Latest / Divine515 Podcast / Why Christian Community Helps You Grow Spiritually | Stronger Together

Transcript

Why Christian Community Helps You Grow Spiritually | Stronger Together · Divine515 Podcast

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  - Have you ever felt like you're carrying a
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  - weight that never seems to get lighter?
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  - Maybe you're doing your best to hold everything
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  - together,
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  - but deep inside you're weary, discouraged, or wondering
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  - where to find the strength to keep going.
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  - If you've been feeling overwhelmed by life's pressures,
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  - struggling to find peace, or longing for a
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  - deeper connection with God during a difficult season,
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  - I want to personally invite you to join
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  - me for a special online webinar.
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  - When life feels heavy, finding peace, hope, and
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  - strength through prayer.
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  - On Sunday, August 16 at 5PM Pacific Standard
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  - Time, we'll come together to discover how prayer
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  - can become more than a response to life's
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  - challenges.
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  - It can become a lifestyle that anchors your
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  - heart, brings your hope, and gives you the
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  - strength to face each day with confidence.
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  - During this encouraging webinar, you'll discover how to
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  - find peace even when your circumstances
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  - haven't changed,
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  - Overcome common obstacles that keep you from a
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  - consistent prayer life.
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  - It's spirits how prayer renews your perspective and
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  - strengthens your faith.
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  - As the founder of Divine five one five
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  - and the author of Kneeling at the Throne,
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  - my passion is helping believers move beyond simply
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  - believing in the power of prayer to living
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  - a life shaped by it.
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  - My prayer is that you'll leave this webinar
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  - encouraged, equipped, and reminded
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  - that you never have to walk through life's
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  - hardest seasons alone.
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  - This isn't just another webinar about prayer.
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  - It's an opportunity to build
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  - a lifestyle
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  - of prayer that will strengthen you long after
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  - the webinar ends.
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  - Seats are limited, and registration will close once
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  - all seats are filled.
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  - So reserve your seat today by searching when
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  - life feels heavy, finding peace, hope, and strength
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  - through prayer on Eventbrite.
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  - Again, that's Sunday, August 16 at 5PM Pacific
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  - Standard Time. I would love for you to
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  - join us as we discover
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  - that no burden is too heavy when we
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  - place it in the hands of the one
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  - who is always
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  - faithful. I'll see you there.
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  - Welcome to the divine five one five podcast.
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  - Here is this week's devotional.
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  - Hello, and welcome to divine five one five.
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  - I'm your host, Valerie Rocha,
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  - and we are continuing
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  - our August series
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  - of finding strength through power and community
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  - by addressing why Christian community helps you grow
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  - spiritually.
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  - Scripture text comes from Hebrews ten twenty four
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  - to 25
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  - and says, let us consider how we may
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  - spur one another on toward love and good
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  - deeds,
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  - encouraging one another.
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  - I wanna start today's episode by
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  - addressing
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  - how growth becomes difficult when we try to
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  - do everything alone.
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  - You know,
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  - sometimes how we're wired,
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  - we feel like it's just easier for us
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  - to do it ourselves.
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  - Right.
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  - Regardless of what it is, because if we
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  - screw up, then we don't have anybody else
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  - to blame.
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  - And yet there is an element of truth
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  - of that.
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  - However,
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  - when we're looking at
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  - life as a general rule,
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  - it almost seems like there's one of two
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  - thoughts either.
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  - I don't need anyone
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  - or
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  - I'm ashamed to share it with anyone.
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  - And on either side,
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  - both of those,
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  - both of those mindsets can be really, really
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  - dangerous
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  - because as a believer,
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  - even when Jesus sent out the disciples, he
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  - sent them out two by two. Why? Because
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  - each person had their own strengths
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  - and skill set and could help the other
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  - person. If you will.
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  - If one person's foot slips,
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  - they could pull the other one from off
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  - the ledge
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  - now without encouragement, accountability,
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  - and people who pray with us,
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  - it can be easy to drift spiritually
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  - without realizing it.
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  - As we mentioned, we weren't created to, to,
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  - to simply
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  - attend church or just be the lone ranger.
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  - Even God wants to collaborate with us and
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  - he's the master creator,
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  - and yet he
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  - desires
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  - connection
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  - and community
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  - and we're created
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  - to belong.
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  - It's it's the element
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  - of family,
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  - the,
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  - the element of togetherness
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  - and sometimes
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  - family's not always your blood, but those that
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  - love and embrace you for who you are,
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  - right? Where you are.
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  - A healthy Christian community can help us remain
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  - encouraged when life becomes difficult.
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  - If you will, it's like a conquering life.
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  - Right?
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  - When Peter failed
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  - after portraying Christ,
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  - he was devastated,
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  - but because he had a community
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  - to help him,
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  - it made his healing process
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  - so much easier
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  - and made the load
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  - that much lighter and in essence helped him
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  - with his healing process,
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  - to, to be the leader that God required
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  - him to be.
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  - Being in a community reminds us of God's
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  - promises
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  - when we've forgotten them because the person can
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  - speak life into us.
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  - It
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  - celebrates our victories, right?
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  - Every time
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  - we choose to use our faith
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  - instead of doubt, every time we use our
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  - courage instead of fear,
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  - it allows us to pray through our struggles.
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  - The scripture tells us
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  - to pray for one another
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  - and that the effectual fervent prayers of the
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  - righteous
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  - avails much. Sometimes you're not gonna have the
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  - strength,
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  - energy, or even the words to pray for
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  - yourself.
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  - And that's where having someone else to just
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  - sit with you, comfort you, encourage you,
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  - pray
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  - with you and over you
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  - is so vital.
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  - And
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  - all of these things point us back to
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  - Christ.
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  - God often strengthens us through the people he
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  - places around us.
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  - Who are the people in your community?
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  - Are you allowing them
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  - to strengthen and speak life into you?
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  - And are you blessing someone else
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  - to speak life
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  - and encouragement into them?
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  - Having said that, let's pray.
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  - Heavenly father,
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  - thank you for the people you've placed in
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  - our life.
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  - Help us build relationships that strengthen our faith
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  - and draw us closer to you.
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  - Show us where we can
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  - encourage others and where we need to
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  - be humble to receive encouragement ourselves.
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  - And we will bless you in Jesus' name.
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  - If this
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  - episode series
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  - has been encouraging to you,
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  - consider
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  - sharing it with someone else
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  - and
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  - strengthen them
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  - and the community.