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The 700 Club - January 29, 2021

Nick and Penilopee are the entrepreneurs behind “Skinnies Instant Lifts” and appeared on the show Shark Tank. But before they found success, they struggled to make ends meet. Putting this one thing first made the difference. You can do it too. Read Transcript


(dramatic music)

- [Announcer] The followingprogram is sponsored by CBN.

- [Gordon] Coming up...

A new era of abortions.

- What we subsidize, wewill expect to increase.

- [Gordon] Congress and theWhite House are set to expand

reproductive rights radically.

- When we find ourselveson a human rights list

next to China and NorthKorea, it is a sign

that something has gonedramatically wrong.

- [Gordon] And guess whowould be footing the bill.

- Taxpayers, Christians,

responsible for paying for abortions.

- [Gordon] Can these new laws be stopped?

- [Karlen] Presidents change.

God never changes.

- [Gordon] On today's 700 Club.

(dramatic music)

- Well, welcome to the 700 Club.

Another Coronavirusmutation has been found

in the United States.

This one comes from SouthAfrica and experts warn

it could lead to a spike in new cases.

- This variation of thevirus was discovered

in two people in South Carolina.

And not only is it more contagious,

it may also be harder tofind out if someone has it.

Eric Philips has the story.

(whooshing)

- The two cases identifiedin South Carolina

involve people who live in different parts

of the state, do notappear to be connected,

and have not traveled recently.

Health officials are concernedabout the South African

variant, because the COVIDvaccines currently on the market

may not be as effective against it.

Top health officials arespeaking in blunt terms

about fears over thismutation of the virus.

- Well, the one in SouthAfrica, George, troubles me.

- My biggest fear at thismoment is that these variants

are gonna take hold and really take off

across the United States.

And if that happens, we'regonna see a huge spike in cases,

lots of infections, lots of deaths.

- [Eric] Officials say the strain has the

dangerous combinationof being more contagious

than the original virusand less responsive

to current vaccines.

What's more, there are signsthat some virus mutations

may elude COVID testsnow being used widely,

and maybe less susceptibleto antibody treatment.

Scientists are acting quickly,in case a booster shot

becomes necessary for Americans.

- We're going ahead already now and trying

to stay a step or two aheadof things by making vaccines

along the same type thatwe made for the ones

we're giving now, but havingit be directed specifically

against the isolatethat's in South Africa.

- [Eric] In addition tothe South African isolate,

the Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention

has reported at least 315 cases

of the UK discovered variantin the United States.

Those reports have comefrom at least 28 states

and health officialsbelieve it could become

the dominant strain in the U.S, by March.

Also, health officials inMinnesota reported finding

the Brazilian variant ofthe virus earlier this week.

Health officials also worrythat if the virus changes enough

people might get COVID-19 a second time.

This, as January is thedeadliest month on record

for the pandemic.

- It's still a very serious situation.

Now's the time to double down.

- [Eric] Doubling downmeans being sure to follow

the standard safety precautions:

Wearing masks, socialdistancing, washing hands

and getting the vaccineas soon as you can,

which may not be easy, withdemand far outweighing supply.

The Biden Administrationworking to get millions

of more doses in the systemand expand distribution centers

across the country, beefing up the numbers

of medical workers whocan administer the shots.

Still, with all that,there's a stark reality.

- It will be months beforeeveryone who wants a vaccine

will be able to get one.

- The White House is predictingsome 90,000 Americans

will die next month alonebecause of the virus.

The CDC is recommendingthat Americans avoid travel.

Eric Philips, CBN News.

- Well, our CBN News MedicalReporter, Lorie Johnson,

is with us now.

And Lorie, it just seemslike the hits keep on coming.

We don't know how theSouth African variation

got into the country, and as a result,

are there probably morecases of it than we know?

- Health experts say it'salmost a sure thing, Gordon,

because there is so verylittle genomic surveillance

in the United States.

Only one-half of 1% of COVIDcases are actually looked at

under a microscope andsequenced genetically.

That's how we find the mutations.

- Well, we've seen threedifferent mutations

from three different continents.

Could there be more tocome that are even worse?

- Well, we know thatmutations are very common

with this virus and allviruses and there have been

thousands, but these threeare the ones that have been

particularly concerning to health experts.

And so there's every reason to think

that if this virus continues to spread,

there will definitely be more mutations.

Will they be more seriousthan this, is unknown.

But as we've talked about somany times before, Gordon,

the way viruses mutateis when they are spread.

So, for people who aren'treally very concerned

about getting the virus,we know that 99% of people

who get it survive andaren't really that concerned

about giving it to otherpeople who are relatively

young and healthy, they needto keep in mind the fact

that as we spread it, thesemutations are going to continue.

- I have to go back to theCDC report from last March,

which actually predicted this.

It predicted that therewould be waves of contagion,

followed by mutations, andwe would have a tough time

staying ahead of it.

And they were talkingabout a two-year process,

which would take us allthe way to March 2022.

Is that what we're seeing unfold?

- Well, the health expertsaren't really looking very far

into the future, becauseeverything keeps changing.

Until these variants, particularlythe South African variant

came on the scene so recently,things were looking better.

The cases were down, itlooked like we were getting

on the other side of the holiday surge.

And then now the vaccines areon the scene, very effective.

And then this South African variant really

is a stumbling block to progress.

So it's difficult to see,you know, a year or two

down the road what's going to happen.

So right now health officialsare just trying to do

the best they can to stay ahead of it.

And as far as the rest of us,

what we can individuallydo is try not to get it.

And we know about allthese mitigation efforts,

knowing them and doing themare two different things.

And then try to get thatvaccine as soon as you can.

- Well, talk to us about mRNA.

I hear that it can potentially be

a cut and paste, that as new variants

and new mutations come,you can cut and paste

and then get an effectivevaccine against the mutation.

Tell us what it is and how does it work

and how it can bring us hope.

- That's right, it is sort ofthe cut and paste technology.

It basically takes aportion of genetic material

from the virus and codes ourcells to produce a protein

that our immune system reacts to

and then produces antibodies.

So when the viruschanges, when it mutates,

we can just take that new genetic code

and reprogram, if you will, the virus,

reprogram the vaccine, I should say.

And so, compared to thedevelopment of other types

of vaccines, the mRNA onesare relatively less expensive

and faster to tweak,to sort of amend to fit

some of these new variantsthat come on the scene.

Having said that,Moderna is in the process

of now adapting their vaccineto the South African variant,

but it's not gonna be untilfall until that new vaccine

is ready to put into people'sarms, because remember,

it does have to betested and manufactured.

All takes time.

- Okay, so it couldmutate again by the fall.

So are we going to becontinually playing catch-up?

I mean, I keep goingback to the common cold,

that we haven't developed avaccine for the common cold,

because it mutates so quickly.

Are we going to look at that with COVID?

- Well, experts really,this is all brand new.

And so the healthexperts, when you ask them

what's on the future andwhat's going to happen

in the future, they don't know,

because this is a brand new virus.

No one ever really saw itup until about a year ago.

And so they're justreally trying to keep up

with what's happening sofar, but certainly those are

definite possibilities,what you just suggested.

- All right, well, morehappy news (laughs),

as we all want to go back to normal.

Lorie, thank you andthank you for the insight.

If you wanna get the lateston the various vaccines,

the Moderna, the Pfizervaccine are the ones using

that mRNA technology, justgo to the CBN News app

and you can find thelatest from Lorie Johnson

and stay informed, soyou can stay healthy.

Well, with the new administrationin the White House,

work on the southern borderwall has come to a halt.

And that could lead to apotentially serious problem.

John Jessup has that story

from our CBN News Bureau in Washington.

(whooshing)John?

- Thanks, Gordon.

CBN News has learnedthat the end of that work

has meant leaving a literal gapthat could have been closed.

Chuck Holton reports fromwhere the work stopped

and what it could mean for theissue of illegal immigration.

(whooshing)

- Wednesday, the 27th ofJanuary, 2021 is the last day

of construction on Trump's border wall.

He's completed over 450miles of this 30-foot tall,

no-climb fence in strategic areas

all around the southern border.

But right here in New Mexico, it stops,

and we have open border withjust anti-vehicle barrier.

And the problem here is,that the wall stops there.

There's a big gap and itpicks up on the other side.

This gap now becomes afunnel for anybody who wants

to enter the United States illegally.

That's unfortunate,because this problem could

easily be remedied.

The steel bollards neededto fill this gap are

already bought and paid for,

stacked nearby and ready to be installed.

But Biden's order tohalt construction means

these fence panels maynever get installed.

And one constructionworker told us he believes

they will simply be abandoned,

left in the desert to rust away.

CBN News reached out to oneof the largest contractors

that was working on this project.

And we're told the stop workorder will immediately cost

over 5,000 construction jobs,

while the government triesto decide how to proceed.

These contracts have already been awarded.

So it may actually cost morefor the Biden Administration

to halt construction,than it would to simply

allow these panels to be put to use.

CBN also asked the Army Corpsof Engineers for comment,

but has yet to receive a reply.

But that's not all.

A few miles away, thisconstruction yard holds

more than 3000 alreadycompleted wall panels,

which works out to morethan six and a half miles

of fence that could bestopping drug smugglers

and human traffickers fromentering this country.

Instead, it's likely thesehundreds of tons of purpose-built

steel will never be put to use,

at least not under a Biden Administration.

From Columbus, New Mexico, I'mChuck Holton, for CBN News.

- Thanks, Chuck.

And CBN News reached out toCustoms and Border Patrol,

who said, "CBP, incoordination with the U.S. Army

"Corps of Engineers hassuspended wall construction"

"projects, except for activitiesthat are safety related.

"All projects are in compliance

"with the President's proclamation."

Well, President Biden, as expected,

signed an executive orderThursday reversing a regulation

that forbade U.S. tax dollarsfrom being used to perform

and promote abortions andrelated services internationally.

Pro-life advocates quicklycriticized that decision.

- For the administrationto want to be a champion

of abortion is extremely disappointing.

And it's really out of step with what

the American people want.

- 77% of Americans overalloppose U.S. funding

to support abortion in other countries,

according to a new Marist Poll.

Well, the White House isdefending President Biden's

heavy use of executiveorders in his first few days

in office, a move which isdrawing growing scrutiny

and leading to criticism from Republicans.

He's issued 22 in his firstweek, compared to four

from President Trump,five by President Obama,

and none at all fromPresident George W. Bush.

Even the New York Timeseditorial board wrote this week,

"Ease up on the executive actions, Joe,"

saying, "this is no way to make law."

"Undoing some of Mr. Trump'sexcesses is necessary,

"but Mr. Biden's legacywill depend on his ability

"to hammer out agreements with Congress."

Gordon, back to you.

- Well, the honeymoon is over.

Usually new presidentsget a honeymoon period,

but for the New York Times,who absolutely was campaigning

against President Trump,to now say "ease up, Joe";

you've got a new variationof the COVID virus.

You now have the news media turning.

You have all of thisturmoil in the country.

We're still seeing rioting in Portland.

We're still seeing turmoil,literally in every city.

The honeymoon's over andit's one of the shortest ones

I've ever experienced.

And, now more than ever, weneed to pray for our country.

We shouldn't say, well, you know,

the Democrats are getting ataste of their own medicine.

No, that's not what's going tolead us out of our problems,

whether politically or economically,or with our healthcare.

It's not going to get us anywhere.

We have to unify.

We have to come together.

We're calling peopleto pray for the country

and you can join in that prayer.

It's real simple.

Just give us a call and say "Iwanna help pray for America."

We also have a website,PrayForAmerica.com.

You can text the word "pray" to 71777.

Just agree with us inprayer, that we need God,

and we need Him now.

Terry?

- Well, up next...

Who's the most pro-abortionpresident in American history?

Well, it may be the one inthe Oval Office right now.

Precedent Biden has alreadysignaled that he will roll back

pro-life policies.

So why are some pro-lifers optimistic

about the next four years?

And then, a strugglingentrepreneur gets an instant lift.

See the idea that led toa financial breakthrough

and landed her a spoton TV's "Shark Tank".

(upbeat music)

- Well, has our countryjust move from the most

pro-life president ever tothe most pro-choice one?

Well, that's what many in thepro-life movement believe.

And today is the annual March for Life.

And pro-lifers are wonderingexactly what impact

a Biden presidency couldhave on their efforts

to stop abortion.

Paul Strand has that story.

(whooshing)

- So help you, God?

- So help me, God.

- Congratulations, Mr. President.

(cheering)

- [Paul] just after JoeBiden's inauguration...

- A loving, generous and gracious God.

- [Paul] Pro-life Americansgathered for a Memorial

to the nation's 63 million aborted unborn,

and to pray that killing anymore will become unthinkable.

They also realized, however,they now face an administration

likely to make abortionmore acceptable than ever.

- Tragically, this is themost pro-abortion president

in American history.

And if you look behind me,

it's the most pro-abortion Congress.

- It's gonna be sad.

A lot of good that theTrump Administration did

on the life issue, a lot of those things

are gonna be rolled back bythe Biden Administration.

We're already seeing that.

[Paul] Despite thissudden turn in Washington,

"40 Days for Life" official, Steve Karlen,

sees reason for optimism.

- Presidents change, legislatorschange, judges change,

but God never changes.

And the pro-life movement,including "40 Days for Life",

I think, has seen someof our biggest successes

with pro-abortion presidents.

- We went through eightyears of President Obama,

saw abortions reduce and clinics close.

Same with President Clinton.

- Maybe those wins camebecause pro-lifers pray

and fight harder during those years.

If that's the case, they'regonna need that resolve

now more than ever, becausewith Democrats controlling

both Houses of Congressand the White House,

it means a unified frontmaking abortion more available.

- That's, unfortunately,something the left

is really focused on and Iknow that in sex education

classes and all thesethings happening in schools,

they will definitely bepushing abortion more.

- [Paul] And the push willbe for laws to make abortion

feel more acceptable and right.

- For all the talk that,"Well you can't impose

"your morality via the law,you can't legislate morality."

That's exactly what peoplelook to the law to do,

to help us do what is right and to help us

avoid what is wrong.

- [Paul] One of themovement's goals might go

too far though, if theyend the Hyde Amendment,

a rule long supported by both sides.

That means all Americantaxpayers would pay

for federally funded abortions.

- Not just, you know, radical Democrats,

but even moderate Democrats,as many maybe think Biden is,

want to repeal the Hyde Amendment.

- [Paul] They'll arguethat abortion is a right,

and even a necessity.

- They claim that this issomething that women have to have

in order to be

successful and so on.

And so, because of that, ifpoor women cannot afford it,

the government has to pay for it.

- And make taxpayers,Christians, church members,

pro-life people responsiblefor paying for abortions.

- [Paul] And if you makeit free, people will come.

- There's definitely a movementto subsidize abortions.

And what we subsidize, wewill expect to increase.

- [Paul] Another fear ofthese big government moves,

the Biden Administrationmight well try to wipe out

any state law that limitsabortion more than national law.

His campaign promised, "HisJustice Department will do

"everything in its power to stop the rash

"of state laws that soblatantly violate Roe V Wade."

As it is even now, Washingtonis basically unlimited

in allowing abortions, eventhose into the ninth month

of pregnancy, a practice also only allowed

by countries like China and North Korea.

- These gruesome late-termabortions and, man,

when we find ourselveson a human rights list

next to China and North Korea,it is a sign that something

has gone dramatically wrong.

- [Paul] Meanwhile, Gill isconcerned about the influence

of celebrity culture.

- They will probably elevatethe voices of people,

like Michelle Williamsand other celebrities,

who have talked about howthey wouldn't have, you know,

their Golden Global Award and so on,

if they hadn't gotten an abortion.

- [Paul] One result of allthis could be a backlash

among the American people.

The majority tend to befar more anti-abortion

than these proposed moves would allow.

- Their radical viewsof nine month abortions,

you know, taxpayer-fundedabortions, most Americans

don't support either of those things.

- It's gonna be more difficultand we're gonna have to

do a lot to resist some of theradically pro-abortion things

they're gonna try and pass.

- [Paul] Still, Karlen remains hopeful.

- I think we will continueto see many lives saved

and many abortion workers converted

and abortion facilitiescontinue to go out of business

at a record rate, regardlessof what takes place

in the Capitol.

- If I was standing in frontof the Capitol 30 years ago,

there would have been 2200abortion clinics in America.

Today there's under 700.

We are seeing Americans more embrace

a culture of life,regardless of what happened

in the elections on November 3rd.

- [Paul] Paul Strand,CBN News, Washington.

- And that's the key, a culture of life,

a culture where motherswant to have their children.

That's the key.

And one of the ways to advancethat is to educate women,

educate everyone on these wonderful

3D ultrasound pictures,on fetal development.

When is there a heartbeat?

When does the child begin to feel pain?

When does the child respondto the mother's voice?

All of these things.

This wonderful medicaltechnology is actually leading

to a more pro-life culture,

where we look and we see and we understand

that's a child.

Let's pray for that.

Let's have that.

In that way, regardless of the politics,

regardless of the Supreme Court,

regardless of who's president,we'll have a culture

that honors God and honors life.

Terry?

- Well up next...

Thriving in the middle of a pandemic.

How did this cash-strappedcouple make 2020

their best year yet?

You'll hear their secretwhen we come back.

(upbeat music)

- Penelope always felt likeshe had a hole in her pocket.

Money seemed to disappearas soon as she earned it.

So how did she go fromworrying about buying gas

for her car, to payingcash for her own house?

Well, she'll tell you herself.

Just watch.

- [Narrator] Meet PenelopeLaRosa, the entrepreneur behind

"Skinnies Instant Lifts".

While Penelope runs asuccessful business today,

there was a time when shestruggled just to make ends meet.

- My goal was to have moneyfor gas at that point.

That was my big agenda.

I worked, I had a good paying job,

but I never had any money.

I mean, it just kindof, it was like I had a

pocket with a hole in it.

And I was just continually in debt.

- [Narrator] She was $3,000 in the red,

when she decided to ask God for help.

- Who better to get counsel from than God,

who has the solution toevery problem that exists?

I started listening to a tape series,

called 'Believing youReceive", and it really taught

the fundamentals aboutgiving and receiving.

- [Narrator] Penelopestarted tithing and praying

over her bills, believingthat God would provide

a way out of her debt.

- I had a legal right, at thatpoint, to stand before God

and say, "I've done everythingyou asked me to do."

"Now, please do everythingyou told me you would."

- [Narrator] Shortly after,she had a conversation

with a woman she'd recently met.

- And she was like, "You know what?"

"The Lord's just put it on myheart to pay off your debts."

I was like, "What?"

"Are you kidding me?"

- [Narrator] Penelope kept tithing

and was always able to pay her bills.

Later, she met and married Nick.

He owned and managed anumber of rental properties

and was a painting contractor,

with hopes of financial freedom.

- I've always wanted tobe, you know, debt free,

and be able to help folks.

- [Narrator] The coupleagreed that putting God first

would open the door tofinancial blessings.

So by faith, they made tithinga priority in their marriage.

They also gave above their tithe.

- When you're giving, it does something

that just defeats the enemy.

It really, really does.

And if you're giving, that's, you know,

showing your heart and what you do.

- [Narrator] The couple dreamedof buying a home in cash

and providing a Christianeducation for their kids.

At the time, they didn'tearn enough for either

of those things, butthey continued tithing,

giving and seeking God.

Meanwhile, Penelope wanted tosee Nick retire from painting.

- That's when she prayed to Godthat something would change.

- [Narrator] Big financialbreakthroughs followed.

Nick was able to sell hisrental properties at a profit,

quit painting, and eveninvest in more rentals.

- Within two years from whenwe started believing God

to pay cash for our house,

we were able to pay cash for our house.

And I mean, that's just the Lord's doing.

There's no getting around that.

- [Narrator] And as Penelopeprayed that God would provide

creative solutions to increasetheir income even more,

she started getting ideas for inventions,

like "Skinnies Instant Lifts".

- I've heard ladies on the phone crying,

thanking her for theproduct that she invented.

- [Narrator] Skinnies landedthe couple on "Shark Tank",

immediately increasingtheir sales by 400%.

- There's a general, youknow, spiritual law there

that you give, you know,and it'll be given unto you.

- [Narrator] As salesand income have continued

to skyrocket, they've beenable to put their kids

through Christian school.

And even with the COVID-19 pandemic,

2020 was their best year yet.

- If you're led by theSpirit of God and your giving

and tithing, that's whereyour home run comes from.

That's when things start flowing

and you start getting your breakthroughs.

- You do what you're supposed to do

and God takes care of the rest.

- You can't make it any simpler than that.

You do what you're supposed to do

and then God takes care of the rest.

Jesus said it very clearly.

When you seek God's kingdomand His righteousness,

you put that first, all these other things

will be added on to you.

Now, what happens whenyou are obeying God?

What happens when you knowthat your conscience is clear,

your accounts are straight with God,

you know that you have Him on your side?

Here's what happens.

You get access to some wonderful things.

Here it is in Jeremiah 33:3.

I call this God's phone number.

"Call to me and I willanswer you and show you

"great and mighty things,which you do not know."

For Nick and Penelope it was,"Lord, show us a way out,

"give us a way forward."

And wonderful things started to happen.

And great creative ideas came from God

and gave them what they were asking for.

Isn't that wonderful?

Imagine living in 2021,when you can call to Him

and He will answer you and showyou great and mighty things,

where God has a storehouse of ideas,

good things for you to walk into.

All of these things He created

before the foundation of the earth.

And He wants to give them to you.

What is He waiting for?

Your obedience.

To say, "If you only obeyme and let me help you,

"you will have plenty."

That's what He wants to do.

That's on His heart.

So this January, 2021, we're resolved,

I'm going to live this year God's way

and I'm going to do it consistently.

Not on again, off again.

I'm gonna do it with my whole heart.

I'm going to do it generously.

I'm going to do it cheerfully.

If that's you, give us a call.

1-800-700-7000

Say, "Yes, I wanna join the 700 Club."

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Terry?

- Like a bomb went through the whole city.

That's how Trudy Faulkdescribed the devastation left

by two hurricanes in less than two months.

It also looked like a bombwent off inside Trudy's home.

Debris was everywhere.

So how did this single seniordig out from under the rubble?

Take a look.

- [Narrator] Within just amonth and a half of each other,

two hurricanes hit LakeCharles, Louisiana.

- [Trudy] Looked like a bomb went through

the whole city and surrounding areas.

- [Narrator] Trudy Faulk'shome was left in ruins.

Collapsed ceilings buriedeverything she owned.

- It's just kind of heartbreaking to think

that I invested so much andthen, it's gone to waste.

- [Narrator] Insurance willcover the damage to her house,

but Trudy couldn't findanyone to help her salvage

what she could.

Contractor's schedules were full.

Her siblings are olderand have health issues.

And her neighbors were busyworking on their own homes.

Then Operation Blessing came to her aid.

- You think you're alone in a situation,

and He just sends somebody.

Say, "Hey, we're here to help you."

"We're gonna help you through this."

They've taken out debris,hauled furniture out,

did a lot of packing, the kitchen.

- [Narrator] As moldy drywalland debris were removed,

precious items were also recovered.

- It just feels like Godgiving you a hug and saying,

"I care."

Operation Blessing hasjust been an awesome help.

I just wanna thank you fromthe bottom of my heart.

Thank you.

- That's just one of the things that

Operation Blessing does,bringing hope to people

who are in hopeless situations.

And you are the one whomakes that possible,

if you're a 700 Club member.

Your 65 cents a day and $20 a month

is invaluable in making a difference.

We say, thank you to those of you

who've joined the 700 Club.

If you haven't joined,

what a great day it is today to do that.

Our number is toll free.

It's 1-800-700-7000.

Just call and say you wanna join.

Some of you who arealready 700 Club members,

consider going up to the next club level.

You can't know what a difference it makes.

When you do, we wanna sendyou, whether you're joining

for the first time orincreasing your giving,

Pat's book, called "I'veWalked With the Living God".

It's an amazing, reallyrecounting of all of the years

that Pat's been in ministry

and the faithfulness of God to him.

I want you to have this.

I think it'll be a great blessing to you.

By the way, when you join the 700 Club,

you'll also receive instantaccess to the audio version

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Here's the number:

1-800-700-7000

You just call and say,

"I wanna join the 700 Club."

Thank you.

Gordon?

- Well, the governmentshut down Luma's business

because of COVID and that didn't stop her

from getting the virus herself.

With no job and no strength to leave home,

how was she able to getthe food and supplies

she needed to survive?

Take a look.

- [Terry] This past yearhas been especially tough

for Luma and her young son, Franco.

It started when the government closed down

Luma's home-based salonbecause of COVID-19.

- [Translator] I am ahairdresser, but I wasn't allowed

to serve my clients anymore.

- [Terry] Then Luma'smom, who lives with them,

got COVID while working at her job

in a pet grooming business.

- [Translator] I went tomy mom's room at night,

to make sure she was still breathing.

I was afraid she would notwake up the next morning.

- [Terry] This is Luma's son, Franco.

- [Translator] Grandmawas sick and I have to say

goodnight from outside the door.

I could not go in.

- [Terry] Then Luma camedown with COVID too.

- [Translator] I could not hug my mom.

- [Translator] I got sick,while taking care of mom.

That's when I realizedwe would run out of food.

- [Terry] When CBN's"Orphans Promise" heard about

the family's situation,we provided some help.

First, while they were still sick,

we brought them food and groceries.

- [Translator] I had neverseen so much food in my life.

We were impressed.

- [Translator] God brought you here!

He sent me food, milk, everything!

- [Terry] After they recoveredand the economy began

to reopen, "Orphan'sPromise" paid for Luma

to take a class to expandher hairdressing salon.

Then we gave her a portable table and lamp

to add additionalservices to her business.

- [Translator] Whenthey gave us the table,

I helped my mom to openit, because I'm strong.

Thank you for making my mom happy.

- [Translator] I have so many clients now.

I cannot go to sleep without thanking God

for what He did for us, through you.

- That thank you goes to you,

if you're a member of the 700 Club.

A portion of every giftto the 700 Club goes

into the work of OperationBlessing to help people.

And not just give a handout,but a hand up, to give them

a hope, a future, thedignity of earning a living.

All of it made possiblebecause people like you

cared enough to give, thatsaid, "Yes, I'll join."

"I'll be a part of it."

If that's you, give us a call.

1-800-700-7000

If you're already amember of the 700 Club,

consider going to 700 ClubGold, that's $40 a month.

1000 Club, $1000 a year,that's $84 a month.

And you have confidence thatyour gift is helping people

around the world andit's preaching the Gospel

around the world, becauseanother portion goes

into the work of CBNInternational to do just that.

We're in over 50 languagesaround the world.

And it's all made possiblebecause people care

and say, "Yes, let's get the Gospel out."

"Let's do it now."

If that's you, give us a call.

1-800-700-7000

Say yes.

Now when you call, ask for Pledge Express,

electronic monthly giving,bank doing all the work,

and we can send as our gift to you,

"Power for Life", monthly teaching CDs.

So if you'd like those,

ask for Pledge Express when you call.

Go to CBN.com, givemonthly on the internet.

And when you give monthly there,

you automatically signup for Pledge Express.

Or you can text CBN,those three letters, CBN,

to 71777.

Either way, do it now.

1-800-700-7000

Well, when you join the 700 Club,

well we've got a special gift for you.

It's my father's latest book,

"I Have Walked With the Living God".

Here's a sample of what's inside.

(dramatic music)

- Hi, this is Pat Robertson,

with an excerpt from my new book,

"I Have Walked With the Living God",

read by actor, Kevin Sorbo.

I hope it will be a blessingto you, as you walk with God.

- [Kevin] "If you can takeone thing away from this book,

"it is this... get rid ofthe clutter in your life."

"Stop doing non-essentialthings and stop thinking

"you are accomplishingsomething just because

"you are engaged in awhirl of activities."

"Instead, spend your time inthe presence of the Lord."

"By prayer and supplication,with thanksgiving,

"let your requests be made known to God."

"And the peace of God, whichsurpasses all understanding,

"will guard your hearts andminds through Christ Jesus."

- [Announcer] Get your copy today

when you become a CBN partner.

Call 1-800-700-7000

or go to CBN.com.

- Hello, this is Pat Robertson.

I've written a book called

"I Have Walked with the Living God".

In its pages, I'veshared many of the things

God has spoken to me.

At one time the Lord told me, and I quote,

"Do not fear the future,for I am the future."

I can tell you that when youstep out into the future,

you step into the hands of a loving God,

whom you can trust, not onlyfor tomorrow, but forever.

- [Announcer] In Pat'sdynamic, latest book,

you'll learn how to receivefavor, wisdom, and discernment.

How to overcome obstaclesand live a life that is

exhilarating and full of promise.

- I think this book can helpyou live that kind of a life.

- [Announcer] Call 1-800-700-7000

or go to CBN.com toreceive your copy today.

(inspirational music)

- [Gordon] Coming up...

A drunk blacks out.

- It's a dark place, a scary place.

- [Gordon] and wakes up...

- [Dustin] Not knowing whereI was or how I got there.

- [Gordon] behind bars.

- [Dustin] Locked in acell, laying on the floor.

- [Gordon] What set him free.

- I didn't know how to stop.

I was addicted.

- [Gordon] Next.

(dramatic music)

- Welcome back to Washingtonfor the CBN Newsbreak.

Christian recording artist,Carman, has been fighting

for his life in thehospital after surgery.

The popular singer-songwriterwrote on Facebook,

"I need your prayers toget back in remission."

Carman was first diagnosed in 2013

with incurable, multiple myeloma cancer.

After nine months ofchemo, he was cancer-free.

Carman says he's stilltrusting God for his healing.

Well, CBN's Operation Blessingis helping feed the hungry

around the world.

The COVID pandemic has hit evendistant areas of Costa Rica.

Life on the remote islandsof Chira and Caballo,

was already difficult beforeCOVID dealt a devastating blow

to the local fishing industry.

Two fathers, Isaac, andMario, lost their jobs.

Isaac wasn't able togive his hungry daughter

anything to eat and Mario watched in pain,

as his wife and children suffered.

But thanks to support from its partners,

Operation Blessing staff in Costa Rica

loaded up cars to the brimwith critical food supplies

for those remote communities.

And hundreds of familiesgot packages full of food

to put on the table,including Isaac and Mario.

Both were very thankful.

Isaac said, "I know thatyou were sent by God."

"If we did not trust Him,everything would be worse."

Well, you can find out moreabout Operation Blessing

by visiting OB.org.

Gordon and Terry will be backwith more of the 700 Club,

right after this.

(dramatic music)

(upbeat music)

- Dustin didn't know where he was

or what he was doing there.

He did know that he waswearing an orange jumpsuit.

Dustin wasn't exactly surehow he landed in jail.

Even worse, he couldn'tstop what put him there

in the first place.

- I've always had this feelingthat I'll never be enough.

- [Narrator] All his life,Dustin Stradley struggled

to find acceptance.

It started when he was eight,after his parents divorced,

and Dustin thought it was his fault.

- I felt guilty, as if I wasletting one or the other down.

I so badly just wantedmy family to be together.

So from that point on, I wanted to please

everyone around me.

- [Narrator] Before the divorce,

they had gone to church as a family.

Now living with his mom andseeing his dad on weekends,

Dustin went less often.

Not that it mattered.

He'd always seen Christianity

as just a list of rules he had to follow.

- In order to have arelationship with this God

that everyone talked about,

you have to meet certain requirements.

Anytime I did something wrong,

a Christian had something to say about it.

And that was my experiencewith who God was.

He was just mad at me all the time.

- [Narrator] Eventually, hestopped going altogether,

drifting through his teen years,

bouncing from group to group,

trying his best to make friends.

- I was trying to pleaseanyone and everyone

and in the process, justtrying to figure out,

like do I fit in anywhere?

- [Narrator] By highschool he had found one key

to fitting in was partying.

- So I started to drinkand I was on the wild side.

I would drink harder than most people

and most found it humorous.

And I was the life of the party.

- [Narrator] Then at college,Dustin partied even more.

He was arrested on a DUIcharge his freshman year,

but that didn't keep him from drinking.

In fact, it got worse.

- I almost flunked out of college.

It just reinforced these feelings of,

"I'm not good enough."

"I'm not worthy."

- [Narrator] Now Dustin wasout drinking every night.

Some mornings he couldn'tremember how he got home.

It scared him.

And every time, he sworehe'd stopped drinking.

- But I would turn back tothe bottle pretty quickly

and start drinking again,

to numb that and forget about that.

I didn't wanna process those feelings.

- [Narrator] Then one morning in 2009,

while still in college,he woke up in jail.

- I wasn't just in a drunk tank.

I was in an orangejumpsuit, locked in a cell,

laying on the floor andnot knowing where I was

or how I got there.

- [Narrator] Later that day,he was released on bail.

After he got home, Dustin tooka long look in the mirror.

- I was disgusted with what I saw.

And so I just, to release thepain, just punched the mirror

and shattered the mirror and fell down

and just started bawling and crying.

It was a dark place, a scary place.

- [Narrator] A couple dayslater, his dad gave him a Bible

with a note, saying, "Thisis God's love letter."

While Dustin still didn'tbelieve God could love him,

he hoped it could be true.

So when his roommate invitedhim to church weeks later,

he decided to go.

- The sermon was incredible,

spoken to me in a waythat I understood it.

And I felt a little bit of hope.

- [Narrator] That hope faded quickly,

as Dustin couldn't stop drinking.

Even after court-ordered AA classes,

now he needed it just to function.

- I didn't know how to stop.

I was addicted.

I would feel sick if I didnot have alcohol in my system.

- [Narrator] A few years after college,

Dustin had a good job with anencouraging Christian boss.

He occasionally went to church,yet never felt good enough.

Then finally, in January 2012,

during a revival at his church...

- I realized God loved me,

period.

Even though I did all these things,

God loves me exactly like I am.

And He wants to have arelationship with me now.

Exactly like I am.

And I said the prayer andbegan to truly believe

and just internally say,

"God, I acknowledge you are real

"and you did die for me."

And felt a sense of peace.

I felt hope.

I felt for the first time

that

someone

is pleased with me

and loves me for who I am.

- [Narrator] From that point on,

Dustin stopped tryingto fight his addiction

on his own and surrendered it to God.

- And it went fromdrinking seven days a week,

to three days a week, to two days a week,

to why am I really doingthis in the first place?

I felt conviction now.

I didn't know what it was.

I just knew that it wasn't guilt.

I just felt like God wassaying, "I love you."

"I've got somethingbetter in store for you."

I've been sober for eight years now.

And God has completelyremoved that desire.

- [Narrator] Now he was atchurch every chance he got

and today he's the campus pastor.

Dustin says his greatest joyis seeing people experience

the same unconditional love he did.

- I get emotional every week,

when I see someone

pray and accept Jesus into their life

and tears are flowing down their face

and they raise their hands.

And I think back to mymoment and I think of how

God met me right there.

And He's doing the samething for all of us.

It's not about earning more of God's love.

He loves you right now,exactly like you are.

- You can have that moment too.

It's a moment of understandingthat the love of God

for you is not dependenton your performance.

It's not dependent on your measuring up

through rules and regulations,as Dustin talked about.

It's extended to you right now.

I mean, God loves you nowin spite of what you do,

how you live, in spiteof your rejection of Him.

You know, the Bible says that

really for believers especially,

nothing can separate youfrom the love of God.

But it's true for you too,if you haven't made that

commitment to Christ.

It doesn't mean you have to accept it,

but this is what it's about.

It's not about some equationof rules and regulations.

We're often sort of taught that, I guess,

by people who are saying,

"Well, what would God say about that?"

Or "What does God think about that?"

Here's the truth of the matter.

It's about a relationship.

Are there things in your life,

just as there are in Justin's,just as there are in mine,

that God wants to change?

Absolutely.

But He doesn't wanna changethem because He's got some

rule book that He keeps on His lap.

He wants to change them because the things

that we're doing are sooften destructive to us.

They're not allowing us to be our best.

They're not allowing Him tolove us the way He wants to.

They're not allowing us tobe able to make a difference

in the world, because whenGod's at work in our hearts

and in our lives, when He's alive and well

and living in us, He uses us.

We become instruments of love and peace

and giving for Him here.

Wouldn't you like thatover what you've created

in your life?

You know, eventually evenif we think that we've

got it all together andeven if we think that we're

on a path of our own makingtowards some kind of success

or accomplishment,somewhere along the way,

you come to the top of thatmountain and you realize

there's nothing up there.

Nothing up there but a lot of thin air.

You know, it's never toolate to do what Dustin did.

I hope you saw that in his story.

Even though he went backagain and again and again

to the thing that he wasaddicted to, it's never too late.

So, it's not chance that you'rewatching this program today

or seeing Dustin's story orlistening to me right now.

God's calling you.

He's speaking to you.

He's wanting relationship with you.

Don't be afraid of whatthat will cost you.

Be afraid of what it'll cost you

if you don't have that relationship.

Because it's everything,it's what you were born for.

It's what will take out of your life

the things that are destructive

and put into your heart and mind and life

the things that you werecreated to be, to think, to do.

It's so simple.

You just invite Him in.

I say it's simple, but at thesame time, it's surrender.

It's saying to God, "Okay,your way over my way."

I'm not gonna do it my way anymore."

"I'm gonna listen towhat you have to say."

And to do that, you've gottaget into the Word of God.

What does God have to say?

It is His love letter to you,

just like Dustin's father said.

So pick up the Bible youhaven't read in forever.

Go to the book of John and begin to read

what God has to say to you today.

If you need to pray withsomeone about something

in your life that's destructive,our line is always open.

It's 1-800-700-7000.

A friend is waiting to talk with you.

I wanna leave you withthese words from II Peter.

"May God give you moreand more grace and peace

"as you grow in your knowledge of God

"and Jesus Christ our Lord."

Have a great weekend.

God bless you.

(music resolving)

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