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Well, it's that time of year again.

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It's heavy out there.

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Hi, my name is Leanne Friesman, and this is Restoring Word.

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It's a short devotional designed to build your faith.

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I'm not asking for offerings.

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I'm not selling anything, and I don't want to come preach.

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I just want to share the goodness of God with you every week.

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Today we're going to talk about celebrating victories.

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There's so much heaviness in the economy, in the job market, stock market, whatever.

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And sometimes I feel like our biggest battles are right up here in between our ears.

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And there is spiritual warfare that you're going to sense, and really the principle

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in that is out of the book of Ephesians, starting in verse 12, for we struggle not against flesh

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and blood, but against the rulers and against the authorities, against the powers of this

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dark world, and against all the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

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Guys, we're not fighting against people.

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We're fighting against spirits.

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And when we walk with Christ and we renew our minds and we speak the word, that's the

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most aggressive thing that we can do in the spiritual battle that we're fighting.

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But one of the things that I've found is that I have to take authority over my thoughts,

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and part of that means I've got to rehearse or celebrate my victories.

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Now one of the things I taught my kids to do when they were really little was to journal.

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And we would stand on God's promises and I would say, okay guys, let's write down what

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we're believing for, especially in January where we would fast as a family.

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And our kids learned to write it down and journal it and then go back and see God's

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goodness in the middle of all of it, and then to reflect on that.

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And I was over with my kids, my daughter last night, and she opened up something that she

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had journaled in her phone many, many months before the boys were born.

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And there were some very specific targeted things that she was asking the Lord for, things

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that statistically, in terms of genetics, that were just almost impossible.

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What would be the odds of having two boys with blue eyes?

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Well, statistically, when your husband is Spanish and German, yes, how does that work?

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Well, guess what?

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That girl not only had one baby boy with blue eyes, she had two.

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God is an abundant God.

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And I think sometimes it's just because we haven't asked.

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Now think about it.

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What have you prayed and what have you asked God to do that He's already done?

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Can you remember those things?

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Have you made a list to celebrate what He's done?

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Have you reminded yourself lately of His goodness?

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It's helpful.

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It's very helpful because when you make a decision to celebrate the victories, when

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you make a decision to focus on the things He's already done, then going forward, maybe

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into a season that is stressful or stretching or depressing, whatever that next season may

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be, you can remind yourself of what wonderful thing He's already done for you.

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Philippians 4, 6, and you know I love this one, don't be anxious for anything.

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But in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.

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So there's prayer, you're asking Him, you're thanking Him, let your request be made known

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to God.

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You know, a lot of times if I'm needing something, I look back and I think about it and I think,

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did I really pray about it?

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Sometimes no, I didn't pray about it.

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I might have thought about it a lot.

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But I really didn't take it to Him.

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He knows you and He knows your thoughts.

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He knows your heart.

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But sometimes you just got to go ahead and ask.

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This is Psalms 9.1, I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all of my heart.

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I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

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You know, sometimes the person that you need to tell the most is you.

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Sometimes you just need to rehearse your victory and you need to let that victory come out

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of your mouth. You know, I remember the time when, I remember when God got me out

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of, I remember when I didn't know how I was going to, and when you go back and

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you remind yourself of that in the midst of stress and adversity, it really builds

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your faith up to endure what you're gonna do next. Now that doesn't mean it's

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not gonna be easy. What that does mean is that the grace of God, the heart

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posture of gratefulness and thankfulness and trust, which is faith,

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it will carry you in that next season. And then this is Colossians 315, and let

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the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one

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body, and be thankful. And let the peace of Christ. Now what happens when you

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rehearse your victories? It's followed up by peace. Don't we all need that right

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now? I mean, I don't know about you, but there's nothing peaceful in the news

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right now. Nothing peaceful. Everything is anxious, anxiety, anxiety, anxiety. No, I'm

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going to be peaceful, and I'm going to be thankful, because I know how good he's

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been. I'm gonna focus on what he's already done in my life and in the lives

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of others and of the other testimonies that I've heard, and I'm going to make a

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decision today to be thankful. Colossians 2 7, let your roots grow down into him.

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You know, the root is the most important thing in a tree or in a plant. It's

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the thing you don't see. It's the thing that nourishes the plant. It pulls it up

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from under the ground, right? Okay, let your roots grow down into him, and let

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your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong. Now think about

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it. When the roots of a tree are deep, and the winds come, like in Oklahoma, we

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have crazy thunderstorms and tornadoes. Listen, the wind can blow, and the tree

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comes right back up, because why? The roots are deep. The roots are strong. You

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might, it's not that you aren't gonna wobble a little bit. It's not that it

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isn't gonna be uncomfortable, but you're rooted in him. You're rooted in the Word.

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You will, then let your faith grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you

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will overflow with thankfulness. Colossians 2.7. Sometimes the person that

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you need to teach the most is you. I don't know. Maybe you guys are all more

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spiritual than me, but I need help. I need to rehearse. I need to remember. I

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need to be thankful. I need to steer my focus. I need to discipline as much as

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possible my thought life, because my thought life can go all over the place.

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When I make that decision, I'm gonna focus on him. I'm gonna trust him. He's

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gonna be good, and he's gonna walk me out of it, and he's gonna walk you out of it.

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Have a great day. Thank you for liking and sharing. If you know somebody that's

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going through something right now that's just over their head, and they need a

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little word of encouragement, say, hey, you need to listen to this encouragement

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today. This lady will help you walk with him. Have a great day. Have a great

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week. Thank you for liking and subscribing.