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Speaker 1: Life Audio.

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Speaker 2: Welcome to the Crosswalk devotional. We're glad to have you

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Speaker 2: listening with us. Today's topic is how to get excited

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Speaker 2: again about reading the Bible and applying its messages to

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Speaker 2: your life.

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

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Speaker 1: our sponsors. Get Excited about the Bible Again, Written and

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Speaker 1: read by Whitney Hoppler. Open my eyes that I may

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Speaker 1: see wonderful things in your law Song one nineteen eighteen

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Speaker 1: and IV. When a friend invited me to a Bible study,

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Speaker 1: I agreed to go just to spend time with that friend.

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Speaker 1: I've been reading the Bible for years, and it all

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Speaker 1: seemed so familiar that I didn't expect to learn much.

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Speaker 1: But during that first session, after we all prayed together,

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Speaker 1: I found a fresh perspective on a Bible passage that

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Speaker 1: I'd read many times before. That happened again and again

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Speaker 1: during that Bible study, as the leader encouraged us to

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Speaker 1: ask God to open our eyes spiritually to his messages.

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Speaker 1: For us, it was like finding hidden treasure. I was

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Speaker 1: excited to read the Bible again. It's so easy for

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Speaker 1: us to read the Bible like a chour on our

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Speaker 1: to do lists. Just like picking up the groceries or

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Speaker 1: folding the laundry. We know it's good for us, so

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Speaker 1: we try to squeeze it in, but too often we

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Speaker 1: don't really feel excited about the Bible's messages. We might

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Speaker 1: start a Bible reading plan with great intentions, but then

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Speaker 1: we hit a section that feels confusing or dry and

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Speaker 1: we just give up. Or we find one day that

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Speaker 1: we don't relate to the Bible verse at the day

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Speaker 1: when we first to read it, so we don't reflect

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Speaker 1: on it or try to apply it to our lives.

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Speaker 1: But even when reading the Bible feels like an obligation,

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Speaker 1: it's actually an opportunity. Every part of the Bible can

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Speaker 1: help us connect to God in wonderful ways if we're

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Speaker 1: reading it prayerfully. PSL One nineteen eighteen features a simple

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Speaker 1: yet significant prayer, open my eyes that I may see

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Speaker 1: wonderful things in your law. This tells us that we

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Speaker 1: aren't meant to understand the Bible just by using our

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Speaker 1: own brain power or willpower. We need to ask God

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Speaker 1: to show us the wonderful things hidden in those pages

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Speaker 1: that we simply can't see on our own. That takes

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Speaker 1: the pressure off of us to be perfect students and

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Speaker 1: puts the focus on God to be the perfect teacher,

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Speaker 1: which he is through his Holy Spirit. If you struggle

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Speaker 1: with the Bible, it may be because you've tried to

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Speaker 1: force yourself into a reading plan that doesn't actually sit

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Speaker 1: the way you learn or the season of life you're in.

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Speaker 1: You may think there's only one right way to read

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Speaker 1: and reflect on the Bible, like sitting at a desk

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Speaker 1: and taking notes on every passage you read, and if

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Speaker 1: you can't do that, you don't do anything at all.

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Speaker 1: But God wants you to enjoy his messages. He wants

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Speaker 1: you to come to the Bible with a sense of

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Speaker 1: curiosity and adventure. If you find yourself stuck, you have

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Speaker 1: the freedom to try something new. Maybe it would work

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Speaker 1: better for you to listen to an audio Bible while

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Speaker 1: you walk through the woods, or dive deep into just

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Speaker 1: one single verse for a whole week and journal your

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Speaker 1: thoughts about creative ways you can try applying that verse

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Speaker 1: to your life. You can discover a fresh perspective on

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Speaker 1: the Bible when you stop seeing it as a set

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Speaker 1: of rules to follow and start seeing it as a

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Speaker 1: wonderful place where God reveals his character to you. The

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Speaker 1: more you ask God to show you the wonderful things

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Speaker 1: this Psalm talk about, the more you can learn about

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Speaker 1: who God is and what God does to work in

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Speaker 1: your life in wonderful ways. Every day. Your passion for

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Speaker 1: the Bible will grow not from becoming more disciplined, but

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Speaker 1: from becoming more in love with your wonderful God. So

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Speaker 1: give yourself permission to start fresh with the Bible today.

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Speaker 1: Just pray for God to open your eyes to the

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Speaker 1: wonderful things in His word the Bible. God will meet

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Speaker 1: you where you are and answer your prayer. Expect to

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Speaker 1: be surprised by God's wonder every time you read the

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Speaker 1: Bible while praying for God's spirit to show you what's

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Speaker 1: really inside. Intersecting faith in life, as you consider how

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Speaker 1: to get excited about the Bible again, reflect on these questions.

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Speaker 1: When you think about reading the Bible, do you honestly

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Speaker 1: feel like it's an obligation or an opportunity? And why

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Speaker 1: do you feel that way? Do you ever find yourself

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Speaker 1: rushing through your Bible reading just to check it off

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Speaker 1: a list. If so, how can pray in Psalm one

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Speaker 1: nineteen eighteen before you start reading help you absorb the

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Speaker 1: message into your soul. What kind of Bible reading routine

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Speaker 1: would you actually look forward to every day? What details

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Speaker 1: would be involved, format, time of day, location, etc. What's

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Speaker 1: one wonderful thing you've learned about God's character recently that

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Speaker 1: made God feel more real to you. What's something that

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Speaker 1: you're wondering about who God is or what God does

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Speaker 1: that you'd like to learn more about from the Bible.

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Speaker 1: Further reading Jeremiah fifteen sixteen, Psalm one nineteen, one oh five,

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Speaker 1: Hebrews four twelve, Psalm nineteen seven, Joshua one eight. Thanks

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Speaker 1: for listening today's devotional. If you liked what you heard today,

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Speaker 1: we want to make sure you know about our sister podcast,

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Speaker 1: your Daily Prayer.

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Speaker 1: A brand new prayer and devotional each day, so your

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Speaker 1: days begin in conversation with God. If you're looking to

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Speaker 1: grow in prayer or start your day with your heart

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Speaker 1: focused on the right things, search for your daily prayer

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