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A Life of Endurance

Turning Point with Dr. David Jeremiah

November 25, 2020

27:29

During this message Dr. Jeremiah explains six ways to build up the power of our spiritual endurance.

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A Life of Endurance

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about to see is a partof our amazing conversation.
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♪♪♪
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Dr. Jeremiah: I wannathank you for joining me today.
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I like to tell peoplethe hard thing about being
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a Christian is it's so daily.
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You know, you wake upevery morning and it's there
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for you to live and it's nota 100-yard dash.
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It's a marathon run.
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And in Hebrews 10 it says:"You have need of endurance,"
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and I go, "Amen, we do."
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Endurance or patience is beingable to hang in there when the
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going gets tough and not give upand keep working toward the goal
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that God has put towards you,and one of the problems of
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developing endurance in yourlife is that one of God's tools
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for developing it is adversity.
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And you have to learn howto embrace your adversity
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because the Bible says that"tribulation works patience."
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And so if you want to haveendurance,
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you have to go through stuff.
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How do we keep goingwhen we don't want
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to keep going anymore?
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Now, let's talk about it.
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Kirk, how do you do that?
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Kirk Cousins: Well,it is a challenge.
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As an athlete, we know all aboutendurance and you get winded
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and you literally, you know,are tired, physically tired.
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And then not to mention how acareer can drag on and you have
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to keep going out there on thedays your body doesn't feel like
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it and the days that you wishyou could sleep in or that you
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wish you could have a bye week,you know?
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Those aren't thereand you have to keep pushing.
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But the same is true inour spiritual walk and it all
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is connected in the sense thatwhen you're spiritually healthy
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and you have endurance froma spiritual standpoint then,
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typically, I've found,you tend to have endurance
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in your career, you tend to haveendurance in your relationships,
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you tend to have endurance inevery area of your life because
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the spiritual qualities that youtalked about before, when those
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are intact, you're ableto handle the adversity
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that comes your way.
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But I think all of us have thoseadversity stories and the
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challenges and I've read hisbooks and heard of some moments
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where he's been under his desk,you know, praying, "Lord,"
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you know, "I'm facing adversity,what are you gonna do?"
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And the Lord has brought himout of it and it's developed
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character and it's provideda testimony for a guy like me
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to learn from, so.
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Dr. Jeremiah: David,I don't think I read that part
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in your book about youbeing under the desk.
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Maybe you should tell usabout that.
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David Green: Well, in 1985,the banks were threatening to
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foreclose on us and it was very,
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very, very difficult times,like we all go through
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at some time or another.
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And so I found myself undermy desk, you know,
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month in, month out,it seemed like it was year in,
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year out, you know, just tryingto cry out to God and find out,
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you know, what I needed to do
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and what I needed to changebecause I really felt like
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it was a test for me personallyand God wanted to take me
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to another level.
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At the time,we only had 12 stores
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and I think God wanted meto have 1200 stores
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but I had almost too much pridefor 12 stores.
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And so I think it was reallya thing God was speaking
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to me about my pride.
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And so it was a good thing.
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It was the worst time of my lifebut also the best times
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in my life.
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Dr. Jeremiah: So you lookback on it now and you realize
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that that was a building blockthat God was putting together
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for you?
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David: We have to, every day,work to make sure that we give
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God the glory for everythinghe does in our life.
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Bobby Schuller:Stress helps us understand:
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"This is what matters."
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I think one of the moststressful experiences
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in my life was my son.
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He's had epilepsyso why is my son sick?
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I need to do ministry, like,and he needs to live a good life
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and I don't--we don't--my wife is crying at night and,
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like, how can this befor your glory?
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But we watched--and so, we invited Christ
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in the midst of all thosedifficult situations.
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He builds us deeperwith each other so I grow
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in my relationship with my son,
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with my wife,and the stress of life
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actually makes us strongerjust like the stress of a gym
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makes your body stronger.
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You look at Paul, I mean,that guy was under
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a lot of stress.
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Dr. Jeremiah: You knowwhat's really true?
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And now, David, you said itand you all have agreed to it.
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Prosperity is nota very good teacher.
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But adversity isa very good teacher.
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And most of the people whoselives I've read in books that
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have succeeded have said thatthey learned the most important
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things about life and how itworks and how it's supposed
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to work when they went throughthe dark times, not through
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the successful times.
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Endurance is a very importantissue and I think more important
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now than maybe ever before.
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We gotta make surethat we don't quit.
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Dr. Jeremiah: As I sat withmy friends and reflected on what
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was shared, I was once againreminded that endurance
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is a decision, a decision thattransforms one's life and in the
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next few minutes I will sharewith you how a life of endurance
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is necessary to livea life beyond amazing.
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♪♪♪
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male announcer:What are the signs
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of a life beyond amazing?
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Among them, joy that is notdependent on circumstance,
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integrity that settlesfor no exceptions,
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and self-disciplinethat stands firm.
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But how do you get theminto your life?
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It takes a decision; actually,nine decisions each day
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to commit these into your heartand actions.
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Discover the steps to the lifeof blessings God has for you
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in Dr. David Jeremiah'sinspiring book,
00:06:07.917 --> 00:06:10.386
"A Life Beyond Amazing:9 Decisions That Will Transform
00:06:10.420 --> 00:06:13.456
Your Life Today."
00:06:13.489 --> 00:06:15.591
Order this transformational bookfrom Dr. Jeremiah today when you
00:06:15.625 --> 00:06:19.228
give a gift of any amountin support of this program,
00:06:19.262 --> 00:06:22.064
and if you give $60 or more,Dr. Jeremiah will send you
00:06:22.098 --> 00:06:26.002
in appreciation,his comprehensive
00:06:26.035 --> 00:06:28.671
"A Life Beyond Amazing" set.
00:06:28.704 --> 00:06:30.773
It contains his book, his entireteaching series on CD or DVD,
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a correlating study guide,and the "Life Beyond Amazing"
00:06:35.178 --> 00:06:38.080
Scripture cards.
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Also available, the "30 Daysto a Life Beyond Amazing"
00:06:40.082 --> 00:06:43.219
workbook.
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Implement the 9 key decisionsfrom "A Life Beyond Amazing"
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in powerful and practical ways;plus, it includes a DVD
00:06:47.523 --> 00:06:51.761
with video instructionsfrom Dr. Jeremiah, available
00:06:51.794 --> 00:06:54.664
on its own for $30 or more
00:06:54.697 --> 00:06:56.899
or as part of"A Life Beyond Amazing" set
00:06:56.933 --> 00:06:59.869
for a gift of $85 or more.
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Decide today to start livinga life beyond what you thought
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possible, a life beyond amazing.
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Order these resources when youcontact Turning Point today.
00:07:08.845 --> 00:07:11.981
female announcer: Thank youfor watching
00:07:15.117 --> 00:07:16.986
"A Life Beyond Amazing"here on "Turning Point."
00:07:17.019 --> 00:07:18.788
In appreciationof your viewership,
00:07:19.522 --> 00:07:21.657
Dr. Jeremiah would liketo send you the
00:07:21.691 --> 00:07:24.160
"Life Beyond Amazing"Scripture cards absolutely free.
00:07:24.193 --> 00:07:27.730
Contact "Turning Point" today.
00:07:27.763 --> 00:07:29.765
And now, here's Dr. Jeremiahwith his message:
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"A Life of Endurance."
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Dr. Jeremiah: Almostevery day when I'm in San Diego,
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I go to a gymto work out with a trainer.
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I know you think it should bemore obvious, but I do.
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My trainer is a guy namedTodd Durkin.
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He's one of the best trainersin the country, one of
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the best things that happenedto me in recent years.
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Turned out to be a great friend.
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Beside the fact that he'san incredible physical fitness
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expert and a dynamic motivator,Todd Durkin is also
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a Christ follower.
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And we often talk aboutthe similarities
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of physical trainingand spiritual training.
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Recently, we were talkingabout weight lifting
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and the two approachesthat athletes adopt
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when they're in training.
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And here's what I learned.
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Heavy weights lifted fewer timesin succession produce
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greater strength.
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Lighter weights liftedwith more repetitions produce
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greater endurance.
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When it comes to life,most of us can lift
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a heavy weight now and then.
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We only have to do itonce or twice.
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In other words, major problemsthat come and then go away
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quickly, we can deal with that.
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But for me,for me it's not the big problems
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that are the hardest.
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For me, the problems that arethe toughest to overcome
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are the problems that never seemto get solved, the ones
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that keep coming back.
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And I believe that God wantsyou and me to be strong men
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and women of faith.
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And to achieve that, we haveto become men and women
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of resilience and endurance.
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If I cannot stand strong underthe adversity of unrelenting
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pressure, I will lose the joyof my journey and be not
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very valuable as a warriorof the faith.
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There's a verse in the Biblethat never ceases
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to challenge me.
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It's Hebrews 10:36,
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and I want you to read itwith me out loud.
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It's real short.
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Are you ready?Here we go.
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"You have need of endurance."
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You also have needof a little volume.
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Let's try that again.
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All right, here we go.
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"You have need of endurance."
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And now, just to make sure yougot it, turn to your neighbor
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and say to your neighbor:"You have need of endurance."
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All right, for me,endurance is needed because,
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as someone once told me,the Christian life is so daily.
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It requiresa sustained determination.
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And that's why God wantsto infuse in you and in me this
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can-do attitude of supernaturalendurance and perseverance.
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We cannot give upin the midst of the stress.
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Stress we will have; what we dowith it's our decision.
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"Therefore do not cast awayyour confidence,
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which has great reward.
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For you have need of endurance,so that after you have done
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the will of God,you may receive the promise."
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We have need of endurance.
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We need to remember, all of us,that the Christian life
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is not a 100-yard dash.
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It's a marathon run.
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As we mentioned already,it's so daily.
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You get up every morning andthere it is, the Christian life
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staring you right in the face.
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What are you gonna do with ittoday?
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How are you gonna respond whenyou go through the trouble that
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always accompanies life for us?
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So here,from the 58th book of the Bible,
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here from the book of Hebrews,are some strategies to help you
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develop this qualityof endurance in your life.
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And let me just take themone by one,
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and we'll explore themfrom this book.
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First of all,embrace your adversity.
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You say, "Pastor, I have heardyou say a lot of things.
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That's the most counterintuitivething I have ever heard
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in my life.
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Whoever in the world embracestheir adversity?"
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But the Bible is very clear thatthe way God teaches his children
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endurance is through adversity.
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So often when stuff happensto me that I wasn't expecting,
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had a few of those thingsrecently,
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I'm tempted first of allto ask why.
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And I've told you before,you can ask God why
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all you want.
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He's just not obligatedto answer.
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But I think our question oughtnot to be why all the time.
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Perhaps it ought to be what.
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"Well, God, what do you wanna dowith my life during this time?
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What do you want me to learn?
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How can I embrace my adversityto become a more enduring
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follower of Christ?"
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Here's the second thing.
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Surround yourselfwith champions.
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Once again fromthe book of Hebrews,
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this time from the 12th chapter.
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The 12th chapter of Hebrews,as you know,
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begins with the word"Therefore."
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In order to understandthe "therefore" of Hebrews 12,
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you have to understandthe content of Hebrews 11
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and most of you already do.
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You may not remember that it'sHebrews 11 but you know there's
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a chapter in the Bible whereall of the Old Testament saints
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are listed and they're givenaccolades for their faith and
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for their faithfulness to Godand for their endurance
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and they're champions.
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Hebrews 11 is often calledthe Hall of Fame of the Bible,
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or the Hall of Faithof the Bible.
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Hebrews 12, verse 1,
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makes sure we understandhow important that chapter is
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because here's what it says.
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Now let me finish the verse:"Therefore we also, since we are
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surrounded by so greata cloud of witnesses, let us run
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with endurance the racethat is set before us."
00:13:06.402 --> 00:13:11.173
I need you to understand thatyou will never know the value of
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Hebrews 11 unless you understandthat the witnesses of Hebrews 11
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are not seeing witnesses;they're saying witnesses.
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They're speaking to us outof history about their victories
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and we learn about themthrough studying their lives and
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following their faith journeyand watching how God
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used them in a mighty way.
00:13:32.628 --> 00:13:34.797
When you're going throughsomething,
00:13:34.830 --> 00:13:37.233
call up one of the witnessesand let them speak to your life.
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That's why we studythe Old Testament.
00:13:40.202 --> 00:13:41.770
That's why I love the stories ofthe Bible, because these stories
00:13:41.804 --> 00:13:44.807
are witnesses to us,"You can make it."
00:13:44.840 --> 00:13:48.878
Why do we know that?
00:13:48.911 --> 00:13:49.945
Because they did andthey're gonna tell you about
00:13:49.979 --> 00:13:51.914
what happened in their life.
00:13:51.947 --> 00:13:53.382
And as you study their faithjourney, you're gonna be blessed
00:13:53.415 --> 00:13:55.751
and encouragedlike you wouldn't believe.
00:13:55.784 --> 00:13:57.753
Ladies and gentlemen,you have to gather around you
00:13:57.786 --> 00:13:59.922
some championsif you're gonna make it.
00:13:59.955 --> 00:14:03.092
One of the best and mostenjoyable things we can do to
00:14:03.125 --> 00:14:05.594
develop endurance in our livesis to learn how it was achieved
00:14:05.628 --> 00:14:08.797
in the lives of others.
00:14:08.831 --> 00:14:10.766
Read the stories of thechampions and see if it doesn't
00:14:10.799 --> 00:14:14.203
bring energy and determinationto your own heart.
00:14:14.236 --> 00:14:19.108
And the Bible is one of thegreat sources for these stories.
00:14:19.141 --> 00:14:22.444
Some people say,"Well, you should only read
00:14:22.478 --> 00:14:24.079
the Bible."
00:14:24.113 --> 00:14:24.914
No, no, no.
00:14:24.947 --> 00:14:26.415
Even people who don't know Godand don't know Jesus
00:14:26.448 --> 00:14:28.651
can help you with their life.
00:14:28.684 --> 00:14:31.053
You say,"Well, they're not Christians.
00:14:31.086 --> 00:14:32.154
How could they help me?"
00:14:32.187 --> 00:14:32.988
Watch what they do.
00:14:33.022 --> 00:14:35.357
You know inthe book of Philippians
00:14:35.391 --> 00:14:36.859
when Paul is giving usthe story of how we're to deal
00:14:36.892 --> 00:14:38.994
with anxiety, he gets all donewith the prayer section and
00:14:39.028 --> 00:14:41.597
he says then, "By the way,think on these things."
00:14:41.630 --> 00:14:44.633
And then he listsall these qualities of things
00:14:44.667 --> 00:14:46.902
we should think on.
00:14:46.936 --> 00:14:48.137
Not any of them are necessarilyspiritual qualities,
00:14:48.170 --> 00:14:50.873
things that are good,things that are truthful.
00:14:50.906 --> 00:14:52.875
They're kind ofgeneral qualities.
00:14:52.908 --> 00:14:54.944
And I think that gives us somepermission to realize that while
00:14:54.977 --> 00:14:57.947
not everyone in our world isa Christian, most people have
00:14:57.980 --> 00:15:01.684
something to contribute and,even if they get it,
00:15:01.717 --> 00:15:04.753
their truth, their truthultimately came from God
00:15:04.787 --> 00:15:07.156
'cause all truth is from God.
00:15:07.189 --> 00:15:10.159
So embrace your adversityand then surround yourself
00:15:10.192 --> 00:15:13.128
with champions.
00:15:13.162 --> 00:15:13.963
Could I just say a word here.
00:15:13.996 --> 00:15:15.030
I don't have timeto say much about it.
00:15:15.064 --> 00:15:16.832
There are some people inyour life who aren't champions.
00:15:16.865 --> 00:15:20.469
In fact,they're tearing you down.
00:15:20.502 --> 00:15:23.038
I wanna tell you, you can'tafford to have too many
00:15:23.072 --> 00:15:24.974
of those speaking into your lifeif you're gonna keep going.
00:15:25.007 --> 00:15:29.011
You need championsto speak into your life.
00:15:29.044 --> 00:15:30.846
You say, "Well, I'm supposedto be their friend."
00:15:30.879 --> 00:15:32.548
Yeah, you can be their friendbut here's the key.
00:15:32.581 --> 00:15:34.083
If they're tearing you down morethan you're lifting them up,
00:15:34.116 --> 00:15:37.419
you might wanna think aboutnot doing that anymore.
00:15:37.453 --> 00:15:41.290
So embrace your adversity andsurround yourself with champions
00:15:41.323 --> 00:15:44.293
and then find your passionand pursue it.
00:15:44.326 --> 00:15:48.998
If you get a chance, go backand read Philippians chapter 3
00:15:49.031 --> 00:15:53.369
and Paul's discussion of howhe pressed forward to the goal
00:15:53.402 --> 00:15:57.039
and he wouldn't look either way,forgot those things which
00:15:57.072 --> 00:16:00.542
were behind and pressed towardthose things which are before.
00:16:00.576 --> 00:16:05.080
So if you're gonna buildendurance in your life you have
00:16:05.114 --> 00:16:06.982
to embrace your adversity,surround yourself with
00:16:07.016 --> 00:16:10.052
champions, find your passionand pursue it, and get rid
00:16:10.085 --> 00:16:15.791
of what's holding you back.
00:16:15.824 --> 00:16:18.193
Here's what Hebrews says:"Let us lay aside every weight,
00:16:18.227 --> 00:16:21.363
and the sin whichso easily ensnares us."
00:16:21.397 --> 00:16:26.402
The writer of Hebrews saysthat the Christian life is like
00:16:26.435 --> 00:16:28.470
running a race and nobody runsa race in an overcoat and boots.
00:16:28.504 --> 00:16:34.877
No, you've noticed they justhave on enough clothing to be
00:16:34.910 --> 00:16:38.647
less than indecentand they run the race.
00:16:38.680 --> 00:16:43.852
We all know from painfulexperience that unbelief erodes
00:16:43.886 --> 00:16:47.256
our confidence in God andI believe that was the sin that
00:16:47.289 --> 00:16:50.559
was holding back the Hebrews.
00:16:50.592 --> 00:16:54.129
They had once believed that Godwas sufficient but now they had
00:16:54.163 --> 00:16:56.598
lost that confidence andthey were afraid to go forward
00:16:56.632 --> 00:16:59.968
because they had forgottenthat God who had helped them
00:17:00.002 --> 00:17:02.871
then would help them now.
00:17:02.905 --> 00:17:05.607
It's particular form of unbeliefthat's very damaging.
00:17:05.641 --> 00:17:09.878
They started feeling sorryfor themselves and this became
00:17:09.912 --> 00:17:13.415
a weight around them.
00:17:13.449 --> 00:17:17.352
I'm not gonna spend much timehere this morning, identifying
00:17:17.386 --> 00:17:20.823
what weight is holding you back.
00:17:20.856 --> 00:17:25.360
The reason I don't have to dothat is because you already
00:17:25.394 --> 00:17:27.763
know what that is.
00:17:27.796 --> 00:17:29.331
You know.
00:17:29.364 --> 00:17:30.599
It's the thing that gets inyour way over and over again.
00:17:30.632 --> 00:17:32.534
You're trying to have somemomentum for God.
00:17:32.568 --> 00:17:34.336
You're trying to move forward,men, and serve him but
00:17:34.369 --> 00:17:36.171
every time you turn around,this weight gets in the way.
00:17:36.205 --> 00:17:39.741
I'm challenging you todayin the words of Hebrews
00:17:39.775 --> 00:17:43.112
to get rid of that weight.
00:17:43.145 --> 00:17:45.214
Get rid of it.
00:17:45.247 --> 00:17:46.081
Don't just put it to the side.
00:17:46.115 --> 00:17:47.716
Destroy it.
00:17:47.749 --> 00:17:49.284
Get it completelyout of your experience.
00:17:49.318 --> 00:17:51.954
Don't let that weight hold youback from serving God
00:17:51.987 --> 00:17:55.157
and knowing the joythat he wants you to have.
00:17:55.190 --> 00:17:59.495
Number five: don't even thinkabout quitting.
00:17:59.528 --> 00:18:03.232
Oh, do I wanna preachon this one.
00:18:03.265 --> 00:18:06.535
Hebrews 12:1 says: "Let us runwith endurance the race
00:18:06.568 --> 00:18:10.172
that is set before us."
00:18:10.205 --> 00:18:12.241
Did you know thatin the book of Hebrews
00:18:12.274 --> 00:18:14.176
the little phrase "Let us"occurs 13 times
00:18:14.209 --> 00:18:16.578
in the book of Hebrewsand it speaks to us every time.
00:18:16.612 --> 00:18:19.715
Yes, God helps us and we cannever do it without his grace
00:18:19.748 --> 00:18:22.684
but we have a part, too.
00:18:22.718 --> 00:18:24.386
Let us go forward.
00:18:24.419 --> 00:18:25.654
Let's us get in this race.
00:18:25.687 --> 00:18:27.656
Let's don't sit back andpassively watch life go by
00:18:27.689 --> 00:18:30.659
when there's somethingGod has called us to do.
00:18:30.692 --> 00:18:34.296
Here's a secular bookthat spoke to my life this year.
00:18:34.329 --> 00:18:37.733
And the book hasan interesting name.
00:18:37.766 --> 00:18:39.468
It's called, "Grit."
00:18:39.501 --> 00:18:40.903
That's the title of the book.
00:18:40.936 --> 00:18:42.738
Written by Angela Duckworth.
00:18:42.771 --> 00:18:45.140
And in this bookshe does a study on what
00:18:45.174 --> 00:18:47.009
makes people succeed.
00:18:47.042 --> 00:18:48.377
And she's trying to play offtwo different ideas of success.
00:18:48.410 --> 00:18:50.879
One idea of success says yousucceed because you were born
00:18:50.913 --> 00:18:53.248
with the right genes,you have great parenting,
00:18:53.282 --> 00:18:56.618
and you grew upin a good home, and had all
00:18:56.652 --> 00:18:58.453
the advantages so you succeed.
00:18:58.487 --> 00:19:01.290
The other model says, no,success has a little to do
00:19:01.323 --> 00:19:03.825
with that but not very much.
00:19:03.859 --> 00:19:05.227
Success is about your passionand your perseverance
00:19:05.260 --> 00:19:09.932
in going after a goal.
00:19:09.965 --> 00:19:12.334
She determined that grit--that was the term she gave it--
00:19:12.367 --> 00:19:15.170
was the key to succeed.
00:19:15.204 --> 00:19:18.140
And here's how she defines grit.
00:19:18.173 --> 00:19:20.175
She said, "To be grittyis to keep putting one foot
00:19:20.209 --> 00:19:22.811
in front of the other.
00:19:22.844 --> 00:19:24.446
To be gritty is to hold fastto an interesting
00:19:24.479 --> 00:19:26.815
and purposeful goal.
00:19:26.848 --> 00:19:28.317
To be gritty is to investday after week after year
00:19:28.350 --> 00:19:31.420
in challenging practice.
00:19:31.453 --> 00:19:33.555
To be gritty is to fall downseven times
00:19:33.589 --> 00:19:36.158
and get back up eight."
00:19:36.191 --> 00:19:38.894
And she shares so many storiesin this book about people
00:19:38.927 --> 00:19:41.563
who have been through that.
00:19:41.597 --> 00:19:43.232
One of my favorites is aboutactor Will Smith who explains
00:19:43.265 --> 00:19:47.336
his success in theentertainment industry this way.
00:19:47.369 --> 00:19:50.939
He said, "The only thingthat I see that's distinctively
00:19:50.973 --> 00:19:52.941
different about me is I'm notafraid to die on the treadmill.
00:19:52.975 --> 00:19:57.713
I will not be outworked, period.
00:19:57.746 --> 00:19:59.548
You might have more talentthan me,
00:19:59.581 --> 00:20:01.283
you might be smarter than me,you might be
00:20:01.316 --> 00:20:03.385
all of those things,you've got it on me
00:20:03.418 --> 00:20:05.387
in nine categories,but if we get on the treadmill
00:20:05.420 --> 00:20:08.991
together there's two things.
00:20:09.024 --> 00:20:10.325
You're either getting offfirst or I'm gonna die.
00:20:10.359 --> 00:20:13.195
It's really that simple."
00:20:13.228 --> 00:20:16.465
What he was saying ishe wasn't gonna quit.
00:20:16.498 --> 00:20:19.768
What he was saying ishe was gonna stay after it.
00:20:19.801 --> 00:20:22.237
The Bible says we must runwith perseverance the race
00:20:22.271 --> 00:20:25.107
that is set before us.
00:20:25.140 --> 00:20:26.441
We must not give up.
00:20:26.475 --> 00:20:29.745
You may rememberI told the story of a guy
00:20:31.280 --> 00:20:33.882
named Erik Weihenmayer,the first blind man
00:20:33.915 --> 00:20:38.787
to successfully climbto the top of Mount Everest,
00:20:38.820 --> 00:20:42.157
the highest point on the earth.
00:20:42.190 --> 00:20:45.060
The story of thatherculean accomplishment
00:20:45.093 --> 00:20:46.862
was told in the book,"Touch the Top of the World,"
00:20:46.895 --> 00:20:49.531
and shortly after that,I got a letter from Erik's
00:20:49.564 --> 00:20:52.034
father who saw the programand he wrote me this letter.
00:20:52.067 --> 00:20:55.604
It was really interestingbut part of the letter,
00:20:55.637 --> 00:20:58.040
he told me what happened nextafter Mount Everest.
00:20:58.073 --> 00:21:02.144
He said, "As Erik was completinghis Everest descent, his team
00:21:02.177 --> 00:21:06.448
leader spoke these wordsto him which profoundly affected
00:21:06.481 --> 00:21:09.318
the next chapter in his life.
00:21:09.351 --> 00:21:11.887
He said to him,'Don't let Everest
00:21:11.920 --> 00:21:13.655
be the greatest thingyou ever do,' meaning
00:21:13.689 --> 00:21:16.925
do not create a mausoleumof your trophies
00:21:16.958 --> 00:21:19.561
and retire on your laurels.
00:21:19.594 --> 00:21:21.963
And many years later,after 6 full years
00:21:21.997 --> 00:21:24.499
of intense training,Erik solo kayaked the mighty
00:21:24.533 --> 00:21:29.237
rapids of the Grand Canyon,277 miles, blind, a feat way
00:21:29.271 --> 00:21:35.644
more difficult than Everest."
00:21:35.677 --> 00:21:38.814
What did he do?
00:21:38.847 --> 00:21:39.881
He would not stop.
00:21:39.915 --> 00:21:40.882
He would not quit.
00:21:40.916 --> 00:21:41.950
He would not say back,"This is what I've done."
00:21:41.983 --> 00:21:43.985
For this man, his dreams wereway more important than his
00:21:44.019 --> 00:21:46.455
memories and he kept fighting.
00:21:46.488 --> 00:21:49.558
I would be so, so honored tomeet a man of such endurance.
00:21:49.591 --> 00:21:55.731
And then the Bible also remindsus that we have to stay focused
00:21:55.764 --> 00:21:58.433
on our goal.
00:21:58.467 --> 00:22:00.535
Read what happened to Jesusand what he went through so that
00:22:00.569 --> 00:22:03.939
he can accomplish his goal.
00:22:03.972 --> 00:22:06.274
He endured the cross.
00:22:06.308 --> 00:22:07.743
He anticipated the joythat would follow.
00:22:07.776 --> 00:22:10.645
We endure because he endured.
00:22:10.679 --> 00:22:12.681
And he endures still,both now and forever.
00:22:12.714 --> 00:22:15.617
In fact, it is no overstatementto say that our ability
00:22:15.650 --> 00:22:18.587
to endure whatever life throwsat us is rooted and grounded
00:22:18.620 --> 00:22:24.126
in the enduring quality of God.
00:22:24.159 --> 00:22:26.695
Colossians 1, verse 11,is a key text
00:22:26.728 --> 00:22:30.932
and it reminds usof this divine cooperative that
00:22:30.966 --> 00:22:33.535
we've been talking about today.
00:22:33.568 --> 00:22:36.738
Paul wrote to the Colossiansand he said,
00:22:36.772 --> 00:22:38.907
"Strengthened with all might,according to
00:22:38.940 --> 00:22:43.512
God's glorious power."
00:22:43.545 --> 00:22:45.881
Why do you need to bestrengthened with all might,
00:22:45.914 --> 00:22:48.049
according toGod's glorious power?
00:22:48.083 --> 00:22:50.285
"For all patience andlongsuffering with joy."
00:22:50.318 --> 00:22:55.090
For endurance.
00:22:55.123 --> 00:22:56.324
The Bible says that when we seekendurance and we follow God's
00:22:56.358 --> 00:22:59.194
command and we get in the streamof what God wants to do in our
00:22:59.227 --> 00:23:02.063
life, you can be sure that hismight and his glorious power
00:23:02.097 --> 00:23:06.902
will be the core of your lifeand you're gonna need it to be
00:23:06.935 --> 00:23:14.176
enduring and resilient in life.
00:23:14.209 --> 00:23:15.577
I want to be an enduringfollower of Jesus Christ.
00:23:15.610 --> 00:23:19.548
I don't want to be a drop-out.
00:23:19.581 --> 00:23:21.116
I don't want to be a casualtyand I am not going to quit.
00:23:21.149 --> 00:23:25.053
And I don't want you to quit.
00:23:25.086 --> 00:23:26.455
I don't want you to quit on God.
00:23:26.488 --> 00:23:27.989
I don't want you to quiton Jesus Christ.
00:23:28.023 --> 00:23:30.158
I don't want you to quiton the Scriptures.
00:23:30.192 --> 00:23:32.127
I don't want you to quiton your wife or your husband
00:23:32.160 --> 00:23:34.529
or your children.
00:23:34.563 --> 00:23:36.097
I don't want you to quiton your neighbors.
00:23:36.131 --> 00:23:38.300
I don't want you to quiton life.
00:23:38.333 --> 00:23:41.102
Quitters every time look backwith regret.
00:23:41.136 --> 00:23:45.373
So don't quit.
00:23:45.407 --> 00:23:46.842
Let's go on.
00:23:46.875 --> 00:23:48.343
Let's become God's people.
00:23:48.376 --> 00:23:50.378
Let's do God's work together.
00:23:50.412 --> 00:23:52.280
Let's strengthen one another andwhen we're going through stuff,
00:23:52.314 --> 00:23:55.851
let's remember that's notalways a negative thing.
00:23:55.884 --> 00:23:57.953
God's just getting you readyfor something special.
00:23:57.986 --> 00:24:01.189
And you're going to bea champion.
00:24:01.223 --> 00:24:03.124
male announcer: Dr. Jeremiahwill return with one more
00:24:05.060 --> 00:24:07.195
inspirational wordto close today's
00:24:07.229 --> 00:24:09.564
"A Life Beyond Amazing"program right after this.
00:24:09.598 --> 00:24:12.234
announcer: Discover the stepsto the life of blessings
00:24:14.236 --> 00:24:16.438
God has for youin Dr. David Jeremiah's
00:24:16.471 --> 00:24:18.807
inspiring book,"A Life Beyond Amazing:
00:24:18.840 --> 00:24:22.010
9 Decisions That Will TransformYour Life Today."
00:24:22.043 --> 00:24:25.413
Order this transformational bookfrom Dr. Jeremiah today when you
00:24:25.447 --> 00:24:29.050
give a gift of any amountin support of this program,
00:24:29.084 --> 00:24:31.887
and if you give $60 or more,Dr. Jeremiah will send you
00:24:31.920 --> 00:24:35.824
in appreciation,his comprehensive
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"A Life Beyond Amazing" set.
00:24:38.527 --> 00:24:40.595
It contains his book, his entireteaching series on CD or DVD,
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a correlating study guide,and the "Life Beyond Amazing"
00:24:45.000 --> 00:24:47.903
Scripture cards.
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Also available, the "30 Daysto a Life Beyond Amazing"
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Implement the 9 key decisionsfrom "A Life Beyond Amazing"
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in powerful and practical ways;plus, it includes a DVD
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with video instructionsfrom Dr. Jeremiah, available
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on its own for $30 or more
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or as part of"A Life Beyond Amazing" set
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for a gift of $85 or more.
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Decide today to start livinga life beyond what you thought
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Order these resources when youcontact Turning Point today.
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announcer: And now,with one last word
00:25:24.339 --> 00:25:26.074
for today's program,here is Dr. Jeremiah.
00:25:26.107 --> 00:25:29.077
Dr. Jeremiah: Are youstruggling with a trial
00:25:30.078 --> 00:25:31.713
that seems to be unending?
00:25:31.746 --> 00:25:34.349
Might be a chronic illnessor a family issue
00:25:34.382 --> 00:25:37.052
that seems to never end.
00:25:37.085 --> 00:25:39.654
As we learnedin today's message,
00:25:39.688 --> 00:25:41.790
God provides his strengthduring adversity that not only
00:25:41.823 --> 00:25:45.293
allows us to endurebut to have his peace
00:25:45.327 --> 00:25:48.663
on the journey.
00:25:48.697 --> 00:25:50.498
He provides comfort, counsel,and courage that we cannot gain
00:25:50.532 --> 00:25:54.169
from any other source.
00:25:54.202 --> 00:25:57.172
Do you know Christ today?
00:25:57.205 --> 00:25:59.507
Please allow me to send youseveral free gifts that will
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strengthen and encourage youin your walk with God.
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First, "Life Beyond Amazing"Scripture cards to help you stay
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focused every day on the amazinglife we have in Christ.
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Second, a booklet about knowingand living for Christ called
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and devotionals.
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And we'll send all these giftsto you, free of charge,
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if you will contact us here at"Turning Point" today.
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announcer: Next time on"Turning Point."
00:26:38.013 --> 00:26:40.482
announcer: Dr. Jeremiahcontinues his conversation
00:26:40.515 --> 00:26:42.283
with Bobby Schuller, Mandisa,David Green, and Kirk Cousins.
00:26:42.317 --> 00:26:50.358
And he teaches howwe can make the decision to live
00:26:50.392 --> 00:26:53.061
a life of compassion.
00:26:53.094 --> 00:26:55.096
Dr. Jeremiah: Compassionis not academic.
00:26:55.196 --> 00:26:58.166
You don't learn to becompassionate in a book
00:26:58.199 --> 00:27:01.169
or even in the Bible.
00:27:01.202 --> 00:27:03.638
It's not something that happensup here; it's something
00:27:03.672 --> 00:27:07.375
that happens down here.
00:27:07.409 --> 00:27:10.078
announcer: Thank youfor being with us today for
00:27:11.079 --> 00:27:13.214
Dr. Jeremiah's series,"A Life Beyond Amazing."
00:27:13.248 --> 00:27:16.618
Join us next time forDr. Jeremiah's message,
00:27:16.651 --> 00:27:19.154
"A Life of Compassion,"here on "Turning Point."
00:27:19.187 --> 00:27:23.024

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A Life of Endurance

A Life of Endurance

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A Life of Endurance

A Life of Endurance

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