Preparing for the Beast: Ep.6: Community as Resistance

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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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Welcome back to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast. I'm your host,

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Connie Morris, and we are continuing our series, Preparing for the Beast,

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Spiritual Readiness in the Age of Control.

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In the last episodes, we talked about surveillance, digital systems,

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and the growing pressures shaping our world.

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Today, we are shifting the focus from fear to faith in action because God has

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already given his people a strategy for seasons of pressure,

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exclusion, and cultural change.

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That strategy is community.

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Today, episode six is titled Community and Fellowship, a Countercultural Response.

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So as technology advances and society becomes more dependent on digital systems,

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there is a real possibility that believers who refuse to compromise their faith

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could be pushed to the margins.

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Systems built on surveillance, compliance, and digital identity may one day

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create barriers for those who choose obedience to Christ over conformity to the world.

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But scripture shows us something powerful. The church has already thrived as

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a counter-cultural community.

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So this is nothing new to God.

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We see in Acts 2, believers shared life, resources, meals, prayer, and encouragement.

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In Romans 12, we are called to practice hospitality and meet the needs of the saints.

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Long before modern systems existed, God designed his people to be a support

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network, a refuge, and a family for one another.

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So today we're talking about how Christian fellowship becomes resistance.

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How the community becomes provision, and how the church becomes a sanctuary

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and a system that may one day exclude us.

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This episode isn't about panic.

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It's about preparation through love, unity, and the biblical fellowship.

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Because when the world builds systems of control, God builds communities of care.

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Let's talk about it. The growing divide between secular and Christian values.

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In an age where surveillance and data control are advancing,

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this is a real possibility that Christians who resist the worldly system might

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be marginalized or excluded from societal participation.

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Technologies such as facial recognition, biometrics, and digital identities

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are becoming increasingly central to how society operates,

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creating an environment in which individuals who refuse to comply with these

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technologies may be excluded from essential services.

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Digital exclusion. In a cashless society,

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Christians who refuse to adopt centralized digital currency systems or participate

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in government-mandated biometric systems might be excluded from basic economic participation.

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This could extend to things like buying food, receiving medical care,

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or even traveling if they don't comply with the digital system. An ethical dilemma.

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Christians may face situations where the use of digital surveillance is in direct

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conflict with their faith.

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For example, refusing to comply with a social credit system or opting out of

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surveillance-driven commercial behavior tracking may result in financial sacrifice,

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loss of access to goods and services, or even social isolation.

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This podcast is set to not make you afraid, but to prepare you.

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If you know what's coming, you can prepare, right?

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You can actually make a decision just like Daniel did.

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He resolved not to eat the food, not to believe in their gods.

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And God showed up in supernatural ways in his life.

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And I believe that as we as Christians begin to make that same resolve in our

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life, that God will show up in our life in supernatural ways.

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I'm excited because this is the opportunity where we can see God do what he does best.

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You know, when we're so, what do you call it? We're so programmed to use all

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the systems in the world, right?

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No one's saying nothing. Christians can use the internet, so can non-Christian.

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But there's gonna come a time when a decision has to be made where there's gonna

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be a cutoff, where you are going to make a decision or they're going to make

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a decision because you made the decision that I will not follow your God.

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I will not bow to your golden idol.

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And what happens after that?

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That's why it's so important to have a church community. The church, by its very nature,

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has always been a countercultural community that exists to provide support,

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encouragement, and accountability for those who choose to live by the values of God's kingdom.

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Value that often conflicts with the surrounding culture.

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42 to 47 provides us with a glimpse into the early church communal life.

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Believers came together regularly for teaching, fellowship, and sharing their resources.

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They devoted themselves to the apostles, teaching and to fellowship,

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to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.

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All the believers were together and had everything in common.

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That's the expectation of survival, of enduring.

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It's not alone, but in fellowship with other believers.

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Romans 12.13 calls believers to share with the Lord people who are in need and

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practice hospitality as societal system began to exclude believers from their faith.

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The church will be called upon to serve as a place of refuge,

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providing both spiritual and material support for those who resist conformity to the world system.

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Let's continue. Revelation 13 and the power to control economic participation.

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Revelation 13, 16-17.

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The beast system is described as forcing all people to receive a mark that determines

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whether they can buy or sell.

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This mark of the beast, excuse me, totalitarian control over the economy,

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where loyalty to the beast is the basis for economic participation.

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Revelation 13 tells us so that they cannot buy or sell unless they had the mark,

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which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.

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This type of economic control is a form of persecution where individuals who

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refuse to align with the beast system are effectively excluded from participating

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in basic societal functions.

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I think I read that scripture in every podcast.

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There's coming a time where a mark is going to be required.

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What that mark looks like, we don't know, but it is a form of persecution if

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you do not bow to the beast.

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The Bible makes it clear that persecution for Christians will come in the form

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of being excluded from economic systems if they do not align with the governing global system.

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This could manifest in a future castor society where digital surveillance and

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compliance system determine who has access to resources based on obedience to the system.

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The church role in supporting those excluded. When you make a decision to say,

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I will not, I won't be part of that system, the beast system,

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then the church role increases. this.

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And so, like I mentioned before, what plans do you have at your church?

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Are your people going to stand or not? Because we know everybody at church is not going to stay.

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You know, some people will hide. They will probably compromise.

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But will the church be available for those who decide to stand against the beast system?

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That's the question for this part. In a world where economic exclusion is used

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as a tool of control, the church will become a vital resource for those who

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resist unbiblical systems.

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Providing for the persecuted, the early church often faced persecution and believers

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banded together to support one another.

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1 John 3.17 teaches us, If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother

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or sister in need, but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?

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The church should be a place of provision, both spiritually and spiritually.

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Materially, especially when the world seeks to shut Christians out of economic participation.

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So it has to be a place to go. The Acts church has to do the Acts church thing, right?

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Galatians 6.10 says, Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all

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people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

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This is a biblical mandate to care for one another, especially when systems

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of control try to undermine the freedom to live out our faith in the world.

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So the church will become that sanctuary place to assist those who are excluded.

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It should be a place filled with spiritual and material things.

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I don't need you to pray for me if I'm hungry. Do you have anything for me to

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eat? I don't need you to feed me if I'm spiritually tired.

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Now can you pray for me? I need to be encouraged because I have resolved myself

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to endure to the end. Have you?

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So how can Christians respond in a surveillance society?

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So as Christians, we are called to live faithfully in a world that has increasingly

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defined surveillance, behavior control, and exclusion.

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Here are some spiritual reflections on how to navigate this reality.

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I have three points. The first one is protecting our spiritual freedom.

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In a surveillance society where compliance with worldly systems can lead to

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economic exclusion or social isolation, we must remain rooted in our spiritual freedom in prize.

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John 8.36 says, If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

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No matter the oppression or exclusion we face, our freedom is found in Christ,

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and no system can take that from us.

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Romans 12.2, our foundational scripture, encourages us not to be conformed to

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the pattern of this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our mind.

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We must resist the pressure to submit to systems that conflict with God's truth

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and remain obedient to his word, trusting that he will provide for us in the midst of exclusion.

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So number one, protecting your personal, your spiritual freedom.

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Number two, discerning the impact of exclusion. Right here it says in Matthew

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6, 24, Jesus warns no one can serve two masters.

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You cannot serve both God and money. As the world moves towards an increasingly

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controlled economic system, we must discern when financial participation compromises our faith.

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Will complying with the system compromise our integrity or force us to abandon our beliefs?

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Christians must be aware of when worldly systems cross the line and become tools

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of spiritual oppression.

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Hebrews 25 reminds us not to give up meeting together as some are in the habit

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of doing, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day approaching.

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Even as the world seeks to exclude us, the church must remain a place of fellowship

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and encouragement, where we strengthen one another in the face of persecution.

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Number one, we talked about protecting our spiritual freedom.

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Two, discernment, discerning the impact of that exclusion.

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Number three, the church as a place of refuge and provision.

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As Christians, we must support one another, especially in times of economic

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persecution or exclusion.

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The church is not just a place of worship.

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It's a community of believers called to carry each other's burden.

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Galatians 6.2 We must prepare to serve as a sanctuary, spiritually,

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emotionally, and materially, for those who face exclusion because of their faith.

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Acts 4.34-35 gives us a model for this.

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There were no needy person among them.

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From time to time, those who owned land or houses sold them and brought the

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money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet.

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And it was distributed to anyone who had need.

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That's what the church did in Acts. The Acts church, I always say.

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They were willing to help each other out.

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In the face of exclusion, the church role will be to offer care,

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support, and a sense of community.

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Faith is going to be so important. It's more important today to practice it

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so when you need it, you don't have to dig from an empty tunnel, right? An empty hole.

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So as we enter an age of surveillance and social control systems seek to dominate

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personal economic freedoms, The church must remain a countercultural witness to the kingdom of God.

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While the world may try to exclude Christians from economic participation,

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we are called to stand firm in faith, knowing that God is our true provider.

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The church should be a sanctuary, a place of fellowship and support for believers

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who refuse to conform to a system of control.

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We are called to resist the pressure to compromise our faith and instead walk

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boldly in the freedom that Christ has already won for us.

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Would you like to explore practical steps for building Christian community and

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supporting one another in times of economic persecution?

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Or would you prefer a focus on navigating exclusion with biblical wisdom? What do you choose?

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You have to start now to resolve that I will not, I won't.

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I will not get the mark. I will not bow to the beast.

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It's something you have to decide now or soon.

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In our next episode, we're stepping into the conversation that we cannot ignore.

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AI, artificial intelligence and digital control, deception and manipulation.

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We'll talk about how AI is already shaping what people see, believe and value.

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How technology can be used not just for convenience, but for manipulation,

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and why spiritual discernment is more important now than ever.

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Because in a world where algorithms can shape perception, believers must be

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anchored in the truth that doesn't change.

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You don't want to miss this one. So until next time, stay rooted in the word,

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stay connected in community, And remember, and remember that Jesus is Lord.

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And 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.

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So you would have one place to connect with me, read the devotionals,

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listen to the podcast, 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 wanna 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.

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Before we leave, I wanna speak the word that I close with every time because

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somebody needs this reminder today. It comes from Jeremiah 29, 11, 14.

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

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

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upon 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. I love you.

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