Latest / HAVE FAITH LET IT BEGIN® / Cheated: The Moment Everything Changed Ep:1

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Cheated: The Moment Everything Changed Ep:1 · HAVE FAITH LET IT BEGIN®

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  Hello, everyone. Before we begin today's episode, I want to take a moment to
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  speak directly to anyone who may be struggling.
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  This week's series on Have Faith, Let It Begin discusses topics such as betrayal,
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  heartbreak, depression, broken trust, and emotional pain.
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  While these episodes are based on personal experiences and faith,
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  they are not intended to replace professional counseling, mental health treatment, or crisis support.
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  If you are experiencing depression, anxiety, thoughts of self-harm,
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  overwhelming grief, or if you simply need someone to talk to,
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  please reach out to a trusted friend, a family member, a pastor,
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  a counselor, or mental health professional.
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  There is strength in asking for help. You do not have to carry your burdens alone.
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  And if you're listening today and your heart feels in pain, know this, your story is not over.
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  Your life has value and there are people who care about you.
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  So are you ready?
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  Have faith, let it begin. Starts right now.
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  Welcome to Half-Faith, Let It Begin. This is Ariel Santana.
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  Can you believe I'm seven years old already? I'm old enough now to introduce my dad.
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  Ladies and gentlemen, your host, my dad, Angel Santana.
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  Two thousand came and the spark was lit. A testimony raw, it wouldn't quit.
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  His mother's voice, a guiding thread. The angel's.
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  Hello, everyone, and welcome to Have Faith, Let It Begin. This series is called
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  Cheated, and it's episode one, When the Truth Finally Found Me.
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  Well, Have Faith, Let It Begin is on the air, and my name is Angel Santana.
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  Today begins what we, well, what may be one of the most personal series I have
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  ever shared on this podcast.
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  And I figured since we're ending year eight and going into year nine,
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  what better way than to provide you with a very powerful series.
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  You know, over the years, I've talked about faith, family, perseverance,
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  and overcoming life's challenges.
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  I've shared stories that made us laugh, stories that made us think,
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  and stories that reminded us that God is always present.
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  But this week is different.
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  This week, I'm opening a chapter of my life that I've carried quietly for many years.
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  There was a year in my life that changed everything. A year where I trusted someone completely.
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  A year where I believed every word I was being told.
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  A year where I defended someone when others questioned them.
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  A year where I ignored warning signs because I wanted to believe the best in people.
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  Looking back now, I realize I wasn't just protecting a relationship.
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  I was protecting the version of reality I wanted to believe was true.
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  And that's a dangerous place to live.
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  Because when we become emotionally invested in a version of reality,
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  we sometimes ignore the truth standing right in front of us.
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  I remember convincing myself that things would get better. I remember explaining away concerns.
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  I remember telling myself that my gut, all my gut feeling, was wrong.
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  I remember praying that I was imagining things. But deep down,
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  something didn't feel right.
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  Have you ever been there before? Have you ever had that feeling in your spirit
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  that something was off, but you didn't want to believe it?
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  Because believing it would change everything, that's where I was.
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  For a long time, I found myself living between what I knew and what I hoped.
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  I wanted to believe the words.
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  I wanted to trust.
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  I wanted to hold onto the future that I had.
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  But eventually that weight, the weight became too heavy for me to carry.
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  The questions became louder.
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  The questions became louder than the answers. The confusion became harder to ignore.
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  And one day I found myself doing something I never imagined I would have to do.
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  I found myself face to face with a person I believed held the answers and had been searching for.
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  I wasn't looking for a fight. I wasn't looking for a revenge.
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  I wasn't even looking to destroy anyone. I was simply looking for the truth.
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  But sometimes the truth is painful. But living without it is even worse.
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  I remember how nervous I was. I remember how my heart raced.
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  Thinking. I remember thinking that maybe I was wrong.
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  Maybe all of this was in my head. Maybe there was another explanation.
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  Maybe this conversation would finally put my fears to rest.
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  But instead, it confirmed them.
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  And in a matter of moments, everything I believed, everything I believed about my life changed.
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  The worst part was discovering I had been lied to.
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  The worst part was discovering how long I had been lied to.
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  That realization broke me. not just emotionally, but spiritually, mentally,
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  physically, because betray, or I should say betrayal, has a way of attacking
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  everything or every part of your life.
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  Suddenly, you start questioning everything, every conversation,
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  every memory, every promise.
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  You begin asking yourself of questions that have no answer, no easy answers.
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  What was real? What wasn't? When did it start? And how long had I been blind?
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  Was I enough? Was I not enough? Was there something I could have done?
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  Something I could have done differently?
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  Those questions became a prison. And if you're not careful, they'll follow you for years.
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  I know because some of them followed me.
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  Even today, there are moments when memories appear unexpectedly. A song.
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  A conversation. A dream. A date on the calendar.
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  And suddenly, you're transported back. Back to a place where you thought you had left.
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  Maybe some of you listening know exactly what I'm talking about.
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  Maybe your betrayal looked different than mine.
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  Maybe it was a friend. Maybe it was a family member.
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  Maybe it was someone you trusted at work. And maybe it was someone you loved.
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  But betrayal leaves fingerprints. They leave fingerprints on the heart.
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  And healing doesn't always happen as quickly as I hoped.
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  Or as people think. The good news is that God never abandoned me.
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  Even when I questioned everything, even when I cried, even when I sat alone
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  trying to make sense of the pain, God reminded me.
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  I didn't always feel Him. I didn't always understand Him.
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  But He remained. In Psalms 34, verse 18, it says, The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
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  and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
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  There were days when I didn't know how to even move forward, but God, I did.
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  There were days when I couldn't see tomorrow, but God could.
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  And while the wound didn't heal overnight, he stayed beside me every step of the way.
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  Yeah, betrayal. I want you to know something. Your story is not over.
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  The person who hurt you does not get the final chapter.
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  The lies or the lie does not get the final chapter. The heartbreak does not get the final chapter.
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  God does. Let's pray.
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  Heavenly Father, today we pray for every listener carrying the weight of the betrayal.
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  For every broken heart, every wounded spirit, and every person struggling.
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  Struggling to trust again. remind them that they are not alone.
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  Draw close to them, give them strength, healing, and hope.
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  Help them understand that while pain may be part of the story,
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  and even while their pain may be part of their story, it's not the end of their story.
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  In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
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  Tomorrow, we're talking about another kind of betrayal The friends who smile
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  to our faces While hurting us behind our backs Until tomorrow Have faith Let it begin Take care.