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Speaker 1: Most of us eat every day, some of us too

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much because yesterday's food is not enough to supply energy

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for today's needs. Why then, do some of us expect

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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

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going to change all of that. Let's experience God's words

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today and receive the power we need to live healthy,

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vibrant lives. Welcome to Your Daily Portion with your host

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author speaker Elle David Harris.

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Speaker 2: Good morning, Good morning, Good morning, it is Wednesday. It's

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June eighteenth, twenty twenty five. Hello, my name is El

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David Harris. I am your host, and this is your

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Daily Portion where we give you God's Word every single day,

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and today is no exception. We are continuing in our

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lesson study series Early Church Persecution. But before we do

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go into this, I'd like to say welcome to you

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and ask you to go over to your Daily Portion

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die Please join our online community pick up the Your

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Daily Portion Life application guide. Also let us know where

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you are in the world at your Daily Portion dot com.

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This is one of the ways that we continue to

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build faith and fellowship. Let's go ahead and pray, and

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then we will get underway. Father, we thank you for

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this day and for giving us a window into your mind,

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so that we can let this mind be in us,

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which was also in Christ. Jesus teach us to humble

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ourselves in the way that Jesus did when he lived

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on earth. In Jesus's name, I pray Amen and Amen again.

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Early Church persecution, I remember reading a quote that says,

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we have no fear for the future except we forget

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how God has led his people, has led us in

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the past. And so we see that in every generation

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from righteous Able being destroyed and murdered by his own

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brother kin way through history until this day, we see

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that God's people, even when we are persecuted, we come

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through on the other side with the image of God

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fully stamped upon our characters. And ultimately we win. But

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because Jesus wins. Because Jesus ultimately wins, his people always win.

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But it is not without persecution. Jesus said, when people

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say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake,

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rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward

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in heaven. For so persecuted day. The prophets which were

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before you. So if you are being persecuted for being

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a liar, then that is not acceptable to God. Like

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you don't want to be persecuted for breaking the law, Like,

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that's not the issue. The issue is when we are

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persecuted for righteousness sake. We are persecuted because we stand

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tall and firm and do what God has taught us

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to do that is acceptable to God. I wish I

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had the time, I wish I had the time. But

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let me read first from the book The Great Controversy,

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page thirty nine. Great Controversy, page thirty nine, and it reads,

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the powers of Earth and Hell arrayed themselves against Christ

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in the person of his followers. Paganism foresaw that should

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the Gospel triumph, her temples and altars would be swept away.

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Therefore she summoned her forces to destroy Christianity. The fires

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of persecution were kindled. And so we see when the

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enemy feels backed into the corner, or sometimes he doesn't

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even feel backed into the corner, he just decides, I'm

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gonna go, I'm gonna go for the GUSTO, I'm going

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to assault, I'm going on an office and sith to

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destroy God's people. Because they look so much like God.

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I don't like God. Therefore I will destroy his people

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if he allows me to. And so in the early Church,

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the first century Church, when we began to be called

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by the name Christian, that's a long story, but we

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were really called out. We were the people of the way,

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the people of the book called out ones at Clesia.

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In Acts Chapter twelve, verses one and two, we read

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now about the time Herod the King stretched forth his

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hands to vex part of me, certain of the church.

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He killed James, the brother of John, with the sword.

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What so a world leader destroyed one of God's people

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because they were teaching the truth? Yep, yep. In Revelation thirteen,

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it also reveals that there was state sponsored persecution targeting

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those who keep the commandments of God. So we're not

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just identifying the problem we see in history. It has

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happened Nebuchadnezzar's time, Deriasis time. I wish I had the

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time to really drill us. But the fact is we've

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seen with the state when it is not connecting itself

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in personal relationship with God, the leaders are not connected

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to God, that at some point persecution will ensue. It's

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just what it is. And so what we get to

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do is prepare spiritually by building habits of obedience even

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when it is inconvenient. Persecution tests convictions, not preferences. Persecution

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tests convictions, not our preferences. In Acts chapter twelve, in

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verse two, we read, and because he saw it pleased

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the people of God, he proceeded further to take Peter. Also,

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let me read it another way. He saw that it

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pleased the people who were supposed to be the people

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of God, but they had turned their backs on God

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and now had become agents of the enemy. Oh, now

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we see that that herod proceeded further to take Peter. Also. Yeah,

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so the church and the state were in cahoots. When

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I say the church and the state, I'm talking about

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the apostate church, the people of God that had lost

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their connection with God. Now with the strong arm of

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the state, they persecuted God's people in the first century Church.

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So in Revelation chapter thirteen, verses twelve and fifteen, it

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shows that popular demand leads to the death decree for

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the commandment keepers. Yep, the kinds of things that matter

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to worldly people. Put a bunch of those things in

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front of them constantly. I wish I had the time

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to say exactly what I'm thinking, but I don't. Hah.

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But there are times that the people in society feel

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the pressure to the degree that when it looks like

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it is a certain subset of people that are causing

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the problem, then everybody is focused on those individuals to

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destroy their lives. Yes, we have seen that so many times.

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It's like pin the tail on the donkey spiritually speaking.

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But right now we get to anchor our faith in truth,

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not in public approval. Be willing to stand alone if necessary.

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We see in Daniel three the people of God stood alone,

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just three young men, just three young men. We see

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the people of God in Revelation thirteen and fourteen standing

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standing on the promises of God. And you have that

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privilege every single day of your life. In Acts, chapter

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twelve and verse four, it says he put him in

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prison and delivered him to four quater well into four

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quads of soldiers to keep him. So, just like God's

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end time, people will appear trapped. You got four quads

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of soldiers guarding you. Proverbially now, or even maybe it

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happens in real life. I don't know, but it happened

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to Peter in real life. Yeah, will appear trapped, but

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no human way to see our way out. But God

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is always there. I think the Bible says that the

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Angel of the Lord in campeth around about those who

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trust in God, who live according to God's principles. So

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today I can trust in divine intervention when circumstances feel helpless.

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In chapter twelve and verse five, we read, but prayer

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was made without ceasing of the church, talking about the

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true people of God for him, And guess what in

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the last days deliverance will come to a praying and

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united people of God, not casual or divided. One start

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to join prayer bands focused on spiritual preparation and intercession.

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Do you are you in the place where prayer is

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wont to be made? Some of you know where that

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quote came from. So make it a habit. Make it

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a habit to be where prayer, true prayer connecting with

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God is the paradigm. He said, whether two or three

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are gathered together in His name, he is in the

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midst of us and Acts Chapter twelve and verse fifteen.

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It teaches us they said, unto her, thou art mad.

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When the man of God was delivered, but she constantly

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affirmed that it was even so. So be on the

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lookout for the answer to prayer. And when you see

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the answer to prayer, thank God for the reality peace.

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Speaker 1: Thanks for joining us listening. Friends. Always remember we cannot

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live by bread alone, but by every word that comes

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from the mouth of God. This has been your daily

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portion with el David Harris. Make it a great day. Yeah,