I love what Joshua said to the Lord the day He gave the Amorites over to Israel.
Joshua 10: 12-13 "O sun stand still over Gibeon, O moon over the valley of Aijalon." So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies.
Joshua 24:15 As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.
Judges 4 I was struck when Jael violently killed Sisera. What a violent killing.
Judges 6 The angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, and said the Lord is with you mighty warrior. The angel of the Lord told Gideon to save Israel out of Midian's hand. Gideon said his clan was the weakest and he was the least in his family. (He was humble) The Lord said He would be with him and together they would strike down the Midianites. In our weakness, He makes us STRONG!~
The people were pleased with Gideon in Judges 8, and asked Gideon to rule over them because they had been saved from the Midians. Gideon told them he would not rule over them, nor would his son, but the Lord would rule over them. Gideon did not take the glory or recognition for his accomplishments but gave the glory to God!
Israel kept forgetting what God had done for them, and they went through many trials because of it. Then when they repented, He restored peace. Just as He does with us. He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and heal our land!!! So thankful for his Grace and forgiveness.
Judges 11 Jephthah made a vow to the Lord that if He gave the Ammonites into his hands, he would sacrifice whatever came out his door, when he returned home, to the Lord. Well, later we see that Mizpah, his daughter, comes out dancing to greet him when he returned home. She was his only child. He was distraught, and tore his clothes, but kept his vow to the Lord. ---How many things or what actions or deeds have you promised God if he would just______________and act on your behalf. Be careful in what you ask for because there may come a time when God is faithful, and you have to give up something to honor your promise. Be mindful of the words that flow from your mouth knowing they give life and death. In Jephthah's case, it was death.
Judges 14 Talks about the spirit of God stirring in Samson, and a roaring lion came toward him on his way to get Timnah, his wife. The spirit of the Lord came upon him in power and he tore the lion apart with his bare hands like he would tear a young goat. He did not tell anyone what he did, not even his parents.
Judges 15 Samson and Delilah. She deceived him time and time again. She tried to find where the secret of his strength came from, and tried to make him tell her. She did this everyday until he was tired to death. He finally told her no razor had ever been used on his head. She sent word to the Philistines. When he woke up, he did not realize God had left him. They had taken him and gouged out his eyes, and took him down to Gaza. They set him to grinding in the prison. The Philistines called him in one day and asked him to perform for them. Samson prayed for God to give him strength one more time for revenge for them taking his eyes, and his strength came back as he pushed the central pillars and pushed them down. The temple came down on all the rulers and the people in it. Samson died, killing more people when he died, than when he lived.
Ruth: Everyone knows the story of Ruth. A story of love, respect, and honor. Who knew a Moabitess woman would be in the lineage of Jesus Christ. It again goes to show that no matter where you come from, where you've been, God loves you and can use you! He can change your circumstances and make you a man or woman of honor.
1 Samuel-- I will begin here tomorrow...lots more to get down. Goodnight all.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Bible Readings, continued...
Deuteronomy 8:2 God led the Israelites in the desert for 40 years to humble them and test them to find out what was in their heart, and whether or not they would keep His commands. We complain when we are in the desert for a short while, a mere season, and I could not even fathom 40 years. Could you imagine if whatever hardship you were facing lasted 40 years? Most likely that is not ever going to happen. We sit around and grumble and complain to others about how bad we have it, when in fact we should be thankful He puts us to the test. God only tests His children, and my question here is What is in your heart? How do you handle your relationship with God when you are in the desert? And do you honor Him and keep His commands during those times? Sometimes we do not see what He is trying to teach us as we are facing hardships and I think a lot of times He may be leading us down that path to see how we revere Him in the midst of it.
Deuteronomy 8:18-20 The Bible says, "Remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms His covenant which He swore to your forefathers as it is today." Don't forget He is the one who give you the talent and success at your work, and gives you the ability to work and make a living. Also, as in Job, remember the Lord gives and the Lord can take away. So do not get too proud about how great you do for yourself. It is God working in and through you that gives you the ability to produce wealth.
Deuteronomy 9:4-6 "It is not because of your righteousness of integrity that you are going to take possession of their land." It is not because we are righteous that God gives or blesses us with anything. Romans 3:10 states, There is not one righteous, no not one.
Deuteronomy 10:17-18 What does the Lord ask of you?
Deuteronomy 11:13-15 He is our Provider, we just have to obey His Commands!
Deuteronomy 11:25 No man will be able to stand against you~ Romans 8: 31 also says "If He is for us who can be against us", and in Deuteronomy 20: 3-4, it says when we are up against our enemies: do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be terrified or give way to panic before them. For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory" How awesome is it to know that He is with us and fights for us, as earlier it talked repeatedly about He will fight for you, you need only be still. God tells us over and over He is with us and for us, and who to have better in your corner than God! I am so thankful He is there to fight our battles and that He will never leave us! Find comfort and peace in that!!!!
Deuteronomy 12:30 talks about inquiring about other gods. I find this interesting because in the past I have wanted to study other religions and find out why they believe what they believe. This verse tells me, that we need not inquire, but trust and serve the one true God!
Deuteronomy 14:22 speaks of tithing 1/10
Deuteronomy 15: 10-11 speaks of giving without a grudge and giving generously. We should give expecting nothing in return. I have had to learn this lesson in a different way, and I am thankful for what He has shown me through it. If someone does not pay you back, do not hold a grudge, but know that your heart was in the right place, and He will bless you because of it.
Deuteronomy 18:10-13 speaks of not practicing sorcery, witchcraft, divination, etc... It states that these are detestable practices. We should be very mindful of what we are filling our minds with. A certain movie that practices sorcery comes to mind...it is a big hit with some, and I should also include the vampire movies too, but we should not even take the time to sit and watch them because by watching we are learning from it, and the Word says not to learn to imitate it. Be careful what your children are watching, they are impressionable!
Deuteronomy 20:5 talks about dedicating your new home. We should be grounded in Christ and our foundation built on the rock, the word of Christ. This reminded me of an author I enjoy. She said when they built their home years ago, they put a Bible in the actual foundation of the home, as a reminder that God and His truths are their foundation to build from. I love that, and look forward to building again, when I too, will place a Bible in the foundation as a reminder of what we are grounded in.
Deuteronomy 24:7 "You must purge the evil from amongst you." Enough said.
Deuteronomy 26:18 We are His people, His treasured possession! I love this verse. We are His and a treasure to Him. I tell my children almost daily how special they are to me, and what a treasure they are. I tell them how God picked them out of all the children in the world to be mine, and that is so special! My daughter has a painting of this verse in her room.
Deuteronomy 28 If you fully obey the Lord and carefully follow His commands, He will set you high above the nations on the earth, and blessings will come upon you: You will always be at the top, never at the bottom. If not, curses will come upon you. -- I have to ask myself, is this why we have trouble? I know it is absolutely why we have trouble. We have to be obedient and keep His commands.
Deuteronomy 31:6 "For the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave nor forsake you." I don't know if I have mentioned this in notes past, but I LOVE how it says the Lord YOUR God. He is OUR God, MY God, and not just the Lord God. I love this!!!!
Deuteronomy 32:52 God had Moses view the land of milk and honey from the top of Mount Nebo. He told him he could only view it from a distance, and he would not enter the land because he broke faith with him. Do you feel like you've gone through the desert, made it to the top of the mountain, but cannot get the blessing?
Joshua 1:8 "Do not let the Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night."
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and courageous, Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged; for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Again He shows us He is with us always!!!
**We see in Joshua how he was given wisdom by the Lord, and how God told him that no one would be able to stand up against him all the days of his life. We see lands and kings delivered unto him, and how mighty Joshua was. In Joshua 10 we are given a descriptive scene of Joshua and the Israelites fighting the Amorites. I have to put a plug here for a Pastor I follow. His name is Steven Furtick (Elevation Church) and he wrote a book based on this Chapter of Joshua called, Sun Stand Still. It is an amazing book, one I highly recommend, and talks about asking God for audacious things in prayer. Just as God made the sun stand still and the moon stop, until the nation avenged itself on its enemies-- By believing He can do great miracles and wonders, that book encourages you to get out of your normal way of praying not only believe Him for the small things, but the Great, extraordinary, the impossible. We know that with Him all things are possible, and this book challenges you to serve and believe and have the faith it takes to believe God for the impossible, and see Him work in extraordinary ways in your life. This book has been one of the best books I have read, and I think all Christians should read it.
I will end here right now, but I have so much to still get on the blog. I will try to get more done tonight.
Deuteronomy 8:18-20 The Bible says, "Remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms His covenant which He swore to your forefathers as it is today." Don't forget He is the one who give you the talent and success at your work, and gives you the ability to work and make a living. Also, as in Job, remember the Lord gives and the Lord can take away. So do not get too proud about how great you do for yourself. It is God working in and through you that gives you the ability to produce wealth.
Deuteronomy 9:4-6 "It is not because of your righteousness of integrity that you are going to take possession of their land." It is not because we are righteous that God gives or blesses us with anything. Romans 3:10 states, There is not one righteous, no not one.
Deuteronomy 10:17-18 What does the Lord ask of you?
Deuteronomy 11:13-15 He is our Provider, we just have to obey His Commands!
Deuteronomy 11:25 No man will be able to stand against you~ Romans 8: 31 also says "If He is for us who can be against us", and in Deuteronomy 20: 3-4, it says when we are up against our enemies: do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be terrified or give way to panic before them. For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory" How awesome is it to know that He is with us and fights for us, as earlier it talked repeatedly about He will fight for you, you need only be still. God tells us over and over He is with us and for us, and who to have better in your corner than God! I am so thankful He is there to fight our battles and that He will never leave us! Find comfort and peace in that!!!!
Deuteronomy 12:30 talks about inquiring about other gods. I find this interesting because in the past I have wanted to study other religions and find out why they believe what they believe. This verse tells me, that we need not inquire, but trust and serve the one true God!
Deuteronomy 14:22 speaks of tithing 1/10
Deuteronomy 15: 10-11 speaks of giving without a grudge and giving generously. We should give expecting nothing in return. I have had to learn this lesson in a different way, and I am thankful for what He has shown me through it. If someone does not pay you back, do not hold a grudge, but know that your heart was in the right place, and He will bless you because of it.
Deuteronomy 18:10-13 speaks of not practicing sorcery, witchcraft, divination, etc... It states that these are detestable practices. We should be very mindful of what we are filling our minds with. A certain movie that practices sorcery comes to mind...it is a big hit with some, and I should also include the vampire movies too, but we should not even take the time to sit and watch them because by watching we are learning from it, and the Word says not to learn to imitate it. Be careful what your children are watching, they are impressionable!
Deuteronomy 20:5 talks about dedicating your new home. We should be grounded in Christ and our foundation built on the rock, the word of Christ. This reminded me of an author I enjoy. She said when they built their home years ago, they put a Bible in the actual foundation of the home, as a reminder that God and His truths are their foundation to build from. I love that, and look forward to building again, when I too, will place a Bible in the foundation as a reminder of what we are grounded in.
Deuteronomy 24:7 "You must purge the evil from amongst you." Enough said.
Deuteronomy 26:18 We are His people, His treasured possession! I love this verse. We are His and a treasure to Him. I tell my children almost daily how special they are to me, and what a treasure they are. I tell them how God picked them out of all the children in the world to be mine, and that is so special! My daughter has a painting of this verse in her room.
Deuteronomy 28 If you fully obey the Lord and carefully follow His commands, He will set you high above the nations on the earth, and blessings will come upon you: You will always be at the top, never at the bottom. If not, curses will come upon you. -- I have to ask myself, is this why we have trouble? I know it is absolutely why we have trouble. We have to be obedient and keep His commands.
Deuteronomy 31:6 "For the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave nor forsake you." I don't know if I have mentioned this in notes past, but I LOVE how it says the Lord YOUR God. He is OUR God, MY God, and not just the Lord God. I love this!!!!
Deuteronomy 32:52 God had Moses view the land of milk and honey from the top of Mount Nebo. He told him he could only view it from a distance, and he would not enter the land because he broke faith with him. Do you feel like you've gone through the desert, made it to the top of the mountain, but cannot get the blessing?
Joshua 1:8 "Do not let the Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night."
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and courageous, Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged; for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Again He shows us He is with us always!!!
**We see in Joshua how he was given wisdom by the Lord, and how God told him that no one would be able to stand up against him all the days of his life. We see lands and kings delivered unto him, and how mighty Joshua was. In Joshua 10 we are given a descriptive scene of Joshua and the Israelites fighting the Amorites. I have to put a plug here for a Pastor I follow. His name is Steven Furtick (Elevation Church) and he wrote a book based on this Chapter of Joshua called, Sun Stand Still. It is an amazing book, one I highly recommend, and talks about asking God for audacious things in prayer. Just as God made the sun stand still and the moon stop, until the nation avenged itself on its enemies-- By believing He can do great miracles and wonders, that book encourages you to get out of your normal way of praying not only believe Him for the small things, but the Great, extraordinary, the impossible. We know that with Him all things are possible, and this book challenges you to serve and believe and have the faith it takes to believe God for the impossible, and see Him work in extraordinary ways in your life. This book has been one of the best books I have read, and I think all Christians should read it.
I will end here right now, but I have so much to still get on the blog. I will try to get more done tonight.
1st Article
Well, I was a little over-ambitious in getting all my posts online in an effective time frame. I have a lot going on, and trying to keep up with my readings and notes,and then transcribing them is just adding to my time. I also have for over a year now felt God speaking to my heart about writing. I submitted my first article, in a huge leap of faith, to be published last week. I will not know anything for 6 weeks or so and in the meantime I am just trying to stay positive and remember that it was my first article written for submission, and that in time, and as God is leading I will get published. It is a great desire of my heart. God is working so much in and on me, and is revealing Himself to me through the reading of His word which is completely transforming my mind, and I could not be more excited about all that is ahead. I trust He will help me prioritize all I want to do, and find focus and the time to get everything done He calls me to. He is slowly molding me into the woman I hope one day to become. Just as Philippians 1:6 says, "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." I am so thankful to be His, and that He cares enough about me to complete the work He has begun!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Pardon my absence
Hi everyone. Please forgive me for not updating my blog. I have a lot to share, and have spent the past few weeks all over the map, literally. My children and myself were sick for a 3 week stint, I was blessed to attend the SBTC Women's Ministry Conference, and this past weekend I spent in Canton, Texas, shopping with a good friend. I am excited to get back to blogging, and look forward to hearing any feedback from you, you wish to send. I hope you all have a blessed Spring Break. We are enjoying ours with a fun activity planned each day this week. Treasure the time you have with your children and make each day memorable. New Posts coming soon.
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