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Speaker 1: Let us pray, And when they arose early on the

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Speaker 1: morrow morning, behold Dagon had fallen upon his face to

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Speaker 1: the ground before the ark of the Lord and the

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Speaker 1: head of Dagon, and both the palms of his hands

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Speaker 1: were cut off upon the threshold. Only the stump of

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Speaker 1: Dagon was left to him. First Samuel five four to

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Speaker 1: day is the day, Lord, that my mind and heart

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Speaker 1: will change its position as I realize and recognize that

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Speaker 1: you will not be mocked. As I meditate on First

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Speaker 1: Samuel five and six, my heart and my mind will

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Speaker 1: be put at ease when it appears that Satan has

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Speaker 1: his plans for overriding your declared promises and plans for

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Speaker 1: my life. Because it is through this text that you

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Speaker 1: make yourself known. It is in this text that you

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Speaker 1: show your power in making all false gods bow to

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Speaker 1: the power of the Great. I am All glory and

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Speaker 1: praise goes to you, God, and I thank you that

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Speaker 1: in the same way the Philistines returned your ark and

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Speaker 1: brought more than what was taken, I too will receive

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Speaker 1: double for the trouble that the enemy has brought into

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Speaker 1: my life. I decree and declare that nothing will be

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Speaker 1: lost in my life, and that whoever tries to raise

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Speaker 1: up against the plan of the Lord in my life

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Speaker 1: will have no choice but to open the doors that

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Speaker 1: have been locked and cut the red tape that's been

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Speaker 1: wrapped around my future. Thank you Jesus, that at your name,

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Speaker 1: all man made idols of distractions must bow like the

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Speaker 1: idols of the Philistines in Jesus name. Amen, Thank you

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

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

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Speaker 1: Bible in a Year dot com.

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Speaker 2: God's Arc returns to Israel. In our last story, we

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Speaker 2: witnessed the slaughter of Israel's army at the hand of

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Speaker 2: the Philistines. Israel summoned the Ark of the Covenant to

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Speaker 2: the battlefield, but the Philistines defeated them and took it

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Speaker 2: back to their camp. All of Israel mourned the loss

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Speaker 2: of the Ark, but God would not be trifled with.

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Speaker 2: In this story, we learn about God's power displayed among

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Speaker 2: the Philistines. Inspired by the Book of First Samuel.

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Speaker 3: Hello, this is Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of

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Speaker 3: the Bible in a Year podcast. In our previous reading,

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Speaker 3: we heard how Eli's sons died in battle a punishment

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Speaker 3: for their sins. Again God along with them. Israel lost

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Speaker 3: thousands of men to the Philistines, but they lost something

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Speaker 3: even greater as the Ark of the Covenant was taken

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Speaker 3: by the Philistines. Hope seemed lost for Israel, as God's

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Speaker 3: presence had departed from them. But in today's reading, we'll

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Speaker 3: hear about the high price the Philistines would pay for

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Speaker 3: their theft, and how God's power was going to be

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Speaker 3: shown to all as his presence was restored to his people.

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Speaker 3: Let's listen now to today's reading.

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Speaker 2: The Philistines drug the Ark of the Covenant back to

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Speaker 2: the city of Ashtod. Torches illuminated the smug grins on

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Speaker 2: their faces as they placed the ark at the foot

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Speaker 2: of their idols. They placed the ark in the temple

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Speaker 2: of Dagon, the Philistines God. The idol was placed before

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Speaker 2: a bronze statue of Dagon. It loomed over the ark

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Speaker 2: as if they were making God bow to him. The

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Speaker 2: Philistines slept soundly in their beds, not hearing the lar

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Speaker 2: crash in the night. When they arose the next morning,

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Speaker 2: they found the statue of Dagon fallen face down before

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Speaker 2: the Ark of the Lord. Perplexed, the Philistines put Dagon

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Speaker 2: back in its place and left. Another night passed, crashing

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Speaker 2: and shattering echoed through the empty temple. When the priests

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Speaker 2: awoke to check on the temple, they saw the statue

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Speaker 2: of Dagon fallen face down before the Ark. Its head

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Speaker 2: and both its hands were cut off cleanly and lay

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Speaker 2: spread out before the Ark of the Covenant. The priests

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Speaker 2: trembled and dared not enter the temple again until the

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Speaker 2: Ark was released. Yet God was not yet finished. The

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Speaker 2: Philistines had made a mockery of his name, and they

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Speaker 2: slaughtered his people. They were right to fear him in

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Speaker 2: the beginning, for the God that struck down Pharaoh would

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Speaker 2: have no problem dealing with the minuscule Philistine army. The

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Speaker 2: hand of God was heavy against the Philistines, and they

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Speaker 2: all became afflicted withful tumors. Their false god, Dagon could

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Speaker 2: not save them. Their priests prayed to a piece of

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Speaker 2: metal to deliver them, but God reigned. Get the Ark

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Speaker 2: out of here before we perish, the people of Ashtad said.

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Speaker 2: So they took the Ark to the city of Gaith,

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Speaker 2: a terribly evil place filled with giant warriors that wore

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Speaker 2: steel for armor. Yet the mighty men of Gaith quaked

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Speaker 2: under the power of God. Their strong arms and broad

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Speaker 2: backs could not shield them from his anger. Tumors broke

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Speaker 2: out in them as well, and the entire city wailed

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Speaker 2: in pain. Their cries filled the skies, and they cast

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Speaker 2: the ark out of their land back to the Israelites.

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Speaker 2: This has not happened by coincidence. The Philistine elders said.

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Speaker 2: They winced in pain and guilt, saying God struck down

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Speaker 2: Egypt long ago, and now he strikes us down as well.

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Speaker 2: Pharaoh did not listen, but we must learn from his

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Speaker 2: hardened heart. So the Philistines sent back the Ark of

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Speaker 2: the Covenant with a guilt offering. The gold offerings molded

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Speaker 2: into the shape of the tumors and mice that plagued

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Speaker 2: their land. The people of Israel rejoiced when the ark returned.

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Speaker 2: They offered sacrifices to God and worshiped him for his

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Speaker 2: great power. The Philistines would soon regather and retaliate, but

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Speaker 2: for now they hid in fear because of God's mighty hand.

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Speaker 2: God's anger against the Philistines reflected the depth of his righteousness.

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Speaker 2: Though God is patient and kind, he is by no

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Speaker 2: means safe. His name is not to be mocked, and

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Speaker 2: he is not to be placed at the altar of

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Speaker 2: a false god like Dagon. The philistines tumors were but

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Speaker 2: an image of their inner sickness. The Philistines would eventually

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Speaker 2: attack again, and again they would witness God's might.

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Speaker 3: Today's story begins with the Philistines in possession of the

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Speaker 3: Ark of the Covenant. They believed they could use it

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Speaker 3: for their profit, their benefit, just as they looked to

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Speaker 3: other gods. So they took the ark to the shrine

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Speaker 3: of their god, Dagon and set it next to it.

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Speaker 3: But God was not about to let his name be

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Speaker 3: used by those who did not know or fear him,

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Speaker 3: and he certainly wouldn't be just one among the many

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Speaker 3: false gods. So when the Philistines woke the next morning,

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Speaker 3: they found their idol lying face down. They picked him

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Speaker 3: up and put him back, But the next morning he

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Speaker 3: had fallen again, this time his head and hands broken off.

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Speaker 3: But God wasn't through the whole city felt his judgment,

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Speaker 3: and people for miles around developed tumors. They knew this

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Speaker 3: wasn't a coincidence. So they sent the Ark to another town,

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Speaker 3: and the same thing happened, terrifying the people once more

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Speaker 3: with painful tumors. So the Ark of the Covenant was

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Speaker 3: sent to a city, but the people cried out in fear,

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Speaker 3: we don't want this. In First Samuel five to eleven

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Speaker 3: we read they sent therefore and gathered together all the

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Speaker 3: lords of the Philistines, and said, send away the Ark

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Speaker 3: of the God of Israel, and let it return to

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Speaker 3: its own place, that it may not kill us and

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Speaker 3: our people. For there was a deathly panic throughout the

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Speaker 3: whole city. The hand of God was very heavy there.

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Speaker 3: You see, God's presence among those who truly seek him

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Speaker 3: brings peace, but among the wicked, those who reject him,

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Speaker 3: it brings panic. God's judgment is not something to be

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Speaker 3: taken lightly, of course, and after seeing what he had

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Speaker 3: done in two other cities, the Philistines begged for the

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Speaker 3: Ark to go back to Israel. The Philistines knew they

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Speaker 3: were guilty, and the arc couldn't simply be returned as

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Speaker 3: if nothing happened, So they sent it back with guilt offerings,

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Speaker 3: golden sculptures of tumors and mice symbols of God's judgment

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Speaker 3: against them. Unfortunately, they were only sorry and scared, not contrite,

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Speaker 3: not changed, not repentant. They just wanted to be done

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Speaker 3: with this punishment. How tragic it is when people reject

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Speaker 3: God and the opportunity to repent of their sins and

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Speaker 3: to get right with him. So the Ark was returned

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Speaker 3: to Israel, and great rejoicing arose among them. They worshiped

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Speaker 3: God for his mightiness, praising him for returning the Ark

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Speaker 3: to them. But Israel's struggles were far from over, hindering

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Speaker 3: their relationship with God, and we'll hear more about that

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Speaker 3: the next time. Dear God, we thank you that in

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Speaker 3: our story today we learn how holy you really are,

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Speaker 3: that you are righteous, and that you judge the wicked.

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Speaker 3: Help us not only to regret our sin, but to

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Speaker 3: truly repent of it and turn from it, and ask

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Speaker 3: you to be our savior and deliverer in Jesus' 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 pastors Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download thepray dot

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Speaker 3: Com app and make Bible study and prayer a priority

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Speaker 3: in your life. If you enjoyed this podcast, please share

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Speaker 3: it with someone you know because it can make a genuine,

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Speaker 3: even eternal difference in their lives. And if you want

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Speaker 3: more resources on how you can know the power of

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Speaker 3: God through Jesus Christ, then visit Jack Graham dot org.