WEBVTT

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This is Pastor Daniel Stevenson. I'm director

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of the Salisbury Life Station and pastor of New

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Heights Fellowship Baptist Church of East Toledo.

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And you're receiving this message because you

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opted in to be encouraged. I'm thinking today

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of Ezra 3 -1. And Ezra and those who've gone

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home to rebuild the temple after the exile in

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the land around Jerusalem and they're thinking

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about getting started and they look out and they

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see that they're surrounded by enemies. There's

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all kinds of people who want to cause a problem

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for God's people as they're trying to do the

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things they're supposed to do. And so they've

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got to make a plan, take a course of action.

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Take some steps. What am I going to do? You know

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what they do? They turn. They build the area

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of worship, in particular the altar, and begin

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sacrifices to God. They begin holy worship to

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God the best they know how. That's a lesson for

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us. When things look tough, when things look

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down, when there's enemies all around, what's

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our priority? What are we going to do? Are we

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going to get our craw up, defend ourselves, attack

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our enemies, train ourselves, build better defenses?

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No, that's not it. What we're going to do is

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turn toward the Lord and do the things of the

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Lord. Do the thing that the Lord sent us to do,

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which is to worship Him. God is looking for worship.

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Christopher's in spirit and in truth, John 4.

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He's looking for people who will put their lives

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on the line for him, who will focus on him, sing

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his songs, do his work, serve him, study, be

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the church. And if you'll put God first, he'll

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take care of all the rest. When you see your

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enemies encroaching, remember to put God at the

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center. Be encouraged today. If you need growth,

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look for plenty of opportunities coming up from

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the Life Station very soon and from New Heights.

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And then at the same time, I would encourage

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you, download our app. is going to be a great

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way in the future that you're going to be able

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to keep track of what's going on through these

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ministries. If you don't have a smartphone, don't

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worry. We're going to try not to leave you out.

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Make sure that you're in our texting group for

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updates. What's that? You don't text? Don't worry.

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We'll try not to leave you out. Give us a call.

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Let us know you want to be kept abreast of everything

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that's going on through the live station and

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through New Heights, and we'll do our best to

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keep you in the loop.