04/08/2017 DAB Transcript

Deuteronomy 32:28-52 ~ Luke 12:35-59 ~ Psalm 78:56-64 ~ Proverbs 12:24

Today is the 8th day of April.  Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible.  I’m Brian. It’s great to be here with you on this beautiful day.  Coming to you once again from the More Gathering for Women in the mountains just outside of Atlanta, North Georgia where really beautiful things are happening. So today will be our last full day together at the conference and then part of tomorrow before everyone begins to head home.  No matter how many times we do this, it feels like we’ve been here a week already, a lot of ground gets covered, so we thank you for your continued prayers as we continue forward on the journey of the More Gathering.  

So here we are at the end of another of our weeks together and they do just keep kind of moving systematically forward as we continue moving systematically forward in the scriptures.  So we’ve been reading from the New International Version this week.  We’ll continue that today, Deuteronomy chapter 32, verse 28 through 52, and Moses is in the middle of teaching the people a song, a song of their history, a song of their story, something that they are to remember and pass along long after he’s gone, which for us is going to be very soon. So let’s dive into the book of Deuteronomy.  

Prayer

Father, we thank you for another week in your word and even as we approach the end of Moses’ life in the book of Deuteronomy, even as we prepare to end the giving of the law and move forward in the story, we invite you to seal these things in our hearts so at the time of your choosing they will come back and remind us that your word will be a living reminder of who you are and who we are and where we are headed.  So we invite your Holy Spirit to come and plant the words spoken today deep in our hearts.  We ask in the name of Jesus, amen.  

Announcements

Www.DailyAudioBible.com, it’s the website.  It’s home base.  It’s where you find out what is going on around here and yep, it’s the More Gathering that is going on and so today is a full day and then half day tomorrow and then we’ll conclude the More Gathering for Women for 2017.  It has already been amazing.  Some real good, deep work was done yesterday and the Holy Spirit came for all of us.  We expect no less today.  We covet your prayers and ask for the entire Daily Audio Bible community to pray over the women that are in attendance, the hearts, the hearts of the team, the stamina and strength of the team.  There are a lot of moving parts and so this canopy of prayer that gets raised over this each year is felt, and that is not an exaggeration.  It is felt that you are praying for these beautiful, beautiful princesses of the kingdom of God.  It is something we don’t take for granted and is certainly not something that we ignore, so thank you for your prayers.  

The other thing that I’ve been talking about is the fact that we will be going back to the land of the Bible in early 2018, February 19 through March 4 to be specific.  Yeah, even as we’re reading today the book of Deuteronomy about the desert of Zin and the place where Moses will retreat to die and move away from the children of Israel and as they move forward across the Jordan, these are places that we see. I mean, Mount Nebo where Moses was instructed to climb and where he would pass away, that mountain is real. It is on the other side of the Jordan, obviously, where the children of Israel are and that is modern day Jordan. The other side of the Jordan River where all of what we’re reading is taking place, that is in the country of Jordan now and you can see that mountain.  The desert of Zin crosses the Jordan River and into modern day Israel as well.  These are places that we get to see.  These stories begin to come to life.  So if you’ve been hearing the Daily Audio Bible trips over the years and you’re like, ‘man, I want to go,’ then come along.  We look forward to seeing you.  Or if it is just something that you’ve always wanted to do, this pilgrimage will immerse you in the Bible story itself and we find our place in the story.  So you can check all of that out at www.DailyAudioBible.com.  There is a little banner for it in the Initiatives section.  You can also visit www.DailyAudioBibleIsrael.com.  That will take you there as well, and we’ll look forward to that.  

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at www.DailyAudioBible.com.  Friends, I can’t thank you enough.  We are sustained as a community because we work together in making the Bible available fresh every day and we’ve always done this as a community.  So thank you to those of you who have clicked that link. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible App, you can press the More button in the lower right-hand corner or, if you prefer, the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996, Spring Hill, TN 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, (877) 942-4253 is the number to dial.  

And that’s it for today.  I’m Brian. I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer Requests and Praise Reports

Good morning all listeners.  Good morning Brian.  This is Alberta again from Harlow, Essex in the UK.  I just wanted to pray for the More Gathering which is taking place today, I believe.  Merciful Father, to you be all the glory as the source of all that we are.  Father, you’ve already poured into this gathering your wisdom __________.  I pray that as your children assemble in your name, that your spirit is also poured into them to allow the release of all negative and destructive and unproductive things in their lives.  Father, restore all those who have been broken in one way or another and may they all come away with the fulfillment in their hearts, minds and souls.  In Jesus’ mighty name, amen.  

Hi Daily Audio Bible family.  My name is Lyndsey.  I’ve been listening for about four years, but this is my first time calling.  I became a Christian at age six but truly became a follower of Christ about five years ago.  My husband and I have been together for 12 years.  He is not a Christian and I’m requesting prayer for his salvation today. He struggles very much with depression and he is an alcoholic as well as addicted to his prescription medication. He suffered terrible abuse as a child and his father was in jail most of his childhood until his 20s.  He does have a wonderful Christian mother, though, thank goodness.  Despite all of his problems, he is a great father.  We have two young children.  I can’t imagine the father he would be with Christ in his heart.  He rarely goes to church with us, but has been going for children’s performances and Easter for the past few years.  It has been about a year now since he’s been and now he is saying he probably won’t go on Easter.  It’s just been really disappointing and upsetting for me.  For many months he seemed to make some progress and seemed to be thinking about Jesus and then it seems to have stopped. I want him out of this misery.  I __________ of our family serving the Lord together and I just want you guys to pray for his salvation so that we’ll spend eternity together and we can just all worship together and serve the Lord together.  Thank you guys so much.  Bye-bye.

Hi Daily Audio Bible.  This is a first-time caller and short listener.  I’ve been listening for about half a year and felt moved today to call. Actually, I felt moved to call a couple days ago, but __________ the time.  On April 3rd I heard an also new listener call in.  She said she had been listening since January.  I didn’t catch your name but you mentioned prayer request for the man in your life who doesn’t desire a relationship with God.  I just wanted to extend some encouragement and prayer to you.  I understand exactly what you’re going through.  The woman who I have in my life, she also is struggling on developing a relationship with God.  I just want to let you know that God will reward your faith that you’ve had to call in and extend reach to this community for us to pray for you.  He’ll honor that.  Keep living faithfully to Christ and keep praying faithfully to God on this and he’ll work miracles in life.  The person I’m with right now, she isn’t 100% devoted, but there has been obvious work in her life through the prayers of me and my family and friends on her and she’s been coming to church and reading the Bible and praying with me actually and developing in her spiritual walk and I want to extend that encouragement to you to know that Jesus is there and he is enough to work in this.  Thank you for calling in because I’ve been wanting to call in on various occasions, but I haven’t had the courage to call in even though it is just a phone call. I was inspired that you were able to call in and you had the courage to do that, so thank you.  Let you know that I’m praying for you.  Thanks to everyone else listening and praise.  You guys are all wonderful.  I listen every day at work.  It’s awesome.    

Welcome to Georgia.  This is Cynthia in Marietta.  It is about 6 a.m. on April 6th and the More Conference starts today.  I wish I could be at the Atlanta airport with __________ and hugs, but instead I just want you all to know that all of us in the Dabber family are covering you in prayer.  We’ve had horrible thunderstorms here for two days and I’ve listened to the thunder I’ve just thought what horrible spiritual warfare there has been leading up to this conference.  I know that the closer it gets, and even today, there is just going to be so much battle going on, but Satan doesn’t know what he has coming when you have a family this large that is coming before the Lord and asking for victory. I know he is going to be defeated. So ladies, we are so excited, I am, that you’re going to have a wonderful weekend with fellowship and the Lord is just going to soften your heart and teach you and do some healing in the broken places.  Brian and Jill and the whole team, we’re praying for you as well, that God will give you wisdom and it is just, again, I just know it’s going to be a wonderful weekend and all of us are looking forward to hearing the testimonies and just amazing things that God does this weekend.  I love you all.  Give you all hugs across the miles.  Bye.  

Hey family, this is Sam in Northern California.  So the More Conference is starting today and it’s a women’s conference, right?  The men are not a part of that, but I just want to encourage the men, us, as we send off the ladies to the More Conference.  So Heavenly Father, I just pray for the men, Lord Jesus, Father, who are at home waiting to receive their wives and their significant others as they return from the More Conference.  Those women are coming back full of the Holy Spirit, enlightened, regenerated, and I just pray that us men will create an environment so those women can come back and grow in that environment.  We can create an environment where we stagnate their growth or what they came back with but I just pray that us men, we do the right thing and we prepare an environment for them so they can grow, they can germinate and bring forth fruit from what they gather from the More Conference.  This I pray in Jesus’ name, amen.  Hey Pelham, what’s going on, man?  How you doing?  Alright, bye family.  

Hello Daily Audio Bible family.  I can barely say audio right there.  God, I can’t talk today.  God bless you all.  Brian and Jill, again thank you for the opportunity to be able to pray for others here and give praise to God as well and for all you do.  I just wanted to let everybody know that is in attendance at the More Conference and for everybody that is praying for those at the More Gathering and Conference, that I too am praying for you.  I’m praying for strength and courage and healing and openness and a heart just filled with the grace of God and that you’re able to allow the presence of the Holy Spirit to fill just every part of your being, every pore in your skin, so you’re just drenched and that it is such a great experience.  I also wanted to let Stan from Maryland know who called in on the 3rd of April that I’m really thankful for you calling in and for you talking about your humanity and how you’re so deeply moved and thankful for the Daily Audio Bible and through the Daily Prayer.  I love the Daily Prayer myself as well. It’s a great resource that is available from the Daily Audio Bible.  If you’re not familiar with it, folks, I would suggest that you check it out.  I would highly recommend it.  Wendy, I believe it is, from California, I’m praying for you.  You called in and said you’re having difficulty with your husband, that he is bipolar and that he has been playing games with your emotions and that it has been a long journey and you’re struggling with finances.  I’m praying for you.  I’m praying for health and healing that only God can provide through Jesus Christ.  And also praying that you’re financial health is taken care of.  God bless you.  I’ll be calling back in.  

04/07/2017 DAB Transcript

Deuteronomy 31:1-32:27 ~ Luke 12:8-34 ~ Psalm 78:32-55 ~ Proverbs 12:21-23

Today is April 7th.  Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible.  I’m Brian. It’s good to be here with you at the end of another work week as we move toward the weekend and here we are in the mountains of North Georgia.  The More Gathering has begun.  Everyone has arrived.  Things are well, and we’ll talk about that in a bit.  We’re reading from the New International Version this week.  Today, Deuteronomy chapter 31, verse 1 through 32, verse 27.

Commentary

Jesus is speaking and someone yells out of the crowd about an inheritance and Jesus is basically ‘you can’t interrupt what is going on here.’  He’s like, ‘I’m not the arbiter here about your inheritance,’ but it turns his attention to a small teaching that he gives that is profound and he is basically saying this:  There are two ways you can live your life, one that is more self-absorbed and focused where you are trying to store up everything you can and accumulate your possessions unto yourself for yourself or you can seek first the kingdom of God.  You can do either one but think about it.  Think about how you got here in the first place.  Where did that breath of life that is within you come from?  Is it not your Heavenly Father?  Did you not get here intentionally?  And think about what is around you.  The flowers, how did they grow?  They don’t labor and spin and accumulate possessions and try to build a fortune for themselves.  Yet, even King Solomon wasn’t beautiful like they are.  And if God can care for the grass of the field which is here today and gone tomorrow, then he can certainly give you clothes.  You of little faith, don’t put your heart on food, what you’re going to eat and what you’re going to drink.  Don’t worry about it.  That’s not what is going on here.  Your Father knows what you need.  

So he is saying there are two ways you can do this, the self-absorbed way or the seeking the kingdom first way, but if you’ll seek his kingdom first, then all those things you’re trying to do will be given to you as well.  So you can do your own thing and not have the kingdom or you can immerse yourself in the kingdom and have everything.  I love these words that Jesus uses to sum this up:  Don’t be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.

Prayer

Father, we take that counsel because once again that really mimics the shape of our lives in many ways and it certainly imitates the shape of this culture that we find ourselves in where we are encouraged to chase after everything possible.  So Holy Spirit, come.  We each have our own life story and life circumstances.  We each have a history.  We each have a future and although they may be similar, they are very unique because you have made us individuals.  Show us what it looks like for us to seek first your kingdom.  But for each of us, no matter our story, that begins with our intimacy with you.  And it begins with us fearing you.  This is the beginning of wisdom and we see that we are going to need it.  And we do need it.  So come Holy Spirit, apply this to our lives.  Overlay this over our hearts and even as we say this prayer, you are bringing things up within us, the things that we have been turning to that have been making us crazy, that have been stealing all the margin in our lives, things that probably we need to begin to extricate ourselves out of. Show us the things that need to remain and the things that we need to begin or to immediately let go of, things that are keeping us from seeking your kingdom, from creating space in our lives for a relationship with you because we get so busy that everything may be about you, but nothing is with you at all.  Come Holy Spirit, we pray.  In Jesus’ name we ask, amen.  

Announcements

Www.DailyAudioBible.com is the website.  It’s home base.  It is where you find out what is happening and the More Gathering for Women is underway. Today is the first full day and we’ll have all day tomorrow and part of Sunday.  Today is, I guess in my mind, has always been sort of the day of heavy lifting.  It is a day when there is some space to explore some things.  And just like we were praying, we all have our own stories, so we’re not here to unpack everybody’s everything.  We’re here to create and set the table for the Holy Spirit to come.  So we ask for your prayer over the hearts of the women as we move into this day.  Pray for them as they kind of acclimate to a little bit of a different pace than maybe life normally looks like, a pace where there is some margin, where there is lots of margin, where there is plenty of space to consider, but also to fellowship, become intimate with a sisterhood, and just grow.  So thank you for your prayers.  

The other announcement that we have right now is for the pilgrimage that we’ll be taking to the land of the Bible and that will be in early 2018, February 19 through March 4.  You can find out all the information about that at www.DailyAudioBible.com.  Just look for Israel 2018 or go to www.DailyAudioBibleIsrael.com.  That will get you there as well.  

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at www.DailyAudioBible.com.  There is a link on the home page.  Thank you for clicking that link.  If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible App, you can press the More button in the lower right-hand corner or, if you prefer, the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996, Spring Hill, TN 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, (877) 942-4253 is the number to call.  

And that’s it for today.  I’m Brian. I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer Requests and Praise Reports

Good morning.  This is Steve from New Hampshire and I first of all wanted to just pray for the Daily Audio Bible family the prayer from Ephesians chapter 3.  And Lord, I just pray that each member of the Daily Audio Bible family would just know your strength according to the riches of your glory, Lord God, that you would strengthen us by your spirit in our inner being so that Christ would dwell in our hearts through faith, that we would be rooted and grounded in love, Lord, that we would be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and depth and height and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, Lord, that we would be filled with all the fullness of God.  We just thank you, Lord, that you are the one who is able to do far more abundantly and above all that we can ask or think according to your power that is at work within us.  We just thank you, Lord, that your glory would just be so manifested in your people. In the name of Jesus, amen.  A couple of prayer requests I wanted to pass along.  My son Benjamin, he has had some issues, depression, I guess, kind of thing.  He’s had a couple of episodes recently where he has literally for, one time it was four days, he would sit on the couch and rock with a blanket over his head and just would not talk, head down.  We actually got some intervention last night to try to get some answers, but still as of this call he is still sitting on the couch and rocking.  Anyway, I just ask you to pray that we would have just answers and wisdom and that he would be set free from that dark cloud.  One other thing is I would just ask for prayer for our financial situation. It has been a strain for a while. That we would have God’s wisdom and that he would bring some new streams or increased streams of income.  Thank you very much.  Appreciate you, everybody.  God bless.  Bye.  

Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling for you have been called by God.  Always be humble and gentle.  Be patient with each other, making allowances for each other’s faults because of your love.  Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the spirit, binding yourselves together with peace, for there is one body and one spirit.  Just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future, there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all, in all and living through all.  Ephesians 4:1-6.  Hi Daily Audio Bible family.  I’m sorry it’s been so long since I’ve called.  It’s Kayla in California.  I haven’t even called yet this year, in 2017.  I just wanted to share that as I was remembering what I wrote in my husband’s wedding band.  So I was just rememorizing it recently and the Lord just put it on my heart to call it in and remind you that it is not only for marriages, but it is for the whole body of Christ, that we would be united and humble with each other and gentle and patient and that we would ignore our faults because of our love for each other and for the Lord.  I hope you guys are having a fantastic day and thank you guys so much for continuing to pray for all the prayer requests and please know we are praying for you as well. Bye.  

Hi DAB family.  It’s me, __________, from Texas.  I wanted to say thank you for all of your prayers.  Thank you so much.  If you can please pray for this request that I received last night for the…  It’s called Darkhorse.  It’s the third battalion, the fifth Marines in Afghanistan.  They lost nine Marines in the last four days. These are all the nine that have laid down their lives for us this week.  I will lift their names and their age.  If you will please lift them up, their families up for their loss.  It’s Justin Allen, 23 years old.  Brett Linley, 39 years old.  Matthew Weikert, 29.  Justus Bartett, 27.  Dave Santos, 21.  Chase Stanley, 21.  Jesse Reed, 27.  Matthew Johnson, 21.  Zachary Fisher, 24.  Brandon King, 23.  Christopher Goeke, 23.  Sheldon Tate, 27.  This is such a tragic loss for all of these families.  Please don’t forget to lift up the people that are serving our country and that are sacrificing their lives, whether it be here physically or they are sacrificing their family and their time and everything that they are sacrificing for us. Please let us not ever take it for granted, the blessing that it is that they choose to serve for us.  

Hi everybody.  This is Kathleen in Mount Zion, IL and I just really feel like I absolutely have to call in when there is something that I see that is just outrageous to me.  I just saw that in Syria where somebody dropped a chemical bomb once again on these people.  I mean, this is just a horrible, horrible death.  Chemical weapons, there is no place for this.  I just pray.  I just want you to pray with me, people, that whoever did this as they did before and should have been caught and they should have been tried for this, I just pray that whoever, whatever government that is doing this, whatever group, whatever person is behind it, that they will be caught this time and taken to justice.  Please pray with me throughout the world, all of you, for the sake of the people who had to suffer under this chemical attack. This is just ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous.  Anyway, thank you.  I love you guys.  Annette in Oklahoma, I love you, sister, and I am praying for you and your son.  I love my son so much and I am praying for you and yours.  I just want you to know that.  I love you. Bye.  

Good evening DAB family.  This is Sherry calling from British Columbia, Canada.  Candace in Oregon, this song is for you.  This is written by Sherry Youngwood and it is based off of Psalm 61:1-4. [singing]  Hear my cry, O God.  Attend to my prayer.  From the end of the earth I will cry to you.  When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I.  For you have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy.  I will abide in your tabernacle forever.  Oh, I will trust in the shelter of your wings.  In the shelter, in the shelter, in the shelter of your wings.  I will trust in the shelter of your wings.  In the shelter, in the shelter, in the shelter of your wings.  I will trust in the shelter of your wings. [end of singing]  God bless you, Candace.  May his comfort surround you at this time.  In Jesus’ name.  

Hello Daily Audio Bible community.  This is David in Kansas.  It’s been quite a while since I’ve called in.  Those of you who have been around for a while may know that about a year ago I called in.  I was in really bad shape.  As the year progressed I got in better shape and was even praying for those who needed prayer.  And I did really well.  I lost 33 pounds and I got past a lot of the health issues that were nagging me and then when the winter hit, for whatever reason, I just kind of gave up and I put 20 pounds back on.  I began to feel the pressure and I kind of took a step back from everything and now it is April and I’m pretty much back where I was a year ago.  I’m about to go to the doctor because I’m in really bad pain again. I’m terrified that they are going to find something, that I might have to have surgery again or something, but I’m even more terrified that they are not going to find anything like last year. They didn’t find anything.  I was just in tremendous pain and I just had to, I don’t know…  I just need prayer.  I’m feeling really down __________ alone.  I’m feeling like everything I did last year was for nothing because I’m right back to square one and it’s really disheartening, so I’m asking for prayer.  After I go to the doctor today, after I find out anything, I’ll call back in and give you all an update.  Thank you for praying for me, as always.  I love you.  Goodbye.

04/06/2017 DAB Transcript

Deuteronomy 29:1-30:20 ~ Luke 11:37-12:7 ~ Psalm 78:1-31 ~ Proverbs 12:19-20

Today is April 6th.  Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible.  I am Brian. Greetings to you from the mountains of North Georgia where later on today the More Gathering for Women will begin. So the team, we are here and speedily preparing for their arrival.  We’ll talk about that in a little bit, but we’re here for the word of God which washes into our lives no matter where we are and no matter what we’re doing.  So from the New International Version, Deuteronomy chapter 29, verse 1 through 30, verse 20 and, man, just a few days and we will finish this book of Deuteronomy, these final words of Moses.  Let’s press in.  Let’s press into what he is saying before he leaves the children of Israel and they move forward toward the Jordan River.  

Commentary

Moses, in the book of Deuteronomy for the last week and a half since we’ve begun this book, couple weeks, has been saying the last things that he is going to say and he has been kind of reaffirming the law that was given and its customs and rituals and celebrations, all the things that are woven into the culture to remind them of who they are.  And he has been talking about the covenants that God has made with the people and so we’ve been kind of moving through the blessings and the cursings, the advantages and disadvantages of obeying that covenant and what life will look like based on the choices that are made in that.  

We can look at it and go, “Okay, that was then.  This is now, Jesus has come,” but Jesus’ coming has ratified a new covenant that also has blessings and cursings.  Maybe they don’t look exactly like that or are enacted just like this, but all we have to do is look at our own lives.  When we are walking with God in an intimate covenant with him, that does not mean challenge or hardship or difficulty or obstacle doesn’t come our way.  It means that we have a horizon and we’re never lost in where we’re going.  We have a North Star.  We’re moving through, not being stuck in any wilderness.  So the words from Moses’ lips today ring true all the way across these thousands of years into our own ears and hearts.  

“This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you, that I have set before you[TR1]  life and death, blessings and curses.   Now choose life so that you and your children may live, that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice and hold fast to him, for the Lord is your life.”

That is no less true this very minute than it was when Moses spoke it. So may we invite the Holy Spirit to come and examine our lives.  What are the paths that we are walking down and where are they going, toward blessing or toward the fact that we can curse ourselves with the choices that we make by choosing to walk away from God in any situation?  The cumulative effect will either be blessing or cursing, life or death.  The choice, however, with the children of Israel and with us, is ours.  May we choose life.  

Prayer

Holy Spirit, we invite you into that, because the truth of our lives is that we choose both.  We choose both often.  We may be choosing life in this area and cursing in another.  We may be walking down the narrow path that leads to life in certain areas, while in others not so much.  And here you are saying, “But don’t you want abundant life?  Don’t you want life to the full?  Aren’t you tired of settling for a half life when I’ve come to make you whole?”  And we hear you.  We hear you and it rings true because it is true.  So come, Holy Spirit.  We ask in the name of Jesus, by whose authority we can even come into your presence, we ask that you show us what it looks like to fully, completely, with heart, mind and will, with all of our heart, all of our strength, all of our mind walk with you and choose abundant life.  Come Jesus, we pray in your mighty name.  Amen.  

Announcements

Www.DailyAudioBible.com is the website.  It’s home base.  It’s where you find out what is going on around here, and yeah, what is going on around here is the More Gathering for Women.  This afternoon some buses will arrive from the airport and people who are driving in will arrive and registration will happen, dinner together and then we’ll launch.  We’ll launch into this year’s More Gathering.  So we covet your prayers and ask for them.  We need them continually over this camp.  That’s the beauty of this community, that we can know there will always be someone praying.  There will always be many praying along with our intercessors that are here and will be constantly praying.  So we ask that we join together over and for the hearts of those who have come, these women who have been brave and taken a chance and got on a plane or got in a car and packed some bags and will be arriving in the beauty of the mountains here. So thank you for your prayers over all of this.  

Then the other thing that is on the radar right now is Israel 2018.  We’ll be going back to the land of the Bible in February, February 19 through March 4.  It is a lovely time of the year there and it is going to be great.  We have some great things planned.  So if that is on your bucket list or you’ve just been waiting for someone to tell you when it is going to be, it is now.  These pilgrimages to the land of the Bible have a capacity so I would say register sooner than later.  But you can register now.  Go to www.DailyAudioBible.com and just look for the icon, Israel 2018, and you’ll get all the details.  Or you can just go to www.DailyAudioBibleIsrael.com and find out what you want to know. Begin to pray if this is your year, if this is your time and we’ll look forward to it very, very much.  It is always…  I was going to say meaningful, but it’s kind of more than that.  It sort of settles into the fabric of life.  It changes some things.  It’s hard to see the Bible the same ever again really at all because you encounter these people and these stories and you can say ‘I’ve walked that ground.  I know what that looks like.  I know what that feels like.  I’ve put myself in that position.  I know what we’re talking about.’  It just touches a lot of things in life.  So we’ll look forward to that.  

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, I can’t thank you enough. What we do as a community here at the Daily Audio Bible we do together.  We’ve only ever done this together, and so I thank you for your part in helping the Daily Audio Bible to go on tomorrow and the next day and the next day and the next day so that we’re always here, we’re always fresh, it’s always happening.  We’re always in community no matter where we go.  No matter where we wander, it’s always here.  So thank you.  If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible App and, speaking of the app, I know some of you have been experiencing issues since the last update.  That is getting fixed.  We’ve been working with the developers on this thing.  They made some changes that affected us in particular and so that is being worked on.  If you’re clicking a day and it starts playing a different day, just shut the app down and restart it and it should refresh and all will be well.  That’s kind of the work-around, but we’re working on the permanent fix.  But anyway, if you’re using the Daily Audio Bible App, you can press the More button in the lower right-hand corner and if you prefer the mail, the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996, Spring Hill, TN 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, (877) 942-4253 is the number to call.  

And that’s it for today.  I’m Brian. I love you and I will be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer Requests and Praise Reports

Hey, y’all.  This is Nette from Oklahoma City.  Oh, two days and I’ll wake up to the More Conference.  I can’t wait to see you guys.  Hey, Mike from Colorado who was driving down to Boulder considering the pointlessness and meaningless of life, my brother, I understand you completely. I have felt that way for a long time until I read and meditated on the book of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon’s book of wisdom.  My brother, your answer is in the book of Ecclesiastes.  I don’t want to spoil it for you.  Read the book.  You will find out that you are not the first person, you won’t be the last who has felt just like this.  I understand because we have to sit here and go through these trials and tribulations for what seems like no pointless reason whatsoever and why can’t God just come on down here and just take care of this business and, you know, let’s just get this party started.  I understand exactly how you feel, exactly.  I understand.  But also keep in mind that, brother, we’re here for a mission and that is to spread the word of God and save as many people and take them all with us as quickly as possible. We got to fill up our bus with nonbelievers and convert them to believers.  So, brother, you do have a point and a mission and that is to spread God’s word.  Go out and be fruitful, right?  And multiply. That doesn’t mean just children either. That means bringing in nonbelievers and telling them about the Lord.  So, brother, you have a mission.  Even though it feels pointless, you gotta look beyond that.  So read Ecclesiastes, my brother, and I think that you’re going to find exactly what you are looking for and also be a mission man. Be a mission man.  Tell folks what you found, alright?  I love you…

Dear Lord, I pray for unity in your church.  Your church, not our church.  God, I pray that we would understand one another, understand differences, that we would be forgiving of one another when we don’t understand and when others hurt us horribly.  Lord, sometimes when it lasts for years and the pain just won’t go away, help us to see these people who hurt us through your eyes, Lord Jesus.  Help us to remember that we were totally dead in our sins and it was by your grace that we were saved, not through our works.  God, help us to see people through your eyes, to understand one another.  Just take away the hurt.  Help us to forgive one another, be kind to one another the way you have been so forgiving of us.  I pray that you would mend the things that have hurt for years among the listeners, for those who have been betrayed by brothers and sisters in the church, by clergy, by people who they thought they trusted.  And God, just bring healing for your glory, Lord.  Let us live for you and not ourselves.  We love you, Lord, and we praise you.  In Jesus’ name, amen.  

Hi Dabbers.  This is God’s Girl, Kathy in Nacogdoches, TX.  I just listened to Daily Audio Bible on Monday.  Today is April 3rd.  A lady’s recording came on.  I didn’t catch her name, but she is going through a divorce and the brokenness in her voice and in her heart really touched me because I used to be married to a minister and we went through a horrific divorce.  I can honestly say I know what it is like to hurt.  I didn’t want to get divorced but it was a very abusive situation that I was in and I look back now and I see the hand of God on my life and my children’s lives.  I’m the mom whose got the son that has had the seven brain surgeries. So I’m calling to encourage you, my sister.  You keep your head up.  God promised he would never leave us nor forsake us.  He loves us more than we can even imagine.  And as much as I love my children, God loves them even more than I do and he loves me more than my mom and my dad with me.  That’s just a lot to comprehend, isn’t it?  But I just wanted to say greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world and though your heart is breaking right now, God is the mender and the healer and it will get better in the mighty name of Jesus.  Just know I’m praying for all of you.  The Lord bless each of you.  There are so many that call in that need healing in so many besetting circumstances, but our God reigns.  I love you all.  Keep your chins up.  Stay on your knees.  Keep praying and believing in Jesus’ holy name.  Goodnight.  

Hello Daily Audio Bible family, friends, people.  This is Blessed Like Me.  I have been just so elated today.  I did a children’s sermon on Sunday.  I did a sermon on forgiveness.  I read from Matthew 6, I believe, where Jesus tells us how to pray and right after that prayer, right after that whole prayer, Jesus said forgive those that have done you wrong.  No, he says forgive because you have been forgiven and if you do not forgive, you won’t be forgiven.  Then I got to thinking and I read Colossians 3:12 which says you will need compassion, kindness, and a couple of more characteristics that have to do with the things that you need to be as we’re forgiven.  But anyway, on my children’s sermon I had two brothers stand up.  I had one brother slightly push the other brother just as an illustration on forgiveness.  The one brother pushed the other brother a little bit.  I said, “Do you forgive him?”  And just unscripted, I had not planned with these boys or anything, but the one boy said, “No, I don’t forgive him.”  And I told that one boy that didn’t forgive him, I said, “You’re standing in unforgiveness right now.  Right now your prayers cannot be answered.  Your prayers are hindered.”  I asked him, “Do you pray for your parents?”  He said, “Yes.”  I said, “Well, right now you can’t pray for your parents because you’re standing in unforgiveness.”  You should have seen his eyes just dim.  His eyes changed because he turned to forgiveness.  Anyway, forgiveness is key.  You can almost stop your redemption.  If he says your sins can’t be forgiven, then wow.  Love you Daily Audio Bible family.  

Hello Dabbers.  This is Ruth from California.  This is my first call since I started listening two years ago.  I love to hear your stories and your testimonies and, Brian, I thank you so much for your commitment to the word and the love you share with each of us.  I pray for each one of you as you share the burden you carry and I remember it was Scott, I believe, in Southern California who was a believer but has turned away from Jesus and has a heavy heart as far as his position in Christ.  Scott, he loves you and that has not changed.  I would like to ask you if you would not only pray but fast for my grandson, Isaac.  When he was 4 he had a grand mal seizure.  He’s continued to have seizures and has been every day to prevent them  without success.  Isaac is now 22 years of age and is scheduled for brain surgery beginning April 18th at the University of Seattle.  He’s an amazing young man who loves the Lord with all his heart. We believe our healer is the Lord Jesus and we look to him for success with surgery.  The doctors have only given us a 50/50 chance, but we believe with Jesus all things are possible.  Thank you and I cherish your prayers for Isaac.  [singing]  I love you, Lord, and I lift my…

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Saturday April 8, 2017 (NIV)

Deuteronomy 32:28-52

28 They are a nation without sense,
there is no discernment(A) in them.
29 If only they were wise and would understand this(B)
and discern what their end will be!(C)
30 How could one man chase a thousand,
or two put ten thousand to flight,(D)
unless their Rock had sold them,(E)
unless the Lord had given them up?(F)
31 For their rock is not like our Rock,(G)
as even our enemies concede.(H)
32 Their vine comes from the vine of Sodom(I)
and from the fields of Gomorrah.
Their grapes are filled with poison,(J)
and their clusters with bitterness.(K)
33 Their wine is the venom of serpents,
the deadly poison of cobras.(L)

34 “Have I not kept this in reserve
and sealed it in my vaults?(M)
35 It is mine to avenge;(N) I will repay.(O)
In due time their foot will slip;(P)
their day of disaster is near
and their doom rushes upon them.(Q)

36 The Lord will vindicate his people(R)
and relent(S) concerning his servants(T)
when he sees their strength is gone
and no one is left, slave(U) or free.[a]
37 He will say: “Now where are their gods,
the rock they took refuge in,(V)
38 the gods who ate the fat of their sacrifices
and drank the wine of their drink offerings?(W)
Let them rise up to help you!
Let them give you shelter!

39 “See now that I myself am he!(X)
There is no god besides me.(Y)
I put to death(Z) and I bring to life,(AA)
I have wounded and I will heal,(AB)
and no one can deliver out of my hand.(AC)
40 I lift my hand(AD) to heaven and solemnly swear:
As surely as I live forever,(AE)
41 when I sharpen my flashing sword(AF)
and my hand grasps it in judgment,
I will take vengeance(AG) on my adversaries
and repay those who hate me.(AH)
42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood,(AI)
while my sword devours flesh:(AJ)
the blood of the slain and the captives,
the heads of the enemy leaders.”

43 Rejoice,(AK) you nations, with his people,[b][c]
for he will avenge the blood of his servants;(AL)
he will take vengeance on his enemies(AM)
and make atonement for his land and people.(AN)

44 Moses came with Joshua[d](AO) son of Nun and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people. 45 When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel, 46 he said to them, “Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day,(AP) so that you may command(AQ) your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. 47 They are not just idle words for you—they are your life.(AR) By them you will live long(AS) in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”

Moses to Die on Mount Nebo

48 On that same day the Lord told Moses,(AT) 49 “Go up into the Abarim(AU) Range to Mount Nebo(AV) in Moab, across from Jericho,(AW) and view Canaan,(AX) the land I am giving the Israelites as their own possession. 50 There on the mountain that you have climbed you will die(AY) and be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died(AZ) on Mount Hor(BA) and was gathered to his people. 51 This is because both of you broke faith with me in the presence of the Israelites at the waters of Meribah Kadesh(BB) in the Desert of Zin(BC) and because you did not uphold my holiness among the Israelites.(BD) 52 Therefore, you will see the land only from a distance;(BE) you will not enter(BF) the land I am giving to the people of Israel.”

Footnotes:

  1. Deuteronomy 32:36 Or and they are without a ruler or leader
  2. Deuteronomy 32:43 Or Make his people rejoice, you nations
  3. Deuteronomy 32:43 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls (see also Septuagint) people, / and let all the angels worship him, /
  4. Deuteronomy 32:44 Hebrew Hoshea, a variant of Joshua

Cross references:

  1. Deuteronomy 32:28 : Isa 1:3; 5:13; 27:11; Jer 8:7
  2. Deuteronomy 32:29 : Dt 5:29; Ps 81:13
  3. Deuteronomy 32:29 : Isa 47:7; La 1:9
  4. Deuteronomy 32:30 : S Lev 26:8
  5. Deuteronomy 32:30 : Jdg 2:14; 3:8; 4:2; 10:7; 1Sa 12:9
  6. Deuteronomy 32:30 : Nu 21:34; 1Sa 23:7; Ps 31:8; 44:12; 106:41; Isa 50:1; 54:6
  7. Deuteronomy 32:31 : S Ge 49:24
  8. Deuteronomy 32:31 : S Ex 14:25
  9. Deuteronomy 32:32 : Jer 23:14
  10. Deuteronomy 32:32 : Job 6:4; 20:16
  11. Deuteronomy 32:32 : Dt 29:18
  12. Deuteronomy 32:33 : S ver 24
  13. Deuteronomy 32:34 : Job 14:17; Jer 2:22; Hos 13:12
  14. Deuteronomy 32:35 : S ver 41; S Ge 4:24; S Jer 51:6
  15. Deuteronomy 32:35 : S Ge 30:2; S Ex 32:34; S Ps 54:5; S Ro 12:19*; Heb 10:30*
  16. Deuteronomy 32:35 : Ps 17:5; 35:6; 37:31; 38:16; 66:9; 73:2, 18; 94:18; 121:3; Pr 4:19; Jer 23:12
  17. Deuteronomy 32:35 : Eze 7:8-9
  18. Deuteronomy 32:36 : Heb 10:30*
  19. Deuteronomy 32:36 : Am 7:3
  20. Deuteronomy 32:36 : Lev 26:43-45; Dt 30:1-3; Jdg 2:18; Ps 90:13; 102:13; 103:13; 106:45; 135:14; Joel 2:14
  21. Deuteronomy 32:36 : 1Ki 14:10; 21:21; 2Ki 9:8
  22. Deuteronomy 32:37 : Jdg 10:14; Jer 2:28; 11:12
  23. Deuteronomy 32:38 : Nu 25:1-2; Jer 11:12; 44:8, 25
  24. Deuteronomy 32:39 : Isa 41:4; 43:10; 44:7; 46:4; 48:12
  25. Deuteronomy 32:39 : S ver 12
  26. Deuteronomy 32:39 : 1Sa 2:6
  27. Deuteronomy 32:39 : 1Sa 2:6; 2Ki 5:7; Ps 68:20; Jn 11:25-26
  28. Deuteronomy 32:39 : Ex 15:26; Job 5:18; 15:11; Ps 147:3; Isa 6:10; 19:22; 30:26; 53:5; 57:18; Jer 33:6; Hos 6:1; Mal 4:2; 1Pe 2:24
  29. Deuteronomy 32:39 : Job 9:12; 10:7; Ps 7:2; 50:22; Isa 43:13; Da 4:35; Hos 5:14
  30. Deuteronomy 32:40 : S Ge 14:22
  31. Deuteronomy 32:40 : S Ge 21:33; Rev 1:18
  32. Deuteronomy 32:41 : Jdg 7:20; Ps 7:12; 45:3; Isa 27:1; 34:6; 66:16; Jer 12:12; Eze 21:9-10
  33. Deuteronomy 32:41 : ver 35; Ps 149:7; Jer 46:10; Na 1:2
  34. Deuteronomy 32:41 : Ps 137:8; Jer 25:14; 50:29; 51:24, 56
  35. Deuteronomy 32:42 : S ver 23
  36. Deuteronomy 32:42 : 2Sa 2:26; Jer 12:12; 44:1; 46:10, 14
  37. Deuteronomy 32:43 : Ps 137:6; Isa 25:9; 65:18; 66:10; Ro 15:10*
  38. Deuteronomy 32:43 : 2Ki 9:7; S Rev 6:10
  39. Deuteronomy 32:43 : Isa 1:24; Jer 9:9
  40. Deuteronomy 32:43 : Ps 65:3; 79:9
  41. Deuteronomy 32:44 : Nu 13:8, 16
  42. Deuteronomy 32:46 : S Dt 6:6; Jn 1:17; 7:19
  43. Deuteronomy 32:46 : Dt 6:7
  44. Deuteronomy 32:47 : S Dt 30:20
  45. Deuteronomy 32:47 : S Ex 23:26; Dt 33:25; Isa 65:22
  46. Deuteronomy 32:48 : Nu 27:12
  47. Deuteronomy 32:49 : Nu 27:12
  48. Deuteronomy 32:49 : S Nu 32:3
  49. Deuteronomy 32:49 : S Nu 22:1
  50. Deuteronomy 32:49 : S Lev 14:34
  51. Deuteronomy 32:50 : S Ge 25:8; S Nu 27:13
  52. Deuteronomy 32:50 : Nu 20:29
  53. Deuteronomy 32:50 : S Nu 20:22
  54. Deuteronomy 32:51 : Eze 47:19
  55. Deuteronomy 32:51 : S Nu 13:21; 20:11-13
  56. Deuteronomy 32:51 : Nu 27:14
  57. Deuteronomy 32:52 : Dt 34:1-3
  58. Deuteronomy 32:52 : S Dt 3:27
New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Luke 12:35-59

Watchfulness(A)(B)

35 “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes.(C) Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.(D) 38 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. 39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief(E) was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready,(F) because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

41 Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?”

42 The Lord(G) answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? 43 It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. 44 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45 But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. 46 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of.(H) He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

47 “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows.(I) 48 But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows.(J) From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

Not Peace but Division(K)

49 “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But I have a baptism(L) to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed!(M) 51 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. 52 From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”(N)

Interpreting the Times

54 He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does.(O) 55 And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. 56 Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?(P)

57 “Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? 58 As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled on the way, or your adversary may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.(Q) 59 I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.”(R)

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Psalm 78:56-64

56 But they put God to the test
and rebelled against the Most High;
they did not keep his statutes.
57 Like their ancestors(A) they were disloyal and faithless,
as unreliable as a faulty bow.(B)
58 They angered him(C) with their high places;(D)
they aroused his jealousy with their idols.(E)
59 When God heard(F) them, he was furious;(G)
he rejected Israel(H) completely.
60 He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh,(I)
the tent he had set up among humans.(J)
61 He sent the ark of his might(K) into captivity,(L)
his splendor into the hands of the enemy.
62 He gave his people over to the sword;(M)
he was furious with his inheritance.(N)
63 Fire consumed(O) their young men,
and their young women had no wedding songs;(P)
64 their priests were put to the sword,(Q)
and their widows could not weep.

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Proverbs 12:24

24 Diligent hands will rule,
but laziness ends in forced labor.(A)

Cross references:

  1. Proverbs 12:24 : S Pr 10:4
New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

04/05/2017 DAB Transcript

Deuteronomy 28:1-68 ~ Luke 11:14-36 ~ Psalm 77:1-20 ~ Proverbs 12:18

Today is April 5th.  Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible.  I’m Brian. It’s great to be here with you today. It is a big preparation day for us. The More Gathering for Women begins tomorrow, but we’ll talk about that maybe in a little bit.  We’re reading from the New International Version this week, Deuteronomy chapter 28, verses 1 through 68.  

Prayer

Father, we thank you for your word.  We thank you that day by day it instructs and guides us, speaks to the deepest recesses of our hearts and identity, changes the course of our day because it invites us to consider the choices that we make.  So we thank you for your word and we thank you for this community, that we can enjoy the counsel of the scriptures while enjoying the camaraderie and fellowship of our brothers and sisters.  So we invite you, Holy Spirit, to come.  Help us in the way that we choose to use our words today as we are counseled by wisdom herself in the book of Proverbs that recklessness with our words is like swords, but the tongue of the wise will bring healing. Help us to be people who bring healing today with our words and not reckless people swinging aimless swords, cutting down whoever happens to be nearby.  Come Holy Spirit, we pray.  In Jesus’ name we ask, 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 tomorrow, tomorrow begins the More Gathering for Women and so we invite this entire community to pray over this event because it is of this community and for this community.  So pray over the women as they are packing up today, making sure everything is all set to go for tomorrow.  We’re kind of doing the same thing and so prayers specifically over all the technology involved, over safety in travel, that a canopy be raised over that camp, and that it might be an oasis, a place where lives will be transformed not because of anything that we do.  We’re just setting the table, but that space was given for Jesus to come.   So thank you for your prayers over all of this.  These are our prayers and love to wrap them all around the world.  

Then the other thing that we’ve been talking about for a couple days is Israel 2018.  So we’ll be making the next pilgrimage to the land of the Bible in early ’18, February 19 through March 4, and that is going to be epic as ever.  It is most fascinating to watch the stories of the Bible come alive in their geographical location.  It is fascinating to just stand in places and turn around and just look in all directions and understand where you are standing, that these stories that we’ve been moving through this year, but for many of us have known for a long time, to just see them kind of take a new shape and texture because you’re standing in the middle of it is remarkable.  So you are invited and you can get all the information you would want to know at www.DailyAudioBible.com.  Just look for Israel 2018 in the Initiatives section or you can visit www.DailyAudioBibleIsrael.com.  That will take you there as well.  

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, then thank you.  Couldn’t thank you enough.  We’re all in this together.  Thank you for your partnership.  There is a link that is on the home page of www.DailyAudioBible.com.  And if you’re using the Daily Audio Bible App, you can press the More button in the lower right-hand corner.  Or, if you prefer, the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996, Spring Hill, TN 37174.

As always, if you have a prayer request or comment, (877) 942-4253 is the number to dial.

And that’s it for today.  I’m Brian. I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer Requests and Praise Reports

Good morning, Dabbers.  This is Walta calling from Charlotte.  I usually call as the burning bush that will not be devoured for the glory of our God and King and I feel now, you know, like God sees me and he knows my name and I think that season is over.  But anyway, I’m calling just to praise God for this prayer line.  I’m going to pray for our sister from the Bahamas and pray about the Bahamas election.  Father God, I pray that you protect your people in that country.  I pray for peace and stability.  I come against every spirit of chaos that would want to cause confusion in that country, Lord.  I pray that, Lord, that you who select the kings will select a leader, Lord, and prepare the people to receive the leader, God.  I thank you for protecting your people.  I thank you, Lord, for peace.  I also pray, O God, for Liberia that is also going to go through elections this year. And every other country that struggles through this period I pray for peace.  I pray for stability, in Jesus’ name.  Father God, I also want to pray for all the single people out there.  I pray, O Lord, that you will help them to find you in the middle of their solitude, God.  That they are not alone.  I pray that you would find them community, O Lord.  Guide them to your children, into community, in Jesus’ name. Family, I just want to thank you for your prayers and your prayer requests and just sharing the word of God. I listened to today’s, April 2nd, and it really moved me, especially Jaymie from Phoenix.  I love you guys and I will be in touch. Bye.  Have a great Sunday.

Hello Daily Audio Bible community.  This is Drew from Dallas.  I’ve been listening since October 2016 and this is my first time to call. Brian and Jill, thank you so much for creating this helpful podcast and this wonderful life-giving community.  I would like to encourage and pray for Stanley from Maryland.  He’s a first year teacher in Washington, D.C.  Stanley, I’ve been a teacher for more than 10 years and I understand what you’re going through.  There are times when teaching can be such a thankless job and the students challenge and stretch you beyond your limit.  You should know that you very well may be the only positive influence in the lives of these students and that they are pushing back against you because they need you and they need Jesus.  Father, thank you for giving Stanley this opportunity to serve you and his students.  Help him to know that you have called him to be where he is today.  Help him to rest in your presence.  Holy Spirit, give Stanley confidence, patience, and wisdom to plan meaningful and relevant lessons that will engage his students. Grant him the faith to know that he is working in this school to minister to students who need him and who need you.  Help him to build positive relationships with his students that will lead to a healthy classroom full of learning.  Jesus, let your light through Stanley.  Walk with Stanley through this.  Help Stanley to follow you and to trust you.  Sustain and strengthen him through this.  Help him to rely on you each and every day.  Thank you, Jesus.  It’s in your name we pray.  Amen.  

Family, Biola from Maryland.  I hope you’re all doing well.  Brian and Jill, God bless you.  Jill, I’m praying for you and the More Conference and every single woman that will be going.  I’m praying for your team and I’m praying for all the speakers, equipment, everything, in the name of Jesus.  Father Lord, I begin to pray order into every event that will be happening, O God.  I pray safety, O God, for everyone that will be going, in the name of Jesus.  There will be no accidents, O God, in the name of Jesus.  And Father, Lord of Heaven, I decree and declare, O God Lord, that every woman that will go there will not remain the same way, O God, that you will meet with each person at the point of their need, in the name of Jesus. prophetic Intercessor, I heard with such anguish your prayer request.  Sister, I’m praying that God would comfort you.  Look, give yourself time, okay?  I’m praying Psalm 18:32 over you.  The he Lord is your rock and your fortress.  Your deliverer.  Your God. Your strength.  In him you will trust.   He is your shield and the horn of your salvation.  Your stronghold.  And Psalm 18:32  says it is God who arms you with strength and makes your way perfect.  Sister, I want to encourage you to look for a Divorce Care support group in your area.  Just go to that website, www.Divorcecare.org and plug in your zip code.  And you know, get into a community of people who are going through the same thing and who can also help you and empathize with you.  I’ll keep praying for you, sister.  God bless you.  And Rich or Rick, the guy who said he fell off the wagon, Victorious Solider has already told you everything that I had on my heart.  Way to go, sister!  So brother, I’m praying for you even as you get up, that you will grow stronger.  In the name of Jesus.  Jonathan, I’m praying for your dad, Pastor Ted, and I’m praying for you. Jacqueline, I’m praying that every cancerous cell in your body will die, in the precious name of Jesus.  God bless you.  

Hi, this is Denise calling from California and this is my first phone call and I’ve just recently started to listen to the Daily Audio Bible on my podcast and it has been amazing.  But I’m calling specifically for my mother and for my family.  My mom who is 83 years old has been falling lately and is in the hospital and nursing home and I’m just asking and the whole community, if you would just pray for her, healing of her body, but most importantly for her heart and her mind and her spirit.  It has gotten her very down and that is not the woman I remember for all my life.  So I so thank you all because I’ve heard the different prayer requests and the people calling and it is just amazing to me and I so enjoy it. I so thank each and every one of you who do call in and make this requests.  So I pray for Ethel Q., for her healing, both physically and mentally and spiritually and that she would be well because she is a true and faithful servant.  I also want to pray for my sister, Toni, and my Aunt Diane and the rest of my family members, that they too would come to know God personally and always walk in his steps to bring him glory.  I pray for my family locally, that they would be healed both physically and mentally and also come to know Christ as their personal Savior. Thank you and God bless each and every one of you.  Have a blessed day.  

Good morning DAB.  This is Loralee.  Heavenly Father, I would like to lift up all the women going to the More Conference.  I pray that you bless the worship of their hearts, souls, minds, and bodies.  I pray that you give them rest and reprieve in Christ Jesus.  I pray that you bring personal healing and holiness in their lives where they have more perfect sight of you, the more beautiful object, Jesus, where they have the more perfect appetite of you, the sweeter the food of your word, the more musical in the ears, the more pleasant in the melody of you singing over us, the more complete of their soul and the more happy, the joy that brings.  And grant them more full knowledge of you, Lord Jesus.  And I pray that they will dwell with the family of God, standing in your presence, in your chamber, being the bride of your kingdom, the spouse of Christ and a member of his body with him.  We are all one with you and the Father.  Please exercise all the spiritual powers, gift of grace, body and soul in the enjoyment of you.  And we praise you, all of us women, we thank you and our families while they wait for us to just be like Mary and sit at your feet and choose the better portion this weekend.  I pray for all the safety and just a more deeper walk with you, our Lord Jesus Christ. In your name and for your glory and our good, amen.  You all have a great time.  

04/04/2017 DAB Transcript

Deuteronomy 26:1-27:26 ~ Luke 10:38-11:13 ~ Psalm 76:1-12 ~ Proverbs 12:15-17

Today is April 4th.  Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible.  I’m Brian. It is great to be here with you today and every day.  I’m glad we can have these moments that we reserve for orienting ourselves to God and letting his word wash over us around our global campfire.  Glad we’re here together.  We’re reading from the New International Version this week.  We’re listening to Moses retell the law that the Lord had given for the children of Israel to govern their culture before he turns over the reins of leadership.  Deuteronomy chapter 26, verse 1 through 27:26.  

Commentary

In the gospel of Luke, the disciples come to Jesus and ask that they be taught how to pray so that they can pray which is a beautiful thing.  Jesus teaches them.  It’s a beautiful thing because they’ve been praying to the Lord all along, every time they say anything to Jesus, and they’re learning.  So Jesus teaches them what we now know as the Lord’s Prayer. And the Lord’s Prayer from the gospel of Luke is a little different than the Lord’s Prayer from the gospel of Matthew which is the one we’ve typically memorized.  The spirit of it is the same.  But Jesus isn’t just saying ‘here, just say these words.  If you’ll just say these magic words in this magic order then God will hear you.  This is how you pray.’  He is modeling the posture of heart.  

And he goes on to tell a story to illustrate further the posture of heart about a man who is in bed and he’s got his family, everybody is asleep.  A man comes knocking on the door in the middle of the night in order to get some food because he has an unexpected guest, and it’s the ask, it’s the boldness to ask that gets the guy out of bed.  Jesus says, “Look, ask and it will be given.  Seek and you’ll find.  Knock and the door will be opened.”  It’s a continual thing.  Ask God, seek God, knock on the door, stay in fellowship, remain in the conversation, deepen the relationship.    

Prayer

Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by your name.  Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.  And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.  Father, we thank you for including us in your kingdom and we ask for wisdom.  We seek wisdom as the foundational piece of our lives, that the wisdom you invoked and used in creating the world and us be available to the choices and issues and decisions of our lives.  Come Holy Spirit, we pray in Jesus’ name.  Amen.  

SONG played on today’s DAB “Our Father” Bethel Music http://apple.co/2mZ3Gld

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Tuesday April 4, 2017 (NIV)

Deuteronomy 26-27

Firstfruits and Tithes

26 When you have entered the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance and have taken possession of it and settled in it, take some of the firstfruits(A) of all that you produce from the soil of the land the Lord your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name(B) and say to the priest in office at the time, “I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come to the land the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.” The priest shall take the basket from your hands and set it down in front of the altar of the Lord your God. Then you shall declare before the Lord your God: “My father was a wandering(C) Aramean,(D) and he went down into Egypt with a few people(E) and lived there and became a great nation,(F) powerful and numerous. But the Egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer,(G) subjecting us to harsh labor.(H) Then we cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and the Lord heard our voice(I) and saw(J) our misery,(K) toil and oppression.(L) So the Lord brought us out of Egypt(M) with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm,(N) with great terror and with signs and wonders.(O) He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey;(P) 10 and now I bring the firstfruits of the soil that you, Lord, have given me.(Q)” Place the basket before the Lord your God and bow down before him. 11 Then you and the Levites(R) and the foreigners residing among you shall rejoice(S) in all the good things the Lord your God has given to you and your household.

12 When you have finished setting aside a tenth(T) of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe,(U) you shall give it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied. 13 Then say to the Lord your God: “I have removed from my house the sacred portion and have given it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, according to all you commanded. I have not turned aside from your commands nor have I forgotten any of them.(V) 14 I have not eaten any of the sacred portion while I was in mourning, nor have I removed any of it while I was unclean,(W) nor have I offered any of it to the dead. I have obeyed the Lord my God; I have done everything you commanded me. 15 Look down from heaven,(X) your holy dwelling place, and bless(Y) your people Israel and the land you have given us as you promised on oath to our ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey.”

Follow the Lord’s Commands

16 The Lord your God commands you this day to follow these decrees and laws; carefully observe them with all your heart and with all your soul.(Z) 17 You have declared this day that the Lord is your God and that you will walk in obedience to him, that you will keep his decrees, commands and laws—that you will listen to him.(AA) 18 And the Lord has declared this day that you are his people, his treasured possession(AB) as he promised, and that you are to keep all his commands. 19 He has declared that he will set you in praise,(AC) fame and honor high above all the nations(AD) he has made and that you will be a people holy(AE) to the Lord your God, as he promised.

The Altar on Mount Ebal

27 Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people: “Keep all these commands(AF) that I give you today. When you have crossed the Jordan(AG) into the land the Lord your God is giving you, set up some large stones(AH) and coat them with plaster.(AI) Write on them all the words of this law when you have crossed over to enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey,(AJ) just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you. And when you have crossed the Jordan, set up these stones on Mount Ebal,(AK) as I command you today, and coat them with plaster. Build there an altar(AL) to the Lord your God, an altar of stones. Do not use any iron tool(AM) on them. Build the altar of the Lord your God with fieldstones and offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God. Sacrifice fellowship offerings(AN) there, eating them and rejoicing(AO) in the presence of the Lord your God.(AP) And you shall write very clearly all the words of this law on these stones(AQ) you have set up.”(AR)

Curses From Mount Ebal

Then Moses and the Levitical(AS) priests said to all Israel, “Be silent, Israel, and listen! You have now become the people of the Lord your God.(AT) 10 Obey the Lord your God and follow his commands and decrees that I give you today.”

11 On the same day Moses commanded the people:

12 When you have crossed the Jordan, these tribes shall stand on Mount Gerizim(AU) to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar,(AV) Joseph and Benjamin.(AW) 13 And these tribes shall stand on Mount Ebal(AX) to pronounce curses: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali.

14 The Levites shall recite to all the people of Israel in a loud voice:

15 “Cursed is anyone who makes an idol(AY)—a thing detestable(AZ) to the Lord, the work of skilled hands—and sets it up in secret.”

Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”(BA)

16 “Cursed is anyone who dishonors their father or mother.”(BB)

Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

17 “Cursed is anyone who moves their neighbor’s boundary stone.”(BC)

Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

18 “Cursed is anyone who leads the blind astray on the road.”(BD)

Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

19 “Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner,(BE) the fatherless or the widow.”(BF)

Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

20 “Cursed is anyone who sleeps with his father’s wife, for he dishonors his father’s bed.”(BG)

Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

21 “Cursed is anyone who has sexual relations with any animal.”(BH)

Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

22 “Cursed is anyone who sleeps with his sister, the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother.”(BI)

Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

23 “Cursed is anyone who sleeps with his mother-in-law.”(BJ)

Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

24 “Cursed is anyone who kills(BK) their neighbor secretly.”(BL)

Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

25 “Cursed is anyone who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent person.”(BM)

Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

26 “Cursed is anyone who does not uphold the words of this law by carrying them out.”(BN)

Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”(BO)

Cross references:

  1. Deuteronomy 26:2 : S Ex 22:29
  2. Deuteronomy 26:2 : S Ex 20:24; S Dt 12:5
  3. Deuteronomy 26:5 : S Ge 20:13
  4. Deuteronomy 26:5 : S Ge 25:20
  5. Deuteronomy 26:5 : S Ge 34:30; 43:14
  6. Deuteronomy 26:5 : S Ge 12:2
  7. Deuteronomy 26:6 : S Nu 20:15
  8. Deuteronomy 26:6 : S Ex 1:13
  9. Deuteronomy 26:7 : S Ge 21:17
  10. Deuteronomy 26:7 : Ex 3:9; 2Ki 13:4; 14:26
  11. Deuteronomy 26:7 : S Ge 16:11
  12. Deuteronomy 26:7 : Ps 42:9; 44:24; 72:14
  13. Deuteronomy 26:8 : S Nu 20:16
  14. Deuteronomy 26:8 : S Ex 3:20
  15. Deuteronomy 26:8 : S Dt 4:34; 34:11-12
  16. Deuteronomy 26:9 : S Ex 3:8
  17. Deuteronomy 26:10 : S Dt 8:18
  18. Deuteronomy 26:11 : Dt 12:12
  19. Deuteronomy 26:11 : S Dt 16:11
  20. Deuteronomy 26:12 : S Ge 14:20
  21. Deuteronomy 26:12 : S Nu 18:24; Dt 14:28-29; Heb 7:5, 9
  22. Deuteronomy 26:13 : Ps 119:141, 153, 176
  23. Deuteronomy 26:14 : Lev 7:20; Hos 9:4
  24. Deuteronomy 26:15 : Ps 68:5; 80:14; 102:19; Isa 63:15; Zec 2:13
  25. Deuteronomy 26:15 : S Ex 39:43
  26. Deuteronomy 26:16 : Dt 4:29
  27. Deuteronomy 26:17 : Ex 19:8; Ps 48:14
  28. Deuteronomy 26:18 : Ex 6:7; Dt 7:6
  29. Deuteronomy 26:19 : Isa 62:7; Zep 3:20
  30. Deuteronomy 26:19 : Dt 4:7-8; 28:1, 13, 44; 1Ch 14:2; Ps 148:14; Isa 40:11
  31. Deuteronomy 26:19 : S Dt 7:6
  32. Deuteronomy 27:1 : Ps 78:7
  33. Deuteronomy 27:2 : Jos 4:1
  34. Deuteronomy 27:2 : Ex 24:4; Jos 24:26; 1Sa 7:12
  35. Deuteronomy 27:2 : Jos 8:31
  36. Deuteronomy 27:3 : S Ex 3:8
  37. Deuteronomy 27:4 : S Dt 11:29
  38. Deuteronomy 27:5 : S Ex 20:24
  39. Deuteronomy 27:5 : Ex 20:25
  40. Deuteronomy 27:7 : S Ex 32:6
  41. Deuteronomy 27:7 : S Dt 16:11
  42. Deuteronomy 27:7 : Jos 8:31
  43. Deuteronomy 27:8 : Isa 8:1; 30:8; Hab 2:2
  44. Deuteronomy 27:8 : Jos 8:32
  45. Deuteronomy 27:9 : S Dt 17:9
  46. Deuteronomy 27:9 : Dt 26:18
  47. Deuteronomy 27:12 : S Dt 11:29
  48. Deuteronomy 27:12 : S Ge 30:18
  49. Deuteronomy 27:12 : Jos 8:35
  50. Deuteronomy 27:13 : S Dt 11:29
  51. Deuteronomy 27:15 : S Ex 20:4
  52. Deuteronomy 27:15 : 1Ki 11:5, 7; 2Ki 23:13; Isa 44:19; 66:3
  53. Deuteronomy 27:15 : Nu 5:22; S 1Co 14:16
  54. Deuteronomy 27:16 : S Ge 31:35; S Ex 21:12; S Dt 5:16
  55. Deuteronomy 27:17 : S Dt 19:14
  56. Deuteronomy 27:18 : S Lev 19:14
  57. Deuteronomy 27:19 : S Ex 22:21; S Dt 24:19
  58. Deuteronomy 27:19 : S Ex 23:2; S Dt 10:18
  59. Deuteronomy 27:20 : S Ge 34:5; S Lev 18:7
  60. Deuteronomy 27:21 : S Ex 22:19
  61. Deuteronomy 27:22 : S Lev 18:9
  62. Deuteronomy 27:23 : S Lev 20:14
  63. Deuteronomy 27:24 : S Ge 4:23
  64. Deuteronomy 27:24 : Ex 21:12
  65. Deuteronomy 27:25 : Ex 23:7-8; S Lev 19:16
  66. Deuteronomy 27:26 : S Lev 26:14; Dt 28:15; Ps 119:21; Jer 11:3; Gal 3:10*
  67. Deuteronomy 27:26 : Jer 11:5
New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Luke 10:38-11:13

At the Home of Martha and Mary

38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha(A) opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary,(B) who sat at the Lord’s feet(C) listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care(D) that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried(E) and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one.[a](F) Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer(G)(H)

11 One day Jesus was praying(I) in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord,(J) teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

He said to them, “When you pray, say:

“‘Father,[b]
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom(K) come.[c]
Give us each day our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.[d](L)
And lead us not into temptation.[e]’”(M)

Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity[f] he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.(N)

“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you;(O) seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for[g] a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Footnotes:

  1. Luke 10:42 Some manuscripts but only one thing is needed
  2. Luke 11:2 Some manuscripts Our Father in heaven
  3. Luke 11:2 Some manuscripts come. May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
  4. Luke 11:4 Greek everyone who is indebted to us
  5. Luke 11:4 Some manuscripts temptation, but deliver us from the evil one
  6. Luke 11:8 Or yet to preserve his good name
  7. Luke 11:11 Some manuscripts for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for
New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Psalm 76

Psalm 76[a]

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of Asaph. A song.

God is renowned in Judah;
in Israel his name is great.(A)
His tent is in Salem,(B)
his dwelling place in Zion.(C)
There he broke the flashing arrows,(D)
the shields and the swords, the weapons of war.[b](E)

You are radiant with light,(F)
more majestic than mountains rich with game.
The valiant(G) lie plundered,
they sleep their last sleep;(H)
not one of the warriors
can lift his hands.
At your rebuke,(I) God of Jacob,
both horse and chariot(J) lie still.

It is you alone who are to be feared.(K)
Who can stand(L) before you when you are angry?(M)
From heaven you pronounced judgment,
and the land feared(N) and was quiet—
when you, God, rose up to judge,(O)
to save all the afflicted(P) of the land.
10 Surely your wrath against mankind brings you praise,(Q)
and the survivors of your wrath are restrained.[c]

11 Make vows to the Lord your God and fulfill them;(R)
let all the neighboring lands
bring gifts(S) to the One to be feared.
12 He breaks the spirit of rulers;
he is feared by the kings of the earth.

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 76:1 In Hebrew texts 76:1-12 is numbered 76:2-13.
  2. Psalm 76:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 9.
  3. Psalm 76:10 Or Surely the wrath of mankind brings you praise, / and with the remainder of wrath you arm yourself
New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Proverbs 12:15-17

15 The way of fools seems right to them,(A)
but the wise listen to advice.(B)

16 Fools(C) show their annoyance at once,(D)
but the prudent overlook an insult.(E)

17 An honest witness tells the truth,
but a false witness tells lies.(F)

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

04/03/2017 DAB Transcript

Deuteronomy 23:1-25:19 ~ Luke 10:13-37 ~ Psalm 75:1-10 ~ Proverbs 12:12-14

Today is the 3rd day of April.  Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible.  I’m Brian, like every day.  It’s good to be here with you today as we take the next step forward on our journey through the scriptures this month that we’re just getting going on and, of course, this year.  Believe it or not, this is our 93rd day of this year, so we’ll take our 93rd step forward.  Deuteronomy chapter 23, verse 1 through 25, verse 19, and we’re reading from the New International Version this week.

Commentary

Jesus is really happy today because what is happening in the world is so monumental.  We began our reading from the gospel of Luke today with Jesus speaking words of woe over three cities, three cities that he had spent the majority of his time of ministry in – Corazon, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, which was his hometown, because they were seeing what he was doing but not believing.  They were hearing the message of the good news of the kingdom but not grasping, not believing and that is very interesting, because when Jesus goes out and performs some sort of miraculous thing, whether it be healing or otherwise, it is belief, right?  I mean, what does Jesus say?  “Your faith has made you well.  Go in peace. All things are possible to those who believe.”  

And he had done so much of his ministry in these three cities.  All still exist until today.  All are in ruins exactly like he said.  They did not believe.  What we believe, what we place our faith in does matter.  Our belief is like the container for our faith.  We put our faith in what we believe.  And Bethsaida, Corazon and Capernaum did not believe.  So after that, the 72 people that he had sent out with his authority to go and do the things that he was doing returned and said, “It works!  Even demons submit to us in your name.”

And Jesus says, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven,” which is like this goose bump moment, this awareness it is working.  It has begun, the transformation of this species, the restoration of this planet.  Satan is being cast down and Jesus says, “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy.  Nothing will harm you.”  

Then it’s like Jesus downplays all that gain.  So like anytime we come into contact with the miraculous, very often Jesus is saying ‘don’t tell anybody about this, keep it on a down low, go somewhere else,’ and he does something similar, even though he’s rejoicing about what is happening.  “Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”  Do not rejoice that you can do these things that are supposed to be normal for you. Rejoice because of why you can.  

And then Jesus is joyous in worship.  “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned and reveal them to the little children. This is what you were pleased to do. You were pleased to come into this world and begin reclaiming it, not among the high and lofty and learned. Not in ways that people could figure out, but by the power of your Holy Spirit, among those whose faith is like that of a little child.”

For a long time, this was a little bit of a cryptic passage, but when you look at it in context, you understand that this is a very big deal. Something very, very huge has begun to happen on planet earth.  Faith is rising up and when people rise up in their authority as image-bearers of their creator, the evil one falls like lightning from the sky.  May we understand that we have that authority, the authority of the Risen Christ, the Victorious One.  It is his spirit that is within us and nothing is impossible except for when we believe that it is impossible and put our faith in that impossibility.  

Prayer

Father, like the father of a daughter so long ago, we declare we do believe, help our unbelief.  We want to fully experience intimacy with you in every way and we want to fully touch this world as your hands and feet, changing things everywhere we go in whatever way that you would lead us into.  We believe you.  Our faith is in you.  So Holy Spirit, come and lead us into all the things you would have us participate in. Come Jesus, we pray.  In your authority and by your beautiful name we ask, amen.  

Announcements

Www.DailyAudioBible.com is the website.  It’s home base.  It’s where you find out what is going on around here, and it’s just a couple days until the More Gathering for Women.  That begins on the 6th, and so here is a call to the entire community to just pray over all the travel, all the women’s hearts that will be coming, all the equipment, all the technology, everything.  Everything about it we ask for your intercession and your covering and your prayer because we feel those prayers without a doubt.  So thank you for praying over this.  

And then I have announced Israel 2018.  So we’ll be going back to the land of the Bible February 19th through March 4th and it is going to be amazing and you are invited. So if you’ve been waiting for me to talk about this, now is your chance.  I suggest that if you intend to go, register early.  There is a capacity for this trip.  Go to www.DailyAudioBible.com and just look for Israel 2018 and you’ll find it in the Initiatives.  Or go to www.DailyAudioBibleIsrael.com and you’ll get the details there.  

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at www.DailyAudioBible.com.  There is a link.  It’s on the home page.  Thank you for those of you who have clicked that link.  That is how we stay here every day.  If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible App, you can press the More button in the lower right-hand corner or, if you prefer, the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996, Spring Hill, TN 37174.  

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, (877) 942-4253 is the number to dial.  

And that’s it for today.  I’m Brian. I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.  

Community Prayer Requests and Praise Reports

Good morning dear family and good morning Brian.  This is Stan from Maryland.  It’s Friday morning, the 31st of March and I’m calling because I was just deeply moved as I read through and prayed through the Daily Prayer with you, Brian, and I just am calling this morning with thanks and praise at how God has used you and Jill and all my brothers and sisters throughout this entire international network of believers in Jesus Christ.  Daily Audio Bible has been a Christ-line to me as I have journeyed through some challenges over the past two years and the book you wrote about, Reframe, has shifted my perspective.  As we’ve been reading through the Old Testament I have just seen myself over and over, how I have excluded myself from the mistakes as I’ve looked at the Israelites’ mistakes.  I’ve said, “Well, I’d never do that.”  That was the actions of the enemy covering my eyes that I could not see. Anyways, I just wanted to say that I’m just so grateful and I’m thankful for you, Brian.  For you, Jill, and for everyone that is going to hear this message because you’ve touched me deeply, whether you realize that or not.  Thank you for being part of this, everyone. God loves you.  Bye-bye.    

Hi DAB family.  My name is Wendy and I live in California.  I’m calling with a heavy heart.  Me and my husband have been having really difficult times and it has a lot to do with him being bipolar.  He was diagnosed when he was a kid and he absolutely refuses to seek any kind of assistance, so I’m just praying that God opens his mind.  He has been playing games with my emotions and he’s been saying things that he knows are my triggers, are my insecurities, and I’m struggling.  I’m struggling.  I’m struggling because I love him.  I mean, we’ve been together 12 years and then we got married.  Two years into the marriage, two and half years, so it’s been a long journey.  I’ve been around with him for most of the time that he was in foster care and things like that, and I just am struggling.  We struggle in our finances.  We struggle with having a baby.  We’ve had two miscarriages, and this has been a very difficult season for us. He seems to have a mood swing usually around the holidays because of the times he had when he was a kid.  So just asking for your prayer.  If you’d like to reach out to me, my email is WJMiles0112@gmail.com.  Thanks so much for your prayers.  

Good morning Daily Audio Bible family.  It’s April 1st and Brian, I just want to say first and foremost that you absolutely fooled me.  I laughed so loud as you started to read this morning.  What a great April Fool’s joke.  You know, I should have known from a couple years ago before I walked away from the Daily Audio Bible that you did that because I remember you had done that before, but I had forgotten and you got me and it was so funny. I know that you revere the word of God. Thank you, Brian, for your ministry. This is John from Bethlehem. Thank you and thank Jill.  And I just wanted to thank all the folks in the Daily Audio Bible community.  I’ll be calling in again and frequently.  I want to let you know that I’m thinking of you all and praying for you all.  I hear your prayer requests and your praise reports and I’m lifting all of you in need of prayer up in prayer all the time.  I’m going to call back and name you by name as well.  And for those of you that have called in with a praise report, I think that is phenomenal. I’ve never asked for prayer from the community before and that is because I’m probably just a little bit, I don’t know.  I pray to God but I’ve never asked you guys.  I’m growing.  I’m changing. I’m working on it.  I’m a work in process.  I need your prayer.  If you would pray for my family, to watch over them, that God might make them stronger, especially for my wife Andrea and I as a couple.  We’re going on 26 years of marriage this coming Friday, that would be April 7th, and there is something that is attacking our relationship.  We’re together.  We’re working through things and we’re not doing it on our own.  We’re in God’s word, but I could really use your help with that.  Thank you. I love you all and I’ll talk to you soon.  

Hi Daily Audio Bible.  This is a new listener calling in.  I’ve been listening since January and I’m calling because I need some help with something that is a heavy burden on my heart and has been for a while.  The man that is in my life who I love very dearly and he’s a big support to me in every way, he does not desire to have a personal relationship with God.  It is one of those things where I know that I have gotten myself into this mess by not having margin in my life before, so now I’m just trying to ask for God’s intervention in his life, that he may open his heart and may seek him to have a relationship with him and it is something I’ve been praying about for a while and it’s getting difficult to carry by myself.  And so I’m just praying that the Lord will let his will be done and the Lord will reveal himself to him and that can be a part of our relationship.  So anyway, that is my prayer, that I would be asking help from you guys.  I thank you so much for this community.  It really has been wonderful to hear everybody and reach out.  You guys have made me a prayer warrior listening to you guys and praying for you guys.  And so, God bless all of you and thank you.  Bye.  

This call is for a couple people.  One of them, Annette A.  __________ sister, I’m praying for you and your whole family.  Thanks for calling.  Keep calling.  And also the lady who just called, was in tears about I believe it was her husband who was drinking really heavily.  I just want you to know I’m praying for you.  You’re not alone.  And then also I wanted to pray for a sister’s son that called in.  I can’t remember your name.  Your son’s name was Turner.  Lord, I just want to pray for Turner and I want to pray for everyone who has addiction issues, no matter what it is, big or small.  Jesus, help us give it to you, Lord, and turn towards you and live for you.  I want to pray for Turner especially, help him with this last stint here in the rehab. Help him find you and may you be glorified in his life and in all of our lives, Lord.  We thank you for you and all you’ve done and your presence.  Help us live for you, Lord, and help us overcome our unbelief.  In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen.  

I’m speaking here on behalf of Anna, __________, and __________.  We’re on the Sunshine Coast in sunny Queensland, Australia and we just want to give a shout-out to the Daily Audio Bible family and the true blessing that the DAB family is upon the world and our connectedness and the hope and the richness that we bring to God’s glory upon this earth.  We just pray into all your lives, that you may see the full glory and might of God and all his majesty fall upon you in his grace and his mercy and his love and that you be bestowed with such light in your lives. And we want to wish you all a beautiful Easter, that we may celebrate it together and celebrate our commonalities, overcome our differences.  In Jesus’ name we just pray this.  Amen. 

04/02/2017 DAB Transcript

Deuteronomy 21:1-22:30 ~ Luke 9:51-10:12 ~ Psalm 74:1-23 ~ Proverbs 12:11

Today is April 2nd.  Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible.  I’m Brian. It’s great to be here with you today. Now we can kind of fully immerse ourselves into the month of April, I guess, since we’re fully immersed in it, and the only way to go forward is forward.  So it is a bright new shiny month.  It is a brand new shiny week and off we go on our adventure.  We’ll read from the New International version this week, Deuteronomy chapter 21, verse 1, through 22, verse 30.  

Commentary

Moses is retelling the law and we’ve kind of come past this territory before as the law was being revealed to Moses, but this is Moses saying once again, making sure in his final statements that this is clear.  In today’s reading we get to some behaviors and ethics in situations that for a long time rubbed me the wrong way because I’m always thinking of the other person.  We can have a tendency to read these laws very harshly and look at them as very harsh things.  For example, if a man takes a wife and then he sleeps with her and he doesn’t want her anymore and then he gives her a bad name, there is a remedy for that.  So if he is giving her a bad name by claiming that she’s been a promiscuous woman and misled him and everyone else about this marriage and he is lying, well then he will certainly be fined quite a bit of money and pay that to the woman’s father but he must stay married to this woman. So like I’m always reading it going like, ‘what if the woman doesn’t want to go back into a marriage like that?’ But the point of this law isn’t that the woman must stay in a marriage like that.  The law is there so that this kind of thing never happens.  It’s not actually a law against the woman in any way. It’s totally about the guy. You’re not going to just take a wife, have sex with her, and then use the marriage as a sham just so you could have sex with her and then throw her away.  If you try to do that, you have no way away from her for your whole life. That is a deterrent.  That is there so that the marriage is not a sham. On the other hand, if the woman really was a lie and she turned the whole thing into a sham, then there are repercussions for her too and they are very dire.  

These matters of sexual ethics, they get unpacked even more to clarify, but if we’ll look into the situation not as a harsh reading of a law, but what that would practically look like and mean, we can see that this is a patriarchal world that exists.  Like this is how it is in that world and these laws are actually moving things to equality in significant ways, in ways the world hadn’t seen up until that point. Right?  So like if a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, he has just made a life-long commitment that he can never leave.  Right?  So if something like that happens today, it would be like you’re going to go to jail and you’re going to be rehabilitated and you’re going to be on a list.  Those are the consequences that the law has now, the deterrent of the law now.  But that would not have resonated in this culture the way that the law as it is written in the Bible would have to them.  You’re not going to just go around raping people or seducing people.  If you’re going to act like that, then you’re going to man-up and be a husband for the rest of your life not so that this will happen but so that this will never happen.  

The law in its practical implications is like any law we have today. It is there so that it will not be transgressed, so that it will not be broken. So as we review the law, because we’ll be moving from this territory away from that, but the law is sort of the foundational document of how this society will be held together, it is important that we just understand what is going on here.  These laws, they may be nuanced differently now, but they are addressing issues of the human heart and behaviors that come from the human heart and how to manage them the same way we do now.  So anytime we brush up against something where we’re like, “I don’t know,” it’s important to stop and actually go there, to actually look at what practically these things would look like.  

For example, in today’s reading, if there is a son who is basically an outlaw and the parents can’t manage it in any way, we have to remember that families depended on each other for survival.  This wasn’t the same kind of culture that we live in that we kind of go off and set up our own family units and then our children are to then go off and establish their own individual family units.  This was all intertwined and the families survived together.  So a drunkard, sluggard, lazy, disrespectful outlaw son in the family affects the entire family clan and unit.  So if there is nothing else to be done, he’s to be brought to the elders and he is going to lose his life.  

Now let’s think about that practically.  We don’t have that law, but let’s say we did.  What would it take for you to do that to your child? Right?  Can you think of anything?  Well, why do we imagine that they could think of anything either?  But all children coming up in the culture would know of this and it would continually push them forward to mature, to be responsible, to be productive, to be respectful.  It is simply laying down what is out of bounds, what will eventually destroy the society from within.  So obviously context is very, very important, but thankfully we’re reading the Bible in context day after day.  

Prayer

Father, we thank you for your word and we’re thankful for the things that it picks out and prods in us and continually brings up, because that is what it is supposed to do.  It is continually orienting our convictions and feelings to you.  And we submit those things to you and invite you, Holy Spirit, to apply your word into our lives each and every day.  Come Holy Spirit, we pray.  In Jesus’ name, amen.  

Announcements

Www.DailyAudioBible.com is the website.  It’s home base.  It’s where you find out what is going on around here, and I made a big reveal, a big announcement yesterday about what is coming up next year.  Our next journey, pilgrimage to the land of the Bible will take place February 19th through March 4th and you are invited to go along.  It is going to be amazing.  It has never not been, but it is going to be amazing.  

So if you’re taking the journey through the Bible and maybe you’ve taken several, maybe it’s been years that we’ve been together doing this day by day or maybe this your first year, there is something about seeing the stories come to life in the places that they actually happened.  There is something about the atmosphere.  There is something about just being able to turn in a full circle and take in the entire scene and feel the wind on your face coming out of the desert or off of the mountains of the Golan Heights, depending on where we are. There is something about walking in the footsteps of Jesus and seeing the hills that he saw.  

I never thought about that.  I mean, I had been a long time in my faith journey with no desire whatsoever to go and see any of these places.  I thought it would be gimmicky.  I just didn’t think it was going to help and it’s a long way to go and all of that, but then I did and then I got it.  I never saw the Bible the same again after that.  

So we’ve been taking a group of people and we’ll be doing that again early next year, a beautiful, beautiful time of year as the flowers are beginning to bloom and things are becoming just fertile and rich.  It lets you see the promised land as it would have been seen, for what it is, especially for a people coming out of the desert.  So like where we are in the book of Deuteronomy, we have a people that have only experienced the wilderness.  That is what they know and so the promised land really was the land of milk and honey and you can see that.  It’s pretty remarkable.

Anyway, if you want to come, you can now register.  It will fill up.  There will be a capacity.  We have a capacity just because of the amount of things we’re trying to show.  We’re really trying to cover the land of the Bible that exists in Israel in its entirety, north, south, east, and west in a way that systematically exposes us to the different parts of the Bible and the stories that we’ve been following all year.  So www.DailyAudioBible.com is where you would go.  Just look for Israel ’18, Daily Audio Bible Israel ’18 and you’ll find it in the Initiatives.  It’s easy to find.  You can get all the details there.  Or you can just go to www.DailyAudioBibleIsreal.com and that will tell you what you need to know. Registration is open.  

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at www.DailyAudioBible.com.  There is a link.  It’s on the home page.  Thank you for your partnership.  If you use the Daily Audio Bible App, you can press the More button in the lower right-hand corner or, if you prefer, the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996, Spring Hill, TN 37174.  

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, (877) 942-4253 is the number to dial.  

And that’s it for today.  I’m Brian. I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.  

Community Prayer Requests and Praise Reports

Hi everybody.  This is Alicia from Kansas.  I’ve not wanted to call in.  I’ve been so blessed by listening to all the prayer requests and praying along with everybody as they’re praying, and I felt the urging of the Lord and listening to my sister talk about us not calling in, but I’m trying not to be in self-pity and I need prayer.  After my traumatic car accident in February, my 24-year-old daughter in Colorado had a psychotic break, was in the hospital.  I’ve been a psych RN for 25 years and I’m very familiar with the field and with the medications.  She has been misdiagnosed and she is on medications that are totally inappropriate. I would ask that you all pray for my sweet, sweet daughter Keegan and I’m not sure.  She needs covering.  She is very naïve.  She is not street wise like her mother.  I was raised in foster care and a ward of the court at age 16.  I was very street wise and able to take care of myself and she’s not. I beseech your prayers.  I thank you and I just pray that the Lord would just comfort all and be with everybody as you call in and know that we’re hearing your prayer requests and we’re praying.  I just thank God for this opportunity to reach out to thousands of my brothers and sisters and ask for prayer and ask that you pray for my faith, that it be strong and I maintain my firmness and groundedness in the Lord Jesus Christ and his promises to us.  Thank you everybody.  I love you all.  Take care.

Good morning Dabbers.  I’m a burning bush that will not be devoured for the glory of our God and King.  Hello family.  This morning I listened to a word – trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your understanding. And the first person that came to my mind was Gigi.  Gigi, I love your faith in God.  I love your testimony.  I love your prayer request and I encourage you never to lose faith.  I was just so encouraged by you and I continuously am encouraged by you.  A few, probably a month ago my younger son started having some episodes and his doctor thinks he might be having seizures.  Today we meet for a 24-hour EEG to be placed on him and I thought about you again, Gigi, and I thought about your faith.  I believe God is still the God today that he was yesterday, so I’m actually asking you to pray for my son.  His name is David.  And the whole group, the whole family, please pray with me for David, that he will not be diagnosed with seizures and that the doctors will find the solution to what is going on with him.  I love you all and talk to you soon.  Bye.  

My beautiful family, this is Pastor Gene from Bradenton, FL.  I want to testify to the goodness of God and the reality of an adversary.  I called a few days ago to testify and to pray for my boss, and to pray about why I __________ was complaining about it and to settle there and endure.  Just yesterday had a very, very physical attack at work from my boss, whom I love, and I left the office and it was very hard and I started praying and said, “God, my boss belongs to you, and I have a vision __________ and that is to show her kindness, the kindness of Jesus. And please strengthen me and give me power.”  If you guys knew the person that I’m talking about, you guys would know what a miracle this is.  She called a few minutes later apologizing.  This is somebody that doesn’t apologize.  This is somebody that has quite a reputation in the organization and she called to apologize.  And although the incident was huge and extremely embarrassing to me, just the fact that she called to apologize tells me that God is at work and that truly God’s kindness leads all of us to repentance.  So I just want to glorify God for that and I want to continue to pray for this woman and declare that the light of Jesus is going to envelope her and that she one day will belong to __________ too.  Father, I just want to pray for Jessica.  She is a newlywed.  She is having issues with her mother-in-law.  I pray in the name of Jesus that invisible umbilical cord between her husband and his mother would be cut and they will be able to have a healthy relationship.  Father, I rejoice with my sister Cheryl from Arizona.  Thank you for healing her ears.  I am so delighted to hear.  Bless my sister.  Bless all of you, my family.  Pastor Gene from Bradenton, FL.

Hey Dabbers.  This is Slave of Jesus in North Carolina.  Alright, Holy Spirit, let’s roll.  Amen to the prayers to turning off the news and looking up!  Mark S., amen to all your prayers for those people out there who are lonely.  You know, the lady who ran the fastest time on the Appalachian Trail, she did this 2000 miles in 40-some-odd days.  I saw her speak last week.  She said something along the lines of there is a difference between being lonely and being alone and that she never felt more alive when she was “alone” on the trail and all the people that she would eventually meet on the trail.  Lord, we ask you to watch over Michael __________. Amen to your prayers that the color of your tulips come out and Lord, even if the tulips don’t come out, Lord, I ask you to bring him a vision, memory of what color those were and how beautiful they are in a dream or a memory and I ask that in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.  Amen to Paul from Ohio’s prayers for Stanley the teacher.  And amen to someone who was praying for Jeff at Virginia Tech.  Nick, amen to all your prayers for your family. I ask all those in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.  If you guys can pray for my mom.  She is getting ready to take her boot off in a few weeks.  She also has a friend named Jeff who has cancer right now of the liver. If we can pray for that.  And Lord, I ask you to watch over the people of North Korea, Lord.  They don’t even have a chance to hear your word.  Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, used to be considered the eastern capital of Christianity, Lord, and evil has soaked it’s way in there over the decade and we ask you to turn that back in.  I ask you to finish what was started there in Pyongyang and literally make that the eastern capital of where your word is spoken and preached someday. I ask all this in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.  Love you all. Have a great day.  

Hi Daily Audio Bible family.  This is Prophetic Intercessor Rising Up from North Carolina calling really to elicit your prayers.  One of the things that Brian says is when you call into this line is that well done, you don’t have to carry it all by yourself and I really need your prayers. Going through a divorce and it’s by far the most painful thing that I’ve ever had to walk through in my life. I’ve never really been one to know how to lean on others and so I’m really calling to lean on you.  I don’t quite know how to walk through this and I believe God will get me through it, but I need your help.  I count you as my brothers and sisters in the community that I’ve grown to love so much and know there are others of you who have gone through this path and who are currently walking this path and so I welcome your prayers, your advice of how to get through it.  There are so many emotions and different waves of emotion.  There is loneliness and anger, frustration and shame and feeling like you’re isolated and you’re by yourself, so I just need your prayers.  I thank you in advance for your prayers.  I love you all.  

Good morning Daily Audio Bible family.  This is Jay calling from New Jersey.  So last Sunday I was in church and I was handing out some information about the Daily Audio Bible and believe it or not a  parishioner, a deacon was upset that I offered him some information on how to get through the Bible in a year.  It blew my mind.  He was actually upset in God’s house on one of God’s days, Sunday.  You know, I almost got discouraged and didn’t want to spread the word anymore, but you know what?  The Bible tells us that even when Jesus sent them out two by two, he told them that if they don’t receive it, shake the dust off your feet and move on. So when you’re spreading God’s word and someone doesn’t receive it, it’s not about you.  It’s not about them really.  It’s about the Holy Spirit using you and working through you to spread the good news of the gospel.  So shake the dust off your feet when that person tells you no, I don’t want to hear it. Shake the dust off your feet when your family members look at you with a face of disdain because you’re talking to them about Jesus Christ.  Shake the dust off your feet when your coworkers make fun of you or shun you because all you want to talk about is Jesus Christ.  Shake the dust off your feet when your friends don’t want to hang out with you because you were talking about and spreading the word of God. Shake the dust off your feet when people next to you in church in the same pew look at you like you’re crazy because you are overwhelmed and excited about God.  Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we thank you for your gospel. We thank you for Jesus Christ.  We thank you for the many ways to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ and we pray, God, that your Holy Spirit will come and strengthen us and encourage us.  In the name of Jesus Christ we pray, amen.  

04/01/2017 DAB Transcript

Deuteronomy 18:1-20:20 ~ Luke 9:28-50 ~ Psalm 73:1-28 ~ Proverbs 12:10

Today is April 1st.  Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible.  I am Brian. It’s great to be here with you. Yeah, it’s a shiny doorway to a brand new month, a month for those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere where it starts to warm up, new life starts to spring forth, and I realize for those of you in the Southern Hemisphere it is a time where autumn begins to really show itself.  I guess if you’re near the equator it’s just another day like all the days, being pleasant and temperate.  The beauty is it doesn’t matter because we’re all around the global campfire now, ready to take the next steps forward in the scriptures.  

Today we’ll read from the gospel of Matthew, chapter 4, and we’re reading from the Cotton Patch Gospel today.  

Then Jesus was taken by the Spirit into the country to be given a test by the Confuser and after a 40-day fast, he was plenty hungry.  Well, the Confuser came around and said to him, “So, you’re God’s head man, huh? Then order these stones to become pones.”  But Jesus told him, “Scripture says man shall not live on pone alone but on every word falling from the lips of God.”  

Next, the Confuser takes him into Atlanta and stands him on the steeple of First Church and says to him, “Okay, let’s suppose you’re God’s head man, now jump down from here, for the scripture says ‘he will make his angels responsible for you and they’ll carry you along on their hands to keep you from stumping your toe on a stone.’”  Jesus replied, “Yes, but it is also written ‘you shall not try God’s patience.’”

Again the Confuser gets him way up on a mountain and points at all the nations of the world and their splendor and says to Jesus, “Now, if you just let me be boss, I’ll turn all this over to you.”  And Jesus tells him, “Scram Satan!  The scripture says ‘you should let the Lord God be your boss and you shall give your loyalty to him alone.’”  At that, the Confuser leaves him, and you know, the angels came and began waiting on him.

Happy April 1st!  April Fool’s Day!  We read from the Cotton Patch Gospel in honor of all of our Georgians out there.  Our women’s conference will be in Georgia in just a few days and, I promise, we won’t be referencing the Cotton Patch Gospel at the More Gathering, but every April 1st I go in search of the most obscure, interesting paraphrase of the scriptures that I can find and this is what we found for this year.  

Now, no, no, no, no nasty emails to me about how I don’t revere the word of the Lord.  Before you press send on that, let’s just think about this.  I’ve been reading the word of the Lord out loud every day of my life for the last 12 years.  I do revere the word of the Lord.  We just have a little fun, a little fun on April 1st.  You get to play tricks on your friends, as childish as it might be, and so do I.  Happy April to you all!

So now we’re at the end of the week and all of this week, for real, we’ve been reading from the Common English Bible, which is what we’ll do today, Deuteronomy chapter 18, verse 1 through 20, verse 20.  

Commentary

Let’s go into the gospel of Luke and look at what is going on in Jesus’ life. Obviously the things that he is saying are things that people haven’t heard in a way that they haven’t heard before and it is igniting their hearts.  He’s speaking with an authority that they just haven’t come into contact with before and everywhere he goes good happens, restoration happens, whether it be in mind, body or spirit.  Everywhere he goes redemption follows.  

So he’s begun to attract attention, attention from religious leaders, attention from those nearby, word is spreading everywhere, people are flocking to him.  And the disciples say to Jesus, “Master, we saw someone throwing demons out in your name and we tried to stop them because he isn’t in our group of followers.”  

That is a fascinating thing to say.  The disciples probably said it out of protection for Jesus.  Like, Jesus is the real deal.  He’s got the real authority.  He’s doing the real work of God and we can’t just let a cottage industry sprout up around this of fake people who are just trying to be little Jesuses, but they’re not in our group.

Now, think about it for a second.  That posture can be found in the world today.  It can be found when we think that the church we attend is the only Bible teaching church that there really is in this town and we go here for the word and we’ve got the hotline, we’ve got the main connect here. Everybody else is just maybe, sort of, kind of, but we’ve got it right.  Or the denomination of the faith that we affiliate ourselves with, we would only go to that kind of church because they’ve got it right.  All of the nuances are worked out and they’ve got it right.  

Or the many battles that get waged on the internet anonymously.

Or the people that get labeled who are doing work in the name of Jesus and there is fruit to follow it, but they get labeled, ostracized, sidelined or discredited.  

This particular passage of scripture helps us look at that in a new way. We need to first acknowledge there is only one Jesus and when Jesus was walking the earth and ministering, there wasn’t anything called a denomination of the Christian faith.  There wasn’t the right church because there wasn’t any church. But the disciples, they kind of had this instinct that we can see in the world today.  Maybe we can see it in our own hearts today.  And Jesus spoke into it revealing the posture that we are to take in these situations.  Jesus said, “Don’t stop him because whoever isn’t against you is for you.”

A lot of fragmenting of the church throughout the world could be healed up with that one sentence from the lips of the source, from Jesus himself. A lot of the pride and arrogance that we get about thinking that we have the corner on the truth and we are right, thereby segregating ourselves from each other, could be healed up if we just listen to Jesus.  

May we examine our hearts today and realize that God has permission as the Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies and the Creator of all things to do things and use people and operate in ways that we don’t understand or that we can’t wrap our minds around or that we can’t own.  He can get his will done however he wants to in spite of us. We’re kind of wasting our time trying to be the doctrine police.  I’m not saying doctrine isn’t important and I’m not saying theology isn’t important. They are.  But when we get this attitude that we have it right, it’s cemented in, we know all there is to know, then we have absolutely put a ceiling on our experience with God.  God in the Bible and in our lives today has no problem disrupting that status quo. He has no problem smashing that cement because he isn’t interested in all of that.  He’s interested in a first person, loving, loyal, intimate fellowship, covenant relationship with us.  If we’re ever going to get our doctrine and theology right, we should probably be in relationship with him and celebrate what he is doing in the world, however he is doing it in the world, wherever the fruit of the Spirit is, wherever hints and whispers and news of the kingdom is.  We should spend our time in collaboration with God rather than falling for the distractions that divide us because it was Jesus who said a house divided against itself can’t stand.  We can see this has been going on a long time, all the way back to the very disciples of Jesus and Jesus speaks into this at the very beginning.  All we need to do is listen.  All we need to do is listen to the one we say has rescued our souls for eternity.  We should just listen.  “Whoever isn’t against you is for you.”  That’s what Jesus said.  

Prayer

Father, we invite you into this because we do get that posture often. Anytime something bristles us as the wrong thing, anytime it is not something we can control, this kind of begins to well up in us.  It is challenging our own faith and that is why we react the way that we do because we can’t imagine you working in a way that we wouldn’t do or that we can’t understand.  This is simply exposing our hearts, exposing our fear, exposing our doubt, exposing our pride, exposing our arrogance.  So we invite you into that.  Come Holy Spirit, we pray.  In Jesus’ name we ask, amen.  

Announcements

Www.DailyAudioBible.com is the website.  It’s home base.  It’s where you find out what is going on around here.  

I’ve got a big announcement.  So many of you have been asking about this and now we’re ready.  Basically, every year we go back to the land of the Bible and invite as many as can come to experience the crunch of the earth beneath our feet and the wind in our face and experience these places firsthand that we’ve spent so much time in, in the scriptures, and so many of the stories that unfold begin to unfold like right before your eyes.  We’ve got that all set up.

The next time we’ll be going to the land of the Bible will be February 19th through March 4th, 2018.  Because of the way that we do this, the amount of moving around and the amount of things that we’ll see, we have a capacity.  You can go on these trips that are huge, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people, but they kind of follow a certain loop, a certain highlight reel and we try to go a little bit below the surface and really experience from the furthest south to the furthest north, from the furthest west to the furthest east of the land and all in between, really chasing down the stories in the scriptures and trying to apply them to our lives in the moment as we experience what happened there.  So yeah, there is a capacity and, well, they sell out.  So now, right now you can register for our trip, our pilgrimage to the land of the Bible, to the promised land that will take place February 19th through the 4th of March (which happens to be my birthday) of 2018.  Go to www.DailyAudioBible.com and look for Israel 2018 links.  You can go to www.DailyAudioBibleIsrael.com which will get you there.  I couldn’t be more excited that we get to experience this together again.  We had a fantastic time.  We always have a fantastic time.  I have deeply fond memories of the time that we had just a couple months ago.  

So it’s available.  You can register now.  If it’s kind of on your bucket list or something that you want to do, registering now will guarantee that you can go.  So check it out and I look forward to seeing you in Tel Aviv.  

The women’s conference, the More Gathering for Women is coming up in just a few days, begins on the 6th of this month, so just a few days, and we have an intercessory team that has been praying for months over everything from equipment to camp to safety to travel to every woman’s heart that is in attendance, so I’m kind of calling out to the whole community now.  Let’s cover this in prayer.  It’s a very beautiful thing that happens and we want a canopy of prayer, a dome over everything about this.  So thank you for your prayers for the More Gathering that is coming up in a few days.  

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at www.DailyAudioBible.com.  There is a link.  It is on the home page.  Thank you for your partnership in keeping the community here every day.  So the link is on the home page.  If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible App, you can press the More button in the lower right-hand corner or, if you prefer, the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996, Spring Hill, TN 37174.  

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, (877) 942-4253 is the number to dial.  

And that’s it for today.  I’m Brian. I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.  

Community Prayer Requests and Praise Reports

Good morning Daily Audio Bible family.  My name is Andra K. and I am calling from Balotra in the Bahamas. This is my first time calling. I’ve been listening now for going on three years and I can surely say that the Daily Audio Bible has transformed my life.  I just wanted to (just finally get the courage to call in), but I’m asking you to pray for my country right now.  We are getting ready for a general election and a whole lot of things are happening. So please keep us in your prayer. I am so thankful for Brian and Jill and the Daily Audio Bible family.  You’ll be hearing more from me, but continue to pray for us.  God bless you all.  Have a blessed day.  

Hi everyone.  This is Karen in St. Louis.  I would have called yesterday, but I was so broken I couldn’t.  I just want to ask your prayers for all of us out there that are single and alone, who have no other soul in this world that they are humanly bonded to.  I know that the Lord is with us and that he is for us, but boy, I know that it is not good for man to be alone and so I think this isn’t the first time I’ve come to this place.  I think part of it is tripped off because I joined a high school reunion committee for a 40th high school reunion and I wanted it to be a community where I could let my light shine, but I don’t really feel like I fit in.  I don’t really know these people.  I was pretty much stoned all through high school and had very superficial relationships.  I did meet one person who was my best and dearest friend and the Lord took her to be home with him eight years ago.  I miss her so much.  But in this timeframe I’m just being tormented with dreams about going to picnics or reunions or events and being alone and trying to talk to people and being brushed off.  You know, this has actually happened in real life and so the pain is very deep, it’s very real and the longing for a husband and a family has never realized, and so anyway, I just covet your prayers.  I ask that you reach out to those who are single, and thank you so much.  

Hi, this is Iris R. from Pitt Meadows, B.C.  I’m just phoning because I want to encourage the women that are going to the More Conference.  I went last year for my first time.  I am a round peg in a square hole.  I don’t feel like I fit in lots of times, but you know the Lord needs round pegs.  I’m praying for you, that you go, that you have an open heart, that you step out, take that step and don’t worry about the obstacles that go on that seem to close a door to you going.  That is Satan wanting you to stay.  He wants you to be isolated.  He doesn’t want you to see yourself as God sees you.  No, God looks down from heaven and he sees you has white and pure and forgiven and because of an abusive past, I did not believe all those things about myself.  I believed that I was damaged, that it worked for other people, it didn’t work for me. But that is not true.  That is a lie.  You know, Jesus died on the cross and he said it is enough.  Anyway, go and you’ll meet wonderful ladies, be warmly received.  God’s word will just echo in your heart and your life.  I used to wake up in the middle of the night with fear.  I never knew what it was.  It didn’t have to be anything, but the first night I was there, I woke up the next morning hearing ‘I’m not longer a slave to fear.  I am a child of God.’  Go and rejoice.  Thank you. God bless you, Daily Audio Bible.

Hello Daily Audio Bible friends and family.  This is Jamie from Phoenix.  I’ve heard a lot of people use this one scripture when they’re talking about their kids not following Jesus anymore and I wanted to give you a different look on this scripture.  It’s Proverbs 22:6.  Train up a child in the way they should go and when they are old they will not depart from it.  Now, I’ve had a problem with this scripture and it gave me a lot of guilt for many years until a pastor had me read it again.  And we got to the point where it says ‘and when he is old he will not depart from it.’  It does not say that he will never depart from it.  It says when he is old he will remember it and not depart from it.  So hopefully that is some encouragement for you because, yes, a lot of our children are not following God and we need to continue to pray for them, that God will touch their hearts again, but hold onto the faith and hold onto the scripture that says when they grow old they will not depart from it.  Again, this is Jamie from Phoenix and I haven’t been using my name when I’ve sang a couple of songs online and that was Through Every Storm and God Will Take Care of You.  I will talk to you guys later and I love you.  Talk to you later.  Bye.  

Hi guys, this is Mark from New Hampshire.  Hi DAB family.  I’m sorry. It’s been long overdue that I’ve given this testimonial.  Should have done it earlier.  I’ve been keeping Jill informed of all this and actually I saw Brian twice last year, in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and the one in New Hampshire I actually brought a van full of recovering addicts to watch Brian.  They found him very inspiring, so thanks Brian.  Back in 2009 my son had been homeless due to his drug addiction for two years, and after his third suicide attempt, countless detoxes and attempts at outpatient programs, I made a prayer request to the DAB community in hopes that God would reach into my son’s heart and bring him back to our family.  Soon after that he asked me from the bottom of his heart to help him.  He told me he was tired of living this way and would I please get him the help that he needs.  And of course, me and my wife said that’s all you had to do, son, is ask. So this story goes on forever, but I’ve got to do this in two minutes.  God brought this whole mess full circle and it was nothing short of a miracle.  On a side note, I got sober 17 years ago.  I became a drug and alcohol counselor and now my son, who has been sober for the last five years, has moved back home and is working with me.  My son developed a spirituality which many would envy. Our family’s faith in God could not grow any stronger.  My son and I get up every morning.  We ask God to guide us and help us to help the young men in the world that are suffering from drug addiction.  Last year we actually opened Lake House Recovery in New Hampshire, a recovery home that teaches the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, brings young men back to their higher power, which of course most end up simply calling God. So last week we opened our second home. My son who was literally on death’s door back in 2009 is completely healthy, articulate, and he actually proposed to his fiancée and they’re getting married in October.  I can’t wait to fly out to that.  The whole rest of the family is extremely healthy and happy too and I just wanted to call in quickly and thank all my DAB friends for praying for him and of course me and my wife are going to continue to pray for you all. So thank you so much.  Take care guys.  Bye.

Hi DAB family.  This is Will from beautiful Bozeman, MT.  Brian, I want to thank you for this ministry.  Jill, thank you so much for what you do with this ministry and just praying for the upcoming conference with the women.  And I’m calling in today because I need prayer, DAB family.  I got up this morning to pray and just starting praying.  The first thing I heard is ‘draw near.’  And the Lord was just speaking to me in that respect. Of course, I immediately thought about James chapter 4, and of course verse 8, draw near to God and he’ll draw near to you. Then the next thought in my mind was ‘forsake.  Begin to forsake.’  For me I saw that drawing near to God means for me to begin to forsake things in my life. I need prayer.  I want to honor God.  I want to do his will and honor him in every way.  Of course, my life is not in order.  I’m chaplain for the bobcat football team of Montana State University. We are having a coaches’ Bible study and that is an incredible thing, but I know that there is more that God wants to do in me and my family, my marriage, with work.  And all the stuff going on, I need to forsake those things that God is calling me to draw near to him for.  So please, DAB family, pray with me.  If you want to reach out to me, my email address is Chylly5@yahoo.com if you want to reach out to me.  I’d love to hear from you.  Thank you so much for your encouragement everyone.