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Showing posts from November, 2016

Inductive Bible Study - Part 2

Inductive Bible Study God’s eternal, inerrant Word is your guidebook for all of life. Inductive study, a method that brings you directly to the Word of God apart from someone else’s understanding or interpretation of the text involves three skills: observation , interpretation and application . Observation – discover what it says     1.    Begin with Prayer.   Prayer is often the missing element in Bible study. Apart from the work of the work of the Holy Spirit, that’s all it will be – a method.     2.    Ask the “5 W’s and an H” – As you study any passage of Scripture, train yourself to constantly ask : Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? These questions are the building blocks of precise observation , which is essential for accurate interpretation .     3.    Mark key words and phrases. A key word is one that is essential to the text. Key words and phrases are repeated in order to convey the author’s point or purpose for writing. For example, notice t

Happy Thanksgiving

The History of Thanksgiving Traditionally, and in the public mind, the first Thanksgiving Day occurred in 1621 when the Plymouth Pilgrim community joined in a feast with local Indians to celebrate the first harvest that the colonists had reaped on American soil.  Indeed, 90 Indians and 53 Pilgrims feasted for three days at that event, and it was an official day of giving thanks to God for his blessings. However, the colonists were only carrying on the Calvinist Protestant tradition of designating special public days of thanksgiving for the blessings of the Almighty. It was really not something new in kind. The feast probably did include turkey since William Bradford informs us in his Of Plymouth Plantation that the land had a "great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many." Incidentally, there is indication that the colonists were familiar with turkey from back in England, even though it was a native American bird. That is because the Spa

Celebrate Excellance

Excellence Excellence inspires trust, loyalty, and respect and establishes a reputation that will follow you wherever you go and as long as you live. The woman in these verses led in a family context and did it with excellence. What “family” are you being called to lead? God desires excellence from you, no matter what your situation.  The woman of Proverbs 31 excelled in whatever she was given to do each day. God gives her to us by way of Scripture to show us excellence, strength, and beauty. It is a perfect picture of what God wants from His leaders in all walks of life; be the person He created you to be and excel regardless of your situation.  There is nothing more beautiful in all the world than a woman who is righteous and loves God. That’s true beauty. “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” Proverbs 31:29 NIV Celebrate excellence and discover God’s world of opportunity. Be blessed and be a blessing!

Focus on the Finish

Focus on the Finish John 8:32, says that you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. The truth of the matter is that God wants our success in life. Scripture all tells us that He know the desires of our hearts. God wants us to have abundance, God has NOT given us a Spirit of fear but of love, power and a sound mind. We are then able to be free to fulfill the purpose that you were given to live. Free from all of the fears, doubts and misconceptions that would cause you to miss you purpose for your highest and your best. Free to create the abundance in every area of your life. We can start to really enjoy our lives and live freely to be ourselves when we truly understand God’s truth verses the lies. I encourage you to go out and turn your world right-side up for the cause of Jesus Christ. Have fun creating the world you are meant to live – a life of Freedom in Christ! Make someone laugh. Share God’s love and His heart with everyone you meet. With God, we can

Thankful Thursday

1 Chronicles 16:349 Give   thanks   to the   Lord , for he is good; his love endures forever.  “... that we may give   thanks   to your holy name, and glory in your praise.”  1 Chronicles 16:34, 35b Genuine praise results when we declare God's character and attributes in the presence of others. When we recognize and affirm His goodness we are holding up His perfect moral nature for all to see. Praise benefits us because it takes our minds off our problems and needs and focuses on God's power, mercy, majesty, and love. Genuine praise also involves ascribing glory to God. This means we give credit where credit is due. Remember this is you worship - give God all the glory. Amen Be blessed and be a blessing!

Inductive Bible Study

Inductive Bible Study Method Begin with Prayer, prayer is often the missing element in Bible Study. Apart from the work of the Holy Spirit, that’s all it will be – a method. With that in mind, Inductive  Bible study  consists of these three component parts: observation, interpretation, and application. Observation answers the question: What does the passage say?   It is the foundation which must be laid if you want to accurately interpret and properly apply God's Word. Because observation is discovering what the passage is saying, it requires time and practice. You'll discover that the more you read and get to know a book of the Bible, the more its truths will become obvious to you. You'll be awed at the wealth of spiritual riches contained in even the shortest books of the Bible—and you will have discovered it yourself! You will know that you know! Interpretation answers the question:  What does the passage mean?   And the basis for accurate interpretat

Dream a New Dream

HAVE YOU DREAMED A NEW DREAM TODAY? Without vision – dreams – imagination – the people DIE !! Proverbs 29:18 The road less traveled is never easy and there are few if any traffic jams. We are to keep dreaming until the day we die. You are never too old to go after the dream that is in your heart. God is able to accomplish infinitely more than we can ask or think – more than I can ever imagine. Ephesians 3:20. Commit to the Lord whatever you do and all your plans will succeed.  God will cause our thoughts to become agreeable with His will! (Proverbs 16:3) Set Goals – Goals are dreams with deadlines. Whatever is good and perfect comes from God. (James 1:17) Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and all these things (goals, dreams) will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:33) When you pursue you dreams you set the stage for others to pursue their dreams. When you have a vision & a dream you can overcome ANY obstacle. What‘s next? It’s no

Thankful Thursday

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be   thankful. -  Colossians 3:15   Be blessed and be a blessing!

Never Give Up

Have you ever had one of those days you do something not quite knowing why? Today was one of those days for me. I don't usually read email or text first thing in the morning before I do my devotional, but I was prompted to do so today. I saw I had a text message from a friend and she quoted this scripture from Galatians 6:9 - "   Let us not become weary in doing good,  for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." I thanked her for the Word she had sent out but it was her response that gave me pause "some days I want to throw in the towel." Wow my God - I'm thinking I need to get to her, this is my friend, I know she knows the Lord but is she in crisis. But God in His providence, heard her cry and a flood of angels came to her rescue.  Don't discount the power of friendship. God knows just what we need when we need it - she sent that message in a group text and we all responded with Words of encouragement. He will use you i

Joy...What does it mean?

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of  many kinds,   because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. James 1:2-3 (NIV) Count it all joy… James 1:2-3 (NKJV) What does it mean to “count it all joy?” To respond to difficulties with joy seems absurd. James knows this, and so in verse 3 he offers his answer to our natural question: Why should we rejoice in the face of trials? He doesn’t say if you face trials, but whenever you face them. He assumes that we will have trains and that it is possible to profit from them. The point is not to pretend to be happy when we face pain, but to have a positive outlook (“consider it pure joy”) because of what trials can produce in our lives. James tells us to turn our hardships into times of learning. Tough times can teach use perseverance. Trials have a purifying quality; they are the arena in which and the process through which something good develops.  Trials can h

What I did in October

I did it! I accepted and completed the challenge from the #write31days community. When I first heard about this a few years ago, a group of ladies from my church got together to encourage each other on. Initially, I never thought of myself as a blogger but since that time I have use this blog as a medium to post encouraging thoughts and scriptures, Bible bits and commentaries, a wildlife-nature series using pictures from my personal photo library, craft ideas and a place from my Online Bible Studies.  It's encouraging me to continue writing and posting my personal thought and sharing with you. What I like most about the 31 day challenge is it keeps me focused, reading and opening up God's Word daily. So next year I'd like to encourage and challenge you to take the 31 Day Journey as an active participate. It happens each year in October.  Here's the link to all 31 Days ! So stay tuned as I consider what my next series will be and as always... Be blessed a