Posts Tagged ‘spirituality’

Spiritual Training 27 June 2012

Posted: June 29, 2012 in Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Judges, Personal Growth, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
Tags: , , , , ,
0

Under Gods Command
Gideon

Judges 8:1-3 Now the Ephraimites asked Gideon, “Why have you treated us like this? Why didn’t you call us when you went to fight Midian?”  And they criticized him sharply.  But he answered them, “What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren’t the gleanings of Ephraim’s grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer?  God gave Oereb and Zeeb, the Midianite leaders, into your hands.  What was I able to do compared to you?” At this, their resentment against him subsided. 

 Ephraim’s leaders felt left out because Gideon had not called them to join the battle, but had left them in place to “clean up” the escaping Midianites (“the gleanings”), and so they angrily confronted him.  Gideon assured the leaders of Ephraim that their accomplishment was even greater than his own clan’s (Abiezer).  His diplomatic explanation pointed out that this rear guard had managed to capture the enemy’s generals, thus cutting off the leaders from their army.  Not every necessary job is a highly visible leadership role.  Much of the necessary labor of any effective enterprise is considered by many to be dirty work.  But such work is vital to getting and big task done.

Lets bring it home: Engineers and millionaires may design and finance an elegant building, but it is the bricklayers who get the work done.  Pride causes us to want recognition.  Are you content to be God’s bricklayer, or do you resent the work God has given you?

Proverbs 25:21-22 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: June 25, 2012 in Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
Tags: , , , , ,
0

Under Gods Command

Proverbs 25:21-22 – If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.  In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you. 

 God’s form of retaliation is most effective and yet difficult to do.  Paul quotes this proverb in Romans 12:19-21. In Mathew 5:44, Jesus encourages us to pray for those who hurt us.  By returning good for evil, we are acknowledging God as the balancer of all accounts and trusting him to be the judge.

Spiritual Training 25 June 2012

Posted: June 25, 2012 in Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Judges, Personal Growth, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
Tags: , , , , ,
0

Under Gods Command
Gideon defeats the Midianites

Judges 7:09-11 During the night the LORD said to Gideon, “Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands.  “If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp”. So he and Purah his servant went down to the outpost of the camp. 

Facing overwhelming odds, Gideon was afraid.  God understood his fear, but he didn’t excuse Gideon from his task.  Instead he allowed Gideon to slip into the enemy camp and over-hear a conversation that would give him courage.

Lets Bring it home: Are you facing a battle with internal or external foes that have defeated you in the past or appear invincible today?  God can give you the strength you need for any situation.  And don’t be startled by the way he helps you.  Like Gideon, you must listen to God and be ready to take the first step.  Only after you begin to obey God will you find the courage to move ahead.


Spiritual Training 20 June 2012

Posted: June 20, 2012 in Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Judges, Personal Growth, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
Tags: , , , , ,
0

Under Gods Command
Gideon

Judges 6:36-39 Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised – look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor.  If there is dew only on the fleece, and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said.” And that is what happened.  Gideon rose early the next day, he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew-a bowlful of water.  Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me.  Let me make just one more request.  Allow me one more test with the fleece.   This time make the fleece dry and the ground covered with dew” That night God did so.  Only the fleece was dry, all the ground was covered with dew. 

 Was Gideon testing God, or was he simply asking God for more encouragement? In either case, though his motive was right (to obey God and defeat the enemy), his method was less than ideal.  Gideon seems to have known that his requests might displease God (6:39), and yet he demanded two miracles even after witnessing the miraculous fire from the rock (6:21).  It is true that to make good decisions, we need facts. Gideon had all the facts, but still he hesitated.  He delayed obeying God because he wanted even more proof.

Demanding extra signs was an indication of unbelief.  Fear often makes us wait for more confirmation when we should be taking action.  Visible signs are unnecessary if they only confirm what we already know is true.

Lets bring it home: Today the greatest means of God’s guidance is his Word, the Bible.  Unlike Gideon, we have God’s complete, revealed Word.  If you want to have more of God’s guidance, don’t ask for sign, STUDY THE BIBLE (2 Timothy 3:16,17).

Spiritual Training 15 June 2012

Posted: June 15, 2012 in Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
Tags: , , , , ,
0

Under Gods Command
Gideon
Judges 6:23 But the LORD said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid.  You are not going to die.”

 Judges 25-30 That same night the LORD said to him, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one seven years old.  Tear down your father’s altar to Ball and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.  Then build a proper kind of altar to the LORD your God on the top of this height.  Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second bull as a burnt offering.” So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the LORD told him.  But because he was afraid of his family and the men of the town, he did it at night rather than in the daytime.  In the morning when the men of the town got up, there was Baal’s altar, demolished, with the Asherah pole beside it cut down and the second bull sacrificed on the newly built altar! They asked each other, “Who did this?” When they carefully investigated, they were told, “Gideon son of Joash did it.” The men of the town demanded of Joash, “ Bring out your son.  He must die, because he has broken down Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.” 

 After god called Gideon to be Israel’s deliverer, he immediately asked him to tear down the altar of the pagan god, Baal-an act that would test Gideon’s faith and commitment.  Canaanite religion was very political, so an attack on god was often seen as an attack on the local government supporting that god.  If caught, Gideon would face serious social problems and probable physical attack.

Gideon took a real risk by following God’s higher law, which specifically forbids idol worship (Exodus 20:1-5). After learning what Gideon has done, the townspeople wanted to kill him.  Many of those people were fellow Israelites.  This shows how immoral God’s people had become.  God said in Deuteronomy 13:6-11 that idolaters must be stone to death, but these Israelites wanted to stone Gideon for tearing down an idol and worshiping God!

Lets bring it home: When you begin to accomplish something for God, the very people who should support you may criticize you. 


Spiritual Training 14 June 2012

Posted: June 14, 2012 in Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Judges, Personal Growth, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
Tags: , , , , ,
0

Under Gods Command
Gideon 

Judges 6:14-16 The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand.  Am I not sending you?”  “But Lord, “Gideon asked, “how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” The LORD answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together.” 

“I will be with you,” God told Gideon, and God promised to give him the strength he needed to overcome the opposition.  In spite of this clear promise for strength, Gideon made excuses.  Seeing only his limitations and weaknesses, he failed to see how God could work through him.

Lets bring it home: Like Gideon, we are called to serve God in specific ways, Although God promises us the tools and strength we need, we often make excuses.  But reminding God of our limitations only implies that he does not know all about us or that he has made a mistake in evaluation our character.  Don’t spend time making excuses.  Instead spend it doing what God wants. 

Spiritual Training 13 June 2012

Posted: June 13, 2012 in Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Judges, Personal Growth, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
Tags: , , , , ,
0

Under Gods Command

Gideon 

Judges 6:11-13 The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezirte, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites.  When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.” But sir, “Gideon replied, “If the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us?  Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?  But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian.” 

Gideon questioned God about the problems he and his nation faced and about God’s apparent lack of help.  What he didn’t acknowledge was the fact that the people had brought calamity upon themselves when they decided to disobey and neglect God.  How easy it is to overlook personal accountability and blame our problems on God and others.  Unfortunately this does not solve our problems.  It brings us no closer to God, and it escorts us to the very edge of rebellion and backsliding.

Lets bring it home: When problems come, the first place to look is within. Our immediate response should be confession to God of sins that may have created our problems.

Proverbs 12:16 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: June 12, 2012 in Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
Tags: , , , , ,
2

Under Gods Command 
Proverbs 12:16 A fool show his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.  

When someone annoys or insults you, it is natural to retaliate.  But this solves nothing and only encourages trouble.  Instead, answer slowly and quietly.  Your positive response will achieve positive results.  Remember Proverbs 15:01: A gentle answer turns away wrath.

Spiritual Training 08 June 2012

Posted: June 8, 2012 in Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Judges, Personal Growth, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
Tags: , , , , ,
0

Under Gods Command 
Judges 5 The Song of Deborah
(Read Entire Chapter)

Music and singing were a cherished part of Israel’s culture.  Chapter 5 is a song, possibly composed and sung by Deborah and Barak.  It sets to music the story of Israel’s great victory recounted in Chapter 4. This victory song was accompanied by joyous celebration.  It proclaimed God’s greatness by giving him credit for the victory.  It was an excellent way to preserve and retell this wonderful story from generation to generation.

In Victory, Barak and Deborah sang praises to God.  Songs of praise focus our attention on God, give us an outlet for spiritual celebration, and remind us of God’s faithfulness and character.  Whether you are experiencing a great victory or a major dilemma, singing praises to God can have a positive effect on your attitude.

Proverbs 05:18-20 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: June 5, 2012 in Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
Tags: , , , , ,
0

Under Gods Command

Proverbs 05:18-20 May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.  A loving doe, a graceful deer-may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love.  Why be captivated, my son, by an adulterous? Why embrace the bosom of another man’s wife?    

God does not intend faithfulness in marriage to be boring, lifeless, pleasure less, and dull. Sex is a gift God gives to married people for their mutual enjoyment.  Real happiness comes when we decide to find pleasure in the relationship God has given or will give us and to commit ourselves to making it pleasurable for our spouse.  The real danger is in doubting that God knows and cares for us.  We then may resent his timing and carelessly pursue sexual pleasure without his blessing.

Many temptations entice husbands and wives when marriage becomes dull in order to find excitement and pleasures elsewhere.  But God designed marriage and sanctified it, and only within this covenant relationship can we find real love and fulfillment.  Don’t let God’s best for you be wasted on the illusion of greener pastures somewhere else.  Instead, rejoice with your spouse as you give yourselves to God and to each other.

Older Entries
Newer Entries