{"id":15459,"date":"2013-10-28T00:01:31","date_gmt":"2013-10-28T05:01:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/?p=15459"},"modified":"2013-10-31T10:26:53","modified_gmt":"2013-10-31T15:26:53","slug":"esther-91-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/2013\/10\/28\/esther-91-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Esther – Chapter 9:1-3"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"16DayCover\"<\/a><\/span><\/h2>\n

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Please join us for our next Online Bible Study!<\/span><\/h2>\n

“16-Day Love Challenge:<\/h2>\n

Matching our Words and Actions with<\/h2>\n

1 Corinthians 13:4-8″<\/h2>\n

by<\/span> Cherie Zack and Rebecca LeCompte.<\/h3>\n

This study begins November 4th. <\/span><\/h2>\n

Be sure to go to our Registration page for more details, and to sign up today!!<\/p>\n

The Registration page can be found by clicking on this LINK<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We hope you will join us!!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

One of the most outstanding aspects of our study of Esther: The Beauty of Courageous Submission<\/strong><\/em>, in my opinion, has been the evidence of the influence of the Holy Spirit.\u00a0 Oh, I had my preconceived thoughts of what we would uncover through our study.\u00a0 HA!\u00a0 I am so thrilled to admit how very wrong I was!<\/p>\n

Based on certain information that I already held in my head (a brief overview of Mrs. Schacht’s book and a fair knowledge of the Book of Esther), I was looking forward to \u2018sharpening my skills’ at submitting to my husband and in the other areas in which the Scriptures tell us of God\u2019s will regarding submission: to elders (1 Peter 5:5), to governing authority (Romans 13:1-7), governors\/political leaders (1 Peter 2:13-15), masters\/bosses (Ephesians 6:5-8), AND to one another (Ephesians 5:21)!<\/p>\n

As we began our study back in early September, it seemed like \u2018submission\u2019 would be the overall topic at hand.\u00a0 And throughout Week 1, that was true. However, it seems to me that only that very first week was this the case!\u00a0 From Week 2 through now, overwhelmingly the primary subject of discussion has been God and His working through the Holy Spirit.\u00a0 (Wouldn\u2019t you agree?)<\/p>\n

Now while nowhere in the Scriptures are we commanded to \u2018submit\u2019 to the Holy Spirit, it is clearly evident through many, many other Scriptures that, YES, we are to submit.\u00a0 In our study, we have looked at the definition of submission a few times.\u00a0 Here again, from Webster\u2019s 1828 Dictionary, we see that to \u2018submit\u2019 is to \u2018yield or surrender.\u2019<\/p>\n

SUBMIT<\/h2>\n

To yield, resign or surrender to the power, will or authority of another…<\/span><\/h4>\n

Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hand.\u00a0 Genesis 16.
\nWives, submit yourselves to your own husbands.\u00a0 Ephesians 5.
\nSubmit yourselves to every ordinance of man. \u00a01 Peter 2.<\/p>\n

And this IS a large part of our relationship with the Holy Spirit—we are to yield<\/em> or surrender<\/em> our will, our thinking, our understanding, our <limited> wisdom, our perception, and our own desire to the guidance, leading, and influence of the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n

Here are a few reminders of\u00a0 insights that my sister-bloggers have shared with us about the influence of the Holy Spirit:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • “In this place of communion, have you sensed the Holy Spirit\u2019s influence on your life? He\u2019s always at battle for you against the enemy who has an evil plan for your life.” (Kim Spring)<\/li>\n
  • “Holy Spirit, thank You for being our ultimate Helper! Help us today to see our beauty not as the world sees it, in the outward woman, but as our Father sees it. Help us in our “beauty regimen” to make ourselves pure, holy and beautiful for our Lord Jesus. Forgive us when we are resistant to Your leading.” (Robin Claddell)<\/li>\n
  • “Mordecai symbolizes the Holy Spirit and, like Esther asked questions of Mordecai, we can ask a question of the Holy Spirit. We need not send someone to ask for us\u2014we can go directly to our Helper ourselves.” (Tonya Ellison)<\/li>\n
  • “You are looking for our obedience and courageous submission so that we can come into Your Presence, as Esther came into her king\u2019s presence…You have promised us that Your Holy Spirit will be close to us to guide and comfort us.\u00a0 Please Holy Spirit, help us daily to “walk our talk” so others will see You even when we don\u2019t speak Your Name.” (Clella Fox)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Finally, Mrs. Schacht asks an important and probing question in our reading today:<\/p>\n

    \n

    Do a little soul-searching to find the evidence of the Holy Spirit at work in your life.\u00a0 Does it convict you?\u00a0 Does it comfort you?\u00a0 Does it guide you?\u00a0 Perhaps you can think of some specific ways He\u2019s at work…?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    Have you taken the time to consider this?\u00a0 There is no doubt that God is desiring to influence you through the Holy Spirit!\u00a0 When Jesus was preparing\u00a0the disciples for His leaving them, He told them that He would send the Paraclete (aka the Comforter, the Helper) who would teach them, lead them, guide them, and remind them of His words.\u00a0 I would say that is \u2018influence,\u2019 wouldn\u2019t you?\u00a0 The Holy Spirit does them same for us, in our day and time.<\/p>\n

    We must ask for help, through the Holy Spirit, so we can bring our thoughts, our words, our actions, and our attitudes in line with God\u2019s.\u00a0 We must allow His Spirit to become the guiding force in our lives to produce the qualities that the Scriptures tell us are found in true Christians.<\/p>\n

    But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
    \nGentleness, self-control…
    \nIf we live by the [Holy] Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.
    \nGalatians 2:22-23, 25<\/p>\n

    * * * * *<\/p>\n

    Let’s Pray<\/span>:<\/p>\n

    We are so very blessed, heavenly Father, by Your gracious provision for our lives through the gift of the Holy Spirit!\u00a0 May we remain humble and meek to His influence in our lives.\u00a0 Truly may we seek His convicting, comforting, helping, and guiding!\u00a0 And may we respond with submitted and\u00a0obedient hearts!\u00a0 Thank You!\u00a0 We love You!\u00a0 And we pray, asking these things in Jesus’ name.<\/p>\n

    Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Please join us for our next Online Bible Study! “16-Day Love Challenge: Matching our Words and Actions with 1 Corinthians 13:4-8″ by Cherie Zack and Rebecca LeCompte. This study begins November 4th. Be sure to go to our Registration page for more details, and to sign up today!! The Registration page can be found by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":15359,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[8],"tags":[4275,4278,4280,235,344,4279,4277,4281,3512,4273,4274,4276,425,4282,4093,1140],"class_list":["post-15459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-womens","tag-1-peter-2","tag-1-peter-213-15","tag-1-peter-55","tag-coleen-hayden","tag-ephesians-5","tag-ephesians-521","tag-ephesians-65-8","tag-esther-91-3","tag-esther-the-beauty-of-courageous-submission","tag-galatians-222-23","tag-galatians-225","tag-genesis-16","tag-girlfriends-coffee-hour","tag-holy-spirits-influence","tag-the-book-of-esther","tag-womens-online-bible-studies","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/16DayCover.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p39pHp-41l","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15459","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15459"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15459\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15550,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15459\/revisions\/15550"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15359"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15459"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15459"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}