November 22, 2024

Esther – Chapter 3:8-11

September 18, 2013 by

Haman the Agagite is an arrogant, prejudiced, hateful, bold-faced liar. He was given a position of honor by King Xerxes (Ahasuerus), but that wasn’t enough for him – he had to be worshipped, as well.  And when Haman wasn’t worshipped by Mordecai, he leveled a false charge of disobedience or insubordination against an entire race of people, wrapped it up in an ingratiating package that looked like loyalty and served it up to the king.  Deceived, the king obliged him.

Does Haman sound like anyone else you know??  May I speak Southern, ladies?  Haman is the devil.  (We call all manner of things “the devil” in the south that seek to do us harm – that nosey neighbor, preparing your taxes, cupcakes…. You get the picture.)  Now Haman is not LITERALLY the devil, but he has so many of Satan’s characteristics – elevated to a high place, yet wanting the worship due the King (God); arrogant; hate filled; a definite prejudice against God’s people and a liar.  In this book, Darlene reminds us of Job’s story, where Satan has an exchange with God about Job, and she calls him a tattletale of sorts; “… who puts God’s people in the worst possible light to discredit our faith as he seeks to tempt and destroy all believers” (page 39).  I do agree, but let’s call things as they are – Satan is known in the Bible as the accuser.

“Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ.  For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down”  (Revelation 12:10 NIV).

To accuse, per the dictionary, is to charge with a shortcoming or error, or charge with a wrongdoing, fault, offense or crime. Sounds pretty serious, doesn’t it?  Satan, per Revelation, stands before God day and night charging you and me with wrongdoings, with crimes against God, with faults. What did Haman say in verse 8?  “They do not obey the King’s laws; it is not in the King’s best interest to tolerate them.” (Esther 2:8, NIV) Furthermore, he suggests that he be allowed to destroy them (verse 9).  Unlike the King, God is not deceived! The blood of his son, Jesus, was willingly shed for you to save your life and make you a brand new person!  In Psalm 103:12, it says: “He (God) has removed our sins from us as far as the east is from the west.” (NLT)  Not perfect?  No problem!  In 1 John 1:9, John says that “If we confess our sins, he (God) is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (NIV)

Now hear me, sisters.  If Satan is working day and night to accuse us before God, and God’s not listening to him, who do you think believes Satan’s lying garbage?  We do.  What does Satan’s accusations look like?  Stop me when this sounds familiar: “You don’t obey God’s commands.”  You think God can love you with your past?”  “You’ll never be good enough.”  “You’ll never amount to anything.”  “You aren’t a very good Christian.”  “You’ve never finished anything you’ve started.  Why even try?”  “Do you really think you’re equipped to lead a small group/start a ministry/teach a class/make a difference?”  “God doesn’t care about you. Why bother?”  Lies, lies, LIES!!!   Satan is going to be punished for all eternity, and he’s trying to take everybody with him.  If he can’t get God to sign off on you (never happen!), then he’ll try  to get you to give up on God.

That’s why Ephesians 6:10-18 is so important .  It tells us how to shield ourselves “…against the devil’s schemes” (verse11).  This passage tells us about putting on “the armor of God.”  There are many ways that we can protect ourselves from Satan’s schemes, but only one way to fight back – with the Word of God, which is called the “sword of the Spirit” (verse 17).  When Satan whispers some lie in your ear, tell him (and remind yourself!) what ALMIGHTY GOD says about you!  You are LOVED (John 3:16) ! You are REDEEMED (Galatians 3:13, Psalm 107:2).  You are PERFECT (Psalms 139:13-14)!  You are a CHILD OF THE KING (1 John 3:1)!!

Enough, sisters!  Have you allowed Satan to accuse you of things that God refuses to hold against you, or even think about you?  No more!  If you see yourself as “less than,” let’s ask God to help you see the truth; you are royalty!  You are a child of the King!

 

Let’s pray:

Holy God, I thank You that You love me!  Thank you that You willingly sacrificed the life of Your son so that I can live eternally with You! God, I’ll be honest, sometimes it’s hard to see myself as You see me.  I see my faults, my failures, my attempts and where I don’t measure up. Sometimes I wonder if I will ever make a difference for Your kingdom, or if I’ll ever be good enough to be used by You.  And Satan is constantly attempting to drag me down!  Help me, Lord!   Help me to see my beauty given to me by You!

Help me to see the talents, giftings, and unique abilities that You have provided me by Your Holy Spirit.  Remind me, Lord, in ways that only You can, that I am Your child and am incredibly special.  Thank You for Your invaluable Word, Your infinite grace, wisdom and strength!  Thank You for every good and perfect gift that comes from You.

Shine Your light of love on me, Lord, so much that it pours out and strengthens others.  Help me to remember that through the blood of Your Son Jesus, Satan has NO POWER OVER ME!   Praise You, Lord!  Let my life be Your glory!  In Your Son’s name.

Amen

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Esther – Chapter 2:21-23

September 13, 2013 by

HeAlone_Wk_Spring

I would like to believe that I would be like Esther.   Although, I cannot promise I would.  If my own life  was on the line, would I be willing to stand up for my people, God’s people?  Of course, as a mom, I would lay down my life for my children and family.  But what about His kingdom? What would you do?

Esther, chapter 2, is a story about redeeming grace and like us, the king is searching vainly for something or someone in this case to fill the vacuum of his life. We are always seeking something to fill our hearts. Here is where Mordecai and Esther enter in:

Mordecai’s most important. His name means “little man,” humbled and laying aside his glory to save the king’s life.  Does he remind you of Someone else?  Jesus maybe?

Philippians 2:5-8

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God
something to be used to His own advantage;
rather He made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man,
He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death.

Mordecai resembles the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit, whose task is to exalt the One Who came to redeem man.  His specific work is to restore our fellowship with God, which has been lost. Mordecai does this throughout the story.

Our verses for today are Esther 2: 21-23.   This chapter closes with the account of how the king’s life is about to be spared because of Mordecai and Esther being brought into his life.  He is then delivered from a plot to end his life.

Evil enters the picture, as it does often from time to time.  It invades the minds of men.  This betrayal is a perfect example of how the enemy is at work, trying to impress evil into our thoughts and into our minds.  All the while, completely trying to destroy the glory of God’s purpose in man’s life.  We all know this force too well, unfortunately.  This force is at work right now in your kingdom and in mine.  Aren’t our souls the prize in this spiritual warfare?  The enemy tries to strike, but Mordecai hears about the plot and the ones who had planned it are carried out and hung on a tree.

Colossians 2:12-14

For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized.  And with Him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, Who raised Christ from the dead.  You were dead because of your sins and because  your sinful nature was not yet cut away.  Then God made you alive with Christ, for He forgave all our sins.  He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.

We know the evil one threatens to overcome us—and we know how this will end for him.  We are all Christians and we’ve all known what it’s like to live restless and to live without God.  We have all searched for something to make us happy and to satisfy some need or emptiness.  And now we know, He alone satisfies and He alone breathes life back into us.  We, too, have been delivered, just like the king.  Our lives have been spared because the One was nailed to the tree and was made a public example for all of us. We, too, will begin to experience the deliverance that God has intended for our lives.

Have you begun to experience this yet? If so, would you be so courageous as to share?

 

Let’s Pray:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for this study and for the work You are doing in each of our lives.  We thank You for delivering us from our own death by sending Jesus to die on the Cross in our place.  He took the fall for us.  Lord, keep revealing to us anything that may divide us from You and keep us from clearly hearing Your voice.  Bring to the light whatever it is and may we lay it at Your feet and be free, so that we may not have any distractions.  We love You and we praise You.  In Jesus’ name we pray.

Amen.

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“Esther” – Chapter 1:16-19

September 5, 2013 by

Week1_IfWeDontSubmit_ClellaFox

The party is over! The king is angry, the court officials are appalled, and the queen is realizing that she made a big mistake!

King Xerxes in his anger and frustration turned to his court advisors to figure out what to do considering Queen Vashti’s disobedience. Memucan, one of the advisors, might have stood up and said, “Good king, ‘no man/woman is an island!’ What the queen did affected not just you but your whole kingdom!”

It is true for us as well. What we do or don’t do has an effect on others around us. The Word exhorts us in Romans 13:5, that “everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities….” And in Hebrews 13:17 it says, “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority.” We are also told in I Timothy 4:12 to “set an example for the believers…” and in I Thessalonians 1:7-8 [to be] ”a model to all the believers….”

If we don’t submit to our authorities, why should we expect others to submit? A simple example would be obeying the speed limits. To obey them is to submit to the Transportation Authority that has set those limits for our safety. If we don’t submit to that authority and don’t obey the limits, why should we expect our youth when they start driving to submit to and obey the limits? Others are watching our example and are likely to follow us–even possibly to a greater extent.

Remember the saying, “Actions speak louder than words?” Well, these are the things that Memucan was so concerned about when he said,

For this deed of the queen shall become known to all women, and so shall they despise their husbands…There will be no end of disrespect and discord. (verse 17)

He was greatly concerned that others would follow Vashti’s example to even greater extremes. Therefore, to stop that potential fallout there had to be consequences for her actions. She lost favor with the king, she lost her position of respect, and she lost those precious possessions that go along with the position. The punishment corresponded to the crime: she wouldn’t go before the king–so she was denied access to the king from that point on.

Now remembering that King Xerxes was a foreshadow of a greater King, Jesus, we need to recognize Vashti as a foreshadow of the Jewish people. Time and again the Jews refused to submit to God’s commandments. They chose to “do their own thing.” And thus they lost favor with God and were even separated from Him by exile to foreign lands. As with Vashti, the punishment corresponded to the crime.

When Jesus came, he came to be the Jews’ King. Through His example, His teachings, and His miracles, He tried to draw the Jews to Himself. Matthew 23:37  says, “I longed to gather your children together…and you were not willing”—you would not submit.

Our author, Darlene, writes, “righteousness is conformity to God’s laws,” —submitting to God’s Will and God’s Way. I think of righteousness as “being in right standing with God.” But most of us, like the Jews, like to do things our own way. Surely we are good enough. We do good deeds! Vashti thought her beauty and position were enough to sustain her! We, as Vashti did, try to define our own righteousness by our own rules. “Beauty is only skin deep,” and so is our “goodness” unless we come before God in submission and in faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22, 4:3-5).

If Vashti had come in submission before the King it would have shown everyone that she trusted him. It would have put her in “right standing” with the king. Perhaps he would have presented her with some lovely gift or a new royal robe! In Matthew 22:1-14 (the parable of the wedding banquet) many were invited to come but most refused to attend. They were doing their “own thing” and didn’t have time for the king’s banquet. Others came and accepted the wedding garment and enjoyed the party. The man in verses 11 and 12 refused to submit to the king and his offer of security and right standing (righteousness) and, like Vashti, he was forever separated from the one who wanted to save him (verse 13).

ALL of us are invited to Christ’s banquet, but only those prepared can come and stay. For us, the garment represents our covering of righteousness provided through our faith in Jesus Christ to make us acceptable in God’s presence. God wants to clothe us with His robe of righteousness. He wants us to sit with Him in His heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:6).  Have you accepted God’s invitation?  Have you submitted to Him and allowed Him to clothe you with His robe of righteousness?  If not, do it today, and join the greatest banquet ever!

*****

Let’s Pray:

Dear Lord,

Today we are reminded that our submission to You, our King, makes the difference between separation from you or being welcomed into Your presence. Help us, Lord, to also remember that what we do or don’t do does affect others. Thank You, Jesus, for offering through Your shed blood Your robe of righteousness. We cannot earn it and certainly don’t deserve it, but You are offering it to us freely as we have faith in You. We submit our lives to You, and ask You to clothe us with Your robe of righteousness.  Thank You.  In Jesus’ Name.

Amen.

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“Esther” Chapter 1:10-15

September 4, 2013 by

Week 1_dailysubmission_Caddell

“But when the attendants delivered the king’s command, Queen Vashti refused to come” (Esther 1:12, NIV).  Here we see the pivotal action that paved the way for Esther to come onto the scene in the next chapter.  Disobedience or a refusal to submit.

I’ll have to admit…for a long time I’ve sided with Queen Vashti!  What was so wrong??  I wouldn’t want to be the only woman in a room full of men that have been drinking for seven days (really, seven days??), would you?  According to some Jewish historians, Vashti was to appear wearing only her crown.  To me, her refusal seemed appropriate, if not a way to protect herself.  I would bet that for any number of women that have read this story, each one would have thought of a reason that the Queen’s actions were justified.  However, Darlene makes a great point, and this is the kicker: “…the scripture doesn’t give us any valid reason she didn’t.  So making excuses for her would be speculation at best” (page 13).  So there it is.  If the Bible wanted the Queen’s actions to be justified, then a valid reason would have been given for her refusal, but we don’t have one.  The simple truth is: Vashti was given a command which she refused.  We see later in the chapter that she is punished – stripped of her role and privileges.

This made me wonder.  How often does God give us a command that we don’t want to obey?  Just like reading about Queen Vashti, we want to justify her disobedience and ours through the filter of our own wishes.  God commands us to submit – to our husbands, to the will of Jesus – and we give reasons (excuses, really) of why we shouldn’t.  I know many of us have difficult husbands! Some of us have husbands that are abusive, indifferent, not in line with the will of God.  Many of us see God as a difficult taskmaster, a commander, one who is angry with us.  It’s hard to willingly allow ourselves to submit to the will of someone who may not have our best interests at heart, isn’t it?  On the other hand, some of us are simply not interested in being submissive!  It feels “archaic,” as if we are supposed to be weak doormats to be walked on, when we are strong, liberated, independent women – right?  I’m my husband’s partner, not his slave.   All justifiable feelings, ladies, but let’s look at the Scripture again.

“But when the attendants delivered the king’s command, Queen Vashti refused to come.”  The King commanded.  She refused.  We really do treat God the same way.  He gives us commandments.  Some we obey…some we flat out refuse.  Can we be honest with ourselves?   If we don’t want to do what God commands, then we don’t do it.  I’m not trying to be harsh, it’s just the truth!   If we want to improve, if we want to become less so that God can become more within us, then we have to start thinking about submission from God’s perspective, and not from the world’s perspective.  Here’s more truth for you – GOD LOVES YOU!!!  All day, every day.  He wants what is best for you. He wants you to have a beautiful, joyful, powerful, abundant life. When you can really wrap your head around the fact that God loves you, then it makes it much easier to submit to His commands – because they are not burdensome (I John 5:3); they are in your best interest!

Consider the ultimate example of submission, Jesus.  He obeyed, even to the point of death (Philippians 2:8)! Would you consider Him a doormat?  Weak?  A slave?  I would think not. Was His life free from conflict?  No.  Did he have to do things He would have preferred not to do?  Yes.  Jesus lived His life as an example for ALL of us – so that we can pattern our lives after His. Submitting our lives to the will of God does not make us weak, mindless puppets – it’s an act of courage and strength!  In fact, when we submit to God, our submission brings us rewards – here and in heaven!  In James 4:6 and 7; James writes: “‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Submit yourselves, then, to God.”  (He also says in verse 7 to resist the devil and he will flee from you, further proof that in submission to God you have the power and authority of God residing in you – I’d say that’s a reward, wouldn’t you?)  A heart obedient to the will of God is beautiful!

Let’s vow today to live lives of daily submission.  In areas where it seems difficult (if not impossible!), let’s ask God for strength, courage, and a willingness to do as He asks. Let’s not sit in the seat of the skeptic.  Let’s not view submission like the world does.  Vashti’s disobedience knocked her out of a place of privilege – let’s not follow her example!  We’ll see in the days and weeks to follow how submission to the King brought honor and reward to Esther and how submission to our King (God) will bring honor and reward to us!  Let’s try it today – when the King summons us, let’s throw on our crown and run to His presence – “Here I am!”

May God reward you for your obedience today!

Let’s Pray:

Holy God, thank You for Your abundant love and provision for us.  Thank You for wanting to have a relationship with us, and that You give us direction out of a desire for our well-being.   Holy Spirit, help us to live our lives in submission.  Help us where we are reluctant to obey.  Help us to love, respect, and follow our husbands – and You even more so.

Lord, open our hearts and our minds to a deeper understanding of You.  Help us to receive the teachings and blessings that You want to bountifully bestow upon us.  Guard our minds, protect our families, heal what is broken, and lift us up when we fall.  I thank You, Lord, for every woman taking part in our study – may she feel Your arms wrapped firmly around her today.

Fill us with Your Spirit, Lord; help us to be salt and light.  In the blessed name of Your Son Jesus.

Amen.

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Captivating: Chapter 11 – “Warrior Princesses”

March 18, 2013 by

“And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews.  For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish.  Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

Esther 4:13 and 14

I love the story of Esther, I have read it many times, and I have watched the adaptation of the story in the movie that Tommy Tenney made “One Night With the King” countless times.  The movie was created beautifully, from the choice of actress to the setup to the beauty pageant and, of course, the colorful wedding of Esther to the King.  As much as everything else is beautiful, it does not take away the purpose of why Esther was chosen by God to be Queen.  She was to fight for her people and deliver them from Haman’s vicious plot.  After seeking the face of God through prayer and fasting, Esther used the only weapon that was available to her—food.  She prepared a feast for the King and Haman.  After they had eaten, Esther told the King what Haman’s plot was: to wipe the entire Jewish nation from the face of the earth.  Well, Haman’s evil plans did not succeed because of the courageous act of this Warrior Queen Esther.

Esther is a true example of the Warrior that we all are.   Just like Esther, each one of us faces battles in our everyday lives.  They may not be as enormous as preserving the existence of a nation, but we cannot deny that they weigh us down, causing us grief and many sleepless nights.

As long as we are alive, we will be required to put on our armor and fight.  We may be called the “weaker sex” but we are not weak.  We are warriors too.  We are in the war zone the moment we wake up to the time we go to bed and the next day is no different.  Some of the battles may seem mundane but still they give us stress.  We battle with our looks when we glance in the mirror; we battle with comparison just as soon as we walk out the door; we look at how others are dressed and we wish our clothes fit the same way.

Then there are battles that we face that are relational, such as misunderstandings with our families that distress us.  The workplace is no different.  We don’t agree with our colleagues, our bosses take us for granted, and we are overworked and unappreciated.

Throughout the day we are bombarded with decisions that we need to make whether we are at home, work, or school.  What happens during our day can make us feel great about ourselves or depressed.

So much of what happens in our day attacks our minds more than any other part of our body.  We need to guard what goes through our minds more than anything else.  Once a thought comes in, we think about it some more, it develops and the more we think about it the more it takes root and then it becomes an action.

No WarriorIt is so important that when we wake up in the morning, we should prepare for the battle that is ahead of us.  No warrior goes to battle without ammunition.  In the same way, we cannot wake up and begin the day without putting on the armor of God.  Just like Esther had to pray and fast to meet with the King, we, too, ought to prepare for what’s ahead of us.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.   

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.    In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.    Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 

Ephesians 6:10-18

Prayer should be part of our lifestyle as Warrior Princesses; we need not wait for a situation to arise that is beyond us in order to invoke a prayerful attitude.  Just like a soldier takes instructions from his superiors, we too need to meet with our Maker to take instructions for our daily living.  Our enemy is real and he is not chained.  He is “…like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).  If you are not dressed for battle then he will prey on your mind, body, and soul.

I pray that as we go through this chapter this week, we will be prepared to fight our daily battles knowing that we are more than conquerors.  Christ won the battle on the cross for us and we need not fear for THE BATTLE BELONGS TO THE LORD.  Face each day like a true Warrior Princess.  Not only are you beautiful, but you are also wise, cunning, strong, courageous, and victorious.

In closing let me leave you with thes words that Paul spoke to Timothy and permit me to change them to suit us Warrior Princesses.

“You then, my daughter, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.   Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.  Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules.   The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops.  Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this”   (2 Timothy 2:1-7).

Be Blessed

Jackie

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LET’S PRAY

Father, thank You so much for giving me Your armor so that I can wear it in readiness for the battles that I face each day.  I will face each day knowing that the battle is already won.  May I seek Your face so that I may not be unaware when trouble comes.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT

Read Ephesians 6:10-18 about the full armor of God.  Take time to know what each piece of armor means and literally practice putting it on.

Why would Paul tell us to put on the full armor of God?

 

 GWSOur next Women’s Online Bible/Book Study begins March 24th!  

Click on the Girls with Swords book to the left, complete the registration process, and we will email you further details!  We hope you will join us for this amazing study!

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If you would like to send Jackie a private email in regards to this blog post, you may email her at:  Jackie@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com

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