Joshua 21:1-22:20, Luke 20:1-26, Psalms 89:1-13, Proverbs 13:15-16
Today is the 20th day of April. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian and it is always a joy, it is always a pleasure to come together with you around the global campfire each and every day. Obviously, we’re ending a week together. This is the day that is in between days. This is a day known as Holy Saturday. It’s a day that believers all around the world are sitting with fact that Jesus has died. If we’re putting ourselves back in story then yesterday was Good Friday, perhaps the blackest day to be to be noted by a believer and this is a day where we sit with the fact we’re in between. If we were back in the time and we had been following Jesus, then we would be very heartbroken and confused. And believe it or not that’s where were supposed to position our hearts while we wait, while we wait for tomorrow when everything changes. So, hopefully that becomes a part of your day, a part of your thoughts and prayers and meditations today. And as we move with that spirit forward we’ll move into our reading for today. We’ve been reading from the New Living Translation this week and today Joshua chapter 21 verse 1 through 22 verse 20.
Prayer:
Father, we thank You for Your word, we thank You for another week in Your word and as we come to the end of this week we certainly do find ourselves in this Easter holiday season. And it’s easy for us to just skip today, to make today a preparation for tomorrow and not sit with the fact that for a time You laid cold and lifeless in a borrowed tomb while a tremendous celebration of Passover was happening all around the city and while many, many people were confused and heartbroken and completely lost because they had followed and hoped in You. And even though You had been clear along the way there was still this space and time were al was seemingly lost. And, so, we at least take these moments now to sit with that and to realize no matter what we had done, no matter what we would have done, no matter how we would’ve tried, we would invariably find ourselves lost without You. And, so, we invite You fully as we move our way toward tomorrow, but we can’t get tomorrow without going through today and without having gone through yesterday. And, so, Holy Spirit, come as we contemplate yet again the love, the overwhelming unspeakable love that You bestowed upon us by coming to rescue us. Come Jesus we pray. In Your precious name we ask. Amen.
Community Prayer and Praise:
Hello, this is Robbie. It is…I’m calling…it’s April 14th and I literally just came home from the More Gathering which was fabulous. I’m so glad that I went but the reason I’m calling is at one of the sessions I really needed a hug and a lady came up from behind he gave me a hug and kissed me on the head and moved on before I could look up see who this angel was. So, just whoever you were I was in the very back row in the Ring of Fire session and thank you for the hug. You, more than you know, helped during a time when I really, really needed it. Jesus answered a prayer and you blessed me and hopefully he’ll bless you. So, again thank you for the hug. And Jill, thank you for the conference it was exhilarating, it’s life-changing. Thank you. Bye.
Hello Daily Audio Bible community my name is Scott __ from Michigan. I’m calling on April 15th mainly in praise and I want to share a story with you. Since I called late last year I was talking about the stress of almost like PTSD type stuff I was dealing with being in the ICU and the stuff that I see and deal with and I felt like ever since your prayers and calling in that God has shown that, you know, He’s there in both little and big ways. And I wanted to share a story from yesterday that really brought all this home. I was going about my day and ran into a young lady who…we were just talking there for a minute…and she wants to go into a nursing and she was asking me how I dealt with the stuff with nursing and all the things that I see and the first thing that came out of my mouth was that faith and just knowing that there’s more going on than I know, God’s in control, that helps me get through the day. And that had her open up and tell me a story about our father passed six weeks ago going in for it was probably a last ditch surgery but it didn’t quite work but the story was that before he went to the surgery he said he saw Jesus just walking, long flowing hair and a blue robe. He didn’t…she asked him…and he was lucent and he…she asked him if He said anything and he didn’t he just smiled. They were hoping that was a good sign that he would be healed. Unfortunately, he wasn’t healed but she said that before he passed and he was unconscious __ smile on his face…
Hi this is Tiffany from New Mexico and I just wanted to call in today and encourage all of you who are feeling alone. I’ve been there, and I know that you may be the only person you know that listens to the Daily Audio Bible. You may be the only follower of Christ in your family. You may be feeling misunderstood for various reasons or have some disease that you think no one understands or you may even feel so alone that you’ve thought of ending it all and we have heard you. But I want you to know the truth, you’re not alone. This weekend I was blessed to go to the More Gathering and I want you to know I saw an army. There is an army of women and I’m sure there’s also an army of men that have your back and fight for you in prayer when you call in or post on the Prayer Wall. Don’t believe the lies of the enemy that tell you you are alone. I want you to know that it is a just Jesus who loves you although you are His obsession. It isn’t just Brian that loves, as I’m sure he does. But there is an entire family of us that love you. We’re real, we’re not just voices on the phone or posts on a wall but we’re here and we love you and you belong. So, keep fighting the good fight because we’re behind you. Be encouraged today and don’t give up. That’s all I wanted to say but I’m praying for you all. Have a good day.
Hi this is Greg, I’m a frequent listener and I was listening to the April 13th outcast and I decided to listen beyond the teaching and into and through Brian’s prayer and something he said was to pray that God be present in the moment and that to be with us during this week, throughout this week, as this week passes by and becomes a part of our history, a part of my history. And I really felt prompted to think about the practical things I can do before this week expires to advance God’s kingdom. I thought I’d share a couple of simple ideas that I’ve been blessed and I’m gonna commit to doing. Number one, give. And giving is always a great idea but if you’ve not given before, don’t give what you can’t and don’t promise to give what you don’t have, but whatever you do decide to do, do it quickly and with joy even if it’s a dollar a week or a dollar a month. And even better yet, make it a make a habit. Get that auto pay __ . I’m sure the Lord will bless you in doing so. And the second thing would be, you gotta pray, and not only pray but think about taking a day and giving the first fruit of that day, the very first moment of that morning to the Lord. And a couple of things that I’ve been blessed in doing is just laying down and letting the Holy Spirit guide me and actually moving my lips and praying out loud as an act of faith because I think the Lord really likes to hear from his children and think He’s blessed to hear from each of us and it might stretch your faith boundaries a bit by praying out loud. And the third thing would be to call this week and pray for a country. Pick a country whether we’re…maybe you’ve got friends who are in missionaries in a country where God’s children are being persecuted, maybe even a country that’s an enemy of the nation that you live in and just pray that the gospel could force fourth from the missionaries and saints, touching that country and that they do it __ Jesus and receive Him into their hearts and turn and repent and be healed and their land gets healed and maybe even that that nation…that that nation, the Lord’s gospel would pour forth and…
Hey guys, Darrell Prizano down here in Georgia. I don’t call in too often but I’ve called in before. Listening to today’s message, April 15th. Brian, I don’t know if you’re gonna hear this message or not but man, thank you, thank you, thank you, brother. Needed what you shared today in your commentary when you were discussing where Jesus is talking to…I think it was Jesus was talking to His disciples and He says that the kingdom of God is at hand. What does that…what that means is, the kingdom of God is here among us already. It is within us and I knew that as soon as you said it, as soon as you read it from the reading, but in your commentary you said, “how long are we going to simply be grateful for the grace of God in our lives and how it applies and yet continue to battle and battle and battle out our own inner darkness and not be effective the kingdom of God which we are, which is among us?” The job is right now, right here, while we are here, to spread his love. My gosh…because that is me - battling today, not effective for God today, get past it tomorrow and I can be effective. But what about today? What about when I share…talk about Jesus today as it were? They need me ready, in season constantly. The world needs that. Brian, thank you so much man. I really appreciate that. I needed to hear that today. That was a great great word __ read the gospel passionately. Love you guys. God bless you all.