Ladies, Ladies…All the Ladies!!

“So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it “The Lord is Peace”  Judges 6:24

Day 1

This week we are studying Jehovah Shalom: The Lord our Peace.  This particular name has been very hard for me to write on….  I am going to be honest with you and admit that I struggle with the concept of “peace.”  I so desperately LONG for it within my home, within my marriage, within my heart.  I am a worrier to the core and Satan so often uses this as a stronghold against the power of Christ in me.  I am praying for the Lord to teach ME about trusting Him for who He is as the God of ultimate peace as I am praying He will teach YOU!  With that said… let’s begin today by reading about the story of Gideon.

Read Judges 6:11-24

1.       Who appeared to Gideon?

2.      What was Gideon’s response? 

Wow!  Gideon’s response really hit home with me.  This past week my family has been battling one of the WORST stomach bugs we have EVER had!  I was the first to become infected with this HORRIBLE virus…chills, fever, vomiting…really, it was awful.  I prayed and prayed that the Lord would place a shield around me and protect the rest of my family.  As I watched member by member fall prey to this plague I prayed…”ok, Lord… now place a shield around the two of us and spare the three…. Then, Lord place a shield around the three of us and spare the two…..and so on and so on….”  Finally… my sweet little baby was the only one who had not been infected.  We had now all been sick for about a week.  One night, I remember my sweet and faithful husband saying “Oh, Emma Faye, I’m going to pray against you getting this”.  I remember… now extremely bitter towards God’s responses to MY requests….thinking in my head “WHY pray for that!  I mean, come on…of course she’s going to get it!  God hasn’t spared ONE of us… why would he choose to stop now?”  I felt like Gideon.  The children of Israel were not in a very restful… peaceful season…..where was God? I believe if the angel of the Lord had appeared before me this past week… I would have said the same thing…”If the Lord is with us…why then has all this happened to us?”

3.       Have you ever asked God such questions? What was His response to you?

4.      What was God’s response to Gideon’s questions in verse 13?

5.       What does God say in verse 16?

“Surely I will be with you” Judges 6:16

God is the God of peace.  He desires this for us.  He desires that we live in peace with each other and He desires that our hearts are filled with peace… complete reliance upon Him…..that He will be our joy.  I think one of the scariest times for me, is when I feel like I’ve been abandoned.  When I feel like God has somehow left me…that He is no longer working in my life and has handed it over to Satan.  But the fact is….everything is under God’s authority.  Everything has a particular purpose…all that somehow brings Him glory.  Whatever difficult situation you are finding yourself in….God is working in that…and He is working in that with you.  As He states time and time again throughout the bible…”surely I [am] with you” He continues to whisper those same words to US!  His word is truth and these are promises.  After all, He said to Gideon in verse 14 “Have I not sent you?”  He is commanding Gideon to go and defeat the Midianites….be the leader to save Israel.  Gideon….of the weakest clan…and the LEAST in his father’s house…..That is who God is sending.  It sounds absurd.  But EVERYTHING is possible with God… and He finishes what he begins….and He NEVER abandons His “work.”

Read these passages.  What do they say about our God of Peace?

1.       Joshua 1:9

2.       Psalm 23:4

3.      Matthew 28:19-20

4.      Genesis 26:24

5.      Isaiah 41:10

Really take time to pray through these verses today.  Realize that our Lord wants to be our peace.  Through our pain, our grief, in our struggles, in our disappointments, even in our defeats, He is still walking alongside of us.  He has not left us out here alone.  I pray that this will bring comfort to your hearts today and that you all will be able to “Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

Day 2

“…..And He said, “I will wait until you come back.”  Judges 6:18

Read Judges 6:14-24

1.       In verse 17 what did Gideon request of the Lord?

2.      What was God’s response?

I must stop and sit awhile on verse 18.  I think about all of the times I’ve had to wait on my children.  I think of all of the times that I heard, “Mommy… wait, wait….let me go and do this… and then you can see…please don’t move, mommy…”  And I wait….patiently.  Patience certainly is one of the qualities of love.  I just can’t get out of my mind the picture of God waiting for Gideon to come back… asking for a sign… God, all the while, knowing who He was!  He didn’t have to wait… but he did.  I just can’t get that out of my mind.  How precious.  I think about all of the times I have chosen Worry over Trust in my Lord…over belief in who He is… over trust in the fact that He says He is with us.   I think about all of the times I asked God for a sign.  And I can’t help but hear my precious Savior saying to me during those times…”I will wait until you return..”  Until your faith returns… until you are able to see me for who I am… for who I’ve always been….someone who loves you… who is not desiring havoc for your life… but sweet abundance. God is ALWAYS our Peace… I am learning that OUR peace is mostly contingent upon our trust in the Lord.  If we are longing to experience his peace within our hearts, we must believe He is who he says He is… We MUST place our trust in HIM and Him alone.  We must realize that He’s love for us is deeper than anything we could ever comprehend.  Do YOU believe those things?  If you are struggling..as I often am… please spend some time in prayer asking our Heavenly Father to strengthen your faith.

Our faith should stand apart from our circumstances. However, in this fallen world…somehow, sometimes it falls into the trials….somehow it often gets squeezed between the struggles and the heartache…..but that is where Grace comes in.  That is where we have a Lord saying to us… “I’ll wait until you return.” 

3.      Are you going through a difficult time presently?  Why do you feel like it’s difficult?

4.      In what are you placing your trust?  Be honest.

Read Isaiah 26:3

I know that we have studied this verse in previous weeks… but I feel like it is so fitting for today.  Write out these words and commit them to memory.  Begin praying today for the Lord to help you keep your mind on Him…keep your Faith strong and unchanging through the waves of difficult circumstances. Lord, give us trusting hearts.

Day 3

“Ah, Sovereign Lord!  I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!”

Gideon asked the Lord to prove himself.  God was faithful.  Only then was Gideon able to recognize Him.  Only then was he able to realize that he had encountered the angel of the Lord “face to face” and it brought fear into his soul.  Why? 

1.       Read Exodus 33:20.  What does it say?

2.       What was God’s response to Gideon in verse 23?

3.      What did Gideon do?

Gideon built an altar to the Lord and called it The Lord is Peace.  He calmed his fears…He spared his life…he was the bringer of peace not only to Gideon’s heart and fears..but He was also calling him to deliver Israel “out of Midian’s hand” (Judges 6:14)…He was bringing about peace for His people.  God desires that we live….and live for Him.  Therefore it was part of His ultimate plan to send His son…our Prince of Peace…….. to reconcile us to Him forever.  To not only bring peace to the world FOREVER through redemption of sin…but to bring peace into our hearts as we live out our time HERE on this earth.  I am sure when the Lord spoke “Peace” to Gideon he was immediately calmed.  Gideon’s peace was realized when He recognized the Lord.  Are you able to see the Lord in your life… are you able to recognize him?  Hear him?  Are you looking for Him?

Today I pray that you will be able to open up your heart and eyes to Jesus.  He is in all things and through all things.  Today I pray you will be able to see Him and hear Him.  Spend time today in His word.  Ask Him to speak to you.

Day 4 

“…Peace!  Do not be afraid.  You are not going to die.”

Read Matthew 14:22-32

1.        What were the disciples initial reactions when they saw Jesus?

2.   What was Jesus’ response to them?     

3.When you encounter God working mightily in your life what is your reaction?  Are you surprised?  Do you make excuses for this occurrence other than the Lord, Himself, working?

4.      What was Jesus’ response to Peter’s questioning?

“Come.”  It is hard for me to believe that these men walked with Jesus and yet they still needed proof that He was who He said was.  Still, God does not refuse our requests to convince us of Himself.  God waited patiently for Gideon to come back with an offering and Jesus accepted Peter’s offer to call him out to the water with him. However, Peter was fine amidst the storm until he took his eyes off of Jesus.  Then, he became afraid.  I firmly believe that faith and peace go hand in hand.  We are fully able to experience the “peace that surpasses all understanding” when we remain face to face with our Savior.

Read Numbers 6:22-26

5.       What does verse 26 say?

6.      What does this passage mean to you?

Read Hebrews 12:2-3

It is my prayer today that we fill be able to fix our eyes on Jesus…that we will remember it is HE who perfects our faith… it is He who extends peace….we are to continually keep Him our focus so we may not grow weary and lose heart.  Things around us will not always be peaceful.  We will not always understand why things happen the way they do.  Sometimes I don’t even understand the lessons God is trying to teach me…but He says..

“Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.  Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” 

1 Corinthians 13:12

Through Jesus Christ…we WILL understand… we will not see him as a GOOD reflection in a mirror…no… we will stand before him and see him face to face… we will look upon our Lord and we will surely not die for Christ has conquered death.  For He says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world. “(John 16:33)  “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27).  God—our peace…sent us a prince!  That we may have peace forever.  This is Jesus Christ.  He longs to be our peace.  Embrace Him… Fix your eyes upon Him today… remain in His word.  This is our Lord of peace…this is Jehovah Shalom.

“You shall consecrate yourselves therefore and be holy, for I am the Lord your God.  You shall keep My statutes and practice them; I am the Lord who sanctifies you.”  Leviticus 20:7-8

Day 1

This week we are studying Jehovah Mekeddeshem.  We will learn about the God who sanctifies.  The word sanctify means: to make holy, to set apart as sacred, or to purify or free from sin.  Let’s just get started.

Read Leviticus 20:22-26

1.      In verse 22, what is the Lord asking of His people?  Why?

2.      Who has separated whom?

3.      What distinctions are the people of Israel to make?

4.      Why are they to be holy?

I’m going to be honest… this week has been a little difficult for me.  What an enormous concept to cover in four little days.  I don’t consider myself much of a biblical scholar or anything… so theological words like “sanctify” really scare me…but after much prayer… I feel like I’m making some sense of things. Of the twelve times that the word “Sanctifies” is used in my New American Standard Bible…seven of those times are found in Leviticus.  The purpose of this book was to be “a handbook for the priests and Levites outlining their duties in worship and a guidebook of holy living for the Hebrews”(NIV Life Application Bible).  God was informing the people of sin and setting up His boundaries… so to speak. So why do we need to be set apart?  Why do we need to understand sin?  Why are we in need of sanctification?

Well, we are rotten to the core.  We are sinful…. Why are we set apart?  Read verse 26 again.  To whom do we belong?

“I have set you apart from the people to be Mine.”

We are His.  It is that simple. This group of people were God’s chosen.  He had claimed them as “Mine.”  Therefore He demanded they “keep all [His] statutes and all [His] ordinances and do them” (v. 22).  He is STILL demanding this today.  If we are believers and followers of Christ.. we are now His chosen people.  We belong to Christ…. And because we are His we are to be like Him….holy. …..how?

Read 1 Peter 1:13-16

What are three things that will help lead to obedience in Christ—to Godly living?

As obedient children what are we to do? What were your former lusts?  Or are they still present?

Spend some time today in prayer.  Ask the Lord to help you rid yourself of  “former lusts which were yours in your ignorance.” We have been set apart….therefore we are to be holy… we are to live pure lives…Ask Christ for purity in your day today….in your thoughts… your actions… your language…..  and in your heart.

Day 2          

“…prepare your minds for action….”

Our God is a God who sanctifies.  I love how the phrase reads..”I am the Lord who sanctifies you.”  Realize that He didn’t say…. I “sanctified” you.  Or I “will sanctify” you.  No…He said He sanctifies us.  To me this implies a constant effort… a PRESENT effort.  He is a God who sets us apart… who pulls us out…who holds us in the palm of His hands…. And calls us to be like him…to live Godly lives…..to be the unthinkable…  “holy.”  —and He’s constantly at work; it’s not something we are doing on our own.  Yet we are still called to exert some effort from our side.

“You are therefore to make a distinction between the clean animal and the unclean….which I have separated for you as unclean.”  Lev. 20:25

Praise the Lord that he has set up explicit guidelines for us…He set them up for his children of Israel and He has continued for us today…..We have the BIBLE!  As I read verse 25 I can’t help but see a correlation between godly living and a conscious decision making….we are to “make a distinction” in our minds between what Christ has deemed right and what He has declared wrong… what is pure and what is not.  We are to prepare our minds for Godly living.  How? By staying in His word.  Read these passages and write out God’s promises to us for thriving in His word….

Psalm 19:7-8

Proverbs 2:10-12; 4:20-23

Romans 8:5-6

Philippians 4:8-9

Spend some time in prayer today asking God to help you make time to be in His word and reflect on the above verses.  Ask Him to help you “prepare your mind for action.”  We are asked to be holy… in order to begin our first step in that direction of holiness we MUST be in His word…..we MUST fill our minds with that of “the mind of Christ”(2 Cor. 2:16).

Day 3 

“…..keep sober in spirit….”

In our sanctification process we have learned to prepare our mind.  We see how God has set us apart….has ordained us as HIS people…..we are to grow in the knowledge of him…to have a mental alertness of His word so we may combat the evils of this world.  But we are also called to be disciplined—to set ourselves apart for Godly living.  Knowledge of the word is nothing without “living it out” in our lives.  We are called to be ‘doers’ of the word and not only ‘hearers’.  This can only be achieved through the power of the Spirit within us and Christ ruling in our hearts. 

Read 1 Peter 3:15-16.

1.      What are we to sanctify in our hearts? 

2.      What does this mean to you?

3.      In your own words, what does it mean to be “Lord” of something?

4.      Is Christ ‘Lord’ of your heart?

5.      What are some examples of a behavior exemplifying a Christ-centered heart? (Read Galatians 5:22-25)

6.      Is your life full of these fruits?

I always seem to somehow find my way back to the fruits of the spirit.  I know it’s because I need to be reminded of them.  Sometimes they seem SO UNATTAINABLE.  YET when I am walking in His spirit and have Christ reigning in my heart…I have a harvest of precious goodies.  How blessed we are that we have a God who aids us in this process of sanctification… or purifying ourselves….He teaches us…He has given power through the Holy Spirit to help us overcome our “lusts” all because of His love for us… all because He simply decided to “set [us] apart from the people to be Mine.”  I think it’s amazing that in His declaring that we are to be His and He is to be our Lord and we are to follow His commands… we begin to LONG for Him to be our Lord… we begin to want to “set Him apart in our hearts” as Christ… Lord over our lives… His desires…become our desires.  It’s beautiful.  Spend some time in prayer.  Praise the Lord for who He his….that He cares to purify you…to teach you to walk in holiness…that He has called you by name and has set you apart as HIS.  Pray that He will be the center of your heart.  Ask Him to be the desires of your heart.

Day 4  

“set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ”

So we have finally arrived at what I think truly encompasses the name Jehovah Mekeddeshem, “the Lord who sanctifies you”….and that is Jesus Christ.  If you spend time in the Old Testament studying the law you will find it incredibly detailed. I have never understood all of the offenses, but the one thing I did gain from its lists of do’s and dont’s  was the Holiness of our God… the perfection of our Lord…and that we could NEVER be found completely righteous before Him without something greater standing in as our atonement for our sin.

“Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered…”Hebrews 13:12

“For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.” Hebrews 9:14

In our definition of the word “sanctify” on Day 1, we learned that it means to make holy, to set apart as sacred, to purify, or free from sin.  Christ has completely freed us from sin.  Through Him we stand blameless and perfect before the Father… we are no longer under the law.  God knew what he was doing all along.  So why do we have the law?

Read Romans 4:15 and Galatians 3:24

What does it say regarding the purpose of the Law?

In Galatians Paul explains that the law LEADS us to Christ….

“….so that the land to which I am bringing you to live will not spew you out.”Lev 20:22

Read Revelation 3:15-16

In your own words, what is this passage saying?

Christ is bringing US to a place to live… and does not want to “spit us out”…God was bringing the children of Israel to a land that He didn’t want to “spew”them out….a place where we will “sit down with Me on My throne”(Rev. 3:21)… Through our belief in Him we are rendered blameless… we are made perfect.  Our Lord sanctifies and in this process He wants to bring us closer to Himself… where we are gradually conformed to His likeness.

I have one last little story that I wanted to share regarding this.  I will never forget one of my friends going through a difficult time with her firstborn.  Someone responded to her struggle with, “This is for your sanctification.”  At that moment I had always thought of “Sanctification” as another form of suffering for Christ.  Something negative we must go through for Christ to teach us something about Himself……  Like God must break us into pieces to “rebuild us up in Christ.”  And sometimes it IS through great tragedy that God works in our lives!  However, the other day I was cleaning up a shattered glass on the floor.  My three year old ran over and said, “Oh mommy why are you throwing it away…can’t we fix it?”  I simply responded…”Some breaks can’t be fixed, sweetheart.”  Suddenly a little voice inside me said, “Accept when Christ died for us.”  And then something occurred to me at that moment.  Sanctification isn’t always about Christ ripping us apart and building us up again…..it’s about repairing.  See… we come broken.  We were the break that couldn’t POSSIBLY get fixed…we couldn’t POSSIBLY be worthy enough for our Holy God…we would most certainly be spewed out… we aren’t deserving to reign alongside Christ in eternity.  But God wanted us to live in this land that He was bringing us to…. He wanted us to posses this land… to be heirs in His kingdom….this land filled with milk and honey. Therefore, He sent Jesus—the unblemished lamb to be the ultimate sacrifice. Our God, who is sanctifying us by calling us to live out Godly lives and obey His commandments, isn’t for our punishment… isn’t so we won’t have a fulfilling life… it’s so we WILL…and have it more abundantly!  Jesus is the glue that cements every one of our pieces together to reveal a perfect creation… we are HIS.  He claimed us… and He claimed us because He loved us…and “because He so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16)  Praise the Lord that HE is for us!  Spend some time today dwelling on the hope we have in Christ.  He has paid our debts…He has freed us of sin.  Praise the Lord who sanctifies!!!  This is Jehovah Mekeddeshem!

 

“Moses built an altar and named it “The Lord is My Banner”  Exodus 17:15

Day 1

This week we are studying Jehovah Nissi… The Lord is My Banner.  Let us first read in Exodus the story behind this name.

Read Exodus 17:8-16

This passage finds us immediately after the Israelites went through another spell of “testing” the Lord.  Moses once again pleaded before the Lord for more water because the people were questioning if God was “still among them or not”…they were yet again doubting His hand on their lives…..and once again the Lord provided.  Wow… I just need to take a minute here.  I feel like I’m writing about MY life.  I see God over and over again reveal Himself to me in REAL ways… I see Him sustaining me in REAL ways… yet I still find myself questioning God’s hand in my life….”Is the Lord among us, or not?” (Exodus 17:7).  Have you ever felt like this?  When was the most recent time you felt this way?  Pray today that you will be reminded that the Lord is here with you and has not left you in the desert alone without water to drink and bread to eat.

So now we read “THEN Amalek came and fought against Israel…” (Exodus 17:8)..  So I’m sure the Israelites were like, “ok, here we go again…what next God.”  Just a little background….Amalek was the grandson of Esau (Jacob’s twin brother). 

“The Amalekites were distinguished in the holy Scripture by two villainous characteristics: cruelty and cowardice. What makes the Amalekites particularly interesting is that these two characteristics are always glaringly present when an Amalekite is involved in any Biblical story. In every story in which an Amalekite is privileged to participate, the reader witnesses this extraordinarily evil people not only committing cruel acts, but at the same time committing those acts in an unashamedly cowardly manner. They were warriors, yes, but they were not noble warriors. They never fought a fair fight.”– John David Clark, Sr. - January, 1995

So probably out of nowhere these people came and began war on God’s people..(not a good idea)….

Read verses 9-13 again… How did the battle play out?

What happened when Moses held the staff high?  What happened when the staff was lowered?

Now I know that many of us think we are not going into battle today or tomorrow… or really anytime soon… but we are mistaken… we are ALWAYS in battle….we are ALWAYS at war..this passage is very pertinent to us even today.

Read 2 Corinthians 10:3-6

According to this passage what are we fighting?  Who (or what) are our hostages…our “captives”?

“We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God…” (v.5)..So often I get into mindsets where I KNOW that EVERYTHING against the knowledge of God is “raised up” in my heart.  I believe lies that I’m a failure… that I have no power outside myself….that Christ isn’t enough to help me attain contentment in certain areas in my life….that Christ isn’t big enough for my issues….that I’m alone….and I’m not worthy of any sort of grace… or worse- I must earn my grace.  These are all lofty things raised up against the knowledge of God…anything that isn’t a truth of Christ is against Him.  We must destroy these things….but how? Read these verses and write out what God says about our fight…..

1 Corinthians 6:13

1 Peter 5:8

Ephesians 6:8

John 16:33

1 John 5:4

As Moses held the staff high… God’s team was winning….as the staff was lowered… Satan’s team took the lead.  What is being held high in your life?  Who’s defeating whom? 

Christ power is big enough….He has overcome the world…. And that means that He HAS OVERCOME our heartaches, our longings, our struggles, our addictions, our disappointments…. It means that through Him… WE, TOO, can overcome those battles.  We must keep HIM in the forefront of our mind…. we must stay in the word….we must stay alert…. We must stay on our knees before Him.  Spend some time today asking God the reveal any “lofty thought”  that is not a truth of Christ that you are living with?  What is raised high in your heart?  Pray that you will take captive every thought to the obedience of Christ and lift that up and may THAT reign there.

Day 2

“But Moses’ hands were heavy.  Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other.  Thus his hands were steady until the sun set.”  Exodus 17:12

I can’t look deeper in this passage without stopping for awhile on this verse.  I just love the image of Moses’ friends standing on each side of him and lifting up his arms…. Helping him hold the staff up high so that the battle against the Amalekites would be won.   From the very beginning God has ordained that man not be alone.  He did not leave Adam alone in the garden.. He created Eve.  Throughout the bible we see the significance of friends and family.  We begin to realize that God does not desire nor ask us to walk through this life without help…without companionship…..we NEED community! 

“When three of Job’s friends heard of the tragedy he had suffered, they got together and traveled from their homes to comfort and console him. Their names were Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. When they saw Job from a distance, they scarcely recognized him. Wailing loudly, they tore their robes and threw dust into the air over their heads to show their grief. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and nights. No one said a word to Job, for they saw that his suffering was too great for words. “(Job 2:11-13)                  

“Jonathan went to find David and encouraged him to stay strong in his faith in God. “Don’t be afraid,” Jonathan reassured him. “My father will never find you! You are going to be the king of Israel, and I will be next to you, as my father, Saul, is well aware.” So the two of them renewed their solemn pact before the Lord. Then Jonathan returned home, while David stayed at Horesh.” (1 Samuel 23:16-18)

 

People, we need our ‘peeps’…We NEED others to hold us accountable and as Jonathan did for David..”encourage [each other] to stay strong in [our] faith in God.”  What does Ecclesiastes 4:12 state?

“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” 

We learned yesterday that we are always battling… we are at war with our flesh and the devil… He is prowling, waiting to devour us.  Did you know that when animals out in the wild are preying on a herd they single out the sick or try to steer one away from the pack.  I’ve watched lions do this a hundred times on those discovery shows….. One cord will snap…but “a cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”God can do anything….we know this.  He could have wiped out that army in a blink of an eye…but he had Joshua in bravery and faith step out and lead his men into battle… He had Moses stand on the mountain and lift up the holy staff of God….but He let Moses be tired and weak… …He couldn’t hold the staff up….God didn’t hold it up… He had Moses’ friends do it.  I can’t imagine there was no purpose in this.

So I must ask you… who is holding you up when YOUR hands are heavy?  Who is helping you when your heart is heavy?

Are you allowing your hands to be lifted up?  Can you imagine if Moses had this “I can do this on my own” mentality… Look what trouble his pride would have caused.  Unfortunately for us we can’t stand up on a mountain and look down at our lives and see who is winning and who is losing and how everything is intertwined.  We can’t see how our pride could be detrimental—but it is.  I say all of this because I struggle with pride.  However, I am learning that it’s ok to be in need sometimes.  It’s ok to accept help… It’s ok to need someone to be your help.  I see Moses… an AMAZING man of faith…a leader…the man talked to God!!!… and even HE needed help.  And something as simple as holding a stick in the air.  But isn’t it sometimes the ‘simple’ mundane things in life that truly ‘heavy’ our hands?  Simple things like taking care of children from sun up to sun down and sometimes all through the night…. Or keeping things tidy around the house… or planning and cooking meals… or being successful at work….  It’s not the HUGE things for me that wear me down… it’s the day-to-day “boring life” stuff… and I’m feeble… I’m weak… I NEED people in my life to continue encouraging me in the faith.  And I pray that I may encourage others as well.Who are you encouraging?  Have you encouraged him/her lately?  If not… send a note, or email… and let them know how much you value your friendship and pray for this person today especially.  I will ask again… who’s encouraging YOU in the faith?  Write out these names. Pray for them.  If you can’t think of any then ask God to give you people that will build you up.  God is listening to your prayers.  

Day 3

“Moses built an altar and named it The Lord is My Banner”  Exodus 17:15.

Alas… we’ve finally made it to the entire point of this week!  The Lord, our Banner.  I am a visual person.  I have to sort of picture things in order to really commit them to memory.  So as I study this particular name I found myself realizing… I don’t really know what a banner is.  What IS a banner?  After doing a little research… I see this passage with two particular points.  The first one we will touch on today and leave the second for tomorrow.

“What is a banner? It’s another name for a battle symbol. In Moses’ time it was a staff (a long stick). During the crusades in Europe during the middle ages it was a coat-of-arms painted on a crusader’s battle shield. In recent times past it was a flag carried into battle. In more modern times it is an emblem painted on a war weapon such as a star painted on the side of an airplane to let everyone know that it belongs to and fights for the United States.”—Kraig Rice 

In other words… a banner displays our team. (To put it mildly)…. To whom we belong.  THE LORD is my banner.  I belong to Him.  I am fighting for HIM.  But what sort of displays am I exemplifying that reflect my team?  As a star painted on the side of an airplane allows everyone to know this one is flying for the United States…I must then ask myself…if the Lord is My banner…am I clearly marked?  Write out what these verses say about how others may know to whom we belong….

Colossians 4:5-7    

1 Peter 3:15-16

2 Corinthians 2:14-15

Ephesians 5:1-2

It certainly is one thing to “be an example” of Christ to others outside of your home.  However, I find the greatest challenge is to be Christ-like within my home.  Now THAT is another story.  I have come to believe that our homes reveal our hearts.  Within our walls, we are our TRUE selves—and that can be full of grace if I’m seeking first His kingdom… or a load of JUNK if I’m not.  When I am not walking in His love, I’m nasty, irritable, short-tempered..and guess what… my children completely absorb that behavior like little sponges and they TOO become all of those things.  We are all grasping for something that will make for peace.. but there is NOTHING that brings about peace like our great Prince of Peace…who

 “will keep him in perfect peace,
      Whose mind is stayed on You,
      Because he trusts in You.” Isaiah 26:3

So, I firmly believe that our examples of Christ will flow from our relationship with Him in our hearts.  As a mom and wife I always tend to make THOSE particular roles top priority in my life… but I am a child of God… and THAT should always take precedence.

Are you striving for peace within your home?

Are you looking to Christ for peace?  If not, where are you looking?

Take some time today and really pray through these verses.  Pray that the Lord will enable you to live them out in your interactions with others….but most importantly…live them out within your own heart. Watch as Christ’s banner begins to shine forth for all to see!

Day 4    

“He has brought me to his banquet hall, and his banner over me is love.”  Song of Solomon 2:4

Yesterday we focused on Christ, our banner… that we belong to Him.  Not only are we fighting for Christ… but He is fighting for US.  With all of his strength Moses lifted his arms… his friends lifted his arms… Joshua fought out in the fields… BUT GOD was fighting this battle as well!  The Lord is My banner and “his banner over me is love.”Christ is in all things… and all things are under His authority.  He is our banner.  Salvation through Christ is God’s ultimate victory…..we are under the banner of Christ’s blood…protected… cleansed…and empowered.  We are never left alone… We are never left defenseless…. We are never left, period. 

Are you feeling left alone?

Are you feeling like the Lord isn’t fighting for you?

What does scripture say?  Write out the truths found in these passages:

1 Chronicles 28:20

Psalm 23:4

Psalm 27:1

Psalm 34:7

Now these are just a few of the HUNDREDS of verses describing a God who is fighting for us with all of his might… with all of his love.  He holds high his banner and we, my sweet friends… are under its protection!

Finally read Psalm 60:4

“You have given a banner to those who fear You, that it may be displayed because of the truth.”

“…..and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” John 8:32.

Read John 3:16-17

What is the truth?

Are you living by the truth?  Are you living freed?

I’ve written on this concept of “living freed”….I think this is one of the greatest tools Satan uses on us Christians… it’s like he wants us to feel like we don’t deserve our freedom in Christ… or we can achieve this on our own—if we only do a little more, then we will truly be worthy of forgiveness… or worse.. Christ can’t reign in one particular area in our hearts.  Christ should reign EVERYWHERE!!!  In our thoughts, our homes, our marriages, our language, our TV shows, our music… I mean seriously….really think about that.  There is NOTHING that He can’t overcome… He has overcome the world.. He has overcome death… and anything and everything that we feel wants to separate us from Him… He has “taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross!”  (Colossians 2:14).  To quote Jesus himself… It’s FINISHED!  It’s done, people.  Nothing can separate us from Him.  Through Christ we have been given our banner… flying high in the sweet victory of salvation.  We have a God who saves… a God who fights for us… a God who wins every battle….The Lord is our banner… This is Jehovah Nissi!

Spend some time today in prayer.  Pray that God will enable you to live freed. May He remind you today that He is fighting for you and He loves you.

“And He said, ….for I, the Lord, am your healer.” Exodus 15:26

Day 1

This week we are learning about our God who heals.  God reveals this name soon after the parting of the Red Sea and His deliverance of His people out of Egypt.  Before we dive in, I would like all of us to read Exodus 15:1-21 and be reminded of our GREAT GOD!  I LOVE this passage. 

After reading Exodus 15:1-21, write out, or circle in your bible, the words describing our God.  Spend time in prayer praising the Lord for who He is and asking Him to be these things in your life.

Day 2

Read Exodus 15:22-27

1.        Why were the people grumbling at Moses?

2.       What did Moses do?

3.       What three things did the Lord do in response to Moses’ plea?

When the children of Israel complained to Moses, what did he do?  He “cried out to the Lord.”  I wish when my little children are grumbling and complaining the first thing I would do was cry out to the Lord.  If you are anything like me… you try to appease the best you can…. You try and reason… you try to remain calm …. And before you know it… you’ve blown your top!  That’s me.  Oh if I would just take the requests of “my people” to my great God….FIRST!  If only I would take MY OWN requests to the Lord and stop griping to my husband or friends.  I think there is a lesson here for ALL of us.

Anyway, isn’t it hard to believe that the Israelites would even begin to worry about water after the experience they had just encountered.  I mean can you imagine watching the ocean separate before your very eyes and then devouring your enemy as soon as the last member of your party stepped safely onto the other side?  I say this as though I couldn’t imagine complaining to God after such a miracle while sadly, I have fallen prey to this very thing numerous times. 

4.       Can you think of a time in your life when God really blessed you or did something really amazing for you and you still had an ungrateful attitude?

5.       Are you still living with that attitude? If so, please take some time right now to pray that the Lord will give you a thankful heart.

As you read on in verse25 you will notice that the Lord had the Israelites be thirsty as a test.  There was purpose for this “season of drought.”  The Lord had a specific message that He wanted to convey to his children.  What was that message?  Read verse 26.

I am not saying that every person suffering from disease is not walking in the Lord.  I am not saying that because our Great God has decided not to heal our loved ones that one or all of the family is not walking with the Lord.  I am not saying that every horrible or difficulty in our lives is a test.  I do know that “He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 1:6.  And I am confident in the fact that our Lord is more important with healing us from the inside out.  And His love is so great for us…He will go at GREAT measures to perfect that work He has started…the work He has ‘prepared beforehand.’

Pray today that the Lord will continue perfecting His work in your life. 

Read  1 Thessalonians 5:18.  Pray for a kingdom mindset when you face hardships and that you may be able to embrace this verse.

Day 3

The children of God were in the wilderness and were unable to find water.  They were thirsty.  I know in my weakness I would have been like..”Great God… you go to such links for us only to have us die of thirst…You keep us from drowning…but now we are dying of thirst.  Ummm… can I please go back to the ocean? “  I KNOW I would have been right in there in line making my complaints to Moses.  I don’t know what it is about the ‘being in the desert” that makes us forget the sovereignty of our God.  We are overwhelmed with need…overcome by our thirst and hunger….we cry out to each other and fail to address our God.

Are you thirsty right now?  Has the desert sun left you parched? 

Read John 4:7-15 and Deut. 8:3

What is the common theme of these two passages?

What is it that we need for true healing?  Is this in-line with the message God shared with His children?

Spend time today praying and drinking from His word.  Do you have any deep rooted sin or pain from your past that needs healing?  As the woman at the well ask of Jesus.. you ask, “Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty……”.

Day 4

This particular character of God is a very difficult one for me right now.  I have several people very close to me that are dealing with incurable illnesses.  It is hard for me to see God promise to be a healer when I am surrounded by disease.  It’s hard for me to listen to my husband (a pediatrician) talk about children dying or being diagnosed with cancer or genetic disorders and read the Lord, my God, call himself a healer when I know a handful of people…GODLY people… that he opted NOT to heal.  I think we are all learning that God is most interested in our hearts.  He most desires a healed ‘faith’ so to speak.  But I can’t help but touch a little on physical healing in speaking of Jehovah Rophe.

God has the power to Heal.  He is the mighty One.  The God who parted the sea, who sent manna from the heavens, who enabled a little boy to defeat a giant can do WHATEVER HE WANTS!  He has the power.  So what are we to do when our loved ones are suffering and He seems to have turned His back?

Read 2 Samuel 12:15-23.

1.        What did David do when his son became ill?

2.        What was David’s response after hearing the news of his son’s death?

3.        How did David explain his response?

For some reason, this passage is very comforting to me.  David prayed with all of his might, still the Lord did not heal his son physically……  And he’s DAVID for crying out loud… a man that God said was “after His own heart.”  God LOVED David.  He loves US, too!  We can pray to the Lord.  There is healing in our time with Him.  We are told to make our requests known to our Lord, but as it is said….

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways, “ declares the Lord.  “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways.  And My thoughts than your thoughts.”  Isaiah 55:10

“…for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”  Matthew 5:45

We may not understand the ways of the Lord and why some of those ‘ways’ bring about so much pain.  Although life is difficult in this fallen world, the Lord has not left us here alone with our pain.  Remember, He is has provided…and He not only provided for us ultimately….He heals in the process.  By embracing His pain on the cross He is able to exchange OUR pain presently for healing.….”for by his wounds we are healed.” (1 Peter 2:24).  For those of us who profess Christ, he was taken our souls and plunged them into his healing waters…we are bathed in his blood… and washed as white as snow. 

My eyes are filling with tears as I write.  I see the faces of so many loved ones I know that are hurting right now.  God is our healer.  What He does not accomplish in this time now… He will in the days to come.  This one truth is healing for me in itself.

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. “ (2 Corinthians 5:17)

“Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”  Revelation 21:3-4

“But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing and her people for gladness.  I will also rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people; And there will no longer be heard in her the voice of weeping and the sound of crying.  No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, Or an old man who does not live out his days,” Isaiah 65:18-20.

Perhaps you have just witnessed God do something as amazing as parting an ocean.  Perhaps you are in a desert.  Perhaps you are walking your way right into a desert and have absolutely no idea as of yet.  Wherever you are the Lord bids you “Come.  And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.” (Rev. 22:17). 

“Then they came to Elim where there were twelve springs of water……and they camped there beside the waters.”  Exodus 17:27.

Come and camp beside His waters.  As the Lord our God led His people THROUGH an ocean, through the desert… on to an oasis where they were given the water they needed….Our Lord is still doing this in OUR LIVES.  He wants us camped and stationed in HIM…beside the springs of life!  This is where He is bringing you.  It’s where He wants you.   His drinks are free.  His water is healing ……..for He is Jehovah Rophe—The Lord who Heals.

Spend some time today in quiet rest before the Lord.  May He pour healing water over those areas in your life that are thirsting in the desert.  Give those areas to Him.

 

“Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son.  Abraham called the name of that place THE LORD WILL PROVIDE, as it is said to this day…….” Genesis 22:13-14

Day    1

Read Genesis 22:1-14

1.        What was Abraham’s response every time he was addressed by the Lord?

2.       What does the phrase “Here I am” mean to you?  What do you think was the significance of that particular response?

3.       Is this YOUR response to the Lord’s calling in your own life?

Spend some time in prayer today thanking God for who He is as a provider.  Thank Him for all of the things he HAS provided for you lately and during the course of your life.  Are there areas in your life you need to be saying to him, Here I am?

Day   2

I remember growing up listening to the story of Abraham and Isaac over and over again in Sunday School classes.  However, it wasn’t until I became a parent that it literally BLEW my mind!!!  I can’t imagine—especially being the mother of little boys.  Anytime this story is alluded to or mentioned in sermons I can’t help but lean over to Chris and say…”that’s like you and Will or Josh!!  Could you do it?”  and ALWAYS his response is..”I would hope so.”  

I keep wondering what was going on in Abraham’s mind as he was trekking up the mountain.  Were his questions to God the same as Isaac’s questions to him? 

“Father?”…..”but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” (v.7) 

Well, as I study on…the answer was no.  He knew that God would provide a sacrifice…and he continued in faith up the mountain.

Read Hebrews 11:17-19.  What does it say about what was truly going on in Abraham’s heart?

As stated in the definition of faith according to Hebrews 11:1:

……“Faith is the assurance of things hoped for”…..

What did God promise to Abraham in Genesis 21:12?

Therefore, He didn’t know how the Lord would provide a fulfillment of His promise to Him—that “in Isaac your descendants shall be called”….but he knew that He would provide them as He had said.  I find myself questioning my own hope in the Lord.  Do I believe in this name of Jehovah.  I understand that Jesus Christ died for my sins and through my belief in him He will forgive my sins and I receive eternal salvation.  I believe that God provided for my salvation through Jesus Christ, but do I believe I have been freed in the day-to-day…do I truly believe that THE LORD WILL PROVIDE enough to get me through my CRAZY days?

1.        Is He enough? 

2.       How do you initially handle difficulties that arise in your life?

3.       Is this behavior a reflection of a faith in Christ and in who He is—that He is a provider? 

God has made promises to us.  The Bible is FULL of them.  What are a few of His promises to you? Read these passages…take some time over the course of this day and pray through them. Embrace God’s word and stand on these promises.

Isaiah 49:15-16, 40:28-29

James 1:12

Ephesians 3:20

What do these verses say about God’s character in relation to us today especially during the ‘hard times’?

Day   3

Read 1 Peter 2:21-23

“Here we go again”…I know what you’re thinking…”we are going down the road of suffering….that there is purpose in suffering and this is good for us”.  Well… sort of.  Sometimes it is difficult to see God as the great provider when we are faced with trials and perhaps “tests.”  But as I’m studying the story of Abraham and Isaac—the Lord purposed this task AS A TEST! And how excruciating must it have been—the thought of slaying your child.. much less your ONLY son… the son that was given to you to carry on your name.  I mean God couldn’t have been making sense at this point… But Abraham, through his faith in knowing WHO GOD was…packed for the trip…and threw in the knife! 

So what are your tests?  I tell you I am tested daily.  And most of my tests come in three little packages.  One is about the size of a four year old, one a two year old.. and then there is a little one perfect for a 10month old..(it’s pink!).  These are my DAILY trials.  Yes, they are blessings… but these are where most of my difficulties derive.  And when faced with the battle….am I slow to anger?  Am I gentle in my speech?  Do I look to the Lord for strength, for patience, for peace?  Is there worry involved?  Or fear?  God has placed my children on the mountain and has called me up it!  Am I walking in a willful mindset of “the Lord himself will provide.”  Is not worry part of the hardship in raising children?  We worry about their behavior, their grades, their friends, our failures, their health…..(maybe all of those things are just what I do)…BUT does worry have any place in the life of one who knows that their God is a God who will provide? 

I ask again….Is your faith based simply on the character of God and who He is or on your own circumstances? 

God provides our needs.. but He also allows our suffering.  Yet in our suffering He is faithful to provide strength and endurance–that we may “live the rest of our time….for the Will of God.” (1 Peter 4:2) Remember the little song in the beginning  “little ones to Him belong…”  remember we are HIS…and we are to accept what he brings to our table as for our good and provision. He’s given us our children, He’s given us our husbands, he’s brought about our friend relationships and our colleagues at work.  He is in all things and through all things… why wouldn’t He play a role in these things as well?  I think sometimes we forget that God is at work everywhere…..and in everything.  We forget… but praise the Lord as according to Isaiah, He NEVER FORGETS US!

Read Ephesians 2:10

What does it say about when God planned out our “works” ?

I love this verse because it says “prepared beforehand.”  There is no more room for the ‘what if’ questions.  There is nothing that we could do to interrupt God’s plan and His timing.  I mean… does it sound ridiculous if Abraham on his little trip started thinking..”Well, was I not a good enough Father… Did I not discipline him enough so now I have to kill him?  If only Sarah hadn’t laughed when she was told she would conceive…”  I mean…who are we that we think we play any role in certain “works which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”  We are to walk in His works…even if that means right up the mountain to the altar and sacrificing our most precious possession.  Hmmm…sounds like another story I know about a man walking up a hill and sacrificing HIMSELF!!!—That’s Jesus!  He BECAME suffering for us…he BECAME sin for us so that He would be able to be our ALL…understand ALL of our suffering…all of our pain…we have someone who has been tested in EVERYTHING and was found blameless.  As the Lord gave away His own life—we, too, are called to follow His example.  Perhaps it takes trials to purge ourselves of our flesh.  What does the bible (GOD’s TRUTH) say about these trials? 

Read Romans 5:1-5.

What ‘journey’ is God asking you to take with Him right now?  Are you willing to pack “the knife?”

Today spend some time praying through these scriptures and asking God for peace during this season He has provided for you.

 Day   4

I am constantly feeling undone as a stay at home mother of three small children… I am CONSTANTLY needing patience and sleep and contentment.  All the while finding myself deep down questioning if God will ever come through and provide these things.  Will He EVER provide a peaceful family life, a husband that is home more, children that are respectful and appreciative.  These are all things that I am struggling with—much less those of us who are needing jobs, and cars, and help, and nannies…I mean there are SO many things that we need!!

What are your needs?

What do you think you need?

I can’t help but think on these two questions because sometimes I begin to lose faith in “God the provider” when I’m not seeing him answer my prayers for certain EXACT needs—the exact way I want!  God promises that His word is truth.  Well, I’ve looked all through and in and around the Bible and I can’t find ANYTHING that says my life is promised to be easy, happy, pleasant, and anything less than me needing to rely on my Savior for every day.  I do know that He promises to provide for my needs… that His grace is sufficient for me… that His love is everlasting and unfailing…and the greatest love anyone could give is to lay down one’s life….Christ has done ALL of that for me.  So I KNOW He is answering prayers and providing for me in my best interest.

Can you think of something the Lord has provided for you recently that met your needs but not necessarily in the way you had thought or wanted? Did you see any benefit in that?

Read Psalm 138:7-8.

What does it say the Lord will do? 

This was the God Abraham knew.  A God who would accomplish what concerned [him].  He knew all that God had concerning him and his descendants…therefore…He KNEW God would provide!  This is OUR God, too!  The One and the same. 

I urge you to spend some time in prayer today…..God is always providing and He is true to His word.  His lovingkindness IS everlasting.  As we are traveling up the steep mountain, “walking in the midst of trouble” ….we tend to get sidetracked by the rocks, the heat, the thorns, perhaps our aching feet, but the point is the Lord has called us up this particular mountain unique to OUR own individual purpose for Him and He promises to provide all that we will need to fulfill that purpose.  One life is not going to look the same as another.  We are all bestowed different gifts and are assigned different “roles” in our part for the kingdom.  Let us follow Abraham’s example and continue our climb answering our frets and our worries, our fears and our doubts with nothing more than “God himself will provide.”

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:24.  Write this verse out.  Commit this to memory.

On the third day, Abraham hiked the mountain, bound Isaac to the altar, raised his hand to slay his son and was stopped by God…He looked up and there in the thicket…a ram.. a replacement for his son’s death.  On the third day,  women went to Jesus’ tomb….the stone was rolled away… only “linen wrappings” remained…Jesus had risen…OUR replacement for death…a sacrifice only God, himself, could provide.  This is the God whom we serve– a God who WILL PROVIDE.  This is Jehovah Jireh!

Spend time today in prayer thanking the Lord for His gift of salvation.  Rest in His grace, it is yours sweet child—nothing you have earned, nothing you deserve….just something freely given to you. Rest.