Bible Unmasked: Intro 3: Return, Restore, Reclaim: The Bible They Never Told You About

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Welcome to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast. I'm your host,

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Connie Morris, and this is Faith on the Go, where you take the word with you

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on your drive to work, while you're getting ready in the morning,

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or even in those quiet moments before prayer.

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Real life, real word, and real growth, all while you are on the go.

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Before we get into today's word, let's take a moment to center ourselves with a familiar prayer.

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The prayer of Jabez.

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Oh, that you will bless me indeed and enlarge my territory.

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Let your hand be with me and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.

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Father God, we come before you this day asking that you will indeed bless us,

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not just with what we have, but in who we are becoming.

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Enlarge our territory, Lord. Expand our capacity, our mindset,

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and our ability to receive what you have for us.

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Let your hand be upon us, guiding us, covering us, and leading us in every decision we make.

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And Father, keep us from harm, physically, emotionally, and spiritually,

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that we may walk in peace and not in pain.

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And Lord, just as you heard Jabez when he cried out to you, hear us now.

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Your word says that you granted his request, and we believe that you are the same God today.

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So we come boldly before you, knowing that you hear us, knowing that you see

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us, and knowing that you respond to the prayers of your people.

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Have your way in this moment as we sit, listen, and receive your word.

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In Jesus' name, amen.

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Hello and welcome back to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast.

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I'm your host Connie Morris and we are in introduction number three of our new

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series, Bible History Unmasked.

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Today we're going to talk about the promises of God and after the warning,

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remember we just went through Deuteronomy 28, the warning, what God says, I want your obedience.

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And so the children of Israel did not give God their obedience.

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And so there we be going through a whole lot of stuff because the Bible said that we would.

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But there comes a time when the suffering has to end, when the curse is over.

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The curse has a deadline. Many people then survive it, but those that have, guess what?

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It's going to be awesome. It's going to be celebratory. It's going to be like

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our eyes have never seen it before.

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It says it'd be like we are in a dream because all the things that we pray for

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are going to all come at once and plus an abundance beside, according to Ephesians

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3.20. And it will come to those who believe.

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Many people say, well, that ain't going to happen. They're talking against it.

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And guess what? It won't happen for you, but it'll happen for me because I believe it to be so.

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So one thing I want you to do as we get ready for our final series of introductions is.

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And we're going to get right into it. I thought I'll be talking about what Bible

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to read, but no, I'm going to get into that after we discuss Adam and Eve,

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and then we're going to get into what type of Bible you should have.

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And yeah, but like I said, I'm reading from the original African Heritage Edition,

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and I also want you to get a copy of the Complete History of Blacks in the Bible.

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So let's start first with putting on our helmet of salvation.

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We're going to ask God that he would give us a sound mind, a mind that can take

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on new information, a mind that is disciplined, that won't get distracted,

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a mind that stays on Jesus.

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But not so much that you are not earthly focused, right? But you actually,

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your mind that stays on Jesus.

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When a mind that stays on Jesus, it is an obedient mind.

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It listens to God's voice and it says, I want you to do this.

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And yeah, we might hesitate, but guess what? We'll go get it done.

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We also have the mind of Christ. And I covered that in a series.

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We have the mind of Christ.

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And the mind of Christ is so powerful because think about how Jesus felt when

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he came to earth. It was different for him.

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You know, he was in heaven chilling, but he said, he said, he rose his hand

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and the father, son, and the Holy Spirit. They said, hey, I'll do that part.

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And he came to earth and he came to earth. and his mind did not get distracted.

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It didn't get disturbed. And that allowed him to focus on what his purpose was for his calling.

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And I ask that for you too, that we will have.

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A sound mind, but we also will have the mind of Christ.

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And in our mind, we have eyes. We ask God that you would give us eyes to see,

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not just natural things, but spiritual things.

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Give us your vision. When you see something, show us what you see.

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Give us a heart to feel what you feel. You know, that's what we want.

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And Lord God, help us to believe in the impossible because you are the God of the impossible.

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And things that we see are subject to change.

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Things that we don't see has a power, eternal, just eternal.

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You can't take it away. No one can steal it from you. And so we're going to

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start out Deuteronomy 28, 29, I'm sorry, Deuteronomy 30. Where am I at? Deuteronomy 30.

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Moses gives the promises after the warning. Once you read the.

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If you read from Genesis all the way through Deuteronomy, I would recommend

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you read the book of Deuteronomy because you will see that Moses took time out

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to explain the things that we're talking about today.

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And it was powerful because I read Deuteronomy, but I did not see what I see today.

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Deuteronomy is a powerful book because Moses, through the unction of the Holy

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Spirit, told the children of Israel what will happen to them.

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And it did. not just their generation.

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Their lack of knowledge destroyed a whole generation, over 430 years of slavery.

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That's a lot. That's a long time. So let's get to the blessings I want you to know.

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In this African heritage Bible, we know that some Bibles have the red writing,

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and that's Jesus talking.

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This Bible highlights the parts that are specifically for the African descendants.

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And so that's what we're going to do. I'm always going to find those parts.

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I don't want you to just pay attention, open your ears so you can hear,

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and we are going to go. Lord, thank you for your presence here today and a blessing

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of the reading of your word.

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And it should come to pass when all these things are come upon thee,

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the blessings and the curse, which I have sent before thee, and thou should

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call them to mind among all the nations,

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whether the Lord thy God hath driven thee.

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So he says you're going to remember the blessings and you're going to remember the curses.

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Verse 2, and shall return unto the Lord.

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And shalt obey his voice according to all that I have commanded thee,

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thou and thy children, with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

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It says, and shalt return unto the Lord thy God, and shalt obey his voice according

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to all that I have commanded thee this day, thou and thy children,

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with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

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Verse 3, and then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity and have compassion

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upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations,

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whither the Lord thy God has scattered thee.

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If any of thine be driven out into the outermost parts of heaven,

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from this will the Lord thy God gather thee, from hence will he fetch thee.

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We see here that everyone that's scattered will return.

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And if you go too far, he said, I'm coming back. I'm coming for you.

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So don't you be afraid. No matter how far you out there, he said,

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I'm coming for you. Verse five, and the Lord thy God will bring thee unto the

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land which thy father possessed and thou should possess it.

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And he said, do thee good and multiply thee above thy father.

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He said, I'm going to bring you back to the land and I'm going to bless you

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just like I bless your fathers.

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And the Lord thy God will circumcise thy heart and the heart of thy seed to

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love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul,

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with all that thou may live it.

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So God will help you forget. He'll help you love him, help you be obedient.

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And the Lord thy God will put all these curses upon thy enemies and on them

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that hate thee, which persecutes thee.

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So it's going to be a reversal. He says, and the Lord that God will put these

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curses on you. Remember after.

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Do it around 28 verses 15 to 60 are all the curses that we have already suffered. But guess what?

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He said, I'm going to put those on thy enemies who persecuted thee.

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So nobody's getting away with it.

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And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the Lord and do all his commandments,

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which I command thee this day. So when I do all that, I still need you to be obedient.

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Verse 9, and the Lord thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thy

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hand, in the fruit of thy body and in the fruit of thy cattle and in the fruit

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of thy land for good for the, it says for good.

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When God says for good, I mean, it ain't for bad.

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He said for good. This is when we tell you what verse nine says,

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it says, and the Lord thy God should make thee plenteous in every work of thy

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hand in the fruit of thy body and the fruit of thy cattle and the fruit of thy land for good.

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I mean, there's going to come a time where there'll be no more tears,

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no more oppression, no more suffering.

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For the Lord will again rejoice over thee for good as he rejected over thy father.

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Just as I put the curse on you for being disobedient, I'm going to bless you indeed.

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Wow. God says it should come to pass when these things come upon you.

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This is powerful because Moses said when these things happen,

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not if they happen, but he says when these things happen, he already knew the

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people would face scattering and captivity,

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but he also said God will remember them.

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Remember the three words here, return, compassion, gather, and restore.

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This means captivity is not the end of the story. We read in verse 18,

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Deuteronomy 30, verse 4 says, If any of thine be driven out from the outermost

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parts of the heavens, and thence will the Lord thy God gather thee.

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And even if you were pushed far away, forgotten by man, renamed by enemies,

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and scattered across nations, God says, I know where you are. That is restoration.

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God promises to bring them back into identity and faith.

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Inheritance. Deuteronomy verse 35 says, and the Lord thy God will bring thee

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into the land which thy father possessed and thou shall possess it.

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This is not just about land. It's about an inheritance, a covenant,

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a memory, a family line, and a name.

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God does not only rescue people from bondage.

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He brings them back into who they are.

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God promises heart restoration. That's found in Deuteronomy 36,

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and the Lord thy God will circumcise thy heart to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart.

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This is important because God restoration is not only external,

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it is not only land or money or position or history.

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God wants to restore your heart because after captivity, trauma,

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oppression, identity theft, the heart needs to be healed too.

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God is a God of restoration and he will do it all and he will fix it all.

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My favorite verse, we're coming up on it, is Jeremiah 29, 11.

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That's the prayer that I close with at the end of this, at the end of every

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podcast, because I want you to hear God's voice in that.

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God speaks to the people already in captivity.

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There was a time in my life where we all go through struggles,

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but this was a long drawn out struggle that I had to deal with.

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And throughout that struggle, it was two years, throughout that struggle and

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all the drama that went with it, God told me that he spoke to me through a prophet

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that this is my scripture.

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Jeremiah 29, 11 was my scripture. I included 12, 13, and 14 because they all go together.

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And it was a part of my heart that held on to it and it still hold on to it.

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As you know, you hear it at the end of every podcast.

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We should all have a scripture that God speaks to our heart.

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Jeremiah 29, 11 is one of mine's.

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Psalms 91 is another one, and Romans 8, 28 through 31 is another one.

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Those are some powerful. And then Psalms 37, those are my scriptures.

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So we see here in Jeremiah 29, I'm going to read Jeremiah, I'm going to read

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it all the way through 15, I believe, and then we'll go back and do a quick review.

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Jeremiah 29, 11, For I know the thoughts that I think towards you,

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says the Lord, thoughts of peace, not of evil, to give you and expect to end.

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Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me,

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and I will hearken unto you, and ye shall seek me and find me when ye search me with all your heart.

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And I will be found of you, says the Lord, and I will turn away your captivity,

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and I will gather you from all nations and from all the places whither I have

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driven you, says the Lord.

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And I will bring you again unto the place which I caused you to be carried away captive.

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Wow, wow. It just triggered in my heart that I never understood when he said

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that I will bring you, I will turn away your captivity.

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It just came to me now. I told you, God highlights different things in the Bible at different times.

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So this verse now means much more to me. I thought it meant something totally different.

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But now as we're studying black history unmasked, it's starting to make sense

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that that is a restoration scripture.

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And at the time when this person had prophesied over me, I wasn't in the middle of restoration.

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I was in the middle of captivity.

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I was in the middle of bondage, fear. Everything was going wrong.

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But that was a breaking point.

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She mentioned, she said it was a breaking point that there was a fight for my

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soul between God and the devil. And I had to make some decisions that be obedient

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and some things that I knew that I shouldn't have been doing.

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Put me in that position in the first place. And after that incident,

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after God delivered me, set me free.

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And it was like the Hebrew boys never had a smell of smoke upon me.

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And then after that, it was like the next day I was, it was done like two years to the day.

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And then he says, now I called you.

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I called you to the ministry. And I'm thinking like, wow. So that mean I passed the test.

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Wow. So I want to encourage you out there, no matter how hard it is,

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no matter what you're going through, no matter if the walls are closing in on you, just stand strong.

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Ask the Lord for a word in due season for your heart and take that word and

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say it every day. I had posted Psalms 37 on my wall in my office at work and in Psalms 91.

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Psalms 91 is for me, my angels, And Psalms 37 was for my enemies.

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You know, and Psalms 37 is a nice long scripture, but in there it talks about

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what not to do, not fret, you know, but also what I'm going to do to your enemies.

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And so I read it every day. And the morning, at night, at work.

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Those scriptures became a part of me because I had to believe God for the impossible.

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And after you pass the test, then comes the promotion, right?

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After you pass the test, then comes a promotion.

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What's the key word here is passing a test.

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Now, God doesn't test you because he gives us free will, but you have to choose him.

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So we see here that Jeremiah 29 is written to people in exile.

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And yes, we are still in exile.

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They are not at home. They are in Babylon.

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They are living under another system. But God tells them he still has a plan.

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We see here Jeremiah 29 10 says, After 70 years be accomplished in Babylon,

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I will visit you and perform my good word towards you. God knows where you are.

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It's really touching my heart because God knows where you are.

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That means captivity has an expiration date.

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Babylon had power, but it did not have the final word.

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We see here in Jeremiah 29, 11, it says, For I know the thoughts that I think

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towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil.

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This verse is very often quoted by itself, right?

00:18:20.811 --> 00:18:26.871
But it becomes even stronger when you remember the people were in captivity.

00:18:27.208 --> 00:18:31.579
So he's speaking to us through Jeremiah 29.

00:18:31.817 --> 00:18:35.991
Wow, what a highlight. I just got that. God is saying, you are in Babylon,

00:18:36.293 --> 00:18:37.593
but you are not forgotten.

00:18:37.935 --> 00:18:42.990
You are displaced, but you are not destroyed. You are judged, but you are still loved.

00:18:43.349 --> 00:18:47.012
You are scattered, but I still have an expected end.

00:18:47.245 --> 00:18:51.326
One thing I want to share with my audience is this might be a story about Black

00:18:51.326 --> 00:18:54.924
history, but it's also a story of restoration.

00:18:55.204 --> 00:18:59.226
And, you know, if you are Abraham's seed, I mean, if you accepted Jesus into

00:18:59.226 --> 00:19:03.243
your heart and you believe that he died for you and has risen from the dead,

00:19:03.487 --> 00:19:08.149
and you ask him to come live on the inside of you, you are part of this restoration.

00:19:08.287 --> 00:19:11.225
You are part of this restoration package.

00:19:11.446 --> 00:19:14.029
So do not fade out. Everyone's included.

00:19:14.371 --> 00:19:18.597
But it's about, remember, the Bible's always been whitewashed.

00:19:18.911 --> 00:19:21.112
And how about having a little lesson.

00:19:21.511 --> 00:19:25.636
On black history unmasked without feeling like you're being left out.

00:19:25.636 --> 00:19:29.429
Just come in and join the party and learn something. I love that.

00:19:29.719 --> 00:19:35.158
So God says, you are scattered, but I still have an expected end.

00:19:35.484 --> 00:19:41.583
You are judged, but you are still loved. You are displaced, but you are not destroyed.

00:19:41.809 --> 00:19:46.790
You are in Babylon and you have not been forgotten.

00:19:47.092 --> 00:19:51.686
God promised they will seek him and find him. Back in when we were young,

00:19:51.686 --> 00:19:56.516
hide and go seek was so much fun. We talked about having, you know,

00:19:56.516 --> 00:19:59.816
I shared in the last episode about playing hide and seek.

00:20:00.176 --> 00:20:04.489
And the kids know exactly where you can't, you know where your kids are because

00:20:04.843 --> 00:20:07.736
there's something in a parent that knows that we're connected.

00:20:07.736 --> 00:20:09.005
Think about having a baby.

00:20:09.487 --> 00:20:16.248
Born birth inside of you from a little bitty cell into a little baby with all

00:20:16.248 --> 00:20:20.714
the parts, you know, there's a connection in our hearts for our children. Right.

00:20:20.830 --> 00:20:24.986
And that's what God says. We are birthed spiritually. Right.

00:20:25.410 --> 00:20:29.329
And then God loves us so much that he says, I haven't forgotten you.

00:20:29.648 --> 00:20:31.169
Yeah. You were disobedient.

00:20:31.511 --> 00:20:35.093
You know, like your mom would say, you were acting up, but I still love you.

00:20:35.302 --> 00:20:38.853
I still love you. I won't let nothing happen to you because I love you so much.

00:20:38.993 --> 00:20:41.640
You're going to go through some things, but I still love you.

00:20:41.820 --> 00:20:46.628
We see here that God promised that if we seek him, we will find him.

00:20:46.628 --> 00:20:49.818
Jeremiah 29, 12 to 13 says, when.

00:20:50.272 --> 00:20:55.456
When it says, then shall you call upon me and you should go and pray unto me

00:20:55.699 --> 00:21:03.641
and I will hearken unto you and you should seek me and find me when you search me with all your heart.

00:21:03.966 --> 00:21:07.634
I like to say this. And I think in my early, early, early episodes.

00:21:07.925 --> 00:21:12.128
When you get serious about God, God will get serious about you.

00:21:12.354 --> 00:21:15.198
He's already love you. He loves you, right?

00:21:15.587 --> 00:21:23.616
But there has to be a turning point when He pursues you, and then you are starting to pursue Him, right?

00:21:23.917 --> 00:21:28.434
Restoration begins when people return to God with their whole heart.

00:21:28.759 --> 00:21:33.525
What does that mean? With the whole heart. How do you return to God with your whole heart.

00:21:33.658 --> 00:21:36.861
I mean, God comes first in our lives.

00:21:37.082 --> 00:21:39.027
We're obedient, even though it's hard.

00:21:39.305 --> 00:21:41.256
We trust Him with our whole heart.

00:21:41.581 --> 00:21:45.017
We know what our whole heart is when we're all in it, you know,

00:21:45.302 --> 00:21:48.418
but when you're not all in it, you're not all in it, right? You know,

00:21:48.418 --> 00:21:49.847
so having your whole heart.

00:21:50.143 --> 00:21:52.326
So we're not just returning to history.

00:21:52.634 --> 00:21:57.218
We're not returning to name, not just returning to land, but we are returning

00:21:57.218 --> 00:22:00.041
to God. The other day, just I think last night.

00:22:00.610 --> 00:22:05.068
I'm not, I think this guy, he was preaching something really good.

00:22:05.300 --> 00:22:10.502
And he just says, I want you. He says, who is this guy? I can't think of his name.

00:22:10.717 --> 00:22:15.140
But he was talking about losing our identity through slavery,

00:22:15.471 --> 00:22:18.652
you know, losing our identity through slavery. And then he says,

00:22:18.948 --> 00:22:23.331
if you really think about your last name, that's not even your family's name.

00:22:23.621 --> 00:22:28.085
You don't even know your family's language. He was just tearing it up saying,

00:22:28.085 --> 00:22:34.609
and he was, it was so good, which is so true because we covered that we don't have our own identity.

00:22:34.979 --> 00:22:38.713
We think we do. We're going through life as if we do.

00:22:38.910 --> 00:22:45.635
And that's why God is so serious about giving us a new name in the book of Revelations.

00:22:45.635 --> 00:22:49.335
I'm going to give you a new name, right? Because he's going to give us our name

00:22:49.335 --> 00:22:51.432
back. We don't even know our names.

00:22:51.565 --> 00:22:53.446
Our names have been so whitewashed.

00:22:53.690 --> 00:22:58.715
Our names really are slave owner's last name. I know. We walk around like,

00:22:58.715 --> 00:23:01.238
yep, this is my name. No, it's not.

00:23:01.366 --> 00:23:06.325
You do your history. My last name really is Moore. And my husband's ex-husband's

00:23:06.325 --> 00:23:09.661
name was Morris, right? So not too much difference.

00:23:10.097 --> 00:23:15.617
But Moore is interesting because when I look at my mom, my mom is really light-skinned,

00:23:15.896 --> 00:23:20.912
you know, and her dad is white. So guess what? Moore.

00:23:21.138 --> 00:23:24.615
Think about it. It's serious. So you need to follow this train,

00:23:24.615 --> 00:23:30.350
this little chain. And he has freckles. He's a white man, kind of a really light-skinned white male.

00:23:30.758 --> 00:23:33.954
With freckles, but he's more white than he is dark.

00:23:34.331 --> 00:23:39.382
So that means he came from where? The slave. He has the more slave name.

00:23:39.702 --> 00:23:44.842
And then my ex-husband Morris, he said it came from another name,

00:23:44.842 --> 00:23:50.679
which is Morris is a white name. And so we really need to stop playing around.

00:23:50.800 --> 00:23:54.282
I'm not saying hate everybody. I'm not even in that realm.

00:23:54.282 --> 00:23:59.982
I'm saying, but for ourselves, that we need to get serious about finding out who we are, right?

00:23:59.982 --> 00:24:06.012
And why would God take chapters and chapters of the book of the Bible and tell

00:24:06.012 --> 00:24:10.602
us that he is coming for us? He's searching for us.

00:24:10.902 --> 00:24:15.702
Yeah, you were scattered because Moses said it. How is it to have a Bible or

00:24:15.702 --> 00:24:21.311
a book with your history when we don't have a history book because it's all been erased?

00:24:21.585 --> 00:24:26.412
How serious is that? So as we go through this series of Black History on Mass

00:24:26.412 --> 00:24:31.753
and we go through the Black people in the Bible, I want you to pay attention

00:24:32.009 --> 00:24:35.851
because that means that is our heritage, right?

00:24:36.130 --> 00:24:41.511
That is our heritage. Let me continue. God promised to turn captivity and to gather.

00:24:41.715 --> 00:24:44.611
So Jeremiah 29, 11 through 14 is powerful.

00:24:44.890 --> 00:24:51.374
Why? Because it's our story of restoration. It's a prayer that I pray at the end of every episode.

00:24:51.612 --> 00:24:55.159
In the beginning, it's a Jabez prayer, enlarge my territory,

00:24:55.443 --> 00:24:59.977
keep me from evil, so I may not sin. And then Jeremiah 29, 11.

00:25:00.308 --> 00:25:02.473
For I know the thoughts and plans I have for you.

00:25:02.723 --> 00:25:11.140
Thoughts for and expected end. Everything I do has rhythm and it has the heart of God in it.

00:25:11.326 --> 00:25:16.382
Even myself, listen to my podcast from the beginning all the way to the end.

00:25:16.632 --> 00:25:21.062
Because to me, it's just, I can feel the anointing for myself.

00:25:21.062 --> 00:25:23.262
I was like, wow, that was good. I'll listen to it.

00:25:23.824 --> 00:25:28.252
I'll record it. Then I'll put it on and I'll listen to it as I go to bed.

00:25:29.116 --> 00:25:31.891
Because I don't remember all the words that I said, you know.

00:25:32.059 --> 00:25:35.919
But Jeremiah 29, 14, how God promised to turn captivity.

00:25:36.204 --> 00:25:41.115
And it says, I will be found of you, says the Lord, and I will turn away your captivity.

00:25:41.428 --> 00:25:47.268
I will gather you from all the nations. This connects back to Deuteronomy 30.

00:25:47.454 --> 00:25:49.346
Moses said God would gather them.

00:25:49.683 --> 00:25:57.549
Jeremiah said God would gather them. That means restoration was always part of the promise.

00:25:57.758 --> 00:26:01.798
Deuteronomy 28 warns of scattering and bondage and oppression and loss,

00:26:02.146 --> 00:26:07.533
but Deuteronomy 30 proves God never intended captivity to have the final word.

00:26:09.595 --> 00:26:14.418
Jeremiah 29 shows God speaking to his people while they were still in Babylon,

00:26:14.714 --> 00:26:20.095
reminding them that even in exile, his thoughts towards them are good.

00:26:20.515 --> 00:26:25.215
The warning was real, but so was the promise. The captivity was real,

00:26:25.346 --> 00:26:27.065
but so was the appointed time.

00:26:27.489 --> 00:26:30.890
The scattering was real, but so was the gathering.

00:26:31.204 --> 00:26:37.065
The loss was real, but so was the restoration. God did not forget his people

00:26:37.065 --> 00:26:42.541
in Babylon, and he has not forgotten his people now. Deuteronomy 28 shows that

00:26:42.698 --> 00:26:44.770
what happens when the people are scattered.

00:26:45.095 --> 00:26:49.205
Deuteronomy 30 shows what happens when God gathers them again.

00:26:49.524 --> 00:26:57.071
Jeremiah 29 shows that even while they are in captivity, God is already planning their restoration.

00:26:57.309 --> 00:27:02.940
So my question is, where are we today? The importance of knowledge.

00:27:03.241 --> 00:27:05.320
And you know my scripture.

00:27:05.749 --> 00:27:11.229
Let's go with me to Hosea 4, verse 6. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

00:27:11.566 --> 00:27:16.471
Because thou has rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee.

00:27:16.732 --> 00:27:22.055
That thou should be no priest to me, seeing thou has forgotten the law of thy God.

00:27:22.311 --> 00:27:29.647
I will also forget thy children. This verse is not talking about people who have no access to God.

00:27:30.393 --> 00:27:35.374
It is talking about people who had a covenant, has instruction,

00:27:35.374 --> 00:27:39.824
had the warning, had the word, but rejected knowledge, right?

00:27:39.824 --> 00:27:48.069
So he's telling us as a group that people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Not that you have lack.

00:27:48.452 --> 00:27:53.474
It's like you reject it. So you lack it on purpose. Many people are not destroyed

00:27:53.474 --> 00:27:54.878
because they are not intelligent.

00:27:55.453 --> 00:27:58.297
They are destroyed because they have been separated from truth.

00:27:58.594 --> 00:28:01.293
They know church, but not the covenant.

00:28:01.577 --> 00:28:06.587
They know religion, but not scripture. They know tradition, but not history.

00:28:06.877 --> 00:28:13.834
They know what people told them about the Bible says, but not read it for themselves,

00:28:13.834 --> 00:28:16.264
right? It's secondhand knowledge.

00:28:17.622 --> 00:28:20.542
Don't stick with you. As a professor of,

00:28:21.364 --> 00:28:24.835
And I taught criminal justice and I'm always teaching some kind of class.

00:28:24.835 --> 00:28:26.257
I'm teaching now, right?

00:28:26.664 --> 00:28:30.715
I'm always teaching. And what I can say is when you get it for yourself.

00:28:31.075 --> 00:28:34.860
Nobody can take it away. You know, my students hate to write.

00:28:35.098 --> 00:28:37.658
They complain. They give me negative reviews.

00:28:37.966 --> 00:28:42.192
But at the end of that class, their mind was changed. Why?

00:28:42.453 --> 00:28:46.505
Because I didn't give them the answers. They had to get the answers themselves.

00:28:46.778 --> 00:28:51.645
And it stuck with them so much that most of them follow me through till they

00:28:51.645 --> 00:28:53.616
finished school because I was there for a minute.

00:28:53.843 --> 00:28:58.435
So they'll start in the 101, I'll get them in a 210 and I get them in a 300

00:28:58.435 --> 00:29:00.809
level, then I'll get them in a 400 level.

00:29:01.111 --> 00:29:03.595
And I watched their progressive grow.

00:29:03.903 --> 00:29:07.995
I'm in Lincoln, Nebraska. Lincoln, Nebraska culture is getting better,

00:29:07.995 --> 00:29:12.195
but it was really low when I got here in 2022, but it's improving.

00:29:12.195 --> 00:29:18.165
Let's go with me to, we're going to break down Hosea and talk about how do we

00:29:18.505 --> 00:29:21.723
get back to the restoration side?

00:29:22.060 --> 00:29:25.175
You know, when God tells you that my people, who are my people?

00:29:25.175 --> 00:29:27.876
His people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

00:29:28.114 --> 00:29:30.726
This means ignorance is not harmless.

00:29:30.993 --> 00:29:35.928
When people do not know God, they do not know his word, do not know their identity,

00:29:36.096 --> 00:29:39.289
and they do not know the difference between truth and deception,

00:29:39.422 --> 00:29:41.100
they become vulnerable.

00:29:41.390 --> 00:29:43.846
They can't be renamed. They can be misled.

00:29:44.194 --> 00:29:49.765
They can be controlled. They can be taught to hate the very Bible that contains

00:29:49.765 --> 00:29:51.595
their restoration. And that's what happened.

00:29:51.706 --> 00:29:56.744
Keep them from the Bible. What I hear a lot of, especially in our black culture,

00:29:56.919 --> 00:29:59.229
the Bible is a white man's book.

00:29:59.583 --> 00:30:03.005
That's interesting you say that because you haven't picked it up.

00:30:03.005 --> 00:30:09.039
It is a black man's book because all it talks about is black people. Hello. But yet we,

00:30:09.539 --> 00:30:13.991
are destroyed for lack of knowledge because we reject knowledge.

00:30:14.200 --> 00:30:15.477
What do you think he's talking about?

00:30:15.773 --> 00:30:20.364
You reject his word. And when you reject his word, you become vulnerable.

00:30:20.654 --> 00:30:25.721
And when you're vulnerable, you can be misled, you can be deceived, you can be controlled.

00:30:26.656 --> 00:30:34.127
The very Bible that contains your restoration is rejected because someone used the word against them.

00:30:34.284 --> 00:30:39.874
Take a shower, sit quietly and ask God to just heal your heart from the liars.

00:30:40.060 --> 00:30:43.897
They lie to us. Why? Because they can tell you not to pick up your Bible.

00:30:44.106 --> 00:30:45.668
You don't need a Bible in this church.

00:30:45.958 --> 00:30:50.265
I have the Bible. I'm going to read it to you. And you'd be like, you never pick it up.

00:30:50.567 --> 00:30:55.925
And then you go around believing what some man has taught you off the scripture,

00:30:56.093 --> 00:30:59.170
off his own religion. And the Bible didn't even say that.

00:30:59.431 --> 00:31:03.626
I remember I was in the middle of, I just turned, I was always a Christian when

00:31:03.626 --> 00:31:06.745
I was young, as you get older, you separate, you do your own thing.

00:31:07.198 --> 00:31:10.226
And I was trying to stop drinking. And I'm hanging with people that drink,

00:31:10.226 --> 00:31:13.555
right? Come on now. Haven't picked up the Bible in a long time.

00:31:13.845 --> 00:31:18.566
And yet someone says, you know, Jesus drank wine. I said, all right, give me a glass, right?

00:31:19.537 --> 00:31:25.162
And that's funny, but it ain't funny. Because if I would have read the Bible, Jesus never drank wine.

00:31:25.395 --> 00:31:32.848
He made wine. And then soon as I matured out of that, and somehow I ran across the crew again.

00:31:33.464 --> 00:31:36.453
I mean, I probably stopped by and see how they were doing.

00:31:36.749 --> 00:31:39.326
And they said, Connie, you want some wine? I was like, nope.

00:31:39.326 --> 00:31:45.506
I said, I was stuck as an alcoholic listening to the lies of the world because

00:31:45.506 --> 00:31:51.697
the lies of the world is the devil, the enemy, and he will keep you in bondage. I said, no, thank you.

00:31:52.347 --> 00:31:55.526
I don't even want, I don't even drink anything sweet, I don't like nothing sweet.

00:31:55.526 --> 00:31:57.369
I just like water, which is odd.

00:31:57.537 --> 00:32:00.904
Every now and then I'll have like some juice, some type of juice.

00:32:01.595 --> 00:32:06.476
You know, anything that may have been fermented in wine, I avoid.

00:32:06.476 --> 00:32:10.737
Even cranberry juice, you know, anything that reminds me, that may trigger me.

00:32:11.097 --> 00:32:15.826
And that's odd, but I want God to have my whole heart. I don't want to give

00:32:15.826 --> 00:32:18.886
him half heart. I don't want nothing that's going to get me twisted,

00:32:19.165 --> 00:32:20.849
you know? I don't want to be twisted.

00:32:21.069 --> 00:32:23.304
I don't want to be two-faced, you know?

00:32:23.525 --> 00:32:28.206
So we need to pick up our Bible and so we can know what the Word says so that

00:32:28.206 --> 00:32:32.446
we can get our restoration, right? Deuteronomy 28, we already know that,

00:32:32.446 --> 00:32:35.806
the warnings that happen without knowledge. We understand that.

00:32:35.806 --> 00:32:37.021
I'm not going to go over that again.

00:32:37.323 --> 00:32:41.296
But I want to talk about Deuteronomy 30. The good news is that Deuteronomy does

00:32:41.296 --> 00:32:44.335
not stop at the curse. We understand that. That is a blessing.

00:32:44.684 --> 00:32:48.887
But I want to go to Joshua because the blessings are not automatic.

00:32:49.217 --> 00:32:54.448
God's going to bring the scatter back together. But the blessing is not automatic.

00:32:55.070 --> 00:32:58.234
And it's something that we have to do to draw the blessing to us.

00:32:58.565 --> 00:33:04.520
And I covered an extensive series on verbal suicide. Our words create our woes, right?

00:33:04.834 --> 00:33:11.857
So when we understand that, first thing, Joshua 1.8 tells us how we can create a world of success.

00:33:12.048 --> 00:33:15.659
1.8, it says, This book of the law should not depart out my mouth,

00:33:15.984 --> 00:33:20.640
but thou should meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to

00:33:20.640 --> 00:33:23.414
do according to all that is written therein.

00:33:23.681 --> 00:33:29.765
For then thou should make thy way prosperous, and then thou should have good success.

00:33:29.904 --> 00:33:35.820
God told Moses success was connected to staying in the word, not just owning a Bible,

00:33:36.093 --> 00:33:40.480
not just quoting the Bible or even misquoting the Bible, not just even hearing

00:33:40.480 --> 00:33:44.939
somebody else preach, but meditating on it day and night. Why?

00:33:45.154 --> 00:33:47.308
Because it's going to stick to you.

00:33:47.610 --> 00:33:52.170
Who needs it the most? You. It's going to stick to you. That means we have to

00:33:52.170 --> 00:33:58.244
return back to recovering truth. We have to return back to the scripture.

00:33:58.395 --> 00:34:05.350
We cannot depend on what was handed to us by the system that wants to use scripture to control us.

00:34:05.541 --> 00:34:09.280
We must read again. We must study again.

00:34:09.655 --> 00:34:18.038
We must be asked questions again. We must search again, and we must let God speak again.

00:34:18.165 --> 00:34:20.120
Let's go to 2 Timothy 3.

00:34:21.247 --> 00:34:24.979
I think I quoted a part of it yesterday, but today we're going to get right

00:34:24.979 --> 00:34:30.180
in it because I want you to see it for your eyes. 2 Timothy 3, verses 16 and 17.

00:34:31.093 --> 00:34:34.999
It says, All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for

00:34:34.999 --> 00:34:39.876
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

00:34:40.154 --> 00:34:43.119
that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly

00:34:43.479 --> 00:34:46.894
furnished unto all good works.

00:34:47.057 --> 00:34:52.885
A word that furnished means profitable. When we said profitable, why are my people broke?

00:34:53.182 --> 00:34:58.562
Because they're not using, this is the key. The Bible is the key.

00:34:58.840 --> 00:35:04.030
All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine,

00:35:04.275 --> 00:35:08.649
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.

00:35:08.649 --> 00:35:13.706
This matters because many people have thrown away the Bible because of what men did with it.

00:35:13.990 --> 00:35:18.158
But Paul says scripture is profitable. Doctrine is teaching us truth.

00:35:18.414 --> 00:35:21.252
Reproof, exposing what's wrong. We need that.

00:35:21.566 --> 00:35:26.229
Correction, bringing us back in alignment. Instruction in righteousness,

00:35:26.229 --> 00:35:28.799
teaching us how to walk with God.

00:35:29.048 --> 00:35:30.894
The Bible is not the problem.

00:35:31.179 --> 00:35:33.222
The twisting of the Bible works.

00:35:34.365 --> 00:35:39.038
The twisting of the word of God is. The Bible exposes oppressions.

00:35:39.183 --> 00:35:41.203
The Bible exposes false religion.

00:35:41.644 --> 00:35:47.536
The Bible exposes stolen identity. The Bible exposes pride, supremacy, and supremacy.

00:35:47.826 --> 00:35:52.495
The Bible exposes a system that tried to use it as a weapon.

00:35:52.495 --> 00:35:56.665
Let's go to 2 Timothy 4, verse 3 and 4. I know you're saying like,

00:35:56.665 --> 00:36:01.985
why do we need three introductions? First of all, because I'm a preacher.

00:36:02.258 --> 00:36:05.056
You know how long it takes your passion to get through a series?

00:36:05.433 --> 00:36:09.105
That would be me. Because every part of the Bible is important.

00:36:09.105 --> 00:36:12.984
So you'll write down, this is what God wants me to preach about,

00:36:13.210 --> 00:36:19.352
that as you start to settle in and start to prepare, you'll find out you have questions.

00:36:19.573 --> 00:36:24.809
And so if you have questions in your preparation for a sermon or a podcast,

00:36:25.047 --> 00:36:32.535
God will answer those questions. So most of this introduction came from my questions, right? That's good.

00:36:33.603 --> 00:36:39.445
Can't talk. 2 Timothy 4 verses 3 and 4 says, For the time will come when they

00:36:39.445 --> 00:36:42.549
will not endure sound doctrine, but after their

00:36:42.926 --> 00:36:48.035
own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears,

00:36:48.249 --> 00:36:53.905
and they should turn away their ears from the trouble and should be turned into fables.

00:36:53.905 --> 00:36:59.343
Wow. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine.

00:36:59.645 --> 00:37:03.580
Why won't they endure sound doctrine? Because they've been putting in lies.

00:37:04.403 --> 00:37:10.232
Lies in, lies out. Confusion in, confusion out. Truth in, truth out.

00:37:10.435 --> 00:37:12.200
So if you're putting truth in,

00:37:12.682 --> 00:37:16.380
No one can give you a fable and make it a real doctrine.

00:37:16.659 --> 00:37:19.219
It says people are going to say, Jesus is on the top of the mountain.

00:37:19.474 --> 00:37:22.197
And people will run over there. Jesus is not on the mountain.

00:37:22.330 --> 00:37:24.884
He's coming through the clouds. Why would he be in the mountain?

00:37:25.059 --> 00:37:28.495
But if you didn't read your Bible, your bud is running over to the mountains.

00:37:28.698 --> 00:37:32.009
I think there was another thing that happened, I think a year or so ago,

00:37:32.009 --> 00:37:35.269
when they said Jesus was coming on a particular day. And everybody,

00:37:35.269 --> 00:37:39.385
the people who believe that started selling their stuff. And they said, Jesus is coming.

00:37:39.548 --> 00:37:42.067
Jesus said, nobody will know when he comes.

00:37:42.305 --> 00:37:47.099
So that right there was a lie. So if you knew your Bible, you wouldn't have

00:37:47.099 --> 00:37:50.003
done. I'm not putting you down. I mean, now you learn a lesson.

00:37:50.252 --> 00:37:52.197
Now I bet you pick up your Bible and you understand.

00:37:53.288 --> 00:37:57.520
Jesus doesn't know when he's coming. The father hasn't told him yet.

00:37:57.805 --> 00:38:00.068
And he says it's going to be like a thief in the night.

00:38:00.399 --> 00:38:03.933
So he might not even come in a day. He might come in the night.

00:38:04.108 --> 00:38:07.242
The story, I always talk about the night or the watching hour.

00:38:07.376 --> 00:38:11.010
Like there's a time when you're up midnight to three where you're praying.

00:38:11.195 --> 00:38:15.309
There's a time where you study your Bible, you have an estimate of when he's

00:38:15.309 --> 00:38:18.138
coming, but you're also will know in your heart. Why?

00:38:18.469 --> 00:38:22.004
Because God's not gonna keep that a secret from his children, you know?

00:38:22.254 --> 00:38:24.959
He's not gonna keep a secret from his children, but he ain't gonna tell you

00:38:24.959 --> 00:38:26.410
too much because you talk too much.

00:38:26.654 --> 00:38:28.739
You know, you won't know until you wake up and you'll be like,

00:38:28.739 --> 00:38:31.729
oh, Jesus, you know what I'm saying? Like, it's gonna be like that.

00:38:31.729 --> 00:38:32.993
It's gonna be like a surprise.

00:38:33.191 --> 00:38:39.460
But let's talk about this. It says, for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine.

00:38:39.773 --> 00:38:45.027
Why? Because they haven't put sound doctrine in How can you endure when you ain't put nothing in?

00:38:45.531 --> 00:38:50.575
And they should turn away their ears from the truth and should turn onto fables. Why?

00:38:50.953 --> 00:38:53.699
Because they watch too much TV. They watch too much social media.

00:38:53.913 --> 00:38:57.454
They're not putting the truth in. So think how easy that is, right?

00:38:57.640 --> 00:39:01.254
And that's where we're at today. Many people do not want sound doctrine.

00:39:01.667 --> 00:39:06.763
They want comfort without correction. They want spirituality without scripture.

00:39:07.025 --> 00:39:11.553
They want identity without covenant, and they want restoration without repentance.

00:39:11.780 --> 00:39:16.835
They want truth only if it does not challenge what they have been taught.

00:39:17.032 --> 00:39:22.379
But Paul warned that people would turn from truth to fables.

00:39:22.855 --> 00:39:28.916
Think about it. The government just released that there were aliens among us. And we're like, okay.

00:39:29.166 --> 00:39:31.987
And there are angels among us too, right?

00:39:32.260 --> 00:39:36.445
So come on now. You got some aliens, I got some angels. Let's see who went in this fight.

00:39:37.339 --> 00:39:42.726
People are waiting for the aliens to reveal themselves. I'm waiting for my angels.

00:39:42.969 --> 00:39:46.320
To reveal themselves. I don't care about no aliens, right?

00:39:46.504 --> 00:39:53.698
What the Bible say about aliens. Come on now. So we have to understand that a fable is a false story.

00:39:54.000 --> 00:39:58.963
A fable is false history. It's false identity. It's false image.

00:39:59.750 --> 00:40:05.489
It's a false gospel. And it's a false version of who God is and who people say

00:40:05.489 --> 00:40:10.321
they are. My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge.

00:40:10.495 --> 00:40:15.656
Why? Because they reject knowledge. And he said, I will reject you and your children.

00:40:16.039 --> 00:40:19.869
You don't want to be in that situation. There's going to come a time when there's

00:40:19.869 --> 00:40:26.179
going to be such a demarcation between Christians and non-believers that God's

00:40:26.179 --> 00:40:27.492
always going to call you in.

00:40:27.742 --> 00:40:30.511
You know, he's going to call you. He always has the doors open.

00:40:31.023 --> 00:40:35.231
As long as the church is here on earth, the door is open, the Holy Spirit is here.

00:40:35.498 --> 00:40:39.385
But once the Holy Spirit takes off, when Jesus comes in and grabs his folks,

00:40:39.385 --> 00:40:41.872
his people, all hell is going to break loose.

00:40:42.157 --> 00:40:46.627
That's when you're going to need that sound doctrine so you can believe to the end.

00:40:46.940 --> 00:40:51.311
Because he said there's going to be some people here when the tribulation happens.

00:40:51.480 --> 00:40:55.839
And some people are going to have to die first in order to get to heaven.

00:40:56.257 --> 00:41:00.605
But it's better than going to hell, right? So we're living in a time where people

00:41:00.605 --> 00:41:05.385
must return to knowledge, not just information, not just another podcast,

00:41:05.385 --> 00:41:07.750
not emotions, not emotionally triggered,

00:41:08.075 --> 00:41:14.228
not just internet teaching, not just tradition, but true knowledge rooted in the word of God.

00:41:14.658 --> 00:41:20.288
Hosea says people are destroyed without knowledge, not just people,

00:41:20.416 --> 00:41:25.217
God's people. Moses says people are scattered when they reject God's voice.

00:41:25.443 --> 00:41:30.225
Joshua says the word must stay in your mouth. Paul tells Timothy that scripture

00:41:30.225 --> 00:41:34.070
is profitable and that people will return from truth to favor.

00:41:34.418 --> 00:41:37.808
The scripture is so profitable. Remember, it's profitable. Why?

00:41:38.232 --> 00:41:42.615
Because it's knowledge. And he said, if you die for lack of knowledge or destroy

00:41:42.615 --> 00:41:46.205
for lack of knowledge, then you can live with knowledge.

00:41:46.205 --> 00:41:50.620
So where are we today? We're in a generation that has more access to Bible than

00:41:50.753 --> 00:41:54.983
ever before, but less knowledge of what it actually says.

00:41:55.100 --> 00:42:00.410
We have apps, translations, sermons, videos, podcasts, conferences,

00:42:00.655 --> 00:42:05.833
but Hosea warning still speaks. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

00:42:06.112 --> 00:42:08.892
The danger is not the word lost power.

00:42:09.183 --> 00:42:12.275
The danger is that people stop reading it, stop searching it,

00:42:12.275 --> 00:42:16.764
stop meditating on it, and allow others to interpret their identity for them.

00:42:17.083 --> 00:42:21.705
Deuteronomy warned. I want to stop there. I remember starting my podcast and

00:42:21.705 --> 00:42:25.025
I'll have all my scriptures kind of written out, but God says,

00:42:25.025 --> 00:42:27.229
no, I need you to pick up that Bible. Hello.

00:42:27.774 --> 00:42:31.935
I don't need you to read it like that. I need you to actually search through

00:42:31.935 --> 00:42:34.950
the Bible, find the scripture and read it from the Bible. Why?

00:42:35.217 --> 00:42:38.892
Not that the scriptures on the screen is wrong. It's just the Bible.

00:42:40.855 --> 00:42:44.163
It takes intention to find the scripture, to read the scripture.

00:42:44.440 --> 00:42:49.305
And remember, the Bible is active. It's powerful. It changes things, right?

00:42:49.544 --> 00:42:54.418
It gives you knowledge. Deuteronomy warns us what happens when people reject the voice of God.

00:42:54.622 --> 00:42:58.425
Joshua shows us that victory requires a word to state in our mouth.

00:42:58.425 --> 00:43:03.015
Timothy reminds us that all scripture is still profitable.

00:43:03.225 --> 00:43:09.464
And Uzziah tells us plainly over and over again, that lack of knowledge can destroy a people.

00:43:09.731 --> 00:43:12.955
God is calling his people back to knowledge, back to scripture,

00:43:12.955 --> 00:43:18.811
back to covenant, back to truth, back to identity, back to the word that was always there.

00:43:19.078 --> 00:43:24.969
The Bible they use to control us is the same Bible God can use to restore us.

00:43:25.208 --> 00:43:30.015
When we read it with open eyes, a healed heart, and the Holy Spirit leading

00:43:30.015 --> 00:43:34.292
us into truth, they may have hidden the story, twisted the text,

00:43:34.530 --> 00:43:37.027
and taught us to disconnect from the book.

00:43:37.457 --> 00:43:43.685
But God is restoring knowledge in this generation. And when knowledge returns, identity returns.

00:43:44.137 --> 00:43:48.945
When identity returns, covenant returns. And when the covenant returns,

00:43:48.945 --> 00:43:53.790
restoration begins. Bible history unmasked.

00:43:54.022 --> 00:43:58.364
The Bible they never told you about. Wow.

00:43:58.625 --> 00:44:02.115
We're going to get into our final word and then we're going to get to prayer

00:44:02.115 --> 00:44:03.293
and then I'm going to let you go.

00:44:04.079 --> 00:44:08.584
Wow. For generations, many of us were handed scriptures without context,

00:44:08.915 --> 00:44:12.490
religion, identity, tradition, truth, and we were told to believe,

00:44:12.792 --> 00:44:15.602
but not always taught how to search the scripture for ourselves.

00:44:15.933 --> 00:44:20.559
We were given a version of history that hid our presence, erased our names,

00:44:20.884 --> 00:44:25.203
separated us from the very word that holds evidence of our restoration.

00:44:25.505 --> 00:44:27.420
But God has always had a witness.

00:44:27.752 --> 00:44:30.132
The Bible was never silent about oppression.

00:44:30.526 --> 00:44:35.081
The Bible was never silent about captivity. It was never silent about stolen

00:44:35.081 --> 00:44:38.044
identity. It was never silent about false religion.

00:44:38.410 --> 00:44:42.241
It was never silent about people being scattered and gathered again.

00:44:42.746 --> 00:44:46.542
Hosea 6 says, my people are the story for lack of knowledge.

00:44:46.809 --> 00:44:51.056
That means knowledge matters, truth matters, scripture matters,

00:44:51.056 --> 00:44:55.446
identity matters. Moses warned in Deuteronomy that what would happen when a

00:44:55.446 --> 00:44:57.390
people rejected the voice of God.

00:44:57.622 --> 00:45:03.276
But Moses also gave the promise that God would gather, restore, and have compassion.

00:45:03.531 --> 00:45:06.881
Joshua was told, never let the book of the law depart from his mouth.

00:45:07.206 --> 00:45:10.857
Paul told Timothy that all scripture is profitable for doctrine,

00:45:11.136 --> 00:45:14.311
correction, instruction, and righteousness.

00:45:14.590 --> 00:45:18.226
So this is where we begin. Not with fear, not with bitterness,

00:45:18.226 --> 00:45:20.621
not with confusion, but with truth.

00:45:20.894 --> 00:45:27.506
This is not about making up stories about the Bible has black people in it and let's make up names.

00:45:27.773 --> 00:45:30.716
It's not about forcing people, black people in the Bible.

00:45:30.995 --> 00:45:36.945
This is about reading the Bible as it is written and seeing what has been there all along.

00:45:37.189 --> 00:45:41.256
This is about unmasking the lies, confronting the silence, and returning to

00:45:41.256 --> 00:45:42.814
the Word of God with courage.

00:45:42.971 --> 00:45:46.512
Because the Bible was once twisted to control of people.

00:45:46.755 --> 00:45:51.659
It's the same Bible God can use to awaken, heal, and restore of people.

00:45:51.915 --> 00:45:56.988
The Bible that used to twist and control can be the Bible that actually restore.

00:45:57.325 --> 00:45:59.032
They may have hidden history.

00:45:59.386 --> 00:46:02.782
They may have painted over faces. They may have changed the names,

00:46:03.026 --> 00:46:06.956
but they have preached bondage while skipping deliverance. They may have preached

00:46:06.956 --> 00:46:10.856
bondage while skipping deliverance, but God has a final word.

00:46:10.990 --> 00:46:15.251
What man erased, God remembers, and what man renamed, God restores.

00:46:15.529 --> 00:46:21.311
What man scatters, God gathers, and what man tried to bury, God brings back to life.

00:46:21.631 --> 00:46:26.727
This is history unmasked. This is the Bible they never told you about.

00:46:27.486 --> 00:46:32.598
And we're going back to it, freely and volunteering so that we will never,

00:46:32.598 --> 00:46:37.569
ever be put in that state again. Amen. Let's pray.

00:46:37.790 --> 00:46:41.290
And then we're going to get ready for the next episode.

00:46:41.783 --> 00:46:46.397
Father God and neighbor Jesus, we come before you with a humble heart and open eyes.

00:46:46.548 --> 00:46:49.748
We thank you for your word. We thank you that your word is truth.

00:46:49.748 --> 00:46:54.263
Even when men have mishandled it, twisted it, edited it, and used it for control.

00:46:54.617 --> 00:46:58.648
We thank you that no lie is stronger than your truth. And no hidden thing can

00:46:58.648 --> 00:47:01.908
remain hidden when you decide to reveal it.

00:47:02.419 --> 00:47:06.578
Lord, forgive us for the times of rejected knowledge. Forgive us for depending

00:47:06.578 --> 00:47:11.225
only on what others told us instead of searching the scripture for ourselves.

00:47:11.771 --> 00:47:16.788
Forgive us for walking away from your word because of what people did in your

00:47:16.788 --> 00:47:19.950
name. Today, we return to the book, the Bible.

00:47:20.258 --> 00:47:24.958
We return to truth, wisdom, covenant, identity, and most importantly,

00:47:24.958 --> 00:47:28.089
we return to you. Father, open our understanding.

00:47:28.402 --> 00:47:32.158
Remove every veil, every false teaching, every religious wound,

00:47:32.158 --> 00:47:36.192
even inherited lie, and every spirit of confusion.

00:47:36.471 --> 00:47:41.603
Give us the courage to ask hard questions and the humility to receive true answers.

00:47:41.713 --> 00:47:43.634
Restore what was stolen from us.

00:47:43.900 --> 00:47:46.280
Restore our knowledge. Restore our history.

00:47:46.652 --> 00:47:50.135
Restore our names. Restore our families. Restore our faith.

00:47:50.442 --> 00:47:55.588
Restore our understanding of who we are. Let this study not produce pride,

00:47:55.588 --> 00:47:59.388
anger, division, but healing, wisdom, truth, and restoration.

00:47:59.707 --> 00:48:01.698
Let it awaken those who have been asleep.

00:48:02.052 --> 00:48:06.608
Let it strengthen those who have been weary. Let us call back those who walk

00:48:06.608 --> 00:48:10.766
away from God because they never knew the truth was inside it.

00:48:11.271 --> 00:48:14.005
Lord, you know your people are restored for lack of knowledge.

00:48:14.318 --> 00:48:17.232
So today we ask you to restore knowledge to your people.

00:48:17.337 --> 00:48:19.560
Let the hidden things be revealed.

00:48:19.868 --> 00:48:24.886
Let the lies be exposed. Let the captivity be awakened. Let the scattered be

00:48:24.886 --> 00:48:27.670
gathered. Let the broken be restored.

00:48:27.989 --> 00:48:33.586
Let your word speak again. We declare that history does not have the final word.

00:48:33.586 --> 00:48:38.455
Oppression does not have the final word. Slavery does not have the final word.

00:48:38.734 --> 00:48:44.856
White supremacy does not have the final word. False religion does not have the final word.

00:48:45.170 --> 00:48:48.339
But you, God, you have the final word.

00:48:48.584 --> 00:48:53.226
And we trust you to lead us into all truth. In Jesus' name, amen.

00:48:53.226 --> 00:48:58.689
I'm your host, Connie Morris, and this is the Diary of a Black Woman podcast.

00:48:58.917 --> 00:49:02.812
I can't wait to get started. I hope your heart is stirred as mine is,

00:49:03.037 --> 00:49:07.484
ready to learn the truth, because the truth will make us free.

00:49:07.740 --> 00:49:10.521
The truth will make us free.

00:49:10.852 --> 00:49:15.338
The truth is profitable. The truth is rewarding.

00:49:15.612 --> 00:49:20.016
The truth is refreshing. The truth is that boundary around us,

00:49:20.016 --> 00:49:24.725
like having this invisible barrier around us that the enemy can't touch us,

00:49:24.853 --> 00:49:26.234
nothing that concerns us.

00:49:26.560 --> 00:49:29.287
Why? Because we're giving God our whole heart.

00:49:29.804 --> 00:49:33.032
Our whole mind, our soul, everything about us. Why?

00:49:33.188 --> 00:49:37.852
Because he cares for us and he's thinking about us and he is the one that will

00:49:37.852 --> 00:49:44.333
bring the scattered back home and the restoration day will be as though it was a dream.

00:49:44.635 --> 00:49:52.669
But we as Bible readers will already sense in the spirit that something good is about to happen.

00:49:52.953 --> 00:49:58.648
And so right now I'd like to say thank you for listening and And I will see you on the next episode.

00:49:58.787 --> 00:50:02.531
Before we close today, I don't want to take for granted that everyone listening

00:50:02.793 --> 00:50:04.226
knows Jesus personally.

00:50:04.615 --> 00:50:09.032
If you have listened to this episode or any other episodes and felt something

00:50:09.032 --> 00:50:14.147
stirring in your heart, maybe you know about God, but you're not sure you truly know him.

00:50:14.304 --> 00:50:18.513
Maybe you grew up in church, walked away, got hurt, became tired,

00:50:18.901 --> 00:50:21.242
and never fully surrendered your life to Jesus.

00:50:21.622 --> 00:50:26.052
I want you to know this. God loves you. He has not forgotten you.

00:50:26.052 --> 00:50:28.010
He is not waiting to shame you.

00:50:28.172 --> 00:50:31.144
He is calling you home.

00:50:31.307 --> 00:50:35.330
The Bible says in Romans 10, 9, if you declare with your mouth,

00:50:35.550 --> 00:50:42.799
Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

00:50:43.003 --> 00:50:45.429
Salvation is not about being perfect.

00:50:45.667 --> 00:50:48.546
It's about surrendering to the one who is perfect.

00:50:48.866 --> 00:50:56.279
Jesus died for your sins, rose again, and made a way for you to be forgiven, restored, and made new.

00:50:56.406 --> 00:50:59.912
So right where you are, you can pray this prayer with me.

00:51:00.069 --> 00:51:05.230
Lord Jesus, I come to you today with an open heart. I believe you are the Son of God.

00:51:05.619 --> 00:51:12.080
I believe you died on the cross for my sins, and I believe that God raised you from the dead.

00:51:12.248 --> 00:51:16.402
Today, I confess that I need you. I repent of my sins.

00:51:16.702 --> 00:51:23.173
I ask you to forgive me, cleanse me, and make me brand new. Jesus, come into my heart.

00:51:23.492 --> 00:51:27.282
Be my Lord, my Savior, my Redeemer, and my King.

00:51:27.662 --> 00:51:32.629
I surrender my life to you. I give you my past, my present, and my future.

00:51:32.908 --> 00:51:36.837
Teach me how to walk with you. Fill me with your Holy Spirit.

00:51:37.110 --> 00:51:41.062
Lead me in truth, healing, obedience, and love.

00:51:41.382 --> 00:51:43.922
From this day forward, I belong to you.

00:51:44.322 --> 00:51:48.313
In Jesus' name, amen. If you pray that prayer from your heart,

00:51:48.470 --> 00:51:52.801
I want you to know that heaven has heard you. This is not the end.

00:51:53.131 --> 00:51:58.019
This is only the beginning of your walk with Jesus. Find a Bible-believing church.

00:51:58.188 --> 00:52:00.028
Begin reading the Word of God.

00:52:00.301 --> 00:52:03.371
Pray daily and ask the Holy Spirit to help you grow.

00:52:03.644 --> 00:52:08.404
God is not looking for perfection from you. He is inviting you into relationship,

00:52:08.712 --> 00:52:12.222
transformation, and eternal life through Jesus Christ.

00:52:12.522 --> 00:52:18.540
And remember, you are loved, you are not forgotten, and God still has a purpose for your life.

00:52:18.865 --> 00:52:21.756
Thank you for listening to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast.

00:52:21.953 --> 00:52:26.417
Until next time, keep walking in truth, faith, and freedom.

00:52:37.378 --> 00:52:40.553
Family, thank you for spending time with me today.

00:52:40.838 --> 00:52:44.502
To every woman listening who has ever felt hidden, overlooked,

00:52:44.502 --> 00:52:46.950
or pushed aside, hear me clearly.

00:52:47.223 --> 00:52:51.763
God has not forgotten you, and neither have I.

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Now let's go before the Lord and close this out with a word from God,

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because someone out there needs this reminder today.

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Jeremiah 29, 11, verses 11 through 14.

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For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you

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and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

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Then when you call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you,

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you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

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I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and bring you back from captivity.

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Father God, we thank you for your word, that it is true, that it is living, that it is for us.

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You said you know the plans you have for us, plans to prosper us and not to

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harm us, plans to give us hope and a future.

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So today we receive that, not just in our minds, but in our hearts.

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When we feel overlooked, remind us you still see us.

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When we feel forgotten, remind us you still have a plan. And when we feel hidden,

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remind us you are still working.

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Your word says that when we call on you, you will listen.

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So we call on you now. Hear us. Strengthen us.

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Guide us. Help us to seek you with our whole heart, not halfway,

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not sometimes, but fully.

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And as we seek you, let us find you in every season, in every place.

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Even the hidden one. Restore what was lost, renew what feels broken,

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and remind us that nothing in our lives is wasted in your hand.

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Lord, we trust you, we believe you, and we stand on your word. In Jesus' name, amen.

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This is Diary of a Black Woman podcast, and I'm your host, Connie Morris,

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and I'll see you on the next episode.