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Keep these Things in Your Heart
I know that enduring to the end doesn’t sound very sexy nor does it put your mind at ease about doing the will of God.
Like you, I want to live a life of great happiness all the time. I do not want to build up my resistance to trials but when we keep the things of the Lord in our heart it does build up our resistance.
Biblical Ground Work: Luke
Jesus Himself said, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) His mother can testify to every inch of this.
Mary did not have an easy life or one without trials even before she had Jesus. She lived in Nazareth where the Romans came to collect taxes and their work was for the Roman Empire. They were not their own.
She became pregnant before marriage and gave birth in a town that was not her own. She went to the Synagogue out of duty and was told her heart would be broken. It was broken and fixed.
Biblical Life Lesson: Keeping these things in your heart will show you the power of Jesus in your life.
In A Soul on Fire we discussed Enduring to the End for the past four weeks and no one can attest to endurance than Mary the mother of Jesus.
From her birth until her death she had to endure some pretty awful stuff. From being pregnant to a missing child; from watching Jesus’ works to watching Him die. She saw Him die then she saw Him alive.
Let’s see what we should make of this in light of our Biblical Power Tools from “A Soul on Fire” in The Bible Gals. You can click on the links below to watch the four consecutive videos.
Endure to the End Part 1 https://www.facebook.com/kathleenderbyshireauthor/videos/270673751399723 Endure to the End Part 2 https://www.facebook.com/theholyproductivewoman/videos/297055762041757 Endure to the End Part 3 https://www.facebook.com/theholyproductivewoman/videos/924718554979590 Endure to the End Part 4 https://www.facebook.com/100328951852611/videos/314810416687428 Enduring to the End Teachings from the Kathleen Derbyshire Page on Facebook Join me in The Bible Gals Monday’s at 2pm EST for “His Women in Our World” Live Discussions. The study of how women can be effective in changing our world by simply choosing to live for Jesus.
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A History that cannot be Denied
To be able to endure to the end it will be about collecting evidence that Jesus has been where you are going but what will be more important is creating a bond with the evidence.
The bond you create with your evidence will deepen your relationship with Jesus and cause you to understand you.
Biblical Ground Work: Matthew; Mark; Luke; John; Acts
The glue that holds these book of the Bible together is the Lord. The glue that will hold you together will be the Lord.
Each of these books have a purpose of their own but the Lord has one purpose for them for us – evidence that draws us to Him. The more evidence we have of the work of Jesus in His Kingdom the more we will think about how this can affect our lives.
We will question what has happened in our life and why it happened. If Jesus is in charge, what could be the cause of this? If there is a cause, is their a purpose? If there is a purpose for events could that mean there is a purpose for me?
Biblical Life Lesson: The events in your own life are understandable when you take your vision into account.
Every trail you follow will end up at your vision, if you wish to attend to it. If your time and talents are aimed at your vision you will not be able to miss it.
Your aim gets better with more evidence. The more evidence you collect, the better the chance for you to endure.
The evidence in the Bible has a lot to tell us about holy productive Christian living. Join me in The Bible Gals Monday’s at 2pm EST for “His Women in Our World” Live Discussions. The study of how women can be effective in changing our world by simply choosing to read the Bible.
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Why Martha chose the Dishes.
If Jesus was sitting in front of you, what would you chose?
Would you choose duty? Would you choose purpose?
I guess it would just be what you have been habitually choosing.
Biblical Ground Work: Luke 10:38-42
Jesus is around the villages teaching, “The Kingdom of Heaven has come,” when He enters the house of Martha. He sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word.
Martha comes to Jesus and complains about Mary not helping her do her work but Jesus tells her that she needs to choose something more important – sitting at the feet of Jesus.
Choosing that good part which will not be taken away is why we have been chosen.
Biblical Life Lesson: Consistently choosing Jesus after He chooses you is not as easy as it looks.
We are busy people, more so we think, than back in the day of Jesus. The times actually don’t make a difference – BUSY is BUSY. Your choices have to be made quickly, and if you don’t know what choice to make, Jesus wants you to choose that which will not be taken away.
The Lord’s women in the Bible have a lot to tell us about effective Christian Living. Join me in The Bible Gals Monday’s at 2pm EST for “His Women in Our World” LIVE Discussions. The study of how women can be effective in changing the world by simply choosing to live for Jesus.
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What Can your Eyes See?
What can you see when you look at your world from God?
Job was listening well about God but his hearing did not equate to vision. His saw with his own eyes and with his cultural eyes.
Our Biblical Ground Work: Job 42:12-17
Job has been through the ringer and so has Job’s wife. He has had all of his livestock taken away and all of his children. What he was able to get out of this was boils and bad breath and God’s vision.
When God was done talking to him he was able to see. In Job 42:5 he said something significant that will reflect in his view of life from this day forward. “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You.” His hearing was tuned in but he was blind.
He is now viewing his life through the Lord’s eyes instead of his own. This new vision created a new way of seeing that reflected on how he sees his new daughters as well. They were beautiful but what he actually saw was they were equal to his sons.
Our Biblical Life Lesson: Equality can only be seen through the eyes of God.
Equality is a subjective word because humans are not equal to look at. We are uniquely gifted and called to do something differently. We are male and female. We are Canadian and American. We are so different we cannot even explain our differences to each other. Our eyes are limited to what we can see in front of us but God can give us full vision.
What is, has been and will be equal is the Lords treatment of His children. He sees us based on our birthright in the Kingdom. We are born for a reason and that reason is unique to each of us. Equality, in God’s economy, is each of us doing God’s work with His zeal.
Join me in The Bible Gals Monday’s at 2pm EST for His Women in Our World Live Discussions.
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Speaking the Thoughts of Satan
Has a thought come into your head and out of your mouth before you thought of where it comes from or even if you agree with it?
Join the club…
Our Biblical Ground Work: Job 1:11; Job 2:9
The story of Job is one that a lot of people would refer you to if you are going through a tough time. Job and his wife both voice their sadness. Satan goes after Job with God’s blessing and uses his wife as a tool to get him to curse the Lord.
To be fair, Job’s wife has seen her life go straight into a pit:
- she has lost 10 children and the spouses that I am sure she had grown to love.
- the family fortune disappeared with all it’s creature comforts
- her husband Job has a rather nasty disease and bad breath to boot
Ultimately Job’s reward for “seeing the Lord” (Job 42:5) becomes her reward for remaining with Job during this trying time in their life. He understood the reason for this time and so did his wife.
Our Biblical Life Lesson: Our thoughts do not have to become words.
You will read throughout Job, thought becoming word. You will read throughout the whole of the Bible, thought becoming word.
The Lord says that every one of His words will not come back void and it shall prosper in the thing in which He has sent it (Isaiah 55:11) because His words are righteous (Psalm 119:123). The thoughts of the Lord are for us to live in hope (Jeremiah 29:11).
Satan, on the other hand, is the father of all lies and speaks from his own resources (John 8:44). His main resource is pride (Isaiah 14:12-17) so every word he utters will result in the pride of life being protected. The thoughts of the Devil are for us to die in despair.
Join me in The Bible Gals Monday’s at 2pm EST for “His Women in Our World” Live Discussions.
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Zeresh: One of Haman’s Herd Followers
Have you ever followed someone because they are popular regardless of how they lead?
Jeresh, Haman’s wife, is a great example of a woman who did just that.
Our Biblical Ground Work: Esther 5:14-10:3
Haman was of the a tribe of people (the Amalekites) who hated the Jews already but Mordecai stirred the hatred pot by not bowing down when Haman became second in command in the kingdom. Haman was told he was a Jew and the digging of his pit begins.
Zeresh comes onto the scene in Esther 5 when Haman needed to brag about all he has and tell of his hatred for Mordecai. The plot to kill the Jews was already hatched but the plot to kill Mordecai came from his wife and friends.
Haman is emboldened by his simple herd of followers to go to the king and ask to hang Mordecai but God is at work outside of Haman and his herd. The king sends Haman on a mission to immortalize Mordecai and his herd followers tell him of his downfall.
Our Biblical Life Lesson: Follow the Leader who creates a loyal follower.
Haman’s self serving actions caused great harm to himself, his family and the people of God. He himself was hung, his sons were hung and the rest of them just hung their heads. The weakness of their follow-ship makes us all shake our heads in shame because we have done this before. We have been followers who pamper our leader.
Simple followers think with the herd and follow the leader with a pampering mentality so as not to cause any opposition. They revere him for his popularity and feed his emotions. They are using him just as much as he is using them. They want what he has but are unwilling to do what he is doing.
Everyone follows leaders regardless of how they feel about being a follower. Following a leader whose intent is to hurt God’s people, whether through oppression or genocide, will cause God’s followers to come out of the woodwork. Esther is one of those followers.
Join me in The Bible Gals Monday’s at 2pm EST for His Women in Our World Live Discussions.
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A Time for Blooming
Can you think of a time when you bloomed into what you where doing?
What happened to cause it?
Our Biblical Ground Work: Esther 2:5-5:14
Ahasuerus (in Greek Zerxes) has put away his wife Vashti because she disobeyed him in not coming to parade herself in front of his party guests. This act of defiance created a situation for Ahasuerus – he no longer had a queen.
When his anger was abated, the same people who told him to put his wife out of his sight told him to collect women in the kingdom. He needed to have a queen. A decree went out and 100 women were collected including Esther. A Jew who was cared for by her cousin Mordecai after her parents were dead.
Her and Mordecai build up reputations for themselves among the people around them. Esther in the castle and Mordecai outside the palace gates. Esther as lovely inside and out, Mordecai dedicated to God inside and out. Mordecai’s dedication to God is why Esther has to sacrifice her life.
Our Biblical Life Lesson: You will bloom into who the Lord created you to be when you allow the old to die.
There will be a time that the Lord will bring you to a place in your life where you are going to have to choose between the old you and the new you. The reason He does that is so you become who He created you to be. The old you has 98% of you and He wants the new you to have 98% of you.
This transfer of power has to be done by us being put in a position where a choice has to be made – good or evil. If you have been raised up for such a time as this, to choose good, you will have the power to do it. BUT if you choose evil, God will raise another to do what you have refused to do but the consequences will be grave.
Join me in The Bible Gals here Monday’s at 2pm EST for His Women in Our World Live Discussion.
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The Beauty and the Feast
We have all seen them. They are called eye candy. Those women who are super beautiful married to the rich guys. They haul them around from party to party showing them off.
Have you ever seen one refuse to be flaunted?
Biblical Ground Work: Read the Book of Esther; Esther 1:1-2:4
The king of Persia named Ahasuerus (in Greek Zerxes) was having a party. He was known for his parties and this one was no different but something that would change the course of history was going to happen at this one. Ahasuerus sent for his wife, Vashti, to come in full queenly gear with her crown. This might be a simple request for him but not so simple for her.
Vashti was also having a party for the female guests. She would be busy entertaining them at the time of his request. Vashti was not going to parade herself as the beauty at his feast so she refused his request. The King was not impressed and neither were his advisors. To avoid this same atrocity happening to all the husbands, who wanted to parade their wives, she was punished. Ironic enough, her punishment was exactly what she wanted, to never come before the king.
Biblical Life Lesson: Our strength to do what is right comes with time.
The first woman we read about in Esther has a bold strength that can only come with time in her knowledge own situation. She knew her husband and his advisors well. She also knew exactly what he was thinking in this situation. The boldness and the strength Vashti utilized, in refusing to be ogled and groped by drunken married men, was evidence she had been in this situation before.
The husbands of the women she entertained were also at her husbands party. Although we don’t know her reasoning for refusing, we can make some educated guesses based on how women are used back in 480 B.C. or even today. She could have refused for her own protection, or for the women’s protection, or it could have been her own pride.
We are going to split this book in three and talk about three very different women from the same story. Read all of Esther each week so you can get a clear picture of these three women (Vashti, Esther & Zeresh).
Join me tomorrow at 2pm EST in The Bible Gals for our first meeting about the Book of Esther.
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How to prepare yourself for Extraordinary Service to God.
Would you like to be used of God for something extraordinary? Huldah, the Prophetess, spent many years growing into her vision from God to prepare for this extraordinary event written in this Book forever.
Biblical Ground Work: 2 Kings 22:14-20; 2 Chronicles 34:22-28
Israel and Judah were under the wrath of God at this moment in time for their worship of false gods. Josiah was the king of Judah and he was known as having a zeal for the Law of God. He sought the word of the Lord multiple times in his reign over Judah.
The Book of the Law was found in Solomon’s temple during its repairs and brought to Josiah. He wanted to know God’s opinion about this find, so he sent the priest to find it. They went straight to Huldah the Prophetess.
How does one prepare for the kind of extraordinary works Huldah was known for?
Biblical Life Lesson: Everything you do, in obedience to God, will get you ready for the extraordinary service you are called to do.
Huldah was known to be a prophetess accustomed to speaking the word of God directly to high priests and royal officials.
- She told kings and nations of their fate.
- She had the authority to determine what was and was not the genuine Law.
- She spoke in a manner of stern command when acting as a prophetess.
No one gains this much respect and honour by sitting in her house ignoring the Law and call of God for her life. Huldah prepared for her extraordinary vision from God to be a prophetess by stepping out, one mundane task at a time, and doing what the Lord tells her to do with diligence.
Join us Monday’s at 2pm EST for a live discussion in The Bible Gals here for the Biblical Power Tools that will help you follow in the steps of Huldah.
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Could Death be the Consequence of Living?
Have you ever been called by God to do something that might cause your death? It you just think about the Lord doing that, would you continue in the doing?
Biblical Ground Work: 2 Kings 11:1-20; 2 Chronicles 22:11
Judah and Israel were on shaky ground once more because of their pagan worshipping. King after king was leading Israel away from the Lord so the Lord allowed kingdom after kingdom to invade them but this invasion was not from another kingdom. It was from within.
Athaliah, the mother of King Ahaziah, took control of Judah by force destroying the royal heirs minus one. Jehosheba, sister of King Ahaziah, took Joash, the kings son, and hid him away with his nanny within the temple for six years.
She has access to the temple because Jehoiada the priest is her husband. It is him that creates the rebellion against Athaliah. He makes Joash king and has her killed.
Biblical Life Lesson: The Lord is worth living for even in the face of death.
Jehosheba was in a position to give her life by doing something that she knew was the right thing to do. Did the Lord promise her He would keep her safe while she kept a covenant king alive? Not that we read.
She went forward not knowing whether it would cost her life or even her husbands life. I am sure that she did not regret one single moment of her private rebellion but I am sure that she was scared.
Join us Tuesday’s at 6pm EST for a live discussion in The Bible Gals here.
