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497 | Take Time To Be Present · The Woman at the Well Ministries Podcast

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  God is in control.
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  She's a happy girl. Hello, friends, and welcome back to another podcast of Woman
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  at the Well Ministries, where we believe that all of us have to come to Jesus
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  like the woman at the well in John chapter 4.
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  Our highest priority is making God real in your life.
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  Whether you are listening in our app, in your favorite podcasting app,
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  or on our website at watwm.org, we invite you to sit down with us as we look
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  to the scriptures to learn more about God and to strengthen your daily walk with Jesus Christ.
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  Living her life for Christ She's a happy girl.
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  Music.
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  She's a happy girl,
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  So often we find ourselves requesting things of God, whether it is for ourselves or for others.
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  We even find ourselves disgruntled or hurt when we think God isn't listening or delivering on time.
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  But do we ever really take the time to be present with Him to know what we should
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  be asking for and listening for what He really has to say?
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  If we listen sometimes, we would be surprised at what we hear.
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  Join us in this podcast of Woman at the Well Ministries as Kim takes us on a
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  journey through the scriptures to hear the still, quiet voice of the Lord.
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  Hello, and thank you for joining us in this podcast of Woman at the Well Ministries. Let's pray.
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  Our kind and most gracious dear Heavenly Father, Lord, we come to you.
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  With grateful hearts that you have invited us to come to the throne.
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  In fact, you told us to be always in a state of prayer, that we are to be praying without ceasing.
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  And Lord, we are people who are in great need for ourselves,
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  for our friends, for our families, for the world we live in.
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  And I believe sometimes we just get in such a hurry, doing what we believe to
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  be right, that we fully forget to just sit in your presence,
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  to soak in who you are, to listen to what you have to say.
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  So Lord, I ask that as we go through this lesson, you help us learn how to take
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  time to be present, to be present with you, to be present in your word,
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  to be present with the Holy Spirit,
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  to live a life that reflects time with you, not just knowledge of you,
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  but a working relationship with you.
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  Lord, be in this message. Remove me, I pray.
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  Make the hearts ready to hear what you have to give them.
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  Give us the courage to make the changes that your word convicts us to make.
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  And in Jesus' name we pray, amen.
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  Taking time to be present is a gift.
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  When we are present with our friends and we give them our time and we give them
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  our full attention, it is a pure demonstration of love.
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  It's an absolute indication of what they mean to us.
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  We do this sometimes in times of trouble and stress, when you don't have any
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  words to say, when you can't make the problem go away.
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  But your presence with them, just listening to what they have to say,
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  just hearing how they feel,
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  just being there and caring about them, shows your love and indicates how special they are to you.
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  And for most of us, we understand that concept and we practice it among our
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  family and our close friends.
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  But somewhere along the line in our religious upbringing or in our church attendance,
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  or perhaps even in our own conversations, we have forgotten that God is a person.
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  He exists as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit,
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  and all three in one comprise our God.
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  And all three have a role in the Trinity, and all three are personal,
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  and we have access to all three.
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  But so many of us treat God as if he's this far-off being that is so distant
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  that he's light years away.
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  And so many of us get so caught up in the business of going to church,
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  in the business of day to day,
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  and we give a few platitudes and we spend a little time and we know the story
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  of Jesus and we speak words that sounds like we love him.
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  But if you look at our days and you look at our calendar and you look at our
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  planner there's something that is very absent and that is we don't have those moments,
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  where we are just spending time with Jesus we are just being present.
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  Much like we do with our friends who are in trouble and need or sometimes we
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  just spend time with them having fun and doing great things and and adventures
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  playing games just growing close,
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  But for some reason, though we understand that that is incredibly important
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  in our relationships with people who mean something to us,
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  we have gotten out of practice or never learned how or somehow never thought
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  it was important to spend time alone with Jesus.
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  And many of us are so far removed
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  from a personal relationship that
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  is working and good and vibrant and alive with Jesus that we really don't have
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  any idea what it means for the Holy Spirit to convict us or speak to us or lead us or guide us.
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  And so here we are part of the family of God.
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  And we're estranged from the
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  main part of the family
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  we live a life that is estranged from God and he says if we draw near unto him
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  he will draw near to us in James 4.8 But he says that he never leaves us or
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  forsakes us in Hebrews 13.5.
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  He is always with us.
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  And in Revelation 3.20, he says, Behold, I stand at the door and knock,
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  and if any man open up the door, I will come in unto him, and I will sup with him.
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  In other words, he's knocking on your heart's door, and he wants to spend time
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  with you, he basically wants to hang out with you.
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  But you're too busy with your day-to-day tasks, perhaps even too busy doing
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  work for the Lord that you've forgotten who the Lord of the work is.
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  But today, as we journey through the scriptures.
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  I want you to know how important it is to take time to be present with the Lord,
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  to hear the still, quiet voice of the Lord.
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  Now, there's no doubt about it. He can thunder with loud, booming voice.
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  But in the stillness of your heart and mind.
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  Is where God gets a good piece of who you are.
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  We have all of Him, but it's a process for Him to get all of us.
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  And sometimes we give Him a piece of our heart, and then we just take it right
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  back. And so it can be a repeated process.
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  But Psalms 46.10 says this, Be still and know that I am God.
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  I will be exalted among the heathens. I will be exalted in the earth,
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  but be still and know that I am God.
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  Scripture tells us in 1 Thessalonians that we are to pray without ceasing.
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  And the great invitation in Jeremiah 33.3 reads like this, Call unto me,
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  and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not.
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  This great invitation, it begins with us praying, but it comes to fruition by us listening.
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  And I'm afraid that some of us do drive-by prayers on a regular basis.
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  We just drive by the prayer. We just sort of say it and move on.
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  Or maybe we have a long laundry list of things we want God to do for us and
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  for others and for our church and for our country and for our state and for the government.
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  For the nations of the world.
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  To find cures, and all of these things are very worthy of our prayers.
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  But we have to really be praying, and if we want the answer,
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  we've got to be listening.
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  So when Psalms 46.10 says, be still, that's an active verse.
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  You are being active when you
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  are being still because it is a conscious decision, a purposeful attitude.
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  It's a lot harder than you may think it
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  is to sit in God's
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  presence alone fully focused
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  on him not listening
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  to the words of a song perhaps not
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  even reading the word but literally spending a moment in time after you've come
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  to him in prayer just listening for what he has to say Taking time to be present
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  means you've got to be there with him.
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  And sometime or another, if you want to know what he has to say,
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  you're going to have to stop talking.
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  And that doesn't mean you say amen and move on.
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  Jeremiah said, call unto me and I will answer thee.
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  Now, the psalmist David is clear. If we have iniquity in our heart, he won't hear us.
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  He only hears the prayer of repentance from someone who has sin in their heart.
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  And 1 John 1.9 says if we confess our sins, he's faithful and just to forgive
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  us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
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  But this attitude of being still,
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  this purposeful quietness, this
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  strategic moment when we are waiting
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  on god to tell us what he
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  has for us and yes the holy spirit may direct you to a certain passage of scripture
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  and you may be sitting there and reading it but you are meditating on that and
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  asking the lord to to show you what he wants you to know from that verse at this moment.
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  Taking time to be present means we're taking time to listen.
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  In Psalms 46.10, after he says, be still, he says, and know that I am God.
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  God, that is such a power-packed phrase, and know that I am God.
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  It speaks to our faith in him,
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  to know, to trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not into thine
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  own understanding, in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
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  Be not wise in thine own eyes, depart from evil and fear the Lord.
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  Proverbs 3, 5, 6, and 7. It speaks to knowing that he is God, the faith that you have.
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  It speaks to having a relationship with Jesus so that we have access to God
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  the Father and that our ears are attentive to what the Holy Spirit has to say
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  when it is teaching us and directing us and comforting us and leading us.
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  Knowing god means we know his character we
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  understand who he is we know
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  that he's all powerful he's all knowing he's all loving and that nothing can
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  separate us from the love of god according to romans 8 38 and 39 it means that
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  we know who god is in the midst of our storm in the midst of our trouble,
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  when the whole world is falling apart around us, we are anchored safely to the
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  King of kings and the Lord of lords, because we know that he is God.
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  And we are perfectly at peace, because thou will keep him in perfect peace,
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  whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee. Isaiah 26.3.
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  When he says, be still and know that he is God, he wants you to also know that
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  Romans 8.28 was written for you, that all things work together for the good
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  to them that love the Lord,
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  to them that are called according to his purpose.
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  We are his children called to be a light in a dark world.
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  We are not to be in despair. We are not to act as if we don't have hope,
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  because we have a citizenship and a home not made with hands eternal into the heavens.
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  God is our father, and we are heirs, join heirs with Jesus Christ,
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  and we have hope, and his name is Jesus.
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  And when we know who God is, and we know his character, and we know what God
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  does, then we can have full assurance and complete faith that God is in control.
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  So whatever's happening around us is exactly what he has for us because it's
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  been sifted through his nail scarred hands that were scarred because of his
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  love for us that held him on the cross of Calvary,
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  paying a sin debt he didn't owe for a people who were going to be sinful,
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  wicked, and reject him, but couldn't pay the debt before we were even born,
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  he took care of our greatest need.
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  When we understand who God is, his providential care,
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  his omniscient mind, the way that he's always thinking about us,
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  the way that he cares about us, the way that he loves us, when we know that he is God.
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  We don't have a problem being still because we will be fully convinced that
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  his ways are higher than our ways,
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  that his thoughts are higher than our thoughts, and that the plan he has for
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  us, according to Jeremiah 29 11, is a good one.
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  And we will rest underneath the shadow of the Almighty.
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  We will be still in every sense of the word.
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  We'll be quiet with our mouth so that we can hear the directions of Almighty God.
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  We'll be still in our thoughts and allow God to take captive our thoughts so
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  that we can stay focused on Him,
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  so that we will be directed by him in a way that we can understand and readily
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  accept and embrace his ways.
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  See, this is what it looks like to be still.
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  The mouth is quiet, the mind is at peace, and God is speaking.
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  And when he speaks, everything changes.
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  His presence on the scene makes the devil flee.
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  It provides all the power you need and all the protection.
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  Don't ever forget there was a fourth
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  man in the fire with the three Hebrew children, and he was the son of God.
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  And when the Hebrew children went in with full of faith, they came out full
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  of faith, and everybody around them had faith because they weren't burnt,
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  They weren't hurt, and the God that was protecting them was visible around them.
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  God isn't silent in your life, and he won't be silent in your witness if you
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  allow him to shine through you.
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  People may not understand how it is that things are working out the way they are for you.
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  They're going to see that it's something extraordinary, that it's something
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  out of the ordinary, it's something amazing, it's something bigger than they are.
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  They might even be able to say it's supernatural, but God will be high and lifted
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  up when you shine his witness through you because you are being still of your
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  wants, still of your wishes,
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  still of your desire on how to deal with the situation, and you simply are transparent
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  and a vessel through which God is working and in his timing,
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  you will be exalted and your enemy will be flattened.
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  Lest you forget Psalms 23, when he says, thou preparest a table in the presence of mine enemies.
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  This table he prepares is between you and them and they're looking in and they want what you have.
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  They hate you with every fiber of their bodies, and the demons of hell would
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  love to consume you because when you're awake, you're a headache for them.
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  But Jesus prepares and God prepares a table for your enemies to look at,
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  and they can't keep from looking at it.
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  They wish they could partake of it, but there has been a great gulf between
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  you and them because God himself has placed himself between you and the enemy,
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  and it may look like the darts of the devil are hitting you,
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  but the shield of faith will always defend you.
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  It may look like the enemy is winning, but victory is ours because greater is
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  he that is in us than he that is in the world, according to 1 John 4.4.
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  And he says that we are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus that loved us.
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  Hold on and hang on and be still.
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  Don't mouth around. He said not a word. Thank you.
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  Pilate brought him great accusations. The people were railing against him.
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  And nothing they said was true.
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  And every decision they made lacked wisdom, and every decision they made was
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  looking worse with each one.
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  And he was getting hurt deeper and deeper with every single mistake,
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  every single rock that was thrown through the words they were speaking.
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  Scripture says, he said not a word.
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  Silence speaks volumes.
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  In the spiritual warfare that we are in every day, so we put on the armor of
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  God that he gives us in Ephesians 6,
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  silence means we are not fighting the battle, because as little David said, the battle is not mine.
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  It belongs to the Lord.
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  But so many of us, we say the words, we try to pray, we do whatever,
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  but then we pick up all their burdens and we begin to walk away and never spend the time sitting still.
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  God says that we are to be still and know that he is God.
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  In Matthew 7, 7, Jesus himself says ask and it shall be given you seek and ye
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  shall find knock and it shall be opened unto you,
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  is he going to open something you've already vacated and
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  can't see if he's opening doors
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  for you you got to stick around to see the door open if
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  he's opening up knowledge in your
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  mind you've got to be there to receive it
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  you've got to be looking for
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  him for the answers not just spouting a list of words
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  off and expecting him to to do this magic
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  wand sometimes he wants to speak
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  to your heart to enable you to do
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  what he wants you to do to create the answer
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  he needs you to have or wants you.
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  To have we can ask and and
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  and a lot of times we'll might seek but that
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  requires extra effort and so sometimes we don't even go the extra mile but we
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  need to ask we need to seek god's will we need to seek god's answer we need
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  to seek god's strategy we need to seek god's will for what we need to be doing
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  each and every step, not each and every day,
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  not each and every month, not even each and every project, but every step we
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  take needs to be seeking the center of God's will, and he's not going to hide it from you.
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  He says, when you seek, you'll find, and when you knock, it'll be opened.
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  But some of us knock and run. You know, the little game you played when you
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  were the kid and you aggravated your neighbors and you would knock on the door
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  or ring their doorbell and you'd run like lightning.
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  They would open up the door and nobody'd be there, but you'd be hidden somewhere and you could see it.
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  I don't think I ever played that game, but I certainly know a lot about it.
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  But I think we all play that game at some times with the Lord.
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  We ask what we want. We say what we need. We tell him how to take care of us
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  and and we're out of there.
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  It doesn't seem to cross our mind that we've never read his love letter that morning.
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  We've never looked at what God would do or how his word would speak to our hearts.
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  We've never talked to the Holy Spirit to teach us or instruct us.
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  We've refused the peace of God
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  through the Holy Spirit, and we're just churning away in our own minds.
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  But in Matthew 6, 34, he said this, Take no thought for the morrow,
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  for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.
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  Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. We worry about things we shouldn't worry about.
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  Philippians 4, 6, and 7 says to be careful for nothing.
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  But in everything with prayer and thanksgiving, let your requests be made known
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  unto God, and the peace of God shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
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  Be careful for nothing. some translations say be anxious for nothing hey what
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  he's saying is don't worry about anything I've got it.
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  What it means to be still and know. That's what it means to have a working relationship
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  with him instead of just consistently, constantly throwing out words and never stopping to hear.
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  If you are with someone and you do all the talking, I promise you,
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  I promise you, your relationship is suffering.
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  Nobody likes that and you don't get anything from what the other person knows and can help you with.
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  And when you know that He is God, as He says in Psalms 46.10,
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  then you are certain He knows what to tell you.
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  I'm telling you, the Lord loves you and He cares about you and He wants to spend time with you.
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  And He says in Jeremiah 29.13, He says, and ye shall seek me and find me when
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  ye shall search for me with all your heart.
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  Friends, you got to see God in all things. And you got to be seeking Him.
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  He is always present. And He wants you to be cognizant of His presence.
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  He wants you to know Him, to love Him, to forsake all else for Him,
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  and to trust Him completely.
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  You got to rest in His presence. and you must purpose in your heart to focus
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  on him and to honestly seek his will for your life, his answers to your questions,
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  his desires for your life.
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  If you want the favor of God, favor him in your life.
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  Place him number one.
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  This can all be summed up in my mind in two verses in Romans chapter 12, where he says this,
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  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your
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  bodies a living sacrifice,
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  wholly acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
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  And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of
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  your mind, that ye may prove what that is good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
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  You cannot follow what you do not know.
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  Take time to be present. He's already in your presence.
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  Unwrap the greatest gift ever given, and that is Jesus in your life.
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  Seek him, serve him, and above all else, love him.
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  Take time to be present.
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  Remember you are loved. Jesus loves you.
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  Music.
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  Podcast. You can visit the show notes for quotes from today's podcast and scripture references.
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  We pray today has been a blessing and we encourage you to reach out to us through
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  our app, our website, or our Facebook page.
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  store or through our website at watwm.org.
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  a daily devotion written by Kim and delivered Monday through Friday by text message.
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  Woman at the Well Ministries is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving our Heavenly Father.
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  And it is through your loving and generous support that our ministry continues to bless others.
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  To learn how to partner with Woman at the Well Ministries, please visit our website.
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  Thank you to the Gospel Group Fudge Creek for letting us use their hit song, Happy Girl.
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  We greatly appreciate your prayers. We are praying daily for our listeners.
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  Remember that God loves you. You are loved.
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  Music.