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Speaker 1: Let us pray. But Daniel purposed in his heart that

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Speaker 1: he would not defile himself with a portion of the

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Speaker 1: king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank. Therefore,

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Speaker 1: he requested the Prince of the eunuchs that he might

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Speaker 1: not defile himself. Daniel one, ate Lord, because my purpose

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Speaker 1: means more to me than my comfort, I will be

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Speaker 1: mindful to treat my body in a way that will

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Speaker 1: allow me to carry out my mission while here on

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Speaker 1: earth to day. Like Daniel and the young men, I

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Speaker 1: am making a conscious decision to honor my body by

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Speaker 1: not defiling it with food or substances that would stop

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Speaker 1: me from experiencing the fullness of all you have in

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Speaker 1: store for me. I thank you, Lord for the will

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Speaker 1: and the fortitude to stand strong when I am tempted

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Speaker 1: to choose the comfort of laziness and poor health habits.

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Speaker 1: I declare that health is a top priority. I declare

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Speaker 1: that through my decision to live a healthy lifestyle, my

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Speaker 1: mind will be sharper and more creative than ever before.

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Speaker 1: I praise you and thank you in advance for uncommon

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Speaker 1: outcomes and alliances that are working on my behalf to

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Speaker 1: help realize the dreams and destiny You've placed on and

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Speaker 1: in me. No matter what, I will not be ashamed

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Speaker 1: of my acceleration because I've made the decision to honor

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Speaker 1: my body, which is the vehicle needed to take me

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Speaker 1: to my future. In Jesus name, Amen, thank you for

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

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

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Speaker 1: in a Year dot.

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Speaker 2: Com Daniel and the King's Men. In our last story,

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Speaker 2: we were taken up in the spirit of the Lord

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Speaker 2: with Ezekiel as he scanned a vast valley of dry bones.

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Speaker 2: As the spirit of God rushed into the valley, the

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Speaker 2: bones came to life and were restored. This was an

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Speaker 2: image of God's plan to restore Israel and pour out

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Speaker 2: his spirit. Now we look into the life of Daniel. He,

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Speaker 2: along with the rest of God's people, was taken captive

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Speaker 2: by Babylon. Daniel is brought into the fold of King

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Speaker 2: Nebuconezzer to study and serve. Slowly, Daniel begins to influence

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Speaker 2: the wicked king and his men.

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Speaker 3: Inspired by the Book of Daniel.

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Speaker 4: This is Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible

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Speaker 4: in a Year. I'm so glad that you've joined us

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Speaker 4: once again. In our previous reading, we heard how God

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Speaker 4: spoke to Ea Ezekiel, taking him up in the spirit

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Speaker 4: and giving him a vision of dry bones that were

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Speaker 4: brought back to life by the power of God's word

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Speaker 4: and his spirit. It was a message to Israel that

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Speaker 4: God would restore them to life and make one nation

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Speaker 4: of the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And ultimately

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Speaker 4: it is a promise, a greater promise of one who

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Speaker 4: would come, the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who would not just

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Speaker 4: give life to Israel, but offer life to the whole world.

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Speaker 4: Today we'll hear a reading about a young exile named Daniel. He,

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Speaker 4: along with a few of his faithful Israelite captives, is

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Speaker 4: chosen to serve the Babylonian king. God is placing this

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Speaker 4: young man, a godly follower of the Lord, into a

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Speaker 4: place where he can influence evil men for the glory

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Speaker 4: of God. So let's hear God's word today.

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Speaker 3: The kingdoms of Israel and Judah fell to the mighty

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Speaker 3: hand of King nebukon Ezza. Hooks were sewn into their

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Speaker 3: lips and they were carted off to their captivity in

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Speaker 3: babble Balon along with the people. King Neberconezzar took the

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Speaker 3: vessels in the temple and placed them in his own

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Speaker 3: treasury with his gods. King Neberconezza was determined to graft

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Speaker 3: Israel into Babylonian culture. He would do so first by

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Speaker 3: taking their temple. Then he would take the best of them,

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Speaker 3: the brightest and most educated, to serve him. Neberconezzer gathered

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Speaker 3: young men, strong, good looking, skilled and wise. He gave

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Speaker 3: them access to his libraries and the finest tutors Babylon

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Speaker 3: could provide. He taught them foreign languages and exposed them

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Speaker 3: to different cultures, music, and art. It was Neberconezza's intention

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Speaker 3: to indoctrinate these young men to become leaders over the

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Speaker 3: captives and loyalty to Babylon. The king provided a daily

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Speaker 3: portion of food and wine for them. It was his

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Speaker 3: desire to educate them for three years, and at the

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Speaker 3: end of their time, they would stand in front of

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Speaker 3: the king. Among these young men were daniel, Aiah, Mischel,

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Speaker 3: and Azariah from the tribe of Judah. Their names were

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Speaker 3: taken from them, and Neberconezer called them Belta, Shazar, Shadrach,

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Speaker 3: me Shak and Abdnago. Although Nebercaneszar took their names, he

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Speaker 3: could not take their true identities. Daniel watched closely as

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Speaker 3: the king and some of the young men feasted on

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Speaker 3: the king's food. It was not only sacrificed to idols,

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Speaker 3: but it was dirty. The grease dripped from the Babylonian's chin.

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Speaker 3: He saw many of the Babylonian nobles. They were overweight

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Speaker 3: and bloated. Daniel purposed in his heart to not defile himself.

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Speaker 3: He would not eat the king's food. The chief servant

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Speaker 3: was concerned for Daniel and thought that his health and

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Speaker 3: favor would decline if he did not eat. But Daniel

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Speaker 3: had a challenge for him and the king. Test your

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Speaker 3: servants and I. Daniel challenged, for ten days, my friends

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Speaker 3: and I will consume nothing but vegetables and war. At

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Speaker 3: the end of those ten days, measure who was in

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Speaker 3: better health. So for ten days Daniel and his companions

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Speaker 3: ate vegetables and drank water, while the other young men

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Speaker 3: ate the food sacrificed to idols. When the ten days passed,

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Speaker 3: Daniel and his friends were far more healthy and clear

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Speaker 3: in mind than the others. So the chief servant ordered

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Speaker 3: for all the men in the palace to be given

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Speaker 3: vegetables and water. This was but one example of how

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Speaker 3: Daniel and his friends began to transform the Babylonian culture.

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Speaker 3: They increased in knowledge, wisdom, and favor with God. They

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Speaker 3: had visions and dreams, and began to transform the hearts

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Speaker 3: of those around them. Nebucon Zer brought them into his

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Speaker 3: presence as counselors and wise men. In every matter, he

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Speaker 3: found them ten times more insightful than the Babylonian scholars, magicians,

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Speaker 3: and enchanters.

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Speaker 4: In today's reading, we're reminded of the brutality of the

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Speaker 4: Babylonians when they conquer at Israel and Judah. They didn't

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Speaker 4: just take captives away in chains. Many of the captives

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Speaker 4: were tortured with hooks sewn into their lips, and as

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Speaker 4: an act of humiliation, this was meant to crush the

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Speaker 4: spirit of their vanquished foes. They also carted off precious

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Speaker 4: items from the temples, signaling that their gods were superior

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Speaker 4: to those of their enemies. They did not know or

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Speaker 4: fear the One True God. But among the captives there

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Speaker 4: were some young men who would begin to change that

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Speaker 4: and challenge that, showing Nevkanezer and his court who yahweh is.

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Speaker 4: Though they were cruel and ruthless, the Babylonians were wise

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Speaker 4: and how they handled the people they conquered. Understanding that

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Speaker 4: the best and the brightest in Israel could prove to

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Speaker 4: be a benefit to Babylon, they selected the cream of

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Speaker 4: the crop and worked to assimilate them into Babylonian culture.

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Speaker 4: Among those chosen were Daniel and three of his friends.

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Speaker 4: Rather than suffer as slaves, Nebukanazar gave these best and

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Speaker 4: brightest access to the riches of his kingdom, both in

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Speaker 4: terms of education and training and in comfort and the

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Speaker 4: finer foods and drinks the land had to offer. They

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Speaker 4: were given new Babylonian names to replace their Jewish ones.

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Speaker 4: This was meant to wipe away any former identity, to

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Speaker 4: make their Jewishness disappear as they were seduced by the

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Speaker 4: pagan culture. The Bible tells us in the New Testament Romans,

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Speaker 4: Chapter twelve that we are not to conform to this

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Speaker 4: world and the patterns and the activities of this world. Unfortunately,

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Speaker 4: too many Christians often take the path of least resistance.

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Speaker 4: We don't stand up to the culture that is trying

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Speaker 4: to conform us. We want to blend into the world,

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Speaker 4: enjoy the world and what it has to offer. But

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Speaker 4: we are called to be better than this. We, like

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Speaker 4: Daniel and his companions, are called to stand apart, even

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Speaker 4: if we have to stand alone. But as Daniel and

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Speaker 4: his friends watched others accept the rich foods, including unclean meat,

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Speaker 4: sacrificed to idols, he resolved not to be defiled. Daniel

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Speaker 4: chose to honor God and refused what Nebekanazzer offered him.

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Speaker 4: This wasn't just an act of self denial. It was

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Speaker 4: a dangerous refusal to abide by the king's command. This

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Speaker 4: act could have easily been viewed as rebellion and rejection

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Speaker 4: and cost Daniel and his friends their lives. But God,

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Speaker 4: as always, is in control, and he has a purpose

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Speaker 4: and a plan in all of this. Daniel offered the

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Speaker 4: chief of servants a challenge. He and his friends would

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Speaker 4: eat only vegetables and drink water, abstaining from the meat

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Speaker 4: and rich food and wine for just ten days. If

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Speaker 4: at the end of that time they were weaker, slower,

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Speaker 4: less mentally sharp than the others, they would follow the

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Speaker 4: king's diet. God honored the faithfulness of Daniel, and we

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Speaker 4: read this in the first chapter of Daniel, verse seventeen.

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Speaker 4: To these four young men, God gave knowledge and understanding

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Speaker 4: of all kinds of literature and learning, and Daniel can

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Speaker 4: understand visions and dreams of all kinds. After ten days,

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Speaker 4: it was a parent that Daniel and his friends were

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Speaker 4: stronger and brighter than the others. God had big plans

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Speaker 4: for these young men, and it all began with a

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Speaker 4: simple yet courageous, confident step of faith. When we choose

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Speaker 4: to live differently, to dare to be a Daniel, our

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Speaker 4: witness is powerful and persuasive. It often opens doors for

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Speaker 4: God's glory to be shown to the world and often

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Speaker 4: gives us opportunities to influence those around us. When we

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Speaker 4: stand up and stand apart, we make a difference. We

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Speaker 4: are not to be like the world, but we're to

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Speaker 4: be different from the world. And so with this act

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Speaker 4: of faithful defiance to the pressure of culture, Daniel and

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Speaker 4: his friends were given access to an inner circle where

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Speaker 4: God could work through them to reach the hard heart

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Speaker 4: of even King Nevikanezzer and many others. Dear God, we

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Speaker 4: are thankful for the courage of Daniel. And the young

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Speaker 4: men who stood with him. Thank You for the inspiration

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Speaker 4: of their lives, that they purposed in their hearts not

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Speaker 4: to defile themselves. May we also live devout lives, lives

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Speaker 4: that are given over to You and not to the world.

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Speaker 4: May our focus and our faithfulness be strong and true

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Speaker 4: against all odds in Jesus' name. Amen, Thank you for

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Speaker 4: listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast. We are

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Speaker 4: so glad that you have joined us. I'm pastor Jack

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Speaker 4: Graham from Dallas, Texas. You can download the Prey dot

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Speaker 4: com app and join millions of people who are listening

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Speaker 4: daily to the Bible in a Year. I want to

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Speaker 4: encourage you to make prayer and Bible study a priority

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Speaker 4: in your life, that you would seek first the Kingdom

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Speaker 4: of God and his righteousness. If you enjoy this broadcast,

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Speaker 4: let me encourage you to share it with others, people

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Speaker 4: that you love, people that you know, people in your church,

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Speaker 4: because we believe the Word of God makes an eternal

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Speaker 4: difference in people's lives. If you want more resources as

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Speaker 4: to how you can live the Christian life, be sure

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Speaker 4: to visit Jack Graham dot org. That's Jack Graham dot org.

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Speaker 4: God bless you.

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Speaker 1: This episode is sponsored by Meta Share, an innovative healthcare

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Speaker 1: solution for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality.

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Speaker 5: Welcome to the Previews podcast, where hope is our only bias.

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Speaker 5: Each day, we'll unpack the most prominent stories happening in

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Speaker 5: the news and offer a Christian perspective. We won't shy

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Speaker 5: away from the hard topics, and we won't dilute the

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Speaker 5: hopeful message of Christ. This is more than a daily

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Speaker 5: brief on the news. It's a way to be informed

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