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Music.

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Well, hey there! Welcome to The Prayer Podcast. I'm your host, Jan L.

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Burt, your fellow Jesus follower who very much wants to grow in my prayer life

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and encourage others in their prayer lives, too.

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Here on The Prayer Podcast, we learn what the Bible has to say about prayer,

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and then we apply it by actually praying.

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It's my privilege to join you on this prayer journey. Now, let's get to praying.

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Music.

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Hey there, welcome back to the prayer podcast with Jan Elbert.

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I'm so glad that you're joining me for today's episode.

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Today we're going to be taking a look at three verses from the book of James

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chapter one, kind of continuing on with this series.

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And it's been a minute since I've been with you here.

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I, many of you know, I battle heart failure and have some other health conditions.

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Some of you don't know that, and that's totally fine. It's kind of just been a bit, been rough lately.

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I got this weird flu bug thing and it took me out. And so I say all that to

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say sorry that there's been a delay in releasing new episodes.

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But also, if you're dealing with any kind of health issues like that,

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if I can ever pray for you, and when I pray, I pray from a place of like understanding and empathy.

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I get it. I know what it's like to deal with health stuff. It is zero percent fun.

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If I could ever pray for you, I'd be so blessed to do that.

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You can always, always email me at my name, Jan, middle initial L,

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last name Burt, B-U-R-T, at Outlook.com.

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I can throw that email address in the show notes.

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And I do pray for every prayer request I receive. You can also DM me on Instagram.

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My handle is just my name, at Jan L. Burt, or TikTok, same thing,

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at Jan L. Burt. And I will pray for you.

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Okay, so today, here we are in the Book of James. And this is going to be kind

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of a combo, sort of, I don't know what else to call it, a combo podcast.

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We're going to talk about a couple of different things today.

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And I'm going to jump right in because I like to keep this show shorter, shorter form content.

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And my other show, The Burt Nodderney Show, is a little bit like longer form content.

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I try to keep this one between 10 and 15 minutes. That one is usually 30 to 35 minutes.

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So I'm going to read these verses. I'm reading from the New Living Translation today.

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And then we're going to talk about a few things, like modern day things that

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are going on and how we can view them through the lens of scripture,

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which is how we should view every bit of our life, everything we come into contact

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with, everything that's happening around the globe. And then I'm going to pray for you.

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James 1, verses 16, 17, and 18, New Living Translation.

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So don't be misled, my dear brothers and sisters.

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I love that. So he gives this kind of strong directive, don't be misled,

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letting you know that you can choose to not be misled. If he's saying don't be, then you can be.

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And it seems to me, James is saying here, you can be part of the decision-making process.

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You don't just lay down, roll over, play dead, whatever happens to you happens,

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que sera, sera, it is what it is. That's really not biblical.

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What is biblical is to know that when God's word says that there's something

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that you don't have to give into, like being misled, you actually don't have to.

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By the power of the Holy Spirit, you can have all of the wisdom,

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knowledge, insight, understanding that you need so that you cannot be misled

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in those situations, whatever the case may be.

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And then I love how he gives that directive, but then he says,

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my dear brothers and sisters, he expresses his heart of love for God's people.

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That is beautiful to me because often people in ministry, you miss it one way or the other.

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And having both together is really beautiful. So don't be misled.

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My dear brothers and sisters, whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming

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down to us from God, our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens.

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He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.

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He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we,

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out of all creation, became his prized possession.

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There is a lot here. If something is good and perfect in your life, it is a gift from God.

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That's what the word of God says right here in James chapter one.

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I believe it to be 100% true. Not that what I believe matters, but it says it. And so it's true what the Word of God says matters.

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If you've got good and perfect things in your life, it's a gift from God.

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Take some time soon, like maybe today, to thank Him for whatever those things are.

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Take comfort in the fact that he never changes or casts a shifting shadow.

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This is a promise we can stand on. And when we pray, we need to remember this.

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We can bring our prayer requests to him and we can pray for our needs via the word of God.

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Like the word of God says this, Lord, and this is my situation.

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I'm choosing to believe you. I'm asking you to do what your word says that you

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will do to show up and be the God that you are, that I know that you are,

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that all of time and history and all of the Bible prove that you are.

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And I know you never change. There are no shifting shadows with you.

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You're not a shifty God at all. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Holy Spirit. And thank you, Father,

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that these prayers are going to be heard and answered.

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Like we can pray with a different level of like faith, not looking just at the

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problem and like, oh, I hope this gets better.

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But like with actual faith, when we know God's word well enough to pray God's

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word. And then the fact that he chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word.

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You know, that reminds me of Jesus when Jesus said, I am the way,

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the truth, and the life. He gave us his true word. There's no fallacy in it.

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It's not going to mislead us. We can trust God and we can believe that the revealed

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will of God is here for us in God's word. We can know who he is when we know

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what the word of God says. And we, out of all that he created, we're his prized possession.

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You're his prized possession. Do you know that today? I want you to know that today. You are his prized possession

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if you are in Christ Jesus. So here we are in the book of James. There's always a lot in the book of James.

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And I'm going to pray today based on these three verses that I just read.

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But also, like when I said it's like a combo episode, like a dual episode,

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if you will, because we're going to look at some things that are happening in

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the world currently, like right now, and we're going to view them through the lens of scripture.

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So that don't be misled is really important. Those those three words,

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don't be misled. We're making a choice in this, right?

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I mean, once we really take the Bible as straight up the word of God and we

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apply it to things, like everything and all the things, its application has no end.

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It should be applied to everything because it is the living word and we have

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a living God and we have a resurrected living Savior who has done the impossible

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for us. He has defeated death and hell. And so let's actually take the word of God and act like it's worth applying

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to everything because it is. It absolutely is. Big things, little things.

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That is the biggest hunk, I feel, of making the decision, the choice to not be misled.

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The things that are going on in the world right now, they're not outside of

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the Lord's sovereignty. So we can look at the reality of what is happening in the world,

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and we can kind of stand it up against the true reality of the Bible and make

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a decision to not be misled right here and now in the time and season in which we live.

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Now, not everybody thinks that we're living in the season that I personally

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believe we're living in, which would be the end times, the last days.

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I'm kind of going to steal, if you would, what Francis Chan has to say on this

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matter, on this exact issue. He has pretty good biblical reasoning for why there's a lot of indication that

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we're in the very end times before Jesus' return, his second coming.

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And I think that when he says it this way, and I'm kind of paraphrasing,

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this is not a direct quote, but basically what it says is, I might be wrong,

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but I don't think I I am. I'm pretty sure I'm not. I don't believe that I am.

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So it's, you know, like my view may not be exactly right, but I think it is.

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I really believe it is. That's how I feel. That's how I feel. I know I might be wrong. I'm a fallible human being,

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but I really don't think I am. So that's why I wanted to say that right now at the beginning of the podcast

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so that you don't hear me pray in a few moments and think, what is she talking about?

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Praying as if we're in the last days. I know what?

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I didn't know she thought that way. I just want to give you some perspective

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up front so you're not confusing. So I'm not confusing you when I pray over you in a moment from an end times

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perspective, like to be shored up in your faith in Jesus for the times in which

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we live. So I'm going to share a few things right now.

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These are real news things, and they are super recent. This is not old news.

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This is recent. This is current. And then I'm going to pray these verses from James.

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As I record this, it is the morning of February 21st, 2024.

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I meant to get it recorded last night, but my little dog would not settle down,

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was just whining and crying, and I couldn't get it recorded.

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So he's 14 and a half, and I give him a little bit of latitude,

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I guess, to get whiny sometimes. It is February 21st. Russia is funding. So basically building a base in Syria

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right along the Syrian border with Israel.

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Now, a base is, huh, military, right? Yes, it is. I mean, my father was in the

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army. He's buried in a military cemetery. My husband served 22 years in the army.

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So I know what a base is. I know what an army base is. A base is military.

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Russia is doing that on the Syrian border. The Bible makes it super clear that

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Israel is going to destroy or flatten Damascus. It's going to be defunct.

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It's a literal prophecy. It will happen.

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Damascus is in Syria. And Russia is considered by many Bible scholars to be

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Gog and Magog in the end times,

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that country that is to the north of Israel that will be spearheading some of

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these invasions and things, these great end times, battles.

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There's quite a bit about Gog and Magog in the Bible, and a lot of scholars

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consider that to be Russia.

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So what's happening here is what the Bible has said will happen.

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There's nothing that's not going to come to pass exactly as the Word of God says.

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That's comforting. It's comforting, not because there won't be things that be

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a little bit scary and intimidating, but it's comforting because we can stand

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on the truth that God is faithful in all of it, in every bit of it.

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And when you know him and you trust him, you can trust him with unknown circumstances

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and you want to make him known to other people, which is really the greatest

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work that we can do in days that are dark and difficult.

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Share the hope of the world, Jesus, with people. Okay, so there's the war in Gaza.

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There are passages in the Bible that make make it really clear how much exact

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like land mass is going to be part of Israel in the last days.

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And some of what's going on right now could be part of that coming to pass because

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they're taking back or attempting to take back parts of Israel that have not

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been parts of Israel recently.

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And you must remember too, that, you know, this is a nation that was literally born in a day.

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When you study about 1948 in Israel, you realize that God wasn't really just,

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It wasn't hyperbole when he said in the Old Testament, can a nation be born

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in a day and yet won't I do it with the nation of Israel?

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Exiled for 1800 years, like not a nation.

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We're a nation and then not a nation for 1800 years and then we're a nation. Basically.

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The UN voted, you know, they weren't British ersatz anymore,

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they voted and literally they became a nation in a day. And that was in 1948.

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And the New Testament makes it pretty clear, per the words of Jesus,

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that that generation, basically when Israel became a nation again, will not pass away.

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They're not going to just all die off before he comes again.

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We are in that generation, are we not? I mean, if we're not,

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then I don't know when we will be.

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Like, is all this going to happen again? I don't know. I think usually it just happens exactly as God's word has prophesied that it will happen.

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So that could be part of it, the taking back of land in Israel.

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And one thing I want to say about that, the owner or creator of something has

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ownership rights, right? The one who created the world, this world that we live in, he owns it.

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Nobody else does. Not really. And so God who created it, he gave the land.

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He gave. He has a right to give what he created, the land, to the nation, the people of Israel.

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And every bit that he gave, every bit that he says in the Bible they will have

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in the end times, well, they're going to have it. They're going to have it.

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There are camps being created on another border of Gaza, or I'm just going to

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say part of the landmass that will be Israel in the last days.

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Let's just call it what God calls it as it relates to end times, right?

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Egypt is building camps right there in the Sinai wilderness.

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Wilderness it's very interesting because Egypt has to kind

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of step back onto the world stage somehow in some

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powerful manner in order for them to fulfill the

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end times role that the Bible talks about and

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it's happening in many different ways my husband and daughter went to Egypt

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oh about a year and a half ago and there were even things happening then that

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were like wow there's like a build-up and a change happening in Egypt which

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has been pretty defunct since the exodus in a lot of ways right so I mean they

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just never regained that status as a powerhouse again Again,

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this is happening as the end times Bible talks about. And I'm sorry if you hear my dog snuffing around.

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He is acting up again today. Sorry about that. Okay, so the fact that it's going

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on right over the border, that's important. That's a big change.

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You can see the satellite footage and note that they're, you know,

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they're doing some things, some stuff out there.

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I think it's worthwhile to maybe keep an eye on Egypt for sure.

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The moon, per a news report that was shared on CNN and that many scientists

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have kind of looked into. too. It was also shared on other outlets.

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I'm not big on liberal or conservative news media options because I'm just not.

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My trust level is pretty low. So don't think like I sit around watching CNN.

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I don't. I'm saying that, referencing that it was on CNN.

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So you know, it's not just like some weird thing I saw over on a random corner

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of TikTok, some guy just talking. No, it's not that. It's actually was a news story. The moon is like turning

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red and rusting. Like it's rusting.

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That aligns with what the Word of God mentions about the last days that the moon would be red.

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So, I mean, these things make me go, huh, okay. And this is just recent news.

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This is not old news. This is not over the last, you know, four or five years.

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These things make me say, wow. And here's another one. The red heifers in Israel

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are getting closer to the age where they can be sacrificed.

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The plan is for, I think they have two of them right now that are still like

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totally pure, to be sacrificed for Passover,

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which is, I believe, I'm pretty sure in late April this year,

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and to have two that are fitting the requirements for that sacrifice that would

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be the first step toward the Jewish people building the temple, the third temple,

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that's huge because that has to be in place for the end times to play out according

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to what we find in the Bible. If there's not a third temple, then there can't be the sacrifice,

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the abomination of desolation in that third temple.

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And another thing relating to the red heifers, now most of this you're going

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to find in, you can find it on some conservative Christian outlets,

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but you mostly find this in like Arabic,

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like little, not the huge mainstream Arabic news outlets, like not Al Jazeera,

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it would be more like the smaller, kind of more, you know, just littler news outlet type things.

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There are reports that members of Hamas have said.

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Pretty like determinedly, forcefully, they have said that a huge propellant

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for the October 7th invasion of Hamas in Israel and the massacre and the kidnappings that took place,

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a huge propellant, it was spurred on because they wanted to take out those red

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heifers. They wanted to like eliminate them.

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Wow, because they have their own prophecy, I guess, Islamic prophecy,

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and they just don't want to see like, they don't want to see all of this come

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together the way it seems to be. Isn't that interesting that they wanted to eliminate the red heifers that many

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people say, oh, those aren't a big deal. Those aren't relevant.

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They came from Texas. It's no big deal. A big enough deal for there to be a war, right?

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So, and then recently, and this is not like news from exactly this week.

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This is a couple of weeks ago, but within a month, Musk did the first implant

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of Neuralink into a human. And I just say, boy, oh boy to that.

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I'm just going to, I'm just going to leave it at that. I could go on.

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There is more, but I wanted to mention these. This is just a handful of things

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that are happening right now. I wanted to mention them and then pray based on James through this end times

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kind of perspective, because if we don't know what time it is,

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we won't be expecting what comes next on the kingdom of calendar.

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And that is the soon return of Jesus.

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And who exactly would not want us expectant and ready?

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Who might not want us to be ready? Well, our enemy, the enemy,

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the accuser of the brethren, Satan, the dirty dog liar that he is.

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He doesn't want us ready. Who does want us ready? God and all of heaven.

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What does it really matter if we know the signs of the times or if we don't

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know, don't pay attention. Mark chapter 13 makes it super clear. It matters because Jesus said it matters.

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It matters because Jesus said it matters. If you knew what time the robbers

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were going to break in, you'd be ready to defend your home.

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Paraphrasing, but that's a paraphrase of what Jesus says in Mark 13.

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If you don't know, you're going to be taken by surprise.

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Jesus indicates that's a very bad thing to not know and be taken by surprise.

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That's not a positive thing. It's a negative annotation when you read Mark 13.

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He expects us to pay attention, to be ready, and to live out our faith and our

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concern for those who don't know him, who are not ready.

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He wants us to live it out in a very real way, to make an actual difference

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and an impact on men, because those men have souls that will live somewhere

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for eternity. They're going to live somewhere for eternity. eternity.

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This is real, my friends, and

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it's time to get real because everything's getting super real, super fast.

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When we live like we believe he is coming soon, everything in our life is different

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in a good way. We love people better. What really matters rises to the top, becomes our main focus.

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The other distractions and things that don't really count for much as far as

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eternity goes, like they get blurry and dim and they become less of a snare

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for us. And anything that sucks up up all of our time is the snare.

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Where we put our time, that's where our life goes.

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And if none of our time goes toward the things Jesus says matter, that's not good.

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That's not good. And now I just want to pray for you.

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Lord, would you help your people, your people who bear your name, help us not to be misled.

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You said we don't have to be misled.

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You said that here in your word. This is your word to us. So Lord,

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make it so. May we not be misled.

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You love us and you guide us. You never want us living under deception.

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Thank you for your grace and your help that keeps us from being misled right now in this day and age.

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Whatever is good and whatever is perfect, that's a gift from you, Father.

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And so we thank you for your many good gifts to us. Thank you, Lord.

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Even in very very difficult times in which we find ourselves living right now

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and which surely are to come in our lives.

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You still give good and perfect gifts. May we find those things,

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recognize them and praise you and thank you for them and trust you to continue

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to love us well and care for us with just intention that we can't even fathom.

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We thank you. Thank you for your many good gifts to us.

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You never change what a promise that is. That's a promise that endures.

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You never change what comfort we gain from knowing

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you never change you never cast

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a shifting shadow who you are is who you will always be and we can trust you

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completely because we know you're not shifty you're not in the change agent

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business you are solid and we're thankful and we praise you you have given us

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your true word we want to live daily believing it all of it.

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The whole counsel of the word of God, you made us your prized possession.

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What a gift, what a treasure. Help us to know who we are according to who you

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say we are and to live in a manner that reflects a deep understanding that we

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are your prized possession. And may we love others enough that we want them to be your prized possession

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as well. Bless each one listening today.

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Heal them if they're sick and struggling. Give them everything that they need

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for life and godliness according to your word.

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Bless them and then bless them again. again, pour out your favor and your grace

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and your mercy and your love upon them. Give them wisdom that they need in every situation and equip them to do your

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will in a world that needs your love. Show us where we are in the kingdom calendar. Make it clear.

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And if I'm wrong, oh, so be it, Lord, do your glory.

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Make it, set it right. But remind us often, every day even, that we're going

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to soon see our King coming on the clouds. And for others who feel we are in the end times, help them to pray with a fervency

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to see others brought into the kingdom.

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Thank you, Jesus. Help us to see everything going on in our world through a

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lens of the Bible, prophecies fulfilled rather than scary, scary things,

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and spur us on toward more love and greater good deeds. We love you, Lord.

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And in thankfulness, we pray all these things. In Jesus' name, amen.

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Thank you so much for joining me for this episode today. I pray that you're

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blessed as you continue doing whatever it is that God has called you to do.

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The place where he has placed you is not a a mistake or by accident.

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It was intentional and it's with purpose.

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And he loves you so very much. And again, feel free to please email me,

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janlbert at outlook.com or find me on TikTok and message me there.

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Message me on Instagram at J-A-N-L-B-U-R-T and I will pray for you. Lord bless. Bye-bye.

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Music.

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Thanks so much for joining me today on the prayer podcast it's a blessing to

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read what the bible says about prayer and then to be able to pray with you remember

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to always pray and never give up see you back here next time.

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Music.