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<v Speaker 1>Hey, what up?

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<v Speaker 1>It's Mark Carter on, the Pastor of Fierce Church.

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to our podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm so pumped that you're able to join us today.

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<v Speaker 1>I hope this encourages you, inspires you, strengthens you, gives you hope to keep pressing on, and it's my prayer that this sermon gives you a more expansive view of God's love for you.

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<v Speaker 1>Enjoy the message.

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<v Speaker 2>Fresh out of whatever I was coming out of going to a summer camp with kids and the gospel of Bryn preached.

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<v Speaker 2>And I'm in a small group with a junior high boy who is balling his eyes out.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm panicking inside because I'm like, okay, i got to preach the gospel to this guy.

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<v Speaker 2>What am I going to say next?

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<v Speaker 2>What am I going to say next?

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<v Speaker 2>And I don't remember what I told him.

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<v Speaker 2>What I remember is the next morning I was debriefing with other leaders over coffee and we were talking about kids who had given their lives to the Lord or kids who were close kids we can be praying for.

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<v Speaker 2>We lifted them in prayer.

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<v Speaker 2>But I shared my story and one of the other leaders was like, well, you hugged him, you comfort him, right, like you were there for him when he was sobbing uncontrollably right, and that would have been a good idea.

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<v Speaker 2>A few years later in ministry I had a senior, a gal, who was talking to me about my anxiety.

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<v Speaker 2>She could tell I was super nervous about a message I was about to preach and I'm thinking it over, and I'm thinking it over, and I'm thinking it over And she said, andy, have you ever thought that your anxiety actually keeps you from ministering, which I'll just bring you up to speed.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm afraid of letting God down by saying something less than he deserves.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm afraid of failing him by not preaching his word as he has entrusted me to, which is a.

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<v Speaker 2>That's a.

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<v Speaker 2>That's a fear.

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<v Speaker 2>That's a legitimate fear.

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<v Speaker 2>I guess.

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<v Speaker 2>James says that, as teachers, we're judged doubly if we, if we, mess it up.

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<v Speaker 2>So I need to take it seriously.

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<v Speaker 2>But my fear kept me from connecting with the very students that I was trying to serve.

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<v Speaker 2>My fear got in the way of my studies.

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<v Speaker 2>At the end of my seminary degree, i had like an exit interview, i guess, with one of the professors.

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<v Speaker 2>You know what went well, what didn't go so well, and I let him know like this was really hard time for me in my life.

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<v Speaker 2>I was just crushed by anxiety And he said Oh, why didn't you ask for help, which would have been a good idea If I would have thought of it.

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<v Speaker 2>Hugs, hugs and help, huh, that's what we're going to talk about this morning.

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<v Speaker 2>No, we're going to talk about God using ordinary things.

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<v Speaker 2>We're going to talk about ordinary things in our lives that God uses.

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<v Speaker 2>God, in fact, like supernaturally, infuses these ordinary, ordinary things with power And that's well.

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<v Speaker 2>You'll see, we all need this because we miss the ordinary things.

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<v Speaker 2>You like me, we've missed the ordinary things.

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<v Speaker 2>I hugs and help You make this me.

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<v Speaker 2>This is me also.

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<v Speaker 2>But have you ever intended to like exercise?

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<v Speaker 2>and then you find every excuse in the book.

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<v Speaker 2>You know it's like Oh, if only I had that really nice gym membership, then I could do that Jacob's ladder machine or those water rowers or whatever expensive cardio machine.

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<v Speaker 2>And then you know, like the truth of the matter is like, does your apartment complex have stairs?

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<v Speaker 2>Is there a park nearby?

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<v Speaker 2>you Have you heard of outside before.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, like I, dieting is so hard And and I tell, i tell this to my wife I'm like man.

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<v Speaker 2>I just, you know, there's healthy food options in the fridge.

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<v Speaker 2>I just choose.

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<v Speaker 2>I just choose the poor stuff, you know.

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<v Speaker 2>And and if you've ever been to a grocery store and they put the healthy options up front, like you have to walk past the fruit and vegetables to get to the highly processed food That's us.

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<v Speaker 2>Maybe you're a teenager or a young male I'll just pick on the males because I was like this and you and you.

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<v Speaker 2>Nobody respects you for what you're able to do.

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<v Speaker 2>You know nobody.

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<v Speaker 2>Nobody can see the potential in you.

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<v Speaker 2>Nobody.

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<v Speaker 2>Nobody is giving you the time of day, and the easiest thing to gain respect, though, is just to take responsibility for something and follow through with it.

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<v Speaker 2>It doesn't have to be a big thing.

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<v Speaker 2>Just let your yes be yes and start and start leading.

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<v Speaker 2>If you want to get married and this is, i know these things can be, it's easier said than done, but they're obviously available to us If you want to get married, so many people spend so much time online dating When it's like you would get further if you did in-person dating, if you just talked to the opposite sex that would be a great start than trying to play all the games of who could care less in the texting world.

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<v Speaker 2>If you're older and you're thinking about leaving a legacy and you are disappointed in the younger generations, who are ungrateful and certainly aren't asking you for all of your wisdom that you earned hard fought through years and years of work, the answer isn't let's spend a literal boatload of money on a boat.

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<v Speaker 2>Let's start spending.

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<v Speaker 2>Let's hit nine holes of golf every single day.

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<v Speaker 2>Let me be selfish as selfish as I can be.

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<v Speaker 2>The answer is to start serving these people, that they might get to know you and then they'll respect you.

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<v Speaker 2>I'll come back to me one more time If you were to wash me.

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<v Speaker 2>Try to deal with my anxiety back in the day or in my weak moments.

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<v Speaker 2>I think three things will help me.

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<v Speaker 2>Education I'll just read as much as I can.

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<v Speaker 2>Scheduling let's allot the right time increments to my priorities.

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<v Speaker 2>Discipline do I have the strength of will to follow it through?

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<v Speaker 2>There's lots of obvious things to say about this too.

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<v Speaker 2>There's ordinary stuff, like our smartphones have access to the internet, which has a world of education available to us for free, which I take for granted every day.

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<v Speaker 2>This is not the point.

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<v Speaker 2>This is not the point, because none of those things solved my anxiety.

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<v Speaker 2>If you will, when I went to a counselor for the first time, i said I'm here to never fail again.

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<v Speaker 2>He said that's impossible.

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<v Speaker 2>I said it was nice talking to you.

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<v Speaker 2>It took me three sessions to admit that failure is going to be a part of my life, which was hard, but one of the biggest things for me that cut through my anxiety was I was carrying this huge weight that I was a disappointment to my parents.

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<v Speaker 2>I was terrified of having this conversation with them, which is I just went to them.

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<v Speaker 2>This is what I did.

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<v Speaker 2>I went to them and I said am I a disappointment to you guys?

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<v Speaker 2>My dad though both of them said no, no, no.

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<v Speaker 2>My dad said well, the only time I was disappointed was when you were in sixth grade and you chose basketball over swimming because he was a great swimmer.

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<v Speaker 2>I said, oh, i don't care about that.

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<v Speaker 2>The conversation was like a weight lifted off the shoulders, proverbially.

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<v Speaker 2>This series the road out.

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<v Speaker 2>We're following Moses' story in Exodus, really the story of God's people, that God is making a nation for himself, not just setting captives free, but establishing a new people.

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<v Speaker 2>So far in the story we've learned about ourselves that God doesn't want to leave us in despair.

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<v Speaker 2>He hears our Christ and he responds with deliverance, but his timing is different than ours Often when we want to move so quickly.

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<v Speaker 2>God is developing our character so that we're capable and the type of person that he can use.

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<v Speaker 2>Even more than that, even with all the excuses that we have, all the insecurities that we have, we know that God himself promises to be with us, that he reveals himself to us, god, the most holy being in the universe completely different, eternal and infinite, completely different than us loves us and calls us out.

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<v Speaker 2>So we're going to jump in this morning into Exodus 4, where God is going to give us ordinary stuff to accomplish his purposes.

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<v Speaker 2>He's going to fit us right into his grand story.

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<v Speaker 2>We're going to go through the text.

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<v Speaker 2>We're going to read through a section of the text.

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<v Speaker 2>There's a couple of points to be made.

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<v Speaker 2>Principle we're going to hear the purpose of why it was written and then I'm going to apply it to your lives.

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<v Speaker 2>That's going to happen twice and then we'll land this thing Buckle.

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<v Speaker 2>Let's begin Exodus, chapter 4, verse 1.

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<v Speaker 2>Moses answered what if they do not believe me or listen to me and say the Lord did not appear to you?

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<v Speaker 2>Then the Lord said to him what is that in your hand?

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<v Speaker 2>And he says a staff.

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<v Speaker 2>The Lord said throw it on the ground.

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<v Speaker 2>So Moses threw it on the ground.

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<v Speaker 2>It became a snake and he ran from it.

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<v Speaker 2>Moses is still in a conversation with God And this is his third complaint.

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<v Speaker 2>At first he was like who am I?

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<v Speaker 2>And God's like I'm gonna be with you.

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<v Speaker 2>And then he's like who are you?

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<v Speaker 2>And he's like I'm the great, i am Here.

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<v Speaker 2>He's like what's in a name.

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<v Speaker 2>You know they're not gonna believe that I met with you And he said I'm gonna give you some signs.

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<v Speaker 2>The first one we just read a staff.

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<v Speaker 2>And if you didn't know, a staff like a walking stick right, would be super common in the ancient world because you walked everywhere And so not only would the staff be like for help in times of walking, journeying, protection against anything that you might encounter, but it's also like an identifier, it's like yours.

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<v Speaker 2>You can tell people by their staff.

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<v Speaker 2>If they leave their staff, oh that's Jeff's.

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<v Speaker 2>Go, give Jeff's staff back to him.

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<v Speaker 2>This is an ordinary object that God tells him to throw to the ground, and Moses is afraid of the snake.

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<v Speaker 2>It was a staff, right.

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<v Speaker 2>He threw it to the ground, it became a snake and he was scared.

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<v Speaker 2>And that's how you know.

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<v Speaker 2>It's real, because even children are terrified of snakes, right?

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<v Speaker 2>Even babies You haven't taught them a single thing and they hate falling, loud noises and snakes and spiders In inert, like innate fears.

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<v Speaker 2>That Moses is reacting to.

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<v Speaker 2>This is indieto.

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<v Speaker 2>It is indieto, god says to him.

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<v Speaker 2>God says if they don't believe the first time, here's the second one.

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<v Speaker 2>Put your hand into your coat into your robe, pull it out It's diseased.

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<v Speaker 2>Put it back in It's healed again.

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<v Speaker 2>They don't believe that one.

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<v Speaker 2>Here's a third one.

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<v Speaker 2>Take a cup from the Nile River, pour it on the ground It turns to blood.

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<v Speaker 2>Moses is still trying to back out of this, though.

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<v Speaker 2>Verse 10, moses said to the Lord pardon your servant.

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<v Speaker 2>Lord, i've never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since.

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<v Speaker 2>You've spoken to your servant in these last five minutes.

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<v Speaker 2>I am slow of speech and of tongue.

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<v Speaker 2>The Lord said to him who gave human beings their mouths?

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<v Speaker 2>Who makes them deaf or mute?

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<v Speaker 2>Who gives them sight or makes them blind?

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<v Speaker 2>Is it not I, the Lord?

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<v Speaker 2>Now go, i will help you speak and I will teach you what to say.

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<v Speaker 2>So, so, so.

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<v Speaker 2>Moses is like I don't know, they're not gonna believe me.

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<v Speaker 2>Here are three signs that I'm going to infuse with spiritual power from your everyday life.

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<v Speaker 2>Moses is like I can't talk.

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<v Speaker 2>Good, it's not gonna.

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<v Speaker 2>It's gonna come out slowly and they're going to get bored and check their phones.

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<v Speaker 2>And God says I may.

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<v Speaker 2>I designed your mouth.

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<v Speaker 2>Do you not think that I'm capable of teaching you how to talk, of giving you the very words that you need?

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<v Speaker 2>Well, this was a good argument, because Moses has done complaining and he says in verse 13, pardon your servant, lord, please send someone else.

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<v Speaker 2>Then the Lord's anger burned against Moses first time he's angry and he said what about your brother, aaron the Levi?

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<v Speaker 2>I know he can speak well, he's already on his way to meet you and he will be glad to.

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<v Speaker 2>He'll be glad to speak on your behalf.

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<v Speaker 2>God uses ordinary things.

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<v Speaker 2>God uses our friends and neighbors and loved ones in our lives to accomplish His purposes.

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<v Speaker 2>This isn't rocket science at all.

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<v Speaker 2>It is like it is like Jesus.

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<v Speaker 2>It's like God is saying do you have an ID?

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<v Speaker 2>Do you have a jacket?

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<v Speaker 2>Do you have a water bottle?

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<v Speaker 2>Do you have a family member?

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<v Speaker 2>Check, check, check, check, sent, go, do, go, serve God.

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<v Speaker 2>It's very similar to what Jesus has for his disciples, except God is giving all of this provision to Moses and to his disciples.

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<v Speaker 2>He says don't take a saff, don't take a wallet, don't take bread, don't take extra clothes.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm gonna provide everything for you, because when God is calling you to something, he will equip you to do it, and it's through ordinary, everyday things.

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<v Speaker 2>This is a budget saver, y'all.

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<v Speaker 2>He calls us to make disciples, right in Matthew 28.

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<v Speaker 2>Go and make disciples, teaching them everything I have taught you, teaching them to obey everything that I've taught you.

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<v Speaker 2>This is Jesus' words to us.

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<v Speaker 2>We're supposed to go out and point people back to Jesus, but it doesn't take a fancy marketing scheme.

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<v Speaker 2>It doesn't take a huge budget, it doesn't take a lot of resources.

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<v Speaker 2>God uses everyday things in our lives and I'm gonna give you two.

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<v Speaker 2>First, you sleep somewhere and this likely has a common living space.

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<v Speaker 2>You can invite people into your home.

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<v Speaker 2>You can invite people into your home and God can use that space for His glory.

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<v Speaker 2>When my wife and I first moved to our place in Gurney, we just went door to door and invited neighbors to come, because we were new to the area and we wanted to meet them.

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<v Speaker 2>We just invited them to come.

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<v Speaker 2>We said I'll grill burgers, we'll have some beverages, just come and hang out.

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<v Speaker 2>I'll put my fire pit in the driveway, just come and hang out.

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<v Speaker 2>And I undercooked some burgers because I was young and green, making some mistakes, and the evening was sporadic.

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<v Speaker 2>There was spitting rain, but there was a family down the street who brought their son who was in a wheelchair.

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<v Speaker 2>Apparently, it was a very bright boy who fell at university and had brain damage.

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<v Speaker 2>And the family we didn't know at the time they were believers.

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<v Speaker 2>They used that as an opportunity to tell their neighbors why they hadn't been outside in a while.

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<v Speaker 2>Right, did Brooke and I do any of that?

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<v Speaker 2>Did my wife and I do any of that?

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<v Speaker 2>No, of course not.

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<v Speaker 2>God did that.

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<v Speaker 2>God did that.

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<v Speaker 2>There's an old phrase be kind for everyone that you meet is fighting a great battle, and that's so true.

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<v Speaker 2>If you're uncomfortable, i'll even give you an out.

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<v Speaker 2>If you're uncomfortable bringing people into your home, which I would encourage you to do.

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<v Speaker 2>If you're uncomfortable doing that, there's a thing called a third space.

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<v Speaker 2>So if you think of all the time that you spend in a space, first one is probably home, second one is probably work and third space is of your choosing.

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<v Speaker 2>Could be a cafe, could be a sports team, like a rec league, could be a bar, it could be any number of things.

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<v Speaker 2>God can use those conversations for His glory.

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<v Speaker 2>And here's a very simple, if you don't know what to talk about, i always use because I'm from the Midwest Ford family occupation, recreation dreams, and then you have prayer requests for them.

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<v Speaker 2>You can pray for that.

00:19:03.402 --> 00:19:11.835
<v Speaker 2>God would bless them, not in just the ways that they desire, but that God would bring them to salvation.

00:19:11.835 --> 00:19:20.346
<v Speaker 2>That they might be freed, that they might be healed, that they might have an identity that isn't just performance-based.

00:19:20.346 --> 00:19:26.762
<v Speaker 2>That they might have a morality that extends past the world, a morality that extends past my likes and dislikes.

00:19:26.762 --> 00:19:29.501
<v Speaker 2>That they might have a justice that is eternal.

00:19:29.501 --> 00:19:34.220
<v Speaker 2>This is the God that we serve.

00:19:34.220 --> 00:19:40.121
<v Speaker 2>Okay, and I've already hinted at this one, but so the first one is your home.

00:19:40.121 --> 00:19:41.178
<v Speaker 2>Second one is food.

00:19:41.178 --> 00:19:42.442
<v Speaker 2>Everybody eats.

00:19:42.442 --> 00:19:45.199
<v Speaker 2>Try not to eat alone.

00:19:49.496 --> 00:19:50.579
<v Speaker 2>I had a class with the guy.

00:19:50.579 --> 00:20:00.500
<v Speaker 2>We did some projects together and I was just like you know, i want to get to know this guy, and so I set up a virtual coffee with him, like during our lunch hour.

00:20:00.500 --> 00:20:05.785
<v Speaker 2>I made the coffee with a cake up, so that was cheap.

00:20:05.785 --> 00:20:09.259
<v Speaker 2>I didn't order him any food, he just brought his sack.

00:20:09.259 --> 00:20:12.159
<v Speaker 2>It was fine Brown paper bag, stuff, right.

00:20:12.159 --> 00:20:15.626
<v Speaker 2>And we're just talking.

00:20:15.626 --> 00:20:25.359
<v Speaker 2>The next time that I meet him, he messages me, slacks me and said hey, i just wanted you to know that yesterday meant a lot to me.

00:20:25.359 --> 00:20:27.161
<v Speaker 2>I've actually been suicidal.

00:20:27.161 --> 00:20:30.419
<v Speaker 2>Did I know that?

00:20:30.419 --> 00:20:35.663
<v Speaker 2>No, did I say anything other than what I would have said?

00:20:35.663 --> 00:20:36.484
<v Speaker 2>No.

00:20:36.484 --> 00:20:38.361
<v Speaker 2>Did God use it?

00:20:38.361 --> 00:20:45.419
<v Speaker 2>Yes, god uses our ordinary stuff, our ordinary stuff.

00:20:45.419 --> 00:20:46.316
<v Speaker 2>We have.

00:20:46.316 --> 00:20:47.799
<v Speaker 2>Trust him.

00:20:47.799 --> 00:20:54.859
<v Speaker 2>Trust him that he can do incredible things through you, incredible things through you.

00:20:57.755 --> 00:21:02.355
<v Speaker 2>Let's go back to the text and then we'll end All right.

00:21:02.355 --> 00:21:13.625
<v Speaker 2>So Moses agrees to go back and he tells his father-in-law and it's kind of weird about it with his father-in-law, but it's his father-in-law, so I'll forgive him And then God's like hey, this is set up for you.

00:21:13.625 --> 00:21:21.144
<v Speaker 2>And Moses takes, he decides to take his family back which I didn't think about when watching The Prince of Egypt or any of these movies.

00:21:21.144 --> 00:21:24.183
<v Speaker 2>His family, like you know what's gonna happen.

00:21:24.183 --> 00:21:27.284
<v Speaker 2>There's plagues and there's craziness about to happen.

00:21:27.284 --> 00:21:29.461
<v Speaker 2>He takes his family back to Egypt with him.

00:21:29.461 --> 00:21:30.638
<v Speaker 2>They become Israelite.

00:21:33.194 --> 00:21:35.784
<v Speaker 2>But God mentions, god, broadens his horizons.

00:21:35.784 --> 00:21:39.585
<v Speaker 2>Here's the text in verse 21.

00:21:39.585 --> 00:21:51.701
<v Speaker 2>The Lord said to Moses when you return to Egypt, see that you've performed before Pharaoh all the wonders I've given you the power to do, but I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.

00:21:51.701 --> 00:21:58.983
<v Speaker 2>Then say to Pharaoh this is what the Lord says Israel is my firstborn son and I told you let my son go so that he may worship me.

00:21:58.983 --> 00:22:02.881
<v Speaker 2>But you refuse to let him go, so I will kill your firstborn son.

00:22:02.881 --> 00:22:14.642
<v Speaker 2>Moses thought that God was being slow with him and gracious with him so that he could convince the Israelite people to leave.

00:22:14.642 --> 00:22:26.005
<v Speaker 2>But God's plan is, while forming a people for himself, he's gonna go after Pharaoh, the God of Egypt.

00:22:26.005 --> 00:22:30.542
<v Speaker 2>Now some things that you might be concerned about.

00:22:30.542 --> 00:22:36.423
<v Speaker 2>So when it said that God hardened Pharaoh's heart later on we'll read Pharaoh hardened his own heart.

00:22:36.423 --> 00:22:42.000
<v Speaker 2>So it's not meant to say like God took complete control of this person and then just shoved them around.

00:22:42.000 --> 00:22:46.698
<v Speaker 2>Pharaoh's already stubborn, but God's gonna join him in the stubbornness.

00:22:46.698 --> 00:22:56.378
<v Speaker 2>And it's like this if you call yourself a God, you should have control over your own heart, right, and that's not the case here.

00:22:56.378 --> 00:23:08.441
<v Speaker 2>In fact, when he says he's gonna go after the firstborn, that feels uncomfortable to us, right, but if someone killed your child, you'd be like justice needs to be done.

00:23:08.441 --> 00:23:12.799
<v Speaker 2>Maybe that's not up to me to bring justice, but something has to be done.

00:23:12.799 --> 00:23:14.539
<v Speaker 2>Someone must be punished, for this.

00:23:14.539 --> 00:23:17.840
<v Speaker 2>Sin requires a punishment.

00:23:24.417 --> 00:23:26.461
<v Speaker 2>And verse 29, he and Aaron get together.

00:23:26.461 --> 00:23:27.814
<v Speaker 2>They talk to the elders.

00:23:27.814 --> 00:23:30.395
<v Speaker 2>Is there text?

00:23:30.395 --> 00:23:37.500
<v Speaker 2>He and Aaron get together Yeah, they brought together all the elders of the Israelites And Aaron told them everything that the Lord had said to Moses.

00:23:37.500 --> 00:23:46.680
<v Speaker 2>He also performed signs before the people And they believed, and they heard what the Lord had said And he was concerned about them and had seen their misery that they bowed down and worshiped.

00:23:46.680 --> 00:23:49.055
<v Speaker 2>This is what Moses was worried about.

00:23:49.055 --> 00:23:52.614
<v Speaker 2>And then it's two verses Aaron talks on this behalf.

00:23:52.970 --> 00:23:53.813
<v Speaker 2>Moses takes over from here.

00:23:53.813 --> 00:24:01.598
<v Speaker 2>God uses our everyday faith as a part of his story.

00:24:01.598 --> 00:24:13.338
<v Speaker 2>God brings us into his grand plan, one that he started in Genesis to promise to Abraham that through him, all the nations of the earth would be blessed.

00:24:13.338 --> 00:24:15.316
<v Speaker 2>Then they're in slavery.

00:24:15.316 --> 00:24:18.960
<v Speaker 2>God pulls them out, not just for freedom, but so that they may worship him.

00:24:18.960 --> 00:24:30.116
<v Speaker 2>He's about to give them a law and a covenant and a tabernacle to establish this nationhood right Which sets up the long trajectory to Jesus Christ.

00:24:30.396 --> 00:24:32.441
<v Speaker 2>Who is the better Moses?

00:24:32.441 --> 00:24:37.459
<v Speaker 2>Jesus didn't want to go to the cross.

00:24:37.459 --> 00:24:39.054
<v Speaker 2>Moses didn't want to go to the people.

00:24:39.054 --> 00:24:42.576
<v Speaker 2>Jesus said not my will, but yours be done.

00:24:42.576 --> 00:24:45.673
<v Speaker 2>Moses was a prophet.

00:24:45.673 --> 00:24:47.454
<v Speaker 2>Moses spoke on behalf of God.

00:24:47.454 --> 00:24:50.776
<v Speaker 2>Jesus is God's very word.

00:24:50.776 --> 00:24:55.973
<v Speaker 2>Moses is a part of this building of the.

00:24:55.973 --> 00:24:58.920
<v Speaker 2>He's a part of the building that God is making.

00:24:58.920 --> 00:25:09.381
<v Speaker 2>Jesus is the builder, and so when you think about the ordinary things that you might offer to God as sacrifice.

00:25:10.029 --> 00:25:11.596
<v Speaker 2>God can tee off on this stuff.

00:25:11.596 --> 00:25:13.835
<v Speaker 2>This is how he functions.

00:25:13.835 --> 00:25:14.898
<v Speaker 2>This is how he works.

00:25:14.898 --> 00:25:16.715
<v Speaker 2>He's been doing it since he turned the past.

00:25:16.715 --> 00:25:22.419
<v Speaker 2>He makes the lame walk, he makes the humble glorified.

00:25:22.419 --> 00:25:24.997
<v Speaker 2>He brings glory to his name.

00:25:24.997 --> 00:25:27.913
<v Speaker 2>You know this isn't so.

00:25:27.913 --> 00:25:34.284
<v Speaker 2>You guys can do this, inviting people to your homes, eating with folks.

00:25:34.284 --> 00:25:36.450
<v Speaker 2>You can do this.

00:25:36.529 --> 00:25:37.473
<v Speaker 2>I believe in you.

00:25:37.473 --> 00:25:38.215
<v Speaker 2>Why?

00:25:38.215 --> 00:25:43.940
<v Speaker 2>Not just because I know many of you personally, but because Christ is our God.

00:25:43.940 --> 00:25:49.440
<v Speaker 2>He has already freed a people from saved slavery.

00:25:49.440 --> 00:25:53.239
<v Speaker 2>He has already died on the cross for your sins.

00:25:53.239 --> 00:25:59.731
<v Speaker 2>Christ has done all of the heavy lifting, and allow him to do it in your life By faith.

00:25:59.731 --> 00:26:03.401
<v Speaker 2>He will use you and he can bring people to himself.

00:26:03.401 --> 00:26:07.279
<v Speaker 2>You think, you think that he cannot protect people?

00:26:07.279 --> 00:26:09.875
<v Speaker 2>You think that he can't do miracles today?

00:26:09.875 --> 00:26:11.298
<v Speaker 2>Of course he can.

00:26:11.298 --> 00:26:16.319
<v Speaker 2>He is, he will be doing always, until until he comes again.

00:26:17.069 --> 00:26:23.375
<v Speaker 2>This is, this is the message of the gospel, this is the point of the Bible.

00:26:23.375 --> 00:26:29.602
<v Speaker 2>This is when I remember oh, i don't have to be afraid about what God can do with his word.

00:26:29.602 --> 00:26:31.776
<v Speaker 2>His word doesn't need me.

00:26:31.776 --> 00:26:33.553
<v Speaker 2>It can bring a harvest.

00:26:33.553 --> 00:26:39.134
<v Speaker 2>Be a vessel even this morning.

00:26:39.134 --> 00:26:44.573
<v Speaker 2>Be a vessel even this morning.

00:26:44.573 --> 00:27:24.759
<v Speaker 2>Last point, last point If God is using our everyday stuff and if God is using our everyday faith, just making ourselves available, then what?

00:27:25.721 --> 00:27:27.663
<v Speaker 2>what specifically like?

00:27:27.663 --> 00:27:30.244
<v Speaker 2>what's the very next step?

00:27:30.244 --> 00:27:52.200
<v Speaker 2>And this one, guys, i went too long in my ministry without knowing the importance of prayer.

00:27:52.200 --> 00:27:58.694
<v Speaker 2>I went too long in my ministry without the importance of prayer.

00:27:58.694 --> 00:28:18.006
<v Speaker 2>I'll give you a stupid example When, when I pray for people, it's simply a reminder, not simply.

00:28:18.006 --> 00:28:19.836
<v Speaker 2>It is a simple there we go.

00:28:19.836 --> 00:28:21.993
<v Speaker 2>It is a simple reminder.

00:28:21.993 --> 00:28:32.055
<v Speaker 2>When people share their burdens and I bring it up to the Lord and I pour out my heart, they are on my heart.

00:28:32.055 --> 00:28:42.570
<v Speaker 2>When we bring lost people, those who don't know the Lord before him, it gets in your bones.

00:28:42.570 --> 00:28:44.531
<v Speaker 2>You carry those people.

00:28:44.531 --> 00:28:59.810
<v Speaker 2>Does this mean that God only wants us to set a to-do list of reminding to pray?

00:28:59.810 --> 00:29:00.738
<v Speaker 2>No, of course not.

00:29:00.738 --> 00:29:03.739
<v Speaker 2>God responds to prayer.

00:29:03.739 --> 00:29:07.657
<v Speaker 2>In pouring out our hearts to God, he meets with us.

00:29:07.657 --> 00:29:12.200
<v Speaker 2>In pouring out our hearts to God, he meets with us.

00:29:12.200 --> 00:29:34.826
<v Speaker 2>Okay, a story When I haven't always been a great husband.

00:29:35.207 --> 00:29:36.847
<v Speaker 2>This is a start term.

00:29:36.847 --> 00:29:45.583
<v Speaker 2>I haven't always been a great husband and part of that is due to my anxiety.

00:29:45.583 --> 00:29:47.948
<v Speaker 2>You know this.

00:29:47.948 --> 00:29:49.720
<v Speaker 2>You know about my anxiety.

00:29:49.720 --> 00:29:50.817
<v Speaker 2>You don't know that I'm a bad husband.

00:29:50.817 --> 00:30:11.285
<v Speaker 2>Sometimes, when I get worked up, i numb myself with Twitter I don't know if you guys ever do that with social media but I just sit down on the couch and I convince myself that I'm learning something new, which is sort of true.

00:30:11.285 --> 00:30:11.605
<v Speaker 2>You know.

00:30:11.605 --> 00:30:15.080
<v Speaker 2>My wife says, hey, are you going to do the dishes?

00:30:15.080 --> 00:30:16.376
<v Speaker 2>And I lose it.

00:30:16.376 --> 00:30:19.059
<v Speaker 2>Why can't you let me rest?

00:30:19.059 --> 00:30:20.396
<v Speaker 2>Why can't you let me?

00:30:20.396 --> 00:30:24.487
<v Speaker 2>you know, you know, want this best for me.

00:30:24.487 --> 00:30:28.061
<v Speaker 2>She's like whoa, whoa, we just need clean dishes to eat off of.

00:30:30.755 --> 00:30:31.559
<v Speaker 2>We go to a counselor.

00:30:31.559 --> 00:30:45.065
<v Speaker 2>We go to a counselor And I'm like super sad because I know I'm in the wrong, and she's, and my wife starts off like he's not carrying his weight.

00:30:45.065 --> 00:30:47.763
<v Speaker 2>I do most, i do, i work longer hours than he does.

00:30:47.763 --> 00:30:51.785
<v Speaker 2>I work, i do more, i carry more of a load at the house.

00:30:51.785 --> 00:30:55.683
<v Speaker 2>You know, i take care of all the kids at night time, et cetera, et cetera.

00:30:55.683 --> 00:30:57.980
<v Speaker 2>Right, and I'm feeling worse and worse.

00:30:57.980 --> 00:31:06.086
<v Speaker 2>And the counselor says, oh, like Brooke, i have bad news and good news.

00:31:06.086 --> 00:31:12.856
<v Speaker 2>Here's the bad news He's never going to do all of these things.

00:31:12.856 --> 00:31:34.516
<v Speaker 2>But here's the good news He loves you, and I do.

00:31:34.516 --> 00:31:50.604
<v Speaker 2>I started praying a few months before this that I could just get out from underneath this, that I could honor my spouse and do the things that she'd have for me.

00:31:50.604 --> 00:32:00.159
<v Speaker 2>I failed and I failed and I failed, but knowing that my love was there, was enough for her.

00:32:09.795 --> 00:32:14.042
<v Speaker 2>This passage ends with the people in worship.

00:32:14.042 --> 00:32:21.845
<v Speaker 2>This passage ends with they're still enslaved.

00:32:21.845 --> 00:32:25.318
<v Speaker 2>They're not free yet, but they're.

00:32:25.318 --> 00:32:29.376
<v Speaker 2>But they're gods, but they belong to him.

00:32:29.376 --> 00:32:51.469
<v Speaker 2>Guys, your marriages, your neighbors, your family, this is doable.

00:32:51.469 --> 00:32:56.240
<v Speaker 2>I pray for you.

00:32:56.240 --> 00:33:11.386
<v Speaker 2>I pray for you that you might know how much God loves you and that that might be enough for you to step out and let God use you in powerful ways.

00:33:11.386 --> 00:33:14.244
<v Speaker 2>This church can make a difference.

00:33:14.244 --> 00:33:29.320
<v Speaker 2>This church has made a difference, and we'd love for you to join the grand narrative of God's story from beginning to end making a people for himself, for his glory.

00:33:29.320 --> 00:33:45.642
<v Speaker 2>Let's pray, holy Father, lord, thank you for the people that you've put in our lives, thank you for your word, thank you for the ordinary things that we have.

00:33:45.642 --> 00:33:49.000
<v Speaker 2>God, we confess that we are.

00:33:49.000 --> 00:33:51.223
<v Speaker 2>We want more.

00:33:51.223 --> 00:33:55.760
<v Speaker 2>We want more resources, we want more power, but, god, that you work through weakness.

00:33:55.760 --> 00:34:06.730
<v Speaker 2>So, lord, we ask for faith today, that we might respond to the grace that you give in Jesus' name Amen.

00:34:08.141 --> 00:34:09.735
<v Speaker 1>Hey, thank you so much for joining us today.

00:34:09.735 --> 00:34:19.139
<v Speaker 1>If you don't have a home church and you're looking for a Bible preaching community that has its heart set on passionately knowing Jesus and being his witness in our generation, check out Fierce Church.

00:34:19.139 --> 00:34:22.123
<v Speaker 1>We'd love for you to join us, either digitally or in person.

00:34:22.123 --> 00:34:30.485
<v Speaker 1>Also, if you're looking for leadership development related content, don't forget to check out the Fierce Leadership Podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts from.

00:34:30.485 --> 00:34:33.755
<v Speaker 1>Special thanks to those of you who give generously to support this ministry.

00:34:33.755 --> 00:34:35.875
<v Speaker 1>It's because of you that this is possible.

00:34:35.875 --> 00:34:40.646
<v Speaker 1>You can click on the link in the description to give now or visit Fierce Church for more information.

00:34:41.215 --> 00:34:42.981
<v Speaker 1>If you enjoy this podcast, why not subscribe?

00:34:42.981 --> 00:34:43.903
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00:34:43.903 --> 00:34:49.059
<v Speaker 1>Click on the share button, take a screenshot and share it on social media or wherever you would share such things.

00:34:49.059 --> 00:34:51.922
<v Speaker 1>Whatever challenges you're facing, i know you can make it.

00:34:51.922 --> 00:34:52.764
<v Speaker 1>Don't give up.

00:34:52.764 --> 00:34:54.038
<v Speaker 1>Hang on to Jesus.

00:34:54.038 --> 00:34:55.262
<v Speaker 1>He won't let go of you.

00:34:55.262 --> 00:34:57.784
<v Speaker 1>Jesus loves you so much and we love you.

00:34:57.784 --> 00:35:00.083
<v Speaker 1>I hope someday we get to meet in person.

00:35:00.083 --> 00:35:01.338
<v Speaker 1>Thanks again for listening.