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How A Woman's Vulnerability Saved Her Household
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Feb 20, 2025
I've been looking at Elisha's ministry for the last couple of months and the stories we are given in the book of Kings are loaded with nuggets of truths that point to a bigger picture. Today's event takes place in the 2 Kings 4:1-7; it involves a widow who is in a very precarious situation and in dire need of help. And who does she reach out to, Elisha of course but why is this even recorded for our sake? That's what we are going to be investigating today and my prayer for you and I is that we continue to dig deeper in the Word of God and allow His Holy Spirit to disclose His Truth and Kingdom to us as He promised.
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good morning guys and this is type again
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and I have another story for you this
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morning um I've been studying the
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Ministry of Elijah and it's in a book of
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Kings second Kings you know you're all
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started in the last book of the first
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Kings and now he took over and I he's
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the new prophet and there's been so much
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stuff that he's done that I've looked at
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before but I never you never really
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dawned on me until now where when you go
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back and look at it there's so much
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stuff in it that when you take your time
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to really sit and allow the Holy Spirit
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to speak to you I'm you be amazed at the
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kind of the nuggets of truths that are
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there I mean just loaded with so much
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that when when we just glanced through
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it we miss it so my prayer for you and I
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is that we will really sit and just
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allow these scriptures to just wash over
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us and allow yourself to just sit there
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don't rush just wait and ask God to keep
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opening your eyes on your mind to
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understand and ask yourself a lot of
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questions and I mean I'm not saying
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don't you use your imagination nah
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that's not what I'm saying don't use
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your imagination because that can lead
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you into all kind of error and what I'm
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saying is just meditate and allow
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yourself to be clear your mind and then
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like Peter say be sober minded so you
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can pray so be sober minded so you can
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read the scriptures be sober minded so
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you can you can understand what God is
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trying to teach you which means take
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away all the distractions and focus on
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what's important all right so we're
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gonna look at 2nd Kings 4 verse 1 to 7
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and he says Elisha and the widow's oil
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but I called it how a woman's
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vulnerability saved her household and
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we'll go into all the little details and
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we'll look at it together alright so let
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me read this story and then we'll look
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at all the pieces now the wife of one of
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the sons our prophet cry to Elisha your
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servant my husband is dead you know that
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your servant feared the Lord but the
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creditor has come to take away my two
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children to be his slaves and Elisha
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said to her what shall I do for you tell
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me what do you have in your house and
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she said your servant has nothing in the
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house except a jar of oil
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then he said gosh I borrow vessels from
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all your neighbors empty vessels and not
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she not with you then going and shut the
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door behind yourself and your sons and
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pour into all these vessels and when one
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is full set it aside
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so she won from him and shut the door
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behind herself and her sons now she Ward
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they brought the vessels to her and when
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the vessels were fool she said to her
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son bring another one and he said
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there's not another then the oil stopped
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flowing and she came and told a man of
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God Elisha of course and he said go sell
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the oil and period death and you and
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your sons can live on the rest all right
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this is not just a random story for for
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you just reading so this this sounds
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like a very nice a nice one oh this is
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great now there's so much in it and this
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morning we're gonna look at it all right
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so let's cool I kind of broke it down
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because there's so much that I can't
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keep in mind I have to write these
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things on a PowerPoint presentation kind
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of thing okay so let's look at the
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background the important pieces now she
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was the wife of one of the man's of the
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company of the Prophet so her husband
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was a prophet probably well respected
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all right and hear from her own mouth
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feared God he was living righteously
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before God doing all the right things
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doing his job right taking his
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responsibility as a prophet very
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seriously and hard-won know that because
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of the woman's description of her
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husband to Elisha
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she definitely admired him and so did
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Elijah because he had no objection to a
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description of her husband a man of
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probably good repetition a man of
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character as well if you look at the
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first verses she said um your servant my
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husband is dead and you know that your
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servant feared the Lord right so she
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said it so it's a good guy good man you
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know takes care of his wife and children
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and he loves the Lord right but there's
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another important piece in the first
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couple verses and I call it the one
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thing he had a creditor which means he
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had a debt and he's an outstanding debt
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he owed and hard-won order because his
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creditor came after his wife probably a
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roster for her for her husband's death
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and he by law was allowed to take
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children to be slaves so which would
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have left the woman with nothing
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basically in pretty bad shape and let's
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look at Isaiah 50 verse 1 there says the
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Lord where's your mother certificate of
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divorce which we which I sent her away
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which of my creditor is it to whom I
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have sold you behold for your iniquities
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you were sold and for your
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transgressions your mother was sent away
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keep dying in the back of your mind
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we'll get back to her at some point but
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keep this in the back of your mind all
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right so he owes a lot of money and then
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the crown and the day on the collector
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comes to his wife inch he wants to take
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away her children to be his slaves and
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I'm thinking if that happens she is done
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that's equal she has nothing left and
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she's not gonna have anybody she's gonna
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be pretty much destitute right so she's
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in bad shape now the ones vulnerability
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and why do I say that here now she knew
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she was in bad shape and she probably
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heard about Elijah's miracles because he
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was a prophet and she knew what he did
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you know right from her husband and the
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people in the town cuz her husband was
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working for Elijah so she probably knew
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why Elijah has done for my husband so
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hence she ran to him for help and he did
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not turn away from her
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he didn't say go away he didn't do that
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he welcomed her right so that shows a
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lot about Elijah's own character he is
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approachable right so she was desperate
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for help probably ashamed but she didn't
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let that prevent her from asking for
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help
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I mean how embarrassing is that to go to
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Elijah saying my husband all a lot of
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money and you know he fear the Lord but
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he at his creditor and it's embarrassing
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you know that's kind of like she's being
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vulnerable right now but she's not
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looking at it as a crutch she's saying
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you know what at this point I don't care
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whatever people think this is
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embarrassing I'm going because I need
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help this poverty of the Spirit you know
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blessed are the poor in spirit you know
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for this is the kingdom of God keep that
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in mind too Elijah response shows that
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he genuinely cared for this poor for her
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and I and I appointed first Peter five
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six six seven day humble yourselves
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therefore under the mighty hand of God
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so that at the proper time he may exalt
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you
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casting all your anxieties on him
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because he cares for you and that's the
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kind of attitude a lighter show Elijah
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Elijah showed because this woman she
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humbly reserved us I mean pretty
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embarrassing to go to the tutorial I
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should say I'm gonna lose everything I
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have no money
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it's embarrassing you know please help
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me and what does he do you saying God
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say cast all your anxieties on him
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because God cares for you in the same
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way Elijah care for this woman's needs
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right so another solution the oil now
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the woman he asked her what do you have
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value in your house and she says she
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says nothing only got a little bit of
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oil left so all she asked what that
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little oil in a jar right and what was
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the olive oil used for back then it was
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a hot commodity on the main used for his
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healing attribute you know if you had a
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wounded use olive oil to clean it it was
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used for food purposes it was used to
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basically a light of candles it was
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useful a lot I think the essential needs
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in our everyday life or olive oil was a
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hot commodity
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people use it for all kinds of purposes
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and then the miracle and how it takes
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place now she doesn't radical the
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suggestion of Elijah she could have said
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Elijah this is a stupid idea I have a
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little bit of oil that's barely anything
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in there
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and you asking me to use it she does not
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question that now the Scriptures don't
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say that she she doesn't question it she
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goes and does what he says because she
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knows who is she knows she knows that
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this means whatever he says I need to do
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you see what I'm saying she article she
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wasn't going there with what kind of
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ideas this no she went even with you
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know what I'm gonna cooperate I'm gonna
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cooperate I'm gonna do what he says to
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me and as a result her household is
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delivered now to better understand this
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thing I wanted to juxtapose her approach
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to her husband's right and and I'm just
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giving you a quick background here so
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let's go and look at her husband in her
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and I would see though what God is
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really trying to teach us here now her
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Miroku first took place in the privacy
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of her home
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because he says they're then going and
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shut the door behind yourself and your
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sons which kind of points out there the
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Holy Spirit work he usually works in the
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privacy of our own heart like it really
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wants to change us from the inside and
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then what people see later on is a is
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the finished product right now her
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husband he didn't want to be vulnerable
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why do I know that because he had a debt
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right he was working with Elijah
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now he was working with Elijah because
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she said your servant my husband is dead
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so he worked with Elijah on a daily
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basis maybe on a weekly basis right but
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Elijah had no idea this man had a debt
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how do I know because he never asked he
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trying to pay it off himself he was too
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embarrassed or shall I say too proud to
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Humble himself and ask for Elijah's help
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now I don't want to say put anything in
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this man's mouth that's not there but
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what is his telling me is this this guy
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had a debt that he was paying himself he
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knew you probably have spent his entire
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life underpaid but he never asked Elijah
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but that's what he's working with Elijah
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he is the Prophet he works with Elijah
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right so he try to spend his own life
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painted there but he couldn't even pay
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anyway and I'm sure he went to bed and I
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are stressed out anxious but he didn't
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want anyone to see the cracks
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he wasn't varner abou like his wife now
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his wife on the other hand humbled
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herself and I'm pretty sure everyone in
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the neighborhood knew about the creditor
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and her situation I mean when the
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creditor comes and goes look I'm taking
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your children everything away now this
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everybody knows in the neighborhood this
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woman's about to lose everything now you
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know so her neighbors probably were
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wondering why she needed all his
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containers cuz look he's she went in and
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then asked Elijah for help you said take
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this container go borrow all his
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containers and she probably told him I
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needed your containers because um you
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know I I need to get oil and sell it and
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they probably asked her how you gonna
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get the oil maybe she told the story she
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told him why Elijah was gonna do I'm
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sure somewhere some people like that
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really ridiculed her idea she did
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probably thought she was crazy but I'm
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sure they were shocked by what took
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place and now I said a punchline
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now whose witness became stronger now a
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prophet they are so responsibility the
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Prophet responsibility was to be the
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mouthpiece of forgot they were supposed
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to proclaim his truth but guess what
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this woman questionable life I put
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questionable nanny bad with questionably
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in the sense that what she did and how
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things happen how the miracle took place
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her questionable life allow her to have
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a stronger witness than her husband
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simply because she humbled herself and
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became vulnerable and God used her
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mightily even to this day I mean I'm
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talking about her now do you think she
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had any idea that in 2018 meet ie we'll
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be talking about this story she had no
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idea she was just being obedient she
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became vulnerable because of her
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vulnerability we have this story today
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that we can talk about and I and I
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quoted a treasure in Jars of Clay in
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second Corinthians 4 7 8 8 but we have
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this treasure in Jars of Clay to show
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that the surpassing power belongs to God
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and not to us
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we are flicked it in every way but not
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crushed perplexed but not driven to
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despair this woman she was weakened and
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she was weak
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she was afflicted she was probably
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crushed a little bit perplexed just she
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was all in arc but she didn't allow that
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to prevent her from going to ask for
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help in contract with her husband who
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was supposed to be the Prophet he was
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supposed to be the one well her witness
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became stronger not a bigger picture now
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in John 15:5 Jesus says I am the vine
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you are the branches whoever abides in
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me and I in him he it is he died bears
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much more fruit for apart from me you
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can do nothing Paul in his many letters
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contrast a life given life of the Spirit
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of God and the life in the flesh living
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in our own strength and then living by
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this destroy for the spirit by the part
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is pretty pride try to do things and
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solve our own problems in our own
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strength we wear us out and keep us on
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fruitful all the profit had to do like I
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said here was ask Elijah he could have
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had a stronger witness had he asked but
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he never did and lived under heavy
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burdens
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you see he could have asked for help but
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he never did he tried to do everything
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in his own strength he tried to play the
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dead himself all he had to do was ask
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Elijah but he never did we don't know
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why he did maybe he was too embarrassed
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or too proud right now this let's look
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at the oil
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any significance now the woman was told
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in second Kings for she came and told
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the man of God and he said go sell the
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oil and pay a debt and you and your sons
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can live on the rest zero in on this red
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thing here pay a debt and then live on
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the rest than the oil here's a
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representation of the Holy Spirit which
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is God who not only pays our debt but he
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even gives us more grace mercy and grace
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not only does God she was mercy but he
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goes beyond and gives us grace to live
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righteously before him by empowering us
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with the Holy Spirit
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this woman couldn't pay his money she
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was gonna lose everything she was
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destitute but what does God do through
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Elijah he said I'm gonna allow my Holy
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Spirit I'm gonna allow myself sell me
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basically I'm gonna redeem you she sells
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the oil and guess what Elijah says next
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Elisha leave on the rest not only does
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God forgive us of our sins against what
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he does also he puts his spirit in us so
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that we can walk on a daily basis leave
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on the rest that's what this means here
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leave on the rest
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I was sustained by my spirit the wrong
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I'm not gonna pay a debt but I'm gonna
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give you even more grace by sustaining
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you on a daily basis now let's look at
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2nd Peter 1:3 his divine power has given
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us everything we need for a godly life
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to our knowledge of him who called us by
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his own glory and goodness just like the
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woman right so what are we going to do
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now before we judge our prophet I mean I
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was so quick to like oh man he should
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have just asked for help but guess what
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there are many things in my life that
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have happened when I was too embarrassed
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or too proud you know shall I say to ask
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for her because I'm thinking if I ask
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them for this they will out I we thought
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you were good now you know that's the
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question is are you too proud to admit
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you're in capability to play this God in
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your own strength are you too proud to
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come to leave all your burdens whatever
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the thing is so you know there are
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people out there they've been working
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this Christian walk for how many years
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yet there are certain things that will
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happen in their life and they will not
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come and ask for help or they would not
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even go to God say I'm gonna do myself
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this idea of like we live in a society
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where it's always I'm gonna do it in my
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own store I'm gonna prove to people that
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I can do it our God says cast all your
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burdens upon me for I care for you and I
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will sustain you by my spirit you're
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trying to please God in your own
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strength and you keep falling it you go
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back and you cry and you say I'm gonna
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do better next day and you call you you
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fall again on your face again and you
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can't please him in your own strength
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that's why he says how will supply you
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with my spirit so quit trying to do it
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in your own strength quit trying to
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please me quit trying to pay your for
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your own sins because I've done the work
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for you my righteousness will be poured
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upon you and because of my righteousness
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you will be righteous now what does
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Jesus say in Matthew 11:28 2:30 come to
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me all you who are weary and burdened
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and I will give you rest take my yoke
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upon you and learn from me from gentle
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and humble in heart and you will find
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rest for your souls for my yoke is easy
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and my burden is light that is things
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like wash over you as you go home and
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then think about your own life and pause
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for a second if you don't know him ask
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him to come into your life today don't
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wait til tomorrow alright thanks for
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watching this is type and we're gonna be
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doing another one very soon okay
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and god bless you
#Religion & Belief