No Kool-Aid: Intro: Living in Babylon Without Drinking the Kool-Aid

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Welcome to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast, where we pray bold prayers,

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walk in bold faith, and expect a bold God to show up.

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I'm your host, Connie Morris, and we open every episode with the same unshakable

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confidence Jabez had in 1 Chronicles 4.10.

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Lord, bless me indeed, enlarge my territory, let your hand be with me,

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keep me from evil, and keep me from causing pain. And the Bible says,

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God granted his request.

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So if you're here today, get ready, because we're praying big,

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believing big, and walking in everything God promised. Let's begin.

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Hello and welcome back to Diary of a Black Woman podcast. I'm your host Connie

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Morris and we're going to start a new series. It's titled Living in Babylon

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Without Drinking the Kool-Aid.

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You grew up back in the time, I think they still have them today,

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small packages of just a flavor, concentrated flavor.

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You add sugar and water to it and boom, you have what you call a sweet flavored drink.

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It's bright, it's colorful, and it's easy to make. It's very cheap,

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convenient, and pleasing to the taste.

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But behind its sugary simplicity lies a powerful metaphor, something designed

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to satisfy the flesh while offering no true nourishment to the body.

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The phrase drinking the Kool-Aid has become a warning in our culture.

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It originated from a tragic event where people blindly follow a deceptive leader,

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consuming a fatal mixture and a false promise of peace and salvation.

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It represents what happens when people surrender discernment for comfort,

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conviction for conformity and truth for trust in the wrong voices.

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That's what the Lord revealed to me. Babylon is still serving Kool-Aid,

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not in cups, but in culture, not through flavor, but through influence.

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We talk about being an influencer. And so when you believe the hype,

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and we find out that most of the time behind the influencers is a fake facade.

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We think they're live in one way, but they're living a total opposite way.

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And that's what I call drinking the Kool-Aid.

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So everyday Babylon, where we live, the US of A, our world invites God's people

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to take a sip of compromise, convenience, or corruption.

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It pours out messages that sound good, look good, and even feel good,

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but are spiritually toxic.

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It tells us to loosen our standards, lighten our prayers, and live our truth instead of God's truth.

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But Daniel and his friends showed us another way.

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When the king delicacies were placed before them, rich food,

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sweet wines, seductive comforts, they politely declined.

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Their refusal wasn't about diet, it was about devotion.

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Babylon wanted to change their appetite, identity, and allegiance,

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but they resolved not to be defiled.

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That's what this series is about.

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Learning to say no Kool-Aid for me. I.

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To not drink the Kool-Aid spiritually means refusing to internalize the lies

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that lead to defilement.

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It means staying awake when the world wants you to sleep, staying holy when

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compromise feels easier, and staying alert when deception comes disguised as truth.

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Babylon cup is still full, full of pride, pleasure, polluted wisdom.

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It's sweet on the tongue, but bitter to the soul.

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Yet God is raising up a remnant like Daniel, believers who can live in Babylon

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without becoming Babylon.

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Who can work in secular systems without losing spiritual sensitivity,

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and who can be surrounded by darkness without letting it dim their light.

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This devotional series will help you recognize the spiritual Kool-Aid being

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poured around you and within you.

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The subtle deceptions that dull convictions, normalize sins,

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and replace truth with tolerance.

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Each chapter, each day, each episode will show how Daniel and his friends not

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only resisted, but thrived in the world determined to reshape them.

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You don't have to bow to Babylon's idols or sip from its cup to survive.

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You can walk in purity, power, and peace, even amid chaos. So before we begin

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our episode, I want you to make this declaration with me.

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Say, Lord, I refuse the cup of compromise.

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I choose your truth over their trend. And I will live in Babylon without drinking the Kool-Aid.

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What is the history of Babylon?

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I want to give you a little background about this ancient spirit that's still around today. Today.

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So Babylon is more than an ancient empire mentioned in scripture.

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It's a spiritual system that still shapes our culture today.

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It represents the mindset, the

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values, and influences that stand in direct opposition to God's kingdom.

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Babylon is the world's attempt to build success, identity, and purpose without God.

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From the Tower of Babel in Genesis to the empire that enslaved Daniel,

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and finally to the Babylon of Revelation, the message is the same. We don't need God.

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We can define truth for ourselves. That's the spirit of Babylon.

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Pride wrapped in progress, sin dressed in sophistication, and deception disguised as enlightenment.

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It seeks to train believers to think like the world, live like the world,

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and worship what the world worships.

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Babylon teaches believers to blend in, to trade prayer for performance,

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and to replace God's standards with man's approval.

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So how does that look in today's culture?

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You know, let's take a moment here.

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So modern Babylon isn't a place, it's a pattern.

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It shows up in entertainment that glorifies rebellion, in institutions that

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redefine morality, and even in churches that serve watered-down doctrine in the name of relevance.

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It's the system that says truth is what feels right. Holiness is outdated.

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Everyone's doing it, so it must be okay. Babylon still rewards those who conform

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and ridicule those who stand apart.

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It still renames God's people, trying to erase their identity and rebrand them with worldly titles.

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It changes appetites, feeding the mind with endless content,

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but starving the soul of conviction.

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But here's the good news. God has always preserved a remnant.

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Men and women like Daniel who remain undefiled. They don't escape Babylon, they endure it.

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They walk through systems of deception while standing on the foundation of truth.

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Their power isn't in isolation. It is in intimacy with God.

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Their influence isn't through imitation. It's through integrity.

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Daniel's story proves that God doesn't need to remove you from Babylon to bless you.

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He can elevate you within it. You can thrive in a world that's collapsing because

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your anchor is in a kingdom that cannot be shaken.

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Babylon may try to rename you, retrain you, and redefine you,

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but you were born for distinction, not assimilation.

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You were called to live in Babylon, not of it, to influence the world without

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being influenced by it, to stand in truth when the crowd vows to deception.

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So as you begin this series, keep this truth close to your heart.

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The goal is not to escape, it's endurance.

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The test is not survival, it's sanctification, And the reward is not recognition, it's revelation.

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You can live in Babylon, work in Babylon, even serve in Babylon,

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and remain pure before God. You just...

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Must know, must know when to say Kool-Aid for me.

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So let's talk about what type of Kool-Aid that's being served in Babylon.

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You know, we got to recognize it.

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A Babylon table is always open and its menu is full of temptation that looks

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refreshing, but leads to spiritual dehydration.

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It doesn't force you to drink.

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It entices you to drink. Each cup represents a mindset or habit that dulls discernment

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and makes holiness seem optional.

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Below is the menu of deception. Babylon still serves today.

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Familiar flavors mixed with spiritual poison. The question isn't what's on the

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table, it's whether you would drink from it.

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I made up some punches, and let's see which punch you may have been trying or

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maybe you want to put it down.

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We have what you call pride punch, the main ingredient, and pride punch is self-worship,

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disguised as self-confident.

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Flavor profiles sweet at first, but leaves a bitter aftertaste of comparison and competition.

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Served with you don't need God, believe in yourself.

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And spiritual consequence is blinds the heart to humility and dependence on God.

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Proverbs 16, 18 tells us that pride goes before destruction and a hiding spirit before a fall.

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The next one is called greed great. The main ingredient in this punch is love

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of money disguises motivation.

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Flavor profile is fizzy success with no satisfaction, served with chase the

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bag no matter the cost, and spiritual consequence substitutes contentment with constant craving.

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Matthew 6.21 tells us, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

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Number three, image ice. The main ingredient in image ice is identity confusion

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disguised as self-expression.

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Flavor profile, cold, trendy, and ever-changing.

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It's served with, be who you feel, not who made you.

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Spiritual consequence, it distorts God-given identity and replaces purpose with performance.

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Romans 12, 2 tells us, do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be ye transformed.

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Number four, tolerance, tea. The main ingredient here is compromise disguised as compassion.

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The flavor profile, smooth and soothing, but numbs conviction.

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It's served with, don't judge, all truth, all truth are valid.

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Spiritual consequences replaces discernment with deception and holiness with niceness.

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Isaiah 520 tells us, woe to those who call evil good and good evil.

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Number five, popularity punch.

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The main ingredient here is approval addiction disguised as influence.

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Flavor profiles sweet and sparkly, phase quickly when applause ends.

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Served with say what people like, not what God says.

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Spiritual consequence trades truth for trends and integrity for attention.

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John 12, 43 tells us that they love the praise of men more than the praise of God. Let's go on.

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Gossip grape. This is a punch, flavor punch. The main ingredient here is entertainment

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of evil disguised as concern.

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The flavor profile is juicy, easy to share, leave a stain that's hard to wash away.

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It's served with, I'm just keeping it real, spiritual consequence,

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pollution, pollutes the mouth.

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That should be used for prayer. Ephesians 4.29 tells us, let no corrupt communication

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proceed out of your mouth.

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The lay drink, the main ingredient here, is distraction disguised as preparation.

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The flavor profile is lukewarm, comfortable, familiar, non-threatening.

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It's served with, I'll obey God later.

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The spiritual consequences waste divine timing and withers destiny.

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2 Corinthians 6.2 tells us, now is the time of God's favor. Today is the day of salvation.

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Number eight, religious raspberry. The main ingredient is ritual disguised as relationship.

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Flavor profile is tart and bitter, keeps you busy but empty.

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It's served with, check the box, not the heart.

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Spiritual consequences produces spiritual burnout without breakthrough.

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Timothy, 2 Timothy 3, 5 reads, having a form of godliness, but denying its power.

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Number nine, desperate drink. Main ingredient is hopelessness disguised as humility.

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The flavor profile is heavy, dark, and numbing. Serve with, maybe this is just your faith.

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Silent, spiritual consequences is silence's faith and question's vision.

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Psalms 42.11 tells us, why are you cast down, oh my soul? Hope in God.

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And the last Kool-Aid flavor is

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Compromise Cooler. The main ingredient is blending in disguise as balance.

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Flavor profile, smooth, easygoing, no conviction, aftertaste.

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Serve with you can love God and still live like Babylon.

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Babylon. Spiritual consequences slowly erodes holiness and blurs boundaries.

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2 Corinthians 6, 17 tells us to come out from among them and be ye separate.

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Your alternate drink to all those flavors is living water.

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John 4, 14 tells us whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.

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The only antidote to Babylon Kool-Aid is the living water that comes from Jesus Christ.

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It refreshes without deception, cleanses without dilution, and fills without failing.

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Drink deeply, daily, and discerningly. Declaration, I refuse the flavor of compromise.

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I drink only from the cup of Christ, the living water that satisfies the soul,

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standing strong in a world that wants you to sip.

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How do you resist all those exciting flavors for just water?

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Every generation has its Babylon.

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It may not look like a golden statue or a fiery furnace, but it comes with the

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same invitation to bow, blend in, and believe what everyone else believes.

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For Daniel and his friends, Babylon was an empire of influence.

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Wealth, culture, and powerful.

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It didn't destroy its captives by force. It seduced them through comfort.

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Babylon didn't start with change. It started with charm.

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It gave new names, new food, new education, all designed to make God's people

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forget who they were and whom they served. Sounds familiar?

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Today's Bama Law doesn't change your name. It changes your narrative.

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It reshapes identity through media, politics, music, and even church trends

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that elevate popularity over purity.

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It conditions believers to blend,

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rather than stand out, to drink

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from the world's cup of compromise rather than God's wealth of truth.

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But Daniel's story reminds us that you can live in Babylon without becoming of Babylon.

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He didn't need to escape the system to honor God. He learned how to stay pure in it.

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As long as he wasn't loud, it was lived. His power wasn't political, it was spiritual.

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His influence did not come from fitting in. It came from standing out.

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So that's what living in Babylon without drinking a Kool-Aid is all about.

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Learning how to live, work, and

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thrive in a culture that constantly offers deception and colorful cups.

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The modern Babylon around you.

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Babylon is wherever truth is twisted, worship is redirected,

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or faith is filtered through fear.

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It is the entertainment that glorifies sin, education that erases God,

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politics that define morality, and religion that replaces power with performance.

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The danger isn't just outside the church, it's inside the heart.

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That's why this devotional was helped to build discernment, not just to see

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Babylon, but to resist becoming Babylon.

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Some things that you're going to learn through this devotional by following

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David, not David, Daniel.

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You'll learn how to make holy decisions in unholy environments,

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how to guard your appetite when the world offers easy indulgence,

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how to pray under pressure and stay steady under scrutiny,

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how to walk in integrity when compromise feels convenient, and how to lead without losing your life.

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Why did I choose Daniel? Because Daniel shows us that discipline is the secret of distinction.

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When he refused the king's food.

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He wasn't being difficult. He was being devoted.

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When he prayed three times a day, he wasn't showing off. He was staying connected.

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And when he stood before kings, it wasn't by chance.

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It was because he stayed faithful when no one was watching.

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Daniel lived through four kings, three administration, one lion's den,

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but he never lost his witness.

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That's the kind of strength God is cultivating in you.

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A Babylon-proof faith that doesn't dissolve under pressure. This is more than just a podcast.

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It's a disciplined discipleship journey. Each chapter, each daily episode will

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uncover a layer of Babylon influence and equip you with biblical tools to resist it.

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By the end, you'll not only recognize what Babylon is serving,

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you'll know how to say no and live in the power of yes to God.

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This is your Daniel season.

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God is calling you to distinction, not dilution, to stand when others bow,

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to refuse when others sip, to live in Babylon without drinking the Kool-Aid.

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So grab your Bible, your journal, your resolve.

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We're about to walk through fire, face lions, and interpret the times.

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But through it all, we'll discover what God's truth is.

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It is still undefeated. And so I'll see you on the next episode where we will start episode one.

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It's called Exile But Not Erased, and we'll be taking it from Daniel chapter

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one, verses one through four.

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So I'll see you on the next episode.

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Family, thank you for spending this time with me today. To every woman listening

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who has ever felt hidden, overlooked, or pushed aside, I want you to hear me clearly.

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God has not forgotten you, and neither have I.

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That's why I moved everything to our new home on pod page, so you would have

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one place to connect with me, read the devotionals, listen to the podcast,

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and reach out whenever you need to.

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If you want to leave me a message, send an email, or simply find encouragement,

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it's all there at diaryofablackwomanllc.com.

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And if this podcast has blessed you and you want to support the work I'm doing,

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you'll find a buy me, a coffee link on the site as well.

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No pressure, just love and community. Before we leave, I want to speak the word

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that I close with every time because somebody needs this reminder today.

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It comes from Jeremiah 29 11 14.

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I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and

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not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future, then you will call upon

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me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you.

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You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

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I will be found by you, declares the Lord.

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Beloved, God has a plan for your life, a real one, a good one,

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and as long as you keep seeking him, you will find him even from the hidden places.

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I love you. I'm praying for you, and I'll meet you next time.