Posts Tagged ‘Bible Study’


Deuteronomy 4:23-24 Be careful not to forget the covenant of the Lord your God that he made with you; do not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything the LORD your God has forbidden.  For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous GOD ( God is a consuming fire.  Because he is morally perfect, he hates sin and cannot accept those who practice it.  Moses’ sin kept him from entering the promised land, and no sacrifice could remove that judgment.  Sin kept us from entering God’s presence, but Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our sin and removed God’s judgment forever by his death.  Trusting in Jesus Christ will save you from God’s anger and will allow you to begin a personal relationship with him.  Jealousy is  a demand  for someone else’s exclusive affection or loyalty.  Some jealousy is bad.  It is destructive for a person to get upset when his or her spouse talks to someone of the opposite sex.  But other jealousy is good.  It is right for a man to demand that his wife treat him, and only him, as her husband.  Usually we use the word jealousy only for the bad reaction.  But God’s kind of jealousy is appropriate and good.  He is defending his word and guarding his high honor.  He makes a strong, exclusive demand on us: We must treat only the Lord, and no one else in all the universe as God.)


15 March 2010

Written by Rob Henry, Army of Christ, and Under GODS Command

Smoke Screen

How many times do people used another issue to get to what is really on their mind.  Does the term Stop Beating Around the Bush mean anything?   Let’s take a look at the Bible, and we will see an example of people who argue over minor disagreements, leaving the real issue untouched.  Such was the case when Miriam and Aaron came to Moses with a complaint.

Numbers 12: 1-2,

  1. 1. Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite.  (It appears that they are concerned about his Cushite wife)
  2. 2. “Has the LORD spoken only through Moses?” they asked “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” And the LORD heard this. (Now they jump from his Cushite wife to a sign of Jealousy against Moses)

People often argue over minor disagreements, leaving the real issue untouched.  The real issue was their growing jealousy of Moses position and influence.  Since they could not find fault with the way Moses was leading the people, they chose to criticize his wife.  Rather than face the problem squarely by dealing with their envy and pride, they chose to create a diversion from the real issue.  When you are in a disagreement, stop and ask yourself if you are arguing over the real issue or have you introduced a smoke screen by attacking someone’s character.  If you’re unjustly criticized, remember that your critics may be afraid to face the real problem.  Ask God to help you identify the real issue and deal with it


Thursday, March 04, 2010
You can’t decide without a guide
by Rick Warren
“He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.” Psalm 25:9 (NIV)

The Bible says there are several things we need to do to receive guidance from God, but the very first thing is this:

I need to admit I need a guide!

Sheep, by nature, tend to wander off the path. The Prophet Isaiah says, “All of us like sheep have strayed away! We have left God’s paths to follow our own.” (Isaiah 53:6 NLT)

This is why we often don’t know God’s will. The truth is most of the time we don’t want to follow God or anybody else. We want to go our own way. We don’t want to admit we need direction or that we need a guide.

Another thing about sheep is that they have poor vision. They can’t see very far ahead. That’s why, on a path, they don’t know if it is heading toward a cliff, and that’s why they need a shepherd. We can’t see the future. We don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, much less next year or ten years from now. We don’t even know what’s going to happen this afternoon.

God made you so that you would not be able to see into the future no matter how much you try. Even with all the gimmicks to predict the future, you don’t really know what’s going to happen. Why did God do this? He did it so you would depend on Him.

Because we can’t see into the future, we often stumble.  Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (NIV). We’ve all made decisions that at the time seemed right but later on turned out to be wrong. Some paths lead to dead ends and we end up off track. That’s why we need to admit, “God, I need help.”


NUMBERS: 10: 29-32

Now Moses said to Hobab son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law,
“We are setting out for the place about which the Lord said, ‘ I will give it to you.  Come with us and we will treat you well, for the Lord has promised good things to Israel.”  He answered, “No, I will not go; I am going back to my own land and my on people.”  But Moes said, “Please do not leave us.   You know where we should camp in the desert,  and you can  be our eyes.    If you come with us, we will share with you whatever good things the Lord give us
.”

By complimenting Hobab’s desert skills, Moses let him know he was needed.  People cannot know you appreciate them if you do not tell them they are important to you.  Complimenting those who deserve it builds lasting relationships and helps people know they are valued.  Think about those who have helped you this month.  What can you do to let them know how much you need and appreciate them?


“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”- Joshua 1:9

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Do what matters

Do what matters, not just what is convenient. Do what is fulfilling, not just what is easy.

Just being busy will not lead you to anything of value. Instead, challenge yourself to be effective in the service of a meaningful purpose.

Any particular stretch of your time can be infinitely valuable or it can be hopelessly worthless. Which will it be right now, on this very day?

See that every moment has the potential for soaring greatness. Let your words and actions, your thoughts and deeds express that potential in your own special way.

There are many skills that must be studied and developed, and you can choose the ones you wish to acquire. The skill of living, however, need only be allowed, for it is already within you.

Live with richness, with great fulfillment and joy and substance. Do what matters, what really matters, and delight in being the unique, beautiful person you are.

— Ralph Marston


Friday, January 22, 2010
The Battle of the Mind
Dr. Frederick K.C. Price

Everyone has to fight the battle that goes on in the mind. Our thought life determines where we are in the things of God. When people meditate on what is wrong or the negative side of a situation, they become blinded by the problem and never see the escape available to them. Our Heavenly Father has given us a way to bring forth light, and that is through diligent study and meditation of the Word of God. In Hosea 4:6 God tells us, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”

As Christians we are going to have to learn how to apply Bible knowledge to our lives, if we want to win the battles of life. God instructs the Believer on how to control their thought life by utilizing His whole armor. Ephesians 6:10-17 says, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;”

The Apostle Paul uses armor, the battle dress of the first-century Roman soldier, as a metaphor for God’s spiritual armor. Clearly, the military metaphor is intended to show that we are engaged in an active battle. Therefore, Believers must recognize that they are in warfare everyday, and that the battlefield is our minds. The whole armor of God has been provided to help us guard against the enemy of our mind–Satan. Satan’s only weapon against us is through the mind. If he can put thoughts, ideas and suggestions in our minds, then he can control our actions. We must come to understand that ignorance of the Word and victory over life’s battles are impossible roommates.

If we desire the overcoming life of Jesus then we will need to “take up the whole armor of God.” We are not to focus in on only part of the armor to the neglect of the other combat coverings, if we do so we will find ourselves defeated. It is the whole armor-knowledge of the Word of God-that gives us the victory. We need to take each piece of the armor as illustrated by Paul and apply them to our life so that we can benefit from its protection.

Family, it is critical that we acknowledge that the warfare is not against physical forces but against powers that have authority in the spirit realm. Paul not only warns the Believer of a clearly defined demonic structure, but also instructs us to take up the whole armor of God in order to maintain a battle stance against these unseen forces.

Satan’s mode of operation has not changed. He continues to use the same mind game that he used on Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1). We are going to have to recognize his deceptive ways and stand against them with the Word of God.

Our battle is clearly spiritual. Satan launches assaults on the mind in order to affect the spiritual aspect of our lives. The mind is like the door through which the enemy has access. If Satan can influence our thoughts, he can control every aspect of our lives. Therefore, we must examine every thought that comes to our minds. Are they the fiery darts, the evil day and or the wiles of the devil? Every thought has either a life or death component attached to it. Once a thought is allowed to have access in our lives, it begins its subtle work.

This is the reason God tells us in Romans 12:1-2: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

Dr. Frederick K.C. Price is the founder and pastor of Crenshaw Christian Center West in Los Angeles and CCC East in Manhattan.  To obtain more information about his ministry, please call (800) 927-3436 or visit www.faithdome.org. Click here to browse and purchase MP3 sermons by Dr. Frederick K.C. Price!

© Dr. Frederick K. C. Price all rights reserved.


Monday, February 22, 2010 Print Article
Leave a Comment
Loving God’s People
Bishop Walter S. Thomas

Hebrews 10: 24-25 says this:

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another- and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

It goes without saying that often in life we feel alone. We feel as if we are standing against the storm alone, fighting the rising tide alone, dealing with the difficulty alone, and living the great moments alone.

Life has been so unkind to so many of us that we have failed to cultivate or revisit the art of being close to persons and knowing the joy that comes from true and genuine fellowship.

We can find ourselves seeking to be alone because we feel it is safer and we won’t be hurt. The real truth, however, is that we are missing out on what God has purposefully put in our path: His people.

God knows we cannot make this journey by ourselves and still know the fullness of the joy God has for us. What God has for us is intricately woven into fellowship and cannot be fully experienced until we allow ourselves to embrace the community of which God has us a part.

He has given us His people and now we must learn to love again. Jesus said that we would be known as his disciples ‘by our love one for another.’ God allows us and teaches us how to love and just what love means.

He teaches us that within the confines of God’s family, we must learn how to love and to forgive. We must learn how to care and to be compassionate. We must learn how to celebrate and to serve.

I must admit…I love the people of God. They have been my instructors in life, my companions in suffering, my cheerleaders in success, and my friends in life. The writer of Hebrews said that we should not take this love ‘for granted.’

We should seek out ways to build upon it and to encourage one another. We have a community that is always looking for new ways to inspire and to edify us. In the midst of a world that wrestles with the meaning of love, God has placed us in a community that seeks to practice love.

Let us not be naïve; the church is far from perfect. It has its flaws and makes its mistakes, but it is the bride of Christ being prepared for her Lord.

A love for God’s people can help us all to realize that we should not live out our lives’ journey by ourselves.

Serving as the pastor of the New Psalmist Baptist Church in Baltimore, Maryland since1975, Bishop Walter S. Thomas, Sr. is the presiding Bishop of Kingdom Association of Covenant Pastors. Bishop Thomas is a certified Personal and Executive Coach. He also is the host of Empowering Disciples broadcast. For more information about Bishop Thomas, log onto www.newpsalmist.org.

© Bishop Walter S. Thomas all rights reserved.


Proverbs 20:3

23: It is to a man’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel.

A person who is truly confident of his or her strength does not need to parade it.  A truly brave person does not look for chances to prove it.  A resourceful woman can find a way out of a fight.  A man of endurance will avoid retaliating.  Foolish people find it impossible to avoid strife.  Men and women of character can.  What kind of person are you?


Saturday, February 20, 2010
Harvest Principle: God alone supplies
by Rick Warren
Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 2 Corinthians 9:10 (NIV)Â

You must decide you will look to GOD ONLY as your source of supply. You need to tell God that you’re going to look to Him alone to provide for your needs and that you won’t look anywhere else.

We get ourselves in trouble when we confuse the channel with the source. God may use your paycheck from work as the channel to supply your needs, but your employer is just the channel for God’s provision – and he can shift to another channel anytime he wants.

When you start to look to something or someone else to meet you needs, when you begin to confuse the channel with the source, there is a clear warning sign: Worry!

Say you’ve started looking to your job as the source, instead of the channel. You may start worrying, “What if I loose my job?” You knoiw what – the channel may have closewd, but the source of your every need is still active and providing for you. When God turns off one channel, He can turn on another one.Â

Once you know what you’re lacking, you need to give God the right to choose whatever channel He chooses to fulfill the need. It may be a channel different than you choose; in fact, God may delieberatly choose a different channel in order to teach you to keep looking to him for all your needs.

I have learned – as a Christian for nearly forty years – that it’s exciting to just to let God be God.  It’s exciting to watch God meet a need in a way that you never thought possible or could have never thought up on your own.

God alone is the source of your supply.


Sunday, February 07, 2010
There is No Secrets of Instant Sainthood
by Rick Warren
“Don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed.” (James 1:4 Msg)

Be patient with God and with yourself. One of life’s frustrations is that God’s timetable is rarely the same as ours. We are often in a hurry when God isn’t. You may feel frustrated with the seemingly slow progress you’re making in life.

Remember that God is never in a hurry, but he is always on time. He will use your entire lifetime to prepare you for your role in eternity.

The Bible is filled with examples of how God uses a long process to develop character, especially in leaders. He took eighty years to prepare Moses, including forty in the wilderness. For 14,600 days Moses kept waiting and wondering, “Is it time yet?” But God kept saying, “Not yet.”

Contrary to popular book titles, there are no Easy Steps to Maturity or Secrets of Instant Sainthood. When God wants to make a giant oak, he takes a hundred years, but when he want to make a mushroom, he does it overnight.

Great souls are grown through struggles and storms and seasons of suffering. Be patient with the process. James advised, “Don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed.” (James 1:4 Msg)

Don’t get discouraged. When Habakkuk became depressed because he didn’t think God was acting quickly enough, God had this to say: “These things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!” (Habakkuk 2:3 LB)

A delay is not a denial from God!

Remember how far you’ve come, not just how far you have to go. You are not where you want to be, but neither are you where you used to be. Years ago people wore a popular button with the letters PBPGINFWMY. It stood for “Please Be Patient, God Is Not Finished With Me Yet.” God isn’t finished with you, either, so keep on moving forward. Even the snail reached the ark by persevering!

*** *** *** ***

Rick Warren is the author of “The Purpose Driven Life,” now available in paperback from Saddleback Resources.

Â