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Seeking & Understanding--Final Episode--Pastor Andy McDaniel
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hey everybody Pastor Randy here Welcome
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to Making It Simple Great to be with you
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today We're going to wrap up seeking an
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understanding I've been a little
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sporadic lately with being able to
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record simply just uh my plate is
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probably as full as it's ever been in my
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life right now with just a multitude of
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things Not going to uh just pour all
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that out there for you I'm just glad to
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be with you today as we continue in this
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study and then we'll uh we'll be picking
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back up on a brand new one on Monday But
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we're going to wrap up seeking and
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understanding We've been particularly
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looking at Proverbs chapter 2 and just
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the first little section of verses
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because there's so much um wisdom there
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which Proverbs of course is the book of
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wisdom But I just want to jump back into
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the lesson We've been talking about
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discernment What does that mean how how
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is it imperative not just important
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imperative to our lives I want to I want
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to jump back where we were We left off
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in verse
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seven and it just simply says he stores
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up success for the upright He is a
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shield to those who live with integrity
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And so that's where we are So that we
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find that shield Okay So that is a
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protector That is uh one that is
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watching over us And as I said in the
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last lesson not not one that is going to
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prevent the issue but going to protect
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you from the long-term damage of that
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But I want us to see what is the what is
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the results where where does this and
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why how does it get there verse eight So
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now let's now let's look at that word
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The verse seven is ending He is a shield
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to those who live with
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integrity That's a statement of fact
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But why and verse eight gives you the
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answer
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So that he may guard the paths of
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justice and protect the way of his
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faithful
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followers May guard so that he may guard
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The word may there is very important
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because that that is uh that is the
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opportunity for choice That is the
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opportunity for opportunity In other
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words he may
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guard What that really comes down to
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bottom line is if we let him If we let
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him In other words the offer is on the
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table
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It says he is our shield so that he may
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guard the paths of justice and protect
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the way of his faithful
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followers We've been calling this lesson
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seeking and
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understanding When we when we grasp the
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idea the understanding that seeking is
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an action word that requires action from
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who me the one that has been given the
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task of seeking That's all of us right
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and so if we if we grasp that then we
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understand the action component of the
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word seek requires the willingness to
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look which builds within us prayerfully
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the
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desire to know more That's really what
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it comes down to friends See the things
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of God cannot be surface level stuff Now
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when I say that I am not speaking of
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deep
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theology that's where we get in trouble
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We really do because so many people are
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trying to have
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a a deeper
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intellectual conversation of saying
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"Well I know what this word means and I
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know what the origin of the and and that
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conversation is okay fine There's
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circles that we can do that but what
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does it mean to you what does it mean to
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me?" That's where discernment is so
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important Because when it's personal we
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begin to see things differently We're
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not looking again from the intellectual
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deep
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theological And I'm not saying that
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those things are bad don't get me
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wrong But oftent times those things are
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deterrence to the relationship
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because those things are
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confusing Those words are big Those
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words are hard to pronounce
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What does it mean you know it's like
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going to the doctor and they give you a
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word that's 10 feet long that they can't
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even pronounce and you're sitting there
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saying
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"Well what does that mean?" Well it
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means your big toe is hurt Well just
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tell me that I don't need all that other
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stuff Just tell me that This is what a
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relationship is with God What does it
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mean to me that's where discernment
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comes in In other words when we embrace
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his
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truth his truth rather than the world's
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truth Jesus would say this in the New
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Testament He said in John chapter 14
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"Peace I leave with you My peace I give
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you It's ours if we want
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it." Clear answers not confusion because
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God is not the author of chaos Not
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things that leave your head
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scratching but clear concise An apple is
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an apple A dog is a dog The sky is a the
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blue What all those very very simple
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things He says "My peace I give you I do
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not give you as the world gives you."
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What is he speaking of there temporary
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and dishonest That's really what it
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means because that's what we find every
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day from the world's answers that we
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receive And if we only seek the world's
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answers that is what we get a temporary
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answer In other words there is no
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eternal value in
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that And oftentimes it's not true He
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says "Do not let your heart be troubled
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or
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fearful." He's saying "Trust me Trust me
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trust faith relationship This is all of
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those things placed into action So as we
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wrap this up I want you to think about
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this
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discernment It's not just what
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discernment
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is but why is it
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needed why is that level of
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understanding and knowledge why is that
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needed to navigate this journey that we
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call life we have to first determine
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what am I looking for and again we've
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gone down that road in all of these
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lessons What am I looking for we have to
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conclude that first because it says
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"Seek and you will find." What am I
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looking for what am I seeking
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after what am I looking
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for but then what am I going to do with
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it when I find it that's the That's the
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other half of the question How does
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application change things i've
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discovered the whatever you know and we
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could go down all kinds of roads but
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what are you going to do with it i've
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discovered and understood the relational
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value of what it means to know God
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That's what I can say And I can say that
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with with pretty strong authority Uh not
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because I'm an expert but because I
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understand what it means to me And
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that's why I teach in the manner that I
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teach because it it is a it is a passion
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and and so once I found that what does
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it mean then how does the application
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change it changes my entire level of
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teaching and the ability to teach and it
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entires my it changes my ability to
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connect to people in a very very real
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way So when we implement a plan what
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happens well let's look at the rest of
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these verses As he says in verse 9
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then then that word alone expresses a
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result So this is what's happened as a
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result of what has been implemented
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prior to this Then you will understand I
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love that I love that He said "Then you
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will understand
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righteousness justice and
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integrity." Every good path In other
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words it'll be
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clear The clouds of doubt have been
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lifted The ability to be tricked and
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deceived is greatly
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lessened Why how did that become the
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result let's look at the last two parts
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of this verse that we're studying Verse
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10 and 11
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For wisdom will then
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enter your heart Now that's important
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Not your mind but your heart Because our
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heart is our center of emotion There is
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where things dwell and begin to process
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Okay for wisdom will enter your heart
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and knowledge will delight you You'll be
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glad that you
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know Sometimes we've heard sayings like
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the truth hurts or the truth is hard Yes
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But is it better to know the truth
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absolutely Because then there's no
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deception He says "For wisdom will learn
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your heart and knowledge will delight
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you Discretion will watch over you and
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understanding will guard
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you."
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Wisdom the knowledge that has been
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obtained is now being
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applied Scripture here says it will
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enter your hearts and knowledge will
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delight you Again it's good to know I
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remember when we were kids taking tests
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It was good to know the answer Not only
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because you were going to get a better
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grade on the paper but you had a feeling
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of confidence when you could write it
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down and you knew that it was right When
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we understand the things of God and not
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that we understand all the things of God
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but when we understand the things of God
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as he needs us to understand it changes
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everything because
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then then we can help ourselves which
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allows us to help others
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The writer says "Discretion will watch
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over you and understanding will guard
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you." When we know the truth Jesus made
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that clear He said "The truth will set
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you
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free." Some versions say "The truth will
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make you free." I actually like that
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word better simply because it's a choice
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You can be free if you want to You do
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not have to be bound by anything because
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we live in a world of great confusion We
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live in a world of utter chaos at
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times But
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knowing about and knowing are two very
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very different things See knowing how to
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swim having that knowledge it could keep
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you from
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drowning Applying that
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knowledge will keep you alive
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knowing and understanding the difference
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between worldly wisdom and godly
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wisdom It can be the it can be the
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absolute clear difference between living
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and merely existing See many people know
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about
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God But so few have the desire to seek
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after and understand exactly who is God
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Why does discernment matter what is it
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seeking and understanding Why does it
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matter because God loves you God loves
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you and he wants to see you free He
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never wants to see you in bondage to
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anything or anyone that is going to keep
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you away from him
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Seek and you will find As the song would
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once say "Open the eyes of my heart Lord
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I need to see you God bless you friends
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I hope you have an awesome day Lord
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willing we'll be back here Monday with a
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brand new teaching series right here at
12:30
Making It Simple
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