Latest / Bible Chat Devotional / February 21 - When Integrity Gets Tested

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February 21 - When Integrity Gets Tested · Bible Chat Devotional

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  Welcome to Bible Chat, where we have devotional conversations
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  rooted in Scripture and relevant for today, February 21st, when
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  integrity gets tested. Have you ever felt that knot in
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  your stomach when you knew the right thing to do would cost you
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  something? Maybe it meant telling the truth
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  when it could get you in trouble, refusing to join in
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  even when everyone else was, or standing firm in your faith when
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  it would have been easier to stay quiet.
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  Those moments reveal what's really guiding your life.
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  Proverbs Chapter 11, verses 3 to 4, tells us that the integrity
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  of the upright guides them, but crookedness destroys those who
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  choose it. It also reminds us that riches
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  won't save us when it really matters, but righteousness will.
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  Integrity isn't just about avoiding trouble.
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  It's about having a compass that keeps pointing you in the right
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  direction when pressure tries to pull you off course.
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  We see this lived out clearly in the life of Paul.
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  In Acts chapters 21 to 22. Paul is misunderstood, falsely
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  accused, and surrounded by hostility.
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  He's facing real danger. Yet in the middle of all of it,
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  he does abandoned who he is or why God called him.
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  In Acts chapter 22, verse 14, he recounts how God appointed him
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  to know his will, to see the righteous 1 and to hear his
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  voice. Paul understood something deep.
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  His life wasn't his own. He was living on assignment.
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  That sense of calling shaped how Paul responded under pressure.
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  Even when he spoke sharply and later realized he had addressed
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  the high priest disrespectfully, he immediately owned it.
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  In Acts chapter 23, verse 5, Paul acknowledges the authority
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  of God's Word and corrects himself, choosing respect even
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  toward leaders who opposed him. That takes integrity.
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  It's easy to justify harsh words when you feel mistreated.
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  It's harder to stay anchored in righteousness when emotions are
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  running high. This is where integrity really
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  gets tested. Not when it's convenient, but
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  when it's costly. Not when people applaud you, but
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  when they question you. Integrity means you don't let
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  circumstances rewrite your values.
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  You don't let pressure redefine your character.
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  You live the same way in public and in private because you know
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  God sees both. For us today, integrity flows
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  out of purpose. When you know God has called
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  you, when you believe your life is meant for more than comfort
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  or approval, you're empowered to choose what's right, even when
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  it's hard. Integrity becomes an act of
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  trust. Trust that God's plan is bigger
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  than the moment. Trust that righteousness really
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  does deliver. You won't always get it
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  perfectly right. Paul didn't.
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  But a heart committed to God's purpose is quick to listen,
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  quick to correct, and steady in faith.
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  When integrity guides you, even hard paths become meaningful
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  ones. Let's pray.
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  Heavenly Father, thank you for calling me to live with purpose
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  and integrity. When my character is tested and
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  doing the right thing feels costly, Give me strength to
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  choose righteousness over convenience.
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  Help me to stay respectful and Christ like even when I'm
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  misunderstood or opposed. Anchor my heart and your calling
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  for my life and guide me by integrity every step of the way
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  in Jesus name, Amen. What if the way you pray changed
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  because you truly knew who God is?
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  The Supreme God Part 1 is an 8 book devotional and prayer
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  journey that unveils the power, presence and glory of God
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  through His biblical names. In Elohim you encounter God, the
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  Mighty Creator who forms and sustains all things.
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  Yahweh draws you into relationship with the eternal I
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  AM who is present and faithful. Adonai calls you to surrender to
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  the Lord and Master who leads and directs your steps.
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  El Elyon reveals the God Most High, exalted above every power
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  and authority. El Shaddai introduces the all
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  sufficient God who nourishes and strengthens you.
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  El Olam anchors your faith in the everlasting God whose
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  purposes never fail. Elroy assures you that you are
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  seen, known, and cared for by a compassionate father, and El
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  Gibor awakens confidence in the mighty God who defends,
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  delivers, and prevails. Through Scripture, devotional
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  insight, and prophetic prayer scripts, this series teaches you
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  to pray from revelation, worship with understanding, and walk
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  boldly in God's character. If you're ready to elevate your
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  prayer life and rediscover the God you serve, order the Supreme
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  God Part One on Amazon today or visit prayerscripts.org to begin
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  your journey. Now I invite you to spend time
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  with God in today's three-year Bible reading plan.
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  Proverbs Chapter 11 verses 3 to 4 World English Bible.
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  The integrity of the upright shall guide them, but the
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  perverseness of the treacherous shall destroy them.
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  Riches don't profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness
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  delivers from death. Acts, Chapters 21 to 22, World
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  English Bible. When we had departed from them
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  and had set sail, we came with a straight course to Cos, and the
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  next day to Roads, and from there to Patura.
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  Having found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, we went
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  aboard and set sail. When we had come inside of
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  Cyprus, leaving it on the left hand, we sailed to Syria and
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  landed at Tyre, for the ship was there to unload her cargo.
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  Having found disciples, we stayed there seven days.
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  These said to Paul through the Spirit that he should not go up
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  to Jerusalem. When those days were over, we
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  departed and went on our journey.
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  They all, with wives and children, brought us on our way
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  until we were out of the city. Kneeling down on the beach, we
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  prayed. After saying goodbye to each
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  other, we went on board the ship and they returned home again.
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  When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at
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  Tolmai's. We greeted the brothers and
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  stayed with them one day. On the next day we, who were
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  Paul's companions departed and came to Caesarea.
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  We entered into the House of Philip the Evangelist, who was
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  one of the seven, and stayed with him.
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  Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied.
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  As we stayed there some days a certain prophet named Agabus
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  came down from Judea coming to us and taking Paul's belt.
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  He bound his own feet and hands, and said, The Holy Spirit says
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  so. The Jews at Jerusalem will bind
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  the man who owns this belt, and will deliver him into the hands
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  of the Gentiles. When we heard these things, both
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  we and the people of that place begged him not to go up to
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  Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, What are you
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  doing? Weeping and breaking my heart?
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  For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at
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  Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.
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  When he would not be persuaded, we ceased saying, The Lord's
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  will be done. After these days we took up our
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  baggage and went up to Jerusalem.
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  Some of the disciples from Caesarea also went with us,
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  bringing 1M Nasen of Cyprus, an early disciple with whom we
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  would stay when we had come to Jerusalem.
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  The brothers received us gladly. The day following Paul went in
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  with us to James, and all the elders were present.
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  When he had greeted them. He reported 1 by 1 the things
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  which God had worked among the Gentiles through his ministry.
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  They, when they heard it, glorified God.
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  They said to him, You see, brother, how many thousands
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  there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and
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  they are all zealous for the Law.
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  They have been informed about you that you teach all the Jews
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  who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not
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  to circumcise their children and not to walk after the customs.
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  What then? The assembly must certainly
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  meet, for they will hear that you have come.
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  Therefore do what we tell you. We have 4 men who have taken a
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  vow. Take them and purify yourself
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  with them, and pay their expenses for them, that they may
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  shave their heads. Then all will know that there is
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  no truth in the things that they have been informed about you,
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  but that you yourself also walk, keeping the law.
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  But concerning the Gentiles who believe we have written our
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  decision, that they should observe no such thing, except
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  that they should keep themselves from food offered to idols, from
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  blood, from strangled things, and from sexual immorality.
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  Then Paul took the men, and the next day purified himself and
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  went with them into the temple, declaring the fulfillment of the
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  days of purification, until the offering was offered for every
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  one of them. When the seven days were almost
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  completed, the Jews from Asia, when they saw him in the temple,
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  stirred up all the multitude and laid hands on him, crying out,
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  Men of Israel help. This is the man who teaches all
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  men everywhere against the people and the law and this
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  place. Moreover, he also brought Greeks
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  into the temple, and has defiled this holy place.
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  For they had seen Trophemus the Ephesian with him in the city,
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  and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple.
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  All the city was moved, and the people ran together.
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  They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple.
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  Immediately the doors were shut. As they were trying to kill him,
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  news came up to the commanding officer of the regiment that all
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  Jerusalem was in an uproar. Immediately he took soldiers and
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  centurions and ran down to them. They, when they saw the chief
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  captain and the soldiers, stopped beating Paul.
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  Then the commanding officer came near, arrested him, commanded
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  him to be bound with two chains, and inquired who he was and what
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  he had done. Some shouted one thing and some
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  another among the crowd. When he couldn't find out the
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  truth because of the noise, he commanded him to be brought into
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  the barracks. When he came to the stairs he
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  was carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the
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  crowd, for the multitude of the people followed after crying out
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  away with him. As Paul was about to be brought
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  into the barracks, he asked the commanding officer, May I speak
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  to you? He said, Do you know Greek?
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  Aren't you then the Egyptian who before these days stirred up to
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  sedition and LED out into the wilderness the 4000 men of the
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  assassins? But Paul said, I am a Jew from
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  Tarsus in Silesia, a citizen of no insignificant city.
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  I beg you, allow me to speak to the people.
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  When he had given him permission, Paul, standing on
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  the stairs, beckoned with his hand to the people.
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  When there was a great silence, he spoke to them in the Hebrew
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  language, saying, Brothers and fathers, listen to the defense
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  which I now make to you. When they heard that he spoke to
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  them in the Hebrew language, they were even more quiet.
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  He said, I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Silesia, but
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  brought up in this city at the feet of Gammaleal, instructed
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  according to the strict tradition of the law of our
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  fathers, being zealous for God even as you all are today.
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  I persecuted this way to the death, binding and delivering
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  into prisons both men and women, as also the high priest and all
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  the counsel of the elders testify, from whom also I
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  received letters to the brothers and traveled to Damascus to
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  bring them also who were there to Jerusalem in bonds to be
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  punished. As I made my journey and came
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  close to Damascus about noon, suddenly a great light shone
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  around me from the sky. I fell to the ground and heard a
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  voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?
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  I answered, Who are you, Lord? He said to me, I am Jesus of
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  Nazareth whom you persecute. Those who were with me indeed
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  saw the light and were afraid, but they didn't understand the
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  voice of him who spoke to me. I said, What shall I do, Lord?
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  The Lord said to me, Arise and go into Damascus.
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  There you will be told about all things which are appointed for
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  you to do. When I couldn't see, for the
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  glory of that light being led by the hand of those who were with
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  me, I came into Damascus. One Ananias, A devout man,
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  according to the law well reported of by all the Jews who
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  lived in Damascus, came to me and standing by me, said to me,
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  Brother Saul, receive your sight.
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  In that very hour I looked up at him.
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  He said, The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His
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  will and to see the righteous, 1 and to hear a voice from his
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  mouth. For you will be a witness for
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  him to all men of what you have seen and heard.
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  Now why do you wait? Arise, be baptized, and wash
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  away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord?
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  When I had returned to Jerusalem and while I prayed in the
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  temple, I fell into a trance and saw him saying to me, Hurry and
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  get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not receive
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  testimony concerning me from You.
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  I said, Lord, they themselves know that I imprisoned and beat
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  in every synagogue those who believed in You.
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  When the blood of Stephen your witness was shed.
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  I also was standing by consenting to his death and
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  guarding the cloaks of those who killed him.
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  He said to me, depart, for I will send you out far from here
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  to the Gentiles. They listen to him until he said
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  that. Then they lifted up their voice
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  and said, Rid the earth of this fellow, for he isn't fit to
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  live. As they cried out, threw off
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  their cloaks, and threw dust into the air, the commanding
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  officer commanded him to be brought into the barracks,
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  ordering him to be examined by scourging, that he might know
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  for what crime they shouted against him like that.
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  When they had tied him up with straps, Paul asked the centurion
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  who stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a
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  Roman and not found guilty? When the centurion heard it, he
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  went to the commanding officer and told him, Watch what you're
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  about to do, for this man is a Roman.
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  The commanding officer came and asked him, Tell me, are you a
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  Roman? He said yes, the commanding
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  officer answered, I bought my citizenship for a great price,
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  Paul said. But I was born a Roman.
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  Immediately those who were about to examine him departed from
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  him, and the commanding officer also was afraid when he realized
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  that he was a Roman because he had bound him.
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  But on the next day, desiring to know the truth about why he was
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  accused by the Jews, he freed him from the bonds and commanded
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  the chief priests and all the council to come together and
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  brought Paul down and set him before them.
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  Thanks for joining us on Bible Chat, where Scripture meets
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  everyday life. If today's devotional encouraged
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  you, share it with a friend and be sure to follow the podcast so
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  you won't miss the next conversation.
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  Until next time, stay rooted in truth, anchored in hope, and
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  walking daily with Jesus.