WEBVTT

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Proverbs 5, verse 22. Proverbs 5, verse 22. I

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say this every time that I preach from a proverb,

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and I'll say it today. If you have never read

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the Proverbs, you need to read through the Proverbs.

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There is some great wisdom in there. And you

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may very well discover when reading through the

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Proverbs that there are... There's more foolishness

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in your life than you would care to admit. The

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Proverbs are great. There's only 31 of them,

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so you could read through them in a month, one

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a day, and you could get through it in a long

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month. And so I'd encourage you to read the Proverbs

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if you never have. Proverbs chapter 5, verse

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22, just one short little verse today. We'll

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read through this verse, then we'll pray, and

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then we'll get started. A wicked man's iniquities

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entrap him. He is entangled in the ropes of his

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own sin. Let's pray. God, we come to you today

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and we thank you for this church. We thank you

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for this community. We thank you for the love

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that you have for us and the love that you place

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in this building today. I pray, God, that you

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would bless each one of us from being in your

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house. I pray that... In these next few minutes

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that you would help us just to get rid of the

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worries and the thoughts of the world, dear Lord.

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There's so much that goes on in our lives and

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a lot that went on last week and a lot that will

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go on next week, dear Lord. But I pray that in

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these few minutes that you just would protect

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us from any attacks of the enemy, dear Lord.

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That we would not be drawn away, that our mind

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would not wander, but that your Holy Spirit would

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speak to us, dear Lord. God, there is not a good

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word that I can say if it does not come from

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you. So I pray, dear Lord, that it is your spirit

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that does the speaking today. That you meet us

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where we are, dear Lord. That you help us to

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examine our lives. That you help us to seek you

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for our strength as we battle sin in this world.

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And I ask all these things in Jesus' name. Amen.

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month we have a a little spot of land across

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from our house some of you may have seen it when

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you when you pass by and it was it was all grown

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up it was completely just i mean it was like

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a forest like any anywhere else you see just

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completely grown up and we had somebody come

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in and and uh began to clean it up and had a

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lot of dead trees and got those trees pushed

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down and and they got it looking fantastic and

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then my dad has been he had worked countless

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hours on the tractor continuing to smooth things

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up and and mainly what i did after all the work

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was done is uh i began to go out there to the

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trees that remain and there are quite a few that

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are still out there and you know what it's like

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you can you can get pretty close with the tractor

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to a tree but there's always a bunch of junk

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it's right up next to it a bunch of bushes and

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a bunch of briars and and vines and all the little

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stuff and there is no easy way to do it than

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to do it by hand and so i had to get out there

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and y 'all can feel sorry for me if you want

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to it was hot it was hot i'd get out there in

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the mornings and it wouldn't be unbearable but

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by lunchtime it would be just unbearable and

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there were lots of days that i just i just toughed

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it out i just got out there in the heat and i'd

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work till five or six o 'clock and i would go

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around a few trees and every day i'd get a few

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more done and then the next time i'd get to work

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on it i'd get a few more done and i would chop

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the the bushes that was big enough to chop and

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and we'd eat the stuff i could weed eat and and

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up the trees often you would see these little

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vines that had started to grow their way up and

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some as small as a toothpick and and others would

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get bigger and and i would pull the vines down

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until i went around and i had almost every tree

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cleaned up around i was so glad to get through

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with that job i pretty much finished it praise

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the lord i still got a couple left if y 'all

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want to know the experience i'll i'll let you

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come i'll show you what it's like and so i was

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almost done but but there were a few trees throughout

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the project that had really big vines that had

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grown up from the ground and had made their way

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high into the tree they were probably almost

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as big as my thumb they were they were big around

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and they were thorny and almost all the ones

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that i'd come across i just gave a pretty good

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tug and was able to pull it down with with no

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issue and I was almost finished, and I got to

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this vine, and I went to the tree and began to

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work on it, and I started to pull on this vine,

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and I got a couple of feet of it pulled down,

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and this thing was, I'm talking about it was

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attached. It was holding on to something really

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tight in the top of that tree, and I pulled,

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and I twisted, and I tugged on it forever, and

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I fought with it, and I could not get that vine

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to let loose from that tree. And so I said, it

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was the end of the day. I said, I'm tired. I

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don't feel like fooling with this. I'll pull

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this down next time. I might have to tie it to

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the truck or to the golf cart or something to

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pull it. Well, I went out there the next day,

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and I said, you know what, I think I can get

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this thing. I've got to be able to get this thing.

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And I figured out a way that I could get a good

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grip on it in between the thorns and grab a hold

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tight so maybe my hand wouldn't slide onto a

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thorn. And I began to pull, and I began to tug,

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and I gave everything I got. And finally it began

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to let loose. And I continued to fight, and I

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continued to pull, and I continued to tug. But

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it was just so, it was grown into something.

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I thought I was going to pull the top of the

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tree out. I was pulling as hard as I could, and

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I'm 30 foot away from the tree with this vine,

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and the whole top of the tree, I mean, it looks

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like something from a Looney Tunes cartoon. It's

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all bent over, and this thing has just grabbed

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a hold in there, and finally it begins to break

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loose some more. And I pull, and I tug, and finally.

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I get this thorny vine down out of the tree,

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and it was kind of ugly. Just one simple little

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vine at the bottom, but when it had gotten to

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the top of the tree, it had grown into tons of

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green vines that were wrapped all in that tree.

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I measured it. It was so long. I said, how long

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is this thing? I measured it. It was 63 foot

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long that this vine had grown up into this tree.

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And when I pulled that vine out, I thought to

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myself, This is kind of like what sin is like

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in our life. As this verse talks about our wickedness

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and our sin that entraps us, that ensnares us.

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It's like a rope or like cords, your translations

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may use different words there, that are wrapped

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around us. And so many times the sin in our life,

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it springs up. And that vine that I had to give

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all my effort to be able to pull out, at one

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time that thing probably wasn't as big as a toothpick.

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And it worked its way out of the ground and it

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worked its way up that tree and it no doubt had

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been working up that tree for years at this point.

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And from the ground it didn't look like it was

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going to be much. It just looked like a little

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vine. But that little vine had sprouted into

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something that had really took hold in that tree.

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And that's what sin does in our life. There's

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sin in our life that sometimes it begins to grow.

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And we don't pay much attention to it because

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it's small. We see it sprout up and we may not

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even realize it. We may not even notice that

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it's having an effect on us. But it's important

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for us to begin to look at our lives and to look

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at our hearts and to look at the Word of God

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and see what God's Word calls sin and see if

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there's anything. like that in our life that's

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beginning to sprout up. Because if we don't deal

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with our sin, what happens is it grows into the

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very fabric of our heart and our being and who

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we are, and it begins to take a hold of us more

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than we ever realize. And we are entangled in

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that. We are ensnared in that sin. Hebrews chapter

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12 verse 1 says this, Therefore, since we also

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have a large crowd of witnesses surrounding us,

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let us lay aside every weight and the sin that

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so easily ensnares. And there's sin in your life

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and there's sin in my life and maybe the sin

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that ensnares you and entraps you is different

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from the sin that ensnares me and entraps me.

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But there's some sin in our lives and we need

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to recognize those things when they begin to

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pop up. That sin that so easily ensnares us.

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That thing that tempts you and you don't really

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want to do it and you say time and time again

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that you won't give in to the temptation and

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you won't sin and then more times then you want

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to admit you find yourself just ensnared with

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that sin. And the book of Hebrews in that beautiful

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verse is such a good verse for us that we need

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to lay aside those weights, those burdens of

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sin that weighs us down, that sin that ensnares

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us because we may not realize it, but the sin

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in our life, it has an effect on us. It has an

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effect on us physically and mentally and spiritually.

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Our sin is tangled up in us. And maybe the sin

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in our life is the cause of some of our problems.

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And we don't even realize it. Maybe the answer

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to our problem is not more pills or not more

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this or not more that. Maybe the answer to some

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of our problems in our life is repentance. To

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get that sin out, and we cannot get the sin out,

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but we have to start the process by realizing

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that there's sin there and seeking the one who

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can remove the sin. So we want to lay aside the

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weight and the sin that so easily ensnares, and

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the end of that verse says, let us run with endurance

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the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes

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on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.

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And so in this journey that is life, it is tough.

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And the temptations come. And sometimes we're

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able to overcome them and sometimes we're not.

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And that's when sin is born. But how do we overcome

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our sin? We overcome our sin by looking to Jesus

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Christ. He is the one who is going to free us

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of that sin. He is the one who is going to clean

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our wicked heart. Now in Proverbs chapter 5 it

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talks about the wicked man. And we might not

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like to think of ourselves as wicked men and

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women, but we are. Because our sin is ever before

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us. And our sin is entangled within us and it's

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grabbing a hold of us. And it's got some of us

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really hard this morning. We are not as good

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maybe as we think we are. We're not as good as

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we want to be. We are wicked. Jeremiah chapter

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17 verse 9 says, The heart is deceitful above

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all things and desperately wicked. Desperately

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wicked. So we have to check our heart and what

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we desire because oftentimes what we feel like

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our heart telling us is really just what we want

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to hear. It's really what we desire. And we have

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to check ourselves because our heart is deceitful.

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It's deceitful above all things. And so sometimes

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we'll say stuff like, oh, I just really feel

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in my heart that this is what I'm supposed to

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do. I really feel in my heart that this is the

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way things are supposed to be. Well, maybe that's

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right or maybe it's not. You better check that

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heart because if that heart is not being guided

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by God, if it's being guided by your own thoughts

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and your own desires, then your heart is going

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to lead you astray. Your heart is deceitful above

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all things and desperately wicked. and desperately

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wicked. That's bad news for us. And that's what

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sin does to us. Sin begins to sprout in our life,

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and it begins to grow in our life, and sin, left

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unchecked, will grow into our heart, and it will

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be in there like that vine was in that tree.

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And it is hard. Sin is hard. There are so many

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things in our life, so many sins that we say,

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man, I shouldn't do this thing that I do. I shouldn't

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say this thing that I say. I shouldn't be acting

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the way that I'm acting. I shouldn't be watching

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the thing I'm watching, listening to the thing

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I'm listening to. I shouldn't have an attitude

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like this. I shouldn't be this way. And we know

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these sins are there, and they're just hard to

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deal with. And we start, and we're going to do

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good, and we're going to avoid those temptations,

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and we're going to avoid those sins, and we're

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going to overcome them. And we start, and sometimes

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we do pretty good, and then we give up because

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it gets hard. It's kind of like when you make

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your New Year's resolution. You're going to exercise

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every day. You're going to eat right. And that

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lasts for about a week because it's hard. Because

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you've got to get up early and go to the gym,

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or you've got to go late after you get off, and

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you're tired, and you don't want to cook, and

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you've cooked for a week, and you say, I don't

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want to cook today. I'll just go get a double

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Baconator. That's a lot easier. But I'll get

00:13:48.429 --> 00:13:51.870
back on track tomorrow. But you don't. Because

00:13:51.870 --> 00:13:55.309
the moment that we start to have to put a little

00:13:55.309 --> 00:13:57.950
work into something, it's just too hard for us.

00:13:58.710 --> 00:14:01.730
And sin is the same way. We really have to seek

00:14:01.730 --> 00:14:03.769
the strength of God to fight against our sin.

00:14:04.800 --> 00:14:07.159
It's like when I pulled that vine down, I gave

00:14:07.159 --> 00:14:10.779
up because it was too hard. And the harder I

00:14:10.779 --> 00:14:14.840
pulled, the harder it got. But over time, eventually,

00:14:15.100 --> 00:14:18.659
it got a little easier. The more I pulled, the

00:14:18.659 --> 00:14:21.360
easier it got. The more I pulled, the more it

00:14:21.360 --> 00:14:23.580
began to loosen up. But I had to pull, and I

00:14:23.580 --> 00:14:25.960
had to tug, and I had to fight, and I had to

00:14:25.960 --> 00:14:29.919
give it everything that I had. And sometimes

00:14:29.919 --> 00:14:32.399
that needs to be what our struggle with sin looks

00:14:32.399 --> 00:14:35.100
like. There are some things in your life that

00:14:35.100 --> 00:14:36.980
are hard for you today. Some things that you

00:14:36.980 --> 00:14:39.399
have struggled with for months or maybe even

00:14:39.399 --> 00:14:42.100
years. And you know they shouldn't be there and

00:14:42.100 --> 00:14:43.620
you don't want them to be there and you've tried

00:14:43.620 --> 00:14:46.039
to stop and you've fought and you've tugged and

00:14:46.039 --> 00:14:48.720
you've given up. But you need to fight hard against

00:14:48.720 --> 00:14:52.320
that sin today. You need to say, God, I'm not

00:14:52.320 --> 00:14:54.539
going to live in this sin. I'm going to repent

00:14:54.539 --> 00:14:56.940
of this sin. And God, the temptation is going

00:14:56.940 --> 00:14:59.759
to come. It is going to come. You can rest assured.

00:15:00.039 --> 00:15:02.259
You can have all the resolve in the world today

00:15:02.259 --> 00:15:04.460
that you're going to overcome that sin. And that

00:15:04.460 --> 00:15:06.600
temptation is going to come. But you're going

00:15:06.600 --> 00:15:08.259
to have to fight. And you're going to have to

00:15:08.259 --> 00:15:10.559
give everything that you've got. And when that

00:15:10.559 --> 00:15:13.559
temptation comes, you have to seek the Lord.

00:15:14.600 --> 00:15:16.440
Because He is the one who's going to free you

00:15:16.440 --> 00:15:19.320
from that sin. He is the one who's going to forgive

00:15:19.320 --> 00:15:22.100
you of that sin. Now, we can't forgive ourselves

00:15:22.100 --> 00:15:25.639
of our sins, but we do play a part in it. We

00:15:25.639 --> 00:15:28.360
have to acknowledge that sin. We have to repent

00:15:28.360 --> 00:15:31.600
of that sin. We have to fight against those temptations

00:15:31.600 --> 00:15:34.960
as hard as it may be. And it may be really hard

00:15:34.960 --> 00:15:38.159
sometimes because there are things in our life

00:15:38.159 --> 00:15:40.919
that are there, and they are just in there deep.

00:15:41.559 --> 00:15:44.539
And they don't want to come out, and it is hard

00:15:44.539 --> 00:15:46.899
for us to fight against some of those temptations

00:15:46.899 --> 00:15:50.720
to sin. And the answer to that, the way that

00:15:50.720 --> 00:15:53.019
we are freed from that is through Jesus Christ.

00:15:53.600 --> 00:15:55.919
It's like when you find an old log. We talked

00:15:55.919 --> 00:15:57.779
about this Wednesday night. This will be a repeat

00:15:57.779 --> 00:15:59.480
for some of you. But it's like when you find

00:15:59.480 --> 00:16:01.259
an old log, or you've got a piece of tin laying

00:16:01.259 --> 00:16:04.019
around, and you pick it up, you see all these

00:16:04.019 --> 00:16:06.440
critters under there, and they instantly flee.

00:16:06.990 --> 00:16:08.990
when they see the light because they don't like

00:16:08.990 --> 00:16:10.889
the light they don't they want to stay in the

00:16:10.889 --> 00:16:14.200
darkness And that's how it is for our sin that

00:16:14.200 --> 00:16:16.659
lives in the darkest parts of our heart, the

00:16:16.659 --> 00:16:19.000
stuff that we don't even want to acknowledge

00:16:19.000 --> 00:16:21.460
and want to admit, the stuff that when we read

00:16:21.460 --> 00:16:23.639
Scripture that convicts us of it, that we just

00:16:23.639 --> 00:16:26.620
cringe because we know it's there and we don't

00:16:26.620 --> 00:16:30.220
like the light to expose our sin. But that's

00:16:30.220 --> 00:16:32.840
the only way that we can be made free is through

00:16:32.840 --> 00:16:35.740
the light of Jesus Christ coming into our life

00:16:35.740 --> 00:16:39.179
and just cleansing us of the darkness that's

00:16:39.179 --> 00:16:43.139
there. And that's our only hope in our battle

00:16:43.139 --> 00:16:48.019
with sin is Jesus Christ. But we have to decide

00:16:48.019 --> 00:16:52.700
today, are we ready to repent of our sin? Are

00:16:52.700 --> 00:16:56.299
we ready to say, whatever it takes, God. I'll

00:16:56.299 --> 00:16:58.639
give it my all, dear Lord. I will seek you, but

00:16:58.639 --> 00:17:01.200
I'm tired of living this way. I'm tired of feeling

00:17:01.200 --> 00:17:03.820
this way. I'm tired of giving in to this sin.

00:17:03.960 --> 00:17:06.680
I'm tired of being a slave to this sin. Lord

00:17:06.680 --> 00:17:10.309
Jesus, I just want freedom. And for some of us,

00:17:10.329 --> 00:17:13.549
that's what we desire. We sin and we sin and

00:17:13.549 --> 00:17:16.910
we regret it and we're ashamed of it and we don't

00:17:16.910 --> 00:17:19.150
want to keep giving in to it. But we've become

00:17:19.150 --> 00:17:21.650
a slave to that sin. But I want to tell you today,

00:17:21.730 --> 00:17:24.869
you don't have to be a slave to your sin. That

00:17:24.869 --> 00:17:28.009
Jesus Christ has given his life on a cross. He

00:17:28.009 --> 00:17:31.210
was crucified and resurrected and he has victory

00:17:31.210 --> 00:17:35.109
over sin. And it is the Lord who will give you

00:17:35.109 --> 00:17:37.309
the strength. But you've got to be willing to

00:17:37.309 --> 00:17:39.150
start that process. You've got to be willing

00:17:39.150 --> 00:17:41.950
to say, Lord Jesus, I repent. Would you forgive

00:17:41.950 --> 00:17:44.829
me? Would you give me the strength? Because Jesus,

00:17:44.930 --> 00:17:47.869
I've tried time and time again, and I've fought,

00:17:48.029 --> 00:17:50.109
and I've pulled, and I've tugged against this

00:17:50.109 --> 00:17:53.170
sin, and I just can't overcome it. But the Scripture

00:17:53.170 --> 00:17:57.829
says that Jesus Christ will help us to be overcomers.

00:17:59.849 --> 00:18:02.190
And so maybe there is some sin in your life today.

00:18:03.069 --> 00:18:07.750
And maybe this verse in Proverbs puts into perspective

00:18:07.750 --> 00:18:12.529
really who we are. We are wicked people. And

00:18:12.529 --> 00:18:16.170
our sins entrap us and they ensnare us and they

00:18:16.170 --> 00:18:23.990
will destroy us. Don't mistake that. Your sin

00:18:23.990 --> 00:18:29.130
will destroy you. For the wages of sin is death.

00:18:30.250 --> 00:18:35.230
And apart from Jesus Christ, we are wicked and

00:18:35.230 --> 00:18:38.849
doomed to die. But praise the Lord that Jesus

00:18:38.849 --> 00:18:43.069
Christ sees us in our wickedness. He sees the

00:18:43.069 --> 00:18:47.750
sin that so easily ensnares us. He sees the sin

00:18:47.750 --> 00:18:51.430
that is wrapped so deeply around our heart, and

00:18:51.430 --> 00:18:55.880
He says, I can forgive you of that. I can help

00:18:55.880 --> 00:18:59.859
you to overcome that. I can give you freedom.

00:19:00.000 --> 00:19:04.119
I can give you peace. We don't have to be slaves

00:19:04.119 --> 00:19:08.440
to sin today. When we battle against sin, it

00:19:08.440 --> 00:19:10.720
is not easy. I think everybody in here knows

00:19:10.720 --> 00:19:13.960
that. It is not easy. Temptations come, and they

00:19:13.960 --> 00:19:17.740
are not easy. But with the power and the strength

00:19:17.740 --> 00:19:21.220
of Jesus, we can overcome our temptation and

00:19:21.220 --> 00:19:25.259
be made free. Jesus says in John chapter 8 verse

00:19:25.259 --> 00:19:30.039
34, I assure you, everyone who commits sin is

00:19:30.039 --> 00:19:34.339
a slave of sin. A slave does not remain in the

00:19:34.339 --> 00:19:38.119
household forever, but a son does remain forever.

00:19:38.920 --> 00:19:43.519
Therefore, if the son sets you free, you really

00:19:43.519 --> 00:19:46.619
will be free. Or some of your translations will

00:19:46.619 --> 00:19:51.740
say, you are free indeed. I don't know what sin

00:19:51.740 --> 00:19:54.279
you struggle with today, but I know you struggle

00:19:54.279 --> 00:19:58.400
with sin because we all do. We are all human

00:19:58.400 --> 00:20:01.680
today. But I can tell you the only solution,

00:20:01.920 --> 00:20:04.859
the only answer, the only hope in our wickedness

00:20:04.859 --> 00:20:08.140
and the only hope in our sin is Jesus Christ.

00:20:08.960 --> 00:20:11.279
And He will give us freedom today. We do not

00:20:11.279 --> 00:20:14.640
have to say yes to sin. We can say no. If not

00:20:14.640 --> 00:20:16.980
by our own strength, by the strength of Jesus

00:20:16.980 --> 00:20:22.089
Christ. There's freedom today in Jesus. There's

00:20:22.089 --> 00:20:25.130
freedom today from our sin if we would just seek

00:20:25.130 --> 00:20:27.890
Him and repent and let Him begin to do the work

00:20:27.890 --> 00:20:31.650
in our heart. Let's pray. God, we come to You

00:20:31.650 --> 00:20:35.049
today. We thank You for these good words. And

00:20:35.049 --> 00:20:37.710
dear Lord, we don't like to think of ourselves

00:20:37.710 --> 00:20:41.269
really as being wicked, but God, that's just

00:20:41.269 --> 00:20:45.430
who we are in our sin, God. Apart from You, that's

00:20:45.430 --> 00:20:49.180
who we are. wicked men and women, and we are

00:20:49.180 --> 00:20:52.759
hopeless in our wickedness, dear Lord, apart

00:20:52.759 --> 00:20:56.579
from you. But God, we thank you that we do not

00:20:56.579 --> 00:21:00.019
have to live apart from you. That, dear Lord,

00:21:00.059 --> 00:21:02.079
through Jesus Christ, you gave us a way to have

00:21:02.079 --> 00:21:05.539
relationship with you. You gave us a way to be

00:21:05.539 --> 00:21:07.940
made righteous in our wickedness, dear Lord.

00:21:09.259 --> 00:21:11.559
And while the ways of sin in our life may be

00:21:11.559 --> 00:21:14.480
wicked, dear Lord, the hope and the joy that

00:21:14.480 --> 00:21:17.680
comes through forgiveness in Jesus Christ Beautiful

00:21:17.680 --> 00:21:21.000
thing, dear Lord. So I pray that you would help

00:21:21.000 --> 00:21:24.079
us, God. Maybe there's somebody in this room

00:21:24.079 --> 00:21:26.799
today and they've never put their faith and trust

00:21:26.799 --> 00:21:30.720
in Jesus Christ. Maybe today for the first time

00:21:30.720 --> 00:21:33.579
they realize just how wicked their heart is.

00:21:34.420 --> 00:21:36.799
Maybe they know that there are things there that

00:21:36.799 --> 00:21:39.319
just shouldn't be there. Things that they don't

00:21:39.319 --> 00:21:41.859
want to be there. God, things that they are tired

00:21:41.859 --> 00:21:45.000
of being a slave to. I pray, God, that today...

00:21:45.799 --> 00:21:47.799
That they would repent even now that they would

00:21:47.799 --> 00:21:50.599
ask you to forgive them. That right now, dear

00:21:50.599 --> 00:21:53.859
Lord, that they would ask Jesus to be their Lord

00:21:53.859 --> 00:21:57.259
and Savior. That they would put their faith in

00:21:57.259 --> 00:21:59.759
him, dear Lord. That they would know without

00:21:59.759 --> 00:22:01.799
a shadow of a doubt that their sins have been

00:22:01.799 --> 00:22:04.900
forgiven. That whatever that sin is, whatever

00:22:04.900 --> 00:22:07.420
that temptation is, God, that you through Jesus

00:22:07.420 --> 00:22:11.079
Christ can help them to overcome it. God, maybe

00:22:11.079 --> 00:22:12.759
there are some here today and they are yours.

00:22:12.900 --> 00:22:16.150
Maybe they know Jesus Christ, but... Maybe there's

00:22:16.150 --> 00:22:18.029
some of us, God, and there's just been a little

00:22:18.029 --> 00:22:23.990
bit of sin that sprouted up. And maybe we hadn't

00:22:23.990 --> 00:22:26.910
dealt with it. And maybe it sprouted into something

00:22:26.910 --> 00:22:30.009
we don't like. Maybe it's taken us down a road

00:22:30.009 --> 00:22:32.750
to do things that we don't want to do. To act

00:22:32.750 --> 00:22:36.450
in ways that we don't want to act. God, I pray

00:22:36.450 --> 00:22:40.369
today that you would help us to cut that vine

00:22:40.369 --> 00:22:43.759
loose through Jesus Christ. That today that you'd

00:22:43.759 --> 00:22:46.599
begin to work on our heart, God. That today you'd

00:22:46.599 --> 00:22:49.319
forgive us of our sins and you would begin the

00:22:49.319 --> 00:22:52.500
process, God, of just pulling all that junk out,

00:22:52.619 --> 00:22:54.980
God. That stuff that's just been entangled and

00:22:54.980 --> 00:22:57.259
ensnared us, dear Lord. That stuff that's been

00:22:57.259 --> 00:22:59.960
holding us back and keeping us down, dear Lord.

00:23:00.039 --> 00:23:02.480
That you would begin to pull those things from

00:23:02.480 --> 00:23:06.359
our heart today. That you give us strength, God,

00:23:06.460 --> 00:23:10.099
as the temptation comes. As that sin tries to

00:23:10.099 --> 00:23:12.980
rear its ugly head, God, that we would stand

00:23:12.980 --> 00:23:15.740
boldly on the truth and the promises of Jesus

00:23:15.740 --> 00:23:18.920
Christ to give us strength, to walk with us,

00:23:18.960 --> 00:23:22.440
to forgive us, dear Lord. So I pray, God, that

00:23:22.440 --> 00:23:25.059
if there are any today that have that sin that's

00:23:25.059 --> 00:23:27.160
just wrapped up around them, God, that they would

00:23:27.160 --> 00:23:30.180
find freedom today in Christ. They would know

00:23:30.180 --> 00:23:32.539
today that they do not have to be a slave of

00:23:32.539 --> 00:23:36.230
sin no more. God, I pray that as we sing in these

00:23:36.230 --> 00:23:38.170
next few moments, that if there is anybody that

00:23:38.170 --> 00:23:40.150
you've spoken to, that they would respond now.

00:23:40.829 --> 00:23:44.049
And I ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen.