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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. Today's topic is about dealing with rejection.

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

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Speaker 1: one of our sponsors. God doesn't reject his children. Written

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Speaker 1: and read by Emily Rose Massey, For he himself has said,

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Speaker 1: I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,

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Speaker 1: so that we confidently say the Lord is my helper.

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Speaker 1: I will not be afraid what will man do to me?

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Speaker 1: Hebrews Chapter thirteen, verses five B through six. I woke

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Speaker 1: up one morning recently crying after having a very vivid

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Speaker 1: heart piercing dream. It was almost as if my current

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Speaker 1: heart struggle was being played out right before me. I

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Speaker 1: could honestly see this dream happening in reality. The words

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Speaker 1: that were spoken in the dream to my husband and

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Speaker 1: me cut to the core, and they hurt so badly

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Speaker 1: that my first reaction was tears so strong that they

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Speaker 1: stained my cheeks when I awoke. Being a storyteller allows

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Speaker 1: for intense dream tales in my mind when I'm supposed

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Speaker 1: to be resting, sleeping. It's something I have always dealt

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Speaker 1: with since I was a child. I wake up trying

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Speaker 1: to shake the mental visions, telling myself over and over

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Speaker 1: again that it's not real. Eventually, the motions fade and

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Speaker 1: I can go on with the rest of my day.

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Speaker 1: In this recent instance, I had trouble getting past the

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Speaker 1: pain and just began talking to God about it. It

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Speaker 1: was obvious and simple. I was still dealing with rejection,

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Speaker 1: and it's still hurt. But I was reminded that there's

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Speaker 1: a friend who sticks closer than a brother Proverbs chapter eighteen,

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Speaker 1: verse twenty four. Although Proverbs chapter eighteen, verse twenty four

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Speaker 1: doesn't necessarily say that friend is Jesus, I know that

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Speaker 1: he will always be there for me, even when everyone

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Speaker 1: else fails me. Scripture tells us that God never leaves

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Speaker 1: us or forsakes us in Deuteronomy chapter thirty one, verse six.

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Speaker 1: This truth from the Old Testament about our never changing

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Speaker 1: God is also stated again as a reminder in Hebrews

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Speaker 1: chapter thirteen, along with this powerful truth that people will

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Speaker 1: fail us and people may reject us, but we should

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Speaker 1: not fear, for God is on our side. He is

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Speaker 1: our helper, for he himself has said, I will never

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Speaker 1: desert you, nor will I ever forsake you. So we

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Speaker 1: confidently say, the Lord is my helper. I will not

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Speaker 1: be afraid. What will man do to me? Hebrews Chapter thirteen,

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Speaker 1: verses five b through six, intersecting life and faith. When

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Speaker 1: we face rejection from others, we must remember that Jesus

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Speaker 1: understands more than anyone what rejection feels like, as he

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Speaker 1: is very familiar with it himself. Many people rejected Jesus

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Speaker 1: and continue to do so while he was here on earth.

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Speaker 1: Even one of his very own disciples, Judas, rejected him

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Speaker 1: and betrayed him, and just a couple hours later, another

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Speaker 1: one of his closest disciples, Peter, rejected knowing him three times.

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Speaker 1: To be exact. Aren't you so thankful for jesus forgiveness

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Speaker 1: When we turn our backs on him. He gives us

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Speaker 1: so many opportunities to repent and make things right in

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Speaker 1: our relationship with him. His mercies towards us are new

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Speaker 1: every single morning. Oh what love has the pain of

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Speaker 1: rejection made it difficult for you to trust others. Lay

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Speaker 1: that pain at the foot of the cross. Friend, God

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Speaker 1: can bring healing to the wounds of those who have

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Speaker 1: hurt you and empower you to choose to forgive instead.

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Speaker 1: Of allowing bitterness to take root in your heart. Perhaps

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Speaker 1: you should ask the Lord to bless those who have

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Speaker 1: hurt you, even if they don't want you in their

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Speaker 1: life anymore. Jesus was rejected, yet he took the punishment

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Speaker 1: of our sin out of love for those who would

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Speaker 1: put their trust in him. No matter how much man

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Speaker 1: rejects us, we must remember that Jesus is the friend

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Speaker 1: who sticks by us no matter what. He will never

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Speaker 1: leave you nor turn his back on you. The Lord

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Speaker 1: understands our pain regarding rejection, and his arms are wide open,

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Speaker 1: so let us be quick to draw near to him.

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Speaker 1: Lo he is always with you, even to the end

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Speaker 1: of the age. Further reading Isaiah chapter forty three, Verse two, Romans,

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Speaker 1: Chapter eight, verses thirty eight. Through them. I'm thirty nine.

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

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