Welcome back to online Bible study at the Womens Bible Cafe™ We’re reading Gideon by Priscilla Shirer and just finished our second week of study. By now you should have your workbook and be connected with a small group. We’ve seen many familiar faces and many new faces in the small groups…what a blessing to spend our summer with you as we expand our knowledge on Gideon.
(image: Unsplash)
During our first week of this topical study we learned the about Cycle of Redemption. We learned about the historical events leading to biblical rebellion and discipline.
This week Gideon encounters an angel..pause and think about that! Can you imagine an encounter with an angel!
Priscilla Shirer writes “Having your spiritual radar up in constant anticipation of His presence- even in the midst of the joyful chaos and regular rhythms of your everyday living- is paramount in hearing God, because sometimes the place and manner you find Him is the least spectacular you’d expect.”
As believers, we need this holy expectation of a divine encounter. Never assume you will only have an encounter in church on Sunday morning or during your devotional time. Always be ready to receive Him.
“To be aware of God’s purpose you must be aware of His presence.”- Priscilla Shirer
What would happen if YOU turn your ordinary tasks into spiritual lessons and awareness of God’s favor? One woman who has mastered this is known as the FlyLady. She takes the task of cleaning a home and turns it into a “weekly home blessing” with candles and praise music. If you want to take your ordinary tasks to a whole new experience…check out her website at www.FlyLady.net
Let us become aware of divine opportunities to serve God. I hope you wrote some of the Bible verses on index cards this week…and you will memorize them to prepare for your assignment from God. May you be bold for Jesus….accept His calling and radiate His love.
Assignment For the Next Week
- Read Week Three in the workbook
- Listen to Audio Session Three or Video Session Three at Lifeway.com (optional due to cost)
- Join a small group this week
I haven’t been connected with a small group yet, shall I just go on as a solo member? That’s fine withme, just wanted to know!
Blessings, Melody
You can join a small group anytime! Pick a day and time that works for you and introduce yourself when the group begins.
holy bravery- God is showing me & my family since holiday time-his plans for me miracles
that have happened son finally talking to my husband(nobody thought this would happen) I of course just prayed & prayed knowing God’s timing is always perfect God does have a plan for all our lives. one of my sayings are Dare to Be Different Be the Change! My journey started 20 years ago and God is now showing me after trusting reading the bible and walking
with Jesus he is giving me more opportunites to show my family & the world the change I can make with God be the Glory in my life & others.philippians 4:13
God revealing himself to us: can happen in little ways a bird stops by on a fence when we are down & need uplifting! a family member calls us or emails us just when we need our spirits
uplifted! God is intimeontimeeverytime! Exodus 15:2 sing for joy to God be our strength!
my sister loves tweety bird & its funny everytime I see one I am reminded to call her or just say a prayer for her. My Sister reminded me of this please call her once in awhile with our busy schedule I make sure I do .God showed me a tweety bird that was in the back of a car window when we stopped for groceries I just laughed outloud knowing this is God reminding
me Think of my Sister! God is sooo amazing awesome !
God speaking to me while doing my everyday stuff- it happens when I am on the treadmill
when I do my prayers or listening to Z88.3 a blessing to all who listens to this radio station.
A song came on Forgiveness back during the holidays last year! I just cried and then thanked God because at this time our son decided not to talk to my husband which we have
a close relationship with our son didn’t want us to have anything to do with our daughter
which she to this day doesn’t know . When I heard this song Forgiveness by Matthew West I right away looked up Youtube and sent this video song to our daughterinlaw and she had our song watch it! it still took God working thru our son’s life about another 2 months before he came around. I did praise God for this moment in my life which made a difference in all our lives.
I am confident and have Faith that God is with me everyday! It all started 20 years ago and of course has taken me many many years to have Faith,trust and believe God is working in my life. Jeremiah 29:11 my husband just recently finally admitted he knew what I have been
going thru we were talking about our daughterinlaw and all the neg. problems one thing after another when this finally came out about my life & having God in my life which took many many years of fear which I have given to God and grown cause I gave it all to God(Jesus)
the only way to go with any trial you have in your life. It has made me strong and others including family have commented on how strong I am & I of course tell them its not me its
God working in my life. the Glory goes to God MY Testimony. Just recently told our Daughter
about my Testimony which she already knows what happened 20 years ago the beginning
of my journey with God just in the last few years. I am Strong because of God no other way!
It was Pray Trust & then Faith after drinking and living in Fear constantly.
Believers understanding their identity before moving forward into their destiny: God will give us Strength or whatever we need to defeat our enemies 11 corinthians 12:9 Deuteronomy 31:6 Spiritual Warfare Ephesians 6:10 James 4:7 Ephesians 6:16 When we believe we can
be warriors nothing can stop us God is on our side Romans 8:38 Victory is Gods! He uses us
prepares us for anything we face. Matthew 16:23
the pair of terms that best describe what I have dealt with who I am in Christ: Fearful-Courageous. I know that no matter what my circumstances which I am still dealing with after
20 years. I will stand be Strong by praying and keeping close to Jesus & reading the word.
I have lost the Fear doesn’t mean it won’t come back but I do know all I have to do is reach
to Jesus(God)and know he is with me thru it all. remembering verses Matthew 16:23 James 4:7 Ephesians 6:10
2. I think lots of times people don’t believe God WILL reveal Himself, when in growing in Him I’ve found quite the opposite, He can’t wait to reveal Himself, He created relationship, because of the Fall in the Garden everything was screwed up, BUT Jesus came and changed all that when I didn’t know what the answer was to move my Mom when we found out she had cancer, I was a mess, and He “journaled to my heart “Carolyn, I will work out all the details of Lois’s life”., He did He took her to Heaven He healed her of her cancer and gave her her own desire to see my Dad again and all the family,He picked up and did what He knew He would always do at the end of my Mom’s life, He took his child Lois Home, He finally gets to spend time with her.He reassured me also, and gave me supernatural adrenilin to spend the last days with her, my sister Linda and I took her to all the places she wanted, Chinese Food, took her to a local resort near me, etc., then after she graduated Linda and I gave certain special articles of hers to different friends and residents she lived with or knew. My expectations of God were formed by watching examples of relationships with God in front of me, parents, but also I always felt there was more, and getting to know the Holy Spirit was a great change and Blessing He brought Wholeness, leading me to Vineyard Church of Columbus where I’ve gotten to know Him even more with more balanced faith, His thoughts are NOT our thoughts or His ways our ways, thank Him for that!!
I love that quote: “the ordinary is often the disguise of the divine” and I appreciate the reminder that everything we do can be a divine opportunity.
5. Its important to know that our Identity is in Jesus because we lost that connection in the Garden BUT He has restored Wholeness and all things back to us thru the Cross and dying for us, and the Ressurection Power, we are secure in Him forever and ever, NOTHING can ever take that away, and if we don’t understand that, Flesh and satan can lie to us, BUT the Holy Spirit is always there to help, and get us back on track, run back to Him when you get off track He is the solid Foundation, that will never fail!! He is our stronghold, and strong Tower!
1. Right now, i feel that God is calling me to holy bravery with other Christians. I am mostly surrounded by others who are Christians in my daily life. However, I think it is easy to become complacent with our faith, callous with our words, and lose sight of what God calls us to do each day.
2.I think that Christians mostly think of God in grandiose events rather in the common. We forget how He reveals himself constantly. These events have been formed by media and the tendency to forget that God reveals himself in the ordinary.
3.Ordinary events- One time I misplaced an important paper and thought I would never find it. I prayed about it and found it! Sadly, misplacing papers happens quite often, but I am trying to fix this!
4. I tend to fluctuate with this promise. I know He is with me, but when something bad happens, I seem to question.
5.An incorrect spiritual identity means that the Christian will not be fulfilling God’s calling in the way He desires. This question made me think about my own spiritual identity.
6.I struggle with my competency at times, especially as a mother. I am a full- time teacher and have 3 kids. When I am home in the summer, I see all the work I have neglected over the school year– home tasks, taking care of kid needs-. When I go back to school in August, I doubt my ability to manage all of it effectively.
It is very difficult to read this in all capital letters, would you mind using not using all CAPITAL letters on your next update please? Online, using capital; letters is considered “online shouting” and very difficult to read. Thank you.
http://email.about.com/od/netiquettetips/qt/Writing-In-All-Caps-Is-Like-Shouting.htm
1. Holy bravery: To be content where I am planted, to do the mundane dailyness of life with a more contented and grateful spirit. For me it will take supernatural courage to do this, rather than to do what others expect/want me to do. This is walking “against this current” in our present culture.
2. Believers expectations about how God reveals Himself: We expect BIG, we expect unusual, we expect to be knocked over or knocked down. I am not sure where this comes from, perhaps it is just a fleshly diversion.??
3. Meeting God in the ordinary: I thinks He meets me here (in the ordinary) most often. He has reminded me often (thankfully He is patient) as I clean and do daily household tasks that He has given me four people to nurture and care for. The “extraordinary” is that I really do have be reminded of this frequently.
4. God’s promise that He is with me: Often, I am insecure in that promise even though He has proven over and over again that He is with me. His Word is my anchor and my security when I cannot see or feel. In that I can be confident.
5. Understanding identity critical to moving forward to destiny: It certainly helps to understand your identity in Christ–loved, sealed, adopted, etc..
6. Disparity: Fearful/Courageous I tend to be fearful, yet if God has given me a truth, He has enabled me on an occasion or two to speak up.