Transcript

Rooted · Fostering Faith

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So we are going to discuss a topic today that's really been a common theme in my office and
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just kind of around friends and I feel like it really needed to be something said about
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it.
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And so as we walk into this episode, we just want to thank you so much for tuning in and
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helping fostering faith grow.
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And we know that there are several tens of thousands, you know, soon to be hundreds of
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thousands listening on YouTube and Spotify and Apple.
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And we really just like for you guys to rate, review, leave some comments, help us grow.
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If you find that this podcast is helping you in any way, make sure that you share it with
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somebody and that way we can get this word out and just be disciples because it's about
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being fishers of men and not watchers of the aquarium.
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And so as we dive deep into this topic, I want it to be something that makes you maybe
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uncomfortable and allows you to really think about what's going on in your life.
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I'm an Ezekiel and so I'm just really kind of full of like boldness and just really just
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not trying to just make people feel comfortable with how we live.
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So as we dive into this podcast, I'm going to call it Roots, getting to know the root
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of what you're doing, why you're doing it.
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And have you ever felt anxious?
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Have you ever felt nervous, depressed?
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Have you ever felt distant from God?
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And I know that we've done episodes on that before, but maybe you've been praying and
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you don't feel like he's answering.
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What if I told you that the disease, the disease, whether emotional, physical, spiritual, are
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often a sign that God actually is paying attention to you?
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In this episode of Fostering Faith, we're going to dive deep into uncovering the root
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causes of anxiety and emotional unrest in spiritual cases.
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And so with this real talk and plenty of scripture, we'll tackle why anxiety and depression often
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stem from feeling disconnected from God, how to stop treating symptoms to get to the root
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of what's really going on, how God uses us to help others, and how God uses that unease
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to draw you closer and not push you away.
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We'll give you some practical tips of how to reset your heart, your mind, and include
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scripture, prayer, and faith-based habits to include in your everyday life.
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So if you've ever been wondering, where is God in all of this?
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This episode's for you.
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And so we have had so much fun doing this podcast, and every one of those days where
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you kind of feel off, but yet you don't know why.
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And the difference between disease and dis-ease, when your body, mind, and soul are telling
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you something is wrong, but you can't find anything.
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And so we have scripture, and so we have Matthew 11, 28 through 30, and it says, Come to me,
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all that you are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
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And so as we are trying to carry all the things, as moms are trying to carry the husband and
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the work and our kids, social media and carrying everything, and God is saying, Why?
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Why are you out here carrying all of this?
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My yoke is light.
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I am stronger than you.
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Why are you stressing out over all this stuff?
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Give it to me.
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Give me your worry.
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And for kids, they are so stressed out about trying to be perfect and Instagram ready and
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allowing their faults and their failures just to be like it was in the 90s, and we don't
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have to be perfect, and we don't have to have all the things.
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But the kids and the youth nowadays, they struggle with so much more than I could have
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ever imagined.
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And, you know, I can't speak for husbands because one, I'm not one, but I can just speak
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for my husband that he carries the burden of this household taking care of aging parents,
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you know, his job, like all the things.
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And so his major thing is trying to, you know, balance life and not bring it home.
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And it really is.
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And so why are we carrying all this stuff as society?
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Why are we just trying to, you know, have a juggling act of trying to keep everything
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and God is saying, come to me.
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I know you're tired.
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I hear you.
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I'm watching you.
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I'm listening to you.
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Give me, give me that.
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Give me, give me the taxing, you know, give me the basketball practice.
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Give me, let me, let me do the groceries.
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And you're like, yeah, that's, that's fine.
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That's, that's great, Tracy, because he's not going to get groceries for me.
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No, but maybe if you gave it to him, maybe groceries would show up at your door.
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Maybe he would give you a friend that would be like, Hey, I'm going to run to Walmart.
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Do you need anything?
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Or maybe he'll give you a carpool and say, you know what?
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These are the parents that are involved in your kids sports and they reach out to you.
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You never know until we try.
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And so what happens if you are just so full of anxiety and the root of anxiety isn't always
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just physical.
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It can be spiritual.
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And so you can do labs and you can do scans and you can do all the things, but there's
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no spiritual lab that I can draw in the office.
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There's no alpha.
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There's no omega.
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First field trial, the check there is not that.
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And if there is, I mean, leave that in the comments because I don't know about it.
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Whenever you feel far from God, it doesn't mean that he's far from you because he's always
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at our right hand and we're probably too busy looking to the left to notice that he's even
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there.
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And so whenever we dive deep into the feelings of anxiety and depression, and a lot of times
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it roots to a feeling of unease or disease.
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And once we really kind of dive into it, for those that believe, we usually end up finding
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sin.
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We usually feel that the Holy Spirit is the one that's making us feel uneasy.
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And so we have Psalm 34, 18, it says, the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves
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those who are crushed in spirit.
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God alone is the one that we can turn to no matter what.
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God allows discomfort because he wants us to seek him and not just quick fixes.
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And so quick fixes are just anything that you're turning to to bring you comfort, anything
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that you're putting before him, whether it be drugs, alcohol, sex, video games, pornography,
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whatever it may be, if you're trying to fill that God-sized void with anything that's not
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him, it's not going to be the fix.
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It's not going to help you.
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And really walking through that has really just been so eye-opening for people and patients
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and allowing them to like, oh, and so we walk through the conversation.
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Okay, so we go through all the things, we go through all the blood, we go through, you
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know, anything, you know, in their diet and physical and like all the things.
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And then we really get down to, okay, so you're a believer of Christ, you're a believer of
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Jesus, you follow him, like you are a Christian, like you believe in God and he sent his son
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and all the things and they're, you know, yes, yes, yes, okay.
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So then what are you doing that is outside your scope that you know that you're not supposed
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to be doing?
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And they're like, I drink.
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I am, you know, I'm having sex outside of marriage.
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And so we walk through that and it's like, okay, so why are we doing that?
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Because I feel alone.
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Because I feel like no one is listening, no one's paying attention and they're doing it
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to numb the pain, to look at it in hopes that, oh, I just broke up with a boyfriend and so
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that's going to bring it back.
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You're lying to yourself.
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And so really looking at what you're doing and how is that going to fix the problem in
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that, really in that situation.
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And so whenever, also too, whenever you give your burdens to Christ, he could have a friend
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on that end to help you and to guide you through these tough times.
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And he allows these things to happen to us.
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And I was reading in my book Bible the other morning, Hitcharles Stanley Life Principle,
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and it was he allows everything that happens to us goes through his fingers and we have
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to believe that.
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And so either it's going to make us draw closer or you choose to walk away.
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And so in those hard times, he's like, oh my gosh, I'm so here for you.
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Like, I love you.
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Like, here I am.
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And we tend to treat anxiety and sadness like it's a superficial problem, but it's so much
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deeper.
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And so, you know, roots in spiritual disease is lack of time in his presence, unresolved
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sin and guilt, lies the enemy has told you about your worth, and then lack of trust and
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rest in his promises.
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And so we have John 15 five and it says, I am the vine.
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You are the branch.
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You remain in me and I remain in you and you will bear much fruit apart from me.
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You can do nothing.
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And so limit to you.
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And so whenever we are going through these difficult times, and I have just seen it so
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many times, time and time and time and time again, is that your life was going really
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good and you thought that you could do it on your own.
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And then you do what you feel you're supposed to do.
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And then life falls apart.
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And the lack of time that you've spent with him, you've lost his guidance.
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You've lost his knowledge and his wisdom because we're not connected to him.
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And whenever we look into that anxiety and depression and sadness and addiction, even,
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you know, it really looks into the unresolved sin and guilt.
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And so we're doing something that we know is not right.
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We know it's not right.
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And you know, we continue to do it because we feel like it's going to change something
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and that really is just not going to happen.
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And you continue to get in that cyclic pattern of unease and restlessness.
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And you just can't put your finger on it, but you just don't know what it is.
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And then we start believing like the lies that the enemy had told you, you're not worth
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it.
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You can't get over him.
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She's never going to come back.
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You're never going to lose that weight.
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You are such a loser.
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No one has ever loved you.
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No one's ever going to love you.
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Like you are such a screw up.
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And you start believing in that because you have that on repeat.
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And unfortunately, as society, we have always said that it's easier to believe the bad things
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and the good things.
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And so with Gia, I really try to iterate whenever she has a moment and she has lost her mind
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and she tries to say something negative about herself.
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I tell her, okay, so fine.
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So look up to heaven and tell God that he made a mistake.
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And she says, no, I can't.
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And I said, why?
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And she said, because he's never made a mistake.
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I'm like, okay.
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So you just said that you were this.
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And I said, I need you to point out that in scripture for me.
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I can't.
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Why?
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Because it's not there.
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Okay.
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So we know it's not truth because if it was true, then it would be in scripture.
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And then we have those moments where we're like, no, it's, and I know, I know I'm just
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a bad person.
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I'm this, I'm that.
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And if you can't find scripture to back it up, then it's not true.
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If God didn't say it about you, then you can't say it about yourself.
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And so looking at these different aspects, whenever you look at depression and anxiety,
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it really is maybe an eye opener to what the root of the issue is.
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And so how do I get back to the root of Jesus?
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And so instead of numbing your feelings and trying to do it on your own, bring them to
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Jesus, bring him to God.
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He's just waiting for you.
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And so Ephesians, or Philippians four, six through seven, it says, do not be anxious
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about anything, but in every situation by prayer and petition with Thanksgiving, present
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your request to God and the peace of God, which transcends all understandings will guard
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your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.
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And so whenever we're feeling alone, whenever we're feeling not worthy, whenever we're feeling
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like everyone's left me, everyone hates me, I can't do this.
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You always, always, always have someone to turn to.
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Your heavenly father is right there.
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He's waiting for you just to say, I'm sorry, I need your help.
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I don't know what I'm doing.
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I try to do it on my own and we repent.
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We repent from turning from him.
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We repent because we missed the mark.
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We repent because we know that we did something that was not in our best interest.
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And so we go to him and we repent.
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We turn from the thing that was keeping us from his side and we turn and walk the other
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direction and he knows that we're not going to be perfect.
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And he's just been waiting on you.
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And it really is just this amazing thing that Jesus paid for our sins, died on the cross
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because he knew that we were not going to be perfect, that we knew that we were going
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to miss the mark.
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And yet he chose to take that burden upon himself and to save us.
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And so we get the opportunity to enter the most holy of holies, to talk and commune with
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the almighty God.
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I mean, that just blows my mind.
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I just love it.
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And I get to explain this and talk with patients that are believers and unbelievers and walk
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unbelievers into faith and how we can have drug addicts and we can have people that they
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know that they're made for more.
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And we walk through this in a way that they are just like, oh my gosh, this has been at
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the whole time.
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I thought something was wrong with me.
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And it was the Holy Spirit.
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And so you have a watchful person out looking out after you and they want the best for you
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and they try to get your attention and he tries to get your attention.
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And sometimes he has to turn up the heat real high because we're ignoring him.
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And so spending time with him in prayer, in worship, in silence can be the best medication
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sometimes that you could ever do and speaking the truth over yourself, replace those lies
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with scripture.
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And we were in small group the other night and one of the ladies was talking about how
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you have to replace and repeat.
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And so we just wanted to make sure that we talked about how to replace those lies that
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you said, but you have to replace the lies with the truth.
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And so learning and talking about God's truth, but we memorize scripture.
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And so whenever we're in that moment and we don't have the YouVersion Bible app, we don't
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even have the energy to turn on our phone.
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We don't have the energy to flip through the Bible or do anything, but we've had that time
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to write a verse on our heart.
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We have that, I know that God said something about like, I shouldn't be anxious, I shouldn't
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be nervous.
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And you just say that on repeat.
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And so we replace those lies that the enemy said that you are not worthy.
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I'm pretty sure God called me worthy.
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He said I was beautifully and wonderfully made.
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He said I knit you together in your mother's womb.
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I mean, so you have so many scriptures that tell you that you are worthy, that you are
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loved, that you are tattooed on his hand.
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And so you can tell yourself these things and surround yourself and so and surround
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yourself with faith-filled community.
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We have said that and said that and then said that on this podcast so many times is that
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you have to surround yourself with people that are edifying, that build you up, that
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let you know that you are loved, that will call you out on your sin, that they know that
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you are not doing right.
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And so they have the authority to say, what are you doing?
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This is not right.
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Like, what are you doing?
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Like, this is not how we live our life.
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We've got to get you some help.
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We've got to get you on the right path.
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And so just because you're feeling distant doesn't mean that he isn't working.
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That means that maybe you need to turn to the right because he's at your right hand.
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And so Deuteronomy 31, 8 says, the Lord himself goes before you and he will be with you.
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He will never leave you nor forsake you.
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And so it doesn't matter what you've done, what drugs you've done, what lie you've said.
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If you choose Jesus as your Lord and Savior and repent and be baptized and really try
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to live a life that is pleasing to him.
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And he knows that we're not going to be perfect.
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He knows that we're going to miss the mark, but yet he loves us anyway.
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And thank God for his mercy and grace.
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And just enter his courts with thanksgiving like, I get to have another chance.
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I get to have another chance.
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And so he, you are never alone.
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You are loved.
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You are worthy.
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You are a child of the most high.
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And so I just want you to take this opportunity to look at the one step that you could do
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to move closer to God.
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He's already reaching out for you.
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It is the prodigal son story and it's the one that returns.
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And he's so excited to have you come back to him and realize that there is so much better
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for you on the other end of this.
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And so take a deeper look into what you are doing that you know would not be pleasing
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to your heavenly father.
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Take that to him and tell him that you're sorry and turn and walk the other way and
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walk with him and meet with him and talk with him every day.
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It's about a relationship with him and watch him teach you.
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The Holy Spirit will just make that Bible come alive and it will refresh your mind and
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your soul and your spirit.
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And you will just be refreshed and renewed.
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I cannot just put it into even words of just how good he is and how faithful he is and
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how he meets me every morning and how he gives me opportunities because I pray for the lost.
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I literally pray that he puts lost people in front of me that I have boldness to speak
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the faith and the truth over them and to let them know that they are loved and that he
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is paying attention to them and he hears them.
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And so I hope you guys accept that challenge.
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As we go into this next week, we hope that you were refreshed and renewed and that we
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are looking at what is in our lives that we could really get rid of that we don't necessarily
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need that we think that we need but we don't.
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And so that's your challenge this week.
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And so if you want to bow our heads, let's pray.
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Dear Heavenly Father, thank you so much for this opportunity.
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Thank you so much for this time.
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Thank you for the Holy Spirit.
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Thank you for the nudges.
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Thank you for the unease.
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Thank you for allowing us to know that you are paying attention to us.
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Thank you that you have allowed us to walk through this and so we can turn our focus
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on you.
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I pray that the listeners just fall back in love with you, that they look at the word
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and yet you've cleared their mind, that you've cleared their heart, that the words just jump
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off the page and that they are fully refreshed because of your goodness, because of your
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grace, because of your mercy.
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Thank you for everything that you do.
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In Jesus name I pray.
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Amen.
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And we hope that you guys have an amazing week this week.
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Stay tuned for next week.
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See you then.