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Speaker 1: After these things, the word of the Lord came unto

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Speaker 1: Abraham in a vision, saying, fear not, Abraham, I am

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Speaker 1: thy shield and thy exceeding great reward Genesis fifteen one.

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Speaker 1: Dear Heavenly Father, when the season comes, help me to

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Speaker 1: make the choice to separate and move on, when a

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Speaker 1: relationship must transition and come to an end. When I

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Speaker 1: must choose a new location to move to, I will

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Speaker 1: not only look at the outward appearance, but will look

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Speaker 1: intently at the new land and opportunity to make sure

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Speaker 1: your spirit and presence are there. As I continue to

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Speaker 1: move in sync with your commands. I thank you that

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Speaker 1: you will continue to bless me and send words of

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Speaker 1: encouragement through various people Like Abraham. I declare that multiplication

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Speaker 1: is in my future. I declare that you will not

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Speaker 1: depart from me nor leave my side until you've accomplished

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Speaker 1: your covenant and promises through me. Thank you, Lord, that

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Speaker 1: you are for me like you were for Abraham in

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Speaker 1: the book of Genesis. In Jesus name, Amen, Thanks for

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Speaker 1: making prayer a priority in your life. To hear the

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Speaker 1: Bible come to life. Stay tuned for the Bible in

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

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Speaker 1: dot com.

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Speaker 2: Abram and Lot separate. Before this story, we learned about

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Speaker 2: how Abram was called by God to leave his country,

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Speaker 2: and God would bless him, make his name great, and

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Speaker 2: make him into a great nation. Yet in Abram's heart

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Speaker 2: was imperfections, fears, and faithlessness. Now we will learn about

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Speaker 2: how Abram and Lot separate and go their own ways,

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Speaker 2: and how God's faithfulness to Abram saves Lot from danger.

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Speaker 2: Then we see a promise made by God that would

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Speaker 2: change the course of history, inspired by the Book of Genesis.

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Speaker 3: I'm so glad you've joined us on the Bible in

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Speaker 3: a Year podcast today, But before we get to today's episode,

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Speaker 3: I want you to know that I would absolutely love

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Speaker 3: to send you my daily devotional that will give you

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Speaker 3: fresh encouragement every single morning and day from the moment

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Speaker 3: we wake up to the moment our head finally hits

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Speaker 3: the pillow. There are thousands of things demanding our attention.

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Speaker 3: But it's in the midst of all this crush and

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Speaker 3: hustle and bustle that you and I need peace and

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Speaker 3: truth in God's Word. That's why I want to help

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Speaker 3: you spend time each day growing in God's life giving,

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Speaker 3: life changing word by sending you my free daily email

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Speaker 3: devotional PowerPoint Today. So visit Jagraham dot org to sign

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Speaker 3: up for your PowerPoint Today devotional. That's Jagraham dot org

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Speaker 3: Jack Graham dot org. Yesterday we looked at the story

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Speaker 3: of Abram leaving his home and journeying to a new land,

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Speaker 3: to Canaan. When he left, he brought with him his

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Speaker 3: wife Sarah, and also his nephew Lot. Today, we're going

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Speaker 3: to cover a lot of ground, starting with Lot in

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Speaker 3: Abram and how their stories differ. You're about to see

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Speaker 3: lot story. Though he was with Abram, he took a

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Speaker 3: decidedly different direction. It's a sad story about decisions being

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Speaker 3: seduced by the apparent beauty of a place while neglecting

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Speaker 3: to see the wickedness, the toxic wickedness that was brewing

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Speaker 3: beneath the surface. We contrast that with the choices made

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Speaker 3: while seeking God and depending upon him. So hear how

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Speaker 3: Abram is coming into his own as a wise man

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Speaker 3: who worships God and who cares more about honoring the

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Speaker 3: Lord than receiving honor to himself. Finally, we'll see how

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Speaker 3: Abram has learned at least for now, to wait on

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Speaker 3: God's timing and to plead with him, to plead with

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Speaker 3: God for answers when the promise of descendants is still

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Speaker 3: not fulfilled. It's a lesson for how you can approach God.

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Speaker 3: How you can approach God honestly, asking for the desires

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Speaker 3: of your heart, even as you wait faithfully on His timing.

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Speaker 3: Now here is today's reading.

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Speaker 2: Abram and Lot both increased in riches and influence, so

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Speaker 2: much so that their livestock, servants, and warriors could no

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Speaker 2: longer inhabit the same land. To keep their people from

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Speaker 2: warring against one another, Abram proposed, they separate, separate from me.

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Speaker 2: If you take the left, then I will go to

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Speaker 2: the right, or if you take the right, then I

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Speaker 2: will go to the left. Lot took Abram up on

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Speaker 2: his generous offer and looked out at the Jordan Valley

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Speaker 2: and saw that it was full of fertile plains in

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Speaker 2: the direction of Zor. The plains were watered everywhere and

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Speaker 2: reminded him of the old stories of the Garden of Eden.

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Speaker 2: Lot chose the whole Jordan Valley and everything east of them.

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Speaker 2: He then took his flocks and servants there. Then parted

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Speaker 2: with Abram and settled in the land of Sodom. Though

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Speaker 2: the land was beautiful, Lot had wandered into a city

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Speaker 2: filled with all kinds of evils, men and women, plagued

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Speaker 2: with a wicked and debased culture. Lingered there, and Lot

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Speaker 2: later on would find himself in great danger. Abram looked

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Speaker 2: to the west towards Canaan God who had promised fruitful

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Speaker 2: land to Abram, met him there and spoke, lift up

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Speaker 2: your eyes and see where you are north, south, east

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Speaker 2: and west. Every piece of land you see, I will

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Speaker 2: give to you and your descendants forever from you, I

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Speaker 2: will fill the earth with my righteousness. So Abram moved

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Speaker 2: his tent and settled by the oaks of Mamory beside Hebron,

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Speaker 2: and there he worshiped the Lord with a full heart.

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Speaker 2: Towards the east, a great war spread like a plague

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Speaker 2: across the region. The four kings of the cities in

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Speaker 2: Sodom and Gomorrah rebelled against the confederation of five kings

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Speaker 2: ruling over them. War, bloodshed, theft, and rape burned through

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Speaker 2: lots Land like a wild fire. A fierce and brutal

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Speaker 2: battle traveled towards the valley of the Dead Sea. The

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Speaker 2: four rebel kings clashed against their overlords, with thousands of

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Speaker 2: men behind them. Running into battle, the armies of Sodom

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Speaker 2: and Gomorrah were gripped by the tar pits below the valley,

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Speaker 2: trapped and slaughtered, strode in by their enemies. While some

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Speaker 2: were mercilessly torn apart, others fled to the hills to

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Speaker 2: die slowly in shame. In the aftermath stood Lot helplessly, robbed, beaten,

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Speaker 2: then kidnapped by the Confederate Kings. They had taken everything

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Speaker 2: he owned, including all of the women and children under

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Speaker 2: his care. Lot was now totally consumed by the wicked

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Speaker 2: land he had chosen as a home and a slave

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Speaker 2: to the people he chose to dwell with. One of

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Speaker 2: Lot's spies escaped the Confederate Kings and ran towards the west,

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Speaker 2: where Abram lived in peace with his allies Mamory, Eskorl

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Speaker 2: and an Air. The word of Lot's captivity came to Abram,

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Speaker 2: and there was no time wasted. Abram assembled three hundred

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Speaker 2: and eighteen of his trained men and prepared them for battle. Together,

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Speaker 2: they traveled a great distance to retrieve Lot. Abram's land

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Speaker 2: was at peace. This was not his war, yet God

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Speaker 2: was grooming him to be a hero. Abram did not

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Speaker 2: storm the valley on horseback, nor did his army charge

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Speaker 2: into battle with the horns of war behind them. They

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Speaker 2: waited for the dark quiet of the night. Abram divided

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Speaker 2: his army and had them swiftly take over the enemy.

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Speaker 2: With quiet tact and swiftness. Abram took back lot his possessions,

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Speaker 2: his people, and drove the rest of the enemy out

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Speaker 2: to the north to be killed. Afterwards, Abram was met

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Speaker 2: by a mysterious king and priest named Melchizedek. He brought

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Speaker 2: Abram bread and wine, then blessed him, saying, blessed be Abram,

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Speaker 2: from the Most High God, the creator of heaven and earth.

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Speaker 2: Blessed be the most High God, who delivered your enemies

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Speaker 2: to you. Melchizedek spoke of Abram's God and a land

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Speaker 2: that did not know him, and was a priest of

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Speaker 2: God before priests existed. Melchizedek's blessing mirored that of God's,

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Speaker 2: and Abram was astounded. Of all the possessions Abram had,

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Speaker 2: he gave Melchizedek a tenth. This interaction between Abram and

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Speaker 2: Melchizedek would be important for years and years to come.

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Speaker 2: Shortly after, Abram was approached by the King of Sodom.

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Speaker 2: The king desired to reward Abram for his victory and

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Speaker 2: offered Abram the spoils of war. Yet Abram knew the

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Speaker 2: wickedness lying beneath He saw the king lying through his teeth.

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Speaker 2: He knew that the king wanted Abram to be indebted

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Speaker 2: to him. Abram, in a moment of honor, said, I

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Speaker 2: have fought for the Lord, owner of heaven and earth.

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Speaker 2: I will not take even a sandal strap from you,

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Speaker 2: lest you think it is you who has made me rich.

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Speaker 2: So Abram allowed his allies to take their share, but

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Speaker 2: he took nothing and returned home after rejecting the reward

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Speaker 2: from the King of Sodom. The Lord then visited Abram

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Speaker 2: in a vision again. He made a promise to Abram, saying,

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Speaker 2: I am your shield, and I will provide you with

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Speaker 2: a great reward. Abram, filled with sadness, looked to God, saying,

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Speaker 2: O Lord, you say you want to bless me and

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Speaker 2: my descendants, Yet I remain childless. Shall I be forced

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Speaker 2: to give all that I have to a servant of

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Speaker 2: my household, shall he inherit my land. God, with tender

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Speaker 2: love and compassion, spoke gently to Abram. Look to the skies.

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Speaker 2: See how the stars are countlessly scattered throughout the universe.

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Speaker 2: Your descendants will be just as these stars, great in

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Speaker 2: number and abounding in beauty. Abram, despite the doubt and

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Speaker 2: anguish in his heart, believed God. It was this faith

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Speaker 2: that God counted as righteousness. It was this faith that

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Speaker 2: God would bless him with. Again, God spoke, saying, I

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Speaker 2: am the one who brought you out of er and

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Speaker 2: the land of the Chaldeans. I brought you out to

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Speaker 2: give you this land to take possession of because I

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Speaker 2: am the Lord. Abram, still in faith, asked how he

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Speaker 2: would take possession of the land already inhabited by so

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Speaker 2: many people. God responded with a task. Bring me a

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Speaker 2: female calf who has not given birth, a goat, and

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Speaker 2: a ram, all three years old, along with a dove

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Speaker 2: and a young pigeon. So Abram brought all of what

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Speaker 2: the Lord asked for, cut them in half, and arranged

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Speaker 2: the halves opposite of each other. The birds he did

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Speaker 2: not cut in half, though blood scattered all around Abram

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Speaker 2: and his hands stained in red, Abram fell into a

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Speaker 2: very deep sleep, and a dreadful darkness came over him.

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Speaker 2: God met him in his sleep, saying, know for certain

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Speaker 2: that your offspring will be sojourners and strangers in a

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Speaker 2: land that is not the There they will be servants,

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Speaker 2: and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But

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Speaker 2: I am faithful, and I will bring judgment on the

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Speaker 2: nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out

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Speaker 2: with great possessions. This he spoke of regarding the captivity

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Speaker 2: of Egypt. As for you, you shall go to your

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Speaker 2: fathers in peace. You shall be buried in a good

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Speaker 2: old age. The knight had continued, and Abram awoke to

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Speaker 2: a burning flame between the pieces of flesh. And just

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Speaker 2: as God had provided a covering for Adam and Eve

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Speaker 2: in the garden with the furs of an animal, and

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Speaker 2: protected Noah from the flood using the ark, so God

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Speaker 2: provided a promise to Abram. There that day, the Lord

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Speaker 2: made a covenant with Abram, saying, I give this land

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Speaker 2: to your descendants. And God would not depart from Abram's

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Speaker 2: side for the rest of his days, nor would he

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Speaker 2: forsake his children.

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Speaker 3: Today's reading opens with two men who are greatly prospering

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Speaker 3: in the land God has brought them into. Abram is

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Speaker 3: older and wiser, and he sees the potential for conflict

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Speaker 3: even within a family, over land and prosperity and property.

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Speaker 3: And as he and Lot both grow in riches and

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Speaker 3: in influence, so he gives Lot the first pick of

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Speaker 3: which land to settle, and he agrees that he will

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Speaker 3: take what Lot does not choose. Lot sees the beauty

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Speaker 3: and the glory and the riches of the land near

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Speaker 3: the Jordan River, where the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah

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Speaker 3: were located. This is the land he chose. Perhaps he

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Speaker 3: was blinded by the abundance and lushness of the area,

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Speaker 3: but for whatever reason, he did not take into account

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Speaker 3: the wickedness, the vile wickedness of the people in that area. Abram,

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Speaker 3: on the other hand, and went to God, and God

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Speaker 3: showed him where he would settle. So we see the

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Speaker 3: contrast of acting based on our own wisdom as Lot did,

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Speaker 3: versus seeking God's counsel and guidance in every aspect of life.

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Speaker 3: The difference could not be more pronounced. Abram was blessed

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Speaker 3: and continued to grow in riches and influence, but Lot

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Speaker 3: it wasn't along before a Lot was in deep deep trouble.

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Speaker 3: Wars and rebellion threatened Lot's very life, and he was beaten, robbed,

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Speaker 3: and kidnapped. Abram steps in as the hero and comes

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Speaker 3: to the rescue of his nephew. We see Abram not

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Speaker 3: as a nomadic traveler, but a warrior who comes in

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Speaker 3: and conquers the enemy, driving them out of the land

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Speaker 3: and restoring his nephew Lot. This wasn't Abram's war, but

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Speaker 3: he intervened. As a result, Abram has an encounter with

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Speaker 3: a high priest named Melchizedek, who worshiped Abram's God. This

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Speaker 3: priest blesses Abram and astounds him as his blessing reminds

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Speaker 3: Abram of the blessing God has given him. There is

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Speaker 3: another lesson we learn in this story, and that is

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Speaker 3: with Abram's interaction with the King of Sodom, who tries

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Speaker 3: to align himself with Abram. But Abram, rather than accepting

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Speaker 3: the glory and the honor, trust in the Lord, he

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Speaker 3: turns back to the Lord. We can be tempted to

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Speaker 3: accept praise from other men for our victories, but Abram

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Speaker 3: reminds us that God is the source of our strength.

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Speaker 3: He is our victory and the one for whom we

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Speaker 3: live and strive. Finally, we see Abram pleading with God

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Speaker 3: for his promises to be fulfilled. He is yet without descendants,

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Speaker 3: and rather than taking matters into his own hands, he

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Speaker 3: goes before God. I love the honesty of his interaction

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Speaker 3: with God and the Lord's gentle and loving response here

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Speaker 3: is what Genesis fifteen, verses two through six says. But

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Speaker 3: Abram said, Lord God, what will you give me? Since

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Speaker 3: childless and the heir of my house is Eliezar of Damascus.

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Speaker 3: Abram also said, since you have given me no son

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Speaker 3: one who's been born into my house and is my heir,

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Speaker 3: Then behold the word of the Lord came to him, saying,

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Speaker 3: this man will not be your heir, but one who

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Speaker 3: will come from your own body shall be your heir.

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Speaker 3: And he took him outside and said, now look toward

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Speaker 3: the heavens and count the stars if you are able

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Speaker 3: to count them. And he said to him, so shall

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Speaker 3: your descendants be. Then he believed in the Lord, and

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Speaker 3: it was credited unto him as righteousness. God comforts Abram

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Speaker 3: and adds to the promise he will give him more

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Speaker 3: than he could ever even fathom. How gracious of God

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Speaker 3: to not only reaffirm the promises he'd made to Abram,

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Speaker 3: but to point to the night sky as a reminder

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Speaker 3: of that promise. You can just imagine how every time

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Speaker 3: Abram grew discouraged or tired and felt that his faith

258
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Speaker 3: was giving way, he looked up into a brilliant night

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Speaker 3: sky lit up with the stars and remembered God's promise.

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Speaker 3: In response, Abram offers a sacrifice, and the Lord makes

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Speaker 3: a covenant with him. Then and there. This is where

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Speaker 3: we leave Abram for today. Once again, his story offers

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Speaker 3: you a wonderful example of faith and submission to God

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Speaker 3: and the timing the Lord brings. Oh that we would

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Speaker 3: trust in our Lord so fully as Abram. Dear Father

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Speaker 3: in Heaven, thank you that we can trust you and

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Speaker 3: seek you for wisdom in every aspect of our lives.

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Speaker 3: We are so grateful for Abram's story and how it

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Speaker 3: teaches us to always live by faith and not sight,

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Speaker 3: and to trust in his promises always in Jesus's name, Amen,

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Speaker 3: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.

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Speaker 3: I'm Jack Graham from Dallas Texas, and before we go,

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Speaker 3: I want you to know that I would love to

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Speaker 3: send you my daily devotional to give you fresh encouragement

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Speaker 3: every single day. So visit Jack Graham dot org to

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Speaker 3: sign up for your PowerPoint Today devotional that's Jack Graham

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Speaker 3: dot org