Bible Study

Jesus the One and Only Bible Study by Beth Moore

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jesus

I’m doing Jesus the One and Only Bible Study by Beth Moore right now. Just listening to the intro video had me hooked. I love how Beth describes the silence of God between the Old and New Testaments and how it served a purpose in creating a hunger in the people.

Imagine – you feel God has been silent. However, behind the scenes, he’s setting the stage up for something great. He sends an angel to Zechariah, then to Mary and Joseph. God speaks again. To the average person, God is still silent, but to these few select people they knew that God was up to something – something great! Then, the climax comes – the birth of Jesus! God was announcing to the world that He was indeed here. God is back. Actually, He was never gone. He was always there, doing something. The people of the day just didn’t know.

How does this relate to my life? When I feel like God is silent and not answering my prayers about certain situations, I know that God is still working. He may be working to create a spiritual hunger in the other person so that they will eventually have the strong desire to “know” God like never before. God is always at work. He has a plan that will eventually unfold before my eyes. That’s exciting!

The Armor of God Study by Priscilla Shirer – The Helmet of Salvation

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armour

I’ve been doing Priscilla Shirer’s Armour of God Bible Study. We are currently working on the Helmet of Salvation.

Within this section, I love what she says about making neural connections. “When we control our thought life, new neural connections and pathways are visibly and measurably formed in the brain – which affects the health and wellness of our physical bodies”. So, when we start changing the way we think, we can renew and restore “our minds from a state of unhealthiness and deterioration to a state of wholeness and strength in God.” (Shirer, Armor of God Study, pg 168).

I love that! There is so much hope in that thought. We can have control over our lives. You would think that I should’ve known this, but sadly I was never taught this growing up. It’s only been recently that I have learned about taking control of my thoughts and breaking down strongholds with God’s promises/scripture. Hopefully, I can impart this wisdom to my children so they can learn it at an earlier age than I did.

The Armor of God Bible Study by Priscilla Shirer – The Shield of Faith

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Faith is an Action

In Priscilla Shirer’s The Armour of God Bible Study, the Helmet of Salvation has been my favorite section so far.

My favorite quote from this section (pg 127) is:

Faith is acting like it is so, even when it is not so, so that it might be so, simply because God said so.”

I have a hard time with faith. I question whether I hear God correctly. It’s hard when we live in a world that does the opposite of what I may be called to do. I realized that I look to others to affirm what I do instead of looking to God. If God calls me to do something, I do not need man’s approval or understanding. If what I am called to do is grounded in God’s truth, then I should be ok to stand in faith.

I liked what Priscilla said in the intro video – something about if God calls us to do something and we think it sounds odd, it’s probably God. After all, “God’s ways are not man’s ways”.

After this study on Faith, I felt like I had permission to live out in faith specific things God has called me to do. Oh, I how I love this section!

 

Armor of God by Priscilla Shirer Bible Study

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The Armor of God, Bible Study Book - By: Pricilla Shirer

My church is currently doing the Armor of God Bible study by Priscilla Shirer for the fall. I am so loving this Study! I remember studying about the armor in church when I was younger. I thought I understood the concept. I thought, yeah, that makes sense. However, during this stage of my life while I am in the midst of a spiritual storm, the Armor of God means so much more to me.

Until recently, I don’t think I fully understood how much the enemy tries to attack us and how much of our battles are spiritual.

The verse in Ephesians 6:12 says it all:

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

What this means to me: when my kids are acting up and not listening to me, I need to look beyond the obvious behavior challenges. How is Satan trying to disrupt our relationship? How is he trying to sow discord in our home? How do I fall right into his trap and let their behavior get to me and steal my joy and even make me angry and resentful toward my kids?

When I look through spiritual eyes, I get a different perspective on my circumstances. As a result, I know how to fight back – with the Armor of God. It gives me some measure of control and focus. Am I perfect at this? No. Honestly, I have a hard time seeing things through this lens. In my past, I remember thinking about “those” people who talked about spiritual warfare and thought they were “over the top” or “fanatical”. With that in mind, it’s hard for me to just let go and change my thinking. I worry too much about what people think – that I will appear “fanatical”, which is wrong.

I choose to believe the truth no matter what someone else thinks. That’s part of Satan’s deception. He would love it if I didn’t put on my armor and “fight”. He wants me in bondage to other’s thoughts and opinions about me. I don’t want to live like that.