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Speaker 1: Life Audio. Welcome to the cross Flock Devosional. We're glad

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Speaker 1: to have you listening with us. Today's topic is how

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Speaker 1: you can come into God's presence with courage and confidence.

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Speaker 1: We'll return with a devosional after a brief message from

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Speaker 1: our sponsors. You have VIP Access to God, written and

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Speaker 1: read by Whitney Hoppler. Because of Christ and our faith

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Speaker 1: in Him, we can now come boldly and confidently into

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Speaker 1: God's presence Ephesians three twelve and LT. When I was

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Speaker 1: a newspaper reporter, my press credentials usually got me access

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Speaker 1: to people at events that the general public couldn't access.

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Speaker 1: I often found myself in the VIP section of whatever

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Speaker 1: event I was covering, so I could talk to the

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Speaker 1: leaders freely. I felt confident that I didn't have to

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Speaker 1: worry about how I'd be able to contact the people

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Speaker 1: I needed to talk with for each story I wrote.

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Speaker 1: Many times people wanted to talk with me so much

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Speaker 1: that they pursued me and made themselves available for conversations

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Speaker 1: whenever it worked best for me during the event, despite

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Speaker 1: all of their other responsibilities there. So I certainly felt

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Speaker 1: like a very important person in the VIP sections there

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Speaker 1: it's even more incredible that my creator God gives me

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Speaker 1: VIP access to talk with him anytime in anywhere. God

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Speaker 1: does the same for you. God is the ultimate leader.

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Speaker 1: No one has more responsibilities than God or is busier

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Speaker 1: than God is. But God is willing to pursue us

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Speaker 1: and make himself available for us to talk with whenever

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Speaker 1: and wherever we are. Of course, God isn't motivated by

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Speaker 1: what's publicity. God's motivation is simply that he loves us

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Speaker 1: so much that he wants to communicate with us often.

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Speaker 1: Ephesians three twelve tells you that because of Christ and

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Speaker 1: your faith in him, you have VIP access to God,

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Speaker 1: not limited or occasional access, but full access. You can

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Speaker 1: come boldly and confidently into God's presence right now. You

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Speaker 1: don't have to wait until you feel more faithful or

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Speaker 1: until you try to clean up a mess in your life.

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Speaker 1: You don't need to impress God or beg him to

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Speaker 1: let you come to him. Your invitation to access and

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Speaker 1: enjoy God's presence is Jesus himself. Because of what Jesus

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Speaker 1: has done to pay for your sins and connect you

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Speaker 1: with a holy God, the door is already open and

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Speaker 1: you're always welcome to walk through it. Still, you might

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Speaker 1: hesitate to pray because you feel unworthy, distracted, or unsure

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Speaker 1: if God will really hear your prayers and answer that.

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Speaker 1: Maybe you think God is disappointed in you or too

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Speaker 1: busy dealing with bigger problems to be bothered with your concerns.

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Speaker 1: But if Hesians three twelve makes it clear that confidence

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Speaker 1: in God's presence is not about you, It's about Jesus,

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Speaker 1: who has already opened the door for you to fully

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Speaker 1: access God, VIP access gives you the confidence of knowing

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Speaker 1: you belong in God's presence. When you trust what God

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Speaker 1: promises you in this verse, you can come to him boldly.

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Speaker 1: God invited you to enjoy VIP access because you're truly

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Speaker 1: a very important person. You're one of God's beloved children,

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Speaker 1: connected to Him by Jesus's ultimate sacrifice as the world's savior.

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Speaker 1: You don't have to hide from God, and you don't

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Speaker 1: have to perform for God either. You can come to

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Speaker 1: God just as you are, communicate with God honestly, and

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Speaker 1: enjoy God's unconditional.

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Speaker 2: Love for you.

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Speaker 1: God is there for you in the middle of everything

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Speaker 1: you go through in this fallen world. You can ask

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Speaker 1: God your questions, seek God's strength as you deal with

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Speaker 1: your weaknesses, and share all your thoughts and emotions, even

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Speaker 1: the most difficult ones, with God. When you come to

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Speaker 1: God honestly, God is pleased with that because He wants

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Speaker 1: to see you respond to his grace and he wants

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Speaker 1: to connect with you authentically. VIP access to God changes

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Speaker 1: how you pray. You don't have to try to clean

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Speaker 1: up your life first. You can talk to God about

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Speaker 1: your fears, your frustrations, and your doubts, as well as

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Speaker 1: your hopes and your gratitude. You have the freedom to

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Speaker 1: pray in whatever ways work best for you. God isn't

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Speaker 1: grating your prayer. He's welcoming you into a closer relationship

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Speaker 1: every time you communicate with him. It also changes how

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Speaker 1: you see God. Instead of seeing God as a distant

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Speaker 1: authority figure, you can see that God as your loving,

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Speaker 1: heavenly father. Instead of wondering if God's listening to your

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Speaker 1: prayers at all, you could trust that He's listening carefully.

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Speaker 1: So today, remind yourself that through Jesus, you have VIP

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Speaker 1: access to God. The door is open for you to

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Speaker 1: walk through. Come boldly and confidently into God's presence. God

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Speaker 1: is ready to meet you any time and anywhere, just

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Speaker 1: as you are intersecting faith in life. As you consider

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Speaker 1: the blessing of having VIP access to God, reflect on

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Speaker 1: these questions. Do you currently approach God with the confidence

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Speaker 1: of a VIP or do you feel like you're still

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Speaker 1: waiting for permission to enter God's presence? What's one fear

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Speaker 1: or mistake that makes you feel unworthy of God's attention

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Speaker 1: right now? How can you let that go and come

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Speaker 1: to God anyway? How is knowing that God is never

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Speaker 1: too distant or busy for you change how you plan

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Speaker 1: to communicate with God from now on? Thank reading Hebrews

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Speaker 1: four sixteen, Romans five one through two, First John five fourteen,

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Speaker 1: James four eight, Solom one forty five eighteen. Thanks for

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Speaker 1: listening to today's devotional.

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Speaker 2: If you liked what you heard today, we want to

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Speaker 2: make sure you know about our sister podcast your Daily Prayer.

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Speaker 2: When you follow your daily prayer in your favorite podcast app,

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Speaker 2: you'll get a brand new prayer and devotional each day,

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Speaker 2: so your days begin in conversation with God. If you're

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Speaker 2: looking to grow in prayer or start your day with

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Speaker 2: your heart focused on the right things. Search for your

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Speaker 2: daily prayer in your favorite podcast app, and be sure

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Speaker 2: to follow the show so you get a new prayer

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Speaker 2: delivered straight to you each morning.

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Speaker 3: Hey listeners, it's Kelly from Life Audio team with a

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Speaker 3: quick favor to ask. We're working on a newsletter and honestly,

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Speaker 3: we'd rather ask you what you want than guess. There's

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Speaker 3: a two minute survey linked in the show notes. Fill

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Speaker 3: it out and shape what we make. Thanks.