WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.060 There is a reality that every strong person eventually 00:00:03.060 --> 00:00:06.320 discovers. No matter how disciplined you are, 00:00:06.500 --> 00:00:09.380 no matter how gifted you are, no matter how mature 00:00:09.380 --> 00:00:12.339 you are, no matter how long you have walked with 00:00:12.339 --> 00:00:16.280 God, there are battles that cannot be seen. Battles 00:00:16.280 --> 00:00:19.300 that happen behind the smile, behind the title, 00:00:20.039 --> 00:00:22.940 behind the experience, behind the strength that 00:00:22.940 --> 00:00:25.699 everyone else sees. Because sometimes the greatest 00:00:25.699 --> 00:00:28.579 battles are not around us, they are within us. 00:00:28.940 --> 00:00:31.559 And before we can understand where strong people 00:00:31.559 --> 00:00:34.600 drift away, we must first understand how strong 00:00:34.600 --> 00:00:37.740 people become vulnerable, because no one collapses 00:00:37.740 --> 00:00:41.039 overnight. The visible fall is usually preceded 00:00:41.039 --> 00:00:44.119 by an invisible battle. And before we can understand 00:00:44.119 --> 00:00:46.579 that battle, we must remember the journey that 00:00:46.579 --> 00:00:49.759 brought us here. In episode 1 of When the Strong 00:00:49.759 --> 00:00:52.780 Get Tired, we exposed one of the most overlooked 00:00:52.780 --> 00:00:55.640 weapons used against strong people, physical 00:00:55.640 --> 00:00:58.689 exhaustion. Because sometimes the enemy does 00:00:58.689 --> 00:01:01.670 not need to destroy a person, he only needs to 00:01:01.670 --> 00:01:05.890 wear them down. In episode 2, we explored spiritual 00:01:05.890 --> 00:01:09.450 weariness, the slow fading of passion, the slow 00:01:09.450 --> 00:01:12.349 fading of prayer, the slow fading of intimacy 00:01:12.349 --> 00:01:15.569 with God, the kind of fatigue that sleep cannot 00:01:15.569 --> 00:01:18.890 cure because it affects the soul. In episode 00:01:18.890 --> 00:01:22.209 3, we examined the pressures, responsibilities, 00:01:22.810 --> 00:01:25.739 burdens, and unseen battles that quietly drain 00:01:25.739 --> 00:01:28.540 even the strongest believers. Because strength 00:01:28.540 --> 00:01:31.299 carries weight, and sometimes the weight becomes 00:01:31.299 --> 00:01:35.439 heavy. In episode 4, we revealed how great people 00:01:35.439 --> 00:01:38.920 often fall, not because they lack talent, gifting, 00:01:39.260 --> 00:01:42.019 opportunity or calling, but because character 00:01:42.019 --> 00:01:45.079 failed to sustain what success had built. Because 00:01:45.079 --> 00:01:47.700 what elevates a person is not always what keeps 00:01:47.700 --> 00:01:51.489 them there. In episode 5, we uncovered one of 00:01:51.489 --> 00:01:55.689 the deepest wounds strong people carry. Disappointment. 00:01:55.989 --> 00:01:58.829 The disappointment of betrayal. The disappointment 00:01:58.829 --> 00:02:01.810 of rejection. The disappointment of unanswered 00:02:01.810 --> 00:02:04.530 expectations. The disappointment of watching 00:02:04.530 --> 00:02:07.609 trusted people fail. And how disappointment, 00:02:07.950 --> 00:02:11.330 when left unresolved, can quietly become bitterness. 00:02:12.409 --> 00:02:14.990 Then in episode 6, we entered the battlefield 00:02:14.990 --> 00:02:18.689 within. The struggle of the flesh. The reality 00:02:18.689 --> 00:02:22.030 that every believer regardless of title, position, 00:02:22.530 --> 00:02:25.710 gifting or spiritual maturity, carries an internal 00:02:25.710 --> 00:02:29.030 battle. A battle between the old nature and the 00:02:29.030 --> 00:02:32.009 new nature. A battle between what God is building 00:02:32.009 --> 00:02:35.409 and what the flesh desires. Because the greatest 00:02:35.409 --> 00:02:38.789 threat is not always the devil around us. Sometimes 00:02:38.789 --> 00:02:42.349 it is the war within us. And that brings us to 00:02:42.349 --> 00:02:45.250 today's conversation. Because if the flesh is 00:02:45.250 --> 00:02:48.090 always fighting and if disappointment is always 00:02:48.090 --> 00:02:51.099 pressing, and if responsibilities are always 00:02:51.099 --> 00:02:54.460 increasing, then a very important question emerges. 00:02:55.240 --> 00:02:57.879 Why do strong people suddenly become vulnerable? 00:02:58.680 --> 00:03:01.520 Why do people who love God sometimes make decisions 00:03:01.520 --> 00:03:04.460 they never thought they would make? Why do great 00:03:04.460 --> 00:03:07.759 leaders fall? Why do faithful believers drift? 00:03:08.539 --> 00:03:12.080 Why do strong marriages suddenly crack? Why do 00:03:12.080 --> 00:03:15.620 strong men quietly collapse? The answer may be 00:03:15.620 --> 00:03:18.860 simpler than we think. The enemy rarely attacks 00:03:18.860 --> 00:03:21.780 your greatest strength. He waits for your defenses 00:03:21.780 --> 00:03:25.819 to weaken. Today on Pamoja Podcast, we explore 00:03:25.819 --> 00:03:29.819 Episode 7, When Your Defenses Are Down, because 00:03:29.819 --> 00:03:32.860 the fall is often visible, but the weakening 00:03:32.860 --> 00:03:36.819 is usually hidden. Welcome to Pamoja Podcast, 00:03:37.379 --> 00:03:40.219 a ministry of Life of Christ International, where 00:03:40.219 --> 00:03:43.719 we build stronger lives, deeper faith, and Christ 00:03:43.719 --> 00:03:47.889 -centered homes. One story, One message and one 00:03:47.889 --> 00:03:52.169 revelation at a time. And now, your host, Barry 00:03:52.169 --> 00:03:54.870 Mwamba. Today I want to talk about something 00:03:54.870 --> 00:03:57.949 that every believer experiences but very few 00:03:57.949 --> 00:04:01.330 recognize while it is happening. A battle that 00:04:01.330 --> 00:04:05.069 often starts quietly. A battle that rarely announces 00:04:05.069 --> 00:04:08.870 itself. A battle that usually begins long before 00:04:08.870 --> 00:04:12.789 the visible failure. Today I want to talk about 00:04:12.789 --> 00:04:16.110 when your defenses are down. because there is 00:04:16.110 --> 00:04:18.089 something I've discovered while studying scripture. 00:04:19.149 --> 00:04:21.329 Most great failures in the Bible did not begin 00:04:21.329 --> 00:04:24.370 where we think they began. Most did not start 00:04:24.370 --> 00:04:27.490 with adultery. Most did not start with compromise. 00:04:28.269 --> 00:04:31.629 Most did not start with rebellion. Most did not 00:04:31.629 --> 00:04:33.509 start with someone waking up one morning and 00:04:33.509 --> 00:04:37.110 deciding to abandon God. The visible fall was 00:04:37.110 --> 00:04:39.170 simply the final chapter of a battle that had 00:04:39.170 --> 00:04:42.370 been developing for a long time. The collapse 00:04:42.370 --> 00:04:46.329 was public. The weakening was private. And perhaps 00:04:46.329 --> 00:04:48.370 that is why so many strong people are caught 00:04:48.370 --> 00:04:51.470 by surprise. Because they are looking for the 00:04:51.470 --> 00:04:55.269 attack, while ignoring the weakening. The enemy 00:04:55.269 --> 00:04:57.529 understands something that many believers forget. 00:04:58.470 --> 00:05:00.930 You do not attack a fortress when it is strongest. 00:05:01.709 --> 00:05:04.290 You attack it when the guards are tired, when 00:05:04.290 --> 00:05:08.129 supplies are low, when vigilance fades, when 00:05:08.129 --> 00:05:11.310 attention is divided, when resistance weakens. 00:05:11.720 --> 00:05:14.379 And this principle appears throughout scripture. 00:05:15.279 --> 00:05:18.420 The enemy rarely attacks strength directly. He 00:05:18.420 --> 00:05:21.600 studies weakness. Not because weakness is sin, 00:05:22.459 --> 00:05:25.759 but because weakness lowers resistance. And this 00:05:25.759 --> 00:05:28.040 is where I need every listener to hear me carefully. 00:05:28.199 --> 00:05:31.060 Weakness is not sin. Being tired is not sin. 00:05:31.379 --> 00:05:34.120 Being discouraged is not sin. Being lonely is 00:05:34.120 --> 00:05:37.220 not sin. Being disappointed is not sin. Being 00:05:37.220 --> 00:05:40.459 tempted is not sin. Even Jesus was tempted. The 00:05:40.459 --> 00:05:43.040 danger begins when weakness remains unattended, 00:05:43.240 --> 00:05:45.560 because unattended weakness eventually becomes 00:05:45.560 --> 00:05:48.300 an open gate, and open gates attract enemies. 00:05:48.660 --> 00:05:51.100 Maybe that is why all the previous episodes connect 00:05:51.100 --> 00:05:53.980 so perfectly. Episode 1 taught us about physical 00:05:53.980 --> 00:05:56.680 exhaustion, because exhausted people stop fighting 00:05:56.680 --> 00:05:59.420 battles they normally would win. Episode 2 taught 00:05:59.420 --> 00:06:02.060 us about spiritual weariness, because a starving 00:06:02.060 --> 00:06:04.980 spirit loses discernment. Episode 3 taught us 00:06:04.980 --> 00:06:07.620 about pressure and responsibility, because carrying 00:06:07.620 --> 00:06:09.819 too much weight eventually affects judgment. 00:06:09.959 --> 00:06:12.720 Episode 4 taught us about character, because 00:06:12.720 --> 00:06:15.060 success without character eventually creates 00:06:15.060 --> 00:06:18.079 cracks in the foundation. Episode 5 taught us 00:06:18.079 --> 00:06:20.620 about disappointment, because unresolved wounds 00:06:20.620 --> 00:06:23.459 often become bitterness. Episode 6 taught us 00:06:23.459 --> 00:06:25.740 about the battle within, the struggle of the 00:06:25.740 --> 00:06:28.480 flesh, the conflict between what God is building 00:06:28.480 --> 00:06:31.620 and what the old nature still desires. And now 00:06:31.620 --> 00:06:34.339 Episode 7 reveals what ties them all together. 00:06:34.699 --> 00:06:38.540 Defenses Resistance Spiritual Vigilance because 00:06:38.540 --> 00:06:41.100 every one of those previous battles has the potential 00:06:41.100 --> 00:06:44.319 to weaken our defenses. And when defenses weaken, 00:06:44.779 --> 00:06:46.860 temptation becomes louder than it should be. 00:06:47.060 --> 00:06:49.839 Not because temptation became stronger, but because 00:06:49.839 --> 00:06:52.399 resistance became weaker. Think about David. 00:06:52.759 --> 00:06:54.759 Most people think David's problem began with 00:06:54.759 --> 00:06:58.040 Bathsheba. It didn't. The rooftop was the manifestation. 00:06:58.560 --> 00:07:01.019 The vulnerability started earlier. Scripture 00:07:01.019 --> 00:07:03.420 says it was the season when kings went to war, 00:07:03.699 --> 00:07:06.360 but David stayed home. The warrior stopped fighting. 00:07:06.649 --> 00:07:09.470 the king became comfortable. Isolation entered 00:07:09.470 --> 00:07:11.870 the story before temptation entered the story. 00:07:12.170 --> 00:07:14.910 The rooftop was visible. The weakening was hidden. 00:07:15.310 --> 00:07:17.750 Think about Elijah, one of the greatest prophets 00:07:17.750 --> 00:07:20.449 who ever lived. He confronted hundreds of false 00:07:20.449 --> 00:07:23.550 prophets, called down fire from heaven, experienced 00:07:23.550 --> 00:07:25.889 one of the greatest victories recorded in scripture. 00:07:26.269 --> 00:07:29.050 Yet shortly afterward, he was asking God to let 00:07:29.050 --> 00:07:32.490 him die. Why? Was Jezebel suddenly stronger than 00:07:32.490 --> 00:07:36.769 God? No. Elijah was exhausted. physically drained, 00:07:37.290 --> 00:07:40.529 emotionally depleted, mentally exhausted. And 00:07:40.529 --> 00:07:43.009 when his defenses were lowered, the threat suddenly 00:07:43.009 --> 00:07:44.970 felt bigger than the God who had just answered 00:07:44.970 --> 00:07:48.370 by fire. Notice God's response. God did not begin 00:07:48.370 --> 00:07:52.149 with a sermon. God gave him rest, food, water, 00:07:52.610 --> 00:07:56.009 recovery. Because sometimes spiritual restoration 00:07:56.009 --> 00:07:58.709 begins with physical restoration. Now let's talk 00:07:58.709 --> 00:08:01.230 about something many churches avoid. Marriage. 00:08:01.610 --> 00:08:03.810 Because marriage struggles can create vulnerabilities. 00:08:04.160 --> 00:08:07.620 Loss of communication. Loss of affection. Loss 00:08:07.620 --> 00:08:11.800 of intimacy. Distance. Disconnection. Over familiarity. 00:08:12.319 --> 00:08:14.939 Neglected emotional needs. Neglected physical 00:08:14.939 --> 00:08:17.980 needs. None of those things excuse sin. Let me 00:08:17.980 --> 00:08:20.660 say that again. None of those things excuse sin. 00:08:20.959 --> 00:08:23.319 But they do explain why temptation suddenly feels 00:08:23.319 --> 00:08:26.579 stronger. A hungry person notices food. A lonely 00:08:26.579 --> 00:08:29.259 person notices attention. A neglected spouse 00:08:29.259 --> 00:08:31.980 notices affection. The problem is not noticing. 00:08:32.220 --> 00:08:34.860 The problem is what happens next. The danger 00:08:34.860 --> 00:08:37.440 begins when weakness becomes permission, when 00:08:37.440 --> 00:08:40.340 struggle becomes justification, when pain becomes 00:08:40.340 --> 00:08:43.000 a license, when we begin negotiating with what 00:08:43.000 --> 00:08:45.779 God has already settled. That is exactly what 00:08:45.779 --> 00:08:48.700 happened in Eden. Eve saw the fruit. Seeing was 00:08:48.700 --> 00:08:51.480 not the sin. The battle began when God's command 00:08:51.480 --> 00:08:54.000 became negotiable. The battle was not in the 00:08:54.000 --> 00:08:56.879 fruit. The battle was in the justification. And 00:08:56.879 --> 00:08:59.559 that battle still exists today. Many believers 00:08:59.559 --> 00:09:01.980 are not losing to temptation. They are losing 00:09:01.980 --> 00:09:04.639 to rationalization. They are creating spiritual 00:09:04.639 --> 00:09:07.700 permission slips. My marriage is difficult. My 00:09:07.700 --> 00:09:10.139 needs are not being met. No one understands. 00:09:10.539 --> 00:09:13.720 I deserve happiness. I deserve this. The moment 00:09:13.720 --> 00:09:16.480 pain becomes our defense attorney, danger is 00:09:16.480 --> 00:09:18.820 already at the gate. Let's talk about Sampson. 00:09:19.220 --> 00:09:21.460 Sampson did not lose his strength in Delilah's 00:09:21.460 --> 00:09:24.279 lap. That is simply where the story ended. His 00:09:24.279 --> 00:09:25.980 strength had been leaking through compromise 00:09:25.980 --> 00:09:29.600 for years. One compromise, then another, then 00:09:29.600 --> 00:09:32.470 another. Delilah was not the beginning. She was 00:09:32.470 --> 00:09:35.649 the consequence. The enemy often wins by repetition, 00:09:35.909 --> 00:09:38.929 not by one massive attack, by repeated small 00:09:38.929 --> 00:09:42.110 compromises, by repeated neglect, by repeated 00:09:42.110 --> 00:09:44.629 lowering of defenses. Peter gives us another 00:09:44.629 --> 00:09:47.470 example. Think about the night Jesus was arrested. 00:09:47.769 --> 00:09:50.110 The disciples had just experienced confusion, 00:09:50.490 --> 00:09:54.490 fear, uncertainty, emotional pressure, exhaustion, 00:09:55.009 --> 00:09:57.629 disappointment. Then Peter denied Jesus three 00:09:57.629 --> 00:10:00.710 times. Peter loved Jesus. There is no question 00:10:00.710 --> 00:10:02.889 about that. But in one of the weakest moments 00:10:02.889 --> 00:10:05.809 of his life, his defenses were down. What gives 00:10:05.809 --> 00:10:09.190 me hope is this. Jesus restored Peter. Because 00:10:09.190 --> 00:10:11.570 failure does not have to be final. And that may 00:10:11.570 --> 00:10:13.870 be exactly what someone listening needs to hear 00:10:13.870 --> 00:10:16.590 today. Maybe your defenses have been down. Maybe 00:10:16.590 --> 00:10:19.129 you have been carrying pressure. Maybe disappointment 00:10:19.129 --> 00:10:21.509 wounded you. Maybe the flesh has been louder 00:10:21.509 --> 00:10:24.289 than usual. Maybe temptation feels stronger than 00:10:24.289 --> 00:10:27.110 it did before. Maybe you are tired. Maybe you 00:10:27.110 --> 00:10:29.509 are exhausted. Maybe you are fighting battles 00:10:29.509 --> 00:10:32.330 nobody knows about. Listen carefully. God is 00:10:32.330 --> 00:10:35.070 not shocked by your weakness. God found Gideon 00:10:35.070 --> 00:10:37.809 hiding in a winepress. God found Peter after 00:10:37.809 --> 00:10:41.129 his denial. God found Elijah under a tree. God 00:10:41.129 --> 00:10:43.389 found Paul while he was persecuting believers. 00:10:43.750 --> 00:10:46.409 God specializes in finding people at their weakest 00:10:46.409 --> 00:10:48.929 moments. But he never leaves them there. That 00:10:48.929 --> 00:10:51.149 is the difference between grace and surrender. 00:10:51.509 --> 00:10:54.509 Grace explains our struggle. Grace never justifies 00:10:54.509 --> 00:10:57.200 our surrender. God meets us where we are, but 00:10:57.200 --> 00:11:00.019 He always calls us higher. That is why God looked 00:11:00.019 --> 00:11:03.059 at Gideon and said, mighty man of valor. Not 00:11:03.059 --> 00:11:05.740 because Gideon looked mighty, not because Gideon 00:11:05.740 --> 00:11:08.320 felt mighty, but because God could see beyond 00:11:08.320 --> 00:11:11.399 the weakness, beyond the fear, beyond the struggle. 00:11:11.759 --> 00:11:13.980 God was speaking to what Gideon could become. 00:11:14.340 --> 00:11:16.720 And perhaps God is doing the same thing for someone 00:11:16.720 --> 00:11:19.299 listening today. Maybe everyone around you sees 00:11:19.299 --> 00:11:22.679 weakness, but God still sees purpose. Maybe everyone 00:11:22.679 --> 00:11:25.860 around you sees failure. but God still sees destiny. 00:11:26.179 --> 00:11:28.740 Maybe everyone around you sees exhaustion, but 00:11:28.740 --> 00:11:31.879 God still sees potential. Before we close, I 00:11:31.879 --> 00:11:34.080 want you to notice something. Everything we have 00:11:34.080 --> 00:11:36.299 discussed throughout this series has been connected. 00:11:36.960 --> 00:11:39.940 Physical exhaustion, spiritual weariness, pressure, 00:11:40.440 --> 00:11:43.820 responsibility, character, disappointment, the 00:11:43.820 --> 00:11:46.460 struggle of the flesh. None of these things exist 00:11:46.460 --> 00:11:49.279 in isolation. They work together. Because the 00:11:49.279 --> 00:11:51.440 enemy understands a principle many believers 00:11:51.440 --> 00:11:54.299 ignore. Rarely does he destroy a strong person 00:11:54.299 --> 00:11:57.080 with one attack. He weakens them little by little. 00:11:57.340 --> 00:11:59.639 A little exhaustion. A little discouragement. 00:12:00.000 --> 00:12:02.320 A little disappointment. A little compromise. 00:12:02.740 --> 00:12:05.200 A little neglect. A little distance from God. 00:12:05.519 --> 00:12:08.080 A little less prayer. A little less vigilance. 00:12:08.279 --> 00:12:11.179 Until one day people see the fall, without ever 00:12:11.179 --> 00:12:13.740 seeing the battle that came before it. But today, 00:12:13.960 --> 00:12:16.659 God is exposing the battle before the fall, because 00:12:16.659 --> 00:12:18.659 heaven does not reveal these things to condemn 00:12:18.659 --> 00:12:21.669 us. He reveals them to protect us. Perhaps while 00:12:21.669 --> 00:12:24.009 listening today, the Holy Spirit has already 00:12:24.009 --> 00:12:26.070 shown you where your defenses have been weakening. 00:12:26.350 --> 00:12:29.330 A gate left unguarded. A wound left untreated. 00:12:29.649 --> 00:12:32.970 A burden carried too long. A compromise excused 00:12:32.970 --> 00:12:36.289 one too many times. If that is you, hear me carefully. 00:12:36.649 --> 00:12:39.070 The warning is not God's rejection. The warning 00:12:39.070 --> 00:12:42.049 is God's mercy. Because God warns what He intends 00:12:42.049 --> 00:12:44.909 to preserve. The same God who warned Noah before 00:12:44.909 --> 00:12:47.649 the flood. The same God who warned Joseph before 00:12:47.649 --> 00:12:50.450 the famine. The same God who sent prophets before 00:12:50.450 --> 00:12:53.309 judgment came, is still warning His people today, 00:12:53.509 --> 00:12:56.250 not to condemn them, but to save them, because 00:12:56.250 --> 00:12:58.789 restoration is always easier than reconstruction. 00:12:59.110 --> 00:13:00.970 And maybe somebody listening right now needs 00:13:00.970 --> 00:13:19.789 to hear this. but because they kept returning 00:13:19.789 --> 00:13:22.289 to God when they did. The strongest believers 00:13:22.289 --> 00:13:24.909 are not those who never get tired. The strongest 00:13:24.909 --> 00:13:26.769 believers are those who know where to run when 00:13:26.769 --> 00:13:29.269 they do. So if your defenses have been down, 00:13:29.509 --> 00:13:32.429 run back to God. If your walls have been damaged, 00:13:32.789 --> 00:13:35.370 run back to God. If your heart has been wounded, 00:13:35.750 --> 00:13:38.250 run back to God. If your strength is failing, 00:13:38.629 --> 00:13:41.389 run back to God. Because the same God who found 00:13:41.389 --> 00:13:44.549 Gideon in a winepress, found Elijah under a tree, 00:13:44.909 --> 00:13:47.799 found Peter after his denial. found David after 00:13:47.799 --> 00:13:50.879 his failure, and found Paul on the road to Damascus, 00:13:51.159 --> 00:13:53.620 is still finding people today. And perhaps he 00:13:53.620 --> 00:13:56.059 is finding you right now, because the story is 00:13:56.059 --> 00:13:58.879 not over. The wall can be rebuilt. The gates 00:13:58.879 --> 00:14:01.860 can be restored. The strength can return. The 00:14:01.860 --> 00:14:05.320 joy can return. The fire can return. The passion 00:14:05.320 --> 00:14:07.980 can return. And the God who began a good work 00:14:07.980 --> 00:14:10.399 in you is faithful to complete it. This is not 00:14:10.399 --> 00:14:12.820 the end of your story. This is not your collapse. 00:14:13.159 --> 00:14:15.440 This is not your defeat. This is your warning. 00:14:15.639 --> 00:14:18.220 This is your restoration. This is your moment 00:14:18.220 --> 00:14:21.120 to rebuild. And perhaps, this is your turning 00:14:21.120 --> 00:14:24.279 point. Before we leave today, I want you to understand 00:14:24.279 --> 00:14:26.600 something. This episode brings us to the end 00:14:26.600 --> 00:14:29.679 of a journey. For seven episodes, we have explored 00:14:29.679 --> 00:14:32.019 what happens when strong people become tired. 00:14:32.299 --> 00:14:34.899 But a new question now stands before us. What 00:14:34.899 --> 00:14:37.799 happens when vulnerability is ignored? What happens 00:14:37.799 --> 00:14:40.440 when conviction is repeatedly silenced? What 00:14:40.440 --> 00:14:42.659 happens when compromises are allowed to grow? 00:14:42.879 --> 00:14:45.220 What happens when a believer keeps hearing God's 00:14:45.220 --> 00:14:48.320 voice but chooses not to respond? Because the 00:14:48.320 --> 00:14:50.980 truth is this. Most people do not fall overnight. 00:14:51.299 --> 00:14:54.080 Most people drift. One compromise at a time. 00:14:54.279 --> 00:14:57.019 One distraction at a time. One neglected prayer 00:14:57.019 --> 00:14:59.899 at a time. One ignored warning at a time. One 00:14:59.899 --> 00:15:02.679 act of complacency at a time. The enemy rarely 00:15:02.679 --> 00:15:05.500 destroys people suddenly. More often, he slowly 00:15:05.500 --> 00:15:07.899 pulls them away from the place where God intended 00:15:07.899 --> 00:15:10.340 them to remain. And that will be the focus of 00:15:10.340 --> 00:15:13.269 our next journey, Season 2. why the strong drift 00:15:13.269 --> 00:15:16.769 away, a season about small compromises, ignored 00:15:16.769 --> 00:15:20.350 convictions, lost intimacy, spiritual numbness, 00:15:20.669 --> 00:15:23.309 the gradual departure from God's presence, and 00:15:23.309 --> 00:15:25.850 the incredible grace of a God who continues calling 00:15:25.850 --> 00:15:28.330 his people back home. Because maybe you haven't 00:15:28.330 --> 00:15:31.049 fallen, maybe you've simply drifted, and if that's 00:15:31.049 --> 00:15:33.549 true, there is still hope. Because the shepherd 00:15:33.549 --> 00:15:36.210 still goes looking for wandering sheep. The journey 00:15:36.210 --> 00:15:39.129 continues, and together we will discover why 00:15:39.129 --> 00:15:41.710 the strong drift away. and how God brings them 00:15:41.710 --> 00:15:44.309 back. I'll see you in season two. This is your 00:15:44.309 --> 00:15:44.909 turning point.