A Walk Through The Word

Zechariah 8:1-23, Revelation 16:1-21, Psalms 144:1-15, Proverbs 30:29-31

Today is December 25^th. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian and it is a pleasure and an honor as it is every day to be in your presence, but this is obviously a very special day. Today is Christmas day. And, so, all over the world billions and billions of people are celebrating the arrival of the Savior, the baby born to take away the sins of the world, the baby born to grow up to become the king of kings and Lord of lords, the baby boy that we are reading about in the book of Revelation who will utterly and completely annihilate wickedness from existence, and that story…that story began long ago and it became a part of the human story on the day that Jesus was born, the day we are celebrating now. So, may joy flood our hearts Merry Christmas.

Song:

Joy to the World

Joy to the world

Joy to the world, the Lord is come

Let earth receive her King

Let every heart prepare Him room

And Heaven and nature sing

And Heaven and nature sing

And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing

Joy to the world

Joy to the world

Joy to the World, the Savior reigns!

Let men their songs employ

While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains

Repeat the sounding joy

Repeat the sounding joy

Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy

Joy to the world, now we sing

Let the earth receive her king

Joy to the world, now we sing

Let the angel voices ring

Joy to the world, now we sing

Let men their songs employ

Joy to the world, now we sing

Repeat the sounding joy

Oh oh

He rules the world with truth and grace

And makes the nations prove

The light of His righteousness

And wonders of His love

And wonders of His love

And wonders of His love

And wonders, wonders, of His love

And wonders, wonders, of His love

Joy to the world, now we sing

Let the earth receive her king

Joy to the world, now we sing

Let the angel voices ring

So, on this Christmas day we will continue to take the next step forward because our relationship with the Scriptures, this is something that is an ongoing every day, always on, never off thing because it transforms us from within, and leads us to God. And the intertwined relationship that we have with God is an always on and never off thing. So, we’ve been reading from the Christian Standard Bible this week which is, of course, will do even on Christmas day. Zechariah…Zechariah chapter 8. Zechariah? That’s the first time I’ve ever said that that I can remember in all of these years. So, let’s stick with it. Zechariah 8:1 through 23 today.

Commentary:

Okay. So, today is Christmas and Merry Christmas everyone and we’re celebrating with billions of people all over the world the arrival of the baby Jesus lying in a manger. And, so, we probably have warm hearts and depending on what time we’re listening, maybe full bellies. Around my house we have a big breakfast. So, that kind of starts early. And, you know, there’s probably garbage bags full of crinkled wrapping paper and, I don’t know, maybe…maybe we’ve got the nativity scene in our house or out on our lawn and it’s joyful and we feel full and it’s wonderful but…if I’m letting you in a little secret…usually…usually for me at some point in the day on Christmas I’m gonna feel the Christmas blues. And it’s hard to put my finger one. Like, it’s not…I’m not depressed. I’m happy. And I used to think well, maybe it’s the disruption of this kind of a day, it’s just a unique day among all days and so it’s just different. And, so, maybe I can’t find my moorings. But over the years, the more that I’ve thought about it, what I’m experiencing is like some sort of deep longing within. And it’s strange in the midst of the merriment that we actually really feel happy because of Christmas. And, so, it would confuse me for years and maybe you’re the same because this is a day where everything feels full and joyful. And, so, why is it is that something still feels missing when everything else is great and lovely and rejoicing. And then we can turn to the to the Scriptures, right? Like our reading from Revelation. Our reading from Revelation today discussed seven angels pouring out seven bowls of God’s wrath. And the destruction that’s described this is staggering. So, it’s hard to even fathom. So, its not exactly Christmas material, but maybe…maybe it gives us an explanation for this…this sense of longing…this sense that something still missing, because before the arrival Jesus, people had been anticipating a Savior, a deliverer. It was actually woven into the fabric of their culture. They had a deep sense that something was missing, that things were not exactly as they should be and that was part of their apocalyptic worldview, that the world was heading in a direction and a deliverer would come and make all things new. And we’ve discussed this lots of times and we’re seeing it clearly in Revelation. And we’ve been talking about the season of Advent. Some of us observe the season of Advent and that’s intended to help us embrace that longing because we find ourselves still with the same longing that they had. They were longing for a deliverer to come and the deliverer came. And, so we rejoice in the fact that Jesus came for us and we have that part of the story, but we still find ourselves with the same longing, waiting for his second arrival. And what we’re reading in Revelation is chilling, but what we’re reading is the ultimate destruction of every evil force set against Jesus, this is baby who came for us, this King of Kings came as a child. And, so, it’s not something that we should be chilled by or shudder in fear about. In order for this longing that kind of never really goes away and can find itself in our hearts in the most strange…strangest of times or places, like, even on Christmas day. In order for things to be made new as they should be, evil must be utterly destroyed and that is what we’re reading about in the book of Revelation. We’re reading about the fulfillment of this longing inside, right, the return of perfect shalom. So, if you find yourself like me at some point just kind of staring off and you’re surrounded by joy and loved ones but you’re staring off because something still feels like it’s missing, that’s, I think, normal. Things aren’t perfectly as they should be. But what we celebrate today is the only way they ever will be. And, so, with that light in our hearts, may we carry forward the spirit of Christmas bringing light and life and good news to all, and ultimately, my friends, my brothers and sisters to all things being made new.

Prayer:

Father, we come into Your presence with great humility, with hearts that are full, and yet hearts that are longing for all things to be made new. Oh, what a Christmas celebration that will be when we celebrate with You in Your presence when a new heaven and new earth have been born. And we are participating in the restoration of all things. So, we thank You Jesus for coming. We thank You God for rescuing us, Your children who were hopelessly lost and floundering and it’s not like we don’t still flounder, but You have given us a way, a North star, a way to be restored, a way to participate in the restoration of all things and the healing of our broken hearts. And, so, we rejoice this Christmas acknowledging that we’re longing for all things to be made new and they are, and they will. So, come Holy Spirit we pray as we continue to rejoice at Your arrival. We pray these things in Jesus name. Amen.

Announcements:

Alright friends, I’ll let you get back to what you were doing. I love you. I love you and having this moment to spend a part of Christmas with you is one of the great joys of life. I wish you the merriest of Christmases. I wish you nothing but joy and hope, which has been our word for this year and I wish this upon your entire families. Have a wonderful day.

I’m Brian. Merry Christmas. I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Zechariah 6:1-7:14, Revelation 15:1-8, Psalms 143:1-12, Proverbs 30:24-28

Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. Today is Christmas Eve and even though this is another step forward in our journey through the Scriptures this is a very, very special day. Today is the last day of Advent, the season of Advent, which means that the long wait for the arrival of the Savior is almost over.

So, it’s Christmas Eve and, yeah, there’s a lot of activity, a flurry of activity that happens on most Christmas Eve’s and maybe this evening will include a candlelight service or maybe even a midnight service. And the joy, the joy of Christmas finally arriving is upon us. And even in the midst of all of that we have taken time to step away for second surround ourselves with some serenity and allow God’s word to speak. And, so, this week we’re reading from the Christian Standard Bible. Today, Zechariah chapter 6 verse 1 through 7:14.

Commentary:

Okay. So, like we talked about at the beginning of our time together today, this Christmas Eve and it’s the final day of the Advent season. And, so, we probably have this sort of sense of anticipation, and even some joy in our hearts, and probably a pretty long to do list, right, in preparation for tomorrow. And, so, we might think, okay, how is today’s reading supposed to have anything to do with Christmas? Well, in our reading from Zechariah we continue to hear of the visionary experiences that Zechariah was having, but within that we were reminded of the fundamental postures God requires of us. So, in Zechariah we heard today, “this is what the Lord of Heaven’s armies says. Judge fairly and show mercy and kindness to one another. Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners and the poor, and do not scheme against each other.” So, this command doesn’t have any blackout dates. So, this command is something that’s to be lived into today and if there were a season to live into this it would be Christmas. So, let’s make sure that we plant this in our hearts as we move forward into the festivities ahead of us. Let’s make sure that we do that. Let’s make sure that we show mercy and kindness to one another. And then we’re reading the book of Revelation and so we could also think, like, well this is the furthest thing from the nice cozy Christmas Spirit that I want to experience. I mean, John saw what seemed to be a sea made out of glass that was on fire. And upon this sea were those who endured. And we’ve been talking a lot about endurance lately, right, because the Bible keeps talking about. And to those who had endured and were on this glassy sea that was on fire, God gave these…those who endured…harps and they were singing the song of Moses and the song of the lamb. We may not think of their song as a Christmas Carol but think of it. “Great and marvelous are your works oh Lord, God the Almighty. Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations. Who will not fear you Lord and glorify your name for you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you for your righteous deeds have been revealed.” Well, that might not be a Christmas Carol about baby Jesus lying in a manger wrapped in swaddling clothes, but this is a song coming from those who had endured who are singing the song of the Lamb and the song of Moses from a glassy sea. And who are they singing about? They’re singing about this baby born in a manger, the King of Kings and Lord of lords. So, this is a time to remember. We’re celebrating the first Advent right. Advent means arrival. And, so, that’s what Christmas is. We’re celebrating the advent of the Savior, the arrival of the Savior but we’re longing for His return. And as we read what we’ve read in Revelation today, we are prophetically hearing worship in advance from the time that we’re longing to see when everything will be made new. So yes, this is a Christmas gift to us. We’re hearing worship in advance from a time when all is as it should be.

Prayer:

Father, we dwell on that. We take a moment to realize how big of a deal this is and that all that we long for will happen. And, so, as we complete the Advent season for this year and move toward Christmas day You have given us a song or a Carol as it were from a time when all is restored. And we long for this. And, so, we invite you, come Holy Spirit and allow us to truly meditate on your first arrival and our longing for your second arrival as we immerse ourselves for the final hours of this season and prepare to move into Christmas. Come Holy Spirit we pray. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, its the website, its where you find out what’s going on around here. So certainly stay tuned.

It’s such a lovely time to get to this day, and just really, really consider that here we are. Not only have we reached Christmas time but really are only a few steps away from completing our year together. And, so, yeah, tomorrow’s gonna hit and it’s gonna be a busy day and its gonna be full of activity and joy and wonder and it will be wonderful, but we’re here. We’re here right now in these moments. And, so, let’s commit ourselves to having a contemplative day that we don’t get just washed away by activity and forget what’s really going on here and the reason for all of this celebration. So, I’m gonna go out to a candlelight service myself, my family tonight, probably drive around, look at Christmas lights. It’s usually our tradition to get together and we have some soup or just kind of have a low-key evening just with each other in anticipation for out tomorrow. Whatever your tradition is, I hope that it’s a wonderful, wonderful experience. And just know that you’re in our hearts. Wherever you are and whatever you’re doing you’re not alone. You are, for sure, in our hearts. I wish we could all just have a Christmas together, but I don’t know what stadium would do that and I don’t know where it would be in the world. It wouldn’t be cozy. And, so, we have to do this virtually but you are in our hearts and I pray that we are all in each other’s hearts and that we are moving as a community into this Christmas season. So, Merry Christmas. I’ll be saying that again tomorrow, but bless you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And may this Christmas season be the most meaningful of your life. May you feel intertwined with Spirit of God and may that spirit give you joy knowing that this is all headed somewhere and where we are headed is unspeakably good because we are headed into the restoration of all things. All things are being made new and this is a reason to rejoice. So, Merry Christmas. I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hello Daily Audio Bible family, this is John Corrado calling from the Christmas city, Bethlehem Pennsylvania. I hope you’re doing well. I’m so pumped up guys. I’m pumped up for Jesus arrival, can’t wait for that. But I’m pumped up more than anything just to give you guys a couple of quick updates and ask for your continued prayer, of course. So, first of all, love you guys. Thank you so much, every single one of you out there. Love you and I couldn’t live life without you. I apologize for any background noise here I’m on my cell phone in the car on my way to pick up my daughter Kelsey who is coming home from Los Angeles for Christmas from the airport. So, first of all, wow, I am pumped up and just a praise report there is like, Kelsey is coming home. She is living life, she’s going through life, she’s learning lessons and struggles. Life is a struggle. You know, we are promised that it’s gonna be hard, especially as Christians. And so, living up to its name. But she’s coming home and we’re so excited to have her home. And then thank you all so much for praying for my wife Andrea over the past really month and ½. You know, she’s doing really well, she is feeling well. We’re waiting for some results to hear back from the doctor but, like I said and posted on the DAB Friends page, God’s already got the victory in this and we believe truly in His healing power and strength. And no matter what, no matter what, we love God. We love our life and we’re so blessed and so thankful. I love you family. Merry Christmas and I’ll be back in touch again soon. God bless you.

Hi this is Will from Stroudsburg, formerly Will from Waynesborrow. I’ve been a listener since 2012. So, this will be completing my, I guess, seventh revolution around the sun listening to the Daily Audio Bible this year. I called in a few years ago when I was going through a really hard time. My ex-wife now basically just turned her whole personality around and we ended up getting divorced and it’s still a very strange situation with her with her, you know, alienating my children against me and everything else. But that’s not why I called. I called because I just heard Prodigal on the 21^st reach out about how this is the worst year of his life, he’s thinking of committing suicide. And I just want to tell you man, when I was going through what I was going through, I literally spent 11 days in jail because I told my daughter that I loved her. That was the individual that I was dealing with and I lost everything. I lost my wife, I lost my house, I lost my vehicles, my job, I lost everything and had nothing. And I’m telling you, until you don’t have anything, until Jesus is all you have, you don’t realize that Jesus is all you need. So please, do not take what is God’s decision, the length of your life into your own hands. You must lean on Him and He will help you endure. So, I just wanted to call you with that encouragement. This is Will from Stroudsburg. Please Prodigal, reach back out and let me know that everything is going better for you. I’m praying for you. Love you brother. Bye.

Hi DAB family, this is Diane calling from Iowa and I’m calling in response to Duane from Wisconsin and his request for prayer. Duane you’ve been so faithful to pray for so many of us. So, I’m happy to pray for you. Sear family let’s pray. Dear God, we come before your throne of grace to lift up our brother Duane and his request for prayer. Lord he’s you requested prayer for visit that he’ll be having with his son who is currently incarcerated. And the Lord we pray for this visit. We pray for sweet fellowship between the two of them. We pray for your peace to fill the rooms and for love to abound between the two of them Lord. And we pray for healing and reconciliation for anything…anything that needs to be healed within the relationship. Lord, I also lift up Duane’s brother who is having hernia surgery and Lord I pray that you would guide the surgeon’s hands, that you would heal and restore his brother’s body from the surgery and that he would have a quick and speedy recovery. I pray all these things in Jesus’ holy name. Amen.

Hi, this is Melissa from Houston and I just wanted to call because I just finished listening to the broadcast and I heard Prodigal call in and I wanted to say that, please don’t consider suicide. I understand that it’s hard to not consider it when things are so difficult, and I know __situation but it’s hard what you going through has been hard and it’s heartbreaking and it feels like loss. But I’m so certain in God and I know that God loves you and he still has something for you in spite of what you’re feeling. And I wanted to tell you that…I wanted to ask you not to make the decision that you can’t come back from and to let you know that people love you and that I heard your call. So, I wanted to tell you that I love you and there’s so much you more for you on the other side of this that I want to be able to see and I want you to be able to come from the other side of this and say, yeah, I thought about it. God is so good and everything that’s come out of this has been better for me not having done that. So, I know that this time is hard for a lot of people, but I want to just tell you that I love you, I love all of you. I didn’t get a chance to say Merry Christmas this year, but Merry Christmas and I hope you all have a very happy new year. And Prodigal, I hope I get to hear from you a lot more about good and sometimes the bad things, but I want to keep hearing from you. I love you. Merry Christmas and have a happy new year.

Zechariah 4:1-5:11, Revelation 14:1-20, Psalms 142:1-7, Proverbs 30:21-23

Today is the 23^rd day of December. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian and there’s a lot going on around here, right? This is the threshold of a shiny, sparkly, new week. This is Christmas Eve Eve and it also happens to be the last Sunday in the season of Advent. And, of course, the season of Advent ends tomorrow with Christmas Eve and the bells toll at midnight. And, at least according to the tradition, we greet the Savior at Christmas. So, if you’ve got the Advent wreath going in your house or, you know, the candles are being lit at church or whatever, today is the Joy candle, representing the joy comes after a long wait for the Savior to arrive.

Song:

Oh Come Oh Come Emmanuel

O come, O come, Emanuel,

and ransom captive Israel

that mourns in lonely exile here

until the Son of God appear.

Refrain:

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

shall come to you, O Israel.

O come, O Wisdom from on high,

who ordered all things mightily;

to us the path of knowledge show

and teach us in its ways to go. Refrain

O come, O come, great Lord of might,

who to your tribes on Sinai’s height

in ancient times did give the law

in cloud and majesty and awe. Refrain

O come, O Branch of Jesse’s stem,

unto your own and rescue them!

From depths of hell your people save,

and give them victory o'er the grave. Refrain

O come, O Key of David, come

and open wide our heavenly home.

Make safe for us the heavenward road

and bar the way to death’s abode. Refrain

O come, O Bright and Morning Star,

and bring us comfort from afar!

Dispel the shadows of the night

and turn our darkness into light. Refrain

O come, O King of nations, bind

in one the hearts of all mankind.

Bid all our sad divisions cease

and be yourself our King of Peace. Refrain

So, we have this brand-new shiny week out in front of us. And this week will certainly encompass the Christmas holiday. So, it’s a unique week that’s in front of us, but one thing is constant, and that is that we take the next step forward every day no matter what the day is. No matter what’s going on we center ourselves in the Scriptures. And this week we’ll read from the Christian Standard Bible. Of course, we’ll pick up where we left off yesterday in the book of Zechariah. Today chapter 4 verse 1 through 5 verse 11.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word and we thank You for bringing us to this point in the year. And it’s shocking sometimes to look forward and realize we’re days away from a brand-new start, a brand-new year, because it seems like we just began this journey not too long ago. And yet You have brought us day by day, step-by-step to this point where we are at one of the most important days of the year that we celebrate and commemorate the world over. But this day, Christmas, represents one of the most profound and impactful things that have ever happened in human history. And, so, we prepare our hearts as we move into this new week with Christmas Eve upon us tomorrow and Christmas Day. There’s  a lot of festivities, so there’s a lot going on, there’s a lot of running around, there’s a lot of last-minute preparations, there’s all kinds of ways to be completely and utterly distracted from what is really going on here. And what is really going on here is a mystery. And, so, Holy Spirit, come and allow us to have space in our hearts to contemplate the longing for a Savior, and the arrival of a Savior. And we thank You, Jesus, for that very thing, for Your arrival and for Your life and for Your redemption. The world has never been the same and we certainly aren’t the same because of it. So, come Holy Spirit as we enter into these next few days. Keep us rooted in and what these days represent, not only to our lives and our families but to humanity. Come Holy Spirit we pray. In Jesus’ name we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, its home base, and, of course, where you find out what’s going on around here.

This is the beginning of the final full week of the year 2018, right? And that obviously includes, you know, everything that’s going on today, it includes Christmas Eve tomorrow, and Christmas Day, Tuesday. So, those days are kinda spoken for. So, we’re like running out of days. We’re moving our way rapidly toward the end of the year and in the end of our time spending this year in the Bible. One week from tomorrow will be the last day that we have to read from the Scriptures in 2018. So, yes, right now everything is all Christmas as it should be. And, yes, let’s immerse our self in everything that the wonder of the season can bring. And I wish…hope, hope, hope, hope for you and your family and everyone that you love…and may you enjoy this final Sunday of Advent and moving us into Christmas Eve.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. And there is a link that lives on the homepage. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or, if you prefer, the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, no matter the season and no matter what’s going on we are a community and we are here for each other. If you’ve a prayer request or comment, 877-942-4253 is the number to dial.

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:

Hi Daily Audio Bible family, this is Anna from Los Angeles California and I wanted to give a praise report. There have been people paying and I’ve felt your prayers for my health, for my hair to grow back, for my skin to clear, for my digestive problems to go away. And I have to say, praise Jesus, I am experiencing healing. My hair is growing back. In fact, it’s growing close to an inch a month and I’m just so excited to have this restored. Also, I’ve been asking everyone to pray that my female relationships have been restored. I lost three female friendships this year and every single one of those relationships is starting to be restored. Specifically, two of the women reached out to me without me contacting them and asked for forgiveness. And praise the Lord that He’s the God of restoration. Please continue to pray for Cameron. He’s the young man that I was involved with and because we’re in different places with Christ we cannot be together but continue to pray. I have so much hope for him. Pray that God would set him free and bring him into the family of God, bring him home, and bring us back together in restoration and wholeness. Lord God, I thank You that You are the God who heels and You are the God that answers and I’m claiming Psalms 65:5, it says that God is faithful to answer our prayers. So, thank you for praying in Jesus’ name. Lord we bless you.

Hey everyone, it’s Margo from Australia and I just heard the message left by the Prodigal and I just want to say to you, I’ve been in a similar place. I have been wanting to suicide quite a number of times and God has brought me to that in the most miraculous…well…in the most amazing way. It didn’t happen overnight supernaturally, but if God can do that for me He can do it for you. He doesn’t love me anymore than he loves you. I didn’t deserve His help and neither do you but God does it because He loves us. There is hope for you prodigal. There is hope because there is always hope with God. You may have hit rock bottom, but you know what that means? That means the only way to go now is up. I am going to be praying for you because my heart breaks for you. It’s clear you’ve had a terrible year. Can I encourage you to absolutely immerse yourself in the word of God? I’m talking burying yourself in the Bible every chance you get because that is where your hope and your joy will come from and the Lord will speak to you. He did it for me and He’ll do it for you. Every chance you get, read the Psalms, say them out loud, it’s a form of spiritual warfare, throwing in Satan’s face. Read the Psalms, the Psalms of David. David was where you are right now. King David has been in that place. Did you know the story of what happened with King David? I encourage you to read it. He did terrible things and got himself into a terrible situation and yet the Lord brought him out and he did it, I think, largely through praise. So, not only bury yourself in the word of God but also pray with Him daily even when you don’t feel like it. I will be praying…

Hello from beautiful Cincinnati Ohio, it is Daniel Johnson Junior and I am calling, it is today the 21^st of December and I was listening to the prayer requests and I heard the message from the Prodigal and I just stopped the program and called in here. I just want to pray for you and also to encourage you. First of all, you know that you need help. You know that there is hope because you’ve reached out to this community. And you know that you really do not want to take your own life. And I am just begging you, I’m begging you to see through the lies that are being told to you by the enemy so that you can live and thrive. We were made more than just to survive we were made to thrive. And I think that’s my word for next year for myself. Yes, I have been down, and I have had times of…myself…some of what your experiencing. I can’t even imagine what you’re feeling…it’s just…but I know that you have to believe that there is just hope because you would not have reached out to this community. In the Scriptures, anytime that someone has taken a life it has always been looked at is not a good thing. Judas, King Saul, his armor bearer. Those types of things, all those were not looked at as a good thing. And if you decided to, you know, take your own life, it is more…you’re going to hurt more people then you really realize. You are so much worth…you are worth so much more than you realize, and I just want to encourage you and I pray for you. God, please help, reach out right now into this brother’s life and encourage him Lord. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Good morning Daily Audio Bible family, this is Dave from Southwest Florida. I called in a while back just about financial problems with the business and my wife’s father. Every time it seems that I call in there are breakthroughs, almost instantly. And I don’t mean to treat this like a drive-through but it seems like your prayers are very, very effective. Thank you. I’ve been involved in a program here in Southwest Florida for several years called Gator Wilderness Boys Camp that works with troubled youth. They had a counselor tragically killed Sunday night. We had just spent several hours with him and after we left he got on his motorcycle and was hit head-on by a truck that came over into his lane. He was taking care of 8 boys 24 hours a day. He was a parent basically to them. Also, there have been other staff members who have been coming under attack. One has a brain tumor, had a brain tumor, he just had surgery. Another has testicular cancer that spread to liver and lungs. And then there’s also a young lady who works there in her early 20s that developed heart problems. It just really seems like the place is coming under spiritual attack. But please, please pray for them. Again, the name is Gator Wilderness Boys Camp. Thanks.

Zechariah 1:1-2:21, Revelation 12:1-17, Psalms 140:1-13, Proverbs 30:17

Today is the 22^nd day of December. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. It is a joy to be here with you on Christmas Eve Eve Eve but we’re or headed right into it. We’re ending another of our weeks together and turning the corner into a new weekend. We’ll be greeted by a shiny, sparkly, brand-new blinking Christmas and I’m looking forward to that and I hope you are too. So, we’ve been reading from the New Living Translation this week and that’s how we will finish our week off. And we’ll read from Zechariah chapter 2 verse 1 through 3 verse 10 today.

Commentary:

Alright. So, we’re only days away from Christmas and, you know, if you’ve got kids then they’re probably counting down the hours at this point. And some of us are preparing to travel and we’re packing and getting ready for that and others are making preparations to receive those who are traveling in and that can be across town, that could be from across the ocean, but we’re preparing to you to be together. This coming back together is the joy…one of the joys of Christmas and it should be. And those that have been around us our whole lives, right, maybe as siblings or parents, uncles, aunts, cousins will be reunited. But even though those childhood days may be gone, we’re adults now, maybe even have families of our own or maybe we’re in another city and we’ve built our own life there. When we all get back together it doesn’t take long to fall back into the role we played when we were younger. So, those young, soft places inside, they start getting touched and maybe old words of teasing or scorn, they start to creep in and then the strangeness between generations and, you know, maybe different people in our family hold different convictions than we do. And, so, all these things start rubbing against each other and then before we know it something volatile gets said, and they’re words that kind of just hang out there just waiting to explode and create a bad day and maybe even a bad holiday experience. So, the book of Psalms today gave us some sage advice for navigating the next few days that we’re heading into. The psalmist says, “take control of what I say oh Lord and guard my lips. Don’t let me drift toward evil or take part in acts of wickedness. Don’t let me share in the delicacies of those who do wrong. Let the godly strike me. It will be a kindness. If they correct me it is soothing medicine. Don’t let me refuse it.” So, we should take that Psalm to heart and let it discipline us in advance so that we don’t find ourselves being the one who says the volatile thing, the thing that’s going to blow everything else up and the dominoes fall and the holiday’s…well…then they get a black mark over them and there are tears and there are apologies and it’s it doesn’t have to happen. So, king David, he’s the one who gave us the words to this prayer but the prayer itself, it forces us to make choices now, right, before the first gift gets unwrapped because in the heat of the moment that’s not the time to start making decisions about how you’re gonna handle your words, right? In the heat of the moment words form and they get spat into the world and they can’t be taken back. So, we have to remember that we were…when we were a kid…you know all these old things start to seep into the family dynamic. That is not who we are. Like, we’re not who we were when we began this journey this year. We spent almost a whole year in the Bible together. We are not the same as we were when we started. And, so, rather than, you know, diving into that haze of conflict that can erupt we can choose to bring light and life and good news where we would have once maybe brought darkness. But if we’re going to do that we have to choose in advance. Like we have to choose now how we’re going to handle ourselves so that in the heat of the moment we can remember, I’ve already made my decision how I’m gonna deal with this. So, let’s remember. I mean, tomorrow is the is the last Sunday of Advent and then it’s Christmas Eve and then it’s Christmas. And this season is the season that reveals that God is not willing to withdraw from our story and its the season that shows us how deeply He’s desiring to be a part of our lives and how intensely He wants to be with us no matter who we are. And that includes those that we find ourselves in conflict with all of the time. So, this is our opportunity to give the joy of Christmas or we can withhold it and see what happens. But whatever we’re gonna do, if we choose in advance we have such a better chance of actually seeing it through.

Prayer:

Father, we pray along with the psalmist. Take control of what I say Lord. Guard my lips. Don’t let me drift toward evil or take part in acts of wickedness during this holiday season when I am observing the fact that You came to rescue me from all of that. Don’t let me share in the delicacies of those who do wrong. Come Holy Spirit and flow through me. Let me be an agent of light and life and good news to my family and my loved ones. I pray in Jesus name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, its home base, its where you find out what’s happening.

And it’s Christmas time and that’s what’s happening. I went to a Christmas program last night. I go to one tomorrow. So, these kinds of things are happening right? And then Christmas Eve we normally do a candlelight service. And, so, it is certainly Christmas time and I doubt anyone of you are surprised by that. Tomorrow is the last Sunday in the season of Advent. And the Christmas Eve on Monday will be the last day of Advent. And, of course, Advent is a means arrival. So, it’s a season to contemplate the arrival of what God did by sending His Son to earth to become one of us and all that the work of Christ represents, not only in our own hearts, but to humanity. So, try to stay in the rhythm, try to find some time to contemplate that. Just sit with that, enjoy some rest, and some silence, and some quiet.

I’ve talked to you about the family Christmas album that we have. You can listen to that, like, wherever you get your music. Like, if you have Apple music or wherever you stream music or get music, you can get the family Christmas album, just search for my name. It’s kinda made for exactly what we’re talking about. It’s the kind of record that you want turn the Christmas lights on and everything else off and just kind of immerse yourself in the season. So, this is something that we have to fight for the closer that we get to Christmas because it’s so busy and yet we can be so busy that we miss what’s actually happening and what this season represents. And, so, try to find some time one way or the other, even if it’s just a few minutes even if it’s to still than the noise that’s going on and just have some inner serenity as we contemplate that God came for us in person. So, check that out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible in these remaining days of the year than thank you profoundly and humbly for your partnership. There is a link on the homepage dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or, if you prefer, the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or comment 877-942-4253 is the number to dial.

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:

Hi, this is a message for the Prodigal. I just wanted to say that your one of the people whose voices I always recognize the moment you start calling. And your calls are always very insightful and always make a real impact on me. And we really don’t want you to go. You’re needed in this community and no matter how you may feel bad about yourself we love you and God loves you and you’re needed. And I’m calling from Australia. You’re making an impact all around the world and we just don’t want you to go. We need you. So, we hope to continue to hear from you. Thank you.

Hi, my name is Wes, and I’m actually a first-time caller here and I just wanted to start out by saying a huge thanks to Brian and Jill for this amazing podcast. I try to listen to it every day when I can and I’m really just calling in for a person called Prodigal. It just sounds like he’s going through really dark times right now and I can’t imagine what that’s like. And I just have a Bible verse for you, it’s Psalm 23:4 and its, “even though I walked through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me.” And this verse has helped me get through dark times as well. And just know that God really loves you and I don’t think he created…I know he didn’t create a single human being with the intention to commit suicide. So, we are all praying for you here at the Daily Audio Bible and we want what’s best for you and hopefully you can reach out to other people like maybe in your area as well and hopefully you guys can talk and stuff like. But we’re praying for you and hope for the best.

Hey DAB family, this is Byron out in Florida calling for John, calls himself the Prodigal. Amen, thanks so much for your call on the 21^st. I’m sorry you’ve been going through such a rough time having lost so much. I’m thankful that you did call, I’m thankful as always, your honesty. I just want to encourage you that God isn’t done with you yet, not by a long shot. And I don’t know if you heard it but on the same day the first call that aired was from Walta and her encouragement I think was very important for you. And that fact that you wake up every morning with your eyes open is hard and fast proof that God isn’t finished with you yet and He still is more for you to do. Walta doesn’t call herself the burning bush for no reason. She’s been through it and back again and still going through it. So, for her to find that insight is tremendously encouraging not only for me but for you. God is not done with you. You’re searching the Scriptures to find validation for suicide. Search the Scriptures for validations for reasons still being here, that He who began a good work in you will see it to completion. He’ll give wisdom to anyone who asks for it. And our Lord is the Lord who wept when He saw the pain and loss that His children endured. God knows how you feel He’s not far from you, He’s right beside you. So, wait on Him and He will bring it all back. We’re praying for your brother. I love you. Call in again, even if you don’t know what you’re gonna say, we want to hear from you. Bye.

Hi this is Toni from Germany and this call is specifically for the Prodigal. I am grateful that you listened to the priest and I would like you to go back to him. He asked you to come to us. I ask you to go back to him. And then the other thing is, I’m not gonna tell you to do this though I would love to, go get another dog. Alright? I want to as does everyone else on Daily Audio Bible listening to hear your victory story. So, I thank you for hanging in there, for giving thanks to the Lord even in your suffering. And then let’s watch and see how the Lord will help you come to victory in 2019. I’m looking forward to your victory story and that you will be able to bless many others as a result. God bless you. I’ll be praying.

This is for Prodigal. I was in the dollar store last night and there was a lady and two kids behind me in a long line. There was one big kid and then the smaller kid. The bigger kid had a pack of glow sticks and the toddler was screaming for them. The mom opened the pack and gave him one which stopped the tears. He walked around with it smiling and the bigger boy took it and the toddler started screaming again. Just as the mom was about to do something the older child took bent the glow stick and handed it back to the toddler. As we walked outside the store at the same time the toddler noticed that the stick was now glowing, and his brother said, “I had to break it so that you could get the full effect from it.” I could hear that saying to me, “I had to break you to show you why I created you. You had to go through it so that you can fulfill your purpose.” The precious child was happy just swinging that unbroken glow stick around in the air because he didn’t understand what it was created to do, which was to glow. There’s some people who will be contentious being but some of us that God has chosen, we have to be broken, we have to get sick, we have to lose a job, we have to we go through divorce, we have to burry our spouse, our parents, our best friend and / or our child. In those moments of desperation God is breaking us but when the breaking is done then we’ll be able to see the reason for which we were created. So, when you see us glowing just know that we have been broken but healed by His grace and His mercy. You can keep going the way you’ve been going Prodigal, knowing where that may lead, or you can give yourself a real chance for a better life. The fact that you’re listening to this shows that you want another option. There’s only one real source of hope for a life that possesses meaning, fulfillment and joy and that source is Jesus Christ as you know. Speaking about his followers Jesus said in John 10:10, I have come that they may have life and to have it to the full. Through your personal relationship with Jesus Christ, Prodigal, you can experience overflowing love and forgiveness and peace and joy in your…

Good morning daily audio Bible family, this is Dorothy from Dustin. And I just heard Prodigal call and my heart is breaking for you. Please, please don’t take your life because God gave it to you and he has a purpose for you and a plan for you and He is the great Redeemer, He is the God of second chances. Please don’t do this. I know it’s hard. It’s hard for me it’s hard for so many people at this time of year but your God is a great God and He loves you so very much. He has a plan for you. Don’t take His plan. This time next year will be a faint memory and He’s gonna do something wonderful for you and let that take place. I’m praying for you and I know so many others are. Lord Jesus, we lift Prodigal up to you right now. We thank You for his life. We know how much You love him. Please show him Your love, reveal it to him through people and through situations Lord. At this time of year Lord, we thank You for Your birth, we thank You for coming for us and we thank You for Your son prodigal. Bless him Lord Jesus. Merry Christmas my family. Thank you for this Brian. Thank you for this outreach it’s so precious to me and Sue so many. Merry Christmas.

Hey, my brother Prodigal, I heard you loud and clear today. Man, I balled my eyes out for a second. I am so encouraged that you called. God Almighty is answering your prayers. I too have been there. This is Alex from San Diego, Friday the 21^st. My friend, I hope you have ears to hear right now. It’s to all the prodigal’s out there who have had those thoughts, who have not yet been transformed by the renewing of their mind. My answer is a revelation to me where Jesus told me, yes you must die, you must pick up your cross and follow me. We’re gonna go die. Where gonna go die that old man, that old way of thinking. That arrogant, prideful, selfish jerk that I once was had to die, and I needed to be made new and I found my answers in Romans chapter 8. My plan sat there in plain sight. In order to lose my life, I needed to find it. No, I needed to lose my life completely to find it. In the name of Jesus I pray that you hear these words. Romans 8:13 told me finally one day and I got it. It says if you, Alex, if you, Prodigal, if you put to death the deed of the flesh you will live. And I started to get a deeper understanding that I had a job to do. I had to put down that arrogance, I had to put down that anger. I had to stop pointing and picking on things on my computer that I did not need to point and click on. I needed to stop listening to that music that didn’t give me anything but in my old thoughts. I had to transfer my whole way of doing things so that I could find a new life and I pray that this message goes out and that its put on the air and that you hear it my friend, that you stop doing what you’ve been doing and become that born-again spirit, man that can find the abundant life. You cannot have a victory in those old thoughts that you’re thinking right now. They don’t belong. That’s the adversary. He wants to take you out. In God Almighty reaching through these airwaves.

Zechariah 1:1-2:21, Revelation 12:1-17, Psalms 140:1-13, Proverbs 30:17

Today is the 21^st day of December. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. And, of course, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today as it is every day as we come in out of the weather and warm ourselves around this global campfire that is our community. So, I’m thrilled that we can have this next few minutes together as we immerse ourselves in the Scriptures and step away from whatever’s going on and just center ourselves in God’s word. So, we’ve been reading a book a day for a while now, right, as we’re moving to the minor prophets and as we were moving us through some of the shorter letters in the New Testament. So, today’s kind of no different, but it is. We are beginning a new book of minor prophecy in the Old Testament but we’re not gonna finish it today. In fact, this book is going to bring us a right up to the last two days of the year and this book is called Zechariah.

Introduction to the book of Zechariah:

So, yesterday, we read in its entirety the book of Haggai. Zechariah and Haggai were contemporaries even though Zechariah continued his ministry long after Haggai and then they were prophesying at the same place and at the same time and for the same reason, the rebuilding of the temple. So, Zechariah’s grandfather, Iddo, that was named among the first leaders of the priestly families to return from exile  was Zerubbabel. So, this tells us that Zechariah was probably a priest, or at least of a priestly family. His name means God remembers and this covenantal remembering and the resulting restoration from it is a central theme of Zechariah. Now, since we’re not reading Zechariah in one sitting, like today, we know that, obviously, Zechariah is much longer than Haggai and it’s far broader in scope and style. For example, Zechariah tells of a night visions that he experienced that are apocalyptic in nature and highly symbolic much like what we’re reading in the book of Revelation. So, in light of rebuilding the temple God was initiating a far broader plan of sweeping restoration but the people were going to have to respond and how would they respond? They would respond the same way that we have to respond, with one of the central themes that runs its way all the way through the Bible, “return to me and I will return to you, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. Don’t be like your ancestors, who wouldn’t listen or pay attention when the earlier prophets told them this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says. Turn from your evil ways and stop all your evil practices. Where are your ancestors now?” So, obviously, come back, come home, return to me. This is such a central theme in the prophet’s and we it, here in the book of Zechariah. But that’s not all there is in Zechariah. Zechariah also foretells a coming Messiah with verses that we should be able to instantly recognize. For example, “rejoice oh people of Zion. Shout in triumph oh people of Jerusalem. Look, your kind is coming to you. He is a righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey, riding on a donkey’s colt.” So, because of these utterances Zechariah is quoted in Matthew, in Mark, in John, and in Revelation in reference to Jesus. And ultimately Zechariah is supposed to be received as prophetic encouragement and to serve as a reminder that God is absolutely sovereign in all things at all times and in all places. An, so, let’s take that encouragement and lean into that encouragement and lean into the sovereignty of our Father as we learn to endure, which is also such a central theme of apocalyptic literature like book of Revelation. So, what we can see in Zechariah is that our endurance is not purposeless, that all of this is headed somewhere, and all that we go through is headed somewhere good if we will return to God. And, so, we begin. Zechariah chapter 1 verse 1 through verse 21 today. And we’re reading from the New Living Translation this week.

Prayer:

Once again Father, we thank You for Your word. We thank You for the way that it speaks every day. For example, in the Psalms today, we can very easily pray along with the ancient warrior poet King David. You are our God. Listen Lord to our cries for mercy. Lord, Sovereign God, the strong one who rescues us. You protected us on the day of battle. Lord, do not let evil people have their way. Do not let their evil schemes succeed. We know that You will help those who are persecuted. We know that You will give justice to the poor. We will praise Your name because You have allowed us to live in Your presence. And yes, oh sovereign Lord, we agree, we pray, let it be so, You are the sovereign God, You are the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, You are just and true. And, so, we pray Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven and may this begin in our own hearts. Come Holy Spirit we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, its home base, its where you find out what’s going on around here.

And, you know, it’s Christmas. So, happy merry Christmas as we move into the weekend and…well…you know what happens at the other side of this weekend, right? I mean Christmas Eve is Monday and Christmas Day is Tuesday. So, we’re there and let’s enjoy it. Like we were talking about yesterday, let’s make sure that we find some time to just contemplate and enjoy and relax and appreciate what this whole season represents to the world and what it has meant to our lives.

All the Christmas stuff we’ve been talking about for the last month, that’s all available in the Shop at the Daily Audio Bible Shop and you can check that out.

The More Gathering, if you’re like, looking for the unique, last-minute gift that you can give, check out moregathering.com. That’s a gift that’s gonna last a lot longer than a few days or even a few weeks or even a few months. So, definitely check into that.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There is a link on the homepage. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or, if you prefer, the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or comment 877-942-4253 is the number to dial.

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:

Good morning DABbers, I am a Burning Bush that will not be Devoured for the Glory of Our God and King. There’s a song, I’m not going to sing it, I’m going to share in the lyrics for you guys. It has been blessing my heart lately. It is a Liberian song and in Liberian __ the song says __. And what he’s basically saying to God, God why should I ruin your reputation? Some people go to bed at night and may never wake up. I went to sleep at night and I woke up. So, why should I ruin your reputation God? You’ve blessing me. And, so, this morning I’m sitting here in my heart is a little heavy because I’ve been having some issues at work and I ask you guys to pray for me at this new job, that God will use me as a light and bless me, give me favor and wisdom. And as I was tempted to feel down about it I realized that the fact that I woke up this morning means that God still has an assignment for me. That is my mission. I wake up in the morning, open my eyes, and I can see. That is evidence of…even if I could see, I wake up and I breathe air. That is evidence that God has a plan for me today. And why should I ruin His reputation? Why should I say, oh woe is me? No. I am blessed. I am blessed. I am blessed, highly favored, and I have been sent out on a mission. So, I’m sharing this with you guys. I hope that it’s life to somebody and I‘m heading out to Liberia tomorrow to bury my aunt. Please pray for me for God to go ahead of me. I love you guys so much. Hope you have a wonderful week.

Hey, this is Kevin from the rolling hills of Arkansas. I have really never called in for a prayer request but today I was listening to the 16^th when Dash called in and he’s struggling with anxiety and sitting in his car and it’s exactly what my son Benjamin is going through. And, so, I just really needed to call. It confirmed to me that there’s a lot of people out there that struggle with some type of mental illness or just tormenting things in their mind. So, I just want to play for Dash and Benji and I hope you all can keep all those others in prayer that need it. Dear Lord, be with Dash today and be with Benji. Just clear their minds from this anxiety. Help them to get the care they need. Help all those in the DAB land that suffer with the same. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. Love you guys. Thanks. Keep it up Brian and family. God bless. Bye-bye.

Hi everyone it’s Nicholai in California and I’m calling in regards to a call I heard on the community prayer, I think Laura the conqueror from Colorado, she’s the one who is going through a divorce from an abusive relationship, but she said she’s just been having a lot of difficulties of having a dream where she can’t, you know, get anywhere forward and her seat is taken. I just want to say congratulations, the fact that you are leaving this relationship. It is more difficult than people know to leave an abusive relationship and you are doing it and that is a huge deal. And yes, are you going to have to overcome a lot of difficult things in the process of getting away from this, but you are a warrior and you’re going to make it and you going to find your seat. There is a seat for you and the space for you. And God is going to reward you for all of this. He has so much in store for you that you can’t even imagine. I think it’s just the enemy trying to scare you and trying to stop you from moving forward and from getting away from this relationship but there is a safe haven for you and there is a glorious throne, not just a seat, there’s a throne waiting for you. So, just want you to know that I’m praying for you and that you’re not alone and that you’re supported all the way out you’re in California and you’re going to make it and you’re going to find your throne. Hope you have a great day. Bye.

Hey guys, how you doing? It’s the prodigal. First of all, let me say that I feel all you all’s pain and I really do pray for you. And times are tough for a lot of people especially this time of year, it’s really bad. The main reason for my call is I told my priest, I promised my priest I’d reach out to someone. I am overwhelmed with the thought of committing suicide. I’ve thought about it before, but this year’s been the worst year of my life. I lost everything, I mean absolutely frigging everything. And it’s all because of my pride and because myself hatred. And I’m just figuring that out now. So, the message said His love endures forever today, but I’m not sure I can anymore. I’m so beaten down and I’ve got nothing to look forward to. This year’s word was Hope. My word this year’s loss. It’s bad enough I drove off my best friend, my wife of 23 years. She was everything to me except I drove her away, but she took my dog and the only dog I’ve ever owned in my life and my dog died. So, it’s just a year of total loss. My house, my money, my business going bankrupt. It’s on and on and on and on and on. I just don’t have any more gas in the tank. So, just reaching out asking your prayers. I don’t know how much longer I can stand this. I fight the good fight, which I’ve already fought and been doing research whether suicide is a mortal sin or not. I can’t find that answer either. So, __ I’m lost. And family I pray for you all. God, bless. Maybe I’ll talk to you in the future. We’ll see. God bless and have a Merry Christmas.