Waiting

book #7 in the series

Week 4 Video Guide

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Tamar

“Waiting for the I Wills”

Week 4 Video Guide Printable

Word of the Week:

“for they shall hear of Your great name and Your mighty hand, and of Your outstretched arm,” 1 Kings 8:42

The 7 I Wills in Exodus 6:1-9

I will ______ you out from ______ the _________ of the _________.

I will ______ you from ______to them.

I will ______ you with an ______ arm & with great acts of _______.

I will ______ you to be My _________.

I will be your _____,

I will ______ you into the ______ that I______ to give to Abraham, to
Isaac, and to Jacob.

I will ______ it to you for a ______, I am the LORD.

The 9 I Wills in Ezekiel 20:33-38

I will be ______ over you.

I will ______ you out from the peoples & ______ you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a ______ hand & an ______ arm, & with ______ poured out.

I will ______ you into the wilderness of the peoples, & there

I will ______ into ______ with you ______ to ______.

I will ______ into ______ with you, declares the Lord GOD.

I will ______ you pass under the ______ and

I will ______ you into the ______ of the ______.

I will ______ out the rebels [sin] from among you, and those who transgress against me.

I will ______ them out of the land where they sojourn, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

Romans 7:1-4

Or do you not know, brothers – for I am speaking to those who know the law – that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? For a ______ ______ is bound
by ______ to her ______ while he lives, but if her husband ______ she is ______ from the ______ of ______. Accordingly, she will be called an ______ if she ______ with another ______ while her husband is ______. But if her husband ______, she is ______ from that ______, and if she ______ another ______ she is ______ and adulteress. Likewise my brothers, you also have ______ to the ______ through the ______ of ______, so
that you may ______ to another, to ______ who has been raised from the ______, in order that ______ may bear fruit for God.

Galatians 3:10-12

For all who rely on ______ of the ______ are under a ______; for it is
written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by ______ things written in the Book of the Law, and ______ them.” Now it is evident that ______ ______ is ______ before God by the ______, for “The righteous shall live by ______,” But the ______ is not of ______, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.”

Galatians 4:1-7

I mean that the heir, as long as he is a ______, is no different from a ______, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under ______ and managers until the date set by his ______. In the ______ ______we also, when we were children, were ______ to the elementary ______ of the world. But when the ______ of ______ had come, God sent forth His ______, born of ______, born under the ______, to ______ those who were under the ______, so that we might receive ______ as ______. And because ______ ______ sons, God has sent the ______ of His Son into our ______, crying, “______,______!” So you are ______ ______ a ______, but a ______, and if a son, then an ______ through God.

Luke 15:11-24 the story of the Prodigal son

“While the son is a long way off” just tells us that the entire time the Father was there w______ for the son to c______ b______.

God was w______ for us to figure out “I need a S______, I need someone to h______ m__, to pull me out of this place where I’ve put myself.

As soon as He s______ us, He comes r______ with o______ a______ ready to e______ us.

Matthew 27:35, Mark 15:24, Luke 23:33, John 19:18

With His arms outstretched, they C______ H______.

Galatians 3:13-14

Christ r______ us from the c______ of the l___ by b______ a curse for ___ – for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree” – so that ____ C______ J______
the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that ___ might receive the promised Spirit through ______.

Hebrews 9:11-28

11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of His own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of g______ and b______ and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of C______, who through the eternal Spirit offered H______ without blemish to God purify our c______ from dead works to serve the l______ God. 15 Therefore He is the mediator of a n___ covenant, so that those who are called may r______ the promised eternal inheritance, since a d______ has occurred that r______ them from the t______ committed under the f______ covenant.

I will deliver you from slavery to the l____,

I will bring you out from under the burdens of the L___.

I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment on J______.

I will take you to be my people, and

I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the L___.

I will bring you into the land of rest that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob,

I will give it to you for a possession. I am the LORD.

Hebrews 9:16 For where a w______ is involved, the d______ of the one who m______ it must be established. 17 For a will takes effect o______ at d______, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive.

22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with b______, and without the shedding of b______ there is no f______ of sins.

26 … But as it is, He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to p____ a______ s___ by the sacrifice of H______. 27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to s______ those who are eagerly w______ for Him.

Psalm 136

H___ s______ l____ e______ f______! Praise be to God alone!

Categories: 1 Kings, 365 Life, Waiting, Writing Through the Bible in a Year | Tags: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Ivory Houses

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Tamar

1 Kings 20:35 – 22:53

Word of the Day:

“ivory houses” 1 Kings 22:39

It snowed last night and I am absolutely transfixed by the transformation God has made in just one night. Yesterday the world was bleak and gray, all the colors were muted by the death-like hibernation of winter. To peer through my window brought little joy to my eyes. Yet, since my photo of the frozen fence last week I’ve really wanted to go out on a photo journey…but why? Then it snowed.

Today the world is glorious, blanketed in thick pure white snow. The branches of the trees bend under the weight of it, yet they still stand firm and tall, majestic under the new robes of beauty they’ve been given to adorn them briefly. The drone of my neighbor’s lawn tractor pushing a snowblade fills my ears with more proof of the presence of beauty outside my window. That and the sound of the TV playing cartoons in the other room to occupy my children since school was canceled due to the amount of the snow. There will be ivory houses built today alongside ivory men. There will be ivory balls thrown at backs resulting in giggles and squeals of laughter. We will draw feet through those perfect blankets of snow, marring their perfect faces creating proof of a family having played together. We will celebrate this day with mugs of hot cocoa, curling their steamy tendrils around cherry red noses and smiling cheeks and eyes.

You know, I think one of the most awesome things about this project is how the Bible can work its way into every day of our lives. I tried writing about the theology in this reading, the beauty of Naboth’s vineyard and Jesus being the vine and we the branches. How the vineyard was his inheritance as it is ours. I tried writing about Maichah and speaking for the LORD, and how “This God – His way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him.” (Psalm 18:30) Yet I couldn’t really connect with those things today, as much as my brain wanted to. No, today the still small voice within me resounded at the beauty of “ivory houses”. Two tiny words, so seemingly insignificant in comparison to all the rest we read today… but they described how I felt. They related to what I’m seeing, what I’m planning for this day with my kids. While I gleaned so much intellectually from today’s reading, spiritually, “ivory houses” meant the most to me. It may seem silly to you, but I know that, as the LORD lives, what the Spirit says to me, that I will speak and write. And today it’s snow forts and ivory houses. J

Thank You Jesus for Snow Days!

_______________________________________

Give a book bible button

I wanted to make you aware of some ministry updates. I am very excited to announce that I have a Mother’s Day speaking engagement scheduled for May 11th. I would LOVE to have books on hand for the women to buy, and even some to give away as gifts. However, the current funds in the ministry account are running drastically low. If you are able, I would love for you to prayerfully consider giving a book or Bible to someone who can’t afford one. If you are able, please click here!

Categories: 1 Kings, 365 Life, Waiting, Writing Through the Bible in a Year | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

You Shall Know

Posted on April 21, 2013 by Tamar

1 Kings 18:20 – 20:34

Word of the Day:

“If the LORD is God,” 1 Kings 18:21

Boy, our reading today starts off with a BANG! I have always loved this story, but I can’t say that I’ve ever noticed this flavor running through it before. This flavor of God proving Himself to His people:

“Behold, I will give it into your hand this day, and you shall know that I am the LORD.” 1 Kings 20:13

“I will give this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the LORD.” 1 Kings 20:28

And even in the end of yesterday’s reading, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth.” 1 Kings 17:24

Well, today’s reading starts off with Elijah confronting the people of Israel with their idolatry and unbelief.

“How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, then follow him. And the people did not answer him a word.” 1 Kings 18:21

It’s such a simple straightforward statement that makes so much sense. We’ll set up two sacrifices and whichever god accepts them is God. Whoever proves himself to be a god is our God. Simple. And then for HOURS the prophets of Baal try to rouse his fire with zero results. Then its Elijah’s turn; he re-builds the altar with twelve stones and he douses the sacrifice with twelve jars of water, one for each tribe. Right before fire fell from heaven with a BAWOOF!!!! And the sacrifice and the water disappeared in flames!

Have you ever questioned if God is really there, is He really listening to me, does He really care about me? How can we know for certain? You’re not alone!

Abraham questioned God:

“O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” Genesis 15:8

Gideon questioned Him:

“If now I have found favor in Your eyes, then show me a sign that it is You who speaks with me.” Judges 6:17

And then again in Judges 6:36-40:

“Then Gideon said to God, ‘If You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said [if You will do what You’ve told me You would do], behold, I am laying a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand, as You have said.’ And it was so. When he rose early next morning and squeezed the fleece, he wrung enough dew from the fleece to fill a bowl of water. Then Gideon said to God, ‘Let not your anger burn against me; let me speak just once more. Please let me test just once more with the fleece. Please let it be dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground let there be dew.’ And God did so that night; and it was dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground there was dew.”

So here we have Elijah before all the people of Israel who have been worshiping Baal and Elijah calls out to God, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel [in case there was any confusion of who he was talking about], let it be known this day that You are God in Israel, and that I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that You, O LORD, are God, and that You have turned their hearts back.” 1 Kings 18:36-37

This prayer, I must admit, is the prayer of my heart today. “Lord, prove not only that You are God, but that I am Yours. Prove to these people around me and reading this that I am from You and that I don’t just write these things out of my own volition… prove it to me, Lord. I am Yours. Answer my many prayers that have been spoken in faith that You are God, that You do save and that You do heal. Help me to wait in faith that You have heard, that You will save and that You will heal. Help me to discipline my mind to believe Your word over what my eyes see around me and my ears hear! Help me to be like Elijah who didn’t let six reports of clear skies stop him from believing You were bringing the rain. You were with him and You are equally with me. Lord I believe, help me with my unbelief!

Lord, You taught me today that unbelief only comes out through fasting and prayer. You also taught me that like the Samaritan woman at the well, when You call me to ‘give You a drink’ it is because I should really be asking You for one. Thank You for pointing me in the direction of You, the Living Water, flowing in and through me. Lord, I thank You that You don’t ask anything of us, that You Yourself are not prepared to do for us! You don’t tell us to jump without lifting us over the hurdle as we go…when we ask.

Lord, we’re asking today for the supernatural supply we need to fulfill our callings. We are asking You Lord to lift us over this mountain staring us in the face. You are God, not if You are, You ARE God. You are MY God. My God in whom I trust. I trust You to be the Good Shepherd You say You are. I trust You to be the good Father You say You are. And I trust You to be the good Provider You say You are. Simply because You have proven Yourself trustworthy to me. You have proven Yourself faithful to me, time and time again. Help me to believe Your truth when everything around me lies. Help me to cling to the truth of Your word as the Enemy is doing everything in his power to wrench it from my hands. Father God, protect us from the wolves in sheep’s clothing, from the prophet’s who lie and tell us they’re from You when they’re not! Help us to discern who is truly from You and who is not. Jesus help us! We need You NOW! We need You HERE, with us in the midst of this storm. Please reach out Your voice and say ‘Peace; Be Still!’ Calm the turmoil in our souls! Cling to us when we have no strength left to cling to You. Lord, I know You do all these things anyway, but Your word says we have not because we ask not, so we’re asking, just in case!

Lord, thank You for being with us, for hearing and for answering our prayers. Give us strength as we wait upon You!

_____________________________________

Give a book bible button

I wanted to make you aware of some ministry updates. I am very excited to announce that I have a Mother’s Day speaking engagement scheduled for May 11th. I would LOVE to have books on hand for the women to buy, and even some to give away as gifts. However, the current funds in the ministry account are running drastically low. If you are able, I would love for you to prayerfully consider giving a book or Bible to someone who can’t afford one. If you are able, please click here!

Categories: 1 Kings, 365 Life, Waiting, Writing Through the Bible in a Year | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Given a Spirit

Posted on April 20, 2013 by Tamar

1 Kings 15:25 – 18:19

Word of the Day:

“As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand,” 1 Kings 18:15

I can be such a pushover sometimes, I always have been. Honestly, I‘m amazed that I made it all the way through high school and college without ever being offered drugs, alcohol or a cigarette. My mom must have prayed a lot about that. As an adult, the pressures aren‘t the same, but they’re still there. Now we‘ve got commercials filled with Weight Watchers telling us to “diet”, hair color telling us to “dye it”, fast food restaurants telling us to “eat here”. It‘s enough to make a girl go absolutely insane trying to figure out the best balance for life! Everything that surrounds us day in and day out pulls at us from every possible side in a constant tug of war where we‘re the rope! We are making decisions from moment to moment and those decisions can affect the course of the rest of our lives! So how can we know what the best decision is in each moment, for ourselves as well as our families?

We trust God. In several of my Bible Study readings this week the Word has spoken of God leading His people. He “teach[es] them the good way in which they should walk” (1 Kings 8:36). “May He not leave us or forsake us, that He may incline our hearts to Him, to walk in all His ways…” (1 Kings 8:57-58) “For it was a turn of affairs brought about by the LORD that He might fulfill His word,” (1 Kings 12:15)

God has directed me to 2 Timothy 1:7 NASB for my memory scripture this week. “For God has not given us a Spirit of timidity [or fear], but of power and love and discipline.” I am going to be holding this one close to the heart, as a shield! Those who are in Christ, those who have chosen Him as their Savior have been made new. They have been born again and given the Holy Spirit of Jesus to live within them. He has promised never to leave us or forsake us. His Spirit leads us and is always there to consult for any decision large or small. He is a personal God that cares about the things you care about… because you care about them. And if you feel God’s Spirit leading you to do something and it’s against the social norms or peer pressures around you; know that you have not been given a timid Spirit that is afraid to do what God leads you to do. You have been given a Spirit that will supply you with the power to stand tall and do what you’re called to do, a love for what you are doing and for whom you are doing it and the discipline to get the job done.

Hallelujah!

___________________________________________

Give a book bible button

I wanted to make you aware of some ministry updates. I am very excited to announce that I have a Mother’s Day speaking engagement scheduled for May 11th. I would LOVE to have books on hand for the women to buy, and even some to give away as gifts. However, the current funds in the ministry account are running drastically low. If you are able, I would love for you to prayerfully consider giving a book or Bible to someone who can’t afford one. If you are able, please click here!

Categories: 1 Kings, 365 Life, Waiting, Writing Through the Bible in a Year | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Reconciled

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Tamar

1 Kings 13:1 – 15:24

Word of the Day

: “…My servant David, who kept My commandments and followed Me with all his heart, doing only that which was right in My eyes,” 1 Kings 14:8

This is a phrase that God has repeated multiple times throughout our reading lately and I’ve wanted to comment on it, but haven’t had the perfect opportunity until today. You see, if we skip ahead to another verse where someone else is talking about David we read:

“because David did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and did not turn aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.” 1 Kings 15:5

Do you see the stark difference between the way God sees things and the way we see things? Well, let me back up a bit for anyone unfamiliar with Uriah the Hittite. Solomon’s mother was Bathsheba, her first husband was Uriah the Hittite. Uriah was off at war when, one night, Bathsheba was taking a bath. David was out on his roof taking a stroll, saw her bathing and wanted her for his own. So he sent guards to her house to bring her to him. Lo and behold Bathsheba gets pregnant and in order to hide what has happened and in some way make things “right” David orders Uriah to the front lines of battle where he is killed. So now David has adultery and a murder on his hands. The prophet Nathan confronts David with his sin and David confesses “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.” (2 Samuel 12:13-14)

God IMMEDIATELY forgave David of adultery and MURDER. And now here we are generations later and God is talking about David’s sins – no more… but his relatives are!

My grandmother gave us a full set of silverware for a wedding present. We hadn’t been back from the honeymoon an entire month when one morning I was making my husband’s breakfast for him. I took a bagel out of the freezer and couldn’t seem to get the two halves apart, so I grabbed one of our brand new serrated table knives out of the drawer and tried piercing the bagel apart. Well, long story short, I ended up slicing the bagel and my thumb open. Three stitches later we stopped buying frozen bagels. Here we are, almost THIRTEEN years later and if I’m at a party with a knife in my hand someone will still say something like “can we trust you with that? You did cut yourself with a butter knife after all.” Ugh!!! Why can’t they just forget it already?

Do you see what I mean? I’m sure you probably have a story just like that too, a tale of unforgotten woe and embarrassment, we all do. Our family and sometimes our friends just love to remind us of our mistakes and shortcomings and even our sins. But Jesus doesn’t. He reminds us of the forgiveness of God in His blood.

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (2 Corinthians 3:17) I don’t know about you my friend, but my spirit gave a leap of joy when I read that!

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:17-21)

When we receive Jesus as our Savior, and His Holy Spirit who comes and dwells in our hearts we have been made NEW! The old you has died and gone away and the NEW YOU HAS COME! In Christ on the cross God reconciled the whole world (including you) to Himself. And just like God told David, “I have put away your sin”, He tells us that our trespasses (or sins or iniquities) are counted against us no more! For your sake God made Jesus to carry your sins for you. Jesus, “Who knew no sin” was made sin, “so that in Him WE might become the righteousness of God.” Now if that’s not good news then I don’t know what is!

Because Jesus died for us, we all have died to sin and condemnation. Because we are in Him and His Spirit is in us there is freedom!

FREEDOM!!!

Can you imagine being free from those embarrassing stories everyone remembers and tells about you? But even better is being free from the sin that so easily entangles and hinders us from true intimacy with God. Not because He’s holding it against us, but because we’re still remembering it and holding it against ourselves.

Today let’s hit the delete button on our sins! Let’s allow the Holy Spirit to come, cleanse us with the water of the Word and wash away even the memory of those things.

If God doesn’t remember them anymore, should we???

___________________________________________

Give a book bible button

I wanted to make you aware of some ministry updates. I am very excited to announce that I have a Mother’s Day speaking engagement scheduled for May 11th. I would LOVE to have books on hand for the women to buy, and even some to give away as gifts. However, the current funds in the ministry account are running drastically low. If you are able, I would love for you to prayerfully consider giving a book or Bible to someone who can’t afford one. If you are able, please click here!

Categories: 1 Kings, 365 Life, Waiting, Writing Through the Bible in a Year | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

New Garments

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Tamar

1 Kings 10:23 – 12:33

Word of the Day:

“Ahijah had dressed himself in a new garment…” 1 Kings 11:29

I just had to share this one today! From the idea, of the cost of following Jesus yesterday, to the cost of a new garment today! I found it highly significant that God would provide such a great example.

Here we have Ahijah the prophet, all dressed up in his new duds, headed out to meet Jeroboam. And as they meet the Lord leads Ahijah to tear his new outfit into 12 pieces, one for each tribe. Ugh! I’d call that a high cost of delivering God’s messages! Yet, how many people in those days got called to be filled with God’s Spirit and speak His words? Not many! So, I’d say the cost was worth the privilege.

The second reason I had to choose this verse was simply the word new! A new creation, a new garment, it’s just all too perfect! But even more perfect is God’s amazing timing. This morning before I started my reading, I read Beth Moore’s blog where she recommended “trading a spirit of despair for a garment of praise”. And I could feel my heart smile as I read it. Even as I write it again, I’m smiling. God doesn’t want us to have a spirit of Despair, but of Joy!

In the story of blind Bartimaeus, we see him calling out to Jesus for healing. Jesus hears his cries and says “come”. Bartimaeus throws off his cloak and goes to Jesus to receive his healing. (Mark 10:46-52)

Today I’m proposing we do likewise. Let’s tear off, tear up, remove the spirit of Despair that has been plaguing us and let’s go to Jesus in Joy to receive our healing! Let’s put on a garment of praise for His name’s sake. Let’s sing a new song because we have been made a new creation in Christ Jesus. Let’s enter His gates with thanksgiving and enter His courts with praise. We bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord. We will offer up to Him the sacrifices of thanksgiving! And they are sacrifices my friends. Praise and Joy are harder when we don’t feel like singing… but therein lies the sweet aroma of sacrifice. I have found that when I am in my deepest lowest moments, songs of praise are the best way to pull me out of it. I will take my MP3 player and my headphones and lay on my bed just listening. I’ll put the player on shuffle and let God pick the songs. And wouldn’t you know it; He always picks the best ones! Usually I find myself listening to the first two or three, but then that third or fourth one really hits the nerve that hurts and I will play it over and over until I know every single word and I’m signing them all as loud as I can!

There’s a reason there are 150 Psalms in the Bible! It’s because music soothes, ask David and Saul (1 Samuel 16:23)! There is nothing new under the sun, no human emotion that someone who writes songs hasn’t written about yet. We comfort with the comfort we’ve been given. Someone out there has been through the very thing you’re going through and they’ve written a song to go with it. Their song, or Psalm, can and will comfort you. Ask God to help you find it so that you can offer up the sacrifices of praise.

He will help you through this.

_______________________________________________________________

Give a book bible button

I wanted to make you aware of some ministry updates. I am very excited to announce that I have a Mother’s Day speaking engagement scheduled for May 11th. I would LOVE to have books on hand for the women to buy, and even some to give away as gifts. However, the current funds in the ministry account are running drastically low. If you are able, I would love for you to prayerfully consider giving a book or Bible to someone who can’t afford one. If you are able, please click here!

Categories: 1 Kings, 365 Life, Waiting, Writing Through the Bible in a Year | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Soldiers

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Tamar

1 Kings 8:33 – 10:22

Word of the Day:

“You teach them the good way in which they should walk, and grant rain upon Your land, which You have given to Your people as an inheritance.” 1 Kings 8:36

As I mentioned yesterday, I’ve been struggling with some demons lately; big fat hairy ones that just don’t seem to want to leave me alone. I went to lunch with my daughter at school this afternoon, marching through those hallowed halls with a big red “VISITOR” sticker on my belly always makes me smile. (Don’t ask why I don’t put it on my chest like everyone else, I don’t know myself… perhaps just simply to be different…) Anyway, as I stood there in line with the Kindergarteners waiting to go to recess they began to ask me to stay and go to recess with them. I’ve only been to recess once with Anna, so why they chose today to beg me to stay, I’m not quite sure, but I think it might be related to something big and hairy… Because what happened next, well, I hope I never forget it! You see I have this thing called Mommy guilt that I deal with constantly where I doubt my every choice as a mother. Did I do the right thing? Was I too harsh on them? Was I not stern enough? Did I send enough food for their lunches? The questions plague me, perhaps like the Queen of Sheba with Solomon…

As I walked out of the school, not having stayed for recess, I felt incredibly guilty for not staying. All I had to do at home was study and write, how important is that anyway compared to extra time with my little girl? Oh, I can not get started down that path or I may never find my way back out!!!

Last night I was reading a blog I recently subscribed to where he shared a Facebook conversation between two individuals about a third individual that just happens to be a pastor and runs a local gas station. You can click here to view the blog, it’s quite good. But part of Darrell‘s comment on this conversation struck me. “I commend men of God who shepherd small flocks and pay for the privilege of doing so with their own labor outside of the ministry.” There is so much truth in this one sentence! There is a COST of ministry. There is a cost for spreading the message of the gospel. There is a cost, a cross to bear, a thorn in the side if you will, whatever you call it there’s a price to pay to be in Christ. Why, because the Enemy hates Him. It’s as simple as that. The Enemy hates Jesus, and because we are united with Him the Enemy hates us.

If you want to get someone really smokin’ mad, say something negative about their spouse or their kids. Want to go a step further, injure or harm them instead. And what is it that the Enemy does again, well one of his most popular names is “the Accuser” (saying negative things about the children of God). Jesus also tells us that the Enemy comes to steal kill and destroy (injuring them).

So here I am, getting into my car headed home to work on this very post, feeling like crud because I didn’t stay and play with my daughter and her friends. Had I just been there for 45 minutes eating lunch with them? Yes. Was I thinking about that at the moment? No. God has blessed me with the ability to even GO to lunch with my kids that in itself is immeasurably more than most moms these days get to do! Was I focusing on that at the moment? No. Instead I was focusing on the cost, the price I was paying to do the very thing God has called me to do. Write to you, my friends.

I came home and as I walked in the front door and hung up my keys I could feel the turmoil boiling up in me again. You know that turmoil that makes God sound fuzzy like a radio that’s out of tune. I had been dealing with the fuzzy turmoil for a long time and during the fast I realized that it had gone away, then just this morning it started again. By the time I got home it had gotten so loud that I could stand it no more. And as I went to throw my shoes in the basket next to the door I looked into the mirror on the wall and said, “Lord, I need a name. I know that this demon will leave when I tell him to, but I want a name. It’s not Doubt, it’s different than that….” and through the din in my spirit I heard it, “Uncertainty”. “That’s it! Uncertainty! I’m not doubting right now, I’m uncertain! Well, in Jesus’ name, Uncertainty you must leave me immediately and Certainty, COME!”

Just that helped, but I wasn’t done yet! God was about to pour out some Certainty for me. J Hallelujah!

I had been watching a sermon on 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” I really wanted to get this one. I really yearned to more fully understand the concept of becoming a “new creation”. It’s a hard concept! When I accept Christ, I become “new” yet I don’t look any different. I’ve been “born again” but how is that possible? (Right Nicodemus? John 3:4) And what exactly does it mean to be “in Christ” and how do I do that? So many questions Queen of Sheba! But the one who made Solomon wise, lives in me through Christ’s death and His Holy Spirit and I can talk to Him and ask Him anything at any time!

So like a three year old with so many “Why’s”, I went to my Daddy in prayer and asked Him all these things. Oh my friends, His answer was so simple! “Meditate on 2 Corinthians 5:17, memorize it, make it part of who you are. New.”

So I opened up my ESV Bible and looked it up and wrote it down. And usually my method of memorizing a verse is to just write it down over and over again until I’ve got it sunk in real good. But this time was different. I hadn’t checked out other translations yet to see if any of them resounded with me better than the ESV. And this is where the real transformation started to take place. So, because it was so special for me, I’m going to share with you my page I was writing on.

And in case you can’t read the picture or just want to put your eyes on them yourself, here are some links:

2 Cor 5:17 English Standard Version, Message, Contemporary English Version, Good News Bible and the Easy Readers Version.

If you’ll notice in the picture of the paper, I have a couple of side notes between the translations. These are things that the Holy Spirit spoke to me and told me to write down. The first note is a song lyric from Britt Nicole’s song “All This Time“. The Holy Spirit has sung this lyric to me many many times over the last few years. “Well I’m not the same me, and that’s all the proof I need.” And it has rung true every single time. My entire self has changed since receiving Christ and His Holy Spirit. I was quite young when I accepted Christ into my heart so I’ve truly grown up in Christ. But now as an adult who has accepted the gift of the Holy Spirit and a call into ministry through writing about my journey through life with Christ, I have begun to question many of the things that I simply accepted as truth when I was younger. I blindly believed everything that anyone would tell me about God. Not any more! My eyes have been opened to the false prophets of this world; the wolves in sheep’s clothing and holy robes. The day I asked the Holy Spirit to come and fill me, well He changed me so completely that I am not the same me I used to be and that really is all the proof I need. At least it should be anyway. But I’m learning that Uncertainty can come and really mess with your head on things that used to be certain in your mind. It’s one thing to doubt new information; it’s another to go through bit by bit and question the old information. That’s hard. But I’ve done it! And I am so much better for it in the end! Because like I said, I’ve been changed by the testing of my faith. I now know WHY I believe what I believe and not just that I believe them because someone told me I should. I have intellectual roots in my faith, the very things that will keep me grounded in that faith when the storms of life come along. Remember those little plants in the parable of the Sower and the Seed? Those roots will hold you together when life feels like it’s falling apart. Remember the story of Joseph? He stored up grain, or seed – the Word of God, during the good times in order to use it during the famine – or tests of life.

The second note that God had me write down was, “You are a new person, whether you choose to live like one is up to you.” I started this little adventure today with a demon on my back; a demon that I have been given dominion over. I am in Christ, He is THE commander, and principalities MUST obey Him and therefore us, because we are in Him. Have you ever seen a parent who lets their child walk all over them? That parent is not claiming their rightful place as an authority over their child. In the same way, those who do not claim their rightful place as an authority over the principalities of this world will be walked all over by them. The conversation on Darrell’s blog drew my attention to 2 Timothy 2:4 where the word “soldier” stuck in my head. Like a tiny seed that has grown through this day and has begun to take root throughout this lesson. While I was praying for understanding on being “in Christ” and a “new creation” God said to me, “Soldier of the Living God, that’s you.”

We are soldiers of the Living God! In our reading today I was overwhelmed by the symbolism in it! Picture Solomon as God the Father.

The Israelites are us, look at 1 Kings 9:22 “But of the people of Israel, Solomon made no slaves. They were the soldiers, they were his officials, his commanders, his captains, his chariot commanders and his horsemen.”

Turn your attention to the story of Jesus and the faith of the Centurion, or soldier. Matthew 8:5-13

Look at verse 9 where the Centurion explains the way things work in the kingdom of God and here on earth. “For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, “Go,” and he goes, and to another, “Come,” and he comes, and to my servant, “Do this,” and he does it.” God is in charge of us, but we are in charge of pretty much everything else. We have been given dominion over this world and everything in it that has never changed since the Garden of Eden. Only now, we have moved up the ladder of authority from son of Adam, to Son of God. There is absolutely nothing on this earth that is not under our authority. When we notice some Enemy activity going on in the world around us, it is our job to call it out, to speak (out loud) against it. (The angels and demons can’t read your minds.) Hebrews 1:14 tells us, “Are they not all ministering spirits (angels) sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?”

Right now, somewhere in your near vicinity, there is at least one angel just waiting, poised in preparation, to carry out your commands to defend and protect God’s children and the things that matter to them. I don’t want you to read this and think that we are surrounded constantly by demons alone. Oh no!!!! We each have been assigned our own personal angels to guard and protect us, AND to carry out our instructions. “Lord, please protect my children today at school” I picture it as though my angel hears my prayer, and passes it along to my children’s angels, at least that’s the picture the Centurion gives us anyway. You see he knew that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God, commander of the angel army. He knew that Jesus didn’t have to walk all the way across town to his house in order to heal his servant, he could simply speak the word and the angels would do the rest.

If you have spoken your allegiance to Jesus and asked for Him to come and live in your heart, then you are “in Christ” and He is “in you”. Because He is in you, you have become the temple of the Holy Spirit of the Living God. And tell me dear friend, as the temple of a Holy God is an unholy demon allowed anywhere near you? Absolutely not! You have been given the seal of the Holy Spirit, you are married to Jesus the King of kings, you have been given the honor and position of being able to sign His name on formal official documents and you have not only the right but the job of telling those demons to BACK OFF! Get out! Go Away! Report to Jesus (the commander and judge)! And anything else you can think of to tell them! They are under your command and they are, even more importantly, under your feet, tell them where to go and what to do and how to do it. Return to hell from where you came, in Jesus’ name! Hold up that shield of faith that your Father gave you and use it against the one firing missiles of destruction and lies at you. God’s faithfulness is our shield and rampart, and like the wall that Solomon built around Jerusalem, He protects us. But seeing as how we are in an ongoing centuries long spiritual war, there have been casualties, there are pains that cost us dearly in this battle, but we don’t have to take them lying down. We need to use them to fuel us up! Allow the pains of this world to cause us to rise up in battle and fight the Enemy with a ferocity that he’s never seen before. Be that person that when your feet hit the floor in the morning Satan says, “Aw crap, she’s up!”

Rise up Soldier of the Living God, your time has come, fight. The battle is yours, saith the Lord. Because He “will fight for you, you need only to be still”. (Exodus 14:14)

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Give a book bible button

I wanted to make you aware of some ministry updates. I am very excited to announce that I have a Mother’s Day speaking engagement scheduled for May 11th. I would LOVE to have books on hand for the women to buy, and even some to give away as gifts. However, the current funds in the ministry account are running drastically low. If you are able, I would love for you to prayerfully consider giving a book or Bible to someone who can’t afford one. If you are able, please click here!

Categories: 1 Kings, 365 Life, Waiting, Writing Through the Bible in a Year | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Naked

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Tamar

1 Kings 7:1 – 8:32

Word of the Day:

“O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like You, in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to your servants who walk before You with all their heart,” 1 Kings 8:23

It may come as no surprise to you that God and I have been talking a lot lately. I’ve been angry with Him… maybe you noticed… and I’ve been letting Him know about it. And while I was acting like a small child stomping her feet in anger at not getting her way, our ever patient God, just waited out my fury. I’ve been feeling led lately to fast, perhaps simply because it’s Lent, maybe not, but this past Monday morning I gave in and started a complete fast – water only. On that first day of the fast I wrote about the frozen fence and finding beauty in the blech. Friends, that was the first picture I’ve taken in weeks! But the healing it brought was immense. I don’t know why photography does that to me, but it’s amazing. I can be in the cruddiest mood, go out with my camera on the hunt for “the shot” and come back a different person, having gotten what I went out for and so much more. I guess it’s my way of stopping and smelling the roses or being still and knowing that He is God by celebrating His creation.

Anyway, while I was fasting the second day I worked feverishly to prepare the new blog to house this Bible Study. I was compelled by the love of Christ to share this thing we’re calling 365 Life. It has completely changed my life! In far less than 365 days too J. It was when I fasted from the voices of the world and ate ONLY the word of God, with nothing but the Holy Spirit to guide me to all truth did I discover the radiance of God’s Grace.

From that moment on, I’ve wanted nothing more than to share that revelation with you every day. Jesus said He was the manna from heaven, our daily bread and that’s the truth! We need reminded of His Amazing Grace every day lest the Enemy come and steal it from our hearts, because he does! So, while my flesh wants to apologize for these last few days of anger, I won’t because I know the Holy Spirit has told me to be raw and naked and honest with Him and with you. Why, because, that’s how we connect the best with one another. You can’t have sex with your clothes still on and you can’t connect with God with your spiritual armor on either. You’ve got to take it all off at the door. And that’s what I was fighting Him on, being naked and vulnerable with you. That was the end of the fast, giving into the message He was sending me, “be vulnerable with them so that they can connect with Me through you.”

There is so much in this reading that I would LOVE to share with you theologically, but I only get to do one verse today and this is it. I only get to write for 30 minutes and my time is up. I ask for your prayers for me, I can use all of them I can get! Have a great day in the Lord my friends, I love you so much more than you could know!!!

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Just in case you’re curious, the “new blog to house this study” has gotten pushed to the side. It’s still there, but I’m not using it currently – as beautiful as it is. God told me to build up not out, so that I wouldn’t water myself down. So I “enlarged my tent pegs” right where I am and made more room.

On a side note: I wanted to make you aware of some ministry updates. I am very excited to announce that I have a Mother’s Day speaking engagement scheduled for May 11th. I would LOVE to have books on hand for the women to buy, and even some to give away as gifts. However, the current funds in the ministry account are running drastically low. If you are able, I would love for you to prayerfully consider giving a book or Bible to someone who can’t afford one. If you are able, please click here! Give a book bible button

Categories: 1 Kings, 365 Life, Waiting, Writing Through the Bible in a Year | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Week 3 Video Guide

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Tamar

Samson

Week 3 Video Guide Printable


“And Samson said, ‘Let me die with the Philistines.’ Then he bowed with all his strength and the house fell upon the lords and upon the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life.” Judges 16:30

-Turn to Judges 13 and the story of Samson so that you can read along.

-What is Samson’s mother not to eat? “drink no ______ or ______ drink, and eat nothing ______” Why? “for the child shall be a ______ to ______ from the womb to the day of his death.”

-Manoah never doubted the word of the Lord, how can we draw strength from his story? What notes can we take that might lead us to walk with more faith in our own lives?

-God’s name is Wonderful and He is the God of wonders, what does that mean to you personally?

-What “inciting incidents” have occurred in your life lately? What “horrible things” have been done or have happened to you that may be leading you down an unexpected road to Egypt in order to save lives?

-The Israelites bound Samson and gave him over to the Philistines, how is that any different than killing him themselves? If you hire a hit man to kill someone, you are still found guilty of murder, though you didn’t commit the murder yourself. Think about this in a spiritual sense, as a brother or sister in Christ, have you ever bound someone and handed them over to the Enemy? Has anyone ever done that to you? How would that happen anyway?

-“then the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon him and the ropes that were on his arms became as flax that has caught fire, and his bonds melted off his hands.” The imagery of this verse calls me back to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace. They too were bound hand and foot when they were thrown into the fire, yet when they emerged their clothes nor their hair smelled like smoke. The only change to their appearance was that the ropes that had bound them had been burned off. Have you been bound and thrown into a furnace of life? Know this, the angel of the LORD – Jesus, is with you in that fire. In what ways has His presence been with you and comforted you in this time?

-How are your bindings being burned off?

-What things in your life do you see as useless that God may be trying to use for your good?

-Know this, YOU are not useless. I am learning that this is the Enemy’s ploy against us. Satan wants us to believe that we are useless in the eyes of the LORD, yet nothing could be further from the Truth. We are God’s own flesh and blood and Spirit and so much more valuable to Him than we could ever think or imagine. Believe this, God wants to use you in a mighty way my friend. Perhaps through this very circumstance that life is handing you now…

-The Israelites as they came out of Egypt and were stuck between the Red Sea and the Egyptian army, they saw no hope for life. They saw no way out of the mess they were in. They said to Moses, “were there not enough graves in Egypt that you brought us out here to die”. Little did they know or understand that they were on the verge of the largest miracle they had ever or would ever see. They didn’t know that their God could part the sea; He had never done that before. All they knew was what was right in front of them, trouble headed their way and fast. But Moses, he looked to God. The One who makes ways where there are no ways. The One who sees and the One who Saves. This place that you’re in, where it looks hopeless and deadly, are you standing on the edge of the Red Sea on the verge of parting? Is God, perhaps, about to do something that He’s never done before? Raise your eyes above your circumstances. He is with you and not against you. And because God is with you then WHO or WHAT can be against you? Like Samson ripping the gates off the hinges at Hebron, is God about to rip some closed doors open for you, part some sea, light up a new path?

-Delilah was desperate to discover the source of Samson’s great strength, but we know it don’t we?

-The Spirit of the LORD is our great strength as well! Delilah has told these lords over and over again that she knew the source of Samson’s strength, only to have it be discovered that she did not. Yet she did not give up in seeking his source of strength. She was persistent in a way that many of us can glean from today. Because the very thing that she was seeking is something, someONE whom we are told to seek while He still can be found. We too should seek after the gift of the Holy Spirit diligently, because God is willing and generous in the gifting of the Holy Spirit!

-It is significant that the story mentions Delilah tormenting him before his strength left him. What does 1 John 4:18 tells us about torment and strength?

The love that it speaks of is God’s agape, unconditional, love. Not our love for Him, His love for us. In His love for us there is no fear. Rather, when we are focused on His infinite love for us, His love causes our fears to flee.

-Was Samson’s weakened state permanent?

Neither is our own state of emergency. It is not permanent, it is but a brief and momentary trouble, and it will not last forever. Praise be to God!

-The Philistine lords called Samson in to “entertain” them; they called him in so that they could mock him and torment him. Is this very thing that causes their demise?

On the day that Jesus died on the cross the Enemy mocked Him and spit at Him, yet it was this very thing that caused Satan’s demise as well. And the very same is true for us. The Enemy taunts and mocks us like the Philistines mocked Samson and like Goliath mocked David. However, the very rock he uses to trip us is the rock we use to slay him! Satan has no power over you!

Categories: 1 Kings, 365 Life, Waiting, Writing Through the Bible in a Year | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Beauty

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Tamar

1 Kings 3:16 – 6:38

Word of the Day: “And the king said, ‘Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.’ Then the woman whose son was alive said to the king, because her heart yearned for her son, ‘Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means put him to death.’ But the other said, ‘He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him.’ Then the king answered and said, ‘Give the living child to the first woman, and by no means put him to death; she is the mother.'” 1 Kings 3:25-27

The day was dreary and dismal as the rain pelted the roof reminding me that I had to go out. I had to go to the bank, and the water office and the post office, in this… blech! Little did I know what beauty awaited me, in this, the dreary and dismal. I pulled up the collar on my coat, took a deep breath and plunged into the cold wet day; freezing rain is no fun. What happened to the sun? It feels like years since we’ve seen it and played in its warm rays. Summer, are you ever coming back?

I get into the car to see the windshield covered in ice and breathe a prayer, “Lord, please don’t make me go out in that rain any more than I have to. Please let this ice come off with the wipers. Please.” One, two, three, click, YES! “THANK YOU JESUS!” The engine purrs as it pulls out of the muddy driveway and into the slush-filled street, here we go… blech! The song on the radio calls my attention, wasn’t this the song that I had stuck in my head all morning? Interesting Lord. They sing to me, “I know you’re out there, and I know you care, just like an angel watching over me…” and I wonder, really? Sometimes it’s hard to feel like God cares about me when it feels like everything around me is going wrong. Hmmm… maybe the weather just has me in a bad mood, I know God cares…right?

As I pull into the bank parking lot I thank God for the closest parking spot being open, “Thank You Jesus!” Running on my tiptoes so that the back hems of my pants don’t get too wet I yank on the door and sigh, we’re here…again. I was just here yesterday, for the exact same errand, a cashier’s check for the mortgage… But I forgot all the paperwork and didn’t have any amounts, sooooo because it was ten minutes to closing time I had to leave empty handed and come back in this…blech. I walked up to the same teller as yesterday and smiled, “Let’s try this again shall we?” She grinned in recognition. While I was waiting for her to fill out all the appropriate paperwork I got started filling out my check for the water office and putting our return address on the envelope for the post office, might as well make the most of my time while I’m waiting, right? All finished I bid the teller, “Have a good day, and stay dry!” as I breathed deeply in preparation of the blast of cold air that was bound to greet me when I opened the door. It did, it was even stronger than when I had gone in. Leaning my hat into the wind I slid myself back into the driver’s seat of my car, grateful for the break in the wind allowing me to breathe again.

And then it happened, as I rounded the side of the building on my way out of the parking lot I saw it. My shoulders drooped as my photographer’s heart quickened. A frozen fence with fingers of ice dripping down… how much was this picture, this child of my heart, worth to me? My thoughts raced in disagreement, “I have two more places to go before home, I’ll get soaked, AND it’s freezing out there!” But my photographer’s heart would not be denied that perfect “babe” of a picture. So while my skin and brain were ranting, my hands shifted the car into reverse to pull into the nearest parking spot.

Five minutes and completely frozen fingers later, I re-entered the warmth of my dry car, sopping wet coat sticking to the back of the seat. I had it, that one great shot that takes several bad shots to get to; I had it! But what’s more, I had something else. To put a name on it, is difficult. Maybe the more I write the better I can explain it, but I didn’t get into that car with only a great picture, I had something else in tow too. Salvation.

Photography is a therapy for me, there’s something healing in the capturing of beauty in unexpected places. When I left my warm cozy spot on the couch (curled up in a blanket with the dog and my Bible) and ventured out into this dreary mess of a day, I wasn’t expecting to be greeted with beauty. I was going to the bank, and to pay bills! Yet Beauty found me all the same, and she called to me from a frozen fence in the rain. Was I willing to sacrifice the dry safety of my warm car to capture her? Was I willing to put my comfort on the line to take her home with me and share her with all of you? Honestly, not at first! But those desires that God plants in our hearts, they can’t be denied. They can’t be rebuffed forever. What God plants, God tends. Like the good shepherd that He is, He cares for His sheep…even when it doesn’t seem like He is. I know He’s out there, and I know that He cares. He is watching over me, and He’s watching over you.

The delight of taking that one good picture put a smile on my face that lasted all the way through the rest of my rainy day errands and on to home; where I came straight to my computer to look at it again, and it took my breath away.

There really is Beauty in the blech.

 

Categories: 1 Kings, 365 Life, Waiting, Writing Through the Bible in a Year | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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