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April 4 - What We Choose to Hear · 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, April 4th.
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  Who you walk with matters. We like to think we are
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  completely independent, that no one really affects us that much,
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  that we can be around anything and still remain unchanged.
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  But that is rarely true. The people around us shape our
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  tone, our standards, our choices, and even our desires.
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  Proverbs chapter 13 verses 19 to 20 says whoever walks with the
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  wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer
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  harm. That is both a promise and a
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  warning. Psalm chapter 39 verse one shows
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  David saying I will guard my ways that I may not sin with my
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  tongue. And in Mark chapter 4, verse 13,
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  Jesus challenges his disciples to understand what He is
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  teaching them. All of that points to one truth.
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  Influence is powerful. The people you spend the most
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  time with affect how you think and how you live.
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  If you are constantly around negativity, gossip,
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  carelessness, or compromise, you will feel that pull.
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  If you are around humility, wisdom, prayer, and truth, that
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  will shape you too. You become more like what you
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  stay close to. This matters especially when
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  life feels lonely or when peer pressure is strong.
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  Sometimes we hold on to unhealthy friendships because we
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  are afraid of being left out. Sometimes we silence our
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  convictions because we do not want to seem different.
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  But God does not call you to blend in at the cost of your
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  soul. He calls you to walk wisely.
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  And wisdom is not just about avoiding bad company.
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  It is also about actively seeking good company.
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  Find people who make you want to speak with more grace, live with
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  more integrity, and trust God more deeply.
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  Find people who will not just celebrate you, but also
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  challenge you when you are drifting.
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  The crowd around you is helping form the person you are
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  becoming, so be intentional. Not everyone deserves access to
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  your inner life. Walk with the wise.
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  Stay close to those who help you hear Jesus more clearly.
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  Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for
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  caring about every part of my life, even the relationships
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  around me. Give me wisdom to recognize who
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  is influencing me and courage to choose company that helps me
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  grow. Guard my words, my heart, and my
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  mind when I am under pressure. Lead me toward friendships and
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  mentors that strengthen my faith and help me walk in Your truth
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  in Jesus name, Amen. What if you could rise up and
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  declare with full spiritual authority, I shall not die, but
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  live? Death Defeated is a powerful
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  confront premature death, break demonic cycles, and enforce
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  God's covenant of life over their destiny and household.
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  Book 1, Deliverance from Death, breaks chains of premature death
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  and generational attacks. Book 2, Destruction of Death's
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  Devices, exposes hidden traps and dismantles the enemy
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  schemes. Book three, Divine Defense
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  against Death, activates supernatural protection and
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  divine preservation. Book 4, Disarming the Destroyer,
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  overthrows deadly assaults and silences the spirit of
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  destruction. Book 5, Dominion over Death,
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  establishes resurrection authority, victorious living,
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  and destiny fulfillment in Christ.
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  This series equips you with Scripture anchored prophetic
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  prayers to reject fear, cancel dark decrees, and walk in divine
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  preservation. Order now on Amazon or visit
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  prayerscripts.org. 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 13 verses 19 to 20 World English Bible Longing
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  fulfilled is sweet to the soul, But fools detest turning from
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  evil. One who walks with wise men
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  grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.
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  Psalm Chapter 39 World English Bible for the chief musician for
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  Jettathan, A Psalm by David. I said I will watch my ways so
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  that I don't sin with my tongue. I will keep my mouth with a
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  bridle while the wicked is before me.
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  I was mute with silence I held my peace.
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  Even from good my sorrow was stirred.
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  My heart was hot within me. While I meditated, the fire
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  burned. I spoke with my tongue.
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  Yahweh, show me my end. What is the measure of my days?
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  Let me know how frail I am. Behold, you have made my day's
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  hand widths. My lifetime is as nothing before
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  you. Surely every man stands as a
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  breath. Selah.
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  Surely every man walks like a shadow.
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  Surely they busy themselves in vain.
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  He heaps up and doesn't know Who shall gather now.
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  Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in you.
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  Deliver me from all my transgressions.
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  Don't make me the reproach of the foolish.
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  I was mute. I didn't open my mouth because
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  you did it. Remove your scourge away from
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  me. I am overcome by the blow of
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  your hand. When you rebuke and correct man
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  for iniquity, you consume his wealth like a moth.
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  Surely every man is but a breath.
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  Selah. Hear my prayer, Yahweh, and give
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  ear to my cry. Don't be silent at my tears, for
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  I am a stranger with you, a foreigner, as all my father's
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  were. O spare me that I may recover
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  strength before I go away and exist no more.
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  Mark Chapter 4 World English Bible Again he began to teach by
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  the seaside. A great multitude was gathered
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  to him, so that he entered into a boat in the sea and sat down.
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  All the multitude were on the land by the sea.
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  He taught them many things in parables, and told them in his
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  teaching, Listen. Behold, the farmer went out to
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  sow. As he sowed, some seed fell by
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  the road, and the birds came and devoured it.
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  Others fell on the rocky ground where it had little soil, and
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  immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil.
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  When the sun had risen it was scorched, and because it had no
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  root it withered away. Others fell among the thorns,
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  and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no
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  fruit. Others fell into the good ground
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  and yielded fruit growing up and increasing.
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  Some produced 30 times, some 60 times, and some 100 times as
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  much. He said whoever has ears to
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  hear, let him hear. When he was alone.
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  Those who were around him with the 12 asked him about the
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  parables. He said to them, to you is given
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  the mystery of God's Kingdom, but to those who are outside,
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  all things are done in parables, that seeing they may see and not
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  perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand, lest
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  perhaps they should turn again and their sins should be
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  forgiven them. He said to them, Don't you
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  understand this parable? How will you understand all of
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  the parables? The farmer sews the Word.
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  The ones by the road are the ones where the word is sown, and
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  when they have heard, immediately Satan comes and
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  takes away the word which has been sewn in them.
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  These, in the same way, are those who are sewn on the rocky
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  places, who, when they have heard the word, immediately
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  receive it with joy. They have no root in themselves,
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  but are short lived. When oppression or persecution
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  arises because of the word, immediately they stumble.
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  Others are those who are sewn among the thorns.
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  These are those who have heard the word and the cares of this
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  age, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other
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  things entering and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
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  Those which were sown on the good ground are those who hear
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  the word, accept it, and bear fruit.
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  Some 30 times, some 60 times, and some 100 times.
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  He said to them, is a lamp brought to be put under a basket
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  or under a bed? Isn't it put on a stand?
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  For there is nothing hidden except that it should be made
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  known. Neither was anything made
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  secret, but that it should come to light.
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  If any man has ears to hear, let him hear.
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  He said to them, Take heed what you hear.
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  With whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to
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  you, and more will be given to you who hear.
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  For whoever has to him more will be given, and he who doesn't
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  have even that which he has will be taken away from him.
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  He said God's Kingdom is as if a man should cast seed on the
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  earth and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed
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  should spring up and grow, though he doesn't know how.
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  For the earth bears fruit by itself, first the blade, then
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  the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
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  But when the fruit is ripe, immediately he puts in the
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  sickle, because the harvest has come.
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  He said, how will we like in God's Kingdom, or with what
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  parable will we illustrate it? It's like a grain of mustard
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  seed, which when it is sown in the earth, though it is less
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  than all the seeds that are on the earth, yet when it is sown
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  grows up and becomes greater than all the herbs, and puts out
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  great branches, so that the birds of the sky can lodge under
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  its shadow. With many such parables he spoke
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  the word to them as they were able to hear it.
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  Without a parable, he didn't speak to them, but privately to
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  his own disciples he explained everything.
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  On that day. When evening had come, he said
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  to them, Let's go over to the other side.
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  Leaving the multitude, they took him with them.
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  Even as he was in the boat, other small boats were also with
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  him. A big windstorm arose and the
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  waves beat into the boat so much that the boat was already
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  filled. He himself was in the stern,
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  asleep on the cushion, and they woke him up and asked him,
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  Teacher, don't you care that we are dying?
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  He awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, Peace be
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  still. The wind ceased and there was a
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  great calm. He said to them, why are you so
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  afraid? How is it that you have no
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  faith? They were greatly afraid and
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  said to one another, Who then is this, that even the wind and the
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  sea obey Him? Thanks for joining us on Bible
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  Chat, where Scripture meets everyday life.
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  conversation. Until next time, stay rooted in
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  truth, anchored in hope, and walking daily with Jesus.