Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Proverbs 9:7-9 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: June 9, 2011 in Inspiration, Spiritual Training, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

Proverbs 9:7-09 Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse. Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you. Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.

Are you a mocker or a wise person? You can tell by the way you respond to criticism. Instead of tossing back a quick put down or clever retort when rebuked. Listen to what is being said. Learn from your critics; this is the path to wisdom. Wisdom begins with knowing God. He gives insight into living because he created life. To know God is not just to know the facts about him, but to stand in awe of him and have a relationship with him. Do you really want to be wise? Get to know God better and better.

Spiritual Training 03 June 2011

Posted: June 3, 2011 in Uncategorized
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Under Gods Command

Joshua 10:6-7 – The Gibeonites then sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: “Do not abandon your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us, because all the Amorite Kings from the hill country have joined forces against us.” So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, including all the best fighting men.

Joshua’s response shows his integrity. After having been deceived by the Gibeonites, Joshua and the leaders could have been slow about their attempt to rescue them. Instead, they immediately responded to their call for help. How willing would you be to help someone who had deceived you, even though you had forgiven him or her? We should take our word just as seriously as Joshua did.

Proverbs 3:11-12 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: June 3, 2011 in Bible Study, Spiritual Training, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

Proverbs 3:11-12 My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.

It’s difficult to know when God has been disciplining us until we look back on the situation later. Not every calamity comes directly from God, of course. But if we rebel against God and refuse to repent when God has identified some sin in our lives, he may use guilt, crises, or bad experiences to bring us back to him. Sometimes, however, difficult times come even when we have no apparent sin. Then, our response should be patience, integrity, and confidence that God will show us what to do.

Spiritual Training 02 June 2011

Posted: June 2, 2011 in Bible Study, Security, Spiritual Training, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

Joshua 9:19-20 – but all the leaders’ answered, “We have given them our oath by the LORD, the God of Israel, and we cannot touch them now. This is what we will do to them: We will let them live, so that wrath will not fall on us for breaking the oath we swore to them .

Joshua and his advisers had made a mistake. But because they had given an oath to protect the Gibeonites, they would keep their word. The oath was not nullified by the Gibeonites trickery. God had commanded that oaths be kept and breaking an oath was serious. This encourages us not to take our promises lightly.

Proverbs 2:1-6 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: June 2, 2011 in Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

Proverbs 2:1-6 – My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and it you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Wisdom comes in two ways: It is a God-given gift and also the result of an energetic search. Wisdom’s starting point is God and his revealed Word, the source of “knowledge and understanding” In that sense wisdom is God’s gift to us. But he gives it only to those who earnestly seek it. But because God’s wisdom is hidden from the rebellious and foolish, it takes effort to find it and use it. The pathway to wisdom is strenuous. When we are on the path, we discover that true wisdom is God’s and that he will guide us and reward our sincere and persistent search.

Proverbs 1:10-19 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: June 1, 2011 in Bible Study, Spiritual Training, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command ( Warning Against Enticement)

Proverbs 1:10-19 (10): My son, if sinners entice you do not give in to them. (11): If they say, “Come along with us; lets lie in wait for someone’s blood, let’s waylay some harmless soul; (12): Lets swallow them alive, like the grave, and whole, like those who go down to the pit; (13): we will get all sorts of valuable things and fill our hoses with plunder; (14): throw in your lot with us, and we will share a common purse- (15): my son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths; (16): for their feet rush into sin, they are swift to shed blood. (17): How useless to spread a net in full view of all the birds! (18): These men lie in wait for their own blood; they waylay only themselves! (19) Such is the end of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the lives of those who get it.

Sin is enticing because it offers a quick route to property and makes us feel like one of the crowd. But when we go along with others and refuse to listen to the truth, our own appetites become our masters, and we’ll do anything to satisfy them. Sin, even when attractive, is deadly. We must learn to make choices, not on the basis of flashy appeal or short-range pleasure, but in view of the long-range effects. Sometimes this means steering clear of people who want to entice us into activities that we know are wrong. We can’t be friendly with sin and expect our lives to remain unaffected.

Spiritual Training 01 June 2011

Posted: June 1, 2011 in Uncategorized
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Under Gods Command

Joshua 9:14-18 – The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the LORD. Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath. Three days after they made the treaty with the Gibeonites, the Israelites heard that they were neighbors, living near them. So the Israelites set out and on the third day came to their cites: Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth and Kiriath Jearim. But the Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the assembly had sworn an oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel.

When the leaders sampled these men’s provisions they saw that the bread was dry and moldy, the wineskins were cracked, and the clothes and sandals worn out. But they did not see through the deception. After the promise had been made and the treaty ratified, the facts came out-Israel’s leaders had been deceived. God had specifically instructed Israel to make no treaties with the inhabitants of Canaan (Exodus 23:32, 34:12 Numbers 33:55 Deuteronomy 7:2, 20:17-18). As a strategist Joshua knew enough to talk to God before leading his troops into battle. But the peace treaty seemed innocent enough, so Joshua and the leaders made this decision on their own. By failing to seek God’s guidance and rushing ahead with their own plans, they had to deal with the angry people and an awkward alliance. Once again, they had forgotten to go to God; yet how often we do the same. A new situation arises, and we forget to seek God’s wisdom and guidance. When we learn the lessons of the past and apply them to today, we save ourselves a lot of trouble.

Spiritual Training 25 May 2011

Posted: May 25, 2011 in Bible Study, Spiritual Training, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

Joshua 8:02 You shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city”

Why did God allow the Israelites to keep the plunder and livestock this time? Israel’s laws for handling the spoils of war covered two situations. (1) Cities like Jericho which were under God’s ban (judgment for idolatry) could not be looted (see Deuteronomy 20:16-18). God’s people were to be kept holy and separate from every influence of idolatry. (2) The distribution of plunder from cities not under the ban was a normal part of warfare. It provided the army and the nation with the necessary food, flocks and weapons needed to sustain itself in wartime. Ai was not under the ban. The conquering army needed the food and equipment. Because soldiers were not paid, the loot was part of their incentive and reward for going to war.

Proverbs 24:26 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: May 24, 2011 in Spiritual Training, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command
Proverbs 24:26 An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.

A kiss on the lips was a sign of true friendship. People often think that they should bend the truth to avoid hurting a friend. But one who gives an honest answer is a true friend. To be entrusted with the truth even at the risk of offense, says this proverb, represents a gesture of high honor.

Spiritual Training 24 May 2011

Posted: May 24, 2011 in Spiritual Training, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

Joshua 8:01 Then the LORD said to Joshua, “do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. For I have delivered into your hands the King of Ai, his people, his city and his land.

After Israel had been cleansed from Achan’s sin, Joshua prepared to attack Ai again-this time to win. Joshua had learned some lessons that we can follow:

1. Confess your sins when God reveals them to you.
2. When you fail, refocus on God, deal with the problem, and move on.

God want s the cycle of sin, repentance, and forgiveness to strengthen us, not weaken us. The lessons we learn from our failures should make us better able to handle the same situation the second time around, Because God is eager to give us cleansing, forgiveness, and strength, the only way to lose is to give up. We can tell what kind of people we are by what we do on the second and third attempts.

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