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Speaker 1: Life Audio, Well their friends. I'm Jody Nisnick and this

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Speaker 1: is our linth series helping us prepare our hearts for Easter.

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Speaker 1: This year, we are reflecting on the I Am statements

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Speaker 1: of Jesus, and this is a midweek prayer to help

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Speaker 1: us refocus our heart and our mind back on Jesus.

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Speaker 1: And we'll do that after we take a quick break

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Speaker 1: for a word from our sponsors. As we begin our

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Speaker 1: prayer time, I want to invite you to settle in

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Speaker 1: and take a few deep breaths in and out as

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Speaker 1: a way to settle your heart in your mind and

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Speaker 1: bring you to this place where we are right now.

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Speaker 1: And as you're doing that, let me read the passage

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Speaker 1: for us that we meditated on. It is John ten

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Speaker 1: Verses eleven through fifteen. In the new International version, I

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Speaker 1: Am the Good Shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his

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Speaker 1: life for his sheep. The hired hand is not the

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Speaker 1: shepherd and does not own the sheep, so when he

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Speaker 1: sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away.

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Speaker 1: Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The

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Speaker 1: man runs away because he is a hired hand and

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Speaker 1: cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd.

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Speaker 1: I know my sheep, and my sheep know me, just

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Speaker 1: as the Father knows me. And I know the Father,

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Speaker 1: and I lay down my life for the sheep. Let's

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Speaker 1: pray together, Lord, thank you that you are our good

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Speaker 1: shepherd in this quiet space. Name before God and thank

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Speaker 1: him for all the ways he is a good shepherd.

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Speaker 1: To you, Lord, we thank you that, as our good shepherd,

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Speaker 1: you say you will never abandon us or run away

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Speaker 1: from us. Thank you that you always stay, you never leave,

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Speaker 1: and you never forsake us. Thank you that you have

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Speaker 1: laid down your life for us. Lord. These verses say

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Speaker 1: that you know us and that we know you in

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Speaker 1: this quiet space. Now we ask help us know you

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Speaker 1: more so that we can follow you more closely. And Lord,

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Speaker 1: this passage also recognizes that we do have a very

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Speaker 1: real enemy. The passage names this as the wolf, and

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Speaker 1: it attacks the flock to scatter it. So Lord, in

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Speaker 1: this moment, we pray against anyone or anything that intends

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Speaker 1: to attack us or your people. Lord, thank you again

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Speaker 1: that you are the good shepherd, that you are God,

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Speaker 1: and that you lay down your life for us. As

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Speaker 1: we move through this day and this Lenten season, help

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Speaker 1: us remember who you are and what you have done

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Speaker 1: for us, and may we love you and serve you

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Speaker 1: even more. We ask this in the name of Jesus

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Speaker 1: our good Shepherd. Amen. Well, friends, I will see you

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Speaker 1: next week for our next meditation.