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Dr. Robert Jeffress | Robert Jeffress - Stopping The Barbarian At The Gate | March 21, 2026
- ♪ music ♪
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- From the pulpit of the first baptist church
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- Of dallas, texas,
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- This is "pathway to victory" with dr. robert jeffress.
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- Hi, i'm robert jeffress
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- And welcome again to "pathway to victory."
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- Most christians understand that we're supposed to obey god,
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- But have you ever stopped to consider
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- That your obedience actually serves as protection?
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- When you choose to do what god commands,
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- You create a fortress of protection
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- Against satan's destructive plans for your life.
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- Today i want to show you how practicing righteousness
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- Shields you from the enemy's attacks
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- In four very specific ways.
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- My message is titled,
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- "stopping the barbarian at the gate"
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- On today's edition of "pathway to victory."
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- ♪ music ♪
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- ♪ the fear of the lord ♪
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- ♪ is the beginning of wisdom ♪
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- ♪ life ♪
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- ♪ hope ♪
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- ♪ meaning and joy ♪
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- ♪ the fear of the lord ♪
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- ♪ is the beginning of wisdom ♪
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- ♪ so let us worship ♪
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- ♪ let us bow down ♪
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- ♪ let us fear our god ♪
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- ♪ the fear of the lord ♪
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- ♪ is the beginning of wisdom ♪
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- ♪ life ♪
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- ♪ hope ♪
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- ♪ blessing and joy ♪
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- ♪ the fear of the lord ♪
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- ♪ is the beginning of wisdom ♪
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- ♪ so let us worship ♪
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- ♪ let us bow down ♪
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- ♪ let us fear our god ♪
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- ♪ to him belongs ♪
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- ♪ eternal praise ♪
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- ♪ glorious and righteous ♪
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- ♪ are his works, his ways ♪
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- ♪ to him belongs ♪
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- ♪ all reverent praise ♪
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- ♪ faithful and just ♪
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- ♪ are his works, his ways ♪
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- ♪ so let us worship ♪
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- ♪ let us bow down ♪
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- ♪ so let us worship ♪
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- ♪ let us bow down ♪
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- ♪ so let us worship ♪
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- ♪ let us bow down ♪
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- ♪ let us fear our god ♪
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- ♪ our god ♪
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- (audience applauds)
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- Whether you know it or not, you are in a battle.
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- Satan has a strategy to attack your faith,
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- Disrupt your family and derail your future.
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- But god has given you everything you need
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- To fight back and win.
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- In "the divine defense,"
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- Dr. robert jeffress reveals
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- Six practical strategies from ephesians 6
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- To defeat satan's destructive plan.
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- When you put on the full armor of god,
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- Satan doesn't have a prayer.
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- Request "the divine defense"
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- When you give a generous ministry gift
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- To "pathway to victory."
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- ♪ music ♪
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- Well, if you're a christian today,
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- I've got some good news and some bad news for you.
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- If you're truly a christian, the good news is this.
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- 1 john 1 says you have an advocate in heaven.
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- That advocate, that lawyer, so to speak,
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- Is jesus christ himself,
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- And he is seated at the right hand of god the father,
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- Pleading your case day and night
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- Before your heavenly father.
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- That's good news.
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- The bad news is not only do you have an advocate in heaven,
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- You have an adversary here on earth.
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- He's a powerful adversary.
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- He can destroy everything that is important to you.
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- That's why the apostle peter said in 1 peter 5:8,
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- "be on the alert, be of sober spirit,
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- For your adversary, the devil,
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- Prowls about like a roaring lion
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- Seeking someone to devour."
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- If you want to protect yourself against satan,
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- Do what you know you should do.
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- You know the problem most of us have with god's will
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- Is not that part of god's will we don't know.
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- We got it all centered on the things we don't know.
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- The real problem is what we know,
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- What god has told us we need to do through his word.
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- And the way obedience protects you from satan's attack
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- Is what we're going to talk about today.
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- When you choose to do what you already know to do,
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- That obedience protects you in four specific ways.
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- I want you to write them down, first of all,
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- Obedience protects us from the consequences of sin.
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- Obedience protects us from the consequences of sin.
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- You know, in my decades as a pastor,
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- I've seen this so many times.
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- I can remember very well the time i've counseled
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- With men or women who were involved in adulterous affairs
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- And i tried to warn them of the consequences,
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- I tried to help them visualize
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- The end result of what they were doing,
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- The breakup of their family,
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- The disillusionment of their children,
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- Setting off a general chain reaction
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- Of immorality in their families,
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- The loss of their reputation,
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- The loss of their witness for christ.
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- I talk till i'm blue in the face,
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- It doesn't make any difference,
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- Because they are so intoxicated
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- With drinking from stolen waters
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- That they cannot see the ultimate end of sin.
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- That's what satan does,
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- He blinds us to the painful consequences of sin.
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- But make no mistake about it, those consequences are there.
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- Satan is like a master fisherman
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- Who dangles the right piece of bait in front of you
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- At just the wrong time.
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- And the fact is you see the bait,
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- You see how appealing it is,
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- But what satan doesn't warn you
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- Is that right in the middle of that bait is a hook
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- That will destroy you.
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- So it is with sin.
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- Solomon said it this way in proverbs 7:21-23.
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- "with her many persuasions, she entices him.
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- With her flattering lips, she seduces him.
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- Suddenly, he follows her as an ox goes to the slaughter,
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- Or as one in fetters to the discipline of a fool,
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- Until an arrow pierces through his liver.
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- As a bird hastens to the snare,
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- So he does not know it will cost him his life."
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- Now, solomon is talking about adultery,
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- But that's true of any sin.
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- Following god leads to life.
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- Following satan leads to death,
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- The destruction of everything important to you.
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- Before you decide as a christian
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- Whether you're going to serve satan or god,
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- Think about the benefits each person offers.
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- Imagine for just a moment
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- That you have two different job offers
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- From two different employers.
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- Before you decide which one you're going to pick,
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- You'd probably do some investigation.
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- What's the salary being offered?
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- What's the vacation policy?
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- What's the retirement provision?
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- What about the health plan?
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- What about the boss himself?
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- Is he a good guy who cares about me and my family,
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- Or is he a tyrant who can't be trusted at all?
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- You'd evaluate all of those things
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- Before you made a choice of a master, an employer.
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- And paul is saying do the same thing.
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- Check out carefully the wages each master, god and satan,
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- Are offering you,
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- And decide, do you want death or do you want life?
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- When you choose to obey satan,
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- You're not choosing life, you're choosing death,
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- The destruction of everything important to you.
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- Let me be real specific.
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- When you choose pride over humility,
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- You're choosing the death of your relationships.
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- When you choose immorality over faithfulness in marriage,
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- You're choosing the destruction of your marriage.
- 00:09:18.603 --> 00:09:21.339
- When you choose gluttony over self-control,
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- You're choosing the death of your body.
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- When you choose laziness over diligence,
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- You're choosing the death of your dreams.
- 00:09:30.048 --> 00:09:33.418
- Serving satan, disobedience, has painful consequences,
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- But obeying god protects you
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- From those painful consequences.
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- How does obeying god protect you?
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- Secondly, obedience protects us
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- From doubt about our salvation.
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- It protects us from doubt about our salvation.
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- I used to have a seminary professor who said,
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- Men, never forget this,
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- "nothing will cause more doubt in your life
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- Than trafficking in unlived truth."
- 00:10:02.313 --> 00:10:06.351
- It was obvious what he was saying.
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- For a pastor to stand up
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- And proclaim truths that he doesn't embrace,
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- To condemn behavior that he engages in,
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- He can't keep that up for very long,
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- It will produce tremendous doubt in his own heart.
- 00:10:18.630 --> 00:10:21.566
- But that truth doesn't just apply to pastors,
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- It applies to all of us.
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- When you sing about things that aren't true in your life,
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- When you proclaim,
- 00:10:31.376 --> 00:10:32.711
- "what a wonderful joy it is serving christ,"
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- But you're not following christ,
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- It creates doubt about your own salvation.
- 00:10:37.449 --> 00:10:40.752
- And here's what i've discovered after years of ministry.
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- There are some people who can hold onto their faith
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- And hold onto their disobedience for a while,
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- But eventually they let go of one or the other.
- 00:10:50.995 --> 00:10:53.898
- You can't hold onto your faith and hold onto disobedience.
- 00:10:53.898 --> 00:10:58.403
- You'll either give up your disobedience
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- Or you'll give up your faith.
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- If you don't remember anything else i say in today's sermon,
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- I want you to write down and remember this saying forever.
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- Here's the saying.
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- "only professions of faith
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- That result in expressions of obedience
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- Guarantee we are in possession of eternal life."
- 00:11:18.323 --> 00:11:22.360
- Now, i know that sounds like a tongue twister,
- 00:11:22.360 --> 00:11:23.928
- Let me say it again.
- 00:11:23.928 --> 00:11:25.263
- "only professions of faith
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- That result in expressions of obedience
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- Guarantee we are in possession of eternal life."
- 00:11:32.604 --> 00:11:36.841
- In other words,
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- Profession plus expression
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- Equals possession.
- 00:11:41.613 --> 00:11:43.915
- That's how to know if you're really saved,
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- And when you obey god
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- And make that a practice in your life,
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- It gives your heart assurance
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- That you are truly a child of god.
- 00:11:51.389 --> 00:11:54.425
- How does obeying god protect us from satan?
- 00:11:54.425 --> 00:11:57.128
- First of all, it protects us from the consequences of sin.
- 00:11:57.128 --> 00:12:00.265
- Secondly, obedience protects us
- 00:12:00.265 --> 00:12:02.467
- From doubts about our salvation.
- 00:12:02.467 --> 00:12:04.302
- Now, here's one you probably haven't thought about.
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- Obedience, thirdly, protects us
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- From the loss of heavenly rewards.
- 00:12:09.207 --> 00:12:12.811
- Choosing obedience protects us
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- From the loss of heavenly rewards.
- 00:12:14.746 --> 00:12:16.848
- You know, most people, even christians,
- 00:12:16.848 --> 00:12:19.417
- Have a great misconception about heaven.
- 00:12:19.417 --> 00:12:22.120
- They think heaven is going to be like
- 00:12:22.120 --> 00:12:24.389
- A sanctified socialist society
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- Where everybody's the same.
- 00:12:27.625 --> 00:12:29.661
- Everybody has their little plot of land,
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- Their one-acre and their little mansion.
- 00:12:31.729 --> 00:12:34.232
- Everybody has the same street of gold that they walk on.
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- It's the same for everybody,
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- It's the great leveler of humanity, heaven.
- 00:12:39.304 --> 00:12:42.140
- Nothing could be further from the truth.
- 00:12:42.140 --> 00:12:45.443
- Although we will enter heaven by the work of jesus christ,
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- We will fully enjoy heaven as determined by our works
- 00:12:51.950 --> 00:12:54.953
- While here on earth.
- 00:12:54.953 --> 00:12:56.321
- You say, where is that in scripture?
- 00:12:56.321 --> 00:12:57.922
- Listen to 2 corinthians 5:10,
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- We've talked about this often before.
- 00:13:00.491 --> 00:13:02.527
- Paul wrote, "for we must all appear
- 00:13:02.527 --> 00:13:04.796
- Before the judgment seat of christ,
- 00:13:04.796 --> 00:13:07.131
- The judgment seat, the bema,
- 00:13:07.131 --> 00:13:09.267
- "so that each one of us may be recompensed, rewarded,
- 00:13:09.267 --> 00:13:13.438
- For his, what, faith?
- 00:13:13.438 --> 00:13:14.906
- No, for his deeds in the body,
- 00:13:14.906 --> 00:13:18.176
- According to what he has believed?
- 00:13:18.176 --> 00:13:20.144
- No, what he has done,
- 00:13:20.144 --> 00:13:22.547
- Whether it be good or bad."
- 00:13:22.547 --> 00:13:26.017
- When disneyland, the original disneyland
- 00:13:26.017 --> 00:13:28.386
- Was first opened in anaheim, california
- 00:13:28.386 --> 00:13:31.189
- The year i was born, 1955.
- 00:13:31.189 --> 00:13:34.792
- Do the math, go ahead, finish it up.
- 00:13:34.792 --> 00:13:37.495
- -(audience laughs) -okay, you got it, all right.
- 00:13:37.495 --> 00:13:40.131
- When it was opened up,
- 00:13:40.131 --> 00:13:41.666
- It wasn't like it is today where you can go into the park
- 00:13:41.666 --> 00:13:44.269
- And you can pay one price
- 00:13:44.269 --> 00:13:46.070
- And you can ride the rides as many times as you want to
- 00:13:46.070 --> 00:13:48.740
- As long as you don't mind standing in line for five hours,
- 00:13:48.740 --> 00:13:51.542
- All right, you're free to do that as often as you can.
- 00:13:51.542 --> 00:13:55.113
- But you all did it for one price,
- 00:13:55.113 --> 00:13:57.282
- But it wasn't that way originally.
- 00:13:57.282 --> 00:13:58.850
- At the original disneyland, you bought an admission ticket.
- 00:13:58.850 --> 00:14:02.420
- Guess how much the admission ticket was in 1955?
- 00:14:02.420 --> 00:14:06.157
- $1.
- 00:14:06.357 --> 00:14:07.926
- $1 allowed you entrance
- 00:14:08.426 --> 00:14:10.561
- Into what they called the happiest place on earth.
- 00:14:10.561 --> 00:14:14.165
- That was the advertisement,
- 00:14:14.165 --> 00:14:15.533
- "come to disneyland, the happiest place on earth."
- 00:14:15.533 --> 00:14:17.302
- You got in for a dollar, but that was just the beginning.
- 00:14:17.302 --> 00:14:20.438
- If you wanted to ride the rides,
- 00:14:20.438 --> 00:14:22.273
- You had to buy a book of tickets,
- 00:14:22.273 --> 00:14:24.542
- And all the tickets weren't the same.
- 00:14:24.542 --> 00:14:27.145
- There were your a tickets,
- 00:14:27.145 --> 00:14:28.680
- Those were the really crummy rides.
- 00:14:28.680 --> 00:14:31.749
- Getting a little cart pulled by a donkey
- 00:14:32.617 --> 00:14:34.686
- Going around the park,
- 00:14:34.686 --> 00:14:36.020
- That was an a ticket.
- 00:14:36.020 --> 00:14:37.722
- B tickets were a little bit better,
- 00:14:37.722 --> 00:14:39.958
- The c tickets were better than that,
- 00:14:39.958 --> 00:14:41.559
- But the ultimate was the e ticket.
- 00:14:41.559 --> 00:14:44.595
- That was the highest category of tickets.
- 00:14:44.595 --> 00:14:46.397
- Those were the really cool rides like the matterhorn
- 00:14:46.397 --> 00:14:49.334
- Or pirates of the caribbean.
- 00:14:49.334 --> 00:14:51.836
- Now, everybody got into disneyland
- 00:14:51.836 --> 00:14:55.106
- By paying the basic price, $1,
- 00:14:55.106 --> 00:14:58.142
- But you had to pay to enjoy a little more happiness.
- 00:14:58.142 --> 00:15:01.713
- You had to pay to ride the rides.
- 00:15:01.713 --> 00:15:03.381
- Now, nobody was complaining that they got in there,
- 00:15:03.381 --> 00:15:05.883
- But they saw, and probably wished,
- 00:15:05.883 --> 00:15:07.719
- They'd saved up a little more money
- 00:15:07.719 --> 00:15:09.620
- So they could buy a little more happiness.
- 00:15:09.620 --> 00:15:12.123
- Now, i know it's a crude example,
- 00:15:12.123 --> 00:15:13.758
- But it really is accurate about heaven.
- 00:15:13.758 --> 00:15:16.227
- Nobody who goes to heaven is going to be upset
- 00:15:16.227 --> 00:15:18.963
- That they're in heaven.
- 00:15:18.963 --> 00:15:20.398
- It's going to be inexplicable joy
- 00:15:20.398 --> 00:15:23.101
- That we escaped the judgment fires of god.
- 00:15:23.101 --> 00:15:26.204
- We're going to be filled with joy
- 00:15:26.204 --> 00:15:27.605
- As we see our loved ones again who are believers.
- 00:15:27.605 --> 00:15:30.608
- But there's also going to be a degree of regret,
- 00:15:30.608 --> 00:15:35.079
- A sense of loss for some christians
- 00:15:35.079 --> 00:15:37.715
- As they realize what could have been theirs
- 00:15:37.715 --> 00:15:39.817
- Had they not been more faithful to the lord jesus christ.
- 00:15:39.817 --> 00:15:43.721
- Well, prove that, pastor.
- 00:15:43.721 --> 00:15:45.390
- All right, i'll take up my challenge.
- 00:15:45.390 --> 00:15:48.126
- 1 corinthians 3:14-15.
- 00:15:48.126 --> 00:15:51.429
- Paul is again talking about that judgment seat of christ.
- 00:15:51.429 --> 00:15:54.665
- He compares the judgment as to a fire
- 00:15:54.665 --> 00:15:56.968
- That tests every man's work.
- 00:15:56.968 --> 00:15:58.870
- He says in verse 14,
- 00:15:58.870 --> 00:16:00.371
- "if any man's work which he has built upon it remains,
- 00:16:00.371 --> 00:16:03.741
- He will receive a reward.
- 00:16:03.741 --> 00:16:06.210
- But if any man's work, that is his life, is burned up,
- 00:16:06.210 --> 00:16:10.648
- His life is seen not to be
- 00:16:10.648 --> 00:16:12.917
- Gold, silver, and precious stones,
- 00:16:12.917 --> 00:16:14.886
- But wood, hay, and stubble,
- 00:16:14.886 --> 00:16:16.387
- Not evil things, but just worthless things,
- 00:16:16.387 --> 00:16:19.257
- What will happen to that christian?
- 00:16:19.257 --> 00:16:21.092
- He will suffer loss,
- 00:16:21.092 --> 00:16:25.129
- Even though himself he will be saved, though as by fire."
- 00:16:25.129 --> 00:16:29.867
- Underline those two words, suffer loss.
- 00:16:29.867 --> 00:16:33.271
- Yes, there are christians who will experience loss in heaven
- 00:16:33.271 --> 00:16:37.108
- As they realize what could have been theirs
- 00:16:37.108 --> 00:16:39.377
- If they had not allowed satan to rob them
- 00:16:39.377 --> 00:16:41.846
- Of their eternal reward.
- 00:16:41.846 --> 00:16:44.015
- If satan can't rob you, listen to this,
- 00:16:44.849 --> 00:16:47.285
- Of your presence in heaven,
- 00:16:47.285 --> 00:16:49.587
- He wants to rob you of your rewards in heaven
- 00:16:49.587 --> 00:16:53.024
- Through disobedience.
- 00:16:53.024 --> 00:16:54.826
- Now, we've got to be careful here.
- 00:16:54.826 --> 00:16:56.928
- To overdo the regret, the sorrow of heaven for christians
- 00:16:56.928 --> 00:17:01.365
- Is to turn heaven into hell,
- 00:17:01.365 --> 00:17:02.934
- And we don't want to do that.
- 00:17:02.934 --> 00:17:04.702
- But to ignore the very real sense of loss
- 00:17:04.702 --> 00:17:07.472
- That's going to be there
- 00:17:07.472 --> 00:17:09.040
- Is to make obedience to god inconsequential in this life.
- 00:17:09.040 --> 00:17:12.777
- Our obedience to god not only matters in this life,
- 00:17:12.777 --> 00:17:15.847
- It matters in the next life as well.
- 00:17:15.847 --> 00:17:18.783
- How does obedience protect us from satan's attacks?
- 00:17:18.783 --> 00:17:22.653
- It protects us from the consequences of sin,
- 00:17:22.653 --> 00:17:24.789
- Doubt about our salvation,
- 00:17:24.789 --> 00:17:26.090
- The loss of our eternal rewards,
- 00:17:26.090 --> 00:17:28.025
- But fourthly, obedience protects us
- 00:17:28.025 --> 00:17:30.528
- From satan's further entrance into our lives.
- 00:17:30.528 --> 00:17:34.999
- Obeying god, stopping the barbarian at the gate,
- 00:17:34.999 --> 00:17:38.503
- As i said in the sermon title,
- 00:17:38.503 --> 00:17:40.638
- Stopping him now prevents him from gaining further entrance
- 00:17:40.638 --> 00:17:44.609
- Into our life.
- 00:17:44.609 --> 00:17:46.110
- C.s. lewis said it so well.
- 00:17:46.110 --> 00:17:47.745
- He said, "the road to hell is a gradual one.
- 00:17:47.745 --> 00:17:52.250
- The gentle slope, the soft underfoot,
- 00:17:52.250 --> 00:17:55.219
- Without sudden turnings,
- 00:17:55.219 --> 00:17:56.721
- Without milestones, without signposts."
- 00:17:56.721 --> 00:18:00.992
- Satan is a very crafty being.
- 00:18:00.992 --> 00:18:03.661
- He doesn't enter our heart in one attack, gain victory,
- 00:18:03.661 --> 00:18:07.565
- Plant a flag in our heart and declare he's won.
- 00:18:07.565 --> 00:18:10.801
- It doesn't work that way.
- 00:18:10.801 --> 00:18:12.236
- He looks just for a little opening in your life,
- 00:18:12.236 --> 00:18:15.806
- A little compromise that can be a toehold
- 00:18:15.806 --> 00:18:20.178
- That turns into a foothold
- 00:18:20.178 --> 00:18:22.079
- And eventually a stronghold in your life.
- 00:18:22.079 --> 00:18:25.116
- One compromise.
- 00:18:25.116 --> 00:18:27.218
- Maybe it's allowing a conversation
- 00:18:27.218 --> 00:18:28.953
- With somebody of the opposite sex
- 00:18:28.953 --> 00:18:31.122
- To veer in a direction it shouldn't go.
- 00:18:31.122 --> 00:18:33.891
- Maybe it's borrowing something from your place of work
- 00:18:33.891 --> 00:18:36.661
- With the intention of returning it
- 00:18:36.661 --> 00:18:38.129
- But never getting around to doing so.
- 00:18:38.129 --> 00:18:40.398
- Maybe it's going to visit an internet site
- 00:18:41.299 --> 00:18:43.401
- You've heard about
- 00:18:43.401 --> 00:18:44.936
- And you just want to see what everybody's talking about
- 00:18:44.936 --> 00:18:47.004
- But it's a place you shouldn't be.
- 00:18:47.004 --> 00:18:49.106
- Maybe it's choosing to give up your bible reading one night
- 00:18:50.274 --> 00:18:53.611
- For an extra episode of your favorite sitcom.
- 00:18:53.611 --> 00:18:57.014
- Nothing wrong with that, but here's the point.
- 00:18:57.014 --> 00:19:00.518
- Compromising can be a habit,
- 00:19:00.518 --> 00:19:03.187
- And compromising once
- 00:19:03.187 --> 00:19:05.022
- Makes it easier to compromise the second time,
- 00:19:05.022 --> 00:19:07.425
- The third time, the fourth time.
- 00:19:07.425 --> 00:19:09.760
- Samuel john said,
- 00:19:10.194 --> 00:19:12.029
- "the chains of habit
- 00:19:12.029 --> 00:19:14.532
- Are too small to be felt
- 00:19:14.532 --> 00:19:17.235
- Until they're too strong to be broken."
- 00:19:17.235 --> 00:19:21.172
- Solomon said it this way in proverbs 5:22.
- 00:19:21.172 --> 00:19:24.342
- "his own iniquities will capture the wicked
- 00:19:24.342 --> 00:19:27.645
- And he will be held with the cords of his sin."
- 00:19:27.645 --> 00:19:32.350
- What is solomon saying?
- 00:19:32.350 --> 00:19:33.918
- Well, i've got a very high-tech sermon illustration for you.
- 00:19:33.918 --> 00:19:37.989
- A piece of string.
- 00:19:38.422 --> 00:19:39.757
- We don't spare any bucks here at first baptist dallas
- 00:19:40.791 --> 00:19:43.294
- Where you go for the high tech.
- 00:19:43.294 --> 00:19:45.596
- But notice i can wrap this string around my hand once.
- 00:19:45.596 --> 00:19:49.567
- Is it binding my hand, is it restricting my freedom?
- 00:19:49.567 --> 00:19:52.336
- Not at all.
- 00:19:52.336 --> 00:19:53.838
- It's gone.
- 00:19:53.838 --> 00:19:55.206
- But you know, if i wind the string once, twice,
- 00:19:56.140 --> 00:20:00.311
- Three times, four times, five times,
- 00:20:00.311 --> 00:20:04.048
- This flimsy piece of string
- 00:20:04.048 --> 00:20:06.384
- Keeps my powerful hand from moving at all, it's constricted.
- 00:20:06.384 --> 00:20:10.721
- It's the same way with compromise.
- 00:20:10.721 --> 00:20:12.757
- One compromise, no big deal.
- 00:20:12.757 --> 00:20:15.459
- But that second one and that third one and that fourth one
- 00:20:15.459 --> 00:20:19.697
- Will end up binding you and destroying your life.
- 00:20:19.697 --> 00:20:22.933
- That's the power of a habit.
- 00:20:22.933 --> 00:20:25.603
- One haitian pastor illustrated that truth this way,
- 00:20:26.637 --> 00:20:30.308
- By telling this parable.
- 00:20:30.308 --> 00:20:32.076
- Now, listen to this very careful.
- 00:20:32.076 --> 00:20:34.278
- A certain man wanted to sell his home for $20,000.
- 00:20:35.279 --> 00:20:39.617
- Another man wanted to purchase the home
- 00:20:39.617 --> 00:20:41.619
- But lacked the necessary financial resources.
- 00:20:41.619 --> 00:20:44.655
- After a great deal of haggling,
- 00:20:44.655 --> 00:20:46.757
- The owner agreed to sell the home for half the asking price
- 00:20:46.757 --> 00:20:50.661
- With one condition.
- 00:20:50.661 --> 00:20:52.496
- The owner could retain ownership of one small nail
- 00:20:52.496 --> 00:20:57.802
- Protruding behind the front door.
- 00:20:58.536 --> 00:21:00.738
- After several years passed,
- 00:21:00.738 --> 00:21:02.306
- The original owner decided he wanted his house back,
- 00:21:02.306 --> 00:21:05.242
- But the new buyer was unwilling to sell it back.
- 00:21:05.242 --> 00:21:08.279
- So the first owner went out
- 00:21:08.279 --> 00:21:10.014
- And found a decaying carcass of a dead dog
- 00:21:10.014 --> 00:21:14.018
- And hung it from the single nail on the front door,
- 00:21:14.018 --> 00:21:17.588
- Which he still owned.
- 00:21:17.588 --> 00:21:19.490
- The stench was so horrible
- 00:21:19.490 --> 00:21:21.859
- That the house soon became uninhabitable.
- 00:21:21.859 --> 00:21:25.262
- The new owner was forced
- 00:21:25.262 --> 00:21:26.931
- To sell the home to the original owner
- 00:21:26.931 --> 00:21:29.300
- At a ridiculously low price,
- 00:21:29.300 --> 00:21:31.836
- All because of a single nail.
- 00:21:31.836 --> 00:21:35.172
- The pastor concluded the parable with this application.
- 00:21:36.240 --> 00:21:40.144
- If we leave the devil even one small peg in our life,
- 00:21:40.144 --> 00:21:45.516
- He will return to hang his rotten garbage on it,
- 00:21:46.484 --> 00:21:48.919
- Making it unfit for christ's habitation.
- 00:21:48.919 --> 00:21:53.958
- Let me ask you this morning.
- 00:21:53.958 --> 00:21:55.893
- Have you surrendered your life to jesus christ,
- 00:21:55.893 --> 00:21:58.262
- Every area of your life except one small area?
- 00:21:58.262 --> 00:22:02.633
- Is there one ***** in that spiritual armor,
- 00:22:02.633 --> 00:22:05.369
- That breastplate of righteousness,
- 00:22:05.369 --> 00:22:08.005
- One opening that the enemy can enter
- 00:22:08.005 --> 00:22:11.275
- And gain an advantage over you?
- 00:22:11.275 --> 00:22:14.211
- That's the price of disobedience.
- 00:22:14.879 --> 00:22:18.182
- Obeying god is your protection
- 00:22:18.182 --> 00:22:21.185
- Against satan's further entrance into your life.
- 00:22:21.185 --> 00:22:24.822
- Well, how do you make practiced righteousness,
- 00:22:24.822 --> 00:22:27.558
- Obedience to god,
- 00:22:27.558 --> 00:22:29.627
- A habit in your life?
- 00:22:29.627 --> 00:22:31.328
- How do you make it the rule
- 00:22:31.328 --> 00:22:32.763
- Rather than the exception for your life?
- 00:22:32.763 --> 00:22:35.633
- That's what we're going to talk about next time
- 00:22:35.633 --> 00:22:37.535
- As we talk about the power of obeying god.
- 00:22:37.535 --> 00:22:41.405
- ♪ music ♪
- 00:22:41.405 --> 00:22:45.609
- When you make practicing righteousness a habit,
- 00:22:46.544 --> 00:22:49.647
- You build a powerful defense against the enemy's schemes.
- 00:22:49.647 --> 00:22:54.251
- Well, at "pathway to victory" we're committed
- 00:22:54.251 --> 00:22:56.086
- To equipping you with biblical truth
- 00:22:56.086 --> 00:22:58.022
- That makes a real difference in your everyday life.
- 00:22:58.022 --> 00:23:01.459
- Messages like the one you heard today
- 00:23:01.459 --> 00:23:03.260
- Are designed to help you grow stronger in your faith
- 00:23:03.260 --> 00:23:06.197
- And live victoriously for christ,
- 00:23:06.197 --> 00:23:08.599
- And i'm so grateful that our faithful partners
- 00:23:08.599 --> 00:23:11.101
- Who make this ministry possible
- 00:23:11.101 --> 00:23:13.270
- Remain faithful to this mission.
- 00:23:13.270 --> 00:23:15.739
- Because of your generous support,
- 00:23:15.739 --> 00:23:17.508
- We're able to reach millions of people every week
- 00:23:17.508 --> 00:23:20.544
- Through television, radio, and digital streaming,
- 00:23:20.544 --> 00:23:23.447
- Sharing the hope and freedom found in god's word.
- 00:23:23.447 --> 00:23:26.750
- To our pathway partners and to everyone who gives,
- 00:23:26.750 --> 00:23:30.054
- Thank you for standing with us in this mission.
- 00:23:30.054 --> 00:23:32.990
- Together we are piercing the darkness
- 00:23:32.990 --> 00:23:35.960
- With the light of god's word.
- 00:23:35.960 --> 00:23:38.095
- Now, please stay right there,
- 00:23:38.095 --> 00:23:39.396
- I'll be back with more "pathway to victory"
- 00:23:39.396 --> 00:23:42.066
- In just a moment.
- 00:23:42.066 --> 00:23:43.300
- That recurring temptation you can't shake,
- 00:23:44.201 --> 00:23:46.704
- The doubts that creep in during your darkest moments,
- 00:23:46.704 --> 00:23:49.640
- The tension in your closest relationships.
- 00:23:49.640 --> 00:23:52.142
- These aren't random struggles,
- 00:23:52.142 --> 00:23:53.911
- These are part of a strategic attack on your faith,
- 00:23:53.911 --> 00:23:56.614
- Your family and your future.
- 00:23:56.614 --> 00:23:58.349
- Satan has a personalized plan
- 00:23:58.349 --> 00:24:01.085
- To discourage, deceive, and derail you.
- 00:24:01.085 --> 00:24:04.221
- But you don't have to live in defeat.
- 00:24:04.221 --> 00:24:06.557
- God has given you access
- 00:24:06.557 --> 00:24:08.092
- To the same power that raised jesus from the dead.
- 00:24:08.092 --> 00:24:11.262
- In my bestselling book, "the divine defense,"
- 00:24:11.262 --> 00:24:14.031
- I'll show you how to put on the full armor of god
- 00:24:14.031 --> 00:24:17.167
- And use six biblical strategies
- 00:24:17.167 --> 00:24:19.670
- To defeat satan's plan to destroy your life.
- 00:24:19.670 --> 00:24:23.240
- Request "the divine defense"
- 00:24:23.240 --> 00:24:24.808
- When you give a generous gift to "pathway to victory"
- 00:24:24.808 --> 00:24:27.511
- Or when you become a pathway partner.
- 00:24:27.511 --> 00:24:29.613
- And when your gift is $100 or more,
- 00:24:29.613 --> 00:24:32.316
- We'll send you the complete resource set,
- 00:24:32.316 --> 00:24:34.418
- Including the study guide,
- 00:24:34.418 --> 00:24:35.719
- "suit up: the armor of god for kids"
- 00:24:35.719 --> 00:24:38.155
- And the teaching series on both cd and dvd.
- 00:24:38.155 --> 00:24:41.392
- Your mind is the devil's battlefield
- 00:24:41.392 --> 00:24:45.296
- On which he is warring against everything important to you.
- 00:24:45.296 --> 00:24:50.668
- It is a battle that seeks to destroy your faith,
- 00:24:51.635 --> 00:24:54.838
- Your family and your future.
- 00:24:54.838 --> 00:24:57.141
- Thank you for supporting "pathway to victory."
- 00:24:57.141 --> 00:24:59.643
- Your generous ministry gift
- 00:24:59.643 --> 00:25:01.145
- Helps us broadcast biblical truth
- 00:25:01.145 --> 00:25:03.113
- On television, radio, and online,
- 00:25:03.113 --> 00:25:05.616
- Equipping believers like you to stand firm
- 00:25:05.616 --> 00:25:08.218
- And live victoriously.
- 00:25:08.218 --> 00:25:10.020
- Together we are piercing the darkness
- 00:25:10.020 --> 00:25:12.222
- With the light of god's word.
- 00:25:12.222 --> 00:25:15.559
- During today's message,
- 00:25:16.060 --> 00:25:17.461
- Perhaps god brought to mind an area of your life
- 00:25:17.461 --> 00:25:20.698
- Where you've allowed satan to gain a foothold.
- 00:25:20.698 --> 00:25:23.400
- Maybe it's a compromise you've been making,
- 00:25:23.400 --> 00:25:25.970
- Or a sin you keep returning to.
- 00:25:25.970 --> 00:25:28.505
- Friends, it's time to slam the door shut.
- 00:25:28.505 --> 00:25:32.076
- But how do you actually develop the habit of obedience
- 00:25:32.076 --> 00:25:35.045
- In your life?
- 00:25:35.045 --> 00:25:36.413
- Next time, i'm going to share four practical keys
- 00:25:36.413 --> 00:25:39.383
- For putting on the breastplate of righteousness
- 00:25:39.383 --> 00:25:42.086
- And making obedience the rule rather than the exception
- 00:25:42.086 --> 00:25:46.090
- In your daily walk with christ.
- 00:25:46.090 --> 00:25:48.225
- Stay tuned for a preview of what's coming up next
- 00:25:48.225 --> 00:25:50.394
- In our series "the divine defense."
- 00:25:50.394 --> 00:25:53.697
- How do you say no to the enemy
- 00:25:54.331 --> 00:25:56.567
- When he knocks on the door of your heart
- 00:25:56.567 --> 00:25:58.435
- Not just sometimes, but every time?
- 00:25:58.435 --> 00:26:02.673
- And how do you say yes to god not just some of the time,
- 00:26:02.673 --> 00:26:07.878
- But all of the time?
- 00:26:08.345 --> 00:26:09.346
- That is the essence of obedience.
- 00:26:10.114 --> 00:26:14.284
- Or as paul calls it,
- 00:26:14.284 --> 00:26:15.853
- Putting on the breastplate of righteousness.
- 00:26:15.853 --> 00:26:20.124
- Set your dvr and join us next time for the message
- 00:26:20.124 --> 00:26:23.293
- "developing the habit of obedience"
- 00:26:23.293 --> 00:26:26.030
- Here on "pathway to victory."
- 00:26:26.030 --> 00:26:28.799
- Join us on the "pathway to victory" cruise to alaska,
- 00:26:29.867 --> 00:26:33.137
- June 13th through 20, 2026.
- 00:26:33.137 --> 00:26:35.973
- Let me paint a picture for you.
- 00:26:35.973 --> 00:26:37.908
- You're standing on the deck of a beautiful cruise ship,
- 00:26:37.908 --> 00:26:41.145
- Coffee in hand,
- 00:26:41.145 --> 00:26:42.479
- Watching a glacier cab into the pristine waters
- 00:26:42.479 --> 00:26:45.983
- While bald eagles circle overhead.
- 00:26:45.983 --> 00:26:48.919
- That's going to be us this coming june.
- 00:26:48.919 --> 00:26:51.622
- You've got to see alaska with your own eyes to believe it.
- 00:26:51.622 --> 00:26:55.192
- Seven days of pure luxury
- 00:26:55.192 --> 00:26:57.161
- Where every meal is prepared for you.
- 00:26:57.161 --> 00:26:59.396
- The world-class service means
- 00:26:59.396 --> 00:27:00.898
- You never have to think about the details.
- 00:27:00.898 --> 00:27:03.267
- Instead, you can focus on casual conversations
- 00:27:03.267 --> 00:27:06.470
- With like-minded christians,
- 00:27:06.470 --> 00:27:08.372
- Laughing, telling stories,
- 00:27:08.372 --> 00:27:10.040
- While surrounded by god's breathtaking creation.
- 00:27:10.040 --> 00:27:13.177
- This is purposeful travel at its finest,
- 00:27:13.177 --> 00:27:16.447
- Refreshing your soul in god's stunning cathedral
- 00:27:16.447 --> 00:27:20.117
- Of natural wonders.
- 00:27:20.117 --> 00:27:22.086
- Call 888-280-6747
- 00:27:22.086 --> 00:27:25.556
- Or visit ptv.org.
- 00:27:25.556 --> 00:27:25.556
