Robert Jeffress - Choosing Contentment Over Comparison (Part 1)

January 15, 2026 | 27:29

Pathway to Victory offers a practical application of God’s Word to everyday life through the clear, biblical teaching of Pastor Jeffress.

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Dr. Robert Jeffress | Robert Jeffress - Choosing Contentment Over Comparison (Part 1) | January 15, 2026
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  • ♪♪♪
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  • Male announcer: from the pulpit of the first baptist church
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  • Of dallas, texas, this is "pathway to victory,"
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  • With dr. robert jeffress.
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  • Dr. robert jeffress: hi, i'm robert jeffress and welcome,
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  • Again, to "pathway to victory."
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  • What do people want more than anything else in the world?
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  • Money, health, comfort?
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  • Well, all of those things are just a means to achieve
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  • Happiness, or so we think.
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  • We've been conditioned to believe that contentment comes
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  • From our external circumstances, but in truth, contentment has
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  • Nothing to do with what you have or you don't have; it all comes
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  • Down to how you think.
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  • My message is titled, "choosing contentment over comparison," on
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  • Today's edition of "pathway to victory."
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  • ♪♪♪
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  • Male announcer: each day, millions of lost people are
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  • ♪♪♪
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  • Jeffress: years ago, i learned about the futility of comparing
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  • Yourself to other people from a most unlikely source.
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  • It was the summer of 1984, and amy and i went with our good
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  • Friends, the lovvorn's, on a vacation to california.
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  • And one evening, we heard that the next day they were going to
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  • Be taping the game show, "let's make a deal," with monty hall.
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  • How many of you remember, "let's make a deal?"
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  • I know i'm dating myself.
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  • And we thought, "you know, it might be fun to try to get on
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  • That game show."
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  • And so, the next morning, we got up early and we drove to a local
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  • Costume shop in downtown los angeles, because they would only
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  • Pick people in outlandish costumes, and so, we each rented
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  • A costume.
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  • Mark and patty had a "raggedy ann and andy" costume, with the
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  • Hair, the wig, the whole bit.
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  • Amy got a convict outfit.
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  • She had stripes on her, and she had the ball-and-chain, and all
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  • Of that.
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  • And i saw the perfect costume, a giant banana, and it had a
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  • Little hole that i could stick my face out of, but the rest of
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  • It was a full-length banana.
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  • So, we got our costumes, got in the car, i was the driver, i was
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  • In my full-length banana suit, driving down the freeway of
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  • California, and we got to the studio in hollywood, and there
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  • Were hundreds of people in the parking lot trying to get one of
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  • The 50 spots on the trading floor to actually be on
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  • The show.
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  • And to our amazement and pleasure, we were actually
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  • Chosen to be on the trading floor, those 50 people from whom
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  • Monty hall would select a few people.
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  • We thought, "this is great!"
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  • And that, if that were not enough, finally, the show
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  • Started and monty hall came down the aisle toward me, and he
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  • Said, "my first deal of the day is for robert jeffress."
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  • And so, we traded, and i won $350.
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  • A little bit later, monty went over to mark and patty.
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  • They won $1200.
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  • They always win more than i do, but, in every way, but anyway,
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  • After the show, we went to the little room where we were
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  • Filling out these release forms, and i was seated next to a woman
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  • And, she had won a piano but traded it away for
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  • Something else.
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  • And i begin to think, "you know, if only i had been in her seat
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  • On the trading floor, i could have won that piano."
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  • We really would have liked a new piano.
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  • So i'm kind of, you know, lamenting about that.
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  • Then, mark and patty kind of started second guessing.
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  • They won $1200 but they wondered, "maybe we should have
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  • Gone for the big deal of the day."
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  • And finally, the woman who won the big showcase, the big deal
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  • Of the day, she was complaining that the furniture didn't match
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  • The decor of her living room.
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  • And above all of this moaning and lamenting there, one woman
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  • Said, "you know what?
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  • I wasn't even expecting to win anything, i'm just glad i got on
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  • The show," and i immediately thought of that comment of
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  • Benjamin franklin's.
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  • He said, "who is it that is truly rich?
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  • He who is content and who is that?
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  • No one."
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  • Today, we're going to talk about the attitude choice that
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  • Perhaps, more than any other, determines your level of
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  • Happiness in life.
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  • It's choosing contentment over comparison.
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  • Nothing will rob you of joy in life anymore than comparing
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  • Yourself to other people and yet, we do it all the time,
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  • Don't we?
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  • We compare ourselves to other people.
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  • Now, when i talk about comparing yourself with other people, i'm
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  • Not talking about noticing that people have more different than
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  • You have.
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  • I mean, obviously that's true.
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  • There are people with bigger homes, larger salaries, finer
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  • Automobiles than we have.
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  • I'm not talking about noticing that, nor am i talking about
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  • Trying to quench that desire, a god-given desire that we all
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  • Have to excel in life.
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  • You know, we're gonna talk in future weeks about the attitude
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  • Choice of "choosing productivity in life over laziness," but
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  • Here's what i'm talking about when i talk about comparison.
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  • Comparison, write this down, is an attitude of dissatisfaction
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  • With god's provisions for my life that leads to an obsession
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  • With having more.
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  • Let me say it again, comparison is an attitude of
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  • Dissatisfaction with god's provisions for my life that
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  • Leads to an obsession with having more.
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  • In the old testament, the word for comparison
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  • Was "covetousness."
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  • Covetousness.
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  • And it's interesting that the climatic command of the ten
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  • Commandments, in exodus 20, is not, "thou shall not commit
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  • Murder or adultery or lie."
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  • You know what the climax of the ten commandments is?
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  • "thou shalt not covet."
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  • In fact, god said, in exodus 20:17, "you shall not covet your
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  • Neighbor's house.
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  • You shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his male
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  • Servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything
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  • That belongs to your neighbor."
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  • You know why that's the final climactic commandment?
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  • Because every other sin flows out of that sin.
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  • Whether you're talking about idolatry, that god condemns, or
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  • Adultery, or murder, or theft; every sin flows out of a
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  • Dissatisfaction with what god has provided for you.
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  • Micah, the prophet, understood that.
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  • In micah 2, verses 1 and 2, listen to this, "woe to those
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  • Who scheme iniquity, who work out evil on their beds!
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  • When morning comes, they do it, for it is in the power of
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  • Their hands."
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  • Look at this, "they covet fields and then they seize them, and
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  • Houses and take them away.
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  • They rob a man of his house, and a man of his inheritance."
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  • In other words, stealing, murdering other people, comes
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  • Out of covetousness.
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  • Coveting what somebody else has is the basis of all sin.
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  • In fact, did you know it was covetousness, this
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  • Dissatisfaction with what god has provided, that was the very
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  • Basis for the first sin committed in the universe?
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  • You know what the first sin was that was committed in
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  • The universe?
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  • It's recounted in isaiah, chapter 14.
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  • Turn there for just a moment to isaiah 14, verses 13 and 14.
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  • It's the story of the fall of lucifer.
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  • Remember, lucifer was a part of god's highest angelic order.
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  • God had given him vast responsibilities over creation.
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  • He was god's number two guy in the universe.
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  • But one day, lucifer decided he wasn't content with being
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  • Number two.
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  • He wanted to be number one.
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  • He started looking at god, and the respect and reverence that
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  • He had from the angels, he started looking at that throne
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  • Upon which god sat, and he said, "i could do that.
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  • I want what he has."
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  • And because of that, god cast him out of heaven, and he
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  • Became satan.
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  • In fact, in verses 13 and 14, you find god's condemnation
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  • Of lucifer.
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  • Verse 13, "but you [satan]
  • 00:09:17.146 --> 00:09:18.814
  • Said in your heart, 'i will ascend to heaven; i will raise
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  • My throne above the stars of god, i will sit on the mount of
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  • The assembly in the recesses of the north.
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  • I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; i will make
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  • Myself like the most high."
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  • After god cast satan down to earth, it is no accident that
  • 00:09:35.765 --> 00:09:42.038
  • Satan chose to use, as his basis for tempting the first couple,
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  • That dissatisfaction that had formed in his own heart with
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  • God's provision.
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  • That's how he lured adam and eve into temptation.
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  • Remember, god said to the first couple, "i've created this
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  • Beautiful garden and of any tree you can eat except one," and
  • 00:10:00.356 --> 00:10:06.362
  • What did satan do when he talked to eve?
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  • Genesis, chapter 3? instead of reminding eve of all of god's
  • 00:10:08.431 --> 00:10:13.736
  • Provisions, he instead, pointed her attention to one prohibition
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  • God said, "do not eat of this tree."
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  • He does the same thing in our life.
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  • Satan wants to distract us from thinking and thanking god for
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  • All of the visions he's given us, into the things that
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  • Are forbidden.
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  • He did that with eve, and he said, in genesis 3:5, the reason
  • 00:10:32.054 --> 00:10:34.990
  • God doesn't want you to eat of that tree, "for he knows that in
  • 00:10:34.990 --> 00:10:37.827
  • The day you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be
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  • Like god, knowing good and evil."
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  • Covetousness, a dissatisfaction with what god has already
  • 00:10:46.135 --> 00:10:51.006
  • Provided us.
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  • And you look in human history, it is that desire for more or
  • 00:10:52.775 --> 00:10:57.913
  • Different that leads to all sin and rebellion against god, and
  • 00:10:57.913 --> 00:11:02.985
  • It produces continual chaos in our lives.
  • 00:11:02.985 --> 00:11:06.422
  • For example, it was lot's desire for a more productive land that
  • 00:11:06.422 --> 00:11:11.794
  • Caused him and his family to settle in the city of sodom,
  • 00:11:11.794 --> 00:11:15.331
  • That brought disaster for his family.
  • 00:11:15.331 --> 00:11:17.867
  • It was jacob's desire for more inheritance that caused him to
  • 00:11:17.867 --> 00:11:22.338
  • Cheat his brother esau, and we see that same scene being played
  • 00:11:22.338 --> 00:11:27.042
  • Out even today.
  • 00:11:27.042 --> 00:11:28.978
  • A man earning $150,000 a year embezzles $100 from petty cash,
  • 00:11:28.978 --> 00:11:35.518
  • And ends up losing his job.
  • 00:11:35.518 --> 00:11:37.586
  • A christian wife begins flirting with a married man, and it ends
  • 00:11:37.586 --> 00:11:42.158
  • Up in a full-blown sexual desire, and she loses not only
  • 00:11:42.158 --> 00:11:46.095
  • Her husband, but eventually her lover as well, all because she
  • 00:11:46.095 --> 00:11:49.932
  • Wanted more.
  • 00:11:49.932 --> 00:11:51.534
  • A couple, with two good-paying jobs, give up their jobs to
  • 00:11:51.534 --> 00:11:55.905
  • Start a business to earn more income.
  • 00:11:55.905 --> 00:11:58.674
  • The business fails, all because of their desire for more.
  • 00:11:58.674 --> 00:12:03.279
  • And what's interesting and tragic is, in each of those
  • 00:12:03.279 --> 00:12:07.116
  • Cases, the desire for more ends up becoming less.
  • 00:12:07.116 --> 00:12:13.656
  • Instead of more income, the embezzler has no income.
  • 00:12:13.656 --> 00:12:18.928
  • Instead of more people to love her, the wife now has no one to
  • 00:12:18.928 --> 00:12:23.465
  • Love her.
  • 00:12:23.465 --> 00:12:24.800
  • Instead of a better job, the couple now have no jobs.
  • 00:12:24.800 --> 00:12:29.538
  • You see, that's the lie of satan.
  • 00:12:29.538 --> 00:12:31.807
  • He baits us into following after that which god has said "no" to.
  • 00:12:31.807 --> 00:12:38.848
  • The bible says, in john 8:44, "satan is a liar.
  • 00:12:38.848 --> 00:12:42.618
  • He is the father of all lies."
  • 00:12:42.618 --> 00:12:46.822
  • Let me share with you two myths, that we often buy into, that
  • 00:12:46.822 --> 00:12:52.061
  • Fuel our desire for more.
  • 00:12:52.061 --> 00:12:55.431
  • Myth number one: i can have it all.
  • 00:12:55.431 --> 00:12:59.201
  • That's particularly popular in our american culture.
  • 00:12:59.201 --> 00:13:02.838
  • Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.
  • 00:13:02.838 --> 00:13:07.243
  • That is, if you work hard enough, there is absolutely no
  • 00:13:07.243 --> 00:13:11.046
  • Limit to what you can achieve.
  • 00:13:11.046 --> 00:13:13.148
  • You can have it all.
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  • No, you really can't.
  • 00:13:15.317 --> 00:13:17.453
  • The fact is, there will always be somebody who has more than
  • 00:13:17.453 --> 00:13:22.358
  • You have.
  • 00:13:22.358 --> 00:13:23.692
  • It just will.
  • 00:13:23.692 --> 00:13:25.060
  • You know, i remember reading a passage from a sermon preached
  • 00:13:25.060 --> 00:13:30.666
  • By bill hybels entitled, "rare and remarkable virtues," and he
  • 00:13:30.666 --> 00:13:36.272
  • Was recounting the tragic story of the late billionaire,
  • 00:13:36.272 --> 00:13:40.542
  • Howard hughes.
  • 00:13:40.542 --> 00:13:42.478
  • He says, all howard hughes ever really wanted in life was more.
  • 00:13:42.478 --> 00:13:48.217
  • He wanted more money, so he parlayed inherited wealth into a
  • 00:13:48.217 --> 00:13:52.354
  • Billion-dollar pile of assets.
  • 00:13:52.354 --> 00:13:54.323
  • He wanted more fame, so he broke into the hollywood scene and
  • 00:13:54.323 --> 00:13:58.127
  • Soon became a filmmaker and a star.
  • 00:13:58.127 --> 00:14:00.596
  • He wanted more sensual pleasures, so he paid handsome
  • 00:14:00.596 --> 00:14:04.266
  • Sons to indulge his every sexual urge.
  • 00:14:04.266 --> 00:14:08.103
  • He wanted more thrills, so he designed, built, and piloted the
  • 00:14:08.103 --> 00:14:12.441
  • Fastest aircraft in the world.
  • 00:14:12.441 --> 00:14:14.877
  • He wanted more power, so he secretly dealt political favors,
  • 00:14:14.877 --> 00:14:19.148
  • So skillfully, that two u.s.
  • 00:14:19.148 --> 00:14:21.583
  • Presidents became his pawns.
  • 00:14:21.583 --> 00:14:23.886
  • All he ever wanted was more, and yet, he died, emaciated,
  • 00:14:23.886 --> 00:14:31.093
  • Colorless, with his fingernails in grotesque inches-long
  • 00:14:31.093 --> 00:14:35.764
  • Corkscrews, with rotting black teeth, tumors, and innumerable
  • 00:14:35.764 --> 00:14:40.903
  • Needle marks from his drug addiction.
  • 00:14:40.903 --> 00:14:43.605
  • Howard hughes died believing the myth of more.
  • 00:14:43.605 --> 00:14:49.912
  • Myth number two that fuels our dissatisfaction: i could be
  • 00:14:49.912 --> 00:14:54.717
  • Happy if only i had blank.
  • 00:14:54.717 --> 00:15:00.889
  • I could be really happy.
  • 00:15:00.889 --> 00:15:02.791
  • If only i had blank.
  • 00:15:02.791 --> 00:15:04.460
  • There's something out there that could fill the hole in my heart.
  • 00:15:04.460 --> 00:15:09.865
  • Some people fill in that blank with a different job, a bigger
  • 00:15:09.865 --> 00:15:14.470
  • House, more time off on a vacation, perhaps a
  • 00:15:14.470 --> 00:15:17.873
  • Different mate.
  • 00:15:17.873 --> 00:15:19.208
  • We all think there's something out there that would really make
  • 00:15:19.208 --> 00:15:22.211
  • Us happy.
  • 00:15:22.211 --> 00:15:23.579
  • But you know how most people fill in that blank?
  • 00:15:23.579 --> 00:15:26.248
  • I could really be happy if only i had more money.
  • 00:15:26.248 --> 00:15:32.488
  • For us, money is a passport that allows us to experience the
  • 00:15:32.488 --> 00:15:38.360
  • Things we truly think will make us happy, and that's why there's
  • 00:15:38.360 --> 00:15:41.663
  • So many warnings in scripture against the love of money.
  • 00:15:41.663 --> 00:15:45.934
  • We read one of them just a few moments ago.
  • 00:15:45.934 --> 00:15:47.936
  • In 1 timothy 6:10, paul said, "for the love of money is a root
  • 00:15:47.936 --> 00:15:51.907
  • Of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered
  • 00:15:51.907 --> 00:15:56.445
  • Away from the faith and have pierced themselves with many
  • 00:15:56.445 --> 00:16:00.282
  • A pain."
  • 00:16:00.282 --> 00:16:02.084
  • You know, jesus said, "it is impossible to serve god
  • 00:16:02.084 --> 00:16:07.156
  • And money."
  • 00:16:07.156 --> 00:16:09.625
  • It's interesting.
  • 00:16:09.625 --> 00:16:10.959
  • He didn't say it's impossible to serve god in sex, or god in your
  • 00:16:10.959 --> 00:16:14.530
  • Job, or god and recreational activities.
  • 00:16:14.530 --> 00:16:19.535
  • All of those things can become idols, no doubt about it, but
  • 00:16:19.535 --> 00:16:23.639
  • There's something unique about the allure of money.
  • 00:16:23.639 --> 00:16:26.775
  • And again, what it is is money is the passport, the key to
  • 00:16:26.775 --> 00:16:30.746
  • Purchasing the things we think will make us happy in life, but
  • 00:16:30.746 --> 00:16:34.116
  • It's all an illusion.
  • 00:16:34.116 --> 00:16:36.652
  • You know, solomon was the wealthiest man of his day, and
  • 00:16:36.652 --> 00:16:41.256
  • He talked about the futility of money.
  • 00:16:41.256 --> 00:16:44.026
  • It's one thing for people who aren't rich to talk about the
  • 00:16:44.026 --> 00:16:48.130
  • Futility of riches.
  • 00:16:48.130 --> 00:16:49.498
  • How do they know they've never had them?
  • 00:16:49.498 --> 00:16:51.500
  • But what about somebody who's had it all and says, "it's not
  • 00:16:51.500 --> 00:16:55.170
  • What you think it is."
  • 00:16:55.170 --> 00:16:56.538
  • That's what solomon did.
  • 00:16:56.538 --> 00:16:57.873
  • In fact, turn over to ecclesiastes, chapter 5 for just
  • 00:16:57.873 --> 00:17:00.309
  • A moment.
  • 00:17:00.309 --> 00:17:01.643
  • Solomon gives six reasons that money will never satisfy our
  • 00:17:01.643 --> 00:17:07.116
  • Deepest needs.
  • 00:17:07.116 --> 00:17:08.917
  • Look at what he says in ecclesiastes, chapter 5, write
  • 00:17:08.917 --> 00:17:11.753
  • These down.
  • 00:17:11.753 --> 00:17:13.088
  • First of all, solomon observes that no one ever has enough
  • 00:17:13.088 --> 00:17:16.959
  • Money, or at least thinks they do.
  • 00:17:16.959 --> 00:17:19.094
  • Look at verse 10 "whoever loves money, never has money enough.
  • 00:17:19.094 --> 00:17:22.998
  • Whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.
  • 00:17:22.998 --> 00:17:26.768
  • This too is meaningless."
  • 00:17:26.768 --> 00:17:29.071
  • Have you ever heard of parkinson's law?
  • 00:17:29.071 --> 00:17:31.974
  • Parkinson's law says, "work expands to fill the
  • 00:17:31.974 --> 00:17:37.146
  • Available time."
  • 00:17:37.146 --> 00:17:39.681
  • In other words, if you have a job to do and you give yourself
  • 00:17:39.681 --> 00:17:43.652
  • Two hours to do it, guess how long it will take to do it?
  • 00:17:43.652 --> 00:17:46.622
  • Two hours.
  • 00:17:46.622 --> 00:17:48.090
  • If you give yourself six weeks to complete a project, guess how
  • 00:17:48.090 --> 00:17:51.226
  • Long it will take?
  • 00:17:51.226 --> 00:17:52.561
  • Six weeks to complete the project.
  • 00:17:52.561 --> 00:17:54.029
  • Work expands to fill the available time.
  • 00:17:54.029 --> 00:17:56.932
  • Well, solomon's given us a law here about money, "expenses
  • 00:17:56.932 --> 00:18:01.670
  • Expand to consume the available income."
  • 00:18:01.670 --> 00:18:05.741
  • "expenses, expand to consume the available income."
  • 00:18:05.741 --> 00:18:09.711
  • You know, it doesn't matter how much money you're making, you'll
  • 00:18:09.711 --> 00:18:12.080
  • Find a way to spend all of it.
  • 00:18:12.080 --> 00:18:14.683
  • I hear people all the time say, "you know, we're making more
  • 00:18:14.683 --> 00:18:18.086
  • Money now than we ever have in our lives, and we don't have
  • 00:18:18.086 --> 00:18:20.556
  • Anything to show for it.
  • 00:18:20.556 --> 00:18:21.890
  • Where does it all go?"
  • 00:18:21.890 --> 00:18:23.258
  • Well, that's what solomon is talking about.
  • 00:18:23.258 --> 00:18:24.626
  • It doesn't matter how much money you make, there'll always be
  • 00:18:24.626 --> 00:18:28.063
  • Something to consume it.
  • 00:18:28.063 --> 00:18:30.065
  • That's the limitation of money.
  • 00:18:30.065 --> 00:18:31.900
  • Closely related to that, verse 11, he says, "money
  • 00:18:31.900 --> 00:18:35.437
  • Attracts parasites.
  • 00:18:35.437 --> 00:18:38.640
  • Money attracts parasites."
  • 00:18:38.640 --> 00:18:40.008
  • Look at verse 11, "as goods increase, so do those who
  • 00:18:40.008 --> 00:18:43.512
  • Consume them, and what benefit are they to the owner, except to
  • 00:18:43.512 --> 00:18:47.216
  • Feast his eyes upon them."
  • 00:18:47.216 --> 00:18:49.818
  • One day, solomon started looking at the palace payroll.
  • 00:18:49.818 --> 00:18:54.089
  • He noticed all these people he was paying: butlers, servants,
  • 00:18:54.089 --> 00:18:58.460
  • Guards, concubines.
  • 00:18:58.460 --> 00:19:00.128
  • He said, "where did all these people come from?"
  • 00:19:00.128 --> 00:19:02.898
  • Maybe you're wondering the same thing.
  • 00:19:02.898 --> 00:19:04.967
  • The more money you have, the more people who surround you,
  • 00:19:04.967 --> 00:19:08.570
  • Friends, family members, the internal revenue service, ready
  • 00:19:08.570 --> 00:19:12.908
  • To take your money from you.
  • 00:19:12.908 --> 00:19:14.710
  • Money attracts parasites.
  • 00:19:14.710 --> 00:19:17.179
  • Thirdly, he says, a limitation of money, money
  • 00:19:17.179 --> 00:19:19.615
  • Produces anxiety.
  • 00:19:19.615 --> 00:19:21.583
  • Look at verse 12, "the sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he
  • 00:19:21.583 --> 00:19:26.822
  • Eats little or much; but the abundance of a rich man permits
  • 00:19:26.822 --> 00:19:30.592
  • Him no sleep."
  • 00:19:30.592 --> 00:19:32.794
  • Solomon noticed something, those in his kingdom, who punched in
  • 00:19:32.794 --> 00:19:37.499
  • For work at eight o'clock, and punched out at five o'clock,
  • 00:19:37.499 --> 00:19:40.435
  • They were able to go home, eat a little supper, enjoy their
  • 00:19:40.435 --> 00:19:43.972
  • Family, go to sleep, and never wake up till the next morning.
  • 00:19:43.972 --> 00:19:48.610
  • But people who have a lot of money tend to have
  • 00:19:48.610 --> 00:19:52.514
  • Sleepless nights.
  • 00:19:52.514 --> 00:19:53.882
  • They're worrying about somebody trying to take their money from
  • 00:19:53.882 --> 00:19:57.486
  • Them, or maybe they're worried about the responsibilities they
  • 00:19:57.486 --> 00:20:01.490
  • Have that allowed them to become wealthy to begin with.
  • 00:20:01.490 --> 00:20:04.626
  • They think about a payroll they have to meet, or sales figures
  • 00:20:04.626 --> 00:20:08.530
  • They have to reach, or they think about government
  • 00:20:08.530 --> 00:20:11.099
  • Regulations they're having to deal with, and it keeps them
  • 00:20:11.099 --> 00:20:14.903
  • From experience restful sleep.
  • 00:20:14.903 --> 00:20:17.139
  • That's what money does, it produces anxiety.
  • 00:20:17.139 --> 00:20:20.242
  • Fourthly, money can be harmful.
  • 00:20:20.242 --> 00:20:23.045
  • Verse 13, "i have seen a grievous evil under the sun:
  • 00:20:23.045 --> 00:20:27.082
  • Wealth hoarded for the harm of its owner."
  • 00:20:27.082 --> 00:20:30.352
  • You know, the fact is, if you try to pile up a lot of money,
  • 00:20:30.352 --> 00:20:33.655
  • It can actually hurt you.
  • 00:20:33.655 --> 00:20:36.058
  • You say, "well, how can money actually hurt me?"
  • 00:20:36.058 --> 00:20:37.826
  • Well, one thing it does is it robs us of joy in this
  • 00:20:37.826 --> 00:20:41.096
  • Present life.
  • 00:20:41.096 --> 00:20:42.664
  • You know, people who are always saving for a rainy day.
  • 00:20:42.664 --> 00:20:45.801
  • They're just trying to stockpile all the money they can, instead
  • 00:20:45.801 --> 00:20:49.571
  • Of enjoying the sunshine of the present day.
  • 00:20:49.571 --> 00:20:52.741
  • I think about the story from our nation's history about the
  • 00:20:52.741 --> 00:20:55.811
  • World's richest miser, a widow named hetty green.
  • 00:20:55.811 --> 00:21:01.049
  • When she died in the early 1900's she left an estate of
  • 00:21:01.049 --> 00:21:04.986
  • $100 million.
  • 00:21:04.986 --> 00:21:07.456
  • That's a lot of money today, but in the early 1900's, it was
  • 00:21:07.456 --> 00:21:10.292
  • Really a lot of money.
  • 00:21:10.292 --> 00:21:12.227
  • And yet, even though she had this much money, she was
  • 00:21:12.227 --> 00:21:15.097
  • So cheap.
  • 00:21:15.097 --> 00:21:16.798
  • She refused to pay the gas to heat her hot water that she had
  • 00:21:16.798 --> 00:21:22.537
  • Oatmeal with every morning.
  • 00:21:22.537 --> 00:21:23.872
  • She ate her oatmeal cold because she didn't want to pay to heat
  • 00:21:23.872 --> 00:21:27.008
  • The water.
  • 00:21:27.008 --> 00:21:28.377
  • When her son contracted an infection in his leg, she spent
  • 00:21:28.377 --> 00:21:32.914
  • So much time taking him around to try to find a free clinic to
  • 00:21:32.914 --> 00:21:38.220
  • Treat him, that her son contracted gangrene and had to
  • 00:21:38.220 --> 00:21:42.057
  • Have his leg removed.
  • 00:21:42.057 --> 00:21:43.458
  • Now, that's what you call cheap.
  • 00:21:43.458 --> 00:21:45.560
  • And that's what solomon is talking about: money that is
  • 00:21:45.560 --> 00:21:48.463
  • Hoarded to the heart of its owner.
  • 00:21:48.463 --> 00:21:51.500
  • But you know what?
  • 00:21:51.500 --> 00:21:52.834
  • Money can't only rob you of joy in this present life, the bible
  • 00:21:52.834 --> 00:21:57.406
  • "says, a love of money, an obsession with money can rob you
  • 00:21:57.406 --> 00:22:01.910
  • Of eternal life."
  • 00:22:01.910 --> 00:22:04.379
  • I mean, just think about this, it was the love of money that
  • 00:22:04.379 --> 00:22:08.817
  • Caused that rich farmer to deceive himself and to think all
  • 00:22:08.817 --> 00:22:13.221
  • Was well with his soul, when in fact, he was about to die.
  • 00:22:13.221 --> 00:22:17.325
  • It was the love of money that caused the rich young ruler to
  • 00:22:17.325 --> 00:22:20.562
  • Turn away from christ.
  • 00:22:20.562 --> 00:22:22.397
  • It was the love of money that caused the wealthy man to
  • 00:22:22.397 --> 00:22:25.300
  • Neglect the poor man lazarus.
  • 00:22:25.300 --> 00:22:28.336
  • It was the love of money that caused judas to betray jesus for
  • 00:22:28.336 --> 00:22:32.307
  • 30 pieces of silver.
  • 00:22:32.307 --> 00:22:34.242
  • And it was the love of money that caused the couple ananias
  • 00:22:34.242 --> 00:22:38.780
  • And saphira to lie to and be struck dead by the
  • 00:22:38.780 --> 00:22:42.984
  • Holy spirit of god.
  • 00:22:42.984 --> 00:22:45.120
  • ♪♪♪
  • 00:22:45.120 --> 00:22:50.192
  • Jeffress: whether you're blessed with a lot of
  • 00:22:50.192 --> 00:22:51.893
  • Money or you're living off a meager income, your capacity for
  • 00:22:51.893 --> 00:22:55.797
  • Happiness comes from an entirely different source.
  • 00:22:55.797 --> 00:22:59.334
  • My prayer is that you'll discover along with me the
  • 00:22:59.334 --> 00:23:02.103
  • Wisdom of choosing contentment over comparison.
  • 00:23:02.103 --> 00:23:06.374
  • Now, in the time remaining today, let me affirm that god is
  • 00:23:06.374 --> 00:23:09.344
  • Using "pathway to victory" to touch lives as never before.
  • 00:23:09.344 --> 00:23:13.548
  • Thanks to expanding opportunities on television,
  • 00:23:13.548 --> 00:23:16.585
  • Radio, and the internet, we are reaching a larger audience right
  • 00:23:16.585 --> 00:23:20.422
  • Now than ever before, and it's made possible through the
  • 00:23:20.422 --> 00:23:24.259
  • Support of friends like you.
  • 00:23:24.259 --> 00:23:26.728
  • People across our country and around the world are craving a
  • 00:23:26.728 --> 00:23:30.098
  • Glimmer of hope, and you and i possess the bright light of
  • 00:23:30.098 --> 00:23:34.102
  • Jesus christ.
  • 00:23:34.102 --> 00:23:35.470
  • So, thank you for continuing to stand with us in our mission to
  • 00:23:35.470 --> 00:23:39.608
  • Pierce the darkness with the light of god's word.
  • 00:23:39.608 --> 00:23:42.911
  • Now, stay right there, i'll be back with more "pathway to
  • 00:23:42.911 --> 00:23:45.881
  • Victory," in just a moment.
  • 00:23:45.881 --> 00:23:48.049
  • Announcer: we all want to live a life of meaning and
  • 00:23:49.417 --> 00:23:51.453
  • Significance, but we often dream too small.
  • 00:23:51.453 --> 00:23:55.023
  • Jeffress: my friends david green, founder and ceo of hobby
  • 00:23:55.023 --> 00:23:58.293
  • Lobby, and bill high, ceo of legacy stone, have written a
  • 00:23:58.293 --> 00:24:02.998
  • Brand new book called "the legacy life."
  • 00:24:02.998 --> 00:24:05.901
  • Jeffress: you've said it in this book several times.
  • 00:24:05.901 --> 00:24:09.170
  • Legacy is not what you leave behind, it's what you set in
  • 00:24:09.170 --> 00:24:12.707
  • Motion for the future.
  • 00:24:12.707 --> 00:24:14.442
  • Jeffress: this book will challenge you to point your life
  • 00:24:14.442 --> 00:24:16.878
  • Heavenward and set in motion a legacy of eternal significance.
  • 00:24:16.878 --> 00:24:22.150
  • David green: bill, i've found that it's much easier to run a
  • 00:24:22.150 --> 00:24:24.553
  • Business, but having a family, a wife, children that serve the
  • 00:24:24.553 --> 00:24:27.989
  • Lord is much, much more difficult.
  • 00:24:27.989 --> 00:24:30.025
  • And that's who we are. we're not about hobby lobby.
  • 00:24:30.025 --> 00:24:32.327
  • We're about mission, vision, and values, and it's all based on
  • 00:24:32.327 --> 00:24:35.430
  • God's word, and that's what we're excited about.
  • 00:24:35.430 --> 00:24:37.666
  • Bill high: no matter what stage of life you're in, "the legacy
  • 00:24:37.666 --> 00:24:40.368
  • Life" will help you understand how to apply god's word and set
  • 00:24:40.368 --> 00:24:44.906
  • In motion a great legacy.
  • 00:24:44.906 --> 00:24:47.842
  • Announcer: request "the legacy life" when you give a generous
  • 00:24:47.842 --> 00:24:50.445
  • Gift to "pathway to victory" or when you become a pathway
  • 00:24:50.445 --> 00:24:53.148
  • Partner.
  • 00:24:53.148 --> 00:24:54.482
  • You'll also receive the powerful book by dr. jeffress, "choose
  • 00:24:54.482 --> 00:24:57.385
  • Your attitudes, change your life."
  • 00:24:57.385 --> 00:24:59.654
  • And when your ministry gift is $100 or more, we'll also send
  • 00:24:59.654 --> 00:25:03.224
  • You the "choose your attitudes, change your life" personal and
  • 00:25:03.224 --> 00:25:06.628
  • Group study guide, plus the complete teaching series on cd
  • 00:25:06.628 --> 00:25:10.365
  • And dvd and a set of attitude booster cards for
  • 00:25:10.365 --> 00:25:14.269
  • Your encouragement.
  • 00:25:14.269 --> 00:25:15.604
  • Thank you for supporting "pathway to victory."
  • 00:25:15.604 --> 00:25:18.106
  • Jeffress: spend a little time watching television commercials
  • 00:25:20.809 --> 00:25:23.511
  • And before long, we'll find ourselves longing to own things
  • 00:25:23.511 --> 00:25:26.948
  • We don't even need; that's what advertisers are driven
  • 00:25:26.948 --> 00:25:30.719
  • To accomplish.
  • 00:25:30.719 --> 00:25:32.087
  • But if you're ready to cultivate a deep and lasting satisfaction
  • 00:25:32.087 --> 00:25:35.824
  • That's detached from your possessions, then this is a
  • 00:25:35.824 --> 00:25:38.994
  • Study for you.
  • 00:25:38.994 --> 00:25:40.929
  • Please come back tomorrow because i wanna show you more
  • 00:25:40.929 --> 00:25:44.099
  • Biblical wisdom on what it means to choose contentment
  • 00:25:44.099 --> 00:25:47.602
  • Over comparison.
  • 00:25:47.602 --> 00:25:49.104
  • Stay tuned for a preview of what's coming up next in our
  • 00:25:49.104 --> 00:25:51.940
  • Series, "choose your attitudes, change your life."
  • 00:25:51.940 --> 00:25:57.212
  • Jeffress: if you know where your next meal is coming from, if you
  • 00:25:57.212 --> 00:26:01.049
  • Have a place to sleep tonight, that's inside, instead of
  • 00:26:01.049 --> 00:26:03.852
  • Outside in the elements, you and i should be satisfied.
  • 00:26:03.852 --> 00:26:07.188
  • Anything we have above that is purely by the grace of god.
  • 00:26:07.188 --> 00:26:13.128
  • God owes us nothing.
  • 00:26:13.128 --> 00:26:15.397
  • Male announcer: set your dvr and join us next time for part two
  • 00:26:15.397 --> 00:26:18.366
  • Of the message, "choosing contentment over comparison,"
  • 00:26:18.366 --> 00:26:22.070
  • Here on "pathway to victory."
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  • Announcer: experience the beauty of alaska with the
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  • Pathway to victory family june 13-20, 2026.
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  • Sail through the calm waters of the legendary inside passage
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  • With dr. robert jeffress aboard holland america's
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  • Magnificent koningsdam.
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  • Be inspired by award-winning musician michael o'brien's
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  • Powerful worship; share laughter with dennis swanberg,
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  • America's minister of encouragement;
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  • All while exploring frontier towns like juneau,
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  • Skagway, and ketchikan.
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  • Jeffress: there's something powerful about connecting with
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  • God and fellow believers in the majesty
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  • Of his untamed wilderness.
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  • From the majestic glaciers to soaring eagles,
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  • These moments in god's creation will deepen your
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  • Faith in powerful ways.
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  • Announcer: join us for a spiritual journey through some
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  • Of creation's most spectacular displays.
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  • Don't wait, our best cabins are going fast.
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  • Secure your alaska adventure now.
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  • Call ... or visit ptv.org.
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