Season 3

10 in ’15 Book List Announced

Posted on January 28, 2015 by Tamar


Matthew 7:21-10:42

But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, you of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea. And there was great calm. Matthew 8:26

While reading this verse today I was struck with the way this version translated Jesus’ words that night out on the sea in the storm. Those three words: fearful and little faith, resounded in my brain. It was the juxtaposition of “fearful” and “little faith”. And it hit me, when we are full of fear it’s because we are empty on faith! Or to put it another way, when our faith tank is empty we end up getting filled with fear (about something or another).

It reminds me of one of my favorite verses in times of trouble, “there is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18). My friends, love, God’s love drives out fear. If we are low on faith it is most likely because we are low on God’s love and need to fill up on it. Whenever we realize that we’re reacting in fear we need to stop and focus on God’s perfect love for us: that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. You see, God loved YOU so much, that He gave His one and only Son Jesus, so that whoever believes in Him would not die, but have eternal life!

Now that’s love!

And when we fill up on His love for us, we find ourselves filled with faith and emptied of fear! 😀

Drum roll please! ………………………………………………….

It’s the list you’ve all been waiting for! Our 10 books to read in 2015! Everyone who reads all ten books with me and comments on the 10 in ’15 Book Challenge post at the end of each month will receive one SIGNED book of their choice from the “Books” tab on TamarKnochel.com for FREE! And everyone who comments on one of the monthly 10 in ’15 Posts will receive the free e-book of the month! 😀

10 in ’15 Book List & Dates

#

Title

Author

Date of Book Club Post

1

Tuesday’s with Morrie

Mitch Albom

Feb 27th

2

The Horse & His Boy

C.S. Lewis

Mar 31st

3

Not a Fan

Kyle Idleman

Apr 30th

4

Unbroken

Laura Hillenbrand

May 31st

5

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Deborah Maggach

Jun 30th

6

What Alice Forgot

Liane Moriarty

Jul 31st

7

They Thought for Themselves

Sid Roth

Aug 31st

8

Divine

Karen Kingsbury

Sep 30th

9

100 Days of Favor

Joseph Prince

Oct 30th

10

Not a Silent Night: Mary Looks Back to Bethlehem

Adam Hamilton

Nov 30th

In December I will send out your FREE SIGNED books!!! 😀

 

Categories: 365 Life, Matthew, Season 3 | 1 Comment

New Release! Jesus Loves You #3 Journal

Posted on January 27, 2015 by Tamar


Matthew 5:1-7:20

“Look at the birds of the sky; they don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they? Can any of you add a single cubit to his height by worrying?” Matthew 6:26-28

Today I was lucky enough to have the day off from Dollar General so I spent the entire day at the school getting my staff photo taken,

filling out paperwork and I even got to walk through my day today and meet all the kids and teachers… it was a LOT of kids and teachers. I have all kinds of names and faces swimming through my poor little brain right now, and it’s glorious!!! I am so excited to have the opportunity to be a part of these people’s lives!

Before I go today (yes, it’s a very short post) I wanted to let you know about the newest resource in the “Books” tab! I just finished it yesterday. It’s the journal

that goes along with the third book in the 365 Life: Reading Through the Bible in a Year Series.


I also wanted to remind you all about the 10 in ’15 Book Challenge,

I’m posting our final list tomorrow so there’s still time to put in your suggestions here in the comments section.

Categories: 365 Life, Matthew, Season 3 | 2 Comments

10 in ’15 Challenge

Posted on January 26, 2015 by Tamar

Yesterday & Today’s:

 

Oh my dearest friends it is with the GREATEST JOY that I announce to you that I will be writing daily again!!!!! You have no idea how much I have missed you!!! Well, really it was Him that I missed the most of all, but I missed talking to you too. 😉

This week is a transition week for me as I phase out of one place of employment and phase into another. Tomorrow I’ll be taking my security photo and filling out paperwork at the school and then doing a little bit of touring to get my feet wet a bit. I also plan on getting some pre-planning done for the blog and writing. I’ve been doing a Facebook poll to see what book people recommend for me to read this year. I’ve had some really great suggestions too. If you’d like to put your bid in for your favorite book, or a book that you’d like to read with me you can comment below and add your own suggestions. I’d love to see them!

I’ll be posting the 10 in ’15 Book List and reading plan for 2015 by the end of the week this week. (I’m shooting for Wednesday, but don’t hold me to it.) I’m planning on starting it February 1st. It’s my goal to read 10 books in 2015, and while that doesn’t sound like that much, I assure you that for this busy mom (with a NEW JOB!), it is.

It’ll be fun! We’ll have our own little book club sort of thing. When I post the book list later this week I’ll have you comment below to let me know that you’re on board. Then every time I post a book report I’ll have you comment at the bottom of those posts as well and EVERYONE who completes all 10 books with me will receive any one of my books FREE!!! 😀 I will mail you a signed copy and everything!

We can read them together and all share in the joy of learning and growing together! There will be a mix of fiction and non-fiction (which may include a secular book or two as well, I haven’t completely decided yet). That way we’ll have a nice round selection. I’m sure I’ll have to throw in at LEAST one Karen Kingsbury book since she is my FAVORITE non-fiction author. Her book Forever was a huge inspiration for me when writing True Intimacy! And for that I will be forever grateful. (God used the writing of True Intimacy to save my marriage!)

So, how does that sound? Is anybody out there up for my 10 in ’15 challenge?

I can hardly wait to get started! But I’ll wait a little longer because I would love to see what books you all will suggest!!! Comment below and let me know what books you’d like to read with me!!! If you receive this post via email, all you have to do is reply your comment to it and it will automatically publish to this post! How handy is that!?!

Categories: 365 Life, Mark, Matthew, Season 3 | 1 Comment

Thank You Sir May I Have Another?

Posted on January 25, 2015 by Tamar

This week’s :

 

If this last week is any indication of how 2015 is going to be, SIGN ME UP!!! I mean, no offense 2014, but you stunk! That was one of the hardest years I’ve had in a very long time! I feel like I’ve been through the fiery furnace with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and lived to tell about it. When 2014 passed away on December 31st, I didn’t have a whole lot of hope for things changing much but BOY WAS I WRONG! Thank God!

So far this year I have started attending Alpha class at church with my husband, I attended a very inspirational writer’s meeting at church that ended with a divine meeting, I’ve spoken at a MOPs meeting where there were about 35-40 women in attendance (and they apparently loved me and are begging their leader for more), just yesterday I got the word that I officially have a new job teaching as a special ed aide in the middle school here in Sheridan (and I can’t even begin to tell you how absolutely ecstatic I am about it for more reasons than I can even begin to explain), and today both my son AND my husband were baptized!!!!! To say it’s been an awesome twenty-five days would be putting it lightly. I mean, these are only the things I’m telling YOU. I’m not even mentioning the things that I’m holding tight to my chest and not even breathing a word about because they’re too glorious to even speak of yet (and quite possibly the most wonderful blessings of all).

My friends, this morning in church as I was standing in awe of the RELIEF that I feel right now I was singing my praises and the Holy Spirit gave me a revelation of what this past year has been – refining fire. Yes, just like our dear ole friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, we too have been going through a fire. If you look in the book of Daniel you’ll find our friends’ story. They were placed in a VERY uncomfortable position. First they were brought to Babylon and offered the kings food, which probably smelled AMAZING, but didn’t quite abide by Jewish Law. They were presented with a choice, obey God or not. They chose to obey God and requested only vegetables to eat. And they were handsomely rewarded for their obedience.

Later in the book they were presented with this same situation, obey God by refusing to bow down to an idol or not. The stakes were high… really high on this one. If they obeyed God and refused to bow down to the idol, the king would throw them into a fire-filled furnace. They stuck up for their beliefs and refused to bow resulting in them being tied up and thrown into the furnace that killed the guards who threw them in because it was so hot…yet our friends didn’t die. The cords that bound their hands and feet were burned off, a man that shone like the son of the gods appeared with them IN the fire, and they were removed from the fire with all their clothes not only in tact but they didn’t even smell like smoke!!!!! They obeyed God at all costs and came out MINUS the ties that bound them and smelling like roses. The fire did more benefit for them than harm.

And that, my friends, is where we stand today. I know that many of you have been facing fires of your own; un-pleasantries of all different kinds. Yet we faced them all the same simply because we knew in our heart of hearts that it’s what God wanted of us. Beloved, you have been removed from that fire! Your cords have been burned off and you’ve emerged smelling like roses instead of smoke. And honestly, if you’re anything like me, your obedience has been reward in and of itself, buuuut I have the distinct feeling that there will be even more reward than that in store for us this year.

This is the year we’ve been waiting for my friends. It’s the year where clarity will be the norm. The year where the things that have been shadowed by uncertainty or misunderstanding begin to reveal themselves plainly. For me, it’s been about direction. I knew God was taking me somewhere I just didn’t understand how in the WORLD I was going to get there or where exactly “there” was. But from where I stand today things are SO MUCH CLEARER than they were last year. With the blessing of this new job that will pay MUCH more than what I was making before while still affording me the luxury of being a writer AND a mom, it has also brought into focus a picture of my future and the plans that He has had for me all along. I feel like I’ve been traveling along with Him in complete and total blind trust through this winding path where I could only see a few feet in front of me before the path curved again taking me somewhere completely unexpected and away from where I thought we were going. On Saturday when I got that call it was like we rounded a curve and everything that lay before me was straight as an arrow pointing to exactly where I thought we were going but just didn’t understand yet.

Clarity!

For the first time all the jumbled pieces in this puzzle are fitting together just like I knew they were supposed to but couldn’t for the life of me get them to go. It’s like my vision was blurry before, I could see colors and shapes, light and dark, but nothing had real definition. Then I blinked and suddenly everything is clear.

I pray for that for YOU today my friend. Maybe you’ve been walking around bleary-eyed looking for the straight-a-way in your racetrack. Maybe you’ve been looking for your purpose and direction in life that you KNOW God has for you, but you just can’t quite put your finger on it yet. I pray for that for you TODAY! I pray that God’s Spirit will reach out and touch you in this very moment with more clarity and understanding than you’ve ever had in your entire life. I pray that He will lay His plan out before you in plain English (or whatever language you’re more fluent in). I pray that today you find yourself in precisely the right place at precisely the right time so that the door that He is flinging open before you will swing so close to your nose that you’ll feel the wind (but not the sting) so that you absolutely, positively can not miss this opportunity. And then I pray that He will PUSH you through that door so that there is no way you can doubt for even a second that it’s THE door for YOU. And I pray all that in Jesus’ name for you my friend!

Now go out there and follow that dream that God put in your heart! He MADE you for this, so you’d better go do it! Because no one can do it the way YOU can!

 

Categories: Luke, Malachi, Mark, Season 3 | Leave a comment

Let the Rocks Cry Out

Posted on January 17, 2015 by Tamar

Last week’s post – finally! I will post this week’s post tomorrow when I return to civilization and internet access.

This week’s:

“silent”

  • Luke 1:20, Matthew 26:63 & Luke 19:40

From the third word in this week’s reading and throughout the entire week God has sprinkled a message of speech before our eyes. In Leviticus 19:1 The LORD spoke to Moses: “Speak to the entire Israelite community and tell them: Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.”

And again in the first chapter of Luke we come upon Zechariah who’s faculty of speech is taken away due to his disbelief! The angel Gabriel said to him, “You will become silent and unable to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time” (verse 20). As I read this verse I was reminded of the piece I wrote about the fall of Jericho and the role silence played. In order to stave off the birth of Unbelief and Doubt, Joshua commanded the people: “Do not shout or let your voice be heard. Don’t let one word come out of your mouth until the time I say, ‘Shout!’ Then you are to shout” (Joshua 6:10).

John 1:1-5 says that, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were created through Him, and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created. Life was in Him, and that life was the light of men. That light shines in the darkness, yet the darkness did not overcome it.”

Words are spoken. This entire world began its existence with God the Father speaking, commanding, “Light be”… and instantly according to His command there was light. And God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness.

Words contain within them tremendous power.

And when someone who houses the Holy Spirit within them speaks a word, any word, that word has the power of life and death. (See the entire book of James!) Solomon the wise wrote a few words on the ebb and flow of life I’d like to share with you:

There is occasion for everything, and a time for every activity under heaven:

A time to give birth and a time to die;

A time to plant and a time to uproot;

A time to kill and a time to heal;

A time to tear down and a time to build;

A time to weep and a time to laugh;

A time to mourn and a time to dance;

A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;

A time to embrace and a time to avoid embracing;

A time to search and a time to count as lost;

A time to keep and a time to throw away;

A time to tear and a time to sew;

A time to be silent and a time to speak;

A time to love and a time to hate;

A time for war and a time for peace.

What does the worker gain from his struggles? I have seen the task that God has given people to keep them occupied. He has made everything beautiful in its time. – Ecclesiastes 3:1-11

My friends, there is a time to speak and wield those words of power, and there is a time to clamp that mouth shut and hold them all in. Zechariah had voiced enough doubt before that angel who stood in the presence of God daily to let Gabriel know that Zechariah couldn’t be trusted to keep his big doubting mouth shut. So Gabriel shut it for him – saving the prophecy from an untimely death. And what happened when John was born and christened John? Zechariah’s mouth sprang open and he SHOUTED amazing blessings upon that child! There is a time for silence, but there is also a time for shouting.

I was curious about this particular Greek word that Luke used for Zechariah’s silence so I looked it up. It’s the Greek word, see-oh-poh, and it refers to a kind of forced silence as opposed to a voluntary kind of silence. Zechariah is the perfect example of this kind of silence. However there are a few more instances in the New Testament that this particular Greek word is used that I found quite interesting. One is in Matthew 26:63 and the other is in Luke 19:39-40. We’ll take a look at the verse in Matthew first and it will lead us straight to our verse in Luke so watch for it. 😀

In Matthew chapter twenty-six we find Jesus having been captured from the Garden of Gethsemane and a trial being held in order to find Him guilty of anything they can find to pin on Him and get to stick. They bring forward false witness after false witness to no avail until two came forward and stated, “This man said, ‘I can demolish God’s sanctuary and rebuild it in three days.'” The high priest then stood up and said to Him, “Don’t You have an answer to what these men are testifying against You?” But Jesus kept silent.

There are times to speak, and there are times to just be still and let the Truth set you free!

That night in that darkened courtroom a Light shone bright and the darkness couldn’t overcome it. In the beginning God said, “Light be” and the Light was, is and still is today. That night in the courtroom they found Jesus guilty of none other than Blaspheme, a sin punishable by death. A sin that, “coincidentally” enough, we read about in our readings this week. Leviticus 24 shares a story of a man who blasphemed, this is what the LORD had to say about his punishment: “Bring the one who has cursed to the outside of the camp and have all who heard him lay their hands on his head; then have the whole community stone him.”

Laying their hands on his head transfers his sin against them back to him. Yet here we have Jesus who is without sin. So what is it that happens when we lay our hands on His head? Our sins, our guilt, our shame, it ALL transfers over to His head where He takes the punishment for the crimes we committed. In Leviticus the LORD spoke to Moses: “Speak to the entire Israelite community, everyone who will HEAR, and tell them: Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.” And yet here we are today with our hands on the head of a Saviour and once again the LORD speaks and says, “Be holy. Because I the LORD your God am holy!”

My friends, there is a time to be silent and there is a time to SHOUT! And this is a time to SHOUT for I tell you, if you keep silent about this the very stones in the fields will cry out!!!! (See Luke 19:39-40, I told you it would come around!) Jesus has transferred His holiness onto your head! He has taken the guilt and the shame from you. He has removed the cause for Fear and Doubt and Concern! He is LORD. He is LIGHT. He is GOD! Rejoice and be glad in this day that He has made for you.

Next week’s :

Categories: Luke, Season 3, Writing Through the Bible in a Year | 2 Comments

Nobody’s Perfect

Posted on December 20, 2014 by Tamar

This week’s:

 

The Old Testament is filled with examples of humanity’s complete and utter inability to keep the Law. The Law is perfectly perfect in every way… and WE are not. And because of Jesus, that’s OK. You see, God loves this world so much that He sent a tiny little baby to save it. Isn’t that just about the strangest way imaginable to save humanity? A baby? Really LORD? What can a baby do to help me, to save me?

Ahhhh, but this was no ordinary baby. This baby, conceived with a divinely royal bloodline on all three sides, was born in a manger right beside all the other sacrifices. This baby didn’t come to live, He came so that He could die the most spectacularly amazing death anyone could ever imagine.

In this time of Christmas we celebrate a baby born to die for us… for YOU. The perfect Law was given to show us our sin. The babe from the manger and perfect fulfillment of the Law was given to show us the Love that erases our sin. His loving act of sacrifice erases our sins so completely that according to the promise of Isaiah 54:9, not only is God finished punishing our vast ocean of iniquity and sin, He’s not even angry about them anymore. In the beginning God gave Abraham His word and He fulfilled it and then some. God has done the very same thing for us. He promised us salvation from our sins, and it came in the most perfect Christmas package of a bouncing baby boy wrapped in swaddling clothes and laying in a manger – Jesus. This Christmas, I pray that the first present you open is YOUR gift of salvation from a God who’s not angry with you at all. You can unwrap this gift by simply opening up your heart to receive His love for you. To do that, simply say, “yes” to Him.

But now God has shown us a way to be made right with Him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.

For everyone has sinned, we all fall short of God’s glorious standard; yet God with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when He freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed His life, shedding His blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when He held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for He was looking ahead and including them in what He would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate His righteousness, for He Himself is fair and just, and He declares sinners to be right in His sight when they believe in Jesus. Romans 3:21-26

 

Next week’s :

Categories: 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 365 Life, Season 3, Writing Through the Bible in a Year | Leave a comment

My God Will

Posted on December 13, 2014 by Tamar

This week’s:

I’m sitting here in the bedroom attempting to read by Bible and figure out something to write for this week when I get a text from my hubby… from the next room. “Whatcha’ doin?” Several texts later and I’m smiling thinking about our son sitting at the computer positioned between us and the “whistling” text alerts that are flying past his head as he plays his game. And that’s when my eyes came to it, God’s word for us this week: “I have received your message, and I will supply all you need.” 1 Kings 5:8

Christmas is a time of, well, it’s a time of a lot of things. It’s set up to be a time of joy, and hope and giving… but for many, it’s a time to remember someone they don’t have any more. For some it’s a devastating reminder of the small amounts that linger in the dredges of their bank accounts while they attempt to give their children “a good Christmas” (which I feel I MUST point out is not possible to provide with money – but with LOVE ALONE!)

While Christmas is intended to be a time of joy it is often, for many, a time for pain. And yet, like a text message from a loving husband from the next room Our Father send you one of His own, “I have received your message, and I will supply all you need.” It’s a common thread through scripture, perhaps because it’s the message we need to hear often. Paul receives such a message in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

“So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time He said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

What’s even more beautiful is how Paul blesses his followers in Philippi with the very same statement God had first blessed him with: “My God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). He had taken those words that God had spoken over him and absorbed them to the point that he understood them to be true. And they are True words. Not only is God able to meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus, He is willing to as well. It says so right there, it’s the third word into the verse, “My God WILL”.

Yes. My God WILL.

My God WILL ease this pain of loss in my life.

Yes, My God WILL supply my needs according to His riches.

My dear friend, don’t be afraid, your God WILL!

He is able, He is loving, and He is willing too. Fear not Dear One, you are loved.

 

Next week’s :

Categories: 365 Life, Judges, Season 3, Writing Through the Bible in a Year | Leave a comment

Week 27: Girl Power

Posted on December 6, 2014 by Tamar

Please note that there is a PDF version of this post here that you can print it out and use it to write all your answers. 😀 You know, for those who like to do that sort of thing. 😉

This week’s:

If you look up Judges 1:19, 21, 27, 29, 30, 31, 33 what’s the reoccurring theme of these verses?

_________________________________________________________________

“They failed”. Can you relate? What are some ways you feel like you’ve failed lately?

_________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________

Look up Judges 3:9 & 15 to find God’s answer to their failure (and ours). ______________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

Jesus!!!

There are two repeating themes that flow through today’s Word of the Day. “They failed”, but “the LORD raised up a rescuer to save them.” Isn’t our God great!?! No matter how many times we fail, He is still willing and able to raise up a rescuer to save us from ourselves!

Later in Judges we meet Gideon. In chapter six verse twelve Gideon says something that I think we’ve all at least thought at some point in our Christian walk: “The angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon and said, ‘Mighty hero, the LORD is with you!’ ‘Sir,’ Gideon replied, ‘if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The LORD brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the LORD has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.”

If God is with me, why am I living in such constant turmoil? If God is my rescuer, why do I feel so abandoned? If God is my helper, why do I feel like such a failure?

God didn’t answer Gideon’s question He simply said, “Go.” God doesn’t have to answer our questions, but He does anyway. He often answers them with the same answer He gave Gideon.

“Go. Even in your doubt and frustration. Go in your weakness and fear. Go, and trust in My goodness and wisdom even when you can’t see it or fell it. Go, step out in FAITH – the belief in things unseen. Go, and trust that the advise I’ve given you is sound and the best for you. Go, because I told you to go. Do that thing I told you to do, even if you don’t think it’ll work or that it’s the best idea.”

In spite of all the fear and all the doubt – trust in the Lord your God. Trust.

Just simply, trust.

Re-read Judges chapter seven.

What does verse 22 say happened – due in part to Gideon’s obedience to God’s command to trust Him? ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

Gideon’s “army” of a measly 300 men stood around the enemy ARMY and literally watched the LORD fight for them. God had commanded Gideon to “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you.” (Judges 6:14) Gideon, lacking faith in his own ability to accomplish this monumental task before him was being asked by God Almighty to shift his thinking. While Gideon had no faith in himself or his clan, God had absolute faith in Himself to use Gideon and his clan according to His plan. And by golly, wouldn’t you know it, it worked! Gideon followed God’s direction in his life and he saw the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living!

I got about halfway through the week’s readings when I discovered yet another theme, GIRL POWER!!! We don’t even get past the first chapter of Judges before coming across our first girl power moment and one of my personal favorites – Acsah.

Acsah’s is NOT a well-known piece of scripture. In fact, in my Women of Faith Bible where they list all the women of each book in the Bible, Acsah’s not even listed! Her verses are often overlooked, but that doesn’t make them any less powerful! Read them in Judges 1:11-15.

Who is Acsah’s father? Is he someone of importance in the Bible? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________

While the idea of giving his daughter away as a prize can seem a bit cold, as a father, what is Caleb securing for his beloved daughter by giving her to the one who attacks (survives), and captures Kiriath-sepher? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________

Acsah’s father was no small name in Israel’s history books. And by offering her hand in marriage to the one who conquered Kiriath-sepher he was ensuring that his daughter would always be protected and cared for and hopefully treated as the true prize we women all are. We each have such opportunity to bless our husbands as victor’s each and every day, I pray that we take them.

Acsah’s story doesn’t end with a simple “Happily Ever After,” there’s more. It also shares a bit of a peek into her relationship with her father as well. In verse 14 what is it that Caleb notices about Acsah and calls attention to it the moment she pulls into his driveway from the honeymoon and slams the door on her pinto? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

Caleb asks, “What’s the matter?”

I’m going to guess that these two have spent some serious time together and he knows her pretty well. Caleb notices and questions her well-being which leads us to believe that he cares for her. Just like your Heavenly Father, He cares for YOU – His daughter. He cares about your well-being and often asks, “What’s the matter?” Take a moment to tell Him here: __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

In verse 15 Acsah explains her problem. According to verse 15 what was Caleb’s original wedding gift to the newlyweds? ___________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

Considering that the Negev is a desert does Acsah’s request of her father make sense?

So much sense that what is Caleb’s reaction to her request? _____________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

Just like our heavenly Father Caleb didn’t just give her a spring and call it done, he gave her the upper and lower springs, making sure that his baby girl had a good strong husband that would protect and value her, a nice big plot of land to live on AND PLENTY of water to PROSPER in that land. Her father, just like Our Father loves her in a way where there was no fear of reprisal in her request. She knew when she asked him that he would say, “yes”. She knew that her father loved her and before we move on to more examples of GIRL POWER we HAVE to fully establish where our power truly comes from. It’s NOT our looks, it’s not our demeanor, or through persuasion or manipulation. It’s not from sex or our bank accounts. Our power isn’t even from our brains. TRUE Girl Power comes from being Daddy’s Girl.

In my opinion Acsah was Daddy’s Girl. To him she wasn’t just another one of his many possessions – she was a cherished possession. To him, she was special, she was loved, she was his baby girl. And she knew it. That is where her power in this story comes in – she knew her Father’s love for her and it made her powerful. To be a girl with power you must first know the powerful love of Our Father for YOU. It was for YOU that He sent Jesus. It was for YOU that Jesus died. It was for YOU that He couldn’t stay behind the stone, but burst forth in glorious victory to come and claim YOU as His beautiful bride-prize. You are fiercely loved by a God who is more than willing to go to extremes to show you His love for you. And once you take a firm hold of that truth, you will be a girl with REAL power!

What kind of “Girl Power” can we find represented in Judges 4:4-5? ________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

Deborah, a married woman, had flocks of men and women coming to her for godly wisdom. That’s Girl Power!

How about Judges 4:17-22, what kind of strength does Jael possess that we too can claim? ____________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

Take a quick peek at Genesis 3:15, what is it that the seed of Eve is said to do to the seed of the snake? Crush his ___________!

Is that not what Jael did? Can we therefore, also do as much to our eternal enemy? _______________

What kind of moxy did the woman in Judges 9:52-53 possess that we can learn from? ______________ ____________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________

What kind of mark did she leave on history? Check out 2 Samuel11:18-21!!!!! ______________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________

That nameless woman was simply defending herself and loved ones the only way she knew how, with a hundred-pound rock. But the ripples that stone created will last for all of eternity! She and all the other women of Judges taught the men a thing or two when it comes to the true strength of a woman. We know how to get-er-done!

Next week’s :

Categories: 365 Life, Judges, Season 3, Writing Through the Bible in a Year | Leave a comment

Seeds & Gates

Posted on November 21, 2014 by Tamar

This week’s readings:

Day #:

Week #:

Bible Reading:

Date:

169

25

John 11:38-14:14

Nov 16

170

John 14:15-18:18

Nov 17

171

John 18:19-21:25

Nov 18

172

1 John 1:1-5:21

Nov 19

173

2 John & 3 John & Jonah

Nov 20

174

Joshua 1:1-4:24

Nov 21

175

Sabbath

Nov 22

 

Click here to download this week’s message about Seeds & Gates. It is in a Power Point presentation so to best view it I recommend opening it in Power Point so that you can read my presentation notes as well. However if that’s not possible, you can click here for the PDF version of the slides. 😀 Enjoy!!!

 

Next Week’s Readings:

Day #:

Week #:

Bible Reading:

Date:

176

26

Joshua 5:1-8:17

Nov 23

177

Joshua 8:18-10:43

Nov 24

178

Joshua 11:1-15:8

Nov 25

179

Joshua 15:9-19:16

Nov 26

180

Joshua 19:17-22:29

Nov 27

181

Joshua 22:30-24:33 & Jude

Nov 28

182

Sabbath

Nov 29
Categories: 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, 365 Life, John, Jonah, Joshua, Season 3, Writing Through the Bible in a Year | Leave a comment

Abundance, Destruction, Resurrection

Posted on November 14, 2014 by Tamar

OK, so through this week of blissful preparation for this post I’ve come to realize that this new weekly format is to be more of a Bible Study format than a devotional format. This was news that I was VERY excited about!!! 😀 so I hope you like the new format too, because I’m LOVING IT! Also, I will be posting last week’s sermon notes as the Bible study for next week, mostly because I just could NOT pass this lesson by without telling you about it!!! 😀 I pray that it encourages you, wherever you are in the pattern today. 😉 There is ALWAYS hope in Christ! Be blessed this week my friends! I cherish you! -Tamar

Last week’s readings:

Day #: 

Week #: 

Bible Reading: 

Date: 

162 

24 

Job 39:1-42:17

Nov 9

163 

Joel 1:1-3:21

Nov 10 

164 

John 1:1-3:36

Nov 11 

165 

John 4:1-6:21

Nov 12 

166 

John 6:22-8:30

Nov 13 

167 

John 8:31-11:37

Nov 14 

168 

Sabbath

Nov 15 

 

“For I know the plans I have for you”, says the LORD, “they are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for Me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you.” Says the LORD. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.” Jeremiah 29:11-14

This week’s readings were… sigh… encouraging! We started in Job where we meet a man who has been as faithful and obedient to the LORD as anyone can be. He was wealthy beyond the normal means, and comfortable in every way possible. And then disaster struck his entire household. In one day he had servant after servant presenting themselves to him in order to report that they had been the lone survivor of the attack that had just occurred on his family.

Have you ever felt like that? Have you ever felt like Disaster was chasing your house and leaving you the sole survivor in order that you would retell the tale to someone else? And maybe, perhaps, that’s why you survived. To tell the tale of your SURVIVAL.

What have you been through? What have you survived that needs retelling? What’s your story my friend?

Job’s story started out in abundance and surplus but quickly turned to disaster and the loss of everything including his own health. BUT that wasn’t the end of his story, it was only the middle! My Dearest One, no matter where you are in your story, you’re not to the end yet! If you were, well, then you wouldn’t be reading this then would you?

Take a few seconds right now and review the end of Job’s story in: Job 42:10-17.

Words like, “the LORD restored his fortunes, in fact He gave him twice as much as before” and “So the LORD blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning”, are kinda hard to argue with. While Job HAD endured a very difficult season in his life, it hadn’t ruined him. In fact, quite the opposite had occurred. It had shaped him. I’m guessing that while God did physically bless him with double portions of all his physical assets, I doubt that that is why Job went to the grave a happy man. I’m guessing that he was happy because he had achieved a newfound appreciation for all the things that he might have been taking for granted before the destruction came.

The story of Job establishes for us a pattern that the rest of our reading’s this week end up following as well. Which I see as no small coincidence! Job begins his story with obedience and abundance. Then he moves to complete destruction. And finishes with a renewal that is better and more abundant than before the story began.

This theme is taken up next in the prophecy of Joel, with but a small variation. While Job was amazingly dedicated to God in his obedience, the people in Joel’s story were not. Their story is one of disobedience and abundance that moves to a destruction of discipline. While Job’s troubles moved from a place of proving his obedience to God, the troubles of the people in the book of Joel were from a place of proving their disobedience to God in order to move them back into a place of obedience once more.

When destruction hits, it doesn’t matter if you’re obeying God or disobeying God, it will still hit. And when it hits it will show YOU your standing with God. Right now you are either looking to God, or away from Him. If you’re looking to Him, then this shaking will prove that. If you’re looking away from Him, then this shaking will prove that and cause you to look to Him again. That’s how this works. And the really amazing part is, that when the shaking is finished there is still a common thread – blessing!!!

Look at these verses in Joel for your confirmation of blessings after the destruction:

Joel 2:3 – How does the LORD describe the land that lies ahead?

Joel 2:25 – What are those first two words that God says in this promise? WHO is responsible for carrying out the results of this promise? You or God?

Joel 3:1 – In this verse, does the LORD say “if”? How would that little two letter word change the meaning of this verse? Isn’t it great that “if” isn’t the word He uses? What word does He use instead?

And here’s one from Isaiah just for good measure, don’t leave it out!

Isaiah 40:27

God is NOT ignoring you!!! He sees your troubles. He see’s what you’ve been going through – ALL of it! He knows your pain and frustration. He knows and He CARES about it. Read Joel 3:21 to see what He has to say about it. Or perhaps John 3:16-18 might be a more familiar way to explain.

You see, the theme that started in our readings of Job and continued into Joel concludes in John!!! While there is destruction, it’s not the end! The end of Joel presents us with a prophecy, a promise, of THE coming pardon, the fulfillment of the FULL pardoning of all our sins past, present and future. John 1:1-5 helps us to understand how Jesus – the fulfillment of the promise – is our answer to the destruction around us.

1 In the beginning the Word already existed.
    The Word was with God,
    and the Word was God.
2 He existed in the beginning with God.
3 God created everything through him,
    and nothing was created except through him.
4 The Word gave life to everything that was created,
    and his life brought light to everyone.
5 The light shines in the darkness,
    and the darkness can never extinguish it.

Who is “the Word”? Jesus! And what does this verse say about Jesus that is the key to our renewal from destruction? His life brought LIGHT to EVERYONE.

Why is that a big deal? BECAUSE! The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can NEVER extinguish it!!!

Boy, if that’s not good news today then I don’t know what is! That darkness that’s trying to destroy you from the inside out can NEVER destroy the light that shines from a heart that believes!

Read John 10:10, what is Satan’s purpose? And what is Jesus’?

To wrap up a week of stories of renewal after destruction God put this great bow on the package that I simply can not leave out! Take a moment to re-read John 11 here.

Take a special look at the wording of verse 4, “This sickness will not END in death.” Yes, Lazarus died and lay in a cold DEAD grave for FOUR days and that STILL wasn’t the END! So don’t you dare tell me that you’re at the end of your story and that there’s no hope left for your dream to find its way to fruition! Look at verse 4 and 14, what was the purpose of Lazarus’ sickness?

Could your “sickness” have the same purpose?

Have you been lying cold and dead for four days in a rock hard tomb waiting for the Savior of the World to come and roll away your stone and say, “Lazarus, come out!” Is it time for your resurrection? How about today you appeal to, as Paul calls Him in Ephesians 3:20, the One who can do exceedingly abundantly above all that you could ask or imagine. Let’s follow Martha and Mary’s eloquent lead and send HIM a message, “LORD, the one You love is sick.”

There may have been some destruction in your life as of late, but take heart my friend! For you time of resurrection is just around the corner!!!

 

Next Week’s Readings:

Day #:

Week #:

Bible Reading:

Date:

169

25

John 11:38-14:14

Nov 16

170

John 14:15-18:18

Nov 17

171

John 18:19-21:25

Nov 18

172

1 John 1:1-5:21

Nov 19

173

2 John & 3 John & Jonah

Nov 20

174

Joshua 1:1-4:24

Nov 21

175

Sabbath

Nov 22
Categories: 365 Life, Job, Joel, Jonah, Season 3, Writing Through the Bible in a Year | Tags: , , , , | 1 Comment

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