Hello, and
welcome to Heart Lift.
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I'm Jill Morikone,
and I'm so glad that you
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have joined us today.
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We're on a journey
toward hope, toward healing,
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toward the transformation that
the Lord Jesus wants to work
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in your heart and mine as
women, as daughters of God.
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If you just joined us,
we're in the middle of a
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section on sadness.
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Last week we
identified sorrow from loss,
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and sorrow from choice;
two different types of sadness
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and pain that we
deal with as women,
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and really as
humankind in general.
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I shared a little bit
of my husband Greg and I,
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and our story, our
journey of infertility.
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Maybe that's not
your pain or sorrow.
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Maybe you're dealing with
disease, or death, or betrayal.
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Whatever the pain is, the Lord
Jesus says, I want to pour into
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your heart My
healing, and My grace.
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I want to turn
your sorrow into joy.
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Our Scripture
today is Isaiah 61.
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Now this Messianic prophecy
Jesus read in Luke 4 when He
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stood up in Nazareth to share.
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We're just
reading one verse of it.
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Talking about what
Jesus is going to do.
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To comfort all who mourn; to
console those who mourn in Zion,
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to give them beauty for ashes,
the oil of joy for mourning,
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the garment of praise
for the spirit of heaviness.
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Let's pray. Father we thank You;
thank You that You want to pour
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into our hearts your oil of
joy in place for our mourning.
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You want to pour in and clothe
us with Your garment of praise,
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in place for our
spirit of heaviness.
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And right now, I don't know what
pain is in my sisters' hearts
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at home, but we pray right now
that you would bring comfort,
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that You would bring peace, that
as we talk today, they would
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begin to experience Your
transformation, Your joy.
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And we thank You in the precious
and holy name of Jesus, Amen.
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Greg and I were traveling
from Florida back to home.
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We were coming back...
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This was a couple years ago.
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We were coming back from
GYC, or it's called Generation
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of Youth for Christ.
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And as we were driving
back, we decided to stop at my
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Uncle and Aunt's home.
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They live near
the Chattanooga area.
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It was kind of a halfway point.
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But I'm just being honest with
you, there was another reason
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that we wanted to stop.
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You see, my Uncle, my Uncle
Mike had cancer, and he was
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even then dying of cancer.
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We came in and I talked to my
Aunt Donna and to my Uncle Mike.
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I remember as we walked in
the front door Uncle Mike looked
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different because the ravages
of cancer had effected his body.
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And in my heart I
hurt for him, of course,
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but especially
for my Aunt Donna.
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And you know why?
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Not only was she in
the process right then
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of losing her precious husband,
she had laid her daughter
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to rest six years before.
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My cousin died of cancer
six years before this time.
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She was only
thirty-six years old.
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And you say, God that hurts.
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She left behind two
little boys and a husband.
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So my Aunt had to deal with
the pain of losing her daughter.
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Six years later she
went through another funeral.
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And probably a month
after we stopped and saw my Aunt
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and Uncle, my Uncle passed away.
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And we went back to Chattanooga
for the second funeral.
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The interesting thing to me, my
Aunt went through terrible pain,
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incredible loss, and while we
were there at her home she said,
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Jill, I still trust Jesus.
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I still love Him. Where would
I go if I didn't have Jesus?
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She said, In spite of all of
what I have been through it is
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drawing me closer to Jesus,
and I'm thankful for that.
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I don't know what pain you
have right now in your heart.
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It could be you're dealing with
something similar to my Aunt,
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and there's pain,
there's sadness because of that.
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Know that the Lord Jesus
Christ wants to bring peace,
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and even joy into our
hearts, and into our lives.
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I believe there's several steps
that God can take us on in our
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journey toward peace, and
our journey toward finding
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joy again after pain.
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We're going to discuss
three of those steps today.
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And then the next
program we'll finish,
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and we'll discuss the rest.
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The first step is to
allow yourself time to grieve.
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We often try to
rush the healing process.
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We say, Why am I not over
some pain, maybe two or three
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days after a big loss?
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Don't stuff your emotions.
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Don't try to force
yourself to get over it.
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Don't try to rush
the healing process.
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And at the same time,
don't do that to somebody else.
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If you're in a happy
place and doing well,
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and someone that you know
and love is suffering with pain,
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don't say, Snap out
of it! Just get over it!
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It's important! Don't
rush the healing process.
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Psalm 30:5. Weeping
may endure for a night,
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but joy comes in the morning.
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So that's a Biblical principle
that we don't immediately
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snap out of something.
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Sometimes it takes time.
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So, 1. Don't rush
that healing process.
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2. Surrender your thoughts,
your sadness, your control over
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the situation to God.
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No matter what it is, no
matter what you're experiencing,
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no matter what your
loss is, identify the source
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of your pain and sadness.
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You could go to God and say,
God I would love to be married.
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Maybe you're single and
say, Oh, I want to be married.
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Identify that. God, I
would love to be married.
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For Greg and I
years ago, it was God,
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we would love to have children.
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Maybe you're in a rough marriage
and you say, God, I would love
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to be loved and
cherished by my husband,
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but he sure
doesn't do that right now.
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Maybe I would love to
have kids that walk with You.
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I would love to spare my
friend from the suffering that
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she's experiencing, or I
would love to bring my loved one
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back from the grave.
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Identify the source
of your pain and sadness.
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3. Acknowledge your inability
to control the situation.
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So, God, I would love to
be married, if you are single,
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and then say, But I
can't find a husband.
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Okay, that's just acknowledging
your inability to control
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whatever the situation is.
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For Greg and I it was, God
we would love to have kids,
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but we can't get pregnant.
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Maybe, God, I wish my spouse
loved me, but I can't control
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how they treat me.
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God I wish that my
kids would stay in church
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and walk with You, but I
can't control their choices.
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They're grown. They
make their own choices.
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God I would love to spare my
friend the suffering that she's
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experiencing, but I
can't change the disease
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that's ravaging her body.
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Identify the source
of your pain and sadness.
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Acknowledge your inability
to control that situation.
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Next, surrender. Surrender the
person or situation to Jesus.
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Come to Him and say, God,
I wish I could get married,
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but I can't, and I
choose to surrender this to You,
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and I will trust You.
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The last one is trust
Jesus with the outcome.
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And I will trust You whether
I ever get married or not.
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That is a total surrender.
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We're not talking about a
surrender that I say, Okay,
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I give You part of my heart.
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No this is painful.
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Surrender can be very painful.
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But in the midst of that,
when we surrender, we allow God
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to work into our hearts;
to work His will in our lives,
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to free us from that pain.
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I know in Greg and my
experience we'd surrendered;
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God I surrender my
desire for children.
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God I will trust you whether
we ever have kids or not.
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I will trust You.
Maybe it's a marriage.
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Maybe it's health, or
whatever it is, identify it.
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Surrender your
control over the situation,
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because we don't
have control anyway.
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We like to think we do.
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And sometimes my husband,
Greg, always reminds me,
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Jill, hold onto what
you have with an open hand.
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And so many times I
like to control the people,
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or the situations, or the
things, because it gives me
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a sense of security.
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But there's no security in that.
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We have security in
the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Surrender that. I think Jesus
faced the ultimate surrender.
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I don't know if you can picture
Him, but I can see Him there
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in the Garden of Gethsemane.
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He's just had His last supper;
His meal with His disciples.
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He has washed their feet.
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And now He's in the Garden of
Gethsemane, one of His favorite
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retreats with His disciples.
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He takes three of them
and says, Come away a little
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while with Me and pray.
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They came away a
little while with Him.
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And then we see
what He does in Luke 22.
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Luke 22. We see Him
going to God in agony, in pain.
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It says, He withdrew from His
disciples about a stones throw.
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This is Luke 22,
we're in verses 41-44.
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And He knelt down and prayed.
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Father, if it is Your
will, let this cup pass from Me.
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Nevertheless, not what
I want, but what You want.
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Then it says an
angel appeared from heaven
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and strengthened
Him. I love that!
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Did you notice, after
the surrender came strength.
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And I think you'll
find that in your own walk,
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and your own journey with Jesus.
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Once we surrender to the Lord
Jesus; once we surrender that
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pain, that situation,
you know what happens?
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He gives us strength.
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The last verse. He
said... It was He was in agony.
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He prayed more earnestly.
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Then His sweat became
like great drops of blood
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falling down to the ground.
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To me that is the
ultimate surrender.
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I don't know about you,
but I have never bled...
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Well, I have if I've been cut.
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I'm not talking about that.
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But if I'm struggling with
something; if I'm dealing with
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pain, if I'm trying to
surrender to the Lord Jesus,
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I have never bled.
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That's being honest.
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And my guess is you
probably haven't either.
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That shows you the
agony that He went through.
00:12:43.83\00:12:47.10
He said, God I
don't want to go forward.
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I don't want the
separation from You.
00:12:48.86\00:12:50.87
But if this is Your
will, Yes, I will do it.
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For Greg and I, our surrender
was very easy in comparison to
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what Jesus had to do in
the Garden of Gethsemane,
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yet it still required surrender.
00:13:01.91\00:13:04.15
God, if Your
overarching plan for our lives,
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if Your will for our lives
is for us not to have children,
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we accept that. We accept that.
00:13:12.19\00:13:15.56
And the important thing
is to surrender as often
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as the feelings arise.
00:13:19.36\00:13:20.76
You might say, I surrender Jill.
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I'm done. No we're not.
00:13:22.26\00:13:24.17
We surrender once, and Satan's
going to bring all that back
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in again, and you've got
to surrender again, and again,
00:13:27.67\00:13:31.64
and again. It might seem like
you keep doing this process,
00:13:31.67\00:13:36.61
but you know what?
00:13:36.64\00:13:37.98
Each time it gets easier,
and each time it takes longer
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before you have to
make that surrender again.
00:13:41.55\00:13:45.25
1. We allow
ourselves time to grieve.
00:13:45.29\00:13:47.92
2. We surrender our
control over the situation;
00:13:47.96\00:13:51.36
our sadness, our
pain back to God.
00:13:51.39\00:13:55.03
And 3. We practice thankfulness.
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I believe this is
where the battle is fought
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and the victory is won.
00:14:02.34\00:14:04.54
I mentioned on an earlier
program that I don't believe
00:14:04.57\00:14:08.14
practice makes perfect.
00:14:08.18\00:14:09.64
You know that old adage.
00:14:09.68\00:14:11.01
And they say,
Practice makes perfect?
00:14:11.05\00:14:12.75
I believe
practice makes permanent.
00:14:12.78\00:14:17.19
In other words, what I
do consistently over time
00:14:17.22\00:14:21.99
becomes part of who I am.
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It becomes part of my DNA.
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If I choose to practice thanks
when it hurts, when I don't want
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to, when it doesn't make
any sense to, guess what?
00:14:31.63\00:14:35.20
God is going to change
even my DNA, who I am inside,
00:14:35.24\00:14:40.41
and I will become a
more thankful person.
00:14:40.44\00:14:43.01
If we nurse feelings of sadness,
of self-pity, of bitterness,
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we will become
accustomed to thinking that way.
00:14:50.25\00:14:54.06
If on the flip side, I
focus on a thankful heart,
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a joyful heart, a thankful
spirit, if I choose to practice
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thankfulness until it becomes
a habit, God will work to change
00:15:05.00\00:15:10.57
my heart and
life in that as well.
00:15:10.61\00:15:13.24
Turn with me to 1 Thessalonians
5, 1 Thessalonians 5.
00:15:13.27\00:15:19.28
This is a very
interesting Scripture.
00:15:19.31\00:15:20.82
Three verses. We're going
to read verses 16, 17, 18.
00:15:20.98\00:15:24.42
The Bible says, Rejoice always.
00:15:24.45\00:15:26.65
Pray without ceasing.
00:15:26.69\00:15:29.02
In everything give thanks:
for this is the will of God in
00:15:29.06\00:15:34.66
Christ Jesus concerning you.
00:15:34.70\00:15:37.10
Now this Scripture does not mean
that everything is thankworthy.
00:15:37.13\00:15:43.04
It doesn't mean that
when your spouse dies that
00:15:43.07\00:15:46.37
that's a good thing.
00:15:46.41\00:15:47.74
That is not what
the Scripture means.
00:15:47.78\00:15:49.78
It simply means that in
the midst of everything,
00:15:49.81\00:15:55.48
we don't give
thanks for everything,
00:15:55.52\00:15:57.39
but even in the midst of
what we're dealing with we can
00:15:57.42\00:16:00.72
choose to give thanks.
00:16:00.76\00:16:02.79
We can choose to praise
Jesus even when it hurts,
00:16:02.82\00:16:08.66
because when we
praise it changes who we are.
00:16:08.70\00:16:12.80
It changes our
thoughts and our habits.
00:16:12.83\00:16:16.44
2 Corinthians
10:5, 2 Corinthians 10:5.
00:16:16.47\00:16:21.51
We choose... This
verse used to terrify me.
00:16:21.54\00:16:24.31
Casting down imaginations,
and every high thing that exalts
00:16:24.35\00:16:27.85
itself against the knowledge of
God, and bringing into captivity
00:16:27.88\00:16:31.59
every thought to
the obedience of Christ.
00:16:31.62\00:16:35.62
And that used to terrify me.
00:16:35.66\00:16:37.33
I would say, God every thought?
00:16:37.36\00:16:39.33
I have thousands,
millions of thoughts every day.
00:16:39.36\00:16:43.00
How in the world am I
supposed to bring them
00:16:43.03\00:16:45.17
under Your captivity?
00:16:45.20\00:16:46.53
It's not our job to do that.
00:16:46.57\00:16:48.24
Of course we can't do that.
00:16:48.27\00:16:50.31
God knows that we can't do that.
00:16:50.34\00:16:52.61
But we can choose to ask
Him to take our thoughts.
00:16:52.64\00:16:55.71
We can choose to surrender.
00:16:55.74\00:16:58.25
Romans 8:28 is another
one of my favorite verses.
00:16:58.28\00:17:01.58
It says, We know that all
things work together for good
00:17:01.62\00:17:05.12
to those who love Him,
to those who are called
00:17:05.15\00:17:08.26
according to His purpose.
00:17:08.29\00:17:10.09
You notice Paul doesn't
say all things are good.
00:17:10.13\00:17:13.60
Of course they're not.
00:17:13.63\00:17:14.96
But in the midst of something
painful God can work to bring
00:17:15.00\00:17:19.83
about something good.
00:17:19.87\00:17:22.14
This was where I fought my
own battle with my feelings of
00:17:22.17\00:17:26.68
loss over our infertility.
00:17:26.71\00:17:29.14
I would go to Wal-Mart, say
I'm buying a baby gift for a
00:17:29.18\00:17:32.85
friend's baby shower.
00:17:32.88\00:17:34.45
Those used to be very painful.
00:17:34.48\00:17:36.18
And I would go to
the friend's baby shower.
00:17:36.22\00:17:38.32
I would go to Wal-Mart
first to purchase the gift.
00:17:38.35\00:17:40.82
And I'd be in the baby
section with the rubber duckies,
00:17:40.86\00:17:43.69
and the onezies, and
all of that baby stuff,
00:17:43.73\00:17:47.80
and God would say,
Jill, count your blessings.
00:17:47.83\00:17:53.30
Jill be thankful. And in the
midst of that, in the midst of
00:17:53.34\00:17:58.91
all my wanting to nurse
self-pity, wanting to indulge
00:17:58.94\00:18:03.65
in bitterness... And I
know I did that sometimes.
00:18:03.68\00:18:06.05
I'm not saying I didn't.
00:18:06.08\00:18:07.42
But in the midst of that God
would say, Count your blessings.
00:18:07.45\00:18:10.99
And so I would. I would
go to God and I would say,
00:18:11.02\00:18:14.19
What are my blessings?
00:18:14.22\00:18:15.56
I have a friend.
Thank you, Jesus.
00:18:15.59\00:18:17.49
And I can go to her baby shower.
00:18:17.53\00:18:19.23
Thank You, Jesus that
you've blessed her with a child.
00:18:19.26\00:18:23.60
Thank You, Jesus for my husband.
00:18:23.63\00:18:26.03
Thank You for the money
with which to purchase a gift.
00:18:26.07\00:18:29.40
Thank You for my eyesight.
00:18:29.44\00:18:31.17
Thank You for a car, and I was
able to drive in to the store.
00:18:31.21\00:18:34.34
It's all a
matter of perspective.
00:18:34.38\00:18:37.05
Praise God, self pity
cannot endure a praise party.
00:18:37.08\00:18:42.85
If you start praising the
Lord, self pity, that demon,
00:18:42.88\00:18:46.69
self pity is going to flee.
00:18:46.72\00:18:49.52
Nehemiah 8:10. The Joy
of the Lord is our strength.
00:18:49.56\00:18:55.96
Do you need strength?
00:18:56.00\00:18:57.33
Do you need courage?
00:18:57.37\00:18:59.93
Do you need fortification
for the road ahead?
00:18:59.97\00:19:03.24
Choose to praise Jesus.
00:19:03.27\00:19:05.87
And His joy you're
going to experience strength.
00:19:05.91\00:19:10.25
1 Corinthians 15:57.
00:19:10.28\00:19:12.51
God knows we cannot
conjure up joy ourselves.
00:19:12.55\00:19:18.52
He knows we can't do that.
00:19:18.55\00:19:19.99
All we do is make
a choice to praise,
00:19:20.02\00:19:22.06
and He brings the victory.
00:19:22.09\00:19:23.89
Thanks be to God who
gives us the victory through
00:19:23.93\00:19:27.63
our Lord Jesus Christ.
00:19:27.66\00:19:30.03
There's one more
verse I want to look at.
00:19:30.07\00:19:32.87
This is Habakkuk. It's
one of those little books,
00:19:32.90\00:19:36.57
minor prophets in
the back of the Bible.
00:19:36.60\00:19:39.01
Habakkuk 3:17-19.
00:19:39.04\00:19:41.61
Though the fig tree may not
blossom, nor fruit be on the
00:19:41.64\00:19:47.38
vines; though the
labor of the olive may fail,
00:19:47.42\00:19:51.22
and the fields yield no food;
though the flock may be cut off
00:19:51.25\00:19:56.26
from the fold, and there
be no herd in the stalls;...
00:19:56.29\00:19:59.89
Now let me stop there a moment.
00:19:59.93\00:20:01.26
If you hear that,
what does that sound like?
00:20:01.30\00:20:04.07
That sounds depressing to me.
00:20:04.10\00:20:05.83
That sounds like they're
having economic disaster.
00:20:05.87\00:20:10.81
Did you catch that?
00:20:10.84\00:20:12.24
Their livelihood was
centered around their crops,
00:20:12.27\00:20:15.04
their fields, their animals.
00:20:15.08\00:20:18.15
And all of that was gone.
00:20:18.18\00:20:20.78
The next verse: verse 18.
00:20:20.82\00:20:23.39
Yet I will rejoice in
the Lord, I will joy in the
00:20:23.42\00:20:28.19
God of my salvation.
00:20:28.22\00:20:30.19
The Lord God is my strength,...
00:20:30.23\00:20:32.96
There it is again: The joy
of the Lord is our strength.
00:20:32.99\00:20:35.30
The Lord God is my
strength, and He will make my
00:20:35.36\00:20:39.10
feet like deer's feet.
00:20:39.13\00:20:41.67
He will make me
walk on my high hills.
00:20:41.70\00:20:45.27
What is God saying there?
00:20:45.31\00:20:46.81
He's saying no matter what's
going on, no matter what pain
00:20:46.84\00:20:51.91
you have in your life, choose to
praise, choose to give thanks.
00:20:51.95\00:20:59.82
And in the act of giving
thanks, God will give you joy.
00:20:59.85\00:21:06.06
My husband Greg and I
have a framed poem next to our
00:21:06.09\00:21:12.27
bed in the bedroom.
00:21:12.30\00:21:13.64
Now this was a poem
that was very special to me.
00:21:13.67\00:21:15.67
And I said, I really like
this, and I'd like to keep it.
00:21:15.70\00:21:18.27
And he said, Yea,
if it's special to you
00:21:18.31\00:21:19.77
Jilly, let's do that.
00:21:19.81\00:21:21.14
And so I have it right up
next to my side of the bed.
00:21:21.18\00:21:24.48
And it's a poem, and I love it,
because it talks about accepting
00:21:24.51\00:21:30.12
with joy anything
that comes my way.
00:21:30.15\00:21:34.76
Here's the words: In
Acceptance Lies Peace.
00:21:34.79\00:21:39.26
Oh my heart be still.
00:21:39.29\00:21:41.56
Let thy restless worry
cease, and accept His will.
00:21:41.60\00:21:46.80
Though this test is
not my choice, it is God's.
00:21:46.84\00:21:52.04
Therefore rejoice!
00:21:52.07\00:21:54.71
In His plan there cannot
be anything to make me sad.
00:21:54.74\00:21:59.15
If this is God's choice for me,
I want to take it and be glad.
00:21:59.18\00:22:05.69
Make from it some lovely
thing to the glory of your King.
00:22:05.72\00:22:11.16
Cease from sighs and murmuring,
sing His loving grace.
00:22:11.19\00:22:16.67
This trial means my
furthering to a wealthy place.
00:22:16.70\00:22:22.10
From my fears God's
going to give release.
00:22:22.14\00:22:26.68
In acceptance lies peace.
00:22:26.71\00:22:30.35
That poem combines two of the
principles that we spoke about
00:22:30.38\00:22:34.38
today: surrender...
00:22:34.42\00:22:35.75
Did you catch that?
00:22:35.78\00:22:37.12
...in acceptance.
00:22:37.15\00:22:38.49
That is surrender.
00:22:38.52\00:22:39.85
The second one
was giving thanks.
00:22:39.89\00:22:42.26
Give thanks for everything
that is going on in our life.
00:22:42.29\00:22:46.70
Because as we do that God can
bring about a miraculous change,
00:22:46.73\00:22:52.27
and begin to turn
our sorrow into joy.
00:22:52.30\00:22:55.04
We're going to take a break, and
in just a moment we'll be back
00:22:55.07\00:22:57.97
with our
application for this week.
00:22:58.01\00:23:00.84