Latest / 1 Year Audio Bible Podcast / Bring Home the Prodigal | Isaiah’s Promise for Wandering Sons & Daughters (Sep 26)

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Bring Home the Prodigal | Isaiah’s Promise for Wandering Sons & Daughters (Sep 26) · 1 Year Audio Bible Podcast

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Do you have a son or a daughter
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who's walked away from God, who's wandered away
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from the Lord, and who seemingly is having a love affair with the
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world? Is there someone you're standing in the gap
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for as you intercede and you pray and you cry
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out to God for that person to return to Christ?
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Beloved, I have good news for you. In today's
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passage in Isaiah 49, we are going to unpack some
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promises that God has concerning our sons
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and daughters who've wandered away from God.
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We're going to unpack them and we're going to pray them. Don't miss
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it. Welcome to the Daily Audio Torah. Today is
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September 26th. Now let's continue our journey
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reading through the entire Bible in one year. This week we are reading from the
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New Living Translation. For the Old Testament and
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for the New Testament.
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Isaiah 48:12-50:11.
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Listen to me, O family of Jacob, Israel my
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chosen one. I alone am God, the first and the
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last. It was my hand that laid the foundations of the earth.
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The palm of my right hand spread out the heavens above. I spoke
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and they came into being. Have any of your idols
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ever told you this? Come, all of you, and listen.
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The Lord has chosen Cyrus as his ally. He will use him to
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put an end to the empire of Babylon, destroying the Babylonian armies.
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I have said it. I am calling Cyrus. I will
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send him on this errand and will help him succeed. Come closer
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and listen. I have always told you plainly what
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would happen so you would have no trouble understanding.
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And now the Sovereign Lord and his Spirit have sent me with his message.
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The Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, says,
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I am the Lord your God who teaches you what is good and
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leads you along the paths you should follow. Oh,
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that you had listened to my commands! Then you would have had
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peace flowing like a gentle river and righteousness rolling
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like waves. Then you would have become as numerous
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as the sands along the seashore— too many to count! There would
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have been no need for your destruction. Yet even now, be free
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from your captivity! Leave Babylon and the Babylonians,
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singing as you go. Shout to the ends of the earth that
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the Lord has redeemed His servants, the people of Israel!
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They were not thirsty when He led them through the desert. He divided the
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rock and water gushed out for them to drink. But there is no peace for
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the wicked, says the Lord. Listen to Me, all of you in far-off
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lands. The Lord called Me before My birth.
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From within the womb He called Me by Name.
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He made my words of judgment as sharp as a sword.
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He has hidden me in the shadow of His hand. I am like
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a sharp arrow in His quiver.
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He said to me, You are My servant, Israel, and you will bring Me
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glory. I replied, But my work all seems
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so useless. I have spent my strength for nothing and
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to no purpose at all. Yet I leave it all in the hands of
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the Lord. I will trust God for my reward. And now
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the Lord speaks, He who formed me in my mother's womb to
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be His servant, who commissioned me to bring His people
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of Israel back to Him. The Lord has honored me, and my
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God has given me strength. He says, You will do more than
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restore the people of Israel to Me. I will make you a light to
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the Gentiles, and you will bring My salvation to the ends
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of the earth. The Lord,
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the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel, says to the one who is despised
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and rejected by a nation, to the one who is the servant of rulers: Kings
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will stand at attention when you pass by; princes
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will bow low because the Lord has chosen you. He,
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the faithful Lord, the Holy One of Israel, chooses you.
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This is what the Lord says: At just the right time I
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will respond to you. On the day of salvation I will help you.
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I will give you as a token and pledge to
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Israel. This will prove that I will re-establish the land of Israel
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and reassign it to its own people again. Through you I
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am saying to the prisoners of darkness, come out!
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I am giving you your freedom. They will be my sheep
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grazing in green pastures and on hills
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that were previously bare.
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They will neither hunger nor thirst. The searing sun and
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scorching desert winds will not reach them anymore,
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for the Lord in his mercy will lead them beside cool
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waters, and I will make my mountains into level paths
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for them. The highways will be raised above the valleys.
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See, my people will return from far away,
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from lands to the north and west, and from as far south
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as Egypt. Sing for joy,
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O heavens! Rejoice, O earth! Burst into
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song, O mountains! For the Lord has comforted
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his people and will have compassion on them in their sorrow.
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Yet Jerusalem says, the Lord has deserted us,
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the Lord has forgotten us. Never!
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Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no
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love for a child she has borne? But even if that were possible,
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I would not forget you. See, I have written your
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name on my hand. Ever before me is a picture
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of Jerusalem's walls and ruins. Soon your descendants
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will come back, and all who are trying to destroy you will go away.
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Look and see, for all your children will come back to you.
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As surely as I live, says the Lord,
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they will be like jewels or bridal ornaments for
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you to display.
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Even the most desolate parts of your abandoned land will
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soon be crowded with your people. Your enemies
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who enslaved you will be far away. The generations
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born in exile will return and say, we need more room,
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it's crowded here. Then you will think to yourself,
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who has given me all these descendants?
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For most of my children were killed, and the rest were carried
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away into exile. I was left here all alone.
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Who bore these children? Who raised them for Me?
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This is what the Sovereign Lord says: See,
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I will give a signal to the godless nations. They will carry
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your little sons back to you in their arms.
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They will bring your daughters on their shoulders. Kings and
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queens will serve you. They will care for all
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your needs. They will bow to the earth before you and lick
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the dust from your feet. Then you will know that
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I am the Lord. Those who wait for me will never
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be put to shame.
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Who can snatch the plunder of war from the hands of a warrior?
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Who can demand that a tyrant let his captives
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go? But the Lord says, the captives of warriors
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will be released,
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and the plunder of tyrants will be retrieved. For I
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will fight those who fight you, and I will save your children.
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I will feed your enemies with their own flesh. They will
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be drunk with rivers of their own blood.
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All the world will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior and Redeemer,
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the Mighty One of Israel.
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The Lord asks, did I sell you as slaves to my creditors?
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Is that why you are not here? Is your mother gone because I divorced
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her and sent her away? No, you went away as captives because
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of your sins, and your mother too was taken because of your sins.
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Was I too weak to save you? Is that why
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the house is silent and empty when I come home? Is it
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because I have no power to rescue? No, that is
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not the reason, for I can speak to the sea and make it dry,
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I can turn rivers into deserts covered with dying fish.
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I am the one who sends darkness out across the skies, bringing it
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to a state of mourning. The Sovereign Lord has
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given me his words of wisdom so that I know what to say to
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all these weary ones. Morning by morning he wakens
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me and opens my understanding to his will.
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The Sovereign Lord has spoken to me and I have listened.
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I do not rebel or turn away. I give my back to
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those who beat me and my cheeks to those who pull out my
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beard. I do not hide from shame, for they mock me and spit
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in my face. Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not
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be dismayed. Therefore, I have set my face like a
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stone, determined to do his will, and I know that I will
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triumph. He who gives me justice is near.
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Who will dare to oppose me now? Where are my enemies?
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Let them appear. See, the Sovereign Lord is on my side.
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Who will declare me guilty? All my enemies will be destroyed
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like old clothes that have been eaten by moths.
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Who among you fears the Lord and obeys his servant?
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If you are walking in darkness without a ray of light,
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trust in the Lord. And rely on your God.
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But watch out, you who live in your own light and
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warm yourselves by your own fires!
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This is the reward you will receive from Me: you will
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soon lie down in great torment.
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Ephesians 4:17-32.
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With the Lord's authority, let me, Paul, say this:
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Live no longer as the ungodly do, for they
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are hopelessly confused. Their closed minds are full
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of darkness. They are far away from the life of God
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because they have shut their minds and hardened their hearts against Him.
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They don't care anymore about right and wrong, and they
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have given themselves over to immoral ways. Their lives are
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filled with all kinds of impurity and greed. But that
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isn't what you were taught when you learned about Christ.
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Since you have heard all about Him and have learned the truth that
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is in Jesus, throw off your old nature and your
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former way of life.
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Which is rotten through and through, full of lust and
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deception. Instead, there must be
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a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes.
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You must display a new nature because you
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are a new person created in God's likeness— righteous,
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holy, and true. So put away all
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falsehood and tell your neighbor the truth, because we belong
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to each other. And don't sin by letting anger gain control
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over you. Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry,
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for anger gives a mighty foothold to
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the devil. If you are a thief, stop stealing.
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Begin using your hands for honest work, and then give generously
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to others in need. Don't use foul or
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abusive language. Let everything you say be
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good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement
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to those who hear them. And do not bring sorrow
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to God's Holy Spirit by the way you live.
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Remember, he is the one who has identified you as his own,
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guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.
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Get rid of all bitterness, rage,
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anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as
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all types of malicious behavior. Instead, be kind to each other,
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tenderhearted, forgiving one another just as God through Christ
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has forgiven you.
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Psalm 69:1-18.
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Save me, O God, for the floodwaters are up to my neck.
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Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire. I can't find
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a foothold to stand on. I am in deep water and the floods overwhelm
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me. I am exhausted from crying for help.
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My throat is parched and dry. My eyes are swollen
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with weeping, waiting for my God to help me.
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Those who hate me without cause are more numerous than
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the hairs on my head. These enemies who seek
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to destroy me are doing so without cause. They attacked
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me with lies, demanding that I give back what I didn't steal.
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O God, You know how foolish I am. My sins cannot
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be hidden from You. Don't let those who trust in You stumble
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because of me. O Sovereign Lord Almighty, don't let
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me cause them to be humiliated. O God of Israel,
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for I am mocked and shamed for Your sake.
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Humiliation is written all over my face. Even my
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brothers pretend they don't know me; they treat me like
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a stranger. Passion for Your house burns within
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me, so those who insult You are also insulting me.
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When I weep and fast before the Lord, they scoff at me.
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When I dress in sackcloth to show sorrow, they make fun of me.
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I am the favorite topic of town gossip, and all
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the drunkards sing about me. But I keep right
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on praying to You, Lord, hoping this is the time You will show me favor.
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In Your unfailing love, O God, answer my prayer with
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Your sure salvation. Pull me out of the mud. Don't let me
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sink any deeper. Rescue me from those who hate me and
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pull me from these deep waters. Don't let the
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floods overwhelm me, or the deep waters swallow me,
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or the pit of death devour me. Answer my prayers,
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O Lord, for your unfailing love is wonderful.
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Turn and take care of me, for your mercy is
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so plentiful. Don't hide from your servant.
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Answer me quickly, for I am in deep trouble.
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Come and rescue me. Free me from all my
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enemies.
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Proverbs 24: 5 and 6.
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A wise man is mightier than a strong man, and a man of knowledge
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is more powerful than a strong man. So don't go
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to war without wise guidance. Victory depends on having many
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counselors.
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I want to speak to you today from our reading from Jeremiah
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chapter 49. And I want to begin with a piercing,
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penetrating question.
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Do any of you have grown children who
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have wandered away from the Lord,
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who are prodigal sons or prodigal daughters?
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If you can relate to that, there is such a deep grief
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and a sorrow and a mother or a father's heart
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when they have a grown child who has wandered away from Jesus.
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And it, it's just a grief that's
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hard to bear. But I have good news for you today, my friend.
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We read a passage in Jeremiah chapter 49
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that we're going to turn into a prayer that
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God will hear. We will pray this prayer, and it will be a
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prayer that is bullseye, right on the mark.
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I am going to start in verse 14, and the
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context for this is Jerusalem
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and the inhabitants of Jerusalem have gone into exile.
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They are taken away to Babylon, And now they're in
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exile, and many of them, their children,
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their sons and daughters have been sold into slavery, and they're separated
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from their sons and their daughters, and they are so dejected and
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rejected and forlorn, and they feel forgotten and
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deserted and abandoned and rejected.
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And so I'm reading now from Jeremiah chapter 49,
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starting in verse 14. Yet Jerusalem or Zion says,
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the Lord has deserted us. The Lord has
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forgotten us. That's how they feel. But you cannot go
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based upon your emotions and your feelings. Your emotions and
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feelings can be very deceptive. You may feel what you're feeling,
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but it's not the truth.
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So God answers this emotional cry with the truth
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in verse 15. He says, never!
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Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she
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feel no love for a child she has borne? But even
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if that were possible, I would not forget you.
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See, I have written your name on my hand.
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Ever before me is a picture of Jerusalem's walls in
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ruins. Soon Your descendants
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will come back, and all who are trying
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to destroy you will go away. Look and
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see, for all your children will come back
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to you. As surely as I live, says the Lord,
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they will be like jewels or bridal ornaments for
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you to display.
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Now I want to jump into the New King James Version,
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starting in Isaiah 49:20. The children you
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will have after you have lost the
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others will say again in your ears, this place is
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too small for me. Give me a place where I may
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dwell. And so
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this is a promise, a rich promise, and there are layers
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or levels of meaning that we can unpack.
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Now, at the national level concerning Israel,
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concerning the Jewish people, they were scattered to all the
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nations, and this is a promise that God is going to
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regather them, bring them back to the land, and their
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sons and daughters are going to literally be carried on the shoulders of
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the Gentiles as they bring them back home to Israel. So that's
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true. And that is an application and a truth for the nation
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and the people of Israel. But it's also true that we can take
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it at a personal application level, that the children
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that you have lost, what He's
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saying here is that we can pray and He's going to hear our prayer.
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So I'm going to just turn this into a prayer starting in verse 17.
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Lord, You know each person who is listening to
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this particular lesson today. You know
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the names of our children who have
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wandered far away from You, who are having
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a love affair with the world, and there is no room in that world for
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Jesus. We turn this Scripture
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passage into a prayer, a heart's cry,
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an impassioned plea. Father,
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Your Word says, and it is— Your Word is
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true. And when we pray the Word of God, we can hit the
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mark bullseye because we are in total alignment with
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Your will. So we pray, Father,
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Your Word says soon Your
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descendants will come back and all who are trying
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to destroy you will go away. And we pray in verse
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18, look and see, for all your children— and
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we name them in our heart, we name our children— they
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will come back to you. As surely as I live, says the
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Lord, they will be like jewels or bridal ornaments for you to
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display. We pray that as our heart's prayer,
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heart's cry today. We pray Isaiah chapter 49,
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verse 20, children that we have and
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that we have lost, children that we will have
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and others that we have lost, others will again
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say in our ears, this place is too
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small for me. Give me a place where I may dwell. So Father,
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whatever that looks like, however that plays out,
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if You are to give us spiritual children,
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that we can mentor and guide and coach and take
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under our wing. If You give us spiritual sons and
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daughters in the place of the biological
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ones who have turned their back upon You, however You
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want to do that, Lord, we just pray that You will fulfill Your
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good Word. We pray for the salvation
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of our lost loved ones who are far from You.
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And we pray, Lord, that You will orchestrate circumstances in their
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lives to reveal Yourself to
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them, to show them who You are,
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and that they will cry out to You, that they
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will no longer be self-sufficient and standing
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in pride or arrogance or standing in their comfortableness
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or their complacency. But Lord, wake them up,
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shake them up, bring them to
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the end of themselves,
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and let them come to you. Let them come to the cross.
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Let them recognize and acknowledge
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and confess, I am a sinner, I need
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a Savior. Rescue me, save me,
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Redeem me. Father, we cry out to You for
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lost souls today, and we
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pray that You would fulfill Your good Word that says that
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our descendants will come back and that
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our children will come back and that our children
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will be like jewels and bridal ornaments for You to
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display.
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I pray all of these things now in
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the name of Jesus. Amen.
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Yeah, yeah,
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yeah.
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The Aaronic Blessing from Numbers chapter 6,
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24 to 26.
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Adonai bless you and keep you.
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Adonai make his face to shine upon you and be
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gracious to you. Adonai lift up his countenance upon
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you and give you peace.