Mind of Christ: Ep 14: Finishing Strong: The Mind of Christ in Action

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Welcome to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast with your host,

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Connie Morris, where healing has a voice and truth is no longer silent.

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Father God, like Jabez, we cry out that thou would bless us indeed.

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Bless every woman listening beyond trauma, beyond limits, beyond what she thought

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was possible. Enlarge her territory.

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Expand her purpose. Let your hand be upon this moment.

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Saturate every word with oil and truth. break cycles, cancel every curse sent to silence her.

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This isn't just a podcast.

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This is holy ground. In Jesus' name, amen.

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Hello, and welcome back to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast.

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I'm your host, Connie Morris, and we're on our final episode of The Mind of Christ.

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The title of this one is Finishing Strong. God wants us to finish strong.

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And I believe that you have got something from this episode, the mind of Christ.

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Wow. And I hope your faith has been built up so that you can walk with the mind

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of Christ and be all that God has caused you to be.

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Walking in his perfect peace, his humility, his wisdom, everything that he is, we are.

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That is why the space was created for your quiet moments, your workday,

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your commutes, and those in between places where your spirit needs to be refilled.

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Faith on the go is for those times when you're fighting battles not yet won,

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but already finished in Christ.

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It's for the ones who keep believing, keep pressing, and keep walking,

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even when the road gets long and narrow.

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So wherever you are today, settle in and let the word of God strengthen your

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faith while you are on the go. Day 14.

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Finishing Strong, a Mind of Purpose in Action.

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Our key scripture is found in John 17, 4, and it reads, I have brought you glory

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on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.

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Every step of Jesus' life pointed towards purpose.

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From the carpenter's bench to Calvary's hill, he lived with one goal,

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to finish the Father's will. He was not driven by fame or fear, but by faithfulness.

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In his final prayer before the cross, he said, I have brought you the glory

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on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.

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And just before his last breath, he declared, it is finished.

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John 19.30 Those were not words of defeat. They were the sound of completion.

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Every prophecy fulfilled, every promise kept, every assignment accomplished.

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He didn't just start his mission, he finished it.

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Even when rejected, misunderstood, and betrayed, Jesus never lost focus.

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He stayed on course because his purpose was anchored in obedience and not applause.

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The mind of Christ finishes what it starts.

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Purpose is not proven by how well you begin, but how faithfully you endure.

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Jesus endured the cross for the joy set before him. Hebrews 12, 2.

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He saw beyond pain to promise, beyond sorrow to salvation.

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God gives you purpose, not for perfection, but for perseverance.

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Every season of waiting, every test of patience, every act of surrender,

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shape your ability to finish well.

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Purpose will demand endurance, but endurance produces glory.

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When your life aligns with God's will, even challenges become chapters in your completed story.

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You're not running for recognition. You're running for reward.

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2 Timothy 4.7 tells us, I have fought the good fight.

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I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.

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I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.

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He knew when his race was over. So that gives me great hope that we will know when our race is over.

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Until then, we have to keep on with the good fight.

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We have to keep on with our faith.

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Purpose gives your life focus, peace, and resilience. It reminds you that every

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delay still serves your destiny.

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Like Jesus, you were sent on assignment and heaven celebrates every step you complete in faith.

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Ask yourself, have I grown weary in the middle of my assignment?

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Am I finishing what God started in me or am I distracted by what others think? That's powerful.

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Do I measure success by completion or comfort?

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Remember, the finish line is not a place. It's a posture.

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It's the mindset that says, whatever he started in me, he will complete, Philippians 1 said.

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Now, how did Jesus walk it out? We want to walk it out like Jesus.

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Number one, stay mission focused every day. Ask, Lord, what part of my assignment

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am I called to fulfill today? John 4, 34.

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You know, every job comes with a job description, right? There's things you

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do every day because your job requires you to do that every day.

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Remember, you're on assignment from Jesus. You are on assignment from the Father.

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And that means that there's some tasks that has to be completed in this day.

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And so praying, Lord, what are my tasks for today?

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What is my part of my assignment and my call to fulfill? Number two,

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push through opposition.

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Jesus didn't let betrayal, criticism, or fatigue stop him. Press through pain with perseverance.

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Hebrews 12, 2 to 3. Isn't that powerful?

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Jesus didn't stop. Even though he knew his purpose on earth,

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that his time will come where he will have to die on the cross,

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he was in the garden. He was praying like, Lord, is there another way?

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Like last minute shout out. Can you give me another way that we can still accomplish

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this? And then it must have been silent.

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And then he says, nevermind, your will be done. And he did it.

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He pressed through the pain with perseverance.

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That word perseverance is my favorite word because you pressing through despite how you field.

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You are going to finish the race regardless if you're crawling in to the finish

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line. But the title is that we finished strong.

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And so there's no crawling in here. We're running through that finish line just

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as strong as we have begun this race.

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Number three, celebrate progress, not perfection.

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Every small victory counts.

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God measures faithfulness, not fame. I love that. He's not looking for you to be famous.

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He is looking to be famous. Let's not get that twisted, right?

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So God measures our faithfulness.

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Our faithfulness is being measured. When God measures, you know, he knows how to measure.

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He pulls out that plumb line. You're supposed to be here by now.

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And if you're not measuring up, guess what? Another test of your faith is coming

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so you can grow that faith.

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Faith is tested when we're tested, right? Trials test us.

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He doesn't give us trials, but he tests us. We are being tested.

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How much faith do you have? Is it enough to hold you through the next fight?

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Number four, draw strength from prayer. Jesus often withdrew to regain focus.

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Your greatest clarity comes in quiet moments with God.

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Luke 5, 16. How powerful is that? We have to have a prayer time with God.

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Many, many of my devotionals, mostly all of them came through a prayer focus.

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He'll give me something to think about. I think about it. I said,

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whoa, this is good. The mind of Christ. I'm studying for this promotion.

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And I always pray, Lord, I want the mind of Christ. And he said,

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do you know what that means? I was like, you know, not really.

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And then boom, we got a devotional on it and we got a podcast. Why?

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Because it's so much powerful to just know, just to know that God is listening.

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And for you to interrupt and say, do you know what that means?

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I said, no, it's something powerful.

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It's something powerful. Wow.

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So Jesus withdrew to regain focus. So remember, your greatest clarity comes

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in the quiet moments with God, in that stillness.

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And number five, finish with grace.

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Let your last act in every season, come on now, reflect gratitude,

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not grievance. 2nd Timothy 4, 7 through 8.

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You want to finish with grace.

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You know, grace, you want to like,

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show like don't let the enemy see you sweating. You want to finish with your

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head up tall, with your back straight.

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You want to look like you have finished the race, but you didn't finish it, defeated it.

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You didn't barely make it, but you made it with room to spare.

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Let's pray. Father, thank you for giving me purpose and the strength to complete it.

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When I grow weary, remind me of Jesus who endured the cross and finished the mission.

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Help me to keep my eyes on the goal and my heart fixed on your glory.

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Teach me to walk faithfully, serve joyfully, and finish gracefully.

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Let my life be a testimony that

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I live for what mattered most to bring you glory. In Jesus' name, amen.

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Let me bring you glory, Lord, in all I do. Let's decree I have the mind of Christ.

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I finished what God started in me. I am steady in purpose, focused in faith, and resilient in grace.

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The same power that raised Jesus from the grave empowers me to finish strong. How powerful.

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So I want to thank you for listening to Diary of Black Women podcast.

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With our Faith on the Go series, this is our final episode.

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I'm your host, Connie Morris. And I do pray that this word energizes your faith

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and reminds you of God's promise.

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His promise is that you will finish strong.

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Why? According to Isaiah 55, 11, it says, my word will not return void.

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If you're putting the word of God in you, that's your energy to get you through that finish line.

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If you're not, you better start getting in that word because that is going to

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have you finish strong because God's word does not return void.

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Philippians 1.6, it says, he who began a good work will carry it onto completion

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until the day of Jesus Christ.

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So listen, you can't quit.

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You cannot quit. He said he will carry it, but he's going to need you to do

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some things, right? does he begin to work in you and it will carry it on to the completion.

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So remember, you are a work in progress.

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Don't you dare quit. Don't you run on the enemy's side because it's too hard. Then you're a loser.

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You're a loser. So don't be a loser.

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Be a winner. Be on Jesus' side because God will finish what he started in you. So keep believing.

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Keep walking by faith and keep trusting in him.

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In Jesus' name, amen. And I'll see you with a new episode. I don't know what's

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coming, but it's been fun. Amen. Bye-bye.

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Thank you for listening to this episode. And before we close out,

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I want to speak a word of promise over you from Jeremiah 29, 11 through 14.

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Father God, you declared, I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper

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you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

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So today we receive that truth.

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You said when we call on you, you will listen. So we pray.

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You said that when we seek you with our hearts, you will be found. So we pursue.

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You said you will restore us from captivity. So we declare freedom over every

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place where our listeners feel stuck, silenced, or small.

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Thank you for always drawing near when we show up in faith. In Jesus' name, amen.