January 18 – Guardrails for the Heart

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Welcome to Bible Chat, where we
have devotional conversations

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rooted in Scripture and relevant
for today, January 18th.

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Guardrails for the heart.
Have you ever watched a car

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slowly drift out of its lane
because the driver was

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distracted?
Nothing dramatic at first, just

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a slight swerve, but if it keeps
going unchecked, it can lead to

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a crash.
That’s a picture of what can

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happen in our hearts.
We don’t usually wake up one day

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and decide to walk away from
God.

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It happens little by little when
distractions pile up, when

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compromise feels easier, and
when we stop paying attention to

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the direction we’re headed.
Proverbs chapter 4, verse 27

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gives us a clear and loving
warning.

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Do not swerve to the right or to
the left.

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Turn your foot away from evil.
God isn’t trying to restrict

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you.
He’s protecting you like

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guardrails on a dangerous Rd.
His wisdom keeps you from

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drifting into places that can
cost you peace, clarity, and

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closeness with Him.
Staying steady doesn’t mean life

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is boring, It means your heart
is guarded.

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But Jesus takes this even
deeper.

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In Matthew chapter 15, He says
this people honors me with their

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lips, but their heart is far
from me.

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Those words hit hard because
they remind us that it’s

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possible to look spiritual on
the outside while being distant

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on the inside.
You can say the right things,

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sing the songs, post the verses,
and still have a heart that’s

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slowly drifting away.
God isn’t impressed by

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appearances.
He wants closeness.

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He wants honesty.
He wants your heart, not just

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your habits.
Psalm 8 brings an unexpected

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encouragement into this
conversation.

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Verse 2 says out of the mouth of
babies and infants.

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You have established strength
because of your foes to steal

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the enemy and the avenger.
God uses voices the world

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overlooks to display His
strength.

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That means your words matter.
Your praise matters, your

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obedience matters.
No matter how small or unnoticed

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it feels when your heart is
surrendered, God can use even

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quiet faith to push back
darkness.

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Guarding your heart means
checking your direction

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regularly.
It means asking where am I

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drifting?
What’s pulling at my attention?

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What’s shaping my desires?
God’s guardrails aren’t there to

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trap you.
They’re there to keep you steady

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when the road gets rough and the
noise gets loud.

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You don’t have to be perfect to
walk closely with God.

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You just have to be honest and
willing.

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When your heart stays
surrendered, your steps stay

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steady.
And when your heart stays close

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to Him, your life reflects Him
more than you realize.

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Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, I don’t want to

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just say the right things.
I want my heart to be close to

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You.
Help me stay on the path You’ve

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set before me and keep me from
drifting away.

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Guard my heart from distractions
and compromise and teach me to

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use my words to honor you.
Strengthen me when I feel pulled

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in different directions and
remind me that a surrendered

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heart is what you desire most in
Jesus name, Amen.

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What if the ache you feel for
more is actually God calling you

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deeper?
Thirst for God is a powerful

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Seven Book prayer Scripts series
inspired by Psalm 63, created

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for believers who refuse to live
on spiritual leftovers.

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This is a journey from longing
to encounter, from dryness to

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delight.
Seek teaches you how to pursue

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God with passion and
intentionality.

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Savor trains your heart to
recognize and enjoy His presence

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in every season.
See opens your spiritual eyes to

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God’s power, glory, and beauty
at work in your life.

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Satisfy leads your soul into
fullness, strength, and deep

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contentment in Him alone.
Sing ignites joy, gratitude, and

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worship that rises naturally
from intimacy with God.

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Stay anchors your heart in
steadfast devotion when

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distractions try to pull you
away, and Stand equips you to

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remain firm in God’s justice,
protection, and victory.

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With over 210 prophetic
Scripture anchored prayers, this

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series helps you cultivate daily
communion, personal revival, and

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a lifestyle of holy pursuit.
If you’re spiritually hungry,

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weary, or simply longing for
more of God, this is your

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invitation to drink deeply.
Order Thirst for God on Amazon

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today or visit prayerscripts.org
and begin your journey into

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deeper intimacy with the God who
satisfies.

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Now I invite you to spend time
with God in today’s three-year

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Bible reading plan.
Proverbs chapter 4, verses 24 to

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27 World English Bible Put away
from yourself a perverse mouth.

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Put corrupt lips far from you.
Let your eyes look straight

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ahead.
Fix your gaze directly before

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you.
Make the path of your feet

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level.
Let all of your ways be

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established.
Don’t turn to the right hand nor

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to the left.
Remove your foot from evil.

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Psalm Chapter 8 World English
Bible for the chief musician on

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an instrument of Gath, A Psalm
by David.

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Yahweh our Lord, how majestic is
your name in all the earth.

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You have set your glory above
the heavens from the lips of

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babes and infants.
You have established strength

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because of your adversaries,
that you might silence the enemy

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and the avenger.
When I consider your heavens,

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the work of your fingers, the
moon and the stars which you

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have ordained, what is man that
you think of Him?

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What is the Son of Man that you
care for Him?

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For You have made him a little
lower than the angels and

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crowned him with glory and
honor.

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You make Him ruler over the
works of your hands.

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You have put all things under
His feet, all sheep and cattle,

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yes, and the animals of the
field, the birds of the sky, the

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fish of the sea, and whatever
passes through the paths of the

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Seas.
Yahweh our Lord, how majestic is

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your name in all the earth.
Matthew chapter 15 World English

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Bible.
Then Pharisees and scribes came

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to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying,
Why do your disciples disobey

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the tradition of the elders?
For they don’t wash their hands

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when they eat bread.
He answered them.

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Why do you also disobey the
commandment of God?

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Because of your tradition.
For God commanded honor your

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father and your mother, and he
who speaks evil of father or

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mother, let him be put to death.
But you say, whoever may tell

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his father or his mother,
whatever help you might

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otherwise have gotten from me,
is a gift devoted to God.

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He shall not honor his father or
mother.

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You have made the commandment of
God void because of your

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tradition, you hypocrites.
Well did Isaiah prophecy of you

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saying, These people draw near
to me with their mouth and honor

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me with their lips, but their
heart is far from me, and they

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worship me in vain.
Teaching as doctrine rules made

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by men, He summoned the
multitude and said to them, Hear

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and understand.
That which enters into the mouth

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doesn’t defile the man, but that
which proceeds out of the mouth,

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This defiles the man.
Then the disciples came and said

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to him, Do you know that the
Pharisees were offended when

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they heard this saying?
But he answered, Every plant

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which my heavenly Father didn’t
plant will be uprooted.

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Leave them alone.
They are blind guides of the

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blind.
If the blind guide the blind,

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both will fall into a pit.
Peter answered him, Explain the

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parable to us.
So Jesus said, Do you also still

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not understand?
Don’t you understand that

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whatever goes into the mouth
passes into the belly and then

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out of the body, but the things
which proceed out of the mouth

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come out of the heart and they
defile the man?

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For out of the heart come evil
thoughts, murders, adulteries,

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sexual sins, thefts, false
testimony and blasphemies.

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These are the things which
defile the man.

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But to eat with unwashed hands
doesn’t defile the man.

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Jesus went out from there and
withdrew into the region of

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Tyre.
And Sidon, behold, A Canaanite

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woman came out from those
borders and cried, saying, Have

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mercy on me, Lord, you son of
David, my daughter is severely

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possessed by a demon.
But he answered her not a word.

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His disciples came and begged
Him, saying, Send her away, for

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she cries after us.
But he answered, I wasn’t sent

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to anyone but the lost sheep of
the House of Israel.

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But she came and worshipped him,
saying, Lord, help me.

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But he answered, It is not
appropriate to take the

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children’s bread and throw it to
the dogs.

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But she said, Yes, Lord.
But even the dogs eat the crumbs

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which fall from their master’s
table.

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Then Jesus answered her, Woman,
great is your faith, be it done

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to you even as you desire.
And her daughter was healed from

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that hour.
Jesus departed from there and

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came near to the Sea of Galilee,
and he went up on the mountain

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and sat there.
Great multitudes came to him,

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having with them the lame,
blind, mute, maimed, and many

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others, and they put them down
at his feet.

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He healed them so that the
multitude wondered when they saw

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the mute speaking.
The injured healed, the lame

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walking and the blind seeing,
and they glorified the God of

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Israel.
Jesus summoned his disciples and

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said, I have compassion on the
multitude because they have

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continued with me now three days
and have nothing to eat.

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I don’t want to send them away
fasting or they might faint on

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the way.
The disciples said to him, where

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can we get so many loaves in a
deserted place as to satisfy so

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great a multitude?
Jesus said to them, how many

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loaves do you have?
They said seven and a few small

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fish.
He commanded the multitude to

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sit down on the ground, and he
took the seven loaves and the

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fish.
He gave thanks and broke them

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and gave to the disciples and
the disciples to the multitudes.

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They all ate and were filled.
They took up 7 baskets full of

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the broken pieces that were
leftover.

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Those who ate were 4000 men in
addition to women and children.

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Then he sent away the
multitudes, got into the boat

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and came into the borders of
Magdala.

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Thanks for joining us on Bible
Chat, where Scripture meets

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everyday life.
If today’s devotional encouraged

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you, share it with a friend and
be sure to follow the podcast so

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you won’t miss the next
conversation.

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Until next time, stay rooted in
truth, anchored in hope, and

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walking daily with Jesus.