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370 | Discovering Jesus as a Firm Foundation: Building on the Rock · The Woman at the Well Ministries Podcast

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  Music.
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  Hello, friends, and welcome back to another podcast of Woman at the Well Ministries,
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  where we believe that all of us have to come to Jesus 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,
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  we invite you to sit down with us as we look to the scriptures to learn more
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  about God and to strengthen your daily walk with Jesus Christ.
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  Living a 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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  There is a lot of uncertainty in this world, but one thing we can be sure of is God.
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  He is our rock, our fortress, and our deliverer.
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  If you are going to withstand the storms of this life, you must have a firm foundation.
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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, revealing the truth regarding God as our firm foundation.
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  Hello, and thank you for joining us in this podcast of Woman at the Wow Ministries. Let's pray.
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  Our kind and most gracious, dear Heavenly Father, Lord, we come to you in faith
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  believing that you're a God that hears and answers our prayers,
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  that supplies our every need, that holds us,
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  helps us, and always hears us.
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  So, Lord, we ask that you would just keep our hearts clean so that we are a
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  vessel that you can here.
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  Lord, that you would help us to cling to you, not just in our time of need, but in all of our times.
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  Lord, that we would delight in you more than anything.
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  That we would love you more than anything.
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  That we would depend upon you and solely you. and all these things we ask in
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  your most precious and holy name.
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  Jesus name we pray. Amen.
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  So today we're going to talk about Jesus and God being our firm foundation.
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  In Psalms chapter 18 and verse 2, it reads like this.
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  The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God,
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  my strength in whom I will trust, my buckler and the horn of my salvation and my high tower.
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  When we think about God being our high tower, what we know is this,
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  that he is high and lifted up and he sees and knows all things.
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  He is in the very best position to take the very best care of us.
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  Yet many of us take the reins from his hands and we try to do it our way.
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  And we rely upon ourselves and our limited capacity and our inability to know
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  all things and our inability to be powerless.
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  We just can't take care of things like God can. We are powerless.
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  So as I begin to look at this verse in Psalms 18 too, I realize that the Lord
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  declares he's our rock and he's our fortress.
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  He's what's surrounding us and he's what's protecting us.
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  And so what I'd like for us to do is turn in Isaiah chapter 44 and verse 8 and
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  hear what the word of the Lord says.
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  Fear ye not neither be
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  afraid have not i told thee
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  from that time and have declared it ye are even my witnesses is there a god
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  beside me yay there is no god i know not any so he tells us in this passage
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  the scripture to have no fear.
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  Because he's declared he's God and there isn't any other God.
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  Yet I know that we often create little gods in our life.
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  We place our hobbies. We place our finances.
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  We may even place other people as the king of our heart and the lord of our life.
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  But we often put ourselves
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  in that place we choose to.
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  Be the one that leads guides and directs our lives and and we're just simply
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  not equipped to do that we are created in his image he died for us he bought
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  us with his life when god gave his son jesus jesus paid the price for our salvation.
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  And we were purchased with the precious blood
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  of Jesus and we become his and we're
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  part of his family and oh what a
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  deal it's not a big deal that we are
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  part of his you know his story it's a big deal that he loves us enough to allow
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  us to be a part of his story that he calls us to be a part of his story that
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  equips us to be a part of his story it isn't a big phenomenon that he's part
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  of mine because he's the greatest.
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  He loves me unconditionally. He cares for me above all others in the world.
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  No one has the capacity to love me like he does. No one has the ability or the
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  power to do for me what Jesus does.
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  And he says that he will engraft us
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  into his family and that we can rest
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  in the shadow of his wings and we
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  can know the peace that passes all understanding and
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  we can live in joy unspeakable as we
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  walk in this earth living the abundant life he
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  promises in john 10 10 but it requires that we submit ourselves unto him and
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  we allow him to be exalted in our lives and he says here in isaiah 44 8 have
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  i not told you there is no god but me.
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  So why is it that we place other things in front of him?
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  Sometimes I think it's because we simply neglect to be grateful for what God
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  has given us and what God is doing for us.
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  And so we fall into this sort of lull.
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  And it's not that we intentionally neglect God or we intentionally neglect to
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  recognize what he's doing in our lives.
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  It's just we have a false sense of security in our own selves.
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  And we no longer are looking or seeking him.
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  See, in Matthew 6, 33, he said, Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,
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  and all these things shall be added unto you.
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  Those of us who are children of God, we must be very careful how we divvy up our time.
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  See, because where you spend your time and where you spend your energy and where
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  you spend your money, that will tell others. what's important to you.
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  Because out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.
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  And what we fill ourselves with, that's what we think is most important.
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  So those of us who have not carved out time for Jesus to read his word daily,
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  we've placed something in front of him.
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  And whatever it is we've placed in front of him, that's our little G-O-D.
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  Some of us have not.
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  Carved out time to create a prayer life, to have a habit of prayer,
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  for our default to be to pray.
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  Some of us haven't set aside time to be in the house of God,
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  to worship among like-minded people, to assemble ourselves together with godly people,
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  to be strengthened and to be fortified, not only by the word that's being preached,
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  but by the testimony of those around us, because we've placed other things in
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  front of us, our hobbies.
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  It takes a lot of time to perfect a golf game. There's nothing wrong with that,
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  but have you put it in its rightful place?
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  Does reading the Bible and praying and being part of your local assembly of
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  church, does it take priority.
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  And for those of you who say, hey, I don't do that, I don't golf.
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  But what about pickleball? What about volleyball?
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  What about watching sports on TV?
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  What about gardening? What about painting? What about hunting?
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  What about walking? What about fitness?
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  Or maybe it's just binge watching TV.
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  Whatever it is that you're choosing to do that keeps you from being able to
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  find the time to read his word, to pray, to assemble with his children and your family.
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  Whatever it is, you have placed it as a little G-O-D.
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  And in Isaiah 44, 8, he's clear. He said, there is no God beside me.
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  And so I want you to reflect over the next few minutes as we look in Matthew
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  chapter 7, beginning in verse 24.
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  And going through verse 27, I want you to reflect what place does God have in your life?
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  Have you rightfully seated him on the throne of your heart?
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  Is he the one that you are getting your information from?
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  Is he the one that you're listening to? Is he the one that is lead,
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  guiding, and directing you?
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  I want you to ask yourself, how important is he to you?
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  Because how you live your life the things you are doing the things that you
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  are saying that will reveal your true heart.
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  But the Bible says in 1 John 1, 9, if we confess our sins, he's faithful and
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  just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
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  So what I know is this, right now.
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  Today, at this moment, if God is putting things in your mind and bringing to
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  your attention that you don't have things organized in a proper way,
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  that you're not giving him the proper time, that he doesn't have the proper
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  place in your life, then right now you can confess that, and he will forgive
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  you. And today's a new day.
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  And you can be more for him today than you've ever been before.
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  And when you wake up tomorrow, you can be more for him than you were today.
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  But you have to consciously and purposely seek him first, place him first,
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  and humble yourselves under his authority.
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  But in Matthew chapter 7, beginning in verse 24, it reads like this,
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  Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them,
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  I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock.
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  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew,
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  and beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it was founded upon the rock.
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  I want you to know that you may hit rock bottom, but if you are firm on the
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  rock, Jesus is a rock at the bottom.
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  And sometimes we slip and slide all over the rock, but nothing will pluck us out of his hand.
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  In John 10, 28, he says that.
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  We are firm in the hand of Jesus.
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  Jesus is a rock that won't crack. It's a rock that doesn't slip in a landslide.
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  It's a rock that won't shatter.
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  It's a rock that won't give way. It is a firm foundation on which you can depend upon.
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  And this scripture says that when the storms of life come, when troubles come
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  your way, when enemies come after you, you can be sure that you will stand.
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  Because in verse 26, he says, And everyone that hears these sayings of mine
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  and doeth them not shall be likened unto a foolish man which built his house upon the sand.
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  And the rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew and beat upon
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  that house and it fell and great was the fall of it.
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  See, pride goeth before a fall. And it's pride that doesn't allow us to humble
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  ourselves under the authority of God.
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  It's pride that causes us to be ignorant to the fact that we are incapable of
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  doing for ourselves what Almighty God already has planned to do for us.
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  We must see God for who he is.
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  And Isaiah 48, 44, 8 said, he declared he was God.
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  Now, you can look at your life and you could see where he's made a way where there wasn't a way.
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  That he's done for you what only God could do.
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  But you can also open up your door and take a look out and you can see nature declare who he is.
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  You hear of people having children and new people coming into the world.
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  And the miracle of childbirth declares there is a God. The heavens declare there is a God.
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  Scripture says that on that day, even the rocks will praise him.
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  Don't you want to be more than a rock? We are created in his image.
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  We're in his likeness. He died that we might have life and have it more abundantly.
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  He came to seek and to save those which were lost, and each one of us were that person.
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  But what I want you to also know that he has said, make your foundation in me.
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  Build your life upon me and my precepts, my teachings, my ways, my commandments.
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  Crawl into the cleft of the rock of Jesus Christ, rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
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  He's telling you to build your foundation on the rock that cannot fail.
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  And regardless of what comes your way, regardless of what happens,
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  you're going to be safe and you're not going to crumble and you're not going to fall.
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  In John chapter 16, verse 33, he says this.
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  These things I have spoken unto you that in me you might have peace.
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  In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer.
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  I have overcome the world and he's on our side.
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  The Lord is on my side. What can man do unto me?
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  We must place our faith in him because any other thing we place our faith in will fill us.
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  Any other religion other than the one that has Jesus Christ at the center,
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  which is Christianity, will fail you.
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  See, because when you go to the grave of Muhammad, there's some bones there.
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  And when you go to the grave of Buddha, there's some bones there.
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  If you go to the grave of Confucius, there's some bones there.
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  But if you go to the place where they laid our Lord's body, He's not there,
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  because in that third and glorious morning he rose.
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  Defeating hell, death, and the grave. He's alive.
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  If you pray to a dead God, you can be sure nothing's going to happen.
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  But I am as sure as I know what my name is, that when I pray to the King of
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  Kings and the Lord of Lords, that I know that he will hear me,
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  that heaven has been opened on my behalf, and he is my deliverer.
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  He is my rock, and he is my fortress. He is my strength, and he is my buckler.
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  I know that I know that I know that he's on my side. And I know that I'm safe on the rock.
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  I'm safe in the rock of Jesus.
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  Nothing this world can do, nothing that the devil can throw at me,
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  can touch me when I'm standing on the solid rock.
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  But if I'm building my house upon my capabilities, upon one of those other dead
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  gods, one of those other false religions, I've got nothing to hold me,
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  nothing to sustain me, nothing to help me.
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  And I really can only stand the storms to the point that my limited capacity
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  can hold up, and there'll be a breaking point,
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  and I will crumble, and I will fall, and scripture says it's a mighty fall.
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  Friends, he told us, build your house on the firm foundation,
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  and you'll never be disappointed. You'll not be ashamed.
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  Oh, you may have disappointments in your life. You may make mistakes that cause you to be shameful,
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  but you won't ever regret the decision to build your foundation of who you are
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  in your life and what your heart and mind believes on Jesus Christ.
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  You won't regret doing that because you can't outgive him.
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  And daily he loads you with blessings. And he walks with you and he talks with
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  you and he supplies your every need.
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  He gives you the strength you need to carry on. And in Jeremiah 29,
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  11, he says, I've planned for you, to prosper you, to give you a hope and an expected end.
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  Jesus loves you. This I know. God has a plan for you, and it's a good one.
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  But you got to build your house, your home, your foundation.
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  Set your course based on the foundation of Jesus Christ and stand on the solid rock of God.
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  It's the only thing that will stand.
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  And he said to have no other gods before him.
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  He said in Isaiah 44, 8, that he declares he's God.
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  So what I'm asking you is this.
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  Do you really believe in him? Do you really know him? Do you really trust him?
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  In Proverbs 3, 5-7, he says, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart,
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  and lean not into thine own understanding.
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  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
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  Be not wise in thine own eyes, fear the Lord, and depart from evil.
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  You know, departing from evil means more than just not doing horrendous things.
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  Departing from evil means not letting your eyes see, hear, or do things they shouldn't.
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  But it also means not replacing God with something or someone,
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  but that you give him his rightful place in your heart.
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  Jesus loves you, not only enough to die for you, but to continually reach out to you.
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  To continually guide you and lead you and direct you into the way everlasting,
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  so that when you leave this world, you say goodbye world and hello God.
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  Jesus gave his life. God gave his son.
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  And the Holy Spirit dwells in the believer.
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  He could live anywhere, but he chooses to live in the home of the life and the
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  heart of the believer. but for you to employ him, you have to choose him.
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  For you to have the right relationship with Jesus Christ, you've got to follow him.
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  For you to understand the blessings of building your home on a firm foundation,
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  you've got to stand on that foundation.
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  And today, right now, Jesus is calling to each and every one of us to come to
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  him just as we are, that he may create in us exactly what he wants us to be,
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  what he intended us to be, that he may create a new creature where old things
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  are passed away and all things are become new.
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  And you say, well, Kim, I've been saved for decades. That's fantastic.
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  But today, right now, at this moment, is he your number one priority.
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  Is he the one you love the most? Is he the one who occupies the majority of
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  your thoughts, your time, and your energy?
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  Peter went a fishing, but he didn't fish every Sunday.
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  We need to work at the job God has allowed us to have, but we can't think it's
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  the work that's providing for us.
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  Everything we have and everything we are is because Jesus Christ has seen fit to allow you to have it,
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  to give you the ability to do it, and loves you so much he wants you to enjoy it.
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  It's not because of you, my friend, and it's not because of me.
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  It's because of the love of the one true living God who sent his son to die
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  for your sins and mine, who made a way where there was no way,
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  when we didn't even know we needed a way.
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  And I promise you, he fulfilled already your greatest need, and he stands with
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  now scarred hands asking you to receive him.
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  Let today be the day that you put him in his rightful place as King of your
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  heart and Lord of your life, as your absolute reason for living.
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  To God be the glory for the great things he has done. Remember you are loved.
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  Jesus loves you.
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  Music.
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  Thank you for joining us in today's podcast. You can visit the show notes for
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  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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  You can find our app by searching for Women at the Well Ministries in your app
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  store or through our website at watwm.org.
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  We're on Facebook at facebook.com slash watwm. If you visit our website,
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  you'll be able to subscribe to Bible Bits, a daily devotion written by Kim and
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  delivered Monday through Friday by text message.
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  Woman at the Well Ministries is a non-profit 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.
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  Music.