WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.839 There is a reality that every strong person eventually 00:00:02.839 --> 00:00:06.099 discovers. No matter how disciplined you are, 00:00:06.259 --> 00:00:09.220 no matter how gifted you are, no matter how mature 00:00:09.220 --> 00:00:11.980 you are, no matter how long you have walked with 00:00:11.980 --> 00:00:16.120 God, there are battles that cannot be seen. Battles 00:00:16.120 --> 00:00:19.059 that happen behind the smile, behind the title, 00:00:19.820 --> 00:00:22.879 behind the experience, behind the strength that 00:00:22.879 --> 00:00:25.960 everyone else sees. Because sometimes the greatest 00:00:25.960 --> 00:00:29.039 battles are not around us, they are within us. 00:00:29.449 --> 00:00:32.469 And before we can understand that battle, we 00:00:32.469 --> 00:00:34.549 must first understand the journey that brought 00:00:34.549 --> 00:00:38.210 us here. In episode one of When the Strong Get 00:00:38.210 --> 00:00:41.549 Tired, Barry Mwamba exposed one of the most overlooked 00:00:41.549 --> 00:00:44.689 weapons used against strong people, physical 00:00:44.689 --> 00:00:47.729 exhaustion. Because sometimes the enemy does 00:00:47.729 --> 00:00:50.649 not need to destroy a person, he only needs to 00:00:50.649 --> 00:00:54.789 wear them down. In episode two, he explored spiritual 00:00:54.789 --> 00:00:57.920 weariness. the slow fading of passion, prayer, 00:00:58.179 --> 00:01:01.240 and intimacy with God, the kind of fatigue that 00:01:01.240 --> 00:01:03.659 cannot be cured by sleep because it affects the 00:01:03.659 --> 00:01:07.719 soul. In episode 3, he examined the pressures, 00:01:08.140 --> 00:01:11.060 responsibilities, and battles that quietly drain 00:01:11.060 --> 00:01:15.319 even the strongest believers. In episode 4, he 00:01:15.319 --> 00:01:18.439 revealed how great people often fall, not because 00:01:18.439 --> 00:01:21.700 they lack talent, gifting, or opportunity, but 00:01:21.700 --> 00:01:24.180 because character failed to sustain what success 00:01:24.180 --> 00:01:28.170 had built. In episode 5, he uncovered one of 00:01:28.170 --> 00:01:31.689 the deepest wounds strong people carry, disappointment. 00:01:32.590 --> 00:01:35.129 The disappointment of betrayal, the disappointment 00:01:35.129 --> 00:01:37.650 of rejection, the disappointment of watching 00:01:37.650 --> 00:01:40.849 trusted people fail, and how disappointment, 00:01:41.150 --> 00:01:43.790 when left unresolved, can become bitterness. 00:01:45.049 --> 00:01:48.209 Now the journey continues, because after fatigue, 00:01:48.750 --> 00:01:51.909 after failure, after disappointment, another 00:01:51.909 --> 00:01:55.439 question remains. Why do believers still struggle? 00:01:56.280 --> 00:01:58.980 Why do people who love God still battle temptation? 00:01:59.840 --> 00:02:02.439 Why do strong believers still wrestle with weakness? 00:02:03.280 --> 00:02:06.000 Why does the war continue even after salvation? 00:02:07.120 --> 00:02:10.520 In episode 6, Barry Mwamba explores a reality 00:02:10.520 --> 00:02:13.879 every believer eventually encounters, the struggle 00:02:13.879 --> 00:02:17.500 between the flesh and the spirit, the war within. 00:02:18.479 --> 00:02:21.830 Welcome to Pamoja Podcast. a ministry of Life 00:02:21.830 --> 00:02:24.689 of Christ International, where we build stronger 00:02:24.689 --> 00:02:28.210 lives, deeper faith, and Christ -centered homes, 00:02:28.689 --> 00:02:32.430 one story, one message, and one revelation at 00:02:32.430 --> 00:02:37.909 a time. And now, your host, Barry Mwamba. Today, 00:02:38.250 --> 00:02:40.469 I want to talk about something that touches every 00:02:40.469 --> 00:02:44.330 believer, not some believers, not weak believers, 00:02:44.849 --> 00:02:48.650 not immature believers, every believer. I want 00:02:48.650 --> 00:02:51.530 to talk about the struggle of the flesh. And 00:02:51.530 --> 00:02:54.289 before we go any further, I want to say something 00:02:54.289 --> 00:02:56.490 that I hope brings freedom to someone listening 00:02:56.490 --> 00:02:59.770 today. Struggling does not automatically mean 00:02:59.770 --> 00:03:03.009 you are failing. Struggling does not automatically 00:03:03.009 --> 00:03:06.229 mean you are backslidden. Struggling does not 00:03:06.229 --> 00:03:09.530 automatically mean God has abandoned you. In 00:03:09.530 --> 00:03:12.669 fact, if we are honest, one of the biggest mistakes 00:03:12.669 --> 00:03:15.550 we make when reading the Bible is that we admire 00:03:15.550 --> 00:03:18.210 the victories of biblical characters while forgetting 00:03:18.210 --> 00:03:21.750 their battles. We remember Moses standing before 00:03:21.750 --> 00:03:25.189 Pharaoh, but we forget Moses struggled with anger. 00:03:26.090 --> 00:03:29.110 We remember David standing before Goliath, but 00:03:29.110 --> 00:03:32.669 we forget David struggled with desire. We remember 00:03:32.669 --> 00:03:36.169 Peter walking on water, but we forget Peter struggled 00:03:36.169 --> 00:03:40.110 with fear. We remember Samson's strength, but 00:03:40.110 --> 00:03:43.669 we forget Samson struggled with lust. We remember 00:03:43.669 --> 00:03:46.840 Jonah's prophetic ministry, But we forget Jonah 00:03:46.840 --> 00:03:50.080 struggled with bitterness. We remember Gideon's 00:03:50.080 --> 00:03:53.199 victory. But we forget Gideon struggled with 00:03:53.199 --> 00:03:57.400 insecurity. We remember Saul's position. But 00:03:57.400 --> 00:04:00.699 we forget Saul struggled with pride. Different 00:04:00.699 --> 00:04:04.159 people. Different callings. Different weaknesses. 00:04:05.280 --> 00:04:07.219 Yet every one of them was fighting something. 00:04:08.120 --> 00:04:12.080 And if we're honest, so are we. Maybe your struggle 00:04:12.080 --> 00:04:16.199 is not mine. Maybe mine is not yours. But everybody 00:04:16.199 --> 00:04:19.399 is fighting something. And perhaps the most encouraging 00:04:19.399 --> 00:04:22.860 example is Jesus himself in the Garden of Gethsemane. 00:04:23.740 --> 00:04:27.759 Now let me be clear. Jesus never sinned. Jesus 00:04:27.759 --> 00:04:31.060 never yielded to temptation. But he experienced 00:04:31.060 --> 00:04:34.839 the full weight of human pressure. In Gethsemane, 00:04:34.980 --> 00:04:37.259 we see Jesus wrestling with the suffering that 00:04:37.259 --> 00:04:40.759 stood before him. The burden was so heavy that 00:04:40.759 --> 00:04:43.300 the Bible says his sweat became like drops of 00:04:43.300 --> 00:04:46.740 blood falling to the ground. He prayed. Then 00:04:46.740 --> 00:04:50.040 He prayed again. Then He prayed a third time. 00:04:50.560 --> 00:04:53.019 And every time, He brought His struggle before 00:04:53.019 --> 00:04:56.899 the Father. What does that teach us? It teaches 00:04:56.899 --> 00:05:00.540 us that struggle itself is not sin. Feeling pressure 00:05:00.540 --> 00:05:05.079 is not sin. Feeling overwhelmed is not sin. The 00:05:05.079 --> 00:05:07.560 victory of Jesus was not that He never felt the 00:05:07.560 --> 00:05:10.500 weight. The victory was that He surrendered His 00:05:10.500 --> 00:05:14.319 will to the Father. Not my will. but yours be 00:05:14.319 --> 00:05:17.899 done. Sometimes maturity is not the absence of 00:05:17.899 --> 00:05:21.180 struggle. Sometimes maturity is choosing obedience 00:05:21.180 --> 00:05:23.899 in the middle of the struggle. And that brings 00:05:23.899 --> 00:05:26.860 us to an important question. Why do believers 00:05:26.860 --> 00:05:29.860 struggle at all? Why would someone who loves 00:05:29.860 --> 00:05:34.560 God still battle thoughts, desires, fears, emotions, 00:05:35.199 --> 00:05:37.899 temptations, and weaknesses? The answer begins 00:05:37.899 --> 00:05:40.220 by understanding something many Christians never 00:05:40.220 --> 00:05:43.319 fully grasp. Salvation happens in stages. Your 00:05:43.319 --> 00:05:45.759 spirit has been redeemed. Your soul is being 00:05:45.759 --> 00:05:48.139 transformed. But your body is still awaiting 00:05:48.139 --> 00:05:50.819 redemption. Think about that. Your spirit belongs 00:05:50.819 --> 00:05:53.980 to God. Your heart desires God. Yet you are still 00:05:53.980 --> 00:05:56.500 living inside a body affected by the fall. You 00:05:56.500 --> 00:05:59.199 are carrying a redeemed spirit inside an unredeemed 00:05:59.199 --> 00:06:02.980 body. And that creates tension. A war. A conflict. 00:06:03.319 --> 00:06:05.899 The flesh pulls one direction. The spirit pulls 00:06:05.899 --> 00:06:08.540 another. That battle is not unique to you. It 00:06:08.540 --> 00:06:11.189 is the reality of every believer. The question 00:06:11.189 --> 00:06:13.649 is not whether the battle exists. The question 00:06:13.649 --> 00:06:16.209 is whether we recognize it and learn how to fight 00:06:16.209 --> 00:06:18.470 it. Because the flesh does not look the same 00:06:18.470 --> 00:06:20.970 for everybody. For some people, the struggle 00:06:20.970 --> 00:06:24.550 is appetite. Look at Esau. One meal. One craving. 00:06:24.949 --> 00:06:27.290 One moment of weakness. And he traded something 00:06:27.290 --> 00:06:29.769 eternal for something temporary. The issue was 00:06:29.769 --> 00:06:32.209 never the stew. The issue was self -control. 00:06:32.509 --> 00:06:35.050 Sometimes the flesh wants comfort now. Pleasure 00:06:35.050 --> 00:06:38.769 now. Recognition now. Satisfaction now. The flesh 00:06:38.769 --> 00:06:42.170 says, give it to me now. Faith says, wait on 00:06:42.170 --> 00:06:45.029 God. For others, the struggle is lust and desire. 00:06:45.569 --> 00:06:48.170 Samson is one of the clearest examples. The enemy 00:06:48.170 --> 00:06:50.470 could not defeat Samson through strength. He 00:06:50.470 --> 00:06:52.990 defeated him through desire. Every compromise 00:06:52.990 --> 00:06:55.870 weakened his resistance. Every wrong relationship 00:06:55.870 --> 00:06:59.230 lowered his defenses. Until eventually, the strongest 00:06:59.230 --> 00:07:01.750 man became vulnerable. David faced a similar 00:07:01.750 --> 00:07:04.290 battle. One evening, when kings were supposed 00:07:04.290 --> 00:07:07.149 to be at war, David stayed behind. One glance 00:07:07.149 --> 00:07:09.589 became a thought. One thought became a desire. 00:07:09.759 --> 00:07:12.720 One desire became a decision. One decision became 00:07:12.720 --> 00:07:16.000 a sin. And one sin became a chain reaction. The 00:07:16.000 --> 00:07:18.420 battle did not begin on the rooftop. The battle 00:07:18.420 --> 00:07:20.899 began long before the rooftop. Then there was 00:07:20.899 --> 00:07:24.240 Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived. Yet wisdom 00:07:24.240 --> 00:07:26.199 alone could not protect a heart that stopped 00:07:26.199 --> 00:07:28.680 guarding itself. Knowledge without obedience 00:07:28.680 --> 00:07:31.319 eventually becomes dangerous. For others, the 00:07:31.319 --> 00:07:34.060 struggle is anger. Moses struggled with it. Peter 00:07:34.060 --> 00:07:36.819 struggled with it. Jonah struggled with it. Moses 00:07:36.819 --> 00:07:39.379 struck the rock. Peter cut off a servant's ear. 00:07:39.529 --> 00:07:42.089 Jonah became angry because God showed mercy. 00:07:42.370 --> 00:07:44.970 Think about that. A prophet upset because God 00:07:44.970 --> 00:07:47.689 forgave people. The lesson is simple. Strength 00:07:47.689 --> 00:07:50.290 without self -control becomes dangerous. One 00:07:50.290 --> 00:07:52.509 emotional decision can damage what took years 00:07:52.509 --> 00:07:55.910 to build. For others, the struggle is fear. Gideon 00:07:55.910 --> 00:07:58.170 was hiding when God called him a mighty warrior. 00:07:58.509 --> 00:08:01.449 Peter denied Jesus because of fear. The Israelites 00:08:01.449 --> 00:08:03.870 refused to enter the promised land because they 00:08:03.870 --> 00:08:07.649 were intimidated by giants. Fear focuses on circumstances. 00:08:07.959 --> 00:08:11.500 Faith focuses on God's promises. Fear says, what 00:08:11.500 --> 00:08:14.920 if I fail? Faith says, what did God say? And 00:08:14.920 --> 00:08:16.899 many destinies have been delayed because fear 00:08:16.899 --> 00:08:19.459 became louder than faith. Then there is pride, 00:08:19.959 --> 00:08:21.879 perhaps one of the most dangerous struggles of 00:08:21.879 --> 00:08:24.839 all, because pride hides. Saul did not begin 00:08:24.839 --> 00:08:27.860 proud. He began humble. He was hiding among the 00:08:27.860 --> 00:08:30.500 baggage when God called him. But success changed 00:08:30.500 --> 00:08:33.820 him. Recognition changed him. Power changed him. 00:08:34.059 --> 00:08:36.840 Eventually, He became more concerned with protecting 00:08:36.840 --> 00:08:39.759 his image than obeying God. Pride convinces people 00:08:39.759 --> 00:08:42.179 they no longer need correction, no longer need 00:08:42.179 --> 00:08:45.100 accountability, no longer need counsel. And that 00:08:45.100 --> 00:08:47.740 is when danger begins. Then there is bitterness. 00:08:48.179 --> 00:08:51.000 Some struggles come from wounds. Joseph had every 00:08:51.000 --> 00:08:53.559 reason to become bitter. David had every reason 00:08:53.559 --> 00:08:56.059 to become bitter toward Saul. Yet both chose 00:08:56.059 --> 00:08:58.919 forgiveness. Bitterness feels justified. That 00:08:58.919 --> 00:09:01.480 is what makes it dangerous. It convinces us that 00:09:01.480 --> 00:09:04.110 our prison is reasonable. but bitterness slowly 00:09:04.110 --> 00:09:06.309 poisons the person carrying it. And then there 00:09:06.309 --> 00:09:09.129 was Paul, the great apostle, the missionary, 00:09:09.429 --> 00:09:12.029 the church planter, the man who carried the gospel 00:09:12.029 --> 00:09:15.429 across nations. Yet even Paul experienced abandonment. 00:09:15.649 --> 00:09:18.149 People left him. Some walked away from the mission. 00:09:18.470 --> 00:09:20.970 Some walked away from him. One of the most painful 00:09:20.970 --> 00:09:23.570 examples was Demas. Imagine giving your life 00:09:23.570 --> 00:09:26.269 for the gospel and watching trusted companions 00:09:26.269 --> 00:09:29.809 leave. Sometimes the battle is not lust. Sometimes 00:09:29.809 --> 00:09:32.370 it is discouragement. Sometimes it is loneliness. 00:09:32.649 --> 00:09:35.610 Sometimes it is rejection. Sometimes it is the 00:09:35.610 --> 00:09:38.090 temptation to quit. And perhaps one of the biggest 00:09:38.090 --> 00:09:41.250 struggles in our generation is comfort. The flesh 00:09:41.250 --> 00:09:44.269 loves convenience. The flesh avoids sacrifice. 00:09:44.649 --> 00:09:47.889 The flesh loves shortcuts. Prayer requires discipline. 00:09:48.309 --> 00:09:51.049 Fasting requires discipline. Serving requires 00:09:51.049 --> 00:09:53.990 discipline. Studying God's Word requires discipline. 00:09:54.289 --> 00:09:57.750 The flesh asks, what is easiest? The spirit asks, 00:09:58.090 --> 00:10:00.850 what pleases God? Many believers are not defeated 00:10:00.850 --> 00:10:03.549 by obvious sin. They are defeated by comfort. 00:10:03.870 --> 00:10:05.970 But there is another form of flesh that is even 00:10:05.970 --> 00:10:08.350 more dangerous, because it does not look sinful. 00:10:08.649 --> 00:10:11.350 It looks spiritual. Sometimes the flesh appears 00:10:11.350 --> 00:10:14.370 as religion. Sometimes it appears as self -reliance. 00:10:14.769 --> 00:10:17.590 Sometimes it appears as trying to do God's work 00:10:17.590 --> 00:10:20.129 without depending on God. Paul confronted this 00:10:20.129 --> 00:10:23.289 issue in Galatia. He asked, Having begun in the 00:10:23.289 --> 00:10:25.789 Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the 00:10:25.789 --> 00:10:29.490 flesh? What a question. They started in the Spirit. 00:10:29.870 --> 00:10:32.559 They experienced God's power. They experience 00:10:32.559 --> 00:10:35.980 God's grace, but somewhere along the way they 00:10:35.980 --> 00:10:38.759 began trusting themselves more than God. And 00:10:38.759 --> 00:10:41.740 if we're honest, many believers do the same thing. 00:10:42.220 --> 00:10:45.360 We begin dependent on God. We pray about everything. 00:10:45.740 --> 00:10:48.320 We seek His guidance. We trust Him completely. 00:10:48.899 --> 00:10:51.440 Then come a few victories, a few promotions, 00:10:51.899 --> 00:10:54.840 a few accomplishments, a few years of experience, 00:10:55.019 --> 00:10:59.019 and slowly we begin relying on ourselves. The 00:10:59.019 --> 00:11:01.340 flesh does not always pull us into obvious sin. 00:11:01.889 --> 00:11:04.250 Sometimes it simply pulls us away from dependence 00:11:04.250 --> 00:11:08.250 on God. Then there was Corinth, gifted people, 00:11:08.590 --> 00:11:11.950 talented people, spirit -filled people. Yet Paul 00:11:11.950 --> 00:11:15.509 called them fleshly. Why? Because gifts are not 00:11:15.509 --> 00:11:18.289 the same as maturity. A person can be gifted 00:11:18.289 --> 00:11:21.250 and still be jealous, gifted and still be proud, 00:11:21.909 --> 00:11:24.610 gifted and still be divided, gifted and still 00:11:24.610 --> 00:11:27.809 be immature. Activity is not transformation. 00:11:28.190 --> 00:11:30.850 Being busy for God is not the same thing as becoming 00:11:30.850 --> 00:11:34.029 like Christ. And then Jesus addressed the churches 00:11:34.029 --> 00:11:36.789 in Revelation. Many of them had not abandoned 00:11:36.789 --> 00:11:39.950 church. They had not abandoned activity. They 00:11:39.950 --> 00:11:43.470 had not abandoned religion. But they had drifted. 00:11:43.909 --> 00:11:47.149 Ephesus lost its first love. Pergamum tolerated 00:11:47.149 --> 00:11:50.250 compromise. Sardis looked alive but was spiritually 00:11:50.250 --> 00:11:54.509 dead. Laodicea became lukewarm. Notice the pattern. 00:11:55.169 --> 00:11:58.320 Most did not collapse overnight. They drifted. 00:11:58.639 --> 00:12:01.620 One compromise at a time. One distraction at 00:12:01.620 --> 00:12:05.320 a time. One neglected prayer at a time. One act 00:12:05.320 --> 00:12:08.320 of complacency at a time. The flesh does not 00:12:08.320 --> 00:12:11.080 always attack through rebellion. Sometimes it 00:12:11.080 --> 00:12:13.779 attacks through drift. And perhaps that is the 00:12:13.779 --> 00:12:16.860 warning for all of us. Nobody wakes up one morning 00:12:16.860 --> 00:12:19.919 planning to fall. Most great falls begin with 00:12:19.919 --> 00:12:22.980 small compromises. Most spiritual failures begin 00:12:22.980 --> 00:12:26.059 with a slow drift. And this brings us to today's 00:12:26.059 --> 00:12:28.899 turning point. Maybe your struggle has convinced 00:12:28.899 --> 00:12:31.740 you that you are disqualified. Maybe your weakness 00:12:31.740 --> 00:12:33.960 has convinced you that God is finished with you. 00:12:34.559 --> 00:12:36.519 Maybe your battle has convinced you that everyone 00:12:36.519 --> 00:12:38.899 else is stronger than you. But when I look at 00:12:38.899 --> 00:12:42.460 scripture, I see something different. I see Moses 00:12:42.460 --> 00:12:46.039 struggling, David struggling, Peter struggling, 00:12:46.600 --> 00:12:50.600 Gideon struggling, Samson struggling, Jonah struggling, 00:12:51.039 --> 00:12:54.279 Paul struggling. I even see Jesus wrestling in 00:12:54.279 --> 00:12:57.639 Gethsemane. And yet God's purpose prevailed. 00:12:57.919 --> 00:13:00.460 Their struggle was not their identity. Their 00:13:00.460 --> 00:13:03.279 weakness was not their destiny. And yours is 00:13:03.279 --> 00:13:06.379 not either. The enemy wants you to identify with 00:13:06.379 --> 00:13:09.159 your struggle. God wants you to identify with 00:13:09.159 --> 00:13:12.159 his grace. The enemy calls you by your weakness. 00:13:12.700 --> 00:13:15.700 God calls you by your purpose. The enemy called 00:13:15.700 --> 00:13:18.980 Gideon a coward. God called him a mighty warrior. 00:13:19.759 --> 00:13:22.720 The enemy called Simon unstable. Jesus called 00:13:22.720 --> 00:13:26.059 him Peter, the Rock. The enemy called David a 00:13:26.059 --> 00:13:29.779 shepherd boy. God called him King. And perhaps 00:13:29.779 --> 00:13:32.399 while you are focused on your struggle, God is 00:13:32.399 --> 00:13:35.159 focused on who you are becoming. Because the 00:13:35.159 --> 00:13:38.399 story is not over. The battle is not over. And 00:13:38.399 --> 00:13:40.679 God's work in your life is certainly not over. 00:13:41.340 --> 00:13:44.179 One day the struggle will end. One day the flesh 00:13:44.179 --> 00:13:47.279 will no longer fight the spirit. One day corruption 00:13:47.279 --> 00:13:50.340 will put on incorruption. One day we will receive 00:13:50.340 --> 00:13:53.279 glorified bodies. and the war within will finally 00:13:53.279 --> 00:13:57.200 be over. But until that day, stay in the fight, 00:13:57.659 --> 00:14:01.179 stay in prayer, stay in the word, stay in God's 00:14:01.179 --> 00:14:03.879 presence, because the same God who saved your 00:14:03.879 --> 00:14:06.559 spirit is still working on the rest of your story, 00:14:06.899 --> 00:14:09.980 and He always finishes what He starts. Before 00:14:09.980 --> 00:14:12.259 we close, let me introduce where we're going 00:14:12.259 --> 00:14:15.360 next, because today's conversation raises another 00:14:15.360 --> 00:14:19.120 question. If strong people struggle, why do some 00:14:19.120 --> 00:14:22.379 recover while others fall? Why do some recognize 00:14:22.379 --> 00:14:25.460 temptation and walk away while others walk directly 00:14:25.460 --> 00:14:28.460 into it? I believe the answer often has less 00:14:28.460 --> 00:14:31.139 to do with the size of the temptation and more 00:14:31.139 --> 00:14:34.080 to do with the condition of their defenses. David 00:14:34.080 --> 00:14:37.100 did not fall when he was facing Goliath. He fell 00:14:37.100 --> 00:14:40.399 when he stayed home. Samson did not fall in battle. 00:14:40.919 --> 00:14:43.159 He fell in a relationship he should have avoided. 00:14:44.000 --> 00:14:46.259 Peter did not deny Jesus while standing beside 00:14:46.259 --> 00:14:49.620 Jesus. He denied him after exhaustion, fear, 00:14:50.120 --> 00:14:52.759 confusion, and isolation affected his judgment. 00:14:53.559 --> 00:14:56.379 The enemy rarely attacks your strength. He waits 00:14:56.379 --> 00:14:59.500 for your resistance to weaken. And that is exactly 00:14:59.500 --> 00:15:02.340 what we will explore in episode seven. When your 00:15:02.340 --> 00:15:05.419 defenses are down. The things that weaken resistance. 00:15:06.159 --> 00:15:08.120 The warning signs that defenses are failing. 00:15:08.899 --> 00:15:11.240 The conditions that make strong people vulnerable. 00:15:11.980 --> 00:15:14.419 And how to recognize danger before a fall ever 00:15:14.419 --> 00:15:17.539 happens. Because most great falls do not begin 00:15:17.539 --> 00:15:20.789 with a major sin. They begin with lowered defenses. 00:15:21.649 --> 00:15:23.730 And if we can learn how to protect our defenses, 00:15:24.269 --> 00:15:26.769 we can learn how to remain standing. Let's pray. 00:15:26.970 --> 00:15:30.009 Father, in the name of Jesus, give strength to 00:15:30.009 --> 00:15:32.529 every person listening today. Strengthen those 00:15:32.529 --> 00:15:35.429 who are tired. Encourage those who are discouraged. 00:15:35.809 --> 00:15:38.450 Restore those who have drifted. Heal those who 00:15:38.450 --> 00:15:41.009 are wounded. Remind us that our struggle is not 00:15:41.009 --> 00:15:43.690 our identity, our weakness is not our destiny, 00:15:43.710 --> 00:15:46.309 and our failures do not cancel your purpose. 00:15:46.590 --> 00:15:49.250 Teach us to walk in the Spirit. Teach us to remain 00:15:49.250 --> 00:15:51.750 dependent on you and finish the work you started 00:15:51.750 --> 00:15:55.149 in us. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for joining 00:15:55.149 --> 00:15:58.809 me today on Promoja Podcast. I'm your host, Barry 00:15:58.809 --> 00:16:02.970 Mwamba. Until next time, stay strong, stay vigilant, 00:16:03.490 --> 00:16:06.669 stay close to God. And remember, this may be 00:16:06.669 --> 00:16:07.529 your turning point.