Latest / The Woman at the Well Ministries Podcast / 594 | The Greater Blessing - Part 4

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594 | The Greater Blessing - Part 4 · The Woman at the Well Ministries Podcast

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  Hello, friends, and welcome back to the Woman at the Well Ministries podcast
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  with Kimberly Miller, where we believe that every man, woman,
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  boy, and girl must come to Jesus just like the woman at the well in John chapter 4.
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  Our highest priority is helping you experience the reality of God in your everyday life.
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  Whether you're listening in our app, on your favorite podcast platform,
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  are on our website at watwm.org.
• 0:34
  We invite you to sit down with us as we open the scriptures to learn more about
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  who God is and to strengthen your daily walk with Jesus Christ.
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  Those who wait upon the Lord receive the greater blessing.
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  Isaiah 40 verse 31 says, But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.
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  They shall mount up with wings as eagles.
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  They shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint.
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  Life's circumstances will try to push you ahead of God, and perhaps even your
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  own tendencies will try to move you in front of the plans that God has for you.
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  But join us in this broadcast of Woman at the Well Ministries as Kim continues
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  to take us on a journey through the Scriptures to discover the reward for waiting
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  on God and allowing Him to have His perfect way in your life.
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  Hello, and thank you for joining us in this broadcast of Woman at the Well Ministries.
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  We've been taking a journey through John chapter 11 over the last couple of
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  lessons, and we're going to continue to do that and see how far we get along
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  in this lesson as God continues to lead us.
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  As we begin the first part of John chapter 11, what we see is that there's some
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  trouble brewing in the household of Mary and Lazarus and Martha.
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  And we see a beautiful situation in that the girls, as soon as they see the
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  trouble coming, they know exactly where to go and they go for Jesus.
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  And as we begin to walk down those verses, we see the relationship that they
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  have with Jesus Christ is personal.
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  And as Christians, this brings amazing hope to us as we realize that God is
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  no respecter of persons and that they talk to him about whom thou lovest is
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  sick when they're speaking to Jesus about Lazarus.
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  And we see that each one of them has a very personal relationship with them
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  as we see them walk through the scriptures and we begin to see Mary and Martha
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  in their own personalities deal with the situation at hand as they would according
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  to how they feel in their hearts.
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  But what we see is that each of them have a very personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
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  We see that they know the promises of God.
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  They know that he is able to take care of their situation. They have full confidence in him.
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  And though the situation around them is bleak, and though the situation around
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  them isn't going at all as they wish it would, their faith in him never wavers.
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  Their confidence in him isn't shaken
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  and as we begin to look at verse 29 we saw the obedience of mary in john chapter
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  11 and verse 29 it says as soon as she heard that she rose quickly and came unto him.
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  As we continue to read, now we're picking up in this lesson.
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  We've seen how Martha ran to him.
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  She knew the promises of God. She was quick to give an answer for what she believed.
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  And her answer was convincing.
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  We see that Mary waited. And in verse 28, it says that he calleth for thee.
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  And when he spoke for her and he called her name, she responded immediately.
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  And we spent some time parked in this place
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  in the scriptures that we as christians might look
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  at our own lives and realize that behold he
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  stands at the door and he knocks and he calleth for thee
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  and we're faced with that all-important question what are we doing in response
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  to the call of god as the holy spirit calls upon us as it knocks upon our heart
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  as it draws us ever closer to jesus What are we doing in response to that wooing of the Holy Spirit?
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  We see with all certainty in John chapter 11 that Mary went immediately when he bid her come.
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  Picking up in verse 30, we see, Now Jesus was not yet come into the town,
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  but was in that place where Martha met him.
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  The Jews then which were with her in the house and comforted her,
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  when they saw Mary that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her,
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  saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there.
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  Let's take a look at what the scripture is saying to us in those last couple
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  of verses that we just read.
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  You see, the situation is that Mary and Martha have a great loss.
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  Lazarus has not only fallen sick, he has now passed unto death.
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  And all the people around are watching and they're following.
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  Because you see, as Mary got up and went out to where Jesus was because he was
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  away from them, because Martha had run out and met him, then the people saw
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  her get up. They're watching. They're looking. They're observing.
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  And as they see her get up, what did they do? They followed.
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  As we look at this beautiful passage of
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  scripture looking at god's amazing blessings
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  and grace for those that wait upon the lord as we
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  see that all things work together for the good to them that love the lord and
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  that are called according to his purpose as we watch these beautiful truths
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  of the scripture unfold and blossom before our very eyes we can't help but see
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  the impact that our moves and our actions have on other people.
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  For just in these two very small verses tucked away in this amazing chapter
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  of John chapter 11, we see that the people are watching and the people are following.
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  Things are not much different in this day and time.
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  People are watching and people
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  are following my mother had a beautiful beautiful
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  phrase that she raised all of us upon she would say to me kim you may be the
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  only bible that some people ever read make sure there's enough of it in you
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  to lead others to him friends you may think you're an island to yourself.
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  But there's proof otherwise. No one truly lives all alone.
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  When we step out of that comfort zone of our home, or we step out of work,
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  or we're walking down the streets where we are at work, or we are in our home,
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  there are other eyes that are watching us.
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  And regardless of what you think of yourself, there is somebody out there who
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  thinks that your actions are worthy of copying.
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  There's somebody out there who is justifying their footsteps by watching where yours go.
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  Oftentimes it's little feet that follow
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  after us one of
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  my favorite things i used to do when i was a
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  little girl was when it would rain outside and
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  the grass would be all wet and after the rain would stop and my
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  mom and dad would go outside and we would play
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  my dad would go barefooted sometimes and
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  he'd get his feet all wet and then he would run around
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  on the cement driveway and in that cement
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  driveway would be his beautiful little footprints they
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  would be all over the place and my dad
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  didn't have a big foot but I was a little girl and I
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  would walk around trying desperately to stick my feet in those footprints and
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  his gait was much larger than mine and so I'd be stretched to the max sometimes
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  getting from one foot to the next and i'd walk around and play just as long
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  as those footprints would stay on that cement.
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  Until they dried up, I would play running around, walking in the footsteps of my daddy.
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  And my mom would just laugh as I would just giggle and I would say, I'm following daddy.
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  And he would make amazing zigzags and all kinds of funny things on the cement driveway.
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  And I would do the best I could to follow exactly the pattern that he laid before me.
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  But when I was in doubt as to which step he actually took next,
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  I would look down and I would choose a footprint that was on that cement and I would step in it.
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  My friends, that's what's going on in your life.
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  People are following and you're leaving footprints this journey of life that we walk through.
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  And innocent eyes who are fragile minds and tender hearts are walking behind you.
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  And when things get a little confusing and they see all of these prints,
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  they just pick one and they jump in it.
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  And my friends, that's a dangerous way to go in that place.
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  Because we don't know that you're always going to pick the ones you want them to pick.
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  You see, you people out there who are living double standard lives,
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  who are Christians beyond belief on Sunday morning and Sunday night and Wednesday,
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  Bible-toting, spouting,
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  saying all the right words, but Monday through Saturday living like the devil,
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  those little footprints behind you, they may not pick the right step to get into.
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  You see, there's confusing footsteps for them.
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  They're the ones that walk after righteousness, and then there's the ones that
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  walk after the devil, and when they come to a place and they just can't remember, which way do I go?
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  What footprint do I step in? My friends, if you've left them some bad footprints,
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  they're going to go there.
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  Or at least they risk it. Because if mommy and daddy, or my best friend or my
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  older sister or my older brother or my preacher have done it,
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  then it must be okay for me.
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  You see, you can tell them till you turn blue in the face.
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  My daddy could tell me all he wanted to which step he took next,
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  and when he started running around in a strange pattern, I had to just pick one.
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  And so I would pick one of the ones in front of me. you can tell your children
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  till you turn blue in the face that they need to walk after God but when it
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  comes time to make their decisions,
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  they're going to begin to look at the way you've walked not how you've talked.
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  And they're going to start following after you. Friends, it's time that the
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  footprints we leave cause others to believe.
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  It's time that we're faithful to the word of God. Because people are watching
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  and people are following.
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  And there is a huge, huge consequence for those who don't follow after God.
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  For those whose hearts are not turned over to the Lord.
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  Those who don't know him as Savior will end up in hell fire.
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  And those who have lived a life not close to the foot of the cross will lose
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  many a blessings and many a rewards, and their lives will be powerless,
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  and their light will be dim.
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  And when it comes time for us all to stand in front of Jesus Christ,
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  because it says in Romans 12, 14, or 14, 12, that then all of us shall give
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  account of ourselves towards God.
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  When we get to that point, we want to make sure that when we turn back around
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  and we look at the footprints of our life on the journey of this world we've gone through,
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  that the steps have been straight and the steps have been narrow because straight
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  and narrow is the way that leads to God.
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  And broad and wide is the path that leads to destruction.
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  And friends, I know that you love your children.
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  I know that you would tell me that you would do anything in the world for them,
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  many of you would look at me and say I'd lay my life down for them and you are
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  the very same people who are not tenderly,
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  giving them the light of God and the direction in their life from the word you're
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  not tending to their spiritual needs and their growth,
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  friends it's great to give your children and,
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  All of the fine things that you can. And it's wonderful to love them and protect them.
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  And it's part of God's wonderful plan.
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  But when you lay your head down on your pillow at night, you cannot check it
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  off as a successful day as a parent if you have not been with them in prayer and study.
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  You can't count it as a day that
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  you were all that you could be for them and that you
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  gave them all that you had and that you did lay down your life for them bridging
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  the gap between this world and heaven with your prayers and with his word as
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  you point them to jesus christ as your footsteps lead them to him you can't do that if you haven't,
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  tended to their spiritual needs.
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  And you know, that's a horrible thing. But if it stopped right there,
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  it wouldn't be nearly as bad as it truly is.
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  Because the truth of the matter is, is when you don't tend to those things,
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  what you're telling them is, is the things of this world are more important.
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  And the Bible tells us in the book of Mark in chapter 8 and verse 36,
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  For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?
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  When the word of God said, Ye are the light of the world.
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  And you're not to hide your light under a candlestick when
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  he said you're the salt that gives this
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  life flavor he wasn't saying that
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  just to hear his own words he was
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  saying that so that you would realize that your life makes
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  a difference that this path you walk is being observed that the impact you make
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  on other people's lives are the things that they're looking at and you are shaping
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  and forming other people's opinion about who God is by how much importance and
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  the priority that you place on him in your own life.
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  And in just two little verses, we see this in John chapter 11.
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  This girl's been through a lot.
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  Lots of people would have stood back and said, if Jesus was all that,
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  why didn't he save my brother?
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  Many of us face with the same sort of situation in our lives where we had in
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  our mind what the outcome should be and suddenly the hand of God comes in and
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  the outcome is completely different than what we had on our agenda. We turn our backs on God.
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  We begin to think he doesn't care. We decide that he doesn't love us, but not Mary.
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  Mary was going to Jesus because he bid her come. He bid her come when she had
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  some situations that might have caused her to think, Listen,
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  I'm tired of listening to you.
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  He bid her come when she had been contemplating perhaps things that were not all that about God.
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  He bid her come when the decision to get up immediately and go took a heart
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  that was committed, that was faithful, that was loyal, that loved him.
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  And he bid her come she did
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  all of that she responded in love she responded
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  in obedience she was immediately moving towards
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  him showing the loyalty and the confidence she had in him circumstances did
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  not have an effect on mary that day and oh what a blessing is waiting mary on
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  the other side of that meeting with jesus as we move a little further into the scriptures.
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  It says then when mary was come where jesus was
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  and saw him she fell down at his feet saying
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  unto him lord if thou hadst been here my brother had not died do you see the
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  face of this lady can you just see the crowd gathered round about saying oh
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  this is gonna be a good one here comes mary she's been quiet.
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  And she's watched what's taken place. And she's claimed that Jesus is their friend.
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  And she's spoken of how Jesus loved Lazarus. And look what it's got him.
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  And the crowd's watching. And they're looking.
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  And no doubt there were people in that crowd that thought she was going to give him a piece of her mind.
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  That she was going to lay down the facts of the case.
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  And ask him, where were you, Jesus, when I needed you most?
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  And instead what they see is mary
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  obediently following after jesus and as
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  soon as she comes into his presence she falls
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  down at his feet and she begins to worship
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  him and there are those who read this scripture as if she's accusing him there
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  are those that read this scripture and they say that she just told him if you'd
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  have been here he wouldn't have died oh my friends she wouldn't have done that
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  on her knees in front of her feet.
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  She wouldn't have done that in an humbled position of worship.
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  What she said was, if you hadn't been here, Jesus, he wouldn't have died.
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  I know who you are. I know what you can do. I understand the power that you possess.
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  I know that you can speak and action takes place.
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  Lord, I know that the things that have taken place are not what I want them to be.
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  I know that the circumstances have not turned out the way I thought they would.
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  I know, Lord, that your actions are a little bit beyond my understanding.
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  But what I do know is that you're still Jesus and you're still Lord and you
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  are correct and you are right.
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  And I just want you to know that nothing that's taken place here has changed my mind, God.
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  I know you, Jesus, and I know if you'd have just been here, he'd have never died.
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  What faith Mary exhibits. And my friends, don't you imagine?
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  There was an amazing impact on all those people who had watched her all this time.
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  Who had followed her out.
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  And now they were seeing the meeting of Mary and Jesus.
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  The long-awaited Jesus had come. and to
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  everybody else's opinion he was four days too late and mary i'm sure had no
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  earthly idea what was getting ready to take place but she knew who she was in
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  the presence of friends take a look at your life this very moment you may not
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  know what's going to take place.
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  Troubles may be melting against you
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  you may not understand the path of
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  righteousness that jesus christ has honed out
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  into this world for you you may
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  not get the steep mountains that he's
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  making you climb as he enables you and hold your hand and pushes you and lifts
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  you and gets you up to the top of the mountain but you have every right to know
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  because of the promises of god when he said i'll never leave you nor forsake
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  you when he said i love you when he said all things are working out to your good,
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  you have every reason to believe that just on the other side of this incredible
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  steep place you find yourself in,
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  there's a greater blessing because he's in control and he's still God.
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  And no matter what's on the left of your path, no matter what's on the right
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  of your path, no matter what you have overcome from behind, no matter what you
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  even see in front, He's still God, and he's still powerful.
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  And you have every right to know that the next step you take is in the presence of Almighty God.
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  And instead of worrying about the steps, instead of wandering about the mountain,
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  instead of looking so far ahead that you miss God, it's time we got on our knees,
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  in front of his feet, in his absolute presence.
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  And began to tell him who he is, began to worship him for who he is,
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  Begin to believe in who he is.
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  Begin to let him have control of every piece of your body. Because when you're
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  walking in the valley, he's still God.
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  And when you're walking up the mountain, the reason you're walking up the mountain
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  is because he's still God.
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  And when you get to the top of the mountain, that God that is blessing you is
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  the very same God who is with you in the valley. Who lifted you up the mountain.
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  Who's holding your hand on the top. The circumstances of life don't change who he is.
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  And the circumstances of life shouldn't change who you think he is.
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  Friends, he's God. Every day, every moment, in every situation.
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  And Mary understood this. And oh, how Mary loved him. And Martha understood this.
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  And oh, how Martha loved him.
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  Hey, but listen to what happens.
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  In the presence of Almighty God.
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  The people round about are seeing a
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  light they're seeing a light that if you would just follow me in your minds
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  ah that's brighter than the whole lights that light up the superdome that's
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  brighter than all the lights that you can imagine in the brightest of cities in the bleakest of night.
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  My friends, the Bible tells us that if he be lifted up, then he'll draw all men unto him.
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  Mary and Martha, and then the next lesson you're going to see,
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  are on the precipice of the most amazing blessing the world at this point has ever seen.
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  They are getting ready to be rewarded for their obedience and their faith like
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  eyes have never seen or ears have never heard.
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  But they're not doing that because of
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  what's coming they are responding because what
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  is there they are standing in the presence of
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  almighty god and they know who he is because they know him right now this moment
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  do you know who he is oh come with me to the next lesson that we might see what
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  awaits those who bow and worship him,
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  even in the midst of the troubles and trials that a journey in this world may afford you. Thank you.
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  Friends, and welcome back to the Woman at the Well Ministries podcast with Kimberly
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  Miller, where we believe that every man, woman, boy, and girl must come to Jesus
• 24:17
  just like the woman at the well in John chapter 4.
• 24:21
  Our highest priority is helping you experience the reality of God in your everyday life.
• 24:26
  Whether you're listening in our app, on your favorite podcast platform,
• 24:30
  are on our website at watwm.org.
• 24:34
  We invite you to sit down with us as we open the scriptures to learn more about
• 24:39
  who God is and to strengthen your daily walk.