All Access Grace: Living with Divine Confidence
Today we're diving headfirst into the wild world of self-esteem and identity, and let me tell you, you are NOT your mistakes! That’s the big takeaway, folks—our blunders and fumbles don’t define us, but instead, we’re all cherished children of God, brimming with purpose and potential.
I mean, how cool is that?
The Negative Thoughts Aren't Too Far Away
We often let those pesky negative memories weigh us down, but we’ve got the power to flip the script! So, if you're feeling low or stuck in the past, this episode is for you. We’ll sprinkle in some laughs, share a few personal stories, and remind each other just how awesome we truly are!
We’ve all been there—tripping over our past mistakes and feeling like they’re tattooed on our foreheads, right?
Takeaways:
- We often let our mistakes define us, but we are more than our failures.
- Remember, you are not your mistakes; you are a child of God, loved and cherished.
- Confidence comes from knowing our identity in Christ, not from the world's opinions.
- When we embrace our identity as God's children, we can live boldly and purposefully.
Links referenced in this episode:
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Speaker A
So many times we build our, I guess, identity based on our mistakes and our failures because, you know, Satan's not going to let us forget those.
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But today I want to talk about self esteem and the fact that you don't identify.
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You are not your mistakes.
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In fact, you are something so much greater.
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Yeah.
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Hey, welcome to Feeding My Faith.
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I'm Dave Jackson.
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And yeah, so many people struggle with low self esteem again, because when we think about ourselves.
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If you think about your childhood right now, if I said think of a childhood memory, I'm going to guess if you have a positive one, okay?
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Because not everything was horrible, but I'm going to bet that the negative ones came in and maybe a little more.
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It's weird how that works, but we have mistakes, we have failures.
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Maybe it's your appearance, maybe it's other people's opinions, especially about your appearance.
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Right, That's a double whammy there.
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But God gives us a better foundation and that's our identity in Him.
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When we know, or probably for a lot of us, when we remember we are his children, we can live with confidence and we can live with purpose.
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In John 1:12 13.
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Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
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Children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
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Children of God.
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In fact, in First John 3:1, it says, See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God.
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And that is what we are.
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The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.
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And so here again he's saying God loved us so much.
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He's like, yeah, you can call us children of, of God.
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I remember I was playing the guitar for when I was married, my stepdaughter.
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Both stepdaughters had amazing voices and it was a talent show and I was playing the guitar and she was going to sing.
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And so right before we went on stage, we're actually on stage waiting for the curtain to get pulled and they needed to introduce us.
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And so this one young lady looks at my stepdaughter and says, hey, is that your dad?
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Now, I'm not her dad, but I think it's safe to say I probably attended more school functions than her actual dad did because her actual dad had gotten remarried, had three more kids, and kinda forgot that he had three to start with.
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And so she looked at me and she looked at her friend getting ready to pull the curtain and Introduce us.
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And she said, yeah.
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And I was so honored for a few minutes to be thought of as dad.
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And I was like, wow.
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So we should feel that honor, that we get to call ourselves children of God.
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When I go to these podcast events, sometimes I go and I get to speak.
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I love to speak on stage.
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And they give you a badge that says, dave Jackson, Speaker.
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Okay?
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And then sometimes if I'm going with a company that I work for, we will have some sort of booth, and I can get a pass that says dave Jackson, vendor.
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And because we're actually paying the event some money, they're like, ooh, he's a vendor.
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And so it's kind of cool when I get a pass and it says, dave Jackson, speaker, vendor.
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And it's kind of like, the world is my oyster.
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I can go anywhere.
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And so remember that you're not rejected, you're not forgotten, you're not worthless.
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In Christ, you are chosen.
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You are loved and accepted.
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And we should be confident, because I know when I get to walk around these different venues, I'm confident I can kind of go anywhere because of my title.
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We should be courageous in life.
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Check this out.
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In Joshua 1:9, it says, Keep this book of the law always on your lips.
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Meditate on it day and night.
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So if you're like, how can I be more confident?
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There you go.
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Little practice.
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Meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.
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Then you will be prosperous and successful.
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And I love this next question.
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Have I not commanded you?
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Have you ever had kids and you've told them time and time again, don't wear your shoes in the living room, Take them off and leave them by the door, whatever your rule is.
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Haven't I told you to put the toilet seat down?
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Right?
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It's usually kind of like, hey, haven't I told you this before?
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So I wonder if that's how Joshua's feeling here.
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Like, hey, I've told you this before.
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When somebody asks you, haven't I told you this before?
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They're kind of saying, hey, I've told you this before.
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How about you listen?
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And so again, verse nine, have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous?
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Do not be afraid.
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Do not be discouraged.
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For the Lord your God will be wherever you go.
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Now, notice there's no exception there.
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The Lord will be with you everywhere you go.
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Except that one place on Main Street.
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That's no, he's with you everywhere.
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And so I think this was inspired.
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I do a show about Akron Ohio.
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And I'm trying to kind of grow it.
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I'm doing it a little more seriously.
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First, it was kind of an experiment.
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Still kind of is.
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But the mayor was doing a presentation in this historic theater in downtown Akron.
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Didn't have to pay for parking, didn't have to pay to get in.
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And I was going to be in a room of about, I don't know, 900 people that want to hear about Akron.
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And I'm like, well, that's a.
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Just go there and hand business cards to everyone with a QR code, et cetera.
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Well, here's the thing.
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This wasn't the first time I've had this idea.
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There have been other things in downtown Akron that I'm like, oh, I need to go there and hand out business cards and talk about my podcast.
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So the first time I did it, you know how many business cards I handed out?
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0 Now.
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Why?
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Because I know it's hard to believe, but underneath this talkative fellow here is a really shy person with not a lot of self confidence.
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And I didn't know these people.
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I was like, just couldn't get up the nerve.
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And so another event came up, and I was like, all right, you.
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And I kind of grabbed myself by the neck.
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You're going there and you're handing out some business cards.
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You got to do this.
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So I did.
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And I handed out three.
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Yep.
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Three whole business cards to people.
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And so this was my third attempt.
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And I'm like, all right, doggone it.
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I even put on a T shirt that says akronpodcast.com.
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I put on a suit coat to look a little more dressy.
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And I went in, and I was kind of proud of myself.
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I went to the people in front of me, and I said, hey.
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I was kind of being, you know, fun.
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I go, hey, random people in front of me.
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And I said, I'm Dave Jackson.
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And they turned around.
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I go, do you guys listen to podcasts?
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And they were kind of like, I don't know, maybe.
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And I was like, well, if you ever feel like listening to one.
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And I hand in not one, but two business cards to that people.
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I go, I do a podcast about Akron, and I keep up on all the local news.
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Oh, cool.
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Thanks so much.
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I walked down the aisle, found somebody.
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I go, hey, do you.
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Do you listen to podcasts?
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Because she had a clipboard.
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And I was like, what are you taking names for?
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Oh, no, I'm just helping people get found.
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Oh, great, another business card.
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Couple more people, Couple more business cards.
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And then I Saw these two random women somewhere in their late twenties.
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And I again walk up and I go, hello, random people.
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I'm Dave Jackson.
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I go, do you guys listen to podcasts?
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And they kind of looked at each other like, what?
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And they go, no, not really.
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And I go, oh, I was.
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Because if you did, I would hand you a card about the akron podcast@akronpodcast.com and you can listen to it, Keeps up on all the latest news.
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And the one girl looked at me and goes, yeah, we don't do that.
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Bye.
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Which was kind of rude.
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I wasn't hitting on them.
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And that really jolted me back, like, ooh, you know, okay.
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And so instead of handing them out to people, this was still way before the thing started.
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I did the chicken route.
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I went into the men's bathroom and put one on every urinal.
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Because, you know, when you're doing your business, you look down, there's an Akron podcast card with my URL on it.
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And I did go back later, and I saw where many of them had been taken.
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So I was like, well, there you go.
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But in the end, it was about 15 cards.
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And the thing that really made me mad is I walk back out to the lobby.
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All these people are walking in.
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It's a beautiful, absolutely gorgeous, old historic theater.
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And there's a person there from probably the theater with this cardboard thing that explains, we're gonna start off with the Pledge of Allegiance, and then we're gonna do this, you know, kind of a little bulletin thing.
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And she was just holding it up as people walked in, and as they walked by, she would hand them one, and I was like, well, that would work if I just pretend that I'm supposed to be here, hand up, hold up a business card, and when somebody walks by, I will hand them.
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I don't have to talk to them.
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That it's working for her.
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It looks official.
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You got a suit jacket on.
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Come on, boy.
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Do it.
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Come on.
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And my body went, uh.
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And I was like, uh.
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So sometimes we know what to do, we don't do it.
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And so I want to beat myself up and go, ah.
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You know, now, I did give away, you know, like I said, somewhere between 15 and 20, which is better than zero, which was not too long ago.
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So I'm celebrating what I did, not what I didn't.
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But we don't need to always be fearless in ourselves.
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We need to be faithful in God.
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I don't believe anybody was going to punch me in the face.
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But you can accomplish what God calls you to.
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Do.
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In Philippians 4:13, it says, I can do all things through him who gives me strength.
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And for the record, that's what I kind of said to myself when I started passing out business cards.
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I'm like, look, it's giving someone a business card.
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How hard can this be?
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I'm like, just get over your shyness and do it.
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In Ephesians 2:10, it says, for we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
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He's got a plan.
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Jeremiah 29:11, God has a plan for you.
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And so you might be thinking, oh, I'm just.
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I don't know.
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I'm probably not the right person.
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He.
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He calls us and he equips us.
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So whatever you need, he's going to equip.
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We have strength for obedience, for service, and for purpose.
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So we should be prepared to do good works even if we never face them.
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Because if God assigned it, he will supply whatever we need to complete it.
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In Romans 8.
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It's a long one, but it's a goodie.
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I love it when Paul gets gets going.
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He says, for those God foreknew, he also predestined to be confirmed to the image of his Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
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And those he predestined he also called.
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And those he called, he also justified.
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And those he justified, he also glorified.
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So he's calling you, he's justifying you.
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You are going to be glorified.
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And it says, what then shall we say in response to these things?
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If God is for us, who can be against us?
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A good line right there, my friends.
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That's a bumper sticker.
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He who did not spare his own Son gave him up for us, all of us.
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How will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
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Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen?
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It is God who justifies, and then who is the one who condemns?
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Not one.
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Christ Jesus who died more than that, who was also raised to life, is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.
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Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
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Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword, says, as it is written, for your sake, we face death all day long.
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We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.
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No, in all these things.
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And that was a big list.
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We are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
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For I am convinced that neither Death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor neither anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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The big list.
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Nothing in Ephesians one again.
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Kind of long, but it's a goodie again.
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I'm a big fan of Paul.
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He says praise be to the God and Father, to our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in.
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In the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
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Not some, every.
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For he chose us in Him.
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He chose us before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight in love.
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He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ in accordance with with his pleasure and will.
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To praise of his glorious.
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I'm sorry.
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To the praise of his glorious grace which he has freely given to us, the ones he loves in him.
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We have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us.
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That's a cool verb.
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Lavished all those things with all wisdom and understanding.
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He made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment.
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To bring unity.
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Well, that would be great right to bring unity to.
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To all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
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But this is the part in him we are also chosen.
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We're chosen having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.
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In order that we who were the first to put our hope in Christ might be for the praise of glory.
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And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of salvation.
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And when you believed you ready, you were marked in him with a seal.
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The promised Holy Spirit, who was a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance.
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See that word there?
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Guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession to the praise of his glory.
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So here again, when you believed marked with a seal, guaranteed our inheritance.
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So many times Satan wants to convince you, as he just kicks your self esteem, that you're going to lose your salvation.
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Paul has other words about that.
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So I am a child of God.
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I am loved by my Father and through Christ I can do what he has called me to do.
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And the more we remember that, the more we can find the strength, the power, the determination to do the things that he has called us to do.
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Don't set your identity based on your mistakes and your failures.
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Nope.
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Your identity is you are a child of God.
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If you know somebody who needs a little shot in the self esteem area, feel free to go to your phone, click on the share button, send this one on over or just tell them to go to feedingmyfaith.com I'm Dave Jackson from the School of Podcasting.
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Thanks for listening.
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Feeding My Faith what God's Word is made simple whole.
