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We gather here today with open hearts and minds to grow in faith and truth.
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In every word we find The pages of the word alive and full of grace Inspiring faith with him as we seek his face Bible
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Bible bites In starting faith one bite at a time with every verse we fight
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Find our way to live our lives in his life and shine.
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Welcome to Bible Bites, the podcast where we work to inspire faith one bite at a time.
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I'm your host, Randy Black.
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In the Gospel of Luke, chapter 17, Jesus encounters 10 lepers during his journey to Jerusalem.
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Their plea for mercy and the miraculous healing that follows reveal profound lessons about gratitude, faith, and the nature of salvation
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This scripture invites us to reflect on how often we recognize and express our gratitude for the blessings God has bestowed upon us
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Let's open up as we do each week with a word of prayer.
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Heavenly Father, we come before you with humble hearts, seeking to learn from your word.
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Open our eyes to see the lessons you have for us in the story of the ten lepers
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Teach us to cultivate hearts of gratitude and deepen our faith in your power and love.
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May this time of study together bring us closer to you and help us live in a way that honors your name
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In the name of your Son Jesus, our Savior we pray.
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Amen.
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Luke chapter 17, verses eleven through nineteen.
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While he was on the way to Jerusalem, he was passing between Samaria and Galilee, and as he entered a village, ten men with leprosy, who stood at a distance, met him,
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And they raised their voices, saying, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
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When he saw them, he said to them, Go and show yourselves to the priests.
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And as they were going, they were cleansed.
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Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorified.
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God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at his feet, giving thanks to him, and he was a Samaritan.
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But Jesus responded and said, Were there not ten cleansed
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But the nine, where are they?
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Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?
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And he said to him, Stand up and go.
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Your faith has made you well.
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In this passage of Scripture, Jesus is traveling along the border between Samaria and Galilee, a region that highlights the culture and religious divides of the time.
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The ten lepers, who were ostracized by society due to their condition, approached Jesus from a distance, calling out for mercy
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Their plea, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us, demonstrates both desperation and faith in his ability to heal
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Jesus' response is intriguing.
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He does not immediately heal them, but instructs them to go and show yourselves to the priest.
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This directive aligns with Levitical law, which required those healed of leprosy to be examined by priests before being reintegrated into the community.
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And you can find that in Leviticus chapter 14.
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The lepers obey without visible evidence of healing, demonstrating faith through their actions
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As they go, they are cleansed.
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A powerful testimony to the connection between obedience and God's miraculous intervention
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The story though takes a poignant turn when only one of the ten, a Samaritan, returns to thank Jesus
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His actions are significant.
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He glorifies God, falls at Jesus' feet, and expresses gratitude
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This contrasts sharply with the other nine, who, though healed, do not return to acknowledge their healer
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Jesus' question here.
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Were there not ten cleansed, but the nine, where are they?
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This underscores the importance of gratitude
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and the tragedy of its absence.
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Moreover, Jesus highlights the Samaritan's faith, declaring, Your faith has made you well.
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While all ten experience physical healing, this man receives a deeper spiritual restoration
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His gratitude and faith reveal a heart truly transformed by God's grace
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We have some key takeaways from this passage of scripture today.
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The first involves faith in action.
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The leper's obedience to Jesus' command, even before seeing results, illustrates the importance of acting in faith
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Faith is not passive.
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It requires steps of obedience, even when outcomes are uncertain
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The lepers' journey to the priests shows their trust in Jesus' words.
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Despite having no immediate evidence of healing, they travel anyway.
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This teaches us to act on God's promises, knowing that He is faithful to fulfill them
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In our lives, walking in faith often means moving forward in trust, even when circumstances seem unchanged
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Our next takeaway is that gratitude matters.
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The Samaritans' return to thank Jesus highlights the significance of recognizing and expressing gratitude for God's blessings.
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Gratitude is an acknowledgement of God's hand in our lives, and it brings glory to Him.
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The nine lepers who failed to return
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missed an opportunity to deepen their relationship with their healer.
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This reminds us that gratitude not only honors God
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but also enriches our spiritual lives.
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Cultivating a habit of thanksgiving can transform our perspective and can strengthen our faith
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Our next takeaway is that of the spiritual healing.
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Jesus' words to the Samaritan reveal that faith not only brings physical healing, but also restores the soul.
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While all ten lepers experienced physical cleansing, only the Samaritan received the affirmation of spiritual wholeness
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This distinction underscores the importance of seeking more than physical or material blessings.
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We are invited to pursue a deeper relationship with God.
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True faith transforms us from the inside out, aligning our hearts with God's will.
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Our next takeaway is that it deals with the idea of the inscl inclusivity of God's mercy
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The inclusion of a Samaritan in this story reminds us that God's grace transcends cultural and social boundaries.
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Samaritans were often viewed with disdain by Jewish society
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Yet, Jesus commends this man's faith and gratitude.
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This demonstrates that God's love is available to everyone, regardless of background or status
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As followers of Christ, we are called to embrace this same inclusivity, sharing God's grace with all people.
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And our last takeaway is the importance of glorifying God.
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The Samaritan's act of glorifying God serves as a reminder.
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that our blessings are opportunities to give Him praise.
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Worship is not just about attending church or singing hymns.
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It is a lifestyle of acknowledging God's goodness in all circumstances.
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By glorifying God, we shift our focus from ourselves to Him, recognizing His sovereignty and grace.
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This act of worship deepens our connection with God and serves as a testimony to others.
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How often do we find ourselves in the position of the nine lepers, quick to receive God's blessings, but slow to return thanks?
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This scripture challenges us to examine our own hearts and attitudes toward gratitude.
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In a world filled with distractions, it's easy to take God's grace for granted
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Yet, as the Samaritan demonstrates, gratitude is not merely a polite response.
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It is an act of worship that glorifies God and deepens our relationship with Him
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The Samaritan's faith provides a model for us.
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He not only acknowledges his healing, but also recognizes the source of that healing
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Do we, like him, fall at Jesus' feet in humble thanksgiving when we experience his mercy?
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Or do we, like the nine, move on with our lives without pausing to give God the glory?
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This scripture invites us to reflect on the nature of faith.
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The lepers trusted Jesus enough to act on his command without immediate evidence of healing
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Their journey to the priests was a journey of faith.
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In our own lives, are we willing to step out in faith, trusting God's promises, even when the outcome is not yet visible?
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Finally, the inclusion of the Samaritan in this in this story, in this scripture, reminds us of the breadths of God breadth, the breadth of God's love.
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Jesus' ministry consistently broke down barriers, offering grace to those deemed unworthy by societal standards.
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As his followers, we are called to embody that same inclusivity, extending God's love to all.
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Let's close out our study of the scripture with another word of prayer.
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Lord
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Thank you for the lessons you have taught us through this story of the ten lepers and your son Jesus healing them.
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Help us to live with hearts full of gratitude, always recognizing and glorifying you for your blessings
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Strengthen our faith so that we might trust and obey you even when we cannot see the path ahead.
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Teach us to extend your love and mercy to everyone, breaking down barriers as your son Jesus did.
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May our lives be a reflection of your grace and your truth.
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In the name of your Son Jesus, our Savior, we pray.
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Amen.
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available on our website that you we can take those requests in and share them with our audience in hopes that uh we can lift them all up together to the Lord as a as a as a unit, as a collective body of Christ to
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See what uh what way the Lord is going to address those requests.
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We have requests again this week.
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A lot of them are ones we've we've had in the had before.
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Uh continue to remember my mom and my dad as he's going through his treatments.
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He's almost at the end of the initial round of things and then checking to see where he's at.
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Um, we're hoping for good news.
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We're hoping that this treatments have taken care of it and that he can then move forward and not have to
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handle or deal with the issue of the cancer any longer.
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Uh still remember my mom as she helps him through this process and uh that she has the the patience and the
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know withal and everything to to help him get through it together.
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But most importantly, remember both of them that they can reconnect in a church somewhere uh with the Lord.
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I know where they stand, I know what they believe, but I would love to see them in church again.
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Uh also remember family friend Greg, he's going through his whole process of everything with with potential cancer and things.
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Uh and his wife as well.
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She's uh has some some some health issues and
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Some things are going on there and she's uh going to have some um it's kind of an experimental procedure uh treatment done to see where she stands with some things and see if it can help her.
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So we want to lift lift her up this week as well with him.
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Uh continue to remember Tim Klepka.
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Tim is still has his health issue, but we're still praying for him.
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Uh Tim is a good man.
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I'm gonna reach out to him again and check on him, see how he's doing, see how things are going.
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Um
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Another shout out kind of praise about Jimmy Clayton that we've prayed for in the past.
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Jimmy's doing very well.
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Uh his cancer has
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has been almost almost completely beaten.
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He's doing great.
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He's doing gr uh uh fantastic.
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Um he's an amazing man.
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I'm gonna reach out to him.
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I may even stop in and see him uh this week uh at his at his place of business uh where he
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coaches, uh youngsters in basketball, um, and check with him, make sure he's doing well.
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Um new request this week, I want to lift uh lift up uh my dad's cousin who works for him.
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His name's Kevin
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Kevin has had to have a toe removed.
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Uh it was injured and he had problems.
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Um and he's having some some issues from that.
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And they it was a successful procedure and he's doing well, but
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There's a whole process of healing and and moving past all this that's going on.
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So we want to remember Kevin this week as in prayers we go through that.
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Um Uncle Gary, that's my mom's brother as well.
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He's been in the hospital this week.
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He had pneumonia
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Um, but he is recovered.
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He's actually gotten to go home, uh, but he's still having some issues.
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Uh, so we want to remember him in prayer.
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He is uh
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He's become a good a good Christian man.
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He attends church and things, which he didn't when I was young, uh, but he's he's kind of geared that way.
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Um
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and done well in his life.
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I'm I'm proud of him um as his nephew that he's accepted Jesus and he's headed that way.
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Um but he we need remembering for his health.
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Uh, we also still need to remember my wife's cousin Isaac.
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He's still in the hospital.
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He was pulled taken out of intensive care, but he's now back in.
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His parents are on their way in.
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from California, um, because it's it he's not doing well.
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Uh he's on a ventilator and things.
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Um so
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We're, you know, definitely want to pray for him in hopes that uh hopes that God can heal him and touch and make things better for him.
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And then finally continue when you pray to continue to remember me.
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I'm doing well.
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I hit my my my four-month goal in the weight loss today.
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Very excited, very happy.
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um actually exceeded it went past the goal.
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So um uh praise praise the Lord for that because I know it's his hand and his help that's
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helping me to get there.
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I still got a ways to go.
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I had an incident with my leg last week, um, where I missed work and and stuff, and it's still healing from that.
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Uh a lot of, you know, what ends up happening is the fluid will build up in my leg and
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I'll spike a fever because the leg's swelling up and it can't get it out.
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Eventually I get the fluid will start making its way out and then
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My leg comes back to normal in size, then it starts peeling and looking really bad.
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It's not as bad as it looks, but it's still very stressful to deal with and handle.
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Uh, but I know it's in it's in God's hand and I'm going to trust him to to keep me on this path and to continue to help me to reach those goals and and get healed.
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So as we do each week, let's close out the show with a prayer before we talk about what we're going to have on our next episode.
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Heavenly Father, we thank you for one more week to come together and share and learn from your word
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We lift up these requests today, Lord, my mom and dad, Greg and Kim, Tim, Kevin, Gary, Isaac, myself.
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These requests that we know you can touch each individual and touch me and provide answers and and things that meet meet within your will for us.
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We trust you in doing that because we know you have the wisdom to direct things in the right way.
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Each week we come together to work and spread your word with hopes that.
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People are gaining knowledge from it, but also that someone may hear it who's not heard your word, and it spurs them on to learn more and then accept your son Jesus as their Savior.
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It is in his name that we pray.
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Amen.
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On our next episode, we're going to look at one of the most well-known
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Miracles in the story of Jesus.
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And that's when Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead in the town of Bethany
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You can find that in John chapter 11.
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It's pretty much the first two-thirds of the chapter starts in verse 1, runs all the way up through verse 46.
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So join us on their episode next week.
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Here on Bible Bytes, where we work to inspire faith one bite at a time.
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Bible bites.
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Bible bites.
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Inspiring faith one bite at a time.
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At a time with every verse we find our way To live our lives in his life and shine
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Bubble bites, bubble bites, inspiring faith one bite at a time.