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<v Speaker 1>Today on Daily Hope with Pastor Rick Warren, we continue

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<v Speaker 1>in our riveting journey through the series The Invisible War.

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<v Speaker 1>In it will explore the unseen world of good and

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<v Speaker 1>evil and see how it impacts our day to day existence.

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<v Speaker 1>Join us for eye opening biblical insights into the spiritual

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<v Speaker 1>dimensions that influence our lives in ways we never imagined.

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<v Speaker 1>Right now, here's Pastor Rick Warren with part one of

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<v Speaker 1>a message called never Fight Your Battles Undressed.

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<v Speaker 2>One of the things that nine to eleven taught us

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<v Speaker 2>is you have to be prepared for an attack. And

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<v Speaker 2>that's really what I want to talk about in your

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<v Speaker 2>personal life today. If you'll take out your message notes.

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<v Speaker 2>Nine to eleven told us that we weren't ready for

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<v Speaker 2>that kind of warfare, and we were caught off guard

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<v Speaker 2>because we didn't know who the enemy was and we

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<v Speaker 2>didn't know how they were going to attack. This same

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<v Speaker 2>principle is true in your life. And we've been talking

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<v Speaker 2>about the battles that you go through in life and

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<v Speaker 2>the reason why life is so hard, why it is tough,

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<v Speaker 2>why it is difficult. The reason why you have so

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<v Speaker 2>many battles in your life is there are unseen forces

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<v Speaker 2>at work around you. This is called the invisible war.

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<v Speaker 2>This weekend, I want to wrap up this series by

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<v Speaker 2>looking at how to fight the battle by preparing for

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<v Speaker 2>it and what kind of armor, what kind of equipment

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<v Speaker 2>you need to wear. The Bible is very very clear

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<v Speaker 2>about this. If you have a Bible, I want you

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<v Speaker 2>to open to Ephesians chapter six. Ephesians chapter six. If

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<v Speaker 2>you don't have a Bible, all of the verses are

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<v Speaker 2>written out there in your outline. You can pull that out,

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<v Speaker 2>and before we actually look at the full text, I

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<v Speaker 2>want to make three points. I want you to write

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<v Speaker 2>these things down. These are three things that Paul teaches

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<v Speaker 2>us about fighting the battles that you fight. The battle

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<v Speaker 2>against discouragement, the battle against depression, the battle against doubt,

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<v Speaker 2>the battle against the spare, the battle against darkness in

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<v Speaker 2>your life. Again, delays and dead ends and difficulties, these

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<v Speaker 2>battles that come against you in life. Unless you're prepared

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<v Speaker 2>for them, you're going to be taken out by Satan,

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<v Speaker 2>just like the twin Towers were taken out by the terrorist. Now,

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<v Speaker 2>the first thing in Ephesians chapter six that we're going

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<v Speaker 2>to learn is this, write this down. I must get

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<v Speaker 2>dressed for the battle. I must get dressed for the battle.

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<v Speaker 2>Nobody would go out onto a battlefield naked. Nobody would

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<v Speaker 2>go play NFL football without putting on some padding, suiting up,

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<v Speaker 2>putting on a helmet, these kind of things. You just

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<v Speaker 2>don't go out into a fight without being prepared for it.

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<v Speaker 2>I learned to term a number of years ago when

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<v Speaker 2>we were doing the forty Days of Purpose in a prison.

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<v Speaker 2>Do you remember when we were doing forty days of

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<v Speaker 2>Purpose all over America? And we did this in a

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<v Speaker 2>number of prisons that asked us to come and study

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<v Speaker 2>the purpose of life with them. One of the prisons

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<v Speaker 2>was called Sierra Prison in northern California. Six thousand men

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<v Speaker 2>in a maximum security prison, and they wanted to do

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<v Speaker 2>forty days of Purpose. We have now planted a church

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<v Speaker 2>in that prison that runs several hundred people. Over two

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<v Speaker 2>thousand prisoners have gone through forty days of Purpose at

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<v Speaker 2>that prison. And in fact, there was an article in

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<v Speaker 2>the New York Times on the front page that talked

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<v Speaker 2>about the change they'd made. This prison had never gone

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<v Speaker 2>more than two days without a lockdown because there was

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<v Speaker 2>so much violence and conflict among the prisoners. Since they

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<v Speaker 2>had done forty days of purpose, they'd gone five and

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<v Speaker 2>a half years without a lockdown. That's the difference that

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<v Speaker 2>it made. In fact, there are seven cell blocks in

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<v Speaker 2>this prison, and one entire cell block is committed to

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<v Speaker 2>celebrate recovery. It's an amazing, amazing thing. Well, I went

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<v Speaker 2>up there to visit them one time when they were

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<v Speaker 2>planning the church in the very beginning and just starting

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<v Speaker 2>the church, and Danny Duchane, the prisoner who is the

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<v Speaker 2>pastor of that church, told me, he said, now, Rick,

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<v Speaker 2>when we go out onto the field, this is a

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<v Speaker 2>giant football field where six thousand prisoners gather, he said,

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<v Speaker 2>you never go onto a field without being suited and booted.

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<v Speaker 2>And I said, what does that mean. He said, well,

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<v Speaker 2>you don't go out in shorts or you know, cut

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<v Speaker 2>offs and flip flops, because he said that makes you

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<v Speaker 2>very vulnerable. You go out with real pants on, and

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<v Speaker 2>you go out with hard shoes, so you're ready to

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<v Speaker 2>either fight or fight. You know, you're either gonna have

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<v Speaker 2>to run from people trying to beat you up or

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<v Speaker 2>you're gonna have to fight your way. So you never

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<v Speaker 2>go on the field without being suited and booted. And

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<v Speaker 2>actually they made a very important statement when they started

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<v Speaker 2>that church, as they had one hundred and fifty guys

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<v Speaker 2>gather in the middle, and they said, you know, just

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<v Speaker 2>as Moses was told by God to take off his

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<v Speaker 2>shoes because it was holy ground, we're going to dedicate

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<v Speaker 2>this prison to Jesus Christ. And so they said, men

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<v Speaker 2>of Sierrat Church, deboot, and in front one of six

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<v Speaker 2>thousand prisoners, one hundred and fifty guys who were forming

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<v Speaker 2>this church years ago, took their shoes off. In the

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<v Speaker 2>middle of the prison. You could have heard a pin drop.

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<v Speaker 2>But the point was, when you're going into battle, you

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<v Speaker 2>have to be suited and booted. You have to be

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<v Speaker 2>prepared for it. Now here's what the Bible says. And

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<v Speaker 2>Ephesian six, verse ten, a final word Paul says, be

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<v Speaker 2>strong with the Lord's mighty power. Put on all of

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<v Speaker 2>God's armor. Circle that phrase God's armor. Put on all

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<v Speaker 2>of God's armor, so that you will be able to stand. Said.

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<v Speaker 2>If you're not, you don't have on the armor, You're

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<v Speaker 2>you're gonna fall, You're gonna slip, you're gonna you're gonna stumble.

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<v Speaker 2>So you'll be able to stand firm against all the

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<v Speaker 2>strategies and tricks of the devil. Now, I hate to

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<v Speaker 2>tell you this, but you were born into a battle.

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<v Speaker 2>You didn't ask for this battle, But when you were

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<v Speaker 2>born on earth, you were born into a cosmic battle.

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<v Speaker 2>There is an unseen war going on between good and evil,

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<v Speaker 2>between light and darkness, between God and Satan. They are

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<v Speaker 2>not equal enemies. Satan is far in fury. He's a

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<v Speaker 2>created being. God's a zillion times more powerful than Satan,

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<v Speaker 2>and one day he's going to wipe him out, but

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<v Speaker 2>he allows him to exist right now. So people have

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<v Speaker 2>a choice, because it's not real love unless you can

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<v Speaker 2>choose to not love somebody. And so God gives us

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<v Speaker 2>a choice between good and evil. He's actually using that

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<v Speaker 2>right now. But in this cosmic battle between God and Satan,

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<v Speaker 2>people are often pawns. You see, Satan cannot hurt God,

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<v Speaker 2>he can't hurt him at all. So what do you

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<v Speaker 2>do when you can't hurt somebody? You hurt his children,

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<v Speaker 2>You go after his kids. You want to hurt me,

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<v Speaker 2>You hurt my kids, you hurt my grandkids. And so

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<v Speaker 2>the bottom line here is that Satan often uses you

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<v Speaker 2>as a pawn to get it God. He tries to

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<v Speaker 2>hurt you. Now, notice what this verse says, put on

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<v Speaker 2>all of God's armor so that you will be able

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<v Speaker 2>to stand firm against all the strategies and tricks of

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<v Speaker 2>the devil. Now, the devil is real. He's real, he's actual,

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<v Speaker 2>he's factual. He's not just a force. You know, we

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<v Speaker 2>like to joke about Satan, we say, you know, we

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<v Speaker 2>think of him in a little red pajamas with a

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<v Speaker 2>tail and horns and a pitchfork. In fact, we name

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<v Speaker 2>our teams, you know, the Diablos, and we like the joke.

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<v Speaker 2>But Satan is no laughing matter. He hates you. He

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<v Speaker 2>wants to destroy you. He wants to destroy your marriage,

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<v Speaker 2>he wants to destroy your career, he wants to destroy

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<v Speaker 2>your finances. He wants to destroy your life. He would

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<v Speaker 2>be happy for you to take your own life. Satan

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<v Speaker 2>wants to mess up your life. And notice it says

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<v Speaker 2>he has strategies and tricks. Satan is subtle, Satan is strategic.

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<v Speaker 2>Satan is smart. He's far smarter than you are. So

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<v Speaker 2>don't try it out smart Satan. You're never going to

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<v Speaker 2>outsmart him. And he's not afraid of you at all.

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<v Speaker 2>Now that's the bad news. That you were born for

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<v Speaker 2>about the good news is you were born to win.

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<v Speaker 2>And the Bible says in first John, greater is he

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<v Speaker 2>who is in you than he that is in the world.

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<v Speaker 2>Satan is not afraid of you, but he is afraid

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<v Speaker 2>of who's in you God. And greater is he who

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<v Speaker 2>is in you than he who is in the world.

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<v Speaker 2>And when God's spirit, the spirit of Jesus Christ, is

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<v Speaker 2>in you, you don't have to be afraid of Satan.

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<v Speaker 2>But you got to get dressed for battle. Now. The

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<v Speaker 2>second thing we're going to learn from this passage is this,

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<v Speaker 2>I must know my real enemy. I must know my

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<v Speaker 2>real enemy. One of the reasons why you walk around

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<v Speaker 2>defeated and discouraged all the time is because you don't

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<v Speaker 2>know who your real enemy is. You often think your

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<v Speaker 2>enemy is other people. That's not the real enemy. You

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<v Speaker 2>often think the enemy is the economy of the enemy

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<v Speaker 2>is a political party, or the enemy is something else.

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<v Speaker 2>Who is the real enemy? If I ask you that,

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<v Speaker 2>who's responsible for all the mess in the world. Who's

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<v Speaker 2>responsible for the mess in our culture, the mess in

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<v Speaker 2>our economy. Who's responsible for all this mess? Some of

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<v Speaker 2>you would say the Democrats, some of you would say

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<v Speaker 2>the Republicans, some of you would say the Tea Party,

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<v Speaker 2>some of you would say a pox on all of them,

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<v Speaker 2>and you'd all be wrong. In every case. They are

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<v Speaker 2>not the real enemy. Look at what the Bible says,

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<v Speaker 2>verse twelve. We are not fighting against people, And if

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<v Speaker 2>you think other people of the enemy, you're wrong. We

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<v Speaker 2>are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood,

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<v Speaker 2>but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world,

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<v Speaker 2>against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world,

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<v Speaker 2>and against wicked spirits. Many translations say spiritual wickedness in

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<v Speaker 2>the heavenly places. Now, you are no match for Satan.

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<v Speaker 2>You trying to take on Satan is like you trying

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<v Speaker 2>to shoot a rubber band out of battleship. It's going

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<v Speaker 2>to have no effect at all. Satan is not afraid

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<v Speaker 2>of you. He's not scared of you, and you cannot

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<v Speaker 2>hurt him. But everybody gets used by Satan. Yes, Christians

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<v Speaker 2>get used. You know sometimes you say things that Satan

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<v Speaker 2>put those thoughts in your mind. He's even a believer. Absolutely.

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<v Speaker 2>I have said things to my wife that I know

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<v Speaker 2>looking back that was from the devil. She knew it

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<v Speaker 2>was from the devil too when I said it, and

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<v Speaker 2>you have been used as aupaonn in Satan's plan all along.

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<v Speaker 2>You cannot beat Satan, but God can. Now. The other

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<v Speaker 2>thing I want you to understand about this and write

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<v Speaker 2>this down, is not everything that is spiritual is good.

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<v Speaker 2>You write that down. Not everything that is spiritual is good.

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<v Speaker 2>There is spiritual wickedness. There there are goods, and there

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<v Speaker 2>are bad spirits their spiritual light and their spiritual darkness.

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<v Speaker 2>There is righteousness and there is evil. Just because someone

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<v Speaker 2>says I'm spiritual doesn't mean they're good, because there are

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<v Speaker 2>evil spiritual forces too. Not everything that's spiritual is a

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<v Speaker 2>good thing. And by the way, Satan doesn't fight fair,

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<v Speaker 2>So a lot of times he's going to put ideas

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<v Speaker 2>in your mind. You've got to catch him in the acto. Well, hey,

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<v Speaker 2>I know where that one come from. You See, Satan

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<v Speaker 2>can't physically attack you. He can't come out and slug

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<v Speaker 2>you and punch you. What everything he does in your

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<v Speaker 2>life he does by suggestion. And so this battle, that

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<v Speaker 2>the spiritual war that you're in, it's in your mind.

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<v Speaker 2>It is a mental battle. And those thoughts of depression

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<v Speaker 2>and those thoughts of discouragement, and those thoughts of anger

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<v Speaker 2>and fear and worry. Those are coming from the evil one,

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<v Speaker 2>and they're going to come at you, and you need

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<v Speaker 2>to understand them and catch them in the act. Now,

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<v Speaker 2>the third thing this passage is going to teach us,

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<v Speaker 2>and we're going to look at it, is use every

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<v Speaker 2>piece of armor. I must use every piece of armor,

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<v Speaker 2>and we're going to spin today's session looking at the

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<v Speaker 2>pieces of armor. In verse thirteen, it says, use every

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<v Speaker 2>piece of God's armor to resist the enemy in the

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<v Speaker 2>time of evil. And we are in evil times right now,

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<v Speaker 2>so that after the battle you will still be standing.

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<v Speaker 2>God says, you can have victory, and I want you

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<v Speaker 2>to fight from victory, not for victory, stand in the

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<v Speaker 2>place of victory to what Jesus Christ did on the

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<v Speaker 2>cross for you. But he said, You're going to have

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<v Speaker 2>to put on every piece of God's armor to resist

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<v Speaker 2>the enemy, so that you're still standing after all these

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<v Speaker 2>things have happened. Now, let me give you a little background.

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<v Speaker 2>When Paul writes this passage Ephesians, he's in prison. Paul

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<v Speaker 2>was at this time the most famous prisoner in Rome.

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<v Speaker 2>The Roman Empire is spread all over Europe and Asia,

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<v Speaker 2>and Paul has been taken as a prisoner to appeal

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<v Speaker 2>to Caesar, the Emperor of Rome. He's the most famous

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<v Speaker 2>prisoner in Rome right now. And so not only is

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<v Speaker 2>he in prison, but he was chained twenty four hours

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<v Speaker 2>a day to a Roman centurion. And as Paul is

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<v Speaker 2>writing this, he's writing it as he's chained to a

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<v Speaker 2>Roman centurion. And Paul looks up and he's writing on

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<v Speaker 2>how to handle spiritual warfare, and he looks up and

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<v Speaker 2>he sees this fully dressed Roman centurion. He goes, hmm,

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<v Speaker 2>I could use this as a teaching lesson, and I

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<v Speaker 2>can compare every part of a Roman soldier's garb, weaponry,

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<v Speaker 2>protection and make a spiritual parallel to the things you

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<v Speaker 2>need in your life to guard against depression, despair, defeat, doubt, difficulty,

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<v Speaker 2>and all the things that get hit you down. And

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<v Speaker 2>so we're going to look at that and today in

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<v Speaker 2>just a minute. And I actually I own a complete

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<v Speaker 2>set of Roman armor underneath all of his weaponry. The

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<v Speaker 2>first thing that a Roman centurion would wear would be

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<v Speaker 2>a red tunic, and this was kind of like his

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<v Speaker 2>long john. So he's standing here in his underwear. Actually

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<v Speaker 2>right now, the first thing that a Roman centurion would

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<v Speaker 2>put on would be the belt. Now, if you've ever

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<v Speaker 2>watched like a weightlifters, professional weightlifting at the Olympics, or

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<v Speaker 2>even sometimes even wrestlers, they will wear a heavy belt

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<v Speaker 2>like this. They sent it up around their waist. It

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<v Speaker 2>gives them support and stability. It's what holds them together.

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<v Speaker 2>And so the first thing that a centurion would put

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<v Speaker 2>on would be the belt. It was not only strengthening

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<v Speaker 2>his core, the center of his being, but it also

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<v Speaker 2>held the weapons that he was going to wear as

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<v Speaker 2>he went out in the battle. Now, Paul makes a

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<v Speaker 2>parallel and he says, what you need to wear as

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<v Speaker 2>a Christian is you need to wear a belt, and

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<v Speaker 2>it is the belt of truth. Notice this verse verse

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<v Speaker 2>there on your outline in verse fourteen. So stand ready

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<v Speaker 2>with the belt of truth tight around your waist. Now,

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<v Speaker 2>the belt of truth gives your life stability, It gives

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<v Speaker 2>your life strength. If your life isn't based on truth,

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<v Speaker 2>then you're going to have sinking sands, shifting sands. You

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<v Speaker 2>have no strong core. Jesus said in the Sermon on

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<v Speaker 2>the Mountain, the person who builds his house, who builds

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<v Speaker 2>his life on My truth is like a guy who

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<v Speaker 2>builds his house on the rock. And when the hurricanes

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<v Speaker 2>like they're having back East and the earthquakes like they

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<v Speaker 2>had back East this week come. Because you're built on

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<v Speaker 2>the truth, you're like a house on the rock, you're

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<v Speaker 2>going to withstand it. But he said, if you don't

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<v Speaker 2>build your house on truth, your life on truth, it's

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<v Speaker 2>going to be shifting sands and it'll be easy to

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<v Speaker 2>blow you over. Now what does this represent, Well, you

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<v Speaker 2>might write this down. The belt of truth represents integrity.

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<v Speaker 2>Integrity and integrity is knowing and doing the truth. And

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<v Speaker 2>the first thing you need to put on in your

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<v Speaker 2>life is integrity. It's the belt that holds everything together.

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<v Speaker 2>If your life isn't based on truth, it's going to

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<v Speaker 2>fall apart. And so you need integrity, moral integrity, relational integrity,

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<v Speaker 2>financial integrity, sexual integrity. You need integrity in the different

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<v Speaker 2>areas of your life. Now I've explained this to you before,

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<v Speaker 2>but let me do it again. Integrity does not mean perfection.

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<v Speaker 2>It doesn't mean you always do the right thing, because

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<v Speaker 2>if you had to be perfect at integrity, nobody's got integrity.

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<v Speaker 2>Because nobody is perfect. Everybody slips everybody he stumbles. Integrity

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<v Speaker 2>is not compartmentalizing your life so that you don't appear

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<v Speaker 2>different ways with different people. Integrity comes from the word

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<v Speaker 2>integer or integer, which means a unit of one. It

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<v Speaker 2>means your life is not a bunch of pieces of pie,

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<v Speaker 2>but it's the filling all in the middle. In other words,

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<v Speaker 2>that you act the same way with everybody. You don't

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<v Speaker 2>act one way at work and another way at church.

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<v Speaker 2>You don't act one way at home and another way

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<v Speaker 2>with your friends. Integrity means what you see is what

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<v Speaker 2>you get, that you're not faking it. The opposite of

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<v Speaker 2>integrity is knowing the truth and not doing it. That's

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<v Speaker 2>called hypocrisy, which is wearing a mask. So integrity is

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<v Speaker 2>the opposite of hypocrisy, which means what you know, I'm

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<v Speaker 2>exactly what I appear to be. Now, if you lack

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<v Speaker 2>integrity in any area, you are going to be vulnerable.

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<v Speaker 2>As I said, if you segment your life and say

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<v Speaker 2>this is my church life, and then this is my

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<v Speaker 2>work life, this piece of the pie, and this piece

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<v Speaker 2>of the pie is my sex life, and this is

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<v Speaker 2>my secret pornography life over here, and this is my

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<v Speaker 2>sports life, and this is my friendship, social life. You're

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<v Speaker 2>already lack of integrity because you're not acting the same

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<v Speaker 2>in all of those areas. Integrity is knowing the truth,

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<v Speaker 2>but more than just knowing it, it is doing the truth.

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<v Speaker 2>And that's the one that gives you stability. It holds

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<v Speaker 2>you together in the middle, in the tough times. It

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<v Speaker 2>gives you strength.

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<v Speaker 1>You're listening to Pastor Rick's Daily Hope. We're so happy

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<v Speaker 1>you've chosen to study along with us today. Here's Pastor

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<v Speaker 1>Rick with a letter from one of our listeners.

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<v Speaker 2>Hi, everybody, today, I want to share a letter from Edam,

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<v Speaker 2>a listener from Canada, who talks about the impact Daily

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<v Speaker 2>Hope has had in his life. I love these stories,

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<v Speaker 2>he writes. The Daily Hope ministry has helped me greatly

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<v Speaker 2>in shifting the lens through which I see life. I

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<v Speaker 2>know now that I was created for God to fulfill

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<v Speaker 2>his purpose. I understand that every trial or every situation

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<v Speaker 2>I face in life is a test of my character

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<v Speaker 2>and is preparing me for Heaven. I started listening to

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<v Speaker 2>Daily Hope at the time when I was confused about

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<v Speaker 2>my existence. This was when times were bad and I

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<v Speaker 2>didn't have a job. I always thought a profession to

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<v Speaker 2>find who I was. But Daily Hope shifted my perspective

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<v Speaker 2>on life and my purpose, and I soon started to

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<v Speaker 2>experience peace in my heart when I least expected it.

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<v Speaker 2>Even though I landed a great job, I understand that

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<v Speaker 2>it doesn't define who I am or my purpose. I

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<v Speaker 2>was created by God and for God, and I want

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<v Speaker 2>to surrender fully to his will. So I want to

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<v Speaker 2>say thanks to you and to the entire Daily Hope

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<v Speaker 2>team for the impact that you've had on my life.

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<v Speaker 2>What an incredible testimony of how God's working through Daily

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<v Speaker 2>Hope to bring about strong sense of purpose in people's lives.

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<v Speaker 2>So thank you everybody for your ongoing support and your

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<v Speaker 2>faithful prayers. More lives like atoms will be changed in

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<v Speaker 2>Jesus' name because of you.

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<v Speaker 1>If you've been wanting to partner with Pastor Rick to

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<v Speaker 1>take the hope of Jesus to people who need to

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<v Speaker 1>hear it, you can give right now by going to

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<v Speaker 1>Pastorrick dot com or text the word hope to eight

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<v Speaker 1>hundred six hundred five thousand and four. Again that's Pastorick

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<v Speaker 1>dot com. Or text the word hope to eight hundred

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<v Speaker 1>six hundred five thousand and four, and thank you so

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<v Speaker 1>much for your support. 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 supports.