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Should not be the case. 
Many siblings are divided 

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because of the strife they 
caused each other, because 

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they're constantly arguing and 
pulling each other apart. 

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Sometimes siblings know they 
love each other, but they never 

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show it because they're 
constantly fighting and pulling 

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each other apart. 
If you're there in Proverbs 

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chapter 3, we'll read verse 30. 
It says strive not with a man 

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without cause if he have done 
the no harm. 

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And it clearly says here in 
Proverbs 330, we shouldn't 

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strive against each other. 
So why shouldn't we strive? 

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What even is strife? 
Is strife ever good? 

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Well, I plan to look at these 
questions in my message here 

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today. 
As you might have guessed, the 

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topic I'll be dealing with is 
avoiding strife. 

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The title of my message is 
simply how to avoid strife. 

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Let's pray and we'll get in the 
message here today. 

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Your father thing for this day. 
Thank you all for the lunch 

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we're able to have. 
Thank you. 

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They're able to meet in this 
building here today. 

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I pray that a message will 
encourage people and that we'll 

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all be able to get something out
of this. 

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And I pray that you give us a 
good rest of the day today. 

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And Jesus name. 
The first point I have for you 

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here today is what is strife? 
Well, to answer that question, 

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turn your Bibles to Galatians 
chapter 5. 

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I'll be reading verse 19 in a 
few seconds here, but strife is 

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usually arguing or verbal 
fighting if you will, which 

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could even lead to physical 
fighting. 

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But it's always caused by pride 
and anger and bitterness are 

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major factors in causing strife.
But it's all it's a pride issue 

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glaze if you're there in 
Galatians 5 it says in verse 19.

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Now the works of the flesh are 
made manifest. 

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Which are these? 
Adultery, fornication, 

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uncleanness, lasciviousness, 
idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, 

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variance, emulations. 
Which means jealousy, wrath, 

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strife, seditions, heresies, 
envyings, murders, junketness, 

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revelings and such like of the 
witch. 

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I tell you before, as I've told 
you in time past, that they 

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which do such things shall not 
inherit the Kingdom of God. 

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Notice in verse 20 that God 
takes strife very seriously. 

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We can tell that he takes strife
very seriously because he 

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includes it with such. 
What more major sins, if you 

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will, such as adultery, 
fornication, murder, idolatry, 

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and witchcraft. 
And so the answer to what strife

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is, is it's a sin. 
He calls it a work of the flesh 

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in verse 19. 
The work of the flesh is simply 

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a sin because when we're when we
sin, we're in the flesh and not 

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in the spirit of God. 
We shouldn't take part in strife

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because if we're saved, we 
should be trying to act as God 

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acts. 
We should act in the spirit and 

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not as the old man. 
That and the flesh. 

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We should act as the new man. 
And since we're saved, we should

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constantly be trying to be more 
like Christ. 

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So we've talked about what 
strife is. 

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Let's look at #2. 
How do we strive? 

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Well, we argue. 
Happens a lot between brothers 

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and sisters. 
They're constantly arguing, and 

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arguing is more one of the more 
common striving techniques, if 

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you will. 
But here, here's some reasons 

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why a argument might start. 
Somebody always has to be right 

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or maybe maybe they don't always
always have to be right, but 

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they can never be wrong. 
They can never admit to being 

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wrong. 
They always have to be right. 

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And that's a pride, an issue of 
pride. 

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Another thing somebody can't 
lose. 

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I'm not good at losing, 
especially when it comes to 

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Alex. 
But because he's younger than me

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and I always, I feel I always 
have to do better than he does. 

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But it's an it's another thing 
that can cause strife and 

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argument and that's that's not 
good. 

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But those are things that we 
should try to avoid. 

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Constant arguing between people 
is not good because we'll it'll 

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pull people, friends, family 
members, siblings especially. 

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It'll pull them apart. 
We also another way of how we 

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strive is we might fight 
physically. 

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That's not good when it's caused
by strife. 

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If you're out in the yard with 
your brother and you're 

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wrestling it to have a good 
time, then that's fine. 

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But if you're taking out your 
strife and your feelings on 

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them, on your brother by 
punching him or something else, 

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using it as a punching bag. 
And that's not good either, 

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especially when it's caused by 
strife. 

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So we've talked about what 
strife is, how we strive. 

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Let's look at #3. 
Why do we strive? 

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Well, number one, we're human. 
We're only human. 

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We're not perfect and never will
be because only God is perfect 

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when we will only be perfect 
when we get to heaven and have 

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our glorified bodies. 
Since we're imperfect, we will 

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strive. 
It's it's kind of a fact of life

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almost. 
But however, imperfection is not

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an excuse to strive. 
We should always be trying to be

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perfect, even though we never 
will be until we get to heaven. 

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Striving is a sin that's caused 
by pride and since we are 

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sinners we have the tendency to 
strive. 

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Proverbs 13 cents says only by 
pride come with contention, but 

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with the well advised is wisdom.
Verse Timothy 6, three and four 

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says, if any man teach otherwise
and consent not to wholesome 

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words, even the words of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, and to the 

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doctrine which is according to 
godliness, He verse four is the 

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key. 
To this he is proud, knowing 

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nothing but doting upon 
questions and strifes of words, 

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whereof cometh, envy, strife, 
railings, and evil surmiving 

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surmisings. 
The key what it says there is 

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that if you're proud, that's 
what will cause strife, because 

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it says at the end whereof 
cometh, envy, strife, railings, 

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evil surmisings. 
The another reason of why do we 

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strive, we given to the 
temptation to strive. 

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When you're feeling weak 
spiritually and physically, 

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that's when the devil will most 
likely tempt you to strive. 

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That meaning if your brother or 
sister comes along and they say 

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something that is obnoxious or 
they can start, that would start

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an argument. 
The easiest thing for you to do 

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is, given the temptation the 
devil gives you, to say 

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something right back to continue
the argument. 

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But that's not what we should 
do. 

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We should be trying to avoid 
that or not give in to the 

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temptation. 
He tempts you to strive the 

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devil, so you will sin. 
So it's a it's a sin against 

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God, but also it will cause 
discourse between you, your 

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friends, family members, 
siblings, and this ultimately 

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causes fewer things to be 
accomplished. 

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For God. 
There's because if you're not 

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working together then there's 
less things that can be 

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accomplished for God. 
May I remind you of what we read

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in Proverbs 2923? 
Says a man's pride shall bring 

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him low, but honor shall uphold 
the humble and spirit Our pride 

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also will give, will make us 
give in to the temptation. 

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So we need to be willing to 
swallow our pride and not give 

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in to the temptation. 
So we've talked about what 

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strife is, how we strive, why we
strive. 

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And now #4. 
I'd like to ask another 

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question. 
Is strife ever good? 

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Well, for the answer to that 
question, turn to Philippians 

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chapter one. 
It should be just a few books 

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over if you're still in 
Galatians and Paul is talking to

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the Philippians. 
Here he says he's talking about 

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how we should fight against the 
world, says in Philippians one 

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verse 27 only let your 
conversation be as it becometh 

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the gospel of Christ, that 
whether I come and see you or 

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else be absent, I may hear of 
your affairs, that you stand 

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fast in one spirit, with one 
mind, striving together for the 

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faith of the gospel. 
Well, in this verse it says that

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it's good to strive for the 
faith of the gospel. 

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This means we must strive 
against what the world has at 

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what what the world is pushing 
so we can continue serving 

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Christ and that we can give the 
gospel to more people. 

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So is strife good? 
Sometimes, yes, when you're 

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striving against the world to 
further the gospel of Christ, 

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But if you're striving against 
each other, that's when it's not

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good. 
And this brings me to my last 

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point and really the entire 
point of the message, which is 

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how can you avoid strife? 
Well, number one, you can think 

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before you speak. 
Thinking about what you say 

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before you say it can can stop 
many arguments before they ever 

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start. 
Stop arguments while they're 

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going even. 
And like I said earlier, arguing

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is one of the most common 
tactics of strife. 

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And again, many arguments could 
be stopped if if you just think 

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about what you're saying before 
you say, if you think of 

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something obnoxious to say or 
just to get under somebody's 

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skin or did that would start an 
argument, then just think about 

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it and either say something 
nicer or and. 

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And again, thinking before 
speaking doesn't always mean 

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that you have to say something 
wiser or better kinder than what

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you were going to say. 
It can just mean not saying 

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anything at all. 
And so #1 we can think before we

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speak. 
Another way of how we can avoid 

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strife is not to give into the 
temptation to strive. 

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This is definitely easier said 
than done. 

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But what it says in First 
Corinthians 10/13 it says here 

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there have no temptation taken 
you, but such as is common to 

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man. 
But God is faithful who will not

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suffer you to be tempted. 
Above that you're able but will 

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with the temptation also make a 
way to escape that you may be 

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able to bear it. 
This pastor clearly states that 

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when Satan tempts us to strive, 
God will help us to not fall to 

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the temptation so we have. 
Don't give into the temptation 

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to strive thinking before you 
speak. 

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I was ways to avoid strife and 
#3 try to get into the habit of 

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complimenting each other and 
saying positive things to each 

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other instead of things that 
will start arguments or be 

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obnoxious. 
This especially is for brothers 

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and sisters because they're 
always seems like they're always

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trying to get under somebody 
else's skin or start an 

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00:10:04,110 --> 00:10:06,070
argument. 
Something like that. 

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If I say Riley, your hair looks 
nice today. 

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00:10:08,110 --> 00:10:13,420
Alex, your tie looks nice today.
Levi, your suit coat looks nice 

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00:10:13,420 --> 00:10:17,460
today. 
These are if you get into the 

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habit of complementing each 
other, then that will your 

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00:10:20,820 --> 00:10:26,700
strife will cease because 
there's there's less things to 

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00:10:26,700 --> 00:10:28,500
strive over. 
And if you're constantly being 

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00:10:28,500 --> 00:10:30,940
nice. 
Except to Alex, except I 

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00:10:30,940 --> 00:10:34,060
couldn't find anything. 
But anyway, if you're constantly

194
00:10:34,060 --> 00:10:36,820
being nice to each other, then 
your strife should cease because

195
00:10:37,100 --> 00:10:42,480
there's nothing to strive over. 
Last thing, a voice you can 

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00:10:42,480 --> 00:10:45,280
avoid strife, is admit that 
you're wrong. 

197
00:10:45,880 --> 00:10:48,640
Strife, but like I said before, 
is caused by pride. 

198
00:10:48,920 --> 00:10:52,160
It's caused when someone has too
much pride and will not admit to

199
00:10:52,160 --> 00:10:54,680
being wrong. 
We need to be willing to admit 

200
00:10:54,680 --> 00:10:59,120
that we're wrong sometimes. 
Sometimes you're you are saying 

201
00:10:59,120 --> 00:11:00,640
something. 
It could be the simplest thing, 

202
00:11:00,640 --> 00:11:05,560
but you won't won't admit that 
you're wrong if somebody says, 

203
00:11:05,560 --> 00:11:07,480
oh, that's not right, this is. 
This is actually what it is. 

204
00:11:07,480 --> 00:11:09,630
But you say no, this is what it 
is. 

205
00:11:09,630 --> 00:11:13,670
But anyway, so we need to be 
willing to admit they're wrong. 

206
00:11:13,670 --> 00:11:16,670
In closing, I'd like to remind 
you that strife, again, is 

207
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caused by pride. 
If we can swallow our pride, 

208
00:11:18,830 --> 00:11:22,510
even if we want to start an 
argument, say something 

209
00:11:22,510 --> 00:11:26,830
obnoxious and just in general 
strife, your strife will cease. 

210
00:11:27,190 --> 00:11:30,030
If you can swallow your pride, 
your life will be much more 

211
00:11:30,030 --> 00:11:31,430
happy. 
Because if you're doing the 

212
00:11:31,430 --> 00:11:34,790
right thing and not causing 
strife or taking part in strife,

213
00:11:34,790 --> 00:11:37,630
then everyone around you will 
see that and they'll want the 

214
00:11:37,630 --> 00:11:42,590
same thing you have and and and 
there there will be less things 

215
00:11:42,590 --> 00:11:45,030
to strive over. 
I hope this message was an 

216
00:11:45,030 --> 00:11:48,030
encouragement and reminder to 
you, and I hope that everyone 

217
00:11:48,030 --> 00:11:49,630
was able to get something out of
this today. 

218
00:11:49,630 --> 00:11:53,790
I certainly did, especially 
looking at the passages and 

219
00:11:53,790 --> 00:11:57,630
studying for this message. 
But let's pray and we'll be done

220
00:11:57,630 --> 00:11:59,510
here today. 
Dear Father, thanks for this 

221
00:11:59,510 --> 00:12:01,830
day. 
I pray that you'd help everyone 

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00:12:01,830 --> 00:12:03,630
here to have gotten something 
out of this. 

223
00:12:03,630 --> 00:12:07,460
And I pray that you give us a 
good rest of the day, and thank 

224
00:12:07,460 --> 00:12:09,100
you for all the things to do for
us in Jesus name. 

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00:12:09,100 --> 00:12:11,820
Amen. 
Amen. 

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00:12:11,820 --> 00:12:15,620
Good reminder. 
You know, a lot of times he, he 

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focused a lot on on on younger 
people and siblings and 

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everything else. 
But that's that's exactly what 

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happens in a church. 
Often, too, our pride gets in 

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the way. 
We can't admit that we're wrong.

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We say something to somebody 
without thinking about it first 

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and the next thing you know, 
there's there's division within 

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a church and it'll destroy a 
family. 

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To destroy a church, it's 
destroyed our nation. 

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You can see that just by seeing 
what's going on in our world 

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today, right? 
But good reminder, let's go 

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ahead and stand at our seats and
with our heads.