Joshua 24:1-33, Luke 21:1-28, Psalms 89:38-52, Proverbs 13:20-23
Today is the 22nd day of April welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it is wonderful to be here with you today as we take our next step forward which actually brings us to the conclusion of the book of Joshua. And, so, tomorrow we will be moving into some brand-new territory. But before we can do that we have to finish well what we’ve started which is the book of Joshua. So, we’re reading from the New Living Translation this week. Joshua chapter 24.
Commentary:
Okay. So, we concluded the book of Joshua today realizing that Joshua lived 110 years before he passed. And we see Joshua gathering the people together in a similar fashion that his mentor Moses had done. He calls the people together and he says something very famous and very dramatic and very very powerful for our own lives. The children of Israel have finally made it. They’re in the promised land. Peace is around them. Prosperity is beginning to bloom. Joshua is in effect telling them that if they forget how they got there then they will be seduced away from who they belong to, which is the Lord God of Israel, and they will forget that they are His people, the children of Israel, and they will forget their covenant and then they will be destroyed. And, so, he tells them you need to choose, right? Choose you this day whom you will serve. Who is it that you’re going to serve? Because you need to make a decision and if it is not the Lord God and choose who you will serve. But as for me and my house, Joshua says, we will serve the Lord. He alone is our God. And of course, the people reaffirm their commitment to the Lord. Of course, they’ve done this before and have been rebellious and stiff-necked and stubborn before. And although Joshua can hear their confession, he’s not going to be there to re-hear it or reinforce it. And, so, he tells them, and this is really important to our lives. Joshua says, you are a witness to your own decision. You have chosen to serve the Lord. So, in other words, Joshua may not be there to see whether or not they honor their commitment. Nobody may be there to see whether or not they honor their own commitment in their own secret lives. They are their own witnesses. They are a witness just as we are. We are a witness of our own decisions. And, so, if we make a declaration, a promise, a covenant, a commitment to the Lord and we mean that and we say that with our mouths but then we go live in any other direction than we are witnesses to what we committed to. And we can become witnesses against ourselves based on our lives. And, so, yes what is happening in the book of Joshua is a dramatic gathering of the people who are reaffirming the covenant, but Joshua’s charge is no less poignant. Choose who you’re going to serve. If it is not going to be God, then choose who you will serve. As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.
Prayer:
Father, we invite You into that. It is certainly a poignant scene in the Old Testament, but it is a poignant thing to consider in each of our lives on a continual basis for we are witnesses of what we are declaring. And may what we are declaring about our allegiance and loyalty and surrender to You, be true. And we acknowledge that we will not be able to succeed on our own. We need You even for that. We are utterly dependent upon You for everything. And, so, we need You, but we love You. We humble ourselves before You and we declare with the Israelites, we will serve You Lord. You are the only God and we will serve You. And may that service the evident in our very lives with what we do and say, we pray in the precious mighty matchless name of Jesus. Amen.
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And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I will be waiting for you here tomorrow.
Community Prayer and Praise:
Father God, in the name of Jesus Christ we pray for the individuals that have called in for prayer, deliverance from addictions Lord, any kind of addictions. Lord, You know their struggles Father. You know the root cause of it Lord. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ Lord that You would go deep deep deep and find the root cause of the addiction Lord. Where did it start? How? When? And Lord I pray for courage for these individuals Lord. I pray Holy Spirit that You would give them clarity Lord, strength courage to look at the matter Father and Lord not to dismiss what comes up Lord but to go to You about it in every detail Lord. Strength, courage, and wisdom Lord. Thank You for Your mercy and Your grace Father. I believe Lord with You nothing is impossible. And Lord You know addictions can be anything. It’s not just sexual or drugs or alcohol. It can also be even fear. Lord God merciful Father God, we thank You Lord for Your faithfulness and Your promises Lord. We pray Father and hope that we will hear testimonies Father God of these individuals have been set free. Thank You, Lord. God bless you all.
Hello DAB brothers and sisters I need prayer. There’s a lot of tension in my marriage and I am on my second marriage. And today I listened to the word. I feel unworthy to be a husband to my wife. This is Steve from Texas. And the word of God today was how I wish you could know the…the way to peace. And I’m at the end of my rope here. I am at the end of my rope. I wish I could know the way to peace in my own marriage and my own life. I have no peace right now. I really need prayer from this end. I listen to Daily Audio Bible most of the day. But if the word does not transform me, it makes me like, Jesus what’s the point? Please pray for me. Pray for Veronica. I’m at the point where I don’t care if we stay together or we…we don’t. Please pray for me. Thank you, DABber. May God peace be with you.
Good morning it’s pastor Vince calling from Bermuda. I want to pray for the sister that called in on the 19th of April referring to herself as the prodigal daughter referring to the text of the prodigal son, the one that left home and now wandering in the wilderness. But I..just by heart pours out to you. I just want to just encourage you that, you know sometimes we have to go through a wilderness just to find God and let God be…touch us and the Holy Spirit renew your spirit. I just want to pray and just reach out to you that God loves you with an everlasting heart no matter what you’re going through, no matter what you may feel. I believe that you’re covering your father and will welcome you with open arms. But you have to trust in God. And I thank you that you’re right now with your grandmother. You just continue just to be faithful. Watch over and just be a blessing. Also, I declare over you that you said that you are working three days. I declare that God will give you 5 days of work in the name of Jesus. Father, we thank You and praise You for my sister. We ask You that You continue to bless her. Keep Your covering over her. Let her know that You love her with an everlasting heart and that Your hand of grace is always before her. Father we thank You for just saturating her with Your love. Let the Holy Spirit fill her, renew her spirit and know that God is in control of every circumstance and every situation. I just pray this blessing over You. You be encouraged and just like God be God one day at a time in Your life. Walk with Him, talk with Him. And Amen in Jesus name. Bless you.
Good morning, everyone it’s Susan from Canada God’s Yellow Flower calling and seven years ago my husband passed away rather suddenly and ever since then it’s been one thing after another without…it seems without any break. Yeah, it’s been a really rough rough seven years. Of course, the pandemic hasn’t helped anybody has it? Usually, I can pray and the tension sort of goes away and…or at least it releases anyways, and I can breathe more easily, and I have that piece. But I found out yesterday another disaster has hit. My nephew has brain cancer and of course he’s not saved, not brain cancer. He has a brain tumor we’re not sure what it’s all about right now. But…but it’s really…I can’t seem to get rid of the tension. So, I’m gonna go outside in the sunshine and go for a walk and praise God. But I think this is kind of the last straw if you know what I mean. So, pray for my family, for salvation for the lost ones especially Kenton who’s got the brain tumor now. And pray for strength for us all. Thank you, my love. I love you all so much and you encourage me so deeply. God bless.