9/30/2022 DAB Transcript

Isaiah 60:1-62:5, Philippians 1:27-2:18, Psalm 72:1-20, Proverbs 24:11-12

Today is the 30th day of September, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It’s great to be here with you today, as we bring to the close, another one of our months together. So, we’re closing down month nine and tomorrow moving into month 10. And what a joy it is been to be on this adventure thus far, and certainly looking forward to every day we have left to spend in this year together in the Scriptures. So, as we bring this month to a close, we go back to where we left off, which leads us back out into the book of Isaiah. We’ve been camping out in the book of Isaiah for a while. We got a little stretch in front of us. Like, we are at Isaiah chapter 60 today and there are 66 chapters in the book of Isaiah, so we’re rounding a corner. But Isaiah’s one of the longest books in the Bible. That is where we left off yesterday, so, today, Isaiah chapter 60 verse 1 through 62 verse 5.

Commentary:

Okay, so there are a lot of things that if we, sort of understand the context in the letter to the Philippians, they bring out more meaning. In fact, that’s true of all of Paul’s letters. But like knowing that Paul is writing from prison and awaiting a trial that has a life and death sentence attached to it and actually, for that matter, knowing that the eventual outcome is the execution of Paul, should make us pay attention. This is a person who’s going to die for what they believe in and what they believe in, is what we find in these letters. This is a person who’s going to die for what they wrote in their letters and not just what they wrote in their letters but what they spoke out loud and what they lived. So, for example, if Paul’s laying out a posture that we are supposed to espouse and live into, he’s not sitting in a dungeon in Rome, thinking about how he can control the Philippians or the Colossians or anybody else. In part, he’s gotta be thinking about what he can say that may live on beyond him. And certainly, these letters of Paul, found in the New Testament, have done just that, lived on beyond him and had enormous impact on the world. So, in our reading today, Paul was talking about our posture toward each other, as brothers and sisters in Christ, children of the most high God, and citizens of God’s kingdom. So, I quote from Paul, “Dear friends, as you always obeyed me when I was with you, it is even more important that you obey me now, while I am away from you. Keep on working with fear and trembling to complete your salvation because God is always at work in you, to make you willing and able to obey His own purpose. Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may be innocent and pure as God’s perfect children, who live in a world of corrupt and sinful people. You must shine among them like stars, lighting up the sky, as you offer them the message of life. If you do so, I shall have reason to be proud of you on the day of Christ because it will show that all my effort and work have not been wasted. Perhaps my life’s blood is to be poured out like an offering on the sacrifice that your faith offers to God. If that is so, I am glad and share my joy with you all. In the same way, you too must be glad and share your joy with me.” And if we’ve read any of Paul’s other letters, we know that there are lists and postures and we can just be like, yeah, I mean, living a straight and narrow life, everybody knows that. But Paul’s not writing these letters to sort of unify behavior for the sake of behavior modification. Like here’s what you’re doing wrong, here’s the gold standard, here’s what you’re not living up to. He’s not really attempting to get people to modify, he’s trying to get people to imitate. This isn’t us by our brute force trying to modify our behavior, like stop complaining. He’s trying to get us to imitate Jesus behavior by not complaining. We’re supposed to be living our lives worthy and set apart as holy. We’re supposed to be living our lives Christlike, like Christ, imitating Christ, which was what he had just previously outlined. And I quote from Paul, about Jesus posture, “He always had the nature of God. But He did not think that by force He should try to remain equal with God. Instead of this, of His own free will, He gave up all he had and took the nature of a servant. He became like a human being and appeared in human likeness. He was humble and walked the path of obedience all the way to death, His death on the cross.” As backward as that is and flies in the face of culture in so many ways, that is what we are supposed to be trying to be like. That is being an imitator, that is being Christ like. And that would have mattered to Paul, who was in prison, awaiting the knowledge of whether he would live or die. Because for Paul, he was imitating Christ, which would change the whole context of his imprisonment. So, as opposed to being a dangerous criminal to the Roman Empire who needed to be in a dungeon and somebody the emperor someday would decide whether he would live or die, Paul could see he was following the path of Jesus and the path of Jesus was leading him right where Jesus ended up. And with that perspective, he could see that he was walking in the footsteps of Jesus and was having to do exactly what Jesus instructed and modeled: endurance. Paul was willing to walk that path and re-model that path, so that all of the brothers and sisters could see what that looked like, because they were facing the same journeys. And the only possible way, it’s worth it, at all, self-sacrifice and even sacrifice of one’s life, the only way it’s worth it, is if Jesus is who He says He is, if Jesus is Lord. Paul unpacks what that looks like, right after he described Jesus posture. So, Paul says for this reason so, because of what Jesus did, God raised Him to the highest place above and gave Him the name that is greater than any other name. And so, in honor of the name of Jesus, all beings in heaven, on earth and in the world below, will fall on their knees and all will openly proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. When we imitate Jesus and that includes endurance, and we find joy in surrender and find our only hope is in God, then we are imitating Jesus, we are imitating God and that completely transforms who we are. And for Paul, this is the highest pursuit, there is no cost too great, even life itself, for Jesus is Lord over life and death. Which ultimately leads us to look at our own lives as the Scriptures so often do, are we imitating Jesus, are we allowing ourselves to be conformed to Him in His image or is Jesus the heavenly being that we talk to, to make our suffering and hardship go away and make our life easier? Are we chasing after the life Christ offers, or are we trying to live the life we want and bring Jesus in it to make it even better? Is God, the God of our story or are we the Lord of our story and God is a part of that story as insurance? Some things to think about today.

Prayer:

And Holy Spirit, we invite You into those things as we move through this day and meditate upon what we’ve read and consider our own hearts postures toward You and toward our brothers and sisters. Are trying to imitate You? Reveal this to us, help us to be observant of ourselves today in our postures toward each other today and our hearts posture toward You today. And then instruct us in the way that we should go. We ask this in the precious name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com that is home, home base, that is where you can find out what’s going on around here, as I mention most every day. The Daily Audio Bible app can be downloaded from the App Store that is connected to your device so, check that out. And of course, while you’re checking out, check out the different sections, like the Community Section of the website or the app, that is certainly where links to different social media channels can be found and where we’re participating. That is also the home of the Prayer Wall, and that is a resource that is exclusive to the community here. We can always have a place to go and pray for each other and always have a place to go and be prayed for. And so, certainly be aware of that. That is in the Community Section of the website and the app.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, thank you, thank you for your partnership, we would not be on this journey, if we were not on this journey together and so thank you, humbly 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 or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that’s it for today. Last day of the month. From here, we move forward into the 10th month of the year, that’s exciting and I’m Brian, I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here, next month.

Prayer and Encouragements:

Hello DAB family this is K from Columbus, Ohio. I was calling to encourage, I’m sorry I didn’t get all the name Testimony from UK. You don’t think you are a great parent. I got to tell you, all of us as parents has failed. Feel like we’re failing, we might be failing today. Sometimes we’re just don’t have enough patience, we’re tired, we’re doing our own thing and then we have to raise kids. So, it’s hard but it’s also hard being a great parent and saying no to your children. It’s okay to say no and it’s okay to discipline them and it’s okay to love them. It’s not like you’re over-loving them. And sometimes you miss the mark. That’s why we stay in prayer, what can I do better about everything in our lives. Apply that to your child. And if you think you need help, get help. There is nothing wrong with that, that’s the best thing you can do is get the help that you need to encourage yourself, your husband and your child. What is it that you need help with? Why do you think you need help? Check with those people around you. Everyone can help. Let the schools help you. If he can’t express himself, maybe he can’t, he’s four. They’re learning to just use their words and stop getting so frustrated. But why are we so frustrated? But get the help. I’m a teacher by the way, so I see it all the time. I teach his age. And I teach the exact same skills that he needs to gain. It’s quite okay and I’m sure it’s even more frustrating for you when you pick him up from school. But it’s going to be okay. Be encouraged. And say prayer for him and be around like minded people who can help you in each and every way and model what it means to be a great parent and to fail at the same time. Love you.

Hey family this is Zina from London. Calling today, the 25th of September. Just calling today, asking for prayers. I lost my niece on the first of September. She’s 26 years old. And it’s been really, really hard for my family, especially my sister, whose daughter just passed. Her name is Jariroo, she lives in Sierra Leone. I traveled to see her, and I just came back two days ago for the funeral. If you can keep everyone in prayer, please. Especially the mom and the dad. My sister is going through a loss of emotional distress right now. And it’s so hard, it’s so painful to watch her go through this. We are also going through the pain but for her it’s a lot more harder because this young person, she was her mom’s friend and daughter and everything. She was just finishing her college; she was in final year, but she passed suddenly. And that was a really big trauma for the whole family. If you can keep us all in prayer, especially the mother, who is my younger sister. She lives in Sierra Leone. Please, thank you. God bless, Zina from London.

Hi DABers all over the world. I’m a first-time caller and this is God’s Gal, Minnesota. I started the Daily Audio Bible in January so I’m new. And I’ve listened to the community, and it just sounds wonderful. Thank you all for just contributing. Just recently I heard, I think it was last week, today is Sunday the 25th of September, last week I heard a caller, call in a female that was incarcerated, in prison, and I had heard a man another time, and I didn’t know that they could listen. So, today I’m praying for all those who are in prison and please join with me. Dear Father, I ask that You lift, be the lifter of their head and help these brothers and sisters that are behind bars or behind walls. Give them hope. Remind them of the promises that You have for them. Remind them too that we all, in a sense, are prisoners really in this world. It’s only when we are with You, Father, that we’ll be free again. Thank You Lord for this community and I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen. Again, it’s God’s Gal, Minnesota. I thank you all DABers, God Bless you. And I’ll be listening and praying for you in between the next calls. Thank you, goodbye.

Hello, Daily Audio Bible family. This is Hanging On from the Western United States. And I’m just calling in for prayer. I have a lot going on recently. I’m processing abuse that happened to me 20+ years ago. And just feeling the weight of that, waiting on the Lord to provide healing and He has. But it’s definitely been a process and I just need prayer for that. I also feel the struggle being over 30 and desiring relationship and marriage and family. But struggling with everything that happened. And just feeling broken and unworthy. So, I would really appreciate prayer.

Hi, this is Genene from Washington. I hope ya’ll are having a good day. And I just wanted to lift up in prayer the gentlemen who called in today on September 26th. And he said he didn’t think he was a Christian but he wanted to be a Christian, but he’s confused. And Lord, I just want to lift up this gentleman Father, who has a heart to want to know You. And Lord, show him, show him what that looks like. God, I pray that You would just help him to reach out to You and know that You will show him step-by-step what it means to be a Christian, what it means to be someone who submits their life to Christ. And seeks to live for You, God. And so, just give him the tools he needs to do that, Father. And I pray that You’d heal those wounds from childhood or from life that maybe kind of blocking his view of God or getting close to you Lord. I know sometimes the enemy can use wounds in our life to give us the wrong view of God. And so, Father, I ask for Your grace and mercy upon this young man. Thank You for his willingness to call in and ask for prayer and I just pray that You would answer those prayers, Father. Just show him Your love, show him Your mercy, show him Your grace and Your kindness, Lord. And we just ask all these things in Your name. Amen. So, thank you for calling in and I just pray that God will help you. Alright, take care.

9/30/2022 DAB Transcript

Isaiah 60:1-62:5, Philippians 1:27-2:18, Psalm 72:1-20, Proverbs 24:11-12

Today is the 30th day of September, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It’s great to be here with you today, as we bring to the close, another one of our months together. So, we’re closing down month nine and tomorrow moving into month 10. And what a joy it is been to be on this adventure thus far, and certainly looking forward to every day we have left to spend in this year together in the Scriptures. So, as we bring this month to a close, we go back to where we left off, which leads us back out into the book of Isaiah. We’ve been camping out in the book of Isaiah for a while. We got a little stretch in front of us. Like, we are at Isaiah chapter 60 today and there are 66 chapters in the book of Isaiah, so we’re rounding a corner. But Isaiah’s one of the longest books in the Bible. That is where we left off yesterday, so, today, Isaiah chapter 60 verse 1 through 62 verse 5.

Commentary:

Okay, so there are a lot of things that if we, sort of understand the context in the letter to the Philippians, they bring out more meaning. In fact, that’s true of all of Paul’s letters. But like knowing that Paul is writing from prison and awaiting a trial that has a life and death sentence attached to it and actually, for that matter, knowing that the eventual outcome is the execution of Paul, should make us pay attention. This is a person who’s going to die for what they believe in and what they believe in, is what we find in these letters. This is a person who’s going to die for what they wrote in their letters and not just what they wrote in their letters but what they spoke out loud and what they lived. So, for example, if Paul’s laying out a posture that we are supposed to espouse and live into, he’s not sitting in a dungeon in Rome, thinking about how he can control the Philippians or the Colossians or anybody else. In part, he’s gotta be thinking about what he can say that may live on beyond him. And certainly, these letters of Paul, found in the New Testament, have done just that, lived on beyond him and had enormous impact on the world. So, in our reading today, Paul was talking about our posture toward each other, as brothers and sisters in Christ, children of the most high God, and citizens of God’s kingdom. So, I quote from Paul, “Dear friends, as you always obeyed me when I was with you, it is even more important that you obey me now, while I am away from you. Keep on working with fear and trembling to complete your salvation because God is always at work in you, to make you willing and able to obey His own purpose. Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may be innocent and pure as God’s perfect children, who live in a world of corrupt and sinful people. You must shine among them like stars, lighting up the sky, as you offer them the message of life. If you do so, I shall have reason to be proud of you on the day of Christ because it will show that all my effort and work have not been wasted. Perhaps my life’s blood is to be poured out like an offering on the sacrifice that your faith offers to God. If that is so, I am glad and share my joy with you all. In the same way, you too must be glad and share your joy with me.” And if we’ve read any of Paul’s other letters, we know that there are lists and postures and we can just be like, yeah, I mean, living a straight and narrow life, everybody knows that. But Paul’s not writing these letters to sort of unify behavior for the sake of behavior modification. Like here’s what you’re doing wrong, here’s the gold standard, here’s what you’re not living up to. He’s not really attempting to get people to modify, he’s trying to get people to imitate. This isn’t us by our brute force trying to modify our behavior, like stop complaining. He’s trying to get us to imitate Jesus behavior by not complaining. We’re supposed to be living our lives worthy and set apart as holy. We’re supposed to be living our lives Christlike, like Christ, imitating Christ, which was what he had just previously outlined. And I quote from Paul, about Jesus posture, “He always had the nature of God. But He did not think that by force He should try to remain equal with God. Instead of this, of His own free will, He gave up all he had and took the nature of a servant. He became like a human being and appeared in human likeness. He was humble and walked the path of obedience all the way to death, His death on the cross.” As backward as that is and flies in the face of culture in so many ways, that is what we are supposed to be trying to be like. That is being an imitator, that is being Christ like. And that would have mattered to Paul, who was in prison, awaiting the knowledge of whether he would live or die. Because for Paul, he was imitating Christ, which would change the whole context of his imprisonment. So, as opposed to being a dangerous criminal to the Roman Empire who needed to be in a dungeon and somebody the emperor someday would decide whether he would live or die, Paul could see he was following the path of Jesus and the path of Jesus was leading him right where Jesus ended up. And with that perspective, he could see that he was walking in the footsteps of Jesus and was having to do exactly what Jesus instructed and modeled: endurance. Paul was willing to walk that path and re-model that path, so that all of the brothers and sisters could see what that looked like, because they were facing the same journeys. And the only possible way, it’s worth it, at all, self-sacrifice and even sacrifice of one’s life, the only way it’s worth it, is if Jesus is who He says He is, if Jesus is Lord. Paul unpacks what that looks like, right after he described Jesus posture. So, Paul says for this reason so, because of what Jesus did, God raised Him to the highest place above and gave Him the name that is greater than any other name. And so, in honor of the name of Jesus, all beings in heaven, on earth and in the world below, will fall on their knees and all will openly proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. When we imitate Jesus and that includes endurance, and we find joy in surrender and find our only hope is in God, then we are imitating Jesus, we are imitating God and that completely transforms who we are. And for Paul, this is the highest pursuit, there is no cost too great, even life itself, for Jesus is Lord over life and death. Which ultimately leads us to look at our own lives as the Scriptures so often do, are we imitating Jesus, are we allowing ourselves to be conformed to Him in His image or is Jesus the heavenly being that we talk to, to make our suffering and hardship go away and make our life easier? Are we chasing after the life Christ offers, or are we trying to live the life we want and bring Jesus in it to make it even better? Is God, the God of our story or are we the Lord of our story and God is a part of that story as insurance? Some things to think about today.

Prayer:

And Holy Spirit, we invite You into those things as we move through this day and meditate upon what we’ve read and consider our own hearts postures toward You and toward our brothers and sisters. Are trying to imitate You? Reveal this to us, help us to be observant of ourselves today in our postures toward each other today and our hearts posture toward You today. And then instruct us in the way that we should go. We ask this in the precious name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com that is home, home base, that is where you can find out what’s going on around here, as I mention most every day. The Daily Audio Bible app can be downloaded from the App Store that is connected to your device so, check that out. And of course, while you’re checking out, check out the different sections, like the Community Section of the website or the app, that is certainly where links to different social media channels can be found and where we’re participating. That is also the home of the Prayer Wall, and that is a resource that is exclusive to the community here. We can always have a place to go and pray for each other and always have a place to go and be prayed for. And so, certainly be aware of that. That is in the Community Section of the website and the app.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, thank you, thank you for your partnership, we would not be on this journey, if we were not on this journey together and so thank you, humbly 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 or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that’s it for today. Last day of the month. From here, we move forward into the 10th month of the year, that’s exciting and I’m Brian, I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here, next month.

Prayer and Encouragements:

Hello DAB family this is K from Columbus, Ohio. I was calling to encourage, I’m sorry I didn’t get all the name Testimony from UK. You don’t think you are a great parent. I got to tell you, all of us as parents has failed. Feel like we’re failing, we might be failing today. Sometimes we’re just don’t have enough patience, we’re tired, we’re doing our own thing and then we have to raise kids. So, it’s hard but it’s also hard being a great parent and saying no to your children. It’s okay to say no and it’s okay to discipline them and it’s okay to love them. It’s not like you’re over-loving them. And sometimes you miss the mark. That’s why we stay in prayer, what can I do better about everything in our lives. Apply that to your child. And if you think you need help, get help. There is nothing wrong with that, that’s the best thing you can do is get the help that you need to encourage yourself, your husband and your child. What is it that you need help with? Why do you think you need help? Check with those people around you. Everyone can help. Let the schools help you. If he can’t express himself, maybe he can’t, he’s four. They’re learning to just use their words and stop getting so frustrated. But why are we so frustrated? But get the help. I’m a teacher by the way, so I see it all the time. I teach his age. And I teach the exact same skills that he needs to gain. It’s quite okay and I’m sure it’s even more frustrating for you when you pick him up from school. But it’s going to be okay. Be encouraged. And say prayer for him and be around like minded people who can help you in each and every way and model what it means to be a great parent and to fail at the same time. Love you.

Hey family this is Zina from London. Calling today, the 25th of September. Just calling today, asking for prayers. I lost my niece on the first of September. She’s 26 years old. And it’s been really, really hard for my family, especially my sister, whose daughter just passed. Her name is Jariroo, she lives in Sierra Leone. I traveled to see her, and I just came back two days ago for the funeral. If you can keep everyone in prayer, please. Especially the mom and the dad. My sister is going through a loss of emotional distress right now. And it’s so hard, it’s so painful to watch her go through this. We are also going through the pain but for her it’s a lot more harder because this young person, she was her mom’s friend and daughter and everything. She was just finishing her college; she was in final year, but she passed suddenly. And that was a really big trauma for the whole family. If you can keep us all in prayer, especially the mother, who is my younger sister. She lives in Sierra Leone. Please, thank you. God bless, Zina from London.

Hi DABers all over the world. I’m a first-time caller and this is God’s Gal, Minnesota. I started the Daily Audio Bible in January so I’m new. And I’ve listened to the community, and it just sounds wonderful. Thank you all for just contributing. Just recently I heard, I think it was last week, today is Sunday the 25th of September, last week I heard a caller, call in a female that was incarcerated, in prison, and I had heard a man another time, and I didn’t know that they could listen. So, today I’m praying for all those who are in prison and please join with me. Dear Father, I ask that You lift, be the lifter of their head and help these brothers and sisters that are behind bars or behind walls. Give them hope. Remind them of the promises that You have for them. Remind them too that we all, in a sense, are prisoners really in this world. It’s only when we are with You, Father, that we’ll be free again. Thank You Lord for this community and I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen. Again, it’s God’s Gal, Minnesota. I thank you all DABers, God Bless you. And I’ll be listening and praying for you in between the next calls. Thank you, goodbye.

Hello, Daily Audio Bible family. This is Hanging On from the Western United States. And I’m just calling in for prayer. I have a lot going on recently. I’m processing abuse that happened to me 20+ years ago. And just feeling the weight of that, waiting on the Lord to provide healing and He has. But it’s definitely been a process and I just need prayer for that. I also feel the struggle being over 30 and desiring relationship and marriage and family. But struggling with everything that happened. And just feeling broken and unworthy. So, I would really appreciate prayer.

Hi, this is Genene from Washington. I hope ya’ll are having a good day. And I just wanted to lift up in prayer the gentlemen who called in today on September 26th. And he said he didn’t think he was a Christian but he wanted to be a Christian, but he’s confused. And Lord, I just want to lift up this gentleman Father, who has a heart to want to know You. And Lord, show him, show him what that looks like. God, I pray that You would just help him to reach out to You and know that You will show him step-by-step what it means to be a Christian, what it means to be someone who submits their life to Christ. And seeks to live for You, God. And so, just give him the tools he needs to do that, Father. And I pray that You’d heal those wounds from childhood or from life that maybe kind of blocking his view of God or getting close to you Lord. I know sometimes the enemy can use wounds in our life to give us the wrong view of God. And so, Father, I ask for Your grace and mercy upon this young man. Thank You for his willingness to call in and ask for prayer and I just pray that You would answer those prayers, Father. Just show him Your love, show him Your mercy, show him Your grace and Your kindness, Lord. And we just ask all these things in Your name. Amen. So, thank you for calling in and I just pray that God will help you. Alright, take care.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Friday September 30, 2022 (NIV)

Isaiah 60:1-62:5

The Future Glory of Jerusalem

60 Arise, Jerusalem, and shine like the sun;
The glory of the Lord is shining on you!
Other nations will be covered by darkness,
But on you the light of the Lord will shine;
The brightness of his presence will be with you.
Nations will be drawn to your light,
And kings to the dawning of your new day.

(A)Look around you and see what is happening:
Your people are gathering to come home!
Your sons will come from far away;
Your daughters will be carried like children.
You will see this and be filled with joy;
You will tremble with excitement.
The wealth of the nations will be brought to you;
From across the sea their riches will come.

Great caravans of camels will come, from Midian and Ephah.
They will come from Sheba, bringing gold and incense.
People will tell the good news of what the Lord has done!
All the sheep of Kedar and Nebaioth
Will be brought to you as sacrifices
And offered on the altar to please the Lord.
The Lord will make his Temple more glorious than ever.

What are these ships that skim along like clouds,
Like doves returning home?
They are ships coming from distant lands,
Bringing God's people home.
They bring with them silver and gold
To honor the name of the Lord,
The holy God of Israel,
Who has made all nations honor his people.

10 The Lord says to Jerusalem,

“Foreigners will rebuild your walls,
And their kings will serve you.
In my anger I punished you,
But now I will show you my favor and mercy.
11 (B)Day and night your gates will be open,
So that the kings of the nations
May bring you their wealth.
12 But nations that do not serve you
Will be completely destroyed.

13 “The wood of the pine, the juniper, and the cypress,
The finest wood from the forests of Lebanon,
Will be brought to rebuild you, Jerusalem,
To make my Temple beautiful,
To make my city glorious.
14 (C)The descendants of those who oppressed you will come
And bow low to show their respect.
All who once despised you will worship at your feet.
They will call you ‘The City of the Lord,’
‘Zion, the City of Israel's Holy God.’

15 “You will no longer be forsaken and hated,
A city deserted and desolate.
I will make you great and beautiful,
A place of joy forever and ever.
16 Nations and kings will care for you
As a mother nurses her child.
You will know that I, the Lord, have saved you,
That the mighty God of Israel sets you free.

17 “I will bring you gold instead of bronze,
Silver and bronze instead of iron and wood,
And iron instead of stone.
Your rulers will no longer oppress you;
I will make them rule with justice and peace.
18 The sounds of violence will be heard no more;
Destruction will not shatter your country again.
I will protect and defend you like a wall;
You will praise me because I have saved you.

19 (D)“No longer will the sun be your light by day
Or the moon be your light by night;
I, the Lord, will be your eternal light;
The light of my glory will shine on you.
20 Your days of grief will come to an end.
I, the Lord, will be your eternal light,
More lasting than the sun and moon.
21 Your people will all do what is right,
And will possess the land forever.
I planted them, I made them,
To reveal my greatness to all.
22 Even your smallest and humblest family
Will become as great as a powerful nation.
When the right time comes,
I will make this happen quickly.
I am the Lord!”

The Good News of Deliverance

61 (E)The Sovereign Lord has filled me with his Spirit.
He has chosen me and sent me
To bring good news to the poor,
To heal the broken-hearted,
To announce release to captives
And freedom to those in prison.
(F)He has sent me to proclaim
That the time has come
When the Lord will save his people
And defeat their enemies.
He has sent me to comfort all who mourn,
To give to those who mourn in Zion
Joy and gladness instead of grief,
A song of praise instead of sorrow.
They will be like trees
That the Lord himself has planted.
They will all do what is right,
And God will be praised for what he has done.
They will rebuild cities that have long been in ruins.

My people, foreigners will serve you.
They will take care of your flocks
And farm your land and tend your vineyards.
And you will be known as the priests of the Lord,
The servants of our God.
You will enjoy the wealth of the nations
And be proud that it is yours.
Your shame and disgrace are ended.
You will live in your own land,
And your wealth will be doubled;
Your joy will last forever.

The Lord says,

“I love justice and I hate oppression and crime.
I will faithfully reward my people
And make an eternal covenant with them.
They will be famous among the nations;
Everyone who sees them will know
That they are a people whom I have blessed.”

10 (G)Jerusalem rejoices because of what the Lord has done.
She is like a bride dressed for her wedding.
God has clothed her with salvation and victory.
11 As surely as seeds sprout and grow,
The Sovereign Lord will save his people,
And all the nations will praise him.

62 I will speak out to encourage Jerusalem;
I will not be silent until she is saved,
And her victory shines like a torch in the night.
Jerusalem, the nations will see you victorious!
All their kings will see your glory.
You will be called by a new name,
A name given by the Lord himself.
You will be like a beautiful crown for the Lord.
No longer will you be called “Forsaken,”
Or your land be called “The Deserted Wife.”
Your new name will be “God Is Pleased with Her.”
Your land will be called “Happily Married,”
Because the Lord is pleased with you
And will be like a husband to your land.
Like a young man taking a virgin as his bride,
He who formed you will marry you.
As a groom is delighted with his bride,
So your God will delight in you.

Good News Translation (GNT)

Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.

Philippians 1:27-2:18

27 Now, the important thing is that your way of life should be as the gospel of Christ requires, so that, whether or not I am able to go and see you, I will hear that you are standing firm with one common purpose and that with only one desire you are fighting together for the faith of the gospel. 28 Don't be afraid of your enemies; always be courageous, and this will prove to them that they will lose and that you will win, because it is God who gives you the victory. 29 For you have been given the privilege of serving Christ, not only by believing in him, but also by suffering for him. 30 (A)Now you can take part with me in the battle. It is the same battle you saw me fighting in the past, and as you hear, the one I am fighting still.

Christ's Humility and Greatness

Your life in Christ makes you strong, and his love comforts you. You have fellowship with the Spirit,[a] and you have kindness and compassion for one another. I urge you, then, to make me completely happy by having the same thoughts, sharing the same love, and being one in soul and mind. Don't do anything from selfish ambition or from a cheap desire to boast, but be humble toward one another, always considering others better than yourselves. And look out for one another's interests, not just for your own. The attitude you should have is the one that Christ Jesus had:

He always had the nature of God,
but he did not think that by force he should try to remain[b] equal with God.
Instead of this, of his own free will he gave up all he had,
and took the nature of a servant.
He became like a human being
and appeared in human likeness.
He was humble and walked the path of obedience all the way to death—
his death on the cross.
For this reason God raised him to the highest place above
and gave him the name that is greater than any other name.
10 (B)And so, in honor of the name of Jesus
all beings in heaven, on earth, and in the world below[c]
will fall on their knees,
11 and all will openly proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Shining as Lights in the World

12 So then, dear friends, as you always obeyed me when I was with you, it is even more important that you obey me now while I am away from you. Keep on working with fear and trembling to complete your salvation, 13 because God is always at work in you to make you willing and able to obey his own purpose.

14 Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15 (C)so that you may be innocent and pure as God's perfect children, who live in a world of corrupt and sinful people. You must shine among them like stars lighting up the sky, 16 as you offer them the message of life. If you do so, I shall have reason to be proud of you on the Day of Christ, because it will show that all my effort and work have not been wasted.

17 Perhaps my life's blood is to be poured out like an offering on the sacrifice that your faith offers to God. If that is so, I am glad and share my joy with you all. 18 In the same way, you too must be glad and share your joy with me.

Footnotes:

  1. Philippians 2:1 You have fellowship with the Spirit; or The Spirit has brought you into fellowship with one another.
  2. Philippians 2:6 remain; or become.
  3. Philippians 2:10 It was thought that the dead continued to exist in a dark world under the ground.
Good News Translation (GNT)

Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.

Psalm 72

A Prayer for the King[a]

72 Teach the king to judge with your righteousness, O God;
share with him your own justice,
so that he will rule over your people with justice
and govern the oppressed with righteousness.
May the land enjoy prosperity;
may it experience righteousness.
May the king judge the poor fairly;
may he help the needy
and defeat their oppressors.
May your people worship you as long as the sun shines,
as long as the moon gives light, for ages to come.

May the king be like rain on the fields,
like showers falling on the land.
May righteousness flourish in his lifetime,
and may prosperity last as long as the moon gives light.

(A)His kingdom will reach from sea to sea,
from the Euphrates to the ends of the earth.
The peoples of the desert will bow down before him;
his enemies will throw themselves to the ground.
10 The kings of Spain and of the islands will offer him gifts;
the kings of Sheba and Seba[b] will bring him offerings.
11 All kings will bow down before him;
all nations will serve him.

12 He rescues the poor who call to him,
and those who are needy and neglected.
13 He has pity on the weak and poor;
he saves the lives of those in need.
14 He rescues them from oppression and violence;
their lives are precious to him.

15 Long live the king!
May he be given gold from Sheba;[c]
may prayers be said for him at all times;
may God's blessings be on him always!
16 May there be plenty of grain in the land;
may the hills be covered with crops,
as fruitful as those of Lebanon.
May the cities be filled with people,
like fields full of grass.
17 May the king's name never be forgotten;
may his fame last as long as the sun.
May all nations ask God to bless them
as he has blessed the king.[d]

18 Praise the Lord, the God of Israel!
He alone does these wonderful things.
19 Praise his glorious name forever!
May his glory fill the whole world.

Amen! Amen!

20 This is the end of the prayers of David son of Jesse.

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 72:1 HEBREW TITLE: By Solomon.
  2. Psalm 72:10 Sheba was toward the south in Arabia and Seba was on the opposite side of the Red Sea.
  3. Psalm 72:15 See 72.10.
  4. Psalm 72:17 as he has blessed the king; or and may they wish happiness for the king.

Cross references:

  1. Psalm 72:8 : Zech 9:10; Sir 44:21
Good News Translation (GNT)

Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.

Proverbs 24:11-12

-25-

11 Don't hesitate to rescue someone who is about to be executed unjustly. 12 You may say that it is none of your business, but God knows and judges your motives. He keeps watch on you; he knows. And he will reward you according to what you do.

Good News Translation (GNT)

Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.

09/29/2022 DAB Transcript

Isaiah 57:15-59:21, Philippians 1:1-26, Psalms 71:1-24, Proverbs 24:9-10

Today is the 29th day of September, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian and it is wonderful to be here with you today as we gather and take the next step forward together, which is what we do every day. And what a beautiful rhythm it is. We can always look forward to being back together the next day. And, so, we’ve been working our way through the book of Isaiah. We still have a little ways to go. We’re most of the way through, but a little ways to go. And, so, we will continue that journey. We’ve been reading from the Good News Translation this week, which is what we’ll continue to do this week. So, today Isaiah chapter 57 verse 15 through 59 verse 21.

Introduction to Philippians:

Okay. So, yesterday we concluded in our New Testament reading the letter to the Ephesians and we did a little reflection, looking back at what Ephesians was telling us in these grand views of the gospel, these grand views of what it…what the implications are to our own lives. And, so, now as we continue our journey through the New Testament today, we’re opening the letter to the Philippians, another of Paul’s letters. And as I have mentioned before, there’s like not very many things in the Scriptures that haven’t been debated by scholars along the way over thousands of years. And this touches the letters of Paul as well, whether all of them were actually written by Paul or some of them maybe have…may have been written later in Paul’s name. But following along with what Paul taught and for all of the tools that are available to the historian or the linguist or the textual critic or theologian so many things boil down to the best scholarly assumption that can be made and what can and cannot said. But there are letters of Paul that are…that have consensus generally and are undisputed and Philippians is one of them. And when I say disputed, I don’t mean like disputed like it belongs in the Bible or that it speaks truth. I’m talking about when, where, how, who. Some of these things we don’t know for sure. What we do have is the gift of the Scriptures to inform and transform our lives and the apostle Paul has certainly helped shape the way we look at our faith. But when it comes to the letter to the Philippians, we believe Paul authored this letter. We believe Paul was incarcerated in prison in Rome when he wrote it. We believe it is one of the earliest Christian documents that have been preserved. For example, the letter to the Philippians would’ve been written before the Gospels or the book of Acts. So, it’s a very early Christian document. We know that Philippi where this letter was written to the Philippians in Philippi were in the Roman Empire. It was a Roman colony in the region of Macedonia which is now today northern Greece. Philippi was a prosperous city in the Roman Empire but the church in Philippi wasn’t wealthy. They were rich in other ways, though - rich in love, rich in their concern for Paul. And Paul acknowledges and expresses gratitude for this. The brothers and sisters in the congregation in Philippi knew that Paul was in prison, and they sent one of their members named Epaphroditus all the way to Rome to find out how Paul was getting along and how he was doing and to bring resources, to bring a gift from the congregation to encourage him. And it did. Paul was overjoyed and Epaphroditus stayed a long-time serving Paul while he was under arrest. And while he was with Paul, he became deathly ill, nearly died, but God did restore them back to health. And, so, Paul was determined to send Epaphroditus back to Philippi carrying this letter, which is a personal greeting and shares of his personal circumstances. But the letter isn’t just like, hey thanks for sending Epaphroditus. He almost died, but God restored him to health. Thank you for the gift. I love you guys. Hope to see you soon. Love Paul. Like he has more going on here. Paul speaks of the joy of our salvation in the letter to the Philippians. And if we’ve been in a dry season or just trying to find our joy again, we can drink deeply from Paul’s letter knowing that he’s writing this while he is awaiting a life and death sentence. And, so, knowing that, famous passages that are found in Philippians like, “we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us” can have a deeper meaning. The world has been a crazy place all along. We see some crazy times in the Bible. And, so, we can look at our world and go it’s never been more crazy than this, but it’s been crazy all along. And, so, we…we live in times of uncertainty at all times and Philippians helps us to rejoice in what is certain, and where true hope and where true joy can be found, which is in Christ alone. And, so, we begin. Philippians chapter 1 verses 1 through 26 today.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word. We thank You for this brand-new territory that we are moving into, the letter to the Philippians. And we confess Lord, there are dry seasons where we can’t seem to remember where we laid our joy down. And, so, we’re having a hard time retracing our steps to find where we lost it. May this letter compel us to rejoice in the joy of our salvation. We love You. We cling to You. You alone are God. You are the only one who can rescue us. You are the only one that knows the way to life. And, so, Holy Spirit come and lead us, we pray. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com. That is home base, it is where you find out what’s going on around here. Alternatively, the Daily Audio Bible app puts that in the palm of your hand. And you can download the app free from whatever app store is connected to your device. So, check that out.

And as I say often, check out the different sections. Check out the Daily Audio Bible Shop. Check out the Community section. Get connected in any way that you can or in any way that you want to.

And if you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com as well or in the app by pushing the give button in the upper right-hand corner. So, if the mission to bring the spoken word of God read fresh every day and offered freely to whoever may encounter it wherever they may be whatever time of day or night it may be, and to build community around this rhythm of showing up around the Global Campfire every day, if that is life and good news to you then thank you for your partnership. Like I said, there is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app you can press to 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 and you can hit that Hotline button from wherever you may be in the world or there are a number of numbers that you can dial if you want to be old-school and dial in on the phone. In the Americas 877-942-4253 is the number to call. In the UK or Europe 44-20-3608-8078 is the number to call. And if you are in Australia or that part of the world 61-3-8820-5459 is the number to call.

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:

This is Saved by His Grace and happy valley and I’m listening to today’s podcast and a woman has just called in named My Heart Belongs to Jesus and I have to say of all the people who call in your name fits you perfectly because of your wonderful prayer for your husband’s uncle who sounds like a person who is beyond redemption. He’s hurt people all of his life including your own daughter and yet you are concerned that he’s been injured and is dying and doesn’t know Christ and you want him to know Christ. You definitely are a part of the body of Christ my friend and I will join you in prayer for your husband’s uncle and for all of those whose lives he has harmed and for your husband’s family. Your heart for them and your concern for their eternal lives humbles me when I have trouble forgiving others. Thank you for your call. May God bless you richly and I will join you in prayer. God bless you. Bye.

Hey this is Jane Truth from Nebraska and I wanted to share something with you. Back when I was at Rivercrest Bible Camp in Fremont NE I had a counselor at camp and I went there from when I was like 9 years old until, I don’t know, somewhere into my teen years and one of the counselors had sat down with each one of us girls that were in her cabin and had given us a life verse. And she gave me the verse John 16:13. But when He the spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own. He will speak only what He hears end He will tell you what is yet to come. Now an interesting thing that has happened since I realize how important that verse was in my life is that I’ve been realizing that since I’ve been at the Daily Audio Bible that I have the mind of Christ. Now I did a lot of drugs, and I did a lot of alcohol and I did a lot of stupid things but one of the verses that has become really important to me is that I have the mind of Christ. And I keep thinking about how important the word of God has been in my life and the idea of truth and the word of God. And I think about how amazing it is that we each have the truth in the word of God. And this is so profound that everyone of us have the truth of God. Think about that people. Amazing.

Good day DAB family this is Mark from New Hampshire. It’s been almost two years since I last called in when I asked for prayer for my grandson Ezekiel Alexander who was born having seizures. I wanna let you know that he’s a month away from two years old and he’s perfect. The cat scans or MRIs showed that he had lost one sixth of his brain capacity because of a stroke at birth. And I know because of all your prayers that God healed him. He is perfect in every way. He has a beautiful personality and a great sense of humor. He’s at or beyond everything that he needs to be for his age and it’s just a miracle that after having such a traumatic brain injury during birth that he could be just such a perfect and wonderful young man and a young boy. And I know that God did this, and I know that you all prayed that. And, so, I want to thank you all so much. I am especially asking though at this moment prayer for my sister who was struck by a truck when she was crossing the street. She has some brain bleeds and is in critical care and I want to ask you to pray for her as you did with my grandson, that God would heal her injuries and that there would be no lasting effect. I want to thank you so much. I want to let you know how much I appreciate this ministry and all of your prayers and that my wife and I pray for you all every day. Thank you so much.

Hey listeners it’s __. My daughters going through some of the same issues. She’s been trying to have kids. Can’t. But I know that she would make a great mother and I know that for a fact. You don’t have to prove anything to anybody. All you gotta prove to is God. And you know that you would be a good mother. So, just walk in there with her your held high and answer the questions like you know you would. Don’t let it bother you that you have to prove yourself to them. We all have to prove ourselves at some point in time in our life. And it’s not right that we have to do that but just keep your head up. I know you're…you’re a good…you’d be a good mother. My daughter would be a great mother. So just keep…I’ll keep praying for you. Keep praying about it and God will find a way and push it through for you. Just don’t let it put so much stress on you that…that…that you can’t handle it. Just kind of…I don’t know…pull it off your back. Put it on God. He’ll take care of it. I promise you that. You just give it to Him. I’ve lived it and I’ve seen it. Just don’t give up. You’ll get there.

Good morning this is Sue from Bullet Texas. I’m a first-time caller been listening for a long time, and I love listening to the prayer requests and the prayers that y'all offer and ask for. I’m calling today to ask for prayer for my best friend Cindy who four years ago lost her husband suddenly. And having walked through that, two months ago her daughter, son-in-law, and one of her grandsons were killed in a very tragic car accident. Cindy is now raising her six-year-old grandson who survived some traumatic injuries in the same accident and they’re having the memorial this week for the three family members that they lost. So, I ask for prayer for Cindy as she walks through this grief again and her whole family as they go this week to honor those that they lost. I also ask for strength for her as she takes on the task with joy and some fear of raising a 6-year-old in her 60s. So, that’s not going to be easy, but she has so much love for him, and I know she can do it. But I just ask for prayers for her at this time. I’m also asking for prayers for my daughter who just lost a baby yesterday in a miscarriage. Her name’s Bailey. Thank you.

Good morning DAB family it is Sunday September 25th. I just heard Renzo’s plea for some prayer. He’s graduating from high school this coming May and his desire is to be a Christian rap artist. Renzo I’ve heard you several times. I love hearing your sweet voice. I love hearing any young person who loves the Lord and is in this community. It just really warms my heart when I hear you and I certainly am praying for you and your success in the rap music delivery of God’s word because I’m quite sure you’d be very successful. Regardless, I love the fact that it’s in your heart to do this. I just I have a warm spot for young people who love the Lord. My own daughter who’s 34 is not a believer and I pray daily that someone will cross her path that will bring her to Christ and that she does see me as a good example of someone who led a wild and crazy life and has turned to Christ. I also am praying for you Val in Vegas. And I so understand your shoulder pain. I’ve been there. And, so, I’ve been meaning to call in and pray for you for a few days now and I just heard Renzo and I said OK I just gotta call. So, I love this community. I pray for you all all the time. There are so many that I’m praying for right now. I can’t name all the names. I do write them down though and you’re always in my prayers. I love you DAB family and Hardin family. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

09/29/2022 DAB Transcript

Isaiah 57:15-59:21, Philippians 1:1-26, Psalms 71:1-24, Proverbs 24:9-10

Today is the 29th day of September, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian and it is wonderful to be here with you today as we gather and take the next step forward together, which is what we do every day. And what a beautiful rhythm it is. We can always look forward to being back together the next day. And, so, we’ve been working our way through the book of Isaiah. We still have a little ways to go. We’re most of the way through, but a little ways to go. And, so, we will continue that journey. We’ve been reading from the Good News Translation this week, which is what we’ll continue to do this week. So, today Isaiah chapter 57 verse 15 through 59 verse 21.

Introduction to Philippians:

Okay. So, yesterday we concluded in our New Testament reading the letter to the Ephesians and we did a little reflection, looking back at what Ephesians was telling us in these grand views of the gospel, these grand views of what it…what the implications are to our own lives. And, so, now as we continue our journey through the New Testament today, we’re opening the letter to the Philippians, another of Paul’s letters. And as I have mentioned before, there’s like not very many things in the Scriptures that haven’t been debated by scholars along the way over thousands of years. And this touches the letters of Paul as well, whether all of them were actually written by Paul or some of them maybe have…may have been written later in Paul’s name. But following along with what Paul taught and for all of the tools that are available to the historian or the linguist or the textual critic or theologian so many things boil down to the best scholarly assumption that can be made and what can and cannot said. But there are letters of Paul that are…that have consensus generally and are undisputed and Philippians is one of them. And when I say disputed, I don’t mean like disputed like it belongs in the Bible or that it speaks truth. I’m talking about when, where, how, who. Some of these things we don’t know for sure. What we do have is the gift of the Scriptures to inform and transform our lives and the apostle Paul has certainly helped shape the way we look at our faith. But when it comes to the letter to the Philippians, we believe Paul authored this letter. We believe Paul was incarcerated in prison in Rome when he wrote it. We believe it is one of the earliest Christian documents that have been preserved. For example, the letter to the Philippians would’ve been written before the Gospels or the book of Acts. So, it’s a very early Christian document. We know that Philippi where this letter was written to the Philippians in Philippi were in the Roman Empire. It was a Roman colony in the region of Macedonia which is now today northern Greece. Philippi was a prosperous city in the Roman Empire but the church in Philippi wasn’t wealthy. They were rich in other ways, though - rich in love, rich in their concern for Paul. And Paul acknowledges and expresses gratitude for this. The brothers and sisters in the congregation in Philippi knew that Paul was in prison, and they sent one of their members named Epaphroditus all the way to Rome to find out how Paul was getting along and how he was doing and to bring resources, to bring a gift from the congregation to encourage him. And it did. Paul was overjoyed and Epaphroditus stayed a long-time serving Paul while he was under arrest. And while he was with Paul, he became deathly ill, nearly died, but God did restore them back to health. And, so, Paul was determined to send Epaphroditus back to Philippi carrying this letter, which is a personal greeting and shares of his personal circumstances. But the letter isn’t just like, hey thanks for sending Epaphroditus. He almost died, but God restored him to health. Thank you for the gift. I love you guys. Hope to see you soon. Love Paul. Like he has more going on here. Paul speaks of the joy of our salvation in the letter to the Philippians. And if we’ve been in a dry season or just trying to find our joy again, we can drink deeply from Paul’s letter knowing that he’s writing this while he is awaiting a life and death sentence. And, so, knowing that, famous passages that are found in Philippians like, “we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us” can have a deeper meaning. The world has been a crazy place all along. We see some crazy times in the Bible. And, so, we can look at our world and go it’s never been more crazy than this, but it’s been crazy all along. And, so, we…we live in times of uncertainty at all times and Philippians helps us to rejoice in what is certain, and where true hope and where true joy can be found, which is in Christ alone. And, so, we begin. Philippians chapter 1 verses 1 through 26 today.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word. We thank You for this brand-new territory that we are moving into, the letter to the Philippians. And we confess Lord, there are dry seasons where we can’t seem to remember where we laid our joy down. And, so, we’re having a hard time retracing our steps to find where we lost it. May this letter compel us to rejoice in the joy of our salvation. We love You. We cling to You. You alone are God. You are the only one who can rescue us. You are the only one that knows the way to life. And, so, Holy Spirit come and lead us, we pray. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com. That is home base, it is where you find out what’s going on around here. Alternatively, the Daily Audio Bible app puts that in the palm of your hand. And you can download the app free from whatever app store is connected to your device. So, check that out.

And as I say often, check out the different sections. Check out the Daily Audio Bible Shop. Check out the Community section. Get connected in any way that you can or in any way that you want to.

And if you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com as well or in the app by pushing the give button in the upper right-hand corner. So, if the mission to bring the spoken word of God read fresh every day and offered freely to whoever may encounter it wherever they may be whatever time of day or night it may be, and to build community around this rhythm of showing up around the Global Campfire every day, if that is life and good news to you then thank you for your partnership. Like I said, there is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app you can press to 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 and you can hit that Hotline button from wherever you may be in the world or there are a number of numbers that you can dial if you want to be old-school and dial in on the phone. In the Americas 877-942-4253 is the number to call. In the UK or Europe 44-20-3608-8078 is the number to call. And if you are in Australia or that part of the world 61-3-8820-5459 is the number to call.

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:

This is Saved by His Grace and happy valley and I’m listening to today’s podcast and a woman has just called in named My Heart Belongs to Jesus and I have to say of all the people who call in your name fits you perfectly because of your wonderful prayer for your husband’s uncle who sounds like a person who is beyond redemption. He’s hurt people all of his life including your own daughter and yet you are concerned that he’s been injured and is dying and doesn’t know Christ and you want him to know Christ. You definitely are a part of the body of Christ my friend and I will join you in prayer for your husband’s uncle and for all of those whose lives he has harmed and for your husband’s family. Your heart for them and your concern for their eternal lives humbles me when I have trouble forgiving others. Thank you for your call. May God bless you richly and I will join you in prayer. God bless you. Bye.

Hey this is Jane Truth from Nebraska and I wanted to share something with you. Back when I was at Rivercrest Bible Camp in Fremont NE I had a counselor at camp and I went there from when I was like 9 years old until, I don’t know, somewhere into my teen years and one of the counselors had sat down with each one of us girls that were in her cabin and had given us a life verse. And she gave me the verse John 16:13. But when He the spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own. He will speak only what He hears end He will tell you what is yet to come. Now an interesting thing that has happened since I realize how important that verse was in my life is that I’ve been realizing that since I’ve been at the Daily Audio Bible that I have the mind of Christ. Now I did a lot of drugs, and I did a lot of alcohol and I did a lot of stupid things but one of the verses that has become really important to me is that I have the mind of Christ. And I keep thinking about how important the word of God has been in my life and the idea of truth and the word of God. And I think about how amazing it is that we each have the truth in the word of God. And this is so profound that everyone of us have the truth of God. Think about that people. Amazing.

Good day DAB family this is Mark from New Hampshire. It’s been almost two years since I last called in when I asked for prayer for my grandson Ezekiel Alexander who was born having seizures. I wanna let you know that he’s a month away from two years old and he’s perfect. The cat scans or MRIs showed that he had lost one sixth of his brain capacity because of a stroke at birth. And I know because of all your prayers that God healed him. He is perfect in every way. He has a beautiful personality and a great sense of humor. He’s at or beyond everything that he needs to be for his age and it’s just a miracle that after having such a traumatic brain injury during birth that he could be just such a perfect and wonderful young man and a young boy. And I know that God did this, and I know that you all prayed that. And, so, I want to thank you all so much. I am especially asking though at this moment prayer for my sister who was struck by a truck when she was crossing the street. She has some brain bleeds and is in critical care and I want to ask you to pray for her as you did with my grandson, that God would heal her injuries and that there would be no lasting effect. I want to thank you so much. I want to let you know how much I appreciate this ministry and all of your prayers and that my wife and I pray for you all every day. Thank you so much.

Hey listeners it’s __. My daughters going through some of the same issues. She’s been trying to have kids. Can’t. But I know that she would make a great mother and I know that for a fact. You don’t have to prove anything to anybody. All you gotta prove to is God. And you know that you would be a good mother. So, just walk in there with her your held high and answer the questions like you know you would. Don’t let it bother you that you have to prove yourself to them. We all have to prove ourselves at some point in time in our life. And it’s not right that we have to do that but just keep your head up. I know you're…you’re a good…you’d be a good mother. My daughter would be a great mother. So just keep…I’ll keep praying for you. Keep praying about it and God will find a way and push it through for you. Just don’t let it put so much stress on you that…that…that you can’t handle it. Just kind of…I don’t know…pull it off your back. Put it on God. He’ll take care of it. I promise you that. You just give it to Him. I’ve lived it and I’ve seen it. Just don’t give up. You’ll get there.

Good morning this is Sue from Bullet Texas. I’m a first-time caller been listening for a long time, and I love listening to the prayer requests and the prayers that y'all offer and ask for. I’m calling today to ask for prayer for my best friend Cindy who four years ago lost her husband suddenly. And having walked through that, two months ago her daughter, son-in-law, and one of her grandsons were killed in a very tragic car accident. Cindy is now raising her six-year-old grandson who survived some traumatic injuries in the same accident and they’re having the memorial this week for the three family members that they lost. So, I ask for prayer for Cindy as she walks through this grief again and her whole family as they go this week to honor those that they lost. I also ask for strength for her as she takes on the task with joy and some fear of raising a 6-year-old in her 60s. So, that’s not going to be easy, but she has so much love for him, and I know she can do it. But I just ask for prayers for her at this time. I’m also asking for prayers for my daughter who just lost a baby yesterday in a miscarriage. Her name’s Bailey. Thank you.

Good morning DAB family it is Sunday September 25th. I just heard Renzo’s plea for some prayer. He’s graduating from high school this coming May and his desire is to be a Christian rap artist. Renzo I’ve heard you several times. I love hearing your sweet voice. I love hearing any young person who loves the Lord and is in this community. It just really warms my heart when I hear you and I certainly am praying for you and your success in the rap music delivery of God’s word because I’m quite sure you’d be very successful. Regardless, I love the fact that it’s in your heart to do this. I just I have a warm spot for young people who love the Lord. My own daughter who’s 34 is not a believer and I pray daily that someone will cross her path that will bring her to Christ and that she does see me as a good example of someone who led a wild and crazy life and has turned to Christ. I also am praying for you Val in Vegas. And I so understand your shoulder pain. I’ve been there. And, so, I’ve been meaning to call in and pray for you for a few days now and I just heard Renzo and I said OK I just gotta call. So, I love this community. I pray for you all all the time. There are so many that I’m praying for right now. I can’t name all the names. I do write them down though and you’re always in my prayers. I love you DAB family and Hardin family. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Thursday September 29, 2022 (NIV)

Isaiah 57:15-59:21

15 “I am the high and holy God, who lives forever. I live in a high and holy place, but I also live with people who are humble and repentant, so that I can restore their confidence and hope. 16 I gave my people life, and I will not continue to accuse them or be angry with them forever.[a] 17 I was angry with them because of their sin and greed, and so I punished them and abandoned them. But they were stubborn and kept on going their own way.

18 “I have seen how they acted, but I will heal them. I will lead them and help them, and I will comfort those who mourn. 19 (A)I offer peace to all, both near and far! I will heal my people. 20 But evil people are like the restless sea, whose waves never stop rolling in, bringing filth and muck. 21 (B)There is no safety for sinners,” says the Lord.

True Fasting

58 The Lord says, “Shout as loud as you can! Tell my people Israel about their sins! They worship me every day, claiming that they are eager to know my ways and obey my laws. They say they want me to give them just laws and that they take pleasure in worshiping me.”

The people ask, “Why should we fast if the Lord never notices? Why should we go without food if he pays no attention?”

The Lord says to them, “The truth is that at the same time you fast, you pursue your own interests and oppress your workers. Your fasting makes you violent, and you quarrel and fight. Do you think this kind of fasting will make me listen to your prayers? When you fast, you make yourselves suffer; you bow your heads low like a blade of grass and spread out sackcloth and ashes to lie on. Is that what you call fasting? Do you think I will be pleased with that?

“The kind of fasting I want is this: Remove the chains of oppression and the yoke of injustice, and let the oppressed go free. (C)Share your food with the hungry and open your homes to the homeless poor. Give clothes to those who have nothing to wear, and do not refuse to help your own relatives.

“Then my favor will shine on you like the morning sun, and your wounds will be quickly healed. I will always be with you to save you; my presence will protect you on every side. When you pray, I will answer you. When you call to me, I will respond.

“If you put an end to oppression, to every gesture of contempt, and to every evil word; 10 if you give food to the hungry and satisfy those who are in need, then the darkness around you will turn to the brightness of noon. 11 And I will always guide you and satisfy you with good things. I will keep you strong and well. You will be like a garden that has plenty of water, like a spring of water that never goes dry. 12 Your people will rebuild what has long been in ruins, building again on the old foundations. You will be known as the people who rebuilt the walls, who restored the ruined houses.”

The Reward for Keeping the Sabbath

13 The Lord says, “If you treat the Sabbath as sacred and do not pursue your own interests on that day; if you value my holy day and honor it by not traveling, working, or talking idly on that day, 14 then you will find the joy that comes from serving me. I will make you honored all over the world, and you will enjoy the land I gave to your ancestor, Jacob. I, the Lord, have spoken.”

The Prophet Condemns the People's Sins

59 Don't think that the Lord is too weak to save you or too deaf to hear your call for help! It is because of your sins that he doesn't hear you. It is your sins that separate you from God when you try to worship him. You are guilty of lying, violence, and murder.

You go to court, but you do not have justice on your side. You depend on lies to win your case. You carry out your plans to hurt others. 5-6 The evil plots you make are as deadly as the eggs of a poisonous snake. Crush an egg, out comes a snake! But your plots will do you no good—they are as useless as clothing made of cobwebs! (D)You are always planning something evil, and you can hardly wait to do it. You never hesitate to murder innocent people. You leave ruin and destruction wherever you go, and no one is safe when you are around. Everything you do is unjust. You follow a crooked path, and no one who walks that path will ever be safe.

The People Confess Their Sin

The people say, “Now we know why God does not save us from those who oppress us. We hope for light to walk by, but there is only darkness, 10 and we grope about like blind people. We stumble at noon, as if it were night, as if we were in the dark world of the dead. 11 We are frightened and distressed. We long for God to save us from oppression and wrong, but nothing happens.

12 Lord, our crimes against you are many. Our sins accuse us. We are well aware of them all. 13 We have rebelled against you, rejected you, and refused to follow you. We have oppressed others and turned away from you. Our thoughts are false; our words are lies. 14 Justice is driven away, and right cannot come near. Truth stumbles in the public square, and honesty finds no place there. 15 There is so little honesty that those who stop doing evil find themselves the victims of crime.”

The Lord Prepares to Rescue His People

The Lord has seen this, and he is displeased that there is no justice. 16 (E)He is astonished to see that there is no one to help the oppressed. So he will use his own power to rescue them and to win the victory. 17 (F)He will wear justice like a coat of armor and saving power like a helmet. He will clothe himself with the strong desire to set things right and to punish and avenge the wrongs that people suffer. 18 He will punish his enemies according to what they have done, even those who live in distant lands. 19 From east to west everyone will fear him and his great power. He will come like a rushing river, like a strong wind.

20 (G)The Lord says to his people, “I will come to Jerusalem to defend you and to save all of you that turn from your sins. 21 And I make a covenant with you: I have given you my power and my teachings to be yours forever, and from now on you are to obey me and teach your children and your descendants to obey me for all time to come.”

Footnotes:

  1. Isaiah 57:16 I gave my people … forever; or I will not continue to accuse them or be angry with them forever, for then they would die—the very people to whom I gave life.
Good News Translation (GNT)

Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.

Philippians 1:1-26

(A)From Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus—

To all God's people in Philippi who are in union with Christ Jesus, including the church leaders and helpers:

May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

Paul's Prayer for His Readers

I thank my God for you every time I think of you; and every time I pray for you all, I pray with joy because of the way in which you have helped me in the work of the gospel from the very first day until now. And so I am sure that God, who began this good work in you, will carry it on until it is finished on the Day of Christ Jesus. You are always in my heart! And so it is only right for me to feel as I do about you. For you have all shared with me in this privilege that God has given me, both now that I am in prison and also while I was free to defend the gospel and establish it firmly. God is my witness that I tell the truth when I say that my deep feeling for you all comes from the heart of Christ Jesus himself.

I pray that your love will keep on growing more and more, together with true knowledge and perfect judgment, 10 so that you will be able to choose what is best. Then you will be free from all impurity and blame on the Day of Christ. 11 Your lives will be filled with the truly good qualities which only Jesus Christ can produce, for the glory and praise of God.

To Live Is Christ

12 I want you to know, my friends, that the things that have happened to me have really helped the progress of the gospel. 13 (B)As a result, the whole palace guard and all the others here know that I am in prison because I am a servant of Christ. 14 And my being in prison has given most of the believers more confidence in the Lord, so that they grow bolder all the time to preach the message[a] fearlessly.

15 Of course some of them preach Christ because they are jealous and quarrelsome, but others from genuine good will. 16 These do so from love, because they know that God has given me the work of defending the gospel. 17 The others do not proclaim Christ sincerely, but from a spirit of selfish ambition; they think that they will make more trouble for me while I am in prison.

18 It does not matter! I am happy about it—just so Christ is preached in every way possible, whether from wrong or right motives. And I will continue to be happy, 19 because I know that by means of your prayers and the help which comes from the Spirit of Jesus Christ I shall be set free. 20 My deep desire and hope is that I shall never fail in my duty, but that at all times, and especially right now, I shall be full of courage, so that with my whole being I shall bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. 21 For what is life? To me, it is Christ. Death, then, will bring more. 22 But if by continuing to live I can do more worthwhile work, then I am not sure which I should choose. 23 I am pulled in two directions. I want very much to leave this life and be with Christ, which is a far better thing; 24 but for your sake it is much more important that I remain alive. 25 I am sure of this, and so I know that I will stay. I will stay on with you all, to add to your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that when I am with you again, you will have even more reason to be proud of me in your life in union with Christ Jesus.

Footnotes:

  1. Philippians 1:14 the message; some manuscripts have God's message.
Good News Translation (GNT)

Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.

Psalm 71

The Prayer of an Elderly Person

71 Lord, I have come to you for protection;
never let me be defeated!
Because you are righteous, help me and rescue me.
Listen to me and save me!
Be my secure shelter
and a strong fortress[a] to protect me;
you are my refuge and defense.

My God, rescue me from wicked people,
from the power of cruel and evil people.
Sovereign Lord, I put my hope in you;
I have trusted in you since I was young.
I have relied on you all my life;
you have protected[b] me since the day I was born.
I will always praise you.

My life has been an example to many,
because you have been my strong defender.
All day long I praise you
and proclaim your glory.
Do not reject me now that I am old;
do not abandon me now that I am feeble.
10 My enemies want to kill me;
they talk and plot against me.
11 They say, “God has abandoned him;
let's go after him and catch him;
there is no one to rescue him.”

12 Don't stay so far away, O God;
my God, hurry to my aid!
13 May those who attack me
be defeated and destroyed.
May those who try to hurt me
be shamed and disgraced.
14 I will always put my hope in you;
I will praise you more and more.
15 I will tell of your goodness;
all day long I will speak of your salvation,
though it is more than I can understand.
16 I will go in the strength of the Lord God;
I will proclaim your goodness, yours alone.

17 You have taught me ever since I was young,
and I still tell of your wonderful acts.
18 Now that I am old and my hair is gray,
do not abandon me, O God!
Be with me while I proclaim your power and might
to all generations to come.

19 Your righteousness, God, reaches the skies.
You have done great things;
there is no one like you.
20 You have sent troubles and suffering on me,
but you will restore my strength;
you will keep me from the grave.
21 You will make me greater than ever;
you will comfort me again.

22 I will indeed praise you with the harp;
I will praise your faithfulness, my God.
On my harp I will play hymns to you,
the Holy One of Israel.
23 I will shout for joy as I play for you;
with my whole being I will sing
because you have saved me.
24 I will speak of your righteousness all day long,
because those who tried to harm me
have been defeated and disgraced.

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 71:3 One ancient translation a strong fortress; Hebrew to go always you commanded.
  2. Psalm 71:6 Some ancient translations protected; Hebrew unclear.
Good News Translation (GNT)

Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.

Proverbs 24:9-10

Any scheme a fool thinks up is sinful. People hate a person who has nothing but scorn for others.

-24-

10 If you are weak in a crisis, you are weak indeed.

Good News Translation (GNT)

Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.

9/28/2022 DAB Transcript

Isaiah 54:1-57:14, Ephesians 6:1-24, Psalm 70:1-5, Proverbs 24:8

Today is the 28th day of September, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian and it is wonderful to be here with you today. It is a joy that we live in a time where we can gather the way that we are, no matter where we are in the world and move forward together. And so, as we dive in for the day, we will return to where we left off yesterday, and that is in the Book of Isaiah. Today, we will read chapter 54 verse 1 through 57 verse 14.

Commentary:

Okay so, with our reading today, we concluded the letter to the Ephesians. And as the letter comes to a close, we encounter some very famous, very quotable verses from the New Testament. And so, I quote from Ephesians, “finally, build up your strength in union with the Lord and by means of His mighty power. Put on all the armor that God gives you, so that you will be able to stand up against the devil’s evil tricks. For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age.” So, again, as with many famous passages that we may have heard a thousand times, it can be easy to go, I’ve heard that and just kinda checked out and move on and…and just accept it. But the implications, that’s one of the things that we’ve been talking about as we move through Ephesians these…these viewpoints that Paul is laying out when you stop and consider like, pulling off to the side of the road and getting out of the car, on your way up the mountain, to look out at the vista that is materialized before you, is remarkable. So famous passage or not, if what Paul is saying is correct, then it really should explain a bunch of things. If it’s true that we aren’t fighting against flesh and blood, or as our translation this week would say, fighting against human beings but rather we are fighting against wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age, then why are most of our battles waged with flesh and blood, with other human beings? Even battles that we would consider spiritual battles. I mean, just take a gander on social media and the Christian world and you will find people at war with each other for different verses and different ways of looking at things, all of the time, with hopefully the intent of bringing out what we believe, but most of the time we think like God’s appointed us to correct everybody’s doctrine. And so, media is not the forum. And I just use that as an example of the ways we can kind of be pulled into a flesh and blood battle, when the battle is a spiritual battle. I mean just that alone. There was a lot in today’s reading, as we closed Ephesians but…but just that alone. If we could just take five minutes and think about how we live into our faith and how we face the obstacles that come toward us and how most of the time the battle is waged in the realm of flesh and blood. What Paul’s saying is basically, that’s not how it works. Our battle isn’t with other people, our spiritual battle is against wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age, cosmic powers affecting and influencing the world that we live in. We can go in all kinds of directions from here, but if we could simply understand, even though most of our back-and-forth is with other people, there is more going on than we are normally paying attention to, even that awareness alone is very helpful. Paul’s intention here seems to be making us aware that there is a lot more going on than we’re paying attention to and then to describe for us spiritual tools that we must understand and utilize, in order to actually fight the battle that we’re really fighting. If we’re in a contest that we intend on winning, now we’re going to have to understand what the resources are that are available to us in the contest in order that we might master and win. Right, like, you may run around your house naked, but you’re probably not going to work naked, you’re probably not going out your front door with only your car keys and your birthday suit. We seem to know how to get dressed, we seem to know how to deal with this from a flesh and blood perspective, but we also need to realize that often we’re going out the front door spiritually naked or half naked and unprepared. And so, Paul describes what is offered to us in this battle. He tells us there is a belt of truth, something that we have to put on. I’m wearing a belt right now on my pants, maybe you are too, maybe you don’t need one. Maybe you have a drawstring or something. Or who knows, who knows what you’re wearing today, I don’t know.  I have a belt on, my belt holds my pants up. If I had a job that I needed to use tools for, I would clip those tools to my belt, it would hold it all together. And so, working through what Paul is saying, truth holds it all together. If we’re not going to walk in the truth and be truthful, truthful with ourselves, truthful before God, truthful before the world, then we’ve walked into our day missing the thing that holds it all together. That could explain a lot of things. Paul also describes a breastplate of righteousness. Right, so a breastplate covers the vital organs, especially the heart. And so, we are being told that there is essentially spiritual body armor to protect us, especially our heart and that breastplate is righteousness. And we know, full well, from what we’ve been reading in the New Testament thus far in the year, righteousness isn’t something we can achieve on our own. Righteousness is the state of our believing what God has said. Right, like, remember we’ve gone all the way back to Abraham several times. Abraham believed God, and God counted that belief toward Abraham as righteousness. This has been given to us to protect our hearts. The very place where God dwells, His righteousness protects us, and it is given to us. Paul also says we have essentially the footwear, the shoes, the sandals, however you want to imagine it in your mind, the shoes of peace, that comes from the gospel. This is our awareness of what God has done in our lives in rescuing us and our awareness that He will never leave, or forsake us, which then allows us to be confident in whatever we walk into. Wherever we go, God is there, He is within our hearts, protected by the breastplate of righteousness. Wherever we go, we carry the Gospel with us. Wherever we go, the presence of God is within us. We are also told that we’re given a shield, the shield of faith, to stop the fiery arrows of the evil one. And we’ve learned over and over in the Scriptures, that faith is what makes it all possible, our belief, our faith, is what allows us to receive salvation. And these gifts that we’re talking about right now, the shield of faith protects us, because it blocks the fiery darts or fiery arrows of the evil one. It can’t be penetrated. It blocks them, unless we drop our shield of faith and throw it on the ground to make ourselves vulnerable. We’re also told that we have a helmet to wear, and that helmet is salvation and if you have a helmet on, it is there to protect your head. Right, it’s there to protect your head, to protect your brain, it’s there to protect our mind because we have been made righteous before God, because of his loving gift to us, because we have received salvation and are in right standing with God, then intimacy, friendship, adventure, and collaboration are available to us. We are the children of God. This is our identity. This renews and protects our minds. That helmet of salvation. And all of these gifts are to defend us and to protect us. But we’re also given something to fight back with, a sword. The sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. And finally, we are instructed to pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. This lets us know that an ongoing dialogue, an ongoing, always on, never off, relationship with God is not only possible but instructed. This can change the way we live by informing the choices, the thoughts, words and deeds of our lives. So, when we look at what Paul is telling us, we realize we’re equipped, this is the way Jesus lived, we are equipped. It’s just that, we often find ourselves running out the door half naked. And I suppose the most concise way, the way Paul would probably, well I don’t know, I don’t want to speak for Paul, I don’t know what he would say but he’s very direct and he would probably say, stop doing that. Like, stop going out half naked, suit up, put on the full armor of God. And then you will be equipped for what comes your way. So, that is worth some thought and contemplation today and that is worth some action, as well.

Prayer:

So, Father, we take what we’ve learned from the letter to the Ephesians, and we put it into practice. Help us, because truthfully, what we need most is to simply be aware, to be paying attention, to be intentional in this direction. And as with everything else, we’re not capable of this, I mean, we can try for a while, but ongoingly, to make this a habit of our lives, to make this our lifestyle, we need Your Holy Spirit. So, come, Holy Spirit, and lead us into all truth. Thank You for allowing us to know that this is an always on, and never off thing. That You are always with us and have richly given us what we need to navigate. May we pay attention to where we’re going. We pray this in the precious and mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com that is home base, home of the Global Campfire that we gather around every day and so be aware of that. The Daily Audio Bible app is that in the palm of your hand, as well. So, you can download the app from whatever app store is connected to your device. Certainly, check into that. And while you’re doing the checking out, check out the different sections, the Initiatives Section, the Community Section, which is where to get connected, that’s where the Prayer Wall is. Of course, the Daily Audio Bible Shop is full of resources for the journey that we have embarked on all these months ago and wound our way, all the way to this is very day, so, check that out.

If you want to partner the Daily Audio Bible. If you find that being together like this in community and taking the next step forward, each and every day, brings life and good news sends hope into your life, then thank you, humbly and profoundly for your partnership. We wouldn’t be here if we weren’t in this together and so thank you. 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:

I want to pray for my sister Kelly, she has medicontrail disease. She doesn’t know that Lord that well. She knows what she’s caught on to from me. She’s, my buddy. I don’t want her to hurt anymore. She needs prayer. Thank you, thank you.

Good morning, good morning, good morning, DAB family. This is Jazz from the Bay. First time calling in, but I just wanted to give a praise report. I’m not too sure if many of you remember but several months ago, I posted, not several, but yeah, a couple months ago, I posted on the Wall stating how I was in a very hostile environment with the provider I was working for and how it just took a very bad toll on my mental health and etc. God did bless me to get out of that position and I moved into another position. And I just kept praying, I just kept praying cause I still wasn’t super happy, I just felt really restless. So, long story short, with you guy’s prayers and God’s work, I was hired with one of the leading health companies in the country, I think. But I finally did get in with them and it’s been ten years and I just want to say thank you to everybody because without you guy’s prayers it wouldn’t have worked. So, thank you. Also, I just wanted to tell you all how much I love you, how much I appreciate you guys. You guys get me through the day, every single day I listen, and it just gives me the motivation I need. Lastly, Val from Vegas, I just want to tell you I love you, I love you, I love you. And I’m decreeing that God is going to touch your shoulders and touch any other pain that you have and that you haven’t expressed to us. And He’s gonna heal you. If He doesn’t heal you immediately, He’s going to touch those doctors to heal you. Nonetheless, I love you all. This is Jazz from the Bay and I pray you all have a blessed …

Hey DAB family, this is Jonathan from Denver. I’m just calling in to say and to admit that I’m not doing to hot. I’ve been feeling very emotionally drained, very far away from God. Just like, I’m just like I’ve been in sort of a dark valley. I just, I’ve been behind in listening to DAB. Haven’t really been in the word. Haven’t really been praying. I’m just tired and I realize that I can’t do this on my own. I just need my people and come around and pray for me. Pray for restoration, hope and joy. Pray that I would draw near to God again, feel whole again, be able to make it through, you know, another day, another week. So, thank you, thank you for your prayers. I appreciate all of you. I hope you have a great day. Love you.

Hi, this is Brooke from Texas. I wanted to call in and pray for Zach from Phoenix. You called in and said that you and your brother were going to have to make some kind of life changing decisions regarding your mom because of her health. And I just wanted to call in and just pray for wisdom and discernment for you and your brother as ya’ll make those decisions and for peace for your mom, that she would be willing and understanding of the decisions that need to be made. I also, remember you said that you were just lonely and struggling with that, I just want to pray that you are able to just find fulfillment and peace in where you’re at in life and I don’t know if you’re lonely without friendships or without a relationship or whatever your circumstances are but I just pray that the Lord would meet you in your circumstances and would remind you that you are not alone and that He would provide the community around you that you need and that would just remind you of His goodness and His presence and His faithfulness. Yeah, I just wanted to call in and pray for you Zach. I just life you up in the name of Jesus. Amen. Thank you, guys.

Shalom DAB family. This is Leo from Kathleen, Pennsylvania, first time caller. Thank you to Dawn of a New Day for encouraging me to call in. I’ve been listening since we began the Book of Job on August 21st, and the date is September 23rd. Just about one month. Thank you so much everyone for your faithfulness in praying. I just want to ask for prayer for God’s will. I trust Him and I know His purposes will prevail but it’s so hard to see His will in my life right now. I’m not really sure where I’m going, I just know the one who is leading. I’m a nursing student in community college, I’m serving Christian leadership. I’m a part-time custodian. I’m 24-years-old and this is my first W2 job since May. And honestly, I don’t know, I feel like I want to quit. I want to work in a job that involves more human relationships. I want to spend more time learning my dad’s trade, who he works with __ clients in this area. I also interpret and do paperwork for them and taxes. And honestly, I know I can’t do everything, but I want to. It’s uncharacteristic for me to be over committed but I am lately and I’m starting to let people down. And I just want to ask for prayer to honor God in all that I do. And I just, yeah, I think I want to move out of my parent’s house because they have a lot of tendencies, they’re not willing to change, that kind of drive me up the wall. But I also know that living with them has, just as moving out, has its own pros and cons, just different ones. I just, you know, I trust God with everything. I thank you so much for the prayers but just calling to let you know who I am. Love you all. Shalom.

Good morning, DAB family. My name is Lizzy and I’m calling to ask for prayer for my daughter Raquel. She had to be hospitalized last night. She had a horrible, horrible, nervous breakdown. And it seemed like she was completely out of touch with reality. She’s a Christian, she knows the Lord wonderful, wonderful, sweet girl. Something is oppressing her. The enemy just wants to destroy her. She was talking about killing herself and saying horrible things. She, she’s otherwise a healthy, healthy young lady. This is definitely supernatural. And I believe in prayer, I believe in community prayer. So, her name is Raquel. Please keep her in your prayers. Thank you so much. God bless you all.

9/28/2022 DAB Transcript

Isaiah 54:1-57:14, Ephesians 6:1-24, Psalm 70:1-5, Proverbs 24:8

Today is the 28th day of September, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian and it is wonderful to be here with you today. It is a joy that we live in a time where we can gather the way that we are, no matter where we are in the world and move forward together. And so, as we dive in for the day, we will return to where we left off yesterday, and that is in the Book of Isaiah. Today, we will read chapter 54 verse 1 through 57 verse 14.

Commentary:

Okay so, with our reading today, we concluded the letter to the Ephesians. And as the letter comes to a close, we encounter some very famous, very quotable verses from the New Testament. And so, I quote from Ephesians, “finally, build up your strength in union with the Lord and by means of His mighty power. Put on all the armor that God gives you, so that you will be able to stand up against the devil’s evil tricks. For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age.” So, again, as with many famous passages that we may have heard a thousand times, it can be easy to go, I’ve heard that and just kinda checked out and move on and…and just accept it. But the implications, that’s one of the things that we’ve been talking about as we move through Ephesians these…these viewpoints that Paul is laying out when you stop and consider like, pulling off to the side of the road and getting out of the car, on your way up the mountain, to look out at the vista that is materialized before you, is remarkable. So famous passage or not, if what Paul is saying is correct, then it really should explain a bunch of things. If it’s true that we aren’t fighting against flesh and blood, or as our translation this week would say, fighting against human beings but rather we are fighting against wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age, then why are most of our battles waged with flesh and blood, with other human beings? Even battles that we would consider spiritual battles. I mean, just take a gander on social media and the Christian world and you will find people at war with each other for different verses and different ways of looking at things, all of the time, with hopefully the intent of bringing out what we believe, but most of the time we think like God’s appointed us to correct everybody’s doctrine. And so, media is not the forum. And I just use that as an example of the ways we can kind of be pulled into a flesh and blood battle, when the battle is a spiritual battle. I mean just that alone. There was a lot in today’s reading, as we closed Ephesians but…but just that alone. If we could just take five minutes and think about how we live into our faith and how we face the obstacles that come toward us and how most of the time the battle is waged in the realm of flesh and blood. What Paul’s saying is basically, that’s not how it works. Our battle isn’t with other people, our spiritual battle is against wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age, cosmic powers affecting and influencing the world that we live in. We can go in all kinds of directions from here, but if we could simply understand, even though most of our back-and-forth is with other people, there is more going on than we are normally paying attention to, even that awareness alone is very helpful. Paul’s intention here seems to be making us aware that there is a lot more going on than we’re paying attention to and then to describe for us spiritual tools that we must understand and utilize, in order to actually fight the battle that we’re really fighting. If we’re in a contest that we intend on winning, now we’re going to have to understand what the resources are that are available to us in the contest in order that we might master and win. Right, like, you may run around your house naked, but you’re probably not going to work naked, you’re probably not going out your front door with only your car keys and your birthday suit. We seem to know how to get dressed, we seem to know how to deal with this from a flesh and blood perspective, but we also need to realize that often we’re going out the front door spiritually naked or half naked and unprepared. And so, Paul describes what is offered to us in this battle. He tells us there is a belt of truth, something that we have to put on. I’m wearing a belt right now on my pants, maybe you are too, maybe you don’t need one. Maybe you have a drawstring or something. Or who knows, who knows what you’re wearing today, I don’t know.  I have a belt on, my belt holds my pants up. If I had a job that I needed to use tools for, I would clip those tools to my belt, it would hold it all together. And so, working through what Paul is saying, truth holds it all together. If we’re not going to walk in the truth and be truthful, truthful with ourselves, truthful before God, truthful before the world, then we’ve walked into our day missing the thing that holds it all together. That could explain a lot of things. Paul also describes a breastplate of righteousness. Right, so a breastplate covers the vital organs, especially the heart. And so, we are being told that there is essentially spiritual body armor to protect us, especially our heart and that breastplate is righteousness. And we know, full well, from what we’ve been reading in the New Testament thus far in the year, righteousness isn’t something we can achieve on our own. Righteousness is the state of our believing what God has said. Right, like, remember we’ve gone all the way back to Abraham several times. Abraham believed God, and God counted that belief toward Abraham as righteousness. This has been given to us to protect our hearts. The very place where God dwells, His righteousness protects us, and it is given to us. Paul also says we have essentially the footwear, the shoes, the sandals, however you want to imagine it in your mind, the shoes of peace, that comes from the gospel. This is our awareness of what God has done in our lives in rescuing us and our awareness that He will never leave, or forsake us, which then allows us to be confident in whatever we walk into. Wherever we go, God is there, He is within our hearts, protected by the breastplate of righteousness. Wherever we go, we carry the Gospel with us. Wherever we go, the presence of God is within us. We are also told that we’re given a shield, the shield of faith, to stop the fiery arrows of the evil one. And we’ve learned over and over in the Scriptures, that faith is what makes it all possible, our belief, our faith, is what allows us to receive salvation. And these gifts that we’re talking about right now, the shield of faith protects us, because it blocks the fiery darts or fiery arrows of the evil one. It can’t be penetrated. It blocks them, unless we drop our shield of faith and throw it on the ground to make ourselves vulnerable. We’re also told that we have a helmet to wear, and that helmet is salvation and if you have a helmet on, it is there to protect your head. Right, it’s there to protect your head, to protect your brain, it’s there to protect our mind because we have been made righteous before God, because of his loving gift to us, because we have received salvation and are in right standing with God, then intimacy, friendship, adventure, and collaboration are available to us. We are the children of God. This is our identity. This renews and protects our minds. That helmet of salvation. And all of these gifts are to defend us and to protect us. But we’re also given something to fight back with, a sword. The sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. And finally, we are instructed to pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. This lets us know that an ongoing dialogue, an ongoing, always on, never off, relationship with God is not only possible but instructed. This can change the way we live by informing the choices, the thoughts, words and deeds of our lives. So, when we look at what Paul is telling us, we realize we’re equipped, this is the way Jesus lived, we are equipped. It’s just that, we often find ourselves running out the door half naked. And I suppose the most concise way, the way Paul would probably, well I don’t know, I don’t want to speak for Paul, I don’t know what he would say but he’s very direct and he would probably say, stop doing that. Like, stop going out half naked, suit up, put on the full armor of God. And then you will be equipped for what comes your way. So, that is worth some thought and contemplation today and that is worth some action, as well.

Prayer:

So, Father, we take what we’ve learned from the letter to the Ephesians, and we put it into practice. Help us, because truthfully, what we need most is to simply be aware, to be paying attention, to be intentional in this direction. And as with everything else, we’re not capable of this, I mean, we can try for a while, but ongoingly, to make this a habit of our lives, to make this our lifestyle, we need Your Holy Spirit. So, come, Holy Spirit, and lead us into all truth. Thank You for allowing us to know that this is an always on, and never off thing. That You are always with us and have richly given us what we need to navigate. May we pay attention to where we’re going. We pray this in the precious and mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com that is home base, home of the Global Campfire that we gather around every day and so be aware of that. The Daily Audio Bible app is that in the palm of your hand, as well. So, you can download the app from whatever app store is connected to your device. Certainly, check into that. And while you’re doing the checking out, check out the different sections, the Initiatives Section, the Community Section, which is where to get connected, that’s where the Prayer Wall is. Of course, the Daily Audio Bible Shop is full of resources for the journey that we have embarked on all these months ago and wound our way, all the way to this is very day, so, check that out.

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

Prayer and Encouragements:

I want to pray for my sister Kelly, she has medicontrail disease. She doesn’t know that Lord that well. She knows what she’s caught on to from me. She’s, my buddy. I don’t want her to hurt anymore. She needs prayer. Thank you, thank you.

Good morning, good morning, good morning, DAB family. This is Jazz from the Bay. First time calling in, but I just wanted to give a praise report. I’m not too sure if many of you remember but several months ago, I posted, not several, but yeah, a couple months ago, I posted on the Wall stating how I was in a very hostile environment with the provider I was working for and how it just took a very bad toll on my mental health and etc. God did bless me to get out of that position and I moved into another position. And I just kept praying, I just kept praying cause I still wasn’t super happy, I just felt really restless. So, long story short, with you guy’s prayers and God’s work, I was hired with one of the leading health companies in the country, I think. But I finally did get in with them and it’s been ten years and I just want to say thank you to everybody because without you guy’s prayers it wouldn’t have worked. So, thank you. Also, I just wanted to tell you all how much I love you, how much I appreciate you guys. You guys get me through the day, every single day I listen, and it just gives me the motivation I need. Lastly, Val from Vegas, I just want to tell you I love you, I love you, I love you. And I’m decreeing that God is going to touch your shoulders and touch any other pain that you have and that you haven’t expressed to us. And He’s gonna heal you. If He doesn’t heal you immediately, He’s going to touch those doctors to heal you. Nonetheless, I love you all. This is Jazz from the Bay and I pray you all have a blessed …

Hey DAB family, this is Jonathan from Denver. I’m just calling in to say and to admit that I’m not doing to hot. I’ve been feeling very emotionally drained, very far away from God. Just like, I’m just like I’ve been in sort of a dark valley. I just, I’ve been behind in listening to DAB. Haven’t really been in the word. Haven’t really been praying. I’m just tired and I realize that I can’t do this on my own. I just need my people and come around and pray for me. Pray for restoration, hope and joy. Pray that I would draw near to God again, feel whole again, be able to make it through, you know, another day, another week. So, thank you, thank you for your prayers. I appreciate all of you. I hope you have a great day. Love you.

Hi, this is Brooke from Texas. I wanted to call in and pray for Zach from Phoenix. You called in and said that you and your brother were going to have to make some kind of life changing decisions regarding your mom because of her health. And I just wanted to call in and just pray for wisdom and discernment for you and your brother as ya’ll make those decisions and for peace for your mom, that she would be willing and understanding of the decisions that need to be made. I also, remember you said that you were just lonely and struggling with that, I just want to pray that you are able to just find fulfillment and peace in where you’re at in life and I don’t know if you’re lonely without friendships or without a relationship or whatever your circumstances are but I just pray that the Lord would meet you in your circumstances and would remind you that you are not alone and that He would provide the community around you that you need and that would just remind you of His goodness and His presence and His faithfulness. Yeah, I just wanted to call in and pray for you Zach. I just life you up in the name of Jesus. Amen. Thank you, guys.

Shalom DAB family. This is Leo from Kathleen, Pennsylvania, first time caller. Thank you to Dawn of a New Day for encouraging me to call in. I’ve been listening since we began the Book of Job on August 21st, and the date is September 23rd. Just about one month. Thank you so much everyone for your faithfulness in praying. I just want to ask for prayer for God’s will. I trust Him and I know His purposes will prevail but it’s so hard to see His will in my life right now. I’m not really sure where I’m going, I just know the one who is leading. I’m a nursing student in community college, I’m serving Christian leadership. I’m a part-time custodian. I’m 24-years-old and this is my first W2 job since May. And honestly, I don’t know, I feel like I want to quit. I want to work in a job that involves more human relationships. I want to spend more time learning my dad’s trade, who he works with __ clients in this area. I also interpret and do paperwork for them and taxes. And honestly, I know I can’t do everything, but I want to. It’s uncharacteristic for me to be over committed but I am lately and I’m starting to let people down. And I just want to ask for prayer to honor God in all that I do. And I just, yeah, I think I want to move out of my parent’s house because they have a lot of tendencies, they’re not willing to change, that kind of drive me up the wall. But I also know that living with them has, just as moving out, has its own pros and cons, just different ones. I just, you know, I trust God with everything. I thank you so much for the prayers but just calling to let you know who I am. Love you all. Shalom.

Good morning, DAB family. My name is Lizzy and I’m calling to ask for prayer for my daughter Raquel. She had to be hospitalized last night. She had a horrible, horrible, nervous breakdown. And it seemed like she was completely out of touch with reality. She’s a Christian, she knows the Lord wonderful, wonderful, sweet girl. Something is oppressing her. The enemy just wants to destroy her. She was talking about killing herself and saying horrible things. She, she’s otherwise a healthy, healthy young lady. This is definitely supernatural. And I believe in prayer, I believe in community prayer. So, her name is Raquel. Please keep her in your prayers. Thank you so much. God bless you all.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Wednesday September 28, 2022 (NIV)

Isaiah 54:1-57:14

The Lord's Love for Israel

54 (A)Jerusalem, you have been like a childless woman,
but now you can sing and shout for joy.
Now you will have more children
than a woman whose husband never left her.
Make the tent you live in larger;
lengthen its ropes and strengthen the pegs!
You will extend your boundaries on all sides;
your people will get back the land
that the other nations now occupy.
Cities now deserted will be filled with people.

Do not be afraid—you will not be disgraced again;
you will not be humiliated.
You will forget your unfaithfulness as a young wife,
and your desperate loneliness as a widow.
Your Creator will be like a husband to you—
the Lord Almighty is his name.
The holy God of Israel will save you—
he is the ruler of all the world.

Israel, you are like a young wife,
deserted by her husband and deeply distressed.
But the Lord calls you back to him and says:
“For one brief moment I left you;
with deep love I will take you back.
I turned away angry for only a moment,
but I will show you my love forever.”
So says the Lord who saves you.

(B)“In the time of Noah I promised
never again to flood the earth.
Now I promise not to be angry with you again;
I will not reprimand or punish you.
10 (C)The mountains and hills may crumble,
but my love for you will never end;
I will keep forever my promise of peace.”
So says the Lord who loves you.

The Future Jerusalem

11 (D)The Lord says,

“O Jerusalem, you suffering, helpless city,
with no one to comfort you,
I will rebuild your foundations with precious stones.
12 I will build your towers with rubies,
your gates with stones that glow like fire,
and the wall around you with jewels.

13 (E)“I myself will teach your people
and give them prosperity and peace.
14 Justice and right will make you strong.
You will be safe from oppression and terror.
15 Whoever attacks you,
does it without my consent;
whoever fights against you will fall.

16 “I create the blacksmith,
who builds a fire and forges weapons.
I also create the soldier,
who uses the weapons to kill.
17 But no weapon will be able to hurt you;
you will have an answer for all who accuse you.
I will defend my servants
and give them victory.”

The Lord has spoken.

God's Offer of Mercy

55 (F)The Lord says,

“Come, everyone who is thirsty—
here is water!
Come, you that have no money—
buy grain and eat!
Come! Buy wine and milk—
it will cost you nothing!
(G)Why spend money on what does not satisfy?
Why spend your wages and still be hungry?
Listen to me and do what I say,
and you will enjoy the best food of all.

(H)“Listen now, my people, and come to me;
come to me, and you will have life!
I will make a lasting covenant with you
and give you the blessings I promised to David.
I made him a leader and commander of nations,
and through him I showed them my power.
Now you will summon foreign nations;
at one time they did not know you,
but now they will come running to join you!
I, the Lord your God, the holy God of Israel,
will make all this happen;
I will give you honor and glory.”

Turn to the Lord and pray to him,
now that he is near.
Let the wicked leave their way of life
and change their way of thinking.
Let them turn to the Lord, our God;
he is merciful and quick to forgive.
“My thoughts,” says the Lord, “are not like yours,
and my ways are different from yours.
As high as the heavens are above the earth,
so high are my ways and thoughts above yours.

10 (I)“My word is like the snow and the rain
that come down from the sky to water the earth.
They make the crops grow
and provide seed for planting and food to eat.
11 So also will be the word that I speak—
it will not fail to do what I plan for it;
it will do everything I send it to do.

12 “You will leave Babylon with joy;
you will be led out of the city in peace.
The mountains and hills will burst into singing,
and the trees will shout for joy.
13 Cypress trees will grow where now there are briers;
myrtle trees will come up in place of thorns.
This will be a sign that will last forever,
a reminder of what I, the Lord, have done.”

God's People Will Include All Nations

56 The Lord says to his people, “Do what is just and right, for soon I will save you. I will bless those who always observe the Sabbath and do not misuse it. I will bless those who do nothing evil.”

A foreigner who has joined the Lord's people should not say, “The Lord will not let me worship with his people.”

A man who has been castrated should never think that because he cannot have children, he can never be part of God's people. (J)The Lord says to such a man, “If you honor me by observing the Sabbath and if you do what pleases me and faithfully keep my covenant, then your name will be remembered in my Temple and among my people longer than if you had sons and daughters. You will never be forgotten.”

And the Lord says to those foreigners who become part of his people, who love him and serve him, who observe the Sabbath and faithfully keep his covenant: (K)“I will bring you to Zion, my sacred hill,[a] give you joy in my house of prayer, and accept the sacrifices you offer on my altar. My Temple will be called a house of prayer for the people of all nations.”

The Sovereign Lord, who has brought his people Israel home from exile, has promised that he will bring still other people to join them.

Israel's Leaders Are Condemned

The Lord has told the foreign nations to come like wild animals and devour his people. 10 He says, “All the leaders, who are supposed to warn my people, are blind! They know nothing. They are like watch dogs that don't bark—they only lie around and dream. How they love to sleep! 11 They are like greedy dogs that never get enough. These leaders have no understanding. They each do as they please and seek their own advantage. 12 ‘Let's get some wine,’ these drunkards say, ‘and drink all we can hold! Tomorrow will be even better than today!’”

Israel's Idolatry Is Condemned

57 Good people die, and no one understands or even cares. But when they die, no calamity can hurt them. Those who live good lives find peace and rest in death.

Come here to be judged, you sinners! You are no better than sorcerers, adulterers, and prostitutes. Who are you making fun of? Who are you liars jeering at? You worship the fertility gods by having sex under those sacred trees of yours. You offer your children as sacrifices in the rocky caves near stream beds. You take smooth stones from there and worship them as gods. You pour out wine as offerings to them and bring them grain offerings. Do you think I am pleased with all this? You go to the high mountains to offer sacrifices and have sex. You set up your obscene idols just inside your front doors. You forsake me; you take off your clothes and climb in your large beds with your lovers, whom you pay to sleep with you. And there you satisfy your lust. You put on your perfumes and ointments and go to worship the god Molech. To find gods to worship, you send messengers far and wide, even to the world of the dead. 10 You wear yourselves out looking for other gods, but you never give up. You think your obscene idols give you strength, and so you never grow weak.

11 The Lord says, “Who are these gods that make you afraid, so that you tell me lies and forget me completely? Have you stopped honoring me because I have kept silent for so long? 12 You think that what you do is right, but I will expose your conduct, and your idols will not be able to help you. 13 When you cry for help, let those idols of yours save you! A puff of wind will carry them off! But those who trust in me will live in the land and will worship me in my Temple.”

God's Promise of Help and Healing

14 The Lord says, “Let my people return to me. Remove every obstacle from their path! Build the road and make it ready!

Footnotes:

  1. Isaiah 56:7 See 2.3.
Good News Translation (GNT)

Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.

Ephesians 6

Children and Parents

(A)Children, it is your Christian duty to[a] obey your parents, for this is the right thing to do. (B)“Respect your father and mother” is the first commandment that has a promise added: “so that all may go well with you, and you may live a long time in the land.”

(C)Parents, do not treat your children in such a way as to make them angry. Instead, raise them with Christian discipline and instruction.

Slaves and Masters

(D)Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling; and do it with a sincere heart, as though you were serving Christ. Do this not only when they are watching you, because you want to gain their approval; but with all your heart do what God wants, as slaves of Christ. Do your work as slaves cheerfully, as though you served the Lord, and not merely human beings. Remember that the Lord will reward each of us, whether slave or free, for the good work we do.

(E)Masters, behave in the same way toward your slaves and stop using threats. Remember that you and your slaves belong to the same Master in heaven, who judges everyone by the same standard.

The Whole Armor of God

10 Finally, build up your strength in union with the Lord and by means of his mighty power. 11 (F)Put on all the armor that God gives you, so that you will be able to stand up against the Devil's evil tricks. 12 For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age. 13 So put on God's armor now! Then when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist the enemy's attacks; and after fighting to the end, you will still hold your ground.

14 (G)So stand ready, with truth as a belt tight around your waist, with righteousness as your breastplate, 15 (H)and as your shoes the readiness to announce the Good News of peace. 16 At all times carry faith as a shield; for with it you will be able to put out all the burning arrows shot by the Evil One. 17 (I)And accept salvation as a helmet, and the word of God as the sword which the Spirit gives you. 18 Do all this in prayer, asking for God's help. Pray on every occasion, as the Spirit leads. For this reason keep alert and never give up; pray always for all God's people. 19 And pray also for me, that God will give me a message when I am ready to speak, so that I may speak boldly and make known the gospel's secret. 20 For the sake of this gospel I am an ambassador, though now I am in prison. Pray that I may be bold in speaking about the gospel as I should.

Final Greetings

21 (J)Tychicus, our dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord's work, will give you all the news about me, so that you may know how I am getting along. 22 That is why I am sending him to you—to tell you how all of us are getting along and to encourage you.

23 May God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give to all Christians peace and love with faith. 24 May God's grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with undying love.

Footnotes:

  1. Ephesians 6:1 Some manuscripts do not have it is your Christian duty to.
Good News Translation (GNT)

Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.

Psalm 70

A Prayer for Help[a] (A)

70 Save me, O God!
Lord, help me now!
May those who try to kill me
be defeated and confused.
May those who are happy because of my troubles
be turned back and disgraced.
May those who make fun of me
be dismayed by their defeat.

May all who come to you
be glad and joyful.
May all who are thankful for your salvation
always say, “How great is God!”

I am weak and poor;
come to me quickly, O God.
You are my savior and my Lord
hurry to my aid!

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 70:1 HEBREW TITLE: A psalm by David; a lament.

Cross references:

  1. Psalm 70:1 : (Ps 40:13-Ps 40:17)
Good News Translation (GNT)

Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.

Proverbs 24:8

-23-

If you are always planning evil, you will earn a reputation as a troublemaker.

Good News Translation (GNT)

Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Tuesday September 27, 2022 (NIV)

Isaiah 51-53

Words of Comfort to Jerusalem

51 The Lord says,

“Listen to me, you that want to be saved,
you that come to me for help.
Think of the rock from which you came,
the quarry from which you were cut.
Think of your ancestor, Abraham,
and of Sarah, from whom you are descended.
When I called Abraham, he was childless,
but I blessed him and gave him children;
I made his descendants numerous.

“I will show compassion to Jerusalem,
to all who live in her ruins.
Though her land is a desert, I will make it a garden,
like the garden I planted in Eden.
Joy and gladness will be there,
and songs of praise and thanks to me.

“Listen to me, my people,
listen to what I say:
I give my teaching to the nations;
my laws will bring them light.
I will come quickly and save them;
the time of my victory is near.
I myself will rule over the nations.
Distant lands wait for me to come;
they wait with hope for me to save them.
Look up at the heavens; look at the earth!
The heavens will disappear like smoke;
the earth will wear out like old clothing,
and all its people will die like flies.
But the deliverance I bring will last forever;
my victory will be final.

“Listen to me, you that know what is right,
who have my teaching fixed in your hearts.
Do not be afraid when people taunt and insult you;
they will vanish like moth-eaten clothing!
But the deliverance I bring will last forever;
my victory will endure for all time.”

Wake up, Lord, and help us!
Use your power and save us;
use it as you did in ancient times.
It was you that cut the sea monster Rahab[a] to pieces.
10 It was you also who dried up the sea
and made a path through the water,
so that those you were saving could cross.
11 Those whom you have rescued
will reach Jerusalem with gladness,
singing and shouting for joy.
They will be happy forever,
forever free from sorrow and grief.

12 The Lord says,

“I am the one who strengthens you.
Why should you fear mortals,
who are no more enduring than grass?
13 Have you forgotten the Lord who made you,
who stretched out the heavens
and laid the earth's foundations?
Why should you live in constant fear
of the fury of those who oppress you,
of those who are ready to destroy you?
Their fury can no longer touch you.
14 Those who are prisoners will soon be set free;
they will live a long life
and have all the food they need.

15 “I am the Lord your God;
I stir up the sea
and make its waves roar.
My name is the Lord Almighty!
16 I stretched out[b] the heavens
and laid the earth's foundations;
I say to Jerusalem, ‘You are my people!
I have given you my teaching,
and I protect you with my hand.’”

The End of Jerusalem's Suffering

17 (A)Jerusalem, wake up!
Rouse yourself and get up!
You have drunk the cup of punishment
that the Lord in his anger gave you to drink;
you drank it down, and it made you stagger.
18 There is no one to lead you,
no one among your people
to take you by the hand.

19 A double disaster has fallen on you:
your land has been devastated by war,
and your people have starved.
There is no one to show you sympathy.
20 At the corner of every street
your people collapse from weakness;
they are like deer caught in a hunter's net.
They have felt the force of God's anger.

21 You suffering people of Jerusalem,
you that stagger as though you were drunk,
22 the Lord your God defends you and says,
“I am taking away the cup
that I gave you in my anger.
You will no longer have to drink
the wine that makes you stagger.
23 I will give it to those who oppressed you,
to those who made you lie down in the streets
and trampled on you as if you were dirt.”

God Will Rescue Jerusalem

52 (B)Jerusalem, be strong and great again!
Holy city of God, clothe yourself with splendor!
The heathen will never enter your gates again.
Shake yourself free, Jerusalem!
Rise from the dust and sit on your throne!
Undo the chains that bind you,
captive people of Zion!

The Sovereign Lord says to his people, “When you became slaves, no money was paid for you; in the same way nothing will be paid to set you free. When you went to live in Egypt as foreigners, you did so of your own free will; Assyria, however, took you away by force and paid nothing for you. (C)And now in Babylonia the same thing has happened: you are captives, and nothing was paid for you. Those who rule over you boast and brag and constantly show contempt for me. In time to come you will acknowledge that I am God and that I have spoken to you.”

(D)How wonderful it is to see
a messenger coming across the mountains,
bringing good news, the news of peace!
He announces victory and says to Zion,
“Your God is king!”
Those who guard the city are shouting,
shouting together for joy.
They can see with their own eyes
the return of the Lord to Zion.

Break into shouts of joy,
you ruins of Jerusalem!
The Lord will rescue his city
and comfort his people.
10 The Lord will use his holy power;
he will save his people,
and all the world will see it.
11 (E)Be sure to leave Babylonia,
all you that carry the Temple equipment.
Touch no forbidden thing;[c]
keep yourselves holy and leave.
12 This time you will not have to leave in a hurry;
you will not be trying to escape.
The Lord your God will lead you
and protect you on every side.

The Suffering Servant

13 The Lord says,

“My servant will succeed in his task;
he will be highly honored.[d]
14 Many people were shocked when they saw him;
he was so disfigured that he hardly looked human.
15 (F)But now many nations will marvel at him,
and kings will be speechless with amazement.
They will see and understand
something they had never known.”

53 (G)The people reply,

“Who would have believed what we now report?
Who could have seen the Lord's hand in this?
It was the will of the Lord that his servant
grow like a plant taking root in dry ground.
He had no dignity or beauty
to make us take notice of him.
There was nothing attractive about him,
nothing that would draw us to him.
We despised him and rejected him;
he endured suffering and pain.
No one would even look at him—
we ignored him as if he were nothing.

(H)“But he endured the suffering that should have been ours,
the pain that we should have borne.
All the while we thought that his suffering
was punishment sent by God.
(I)But because of our sins he was wounded,
beaten because of the evil we did.
We are healed by the punishment he suffered,
made whole by the blows he received.
(J)All of us were like sheep that were lost,
each of us going his own way.
But the Lord made the punishment fall on him,
the punishment all of us deserved.

(K)“He was treated harshly, but endured it humbly;
he never said a word.
Like a lamb about to be slaughtered,
like a sheep about to be sheared,
he never said a word.
He was arrested and sentenced and led off to die,
and no one cared about his fate.
He was put to death for the sins of our people.
(L)He was placed in a grave with those who are evil,
he was buried with the rich,
even though he had never committed a crime
or ever told a lie.”

10 The Lord says,

“It was my will that he should suffer;
his death was a sacrifice to bring forgiveness.
And so he will see his descendants;
he will live a long life,
and through him my purpose will succeed.
11 After a life of suffering, he will again have joy;
he will know that he did not suffer in vain.
My devoted servant, with whom I am pleased,
will bear the punishment of many
and for his sake I will forgive them.
12 (M)And so I will give him a place of honor,
a place among the great and powerful.
He willingly gave his life
and shared the fate of evil men.
He took the place of many sinners
and prayed that they might be forgiven.”[e]

Footnotes:

  1. Isaiah 51:9 A legendary sea monster, which represented the forces of chaos and evil, was sometimes a symbol of Egypt.
  2. Isaiah 51:16 One ancient translation stretched out; Hebrew planted.
  3. Isaiah 52:11 Any object that was considered ritually unclean.
  4. Isaiah 52:13 he will be highly honored; or he will be restored to greatness and honor.
  5. Isaiah 53:12 prayed that they might be forgiven; or suffered the punishment they deserved.
Good News Translation (GNT)

Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.

Ephesians 5

Living in the Light

Since you are God's dear children, you must try to be like him. (A)Your life must be controlled by love, just as Christ loved us and gave his life for us as a sweet-smelling offering and sacrifice that pleases God.

Since you are God's people, it is not right that any matters of sexual immorality or indecency or greed should even be mentioned among you. Nor is it fitting for you to use language which is obscene, profane, or vulgar. Rather you should give thanks to God. You may be sure that no one who is immoral, indecent, or greedy (for greed is a form of idolatry) will ever receive a share in the Kingdom of Christ and of God.

Do not let anyone deceive you with foolish words; it is because of these very things that God's anger will come upon those who do not obey him. So have nothing at all to do with such people. You yourselves used to be in the darkness, but since you have become the Lord's people, you are in the light. So you must live like people who belong to the light, for it is the light[a] that brings a rich harvest of every kind of goodness, righteousness, and truth. 10 Try to learn what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the worthless things that people do, things that belong to the darkness. Instead, bring them out to the light. (12 It is really too shameful even to talk about the things they do in secret.) 13 And when all things are brought out to the light, then their true nature is clearly revealed; 14 for anything that is clearly revealed becomes light.[b] That is why it is said,

“Wake up, sleeper,
and rise from death,
and Christ will shine on you.”

15 So be careful how you live. Don't live like ignorant people, but like wise people. 16 (B)Make good use of every opportunity you have, because these are evil days. 17 Don't be fools, then, but try to find out what the Lord wants you to do.

18 Do not get drunk with wine, which will only ruin you; instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19 (C)Speak to one another with the words of psalms, hymns, and sacred songs; sing hymns and psalms to the Lord with praise in your hearts. 20 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, always give thanks for everything to God the Father.

Wives and Husbands

21 Submit yourselves to one another because of your reverence for Christ.

22 (D)Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 For a husband has authority over his wife just as Christ has authority over the church; and Christ is himself the Savior of the church, his body. 24 And so wives must submit themselves completely to their husbands just as the church submits itself to Christ.

25 (E)Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave his life for it. 26 He did this to dedicate the church to God by his word, after making it clean by washing it in water, 27 in order to present the church to himself in all its beauty—pure and faultless, without spot or wrinkle or any other imperfection. 28 Men ought to love their wives just as they love their own bodies. A man who loves his wife loves himself. (29 None of us ever hate our own bodies. Instead, we feed them, and take care of them, just as Christ does the church; 30 for we are members of his body.) 31 (F)As the scripture says, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and unite with his wife, and the two will become one.” 32 There is a deep secret truth revealed in this scripture, which I understand as applying to Christ and the church. 33 But it also applies to you: every husband must love his wife as himself, and every wife must respect her husband.

Footnotes:

  1. Ephesians 5:9 the light; some manuscripts have the Spirit.
  2. Ephesians 5:14 anything that is clearly revealed becomes light; or it is light that clearly reveals everything.
Good News Translation (GNT)

Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.

Psalm 69:19-36

19 You know how I am insulted,
how I am disgraced and dishonored;
you see all my enemies.
20 Insults have broken my heart,
and I am in despair.
I had hoped for sympathy, but there was none;
for comfort, but I found none.
21 (A)When I was hungry, they gave me poison;
when I was thirsty, they offered me vinegar.

22 (B)May their banquets cause their ruin;
may their sacred feasts cause their downfall.
23 Strike them with blindness!
Make their backs always weak!
24 Pour out your anger on them;
let your indignation overtake them.
25 (C)May their camps be left deserted;
may no one be left alive in their tents.
26 They persecute those whom you have punished;
they talk about the sufferings of those you have wounded.
27 Keep a record of all their sins;
don't let them have any part in your salvation.
28 (D)May their names be erased from the book of the living;
may they not be included in the list of your people.

29 But I am in pain and despair;
lift me up, O God, and save me!

30 I will praise God with a song;
I will proclaim his greatness by giving him thanks.
31 This will please the Lord more than offering him cattle,
more than sacrificing a full-grown bull.
32 When the oppressed see this, they will be glad;
those who worship God will be encouraged.
33 The Lord listens to those in need
and does not forget his people in prison.

34 Praise God, O heaven and earth,
seas and all creatures in them.
35 He will save Jerusalem
and rebuild the towns of Judah.
His people will live there and possess the land;
36 the descendants of his servants will inherit it,
and those who love him will live there.

Good News Translation (GNT)

Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.

Proverbs 24:7

-22-

Wise sayings are too deep for stupid people to understand. They have nothing to say when important matters are being discussed.

Good News Translation (GNT)

Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.