JanMary

Q1. What does the concept of "father" teach us about God, especially the formal way which the word is used in the Old Testament? He is Creator, Redeemer, Everlasting Father in Old Testament. According to the quote from Otfried Hofius above, which two aspects of a father underlie our understanding of Father in the Old Testament? He is both Ruler, authority, head of family to whom respect is due, along with having the responsibility of guarding, supporting, and helping his family. Both aspects are present when "Father" is used in O.T. How should they affect our behavior? He has my respect and awe as my Creator, who has authority over me, and He has my love and devotion as the One Who guards, supports and helps me as His child. He is my perfect Abba, Daddy who invites me up onto His lap for comfort and reassurance.

Q1. (22:40-41, 45-46) Why did he ask his disciples to pray? That they may not (at all) enter into temptation. What temptation did Jesus know they would be facing? To become paralyzed with fear, to deny Him and fall away under pressure and persecution. What was the content of their prayer to be? They were to pray with Him, for what He was going to face..for His submission and strength and for their own. Did they actually pray this prayer diligently? No, it appears that they were in a stupor of sleep...or sleep of exhaustion. I was in a church for awhile that every time I went, I could hardly keep my eyes open. I noticed others looking groggy as well. I mentioned it to the Pastor, and he and the elders prayed against the spirit of stupor over the congregation. It left and never came back. How does the Lord's Prayer word this kind of prayer? Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil...for THINE IS THE KINGDOM. Why do you think Jesus wanted to be alone during his own prayer? In order to be completely intimate with His Father...to pour out His heart. Perhaps in order to not frighten them or to protect Himself from their attempts to dissuade Him from going through with the crucifixion, in their grief. I believe He wanted to be undistracted by anything or anyone, in order to do the warfare of submitting to the Father's will as He faced death and the sins of the whole world being put on Him and the impending separation from His Father for the first time, when He had to look away from His Son covered in my filth.

Q5. (Romans 6:18-22) In Paul's analogy in these verses, is there a place of independent freedom apart from "slavery" to sin or to Christ? No, we are either slaves to our fallen sin nature or we are slaves to Christ. There is no fence to straddle. The Cross gave us the way out of the prison of darkness where we had no choice but to sin. Now we can choose to be His slaves in His Kingdom of Light. It's a daily choice, a moment by moment choice. Why do we long for this kind of independent freedom? Lucifer wanted to be independent from God...to be god..He lured Adam and Eve into falling into the same folly. We know we are vulnerable and weak, and independence offers the illusion of power and control. Pride draws us into the trap. He's created us to reign, and instinctively we sense this even before we become Christians, but it's only IN HIM that we will reign, through a lifetime of surrender to His Will and not exercising our own fallen will. Why do we hesitate to firmly take sides and make our allegiance clear to all? I think there are many reasons...we are too comfortable in the world, forgetting that we are to be in the world but not of it...our citizenship is in God's Kingdom. Fear of persecution? Fear of losing relationships? To be politically correct? We want to fit in? Want to be liked by everyone? Lazy? Ignorant? Controlled by a religious spirit? In too much of a hurry to stop and share Christ and to spell out our position? We've got our own independent agenda? It's more comfortable to be a chameleon and to move through society without being hassled. The sad thing is, if we do that, we offend and deny our precious Lord before men...He said "If you deny me before men, I will deny you before My Father". There is a price for trying to walk the fence.

Q4. (2:4) What danger is Nehemiah in? Imprisonment if the King was in a good mood, death if he wasn't...You didn't displease the King, and you didn't ask favors of him or speak unless spoken to. (Pharoah's cup bearer was imprisoned with Joseph because Pharoah was angry.) Why does he pray quickly and silently before he answers the king? He prayed for quick guidance and for favor with the king for the outcome for which he had been praying for 4 months. He needed courage and God's wisdom to express his need in a way that would not be perceived as manipulative or might cause the King to feel pressured. How does this quick "arrow prayer" relate to the four months of prayer he has just finished? He wanted a leave of absence...unheard of for a slave! And for provision to carry out his task in Jerusalem...again, unheard of! Now was the moment of opportunity he'd been praying for, and he didn't want to blow it.

Q4. Meditate on the concept of God as a Spring of Living Water or a Fountain of Living Water for you. What does this say about God? He is a never ending supply of all that I need for life. He is constantly ready to refresh me, renew me, revive me, heal me physically and emotionally,to quench my thirst, to wash me with His forgiveness and His Word. He is a giving God, always flowing, always available, a never ending supplier of all that is good, and of His amazing love. His fountain is now in me....I don't have to search for other fountains. It also speaks of not only flowing into me, but because It's His river of life, it flows out of me to others around me. I don't have to "muster up" anything...I can open my mouth and out of my belly, His life flows to them. About your thirst? The more I drink of Him, the more I want of Him...odd about that. When I drink water that is not LIVING, I am satisfied for quite awhile. As He has washed away my fears of Him which started through abuse in childhood, the more thirsty I have become. I pray that the thirst will continue to draw me closer and closer to Him in intimacy. About your future? His fountain will never run dry...I have no need to fear, because He has promised me He will never leave me nor forsake me. He is my forever Father...now and into Eternity. He loved me when I was in the womb, He loves me now, and He will love me forever.

Q4. (Romans 6:17b) How does good doctrine affect the way we live? Sound doctrine is our compass or moral plumbline for daily living. It's the book of instructions for living the life into which we've been born again. Why should we honor good doctrine? Because it's the Word of God...it is His Will for our lives, both for avoiding pitfalls and for growing in His holiness and character. It's His gift for renewing our minds from the old life of sin to our new life in Christ. If we shouldn't look down on doctrine itself, what kind of teaching should we be avoiding? False teaching, which distorts the Word of God. For example Gal. 1, speaks of a "different gospel to which the "foolish Galatians" were becoming enslaved.

Q3. (Romans 6:15-18). What does obedience have to do with slavery? I obey whomever is my master. In what way does doing acts of righteousness demonstrate your slavery to God? As my master, His will comes before mine. Acts of righteousness are obedience to His Will. In what ways does doing bad things demonstrate a slavery to sin? Doing bad things demonstrates a yielding to the flesh or sin nature to whom one was once enslaved. How is such a slavery or bondage broken? First, to take the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, then to wear His yoke and throw off the old yoke of slavery to sin and death. What part does obedience have in breaking this bondage? We are commanded to reckon as dead the old sin nature which was crucified with Christ, and to daily surrender to our new Lord and Master to crucify the flesh and ungodly desires. In what areas is God speaking to you about a fresh obedience in your life? It's this crucifying the flesh! I've been spiritually taking authority over its collusion with Satan to be lethargic and not execising, to giving in to idleness and distraction, rather than obedience to continue writing the book I've been asked to write, by saying "Flesh, you will exercise, you will write, you will worship whether you feel like it or not". This has been a huge breakthrough in understanding! I praise God for this study!

Q3. (1:11) In what way does Daniel's situation compare to Esther's? They were both in prime positions close to their Kings, "fOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS", and each needed to find favor to first be asked what they wished...to ask the King without first being invited was to risk death. Both prayed fervently to God for mercy and favor in risking speaking to the King. Both were burdened by God to act on His behalf and for their people. Why does God place his people in strategic positions today in the community, in business, in the military, in government? He wants His people to have strategic impact on communities, businesses, the military, the government...at every possible place, He has "His amazing network of people" positioned and ready to move on His marching orders, or to wait for His plan of action. We are to have influence over our sphere's of influence, rather than the other way around. What responsibilities do we have to God that can cause danger to our positions and our lives? He is always to come first, and if He asks us to say or do something that will put our lives on the line, then we are to put His will above our "survival". Our message of Christ, brings the smell of death to those who are perishing, and it divides. Our testimony may lead to persecution and even martyrdom. Has this ever happened to you? My life has never been threatened by people for my faith...Satan tried to take my life a number of times through a car accident, my parents death threats to me, a suicidal spirit, (From which He has delivered me, Praise God), but my Spirit led sharing of the Gospel, has brought division at times. Speaking His Truth in a church where the Pastor became corrupt and where truth was not appreciated, caused us to leave our church family which felt like a death for several years. How do you pray in situations like this? I pray that I would pray, "Not my will Lord, but Yours be done".

Q3. Why do we sometimes resist calling on God to be our Helper? I think common reasons are pride, ignorance, fear, buried anger at Him....but the main reason in my life stemmed from violent abuse as a child, and with it the lie that "I'm alone, abandoned, there's no one to help me, I have no resources..." When I needed help, like a knee jerk reaction from that time, I would go "inward" and hunker down alone until the storm passed. I was shamed for having needs, so was reluctant to "be a nuisance" and ask God. I praise Him that He has revealed this to me, and has been healing my mind, and emotions, so that I run TO HIM, instead of away from Him. Why do we try to do it ourself first? My first answer was my pattern, but others have told me that pride and self reliance keeps them from asking. A victim may be so beaten down with depression that it doesn't occur to them to ask. Self pity and Satan's lies have kept one person I know from turning to the Lord for help. Others are afraid to ask for various reasons, such as not wanting to hear "NO". What is required of us if God is to be a Helper and Shepherd to us? He says "Ask, seek, knock and you shall receive, find, it will be opened to you"...we just have to come to Him and ask, like children who recognize they need their parents help..It only requires humility, and willingness to receive after asking. I received Salvation and forgiveness by asking for help, but before I knew Him personally, I asked Him to let me die....obviously He said "No"...but later I asked for His help "If you're there", for the births of each of our children....the first weighed nearly 9 pounds and was born in an hour with no pain...I didn't even perspire and my upswept hairdo was intact after the birth....the second birth 4 years later was about the same....no labor, no pain....He is Jehovah Jireh...the Lord provides..even for seekers who only hope He exists.....I praise His Name, and rejoice that I'm His...and that He does say "No" to stupid prayers, like let me die!!!

Q2. (Romans 6:13) In what ways do you "offer the members of your body" to either sin or God multiple times in a day? When I choose to follow Christ, in thought, devotions, prayer, loving the unlovely, what I choose to do with my time, who I spend it with, how I speak to others, how I either let my flesh have dominion, or the Holy Spirit to control me.... Why is it that we can sin unconsciously? By not consciously making a decision to allow the Holy Spirit to reign..we can slip into old habits from our B.C. days, watch programs on T.V. or movies that appeal to the flesh, in casual conversation we can enter into gossip or other sin, or ignorance of what is sin due to not knowing the Word of God. How can we begin to offer our members deliberately to God? By choice! For instance from Q.1 yesterday, I told my flesh: "You will worship even though you don't feel like it! You will spend time writing the book the Lord has called you to write this week even though it's painful and difficult! You will go to the gym and exercise instead of giving into the lethargy and ailments keeping you home!" (I did go to the gym! I did worship! I plan to write on Wed.,Thurs, Sat.) What changes will it take in our daily life to do this? For me, it's renewing my mind to remember to take authority over the flesh. He removed the yoke of slavery to sin, and tells us to take His yoke upon us, and learn of Him, for He is gentle in heart, and we will find rest for our souls. Mt. 11:29 I was in bondage to the fear of man, due to abuse in childhood. This verse Rom 6:16 changed my life, in that He enabled me to stop allowing others from controling me by seeing the exchange of yokes...His instead of the yoke of sin and fear.

Q1. (Romans 6:12) What does obedience have to do with the "reign" of sin? This speaks of choice or decision in whether or not we allow sin to rule as King in our mortal bodies..."Do not let sin..." We are told to take a stand and to bring our flesh under the rule of our Savior and King, in obedience to His Word, rather than passively allowing our flesh to dominate our spirit and lead us into the lusts of the flesh and disobedience to God's revealed Word. I love this question! It's just what I need today. My flesh has been passively giving in to ailments and attacks from Satan to avoid exercise, working on my book about God's miraculous provision for our family during homelessness and wilderness years after losing our business, and just general lethargy. Forgot for awhile that I can choose to bring the flesh under subjection! "Flesh, you WILL worship, You WILL exercise, You WILL write today.....thank you Jesus that we are more than conquerors in You.!!!

Q1. (1:1-6) Why does Nehemiah pray day and night for four months? Why does he fast and weep? He had great love and devotion for the temple of God and God's people. He was grieved when he heard of the desolation and reproach due to the broken walls and burned gates..a sign of God's favor no longer protecting the remnant in Jerusalem.They were vulnerable. He fasted and wept because of the seriousness, and I believe the Lord put that prayer burden on him and positioned him as cup bearer to the Persian King while in exile, to be able to bring help and facilitate the repairs needed in Jerusalem. Isn't that excessive? No, I don't believe it was....He couldn't ask King Artaxerxes for a leave of absence and for financial help. His prayer clearly was for favor with the King, and he received it when the King asked him about his sadness and sorrow of heart when he clearly wasn't sick. It reminds me of Esther who faced death for appearing before the King without his summons first...she fasted and prayed and asked Mordecai and her people to fast and pray for her so that she could request his help....God answered and the King gave her all that she asked for and her people were saved. Artaxerxes asked Nehemiah what he needed and how long he needed to be gone....God used Nehemiah to right the wrong, via the King's intervention.

Q2. (1:7-11) What is the basis of Nehemiah's appeal? He appeals to God for mercy and for God's "ear". How does he argue his case before God? He confesses on behalf of the nation of Israel, calling to remembrance God's promises both for calamity for disobedience and mercy for repentance and return to Him. Supplication on behalf of God's people. What do we learn from this about intercession? Confession clears the air when sin creates a blockage between us and the Lord. With a clean conscience it opens up communication which guilt/conviction has shut down. Reminding God of His promises is what He tells us to do. "Keep me in remembrance of My promises..." This also builds our faith when asking Him for help.

Q2. (Psalm 23) Can you remember any times when God has cared for you as a Shepherd -- in times of blessing and in times of trouble? Most of my Christian life! One memorable period in time of trouble, when we had to close our business when computer technology made our product obsolete for our customers, He took us step by step through home foreclosure, then got it out of foreclosure at the last minute by sending someone who knew how to help us, and the home sold for the asking price to the first couple who looked at it, while homes around us had been abandoned and left empty, unable to be sold in the 1990 recession. He led us to the perfect rental then when my husband was still too depressed to work and money ran out, He led us to a respite with dear friends for several months. When they needed the bed for their adult daughter to return home for care after serious surgery, He led us to strangers who took us and our dog into their home for a year and a half. Next he led us to a furnished home.tel apartment for 5 months until the landlord faced his own foreclosure and committed suicide. At that exact time, the apartment across the stairs opened up and because we had lived there as a sublease, our credit wasn't checked and we moved in. Our credit has been restored, my husband is working, we are debt free (without filing bankruptcy, praise God!)and we trust God for every detail of our lives...He IS the good Shepherd! He led us to a Doctor who did $4,000.00 eye surgery to correct my husbands blindness during that dark time, for free!...so much more... In good times, He has directed me when I've gotten lost while driving, to items we've needed and found they were on sale at the store He led me to instead of where I wanted to go, He led us to the most wonderful church....a multi racial, Bible believing, spirit filled church where our lives have been transformed. He leads me every day in big and small ways, and I praise Him for His leadership and care! What are you facing right now where you realize your need to rely on God as your Shepherd? I'm writing a book about those long years in the wilderness that He spoke to me to write. Recently because there is so much anguish in reliving those years, I've come to a standstill. I'm relying on and praying for His Shepherding to get me to the finish line as I show up to write! I'm praying for guidance about a proposed trip to Texas for a family reunion at the end of the month. As this financial meltdown is causing near hysteria, we thank Him that He's our "portfolio"....no shortage on His end. We don't fear because we've lost it all and have never been seriously ill, never missed a meal or any need being met....without welfare or government assistance of any kind. He cared for us through His loving people!

Q1. (Genesis 22:1-14) Do you think Abraham was really expecting God to provide a sacrifice, or that was just what he told Isaac? I believe Abraham believed God would provide a sacrifice, one way or another. What support do you have for your position? In v.5 he told the servants to wait with the donkey and "I and the young lad will go yonder and worship and we will come again to you." Abraham believed the promise that Isaac's progeny would inherit the promises God made to Abraham. Did you ever receive a last-minute provision from God? Yes, Praise God....too many to recount here. The most dramatic was in 1990 during the economic downturn, our house was in foreclosure and homes around us had been abandoned, and left empty. Ours was to be auctioned on the court house steps in a few days, and the Lord had promised He would take care of the situation and told me I was not to ask for help. A man knocked on the door and asked me if he could help us. It was miraculously taken out of foreclosure and the first people to look at it a few days later, bought it and for the asking price! During that dark time there were many instances where we had eaten the food we had left and there was none for the next day. In the morning there would be a box of groceries, soap, toilet tissue, shampoo, dog food, all that we needed and more, on the front porch. No one knew we were out of food but the Lord! Another time we were called by someone who had no idea we needed food...they had had a big company party the night before and ordered too much food. There was an abundance of food left and they wondered if we could help them by taking some of it.....trays of shrimp, fresh pineapple...ambrosia from Heaven to us! In what circumstances can we expect God to supply our needs? Whenever we have needs! "And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:19 Any conditions? The condition is that there is a need! He cares for the heathen and His children, the birds, fish, and animals. He is Jehovah Jirah...the Lord provides...He's a giving God....even to giving us His Son to die for our sins, before we knew we had a need for salvation.

Q5. (Romans 6:11) What does it mean to "reckon, consider, count" in verse 11? To recognize and acknowledge the truth of and live accordingly....we rely on His Word, not on our feelings or circumstances. Does this actually mean that we are convincing ourselves of something that isn't really true? No, it means we are in agreement with the truth of God's Word spoken to each of us! (Satan, who enslaved us before Jesus entered our lives as Savior and Lord, will always hover nearby to whisper in our ear that he is still our master, and to try to deceive us into believing that nothing changed at Salvation....but the devil is a liar, and he no longer has dominion over us...we are free in Christ, and Satan is a defeated foe and is under our feet! What will be the effect in our lives if we actually do consider it to be true that we died with Christ's death with regard to sin? We will live knowing that our old "man" is dead, and we are no longer enslaved by the sin nature...when the old "man" tries to resurrect himself, we can, by the Spirit, crucify the flesh, and choose to rely on Christ's power living in us, to obey Him rather than our old desires and nature. Satan surrendered the keys to our lives when we were washed in Jesus' blood... he doesnt' even have the keys to his own house any longer!

Q4. (Psalm 121). What does it mean that God is our Keeper. In what ways does he "keep" or "guard" us? Where ever I go or at what ever time of day or night, God has obligated Himself to protect, guard and keep me. He promises to bring me stability (feet not slip or to be moved), He covers me from the heat of battles in life (shade), all trials have to pass through His permission (shield), the elements (sun/moon won't smite me), from all evil, (Satan's attacks which would do permanent harm, and attacks of Satan through people who would want to do the same. He allows temptation and trials which will build my character) He keeps my life (my days are numbered in the Book of Life and were written there before I was born, and will not be cut short) He promises all things to sustain my life...food, shelter, clothing, spiritual help and guidance, including angels to accompany me on the journey and to minister to me, as well as strength physically and emotionally. He keeps my going out and coming in forever. (Where ever I go, and into Eternity,) I'm in the palm of His Hand.

Q4. (9:15-19) What was Daniel's essential prayer? It was a plea for mercy and the loving kindness God had shown them previously, supplication for the Lord to hear him and listen to His plea for the nation, along with his confession of the corporate sin which had caused them to be in this desolate condition. What are the various grounds of Daniel's appeal? He appealed to God's renoun and good reputation for having delivered His people from Egypt, to His rightness and justice regarding the sin of the nation which had made them a reproach and byword to those around them, and for the Lord's sake regarding the desolation of the temple....YOUR people, YOUR temple. How did God answer the prayer (see Daniel 9:20-23)? The Lord dispatched the angel Gabriel to come to Daniel and touch him, instruct him and to give him skill, wisdom and understanding. He told him he was greatly beloved and told him to consider the matter and to understand the vision Daniel had seen (Chapter 7) regarding the future dealings with the world, even to the end times.

Q4. (Romans 6:6-7) In what way has our "body of sin," our "flesh," our old nature been made powerless because of our crucifixion with Christ? In what way have we been freed from slavery? What difference does this understanding make in our struggles against temptation? I love the analogy of the caterpillar, cocoon, butterfly. This helps me to visualize what happened when I died with Christ. The caterpillar decides to spin a tomb around himself, then actually liquifies in the dying process within the cocoon. It dies to the caterpillar it once was, but the DNA is there to be recreated into the new creature which can now fly! My old sinful flesh was nailed to the cross with Christ, and when He arose from the grave, I was In Him, a new creature...His life is now infused in my DNA and I can choose whether or not to sin....prior to becoming a believer, I was a slave to sin. When temptation comes, I can rely on His strength, and choose to live for Him. A wise little girl once said "When Satan knocks at the door, I send Jesus to answer it!" We can do the same! I must add that this learning and choosing to rely on Him is a process. As a new believer I had a vision of a young woman curled in the fetal position in the furthest corner of a prison cell facing the door. Then I noticed that the door was open. When I asked the Lord what it meant, He showed me that I was the woman in the cell and that I was free. It has taken many years of emotional and physical healing at His tender Hand to rise up and walk out of that prison cell. Deliverance from many strongholds was another layer of being set free, as the strongholds were bondages set in motion through childhood sexual, emotional and violent physical abuse...those wounds drew me into sin even after I became a new creation in Christ. Isn't Jesus Awesome??? He continues to heal, deliver and set us free and will keep on until we see Him face to face...for THEN we will be like HIM. Halelujah!!!!

Q3. (Romans 6:1-7) Is Paul referring to a figurative "death" to sin, or to a kind of historical, actual death? Whose death is he talking about? Paul is referring to the historical, actual death of Jesus and our death to enslavement to sin. How does this death become our own? We who are in Christ, have become one with Him by sharing a death like His, which baptism signifies. To what degree is this just theological mumbo-jumbo or does it have some basis in reality? It is a fact...when we became believers and followers of Christ, our old unrenewed self was nailed to the cross with Him in order that our body which is the instrument of sin might be made ineffective and inactive for evil, that we might no longer be the slaves of sin. For when one dies, he is freed, loosed, delivered from the power of sin among men. Amp. V 6,7.

Q3. (9:5) Since Daniel is such a righteous man in his generation, why does he identify himself with the sins of his people? He was a member of the nation of Israel which had sinned greatly. He was a humble and righteous man who recognized that he was a sinner, though one who had not rebelled and worshipped idols, but still, he interceded for his nation identifying with those who have sinned greatly. He didn't commit them. How does this compare to how Jesus sought forgiveness for his people? Jesus did not sin in any way, yet He became the curse for my sins, dying on the cross in order to remove the curse from me. Daniel interceded on behalf of the nation, imploring God to be merciful and to remember His promises to them. While Jesus interceded then laid down His life to impart God's mercy to save me.

Q3. In what ways is God a Rock in the above verses? He is solid, steady, eternal, deliverer, refuge, strong tower, guidance, Father, helper, protection, unable to be moved by force, dependable. What functions does a rock perform in Palestine? Rock is foundation, protection, as En Gedi where David and his men found refuge in time of war. Rock is the land....bedrock....the promised land. The temple was built from rock...symbolic of the Rock of Ages, our God and Savior.

Q2. (Romans 6:3-4) In Paul's reference to baptism in 6:3-4, what does "buried" (6:4a) correspond to in the act of baptism? When we are immersed under the water, we are buried with Christ in the tomb, our sins nailed to the cross. What does "Christ was raised from the dead" (6:4b) correspond to in baptism? When we come up out of the water, we have been cleansed by Jesus shed blood, to live in newness of life.

Q2. (9:3-4a) What is Daniel's demeanor as he prays? He set his face to the Lord God (may have been on his face before the Lord), earnestly seeking by prayer and supplication, wearing sackcloth, and ashes....repentant, and humble. How does he prepare? First by reading the Word, then through fasting, then confession for his own sins and the willful sins and disobedience of the nation which brought about God's wrath in sending them into exile. Why is this so important in this case? He was interceding on behalf of an entire "fallen" nation, who most likely had no interest in the scriptures nor access to them, in order to know their years in exile prophesied were nearing an end. In what ways might you and I prepare for intercession? Daniel is an excellent example. Prayer, fasting, confession, repentance, humility, and God's heart and love for those whom we're interceding.

Q1. (9:1-3) What encourages Daniel to seek God for the forgiveness and restoration of Israel to its homeland? Daniel read in the Books, where according to the Word of the Lord to Jeremiah, the 70 years of exile were at an end. What trait on Daniel's part brings this encouragement to pass? His faith in God and belief in what God had spoken to the prophets before this time. Daniel was a man of prayer and fasting...a devout follower of God, evidenced by his life and his reading and knowledge of "the books" of God's written Word.