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Speaker 1: Life Audio. Well, hey, they're friends. I'm Jody Nisnick and

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Speaker 1: this is our Lent series helping us prepare our hearts

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Speaker 1: for Easter. This year, we are reflecting on the I

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Speaker 1: Am statements of Jesus, and this is a midweek prayer

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Speaker 1: to help us refocus our heart and our mind back

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Speaker 1: on Jesus. And we'll do that after we take a

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Speaker 1: quick break for a word from our sponsors. Well, friends,

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Speaker 1: let's begin in prayer. I do want to invite you

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Speaker 1: just take a few deep in and out breaths to

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Speaker 1: help you settle in. And as you're doing that, let

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Speaker 1: me read our verse over us so that we remember

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Speaker 1: what we're meditating on this week. Jesus is the Gate.

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Speaker 1: He says this in John ten, verses seven through ten

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Speaker 1: in the New International version. Very truly, I tell you,

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Speaker 1: I am the Gate for the sheep. All who have

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Speaker 1: come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep

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Speaker 1: have not listened to them. I am the Gate. Whoever

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Speaker 1: enters through me will be saved. They will come in

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Speaker 1: and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only

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Speaker 1: to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that

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Speaker 1: they may have life and have it to the full,

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Speaker 1: gracious Lord, thank you that you are the Gate, that

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Speaker 1: you are the one who protects us with your very presence,

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Speaker 1: and no one can get through you without yours. Say so, Lord, Jesus,

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Speaker 1: help us trust you as the one who protects us. Today,

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Speaker 1: in this moment, we surrender to you all of the

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Speaker 1: things that are making us feel fearful and anxious, and

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Speaker 1: we ask would you be the gate for those things? Lord.

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Speaker 1: We also recognize that there is a thief who wants

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Speaker 1: to steal, and kill and destroy. In this moment we

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Speaker 1: pray against this thief, our enemy. Thank you that you

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Speaker 1: are the Gate and that you protect us with your

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Speaker 1: very presence. May we walk in that truth today? Lord,

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Speaker 1: Thank you that you are the life giver and we

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Speaker 1: can trust you to have more, an abundant, better life

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Speaker 1: than we ever dreamed of. Lord, we ask that you

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Speaker 1: would give us that today, that you would renew our

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Speaker 1: hope for this abundant life that you have created us for.

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Speaker 1: Help us turn to you and trust you. We ask

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Speaker 1: that you would do this and so much more in

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Speaker 1: the name of Jesus our Gate. Amen. Well, friends, I

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Speaker 1: will see you next week for our next meditation.