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A proud heart can stare at 99% grace and still complain about the 1% flaw.
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Imagine a beautiful white canvas with a black spot in the middle.
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There will be some people who will look at that and say,
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YAHC, there's an ugly black spot in the middle.
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Once upon a time, we had someone in my spiritual community who saw himself as a born critic.
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It seemed like he believed that this was a divine call to tear people down.
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Believe me, it was so draining to talk to him.
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After every prayer meeting, he'd talk to anyone who'd care to listen about how lousy the leaders were.
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There are a bunch of hypocrites or how lousy the music was or how lousy the talk was.
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And without any evidence, he'd say the community funds are being misused.
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In reality, people like him also don't like themselves.
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But they sometimes hide it behind their outward arrogance and anger.
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Instead of stepping back to admire the vast expanse of white,
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the grace, the miracle, the good, their pride zeroes in on the tiny dot and they scream,
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YAHC, there's an ugly black spot.
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A proud heart refuses to celebrate the good and becomes obsessed with finding a flaw.
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And that connects our powerful gospel in Luke 11.
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Jesus delivers a man from bondage, a miracle happens right in front of everyone.
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But instead of rejoicing, some people twist it and say,
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he's doing this by the power of the devil.
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These people saw freedom.
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They called it darkness.
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They labeled it evil.
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That is what pride does.
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A hardened heart starts mislabeling God's work.
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A hardened heart cannot celebrate.
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It cannot be grateful.
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It must find a flaw.
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It must poison the room.
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And here's the danger.
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When you keep calling light dark,
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you gradually lose your ability to recognize light.
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So what is the cure?
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Humility steps back and says, Lord, thank you for the 99% white.
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Humility says, before I criticize, I will pray.
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Humility says, I will be part of the solution,
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not a professional problem finder.
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Friend, discernment is very, very good.
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Synicism is a sickness.
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Correction can be very holy,
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but accusation without love is from the devil.
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So today, let's ask God to heal our eyes and our heart,
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because grateful people see grace everywhere
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and proud people see flaws everywhere.
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Here's my big question.
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Answer in the comments below.
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Tell me, what's one area
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in your life where you've been focusing
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on the black dot instead of the white canvas?
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Is it your family, is it your work, your church, ministry,
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yourself, even yourself?
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Yes, all you think about are your flaws.
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And yes, what's the one thing
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that you can thank God for today in that specific area?
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My friends, if this message blesses you
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and you want to become a supporter of our work of love,
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because we send out missionaries all over.
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We work with young people trying to bring them closer to God.
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Friends, it's very easy to be my supporter here in Facebook.
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Click the button, subscribe.
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If you're watching on YouTube, click the button, join.
4:18
And if you're listening on our podcast,
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just click the button by me, coffee.
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Your support helps us keep preaching hope
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and building communities of grace.
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Come let us pray in the name of the Father
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and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
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Lord, forgive me for the times I would focus on what is lacking,
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the flaws, instead of first of all saying thank you
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for all the blessing and all the grace and all the mercy
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and all the favor that you have shown upon me.
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Give me a grateful heart that sees what you're doing
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that recognizes grace.
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Lord, make me a builder, not a destroyer.
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I'm claiming this in Jesus' mighty name.
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Thank you once again for being my supporter.
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If you want to become my supporter, it's very easy.
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In Facebook, click the button, subscribe.
5:20
In YouTube, click the button, join.
5:22
Or in a podcast, click the button by me, a coffee.
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This is Bo Sanchez here in Fulton.
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God bless you and I will see you tomorrow.
5:33
Hey, thank you so much for being part of this podcast
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by listening, by subscribing, and by commenting,
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and sharing this podcast to your friends.
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It will make our work grow.
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And God's love will spread to many more people.
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You can also click that link that says buy me coffee.
5:56
If you want to support our work of love, we do a lot of work
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that is sending out missionaries, helping the poorest of the poor,
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sharing God's love to young people.
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Maraming, maraming salamat for your support and for your kindness.
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God reward you for your generosity.
