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You know how you win the battle? Listen now.

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You and I have the opportunity to walk in victory, to claim the victory,

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to experience the victory that is already ours.

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Because I know I have something to offer.

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Go where you have never gone before.

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That's what you got. Keep moving through the pain. Keep moving forward.

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Music.

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Do what you've never done before so you can be the woman you know yourself to

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be. I live my life playing to win. I'm after something.

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So much in you. I'll keep on playing.

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We have the victory. Hey, Purpose Chasers. Welcome to another episode of the

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Pray, Plan, Slay podcast. And I'm so happy to have you back with us today. Now, last week on the podcast,

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we had with us a special guest, Jessica Williams, who taught us about surrendering our life fully to God.

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And I wanted to move on with that same area, that same topic.

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And I've just come back from a vacation and we spent about 10 days in France.

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And while we were in France, we visited Bordeaux and we saw the vineyards.

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And while we were walking through the vineyards, what kept going through my

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mind is the scripture John 15,

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where Jesus is talking about him being the vine and we are the branches.

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And what had my mind going is how important it is for us to connect to our source.

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Like that is such an important thing for us to make sure that we are connected to the source.

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We are connected to the one who gives us power, the one who gives us light,

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the one who gives us love, the one who gives us life, the one who gives us motivation and purpose, of course.

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So I really wanted to dive into that this week.

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So let's just jump straight into it.

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Let me read John 15, 1 to 11, so you know exactly where we are starting before

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we get into this episode. Now, John 15, 1-11, and I am reading from the New

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International Version, says this.

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I am the true vine, and my father is the gardener.

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He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that

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does bear fruit, he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

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You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.

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Remain in me so I also remain in you.

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No branch can bear fruit by itself. self. It must remain in the vine.

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I am the vine. You are the branches.

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If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit. Apart from me, you can do nothing.

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If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers.

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Such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.

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If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.

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This is to my father's glory that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be disciples.

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As the father has loved me, so have I loved you. you.

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Now remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,

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just as I have kept my father's commandments and remain in his love.

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I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be in me. What a scripture.

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What a way to remind us the the importance of staying connected to the vine, right?

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This scripture takes us through so many things and I'm probably not gonna be

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able to touch on everything in this episode, but it talks about the pruning

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process, you know, where he says,

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His father cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit.

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That's the pruning process. And you know what? I'm going to leave the pruning

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process for a different episode.

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But the importance of remaining in him.

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When we were walking through the vineyards, one of the things that the tour

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guide was telling us was the importance of the soil. The different types of

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soil created a different type of fruit.

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The fruit was the same, but the, what's the word I'm looking for?

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The quality of the fruit was different due to the soil, due to the nutrients

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that branch was getting. And, you know, what the importance of the vine was, is that it went down into

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the root, sometimes into the stone and broke it up so that it went all the way

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down and was able to collect the water.

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If we think of ourselves in this scenario as plants, right? What do plants need to survive?

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So we need the sunlight and we need the water. So what that is telling me is

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that we need the right conditions in order for us to thrive.

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And the right conditions for us come come from remaining within and staying

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connected to our father, staying connected to the vine, right?

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Because our father is the one that nourishes our soul.

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When we are away from our source, when we are away from our power source,

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just like a cell phone, after a certain amount of time.

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Dies. And without us remaining in our source, remaining close to the vine, we die.

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We die spiritually. We die mentally.

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We die physically. So we have to make sure that we understand the importance

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of staying connected to God, staying in his word, staying in worship, staying in prayer.

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These are the things that are going to continue to give you that power,

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that energy to keep going, to keep fighting the good fight, to keep showing

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up every day, to keep your faith strong.

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But if you separate yourself from that power source, from the vine,

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you will find yourself disconnected from that power.

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Now, in the heart of John 15, Jesus presented us with a vivid image.

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He is the true vine and we are his branches.

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The relationship is not just a picture of dependence, but a dynamic call to

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a life that overflows with purpose, fruitfulness, and joy.

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He began with, I am the true vine and my father is the gardener.

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This in itself sets the stage for a profound understanding of our relationship with him, right?

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Our relationship with God is rooted in love and it's tended by the divine gardener, right?

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And designed for a purpose far beyond our understanding. ending.

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You know, I'm currently reading the book, and if you get Purpose Mail,

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you'll see what I'm reading each month, and I'd love for you guys to read with me.

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But In the Garden by Dr. Anita Phillips.

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I'll tag the book in the show notes. And it really dives into what it's like

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and how God created our heart and our lives as a garden.

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And I think that is just a good way, if you wanted to dive deeper from what

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we are talking about in this episode, definitely get her book and read it some more.

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But we are being tended to by the divine gardener, okay?

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We are supposed to be growing, supposed to be fruitful.

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And as we stay close to Jesus, he nurtures us.

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And God comes through and he prunes us and he takes away things that are not

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like him so that we can be the version of him that he has created us to be,

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which is so very important.

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So as women walking in faith and seeking to grow a deeper connection with our God.

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How you may be saying, how do we ensure our life is not just connected,

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but deeply rooted in Jesus?

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All right. So not only do we want to just be connected to Jesus,

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we want to have our roots run deep.

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Like I saw in the vineyards, like they explained to us, some roots run so deep

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that they can break up stone to get down to the source of the nutrients.

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That's how we want ourselves to be.

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Our roots in our savior, in our faith should run so deep that it can break up stone, right?

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It can break up those things that would hold you back. It could break up those

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negative naysayers that say words that upset you.

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It can break up all the hard areas of your life to make sure that you're connected

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to the source, to the nutrients.

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To the flow of the living water that comes from our Lord and Savior.

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So how do we ensure our life is not just connected, but deeply rooted in Jesus?

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Us and how do we make sure that we draw from him everything we need to flourish?

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So in order for us to make sure that we are not just connected but deeply rooted

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in Jesus and that we are making sure that we are drawing from him everything we need to flourish,

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here are three action steps that I'm inviting you to take to make sure that you have a deeper,

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more intimate relationship with our creator so that you can make sure that you

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are connected to the vine,

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that you can make sure that you are available to God to be pruned,

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so that you can make sure that you are being being nourished so that you bring

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forth fruit in all areas of your life, right?

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So let's start with action step number one.

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Action step number one is intentional stillness.

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So in the hustle of life, and you know how busy life gets, we got things going on, right?

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We are wives. We are sisters. We are mothers. We are employees.

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We are employers. yours, we are C. Life gets busy. So in the hustle of life, stillness is often the first thing we sacrifice.

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Yet, it is in the quiet moments that we are able to hear God's whisper most clearly.

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So I want you to start bringing stillness to the forefront of your day.

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I want you to commit to a daily practice of intentional stillness.

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This could be as simple as five minutes of sitting quietly before starting your

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day, focusing on God's presence.

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It's in these moments of stillness that we allow the nourishment from the vine

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to seep into our very being, refreshing and renewing us.

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So I want you to take that and implement that on a daily basis.

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If you don't know where to start, like I said, set your timer or five minutes

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a day before you start your day and have that still moment.

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Invite God to speak to you, right?

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We're here because we're building relationship with God. Yeah,

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we're not just having religion.

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We're building up a relationship. A relationship with God will strengthen your faith.

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A relationship with God will get you through the hard times.

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A relationship with God will ensure that you are being nurtured and that you

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are always returning back to your source.

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So as you're building your relationship with God,

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invite yourself in the morning to have five minutes of stillness with him so

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that you can hear from him, so that you can reconnect with him before your day starts.

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Action step number two is scriptural sowing.

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So while familiar, the act of embedding scripture into the fabric of our daily

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lives remains one of the most potent ways that we can deepen our connection with God.

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So choose a verse or passage each week to memorize, meditate on,

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and mold your week around. round.

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Let these words be seeds sown into your heart, watered by contemplation and

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the Holy Spirit's revelation, yielding a harvest of wisdom and guidance.

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Guys, get into your word.

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Come on now, get into your word. In the month of April, I'm revisiting the book

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of Proverbs and I'm reading through it and I'm going to be studying it.

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But getting into your word is what is going to help deepen your connection.

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By you memorizing that scripture, saying that scripture over yourself,

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affirming that scripture throughout the day, you are reminding yourself of the goodness of God, right?

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The wisdom of God, the lesson of God, the love of God, whatever that scripture is about.

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Ask God to reveal to you something that you didn't even see before about that

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scripture, but make sure that you are sowing scriptures into your life.

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And step three, get together with your community.

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And I might be screaming this bit from the mountaintops on a weekly basis,

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but community, community, community.

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Community is where we grow with God.

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We have our relationship with him, that one-on-one relationship that is absolutely beautiful.

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But what strengthens us, because remember two is better than one,

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and remember iron sharpens iron, And that is what we find by having community with other people,

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with friends, with family,

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with other believers that will encourage and inspire you, that will,

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you know, be that mirror when you need, when you need some correction,

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just be that mirror, be that wisdom, right?

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Be that one to pray for you and you pray for them.

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So as the branches of the true vine our growth and fruitfulness are magnified in community.

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So engage in or create a space, if you don't feel like you have it,

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where you can be vulnerable, where you can get support, and where authentic

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faith discussions flourish. flourish.

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This could be a Bible study, a prayer group, a mentorship pair.

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In these spaces, we not only receive, but also contribute to the growth of others,

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embodying the love and support modeled by Christ.

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Get in community. Honestly, if you feel like, Shante, that sounds great.

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I want to be in community. I just don't have anybody.

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Message me. Send me a DM.

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Let's talk. Let's talk. You have me. I will be the starting person for the community.

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And as you pray, God will open the door for you to meet other people, other women of faith.

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But community, community, community.

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So I want you to remember those three action steps because they are very important.

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And I want you to start implementing them.

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So, intentional stillness, scripture sowing, and community.

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Now, quickly, what happens when we are disconnected from the vine?

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Disconnected from the vine, disconnected from the Lord, disconnected from our

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Savior, disconnected from the Holy Trinity, we will find ourselves struggling to flourish,

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our purpose will be blurred, our joy diminished.

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This is a reminder of the essence of our faith journey without him.

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Without God, we can do nothing.

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It's completely the opposite of the scripture. With God, right,

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I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

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So without God, you can do nothing. Full stop. You can do nothing.

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Yeah, you may be doing things, but the things you're doing aren't what you're

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called to do. So they're not flourishing. They're not bearing fruit.

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So we must stay connected to him. In him, we find our strength.

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We find our purpose and we find our joy.

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Our connection to the vine isn't just about what we receive. seed.

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It's also what we give and the beauty of what we bring to the world through

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our faith-filled lives. So as we draw today's conversation to a close, I want to invite you to reflect

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on your journey with the true vine.

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Are there areas of your life that need more of his life-giving presence?

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How can you nurture your connection to ensure you're not just surviving,

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but thriving in his purpose for you?

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Purpose chasers, I want you to really think about what we've talked about today.

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May your roots go deep into the soil of God's marvelous love.

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And may you bear fruit that enriches the world around you.

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Before we go, let's pray. Dear Heavenly Father.

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In this quiet sanctity of your presence, we, your daughters,

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come before you with hearts open wide, seeking to draw nearer to the source

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of our life and strength. You are the true vine, and we are humbly grateful to be your branches,

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connected to you, drawing sustenance purpose

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and vitality from your unending love

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and grace lord we ask for

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the courage to embrace the stillness to find

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in those silent moments a profound connection with you that nourishes our souls

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in the hustle of life help us carve out sacred spaces of quietude where we can

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hear your gentle whispers guiding us,

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encouraging us, and reminding us of your steadfast presence.

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Grant us the wisdom to sow your word deep within our hearts,

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that it may take root and flourish, transforming our minds, guiding our steps,

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and embracing us to overcome. May your scripture be be the seeds that grow into the bountiful harvest of faith,

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hope, and love in our lives and in the lives of those around us.

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Bless us with authentic communities, Lord, spaces of vulnerability.

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Support, and genuine connection. In these gatherings of your people, let us both give and receive encouragement, wisdom, and strength.

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Forge us into a network of believers who support one another in love,

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embodying the unity and diversity of your kingdom here on earth.

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In a moment of doubt or disconnection, remind us of your essential need to remain grafted to you.

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Rekindle our passion for your presence.

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Refresh our spirits with your joy and renew our minds with your peace.

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Let us not wander far from your side, but draw us ever closer,

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deepening our dependence on you for every need, every decision, and every desire.

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Father, we pray for those among us seeking to discover their purpose,

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to understand their place in your grand design.

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Open their eyes to see the beauty of a life lived in connection with you, the true vine.

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Eliminate their paths with your wisdom and fill their hearts with love that

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they might bear fruit that glorifies your name.

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As we move forward, may we do

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so with the confidence of your love and the assurance of your gratitude.

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Let our lives be a testament to the transformative power of remaining in you.

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May we flourish in faith, abound in hope, and overflow with love,

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bearing fruit that endures and testifies to your goodness and grace.

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In the precious name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

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Thank you, Purpose Chasers, for tuning in to another episode of the Pray, Plan, Slate podcast.

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Until we meet again, keep seeking, keep growing, and keep flourishing in the light of His love.

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See you next time on the Pray, Plan, Slate podcast.