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SPIRITUAL SENSITIVITY
BROTHER CHRIS
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Grace and peace to you all in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ.
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And let me begin by welcoming you
to this New Year, 2024.
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Thank You, Jesus.
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Thank you, Jesus, for the grace
to enter a New Year -
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indeed, for the grace to enter a new day,
a new minute, a new second.
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Because all is of grace.
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And people of God,
the best preparation for 2024
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begins with the evaluation of each day, starting from today.
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Because no matter the seriousness of our intentions or resolutions, know this -
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your life will not change in 2024 unless
you change something you do daily.
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To remain steadfast throughout 2024,
stay steady today.
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To prepare for those things you cannot prepare for in 2024, care for today
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because only today is yours.
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Now today, I want to share with you a message that has really been growing in my heart
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in the recent weeks and the subject of this message is ‘Spiritual Sensitivity’.
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I repeat, spiritual sensitivity.
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You see, the greatest danger posed by darkness lies in our failure to recognise it.
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In other words, let me put it like this -
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our inability to identify the real problem
is really the problem.
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That's a far greater problem than what many of us consider as problems in our lives today.
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And take note of this, people of God -
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the surest way to prolong and even intensify your problem is to misdiagnose it.
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The way you face your problem is actually a bigger problem than the problem itself.
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I hope you follow what
I'm saying, people of God.
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The problem we face today lies in
the way we face our problems.
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And know this - there are some tests,
some situations in the journey of life
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that only internal resources
can sustain you through.
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On this note, remember what
I said about ‘spiritual sensitivity’.
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I want to take you to a Scripture in Hebrews 3.
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That's going to be the proof text for
today's message - Hebrews 3:12-14.
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Let's read, people of God.
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“Beware, brethren, lest there be
in any of you an evil heart
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of unbelief in departing from the living God;
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but exhort one another daily,
while it is called ‘Today,’
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lest any of you be hardened through
the deceitfulness of sin.
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For we have become partakers of Christ
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if we hold the beginning of our
confidence steadfast to the end...”
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Now, the greatest enemy of spiritual progress is a hardened heart -
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a heart that is lacking spiritual sensitivity,
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a heart that is dulled, darkened,
deceived by sin.
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And the deeper the deception,
the greater the darkness.
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“If then the light within you is darkness,
how great is that darkness” -
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the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:23.
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Because if the devil can deceive you,
then he can very easily mislead you.
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Now, just take a look around you
at what’s happening in the world.
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It doesn't take long to recognise
the effects of darkness -
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the rebellion against God and His Word.
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But don't just look around you. No!
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I'm calling you today to look within you.
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Because the heart of our rebellion
is the rebellion in our hearts.
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When fleshly desires meet wrong focus, sinful deeds are never far away.
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But the mystery of God’s amazing grace
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is that there is always room for repentance.
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But take note, people of God -
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the swiftness of our repentance reflects the degree of our spiritual sensitivity.
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Resistance to repentance reflects
the hardening of the heart.
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It's not that we Christians
don't make mistakes.
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We do. We can make mistakes.
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But when you are spiritually sensitive,
you are quick to recognise,
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quick to respond, quick to reconcile,
quick to repent.
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But resistance to repentance reflects
the hardening of the heart.
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This often manifests itself in the
form of internally justifying sin.
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And if the devil can succeed
in hardening your heart,
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private justification of sin will soon turn
to public toleration of sin,
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even public celebration of sin -
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not only by what we do but
by what we fail to do.
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If you don't stand for something,
then you will definitely fall for something.
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I want you to reflect on this,
people of God -
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resistance to repentance reflects
the hardening of the heart.
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And if care is not taken,
if conscience is not awakened,
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we can shift from the recognition of wrong to the validation of wrong.
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That's what the devil wants.
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He wants us to shift ground to
a domain outside of the light.
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Because when we are in darkness,
‘truth’ can easily be twisted.
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A blind man leading the blind...
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This is why downplaying sin
is very, very dangerous.
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No move to minimise God's
standards ever ends well.
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I repeat it again, people of God.
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No move to minimise, to reduce
God's perfect standards ever ends well.
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Now, I want to sound a note
of warning at this point.
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Beware of counterfeit conviction -
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when your actions are motivated by a source outside of God's Word,
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for a reason outside of God's glory. Beware!
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The devil delights in dressing up self-righteousness, self-centeredness
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in the garments of seeming good,
seeming kindness, seeming compassion
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that has the appearance of godliness
but denies its power (2 Timothy 3:5).
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Beware of counterfeit conviction.
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The only source of genuine conviction
is the Word and the Spirit.
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It's God's Word, as revealed by the
Holy Spirit, that exposes darkness.
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So the more your heart is
engaged in God's Word,
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the more God's Word dominates your heart, the more spiritually sensitive you become.
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It awakens, it amplifies
the voice of conscience.
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And you are what you are today because of listening to or ignoring your conscience.
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You are what you are today
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as a result of listening to or ignoring
the voice of your conscience.
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The more grounded we are in the Word of God, the more disciplined our hearts become.
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Our hearts are awakened to the
exceeding sinfulness of sin.
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That's why we are quick to repent.
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That’s why we are quick
to recognise our wrong.
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And this preserves, protects us against those dangerous entanglements
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we meet down the road of deception.
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People of God, what am I emphasising
in this message today?
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The antidote to a hardened heart
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is to stay saturated in the Scriptures
and soaked in prayer.
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To remain spiritually sensitive, take care of your heart in the light of God's Word.
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Prayer each day keeps deception at bay.
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But dodging daily time with God is a recipe for disaster in your spiritual life.
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So, I want to challenge you
right now with this question.
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What are you doing daily that is
enriching you spiritually?
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Because I have a word of advice to give you.
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And look, people of God, this advice must not be taken through the lens of religion.
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No. It must be received through the understanding of relationship with God.
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Religion resorts to ritual
because it lacks life,
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but relationship encourages
and fosters godly habits,
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godly routine in the light of God's Word.
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So, a word of advice to you:
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In your home, I encourage you to set aside
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a place for prayer, for reflection,
for meditation.
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I know many of us may say we don’t have space for an entire room.
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If you have space, glory be to God.
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But in your house, set aside an area -
if you have not yet done so -
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to consciously surround yourself with things that remind you of your relationship with God.
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Why? Because we are all weak.
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In a world filled with distraction,
I encourage you today -
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find something natural to remind you
of something supernatural.
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Create something you can see to prompt your heart towards things that are unseen.
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Look, people of God, I tell you -
your heart is the real prayer room.
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I'm not trying to dispute that fact.
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Our heart is the real prayer room.
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But we must acknowledge that no one is above influence and environment plays a role.
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Environment matters.
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Sometimes you come home
and your heart is troubled.
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Maybe you've had a clash
with a work colleague.
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Maybe there's a disagreement
with your spouse.
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Maybe you've experienced pressure and tension in a certain area of your life
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and your heart is troubled.
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Have a place in your home where
you can go and reconcile with God -
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a place that reminds you of your relationship with God,
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a place that redirects your focus to God,
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a place where you can pray,
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a place where you can lie down
and reflect on God's goodness,
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a place where you can listen to worship music and let your heart rise in praise.
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Find something natural to remind you of something supernatural.
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This is a word of advice for you
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to help you remain spiritually sensitive throughout 2024 and beyond.
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Right now, people of God,
as you ponder on these words,
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I want to take you to a moment of prayer.
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A TIME OF PRAYER
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Right now, people of God, let us pray.
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Ask God right now to cleanse you
with His precious Blood
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and wash you whiter than snow!
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In the mighty name of Jesus Christ!
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What's is hardening your heart
at this moment?
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Be removed in the mighty
name of Jesus Christ!
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Be removed right now!
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That strange spirit amplifying the voice of deception within - be silenced!
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Be silenced right now!
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That voice resisting repentance -
be silenced!
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In the name of Jesus Christ!
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Ask God right now to increase your spiritual sensitivity to recognise His voice.
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In the midst of the many contradicting and conflicting voices in this world -
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let your spirit be sensitive to the Holy Spirit!
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Let there be sensitivity!
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Let there be revelation!
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Let there be discretion
lightened by the Word!
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In Jesus’ mighty name.
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Lord Jesus Christ, we don't know what to do but our eyes are on You (2 Chronicles 20:12).
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Let your gaze be fixed on Christ alone.
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Let your heart be set apart for Christ alone.
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In the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
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Lord Jesus, give us that grace to live an upright life that glorifies Your name -
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in word, in thought and in deed -
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throughout 2024 and beyond,
in the mighty name of Jesus Christ!
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In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen!
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Thank You, Jesus.
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God bless you, people of God,
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as you continue to seek His heart
to see life clearly.