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624 | Oh How He Loves Me · The Woman at the Well Ministries Podcast

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  Hello, friends, and welcome back to the Woman at the Well Ministries podcast.
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  With Kimberly Miller, where we believe that every man, woman,
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  boy, and girl must come to Jesus just like the woman at the well in John chapter 4.
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  Our highest priority is helping you experience the reality of God in your everyday life.
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  Whether you're listening in our app, on your favorite podcast platform,
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  are on our website at watwm.org.
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  We invite you to sit down with us as we open the scriptures to learn more about
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  who God is and to strengthen your daily walk with Jesus Christ.
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  In a world where everything is always changing, it is reassuring to know that God never changes.
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  It is incredibly comforting to know that every moment we are loved for who we
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  are in that moment, cradled in the possibilities that he holds for each of us.
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  His presence is always with us and he doesn't remember our past against us.
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  Join Kim Miller of Women at the Well Ministries as she takes us on a deep dive
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  into Zephaniah 3.17, causing us to rejoice as Christ rejoices over us.
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  Hello, and thank you for joining us in this podcast of Woman at the Well Ministries.
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  Today, we are looking at Zephaniah 3.17 that reads like this,
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  The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty.
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  He will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy, He will rest in his love.
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  He will joy over thee with singing. I don't know about you, but I find this
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  verse to be so thrilling.
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  It gives us a picture not only of what God can do,
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  who God is, but it gives us this beautiful scenario that God delights in us,
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  that he rejoices over us with joy and that he,
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  sings over us.
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  You know, singing is a song.
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  Position of the heart where joy just comes out.
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  When you are singing, you notice most nothing except the joy that you are thinking about.
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  In fact, we find ourselves humming along in just regular ho-hum things.
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  We even will find ourselves singing in difficult tasks or chores.
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  It's our way of communing with the joy that is in us.
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  Because joy isn't about circumstances. It's about who God is in us.
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  In the midst of our deepest trials, in the midst of our biggest,
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  darkest problems, we can have joy because Jesus loves us.
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  And this we know because the Bible tells us so.
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  When we look at Zephaniah, we see that the Lord is personal.
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  He's our God. He's each one of ours' personal God.
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  We see that he's not far from us. So many people so disrespectfully say that he is the man upstairs.
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  He's not the man upstairs.
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  He's the King of kings and the Lord of lords. And let me tell you,
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  he's right here in our midst. He's in the midst of your storm.
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  He's in the midst of your celebration. And he's in the midst of your situation.
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  He's in the midst. He is mighty. He's powerful.
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  Isaiah 63.1 says, Who is this that cometh from Edom with dyed garments from Bezariah?
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  This that is glorious in his apparel, traveling in the greatness of his strength.
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  I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. God is mighty to save.
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  He's righteous, and he travels in the greatness of his strength.
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  He walks to and fro. He never sleeps in slumbers.
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  And with each step of the mighty God, he is encompassing us with his power,
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  his strength, his grace, his glory, and his mercy.
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  That's the God we serve. That's our personal God.
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  And he saves and he rejoices over me.
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  I will never be able to fully comprehend what there is about me.
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  That would make God rejoice. But I pray that I never forget that I was so valuable,
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  that He gave His life for me,
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  that I was so loved by the King of kings and the Lord of lords that God sent His Son to die for me,
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  and that despite the pain, that He endured the cross with joy,
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  and despite my failures, despite my mistakes, despite the things that make me,
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  not worthy in others' eyes.
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  The King of Kings, when he looks at me, he rejoices with joy.
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  And there's a melody within his heart that sings of the goodness of God that
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  is in me, not because of who I am, but because of whose I am.
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  Zephaniah 3.17 is a victory cry that every child of God should know in their
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  hearts, have printed on their minds, and have coming forth from their lips.
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  Zephaniah 3.17, the Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty.
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  He will save. He will rejoice over thee with joy. He will rest in his love.
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  He will joy over thee with singing.
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  Resting in his love means it's done, it's finished. He has made a commitment
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  to you, and he's made a commitment to me, and he's a God that keeps his covenants,
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  and his commitment is sure.
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  There's no more thinking about it. He's rested and is resting in his decision to ever love me.
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  His love is selfless, never-ending. And the Holy Spirit keeps a watchful eye.
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  The Trinity is amazing.
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  They're all three in one, but each have a character and each have a role.
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  Jesus has a selfless love. God's love never ends. And the Holy Spirit is teaching
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  and instructing and guiding and leading.
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  And he is ours.
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  He loves me, this I know. The Bible tells me so.
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  God in our midst. What could that possibly mean?
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  How could the King of kings and the Lord of lords choose to stay in our midst?
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  Well, in Hebrews 13, 5, he explains to us that he never leaves us nor forsakes us.
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  Hebrews 13, 5 goes like this. Let your conversation be without covetousness
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  and be content with such things as you have.
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  For he has said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.
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  Isn't it interesting that he opens up this passage teaching us that we should be content?
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  How could we not be content? We are a child of the most high God.
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  He supplies all of our needs.
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  He strengthens us to do what he's called us to do, and he keeps us in the center of his eye.
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  But oh no, we are worldly fleshly people.
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  And instead of our soul leading us because we will follow, instead of denying
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  ourself and taking up our cross
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  and following God daily, we decide that we don't like our plight in life.
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  We forget that he's mighty, that he's mighty to save, that he is rejoicing over
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  us, that he has a plan for us and it's a good one and it's to prosper us and to give us a hope.
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  We forget that we are his children, and as such we are heirs.
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  And eye hath not seen and ear hath not heard what lies in store for them that love the Lord.
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  Jesus loves me. This I know, and oh, how he loves me.
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  Why would I ever want what he never intended for me to have?
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  When I long for the things that I don't have, I'm often longing for the things
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  that were not intended to be in my path.
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  God has a perfect plan for me, and when I,
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  am jealous and when I am longing for that which I do not have,
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  I not only am stealing the joy of my life that He has come that I would have, but I am also,
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  impacting the plan He has for me.
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  I need to embrace what God has for me.
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  And when I understand that all things work for my good in his glory,
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  when I understand that he has a perfect plan for me
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  and he is keeping me in the lane that I need to be in so that I will have the
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  abundant life he promises me in John 10, 10, then I am content.
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  I'm thrilled and I'm overjoyed.
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  Think about this, my friend. Zephaniah explains to us that God thinks we're a good deal.
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  That God thinks we're a prize, that we bring him joy and he sings over us,
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  and that he finds it a privilege and something he loves to take care of us.
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  And here we are, the recipient of such amazing grace, such incredible love,
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  such awesome protection, and we are not overjoyed?
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  There's something wrong with that picture.
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  Jesus loves me, and oh, how he loves me.
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  In Isaiah 43.1, he talks about redeeming us.
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  He says, But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee.
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  O Israel, fear not, for I have redeemed thee.
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  I have called thee by thy name. Thou art mine.
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  Oh, how he loves me. He wants to be associated with me.
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  He wants people to know I'm his. and he wants me to live in the joy and the
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  peace and the comfort of understanding I am his.
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  He formed me. So perhaps the devil's come knocking your way today and told you that you're not enough.
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  Maybe that devil was in the shape of some person.
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  Maybe it was words you heard, or maybe it was negative self-talk.
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  But I know one thing it wasn't.
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  It wasn't from God. It wasn't the holy spirit and it isn't the truth,
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  he said thou art mine i have formed thee and when you are not happy with who
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  you are when you are not happy with what god has given you you are saying that
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  god made a mistake and god cannot make a mistake,
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  so often the condition of our mind is because we have a poor condition of our heart.
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  Our heart condition isn't one that a cardiac surgeon can fix or a cardiologist
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  can give us medicine to fix.
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  Oftentimes, our cardio problem, our heart problem, is that we don't have our eyes fixed on Jesus.
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  If you're walking around understanding that Jesus, for the pain of the cross,
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  he endured it and was joyous about it,
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  and that he sings and rejoices over you, and that he formed you and called you
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  by name, and that he tells the world, Thou art mine,
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  and that is proved by the blood that is washed away your sins,
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  that stains your heart with the blood of Jesus, that is his grace, his mercy, and his love.
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  We have a kinsmanship with the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He's our father.
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  And in Isaiah 43, 1, since he's no respecter of persons, and for Jacob,
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  he declared, Thou art mine.
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  I promise you that his nail-scarred hands,
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  is declaring to you, Thou art mine. And He paid for you.
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  You're bought with a Christ, the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
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  So today, hold your head up. You are loved.
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  Jesus loves you. And He's not ashamed to tell you that.
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  But if you're ashamed of Him, He will be ashamed of you.
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  So what do we need to do today that we could walk around and display the stain
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  of the blood of Jesus on us?
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  It's shouting time and glory.
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  It's time to let the world know, I am his and he is mine.
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  God loves us and blesses us with more blessings that are too numerous to count.
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  Daily, he loads us with his blessings.
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  He hears us and he sees us. Hagar, in Genesis 16, demonstrates just how far God will go.
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  In John 4, the woman at the well shows us just how far God will go.
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  Hagar has sinned. She's being berated.
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  She's outside of her home country.
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  Sarah's causing her problems. She's done some things that are wrong. but in the desert.
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  In the isolation, she sits, seemingly all alone until the Spirit of the Lord
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  comes upon her, and he says he hears her.
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  He speaks that he sees her.
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  You're valuable because Jesus loves you and his eyes are never away from you.
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  He saves and he protects. He's a warrior.
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  You talk about having a bouncer in your life. There's not one thing that the
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  devil can do to you that God doesn't allow to have happen, and he only allows
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  it to have happen for your good and his glory.
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  So that obstacle that's in your way, step over it with the mighty power of God.
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  That setback, embrace it as a moment to be still and know that he is God and
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  allow him to do what only he can do.
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  But trust and know as Zephaniah told us that he will save you.
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  This verse in Zephaniah 3.17 was originally written for the restoration hope
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  of the Israelites who were being judged harshly, and they had even been exiled.
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  And so he gives them this verse to redirect their thoughts.
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  And so today I bring to you Zephaniah 3.17 to redirect your thoughts from that
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  of the lies of the devil to the truth of the King of kings and the Lord of lords,
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  your Savior who calls you by name,
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  who forms you and who loves you and who will never stop loving you.
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  He's mighty to save and to deliver you from the bondage of your sins,
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  from the weight of your transgressions and the crippling effects of your fear.
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  Fear not, he tells us in Isaiah 43.1. Fear not, he tells us all over the word of God.
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  In fact, it's been said that there's enough fear nots in the scripture for every day of the year.
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  Let me tell you what, there's enough fear not in one drop of his blood.
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  To set us straight, and to put a melody within our heart that says,
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  Jesus saves, Jesus saves.
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  Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.
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  Today, turn your eyes upon him. Hear what he has to say.
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  He travels in greatness with his strength, and he's beside of you.
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  He's mighty to save. Psalms 118.6 says, The Lord is on my side.
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  I will not fear. What can man do unto me? God is our helper.
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  God is our leader. God is our Savior.
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  And oh, how he loves you. And oh, how he loves me.
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  He quiets us with his love.
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  It draws us into a close relationship with him that relieves our anxieties and it removes our stress.
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  Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me.
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  John chapter 14 lays a beautiful picture of what is to come,
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  but it gives us what is here and now. He loves us.
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  He says, be of good cheer. Let not your heart be troubled?
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  If you have good cheer, in this world, you're going to have trouble.
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  But I've overcome the world. And as we have seen through Scripture,
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  he's right there with us.
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  He's never lost a battle and he isn't going to lose yours. And David tells us
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  in 1 Samuel 17, around verse 47, that the battle's not ours,
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  it belongs to the Lord. He's mighty to save.
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  He travels in strength.
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  Jesus is mine, and I am his.
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  The peace he gives us, the world didn't give, so the world can't take it away.
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  He brings joy, and he affords us peace.
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  I want to bring to your hearing 2 Corinthians 1, verses 3 through 4.
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  Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies,
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  and the God of all comfort,
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  who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them
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  which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
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  Oh, my friend, there's nothing this world can give you that can calm your heart.
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  Because anything the world gives you, any medicines the world gives you,
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  any false hope you find at the bottom of a bottle is going to be temporary.
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  And in many of those, if not most of those cases, they're going to leave you
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  worse than you were when you started.
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  But Jesus is a God that will reach to the gutter most and bring you to the uttermost.
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  His hand will hold you and put you on a solid rock and he will clean you up
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  and he will provide all that you need and he will create in you a new creature
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  and old things will be passed away and all things will become new and he will
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  put you on the path to righteousness
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  and he will allow you to walk in the abundance of his love, his grace,
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  his mercy, his peace, and you will experience the abundance of God's mercy in this life.
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  You will live the abundant life, perhaps not one of materialistic greatness.
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  But one that is in tune and in a line with the King of Kings and your Savior,
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  one in which you will feel a peace,
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  again that the world didn't give so it can't take away that will stand the test
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  of time and when you face your giant like David did he'll take it down like he did for David,
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  When you face those who are telling lies about you, who are causing you trouble
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  and stress, whose words are hurting like a sharp knife into your body,
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  you'll watch him come on the scene.
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  And in his mighty strength in which he travels through your life,
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  he'll shut the mouths of lions like he did for Daniel.
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  And when the heat gets turned up and the world seems almost more than you can bear.
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  He'll become your fourth man in the fire, just as he did for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
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  And when you are faced with uncertainties of this world,
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  you can roll your shoulders back, lift your head up high,
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  and walk in the absolute truth that greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.
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  You're not going to lose the battle because it's not yours.
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  And the one who's fighting it, he's got you. And you are safe.
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  And perhaps the most amazing part of all of that is that he's happy to do so.
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  God rejoices over you with singing.
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  This is a description of pure delight. He loves us so much that it causes him to break out in singing.
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  In Genesis 1.27, we were created in his image, so we know we have the goodness in us.
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  And when we receive him as Savior, we offer our life to him to wash us white
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  as snow and to create us to be who he'd have us to be,
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  then we know the peace and comfort,
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  of being overly blessed and completely showered with the love of God.
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  For the Lord takes his pleasure in his people, and he will beautify the meek
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  with salvation. in Psalms 149.4.
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  You may have awakened this morning feeling like, oh my goodness,
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  how am I going to make it through the day?
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  But I pray that as God has led you to this message, the narrative has changed.
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  And you said, oh my goodness, this is another day.
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  I have to live in the goodness of the Lord.
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  Oh, how he loves you. And oh, how he loves me.
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  Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so remember you are loved Jesus loves you.
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  Thank you for joining us for today's podcast. You can find quotes and scripture
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  references from this episode in the show notes.
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  We pray today's message has been a blessing. If it has, please consider leaving
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  a rating or review on your podcast platform.
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  Your feedback helps others discover the truth of God's Word.
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  You can connect with Women at the Well Ministries through our app at watwm.org
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  and on Facebook and Instagram.
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  While you're there, learn more about Bible Bits, Kim's daily devotional delivered
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  Monday through Friday by text message and the Bible Bit Podcast.