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Speaker 1: Let us pray and behold. As Barrack pursued Cesera, Jael

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Speaker 1: came out to meet him and said, unto him, come

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Speaker 1: and I will show ye the man whom thou seekest.

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Speaker 1: And when he came into her tent, behold, Cicera lay dead,

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Speaker 1: and the nail was in his temples Judges four twenty two.

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Speaker 1: Dear Heavenly Father, as I reflect on the life of Deborah,

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Speaker 1: I thank you that you are giving me the wisdom, knowledge,

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Speaker 1: and understanding that I possess to day. I declare the

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Speaker 1: Deborah's boldness on the battlefield will be the same boldness

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Speaker 1: I have as I walk through new doors of opportunity.

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Speaker 1: As she declared victory in advance, I too am claiming

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Speaker 1: victory and divine favor over my life, my decisions, and

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Speaker 1: my projects. I will not wait to see the victory

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Speaker 1: before I claim it, because I have faith, and faith

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Speaker 1: is believing what is not seen, to call what is

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Speaker 1: not as though it was. As in Judges four or five,

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Speaker 1: I praise you for setting up others to help accomplish

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Speaker 1: my task, like you did through the life of Barrick

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Speaker 1: and Jail. I decree and declare that all fear based

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Speaker 1: thinking will be penned to the floor of defeat as

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Speaker 1: I raise and claim my victory in Jesus' name. Amen.

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Speaker 1: Listening to these daily prayers strengthens your relationship with God.

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Speaker 1: Continue hearing from the Lord by listening to today's Bible

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Speaker 1: in a Year, brought to you by Bible in a

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Speaker 1: Year dot com.

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Speaker 2: The Palm of Deborah. Previously, we learned about the backsliding

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Speaker 2: people of Israel. Despite all God had done for them,

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Speaker 2: they continued to give themselves to other idols. As a result,

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Speaker 2: they were overtaken and made slaves by neighboring kingdoms. But

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Speaker 2: God sent the mighty judges Athnia and Ahud. Both were

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Speaker 2: crafty and brave men chosen by God to save the

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Speaker 2: Israelites from their own disobedience and captivity. Now we will

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Speaker 2: learn about the deliverance of Israel once again. God summons

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Speaker 2: the leadership of Deborah and Barak to free the people

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Speaker 2: from the oppression of the Canaanites. Inspired by the Book

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Speaker 2: 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 previous episode, we

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Speaker 3: enter into the time of the Judges. We heard how

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Speaker 3: Israel entered into a cycle of sinning and captivity and

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Speaker 3: repentance and then rescue from God. Each time they cried

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Speaker 3: out to God for help, God would give them a

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Speaker 3: powerful man of valor and righteousness who would lead God's

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Speaker 3: people to freedom, not just from physical captivity, but spiritual bondage.

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Speaker 3: Today we'll learn how Israel sinned again and were conquered

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Speaker 3: by another nation. As always, God will set them free

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Speaker 3: from oppression, and he'll work through two notable and powerful women.

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Speaker 3: As you listen today, take note and remember that the

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Speaker 3: hero in the story is never the one through whom

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Speaker 3: God works, but rather God himself. So let's listen now

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Speaker 3: to today's reading.

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Speaker 2: The pursuit of darkness continued. Israel was tempted by every

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Speaker 2: God of the land. They looked for any excuse to

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Speaker 2: satisfy their selfish desires and pursuit of simple comforts. As before,

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Speaker 2: God removed his hand of blessing and allowed them to

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Speaker 2: fill their hearts with sin. God would not beg for

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Speaker 2: their love, but he would not leave them either. Soon

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Speaker 2: after a Hood died, Jabin, King of Canaan, and his

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Speaker 2: general Siserah attacked Israel with nine hundred chariots of iron.

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Speaker 2: Like a black wave, the Canaanite army crashed upon Israel.

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Speaker 2: They consumed them, drowning in oppression, sin, and helplessness. The

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Speaker 2: children of Israel cried out to God again. Judging over

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Speaker 2: Israel at that time was Deborah. She was a strong

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Speaker 2: and wise woman, a prophetess devoted to God. People would

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Speaker 2: often seek Deborah's wisdom and come to her with disputes.

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Speaker 2: Her pragmatism, discernment, and sensitivity to God's spirit made her

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Speaker 2: a leader worth following. When the oppressive hand of Jabin

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Speaker 2: pressed upon the throat of Israel, Deborah sent for Barak,

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Speaker 2: a commander of Israel's army. Barak came at once and

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Speaker 2: stood at attention before Deborah. She spoke to him so saying,

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Speaker 2: the Lord has commanded you to take ten thousand soldiers

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Speaker 2: and go against Ciserah. Barak gulped, slightly scared at the

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Speaker 2: thought of facing nine hundred iron chariots and even more

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Speaker 2: foot soldiers. He looked at Deborah and said, I will go,

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Speaker 2: but only if you go with me. Deborah smiled and nodded, saying,

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Speaker 2: of course I will go with you, but know this,

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Speaker 2: there will be no glory for you if you are victorious,

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Speaker 2: for the Lord is giving Ceeserah into the hand of

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Speaker 2: a woman. Then Deborah rose and rode like the wind

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Speaker 2: with Barak to the valley of Kadesh. Ten thousand men

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Speaker 2: followed them, and they rode with purpose to war. The

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Speaker 2: two armies met for battle. The vast numbers of Israel

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Speaker 2: looked thin compared to the bulk of Cesarah's chariots. Deborah

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Speaker 2: could sense the weakness in her men. She rode among them,

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Speaker 2: clanging her sword against theirs. She yelled at the top

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Speaker 2: of her lungs, saying, arise, God has already given them

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Speaker 2: into our hands. Does he not go before you? The

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Speaker 2: soldiers raised their swords and spears and followed Deborah and

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Speaker 2: Barak into battle. The army of Israel overpowered the chariots.

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Speaker 2: One by one. Iron fell into the dust. Barak fought

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Speaker 2: among the men, his sword gliding through flesh and bone.

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Speaker 2: Spears flew through the air, hidding the hearts of the

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Speaker 2: chariot drivers. Horses, and men fell to the ground, and

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Speaker 2: Caesarah could already sense he had lost the battle. So

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Speaker 2: Sarah leaped off his chariot and ran away on foot,

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Speaker 2: looking back to make sure none of his men witnessed

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Speaker 2: his cowardice. He ran further and further away from the camp,

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Speaker 2: and the screams of men were replaced by silence. None

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Speaker 2: were left alive, so Sarah had escaped up towards the

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Speaker 2: tent of one of his allies, Hebre. There, Sir Sarah

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Speaker 2: met with Heber's wife, Jail. He ordered Jail to bring

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Speaker 2: him food and something to drink, and then keep watch

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Speaker 2: while he slept. Jel brought Cirsarah milk in a blanket.

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Speaker 2: Do not be afraid, she whispered, Stroking his hair, she

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Speaker 2: hushed him to sleep. She brushed his hair until Ceceerah

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Speaker 2: fell into a deep slumber. She covered him with a blanket.

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Speaker 2: Jel went to the entrance of the tent and picked

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Speaker 2: up a tent peg and hammer. She turned towards Ceceah

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Speaker 2: and slowly approached him. She stroked his hair some more,

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Speaker 2: and then, in one decisive swoop, hammered the tent peg

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Speaker 2: into Ceceah's skulk. The peg was driven straight through his

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Speaker 2: temple and touched the dirt. Meanwhile, Barak was in hot

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Speaker 2: pursuit of Cecea and had followed him to Jail's tent.

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Speaker 2: Jael rushed out of the tent and stopped him, saying,

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Speaker 2: come quick, I will show you where he is. Eyes

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Speaker 2: widened as he saw sins Sarah's dead body bolted to

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Speaker 2: the floor by his head. It was true, God did

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Speaker 2: grant victory over as is Sarah to a woman, but

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Speaker 2: it was not Deborah, but you Hell. A pool of

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Speaker 2: blood surrounded his skull back on the battlefield, a pool

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Speaker 2: of blood surrounded the Canaanite army.

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Speaker 3: Today's story begins with Israel being seduced again by foreign gods.

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Speaker 3: The hearts of God's people turn away from Him again,

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Speaker 3: living among those who do not know God or follow

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Speaker 3: Him as a challenge today, just as it was for

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Speaker 3: these Israelites so long ago. And the only hope for

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Speaker 3: staying true to God and keeping our faith in Him

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Speaker 3: is to always keep our eyes on the Lord and

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Speaker 3: trust in his word to us. From generation to generation,

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Speaker 3: we see from generation to generation in the life of Israel,

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Speaker 3: the people turning away from Him and then repenting and

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Speaker 3: then coming back. We see this in our own generation,

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Speaker 3: and we are praying for revival and restoration because the

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Speaker 3: Bible says, blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.

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Speaker 3: There was a foreign king in our story, Jabon of Canaan,

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Speaker 3: who attacked Israel with his army. The army was led

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Speaker 3: by a man named Cesera, and they endured cruel enslavement

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Speaker 3: for twenty years. God's people cried out to him for help,

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Speaker 3: as they often did when things became difficult. How much

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Speaker 3: heartache and how much pain could have been spared if

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Speaker 3: they simply had called upon God, not just in the

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Speaker 3: bad times, but in the good times. But God did

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Speaker 3: not abandon his people. God is faithful to his promise

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Speaker 3: and to his people. He heard their cries for help.

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Speaker 3: In those days. There was a woman by the name

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Speaker 3: of Deborah, a prophetess and the only woman ever named

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Speaker 3: as a judge in the Bible. A judge in the

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Speaker 3: Bible is a deliverer a conqueror, and the people look

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Speaker 3: to Deborah for wisdom, strength, and guidance. So Deborah, responding

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Speaker 3: to God's spirit, sent for Bhak, a commander of Israel's army.

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Speaker 3: Deborah spoke prophetic words to Bhak, revealing what God had

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Speaker 3: commanded Bhak to do in order to defeat Jabon and

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Speaker 3: free Israel from captivity. She spoke with confidence, trusting that

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Speaker 3: God would be True to his word, Bhak agreed to

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Speaker 3: go into battle, but only if Deborah went with him.

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Speaker 3: Surely he was expecting the confidence that comes from God,

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Speaker 3: but also the wisdom from Deborah. All we know is

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Speaker 3: he wanted Deborah to go with him, and she agreed.

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Speaker 3: But she made it clear that the glory for the

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Speaker 3: victory would not go to men, but that God would

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Speaker 3: be given to glory. In fact, God would give over

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Speaker 3: Javon's general cessor into the hands of a woman. Surely,

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Speaker 3: Bharak assumed Deborah was speaking of herself. The truth would

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Speaker 3: prove much more surprising. So Deborah went with Barak to

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Speaker 3: meet the Canaanite army in battle. They would not have

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Speaker 3: been favored to win this battle. They were outmatched, out weaponized,

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Speaker 3: and outnumbered. But Deborah didn't view things through human eyes.

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Speaker 3: She looked with eyes of faith, and her faith filled

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Speaker 3: Barak with courage as well. As he fought the battle.

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Speaker 3: God granted the Israelites victory that day. It wasn't through

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Speaker 3: the might of their army, but by the hand of

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Speaker 3: their God. Every Canaanite warrior, all the enemies were killed,

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Speaker 3: but General Cesarah escaped to the tent of Hebrew one

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Speaker 3: of King Jabin's allies. He certainly thought he had cheated death.

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Speaker 3: But Jail, the wife of Heber, drove a stake through

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Speaker 3: Cesera's temple as he lay sleeping, And when Bhak, who

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Speaker 3: had pursued Ceserah, came to the tent, Jail showed him

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Speaker 3: his enemy dead by her hand. It was the fulfillment

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Speaker 3: of Deborah's prophecy. Israel was freed that day, and it

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Speaker 3: was two very different women who played such a huge

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Speaker 3: role in the victory. God will use us, both men

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Speaker 3: and women, to accomplish his purposes for his children and

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Speaker 3: for his glory. Dear God, thank you that you use

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Speaker 3: seemingly unimportant, unknown people to accomplish wonderful and powerful things.

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Speaker 3: Thank you that, as you did for Israel, you go

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Speaker 3: before us and never leave us or forsake us in

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Speaker 3: our personal battles. In Jesus's name, Amen, thank you for

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

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

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Speaker 3: Download Theprey dot Com app and make prayer a priority

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

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Speaker 3: it with others. People that you love and care about.

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Speaker 3: People who want to know the Bible, help them understand

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

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

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Speaker 3: how to tap into the power of Jesus Christ in

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