Hey sweet friend,

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It's April 2nd! Whoa!! Where has the last 3 months gone, am I right?!

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As I am looking at how quickly this year is going by I can't help but think back to fall of last year. I told my husband that I believed God was going to take us to another level, but to get there it was going to cost us everything we knew - all the old mindsets, all the old habits, all the old things we go to for comfort, all the things that has kept us from Christ, and the things that have kept us from being who He created us to be and kept us from doing what He created us to do... It was all going to be stripped of us.

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Now, looking back at the last 6 months I cannot explain how true that word from the Lord has been.

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I saw darker times in the last 6 months than I had ever experienced in my life and marriage before. I was heartbroken and on my knees in very real ways as I watched the enemy ravage my husband, marriage, and our family during an addiction relapse like we had never seen before.

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But you know what I also saw in those dark days, Reader?

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I also saw God's incredible might, His immense grace, and His tender mercy in ways I have never seen before.
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I saw His deliverance firsthand both literally and figuratively.
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And I also saw God's faithfulness in truly bringing Psalm 23 to reality in my life.
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God protected me in the valley of the shadow of death and prepared a table before me in the presence of my enemy...

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And as we continue walking through God's process of slowly rebuilding day by day, I am reminded that God is still working to bring old dreams and visions to pass that He first planted years ago.

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Although He is reviving old ideas, dreams, and visions I believe God is wanting us to do them in new ways.

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Sometimes that can be so overwhelming, uncomfortable, and downright scary as we let go of all we have known to follow God into a new place and trust Him to take care of us, guide us, and lead us.

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Why? Because we have become familiar in those places of survival. They have become comfortable because we have been able to learn how to navigate them, and for the most part, we know what to expect.
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This new season and new level has a lot of unknown attached to it. And that means we don't have the clearest vision of where we are going or what that "next level" looks like.

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And although I don't know exactly where God is taking you as this new season unfolds, Reader. What I do know is this:

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God is wanting us to be revived in our walk with Him.
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He wants every piece of our hearts to be on fire for Him again.
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He wants our lives to glorify Him and him alone. ​
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And He wants all the idols in our lives that we have been serving to be sacrificed on the altar.​
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In Revelation 3:14-22 Jesus is talking to the lukewarm church and points out they have been distracting by their riches, wealth, and their need of nothing. He says they are neither cold nor hot for Him and because of their lukewarm hearts they will be vomited out of His mouth.

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Why? Because they had allowed those blessings to become what is guiding them. They became distracted and blinded by the material things and they did not realize their true spiritual state - wretched, poor, miserable, blind, and naked.

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And some of us are like that today.
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We have been so blinded by the distractions in our lives that we don’t realize how far we have truly strayed from Christ. 💔💔💔
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BUT there is good news!!
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We can CHOOSE TO REPENT right here and right now and He will restore us to Him! ​
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Because we still have breath in our lungs we still have an opportunity to trust in Christ and allow His plans + purposes for our lives to be fulfilled!
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So if you are feeling far from Christ today, take a moment to truly repent and ask Christ to purge you so that you can be wholeheartedly in love with Him again.
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That’s where Psalm 51 comes into play. Use these words as your prayer right now:

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And if you truly meant that prayer God will hear you, heal you, and Jesus has forgiven you! Now it's up to you to receive His forgiveness, His grace, and His mercy and live your life differently - with Him at the forefront.

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In Christ's love,

~Sarah Murphy

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PS: If you prayed that prayer and want to let someone know I am here to rejoice in your decision to return to Christ today! Just hit reply to this email and let's continue the conversation! 💖

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