It Is Written: The Sword of the Spirit & the Power of Prayer

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Welcome to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast. I'm your host,

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Connie Morris, and this is Faith on the Go, where you take the word with you

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on your drive to work, while you're getting ready in the morning,

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or even in those quiet moments before prayer.

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Real life, real word, and real growth, all while you are on the go.

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Before we get into today's word, let's take a moment to center ourselves with a familiar prayer.

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The prayer of Jabez.

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Oh, that you would bless me indeed and enlarge my territory.

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Let your hand be with me and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.

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Father God, we come before you this day asking that you would indeed bless us,

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not just with what we have, but in who we are becoming.

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Enlarge our territory, Lord. Expand our capacity, our mindset,

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and our ability to receive what you have for us.

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Let your hand be upon us, guiding us, covering us, and leading us in every decision we make.

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And Father, keep us from harm, physically, emotionally, and spiritually,

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that we may walk in peace and not in pain.

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And Lord, just as you heard Jabez when he cried out to you, hear us now.

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Your word says that you granted his request, and we believe that you are the same God today.

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So we come boldly before you, knowing that you hear us, knowing that you see

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us, and knowing that you respond to the prayers of your people.

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Have your way in this moment as we sit, listen, and receive your word.

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In Jesus' name, amen.

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Hello, welcome back to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast. We're on episode seven.

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We are where the sword of the spirit and the power of prayer meet.

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And so we're going to pick this up right at Ephesians chapter six,

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like we always do, starting out in verse 10.

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And let's read. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and the power of his might.

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But on the whole arm of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

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For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,

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against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world,

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against spiritual witnesses in high places.

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Wherefore, take unto you the whole arm of God, that ye may be able to withstand

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in the evil day, and having done all to stand.

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Stand therefore having your loins heard about with truth.

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Having on the breastplate of righteousness

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and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.

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Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye all ye shall stand, be able to stand,

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and quench all the fiery darts of the wicked, and take the helmet of salvation,

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and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

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You see how they put that in the same verse.

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It says, and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.

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Verse 18, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit and

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watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication of the saints. Check this out.

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Paul was teaching us where? How to stand. And how do we stand?

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We stand fully equipped, not in our own power, but in the power and might of the Father.

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Don't we love that? That we, as we are obedient to God, God has our back.

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He has our front. He has our sides.

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You know, and so I want to welcome you back to the.

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Diary of a Black Woman podcast. And just like we always do, I want to give you a water break moment,

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a watermark moment, so that we can actually understand an opportunity that we

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need to pause, rest, take a spiritual water break, and receive a little encouragement

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to help you keep your faith so you can finish strong.

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We understand the goal is to finish strong.

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We're not worrying. We're not spreading. We're just going to finish strong.

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In order to finish strong, you have to take a break.

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You know, we have to take a break. Why? Because God is always talking.

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He might be on one theme today and another theme tomorrow, but he wants us to be fully prepared.

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I know you've been following the Nepal floods. That was absolutely terrible.

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The water came down. It looks like, from what I saw from different videos.

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It's like the earth has vomited.

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But then I saw another video, looks like some defective equipment over there by the dam.

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So we'll find out what that's all about later on.

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But we always want to be prepared that if our day is God calls our name in heaven

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and we have to go, we want to be prepared for whatever he has for us. Heaven is a real place.

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And so today I want to just get into our sword of the spirit and the power of prayer.

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So we've already walked through most of the armor. We walk through truth,

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righteousness, peace, faith, salvation.

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And now Paul places something in our hands. See, I'm right-handed.

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So where would I put my sword? I'll put my sword in my right hand.

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Ephesians 17 says, take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.

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This is different from every piece that we have talked about.

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The belt holds you together. The breastplate guards you. The shoes gives you footing.

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The shield protects you. The helmet protects your mind.

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Now, Paul is giving you something to use, which is the sword of the spirit.

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And then he tells us exactly what the sword is.

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The sword is the word of God. Why does the word of God comes here?

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We're almost fully dressed, right?

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Why that particular way? We thought that we put on our, I don't know how we

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get dressed, but maybe the vest first, but we found out we put on our truth belt first.

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And so now we're at the point where we're talking about where does the word of God come in?

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You want to apply it in this way because the order does matter.

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Paul gave us the way he wants us to be able to stand.

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And so Paul does not begin with the sword. We always think the word of God is

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important. It is important.

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But Paul didn't begin with the word of God. He didn't begin with the sword.

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He does not hand you a weapon before you know the truth. He does not give you

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a sword before the righteousness guards your heart.

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He does not give you a sword before your feet are planted in peace.

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And he does not give you a sword before faith is lifted.

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He does not give you a sword before salvation guards your mind. Why?

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Because knowing the scripture is the same thing as being spiritually grounded.

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The enemy knows the scripture too.

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We see that in Matthew 4 when Satan tempted Jesus, Satan quoted the scripture.

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So simply knowing verses or Bible verses does not automatically mean you are

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using the word correctly.

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The word must be understood in truth, handled in righteousness,

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held with faith, and used under the direction of the Spirit.

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That's why Paul calls it the sword of the Spirit.

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Not just your sword, not just my sword, it's the Spirit's sword.

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Jesus shows us how to use it. Go to Matthew 4. Jesus in the wilderness, he had been fasting.

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He was physically weak.

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And Satan comes to tempt him. The enemy began speaking. But Jesus does not answer based on emotions.

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He does not debate Satan endlessly.

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He doesn't try to prove his identity.

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He answers in three words. It is written. Again, it is written.

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And again, it is written.

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That is the sword in action. The lie comes, the word answers.

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The temptation comes, the word answers.

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The distortion comes and the word answers.

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Jesus shows us that spiritual warfare is not done by having the loudest voice.

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It is one by standing on what God has already spoken.

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We see here in Hebrews 4.12 that the word is alive.

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For the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than a two-edged sword.

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What? The word of God is alive? That the word of God is living?

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The word of God is powerful? The word of God is penetrating.

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It reaches places humans' word cannot reach. It exposes motive. It reveals truth.

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Come on now. It corrects. It comforts. It convicts conviction.

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It strengthens and it reminds us.

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Sometimes the first thing the word cuts is knock the enemy.

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Sometimes it cuts us. It's our pride, our wrong motives, our excuses,

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our bitterness, our distorted thinking.

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And that is important because we should never treat scripture like a weapon

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we only use against somebody else.

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The word of God has first authority over me.

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Before I use scripture to correct someone else.

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I must allow the scripture to correct me.

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You ever know those people? And we can tell it's used wrong.

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And you hear it so many times, especially when we work and you see cults, they use the word of God.

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You never pick up your Bible. You will never know the truth about the word.

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So someone tries to trick you with a truth that they quoted from the Bible and they quoted it wrong.

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You should know that that's not how that goes. And that right away should help

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you reveal that person's motive.

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And so it's so important in our time, these days, these times,

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these days, the last days, that we need to know our truth.

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And we need to know that the Word

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of God is not for always, especially not never, for correcting others.

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It corrects you first. Many times we listen to a sermon or we know,

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heard, or read a good book, and it convicts us. You ever notice that?

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And as you're reading, they're going like, oh, such and such need that.

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But the first person that needed it was you.

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And let the word work in you. Let the word show it's perfect work in you so

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that you can be able to go forth and do what God has called you to do.

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Because the word does not cut the enemy.

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It cuts us. It cuts our pride, our wrong motives, our excuses,

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our bitterness, our distorted thinking.

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This is important because we should never treat Skillshare like a weapon we

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only can use against somebody else.

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Or against everybody else. The word first has authority over me.

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Before I use scripture to correct someone else, I must allow scripture to correct me.

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Do not swing the sword carelessly.

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That's important. Some people know scripture, but use it to wound people.

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They quote verses without compassion. Use the Bible to dominate. Use scripture to blame.

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Use God's word to win arguments instead of revealing Christ.

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One thing I saw, you use God's word for criticizing other people.

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And they'll say something wrong and then you'll say, that's not in the Bible.

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You know, show me where that's in the Bible. Instead of saying like, what do you mean by that?

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I think the correct scripture is this, right? And so you're helping and you're

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teaching them because they may not know. Maybe they were taught wrong.

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But some people use the scripture as a whipping belt.

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And remember, the scripture is alive. And what's alive in us is the spirit of God. Amen.

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So the spirit determines how it is used.

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The same word that confronts one person may comforts another.

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The same scripture that corrects you in one season may strengthen you in another.

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We need both truth and we need discernment.

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The worm must be in you before the battle.

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It's similar to how I'm the oldest in my family, and I have a little sister.

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We're not that young anymore, but she would love to start fights.

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And then she said, my big sister will get you.

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I'm like, I'm not fighting nobody, right? So why are you adding me to your war?

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I'm not doing that, so stop before I make you fight.

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The Word must be in you. Jesus could answer, it is written, because the word was already in him.

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That is a lesson for us. You cannot wait until you are in the middle of an attack

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to decide where the scripture matters.

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You need the word before the crisis. Psalms 119.11 says, Thy word have I hid

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in my heart that I might not sin against thee.

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And verse 105 of that same chapter says, Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.

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The word gives you something to reach for when darkness comes,

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but you must put it somewhere where you can reach it.

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Hide it in your heart. I love that. Read it, study it, meditate on it, remember it.

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Because when pressure comes, you often return to what's already inside of you.

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And so we need to have the Word of God in us. We need to know the Word of God.

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It can't be something that we use against people, something that we have to know for ourselves.

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And the Word of God is not just in spiritual form, right? The Word of God is where?

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It's also in spiritual form. So we have to know where God is using us at.

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So let's continue regarding the Word of God. I mean, know that the Word of God

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is powerful and it's sharper than a two-edged sword.

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Sometimes we have to take time out to understand that when it's sharper than

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a two-edged sword, that means it's going to cut you first.

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I remember telling someone that people like to curse. They think they're cursing somebody out.

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But how many know that they're really cursing themselves out?

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And when you tell people that, they look at you all confused because they think

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they got the last word in. But the last word was what?

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Cursing. And so guess who got cursed first? Think about it.

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So we have to remember to hide the word in our heart. We have to read it,

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study it, meditate on it, remember it.

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And what is your, it is written. So many times we have a favorite scripture.

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But we don't know it so well. We have to comment like, what's my favorite scripture?

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But we need to know the scripture before the back, the context.

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So when we say that scripture, it sticks to us. And when we hear that scripture,

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it sticks as it reminds us of something.

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You know, I have a scripture, Psalm 37, Psalm 91.

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And the more I read the Bible, the more scriptures stick out,

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you know, when we cover black history, I'm mad. So a lot of those scriptures

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start to stick out in my heart when I hear them.

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And I can kind of go back to that place where I can know the whole scripture.

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So you sit there, listen to the word of God and you say, that was good.

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Why was it good? Because it reminds you of, it steers up something inside of

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you that you've already studied.

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That's why it is written that this is something that's not just practical,

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it's real. If fear comes, you are alone.

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What is written in your heart?

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Hebrews 13, 5 says, I will never leave you or forsake you. That's what's in

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my heart. So I don't have to worry, I don't have to fret.

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If condemnation says God is finished with you, what is written?

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There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, Romans 8, 1.

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If anxiety says you cannot handle this, what is written? God is our refuge and

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strength, a very present help in trouble.

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If discouragement says give up, what is written? Let us not be wearying and

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well-doing, for in due season we should reap if we faint not.

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If fear says you do not know what will happen next, what is written?

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Trust in the Lord with all thy heart and lean not to thy own understanding.

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That's what's written. Fighting the enemy with curse words or crying and tears

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and emotion is not going to stop him.

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You're going to have to say some word of God on it and you have to stand on that word of God.

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Why? Because the enemy has a statement. You have to have scripture.

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But Paul did not end with the sword. And this may be one of the most important

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parts of the entire series. Why?

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Because after Paul named the sword of spirit, he does not say,

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now go and fight. He moves immediately into prayer. Why?

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Because you are not fighting this alone. Ephesians 6.18 tells us, Prayer always,

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praying always with all supplication, prayer in the spirit and watching there

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unto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. What?

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Pray and supplicate in the spirit.

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Supplicate is make your needs known to God. Then he says, and watch. Watch.

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With all perseverance and supplication for the saints.

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So pray, make your needs known to the saints, about the saints to God.

00:18:51.884 --> 00:18:55.414
God says, pray. We don't have our sword and we don't pray.

00:18:55.844 --> 00:18:59.409
We don't have our helmet and we don't pray. We don't put on half our equipment

00:18:59.409 --> 00:19:02.240
and we don't pray. It's not about the equipment.

00:19:02.907 --> 00:19:04.841
It's a spiritual act.

00:19:05.633 --> 00:19:09.801
The enemy can see it. And so prayer cannot be an afterthought.

00:19:10.358 --> 00:19:14.062
Prayer is what protects you. It surrounds the armor.

00:19:14.672 --> 00:19:20.347
The passage began with, be strong in the Lord, and it ends with praying always.

00:19:20.678 --> 00:19:26.326
That means the entire battle is fought in dependence on God. Prayer comes at the end.

00:19:26.634 --> 00:19:29.359
Prayer is where every piece comes together.

00:19:30.059 --> 00:19:33.645
You pray for truth. You ask God to help you walk in righteousness.

00:19:34.017 --> 00:19:36.002
You receive his peace. You exercise faith.

00:19:36.496 --> 00:19:41.790
You remember your salvation. You pray the word. You ask the Spirit to help you stand.

00:19:42.295 --> 00:19:46.074
Prayer keeps the armor from becoming a formula.

00:19:46.486 --> 00:19:51.664
Because without prayer, we can turn to the armor of God into a checklist.

00:19:52.024 --> 00:19:54.032
And we've seen that happen before.

00:19:54.706 --> 00:20:00.580
It's the armor. Remember, the Bible tells us to stand with His power and might.

00:20:00.952 --> 00:20:05.190
Then it tells us to pray because He's still connected to the armor.

00:20:05.666 --> 00:20:09.309
Because otherwise we'll put it on, we'll just say belt check,

00:20:09.309 --> 00:20:14.292
breastplate check, shoes check, shield check, helmet check, sword check.

00:20:14.617 --> 00:20:18.419
But Paul did not allow us to reduce the spiritual warfare to a ritual.

00:20:22.219 --> 00:20:24.062
He brings us back to relationships.

00:20:24.900 --> 00:20:31.169
Back to the main relationship. The main relationship between you and God is

00:20:31.169 --> 00:20:33.391
prayer. It's not about the armor.

00:20:34.097 --> 00:20:38.698
It's about the relationship. And the Bible says, pray always.

00:20:39.198 --> 00:20:43.849
Praying always. That does not mean you spend 24 hours a day on your knees.

00:20:43.849 --> 00:20:48.619
It means living with an ongoing awareness of God. Talking to Him. Listening.

00:20:50.179 --> 00:20:54.498
Turning to Him throughout the day. Before you respond. Before you make decisions.

00:20:54.818 --> 00:20:58.341
When fear rises, when temptation comes, when you need wisdom,

00:20:58.515 --> 00:21:02.533
and when you don't know what to say, prayer becomes a posture,

00:21:03.009 --> 00:21:05.656
posture, all prayer and supplication.

00:21:06.190 --> 00:21:11.403
Paul says, with all prayer and supplication. So there's more than one kind of prayer.

00:21:11.954 --> 00:21:16.175
You have praise, you have thanksgiving, you have confession,

00:21:16.505 --> 00:21:19.802
intercession, intercession, petition.

00:21:20.110 --> 00:21:22.444
Sometimes prayer sounds like, Father, thank you.

00:21:22.902 --> 00:21:28.503
Sometimes, Lord, forgive me. Sometimes, God, help me. Sometimes, Lord, protect me.

00:21:28.892 --> 00:21:33.069
Sometimes, God, I do not know what to do. And sometimes the strongest prayer

00:21:33.069 --> 00:21:35.887
is simply, Lord, keep me standing.

00:21:36.595 --> 00:21:41.947
The Bible tells us to pray in the Spirit. Prayer is not just us talking.

00:21:42.458 --> 00:21:44.623
Holy Spirit wants to join in this.

00:21:46.479 --> 00:21:51.699
Holy Spirit, help us to pray. According to Romans 8.26, the spirit also helps

00:21:51.699 --> 00:21:55.659
our infirmity, for we know not what we should pray as we are.

00:21:57.307 --> 00:21:59.693
Have you ever been so overwhelmed?

00:22:00.448 --> 00:22:05.127
That you did not know what to say. That does not mean prayer has failed.

00:22:07.467 --> 00:22:11.924
Sometimes you come before God with tears, silence, groaning, just a few words.

00:22:12.660 --> 00:22:17.007
And the Spirit helps. And you do not know. You don't have to impress God with your prayers.

00:22:17.518 --> 00:22:23.677
You just must come. So praying in the Spirit. Sometimes we don't have words

00:22:23.677 --> 00:22:25.238
to describe what we need.

00:22:25.679 --> 00:22:31.937
And so God has given us the Holy Spirit. and you pray through him the perfect will of God.

00:22:32.256 --> 00:22:34.543
Pray and watchfulness are built together.

00:22:35.025 --> 00:22:38.990
Pay attention. Notice patterns. Notice where temptation tends to enter.

00:22:39.315 --> 00:22:42.322
Notice what steals your peace. Notice what triggers fear.

00:22:42.786 --> 00:22:47.076
Notice when you are spiritually tired. Notice when you are beginning to isolate.

00:22:47.488 --> 00:22:52.428
Notice when your thoughts are moving away from truth. Notice things. Notice.

00:22:53.044 --> 00:22:57.966
Notice. it keeps saying that watchful is spiritual awareness.

00:22:58.506 --> 00:23:05.066
Jesus told his disciple in Matthew 26, watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.

00:23:05.402 --> 00:23:10.279
Sometimes the attack is easier to resist when you recognize it earlier.

00:23:10.731 --> 00:23:13.378
Another word that's used in that scripture was persevere.

00:23:14.055 --> 00:23:19.877
Paul says persevere with all perseverance. Keep praying, keep standing,

00:23:19.877 --> 00:23:21.280
keep watching, keep trusting.

00:23:21.646 --> 00:23:24.583
And do not quit because you did not see your answer immediately.

00:23:24.890 --> 00:23:30.626
Jesus taught in Luke 18, 1, that people ought to always pray and not faint.

00:23:30.875 --> 00:23:34.823
So he knows that fainting is something that we as humans do.

00:23:35.616 --> 00:23:39.488
He says, faint, do not, do not faint.

00:23:40.244 --> 00:23:45.603
So prayer and perseverance, we come together. Sometimes prayer and perseverance belong together.

00:23:45.830 --> 00:23:49.696
Sometimes the answer comes quickly and sometimes it does not.

00:23:50.079 --> 00:23:54.623
But prayer keeps our heart facing God while we wait.

00:23:55.389 --> 00:24:02.744
Another thing, praying for others. Paul ends up saying, supplication for who? All saints.

00:24:03.117 --> 00:24:05.183
The battle is not about you.

00:24:05.729 --> 00:24:11.309
Pray for all believers. Sometimes we may be standing in the evil day.

00:24:11.309 --> 00:24:14.936
Sometimes somebody else's shield may feel hairy.

00:24:15.197 --> 00:24:20.199
Sometimes somebody else's shield may feel light. Sometimes we might be under

00:24:20.199 --> 00:24:23.537
attack. Sometimes somebody else might be tired.

00:24:23.967 --> 00:24:28.594
Somebody else, somebody else, somebody else. Sometimes it's not about you.

00:24:28.942 --> 00:24:31.258
It might be for somebody else.

00:24:31.630 --> 00:24:36.047
Your prayer can become part of how the body of Christ supports one another.

00:24:36.628 --> 00:24:40.668
That is why spiritual warfare should never make us self-absorbed.

00:24:41.144 --> 00:24:46.072
The more aware we become of the battle, the more we should pray for others.

00:24:47.064 --> 00:24:50.053
The whole armor comes together now. We see that.

00:24:50.605 --> 00:24:54.657
Now look at the whole progression. Truth tells us what God said.

00:24:55.057 --> 00:24:57.449
Rightlessness brings your life into alignment with it.

00:24:57.913 --> 00:25:02.401
Peace gives you stable footing. Faith protects you when the darks come.

00:25:02.691 --> 00:25:04.850
Salvation guards your mind and identity.

00:25:05.344 --> 00:25:10.100
The word gives you an answer to the lie. And prayer keeps you connected to the

00:25:10.100 --> 00:25:13.227
one who gave you the armor in the first place.

00:25:13.622 --> 00:25:16.894
And now we can see why the order matters.

00:25:17.300 --> 00:25:20.237
This was not a random list.

00:25:20.655 --> 00:25:25.428
This was never about getting dressed. This was about learning how to stand.

00:25:26.205 --> 00:25:29.926
What about your watermark moment? Why did I bring you to this space?

00:25:30.495 --> 00:25:33.990
You know, and the children of Israelite, they were always complaining and whining,

00:25:33.990 --> 00:25:36.962
right? They didn't want water. They wanted meat.

00:25:37.525 --> 00:25:41.870
But I brought you here for encouragement. And so when you take your spiritual

00:25:41.870 --> 00:25:46.749
water break today, I want you to ask yourself, what has the enemy been saying to you?

00:25:47.324 --> 00:25:52.931
And then ask yourself, what is written? Do not answer fear with more fear.

00:25:53.233 --> 00:25:58.464
Do not answer lies with more feelings. Do not answer accusation with endless self-defense.

00:25:58.893 --> 00:26:00.112
Go back to the word.

00:26:00.571 --> 00:26:02.713
What did God say? And then pray.

00:26:03.270 --> 00:26:07.531
Pray the word. Pray with your understanding. Pray in the spirit.

00:26:07.961 --> 00:26:11.716
Pray when you do not know what to say.

00:26:12.245 --> 00:26:14.629
Pray when you feel strong. Pray when you feel weak.

00:26:15.442 --> 00:26:21.032
Pray when you cannot see anything changing. Watch, persevere, and keep standing.

00:26:21.473 --> 00:26:25.714
That is why I titled this Watermark Moment. It is written, The Sword of the

00:26:25.714 --> 00:26:27.621
Spirit and the Power of Prayer.

00:26:28.242 --> 00:26:31.514
Because the sword is not your opinion. It's not your emotions,

00:26:31.514 --> 00:26:34.482
not your fear. It is what has God spoken to you.

00:26:35.133 --> 00:26:40.264
And this prayer reminds us that even when the sword is in our hand,

00:26:40.781 --> 00:26:43.457
we still need the one who gave it to us.

00:26:44.182 --> 00:26:47.758
Wow, even when we're standing fully equipped and fully armed,

00:26:48.393 --> 00:26:50.268
that is not the end of the story.

00:26:50.860 --> 00:26:54.722
We still have to connect to the God that gave it to you.

00:26:56.314 --> 00:26:59.654
The final word of this series, we begin this series with a question.

00:27:00.188 --> 00:27:04.763
Why is the arm of God not listed in the normal order that someone gets dressed?

00:27:05.273 --> 00:27:10.283
And now we have our answer. Paul was not primarily teaching us how to get dressed.

00:27:10.926 --> 00:27:15.779
He was teaching us how to stand. how to stand in truth, how to stand in righteousness,

00:27:16.110 --> 00:27:20.818
in peace, in faith, in salvation, on the word of God, in prayer.

00:27:21.306 --> 00:27:23.575
When we have done all, we stand.

00:27:24.243 --> 00:27:30.472
So you may be tired, stand. You may have questions, stand. You may not see the answer yet, stand.

00:27:30.837 --> 00:27:36.184
You may have been hit, stand. And remember, you are not standing in your own strength.

00:27:36.631 --> 00:27:45.051
Ephesians 6 tells us that our journey began with this, Be strong in the Lord and in his power.

00:27:45.780 --> 00:27:49.683
And the power of his might, and his strength, and his armor,

00:27:50.123 --> 00:27:52.839
and his word, and his spirit, and his power.

00:27:53.158 --> 00:27:58.123
And after everything the Bible has thrown at you, this may be your testimony.

00:27:58.463 --> 00:28:00.380
I am still standing.

00:28:00.978 --> 00:28:05.842
Let's pray. Father, thank you for your word. Thank you that you have not left us defenseless.

00:28:06.115 --> 00:28:09.161
Thank you for your truth, for your righteousness, for your gospel of peace,

00:28:09.655 --> 00:28:11.723
for your faith, for your salvation.

00:28:13.512 --> 00:28:17.181
We thank you for your sword of the Spirit. Most of all, we thank you for prayer.

00:28:17.704 --> 00:28:21.243
Teach us to know your word so deeply that when the lies come,

00:28:21.243 --> 00:28:23.131
we can answer. It is written.

00:28:23.555 --> 00:28:28.703
Help us not to misuse your word, not to handle it lightly, handle it with truth,

00:28:28.703 --> 00:28:30.167
humility, wisdom, and love.

00:28:30.620 --> 00:28:34.933
Teach us to pray always. Teach us to watch. Teach us to persevere.

00:28:36.222 --> 00:28:40.433
Remind us to pray for one another When we are tired, strengthen us.

00:28:40.433 --> 00:28:41.893
When we are confused, guide us.

00:28:42.241 --> 00:28:44.378
When we are tempted, give us a way of escape.

00:28:44.790 --> 00:28:48.917
And when our minds are under attack, bring your word back to our remembrance.

00:28:49.422 --> 00:28:53.729
And after we've done everything we know to do, give us a grace to stand.

00:28:54.258 --> 00:28:59.674
Let our testimony be. The battle came, the winds blew, the dark flew,

00:28:59.981 --> 00:29:03.221
but the power of God, by the power of God.

00:29:03.971 --> 00:29:07.598
We are still standing. In Jesus' name, amen.

00:29:08.292 --> 00:29:12.860
We have one more episode. It'll be episode eight. Having done all to stand,

00:29:13.550 --> 00:29:16.911
we're going to stand. We're going to learn how to stand. Our final standing,

00:29:17.381 --> 00:29:19.541
battle, because we want to win.

00:29:20.081 --> 00:29:22.855
We want to be, we want to finish strong.

00:29:23.517 --> 00:29:28.807
We want to be, God to be proud of us, right? So remember, the battle came,

00:29:28.807 --> 00:29:31.081
the winds blew, the darts flew.

00:29:31.563 --> 00:29:37.577
But by God, but by the power of God, we are still standing. And if you're still

00:29:37.577 --> 00:29:39.692
breathing, you're standing.

00:29:39.831 --> 00:29:43.627
If you're still, like I say, if you're still breathing, if you can still see,

00:29:43.627 --> 00:29:50.022
if things are still not where you want them to be, the Bible tells us to stand therefore and stand.

00:29:50.521 --> 00:29:54.062
And things are happening at a quicker rate. And so once you,

00:29:54.207 --> 00:29:55.461
what happens if you quit?

00:29:56.042 --> 00:29:59.484
And then the next person gets your blessing because you refuse to stand.

00:30:00.141 --> 00:30:04.087
And so I want to encourage you to stand. I want to encourage you to get fully

00:30:04.087 --> 00:30:09.817
equipped and not in your own strength, but in the power of God. Amen.

00:30:11.927 --> 00:30:16.220
This has been your host, Connie Morris. And this is the Diary of a Black Woman podcast.

00:30:16.661 --> 00:30:20.991
And I'll see you on our final episode on Tuesday.

00:30:22.176 --> 00:30:25.913
Before we close today, I don't want to take for granted that everyone listening

00:30:26.180 --> 00:30:27.609
knows Jesus personally.

00:30:27.991 --> 00:30:32.420
If you have listened to this episode or any other episodes and felt something

00:30:32.420 --> 00:30:37.530
stirring in your heart, maybe you know about God, but you're not sure you truly know him.

00:30:37.710 --> 00:30:41.900
Maybe you grew up in church, walked away, got hurt, became tired,

00:30:42.290 --> 00:30:44.640
and never fully surrendered your life to Jesus.

00:30:45.020 --> 00:30:49.450
I want you to know this. God loves you. He has not forgotten you.

00:30:49.450 --> 00:30:51.387
He is not waiting to shame you.

00:30:51.549 --> 00:30:54.503
He is calling you home.

00:30:54.700 --> 00:30:58.718
The Bible says in Romans 10, 9, if you declare with your mouth,

00:30:58.931 --> 00:31:06.188
Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

00:31:06.390 --> 00:31:08.818
Salvation is not about being perfect.

00:31:09.027 --> 00:31:11.940
It's about surrendering to the one who is perfect.

00:31:12.248 --> 00:31:19.667
Jesus died for your sins, rose again, and made a way for you to be forgiven, restored, and made new.

00:31:19.771 --> 00:31:23.300
So right where you are, you can pray this prayer with me.

00:31:23.451 --> 00:31:28.619
Lord Jesus, I come to you today with an open heart. I believe you are the son of God.

00:31:29.007 --> 00:31:36.316
I believe you died on the cross for my sins. And I believe that God raised you from the dead today.

00:31:36.710 --> 00:31:41.339
I confess that I need you. I repent of my sins. I ask you to forgive me,

00:31:41.339 --> 00:31:44.436
cleanse me, and make me brand new.

00:31:44.633 --> 00:31:46.549
Jesus, come into my heart.

00:31:46.874 --> 00:31:50.669
Be my Lord, my Savior, my Redeemer, and my King.

00:31:51.049 --> 00:31:56.023
I surrender my life to you. I give you my past, my present, and my future.

00:31:56.302 --> 00:32:00.224
Teach me how to walk with you. Fill me with your Holy Spirit.

00:32:00.497 --> 00:32:04.429
Lead me in truth, healing, obedience, and love.

00:32:04.769 --> 00:32:09.565
From this day forward, I belong to you. In Jesus' name, amen.

00:32:09.774 --> 00:32:14.179
If you pray that prayer from your heart, I want you to know that heaven has

00:32:14.179 --> 00:32:16.182
heard you. This is not the end.

00:32:16.513 --> 00:32:21.395
This is only the beginning of your walk with Jesus. Find a Bible-believing church,

00:32:21.575 --> 00:32:26.759
begin reading the word of God, pray daily, and ask the Holy Spirit to help you grow.

00:32:27.038 --> 00:32:31.786
God is not looking for perfection from you. He is inviting you into relationship,

00:32:32.100 --> 00:32:34.317
transformation, and eternal life.

00:32:34.509 --> 00:32:39.199
Through Jesus Christ. And remember, you are loved, you are not forgotten,

00:32:39.408 --> 00:32:41.927
and God still has a purpose for your life.

00:32:42.253 --> 00:32:45.138
Thank you for listening to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast.

00:32:45.341 --> 00:32:49.799
Until next time, keep walking in truth, faith, and freedom.

00:33:00.770 --> 00:33:03.939
Family, thank you for spending time with me today.

00:33:04.224 --> 00:33:07.882
To every woman listening who has ever felt hidden, overlooked,

00:33:07.882 --> 00:33:10.336
or pushed aside, hear me clearly.

00:33:10.610 --> 00:33:15.149
God has not forgotten you, and neither have I.

00:33:15.538 --> 00:33:20.298
Now let's go before the Lord and close this out with a word from God,

00:33:20.716 --> 00:33:25.151
because someone out there needs this reminder today.

00:33:25.418 --> 00:33:29.412
Jeremiah 29, 11, verses 11 through 14.

00:33:29.841 --> 00:33:34.692
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you

00:33:34.692 --> 00:33:38.595
and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

00:33:38.886 --> 00:33:43.634
Then when you call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you,

00:33:43.883 --> 00:33:49.202
you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

00:33:49.202 --> 00:33:55.267
I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and bring you back from captivity.

00:33:55.639 --> 00:34:01.605
Father God, we thank you for your word, that it is true, that it is living, that it is for us.

00:34:01.762 --> 00:34:06.802
You said you know the plans you have for us, plans to prosper us and not to

00:34:06.802 --> 00:34:09.714
harm us, plans to give us hope and a future.

00:34:09.999 --> 00:34:14.300
So today we receive that, not just in our minds, but in our hearts.

00:34:14.527 --> 00:34:18.242
When we feel overlooked, remind us you still see us.

00:34:18.526 --> 00:34:23.762
When we feel forgotten, remind us you still have a plan. And when we feel hidden,

00:34:24.088 --> 00:34:26.293
remind us you are still working.

00:34:26.590 --> 00:34:29.736
Your word says that when we call on you, you will listen.

00:34:30.078 --> 00:34:33.271
So we call on you now. Hear us. Strengthen us.

00:34:33.515 --> 00:34:37.840
Guide us. Help us to seek you with our whole heart, not halfway,

00:34:38.043 --> 00:34:40.011
not sometimes, but fully.

00:34:40.220 --> 00:34:44.672
And as we seek you, let us find you in every season, in every place.

00:34:45.201 --> 00:34:50.420
Even the hidden one. Restore what was lost, renew what feels broken,

00:34:50.733 --> 00:34:55.151
and remind us that nothing in our lives is wasted in your hand.

00:34:55.552 --> 00:35:01.744
Lord, we trust you, we believe you, and we stand on your word. In Jesus' name, amen.

00:35:02.058 --> 00:35:06.127
This is Diary of a Black Woman podcast, and I'm your host, Connie Morris,

00:35:06.400 --> 00:35:09.151
and I'll see you on the next episode.