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Demi-Leigh Tebow
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.
Narrator (Hearts of Fire 2 Promo)
It wasn't long after Tamara and her husband moved into their new home in Tajikistan that she was visited by a group of Muslim women. She welcomed them warmly, but she soon realized the visit was not a friendly one. Tamara and her husband had been sharing the gospel, and these women came to her with a stern warning. Christians were not welcome. Only later would Tamara fully understand the danger she and her husband now faced. You can read her full story by getting your very own copy of Hearts of Fire 2 for free from the Voice of the Martyrs. The book highlights courageous women who have served Christ in some of the world's most difficult and dangerous places. Today, you can receive your own copy of the book for free by visiting vom.org chosenpeople that's vom.org chosen people previously
Narrator (Biblical Story)
on the Chosen People.
The Lord (God)
I have heard the Israelites complaints against me. Tell them this. All who were counted in the census 20 years older will die in the desert. I swear that none will enter the promised land except Caleb and Joshua.
Moses
The Lord. The lord has spoken.
Narrator (Biblical Story)
40 years.
Moses
40 years of what?
The Lord (God)
Exile.
Rebel Israelite
Enough, old man.
Moses
Your time commanding us is through. After today, the people will have a new regime.
Narrator (Biblical Story)
Moses frowned, raising his voice to address the rebels.
Moses
Get away from the tents of these wicked men. Don't touch anything that belongs to them or you'll be swept away. Because of all their sins, the greedy
Narrator (Biblical Story)
ground consumed them all. The usurpers, their families, their possessions, even their desperate cries. Everything. Once it all tumbled out of sight into the darkness below. A horrified Israel watched as the ground knit itself back together, leaving only open space and silence where the two households had been.
Moses
How many times do I need to see the people of God devolve into mindless madness? How much longer must I endure this?
Narrator (Biblical Story)
Click the link in the description to grow closer to God. There you'll find daily prayers, Bible plans, sleep stories, and so much more, all on the Pray.com app. Click the link in the description to get started.
Tim Tebow
Life hits us all hard. Sometimes we get knocked down and let's be real, sometimes it feels easier to stay there. But guys, God has called us to so much more. To live on purpose, to be conquerors. I'm Tim Tebow and I'd love for you to join me on pray.com for daily devotionals that remind us of God's promises and the hope that is an anchor for our souls. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it, but let me tell you, it's worth it. It builds character, produces fruit, and makes us more like Jesus. Jesus didn't live passively, he lived Rescue Mission as followers of Christ, we're called to do the same, keeping perspective of what God has called us to. Listen to the Daily Pursuit with Tim Tebow on iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Demi-Leigh Tebow
Do you need a reset of the mind and soul? Let go of the day's troubles and embrace Christ's peace by listening to Unwind with Me. Demi Leigh Thibault Unwind is your nightly destination for building mindful habits and finding rest. Partnered with licensed Christian therapists, Unwind offers an effective way to work on your mental health, grow closer to God and find peace right before bed. God's Word promises us that when we make efforts to renew our minds, transformation will follow. True abiding and life giving transformation. Experience the transformation that comes from renewing your mind in God's Word. Join me as we take steps toward deeper faith together. Listen to unwind with Demi Le Tebow on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Martina Castro
For decades, people traveled across the world to see John of God, desperate for cures, no doctor offer. And when they arrived, they saw things they couldn't explain.
Narrator (Biblical Story)
This is real. This guy's actually doing surgery and it's a miracle. I never believed that miracles were real
Martina Castro
until that point, but behind those adoring crowds was something much darker.
Demi-Leigh Tebow
One of the reasons why I never went to the police is because I saw at least five or six men with guns everywhere he went.
Martina Castro
That was clear to me.
Demi-Leigh Tebow
Like, close your mouth, don't open your mouth, don't say anything.
Martina Castro
I'm your host, Martina Castro, and in the podcast Two Faced John of God, we'll look back on a man who claimed he could perform miracles and got people from all around the world to believe him. From exactly right and adonde Media this is Two Faced John of God. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Narrator (Biblical Story)
Moses frowned at the dry rock marking the source of the stream, now empty, its creek bed dusty and barren. The parched air clung to him, foretelling the scorching day ahead. It was unseasonably hot for the first month of the year, and even before dawn the heat pressed down relentlessly. Kadish, usually a well watered oasis and a familiar resting place for the Israelites, was lifeless. For years the Lord had provided water there and Year after year, the people returned to this spot on the edge of the Promised Land before moving their flocks to the foothills for summer. 38 years. That's how much time had passed since Israel refused to enter the Promised Land based on a negative report of Moses. Hand selected spies. And in that time, true to the Lord's fateful declaration, that entire generation had passed away. Moses, Aaron and Miriam were all now advanced in age, each well over 100, and ailing with all that accompanied such an achievement, Miriam was next to blind and frail. Aaron's hands shone, shook terribly, and he now walked with a hunch. And their younger brother Moses was not much better. His hands were gnarled and his joints ached all hours of the day and night. Moving or resting, it made no difference. Only Moses, Aaron, Joshua, Caleb and Miriam had made it to Kadesh that spring of the 38th year. But Miriam fell gravely ill when they arrived. She had helped Moses and Aaron oversee the final stages of setting up the tabernacle and their family's tents, but had to retreat to her tent to rest. She never rose again after that. Moses was devastated, and Aaron was beside himself. The high priest was prohibited from coming into contact with dead bodies by their laws, as it would render him ritually impure. So when they received word that she had passed peacefully in her sleep, Aaron was barred from even entering her tent. Moses could have gone in, but he refrained. Somehow, it didn't feel right when Aaron could not. Instead, one of her great great grandchildren would close her eyes for the final time. Moses and Aaron sat outside the tabernacle, weeping for the sister who had saved Moses as a baby and stood as a leader alongside them for decades. Eleazar, Aaron's son, prepared her body while the community's mournful cries filled the camp. The brothers wept until exhaustion overtook them. Eyes dry, bodies trembling, the mourners keening echoed into the night. And though they returned to their tents, sleep eluded Moses. Likely it escaped Aaron as well. Moses wandered to the rock, waiting for dawn. As the sun rose, casting harsh light on the parched stone, he sighed. That problem would wait today. They would bury Miriam. Joshua was about to depart for the day when the sound of two approaching voices right outside of his tent made him halt in his tracks. Joshua knew the tone of dissent when he heard it. He was all too familiar with where this type of complaining would inevitably lead. His stomach tightened, but he clenched his jaw and listened anyway.
Moses
Did you see the stream?
Rebel Israelite
You mean the dry creek bed?
Moses
Exactly. How can Moses possibly think that we can settle Here this year. I know his sister just died, but we should get moving. It's an insult to think that we should sit here and starve mere miles away from the Promised Land. It's not fair.
Rebel Israelite
My father told me of the grapes the scouts brought back. He said they had to be lifted by two men across a long pole.
Narrator (Biblical Story)
Can you.
Moses
Even Moses has kept us from anything. Good he would. He would have us wandering the desert until we all die.
Rebel Israelite
And just like our parents, we need to do something. Something needs to change.
Moses
Join us. We're going to Moses later today.
Rebel Israelite
Didn't he just bury his sister?
Moses
Miriam's tomb has been sealed and the brothers are mourning. Why should we wait any longer to make our complaints known? We'll die out here ourselves if we wait much longer.
Rebel Israelite
I will go with you.
Narrator (Biblical Story)
The two men walked away, unaware that Joshua had overheard their blunt conversation. From where he sat in the entryway to his tent, he sighed and rubbed his temples. It was time to find Moses and Aaron and alert them again. Now in his late 50s, Joshua was among the oldest who remembered the failures of their forebears nearly 40 years ago. Peace had settled over Israel as the older generations passed, replaced by younger ones who had only heard of the Red Sea whispered around campfires. They hadn't seen the Lord's fearsome judgment firsthand, as he and Caleb had.
Moses
How much longer until we take the Promised Land? Are we ready? Am I ready? Are they ready to take up the land they'd been promised? Will any of us ever truly be ready?
Narrator (Biblical Story)
The Lord had promised that Joshua and Caleb would see Canaan. That much encouraged him when he felt lost and discouraged. But the Lord had extended no such promise to Moses, Aaron and Miriam. And now Miriam was gone.
Moses
Would the brothers live to see the fruition of the dream they have planted in every Israelite's heart? Would their faithfulness to the next generation be rewarded?
Narrator (Biblical Story)
Joshua had come to accept that he was going to take the mantle of leadership when Moses passed. Such had been prophesied at the base of Mount Sinai. Yet even so, Joshua longed for Moses to lead the people into the Promised Land. He desperately wanted Moses to experience the joy of finishing what he had started.
Tim Tebow
Life hits us all hard sometimes we get knocked down and let's be real. Sometimes it feels easier to stay there.
The Lord (God)
But.
Tim Tebow
But guys, God has called us to so much more. To live on purpose. To be conquerors. I'm Tim Tebow, and I'd love for you to join me on pray.com for daily devotionals that remind us of God's promises and the hope that is an anchor for our souls. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful later on. However, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. But let me tell you, it's worth it. It builds character, produces fruit, and makes us more like Jesus. Jesus didn't live passively, he lived on a rescue mission. As followers of Christ, we're called to do the same, keeping perspective of what God has called us to. Listen to the Daily Pursuit with Tim Tebow on iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Demi-Leigh Tebow
Do you need a reset of the mind and soul? Let go of the day's troubles and embrace Christ's peace by listening to Unwind with Me Demi Lee Thibault Unwind is your nightly destination for building mindful habits and finding rest. Partnered with licensed Christian therapists, Unwind offers an effective way to work on your mental health. Grow closer to God and find peace right before bed. God's Word promises us that when we make efforts to renew our minds, transformation will follow. True abiding and life giving Transformation. Experience the transformation that comes from renewing your mind in God's Word. Join me as we take steps toward deeper faith together. Listen to unwind with Demi Le Tebow on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Martina Castro
For decades, people traveled across the world to see John of God, desperate for cures no doctor could offer. And when they arrived, they saw things they couldn't explain.
Narrator (Biblical Story)
This is real. This guy's actually doing surgery and it's a miracle. I never believed that miracles were real until that point.
Martina Castro
But behind those adoring crowds was something much darker.
Demi-Leigh Tebow
One of the reasons why I never went to the police is because I saw at least five or six men with guns. Everywhere he went.
Martina Castro
That was clear to me.
Demi-Leigh Tebow
Like, close your mouth, don't open your mouth, don't say anything.
Martina Castro
I'm your host Martina Castro, and in the podcast Two Faced John of God, we'll look back on a man who claimed he could perform many miracles and got people from all around the world to believe him. From exactly right and adonde Media. This is Two Faced John of God. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Narrator (Biblical Story)
Moses was furious. Joshua had just come to tell him of the approaching mob. After years of wandering, the desert was waiting for the faithless to pass. This new generation dared to echo the same ungrateful complaints of their forebears where was the justice in that? Weren't they supposed to be different? The ones worthy of the promised land? He had spent a third of his life preparing them, and this was their response? Moses glanced at Aaron. His brother, just as enraged, trembled from head to toe, his arthritic hands shaking uncontrollably.
Rebel Israelite
Have these children no respect? Our sister's body has not yet grown cold, and yet they hurl these complaints against us.
Moses
It's this place, Kadesh. It still reeks of our past failures. It pollutes this place and poisons their minds against us.
Rebel Israelite
What do they know? They don't know what we've been through on their behalf. They. These younglings have no idea where we've been, what we've done. They. They think they could have done better. How many countless men have died screaming in front of our eyes? Even children crippled and scarred with disease, the ground splitting open between us. Oh, to give up what I have given up for their sake? The life I have been appointed to live, the mantle I carry. To give up my own sons and to watch as they I couldn't even bury our sister.
Moses
I'm telling you, Eren, this time.
Narrator (Biblical Story)
Just then, Joshua poked his head back into Moses tent.
Moses
Moses, Aaron, they are assembled before the tabernacle.
Narrator (Biblical Story)
They are ready for you. Moses sighed and steadied himself. He attempted to leash his rage and remind himself what his duty was to these people, what he had given his life for. Moses clenched his jaw and balled his gnarled fists. What would it say about his legacy if he lost his temper and failed yet again? He motioned for Joshua to lead the way, and Moses and Aaron soon found themselves standing before an angry mob of disgruntled men and women again.
Moses
Have you brought us here? There's no water. Have you brought us here so that we will die like our fathers?
Rebel Israelite
The land of Canaan, just over the border, taunts us. We have grain and figs and vines, pomegranates. We have nothing.
Moses
Have you forgotten what you told us? We are the Lord's assembly. And yet we are still not in the Promised Land. You uprooted our fathers from Egypt just to strand us in this evil place.
Rebel Israelite
I'm starting to think you're afraid, Moses. You're not capable of leading us anymore. You don't have the boldness to lead us to the land of the the promise. Does the Lord even speak to you anymore? Do you even have the authority to lead?
Narrator (Biblical Story)
The crowd gathered around the instigators and devolved into shouting men. Moses mouth fell Open in shock at these bold claims. One look at Aaron told him he was experiencing the same shock. The crowd before him blurred until he could only see red. And that familiar ringing sound returned, and Moses was again lost in his roiling
Moses
accused me of lacking authority after my prayers and pleas have saved him from destruction dozens of times.
Narrator (Biblical Story)
His hands gripped his staff, and just as he began to raise it, his body took over and his mind went blank with rage. Suddenly, a strong hand gripped his arm and he saw Joshua's pleading face before him.
Moses
Moses, please go before the Lord and ask for water. Ask him to provide a way for us to stay here. Don't dignify their complaints with your rage, Moses.
Narrator (Biblical Story)
Vision cleared. The boy was right. He was letting the people's words fester, poking at old insecurities and wounds from his past. He loosened his grip on the staff, flexing his hands and slowing his breath. Breath. Joshua stepped back but watched him with concern. Moses scowled at the shouting crowd, but said nothing. If they wanted to see his authority, he would show them by fulfilling his role. Something none of them could do. Grasping Aaron's arm, Moses led him to the tabernacle. Aaron struggled to keep up. These days he hobbled, sometimes losing his weight. Yet Moses was always there to guide him. He would until the bitter end. Inside, they knelt in the most holy place and waited for the Lord to speak.
The Lord (God)
Take the staff, the one I used to appoint the high priest. The one that sprouted before all Israel and assembled the community by the dry stream. You and your brother Aaron are to speak to the source, the rock, while they watch, and it will yield its water. In that way, he would bring out water from them, from the rock, and provide drink for the entire community and livestock.
Narrator (Biblical Story)
Deep beneath Moses, simmering anger. He knew he should be grateful for the solution the Lord provided. He knew he should rejoice that this spark of rebellion would not lead to ruin. Yet the sting of the people's complaints gnawed at him, distracting him, buzzing in his mind, crowding out the place where he usually felt the ever present presence of the Lord. Aaron lit the incense to fill the most holy place, veiling the glory of the Lord, and retrieved the sprouted stone from the Ark of the Covenant. Both men marveled at how the almonds and blossoms had remained fresh and unaged, a true symbol of divine authority. Moses was to wield it. Taking the staff in hand, he led the reluctant, murmuring assembly of God's people out to the rock. Moses did as the Lord commanded, standing with Aaron before the gathered people of Israel. In front of the dry rock, the crowd pressed in and around the creek bed, their water skins and jars held limply, their faces marked by doubt. They did not expect anything. Nor did they believe Moses carried the true authority of God. They were too young to understand the significance of the staff in Moses hands. They hadn't seen the Nile turn to blood or the Red Sea split in two. Yet here they were again in Kadesh, at the edge of the Promised Land, caught in the same cycle of doubt, fear and disloyalty their parents had. Moses knew he had to end this uprising before it took root. He had to remind them of their place and the divine power at work among them.
Moses
Listen, you rebels must Aaron and I bring water out of the this rock for you. We will show you where true authority lies.
Narrator (Biblical Story)
Anger surged unchecked through Moses, finally unleashed. As he spoke with ferocity to the ungrateful crowd, he raised his hand and struck the rock with the sprouted staff. The impact reverberated up his arm, jarring his shoulder. Fueling his rage further, he struck the rock a second time. Water gushed in a torrent, filling the dry creek bed and surging into the camp. The current flowed fast and strong, spreading through the plains beyond. The people gasped and cheered, astonished by the sight. Even Moses stood stunned. He had seen waterfalls in Egypt, but such a rush of water was unheard of in the desert. The people's amazement softened their anger. Moses saw Aaron's shoulders slump with relief. But as their relief settled, Moses felt the presence of the Lord stir within him. A familiar fear prickled his spine and Aaron looked at him, worry creasing his face.
Rebel Israelite
He wants to speak with us, doesn't he?
Moses
Yes, he does.
Rebel Israelite
Oh Moses. We acted like those arrogant magicians back at Pharaoh's court. We acted like. What was his name? Remember? Ramsay's high priest? That slippery snake of a man, Nebamon, toting the Lord's power as if it was our own. We've grown too accustomed to oppositions. We've become compliant in our steady reign over the people. We're no better than those Egyptians.
Narrator (Biblical Story)
Aron was right. Moses stomach dropped out as he recalled the things he thought and said. In his anger, his hardened heart was no better than Ramses. Moses swallowed and then nodded to Aaron. The two of them went away from the still celebrating crowds along the bank of the now rushing stream and knelt before the God they had been following for the last century.
Moses
Lord, speak. We are ready to hear you.
Narrator (Biblical Story)
Moses felt the Lord's disappointment in the silence that hung between them. He hung his head in shame. He understood. In his haste and anger and pride, he had taken up the Lord's authority and waved it before the masses as if it was his own. His heart sank. He was lucky to be alive and kneeling before the Lord at all. If anyone else had been so brazenly disrespectful to his God, he would have expected the holy fires to consume them immediately. He had seen it happen a lot, and it had been justified. Tears brimmed in Moses eyes. He had failed again.
Moses
Why am I still kneeling, still breathing? Why am I still living at all?
Narrator (Biblical Story)
At the thought, he held his breath and waited for wrath, waited for fire, waited for oblivion. But it did not come. There was only stillness. And in that stillness, resolution.
Moses
You would let us live.
Narrator (Biblical Story)
He wept to the Lord's mercy, and Aaron wept beside him. It was not until Moses understood that the Lord finally spoke.
The Lord (God)
You understand. You understand that you did not trust me to demonstrate my holiness in the sight of all Israel. You took it upon yourself. You acted accordingly to your own authority.
Narrator (Biblical Story)
Moses continued to weep as he remembered that the Lord's instructions. The realization pressed down on him like a great weight. He was to speak and the water would flow from the rock. But in losing control and in the midst of his outburst, he struck the rock twice, struck it out of anger.
The Lord (God)
Because of this act of rebellion, neither of you will bring this assembly into the land I have given them.
Narrator (Biblical Story)
Moses slumped, and he felt Aaron collapse in despair beside him. He had heard the Lord as well. Moses was grateful he didn't have to relay the words. He doubted he could find the words to express this profound and utter failure. His words, spoken in obedience, could have brought life, but instead his angry words would only bring death and disappointment. This prey.com production is only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Cattina, Max Bard, Zach Shellavager and Ben Gammon are the executive producers of the Chosen People. Narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Steven Ringwald, Sylvia zaradoch, Thomas Copeland Jr. Rosanna Pilcher and Mitch Leschinsky. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith. Written by Aaron Salvato, Bree Rosalie and Chris Baig. You can hear more Prey.com productions on the Pray.com app, available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. If you enjoyed the Chosen People, please rate and leave a review. People who didn't do what John of
Rebel Israelite
God wanted them to do, they usually disappeared.
Martina Castro
John of God was once Brazil's most famous spiritual healer. But in this limited series podcast we uncover the darker truth behind his global empire of faith and fear. From exactly right and adonde Media, this is Two Faced John of God. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Tim Tebow
Life hits us all hard. Sometimes we get knocked down and let's be real, sometimes it feels easier to stay there. But guys, God has called us to so much more to live on purpose, to be conquerors. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful later on. However, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Listen to the Daily Pursuit with Tim Tebow on IHOP Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Demi-Leigh Tebow
Our God is the same yesterday and today. This new year, reset your mind and soul with the Unwind with Demi Lee Tebow Podcast. A space for building mindful habits, finding rest and embracing Christ's peace. He reminds us that he has never left us. When we make the effort to renew our minds, transformation will follow one calm moment at a time. Open your free iHeartRadio app search unwind with Demi Lee Tebow and listen now. This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.
Podcast: The Chosen People
Host/Producer: Pray.com
Date: February 23, 2026
Episode Theme:
A dramatic retelling and exploration of a pivotal moment in Moses's leadership—a moment of frustration, grief, and disobedience at the waters of Kadesh. This episode grapples with the weight of spiritual leadership, generational struggle, and the consequences of letting anger override faith.
This episode transports listeners to the Israelites' 38th year in the desert, focusing on the loss of Miriam, the community's resulting thirst and unrest, and Moses's fateful act of striking the rock. Through vivid dramatization and reflective narration, the episode probes Moses’s humanity: his grief, weariness, anger, and ultimate regret. The story underscores the importance of trust, humility, and obedience in spiritual leadership, showing how even the greatest prophets faltered and how God responds with both justice and mercy.
The episode mixes narration, dramatized dialogue, and internal reflection to create an immersive, emotional, and reflective retelling. The tone is contemplative and honest, lending gravity to Moses’s spiritual journey and fallibility.
This episode stands as a powerful meditation on leadership, failure, and the ongoing challenge of following God’s command even when the cost feels unbearably personal. It invites listeners to reflect on their own moments of frustration and offers insight into seeking mercy and growth even in the midst of failure.