Bible Wisdom Reading Plan on Life's Common Struggles - The Duck Commander Faith & Family Bible

Find insight into common life struggles through wisdom
shared by Phil and Al Robertson. Real-Life stories written by
Phil and Al address some common struggles that bring people
to the Bible looking for guidance. This 7 day reading plan is
created from content in The Duck Commander Faith and
Family Bible Published by Thomas Nelson.

Table of Contents
Day 1:
Day 2:
Day 3:
Day 4:
Day 5:
Day 6:
Day 7:
Marriage
Grace
Fear
Calling and Purpose
Calling and Purpose
Heart and Mind
Peace

Day 1: Marriage
There’s nothing wrong with moving up the ladder at work—unless we become married to the job. Those
extra hours and nights and weekends often come with a heavy price tag: our marriages suffer. The
consequences of that neglect can be devastating for the entire family.
Early on in our marriage, my wife, Lisa, was working at a bank to help support our family. At the time, her bank was being investigated
by the FBI and she was one of many people interviewed in the process. A guy we went to church with was the lead investigator, and Lisa
developed a friendship with him that turned into an unhealthy, inappropriate relationship. Although they were never intimate, they
developed an emotional attachment that crossed the line of marital faithfulness.
I was shocked and hurt when I learned about this, but I didn’t have a clue what to do. I decided to treat the whole situation like a near
miss and move on. Looking back, I was wrong not to take the necessary time and effort to find out what was going on in my wife’s heart. In
fact, I did the exact opposite. I berated her for her mistakes and threatened her that if she ever pulled a stunt like that again, I would be out
of the picture.
The next ten years for us were tough. I graduated from preaching school and was hired by White’s Ferry Road Church in West Monroe,
Louisiana. I felt blessed to serve my home congregation and worked hard to make a splash. As the new guy in the pulpit, I felt called to go
the extra mile in my weekly sermon preparation, in serving others, and in traveling around the world preaching, teaching, and leading small
groups. Yet as my ministry stock rose, my marriage stock was plummeting. Lisa felt left out, like she was living in my shadow. We were
supposed to be “one flesh,” but my intense focus on my work was driving a wedge between us.
Gradually, the distance between us grew larger and larger. I could sense something sinister was going on, but I was either too busy or
too afraid to dive in and deal with it. Then Lisa’s fourteen-month affair with an old friend came to light. My world crashed down around me.
After a time of separation, counseling, and emotional healing, coupled with Lisa’s coming to a true faith in Christ, we were reconciled. Lisa
and I totally understand what Christ had in mind when He told the apostle Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made
perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
After all this, you might say we’re experts in Christ’s forgiveness. I’ve learned to love this woman in a way I could never have dreamed of
twenty-nine years ago. I’ve learned the hard way that I’ve got to balance my work with my marriage and family life. Today, when Lisa and I
think back on those years of disunity, unfaithfulness, and impending divorce, and when we look into the faces of our daughters and our 4
grandchildren, we’re both overwhelmed at what we could have lost were it not for God’s abounding grace.
-Al Robertson
Continue to the next page for related Scripture

Day 1 Scripture
A man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. GENESIS 2:24
Exodus 20:14 You shall not commit adultery.
Proverbs 5:18, 19 Rejoice with the wife of your youth. . . . and always be enraptured with her love.
Malachi 2:15, 16 Take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth. For the Lord God
of Israel says that He hates divorce.
Matthew 19:6 They are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.
1 Corinthians 7:3 Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband.
1 Corinthians 7:10, 11 A wife is not to depart from her husband. . . . And a husband is not to divorce his wife.
1 Corinthians 13:2 Though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I
have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her.
Colossians 3:18, 19 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not
be bitter toward them.
Hebrews 13:4 Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.

Day 2: Grace
Injuring your eye is never fun. Been there, done that. Yet while damaging your eyesight can be a scary
experience, spiritual blindness is far worse, because it prevents us from seeing and experiencing the
life-changing grace of God.
My brother Jase and I were in preaching school together with about twenty other students. It was one of those intensive seminary programs where
we were required to go to class every day . . . all day . . . five days a week . . . for two years. Some of our professors were awesome—and some were dry
as baked sand. Whenever Professor Snooze was teaching, we probably spent more time trying to find creative ways to stay awake than, well, actually
staying awake. The jury’s still out on that one. Jase claims he can fall completely asleep with his eyes wide open—so theoretically, he could have been
asleep most of the time.
Part of the drill was to take lots of notes—and I mean massive amounts of notes, which we were instructed to assemble with all our handouts in a
collection of big, thick three-ring binders. Since Jase and I were on a tight budget at the time, we were dealing with the cheap-o binders you might find
at a discount store. One day, when I picked up my binder at the end of class to close it, somehow I jabbed myself in the eye with the corner of the binder
and cut part of my eyeball. The pain was excruciating.
Jase rushed me home since juices and whatnot were oozing out of my eye and it sure wasn’t safe for me to drive. I didn’t go to the doctor. Instead,
Miss Kay had some stuff on hand that helped numb the pain, the kind of stuff she’d use on us when we’d get tiny bits of grass or twigs stuck in our eyes
while hunting. So I just gutted it out for three days, trying to keep it clean and protected by wearing an eye-patch like a pirate.
Now, there are a lot of manly ways to get an eye injury. You know, maybe from a street fight, or wrestling a pack of crazed coyotes—the kind of
high-octane adventure that would impress Si and Willie. But cutting it in a seminary classroom with a notebook? That has to be the nerdiest way to get a
severe eye injury—ever.
Yet wearing that eye-patch, no matter how I got it, helped me to gain a fresh appreciation for what Jesus meant when He said, “The lamp of the
body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If
therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:22, 23). You see, our world is filled with things that can cause
spiritual eye injuries. TV shows, movies, magazines, video games—our entertainment culture in general—are filled with dark imagery that can blind our
souls to the good things of God.
This is nothing new. The apostle Paul said of his own time that the “god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the
light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:4 NIV). In the Old Testament, Noah stood alone against a culture that was blinded to
God, looking in faith to the grace of God to save him. Even when no one around him could see the truth, Noah’s “eye was good,” and therefore his body
was “full of light” (see Luke 11:34). He also took comfort in the knowledge that God could see him, and He would shine the light of grace, showing Noah
the way to life.
-Al Robertson

Day 2 Scripture
Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. GENESIS 6:8
Job 42:5, 6 I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself, and repent
in dust and ashes.
Psalm 19:8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening
the eyes.
Mark 8:17, 18 Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, do you not see?
John 12:35, 36 Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know
where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.
2 Corinthians 4:6 It is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the
light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 1:17, 18 NIV I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of
wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order
that you may know the hope to which he has called you.
1 John 2:11 He who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going,
because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

Day 3: Fear
When you see how the Jews during Jesus’ day felt about Abraham, you’d think Abraham had been able
to walk on water. But when you read the actual stories about Abraham in Genesis—whew!— that old
dude had some serious issues with fear.
The Book of Genesis records a conversation between the Almighty and Abram (who later was renamed Abraham). “They actually
spoke out loud to each other?” you might ask. Not sure exactly how that played out. Could have been an audible voice. Might have
been in a dream. But God’s communication was clear: He had big plans for Abraham’s future. First, the Lord instructed Abraham to get
out of town and head to a place where He would lead him. God made made him this promise: “I will make you a great nation; I will
bless you and make your name great . . . and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:2, 3).
Although Abraham was seventy-five years old and was probably enjoying the perks of retirement, he stepped out in faith, packed his
bags, and headed out. Good move on his part. God showed up a second time and actually pointed out to Abraham a piece of real estate
that would become his home. God said, “To your descendants I will give this land” (verse 7). Now, it seems to me that if the Creator of
the universe makes you a promise—twice— you’re going to be pretty confident that nothing or nobody on this old dust ball is going to
be able to derail those plans, right? Abraham missed it.
As the story unfolds, Abraham and his bunch headed to Egypt because he’d run up on hard times when a famine struck. Of course,
once he got to Egypt, he had new problem. His wife Sarai (later renamed Sarah) was so beautiful, Abraham feared that one of the
Egyptian princes would steal her away—and then kill him. So Abraham told Sarah, “Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with
me for your sake, and that I may live because of you” (verse 13). Real brave of you, Abraham. In spite of the Almighty’s promise to make
you into a great nation and give you some prime real estate—which would be pretty difficult to do if you were dead—you decided to
throw your wife under the bus.
Sure enough, Sarah’s beauty turned more than a few heads. She was taken to live in Pharaoh’s house while Abraham was given
great wealth in the form of livestock (verses 14–16). This was not what God had in mind for Abraham. God was so displeased with
Abraham’s lack of faith that He “plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues” (verse 17). When the Egyptians figured out what
was up, Abraham and Sarah were quickly booted out of town. Lesson learned, right? Nope. Abraham’s fear ran deep. When they
traveled to another country they pulled the same stunt again (Genesis 20).
I don’t want to be too hard on Abraham. He was flawed—andso are we. When we get in a jam, we sometimes forget that the
Almighty has never forsaken those who put their trust in Him (Psalm 9:10). You say, “But Phil, I’ve had some dark, fearful days walking
on this earth.” Yup. That’s why Jesus came. You can hang your hat on the fact that “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power
and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).
-Phil Robertson

Day 3 Scripture
I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great . . . and in you all the families of the earth shall
be blessed. GENESIS 12:2, 3
Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the
One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.
Psalm 23:4 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod
and Your staff, they comfort me.
Psalm 46:1–3 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the
earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be
troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling.
Proverbs 3:25, 26 Do not be afraid of sudden terror, nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes; for the Lord will be
your confidence, and will keep your foot from being caught.
Luke 8:50 Do not be afraid; only believe.
John 14:27 Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Romans 8:31 If God is for us, who can be against us?
Hebrews 13:5, 6 He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my
helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

Day 4: Calling and Purpose
The Almighty is working out His purposes for your life even if your present path appears to be a rabbit trail or even
a dead end. Might there be something holding up your progress? In Joseph’s case, forgiveness was something he
needed to learn before he could fulfill his purpose on earth.
When Joseph was a young buck, he had a series of prophetic dreams about his future. In the first dream, he and his brothers were in the field
binding sheaves of grain. According to Joseph, his “sheaf arose and also stood upright” while his brothers’ sheaves “stood all around and bowed
down to my sheaf” (Genesis 37:7). “How did his brothers like that dream?” you might ask. They didn’t. In fact, the Bible says they “hated him even
more for his dreams and for his words” (verse 8). See, they already hated Joseph because he was his father’s favorite. A dream like that only served
to stoke the fires of their anger.
Sometime later, Joseph had another dream. This time he told his eleven brothers and his father that “the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars
bowed down to me” (verse 9). Look, if I were Joseph, I’d keep that one to myself. Sounds kind of arrogant, right? That’s what his family thought,
too. By this point Joseph’s brothers were so mad that some of them planned to kill him. In the end, they settled for what they thought was a lesser
evil—they sold Joseph as a slave to some gypsies. Then those rascals told their father a bogus story, about a wild beast eating him up (verses 31–
35).
Meanwhile, Joseph ended up in Egypt, where his life took some wild turns. One minute he was a high-ranking servant (39:4). The next minute
he was sent to prison under a false accusation of attempted rape (39:11–20). Now, if I’m Joseph sitting in that dungeon, I’m gonna be mighty ticked
off at what my brothers have done to me—you know, for wanting me dead, for betraying me, for selling me into slavery, for probably badmouthing
me to my dad and whatnot. I’m gonna have some serious resentment and forgiveness issues.
Well, several years later, while Joseph is still in lockdown mode in prison, Pharaoh has two back-to-back bizarre dreams. Nobody in Egypt can
interpret them—except for Joseph. The next thing you know, Pharaoh makes Joseph the Number Two man in the whole kingdom (41:40, 41)! He’s
in charge of feeding the whole population! Nine years into his new position—and two years into the famine that Joseph predicted from Pharaoh’s
dreams—guess who shows up in Egypt looking for food? Joseph’s brothers.
Remember, Joseph is all grown up at this point, so his brothers don’t recognize him. Besides, he’s speaking Egyptian, he’s wearing swanky
clothes, maybe sporting a fancy headdress, and maybe he has a sweet-looking chariot rig parked out front. But Joseph recognizes them as they
approach . . . and bow down before him. You might say this was a key moment of Joseph’s life. He couldn’t help but remember his childhood
dreams predicting this very scene (42:8, 9). What would he do? Rub it in their faces? On the contrary, after Joseph examined his brothers to see if
their hearts had changed from the hardness of their youth, he revealed his identity to them with great love and forgiveness (45:1–8).
Actually Joseph was able to forgive his brothers because God’s purpose for his life was more important to him than what they had done. Joseph
realized that everything that had happened to him—the good and the bad—was part of God’s plan to save his family. “God sent me before you to
preserve a posterity for you in the earth,” said Joseph, “and to save your lives by a great deliverance” (45:7). You see, God was preserving a
remnant for Himself—a small group of Israelites who would grow into the Jewish nation of several million.
But hold on. It gets even bigger. Although Joseph couldn’t possibly have known this, God had placed him in Egypt in order to preserve the
bloodline of the promised Messiah . . . who would be born two thousand years later (see Luke 3:23–38). All that could have been upended if Joseph
hadn’t chosen to look beyond the mistreatment he received and forgive. Now consider this: what higher purpose might the Lord have in mind for
your life, if only you could do the same?
-Phil Robertson

Day 4 Scripture
But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save
many people alive. GENESIS 50:20
Psalm 37:23, 24 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall
not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand.
Proverbs 9:10, 11 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
For by me your days will be multiplied, and years of life will be added to you.
Jeremiah 10:23 O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.
Romans 8:28 All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His
purpose.

Day 5: Calling and Purpose
The Almighty has a specific plan and purpose for everyone who has ever set foot on Planet Earth.
The Bible says He knew what our purpose was before we took our first breath! How’s that for
planning ahead? God’s purpose for you dovetails perfectly with His divine design, and that design
becomes clear when you and I step out in faith to follow His lead.
I don’t know what your specific purpose is on this old dust ball. But I do know two things about you: Contrary to the notion that
mankind is the chance byproduct of some amoeba, you were made in God’s image. There isn’t a plant, animal, or even an angel who can
make that claim. And, because of that, God has a special purpose for your life. Look at what the apostle Paul says: “We are His
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).
You might say, “Hold on, Phil. So far, God’s purpose for my life seems rather small.” So what? I’m here to tell you that no calling from
God is insignificant or trivial—regardless of its size or scope. Sometimes it’s the small, hidden thing, like a rudder on a ship, that changes
the course of history.
Think about this: I owe the entire Duck Commander empire to one tiny thing—a dimple. Back when we started out, I took a little tool
to crimp the end of a Mylar reed in such a way that it left a dimple no larger than a pimple. That itty-bitty dimple is what made my reed
system in our duck calls different from all the other duck calls on the market. Hey, I even got a patent for that dimpling process. Today, we
can’t make our duck calls fast enough.
My point is this: The Almighty has a purpose for our lives, one which He planned well in advance of our arrival on the scene. Some of
us are rudders and reed dimplers, while others end up with a more visible part to play, like on a TV show. None of that matters. Either way,
we’re tools in God’s hands to accomplish His will on this earth. As the prophet Isaiah said, “O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and
You our potter; and all we are the work of Your hand” (Isaiah 64:8). Paul added, “Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the
same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?” (Romans 9:21).
Like I said, I don’t know what His ultimate purpose is for your life. Whatever it is, you’d do well to get after it—unlike the “wicked and
lazy servant” who buried the one talent he was given (Matthew 25:14–30). No matter how much glory our gifts attract, all of it belongs to
God, and it can be used to spread His name to the farthest corners of the world.
-Phil Robertson

Day 5 Scripture
But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.
EXODUS 9:16
Psalm 27:11 Teach me Your way, O Lord, and lead me in a smooth path.
Psalm 48:14 Our God . . . will be our guide even to death.
Psalm 139:16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as
yet there were none of them.
Proverbs 3:5, 6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He
shall direct your paths.
Proverbs 16:3 Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established.
Proverbs 16:4 The Lord has made all for Himself.
Proverbs 16:9 A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.
Proverbs 19:21 There are many plans in a man’s heart, nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand.
Isaiah 45:4 I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me.
Jeremiah 10:23 O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.
Romans 9:21 Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?
Philippians 2:13 It is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

Day 6: Heart and Mind
Hatred between children will tear a family apart. Look in the first book of the Bible alone: Cain hated Abel (Genesis
4:4–8), Esau hated Jacob (Genesis 27:41), and Joseph’s brothers hated him (Genesis 37:5). Epic hardships and
sometimes even death resulted, because these young bucks harbored hate in their hearts instead of love.
Take Cain, for example. He was a piece of work. You don’t want to be like Cain. Remember his story from Genesis 4? He allowed
himself to be overcome with anger and jealousy for the simple reason that the Almighty wanted a burnt offering—not the fruit and
veggie platter he had presented. Now this should have been a minor setback. Sure, it was probably embarrassing, but all Cain had to
do was come back with an animal sacrifice and he would have been good to go. But instead of accepting his shortcoming and fixing his
error, Cain turned his energy toward hating the one who got it right the first time—his brother, Abel. I’m talking Cain burned with hate.
The Lord was even gracious enough to warn Cain about the danger of allowing this hatred to gnaw at his heart. “If you do not do
well, sin lies at the door,” God explained. “And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it” (Genesis 4:7). It’s as if the Almighty was
pleading with Cain, “Get a grip. Don’t do what you’re fixin’ to do. Trust Me—this will not end well.” But God’s caution went in one ear
and out the other. The next day Cain went out and murdered his brother.
Think about this: Cain was just one generation removed from the perfection of the Garden of Eden. His parents actually were
perfect at one time, so I’d say they had a leg up on you and me in the child-raising department. Let’s not forget that Adam and Eve
knew what perfect love between God and humans was like. I’m of the opinion that they did their best to pass that knowledge on to
their sons . . . which is to say that Cain knew exactly how tragic and evil it would be to kill his brother. But sin becomes toxic when we
allow it to fester.
Here’s the good news: We have been set free by the Almighty from a heart that’s obsessed with hate, sin, and death (Romans 8:1).
Now we still have to choose love as our everyday motivation. Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul,
with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30). It takes effort.
Jesus also said, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (verse 31). I know from personal experience how hard that can be. But it’s a love
for the Almighty that truly allows us to love other people. If we love like He wants us to, nobody gets killed, nobody gets hurt, and
families stay together. See what I’m saying? That’s the bonus when we allow God’s love to guide our thoughts and actions every day—
even when we suffer disappointments along the way.
-Phil Robertson

Day 6 Scripture
You shall not hate your brother in your heart. LEVITICUS 19:17
Proverbs 10:12 Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins.
Romans 8:1, 2 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the
Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
Galatians 5:19–21
The works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts
of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you . . . that those who practice
such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
1 John 2:9–11
He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for
stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has
blinded his eyes.
1 John 3:14, 15 He who does not love his brother abides in death. Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal
life abiding in him.
1 John 4:20, 21 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he
love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.

Day 7: Peace
During the anti-Vietnam War movement in the late sixties, John Lennon sang, “Give peace a chance.”
We hippies turned that phrase into a national anthem of sorts and launched the Peace Movement.
Who doesn’t want peace—especially in their home?
I’ve been teaching a Sunday School class at church on and off for about forty years. I’ve tried to convey the
quintessential truth that every one of us is made in the image of God. You say, “Phil, everyone knows that.” Not so fast.
There is a prevailing school of thought out there that says we’re nothing more than glorified pond scum. I’d say there’s
a world of difference between the tomfoolery of thinking that an amoeba is your great-granddaddy and the fact that
God made you in His image. The Bible says it plain as day in Genesis 1:27—“ God created man in His own image.”
Now, since God in His very essence is love (1 John 4:8), we, as His image-bearers, should demonstrate love to one
another. When we do, peace reigns in our homes. When we don’t, we face a heap of trouble—guaranteed. Peace goes
out the window as our families go to war with each other. I’m not saying we literally reach for our guns and shoot it out
like they did in the Wild West. But we blast away at each other with wounding words, which can sting just as bad as
bullets and take longer to heal.
Two of the fastest ways to disturb the peace within a family are to misuse the words always and never. Just think
about how we often use those words at home. We say crazy things like “You never listen to me,” “You always say that,”
“You never take the garbage out,” “You’re always late,” “I can never trust you to be on time,” “You always disregard
what I say.” You get the picture. Couples I’ve counseled use a lot of those always and never statements, most of the
time in a negative context. When they do, I bust ’em. I say, “Really? Never?” or “Are you sure it’s always?”
“Well,” they say, backpedaling, “I mean sometimes. But you know what I mean. It feels like never and always.” What
these folks don’t seem to grasp is that always and never are powerful words. They trigger a defensive response in the
mind of the listener. No wonder tempers flare and peace flies the coop.
Just as these two words are often used in a negative way, they can be used in a positive way that will bring peace to
your family. In 1 Corinthians 13—what many people call the “love chapter” of the Bible—Paul writes, “Love does not
delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love
never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:6–8 NIV, emphasis added). I’d say the proper use of always and never is a good place to
start if you want to start a peace movement in your home.
-Phil Robertson

Day 7 Scripture
The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His
countenance upon you, and give you peace. NUMBERS 6:24–26
Psalm 34:13, 14 Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
Proverbs 17:1 Better is a dry morsel with quietness, than a house full of feasting with strife.
Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers.
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.
John 15:12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
Romans 12:18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
Romans 14:19 Let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.
1 Corinthians 7:15 God has called us to peace.
1 Thessalonians 5:13 Be at peace among yourselves.
2 Timothy 2:22, 23 Pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. But avoid foolish and
ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel.
James 3:18 The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
1 John 4:7, 8 Let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does
not know God, for God is love.

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Bible Wisdom Reading Plan on Life's Common Struggles - The Duck Commander Faith & Family Bible

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Bible Wisdom Reading Plan on Life's Common Struggles - The Duck Commander Faith & Family Bible