Latest / Your Hope-Filled Perspective with Dr. Michelle Bengtson podcast / A Fresh Start: Trusting God's Redemption Over Your Past

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A Fresh Start: Trusting God's Redemption Over Your Past · Your Hope-Filled Perspective with Dr. Michelle Bengtson podcast

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  Speaker 1: Life Audio. Welcome to a brand new year. If you're
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  Speaker 1: like many, today might bring a mixt of emotions. Excitement
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  Speaker 1: for a fresh start, anxiety over the unknown, or maybe
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  Speaker 1: even a lingering weight from the past. So many of
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  Speaker 1: us enter the new year feeling burdened by past mistakes, failures,
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  Speaker 1: or regrets. The enemy would love nothing more than to
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  Speaker 1: keep us stuck in shame, replaying the moments we wish
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  Speaker 1: we could erase. But here's the truth. Our God is
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  Speaker 1: a god of redemption, of new beginnings, of fresh mercies.
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  Speaker 1: Every morning, including this one. Today, we're going to talk
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  Speaker 1: about trusting God's redemption over our past. We'll explore what
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  Speaker 1: it means to step forward in faith instead of shame,
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  Speaker 1: to trust God's plan instead of our past, and to
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  Speaker 1: fully embrace the fresh start he offers us through his
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  Speaker 1: love and grace. We'll dive in right after this brief
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  Speaker 1: word from our sponsor, Welcome back to your hope filled
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  Speaker 1: perspective or it's always our goal to restore hope, renew minds,
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  Speaker 1: and empower listeners to live in your God given identity.
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  Speaker 1: We will equip you with encouragement and biblical truth you
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  Speaker 1: need to walk in hope. I'm your host, doctor Michelle Bankson,
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  Speaker 1: and I'm so grateful that you're joining me for today's episode.
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  Speaker 1: As we kick off this new year. If stepping into
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  Speaker 1: this new year has felt more like stepping into a
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  Speaker 1: cloud of uncertainty, I want you to know you're not alone.
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  Speaker 1: More importantly, you're not without hope. Today we are going
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  Speaker 1: to explore what God's word says about new beginnings and
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  Speaker 1: how we can release the past to walk confidently into
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  Speaker 1: His plans for the future. To start off this episode,
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  Speaker 1: I just remind us of a few scriptures that are applicable.
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  Speaker 1: God is in the business of making things new. So
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  Speaker 1: one of my favorite reminders is found in Isaiah forty three,
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  Speaker 1: verses eighteen to nineteen that says, forget the former things,
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  Speaker 1: do not dwell on the past. See I'm doing a
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  Speaker 1: new thing now it springs up. Do you not perceive it?
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  Speaker 1: I am making a way in the wilderness and streams
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  Speaker 1: in the wasteland. If you're struggling to let go of
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  Speaker 1: past failures, please hear this today. God is doing a
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  Speaker 1: new thing in your life. The question is will you
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  Speaker 1: embrace it? Lamentations three, verses twenty two through twenty three
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  Speaker 1: offers us assurance. Because of the Lord's great love, we
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  Speaker 1: are not consumed. For as compassions never fail, they they
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  Speaker 1: are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. So no
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  Speaker 1: matter what yesterday held, today is a new day and
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  Speaker 1: His mercies are fresh and waiting for you. Let's keep
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  Speaker 1: moving forward with practical steps that you can take as
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  Speaker 1: you step into this new year with confidence and hope.
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  Speaker 1: Practical tip number one Release what you cannot change. Holding
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  Speaker 1: on to past regrets won't change them, So I encourage
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  Speaker 1: you to take a moment to pray and surrender those
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  Speaker 1: memories to God, repenting where necessary, and trusting Him to
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  Speaker 1: use even your mistakes for his glory. Practical tip number two,
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  Speaker 1: replace the shame with truth. The enemy often whispers lies
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  Speaker 1: of unworthiness and failure, but friend, God calls you redeemed.
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  Speaker 1: Meditate on scriptures that remind you of your identity in
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  Speaker 1: Christ because you are loved, valued, and renewed every day.
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  Speaker 1: And sometimes I get emails or messages saying, but I
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  Speaker 1: don't really know what God says about me. If you'll
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  Speaker 1: go to my website doctor michelleb dot com and type
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  Speaker 1: in the search bar what God says about me, I've
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  Speaker 1: got a whole list of scriptures for you that talk
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  Speaker 1: specifically about how God sees you and what He says
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  Speaker 1: about you. So go to doctor michellebe dot com and
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  Speaker 1: avail yourself of that resource. Practical tip number three set
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  Speaker 1: your eyes on the future, not the past. And I
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  Speaker 1: know this can be hard. So often, even when we
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  Speaker 1: want healing, we spend a lot of time looking at
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  Speaker 1: the past. And I understand that, and it has its place.
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  Speaker 1: But in Philippiums three, verses thirteen through fourteen, the appause
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  Speaker 1: so Paul encourages us forgetting what is behind and straining
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  Speaker 1: toward what is head. I press on towards the goal.
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  Speaker 1: So today, commit to focusing on God's promises for your future.
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  Speaker 1: Each new day is a step towards the plans He
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  Speaker 1: has created you, plans filled with hope and purpose. Where
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  Speaker 1: there is uncertainty, seek God's will for your future. Now,
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  Speaker 1: some of you have written to me and said, but
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  Speaker 1: I don't know God's promises, or how do I know
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  Speaker 1: which promises are applicable to me. That's where you may
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  Speaker 1: want to avail yourself of my book. Today is going
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  Speaker 1: to be a good day. Ninety promises from God to
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  Speaker 1: start your day off right. It's called Today is Going
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  Speaker 1: to be a Good Day. Practical tip number four. Surround
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  Speaker 1: yourself with encouragement. Fellowship is key. The enemy would love
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  Speaker 1: to isolate you, but we weren't created to be alone.
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  Speaker 1: Whether it's through Christian friends, a church community, or aspirational
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  Speaker 1: books and podcasts, fill your life with voices that affirm
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  Speaker 1: your worth and point you toward God's truth. When more
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  Speaker 1: surrounded by encouragement, the journey to healing and new beginnings
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  Speaker 1: becomes much more manageable. Practical tip number five, Start each
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  Speaker 1: day with a fresh perspective. Begin every morning by thanking
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  Speaker 1: God for a new day and seeking his guidance for today.
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  Speaker 1: A short prayer or a moment of reflection can reset
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  Speaker 1: your mind, reminding you of His promises that His mercies
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  Speaker 1: are new every morning. Consider journaling your thoughts and prayers
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  Speaker 1: to track the fresh starts and breakthroughs that God's bringing
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  Speaker 1: into your life again. If you need a resource to
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  Speaker 1: start your day in God's word, reflecting on his promises,
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  Speaker 1: I encourage you to pick up a copy of my
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  Speaker 1: book Today is Going to Be a Good Day, ninety
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  Speaker 1: says from God to start your day off right. Friends,
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  Speaker 1: We're going to take a brief word for this message
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  Speaker 1: from our sponsor, but I want you to stick with
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  Speaker 1: me so that we can continue the conversation about trusting
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  Speaker 1: God as we step into the new the new year.
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  Speaker 1: We'll be right back. Before the break, we talked about
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  Speaker 1: embracing practical steps for a fresh start. I gave you
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  Speaker 1: five practical tips. We discussed releasing what we can't change
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  Speaker 1: through repentance and surrender, replacing shame with the truth of
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  Speaker 1: God's word, setting your eyes on the future, not the past,
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  Speaker 1: and seeking God for a direction. Surround yourself with encouragement
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  Speaker 1: and start each day with a fresh perspective. As I
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  Speaker 1: encourage you to take a moment now to reflect on
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  Speaker 1: these steps, ask yourself, what burdens do I need to surrender?
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  Speaker 1: Which scriptures will I meditate on to replace shame with truth?
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  Speaker 1: And then allow God to fill you with hope as
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  Speaker 1: you anticipate the new things He's ready to do in
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  Speaker 1: your life. I don't know what your past holds, but
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  Speaker 1: I do know this. God is bigger than your mistakes,
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  Speaker 1: greater than your failures, and ever faithful in his love.
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  Speaker 1: As you step into this new year, old onto the
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  Speaker 1: promise that He is doing something new in your life.
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  Speaker 1: God loves us too much to leave us where we are.
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  Speaker 1: You no longer have to be weighed down by what was. Instead,
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  Speaker 1: embrace what is to come, knowing that God's plans for
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  Speaker 1: you are filled with hope, purpose, and renewal. Today we
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  Speaker 1: covered the truth that God is a God of new beginnings.
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  Speaker 1: Remember Isaiah forty three eighteen through nineteen and Lamentation three
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  Speaker 1: twenty two through twenty three. We covered practical ways to
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  Speaker 1: let go of past regrets by releasing what you cannot
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  Speaker 1: change and replacing the shame with God's truth. And we
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  Speaker 1: covered how focusing on the future and surrounding yourself with
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  Speaker 1: encouragement can help you step into your new identity. And finally,
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  Speaker 1: we covered the importance of starting each day with gratitude
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  Speaker 1: and a fresh perspective. As you leave this episode, I
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  Speaker 1: encourage you to put these steps into practice tonight, reflect
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  Speaker 1: on the scriptures we discussed, and commit to a fresh
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  Speaker 1: start tomorrow morning. We're not talking about new year's resolutions
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  Speaker 1: or big lofty goals, just starting each day asking God,
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  Speaker 1: what do you have for me today and trust that
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  Speaker 1: each new day is a gift from God, a day
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  Speaker 1: filled with His mercy and love. Let's pray together. Lord,
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  Speaker 1: thank you for the promise of new beginnings. Help us
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  Speaker 1: to let go of the past and step boldly into
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  Speaker 1: the future you have planned, knowing that your will is
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  Speaker 1: good and perfect and pleasing for each one of us.
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  Speaker 1: May we embrace your truth over our shame, and may
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  Speaker 1: your mercies renew us each morning in Jesus' name. Amen, Friends,
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  Speaker 1: thank you for spending this time with me on your
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  Speaker 1: hope filled perspective. If today's episode has touched your heart,
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  Speaker 1: please consider sharing it with a friend who needs a
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  Speaker 1: fresh start this new year. I'd love to hear your
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  Speaker 1: stories about how God is renewing your life, so feel
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  Speaker 1: free to reach out on social media or through my website.
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  Speaker 1: Remember that no matter what your past looks like, God's
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  Speaker 1: redemption is greater and he is always faithful. Wishing you
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  Speaker 1: a blessed and hopeful new year. Until next time, keep
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  Speaker 1: stepping into the light of God's love happiness year, until
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  Speaker 1: we meet again. My prayer for you is that you
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  Speaker 1: have a hope filled week.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you for joining doctor bankson to your hope build perspective.
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  Speaker 2: We hope you were encouraged by her authenticity, vulnerability, and
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  Speaker 2: biblical truths. If you enjoy today's conversation, When you take
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  Speaker 2: staff at info at Hope Prevails dot org for additional resources.
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  Speaker 2: Information about doctor Bankson's books where free downloads, or to
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  Speaker 2: contact her to speak at your next event, Please visit
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  Speaker 2: doctor Michelbe dot com. Until next time, May you have
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  Speaker 2: a hope filled week.
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  Speaker 1: I'd like to take just a second to thank the
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  Speaker 1: team at Life Audio for their partnership with us on
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  Speaker 1: this podcast. If you go to lifeaudio dot com, you'll
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