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Speaker 1: Life Audio. Welcome to the Crosswalk devotional. We're glad to

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Speaker 1: have you listening with us. Today's topic is about rejecting

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Speaker 1: the lies that often bombard our minds and deceive us

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Speaker 1: about who God really is. We'll return with the devotional

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Speaker 1: after a brief message from our sponsors. Rejecting the Lies

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Speaker 1: written and read by Cindy mcmannumon for God has not

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Speaker 1: given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and

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Speaker 1: of love and of a sound mind two Timothy one

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Speaker 1: to seven, New King James version. Are you believing debilitating

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Speaker 1: lies without even realizing it? Thoughts can bombard our minds,

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Speaker 1: making us doubt the goodness of God or our ability

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Speaker 1: to live a victorious life. Voices that we might think

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Speaker 1: come from our own thoughts sometimes condemn us, cause us fear,

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Speaker 1: or make us feel unworthy, insignificant, or unloved.

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Speaker 2: Yet those are lies that you and I should not

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Speaker 2: even entertain. I wasn't aware that I was tolerating lies

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Speaker 2: until I read Leviticus five the other day in my

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Speaker 2: devotional reading. God was making provision for the Israelites who

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Speaker 2: sinned in various ways, sometimes without realizing it. Sometimes certain

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Speaker 2: things offended the holiness and goodness of God, and God's

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Speaker 2: people were completely oblivious until they felt guilt, which we

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Speaker 2: now know is the conviction of God's Holy Spirit, God's

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Speaker 2: loss stated in Leviticus five five. And it shall be

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Speaker 2: when he is guilty in any of these matters, that

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Speaker 2: he shall confess that he has sinned in that thing.

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Speaker 2: I started thinking about the goodness and holiness of God

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Speaker 2: and ways I might sin against Him without realizing it,

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Speaker 2: and then it occurred to me. I often believe debilitating

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Speaker 2: thoughts like you can't do this, you will surely fail.

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Speaker 2: You are alone in this. God has given up on you.

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Speaker 2: No one, not even God, will come through for you.

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Speaker 2: While those thoughts might be rooted in my own insecurities

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Speaker 2: and self doubt, they none the less cut at the

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Speaker 2: glory and goodness of God. To doubt is the opposite

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Speaker 2: of exercising faith and to expect the worst, And the

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Speaker 2: situation is certainly not to give God credit for being

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Speaker 2: able to do the impossible. I know the difference by

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Speaker 2: now between the Holy Spirit's discernment and warning and the

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Speaker 2: defeating voice in my head that says, just give up.

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Speaker 2: When the Holy Spirit is warning me or giving me

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Speaker 2: discernment about something there is peace and confidence that accompanies

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Speaker 2: his leading, and that assures me I am doing the

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Speaker 2: right thing. To the contrary, when that voice in my

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Speaker 2: head tells me just give it up and I am

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Speaker 2: left with feelings of discouragement, defeat, or shame, I know

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Speaker 2: that is not the loving voice of my savior, defender

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Speaker 2: and advocate. In two Timothy one seven, we're told that

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Speaker 2: God has not given us a spirit of fear, doubt,

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Speaker 2: or debilitating thoughts. God has given us instead a spirit

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Speaker 2: of power, love, and sound judgment. Scripture also tells us

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Speaker 2: I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.

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Speaker 2: Philippians four thirteen, Intersecting faith in life, a critical nature

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Speaker 2: toward ourselves is really a critical heart toward God and

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Speaker 2: what He can accomplish through us. Instead of believing the

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Speaker 2: lies that you are constantly incapable and fully prone to failure,

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Speaker 2: or that you're alone or unloved or insignificant, focus instead

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Speaker 2: on the truth of who God good is and all

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Speaker 2: that He can do in and through you. He is

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Speaker 2: the one who supports you, sustains you, provides for you,

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Speaker 2: guides and directs you, and always comes through for you.

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Speaker 2: Whether you see it in your circumstances or not. Scripture

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Speaker 2: tells us without faith, it is impossible to please him.

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Speaker 2: For he who comes to God must believe that He is,

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Speaker 2: and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently

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Speaker 2: seek him he Brews eleven six. We are not only

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Speaker 2: commanded to believe on him, but to believe he is

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Speaker 2: a rewarder and provider for those who diligently seek him.

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Speaker 2: So stop believing the lies outright, reject them, and start

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Speaker 2: listening to God's truth through scripture, through the godly counsel

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Speaker 2: of others that is backed by scripture, and by listening

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Speaker 2: for his quiet, comforting whispers on your heart that leave

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Speaker 2: you encouraged, equipped and empowered for His glory. How you

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Speaker 2: live by fear or by faith speaks volumes to others

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Speaker 2: of what you truly believe about God. Lord, forgive us

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Speaker 2: for doubting what you can do through us. Help us

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Speaker 2: to remember that with you all things are possible, and

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Speaker 2: your words are true and empowering, not false and defeating.

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Speaker 2: For further reading, see Psalm one thirty nine, Verses thirteen

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Speaker 2: and fourteen. For more on learning to listen for God's whispers,

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Speaker 2: see my book The New Loneliness devotional Fifty Days to

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Speaker 2: a Closer Connection with God.

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Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to today's devotional. If you liked what

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Speaker 1: you heard today, we want to make sure you know

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