June 17 – When People Mean Harm

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Welcome to Bible Chat, where we
have devotional conversations

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rooted in Scripture and relevant
for today, June 17th, when

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people mean harm.
Have you ever had someone in

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your life who seemed determined
to bring you down?

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A person driven by jealousy,
insecurity, or just plain

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meanness, spreading rumors,
turning people against you, or

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actively working to make your
life harder.

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It’s one of the most
disorienting, painful

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experiences, especially when you
haven’t done anything wrong.

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David lived that reality.
First Samuel chapter 19, verses

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11 and 12 describe the moment
Saul sent men to David’s house

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to kill him.
His own wife, Michael, had to

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warn him.
If you do not escape with your

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life tonight, tomorrow you will
be killed.

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This wasn’t a difficult
relationship or a

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misunderstanding.
This was genuine life

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threatening opposition and the
reason Saul’s jealousy and fear

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of David’s calling.
Psalm 59, verses 1 and 2 record

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David’s honest cry in the middle
of that.

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Deliver me from my enemies, Oh
my God, protect me from those

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who rise up against me.
Deliver me from evil doers who

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speak lies, from those who are
violent in their pride.

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He didn’t pretend everything was
fine.

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He didn’t spiritualize the pain
and act like it wasn’t real.

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He brought it directly to God
and he trusted God to respond.

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Proverbs chapter 18 verses 3:00
to 5:00 remind us why this kind

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of opposition exists in the 1st
place.

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Wickedness and pride are at the
root of it.

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When people operate from
contempt, dishonesty or

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arrogance, they cause real
damage and the person being

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targeted is not to blame for the
wickedness of others.

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What this means for us today?
You might be going through

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something that feels deeply
unfair.

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You might be dealing with
someone who has decided, for

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reasons beyond your control, to
make your life.

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Harder.
That’s.

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Real.
That’s painful, and God doesn’t

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minimize it.
But here’s what these passages

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are pointing to.
You are not alone in it.

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God sees what’s happening.
He is your protector and your

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defender.
And sometimes, like in David’s

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case, He uses people around you
to help you escape, survive, or

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navigate the situation wisely.
He doesn’t always remove the

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threat immediately, but He never
leaves you to face it alone.

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Trust His protection.
Respond with wisdom, not

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retaliation, and keep bringing
it to Him in prayer.

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Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, thank you for

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seeing every situation we’re in,
especially the ones that feel

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unfair or threatening.
When people come against us out

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of jealousy or pride, guard our
hearts from bitterness.

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Teach us to respond with wisdom
rather than reacting in anger or

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fear.
Be our protector and our

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defender, and help us to trust
that you are always at work,

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even when we can’t see it.
In Jesus name, Amen.

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What if the road ahead is not
meant to be rushed, feared, or

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walked alone?
Going with God is a prayer

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script series for believers who
need more than encouragement for

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the journey.
They need prayer language for

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walking with the Lord in real
life, right where they are.

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Through themes of pace, peace,
paths, provision, and

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protection, this series helps
you surrender urgency, receive

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steadiness, seek direction,
depend on God’s care, and pray

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with confidence over the road
before you.

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Whether you feel stretched thin,
uncertain, weary, or hungry for

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a closer walk with God, Going
with God invites you to move

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forward with a deeper awareness
of His presence and faithful

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care.
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 18, Verses 3
to 5 World English Bible When

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wickedness comes, contempt also
comes, and with shame comes

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disgrace.
The words of a man’s mouth are

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like deep waters.
The fountain of wisdom is like a

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flowing brook.
To be partial to the faces of

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the wicked is not good, nor to
deprive the innocent of justice.

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First Samuel Chapter 19 World
English Bible Saul spoke to

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Jonathan his son, and to all his
servants that they should kill

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David.
But Jonathan, Saul’s son,

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greatly delighted in David.
Jonathan told David saying,

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Saul, my father seeks to kill
you now, therefore please take

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care of yourself in the morning
and live in a secret place and

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hide yourself.
I will go out and stand beside

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my father in the field where you
are, and I will talk with my

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father about you, and if I see
anything I will tell you.

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Jonathan spoke good of David to
Saul his father, and said to

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him, Don’t let the king sin
against his servant, against

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David, because he has not sinned
against you, and because his

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works have been very good toward
you.

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For he put his life in his hand
and struck the Philistine.

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And Yahweh worked a great
victory for all Israel.

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You saw it and rejoiced.
Why then will you sin against

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innocent blood to kill David
without a cause?

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Saul listened to the voice of
Jonathan, and Saul swore As

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Yahweh lives, he shall not be
put to death.

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Jonathan called David and
Jonathan showed him all those

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things.
Then Jonathan brought David to

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Saul and he was in his presence
as before.

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There was war again.
David went out and fought with

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the Philistines and killed them
with a great slaughter, and they

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fled before him.
An evil spirit from Yahweh was

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on Saul as he sat in his house
with his spear in his hand, and

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David was playing with his hand.
Saul sought to pin David to the

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wall with the spear, but he
slipped away out of Saul’s

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presence, and he stuck the spear
into the wall.

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David fled and escaped.
That night Saul sent messengers

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to David’s house to watch him
and to kill him in the morning.

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Mickle, David’s wife, told him,
saying, If you don’t save your

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life tonight, tomorrow you will
be killed.

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So Mickle let David down through
the window.

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He went away, fled, and escaped.
Mikkel took the terrifim and

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laid it in the bed and put a
pillow of goat’s hair at its

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head and covered it with
clothes.

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When Saul sent messengers to
take David, she said He is sick.

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Saul sent the messengers to see
David, saying, Bring him up to

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me in the bed, that I may kill
him.

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When the messengers came in,
behold, the terrifim was in the

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bed with the pillow of goat’s
hair at its head.

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Saul said to Mikkel, Why have
you deceived me like this, and

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let my enemy go so that he has
escaped?

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Mikkel answered Saul, he said to
me, let me go, why should I kill

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you now?
David fled and escaped and came

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to Samuel at Rama and told him
all that Saul had done to him.

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He and Samuel went and lived in
Naoth.

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Saul was told saying Behold
David is at Naoth and Rama.

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Saul sent messengers to seize
David and when they saw the

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company of the prophets
prophesying and Samuel standing

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as head over them, God’s spirit
came on Saul’s messengers and

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they also prophesied.
When Saul was told he sent other

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messengers and they also
prophesied.

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Saul sent messengers again the
third time and they also

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prophesied.
Then he also went to Rama and

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came to the great well that is
in Seku.

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And he asked where are Samuel
and David?

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One said, behold they are at
Naath in Rama.

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He went there to Naath in Rama.
Then God’s Spirit came on him

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also and he went on and
prophesied until he came to

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Naath in Rama.
He also stripped off his clothes

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and he also prophesied before
Samuel and lay down naked all

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that day and all that night.
Therefore they say, is Saul also

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among the prophets?
Psalm Chapter 59 World English

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Bible Deliver me from my
enemies.

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My God set me on high from those
who rise up against me.

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Deliver me from the workers of
iniquity.

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Save me from the bloodthirsty
men, for behold, they lie in

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wait for my soul.
The mighty gather themselves

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together against me, not for my
disobedience, nor for my sin.

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Yahweh I have done no wrong, yet
they are ready to attack me.

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Rise up, behold, and help me,
You Yahweh, God of armies, the

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God of Israel, rouse yourself to
punish the nation’s.

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Show no mercy to the wicked
traitors.

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They return it evening, howling
like dogs and prowl around the

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city.
Behold, they spew with their

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mouth.
Swords are in their lips, for

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they say, who hears us?
But you, Yahweh, laugh at them,

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You scoff at all the nations.
Oh my strength I watch for you,

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for God is my high tower.
My God will go before me with

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His loving kindness.
God will let me look at my

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enemies in triumph.
Don’t kill them, or my people

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may forget.
Scatter them by your power and

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bring them down, Lord our shield
for the sin of their mouth and

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the words of their lips.
Let them be caught in their

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pride for the curses and lies
which they.

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Utter consume.
Them in wrath consume them, and

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they will be no more.
Let them know that God rules in

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Jacob to the ends of the earth.
At evening let them return.

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Let them howl like a dog and go
around the city.

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They shall wander up and down
for food and wait all night if

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they aren’t satisfied.
But I will sing of your

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strength.
Yes, I will sing aloud of your

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loving kindness in the morning.
For you have been my Hightower,

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a refuge in the day of my
distress.

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To you my strength I will sing
praises.

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For God is my Hightower, the God
of my mercy.

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

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walking daily with Jesus.