#36. Leviticus 14-16 | The Day of Atonement, The Holy of Holies, and The Torn Veil

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Welcome to The Dwelling Place

from Interested Ministries.

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I'm Stephanie Hickox.

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In today's reading, we're looking at

Leviticus 14 through 16, and chapter

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16 covers the most important day

of the year, the Day of Atonement.

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As we've been talking about the

Bible as we have it today, is the

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progressive revelation of God.

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And Hebrews tells us that

the Old Testament was a

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shadow of the things to come.

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After I talk a little bit more about

what the Day of Atonement entailed,

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I can't help but read how Jesus is a

better covenant and how he perfectly

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fulfills this role of high priest.

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So I'll be reading a portion from Hebrews.

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You might be thinking, okay,

but what are you gonna do

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when he gets you Hebrews girl?

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The hardest thing about doing this

is getting in all the information

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in under 10 minutes an episode.

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So I'm not worried about having

a little extra time when we

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do reach the book of Hebrews.

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Later on in Leviticus 14, God

continues to give provisions for those

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who cannot afford more, and he also

reveals that he cares about our bodies.

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He gave his people guidance to bless them.

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And there were commands to care

for their belongings as well.

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God led them in wisdom to prevent

them from spreading illness.

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Chapter 14 continues those

really detailed descriptions

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from chapter 13 about leprosy.

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This isn't the leprosy of today.

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That term would've covered

a lot of skin conditions.

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Something I learned from my aunt

Betsy, the founder of Entrusted

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Ministries, is that the Bible doesn't

often mention colors as descriptions.

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So when I saw reddish and greenish,

part of me wants to get excited

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and then I realize, oh, it's

talking about a skin infection.

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I think I'd rather read about the green

pastures the Lord has us laid down in

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When someone did receive confirmation

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that they were cleansed.

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There was a right of restoration.

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The priest was to carry out.

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Once the uncleaned person was

pronounced clean, they'd wash their

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clothes, shave, bathe, stay away

from their tent for seven days.

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John Nik writes that the appearance

of one following this Ritual would've

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been a dramatic pronouncement

that his life was made new.

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I love that thought that

they would've had a physical

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declaration of, look, God healed me

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and it inspires me.

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How am I being vocal and sharing the

testimonies of the Lord in my life?

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In Jesus's ministry,

he did cleanse lepers.

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He knew that his power was able

to heal anything, and he's the

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God who belongs to John Deer.

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So it just wouldn't stop him

from restoring his people.

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Chapter 15 is all about

guidelines for bodily discharges.

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It can be confusing and make your

wheels turn, and I went down a few

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rabbit trails reading about this

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part of me wishes that there

would still be a little break in

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society for certain dates on the

calendar, if you know what I mean.

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It might be nice to have a little less

on your schedule during that time.

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And thankfully, God did not require a

sacrifice because regular maintenance

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for it Is already way too much

of an investment, in my opinion.

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Now let's talk about the Day of Atonement.

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Even when the Nation of Israel

was following all of God's

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guidelines, there were sure to be

sins that were left on confessed.

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And on this one day of the year, God laid

out a specific process for the high priest

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to come before him and even into the Holy

of Holies, to atone for the people's sin.

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This was the holiest day of the

year for them, and it's the only day

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that they were commanded to fast on.

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In a way, it's the Old Testament

version of Good Friday, except.

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We honor Good Friday as the once and

for all sacrifice that only needed

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to occur one time, but the Day of

Atonement would've happened annually.

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According to our calendar, it falls

between late September and early October.

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My Moody commentary clarifies that

sins were expiated but not propitiated.

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The propitiation awaited the

final sacrifice of Messiah.

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Who could offer himself without

blemish as high priest in sacrifice.

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It is in this sense that the

blood of bulls and goats could

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never fully deal with human sin.

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If they could, Messiah

would not have had to die.

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The blood of the animals

was a temporary solution.

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God received it knowing that one day a

permanent solution would be sacrificed.

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The term scapegoat comes from a

practice that would've occurred

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on this day of atonement.

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Let's look at that now.

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In chapter 16, beginning in verse

seven, then he shall take the two

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goats and set them before the Lord at

the entrance of the tent of meeting.

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And Aaron shall cast lots over

the two goats, one lot for the

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Lord and the other lot for Azazel.

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And Aaron shall present the goat

on which the lot fell for the

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Lord and use it as a sin offering.

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But the lot on which the lot fell

for Azazel shall be presented alive

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before the Lord to make atonement

over it, that it may be sent away

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into the wilderness to Azazel.

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Aaron or the high priest at the time

would've put both hands on the head

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of the goat and confessed all the

transgressions of the Israelites.

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This could have taken a long time.

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I don't know how patient

the goat would've been.

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But my kids are fond of looking up

screaming goat videos, and I hope

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that it was more peaceful than that.

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You might be wondering, who is Azazel?

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It's capitalized.

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Some suggest that this was a

wilderness dwelling demon, but

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since Leviticus prohibits offerings

to demons, it just doesn't seem

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to be consistent with scripture.

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Other ways to translate as azel are

complete destruction or rocky precipice.

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some traditions suggest that the

goat would've been led to a mountain

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and pushed off of a rocky precipice,

and the Moody Commentary believes

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that this is most likely because

it would've been so definitive in

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the minds of the people watching

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and then we read that Aaron

was allowed to go through the

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veil into the Holy of Holies.

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There was a curtain that divided

these two sacred rooms, the holy

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place from the most holy place.

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And even though God was coming down

to dwell with his people, this veils

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symbolized that the people were

separated from God because of sin.

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When Jesus died on the cross, the

veil and the temple was torn in two.

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And if this tear was a result of

a human action, it would've begun

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from the bottom, but when Jesus

died, it tore from top to bottom.

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It was done by God himself

telling us it is finished.

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I no longer need to be separate

from you because the payment

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for your sins has been paid.

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I always wonder about those

serving in the temple.

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What did they think when this happened?

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Didn't they realize that

Jesus was the son of God?

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Let's look at Hebrews nine.

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I wanna make sure that we know

exactly where to find the claims

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that we make about Christianity.

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First one begins.

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Now, even the first covenant had

regulations for worship and an earthly

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place of holiness for a tent was prepared.

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The first section in which were the

lampstand and the table on the bread of

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the presence, it is called the Holy Place.

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Behind the second curtain, was a second

section called the Most Holy Place.

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Having the golden altar of incense

and the arc of the covenant covered

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on all sides with gold in which was

a golden urn holding the manna and

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Aaron staff that butted and the tablets

of the covenant above it, where

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the chair Bim of glory overshadowing

the mercy seat of these things.

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We cannot now speak in detail.

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These preparations, having thus been made,

the priests go regularly into the first

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section performing their ritual duties.

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But into the second, only the high priest

goes and he, but once a year and not

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without taking blood, which he offers

for himself and for the unintentional

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sins of the people And in verse 11,

but when Christ appeared as a high

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priest of the good things that have

come, then through the greater and more

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perfect tent, not made with hands that

is not of this creation, he entered

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once for all into the holy places,

not by means of the blood of goats and

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calves, but by means of his own blood,

thus securing an eternal redemption.

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For if the blood of goats and bulls and

the sprinkling of defiled persons with

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the ashes of a heifer sanctify for the

purification of the flesh, how much more

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will the blood of Christ who through the

eternal spirit, offered himself without

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blemish to God, purify our conscience

from dead works to serve the living God.

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Therefore, he is the mediator of a new

covenant, so that those who are called may

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receive the promised eternal inheritance.

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And in verse 24, for Christ has entered

not into the holy places, made with hands,

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which are copies of the true things,

but into heaven itself now to appear

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in the presence of God on our behalf.

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Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly as

the high priest enters the holy places

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every year with blood, not his own.

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For then he would've had to

suffer repeatedly since the

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foundation of the world.

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But as it is, he has appeared once for

all at the end of the ages to put away

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sin by the sacrifice of himself and

just as it is appointed for man to die.

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Once and after that comes judgment.

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So Christ having been offered

once to bear the sins of many will

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appear a second time not to

deal with sin, but to save those

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who are eagerly waiting for him.

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Jesus.

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We do eagerly await your coming.

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We thank you for the hope we have

in you As we read about those being

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cleansed and giving a public testimony.

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I pray that we also would be quick to

share how you're moving in our lives

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I pray for those moms and the families

that are facing sickness right now.

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Strengthen them to care well for their

families and provide healing, but

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please provide rest for the moms

that work so hard to love their kids.

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As we read about your detailed

instructions about cleansing homes and

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bodies, we ask you would help us to be

faithful to steward what we have And

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ultimately, Lord, help us to walk

selflessly as you did Jesus, that we

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will lay down our desires for your glory

and that our kids would do that as well.

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Sometimes as moms, it seems

the more we sacrifice for our

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kids, the more they expect us to.

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So God, would you please guide us

and mold their hearts that they

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would be willing to lay down their

flesh and their sinful natures to

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serve others and to please you.

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And I pray that they would

long to see you face to face.

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It's in your name we pray Jesus.

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Amen.