Joshua 19:1-20:9 ~ Luke 19:28-48 ~ Psalm 88:1-18 ~ Proverbs 13:12-14
Today is April 19th. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It’s good to be here with you today for the next forward step through the scriptures this year. The next forward step leads us back into the book of Joshua, chapter 19, verse 1, through 20, verse 9 today. Of course, this week we’ve been reading from the English Standard Version.
Commentary
The proverb today, hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life, that is a very popular, famous passage of scripture and we say it a lot. Hope deferred does make the heart sick. It makes us heartsick. But when something that we’ve been striving for or a desire is fulfilled, it is as a tree of life to us. It is life-giving to us. So that is very popular.
What we don’t often consider as popular are the supporting scriptures that follow it that sort of unpack it. Because a desire fulfilled is a tree of life can mean anything. What do you desire? Desire can be double-edged. There can be a godly desire burning in your heart or there can be desires that will do nothing but destroy you and pull you away from God. So in context, whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself, but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded. The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life and one may turn away from the snares of death, turn away and be able to parse and understand which desire it is that we have. Chasing an unhealthy desire will steal our hope and make us heartsick and bring destruction on us and become a snare of death to us. But chasing after God, oh, that brings hope to the surface. That constantly gives us hope in front of us.
So may we do what the proverb is telling us in its entirety today and examine our own hearts. Are we heartsick? Is hope deferred? Why? We can begin by looking at the desires that we have been chasing after and that can be an a-ha moment, because our lives are not in the shape that they are in because it’s God’s fault. They are in the shape that they are in because of our intentionality or unintentionality. What are we chasing after? Are we chasing after God? Or are we chasing after the wind?
Prayer
Holy Spirit, we invite you into that because sometimes it’s hard to know that. Sometimes it doesn’t become apparent immediately and in truth we confess that far too often we don’t slow down enough to even ask you. That is on us. Yes, we have blamed you for it, but it is on us. So we take this moment now to invite you into the desires of our hearts. Parse them. Examine them. Shine the light of truth on them. Let us see them for what they really are. Let us see them in stark, illuminated light rather than deep shadow. Show us where our hearts are pulling us and where we are allowing ourselves to be pulled because hope deferred makes us heartsick and we need hope. So come Holy Spirit, fill us with your hope and your desire. We ask in the name of Jesus, amen.
Announcements
Www.DailyAudioBible.com is the website. It’s home base. It’s where you find out what is going on around here so check it out. One of the things that we have been mentioning is that we’ll be going back to the land of the Bible. We’ll be going back to Israel in February of 2018. You can come. You can find out more of the details at www.DailyAudioBible.com. Just look for Israel 2018. Just kind of scroll down and you’ll find it. Or you can go directly there by going to www.DailyAudioBibleIsreal.com and get all the details. Hope to see you there. It is starting to fill up and it looks like it will sell out. It will be at capacity. So if it is a desire of your heart, like we were just talking about, then ask God. And we’ll look forward to seeing you if this is your time.
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And that’s it for today. I’m Brian. I love you. I sure do and I’ll be waiting for you right here tomorrow.
Community Prayer Requests and Praise Reports
Good morning. This is Janine calling from North Dakota. First-time caller. I’ve been listening for over a year and I’m so blessed by this program, this platform. It’s just really changed my life and I feel so close to so many of you that call in. Today I’m calling about my daughter who is just 21 and is suffering from a rare eye disease she’s had since she was 5 years old. It’s scary for her. She’s just got a little vision in one eye left and we are struggling to keep that. We’ve been going to Boston, found an amazing physician there that has been helping her all this time and we’re going again and she is worried that she is not going to find good news so there has been a little bit of problems, so please keep Molly in your prayers. Also, I just want to give a shout-out to my son Wyatt who is just turning 23. I am just so proud of him. He’s really come a long way on his journey. And again, I just want to thank everybody in advance for praying, lifting my children up. Have a good day. Thank you.
Hey everybody. This is Bernie from the Nashville area. I just want to tell everybody the has been praying for me and that prayed for me and my wife, Karen, thank you. Thank you so much. You guys are a blessing to my life and the Lord showed me some things, just in the decisions that I make every moment and every day, to make kingdom decisions, to keep God on my mind and in my life all day, to a life-living relationship. Brian’s book, if you haven’t got is, is phenomenal. Oh, geez, what’s the name of it? I just drew a blank. Look it up here real quick, sorry guys. Oh, Reframe. Geez, I drew a blank. Yeah, Reframe, Brian’s book is great. It’s just reframing the way we look at our walk with God. It has really encouraged me a lot, and you guys do too. You’re a blessing to my life. I just want to say I love you. Alright, bye-bye.
Hi Daily Audio Bible family. This is Laura in Houston. I’m calling because I wanted to let Brian and Jill and so many of the women know that the More Conference was amazing. I think the most amazing thing is that God brought healing to some of the deepest, oldest wounds in my life and that was very much in line with what he has already been doing and he is to be praised and it is good. I’m so moved by the truths you spoke into my heart and thankful. The conference was so much fun. I had lovely roommates. It’s a beautiful place. Everything was so thoughtfully done. Thank you, the whole team who put that together. I saw the love in many people’s hearts. I wanted to reach out. I had the pleasure of meeting another lady from Houston and we’re looking forward to meeting up. I want to say if there is anybody else in Houston who is a Dabber who would like to meet up with some fellow Dabbers, here’s my email address. It’s LauraEWatson@gmail.com. Even if we just touch base once, meet and know that we’re in Houston, that’s great. Love to meet you. God bless you all. Love you. Praying for you all this morning with the DAB. Talk to you later. Bye.
Hi, this is Peggy, AKA Mimi in Atlanta. Annette, I’m going to join in that celebration of the More Gathering. All I can say is our God’s love is a consuming fire and now I get it. I have a visual of all that we took and each one of us picked up someone else’s slip that they surrendered over and it is now in the past. It is completely consumed by the presence of our Lord’s love. And new days. And new air. I am just so grateful to have been able to be a part of the More Gathering. If I could have one request on earth, it is to gather up all the females, every woman who could possibly make next year and fill that wonderful little patch of heaven with DAB women. You don’t leave the same. You just can’t leave the same. The questions. The experiences. The sessions. The prayer time. I’m not one that likes silence, so it was a little challenging for me, but I love you all. I promise you that God sees you and he hears you and he is answering your prayers, so start celebrating before we enter into this weekend of celebration of his resurrection. Father, thank you for every person that is around this campfire. I pray that it continues to grow in your precious name. I pray that you continue to answer in ways that just astound us. You are our sweet, sweet Savior. Thank you for saving us through every one of our circumstances and loving us so relentlessly. In Jesus’ name, I pray over everybody today. Amen. I love you all.
Hi Daily Audio Bible. This is Crystal L. calling from the UK. Oh my gosh. I can’t believe how nervous I am. My heart is like beating out of my chest, but I’m calling. I’ve been listening to the Daily Audio Bible for a while now. I really love it. I’m so appreciative just for the family and for all of you people that come together and pray for each other and those that reach out in prayer. Honestly, I hear your prayers, especially some that are really close to my heart. I don’t remember any names, but just know that I’m one of those people that joins with the family in praying for you. Today I’m asking for prayer, really. I’m a mother of two and I just really need prayer just because I find myself drinking a lot, sometimes even in the day. I’m not getting drunk but I’m finding I’m leaning towards it just to get some kind of relief. I just need some strength, really. I have two children, like I said. I’m married and my husband works a lot. I just really want you to just stand with me in prayer. I just believe in the power of that. I just want to thank you all. I pray that God would just bless every single one of you. I thank you so much, Brian, just for this family. I love you all and I’m praying for you. Thank you for who you are, everyone, all of you listening. Thank you for who you are. Bless you all. Take care guys. I’ll call back again. Crystal L. Bye guys.
Good morning Daily Audio Bible. May God bless you all on this blessed Good Friday, the day that over 2000 years ago our Lord and Savior was on his way to his crucifixion, only to resurrect and give us new life. I want to call in regard to lifting up Ruth from Cali who called on the 6th, Alicia from Kansas who called in on the 14th, and Ken from South Cali who also called on the 14th. ___ I think you called in on the 12th, both Alicia and Ken. You know, I just want to tell you, Ruth, I know that you’re concerned about your grandson for his brain surgery. Know that I am fasting today on Good Friday for the Lord and on behalf of Isaac. May the Lord bless him and keep him. Alicia, your daughter, Keagan, I know she is in Colorado. You can’t reach her, but I’m believing and I’m believing in her healing. Ken from Cali, broken relationship, I understand what that is like all too well. I didn’t know how to let go either and I just learned that all I had to do was just trust in God. Trust that he loves me. Trust in his promises. Read the word. Isaiah 55:24, Matthew 7:7-8, Matthew 21:22. If you believe, you will get anything you ask for in prayer. Just constantly believe in God’s love, God’s provision, look back at all the times that God has always been there. Look at today, Good Friday, and how he, our Lord and Savior died for us, how much more would he give us. Just believe. I know sometimes it is hard to do and we have our eyes covered, but just trust in his word. Trust in his love. Trust in his promises and provisions and don’t let go. Don’t let the enemy get you. God bless you. Esther from ___, NY.