Isaiah 33:10-36:22, Galatians 5:13-26, Psalm 64:1-10, Proverbs 23:23
Today is the 20th day of September, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It is wonderful, it is wonderful to be here with you today. As we put one foot in front of the other and take the next step forward together on the adventure that we find ourselves in through the Bible this year. And we have worked our way in the Old Testament all the way into the book of Isaiah, we have crossed the halfway point in the book of Isaiah, actually were probably in a be passing through the halfway point in the book of Isaiah with our reading today. We’re reading from the Evangelical Heritage Version, Isaiah chapter 33 verse 10 through 36 verse 22 today.
Commentary:
Okay, so in our reading from Galatians today and I quote Paul said this, “but if you keep on biting and devouring one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another” and we can meditate on that one right there the rest of the day, go back and look at the stuff we’re posting on social media, go back and look at the stuff we’ve been saying, but also look inside of our minds of the things we’re not saying that we’re thinking and there’s just a lot to consider in that one verse alone, but it’s a lead-in because Paul is kind of contrasting today. Well essentially powers that would like control over us and that we can give power to, like, we can submit and give power over us. One leads in one direction and one leads in a completely different direction. Paul is saying, essentially, you gotta walk by the Spirit and not by your sinful, fleshly desires. And it’s at this point that he kind of lists out some characteristics and this is not uncommon in the writings of Paul to have these kind of summary lists and their helpful, so if it’s going to be a fleshly desire or sin that we will submit to that, then according to Paul, and I quote, “now the works of the sinful flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, complete lack of restraint, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, discord, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, orgies, and things similar to these.” So, that’s category one. We can submit ourselves to sin and its enticements and it will lead us in this direction. Interestingly enough, we kinda know these lists, right, so sexual immorality. Of course, that’s on the list, drunkenness, orgies, we can so on that stuff on the list but let’s look at the list more closely. Hatred is on the list. Jealousy is on the list. Outbursts of anger is on the list. Selfish ambition is on the list. Envy is on the list. On the list along with sexual immorality and drunkenness and orgies and all the stuff that we have been warned away from for most of our lives. So, maybe sexual immorality isn’t a part of your day-to-day or orgies, or drunkenness, but is jealousy, because it’s in the same category, is envy? Some things to think about for sure. There also is an alternative list. A list of characteristics that would accompany a person living by the Spirit, led by the Spirit and I quote that list “but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, against such things,” Paul says “there is no law” there is no law, against peace, there’s no law against patience. There’s no law against faithfulness or love or joy. So, there’s our contrast, if we want to surrender to the influences of sin in our lives than we see where the road is going to go and the stuff that we’re going to be participating in. If we’re going to submit to the Spirit in our lives than we can also see the fruit that will come from that. What we…we probably wouldn’t admit it but what we functionally try to do is mix these lists to pick and choose the things that are gonna be things that are okay with us. And so, if that’s really functionally how are going to try to live than we should just actually look at these lists and do some comparison. For example, can they be mixed? Can you be jealous in love? Can you instigate discord with peace? Can you patiently be envious? Can you be an immoral and have self-control? We can just keep mixing them all but we can see that they’re incompatible. So, Paul is writing this letter to the Galatians because this is what their wrestling with. Ironically, we still wrestle with the same things. They’re heart issues, we’re just wearing different clothing, but we still have the same type of emotional makeup and heart issues that are brothers and sisters in Galatia were wrestling with a couple of thousand years ago. And I guess the ultimate question here is who are we gonna serve? What is it we’re going for here? What are we after because the paths that we choose and walk are ultimately going to lead us to a destination? Are we going where we want to go? What are we enslaving ourselves to? Paul closes out our reading today probably with the best way to sum this up “those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk in step with it. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, and envying one another.” So, maybe just a little time of reflection with these lists today. We find them in Galatians 5, just kind of looking them over and asking ourselves now where…where am I in all of this and then inviting the Holy Spirit into that conversation. And we are likely to find some areas that we need to repent, that we need to change your mind and go in a different direction. Other areas we’ll find that we’re doing the right thing, we’re walking the right road. The idea is sanctification. The idea here is that each day over time, it’s better and better and better as we yield and surrender more fully to the Holy Spirit.
Prayer:
So, Spirit, come into all that we’re talking about here under these passages of Scripture. And the…what’s bubbling up in our hearts as we think this over. We need You. We have tried so hard on our own in so many ways. We need You to help us sort out things that we cannot get victory over or that we cannot sort out for ourselves. Help us to have clarity about where the path we are walking is leading so that we might have the opportunity to repent, so that we might be able to look and say that’s not where I wanted to go. So, I’m going to go in a different direction, which is repentance. Come Holy Spirit, we pray in the name of Jesus we ask. Amen.
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And that’s it for today I’m Brian, I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.
Prayer and Encouragements:
Hello DAB family. It is 17 of September at 7:36 AM and this is Sara from London. I hope you’ve all had a blessed week and I just thank God for all your lives. May God’s plans and purposes be fulfilled in each and every one of your lives. Today, I’m calling to pray for Stephen John, John O’Connor from South Sudan was admitted to the hospital for mental health. And it’s good that you shared it, John, because what the enemy wants, he wants us to, to not share things, to be filled with embarrassment, okay, and he wants to isolate us. But because he knows what God is gonna do to turn things around. And there’s is nothing better than the body of Christ coming together and praying because that’s when changes will be made and that’s when God’s will would be done. So, today, I am praying for Stephen John, I thank You Father for Stephen John’s life. I thank You for what You are going to do to turn things around in his life because You are faithful God. I pray that You take complete control of his mind in the name of Jesus Christ may any plans of the enemy be bound in Jesus’ name. May You arise God, and put to flight every mind control of Spirit in his life in the name of Jesus Christ. May Your healing power flow through his body in Jesus’ name. May Your plans and purposes for his life come to pass and be fulfilled. Oh Father, and may Stephen testify one day on how You have delivered him Lord Jesus. We thank You for answering these prayers and I say these prayers in the name of Jesus Christ, oh Father. I thank You, Lord Father, for everything that You are going to do. And I also pray this prayer over every single person that is battling with their mental health. But God is in control. I love you all. Stay blessed.
This is John calling from Budapest also known as Paul in Barcelona. Vicky, today is the 17th of September and I heard the message about your son Shane. I’m certain that many people will reach out to you because it was absolutely heartbreaking and I was thinking about how to speak to you, there are two things. First of all, well I thought, well how can I enter into that pain. I’ve never been a mother, I’ve never had a son, you know, and then I suddenly realize that there is a parallel experience my life. My own father died of alcoholism and then later cancer came into it alone in his trailer home in Arizona and my younger brother, three days after his death, in his easy chair found my father there in his easy chair, three days after he had died, when my…my father’s second wife. And the shock of opening that door and entering into that made, is very similar to what you said about having the door there open when you got there after your nine-hour trip and having prayed for/with Shane and it breaks my heart. Truly, truly it breaks my heart. And so, I’m praying for you over here in Europe even though you seem very strong woman of faith that Abba will never leave you. I just want to remind you of His promise for Shane and for you, for all of us, which is behold I make all things new and that day is just rushing upon us where He will wipe away every tear. So, God bless you, His peace be with you His comfort be with you. And just know that, you know, you’ve placed Shane in the Father’s hands and the Father understood that suffering and I’m certain that He has Shane in his arms. God bless.
Good morning Daily Audio Bible family. This is Samuel from Texas. And I thought I would just check-in and ask you guys to pray for the women in my life. I’ve come a really long way. The Lord has just completely changed my desires and things that used to want. And He is moving mightily in my life. I’m very grateful and healthy today. Our God is real and He does take away addictions and He replaces these sins and desires with new beautiful things. And one of these new beautiful things is my heart just yearns for my mother, my sister, as well as my girlfriend Janet, Haley and Kaylee. They all have their own battles going on, as a man, I don’t really understand the female psyche and the female mindset a lot of times. And so, I don’t know how to pray, I don’t know how to communicate sometimes. So, I’m asking the women of God of Daily Audio Bible to pray and intercede for these three women in my life. I just believe that that y'all pray for them, that the power of Jesus will encounter them and change them. Just pray that my sister sets herself apart. Pray that my girlfriend Kaylee burns for Christ and loses a judgmental Spirit. And just pray that my mom…mother finds peace.
Hi Daily Audio Family this is Iva from Ohio. Hey, I’ve been praying a lot for those of you calling in lately and I really prayed for Jack. Jack called and he had a test that was coming up and he said he’s just really wasn’t good at tests and he asked us to pray. Jack, I’m a teacher and I often pray for my students when I know that there are tests coming up. And I just want you to know that I prayed for you every day on my drive to school that you would be able to learn may be more easily and be able to face these tests with confidence. And so, I want you to know that I’m praying for you. And then Tammy from the Adorandex, I just heard you on September 17th and I just think that, I’ve been praying for the Lord to the restore the joy of your salvation, right. I think the enemy has slipped some lies in like, you aren’t doing this enough, you aren’t reading your Bible enough but you are reading your Bible and you are immersing yourself in Scripture and you’re praising the Lord for his grace. And so, I just break off the lies that the enemy has spoken over you and just pray for the joy of your salvation to be restored and for God to really just throw His peace all over you that you would sense the presence of God in your life. Family I am so thankful for you. I am…it is a privilege to pray for you and to be part of this, to be part of this, you know, campfire. I love you.
To the dear mother in Northern California whose son took his life because the burden got to heavy as a nurse at the hospital with the COVID surge. I am so sorry for your loss. And, this is your brother in Baltimore who, I serve as a Chaplain at a major East Coast hospital. So, I get a full glimpse of what you’re, of what your son experienced and Father, I just pray in the name of Jesus that you would ease this mother’s heart that You would bring comfort by Your Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit, come alongside her to comfort her in the days and weeks ahead as You ___ for her son. And Jesus we just ask that You would come alongside every doctor, every nurse, every environmental service person, every raspatory therapist, everybody who’s involved in health care who’s dealing with this pandemic. Strengthen them, oh God, and give them comfort and let them know that You are good. And that Your faithful love endures forever. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Thank you so much and God speed to you. Amen.