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Speaker 1: Life Audio.

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Speaker 2: Thank you for listening to your Nightly Scripture, a calming

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Speaker 2: Scripture Center devotional podcast designed to help you end each

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Speaker 2: day with God's word in your mind and on your heart.

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Speaker 2: Right after the short word from our sponsors, we will

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Speaker 2: reflect on tonight's scripture, Acts Chapter two. Tonight's reflection is

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Speaker 2: written and read by Kyle Norman. Acts chapter two. When

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Speaker 2: the day of pentecosp came, they were all together in

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Speaker 2: one place. Suddenly, a sound like a blowing of a

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Speaker 2: violent wind, came from head and filled the whole house

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Speaker 2: where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be

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Speaker 2: tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on

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Speaker 2: each of them. All of them were filled with the

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Speaker 2: Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as

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Speaker 2: the spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem,

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Speaker 2: God fearing Jews of every nation under heaven. When they

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Speaker 2: heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment because

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Speaker 2: each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed,

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Speaker 2: they asked, aren't all these who are speaking Galileans? How

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Speaker 2: then is it that each of us hears them in

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Speaker 2: our own native language? Parthians means and Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia,

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Speaker 2: Judea and Cappadocia, Pontius and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphilia, Egypt

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Speaker 2: and parts of Libya near Sieni, visitors from Rome, both Jews,

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Speaker 2: converts to Jerusalem, Cretans and Arabs. We hear them declaring

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Speaker 2: the wonders of God in our own tongue. Amazed and perplexed,

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Speaker 2: they asked one another what does this mean? Some, however,

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Speaker 2: made fun of them and said they've had too much wine.

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Speaker 2: Then Peter stood up with the eleven, raised his voice

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Speaker 2: and addressed the crowd, fellow Jews and all of you

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Speaker 2: who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you.

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Speaker 2: Listen carefully to what I say. These people are not

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Speaker 2: drunk as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning. No,

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Speaker 2: this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel. In

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Speaker 2: the last days, God says, I will pour out my

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Speaker 2: spirit on all people. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy.

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Speaker 2: Your young men will see visions, and your old man

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Speaker 2: will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women.

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Speaker 2: I will pour out my spirit in those days, and

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Speaker 2: they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above,

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Speaker 2: and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and

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Speaker 2: billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness

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Speaker 2: and the moon to blood. Before the coming of the

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Speaker 2: great and glorious Day of the Lord. Everyone who calls

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Speaker 2: on the Lord will be saved. Fellow Israelites, listen to this.

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Speaker 2: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to

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Speaker 2: you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did among

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Speaker 2: you through him. As ye yourselves know, this man was

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Speaker 2: handed over to you by God's deliberate plan and foreknowledge.

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Speaker 2: And you, with the help of wicked men, you put

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Speaker 2: him to death by nailing him to the cross. But

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Speaker 2: God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the

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Speaker 2: agony of death, because it was impossible for death to

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Speaker 2: keep its hold on him. David says about him, I

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Speaker 2: saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at

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Speaker 2: my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my

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Speaker 2: heart is glad and my tongue rejoices. My body also

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Speaker 2: will rest in hope because you will not abandon me

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Speaker 2: to the realm of the dead. You will not let

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Speaker 2: your holy ones see decay. You have made me know

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Speaker 2: the path of life. You will follow me with joy

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Speaker 2: in your presence. Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently

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Speaker 2: that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his

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Speaker 2: tomb is here this day. But he was a prophet

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Speaker 2: and knew that God had promised to him an oath

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Speaker 2: that he would place one of his descendants on his throne.

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Speaker 2: Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection

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Speaker 2: of the Messiah. That he was not abandoned to the

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Speaker 2: realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay.

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Speaker 2: God raise this Jesus to life, and we are all

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Speaker 2: witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God.

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Speaker 2: He is received from the Father of the promised Holy Spirit,

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Speaker 2: and has poured out what you now see and hear.

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Speaker 2: For David did not ascend it to heaven. And yet

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Speaker 2: he said to Lord, said to my Lord, sit at

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Speaker 2: my right hand until I make your enemies of potstool

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Speaker 2: for your feet. Therefore, let all Israel be assured of this.

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Speaker 2: God has made this Jesus whom you crucified, both Lord

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Speaker 2: and Messiah. The people heard this, they were cut to

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Speaker 2: the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles brothers,

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Speaker 2: What shall we do, Peter replied, Repent and be baptized,

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Speaker 2: every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ,

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Speaker 2: for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive

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Speaker 2: the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This promises for you

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Speaker 2: and your children, and all who are far off, for

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Speaker 2: all whom the Lord our God will call. With many

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Speaker 2: other words, he warned them and pleaded with them, save

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Speaker 2: yourselves from this corrupt generation. And those who accepted his

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Speaker 2: message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to

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Speaker 2: their number. That day, they devoted themselves to the apostles,

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Speaker 2: teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread,

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Speaker 2: into the prayers. Everyone was filled with awe at the

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Speaker 2: many wonders and sides performed by the apostles. All the

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Speaker 2: believers were together, and they had everything in common. They

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Speaker 2: sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.

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Speaker 2: And every day they continued to meet together in the

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Speaker 2: temple courts, they broke bread in their homes. They ate

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Speaker 2: together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying

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Speaker 2: the favor of all people. And the Lord added to

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Speaker 2: their number those who were being saved. The other day,

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Speaker 2: I arrived at my office to find that the power

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Speaker 2: had gone out. It wasn't just my office or my building,

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Speaker 2: but the power had gone out throughout the entire block.

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Speaker 2: I sat at my office wondering what to do, given

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Speaker 2: that the electricity we depend on for lights, internet, emails,

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Speaker 2: and printing had suddenly disappeared. It felt as if everything

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Speaker 2: had come to a halt, and I couldn't really fund

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Speaker 2: As power is necessary for our physical lives, so too

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Speaker 2: is divine power necessary for our spiritual lives. The inward

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Speaker 2: pulse of the Holy Spirit vivifies, energizes, and empowers us

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Speaker 2: so that we might live the Christian life. And without

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Speaker 2: the Holy Spirit moving in our lives, without a connection

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Speaker 2: to that source of power, our Christian life comes to

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Speaker 2: a standstill. Let's likely experience a power out it in

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Speaker 2: our spiritual selves. And although we often speak of the

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Speaker 2: day of Pentecost as described in Acts chapter two, we

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Speaker 2: must remember that being filled with the Spirit is not

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Speaker 2: a one time event. The Holy Spirit is not a

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Speaker 2: possession that we hold or a skill that we wield

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Speaker 2: for our own benefit. The Holy Spirit is the active

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Speaker 2: and ongoing presence of the Triune God within us. Wouldn't

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Speaker 2: it be great if we got to participate in that reality.

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Speaker 2: It wouldn't be wonderful if the Spirit could in dwell

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Speaker 2: our lives just as much as the disciples. The whole

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Speaker 2: message of Pentecosts is that we are included in that event.

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Speaker 2: Even today, we have been filled with the Holy Spirit.

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Speaker 2: We are filled with the Holy Spirit, and we can

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Speaker 2: be further filled with the Holy Spirit. New life in

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Speaker 2: the Spirit can be ours because being filled with the

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Speaker 2: Holy Spirit is a function of our connection to Jesus

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Speaker 2: and our participation in God's work in this world. So

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Speaker 2: as you enter your rest this evening, there's no more

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Speaker 2: perfect time to open yourself to the Holy Spirit. Down

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Speaker 2: any reservation that you might have and just receive. Dare

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Speaker 2: to believe that the Holy Spirit is with you and

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Speaker 2: wants to move in your life. When we open ourselves

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Speaker 2: to this reality, we might just find ourselves experiencing something

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Speaker 2: like the early Disciples did. Gracious Lord, you are enthroned

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Speaker 2: in honor and praise and power. I thank you for

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Speaker 2: the redemptive love that washes over me. I thank you

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Speaker 2: that this night I can know that I am loved,

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Speaker 2: I am forgiven, I am empowered all because you have

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Speaker 2: promised your Holy Spirit to be with me and upon me.

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Speaker 2: As I rest myself before you, Lord, I open myself

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Speaker 2: to you. I open my hands as a symbol that

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Speaker 2: I am ready to receive this life. Come, Holy Spirit,

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Speaker 2: Come fall on me. I pray, breathe on me in power,

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Speaker 2: wash over me, and set my soul on fire with

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Speaker 2: a passion for your people. Lord, your word tells me

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Speaker 2: that your spirit moving in me can do infinitely more

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Speaker 2: than I can ask or imagine. So may your Holy

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Speaker 2: Spirit be a ceaseless presence and a constant power in

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Speaker 2: my life. I pray this in Jesus' name. How did

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Speaker 2: Tonight's scripture speak to you? Share your thoughts in the

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Speaker 2: Your Nightly Scripture forum discussion.

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Speaker 1: Thank you for listening to Your Nightly Scripture. Tonight's scripture

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Speaker 1: was read from the New International Version by Biblica. All

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Speaker 1: rights reserved. If Tonight's episode blessed you, be sure to

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Speaker 1: Scripture is ready when you are. Your Nightly Scripture is

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Speaker 1: a production of Life Audio and Salem Media. Thank you

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Speaker 1: and we'll see you tomorrow. Night