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338 | Hope Is A Person: Discovering Jesus in Every Circumstance · 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
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  well in John chapter four.
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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,
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  we invite you to sit down with us as we look to the scriptures to learn more
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  about God and to strengthen in your daily walk with Jesus Christ.
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  Living her life for Christ. She's a happy girl.
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  Music.
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  She's a happy girl.
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  In this podcast of Women at the Well Ministries, we are going to continue our
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  series on discovering the hope found in the Bible.
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  We are focusing on three foundational traits the Apostle Paul encourages every believer to develop.
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  These traits are faith, love, and hope.
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  Today, Today, we are sticking with hope and learning that hope is actually a person.
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  Join us as Kim takes us on a journey through the scriptures,
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  revealing the hope we have in Christ.
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  Hello, and thank you for joining us in this podcast of Woman at the Well Ministries.
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  And in this series that we are working on, Discovering Hope Through the Scriptures,
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  our foundational verse is found in Romans 15, verse 13, and it goes like this.
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  Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace and believing that you may
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  abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost.
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  Today, as we begin this study.
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  On hope. We are going to fully
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  understand not only the love of God that would give us Jesus Christ and the
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  love of Jesus that would give himself for us and how they provided for us the
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  Holy Spirit to teach us and comfort us and to lead us and guide us,
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  but we're going to find that hope Hope is a person,
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  and I submit to you that his name is Jesus Christ.
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  When we begin to think about the joy and the glory of having Jesus Christ in
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  our lives, it's easy to see all that he provides for us.
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  He gives us love. He gives us the way.
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  He leads us. He guides us. He blesses us. He protects us.
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  He gives us strength to do all that we need to do. He supplies our every need.
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  He never leaves us or forsakes us.
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  And my list could go on and on and your list could too.
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  And there are things that are just more valuable that he does for me than maybe
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  you would think, even though he's doing the same thing he does for me that he
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  does for you, but it's just not that important to you.
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  We all have our different lists in the order that what he does for us may appear.
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  But let me tell you what he did for others, he'll do for you.
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  That means when he gave the sacrificial lamb for Abraham so we didn't have to
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  sacrifice his own son, he'll do that for you. That's hope, my friend.
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  When you're going through the fiery furnace, he'll be the fourth man in the
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  fire, just like he was for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
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  He's no respecter of persons. When you find yourself down to the very last of
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  your need and necessities, he'll make sure that the cruise oil doesn't run dry
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  and that your flour never runs out.
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  What he did for the widow, he'll do for you.
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  When you find yourself betwixt and
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  between and you don't know what to do he'll give
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  you the answer because he is the answer what i'm
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  trying to set the stage for you to see is that you need to be in the word of
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  god to know what he has done so you'll know what he will do to know his promises
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  so you know what you can cling to to understand truth because he is truth and
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  the scripture says It says in John 1, verse 14,
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  that the Word was made flesh, that's Jesus Christ, and dwelt among us.
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  So when we read the Word, we are communing with Jesus Christ.
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  When we know Jesus Christ and his character and his ways and the promises that
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  he gives us and the love that he demonstrates towards us, when we know Jesus, we know God.
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  And when he went away to be with the Father, he sent the Holy Spirit to dwell
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  with each and every one of us.
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  It's important that we understand those foundational truths,
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  that we have faith in him, because without faith, it's impossible to please him.
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  And when we have faith in him, even as much as a little mustard seed,
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  he'll move mountains in our lives.
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  But in this day and time And in this world, it's easy to feel discouraged.
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  This hopelessness and discouragement is so commonplace that we don't even notice them anymore.
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  We're so used to seeing people walk around face forward like they've been baptized
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  face forward in pickle juice that we just look at it and move on.
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  We see it every day in our church. We see it on the street.
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  Oftentimes at church, we will take the time to say, hey, you okay?
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  And pray with them. But we see the lady crying in the parking lot.
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  Do we go up and say, hey, I don't know what you're going through, but I know I care.
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  And I know somebody cares even more than I do and who can do more than I can.
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  How about I pray with you?
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  Now, you may think that's crazy, but I believe that's what Jesus did.
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  When the woman with the issue of blood touched the hem of his garment,
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  he turned and he healed her.
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  When the four friends brought their paralytic friend and dropped him through
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  the roof and laid him in front of him, he healed him.
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  When the man couldn't get to the pool of Bethesda, he spoke to him and healed
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  him because of his faith.
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  When the father brought his daughter, her. He healed her.
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  Over and over and over and over in scripture, when people who were in dire need
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  turned to the Lord, they got what they needed.
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  We can't be so commonplace with despair and trouble that we just come to tolerate it.
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  You need to navigate it through Jesus Christ. You need to hand it to him.
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  But I recently experienced something, and from time to time, it comes to my mind.
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  My sister passed away recently.
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  When that was tough news and I was at the hospital and when I went to the hospital,
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  I believed that she was going to be okay, but God had other plans and praise
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  be to Jesus. I know where she is.
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  But I'd held strong, and I'd done the very best I could to help my nephew.
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  And it was time to leave the hospital, and I walked out, and we were both in a parking garage.
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  And I walked him to his car and talked to him and made sure he was okay.
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  And I went back to my car, which was on another floor.
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  And when I got to my car, there was a group of people, two or three people,
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  and they were talking and laughing.
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  And one of them watched me walk because there were tears flying down my face
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  as I was walking to my car, and I was crying very quietly.
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  I'm not very demonstrative in that
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  emotion, and they were parked directly beside of me, as it turned out.
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  And when I got to my door, I don't know what happened to exactly cause this,
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  but I got a call, and I saw a name, and I just cried.
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  My heart was breaking. It was hurting.
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  And these people who had walked pretty much with me for probably three or four
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  minutes stood and watched me cry.
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  They never asked me if I was okay. I guess they could tell I wasn't.
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  They never asked me if they could help me.
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  They never even slowed their laughter and conversation.
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  And I fumbled to get in my car. And when I got in my car, I sit down in my seat.
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  I looked to my left and they were looking at me and I was still crying pretty
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  hard They put their car in reverse and they left,
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  And I stood there for a moment and I thought Well, they have rationalized that
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  i'm at a hospital something bad has happened and they can't really help me.
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  They don't know me So they're just gonna leave My world was crumbling.
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  My heart was breaking but I had jesus And I was praying,
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  I was actually praying out loud and maybe that scared him but what I know is
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  this I hope in my heart of hearts they didn't know Jesus the Savior at that
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  moment I hope they do come to know him but what I'm saying is this if they were Christians.
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  And they had become so hard-hearted that they could watch somebody who was ugly
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  crying and not even say, is there anything I can do for you?
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  Can I pray for you? They couldn't have known the Lord that I know in a way that
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  we know him. I prayed for them.
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  I prayed that if they actually knew him and were that far away from what he
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  would have them to do, that they would get right with God.
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  But I vowed on that day, at that moment, I'd never walk past anyone who looked
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  like they were in trouble,
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  heartbroken, or in despair, without ever saying, can I pray with you or for you?
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  I vowed in my heart to do what Jesus would do, and that would be stop and intervene.
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  Intervene, and I can't intervene, but I can stop, and I can give them Jesus.
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  I can point them to them. I prayed, Lord, don't let my heart ever be so tolerable
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  about despair and trouble that it becomes unnoticeable,
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  and then I began to think about why I could walk through this,
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  because my hope is in Jesus.
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  My hope has a name, and his name is Jesus, and he was with me,
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  and he was holding me, and he was helping me and he was hiding me in the cleft of his arms.
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  And because of that, I don't have to accept less than best.
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  I don't have to accept less than Jesus's love because he loves me and he freely gives it to me.
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  And I can live in the joy of the Lord, even when my circumstances would dictate
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  that I would be in despair, not because of me, but because of him.
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  Jesus came into this world to seek and to save those who are lost and that we
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  would have the abundant life.
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  And Jesus said that he overcame the world so we can overcome the world.
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  In this world, we're going to have trouble, but be of good cheer.
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  I have overcome the world.
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  But in doing so, sometimes we as Christians just overlook what's around us.
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  Jesus isn't only our hope. He's the hope of the world.
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  And if you're not looking at those around you for an opportunity to give them
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  Jesus, you are missing an absolute wonderful opportunity to carry out the great commission,
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  to go and tell the world the gospel of Jesus Christ,
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  because somebody told you and that's why you know him.
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  So my friends, I've prayed for those people in that car beside of me many times.
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  As I pray their heart gets right with the Lord.
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  I don't hold any grudge against them.
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  And I'm grateful God has kept it on my heart that I might guard my heart against
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  becoming so complacent that I could see someone falling apart in my presence
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  and move on because they were not my one.
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  Friends, we have our for and no more philosophy.
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  We take care of our family. We extend it a little bit maybe to our neighbors.
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  We have a little family at church.
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  But he said, you're the light of the world. And in me, you have hope.
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  And he wants us to give that hope to others.
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  And we do that by helping them get a new expectation in their life.
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  People without Jesus have no hope. So they expect to be depressed.
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  They expect to have anxiety. They expect to be stressed.
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  But we have Jesus Christ, who is the answer to all things, who loves us,
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  protects us, never leaves us,
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  watches over us, supplies our every need, who comforts us, who teaches us,
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  who guides us, who directs us, who we are the apple of his eye.
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  Friends, we need to give them that expectation that when they rise in the morning, just give me Jesus.
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  And when I have Jesus, I have everything, and I have joy unspeakable and full
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  of glory, and I have hope because my hope is found in Jesus Christ and nothing else.
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  My hope has a name, and his name is Jesus.
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  And from Genesis to Revelations, I learned who Jesus is.
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  Jesus never said that our life would be perfect, but he did say that we would be victorious.
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  Victorious let's turn in our
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  bibles to first corinthians 15 57
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  and if you don't know this scripture this is a great one to put in your heart
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  because i'm telling you it will give you hope first corinthians 15 57 says but
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  thanks be to god which giveth us the victory through our lord Jesus Christ.
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  When we look at Romans chapter 8 and verse 37, in the light of what we just
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  read in 1 Corinthians 15, 57,
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  what we hear is this, nay, in all these things, we are more than conquerors
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  through him that loved us.
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  You are victorious through Jesus Christ. Your hope is in a mighty God,
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  who's bigger than your problem, bigger than your mountain, bigger than your unbelief.
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  Bigger than any giant this world can throw at you.
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  He's bigger than anything, and he's my God.
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  Jesus will give you victory and hope in every situation and in every circumstance if you but let him.
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  This abundant life that I'm talking about that he tells us in John 10.10,
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  let's look at it, because John 10.10 leads us to a John 10.20.
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  And John 10.10 says, The thief cometh not but for to steal and to kill and destroy.
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  I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.
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  And we've talked about that repeatedly.
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  But I want you to know that,
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  Jesus came that we might enjoy life and have it in abundance or to the full until it overflows.
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  In John 10, 10, he says, The thief cometh not, but for to steal and to kill and to destroy.
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  I am come that you might have life and that you might have it more abundantly.
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  This abundant life he promises, it's made possible through Jesus.
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  And that's what I mean when I tell you that hope is a person. Hope has a name.
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  Jesus meets our every need and he comes alongside of us and he gives us a reason
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  to celebrate as he walks with us in all of our circumstances.
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  Friend, he didn't spare the three Hebrew children from the fire,
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  but he walked them through it and they come out unharmed.
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  In fact, their clothing didn't even smell of smoke.
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  Jesus is our hope. So hope is a person.
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  In Jeremiah 29 11, he gives us hope.
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  He says that I know the plans that I have for you, and they're good plans.
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  They give us a hope and an expected end.
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  In Philippians 4 13, he says, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
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  In Philippians 4 19, he says, I will supply all of your needs according to my
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  riches which are in glory in Christ Jesus.
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  His storehouse of blessing will never run dry.
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  In fact, the psalmist David says daily he loads us with his benefits.
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  In Hebrews 13, 5, he promises to never leave you nor forsake you.
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  In 1 Peter 5, 7, he invites us to cast our care upon him, for he cares for us.
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  If you want to start developing a true relationship with Jesus Christ,
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  the hope of our salvation and our glory, you need to start with a good prayer life.
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  You got to hold in to the Word of God in the Scripture.
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  Simply practice the presence of Christ in your life.
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  Make sure He's your primary focus, the center of your plans,
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  the center of your universe, that He's everything that you wrap your life around.
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  Make sure He's the one who's speaking into you. Pray often and frequently.
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  We're told to pray without ceasing in the Scriptures. scriptures be
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  grateful and thankful for his presence as you see.
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  Him demonstrate himself in your life every
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  day be careful for nothing but in everything with
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  prayer and thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto god and the peace
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  of god shall keep your hearts and minds through christ jesus if you listen to
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  anything that i teach or preach you hear it sprinkled with words from of scripture, absolute verses,
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  pieces of verses.
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  It's because I've hit him in my heart that I would not sin against him.
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  And he helps me not to do that.
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  And when I confess my sins, he's faithful and just to forgive me of my sins
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  and to cleanse me, cleanse me from all unrighteousness.
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  Jesus loves me. This I know for the Bible tells me so. You want hope?
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  Read about the love of Christ for you, and then allow it to be in you,
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  that it may flow through you.
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  The Bible says in 1 Peter 5, 8, that the devil walketh about as a roaring lion,
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  seeking whom he may devour. Be on guard.
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  Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. The battle's not
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  yours, it belongs to the Lord, and he's already won.
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  I've read the back of the the book. I leave you with this.
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  I encourage you from the depths of my heart that you create a personal Bible
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  study time, that you have a dedicated prayer time, and that you have a time
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  of worship and praise every day.
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  He says, Behold, I stand at the door and knock, and if any man come unto me,
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  I will come in with him, and I will sup with him, and he with me.
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  He's knocking at your heart's door, according to Revelation 3.20,
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  wanting you to invite him in your life, to make space for him in your day.
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  I'm asking you not just to make space for him, but to allow him to have all
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  of your life, to submit fully and completely to him.
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  Let him lead you, direct you, and guide you, and you will live the abundant
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  life promised in John chapter 10, verse 10.
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  In Psalms chapter 31, 24, he says this, Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen
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  your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.
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  Hope has a name, and his name is Jesus. Remember you are loved. Jesus loves you.
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  Music.
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  Thank you for joining us in today's podcast. You can visit the show notes for
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  quotes from today's podcast and scripture references.
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  We pray today has been a blessing and we encourage you to reach out to us through
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  our app, our website, or our Facebook page.
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  You can find our app by searching for A Woman at the Well Ministries in your
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  app 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,
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  Happy Girl. We greatly appreciate your prayers.
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  We are praying daily for our listeners. Remember that God loves you.
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  Music.