WEBVTT - A Prayer When Your Reputation Is Damaged

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<v Speaker 1>Life Audio. Thank you for listening to your daily prayer,

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<v Speaker 1>where we help you find the words you need to

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<v Speaker 1>connect to your Father in Heaven. No matter what is

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<v Speaker 1>happening in your life today, you can trust that God

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<v Speaker 1>wants to hear from you. Right after this short word

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<v Speaker 1>from our sponsors, well pray God. Today's prayer when your

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<v Speaker 1>reputation is damaged. A Prayer when your Reputation is damaged

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<v Speaker 1>written by Peyton Garland, read by Carrie Eichberger. We have

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<v Speaker 1>this treasure in jars of clay to show that the

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<v Speaker 1>surpassing power belongs to God and not to us Tewod

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<v Speaker 1>Corinthians four, verse seven. A few days ago I stuck

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<v Speaker 1>my foot in my mouth, but not in a bad way. Rather,

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<v Speaker 1>I was a bit more vulnerable with my mental health struggles,

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<v Speaker 1>more vulnerable than I've ever been with someone outside by

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<v Speaker 1>tight family. I've written articles, blog posts, and even books

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<v Speaker 1>about the debilitating, villainous OCD monster that plagues my life,

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<v Speaker 1>but never had I looked someone in the face in

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<v Speaker 1>such an intimate setting and spilled the big heart embarrassing stuff.

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<v Speaker 1>As soon as I confessed to my friend just how

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<v Speaker 1>wild my OCD can be, I thought she will never

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<v Speaker 1>think of me the same again. I've damaged my reputation,

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<v Speaker 1>possibly ruined this friendship. Needless to say, my stomach was

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<v Speaker 1>in not all day. I was nauseated by a situation

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<v Speaker 1>or someone's perception rather that was now totally out of

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<v Speaker 1>my hands. Then he recalled a video that I watched

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<v Speaker 1>just that morning. The timing a bit uncanny if you

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<v Speaker 1>ask me. Jackie Hill Perry, a Christian author, speaker, and influencer,

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<v Speaker 1>recently shared that others have tried to make it seem

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<v Speaker 1>that she supports Pride Month though she doesn't. Amid the

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<v Speaker 1>online chaos that threatens to taint her image, she has

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<v Speaker 1>made a life changing, convicting point for us all. Instead

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<v Speaker 1>of defending your reputation, proclaimed the Gospel, our vulnerability, and

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<v Speaker 1>the stage it can provide aren't about preserving our image

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<v Speaker 1>or making a name for ourselves. It's all about allowing

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<v Speaker 1>God to use whatever story he has written for us, plot, twists,

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<v Speaker 1>and all for his resurrection power in order to change lives.

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<v Speaker 1>If God uses sinners, he can use whatever awkward, scary,

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<v Speaker 1>miserable situation we place ourselves in for his glory. He

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<v Speaker 1>can use whatever unfair situation others place us in too.

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<v Speaker 1>We are the actors and he is the director. He

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<v Speaker 1>sees the whole stage and knows the audience far better

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<v Speaker 1>than we ever will we enter and exit at his will,

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<v Speaker 1>and at the final curtain call, we will point to

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<v Speaker 1>him as the ultimate producer of all things magnificently beautiful

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<v Speaker 1>and redemptive. At the end of the day, our reputations

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<v Speaker 1>are far too fragile to sustain. If we chase such

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<v Speaker 1>a goal, we idolize perfection. We become slaves to perception

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<v Speaker 1>rather than practice. Then, tragically, our faith in God becomes

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<v Speaker 1>faulty because it's not truly faith in Him. It's simply

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<v Speaker 1>us playing the Christian game because it creates a nice

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<v Speaker 1>narrative to shelter our name. This is why it's important

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<v Speaker 1>to remember that God doesn't just use our moments of weakness.

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<v Speaker 1>He uses us who we are in those moments, so

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<v Speaker 1>He can transform our hearts and gift us with the

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<v Speaker 1>testimony of his love. If I have learned one thing

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<v Speaker 1>in life, it's that cracked vessels overflow much quicker than

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<v Speaker 1>perfectly whole ones. It seems the more trials we endure,

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<v Speaker 1>the quicker our imperfect hearts break. The sooner we are

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<v Speaker 1>chipped and corcked and can spill over with God's goodness.

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<v Speaker 1>Thus our weaknesses provide much more room for God's glory

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<v Speaker 1>to overflow. As Scripture says, the knowledge and power displayed

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<v Speaker 1>through impossible redemption are never ours. To boast about the

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<v Speaker 1>goodness we create and the beauty we share. Our only

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<v Speaker 1>gifts we've been given by the great Giver. No good

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<v Speaker 1>thing is from us or through us, apart from Him.

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<v Speaker 1>And honestly, that's such a relief when you're afraid and

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<v Speaker 1>you've messed up too much, gone too far, or damage

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<v Speaker 1>your reputation beyond repair. The power to sustain your reputation

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<v Speaker 1>was never yours, and the ability to restore an impossible

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<v Speaker 1>situation isn't yours. Though this might not sound like great

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<v Speaker 1>news on the surface, it's far more than great news.

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<v Speaker 1>It's freeing news. The pressure is off you to control

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<v Speaker 1>everything better. Still, Jesus sustains all things, including your soul,

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<v Speaker 1>not because of your performance, but because He is Goodness.

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<v Speaker 1>He is sovereign and all powerful, and in these unlimited

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<v Speaker 1>qualities he will see us into eternity, where perfect stories

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<v Speaker 1>never end and cups overflow from whole healed vessels, Let's

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<v Speaker 1>pray God. As humans, it's only natural that we long

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<v Speaker 1>to maintain our reputations and control everything, long to appear

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<v Speaker 1>as the very thing we can't be perfect. May we

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<v Speaker 1>surrender this pride to you and trust that you are

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<v Speaker 1>both sovereign and good. Grant us the courage to open

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<v Speaker 1>our hands and allow our failures and weaknesses to play

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<v Speaker 1>a redemptive part in this story you have written to

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<v Speaker 1>heal mankind, restore the world with our humility and witness,

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<v Speaker 1>Lord God, forever Amen. Your Daily Prayer is a production

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<v Speaker 1>of Life Audio and Sale Media. If you haven't already,

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<v Speaker 1>be sure to follow the show in your favorite podcast

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