Janzie

Being able to accurately assess our own self -- God's spiritual gifts entrusted to us, natural talents, our obedience, the Spirit's work, etc. -- all these are important in walking with humility. Discovering our spiritual gifts is so important because it is important to true humility and lets you know where you fit in the body. If you are not sure yet, seek the Lord and He will guide you. We need to be sure of where God wants us in the body. We should not covet others gifts thinking we should be doing what they are doing, as anger and jealousy arise.

Our heart gets puffed up and we think that we have done it all ourselves. Everything we have is a gift from God. Knowing that we cannot do anything by ourselves humbles us. We then know that we need God for everything, even the air we breathe. Everyone is special and we all have a special gift given to us by God.

Virtues tend to cluster around humility - thinking of others in Kindness, courteous, considerate, forgiving, encouraging, thoughtful, understanding, non-judgmental, merciful, gracious,; vices such as selfishness, arrogant, tend to cluster around pride, thinking we are better than others. Humility is central to an authentic Christian character because our New man is to be a follower of Christ and we are to represent Christ. The old man follows our flesh which is corrupt according to deceitful lusts of which pride is central.

A two part definition of humility corresponds to the two greatest commandments: a low focus on yourself and a high others focus; the two greatest commandments - love God with all your heart, soul and mind and 2. Is love your neighbor as yourself. Humility is a low self-focus, as you are not always thinking on yourself all the time, but you are focused on pleasing God, and you are concerned on how to help and love your neighbors - doing things for them and helping them out with their needs. The greatest disciple is the one who humbly serves others.

Gradual drifting is more dangerous than suddenly giving into temptation because gradual drifting is slow and we don't even know how far we have drifted off and harder to get back, while giving into temptation we realize it right away and repent. We can protect our self from drifting away from the Lord by having a relationship with Him and when our conscience tells us no, we obey God.

Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord - Worshiping in the high places; Solomon's 700 wives and 300 concubines are excessive. I conclude that Solomon's womanizing and sexual desire constitute a weakness that leads to his fatal flaw Solomon does a poor job as a father. Solomon's sons have no father to care for them personally and guide them to manhood, nor do his wives have a husband who really loves them. He became an idolater, worshiping the gods of his wives and he set up pagan worship centers for his foreign wives. Because unless there is true repentance, you just go down hill. Sin begets more sin and whatever you did good in the past doesn't count unless you truly turn back to God.

Solomon's greatest strengths and accomplishments are: Solomon builds the Temple, Solomon supports and codifies temple worship, Solomon reforms government, Solomon enjoys trading successes, Solomon takes special care for the needy in his kingdom, Solomon strengthens Israel's defenses, Solomon curates and writes proverbs and Wisdom Literature. Solomon is so gifted because in the beginning he asked for wisdom to lead the people of Israel and God was pleased with that request and in addition to wisdom gave him riches, honor and a long life if he would continue in righteous before the Lord. Which was great in the beginning but did not turn out good at the end of his life. He was not totally committed to the Lord and he followed after the whims of his wives and worshiped idols/other gods and built places of worship for them.

Yes, apparently one woman is not enough for his wants. A womanizer does not treat a wife as she should be treated. He is not looking out for his wife's needs, but his own. Not true love as it should be, but a love to gratify self and his own lusts. Having a womanizer for a father is not an good example for his children and they might grow up just like him. They are seeking love from their father and their father's mind is somewhere else. If his child is a girl, she might not pick a good husband but one that is just like her father and never be happy in life. No, sexual access is not compatible with Christian discipleship because they are opposite, one seeks self, Christian discipleship seeks God!

Those who are rich in this present world are not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.. To please God, the wealthy should do good, be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. Those that are rich in this world, must not be high minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy. That is how they define their self worth. They think they are better than others and that makes them arrogant. Their hope is in their finances, not God and finances cannot save them.

Because the Word of God says: If there is among you anyone in need ... do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your needy neighbor. 8 You should rather open your hand, willingly lending enough to meet the need, whatever it may be." (Deuteronomy 15:7--8) We are hesitant because some people may use it for their vices. Remembering two times I gave it to someone who asked and they did not use it for gas but for something other than what they asked for. But I had decided to do it even though they did not put it to good use. I just put it in God's hands. We can do it to people in the church we know have needs, missions and needy families outside of church. We can't out give God

Jesus' wisdom is just the opposite of worldly wisdom. Jesus says love your enemies, bless those that curse you and despitefully use you and pray for them, the world says to get even. The first shall be last and the last first. Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth, not the prideful. Whoever want to be great among you must be your servant, the world - wait on me, give me your attention. All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Him, as He is God, Creator of all things, you and everything in the whole earth, He loves us, provides for us and has given unto us His Spirit, so that we can commune with Him, and learn of Him. You go about becoming wise in Jesus by spending time in His Word, learning from Him and spending time in fellowship with Him and through His Spirit gives you His wisdom and even giving you ideas that you would never realize on your own but by His Spirit you can have them.

Project to glorify Yahweh - The Temple Glorifying for Solomon, was the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon where he and his harem lived and the palace for Pharaoh's daughter. For protection and security for his people - These projects were designed to shore up defenses of Jerusalem and key locations that guard access to the central Judean highlands. A bit of disposable income for me would be, in addition to my tithe, helps for the church, missions and people in need.

Solomon is a man who loves God and whom God loves. That is the source of his greatness, and as long as he maintains that love he is blessed and blesses his people. Solomon showed his love for the Lord by walking according to the statutes of his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places. David, a man after God's own heart. The Psalms display David's inner thoughts. Solomon in the first part of his reign served God, but later on in his life, he was led into sin by foreign women. He had realized that all is vanity. This brings me to the last verse in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. Stay close to Jesus with all your heart and strength, as it is so easy to slip away. Stay in the Word and fellowship with God. John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness.

Daniel prays earnestly for mercy, humbling himself, he confesses his people's sins as his sin as part of this sinful people, though he is a righteous man himself. To experience renewal and revival today we must come to the Lord in humility, calling out to him in prayer, earnestly seeking of God himself, and sincere repentance for the direction of our lives and a change of direction. We must be humble and sincere in our heart. God's healing will show in us as - delivered, free, joyous. In congregation - love, unity, freedom. In region - unity, forgiveness, healing. In nation - A mighty move of God. A Holy Spirit revival is so important because we cannot do anything of ourselves, it is the Holy Spirit in us that does the work.

God calls Solomon to a walk of integrity of heart, uprightness, and obedience This kind of lifestyle is a single hearted love for God and following God's path, not your own. The obstacles we face in seeking to walk before God in this way is our own flesh, we need to be single minded and totally committed to God and obey the leading of the Holy Spirit. The opposite of integrity of heart is walking your own way, in disobedience and not God's way.

The Cloud represents the Glory of God. The priests could not enter the temple of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled it. The fire falling on the sacrifice represents His presence. We can behold the glory of the Lord today by spending time in prayer and fellowship with God, crying out to Him. We should get in the habit every day of spending time with the Lord. Fixing our eyes on Jesus. We will be blessed and grow in the Lord. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding142 the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:18, ESV)

He acknowledges that God's dwelling in the new temple is actual, but in a sense also symbolic. God is everywhere. The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built. This is a profound understanding of God's omnipresence. It is amazing how God is all over the world, but yet He chooses to live in our heart. When thy people Israel repent and shall pray toward this place: and hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place: and when you hear, forgive. The importance of the temple is that His focused presence is in the Temple. Just as in the Body of Christ, we come together to worship and fellowship. Jesus promised believers that "where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them" (Matthew 18:20) We can pray at home or anywhere it is secluded, we can be in God's presence. In Church we can pray together as a corporate body.

Yes, It is a sacrifice because our bodies think worldly and we want to relax and close our eyes or be entertained by TV. I am asking God for deliverance and to spend more time fellowshipping with Him, reading the word, studying it and praying. Things are robbing us in our fellowship with God and the devil will see to it, in distractions. We have to become overcomers of our flesh. Loving God and love my neighbor, prayer and fellowship with God, worship and give thanks and alms. Proclaiming the Gospel and how to present it.

In the Old Testament the people of God sacrificed animals for their sin, every year, but they just covered it and could not take it away, so it had to be done every year, over and over and they should repent of their sin. In the New Testament, Jesus took away sin once and for all. By dying on the cross for us and We are to be repentant but If we sin - IJohn 1:9 and If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The Bible says it better: Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest [Christ] had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy." (Hebrews 10:11--14)

Multiplying church buildings is not the central mission of the Church. The Church is the Body of Christ. Our mission is to spread the Good News of Jesus that sets men and women free from sin to enjoy God's grace and presence. The place of building worship buildings such as Solomon's Temple that express the beauty and glory of God, are beautiful but not what God desires. We are His Temple and we are to express God's beauty and glory from within. Building functional houses of worship that conserve resources for other tasks is what should be. We are the body of Christ gathering for Worship, hearing the Word of God and being built up in the faith, loving one another and using the resources for missions, and those in need. No need for extravagant spending on things that are not needed. We could worship anyplace, it doesn't have to be luxurious.

My natural talents are cooking and baking, I love to garden, watch flowers grow, care for them, get weeds out of their way, and these are what I am good at in the natural world. I did help and plant flowers in my Pastor and other peoples garden, I bring meals and bake goods to people. I think I am finding that my natural talents are related to my spiritual gifts and how I think they are related to each other is as follows: My cooking and baking is that I like to feed people and make them content and I can do this by feeding them the Word of God and that will certainly bring them contentment and satisfy them with the right kind of food. And in the gardening aspect - planting the flower seeds, watching them grow, caring for them, seeing they get enough water, planting in a sunshiny area, taking care of the weeds. Where God originally gave us the seed, the dirt with the right nutrients in, brings the rain and the sunshine, even gives us different varieties and colors of flowers. In the spiritual - God gives us the seed of His Word, which makes us grow, builds our faith, gives us strategies against the devil and not give him the opportunity to plant weeds in our heart, He makes us strong in Him, able to withstand storms and still come out beautiful.

They are heartfelt and full of wisdom and understanding, wanting you to search them more and more. 1. My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. Proverbs 4:20-22 2. Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 Scripture most dear to me is #1.

Because God created everyone and loves everyone and that is God's way, and if we are followers of Jesus we should do the same. Because they can pay good lawyers or know someone who could get them off even though they are guilty. Because they are different in culture, nation, ways but, God did this, he made us all different. We are all a different mix - with talents, abilities, gifts, purposes. All to work together in this world to love one another, to get along and accomplish God's purposes. Mostly our leaders are not following the Lord, therefore, they introduce bills that don't reflect God's ways. We should follow what the Word teaches and to Love God with all our heart and to love one another and seek justice.

He was humble, loved God, and wanting to please Him. He acknowledged his privilege to be King but knowing he needed wisdom to rule rightly. I have served Jesus in what I can do for Him but I can be better at it. I have been sick from Covid since October 2021 and in my apt. a lot. Being healed little by little. Just started going back to church and working on my one on one relationship with Him and getting to know Him. Needing to pursue Him. He is not a superficial God. More and more, total healing is coming in His presence. Singleness of heart is important because it is having our heart fixed on Jesus and not on the world or ourselves.

Marrying the daughter of Pharaoh was viewed as a diplomatic coup that creates peace with Egypt. Though marriage alliances might be viewed as politically expedient, marrying a spouse who is not a believer is specifically prohibited in Scripture. Solomon either ignores or rationalizes the command of God and marries an Egyptian princess in spite of it. God's Word states - Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, 4 for they will turn your sons away from following me to serve other gods." (Deuteronomy 7:3-4a) High places were where Canaanite worship was made to their deity, such as Baal or Asherah on a hill. High places came to refer not to just the hilltop, but the entire cultic installation there of altars, Asherah poles, standing stones representing deities, etc. Moses commanded the Israelites to remove remnants of Canaanite worship when they entered the Promised Land: God's Word - "Destroy all their carved images and their cast idols, and demolish all their high places." (Numbers 33:52) High places continued to plague true worship of Yahweh for centuries (Psalm 78:58) since they were not under the control of the priesthood. Kings -- even good kings -- are hesitant to tear down these folk worship centers. As parents - not disciplining our children, not bringing them up in the ways of the Lord, compromising with the world; as Pastors - not preaching truth, but compromising with a wimpy gospel in order not to lose people from their congregation.