Low Oil: Ep. 1: When the Lamp Flickers: Avoiding Spiritual Burnout

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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 on your drive to work,

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while you're getting ready in the morning, 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, oh, that you will 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 will 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 and welcome back to Diary of a Black Woman podcast. I'm your host Connie

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Morris and we're on day one of our new series, Low Oil Warning.

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And today's title is titled Low Oil Warning, Recognizing the Signs Before the Breakdown.

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Our anchor scripture is found in Matthew 25.

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Verse 1 and verse 8. It reads, Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto

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ten virgins, virgins, which took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

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So each of the ten virgins went forth to meet the bridegroom.

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Verse 8 tells us, And the foolish said to the wise, Give us of your oil,

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for our lamps have gone out.

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Jesus gives this parable to describe the kingdom, and not the world.

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This means that this is about people who are already connected,

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already aware, and already in position.

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All ten virgins had lamps, all had oil at some point, and they all were waiting for the bridegroom.

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There was no visible difference at the beginning. This is important because

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spiritual decline rarely shows on the outside immediately.

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At first, everyone looks the same. They speak in the same. Some even dress the

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same. Same participation, same activity.

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But time exposes what preparation hides.

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The distinction came down to one thing, oil supply.

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The wise brought extra, the fools did not.

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The fools were not rejected because they had no lamp. They were not excluded

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because they were unaware.

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They were unprepared because they had not enough oil to sustain them when the delay came.

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Verse 5 tells us that while the

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bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. Even the wise rested.

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This means that the issue was not about sleep or resting. The issue was not even about the delay.

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The issue was what they had when the moment came.

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When the call went out, behold, the bridegroom coming.

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There was no time to prepare. And that is when the problem surfaced. Our limbs are gone out.

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Notice, it didn't say that they never had any oil. It says that they ran out.

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God gives us a preparation time to prepare for his coming. He tells us to be

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filled, keep being filled.

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You even notice that he tells you to be the wise, always being prepared.

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Because when there's a delay, you don't want to run out of oil.

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Psalms 23 tells us, my cup runs over.

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So that means when your Lord is your shepherd, that he keeps you full.

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He keeps you full to the brim.

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I want to, you know, I want to read that because we skim over too many scriptures.

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And this one's powerful because he's telling us, I got you covered.

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So Psalms 23, I want to read all of it. It says, the Lord is my shepherd.

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I should not want. He maketh me lie down in green pastures.

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He leadeth me beside still waters. He restores my soul.

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He leads me in the path of righteousness for his name's sake.

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Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

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I will fear no evil, but thou art with me.

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Thy rod and thy staff comforts me. Here go the main scripture.

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Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

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Thou anointed my head with oil, my cup runneth over.

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Six, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,

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and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

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God gives us more than enough.

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We shouldn't have to run out. We shouldn't have the oil light on.

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I want to go to Proverbs 4, chapter 4, verse 23.

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It says, Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it flows the issue.

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Of life. Both of these tells us that God designed us as not just for survival, not barely getting by.

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He gives us an abundance. But when we don't have that abundance,

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the issue of our life, our responses, our decisions, our emotions flow from an inner condition.

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When insight runs low, everything connected to it is affected.

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And our foundational scripture is found in Ephesians 5. So come with me,

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go with me there. Ephesians 5, verse 18.

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I've been reading a brief, a little synopsis of it, but I want to read it all.

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Ephesians 5, verse 18. It says, let's go with 17 first. Let's go with 16.

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It's all good. Redeeming the time because the days are evil.

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Therefore, be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

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And be not drunk with wine, where it in excess will be filled with the Spirit.

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Verse 19, speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,

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singing and make melody in your heart to the Lord.

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20, giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name

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of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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21, submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

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So being filled with the Spirit, what does that sound like? You're singing hymns

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and spiritual songs, making melodies in your heart to God.

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You ever see, I know sometimes you think people are talking to themselves,

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but you ever get a song on your heart and you keep singing it over and over and over and over again,

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and you just can't stop singing it. And no matter where you're at in your car,

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in a grocery store, shopping at the mall.

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Washing your car, cleaning your house, that song is set in your heart and you

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sing it over and over and over. And you don't even know why.

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This song is just set. It wants to play, like put on repeat.

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And that is continually to be filled with the Spirit, right?

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We don't have to be super spiritual.

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We always have to stay in a state of worshiping the Lord. But remember this,

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you don't have to be empty to be in danger.

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You have to be running low. The foolish version did not fail because they were disconnected.

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They failed because they were unprepared for the duration.

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They had enough oil for the moment, but not enough oil for the delay.

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And this is where many believers struggle.

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They have enough oil to start, but not enough oil to sustain.

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Real talk. This is what it looks like when you're running low in real life.

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You're still functioning, but everything feels heavier.

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Small things irritate you the more than they should. You make decisions, but lack clarity.

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You're present, but not engaging. You're completely disconnected from God,

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but you're also not flowing in the ways you used to.

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So you're not connected, you're not spiritually disconnected,

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but there is a disconnect. You know what I'm saying?

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And then you're not the same person. Instead of stopping your refill,

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you push through. You keep going. You keep producing.

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You keep showing up. But internally, there's friction.

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Just like an engine running low on oil, it doesn't stop immediately.

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It keeps moving while the damage quietly increases.

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Running low is dangerous because it feels manageable. There is still enough

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function to ignore the warning. But the longer it's ignored,

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the more costly it will become.

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I want to show you, I want to tell you, how do you restore the flow? Number one.

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So you want to acknowledge where you are honestly, honestly.

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And you're always good to be real with yourself. Where am I? Honestly.

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Let's go to Psalms 51 verse 6. It tells us, Behold, thou desirest truth in the

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inward parts, and in the hidden part thou should make me to know wisdom.

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So God says in the scripture, like this is probably David's prayer. This is David's prayer.

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He desires to know truth in the inward parts. and the hidden parts.

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Thou shall make known wisdom.

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God does not respond to performance. He responds to honesty.

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Restoration begins when you stop pretending you are full. So number one,

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acknowledge where you are honestly.

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So if you're empty, then say, Lord, I'm empty.

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Fill me. If you're halfway full, you got to find a way to keep being filled

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so you don't get halfway anymore.

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And if you're on full, stay full. What are you doing to stay full?

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That's not an opportunity to brag or boast, it's an opportunity to take all

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that power and help somebody else out.

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Let's go to Matthew 11, 28.

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Second point is stop functioning without refilling.

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And that's 11, 28.

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And it tells us here, it says, Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy

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laden, and I will give you rest.

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Jesus did not say push through.

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He said, come. Rest is not inactivity, it is connection.

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God says, come. I love that. He says, come unto me.

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And then we're going to go to point three, make space for God before responsibility.

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And this psalm is in Psalms 46, verse 10. It's one of my favorite scriptures.

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And it reads, Be still and know that I am God.

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I will be exalted among the heathens. I will be exalted on the earth.

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Understanding that stillness is not a waste of time. It's where your strength

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is restored and your flow is renewed.

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Let's decree these things. I will not ignore the warning signs in my life.

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I recognize when I am running low and I respond with intention.

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I am not sustained by my effort.

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I am sustained by the Spirit of God.

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My life will not function in depletion. I will walk in the fullness and the overflow.

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Let's pray. Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank you for revealing what I could not see.

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I repent for continuing to function while running low, for ignoring the signs,

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and for relying on my own strength.

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Restore my awareness. Restore my function. Restore my hunger.

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Restore my discipline to come back to you. Teach me to recognize when I need

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to be filled again and give me the wisdom to respond immediately.

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I will not wait until I'm empty. I will stay connected, filled,

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and sustained by you. In Jesus' name, amen.

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A heart check. This is something you ask yourself. And it says,

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am I functioning from overflow or from depletion?

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What signs in my life indicate that I may be running low?

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Before starting your day, you should pause. Not to ask for anything, but to reconnect.

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And I just imagine simply if you unplug before you go to bed,

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right? Get up in the morning and plug back into Jesus.

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Because the goal is not just to start full, it's to stay full.

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This is your host, Connie Morris.

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And this is a Diary of a Black Woman podcast. And our next episode is going

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to be titled, Where Is It Leaking?

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Identify what is draining you. I'll see you on our new episode, Low Oil Warning.

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Until then, goodbye. Goodbye.

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Family, thank you for spending time with me today.

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To every woman listening who has ever felt hidden, overlooked,

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or pushed aside, hear me clearly.

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God has not forgotten you, and neither have I.

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Now let's go before the Lord and close this out with a word from God.

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Because someone out there needs this reminder today.

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Jeremiah 29, 11, verses 11 through 14. For I know the plans I have for you,

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declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

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plans to give you hope and a future.

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Then when you call on me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you,

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you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

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I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and bring you back from captivity.

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Father God, we thank you for your word, that it is true, that it is living, that it is for us.

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You said you know the plans you have for us, plans to prosper us and not to

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harm us, plans to give us hope and a future.

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So today we receive that, not just in our minds, but in our hearts.

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When we feel overlooked, remind us you still see us.

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When we feel forgotten, remind us you still have a plan. And when we feel hidden,

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remind us you are still working.

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Your word says that when we call on you, you will listen. So we call on you now. Hear us.

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Strengthen us. Guide us. Help us to seek you with our whole heart,

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not halfway, not sometimes, but fully.

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And as we seek you, let us find you in every season, in every place.

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Even the hidden one. Restore what was lost, renew what feels broken,

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and remind us that nothing in our lives is wasted in your hand.

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Lord, we trust you, we believe you, and we stand on your word. In Jesus' name, amen.

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This is Diary of a Black Woman podcast, and I'm your host, Connie Morris,

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and I'll see you on the next episode.