Posts

Posted on

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Friday June 22, 2018 (NIV)

2 Kings 3:1-4:17

King Joram of Israel

3 Joram[a] son of Ahab became king of Israel in Jehoshaphat’s eighteenth year as king of Judah.[b] Joram ruled twelve years from Samaria 2 and disobeyed the Lord by doing wrong. He tore down the stone image his father had made to honor Baal, and so he wasn’t as sinful as his parents. 3 But he kept doing the sinful things that Jeroboam son of Nebat had led Israel to do.[c]

The Country of Moab Rebels against Israel

4 For many years the country of Moab had been controlled by Israel and was forced to pay taxes to the kings of Israel. King Mesha of Moab raised sheep, so he paid the king of Israel one hundred thousand lambs and the wool from one hundred thousand rams. 5 But soon after the death of Ahab, Mesha rebelled against Israel.

6 One day, Joram left Samaria and called together Israel’s army. 7 He sent this message to King Jehoshaphat of Judah, “The king of Moab has rebelled. Will you go with me to attack him?”

“Yes, I will,” Jehoshaphat answered. “I’m on your side, and my soldiers and horses are at your command. 8 But which way should we go?”

“We will march through Edom Desert,” Joram replied.

9 So Joram, Jehoshaphat, and the king of Edom led their troops out. But seven days later, there was no drinking water left for them or their animals. 10 Joram cried out, “This is terrible! The Lord must have led us out here to be captured by Moab’s army.”

11 Jehoshaphat said, “Which of the Lord’s prophets is with us? We can find out from him what the Lord wants us to do.”

One of Joram’s officers answered, “Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He was one of Elijah’s closest followers.”

12 Jehoshaphat replied, “He can give us the Lord’s message.”

The three kings went over to Elisha, 13 and he asked Joram, “Why did you come to me? Go talk to the prophets of the foreign gods your parents worshiped.”[d]

“No,” Joram answered. “It was the Lord who led us out here, so that Moab’s army could capture us.”

14 Elisha said to him, “I serve the Lord All-Powerful, and as surely as he lives, I swear I wouldn’t even look at you if I didn’t respect King Jehoshaphat.” 15 Then Elisha said, “Send for someone who can play the harp.”

The harpist began playing, and the Lord gave Elisha this message for Joram:

16 The Lord says that this dry riverbed will be filled with water.[e] 17 You won’t feel any wind or see any rain, but there will be plenty of water for you and your animals.

18 That simple thing isn’t all the Lord is going to do. He will also help you defeat Moab’s army. 19 You will capture all their walled cities and important towns. You will chop down every good tree and stop up every spring of water, then ruin their fertile fields by covering them with rocks.

20 The next morning, while the sacrifice was being offered, water suddenly started flowing from the direction of Edom, and it flooded the land.

21 Meanwhile, the people of Moab had heard that the three kings were coming to attack them. They had called together all of their fighting men, from the youngest to the oldest, and these troops were now standing at their border, ready for battle. 22 When they got up that morning, the sun was shining across the water, making it look red. The Moabite troops took one look 23 and shouted, “Look at that blood! The armies of those kings must have fought and killed each other. Come on, let’s go take what’s left in their camp.”

24 But when they arrived at Israel’s camp, the Israelite soldiers came out and attacked them, until they turned and ran away. Israel’s army chased them all the way back to Moab, and even there they kept up the attack.[f] 25 The Israelites destroyed the Moabite towns. They chopped down the good trees and stopped up the springs of water, then covered the fertile fields with rocks.

Finally, the only city left standing was Kir-Hareseth, but soldiers armed with slings surrounded and attacked it. 26 King Mesha of Moab saw that he was about to be defeated. So he took along seven hundred soldiers with swords and tried to break through the front line where the Edomite troops were positioned. But he failed. 27 He then grabbed his oldest son who was to be the next king and sacrificed him as an offering on the city wall. The Israelite troops were so horrified that[g] they left the city and went back home.

Elisha Helps a Poor Widow

4 One day the widow of one of the Lord’s prophets said to Elisha, “You know that before my husband died, he was a follower of yours and a worshiper of the Lord. But he owed a man some money, and now that man is on his way to take my two sons as his slaves.”

2 “Maybe there’s something I can do to help,” Elisha said. “What do you have in your house?”

“Sir, I have nothing but a small bottle of olive oil.”

3 Elisha told her, “Ask your neighbors for their empty jars. And after you’ve borrowed as many as you can, 4 go home and shut the door behind you and your sons. Then begin filling the jars with oil and set each one aside as you fill it.” 5 The woman left.

Later, when she and her sons were back inside their house, the two sons brought her the jars, and she began filling them.

6 At last, she said to one of her sons, “Bring me another jar.”

“We don’t have any more,” he answered, and the oil stopped flowing from the small bottle.

7 After she told Elisha what had happened, he said, “Sell the oil and use part of the money to pay what you owe the man. You and your sons can live on what is left.”

Elisha Brings a Rich Woman’s Son Back to Life

8 Once, while Elisha was in the town of Shunem,[h] he met a rich woman who invited him to her home for dinner. After that, whenever he was in Shunem, he would have a meal there with her and her husband.

9 Some time later the woman said to her husband, “I’m sure the man who comes here so often is a prophet of God. 10 Why don’t we build him a small room on the flat roof of our house? We can put a bed, a table and chair, and an oil lamp in it. Then whenever he comes, he can stay with us.”

11 The next time Elisha was in Shunem, he stopped at their house and went up to his room to rest. 12-13 He said to his servant Gehazi, “This woman has been very helpful. Have her come up here to the roof for a moment.” She came, and Elisha told Gehazi to say to her, “You’ve gone to a lot of trouble for us, and we want to help you. Is there something we can request the king or army commander to do?”[i]

The woman answered, “With my relatives nearby, I have everything I need.”

14 “Then what can we do for her?” Elisha asked Gehazi.

Gehazi replied, “I do know that her husband is old, and that she doesn’t have a son.”

15 “Ask her to come here again,” Elisha told his servant. He called for her, and she came and stood in the doorway of Elisha’s room.

16 Elisha said to her, “Next year at this time, you’ll be holding your own baby son in your arms.”

“You’re a man of God,” the woman replied. “Please don’t lie to me.”

17 But a few months later, the woman got pregnant. She gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had promised.

Footnotes:

  1. 3.1 Joram: See the note at 1.17.
  2. 3.1 Joram. . . Judah: See 1.17 and 8.16 and the notes there.
  3. 3.3 the sinful things. . . to do: When Jeroboam became king of Israel, he made two gold statues of calves and put them in the towns of Bethel and Dan, so the people of Israel could worship them (see 1 Kings 12.26-30).
  4. 3.13 the prophets. . . worshiped: These were prophets of the Canaanite god Baal and the goddess Asherah (see 1 Kings 16.30-33; 18.19).
  5. 3.16 that. . . water: Or “to dig holes everywhere in this riverbed.”
  6. 3.24 chased. . . attack: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  7. 3.27 The Israelite. . . that: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  8. 4.8 Shunem: A town in Israel, about twenty-five miles north of Samaria.
  9. 4.12,13 request the king. . . do: Elisha may have meant that he could ask these leaders to lower her taxes.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

Acts 14:8-28

Paul and Barnabas in Lystra

8 In Lystra there was a man who had been born with crippled feet and had never been able to walk. 9 The man was listening to Paul speak, when Paul saw that he had faith in Jesus and could be healed. So he looked straight at the man 10 and shouted, “Stand up!” The man jumped up and started walking around.

11 When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they yelled out in the language of Lycaonia, “The gods have turned into humans and have come down to us!” 12 The people then gave Barnabas the name Zeus, and they gave Paul the name Hermes,[a] because he did the talking.

13 The temple of Zeus was near the entrance to the city. Its priest and the crowds wanted to offer a sacrifice to Barnabas and Paul. So the priest brought some bulls and flowers to the city gates. 14 When the two apostles found out about this, they tore their clothes in horror and ran to the crowd, shouting:

15 Why are you doing this? We are humans just like you. Please give up all this foolishness. Turn to the living God, who made the sky, the earth, the sea, and everything in them. 16 In times past, God let each nation go its own way. 17 But he showed that he was there by the good things he did. God sends rain from heaven and makes your crops grow. He gives food to you and makes your hearts glad.

18 Even after Paul and Barnabas had said all this, they could hardly keep the people from offering a sacrifice to them.

19 Some Jewish leaders from Antioch and Iconium came and turned the crowds against Paul. They hit him with stones and dragged him out of the city, thinking he was dead. 20 But when the Lord’s followers gathered around Paul, he stood up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas went to Derbe.

Paul and Barnabas Return to Antioch in Syria

21 Paul and Barnabas preached the good news in Derbe and won some people to the Lord. Then they went back to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch in Pisidia. 22 They encouraged the followers and begged them to remain faithful. They told them, “We have to suffer a lot before we can get into God’s kingdom.” 23 Paul and Barnabas chose some leaders for each of the churches. Then they went without eating[b] and prayed that the Lord would take good care of these leaders.

24 Paul and Barnabas went on through Pisidia to Pamphylia, 25 where they preached in the town of Perga. Then they went down to Attalia 26 and sailed to Antioch in Syria. It was there that they had been placed in God’s care for the work they had now completed.[c]

27 After arriving in Antioch, they called the church together. They told the people what God had helped them do and how he had made it possible for the Gentiles to believe. 28 Then they stayed there with the followers for a long time.

Footnotes:

  1. 14.12 Hermes: The Greeks thought of Hermes as the messenger of the other gods, especially of Zeus, their chief god.
  2. 14.23 went without eating: See the note at 13.2.
  3. 14.26 the work they had now completed: See 13.1-3.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

Psalm 140

(A psalm by David for the music leader.)

A Prayer for the Lord’s Help

140 Rescue me from cruel
and violent enemies, Lord!
2 They think up evil plans
and always cause trouble.
3 Their words bite deep
like the poisonous fangs
of a snake.

4 Protect me, Lord, from cruel
and brutal enemies,
who want to destroy me.
5 Those proud people have hidden
traps and nets
to catch me as I walk.

6 You, Lord, are my God!
Please listen to my prayer.
7 You have the power to save me,
and you keep me safe
in every battle.

8 Don’t let the wicked succeed
in doing what they want,
or else they might never
stop planning evil.
9 They have me surrounded,
but make them the victims
of their own vicious lies.[a]
10 Dump flaming coals on them
and throw them into pits
where they can’t climb out.
11 Chase those cruel liars away!
Let trouble hunt them down.

12 Our Lord, I know that you
defend the homeless
and see that the poor
are given justice.
13 Your people will praise you
and will live with you
because they do right.

Footnotes:

  1. 140.8,9 or else. . . lies: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

Proverbs 17:22

22 If you are cheerful,
you feel good;
if you are sad,
you hurt all over.

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

Posted on

06/21/2018 DAB Transcript

2 Kings 1:1-2:25, Acts 13:42-14:7, Psalms 139:1-24, Proverbs 17:19-21 

Today is the 21st day of June. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. It’s great to be here with you today for the next step forward as we move deeper and deeper and further through the Scriptures this year, which brings us to kind of a new line of demarcation. We’re moving into the book of 2 Kings today in our Old Testament portion. And when we come to a new book, we talk about it. We talk about its context, its place in history. And, kind of what we’re going to cover, but with 2 Kings there’s nothing new to tell, versus 1 Kings. These were all one manuscript at one time. So, we’re just continuing the story forward. But as we move into 2 Kings we’ll see that the prophet Elijah that we have been following along with will be transferring his authority to his successor named Elisha. And we’ll follow that story forward. But we are beginning a new book, the book of 2 Kings and we will read chapters 1 and 2 today. And we’re reading from the contemporary English version this week.  

Prayer: 

Father, we thank You for Your word and we marvel at what we’re reading in Your word today because we want to be in Your presence every moment of this day and You’re telling us in the Psalms that there is no where we can go to flee from Your presence. So, we will be in Your presence today and the question will become whether or not we are paying attention. So, come Holy Spirit. May we sense Your presence all around us, leading our steps, whether the right or to the left, leading us forward into all truth, leading us on the narrow path that leads to life, leading us deeper into Jesus today. We ask these things in the name of Jesus’. Come Holy Spirit. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.  

Announcements:

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

What’s going on right now is the upcoming Daily Audio Bible Long Walk. I believe this is the 11th annual Daily Audio Bible Long Walk. It takes place on the 7th of July. And, so, those of you who have been here for several years, you’ve probably been on long walks, you know what this is. But for those of you who are taking the journey for the first time, it’s kind of our own little Daily Audio Bible tradition. Almost our own little internal holiday that just came out of nowhere. Back in 2007, we had a big stadium prayer event that was televised here in Nashville. Because it was televised, many of the Daily Audio Bible community, and this is the early Daily Audio Bible community, it just would be our second year of doing this, were also watching along. So, we had this virtual experience that eventually transformed itself into the Daily Audio Bible Long Walk. An invitation to take a day, circle it on the calendar and say nothing is getting into this day. Nothing is taking me from this day. All the entanglements of my life, I’m disentangling for this day. I’m going for a long walk with somebody I need to talk to, someone who knows me better than I know myself. Someone who loves me deeper than any other love on this earth. I’m going for a long walk with God.  

And it becomes this reset button in the center of the year. But we have time in the middle of the year to reflect back over the last six months. And yes, that’s about where were going to be here in a few days, halfway through the year and halfway through the Bible. So, it’s a great opportunity to look back at what the Bible has spoken, at what we have been faced with, and what we have overcome, of what we are continuing to press through and all of the beauty, all of the beauty of God’s faithfulness in our lives. Get the chance to kind of think that over and talk that over, debrief with the Lord and then look forward into what the next six months is supposed to look like. So, it’s a great opportunity for that. Go somewhere beautiful. Whether you make big plans and drive somewhere far away and enjoy beauty or whether you just walk across the street, it doesn’t really matter. And doesn’t matter where you are on earth. We’ll be doing this all over the world. Just take your phone or something. Take a picture. Don’t take a bunch of distractions because everything, will distract you, but make sure that you commemorate the day, remember the day. Take a picture. Shoot a little video or something. Then, post it to the Daily Audio Bible Facebook page, which is Facebook.com/dailyaudiobible and this beautiful window, a little mosaic of windows actually begins to open up. And throughout the day and the next day we get all these pictures and we can scroll through and just hear from each other, just look into each other’s lives for just that brief moment, have that connection, be able to look through the window and see all over the world. it’s great. So, make plans for that, the 7th of July. It’s a Saturday this year, so that makes it easy for most of us. So, make plans for the Daily Audio Bible long walk the 7th of July.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There is a link on the homepage. Thank you, thank you for your partnership. 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 here is tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi Daily Audio Bible family members. This is __. I just wanted you all to know, well, Alice the Seeker, I just read your call on the community prayer line and I want you to know that I am praying for you, your wife, and your son. Everything that you’re going through with him. You were on your way to a psych eval. And I just pray for answers and I pray for doctors to recognize the need for some help for him. And the woman who called right after that also just struck a chord with me. It sounds like our stories are similar with your ex-husband, who you just,…was your first love…and whatever happened to break that up…I’ve been there with you sister. I recognize that. I am happy to have my husband as you are, as well your husband you currently have, but there is pain and there is sorrow in that still after all these years. It’s been what, 25 years, but he’s my children’s father, so we definitely still are connected. But I just want you to know I will be praying for you. I will be praying for you ex-husband and his cancer. I’m just, again, thankful for this community. Every single prayer that comes across this line I pray for. And, quickly, I would just like to lift up my daughter who is 24 weeks pregnant. They just discovered that the babies and umbilical cord is a two-chamber cord versus a three-chamber, which can be a sign of problems. It can be okay. There’s various things, but I’d just like to lift up my daughter in prayer if you all wouldn’t mind. I just thank you and I love you all. Have a great day. 

Hello Daily Audio Bible family. This is Anne from Charlotte North Carolina. Thank you for those who prayed for me. I am still recovering from the mishap in the hospital. God healed me and saved my life and I wanted to ask prayer for our insurance business that I’ve been doing for 18 years and my husband for 10 with me. It has gone down dramatically in the last two years. And even though the economies improving, our business has not improved yet and we really need it to. So, would you pray that God would help us to find businesses and clients that need our help us with benefits and insurance and God will prosper and grow our business for us to have adequate provision and overflow to be generous givers we long to be. And I want to pray for pastor Gene. Father, thank you for Gene. She has the most beautiful name. You have given Gene a beautiful name and I pray that she will feel the presence of You our heavenly Father, who loves us and cares for us and who is our Jehovah Jira, You will encourage her in her purpose in the work that You call her to do and want her to do and that You will help her to rest in You and just all of us to be reminded Lord, especially Gene, that no matter what we do or don’t do, we are enough because Jesus died for us and we belong to You. And even if we were in a wheelchair and couldn’t move or do anything we are still of infinite worth and value because we’re made in your image and you love us. 

Help me Lord upon this day 
to be more Christlike in every way 
help me choose the right words to say 
while at work and while the play 
help me pray and talk to You 
help me choose the right things to do 
help my whole life become brand-new 
draw me always Lord closer to You 
renew my strength when I feel weak 
cleanse my heart and guide my feet 
purify the things I seek 
keep me humble keep me meek 
guard my hands from things they touch 
I’m seeking your spirit Lord very much 
forgive me Lord when I don’t do right 
help me fight the good Christian fight  
in the day as well as the night 
help me always to seek thy light  
help me never be too proud to say 
I’m trying to live in a Christlike way  
and if I fail and start to sin 
take me back Lord please amen  

blindtony1016@gmail.com. Joe the Protector, I hope you’re still hanging in there, brother…hope you’re still hanging in there…and I hope things are well with your daughter. And, once again, Brian, thank you for this wonderful podcast for God’s Holy Spirit flow. Keep it flowin’ ya’ll. All right. Bye-bye. 

Hello DAB family this is Michael from Mesa. Lots of little things…just lots of just things on my mind. First, just let you all know that I’ve been praying for marriages and just know that a lot of you are going through difficulties there. It’s on my heart regularly. So, I’m praying for you. Pastor Gene, just heard today the call from her husband about your situation. You know, we’ve been listening to your wonderful voice and wonderful prayers for our DAB family for a long time and know that we have you covered there to. So, we pray Lord that you’d be with Pastor Gene in the anguish she’s going through. Open the doors as she needs them. Get those closed where she needs them. She’s looking to You and her faith to guide her. So, Lord we just pray for that. And then personally, if you could pray for me in terms of getting clients for work. I’m coming off of kind of a major thing I need to get done here at work and when that happens I’m going to the clients. So, without clients I really can’t work. So, if you’d all be praying for me for that that be great. All right. Love you all. Listen to you every day. Brian thanks for the opportunity care. You do a fantastic job and everybody behind the scenes. Love you all. Talk to you soon. Michael from Mesa. 

Posted on

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Thursday June 21, 2018 (NIV)

2 Kings 1-2

The Lord Condemns Ahaziah

1 1-2 Soon after King Ahab of Israel died, the country of Moab rebelled against his son King Ahaziah.[a]

One day, Ahaziah fell through the wooden slats around the porch on the flat roof of his palace in Samaria, and he was badly injured. So he sent some messengers to the town of Ekron[b] with orders to ask the god Baalzebub if he would get well.

3 About the same time, an angel from the Lord sent Elijah the prophet from Tishbe to say to the king’s messengers, “Ahaziah has rejected Israel’s own God by sending you to ask Baalzebub about his injury. 4 Tell him that because he has done this, he’s on his deathbed! And Elijah did what he was told.

5 When the messengers returned to Ahaziah, he asked, “Why are you back so soon?”

6 “A man met us along the road with a message for you from the Lord,” they answered. “The Lord wants to know why you sent us to ask Baalzebub about your injury and why you don’t believe there’s a God in Israel. The man also told us that the Lord says you’re going to die.”

7 “What did the man look like?” Ahaziah asked.

8 “He was hairy[c] and had a leather belt around his waist,” they answered.

“It must be Elijah!” replied Ahaziah. 9 So at once he sent an army officer and fifty soldiers to meet Elijah.

Elijah was sitting on top of a hill[d] at the time. The officer went up to him and said, “Man of God,[e] the king orders you to come down and talk with him.”

10 “If I am a man of God,” Elijah answered, “God will send down fire on you and your fifty soldiers.” Fire immediately came down from heaven and burned up the officer and his men.

11 Ahaziah sent another officer and fifty more soldiers to Elijah. The officer said, “Man of God, the king orders you to come see him right now.”

12 “If I am a man of God,” Elijah answered, “fire will destroy you and your fifty soldiers.” And God sent down fire[f] from heaven on the officer and his men.

13 Ahaziah sent a third army officer and fifty more soldiers. This officer went up to Elijah, then he got down on his knees and begged, “Man of God, please be kind to me and these fifty servants of yours. Let us live! 14 Fire has already wiped out the other officers and their soldiers. Please don’t let it happen to me.”

15 The angel from the Lord said to Elijah, “Go with him and don’t be afraid.” So Elijah got up and went with the officer.

16 When Elijah arrived, he told Ahaziah, “The Lord wants to know why you sent messengers to Ekron to ask Baalzebub about your injury. Don’t you believe there’s a God in Israel? Ahaziah, because you did that, the Lord says you will die.”

17 Ahaziah died, just as the Lord had said. But since Ahaziah had no sons, Joram[g] his brother[h] then became king. This happened in the second year that Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat was king of Judah.[i] 18 Everything else Ahaziah did while he was king is written in The History of the Kings of Israel.

The Lord Takes Elijah Away

2 Not long before the Lord took Elijah up into heaven in a strong wind, Elijah and Elisha were leaving Gilgal. 2 Elijah said to Elisha, “The Lord wants me to go to Bethel, but you must stay here.”

Elisha replied, “I swear by the living Lord and by your own life that I will stay with you no matter what!” And he went with Elijah to Bethel.

3 A group of prophets who lived there asked Elisha, “Do you know that today the Lord is going to take away your master?”

“Yes, I do,” Elisha answered. “But don’t remind me of it.”

4 Elijah then said, “Elisha, now the Lord wants me to go to Jericho, but you must stay here.”

Elisha replied, “I swear by the living Lord and by your own life, that I will stay with you no matter what!” And he went with Elijah to Jericho.

5 A group of prophets who lived there asked Elisha, “Do you know that today the Lord is going to take away your master?”

“Yes, I do,” Elisha answered. “But don’t remind me of it.”

6 Elijah then said to Elisha, “Now the Lord wants me to go to the Jordan River, but you must stay here.”

Elisha replied, “I swear by the living Lord and by your own life that I will never leave you!” So the two of them walked on together.

7 Fifty prophets followed Elijah and Elisha from Jericho, then stood at a distance and watched as the two men walked toward the river. 8 When they got there, Elijah took off his coat, then he rolled it up and struck the water with it. At once a path opened up through the river, and the two of them walked across on dry ground.

9 After they had reached the other side, Elijah said, “Elisha, the Lord will soon take me away. What can I do for you before that happens?”

Elisha answered, “Please give me twice as much of your power as you give the other prophets, so I can be the one who takes your place as their leader.”

10 “It won’t be easy,” Elijah answered. “It can happen only if you see me as I am being taken away.”

11 Elijah and Elisha were walking along and talking, when suddenly there appeared between them a flaming chariot pulled by fiery horses. Right away, a strong wind took Elijah up into heaven. 12 Elisha saw this and shouted, “Israel’s cavalry and chariots have taken my master away!”[j] After Elijah had gone, Elisha tore his clothes in sorrow.

13 Elijah’s coat had fallen off, so Elisha picked it up and walked back to the Jordan River. 14 He struck the water with the coat and wondered, “Will the Lord perform miracles for me as he did for Elijah?” As soon as Elisha did this, a dry path opened up through the water, and he walked across.

15 When the prophets from Jericho saw what happened, they said to each other, “Elisha now has Elijah’s power.”

They walked over to him, bowed down, 16 and said, “There are fifty strong men here with us. Please let them go look for your master. Maybe the Spirit of the Lord carried him off to some mountain or valley.”

“No,” Elisha replied, “they won’t find him.”

17 They kept begging until he was embarrassed to say no. He finally agreed, and the prophets sent the men out. They looked three days for Elijah but never found him. 18 They returned to Jericho, and Elisha said, “I told you that you wouldn’t find him.”

Elisha Makes the Water Pure at Jericho

19 One day the people of Jericho said, “Elisha, you can see that our city is in a good spot. But the water from our spring is so bad that it even keeps our crops from growing.”

20 He replied, “Put some salt in a new bowl and bring it to me.”

They brought him the bowl of salt, 21 and he carried it to the spring. He threw the salt into the water and said, “The Lord has made this water pure again. From now on you’ll be able to grow crops, and no one will starve.”

22 The water has been fine ever since, just as Elisha said.

Some Boys Make Fun of Elisha

23 Elisha left and headed toward Bethel. Along the way some boys started making fun of him by shouting, “Go away, baldy! Get out of here!”

24 Elisha turned around and stared at the boys. Then he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Right away two bears ran out of the woods and ripped to pieces forty-two of the boys.

25 Elisha went up to Mount Carmel, then returned to Samaria.

Footnotes:

  1. 1.1,2 the country. . . King Ahaziah: The story of Moab’s rebellion is in 3.4-27.
  2. 1.1,2 Ekron: An important Philistine town about forty miles southwest of Samaria.
  3. 1.8 hairy: Or “wearing a furry coat.”
  4. 1.9 a hill: Probably Mount Carmel.
  5. 1.9 Man of God: Another name for a prophet of the Lord.
  6. 1.12 God sent down fire: Or “A mighty fire came down.”
  7. 1.17 Joram: The Hebrew text has “Jehoram,” another spelling of the name.
  8. 1.17 his brother: Some ancient translations (see also 3.1); these words are not in the Hebrew text.
  9. 1.17 This happened. . . Judah: According to 3.1, this was also the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat’s rule in Judah. In biblical times, a father and son would sometimes rule as kings at the same time. This way, when the father died, the son would already have control of the kingdom (see also 8.16).
  10. 2.12 Israel’s. . . away: Or “Master, you were like cavalry and chariots for the people of Israel!”
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

Acts 13:42-14:7

42 As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the meeting, the people begged them to say more about these same things on the next Sabbath. 43 After the service, many Jews and a lot of Gentiles who worshiped God went with them. Paul and Barnabas begged them all to remain faithful to God, who had been so kind to them.

44 The next Sabbath almost everyone in town came to hear the message about the Lord.[a] 45 When the Jewish people saw the crowds, they were very jealous. They insulted Paul and spoke against everything he said.

46 But Paul and Barnabas bravely said:

We had to tell God’s message to you before we told it to anyone else. But you rejected the message! This proves that you don’t deserve eternal life. Now we are going to the Gentiles. 47 The Lord has given us this command,

“I have placed you here
as a light
for the Gentiles.
You are to take
the saving power of God
to people everywhere on earth.”

48 This message made the Gentiles glad, and they praised what they had heard about the Lord. [b] Everyone who had been chosen for eternal life then put their faith in the Lord.

49 The message about the Lord spread all over that region. 50 But the Jewish leaders went to some of the important men in the town and to some respected women who were religious. They turned them against Paul and Barnabas and started making trouble for them. They even chased them out of that part of the country.

51 Paul and Barnabas shook the dust from that place off their feet[c] and went on to the city of Iconium.

52 But the Lord’s followers in Antioch were very happy and were filled with the Holy Spirit.

Paul and Barnabas in Iconium

14 Paul and Barnabas spoke in the Jewish meeting place in Iconium, just as they had done at Antioch, and many Jews and Gentiles[d] put their faith in the Lord. 2 But the Jews who did not have faith in him made the other Gentiles angry and turned them against the Lord’s followers.

3 Paul and Barnabas stayed there for a while, having faith in the Lord and bravely speaking his message. The Lord gave them the power to work miracles and wonders, and he showed that their message about his great kindness was true.

4 The people of Iconium did not know what to think. Some of them believed the Jewish group, and others believed the apostles. 5 Finally, some Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, decided to make trouble for Paul and Barnabas and to stone them to death.

6-7 But when the two apostles found out what was happening, they escaped to the region of Lycaonia. They preached the good news there in the towns of Lystra and Derbe and in the nearby countryside.

Footnotes:

  1. 13.44,48 the Lord: Some manuscripts have “God.”
  2. 13.44,48 the Lord: Some manuscripts have “God.”
  3. 13.51 shook the dust from that place off their feet: This was a way of showing rejection.
  4. 14.1 Gentiles: The Greek text has “Greeks,” which probably means people who were not Jews. But it may mean Gentiles who worshiped with the Jews.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

Psalm 139

(A psalm by David for the music leader.)

The Lord Is Always Near

139 You have looked deep
into my heart, Lord,
and you know all about me.
2 You know when I am resting
or when I am working,
and from heaven
you discover my thoughts.

3 You notice everything I do
and everywhere I go.
4 Before I even speak a word,
you know what I will say,
5 and with your powerful arm
you protect me
from every side.
6 I can’t understand all of this!
Such wonderful knowledge
is far above me.

7 Where could I go to escape
from your Spirit
or from your sight?
8 If I were to climb up
to the highest heavens,
you would be there.
If I were to dig down
to the world of the dead
you would also be there.

9 Suppose I had wings
like the dawning day
and flew across the ocean.
10 Even then your powerful arm
would guide and protect me.
11 Or suppose I said, “I’ll hide
in the dark
until night comes
to cover me over.”
12 But you see in the dark
because daylight and dark
are all the same to you.

13 You are the one
who put me together
inside my mother’s body,
14 and I praise you
because of
the wonderful way
you created me.
Everything you do is marvelous!
Of this I have no doubt.

15 Nothing about me
is hidden from you!
I was secretly woven together
deep in the earth below,
16 but with your own eyes
you saw
my body being formed.
Even before I was born,
you had written in your book
everything I would do.

17 Your thoughts are far beyond
my understanding,
much more than I
could ever imagine.
18 I try to count your thoughts,
but they outnumber the grains
of sand on the beach.
And when I awake,
I will find you nearby.

19 How I wish that you would kill
all cruel and heartless people
and protect me from them!
20 They are always rebelling
and speaking evil of you.[a]
21 You know I hate anyone
who hates you, Lord,
and refuses to obey.
22 They are my enemies too,
and I truly hate them.

23 Look deep into my heart, God,
and find out everything
I am thinking.
24 Don’t let me follow evil ways,
but lead me in the way
that time has proven true.

Footnotes:

  1. 139.20 you: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 20.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

Proverbs 17:19-21

19 The wicked and the proud
love trouble
and keep begging
to be hurt.
20 Dishonesty does you no good,
and telling lies
will get you in trouble.
21 It’s never pleasant
to be the parent of a fool
and have nothing but pain.

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

Posted on

06/20/2018 DAB Transcript

1 Kings 22:1-53, Acts 13:16-41, Psalms 138:1-8, Proverbs 17:17-18 

Today is the 20th day of June. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It is a pleasure, it is an honor and it is a joy to be here with you today as we prepare to take the next step forward in our lives and in the Scriptures. And this week we’ve been reading from the Contemporary English Version, working our way through the kings in the Old Testament and the story of the early church in the book of Acts. Today 1 Kings chapter 22. 

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your Word. We thank You for all of its facets. We thank You for all of the territory that it takes us into, places that we’ve never seen before. And even when we’re coming back through the same territory again, we see it with different eyes. Your Holy Spirit continues to lead and direct us. You continue to show us the path forward, and we’re thankful for this gift. We invite Your Holy Spirit to plant the words of the Scriptures into our hearts and minds so that they can change our lives from within. Come, Holy Spirit, we pray. In the name of Jesus’ we ask. Amen.  

Announcements:

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

So, it’s getting to be that time of year. And what time of year is it getting to be you ask? It’s getting to be time for the Daily Audio Bible Long Walk. And if you’re scratching your head and you’re confused cause this is your first year through the bible at Daily Audio Bible, then here’s kind of the short story. The Daily Audio Bible started in 2006. In 2007, so we’re going back a ways now. I mean, it doesn’t seem like it’s that long of a time ago, but technology has rapidly increased in the last decade. But back then, back in the old days, it wasn’t quite as interactive and there was this giant stadium prayer revival type thing that happened here in Nashville in our football stadium and there were like seventy thousand people or whatever. It was just a huge, huge thing. And I went down to that and it was being televised. So, many people inside the Daily Audio Bible community around the world knew about this and were watching. So, we were there but many were watching. It was the first time because Daily Audio Bible was only a year and a half old, first time that we were all able to do something virtually all at the same time. And so we did this and lots of emails came in and there was this one email of a person who had done a prayer walk that day and walked, oh I don’t remember, twenty miles. Like a really, really long time. A really long walk. And a tradition kind of got born. Every July 7 since then, we’ve done the Daily Audio Bible Long Walk 

What’s going on right now is the upcoming Daily Audio Bible Long Walk. I believe this is the 11th annual Daily Audio Bible Long Walk. It takes place on the 7th of July. And so those of you who have been here for several years, you’ve probably been on long walks, you know what this is. But for those of you who are taking the journey for the first time, it’s kind of our own little Daily Audio Bible tradition. Almost our own little internal holiday that just came out of nowhere. Back in 2007, we had a big stadium prayer event that was televised here in Nashville. Because it was televised, many of the Daily Audio Bible community, and this is the early Daily Audio Bible community, it just would be our second year of doing this, were also watching along. So, we had this virtual experience that eventually transformed itself into the Daily Audio Bible Long Walk. An invitation to take a day, circle it on the calendar and say nothing is getting into this day. Nothing is taking me from this day. All the entanglements of my life, I’m disentangling for this day. I’m going for a long walk with somebody I need to talk to, someone who knows me better than I know myself. Someone who loves me deeper than any other love on this earth. I’m going for a long walk with God. I mean, because that’s how we describe our faith journey, right? We’re walking with God. So, this is a day to actually go for a long walk. And it doesn’t matter where you are. It doesn’t matter where you are on planet Earth. You can do this. And as you do this, as you go for a long walk with God, you will not be alone. Your brothers and sisters all over the world will be doing this. So, just take your phone or tablet, not so that you can find additional distractions from your day. This is a day to set aside and say everything that you’ve needed to say, the things that have been building up throughout this year, the things that you need to have a conversation with God about, the things that you need his leading and guidance on. So, don’t be distracted. But you don’t want to forget this day either. If you’ve never done a Daily Audio Bible Long Walk before, if you’ve never done this, well it doesn’t even have to be Daily Audio Bible Long Walk, this is just when we do it together. If you’ve never gone on a long walk with God, you’re in for a treat. So, go somewhere beautiful. Well, the first thing you gotta do is set aside the day, the 7th of July, which happens to be a Saturday this year. And then plan where you’re gonna go. Maybe you’re gonna drive a couple hours to somewhere that is meaningful to you. Or a place that you find just exquisitely beautiful. Or maybe you’re gonna drive five minutes to a park that you find gorgeous. The point is, get outside in nature. Disconnect from the hectic pace of life. Give yourself this one day to just be where you are and look at the detail of God’s creation and allow yourself to become aware of his presence in all things and then say what you need to say. Have a conversation and leave enough space for him to say the things that he’s been trying to say to you for a while, the things that he’s wanted to tell you for a while but there hasn’t been time because it’s been too frantic.  This is an opportunity at the center of the year to say, Okay, I’m giving this day to God, I’m gonna review the first six months of the year, we’re gonna go back over that, we’re gonna talk about all the fun that we had and all the challenges that we faced and now we’re gonna look forward together, because I’m not walking another day without God. I’m walking into the second half of this year fully aware of where he is leading me to go right now, understanding the context for where it is I am right now and walking into it with the confidence of the Holy Spirit in my life. It’s a beautiful thing. So, take a picture, post it to the Daily Audio Bible Facebook page, which is Facebook.com/dailyaudiobible. And this mosaic just begins to materialize as hundreds of little windows are opened into each other’s lives. And just scrolling through after the long walk is almost like a little bit of a world tour. So, we’ve had this tradition and this is the 11th annual Daily Audio Bible Long Walk, so we’ve had this tradition for a while. And it’s never not been deeply meaningful. So, plan on that the 7th of July.  

If you wanna partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com.  Thank you profoundly and humbly for your partnership. So, there’s 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 P.O 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 here is tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hello everyone in the Daily Audio Bible community, this is Keisha and I just want to call and request prayer just for a couple things. My heart…and I’ve walked a Christian life a long time…and I feel very alone in my family. Also, I want to pray for…I’m asking prayer for…I am morbidly obese. I am over 300 pounds and it’s because of depression and living in a family that has a generational curse of depression along with several other things. And I’m so ashamed to ask for prayers in these areas just with my family and my health and my weight and my marriage. But I just…I believe in the power of prayer and I believe in this community and I’m just asking for your help. Brian and Jill, I just thank you so much for your ministry and for your devotion. I love you all and I’m praying with you all and I just…I just need you to call my name. Thank you.

Hello Daily Audio Bible family. This is Carol from Arizona and I had called about a month ago and I sent in a prayer request to all of you about my brother who was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I want to call in a praise report. And that before my message was played, my brother had some blood work and his liver enzymes came back really off. They weren’t good and the doctor ordered an ultrasound and they were very worried that the cancer was now in his liver and then my message was played on the Daily Audio Bible. And he went and an ultrasound and they did not find any in the liver. And then about a week after that they took his blood work again and the liver enzyme test came back completely normal. And his doctor and the doctor’s nurse just couldn’t believe…they said it’s nothing short of a miracle. They just couldn’t believe it. And my brother knows that I had called a message in. So, he asked that I call in and thank you. Thank everybody who prayed for him because it worked. We know that prayers work. My brother is a strong, strong believer and I thank you all so much for praying for him. Even the nurse said that it’s renewed faith because she knows how strong his faith is. So, thank you family for praying for my brother. We got a miraculous report back and I would just ask that if you could all just keep praying for him. He’s on some experimental chemo medication and we’re going to hope that that’s to shrink some of the…it’s going to shrink that pancreatic tumor so that they can do surgery. I love you guys. I pray for you all time. And again, I thank you so much for your prayers and just ask that you’ll keep praying and I’ll call in these miracle reports. Love you guys. Bye.

Hi. This is Victoria S. Just calling tonight to pray for one of…for some of the DABbers. I want to pray for the lady in Alaska that had the single car accident. She said the mom and one of the kids didn’t make it. I want to pray for that mom and for that family, that these kids will find a place to be. Also, to say hi to Margot in Australia. I wanted to also pray for the lady in Indiana whose husband has Parkinson’s disease that has to have the surgery. I want to pray for him. And I also want to pray for Lynn…who…Lynn regarded to the alcohol. Don’t trust them Lynn. You know, the thing as Christians, we fall down many times. But it’s not the falling down. It’s the getting up. You get up and you get right back on that horse. You can do it honey. You can do it. And God can give you the strength. He can take away the desire. Just continue to trust Him. Gracious Father, we come today. Oh, Father, in the name of Jesus we ask You to touch that mother and that child and the children in those accidents. Lord, the children that made it, Lord, You provide for them Lord in a mighty and special way. Lord, You comfort that family in the mighty name of Jesus. Lord we ask you to touch that gentleman that has the Parkinson’s disease each step of the way. Lord, we ask You to be with him. We ask You to heal him each step of the way. You are a miracle working God. You can do anything but fail and Lord, we want to thank You in advance for healing our brother as he goes through the process. I want to ask You to talk to Lynn Lord. You know that You are a God that can do anything. You are a forgiving God. You are God that can work miracles. Lord, I ask You to touch Lynn. You would have her trust You and let her know that she is not…she can make it. She is more than a conqueror and that You are carrying her through the rough and the difficult times when she is weak. Remember, when you are weak Lynn, He is strong. Continue to…

Good morning Daily Audio Bible family. I wanted to say happy Father’s Day to all of the fathers, how much you matter and how much difference you make in our lives. Thank you for being you and for loving us and for showing us a good example, especially for Brian and all the other dads that are so in one with the Lord. And I just wanted to lift up Michaela in the UK. Your heart is so beautiful, that you’re always…you’re ministering to the Muslim community. And I just pray for Michaela’s refreshment, for refreshment Michaela. In Matthew 11:28-30 it’s written that Jesus said, come to me all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you because I am humble and gentle at heart and you will find rest for your soul. For my yoke is easy to bear and the burden I give you is light. So, praying, lifting up Michaela as she deals with so many of the stresses that we all face in life, like her…I mean…workloads and conflicts in relationships and financial uncertainties and that as Michaela struggles with these issues, that she is not alone, the Holy Spirit lifts her up and empowers her and refreshes her and that she has fellowship and support of other Christians and that she continues to live and work in a cross-cultural environment adding that additional element of God’s love and reaching people and how will they know if we don’t tell them. So, I am just praying for refreshment and protection over Michaela in the UK. Thank you, brothers and sisters. In Jesus’ mighty and precious name I pray. Amen. 

Posted on

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Wednesday June 20, 2018 (NIV)

1 Kings 22

Micaiah Warns Ahab about Disaster

22 For the next three years there was peace between Israel and Syria. 2 During the third year King Jehoshaphat of Judah went to visit King Ahab of Israel.

3 Ahab asked his officials, “Why haven’t we tried to get Ramoth in Gilead back from the Syrians? It belongs to us.” 4 Then he asked Jehoshaphat, “Would you go to Ramoth with me and attack the Syrians?”

“Just tell me what to do,” Jehoshaphat answered. “My army and horses are at your command. 5 But first, let’s ask the Lord.”

6 Ahab sent for about four hundred prophets and asked, “Should I attack the Syrians at Ramoth?”

“Yes!” the prophets answered. “The Lord will help you defeat them.”

7 But Jehoshaphat said, “Just to make sure, is there another of the Lord’s prophets we can ask?”

8 “We could ask Micaiah son of Imlah,” Ahab said. “But I hate Micaiah. He always has bad news for me.”

“Don’t say that!” Jehoshaphat replied. 9 Then Ahab sent someone to bring Micaiah as soon as possible.

10 All this time, Ahab and Jehoshaphat were dressed in their royal robes and were seated on their thrones at the threshing place near the gate of Samaria. They were listening to the prophets tell them what the Lord had said.

11 Zedekiah son of Chenaanah was one of the prophets. He had made some horns out of iron and shouted, “Ahab, the Lord says you will attack the Syrians like a bull with iron horns and wipe them out!”

12 All the prophets agreed that Ahab should attack the Syrians at Ramoth, and they promised that the Lord would help him defeat them.

13 Meanwhile, the messenger who went to get Micaiah whispered, “Micaiah, all the prophets have good news for Ahab. Now go and say the same thing.”

14 “I’ll say whatever the living Lord tells me to say,” Micaiah replied.

15 Then Micaiah went to Ahab, and Ahab asked, “Micaiah, should I attack the Syrians at Ramoth?”

“Yes!” Micaiah answered. “The Lord will help you defeat them.”

16 “Micaiah, I’ve told you over and over to tell me the truth!” Ahab shouted. “What does the Lord really say?”

17 He answered, “In a vision[a] I saw Israelite soldiers walking around in the hills like sheep without a shepherd to guide them. The Lord said, ‘This army has no leader. They should go home and not fight.’”

18 Ahab turned to Jehoshaphat and said, “I told you he would bring bad news!”

19 Micaiah replied:

Listen to this! I also saw the Lord seated on his throne with every creature in heaven gathered around him. 20 The Lord asked, “Who can trick Ahab and make him go to Ramoth where he will be killed?”

They talked about it for a while, 21 then finally a spirit came forward and said to the Lord, “I can trick Ahab.”

“How?” the Lord asked.

22 “I’ll make Ahab’s prophets lie to him.”

“Good!” the Lord replied. “Now go and do it.”

23 This is exactly what has happened, Ahab. The Lord made all your prophets lie to you, and he knows you will soon be destroyed.

24 Zedekiah walked up to Micaiah and slapped him on the face. Then he asked, “Do you really think the Lord would speak to you and not to me?”

25 Micaiah answered, “You’ll find out on the day you have to hide in the back room of some house.”

26 Ahab shouted, “Arrest Micaiah! Take him to Prince Joash and Governor Amon of Samaria. 27 Tell them to put him in prison and to give him nothing but bread and water until I come back safely.”

28 Micaiah said, “If you do come back, I was wrong about what the Lord wanted me to say.” Then he told the crowd, “Don’t forget what I said!”

Ahab Dies at Ramoth

29 Ahab and Jehoshaphat led their armies to Ramoth in Gilead. 30 Before they went into battle, Ahab said, “Jehoshaphat, I’ll disguise myself, but you wear your royal robe.” Then Ahab disguised himself and went into battle.

31 The king of Syria had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders to attack only Ahab. 32 So when they saw Jehoshaphat in his robe, they thought he was Ahab and started to attack him. But when Jehoshaphat shouted out to them, 33 they realized he wasn’t Ahab, and they left him alone.

34 However, during the fighting a soldier shot an arrow without even aiming, and it hit Ahab where two pieces of his armor joined. He shouted to his chariot driver, “I’ve been hit! Get me out of here!”

35 The fighting lasted all day, with Ahab propped up in his chariot so he could see the Syrian troops. He bled so much that the bottom of the chariot was covered with blood, and by evening he was dead.

36 As the sun was going down, someone in Israel’s army shouted to the others, “Retreat! Go back home!”

37 Ahab’s body was taken to Samaria and buried there. 38 Some workers washed his chariot near a spring in Samaria, and prostitutes washed themselves in his blood.[b] Dogs licked Ahab’s blood off the ground, just as the Lord had warned.

39 Everything else Ahab did while he was king, including the towns he strengthened and the palace he built and furnished with ivory, is written in The History of the Kings of Israel. 40 Ahab died, and his son Ahaziah became king.

King Jehoshaphat of Judah

41 Jehoshaphat son of Asa became king of Judah in Ahab’s fourth year as king of Israel. 42 Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he ruled from Jerusalem for twenty-five years. His mother was Azubah daughter of Shilhi.

43-46 Jehoshaphat obeyed the Lord, just as his father Asa had done, and during his rule he was at peace with the king of Israel.

He got rid of the rest of the prostitutes[c] from the local shrines, but he did not destroy the shrines, and they were still used as places for offering sacrifices.

Everything else Jehoshaphat did while he was king, including his brave deeds and military victories, is written in The History of the Kings of Judah.

47 The country of Edom had no king at the time, so a lower official ruled the land.

48 Jehoshaphat had seagoing ships[d] built to sail to Ophir for gold. But they were wrecked at Ezion-Geber and never sailed. 49 Ahaziah son of Ahab offered to let his sailors go with Jehoshaphat’s sailors, but Jehoshaphat refused.

50 Jehoshaphat died and was buried beside his ancestors in Jerusalem,[e] and his son Jehoram became king.

King Ahaziah of Israel

51 Ahaziah son of Ahab became king of Israel in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat’s rule in Judah, and he ruled two years from Samaria.

52 Ahaziah disobeyed the Lord, just as his father, his mother, and Jeroboam had done. They all led Israel to sin. 53 Ahaziah worshiped Baal and made the Lord God of Israel very angry, just as his father had done.

Footnotes:

  1. 22.17 vision: In ancient times, prophets often told about future events from what they had seen in visions or dreams.
  2. 22.38 prostitutes. . . blood: Or “they cleaned his weapons.”
  3. 22.43-46 prostitutes: See the note at 14.24.
  4. 22.48 seagoing ships: See the note at 10.22.
  5. 22.50 Jerusalem: Hebrew “the city of his ancestor David.”
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

Acts 13:16-41

16 Paul got up. He motioned with his hand and said:

People of Israel, and everyone else who worships God, listen! 17 The God of Israel chose our ancestors, and he let our people prosper while they were living in Egypt. Then with his mighty power he led them out, 18 and for about forty years he took care of[a] them in the desert. 19 He destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan and gave their land to our people. 20 All this happened in about 450 years.

Then God gave our people judges until the time of the prophet Samuel, 21 but the people demanded a king. So for forty years God gave them King Saul, the son of Kish from the tribe of Benjamin. 22 Later, God removed Saul and let David rule in his place. God said about him, “David the son of Jesse is the kind of person who pleases me most! He does everything I want him to do.”

23 God promised that someone from David’s family would come to save the people of Israel, and that one is Jesus. 24 But before Jesus came, John was telling everyone in Israel to turn back to God and be baptized. 25 Then, when John’s work was almost done, he said, “Who do you people think I am? Do you think I am the Promised One? He will come later, and I am not good enough to untie his sandals.”

26 Now listen, you descendants of Abraham! Pay attention, all of you Gentiles who are here to worship God! Listen to this message about how to be saved, because it is for everyone. 27 The people of Jerusalem and their leaders didn’t realize who Jesus was. And they didn’t understand the words of the prophets that they read each Sabbath. So they condemned Jesus just as the prophets had said.

28-29 They did exactly what the Scriptures said they would. Even though they couldn’t find any reason to put Jesus to death, they still asked Pilate to have him killed.

After Jesus had been put to death, he was taken down from the cross[b] and placed in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from death! 31 Then for many days Jesus appeared to his followers who had gone with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. Now they are telling our people about him.

32 God made a promise to our ancestors. And we are here to tell you the good news 33 that he has kept this promise to us. It is just as the second Psalm says about Jesus,

“You are my son because today
I have become your Father.”

34 God raised Jesus from death and will never let his body decay. It is just as God said,

“I will make to you
the same holy promise
that I made to David.”

35 And in another psalm it says, “God will never let the body of his Holy One decay.”

36 When David was alive, he obeyed God. Then after he died, he was buried in the family grave, and his body decayed. 37 But God raised Jesus from death, and his body did not decay.

38 My friends, the message is that Jesus can forgive your sins! The Law of Moses could not set you free from all your sins. 39 But everyone who has faith in Jesus is set free. 40 Make sure that what the prophets have said doesn’t happen to you. They said,

41 “Look, you people
who make fun of God!
Be amazed
and disappear.
I will do something today
that you won’t believe,
even if someone
tells you about it!”

Footnotes:

  1. 13.18 took care of: Some manuscripts have “put up with.”
  2. 13.28,29 cross: This translates a Greek word that means “wood,” “pole,” or “tree.”
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

Psalm 138

(By David.)

Praise the Lord with All Your Heart

138 With all my heart
I praise you, Lord.
In the presence of angels[a]
I sing your praises.
2 I worship at your holy temple
and praise you for your love
and your faithfulness.
You were true to your word
and made yourself more famous
than ever before.[b]
3 When I asked for your help,
you answered my prayer
and gave me courage.[c]

4 All kings on this earth
have heard your promises, Lord,
and they will praise you.
5 You are so famous
that they will sing
about the things you have done.
6 Though you are above us all,
you care for humble people,
and you keep a close watch
on everyone who is proud.

7 I am surrounded by trouble,
but you protect me
against my angry enemies.
With your own powerful arm
you keep me safe.

8 You, Lord, will always
treat me with kindness.
Your love never fails.
You have made us what we are.
Don’t give up on us now![d]

Footnotes:

  1. 138.1 angels: Or “gods” or “supernatural beings” who worship and serve God in heaven or “rulers” or “leaders.”
  2. 138.2 You were. . . before: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  3. 138.3 and gave me courage: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  4. 138.8 You have. . . now: Or “Please don’t desert your people.”
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

Proverbs 17:17-18

17 A friend is always a friend,
and relatives are born
to share our troubles.
18 It’s stupid to guarantee
someone else’s loan.

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

Posted on

06/19/2018 DAB Transcript

1 Kings 20:1-21:29, Acts 12:24-13:15, Psalms 137:1-9, Proverbs 17:16

Today is the 19th day of June. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. It is a pleasure and an honor to be here with you today as we step in out of whatever is going on and just let it go. We’re about to let God speak to us through his Word and let it wash over us and so we center ourselves in that and invite the Holy Spirit. So, we step away from everything and just allow God’s Word to speak. We’re reading from the Contemporary English Version this week. And we’re working our way through the chronicles of the kings. 1 Kings chapters 20 and 21 today.

Commentary:

Okay. So in the book of 1 Kings, we’re following the path of the prophet Elijah. We’re getting to know him. There are other prophets involved at this time and we’re situated in Ahab’s reign. Ahab was the king of the northern kingdom of Israel, the ten northern tribes. And he is in a list of a lot of kings that led people away from God, did everything that inflamed God’s passions against him. And yet God still protected the people from the king Benhadad. But I want us to note we’ve traveled many generations since the apex with King David and then King Solomon’s reign. And so as we’re reading through these kings, like we read of King Ahab and just following the story we can see this is a completely different kind of thing than was happening under King Solomon’s reign and King David’s reign. This is a totally different thing. But because we’re moving rapidly through a number of generations, we’re quickly watching a transformation. I mean, these people, by the time they get invaded and eventually conquered, they don’t really look anything like they once did. So like in the same way that we watched a transformation happen when the people came from slavery in Egypt and how the desert formed them and the entire story that we walked through, we’re kind of watching that in reverse. They’re kind of regressing. They’re going their own way and they will become captives again. I say that simply to locate us in the story and show us where we’ve come from and where we’re going. But we also have to consider this in our own lives. We can come out of complete bondage, find an incredible amount of restoration in our lives, walk with God and move through that. And then slowly, over time, enslave ourselves again. We’re watching the Hebrew people do this, but we can watch ourselves do this. And if we’ll pay attention to it in that context, we have a map. We’re going to continue with this story and we will see where it leads. And then we can understand if we choose the same path, we’re going to end up in the same place.

Prayer:

So, Father, we submit that to You. We know that’s true. We know what You have delivered us from. We know what walking with You feels like. We also know what the drift and falling away is like. And we just never quantify it as bondage, that we are stepping back into slavery when You have made us free. And so we invite You. Come Holy Spirit. Show us the ways that we are wandering back on a path that we should not take. Come Holy Spirit we ask. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, its home base, it’s where you find out what’s going on around here. So, be sure to check in and check it out.

Check out the resources that are available. Check out the prayer wall. Check out how to stay connected on social media. All that stuff can be found at dailyaudiobible.com, so check in.

If you wanna partner with the Daily Audio Bible, I can’t tell you how much we appreciate that. This global campfire that is our community only burns and the Scriptures are only distributed through all of these servers throughout the earth every day because we do it together. So thank you for your partnership, especially here in the summertime. There is a link. It’s on the homepage of 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 P.O. 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 here is tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi family. This is I Can See in North Carolina. First time calling. I’ve been listening for about one and a half years. We could use your prayers. My husband and I are leaving on Sunday to take our six-year-old daughter across the country to get some treatment for sensory processing disorder. She has this because she was deprived of oxygen at birth. And, actually, we were worried that she wouldn’t survive. So, she’s doing really well, but it can be really hard to travel because if she gets scared or overwhelmed __ a lot of screaming, thrashing, and crying for, potentially a long time. You can imagine how much people appreciate that on a plane. It just kills me that things are so hard for her sometimes. Please pray for unity and resilience for our marriage, especially since my husband just returned from deployment. Pray for protection as we travel and for God work to heal our daughter. Also, pray for the connection between my daughter and my husband to be strengthened, especially since my husband just returned from deployment. We are so worn out from six years of our precious child having so much trouble with feeling safe and sleeping and lots of other things. Also, from battling the judgment of people who think this is due to poor parenting. Thank you so much for praying.

Hi DAB family this is Joel C. from Oregon. Hey, just wanted to do a shout out to Brian and the DAB family and all the DAB teams. You do a wonderful thing. I’ve been listening for about three years and it’s always learning something new. I request your prayers for my wife as she’s been recently diagnosed and with __. We’re going to a second treatment today and we are just hoping and praying dear Lord that this would be something that would be…give her back some of the joy and normalcy in her life because she’s really struggling right now. So, just if you pray along with me for that, I just really appreciated. Thanks everybody.

Hey what’s up everybody. It’s Miguel from Santa Rosa. By the way if you want to reach me, you can get me at miguelfromsantarosa@gmail.com. Today, I just needed to call in and give a shout out to Steve from New Hampshire and to shut out an Amen to the word that he gave to Jim from New Hampshire about as well. And wow, I was just like, man, there’s no prayer too big or too small for God. And I just think about my own budgeting for my own life. Man, and I just think about how, like, I can’t go to Taco Bell all the time and get these small meals because I’m not going to be able to afford groceries. And hey, I can’t have that many internet streaming services because I’m not going to be able to afford rent. And there’s this budgeting in there because I have limited resources, but man, we worship a God that has unlimited resources, unlimited glory, He is all-powerful and all-knowing and all loving. And it’s just amazing that we can go to Him for anything. So, so we can pray for that, that stubbed toe, and we can pray for our family member that are struggling in their faith and in their health. And what an amazing God that we serve that we worship. So, this may even be an invitation for anybody out there that has something, like, man this just feels like too small of a prayer request to bring to my family. And, can we be the church that comforts? Can we just do that? I just think about it, like, the church is here to comfort those around us. We are the church. We are to cover each other. We are to pray for each other and take each other to our heavenly Father that loves us and will care for us and will be there for us and protect us. Thank God for who He is. Praise God. So, thank you, Steve for that word. And may that resonate with more people here in this community. Amen.

Hey DAB family. This is Byron Florida. I just wanted to give a shout out to God because He is good and He is awesome and He is worthy of our praise and He has provided for us in the Lord Jesus Christ for __ for our sins. He’s taken our filthy rags and washed them in His blood and they’ve come out perfectly clean __ in His righteousness. God gave us His best. He didn’t hold back a single thing. The entire kingdom has been laid open to us and He is worthy of our praise forever and always and in everything that we do. And on top of that, we have our friends, we have our family, we have our churches, we have His word, we have Brian and the Daily Audio Bible community, every day, faithfully putting out the word that we can receive it and we can hear it while we drive, while we walk, what we talk, and while we do stuff and we have a printed all over the place. There are churches that don’t have that where it is illegal and a lot of countries where it is illegal to just go out and worship God. And He is just worth it. He is absolutely worth everything that we have. And so, we can give Him glory, we can give Him praise. We just thank Him for word, how it instructs us. We just thank You for the Holy Spirit, how it indwells in us. We thank you for everlasting forgiveness, how time and time again, no matter how much we’ve messed up, He washes those clothes clean again and dresses us again in His righteousness and He doesn’t even remember His righteousness. I was listening to the Audio Bible today and they were talking about, one of the new Kings that took place after David and they were saying how they didn’t walk in the way that David did, who was righteous and never failed. And I was like, wait a minute, David failed, David made mistakes. And then I realized, oh, God forgave him of that failure. In God’s mind, it was like it didn’t happen, like, David was righteous, even besides his mishaps. And he does the same things for us in Christ Jesus. And he’s just worthy of our glorious praise, even on our worst day physically in our mental muddle days, He’s still worthy…

Hello. My name is Joseph. This is my first post to the prayer wall. I listen to the DAB every night. Thank you, Brian. So, the reason I’m calling because a family member very close to me is experiencing bone cancer. It’s my dog, his name is blue. And he’s helped me through so much through the years. I believe that he’s, you know, a gift from God. So much that he’s helped me through. And I would just like prayer for Blue, for his bone cancer, his right shoulder. And it looks like it’s progressing quickly but I know that we have an all-powerful God who is capable of anything…His infinite power and infinite resources. So, I request, you know, for listeners of the Daily Audio Bible to please, please submit your prayers to him. Thank you.

Posted on

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Tuesday June 19, 2018 (NIV)

1 Kings 20-21

Syria Attacks Israel

20 King Benhadad of Syria[a] called his army together. He was joined by thirty-two other kings with their horses and chariots, and together they marched to Samaria and attacked. 2 Benhadad sent a messenger to tell King Ahab of Israel, 3 “Ahab, give me your silver and gold, your wives,[b] and your strongest sons!”

4 “Your Majesty,” Ahab replied, “everything I have is yours, including me.”

5 Later, Benhadad sent another messenger to say to Ahab, “I already told you to give me your silver and gold, your wives, and your children. 6 But tomorrow at this time, I will send my officials into your city to search your palace and the houses of your officials. They will take everything else that you[c] own.”

7 Ahab called a meeting with the leaders of Israel and said, “Benhadad is causing real trouble. He told me to give him my wives and children, as well as my silver and gold. And I agreed.”

8 “Don’t listen to him!” they answered. “You don’t have to do what he says.”

9 So Ahab sent someone to tell Benhadad, “Your Majesty, I’ll give you my silver and gold, and even my wives and children. But I won’t let you have anything else.”

When Benhadad got his answer, 10 he replied, “I’ll completely destroy Samaria! There won’t even be enough of it left for my soldiers to carry back in their hands. If I don’t do it, I pray that the gods will punish me terribly.”

11 Ahab then answered, “Benhadad, don’t brag before the fighting even begins. Wait and see if you live through it.”

12 Meanwhile, Benhadad and the other kings had been drinking in their tents. But when Ahab’s reply came, he ordered his soldiers to prepare to attack Samaria, and they all got ready.

13 At that very moment, a prophet ran up to Ahab and said, “You can see that Benhadad’s army is very strong. But the Lord has promised to help you defeat them today. Then you will know that the Lord is in control.”

14 “Who will fight the battle?” Ahab asked.

The prophet answered, “The young bodyguards who serve the district officials.”

“But who will lead them into battle?” Ahab asked.

“You will!” the prophet replied.

15 So Ahab called together the two hundred thirty-two young soldiers and the seven thousand troops in Israel’s army, and he got them ready to fight the Syrians.

Israel Defeats the Syrians

16-17 At noon, King Ahab and his Israelite army marched out of Samaria, with the young soldiers in front.

King Benhadad of Syria and the thirty-two kings with him were drunk when the scouts he had sent out ran up to his tent, shouting, “We just now saw soldiers marching out of Samaria!”

18 “Take them alive!” Benhadad ordered. “I don’t care if they have come out to fight or to surrender.”

19 The young soldiers led Israel’s troops into battle, 20 and each of them attacked and killed an enemy soldier. The rest of the Syrian army turned and ran, and the Israelites went after them. Benhadad and some others escaped on horses, 21 but Ahab and his soldiers followed them and captured[d] their horses and chariots.

Ahab and Israel’s army crushed the Syrians.

22 Later, the prophet[e] went back and warned Ahab, “Benhadad will attack you again next spring. Build up your troops and make sure you have some good plans.”

Syria Attacks Israel Again

23 Meanwhile, Benhadad’s officials went to him and explained:

Israel’s gods are mountain gods. We fought Israel’s army in the hills, and that’s why they defeated us. But if we fight them on flat land, there’s no way we can lose.

24 Here’s what you should do. First, get rid of those thirty-two kings and put army commanders in their places. 25 Then get more soldiers, horses, and chariots, so your army will be as strong as it was before. We’ll fight Israel’s army on flat land and wipe them out.

Benhadad agreed and did what they suggested.

26 In the spring, Benhadad got his army together, and they marched to the town of Aphek to attack Israel. 27 The Israelites also prepared to fight. They marched out to meet the Syrians, and the two armies camped across from each other. The Syrians covered the whole area, but the Israelites looked like two little flocks of goats.

28 The prophet went to Ahab and said, “The Syrians think the Lord is a god of the hills and not of the valleys. So he has promised to help you defeat their powerful army. Then you will know that the Lord is in control.”

29 For seven days the two armies stayed in their camps, facing each other. Then on the seventh day the fighting broke out, and before sunset the Israelites had killed one hundred thousand Syrian troops. 30 The rest of the Syrian army ran back to Aphek, but the town wall fell and crushed twenty-seven thousand of them.

Benhadad also escaped to Aphek and hid in the back room of a house. 31 His officials said, “Your Majesty, we’ve heard that Israel’s kings keep their agreements. We will wrap sackcloth around our waists, put ropes around our heads, and ask Ahab to let you live.”

32 They dressed in sackcloth and put ropes on their heads, then they went to Ahab and said, “Your servant Benhadad asks you to let him live.”

“Is he still alive?” Ahab asked. “Benhadad is like a brother to me.”

33 Benhadad’s officials were trying to figure out what Ahab was thinking, and when he said “brother,” they quickly replied, “You’re right! You and Benhadad are like brothers.”

“Go get him,” Ahab said.

When Benhadad came out, Ahab had him climb up into his chariot.

34 Benhadad said, “I’ll give back the towns my father took from your father. And you can have shops in Damascus, just as my father had in Samaria.”

Ahab replied, “If you do these things, I’ll let you go free.” Then they signed a peace treaty, and Ahab let Benhadad go.

A Prophet Condemns Ahab

35 About this time the Lord commanded a prophet to say to a friend, “Hit me!” But the friend refused, 36 and the prophet told him, “You disobeyed the Lord, and as soon as you walk away, a lion will kill you.” The friend left, and suddenly a lion killed him.

37 The prophet found someone else and said, “Hit me!” So this man beat him up.

38 The prophet left and put a bandage over his face to disguise himself. Then he went and stood beside the road, waiting for Ahab to pass by.

39 When Ahab went by, the prophet shouted, “Your Majesty, right in the heat of battle, someone brought a prisoner to me and told me to guard him. He said if the prisoner got away, I would either be killed or forced to pay seventy-five pounds of silver. 40 But I got busy doing other things, and the prisoner escaped.”

Ahab answered, “You will be punished just as you have said.”

41 The man quickly tore the bandage off his face, and Ahab saw that he was one of the prophets. 42 The prophet said, “The Lord told you to kill Benhadad, but you let him go. Now you will die in his place, and your people will die in place of his people.”

43 Ahab went back to Samaria, angry and depressed.

Jezebel Has Naboth Killed

21 Naboth owned a vineyard in Jezreel near King Ahab’s palace.

2 One day, Ahab said, “Naboth, your vineyard is near my palace. Give it to me so I can turn it into a vegetable garden. I’ll give you a better vineyard or pay whatever you want for yours.”

3 Naboth answered, “This vineyard has always been in my family. I won’t let you have it.”

4 So Ahab went home, angry and depressed because of what Naboth had told him. He lay on his bed, just staring at the wall and refusing to eat a thing.

5 Jezebel his wife came in and asked, “What’s wrong? Why won’t you eat?”

6 “I asked Naboth to sell me his vineyard or to let me give him a better one,” Ahab replied. “And he told me I couldn’t have it.”

7 “Aren’t you the king of Israel?” Jezebel asked. “Get out of bed and eat something! Don’t worry, I’ll get Naboth’s vineyard for you.”

8-10 Jezebel wrote a letter to each of the leaders of the town where Naboth lived. In the letters she said:

Call everyone together and tell them to go without eating[f] today. When they come together, give Naboth a seat at the front. Have two liars sit across from him and swear that Naboth has cursed God and the king. Then take Naboth outside and stone him to death!

She signed Ahab’s name to the letters and sealed them with his seal. Then she sent them to the town leaders.

11 After receiving her letters, they did exactly what she had asked. 12 They told the people that it was a day to go without eating, and when they all came together, they seated Naboth at the front. 13 The two liars came in and sat across from Naboth. Then they accused him of cursing God and the king, so the people dragged Naboth outside and stoned him to death.

14 The leaders of Jezreel sent a message back to Jezebel that said, “Naboth is dead.”

15 As soon as Jezebel got their message, she told Ahab, “Now you can have the vineyard Naboth refused to sell. He’s dead.” 16 Ahab got up and went to take over the vineyard.

Elijah Condemns Ahab

17 The Lord said to Elijah the prophet, 18 “King Ahab of Israel is in Naboth’s vineyard right now, taking it over. 19 Go tell him that I say, ‘Ahab, you murdered Naboth and took his property. And so, in the very spot where dogs licked up Naboth’s blood, they will lick up your blood.’”

When Elijah found him, 20 Ahab said, “So, my enemy, you found me at last.”

Elijah answered:

Yes, I did! Ahab, you have managed to do everything the Lord hates. 21 Now you will be punished. You and every man and boy in your family will die, whether slave or free. 22 Your whole family will be wiped out, just like the families of King Jeroboam and King Baasha. You’ve made the Lord very angry by sinning and causing the Israelites to sin.

23 And as for Jezebel, dogs will eat her body there in Jezreel. 24 Dogs will also eat the bodies of your relatives who die in town, and vultures will eat the bodies of those who die in the country.

25-29 When Ahab heard this, he tore his clothes and wore sackcloth day and night. He was depressed and refused to eat.

Some time later, the Lord said, “Elijah, do you see how sorry Ahab is for what he did? I won’t punish his family while he is still alive. I’ll wait until his son is king.”

No one was more determined than Ahab to disobey the Lord. And Jezebel encouraged him. Worst of all, he had worshiped idols, just as the Amorites[g] had done before the Lord forced them out of the land and gave it to Israel.

Footnotes:

  1. 20.1 King Benhadad of Syria: This is probably not the same Benhadad mentioned in 15.18-21.
  2. 20.3 wives: Having more than one wife was allowed in those times.
  3. 20.6 you: Hebrew; three ancient translations “they.”
  4. 20.21 captured: One ancient translation; Hebrew “attacked.”
  5. 20.22 the prophet: See verse 13.
  6. 21.8-10 to go without eating: People sometimes came together to worship and to go without eating to show that they were sorry for their sins.
  7. 21.25-29 Amorites: A name sometimes used of the people who lived in Palestine before the Israelites.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

Acts 12:24-13:15

24 God’s message kept spreading. 25 And after Barnabas and Saul had done the work they were sent to do, they went back to Jerusalem[a] with John, whose other name was Mark.

Barnabas and Saul Are Chosen and Sent

13 The church at Antioch had several prophets and teachers. They were Barnabas, Simeon, also called Niger, Lucius from Cyrene, Manaen, who was Herod’s[b] close friend, and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and going without eating,[c] the Holy Spirit told them, “Appoint Barnabas and Saul to do the work for which I have chosen them.” 3 Everyone prayed and went without eating for a while longer. Next, they placed their hands on Barnabas and Saul to show that they had been appointed to do this work. Then everyone sent them on their way.

Barnabas and Saul in Cyprus

4 After Barnabas and Saul had been sent by the Holy Spirit, they went to Seleucia. From there they sailed to the island of Cyprus. 5 They arrived at Salamis and began to preach God’s message in the Jewish meeting places. They also had John[d] as a helper.

6 Barnabas and Saul went all the way to the city of Paphos on the other end of the island, where they met a Jewish man named Bar-Jesus. He practiced witchcraft and was a false prophet. 7 He also worked for Sergius Paulus, who was very smart and was the governor of the island. Sergius Paulus wanted to hear God’s message, and he sent for Barnabas and Saul. 8 But Bar-Jesus, whose other name was Elymas, was against them. He even tried to keep the governor from having faith in the Lord.

9 Then Saul, better known as Paul, was filled with the Holy Spirit. He looked straight at Elymas 10 and said, “You son of the devil! You are a liar, a crook, and an enemy of everything that is right. When will you stop speaking against the true ways of the Lord? 11 The Lord is going to punish you by making you completely blind for a while.”

Suddenly the man’s eyes were covered by a dark mist, and he went around trying to get someone to lead him by the hand. 12 When the governor saw what had happened, he was amazed at this teaching about the Lord. So he put his faith in the Lord.

Paul and Barnabas in Antioch of Pisidia

13 Paul and the others left Paphos and sailed to Perga in Pamphylia. But John[e] left them and went back to Jerusalem. 14 The rest of them went on from Perga to Antioch in Pisidia. Then on the Sabbath they went to the Jewish meeting place and sat down.

15 After the reading of the Law and the Prophets,[f] the leaders sent someone over to tell Paul and Barnabas, “Friends, if you have anything to say that will help the people, please say it.”

Footnotes:

  1. 12.25 went back to Jerusalem: Some manuscripts have “left Jerusalem,” and others have “went to Antioch.”
  2. 13.1 Herod’s: Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great.
  3. 13.2 going without eating: The Jews often went without eating as a way of showing how much they loved God. This is also called “fasting.”
  4. 13.5,13 John: Whose other name was Mark (see 12.12,25).
  5. 13.5,13 John: Whose other name was Mark (see 12.12,25).
  6. 13.15 the Law and the Prophets: The Jewish Scriptures, that is, the Old Testament.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

Psalm 137

A Prayer for Revenge

137 Beside the rivers of Babylon
we thought about Jerusalem,
and we sat down and cried.
2 We hung our small harps
on the willow[a] trees.
3 Our enemies had brought us here
as their prisoners,
and now they wanted us to sing
and entertain them.
They insulted us and shouted,
“Sing about Zion!”

4 Here in a foreign land,
how can we sing
about the Lord?
5 Jerusalem, if I forget you,
let my right hand go limp.
6 Let my tongue stick
to the roof of my mouth,
if I don’t think about you
above all else.

7 Our Lord, punish the Edomites!
Because the day Jerusalem fell,
they shouted,
“Completely destroy the city!
Tear down every building!”

8 Babylon, you are doomed!
I pray the Lord’s blessings
on anyone who punishes you
for what you did to us.
9 May the Lord bless everyone
who beats your children
against the rocks!

Footnotes:

  1. 137.2 willow: Or “poplar.”
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

Proverbs 17:16

16 Why should fools have money
for an education
when they refuse to learn?

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

Posted on

06/18/2018 DAB Transcript

1 Kings 19:1-21, Acts 12:1-23, Psalms 136:1-26, Proverbs 17:14-15

Today is the 18th day of June. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It is great to be here with youtoday as we move forward by taking the next step in the Scriptures. And we’re in the middle of some dramatic territory in the Bible in 1 Kings. In our Old Testament reading, we’re reading about the prophet Elijah. Of course, in the New Testament we’re reading of the early church and God sending out his Holy Spirit and pouring it out upon Gentiles and everyone having to try to figure out what that means. So, let’s dive in. We’re reading from the Contemporary English Version this week. 1 Kings 19 today.

Commentary:

Okay. So, every time we come past this this particular territory in 1 Kings and talk about Elijah, it’s one of those stories that… It’s just hard to blow by because there’s so much there for our own lives. Elijah, obviously a powerful prophet of God. I mean, we just watched this massive showdown with the prophets of Baal, we just watched torrential rain come back to the land. So, Elijah is a very powerful and respected prophet, even though Jezebel, the king’s wife, the queen, worships Baal and has tried to stamp out the worship of God, the God that brought the people into the land. She’s trying to completely eliminate that from the land, from the northern kingdom of Israel. Obviously, the events that happened atop Mount Carmel in front of all of the people, as well as the elimination of the prophets of Baal, that puts a dent in her plan. She is beyond furious. And, so, she sends a note to Elijah, essentially telling him that she’s going to do everything she possibly can and wants God to judge her harshly if she doesn’t succeed to kill Elijah within 24 hours. So, Elijah takes off. And he doesn’t just take off a little bit. That’s the thing about it. What the Bible says is that he leaves the Jezreel Valley and runs all the way to Beersheba. That becomes really crystal clear when we’re traveling around the land because that’s quite a long ways, like several hours in a car. So, if you imagine that you’re going to do it on foot it’s a long ways. He has to leave the north country and go all the way to the southern border of ancient Israel, which is Beersheba, right? From Dan to Beersheba. And then from there, he has to go all the way down into the Sinai Peninsula, down into Egypt to get to Mount Sinai. We are talking hundreds and hundreds of miles on foot, right? So, he doesn’t get this note from Jezebel and then just run across town and get into somebody’s basement and hide out. He is gone. So, it seems like great lengths that he is going to to escape Jezebel, even though he has stood up and confronted the king and even though he has had the showdown with the false prophets of Baal, he’s on the run from Jezebel. And he has one thing burning in his heart, one thing that he wants God to understand. He is the only one. There is no one else. Everyone is against him. No one is listening. So, he does get to Mount Sinai. He’s in a cave, God comes and says, why are you here? And Elijah shares what he needed to share. And then God invites him to come out and meet with him on the mountain, right? And then this famous story. Wind is on the mountain shaking the mountain; God’s not in it. An earthquake shakes the mountain; God’s not in it. Fire is on the mountain; God’s not in it. But then a gentle breeze as this translation we’re reading from this week says. Others say still small voice or the sound of a low whisper. And Elijah goes out to meet with God, who essentially tells him to head back in the direction that he came from. He’s got two new kings to appoint, as well as appointing his successor. Okay, so that’s how the story goes. That’s how the story reads. How do we overlay our lives and find ourselves in this story? It’s pretty easy. We move along in our lives, we feel the Holy Spirit leading us, we feel the power of God going before us and we are doing what we’re supposed to be doing until we get that note, right? Until that nasty thing comes in on social media or we get some other unexpected communication. And it’s like all of that authority and power that we were walking in is drained right down the drain and we’re alone and there is no one else and we’re running. And we run until we’re exhausted and it’s like God comes for us and says, what are you doing here? So, we pour out or hearts and we’re invited into His presence, but we’re expecting all the bombastic stuff but he’s not in that. It’s calm, low whisper. It’s still small voice saying Go back the way you came. You’re not finished. There’s some other things we still gotta do. There’s important work to be done. And all of the sudden we see ourselves right here in this story. So, let’s give that some thought today. What are we on the run about? What are we trying to say? What is God coming to us and saying, what are you doing here about? And are we looking for whirlwinds and fires and earthquakes or are we seeking the low calming whisper of the Holy Spirit’s guidance in our lives?

Prayer:

So Father, as we often do, we invite you into that. Your Word brings up stuff all the time than we then come to you and say we invite you into that, the stuff that that’s bringing up. And invite you to counsel, comfort and direct and lead our paths. And so we invite you into this. Come Holy Spirit. Show us what’s intimidating us, what’s making us want to run and say we’re the only ones, the places that we’re looking for bombastic things when we should be looking for the still small voice. Come Holy Spirit we pray. In Jesus name we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, its home base, it’s where you find out what’s going on around here.  so, like I say most days, be sure to check in, check it out.

The prayer wall is there for you to pay for your brothers and sisters and maybe you need some prayer so that’s a great place to go to connect. The Daily Audio Bible shop with resources that are designed to travel along with us as we travel through the Bible in a year, so stop in there.

If you wanna partner with the Daily Audio Bible, thank you. 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, 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 here is tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hey Daily Audio Bible family. This is John, husband of Pastor Gene. I just know you guys love her. And she’s…she and our family…in spite of our serving the Lord…have kind of been under unrelenting attack, circumstances have been happening. And particularly, particularly in Gene’s job. And it’s gotten so bad that for the first time in her life, she’s said I don’t want to do this job anymore. So, I would just ask you all to pray for her, for God to open a door and provide a way out, a way of escape. As it says in First Corinthians 10:13, that God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able but will, with temptation, provide a way of escape so that we may stand up under it. So, I just pray for her and ask that you pray for her and our whole family as we seek the Lord and try to serve Him. So, God bless you, thank you, and I know we’ll feel your prayer. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Good morning family this is Erin in Michigan. I’m on my way to work and usually I listen to the Daily Audio prayer, yeah, the Daily Prayer, read by Brian, and I just love it. And it just calms me as I’m driving to school and it’s been a particularly tough year this year. There’s lots and lots of changes, lots of things added to our teacher’s plates, lots of student need, both inside and outside of the classroom. So, that Daily Prayer, just as I was driving to work…it will just calm me and focus me. It would remind me to invite the Holy Spirit into my day and into my students lives. And, so, that has been by routine, on my way to work, that’s what I do. I have about a 12-minute drive. So, today I want to offer my own prayer. Holy Father, Creator of all, I praise You. I praise You for life. I praise You that this is the last day of the school year. I praise You Lord for helping me through this very trying year. I praise You for the amazing people that I get to teach with Lord and I give You…I give You honor for the amazing people You’ve created that I get to teach Lord. Going into their summer, keep them safe. Help them to make good choices. Help them to love themselves as You love them. Help them to love each other. Lord, and I just praise You that I get to do this again next year. And I praise You, most importantly, for this break in between, so that You can…You can rest and bless my soul so that I am ready to do it all again next year. I praise You Jesus. I love You. I thank You, thank You, thank You. And I pray all this in Your name. Amen. Alright family, have a blessed, blessed Friday. And…its the last day of the school year, hallelujah.

Gerd morning Daily Audio family. This is Jay from Tennessee. I’m calling this morning to pray for my brothers and my sisters who are trapped, bound, and held captive by drugs and alcohol. The Bible tells us many different Scriptures that we are not to be slaves to anything, including drugs and alcohol. Let us pray. Heavenly father, in the mighty, precious, holy, powerful name above every name of Jesus Christ, we come before you this morning Lord thanking, praying about our brothers and sisters who are trapped, who are held captive, who are bound up by drugs and alcohol. Lord, we know that through You all things are possible. So, we pray now the mighty name of Jesus Christ that You will open their hearts, their minds, their eyes to a way away from these things. Lord, You know that I was bound myself with drugs and alcohol. I couldn’t escape. For 16 years I drank and drunk my way through life desiring a relationship with you continuing to hope and seek out a way. And Lord, You provided freedom, you provided a way of escape for me. So, I know Lord its possible. So, I pray God that You will continue to provide hope for them, continue to remind them that there is a way out. Just keep praying. Just keep seeking. In the mighty name of Jesus, Christ we pray. Amen. Those of you who are like me, who are stuck on drugs and alcohol, there is a way out. Keep praying. Keep seeking the Lord. I love you.

Hi Daily Audio Bible. This is Dan from Arkansas. I just wanted to say how instrumental Daily Audio Bible has been in changing my life. Two months ago, my marriage was in a bad place. My relationship with my wife and my kids was in a horrible place and it’s due to anger and anxiety. And, so, a friend of mine suggested that me and some guys from work start listening to an app, or, you know, a daily audio bible type thing. And, so, we did. And now there’s five of us at work. And we listen almost every day and we discuss the word as often as possible. And it has absolutely changed my life. I can’t give enough praise to Brian and his team for putting this together and just to God for bringing me to this community. It has been absolutely amazing. I thank you guys. I love all of you. I pray for you daily. And, thank you God. I hope everybody has a great day.

Good morning Daily Audio Bible family. Let’s pray. Giver of all, another day is started and we take our place in our great redeemers cross, where healing streams continually flow, where balm is poured into every wound. Lord, we are washed in the all cleansing blood, confident that you see us in Christ. Help us to take up the worries of our minds, to quicken our steps, to speed as if each moment where our last, that our life be joy and our death glory. We thank You for the temporary blessings of this world, the fresh air, the sunlight, the food that renews our strength, the garments that clothe us, the sleep that gives rest, the canopy of stars at night, the summer breeze, the flowing stream, the relationships with family and friends. Our cup runs over. Help us appreciate these daily mercies. Your hand gives blessings. Your power turns away evil. And we bring our tribute of thanks through Your graces, that for warmth of faith, the presence of your Spirit, the strength of your restraining realm. Blessed be our Father, Lord. This, from the Valley of visions. A little updated word. For Ali in Boynton Beach. I just wanted to say, have a blessed day. And I want to lift up the lady with her husband who had retired. Lord, I pray that you give the wife of the doctor that retired a new, refreshed foundation of who she is in Christ and to give her a new perspective on her husband’s struggle to find his identity upon retiring. And that maybe, we all Lift him up, that he finds his identity in You, Your love. In this season of life, we must be prepared for it because it is a season and You are with us through them all. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Posted on

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Monday June 18, 2018 (NIV)

1 Kings 19

Elijah Runs Away from Ahab and Jezebel

19 Ahab told his wife Jezebel what Elijah had done and that he had killed the prophets. 2 She sent a message to Elijah: “You killed my prophets. Now I’m going to kill you! I pray that the gods will punish me even more severely if I don’t do it by this time tomorrow.”

3 Elijah was afraid when he got her message, and he ran to the town of Beersheba in Judah. He left his servant there, 4 then walked another whole day into the desert. Finally, he came to a large bush and sat down in its shade. He begged the Lord, “I’ve had enough. Just let me die! I’m no better off than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down in the shade and fell asleep.

Suddenly an angel woke him up and said, “Get up and eat.” 6 Elijah looked around, and by his head was a jar of water and some baked bread. He sat up, ate and drank, then lay down and went back to sleep.

7 Soon the Lord’s angel woke him again and said, “Get up and eat, or else you’ll get too tired to travel.” 8 So Elijah sat up and ate and drank.

The food and water made him strong enough to walk forty more days. At last, he reached Mount Sinai,[a] the mountain of God, 9 and he spent the night there in a cave.

The Lord Appears to Elijah

While Elijah was on Mount Sinai, the Lord asked, “Elijah, why are you here?”

10 He answered, “Lord God All-Powerful, I’ve always done my best to obey you. But your people have broken their solemn promise to you. They have torn down your altars and killed all your prophets, except me. And now they are even trying to kill me!”

11 “Go out and stand on the mountain,” the Lord replied. “I want you to see me when I pass by.”

All at once, a strong wind shook the mountain and shattered the rocks. But the Lord was not in the wind. Next, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 Then there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.

Finally, there was a gentle breeze,[b] 13 and when Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his coat. He went out and stood at the entrance to the cave.

The Lord[c] asked, “Elijah, why are you here?”

14 Elijah answered, “Lord God All-Powerful, I’ve always done my best to obey you. But your people have broken their solemn promise to you. They have torn down your altars and killed all your prophets, except me. And now they are even trying to kill me!”

15 The Lord said:

Elijah, you can go back to the desert near Damascus. And when you get there, appoint[d] Hazael to be king of Syria. 16 Then appoint Jehu son of Nimshi to be king of Israel, and Elisha son of Shaphat[e] to take your place as my prophet.

17 Hazael will start killing the people who worship Baal. Jehu will kill those who escape from Hazael, and Elisha will kill those who escape from Jehu.

18 But seven thousand Israelites have refused to worship Baal, and they will live.

Elisha Becomes Elijah’s Assistant

19 Elijah left and found Elisha plowing a field with a pair of oxen. There were eleven other men in front of him, and each one was also plowing with a pair of oxen. Elijah went over and put his own coat on Elisha.[f]

20 Elisha stopped plowing and ran after him. “Let me kiss my parents good-by, then I’ll go with you,” he said.

“You can go,” Elijah said. “But remember what I’ve done for you.”

21 Elisha left and took his oxen with him. He killed them and boiled them over a fire he had made with the wood from his plow. He gave the meat to the people who were with him, and they ate it. Then he left with Elijah and became his assistant.

Footnotes:

  1. 19.8 Sinai: Hebrew “Horeb.”
  2. 19.12 a gentle breeze: Or “a soft whisper” or “hardly a sound.”
  3. 19.13 The Lord: Hebrew “A voice.”
  4. 19.15 appoint: This would have included a ceremony in which olive oil would be poured on his head to show that he was now king.
  5. 19.16 Shaphat: Hebrew “Shaphat from Abel-Meholah.”
  6. 19.19 put. . . Elisha: This was a sign that Elijah wanted Elisha to follow him and become a prophet.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

Acts 12:1-23

Herod Causes Trouble for the Church

12 At that time King Herod[a] caused terrible suffering for some members of the church. 2 He ordered soldiers to cut off the head of James, the brother of John. 3 When Herod saw that this pleased the Jewish people, he had Peter arrested during the Festival of Thin Bread. 4 He put Peter in jail and ordered four squads of soldiers to guard him. Herod planned to put him on trial in public after the festival.

5 While Peter was being kept in jail, the church never stopped praying to God for him.

Peter Is Rescued

6 The night before Peter was to be put on trial, he was asleep and bound by two chains. A soldier was guarding him on each side, and two other soldiers were guarding the entrance to the jail. 7 Suddenly an angel from the Lord appeared, and light flashed around in the cell. The angel poked Peter in the side and woke him up. Then he said, “Quick! Get up!”

The chains fell off his hands, 8 and the angel said, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” Peter did what he was told. Then the angel said, “Now put on your coat and follow me.” 9 Peter left with the angel, but he thought everything was only a dream. 10 They went past the two groups of soldiers, and when they came to the iron gate to the city, it opened by itself. They went out and were going along the street, when all at once the angel disappeared.

11 Peter now realized what had happened, and he said, “I am certain that the Lord sent his angel to rescue me from Herod and from everything the Jewish leaders planned to do to me.” 12 Then Peter went to the house of Mary the mother of John whose other name was Mark. Many of the Lord’s followers had come together there and were praying.

13 Peter knocked on the gate, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer. 14 When she heard Peter’s voice, she was too excited to open the gate. She ran back into the house and said that Peter was standing there.

15 “You are crazy!” everyone told her. But she kept saying that it was Peter. Then they said, “It must be his angel.”[b] 16 But Peter kept on knocking, until finally they opened the gate. They saw him and were completely amazed.

17 Peter motioned for them to keep quiet. Then he told how the Lord had led him out of jail. He also said, “Tell James[c] and the others what has happened.” After that, he left and went somewhere else.

18 The next morning the soldiers who had been on guard were terribly worried and wondered what had happened to Peter. 19 Herod ordered his own soldiers to search for him, but they could not find him. Then he questioned the guards and had them put to death. After this, Herod left Judea to stay in Caesarea for a while.

Herod Dies

20 Herod and the people of Tyre and Sidon were very angry with each other. But their country got its food supply from the region that he ruled. So a group of them went to see Blastus, who was one of Herod’s high officials. They convinced Blastus that they wanted to make peace between their cities and Herod, 21 and a day was set for them to meet with him.

Herod came dressed in his royal robes. He sat down on his throne and made a speech. 22 The people shouted, “You speak more like a god than a man!” 23 At once an angel from the Lord struck him down because he took the honor that belonged to God. Later, Herod was eaten by worms and died.

Footnotes:

  1. 12.1 Herod: Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod the Great.
  2. 12.15 his angel: Probably meaning “his guardian angel.”
  3. 12.17 James: The brother of the Lord.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

Psalm 136

God’s Love Never Fails

136 Praise the Lord! He is good.
God’s love never fails.
2 Praise the God of all gods.
God’s love never fails.
3 Praise the Lord of lords.
God’s love never fails.

4 Only God works great miracles.[a]
God’s love never fails.
5 With wisdom he made the sky.
God’s love never fails.
6 The Lord stretched the earth
over the ocean.
God’s love never fails.
7 He made the bright lights
in the sky.
God’s love never fails.
8 He lets the sun rule each day.
God’s love never fails.
9 He lets the moon and the stars
rule each night.
God’s love never fails.

10 God struck down the first-born
in every Egyptian family.
God’s love never fails.
11 He rescued Israel from Egypt.
God’s love never fails.
12 God used his great strength
and his powerful arm.
God’s love never fails.
13 He split the Red Sea[b] apart.
God’s love never fails.

14 The Lord brought Israel safely
through the sea.
God’s love never fails.
15 He destroyed the Egyptian king
and his army there.
God’s love never fails.
16 The Lord led his people
through the desert.
God’s love never fails.

17 Our God defeated mighty kings.
God’s love never fails.
18 And he killed famous kings.
God’s love never fails.
19 One of them was Sihon,
king of the Amorites.
God’s love never fails.
20 Another was King Og of Bashan.
God’s love never fails.
21 God took away their land.
God’s love never fails.
22 He gave their land to Israel,
the people who serve him.
God’s love never fails.

23 God saw the trouble we were in.
God’s love never fails.
24 He rescued us from our enemies.
God’s love never fails.
25 He gives food to all who live.
God’s love never fails.

26 Praise God in heaven!
God’s love never fails.

Footnotes:

  1. 136.4 great miracles: One Hebrew manuscript and one ancient translation have “miracles.”
  2. 136.13 Red Sea: See the note at 106.7.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

Proverbs 17:14-15

14 The start of an argument
is like a water leak—
so stop it before
real trouble breaks out.
15 The Lord doesn’t like those
who defend the guilty
or condemn the innocent.

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

Posted on

06/17/2018 DAB Transcript

1 Kings 18:1-46, Acts 11:1-30, Ps 135:1-21, Pr 17:12-13

Today is June 17th. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian and it is great to be here with you as we cross the threshold into a shiny, sparkly, new week that we get to walk into together and allow God’s word to speak into this week. And this week we will read from the Contemporary English Version. Of course, we will pick up where we left off yesterday. And we’re in the book of first Kings and we’re kind of, survey style, going through the different kings of Judah and Israel, but we’ve slow down for a minute because we’ve met this person and his name is Elijah and he is dealing with the king, Ahab, of Israel, the northern kingdom whose capital is in Samaria. So, we’ll pick up with that story. 1 Kings chapter 18 today.  

Commentary:

Okay. So, we’re in the middle of some pretty dramatic stories in both the Old and the New Testament. And we started them yesterday and we talked about them yesterday. We met Elijah the prophet yesterday and we can kinda see now why he’s such an important prophet and such a famous one. And God is obviously speaking and working very powerfully through him. And as we move further forward in Elijah’s story we’ll learn some things about ourselves through him. But today we read of the great showdown on Mount Carmel, which is actually a real mountain in Israel. And, so, when Elijah asks his servant to go look out over the sea. It’s not too far, like, he could look out toward the sea. There’s a monastery that sits on the top of Mount Carmel now to commemorate this very story.

In the book of Acts, we talked about Gentiles receiving the Holy Spirit, Gentiles beginning to follow Jesus and God beginning to pour Himself out on Gentiles, which was somewhat confusing to the Jewish believers in Jesus because their social structure did not have them intermingling whatsoever with Gentiles. So, when the story begins to get back to Jerusalem ahead of Peter, that he had gone into a Gentile home and stayed there, he was a little bit on the hot seat until he was able to share the story. And it was then the people began to understand that God was pouring His Spirit out. In other words, God was making this choice. No matter how it flew in the face of their constructs, their traditions, their rituals, and their culture, God was pouring out His Holy Spirit on Gentile people. So, at some point in time you have to go, like, yeah, this doesn’t seem to measure up to what I thought that I knew but I’m not the one that gets to pour out the Holy Spirit. And if God pours out His Holy Spirit on someone that I didn’t think He should have or that I didn’t think He would have, who am I? Which is basically Peter’s posture. But it at least invites us to consider the same thing because we have our own constructs and our own rituals and, you know, the different flavors of the faith. And, so, we can look at somebody who, maybe, doesn’t think the same way that we do about something and yet the Holy Spirit is present in their lives. And we have to say, like, this really reframes what I think I know, but I’m not the one issuing the Holy Spirit. So, who am I? We are a essentially reading about the first issue that’s going to be a big issue in the early church, and one that needs to get worked out. And we close our reading from the book of Acts with the gospel spreading around, spreading outside of Jerusalem, and this guy, Saul being sent for. And we already know, he’s the apostle Paul and we’re about to start to follow his story in the book of Acts, but we will be talking a lot about Paul because will be spending the generous portion of the rest of our year working through his letters in the New Testament. So we’ll have…we’ll have plenty of time for that.  

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word. We thank You for this shiny new week. We thank You that Your word will be a part of this shiny new week and it will inform and guide us by the power of this same Holy Spirit that we’re reading about in the book of Acts. And, so, we invite Your Holy Spirit to lead and direct and guide our every step to lead us on the narrow path that leads to life, to lead us into all truth, and to bring about the fruit of the Spirit in our life’s. We ask these things because we can’t do them. We can’t do them on our own. We have to collaborate with You. We do this by opening ourselves to You fully, surrendering ourselves to You fully. Come, Holy Spirit we pray. In Jesus’ name we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, its home base, it’s where you find out what’s going on around here. So, be sure to check it out.  

Check out the resources that are available in the Shop, like the Promised Land films that I mention from time to time because we encounter a place that we filmed, like Mount Carmel, where the showdown with Baal worshipers, Baal’s profits, and the prophet Elijah took place. We filmed all that and you can see it for yourself in the Promised Land films. So, swing in and check that out as a resource in the Shop.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that it dailyaudiobible.com. There is a link. It’s on the homepage. Thank you for your partnership. 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 here is tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi. My name is Don. I just need prayer. My wife and I are going through marriage counseling and we’re…it’s been revealed that there are traumatic things that’s happened in both of our pasts that are playing in our marriage today and coming forward and just praying that God would help us process through the healing, both my wife and I, and that’s pretty much it. Thank you. God, bless. Bye-bye.

Hi. This is Ruthie from Aurora Colorado. And thank you everybody for your prayers. I like to have a special prayer request for my daughter, Katya. She’s in jail and she has her court date on Friday the 15th. Please pray that she would find Jesus when she’s in jail and that His love would free her, that she would accept that freedom. And I pray for my friend Hank who’s just diagnosed with prostate cancer. I pray that he would be healed and that he and his wife and his son, his wife Sherry and his sons David and Seth would have the Lord’s peace and comfort. And thank you everybody for your prayers and for the gift of being brothers and sisters. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Father God, thank You so much for Ramadan this year. Thank You Lord, so much for everything You have been whistling to Muslim hearts. Thank You Lord for all of those seeds planted. We pray Lord that You’d water them as we move forward and that they would flower into faith in You, to a knowledge of Your son, and the acknowledgment of who He is and of what You’ve done, that they might to become our brothers and sisters. Father God, thank You for bread or the Arabic word for bread, I think also means life or similar to life. Lord, as citizens in communities hold bread very high regard, may they come to know the true brad of life, that they would be able to come and eat at Your table and know exactly what that bread represents and acknowledge that sacrifice that Jesus made on their behalf for their sins, and that they are loved, and that they are forgiven. Lord, thank You for our brothers and sisters working in Muslim communities. I pray Lord that You would be giving them wisdom and insight into You. Mend them culture, give them symbols so they can better understand the language, all those local things, the local things and ways that we have of saying things, that they can better communicate the gospel. In Jesus’ holy and precious name. Amen. __ Michaela from Gloucester in the UK. All right. Have a good day. And have the most blessed and __ week. Bye.

All is well. Father thank You for Your mercy today. I am grateful for my extraordinary DAB family. All is well Cherry Chase. Father, You are our creator. You made us in Your image. You are the most high God. Thank You father for Your blessings that rain down from the windows of heaven that chase us down and overtake us. We receive them today. All is well Cherry Chase. Father, we are the family of God. We are who’s who we are, children of the most high God. We are blessed indeed. All is well Cherry Chase. I am Daniel. I am whose I am. I am a child of the most high God. I am blessed indeed. Father, thank You for Your faith today. All is well Cherry Chase. You are an extraordinary child of the most high God, a masterpiece made in His image. We thank God for you exactly where He has You this moment, standing tall with your head held high and your shoulders back, knowing that you are the apple of his eye, held in the palm of his hand, where nothing in your path is bigger than the most high God. We’re in deep my sister. All is well. My sister in Christ, Cherry Chase, believe and praise Him for exactly where He has You right now, this moment, and every moment you ask Him to be in with You. You thank Him. I thank Him. We thank Him as one body in Christ, the bread of life, the living room God. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Hi. My name is Brick and I live in Arizona at this moment. Thankfully, through my wife Cheryl I’ve been having a great pleasure of listening to the children of God lift their voices up in unison and for one another. As I’ve listened to the children of God some time now, it is laid heavy on my heart that I would encourage every single child of God to be of good cheer, that His yoke is easy. Regardless of the things which we’re going through, keep in mind we’re never alone. It is truly our Lord God who is in control and wants to take things, our burdens, from us. Please, allow the Holy Spirit to speak with you. Have an open mind, a willing Spirit, and a tender heart, and ears that hear. Allow God to do His will in His time, not in man’s. That is what a father does. Please, I beg of you, let God take your burdens. Truly release them to Him. He’s there waiting for you. In the true and living Christ Jesus’ holy name. This is my sincere wish for every child of God. A wonderful day. Bye-bye.