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Speaker 1: Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath

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Speaker 1: begun a good work in you will perform it until

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Speaker 1: the day of Jesus Christ Philippians one six. Dear Father,

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Speaker 1: thank you for the peace that comes from knowing that

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Speaker 1: in all things you are working out your perfect will.

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Speaker 1: We know that we can trust in you and have

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Speaker 1: great assurance that as we persevere through life's storms, joys,

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Speaker 1: and hardships, nothing is ever wasted. Help us to fix

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Speaker 1: our eyes on Jesus, the Author and perfector of our faith,

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Speaker 1: as we seek you in prayer. May we find strength

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Speaker 1: that comes from your infinite God in every situation. Guide

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Speaker 1: us by your truth and keep our hearts focused on

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Speaker 1: your perfect plan for our lives. We are so grateful

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Speaker 1: that you never leave us, nor forsake us, but lead

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Speaker 1: us in all things. In Jesus' name, Amen, Thank you

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Speaker 1: for joining me in prayer. Stay tuned for today's free

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Speaker 1: podcast Meditative Prayers with Zach Clinton, where you can draw

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Speaker 1: close to God and find strength in him.

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Speaker 2: My friends, welcome to your meditative prayer on becoming present.

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Speaker 2: To get the most out of your spiritual journey, uspray

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Speaker 2: dot Com every day and make prayer a priority. In

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Speaker 2: your life again. Our goal for today's meditative prayer is

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Speaker 2: all about becoming present. So let's just take a moment

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Speaker 2: now just to simply relax. Maybe go to your secret

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Speaker 2: place with the Lord, a place where you can hide

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Speaker 2: under the shelter of his wings, and focus on this

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Speaker 2: time of reflection with the Holy Spirit. Close your eyes

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Speaker 2: and take a deep breath, and as you exhale, take

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Speaker 2: captive every thought and shift your attention towards what God

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Speaker 2: has prepared for you. Today will be meditating on Philippians one,

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Speaker 2: verse six from the King James version. It says, being

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Speaker 2: confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun

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Speaker 2: a good work in you will perform it until the

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Speaker 2: day of Jesus Christ. My friends, now just take a

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Speaker 2: moment to pour out your adoration to God. I exalt you, Lord,

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Speaker 2: for you finish everything you begin. You are the God

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Speaker 2: of all flesh, and by your word I was made.

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Speaker 2: I adore you, who formed all my days, who holds

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Speaker 2: all in the palm of his hand. I will glorify

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Speaker 2: your name, for you know the beginning before the end.

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Speaker 2: You turn my ashes into beauty and my mourning into dancing. Father,

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Speaker 2: there is truly none like you. You see, God's work

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Speaker 2: is progressive. Your vision, both physical and spiritual, are limited.

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Speaker 2: You cannot see as God sees, so you don't know

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Speaker 2: all the plans He has for you or how He

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Speaker 2: will bring them to pass. You carry hope and aspirations,

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Speaker 2: but sometimes you become stagnant. Instead of pushing you forward,

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Speaker 2: your dreams begin to weigh you down. In these moments,

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Speaker 2: you must cling to faith. Satan will come to you

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Speaker 2: and he'll whisper his lies. You'll try to influence your

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Speaker 2: thoughts and control what you believe, and if you're not vigilant,

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Speaker 2: you start imposing your timeliness and ideas onto God's work.

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Speaker 2: You start believing that you've missed your chance, that you've

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Speaker 2: fallen too far behind in this race to move forward.

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Speaker 2: In short, you begin to confuse use your salvation, which

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Speaker 2: is instantaneous with your transformation, which is progressive, but to

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Speaker 2: not be discouraged with what you perceive as a lack

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Speaker 2: of progress. You cannot control your past, so don't allow

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Speaker 2: it to hold you back, but instead allow God to

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Speaker 2: work his grace and his mercy in your life. Ask

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Speaker 2: him to show you where to go, and listen to

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Speaker 2: his direction. You will not be the canvass God leaves unfinished.

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Speaker 2: He won't stop until his work is complete. Perhaps you've

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Speaker 2: been struggling with accepting your transformation, perhaps you've been resisting it.

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Speaker 2: Right now, my friends, this is your opportunity to come

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Speaker 2: before God and to confess your sins to him, to

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Speaker 2: yield to God's correction and direction. So right now, in

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Speaker 2: this moment, surrender your control to Him and trust that

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Speaker 2: He will finish what he's started. Now, let's take a

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Speaker 2: moment just to simply dwell on God's faithfulness. Remember the

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Speaker 2: works and the wonders God has done in your life,

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Speaker 2: how he made ways in the wilderness and springs in

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Speaker 2: the desert. Recollect past situations where you chose to trust

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Speaker 2: in the promises of the Lord. Think of the testimony

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Speaker 2: you will have when the situation you are in is

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Speaker 2: worked out for your good. And thank God for his

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Speaker 2: peace which surpasses all understanding. Give thanks for his great

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Speaker 2: care over you and his continuous movement in your life.

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Speaker 2: And thank God for his hands which you are always

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Speaker 2: strong enough to save. My friends, do not forget God

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Speaker 2: is present and he is making your ways straight. Jesus

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Speaker 2: said he would send the Holy Spirit so that you

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Speaker 2: would never be alone. He wants to continue working in

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Speaker 2: your life, so let him. Pray for his presence to

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Speaker 2: permeate every area of your life. Pray for his steady

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Speaker 2: hand to continue crafting his masterpiece in your life. Ask

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Speaker 2: the Holy Spirit to increase your faith, to teach you

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Speaker 2: to trust even though you can't see what lies ahead.

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Speaker 2: Ask him to fill you with God's peace that surpasses

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Speaker 2: all understanding. Remember, God began a good work in you.

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Speaker 2: He will continue it until it is finished when Jesus

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Speaker 2: Christ comes again. No matter what you're going through, God

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Speaker 2: is with you today. So do not be anxious or afraid.

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Speaker 2: For God knows what he has for you, and he

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Speaker 2: is not limited by your past. You can trust that

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Speaker 2: He will keep his word and he will finish everything

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Speaker 2: he starts. My friends, thank you for completing today's meditative

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Speaker 2: prayer on pray dot com. By incorporating this healthy habit

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Speaker 2: as a daily practice, I believe you're making prayer a

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Speaker 2: priority and your strengthen your walk with God as always.

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Speaker 2: My name is Zach Clinton, Vice President of the American

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Speaker 2: Association of Christian Counselors, and we love being a part

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Speaker 2: of your life to get some more information and inspiration, help, hope,

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Speaker 2: and encouragement. Be sure to visit our website at www

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Speaker 2: dot AACC dot net. Again, that's AACC dot net.