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461 | Ordered Steps · The Woman at the Well Ministries Podcast

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  Music.
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  Hello, friends, and welcome back to another podcast of Woman at the Well Ministries,
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  where we believe that all of us have to come to Jesus like the woman at the well in John chapter 4.
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  Our highest priority is making God real in your life.
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  Whether you are listening in our app, in your favorite podcasting app,
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  or on our website at watwm.org, we invite you to sit down with us as we look
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  to the scriptures to learn more about God and to strengthen your daily walk with Jesus Christ.
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  Living a life for Christ. She's a happy girl.
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  Music.
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  She's a happy girl.
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  The things that happen to you are not by chance. God is in control and has a plan for your life.
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  As your Father, He has plans for you. He is so interested in you that He has
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  planned even the steps you take.
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  God tells us that He has distinct plans for the righteous.
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  He does not leave you to walk through this life without a clue as to what you
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  should do. He knows exactly what you need to do to face each day.
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  Join us in this program, Ordered Steps, as Kim Miller of Woman at the Well Ministries
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  takes us through Psalm 3723, which says, The steps of a good man are ordered
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  by the Lord, and he delighteth in his way.
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  Hello, and welcome to this broadcast of Woman at the Well Ministries.
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  And what an amazing concept it is to know that our steps are ordered.
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  What an amazing concept it is to know that the King of Kings and the Lord of
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  Lords and the Creator of all things is so interested in me as a person that He's ordered my steps.
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  When you think about having ordered steps, we think about the peace there is
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  in knowing that it's not a random selection, and it's not chaos,
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  and it's not some sort of consequences that are unknown.
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  But they truly are ordered, and they truly add up.
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  And when you think about what God said about what he wants for us,
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  he wants to give us a future, to prosper us, to give us a hope and an expected end.
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  We realize that those ordered steps are not only peaceful because we know they
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  have meaning and they have purpose, And in some way,
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  in some fashion, they are put together so that we could get to a place.
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  We know that the place is perfect and the place is good.
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  And so when I begin to think about that part of ordered steps,
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  it leads my heart and my mind to think about heaven.
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  That place where there's no sin, no sickness, no death, no sorrow.
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  The place where Jesus is the
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  son and I have not seen an ear have not heard
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  what lies in store for them that love him and I'm tempted to try to stay in
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  that place where I think so much about that future that I forget about where
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  I'm at presently but when I begin to think about where I'm at presently,
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  I have that same sense of peace that befalls me when I think of where I'm going to be in the future.
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  Because those steps that add up to take me to this place called heaven are also
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  the same steps that he's ordered and ordained and stacked up for me each and every day.
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  And then I begin to be almost overwhelmed by the love and the grace and the
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  mercy that that reflects.
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  That a God of such love and such mercy would be so centered and focused on me.
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  That's overwhelming, but it's true.
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  The Bible says that he never takes his eyes off of me and he never sleeps and he never slumbers.
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  The Bible says that I'm never alone. They'll never leave me nor forsake me.
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  Perhaps one of the greatest things the Bible says in regards to this is that he has a plan for me.
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  He says, for I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord.
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  Thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you an expected end.
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  I know the thoughts that I think toward you. He tells me that in Jeremiah 29, 11.
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  And then the back part of this verse of Psalms 37, 23, he says,
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  and he delighteth in his way.
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  So these steps that God has ordered, I believe delights both he and me.
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  When I walk in his way, living in his will, that I surely am going to find myself
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  in a place where his blessings are falling.
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  And if I'm living in his will, then I'm going to live in such a way that my
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  life is able to receive the blessings that he has.
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  And I assure you, that's going to delight me.
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  But as I begin to peel back the layers of this verse and look at how my ordered
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  steps would delight the Lord, that's worth some thought.
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  As we begin to see that his plan is something that brings him delight,
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  joy, happiness, pure joy.
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  And how could that possibly be?
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  And I think again, as God created man from the dust of the earth and he breathed
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  in him a living soul created in his image.
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  You think about that for a minute. Some of you, within the sound of my voice,
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  no doubt, are feeling a little less than good and maybe a little less than perfect.
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  Maybe the people in your environment or those you're surrounded with they don't
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  celebrate who you are and and
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  maybe they even somewhat bring you down but god oh what a phrase but god.
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  Says he has ordered your steps and he delights in them and then he's created.
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  You in his image we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus,
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  That brings him delight.
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  God doesn't make junk. You look at the amazing things that God has created that
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  he didn't think was worthy to be created in his image, nor have a living soul.
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  You look at the amazing sunsets he paints the skies with in the evening.
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  The amazing sunrises that he wakes us up to in the mornings.
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  The vast beauty of an ocean as you're standing on the shore,
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  the amazing intricate detail of a grin on a little boy's face,
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  you think about the number of hairs on your head being numbered,
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  and he knows what they are and then you think about the grains of sand and how
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  he knows how many of them they are and we can't even count them in a table spoon.
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  Yet, it's my steps and your steps he shows into order.
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  He knows where your plans are going to take you and he knows where his plans are meant to take you.
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  And therefore, he knows when there's a discrepancy between your plan and his plan.
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  And the devil, for a while, may make you think that your plan is a better way to go.
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  But ultimately, and every time, when you're outside the will of God,
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  it's a total loss for you and a disaster.
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  You see, sometimes the steps that God takes us through lead us through a valley.
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  Sometimes it's that we might learn something we need to know.
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  Sometimes I believe it's that we might be more grateful when we're on the mountaintop.
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  Other times, I believe, it's that someone else is in the valley and he's sending
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  you there that you might be able to understand, help, comfort, and assist.
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  You see, this life we live is not about us.
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  It's really all about him. And he said that we are his disciples and he said
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  that we are sent out and we are to be his hands extended, his feet, his eyes.
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  And his loving arms.
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  I pray that each of you, within the sound of my voice, have someone in your
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  life that pictures to you what love and grace is all about.
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  And that is a picture of who Christ is.
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  Remember the prodigal son had made all the wrong decisions, but his father had a plan for him.
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  And though he went all the way around Robin Hood's barn and didn't do anything
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  he was supposed to do when he did come to his senses realizing that the plan
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  his father had for him was correct his father welcomed him with open arms.
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  And he gave him the best that he had. And he threw a party and he celebrated who he was.
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  You see, the Bible says if we confess our sins, he's faithful and just to forgive
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  us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
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  The Bible tells us that though we are sinners, we are made perfect in him.
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  And Jesus orders our steps. And I believe as we take our steps and we go the
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  wrong way, I believe as he pulls us on, he just continues to get us in step with him.
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  If you've ever seen a marching band go astray, where the drum major or major
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  red is standing in front of the band and they're clicking off the cadence in
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  some way, fashion or form.
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  And no matter how many people are in that band, these little legs and feet are
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  going up and down in beautiful synchronization.
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  And then suddenly somebody might have a misstep.
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  And just like sin, when that one person has a misstep, sometimes that'll knock other people off.
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  But you got part of the band going in the right direction and part of the band going offbeat.
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  It's not a pretty sight. But as soon as the drum major or the drum majorette
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  catches hold of that, they'll begin to work desperately with that person to get them on.
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  And then they're in sync once again.
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  That's how God is. your steps are
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  ordered following him as his request
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  and he enables you to do so that's
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  how valuable you are to him but if you've made a misstep and something's gone
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  wrong and you're out of sync like that band member come to the father he's faithful
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  and just to forgive you and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness and put
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  you back on your steps you don't need to make a plan for your life,
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  you need to follow the plan he has for you.".
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  Music.
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  Thank you for joining us in today's podcast. You can visit the show notes for
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  quotes from today's podcast and scripture references.
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  We pray today has been a blessing and we encourage you to reach out to us through
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  our app, our website, or our Facebook page.
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  You can find our app by searching for Woman at the Well Ministries in your app
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  store or through our website at watwm.org.
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  We're on Facebook at facebook.com slash watwm. If you visit our website,
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  you'll be able to subscribe to Bible Bits, a daily devotion written by Kim and
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  delivered Monday through Friday by text message.
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  Woman at the Well Ministries is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving our Heavenly Father.
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  And it is through your loving and generous support that our ministry continues to bless others.
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  To learn how to partner with Woman at the Well Ministries, please visit our website.
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  Thank you to the Gospel Group Fudge Creek for letting us use their hit song, Happy Girl.
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  We greatly appreciate your prayers. We are praying daily for our listeners.
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  Remember that God loves you. You are loved.
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  Music.