Month: July 2022

1 Chronicles 11:1-12:18, Acts 28:1-31, Psalms 9:1-12, Proverbs 19:1-3

Today is the 11^th day of July welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian. It is wonderful to be around the Global Campfire together and it’s nice to be able to take the next step forward together in the Scriptures, and that leads us back into the book of first Chronicles. We’ve been reading genealogies in the book of first Chronicles for several days now. We’re coming out the other side of that. Meanwhile, we’ve been traveling along with the apostle Paul on his way to Rome to stand trial before the Emperor and they have been tossed by the waves and stranded for a couple of weeks in the open sea, but they have shipwrecked and landed up on an island and we’ll find out the rest of that story as we conclude the book of Acts today. But first, first Chronicles chapter 11 verse 1 through 12 verse 18.

Commentary:

Okay. A couple of things for us to consider. First let’s look at the book of Acts. We’ve been on this journey across the ocean with Paul for several days as we recounted his journey to Rome, after appealing to Caesar. Paul eventually ends up in Rome today after a visit to the island of Malta. And there’s this interesting seen that this snake attaches itself to Paul’s hand and he shakes it into the fire but that makes all of the Maltese people go, oh, he’s a murderer, he’s escaped this far, but he has found his judgment, right? And, so, they’re waiting for Paul to kind of keel over and convulse and die and he doesn’t. He’s fine. And, so, then they start thinking…well…then he’s a god, which is not the first time that they’ve thought or that people have thought this about Paul. And such an interesting story there on the beach of Malta. But as we’ve read in the book of Acts eventually, they set sail again and Paul does arrive in Italy and does make his way to the city of Rome, where he begins to do what he always does everywhere. He goes to the synagogue, begins to speak to the Jewish people, share the story of how it is that he got there. And this effectively brings to a close, the Acts of the apostles, the book of Acts, sort of the first reverberation of what happened next after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension. And we saw that mostly through the lens of the apostle Peter and then we met Saul who became the apostle Paul and traveled on his missionary journeys. So, tomorrow as we take the next step forward, we will be moving into completely different territory, completely different genre of literature in the New Testament and we’ll talk about that when we get there tomorrow, but it’s really interesting how the book of Acts ends. The last sentence in the book of Acts is, and no one tried to stop him. This is the apostle Paul who had been on missionary journeys where it seemed like everyone was trying to stop him. And when he went back to Jerusalem even those who work for him were trying to stop him from…from what he felt was obedience by the leading of the Holy Spirit to go to Jerusalem where he was under arrest and remained under arrest and even here now that we’ve landed in Rome is still under arrest. So, he’s lost a lot of freedom but in fact gained a lot of protection and has been no less on mission once he was captured than he was when he was freely moving around. In fact, it almost seems like after he was captured, he was able to share the good news with far more prominent people than he would ever have been able to associate with in any way. And, so, when Paul gets to Rome he is awaiting trial before the Emperor and it is a life and death decision but he’s given a certain amount of freedom. Some people are able to come and speak with him and he is able to share the good news which he does, which is the last verse of the book of Acts. For the next two years Paul lived in Rome at his own expense. He welcomed all who visited him boldly proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ, and no one tried to stop him, which brings to a conclusion the story of what immediately happened after Jesus left.

Then in the book of Proverbs we had three verses today, three sentences, all speaking unfiltered wisdom straight at us. We can just let it kinda blow by - nice sayings, stuff to remember -or we can look at it straight back in the face just like it’s looking at us in the face and determine whether we will heed the voice of wisdom or not. So, let’s just look at these three verses, just for a second. Better to be poor and honest than to be dishonest and a fool. So, what’s being said here? Honesty is better than riches or another way to say it is more valuable than riches and dishonesty for false gain is foolish. Better to be poor and honest than to be dishonest and a fool, which leads us to examine what our motivations are. What are we going for and what are we willing to do to get it is really the heart of the matter? And certainly, something to consider at every major decision in our lives. And then verse number two, enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes. And that is pretty self-explanatory. Haste makes mistakes. Getting all excited about something, without actually understanding what it is you’re truly excited about can cause you, me, all of us to become hasty and impatient in our choices. Haste makes mistakes. So, what is the lesson here? Slow down and get all the details before you run off and get involved in anything. Again, practical advice and wisdom, echoing over thousands of years into our laps and it’s just as relevant now as ever. And then finally, people ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the Lord. Wow! Like, that is a big bold statement that is unbelievably true. We navigate our lives. We consult the Lord. We go our own way. We consult the Lord. We make our own decisions. We’re back and forth. It leads him where we don’t want to go and then we just can’t look in the mirror and acknowledge that we navigated here and so we blame it on the Lord as if He led us somewhere that is not where we wanted to be or where we should be. So, what’s the lesson here in this sentence? God is not to blame for what we choose to do. Or as the proverb says, people ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the Lord. Three sentences with three profound lessons in them for us to walk the path of wisdom. May we do just that brothers and sisters. We need to walk in wisdom more than ever before.

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, we invite You to come into that as we become aware of Your presence that is always leading us on the path of wisdom and is always leading us toward the narrow path that leads to life. It’s just that few You choose to find it. And, so, often we find ourselves among the majority making our own choices and trying to wear You like a cape like Your some kind of magic power that’s gonna make everything work out that we decide to do rather than consulting You and obeying where You lead. Forgive us for blaming You for things that we’ve created. Forgive us for our foolishness. Forgive us for our dishonesty. Come and lead us into all truth we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com, that is home base and that’s where you find out what’s going on around here. I mention most every day that the Daily Audio Bible app is the same thing, will do the same thing. And you can download the app from whatever app store is associated with your device. And, so, check that out.

Check out the different sections like the Community section. There are links in the Community section that will allow you to get connected on social media to the different channels that we are participating in. But also there in the community section is the Prayer Wall and that that’s the only place the Prayer Wall is. It is a resource that has been on and never for well over a decade. And, so, it is available. We can always go there no matter what time of day or night, no matter what is going on in our lives we can go there and share the story and ask people to pray for us. But it’s also a place to go and pray and we can go there and just kinda connect with her brothers and sisters and hear what’s going on in their lives as we read what they’ve written and pray for them and let them know that they are being prayed for. It’s a beautiful beautiful thing. And, so, that can be found in the community section of the website or the app. So, check that out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, if what is happening here as we gather around the Global Campfire every day is life-giving and meaningful then thank you humbly for your partnership. We wouldn’t be here if we weren’t in this together. We are in this together and thank God for that. So, there is a link on the homepage, at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner, or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement you can hit the Hotline button in the app or you can dial 877-942-4253.

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:

Coming soon…

1 Chronicles 9:1-10:14, Acts 27:21-44, Psalm 8:1-9, Proverbs 18:23-24

Today is the 10th day of July, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It is fantastic to be here with you today as we greet a shiny, sparkly, new week, out in front of us and move forward, further into and through these summer months here in the northern hemisphere. It’s nice and green and humid and warm here in the rolling hills of Tennessee. And it is great to be with you and I trust all is well, wherever you may be, on this beautiful, big, blue planet, that the Lord has given us to live on. So, obviously, as we begin this new week, we are going to pick up where we left off yesterday, because yesterday, was a different week and here we are. And so, that leads us back into the book of first Chronicles, as well as the book of Acts. Where we are, basically is, we’re coming to the end of some of the long, multi-chapter list of genealogy, a record of who the people are and where they had come from. Something that they need to remember. We are drawing to a close on those genealogies; very famous in the Bible because they last a bit of time. In the book of Acts, we left the apostle Paul in a hurricane level storm, out in the Mediterranean Sea and all hope has been lost. There is no possibility of rescue in that storm and they have given up hope that they can survive it. And so, we’ll pick up that story when we get to the book Acts. But first, we’ll read from the New Living Translation this week, first Chronicles chapters 9 and 10.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word, as we do every day, we thank You and are grateful for the Scriptures and how they touch every part of our lives. And so, we are grateful as we begin this new week, that we have another week to spend together. And we ask, Holy Spirit that You would come and hover among us, washing the Scriptures in, over us, as we find our place in this community around the Global Campfire. And that You would speak to us collectively about the way that we are to be as a people, as a body, but also speak to us individually, about the path that we are on, where it is leading. Come, Holy Spirit into all of this we pray and permeate this week, as we become more and more aware of Your constant presence in our lives. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Prayer and Encouragements:

Hey Daily Audio Bible Family, this is Paula, the Child Advocate, from the LA area calling. I just heard Radiant Rachel’s prayer for Angel, who had the brain tumor that had spread throughout his body. And I wanted to thank you for your prayer, it was just beautiful. Sadly, I have to report that Angel passed away Sunday, July 3rd and his wife gave birth, the day before to a healthy baby boy. The baby’s name is Christian. Such joy, and yet such deep sadness. I just can’t fathom it for that poor woman. She’s a friend of my daughter’s, and we’ve been kind of been locked in walk with them through prayer and it’s been very difficult and we’re very, very saddened. I appreciate all your prayers for this dear woman, who’s gonna be raising her two boys now, seven years old and a newborn, without her husband by her side. Thank you, dear family, for all your prayers. I’m a long-time listener and I hear all your prayers and I pray for each of you. May God Bless you all. Thank you, Brian and Jill and little Ezekiel. Take good care family. I’m starting to appreciate live, every day, a little bit more. Bye for now.

Good morning, this is John Ransom calling from Budapest, here in Hungry. My heart is really full, it’s the day of the Long Walk and there have been some amazing things shared in the comments, beginning with the man who’s been in Hospice Care for several years. You know, hearing, hearing, hearing the word of God. That was so, so powerful. Andrea from Kentucky, thank you, in the name of Yeshua Hamishia, the Savior of the World, for that big, you know, power injection you gave everyone who is struggling. And then John, from Nigeria, to hear from you again, you know, I’m a long-term listener, a long-time listener and I prayed many times for you and your colleagues there in Africa and Nigeria. And Father, Abba, we lift Nigeria up right now and around the world and we ask You Lord to guide the coming elections into integrity. To expose and destroy corruption and lift the Nigerian people, especially the Nigerian Church up to a place of strength and purity and boldness, in the name of Jesus. And I was listening to everyone, and I sensed, in the spirit, I really just sensed Him moving within in me and just such a love for the DAB community and for Brian and Jill and the whole Fam Damly as I think you say in the United States. I just want you to know how loved you are. And just be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might and you know, fill yourself as, I can’t remember your name but the man from the Hospice said, you know put on praise music and you know, kick out Satan.

Hello, Daily Audio Bible, this is Sylvia from Texas. I am requesting emergency prayer for my granddaughter Demi and she’s listening to voices that at are telling her to kill herself, that’s she’s a worthless piece of paper, that she stops listening to the devil and start remembering that she is a precious child of God. Her name is Demi, she has struggled for years with drugs and alcohol. At the moment she is clean and sober. But the devil has been attacking her. In the name of Jesus, agree with me and we lift Demi up to the throne of God. In Jesus Holy name. Amen.

Hey DABers, the is Slave of Jesus in North Carolina. Alright, Holy Spirit let’s roll. I heard somebody else say that part, keep forgetting, pray it out loud, it’s like body building, body building, upper cut, upper cut. It’s an old video game for you, old people. Speaking of old, like me, old people, like me, I think we have a guy who’s said he’s only 35, or he’s 35. You youngin’. And he was worried that he’s too old. You know, Moses, did nothing until age 80, did nothing. He did nothing to 40 until he murdered somebody and then was run off and then hid for another 40 years on the pasture. But did nothing for the people of God, until he was 80 years old. So, we are never too old. Anyways, I’m supposed to call about there was people who were struggling, they’re the only believers in their family. I’ve been there with you. Hey, I’ve, first of all, I was a hard-core atheist. But I don’t think I ever told you guys the praise report. I think I used to pray for my wife all the time. God finally told me, you’re not gonna be the person to bring her to Christ. And I backed off. But about 5 years ago, just out of the blue, I was at church, sitting there by myself and I just kind of knew. You know, I heard from God, someday, your wife will be there next to you. Praising God. Now, that could be, on her death bed at the last minute. That could be one second, before she goes and meets God. But that’s the beauty of it, it doesn’t, it’s never too late. You’re never too old, it’s never too late. And the guy sitting next to Jesus, the criminals, they were the first one to see Jesus. Cause it is never too late to come to God. And I’m okay with that. That means I don’t have to preach to my wife anymore. Someday, she will get it and it doesn’t matter if it’s 50 years from now or 50 days from now. And so, I’m good, love ya’ll, have a great day.    

1 Chronicles 7:1-8:40, Acts 27:1-20, Psalms 7:1-17, Proverbs 18:22

Today is the 9^th day of July welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian and it’s great to be here with you together as we close another one of the weeks that we get to spend in this year traveling through the year and traveling through the Bible. So, it is wonderful to be here with you today as we pick up where we left off yesterday, and that leads us back into the book of first Chronicles in the Old Testament and the book of Acts where the apostle Paul has appealed to Caesar. So, let’s dive in. First Chronicles chapters 7 and 8 today.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word and the way that it speaks to us throughout all the different days and weeks and months that we have traveled. And as we release this week and it fades and becomes a part of our history we look forward to where You are leading us as we approach the end of the genealogies in first Chronicles, as we are seemingly lost at sea with the apostle Paul, as we are reminded that You are our shield in the book of Psalms and as we are reminded that he wo finds a wife finds what is good and gaining favor from the Lord. And, so, we thank You for our wives. For indeed this proverb as all of the wisdom found in Proverbs is true. And, so, Father we release this week to You and we look forward longingly to what comes next in the days ahead. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com that’s home, home base, it’s where you find out what’s going on around here. Alternatively, the Daily Audio Bible app which can be downloaded from whatever app store is associated with your tablet or your phone, whatever device, smart device you’re using. Search for Daily Audio Bible, and you can find the app, find out what’s going on around here there as well. So, check it out.

Check out things like the Community section. That’s where you can find links to get connected on social media. It is also where the Prayer Wall lives. And, so, certainly check that out. The resource…the Prayer Wall is a resource that’s available every day all day and never off always on, always available. We can always go there and share our story and ask our brothers and sisters to pray for us. We can also go there and just see the needs and pray and let our brothers and sisters know that they’re not alone, that we are praying for them. So, that’s the prayer wall. Check that out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, thank you humbly. Thank you for your partnership. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement you can hit the Hotline button in the app or you can dial 877-942-4253.

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 Daily Audio Bible family this is People on the Water from Indiana and currently I am in the water. I would like to drop a little present on you guys. So, over the past few years or so every time I would hear a…like a fire truck or a cop car sirens or like an ambulance and they’re flashing like it’s audible I would stop what I was doing and pray. Maybe I would pray for that vehicle, that situation or I would just simply praise God. There are other sounds out there though. There is the sound of jets or airplanes flying above our heads. There’s the sound of cars honking. There is the sound of trains. There’s the sound of people sneezing. There’s the sound of people huffing and puffing. There’s a lot of sounds out there. So, pick a sound maybe if you want and let that sound be a…almost an alarm for you to pray - pray for that person, that situation or just pray and be like, I love God. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Hey family this is Travis calling from Alberta Canada. I just wanna say first off thank you for all the prayers. They’ve really really meant a lot to me and have brought me to tears in a lot of times. So, today’s July 6^th and this is for Brian from Ohio and for all of the other parents who have kids who are dealing with…with alcohol or drug addiction. Brian, I just heard your wonderful prayers for your son who’s 33 and is an addict and I want you to know I’ll be praying for him and for you. But I also want you to know that I'm…I’m 36 and I’m a former addict and the things that truly truly helped me was my mother’s prayers and my father’s prayers and their just absolute love for me and never judged me they just prayed. And Brian God hears you. To all your parents out there who are dealing with…with kids with addiction problems. God hears you. So let me just pray real quick. Lord, I thank You for all the parents here who are…who are struggling with…with their children who are dealing with addiction. God, I pray that You would just be with them. Be with their kids God. Open their eyes oh Lord that they may see the true freedom that comes in Christ. Open their eyes oh Lord that they would know that their addictions are nothing but chains. Doesn’t bring them freedom. Freedom is only found in You. Pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen. Love you family.

Good morning Daily Audio Bible family this is Jeremiah from Michigan God Gives Good Gifts. I’m a couple days behind so I’m calling in about the July 4^th and the prayer request for our new sister Sam. Let’s go to the Lord together in prayer. Father God we just thank You for Sam. We thank You for our new sister in Christ. We thank You for her baptism into Your family and into Your Spirit. Father God we just stand in the gap for her. We ask Lord that You would just put Your angels around her give them charge over her and let them just protect her from all the lies of the enemy. Lord, we thank You for her freedom from alcoholism from sin from flesh from this world. We just stand in that with her Lord. And Lord we just ask that…that You would cover her, that You would pour the blood of Jesus over her mind and her hearts or spirit or soul, that You would just protect her from the lies of the enemy. Lord we also just ask for Your presence Lord, for Your Spirit to move, for just her to feel You with her each and every moment each and every day. Lord as she faces these challenges I pray Lord that she would turn to You over and over and over again day by day moment by moment trusting in You, putting her faith and hope in You. And Lord we just ask that Your peace and presence would just overwhelm her just that she would know that she is Your child that You are with her taking care of her that You have her in the palm of Your hands and that You have a plan and purpose for her life. And Lord we just…we just thank You again for her. We thank You for all the work that You’re doing and all of our lives. We just turn to You we trust You and we bless You Lord. You are worthy of all glory and praise. We’re so grateful we pray these things in Jesus’ name. We bless You. We…

Good morning DAB family this is Blessings Flow in Pennsylvania. God bless you all. Today’s the morning of July 7^th. I just wanted to pray a blessing over all of us and first wanted to thank James the teacher in California. I just finished the end of the July 6^th broadcast and your words to Travis just about, you know, that it will be more than his education feeling like he’s starting out late more than education or those things that will prepare him. It’s the Lord that prepares us even through life experience. That blessed me so much. Thank you. Travis I’m 36 too and I’m just starting out now as a licensed social worker and it just started this new job as a therapist and sometimes I feel so ill equipped. But I have had many years in ministry and the Lord will use everything to help us shepherd and bless other people. And I want to pray over all of our long walks today, Psalm 3. Lord, how they increase that trouble me. Many are they that rise up against me. Many there be that say of my soul there’s no hope for me or my God but thou oh Lord are a shield for me. You’re my glory, the one who lifts up my head. Lord, I thank You today for lifting up our head. Lord, any weight or anxiety or what we think today should be like I just thank You for lifting that up off of us. Be our glory, be our shield. Bless everyone on their long walk today we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

1 Chronicles 5:18-6:81, Acts 26:1-32, Psalm 6:1-10, Proverbs 18:20-21

Today is the 8th day of July, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It’s great to be here with you today, day, after the…the Daily Audio Bible Long Walk, that we do each July 7th and it’s been such a joy. I love, I love being able to look through the windows of the different pictures that have been taken and so that’s been…that’s been a joy and I pray that those of you who participated in and went for a Long Walk and had a long talk with the Lord are feeling refreshed and beginning to regroup, as we continue forward on our journey through the Scriptures this year. And we come here every day for that reason, to take the next step forward in the Scriptures. And so, let’s get to that. We’re reading from the book of first Chronicles. Today, chapter 5 verse 18 through 6 verse 81 and we are also working through the book of Acts, where the apostle Paul has refused to go back to Jerusalem for a trial. He has appealed his case to the Emperor in Rome. And at this point, the Roman governor Festus, is trying to figure out what to say to the Emperor. And so, King Agrippa and his wife Bernice are there in Caesarea and they want to hear Paul. And so, Paul is about to share what he has to say in his defense, before he’s sent to the Emperor. And we’ll see that when we get to the book of Acts. But first, first Chronicles chapter 5 verse 18 through six verse 81.

Commentary:

Okay, a couple of things. First of all, what we just read in the book of Proverbs, death and life are in the power of the tongue, those who love it will eat its fruit. This sentiment is also quoted from the book of James, which we will get to a little bit later in the year but we see, this is from the Proverbs. This is ancient wisdom, wisdom that we all know to be true. In fact, the idea that the power of life and death is in the tongue is really widespread and very, very famous. It’s the kind of stuff that we say out loud it. It’s the kind of stuff that we should say out loud. It’s the kind of thing that we have to remember. It’s just that we have to remember it before we’ve said it and not after. Like, we have to remember it before we speak something that becomes death in this world or evil in this world and not do that, not let that escape into the world. Because if the power of life and death, is in the tongue then the power of the deepest, darkness and the power of the light of God is available, based on what we say. Where are we turning for the power? Are we turning toward the darkness, so that we can shred the person that we’re talking to and destroy them until they are on the floor, in tears because they deserve it? And when we bring the power of death that way through our mouths, do we walk away going that was awesome. I feel so good about myself. I flattened them like a pancake. They’re a puddle on the floor. Oh yeah, that’s my wife. Oh yeah, that’s my husband. Oh yeah, I gave birth to that person that I just leveled. These kinds of themes emerge in the Bible and they will continue to emerge in the Bible because they are very, very powerful things that are being said; it’s a powerful thing to have the power of life and death in your mouth. Maybe we should pay more attention to how powerful we are through what we say.

And we’re working backwards. Let’s go back into the book of Acts, just to understand what is going on here. Paul is in prison, he’s been there for a couple years, he’s moved through two Roman governors. The first one, Felix, left him in prison when he, when he was reassigned. And so, the new governor, Festus, wants to hear from Paul, but he wants Paul to be tried in Jerusalem and Paul appeals to the Emperor. Festus needs to know what to say to the Emperor, as he sends Paul to Rome. And he has visitors, King Herod Agrippa the second and his sister Bernice. And it’s widely speculated that King Herod Agrippa and Bernice, they were brother and sister, but likely had an incestuous relationship. But it’s even more interesting than that. So, Herod Agrippa and his sister Bernice obviously had a mom. They had the same mom; her name was Drusilla. She was the wife of the previous Roman governor, Felix. And Paul spent a lot of time with Felix; and Felix was waiting for a bride but he listened to Paul share the gospel. And so, now Paul is sharing the gospel with the next generation of royalty, King Herod Agrippa and the king sister Bernice, as well as the Roman governor Festus. That’s two Roman governors, who are governors over the province of Syria, which is…is the land that Paul is in, as well as a king. So, we followed along with Paul through his missionary journeys, we saw the lightning rod that the Gospel was, we saw mobs and Paul being beaten and stoned, we saw all this stuff going on. Then he goes back to Jerusalem, everyone warns him not to, but he goes back to Jerusalem and is arrested and he hasn’t been beaten up since, it seems. He’s actually being protected by the Roman government, as he’s doing basically a missionary journey to people that are listening to him and protecting him, but people that he could never meet with, any other way. He’s not going to be just able to get a meeting with Governor Felix or Governor Festus, and yet he has been able to spend ample time with both of them sharing the Good News of the Gospel. And so, it’s very, very counterintuitive, but it’s actually, although Paul is incarcerated would prefer freedom to move around, he’s still alive. He’s being protected and he is sharing the Good News with people that weren’t listening and wouldn’t have been listening any other way. So, interpreting the counterintuitive ways of the Lord in our own lives and as we are led to and fro, as his ambassadors into this world, we need to remember that we never know how things are going to play out. We simply know that they’re going to work together for good.

Prayer:

And so, Father, we thank You for that example that we see in the book of Acts today. And we also are humbled and deeply grateful for the reminder yet again, that when we speak, things get created. We are made in Your image and You have given the power of life and death and put it in our mouths, giving us a choice. May we choose life, may we choose to bring life into this world through what we say. As a solemn act of worship to You and reverence for You, as your ambassadors. May we be life giving and not life taking. We pray this, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, and it is where you find out what’s going on around here, unless you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, which you can download from whatever app store you use for the device that you have, just search for Daily Audio Bible and you can download the app and have the opportunity to take advantage of all that the app has to offer as it helps guide us day by day, step-by-step and show us our progress through the different sections of the Bible so, check that out. That’s how to find out what’s going on around here.

Yesterday, was our own Daily Audio Bible holiday. The Daily Audio Bible Long Walk, and it came at a good time for me and very refreshing day. A regrouping day and it has been so encouraging to go to Facebook and…and just look at all of the different places on this earth and see all that God spoke around the earth to us, as we took some time to listen, and took some time to share our hearts completely before the Lord. So, those are still coming in, I’m still enjoying that and I hope you have the opportunity to check that out as well. It’s Facebook.com/dailyaudiobible and there’s a Long Walk post on the page, so check that out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, if this mission to bring the spoken word of God read fresh every day and offered freely to anyone who will listen to it, anywhere on this planet, any time of day or night and to build community around that rhythm, so that we know this isn’t something were doing alone. We are in this together. If that matters and makes a difference, then thank you so much for your partnership, especially as we navigate these summer months. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996 Springhill, Tennessee 37174.

And as always if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app or you can dial 877-942-4253.

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

Prayer and Encouragements:

Good morning, DAB family. This is Ina from London. Today, the fourth of July. I’m just so reflective today, thinking about the first time I came across the DAB family. The DAB app and how much this has changed my life. I was a Muslim and I’ve never been through the Bible, I’ve never read the Bible, page-to-page. But just listening, the whole year and this year, I have been blessed. And I have grown. I would probably say I have grown. And thanks to this DAB, DAB-C that I have been listening to every day. It’s seems as if I know everyone. Sometimes, it just, some callers just put a smile on my face. You know, and I have grown so much. I have grown so much. I can’t express that enough, how much I have grown. And thank you Brian, thank you Jill, thank you China. Oh, Ezekiel, you crack me every day. I listen to you every day. I am a little child as well, so I listen to you every day. I just want to, you know, testify, how much I have grown and how thankful I am. How blessed I have been. Coming close to God every day. Oh, I am so thankful and thank you again family, I love you, I love all of you, I know your voices. And you all crack me sometimes. And I pray with you, even though I don’t call to pray, but I do pray with you. Have a blessed, blessed Independence Day. I love you guys. Thank you.

Hey, Daily Audio Bible family, this is Janet from UK. I know I haven’t been calling in but I’ve been praying. I just, sometimes I get emotional, that’s why, I’m fine. I’m just having Travis. I was listening to you on my way to work. And, the thing that you’re talking about it just relates to me also. I am almost 50 years old. I started nursing back when I was 20 and I’m barely practicing now, all these years. And I started in America, now I’m in England and I’ve been trying to pass the in-pass since 2005. And even now, I’ve tried so many times, and I still haven’t passed. And now, I’m almost 50, back then I was just 27-year-old. Now, I’m almost 50. And I’m still trying to do it. Travis, God is good. And I have to take courage and that also. You need to lean on Him. He’s never to late. Remember, a thousand days for us is just one day for Him. And I thousand years for Him is just one day for us. So, we have to have patience and believe in God. And I’m taking the same advice, Travis. So, just believe in God. What God has for you is always good. His plans is good. So, lean on Him. Rely on Him. He’s taking you, He knows your age, He been knowing your age. So, He’s knows, He knows your capabilities. And so, don’t worry. Don’t worry about its Travis, you’ll do great. I do worry sometimes, cause I’m old now and I’ve taken this test so many times and I think I have good plans as to why, cause my mom is sick and lives in America, so that’s why I wanted to go. I want to go there. But I just have to take courage that God knows best. So, stay strong, Travis. God Bless.

Hi, everyone, it’s Kristy in Kentucky. Michelle, your niece so precious. Your story had me beaming from ear to ear because there is so much truth, Amen? So, much truth in what she said. There are some days that I am just not okay. And there are days that I’m scared. And then, they’re times, a lot, a lot more than not, day, where I am asking people, please, pray for me. So, I just wanted to thank you sister, for sharing that beautiful story. And Jackson, Kelly’s son, what he said, as well. This is just part two of Grandma’s life. Oh, my goodness. I love children, they are so honest and so pure and so innocent. Thank you, Lord, for these precious children, Father. Kelly, we are praying peace in your household as you walk through these most difficult of days. We are praying that this family will feel the love of the Lord and that they will be able to carry that home. Not only for this time but forever. Let this time change their lives. We pray, in the name of Jesus. And to Be a Blessing in California, I love your voice. Every time you come on; you make me smile. Sister, we are definitely praying for Sam. And we are thanking the Lord, in advance, for providing for him a place because we know he will be blessed because he is blessed the life of someone else. All right everyone, I love you guys. And I pray each of you are having a most blessed and lovely day.

Good morning, first I wanted to say how enamored I am at Brian for answering God’s call and starting this ministry from his music intentions, desires and dreams. So, thank you Brian and Jill. Love, the books that you write and the music you sing. Secondly, I would love to say how impressed I am with all the Daily Audio Bible listeners and prayer warriors and prayer soldiers that call in. Your faith is incredible and I sit in awe thinking, these people really believe and they share that and they have such confidence that their prayers will be answered. And one day I hope that I can be one of those prayers’ warriors and cheer leaders for God too. I have been a Christ follower for about 26/27 years. And I’m at a all-low faith right now and hopefully, maybe someday I’ll call in with a prayer request but right now I just want to tell you, wow, I hope I can join you and cheer lead with you in the near future. As I wait for God to connect with me, draw near to me as I’m trying to dray near to Him. Thank you, have a great day.  

Hey DAB family, this is Cats Skill Mountain Aaron calling back in. I called last month that I had just been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and asking for prayer that it hasn’t spread through my body. I had three reasons for calling in this morning. First, I want to thank all of you like Victorious Soldier, Dear Heart in Tennessee and Michael Alverwater who had been calling in praying for me. Your prayers have brought tears of love and thanks to my eyes. And I also thank from the bottom of my heart, all of you who’ve prayed for me who’s names I’ll never know. Second, I want to share a praise report that the results from the PET scan shows only the one tumor and a small spot by my ribs, which looks like it might be pretty cancerous so they believe my assist in chemo will erase. And third, I’m asking for continue prayer. My chemo is continuing every other Friday and on the 29th of July, they’ll do another PET scan to determine whether this chemo regimen is shrinking the tumor, the way that we all hope. Please also keep my sons and especially my wife, who’s been such a blessing from God for me, in your prayers. And finally, through all of this, I’m praying that I have the wisdom to clearly see the path that God would have me walk in all of this and the strength of will to walk it. Thank you and I love you all.  

1 Chronicles 4:5-5:17, Acts 25:1-27, Psalms 5:1-12, Proverbs 18:19

Today is the 7^th day of July welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian. Today’s a special day around here around the Global Campfire. It’s the long walk day. Our own little…our little holiday in the middle of it all, in the middle of the year. Just a chance to regroup, go for a long walk here in the center of the year and reset. And we’ve talked plenty about that leading up to this. So, happy long walk today everybody, especially those of you who are on your long walk right now. It’s great to be here with you today as we do what we do every day and take the next step forward together in the Scriptures, and that leads us back into the book of first Chronicles. We’re kinda of just getting going and reading a lot of genealogies here in the first part of first Chronicles. And as we’ve mentioned before, this is a retelling of who the people are so that they won’t forget where they’ve come from. And, so, let’s dive in. Today, first Chronicles chapter 4 verse 5 through 5 verse 17.

Commentary:

Okay. On this day of the long walk, on this day that is situated pretty close to the center of the year where we take some time to regroup, realize we’ve made it halfway through this year, reflect back, consider where we’ve come from, consider where we’re going, adjust our coordinates and talk to God, walk with God. We have something sitting here for us that as we’re contemplating and considering our lives in considering the rest of the year could really help us as we adjust our coordinates and it’s found in one sentence in the book of Proverbs. An offended ally is more formidable than a city. Such quarreling is like the bars of the castle. So, an offended ally is an offended friend. An ally is somebody we believe has our back whether nationally or internationally, or whether just in our own personal lives. An ally has our back and we have theirs. An offended ally is different than that. An offended ally becomes more formidable than a city. And in this context, we’re talking about a walled city with massive defenses to guard the city. And maybe we would describe this using a different kind of metaphor, but we all probably understand how this goes, right? Let’s just look at ourselves and see how we become that walled city. So, we’re moving along with our friend and our friendships and our allies, the people that have our back and we have theirs, but an offense comes from something that gets said. And this offense swells up because we resent what has been said or done. We resent it often because we feel disrespected in some way and then that begins to fester, and it becomes an offense, and we get angry and we’re mad at that person. And then as time goes by maybe we have conversations with other people about how mad we are about this offense that we have taken up. And boom! We’re a walled city to that person. And it maybe that we’ve been the one that said the thing. Maybe we didn’t mean the thing. Maybe we did mean the thing, but we said the thing and the offense was picked up and we watched a friendship become like a walled city. And as we’re outside the walls then we get mad and we’re like, well then, I guess we’re not allies anymore. I can think of my little son Ezekiel when he was maybe…maybe three years old, probably 2-½, 3 years old. And the little…the little guy and I have always been best friends and love each other dearly, but he got offended one day when he was just little because he got told no. He couldn’t do this thing. I don’t remember what it was, but I remember him running his little tiny legs pumping down the hallway running into the bedroom and looking back down the hallway at me and saying, we are not best friends and slamming the door. And of course, then I have to go down the hall and we have to have a chit chat and work things out between us, but this stuff is with us all along. We should be familiar with what we are talking about here. The walls go up and our emotional availability goes down. We’re offended. Or as the Proverbs put it, such quarreling is like the bars of a castle. So, let’s think about the walled city here. Let’s think about the fact that we’re in the walled city. Let’s think about some of the stories that we have just recently read about people trapped in walled cities under siege who are starving to death because nothing can come in and nothing can go out. Let’s think about how our own spiritual lives and realize when we’re in this, when we’re in an offense and have become a walled city, we may not be protected. We may be trapped. Or let’s look at it from the other perspective. We’re outside the city walls. We’re free to go and come. We’re also exposed, alone, and an easy target. And maybe some of these things can’t be repaired with just a conversation. Like there’s a myriad of possibilities in our lives for this proverb to come near and be important to us. But as we look back over the first half of this year and we look forward to the remainder of the year out in front of us this is an opportunity to consider our relationships and the condition of our relationships and allow the Proverb to come near to us, giving us a visual example of what is happening which allows us then to decide. Is that fine? Are we cool with that? Is that how we want to live, or would we hope for something better? And then we might think, well it’s done. I said it. I can’t take it back. I can’t unsay it. They’re mad. They have a right to be mad or they don’t have a right to be mad, but it was the truth or whatever. And we can just continue to reinforce our defenses. That can so easily become a trap for us, or we can realize the way that this can possibly get undone and begin to move in the right direction is to move in the opposite direction of what caused this in the first place. So, if angry words of offense or accusation were what caused this then…then words of humility and apology are the first step in the right direction. And, so, let’s take this proverb and let’s take it on this day as we spend some time reflecting on where we’re going and let’s choose wisely.

Prayer:

Father, we invite You into that. Our personal relationships are fraught with disagreement that can easily turn into offense that can easily turn into resentment and bitterness and can even make enemies out of us, can put us behind walls from each other. And Lord it seems like it can happen so quickly, so unexpectedly. We’re so not prepared that are our own brokenness and our own stories come into play against someone else’s story and their own brokenness in the immediate of the now and it’s all complicated for us. We can’t navigate this. We can’t be successful on our own. And, so we ask Your Holy Spirit to remind us of Proverbs 18:19, an offended ally is more formidable than a city. Such quarreling is like the bars of the castle. Although these may be things that we need we don’t need them against our friends and allies. And, so, come Holy Spirit and speak into the different situations that we face with our brothers and sisters. I pray this in the precious and mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

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

And we know it’s the Daily Audio Bible long walk today. So, I think I’m probably safe in assuming that I’m talking to some of you as you’re walking, as you’re enjoying the beauty or as you are on your way or making plans. And, so, that’s fantastic. I’m doing the same thing. And, so, I just encourage you. We’ve talked about it for a couple weeks. This is the day. Enjoy it. And we can get out there and think that there is something to accomplish. I took this day. I set it aside. I’m going for a walk with God and then we can be out there walking like…is this working? Am I doing this right? How…how can I do this better? And that’s really where we get sideways, that there is some sort of objective here. And we just have to remember, when we fell in love and we went on those long walks in the woods or those long walks in the rain we wasted time as if it was never ending. We weren’t always looking at our watch figuring out what the next obligation was. Time stood still. And that’s really the objective, is that we stop paying attention to what we’ve got to get done and start paying attention to what’s going on around us and simply enjoy and empty out, have the conversation. This is time to simply say everything that needs to be said. And, you know, I often think that we’re so busy that the Lord has some things He’d liked to say to us. We just don’t slow down. And when we talk to Him, we’re talking to Him. And, so, we leave that time and He’s kinda going, man…I had some things I would’ve liked to have told you if you had stuck around for a minute. I would’ve comforted you. You didn’t have to run off. You ran in here all stressed out, told me what you were stressed out about and ran off when I would’ve given you a hug. I would’ve told you it’s gonna be okay. That’s what today is about, time to find comfort in our relationship with God, a time of uninterrupted space where we don’t have to leave anything unsaid. And, so, drink deeply. Enjoy deeply your long walk with God and as you move into the back half of the year. And wherever you are, whatever continent you are on, wherever you are on this beautiful planet that God has made for us, snap the picture, maybe take a video and come back to the Facebook page facebook.com/dailyaudiobible. We’ve got a post there for the long walk for this year and you can post into that post your pictures, your videos, share your stories and we all get to enjoy this together as the windows open. As we look through those pictures we’re seeing the world, a place that we weren’t today but a place where you were and we get to enjoy that together.

And then finally I mentioned yesterday, there is a resource that is just tailor-made for what we’re doing today on the long walk and that is called Heart, a contemplative journey and you can download that wherever you get music, at the iTunes Store. Now here’s the thing, it’s not like Apple music, but the iTunes store. Heart, a contemplative journey is kind of a guided prayer and musical journey. Prayers to open up the emotions in our hearts, music to just touch those places as only music can and opening us to the conversation that we are having today about what’s going on in our lives. And, so, that resource is fantastic for…for the the long walk. So Heart, a contemplative journey. You can probably find by just searching my name, Brian Hardin, wherever you get music. So, take advantage of that resource. Like I said it is…it is a wonderful way to open ourselves up to God and the things that we are feeling. It is a wonderful conversation starter. So, check that out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, if what we do together gathering around the Global Campfire every day and taking the next step forward is meaningful, thank you humbly for your partnership. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you are using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app. That’s the little red button at the top or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that is it for today. I love you I’m Brian, enjoy your long walk. I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Oh, thank you Brian Jill and family. It’s amazing to be able to come to you my Daily Audio Bible family of prayer warriors. I’m a long-time listener and this is my very first time calling. But it’s on my heart asking you to pray for my 44-year-old son who’s going to have pretty serious aortic aneurysm repair on the 6^th of July. He has a wife and three children that need him so and his only fear is that he won’t be there for them. And my prayer is for a successful surgery and a problem free recovery. Would you please lift the Mayo hospital open heart surgical team involved in his care and also bless them with godly wisdom and precision? And may all our fears be removed as we trust solemnly placed in God. My hearts grateful that I can come to you with this prayer request and I thank each and ever yone of you for joining our family in this prayer.

Good afternoon my Daily Audio Bible friends. This is Skip Morgan and Sudeen Texas. And and I love the Daily Audio Bible. I love it, I love it, I love it. Just a little background. I’ve been in Hospice care for several years and twice my families been called because they didn’t think I was gonna live but I keep…and the Lord…and the Lord keeps me alive. But here’s my point. I just want to encourage everyone…a few days ago someone wrote on my Facebook page the scripture, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. And I replied and hearing and hearing and hearing and hearing the word of God. I hear so many people that are under stress, they’re depressed, they’re going through so much and my heart goes out to you because I’ve been there. But I want to encourage you to somehow, someway play scripture, play worship music, anything you can get your hands on that’ll drive Satan out of your home and out of your mind. And I promise you, I promise you, God promises you that if you will hear and hear and hear the word of God things will change. Things will change. Things will get better. Thank you so much.

Hey Daily Audio Bible family brothers and sisters this is Andrea D'alene from Kentucky in the USA. I wanted to let you know that I am praying for you today and I want to pray for you really quickly. Father in the name of Yeshua Your son, thank You for my brothers and sisters. I ask that You would give them great courage today, that any fear on them would be broken and that You would replace it with Your amazing overwhelming powerful loving kindness. I ask You that You would bolden them to do what is right today. I ask that any suicidal feelings that is on Your people would be broken and be lifted up, that You would infuse hope into them and into their family. I ask that any addiction and all addiction be broken and come under the submission of the Holy Spirit, and I just speak to my brothers and sisters. You are powerful in the power of Yeshua. You have what it takes to succeed in all that God has called You to do and I ask You to continue not giving up on Your loved ones, continue loving on them even if it feels like it’s so dark. It is our job it is our call to overcome evil with good and I pray a holy protection over You to know when to move when to say yes when to say no and have healthy boundaries, things that are going to protect You but also help other people to come to know Yeshua in a powerful way. In the mighty name of Yeshua. Be encouraged today brothers and sisters. You have the hope that this world needs. You have what it takes. I love you. I pray for your healing today in Yeshua’s name. Amen. period

Good morning, good morning Daily Audio Bible family this is John Opara, Opara in my own dialect because I want other people who may not be able to pronounce it the way we pronounce it in my dialect. Anyway, God bless you. I have just returned from leave in Nigeria. I was in Nigeria to…to begin to scout out things as I prepare to retire. And I tried as much as I could to send in my message from there but was not able to do so. But I really want you to pray for my country, Nigeria. Nigeria is very strategic. Not only in Africa but in the world. I’m not saying this because I’m in Nigerian, but this is what I sense in the spiritual atmosphere the strategic nature of my country. But we are in serious trouble. Insecurity everywhere. And I need you to pray for my country. We are heading to election next year and something has got to change because corruption has hit the climax in my country.

Good morning Daily Audio Bible this is Cynthia from Virginia. I am just calling to thank God for this podcast and to let each and everyone know that I listen to you every day and I pray for each of you every day. God is such a blessing to me and my family and I hope to others. And even though we go through stuff He still blesses us. And I thank Him and I thank Brian and everyone else that’s involved in this…for this podcast. It has blessed me so. I also thank Him because the way things are…just tragic things are happening in this world we need someplace to go to pray for one another. And God is good and this goes throughout the whole world and I just wanna say I am praying for you all. Please continue to pray for me and my family. Thank you. Love you. Bye.