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From Prison to Palace - The Book of Genesis · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me.
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  Speaker 1: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace. Genesis 41.16
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  Speaker 1: Dear God, through today's reading in Genesis 41, I thank
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  Speaker 1: you that you've given me the keys to any prison
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  Speaker 1: cell I find myself in. Through the keys of obedience,
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  Speaker 1: I thank you that when I use my gifts, my
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  Speaker 1: promotion is within reach. Thank you that, like Joseph, you're
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  Speaker 1: putting me in front of powerful people so that through
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  Speaker 1: your power and ability, I can be used as a
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  Speaker 1: vessel of solutions. I confess that my life will be
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  Speaker 1: a walking billboard for your goodness and faithfulness. As I
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  Speaker 1: reflect on the many times you've come through for me,
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  Speaker 1: I thank you for expanding my future and putting my
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  Speaker 1: life on the fast track. I thank you that all
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  Speaker 1: red tape is being cut when it comes to my destiny.
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  Speaker 1: I declare that open seats of influence are mine because
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  Speaker 1: I choose to honor you in every victory. So I
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  Speaker 1: thank you in advance for promotion, for I know that
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  Speaker 1: my promotion only comes from the Lord. Thank you that
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  Speaker 1: in a moment you take me from prison to a palace.
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  Speaker 1: In Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you for praying with me today.
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  Speaker 1: Continue listening for an incredible Bible story brought to you
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  Speaker 1: by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: From prison to palace. Before this story, we learned about
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  Speaker 2: Joseph's faithfulness in prison. His gifts for interpreting dreams was
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  Speaker 2: shown to Pharaoh's cupbearer and baker in the prison. He
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  Speaker 2: showed them kindness and interpreted their dreams. The cupbearer was
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  Speaker 2: restored to his position with Pharaoh, but the baker was hanged.
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  Speaker 2: The cupbearer forgot Joseph's kindness, and Joseph continued as a prisoner.
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  Speaker 2: Now we learn about Joseph finally being brought out of
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  Speaker 2: prison to help Pharaoh and Joseph's ascent to power, inspired
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  Speaker 2: by the book of Genesis.
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  Speaker 3: I'm so glad you 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, life-changing
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  Speaker 3: Word by sending you my free daily email devotional, PowerPoint, today.
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  Speaker 3: So visit JackGraham.org to sign up for your PowerPoint Today devotional.
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  Speaker 3: That's JackGraham.org. JackGraham.org. In our last time together, we heard
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  Speaker 3: that Joseph interpreted dreams for two fellow prisoners, and both
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  Speaker 3: interpretations happened just as Joseph said. Though one of the
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  Speaker 3: men was hanged just as Joseph foretold, the cupbearer was
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  Speaker 3: released and returned to the palace near to Pharaoh. Though
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  Speaker 3: the man promised to remember Joseph and help him once
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  Speaker 3: he was freed, this cupbearer soon forgot about that promise
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  Speaker 3: and Joseph remained in prison. So today we're going to
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  Speaker 3: pick up with Joseph after two more years had passed
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  Speaker 3: as he is imprisoned. He continued to pray to God
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  Speaker 3: each day and to trust in God for his situation
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  Speaker 3: to change, that the time would soon be right. And yes,
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  Speaker 3: God is about to make it happen. This is what
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  Speaker 3: we'll hear today as the Pharaoh is plagued with a
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  Speaker 3: fearful and confusing dream that would rob him of peace.
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  Speaker 3: Listen as Joseph once again turns focus to the place
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  Speaker 3: where it needs to be and see how God blesses
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  Speaker 3: his faithful obedience, perseverance, and faith. Listen now to find
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  Speaker 3: out what happens.
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  Speaker 2: Two whole years had passed and Joseph continued to faithfully
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  Speaker 2: serve in the prison. That night he prayed to God again,
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  Speaker 2: hoping one day he would be delivered. Miles away, in
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  Speaker 2: the dead of night, Pharaoh writhed in his bed. His
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  Speaker 2: eyes could be seen moving beneath his eyelids, and beads
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  Speaker 2: of sweat dripped from his furrowed brow. Vivid images splashed
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  Speaker 2: around his mind. He dreamed he was standing beside the
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  Speaker 2: Nile River. Out of the water climbed out seven cows, attractive, plump,
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  Speaker 2: and well-fed. Coming from behind them, seven sickly and ghastly
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  Speaker 2: cows emerged, crawling out from the river. Pharaoh watched as
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  Speaker 2: the seven sickly cows violently devoured the healthy cows. The
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  Speaker 2: Nile filled with blood, and Pharaoh awoke screaming. Pharaoh sat
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  Speaker 2: up in his bed. His short breaths could be heard
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  Speaker 2: cutting through the silence like a razor blade. He calmed
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  Speaker 2: himself and slowly drifted back to sleep. Pharaoh found himself
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  Speaker 2: immersed in a dream once again. Only this time, he
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  Speaker 2: was by an empty field. Brilliantly, seven ears of grain
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  Speaker 2: sprouted from the ground and shot into the sky. The
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  Speaker 2: grain was healthy and ripe. Pharaoh was enraptured by the
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  Speaker 2: grain's beauty, when all of the sudden, seven more ears
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  Speaker 2: of blighted grain sprang up like weeds, choking out the
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  Speaker 2: healthy grains. The east wind blew as a tempest, and
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  Speaker 2: the hot air brought Pharaoh to his knees. He awoke
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  Speaker 2: in another panic. In the morning, he called all the
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  Speaker 2: magicians and wise men of Egypt to interrupt his dream.
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  Speaker 2: Yet they tried and failed. Pharaoh continued to be tormented
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  Speaker 2: by what he had seen, not sure why his heart
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  Speaker 2: and mind was consumed by fear. The chief cupbearer saw
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  Speaker 2: Pharaoh's troubled spirit, and it reminded him of the time
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  Speaker 2: he once was troubled with dreams. As he remembered this,
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  Speaker 2: his eyes widened and he gasped, saying, Today I finally
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  Speaker 2: remember my offenses. He turned to Pharaoh and said, When
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  Speaker 2: I was in prison with the baker, we both had
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  Speaker 2: dreams that concerned us. A young Hebrew was there serving,
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  Speaker 2: and he gave us each an interpretation that came true.
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  Speaker 2: Pharaoh sent and called Joseph. and they quickly brought him
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  Speaker 2: out of the pit. Joseph was shaved and given new
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  Speaker 2: clothes before being sent to Pharaoh. Joseph entered the palace doors,
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  Speaker 2: striding with the guards. The palace was more beautiful than
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  Speaker 2: he could ever have imagined. The halls were adorned with jewels,
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  Speaker 2: and the floors hewn from marble and alabaster. Ivory beams
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  Speaker 2: held up the ceiling, and in the center, sitting atop
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  Speaker 2: his throne, stood the most powerful man in the known world.
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  Speaker 2: I have heard you can hear dreams and give their meaning,
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  Speaker 2: he said. His voice was deep, exuding power and nobility
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  Speaker 2: in each breath. Yet behind the powerful voice, Joseph could
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  Speaker 2: sense fear. He had compassion on Pharaoh. It is not me.
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  Speaker 2: Dreams belong to God alone. He will give Pharaoh an answer,
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  Speaker 2: Joseph said. Pharaoh recounted his dreams to Joseph. Every detail
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  Speaker 2: and image was given to him After he was finished speaking,
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  Speaker 2: Joseph sat silent for a moment. He looked up to
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  Speaker 2: the king and spoke with confidence.' Your dreams are one,'
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  Speaker 2: Joseph said.' God has revealed to you his plans.' The
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  Speaker 2: seven good cows and the seven good ears of grain
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  Speaker 2: 'represent seven years of great plenty and flourishing.' The seven
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  Speaker 2: ugly cows and blighted grain 'represent seven years of famine
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  Speaker 2: that will follow.' The famine will wreak havoc and destruction—
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  Speaker 2: If we are not prepared, it will consume the land.
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  Speaker 2: The news troubled Pharaoh, yet he remained silent. He looked
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  Speaker 2: at Joseph with concern beaming from his eyes. Joseph sensed
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  Speaker 2: this and spoke again with confidence. You should select a
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  Speaker 2: wise man among you to take care of the land.
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  Speaker 2: Appoint overseers and take one-fifth of the produce you gain
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  Speaker 2: during the seven good years. Store the grain and save it. Then,
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  Speaker 2: when the famine comes... You will have reserves for your land,
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  Speaker 2: so nobody perishes. Pharaoh's once exhausted face turned bright with hope.
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  Speaker 2: He stepped down from his throne to stand before Joseph.
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  Speaker 2: He was taller than he had imagined. He looked around
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  Speaker 2: the room to his advisors and said, Can we find
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  Speaker 2: a man like this who has the Spirit of God?
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  Speaker 2: He smiled and looked at Joseph. Since your God has
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  Speaker 2: shown you all this, there is no one else better
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  Speaker 2: fit for the job. You shall be head over all
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  Speaker 2: my people, and they will all obey your command. Other
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  Speaker 2: than me, nobody will be greater. Listen and look. I
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  Speaker 2: have set you as head over all Egypt. Then Pharaoh
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  Speaker 2: took his signet ring and put it on Joseph's hand,
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  Speaker 2: and clothed him in garments of fine linen, and put
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  Speaker 2: a gold chain up his neck. Joseph was reminded of
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  Speaker 2: the robe his father once gave him. Pharaoh went into
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  Speaker 2: the city with Joseph, having him ride his second chariot.
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  Speaker 2: As they passed through the city, people cried out, Bow
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  Speaker 2: and kneel! Pharaoh smiled and said to Joseph, No one
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  Speaker 2: shall move without your consent. You are their leader. And
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  Speaker 2: Pharaoh renamed him Zaphonath-Paneah. And he gave him in marriage Asenath,
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  Speaker 2: the daughter of Potipharah, priest of On. Joseph once again
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  Speaker 2: found himself lifted from a pit into the blessings of God.
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  Speaker 2: Joseph ruled the land with the same care as Potiphar's
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  Speaker 2: house in the prison. Favor followed Joseph, and the entire
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  Speaker 2: country of Egypt was grateful for him. Joseph, The young man,
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  Speaker 2: once rejected by his own brothers, found himself beloved by
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  Speaker 2: an entire nation.
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  Speaker 3: Day after day, Joseph prays that he would be delivered
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  Speaker 3: from prison. And even after praying for two years, he
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  Speaker 3: does not give up hope. He continued to faithfully serve
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  Speaker 3: God in the prison and those in the prison, giving
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  Speaker 3: comfort to prisoners who would cross paths with him. He had,
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  Speaker 3: as the scripture says, a most excellent spirit. So Joseph
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  Speaker 3: is doing enthusiastically what he was assigned to do. And
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  Speaker 3: he pointed people to his ever faithful God, the one
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  Speaker 3: true God of Abraham and Isaac and his father Jacob.
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  Speaker 3: Then suddenly the winds of change blow. As Pharaoh lies
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  Speaker 3: in bed, he dreams a dream that greatly disturbs him,
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  Speaker 3: a terrible dream. Dreams of good and bad cows and grain,
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  Speaker 3: each in groups of seven, half good and followed by
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  Speaker 3: half bad. Now Pharaoh himself considered himself a god, was
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  Speaker 3: worshipped as a god on earth, but he nor his
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  Speaker 3: magicians and wise men could make heads or tails of
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  Speaker 3: these crazy visions. It's no surprise that when the Pharaoh
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  Speaker 3: is troubled, all the palace is upset. And so word
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  Speaker 3: reaches the cupbearer, the same man who forgot about Joseph
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  Speaker 3: two years ago after Joseph helped to get him out
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  Speaker 3: of prison by interpreting his dream. But then the man remembers,
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  Speaker 3: the cupbearer remembers that he has forgotten Joseph. So he
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  Speaker 3: tells Pharaoh his story, crediting Joseph for his ability to
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  Speaker 3: interpret difficult dreams. So Joseph is then called by Pharaoh,
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  Speaker 3: and Pharaoh wants to know what Joseph thinks about his dreams. Joseph,
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  Speaker 3: just as he did previously, does not take credit for himself. Instead,
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  Speaker 3: he says it is God, the one true God, who
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  Speaker 3: can give Pharaoh the answer that he's looking for. And
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  Speaker 3: here's the meaning of the dream. Egypt will experience seven
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  Speaker 3: years of abundance and then seven years of famine. Now,
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  Speaker 3: this is heavy and hurtful news, and Pharaoh is unsure
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  Speaker 3: as to what he is to do. But Joseph, still
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  Speaker 3: empowered with the wisdom of God, he keeps telling Pharaoh
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  Speaker 3: what he needs to do to prepare for a coming famine.
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  Speaker 3: He is so thorough in his plan given to him
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  Speaker 3: by God that Pharaoh puts him in charge of enacting it.
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  Speaker 3: So now Joseph has moved from the prison to the palace.
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  Speaker 3: In an instant, Joseph finds the freedom for which he
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  Speaker 3: has prayed and trusted God for so long. Not just
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  Speaker 3: the freedom of being the second highest position in all
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  Speaker 3: of Egypt, for he was actually named the prime minister.
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  Speaker 3: Joseph has now moved by God's grace and power from
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  Speaker 3: the prison to the palace. Isn't that the way with
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  Speaker 3: you and me so many times when we hold fast
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  Speaker 3: to God's promises and wait patiently for him? Then he
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  Speaker 3: does things in our lives beyond what we could have expected.
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  Speaker 3: He does them suddenly, often, and we are in a
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  Speaker 3: place that we had prayed for all along. Joseph is
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  Speaker 3: no longer a prisoner. He is the prime minister of Egypt.
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  Speaker 3: He is a man who in all of Egypt the
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  Speaker 3: Egyptians respected and obeyed him. Other than Pharaoh himself, there
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  Speaker 3: was no one more powerful than this Hebrew man, Joseph.
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  Speaker 3: He's now 30 years of age, and he realizes that
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  Speaker 3: God has delivered him and fulfilled the dreams of his heart. Still,
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  Speaker 3: Joseph does not forget that the real power lies with God,
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  Speaker 3: the God that he serves, the God who was with
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  Speaker 3: him in the pit when his brothers betrayed him, the
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  Speaker 3: God who was with him in Potiphar's house when Potiphar's
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  Speaker 3: wife falsely accused him, the God who was with him
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  Speaker 3: in prison, and now the God who is with him
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  Speaker 3: in the palace. It's truly one of the great comeback stories,
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  Speaker 3: great stories of the Bible. So the question is, now
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  Speaker 3: that he is in the palace, will he serve God?
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  Speaker 3: Will he continue to be God's man in Egypt? And
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  Speaker 3: will he bring about not only the rescue of Egypt
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  Speaker 3: from a famine, but will he be faithful to his God?
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  Speaker 3: And what to do about those brothers who more than
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  Speaker 3: a decade ago conspired to hurt him, to harm him,
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  Speaker 3: and even to kill him. We're going to find out
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  Speaker 3: what happens with those brothers in the next episode. Dear God,
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  Speaker 3: like Joseph, we pray that we will wait patiently for you.
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  Speaker 3: In our circumstances, knowing that sometimes you're not trying to
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  Speaker 3: change our circumstances, but you're changing us. Thank you for,
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  Speaker 3: in your own time, in your own way, fulfilling your
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  Speaker 3: purpose and plan. for our lives, knowing that suddenly in
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  Speaker 3: your timing, in your perfect plan, your story and our
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  Speaker 3: lives will be fulfilled. In Jesus' name we pray. 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
• 15:57
  Speaker 3: every single day. So visit JackGraham.org to sign up for
• 16:01
  Speaker 3: your PowerPoint Today devotional. That's JackGraham.org.