Judges 13:1-14:20 ~ John 1:29-51 ~ Psalm 102:1-28 ~ Proverbs 14:15-16
Today is May 1st. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. It’s great to be here with you today. We started a brand new week yesterday and we get to start a brand new month today, so like everything is sparkly and shiny. We started the book of John yesterday so it’s all new around here, and as is the case in all of life, how we live into this month is what this month is going to end up looking like. The choices that we make in thought, word and deed will write the story of the month of May this year and so we choose in advance to be wise and choose well. One of the ways we do that is the rhythm, the rhythm of the scriptures in our lives every day always, always here in community. So let’s get to it.
We’re reading from the Holman Christian Standard Bible this week and we’re in the book of Judges and we’re about to learn of the last judge and his name is Samson. Judges 13:1 through 14:20 today.
Prayer
Father, as we move into this new month, we’re moving into new territory in the Bible, in our lives. So we take counsel from the Proverbs today and we choose now at the beginning of this month to live it sensibly by watching our steps. We choose to be wise by being cautious and turning away from evil. This alone continually remembered will change the course of this month. This alone. But we want to walk with you in all things, so we invite your Holy Spirit to show us what it means to be sensible and watch our steps. Show us when we’re walking into territory we shouldn’t. Show us how to be cautious and turn away from evil. Show us how to be wise. We give ourselves to you this month and look forward to the fellowship, look forward to the intimacy and the conversations that we’re going to have. We invite you into all that we are, all we say, all that we do, all that we think. Nothing is cloaked from you, nothing is off-limits from you. We invite you into it all. Come Jesus, we pray, into the month of May. We ask in your name. Amen.
Announcements
Www.DailyAudioBible.com is home base. It’s where you find out what is going on around here. One of the things we’re mentioning is the fact that we’ll be going back to this land of the Bible. So like even in today’s reading, we’re reading of Jesus calling Andrew and Phillip and Peter and Bethsaida is mentioned as a hometown. We go there. It is one of my favorite places to go. So, yeah, the Bible just becomes a very, very living thing when you’ve been able to be in so many of the places that it happened. And so we’ll be going back in February, February 19th and then ending March 4th and you are invited. You can get all the details at www.DailyAudioBible.com if you just scroll down. You’ll find this little banner, green color. It says Israel 2018. Click on that and you’ll get the details that you’re looking for. Hopefully I’ll get to see you. Hopefully you can come.
If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible in the mission that we share to bring the spoken word of God to anyone who will listen to it, anywhere on this planet, anytime of day or night, and to build community around that rhythm so that no one ever has to feel alone in this faith journey, that is what we do and it has been a beautiful thing to see. If that has been beautiful and life-giving to you, then thank you for being life-giving back so that it exists, so that it moves on another day, another day, another day. Thank you profoundly for your partnership. If you’re using the app, you can press the More button in the lower right-hand corner. Or the mailing address, if you prefer, 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 will be waiting for you here tomorrow.
Community Prayer Requests and Praise Reports
Good morning Daily Audio Bible. This is Kadian from Mississauga, Canada. I’ve been having the urge to call from quite a while. Some time ago I was listening to the Community Prayer maybe three Community Prayers ago, and I heard a young man call in. He was driving and he was having trouble understanding the purpose of living and that life seemed to have not much of a purpose, that kind of stuff. And I think the Holy Spirit has been asking me to call in because I struggled with the exact same thing and in my entire life, thinking I’m just a part of teenage pregnancy and so I don’t know why I’m living and it is something I constantly struggle with, but I want to say to this young man that you’re not alone, first and foremost, but I want to tell you what I’ve learned that has helped me to have intentionality when I live or live with a greater purpose or intention daily. Every day I have to tap into it. I read the awesome book Reframe and can I say read the book? It’s an awesome book. It opened my eyes to see God in a different way and relationship with him in a different way and so now I live my life with a concept ‘but God.’ Every time I see that my life is without purpose, I go ‘but God.’ And I remember that somewhere Solomon said that there is no meaning in life and when he concluded he said without God. So basically ‘but God.’ So can I suggest to you strongly that you definitely tap into the ‘but God?’ When it makes no sense, just rest on the ‘but God’ part of it. Because God makes all the difference. He makes it worth it. He makes it all worthwhile. Without him none of this has a purpose. And I want to also say that I heard a couple of callers say and I’ve found it to be true, just __ the Daily Audio Bible family and about a week or so ago a lady called in and challenged us about…
Good afternoon Daily Audio Bible family. This is Lee from New Jersey and today is April 28th. God bless you all. So calling in. Mark S., from Australia, he actually opened the doors for us to call in, confess our sins and also to ask for prayer especially in regard to sexual sin. Especially in regard to lust __, so I’m asking for prayer for me and I’m also going to request that we all pray for each other, especially all the men and women that are struggling or suffering because of it. And for those that are suffering around it as well, all that have pain and suffering because of it, that they may have been either cheated on or they feel that they are being, how do I say in it? – a spouse seeing another spouse, watching pornography or something like that, how that makes them feel. It makes them feel like they’re worthless, like they are not worth anything, like they are not good enough. So we need to pray for that as well. Brothers and sisters, pray for me, that I may continue on my journey clean and free from too many lustful thoughts and of course from committing any kind of sexual sin. Thank God for that. And I also pray for the rest of you, my brothers and sisters, that you will also steer clear from any sexual sin and that you will deal with your lustful thoughts and ideas rightfully so and God has __. So folks, I’m just rambling on because it’s something that has been on my mind and it has been bothering me and something I struggle with, like I said before. I sin every day one way or another. It may not be big sins. It may seem like it’s not sinning against anyone else, but still they are sins. So ask God to come into that, to come into my life and to continue to bless me and my family. And also I pray the same for the rest of you as well. God bless you all.
Hi. This is Angelica. I’m calling from California. I’m a first-time caller and today is the 28th and I’ve been listening to the podcast and how everybody is encouraging everybody to call. I wasn’t going to call because a lot of you guys say that you pray for even the ones that don’t call, so I was thinking that would be enough, but I really need prayers for my son. His name is Fabio. He’s in the Air Force in Aviano, Italy. He’s been detained in __. His court date is coming up on May 15th. He’s so far away. He’s reaching out to God and I just need help to pray that the Holy Spirit would draw my son to him, to Jesus, and that every assignment or plot that comes from the devil to be canceled because I know that Jesus is __ for my son. Anyway, he’s so far away and I feel so helpless. I’ve been praying that he changes people’s heart. He thinks the outcome is going to be good and he’s feeling positive, so also pray for me and for my family, that we get through this and that we start thanking God for the outcome. Just help me pray that any plot that the enemy has for us, for my son, that it gets canceled. I need your prayers, family. Thank you.
Hi. This is Joyful in Tennessee. I was calling for Alicia in Phoenix. I heard your call about your marriage and I just want to say I heard your call, that when you gave your call the Spirit just jumped in me because you said you were asking and you were seeking and the Lord will never deny your request when you ask and when you seek. So I just wanted to encourage you and say fix your gaze on the Lord. Take your eyes out of the details of your issue and you fix your gaze on your Savior Jesus who loves you and who hears you and he finds you precious and you have purpose and you are wonderful to him. I just wanted to encourage that in you. I also want to pray for you. Lord Jesus, I pray in the name of Jesus that you would just encourage my sister Alicia, that you would build her up, that in the name of Jesus you would protect her marriage, that you would just bind Satan from all that is going on there, Lord God, and that only your purpose would be accomplished. Lord God, I pray that you would send people, you would send purpose, that you would give her reason, Lord, and that you would speak to her so loudly that she will know her God hears her, Lord. I just thank you for her and I praise you for her. In Jesus’ name, amen. I will be praying for you, Alicia. I love you.
I am a 7-year listener and a first-time caller who is in desperate need. My husband called in last week and I am married to the sex addict of Central Washington. I want to express my need for prayer and support in dealing with this recently revealed sexual addiction my husband is involved in. It’s an addiction that has controlled his mind and physical body for our entire marriage. It has and continues to __ as a woman and a wife and a person. It has also led to violence in our home on my part to the degree that my husband filed charges, criminal charges against me. I’m at risk of losing my adult children, my household and my job and I’m sinking into the depths of despair and feeling unworthy of God’s love and any affection my husband can feel for me. Please pray that the prosecutor would drop charges altogether and that I would regain my mental and spiritual health and, if God desires, that our marriage would be healed. Please lift up my husband and give him the strength to deal with this so he can beat this addiction and be a light to others who are experiencing this. Thank you family. Thank you so much.
Hi, my name is Sonja and I’m calling from Tampa. I probably called two times during the 7 years that I’ve been listening to you, Brian. As I was praying, God spoke to me and told me that I needed to start connecting with my Daily Audio Bible family. I listened to the broadcast on April 24th and it was there that something rose up inside of me and when I heard Miss Annette speak of her son Alex. It is a path that I have taken as well. I remember it was the most difficult decision I ever made as I phoned the police to come and get my son who had violated his probation, watching the police handcuff him and looking into his eyes of shock and disbelief left me paralyzed and broken, but my love for him was way too strong to see him go in the wrong direction. I had to trust God beyond any measure and in the midst of all of this I __ the Lord in this difficult journey, it was there that I saw God’s glory manifest itself. I saw the glory of God in such a way that it is even hard to put into words, so I say to you, my dear sister, trust him no matter what and speak life. Trust him in the midst of every circumstance and you will see how the glory of God will be manifested in Alex’s life. Today my son works in the finance department and he is studying to become a CPA. If he did it for my son, he’ll do it for your son Alex. All you have to do is trust God and declare God promises over your son. Today I pray that God embraces you during this season and that the angels of God encamp all around you and your loved one. I pray that no weapon formed against you or your family shall prosper, in the name that is above all names, in the name of Jesus. May God protect and shield my Daily Audio Bible family. God bless you all.