Latest / The Woman at the Well Ministries Podcast / 404 | Fear Not

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404 | Fear Not · 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,
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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 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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  In today's world, we are bombarded with problems, stressors, negativity, and evil.
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  This reality causes many to live in fear. But Jesus tells us to fear not.
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  Join us in this podcast of Woman at the Well Ministries as Kim takes us on a
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  journey through the scriptures, revealing how our faith in Jesus and our devotion
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  to God can put our fears to rest.
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  Hello, and thank you for joining us in this podcast of Woman at the Well Ministries. Let's pray.
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  Our kind and most gracious, dear Heavenly Father, Lord, I come to you.
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  I come to you with a thankful heart that you said, ask and you would receive,
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  seek and you would find, and knock it would be opened unto you.
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  I thank you that you said we could come boldly to the throne of grace and find help in time and need.
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  And I thank you, Lord, that you meet us every time we come.
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  That you don't expect us to be perfect, but you've given us the ability to do
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  those things which would make us holy by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that
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  teaches us and instructs us, guides us, and leads us.
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  And so, Lord, I ask that at this moment in time, you would open our hearts and clear our minds,
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  that you would deposit into our heart those truths we need to know,
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  to cling to, to allow us to be all that you would have us to be,
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  to be able to experience the abundant life you promised in John 10.10.
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  Lord, I pray that you would fix it in our mind in such a way that it would instruct
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  us, it would guide us, and it
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  would correct us so that we would be exactly who you would have us to be.
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  Lord, thank you for never leaving us. Thank you for never forsaking us.
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  Thank you for loving us no matter what. And in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
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  We live in a time where fear is the norm.
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  You can even talk to people sitting in the pew beside of you,
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  and if they don't tell you they're afraid, you can feel the anxiousness in their
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  hearts and in their minds and just the way they are speaking.
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  And I think that as Christians as a whole, we have somehow forgotten who we are.
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  We are the children of the Most High God. And he said multiple times, fear not.
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  We are loved by the creator of the world, the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
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  We've been given the Holy Spirit in us to comfort us, to teach us,
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  to guide us, to lead us, and to instruct us.
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  Yet many of us are afraid. We're afraid of what tomorrow brings.
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  We're afraid of how we're going to make it through the next minute.
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  We're concerned about things on a global scale like world hunger, government affairs.
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  We might even be afraid that we're going to be hurt or mistreated by someone we often see.
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  Regardless of what it is, there seems to be this underlying emotion of fear in our society today.
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  And as children of god we have all we need to live peaceful in this world,
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  We have all we need to have the abundant peace that God promises us.
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  In Isaiah 26, 3, he says this, Thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee.
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  And so with that simple verse, we find the remedy for fear.
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  He said, thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee.
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  That's important to remember because where we place our mind and what we allow
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  into our mind and what we dwell on are the things that cause us to feel whatever it is we feel.
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  The remainder part of Isaiah 26.3 is this, because he trusteth in thee.
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  So here's the recipe and the remedy.
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  It's the recipe for peace and the remedy to make sure we have peace in our lives
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  so it takes care of the angst that we might be feeling or that encumbers us.
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  First, we stay our mind on him.
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  And the reason we stay our mind on him or focus on the Lord is because we trust him.
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  The Bible says in Proverbs 3, 5 and 6, To trust in the Lord with all thine heart
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  and lean not into thine own understanding.
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  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.
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  Now, when you think about the paths that God has for us, you automatically come to Jeremiah 29 11.
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  This is, we know the plans he has for us to prosper us and to give us a hope and an expected end.
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  So if we're trusting in the Lord, we have peace because we realize that he,
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  as we're told in Romans 8, 28, is working out all things for the good to them
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  that love the Lord and to them that are called according to his purpose.
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  So every element of our life is for our good and his glory.
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  And even when we step out of line and do what we shouldn't do,
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  He uses those opportunities to instruct us and to teach us and to make us more of what we should be.
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  But the key to having peace in all situations is to focus on the Lord,
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  to train our minds to think on heavenly things, things above and not on things
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  of the earth, as we are told in Colossians 3.2.
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  The scripture has given us everything we need to
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  live the abundant life he has promised in john 10 10 the bible says that the
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  word was made flesh and dwelt among us in john 1 14 he knows what we need because
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  he knows everything but i want you to pay very close attention to this truth,
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  he knows what we need because he lived here,
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  See, King Solomon tells us that there's nothing new under the sun in Ecclesiastes.
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  Jesus knows exactly what we need.
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  And if you're wondering whether or not he's willing to provide those needs,
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  I submit to you his words back to you.
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  He said, For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son,
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  that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
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  In John 3.16, he laid his life down because he loved you.
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  I promise you that providing what you need is exactly what he does.
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  Because you owed a sin debt you couldn't pay, and he paid a debt he didn't owe because he loves you.
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  And in Romans chapter 8, verses 38 and 39, he says that nothing will separate you from the love of God.
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  So if you're thinking about yourself right now and the devil is bringing to
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  your mind every mistake you've ever made, every bad choice you've ever made,
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  the things about you that you think are bad, I want you to know that the King
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  of Kings and the Lord of Lords knows all of that.
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  Yet he stands knocking on your heart's door, according to Revelations 3.20.
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  Asking you to open it and to fellowship with him.
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  The invitation is for all of us. In Romans 10.13, he says, whosoever shall call
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  upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
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  He's no respecter of persons.
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  Jesus loves me. This I know. For the Bible tells me so.
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  So when it comes to being afraid, it comes down to where are you placing your faith?
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  To what are you given or to whom are you given that real estate in your mind to?
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  If you're giving it to yourself, you should be afraid. You should be very,
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  very afraid because you're no match for the devil.
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  The Bible says in Ephesians chapter 6 that we wrestle not with flesh and blood,
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  but against principalities and the darkness of this world.
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  The Bible tells us in 1 Peter 5, 8, that the devil walketh about like a roaring
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  lion, seeking whom he may devour.
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  He tells us in 1 John 4, 4, greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.
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  He tells us in John that he says, be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.
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  You are in me and I am in you. And you and the father are one.
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  And he loves me as he loves you in john
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  chapter 17 from genesis to revelations we've been given the greatest love letter
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  ever written and the person who loves us is jesus christ and he laid his life
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  down to prove his love for us and he never leaves us or forsakes us according to hebrews 13 5.
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  He tells us to be content with such things as you have. For he has said,
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  I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. Do you know what that tells me?
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  That tells me where I am in this moment in time, where he has orchestrated,
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  and I am surrounded by him.
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  Psalms tells me that the angels are placed around me so that I don't even dash my foot against a stone.
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  Scripture reveals that the footsteps of a righteous man are ordered by the Lord.
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  Psalms 118 tells me that I should not fear what man can do unto me because the Lord is on my side.
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  These are but a few of the truths that are written in God's holy word,
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  that it might give you peace.
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  See, the Lord gives us a command in Philippians 4, 6, and 7,
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  which says, be careful for nothing.
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  But he's not going to give you a command if he doesn't equip you to carry it out.
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  So Philippians 4, 6, and 7 continues as this.
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  Be careful for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication,
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  with thanksgiving, Let your requests be made known unto God,
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  and the peace of God, which passeth all understanding,
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  shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
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  We go back again to Isaiah 26, 3, which says, Thou will keep him in perfect
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  peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee.
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  He says he'll keep your heart and your mind through Christ Jesus when you pray
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  in thanksgiving and allow God to know your requests.
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  That's the recipe for peace because that's the recipe that gives us calmness
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  in our mind to trust in the Lord.
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  We prove our trust in the Lord when we go to him for our help.
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  You don't ask somebody for help that you don't think can help you.
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  You don't ask someone for help you don't think will help you.
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  No, you ask the person who has the ability and the capabilities and the want to to do so.
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  So when we come to the Lord and give him our requests, we are showing him and
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  demonstrating our faith in him and our loyalty to him and our love for him.
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  And when you add thanksgiving, thanking him for the wonderful answer and the
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  way he's going to take care of you and your problem as you are requesting that problem,
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  then, my friend, you are demonstrating full dependency on a God that cannot fail.
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  He says, be content where you are.
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  Don't let your conversation be covetous. Don't want what so-and-so has.
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  You have no idea what so-and-so went through to get it.
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  You have no idea what so-and-so's ended
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  expectation of god is you may not need to walk that path or have what you think
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  is that blessing because what you've got is specifically created for you it's
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  specifically created to equip you to do specifically what he designed you to do,
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  And if you love him, listen closely, if you love him and trust him,
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  and to love him is to trust him,
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  then you're going to be okay with whatever's going on in your life because you're
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  fully aware it was handpicked for you.
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  And the hands that picked it are the hands that hold it. and they're the same
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  hands that are holding you.
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  Scripture says in Isaiah 41.10 this, Fear thou not, for I am with thee.
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  Be not dismayed, for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee, yea,
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  I will help thee, yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
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  Fear thou not, for I am with thee.
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  Are you letting that soak in?
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  Are you letting that flow the 18 inches from your brain to your heart?
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  To flood your soul with the truth that the one who spoke the world into existence,
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  the one who stops the ocean flow
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  and pulls it back, the one who hangs the stars and the moon and the sun,
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  the one who creates life,
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  is with you.
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  The power of his voice moves the world.
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  He's with you and he's for you oh how
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  he loves you do you love him
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  trust him there's nothing
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  we can give the lord except ourselves that's the only thing we have and he says
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  to submit yourself under the mighty hand of god and he will exalt you in due
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  time he says fear thou not But in addition to the things we've already talked about,
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  I want to read this verse in your hearing.
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  It's in 1 John 4, 18, and it says, There is no fear in love,
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  but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath torment.
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  And he that feareth is not made perfect in love. Perfect love casts out fear.
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  Jesus loves you perfectly. He fits you like a hand in a glove.
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  He's more comfy than your favorite pair of tennis shoes. He fits you better
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  than your favorite pair of pants.
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  He fits you better than any person in your life. He fits you better and knows
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  you better than you know yourself.
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  And his love is perfect. And since his love is perfect and we can trust him,
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  when we place our faith in him we begin
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  to know the peace he brings and the
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  things of the world they'll grow strangely dim and the
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  global problems that you're working out worrying about he is working out and
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  you'll just lay them in his lap and give them to him he said come unto you me
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  all you that labor and are heavy laden and i will give you rest his yoke is
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  easy and his burden is light.
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  He exchanges our sinful wickedness, our sadness and depression for joy and peace
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  and holiness, all found in the righteousness that he imputes in every one of his children.
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  But you got to seek him. Oh, there's no wasted time when the time you spend
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  is seeking Jesus. He says, you'll seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.
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  Jesus isn't lost. I hear a lot of people say, I found Jesus.
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  You might have recognized him in your life. You may have turned to see him standing there.
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  But as long as you have breath, he's pursuing you.
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  Familiar passage of scripture. We read it often. It's found in Psalms 23.
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  I just want to take a piece of it out. Psalms 23.4 reads like this.
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  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
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  I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.
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  Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. now the
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  rod and the staff and the analogy of
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  a sheep is what protects it's what guides
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  it's what corrects it's what leaves but it's this
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  touch the shepherd touches the
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  sheep allowing him to know that the shepherd's still there the shepherd touches
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  the sheep to gently move him one direction or the other to protect them to keep
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  them in line but i want you to understand the concept that the shepherd has constant,
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  often frequent touch for the sheep.
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  I submit to you that Jesus places the Holy Spirit in his believers to do just that,
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  to be a reminder of his love for you, to be a correction, a director, an instructor,
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  and to comfort you.
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  His sheep, and he is the shepherd of his sheep, and his sheep know his voice,
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  and he lay down his life for his sheep.
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  I want you to know that Jesus is still on the throne.
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  He's still King of kings and Lord of lords, and though the devil has the power
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  of the prince of the air, he is not more powerful than Jesus.
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  And he cannot defeat him. And his demise has already been sentenced.
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  He may be walking about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour now and.
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  Being totally unsuccessful to those who place their faith in Jesus and walk
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  in the ways of Jesus. But his doom is coming.
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  He will be cast into the lake of fire. He has no power and sin no more has dominion over the believer.
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  So today, right now, is the moment that you allow your heart and your mind to
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  fully grasp and comprehend the words that we have spoken, the scripture that's been written,
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  the promise in Isaiah 43, 2, which says,
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  when thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the rivers,
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  they shall not overflow thee.
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  When thou walkest through the fire, thou shall not be burned,
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  neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
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  Jesus loves me. This I know.
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  The news, people's conversations, problems that you know of,
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  they all become emphasized and accentuated by the devil.
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  He wants your mind to be distracted from the truth of God. He wants you to be stressed.
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  Jesus said, be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.
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  Jesus said, fear not. Psalms 46 reads like this.
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  God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
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  Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed and though the mountains
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  be carried into the midst of the sea, though the waters thereof roar and be
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  troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.
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  There is a river the streams
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  whereof shall make glad the city of god the holy place of the tabernacles of
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  the most high god is in the midst of her she shall not be moved god shall help
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  her and that right early the heathen raged and the kingdoms were moved he uttered
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  his voice the earth melted.
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  The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge.
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  Come, behold the works of the Lord. What desolations he has made in the earth.
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  He maketh wars to cease into the end of the earth.
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  He breaketh the bow and cuteth the spear and sunder. He burneth the chariot and the fire.
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  Be still and know that I am God.
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  I will be exalted among the heathen. I will be exalted in the earth.
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  The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge.
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  What can I fear? The Lord is on my side. What can man do unto me?
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  Fear has no place in the heart of he who trusts.
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  I leave you with this wonderful promise, these encouraging words found in Luke 12 and verse 32.
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  Fear not, little flock, for it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Fear not.
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  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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  a daily devotion written by Kim and delivered Monday through Friday by text message.
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  our Heavenly Father. And it is through your loving and generous support that
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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.