Ehud & Eglon

Sort of excited about this one! I started the book of Judges yesterday and I read an account today I have NEVER heard of or read before. So, that's exciting. I guess for whatever reason this judge that God rose up by the name of Ehud never seems to make it into sermons. Well, at least not in any I have ever heard in the past 15 years. And well, I myself never read the whole book of Judges before so I was quite surprised to find it.
But as I am in a season of trial I find it exciting!!!
So, if you don't know (like I didn't)

Judges 3:12-14,17
 Once again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and because they did this evil the LORD gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel. Getting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join him, Eglon came and attacked Israel, and they took possession of the City of Palms. The Israelites were subject to Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years... Now Eglon was a very fat man.

So here we have the people of Israel, because they did evil in the Lord's sight, given over to the enemy. Interesting to note that the Moabites were descendants of Lot. If you recall Lot's daughter got him drunk and laid with him and became pregnant after the destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah. (Genesis 19:30-38)
Moab was physically related to God’s people, yet had no connection spiritually, and was in fact an enemy of God’s people. So it is that people can attend church and outwardly look ‘Christian’, yet never come to know Jesus as their own Lord and Saviour.
You see, even as a true Christian it is easy to simply ‘go through the motions’ so we all have to be on our guard. It speaks to us of those times when, having departed from our first love, we carry on through the motion of being a ‘good Christian’, yet we have no relationship with the Lord. Eglon, the king of Moab is a warning for all of us to guard against this. In this regard it is also interesting to note that Eglon’s name is derived from the root word meaning ‘circle’, and in the meaning of his name we are given this same thought once again of someone going round and round, through the motions, without ever getting anywhere! There is however deliverance from this enemy and here comes our hero now!

Enter Ehud the Left-Handed Benjamite!

Judges 3:15
Again the Israelites cried out to the LORD, and he gave them a deliverer—Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera the Benjamite.

(Okay...start playng the Rocky theme!)
 Our hero, Ehud, means ‘I will give praise’, or ‘I will give thanks’. Now, we are going to have a quick look at the power of praise because it is taught consistently throughout the word of God,
But there is a power in praise and gratitude, and its importance in our lives is taught consistently throughout the Bible.  All of us will be tested on this! There will always be times when trials and darkness surround you and praise is slow in coming. It is then, at that very moment, that you need to make a conscious decision to lift up your shield of faith and praise God despite how your circumstances seem.

Judges 3:16-21
Now Ehud had made a double-edged sword about a foot and a half long, which he strapped to his right thigh under his clothing. He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was a very fat man… Ehud then approached him while he was sitting alone in the upper room of his summer palace and said, “I have a message from God for you.” As the king rose from his seat, Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his right thigh and plunged it into the king’s belly.

Well, the king died. Ehud escaped and led the Israelites out of bondage from Mohab. Woo Hoo!

There is a type here of the warfare that New Testament believers encounter and engage in. Our double-edged sword is not man-made but has been given to us from above.

Heb 4:12 ‘For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit.’.

Eph 6:17 ‘Take the… sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.’

And finally, we see from this passage in Judges that the enemy is defeated as the double-edged sword is thrust into the enemy’s side. For us, (and especially when trials arise) this means using the word of God as Jesus did to defeat the enemy when He was being tried in the desert. It means declaring the truth of the word, declaring the promises of God. It means using the truth of God’s word as your basis of praise and thankfulness to Him. It means renewing your mind with its truth when the arrows of doubt from the enemy flood in.

Submit yourself to God, resist the enemy (with the use of your sword!) and he will flee from you!

In this manner the cycle of sin is defeated and the enemy of empty profession is destroyed. 


 How cool is that? I like Ehud and this victory over Mohab. It shows me that the Word of God truly is sharper then any two-edge sword and I can defeat the enemy with praise, thanksgiving, and the Word (my sword!)

haha...wow, I LOVE the Word of God!

1-18-11

I haven't posted in a while but I have been reading and doing a lot of seeking. I finished Joshua and am now finishing up reading about the life of Jacob in Genesis. So, I guess today I'll talk about Jacob.

Jacob was a schemer. He schemed his way into getting Esau's birthright, his blessing. He schemed for Rachel. he schemed with Rachel's father. He even tried scheming with God. Through all of this we see that Jacob struggled his way to faith. God had promised Rachel before Jacob was born that the older would serve the younger. The birthright and blessing were already Jacob's. Essentially he schemed for what God was already going to give him. If Jacob had just trusted God he would have had less conflict in his life. He wouldn't have had turmoil with his family, with his in-laws. It shows me that we must always trust God and not get ahead of His plans. Now, even when we mess up and forge ahead in our own plans God still extends mercy and blessing. But what we can save ourselves from is a lot of unnecessary heartache. I don't want God's permissive will. I want His perfect will!
God is showing me more and more how important it is to wait on Him. To trust Him. In my human nature I want to try to fix things. I want to forge ahead with "my" plans or what I think is right. But God is teaching me "Be still and Know". BE STILL. WAIT. SIT AT MY FEET.
He has a perfect plan for my life but it must be His timing and not mine.
Jacob wrestled with God and walked with a limp for the rest of his life. I think sometimes I wrestle more with myself. I definitely do not want to wrestle with God. Submit! Now that's a better word.

May God give me the strength to submit every day.

The significance of the first miracle Jesus did

The first miracle we see is Jesus turning water into wine. The first miracle we see Moses do is turn water into blood. Blood signifies judgement where wine signifies celebration and joy. We see with Moses came the law and judgement but with Jesus comes celebration and joy for He brought grace and mercy!

I love this story of the first miracle. Weddings were a big deal in this time. They would last sometimes 3 days to a week. After the initial wedding everyone would gather into the bride's house for blessings on her and toasts, etc. Then they would go to the groom's home where the party really began. Running out of wine at these parties was not just embarrasing but a big offense. It simply did not happen. So, when Mary sees this she takes her concern to Jesus and submits to Him by telling the servants whatever He tells you, do it. These servants were the ones who were blessed to be part of this first miracle. Everytime they dipped there serving instrument into the pot full of water they saw it turn into wine. Over and over again. They received that blessing because they were obedient to do what they were told.
I LOVE how Jesus chose the servants to witness and be a part of this first miracle. And the symbolism of the celebration and joy to come.

This was a  miracle of creation. Jesus shows us He is Lord over nature and He is Lord over time. It reminds us that God is the creator.

This was also a miracle of transformation. Jesus changed things.

Jesus wants to change things in your heart. ♥

I heard a quote today that really summed it up
If Jesus could turn water into fine wine surely He can make fine wine out of the tap water of my life. Even if the wine skin is getting old.

Are you walking in the victory of Jericho or the defeat of Ai?

Well, here are the children of Israel basking in their victory over Jericho and they come to a little place called Ai.
Joshua again sends two men into the city to spy it out. These two men came back and said,

“Oh, Joshua, you don’t need to send many folks against these people. Just send in a couple or three thousand men and they’ll make short work of them and we’ll just go in and take over Ai and
that’ll be it!”

But, what happened?

Joshua 7:4-13…
God had told the children of Israel to utterly destroy Jericho…(Joshua 6:18-19) They were NOT to take anything under the ban for themselves and God said to Joshua, “Israel has sinned, Joshua, they have stolen and deceived and unless you deal with this, I won’t be with you anymore!”

I believe it’s interesting to note that Joshua prayed AFTER their defeat. Don’t you believe if Joshua had prayed BEFORE they went into Ai, that God would have said, “Joshua, don’t go against Ai right now…there’s sin in the camp and you must deal with that first!!”

How often has this happened to us? We experience an amazing victory with the Lord and then forge ahead in our own plan without consulting Him first? Joshua was an amazing leader and when it came to Jericho he did everything right. He followed God's plan and didn't take a step without His direction. But when they came to Ai, he forged ahead without going to the Lord first. Well, Joshua was only human like we are. And we can learn from his mistake.
Many men's lives were lost in Ai that day. The men of Ai overpowered them and defeated them. Later, when it was God's plan and timing they defeated Ai.

What Ai is in your life? Is there something you forged ahead with without consulting God? The enemy waits to overpower you and defeat you. But when we go to God about every step of our lives we can avoid those traps and be victorious over our enemy.

Take everything to prayer. Let God have control over what doors are to be open or shut. Even when it seems like something good, like a ministry or helping someone out. Only God can see the bigger picture and what lies ahead. That is why we must trust Him with all our heart, even when what He tells us doesn't make sense at the time.

Be blessed today. ☻☺☻☺

1-8-11

I have been so enjoying the book of Joshua. It is a lot like reading "Lord of the Rings". Great battles taking place and such..

Now since I am reading about Abraham right now in Genesis I am seeing how God's promise came to pass in Joshua. God said to Abraham

"Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. You, however, will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” (Genesis 15:12-15)

Now of course the 400 years is in reference to Egypt. We'll be getting to that once I am in the story of Joseph and in Exodus. But what really stood out to me was how God said the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached it's full measure. I use to wonder how God could allow one nation to come in and wipe out all these other nations. For Joshua and his men killed not only the men but the women and all the children, too. But here we see that God allowed 440+ years (just as with Jericho) for these people to repent. But they never did, even after hearing of the miracles God was performing freeing the Israelites from Egypt, parting the red sea, and all the miracles he performed in their 40 years in the desert. God had to wipe them out because the evil and sin was spreading at a rapid rate. These people were sacrificing and killing children and it was spreading from country to country. It would be like if we had allowed the Natzi's to overtake the world, God knew they wouldn't repent or change but He still allowed 440+ years for them to have that opportunity.
So now in the next several chapters of Joshua we see God fulfilling His promise to Abraham as Joshua & the people of Israel start wiping out these nations. Sin is a big deal to God and we must NEVER think lightly of it. We see even in the case of Achan. He stole and kept for himself some of the forbidden loot from Jericho. He and his entire household were killed and burned. Because of his hidden sin many men in Joshua's army fell to the sword in battle because of this sin.
That is why I am so grateful for the blood of Jesus!!! Without His blood and Him making intercession for us we would be lost. For who can live a sinless life? All throughout the old testament we see man trying to live by the law and failing. That is why God sent us a savior. God is patient with us. He waits for us to turn our hearts to Him and repent. He waits patiently but soon Jesus will be coming back. We know not the time or hour. There may not be a tomorrow so if you do not know Jesus...now is the time!
Do not put if off even another hour. This is life and death.

Today's proverb is 3:7-8

Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones.

Comparison of Prophecies in the book of Joel and book of Revelation

Book of Joel	Event	Book of Revelation
1:1-4	Locust, Plagues in four stages; The four seals	6:1-8
1:5-6	Great Tribulation; Fifth seal	6:9-11
1:8-20	Warning of the Day of the Lord; Hold seventh seal until "I seal the servants"	7:1-14
2:1-11	Signs of the Day of the Lord; Seven trumpets	8:1-10:11
2:12-17	Call to repentance; Preaching of the two witnesses	6:16-17; 11:3-8
2:18-27	God speaks to Israel, protection to repentant; Sealing of the 144,000	7:3-14
2:28-29	Outpouring of God's Holy Spirit; God’s people to return to Christ	2:1-3:22
2:30-31	Heavenly signs; Sixth seal	6:12-15
2:32	Protection from God, especially from God's judgment at Armageddon	6:17-7:3
3:1-8	Final battle at the Valley of Jehoshaphat; God's judgment of the nations at Armageddon	16:16; 14:14-20; 19:1-21
3:9-16	Call to final war; Christ judges and makes war	19:11-20
3:17-21	Redemption of children of Israel; Millennium	20:2-6
3:21	God dwells in Zion; New Heaven and New Earth	21:1-7; 21:22-27

Proverbs 2

Characteristics of The Lord:  He gives Wisdom to those who seek it and who fear Him.  He protects and makes victorious those who are blameless and faithful.  Knowledge and understanding come from Him.

Wisdom Defined:  comes from the Lord, must be sought, may enter your heart (become part of you), has the power to protect from other's wickedness

How to receive the understanding of the LORD and find the knowledge of GOD

• accept His words
• store His commands within you
• turn your ear to wisdom
• apply your heart to understanding
• call out for insight
• cry aloud for understanding
• look for it as for silver
• search for it as for hidden treasure

1-5-11

I'm not behind on my reading but a little behind on my blog. However, I will catch up by the end of the week.

For right now I will share on Genesis 12

God calls Abram

This chapter is about God's call on our life and how we choose to respond to it. First we must know if it's God calling or not. Well, if we follow this chapter we know that when God calls its;

1 - Person to person.
2 - Clear direction
3 - A Powerful Command
4 - There is an awesome promise
5 - There is instant change

If you receive a call and there is no promise with it it most likely isn't God. There will always be a promise. God doesn't say there won't be hardship or difficulty but He will give us a promise.
When God told Abram to pack up and leave his country and go to one he didn't know he was 75 years old. As any of you know who have moved it's not any easy process. It's always hard to go forward with out looking back. And especially hard when we are going somewhere you have never been or that is strange to you. Abram was not only leaving his family but his comfort zone. He has lived there 75 years. That is almost a lifetime to most of us. Most people I know that are 60 or over are very set in their ways. He had to move to a strange country, different culture, different languages. But Abram obeyed! But God gave him a promise. He told him he would bless him, give him a son, and that he would be the father of many nations.

When God calls us to do something it may be strange, difficult, or hard but we must focus on the promise that He gives us. It may not be instantaneous, after all Abram waited some 20 years for the promise to take place, but we can rest assure that God WILL come through.

The Stones

Joshua 4

The Stones

This is the chapter that talks about the stones. After God dried up the Jordan and Israel crossed Joshua was instructed by the Lord to pick up 12 stones. One stone for the 12 tribes of Israel. They picked them up and set up a monument.
So...why?
Well, the stones were to remind them of what God had done. So, generations after Joshua was gone the Israelites could remember that the mighty hand of God was with them. So, during the difficult times, the hard times when it would seem God was not doing anything they could look back and remember that God was in there midst.
It's so important that we reflect on what God has done in our lives. The enemy certainly loves to remind us of what he has done in our lives. The enemy works hard to make us live in regret and shame. But when we focus on what God has done it overpowers that! The big miracles are not everyday but those mountain top experiences are to help us when we are in the valleys. We can look back and remind ourselves that God is for us, with us, and most importantly that He is HERE!

Let us reflect on what God has done, what He is doing, and what He will do! That is how we keep our thoughts heavenward ☺

1-4-11

Genesis 11

The story of Babel.

And they said, "Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name; lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth

The builders of the tower were in open defiance of God's command (Genesis 9:1) (53).

In the ninth chapter of Genesis, God commands Noah and his sons to "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth" . On the fifth day of the creation of the Earth, God gave this command to the birds and fishes (Gen. 1:20-23). On the sixth day, and to man and woman (Gen. 1:26-28).

The other point was man was being prideful in his heart thinking they could be like God. So, God divided their languages so they would be forced to be scattered.  

A parallel can be drawn between Genesis 11:1-9 and Acts, Chapter 2. In Acts, the disciples of Jesus are at work bringing converts into the Christian church. Jesus Christ's promise of the Holy Spirit to the believers (Luke 24:49; John 14:26, 15:26, 16:7; Acts 1:5, 8) is about to manifest. When the Holy Spirit came all the disciples received tongues of fire and started speaking in different languages. All that heard the disciples speaking in these other languages were amazed. For they said, how is it they speak in our foreign tongue? Because of this sign and Peter's message 5,000 were saved! 

And not only were their spirits united, but the language barrier was broken. The disunity initiated by the scattering at the tower of Babel has begun to be reversed and this time God got the glory!

Wow! Pretty incredible!