Rosie1Rose

Through recent events God showed me that I had had a Jacob Spirit, a lack of trust in God meant that while He was my plan a, I also had a plan b,c,d, etc. I would lie scheme and manipulate to protect my back and those around me. Through healing and deliverance, God has shown me that He is working an Israel Spirit in me. One of trust and confidence, of truth and integrity, that I might be a creation of grace and beauty that God can use. Praise His Holy, Magnificent Name.

The key is recognising each child as an unique individual and loving their uniqueness. Enjoying the blessing that comes from different relationships with each child. Encourage each child in their uniqueness and accept in larger families not every child will gell with its siblings

This is one of those 'It's unfair' questions. God's will was for Jacob to be blessed, but to allow the blessing through deceit?? As said earlier, God knew about Rebekah's deceit, did he use it for good? Was that why there was the prophecy? Was Jacob going to be a better leader? Did it happen because Esau disrespected his birthright? I don't get it, any more than I get injustice or suffering or why God only works sometimes. I do however choose to trust in a great big Almighty God even when it doesn't make sense.

There is absolutely no excuse for either Jacob or Rebekah. What God promised WILL come about in His timing. It is NOT for us to meddle or interfere. That demonstrates a total lack of faith and trust and tells non-Christians our God is not big enough to be trusted. Jacob is as much to blame. However hard a stand has to be made to say NO, This is not from God.

I love the fact that Rebekah went to God for enlightenment over the twins, did she go too far and encourage Jacob's discontent? I also find it interesting that Isaac followed his dad - Abraham -'s example and lied about Rebekah to protect himself. Esau was Isaac's favourite and Jacob's Rebekah's, what sort of problems did that cause? It is not for us to judge whether any of them were spiritual, based on fruit of the Spirit, like us all there is some evidence, but none of it very convincing.

The Message talks about trading God's life-long gift in order to satisfy a short term appetite. It calls it a syndrome, so many times words and actions carry irrevocable damage and ruin our inheritance for us and others. The Birthright was Esau's inheritance, everytime I sin I trade in part of my inheritance. Esau had no real spiritual understanding of his inheritance, it's meaning or blessing. It came second to the physical. Jacob was just after the main chance. He had no real thought or care for his brother, just for what he could get. Had he always been jealous, felt second best, envious, what was their upbringing like.

Phil 2 talks about having the attitude of Christ. Only as we immerse ourselves in Jesus, letting Him be paramount in our lives and living out His instructions will we be able to have authentic Christian fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. While we live unsurrendered to Christ, all our relationships will be superficial and all about me instead of the One who gave His all for us. God's one desire is for fellowship with us. As He walked in the Garden of Eden and fellowshipped with Adam and Eve, so too does He want that relationship with us.

I loved the word picture of The Spirit as a visitor and as an owner. The minute you accept Jesus, He moves in. However He needs the keys to the laundry room, the toilet, the attic. He needs full freedom to have the run of your house and to have the final say in its running. For far too many years, Jesus was a much welcomed guest in my home. Finally when I stopped running, He came in as owner. I was emotionally healed and restored to fullness of life and was also physically healed as well. See I was indwelt by the Spirit at my 'conversion'. I occasionally became Spirit-filled. But now I am filled to overflowing. It is however my choice to ask to be filled every morning and to ensure throughout the day that I top up with the Spirit

Jesus says that from the mouth comes the treasures of the heart. If my heart is filled with the latest soaps, blockbuster novel or gossip, it is filled with rubbish and rubbish will come out of my mouth. They are things relating to the world and my sinful self If my heart is filled with things that are pure, lovely, righteous and of good report, it is filled with the things of God and godly, edifying words will come out of my mouth. Some of it is habit, some of it is not recognising the danger. I have switched off the television to do this study. In and of itself, the film was not wrong, but it would not have fed my Spirit with godly things. It is my conscious choice how much time I spend with Jesus, the more time I spend the better my relationship, the more fruit I have and the easier it is to hear the Spirit. I can make the right choices, but only when touched by the Spirit will they bear fruit.

The Law is perfect righteous and Holy. It cannot save us because by nature I am inherently sinful and cannot keep it's demands. I need a Saviour, One who will take away my sin and pay the price. I CANNOT DO IT ALONE. In and of myself there is no good, righteous, pure or holy thing. It is Christ in me that makes me pure, righteous, good, and holy. It is His Nature that brings about a change in me. While good, the Law cannot indwell me or take away my sin. Once indwelt by the Spirit, I have the power I need to keep the Law and to obey God's commands. It is not by my power or strength but the Spirit's

I find this fascinating in light of the study done in Romans esp Rom 7:14-25. As I grow and develop I find sin in my life that I was not aware was sin. I have some strongholds that I am struggling to overcome even with the Spirit's help. If I wilfully sin, like Adam and Eve, I find barriers between me and God. If I don't seek out the source then gradually I grow away from Him. Eventually I become so used to it, I don't see it as sin and lose my salvation. If it is a stronghold then I continue to fight in Jesus' strength til I overcome. Once I have sinned, I need to go to Jesus for forgiveness and TO TURN MY BACK UPON THE SIN. This brings me into the Light. To stay in the Light, I MUST stay in fellowship with God.

Our relationships with other christians tend to be superficial because of the masks we wear. If I do not love myself, if I do not trust that God loves me, then I cannot love others. I will put up barriers in case they find out who I really am and stop liking me. To have deeper, more authentic relationships with my fellow christians I need to know my identity in Christ. If I know that and truly believe God loves me and forgives me, I will be more secure in myself to be open to others and to reach out to them. The only way to do this in fellowship is with discipleship classes teaching us our true identity in Christ.

I have always assumed Paul is talking about himself. No matter how victorious our walk with God is, how Spirit filled it is, we are still sinners and will sin. Some very strong christians I know have strongholds that they struggle with and despair of ever being free of sin. I just see Paul in this passage as being conscious of himself as a sinner yet knowing victory will come through Jesus. Like so many christians I see myself in this passage, however this is the first time I have been truly able to understand it.

The Doctrine of total depravity means that in and of myself there is no good thing. I am capable of some good, even without knowing Jesus. However God looks at the heart and sees that the motives are not pure, righteous or holy. Pride tells me I am an ok person. I don't need a Saviour, I can do it on my own. The Bible teaches that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and The Life. Without Him, I can do no good thing. Jesus living in me is my righteousness, my Holiness, my wisdom and my salvation. Unless He is living in me, I do not have any of that.

The Law does well in teaching me what sin is. Where it falls down is that in my inherently sinful nature, it awakens rebellious thoughts and desires. The Law has no power to save as I cannot, in my own strength, overcome sin.

I am inherently sinful and rebellious towards God. By being told no, whether not to covert or not to swear, I instinctively want to do it. However I need the Law to show me just what sin is. Without the Law and knowledge of sin, there can be no relationship with God. By the Law I can learn to live a God-honouring life by the Power of the Spirit.

The sinful nature is my old, unregenerate self. Before I knew Jesus, I was a slave to the world, when I knew Jesus, I became new and re-born spiritually. My old self is still alive, but powerless. It is not I that lives, but Jesus that lives in me.

It is the old unregenerate sin self, not yet under the command of God

I can only have one of two masters satan or God. There is no middle ground. I think our problem is our need to be in control of ourselves. It took me a long time to trust Jesus. It's only now that I know that I could always have trusted Him if only I had bothered to talk to Him and get to know Him. God is dealing with me with my Egyptian Attitude. I have a bad trick of looking back and seeing how much easier life was before I became a christian. I know my life is so much more worthwhile but I still hesitate because of the unknown element of surrender to a God I can't see. Praise God for His patience, grace and mercy. I am learning that He is the friend by my side, the reality I live by, the God I worship. He is my beginning and end, all I need for all of my needs. The shame is it took 21 years to know that

Good doctrine is that which is Bible based, God honouring and teaches me how to be the woman God wants me to be. I will honour good doctrine as a mouthpiece from God. It should follow the promise from Timothy - ALL scripture is given for reproof, correction, exhortation, encouragement Any doctrine that denies that Jesus is God, that sin is ok, that I can do it on my own should be challenged and avoided.

1 A slave will always obey its master. If I obey my flesh, my master is satan, if I obey my Spirit my master is Jesus 2 If satan is my master I will show it in sinful ways - lying cheating gossip If Jesus is my master I wil show it in righteous ways - looking out for others, honouring God 3 Only the power of the Holy Spirit can break the bondage. Once I have acccepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour, the Holy Spirit will guide, chide, discipline and teach me. 3 I need to know that I am under the control of the Holy Spirit and I need to CHOOSE to obey Him moment by moment. 4 I need obedience in the control of my thought life and in relinquishing control to God.

The members of my body are my hands, feet, mind, thoughts, emotions etc. I can sin in my thoughts, my emotions - how I react to people, my words etc. If I take time to pray before I speak or respond, I can offer myself to God. If I do it 'off my own bat' I will sin. Because I am being changed to God's glory, my old sin self still appears and I can slip into old sin patterns. I NEED TO CONSCIOUSLY PRACTICE LIVING IN GOD'S PRESENCE SO THAT I DO HIS WILL AUTOMATICALLY EVEN IN TIMES WHEN I CANNOT PRAY FIRST.