Latest / The Woman at the Well Ministries Podcast / 662 | Taking on the Shield of Faith

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662 | Taking on the Shield of Faith · 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.
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  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.
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  Many things happen in our lives that pull at our hearts and cause us to wonder why or how.
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  These are things that cause the heart to tremble. And if we aren't grounded
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  and rooted in the word of God and aren't walking closely with him,
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  then we will fall into this trap of doubt placed carefully by the devil.
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  But God has shown us in his word that all things work together for good to them
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  that love God, to them that are called according to his purpose.
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  And that's found in Romans 8, 28.
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  So my friend, dig in a little deeper and take on the shield of faith wherewith
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  he shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
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  And that one is found in Ephesians 6.16.
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  Please join us in this program of Woman at the Well Ministries as Kim invites
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  us to take on the shield of faith.
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  Hello and thank you for joining us in this broadcast of Woman at the Well Ministries.
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  I believe that the topic that we're going to talk about today is extremely relevant
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  to everyone who's breathing.
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  I believe that it is a very real,
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  true statement that every one of us,
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  have had obstacles and issues and events that have come into our life that have
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  caused us pain and sorrow,
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  that have perhaps even made you want to question why or how,
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  or where is God or how could this be happening to me i believe that the statement
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  that is so often said and spoken,
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  mostly in a worldly sense that in everyone's life a little rain must fall is
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  a statement that most of us can relate to.
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  The difference between a Christian who is discussing, in everyone's life, a little rain must fall,
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  and a non-believer who makes the statement, in everyone's life,
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  a little rain must fall, is the umbrella of Jesus Christ and his faith.
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  And his love for us, and his love in us,
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  that enables us to go through the trials, to step over the obstacles,
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  because we're overcomers.
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  The Bible says that we are more conquerors through Jesus Christ that lives in us.
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  But all too often, the sorrow comes, the event sweeps through our life.
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  The seeming darkness of living begins to just surround us.
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  And instead of bringing ourselves to the light and allowing him to feel us,
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  to overflowing and allowing him to just emit from us.
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  We cower down and we allow the devil to steal and rob our joy from us.
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  And you say, Kim, when I'm in a trial and I'm in trouble, I'm not thinking anything
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  like that. No, you're not. But that's part of the problem.
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  You see, the enemy that we face is a spirit and he's a formidable foe,
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  we're told in ephesians chapter 6 and in first peter 5 and he's an adversary to be reckoned with,
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  but the bible says that we are victorious he says that we've overcome him because
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  greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world,
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  he says the devil doesn't have a chance and he says if we resist the devil he'll
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  flee from us and he says at the name of jesus he must flee.
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  So why is it then that during times of extreme stress,
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  during times of sorrow, during times that in your mind and in your simple way
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  of living, you just can't see the light of day?
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  The reason is because you're looking for the light of day.
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  You're not looking for the light of the sun.
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  You see, the son Jesus Christ said, I am the way, the truth, and the life.
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  And no man comes unto the father but by me.
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  And he said, I will guide you and I'll be a light into your path and a lamp into your feet.
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  And he said, my ways aren't your ways, but I will never leave you nor forsake you.
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  And he said, come follow me, which means that if I'm in his will, he's gone before me.
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  That every obstacle that faces me is one that he has seen before me.
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  That every trial I go through is one that has been sifted
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  through his nail-scarred hands and has already passed through his judgment that
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  says, She's mine, and I love her, and she can get through this because I've
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  equipped her, and this is what I've asked her to do.
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  But if she follows me, she'll come through.
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  You see, so often we take our eyes from the sun, and in those rainy days,
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  we look for the S-U-N. We look for the worldly joy, for the worldly happiness.
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  We look for the things that make sense. We look for the things that make.
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  Just would make us feel better. And we determine what would be best for us.
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  And when we do that, we take our eyes off of the S-O-N, and we live in the storm.
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  But my Bible says, the anchor holds.
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  In the midst of the storm, the anchor holds.
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  If you'll remember with me, Peter is in a boat, and the storms are all around him.
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  And off in the distance, he sees a figure coming towards him.
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  For whatever reason, that moment in time, Peter didn't know who he was.
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  And maybe right now, you're in the midst of the storm.
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  And for whatever reason, you can't see Jesus.
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  And part of that reason may very well be that you've got your eyes focused on the world.
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  And you've got your eyes focused on the storm.
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  And you're not looking for the light of day. You're not looking for the light to guide you.
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  You're not placing your faith in Jesus Christ. You're not walking by faith instead of by sight.
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  You're looking at all the things around you and you're trying to make them add up.
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  And you're looking at the answers you think you need. And when you don't see
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  them in your life, you're beginning to decide your plight is horrible.
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  And the devil has crept into your mind.
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  And he's caused you to doubt because, my friend, where God is, there's perfect peace.
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  He says he will keep you in perfect peace whose mind has stayed on thee because
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  you trust in him. Isaiah 26.3.
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  He says, call unto me and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty
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  things which thou knowest not.
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  Jeremiah 33.3.
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  The book of Hebrews. He says, I'll never leave you, nor forsake you.
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  And Peter's in the boat, and he sees the figure coming towards him.
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  As he gets a little bit closer, Peter says, Lord, if it be you, bid me come.
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  You see, we want to really knock on Peter, because he didn't recognize Jesus.
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  But I'd like to submit to you he was trying to find him, and Jesus wasn't lost.
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  But Peter couldn't see Jesus for the storms.
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  He couldn't see Jesus for the waves that were lapping up around his feet.
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  You see, Jesus was there all along and I want you to see that Jesus was coming to Peter.
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  Jesus was on his way. Jesus was already there.
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  Jesus knew what Peter was going through, and Jesus was there.
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  But Peter couldn't recognize him for the storm.
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  More importantly, because he was looking at the storm.
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  Perhaps right now, something's going on in your life you just don't get.
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  Maybe everything that you've believed in your whole life looks like it's on
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  shaky ground because things aren't going your way.
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  Maybe you're in the midst of a financial disaster and you believe you've done
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  everything that you're supposed to do and you're just wondering how you're going to make it.
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  Perhaps someone that you love with all of your heart and soul Is laying somewhere
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  suspended between heaven and earth Struggling to make it,
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  A saint of God and you're just trying to figure out How this can possibly be
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  okay Why is it that that person has to go through it? Why do you have to go through it?
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  You believe, you trust, Jesus come quickly Jesus deliver you've already figured out your answers,
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  but when you look at the situation around you nothing's changing my friend as
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  Peter looked at Jesus coming towards him,
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  nothing about the situation around him changed I want you to see this nothing
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  about the situation changed.
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  But Jesus was always there.
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  And when Peter stopped looking at the situation and began to look at Jesus, oh, how things changed.
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  Jesus said, Peter, come. And Peter came.
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  And as Peter began to look at Jesus, and as Peter began to walk with Jesus,
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  and Peter began to look at him and keep his mind stayed on him.
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  Peter stayed afloat and he continued to walk toward where Jesus was.
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  But then suddenly the storm kind of got up around him again.
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  Suddenly, things went wrong. Peter started to sink.
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  When Peter sank, it wasn't because Jesus wasn't there.
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  When Peter sank, it wasn't because Jesus didn't care.
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  When Peter sank, it wasn't because Jesus had not provided.
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  You see, he says, my grace is sufficient for thee.
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  You see when Peter started to sink it was because he started looking at the
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  storm and he stopped looking at Jesus and then suddenly,
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  when Peter is on the way down because he's taking his eyes off of Jesus he would
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  please turn to Matthew the 14th chapter,
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  and the 30th verse it says but when he saw the wind boisterous this is peter
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  he was afraid and beginning to sink he cried saying lord save me verse.
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  31 it says and immediately jesus stretched forth his hand and called him and
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  said unto him oh thou of little face wherefore did thou doubt wherefore didst thou doubt,
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  peter saw jesus from afar,
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  And he asked him if it be you bid me come. And then as Jesus got closer, he recognized him.
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  Then as Peter, seeing him face to face, obeyed the voice of God and followed,
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  then he walked through the storm.
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  He stepped over the obstacle. He let the events go.
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  But suddenly he stops looking to Jesus and he keeps looking at the storm.
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  He's focused on the wind that's blowing him from side to side.
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  He's focused on the conditions around him that says, you can't make it,
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  you can't do this, this isn't logical, nothing like this has ever happened before and we've made it.
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  And then suddenly, in the midst of his worst plight, he reaches to Jesus and he says, Lord, save me.
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  And it says immediately, the Lord stretched forth his hand.
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  You see, I don't know what you're going through. I don't know what's in your life.
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  But I know that the world would have you look at your life and try to add it
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  up and look at your bank account and your money coming in and your money going
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  out and perhaps even make you feel that God has forsaken you,
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  and that he hasn't provided for you like he said.
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  And it would help you to try to
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  just see all the things around you that's obscuring your view from Jesus.
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  But I submit to you that when Peter was in the storm, Jesus was there coming.
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  He was already there. Peter did not summon Jesus while he was in the boat before,
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  he ever knew the storm was there.
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  Jesus was hovering in the midst.
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  Peter called to Jesus. First he called him. He wasn't sure he was there.
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  He wasn't sure that's who that was. And my friend, if that's where you are right
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  now, I ask that you just look at 2 Corinthians 5, 7. that says,
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  for we walk by faith and not by sight.
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  I submit to you that when he said, I love you, he backed it with his life.
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  Submit to you that he said his grace was sufficient.
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  I submit to you that he said that I commend my love to you, even though while
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  you're a sinner, I died for you in Romans 5.
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  I submit to you that he said I'll never leave you nor forsake you.
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  He said the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avail of much.
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  But he also said but without faith it is impossible to please him and that you
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  must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him,
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  the storm is there and he never promised you there'd be no storms in your life,
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  he never promised you that you would always understand but what he promised
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  was that perfect love casteth out all fear and he loves you perfectly,
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  and he's demonstrated himself to you time and time again and he shows us exactly
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  what we need to do in the midst of the storm we need to reach out to jesus,
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  we need to see him for who he is you see while peter was concerned about who
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  that was that was approaching he didn't have perfect peace.
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  It wasn't until he had to submit himself under the mighty hand of God that he
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  might be exalted in due time, that he was able to find the peace that passeth
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  all understanding and to have joy unspeakable and full of glory.
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  But he showed us something, folks. He showed us that in the midst of the storm,
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  in the midst of the trials, in the midst of the troubles, in the midst of the
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  struggles of your life, in the midst of the absolute worldly confusion all around you, You can have
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  perfect peace in the will of God.
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  Because I want you to know that the wind was still blowing.
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  And the waves were still high. And the storm was still raging when Peter was walking on the water.
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  Because he was in the perfect will of God. There was no doubt in his mind that God was in control.
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  He submitted himself. He yielded himself to God of the universe.
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  And said, Lord, bid me come. and he followed.
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  It wasn't until he stepped out of the perfect will of God, until he let doubt
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  come in, until he started looking at his surroundings, that there wasn't any peace.
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  You see, God didn't change the circumstances for Peter.
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  And he was a mighty man of God. He said, upon this rock, I build my church.
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  And even for Peter, he didn't change the circumstances.
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  But he changed Peter because he revealed himself to him.
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  Oh, today, this very moment in time, I implore you to reach out to Jesus.
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  I implore you to let him reveal himself to you in no uncertain terms.
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  Fix your eyes upon Jesus and lift your hands in praise.
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  Yield yourselves and humble yourselves to God.
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  Say, Lord, this storm belongs to you. You picked it for me.
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  You chose it for me. I know that you've equipped me to overcome because you
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  said I am more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ.
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  And you told me in your word that all things work together for the good to them
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  that love the Lord, who are called according to his purpose.
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  And I, Heavenly Father, am a child of you, the Most High God,
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  and you have bought me with a price, and I'm not mine to pick my path.
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  But I know and I believe in whom I am persuaded that he is able to keep that,
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  which he hath begun in me.
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  And I know you know the way because you are the way.
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  And Lord, save me. Save me from this trial. Save me from this storm.
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  You don't have to remove the storm, but take away the doubt.
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  Let me be in the center of thy will.
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  Thank you for joining us for today's podcast. You can find quotes and scripture
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  references from this episode in the show notes.
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  We pray today's message has been a blessing. If it has, please consider leaving
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  a rating or review on your podcast platform.
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  Your feedback helps others discover the truth of God's Word.
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  You can connect with Women at the Well Ministries through our app at watwm.org
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  and on Facebook and Instagram.
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  While you're there, learn more about Bible Bits, Kim's daily devotional delivered
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  Monday through Friday by text message, and the Bible Bit Podcast.
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  Thank you for your prayers and support. Remember, Jesus loves you. You are loved.