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Today we are going to take a posture of peace and I am going to cover you with prayer.

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Posture is a short audible fist bump to remind you God is with you in everything.

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Together we're going to be emboldened to take a daily posture of perfect peace.

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Okay, I am hoping that I can model something today by giving you just a little bit of

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background on the preparation of this episode. I'm going to try to keep a long story short.

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I really hope I don't bore you with sharing all the details. I'm hoping that it's helpful,

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especially if you've ever felt discouraged about stepping up and speaking out as a kingdom

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communicator or just, you know, showing up as a kingdom ambassador. You know, the reality is

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we have, we all, we all have spheres of influence. Homes, classrooms, businesses, neighborhoods,

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social media platforms, and there are just going to be days when it feels easier to shut down and

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shut up or show up and just explode instead of bringing life and light through our words and

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actions. And so, you know, as I was preparing for today's episode, I felt like I had a lot to say

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about a lot of things. I mean, I was pretty lit up this morning thinking through this episode

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and preparing, but then all of a sudden there was a shift and it felt like my words were inadequate

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and showing up was not even necessary. It's like, I don't even want to do an episode. I just felt

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like the wind was taken out of my sails. And you know, sometimes that feeling of blah, it's just

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the enemy trying to discourage you from stepping out and speaking up. But I am learning and practicing

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every day to be sensitive only to the Holy Spirit's leading, only to what God is saying.

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Jesus shared in John 10 about the good shepherd and he said, my sheep know my voice and they

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follow me and the voice of a stranger they do not follow. And you know, I want to get to a point

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personally where I don't even hear the voice of a stranger. I don't even hear the voice of the

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enemy. And so that's what I've been practicing. I've been practicing hearing only God's voice.

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And it is a practice. It is not an instantaneous thing, but practice, though it is a process,

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makes permanent. So it is totally worth it. And so when I felt like the wind was taken out of my

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words today, when I was preparing, you know, I had a choice to make. I could follow the voice

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of the accuser into full blown discouragement and doubt and despair, or I could ask the Holy

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Spirit for his help to guide me into all truth. And I chose the latter. And the Holy Spirit reminded

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me, you know, the truth is my words are not inadequate. I am not inadequate. I know that,

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you know, my feelings, though they may feel real, are not my highest level of truth, period. He also

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revealed to me that what I was feeling emotionally about all the episode prep was actually rooted in

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what I was feeling physically. I was just tired. I'm a little bit tired, guys. And so I was feeling

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physically drained and therefore I was dragging mentally and emotionally and getting frustrated

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with myself. And I'm sure you can relate to that because, you know, we've all been tired before.

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And sometimes when we're tired, we forget we have a helper and we feel alone and therefore we work

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out of our own strength. And that is exhausting. And so the feeling of my words being, you know,

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that feeling of just being unnecessary and adequate, I believe it wasn't even the enemy. I

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believe it was my helper giving me a gentle warning. And he was saying, hey, you are trying

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to do all this right now out of your own strength. And our agendas for this episode are no longer

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aligned. And so I received that gentle warning. I received that conviction. And I asked the Holy

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Spirit, OK, what is your agenda? And I felt led, honestly, to just trash the episode I had planned

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and pray over you instead today. The sense I got from the Holy Spirit, I believe that there are

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many of you listening and watching who have not heard someone pray specifically over you in a

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while. And the Lord is eager to breathe his words of life over you today. And he wants you to hear

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the words of his truth. So I'm going to just I'm going to pray over you guys. And I encourage you

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to close your eyes and soak it in as if it were a specific prayer, as if I were standing in the

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room right now with you praying over you. Father God, great is your faithfulness. I thank you that

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you are rich in mercy and abounding in love. I thank you that the words you speak, Father,

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do not return to you unfulfilled, that your word performs your purpose and fulfills the mission

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you sent for it to accomplish. Lord, we will not take your words for granted. We receive.

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your words of life today and Lord you say in Isaiah 41 10, fear not for I am

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with you, do not be dismayed for I am your God, I will strengthen you, I will

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help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Father I pray for

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those whose hearts are feeling tenderized by doubts or rejection, fears,

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grief, lack, accusations, or pressures. Lord you are the God who heals hearts and

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sets people free so I declare according to who you are Lord that those listening

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to this prayer right now will be healed and set free. I pray that the oil of joy

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would be applied to their hearts and minds right now. I pray that you will

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develop an unshakable trust in you in their hearts right now and that they

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will be kept in perfect peace. I pray that the desolation that their enemy

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Satan has sent to discourage them and harm them you will redeem for their

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benefit. I pray that what is hidden will be brought to light. I pray that they

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will rise up in the authority and the power that you have given them and that

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they will be restorers of desolate people and places. I pray that they will

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partner with the testimony of what you have redeemed in them and

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bring restoration to those around them. Holy Spirit thank you for your help and

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your comfort. I pray that you will lead them in truth. I pray that the voice of a

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stranger, the voice of the enemy, they will not even hear. May they see

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themselves as heaven sees them. And Jesus we thank you for your empowering grace

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in our lives. It's because of you that we can pray with such boldness and

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authority and so we pray all of these things in your name. Amen.

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The promise of perfect peace is found in Isaiah 26 3. In Hebrew it is Shalom

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Shalom meaning complete wholeness. Nothing missing, nothing broken. This is

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who you are in Jesus because of Jesus. You are a living testimony of Jesus's

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ultimate win. With every step you take today you're putting Jesus's victory on

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display and Satan's defeat on replay.