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Many, many, many years ago, back in 19, I was visiting here with my, oh, I see some

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friends.

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I was visiting here with my paternal grandpa, George and Myrtle Fuller, grandparents.

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George and Myrtle Fuller liked to go around and help when churches were starting.

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And I would many times go with my grandparents to various churches.

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They helped start the Stand for Gap Church, and I would visit with them there.

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They helped start the Appeson Church.

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Now when I say that, I mean they just liked to support the churches that were getting

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started financially and with their presence.

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And my grandpa was a good Sabbath school teacher, and he would help out.

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So I visited here, and they wanted me to play my violin.

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And I had just started playing the violin.

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It was a little bit somewhat embarrassing because I didn't know what I was doing.

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This special music today was far, far superior than what I provided.

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It was back when this church, now help me here, those of you that go back a ways, it

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was meeting in a house.

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Now was that on this property here, or was that?

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Okay, over there.

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Okay.

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Anyway, it was a wonderful experience once my violin playing was over.

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And everyone was very cordial and nice.

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Pastor Hudson called and asked if I could cover the pulpit today, and it is indeed an

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honor and a privilege.

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Before we open God's Word, would you pray with me one more time?

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Father in heaven, our hearts go out to you, asking for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

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I pray that you will be the teacher today.

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I pray that you will fill our hearts with the messages that we need.

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In Jesus' precious name, amen.

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My lovely wife Rose and I were at the Walmart yesterday in Ottawa.

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By the way, I want to tell you something.

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If you are a pastor in the area and you want to visit a whole lot of your church members,

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go to Walmart on Friday afternoon.

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You see a whole lot of people you know.

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And I started doing something that's going to sound a little strange at first, but hear

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me out.

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Don't judge me quite yet.

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I want you to understand where I'm coming from here.

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I started looking at people and seeing how they were dressed.

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Now I know you're ready to say, wait, that isn't proper for a pastor.

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I'm talking in terms of what they were wearing to see if I could tell two things.

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Number one, if I could tell what they do for a living.

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And number two, if I could tell in any way at all, if they might be a Christian as opposed

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to someone else.

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There were a number of people in scrubs.

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You know what that is?

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And I could tell that they were obviously coming off of work and getting groceries and

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stuff before they went home.

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But they did something in the medical field, whether a dentist's office or they were nurses

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or maybe they were physicians or whatever.

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They were still in their scrubs.

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So there was a category, I can kind of put it that way.

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There were others that were obviously dressed like carpenters or manual laborers.

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They had big hands that were rough and many of them had things in their front pocket and

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pins like you would see that they would have.

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Some of them had other things that gave you a little bit of clues of what they might be.

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Some I guessed to be accountants or business type people.

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On and on as we went through, I tired of the little thing that I was doing.

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But I finally concluded with the other issue that I mentioned and that is I wondered if

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anyone could tell if I was a Christian, much less a pastor.

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I wondered if there were any indications by what they were wearing or what they were doing

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or how they were acting that would give us a clue as to whether or not Jesus lived in

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their hearts or if they could even tell if he lived in mine.

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Today's message is entitled Yesterday's Coat.

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And I want you to understand where I'm coming from with that title.

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You see what happened was this.

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A few years back I was going to the winter's minister's retreat at Cahutta Springs Camp

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and on Sunday evening, which was the first meeting, I drove out.

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It had been a unusually warm day.

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I had a small coat, light coat that I was wearing and it was sufficient.

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The next morning I got up, things looked pretty much like they were going to be the same and

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you probably already know where I'm heading by what I've just told you.

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I got that light jacket, I put it back on, I drove out.

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Now the conference wants some of us who pastor in the immediate area, they want us to drive

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out and then commute back.

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They don't have enough room for every pastor in the conference over there at the conference

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center at Cahutta Springs.

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By the time we got through with the programming that evening, Monday night, a northern wind

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started howling.

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The temperatures dropped drastically and as I walked out, I realized that yesterday's

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coat wasn't going to work.

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I made a note of that and I decided later that I ought to write down, we pastors have

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what we call a sermon garden.

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Have you ever heard of that?

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Sermon garden is one of those things where an illustration or something hits you.

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You don't have all the text lined up, you don't have everything all set and ready for

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the message, but it is a seed that the Holy Spirit has started in your heart as to a direction

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you would want to go in a sermon.

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I can't tell you how many times I've told Rose, I said, you know, that would be a really

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good sermon.

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And first thing she says, write it down.

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And she's right.

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I would write it down and had it.

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If I didn't, two weeks, five weeks, two months later, I come back to her and say, what was

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that I was saying that would be a good sermon?

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And she says, did you write it down?

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And we'll move on from there.

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I thought to myself, yesterday's coat didn't work.

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You have your Bibles, I invite you to turn to our text for today, Ephesians, the sixth

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chapter.

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And I'd like to suggest to you today that it might be Pastor Fred Fuller's substandard

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translation, but I'm trying to tell you that I think that this is exactly what Paul was

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trying to tell his church in Ephesus.

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He was trying to tell them that much of the issues that you struggle with today has to

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do with the fact that you're trying to stay warm in the Holy Spirit with yesterday's

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coat.

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All the way through, and I'm not going to leaf through the book of Ephesians, but he's

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trying to tell them how to act and live in such a way that people would be able to know

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and tell that Jesus is in your heart.

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And he concludes this section right here at verse 10.

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Finally, brethren, be strong in the Lord and the power of His might.

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Now the illustration is going to be a little bit interesting back and forth here, but what

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I'm trying to tell you, I'm trying to tell you a spiritual coat.

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But he says, if you want to be successful, if you want others to know that Christ lives

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in your heart, you're going to have to start by getting dressed first and right every day.

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He says, first of all, you've got to recognize that it has got to be God's power and not

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yours.

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It's got to be God's choice as you put on your armor for the day.

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As you prepare and as you get ready to go out in spiritual warfare, you've got to understand

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that it's not by might and it's not by power, but by God's Holy Spirit.

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And we need to start every day at the closet in prayer.

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He says, you've got to put on the whole armor.

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Part of the problem, folk, is that we don't get completely dressed.

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Part of the problem as we struggle through life's challenges is that we haven't put

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everything on.

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And he makes it abundantly clear in verse 12 that he's not talking about our wardrobe.

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He's talking about our mental wardrobe.

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For we don't wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities and against powers

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and against rulers of darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts, wickedness in heavenly

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or high places.

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It's amazing thought that we will be so very careful how we dress every day.

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We make sure that everything matches.

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We will be meticulous that everything's cleaned and ironed.

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We make sure that everything is appropriate for what we are planning.

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We are planning to do that day, but we will walk out many times, rush out, not recognizing

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that we are walking disrobed in the land of the enemy.

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So he says, take up the whole armor of God.

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Verse 11 and verse 13 say the very same thing.

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You know, when Bible authors repeat themselves, when Jesus repeated himself, take special

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note, we have a tendency to forget and wander and where we are in the conversation.

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Verse 11 says put on the whole armor.

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Verse 13, therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in

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the evil day, having done all to stand.

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You won't be able to do everything.

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We're going to need the Lord's help every step of the way, but we start by getting the

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whole armor on.

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Stand firm.

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Verse 14, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

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having shod your feet, the preparation of the gospel of peace.

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My son-in-law has just retired from the Air Force.

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Our oldest daughter, Rebecca, married a young man that went into the Air Force.

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And when we would go and visit them and we would go to their church there on Sabbath

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morning, we could tell by the way they acted and many times by the way they dressed who

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were the servicemen and women.

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They acted like their colleague.

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They acted respectful but dignified.

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Standing straight.

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If you went to their Walmart, you could quickly tell.

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You know, there are a lot of soldiers.

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There's a lot of servicemen in this place.

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They woke up with the understanding of what their work was to do that day.

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They were in uniform.

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They were prepared.

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Their preparedness is worthy of a higher calling.

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We belong to the army of God.

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Did you ever sing the song, Onward Christian Soldiers, Going as to War?

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We are in the army of the Lord.

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We're to have all of these things on.

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We wouldn't think of going into battle without shoes, boots on.

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You wouldn't think of going into battle without your armor on.

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On the context of putting the whole armor on, I'll just help you to get a visual of

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it, okay?

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Goliath was fully dressed.

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The Bible talks about how he had a sword, he had a spear, he had a shield, he had mail

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on.

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He had everything.

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But he left himself vulnerable in one area.

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You follow me?

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He left himself wide open and vulnerable.

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And trust me, the devil, our adversary, walking about seeking whom he may devour, knows exactly

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how well or how poorly dressed you are.

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He'll send somebody.

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It might be somebody cutting you off in traffic.

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It might be somebody that said something terrible to you at the office.

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It might be someone who maligned your character.

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It might be someone who bullied your child or your grandchild.

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It could be many things.

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It could be the flirtatious eyes at the office.

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There's all kinds of things that could happen if we're not dressed with the right armor.

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So put it all on.

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Don't ever be half dressed.

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Above all, take up the shield of faith.

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I'm going to suggest to you, and I can't prove this totally, but it's just as I walk through

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this concept, as I put this message together, as I prayed about it, I think verse 16, if

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there is anything more important than other, it is the shield of faith.

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The shield of faith is how we defend ourselves.

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There's others behind.

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If the shield doesn't work, there's other protection to stop the darts.

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But we have to know by faith that no matter what that other driver does, no matter what

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that other person says, no matter what that other person suggests, no matter what happens

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as we go through each day of life, we can by faith live in righteousness.

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We can.

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It's a wonderful thought.

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Verse 17 says, take up the helmet of salvation.

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Now in the middle of verse 17, Paul makes a dramatic shift.

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You see it?

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Hitherto for in the texts we have read, everything has been defensive.

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Notice that?

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Shield is for defense.

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Helmets for defense.

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Armor is for defense.

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Nothing has been an offensive thing to wear.

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But in verse 17, he shifts, he says, and also by the way, take up the sword of the spirit,

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which is the word of God.

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I'm going to repeat myself just quickly.

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We go through all of everything to be dressed properly outwardly, but we take so little

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time in the word of God.

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I'd like to suggest to you today that if it were down to this, and I'm not suggesting

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it, but if it got down to this, either spending time in the word in the morning or having

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an iron shirt, spend time in the word of God.

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You follow me?

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I know what you're thinking.

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You're thinking, well, pastor, I'm a professional.

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I have to find.

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Then get up early enough to spend time in the word of God before you iron the shirt.

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If it was down to brushing our teeth or taking a shower or putting on deodorant or whatever

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it does you do to prepare for your day, it would be better to spend time in the word

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of God.

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It would be better to have our hearts flavored with the mouthwash of God.

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With the right priorities, we can have both.

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Finally, pick up that sword.

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Now, a sword is not something.

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I actually have a sword.

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Actually I have a couple of swords.

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One of the things I always told my kids and I tell my grandchildren now is you don't just

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pick up a sword, a real sword, and start flailing that thing around.

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Ask Peter.

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You can get real trouble if you start flailing the sword around with the right spirit in

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the heart, with the wrong spirit in the heart.

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Very important.

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Notice he says you pick up the sword toward the end of the list.

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When you have filled with the Holy Spirit, when you've had all of these other things

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in your dressed and ready and you have been filled with the word of God that day, then

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and only then with God's help do we pick up the sword.

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I wish somebody had told me this when I was a young pastor.

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When I was a young pastor, I went out.

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I had had training from Southern Missionary College.

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I had had training from the Seventh-day Adventist Seminary.

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I went out and I knew that it was time to convert the world.

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That was a noble cause, but I didn't fully understand how to get dressed and ready to

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do it.

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There were a few times, and I am so embarrassed to stand and say it, but you know what?

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I rather suspect that Peter, in many testimony times and sermons years later, spoke of his

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downfall.

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But I went out there and there were times when I picked up the Bible.

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When you have the truth, folks, it's easy to do this if you're not careful.

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I picked up the Bible and I cut some people to ribbons.

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Oh, I had the Bible right.

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I had the right interpretation.

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I had the right text.

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I had the proof texts.

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But folk, I walked away losing that war.

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Brothers and sisters, you have a powerful sword at your side, but you be very careful

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and it's going to take the next thing on the list for you to understand what I'm saying

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fully.

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I've spent most of my ministry working with young people and there were times when I spoke

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very directly, and sometimes you do need to call sin by its right name.

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Don't get me wrong.

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But they need to know that you have the love of Christ in your heart.

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You need to ask God for the wisdom out to use this powerful weapon.

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Tuck a few seeds in.

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Don't slash and burn.

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He finally ends up with only the second offensive weapon, only two offensive weapons.

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Verse 18, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful

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to this end with all perseverance, supplication for all the saints.

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Brothers and sisters, are we dressed?

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Are we really prepared for battle?

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At the beginning of World War II, the French remembered how in World War I, the Germans

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overpowered them so easily.

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So they had started preparing what is called the Maginot Line.

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Now those of you that are history buffs, you know what I'm talking about.

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On the border of France and Germany, where the Germans came so quickly across the line

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and took over their country, they began preparing what was called the Maginot Line and what

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it was.

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Enormous concrete embuckments.

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200 miles of state of the art defenses with gun turrets.

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They had all kinds of land mines.

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They were ready for the enemy, so they thought.

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But at the beginning of World War II, Hitler's Panzer Division, his tank division, went through

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the woods and went around the Maginot Line and drove straight in.

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Their planes flew over and dropped bombs.

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Maginot Line was nearly useless.

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They were not ready because Hitler had new weapons.

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Yesterday's defense doesn't work with new weapons.

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Oh, it may be more or less the same concept, but a new direction.

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Remember the story of David?

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He was older.

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Remember this story?

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You can read it.

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David was older and he was in battle and he was fighting.

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There was another giant there.

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His name was Ishbaibinab.

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Ishbaibinab looked across the battlefield and he said, whoa, there's the giant killer.

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David, remember the story?

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He picked up his sword and he started slashing through.

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The Bible says that he was armed with a new sword.

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He had a new weapon, Ishbaibinab did.

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And he's making his way, slashing through the lines and made his way to David.

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And folks, read it.

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If you don't remember this story, read it.

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Our man David fainted.

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Wait a minute.

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We only hear about Goliath.

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And if it wasn't for Abishai, his nephew standing next to him, one of his mighty men whirling

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around at the last moment and getting the enemy, David would have died.

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In fact, it was so intense that they came to David afterwards and said, you're not ever

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going to battle with us again.

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You weren't prepared and ready.

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Folks, it is time that we wake up and see the signs of the times in which we live.

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It is time that we be alert, that we be aware, that we be dressed, that we be ready.

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It is time that we understand the importance of what really truly is important.

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It is time that we turn to our neighbors and in loving kindness, listen to them.

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They're wondering what's going on in this world now too.

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I have a neighbor next door to me that I pray for every single day.

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I walk my little dog down the neighborhood and I pray for that man.

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I won't go into all the details, but he's in desperate need.

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I said, Lord, help me at the right time, the right moment.

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Help me to be ready.

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Help me to sow the seeds now.

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Help him to see that I am a Christian.

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Help him to see the calmness in the midst of the storms, of the tornadoes, earthquakes,

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and all that's going on, the terrible calamities from everywhere.

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Help him to see where my heart is.

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And I am confident that someday at the right time, at the right moment, under the unto

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Holy Spirit, and it's coming very close with some of the things that are going in his home,

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in his heart, in his world.

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We need to be alert.

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We need to be ready.

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That golden opportunity may come not only to resist the devil, but to help someone else

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resist him.

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Help them to see as we walk through Walmart that we're a Christian.

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Help them to see that what we do is showing by how we're dressed in our hearts and our

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minds.

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How many of you today, I'm a preacher, you invited a preacher to come.

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How many of you today would like to respond and say, oh Lord, help me to be dressed and

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ready this week?

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Oh, Father in heaven, I pray that you'll take hold of our hands.

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I pray that you'll give us courage.

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Father, I pray that you'll help us to realize where we are.

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Help us to put on those smiles every single day.

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Help us to turn off the phones and listen to what our children are trying to say, our

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spouse is trying to say.

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Help us to be attentive.

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Help us to know the word of God far better than the actors on some TV program.

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Help us to be more interested in the things of heaven than what's happening in basketball

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or football.

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Help us to love our neighbor.

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Help us to be kind and gentle to those in our church here.

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Help us to be careful.

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Help us to be listeners.

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Take a hold of our hands, Father.

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In Jesus' name, amen.