January 21 – Wake Up, Ants Are Winning

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Welcome to Bible Chat, where we
have devotional conversations

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rooted in Scripture and relevant
for today, January 21st.

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Wake up, ants are winning.
It’s way too easy to hit snooze

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on your alarm, on your
responsibilities, and sometimes

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even on your purpose.
You tell yourself you’ll get

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serious tomorrow, start that
assignment later, pray more next

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week, or take life seriously
when things calm down.

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But later has a habit of
slipping away.

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Before you know it, days pass,
opportunities shrink, and

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motivation feels harder to find.
That’s why Proverbs chapter 6

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feels almost funny and painfully
honest.

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God says go to the Ant.
Oh sluggard, consider her ways

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and be wise.
Of all the creatures God could

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use as an example, he chooses
ants.

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Ants don’t wait for motivation.
They don’t need supervision.

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No one has to remind them what
to do.

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They work while they can.
They prepare ahead of time.

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They move with purpose, even
though they’re small.

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And God says that’s wisdom.
Laziness isn’t always about

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doing nothing.
Sometimes it’s about delaying

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what matters.
It’s putting off growth,

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discipline, and obedience until
it feels urgent or comfortable.

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Proverbs warns that when we live
that way, LAX sneaks up on us

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quietly.
Not always just financially, but

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spiritually, emotionally, and
relationally.

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We wake up one day realizing
we’ve fallen behind in places

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that really matter.
But here’s the grace filled side

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of today’s message.
Matthew chapter 18 shows us

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God’s heart toward people who
drift.

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Jesus says it’s not the will of
the Father that even 1 little

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one should perish.
He tells the story of a shepherd

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who leaves 99 sheep just to go
after one that wandered off.

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That means God doesn’t give up
on you when you’re unmotivated,

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distracted, or falling behind.
He doesn’t label you as a lost

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’cause He comes looking for you.
Put those two truths together

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and something powerful emerges.
God values you deeply, and

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because you matter, how you live
matters.

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You’re not called to drift
through life waiting to be

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pushed.
You’re called to rise up, take

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responsibility, and live with
intention.

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Like the Ant, you can choose to
prepare instead of

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procrastinate, to act instead of
delay, and to grow even when no

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one is watching.
You don’t work hard to earn

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God’s love.
You work hard because you

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already have it.
And when you understand how much

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you matter to Him, you stop
wasting time and start living on

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purpose.
Today isn’t about shame.

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It’s about waking up to who you
are and what you’re capable of.

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With God’s help, let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, thank you for

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loving me even when I’ve been
distracted, unmotivated, or slow

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to act.
Help me learn from the Ant and

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grow into someone who lives with
discipline, purpose, and wisdom.

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Remind me that my life matters
to You and that You’ve given me

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today for a reason.
Give me the strength to rise up,

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take responsibility and honor
you and how I live each day in

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Jesus name, Amen.
What if the ache you feel for

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more is actually God calling you
deeper?

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Thirst for God is a powerful
Seven book prayer scripts series

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inspired by Psalm 63, created
for believers who refuse to live

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on spiritual leftovers.
This is a journey from longing

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to encounter, from dryness to
delight.

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Seek teaches you how to pursue
God with passion and

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intentionality.
Savor trains your heart to

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recognize and enjoy His presence
in every season.

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See opens your spiritual eyes to
God’s power, glory and beauty at

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work in your life.
Satisfy leads your soul into

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fullness, strength and deep
contentment in Him alone.

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Sing ignites joy, gratitude, and
worship that rises naturally

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from intimacy with God.
Stay anchors your heart in

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steadfast devotion when
distractions try to pull you

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away, and Stand equips you to
remain firm in God’s justice,

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protection, and victory.
With over 210 prophetic

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Scripture anchored prayers, this
series helps you cultivate daily

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communion, personal revival, and
a lifestyle of holy pursuit.

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If you’re spiritually hungry,
weary, or simply longing for

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more of God, this is your
invitation to drink deeply.

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Order Thirst for God on Amazon
today or visit prayerscripts.org

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and begin your journey into
deeper intimacy with the God who

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satisfies.
Now I invite you to spend time

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with God in today’s three-year
Bible reading plan.

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Proverbs chapter 6, verses 6 to
11 World English Bible.

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Go to the Ant, you, Sluggard,
consider her ways and be wise,

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which, having no chief overseer
or ruler, provides her bread in

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the summer and gathers her food
in the harvest.

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How long will you sleep,
sluggard?

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When will you arise out of your
sleep?

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A little sleep, a little
slumber, a little folding of the

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hands to sleep?
So your poverty will come as a

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robber, and your scarcity as an
armed man.

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Matthew Chapter 18 World English
Bible In that hour the disciples

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came to Jesus, saying, Who then
is greatest in the Kingdom of

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heaven?
Jesus called a little child to

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himself and set him in the
middle of them, and said, Most

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certainly.
I tell you, unless you turn and

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become as little children, you
will in no way enter into the

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Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever therefore humbles

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himself as this little child is
the greatest in the Kingdom of

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heaven.
Whoever receives one such little

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child in my name receives me.
But whoever causes one of these

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little ones who believe in Me to
stumble, it would be better for

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him if a huge millstone were
hung around his neck, and that

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he were sunk in the depths of
the sea.

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Woe to the world because of
occasions of stumbling, for it

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must be that the occasions come,
but woe to that person through

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whom the occasion comes.
If your hand or your foot causes

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you to stumble, cut it off and
cast it from you.

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It is better for you to enter
into life maimed or crippled,

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rather than having two hands or
two feet to be cast into the

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eternal fire.
If your eye causes you to

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stumble, pluck it out and cast
it from you.

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It is better for you to enter
into life with one eye rather

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than having two eyes to be cast
into the Gehenna of fire.

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See that you don’t despise one
of these little ones, for I tell

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you that in heaven their angels
always see the face of my Father

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who is in heaven.
For the Son of Man came to save

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that which was lost.
What do you think?

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If a man has 100 sheep and one
of them goes astray, doesn’t he

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leave the 99, go to the
mountains, and seek that which

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has gone astray?
If he finds it, most certainly,

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I tell you, he rejoices over it
more than over the 99 which have

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not gone astray.
Even so, it is not the will of

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your Father, who is in heaven,
that one of these little ones

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should perish.
If your brother sins against

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you, go show him his fault
between you and him alone.

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If he listens to you, you have
gained back your brother, but if

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he doesn’t listen, take one or
two more with you, that at the

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mouth of two or three witnesses
every word may be established.

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If he refuses to listen to them,
tell it to the assembly.

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If he refuses to hear the
assembly also, let him be to you

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as a Gentile or a tax collector.
Most certainly, I tell you,

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whatever things you bind on
earth will have been bound in

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heaven, and whatever things you
release on earth will have been

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released in heaven again.
Assuredly I tell you that if 2

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of you will agree on earth
concerning anything that they

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will ask, it will be done for
them by My Father who is in

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heaven.
For where two or three are

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gathered together in My name,
there I am in the middle of

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them.
Then Peter came and said to him,

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Lord, how often shall my brother
sin against me, and I forgive

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him?
Until 7 times.

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Jesus said to him, I don’t tell
you until 7 times, but until 70

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* 7.
Therefore the Kingdom of heaven

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is like a certain king who
wanted to settle accounts with

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his servants.
When he had begun to settle, one

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was brought to him who owed him
10,000 talents, but because he

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couldn’t pay, his Lord commanded
him to be sold with his wife,

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his children and all that he had
and payment to be made.

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The servant therefore fell down
and knelt before him saying,

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Lord, have patience with me and
I will repay you all.

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The Lord of that servant, being
moved with compassion, released

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him and forgave him the debt.
But that servant went out and

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found one of his fellow servants
who owed him 100 denarii, and he

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grabbed him and took him by the
throat, saying, Pay me what you

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owe.
So his fellow servant fell down

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at his feet and begged him,
saying, Have patience with me,

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and I will repay you.
He would not, but went and cast

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him into prison until he should
pay back that which was due.

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So when his fellow servants saw
what was done, they were

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exceedingly sorry and came and
told their Lord all that was

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done.
Then his Lord called him in and

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said to him, You wicked servant,
I forgave you all that debt

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because you begged me.
Shouldn’t you also have had

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mercy on your fellow servant?
Even as I had mercy on you?

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His Lord was angry and delivered
him to the tormentors until he

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should pay all that was due to
him.

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So my Heavenly Father will also
do to you if you don’t each

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forgive your brother from your
hearts for his misdeeds.

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Thanks for joining us on Bible
Chat, where Scripture meets

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everyday life.
If today’s devotional encouraged

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you, share it with a friend and
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you won’t miss the next
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Until next time, stay rooted in
truth, anchored in hope, and

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walking daily with Jesus.