07/01/2018 DAB Transcript

2 Kings 18:13-19:37, Acts 21:1-17, Psalms 149:1-9, Proverbs 18:8

Today is the 1st day of July. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian and it’s great to be here with you today. This launches us into the back half of the year. So we’ve got a brand-new month and we’ve got a brand-new week. And they are shiny and sparkly and we’re walking into them together. We’ll read from The Voice translation this week and we’ll pick up where we left off yesterday. 2 Kings chapter 18 verse 13 through 19 verse 37.

Commentary:

Okay. So as we enter our first day of the second half of the year and enter the first day of this seventh month of the year, Paul has announced his intention to go to Jerusalem. In fact, he heads into the foothills and arrives in Jerusalem today. Paul’s story is going to change from this point forward but he won’t decrease. His impact will only increase and we’ll be entering into that story and kind of following through it for most of the rest of the year.

In the book of Proverbs, here on this first day of the seventh month, we’re given some counsel that, if we would heed it, if we would actually pay attention to it, it would change the way we do things and would revolutionize many of our relationships. Whispered gossip is like a delicious first course, it is devoured with pleasure and penetrates deeply. And we’re all aware of gossip, you know, the chatter, the constant chatter, the constant chatter about someone who’s not present to speak on their own behalf, right? So, stories are invented, pieces of information are gathered and passed around inside of community, behind the back of someone, and that’s gossip. And, as the proverb indicates, it’s tasty, right? It’s this slick a little delicacy, like a first course. You take these bits of information and they’re spoken in hushed tones and entire realities are fabricated out of little bits of incomplete information. And it’s tasty. And, so, we pass it around to each other. But according to the proverb, it penetrates deeply. And, a more literal way of saying it, it goes down into the innermost parts. So, gossip is something that you take in through your ears and you speak out through your mouth, but receiving them into yourself allows them to seep deep inside of you. So, the question becomes, do I want to be perpetuating that and do I want that stuff inside of me? Do I want the rumors and the things that I know are half-baked? Do I do I want those half stories inside of me causing offenses toward people inside of me when I know they’re not the complete story? Isn’t this the very kind of stuff that I want to try to get out of my life as I seek to imitate my Savior? Isn’t this the stuff I should be staying away from? The answer, of course, is yes. The things that we say and the things that we say in the form of gossip, these are recurring themes that show up in the Bible. They’re relationship killers. They’re community destroyers because you get that kind of stuff deeply embedded into a number of people’s lives and it’s not gonna turn out pretty. It messes up a lot of stuff. So, as we move into this second half of the year, we have the opportunity, right here at the threshold, to say that the second half of the year is gonna look different. I’m not I’m not participating in that. I’m actually doubling down on my relationship and friendship with God. If I have something that I need to say out loud about someone, I’m going to speak on their behalf to God. I’m not gonna spread it around because I don’t want that stuff deeply penetrating anyone and I don’t want to seeping into my own life. 

Prayer:

Holy Spirit we come into your presence at this threshold of the seventh month, heading into the back half of the year, and we become aware of the things that we say and the effects of those things being spoken out into the world. We surrender ourselves to your authority and ask for your guidance that will lead us into all truth and it will illuminate the narrow path that leads to life. We don’t want gossip to be part of that story, a part of our story. And, so, we invite your Holy Spirit to counsel and lead us into the things that we should say and who we should say them to. Come, Holy Spirit. We pray in the name of Jesus we ask. We thank you God for bringing us this far. We thank you for the first six months of this year, every day. You’ve spoken volumes into our lives and transformed us in ways that we could’ve never even accessed in ourselves. You are a mighty God and we worship you. We invite you. Come, Holy Spirit, and to the days ahead into the second half of this year. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Announcements:

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

So, a couple of things, a couple of things to talk about. We have just released the next update to the Daily Audio Bible app - 1.0.1.1. And big release for a certain segment of the community around the global campfire here. and that is those with eye sight challenges in the blind community. So, we have certainly continued to improve efficiencies in the system since the beginning of the year and implemented a number of features just to stabilize the system. So, we’ve been working on that all year. And so, with this new update a number of bugs have been squashed and a number of efficiencies have been introduced, but, in particular, the most noticeable thing about this new update is that we have built out the accessibility features into the app for those with challenges, especially eye sight challenges. So, if that is you, make sure to update. Actually, be sure to update no matter what, because a lot of times there’s been little bugs that we’ve fixed. And, so, little problems, they can just go away. I mean, development, it’s a process. It’s an ongoing, ever changing process of perfecting things over time, kind of like our walk with God. But staying up with the latest updates in the app will always keep you as close as we are to perfecting it. So, if you are in the blind community and you’ve been using the Daily Audio Bible app, but you haven’t been able to use the new one because of those features, go ahead and download it and then let us know how it’s working for you. So, the latest update is available now.

The other thing that we’re talking about, the event that we’ve been talking about will be happening. The 7th of July is the Daily Audio Bible long walk. That’s this coming Saturday. And the long is just a tradition we have in this community. We’ve been talking about it for a couple of weeks. So, I think we’ve all got the drill. Go somewhere beautiful. Carve out some hours. Give the whole day to it if you can. Go for a long walk with God right here in the center of the year, same things were just praying about, re-centering ourselves, asking the Lord to give us advance words and clarity on the direction that we’re heading in, and saying anything that we just have not had the time to talk about, and letting him talk back, letting him speak back into our lives. That’s what the long walk is all about. And it’s an individual endeavor, but it’s a community endeavor at the same time. Wherever you go. Whatever you do, take a picture. Shoot a little video with your phone or something. You can upload that to the Daily Audio Bible Facebook page, which is facebook.com/dailyaudiobible, and we get to enjoy each other’s long walks. And, so, this is our 11th annual. So, it’s been a tradition for a while and it’s always a beautiful thing to watch…just…almost you get to go on a little vacation in all the pictures and videos as they come in. So, prepare for that this Saturday. I’m looking forward to it myself.

If your partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that it dailyaudiobible.com. There is a link on the homepage. I thank you humbly 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 here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hello. This is Steve from Texas. I’m asking for prayer request for my father-in-law. He was walking to the park at night and he got mugged by some young people. Please, you know, pray. Right now I’m heading back home to make sure he’s okay. But thank you for all your prayer in advance. May God bless you. Bye.

Hello. This is Gregory from London England. Today’s the 27th June. I’d just like to say thank you to Miguel from Santa Rosa who gave us the Scripture, Psalm 94 verse 9, He who planted your ear does He not hear? He who forms your eyes does He not see? We just need the Scripture so much in our lives and particularly to know that God hears us. And, I mean, this community, DAB, Daily Audio Bible is an example of people who are willing to listen. And beyond all of us, God hears and answers prayer. So, that’s for anyone who’s in the middle of a situation that just needs to hear this at this time. So, I am inspired to broadcast today’s Daily Audio Bible all over my contact groups and cell groups and so on. Now, I am wondering if I could get some prayer for my mother. She had a diagnosis of a form of cancer. She’s in and out of hospital. Well, at the moment, she’s 84 years old so it seems shall be there for a while. She’s __ but we pray for her. My wife and I go to the hospital and pray for her. And she’s stable but to see someone so feeble and hopeless, that makes us know that we need help and strength from the Lord. And am praying for her, that she will receive strength from the Lord, whatever healing can be done in her life, let it be done. My other prayer request is regarding work. I work as a teacher, it’s on-and-off, agency work. I’m looking to start paying back my student debt by earning more generous…

Hello. This is Evaun. I’m calling for the New York City area and I want to say thank you for Brian, to Drew in the bay area, to Blind Tony, to Pastor Gene, to Annette and to many others who have been instrumental. God has used you so much to bring me out of a back-slidden condition. I was aware of the Daily Audio Bible about nine years ago and I have been struggling to continue and to try to read through God’s word. I covet your prayers for myself and my family. I also want to say to Bridget, who lives in the New York City area, that the things that are surrounding mass, the violence that we see is just a wake-up call for us to come together and pray. I’m with you sister and all that you’re experiencing. I’ve been going through things as well in the New York City area. And, so, I join with you, believing in God to bring peace to our area and uniting us because, as a united body we will be able to do the will of God. I thank you for this fellowship and I pray for the Hardin family, that God will keep you strong and healthy and able to continue to do His will. Thank you brothers and sisters. Hope to speak you again. God bless. Bye-bye.

Hi family. This is Viola from Maryland. I hope you’re all doing well. Brian and Jill, God bless you. Oh, wow, the family event is full. Brian, you’ll have to make this a yearly thing. God bless you my brother. Be expecting something from me real soon. And I’m encouraging my brothers and sisters to please give to Brian’s ministry. He can only run it with funds and God has placed us in his life and I know we can help him with that. Alfi, God bless you for the shout out. Thank you so much. I am so relieved. I’m building my masters. Even though brother, I tell you, I’ll be starting my PhD this year. So, pray for me while you think of me. Oh, my sister with the controlling husband, I heard your prayer request and my heart just went out to you. I’m praying that God will give you wisdom and understanding. Sister, listen, if you believe you’re in danger, please seek help. Don’t just sit down in there. We’ll be praying for you, that God will give you wisdom to know what to do. You know, I like the trends that’s going on in the Daily Audio Bible now. You guys are following 2 Corinthians 1:4, where God says with the comfort that we have been comforted we comfort others. I like the sister that called in to give my sister encouragement. And I like the brother that called in to give people who have an alcohol or drug problem encouragement and how God delivers you. When we keep doing that it shows that God is still in the business of healing, of delivering. __ , I’m praying for your husband. I’m praying for healing for him in the name of Jesus. I pray in the name of Jesus that God will use this to bring him to Him in the name of Jesus. __ a way that He brings the Holy Spirit __ . __ that the Holy Spirit would keep on __ him relentlessly in the name of Jesus. Cecelia from Texas, God bless you my sister. Thank you for the shout out. I’m praying for restoration for your son’s marriage. In the name of Jesus I pray that God will bring them together. I pray for __ and her daughter. I pray that there will be restoration there in the name of Jesus. And I’m am praying for that friends son, Eric, that was in the car accident. Father Lord, I pray that you will touch even this man oh Lord God. Holy Spirit, I pray that You will just move in his life. Lord Jesus, I __ with __ …