Be A Part of God's Big Plan!

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Hey friends, welcome to the Her God Story podcast where you will always hear a good

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story to build your faith and equip you in your walk with the Lord.

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I'm your host, Jodie Chiricosta, ministry leader at Somebody Cares America and International,

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author and traveler on this journey of faith.

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This podcast launched the first week of May in 2022, so this episode we celebrate our

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first year anniversary.

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I am so thankful to all my guests who have shared their God Stories with openness and

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honesty so we can all benefit from lessons they've learned in their walk with the Lord.

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To celebrate all that God has done in our lives, we're giving you, our listeners, a

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gift.

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That's right, we have a gift for you.

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It's a tool you can use in your walk with the Lord to share Him with others.

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You've heard of book clubs where people get together and discuss a book they have all

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read?

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Well now you can do something similar in a Her God Story podcast club.

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It's a great way to encourage friends, neighbors, and co-workers in their faith journey, even

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those who have not yet committed to following the Lord.

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Invite some people to join you.

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The time commitment to listen to a podcast is much less than reading a book, so we think

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you will have a lot of takers.

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Meet at a coffee shop or have some light refreshments in a home and enjoy getting to know one another.

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We've prepared questions to get the conversation started.

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On hergodstory.org, you will now find a podcast club graphic.

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Click on that to see a set of general questions for use with any of the episodes, as well

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as some episode-specific questions.

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While we don't have a list of specific questions for every episode yet, we have enough to get

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you started and we'll be adding more over time, and you can always use the general questions

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for whichever episode you choose.

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Try starting a monthly podcast club this summer and see how it goes.

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We'll be praying for you.

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This anniversary episode will be slightly different from others.

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Instead of interviewing a guest, I'm going to share a bit about our destiny by looking

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at the journeys of a few women in the Bible.

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Growing up and well into adulthood, my favorite Bible verse was Jeremiah 29:11.

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The NIV version reads, for I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to

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

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It spoke to me of a bright future, that I'm part of God's big plan and I have a purpose

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and destiny in Him.

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All of us want to know our specific purpose and future.

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You may have heard the Westminster Shorter Catechism, which says, man's chief end is

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to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.

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John Piper in his book Desiring God, which I highly recommend, rephrases that a little

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to say, man's chief end is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever.

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That's the overarching purpose for all believers.

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But God also has specific, unique plans for each one of us.

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That thought is exciting for some and maybe uncomfortable for others, so questions or

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hesitations might spring to mind like, how do I know what my purpose is?

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If I really blow it, does it disqualify me from my destiny?

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I don't have the background, education, experience, so how can I do anything purposeful

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for God?

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And I'm sure there's more, but let's take a look at these.

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How do we know what our unique purpose is?

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First of all, don't fret, Psalm 3723 assures us that the Lord directs the steps of the

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godly.

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He delights in every detail of our lives.

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And Ephesians 2, 10 tells us we are God's masterpiece.

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He has created us anew in Christ Jesus so we can do the good things He planned for us

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long ago.

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If your heart is set on following the Lord, He will direct your steps into the good things,

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which is your purpose, that He planned for you long ago.

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He won't let you miss it if you're seeking Him, listening to His voice and walking with

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Him.

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He will lead you right into your purpose or bring your purpose to you.

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Let's take a look at J.L. lived during the time when judges led Israel.

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Israel at that time was led by Deborah, a prophetess and a judge.

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This was after the people had entered the promised land and before they cried out for

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a king.

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But J.L. was not an Israelite.

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She was the wife of Heber, a Kenite.

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Now the Kenites were friendly with the Israelites because Moses had lived among them for 40 years

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before God called him back to Egypt.

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In fact, Moses' father-in-law Jethro was a Kenite.

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So J.L.'s husband Heber was on good terms with the Israelites, but he was also on good

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terms with King Jabin, who was Israel's enemy at the time.

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Now King Jabin sent his commander Sisera out to attack Israel.

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J.L. and her family were safe and they were left alone because they were friends with

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King Jabin.

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But the Israelite commander was afraid to go into battle even though the Lord was sending

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him.

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He wanted Deborah, the judge, to go along.

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Now she agreed, and then the Lord gave her a prophecy that the victory would come at

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the hands of a woman.

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When the battle turned against Sisera, he ran away and asked J.L. if he could hide in

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her tent.

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Now Sisera was ruthless and had been oppressing the Israelites for 20 years, and J.L. knew

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this.

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She knew he was wicked and he would continue a campaign of terror for as long as he lived.

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So while he was asleep in her tent, she killed him.

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God used her to give Israel the victory, freeing them from oppression.

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I didn't use J.L.'s story to encourage physical violence in any way.

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The apostle Paul explains in 2 Corinthians 10, 4, and 5, the weapons we fight with are

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not weapons of the world.

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On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

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We demolish arguments and every pretense that sets itself up against the knowledge of God,

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and we take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ.

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In 2 Corinthians 6, 7, he states that righteousness is a weapon.

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In Hebrews 4, 12, as well as Ephesians 6, 17, tell us that the sword of the Spirit,

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which is the Word of God, is alive and it's active.

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Now back to J.L.'s story.

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By her inclusion in God's plan to rescue the Israelites, we can surmise that she was

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a woman who walked uprightly, wanting to know God, and she was living her life, taking care

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of her husband and household, when God brought purpose right to her door.

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She couldn't miss it.

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If you don't know the rest of the story, read Judges 4, and you'll see that her action

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that day made her a hero in Israel.

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Her obedience to God gained her mention in the Bible for all generations to read about.

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She glorified God in her action, and God wants her story told.

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On to our next question.

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If we really blow it, are we disqualified from our destiny?

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Think about Eve.

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Eve had it all.

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She was the first woman on earth and had a loving husband.

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They lived in the Garden of Eden.

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Beautiful, fruitful, with no weeds or pests.

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Together they ruled over all creation.

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There were no predators, disaster, disease, or anything else to fear.

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They walked with God and talked with him in the cool of the day.

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And he told them exactly what their purpose was.

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He let them know exactly what good things he'd prepared for them to do.

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Genesis 1, 28-30 is a brief record of their conversation.

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The New Living Translation says, The Lord blessed them and said, Be fruitful and multiply.

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Will the earth and covenant rain over the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, and

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all the animals that scurry along the ground?

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Then God said, Look, I've given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and

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all the fruit trees for your food.

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And I've given you every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the

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sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground, everything that has life.

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And that is what happened.

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Eve's purpose was to be a mom.

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Using up children who knew God and governed the earth, the Lord had so perfectly created.

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And to make sure she could fulfill her purpose, God gave Eve and Adam authority over everything.

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Second Peter 1, 3 says, By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living

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a godly life.

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We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself

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by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.

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I love that verse.

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God has already given us everything we need for living a godly life, for fulfilling his

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good plans for us.

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Eve knew God and he gave her everything she would need.

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Eve was able to do anything she wanted, go anywhere she wanted, eat anything she wanted,

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except for the fruit from one tree in all the earth.

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So what did Eve do?

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She ate from that forbidden tree.

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That sin, that disobedience, opened the door for sin, corruption, and death to enter the

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world, infect all of creation.

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And when Adam also ate that fruit, they handed the authority God had given them over to Satan.

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Eve really, really blew it.

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And we are all still feeling the effects of her sin today.

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You would think if anybody was going to lose their destiny, it would be Eve.

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God could have returned her to dust right then and there.

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He could have started over with a new man and a new woman.

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But he did not.

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His mercies are new every morning and God's love never fails.

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First Peter 1, 18-20 reveals something really amazing.

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The New Living Translation says, For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the

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empty life you inherited from your ancestors.

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And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value.

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It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless lamb of God.

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God chose him as our ransom long before the world began.

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Let me read that part again.

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God chose him as your ransom long before the world began.

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And now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake.

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Before God created the heavens and the earth, he already knew what Eve would do.

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He knew Jesus would need to pay the price for that sin and every other sin since time

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began so that we could come back into right relationship with him.

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When Eve ate that fruit, it was not a surprise to God.

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He'd given her and all of us a choice to walk with him or to go our own way.

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Eve wanted to try it her way and it ended in disaster.

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But that did not end her relationship with God.

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Yes, God removed Eve and Adam from the Garden of Eden and put a guard around the Tree of

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Life out of love, not punishment.

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God did not want Eve to live eternally in her sinful state.

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Yes, life was much more difficult for Eve and Adam from then on.

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Now she experienced pain and sorrow and toil, but God did not strip her of her purpose.

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God's plan is always to redeem us, always to restore his relationship with us.

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So I'm confident he did that with Adam and Eve as well.

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God blessed her with children.

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We know she taught them about having a relationship with God too.

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In Genesis 4, it tells the story of her sons, Cain and Abel, bringing sacrifices to the

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Lord and talking with him.

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One, Abel, embraced his relationship with God.

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The other, Cain, gave in to sin, but Eve had shown them at least how to have that relationship

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with God.

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So if you feel like you've blown it, don't give up.

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Don't walk away from God in shame.

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Instead, run to him.

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Confess your sin to him and ask for his empowering to live righteously.

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First John 1, 9 promises that if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to

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forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

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Now not only does he forgive us, he cleanses us.

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He takes that unrighteousness, that wickedness, right away.

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In his eyes, it never happened.

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Of course, if you walk away from God and persist in doing things your own way, then you're

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no longer accessing everything we need for living a godly life and you'll find yourself

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unfulfilled and pursuing meaningless things.

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But that would be your choice.

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If you want the joy of living your purpose, return to God and ask the Lord to fulfill

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Hebrews 8 verse 10 in you, to put his laws in your mind and to write them on your heart.

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That is a prayer he will answer.

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Finally, let's address our qualifications.

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Some may wonder, I don't have the background, education, experience, so how can I do anything

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purposeful for God?

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Consider Priscilla.

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She was part of the early church, married to Aquila, and was a friend of the Apostle

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Paul.

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Priscilla and Aquila were Jewish and because of that, they were kicked out of their home

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and forced to leave Rome by the Emperor Claudius.

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They moved to Corinth and restarted their business of making and selling tents and that

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is where the Apostle Paul first met them.

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Since he was also a tentmaker, they worked together.

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And while Paul was making tents, he was also evangelizing and teaching new believers every

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chance he got.

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That may be where Priscilla and Aquila first heard about Jesus and put their faith in

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Christ.

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The Bible isn't really clear on that, but we do know that when Paul left Corinth to

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continue on his missionary journey, Priscilla and Aquila went with him, at least as far

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as Ephesus, and then they stayed there for a bit.

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It sure seemed like they were in survival mode, refugees on the move, but God had a

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plan and a purpose for them.

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As they were living in Ephesus, a man named Apollos came to town.

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Apollos was also very zealous for the Lord and he was sharing about Jesus, but his understanding

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of salvation was incomplete.

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So Priscilla and Aquila invited him to their home and they discipled him more thoroughly.

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Apollos went on to be a very effective witness far and wide and Priscilla and Aquila started

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hosting a church in their home to make sure that other young believers were grounded in

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their faith.

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It's very unlikely that Priscilla was well-educated.

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She was evicted from Rome because of her heritage and had to start over in a new town, but that's

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where she met Paul and sat under his teaching.

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Undoubtedly having long conversations about the Lord when they were working side by side,

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God provided her with all the training and equipping she needed from the man who wrote

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a large portion of the New Testament.

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Then God used her as a well-respected house church leader and a discipler at a time when

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the church was rapidly expanding around the Roman world.

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God can uniquely equip you too.

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He may send you to formal training or may give you someone like Paul who can disciple

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you as you grow in your faith.

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Just keep walking with God and he'll make sure you're fully equipped.

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Romans 8 28 may be familiar to you, New Living Translation reads, and we know that God causes

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everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according

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to his purpose for them.

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Verse 29 says, for God knew his people in advance and he chose them to become like his

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son so that his son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

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For destiny, your part in God's big plan is to become like Jesus.

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And in that journey, God has good work for us to do.

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If we're walking with him, enjoying him along the way, he will make sure we don't

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miss those good works and that we're fully equipped.

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When I was younger, I was under the impression that fulfilling my purpose required high-profile

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world-changing activities every day.

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It took me a while to understand that every day God had me involved in his purpose.

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Some of those days, that purpose was sowing a seed in our children's lives.

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Other days, I watered seed through prayer or outreach.

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Occasionally, God allowed me to be involved in good works that have dramatically impacted

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people in other nations for good.

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But they have all come because I desire to follow him and he's led me and equipped me

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for each one.

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Even though sometimes I don't feel equipped, but his power in me makes all the difference.

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We have all been born for such a time as this.

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Like Esther in her day.

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When she went before King Xerxes, she saved her people from annihilation.

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But she only had that opportunity because she was faithful daily in the little things.

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She submitted to her uncle's guidance.

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She remained humble.

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She asked the Lord for his strategy and called on others to fast and pray for success.

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She proved herself faithful, loyal, and trustworthy.

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We don't know what impact she had on the lives of others around her in the palace,

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but I imagine many of them came to serve the God of Israel because of Esther's character

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and her good works.

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If you're a mom, God has called you to raise your children to know him.

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Like my podcast guest, Lisa Stringer, Debbie Nelson, and Katie Stevens.

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He may have called you to raise up and care for other children as well, like he has called

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Rhoda Bowman and Mandy Reisner.

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You may be blessed with artistic ability like my guests, Kelly Florence and Marie Umiddi.

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God may have placed you in the marketplace like my guest, Melinda Torrison and Mary

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Belf Gilbert, or to make an impact through media like my guests, Wendy Griffith and Deborah

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Torres.

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Or perhaps you serve in a church like my guests, Reverend Dr. Susan Bubbers and Becky Keenan.

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Or maybe you serve in ministry like my guests, Kay Horner and Kim Cosi McKee.

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Many are called to intercede in prayer like my guests, Beverly Burchette, Emily Zavala

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and Mary Nelson.

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Or maybe you have a passion to teach others like my guest, Natasha Miller.

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Or to be a friend in time of need like my guests, Cassie Smith and Vicki Guillory.

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And some fulfill their purpose by sharing God's love overseas like, Kenna de Bolland

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and Diane Bustamante.

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God calls some to high profile ministries like my guests, Danette Crawford, Ashley Stringer

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and Kathy Brandzel.

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Or something else like the many guests I haven't named.

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Check out some of their stories in prior episodes if you haven't already.

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I know you're going to be encouraged and inspired in your purpose too.

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You know that good work that God has planned for us isn't more important or less important

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based on how many people see or hear it.

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When we glorify God by enjoying Him, when we allow Christ to be formed in us so we become

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like Him, His purposes are fulfilled in and through us and we are part of His big plan.

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Let me pray for you.

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Father, we are so grateful that long before you created the world, you already had a plan

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to rescue us from our sinful foolish ways.

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Thank you for sending Jesus.

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Thank you for adopting us as heirs with Him and giving us access to everything we need

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to live godly lives.

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I ask you now, Lord, for you to put your law in the mind of everyone listening and to write

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it on their hearts so they will not sin against you.

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And Lord, as they walk with you, direct them to every good work you've prepared in advance

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for them to do.

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And as Matthew 5 16 says, let their light shine before others so that people may see

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their good works and glorify you, Father.

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And Lord, most of all, I ask that you teach each of us how to enjoy you fully so we glorify

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you completely.

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We cast all our cares on you because you so deeply care for us and thank you that we can

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trust you in all things.

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In Jesus name, I pray.

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Amen.

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You know, one way to be used by God is to help widows and orphans like Dorcas in the

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New Testament.

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You can join our growing company of women who are living, James 1:27, with a gift of

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at HerGodStory.org.

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Just click on the widow and orphan option at the top of the page.

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Another way, maybe to host a her God story podcast club to help others grow in their

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faith and maybe even introduce them to Jesus for the first time.

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Check out details along with our show notes at HerGodStory.org.

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We'd love to pray with you on our 24 seven prayer and text line so you can give us a

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call or text anytime at 855-459 care or email us at prayer@somebodycares.org.

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If you enjoyed this podcast, please rate and review it on your favorite podcast streaming

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service and share it with your friends.

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And now, dear ones, I leave you with a blessing adapted from 2 Corinthians 9:8

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May God bless you abundantly so that in all things at all times, having all you need,

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you will abound in every good work.

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Her God story is a ministry of somebody cares America and international to find out more

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about or support the ministry.

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Go to somebody cares dot org.