01/11/2017 DAB Transcript

Genesis 24:52-26:16 ~ Matthew 8:18-34 ~ Psalm 10:1-15 ~ Proverbs 3:7-8

Today is January 11th.  Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible.  I’m Brian and it is, of course, a pleasure and an honor to be here with you today as we take the next step forward in the scriptures.  I am delighted that we can be here together today.  We’re reading from the Common English Bible this week and we’ll pick up where we left off yesterday.  Sarah, Abraham’s wife has passed away and has been buried and we met a young maiden named Rebekah yesterday who may in fact become the wife of Abraham and Sarah’s son Isaac.  We’ll have to see.  Genesis chapter 24, verse 52 through 26, verse 16.  

Commentary

After Sarah’s death, Abraham gets married again and has a number of other children by his second wife and he also has a number of grandchildren through his son Ishmael who he had with Hagar the servant.  Rebekah and Isaac meet each other today and are married and have twins, Esau and Jacob, the grandchildren of Abraham, the grandchildren of the promise.

As we’re looking into the Bible for examples of what margin looks like in a person’s life, we can see this in Abraham’s life.  His wife died.  He knew he was getting old.  He sent his servant ahead to find a wife for the child of promise, Isaac.  He didn’t wait until he was on his deathbed.  He didn’t wait until it was too late.  He got about the business of this very important choice because there was a promise out there, a promise from God given to Abraham, the promise of a son in his old age and that came true.  So obviously through this son whose name was Isaac this promise would continue so it would be important who his wife would be. Abraham didn’t wait until he was in some sort of reactionary posture or that he had just died and was silent on the subject.  He was proactive, moving to protect the promise and to care for his son.  

That is a good example of margin, not putting off what is most important. If we’ll look at our lives, we’ll see how often we actually do this, how often we are distracted by everything else that seems easier.  We can spend our lives from distraction to distraction, from entertainment to entertainment while putting off the things that are actually the most meaningful and have the most importance in our lives, forcing us to simply live reactionary, to deal with the crises as they come instead of being way out in front of things, building margin between us and the things that might come up because things come up.  If we’re not out in front of this stuff, well then we’re going to react to it.  And then once we’ve reacted to it, we’re going to need some space for some time for ourselves and then we’ll get ourselves into another distraction, only waiting for the next thing instead of working forward, preparing ahead.  

Ironically, the first thing to do in building margin isn’t necessarily to build an elaborate strategic plan, although that may be necessary.  The first thing that we have to do is found in the book of Proverbs today.  

Don’t think you’re so smart. Don’t consider yourself wise. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

That’s it.  It’s that simple.  But it is also that complicated.  Spend today, spend tomorrow, spend a couple days just with this posture of heart. Don’t consider yourself wise. Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. Make that the posture of heart for the next couple of days and then we’ll realize just what a change that makes when we are conscious of it.  Then after a couple of days, we’ll also be able to look at the way we were doing things and see a stark contrast.  What the proverb says is don’t consider yourself wise, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.  Then your body will be healthy and your bones strengthened.  You will have health and margin in your life.  

Prayer

Father, we invite you into that.  This is what we want.  We want to be proactive in your kingdom in this world and not just reacting to the small fires that crop up and the crises of our lives because we are completely unprepared.  So come, Holy Spirit.  Help us put pen to paper.  Help us to write some things down that you are bringing up that just need to be dealt with, that we need to be clean in, things that we need to simply fear the Lord and turn away from evil in, that we might think we’re that smart.  We’re just not that wise inside of ourselves, but your Holy Spirit is.  So we turn to you, Holy Spirit within, and invite your wisdom to flow into every sector of our lives.  We are desperate for your wisdom.  We are desperate for your counsel and comfort.  We are desperate for your discipline and rebuke because you will lead us on the path, the narrow path that leads to life and this is where we will find wholeness and margin in our lives.  So come Jesus.  We need you. We want you.  Come Holy Spirit, we pray.  In Jesus’ name, 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.  

Community Prayer Requests and Praise Reports

Hi Daily Audio Bible.  I am Chelsea from Southern California.  This is going to be my second year calling in, or first time calling in, second year listening, and I have been so blessed by all of you and your prayers and your well wishes and your songs.  I wanted to speak for my husband.  He is an incredible physician and every day he listens to the Daily Audio Bible on his way to work to care for his patients.  And what a blessing.  I know he gets discouraged and he feels like he can’t do enough, so I just hope you can pray for him, that he feels the courage and the peace that he is doing God’s work and touching lives even in small ways.  I love you all.  Thank you for listening and calling in.  God bless. Bye.  

Hi, this Cathy calling from Nacogdoches, TX.  I had called I think about two weeks ago requesting prayer for my son Brian J. He has had some brain surgeries. I was listening to the Daily Audio Bible on the 4th, yesterday, and a gentleman had prayed for Brian over the phone.  Before I go any further, I’m going to hurry up and get this said, but on Psalm 46:1 it says God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Whoever that gentleman was, he didn’t leave his name, where he was from or anything, but he said that he had vision that Brian’s brain tissue was too long and that Brian means strong and powerful.  And he prayed for me, that God would give me a shot of hope for the glory of Christ.  And when I was laying here last night listening to that, the Holy Ghost just came over me and I rewound it and I took it in to Brian and I played it for Brian and he started weeping.  I just want to thank you, whoever you are, for  praying for my son.  There are so many people in need.  I live for God.  God is my God.  He is my refuge and strength.  But I just called to say thank you.  If you wouldn’t mind, please continue praying for Brian.  I don’t say that to be selfish.  I know there are so many needs out there.  I write them down and I’m praying for all of you, but I wanted to acknowledge that gentleman and to tell him thank you for being so sensitive to the Holy Ghost.  The Lord bless you all.  The Lord keep you all.  The Lord anoint each and every one of you for his glory, in Jesus’ name.  Thank you.  

Good morning family.  This is Biola from Maryland.  I hope you’re all doing well.  Brian and Jill, God bless you.  Family, I want to say real quick that God honors persistence.  You remember blind Bartimaeus in the Bible?  That man was persistent.  When he heard that Jesus was coming along the way, he shouted “have mercy on me, Lord!”  And when people told him to shut up, he looked at Jesus and shouted some more “help me, Son of David!” and Jesus rewarded his persistence.  And then how about Hannah who was looking for Samuel? She was a persistent woman.  Even Jesus told the parable of the woman and the unjust judge and the judge said “if not for anything else, even though I do not fear God, I am going to listen to this woman because she will not let me rest. I will give her what she wants.” And the judge avenged her.  Listen family, God honors persistence.  If you’ve been trusting him for one thing or the other, keep holding on.  There is no Plan B.  Tell God that.  I am holding onto you.  Do we want to talk about King Jehoshaphat who told God “our eyes are on you.  You have to deliver us, God.  It is either that or nothing else.”  You need to hold onto God and say “God, you are the only plan. There is no Plan B.”  And if you’re a woman, come to the More Conference and learn how to do that for yourself and press into God.  God bless you.  I want to pray for Emma from Missouri.  God bless you for your obedience, Sister.  I’m thanking God that he brought your kids back to him.  I pray that God would renew your marriage and breathe life into it afresh.  I pray that God would unify and reconcile you and your husband and make you of one heart and mind, that he will soften your hearts and make you tenderhearted to one another and quick to forgive each other.  Mickey from Florida, I’m so sorry about your counselor.  I’m praying that God would comfort you and your family.  I also thank God for healing your marriage. I pray that God who began the good work of healing will perfect it, in Jesus’ name.

Hi family.  This is Shannon from Texas and literally like 10 minutes ago I asked the Lord to protect my son because I thought about how it is icy outside and he is driving in Dallas. And he just called me and said he was in a wreck and he’s okay, so thank the Lord for that.  The thing that is really upsetting me the most is that I’ve just been praising God for how great he has been doing because he has come such a long way.  He is in college.  It is just a miracle where he is at, but he has told me that he has been feeling like he wants to die, like he wants to commit suicide.  My earthly father committed suicide so that just…  He knows how much that upsets me.  I’m just devastated to know that he is doing that bad and I guess I just didn’t realize.  The first thing I thought of was to call my spiritual family because I trust you guys and I love you guys so much and I know you will help me pray for him. His name is Jadrien and he’s my world. So please just pray.  Thank you guys.  I love you.  Bye.  

Hello everybody.  This is Alicia from Kansas.  So for those who are new to the Daily Audio Bible, just be aware that you won’t always hear your name if you call in for prayer, but know without a doubt people are praying for you as I pray over all those who call in, as I go through the Prayer Wall and pray.  This morning my heart was so broken for the mother who called in.  She was going through a crisis with her daughter Raegan who has borderline or bipolar.  I apologize now.  My heart goes out to you as I watch my children be wayward and have mental health issues.  Just know that I’m praying for your beautiful daughter and praying for you to have the strength for tough love and that you would seek out God and that the Holy Spirit would guide you, that you would seek wise counsel because tough love is not always the answer, but God’s ways are the answer.  My heart goes out to, sweet mother.  Know that you are not forgotten, that many are praying for you and for Raegan.  I pray for being able to hear what the outcome of the situation was, that things have calmed down for you.  Please, please, Sister, know that you are loved.  Please call in, let us know how you are doing and how Raegan is doing. And I will keep her in my thoughts and prayers.  Everybody have a blessed day.  Today is January 7th.  Bye-bye.

Hello Daily Audio Bible family.  This is Angela in North Carolina and I’m calling with a word of encouragement for Raegan’s mother.  I did not catch your name, dear one, but the Lord knows your name and hopefully you’ll get to hear this.  This is for Raegan’s mother who Raegan has borderline personality disorder or at least she has been diagnosed with that.  You called in, I think it was the 31st, but whenever it was, before the new year.  And you were right when you said God is outside of time.  So it doesn’t matter if your call was then and the answer comes later. I hope that today, which is January 7th, that it will find you at peace and the crisis and the storm has passed.  But whether the storm has passed or not, the peace is coming.  I pray in the mighty name of Jesus against the raging and against the suicidal threats, Lord God.  I pray that you would protect Raegan’s heart and her mind against any of the flaming darts of the enemy.  I pray that you would protect her, Lord God, and that you would give her mother strength and wisdom to know how to best respond.  Persons with borderline personality disorder fight against those who love them.  They desperately want love, but they are like a person that is drowning in the ocean and when a lifeguard goes to put hands on them to rescue them, they fight, not out of anger, but out of desperation to live.  I pray that the Lord God would be the lifeguard that pulls Raegan out of the raging ocean and may God bless you and keep you, in Jesus’ name.  Amen.