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FRONT PORCH FRIDAYS - WORRY ANXIETY · THIS IS THE LIFE PODCAST

• 0:19
  Speaker 1: A good Friday morning to you. Thank you for joining
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  Speaker 1: us here on our Front Porch Fridays edition of our podcast.
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: Nothing like for me in the morning time just getting
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  Speaker 1: a cup of coffee, going out and getting my rocking
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  Speaker 1: chair on the front porch and just watching nature kind
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  Speaker 1: of come alive that morning and waiting on the sun
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  Speaker 1: to rise. It's just a beautiful and a wonderful time
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  Speaker 1: that when we have those times that we can do that.
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: So maybe you can't do that quite this morning. Maybe
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  Speaker 1: you're already on your way to work or just wherever
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  Speaker 1: your schedule is taking you today. But this morning, as
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  Speaker 1: we get ready for our devotion, what I've been trying
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  Speaker 1: to do on these what I call Front Porch Friday
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  Speaker 1: editions is take letters or comments that you have sent
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  Speaker 1: in to this podcast and use them to kind of
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  Speaker 1: help encourage other people, not just my voice, but maybe
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  Speaker 1: a letter that I'm reading from one of our listeners
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  Speaker 1: that can help or encourage someone along the way and
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  Speaker 1: I came across this one that came in a few
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  Speaker 1: months ago. And the Holy Spirit just really embarked on
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  Speaker 1: me to just kind of use that this morning to
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  Speaker 1: prayerfully encourage somebody, particularly in this subject matter. Let me
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  Speaker 1: read this. This is from a listener in Wyoming. It says,
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  Speaker 1: Dear Eddie, I wanted to take a moment to tell
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  Speaker 1: you how much your podcast series on worry and anxiety
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  Speaker 1: meant to me. For nearly 17 years, I battled depression
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  Speaker 1: and chronic anxiety. There were times when simply getting through
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  Speaker 1: an ordinary day felt overwhelming. My mind was constantly racing,
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  Speaker 1: and fear seemed to follow me everywhere. Even when things
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  Speaker 1: were going well, I found myself waiting for something to
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  Speaker 1: go wrong. About two years ago, the Lord delivered me
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  Speaker 1: from that dark season of my life. It didn't happen
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  Speaker 1: all at once. But little by little, He began restoring
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  Speaker 1: my peace, renewing my mind, and teaching me how to
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  Speaker 1: trust Him again. I am incredibly grateful for how far
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  Speaker 1: He has brought me. Then not long ago, I came
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  Speaker 1: across your podcast. The title, Worry and Anxiety, immediately caught
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  Speaker 1: my attention. And even though I had experienced freedom in
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  Speaker 1: that area, I still remembered the pain of those 17 years.
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  Speaker 1: Part of me wondered if listening to your podcast might
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  Speaker 1: bring back feelings I had worked so hard to overcome.
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  Speaker 1: But instead, it actually strengthened the freedom God had already
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  Speaker 1: given me. As I listened, I felt as though you
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  Speaker 1: understood what it was like to live with a mind
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  Speaker 1: that could not slow down. You didn't make people feel
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  Speaker 1: ashamed or struggling. and you didn't offer simple answers to
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  Speaker 1: something that was so difficult. Instead, you continually pointed us
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  Speaker 1: back to the truth of God's Word and reminded us
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  Speaker 1: that anxiety does not have to define who we are.
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  Speaker 1: Those devotions helped me recognize something. It helped me recognize
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  Speaker 1: some thought patterns that I still needed to surrender to
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  Speaker 1: the Lord. They also reminded me that being delivered from
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  Speaker 1: anxiety does not mean I will never feel anxious again.
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  Speaker 1: It means anxiety no longer has the authority to control
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  Speaker 1: my life. I can recognize those feelings now, bring them
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  Speaker 1: honestly before God, and choose to rest in His promises.
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  Speaker 1: So I just wanted to thank you for being willing
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  Speaker 1: to speak openly about subjects that many people are afraid
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  Speaker 1: to discuss. I believe there are listeners today quietly struggling,
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  Speaker 1: who desperately need to hear that they are not weak,
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  Speaker 1: they are not alone, and there is still hope. Your
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  Speaker 1: series reminded me of where I had been, and more importantly,
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  Speaker 1: it reminded me of how far God had brought me.
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  Speaker 1: Please keep sharing these messages. God is using them to
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  Speaker 1: reach people you may never meet and to bring light
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  Speaker 1: into places that have felt dark for a very long
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  Speaker 1: time With heartfelt gratitude, a grateful listener from Wyoming. So
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  Speaker 1: as I read that this morning, I want to thank
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  Speaker 1: you for sharing such an honest and powerful testimony. Or
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  Speaker 1: at least it is to me. It really encourages me,
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  Speaker 1: but it also speaks of how real a lot of
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  Speaker 1: the subjects that we talk about are. I believe many
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  Speaker 1: people listening today understand exactly what this listener was describing.
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  Speaker 1: Isaiah 41 verse number 10, I want to give you
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  Speaker 1: that as an encouragement this morning. It says, Fear thou not,
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  Speaker 1: for I am with thee. Be not dismayed, for I
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  Speaker 1: am thy God. I will strengthen thee, yea, I will
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  Speaker 1: help thee, and yea, I will uphold thee with the
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  Speaker 1: right hand of my righteousness. So today, if any of
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  Speaker 1: you are struggling with worry, anxiety, or depression, please remember this.
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  Speaker 1: You're not alone. Your struggle does not mean you're weak.
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  Speaker 1: It does not Mean that God has forgotten you. There
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  Speaker 1: are people who understand. People who care. People who are
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  Speaker 1: willing to help you find true peace. In Jesus Christ
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  Speaker 1: the Lord. Please understand. Don't be ashamed to reach out
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  Speaker 1: to someone you trust. And seek help whenever you can.
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  Speaker 1: Today you be safe. You be strong and you be blessed.
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  Speaker 1: And whatever you're facing today. Always hold on to hope.
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  Speaker 1: Because the darkness you feel is not the end of
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  Speaker 1: your story. And you have never, ever walked through this alone.
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  Speaker 1: Lord's will, we'll see you back here again on Monday.
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  Speaker 1: And until then, I sure hope you have a great day.