September 21, 2024

Esther – Chapter 5:10-14

October 4, 2013 by

Jealousy: a sentiment which is born in love and which is produced by the fear that the loved person prefers someone else. Wouldn’t you say Haman was jealous of Mordecai? He was so afraid that the king would prefer Mordecai over him that he couldn’t even enjoy the fact that Esther had indeed invited him to the banquet that she had prepared for the king. He admits to all that it means nothing as long as Mordecai is seated at the palace gate.  Isn’t that just like us? We let what we don’t have  overshadow what we do have. The desire to have it all might just cost us the riches that we already have.  And for Haman, it cost him his life.

Anger had manifested itself into a dangerous mission to kill. Hatred and bitterness are like weeds with long roots that grow in the heart and corrupt all of life. He couldn’t even enjoy being the king’s right hand man because he was so full of anger that had gone unchecked for so long that it had manifested itself into killer instinct.  Hebrews 12:15 warns us to watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble us corrupting many.  Don’t let hatred and its resulting bitterness build up in your heart. It will backfire against you.  If the mention of someone’s name provokes you to anger, confess it, ask forgiveness, and let it go. Don’t allow it to live in your mind rent-free. It will cost you a lot more than you think.

As Christians, children of God, we cannot ignore anger and bitterness. We don’t need to hide it from our sisters in Christ or just make superficial changes to our behavior or personality. If it isn’t completely eradicated, it will grow back, making everything worse. Your Father knows what’s best for you. He doesn’t want us looking at others and wanting what they have. He knows you better than you know yourself and He loves you more than you can imagine. And He wants us to love each other the way He loves us. In  1 John 1:11, we read “But anyone who hates another brother or sister is still walking and living in darkness. Such a person does not know the way to go, having been blinded by darkness.

Wk5_Spring_Esther

In the end, this bitterness and resentment caused Haman the ultimate price.  His family and friends even suggested for Haman to set up a sharpened pole so tall that all would surely see Mordecai’s death.  But God had other plans, as He does for us too.  He is the ultimate judge.   Justice was done.  Haman ultimately paid the price.  Our consequences may not be death, but I can promise you we won’t have the joyful life that He promised us if we are consumed with the roots of anger.  Jesus came to set us free.  Free from all chains that bind.

Are you struggling today with any of these? Anger, jealousy, or bitterness?  If so, bring it into the light and tear down the veil of all of these; and then ask Him to take it away so you can enjoy this life He chose especially for YOU!

 *****

Let’s Pray:

Dear Heavenly Father, we come to You today praising You for Who You are.  God, we confess to You today all spirits of anger and resentment and bitterness.  We bind them in the name of Jesus and we release them to You today.  We love You and we know You have only good things planned for us and sometimes we mess it up.  Forgive us from our sins and give us a new fresh beginning.  Keep our eyes on You so they don’t wander and lust and covet what someone else has.  Thank You for Your grace and unending patience.  Fill us with Your unconditional love so that we can spread to all who come in contact with us.  For it’s in Your Son’s precious name we pray.

Amen.

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Girls with Swords: Chapter 13 – “Sword of Forgiveness and Restoration” (pgs. 198-200)

June 18, 2013 by

God knows every one of us. He knows our past, our present, and our future. There is nothing that we can keep from Him: no secrets, no heartaches, no fears, no doubts, no lies. He is sovereign over all. We will never understand His ways because we cannot see what He sees. We cannot see into the hearts and minds of those around us. Our only job is to follow His leading… however difficult it may be.

The author’s story about her father is heart-wrenching. In our short section today, there is much to chew on, though. Up to this point, we have learned that this man may not have been the best father. He suffered with an alcohol problem, was dismissive of his family, and generally showed a lack of caring. Do we know what was causing all of these issues? No, but God does. He knows every detail of her father’s life. He knows his struggle, his pain, his heartache.

Plus, God knows what it will take to move the relationship forward.

During a visit with her father, who was in a facility due to dementia, the author relates a story about God’s faithfulness. Lisa sensed that her father was fully cognizant of who she and her children were and prayed, asking God what she should say. Here is the exchange:

“I lifted a silent prayer: Heavenly Father, what should I say?

The response was shocking and immediate: Tell him he was a good dad.

What? Stunned, I countered, That’s a lie! I am not going to lie to him…especially not now! He was not a good father.

I heard a firm assurance: He was as good as he knew how to be.”  (pg. 199)

Isn’t that the way of God? He tells us what to do, but His answers are often not the answers we want to hear. The things He makes us do are difficult and painful sometimes. Forgiveness is extraordinarily difficult, especially when we have been severely hurt by another person.

Yet … God knows how to mend those broken relationships. He is the Ultimate Healer and Fixer. His timing is always perfect and He knows just what we need to say and do every time. It may not make any sense to us, but to God, it makes all the sense in the world.

Can you imagine if the author did not heed God’s leading and speak those words to her father? We cannot spend another day living in regret of what we should have said or done. If you are nurturing hurt from a broken relationship and God is prompting you to move toward restoration, listen to what He has to say and then act. His timing is perfect and His plans are always good. He will not lead you astray. Holding on to those feelings of resentment and anger will only inhibit your relationship with the Lord. Release them. Release the person. Let God work it out. He wants to..you just need to let Him.

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Let’s Pray: Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray for supernatural strength and boldness to take a step of faith in our broken relationships today. Help us, Lord, to move toward healing and restoration. Give us a heart of love and peace. Show us how to focus on the hope we have in You rather than on our bitterness and anger. We thank you in advance for this provision, Father. Amen.

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Girls with Swords: Chapter 12: Sword of Silence – “Individual Struggles” (pgs 181-183)

June 11, 2013 by

Wielding the Sword of Silence is very tricky, especially when the battle we are fighting against is personal.  It is easy to toss out a careless word or comment, to pass on gossip or to share in a conversation about another person.  This is something we all struggle with on some level, I think. As I was studying through this section of the chapter, I kept going back to Proverbs.  There is so much wisdom regarding quarrels, friendships, and revenge that I thought I would structure this blog post around three Proverbs as they relate to wielding the Sword of Silence during our individual struggles.

We’ll start with the one our author mentions:

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Have you ever been the target of gossip? Perhaps you have engaged in perpetuating a bit of gossip? Sadly, I have witnessed enough of this outside the realm of the high school hallway to know it is not just teenagers who deal with this – it is a divisive adult issue as well. But gossip will only continue if we fan its flame. The anger and the hostility only continue when we give it fuel to burn. If we make a choice not to take part in gossip, we are removing a piece of wood from the fire. The proverb says that quarrels will disappear when gossip stops. We have to make a choice to stay silent, to not be angry, and to entrust the situation to our God. Instead of gossip, I offer you another solution – pray. Whatever the situation, take it to the Lord. He wants to help you through it, no matter what it is.

A troublemaker plants seeds of strife;
gossip separates the best of friends. (Proverbs 16:28, NLT)

Sometimes gossip begins between friends. When it is allowed to perpetuate, a division will most likely occur unless someone wields the Sword of Silence. We must remember that Satan is at work in this world. He is trying to find a foothold anywhere he can. It could be in your best friend’s life or even a family member. This could potentially provoke someone to planting seeds of strife within a friendship or family unit. We must always be on guard and recognize that “we are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies but against the powers of the dark world” (Ephesians 6:12). It is imperative that we rise up, stand strong, and be warriors – warriors who sometimes need to be SILENT.

Don’t testify against your neighbors without cause;
don’t lie about them.
And don’t say, “Now I can pay them back for what they’ve done to me!
I’ll get even with them!” (Proverbs 24:28-29, NLT)

Oh sweet revenge. I am sure there has been a time in your life that you have thought about paying someone back for a wrong they committed against you. Now, whether you actually followed through on that is irrelevant. I submit to you that we should not even think it. Revenge is the way of the world. It is not God’s way. We are called to be messengers of light and life, not of gossip and revenge. You may have a terrible offense committed against you that is deserving of revenge. I am sorry if this has happened to you. God will take care of it for you. You must entrust it to His care and let it go. Remember, dear sister, Jesus was arrested, tried, convicted, and put to death an innocent man. During the course of His trial and conviction, He had many opportunities to plead His case, but He remained SILENT. He knew that His Father was taking care of everything. We must have that same trust. He is the SAME GOD who raised Jesus from the dead. You are not alone.

We all have our individual struggles, but we were not created to handle them on our own. God is right there, waiting for you to call on Him. He wants to change our hearts. Be still; be silent. Let God speak to you and then do what He says.

*****

Let’s Pray:

Father, we come to You with so many struggles. It is so difficult to remain silent sometimes. Lord, we pray that You give us wisdom and guidance to say the right thing when You want us to speak and to help us be silent when we need to be quiet. We know that You are in control and You are sovereign over EVERYTHING. Help us to trust You always, no matter what situation we face today. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen!

Have a Great Week!

Jennifer

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Captivating: Chapter 11 Reading Assignment – “Warrior Princesses”

March 17, 2013 by

WEEK of MARCH 17 – Chapter 11: Warrior Princesses

Sunday: Michelle – Reading Assignment

Monday: Jackie – Warrior Princesses (Intro)

Tuesday: Tonya – Fighting Back – Emotional Attacks

Wednesday: Carissa – Relational Attacks – A Warring Bride

Thursday: Michelle – Warrior Princesses

Friday: Jackie – Weekly Review

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Join us for our next Online Bible Study

GWS

 

Begins March 24th!

Click on the Girls with Swords book to be taken to our sign-up link.  Complete the registration steps, and as soon as we receive confirmation that you have signed up, we will email you further details!  We hope you will join us!! 🙂

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Seeking Him: Praise in the Storms

January 19, 2013 by

Do you ever wake up and instead of saying a happy ‘G’morning, Lord!’ to your Heavenly Father out of your thoughts comes ‘Oh, please, Lord…<big sigh!>…I SO need you!”  That was me this morning.  I went over to the window, looking out into the darkness surrounding our neighborhood (it is only 5:10 a.m.), I purposed to sing my need–-confess my GREAT need—for my Father. I had settled my body down last night, but my mind was tossing and turning all night long.  And so I did what the Psalmist did when he was troubled and despondent…I sang.

David spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hands of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.   He said: The Lord is my Rock and my Fortress and my Deliverer;   My God, my Rock, in Him will I take refuge; my Shield and the Horn of my salvation; my Stronghold and my Refuge, my Savior—You save me from violence.   I call on the Lord, Who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.   In my distress I called upon the Lord; I cried to my God, and He heard my voice from His
temple; my cry came into His ears.  

2 Samuel 22:1-7

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This week in our current series, Seeking Him, we are going to focus on recognizing how essential it is to praise our God even in the midst of trials and troubles and heartaches.  Yet one more reason to purpose to have your quiet time—to bring our hearts before Almighty God first thing in the morning.  Taking the time…making the time… to be still and to seek your heavenly Father is vitally important to the state of your heart throughout the day. 

Just like my early morning today (and let me tell you, the attacks did not stop! oh, no…they did not!) and the balance of the day, we ALL experience trials and temptations.  But we can experience a preparation for those times when we purpose to be in our Father’s presence at the beginning of each day.  Listen to this song by Mrs. Sara Groves, encouraging us! 

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHmenrxcbsw>

First Song That I Sing

In the morning when I rise • Help me to prioritize • All the thoughts that fill my day • Before my schedule • Tells me that my day is full • Before I’m off and on my way •

I want to praise You • I need to praise You • Let the first song that I sing • Be praises to my God and King •

Before the curtains part • Before my day is starting • Before I make up the bed • Before the snooze alarm • Reminds me that it’s morning • Before the dreams have left my head •

I want to praise You • I need to praise You • Let the first song that I sing • Be praises to my God and King •

Before my feet hit the floor • I’ll praise You, Lord, I’ll praise you Lord • Before I fill my cup • I’ll lift you up, I’ll lift you up • Before I start my day • I’ll sing your praise, I’ll sing your praise • Before I start my car • Before I get too far •

 

Oh, the joy that wells up in our hearts as we continue to praise our God!  Yet another reason for our morning quiet time, my friends!  Consider this,  

Through Him [Jesus], therefore,
let us constantly and at all times
offer up to God a sacrifice of praise,
which is the fruit of lips that thankfully
acknowledge and confess and glorify His name.
Hebrews 13:15

Sometimes giving our praises to God requires us sacrificing our own desires and purposing in our hearts to voice our thankfulness, even when we don’t feel very thankful.  “Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus…” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

To the end that my tongue and my heart and everything glorious within me
may sing praise to You and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.
Psalm 30:12

Keep Seeking Him and enjoy your quiet time with your Lord!  Even in the midst of it all, sing your praises and thanksgiving!  God will be honored and magnified! 

Praying for each of you ♥   I know that the Lord will answer your heart’s cry as you are Seeking Him with all your heart!

♥ coleen 

If you would like to send a personal message to Coleen concerning this series, you may email her at:  Coleen@girlfriendscoffeehour.com

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