> 00:19:21.160
<v Speaker 1>in a beautiful special leatherlook gift edition. This stunning Keepsake

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<v Speaker 1>volume brings together three hundred and sixty five of Pastor

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<v Speaker 1>Rick Warren's most loved devotionals, each design to help you

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<v Speaker 1>start your day with clarity, strength, and hope. Pastor Rick

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<v Speaker 1>often says, the most important decision you'll make each day

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<v Speaker 1>is what you focus on, and this devotional will help

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<v Speaker 1>you center your heart on God every day. You'll find

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00:19:43.400 --> 00:19:46.319
<v Speaker 1>a Bible verse to ground you in God's Word and

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<v Speaker 1>a short teaching to help you understand God's truth. So

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<v Speaker 1>whether you're seeking deeper peace, stronger faith, or a renewed

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<v Speaker 1>sense of direction, this book provides a trusted framework to

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<v Speaker 1>grow spiritually day at a time.

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<v Speaker 2>And because this.

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<v Speaker 1>Leather look addition makes such a meaningful and lasting gift.

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<v Speaker 1>It's also a powerful way to share God's love with

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<v Speaker 1>the people you care about most. Be sure to request

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<v Speaker 1>your copy today when you give a gift to help

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<v Speaker 1>Daily Hope bring the Word of God to people all

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<v Speaker 1>around the world. Just go to pastorick dot com to

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<v Speaker 1>get your copy of this great resource. That's Pastororick dot com.

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

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<v Speaker 1>three oh nine. Again, that's the word hope to seven

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<v Speaker 1>oh three oh nine. Be sure to join us next

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<v Speaker 1>time as we look into God's Word for our daily hope.

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<v Speaker 1>This program is sponsored by Pastor Rick's Daily Hope and

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<v Speaker 1>your generous financial support.