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THE POWER OF DIVINE APPOINTMENTS · THIS IS THE LIFE PODCAST

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  Speaker 1: As we gather together this morning, I just want to
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  Speaker 1: thank you guys so much for joining us today. I
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  Speaker 1: pray you had a great day yesterday as we kind
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  Speaker 1: of creep on through this week. Today's Wednesday and we're
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  Speaker 1: just getting ready for church tonight, but I just was
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  Speaker 1: sitting and pondering this morning a beautiful story that I
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  Speaker 1: love to go back and not only read, but just
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  Speaker 1: kind of meditate and kind of ask the Lord to
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  Speaker 1: just take me to that scene and show me exactly
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  Speaker 1: what was transpiring at that moment and And that's in
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  Speaker 1: Acts chapter 3, the event that happened at the Gate Beautiful.
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  Speaker 1: And this morning we're talking about the power of a
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  Speaker 1: divine appointment and how it's so important that we slow
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  Speaker 1: our lives down long enough to first of all understand
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  Speaker 1: what a divine appointment is, but then to make sure
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  Speaker 1: that we don't miss those appointments. Acts chapter 3, I
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  Speaker 1: want to read the first six verses here for you
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  Speaker 1: this morning. It says, Now Peter and John went up together.
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  Speaker 1: into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the
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  Speaker 1: ninth hour. And a certain man, lame from his mother's womb,
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  Speaker 1: was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of
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  Speaker 1: the temple, which is called Beautiful, and asked alms of
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  Speaker 1: them that entered into the temple. But now here comes
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  Speaker 1: the divine appointment in verse 3. Who seeing Peter and
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  Speaker 1: John about to go into the temple, asked for alms.
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  Speaker 1: And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him, make sure you
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  Speaker 1: get that, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said,
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  Speaker 1: Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting
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  Speaker 1: to receive something of them. Then Peter said, Silver and
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  Speaker 1: gold have I none, but such as I have, give
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  Speaker 1: I thee. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,
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  Speaker 1: rise up and walk. Love that story because Peter and
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  Speaker 1: John were on their way to the temple at the
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  Speaker 1: hour of prayer. So I want you to picture that
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  Speaker 1: this morning. They had a destination. They had a purpose.
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  Speaker 1: They had an agenda for the day. And they had
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  Speaker 1: somewhere that they intended to be and wanted to be.
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  Speaker 1: And at the gate called Beautiful, there was a man.
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  Speaker 1: And that man who could not walk was asking for help.
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  Speaker 1: That was his part of the divine appointment. What Peter
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  Speaker 1: and John did with that made all the difference in
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  Speaker 1: the world. He had been carried there day after day.
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  Speaker 1: To most people who passed through the gate, I would
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  Speaker 1: imagine he may have just become part of the framework
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  Speaker 1: of a familiar scene barely even noticed by them at times.
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  Speaker 1: But not Peter and John. No, they stopped. And that's
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  Speaker 1: what the Lord needs us to do sometimes. Just stop
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  Speaker 1: for a moment and ask the Lord, Lord, why am
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  Speaker 1: I traveling this way? What is going on right now
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  Speaker 1: that I need to pay attention to? Because before the
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  Speaker 1: man ever stood to his feet, something important happened. The
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  Speaker 1: Bible said they looked at him. That's very important because
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  Speaker 1: they gave their attention to a person others could easily
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  Speaker 1: pass by. On the way to something they considered more important.
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  Speaker 1: And I wonder how often we do the same thing
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  Speaker 1: without even realizing it. We're on our way to church.
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  Speaker 1: On our way to work. On our way to an appointment.
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  Speaker 1: Or to the next task on our list. And we
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  Speaker 1: have good reasons to keep moving. And there's nothing wrong
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  Speaker 1: with our list and our task and our work and church.
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  Speaker 1: Nothing wrong with that. Yet right along our path may
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  Speaker 1: be someone that God wants us to see at that moment.
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  Speaker 1: That's called a divine appointment. When God brings two situations
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  Speaker 1: together at just the right moment for there to be
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  Speaker 1: an encounter where Jesus Christ can make all the difference
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  Speaker 1: in someone's life. Peter and John had gone to pray.
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  Speaker 1: But an opportunity to live out their faith was waiting
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  Speaker 1: at the gate. Y'all see that? Peter did not have
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  Speaker 1: the money the man expected. He offered what he did have,
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  Speaker 1: the name of Jesus Christ. And based on that name
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  Speaker 1: and the power that comes from the name of Jesus Christ,
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  Speaker 1: the Bible says the man rose, walked, and entered the
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  Speaker 1: temple with them, praising God. Now this morning I can't
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  Speaker 1: promise that every encounter will end in a miracle like
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  Speaker 1: this one in Acts chapter 3. But we can pause
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  Speaker 1: long enough to pay attention. Sometimes a person just needs
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  Speaker 1: someone to listen. Sometimes they need encouragement. Maybe practical help
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  Speaker 1: or a reminder that they have not been forgotten and
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  Speaker 1: they actually matter. And don't miss this point too. Maybe
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  Speaker 1: the divine appointment is not always... So you can help
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  Speaker 1: someone else. Maybe the divine appointment is trying to slow
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  Speaker 1: you down so someone can meet your need. That is
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  Speaker 1: the power of divine appointments. So today, yeah, it may
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  Speaker 1: interrupt your plans. But it can reveal part of the
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  Speaker 1: reason God placed you there in the first place. I mean,
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  Speaker 1: you woke up this morning for some reason, right? You
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  Speaker 1: might think we're simply passing through a gate. God may
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  Speaker 1: have led you there to meet someone on the other
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  Speaker 1: side of that gate. Think about that this morning. Today,
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  Speaker 1: ask the Lord to help you notice the people along
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  Speaker 1: your way. You do not have to know every word
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  Speaker 1: to say or have every answer. Just start by seeing
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  Speaker 1: the person in front of you. Be willing to stop.
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  Speaker 1: Be willing to listen. And offer what you can in
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  Speaker 1: the name of Jesus. And also, before I close this out,
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  Speaker 1: the Lord is really pressing this on my spirit. Also
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  Speaker 1: be open and willing to receive what someone may be
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  Speaker 1: there to offer you in the name of Jesus. Maybe
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  Speaker 1: it's an outpouring from you. Maybe it's an outpouring into you.
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  Speaker 1: Just be ready for that divine appointment. Today you be safe,
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  Speaker 1: you be strong, and you be blessed. Lord's will, we'll
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  Speaker 1: see you back here again tomorrow. Have a great day.