Bible Study

Do you remember the song…”Whip Appeal” by Babyface?   Yes, I am dating myself.  However, I was thinking about it tonight while I was mediating on my scriptures for the day Joshua 5:2, Romans 2:29 and Colossians 2:11 all in which talk about circumcision first of the body and then the subconscious mind otherwise known as our hearts.

If you can follow my train of thinking the Word of God has “Whip Appeal”.  Once you begin to really dig your heels into it, it whips everything that does not line up to it right out of you!  You begin to desire it more and after awhile don’t mind that it is whipping the fleshy things right on out.

In truth true freedom begins first in your mind.  Once your mind is renewed… the flesh has no other choice but to submit.

Did you know that God wants to court you?  During a period of not knowing, a wilderness experience; God touches our hearts before he asking for our hands.  As with Abram in Genesis 12:1-3 he tells us what his will for us is before the promise is fulfilled, it is up to us to believe him by faith and follow him.  When we got saved we entered into a courtship with God.  Unlike dating that has expiration deciding to go into courtship with God meant that you saw, with him there was a future beyond what you were experiencing while being unsaved.  In a courtship you build a foundation for a future together a covenant. God courts us.  Don’t get it twisted we do not court him.

God is always giving the advantage. He gave us Jesus, the Holy Spirit and his Word in the form of the Bible.  As we learn more through our personal walks with God; through our courtship we develop more deeply into a relationship.  As we experience more of him our confidence is strengthen.  Though we may have trials and tribulations, God past track record in our lives and what is shown in his word, tell us that he has our back.  All we have to is follow his lead.

To paraphrase God from Jeremiah 29:11 he said it very plainly that he has plans for us, plans to prosper us and not harm us, to give us hope and a future.  And what are the only things God asks us to do in return?  Trust him; obey him, to believe in him by faith and to develop in his love.  Just like when the vows are declared during a wedding ceremony.  His promises to bless us and make our names great prepare us to walk fully and boldly into our covenant with him.

I read having a Mary Heart in a Martha World – Finding Intimacy with God in the Busyness of Life by Joanna Weaver over the summer.  A book I now highly recommend for all women, young and old to read.  I have been actually sharing my findings as I journey through the accompanying Bible Study Mrs. Weaver placed at the end of the book on my blogs.  Here is the latest question I studied out and gave commentary on.

Questions for Discussion or Reflection – Day Fifteen

2) According to Dr. Edward Hallowell, over half of us are chronic worriers.  Which of the ten signs of a big worrier on page 33 do you struggle with?  How do worry and anxiety spill over into your daily life and affect your behavior? Your physical health?

Ten Signs of a Big Worrier

Is worrying a problem in your life? Dr. Hallowell says it might be if these worry signs are true about you:

1)      You find you spend much more time in useless non constructive worry than other people you know.

2)      People around you comment on how much of a worrier you are.

3)      You feel that it is bad luck or tempting fate not to worry.

4)      Worry interferes with your work – you miss opportunities, fail to make decisions, perform at lower than optimal level.

5)      Worry interferes with your close relationships – your spouse and/or friends sometimes complain that your worrying is a drain on their energy and patience.

6)      You know that many of your worries are unrealistic or exaggerated, yet you cannot seem to control them.

7)      Sometimes you feel overwhelmed by worry and even experience physical symptoms such as rapid breathing, shortness of breath, sweating, dizziness, or trembling.

8)      You feel a chronic need for reassurance even when everything is fine.

9)      You feel an exaggerated fear of certain situations that other people seem to handle with little difficulty.

10)   Your parents or grandparents were known as great worriers, or they suffered from an anxiety disorder.

Search me O God and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting – Psalm 139:23 – 24

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Personally I believe all of us have some areas and have had times in our lives where we have worried over people, places or things that we should had turned over to God.   I know for me, I have a tendency to either over analyze a thing or want something to be so prefect that I fail to even start on a project I know. I should be doing.  Praise God, he is helping me in that area by bringing the right people and influences across my path and I am willing enough to accept their counsel vs. being offend by it.

2009’s I speak by faith and see by my actions strongholds are not being carried over into this New Year.  Missed blessings or opportunities are not an option.  I have cleaned out my inner ear to hear more clearly from God.  In turn, I have begun the process of removing the waxes sort of speak of distractions, either externally or internally created.

To be continued… I welcome your comments!

The previous article can be found here.

Lela Jefferson – http://www.memoirsofablackgirl.com

I read having a Mary Heart in a Martha World – Finding Intimacy with God in the Busyness of Life by Joanna Weaver over the summer.  A book I now highly recommend for all women, young and old to read.  I have been actually sharing my findings as I journey through the accompanying Bible Study Mrs. Weaver placed at the end of the book on my blogs.  Here is the latest question I studied out and gave commentary on.

Questions for Discussion or Reflection – Day Fourteen

1) Martha wanted Jesus to tell Mary to help out in the kitchen, but instead of giving her what she wanted, Dr. Jesus made a diagnosis:  “Martha, Martha… you are worried and upset about many things.”  If you had been Martha, how would Jesus’ words have made you feel?

I have been Martha, in the past and sometimes do even have relapses.  However, to answer the above question directly and honestly, I would have felt at first taken aback and quite possibly a bit offended by Jesus’ comment.  The reason since that this man would have been undressing my mind, with his response to my request of help, from Mary my sister.  Culturally yes the women were to ready the house for guests.   However, nowhere in this encounter with Jesus do we see Martha being asked to do anything by Jesus or anyone else for that matter.  She made the conscious decision to busy herself.  I can imagine being Martha saying to myself while being very aggravated “I wish I could sit at the Master’s feet and act as if I have no cares in the world like my sister Mary!  However, I must do what duty dictates.”

Duty at times can be a blessing.  It leads to the maintaining of order.  However, it cannot be our excuse for not making positive changes in our lives.  Mary outside of the two sisters was the most bold in this story.  She went against traditions to sit herself in a room filled with men, at the feet of a man that was not her husband.  In this she showed Jesus that she valued what he had to offer, his presence.

Instead of trying to show him through works begat from busyness, she [Mary] showed him in her immediate corresponding action of faith by sitting at his feet.  Martha on the other hand, showed her busyness to be more important than to hear a word from Jesus.

To be continued… I welcome your comments!

The previous article can be found here.

Lela Jefferson – http://www.memoirsofablackgirl.com

I will pass the test of walking in love even in the midst of hurt feelings.  I know that I am accepted by my Abba Father and am the righteousness of God.

If I must boldly stand apart and embark on things unknown, I know my faith in the covenant promises will be more than enough to sustain me.

I will see God’s will done through my life of bond servitude and my inheritance.  Know this…I regret nothing, nor do I desire to go back through doors that have been clearly shut.

Lela Jefferson

- http://www.memoirsofablackgirl.com

I have been studying the book of Ruth from the Old Testament for the last month and a half.  Not for the usual reasons.  Women are generally told to learn of and study Ruth’s life in preparation of meeting their own Boaz or future mate.  I understand that as a single born again Christian woman, Jesus is my Boaz till I marry.  So, anything I do now in “preparation” is really maintaining and improving when it comes to OUR relationship together.

The character I have been drawn to is Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi (from her first marriage) and her development throughout the book…from being a bitter and discouraged woman that mourned the loss of her husband and her two sons…to becoming a helpful, selfless, wise and mature woman, who was finally restored and redeemed beyond measure…

In my own life I have had to put aside feelings of rejection, failure, disappointment, betrayal, mistrust, doubt and a host of others in order to not close my eyes and heart to visions of God’s will for my life.  During this last year for example the roots of my character have been examined, tested and still are as I have begun the process of executing / birthing visions.  I am not the same person I was a year ago and I know it is all for the better.

What inspired me to begin this study of Ruth was as I was coming home from a powerful rehearsal session of the volunteer / seed sowing ministry I serve in Music (at my church), the Lord through the Holy Spirit pressed on my heart to begin reading.  Since I joined my church now over 5 years ago, I have made it my business to always have in my bag a Bible translation.  So when prompted, I didn’t question why I was being led, I just began to read.

What has surprised me the most is the fact that I do not know how I could had (in the past) overlooked the importance of Naomi’s role in the story’s back drop.  It was Naomi’s son whom Ruth was first married to.  It was Naomi’s homeland of Bethlehem where Ruth is introduced to Boaz and it was Naomi who advised Ruth in all she should do to prepare for Boaz.  It was Naomi in the end of the book that becomes nurse to Ruth and Boaz son O’bed who would one day be the paternal grandfather to King David.

Naomi was able to do this because her heart began to be changed through service and obedience she received from Ruth.   Slowly her attitude became one of gratitude.  So, like many great preparers of other biblical characters before and after her, Jethro (Moses’s father-in-law) Samuel (prophet and appointed  kings), Mordecai (uncle and adviser of Queen Esther) she was used by God in such a way that has affected generations.

That part of her testimony is one that I want to one day also be remembered for…

Lela Jefferson

www.memoirsofablackgirl.com

So… in thinking about what was going to be my 1^st blog topic today, led me to think about both my pastors (Dr. Creflo A. and Taffi L. Dollar) recent teachings on the faith of what an AUTHENTIC Christian should be and its co-relation to a tweet quote I read sent by John C. Maxwell in regards to Integrity.  ”Integrity is the glue that keeps our way of life together.  We must strive to keep our integrity intact. – Billy Graham”

From Webster:

Main Entry: in·teg·ri·ty

Pronunciation: \in-ˈte-grə-tē\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English integrite, from Middle French & Latin; Middle French integrité, from Latin integritat-, integritas, from integr-, integer entire

Date: 14th century

1 : firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values : incorruptibility
2 : an unimpaired condition : soundness
3 : the quality or state of being complete or undivided : completeness

synonyms see honesty

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To me what it means to be an AUTHENTIC Christian is to do what Jesus would have done.  To have compassion, have a strong sense of integrity, have temperance (and all the other fruits of the spirit) be able to correct and be corrected (teachable) with love, and a willing to lay your life down for the Abba Father.

One of my attitude adjustment plan steps is to work on correcting one challenging thing about myself one day at a time.  So that what I want to be projected about my character lines up with the WORD and is pleasing to God.  In order to do this I know that I need to know what God says about me, have a teachable spirit, be able to hear the voice of God and be willing to obey it immediately.  By doing this I am developing what I like to call the “Self Correcting Spirit”.  Knowing when something is wrong (does not line up to God’s word) and being able to correct my actions and words before they become habits.

Today I am reviewing my INTEGRITY.  What aspect of your character will you be reviewing / working on correcting today?

Lela Jefferson – www.memoirsofablackgirl.com

I read having a Mary Heart in a Martha World – Finding Intimacy with God in the Busyness of Life by Joanna Weaver over the summer.  A book I now highly recommend for all women, young and old to read.  I have been actually sharing my findings as I journey through the accompanying Bible Study Mrs. Weaver placed at the end of the book on my blogs.  Here is the latest question I studied out and gave commentary on.

Questions for Going Deeper – Day Thirteen

7) Write Jesus a letter beginning with “Lord, I know you love me because…,” and list the ways he has shown his great love for you.

Lord, I know you love me because you gave your life as a living sacrifice for me.  You taught through your example to others that even though it is over two thousand years later I am still gleaning from your wisdom!  You left me the greatest comforter, the Holy Spirit to be my daily guide.  Even though you have been redeemed and have returned to sit at the father’s side you STILL intercede on my behalf ceaselessly.  With the simple calling of your name and my belief in your word, your only answer to me is always YES!

There is SO much that I can list about how you have shown your great love to me, but the greatest is that you called me yours before I even knew how to utter your name.  Each day I fall more and more in love with you as we grow more intimate with each other.  All I want to do is serve you and your people.  I know through my willing servitude and swift obedience to your voice, I show you my love, trust and respect in return.

To be continued… I welcome your comments!

The previous article can be found here.

Lela Jefferson – http://www.memoirsofablackgirl.com