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Speaker 1: Let us pray. Yet he send profits to them to

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Speaker 1: bring them again unto the Lord. And they testified against them,

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Speaker 1: but they would not give ear Second Chronicles twenty four

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Speaker 1: nineteen To day, Lord, I am making the conscious decision

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Speaker 1: to forever be mindful of how I conduct myself. Because

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Speaker 1: I am a leader, and because you have entrusted me

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Speaker 1: with influence in the lives of others. I will not

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Speaker 1: lower my standards to become comfortable with ungodliness. I will

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Speaker 1: not lower my standards to cater to the hearts of

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Speaker 1: those who desire to walk away from your goodness and

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Speaker 1: your mercy. Lord, I decree and declare that I will

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Speaker 1: stay the course and finish my race of faith with

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Speaker 1: all diligence. Whether eyes are on me or whether I

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Speaker 1: am alone, I will make sure that I represent Christ

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Speaker 1: in all that I do, For I know that I

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Speaker 1: do not have the luxury of living up to others'

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Speaker 1: low expectations of my life. So with second Kings before

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Speaker 1: me and joe Ash's story heard by me, I will

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Speaker 1: not be moved from my place of faith in You God,

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Speaker 1: in Jesus's name. Amen. Listening to these daily prayers strengthens

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Speaker 1: your relationship with God. Continue hearing from the Lord by

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Speaker 1: listening to today's Bible in a Year, brought to you

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Speaker 1: by Bible in a Year dot.

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Speaker 2: Com Joe Ash.

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Speaker 3: In our last story, we learned about Queen Athaliah. Her

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Speaker 3: foul heart turn the entire nation of Judah corrupt and depressed.

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Speaker 3: She ruled to serve herself and killed her grandchildren in

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Speaker 3: attempts to secure her power. However, she overlooked one grandchild, Joash.

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Speaker 4: The righteous leaders of Judah.

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Speaker 3: Overthrew Athaliah and placed joe Ash as king over the land.

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Speaker 3: Now we learn of Joash's time as king. His faith

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Speaker 3: would be reliant on the high priest Jehoiadah. However, would

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Speaker 3: Joash's heart cling to righteousness even in his teacher's absence,

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Speaker 3: or would the darkness and his heart be too much

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Speaker 3: for him to bear alone? Inspired by the Book of

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Speaker 3: Second Kings and Second Chronicles.

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Speaker 5: This is Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the

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Speaker 5: Bible in a Year podcast. In our previous episode, we

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Speaker 5: heard about Athaliah, the daughter of King Ahab and Jezebel,

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Speaker 5: who became the only woman to ever rule over God's people.

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Speaker 5: Her evil heart and hunger for power caused her to

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Speaker 5: carry out a slaughter of all of David's descendants in

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Speaker 5: an attempt to secure her rule. But God's plan to

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Speaker 5: save his people through David could not be stopped, and

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Speaker 5: one child remained Atheliah's grandson, joe Ash. When joe Ash

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Speaker 5: was just seven, the leaders of Judah overthrew Athaliah and

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Speaker 5: installed him as king, with Jehodah the High Priest as

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Speaker 5: his counsel. Today, we'll hear about joe Ash's righteous rule

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Speaker 5: under the tutelage of his garden and discovered that the

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Speaker 5: young man stayed faithful to his teaching. Let's listen now

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Speaker 5: to today's reading from God's word.

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Speaker 3: The daughter of the witch queen had fallen. The kingdom

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Speaker 3: of Judah was rid of its villainous empress and now

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Speaker 3: free to worship the Lord under its new king, Joash.

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Speaker 3: The new king was only a boy when he took

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Speaker 3: the throne at the age of seven. Joe Ash was

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Speaker 3: given a terribly heavy burden to bear. He desired to play, explore,

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Speaker 3: and learn like any other boy his age.

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Speaker 4: However, he was.

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Speaker 3: Now responsible for the well being of an entire nation.

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Speaker 3: Joash leaned on the guidance of Jehoyada the high priest.

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Speaker 3: He was a gentle servant of God, wise and full

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Speaker 3: of God's spirit. He raised Joash in the fear and

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Speaker 3: wisdom of the Lord. Jehoyada gathered other elders, priests, and

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Speaker 3: leaders to come alongside the young king to strengthen encounsel him.

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Speaker 3: As Joash grew older, Jehoydah found two wives for him

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Speaker 3: to settle alliances with other tribes. As Jehoyda grew stronger

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Speaker 3: and more independent, the Lord blessed him with many children

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Speaker 3: and a thriving kingdom. Joash was surveying his kingdom in

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Speaker 3: the coolness of the morning. The sun was just beginning

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Speaker 3: to peer over the hillside, and the new rays of

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Speaker 3: light shone on the Temple of God. The temple was

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Speaker 3: brilliantly designed by Solomon, However, years of neglect had broken

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Speaker 3: it down. The temple had lost much of its luster.

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Speaker 3: Joash knew knew that the temple could not contain God, However,

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Speaker 3: it was a symbol of Israel's relationship with him. He

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Speaker 3: determined in his heart to repair the broken parts of

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Speaker 3: the temple. So Joash set plans in place to restore

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Speaker 3: the place of worship. Enthusiastic about his new project. King

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Speaker 3: Joash summoned all the priests and levites to his home.

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Speaker 3: They watched as the king laid out his plan. Now,

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Speaker 3: all we need is to collect the annual offerings from

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Speaker 3: the people, Joash said, with excitement, that will fund the

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Speaker 3: temple repairs.

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Speaker 4: Go quickly to collect from them.

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Speaker 3: However, as Joash was speaking, his enthusiasm was not matched

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Speaker 3: by the men in the room. They left the meeting

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Speaker 3: but delayed in collecting the funds from the people. Joash

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Speaker 3: was anxious that the priests and levites did not reach

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Speaker 3: out to the people for an offering. He did not

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Speaker 3: understand why they would delay in such a noble project.

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Speaker 3: Disturbed and hurt, he summoned Jehoyida to his home. The

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Speaker 3: old priest sat down years had weighed heavily and Jehoyida,

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Speaker 3: but he maintained his bright smile and positive glow. Why

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Speaker 3: haven't the priests and levites collected the taxes.

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Speaker 4: Yet, Joash asked, while pacing the room.

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Speaker 3: Moses declared, this tax in the community of Israel to

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Speaker 3: maintain the tabernacle. It is an act of worship. I

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Speaker 3: would have thought they would be excited to do so.

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Speaker 3: Jehoydah smiled and nodded his head. He stood up and

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Speaker 3: looked out the king's window towards the temple. He then

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Speaker 3: began to tell joe Ash about the years before he

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Speaker 3: was king. For six years, Queen Arthaliah and her men

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Speaker 3: would collect the temple tax and then raid it in

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Speaker 3: the middle of the night to build altars to bale.

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Speaker 3: The people were oppressed with their own offering. They were

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Speaker 3: choked out by their own acts of worship. Jehoyada looked

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Speaker 3: at Joash and put his hands on his shoulders. He

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Speaker 3: was still a young king, naive, but with a good heart.

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Speaker 3: You must comfort the people that things have changed, he said.

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Speaker 3: Joe USh nodded and left the room. He ordered for

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Speaker 3: a large chest to be made and placed outside the

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Speaker 3: temple gate. The chest was massive, immovable, and could be

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Speaker 3: seen by all. He then explained that the chest would

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Speaker 3: be a symbol of transparency. No one would take the

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Speaker 3: money in secret or in the shadows. When money would

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Speaker 3: be taken to repair the temple, all would be able

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Speaker 3: to witness it. So the proclamation was sent throughout all

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Speaker 3: of Judah and Jerusalem. People happily answered the call and

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Speaker 3: brought their temple tax.

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Speaker 4: To the chest of the temple.

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Speaker 3: The elders, priests, and levites were pleased to partner with

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Speaker 3: joe Ash since he proved to be a leader of light,

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Speaker 3: not of darkness. He would not hide in the shadows

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Speaker 3: as his grandmother. Masons, metal workers, and carpenters were all

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Speaker 3: hired to restore the temple. The beaten up exterior of

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Speaker 3: the temple began to be smoothed of its rough surface.

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Speaker 3: The rotting beams were replaced with sturdy wood. The eroding

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Speaker 3: medal was he furbished and polished. As the temple began

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Speaker 3: to be cleaned, so did the hearts of the people.

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Speaker 3: The temple was a symbol of their restored relationship to

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Speaker 3: God after years of darkness. After the work was done,

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Speaker 3: there was still money left over. The money was then

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Speaker 3: used to make instruments for worship and sacrifice. All these

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Speaker 3: things Joash did under the loving influence of Jehoiada the priest. However,

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Speaker 3: time is the great thief. It takes even the best

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Speaker 3: of men. After one hundred thirty years of faithfully guiding, loving,

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Speaker 3: and serving the people of Judah, Jehoyada passed to be

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Speaker 3: with his God. He was buried among the kings in

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Speaker 3: the city of David, for Jehoyida was considered a king

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Speaker 3: in his own right. Without him, Joash would have been lost.

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Speaker 3: The trumpets sounded throughout the entire city of Jerusalem. The

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Speaker 3: sun began its descent, and the sky was painted.

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Speaker 4: A deep red.

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Speaker 3: The whole nation mourned as Jehoyada was buried into the ground.

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Speaker 3: Joash soaked in the corner of his palace, he sat

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Speaker 3: in silence, mourning over the death of his teacher, friend,

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Speaker 3: and father. There was a dormant darkness in his heart

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Speaker 3: that had been kept down by Jehoyada's kindness. He felt

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Speaker 3: it creeping in slowly. He felt anger, he felt pride.

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Speaker 3: The king had never been without the counsel of Jehoiada.

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Speaker 3: Seeing this void as an opportunity, a few of Judah's

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Speaker 3: elders came to him and bowed. They implored of the

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Speaker 3: king to take their advice. They painted themselves as Jehoyiada's replacements.

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Speaker 3: They took advantage of Joash's vulnerable and malleable mind. Together

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Speaker 3: they conspired to abandon the temple of God. They erected

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Speaker 3: monuments and polls to the pagan god Asherah, the depraved

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Speaker 3: idle worship, once eradicated, had resurfaced, and the people of

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Speaker 3: Judah suffered. As a result, selfishness replaced generosity, lewdness replaced kindness,

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Speaker 3: anger replaced hope. All began to crumble. The Lord rumbled

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Speaker 3: with divine anger against joe Ash and his leaders. He

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Speaker 3: watched as all the progress established by Jehoiada blew away

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Speaker 3: like sand in a storm. The Lord sent a messenger

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Speaker 3: to joe Ash to counsel him back to holiness. To

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Speaker 3: do this, he sent Jehoyada's sons, Zechariah. Zechariah stood firm

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Speaker 3: against joe Ash and his corrupt elders. He warned them

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Speaker 3: of what would happen if they continued to muddy their

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Speaker 3: minds with idolatry.

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Speaker 4: Why do you stray from the Lord? He asked?

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Speaker 3: Were you not prospering when under his guidance? Were you

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Speaker 3: not loved and successful while worshiping him? Was Judah not

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Speaker 3: better off? Zechariah's words were true, but fell on deaf ears.

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Speaker 3: He saw joe Asher's eyes. They were full of hurt

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Speaker 3: and pain. They were the eyes of a man who

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Speaker 3: had given in to the corruption in his own heart.

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Speaker 3: Zechariah sighed. He knew what was about to happen. However,

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Speaker 3: the Lord gave him boldness to say one final thing.

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Speaker 3: If you abandon the Lord, surely you will feel the consequences.

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Speaker 3: With those words, Zechariah was struck on the jaw by

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Speaker 3: the King's guard. He fell to the floor. Immediately, he

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Speaker 3: felt a flurry of kicks on his ribs and stomach.

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Speaker 3: Zechariah moaned in pain. As he rose to his feet,

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Speaker 3: he looked at Joash again. Resolute evil beamed from Joash's eyes.

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Speaker 3: Stone him, the king said, with a cold tone. Zechariah

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Speaker 3: was dragged out into the courtyard. He was tied to

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Speaker 3: a beam, facing an angry mob of Asherah worshippers. He

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Speaker 3: watched their hands caress the stones that would be thrown

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Speaker 3: at him. This was how the King repaid Jehoyda by

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Speaker 3: killing his son. Zechariah sighed and lifted his eyes to heaven.

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Speaker 3: May you see what they are doing. Lord, May you

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Speaker 3: deal with them as you please. And with those final words,

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Speaker 3: Zechariah felt the onslaught of stones crush his bones and face.

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Speaker 3: Moments later, the bloodied corpse of the prophet was hanging

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Speaker 3: from the beam. His lifeless and mangled body was an

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Speaker 3: image of Judah's collective heart. Springtime came and the nation

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Speaker 3: of Judah was vulnerable. The Arramian army marched in with

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Speaker 3: a small army to plunder the outside towns. They invaded

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Speaker 3: with force and killed every leader that.

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Speaker 4: Rode out against them.

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Speaker 3: Although their army was small, they were able to take

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Speaker 3: large portions of land.

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Speaker 4: The armies of Judah were.

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Speaker 3: Uninspired and ill prepared under their selfish King Joash rode

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Speaker 3: against the Aramians.

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Speaker 4: He flew in with.

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Speaker 3: His horse and sword, expecting to save his nation from evil.

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Speaker 4: However, he was delivered a harsh blow and brutally wounded.

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Speaker 3: Before they could kill him, King joe Ash was taken

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Speaker 3: back to Jerusalem to heal. Joash slept in his bed.

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Speaker 3: He coughed and winced at his fresh wound. It was

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Speaker 3: a moonless night, and now shadows were cast in joe

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Speaker 3: Ash's room. Leaders that were loyal to God had crept

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Speaker 3: in the middle of the night and killed the king

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Speaker 3: in his sleep. Thus ended the forty year reign of

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Speaker 3: joe Ash. His life was a true tragedy. All the

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Speaker 3: good he accomplished in his life was blotted.

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Speaker 4: Out by a few years of corruption.

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Speaker 3: Joe Ash serves as an example that past good does

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Speaker 3: not outweigh present failure. To be known and remembered as

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Speaker 3: a true leader, one must cling to God in all

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Speaker 3: seasons of life.

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Speaker 5: As we began today's reading, Judah has a new king,

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Speaker 5: the young boy joe Ash. At just seven, he was

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Speaker 5: too young to bear the burden of leadership on his own,

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Speaker 5: so Jehoidah, who had cared for him while he hid

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Speaker 5: from his wicked grandmother at Elias, served as the boy's

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Speaker 5: teacher and counselor until he came of age. Jehoidah was

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Speaker 5: an honorable man who sought God and served with godly wisdom.

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Speaker 5: He instructed joe Ash in God's ways from an early

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Speaker 5: age until the young king came of age. It's a

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Speaker 5: reminder of us today that young people need godly leadership

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Speaker 5: and spiritual mentors in their lives, someone whose example can

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Speaker 5: provide wise counsel. This, of course, begins with parents and

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Speaker 5: pastors and others who have the responsibility to teach the young.

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Speaker 5: Because Jehoidah led the young king and taught him to

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Speaker 5: fear the Lord, God blessed the reign of joe Ash

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Speaker 5: as he matured. When Joash saw the temple in disrepair.

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Speaker 5: He was moved to restore God's house, so he ordered

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Speaker 5: the priest to take up the taxes and offerings from

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Speaker 5: the people to fund the restoration of the temple. It

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Speaker 5: was an act of worship, recognizing that God's House was

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Speaker 5: a signed to the people of God's presence, and it

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Speaker 5: was also a sign to God that his people's hearts

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Speaker 5: were turned to him. The king was sure that the

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Speaker 5: people would be eager to give their offerings to the

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Speaker 5: Lord to accomplish this, but after years of Athaliah's rule

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Speaker 5: and her dishonest dealings with money, the people were reluctant

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Speaker 5: to contribute. They needed to learn to trust their leaders,

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Speaker 5: both the king and the priest. It is almost impossible

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Speaker 5: for a leader to inspire others and lead them when

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Speaker 5: there is a lack of trust. So joe Ash had

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Speaker 5: Jehoidah construct a chess with a hole in the top,

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Speaker 5: and whenever money was removed from the chest, there was

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Speaker 5: an open and transparent accounting of the funds. The people

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Speaker 5: then gave freely and the temple was restored. This was

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Speaker 5: not only a physical act of restoration and cleansing, but

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Speaker 5: a symbolic act that demonstrated the changed hearts of God's

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Speaker 5: people and their generosity. After years of faithful service, Jehoedah

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Speaker 5: left his earthly life to be with his heavenly father.

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Speaker 5: He served God and the King of Judah with honor, integrity,

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Speaker 5: and wisdom. Joe Ash had been given a strong example

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Speaker 5: from this godly man. Sadly, what followed Jehoidah's death is

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Speaker 5: an example of how quickly darkness can take over our

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Speaker 5: hearts when we lose focus. In Second Chronicles twenty four,

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Speaker 5: seventeen and eighteen we read this, now, after the death

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Speaker 5: of Jehoidah, the princes of Judah came and paid homage

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Speaker 5: to the King. Then the King listened to them and

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Speaker 5: abandon the house of the Lord, the God of their fathers,

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Speaker 5: and serve the Asherim and the idols. How sad that

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Speaker 5: despite years under his wise mentor, joe Ash failed to

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Speaker 5: remember the Lord. This serves as a vivid reminder of

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Speaker 5: us today that though we are secure in our salvation

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Speaker 5: through Christ, it is possible to slip into sinful behavior

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Speaker 5: and live as though we are not honoring God when

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Speaker 5: we fail to keep our eyes on the Lord and

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Speaker 5: lean on his spirit to enable us. When we begin

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Speaker 5: listening to the wisdom of this world or to those

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Speaker 5: who represent the world. Darkness, like a lion, is waiting

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Speaker 5: to devour us. God was angry with the king and

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Speaker 5: sent a message through Zachariah, the son of Josh's mentor Jehodah.

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Speaker 5: Because he had abandoned God, God would turn away from him.

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Speaker 5: There was still time for repentance. If Joash had heard

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Speaker 5: these words and turned from his ways, history would remember

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Speaker 5: him differently. Instead, he closed his ears and his heart

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Speaker 5: to God, and he had Zachariah the prophet stoned to death.

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Speaker 5: The king's heart has now turned to darkness, and Judah

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Speaker 5: was with him. The nation was attacked by the Aramians,

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Speaker 5: and Joash suffered a devastating wound. He made it home,

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Speaker 5: only to be killed by a God fearing man who

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Speaker 5: desired to see Judah returned to the Lord, and so

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Speaker 5: ended the tragic life of a king who began so

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Speaker 5: well but ended so poorly. May his life and his

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Speaker 5: tragic death serve as a lesson to us today. Dear God,

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Speaker 5: thank you for your word. Always, thank you for the

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Speaker 5: truth of it, even when it is hard.

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Speaker 1: Truth.

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Speaker 5: Lord, we pledge that we will be faithful to you.

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Speaker 5: We're asking that your spirit would fill us and use

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Speaker 5: us all the days of our lives, that you would

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Speaker 5: guide us and guard us and protect us and provide

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Speaker 5: everything that we need to live in the fear of

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Speaker 5: the Lord always. And we pray this in the name

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Speaker 5: of Jesus. Amen.

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Speaker 4: Thank you for.

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Speaker 5: Listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Jack

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Speaker 5: Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download thepray dot com app and

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Speaker 5: make prayer and Bible study a priority in your life.

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Speaker 5: If you enjoyed this podcast, share it with someone you love,

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Speaker 5: share it with a friend, pass it on because this

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Speaker 5: podcast can make a huge difference in people's lives. I'm

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Speaker 5: hearing wonderful stories of the impact of God's Word as

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Speaker 5: a result of listening to Bible in a Year. And

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Speaker 5: if you want more biblical resources, resources from God's Word

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Speaker 5: that will enable you and assist you in your walk

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Speaker 5: with God, then be sure to visit Jack Graham dot org.

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Speaker 5: That's Jack Graham dot org. God bless you.