Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for downloading our podcast. We enjoy spending this time with you. I hope you'll leave inspired.

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I like to start with something funny each week. I heard about this man. He got caught shoplifting at the grocery store.

He was in court and the judge said, sir, I understand you stole a can of peaches. How many peaches were in that can? He said, five, your honor.

He said, all right, I'm going to give you one week in jail for each peach. You got five weeks in jail.

The man's wife stood up and said, your honor. May I say something? He said, yes, what is it? She said, he stole a can of pees too.

All right. Hold up your Bible. Say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. I have what it says I have. I can do what it says I can do.

Today I will be taught the word of God. I boldly confess my mind is alert. My heart is receptive. I will never be the same in Jesus name. God bless you.

I want to talk to you today about not accepting things as permanent. When we've dealt with something for a long time and not seen any kind of change, it's easy to think this is never going to get better.

I've struggled in my marriage for years. This is as good as it gets. I've had this addiction since I was a teenager or I've tried and tried to qualify for that new home. It's never going to happen.

Too often we get discouraged and just accept it as the way it's always going to be. I have people tell me, Joel, I've always been negative. That's just who I am.

I've always had this sickness. I'm just learning to live with it. They've convinced themselves that it's never going to change. In their mind they've allowed a stronghold of form. Now really it's their own thinking that's holding them back.

Because the problem is if we don't believe it's going to get any better and we start accepting sickness as the norm and we accept not having enough as the norm, we accept a lousy marriage as the norm.

That's our faith at work and it allows it to become the norm. If you believe it's permanent then it's going to become permanent. If you believe it will never get better then it won't.

If you believe you've reached your limits then you have. The problem is our own thinking. The moment we accept it and allow the stronghold to take root we've lost the battle.

Here's the key. You have to view everything negative in your life. Every obstacle, every limitation, every sickness, every problem. View it as only temporary.

It is not going to last forever. That sickness is just a season. It is not going to keep you from your destiny. You may have had it for 20 years. The doctors telling you just learn to live with it.

But in your mind you cannot allow it to become permanent. Every day you need to say father thank you that this too shall pass.

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