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Check your temperature · Fostering Faith

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  Welcome back to Fostering Faith. Welcome back to this week and we are in our
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  season three and we're doing a little things different this season as I am by
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  myself as Gia is busy with basketball and volleyball and she may come back
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  whenever she is less busy but she wanted to continue with this fostering faith
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  and so us being a mom and wanting to continue to grow people's faith with
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  fostering faith we are here to keep encouraging you as we are talking about
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  a topic that has been on my heart for a little while now and you can go back
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  into my other YouTube videos I did this video after reading Revelation and so
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  I'd like to talk to you guys today about being lukewarm and I would like to try
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  to ignite your faith and just go from lukewarm to on fire for God and so do
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  you feel stuck and you feel like you're walking with Christ but you're neither
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  hot nor cold it's just time to reignite your passion for Christ and step into a
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  thriving purpose and this episode I want to dive into what it means to be a
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  lukewarm Christian is that you is that me why is it dangerous how can we
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  cultivate a vibrant relationship with Jesus and some practical tips about
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  actionable tips and episodes about how to move from passive to passionate and
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  so I welcome you this is fostering faith we are here to help you foster your
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  faith hence the title and today we're gonna talk about things that kind of hit
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  home for many of us what's it mean to be a lukewarm Christian in Revelation 3 16
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  Jesus says so because you are lukewarm neither hot nor cold I am about to spit
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  you out of my mouth those are some strong words but they remind us of how
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  important it is to stay spiritually alive so let's dive into what it means
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  to be lukewarm and why does it matter and how can we reignite our faith
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  journey and so what does it mean to be a lukewarm Christian and so here's some
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  signs and some symptoms of being a lukewarm faith checking the Christian
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  box without having a true heart engagement lack of prayer or Bible
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  reading outside of church prioritizing comfort over obedience and maybe we're
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  just going to church on Sunday that's the only time that we read scripture
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  that's the only time that we think about God it's just because oh it's Sunday we
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  have to go and looking at this in lenses of I get to go I get to talk to God and
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  it's about we have to do a lot of things that we are not comfortable with but
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  because we are obedient to God we choose obedience over comfort but why is being
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  a lukewarm Christian dangerous spiritual stagnation being spiritually just
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  me leads to vulnerability and temptations and that is what the devil
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  loves you miss the full enjoyment and purpose and walking with Christ and it
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  impacts your ability to witness to others we are made to be disciples we
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  are here to grow his kingdom and if we are not on fire for Christ then we are
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  missing so many opportunities to help and just reach people and snatch them
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  from the fiery pits and so what would it look like to reignite your faith how
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  about reconnecting with God's Word how about a sitting quiet time away and
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  start with just ten minutes a day using devotions or an app like you version
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  we've talked about it so many times on this app but it's about sitting that
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  ten minutes away and so it's just it's not you know 30 minutes an hour or two
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  hours it's ten minutes you got ten minutes stop scrolling on your phone and
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  and just put that ten minutes and and just devoted to him what about praying
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  with intention don't have to say a quick prayer and just have an honest
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  conversation with God he knows what you're thinking anyway he knows exactly
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  where you're at and and here's like a simple conversation tool it's called
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  acts and so it is about admiration confession thanksgiving and supplication
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  to guide you and so it is just those like little tools that you can use to
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  help with your conversation with God and so we want to thank him we want to
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  confess our sins we want to thank him you know for everything that he's done
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  for us and then just ask him questions ask him what and why and just you know
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  just go to your father I mean he knows what you're wanting he knows your
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  desires he knows your heart and he just wants that relationship with you and so
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  he's also built us for an amazing life he's built a you with so many different
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  qualities that no one else has and so it's about serving others you know
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  signing up for volunteering at church or in just your community you know serving
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  shifts that focus from yourself to God's kingdom he has put so many special
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  talents in all of us and it's whether it is in food ministry or mechanics
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  ministry or you know serving with children or youth or what's you know
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  singing worshiping all those are acts of service that he has put the ability in
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  you don't be scared go do it and serving others is such a blessing and a reward
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  in itself and just like with anything that you're trying to do different
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  surround yourself with accountability join a small group find a mentor an
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  accountability partner just like if you're gonna start an exercise or diet
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  you have to start with somebody because you have no problem letting down
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  yourself or you wouldn't be in this position with a diet or with your
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  exercise routine you have to have an accountability partner and just being
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  open and honest with your best friend or your pastor or finding an e-group online
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  it's about having that accountability partner that I'm gonna show up every
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  Wednesday whether I like it or not and I want to walk and learn and how to do
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  this and step out of faith take one bold action to share your testimony invite a
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  friend to church start a gratitude journal shift your focus and so setting
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  those daily reminders on your phone and so write this verse out like Colossians
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  323 whatever you do work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord
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  places where you can see it and so you are having daily reminders you're
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  having daily reminders on your phone for the Bible app we do a plan with the
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  kids and youth and so I have a daily reminder you know and celebrate your
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  small wins keep track of how God is moving in your life and share those
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  moments with others and that way it is building your faith and just so you can
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  be reminded about oh my gosh he did listen he what he answered my prayer
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  because we know that God answers every prayer it may not be what you want it may
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  be a yes and maybe you know and it may be not right now you're not mature enough
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  for that and just wait on it and that's why we wait on him because his ways are
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  better than our ways and our we are so small-minded that we really honestly
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  don't know what he has in store for us and and what about a digital detox limit
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  your distractions by setting limits on free screen time and allowing you just
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  to have that extra 10 minutes before bed for prayer and whenever we talk about
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  you know you know other signs of being a lukewarm Christian it really is about
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  just you know are you a check mark box you know kind of Christian are we just
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  looking for you know fast food prayers our prayers are like drive-through
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  orders hey God I need this thanks we're in the comparison game you justify your
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  faith but well at least I'm better than they are you know spoiler alert God is
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  not great on a curse so if any of this sounds familiar you don't I'm doing
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  don't worry you know it's where we've all been there it's about staying lukewarm
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  that's the problem and so it's just like eating toast every day I'm not telling
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  you to eat toast eat eggs eat your protein but but there's a buffet of
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  possibilities that are waiting for you but you have to have the connection you
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  have to be you know in touch with God and why does faith matter why does all
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  of this matter why does fostering faith even exist because faith matters and so
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  faith gives us hope it is whenever life is unpredictable we have a faith that
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  gives you an anchor in your storm you know faith brings us joy and purpose
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  whenever you're connected with God you find the meaning and even the mundane
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  you know faith transforms you God specializes in turning messes into
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  masterpieces faith isn't just for church people it's for everyone whether you are
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  skeptical or indifferent is just an unsure start God's wanting to meet you
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  exactly where you're at and so starting small being real you know trying the
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  Bible app for beginners you know finding community looking for God in all the
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  everyday moments talking and walking with him admiring the stars admiring the
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  food you know the flowers the sky you know whenever I take Gia to school we
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  used to look at the sky and we would just say you know what kind of painting
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  does he have for today and just looking at the vibrant colors of how it ombres
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  from pink to orange or to blue to purple and I mean just looking at what he
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  created for you his beautiful son has masculine dog you know like just all the
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  things that he could have he made for you and so lukewarm Christians you know
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  revitalizing your prayer life getting back into scripture making worship fun
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  play your favorite worship song in the car just sing to the top of your lungs
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  and watch that smile come back to your face it is not silly it is not anything
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  it is about you connecting with your Heavenly Father and he gets to hear your
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  voice and he's so excited and you know I've got to see so many people just kind
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  of transformed as they were you know with God and they were like on fire for
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  God and then something happened and they fell away and so people that are you know
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  just kind of lukewarm and just go to church on Sundays you know and just go
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  to the lunch right afterwards and you know have zero talk about God you know
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  the rest of the week you know one day we were talking with a friend and she
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  decided to shake things up and so she started reading a chapter a day and fast
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  forward a year she is leading Bible studies she's hosting women's events she
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  is just a spiritual mama and she is someone that is on fire for God God can
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  take anyone even the most meh person among us and the light his fire changes
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  our lives and it's about you know that the big takeaway is that I don't want
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  you to stay lukewarm it you don't have to have faith yet and that's okay
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  because God is not looking for perfect people he's looking for people who are
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  willing to take that one small step so here's my challenge for you pick one
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  thing from today's episode maybe it's praying for the first time opening your
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  Bible or texting a friend asking about their faith just one thing just one
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  thing and because we're gonna start small we're not gonna get overwhelmed
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  and remember that faith isn't about having all the answers but it's about
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  trusting the one who does and what happens if you fall you get back up God's
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  grace is bigger than any of your mistakes and so I want to bring us out
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  today as this is you know a shorter episode but I think it's so important
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  that we take time to just look at our faith and let's point the finger at
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  ourselves are we cold are we lukewarm are we on fire for God and it's about
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  looking at what we can do to reignite our fame and our our flame for God and
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  so as we go into this Christmas season knowing the reason that we have
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  Christmas knowing the reason because you have a God that you have Jesus who died
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  on the cross for you that was born and that knew he has life had purpose and
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  just know that your life has purpose and that you were meant to have an amazing
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  life and it's hard and it's not easy to be a Christian we're not saying that
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  we're not saying that if you are a Christian then it's gonna be cupcakes
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  and rainbows because it's not because it's hard because we have to do things
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  that we don't want to do and we have to you know ask God on a daily basis to
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  change our heart and we have to die to our fleshly desires and and do what
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  scripture says and we get to because we want to please our father just like what
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  you wanted to do and please your mother and father whatever you're growing up
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  potentially maybe you didn't but you know I did and so it is about I get to
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  do what my Heavenly Father has called me to do and that's encourage people and I
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  get to use that gift every day just to see a smile on someone's face to give
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  them a hug and just encourage them and just to love on people and I get to talk
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  to people that will never step foot in church and I get to encourage them and
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  invite Jesus into their life and hand out you know pamphlets and just love on
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  who God has put in front of me and I think even just doing little episodes
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  like this really just ignites my flame for him again and is there gonna be
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  times in my life that I'm gonna be lukewarm yeah maybe and I'm gonna ask
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  him to change my heart and like what is going on with me devil get behind me and
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  I will sit and be in scripture even more and I'm gonna ask my friends I'm gonna go
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  into my pastor's office or I'm gonna call my best friends and be like what is
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  going on with me like I need my flame on fire like I am so dull right now I just
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  need you know because it's gonna happen but we got to have our guards up we
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  know I need to have our boundaries up and we need to know where to go when
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  this happens because it's not about being perfect it's about being real and
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  about walking through this faith journey and having the ups and downs but knowing
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  that your God loves you and he meets you where you're at and so as we bow our
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  heads your heavenly father thank you so much for this day thank you so much for
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  yesterday thank you for igniting us thank you for allowing this word to
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  seep into someone's heart if it's just for the one and not the million thank
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  you that you are igniting our passion for Jesus and that we are on fire for
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  you thank you that the words on the pages of the Bible will just come alive
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  thank you for meeting us where we're at thank you for your love thank you for
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  your joy thank you for your mercy thank you for your grace thank you that you
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  meet us where we are at thank you for this encouraging word I hope this God I
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  hope this just kind of lights that flame it makes you really kind of point the
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  finger at yourself and just check hey where am I at what's my temperature am
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  I lukewarm I might just check marking the boxes I don't want you to feel
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  ashamed I want you to be spurred to be encouraged to be ignited in the fact
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  that you can do something different you can be better than where you're at right
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  now and so I hope this encourages you I hope that you find this to be something
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  that you can share with others and I want you to join me on the next fostering
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  faith as we can learn and feel like we are inspired by the end of the message
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  and don't forget to subscribe leave a review it helps us reach more people and
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  hope for Christ and until next time keep growing keep going keep the coffee warm
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  here's to your faith and we'll see you next week