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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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- Searching for hope and truth.
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- Through "pathway to victory," god's word is reaching into
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- Homes across america and around the world, but there are still
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- So many who haven't heard the saving message of jesus christ.
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- You can help change that by becoming a pathway partner.
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- You'll join a dedicated team of broadcast missionaries who are
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- Sharing the gospel through television and radio.
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- Your monthly support will help reach people worldwide with the
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- Life-changing power of the cross.
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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]
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- 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."
- 00:09:32.161 --> 00:09:35.765
- After god cast satan down to earth, it is no accident that
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- 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.
- 00:09:53.449 --> 00:09:57.720
- 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
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- 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
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- 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.
- 00:10:30.686 --> 00:10:32.054
- 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
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- 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
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- Provided us.
- 00:10:51.006 --> 00:10:52.775
- 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.
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- The fact is, there will always be somebody who has more than
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- You have.
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- It just will.
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- 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.
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- You'll also receive the powerful book by dr. jeffress, "choose
- 00:24:54.482 --> 00:24:57.385
- Your attitudes, change your life."
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- And when your ministry gift is $100 or more, we'll also send
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- You the "choose your attitudes, change your life" personal and
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- Group study guide, plus the complete teaching series on cd
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- And dvd and a set of attitude booster cards for
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- 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
- 00:26:57.005 --> 00:26:59.274
- 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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- Call ... or visit ptv.org.
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