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Speaker 1: Life Audio.

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

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Speaker 2: you listening. I'm Lynette Kittle and today's topic is spreading

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Speaker 2: Joy throughout the Christmas Season. We'll be right back after

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Speaker 2: a brief message from our sponsor, Spreading Joy throughout the

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Speaker 2: Christmas Season, written and read by Lynnette Kittle. But the

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Speaker 2: Angel said to them, do not be afraid. I bring

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Speaker 2: you good news that will cause great joy for all

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Speaker 2: the people. Luke two ten. Great joy for all the people?

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Speaker 2: What truly wonderful good news for all of us down

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Speaker 2: through the ages. An announcement thousands of years ago and

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Speaker 2: still relevant today too. Yet how many millions of people

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Speaker 2: around the world are missing out on experiencing this great joy,

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Speaker 2: not just at Christmas but their entire lives, Unaware this

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Speaker 2: great joy is available to all humanity. So how do we,

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Speaker 2: like the angels, proclaim and spread this great joy throughout

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Speaker 2: the Christmas season and all year round. What can we

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Speaker 2: do to express it, share it, live it, and cultivate

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Speaker 2: it in others lives too? Because God calls us to joy.

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Speaker 2: The following are four ways we can spread it while

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Speaker 2: experiencing it for ourselves. Number One, express our joy. How

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Speaker 2: do individuals express joy? Many smiles, some laugh, others clap,

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Speaker 2: and there are those who jump for joy Sadly, some

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Speaker 2: Christians hold in their joy. Maybe they feel it on

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Speaker 2: the inside, but it doesn't make its way outwardly, causing

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Speaker 2: some of the Christian sayings and critiques, such as the

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Speaker 2: frozen Chosen as a child, I love singing the kid's

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Speaker 2: song I've Got the Joy, Joy Joy, over and over again.

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Speaker 2: We would sing I've got the joy, joy Joy Joy

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Speaker 2: down in my heart. Then we would follow it by

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Speaker 2: shouting where and then respond by singing in reply, down

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Speaker 2: in my heart. Just singing it brought joy to us

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Speaker 2: and those listening. However we express joy, we want to

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Speaker 2: make sure to let it out so others might experience

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Speaker 2: it too, and also to let others know the joyous

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Speaker 2: message of Christmas that can be their own for a lifetime.

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Speaker 2: Number two, share our joy. Many of us don't realize

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Speaker 2: that joy is spreadable. It's contagious and as easily passed

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Speaker 2: from one person into another, just like we can sing

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Speaker 2: songs that gets stuck in others heads who hear us singing,

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Speaker 2: so joy can be shared with one another. We can

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Speaker 2: share joy just by how we look at the world,

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Speaker 2: our situations, and those around us, letting the joy that

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Speaker 2: comes from knowing God lead our words and actions. As

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Speaker 2: Psalm twenty one six describes, surely you have granted him

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Speaker 2: unending blessings and made him glad with the joy of

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Speaker 2: your presence. Number three, live our joy. We can wake

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Speaker 2: up in the morning with joy without anything even happening

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Speaker 2: yet in our day, before we even lift our heads

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Speaker 2: from the pillows. Each morning. We can daily experience and

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Speaker 2: live joy out in our lives because the source of

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Speaker 2: it is not ourselves, but from God. As Psalm sixteen

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Speaker 2: eleven reminds us, you make known to me the path

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Speaker 2: of life. You will fill me with joy in your presence,

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Speaker 2: with eternal pleasures at your right hand. A way to

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Speaker 2: live in God's joy is described in John fifteen eleven

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Speaker 2: through twelve. If you keep my commands, you will remain

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Speaker 2: in my love, just as I have kept my father's

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Speaker 2: commands and remain in his love. I have told you

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Speaker 2: this so that my joy may be in you, and

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Speaker 2: that your joy may be complete. Number four cultivate joy

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Speaker 2: in others. If we ask, God will lead us to

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Speaker 2: cultivate joy in the lives of those around us. We

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Speaker 2: may not perceive ourselves how to nurture it in others,

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Speaker 2: but God can show us how because He knows what

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Speaker 2: it takes to help it grow in those around us.

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Speaker 2: As Galatians five twenty two describes, but the fruit of

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Speaker 2: the spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,

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Speaker 2: and sad self control. Again such things there is no law.

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Speaker 2: Just the way we speak and interact with others gives

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Speaker 2: us opportunities to cultivate joy in their lives by expressing,

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Speaker 2: sharing and living joy out in our own lives. Intersecting

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Speaker 2: faith in life, are you known for your joy? If not,

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Speaker 2: take stock and ask God, why not see what's holding

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Speaker 2: you back from enjoying the great joy that is ours

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Speaker 2: through Jesus Christ. Further reading, counting it all joy, even

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Speaker 2: through the hard stuff.

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Speaker 1: The Crosswalk Devotional is a production of Life Audio and

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Speaker 1: can find the show. For more faith filled inspirational podcasts,

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