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Speaker 1: Let us pray. Behold, I will put a fleece of

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Speaker 1: wool in the floor, And if the dew be on

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Speaker 1: the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the

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Speaker 1: earth beside, then I shall know that thou wilt save

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Speaker 1: Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said Judges six

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Speaker 1: thirty seven. Lord, to day, I will be aware of

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Speaker 1: the subtle signs of disobedience that rob me of my

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Speaker 1: peace and safety. No matter how small the sin seems,

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Speaker 1: I will remove it from my life. By Gideon, I

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Speaker 1: will work as the Lord's servant and remove the idols

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Speaker 1: from around me. I declare that the spirit of God

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Speaker 1: will rise up within me. As I stand for what

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Speaker 1: is right. Thou will not be intimidated by those who

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Speaker 1: move in deceit, for I know that the commander of

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Speaker 1: the Lord's army is with me. Rise up, Lord, and

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Speaker 1: surround me with men and women who have the same

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Speaker 1: drive and passion to win and to take victory. For

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Speaker 1: your namesake, I choose to thank you in advance that

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Speaker 1: you have already prepared your army of kingdom minded influencers

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Speaker 1: to move forward with boldness and take back what is

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Speaker 1: rightfully ours. I am a person a valor. I am

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Speaker 1: a warrior, and your hand of protection will see me

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Speaker 1: through to complete victory in Jesus's name. Amen, thank you

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Speaker 1: for praying with us today. Continue your time with God

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Speaker 1: by listening to today's Bible story brought to you by

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Speaker 1: Bible in a Year dot Com.

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Speaker 2: Gideon the Trivial Judge. In our last story, we learned

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Speaker 2: how Jabin and his general Siserah oppressed Israel for over

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Speaker 2: twenty years. The Lord sent Deborah, a mighty and wise woman.

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Speaker 2: He also sent for Rok, the commander of Israel's armies.

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Speaker 2: They fought valiantly against Ceesah and his nine hundred chariots.

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Speaker 2: So Sarah fled and was in the tent of a

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Speaker 2: woman named Jail and killed in his sleep with a

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Speaker 2: tent peg through his skulk. In this story, we learn

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Speaker 2: about the oppression of Midian against Israel. God calls an

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Speaker 2: unlikely judge, Gideon, to gather an army as inspired by

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Speaker 2: the Book of Judges.

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Speaker 3: Hello, I'm pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the

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Speaker 3: Bible in a Year podcast. In our last episode, we

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Speaker 3: heard how God worked through the faith and wisdom of

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Speaker 3: Deborah the Deliverer and the courage of Barak to free

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Speaker 3: the Israelites from Canaanite oppression. We also saw how God

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Speaker 3: used a foreign woman by the name of Jail to

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Speaker 3: defeat the Canaanite general Cesera. It's a story of how

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Speaker 3: God can work and does work through unlikely, unknown people

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Speaker 3: to bring about his will, and how even the most

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Speaker 3: insurmountable obstacles can be overcome when we trust in God

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Speaker 3: for the result. Today, we're going to hear about another

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Speaker 3: judge or deliverer that God raises up to free his people.

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Speaker 3: A man who wouldn't have made anyone's list of who's who.

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Speaker 3: He was not a great candidate to lead Israel into battle.

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Speaker 3: His name is Gideon, and through the story of Gideon

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Speaker 3: will once again see how God can use even the small,

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Speaker 3: the weak, and insignificant to accomplish great and mighty things.

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Speaker 3: So let's listen now to today's reading.

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Speaker 2: Israel lived in peace. They worked the fertile land, built

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Speaker 2: new homes for their children, and worship to God. However,

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Speaker 2: compromise began to creep into the House of Israel. A

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Speaker 2: few idols were brought into the temple, and slowly the

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Speaker 2: people began to stray away from God. It was not deliberate,

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Speaker 2: but gradual and unassuming. Soon Israel found themselves caught in

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Speaker 2: another cycle of total depravity. They did only what they

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Speaker 2: thought good for themselves, not for one another. They became

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Speaker 2: selfish and self pleasing, and turned from God and his law.

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Speaker 2: If history has informed anything, it is that turning away

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Speaker 2: from God is the first step towards destruction. And evil

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Speaker 2: was lurking in the caves above Israel like a dragon

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Speaker 2: hidden in darkness. The Median Knites were dwelling secretly in

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Speaker 2: dens carved in the mountains. Evil laughs and battle cries

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Speaker 2: echoed through the canyons, and camp fires lit up the

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Speaker 2: mountain range. The evil hoarde descended upon Israel like a swarm.

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Speaker 2: Whenever Israel planted crops, the Midianites and the people of

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Speaker 2: the East would rise against them to devour everything in sight.

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Speaker 2: Like pirates. They would pillage, rape, and burn Israel into dust.

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Speaker 2: For seven years, Israel desperately worked to provide their families

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Speaker 2: with safety and food, only to have them stripped away

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Speaker 2: in a storm of midian Nite evil. They would hide

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Speaker 2: their live stock and food in their tents, but the

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Speaker 2: Midianites were like locusts, eating up all of it. The

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Speaker 2: people of Israel cried out to the god they had

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Speaker 2: abandoned once again, out of desperation, not love. They called

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Speaker 2: upon the God that parted seas to save them. One morning,

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Speaker 2: an angel of the Lord sat under the shade of

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Speaker 2: a terebinth tree. A few yards away. Gideon was beating

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Speaker 2: out wheat and storing it in a wine press to

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Speaker 2: hide from the Midianites. Gideon were smaller and frame, paranoid

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Speaker 2: and constantly looking over his shoulder. He belonged to the

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Speaker 2: weakest tribe in Israel, and he was the weakest brother

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Speaker 2: of his family. The Lord watched Gideon work frantically, shaking

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Speaker 2: in fear and fumbling about his work. The angel of

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Speaker 2: the Lord spoke to him from under the tree, saying,

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Speaker 2: God is with you, mighty man of valor. Gideon left

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Speaker 2: in the air out of fear, then saw it was

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Speaker 2: not an enemy. Gideon walked closer and said, if the

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Speaker 2: Lord is with us, then why are we living like this?

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Speaker 2: God has forsaken us and given us to Midian like

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Speaker 2: a treat to a dog. Gideon spoke boldly, for he

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Speaker 2: was skilled in the art of whining and complaining. The

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Speaker 2: Lord smiled and said to him, there is might in you,

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Speaker 2: and take it and save Israel from Midian. I am

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Speaker 2: sending you. Gideon laughed. How could I save Israel? He asked,

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Speaker 2: My clan is the weakest in this region, and I

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Speaker 2: am the runt of my father's house. No, you have

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Speaker 2: the wrong guy. Gideon continued to laugh and began walking away.

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Speaker 2: God said, I shall be with you, Gideon, and you

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Speaker 2: shall strike Midian down as a single man. Gideon turned

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Speaker 2: back to him and said, if you truly are the Lord,

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Speaker 2: and I am truly called to be this hero of yours,

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Speaker 2: then show me a sign. Gideon asked the Lord to

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Speaker 2: stay while he went back into his house to prepare

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Speaker 2: an offering. He prepared meat and cakes. He put the

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Speaker 2: meat in baskets and its broth in a pot, and

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Speaker 2: rushed it back to the Lord. Gideon placed the offering

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Speaker 2: on a rock next to him. Pour the broth over

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Speaker 2: the offering. God said, so. Gideon made all of the

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Speaker 2: meat and cakes sopping wet, dripping completely with broth. Then

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Speaker 2: the Angel of the Lord reached out the tip of

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Speaker 2: his staff and lightly touched the offering. Immediately, like a

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Speaker 2: match to oil, the offering was consumed by flames. Gideon

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Speaker 2: started at the fire in amazement, then turned back to

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Speaker 2: the Lord, but he had vanished in an instant. At

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Speaker 2: that moment, Gideon had perceived that it really was an

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Speaker 2: angel of the Lord he was speaking to, and fear

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Speaker 2: came over him. That night, the Lord spoke to Gideon

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Speaker 2: in the quiet in your town, there are many idols.

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Speaker 2: You must remove them immediately, God whispered. Gideon, too frightened

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Speaker 2: of his father and older brothers to do it in

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Speaker 2: the daytime, snuck into the temple. At night. Gideon was

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Speaker 2: beating with sweat and constantly looking over his shoulder. He

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Speaker 2: tied a rope around the altar of Veil. It was

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Speaker 2: a massive statue looming over Gideon in the darkness. His

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Speaker 2: torch illuminated the face of Bail staring down him. Gideon

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Speaker 2: cringed and tied the other end of the rope to

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Speaker 2: his father's bull and slapped it. It ripped the altar

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Speaker 2: of Bail from its foundation and came crashing down, shattering

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Speaker 2: into a thousand pieces. Gideon also cut down other idols

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Speaker 2: that dwelled in the house. Then Gideon took another one

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Speaker 2: of his father's bulls and offered it to the lord.

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Speaker 2: The men in town rose early in the morning and

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Speaker 2: saw that the altar was shattered. Who has done this?

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Speaker 2: They shouted. The men teemed with anger. Who did this?

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Speaker 2: They shouted again. The people began to gather around the

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Speaker 2: sight of the broken idol. They searched around and spoke

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Speaker 2: to every person except one, Gideon. He has done this,

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Speaker 2: they said, with their jaws clenched. The men knocked on

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Speaker 2: the door of Gideon's father, joe Ash. They burst through

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Speaker 2: the door and said, where is your son? He shall

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Speaker 2: die for what he has done. Joe Ash, panicked, wanted

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Speaker 2: to protect his son, but did not want to invoke

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Speaker 2: the wrath of the city on himself. So do you

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Speaker 2: fight all of Beal's battles, Joash said, fumbling around his words.

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Speaker 2: If he is a god, wouldn't he want to deal

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Speaker 2: with Gideon himself? The men listened and stormed off. Meanwhile,

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Speaker 2: the Midian knight Hoarde, crossed the Jordan River and camped

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Speaker 2: in a valley near by. The Amalekites, along with some

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Speaker 2: mysterious people from the east, joined forces with them and

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Speaker 2: camped there. Their presence was felt by the people of Israel.

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Speaker 2: Fear and hysteria ensued. Yet something happened to Gideon. A

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Speaker 2: small spark lit up within him. Something he had never

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Speaker 2: felt before flickered inside him. The spirit of God clothed

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Speaker 2: Gideon like a suit of armor. Gideon's once cowardly demeanor

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Speaker 2: shifted slightly. In a moment of bravery, Gideon called for

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Speaker 2: the armies of Israel, with the authority of a true

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Speaker 2: judge called by God. He sounded the trumpet of war,

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Speaker 2: and it echoed across the cities of Israel. Gideon sent

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Speaker 2: messengers throughout the land to gather an army. The spirit

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Speaker 2: of God flew like an eagle across the country, igniting

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Speaker 2: a fire of hope in the hearts of Israel. Men

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Speaker 2: of war gathered to Gideon. The tribes of Manassa, Asha, Zebulin,

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Speaker 2: and Naftali picked up their swords and marched. Soon a

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Speaker 2: vast army of thirty two thousand men stood at attention

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Speaker 2: before Gideon, and he stood amazed by God. The battle

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Speaker 2: was near, and the men were ready to follow Gideon

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Speaker 2: to death and glory. Gideon retreated to a secret place

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Speaker 2: to speak with God alone. The same self doubt that

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Speaker 2: Moses once had crippled the heart of Gideon. How can

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Speaker 2: it be me, he whispered in prayer. Lord, if you

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Speaker 2: will truly save Israel by my hand, show me a sign.

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Speaker 2: So Gideon brought out a fleece of wool and set

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Speaker 2: it on the Gideon said, if you make this flee

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Speaker 2: sweat on the dry ground, I will know it is

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Speaker 2: you and you have sent me. God did not enjoy

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Speaker 2: being tested, but he wanted Gideon's heart to be comforted,

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Speaker 2: so he made the fleece sweat and kept the ground dry.

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Speaker 2: Gideon spoke again, saying, do not be angry with me,

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Speaker 2: but could you now make the fleece dry and the

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Speaker 2: ground wet? So God did is Gideon asked. This was

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Speaker 2: a small reassurance that Gideon was supported by the God

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Speaker 2: of all creation. Gideon rose to his feet, pulled his

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Speaker 2: shoulders back, and marched towards his army.

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Speaker 3: Forty years had passed since God delivered his people from

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Speaker 3: the Canaanites. Under the leadership of Deborah and Barrah. Life

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Speaker 3: was good. There was peace and prosperity, but eventually the

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Speaker 3: people once again turned to other gods and brought God's

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Speaker 3: judgment upon themselves. The peace that they had enjoyed for

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Speaker 3: so long crumbled. Midianites, Amlekites, and people from the east

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Speaker 3: began to loot their crops and livestock, leaving Israel in

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Speaker 3: a desperate situation. These foreign enemies had placed their own

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Speaker 3: gods in the temple. They had replaced Yahweh with idols. These,

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Speaker 3: of course, were just man made sculptures whose only power

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Speaker 3: was to destroy the people's relationship with the only true God.

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Speaker 3: Israel worshiped false deities, and these deities failed them. For

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Speaker 3: seven years, the Midianites pillaged and plundered, until God's children

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Speaker 3: cried out to the God that they had forgotten. God

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Speaker 3: heard their cries and sent a prophet to remind them

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Speaker 3: of who he was, what he had done, and how

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Speaker 3: they had disobeyed him. God could have stopped right there

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Speaker 3: and just sent judgment as the price of their disobedience.

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Speaker 3: But God, in his grace, God, in his great mercy,

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Speaker 3: came once again to rescue his children, and he sent

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Speaker 3: an angel to a man by the name of Gideon.

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Speaker 3: Gideon's response was to question the angel and to ask

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Speaker 3: why God had abandoned his people. His words are reminiscent

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Speaker 3: of Moses words to God in the desert. Why did

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Speaker 3: you bring us all this way and leave us here

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Speaker 3: to die. But God pressed the issue. He tells Gideon

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Speaker 3: that there is greatness in him. Even though Gideon was

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Speaker 3: the least of the least of his own tribe, God

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Speaker 3: said that he had chosen him to save Israel. Gideon

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Speaker 3: knew that he was not a man of physical significance

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Speaker 3: or strength, and at first he refuses to do the job.

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Speaker 3: But God tells Gideon he is his man and that

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Speaker 3: God will deliver Israel through him. Gideon is not convinced,

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Speaker 3: and so he asked for a sign. He prepared an

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Speaker 3: offering for God, placing meat and bread in a basket

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Speaker 3: and drenching it in broth. When the angel touched the

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Speaker 3: offering with his staff, flames erupted and consume the offering.

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Speaker 3: So Gideon's doubt is now burned away with the flames,

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Speaker 3: and now he has a genuine f The fear of

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Speaker 3: God is now burning in his heart. He realizes that

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Speaker 3: God is speaking to him and he's terrified, but God

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Speaker 3: reassures him, tells him not to fear, and then he

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Speaker 3: commands him to tear down his father's idols. God knew

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Speaker 3: that if he was going to give Israel victory and

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Speaker 3: deliver them from their enemies, that He must clean house.

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Speaker 3: These false gods could no longer stand, Israel could no

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Speaker 3: longer be tempted to trust in idols. In the same way,

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Speaker 3: God wants to tear down the idols of our own hearts,

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Speaker 3: the strongholds in our lives that keep us from living

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Speaker 3: in obedience to Him. Our own disobedience become idols of

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Speaker 3: the heart. There can be no half measures or half

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Speaker 3: hearted devotions. God wants all of you. He wants you

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Speaker 3: to be all in. Let there be no other gods

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Speaker 3: before our God. Geteon obeys and tears the idols down.

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Speaker 3: The people become angry with him when they discover what

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Speaker 3: he's done and want to kill him, But Gideon's father

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Speaker 3: challenges the people to let their gods take care of

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Speaker 3: Gideon if they were real. Now, Gideon, who's full of courage,

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Speaker 3: sounds the call to war, and when he sees that

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Speaker 3: God has indeed called him and prepared him, he is

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Speaker 3: now surrounded by an army of thirty two thousand, But

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Speaker 3: doubt creeps in once more, and Gideon tests God with

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Speaker 3: the fleece. God patiently answers Gideon's call for reassurance, and

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Speaker 3: twice proves himself to Gideon. The time for testing is over.

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Speaker 3: Now is the time for battle, and that's what we're

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Speaker 3: going to hear about the next time. It's one of

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Speaker 3: the greatest stories in the Bible. Dear Lord, thank you

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Speaker 3: for today's word and how it shows us that you

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Speaker 3: can use us even when we are small and weak,

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Speaker 3: that you do great things when we surrender our lives

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Speaker 3: to you. Thank you for this reminder that you want

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Speaker 3: nothing less than our full devot to you. Help us

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Speaker 3: to tear down the other things, the idols that keep

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Speaker 3: our eyes off you, the gods of this world that

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Speaker 3: cannot help us at all. We pray in the powerful

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Speaker 3: and mighty name of Jesus, the God who can do

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Speaker 3: the impossible. In Jesus' name, Amen, Thank you for listening

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Speaker 3: today to the Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Jack

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Speaker 3: Graham from Dallas, Texas, pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church. Download

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Speaker 3: Theprey dot com app and make prayer a priority in

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Speaker 3: your life. And if you enjoy this podcast, share it

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Speaker 3: with others people that you love and care about, people

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Speaker 3: who want to know the Bible. Help them understand the

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Speaker 3: Bible as well. This podcast can make a huge difference

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Speaker 3: in someone's life. If you want more resources on how

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Speaker 3: to tap into the power of Jesus Christ in your life,

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Speaker 3: then be sure to visit Jack Graham dot org.