Latest / The Woman at the Well Ministries Podcast / 437 | You Are More Than Enough - Embrace God's Love: Freedom from Self-Condemnation

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437 | You Are More Than Enough - Embrace God's Love: Freedom from Self-Condemnation · The Woman at the Well Ministries Podcast

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  God is in control.
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  She's a happy girl. Hello, friends, and welcome back to another podcast of Woman
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  at the Well Ministries, where we believe that all of us have to come to Jesus
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  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, We invite you to sit down with us as we look
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  to the scriptures to learn more about God and to strengthen your daily walk with Jesus Christ.
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  Living her 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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  Be careful how you speak to yourself.
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  Your words are not only powerful to others, but to yourself as well.
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  How you speak is how you think.
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  Come join Kim Miller of Woman at the Well Ministries as she takes us on a journey
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  through the scriptures, examining John 3, 16-19, revealing that God didn't come
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  to condemn us, so we shouldn't condemn ourselves.
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  So we're coming out of John chapter 3, verses 16 through 19.
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  But I want to open up with this thought.
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  It's found in Romans 8, 1, and it says this, There is therefore now no condemnation
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  to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
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  And recently, I have been in multiple different situations where I have seen
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  people speak to themselves in ways that I know these individuals would never speak to anyone else.
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  I see them say such disparaging, discouraging things, and I know at that moment that that is not.
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  Them really speaking, but it's the devil influencing them, and they're speaking
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  the words that he's putting in their head and in their mind.
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  Yes, they're the ones saying it, but they are listening to the wrong influence.
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  And many of these people I know are Christians, and I know that they know who God is.
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  But what I do also know is that they're not looking at who they are in Christ Jesus.
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  When I was working in the secular world, I spent a lot of my time coaching and
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  teaching people how to communicate, how to write, how to speak.
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  I would spend a lot of my time teaching them how to lead, how to be in front
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  of people, and command an audience.
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  And one of the things that we would spend so much time on was helping them to
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  believe that they could do whatever the task was they have been asked to do.
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  And we're talking about things like giving a scientific presentation, negotiating funding,
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  doing that kind of work, not even something as important as believing you can
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  just get through the next day.
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  And so as I spent a lot of time with that, and I spent a lot of time in my undergraduate
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  years studying psychology and some things, what I have noticed is.
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  Is that one of the problems people have in believing in themselves is because
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  they simply don't believe who they are in Christ Jesus.
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  Now, for those who don't know Christ Jesus, that's not really helpful.
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  But for every person who is a born-again Christian, these are the individuals
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  that need to begin to speak to themselves the way God sees them.
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  First, they need to pay close attention to whose voice they're listening to.
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  In Romans 8, 1, we're said, there is no more condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus.
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  We do not have to fear condemnation.
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  So if you're living in a condemned state, if you're living in a shameful way
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  or attitude, then you are allowing that.
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  And in many cases, you're producing that.
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  And the truth of the matter is, is how we feel about ourselves goes a long way
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  in how we succeed, how we present ourselves, how we demonstrate.
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  And many of us are living on false influences.
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  People who are lying to us about
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  our worth, our goodness, what we can contribute, what our skill set is,
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  many of us have determined in our own minds that we're just not good enough.
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  Perhaps we don't have the things we want in our lives. We may not have the career
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  we thought we would have.
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  We may not have the wealth status that we were longing for. We may not have
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  attained the education or the certificates.
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  We may not have the children we thought we would have. We may not even have
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  the spouse that we were so sure that we would have.
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  And so because of the things we don't
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  have, we have completely forsaken understanding the things we do have.
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  And the Bible tells us that we are no longer slaves to sin.
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  And that sin no longer has dominion over us.
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  It clearly explains to us
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  that we are more than conquerors through
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  christ jesus who loves us
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  so as we begin to look at john chapter 3 and verse 16 it's incredibly important
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  to me that you begin to see who you are who you are in christ jesus because
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  we were not meant to live timid lives.
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  We were not created to be afraid.
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  In fact, Scripture tells us that perfect love casts out all fear.
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  And Jesus loves us perfectly. And Jesus has a perfect plan for our life,
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  according to Jeremiah 29 11, and it's a good plan.
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  And Jesus tells us in John 10 10 that he came that we might have life and that
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  we might have it more abundantly.
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  But in the beginning part, he tells us that the thief cometh to kill, steal, and destroy.
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  And I am here to remind you tonight that you have not been defeated.
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  If you are a Christ follower, if you are a new creature in Christ Jesus,
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  if you are part of the family of God, you have put on the name of Christian,
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  you are more than a conqueror you
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  are more than enough and god
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  has created you exactly the way you
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  are and if you are striving towards the prize of the high calling and you are
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  trying to be all that you can be in christ jesus you have nothing to be ashamed
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  of because there's no more condemnation Your sins have been cast as far as the east is from the west.
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  You've been covered by the blood.
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  The blood has washed you white as snow.
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  And so when you get up in the morning, you have the opportunity to walk in the
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  grace and the mercy and the love of Jesus Christ, going forth to spread the
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  gospel that he has called you to spread.
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  He is waiting to equip you. But you have to receive his blessings.
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  And you have to receive his instructions. And sometimes his instructions hurt.
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  Sometimes going through the fire
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  where he's burning off the dross from our lives, that's uncomfortable.
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  You see those beautiful pieces of metal, the silver, that is pure silver,
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  has gone through a whole lot of heat to get the impurities out.
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  And friends, we don't have to go to hell, but as Christians,
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  to get the impurities out of our lives, we can get a little heat from Jesus
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  Christ to melt away the things of the world, because we're told in James 4.4
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  that to be friends with the world is to be an enemy with God.
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  He says we are to be different, a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
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  And he tells us that we were created in his image.
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  But there's so much more going on in the world today than body shame.
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  There's mental anguish.
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  There's this undeniable need to be more and more and more and to get more and more and more.
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  And when you live in a mentality of more, not only are you opposite and in opposition
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  of God's command to be content in whatever state you're in,
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  to trust in what he's given you, to know that his path for you is right and
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  good, not only are you in opposition of those truths,
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  but you're living in a vicious cycle because you'll never have enough.
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  It will never equal out to the quantity you're looking for because you're living in a more mentality.
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  More, more, more. I've got to have more money. I've got to work more hours to get more money.
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  I need to have more friends. I need more friends of social liking.
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  I need more friends in my Facebook.
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  I need more likes i need more phone calls i
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  need more more more you fill
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  in the blank friends that's not what
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  he said to live like because he said jesus said i am enough god said i am the
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  great i am so whatever it is you need he fulfills that and as christians and
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  children of god we have been given,
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  all that he is.
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  But we listen to the lies of the devil.
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  We listen to the people who speak lies into our lives.
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  We need to be careful who we're hanging around with.
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  We need people who speak life into us. We need people who will pray for us.
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  We need people who will come alongside us and encourage us and to build us up.
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  As Christians, brothers and sisters, we need to be diligently constantly lifting
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  up our brothers and sisters in Christ.
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  Because the world's sucking everything out of us.
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  And we don't know what our friends are going through. We don't know what that
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  person in church that sits on the pew with you just went through all week.
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  But what we do know is we know a Savior that loves them. We know a Master that
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  cares. We know a God that provides.
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  We know that He is the way, the truth, and the life.
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  And we need to help our brothers and sisters maintain this courage and the joy.
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  Of knowing Jesus Christ.
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  We want them to walk in abundance of his joy, living in the calmness of his peace.
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  And this is only going to happen if they stop listening to the wrong voices.
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  If they pull out the scripture and begin to read, there's no more condemnation.
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  In John 3, verse 16, it begins and reads as this.
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  For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son,
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  that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
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  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world,
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  but that the world through him might be saved.
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  Friends, we can do a big name drop right there.
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  We have the opportunity to name the name of Jesus as a friend that sick is closer
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  than a brother, as a Savior who died for our sins,
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  as one who gave his entire life for us, as one who loves us unconditionally
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  and nothing can separate us from the love of God.
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  He and he alone is the only one worthy and who has the authority to judge.
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  He chooses to come to save and not condemn.
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  Friends, this condemnation business that you're walking in, that you've opened
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  your life and your experiences to, this, my friend, is not of God.
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  Friends you've got to love him enough to believe that when everything around
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  you is dark and when everything around you isn't going your way when people
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  are turning their backs left and right on you you've got to stay the course
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  and know that god is in control.
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  And that God isn't condemning you. He loves you.
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  He's going to correct you because he wants you to live the abundant life he
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  promised, and you can't do that in the horseweeds and sinning.
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  There is pleasure in sin for a season, but I want you to know something.
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  It's got a hard penalty to pay.
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  Be not deceived. God is not mocked for whatsoever. Man soweth that shall also
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  reap. Some of you are lacking the peace of God because you're not trusting him with your whole life.
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  You're not excited and embracing the course he's given you.
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  We're not embracing the call he has on our life because we're not convinced it is good.
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  And we're not convinced that his plans are better than our plans,
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  that his ways are higher than our ways, that his thoughts are higher than our ways.
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  We've got a disconnect. and let me tell you, partial obedience is complete disobedience.
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  And so tonight, I want you to think deep within your heart, and I want you to
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  stop listening to the lies of the devil.
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  I want you to stop lending your mind and giving real estate to unhealthy thoughts,
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  and ask the Lord to take captive your thoughts because perfect love casts out all fear.
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  And there are some of us who are living in fear that we're never going to get
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  what we want, that we're never going to be good enough, that everybody's going to always reject us.
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  Those are lies. You have been received and accepted by the King of Kings and
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  the Lord of Lords. And he has a perfect, proficient, efficient,
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  effective, glorious plan for you.
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  And all he's asking is that you believe, that you accept it.
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  He says in verse 18, he that believeth on him is not condemned.
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  But he that believeth not is condemned already because he has not believed.
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  In the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation,
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  that the light is coming to the world, and men love darkness rather than light,
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  because their deeds were evil.
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  Friends, if you know Jesus Christ as Savior, the light of the world is in you.
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  In fact, Matthew 5, verse 16 says, Let your light so shine before men that they
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  may see your good works and glorify your father, which is in heaven.
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  In 14 and 15, he explains that we're the light of the world and we put our light
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  out so the whole world can see. We don't hide it under a bushel.
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  Many of you I know know the song, this little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine.
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  Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. When you are shining the light of
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  Jesus, you're lighting your own path,
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  but you're lighting it through the love and the grace and the mercy and the
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  glory of Jesus that dwells inside of you.
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  If you could see what lives inside of you.
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  It's the same power that spoke the world into existence.
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  Ephesians 3.20 says now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above
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  all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us.
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  The power that lives within us moves mountains just a little tinny bit of faith.
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  Can move the mountains in your life. I don't pretend to know all that any of you is going through.
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  Many of you, I don't know at all what your issues or your problems or your circumstances might be.
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  But I know a God that does, and I know Him personally.
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  And I know He died on the cross of Calvary with His arms stretched wide so that
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  you could have the freedom to,
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  of a guiltless life paid for by a sinless God.
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  I know that he loves you because he died for you.
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  I know that nothing can separate you from his love.
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  And I know that if you would focus your eyes on him and allow him to reveal
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  to you who he has created in Christ Jesus, that you'd talk differently to yourself.
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  You'd say things differently.
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  So tonight, I encourage you, ask God to reveal to you the negative things that
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  you say to yourself, the false beliefs that you have about you.
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  Now, in no way am I telling you that you're to live life in your own way,
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  that you're to take control of your own life. I'm not saying that at all.
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  I'm saying submit to God enough to see yourself through God's eyes.
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  Submit to God and let him create in you the perfect being that he has intended for you to be.
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  Live a life of faith and love for Jesus so that you can be blessed abundantly as he promised he would.
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  I'm saying give up your self-will. Pay attention to who you're listening to.
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  Get the circle of friends that are going to speak truth to you.
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  They're going to make you accountable.
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  But when you're weak, they're going to hold you up. When you can't get there,
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  they're going to take you to Jesus.
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  Don't have friends that when you can't get there are going to take you away from Jesus.
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  We love all people.
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  Those who don't know Jesus, we go to where they are and bring them to where
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  we are, but we've got to be careful to not let them take us to where they are.
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  Eve lingered in sin way too long.
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  The lingering cost her greatly. As a result, it cost all of us.
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  The fall of man in the garden is what makes us so depraved and in need of a Savior.
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  But friends, the story didn't end there. the story
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  didn't end with eve making a
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  mistake the story ends with
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  jesus raising from the grave with scarred hands open wide welcoming them all
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  to come unto him that whosoever will call upon the name of the lord shall be
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  saved that he wishes that none should perish that all should come to repentance.
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  The story ends with those who know him going to a home not made with hands,
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  eternal into the heavens,
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  where our Father has made mansions that he's prepared for us,
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  and if he goes to prepare a place, he'll come again and receive us unto himself.
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  The story ends with joy unspeakable and full of glory in a place that eye hath
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  not seen and ear hath not heard, neither has entered into the man's imagination
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  what lies in store for them that love him.
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  The story ends in eternity in heaven for those of us who love him,
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  but we don't have to wait till then to experience the peace of God.
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  He says that if we trust in the Lord with all thy heart and lean not into our
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  own understanding, in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct our paths.
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  He says, call unto me and I will
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  answer thee and show the great and mighty things which thou knowest not.
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  He said, ask and you shall receive. Seek and you shall find.
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  Knock and it shall be opened unto you.
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  He said, I love you.
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  And then he backed it with his life.
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  The King of Kings, the Lord of Lords gave everything he had for you.
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  How can you possibly think that
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  you're worthless Jesus lives in you and because of that you are more than enough
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  live a life of more not of wanting more remember you are loved 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 Woman 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. You.
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  Music.