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Speaker 1: Welcome to Abides Daily Christian Meditations. I'm Tyler Boss. Today's

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Speaker 1: meditation is brought to you by our partners at Life Audio.

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Speaker 1: If you go to lifeaudio dot com you will find

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Speaker 1: have full access to our meditations commercial free. Just text

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Speaker 1: Abide to two two four three three for twenty five

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Speaker 1: percent off. Now receive his piece as we meditate and

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Speaker 1: abide in Christ. Welcome to this Abide meditation. I'm Tyler.

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Speaker 1: God invites you to bring every part of yourself to Him,

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Speaker 1: your heart, your mind, and even your body. During a

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Speaker 1: time of national disaster, the prophet Joe called God's people

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Speaker 1: to repent and return to the Lord. Joel said, yet

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Speaker 1: even now declares the Lord, return to me with all

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Speaker 1: your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning, and

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Speaker 1: rend your hearts and not your garments. Return to the

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Speaker 1: Lord your God. For he's gracious and merciful, slow to anger,

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Speaker 1: and abounding in steadfast love, and he relents over disaster.

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Speaker 1: Joel calls God's people to fast as they return to

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Speaker 1: the Lord. Fasting is the spiritual discipline of going without

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Speaker 1: something for a time in order to lean more fully

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Speaker 1: on God. You might choose to give up a meal

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Speaker 1: or a beloved beverage, or TV or social media. Fasting

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Speaker 1: is giving up something good in order to practice craving

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Speaker 1: something better God's presence. Fasting is a part of repentance,

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Speaker 1: and it's also a part of a normal spiritual life.

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Speaker 1: Return to me. Perhaps these are God's words to you too.

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Speaker 1: How will you respond? If you've struggled with eating disorders

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Speaker 1: or control issues, you need to be careful when practicing fasting.

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Speaker 1: You should probably fast from something other than food. Ask

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Speaker 1: God to grant you wisdom as you seek to practice

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Speaker 1: this spiritual discipline. Pray with me, God, I want to

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Speaker 1: want you more. I want to return to you with

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Speaker 1: my whole heart. Give me discipline. Teach me to crave

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Speaker 1: you and to depend on you alone. Thank you for

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Speaker 1: your everlasting mercy in Jesus' name, I pray Amen. As

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Speaker 1: you take a deep breath in, notice the desires you're

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Speaker 1: feeling now? Are you thirsty? Hungry? Are your fingers itching

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Speaker 1: to pick up the phone and check your messages? Offer

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Speaker 1: those desires to God, knowing that only he can truly satisfy.

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Speaker 1: Turn your heart toward Him, breathing in his presence and

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Speaker 1: breathing out, surrendering your desires for anything else. We have

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Speaker 1: all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

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Speaker 1: Consider the ways you have looked to temporary things of

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Speaker 1: earth for the satisfaction that can only be found in Christ.

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Speaker 1: Confess your sins to the Lord, knowing that he is

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Speaker 1: always ready to forgive. God's mercies are new every morning.

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Speaker 1: You are forgiven and called a child of God, and

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Speaker 1: nothing can ever separate you from God's love. Let's pray,

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Speaker 1: Almighty God, thank you for calling me to return to you,

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Speaker 1: and for inviting me to give you my emotions and

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Speaker 1: my body as well as my mind. Thank you for

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Speaker 1: your mercy and compassion and your unfailing love. Help me

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Speaker 1: to learn to fast well and to desire you more

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Speaker 1: than anything else. In Jesus name, I pray Amen. Today

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Speaker 1: consider what you might give up so that you'll be

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Speaker 1: better able to taste the sweetness of God's presence. Until

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Speaker 1: next time. May you abide in Christ. No