January 20 – Watch Your Steps

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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 20th.

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Watch your steps.
Have you ever agreed to

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something in the moment and
instantly wished you could

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rewind?
Maybe you said yes because

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everyone was watching, or you
didn’t want to disappoint

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someone, or you just didn’t want
to think too hard about it.

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At first, it felt harmless.
Later, it felt heavy.

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Life has a way of teaching us
that quick decisions can come

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with long consequences.
Proverbs chapter 6, verses one

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to three, speaks straight into
that reality.

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It warns about making careless
commitments and getting tangled

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up in promises you didn’t fully
think through.

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The message is clear.
Pay attention to where your

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steps are taking you.
God isn’t trying to scare you.

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He’s trying to protect you.
He knows how easily pressure

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people pleasing or fear of
missing out can trap us.

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Wisdom often sounds like slowing
down, asking better questions,

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and refusing to rush into things
just because everyone else is.

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But what if you already stepped
into something you regret?

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That’s where Psalm 9 brings
comfort.

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Verse 9 says the Lord is a
stronghold for the oppressed, a

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stronghold in times of trouble.
God doesn’t abandoned you when

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you make a mistake.
He becomes your refuge when you

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feel trapped by a bad decision,
overwhelmed by pressure, or

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unsure how to untangle what
you’ve gotten into.

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God is not standing far away
shaking his head.

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He is close.
He is a safe place.

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He is strong enough to help you
find a way forward.

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Then Matthew chapter 17 brings
everything into focus.

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Jesus is transfigured on the
mountain and God speaks audibly

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from a bright cloud saying, This
is my beloved son, listen to

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him.
Out of all the voices competing

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for your attention, friends,
culture, emotions, fear,

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expectations.
God points to 1 and says, listen

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to him.
Not listen to the noise, not

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listen to the pressure, listen
to Jesus.

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Watching your steps doesn’t mean
living scared or overthinking

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everything.
It means learning to pause.

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It means inviting God into your
decisions before you commit

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instead of after you regret.
It means letting Jesus shape how

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you respond when you’re rushed,
tempted, or unsure.

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Wisdom grows when we slow down
enough to hear Him.

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You don’t have to get every
decision right to walk with God,

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but you do have to stay willing
to listen.

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When you tune your heart to
Jesus, your steps become

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steadier.
And even when you stumble, God

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remains your stronghold.
Let’s pray.

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Heavenly Father, thank you for
caring about the choices I make

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and the direction of my life.
Help me slow down and think

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wisely before I commit myself to
things.

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Teach me to listen to Jesus
above every other voice, and

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when I feel trapped, overwhelmed
or unsure, remind me that you

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are my stronghold and my safe
place.

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Guide my steps and lead me in
your wisdom 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.
C Opens your spiritual eyes to

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

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Satisfied 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 6 verses one to

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five World English Bible.
My son, if you have become

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collateral for your neighbor, if
you have struck your hands and

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pledge for a stranger, you are
trapped by the words of your

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mouth.
You are ensnared with the words

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of your mouth.
Do this now, my son, and deliver

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yourself.
Since you have come into the

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hand of your neighbor, go humble
yourself.

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Press your plea with your
neighbor.

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Give no sleep to your eyes, nor
slumber to your eyelids.

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Free yourself like a gazelle
from the hand of the hunter,

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like a bird from the snare of
the Fowler.

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Psalm Chapter 9 World English
Bible for the chief musician set

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to the death of the sun, A Psalm
by David I will give thanks to

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Yahweh with my whole heart.
I will tell of all your

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marvelous works.
I will be glad and rejoice in

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you.
I will sing praise to your name

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almost high.
When my enemies turn back, they

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stumble and perish in your
presence.

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For you have maintained my just
’cause you sit on the throne,

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judging righteously.
You have rebuked the nations.

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You have destroyed the wicked.
You have blotted out their name

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forever and ever.
The enemy is overtaken by

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endless ruin.
The very memory of the cities

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which you have overthrown has
perished.

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But Yahweh reigns forever.
He has prepared His throne for

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judgment.
He will judge the world in

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righteousness.
He will administer judgment to

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the peoples in uprightness.
Yahweh will also be a high tower

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for the oppressed, a high tower
in times of trouble.

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Those who know Your name will
put their trust in you, for you

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Yahweh, have not forsaken those
who seek You.

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Sing praises to Yahweh who
dwells in Zion and declare among

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the people what He has done, for
he who Avengers blood remembers

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them.
He doesn’t forget the cry of the

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afflicted.
Have mercy on me, Yahweh, See my

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affliction by those who hate me,
and lift me up from the gates of

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death, that I may show all of
Your praise.

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I will rejoice in Your salvation
in the gates of the daughter of

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Zion.
The nations have sunk down in

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the pit that they made in the
net which they hid.

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Their own foot is taken.
Yahweh has made Himself known.

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He has executed judgment.
The wicked is snared by the work

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of His own hands.
Meditation.

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Selah.
The wicked shall be turned back

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to Sheol.
Even all the nations that forget

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God.
For the needy shall not always

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be forgotten, nor the hope of
the poor perish forever.

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Arise, Yahweh, don’t let man
prevail.

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Let the nations be judged in
your sight.

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Put them in fear.
Yahweh let the nations know that

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they are only men.
Selah.

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Matthew Chapter 17 World English
Bible After six days, Jesus took

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with him Peter, James and John
his brother, and brought them up

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into a high mountain by
themselves.

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He was changed before them.
His face shone like the sun, and

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his garments became as white as
the light.

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Behold, Moses and Elijah
appeared to them, talking with

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him.
Peter answered and said to

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Jesus, Lord, it is good for us
to be here.

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If you want, let’s make 3 tents
here, one for you, one for

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Moses, and 1:00 for Elijah.
While he was still speaking,

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behold, a bright cloud
overshadowed them.

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Behold, a voice came out of the
cloud saying, This is my beloved

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son in whom I am well pleased,
Listen to him.

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When the disciples heard it,
they fell on their faces and

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were very afraid.
Jesus came and touched them and

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said, get up and don’t be
afraid.

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Lifting up their eyes, they saw
no one except Jesus alone.

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As they were coming down from
the mountain.

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Jesus commanded them, saying,
Don’t tell anyone what you saw

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until the Son of Man has risen
from the dead.

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His disciples asked him, saying,
Then why do the scribes say that

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Elijah must come first?
Jesus answered them, Elijah

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indeed comes first and will
restore all things.

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But I tell you that Elijah has
come already, and they didn’t

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recognize him, but did to him
whatever they wanted to.

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Even so, the Son of Man will
also suffer by them.

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Then the disciples understood
that he spoke to them of John

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the Baptizer.
When they came to the multitude,

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a man came to him, kneeling down
to him and saying, Lord, have

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mercy on my son, for he is
epileptic and suffers

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grievously, for he often falls
into the fire and often into the

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water.
So I brought him to your

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disciples, and they could not
cure him.

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Jesus answered, Faithless and
perverse generation, how long

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will I be with you?
How long will I bear with you?

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Bring him here to me.
Jesus rebuked the demon and it

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went out of him, and the boy was
cured from that hour.

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Then the disciples came to Jesus
privately and said, why weren’t

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we able to cast it out?
He said to them, because of your

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unbelief.
For most certainly I tell you,

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if you have faith as a grain of
mustard seed, you will tell this

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mountain.
Move from here to there and it

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will move and nothing will be
impossible for you.

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But this kind doesn’t go out
except by prayer and fasting.

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While they were staying in
Galilee, Jesus said to them, the

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Son of Man is about to be
delivered up into the hands of

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men, and they will kill him, and
the third day he will be raised

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up.
They were exceedingly sorry.

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When they had come to Capernaum,
those who collected the

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Didrachma coins came to Peter
and said, Doesn’t your teacher

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pay the Didrachma?
He said yes.

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When he came into the house,
Jesus anticipated him saying,

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What do you think, Simon?
From whom do the kings of the

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earth receive toll or tribute
from their children or from

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strangers?
Peter said to him from

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strangers.
Jesus said to him, therefore the

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children are exempt.
But lest we cause them to

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stumble, go to the sea, cast a
hook and take up the first fish

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that comes up.
When you have opened its mouth,

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you will find a stater coin.
Take that and give it to them

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for me and you.
Thanks for joining us on Bible

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Chat, where Scripture meets
everyday life.

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If today’s devotional encouraged
you, share it with a friend and

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00:09:54,320 –> 00:09:57,120
be sure to follow the podcast so
you won’t miss the next

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00:09:57,120 –> 00:10:00,040
conversation.
Until next time, stay rooted in

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truth, anchored in hope, and
walking daily with Jesus.