Week 17 Bible Reading Review

Week 17  1 Kings 9:1 to 2 Kings 1:1

1 King 11:4  Solomon’s weakness was women.  Did he keep straight all their names?  This verse states he turned from God and followed his wives when he was old.  Getting older and presumably weaker caused him to falter despite his wisdom.  It is usually when we a tired, worn out, in a weakened state that our guard drops and sinning becomes more likely.

Solomon’s peace and prosperity was eventually lost due to his sin and it brought division and misery to his descendants and kingdom.  It can be easy to think our sin (or righteousness) doesn’t affect anyone but it might be much father reaching than we will ever realize.

1 King 12:24  God divided the kingdom…  This was not by choice.

1 King 12:27  Jeroboam forgot the advice of the prophet and operated out of fear which caused the people to sin.  This is an easy trap to fall into.

1 King 13:18  A tough lesson here.  We should always seek confirmation especially when there is conflict with God’s previous instructions.

1 King 13:33  How is it that direct demonstrations of God’s power didn’t cause the king's heart to change?  Perhaps it was thought inevitable?

1 King 15:5  I find it interesting that David was declared righteous in all his ways except with Uriah the Hittite.  There are many other things David did that seem questionable to me.

1 King 17:13  The widow’s faith was tested by being told to feed Elijah first, and then to see if the supply lasted for her and her son.  V24, even after eating several days from the bottomless jars, it wasn’t until her dead son was restored that she stated faith in Elijah.  How many proofs around us do we take for granted, still wanting a bigger sign?

1 King 18:7  “Elijah suddenly appeared” along with v12 “The Spirit of the Lord may carry you off to some place” hints at the idea that Elijah was transported on a regular basis to different places.

1 King 18:1  God’s assignment to Elijah was to present himself before Ahab.  Nothing else noted in the text.  Was the showdown with Baal’s prophets part of this assignment as well?  I would have to assume so.  But after this great act of bravery and slaughter (v40), Elijah becomes fearful of Jezebel’s words (19:2).  Perhaps he had already started to give up hope for Israel and himself as we read later.

1 King 19:8  40 day and night journey on 2 meals!  Angel superfood!

1 King 20  Even though Ahab was a very wicked king in God’s eyes, God still enabled him to destroy a much greater army of a boastful king.  A judgement of one’s standing with God based on an outcome of events may be faulty.

1 King 20:35-36 This is a strange account.  If someone said, "God said 'You need to punch me in the face' ", I would find it hard to believe as well.  And then the man dies for this?

1 King 20:43  Ahab was angry because his act of mercy backfired.  We cannot justify our actions that are contrary to God’s command, even if we think we are righteous in them.

1 King 22:13-14  Micah was told to be in agreement with the false prophets, but did not succumb to the pressure and spoke only as Yahweh said.  Could we speak God’s word, even if it was not popular and could bring personal harm from the hearer?

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Next Reading:  Week 18  2 Kings 1:1 to 2 Kings 19:1

Messages of Interest: Your Light

Below is a CWG post from earlier this week by Dale Cresap that I thought good to share.  It talks about letting your light shine and why that is important for each of us as individuals.  If you found this post enlightening (lol) leave a comment below.

Your Light

by Dale Cresap

I told my followers to let their light so shine before men that their good works may be visible. What light does this involve? Some believers will say this is the light of Christ in us and that is correct. Yet the passage says, ‘your light’. You have a unique identity and my light in you has a unique expression. I haven’t called you to give someone else’s light, so don’t look to them to imitate their light. At best this will be seen as inauthentic. I want you to know and have the confidence that the light given to you is from me, and to let it shine so people glorify me.

Week 16 Bible Reading Review

Week 16  2 Samuel 18:1 to 1 Kings 9:1

2 Sam 18:22  If David meant what he said, why did he ever run from Absalom in the first place?  And why did he send his army against him?

2 Sam 19:5  Joab gave the king wise counsel, reminding him to stop focusing on himself and the dead son, but pay attention to the living.  Wisdom for us today.

2 Sam 20:19 Wisdom from the “wise” woman.  Find the cause of your antagonist and seek a solution.

2 Sam 21:1  David asked God what was causing the 3 year famine.  There was a reason he could remedy.  Do we seek God for why things are so in our lives?  Do we need to wait 3 years?

2 Sam 21  The killing of Saul’s descendants was to atone for the blood of the Gideonites.  They were given protection by Joshua previously, even though they lied about their location.  How many curses today are because of similar things?

2 Sam 23  David’s men were mighty warriors.  The account of David pouring out the water they risked to get for him seemed to be a slap in the face to the men.  Similar to how he acted with Absalom’s death.

2 Sam 34:1 God stirred up David to count the people to bring judgement.  This is a difficult concept, but in another place later we will read that Satan caused this. (1 Chr 21:1)

1 King 1+ It stood out to me reading this time through that Solomon exhibited and was known for his wisdom even before God granted him an abundance.  (2:6,9)

1 King 2:9  David on his death bed still held grudges.  Why didn’t he take care of these issues himself?

Solomon’s wisdom and kingdom was impressive to all, but as we will read later it still wasn’t enough to satisfy him.

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Next Reading:  Week 17  1 Kings 9:1 to 2 Kings 1:1

Week 15 Bible Reading Review

Week 15  1 Samuel 29:1 to 2 Samuel 18:1

1 Sam 29 I think it was wise for the Philistine leaders to send David away from their camp.

2 Sam 1,2  I can see how David might have been very confusing to the people around him.  Killing people for helping his cause, perhaps a mercy killing of Saul.  Cursing others for avenging their kin.  Taking Michal back with no regard for her husband.   This passage brings a question for us.  Should those in authority be blindly followed despite their behavior?

2 Sam 6:7  Uzzah’s death is a reminder that good intentions do not trump God’s commands.

2 Sam 7:3  Nathan gave a reply to the King which God then told him to change.  Our goal should be to go to God first in all things.

2 Sam 11:27  David’s dealings with Bathsheba and Uriah were evil in God’s sight. Chp 12.  God brings it to David’s attention via Nathan. He is forgiven but still suffers dire consequences.

The soap opera from God’s judgement ensues in the next few chapters.

2 Sam 15:14  It seems David was ignorant of what was going on in Israel to let the situation get to this point where he had to flee.

2 Sam 16.  Perhaps David was maturing here as he let Shimei curse and throw rocks at him and his men in contrast to when Nabal disgraced some of them.

2 Sam 17:23  Athithophel killed himself when he found out his advice was ignored.  Did he become so proud in his own eyes that he could not live with being ignored?  Let us not live by the esteem others give us.

David and his men were provided for by the generosity of others as they fled from Absalom.  God was providing for them…

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Next Reading: Week 16  2 Samuel 18:1 to 1 Kings 9:1

Ministries of Interest: Communion With God Ministries

On my Revelation Journey there are a few significant people and ministries I have come across that have had an impact on my life.  I am planning to write a series of posts about these different ministries I have encountered.

The ministry I am talking about in this post is Communion with God Ministries and the man behind it, Mark Virkler.

Communion with God Ministries is a great resource for different teachings and courses dealing with strengthening your relationship with God.  Their cornerstone message is “4 Keys to Hearing God’s Voice”.  The 4 keys are simple and easy to remember.  What kind of relationship would you have with your spouse / parent if they never said anything to you?  Not a very productive or healthy one for sure.  So shouldn’t we have a communicative relationship with our Creator?  The four keys as taught by Mark come from Habakkuk 2:1 and are:

1. Quiet yourself down
2. Tune to spontaneity (the Holy Spirit)
3. Look for vision / fix your eyes on Jesus
4. Journal.

Mark teaches this message around the world and many have successfully been able to deepen their relationship through improved communication with God.  I personally struggle with being able to hear God in this way, but it has made me aware of this possibility and expanded my understanding and knowledge of God.  The ministry has many free and pay for resources available on their websites.  Many of the lessons build on the foundation of hearing God’s voice and using that in other areas of study.

I have signed up on their email list and would recommend it to anyone who has interest.  On their email list they will occasionally provide some of their pay for resources for free.  They also will include blogs from other CLU members / CWG facilitators which often contain their journaling examples.

One of those who consistently contributes to the Communion with God website with a daily blog is Dale Cresap.  His posts are his daily words of wisdom from God that are always short and profound.  I like Dale’s postings so much that I have personally contacted him by email and talked with him on the phone to learn about his experience on hearing God’s voice and his blog postings and to get his permission to use them in an Android App.  He gave me permission and I created an app called "Wisdom For Today".  I have had prayers and questions answered on occasion within 24 hours through Dale’s blog posting.  God does use email!

If you have an Android device you can download my free app with over 3000 searchable blog entries.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bccomputing.wisdom

Direct link to Dale Cresap’s blogs on Communion With God Ministries website:
http://www.cwgministries.org/blogs/dale-cresap

Link to Hearing God’s Voice Teaching:
http://www.cwgministries.org/Four-Keys-to-Hearing-Gods-Voice

Some of Communion With God Ministries websites:
http://www.cwgministries.org/

https://www.cluonline.com/

https://www.cluschoolofthespirit.com/

Week 14 Bible Reading Review

Week 14  1 Samuel 11:1 to 1 Samuel 29:1

1 Sam 13 An important lesson we can learn from Saul’s failure to wait for Samuel.  Do we also get impatient and proceed without waiting on the Lord?

1 Sam 14 Why do people feel the need to make rash oaths?  Yet another example of an oath, this time made by Saul that does not make things better, only worse.  At least the people had some common sense, even if Jonathan was ready to die and Saul was ready to kill him for his stupid oath.

1 Sam 15:11 God regrets making Saul king.  At face value it reads like God didn’t know what was going to happen.  The HCSB commentary says in part about this verse “He knew what people would do. Nonetheless, it pained Him to see the disobedience come to pass.”

1 Sam 15:18 Notice Saul says: “the Lord your God” instead of the Lord my / our God.  This shows Saul’s true heart position.

1 Sam 15:22-23  These are some sobering verses for Saul and for us.  We cannot use our own logic and understanding to justify our actions and ourselves.  Obedience is the key to acceptance.

1 Sam 16:7  A reminder to not look on the outer appearance and judge, for the heart is more important.

1 Sam 16:13  An interesting statement in this verse upon David’s anointing: “the Spirit of the Lord took control of David from that day forward”.  This appears to have coincided with His Spirit leaving Saul (v14).

1 Sam 17 David’s confidence must have come from God’s Spirit to take on Goliath who was nearly twice his height!

David tells Jonathan to lie about his whereabouts and later lies to the priest about his “mission” and then lies to the King by acting insane.  This and other poor behavior we will read about later make him a poor role model in my opinion, despite his good attributes.

1 Sam 23:9 David’s inquiry of God has something to do with the ephod, why was this needed?  Did it contain the Urim and Thummim?

1 Sam 24  Was Saul still the Lord’s anointed as David claimed?  Even after His Spirit left him?

1 Sam 25 Abigail stands out to me with her honorable act to spare her foolish husband.

1 Sam 28 Saul’s summons of Samuel is a bizarre story.  It seems the Bible has many examples of what not to do.

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Next Reading:  Week 15  1 Samuel 29:1 to 2 Samuel 18:1

Ministries of Interest: The Last Reformation

On my Revelation Journey there are a few significant people and ministries I have come across that have had an impact on my life.  I am planning to write a series of posts about these different ministries I have encountered.

The ministry I am talking about in this post is The Last Reformation and the man behind it, Torben Søndergaard.

Torben is a man from Denmark who has been on an interesting journey to seek the type of life as expressed in the book of Acts.  His main focus is making disciples of Yeshua (Jesus) and “kickstarting” them out in the field to preach the gospel, heal the sick, cast out demons and baptize with water and the Holy Spirit all while raising up more disciples to do the same.  Torben, like Todd White, has many miraculous testimonies of praying for sick or injured strangers and receiving immediate results.  His emphasis is not on his ability but that all believers have the same Holy Spirit and can/should do like he does.  Many of his videos show new believers getting kickstarted and praying with immediate results!

Torben has a training school in Denmark and he also created 20 video training teachings that are freely available to watch online called the “Pioneer School”.  I have gone through his online Pioneer School and although I do not agree with everything presented, I think there is much truth and understanding that can be gleaned from this school.  Some of the things presented include:

• Church history
• The man made “church” model as compared to the book of Acts model
• Not just having knowledge but also obedience
• Preaching the gospel and healing the sick
• The importance of baptism in water and the Holy Spirit and following the pattern in the Bible to do this immediately upon conversion.
• Being led by the Holy Spirit.  
• Why we should consider ourselves as being a saint (holy) and not a sinner.
• The importance and power of fasting for breakthroughs.
• Understanding God as both holy and loving.

You can learn more about Torben and his ministry from his website found here:
http://www.thelastreformation.com

You can watch a full length movie featuring Torben and others doing the things he talks about in the Pioneer School and like in the book of Acts for free at the following link.  The Pioneer School gives the background teaching and training for what is shown in the movie, you may find it helpful to go through the school along with watching the movie.
https://thelastreformationmovie.com/

Here is Torben’s YouTube channel where you can see many examples of his teachings, healing, and making disciples around the world.
https://www.youtube.com/user/DanishEvangelist

The online Pioneer School Playlist of all 20 lessons is found here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0gVAb8r3Mj-GbT18XWdro0Kt_6wM0kv_

Blessings.

Week 13 Bible Reading Review

Week 13  Judges 15:1 to 1 Samuel 11:1

Judges 15-18  Samson again proves that God can use anyone regardless of their worthiness or maturity.

Judges 17 –  This passage about Micah reminds me of an old sermon I heard online called “10 Shekels and a shirt”.  If you have a chance I would recommend that you take a listen, or if you prefer you can read the transcript as well.  Here is the description of the message from SermonIndex.Net

Paris Reidhead preaches what could be called one of the most influential sermons of the 20th century. The real point of this sermon is an indictment of individuals and organizations practicing humanism behind a mask of Christianity! "This sermon should be preached on a regular basis in every church in America!"

SermonIndex.Net Audio Link 
SermonIndex.Net Transcript Link

Judges 19 and 20 Israel departed from God’s commands bringing curses on their own heads. They fought against each other killing many fellow Israelites.  The events in this passage parallel Sodom and Gomorrah as well as Israel’s previous battle with AI under Joshua.

Judges 21:22  A twisting of their “oath/vow” to show mercy on the Benjamites.  Why do people make rash vows?  (See Matt 5:37 for the cure.)

Judges 21:25  The last verse summarizes the problem.  The people did what they wanted and did not serve God.  Notice the pattern throughout history, even to today.

The book of Ruth I think primarily was to show the Lineage of David.  The main thing that stuck out to me was that both Boaz and Ruth were said to have noble character, something lacking from the book of Judges.

The Nature vs Nurture argument in Samuel’s case shows that nature is stronger than nurture as Samuel’s character contrasts greatly with Eli’s sons, even onto Samuel’s sons as well.

Samuel 4-6  The story of the ark in this passage is interesting. The defeat of Israel resulted in the people seeking the “ark” instead of God himself for their salvation, which failed.  Yet the ark did bring distruction to the Philistines and upon return 70 Israelites died for looking inside.  The combination of fear, lack of respect and idolism is mixed in to the story.  If we are not solid in our faith and understanding we can easily falter.

1 Sam 7:8  The people wanted Samuel to cry to God for deliverance.  They were not in relationship themselves and did not have faith and confidence that we can because of Yeshua's (Jesus) sacrifice and removal of the veil of separation.  This lack of relationship and separation likely also contributed to the rejection of God as king and the desire to be like the nations around them with their own king.

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Next Reading: Week 14  1 Samuel 11:1 to 1 Samuel 29:1

Messages of Interest

Below is an excerpt from an email I received this past week from Communion With God Ministries.  I have not yet mentioned CWGM in my "Ministries of Interest" postings yet but intend to in the near future.  May this beatitudes chart be good food for thought for us this coming week.

Is My Heart Properly Postured to Easily Sense the Holy Spirit's Flow?

The nine beatitudes below are attitudes which posture my heart to receive from God.

The Trait	Scripture	I Experience This As…	Missing the Mark
I am poor in spirit	Matt. 5:3	I know I need God’s anointing	I can handle life myself
I mourn	Matt. 5:4	I easily, freely repent of my sin	I resist the Spirit’s conviction
I am meek	Matt. 5:5	I can easily be entreated	I know more than you do
I hunger and thirst	Matt. 5:6	I whole-heartedly seek God	I trust in my abilities
I am merciful	Matt. 5:7	I am moved by compassion	I am callous toward others
I am pure in heart	Matt. 5:8	I am full of faith, hope & love	I am fearful, hopeless & angry
I am a peacemaker	Matt. 5:9	I create love, unity & harmony	I am accusative & divisive
I am persecuted for righteousness' sake	Matt. 5:10	I experience attack because I believe in divine encounter	I am wishy-washy, agreeing with everyone
When reviled/persecuted	Matt. 5:11	I remain rejoicing and glad	I become angry & attack