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Transcript

Unshaken in New Beginnings · Fostering Faith

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Welcome back to Fostering Faith. My name is Tracie.
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And if you are new to Fostering Faith, we are
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here to talk real talk about Jesus and what we
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are walking through in our own kind of personal
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lives. And so we are in a season of new beginnings,
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new projects and all the things. And so we are
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looking at new seasons as far as being unshaken.
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and so in this episode we're going to be talking
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about how we are going to be unshaken and it
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is all about new seasons and trusting God and
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it is kind of scary sometimes but we have a conference
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that's coming up in our community um and we are
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going with the theme of unshaken for our junior
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high and high school. And so as we are walking
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in this unshakable season, we have to just trust
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and know that God has a plan. And so we are just
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gonna be talking about. Unshaken in new beginnings
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trusting God's plan in every new season and so
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hey friends welcome back to fostering faith I
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don't know about you, but I love the feeling
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of new beginnings So much it makes me a little
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like I'm gonna puke but so excited the smell
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of fresh notebooks the First day on a job a clean
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slate moving into a new place. There's nothing
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that Like the new car smell There's something
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about that. It makes you just feel like anything's
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impossible. But you know what else? A new beginning
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can also feel unpredictable. Like you're standing
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on a dock and the boat just pushed away and you
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didn't get on it. And maybe you're starting a
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new school this year, joining a new team this
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year, heading to college, starting new relationships,
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or even stepping into a leadership role for the
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first time. And it's exciting, but also a little
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scary. And that's where we're at. We don't have
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to have all the answers. God's not asking us
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to predict the future. He's asking us to trust
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that He already has a plan. And so today we're
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going to walk and talk through what it means
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to step into new beginnings, new relationships,
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new seasons, unshaken. And we're going to have
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some fun with it. We're going to dive into some
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words and we're going to remind ourselves that
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even when life feels unpredictable, God promises
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our rock solid. And so we have Hebrews 12, 26
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through 29, and I'm going to be reading it out
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of the NASB version as I am starting my own new
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journey going back to college for a master's
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in theology and Bible study. They are. saying
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that we need to be in an NASB version of scripture.
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And I will be real honest. I had never heard
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of it. I've never read it. And so I ordered me
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my first NASB Bible. And so that's what we are
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gonna be talking about today. And so it says
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in Hebrews 12, 26 through 29, it says, and his
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voice shook the earth then, but now he has promised
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saying, yet once more I will shake not only the
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earth, but also the heavens. This expression,
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yet once more, denotes the removing of those
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things which can be shaken as created things,
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so that those things which cannot be shaken will
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remain. Therefore, since we have received a kingdom
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such cannot be shaken, let's show gratitude by
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which we may offer God an acceptable service
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of reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming
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fire." And that's going to be our anchor today.
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God's shaking isn't meant to scare us. It's meant
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to settle us. He shakes whenever what's temporary.
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So our eternal stand can be taller. And so like
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whenever you're like you're shifting flour, whenever
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you are potentially like baking a cake and like
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whenever I used to whenever I lived at home,
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my mom would whenever she would bake a cake like
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she would drop it a couple times she would shake
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it up and so all the bubbles would get out of
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it. And so These are kind of what I think of
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in my own life about shaky grounds, what's happening
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whenever we're sifting through things, is to
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get all the stuff away if you're ever gonna sift
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through sand to find seashells, or you think
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of old time miners sifting through the water
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to get the gold. And so you also have Jeremiah
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29 and 11. So four, I know the plans that I have
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for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper
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and not for disaster, but to give you hope in
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the future. And we have Proverbs three, five
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through six, and it says, trust in the Lord with
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all your heart and do not lean into your own
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understanding and all your ways acknowledge him
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and he will make your path straight. Hebrews
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6, 19 says, this hope we have as an anchor of
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our soul, a hope both sure and reliable. And
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so God knows the plan whenever we don't. And
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so here's the tension and new beginnings. You
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want to know what's going on. You want a roadmap.
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You want a GPS. You want to know how long it's
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going to take to get there. You want to know
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all the things. You want to know if the new school
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feels like home. You want to know if the new
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relationship will work out. You want to know
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if this is the right career path. But God doesn't
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promise us a roadmap. He promises us Himself.
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And when the Israelites were about to enter the
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promised land, they didn't get a blueprint for
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the journey. They got God's presence. And that's
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better than a map because the map can get outdated,
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but God's presence is living and active every
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day. And so if you knew every detail of the new
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season before you started it, would you lean
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on to God in the same way? Or we'd be like, oh,
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nope, I got this. And so, and then just walk
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away from him. Or would you rely on him, his
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plan? Or would you rely on your own? Like, well,
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I already know what I'm gonna do. And so I'm
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just gonna skip, you know, A and B, and I'm gonna
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go directly to C, or I know this shortcut over
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here, and so I'm gonna do this. And so he's like,
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just walk with me. Don't get ahead of me. Don't
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get behind me. Just walk in the plan that I have
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created for you. And I think that we, as I've
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done other podcasts about my fast -paced through
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life and even just through, just. a lot of things
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and I was signing up for classes for school and
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they were like, no, we don't want you to take
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that many hours right out of the gate. We want
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you to simmer and really just bask in what God
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has for you and just really just deeply root
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yourself in these classes. And so we don't want
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you to hurry through them and just get them done.
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We want you to like really just lean into his
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presence and see what he is going to do in your
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life. And so point number two, Being unshaken
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means letting go of control, and that is so,
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so hard for, I would assume, the most of us.
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And so, Hebrews says, God removes what can be
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shaken. So, that what cannot be shaken will remain.
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Sometimes that means that He shakes loose our
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need to control every outcome. New beginnings
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are unpredictable because they are not meant
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For us to know they're meant to grow our faith.
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So think about it a tree grows its deepest roots
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during storms Not during sunny afternoons when
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it's 75 degrees and a slight wind out of out
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of five God never lets the wind blow our roots
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if God never let our roots Let me repeat that
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God will never let the wind blow our roots it
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wouldn't grow us to any deeper and so if it's
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like whenever I think it's called heathering
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whenever you have like you're growing like whenever
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we first started to like be a family we had a
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huge huge garden and there was a Plant that we
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would take from seed, but you had to blow like
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air on them And I think it's quite called heathering
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Maybe fact check me on that. I don't know but
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that would make it's stronger. And so as we are
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growing and as we are maturing in Christ, I mean,
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the storms are going to be there, the winds are
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going to be there, tornadoes, hurricanes, like
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whatever, literally and, you know, metaphorically.
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But those are to make us stronger. And I think
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we talked about it in another podcast how, you
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know, bamboo, you know, grows down and has roots
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deeper. And we've done, you know, episodes on
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being rooted in Christ too. And so, you know,
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during those storms, you know, those are meant
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to shake off the dead leaves and to make sure
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that we are, you know, producing good fruit.
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And so what's one thing that I can release control
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of in this season? What are the new things that
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I'm trying to control? What can I let go in this
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season? What is holding me back? What is my hand
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so full of that I can't grasp the new thing that
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God has for me? And so these are the questions
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that I try to ask myself. Am I living with my
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hands wide open? Am I living with my hands to
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a posture of, hey. I don't want to grip onto
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anything that I'm not supposed to, you know,
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give the doors that I'm not supposed to walk
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through hot handles. I don't want to keep going
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through things that was never meant for me to
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go. This is the way that I want to go. But if
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I'm not meant to go there, make the doors have
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hot handles, you know, and thanking him in advance
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for the open doors that he has. And so we have
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all these issues that we want to control because
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we want to know this and we want to know this
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and we want to do this and more information and
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more information and more information. He was
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like, no. No, you don't need to know that. Why
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don't you trust me? Why don't you know that I
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am your Redeemer? I am your father. I love you.
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I'm not gonna give you things that I did not
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put inside of you. Like I've created you for
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this specific purpose. I want you to walk into
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this new season trusting me because I've never
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left you. I've never forsaken you. You've made
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it this far. And he never promised it was gonna
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be easy, but he promised that he was always gonna
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be there for us. And so you have new seasons
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means new people. And here's something that's
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both exciting and scary about new seasons. They
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almost always mean new people, new classmates,
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new teammates, new coworkers, new neighbors,
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and sometimes even new leaders or mentors. And
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here's what I've learned. The people that God
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brings into your life in a new season are not
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on accident. They're assignments. And some will
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sharpen you, some will stretch you, and some
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might even frustrate you. And yes, some will
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surprise you the way that they point you back
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to Christ. And although I think it's great to
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also mention about new relationships ending,
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And so reasons is seasons and lifetimes. And
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so we were not meant to be in community forever.
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And so it's about being so thankful that friendships
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end, that new relationships can start and not
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just staying where God doesn't want you to be.
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And so he's given you every sign and you don't
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know how to end that relationship or walk away
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from that friendship. And he's like, I will push
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you out. No, like stop going there and you know
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that you're supposed to do that and you're just
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like, but you know, like we've been together
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for so long and you know, we've had a friendship
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for, you know, 20 years or whatever. And he's
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like, no, that season's done. I need you to move
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on. And so I think that him pushing us outdoors,
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again, not turning back, let's not be like a
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lot's wife and turn back into a situation that
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we were meant to just walk through. Let's not
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get stuck in relationships that we don't need
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to be in any longer and saying goodbye. Because
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we have Proverbs 27, 17 that says, iron sharpens
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iron. So no one person sharpens another and sharpening
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isn't smooth, it's friction. That means that
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some people in your new season might rub you
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the wrong way at first But they may also be a
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part of how God is shaping your character And
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so that person that you don't see eye -to -eye
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on that person that you is completely different
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than you How is God going to use this relationship
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to fine -tune? Your irritations, how is he going
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to fine -tune your speech your communication?
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How you look at other people? How is He sharpening
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you in every relationship that you're in? And
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so instead of asking, do I like this person?
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Try asking, what is God trying to teach me through
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this person? And so I just think it's so exciting.
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And again, yet scary whenever relationships end,
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when new relationships begin, and how relationships
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that can last the test of time just continue
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and continue to continue. And just putting God
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in every aspect of our lives, every friendship,
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every relationship, every business meeting, every
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encounter. He really needs to be our focus. And
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how is this relationship glorifying God? Is it
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not glorifying God? Am I in this relationship
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and I'm doing, am I hearing things that I'm not
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supposed to be hearing? Am I settling for talk
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that is not glorifying to God? And so just looking
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at every relationship and saying, hey, is this
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where I'm meant to be? Is this not where I'm
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meant to be? And just growing and maturing and
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knowing that He is pushing you outdoors and out
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of relationships, pushing you into new ones.
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And we have to know and to trust. that he is
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up to something. And that should just make you
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smile and be excited for new beginnings. And
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so point four, predictability in God and unpredictable
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paths. And so we have a predictable God, but
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we have unpredictable paths. And so God's character
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is steady, but his methods will really keep you
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on our toes. And so we have Hebrews 13, eight
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that says, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday
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and today and forever. But if you look at the
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scripture, the way that he leads people's change
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from story to story. And so Noah got instructions
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for the ark. Abraham got told, go to the land
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and I will show you. Moses got a burning bush.
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Joshua got marching orders around Jericho. And
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they were all different, but they all pointed
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to the same faithful God. And so in our new start,
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don't be surprised if God's leading feels a little
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different than it has before. Don't allow your
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expectations of what he did in your old season
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to be in your new season. And so he leads differently
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for different people in different ways. And so
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in your new start, don't be surprised if God
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leads feels a little different than it has before.
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The method may change, but the mission knowing
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him and making him known never does. And so that's
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the exciting part is that as we change, as we
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mature, what used to get our attention before
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may not get our attention now. And so he knows
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us, he formed us, he knows exactly what we need,
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exactly whenever we need it, whether we want
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to admit it to her or not. But in that same respect,
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he is saying, okay, so I know that she's not
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gonna learn this way again. And so I'm gonna
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do it this way. She's really hard -headed or
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he's really hard -headed. He's not getting the
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point. I'm gonna change my method. And so always
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being aware that he is guiding us. He is teaching
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us. He is doing all the things necessary to get
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our attention and to mold us. And so point five,
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anchored in hope. And so Hebrews 6 19 says, this
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hope we have as an anchor on our soul, a hope
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both sure and reliable. The anchor doesn't stop
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with waves from coming. It just keeps the boat
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from drifting when they do. In the same way,
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God doesn't promise us a storm -free life, especially
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in a season of change, but He does promise to
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hold on to us, hold us steady. And so when things
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feel unpredictable, that's when the anchor matters
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the most. If your anchor is in people, grades,
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money, approval, you'll drift when the moment
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that water gets rough. But if our anchor's in
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Christ, you're steady even when the waves get
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taller than you. And just like the song oceans,
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my head is above water. The waves came over me,
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but I never drowned because you were there. You
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were keeping me afloat. And so we want to encourage
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you to grab your phone, to grab a notebook, or
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even grab your notes app. And I'm gonna give
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you some quick three prompts that I want you
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to answer honestly. One, one thing I'm excited
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about in this new season is what? What are you
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excited for? What is it? And leave those things,
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these are between you and God and just for you
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to reflect on. But if you wanna leave it in the
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comment section, leave it in the comments. Number
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two, what's one thing that makes you nervous
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about your new start? What is it? Is it like
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I don't know the plan. I don't know the GPS I
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don't know where he's heading. I don't know where
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I don't know where I'm going Three one thing
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I'm trusting God for is And so write those down
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Listen for what God is saying write down what's
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on your heart and take those to God And like
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I said, you know leave those in the comments.
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Let's start a conversation. Let's start a community
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and let's see what people are thinking And if
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you're bold enough, post the answers and with
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the hashtag unshaken beginnings. And we'll be
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checking on you. We'll be cheering you on. And
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so we are meant for community. And so we hope
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that this message inspires you to be unshaken
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in the new episode that God has you in, the new
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season that he has you in. And so we are all
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walking through this faith journey together and
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we are better. together then separated and so
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we are hoping and just praying for our listeners
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that They are looking up whenever they are in
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doubt and so You know whenever I was younger
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I remember starting a new school feeling like
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I was stepping into a roller coaster and please
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know that I do not like roller coasters that
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I That I didn't want to go on the first hill
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was exciting and then you drop and then you twist
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and you turn and you're and you're not in control.
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And that's the crazy part. Once the ride was
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over, you realize that holding on tight and trusting
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the safety of the track is what got you through.
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And life with God in a new season is a little
19:25
like that. The track is His plan, the safety
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bar is His word, and the job is to hold on even
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when you can't see the next turn. And please
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know that A lot of times my knuckles are so white
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that we are just walking and just smiling and
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just knowing that He has a way whenever we do
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not see a way. And so this week I want to do
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one small thing that shows that you're trusting
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God in your new start. Maybe it's joining a Bible
19:54
study. Maybe it's introducing yourself to the
19:56
person that you've been too nervous to talk to.
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Maybe it's finally letting go of something that
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you've been trying to control. And so let's pray
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for this upcoming week. And so dear Lord, thank
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you so much for these listeners. Thank you so
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much for the ability to spread your word. Thank
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you for every listener stepping into something
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new. Give them encourage whenever they feel shaky,
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gratitude whenever they feel blessed and trust
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when they feel unsure. Help them remember that
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you are our anchor, their guide, their consuming
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fire and make them unshaken in this season. Thank
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you for all that you do. In Jesus' name we pray.
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Amen. And so if you can go back through and add
20:37
all your personal stories or comments, we really
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appreciate it. And so we hope that you are enjoying
20:44
these podcasts. Please like, subscribe, share
20:48
these to help. We are not going to be fishers
20:51
of men. We want to be fishers of men and not
20:53
watchers of the aquarium. And so it's about growing
20:55
people that don't know Jesus and just sharing
20:57
with someone that is going through a new experience.
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We hope that this message encouraged you and
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that we will see you guys back here next week.
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Have a great week. We love you guys. Bye.