Pathway to Victory provides practical application of God’s Word to everyday life through clear, Biblical teaching.
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Dr. Robert Jeffress | Robert Jeffress - To Succeed More, Fail More (Part 2) | July 8, 2026
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- ♪♪♪
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- Male announcer: from the pulpit of the first baptist
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- Church 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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- Walk into any library or bookstore and you'll find
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- Countless books on how to be more successful in your
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- Marriage, your finances and every imaginable area of life.
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- But worldly advice always falls short of
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- The bible's timeless wisdom.
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- Today i'm going to share with you the first of solomon's
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- Secrets for success.
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- It has to do with the quality that many people lack.
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- It's called persistence.
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- My message is titled "to succeed more, fail more," in our series,
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- "the solomon secrets" on "pathway to victory."
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- ♪♪♪
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- ♪ the fear of the lord is the beginning ♪
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- ♪ of wisdom, life, hope, meaning, and joy ♪
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- ♪ the fear of the lord 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 is the beginning ♪
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- ♪ of wisdom, life, hope, blessing, and joy ♪
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- ♪ the fear of the lord 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 eternal praise ♪
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- ♪ glorious and righteous are his works ♪
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- ♪ his ways ♪
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- ♪ to him belongs all reverent praise ♪
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- ♪ faithful and just are his works ♪
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- ♪ 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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- ♪♪♪
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- ♪ let us fear our god ♪
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- ♪ our god our god ♪
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- ♪ our god our god ♪♪
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- Announcer: god wants you to experience his best in every
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- Area of life, and the wisdom to get there is found in his word.
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- In "the solomon's secrets," dr. robert jeffress draws on the
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- Life of the wisest and most successful man who ever lived to
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- Bring you ten life-changing principles from proverbs.
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- You'll discover practical biblical wisdom for your
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- Marriage, finances, your career, your purpose, and so much more.
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- Request "the solomon secrets" when you give a generous
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- Ministry gift to "pathway to victory."
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- ♪♪♪
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- Jeffress: if you're gonna be successful in life, learn to let
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- Go of the past.
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- Number three, persistent people learn the importance
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- Of beginning.
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- They learned the importance of beginning.
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- You probably remember from your physics class,
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- The law of inertia.
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- Remember the law of inertia?
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- Inertia basically says, a body at rest will remain at rest,
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- A body in motion tends to remain in motion.
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- Simply put, it takes a lot more energy to start an object
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- Moving, than it does to keep that object moving.
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- Whether that object is a car parked at a red light, or a
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- Rocket ship parked on a launch pad, or me parked in my recliner
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- After supper, it takes longer to get an object moving, takes more
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- Energy to get that object moving than it does to
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- Keep the object moving.
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- The key is, beginning.
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- Summoning the energy to begin a project.
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- Persistent people, understand the importance of beginning.
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- Now that's opposed to the lazy individual who can think of any
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- And every reason, not to begin a project.
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- Listen to proverbs 26 verses 13 and 14.
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- This is really funny.
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- When solomon writes this, verse 13, he said, "the sluggard," the
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- Lazy person, "says, 'there is a lion in the road!
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- A lion is in the open square!
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- As the door turns on its hinges, so the sluggard on his bed.'"
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- The lazy person can't get out of bed and he invents all kind of
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- Excuses of why he can't begin today that project.
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- The lazy person says, "oh, there's a lion out there,
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- He'll eat me up if i get out and go to work."
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- Now what you have to understand is, when solomon wrote these
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- Words, the chances of a lion walking down the populated city
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- Of jerusalem, was about as great as a zebra walking down the
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- Street in your neighborhood.
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- It just didn't happen then.
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- But you see, the sluggard was an expert at inventing excuses.
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- Well, let's face it, we all have a little bit of the sluggard
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- In us.
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- We can all think of a reason not to begin that exercise program.
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- "well, i don't have the right shoes and the equipment."
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- We think of a reason not to get up and have our time with the
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- Lord praying and reading his word.
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- "well, god wants me to get my rest today."
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- We can have a reason for, you know, not going to the doctor.
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- "dr. madeley, oh well, you know,
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- He may discover something bad, so i don't wanna go."
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- That's kind of stupid when you think about it, isn't it?
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- But we always come up with reasons not to do what
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- We're supposed to do.
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- The great way to overcome inertia that we all have, is to
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- Begin doing something, that this is worth the price of the sermon
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- Today so i want you to listen carefully.
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- If you know what it is, is gonna make you successful in life,
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- Just start doing something, just start beginning.
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- That can get you the energy you need to continue.
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- I came across this advertisement in a medical journal years ago,
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- That talks about the importance of beginning.
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- Listen to this.
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- "we have good news for you.
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- Motivation is not going to strike you like lightning, and
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- Motivation is not something that someone else, a nurse, doctor,
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- Family member can bestow or force on you, the whole idea of
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- Motivation is a trap.
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- Forget motivation, just do it.
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- Exercise, lose weight, test your blood sugar or whatever.
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- Do it without motivation and then guess what?
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- After you start doing the thing, that's when the motivation comes
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- And makes it easy for you to keep on doing it.
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- Motivation is like love and happiness.
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- It's a byproduct.
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- When you're actively engaged in doing something, motivation
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- Sneaks up and zaps you when you least expect it.
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- As harvard psychologist jerome bruner says, 'you're more likely
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- To act yourself into a feeling than feel yourself
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- Into an action.'
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- So act, whatever it is you know you should do, do it."
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- Now, here's that nugget of wisdom in that paragraph, "it is
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- Easier to act yourself into a feeling than feel yourself into
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- An action."
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- Some of you are waiting until the feeling hits you to do what
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- You know god wants you to do.
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- In your work, in your marriage, in your relationship with god.
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- "i just don't feel like it.
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- If i did this that would be dishonest
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- 'cause i don't feel like it."
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- No, "it's much easier to act yourself into a feeling than to
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- Feel yourself into an action."
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- There's somebody once said, "you don't have to be great to start,
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- But you have to start to be great."
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- The successful person, the persistent person, understands
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- The importance of beginning.
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- Number four, if you wanna develop this quality
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- Of persistence, anticipate setbacks.
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- Persistent people expect and accept setbacks rather than
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- Being paralyzed by them.
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- They understand that setbacks are part of the tuition for
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- Moving forward in life.
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- In fact, some of our country's most successful people have had
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- Devastating setbacks.
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- Let me give you a couple of examples, i love these.
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- In 1889, the san francisco examiner newspaper, sent rudyard
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- Kipling the following rejection note, "i'm sorry mr. kipling,
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- But you just don't know how to use the english language."
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- Did you know that 15 publishers and 30 agents turned down
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- John grisham's first novel, 'a time to kill.'
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- Today, his novels have sold over 100 million copies.
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- George lucas's movie, 'star wars' was rejected by every
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- Major studio in hollywood, until 20th century fox decided to take
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- A chance on it, and of course, it's one of the most blockbuster
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- Franchises of all time.
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- Thomas edison discovered 1,880 ways not to make a light bulb.
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- Babe ruth struck out 1,330 times and yet he's considered one of
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- Baseball's greatest players.
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- Thomas j. watson, the founder of the ibm corporation said,
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- "the way to succeed is to double your failure rate."
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- What he's saying is, the more times you try something, yes,
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- The more you're gonna fail, but the more you're going
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- To succeed as well.
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- The way to succeed is to double your failure rate.
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- Did you know thomas watson was simply echoing what solomon had
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- Said thousands of years before?
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- Listen to ecclesiastes 11:1, these are solomon's words.
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- He said, "cast your bread on the surface of the waters for you
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- Will find it after many days."
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- The way to understand this verse is to understand
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- The hebrew word cast.
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- That word in hebrew used to refer to the sending out of
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- Ships to a foreign country to bring back treasure.
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- A king would cast, he would send empty vessels all around the
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- World, to bring back treasure.
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- Now, some of the vessels returned empty, they were
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- Unsuccessful, but some came back with unexpected riches.
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- But here was the key.
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- The more ships you sent out, yes, the more empty ones came
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- Back, but the more full ones that came back as well.
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- Did you know that's where we get our phrase, 'waiting for your
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- Ship to come in.' it's for that principle waiting for that ship
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- To come in, that brings you success in life.
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- Motivational speaker, charlie tremendous jones said, "a lot of
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- People are waiting for their ship to come in, but they've
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- Never sent one out," or they've only sent one or two out.
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- No, solomon says, "cast as many ships as you can out into the
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- Waters and they will return to you."
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- Let me apply that to our lives today.
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- Here's how that applies to us.
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- The more resumes you send out, the more interviews for a job
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- You're gonna get.
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- The more sales calls you're gonna make, yeah, the more
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- Rejections you'll have, but the more transactions
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- You'll land as well.
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- The more pounds you attempt to lose, the more pounds you'll
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- Actually lose.
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- The more people you share your faith with, the more people
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- You'll come to see know christ as savior.
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- That's what he's talking about here.
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- The way to succeed is to double your failure rate.
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- Number five, if you're gonna be a persistent person, and this is
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- So key, expect to work hard, expect to work hard.
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- Now you have to hand it to solomon he had
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- A great sense of humor.
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- Listen to proverbs 19 verse 24.
- 00:13:50.753 --> 00:13:53.022
- "the sluggard buries his hand in the dish, and will not even
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- Bring it back to his mouth."
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- Let me illustrate that for you.
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- How many of you here today watching on television, know of
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- One thing you could start doing that would make you more
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- Successful in your business or at your job?
- 00:14:11.206 --> 00:14:14.543
- How many of you would say, there's one thing i know if i
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- Start doing this, i'd be more successful and busy?
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- Raise your hand, don't lie in church okay, raise your hand,
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- Okay, how many?
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- All right.
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- How many of you would say, when you think about your marriage,
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- You know there is one thing i could do right now in my
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- Marriage that would give me a better relationship with my
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- Husband or wife.
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- If i would start doing one thing, how many of us
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- Can think of something?
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- I can. okay, all right.
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- How many of you would say, "you know, there's one thing i could
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- Do that would improve my health, give me a better quality and
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- Perhaps quantity of life if i started doing this one thing,
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- I'd be healthier?"
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- How many of you can think of something?
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- Okay, one more, how many of you could think of one thing if you
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- Started doing this, it would improve your relationship with
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- God, something you could do to improve the most important
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- Relationship of all your relationship with god?
- 00:15:08.530 --> 00:15:12.634
- Now here's my question for you, why aren't you doing it?
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- Why aren't i doing it?
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- I mean, if we all can think of things that would make us more
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- Successful in our business, give us more money, better health, a
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- Better relationship with our mate, a better relationship with
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- God, why aren't we doing it if we know what to do?
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- You know what the answer is for most of us?
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- "oh, that would require too much effort.
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- That would just cause us to work too hard."
- 00:15:42.331 --> 00:15:44.900
- Well, if that's your excuse, i've got some great news for you
- 00:15:44.900 --> 00:15:47.469
- Today, you're not going to die from hard
- 00:15:47.469 --> 00:15:50.939
- Work did you know that?
- 00:15:50.939 --> 00:15:53.609
- You're not, you're just not going to die from hard work.
- 00:15:53.609 --> 00:15:57.413
- You might die from some other things, it's not going to be
- 00:15:57.413 --> 00:16:00.249
- Hard work.
- 00:16:00.249 --> 00:16:02.284
- A.l. williams is an insurance giant.
- 00:16:02.284 --> 00:16:05.621
- He wrote a great book a few years ago i've mentioned it
- 00:16:05.621 --> 00:16:07.890
- Before, but it's one of my favorite books.
- 00:16:07.890 --> 00:16:09.558
- I love the title of it.
- 00:16:09.558 --> 00:16:10.893
- The title of it is, 'all you can do is all you can do.'
- 00:16:10.893 --> 00:16:15.164
- A.l. williams before he went into the insurance business,
- 00:16:15.164 --> 00:16:17.699
- Was a high school coach, football coach here in texas.
- 00:16:17.699 --> 00:16:21.670
- And he talked about the importance of working hard, and
- 00:16:21.670 --> 00:16:24.239
- He uses this illustration.
- 00:16:24.239 --> 00:16:26.341
- He said, "i used to tell my football players, that it was
- 00:16:26.341 --> 00:16:29.545
- Impossible to die from hard work.
- 00:16:29.545 --> 00:16:32.214
- In the summer would have football camp and would practice
- 00:16:32.214 --> 00:16:34.550
- Three times a day and i'd say, 'the guys you're gonna get out
- 00:16:34.550 --> 00:16:38.053
- There in the hot sun and you're gonna be working and the coach
- 00:16:38.053 --> 00:16:40.722
- Is gonna be fussing at you and you're gonna feel like you're
- 00:16:40.722 --> 00:16:43.192
- Gonna die, but when you feel like you're gonna die, just keep
- 00:16:43.192 --> 00:16:47.129
- Working because the good lord, put a little mechanism in your
- 00:16:47.129 --> 00:16:50.365
- Head up there, that makes you pass out before you die.
- 00:16:50.365 --> 00:16:57.506
- And if you do pass out, we'll drag you up to the dressing
- 00:16:57.506 --> 00:17:00.442
- Room, put you in the shower, give you some salt tablets, and
- 00:17:00.442 --> 00:17:03.011
- You'll be ready for the next practice.'"
- 00:17:03.011 --> 00:17:06.448
- Finally, and certainly most importantly, make sure that
- 00:17:06.448 --> 00:17:10.953
- You're persisting in the right goals.
- 00:17:10.953 --> 00:17:15.057
- Make sure you're persisting in the right goals if you truly
- 00:17:15.057 --> 00:17:17.426
- Wanna be successful.
- 00:17:17.426 --> 00:17:19.595
- Nothing is more tragic, than spending your life climbing up
- 00:17:19.595 --> 00:17:23.132
- The ladder of success, reaching the top only to discover,
- 00:17:23.132 --> 00:17:27.569
- It was leaning against the wrong wall altogether.
- 00:17:27.569 --> 00:17:31.874
- Make sure you're persisting in the right goals.
- 00:17:31.874 --> 00:17:34.576
- I am confident, that if solomon were sitting here or standing
- 00:17:34.576 --> 00:17:38.380
- Here today, he would say the same thing to you.
- 00:17:38.380 --> 00:17:41.750
- Solomon was the wisest, the wealthiest, the most powerful
- 00:17:41.750 --> 00:17:44.920
- Man of his day, and yet he discovered that work is
- 00:17:44.920 --> 00:17:50.826
- Meaningless, pleasure is futile, and death is certain.
- 00:17:50.826 --> 00:17:54.897
- And that's why in his journal called ecclesiastes in the old
- 00:17:54.897 --> 00:17:57.432
- Testament, he came to this conclusion, "worthless,
- 00:17:57.432 --> 00:18:01.303
- Worthless, everything in this life is worthless."
- 00:18:01.303 --> 00:18:08.410
- Now he was speaking from a horizontal viewpoint.
- 00:18:08.410 --> 00:18:11.146
- As you look at the world around you, apart from god, it's all
- 00:18:11.146 --> 00:18:14.783
- Meaningless.
- 00:18:14.783 --> 00:18:16.518
- Work is meaningless, pleasure's futile, death is certain,
- 00:18:16.518 --> 00:18:21.823
- But when you look vertically, it gives you
- 00:18:21.823 --> 00:18:23.725
- A whole new perspective.
- 00:18:23.725 --> 00:18:25.661
- And in the final chapter of ecclesiastes 12 solomon said,
- 00:18:25.661 --> 00:18:28.397
- "therefore, my advice to you as the most successful man who's
- 00:18:28.397 --> 00:18:32.234
- Ever lived, my advice to you is simply this,"
- 00:18:32.234 --> 00:18:34.970
- "remember also your creator."
- 00:18:34.970 --> 00:18:37.472
- Remember god, "in the days of your youth, before the days of
- 00:18:37.472 --> 00:18:41.577
- Trouble come and the years approach when you will say,
- 00:18:41.577 --> 00:18:44.846
- 'i find no pleasure in them.'"
- 00:18:44.846 --> 00:18:48.250
- That word remember, doesn't mean in hebrew,
- 00:18:48.250 --> 00:18:50.652
- "oh, just bring to mind."
- 00:18:50.652 --> 00:18:52.521
- It's not like saying, "oh, oh i remember god, i remember god,"
- 00:18:52.521 --> 00:18:55.224
- And i'm gonna get on doing what i was doing.
- 00:18:55.224 --> 00:18:57.693
- No, remember means, to make god central.
- 00:18:57.693 --> 00:19:01.330
- Make god central in your life in the days of your youth before
- 00:19:01.330 --> 00:19:05.634
- The days of trouble come.
- 00:19:05.634 --> 00:19:08.036
- Remember this, no amount of success will fill the void of an
- 00:19:08.036 --> 00:19:14.076
- Empty life.
- 00:19:14.076 --> 00:19:16.044
- If you apply these principles i gave you today from god's word,
- 00:19:16.044 --> 00:19:18.714
- You're gonna be successful in your work, in your finances, in
- 00:19:18.714 --> 00:19:22.884
- Every area of your life, but no amount of success can fill that
- 00:19:22.884 --> 00:19:26.054
- Hole of an empty life only god can fill that hole.
- 00:19:26.054 --> 00:19:32.628
- You may not know the name ray combs, but many of you know his
- 00:19:32.628 --> 00:19:37.199
- Face or would've known his face.
- 00:19:37.199 --> 00:19:39.801
- He was the host of the nighttime version of the game show,
- 00:19:39.801 --> 00:19:42.170
- 'family feud.' remember 'family feud'?
- 00:19:42.170 --> 00:19:45.841
- One night on one episode of 'family feud,' ray combs was
- 00:19:45.841 --> 00:19:48.610
- Walking down the line of contestants, one of the families
- 00:19:48.610 --> 00:19:51.380
- That was competing, greeting them as he usually did and he
- 00:19:51.380 --> 00:19:54.983
- Came to one of the contestants, and he noticed they were wearing
- 00:19:54.983 --> 00:19:57.853
- A lapel pin that had two question marks on it.
- 00:19:57.853 --> 00:20:01.423
- Now, those of you who have been through the evangelism training
- 00:20:01.423 --> 00:20:05.761
- Explosion witness training program, you know what those two
- 00:20:05.761 --> 00:20:08.697
- Question marks are.
- 00:20:08.697 --> 00:20:10.599
- People who go through this training and how to share your
- 00:20:10.599 --> 00:20:12.968
- Faith, wear these pins, these two question marks as a way to
- 00:20:12.968 --> 00:20:16.972
- Get into a spiritual conversation with people 'cause
- 00:20:16.972 --> 00:20:19.641
- It's always a conversation starter.
- 00:20:19.641 --> 00:20:22.477
- Well, that's exactly what happened that night on 'family
- 00:20:22.477 --> 00:20:24.046
- Feud.' ray combs looked at that pin with the two question marks
- 00:20:24.046 --> 00:20:27.883
- And he said to the contestants, what does that pin stand for?
- 00:20:27.883 --> 00:20:30.886
- What are those two question marks?
- 00:20:30.886 --> 00:20:33.355
- He took the bait.
- 00:20:33.355 --> 00:20:35.724
- And so the contestants said, "well ray, these two question
- 00:20:35.724 --> 00:20:38.727
- Marks represent the two most important questions
- 00:20:38.727 --> 00:20:41.063
- In the universe."
- 00:20:41.063 --> 00:20:43.632
- Ray comb said, "well, what's the first question?"
- 00:20:43.632 --> 00:20:46.868
- And he said--remember, this is on national television.
- 00:20:46.868 --> 00:20:48.737
- He said, "well, the first question ray is, if you were to
- 00:20:48.737 --> 00:20:50.772
- Die tonight, do you know with certainty that you would
- 00:20:50.772 --> 00:20:53.241
- Go to heaven?"
- 00:20:53.241 --> 00:20:54.976
- Ray combs kind of chuckled and he said, "well, i sure hope so,
- 00:20:54.976 --> 00:20:57.946
- But nobody can know that for sure."
- 00:20:57.946 --> 00:21:00.515
- Then he went on down to the second person, the third person,
- 00:21:00.515 --> 00:21:03.185
- Then he stopped in his tracks.
- 00:21:03.185 --> 00:21:05.220
- He went back around, walked back to that contestant and said,
- 00:21:05.220 --> 00:21:08.056
- "okay, my curiosity got the best of me, what's the second
- 00:21:08.056 --> 00:21:11.159
- Question mark stand for?
- 00:21:11.159 --> 00:21:13.929
- Ray combs said or the contestant said, "well, the second question
- 00:21:13.929 --> 00:21:16.798
- Ray is, if you were standing before god, and he were to ask
- 00:21:16.798 --> 00:21:22.404
- You, 'why should i let you into heaven?'
- 00:21:22.404 --> 00:21:24.806
- What would you say to him?"
- 00:21:24.806 --> 00:21:27.008
- And without missing a beat, ray combs said, "well, i would say
- 00:21:27.008 --> 00:21:29.778
- To god, "because i'm the host of 'family feud' and everybody in
- 00:21:29.778 --> 00:21:34.983
- America loves me."
- 00:21:34.983 --> 00:21:37.252
- And the crowd roared with laughter and applause and off
- 00:21:37.252 --> 00:21:40.489
- They went into the game.
- 00:21:40.489 --> 00:21:43.792
- Not long after that, ray combs was replaced as the night time
- 00:21:43.792 --> 00:21:47.262
- Host, of 'family feud.'
- 00:21:47.262 --> 00:21:50.399
- And not long after that, he hanged himself.
- 00:21:50.399 --> 00:21:54.770
- He didn't even bother to leave a suicide note.
- 00:21:54.770 --> 00:21:59.441
- Apparently being the host of 'family feud,' wasn't enough to
- 00:21:59.441 --> 00:22:03.278
- Guarantee happiness and security in this life,
- 00:22:03.278 --> 00:22:06.915
- Much less, the next one.
- 00:22:06.915 --> 00:22:11.086
- As solomon said, "there's nothing in this world that's
- 00:22:11.086 --> 00:22:14.589
- Gonna satisfy that need you have in your life for god."
- 00:22:14.589 --> 00:22:20.028
- There's a god shaped vacuum in each one of us.
- 00:22:20.028 --> 00:22:23.064
- Or as solomon said in ecclesiastes 2:25, "for who can
- 00:22:23.064 --> 00:22:26.768
- Work and who can find enjoyment apart from god."
- 00:22:26.768 --> 00:22:34.142
- Remember your creator in the days of your youth, make sure
- 00:22:34.142 --> 00:22:38.713
- You're persisting in the right goals.
- 00:22:38.713 --> 00:22:43.752
- Jeffress: king solomon said, "if we want to succeed more,
- 00:22:47.923 --> 00:22:50.926
- We need to fail more."
- 00:22:50.926 --> 00:22:53.128
- That's profound counsel from the man who had it all.
- 00:22:53.128 --> 00:22:57.699
- Now, before our time is over for today, i'd like to send a
- 00:22:57.699 --> 00:23:01.603
- Shout-out to our growing family of monthly supporters we call
- 00:23:01.603 --> 00:23:04.906
- 'pathway partners.' your consistent month by month
- 00:23:04.906 --> 00:23:09.311
- Giving, is truly making a difference.
- 00:23:09.311 --> 00:23:12.347
- Recently i heard from barbara in maryland who wrote, "pathway to
- 00:23:12.347 --> 00:23:16.318
- Victory is like a breath of fresh air in a
- 00:23:16.318 --> 00:23:19.020
- World filled with stagnant air.
- 00:23:19.020 --> 00:23:21.423
- I plan my day so i never miss a message."
- 00:23:21.423 --> 00:23:24.993
- And then she adds, "although my donation is truly a sacrifice
- 00:23:24.993 --> 00:23:28.363
- For me, i don't mind giving because i want to do whatever
- 00:23:28.363 --> 00:23:32.300
- Possible to help you deliver these messages to a world that
- 00:23:32.300 --> 00:23:36.371
- Badly needs to hear them."
- 00:23:36.371 --> 00:23:39.174
- Well, thank you so much, barbara, for your sacrificial
- 00:23:39.174 --> 00:23:42.143
- Giving to the ministry of "pathway to victory."
- 00:23:42.143 --> 00:23:45.547
- And now friends, it's your turn.
- 00:23:45.547 --> 00:23:47.716
- Would you join barbara in supporting "pathway to victory?"
- 00:23:47.716 --> 00:23:50.919
- Let us know that you would like to become
- 00:23:50.919 --> 00:23:53.121
- A pathway partner today.
- 00:23:53.121 --> 00:23:55.557
- Now please stay right there, i'll be back with more "pathway
- 00:23:55.557 --> 00:23:58.493
- To victory" in just a moment.
- 00:23:58.493 --> 00:24:00.428
- Announcer: all around us, people are struggling in their
- 00:24:01.963 --> 00:24:03.965
- Finances, their marriages, and their careers,
- 00:24:03.965 --> 00:24:06.668
- Not because they don't want to live well, but because no one
- 00:24:06.668 --> 00:24:09.504
- Has given them the wisdom to do it.
- 00:24:09.504 --> 00:24:11.706
- That wisdom is found in god's word, and it's exactly what
- 00:24:11.706 --> 00:24:15.043
- Dr. robert jeffress unpacks in his best selling book,
- 00:24:15.043 --> 00:24:17.979
- "the solomon secrets."
- 00:24:17.979 --> 00:24:19.648
- In this practical biblical guide, you'll discover
- 00:24:19.648 --> 00:24:22.384
- Ten principles from the book of proverbs for success in every
- 00:24:22.384 --> 00:24:25.420
- Area of your life.
- 00:24:25.420 --> 00:24:27.122
- Jeffress: solomon had more wealth and opportunity than
- 00:24:27.122 --> 00:24:29.357
- Anyone of his era.
- 00:24:29.357 --> 00:24:31.259
- And he discovered that real success only comes when you
- 00:24:31.259 --> 00:24:34.863
- Build your life on the wisdom god provides.
- 00:24:34.863 --> 00:24:38.199
- In my book, "the solomon secrets," i'll show you how to
- 00:24:38.199 --> 00:24:41.403
- Apply that wisdom to your marriage, your parenting,
- 00:24:41.403 --> 00:24:44.639
- Your career, your finances, and so much more.
- 00:24:44.639 --> 00:24:48.243
- Announcer: request your copy of "the solomon secrets" when you
- 00:24:48.243 --> 00:24:50.545
- Give a generous gift to "pathway to victory."
- 00:24:50.545 --> 00:24:53.248
- And when your ministry gift is $75 or more, we'll also send you
- 00:24:53.248 --> 00:24:57.118
- The complete "solomon secrets" teaching series on dvd video and
- 00:24:57.118 --> 00:25:00.922
- Mp3 format audio disc.
- 00:25:00.922 --> 00:25:02.958
- Jeffress: god wants you and me to be prosperous, successful.
- 00:25:02.958 --> 00:25:08.029
- The key is defining what god means when he uses the word
- 00:25:08.029 --> 00:25:12.701
- Prosperous and success.
- 00:25:12.701 --> 00:25:15.070
- Announcer: thank you for partnering
- 00:25:15.070 --> 00:25:16.404
- With "pathway to victory."
- 00:25:16.404 --> 00:25:17.739
- Your generosity puts god's word in front of people at the exact
- 00:25:17.739 --> 00:25:20.675
- Moment they need it most, bringing life-changing hope of
- 00:25:20.675 --> 00:25:23.812
- The gospel to a world that's searching for truth.
- 00:25:23.812 --> 00:25:26.715
- Together, we're piercing the darkness
- 00:25:26.715 --> 00:25:28.683
- With the light of god's word.
- 00:25:28.683 --> 00:25:31.820
- Jeffress: king solomon knew that
- 00:25:33.288 --> 00:25:34.623
- Persistence leads to success.
- 00:25:34.623 --> 00:25:37.592
- "poor is he who works with a negligent hand, but the hand of
- 00:25:37.592 --> 00:25:41.596
- The diligent makes rich."
- 00:25:41.596 --> 00:25:44.733
- Now, remember that this is not a get rich quick scheme.
- 00:25:44.733 --> 00:25:48.670
- Solomon does not offer endless wealth to anyone who wants it.
- 00:25:48.670 --> 00:25:52.874
- But hear this, when you follow god's wisdom, you'll experience
- 00:25:52.874 --> 00:25:57.012
- God's best for every area of your life.
- 00:25:57.012 --> 00:26:01.049
- Well, man's wisdom says, "our influence in this world ends the
- 00:26:01.049 --> 00:26:05.120
- Moment that we die."
- 00:26:05.120 --> 00:26:06.955
- But god's wisdom says, "our greatest influence on this
- 00:26:06.955 --> 00:26:10.191
- World, continues after we die in the children and grandchildren
- 00:26:10.191 --> 00:26:15.430
- We leave behind."
- 00:26:15.430 --> 00:26:17.132
- Stay tuned for a preview of what's coming up next in our
- 00:26:17.132 --> 00:26:19.534
- Series, "the solomon secrets."
- 00:26:19.534 --> 00:26:22.103
- Jeffress: men's wisdom says, "our influence in this world
- 00:26:23.571 --> 00:26:27.442
- Ends the moment that we die."
- 00:26:27.442 --> 00:26:30.045
- No, god's wisdom says, "our greatest influence on this world
- 00:26:30.045 --> 00:26:34.883
- Continues after we die in the children and the grandchildren
- 00:26:34.883 --> 00:26:40.455
- We leave behind."
- 00:26:40.455 --> 00:26:42.991
- Announcer: set your dvr and join us next time for the
- 00:26:42.991 --> 00:26:45.226
- Message, "success without succession is failure," here on
- 00:26:45.226 --> 00:26:49.364
- "pathway to victory."
- 00:26:49.364 --> 00:26:50.932
- Announcer: the apostle paul sailed these waters, walked
- 00:26:54.335 --> 00:26:57.138
- These streets, and the church was never the same.
- 00:26:57.138 --> 00:27:00.241
- Jeffress: i'm inviting you to follow in paul's footsteps on
- 00:27:00.241 --> 00:27:03.278
- The pathway to victory journeys of paul cruise, through the
- 00:27:03.278 --> 00:27:06.381
- Stunning greek islands into ancient ephesus and many other
- 00:27:06.381 --> 00:27:10.285
- Destinations as well.
- 00:27:10.285 --> 00:27:11.953
- This is purposeful travel at its finest.
- 00:27:11.953 --> 00:27:14.989
- Announcer: the early bird discount ends july 31,
- 00:27:14.989 --> 00:27:17.258
- So act now.
- 00:27:17.258 --> 00:27:18.593
- Call ... or visit ptv.org.
- 00:27:18.593 --> 00:27:18.593