2 Kings 13:1-14:29, Acts 18:23-19:12, Psalm 146:1-10, Proverbs 18:2-3
Today is the 28th day of June, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian and it is awesome to be here with you today as we gather around the Global Campfire and let everything go, let it all go, for these few minutes. This is an oasis that we create together, each and every day. And so, when we come around the Global Campfire, we can let it all go and just let the Scriptures speak into our lives. And so, let’s do exactly that’s and pick up the story right where we left off. So that takes us back into the book of second Kings. We are certainly learning of Israel’s kings, which is the northern kingdom and Judah’s kings, which is the southern kingdom. So, today, second Kings chapters 13 and 14.
Commentary:
Okay, a couple of small things just pay attention to, as we continue our journey forward day-by-day, step-by-step. In the book of second Kings today, with very little fanfare, we said goodbye to the prophet Elisha, who had such a monumental prophetic voice in the land, as he had been mentored by Elijah, who also had a very prominent prophetic voice in the land. And so, it’s almost like, shouldn’t we see like more drama involved but when these people pass away, it’s just like, and they died. That’s what happened today, we bid farewell to Elisha. And as we move forward, he becomes part of history, as we continue with the journey.
In the book of Acts, we should just take note, Paul is still traveling around but he has now begun what is his third missionary journey. And, this, this missionary journey ends very counterintuitively and interestingly. As we will certainly see as the days go by. Paul is embarked on his third trip to share the Gospel and the different regions of the Roman Empire.
Now let’s talk about us, let’s talk about what the Proverbs had to say to us. Let’s think about it for second, are we opinionated or do we withhold our tongue and try to give our opinion when we feel like we actually have something to say? We can be both of those things, depending on what’s going on. But we probably know people, maybe we are that person, but we probably know people that seem to think that they were born to offer their opinion about everything. In fact, if we think this isn’t true just surf social media for two minutes and we can find that, everybody seems to think that they need to share their opinion about everything, as if the world is holding its breath for that post. Or we find ourselves in a group of friends, we have that friend that just has something to say about everything from politics to parenting, even though they may not have any children and have zero experience with public office. Or maybe it’s a member in our family. And so, every holiday when families gathering is like the eye roll, you have to sit through several hours of getting lectured from somebody who doesn’t know what they’re talking about. Or like I said, maybe it’s us, maybe we’re that person. Proverbs has a sentence of advice in that regard. A fool does not delight in understanding, but only wants to show off his opinions. In other words, the person isn’t involved in the conversation to seek understanding or knowledge, the person is there to hear themselves talk. And that’s how they are. They live to hear themselves talk. Proverbs says that that person is a fool, a fool. Like, if that’s how we’re behaving then the Bible is telling us, that it’s foolish. Right, but it’s being more direct than that, it’s saying the person who only wants to show off their opinions and have no desire for understanding, is a fool. And let’s not shoot the messenger here. It’s not me that is calling anyone a fool. It’s the Bible. And it says so much in one little wisdom sentence. So, it’s like not so much to absorb that we can’t remember how it goes. It’s one sentence, a fool does not delight in understanding, but only wants to show off his opinions. That’s something that’s bite-size enough for us to remember. That’s something to carry around in our pocket as we’re dialoguing and maybe getting beyond dialoguing and getting into the zone, where we’re, we’re we’re, pretty much just running our mouth. We should remember this. It’s in the Scriptures, it’s in the book of wisdom, this is wisdom. And if there ever was a time for wisdom in the world, it would be now. And so, may we heed the voice of wisdom into our lives today and pay attention to what we’re saying.
Prayer:
And so, Father, we invite You into that. The truth is that, we can say tremendously comforting, uplifting and encouraging things, and we do, but we can also say things that destroy and tear down. And we can also just keep a running commentary going on everything, offering our opinion on everything, without in any way, desiring understanding, but rather just kind of hear ourselves talking. And we’ve all done these kinds of things. And so, we can’t just point to a people group who are just foolish. We have played the fool in all of this, as well. So, we need the guidance of Your Holy Spirit, as we begin to hear ourselves, pay attention to what we’re saying, hear ourselves saying what we do and watching how that lands on someone, rather than just simply letting them talk, so we can think of the next thing. Our speech is so powerful that it has the power of life and death. That’s something that we learn from the Scriptures, it’s words that ignite actions. So, we need to pay attention to this. It is Your opinion that we seek not our own. It is Your opinion, that is wise. It is Your opinion that matters and not our own. Come, Holy Spirit and help us in this area, we pray, in the mighty name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.
Announcements:
dailyaudiobible.com is home base, that’s where you find out what’s going on around here and there are well, there are things going on around here right now. But before I get ahead of myself, the Daily Audio Bible app, can work like the website and show you what is going on around you. You just push the drawer icon in the upper left-hand corner and the Daily Audio Bible app can be downloaded from whatever app store is connected to your smart device, so check that out.
There are a few things going on. So, one week from this Thursday, which is the 30th day of this month, so the last day of this month is one week from our Daily Audio Bible holiday that we share every seventh of July. And that is the Daily Audio Bible Long Walk, a day that we set aside on our calendar, mark it on our calendar, clear our schedule on the calendar and go be with God. It’s like that simple. It might sound like, I don’t know but just try, go somewhere beautiful whether near or far. Go out into the beauty of God’s creation and realize how much He is loving us, everywhere we look His magnificence, hear the life that is happening all around you in the trees, with the birds and the squirrels and the rabbits and all of this stuff, that’s happening all around us. And go for a long walk. The kind walk where you don’t have interrupted time, like the kind walk where you can have a long talk and say all the things that are in your heart. This is the center of the year that we’re moving through here. So, this seventh day of July, that has been our own little Daily Audio Bible holiday for all of these years has been a reset. The opportunity to reflect on where we’ve come from in the previous part of this year and where we’re going in the second half of the year. And to reprioritize and just regroup, the kind of stuff that we do as we go into a new year. We’re halfway through. Let’s consider and invite God to show us what the second half of our year is supposed to look like and enjoy the time, the restorative nature of just unplugging and slowing things down and enjoying beauty and enjoying the presence of God for a day. It’s remarkable the dividends that get paid off spiritually in our lives. And so, that is coming up on the 7th of July, make plans for that. It is obviously something that we do by ourselves, we go out and spend the day with God. But it’s something that we do together, because we’re doing it at the same time all over the world. So, we will post a Daily Audio Bible Long Walk 2022 post on the Daily Audio Bible Facebook page. And you can send pictures or videos or whatever from your Long Walk and all of a sudden, all of us get to share. We get to open up these windows and take a little second Long Walk, a little virtual Long Walk as we look through the windows and see the beauty of the earth, all over the earth, all on the same day. I love it. Looking forward to it, so put that on your calendar. That’s the 7th of July.
The other thing that’s going on is what we talked about yesterday, and that is the intention to return to the land of the Bible for a Daily Audio Bible pilgrimage, through the land of the Bible in February of next year, February 6th through the 19th. And you can check out all of the details about that forthcoming trip. There are a couple ways to access the page, go to dailyaudiobible.com, look for initiatives and in the initiatives section, you’ll find Israel 2023. If you’re using the app, you can press the drawer icon in the upper left-hand corner and inside the drawer, you will see initiatives, press that button and you’ll find Israel 2023. Or you can go to dailyaudiobibleIsrael.com, which will get you there as well. And so, certainly check that out. We’re excited. I told the whole story yesterday; I just don’t want to re-tell the whole story again. But we’re excited, I’m excited to go back again. Excited to journey together on pilgrimage with a group of us who really want to connect the soil to the text and really begin to understand where the Bible happened. And so, if that’s something the pull that you, then you know where to check it out. We’ll look forward to being there together in February.
If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, if what happens here around the Global Campfire every day is life-giving and meaningful to you, then thank you for your partnership, especially as we navigate through the summertime. Thank you, profoundly and deeply. 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, that’s the little red button up at the top, 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 Daily Audio Bible, this is One Penny Saved from Southwest Missouri. And I just listened to Brian’s podcast on freedom and deliverance and how we should not hide that. That we should share that and spread it out there for other people who need to hear our stories. And I’ve talked a tiny bit about it, but over the 15 years that I’ve listened to Daily Audio Bible, there was never a day I missed, even though, I probably looked like a hypocrite by judgers and there are plenty of those. I have been in and out of rehab, psych units. I was a binge drinker. I have been married more times and divorced then I would like to admit. I’ve had a DUI. I’ve traveled with a ministry for 15 years and I was living a lie. But I looked like I had it all together. And the only consistent in my life was God’s word. So, I encourage all of you who struggle with addictions and mental illness to hang in. And even when you don’t feel worthy, continue to listen to God’s word because there is nothing like it. It is the only thing that can take you and completely change you into something wonderful, beautiful, miraculous. And I will say that nothing is better than freedom and this community has been the greatest blessing of my life. I love you all.
Hey DAB fam, this is Halo from Colorado, Halo to Heal. First, I just wanted to pray for Skip Morgan and his wife because I heard that his wife is very ill and I’m sorry for that. So, Dear Jesus, thank You for this time and this day. Thank You for everything You’ve given us. I pray that You can just help Skip Morgan and his wife and I pray that You can just put Your hand, put Your hands on her. And I pray that Your guardian angels can guard them when they sleep and everything they do. I pray that they can follow everything You do and they stay in Your word. In Jesus name I pray, Amen. And finally, I just wanted to say that God can’t remove Your problems, He can only help You through them. And because He didn’t remove the Red Sea, He made a way through it. So, just remember that. This is Halo to Heal and I’m praying for Skip Morgan’s wife. Thank you DAB for having me.
Hey DAB family, this is Zack from Phoenix. I’m calling in today to ask you to pray me. I’m 38 years old and I’m single, never been married and I would like the opportunity to be married. God has provided for me the last two years to provide a lot of healing and restoration from past heartbreak and relationships and He showed me about the lies that I had been believing about myself. And so, I’m gracious, grateful and thankful for God for doing that. But I would ask you to pray that either God would make me content in my singleness and I would be okay for the rest of my life being single. Or that God would be gracious and merciful and introduce me to my wife. And I would hope that that would happen sooner rather than later. Help me, I just ask that you would pray that I be content in the waiting and the direction of His Spirit in my life. And that I would trust Him, wholly and completely in the process and in the journey. Thank you, guys.
Hello DABers, this is K from Ohio. To my brother who called in on June the 15th. Man, heavy and I felt your pain. But as I always say, most importantly, God heard your pain, He felt it and He caught every tear, every sigh that you gave. God was right there in the midst. I’m sorry that you’re where you are. Life is hard and if you choose to live for Christ, it gets harder because you said yes. And whatever the people are telling you, yes, you do want to finish strong, but it’s one of those things. It’s easier said than done. So, I pray Lord God, give him strength, renewed faith in You. Please, give him friends, people he doesn’t even know. Those angels out there that will be right there beside him to comfort him and to cover him. Give him a shoulder to cry on, to hold him tight. Stop talking and just hug him and love on him, genuine love. And when he needs to talk, he can call upon them. And as they gently deposit words of wisdom, words of courage, words of strength, words of peace and joy, that only come from You. Instead of just saying, finish strong, finish strong, finish strong. It ain’t working. So, brother, we got you. You called the right people today. The DABers will have your back and we will lift you up. Even though, we don’t know your name, we pray to know your name one day. So, keep calling in, let us know how you doing. Say, I need prayer again. I need prayer again. We got you, each and every time. We love you and God loves you most. Be blessed.
Hey everyone, I called on June 15th and left a message. I forgot to leave my name, Thomas. And, since then, a lot of people have called in, more than I expected. I’ve called in to offer encouragement for prayer to me. I just wanted to say thank you for that. On the whole, it’s been really helpful. I’ve, there have been a couple here and there, where people have kind of just told me, you know, well, carve out more time, spend more time, doing devotions. Spend more time studying the Bible. And I am doing that. So, maybe that is the right solution, here, I don’t know. I almost feel I’m being told by people in my life, everywhere that you know, God saved me but the work from here on out is my job. And if I mess it up, then, I guess I kind of loose the job, or something. And that makes it really hard to feel secure or even trust God. But I know there are people here, praying for me. So, I can, that’s something. So, thank you.