Month: April 2018

Deuteronomy 33:1-29, Luke 13:1-22, Psalms 78:59-72, Proverbs 12:25

Today is the 9^th day of April. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. It’s great to be here with you today. It’s a travel day. Heading back to the rolling hills of Tennessee. Had a great time in Washington yesterday at Columbia Community Church. Thanks for coming out and say hello. Good to see everybody again. And we’ll head back to Tennessee, get ready, and head Georgia for the More Gathering, which begins later this week in just a couple of days. So, that’s what’s behind us and that’s what’s before us. And here we are, where we are, taking the next step forward in the Scriptures We will be reading from the book of Deuteronomy today and then completing its tomorrow. From the Good News translation this week. Deuteronomy chapter 33.

Commentary:

Okay. So, we encounter this fascinating story in the book of Luke. And, so, every year when we pass by this I point out because it’s really interesting because it gives us this a rare glimpse of the kinds of things people were talking about. So, the kinds of things that would be passed around by word of mouth and then continue to be passed around and discussed. So, we would call this going viral today because there are those stories the kind of filter their way around the Internet and people talk about them. Obviously in Jesus time there was no Internet. So, things just got passed around from person to person and little traveling groups and work parties and any place that there would be a discussion. What’s interesting about these couple of incidents that are mentioned today in the gospel of Luke is how people make assumptions about God in them because they’re tragedies. And usually it’s a tragedy that finds its way into the news. So, the first thing that is brought to Jesus attention or that he mentions is the fact that some Jews from Galilee were in the temple complex in Jerusalem making sacrifice when this would’ve been at Passover, when essentially Roman special forces who had probably been tracking these guys and had some evidence that there was zealotry going on, that there was insurrection going on with these people, made a strategic attack. Like, they went in and took these people out because for the Romans, these people were terrorists. So, they went in and took them out. Now, because they were in the temple making sacrifice to the Lord they probably weren’t terrorists. They were probably devout Jewish people wanting the restoration of Israel. But is all starts looking murky because it just depends on how you’re looking at it and who you are in the story. But, in the end, the way that the whole thing gets framed is that these people who were killed in the temple must’ve been greater sinners than anyone else and God was judging them. And then the religious leaders in the temple also made tremendous accusations against Rome because they came in and killed these people mixing their blood with the blood of the sacrifice, a complete sacrilegious thing, a very defiling thing. So, I mean, man, if that happened today that would make international news. It’s that big of a story with all of the hooks for intrigue, right? There’s a lot of religious connotations here. There’s human blood being spilled in the temple, which would be outrageous to the Jewish people. And then there’s the way that the Romans are going to communicate this, that they just took out some bad guys, basically. And, so, the way that the news is spread is going to depend on who’s giving it to you. And even though they may have the facts of the case the way that it’s interpreted is going to be different depending on who you are. So, ya, we have a very complex story that has gone viral and it has made its way to Jesus, and Jesus comments on it, which makes it even more interesting because it captures a piece of the news. Like, we have some headlines from the first century. The second little bit of news is that a tower fell near a water source coming into Jerusalem and it killed 18 people when it fell down. The thing that draws those two stories in common is what people were saying. They were essentially saying that the tragedy that has befallen the people who were killed was because they were greater sinners than anyone else and God was judging them specifically in the moment. And that kind of thing is still in the world today. Every time there’s a weather tragedy or some sort of tragedy something happens that makes the news then what’s going to follow behind that are those people who would say that God is judging the people who had found or experienced tragedy. So, in other words, when sensational tragic things happen it is the hand of God’s judgment against specific people because God wants them to suffer publicly or specifically or horribly. So, the question then becomes, is that true? Is that how this all works? We turn on the news in the evening, we see the different things that are going on. We’re getting the news spun at us depending on where we are and what our position is. So, it’s being interpreted differently, but in the end we see tragedy and we say God is judging those people. Or even if we don’t say that we wonder about it. So, Jesus actually comments and He gives language to whether or not God is specifically singling out and judging people. Like this. Jesus asks, because those Galileans were killed in that way, do you think it proves that they were worse sinners than all other Galileans or what about those 18 people in Siloam who were killed when the tower fell on them? Do you suppose this proves that they were worse than all the other people living in Jerusalem? To both of those incidents Jesus says, no indeed. In other words, no that’s not what happened, that’s not how this works. And then Jesus tells those were listening to him, I tell you that if you do not turn from your sins, you will all die as they did. In other words, these incidents were not surgical strikes by God singling out very, very specific people so that they would die tragically and publicly. Rather, everyone’s heading in the same direction and bringing down judgment upon themselves. The only remedy is repentance because we’re creating our own destinies and they’re not going to end well if we do not change our minds about God, which is literally what repentance is. And Jesus is our invitation to change our minds about who we think God really is. So, God’s not a hot tempered sovereign who wakes up on the wrong side of the bed, flies into a rage, knocks towers over to kill people. Rather, God looks like Jesus and we’re invited to change our minds about him, to repent. And we can certainly consider to continue to blame God for things that he hasn’t done, which only makes us consider Him to be unpredictable and untrustworthy or we can change our minds. Repent. Rather than blaming God for all of the tragedy or all of the darkness in the world that he doesn’t have anything to do with, we should be looking for all of the light and life and good news in the world. That’s where we will find God at work. And that change of perspective draws us into trust and the correct way of viewing things. So, some things to think about today.

Prayer:

Father, we acknowledge we have wondered what You are and are not involved in. We have no shortage of news, no shortage of things going on, and usually it’s tragic in nature and it makes us wonder why You’re doing these things or why You’re allowing these things to happen. When a change of heart and mind, when repentance comes we begin to see Your work of good in the world and we realize we’ve been blaming You for things You didn’t do. So, we ask forgiveness. And we ask Your Holy Spirit to come, help us to reinterpret because so many things are being interpreted for us in so many ways and they sound like they’re right. And, so, we just buy them, but it ultimately makes us confused about what You are doing. And we have this perfect example of Jesus in this world and what He did and what He said. These are the kinds of things You are doing in the world. So, we choose to not only look for those things, but to participate in those things, as Your body the body of Christ in this world. Come, Holy Spirit. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, its home base, its where you find out what’s going on around here.

And it’s just a couple of days from now, on the 12^th, in the mountains of North Georgia just outside of Atlanta the More Gathering for women will begin. And, so, that’s something that we will continue to pray over all the way through. And are thanking you with open hearts and open hands. The canopy of prayer raised over this event is necessary. It can’t work without the prayers of God’s people. And, so, we thank you for your prayers over that and everything that that it entails.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There is a link on the homepage. Thank you humbly for those of you who have clicked that link. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or, if you prefer, the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 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 and Praise:

Hey there DAB community. This is Kerry C. I’m part of the Alabama’s Pelham praise party and am loving the Lord and experiencing new things in Him. And I have a prayer request. I want to lift up a very special person in my life who has brought the Lord back to my vision and given me some eyes of enlightenment where I desperately needed them. He’s a conduit of Jesus. He’s just really opened my world back up where it was just very closed off. And I just praise the Lord for loving my friend. My family and I just want to lift them up Lord and just ask that You give his family unity, Lord God that You open the eyes of the blind and that You bless Him now, bless her now, bless their son now. Lord God and bless every generation after Him Lord God. He keeps his family every day Lord God. And show Your love to them in Your exceedingly abundantly goodness, Your love and Your kindness Lord God. I just praise You for opening Him up and for us Lord God and I just ask You to please stay with Him every minute of the day and make Your face shine upon them. And thank You DAB community because You are the ones that turned Him around, Your love, Your prayers, Your calls everything. I just… Brian thank You so much to You and Jill and Your family. And I know Your daughter, China, she was wonderful yesterday. So, everyone thank You so much for loving, for the love of God and just changing lives everywhere. And his glory may it be known. So, I praise You all. I praise the Lord for You all and thank You all. And just wanted to thank You so much. Bye.

Family, it’s Redeemed in Him from Virginia and this call is for Sophie from Oregon. Sophie, I heard your call April 3^rd at the end of the message, how much you’re struggling to just have the will to go on. And I just wanted you to know that I am with you, we are with you as a community, and we are praying that God will give you supernatural strength to go on and healing for your body, mind, and spirit. Isaiah 40:31, for we know that God hears your cries for help sister. And for those who hope in the Lord He will renew their strength. He will. Hang in their Sophie. You’re being prayed for around the world. So, please let us know how you’re doing. We love you and we’re just praying that you’ll get some needed rest, healing for your body. Whatever it is you need, we are praying that God is going to supernaturally give that to you. In Jesus name. Sophie please let us know how you doing. Amen.

Hey fellow DABbers. This is Robert from Indiana. And I know I am not very good at calling in and praying for people or asking for requests, but I just wanted to still call in and ask for prayers for…just everyone who is suffering…not suffering…just everyone who is having difficulty with unplanned pregnancy and young adults and teens and just all of that…all of those circumstances. So…just…I would appreciate your prayers and I appreciate everything that you guys do for me. So, I just want to let you know I love you guys and I think of you every single day. See ya.

Hey everybody this is Jay from…on the road. I’ve have been living in my car for the past three days now and it is surprisingly peaceful. I’m doing it by choice. My house is in Maryland but my job is New Jersey and it would be counterproductive for me to have two apartments or, you know, live in a hotel all week long. So, I’m trying it out. See how it’s working. And it’s actually working pretty well. The hardest part is finding somewhere to park at night we’re I’m not going to be kicked out. But pray for me for that and that I’m able to find a nice quiet spot to park in every night. And I go back to Maryland on Fridays, go to church and then come back to work on Monday morning. So. let’s pray. Heavenly Father we thank You so much for Your love, Your grace, Your mercy. Thank You, Father for just giving me peace and thank You for giving my friends and family in the Daily Audio Bible peace in their heart. Father, we pray right now that everyone within the sound of my voice, whatever is on their heart, whatever is troubling them, whatever has them to the point where they are stressed out or overwhelmed, that they’ll just take that to You and they’ll realize that You will take on that burden for them because You’re there You’re waiting. And we pray all these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Hi Daily Audio Bible family. It is Bri calling for the first time and I just want to say I keep you all in my prayers. And __ I’m asking for God to guide me and for Jesus to show me my purpose as I’ve been in a job that is rooted in stress and negativity and I am seeking to fill my purpose in the kingdom of God. And I actually have been selected for University of Cambridge’s new Masters in accounting program. And the professor that she’s contacted me. However; I am looking at __ and they just watch and they don’t want me to…I feel like I can’t say…I feel like I can’t do anything besides look at and check financials. __ doesn’t rad and money. So I just ask that God guides me to a new job and that I can make a positive change in our world and connect more to our kingdom and move forward to bring newness and bring life and bring joy. I work in New York City in financial services and am a 22-year-old girl and I’m shaking now but…

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

Today is the 8^th day of April. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It’s great to be here with you. Coming to you today from the Pacific Northwest and the state of Washington. Here in the Tri-Cities, we’ll be speaking at Columbia Community Church this morning. Looking forward to that. Great to be here with you at the shiny, sparkly threshold of a brand-new week. And we’ve got a big week around here, but we’ll get to all of that in due course. We’re being a new week so we we’ll read from a new translation, The Good News translation this week. And we’re in the book of Deuteronomy and we’re getting very, very, near the end of the book of Deuteronomy and Moses is teaching a song. Deuteronomy chapter 32 verse 28 through 52 today.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You again, once again, for Your word. We thank You for the way that You move in and among us through Your word as Your Holy Spirit plants it in our lives, bringing up within us the fruit of the spirit. Thank You God that we see examples over and over again of Your kindness, Your long-suffering, Your patience, Your gentleness, Your grace. We also see examples of Your call, Your warning, Your correction, Your rebuke. We see that You father us through Your word. And we can certainly understand in our own lives when we listen and we don’t and where those paths lead, which is what Your word shows us, which is what the Scriptures continually teach us. We follow storylines into their conclusion and we see where those roads and those decisions left and we realize we’re reading our own story. And, so, Father, we invite Your Holy Spirit because we can’t tell this story without You. We were never meant to be in a story without You and we don’t have to be. So, come Holy Spirit as we approach and enter this new week. Lead us into all truth Holy Spirit as You’ve promised. Lead us deeper into fellowship, friendship and relationship with our Savior. Lead us on the narrow path that leads to life. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, its home base, its where you find out what’s going on around here.

So, out of the Pacific Northwest, which is a long way from home, a long way from the rolling hills of Tennessee. Excited to be out here for today.

Then we’ll be heading back to Tennessee tomorrow.

Then this this Thursday is when the More Gathering for women begins in Georgia. So, we’re continuing to pray over that as a team, but we’re continuing to raise a canopy, a massive wall, dome over everything that’s going to happen through prayer, as a community. So, thank you for continuing to pray over that and all that it entails. Looking forward to that as well.

This is going to be a busy week. So prayers of the community over all the travel and all of it are appreciated.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There’s a link on the homepage. If you are using the Daily Audio Bible app. You can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or, if you prefer, the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 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 and Praise:

Hey everybody this is Pelham from Birmingham calling. It’s April 3^rd and my prayer was played first and it just so happens to be my birthday today. I turn 40 today. Four Zero today. So, I wanted to call the community and reach out to you guys because it’s a joyous day. Of course Easter, two days ago, but it’s Easter. Every day we walk in Easter. And I pray that this call works. We’ve been having some tech issues. I tried to call and talk to China about how incredible she was and how I thought it was Jill and it was amazing and that she spoke to my heart and I wanted her to know that she is a powerful, powerful warrior and she affected me deeply. So, China that’s for you. I wanted to call for prayer for my best friend Alex W. and for any warriors out there that can pray for Alex W. to increase his knowledge and understanding, for the Lord to pour out knowledge and understanding through the world around him, through the way that the Lord whispers into our ear, a shout louder than any other can hear, the way he does it, you know how he does it. Do that for Alex. I need my best friend to wake up some things that we’re facing in marriage and some things that we’re facing in life. And it’s a process. I just wanted you all to be part of the process. I felt like I needed to let you know. And I want to thank everybody…

[singing]Our father who art in heaven hallowed be by 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 [singing ends]. Hey, everyone this is Mel from Central Florida and I’m just calling to say a big thank you to everybody who called in and prayed for me and for my insomnia. I also want to thank everybody who prayed on their own without calling for me. I know not everybody calls, obviously. And for me it took over a year to even try to call the Daily Audio Bible. I appreciate, honestly, I appreciate all your prayers and your thoughts and everything, good vibes, whatever you can send. I went to the doctor and she gave me some medication to try for a little bit and I’m going to go back to the doctor and discuss my options. It’s been helping…I mean…I’m sure the prayers…I know the prayers are helping. And, yeah, I mean there’s been a couple days where I don’t sleep great but most of the time there’s a lot more good days than bad. So, again I want to thank everybody. I really do appreciate it. And I want to just continue praying for anybody who has any sort of insomnia or sleep issues. And to start my call, I prayed the Our Father in song, which, to be honest, a lot of nights I just I just sing over and over when I can’t sleep and it brings me peace. So, I hope everybody is doing well and hope that little song helps somebody out there.

Hi this is Donna from Southern California. And I so enjoyed China’s reading yesterday. That was so much fun. And what a delightful, delightful person you are China. And Brian and Jill, you must be raising wonderful, wonderful girls. And I just was feeling so blessed that I never met you, but I feel like I knew you, you all are friends of mine. And I just wanted to say that. I really, really enjoyed that. I enjoyed the April fools little joke. It was great. And by the way you guys have incredible reading voices. It’s just incredible. How beautiful and lyrical your voices are. So, thank you so much for that and for giving us hope. I know this is the year of hope. And what I was wanting to lean toward quickly was, I listening to Lisa from Kansas prayer request, she’s struggling with depression, and then Sharon the Victorious, and I will still say your victorious, from Northern California, and also Stacy from Oregon. All of these ladies, like myself, who are they…they’re struggling. I too have been there. Let me tell you, I’ve been there. There’s nothing like going through a divorce after three decades of marriage and it can put you there. So, I know. But I have learned and what this program has given me, thankfully, is that we have a God that takes all of that and one day it will make some sense. Hang onto that hope. I really hope you will. We have a God who…

[singing]Jesus, you have one me. You have broken every chain with love and mercy. You have triumphed over death and you are worthy of glory and praise [singing ends]. Good day Daily Audio Bible family, this is Sherry calling from British Columbia Canada. Today is part two of my, I’m not really sure how many parts yet, to call in and talk about how I’ve made my work or my new job an idol. And I had talked the last time I called about realizing this through lent. God has been revealing sin in my life. And revealing that I had made my job my idol because I was spending a lot of time thinking about work and dreaming about work and excited to go back to work, rather than enjoying the time he gave me off work. So, I found a website that kinda gives you 10 reasons or 10 clues that something in your life might be becoming an idol. And, so, I just wanted to read them to you to see if maybe they’ll touch somebody else to show you what I’ve learned as well. So, number one is, it causes me to disobey God. Number two, it gives me greater joy than to Christ. Number three, it gives me the most excitement about the future. Number four, it is what I daydream about the most. Number five, it is what I most enjoy talking about. Number six, it is what I fear losing the most. Number seven, it is what I most enjoy reading about. Number eight, it is what I most love spending money on. Number nine, it is what I look to for heart rejuvenation. And number 10, it is what I most enjoy spending time on. And it doesn’t have to be all 10 of these it could be just be one of these things. So, for instance number two, it gives me greater joy than Christ. So, if I think of my job as giving me more joy than Christ, then it’s become an idol. I’ve run out of time but more to come later. Love you DAB.

The image there though you couldn’t get see
The film must be developed in a solution that will free it
And then a beautiful image of the picture you will see
These same truths that apply to film also apply to you and me
Wwe also bear an image of our God from above
Kindness, patients, joy, and peace, long-suffering, compassion, love
But unless you’re washed in Jesus’s blood and developed in His spirit
You’ll never see his image you can’t feel it or draw near it
We’re created in God’s image so God is clearly there
Your life is like a negative so handle it with care

blindony1016@gmail.com. Want to thank you once again Brian for this wonderful podcast for God’s Holy Spirit to flow. Keep it flowin’ y’all. All right. Bye-bye.

Deuteronomy 31:1-32:9, Luke 12:8-34, Psalms 78:26-45, Proverbs 12:21-23

Today is the 7^th day of April. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. It is a pleasure and an honor to be here with you today as we prepare to close down and release another week. So, yeah, we’re a whole week into the month of April now. When we left the month of March, we had reached the 25 percent mark. Twenty five percent of the way through the Scriptures. And now we’re a week beyond that. So, well done. We are well on our way. And there’s much out in front of us, but all we have to do is look back. Look back at the beginning of the year. Look at where we are now, not only in the Scriptures, but in our lives. And we’ve put enough effort and time into this to be able to see that this is shifting things. This is changing the way I look at things. This is making a rhythm in my life that is doing good inside of me. So, here we are at the end of another week. We’ve been reading from the English Standard Version this week, which is what we’ll do today. Deuteronomy chapter 31 verse 1 through 32:27. And we’re nearing the end of the book of Deuteronomy. Just a couple more days and we will be reaching the end of the Pentateuch or the Torah. So, let’s dive in. Deuteronomy.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for another week in Your Word. We thank You for the celebration of Easter that began this week. We continue to glory in the fact that You came for us and would not abandon us and will not abandon us. The joy of our salvation is ours. But all we have to do is choose life. So, Father, as we release this week and it becomes a part of our history, we look forward with great anticipation to all that is in store for us as we continue to journey through the Scriptures and as we continue to make choices that are life giving in collaboration and in relationship with You. We love You, Father. We worship You. We are grateful for everything, including our lives. Come, Holy Spirit, into this day. In Jesus name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website if you hadn’t figured that out. But I say it every day because every day we have someone new who joins into the community. So, if this is your first day, welcome, welcome. You are in for the adventure of a lifetime

So, dailyaudiobible.com is the website and its home base and its where you find out what’s going on around here

Tomorrow, I will be in Washington state in the Tri Cities at Columbia Community Church and looking forward to being out there. You can get the details at dailyaudiobible.com in the Events section.

And the other thing is that the More Gathering for women begins on the 12^th of April, so coming right up. Some things back to back. And as a community we’ve been praying over the women’s gathering in Georgia in just a few days and so we want to continue to do that. Keep that on the radar. We need to raise a canopy of prayer over everything about it as we do each year. Praying over the hearts of the women who will be in attendance. So, thank you for your prayers.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible in the mission that we share as a community to bring God’s spoken word to anyone who will listen anywhere on this planet any time of day or night and to continue to foster and build community around that rhythm so that we all know, so that we’re all aware that we’re never alone. If that has been life giving to you, then thank you for your partnership. We literally could not do this if we didn’t do it together. So, there’s a link on the homepage of dailyaudiobible.com. If your using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address, if you prefer, is PO Box 1996, Spring Hill, Tennessee, 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 and Praise:

Hello. This is Julia from Des Moines. I’m calling for Sophie from Oregon. Sophie, your heart sounds so broken. I just want…I’ve been lifting you up in prayer…and I just want you to know that Jesus has been exactly where you are. In the garden of Gethsemane, He was broken and tired and He poured from an empty cup and He knew what was coming. And girl, just hold on. Your Savior knows. He knows where you are. And He’s got a light shining at the end of the tunnel for you. He just does. You are in such a deep dark forest but just trust. Trust that God has it. And when you can trust it’s time to reach out. It’s time to find help. Find some church ladies who will make you dinner and find somebody who will listen to you. I’ve been through a dark season recently and that’s what saved me. I mean it was…it was just grace that they would come in and wrap me in love with just meals and doing my dishes. So, honey, I just encourage you reach out. Find those who love you. And you know that we are all here for you too. Bye.

Hey DAB. This is Marsha in Minnesota and I just listened to April 3^rd and I’m just so taken aback by Sophie in Oregon. I know what you’re going through and I am so sorry. And I am praying for strength and I am sending you strength, and you can go on another day. I know you going do that. Okay. So, hang in there darling. And I can just feel Jesus’ arms around you giving you strength and love. So, hang in there. I’ll get better. Bye.

Hi family. This is Salvation is Mine in San Angelo California. Let’s pray. Dear heavenly Father, we come before You, requesting that a blessing be sent down right now Lord. So many of us are in trouble Lord, whether it’s mental, physical, financial, or emotionally. We are in trouble Lord and __ so deep in our soul Lord that we can even find that place, but You are there Lord. You are there in this place for us. You are our Savior. You are our God. You are a mentor. You are our Father. You are a mother, You’re our sister, our brother, our pastor. Oh, heavenly Father, we reach out to You, we are on our knees, we are laying prostrate before You Lord God because we have nothing left in us for ourselves Lord God, but we know You are there and You will help us and You will keep us and You will hold us. And yes, even mold us to what You want us to be. Help us to relinquish self, Lord God. Help us to focus on You and Your word and Your love for God. Oh, Father God we praise You for the blessing that You’re going to send out. We thank You for the mercy and the grace that we get every single morning when we wake up Lord God. We thank You for every blessing in our body that doesn’t belong to us but belongs to You Lord God. Oh, Father God You are the Alpha and the Omega of all things Lord God. There is no God before You and there is no God after You. We praise You Lord God. We thank You. And we just at continue to ask for that blessing. And we ask that blessing in faith Lord God. No doubt will enter us Lord God. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. Thank You for praying with me family. This is Salvation is Mine.

Hello Daily Audio Bible. My name is Davis. This is my first time calling in. This is my first year listening to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m calling for Sharon the Victorious. I heard your prayer request and I just wanted to let you know that it might not seem like you’re victorious right now but you just need to be reminded that as long as you are with God and God is with you, you are always victorious. And I have seen so many cases like this where your life is just going down the toilet and it just seems hopeless but I’ve also seen so many bounce back up. And, so, as long as God is with you, I have faith that things are going to turn out well. And no matter what happens, I know that it’s all part of God’s plan and I know that He has so much more for you than this because you have such a big heart putting others so, without hesitance, before yourself. So, I just want to pray for you. Dear Lord, please put Your hand of blessing on Sharon and her family. Please give Your hand of healing to her husband with his back and especially help her daughter and touch her heart and her mind. Please show her Your love and Your peace and Your wisdom. Please give her the courage to step out of this…

Good afternoon Daily Audio Bible family. This is Lee from New Jersey. Long time no speak to. Today is April 3^rd and it is about 12 noon, a little later that. And I just wanted to call and give everyone an update. I finally found a job, thank God for that. Not only did I find a job, it’s more than what I expected. In so many ways more than I deserve. I’ve said that before, so I’m going to try not to say that. And you know, just God is great. God is great. It was funny because I went to…this whole month of Lent…basically…I’ve been out of work. I’ve been able to go to masses…actually…for daily and had the host daily. I also went to confession, being I’m Catholic. And during confession the priest was telling me that, you know, that when God gives, he gives, you know, all of His bountiful riches, His treasures. And it was on a Thursday, it was Holy Thursday and I went to confession. And like a few hours after that I got a phone call from one employer and with their offer and it felt just like that. It felt like God opened His treasures and He just dumped them on me. And I’m just so grateful for that. So, grateful for all of you praying for me as well. And we are family. We thank you all very, very much. So, I will be calling back soon. Everything is going well. I did fight through and I feel…at least for me…I conquered some bouts of depression and some bouts of anger and all of that stuff. So, dealing with a few little things, but not as severe as before. Thank God for that. So, every day is better. And just want to say, God bless you all and I’ll be calling back soon.

Deuteronomy 29:1-30:20, Luke 11:37-12:7, Psalms 78:1-25, Proverbs 12:19-20

Today is the 6^th day of April. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. It’s great to be here with you. Sorry about that. You caught me mid sip, you caught me mid sip of coffee but were all set now for the next step forward into the Scriptures this year. Continuing through the book of Deuteronomy for the next few days as we listen to the final things that Moses has to say to the children of Israel before he steps into the background and Joshua takes center stage. Deuteronomy chapter 29 and 30 today.

Commentary:

Alright. So, we reach a pinnacle moment in the book of Deuteronomy and really a pinnacle moment in everything Moses ever had to say to his people. And it’s very, very poignant for our own lives, but to put ourselves in the context we have to remember, all that we have done as we have journeyed with Moses through this story up until today, right? This little baby that was put in a wicker basket that was rescued by Pharaoh’s daughter, like, his whole life has been lived and he‘s seen unbelievable things - the redemption of a people brought out of slavery in Egypt, across the Red Sea, through the desert, and Moses has endured long and love this people. And they have been incredibly frustrating people to lead. Not just because they’re a stubborn or stiff necked by nature, but because they needed to be changed completely at the identity level. All they had ever known was slavery and now they have a society of their own, governed by laws given by God. The only thing they lack is a homeland and they are on the cusp of it. This is not unlike our own lives. We find ourselves stubborn and stiff necked and going our own way and complaining and grumbling and considering the good old days. And anything and everything we’ve talked about is with gone on this journey together. And, so, we are at the end of Moses life, and he’s pleading with the people before he recedes into history, before he takes his own last breath. He tells them what they need to hear most and we need to hear this just as much. Moses said, for this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you. Neither is it far off. It’s not in heaven, right? That someone will be able to say, who can go to heaven and get it for us so that we can hear and do it? It’s not on the other side of the sea that someone will say, who’s going to go over there and get it and bring it so we can hear and do it? But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart so that you can do it. So, let’s not just read this as words spoken by an ancient prophet in ancient times. Let’s listen to this. I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you, life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore, choose life, that you and your offspring may live loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life in length of days. It feels just as immediate now as it would’ve felt to the children of Israel out on the other side of the Jordan River listening to Moses. This has always been the choice. And can we point out something that’s, like, obvious and sitting right in front of us? It’s a choice. It’s not a threat. It’s a choice. It’s an invitation. It’s an invitation into a collaboration with God. He’s given us his word. He’s given us the counsel of His Holy Spirit. He’s given us the life and sacrifice of His son. What else could God do to lay it out for the children of Israel and to lay it out for us? As we move through the Scriptures we can see very, very clearly that God is unwilling to surrender people to the darkness, that He is unwilling to abandon us, that He is unwilling to be left out of the story because he loves us. And now the choice is ours. It’s like He laid it all out and said here you go. It’s all yours. It’s all free. It’s a gift. It’s your choice. So, all we have to do is begin to examine our own lives because the shape that our lives are in and the shape that our life is taking is completely made up of the choices that we have made. And it’s not too hard for us. And it’s not up in heaven or across the ocean that we can’t know it. It’s right here. The word is very near you, Moses said. It’s in your mouth and your heart so that you can do it. Can we say that again? You can do it. Can we say that again? You can do it. Right? Altogether now, I can do it. I can choose life, but I have to choose and that is a choice that is made year by year, month by month, week by week, day by day, minute by minute, second by second. It’s not a one-off thing. It’s the continual choices that we make, the kind of choices that we make in a relationship. So, we can look at the rules and say, like, these are a lot of rules and I don’t know if I can keep all these rules or we can understand, when you fall in love with somebody you follow the rules. You come to a point where you are unwilling to break the heart of the one that you love because the relationship is bringing life and your better off together than you ever could be part. You come to the point where you realize this. And you’re not consulting rules anymore. Everything becomes apparent because of love. So, Moses in ancient times is speaking this over the people. And we’ll get to see the kind of choices that they will make and where those roads lead but all we have to do is review our own lives. Review the last year. Review the last five years and we’ll see that we are, right now, where we are because of the choices that we have made. The counsel of the Scripture is you can do it. Choose life.

Prayer:

Father, we welcome You into this thought. We invite Your Holy Spirit to begin to speak to us, revealing ways that we’ve chosen anything but life and blamed you for it. We’re sorry about that. We’ve apologized about this before. We’re inviting you into this because it’s so starkly stated, this is not too hard. It is a choice and we choose life. And that will require that we walk the narrow path that leads to life. And we will only ever find and navigate that path through the power of Your Holy Spirit. So, we invite Your Holy Spirit to come. In all of the things that we have to choose and do today we ask that You bring to mind the question, am I choosing life in this? Come, Holy Spirit. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, it’s home base, it’s where you find out what’s going on around here.

So, we’re kind of getting into the weekend. And this weekend, this Sunday, I will be in Washington state, a long way from home in the Tri-Cities at Columbia Community Church and very much looking forward to seeing our friends in the part of the world. Looking forward to being with you. So if you are in the area you can get the details at dailyaudiobible.com in the Events section. I will see you Sunday.

Then on the 12^th of April, which is what, six days from now? The More Gathering for women begins in Georgia. And as a community we’ve been praying over that for a while now and we want to continue to pray over the hearts of all of the women, over all of the travel, over all of the weather, over all of the technology, over everything, the entire camp, the entire event. So, as the Holy Spirit brings that to mind and you remember it, thank you for your prayers of intercession over it. As I’ve said many times, that makes all of the difference. So, that’s coming up pretty quick and we want to continue to pray over that.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, that can be done at dailyaudiobible.com as well. There is a link that lives right on the homepage. And thank you profoundly for your partnership. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or, if you prefer, the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 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 and Praise:

Hi family. This is Judy in Salt Lake City. I’m calling to ask for prayer. My husband Steve had a stroke yesterday. We didn’t know that that’s what it was. He got really super, super sick and he was vomiting and everything and he wouldn’t go to the hospital and finally I got him to go and they did tests and couldn’t figure out what was wrong and finally they did an MRI and found out that he had a stroke in his cerebellum, it’s in the back of the head. They are monitoring him now and treating him to keep the swelling down to try to avoid having to have surgery and take a piece of his skull out and allow the brain to swell if it’s needed. So, please pray that that surgery isn’t necessary and that he pulls through okay. I don’t know what I will do. Well, I guess I don’t have to explain. You guys all understand I’m feeling right now and I appreciate all your prayers. We pray along with you guys every single day. So, thank you. Thank you, thank you for praying. And God bless each and every one of you. Love you.

Monica in Kentucky, prayer for your friend. Steve, thank you for your calls. We truly love you. I just love hearing the sound of your voice. Scott in Houston, your father passed away. Just want to let you know that I’m praying for you and lifting you up. Amy S., and that she can’t sleep and that she turns fully to the Lord and also for your coworker daughter whose name is Sophie. Shantay, thank you for your praise report, that nothing happened to you and your family. God was truly providing a hedge of protection over you and your home. Jeff your call about your wife Margo with ovarian cancer, it was so poignant and so beautiful. Please let her know that she is being coveted by hundreds of thousands of people. John16, I think that’s what your name is, you called and mimicking our prayers. I love it. It was hilarious. If there’s one thing that this community does, we know there are times for laughter and we know there are times for prayer and sorrow and I appreciated so much your message. Pelham, I just want to let you know that you are being coveted by the blood of Jesus, you and Molly, thanking God for all he’s doing in your lives. Blind Tony praying for you. Wayne in Maine. I want you to know that I am still praying for you and your family as you mourn your nephew, I think his name was Nicholas. I just can’t imagine what they’re going through but know that God is there. Victoria S. Just thank you so much thank you. Thank you for your healing. Your voice sounds like it’s back to normal. And just to everyone in the community, I love you. This community is so blessed. We are so blessed to have Brian and Jill Hardin and all the people behind the scenes that make the DAB happen. For all of you who don’t hear you names being called, please know you are being lifted up. You are being prayed over. God knows what we all need. I thank you all for your prayers for me and my family regarding a second Baby G and we’ll be moving to our new home soon. I love you all. Cheers. Asia in Munich.

Hey DAB family this is Byron out in Florida. A shout out to Rebecca in Michigan. Rebecca, I was leaving my house this morning. When I go to work, it’s before dawn. It’s dark outside. And I was trying through my neighborhood. And it’s kind of tough because there’s all this due and missed on my windshield that I just can’t seem to get off. So, I can’t really see very clearly, but clearly enough just to drive through. I’m going through my neighborhood and I see this piece of trash in the middle-of-the-road, which is not unusual, and I’m just going to drive over it but something just called up to me to just slow down. And I slowed down and stopped in front of it. And sure enough, there are two little bunny ears poking up, and a little bunny. And I’ve never seen a bunny in my neighborhood. So, the little bunny just stands there for a minute and he goes hopping off and away. And that reminded me of your call that I heard the other day about the forest creatures getting in the way of your drive. And, so, I just sent up a little prayer for you that the Lord will watch over you and protect you. I love you very much for the Rebecca. I love you too. God bless you all. Talk to you later.

Good morning Daily Audio Bible community. This is Diane O. B. from Newburgh Indiana and it is 5:38 on April the 3^rd, 2018. I’m calling into pray for a lady. I’m pretty sure she was on the March 27^th program about her husband and her daughter and a son. And the daughter has been addicted to drugs but had to be out of the house. And the daughter has bipolar. So, my husband is here and he is a very strong Christian and he’s agreeing with me for this mother and for her child. I have particular concern because I’m bipolar. I’m 68. I have a son who is 37, a daughter who’s 38, and a daughter who’s 40. And the son, we had to kick him out. He’s not bipolar but I am. And this woman just touched my heart. And, honey, I don’t know what your name is but my husband and I are praying for you and your daughter. And we will pray. We will mention her in our prayers and you and your whole family because I know what you’ve been through. He’s now in rehab, has been in rehab for over a month and many tears we cried. We had to let him go…

Hey good morning DAB family. This is Brandon from South Carolina. Hey, just wanted to call in this morning and let you know Sophie from Oregon, that I was listening to the prayers and the requests and I heard you cry. And just so you know sister, you are not alone. You are being prayed for. You touched my heart. And just as Brian says at the beginning of the call in line, you do not have to carry this on your own. You are being prayed for. You’re being lifted up. So, I wanted to let you know that and encourage you in that way. I’m praying for you today as well as all the others who call in and that putt themselves out there, you are being prayed for. I wanted to add a special request for my dear sister down in Houston Texas who’s going through a really rough season. She just lost her home back in the hurricane season down in Houston to hurricane Harvey. She’s still not back in her home from that water damage and being destroyed. And the month after that she found out that she has a rare form of liver cancer and her mother got diagnosed with the same cancer. They had a disease in their liver they knew could potentially lead to this but it has formed into cancer. Her mother just passed away from it and the doctors are not giving her a good outlook. So, really just a little rough time. I do ask for all of my DAB family to lift up Micah from Houston in your prayers. And just pray for her, that God touch her. The doctors are telling her that the only hope that she has is that they can find a liver for her now, a liver transplant. So were praying for that, praying that God can heal her and lifting her up. And I know we need all the…

Deuteronomy 28:1-68, Luke 11:14-36, Psalms 77:1-20, Proverbs 12:18

Today is the 5^th day of April. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian and it is a pleasure and an honor and a joy to be with you here today. No matter where you are and no matter what time it is we are in this together and we are not alone. Someone else is listening too. So, it is a joy to be here with you as we take the next step forward in the Scriptures, which leads us back into the book of Deuteronomy as we listen to what Moses has to say as his final will and testament, as it were, the final things that he has to say to the children of Israel before he leaves them, before he will leave the story and they will go across the Jordan River, led by another. Deuteronomy chapter 28. And we’re reading from the English Standard Version this week.

Commentary:

Alright. So, let’s go back to the book of Luke. Jesus is obviously ministering, and in his ministry miraculous things are happening. People are being set free and healed and delivered. And even as they’re seeing this their asking for a sign from heaven because it’s all confusing. Some of them are saying He’s got the devil within him and that’s why contest of the devil. And, of course, Jesus says, that’s doesn’t make any sense. And, so, even though people are seeing the signs, they’re asking for a sign from heaven to confirm that Jesus is something special, right? So, they want something beyond just the miraculous things that are happening around Jesus. They want some kind of sign from heaven to confirm Jesus. And it’s here that Jesus says, this generation is an evil generation, it seeks for a sign. And then Jesus talks about a sign of Jonah. And then immediately after that, like, next paragraph, Jesus starts talking about lighting a lamp, putting it under a basket or is that what you do or you put it up on a lampstand so that everyone can see the light? And He says, the eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy your whole body is full of light but when it is bad your whole body is full of darkness. Therefore, be careful lest the light in you be darkness. So, it seems like He’s switching gears, like, all of a sudden we’re talking about something totally different, but we’re not. He’s talking about this generation who wants to see a sign. And we find ourselves kind of in the same camp. We want to see God do something for us. Okay, so what do you see a sign with if you’re going to see it? You’re going to see it with your eye. Okay. So, when you look around every day and you see, what do you see? Do you see darkness in the world? Is what you mostly see in the world? Because if you’re looking around and what you see is mostly grim than what you are seeing is darkness. And if all you are seeing is darkness, then you will be full of darkness according to Jesus. But what if you were to look around and all you could see was the glory of the Lord and His beautiful continual patient, loving, kind, graceful work in the world? What if everyone you looked at, you didn’t see the darkness in them, you saw what they could to be, you saw the light in them? Well then you would be full of light because you would be seeing the light. And doesn’t Jesus continually tell stories and then say for anyone with eyes to see. So, what we have here is an invitation to consider how it is we’re seeing the world we live in, how it is worth seeing our own existence, how it is worth seeing ourselves. Is what we’re seeing darkness? Well then, is it any wonder that we’re seeing darkness. But Jesus is inviting us to open our eyes and see the light. It’s everywhere. It’s all around us. It is sustained by our Father. This lavish, exquisite gift of the planet is ours to steward and see the light, the glory of the Lord all around us. His presence is everywhere all at once, always available. Are we seeing it? It’s here, it’s happening, it’s right now. It’s exactly what Jesus was saying. If it’s by the finger of God that I cast out demons then the kingdom of God has come upon you, right? Open your eyes and see. It’s everywhere. It’s right now. It’s happening. Open your eyes. See the light. Be filled with light. See the light and not the darkness and you will be filled with light. We’re invited to see things differently. We’re invited to see what’s really going on here. The light is everywhere. And Jesus says, if then your whole body is full of light having no part dark it will be wholly bright, right? Completely of the light, completely bright. And in the final analysis, isn’t that what were after? Wholeness, bright wholeness. That’s what we see in Jesus. And if we’re supposed to be Christ like then that’s what we’re going for - wholeness, light, life, good news, resurrection, restoration, completeness, fullness, things as they were intended to be from the start, shalom. And Jesus is inviting us to see that it’s all around us. It’s all present. It’s all here and He came to bring it to us. He said, I have come that you might have life. And we usually attach that to the cross. And yes, the cross is a part of that but Jesus has also come that we might have life by showing us how to see it because if we can’t see it then we’re blind to it, we’re in the dark to it. So, how do you see things? Because Jesus is suggesting that we can see anything through a lens of darkness through a lens of light. How do you see things? This is powerful enough as all of Jesus words are, to change the way we live going forward starting right now. And if we will begin to see the light and, as yesterday, if we will keep seeking and asking and knocking in pursuit of the light, then we will eventually be filled with light, wholly light, as when a lamp with its rays gives light.

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, come. We recognize that when we look around we see a lot of darkness and we continually ask You to come and take the darkness away when you are saying, look at this a little differently. It’s all around you. Light is everywhere. See it. Walk into it. Become complete and whole in it and show others how to do the same. Bring the good news of the gospel. Replace the darkness with light. And that begins with us. That begins with us seeing the light. So come, Holy Spirit, we change the way that we look at the world today. We’re going to go through our day to day seeing the light everywhere. And we’re asking you to teach us to live in the light. Come, Holy Spirit. We pray in Jesus’ name we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, it’s home base, it’s where you find out what’s going on around here. Very quickly. Couple things.

This Sunday, couple days from now, I will be in Washington state in the Tri-Cities and Columbia Community Church. You can get the details at dailyaudiobible.com in the Events section.

And then the 12^th of April, which is also coming right up, the beginning of the More Gathering for women starts. And we are covering it continually as a community in prayer. And, so, thank you. Thank you for your prayers over all that is to come at the More Gathering for women.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible that can be done at dailyaudiobible.com. Thank you. This is a community endeavor. It has only ever been community endeavor. We’ve done what we’ve done together. So, thank you for your partnership. There’s a link on the homepage of dailyaudiobible.com. if you’re using the app you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or, if you prefer, the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 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 and Praise:

Hello from beautiful Cincinnati Ohio. This is Daniel J. Junior. I’m actually standing in downtown Cincinnati waiting for my connecting bus into northern Kentucky. It is Monday, April the 2^nd, 2018. Let’s pray. Dear heavenly Father, Lord of all, I just want to praise You for all of the prayer warriors that exist in the Daily Audio Bible community and those that call in, those that don’t call in, but those that hear and then pray for all of the other DABbers. I praise You for all of those that are ahead of us in age, in the generation that’s ahead of us, our parents, who are facing challenges as they get older. I pray that You would extend their lives, give them health Lord Jesus through the power of Your mighty name. I pray also for the generation that’s coming up behind us, our children and grandchildren, those generations Lord, please continue to guide us and lead us and give us wisdom in how to shepherd them, continue to draw them closer to You for You’re ever, ever, redemptive, always looking to redeem. And I pray for our generation Lord. I just pray that You would just continue to fill us up with Your knowledge and wisdom and Your Holy Spirit. Continue to guide us as we do, as we go about all of our days. We are so grateful to You God for Your love and Your kindness for Your mercy and Your grace. I pray all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen. From beautiful Cincinnati Ohio, this is Daniel J. Junior saying God bless You. Make it a great day.

Hello everybody. My name is Trilana and I am in South Florida. This is my first time calling and I have been listening to the Daily Audio Bible for the past couple years. I’m calling today because my dad had a fall yesterday. Yesterday was Easter and it’s the 1^st of April and he’s actually turning 70. We were celebrating his birthday and after he left my house he had a fall. This isn’t the first time he fell. He’s okay. He’s a little banged up. But he’s fallen before, several times actually. And last year when he fell he actually had to go to the hospital and had to get some things done. So, anyway, I wanted to pray or ask for prayer for my dad and my stepmom, just for the health and strength and wisdom and taking care of themselves as we also are praying and supporting them and trying to do our best as well. But, yeah, I just wanted to ask the community for that and I do pray for you guys and I just thought that this would be a…I wanted to call before but I never did so now I’m calling and I hope to call more in the future. So, anyway, I thank you so much for your prayers.

This call is for Lisa from Kansas and Sharon the Victorious. This is Candace from Oregon lifting you in prayer along with others who are in desperate circumstances. Lord we lift to you these women who have cried out for help and we know that you alone, you alone can address the aching abyss of our hearts Lord. Thank you that you have suffered everything that we have and your love for us is enough. It’s even more than enough. And, so, help us now Lord. Help Lisa and Sharon now too and others who are in desperate circumstances, to stop looking at those circumstances and look into Your eyes Lord and know that when they keep their eyes on You they can walk on water. And You require nothing of them except to obey You. Help them to let go and trust You fully and completely and let it be as simple as it is, to just do the next right thing. We have no more power than that. You’re the one with all the power and Your love for us is beyond anything we could even have imagined. And, so, Lord hold these dear ones and help them to keep their eyes on you and receive all that You have for them in this very moment. In Jesus’ name we pray.

Hi this is Stephanie from Arizona. And Victoria in Northern California, I just heard your prayer request. Today is April 2^nd and I just wanted to call in and tell you I am praying for you. I’m praying for your daughter and am praying for your husband. I’m just praying for God’s healing touch on all of you, for peace for all of you. And just know that we’re out here praying for you. So, I just wanted to call in. And for everybody else, I hear your prayers and I’m praying for you as well. So, have a good week and year. I love you Daily Audio Bible family. And Brian, thank you for doing this. Bye.

Hello Daily Audio Bible. This is Nicole from Maryland. I am calling because I heard some prayer requests from Lisa from Kansas and Sharon the Victorious. And Lisa from Kansas, you said that you were dealing with depression. And I struggled with depression for many years and I was seeing a psychiatrist. I was on heavy medication. I saw a psychologist. You know, I never had to see a psychologist on a consistent basis. Thank God, they were Christian. They told me I would never be off of medication but one of the things that was successful for me was the power of our words. As you know, the Bible talks about…there’s power in the spoken word. And, so, be mindful of what you think. Find some promises that are true about you, that the word says regardless of how you feel, you say it out loud. If you have to do it every day, I am healed, I am delivered, I am free from depression, if you have to say it every day. Also, getting involved in a community of believers. I want you to know that through my declaration and through my prayer and through, you know, just finding a community of believers, I am no longer struggling with that. I’m no longer on medication. By the grace of God, I am no longer needing to see a psychiatrist or psychologist but I will if I need to. Okay. So, I want to encourage you there. Also, Sharon the victorious, I am praying for your husband, your husband’s back and your daughter, who is overdosing and violent. And I’m praying for you and I just declare and believe for your healing in the name of Jesus. I believe for your husband’s healing. And I believe God for your daughter’s freedom and deliverance. And please, watch your mouth, watch what you say. You are victorious. Your family is victorious because Jesus already won the victory. Regardless of what we see, you have the victory in Jesus’ name.

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

Today is the 4^th day of April. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It’s great to be here with you from the rolling hills of Tennessee where spring is springing. And it’s lovely if wet time of year. And we have had a wet winter here in the south. And if you’re in (the) north, Spring is coming. I promise it’s coming. I’m seeing it. And I realize those of you down under are moving into autumn. So being a global community that we are, we’re just kind of all over the map literally and figuratively. But it’s great to be here with you today and I digress on the weather. So, we’re going to take the next steps forward, which means we’ll be taking the next steps forward in the book of Deuteronomy. And we have less than a week before we’ll finish the Torah, which is the first five books of the Bible. And as we’ve been saying as we move through Deuteronomy, these are the last things Moses has to say. Today Deuteronomy chapter 26 and 27. We’re reading from the English Standard Version this week.

Commentary:

A couple of things that we should look at from the book of Luke. Because they’re pretty big and they apply directly to our lives. Like they actually could affect our lives today right now. The first is this story that we encountered of Martha and Mary. And these are a couple of sisters and it’s a short story but a pretty famous one. Martha welcomed Jesus into her house and her sister Mary sat at Jesus feet listening to his teaching. Martha was not able to do that. She was really busy serving everybody, right? Making the food, sweeping the floor taking care of the needs of everyone who’s in the house. And the fact that Mary was sitting at Jesus feet and listening to his teaching kind of aggravated Martha because here she is doing all of the work and Mary’s just sitting there listening to Jesus and so she gets exasperated. Exasperated enough to go to the rabbi, to go to Jesus and tell Mary to get up off her butt and start helping. I mean, that alone is kind of funny because you don’t normally do that with your house guest, right? So, these are two sisters and so it’s like Martha’s coming to Jesus and asking him to be the dad in the situation and telling Mary to get up and help and do her part. So, when we look at this story and we look at Jesus response, we realize that the whole thing is about Martha and not so much about Mary. When Martha, exasperated and flustered and feeling like she’s doing all of the work, comes to Jesus and says these things, Jesus says to her, Martha, Martha. Okay, now listen. You put your name in there. Jane. Tom. Tim. Courtney. Sarah. Brad. You put your name in there. Jesus says, Martha, Martha you are anxious and troubled about many things. See, I can even put my name in there because I find myself in that category often enough. We probably all do. You are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Okay, so what is that one thing then? If we’re anxious and troubled about many things, what is the one thing that is necessary in those times? It’s what Mary was doing. She was sitting at the Lord’s feet and listening to his teaching. Okay, she wasn’t just listening to his teaching, she was in his presence sitting at his feet and listening to his teaching. So, in other words, Martha is anxious and troubled about many things and she’s filling her life with activity, even good activity. Running and running and spinning and spinning. And she’s so busy doing this that she’s missing the fact that the presence of God has entered her home in person. And that is pretty intense because that is a mirror. That is our story. I mean, how many times have you come home after a long stressful day that is just a part of a stressful month that is just a part of a stressful year? And you’re wound up and running, lashing out, saying things like, am I the only one that does anything around here? And being completely unaware that the Lord’s presence is available and it is the one thing that is necessary. Can I get an amen? Because aren’t we getting hit between the eyes on this? We may indeed be anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. And that kind of boils it all down, right? Because we expend a good portion of our energy and time and resources trying to deal with the problems of life that seem to keep mounting up. And so we’re spinning and spinning and spinning to the point that we say that one thing that’s necessary is the one thing I don’t have time for. But maybe there’s no time and we’re anxious and troubled and spinning in circles because we’re not doing the one thing that is necessary. Sitting at the Lord’s feet listening to his teaching. Listening for the voice of the Holy Spirit. Closing down the world around us and allowing God to speak into the situation. Allowing God to speak to what our next steps are. This is pretty strong stuff. This could change the way we live our lives today and every day. This could reorient us to what is true today and every day.

And after this scene in the book of Luke, the disciples ask Jesus to teach them how to pray and we encounter the Lord’s prayer and it’s an abbreviated version of the Lord’s prayer in the gospel of Luke. We normally can quote from memory the Lord’s prayer from the book of Matthew. But immediately after Jesus teaching the Lord’s prayer, he talks about a man who has some guests and who needs some food and goes to his neighbor and knocks on the door. It’s late at night. The neighbor doesn’t want to get up. And Jesus is telling them that because he kept knocking and wouldn’t leave the guy alone, that’s why he got what he needed. And then Jesus says, ask and you will receive. Seek and you will find. Knock and it will be opened to you. Again, super famous passage of Scripture without a doubt. But what Jesus is saying is you have to be involved in this. There’s a collaboration here. You have to ask if you want to receive. You have to seek if you want to find. You have to knock if you want it to be opened to you. And Jesus said that on the heels of what he just said about this person who needed something from his neighbor. So, this is a relentless pursuit, a vigilant, continual, constant thing. We don’t just ask, we don’t just seek for a minute and then move on into the cares of this life. This is something that we’re continually doing, right?  I will seek until I find no matter how long that takes. That’s the sentiment. I will knock until this door opens or until my hand falls off. I am after God and I will seek until I find. I will ask until I receive. I will knock until it’s opened. I will vigilantly, continually, non-stop pursue this. And usually we transfer all of that kind of Scripture into what it is that we are facing as an obstacle right now. But when we mash these two stories together, which find themselves back to back in the gospel of Luke, we can ask, we can seek, we can knock about the cares of this life and that just allows us to continue to spin and spin and spin when only one thing is necessary. And if that one thing, the presence of God, the voice of the Holy Spirit to teach us in this life is the thing that we’re asking for relentlessly, is the thing that we are seeking with all of our heart, is the thing that we will pound on that door until it gets opened, we will get what we are looking for. What Jesus is inviting us to do is go many layers deeper. And the surface cares of this life that are constant, there is no end for things for us to care about. Life requires constant maintenance. And when we don’t maintain one area of our lives, then it’s gonna get broken and then that’s gonna cause one more thing to fix. But the one thing that we need, the one thing that we must ask, seek and knock over is God’s presence. It’s the one thing we’ve got to fight for because life pulls us in all kinds of directions and all of those directions are away from sitting at Jesus feet and listening to his teachings. So we’ve got some things to think about today. How are we ordering our lives?  If it’s misdirected and misordered then it’s not going to work and all we have to do is look to see that it’s not working. The one thing that is necessary is the presence of God in all of it.

Prayer:

Jesus, we recognize what’s going on here. We recognize the layers that are being peeled back in our lives through your word today. And we can see clearly how we got things backward and upside down and how we’re running in circles. And yes, we are anxious and troubled about many things because we have avoided the one thing that is necessary. And, so, we come asking. We are asking that we become aware that You are with us right now. You are here right now. You have never left. We’ve just got caught up in the cares and troubles and anxieties that never stop swirling and will never go away until we learn this one necessary thing. That we must be aware and in collaboration with your presence in and among us. And, so, we ask that we become aware. We are seeking You. And we will not stop seeking because You said if we seek we will find. And we are knocking. We certainly need your help. And we’re not knocking on the door so You will come out and beat up the bad guys and make life good for us. We are knocking so that the door will be opened and that we can walk into your presence. For in your presence, we hear the voice of your Holy Spirit who can help us navigate every situation. And these situations are not as big of a deal as we are making them even though they may look that way. What we need, the one necessary thing, is You. Come Holy Spirit we pray. In Jesus name we ask, we seek and we knock. Amen.

Announcements:

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

A couple things coming up pretty quickly. This coming Sunday, which is the 8th of April, I will be a long way from here in the rolling hills of Tennessee up in the Pacific Northwest in the state of Washington in the Tri cities area at Columbia Community Church. And looking forward to being back with our friends out there. Come say hello if you are in the area. You can get the details at dailyaudiobible.com in the events section.

And then the 12^th of April, so that’s coming up pretty quick, the More Gathering for Women begins in the mountains of Georgia, the other direction from Washington state. So, there’s some travel involved and we have been raising a canopy of prayer and intercession over the women’s conference for all of the hearts of all of the women, all of the hearts of all of the team, for all of the technology that’s involved, for all of the travel, for all of the health, for all of the stamina. For all of it. And as a community, we pray over that. And I invite you to keep that on your prayer list. Invite you to keep that on your mind. It makes all the difference in the world every year. It makes all of the difference in the world to know that the community stands. That we are in this together. That we are praying over this by the tens of thousands. That makes all the difference, so thank you for your prayers.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, if what we do as a community reorients you and brings you life, then thank you for your partnership. We wouldn’t be doing this if we didn’t do this together. And that’s just a fact and it’s always been a fact. So, thank you for your partnership. There is a link on the homepage of Dailyaudiobible.com that you can click. If you are using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the give button in the upper right-hand corner. Or if you prefer, the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996, Spring Hill, Tennessee, 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. Don’t forget. Don’t forget the one thing that is necessary today is that you be in the presence of God. Ask, seek, knock. I’m Brian. I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi beautiful family this is Pastor Gene. God Bless You all. Please join me in prayer. Father we thank You for You are good. We thank You that You rose up from the dead. We thank You that we believe You and that because we believe that You to call us Your friend. Father we pray for the daughter of our sister Melissa from Alabama and her skin issues. There are no health issues that are bigger or greater then You so we pray on her behalf for full healing. We pray for the full restoration of our beautiful sister little Sharee. Oh Father, restore her fully to health. We pray as well for the restoration of our sister Joyful Noise. Father, they both are joyful givers. Heal them, hush them, and return the joy of their salvation so they can continue being an instrument in Your hand. Father, John, help him for a terrible loss. He’s a recent listener. Father, he’s examining his heart __. It is so easy to look outward, to blame others for where we are, but he’s broken inside. Father just like You did for King David, help our brother, strengthen our brother, cleanse our brother, and give them a fresh start. Father I pray for our sister XYZ and her abusive husband. Father I pray in the name of Jesus on her behalf and I pray for her safety, for her comfort. I pray for the hands and feet of Jesus that would help our sister find a safe place away from the abuse and I pray for Your miraculous intervention in the heart of her husband oh God. Father, I thank You for me sister of Julie from Ohio. Father, I pray against her husband’s __, against his depression, and I pray oh God that You will continue helping them to pass every __. I would also like my __ to join them Lord, to call You, to call You in Your name for this husband, for these men that are losing their way from You oh Gog. And finally Father I pray for my sister Deborah from Michigan and that accident that left her with broken bones and brain injuries, heal her our sister. We pray in Jesus’ mighty name. I love You family. Pastor Jenny from Bradenton Florida. Bye.

Good morning family. Happy resurrection day. This is Brenda in Maryland. My heart is just so overwhelmed with joy because He lives and therefore the we live to. I love you all so much. Hey Jill and Brian and family. God bless you all. And just keep on doing God’s wonderful work. And we know that one day soon we’re going to meet our Lord and our Savior. Hallelujah. And we have a great celebration awaiting us. God bless you all. I love you. See you soon. Bye-bye.

Sometimes I win and sometimes I lose
But always I try and I never refuse
Cause of nothing is ventured then nothing is to be gained
It is only through work that anything’s obtained
Some people can never seem to do what they’re told
While others can’t do things without being told
There’s often security clinging tight to the trunk
But the fruits out of the limb so one must debunk
And learn to take risk to capture your goal
If you bury your talent that nothing will ever unfold
Talents may vary and sometimes you’ll fall
But just as God to help you He gives hope to all

blindtony1016@gmail.com. Joe the Protector. You’ve been on my mind, you and your daughter. Know you’re in my prayers and my thoughts. Once again, Brian, thank you for this wonderful podcast for God’s Holy Spirit to flow. Keep it flown’ y’all. All right. Bye-bye.

Hi DAB family. This is Caroline and Nashville. It is actually about 1:30 in the morning on Monday, April 2^nd. I’m calling because…I’ve actually been meeting to call in several times about this and I keep getting…I don’t know…stuck…or not in a good place to call, but asking for prayer for my dad. His name is Larry. He has a disease called myelodysplastic syndrome. And it’s a form of leukemia that does not have a cure. And he is in his last weeks. I’m not sure it’s months yet. But it’s pretty bad and is going downhill fast and it’s really hard to watch as a family. And he’s currently inpatient. He hasn’t a been sent home yet. He gets stable and then has to come back to the hospital and then he gets stable and gets to go home and then it starts all over again. But I’m calling at 1:30 in the morning because he isn’t right, something’s just is not right. And my stepmother called and said that he asked that me and my sister come in. So, you know, I guess we never know if this is the moment, if this is it, when our loved ones steps to the other side. I don’t know, but I’m asking for prayers family that we’re comforted the matter what happens, that today is the day or if he continues to stay with us for a while, but he’s at peace, that we’re all at peace and that he is comfortable and that we all work together as a family. So, I really appreciate any prayers you can send. I love you all very much. I listen every day. I pray with you. I rejoice with you and I cry with you. And I’m one of those people who pray on the outside but don’t really call in. I’ve called them before but it’s been a while. So, thank you family. I appreciate it.

Hi everybody it’s Margo from Australia and I just heard the call from Sharon the Victorious and I wanted to say a couple of things that really helped me and for anyone suffering depression and anxiety. These are valuable strategies. The first one is, consistently quote Bible verses that speak to your situation. For example, I am always quoting out loud 2 Timothy 1:7 - God has not given me a spirit of fear but a spirit of love power and of a sound mind. You get the slightest twinge of depression or anxiety and you just start saying that verse out loud. It is spiritual warfare. You need to do it consistently. It’s not a magical cure that works instantly. The second thing is, praise. When I regularly spend time just praising Jesus it brings me a lot closer to Him and I feel His presence in my life more and then I feel His joy and His peace much more and it has made a really big difference to my mental health. Put praise songs on and sing along or just talk to Him. Tell Him how much you love Him and how beautiful He is. And thirdly, always, always, confess good things with your mouth. Don’t say that you’re not victorious anymore Sharon. Keep saying that you are victorious. Keep saying that you are whole. Keep saying that you are being delivered from depression. I do want to emphasize that doing these things has made a huge difference in my life, but I have had to do it consistently and keep at it. You can’t just quote one Scripture and sing one praise song and all of a sudden you’re better. It has to become a lifestyle and believe me it will make a big difference in your life. I’m praying right now for those DABbers suffering from depression and anxiety, for His supernatural peace in our hearts today. That’ll be all. Bye for now.