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July 4, 2004 Devotion: Love, not fear, draws us to God & we CAN know His will

Sep8

It is the goodness of God that leadeth to repentance:
Romans 2:4
Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

Not fear of punishment, because
1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has torment, and he that fears has not been made perfect in love.

and
1 John 4:16
And we have known and have believed the love which God has to us. God is love, and he that abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

We can know the will of the Lord.
Ephesians 5:9
Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

Chronological Bible Study Reading Plan

Aug30

This is the Bible Reading Plan that goes with the Chronological Bible study I will be posting. The Bible Study is based on a Bible study done at Faith Bible Institute  taught by John Yates at Rowland Road Baptist Church which is based on a Bible study in the Wilmington Guide to the Bible.

Creation Stage
Genesis 1-11
(Think: creation, the fall, the flood, the tower of Babel)

Patriarchal Stage
Genesis 12-50, Job
(Think: forefathers or four fathers)

Exodus Stage
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
(Think: exit us from Egypt)

Conquest Stage
Joshua
(Think: conquering)

Judges Stage
Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel 1-7
(Think: cycles of sin, oppression, repentance, redemption)
(Image: judge on a motorcycle)

United Kingdom Stage
1 Samuel 8-31, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings 1-11, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles 1-9, Psalms, Song of Solomon, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes
(Think: 1st king was tall; his name was Saul, David, and Solomon)
(Image, tall king, shepherd boy king, wise rich king)

Divided Kingdom Stage
1 Kings 12-22, 2 Kings 1-25, 2 Chronicles 10-36, Jonah, Amos, Hosea, Joel, Obadiah, Nahum, Isaiah, Micah, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Jeremiah, Lamentations

Captivity Stage
Ezekiel, Daniel

Return Stage
Ezra, Esther, Nehemiah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi

Gospel Stage
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
(Think: good news!)

Early Church Stage
Acts

Epistle Stage
Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, Revelation
(Think: letters)

Name your wages.

Aug30

Genesis 30:28 God says to me: “Then he said, “Name me your wages, and I will give it.”

Wait a minute, you may think. Laban said that to Jacob. But I know that God says it to me because He also says in First Corinthians 9:8-10: “Do I say these things as a mere man? Or does not the law say the same also? For it is written in the law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain.” Is it oxen God is concerned about? Or does He say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written, that he who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope.”

You may think I have taken an obscure verse and made it to mean what I want it to mean. But many times throughout the New Testament, Jesus and Paul quote “obscure” verses and apply it to their own lives and the lives of those they taught.

God says in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Furthermore I have a testimony that I declared the wages I wanted to receive when I applied for an internship and the letter I received two months later confirming the internship, also confirmed the exact dollar amount that I had declared.

Dream big, Believe God and Speak the Word out loud.

Hebrews 11:1

Aug30

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

FAITH: (definitions from WordNet Search 3.0)
Noun

(a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny)
(complete confidence in a person or plan etc)
(an institution to express belief in a divine power)
(loyalty or allegiance to a cause or a person)

SUBSTANCE: (definitions from WordNet Search 3.0)
Noun

(the real physical matter of which a person or thing consists)
(the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience)
(the idea that is intended)
(material of a particular kind or constitution)
(considerable capital (wealth or income))
(a particular kind or species of matter with uniform properties)

HOPE: (definitions from WordNet Search 3.0)
Noun

(a specific instance of feeling hopeful)
(the general feeling that some desire will be fulfilled)
(grounds for feeling hopeful about the future)
(someone (or something) on which expectations are centered)
(one of the three Christian virtues)
Verb
(expect and wish)
(be optimistic; be full of hope; have hopes)
(intend with some possibility of fulfilment)

22And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
23For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
24Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

BibleGateway.com

Speak up…

Aug30

Speak the Word :

the SECRET* power of speaking God’s WORD out loud

  • JOB 34:16 If now thou hast understanding, hear this: Hearken to the voice of my words.
  • JEREMIAH 23:28 The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully.
  • EZEKIEL 12: 25 But I the Lord will speak the word which I will speak, and it will be performed. It will no longer be delayed, but in your days, O rebellious house, I will speak the word and perform it, says the Lord GOD.
  • 2 TIMOTHY 4:1 I charge thee in the sight of God, and of Christ Jesus, who shall judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be urgent in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.

Pray the WORD out loud EVERY morning. It will CHANGE your life. It will change YOU.

* Secret as defined by the Free Dictionary means, “Kept hidden from knowledge or view; concealed.
2. Dependably discreet.
3. Operating in a hidden or confidential manner”

Hebrews 11:6

Aug30

But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. KJV

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. NIV

emphasis added by Julie

This entry was posted on August 30, 2010, in Inspire.