Nargiz Hajiyeva: Shining Jesus’ Light In Azerbaijan

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Hey friends, welcome to the Hurt God Story podcast

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where you will always hear a powerful story to

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encourage and inspire you in your walk with the

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Lord. I'm your host, Jodie Chiricosta, ministry

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leader at Somebody Cares America and international

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author and traveler on this wonderful journey

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with Jesus. A verse I've been pondering a lot

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recently is Matthew 5 16 where Jesus tells us,

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let your light shine before others that they

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may see your good works and glorify your Father

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in heaven. That is exactly what we're called

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to do. Let his light shine through us so others

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are drawn to him. Recently, I had the joy of

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seeing that kind of radiant light firsthand during

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a trip to Germany. While attending some meetings,

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I had the joy of hearing some beautiful worship

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songs led by a singing group from, of all places,

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Azerbaijan. Their voices carried such depth and

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anointing. One of the women in that group was

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Nargiz Hajiyeva, and the light of Jesus shone so

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clearly through her. As I heard part of her story,

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I was deeply moved by her heart and the way she

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faithfully is living for the Lord in her country,

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a place where living out your faith takes courage.

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Nargis and so many others like her are shining

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lights in their communities, bringing hope, love,

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and the truth of God's word to people who desperately

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need it. And friend, one of the ways you can

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shine your light is by coming alongside believers

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around the world through the Widow and Orphan

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Fund. At Somebody Cares, we've been able to step

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into incredibly difficult situations, helping

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widows burdened by loss and need, and caring

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for precious children who have no one else to

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stand in the gap. Your gift, no matter the size,

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brings tangible help and hope. You can learn

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more and give at HerGodStory .org. Just click

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on Help Now, and yes, we even accept cryptocurrency.

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Today's episode is a beautiful reminder. that

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God is at work in every corner of the world.

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And I believe Nargis' story will stir your heart

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as it did mine. So let's jump in and hear how

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one woman is letting her light shine on the other

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side of the globe. Welcome, Nargis. Thank you

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very much. Let's start by setting the stage for

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our listeners. Tell us a little about Azerbaijan.

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It's on the other side of the globe. Most of

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us don't know much about it. What's it like and

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what do you love most about it? Hello everyone,

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my name is Nargis. Azerbaijan is a very beautiful

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country located at the crossroads of Eastern

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Europe and Eastern Asia, along the Caspian Sea.

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It is known for its rich history, breathtaking

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nature, vibrant culture and delicious food. The

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capital city, Baku, is a modern city with ancient

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roots and a unique blend of East and West. One

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of the things I love most about Azerbaijan is

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the warmth of its people. Azerbaijanis are known

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for their kindness and friendliness and the hospitality.

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There is a genuine spirit of generosity and care.

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People are always ready to welcome you, offer

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you tea and make you feel at home. And I love

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to share with you how I came to know Christ.

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Yes, I would love to hear about your early life.

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What was your family like growing up? And how

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did you come to place your faith in Jesus? I

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was born in Baku in August 1991. My mom was a

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believer and my dad was a Muslim. When I was

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six years old, we moved as a family to Moscow.

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Life there was calm and steady and we would come.

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back to Baku only during the summers. From a

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young age, my mom would tell me about Jesus,

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but I didn't know him personally. One day, I

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said a very short and simple prayer, something

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like, Jesus, please make it so I can live in

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Baku. I don't know why I did so, but I did. And

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you know what? Not long after that, my dad decided

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we should move back to Baku. When we returned,

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my mom invited me to church. At that point, I

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didn't really know which path to take, Christianity

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or Islam. We started going to a Russian -speaking

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church service because I didn't know Azerbaijani

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well and didn't want to go to local Azerbaijani

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service. But the Russian service was mostly elderly

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people, and to be honest, I was really bored.

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I told my mom I didn't want to go anymore. Then

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she suggested again that I try the Azerbaijani

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service. This time I said, OK, I'll go, but only

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for you. I won't understand anything anyway.

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The first time I walked into that Azerbaijani

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service, I was captivated. The choir was amazing.

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They sang so beautifully and everyone was incredibly

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friendly. Even though I couldn't understand much

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of the sermon, I kept coming back just because

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of the worms and the music. Then one Sunday,

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Pastor Sarah was preaching. I didn't know how,

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but I suddenly understood everything. It felt

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like something opened inside me. And that day

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I gave my life to Christ. After that moment,

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I just couldn't stay away from church. I loved

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listening to worship. It truly inspired me. I

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even prepared a song, showed it to the choir

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director and sang it during a service with my

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sister. Not longer after I joined the choir myself,

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one of the most special times for me was on the

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bus ride to university. I would listen to worship

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songs and praise God. It felt like my soul would

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fly up to heaven, worship Him there, and then

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return back to me full of peace and joy. That's

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how Jesus found me step by step through a simple

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prayer, through music, through love, and through

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His presence. That's so beautiful. After you

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gave your life to Christ, how did you experience

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the Lord leading you, both in your life and in

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your calling? Tell us what your journey looked

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like. Yes, after I gave my life to Christ, I

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was baptized in water and joined the choir. But

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I didn't only sing there. I sang to Him everywhere.

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Whenever I had the chance, on my way to university,

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on the bus, at home. Any moment I could find.

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My favorite time was at night when everyone else

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was asleep. I would spend those quiet moments

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along with him, worshiping and reading his word.

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But after that, I began facing serious challenges,

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temptations, and trials. It felt like the Lord

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was taking me through the fire. During that season,

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God gave me a verse from Psalm 37, 4, delight

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yourself in the Lord and he will give you the

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desires of your heart. I began to live by that.

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I worshipped him through tears and pain, clinging

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to his promise. Then one day my pastor called

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me into his office and said, we want to take

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you to Germany for ministry. It was 2011. I was

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shocked. I was only 19 years old at the time.

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I was very new in Christ. And I was very new

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in choir. And my father had never allowed me

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to go anywhere alone, especially not to another

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country. He wouldn't even let me go on school

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trips. Yeah, so I was sure he wouldn't say yes.

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And he would say no. But I prayed, talked to

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him. and explained everything and to my great

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surprise surprise he said yes that's when the

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lord truly began to open doors in my life i traveled

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to germany and started worshiping god every day

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in different churches it was constantly filled

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with i was constantly filled with the holy spirit

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the greatest desire in my heart was to worship

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in front of a large audience filled with his

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spirit That was my deepest longing, and the Lord

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fulfilled it. For a whole month in Germany, I

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had the privilege of worshiping Him. I will never

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forget that time. I will never forget the blessing

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He gave me, and I thank Him with all my heart.

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That time left a deep, deep and radiant mark

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on my heart, one that has stayed with me all

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these years. Right now I sing in the church choir.

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I'm one of the lead singers. I have solos and

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duets. One thing I love to do is take worship

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songs, especially Hillsong songs, and translate

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them into Azerbaijani. I arrange them in a new

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way and I use them to glorify the Lord. These

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songs inspire me deeply. I also sing songs that

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are originally written in Azerbaijani. I work

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as an English teacher, and through this job I

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have the chance to connect with people, both

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children and adults and teenagers, and share

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Christ with them. I can encourage them, help

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them, and speak truth into their lives. How did

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God lead you into that profession? I mentioned

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the university before. So I studied at Euro -Asian

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University. I studied translation. And after

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that, I found a job and I started to work as

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a teacher. Did you feel God leading you in that

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direction? Yes, because now I can. I talk with

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my private students and we become friends. And

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I can share gospel with them and work with them.

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Yeah. You know, in Matthew 22, Jesus tells us

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that the greatest commandment is to love the

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Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, and

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mind, and to love our neighbors as ourself. How

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do you do that? You and other believers in Azerbaijan

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live that out. And what happens when people experience

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that kind of love? you know, people without Christ

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don't really have that kind of love. And when

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they encounter it, it's shocking. That verse

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became very real in my life. As I mentioned before,

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I had a problem before I came to Germany, and

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God told me the verse that relied on me. And

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after I came back to Azerbaijan, after Germany,

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the Lord brought into my life a person who had

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deeply wounded me, someone who had caused me

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so much pain, someone I never thought I could

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even speak to again. And then one day it felt

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like God placed this person right in front of

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me as if God was saying, now it's your turn.

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What will you do? I could have heard her back.

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I had every reason, every opportunity, but instead

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something inside me said, no, love her. So I

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prayed. I walked up to her and said, I want to

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pray for you. She looked at me surprised, but

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we prayed together. And in that moment, something

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shifted, not just in her, but in me too. Her

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life began to change. Today, that person is living

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in joy and peace. And she has a new life, not

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because I was strong, but because I chose to

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obey. the one who said, love your neighbor as

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yourself. That was the power of love, prayer,

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and obedience. And I will never forget that God

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did through that moment. As you obeyed God to

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reach out in love, he gave you a forgiving heart.

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And it's only God can do that. Yes, that is true.

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Yeah, and so was she a believer before, or did

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she come to be a believer through this? No, she

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was a believer before. Okay, yeah. And I know

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that many people in your church have strong testimonies

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in the community. That's true. Yeah, share about

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one or two of those things that they do to share

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the love of Jesus. Yeah, I can share actually

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mine. Okay, please, yes, please. I have seen

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God's power in my life and I have seen his answers.

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He has spoken to me in many ways through scripture,

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through prayers, through dreams and more. I want

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to share a part of my story. Please. There was

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a season when I had to make an important life

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decision. I prayed about it for years, but I

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couldn't understand which path God wanted me

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to take. It was a long and difficult process.

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I kept asking, kept seeking, but didn't receive

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a clear answer. Eventually, I became tired and

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worn out from praying. One day, I said to God,

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Lord, if you are not going to answer me and I

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can't hear you, then I will just do what I think

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is right. This wasn't a formal prayer. I didn't

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even speak it out loud. I just whispered it in

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my heart like a quiet conversation with God.

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It was Sunday morning. I went to church, worshipped

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him and continued with my day. The next morning,

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I received a message on WhatsApp from a Christian

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sister. It was very long and that surprised me.

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In the message, she wrote, Nargis, the Lord often

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speaks to me through dreams. And last night I

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had a dream about you. I didn't fully understand

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the meaning, but I feel strongly that God is

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speaking to you through this. She told me that

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in the dream she came to me and tried to explain

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something. But I told her, don't talk to me.

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I don't want to hear you anymore. I'm going to

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do what I think is right. She was upset in that

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dream. And she said to me, then I won't speak

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to you. I wanted to explain, but you don't want

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to listen. As she walked away from me, a wise

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old man appeared and stopped her. He said, go

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back to Nargis and tell her she must not follow

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what she thinks is right. That path is not from

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me. It will lead her to destruction. When I read

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that message, my whole body started to shake.

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I knew this was the answer to my prayer. I had

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prayed silently the day before. God heard me,

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and when I didn't pray out loud. Of course, I

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obeyed God's word and followed the path He showed

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me. But the pain in my heart remained. I kept

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praying. Lord, I chose the way you showed me,

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but please set me free from this pain. One day,

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I was lying down, just trying to rest, and suddenly

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something amazing happened. The Lord spoke to

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me. His voice was deep inside me, in my thoughts,

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in my heart, and it filled the whole room. It

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was a verse. It was like everywhere inside of

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me, in my room. I cannot explain it with my words.

00:16:47.039 --> 00:16:49.639
I'm so sorry. I'm getting emotional. It's okay.

00:16:50.759 --> 00:16:57.519
It was a real experience. And the verse sounded

00:16:57.519 --> 00:17:02.740
like that. Humble yourself under the mighty hand

00:17:02.740 --> 00:17:06.460
of God, and he will lift you up in due time.

00:17:12.980 --> 00:17:17.700
That verse surrounded me. After hearing it, I

00:17:17.700 --> 00:17:21.200
prayed, and the Lord took away the pain from

00:17:21.200 --> 00:17:26.420
my heart. He healed me and gave me peace. I surrendered

00:17:26.420 --> 00:17:30.839
everything to Him and followed His way. And to

00:17:30.839 --> 00:17:34.180
this day, I see how He continues to lead me.

00:17:35.680 --> 00:17:42.059
And I also want to share a story. Yes, we'd love

00:17:42.059 --> 00:17:45.859
to hear it. My father is a Muslim and for many

00:17:45.859 --> 00:17:51.220
years I prayed for his salvation. One day I had

00:17:51.220 --> 00:17:55.400
a dream. And in the dream I was told, go and

00:17:55.400 --> 00:17:58.480
speak to your father about Jesus Christ because

00:17:58.480 --> 00:18:08.980
he is in danger. So God told me that. He has

00:18:08.980 --> 00:18:16.920
not many days. And I was very bad. It was like

00:18:16.920 --> 00:18:20.019
awful to hear it from God, you know, because

00:18:20.019 --> 00:18:22.180
I know that my father is not a believer and I

00:18:22.180 --> 00:18:28.720
know where is he going. It is just, it is awful

00:18:28.720 --> 00:18:32.759
to realize that your loved one can end up in

00:18:32.759 --> 00:18:38.890
hell. Yes. So I went and shared. the gospel with

00:18:38.890 --> 00:18:44.549
him that day he repented but he still identifies

00:18:44.549 --> 00:18:48.170
as a muslim and he hasn't yet fully received

00:18:48.170 --> 00:18:52.849
the revelation of christ but but that day he

00:18:52.849 --> 00:18:58.190
prayed with me and accepted jesus later he developed

00:18:58.190 --> 00:19:03.230
a dental infection an up test that lasted for

00:19:03.230 --> 00:19:07.859
two weeks I kept telling him to see the doctor,

00:19:07.980 --> 00:19:12.880
but he insisted on going on his own. I said,

00:19:12.960 --> 00:19:15.660
dad, I don't think your doctor knows what he's

00:19:15.660 --> 00:19:19.819
doing, but he wouldn't listen. All I could do

00:19:19.819 --> 00:19:23.980
was pray. One Saturday morning, he finally called

00:19:23.980 --> 00:19:28.000
and said to me, okay, I'll go to a doctor, but

00:19:28.000 --> 00:19:31.640
don't pressure me. Just let him take a look.

00:19:31.839 --> 00:19:35.579
I agreed. I said, okay. He wanted to wait until

00:19:35.579 --> 00:19:39.880
Monday, but I said, let's go now. Let's not wait

00:19:39.880 --> 00:19:44.940
until Monday. We went and my doctor looked at

00:19:44.940 --> 00:19:47.519
him and said, Nargis, your father's condition

00:19:47.519 --> 00:19:51.740
is critical. The uptest is on the lower jaw and

00:19:51.740 --> 00:19:57.160
has started spreading downwards. We're not talking

00:19:57.160 --> 00:20:00.180
about days. We're talking about hours. This is

00:20:00.180 --> 00:20:05.150
serious. It's close to hearts. and he is in danger.

00:20:06.410 --> 00:20:09.569
He referred us immediately to a surgeon. The

00:20:09.569 --> 00:20:13.609
surgeon said, why did you wait so long? If you

00:20:13.609 --> 00:20:17.250
had waited even one more day, it might have been

00:20:17.250 --> 00:20:21.349
too late. They performed emergency surgery right

00:20:21.349 --> 00:20:25.450
away. Because of the infection, the anesthesia

00:20:25.450 --> 00:20:29.210
didn't work properly, and my father felt pain.

00:20:30.220 --> 00:20:33.500
He cried out during the procedure, but praise

00:20:33.500 --> 00:20:36.720
God, the surgery was successful. He was treated

00:20:36.720 --> 00:20:41.500
with antibiotics, and the Lord healed him. He

00:20:41.500 --> 00:20:46.140
saved him from death. About a year later, another

00:20:46.140 --> 00:20:50.359
situation happened. One Sunday morning, my father,

00:20:50.440 --> 00:20:55.460
who always wakes up early, stayed in bed. I asked

00:20:55.460 --> 00:20:58.700
him, Dad, why aren't you getting up? He said,

00:20:58.779 --> 00:21:03.119
I think I caught a cold. You go ahead, I'll get

00:21:03.119 --> 00:21:09.200
up later. But my heart was uneasy. I asked, where

00:21:09.200 --> 00:21:11.900
does it hurt? He said, my shoulder and back.

00:21:12.420 --> 00:21:15.700
I told him, that sounds like your heart. Let

00:21:15.700 --> 00:21:20.099
me call the ambulance. He refused. No, I'm fine.

00:21:20.200 --> 00:21:23.900
But I couldn't ignore that feeling. So I called

00:21:23.900 --> 00:21:27.630
the ambulance without telling him secretly. Later

00:21:27.630 --> 00:21:30.809
I said, dad, I'm sorry, but the ambulance is

00:21:30.809 --> 00:21:36.509
on the way. He agreed. They were very slow. It

00:21:36.509 --> 00:21:39.849
took them about 30 minutes to arrive and maybe

00:21:39.849 --> 00:21:43.630
even more. Meanwhile, my dad suddenly started

00:21:43.630 --> 00:21:48.150
crying out in pain. I ran to him. He said, my

00:21:48.150 --> 00:21:52.250
chest, it feels like it's going to burst. I didn't

00:21:52.250 --> 00:21:56.319
know what to do. I sat beside him, put my hand

00:21:56.319 --> 00:21:59.299
on his heart and said, Dad, I'm going to pray.

00:21:59.480 --> 00:22:05.559
Just agree with me and say amen. He nodded. I

00:22:05.559 --> 00:22:09.140
prayed in the name of Jesus Christ. I rebuked

00:22:09.140 --> 00:22:12.099
this pain. Jesus, please don't let my father

00:22:12.099 --> 00:22:15.839
have a heart attack. Heal him. Touch his heart.

00:22:16.220 --> 00:22:20.839
After that prayer, the pain began to ease. When

00:22:20.839 --> 00:22:28.640
the ambulance arrived, they did. EKG. And found

00:22:28.640 --> 00:22:31.880
nothing. They said it wasn't his heart, just

00:22:31.880 --> 00:22:37.039
a nerve issue. But I wasn't convinced. I said,

00:22:37.079 --> 00:22:40.119
dad, let's go to the cardiologist tomorrow. Let

00:22:40.119 --> 00:22:46.240
them do an ultrasound. The next day we went.

00:22:46.420 --> 00:22:50.859
They did the echo. And the doctor said, yesterday

00:22:50.859 --> 00:22:54.319
you almost had a heart attack. All the vessels

00:22:54.319 --> 00:22:59.660
in your heart were tightened. But then, for some

00:22:59.660 --> 00:23:04.500
unknown reason, they relaxed and the attack didn't

00:23:04.500 --> 00:23:09.519
happen. We don't know why. And I said, I know

00:23:09.519 --> 00:23:16.119
why. It was Jesus. It was our prayer. Jesus saved

00:23:16.119 --> 00:23:20.500
you again. And now I ask all my brothers and

00:23:20.500 --> 00:23:24.319
sisters, please. pray for my father, pray for

00:23:24.319 --> 00:23:27.640
his salvation, that the Lord would reveal himself

00:23:27.640 --> 00:23:31.740
to him, that his heart would be saved, that he

00:23:31.740 --> 00:23:34.619
would come to Christ. I believe in prayer and

00:23:34.619 --> 00:23:38.519
I believe that our God is alive. Amen. Amen.

00:23:38.680 --> 00:23:42.220
Those are powerful testimonies. You know, being

00:23:42.220 --> 00:23:44.680
a follower of Jesus isn't always easy anywhere,

00:23:44.920 --> 00:23:50.140
especially in places where Maybe there are not

00:23:50.140 --> 00:23:54.299
as many believers around. So what challenges

00:23:54.299 --> 00:23:58.180
have you faced or seen others face for following

00:23:58.180 --> 00:24:00.980
Christ? And what helps you stay strong in the

00:24:00.980 --> 00:24:06.380
midst of it? The Word of God. The Lord is not

00:24:06.380 --> 00:24:12.220
far. He is very close and He is very near. And

00:24:12.220 --> 00:24:14.380
I believe that He longs for a relationship with

00:24:14.380 --> 00:24:18.180
us. He is looking for worshipers. Those who will

00:24:18.180 --> 00:24:26.079
serve him in spirit and in truth. Yeah. So, you

00:24:26.079 --> 00:24:28.400
know, there are so many listening today who may

00:24:28.400 --> 00:24:31.200
be walking through difficult times. Is there

00:24:31.200 --> 00:24:34.099
a word of encouragement you'd like to share with

00:24:34.099 --> 00:24:37.799
believers around the world? I want to, yeah,

00:24:37.900 --> 00:24:41.920
encourage all of you who are listening today

00:24:41.920 --> 00:24:45.599
that may share these words with you. James 4

00:24:45.599 --> 00:24:50.069
and 8. Draw near to God and he will draw near

00:24:50.069 --> 00:24:53.650
to you. Don't think that he is far because he

00:24:53.650 --> 00:24:57.250
isn't. If you take one small step toward him,

00:24:57.369 --> 00:25:00.670
he will take many steps toward you. That is the

00:25:00.670 --> 00:25:05.230
truth. Amen. Well, before we close, Nargis, is

00:25:05.230 --> 00:25:08.190
there a woman in the Bible whose story has especially

00:25:08.190 --> 00:25:10.930
spoken to you? Someone who's inspired or taught,

00:25:11.130 --> 00:25:13.880
encouraged you in your walk with the Lord? Yes,

00:25:13.880 --> 00:25:17.480
when I look at Scripture, the life of Esther

00:25:17.480 --> 00:25:22.440
inspires me so much. I am deeply moved by her

00:25:22.440 --> 00:25:27.559
obedience to God's Word and her devotion to the

00:25:27.559 --> 00:25:31.740
Lord. Because of her obedience and bravery, God

00:25:31.740 --> 00:25:34.220
used her to save her people from destruction.

00:25:35.380 --> 00:25:40.089
May we all walk in such faithfulness. Amen. What

00:25:40.089 --> 00:25:42.769
a powerful reminder that no matter where we live

00:25:42.769 --> 00:25:47.049
or what we face, God is always close to us. And

00:25:47.049 --> 00:25:50.009
because of that, we can be a light in the darkness,

00:25:50.210 --> 00:25:54.950
just like Nargis is doing in Azerbaijan. Her

00:25:54.950 --> 00:25:57.910
story challenges us to live boldly for Jesus,

00:25:58.009 --> 00:26:01.210
to love generously, to keep trusting God even

00:26:01.210 --> 00:26:03.470
when it's hard. Friend, maybe you're wondering

00:26:03.470 --> 00:26:05.690
how you can make a difference. Well, let me encourage

00:26:05.690 --> 00:26:08.390
you. Your light matters. Whether it's sharing

00:26:08.390 --> 00:26:11.609
a kind word, offering a helping hand, or supporting

00:26:11.609 --> 00:26:14.009
a ministry like the Widow and Orphan Fund, every

00:26:14.009 --> 00:26:16.210
act of love shines brightly and points others

00:26:16.210 --> 00:26:19.269
to our Father in Heaven. So if today's story

00:26:19.269 --> 00:26:21.329
has touched your heart, I invite you to ask the

00:26:21.329 --> 00:26:25.309
Lord how He might want to shine through you.

00:26:25.970 --> 00:26:28.529
If you feel led, you can visit HerGodStory .org

00:26:28.529 --> 00:26:30.329
to support widows and orphans around the world

00:26:30.329 --> 00:26:32.789
through Somebody Cares. Together we can really

00:26:32.789 --> 00:26:35.190
make a difference. Or God may put something else

00:26:35.190 --> 00:26:38.980
on your heart. Follow His leading. Nargis, thank

00:26:38.980 --> 00:26:41.579
you for sharing so beautifully with us today.

00:26:41.799 --> 00:26:44.519
And before we close, would you take a moment

00:26:44.519 --> 00:26:46.880
to pray for our listeners that they too would

00:26:46.880 --> 00:26:49.299
shine brightly for Jesus in every part of the

00:26:49.299 --> 00:26:54.319
world? Amen. Of course. Dear Heavenly Father,

00:26:54.579 --> 00:26:57.859
I thank you for every person who has listened

00:26:57.859 --> 00:27:01.599
to this testimony today. Lord, you know their

00:27:01.599 --> 00:27:05.200
hearts, their struggles, their questions, and

00:27:05.200 --> 00:27:09.349
their silent prayers. I ask you right now, draw

00:27:09.349 --> 00:27:13.230
them closer to you, reveal yourself to them in

00:27:13.230 --> 00:27:17.250
a personal and powerful way. Let them feel your

00:27:17.250 --> 00:27:21.730
presence, your peace, and your love. For those

00:27:21.730 --> 00:27:25.690
who are hurting, bring healing. For those who

00:27:25.690 --> 00:27:29.950
are confused, bring clarity. For those who feel

00:27:29.950 --> 00:27:33.549
far from you, remind them that you are near.

00:27:34.890 --> 00:27:39.240
Father, Stir their hearts to seek you more, to

00:27:39.240 --> 00:27:44.079
trust you more, and to walk in your will. Raise

00:27:44.079 --> 00:27:48.319
up worshippers who will serve you in spirit and

00:27:48.319 --> 00:27:52.220
in truth. Let their lives be a testimony of your

00:27:52.220 --> 00:27:56.619
grace and power. I bless each one of them in

00:27:56.619 --> 00:27:59.759
the name of Jesus Christ. May they walk in your

00:27:59.759 --> 00:28:04.079
light and never let go of your hand. In Jesus'

00:28:04.220 --> 00:28:10.019
name I pray. Amen. Amen. Friend, I hope Nargis'

00:28:10.059 --> 00:28:13.160
story has stirred something in your heart. Her

00:28:13.160 --> 00:28:16.240
courage, faith, and obedience are a beautiful

00:28:16.240 --> 00:28:19.519
reminder that God can use each of us to bring

00:28:19.519 --> 00:28:21.660
his light into the dark places when we're willing

00:28:21.660 --> 00:28:24.640
to say yes and to trust him. You may be facing

00:28:24.640 --> 00:28:26.500
challenges of your own or wondering how your

00:28:26.500 --> 00:28:28.900
life can make a difference. But remember, when

00:28:28.900 --> 00:28:32.000
we walk with Jesus, even the smallest act of

00:28:32.000 --> 00:28:34.059
love can shine brightly and point others to him.

00:28:34.670 --> 00:28:37.349
So keep trusting, keep reaching out in love,

00:28:37.410 --> 00:28:40.130
keep following and let your light shine. And

00:28:40.130 --> 00:28:42.230
as we close, I want to bless you with this word

00:28:42.230 --> 00:28:46.029
from Romans 15, 13. May the God of hope fill

00:28:46.029 --> 00:28:49.210
you with all joy and peace as you trust in him

00:28:49.210 --> 00:28:52.450
so that you may overflow with hope by the power

00:28:52.450 --> 00:28:55.730
of the Holy Spirit. Yes, may his joy and peace

00:28:55.730 --> 00:28:59.009
fill your heart today. May his hope rise within

00:28:59.009 --> 00:29:02.450
you. And may the Holy Spirit empower you to shine

00:29:02.450 --> 00:29:05.809
brightly right where you are. Don't forget to

00:29:05.809 --> 00:29:08.789
visit HerGodStory .org to find today's show notes,

00:29:08.970 --> 00:29:11.789
scriptures, and a link to the Widow and Orphan

00:29:11.789 --> 00:29:15.029
Fund. Your gift does make a difference. And if

00:29:15.029 --> 00:29:17.569
you need prayer, don't hesitate to reach out.

00:29:17.690 --> 00:29:21.170
You can call or text our 24 -7 prayer line at

00:29:21.170 --> 00:29:26.049
855 -459 -CARE or email us at prayer at somebodycares

00:29:26.049 --> 00:29:29.619
.org. We're here for you. Until next time. Keep

00:29:29.619 --> 00:29:32.640
trusting God and shining his light because he

00:29:32.640 --> 00:29:36.019
is still writing your story. Her God Story is

00:29:36.019 --> 00:29:38.420
a ministry of Somebody Cares America and International.

00:29:38.859 --> 00:29:41.200
To find out more about or support the ministry,

00:29:41.380 --> 00:29:43.039
go to somebodycares .org.