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Speaker 1: I am the vine. You are the branches. Whoever abinds

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Speaker 1: in me and I in him, he it is that

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Speaker 1: bears much fruit. For apart from me, you can do

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Speaker 1: nothing John fifteen five. Dear Lord, you are the source

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Speaker 1: of all life and energy. You alone have the power

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Speaker 1: to sustain us through all seasons of life. We are

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Speaker 1: humbled to receive such support and guidance from you. Lord.

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Speaker 1: May we always remember that your spirit is the source

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Speaker 1: of our strength and the foundation of our faith. We,

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Speaker 1: like branches, are dependent on the vine we draw life from,

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Speaker 1: and that is you. We ask for more energy every

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Speaker 1: day to serve you with all our hearts, minds, and souls.

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Speaker 1: In Jesus' name, Amen, Thank you for joining me in prayer.

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Speaker 1: Stay tuned for today's free podcast Meditative Prayers with Zach Clinton,

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Speaker 1: where you can draw close to God and find strength

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Speaker 1: in him.

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Speaker 2: My friends, welcome to your meditative prayer on deep Forgiveness.

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

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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 deep forgiveness. So right now, just take a

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Speaker 2: second to simply relax and be head to a quiet

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Speaker 2: and welcoming place, a place where you can examine your heart.

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Speaker 2: Close your eyes and take a couple of deep breaths,

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Speaker 2: and as you gain control over your thoughts, shift your

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Speaker 2: focus onto Christ and open yourself up to the Holy Spirit,

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Speaker 2: inviting him to sit with you again. Today we'll be

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Speaker 2: meditating on Luke chapter six, verses thirty six to thirty seven,

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Speaker 2: from the King James version. Be ye therefore merciful, as

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Speaker 2: your father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall

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Speaker 2: not be judged. Condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned.

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Speaker 2: Forgive and ye shall be forgiven. Now, my friends, take

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Speaker 2: a moment just to pour out your adoration to God.

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Speaker 1: God.

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Speaker 2: I praise you, for your mercies are unending. They renew

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Speaker 2: every morning. I give you all honor and glory, for

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Speaker 2: there is none like you. You forgive my sins, and

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Speaker 2: you restore my soul. I worship you, for there is

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Speaker 2: none gracious like you, And I praise you for your

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Speaker 2: faithfulness knows no end. Forgiveness is a commandment, not a recommendation.

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Speaker 2: This can be a really hard truth to process and

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Speaker 2: to accept, but it is true. Nonetheless, God commands us

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Speaker 2: to forgive one another, to show mercy, and to not

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Speaker 2: pass sentence. You are to be merciful and to forgive

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Speaker 2: as God does, without restrictions or requirements, demanding no restitution

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Speaker 2: and apportioning no shame. It is no coincidence that God

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Speaker 2: ties forgiveness to mercy in the Bible. Forgiveness to God

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Speaker 2: is not about merit, but rather it stands on grace.

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Speaker 2: You do not deserve to be forgiven for your sins,

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Speaker 2: Yet God forgives you out of his compassion and his love.

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Speaker 2: God does not throw his grace in your face. He

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Speaker 2: doesn't hold his goodness against you. God forgave you so

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Speaker 2: you could, in turn, like him, forgive those who do

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Speaker 2: not deserve it. God is not asking something of you

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Speaker 2: that he hasn't already done. That is not to say

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Speaker 2: forgiving others comes easy. Forgiving those who harm you can

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Speaker 2: feel utterly impossible and irrational. Yet you must remember, if

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Speaker 2: you wish to receive, you must first give. If you

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Speaker 2: want to be forgiven, you must forgive. Reflect for a

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Speaker 2: moment now in the times maybe you withheld forgiveness, times

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Speaker 2: where hate and hurt got the best of you. Gather

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Speaker 2: all your loveless thoughts, actions, and emotions, and right now

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Speaker 2: place them in the hands of Jesus. Let the Holy

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Speaker 2: Spirit minister to the areas of your heart where mercy

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Speaker 2: does not yet reign. And right now, my friends, let's

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Speaker 2: just transition by taking a moment to dwell well on

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Speaker 2: God's mercy. Remember how it felt to experience God's compassion

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Speaker 2: in your life. How wonderful it was to know you

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Speaker 2: were forgiven and that your sins were no longer held

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Speaker 2: against you. Think how powerful grace can be now. Thank

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Speaker 2: God for pouring his forgiveness upon your life. Give thanks

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Speaker 2: for the moments where his righteousness paid for your transgressions.

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Speaker 2: Thank God for his unfailing love and his gentle kindness

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Speaker 2: over you, for always showing you clemency even though you

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Speaker 2: don't deserve it. Do not forget God is present and

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Speaker 2: he is listening to you right now. This is your

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Speaker 2: opportunity to come before Him and ask for his grace.

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Speaker 2: To ask the Holy Spirit to exchange your heart of

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Speaker 2: stone for one of flesh. To ask him to enable

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Speaker 2: you to love as your heavenly Father loves. So ask

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Speaker 2: the Holy Spirit to set you from the bondage of unforgiveness.

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Speaker 2: Ask him to turn your mercilessness into compassion. Ask the

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Speaker 2: Holy Spirit to enable you to let go of all

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Speaker 2: the hurt and the pain, and to empower you to

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Speaker 2: forgive as you are forgiven completely and unconditionally. Remember God

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Speaker 2: expects you to give mercy as He gives mercy. Don't

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Speaker 2: judge other people, and you will not be judged. Don't

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Speaker 2: accuse others of being guilty, and you will not be

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Speaker 2: accused of being guilty. Forgive other people and you will

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Speaker 2: be forgiven. You must remember there is always a choice,

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Speaker 2: and there is power in choosing. So choose to show mercy,

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Speaker 2: grace and love unto others. Let go of hatred and forgive.

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Speaker 2: Give what you wish to receive. Pour out goodness and

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Speaker 2: grace unto others, so your heavenly Father may do the

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Speaker 2: same for you, and be filled with the love of

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Speaker 2: Christ in my friend's watch as that love transforms your life.

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Speaker 2: As always, 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 not only making

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Speaker 2: prayer priority, but I believe you're also strengthening your walk

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Speaker 2: with God as always. My name is Zach Clinton, Vice

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Speaker 2: President of the American Association of Christian Counselors and we

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Speaker 2: love being a part of your life. Hey for more help, hope,

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Speaker 2: information and inspiration. I'd also encourage you to visit our

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Speaker 2: website that can be found at AACC dot net. Again,

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Speaker 2: that is AACC dot net