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Speaker 1: Hey friends, it's Kelly from Life Audio. We just launched

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Speaker 1: something new. It's called The Good Word, our free weekly

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Speaker 1: newsletter built for people who want to go a little

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Speaker 1: deeper in their faith. Thank devotionals, guided prayers, curated podcasts, recommendations,

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Speaker 1: and a little community all in one place. No ads,

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Speaker 1: just good content. This one means a lot to us.

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Speaker 1: We built The Good Word based on the audience survey

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Speaker 1: so many of you filled out a few months back.

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Speaker 1: You told us what you wanted and we listened. So

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Speaker 1: thank you truly for helping us shape this. Head to

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Speaker 1: the link in the show notes and join our community today.

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Speaker 1: We'd love to have you.

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Speaker 2: Life Audio.

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Speaker 3: Thank you for listening to your Nightly Scripture, a calming

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Speaker 3: scripture center devotional podcast designed to help you end each

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Speaker 3: day with God's word and your mind and on your heart.

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Speaker 3: Right after the short words from our sponsors, we will

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Speaker 3: reflect on tonight's scripture from Second Corinthians, chapter five. Tonight's

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Speaker 3: reflection is written by Alicia Hedley and read by Kyle Norman,

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Speaker 3: Second Corinthians, chapter five. For we know that if the

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Speaker 3: earthly tent we live and is destroyed, we have a

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Speaker 3: building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built

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Speaker 3: by human hands. Meanwhile, we groan, longing to be clothed

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Speaker 3: instead with heavenly dwellings, because when we are clothed, we

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Speaker 3: will not be found naked. For while we are in

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Speaker 3: this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do

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Speaker 3: not wish to be unclothed, but to be clothed instead

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Speaker 3: with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may

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Speaker 3: be swallowed up by life. Now, the one who has

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Speaker 3: fastened us for this very purpose is God, who has

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Speaker 3: given us the spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is

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Speaker 3: to come. Therefore, we are always confident and know that

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Speaker 3: as long as we are at home in the body,

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Speaker 3: we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith,

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Speaker 3: not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would

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Speaker 3: prefer to be away from the body and at home

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Speaker 3: with the Lord. So we make it our goal to

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Speaker 3: please Him, whether we are at home in the body

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Speaker 3: or away from it. Bring us all appear before the

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Speaker 3: judgment see the Christ, so that each of us may

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Speaker 3: receive what is due to us for the things done

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Speaker 3: while in the body, whether good or bad. Since then

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Speaker 3: we know what it is to fear the Lord. We

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Speaker 3: try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God,

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Speaker 3: and I hope it is also plain to your conscience.

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Speaker 3: We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again,

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Speaker 3: but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us,

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Speaker 3: so that you can answer those who take pride in

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Speaker 3: what is seen rather than what is in the heart.

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Speaker 3: If we are out of our mind, as some say,

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Speaker 3: it is for God. If we are in our right mind,

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Speaker 3: it is for you. For Christ's love compels us. Because

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Speaker 3: we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore

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Speaker 3: all died, and He died for all, that those who

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Speaker 3: live we should no longer live for themselves, but for

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Speaker 3: him who died for them and was raised again. So

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Speaker 3: from now on we regard no one from a worldly

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Speaker 3: point of view. Though once we regarded Christ in this way,

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Speaker 3: we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ,

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Speaker 3: the new creation has come, the oldest gone, and the

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Speaker 3: new is here. All this is from God, who reconciled

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Speaker 3: us to himself through Christ and gave us the many

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Speaker 3: of ministry of reconciliation. That God was reconciling the world

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Speaker 3: to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them,

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Speaker 3: and he is committed to us the message of reconciliation.

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Speaker 3: We are, therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making

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Speaker 3: his appeal through us. We implore you, on Christ's behalf,

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Speaker 3: be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin,

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Speaker 3: to be sin for us, so that in him we

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Speaker 3: might become the righteousness of God. Tonight's scripture reminds us

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Speaker 3: that becoming the person God is making us to be

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Speaker 3: is not about striving harder. It's about surrendering more deeply

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Speaker 3: and Second Corinthians, chapter five Paul paints a beautiful picture

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Speaker 3: of the Christian life. We are reminded that this world

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Speaker 3: is not our permanent home, that we walk by faith

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Speaker 3: and not by s, that anyone in Christ is a

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Speaker 3: new creation, and that God has reconciled us to himself

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Speaker 3: through Jesus. Every part of this chapter points to one

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Speaker 3: incredible truth. God is continually making us more like Christ

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Speaker 3: day by day. The problem is that transformation rarely feels

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Speaker 3: as dramatic as we'd like. Most days, becoming looks ordinary

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Speaker 3: and mundane. It looks like choosing forgiveness when resentment feels easier.

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Speaker 3: It looks like trusting God when the future feels uncertain.

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Speaker 3: It looks like praying when you don't immediately see answers.

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Speaker 3: It looks like getting back up after you're stumbled and

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Speaker 3: believing that God's grace is still enough. Sometimes we become

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Speaker 3: so focused on who we wish we already were that

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Speaker 3: we overlook the ways God has already changed us. Maybe

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Speaker 3: you're more patient than you were a year ago. Maybe

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Speaker 3: you respond with more grace than you once did. Maybe

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Speaker 3: your first instinct is now to pray instead of panic.

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Speaker 3: Those quiet changes matter because they are evidence that the

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Speaker 3: Holy Spirit is faithfully at work within you. I've learned

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Speaker 3: that God is far more patient with my growth than

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Speaker 3: I am. There have been seasons where I felt discouraged

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Speaker 3: because I wasn't aware I wanted to be spiritually. But

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Speaker 3: looking back, I can now see that while I was

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Speaker 3: focused on the destination, God was faithfully shaping my heart

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Speaker 3: one day at a time, every season. Even the difficult

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Speaker 3: ones became a part of the person He was creating

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Speaker 3: me to be. Just as the seed grows beneath the soil,

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Speaker 3: long before anybody sees the flower, God is often doing

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Speaker 3: his greatest work beneath the surface of our lives. You

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Speaker 3: may now always see your growth. That doesn't mean growth

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Speaker 3: isn't happening. I'm sure you can look back at times

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Speaker 3: years later and be amazed at your growth. It's not

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Speaker 3: until looking back in hindsight that you see God was

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Speaker 3: growing something within you the entire time. So tonight, don't

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Speaker 3: measure yourself by who you used to be or how

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Speaker 3: far you still have to go. Instead, thank God that

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Speaker 3: he has to stop the working. The one who made

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Speaker 3: you a new creation is still faithfully shaping you, and

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Speaker 3: he will continue that work until the day you see

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Speaker 3: him face to face. Dear Father, thank you for never

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Speaker 3: giving up on me. Thank you that when I placed

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Speaker 3: my faith in Christ, you begin making me new from

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Speaker 3: the inside out. Even on the days when I feel

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Speaker 3: like I'm not changing fast enough, remind me that you

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Speaker 3: are still at work within me. Forgive me for the

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Speaker 3: times I've measured myself by my failures instead of your faithfulness.

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Speaker 3: Help me stop defining myself by old labels, old shame,

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Speaker 3: or old versions of who I used to be. Teach

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Speaker 3: me to trust the slow work of transformation. Shape my

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Speaker 3: heart to look more like yours. Grow in me greater love, patience, wisdom,

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Speaker 3: and kindness. Continue removing anything that doesn't reflect you, even

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Speaker 3: when the process feels uncomfortable. Thank you that the work

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Speaker 3: you started in me will not be wasted as I

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Speaker 3: sleep tonight, continue forming me into the person that you

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Speaker 3: created me to become. In Jesus' name, Amen, how did

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Speaker 3: Tonight's scripture speak to you? Share your thoughts in the

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Speaker 3: Your Nightly Scripture forum discussion.

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Speaker 2: Thank you for listening to Your Nightly Scripture. Tonight's scripture

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Speaker 2: was read from the New International Version by Biblica. All

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Speaker 2: rights reserved. If Tonight's episode blessed you, be sure to

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Speaker 2: follow the show on Apple Podcasts so your next Nightly

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Speaker 2: Scripture is ready when you are. Your Nightly Scripture is

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Speaker 2: a production of Life Audio and Salem Media. Thank you

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Speaker 2: and we'll see you tomorrow. Night