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Pharaoh says No! - The Book of Exodus · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord that I should
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  Speaker 1: obey his voice to let Israel go? I do not
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  Speaker 1: know the Lord, neither will I let Israel go. Exodus
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  Speaker 1: 5.2 Dear Lord, as I meditate on today's scripture, I
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  Speaker 1: will charge my soul and encourage myself when it comes
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  Speaker 1: to my future. Today I choose to remind myself of
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  Speaker 1: your reputation of faithfulness and blessings. When people seem to
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  Speaker 1: get in my way to try to derail my future,
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  Speaker 1: I thank you that I do not have to worry
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  Speaker 1: or stress, because like Moses, it's not me against Pharaoh,
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  Speaker 1: it's Pharaoh against God. Therefore, I declare that all obstacles
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  Speaker 1: in my life that represent Pharaoh are not fighting against me,
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  Speaker 1: but they are going against the God of this universe
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  Speaker 1: who gave me my life mission and purpose. With this truth,
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  Speaker 1: I will continue to move forward with boldness and anticipation,
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  Speaker 1: knowing that if you are on my side, God, I
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  Speaker 1: have the majority, and nothing can stop me from seeing
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  Speaker 1: your vision come to pass in my life. So I
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  Speaker 1: command that every obstacle bow down, that every mountain of
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  Speaker 1: trouble moves out of my way, for I am God's child,
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  Speaker 1: anointed and appointed to do great things. Thank you, Jesus,
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  Speaker 1: that my freedom is here, that my moment is now,
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  Speaker 1: and that my blessings are upon me. In Jesus' name, amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for making prayer a priority in your day.
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  Speaker 1: To learn more about the Bible, stay tuned for today's story.
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  Speaker 1: Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: Pharaoh says no. In our last story, we learned about
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  Speaker 2: how Moses and Aaron were united under the call of
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  Speaker 2: God to free Israel from slavery. God gave them signs
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  Speaker 2: through Moses and the two began to win the hearts
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  Speaker 2: of the people. In this story, we will see Moses
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  Speaker 2: and Aaron approaching the throne of Pharaoh, the heartless tyrant.
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  Speaker 2: They challenge him. knowing full well it is not them
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  Speaker 2: against Pharaoh, but Pharaoh against God, as inspired by the
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  Speaker 2: book of Exodus.
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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: journeyed with Moses out of Midian and back to Egypt.
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  Speaker 3: Along the way, God prepared Moses for his meeting with Pharaoh.
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  Speaker 3: God called Aaron to go to Moses and meet him
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  Speaker 3: so together they could tell the Hebrew people that God
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  Speaker 3: had heard their cries and answered. There was finally hope
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  Speaker 3: in Hebrew homes. Deliverance was coming. But would Pharaoh allow it?
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  Speaker 3: Today we'll hear as Moses and Aaron meet with Pharaoh
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  Speaker 3: and give him a message from God. Let my people go.
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  Speaker 3: Pharaoh will not make things easier for Israel. To the contrary,
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  Speaker 3: he will increase their suffering. Listen for how Moses reacts,
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  Speaker 3: how he speaks honestly with God, and for God's response
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  Speaker 3: to Moses. Let's go now to today's reading.
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  Speaker 2: The doors were as tall as houses. The grand opening
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  Speaker 2: in the throne room of Pharaoh opened with a loud
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  Speaker 2: rumbling as Moses and Aaron entered in with the light
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  Speaker 2: behind them. At the end of the wide hall adorned
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  Speaker 2: with ivory pillars sat Pharaoh upon his throne. Guards and
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  Speaker 2: noblemen of Egypt stood at his side and priests stood
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  Speaker 2: behind him. Moses and Aaron looked up and spoke clearly, saying,
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  Speaker 2: The Lord of Israel has spoken. He has declared, Let
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  Speaker 2: my people go, so they might worship me in the wilderness.
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  Speaker 2: Pharaoh sat motionless and said, Who is this God that
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  Speaker 2: I should obey his voice? I do not know your Lord,
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  Speaker 2: and moreover, I will not let Israel go. Aaron spoke
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  Speaker 2: as a mouthpiece for Moses and said, The God of
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  Speaker 2: the Hebrews has met with us. Allow us to depart
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  Speaker 2: for three days into the wilderness so we can worship
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  Speaker 2: him lest his hand be against us. Pharaoh, irritated by
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  Speaker 2: their very presence, replied to them, Moses and Aaron, why
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  Speaker 2: would you take my slaves away? Get out of my
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  Speaker 2: sight and go back to your own burdens. These people
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  Speaker 2: are mine, and you make them rest from their work.
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  Speaker 2: Moses and Aaron departed. Later that day, Pharaoh ordered to
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  Speaker 2: the foreman to make the Hebrews' work even harder. He
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  Speaker 2: would limit their supplies for work, but continue to give
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  Speaker 2: them the same workload. And he explicitly ordered their work
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  Speaker 2: to be heavier if they cried out to worship their God.
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  Speaker 2: So the people of Israel worked harder, with more beatings
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  Speaker 2: in the heat of the day. Their work became more exhausting,
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  Speaker 2: and their days dragged on longer. They looked at Moses
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  Speaker 2: and Aaron with bloodshot eyes and backs torn apart by whips.
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  Speaker 2: They groaned and said, May the Lord judge you for this.
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  Speaker 2: You have sunk us even lower in the sight of
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  Speaker 2: Pharaoh and his men. You have put a sword in
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  Speaker 2: their hands to kill us. Moses left to go be
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  Speaker 2: with God. Moses' heart ached. He was riddled with guilt
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  Speaker 2: and compassion for the people, and he was mad at
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  Speaker 2: God for not making things easier. O Lord, he cried,
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  Speaker 2: why have you done this to them? Why did you
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  Speaker 2: send me? I have spoken to Pharaoh, but he was
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  Speaker 2: evil to them, and you have done nothing. Moses said
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  Speaker 2: these things with a heavy heart. His soul could barely
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  Speaker 2: take the suffering of his brothers and sisters. God spoke
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  Speaker 2: to Moses, not angrily, but with compassion. He comforted Moses
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  Speaker 2: and said, Moses, watch and see what I will do
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  Speaker 2: to Pharaoh, for he will beg them to leave soon enough.
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  Speaker 2: God's resolve and courage could be felt. His presence was strong.
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  Speaker 2: He spoke again to Moses, saying, I am the Lord.
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  Speaker 2: I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I
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  Speaker 2: am God Almighty. I made my promise to give them
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  Speaker 2: the land of Canaan. I have heard the suffering of
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  Speaker 2: my people and remembered my covenant to them. Moses lifted
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  Speaker 2: his head towards heaven, in awe of God, but in
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  Speaker 2: doubt of himself. God continued and said, Say to my people,
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  Speaker 2: I am the Lord and I will bring you out
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  Speaker 2: from under the burden of Egypt. I will redeem you
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  Speaker 2: with an outstretched arm. By my mighty hand I will
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  Speaker 2: perform acts of judgment on all who take away your freedom.
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  Speaker 2: You are not Pharaoh's people. You are my people. I
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  Speaker 2: will be your God. and you shall know that I
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  Speaker 2: am the Lord of all. As a shepherd leads his sheep,
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  Speaker 2: I will lead you to the land I swore to
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  Speaker 2: your forefathers. I am God. Moses boldly declared this to
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  Speaker 2: the people of Israel, but their ears were closed off
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  Speaker 2: to him. Their spirits were broken by slavery. Tears no
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  Speaker 2: longer filled their eyes. They were crumbled under the heavy
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  Speaker 2: hand of Pharaoh and could no longer feel anything. They
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  Speaker 2: looked at Moses with weary eyes, unable to hope anymore.
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  Speaker 2: This brokenness grieved God. Pharaoh would not go unpunished for
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  Speaker 2: breaking the souls of his children. He turned to Moses
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  Speaker 2: and said, Go back in. Tell Pharaoh to let my
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  Speaker 2: people go. Moses said to God, If the people of
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  Speaker 2: Israel would not even listen to me, what makes you
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  Speaker 2: think Pharaoh will? I am not eloquent or polished with
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  Speaker 2: my words. The Lord's resolve to free his people did
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  Speaker 2: not wane. He charged Moses and Aaron to go forth
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  Speaker 2: and confront Pharaoh. He said, I have made you like
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  Speaker 2: me to Pharaoh, and Aaron is your prophet. Go with
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  Speaker 2: the confidence I give you. Know this. Pharaoh will have
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  Speaker 2: a hard heart, but I will lay my hand on
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  Speaker 2: all of Egypt. My mighty acts will not be ignored.
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  Speaker 2: The Egyptians shall know that I am the one true God,
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  Speaker 2: and my judgment will spread like a wildfire. So Moses
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  Speaker 2: and Aaron left to go before Pharaoh once again.
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  Speaker 3: Today's reading begins at the doors of Pharaoh's palace. God
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  Speaker 3: has sent Moses and his brother Aaron to tell Pharaoh
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  Speaker 3: he wants his children back. Boldly, Moses and Aaron deliver
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  Speaker 3: the familiar words to Pharaoh, let my people go. It
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  Speaker 3: was a bodacious, outlandish request for his Hebrew slaves to
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  Speaker 3: simply be released. God had already told Moses things would
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  Speaker 3: not go well at first. God was going to harden
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  Speaker 3: Pharaoh's heart and he would not relinquish control easily. But
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  Speaker 3: this would ultimately lead to God's power and glory being
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  Speaker 3: seen clearly by all. So Pharaoh refused to let the
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  Speaker 3: people go and told Moses he doesn't even know their God.
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  Speaker 3: The request frustrated him so he made life harder. for
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  Speaker 3: the Hebrew slaves. The people went to Moses and Aaron,
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  Speaker 3: pouring down accusations on them. Why did they bring even
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  Speaker 3: more trouble upon them? Moses knew Pharaoh wouldn't be a
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  Speaker 3: reasonable man. God had prepared him for this outcome, but
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  Speaker 3: that didn't make it easier. We can relate to this.
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  Speaker 3: Jesus told us in this world, we will have trouble.
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  Speaker 3: There will be opposition and persecution and resistance. And sometimes
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  Speaker 3: it is very painful. When that happens, we, like Moses,
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  Speaker 3: can be honest with God and share our deepest hurts
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  Speaker 3: and feelings. When this happens, we can, like Moses, go
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  Speaker 3: before God and share our hurts honestly. God's response is
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  Speaker 3: a lesson for you and me today. Throughout Scripture, we
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  Speaker 3: see people of great faith pouring out their hearts, sometimes
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  Speaker 3: in anger, fear, frustration, even despair. But God is always
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  Speaker 3: the loving Father. And his response is to love us
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  Speaker 3: and to be faithful to us in every situation, that
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  Speaker 3: God will be steadfast, that God will always be with us.
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  Speaker 3: That's what we see here. God was not angry with
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  Speaker 3: Moses for his honesty. He simply reminded Moses of his sovereignty, saying,
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  Speaker 3: I am in control of this situation, and God always
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  Speaker 3: is in control. So then he gave Moses a message
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  Speaker 3: to deliver to his people. God was about to show
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  Speaker 3: Pharaoh just how powerful he is, and he would show
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  Speaker 3: them that they were his children, not Pharaoh's people. What
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  Speaker 3: was to follow would leave no doubt who God is.
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  Speaker 3: He is the one true God, the great I Am. Still,
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  Speaker 3: the spirits of the Hebrews were crushed, so Moses' words
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  Speaker 3: didn't give them much hope or comfort at this point
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  Speaker 3: because they were despondent. Moses doesn't doubt God, but Sometimes
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  Speaker 3: he still doubts himself. His own people have turned against him,
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  Speaker 3: so why would Pharaoh listen? That same insecurity, the same
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  Speaker 3: insecurity that he expressed on the mountain in Midian at
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  Speaker 3: the burning bush, rises up again. I can't do it.
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  Speaker 3: But God answered the same way. He always answers our
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  Speaker 3: fears and doubts. Yes, you can, because I am with you.
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  Speaker 3: Moses and Aaron return to Pharaoh, and the next time
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  Speaker 3: we're going to see what happens. Dear God, we are
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  Speaker 3: so thankful that we can bring you our fears, our frustrations,
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  Speaker 3: our failures, and sometimes even our anger to you. And
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  Speaker 3: yet you are always patient with us and comfort us
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  Speaker 3: and strengthen us because you do not want our spirits
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  Speaker 3: to be crushed. You want to lift us up that
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  Speaker 3: we would be strong in you. Thank you for this
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  Speaker 3: story today, reminding us that you are always powerful and
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  Speaker 3: always present in the power of your great name.
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  Speaker 2: 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 Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download the Pray.com
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• 13:36
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  Speaker 3: into God's life, God's power, God's strength for successful Christian living,
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  Speaker 3: be sure to visit jackgram.org. God bless you.
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  Speaker 1: This episode is sponsored by MediShare, an innovative healthcare solution
• 13:57
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