DAILY AUDIO BIBLE

To hear Brian Hardin read today’s Scripture selection, click here and then click the audio button in the top right. Joshua 11-12 Conquests in Northern Canaan 11 When Jabin, king of Hazor, heard of this, he sent to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph, 2 and to the kings who were in the northern hill country, and in the Arabah south of Chinneroth, and in the lowland, and in Naphoth-dor on the west, 3 to the Canaanites in the east and the west, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, and the Jebusites in the hill country, and the Hivites under Hermon in the land of Mizpah. 4 And they came out with all their troops, a great horde, in number like the sand that is on the seashore, with very many horses and chariots. 5 And all these kings joined their forces and came and encamped together at the waters of Merom to fight against Israel. 6 And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for tomorrow at this time I will give over all of them, slain, to Israel. You shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire.” 7 So Joshua and all his warriors came suddenly against them by the waters of Merom and fell upon them. 8 And the Lord gave them into the hand of Israel, who struck them and chased them as far as Great Sidon and Misrephoth-maim, and eastward as far as the Valley of Mizpeh. And they struck them until he left none remaining. 9 And Joshua did to them just as the Lord said to him: he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire. 10 And Joshua turned back at that time and captured Hazor and struck its king with the sword, for Hazor formerly was the head of all those kingdoms. 11 And they struck with the sword all who were in it, devoting them to destruction; there was none left that breathed. And he burned Hazor with fire. 12 And all the cities of those kings, and all their kings, Joshua captured, and struck them with the edge of the sword, devoting them to destruction, just as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded. 13 But none of the cities that stood on mounds did Israel burn, except Hazor alone; that Joshua burned. 14 And all the spoil of these cities and the livestock, the people of Israel took for their plunder. But every person they struck with the edge of the sword until they had destroyed them, and they did not leave any who breathed. 15 Just as the Lord had commanded Moses his servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did. He left nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moses. 16 So Joshua took all that land, the hill country and all the Negeb and all the land of Goshen and the lowland and the Arabah and the hill country of Israel and its lowland 17 from Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir, as far as Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. And he captured all their kings and struck them and put them to death. 18 Joshua made war a long time with all those kings. 19 There was not a city that made peace with the people of Israel except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. They took them all in battle. 20 For it was the Lord’s doing to harden their hearts that they should come against Israel in battle, in order that they should be devoted to destruction and should receive no mercy but be destroyed, just as the Lord commanded Moses. 21 And Joshua came at that time and cut off the Anakim from the hill country, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the hill country of Judah, and from all the hill country of Israel. Joshua devoted them to destruction with their cities. 22 There was none of the Anakim left in the land of the people of Israel. Only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod did some remain. 23 So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had spoken to Moses. And Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal allotments. And the land had rest from war. Kings Defeated by Moses 12 Now these are the kings of the land whom the people of Israel defeated and took possession of their land beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise, from the Valley of the Arnon to Mount Hermon, with all the Arabah eastward: 2 Sihon king of the Amorites who lived at Heshbon and ruled from Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and from the middle of the valley as far as the river Jabbok, the boundary of the Ammonites, that is, half of Gilead, 3 and the Arabah to the Sea of Chinneroth eastward, and in the direction of Beth-jeshimoth, to the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, southward to the foot of the slopes of Pisgah; 4 and Og king of Bashan, one of the remnant of the Rephaim, who lived at Ashtaroth and at Edrei 5 and ruled over Mount Hermon and Salecah and all Bashan to the boundary of the Geshurites and the Maacathites, and over half of Gilead to the boundary of Sihon king of Heshbon. 6 Moses, the servant of the Lord, and the people of Israel defeated them. And Moses the servant of the Lord gave their land for a possession to the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh. Kings Defeated by Joshua 7 And these are the kings of the land whom Joshua and the people of Israel defeated on the west side of the Jordan, from Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon to Mount Halak, that rises toward Seir (and Joshua gave their land to the tribes of Israel as a possession according to their allotments, 8 in the hill country, in the lowland, in the Arabah, in the slopes, in the wilderness, and in the Negeb, the land of the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites): 9 the king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one; 10 the king of Jerusalem, one; the king of Hebron, one; 11 the king of Jarmuth, one; the king of Lachish, one; 12 the king of Eglon, one; the king of Gezer, one; 13 the king of Debir, one; the king of Geder, one; 14 the king of Hormah, one; the king of Arad, one; 15 the king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, one; 16 the king of Makkedah, one; the king of Bethel, one; 17 the king of Tappuah, one; the king of Hepher, one; 18 the king of Aphek, one; the king of Lasharon, one; 19 the king of Madon, one; the king of Hazor, one; 20 the king of Shimron-meron, one; the king of Achshaph, one; 21 the king of Taanach, one; the king of Megiddo, one; 22 the king of Kedesh, one; the king of Jokneam in Carmel, one; 23 the king of Dor in Naphath-dor, one; the king of Goiim in Galilee, one; 24 the king of Tirzah, one: in all, thirty-one kings. English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Luke 17:11-37 Jesus Cleanses Ten Lepers 11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” The Coming of the Kingdom 20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, 21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” 22 And he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them. 24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. 25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26 Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, 29 but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— 30 so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. 32 Remember Lot’s wife. 33 Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. 34 I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. 35 There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.” 37 And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.” English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Psalm 84 My Soul Longs for the Courts of the Lord To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. 84 How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! 2 My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God. 3 Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. 4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise! Selah 5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. 6 As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools. 7 They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion. 8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah 9 Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed! 10 For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. 11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. 12 O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you! English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Proverbs 13:5-6 5 The righteous hates falsehood, but the wicked brings shame and disgrace. 6 Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless, but sin overthrows the wicked. English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

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Faith Needed in the Storm – Your Daily Bible Verse – April 15

<< Your Daily Bible Verse

• 2020Apr 15
• COMMENTS2

Faith Needed in the Storm
By: Betsy St. Amant Haddox

And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?” And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. – Matthew 8:26-28 (ESV)

One thing I often forget when reading the Bible is that the chapter and sections breaks weren’t originally there. It’s common for people to consider those various breaks a “stopping point” when reading the Word and come back to it later as if the next section is a completely different story. But many treasures can be mined when we consider larger portions before and after these breaks and apply proper context.

One such example is found in Matthew 8. Verses 23-27 of this chapter are titled in many translations as “Jesus calms a storm”. Verse 28 picks up in a “new” story, with the title “Jesus Heals Two Men with Demons.” But when you read these verses as one continuous account, you might realize something crucial.

When Jesus got into the boat with the disciples, he was coming off interacting with a large crowd, where a lot of healings took place, along with the interaction with the scribe who hesitated in wanting to follow Christ.

Jesus was tired. It’d been a long day. So, when he got in the boat, he went to sleep.

Queue storm.

Now, Matthew uses a word for storm here that far surpasses a meek summer rain shower. Commentaries go so far as to say that even a “furious storm” isn’t a true depiction. The Greek translation comes to “megas seismos” which can be literally translated to “megas – exceedingly great, high, large, loud, mighty, strong” and “seismos – earthquake”.

That was not a good time to be in a boat. Understandably, the disciples were, shall we say, concerned. And yet, Jesus asked why they were afraid! He proceeded to rebuke the storm, calm the lake, and remind the disciples of their lack of faith.

This is where most people stop reading and call it a day. But read one verse further, and you realize that Jesus and the disciples were approaching the country of Gadarenes (vs 28) where two demon-possessed men met them as they docked the boat. Men so fierce, no one could walk past them. Men possessed by not just one or two demons, but an entire legion of them.

It’s not a reach to consider that this incredibly violent storm that “came out of nowhere” on this lake was connected to the spiritual conditions they were about to discover on Gadarenes.

Now, we see how these two stories and section breaks connect and provide additional application regarding spiritual warfare and spiritual fortitude. Jesus called the disciples “you of little faith”. He knew what they were coming up against. He knew why the storm had come. And He also knew there was nothing to worry about.

Just as he calmed the storm on the lake, He calmed the storm in these men. He didn’t even have to cast the demons out—His very presence stirred them up to where the demons requested permission to enter a nearby herd of pigs instead. They knew they had no rights in the presence of the Son of God. Jesus granted their request, and they left the men. They were free. Healed, finally in their right mind, and a breathing testimony to the glory of God.

Sometimes, like the disciples, we need what we learned during the violent storm for what’s coming on the other side. There are lessons to be learned, faith to be stretched, and miracles to witness. We need faith in the storm, but we also need it afterward. That’s where there is always the biggest potential for revival, victory and healing.

As frightening as they can be, the storms have purpose. So fear not. The One who controls the wind and waves and has the power to cast out entire legions of demons is the One who died for you, knows the hairs on your head, and considers you of far greater worth than sparrows. Have faith! This storm will pass—and there is much to take with you to the other side.

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Betsy St. Amant Haddox is the author of more than fifteen inspirational romance novels and novellas. She resides in north Louisiana with her hubby, two total-opposite young daughters, a vast collection of novels, and an impressive stash of Pickle chips. Betsy has a B.A. in Communications and a deep-rooted passion for seeing women restored in Christ. When she’s not sweating it out at Camp Gladiator or trying to prove unicorns are real, Betsy can usually be found somewhere in the vicinity of a white-chocolate mocha. Look for her latest novel with Revell, titled The Key To Love, coming October 2020. Visit her at http://www.betsystamant.com.

Freed from Bondage

Matthew 9:32–34 “When the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, ‘Never was anything like this seen in Israel’” (v. 33). Matthew tends to arrange the information about Jesus’ life topically. Chapters 5–7, for instance, collect Christ’s teachings about His own authority. In like manner, the evangelist devotes chapters 8–9 to material that depicts Jesus’ authority apart from His actual instruction on the subject. Instead, Matthew focuses on miracles that illustrate the Savior’s control over the natural (8:1–27; 9:18–31) and the supernatural (8:28–34; 9:32–34). Today’s passage concludes Matthew’s record of the Lord’s authoritative signs and wonders with His miraculous loosening of a mute man’s tongue. Specifically, demonic oppression renders the man unable to speak (v. 32). The Greek word describing the man’s condition may also indicate that the evil spirit has made him deaf as well. In any case, note that, contrary to many Pentecostal teachers, muteness and other ailments are not always due to demonic possession. Elsewhere, Christ heals the mute without an exorcism (15:29–31). John Calvin comments on today’s passage: “It is probable that this man was not naturally dumb, but that, after he had been given up to the devil, he was deprived of the use of speech; for all dumb persons are not demoniacs.” Again, the healing of this mute man is significant because the prophets foresaw that the tongues of the mute would be loosened in the messianic age (Isa. 35). With this miracle, as with His restoration of sight to the two blind men (Matt. 9:27–31), Jesus is showing Himself to be the Messiah. And as the son of David, the Christ brings both physical and spiritual wholeness. The early church father Jerome makes the point that “spiritually, just as the blind men receive light, so too the dumb man’s tongue is loosened that he may speak and give glory to him whom he once rejected” (Commentary on Matthew, 1.9.33). The crowd marvels at the Redeemer’s work, but many Pharisees credit the exorcism to Satan’s power (Matt. 9:32–34). Notably, the Pharisees do not doubt that Jesus has actually cast out the demon, they only disagree with the Lord over the source of His power. As we should expect, even a miracle cannot make the heart-hardened lovers of sin change their worldview (Ex. 7:14–25). Coram deo: Living before the face of God Luke 16:19–31 tells us that there are some who will not believe even if they see someone rise from the dead. Apologetic arguments and ministries of mercy are good things and powerful witnesses to the truth of God, but they cannot soften a hard heart apart from the work of the Holy Spirit. This is why the ministry of prayer is so important to world missions and evangelism. Pray for a country this week that is openly hostile to the Gospel. For further study: Proverbs 28:14 The Bible in a year: 1 Samuel 22–23   Bible Gateway Recommendations   Buy Now ESV Reformation Study Bible 2015 Edition, Hardcover Browse more from the English Standard Version!

Good Morning My Princess

My Treasure- His Hope My Precious Girl, At times you will feel as the Israelites did before I worked through Moses to part the Red Sea. They gazed with fear into a sea of hopelessness as their Egyptian enemies headed toward them. However, as My people discovered, hopelessness is just an illusion created by the enemy. The truth is, there is no such thing as a futile situation. I am the God of hope, even when everything you love and live for appears to be drowning. When you can’t swim any longer, I am your lifesaver. I am the author of your life who can rewrite and transform any tragedy to triumph. I am the one who will work all things together for your good even when it appears all has gone bad. When you don’t know what to do, be still long enough to allow Me to calm the storm in your heart and part the sea that seems to lie in the way of My promises for you. If you will wait on Me, you will witness My wonders! Love, Your Father of miracles Today’s Treasure of Truth Our invisible God becomes most visible when He is our only hope! I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13(NLT) For more about Sheri Rose’s visit HisRoyalFamily.com Listen to the new His Princess Podcast. Forward this email to your friends. Or invite them to subscribe to receive the weekly scriptural love letter from Sheri Rose by sharing this link!