Hello Ladies;
Today we spring board into week six of our study "No Other Gods". How are doing? Are you still keeping pace. I am wondering how the time went so fast. It is hard to believe that we are almost 3/4's the way done with the study.
I am not going to belabor this post since by now you pretty much know the game plan. We will start with Session Six "God of Gods" on page 120 and then move directly into the first days homework. We will come together next tuesday, August 2nd where we will go over questions from weeks five and six. The Lord really rocked my world through week five ( Good Goodbyes) and brought in a grace and freedom that was sorely needed. Looking forward to hearing all that He has been saying to you.
I just want to take a moment to applaud you women for persevering throughout this particular course of study. I am very aware that many of us might have had to confont things that we would rather not. That takes courage my friend and I am proud of you for doing it. Don't give up the perserving but give up the idols. Blessings await!!
You bless me and I am so happy to be doing this study with you all!!
See you next Tuesday!
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
What is Your Nehushtan
What is your Nehushtan?
Do you have one?
Do you even know what a Nehushtan is?
Well it isn’t some exotic sports car, nor is it a secret recipe handed down from generation to generation and it definitely isn’t a distant relative from some small island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean .
Chances are you are a little less familiar with this terminology but very much aware of the Biblical account behind this expression.
“They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom Egypt
Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us.’ So Moses prayed for the people.
The LORD said to Moses, ‘ Make a snake and put it up on a pole, anyone who is bitten can look at it and live’ So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.”
Numbers 21:4-9
Does this sound familiar? If not, no worries. The story is pretty simple. The Israelites were traveling in the desert totaling dependent upon God’s leading. Eventually they grow impatient with their progress and they speak against God and their leader. (Hmmmm anyone but me get impatient with God?) God then sends snakes among the people that bite them and not just any snakes but deadly ones. Realizing the error of their ways they come to Moses and repent of their self destructive attitude and ask that Moses intercede for them with the LORD. He does and God instructs Moses to make a bronze serpent and put it on the pole and whoever looks at it will live.
This looking wasn’t just any old looking. This looking required an act of faith. Why? Imagine the ground crawling with venomous snakes, would your initial response be to NOT look down while looking up. You see the bronze snake was put “up” on a pole. The Israelites only recourse was to trust God completely for their healing and put all their focused attention on His instruction. Those who did were healed.
Still don’t know what a Nehushtan is? Keep tracking with me.
Probably the most familiar part of this account in symbolized in John 3:14-15.
“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”
Just as the Israelites looked with faith on the lifted serpent and were healed anyone who looks at Jesus with full faith in what He has done will be spiritually healed. That deserves an Amen!
So what does all of this have to do with Nehushtan?
“He (Hezekiah) broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan)’
2 Kings 18:4b
There you have it. Nehustan was the bronze serpent that Moses had fashioned and place on a pole that the Israelites looked at (with faith) to be healed. What had happened is they started to worship the symbol of how God worked in their lives rather then God Himself? They turned something holy and good into an idol which became their focus for their love and adoration.
Luckily that can’t happen to us. That could only happen in an ancient culture where idolatry ran rampant. We don’t see anything like that today. Or maybe we do.
- How about that Pastor or counselor that the Lord has used so mightily in our lives that we have grown increasing dependent on to a point that is out of balance?
- Or maybe God has blessed us amazingly with children that we wanted so desperately but they have become the sole focus of all our attention.
- Perhaps God has given us a beautiful home that we never seem to quite finish decorating and we find that we are spending an increasing amount of time watching HGTV and less reading our Bible.
- Possibly God has blessed us even with a ministry that has become our Nahushtan. We now are more concerned about the ministerial growth then we are about God. Somehow the intimacy that we once enjoyed with Him has been clouded by getting things accomplished in His name.
Nahushtan is basically a good thing turned really bad. Can you think of anything that God has given you to bless you that has turned into something that you worship rather then enjoy? Something that takes up an increasing amount of your time, treasure and talents. Perhaps it is a person, or a pet, a job, a teacher……. What good thing has God given to bless you that has crowded out the giver to make room for the gift.
What is your Nehushtan?
Whenever we take what God had done and put it in the place of Himself, we become idolators.
Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
"No Other God's" Week Five
Hello my fellow summer Bible Study women!!
You are not going to believe where I am as I write this. It is Tuesday morning at about 10:30 and I am sitting in the foyer of our very own Monmouth Worship Center. Now you are all with your groups meeting and going over weeks three and four of the homework. I am hearing quite a bit of riotous laughing so you must be having fun. Just love having a good time around the word of God.
Firstly, I just have to comment on how proud I am of you. The turnout is still going strong so that means you must be tracking with the homework. Go BSW’s (that’s my abbreviation for you women, just in case I need to text anyone about you). I am also very pleased to see that three new people came out today. What a joy to have more ladies join us. Remember since you are doing the work at home, you can come out whenever you can. If you miss a week it shouldn't matter because you will be keeping pace on your own through the homework. If your struggling to keep up, come anyway and listen to the discussion. From what I can tell they have been lively and encouraging. I am not exaggerating when I say this, we have a great bunch of women who are grounded in God's word who know have to have a thought provoking discussion on the deeper things of God yet wouldn't miss commenting on the lovely shade of polish of your pedicure. They are something else. Just love them.
Today we spent a little time talking about how to easily identify if a good thing has turned into an ultimate thing. We played “name that idol”. As I lifted up various items we put a name to what could be the things that might have the capacity to crowd out God in our lives. Some were:
Money – our home – shopping – hobbies – electronics – lovers of self (2 Timothy 3:1) – ministry – and whatever we hold on to for love and acceptance.
Now all of these things are good things but how do we know if they are out of balance. As I held on to one of these items, I had someone try to take it from me. As she did, I held on with a white knuckle death grip. If you can’t let something go and you find the compulsion to hold on to it with all of your strength, I propose to you that thing could be an idol.
Now this is the important part. God wants us to have good things but His desire is for us to hold onto them loosely. God entrusts us with blessings but we in turn need to entrust those blessings back to Him. If He feels the need to remove them from our lives for a time we need to be able to give it freely to Him. If you are able to do that, then your item is not an idol.
Ok, so where are we with the study? We are half way through the homework and today we start on week five. Boy is that hard to grasp. The time has just flown. You will begin by reading session 05, “Good Goodbyes” on page 98 and then proceed to Day One homework on page 102.
I need to go now, it is 11:30 and you still haven’t ended your groups. That could mean only one thing….lively and edifying discussions. That is what I love about sojourning with you. You love the Lord and especially talking about Him.
May God bless you abundantly as your pursue Him through His word.
You are not going to believe where I am as I write this. It is Tuesday morning at about 10:30 and I am sitting in the foyer of our very own Monmouth Worship Center. Now you are all with your groups meeting and going over weeks three and four of the homework. I am hearing quite a bit of riotous laughing so you must be having fun. Just love having a good time around the word of God.
Firstly, I just have to comment on how proud I am of you. The turnout is still going strong so that means you must be tracking with the homework. Go BSW’s (that’s my abbreviation for you women, just in case I need to text anyone about you). I am also very pleased to see that three new people came out today. What a joy to have more ladies join us. Remember since you are doing the work at home, you can come out whenever you can. If you miss a week it shouldn't matter because you will be keeping pace on your own through the homework. If your struggling to keep up, come anyway and listen to the discussion. From what I can tell they have been lively and encouraging. I am not exaggerating when I say this, we have a great bunch of women who are grounded in God's word who know have to have a thought provoking discussion on the deeper things of God yet wouldn't miss commenting on the lovely shade of polish of your pedicure. They are something else. Just love them.
Today we spent a little time talking about how to easily identify if a good thing has turned into an ultimate thing. We played “name that idol”. As I lifted up various items we put a name to what could be the things that might have the capacity to crowd out God in our lives. Some were:
Money – our home – shopping – hobbies – electronics – lovers of self (2 Timothy 3:1) – ministry – and whatever we hold on to for love and acceptance.
Now all of these things are good things but how do we know if they are out of balance. As I held on to one of these items, I had someone try to take it from me. As she did, I held on with a white knuckle death grip. If you can’t let something go and you find the compulsion to hold on to it with all of your strength, I propose to you that thing could be an idol.
Now this is the important part. God wants us to have good things but His desire is for us to hold onto them loosely. God entrusts us with blessings but we in turn need to entrust those blessings back to Him. If He feels the need to remove them from our lives for a time we need to be able to give it freely to Him. If you are able to do that, then your item is not an idol.
Ok, so where are we with the study? We are half way through the homework and today we start on week five. Boy is that hard to grasp. The time has just flown. You will begin by reading session 05, “Good Goodbyes” on page 98 and then proceed to Day One homework on page 102.
I need to go now, it is 11:30 and you still haven’t ended your groups. That could mean only one thing….lively and edifying discussions. That is what I love about sojourning with you. You love the Lord and especially talking about Him.
May God bless you abundantly as your pursue Him through His word.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Lies, Lies and More Lies
Hello Ladies! I just wanted to pop on the blog to remind every one that we will be meeting this Tuesday July 19th to continue through our summer Bible Study “No Other Gods”. We will be covering week three and four of the homework. I am wondering if God is teaching you as much as He has me.
I confess that the Spirit was all over me as I worked my way through week three’s homework. I was so stunned at what I learned; I just had to blog to you about it. Since I don’t get to sit in the groups with you, I don’t have the opportunity to tell you about what I have learned. Now that you all know me pretty well, you shouldn't be surprised that “tell I must”. It is just not in my nature to keep it to myself and this one is just too big to keep quiet about. I know that many of you will be agreeing with an internet head nod by the time you finish this post. So here it goes.
Lies, lies and more lies. Can I just be brutally honest with you? There is nothing that gets my ire up more then when I am being lied to. Just can’t understand it or fathom it. Why lie? Why live your life surrounded by lies? I just don’t get it. It seems that over the years I have developed an intuitiveness towards this kind of thing and I can almost immediately sense when someone is shading the truth. To be honest, I just don’t have the time or the energy for this kind of thing. I have even initiated a “zero tolerance” for lying. I would just rather have you lay out the truth and the whole stinking mess of truth and let’s move on with it. It seems I have a much larger capacity to deal with truth even in its most ugliest nature then to deal with a bold faced liar. Let’s just be real with each other. If you know what I mean.
But here’s my problem. While I won’t tolerate lies said to me in the open and don’t even think about lying about someone that I know and care about (that might get ugly) for some reason I will accept almost any lie that the enemy will whisper in my ear about me. For some reason I can easily buy into his brand of demoralization he is promoting about me to myself. When he maligns my character and points to my unworthiness as a child of God, I fall for it almost every time. Why do I do that? Why do I let Him have that kind of victory in my life? I know I am an enigma!
During week three of our study “No Other God’s”, we learned a lot about the father of lies and how he is not only set out to deceive us but he is also mighty crafty and exceedingly good at it. One of the questions that I gave to the group leaders that you will be discussing on Tuesday has to do with this very thing. Here is the heads-up.
If you are comfortable sharing, discuss some lies you have believed about yourself. Encourage one another with scriptures in this area.
Please come armed and ready to uphold each other with truth. My intent is to end the onslaught of lies the enemy has easily deceived us into believing about ourselves. I am stinking mad at the untold victories that we have allowed him to have in our lives. Let’s make sure that we encourage one another with what God says about us over what the enemy is whispering in our ears. I have a feeling some strongholds of deception will come crashing down around us on Tuesday as we live transparent before each other. Hallelujah!
On a side note, I love all the testimonies that I have been hearing with regards to “No Other Gods”. You have been posting on facebook, staying up late doing homework, taking your workbooks on vacation with you, and as one sister remarked “unzipping” herself before the Lord (just love that). One thing this experience is showing me is that you women are serious about your Bible study and doubly serious in loving your God. Love it!!
Looking forward to ‘noggin’ with you on Tuesday. Studying “NOG’s” with you has been a blast. Love that I get to be a part of what God is doing in your lives. It is a joy to see.
I confess that the Spirit was all over me as I worked my way through week three’s homework. I was so stunned at what I learned; I just had to blog to you about it. Since I don’t get to sit in the groups with you, I don’t have the opportunity to tell you about what I have learned. Now that you all know me pretty well, you shouldn't be surprised that “tell I must”. It is just not in my nature to keep it to myself and this one is just too big to keep quiet about. I know that many of you will be agreeing with an internet head nod by the time you finish this post. So here it goes.
Lies, lies and more lies. Can I just be brutally honest with you? There is nothing that gets my ire up more then when I am being lied to. Just can’t understand it or fathom it. Why lie? Why live your life surrounded by lies? I just don’t get it. It seems that over the years I have developed an intuitiveness towards this kind of thing and I can almost immediately sense when someone is shading the truth. To be honest, I just don’t have the time or the energy for this kind of thing. I have even initiated a “zero tolerance” for lying. I would just rather have you lay out the truth and the whole stinking mess of truth and let’s move on with it. It seems I have a much larger capacity to deal with truth even in its most ugliest nature then to deal with a bold faced liar. Let’s just be real with each other. If you know what I mean.
But here’s my problem. While I won’t tolerate lies said to me in the open and don’t even think about lying about someone that I know and care about (that might get ugly) for some reason I will accept almost any lie that the enemy will whisper in my ear about me. For some reason I can easily buy into his brand of demoralization he is promoting about me to myself. When he maligns my character and points to my unworthiness as a child of God, I fall for it almost every time. Why do I do that? Why do I let Him have that kind of victory in my life? I know I am an enigma!
During week three of our study “No Other God’s”, we learned a lot about the father of lies and how he is not only set out to deceive us but he is also mighty crafty and exceedingly good at it. One of the questions that I gave to the group leaders that you will be discussing on Tuesday has to do with this very thing. Here is the heads-up.
If you are comfortable sharing, discuss some lies you have believed about yourself. Encourage one another with scriptures in this area.
Please come armed and ready to uphold each other with truth. My intent is to end the onslaught of lies the enemy has easily deceived us into believing about ourselves. I am stinking mad at the untold victories that we have allowed him to have in our lives. Let’s make sure that we encourage one another with what God says about us over what the enemy is whispering in our ears. I have a feeling some strongholds of deception will come crashing down around us on Tuesday as we live transparent before each other. Hallelujah!
On a side note, I love all the testimonies that I have been hearing with regards to “No Other Gods”. You have been posting on facebook, staying up late doing homework, taking your workbooks on vacation with you, and as one sister remarked “unzipping” herself before the Lord (just love that). One thing this experience is showing me is that you women are serious about your Bible study and doubly serious in loving your God. Love it!!
Looking forward to ‘noggin’ with you on Tuesday. Studying “NOG’s” with you has been a blast. Love that I get to be a part of what God is doing in your lives. It is a joy to see.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
"No Other Gods" Week 4
Today we will begin week four in our study, ‘The Problem with Idols’ on page 76. It is hard to believe that at the end of this week we will have reached the half-way point! Our second meeting will be on Tuesday, July 19th. At this session we will be discussing weeks three and four. Just a reminder, if you were not able to attend our first meeting – please come on the 19th. We understand that summer can be a busy time. The way the study is structured is that each group discussion session is not dependent on the prior session. (This is not to say that we would love to have you at all of them!!) A plug for the homework as well – as you take the time to do it – God will meet you there.
Like many you, God has been using ‘No Other Gods’ in my life. As I was thinking about this yesterday I was so thankful to have the privilege of going through this with all of you and being able to relate to your own challenges. It is exciting to know that at the end of summer I (and you) will be different than we were at the beginning - walking in greater freedom by making room for God.
Day two of this week was entitled ‘Lies-Behind Every False God is Deceit’. I thought it was a powerful reminder of a common struggle we have. Kelly Minter explained the difference between what is true and what is truth. On page 62 she says “Satan will tell us what’s true, but he never tells us the truth”. On page 63 she asks us to reflect upon ‘a situation in which you are (or have been ) struggling between what is true and what is truth’.
I am putting this question out to you. Is there a situation you would like to share? An example from my own life is that there is a circumstance involving my kids that I have very little power over (and those of you with kids – I know I am not alone in this!!!). That is true. What God says about this circumstance is what is truth. He says is Psalm 138:8a “The LORD will perfect that which concerns me". My kids concern me so I am trusting Him to work in this.
So how about you?
Like many you, God has been using ‘No Other Gods’ in my life. As I was thinking about this yesterday I was so thankful to have the privilege of going through this with all of you and being able to relate to your own challenges. It is exciting to know that at the end of summer I (and you) will be different than we were at the beginning - walking in greater freedom by making room for God.
Day two of this week was entitled ‘Lies-Behind Every False God is Deceit’. I thought it was a powerful reminder of a common struggle we have. Kelly Minter explained the difference between what is true and what is truth. On page 62 she says “Satan will tell us what’s true, but he never tells us the truth”. On page 63 she asks us to reflect upon ‘a situation in which you are (or have been ) struggling between what is true and what is truth’.
I am putting this question out to you. Is there a situation you would like to share? An example from my own life is that there is a circumstance involving my kids that I have very little power over (and those of you with kids – I know I am not alone in this!!!). That is true. What God says about this circumstance is what is truth. He says is Psalm 138:8a “The LORD will perfect that which concerns me". My kids concern me so I am trusting Him to work in this.
So how about you?
Friday, July 8, 2011
Confidence
By Eva Jester
Yesterday my husband, Corey, shared a scripture with me that had really spoken to him and we decided to make that a memory verse for both of us. It is Jeremiah 17:7. Below is that verse in several different versions of the Bible.
"But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him." (NIV)
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD." (NKJV)
“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence." (NLT)
Then this morning I was studying, Session 3 - Day 4 of NOGS (No Other Gods) for Tuesday Morning Bible Study and the author asked "What do you put your confidence in?". How appropriate for what we were already meditating on! God wants us to put our confidence in him, not in everything else.
So I decided to look up the word "confidence". What does it mean?
a: a feeling or consciousness of one's powers or of reliance on one's circumstances
b: faith or belief that one will act in a right, proper, or effective way
I know that putting our confidence solely in God instead of those things (false gods) that we are used to can be scary. Also, in this section of the book "No Other Gods", we are reading 2 Chronicles 31 & 32. I will admit that I am definitely feeling like King Hezekiah right now. At the end of Chapter 31 in verse 20 & 21, Hezekiah is following God and then in the absolute next verse the scriptures talk about how a rival king is planning to attack and looking to take over. Here is verse 20 & 21.
2 Chronicles 31:20-21 - This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah, doing what was good and right and faithful before the LORD his God. In everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered.
I know that because we have made up our minds to totally surrender areas of our lives that have been controlling us and put our total confidence in the Lord that we are going to be attacked. Here is the next verse.
2 Chronicles 32:1 - After all that Hezekiah had so faithfully done, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah. He laid siege to the fortified cities, thinking to conquer them for himself.
We are going to continue to put our trust and confidence in our Lord because we know that he is on our side and he is watching out for us and we must surrender every area of our lives to him. Another scripture that really speaks to me and I have been meditating on recently is Daniel 3:16-18 which is below.
16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
What faith and trust in God!!!! My prayer is that we will have faith like this. These men of God believed that God could save them from the fiery furnace but even if he didn't save them, they stood on the fact that he could have saved them. How many of us believe that God can save us from our circumstances and give us victory but even if he doesn't, we know that he can! Stand on that promise, we are!!!!!
Yesterday my husband, Corey, shared a scripture with me that had really spoken to him and we decided to make that a memory verse for both of us. It is Jeremiah 17:7. Below is that verse in several different versions of the Bible.
"But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him." (NIV)
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD." (NKJV)
“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence." (NLT)
Then this morning I was studying, Session 3 - Day 4 of NOGS (No Other Gods) for Tuesday Morning Bible Study and the author asked "What do you put your confidence in?". How appropriate for what we were already meditating on! God wants us to put our confidence in him, not in everything else.
So I decided to look up the word "confidence". What does it mean?
a: a feeling or consciousness of one's powers or of reliance on one's circumstances
b: faith or belief that one will act in a right, proper, or effective way
I know that putting our confidence solely in God instead of those things (false gods) that we are used to can be scary. Also, in this section of the book "No Other Gods", we are reading 2 Chronicles 31 & 32. I will admit that I am definitely feeling like King Hezekiah right now. At the end of Chapter 31 in verse 20 & 21, Hezekiah is following God and then in the absolute next verse the scriptures talk about how a rival king is planning to attack and looking to take over. Here is verse 20 & 21.
2 Chronicles 31:20-21 - This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah, doing what was good and right and faithful before the LORD his God. In everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered.
I know that because we have made up our minds to totally surrender areas of our lives that have been controlling us and put our total confidence in the Lord that we are going to be attacked. Here is the next verse.
2 Chronicles 32:1 - After all that Hezekiah had so faithfully done, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah. He laid siege to the fortified cities, thinking to conquer them for himself.
We are going to continue to put our trust and confidence in our Lord because we know that he is on our side and he is watching out for us and we must surrender every area of our lives to him. Another scripture that really speaks to me and I have been meditating on recently is Daniel 3:16-18 which is below.
16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
What faith and trust in God!!!! My prayer is that we will have faith like this. These men of God believed that God could save them from the fiery furnace but even if he didn't save them, they stood on the fact that he could have saved them. How many of us believe that God can save us from our circumstances and give us victory but even if he doesn't, we know that he can! Stand on that promise, we are!!!!!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
"No Other God's" Week Three
Feeling noggish?
Been nogged lately?
Has anything been nogging you?
If you are a part of the “No Other Gods” (NOG’s) bible study you might recall on day one of week two Kelly Minter referring to the above as nog-speak. I like to call them noggism’s. There just isn’t a better way to describe what we are experiencing through this study. She acknowledges that it is weird ,as do I, but as she puts it “we really do like ourselves”.
Well I just got home from our first meeting and I am jumping on the blog to let you know what a nogging good time we had. From what I could tell the group discussions over the homework were mixed with seriousness, sensitivity, encouragement and sometimes outbursts of hilarity. That is what I love about fellowshipping around the word with you women. It is inevitably unpredictable.
After the meeting, I was grilling the group leaders relentlessly with all manner of questions about what happened within their groups. To all you group leaders….I am so sorry. You see, I am a people person and I am visual at the same time. I not only want to hear what you have to say, I want to see it too. I am what you call a people reader. It was torture not to be in the groups with all of you. I so much wanted to hear what you were saying and to see the faces behind what was being said. I wanted to know what you were laughing about as I stood in the hall and when it got real quiet I wanted to hear the depth of the insights that you must have been pondering. One thing I could tell was that the Lord was with each group pouring out His Spirit because the look on your faces when you came out of the rooms was joy. Hallelujah!
Ok so here is your weekly reminder and update. Today you will start week three of your homework. Once again you will start with Session 03 LIES “Lizards, Dr. Pepper, and Lies” on page 54. Then you will proceed to page 58 and complete Day One of this week’s assigned homework. You need to complete all five days by next Tuesday where you will start on week four. Near as I could tell, you are all tracking very well. I am so proud. We don’t meet for another two weeks which is July 19th.
In closing I am posting the signature song for our summer bible study. Why not sit back and listen and worship Him and remind yourself that He is not only the God that you worship but the one that you serve. (2 Kings 17:33)
Thanks everyone! You bring such joy to each other. You inspire.
Lord I Will Bow
Been nogged lately?
Has anything been nogging you?
If you are a part of the “No Other Gods” (NOG’s) bible study you might recall on day one of week two Kelly Minter referring to the above as nog-speak. I like to call them noggism’s. There just isn’t a better way to describe what we are experiencing through this study. She acknowledges that it is weird ,as do I, but as she puts it “we really do like ourselves”.
Well I just got home from our first meeting and I am jumping on the blog to let you know what a nogging good time we had. From what I could tell the group discussions over the homework were mixed with seriousness, sensitivity, encouragement and sometimes outbursts of hilarity. That is what I love about fellowshipping around the word with you women. It is inevitably unpredictable.
After the meeting, I was grilling the group leaders relentlessly with all manner of questions about what happened within their groups. To all you group leaders….I am so sorry. You see, I am a people person and I am visual at the same time. I not only want to hear what you have to say, I want to see it too. I am what you call a people reader. It was torture not to be in the groups with all of you. I so much wanted to hear what you were saying and to see the faces behind what was being said. I wanted to know what you were laughing about as I stood in the hall and when it got real quiet I wanted to hear the depth of the insights that you must have been pondering. One thing I could tell was that the Lord was with each group pouring out His Spirit because the look on your faces when you came out of the rooms was joy. Hallelujah!
Ok so here is your weekly reminder and update. Today you will start week three of your homework. Once again you will start with Session 03 LIES “Lizards, Dr. Pepper, and Lies” on page 54. Then you will proceed to page 58 and complete Day One of this week’s assigned homework. You need to complete all five days by next Tuesday where you will start on week four. Near as I could tell, you are all tracking very well. I am so proud. We don’t meet for another two weeks which is July 19th.
In closing I am posting the signature song for our summer bible study. Why not sit back and listen and worship Him and remind yourself that He is not only the God that you worship but the one that you serve. (2 Kings 17:33)
Thanks everyone! You bring such joy to each other. You inspire.
Lord I Will Bow
Friday, July 1, 2011
Someone Is Watching You
It hit the bull’s eye.
Nothing could have been more dead on.
It was a direct hit, right on target, a hole in one.
That’s what transpired the other day while reading Psalm 144. Perhaps this kind of thing has happened to you. You feel deep in your conscious, spirit, soul (however you want to name it), that you are just supposed to do something. You can’t exactly recall any scripture that tells you to follow this course of action. You just know that you should. So you plod along, perhaps for years, following this leading, never really knowing why but you just do. Then one day BAM! There it is, the evidence invading your morning quiet time awaking that same conscious with a resonance that is so loud it is liable to wake the neighbors. You never felt more closer to God.
When I came to the Lord, it became glaringly obvious to me that my life was not being lived out the way the Bible said it should. I was primarily influenced by our culture, what was politically correct and what just seemed right to me. As I read through the pages of scripture it became abundantly clear that if I was going to live for God I was going to have to do a major overhaul in what I thought and how I acted. I would have to very often go against the tide of popularity if I really wanted to call myself His.
The point was clear but there was one predominate driving force that was precipitating this desire to change. It was my children. If I was going to make a difference for Christ in my children’s lives, I was going to have to change things a bit. Ok it would require nothing less then an extreme makeover. I didn’t just need to change for me. I needed to change for them. I knew that I would have to let go of the attitudes, mindsets and influences that molded my thinking up until this point in life and replace them with what God would say. I began to see that so much of what I believed to be true and had been taught by the culture we live in was filled with lies and deception.
For instance:
- If you have a lot of money, you will be happy
- If you have the perfect body then you will be loved and accepted
- Popularity is what matters even if it causes one to compromise their ideals.
- You are a product of your circumstances
- If you have power you have control
- Independence
- The best way to get back at someone is to hold a grudge…forever
- Do what feels good – it’s ok to be led by emotions
- I can bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan because I am woman! I can have it all!!!!
Instinctively I knew that I needed to be delivered from the prevailing doctrine of today if I was going to have children who would live a life that exceeded my own. My desire was to pass on a Godly heritage filled with the abundance that God promises for us by living His way. I knew if I could learn to recognize the lies and deceptions that I allowed to rule my mind throughout much of my life my children would reap a harvest of benefits. I just knew it. Can’t tell you how, I just did.
So there it was. Not only did I find the Psalmist cry out to the Lord for that very same deliverance but I couldn’t help but notice how his motive was identical to mine.
Deliver me and rescue me from the hands of foreigners whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful. Then our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants, and our daughters will be like pillars carved to adorn a palace. Psalm 144:11-12
I wondered, what is your motive as you grow in your walk with Christ? If you are participating in our “No Other God’s” study, what is provoking you to lay down idols and to make room for God? Perhaps you are thinking, I have no children or my children are fully grown. No matter, someone is still watching you. Whether it be someone else’s children, a friend, a neighbor, a co-worker. There is someone looking at your life who deep down wants what you live to be true. They want to believe that God loves them and that they can have a relationship with Him and that He would be obvious in their life.
While I want you to be free of idols, deception and lies for your sake, perhaps you are a bit like me and are driven to make an impact on the next generation. Scripture suggests that it is vital for us to be set free from these things in order to influence those that follow us. If you can’t do it for yourself, would you be willing to do it for them. So what say you? Would you agree with me and commit to make a pact to impact the next generation of believers. Would you be willing to cooperate with God as He sets us free from our idols so that our “sons would be like well nurtured plants and our daughters like pillars carved to adorn a place”. Are you willing to do what ever it takes to change because someone who you love may be watching you?
Of all commentaries on the Scriptures, good examples are the best.
John Donne
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)