Bible Study- The Poor Widow turned Entrepreneur- 2 Kings chapter 4

God has provided us with all of the answers to life within the Bible. Here is the beginning of a lesson about a woman who had very serious money problems and how she solved them with instruction from the prophet Elijah.

Bible Study -Ruth and Naomi Part 4- The Power of Godly Wisdom

In part 4, which is the conclusion of this amazing story, we see how Naomi turned out to be as great of an asset to to Ruth's life as Ruth had been to hers. We see how Ruth's humility, obedience, and diligent service paired flawlessly with Naomi's nurturing love and Godly wisdom.

Bible Study- Ruth and Naomi - Part 3-The benefits of Service and Diligence

In part 3 we see things improving so much that Naomi's spirits begin to lift and we see the Ruth beginning to receive an even greater reward for her diligent service.

Bible Study -Ruth and Naomi- Part 2- Comfort and Confirmation

In part 2 we talk more about Ruth's decision to put her own desires on the backburner and how God sends her comfort to help her see her commitment through.

Bible Study- Ruth and Naomi Part 1- How did I get here???

We kick off our 6 Virtuous Positions of Power Series by looking at how Ruth found great power by choosing to be of service to someone else.

Can you understand your Bible?

Personally I have a side by side Bible which allows me to read the King James version as well as the New Living Translation in parallel form.

What do you do when it seems like your dream has been crushed?

Our Bible Study Series right now is called the 6 Virtuous Positions of power which ultimately helps women to see how to position themselves in a place of power at times when it seems like they have gotten so far off track from their dreams or have fallen too far down to get up.

Many times when we face constant trials and tribulations, we just want to curl up in a corner and cry. Sometimes we want to turn to our drug of choice (i.e. food, drugs, shopping, bad relationships, etc.),in a mad attempt to numb the pain of loss and disappointment.
Then there are those times when life can issue out a blow that hits so hard that we actully wonder if God sees or cares about our pain and frustration, and if he'll send some saving grace.
The world is filled with people who really believe that God does not care about their pain. They are angry and bitter and stiffled by hopelessness or either driven by rebellion.
So what's the solution? How do we go from the sadness of loss, to some place wonderful? How does one survive the disappointment of realizing that you may never have the things in life that you have always wanted? Even more simply put, how do you go from feeling like roadkill on the highway of life to feeling like a virtuous and powerful woman?

Well as a Bible study teacher, I went straight to the word of God to locate stories which proved that there were other women who had successfully done it.
The story of Ruth came readily to my mind.
When you're looking for a story about a woman with dashed dreams in the Bible, how could you not remember Ruth?
Ruth was the young widow who not only lost her husband, but who also felt compelled to care for her elderly mother-in-law ( who was also a widow).

Now personally I believe that Ruth was blessed with the gift of compassion which compelled her to put her mother-in-law's needs before her own, but I also can't help but wonder if she was also motivated to stay with Naomi out of the dread of going back to her parents house in the town of Moab. Moab was a town originated by morally currupt people. (See Genesis 19) We can only imagine what life in that city must have been like.

Does anyone know what it's like to choose to stay in a 'not so great' situation only because it's better than another really bad situation? Well Ruth did.

So ultimately, Ruth chose to stay with her elderly mother-in-law, and not only that she also chose to submit herself to Naomi by saying, "I'll go where you go, I'll worship the God that you worship, your people will be my people, and I'll die where you die". She went on to add," may God punish me severely if I allow anthing but death to separate us. She made a vow to Naomi and she did it even though that decision would greatly decrease her chances of re-marrying.
I'm sutre that just like many young women of her day, Ruth had the dream of being a wife and giving birth to many children-preferably sons- who would carry on the name of their husbands.

Unfortunately after Ruth got half way to her dream, her husband of ten years died. She was left with no man, no provision, no children, and no idea how things would ever get back to normal.

Has your life ever gotten so far off track from what you planned that you had no idea how you'd ever have what you want? Well Ruth's did.

So the question here is....... what did she do about it?
Well for starters, she didn't try any of the following options that commonly tempt us all whenever life takes an unexpected turn and we fear it won't ever get back on track.

1.The whoa is me approach- This is where you cry a river, then set out to throw yourself the biggest pity party...EVER....Constantly. You take on The Useless Cry-baby identity.

2.The self destructive approach- This is where you choose to be out of control. You say, "Forget it, life sucks, and I don't care anymore!" After that you begin to make wreckless, irresponsible, and sometimes even insane choices. You go after whatever "feels good" and you justify your actions by telling yourself and others that you've been through a lot, so you deserve to do whatever Wild-n-Crazy thing you want. You take on the Selfish Menace identity.

3.The Life is not fair approach - This is where you become bitter and hopeless from the belief that everyone else is blessed except you and/or those like you. You then begin to severely resent the people who seem to have the things that you've always wanted. You take on the Hateful Hater identity.

4. The rebel approach- This is where you do something drastic like becoming a lesbian as an expression of your anger and in protest against your disappointment in the dynamics of life, love, relationships, and God. You take on the The rebel with a ridiculous cause identiy.

All of us, including Ruth has been faced with choosing anyone of these highly emotional options at times when we have felt the pain of failure, or the frustration of feeling like God won't help us solve our problems. The truth is none of these options has the ability to satisfy us and none of these options can lead us to a Virtuous position of power.

Again, Ruth had these same options available to her too, however, none of these were her choice. Not only did she not choose to do any of these things, but what she did choose to do was quite mind blowing if you ask me.
She chose to do something that required a special gift on her part. It's a gift that is hidden from many because it does not seem like a gift at all to some.
It was a gift that put her in a Virtuous Position of Power.

A Virtuous Position of Power is an identity that you assign to yourself that involves you taking action that ultimately empowers you to use your God given skills and talents to advance yourself in a way that is Godly in character.

For this Bible Study, I urge you to read her story if you have not already. Once you have read it share your thoughts on any of the following questions.

1. What was the Virtuous Position of Power that Ruth placed herself in and can you name 3 noticeable ways that it worked for her.

2. What if anything interesting did you notice about Naomi?

3. Is there anything in particular that stood out in the story that you found interesting or relatable?

How in the world can you really love your Enemies?

If you ever heard or read the scripture that says love your enemies you may have wondered how is that possible. Matthew 5:44 says, "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you, and persecute you;" It goes on to say that by doing these things we prove we are the children of God. I'm sure most people feel like that is a lot to ask from someone who feels that they have been violated or victimized. How is it possible for a Christian to honor this command and be kind, loving, and well-wishing towards those who have been cruel to you? Especially without feeling like you're being phoney? If you have ever wondered about the logic behind loving your enemies, then below are three reasons that might help you see things from God's perspective, so you can find a path that will lead to peace in your heart and forgiveness towards those who have hurt you.

1.Understand that enemies NEED your prayer- When someone is hateful toward you, usually the last thing you want to do is pray for them. In fact most times, it's hard to want anything good for them at all. After all it doesn't seem like they want anything good to come to you. But did you know that God instruct us to pray for those who are cruel to us, and he says that if we don't then what makes us any different from them. God says, your enemies love the people who are nice to them, and hate the people who are mean to them, but Christians are to be like God. He allows his enemies to have sunshine, rain, clean air, life, and many chances to repent before he releases His wrath. God is God because He is good to those who do not follow his commands even though they are unworthy. Now that you are a Christian, you have to give up on the idea of treating others the same way they treat you. Christians treat others better than they treat you. It takes a loving spirit to do that. If it seems like you are running low on love, work on thinking good thoughts, Remeber Philippians 4:8-9 which says,
"Finally, brotheren, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.

2. Understand that your enimies may not know Jesus- Jesus says, "You will know they are my disciples by their love." Therefore, when you run into people who lie, cheat, steal, and who enjoy being intentionally cruel to others, you can be certain that they don't know Jesus, even when they say they do. The reason is because people who really know Jesus understand that God sees everything that we all do. God can see the true intentions of our hearts. That means no one can deceive God. If a person sincerely means another person harm, they can not hide their true intentions from God. Those who truly know God understand that we all are accountable to him for the way we treat other people. God commands us to treat one another the way we ourselves want to be treated. If a person practices intentionally cruel behavior, they are putting themselves at odds with God and one would have to be insane person or completely spiritually ignorant of what God says to do that. Anyone who is insane or ignorant needs someone to feel sorry enough for them that they will pray for them, not hate them.
God says that there will be consequences for those who harm others without repenting, therefore he urges those of us who encounter people with bad behavior to pray for them, so that they might repent before they have to pay the penalty for their sins. By this we know that enemies who don't repent are actually much worse off than the people who they offend.

3. Understand that your enemies are in pain- All Christians should know that when your enemies do things to hurt you, it's because they too have been hurt. Cruelty is a learned behavior. We all come here as babies, and babies aren't cruel. Human beings grow into cruel behavior through what they see and experience. If a person's environmental upbringing is hostile and void of Godly training, then they usually go on to become someone who causes pain for others. Bad environments deposit bad seeds which sprout into inappropriate behavior. Once those bad seeds have been implanted in the spirit of a person, it takes constant exposure to a Godly example to uproot it and replace the bad behavior with the proper behavior. Since so many people have no genuine spiritual life, or no relationship with God at all, they have no way to get free of these fowl seeds or their effects. The bad behavior produced by the seeds produce feelings of guilt and shame. The guilt and shame soon becomes a heavy weight for the person to bare. God says that confession and repentance is the proper way to unload it, but instead, many seek to unload that burden onto someone else, who most times had nothing to do with hurting them.
That is why we often hear that hurting people hurt other people, and we see it too in cases such as: abusive husbands who also had abusive parents. We hear of child molesters who themselves were molested by someone.
It's really up to those of us who love Christ to pray for the healing of those who hurt us. I believe we survive painful situations in order to minister to the ones who do us harm, no matter if it's physical, mental, emotional, or otherwise.
your prayers for their sins may very well be the only prayers they get for those offenses.
This is why it is important to understand why God tells us to pray for them so that we won't miss the opportunity to minister to a sin sick soul.
It takes having the heart of Christ to see violators for more than cruel and hateful monsters. Many times it's even necessary to pray for them from a distance, because change and deliverance takes time. The most important thing to know is that you don't have to hate them or seek revenge against them, even when it's tempting or convenient. God promises that he will take care of issuing out their punishment if they refuse to repent. So instead of revenge, seek the truth for yourself to heal your own pain and destroy your enemy's effects on you. That way you can move past those negative situations. Praying for your enemies is spiritual medicine for you, and it's important for you to get healed in order to keep yourself from becoming just like your enemies.

3 Things you must do to discover your purpose

Knowing and fulfilling your purpose is a mandatory part of putting forth your truest expression and experiencing genuine happiness.
The reason why is because when God created you, He had something very specific in mind for you to do and he equipped you with the gifts and talents to make it happen. It's up to each of us to figure out what God had in mind for us, and do it. It's a wonderful journey of self-discovery and it's up to each individual to decide to take it. Below are three things that are imperative to discovering God's plan for your life.

1.Know your spiritual gift and practice it- God has given us all spiritual Gifts. They are fascinating and amazing and they help us to understand and appreciate ourselves and others. It is important to learn what your gifts are and how they operate in the lives of Christians, and more specifically how your gift operates in your life. Once you do learn, you will see your strengths a lot more clearly. Your gifts should be practiced and perfected for use.The Bible says that in all your getting you should get understanding. Of all the many things you study and learn as a Christian, knowing your gift(s) is certainly crucial for fulfilling your purpose.

2. Listen to your heart- Your purpose is a huge part of who you are and what you stand for. Even before you know what it is you are already implementing it in some way or form. There are many situations in life where we take a strong stance or where we express a strong passion. Those strong feelings should not be ignored. When you learn the gifts of God and you determine which ones pertain to you, many of your passions and your opinions will make much more sense to you.

3. Stop comparing and competing with others- Galatians 6:4 says: Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else.
In this world we live in it's hard to focus on your own life. Between the reality shows, magazines, and Facebook we are constantly being enticed to pay attention to how someone else is living. That creates a strong temptation to compare what you have to what they have; what you wear to what they wear; what you drive to what they drive; where you vacation to where they vacation. Before you know it your life becomes a competition to keep up with your friends and relatives as a opposed to a journey of learning and growing at a pace that is right for you. God does not want us to envy one another. Everyone has different challenges to face. Everyone has a different purpose to fulfill, and everyone needs to feel the freedom to do things in God's right timing. While it's good for us to inspire one another, it is not good to feel pressured to do things that are not right for you just because someone else is doing it.
Instead learn how to appreciate how far you've come in your life. Remember to always embrace yourself and your own journey even as you continue to grow and get better. Most of all, know that you are good enough. You are who God created you to be. The most important thing is to be true to yourself and not let anyone goad you into taking on burdens and responsibilities that you are either not prepared for, or that are simply not for you.
Remember that as Christians God tells us to come out from amoung them and be separate. He also says that we are in this world, but not of this world" That means don't let a non- Christian pop culture dictate how you live your life.

3 Ways to find peace with God

Many people loose sleep worrying about where they stand with God. Our conscious is desigend to inform us when temptation, lust, or the lack of purpose has led us into a place where you can find no peace with God. There is no amount of money, or popularity, or physical pleasure that can replace the peace of knowing that God is pleased with how you are conducting yourself in this amazing world where he has placed us to be good to ourselves and others. However, there are times when everyone does fall into temptation or when we carry the burden of maintaining a habit or lifestyle that we know in our hearts is not approved of by God. When the habit is stronger than the ability to resist, you can then expect a healthy dose of guilt and shame to soon follow. At that point people either choose to allow guilt and shame to force them to find a way to make ammends for their sins, or they can sear their conscious with a hardness that eventually turns a caring heart into a cold heart of stone. If there is any good in you or certainly any God in you, then it's impossible to live your life without considering what He thinks of you. It is also impossible to blind yourself to clues that God gives you that you are outside of his boundries. it's also impossible to not want to do something about it. If you are struggling with feelings of guilt over mistakes you've made or habits that seem almost impossible to break, then here are three things you must know in order to have the peace you need to effectively move towards real spiritual growth and a healthy relationship with God. 1. Accept God's Unconditional Love- One of the greatest things I ever learned about God is that there is nothing that we can do that will ever surprise or catch him off guard. That's not to say that he does not disapprove of our bad behavior but what it does say is that there is no shortcoming that will cause him to abandon us. The Bible actually says that God will never leave or forsake you. It also says that God's hand is not too short to reach down and get us no matter how low we fall. That means that unlike friends and family who may grow tired of us for our shortcomings, God won't. God has high expectations of you, but He also understands exactly where you are in your life and how you got there and what it will take to bring you out. That should give you comfort to know that you don't have to fear God, and you don't have to hide anything about who you really are, because He already knows anyway. Every Christian should bring all of their sins and shortcomings to God and allow Him to show you the way out by learning to do things in life according to His instruction in order to get the best results and in order to get the kind of results that can give you peace with God. 2. Apply yourself to spiritual growth- The Bible says that God requires us to study his word so that you will know his standards and guidelines. You have to know what god says before you can do what God says. A regular Bible Study, church service, Christian programming, or even spiritual books are all great ways to feed your spirit so it can grow. And just like when you are serious about loosing weight you must eventually cut the junk food out of your diet to make room for healthier calories, and still stay within a reasonable amount of food intake, the same is true with your spiritual diet, you have to cut out many things on television or even in your activities to guard your mind against ideas and concepts that encourage you to do things that are not in line with God. You then have to fill your mind with spiritual things in order to get a better spiritual understanding. 3.Embrace Change- If you are committed to God your life and lifestyle will change. If you have been a Christian for a while and you have not noticed any differences in your friendships, your activities, or your behavior then there is a good chance that you are not seriously committed, and in that case why bother. Why half do God. God says that we should either be hot or be cold, but be lukewarm and he will spew you out of his mouth. That means that God does not need people who will call themselves Christians while doing more things that represent what the heathens do. There are enough Christians who are confusing people about right from wrong, rather than actually serving as witnesses for what God says is right. If you are seriously committed you have to be willing and ready to make some changes.