Month: August 2022

Ezra 1:1-2:70, 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5, Psalm 27:7-14, Proverbs 20:22-23

Today is the fifth day of August, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. Coming to you from the rolling hills of Tennessee. And I pray all is well with you in the rolling hills of wherever you are and maybe are not in rolling hills maybe you are on flat planes or maybe you are coastal or whatever, wherever you may be, it is wonderful to be here with you now, today. And in the Scriptures yesterday, we began a letter from the apostle Paul to the church in Corinth, otherwise known as first Corinthians. We also concluded the book of second Chronicles in the Old Testament and so that leads us now into some brand-new territory, the book of Ezra.

Introduction into the Book of Ezra:

And basically, we’re…we’re picking up where we left off, at least in terms of…of time, the children of Israel have been carried away into exile. So, just small review, we remember that after a King Solomon, Israel broke apart into two different nations, the kingdom of Israel in the North and the kingdom of Judah in the South and there were 10 tribes in the North, the kingdom of Israel who were eventually carried away into exile by the Assyrian Empire and they were completely conquered and they were assimilated into the Assyrian Empire because they disappeared from history as cohesive tribes after that. The kingdom of Judah, where Jerusalem is, lasted over a century longer but were eventually conquered and carried into exile by the Babylonian Empire. And so, as with the book of, the books of Kings and the books of the Chronicles we move through the different kings of Israel and Judah, but we come to an end. There is a last King and that is because they were conquered and carried away. Eventually, the Babylonian empire was conquered by the Persian Empire and the Persian kings were considerably more favorable to the Hebrew people. So, we’re kind of picking up where second Chronicles leaves off as we start Ezra. And Ezra covers about 80 years and there will be three Kings: Cyrus the Great, Darius, and then Artaxerxes. And generally, they are kind to the Hebrew people and allow them to return to their ancestral homeland. In fact, Cyrus the Great begins this process and we kind of saw that as we we’re ending second Chronicles. He literally wants to rebuild God’s temple in Jerusalem for the worship of God. Cyrus wants all of the gods, of all of the lands that he now controls to be happy. And so, he is allowing the Hebrew people, those that want to return to Jerusalem to rebuild, to go there and about 42,000 Israelites are the first wave to return from exile. And they will be under the leadership of a person named Zerubbabel, which we will meet. And you can imagine, 80 years have past, a bunch of people are returning, there are people that are in the land that a been using the land, the exiles want to rebuild the Temple, rebuild Jerusalem and so they’re going to face opposition, largely the kind of opposition known as intimidation, but we’ll also see a bunch of political maneuvering. And we’ll also see that the exiles, they stay true to the task and then before Ezra ends, we see a second wave of exiles being allowed to return to their ancestral homeland in Israel. And there is actually an awful lot in Ezra and the book that follows, Nehemiah, that is extraordinarily relevant to our lives today. So, there is a lot for us to learn and a lot for us to consider. And so, let’s get to that. We’re reading from the New International Version this week, Ezra chapters 1 and 2.

Commentary:

Okay so, there is a lesson for us in the portion of first Corinthians, the letter the Paul wrote, for us today. So, have you ever thought about what we actually believe as Christians? Like, have you ever tried to, sort of step away from the faith part of it and just look at what we believe? When…when we do that, we can see that, if faith were not in play then it’s hard to make sense of it all. It sounds foolish. It sounds like foolishness and that’s not a new development. It was considered foolishness in the time of Paul as well. So, I…I quote from first Corinthians, “for since, in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him. God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.” So, what Paul is beginning to lay out here, is this lesson that I was talking about. God can’t be found in the confines of our personal intellect or experience alone. Paul told us, in our reading today that, in effect, God’s weakest thought is still far above humanities greatest thoughts and God’s weakness is stronger by far than the greatest human strength. So, no matter how much we can accumulate in our brains and reason out about who God is and what He is like and what He will and will not do, we do not have the capacity to even reach God’s weakest thought. Like, He is far above us. And so, through our own human wisdom we can’t explain God. Or, let me just put it in Paul’s own words, “the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. Brothers and sisters, think of what you were like when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were influential, not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things and the things that are not, to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God.” So, this really resonates with me, particularly because I have devoted my life to understanding God and knowing God, to understanding the Scriptures, to diving as deep as possible. What I have found very, frustratingly as a person who is a thinker, that faith is required, faith is the way for everything to make sense. Without faith, it doesn’t. Which has led me to understand over many, many years, I don’t know all that I think that I know. None of us know, all that we think that we know, about anything but we definitely do not know all that we think that we know about God. At the same time, we know what we know and we reason what we reason and what we are invited to when we, when we come into a relationship with Jesus, is to take this leap of faith that supersedes any of our intellect or any of the things that we think we’ve figured out about God, we have to leap into an unknown. It is our faith that makes it a known. Generally speaking, that would be perceived as foolishness, but it is actually this foolishness that gets us to the end of ourselves, we literally have to take a blind leap of faith and reach beyond ourselves and then we encounter God. And then we realize that the ways of the Lord and following Jesus are rarely ever going to fit into our intellectual framework. And yet at the very same time, those of us who have taken that leap of faith into the arms of Jesus as it were, realize that this is the only way life makes any sense at all. The foolishness, as Paul called it, of our blind leap of faith is what makes life makes sense. So, trying to approach God as an intellectual exercise, so we can figure it all out, gives us all kinds of problems. And yet, as an intellectual exercise, can we figure our own selves out? Do we not do things that we don’t understand why we chose to go that route? And so, if we can’t perfectly understand and figure our own selves out, and what would make us believe that we are wise enough to figure out the Almighty most-high God? We figure out the most-high God, if we want to call it figuring out, by taking a leap of faith and entering into a relationship with Him and surrendering our control and submitting ourselves to Him, giving up our rights and offering our lives as a living sacrifice. That sounds foolish. In most any other kind of context, we would advise against such behavior. And yet, for those of us, again, who have taken that leap of faith and surrendered ourselves and our destiny to God, this is the only way actually find peace. To actually realize, we don’t have anything, about anything, figured out, but we have a Father, who loves us and desires to Father us in this world, teaching us what we need to know, which can only be done through faith. And so, as we ponder this today, may we acknowledge that we don’t know all that we think that we know, but faith has led us here. And we don’t have anything to brag or boast about, all we really can do is marvel at the unspeakable love that is impossible for us to comprehend, that came to rescue us and revealed to us what life is supposed to look like. And then we get to participate in revealing that to the world.

Prayer:

And so, Father, we love You. We acknowledge that You are most-high. There is none higher, there is no one like You. And we don’t really care if it seems foolish to put our faith in You. This is the only thing that has ever made any sense. So, may we live into this and may it spill out of our lives, that we may be an example to everyone in our sphere of influence. We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base and that is where you can find out what’s going on around here, unless you’re using the Daily Audio Bible and then you don’t need to go to the website because you have it in the palm of your hand and you can find out what’s going on around here. So, the app can be downloaded from the, well, from the App Store that works with whatever device or phone that you’re using, just search for Daily Audio Bible and you should be able to download it from there, it’s free and it is the best way to take this journey through the Scriptures. And allows us, well, it allows us a lot of things. But one of the things it’s awesome about it is it allows us to keep track of where we are and allows us to take some notes if we want to. And star certain days that we want to remember so that we can refer back to, stuff like that, all kinds of things. So, check out the Daily Audio Bible app. And while you’re checking things out, check out the Daily Audio Bible Shop. There are a number of departments and categories with a number of different types of resources for the journey that we are on. Check out the Community Section, that is where the Prayer Wall lives, that’s where different links to get connected on social media are, so certainly check those things out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible. Thank you, if you find that being around the Global Campfire together is…is a source of light and life and hope and good news, then thank you for your partnership. 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 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:

Hey DAB family, this is Vicky in Texas and I’m asking for prayer for you to sew a blanket of prayer over Owen and all the young women and men, heading to start their careers or moving into college for the first time, including my own sweet son Russel, who we’re taking to the University of North Texas on August 18th. And I am already struggling with the grief of his absence and it’s not even here yet. So, this prayer is also for all the other parents who are sending their children out into the world. It’s a miracle that I had this baby, all babies are a miracle but because of a series of medical problems, it truly was a miracle that I even got pregnant and was able to retain the pregnancy and have this boy. When I found out I was pregnant I remember dropping to my knees and dedicating him to God, just telling God I knew that this baby was more His then mine. That I would raise him to know God and serve God and I hope I’ve done well with that. I have truly been blessed to be his mom. He has been a joy all 18 years that he has been in my life. Never has there been one of those times where I thought, oh my gosh, this is a teenager, I can’t wait for him to leave. But now it’s time to watch him grow into the man God wants him to be. It’s no longer so much that he’ll be under my wings and my teachings but truly just sending him out to be under God’s wings and God’s protection. It’s truly time I gave him over to God, like Jocabed letting go of Moses and Hannah letting go of Samuel. So, God, please grant me the peace and faith that those women had. And please wrap all of our children in your wings. Together with my fellow DABers, I bind the catastrophizing voices of the enemy, who tries to box us and our children in with fear to keep us from faithfully handing ourselves and our children over to You. I ask you please to bless all these children. Bless you Owen, bless my son Russel and bless all of us parents.

Hello Daily Audio Bible, Shawn here from England, UK. I’ve fallen by the wayside lately. Suffering from severe crack and heroin addiction. I’m a binger and when I binge, I’m completely out of control. I’m pushing everybody away from me. I’ve stepped away from the Bible. Today, I’ve come back to the Bible after a couple of weeks away. It’s been 11 days but I spent over $2,000 pounds on drugs. And I’ve hurt some of the people that I love the most in my life. I’m stuck, I don’t know. I wake up depressed every day. I know is from no fault but my own and I need to come off the drugs. I need to get better for myself and I know I could be really well if I wanted to, really well. I don’t know what I don’t do the things that I want to do, you know. I do the things that I don’t want to do. I don’t want to take crack and heroin. I don’t what comes over me, something just come over me and bam, all hell breaks loose. So, I’d appreciate it if people would pray for me. I’m very selfish in the fact that I can just call in like this. I feel selfish asking for prayers cause I need to help myself a little. But I’m always listening guys and I’m always praying for you. Not like that, I’m not saying I should be prayed for just because I pray for other people but I really would appreciate some prayers if you can. Yeah, thanks for listening. God bless you all.

Hello, Daily Audio Bible. I am calling in anonymous today. Some of you recognize my voice. I’ve been on a couple of times. I’m calling in to confess my sins. Because James 5:16 says that we should confess, it’s says confess your trespasses to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed the effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Lord, I thank You, you know, for just waking me up today. But you all, I ask that you all pray for my strength in God. I decided a year ago that I was going to abstain, you know, from, I was going to wait until marriage. But a lot comes with that and there are, you know, things the enemy uses, you know, to veer us off from that faith. So, I ask that ya’ll pray for my strength in God. Pray for my patience and my faith in the Lord. Cause it’s difficult. It’s difficult waiting on the man that God has for me. However, I know that it’s possible and I know that I just need to stay prayed up and stay in my word. Sometimes I feel this spirit coming over me and just this dark, this darkness coming over me and you know, just darkness of submission to sin and I don’t want to. I don’t want to but I do intentionally every now and then and I just want to be free from that. So, I ask that ya’ll pray for me and continue to pray for me as I continue to pray for you all. God bless you all, I love you all. This is an amazing platform. Brian, thank you so much for Daily Audio Bible. God Bless.

Hey, Daily Audio Bible family, this is Billy from Montgomery with A Trinity Stone. I wanted to put a praise report out there for my Kiros. We have, we go into Stayton Correctional Facility in Elmore, Alabama. We did a Kiros in June and there were 22 guys that accepted crosses on Sunday. And basically, that means there’s 22 more believers in Jesus Christ. So, that’s awesome, I’m very, very happy about that. And also, we go back in once a month to do a reunion group meeting with those same guys and other guys. So, we need prayers for that, going back in to do a reunion group. Also, there is another Bible Study we’re going to create out there. It’s called Every Man a Warrior. It’s a Bible Study that is awesome because you’re actually talking directly with the creator, nobody else. It’s a, it’s an awesome Bible Study. There’s gonna be 15 guys that are gonna sign up and do this Bible Study. It’s gonna be led by one of the prisoners inside. His name is McArthur Duncan and he is leading this Bible Study. So, I would just like prayers for McArthur and these 15 guys that are going through this Every Man a Warrior Bible Study. Anyhow, I will talk to you guys later, love ya’ll, talk to ya’ll later. Bye for now.

Hey DAB family, this is Brian in Florida. I’m reaching out because I need some brothers and sisters to partner in prayer with me. I have, through no fault of my own, been facing a lawsuit that somebody has placed and I have been dealing with this now almost 7 years. And the sum of money is huge and I believe I have a promise from God that this case is gonna be dismissed and it is dragging on and on. And my prayer is that I will stand in faith and keep my eyes focused on Christ because He gives me perfect peace. And that me and my family will be protected and for the promise, case dismissed. If you’ll pray with me, that would be wonderful. God bless you.

Ezra 3:1-4:23, 1 Corinthians 2:6-3:4, Psalms 28:1-9, Proverbs 20:24-25

Today is the 6^th day of August welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it is wonderful to be here with you today as we reach the conclusion of another one of our weeks together and continue our journey forward. During this week we made some transitions both in the old and the new testaments into new books. So, in the Old Testament we’re in the book of Ezra and in the New Testament the letter…well…first Corinthians, a letter by Paul to the church in Corinth. And, so, we will settle into that rhythm and continue that journey and we won’t be making another transition into another book until later in the week next week. So, we’re kinda camped out here and Ezra and first Corinthians for a bit. So, let’s dive in. We’ve been reading from the New International Version this week, which is what we’ll do today. Ezra chapter 3 verse 1 through 4, verse 23.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word. We are so grateful. Our hearts at times are overwhelmed with the goodness that You’ve given, that You’ve given us something tangible to hold in our hands that leads and directs us into following Your Spirit by faith, which is…which is a leap of trust into Your arms. And You’ve shown us how this is done and given us so many examples of what it looks like. So, we are so deeply grateful to You for the gift of the Scriptures and so deeply grateful that You have given us to each other to take this journey with through the Scriptures. And, so, as we seal up and release another week knowing that it becomes a part of history there’s only one way to go and that’s forward. And, so, we go forward together. We thank You deep gratitude for what You’ve spoken to us in this way can we look forward with great anticipation for what You have to reveal to us in the coming week and then the coming months. Come Holy Spirit lead us into all truth we pray. We trust. We’re grateful and we pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, that’s home base, home of the Global Campfire, that’s where you can find out what’s going on around here. The Daily Audio Bible app will do the same thing for you. You can get that at the app store that’s connected to your device. So, search for Daily Audio Bible.

Check out the different sections like the Initiatives section, where there are different things that we’re featuring, different things that we’re doing.

Check out the Daily Audio Bible Shop. There are resources there for the community around the Global Campfire as we go through the Bible together in a year.

Check out the Community section. It would be pointless…well…it wouldn’t be pointless…I was gonna say it would be pointless for me to show up here in front of the mic every day and nobody else is there, it’s not a community. So, it wouldn’t be pointless. It would be solitary. But this has never been a solitary thing. It’s always been something we’ve done together 17 years almost now. And, so, check out the Community section. That is where the Prayer Wall lives. That’s where different links to get connected on social media are. And, so, check it out and get connected in any way that you want to.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, thank you humbly. Thank you. We would not be here if we were not in this together. And, so, thank you for your partnership as we continue to navigate through the summertime. 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 up at the top or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that’s all for today. I am Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi Daily Audio Bible this is Skip Morgan in Sydney Texas. Yesterday was a terrible day for me. I just got so many issues mostly health but when I was listening to the prayers from Monday August 1^st, Camille from Charlotte, her encouragement and knowing that she’s just one of hundreds of people praying for me and I thank you so much Camille and everyone in the Daily Audio Bible. The program has transformed my life. I’ve been a Christian for many years, but I’ve never really focused on the word of God. And I just thank you, thank you, thank you so much. I’m so grateful. And yesterday’s message from Charlette…from Camille just couldn’t have come at a better time. Thank you I love all of you. Bye-bye.

Hi, I’m asking for prayer. I have a lung infection I’ve had it since March, and it won’t go away, and I have asthma and I have sleep apnea and just other health problems. And, so, I’m asking for prayer that these __ I can’t take a lot of antibiotics and the one they’re giving me isn’t working and they can’t give me anything else. So, please pray that this lung infection will go away. Thank you very very much. I pray for all of you. Thank you very much. I’m in Pennsylvania. Thanks. Bye-bye.

Hi, I was just calling in response to Hopeful in Ohio who I just heard her request on…I think it was aired on July 27^th. I’m doing a little catch up. I just wanted to say that I am gonna be praying for you and your husband as you battle together on this addiction. And the first part of your request of you just asking for prayer for yourself and feeling like God’s calling you to do brave things. I think as you were talking, I was so relating to you because I feel like the same way. I’m by nature more of a shy fearful person not one to like, step out and share my faith boldly or do big things brave things. And, so, I totally can relate to…to your heart in that and in feeling like God is calling you to do something and being scared. And, so, I will be praying for you as I remember you when I think of my own struggle in that area. And in that praying for your marriage too, that you would…your husband would have victory and your marriage would be saved and that he would have freedom from that addiction. God is more than able to free from that. And I just pray that that would be so.

Hey family this is Travis from Alberta Canada. Maggie from Massachusetts I just heard your…your call. You recently lost your mother and brother after just coming back __ again. And I just…I want to pray for you. Heavenly Father, I thank You for Maggie, thank You for Your daughter and the love You have for her and the care that You have for her. You are intimate with all her ways and all her thoughts and all her feelings. God, I pray that as she deals with…with sadness and anxiety and just the thought of losing her mom and brother, God I ask that You would come and bring healing. Heal her heart, mend her brokenness, wipe away every tear, fill her with Your joy, be near her oh God. May it just be so evident that You are close to her right now oh God. We pray that You just give her peace, that You would be with her as she is dealing with sorrow. I thank You that You’re so close and so near and You…You mourn with us. Thank you for Maggie. We pray this all in Jesus’ name. Amen. I’m praying for you Maggie. God bless you. Bye.

2 Chronicles 35:1-36:23, 1 Corinthians 1:1-17, Psalms 27:1-6, Proverbs 20:20-21

Today is the 4^th day of August welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it’s great to be here with you today as it is great to be here with you any day and every day. And it’s fun to be here with you as we move into this new month that we are in and kind of moving through this week making some transitions. We finished the letter to the Romans yesterday which will lead us to first Corinthians when we get to the New Testament. And we have also been reading second Chronicles in the old Testament. We will conclude second Chronicles today. And, so, Let’s dive in. We’re reading from the New International Version this week. Second Chronicles chapters 35 and 36.

Introduction to first Corinthians:

Okay. So, that concludes the book of second Chronicles, but it also leads us now to the opening of a letter called first Corinthians. And this is a letter from the apostle Paul sent to the church in the city of Corinth. And Corinth was a place that Paul spent considerable time and faced considerable opposition from the Hebrew community there. So, he focused a lot of his time on the Gentiles. A church sprang up and this is a letter to…to that congregation. And in the first century during the time of Paul, Corinth was an important city within the Roman Empire. In fact, it was the fourth largest city in the entire Roman Empire at that time. And, so, we can think of the large cities in the nations where we live around the world. I even look that up myself, like what is the fourth largest city in the United States where I live, and that seems to be Houston Texas. So, that’s a big city, I’ve been there many times and although we’re in the 21^st century and we’re talking about the first century, the kinds of things and the melting pot of people that you find in a metropolitan area - the food, the thoughts, the religion, the hobbies, the sports, like all of the stuff that you would expect, or what would have been expected and Corinth. So, all of the benefits of congregating together and becoming a large city with all kinds of services and goods but also the melting pot of bringing a lot of people together with different spiritual ideas or idolatry, idol worship or sexual experimentation like the kinds of stuff that you find in a large secularized city. What we find in this letter, known as first Corinthians, is that Paul is responding to things that he is hearing that are happening in the church in Corinth. And Paul certainly talks about unity in the letter to the Romans that we just completed, but unity is a major theme in this letter to the Corinthians. And since we live in a world that is very full of division and divisiveness and even manipulative divisiveness to pull people in the corners and make people at odds with each other, especially over things like governance, this is just as poignant now if we have ears to hear, as it was in the first century when this letter was delivered to the church in Corinth. But first Corinthians is also very famous, or has some very, very famous quotes and sayings. For example, if you’ve ever heard, “now we see through a glass darkly, but then face-to-face.” That comes from this letter or, “when I was a child I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child but when I became a man I put away childish things.” That comes from this letter. And then of course the 13^th chapter of first Corinthians is one of the most famous passages or chapters in all of the Bible called the love chapter where Paul lays out and describes what love is and what love does. And, so, let’s dive in and enjoy this letter, a letter written to people who knew Paul and that Paul knew. And these letters from Paul to the churches…well…they give us all kinds of stuff. They give us theology, they give us doctrine, they give his advice and counsel, but they also give us a glimpse into what was going on with our brothers and sisters as the church was emerging and developing. And, so, let’s begin. First Corinthians chapter 1 verses 1 through 17 today.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word as we do every day. We are grateful for the gift of the Scriptures in our lives for every conceivable reason because it informs every way that we live and challenges our thoughts and intents. So, thank You for that. And as we are in this week is kind of moving into a new month and transitioning from books into new books, we thank You for all that You have taught us through the Scriptures this year. And, so, as we have concluded second Chronicles and we move forward tomorrow into the book of Ezra and as we have just begun this letter to the church in Corinth, Holy Spirit come and lead us into all truth. Guide our hearts meditations. Guide the things that we think about as we ponder what the Scriptures are saying to us. Lead us into all truth. And we pray along with the psalmist. One thing we ask from You, Lord, one thing that we seek is that we might dwell in Your house all the days of our life, which is forever to gaze upon Your beauty and to seek You. Come Holy Spirit and lead us we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, that is the website, it’s where you can find out what’s going on around here. So, check it out. The Daily Audio Bible app can do the same thing and let you check out the different parts of the Daily Audio Bible. So, if you don’t have the Daily Audio Bible app go ahead and download that from the app store that is connected to your device and check it out from there.

Check out the Daily Audio Bible Shop. There are resources there in a number of categories for the journey that we are on through the Bible in a year.

Check out the Community section. That is where to get connected on social media. It is also where the Prayer Wall lives. And, so, get connected in any way that you can, any way that you want to.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, thank you. Thank you humbly. We…we have been at this thousands and thousands of days in a row, many many many years in a row now, and that has been because we’ve been in this or on this journey together and we couldn’t do this when were in it together. And, so, thank you humbly for your partnership. 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…well…first of all, you can hit the Hotline button in the app. That’s the little red button up at the top or there are a number of numbers that you can call depending on where you are in the world. If you are in the Americas 877-942-4253 is the number to dial. By the way, I suppose it doesn’t matter which of the numbers that you can call. If you want to make an international call I think…I think it will work. But regardless, if you are in the UK or Europe 44-20-3608-8078 is the number to dial. And if you are in Australia or that part of the world 61-3-8820-5459 is a number to call.

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

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hey DAB family it’s Travis calling from Alberta Canada. While I was at church this morning, I got some really bad news that our friend Lindsay and her family were in a really bad car accident last night and unfortunately my friend Lindsay lost her mom. And it’s just going to be a really really hard time for her. She already deals with depression and anxiety already. And, so, just…just be praying for my friend Lindsey and her family. And, yeah, please just be praying. Pray that God just heals her heart, heals her family, and draws her close, closer than ever before. Thank you, family. God bless you.

This is Kathy from Kentucky. Just want to ask everybody to pray for me. I continue to live alone and struggle with things like keeping my weight down before my doctor appointment on the 16^th, mice in my house, juggling my finances trying to keep up with inflation on gas and groceries. It’s just not as easy to live alone. So, I just ask you to pray for me. I see a new therapist this morning. I’m clean and sober 30 years but I still have issues. And I just ask your prayers. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Christy and Kathy from Kentucky this is Lori from Kentucky. I don’t know if any of you are in the flood area but I just wanted to let you know that I am thinking of you and praying for you hoping that you’re safe and your families are safe and just adding you to my prayers along with those people who are in the flood area and have been affected. And I just wanted to let you know I was thinking of you. Hope you are all well. Take care.

Good morning family I’m Deborah from Florida. I am a long team caller…I mean listener…excuse me…but at first time caller. I want to pray for the DAB family and to encourage some of you out there. First, I want to pray for Caleb who called in on July 17^th. Caleb, you called in from New Mexico about needing prayer for your marriage. So, I want to pray now. Everybody join me. Heavenly father I come before you and the throne of grace and ask that you penetrate hearts of him and his wife Lord. I pray healing, strength, restoration, and wisdom for both of them. Heal the wounds of the heart that may have been created. Give them your strength and compassion for each other. Open their hearts to you O Lord and give them wisdom in all of those circumstances and situations for answers while giving you the glory. Lord, I ask that you also bless and protect all the DAB family, give them your strength, courage and compassion and love for each other in the mighty name of Jesus I pray. Amen. Love you DAB family. Have a wonderfully blessed day. Bye now.

Hey DAB family this is Darren in California, long time listener, back…back to the original year. I know the last time I called for prayer was about five years ago because I was calling to pray for children and this community prayed and I now have a son and a daughter, two beautiful babies. So…so grateful. And I know the power of prayer in the DAB community. I’m calling to ask for prayer. I’m facing some spiritual warfare at work and it's…it’s really bad. The enemy comes to steal kill and destroy. The spirit and them does not like the spirit in me and I could use your prayers. They are trying to force me out and causing incredible hardship on my family and for my ability to take care of my wife and my kids. They can come against me with all kinds of strategies, but I ask you to join me as we pray to our God, the God of heavens armies. And I believe that God is bigger. I know he is bigger than this situation. So, stand with me please DAB family. I love you guys. Brian and Jill, I love you. You know I do. And God bless you.

2 Chronicles 33:14-34:33, Romans 16:10-27, Psalm 26:1-12, Proverbs 20:19

Today is August 3rd, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. It is great to be here with you today, as it is every day, as we gather around the Global Campfire together. Find a place and exhale on let it go and relax. As we come together and enjoy each other’s company, take the next step forward in the Scriptures. And so, let’s get to that. We are continuing our journey through the book of second Chronicles were also continuing our journey through Romans. Today, we will conclude Paul’s letter to the Romans and I believe tomorrow, we will conclude second Chronicles so, we’re moving into some new territory over the next couple of days, but right now we’re in the process of finishing well what we’ve started. Today, second Chronicles chapter 33 verse 14 through 34 verse 33.

Commentary:

Okay so, we have come very near to the end of second Chronicles, one day left there and today we met Josiah the good and reforming King. We also finished the book of Romans today, a letter in which Paul lays out the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the fact that everyone, regardless Jew or Gentile, regardless of ethnicity, regardless of background or circumstance or status, everyone is invited to be a part of the restoration of the world. Jesus redeemed and is restoring all things, making all things new again, and we are invited into that story. And then when we look into the book of Proverbs and seek wisdom and the voice of wisdom in our lives at every crossroads, we are told again something that the Proverbs speak of often and that is, what we say matters. And so, the Proverb today said “a gossip betrays a confidence; so, avoid anyone who talks too much.” So, essentially if you want something held in confidence that you are confessing or working through or wrestling with or trying to get clarity on, a gossip may not be the best place to do that offloading. Because a gossip betrays a confidence. So, who is a gossip? I mean, basically, if you’re the kind of person who hears juicy morsels of personal or private information and then you can’t wait to share that information. And the way to share that information is to kind of frame it like a concern but your deeply in the know. Then you’re probably a gossip. And that probably sounds offensive to hear but nowhere near as offensive as what you do when you betray a confidence. And we might wonder like, why does Proverbs, why does the Bible itself continually kind of, circle back to themes like this, that what we say matters, that things happen through our words. It’s probably because it’s always been and always will be important that we guard what comes out of our mouths. And I sincerely doubt that that’s a big stretch like, that what…what I just said that we should guard what comes out of our mouths, that that is a revelation that no one’s ever thought of before. Oh, I should pay attention to what I’m saying, wow, that explains so much. We all know this, we’ve all been on the giving and receiving end of this. We actually know from life experience that what the Proverb is saying, although it’s ancient, although it’s thousands of years ago, it is very, very true right now. Gossip destroys relationships. I mean, think about when you’ve been gossiped about and found out about it. Did that deepen your trust and relationship with the one who was gossiping about you? And when you are a gossip, sharing the juicy morsels and the person finds out that you’ve been gossiping about them, do they feel deeply committed and loyal to you? We are counseled in the Scriptures, including today, but in many other places in the Bible to avoid these kinds of things. Or let me just quote the Proverb again “a gossip betrays a confidence; so, avoid anyone who talks too much.” We are being counseled to not be on the giving or receiving end of gossip. And so today, like most every day were left with some things to think about that we can carry through the day with us and ponder, watching ourselves, watching the directions that we get pulled in, watching the way that we fall into habits of reacting to things, that may include gossip. But when we catch ourselves, we see it in action and we remember the counsel of wisdom in our lives and we can change. When we make a decision to stop dispensing gossip or ingesting gossip, it’s remarkable how gossip begins to disappear from our story. That doesn’t take it out of the world. People who are gossip’s, who have lost a person that they can gossip too, often find another place, but it’s not a part of our story anymore. It’s not affecting us; we’re not picking up offenses that we don’t actually have. We’re not filling in blanks that we don’t actually know. We’re not wasting time from the precious gift of life that we’ve been given, on things that don’t do anything good. And so, let’s give that some thought today.

Prayer:

And Jesus, as we ask every day, as the Scriptures lead us to pondering things most every day, we invite You into this. We have no way of demystifying everything about why we do what we do or untangling the mixed motivations that we have in our lives but we don’t have to figure out everything. We have to surrender and trust and follow Your leadership. And so, Holy Spirit, the great Comforter, come, heal us, comfort us, but reveal to us, the ways that we perpetuate problems that are destructive, by the way that we construct our sentences and the things that we choose to say and disclose. Especially when those things were said in confidence. May we never again betray a confidence through gossip. We pray this in the precious name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base and that’s where you find out what’s happening. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can do the same thing and you can get the app free from whatever app store is connected to your phone or tablet or smart device so, check that out. Check out the Community Section. This is where the Prayer Wall lives, we talk about the Prayer Wall often because it’s a fantastic resource. It is a place that’s always happening, always on, never off, always available. We can always go and pray; we can always go and ask for prayer. And so, that can be found in the Community Section, it’s the Daily Audio Bible Prayer Wall. Also in the Community Section are different links to get connected on social media and so, check it out. Get connected in any way that you can or any way that you want to.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible. If the mission to bring the spoken word of God, read fresh, every day and offered freely to anyone who will listen, anywhere on this planet, any time of day or night and to build community around that rhythm so, that we are in this together and no one is alone. If that is meaningful to you, then thank you for your partnership, especially as we navigate through these summer months. There is a link on the homepage and 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 of course, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app, that’s 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:

Hey family, I’m Jeberson and I’m a very long-time listener but I don’t call often. I’m calling today to share a praise report. So more than a year ago I started getting heart palpitations and sometimes it will last for days. I’m a well fit guy who is also a runner and I’m in my late 30s. So, I started every single part of my practice, it could be coffee, or it may be because I am running a lot. So, I have plenty of theories. So, for an example, I would just stop running four weeks and I will still have palpitations and then again, I will start running and the palpitations I won’t have it. So, I tested every single theories. And then, finally, I went to the doctor and upon testing and they didn’t find anything like, they were like, my heart is just fine. So, now I was scared. I mean, I was scared as of, I don’t want to leave my family alone to fend for themselves. And so, again I keep on continuing to test my theories, but eventually like nothing. So, I came to the realization that I could never figure this out. So, then I started praying that, you know, I don’t know what is this. But God helped me and every day I use to pray. And all of a sudden couple of months back it just were used and became nothing and today it’s been, it’s been a month, I guess, since I have…have any palpitations. So, yeah, I just wanted to share this as a praise report and thanking God. And also, to boost the family that never stopped praying.

Hi, DAB family. It’s July 30th and another scorching hot day in beautiful BC Canada. My name is Grant. My wife and myself have appreciated listening to the word and praying with ya’ll for several years now. Today, I’m requesting prayer for healing for myself. I’ve had a heart condition with other complications for several years and would appreciate you joining with us in prayer for healing. We have a great God as David said in Psalms, you are the one who forgives all our sins. You are the one who heals all your diseases, give Him the glory and praise for what He has done and what He is going to do. And just appreciate everybody out there for the…the blessing to be part of His family and for this ministry and opportunity we have to bless each other, to encourage, to hear the word. Be encouraged. Just thank you very much.

Hi DAB brothers and sisters, this is Maggie form Massachusetts. This is my first-time calling. Today, is the 30th. I’m reaching out for prayer for deliverance from depression and anxiety and also physical healing for me, as well as my husband. I’ve just lost my mom, who was estranged for me for, since last May but had been in and out of my life for several years. And my family had been estranged from each other too and me. I lost her in April after just reconnecting with her in March after her diagnosis of cancer of the kidneys. And I had reconnected with my brother Stephen, who I miss the most growing up. And I saw him two days before my mom passed. And sadly, I tragically lost him on May 3rd, just one month exactly after losing my mom. He ended his life. I’m having a really hard time. I have a wonderful, loving husband but he has had a hard time trying to be there for me and my daughter, who is also, who’s not saved and in a very toxic relationship. So, I’m just reaching out really for prayer. I’ve only been listening for a little over a week and just grateful that I can call for prayer and connect with all of you. So, God bless you all, thank you.

Hi, my name is Joe, Joe Cane from Seattle. I need prayer for my brother. He was released from prison a couple years ago and he recently had a relapse and went back into using drugs. He is now becoming homeless because she’s been evicted from his place. I want to come up beside him and help him. Help him be restored by loving him. I’m asking God to put him in a safe place and to open his heart to receiving the Holy Spirit. And that he recognizes that he doesn’t, he can’t do this alone. That he needs the help of the Holy Spirit, to seek God for strength. And I just ask this in Jesus name, that he finds a place to live, that he finds people to love him and show him love. And if that person is me, give me the strength and the opportunity to do it. In Jesus’s name. His name is Matthew, thanks.

Hey DAB Family, this is Jonathan from Denver. I just wanted to call in and say hey to Jared from Ohio, tell you that your prayer is a blessing to me and your message today on the 31st is a blessing to me. And it also reminded me of something that I did not even process or think about at all, which is that this July marks one year since starting listening to the Daily Audio Bible. You know, it’s been busy and crazy and I didn’t even stop to think about that. And just to think that there are people that have been following through in prayer that whole time is really, really special and it’s followed me through a lot of ups and downs, a pretty major breakup. A lot of life changes and it’s just such a blessing to know that I have this family where I can know that I am understood, that you will be there through everything that I go through. So, I just wanted to thank you for that. And offer bit of a praise report. Last week, I called in feeling pretty lousy but I’m feeling better. God is very, very good to me. He gave me a very particularly special and restful time listening to the Daily Audio Bible this morning out on the back porch, just drinking coffee. It was beautiful. And also, to kind of bare myself out a little. I am now one-week clean off pornography, which is the first time in a long time, that’s happened. So, thank you all for your prayers and know that I’m praying for you Jared. I’m praying for your work situation, for your church situation and I’ll be looking forward to hearing that praise report. Thank you.

2 Chronicles 32:1-33:13, Romans 15:23-16:9, Psalms 25:16-22, Proverbs 20:16-18

Today is the 2^nd day of August…I almost said June…no idea…2^nd day of August, a brand-new month we’re moving into and the next up forward leads us back into the book of second Chronicles. We have a couple of days left in second Chronicles before concluding the book. And, so, let’s take the next step forward. We’re reading from the New International Version this week. And today second Chronicles chapter 32 verse 1 through 33 verse 13.

Commentary:

Okay. In second Chronicles today we are moving through the story of King Hezekiah, who was a good and faithful and loyal King to God. And we’ve met Hezekiah before back when we were moving through second Kings. And, so, this is not unfamiliar. But the lesson that is embedded in this story as we apply it to our own lives becomes really important. So, the Assyrian Empire has invaded the land under the rule of their king Sennacherib. And Sennacherib sent a message to Jerusalem, and he said, “on what are you basing your confidence that you remain in Jerusalem under siege? When Hezekiah says the Lord, our God will save us from the hand of the king of Assyria he is misleading you to let you die of hunger and thirst. Do you not know what I and my predecessors have done to all the peoples of the other lands? Were the gods of those nations ever able to deliver their land from my hand? Who of all the gods of these nations that my predecessors destroyed has been able to save his people from me? How then can your God deliver you from my hand?” And there’s more to what he had to say but that's…that pretty much encapsulates what’s going on here. And what is that kind of speech? That is called intimidation. It is intended to demoralize. It is taunting. It is intended to weaken resolve. It’s basically a form of psychological warfare. And just take a pause. Let’s kinda take a step back and think about the demoralizing taunting intimidating voices that we have encountered in our lives or perhaps that are a part of our story right now. In so many ways it’s just a junior form of psychological warfare. And what does it do to us? It stops us in our tracks, right, and makes us think with doubt about what we thought we knew. It makes us not so sure. It saps our energy. It can break our will. And the irony is that this type of attack is actually very very effective. It can cause us to question everything and become totally uncertain. Ironically, they’re just words. They’re not things that are happening, they’re words that are intended to show us what will happen even though there is no way anyone can be certain of those things. The king of Assyria had his own certainty. “Has anyone ever been able to stand up to us before? What makes you think your God can stand up to us now?” And, so, even though Sennacherib and his army are not there and cannot actually attack and destroy the city without a siege, even though they’re a distance away, their words bring them close, and the work is being done. The work of warfare is being done psychologically on the people. That happens to us, whether it’s the demoralizing doubt that we face in our lives that we sometimes call an attack, a spiritual attack or whether it’s a demoralizing person in our lives that is sapping our strength and affecting our will and desire to do what is right. These things ruin confidence and introduce fear when they are words that do not have corresponding actions. They may have corresponding actions, but it’s going to look different than the taunt. The taunt is there to tear us down. So, if you’re in Jerusalem and the mighty Assyrian Empire has invaded your land and the king is sent his emissaries to taunt and demoralize you and tell you what is going to happen to you, you may indeed be fearful. But the story as told in second Chronicles, ends very different than Sennacherib the king of the Assyria was predicting. And I quote from second Chronicles. “King Hezekiah and prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz cried out in prayer to heaven about this and the Lord sent an angel who annihilated all the fighting men in the commanders and officers in the camp of the Assyrian king. So, he withdrew to his own land in disgrace and when he went into the temple of his God some of his sons, his own flesh and blood, cut him down with the sword.” That’s a very different ending than the taunts and intimidation that was hurled at the walls of Jerusalem. Let’s remember this when we feel demoralized, when we feel taunted, when we feel intimidated. We can spend all of our energy biting our nails to the quick and fretting and being filled until we’re sick with anxiety or we can do everything that we know to do to be faithful and loyal to the mission that God has asked us to accomplish and we can put our trust, we can cry out to God and allow the voice of truth to speak louder and more clearly than anything that would intimidate us into doubt and denial and failure. And, so, let’s give it some thought today. What are those voices that are really there and do nothing but intimidate us or taunt us into believing lies about the future and lies about ourselves?

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, we invite you to come into that. We have all faced this. Ae all do face this from time to time in all kinds of different ways. And even as we’re considering this now we…those voices, those ways bubble up inside of us and we’re all aware of our own stories. And as we look at those stories, we can see how we’ve been led into fear and intimidation and how we have settled and how we have caved and all kinds of things we can see as we look back over our lives, but we are also realizing that so many of the threats are just words. They’re words. Things can come against us, but they don’t work the way the threats work usually. So, often the threat is there giving us a picture of something so much worse than can even possibly happen and we just settle in cave when you have invited us to be true and loyal and faithful. And, so, Holy Spirit come. Identify the voices that are in our lives, whether they’re the voice of a person or group of people or a set of circumstances or just a set of fears that we’ve carried with us our whole lives. However, that voice of intimidation is speaking to us Holy Spirit, help us to identify this. Show us the root of this and show us that you are in this with us and we can trust you. We ask this in the precious name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com, that’s home base, that’s where the Global Campfire is, that’s where you find out what’s going on around here. And, so, check that out. The Daily Audio Bible app is also available from your app store, whatever that app store might be and that’ll let you find out what’s going on around here as well. So, check it out.

Check out the Daily Audio Bible Shop. There are resources in the Daily Audio Bible Shop that are created for going through the Bible in a year together in community as we are. And, so, you take the journey deeper, wider, or more colorfully. Just browse through the different categories of Daily Audio Bible Shop.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, if the mission here to continue doing what we do around the Global Campfire every day and take the next step forward together, if that is life-giving and meaningful to you, thank you profoundly for your partnership. 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 of course, 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.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hey this is Candace from Oregon. I just listened to Brian giving his talk about Romans 12. Oh, my goodness. You know just one more example of the strengthening again from this ministry. And, so, I thank God and I thank you Brian. I’m about to lose a pastor me and my church. You know we are switching to a new pastor. We don’t know who the new one will be. But the old one we’ve had for many decades, and he has been more than a pastor to us. He’s been a really good pastor, but he’s been a really good friend. And wow! It just really just a huge __ for us, for me and for many and for them. They’re going into a completely different kind of life. So, would you pray with me now? Lord, I pray for Carl and Lori Leak and I ask you Lord to make them…just to pave the way before them as they move from Oregon back to Michigan where they have children and grandchildren. Bless them with sweet surprises Lord and make the December 13^th farewell retirement party everything you want it to be Lord to honor you Lord and honor what is taking place here in this ministry and to honor Carl and Lori. Be with my church or Kels church as we seek out this new pastor and bless him and his family as well in Jesus’ name I pray. And thank you for the stability of Daily Audio Bible in my life and in so many others.

Hi, it’s Shannon from Texas and I’m sure people have been calling in for this, but I would like to call in again and ask for prayer for rain, literal and spiritual, a physical and spiritual rain and all of these areas. I’m in Texas and anyone who lives in Texas right now knows that it is a serious drought, and this month has…we’ve got to get some relief for our crops. We have to have rain. And we have authority and dominion over the elements when we understand the Kingdom. So, I’m believing and know that you guys will believe in with me. And, so, it is. Shalom. Love you.

Hey everybody this is Philip My Cup from Michigan. Just calling real quick to give a little update and ask for some prayer. My wife and I had a beautiful baby girl. We’re just so blessed with that. God how perfect. It’s just…what a change in my life to have a…just to be a father. Everybody says it. It changes in your body like a switch and it’s honestly not something I knew until it happened. Its…holy crap am I just blessed with that. And, you know, just giving huge thanks to God for…my wife is recovering so well, the baby’s just amazing. So yeah, thank you for that Lord. Just this evening my father-in-law Sean was in an incident. He was physically assaulted. Just brought my mother-in-law to the hospital to be with him and I’m just asking you guys to lift Sean up in prayer and just to be with my family, you know, as we go through some…my family, my in laws, me, everybody, we try to battle with forgiveness and we try to deal with the healing process of Sean. And we just pray for the medical staff and the police officers, EMS drivers. And I don’t remember your name but the girl that called in about the identity thing. I should mention I’m a little bit far behind on my readings after having the baby. But yeah, I’m gonna follow your suit and ask that we pray for the people that assaulted my father-in-law and just on their behalf we could all repent against their…their wrongdoings and just get the enemy out of the situation. I’d appreciate it. Love all you guys. Love hearing from you. Hope you have a great day.

Good morning Daily Audio Bible family this is Wrapped in His Unfailing Love, Dorothy from Destin. I wanted to share with you something that God gave me. I saw a little girl in my mind’s eye. She was maybe two or three and she was having a fit in the middle of a Walmart let’s say, just tired and couldn’t have what she wanted, and she was just crying and throwing a temper tantrum and her dad came to her and picked her up and put her head on his shoulder and she began to settle down and she walked through the store, and she began to fall asleep. And to me that was just a manifestation of what God does to us when we are in the midst of all our problems, and we don’t know what to do and we’re just wringing our hands. And all he wants us to do is rest in Him. But we have to ask Him. But the Lord waits for you to come to Him so that he could show you His love and compassion for the Lord is faithful, a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for him to help them. Isaiah 30. So, rest in the shadow of His wings. Rest in His love. And when things are seeming like they’re out of control God knows and He has you. I love you family. Thank you Brian for this wonderful ministry. God bless you all.

Good morning DAB community this is Penny, One Penny Saved from southwest Missouri. And I’m on a walk and just thought I would call in to offer support and hope to those who are struggling with addictions or compulsive addictive behaviors and to keep in mind that I went through years in bondage and the word of God is what will heal you. And of course, addiction and anxiety are Satan’s way to kill and steal and destroy us because it literally rocks world. And I just want to remind you to play God’s word and make sure those beautiful words are going out into the air because Satan hears those too. And first thing in the morning, start off with the word so your mind does not wander. With me it was like while I put on my makeup or got ready for the day, that’s when my mind would wander into places that I have no business being. And if I play the word first thing in the morning my thoughts will be captured and reigned in into the right place, which is of course praising God, listening to DAB, praying for others. I love you guys. Hang in there.