Waiting...

Last night's Esther session was....GREAT as always. I love learning about the origin of words used in the Bible. Here is my favorite point from last night concerning this verse:

Isaiah 30:18

Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you;
he rises to show you compassion.
For the LORD is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!

In the original language used, the word "longs" in the first line and the word "wait" in the last line are the SAME!

In explanation: "It isn't a wait without the longing." In all instances of waiting...there is inherently a longing. There is something you are waiting for. Waiting for your turn...you are obviously longing for it to be your turn. Waiting for Christmas...you are obviously longing for Christmas.

Then, to think about it with this verse in mind...God is longing for what you are longing to receive. Blessed are YOU who WAIT for HIM! His longing is also the waiting...waiting for the right time. LONGING for that time to be here so He can answer and give you what you LONG and WAIT for....

Such rich words! I am sad that we only have two more sessions! I learn so much every single week!

Lessons Learned

Well, today has been quite an exciting day full of plot twists and turns.
I attended another awesome Bible study tonight on the book of Esther.
I have tried to type several things just now in explaining the incredible message and the things we talked about and learned, but it is simply impossible to do it well. All I can say is, if you have a chance to sit in on this study...DO IT!
You will not be sorry..you will be immensely blessed and it may turn out to be your own peripety in the chiastic structure that will one day be your life! (Google it, but it won't do it justice!)

Also, another lesson learned today:
Don't count your chickens before they hatch.
You like that one?
I came up with that all by myself today...pretty profound huh? HA!
Timeless, classic, and ever-applicable!
Sleep well!
You never know what God can accomplish while your head is resting on your pillow!
Look what happened in the course of one night of sleeplessness in the book of Esther!

A Word on Fear

Last night's Esther study explored the sentence: "It's Tough Being a Woman in the Tight Fist of Fear." I can't say enough how this study has spoken to me personally every week. Her words are no doubt inspired and anointed. If you have the chance to participate in this in depth look at the book of Esther, please do!

Beth Moore spoke from the passage where Esther goes from being terrified (for those who enter the presence of the King without being summoned the king has but one law, that they be put to death) to a state of being at total peace with what she must do (if I perish, I perish).

The three points she made were:

1. Esther had a choice.
You always have a choice. You must overcome yourself in order to do what God has created you and positioned you to do....
1 Corinthians 2:9: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived, what God has prepared for those who love Him."

2. Esther face the fear.
Fill in this blank with your worst fear: If ___________, then _____________. No matter how many different things you think might happen "IF fill in the blank happened..." eventually you will get to the point where God is the only thing left.... so whatever happens, tiny fears, big fears, ...THEN GOD. He will be faithful. Not only to protect you from things that you fear, but to carry you when things you fear actually DO happen.
"DO NOT BE AFRAID" the NUMBER ONE most frequently mentioned command in the Bible.
She had so many awesome points on this one. Facing your fears....being courageous. GREAT stuff! Worth going to the website and paying $4 to watch even if you aren't doing this study! :)
In this part she also addressed the fear of death. I loved this verse she shared and the wording from The Message:
Hebrews 2:14-15 "By embracing death, taking it into himself, he destroyed the Devil's hold on death and freed all who cower through life, scared to death of death."
Such great words. No need to fear death. We really have already been dead once and are now living our eternal lives. Our earthly death is just one small blip on the eternal timeline and it is a very intentional and vital part of our destinies.
Philippians 1:6 "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." It doesn't say "will carry it on to completion when you die."
How many times have people had incredible impact through their death? Impacting so many more and through the words people speak of them after death? Your destiny is not complete until "the day of Christ Jesus" so therefore death is not the "end." Fear not! Not that people should try to bring on death, but it shouldn't be something we live in fear of happening. From the workbook: "Walking in the shadow of death was as perilous as dying." If you live in constant fear of death, the psychological effects can be as if you are dead already.

3. Esther TOOK the courage she was offered.
God can provide all the courage we need...we just have to TAKE it. Take the courage of His presence.
He will be faithful.
1 John 4:18: "Perfect love drives out fear!"

Esther had two choices. One was to approach the king and die unless he spared her. The other choice was to not approach the king and her entire family and family line would die. Either way she was dead. Same thing with us. We can either face our fear and do something with our lives and destinies that will undoubtedly be awesome with God on our side...or we can be too fearful and be dead in life.

From Beth Moore...it is possible to protect and shelter yourself right out of your destiny.

Don't deny your fears. Deny their authority to control your life.

God KNOWS You Are A Girl!

I don't want to ruin this study for anyone who might participate in it later, but I do want to share two awesome quotes from tonight's session. They are incredible and if you have ever sat in on a session with Beth Moore you know that she elaborated beautifully and "anointedly" on both of them... Just think on them:

"God knows you are a girl (and all that comes with it)"
He did it on purpose! And has a plan for it!

"You cannot amputate your history from your DESTINY."

So good!

Still Believing God

Romans 9:33 "The one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."

"Beloved, if you pray that God will move a mountain and He doesn't, or you have the faith to tell a mountain to move and it won't, assume Christ wants you to climb it instead and see Him transfigured. Either way the mountain is under your feet."

-Beth Moore, "Believing God."

Just a tidbit of the material we discussed tonight at our girls' book club. What a convicting, yet encouraging book!

Verse Memorization

(If I sent you a message about receiving an award, read down to the last post! Congrats!)

I want to give a little update on my scripture memorization.

It is going pretty well! Last month I had to repeat my verse for the entire month of February....so..I was a little disappointed with that, but I didn't want to move forward until I had accomplished memorizing the verse. It has truly been empowering to have these verses in my mind. I have my little spiral index card set in my purse so I can take them out and read over them if I am even sitting somewhere like dance class or something. I invite you to try this too....I think anyone who makes this effort and actively repeats the scriptures will be blessed so much by God.

Recently there was a post on the "Siesta Scripture Memorization" about a get-together they are planning for next January. It is for all the ladies who have participated in the challenge online. Beth Moore will speak, of course, and everyone will have an opportunity to recite their verses to each other, with special recognition for those who memorized all 24 verses. I think that is a fun idea and a way to motivate someone to keep on going with this! The problem is that it will be in Houston, TX at Mrs. Moore's home church, so I doubt I will be able to head out, but that won't stop me from participating anyway.

Each month on the Living Proof Ministries website Mrs. Beth Moore posts her verse for the month and she says if you feel that it applies to you then you can choose it for your's as well. I haven't done that so far, because it has proven SO true to me that if you don't "need it" then you won't be able to memorize it as affectively.
But, this month the verse she chose really spoke to me, so I decided to take it on for my own. Here it is:

1 Peter 3:9 NIV
"Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing."

WOW! That is difficult and challenging. I am excited to see how repeating this verse over and over in the next few weeks changes me!!!!