Latest / Dwelling Place: The Bible for Moms / #202. His Yoke is Easy and His Burden is Light? What If It doesn't Feel Like It? | Matthew 11 + New Testament Prepare to Dwell

Transcript

#202. His Yoke is Easy and His Burden is Light? What If It doesn't Feel Like It? | Matthew 11 + New Testament Prepare to Dwell · Dwelling Place: The Bible for Moms

• 0:00
  This is The Dwelling Place from Entrusted Ministries.
• 0:02
  I'm Stephanie Hickox.
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  As I opened my Bible to turn to the page for our reading The beautiful gold embossed letters in the margin shouted out to me, come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you
• 0:14
  rest."
• 0:15
  Ironically, I read this after an all-night work meeting add that to an already absolutely full to-do list And I just had to wrestle for a little bit.
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  Right after this promise, Jesus says, Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
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  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
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  I just had to admit to the Lord, my yoke does not feel easy right now, and my burden does not feel light it's really important for me that I'm walking my talk.
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  I don't wanna just read the Word over you and encourage you to let it transform your lives if it's not also impacting mine.
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  So last night, I sat before the Lord and asked Him, What am I doing that's making my yoke so heavy right now?"
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  I thought about the context in which Jesus said this.
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  See, God laid out a plan for His people's good in the Old Testament.
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  But the Pharisees had added rules upon rules upon rules to it.
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  Some historians speculate that the Pharisees had added six hundred rules about the Sabbath alone.
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  And Jesus, being God in the flesh, came to tell His people, I came to set you free.
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  I came to conquer your sin and do something you could never do on your own And though this world will have trouble, walking with me will transform all you experience instead of the yoke on my shoulders being Pharisees,
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  sometimes I think it's myself.
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  Sometimes I wonder if it's my own expectations that put it there And sometimes I think the yoke that I want to be on my shoulders is completely reasonable until somebody else puts their yoke upon my shoulders and I
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  think, "Are you kidding me?
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  I can't do that too."
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  I confess and I apologize to you that I missed the mark this week I wasn't able to bring you the Word of God every day like I wanted to do, and I'm sorry.
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  However, this podcast was never about elevating me.
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  It was never about my faithfulness.
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  It's about elevating the Lord Jesus Christ and His faithfulness and so I delight to come before you and say, when I am weak, He is strong and as I prayed about my giant to-do list and realized that in
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  my sleep deprivation, I just wasn't moving the needle on anything.
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  I felt like, you know what?
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  Tonight I'm just gonna watch a show with my husband, laugh a little bit, and try to get a full night's sleep I have episodes partially prepped.
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  I just couldn't finish them.
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  And as I sought advice, I had a couple friends say, "Hey, how about you re-release some episodes?"
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  And I realized, you know what?
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  A lot of people might be joining us for the New Testament.
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  They might not understand my heart and even the scriptures that were the basis for this podcast.
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  So I'm going to republish those And I'll catch us up next week.
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  I absolutely appreciate your grace.
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  I know you understand mom life.
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  I know you know what it's like to make a to-do list and have life tear it to shreds I hope that instead of this admission making you lose trust in me, I hope it makes you realize that I
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  am the basket case that I admitted at the beginning of the podcast.
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  And no amount of pouring into the Word is gonna take away my need for Jesus.
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  Praise the Lord for that if you too know how deeply you need a savior, if you love Him with all your heart but you're longing to love Him better, or if you barely know about this Jesus that I'm
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  talking about, but you're a little curious about the claims I'm making about His goodness I hope you'll stick with us Because He longs to be your dwelling place.
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  All right.
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  Now I'm gonna play for you that first prep episode that explained the heart and the tracks behind this podcast.
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  And then I'll re-release the episode that shared the scriptures that inspired me to create and name this Dwelling Place podcast Thank you once again for your grace.
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  We're in this together
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  Speaker 14: ​Welcome to the Dwelling Place.
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  Speaker 14: My name is Stephanie Hickox and I am thrilled that you're preparing to dwell with Entrusted Ministries in I this year with the Dwelling Place Bible Plan for Busy Moms.
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  Speaker 14: That's the entire theme of this podcast.
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  Speaker 14: The Lord created us in Genesis.
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  Speaker 14: And walked with Adam and Eve in the garden through the end of Revelation, that is a key theme that God longs to dwell with his people.
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  Speaker 14: When Adam and Eve ate from the tree that God commanded them not to eat from, they broke the perfect fellowship they were able to have with their creator, and certain conditions are required for God to consistently and fully
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  Speaker 14: dwell with mankind.
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  Speaker 14: But when Jesus came, he brought the message that God was restoring his dwelling place with man.
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  Speaker 14: He took on flesh for us.
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  Speaker 14: Do you see that?
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  Speaker 14: This is a God that has pursued you, and that's why I think it's so important that we give him this time, because no matter how busy we are as mothers, we certainly don't want to put the most important
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  Speaker 14: things on the back burner just because our lives are full.
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  Speaker 14: Every Christian mom I know is struggling to find time to be consistent in prayer and in the word, and the Lord put this idea on my heart about a year ago.
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  Speaker 14: So I've been preparing and studying and praying about what format and method would most bless moms.
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  Speaker 14: I don't know if moms have ever been busier in the history of the world, but honestly, I don't think we've ever needed the truth of God's word more.
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  Speaker 14: You're probably thinking, what am I getting into if I commit to this?
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  Speaker 14: I had busy mom life at the forefront of my mind in every detail of planning this, i'll read a passage of scripture from that portion of the day's reading.
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  Speaker 14: Then I'll point out a highlight or two that I believe is pivotal for us to understand as we parent or for our family lives or our own sanctification as moms.
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  Speaker 14: This isn't to twist the word of God or to make it fit our lives, but really to help us be steadfast because the Bible says so much about families.
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  Speaker 14: And then I'll close praying over you and your kids and instead of praying the same things over and over, which I often fall into, we're gonna let the word of God lead us.
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  Speaker 14: After a year, you'll have prayed an abundance of things for your kids that might not have been on your radar if it weren't for the pages of scripture.
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  Speaker 14: If you're overwhelmed, but you know that you need God's word, this is the place for you.
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  Speaker 14: It'll give you a little accountability and hopefully something soothing to listen to in the morning.
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  Speaker 14: I hope it's a relief to you to know that you could follow one of three tracks should you choose to dwell with us, we'll talk more about that later.
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  Speaker 14: While I love to dig into the word and into commentaries to learn more about my savior, I'm a mom just like you.
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  Speaker 14: I'm not a seminary professor or pastor.
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  Speaker 14: I'm a mom who's found that motherhood is often harder than I expected.
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  Speaker 14: And honestly, the only reason I didn't fall apart in difficult family seasons was because God's word held me up when nothing else could.
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  Speaker 14: When I come to scripture, I find that God doesn't necessarily make me stronger.
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  Speaker 14: He teaches me how to rely on his strength, and he makes me desperate to come back for him.
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  Speaker 14: That's the heart of this, because it isn't about making the Bible about us.
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  Speaker 14: It's about making our homes, our hearts, our motherhood about him.
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  Speaker 14: I will be the first to admit that I often feel like a basket case and motherhood has only increased that.
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  Speaker 14: I was really intentional before I had kids, and I think somewhere tucked in the back of my mind.
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  Speaker 14: I had an idea that I'd be able to set cruise control if I could just get all my ducks in a row.
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  Speaker 14: Little did I know that a lot of curve balls were in my future and my family life certainly doesn't look like I expected the other day, I was reading Psalm one 19 and I came across verse 92.
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  Speaker 14: If your law had not been my delight, I would've perished in my affliction, and I wrote So absolutely true.
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  Speaker 14: God's word has been kept me going, and knowing that the God of the universe invites me to dwell and abide with him is the greatest compliment I could ever imagine.
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  Speaker 14: And it's true for you too.
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  Speaker 14: If you're longing to be faithful to the word of God, I'd love for you to join us.
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  Speaker 14: Certainly not because I think I'm amazing, but because I wanna speak the word of God over you because I know how much it's helped me, and I promise, I know I need Jesus daily as much as any of
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  Speaker 14: us do.
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  Speaker 14: It would be my honor to read these scriptures over you and over your kids and pray them for you so I can set you up for your day knowing that you've invited the Holy Spirit to join you, and
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  Speaker 14: that you're clothing yourselves with the word of God.
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  Speaker 14: Someone 43 8 says, let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love friend you, I trust.
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  Speaker 14: Make me know the way I should go for to you.
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  Speaker 14: I lift up my soul.
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  Speaker 14: And then in verse 10, teach me to do your will for you are my God.
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  Speaker 14: Let your good spirit lead me on level ground.
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  Speaker 14: Isn't that so much better than anything you've heard a human say?
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  Speaker 14: And this is exactly how I need to start my day with the encouragement of the Bible.
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  Speaker 14: In episode two of our Prepare to Dwell Prep series, I'll talk about a specific dwelling place passage.
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  Speaker 14: That means a lot to me.
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  Speaker 14: But now I wanna show you how, even to the last pages of scripture, God is all about restoring our dwelling place with him and you're gonna get a taste of my personality right away.
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  Speaker 14: 'cause it's hard for me to read this without tearing up In Revelation 21, john writes, then I saw a new heaven and a new Earth for the first heaven, and the first earth had passed away and the sea
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  Speaker 14: was no more.
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  Speaker 14: And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem coming out of heaven for God prepared.
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  Speaker 14: As a bride adorned for her husband, and I heard a loud voice from the throne sing.
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  Speaker 14: Behold the dwelling place of God is with man.
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  Speaker 14: He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will be with them as their God.
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  Speaker 14: He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more.
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  Speaker 14: Neither shall there be mourning nor crying, nor pain anymore for the former things have passed away.
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  Speaker 14: And he who was seated on the throne said, behold, I am making all things new.
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  Speaker 14: These verses beautifully reveal God's heart for his people, and it makes me think that the least I can do is commit to read some of the pages of his word each day.
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  Speaker 14: But I also know how busy you are and how overwhelming mom life can be.
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  Speaker 14: It can be relentless and often exhausting, and you are giving it your all.
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  Speaker 14: I hope I can come alongside you in a way that not only ministers to your heart, but also helps you discern truth from the lies that are often coming at you.
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  Speaker 14: They are everywhere around us.
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  Speaker 14: But when we look to God's word, it tears down strongholds and falsehoods and the light of God will shine through.
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  Speaker 14: I have to admit, I'm in that camp that says, don't just drink a little milk here and there.
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  Speaker 14: Don't just snack on the word of God.
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  Speaker 14: Get out your steak knife, girl.
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  Speaker 14: 'cause I think God wants us feasting on his word, and I'd rather have a filet than a little sip of milk.
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  Speaker 14: When I look at our culture and the constant interruptions and things vying for our attention it's evident to me that we need to be vigilant to discern what is biblical and what is just a couple degrees off from
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  Speaker 14: truth, which if you follow for a long time, is going to get you way off course for that reason.
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  Speaker 14: This Bible plan isn't just an encouraging verse here or there picked randomly.
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  Speaker 14: This is walking through the full counsel of God's word so we can know the God who created us and who created our children.
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  Speaker 14: My goal is to help you stay grounded and rooted in the truth regardless of what's going on around you.
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  Speaker 14: So when you look back at your parenting, you can look back without regrets, knowing that you were certainly not perfect, but that you were steadfast to the things that God says matter most.
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  Speaker 14: Part of what got me thinking about this podcast idea in the first place is that I came across an article written by Crossway, and I'll link that in the show notes.
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  Speaker 14: It was an infographic about how you have more time for Bible reading than you think, and they said if you wanna read through the entire Bible, it would take the average person about 80 hours.
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  Speaker 14: If you break that down over the course of the year, it's about 15 minutes a day.
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  Speaker 14: Now, I know that when we come to the word of God, the verses are so rich, sometimes it's hard to get through a chunk of them because we wanna linger, however.
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  Speaker 14: I think it's very important for us to read through the Bible and in the entirety so we can know the whole Council of God's word and not just take verses out of context or focus more on certain passages
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  Speaker 14: and forgetting about certain aspects of God's character or heart that he put in his word with intention.
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  Speaker 14: Here's the plan.
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  Speaker 14: I know many moms have a different weekend routine than weekday routine.
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  Speaker 14: What I'll do is release five weekday episodes.
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  Speaker 14: If you want a little time to catch up on the weekend, you could certainly do that.
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  Speaker 14: Maybe there's a prayer from one of the episodes you could re-listen to, but you don't have to.
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  Speaker 14: I'm just committing to provide five weekday episodes and perhaps you're thinking, oh, that sounds wonderful, but I just had a baby.
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  Speaker 14: Or, I'm about to have a baby, and I can barely keep my eyes open.
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  Speaker 14: And maybe your mom caring for continual special needs, or maybe you're overwhelmed as a working mom and your commute is your only moment of peace.
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  Speaker 14: I so get that.
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  Speaker 14: I would say to the moms in the busiest seasons, I'm gonna be reading a portion of scripture over you.
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  Speaker 14: And if that's what you before the Lord can commit to this year, I believe, who will honor and bless your faithfulness to look to his word every day.
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  Speaker 14: I hope that there are some moments your eyes can see his word for yourself.
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  Speaker 14: But I do believe that it's gonna bless you to hear the word spoken over you.
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  Speaker 14: So track one is just to listen to these Dwelling place episodes.
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  Speaker 14: Track two is for the Mamas that perhaps your hands are busy, but your ears have a little more time.
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  Speaker 14: You can listen to the Dwelling Place episodes and then also listen to scripture utilizing a free Bible app like the You version Bible app.
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  Speaker 14: Most chapters of scripture only take two and a half to four minutes to get through.
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  Speaker 14: In this Bible plan, you can typically listen.
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  Speaker 14: In under 15 minutes a day.
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  Speaker 14: That's perfect for folding a load of laundry during some dishes or a quick pickup to get the kids, or even a peaceful walk if that's in your routine.
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  Speaker 14: And then track three would be to read through the Bible on your own, and then also listen to these Dwelling Place episodes.
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  Speaker 14: Like I said, I've broken these up into a five day Bible reading plan and you might be looking at it and thinking, girl, you do not get my life.
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  Speaker 14: This is a lot.
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  Speaker 14: But if someone told you that in a year you were gonna read one chapter book and you're just gonna read three pages of a chapter every night, would it feel that daunting?
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  Speaker 14: I think we get overwhelmed because as I said, the words of scripture are so rich, but I wanna live a life saying the best yeses.
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  Speaker 14: Instead of letting mediocre things choke away my time or choke out the best things in life.
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  Speaker 14: Maybe you commit to just read a chapter a day on your own.
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  Speaker 14: I think there's a lot of flexibility here that you can work out with the Lord who knows your life.
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  Speaker 14: If he's the God that dwells and abides with us, he can certainly help you troubleshoot this.
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  Speaker 14: And lastly, I just wanna tell you, I believe in you.
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  Speaker 14: I believe you can commit to this.
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  Speaker 14: There's gonna be a point where all of us are gonna struggle to stay on track.
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  Speaker 14: But let's give ourselves grace to say, when I fall off, I'm gonna hop back on that horse.
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  Speaker 14: As the author of Atomic Habit says, the goal shouldn't be to never have an off day.
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  Speaker 14: The goal should be not to have two off days in a row.
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  Speaker 14: This isn't about us making a perfect year long commitment.
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  Speaker 14: It's about an understanding and a belief that the word of God has power and validity for everything we're going through.
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  Speaker 14: It has examples to embrace and warnings to heed, and all of this is helping us become the mothers and wives God wants us to be.
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  Speaker 15: Even though there are so many necessary things tugging at us, let's be like Mary, where she was just able to sit at the feet of Jesus in the midst of it all.
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  Speaker 14: She chose the one thing.
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  Speaker 14: Let's join her in saying, God, whatever else comes today.
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  Speaker 14: I will make a way to hear your word I hope this is a routine and a rhythm that fits the lives of moms.
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  Speaker 14: Just to recap one more time, this is a dwelling place, Bible reading plan for busy moms.
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  Speaker 14: If you're longing to be in the word and to have someone pray over you and your families, this is a place to be.
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  Speaker 14: Ephesians six tells us to put on the full armor of God and the only offensive weapon we have is the word of God.
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  Speaker 14: We're in a battle for the heart of our kids.
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  Speaker 14: Let's make sure we're suited up and ready to go.