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Speaker 2: Hi, this is Joelan Victoria. Thanks for listening to our

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Speaker 2: podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. If you enjoy

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Speaker 2: today's message, why don't you be a blessing and share

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Speaker 2: it with a friend. We appreciate you and pray for

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Speaker 2: God's very best in your life. Well, God bless you.

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Speaker 2: It's always a joy to come into your homes. We

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Speaker 2: love you, We know God has great things in store.

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Speaker 2: And if you're ever in our area, I hope you'll

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Speaker 2: stop by and be a part of one of our services.

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Speaker 2: I promise you we'll make you feel right at home.

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Speaker 2: But thank you so much for tuning in. Thanks again

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Speaker 2: for coming out today. I like to start with something funny.

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Speaker 2: And I heard about this man that was very stingy

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Speaker 2: with his money. Just before his death, he made his

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Speaker 2: wife promise that she would have him buried with the

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Speaker 2: fifty thousand dollars he had saved. The wife reluctantly agreed.

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Speaker 2: At the funeral, just before they closed the casket, she

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Speaker 2: slipped in a small wooden box. Her friend said, surely

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Speaker 2: you didn't just bury the money, did you. The wife said,

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Speaker 2: of course I did. I'm a Christian. I can't lie.

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Speaker 2: I promised him I would do it, so I did it.

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Speaker 2: She said, you mean you just buried fifty thousand dollars.

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Speaker 2: The wife said, yes, I did. I wrote a check.

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Speaker 2: Hold up your Bible, say it like you mean it.

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Speaker 2: This is my Bible. I am what it says. I am.

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Speaker 2: I have what it says I have. I can do

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Speaker 2: what it says I can do. Today I will be

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Speaker 2: taught the word of God. I boldly confess. My mind

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Speaker 2: is alert, my heart is receptive. I will never be

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Speaker 2: the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want

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Speaker 2: to talk to you today about how God can speak

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Speaker 2: to us even in our doubts. Sometimes we think we're

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Speaker 2: supposed to have a perfect faith, where we never doubt,

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Speaker 2: we never have a question, we never get discouraged, we

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Speaker 2: never wonder why something has happened. If we waver at all,

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Speaker 2: something must be wrong with us. Surely God couldn't do anything.

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Speaker 2: I talked to a gentleman that had worked for a

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Speaker 2: company for thirty six years. He was in the banking industry,

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Speaker 2: just a few months from retirement, and the bank soul.

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Speaker 2: The new owners restructured everything to where they didn't need

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Speaker 2: his position anymore. He not only lost his job, he

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Speaker 2: lost all of his retirement, all of his benefits. He's

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Speaker 2: in his late fifties. He said, Joel, I just don't

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Speaker 2: understand how God could let this happen to me. Of course,

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Speaker 2: I went into my two minute pep talk about how

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Speaker 2: God is in control and he's going to open up

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Speaker 2: another door. Then he said something that stuck with me.

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Speaker 2: He said, I want to believe. I just wish I

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Speaker 2: didn't have all these doubts. He said it almost like

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Speaker 2: he was apologizing, like he felt so badly for thinking

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Speaker 2: that way. Here's what I want to tell you. It's

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Speaker 2: okay to have questions. It's okay to wonder why something

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Speaker 2: has happened. God doesn't expect us to be mister and

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Speaker 2: missus super believer that never has a doubt, never gets discouraged,

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Speaker 2: never has a question that's not reality. I heard somebody

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Speaker 2: say the presence of faith doesn't mean the absence of doubt.

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Speaker 2: In other words, we may have doubt up here in

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Speaker 2: our head, in our thinking, but down here in our hearts,

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Speaker 2: where it counts, we know God is still in control.

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Speaker 2: We know God is good even though something bad may

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Speaker 2: have happened. Now I want to take the pressure off.

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Speaker 2: God understands what it's like to be wronged. He knows

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Speaker 2: what it's like to have someone walk out of a relationship.

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Speaker 2: He knows how it feels to pray and pray, but

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Speaker 2: your loved one didn't make it. God doesn't right us

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Speaker 2: off and say, look at them, they're down, they're doubting.

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Speaker 2: I thought they trusted me. See if I ever do

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Speaker 2: anything for them. No, it's just the opposite. God is

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Speaker 2: moved by our faith, but sometimes it's our doubt that

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Speaker 2: will actually draw God to us. When Jesus rose from

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Speaker 2: the dead, he appeared to Mary and Martha at the

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Speaker 2: garden tomb. He said, go tell my disciples word quickly

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Speaker 2: got out that Jesus was alive. Everyone was so excited.

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Speaker 2: There was great joy among all the disciples. All that is,

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Speaker 2: except one person. Thomas said, Wait a minute, guys, I'm

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Speaker 2: a believer. I love Jesus. I know he promised that

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Speaker 2: he would come back to life. Yes, I understand those

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Speaker 2: women said that they've seen him. But unless I see

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Speaker 2: him with my own eyes, unless I feel the nail

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Speaker 2: prints in his hands, unless I touched the scars in

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Speaker 2: his side, that I'm not going to believe here. Thomas

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Speaker 2: had spent just as much time with Jesus as the

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Speaker 2: other believers. You might say. He grew up in church,

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Speaker 2: he went to vacation Bible school, he knew all the scriptures.

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Speaker 2: Deep down, he wanted to believe, but in his mind

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Speaker 2: it was filled with doubts. A few days later, the

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Speaker 2: disciples were in a room together. All of a sudden,

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Speaker 2: Jesus came walking through the door. They thought it was

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Speaker 2: a ghost. They recognized it was Jesus. What's interesting is

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Speaker 2: Jesus didn't go over to Peter and say hello. He

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Speaker 2: didn't go over to Matthew and give him a big hug.

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Speaker 2: He didn't go over to John and say hey, I'm back.

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Speaker 2: It's great to see you. Know, Jesus headed straight toward Thomas.

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Speaker 2: He didn't go to the people that had faith. He

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Speaker 2: went to the one disciple that had doubt. He looked

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Speaker 2: him in the eyes and said, Thomas, I've heard what

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Speaker 2: you've said about me. I've heard you don't believe, you

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Speaker 2: have questions, you have doubts, and you know what, Thomas,

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Speaker 2: that's okay. That's why I've come to you first. Now

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Speaker 2: feel the nail prints in my hands, touch the scars

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Speaker 2: on my side. Be assured of this, Thomas. I'm a

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Speaker 2: faithful God, and I will do what I've promised. What

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Speaker 2: am I say? Our doubts don't drive God away. He

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Speaker 2: doesn't ride us all and close the door. God is

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Speaker 2: so merciful. Those doubts can actually draw God to us.

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Speaker 2: When we go through things we don't understand. Somebody does

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Speaker 2: us wrong. We prayed, and our loved one didn't make it.

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Speaker 2: Our child is born with special needs. So often we

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Speaker 2: think we're supposed to be superman, superwoman and never shed

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Speaker 2: a tear, never get discouraged, never have a doubt. That's

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Speaker 2: not true. It's okay to say, God, I prayed and

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Speaker 2: it didn't work out. God, I don't understand it. I'm hurting.

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Speaker 2: I have these doubts. I'm wondering where you are. The

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Speaker 2: scripture says God is touched by the feelings of our infirmities.

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Speaker 2: That means when you hurt, God hurts when you're disappointed.

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Speaker 2: God feels your pain when you're discouraged. God knows what

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Speaker 2: it's like. He's been there. When Jesus was in the

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Speaker 2: garden of this about to be crucified, he was so

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Speaker 2: depressed that he sweat great drops of blood on the cross.

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Speaker 2: He cried out, my God, my God, why have you

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Speaker 2: forsaken me? Even Jesus, the son of God, a man

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Speaker 2: that never sinned, a man that had perfect faith, he

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Speaker 2: even got so discouraged and so despondent that he questioned

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Speaker 2: his father. God didn't say, Jesus, you know I haven't

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Speaker 2: forsaken you. You know I'm still on the throne. You

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Speaker 2: know you're going to rise again. Now you need to

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Speaker 2: quit thinking like that.

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Speaker 5: No.

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Speaker 2: God knew that he was human. God knew that he

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Speaker 2: had feelings, he had emotions. In the same way, it's

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Speaker 2: okay to feel disappointed. It's okay to say God, I

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Speaker 2: feel like you forsaken me. I don't know where you are.

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Speaker 2: I want to believe, but God, I have all these doubts.

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Speaker 2: God is more pleased when we are open and honest

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Speaker 2: and come before him, even with our doubts, our questions,

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Speaker 2: the things we don't understand. He'll respond to that quicker

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Speaker 2: than when we try to hide all these things that

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Speaker 2: he already knows, and we try to act like we're

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Speaker 2: this perfect display of faith that's never been discouraged, never

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Speaker 2: had a doubt, never had a question. When Jesus was

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Speaker 2: on his way to be crucified, they made him carry

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Speaker 2: his own cross. He had been so beaten down and

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Speaker 2: so mistreated he couldn't carry it the whole way. He

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Speaker 2: fell down under the weight of his cross. Don't you

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Speaker 2: know God could have strengthened him to finish the journey.

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Speaker 2: God could have given him a second wind, so he

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Speaker 2: wouldn't have fallen down and looked weak and defeated. Now

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Speaker 2: God was sending this message, you don't have to be

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Speaker 2: strong one hundred percent of the time. It's okay to

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Speaker 2: fall down. It's okay to have a doubt. It's okay

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Speaker 2: to say God, I can't take this anymore. Sometimes the

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Speaker 2: cross we're carrying can get heavy. We think I can't

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Speaker 2: raise this child, I can't stay in this marriage, I

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Speaker 2: can't deal with this legal situation another day, and those

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Speaker 2: accusing voices will come and try to convince us that

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Speaker 2: if we've ever had a doubt, if we've ever gotten discouraged,

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Speaker 2: if we've ever fallen, then God's not going to do

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Speaker 2: anything for you. Man, Look, you're weak, you're on the ground.

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Speaker 2: You're letting life get the best of you.

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Speaker 5: No.

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Speaker 2: Always remember, even Jesus couldn't carry the weight of his

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Speaker 2: own cross. Notice what happened when he fell down. God

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Speaker 2: didn't leave him there. God didn't say too bad, Jesus,

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Speaker 2: you should have had more faith. I told you not

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Speaker 2: to doubt me. No, God immediately sent another man across

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Speaker 2: his path by the name of Simon, and Simon carried

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Speaker 2: the cross for him. Here's the point. When you're down,

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Speaker 2: when you have doubts, when you're discouraged, will always send

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Speaker 2: somebody to help you back up, somebody to encourage you,

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Speaker 2: somebody to tell you that you're going to make it.

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Speaker 2: It may be my voice today letting you know that

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Speaker 2: it's okay to fall. Just get back up again. It's

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Speaker 2: okay to have doubts, just don't stay there. It's okay

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Speaker 2: to be disappointed. Just realize that disappointment is not the end.

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Speaker 2: It's a new beginning. God still has something great in

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Speaker 2: your future. Several years ago, some friends called from another

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Speaker 2: state and they were expecting their second child and so

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Speaker 2: excited about it. But when the baby was born, they

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Speaker 2: discovered that she had special needs and was going to

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Speaker 2: require a lot of extra care. This couple were strong believers.

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Speaker 2: They had grown up in church, they knew all the scriptures,

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Speaker 2: but this baby being born like that really rocked their faith.

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Speaker 2: They begin to have these questions things that they didn't understand,

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Speaker 2: things like if God loved us so much, how could

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Speaker 2: he let this happen. We're good people. Why didn't we

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Speaker 2: have a healthy baby? They said, Joel. We want to

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Speaker 2: believe we know the right thing, but we're so disappointed.

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Speaker 2: We're hurting so badly. We're wondering where God is. They

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Speaker 2: were expecting some great explanation from me, but I told

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Speaker 2: them just what I'm telling you. It's okay to feel disappointed.

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Speaker 2: It's okay to have questions. Faith is not about hiding

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Speaker 2: everything and trying to act like we're superhuman. Faith is

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Speaker 2: about being real, like Jesus on the cross. There's nothing

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Speaker 2: wrong with saying, God, why have you forsaken me?

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Speaker 1: God?

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Speaker 2: I'm heartbroken, I'm lonely. God, I don't understand why this

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Speaker 2: has happened. When you are real with God and you're

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Speaker 2: honest enough to even express your doubts, those doubts will

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Speaker 2: not drive God away. It'll do just the opposite. It'll

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Speaker 2: draw God closer to you. Now. I went on to

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Speaker 2: tell this couple that baby being born to your family

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Speaker 2: is not a mistake. It's not an accident. God chose

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Speaker 2: you because He trusted you to raise this child. She

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Speaker 2: has special needs, but God knows you have special gifts.

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Speaker 2: She's going to take extraordinary care. But God knows both

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Speaker 2: of you are extraordinary people. You're not being punished. God

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Speaker 2: is not telling you you've done something wrong. No, this

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Speaker 2: is just another chapter in your life that God has

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Speaker 2: already equipped you for. And sometimes on the way to

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Speaker 2: our divine destiny, the weight of the cross gets so

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Speaker 2: heavy that we fall down. We don't know why somebody

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Speaker 2: walked out of a relationship for like a man I

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Speaker 2: mentioned why he got laid off, So close to retirement,

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Speaker 2: or why we prayed and prayed but our loved one

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Speaker 2: didn't make it. You may have questions things you don't understand.

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Speaker 2: You wonder where God is. But the good news is

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Speaker 2: God is not just with us in our times of faith,

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Speaker 2: but He is with us even in our times of doubt.

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Speaker 2: He is not a fair, weathered God there for us

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Speaker 2: when we're perfect and gone when we're not. He doesn't

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Speaker 2: just speak to us when we're on the mountaintop singing

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Speaker 2: you are good, reading your best life. Now, No, God says,

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Speaker 2: I'll speak to you just as much when you're alone

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Speaker 2: and discouraged. I'll talk to you when you're upset and

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Speaker 2: you feel like I've left you. I'll show up not

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Speaker 2: just because of your faith, but I'm so merciful, I'll

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Speaker 2: even show up because of your doubt. Now, I want

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Speaker 2: us to take the pressure off. We don't have to

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Speaker 2: go around acting like we've got it all figured out.

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Speaker 2: We never have a doubt, we never think a wrong thought,

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Speaker 2: we never get discouraged. No, even Jesus fell down. Even

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Speaker 2: Jesus said, God, I don't want to go this route.

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Speaker 2: Let me go another way. God, why have you forsaken me?

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Speaker 2: What am I doing up here on the cross? In

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Speaker 2: other words, God, why did this situation not work out? God?

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Speaker 2: Why did these people treat me wrong? It's okay to

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Speaker 2: be human because that doubt is not in your heart.

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Speaker 2: It's up here in your head. And God has the

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Speaker 2: amazing ability to look past the doubt and to see

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Speaker 2: the faith that's on the inside. For some people, that

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Speaker 2: doubt is a mile high. They've had things happen. They

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Speaker 2: don't understand things that were not fair. Maybe they weren't

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Speaker 2: raised in a believing environment. So I love this. It

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Speaker 2: says that God has put a measure of faith on

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Speaker 2: the inside of every person. That means people that don't

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Speaker 2: give God the time of day, they don't believe, they're cynical.

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Speaker 2: They look like they're full of doubt. But what they

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Speaker 2: don't realize is on the inside, deep down, the creator

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Speaker 2: of the universe has placed a mustard seed of faith.

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Speaker 2: This is why it's so important to never write anybody off.

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Speaker 2: That person at the office that's sarcastic, makes fun of

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Speaker 2: you for going to church, gives you all hard time

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Speaker 2: for staying on the high road. It may seem like

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Speaker 2: they are full of doubt. Surely God wouldn't have anything

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Speaker 2: to do with them. Now God says, there's another Thomas.

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Speaker 2: I'll get to you people full of faith in just

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Speaker 2: a moment. Right now, I'm going after them. It doesn't

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Speaker 2: always make sense to our theology, but sometimes God will

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Speaker 2: bypass the people of faith so he can go after

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Speaker 2: one person that's filled with doubt. I had a lady

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Speaker 2: tell me how her whole life she had been an atheist.

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Speaker 2: She didn't believe in God, wasn't raised in a religious environment,

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Speaker 2: really didn't even give God the time of day. But

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Speaker 2: one morning, her daughter, she was in her early twenties,

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Speaker 2: was involved in a serious car accident. This mother rushed

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Speaker 2: to the hospital. So stressed and so worried she got

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Speaker 2: the news that her daughter probably would not make it.

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Speaker 2: She stayed by her side day after day, wouldn't leave

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Speaker 2: the hospital. Unfortunately, the doctors told her that the injuries

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Speaker 2: were too great and her daughter had died. She drove home,

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Speaker 2: pulled in the garage. While she was still sitting in

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Speaker 2: her car, she screamed out to the top of her lungs. God,

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Speaker 2: I hate you, I hate you, I hate you. She said.

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Speaker 2: She heard a voice. It was the kindest, most gentle

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Speaker 2: voice you could ever imagine. It said, that was the

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Speaker 2: first time you've ever spoken to me, and I want

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Speaker 2: to tell you how much I loved you. She said,

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Speaker 2: I never believed in God before, but at that moment,

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Speaker 2: there was no doubt in my mind that God was real.

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Speaker 2: I felt a peace that I never felt before. It

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Speaker 2: was the presence of the creator of the universe. That

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Speaker 2: was God looking beyond years and years of doubt to

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Speaker 2: that one small seed of faith. We all know that

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Speaker 2: God is moved by our faith. That's the best place

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Speaker 2: to live. But what I'm saying today is God can

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Speaker 2: even be moved by our doubt. In those times that

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Speaker 2: we don't understand it, we have questions, we feel alone

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Speaker 2: and abandoned. That's when God has a way of showing

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Speaker 2: up and doing something amazing in our life. That's just

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Speaker 2: what happened to Thomas in the midst of all those believers.

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Speaker 2: Jesus went to Thomas first, the one doubter, and said, Thomas,

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Speaker 2: take a look at my nailed, scarred hands. The reason

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Speaker 2: Jesus shows up in those times of doubt is so

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Speaker 2: that our faith will be restored. He could have said

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Speaker 2: to that lady, too bad, That's what you get for

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Speaker 2: not giving me the time of day. Em all you

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Speaker 2: want to it's payback time. No, God is full of mercy.

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Speaker 2: He knows what it's like to lose a child. He

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Speaker 2: lost his only son. And God is not in the

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Speaker 2: business of giving us what we deserve. If that was

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Speaker 2: the case, Thomas wouldn't have had a chance, or he

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Speaker 2: wouldn't have let this lady feel his love. God is

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Speaker 2: in the business of restoring our faith. He's in the

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Speaker 2: business of getting us back on track so we can

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Speaker 2: live as a believer and experience his abundant life. And

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Speaker 2: some of you today you have questions, things that you

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Speaker 2: don't understand, and you feel badly because you're not in

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Speaker 2: faith one hundred percent of the time. But God is

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Speaker 2: saying that's okay. You're a human. You don't have to

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Speaker 2: have a perfect faith. There's nothing wrong with saying God,

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Speaker 2: I just don't understand it. Like Thomas, those questions that

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Speaker 2: seemingly doubt is not going to keep God away. He's

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Speaker 2: going to draw God to you. He is not going

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Speaker 2: to leave you wondering, confused, discouraged. He's going to show

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Speaker 2: up so that your faith will be restored. I heard

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Speaker 2: Jensen Franklin tell something that happened to him. Jensen is

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Speaker 2: a good friend and a great minister. He's the pastor

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Speaker 2: of Free Chapel in Atlanta. When his daughters were much younger,

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Speaker 2: he and his wife, Charise decided to go to Sea

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Speaker 2: World in Florida. He had already made arrangements to leave

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Speaker 2: on Monday and then we'd be at the park on Tuesday.

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Speaker 2: But for some reason, Charis really wanted to leave Sunday

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Speaker 2: after church. Jensen said, well, I've already made the flight

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Speaker 2: reservations and the hotel reservations. I'd have to change everything.

359
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Speaker 2: She felt so strongly about it. He made the changes.

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Speaker 2: They left Sunday and went to the park on Monday

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Speaker 2: instead of Tuesday, and at one point they were at

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Speaker 2: this outdoor arena waiting for the dolphins show to begin.

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Speaker 2: It's a perfectly beautiful sunny day. All of a sudden,

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Speaker 2: out of nowhere, there was this huge clap of thunder.

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Speaker 2: It was so loud everyone practically jumped out of their seats,

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Speaker 2: and a few moments before they knew it, it was

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Speaker 2: pouring down rain and lightning like nothing they'd ever imagined.

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Speaker 2: Of course, everyone ran for cover while they were underneath

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Speaker 2: the bleachers, there was another very loud clap of thunder.

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Speaker 2: Jensen and Cherisa's little three year old daughter got very scared,

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Speaker 2: and instead of turning to their parents, she ran to

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Speaker 2: a twenty five year old girl that they had never

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Speaker 2: seen before about fifteen feet away, and gave her a

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Speaker 2: big hug and held on to her and wouldn't let

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Speaker 2: her go. Jensen and Cherise looked at each other. It

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Speaker 2: was the strangest thing. They didn't know who the young

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Speaker 2: lady was and why their daughter would be drawn to her. Normally,

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Speaker 2: their daughter would never go to a stranger like that.

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Speaker 2: They went over very politely and tried to get the

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Speaker 2: daughter away, but she just wouldn't let go. The young

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Speaker 2: lady began weeping. Her parents were there. They started weeping

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Speaker 2: as well. Come to find out that young lady had

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Speaker 2: a three year old daughter that was born with congestive

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Speaker 2: heart failure, and just six weeks earlier, her daughter had died.

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Speaker 2: She had not been out of the house in those

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Speaker 2: six weeks because she was so depressed. That day, her

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00:23:23,880 --> 00:23:27,480
Speaker 2: parents talked her into going to the park. She said, later,

388
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Speaker 2: when your little daughter was hugging me the whole time,

389
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Speaker 2: I could feel healing being poured into me. God was

390
00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:37,359
Speaker 2: letting me know that my little girl is up there

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Speaker 2: in heaven and I can move forward with my life.

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Speaker 2: That was God speaking to her, not in her faith,

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Speaker 2: but in her doubts. You know what Jensen's little three

394
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Speaker 2: year old daughter was. She was a simon helping her

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Speaker 2: to carry her cross. Sometimes God knows we go through

396
00:23:57,080 --> 00:24:01,000
Speaker 2: things that we don't understand in our In our head

397
00:24:01,080 --> 00:24:04,000
Speaker 2: we think, God, how could this happen? God, where are you?

398
00:24:04,840 --> 00:24:08,159
Speaker 2: But in our hearts, God can see those seeds of

399
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Speaker 2: faith that he's playing it on the inside. Like this

400
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Speaker 2: young lady, God will never abandon us. He'll never say

401
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Speaker 2: we're too bad, you should be stronger, you should have

402
00:24:18,400 --> 00:24:22,080
Speaker 2: more faith. No, God will always show up and help

403
00:24:22,160 --> 00:24:26,960
Speaker 2: to restore our faith. In those difficult times we're like Jesus,

404
00:24:27,359 --> 00:24:30,639
Speaker 2: the cross is so heavy that we fall down, or

405
00:24:30,840 --> 00:24:34,359
Speaker 2: like Thomas, we want to believe, we just can't until

406
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Speaker 2: we see it with our own eyes, or like this

407
00:24:36,800 --> 00:24:39,560
Speaker 2: young lady, we're so discouraged we don't even want to

408
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Speaker 2: leave the house. You can rest assured you are not alone.

409
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Speaker 2: The God we serve doesn't just show up in our

410
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Speaker 2: times of faith. He even shows up in our times

411
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Speaker 2: of doubt. I remember my father for more than forty years,

412
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Speaker 2: he preached to people about how God could heal you.

413
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Speaker 2: He saw my syl Lisa healed of something like cerebral palsy,

414
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Speaker 2: a birth injury, and of course he saw my mother

415
00:25:06,119 --> 00:25:09,000
Speaker 2: healed in nineteen eighty one of terminal cancer. And he

416
00:25:09,119 --> 00:25:12,960
Speaker 2: prayed for many other people and saw God do amazing things.

417
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Speaker 2: But one thing my father never fully understood. In spite

418
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Speaker 2: of all those other people being healed, his whole life,

419
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Speaker 2: he struggled with high blood pressure. In fact, that's what

420
00:25:25,760 --> 00:25:28,480
Speaker 2: caused his kidneys eventually to fail, where he had to

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Speaker 2: go on dialysis. And there were times he thought, God,

422
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Speaker 2: you're doing it for everybody else, why don't you do

423
00:25:34,880 --> 00:25:38,120
Speaker 2: it for me? God, this doesn't seem fair. Where are

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Speaker 2: you when I need you? There were times those thoughts

425
00:25:41,880 --> 00:25:44,919
Speaker 2: of doubt came and tried to keep him from moving forward.

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00:25:45,600 --> 00:25:48,680
Speaker 2: My father was very open and honest. He never tried

427
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Speaker 2: to hide anything. Now I love the way he finished

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Speaker 2: his life. He was seventy seven years old and he

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Speaker 2: couldn't sleep. One night, he was sitting up in his recliner.

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Speaker 2: Around midnight, he called my brother in law Gary, to

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Speaker 2: see if he'd come over and visit with him, and

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00:26:03,520 --> 00:26:06,560
Speaker 2: they talked for a couple of hours. At one point

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Speaker 2: Gary asked about suffering and what he was going through

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Speaker 2: and where is God and all of this. My father said, Gary,

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Speaker 2: I don't understand it all. I have plenty of questions,

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00:26:17,600 --> 00:26:22,040
Speaker 2: but one thing I know is God's mercy enders forever.

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00:26:22,760 --> 00:26:26,280
Speaker 2: He took one more breath, laid back his head, and

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00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:28,840
Speaker 2: went to be with the Lord. The last words he

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00:26:28,920 --> 00:26:32,720
Speaker 2: ever spoke were his mercy endoers forever. But my father

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00:26:33,119 --> 00:26:36,600
Speaker 2: could have thought, I've been a pastor all these years.

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00:26:37,320 --> 00:26:40,760
Speaker 2: I can't admit that I have questions, that I have doubts,

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00:26:40,840 --> 00:26:43,359
Speaker 2: that I have things that I don't understand. Nor my

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00:26:43,560 --> 00:26:48,119
Speaker 2: father was real. God is not looking for mister super

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00:26:48,200 --> 00:26:51,480
Speaker 2: believer that has an answer to every question and that

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00:26:51,640 --> 00:26:54,840
Speaker 2: never wonders why something has happened. He's not looking for

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00:26:54,960 --> 00:26:59,119
Speaker 2: missus super believer that never gets discouraged, always acts like

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00:26:59,200 --> 00:27:03,639
Speaker 2: everything's okay, tries to hide every doubt, every question. Now,

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00:27:03,760 --> 00:27:06,920
Speaker 2: God is looking for people that are open and honest

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00:27:07,080 --> 00:27:10,920
Speaker 2: enough to say God, I don't understand this, Lord. I

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00:27:11,080 --> 00:27:13,760
Speaker 2: want to believe, but I have these doubts. God, I'm

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00:27:13,800 --> 00:27:16,480
Speaker 2: asking you to help me. If we will have that

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00:27:16,760 --> 00:27:20,600
Speaker 2: kind of attitude, then like Thomas, God will search you

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00:27:20,800 --> 00:27:24,440
Speaker 2: out and come restore your faith. Why don't you take

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00:27:24,480 --> 00:27:28,000
Speaker 2: the pressure off. Some of you are beating yourself up

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00:27:28,040 --> 00:27:31,520
Speaker 2: because you had a down week. You got discouraged. You said, God,

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00:27:31,600 --> 00:27:34,600
Speaker 2: I can't take it anymore. Listen, God knows what you're

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00:27:34,680 --> 00:27:38,040
Speaker 2: going through. He can feel the weight of what you're carrying.

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00:27:38,600 --> 00:27:42,200
Speaker 2: He's saying today, I'm right there with you. You're going

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00:27:42,280 --> 00:27:44,520
Speaker 2: to make it. You're not only going to come out,

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00:27:44,680 --> 00:27:47,119
Speaker 2: you're going to come out better off than you were before.

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00:27:47,760 --> 00:27:53,520
Speaker 2: Be encouraged today. The God we serve is not just

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00:27:53,720 --> 00:27:56,560
Speaker 2: with us in our times of faith, but he's even

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00:27:56,680 --> 00:27:59,720
Speaker 2: with us in our times of doubt. Some of you

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00:27:59,840 --> 00:28:02,480
Speaker 2: need to come back to that place of peace. You're

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00:28:02,520 --> 00:28:05,920
Speaker 2: so down on yourself, thinking that you're not strong enough,

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00:28:06,480 --> 00:28:10,600
Speaker 2: wondering why you have these questions. No, remember, the presence

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00:28:10,680 --> 00:28:14,440
Speaker 2: of faith doesn't mean the absence of doubt. You don't

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00:28:14,520 --> 00:28:17,120
Speaker 2: have to have a perfect faith in order for God

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00:28:17,200 --> 00:28:20,880
Speaker 2: to do something great in your life. Besides that, doubt

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00:28:21,119 --> 00:28:23,920
Speaker 2: is not in your heart, it's in your head, and

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00:28:24,040 --> 00:28:26,320
Speaker 2: God is looking down here at your heart. And what

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00:28:26,440 --> 00:28:30,040
Speaker 2: I'm saying today is it's okay to have questions. It's

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00:28:30,080 --> 00:28:33,200
Speaker 2: okay to say God, I don't understand it. It's okay

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00:28:33,400 --> 00:28:36,120
Speaker 2: to not be strong one hundred percent of the time.

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00:28:36,680 --> 00:28:40,040
Speaker 2: If you'll give yourself permission to not have a perfect

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00:28:40,120 --> 00:28:44,120
Speaker 2: faith and not feel bad if you have questions, some doubts,

477
00:28:44,280 --> 00:28:47,120
Speaker 2: some things you don't understand, then you will feel a

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00:28:47,200 --> 00:28:50,640
Speaker 2: freedom that you haven't felt before, that weight of feeling

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00:28:50,760 --> 00:28:52,920
Speaker 2: like God is not pleased with me. I'm just not

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00:28:53,080 --> 00:28:55,960
Speaker 2: strong enough. I'm not measuring up. That'll lift off of you.

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00:28:56,480 --> 00:28:58,680
Speaker 2: And what God did for Thomas, he'll do for you

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00:28:59,200 --> 00:29:02,080
Speaker 2: in those times of doubt. Instead of running from you,

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00:29:02,720 --> 00:29:06,120
Speaker 2: God will come running to you. He's promised he will

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00:29:06,200 --> 00:29:09,400
Speaker 2: restore your faith so that you can move forward and

485
00:29:09,560 --> 00:29:12,680
Speaker 2: become everything He's created you to be and have everything

486
00:29:12,760 --> 00:29:14,960
Speaker 2: He's intended for you to have. Amen. Do you receive

487
00:29:15,040 --> 00:29:19,880
Speaker 2: that today? Well? We never like to close our broadcast

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00:29:20,120 --> 00:29:22,960
Speaker 2: without giving you an opportunity to make Jesus the lord

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00:29:23,040 --> 00:29:26,960
Speaker 2: of your life. Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord, Jesus,

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00:29:27,960 --> 00:29:32,720
Speaker 2: I repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I

491
00:29:32,920 --> 00:29:36,400
Speaker 2: make you my lord and savior. Friends, if you prayed

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00:29:36,440 --> 00:29:39,400
Speaker 2: that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. Get

493
00:29:39,440 --> 00:29:42,560
Speaker 2: in a good Bible based church. Keep God first place.

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00:29:42,840 --> 00:29:45,360
Speaker 2: He's going to take your places that you've never dreamed of.

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00:29:46,520 --> 00:29:49,920
Speaker 5: Thank you for listening to the joelus Deine podcast. Help

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00:29:50,000 --> 00:29:52,720
Speaker 5: us continue to share the message of hope with those

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00:29:52,840 --> 00:29:56,360
Speaker 5: all over the world. Visit jolus Deine dot com slash

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00:29:56,520 --> 00:29:58,480
Speaker 5: give Hope to give a gift today.

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00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:02,720
Speaker 2: Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope

500
00:30:02,720 --> 00:30:06,080
Speaker 2: you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to

501
00:30:06,200 --> 00:30:09,360
Speaker 2: keep you inspired all through the week. We're praying for you.

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00:30:09,560 --> 00:30:11,960
Speaker 2: I know God's best is still ahead. We'll see you

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00:30:12,080 --> 00:30:12,520
Speaker 2: next time.

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00:30:22,520 --> 00:30:25,160
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