Nov. 6, 2025

#33 - The Blessings of Accepting Help

#33 - The Blessings of Accepting Help
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#33 - The Blessings of Accepting Help

Many of us are comfortable giving help but hesitate to receive it. In this episode, Dr. Cory Potter explores why that happens, especially in Western culture where independence is prized. Drawing from psychology and Scripture, we look at how pride, perfectionism, and fear of burdening others can keep us from the support God designed us to experience. You’ll hear biblical examples of those who accepted help and see how learning to receive can deepen connection, grow humility, and strengthen your walk with Christ.

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Thanks for joining me today on the Mind of Faith

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Matters podcast. I'm Dr. Cory Potter. So let

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me first say this, that I've gotten better with

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this topic over time just with practice, and

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that is accepting help. But I'd like to start

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with a picture. Imagine that a friend offers

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to carry your groceries in for you, or maybe

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a neighbor says, I can watch the kids for an

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hour. What is your first instinct? Many of us

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politely smile and say, I'm fine. Even when we

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really could use that help and we're not fine.

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We love helping others, but when it comes to

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receiving help, something inside us resists.

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Why is that? And what might God be inviting us

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into when we learn to say yes? Psychologists

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at Stanford University found that people often

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assume Asking for help will burden others, but

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in reality the helpers reported feeling honored,

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useful, and more connected. I want us to pause

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and let that sink in. When you say yes to help,

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you're not only lightening your own load, you're

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really giving someone else the gift of purpose

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and connection. This hesitation is especially

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common in the United States where independence

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is deeply valued You know from childhood many

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of us are taught that strength means handling

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problems by ourselves And that mindset really

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has roots in the beginnings of America in that

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pioneer culture when Survival often depended

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on self -reliance and over time families through

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generations and generations have this learned

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behavior, but it really can disconnect rather

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than connecting us with other people, which goes

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against God's community design. And in other

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cultures, receiving help is more natural. And

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in Japan, for example, nowadays support from

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family and community is expected. It's seen as

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a way of honoring relationships. In many Hispanic

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cultures it's the same. Extended families live

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together. And see that shows us that receiving

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help from relatives and friends really is a learned

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behavior and so is not receiving help. But the

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learned habit of receiving help is healthy and

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it shouldn't be seen as a weakness. God designed

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us for close supportive relationships. not for

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isolation. Proverbs 11 2 reminds us, when pride

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comes, then comes disgrace. But with humility

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comes wisdom. So humility opens the door to receiving

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help and allows both a giver and a receiver to

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be part of God's plan. Whereas pride might whisper

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to you, you should handle this yourself. Don't

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be weak. Sometimes that pride shows up as perfectionism.

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I'm an expert in that area, in fact. It's the

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belief that no one else can do it right, or as

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well as you can, or that asking for help means

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lowering your standards in the way they'll do

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it versus the way you can do it. And so perfectionism

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can quietly isolate us because it really values

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control over connection. But when we're humble

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it invites collaboration and grace The Bible

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is full of examples in Galatians 6 to the Bible

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says Carry each other's burdens and in this way

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you will fulfill the law of Christ So when we

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accept help We allow someone else to live out

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God's command to love and serve But I want you

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to note something here. If you go on to Galatians

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6 -5, the Bible says each one should carry their

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own load. Well, what gives with that? I thought

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we were supposed to carry each other's burdens.

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Well, here Paul is teaching balance. And in fact,

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we all have responsibilities that we must maintain

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in our lives. But there are moments when life

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is a little heavier. then we can carry alone.

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And God designed us for personal responsibility,

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but also community support. Ecclesiastes 4 verses

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9 and 10 say, two are better than one. If either

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of them falls down, one can help the other up.

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And Romans 12 .5 adds, in Christ we, though many,

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form one body. and each member belongs to all

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the others." And so I think about these verses,

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and then I think of Moses in battle, when Aaron

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and her held up his arms so Israel could prevail.

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In the middle of a battle, the leader is getting

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help from those around him, or maybe it's the

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paralytic that was lowered through the roof to

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reach Jesus. You know, these examples show us

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that receiving Help allows others to participate

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in God's work, whatever that looks like for you.

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I want you to reflect for a moment who in your

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life might be waiting for the chance to serve

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and how could allowing them to help you be part

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of God's plan. Maybe we should stop and pray

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about that from time to time. Accepting help

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also strengthens our mental and emotional health.

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It signals that we are safe with others and allows

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us to rest from constant self -reliance. Refusing

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help can reinforce isolation and really stress.

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2nd Corinthians 8 verses 13 through 15 teaches

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that sharing resources balances needs over time.

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it the Bible says your plenty will supply what

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they need so that in turn their plenty will supply

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what you need. When we both give and receive

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we can create this healthy independence. No,

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that's not right. It's a healthy inner dependence.

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There's the difference. And that strengthens

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relationships. You know life does have this rhythm.

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Sometimes you're in need and sometimes you have

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need. Sometimes we give and sometimes we receive

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and both are very meaningful and both honor God.

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Think about your whole life and how embracing

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giving and receiving could create stronger connections

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and healthier relationships. Accepting help is

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really also a form of spiritual growth. It humbles

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us and reminds us that every act of kindness

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ultimately flows from God. Think of Elijah in

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the Bible and the widow of Zarephath in 1 Kings

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chapter 17. God provided for both of them through

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her generosity. think of Jesus and he himself

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received help from the woman who followed him,

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from Mary who anointed his feet, and from Simon

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of Cyrene who carried his cross, even from John

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who baptized him. So if Jesus could receive help,

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so can we. refusing help can sometimes reflect

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pride and receiving help is an act of trust.

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In a spiritual way it acknowledges that God can

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meet our needs through the people he places around

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us. So how do we even begin if we're not used

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to receiving help? I want you to start with awareness.

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Notice your reactions when someone offers you

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assistance. Do you immediately say, I'm fine?

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Do you feel uncomfortable? Observing these reactions

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can reveal pride, fear, even your perfectionism,

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or habit. It doesn't matter. But I want you to

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practice gratitude. Saying thank you affirms

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that the giver's effort is important to you and

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it really can strengthen the bond between the

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two of you. I did another episode gratitude,

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and I think being thankful for what God provides

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and what others do for you is a sign of spiritual

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growth and spiritual maturity. And finally, I

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want you to see that receiving help is a way

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to reflect Christ. He gave and He received throughout

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His life. Accepting this support with openness

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and gratitude, it models that interdependence

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and grace. So here's your challenge for this

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week. When someone offers to help, I want you

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to pause before saying no. I want you to try

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to say yes, even if it feels uncomfortable. And

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I want you to see how God meets you in that moment.

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Let's pray. God thank you for the people in our

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lives Who care and support us we know that you

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provided them to us help us to accept help with

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gratitude and humility Show us how receiving

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Is not just a blessing for us But a blessing

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for the giver of that help just as when we give

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we feel so filled. Lord, we thank you for the

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models that we've been given in the Bible. We

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thank you for Jesus and the fact that ultimately

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he's the perfect helper that helped us to get

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out of our sin situation for those that believe

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and receive his truth. But Lord, at the same

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time, the fact that When Jesus was on earth,

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he did have people around him that he allowed

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to help him. So Lord, as we think about this

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topic, we can oversimplify it, and we can overcomplicate

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it, but somewhere in the middle is the truth

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that you want us to have, and that is that we

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can help, but we need to accept help. It's part

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of being in the body of Christ. Lord, just work

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in our hearts this week on any pride, perfectionism,

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fear, or hesitancy in receiving help. We pray

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these things in Jesus' name. Amen. So I would

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like to thank you for joining me today. If this

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episode resonates with you or someone that you've

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talked to recently that says, I have a hard time

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asking for help, share the episode. Share the

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encouragement that you learned from the episode.

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I would love for you to continue to spread the

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word of Mind and Faith Matters to help get God's

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help in the mental health and faith growth categories

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out there. It's not about my numbers. It's not

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about my voice being heard. It's really about

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the... truth of Scripture being spread and encouragement

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for others. And I do want you to know that I

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read every comment that I receive from the episodes.

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And it was so special to me even today that an

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episode I did 22 weeks ago, someone had listened

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to it and made an impact in their life. It helped

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them to understand their situation. And that

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encouragement to me often is a help to keep me

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going and so even spreading that encouragement

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and that appreciation can be a form of helping

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others but accept it when people want to help

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you with that same encouragement. This week I

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want you to think through these things, challenge

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yourself, pray on this and we'll see you next

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week. God bless.