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266 | Jesus Expects Fruit From Your Life · The Woman at the Well Ministries Podcast

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  Music.
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  Hello, friends, and welcome back to another podcast of Woman at the Well Ministries,
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  where we believe that all of us have to come to Jesus like the woman at the
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  well in John chapter four.
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  Our highest priority is making God real in your life.
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  Whether you are listening in our app, in your favorite podcasting app,
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  or on our website at watwm.org,
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  we invite you to sit down with us as we look to the scriptures to learn more
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  about God and to strengthen your daily walk with Jesus Christ.
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  Living her life for Christ, she's a happy girl.
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  Music.
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  She's a happy girl.
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  By grace and through faith, Jesus saved you. And as children of God,
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  He has expectations for you.
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  He expects you to be holy as He is holy, and He expects you to bring forth fruits of righteousness.
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  Join us in this podcast of Women at the Well Ministries as Kim takes us on a
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  journey through the scriptures revealing God's expectations for our lives and
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  the consequences we face when we do not fulfill the purpose He has given us
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  and produce fruit which is becoming of a born-again believer in Christ.
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  Hello, and thank you for joining us in this podcast of Woman at the Well Ministries.
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  I believe it's a sobering thought when we think about God's expectations.
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  It's a comforting thought to know that He said in 1 John 1:9,
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  if we confess our sins, he's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to
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  cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
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  Because we know that He doesn't expect perfection, but He does tell us to run
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  towards the prize of the high calling of Christ.
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  And I believe that some of us have just accepted this easy religion as opposed
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  to an amazing salvation.
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  Religion is having a form of beliefs.
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  Salvation is believing in Jesus Christ.
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  When we believe in Jesus Christ and who He is and what he's done on the cross
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  of Calvary, when we truly believe that He shed His sinless,
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  spotless blood for each one of us,
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  We realize that the power of that blood to wash away our sins courses through our life,
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  and that power transforms us into a new creature, and old things are passed
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  away, and all things are become new, and our want-tos change.
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  We now delight in the Lord, and He gives us the desires of our heart.
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  We now walk in the spirit because we walk by faith.
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  We now no longer serve satan because sin no longer has dominion over us.
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  Things are different.
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  We are the light of the world. And He lives inside every born-again believer.
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  Believer, and He has something to say about how we should live our lives.
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  In Romans 12, verses 1 and 2, He says this, I beseech you, therefore,
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  brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your body a living sacrifice,
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  holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
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  And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of
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  your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
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  The renewing of your mind is part of the process of giving your heart to Jesus.
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  When He washes away the sins, He creates a new heart, a clean heart,
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  which gives us a mind that has been transformed from a fleshly focus to a godly-centered man.
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  So this is a moment in time where we can reflect on our lives and really answer
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  the question, does my life demonstrate the power of God?
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  Because my friend, what I want you to understand is that the power of God is within you.
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  You carry the power of God because the Holy Spirit dwells in you.
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  And you need to carry it well. What I want you to understand is that Ephesians 3.20 says,
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  Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or
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  think according to the power that works in us.
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  The power that is in me and you as born-again believers It's the same power
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  that hangs the sun in the morning and hangs the moon at night.
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  That power lights the world.
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  He said that we are to be a light in the world. Have you ever thought about
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  that comparison? In comparison, He lights the world, and He in us allows us
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  to light the world around us.
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  He does it physically and spiritually.
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  Our light does it spiritually. But it's only as good as the power that can come out of us.
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  And He says we can do more than we could ever think. According to power, it works in us.
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  So where is that dissonance between having the power that speaks the world into
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  existence and having very little power in your life?
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  It comes in the measure of your faith.
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  He says, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you can move mountains.
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  I don't know what the mountains are in your life, but you can be a bulldozer
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  right over them if you simply place your faith in Jesus Christ.
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  It sounds simple. That is the only thing you need to do.
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  But because we live in the flesh, it's difficult for us to sometimes make the
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  decisions we need to make that would enable us to have the power necessary to
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  walk in light so that we're dispelling all the darkness around us.
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  See, much of what you face is the darkness of this world.
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  In Ephesians 6, we're told in 10 through 18, how to put on the armor of God
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  that we would be successful in wrestling against the principalities of darkness in this world.
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  He tells us your enemy isn't flesh and blood. It's the darkness in this world.
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  It's Satan who manifests himself as the darkness in this world.
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  And we are told in Matthew 5:14 - 16, that we're to be the light of the world.
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  We're told in Ephesians 3:20, that His power is in us and that we can distribute
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  as much light as we want by simply living in the power of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
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  Have you looked at your light?
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  Are you a nightlight? You know, the one that you can sleep with the light that's
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  coming out of it, but it moves a little bit of darkness?
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  Are you a 50-watt, 150-watt, a stadium spotlight, or the sun?
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  Only you know, and those who are around you. See, light dispels darkness.
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  And we don't work to get our salvation. It's by grace we are saved,
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  we're told in Ephesians 2:8 and 9. It's a gift.
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  But James is clear. When we love him, we'll work for him.
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  And it's those works that we're talking about today, those fruits of righteousness.
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  He imputes His righteousness to us. All of us are His filthy rags.
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  All of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God. But when we place
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  our faith in Jesus Christ, He saves us and He imputes His righteousness in us.
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  And I believe that is the Holy Spirit inside of us.
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  The third part of the Trinity who's real, who has a personality and a job.
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  Who communes with us daily, teaching us, directing us, guiding us,
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  and bring into remembrance all things that we have need of when we have need of them.
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  And so today, we're going to spend some time in the scriptures in Matthew chapter 21.
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  In Matthew chapter 21, we're going to start in verse 18.
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  But a little bit above that, you will see that He was casting the people out
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  of the temple because they had changed what the temple was for.
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  They had made a place of reflection and redemption and prayer and grace into a den of thieves,
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  see i think we're quick to think
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  that would be horrible but we forget that
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  we were purposed as the temple of god to reflect His mercy His grace His glory
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  and His goodness but because we are nightlights and because we are not drawing
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  close to the light the king of kings,
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  the lord of lords i'm afraid our temple has might have lost its purpose.
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  Today we're going to read 21 verses 18 through 22 and get a good picture of
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  what God expects from us and what the results are when we disappoint him.
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  Now, I'm sure some of you say, well, how can you disappoint the Lord?
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  He knew you weren't going to do because He knows everything,
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  everything because He wants more for you.
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  That's how you disappoint him. You are correct. He is all-knowing,
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  but He wants you to want him.
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  He wants you to desire him.
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  He wants you to follow His commandments. He wants you to be a powerhouse to
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  the world because you have an open conduit that He flows through freely and always.
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  Jesus loves me, this I know, and it'll never, ever stop boggling my imagination
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  that He chooses to use me in His service.
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  Draw close to him, friend, and He will draw close to you.
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  Matthew chapter 21, beginning in verse 18, reads this.
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  Now, in the morning, as He returned into the city, He hungered.
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  Now, let's just stop there for a second.
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  If you're wondering if Jesus was fully man and fully God, I want you to know
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  this proves it. He was hungry.
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  That's a human body experience.
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  So I want you to take that same understanding to the fact that He also,
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  he also was fully man and fully God on the cross of Calvary.
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  So this same Jesus that hungered on Tuesday of Holy Week was hurting on Friday of Holy Week.
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  He knew what His purpose was.
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  He said that He came to seek and to save those which were lost.
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  And He stayed the course in the garden of Gethsemane. He asked,
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  Lord, if there be any other way, take this cup from me.
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  But because there was no other way, He is the way, the truth,
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  and the life, and no man comes into the Father but by him.
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  Because there was no other way, there is none other name under heaven given
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  among men whereby we must be saved.
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  It is Jesus and Jesus alone.
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  Accepted the assignment and stayed the course and fulfilled His purpose.
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  And each and every one of you within the sound of my voice has a purpose.
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  Your gift set is uniquely customized for you.
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  Other people may have gifts that you have, but they're not going to have the
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  custom set that that you have to be used in the custom way that He has preordained.
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  You are uniquely special and given a unique purpose, and no one else on this
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  earth can fulfill the purpose God has for your life.
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  You got to show up, and you can only show up if you believe,
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  and you can only show up fully ready to accomplish the purpose that God has
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  for you by allowing His power to reign over you and through you.
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  In Matthew chapter 21 and verse 19, He says, And when He saw a fig tree in the
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  way, He came to it and found nothing thereon, but leaves only and set unto it.
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  Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward forever.
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  And presently the fig tree withered away.
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  Jesus was hungry.
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  He was hungry. And He comes to the fig tree expecting to see fruit.
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  And when there was no fruit on the fig tree, the fig tree paid the price forever.
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  The Bible says, be not deceived. God is not mocked.
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  For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall He also receive.
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  See, the Bible tells us in 1 Peter 1:15 - 16, that, but as He which hath
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  called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation.
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  And verse 16 says, because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy.
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  I want you right now to think of yourself as the fig tree in God's eyes.
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  When He looks upon you, He is surely expecting to see fruits of righteousness.
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  How do I know that? Because He tells me in Ephesians 5, 8 through 10 this,
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  For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord.
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  Walk as children of light. We've talked about that.
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  But He goes further to say, For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and
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  righteousness and truth, proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
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  Jesus has an expectation that His children are different.
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  In fact He says be you peculiar people
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  zealous of good works and he
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  spends a whole passage telling us what
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  the fruits of the spirit are and what they
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  aren't beginning in verse 21 of
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  chapter 5 of the book of Galatians He reads envyings murderers drunkenness revelings
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  and such like of the which I tell you before as I’ve also told you in time past
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  they that which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
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  See, the Bible says in John 3, 16, for God so loved the world that He gave his
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  only begotten son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish,
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  but have everlasting life.
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  Those who believe in Him have salvation.
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  Romans 10:13, it says for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
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  Calling upon the name of the Lord means having a conversation with him.
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  That means asking Him into your heart a savior.
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  And then you become light in this world.
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  You won't have the fruits of darkness, even a nightlight.
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  You won't have darkness where there is light.
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  But in verse 22, He says, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
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  peace, long-suffering, gentleness
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  goodness faith meekness temperaments
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  against such there is no law we live
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  in grace and we don't live under the law but the commandment is to walk in love
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  joy peace long-suffering gentleness goodness faith meekness temperaments that's
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  what the law the commandment, what Jesus is telling us to do,
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  and what he's telling us not to do, the commandment, the law not to do, is to live in darkness,
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  which He preceded those in Galatians 5:21,
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  the murderers, the envyings, the drunkenness, the revelings.
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  We're to live a life that models the change from life, from death into life,
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  life, the change into the new creature,
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  the one that resembles our Heavenly Father.
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  We are part of the family of God. People should be able to pick us out as such.
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  It's important that you understand how deeply God loves you,
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  and His love for you wants what's very best for you.
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  And so we want you to have fruit as we
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  pick up in Matthew 21 at
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  verse 21 he says Jesus answered and said unto them
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  verily I say unto you if ye have faith and doubt not ye shall not only do this
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  which is done to the fig tree but also if you shall say unto this mountain be
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  thou removed and be thou cast into the sea it shall be done and all things whatsoever
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  you shall ask in prayer, believing ye shall receive.
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  The psalmist David says to delight in the Lord, and he'll give us the desires of our heart.
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  When your life lines up with the will of God, your prayers will line up with
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  what God wants you to have.
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  And you can begin to pray very powerful prayers.
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  And He tells us right here in this passage that you can move the mountains in
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  your life by taking them to Jesus and if you believe you will have the power
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  to do just that very thing,
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  we're living below our privileges because we refuse to live so that we can be blessed.
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  Jesus wants to bless you, and He wants you to be a powerhouse for him.
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  Philippians 1, 10 and 11 says that you may prove things that are excellent,
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  that you may be sincere and without offense until the day of Christ,
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  being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ,
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  unto the glory and praise of God.
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  God, your life is meant to exhibit the power that having Jesus in it gives you.
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  Your life is meant to bulldoze over sin, flesh, and the devil through the power that works in you.
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  By all that God gives you to live this Christian life He asks you to live.
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  And to be filled with fruits of righteousness.
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  Jesus loves me, this I know. And because of that, I can believe.
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  And when I believe, I can achieve.
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  And when I believe, I can receive all that God has for me.
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  Jesus loves me, this I know.
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  The Apostle Paul, writing to the Colossians, wrote this in Colossians 1, 9-11.
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  This calls we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you,
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  and to desire that you might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all
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  wisdom and spiritual understanding.
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  This is my prayer for you, my friend, that you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing,
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  being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God,
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  God strengthened with all might according to His glorious power unto all patience,
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  long-suffering with joyfulness,
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  giving thanks unto the Father which hath made us meet to be partakers of the
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  inheritance of the saints of life,
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  the saints in light, who have delivered us from the power of darkness and have
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  translated us in the kingdom of His dear son,
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  in whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sin,
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  who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature.
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  For by Him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible.
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  Whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.
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  All things were created by Him and for him.
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  My friend, walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work.
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  You are loved. Jesus loves you.
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  Music.
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  Thank you for joining us in today's podcast. You can visit the show notes for
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  quotes from today's podcast and scripture references.
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  We pray today has been a blessing and we encourage you to reach out to us through
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  a daily devotion written by Kim and delivered Monday through Friday by text message.
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  Women of the Well Ministries is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving our Heavenly Father.
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  And it is through your loving and generous support that our ministry continues to bless others.
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  Thank you to the gospel group Fudge Creek for letting us use their hit song, Happy Girl.
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  We greatly appreciate your prayers. We are praying daily for our listeners.
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  Remember that God loves you. You are loved.
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  Music.