Life is beginning to pile up as fast as the snow here in the Midwest. After a wonderful season of Sabbath over Christmas, the responsibilities and deadlines are re-emerging! I’m sure you can relate. If you aren’t there now, you’ve no doubt been there before.
In the midst of it all, I’m so encouraged by the account of the call of Moses and the power of God in Exodus 3. Watch all of the statements God makes about Himself before even bringing up what He’s calling Moses to do.
I am the God of your father . . . Exodus 3:6
I have surely seen the affliction of My people . . . Exodus 3:7
[I have] given heed to their cry . . . Exodus 3:7
I am aware of their sufferings . . . Exodus 3:7
I have come down to deliver them . . . Exodus 3:8
[I have come down] to bring them up from that land . . . Exodus 3:8
I have seen the oppression . . . Exodus 3:9
Do you get the feeling this is about God and His people? I sure do! God gives all of this to Moses before He even mentions how He wants Moses to participate. Finally He says . . .
I will send you to Pharaoh . . . Exodus 3:11
Certainly I will be with you . . . Exodus 3:12
What a privilege to be called and allowed to participate in the work God is doing . . . for Moses then and for us today!
I’m so looking forward to reading your comments and discussing our lesson together!
Many blessings,
“Scripture quotations taken from the NASB."
Click on "comments" and view the comments from others and leave one of your own.
Remember, you can watch the video and post responses anytime day or night! Don’t be shy!
Hey Pam- I am having difficulty finding how to click on to this video...is anyone else having difficulty with this?
ReplyDeleteHey Debrah . . . it's being glitchy on me, too. I'll let the tech people know. In the meantime, if you click on the Vimeo logo in the lower right hand corner it will take you directly to the Vimeo site where it played just fine for me. It may be a problem with the blog server . . . but that's just my no-so-educated guess. ;)
ReplyDeletethanks Pam but I think it must be my computer...I went to Vimeo site & have the same problem...I see the visual part of the video...but when I scroll over it I don't see anything to click on. The last few days I have been having problems with blog talk & vimeo...when I click on videos/audios...ads are talking over them sometimes on the same page-sometimes another page pops up & makes it hard to hear the video/audio that I wanted to listen to...now this. I'm sure that I'll figure it out sooner or later. Have a blessed day.
ReplyDeleteHey Debrah . . . they re-checked on several computers down at PM and it seems to be working for them. Sorry your computer's giving you fits. Have you tried a different browser? If in doubt, I shut down, reboot and try another browser. Again, though, that's my personal, not-so-educated approach. ;)
ReplyDeleteThe video: I discovered that when I click on the vimeo, I have to let it load for about 10 minutes, then it doesn't keep stopping on me during the video. Worked great when I did that!
ReplyDeleteA friend game me a great devotional website called www.internetcafedevotions.com I am enclosing an excerpt from one of the devotions that applies to just what we are learning about and what Pam just shared with us.
ReplyDelete"By faith, I choose to straighten my back and put on a smile because I know that I'm offering my life to the purposes of my Creator and He will not steer me wrong. I trust that He has a amazing plans for me, and I believe His Word and the promptings of the Holy Spirit." Now that is talking about FAITH!! God is Awesome!
Thanks! I finally was able to listen to video. Perseverance is a quality that I need to develop. Come to think of it Perseverance is a quality I see in Moses...continuing to go before Pharaoh time after time.
ReplyDeleteIt is easy to get discouraged and say I thought I heard from God & I trusted that He would deliver me...but look the circumstance remains the same if not worse. If we keep our eyes on our circumstance(s) and consider that the man w/ earthly power controls our circumstance then we truly will believe we are defeated. But when our trust is in God and we focus and rely upon Him then we know that our deliverance is a sure thing and that there is no power earthly or otherwise that can withstand God.
Good comments. That focus on God and His sovereignty is so important. We don't know how He will answer . . . or when! I think that's one of the hardest things for me, the whole "when" thing. Sometimes it takes longer than we think it will and other times He moves in ways that we never would have expected. His ways and thoughts are higher! I wouldn't have it any other way, but that very fact can make things foggy on our end from time to time. :)
ReplyDeleteMoses is one of my favorite people to study in the Old Testament - a servant leader. I like to say that like Moses I'm not the best public speaker, but God called me to be a teacher. Just as God told Moses that He would be with him and would equip him for service - God does the same for us. I find it interesting that Moses first tried to take matters in his own hands at age 40. It's easy to try to accomplish God's will in our way and in our timing - what's more difficult is to wait for His timing.
ReplyDeletePam. I would like to say that Romans 8:28 that you quoted was definitely applicable to my life today. That all things work together for good to those who love God (who are the called according to His purpose). I truly believe that I have been called. What Moses went through and the struggles he dealt with definitely apply to my life. My question for you is where can I get books or go online to get the hebrew and greek forms of words. Is blueletterbible.org a good reference.
ReplyDeleteThanks
Monique
@Monique . . . I think blueletterbible.org is probably the most user-friendly online resource that I've found, but it doesn't always give all the information. The other online resource that I like is studylight.org. It gives you more parsing information. Check that out and if you have trouble, let me know and I can help walk you thought it.
ReplyDelete@Marlene . . . agreed . . . waiting on God's timing can be so hard, but I think it gets easier the longer we walk with Him.
Knowing God’s character has everything to do with living a life of faith. The more you know a person- the more you trust them and it is the same with God. God has shown Himself faithful all throughout the pages of Scripture if we will only open our eyes to look and discover His constant and steadfast nature.
ReplyDeleteThere are SO many attributes of God so it was hard to narrow it down to a small list. A few we came up with were omniscience, omnipresence, and goodness. It is important for us to remember that God knows everything and can see down the road and nothing takes Him by surprise. It is also a comfort to remember that God is with us and also with others as they encounter various ups and downs of life. God’s goodness—the verse that always comes to mind is Psalm 119:68 “You are good and do good” our major application point from our study of Psalm 119. There are so many situations and attitudes that can be fixed when we stop to dwell on this truth- God truly is full of goodness and therefore only goodness comes forth. It ties in with His omniscience in that we can trust that since He knows everything, He will be working it out for our best (Romans 8:28).
As we discussed we found that one thing some of us highly value is our own time tables. If you think about it- our time tables can be consumers of time (obviously), money, and energy- we like to pour our resources into making our plans run smoothly. But things never go well when we take time and plans into our own hands- God has a plan and we need to be living our lives according to His timing and not our own (which are often SO different!).
Our application point from the life of Abraham is from the same concept—leave timing in the hands of God. At first thought this applies mostly to Sarah with the Hagar incident. But as you think through the story of Abraham, God shows His timing to be perfect. Abraham was shown again and again God’s perfect timing in situations that could have only been God. For instance, the birth of Isaac- that was most definitely only God and His timing because Abraham was 100 and Sarah was 90. At the sacrifice of Isaac- if one more second would have elapsed before the angel of the Lord spoke, Isaac might very well have been dead. Like one of our group members always says- “God always comes through at 11:59 and a half,” and she says this is so we will know that only God could have provided at that time.
Oops! This post was actually in response to week 3 but I posted in week 4 : )
ReplyDeleteLove your comments on timing! I'm curious how old the members of your group are? I'm in my mid-40s and find it so much easier to wait now than I did 10 years ago. I still have a lot to learn (i.e. I still wouldn't call myself patient!) but can look back and see that it has become easier than it was in my 20s and 30s. Think it is more a function of walking with God longer than simply chronological age. I know the truths from Scripture and have lived long enough to see His faithfulness in my own life, too.
ReplyDeleteAnd I just followed your link! :)
ReplyDeleteHi All: I'm enjoying reading the comments as I come in a bit behind on the study.
ReplyDeleteI think the thing I am taking away from looking at Moses, is indeed how God played into His life all along the way, from place to place. And of course, realizing how God used him despite his all too human errors and excuses to God.
I think my word continues to be "Step Out."
Step out into new areas, new ideas. Quit boxing God in, or thinking things will never change.
Also, quit saying I will never change, they will never change or I refuse to change.
Stepping out...in faith....
Looking forward to Lesson 5.
Laura.
Pam,
ReplyDeleteOur group spans quite a range of ages. The youngest members are 14, then we have 20's, 30's up into 50's. : ) I agree--it isn't necessarily chronological age, but how long one has walked with God. What link did you follow? I didn't know I posted one : )
God has called us to do many things by faith. Two verbs that applied in our group were disciple and evangelize. The Lord has blessed my Mom with an opportunity to disciple a lady in her life who is hungry to know the Word. Likewise, the Lord has blessed me with the chance to teach an unbeliever Scripture. These were clearly actions that God had called us to. He opened the doors and it was evident that if we didn’t walk through them we would be refusing to walk on the path God had set before us. It is not everyday people ask you to disciple them and it is especially rare when an unbeliever asks you to teach them the Bible—it was clear God had ordained the situations. He calls us to walk out in faith and asks us to obey in the strength He will provide.
ReplyDeleteGod’s sovereignty and our obedience work together nicely, because God is the One who gives us the ability to obey. We can’t conjure up obedience—it is given to us by the Lord who knows all and sees all. Likewise, God’s sovereignty has a big impact on the way we live day to day. Because God knows and is in control of what happens we can have boldness and confidence knowing that He will work everything out His way and for our good.
Vessel of Mercy-your comment on disciplining and evangelizing is very encouraging.
ReplyDelete@Vessels of Mercy . . . I was just saying that I posted on the wrong week, too, because I was following your comment string. Great comments on sovereignty and obedience!
ReplyDelete@Laura . . . Good comments. We can get stuck so easily, can't we?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBefore I even continue to comment on the Whole Week 4, I want to say that, my initial thoughts, are that All the GOD says to Moses: I HAVE; I AM; I HAVE COME DOWN; I WILL, are all things HE Is still doing for us today.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE that HE IS STILL SO VERY active in our lives, (IF we are listening/studying/praying)
I Love that HE encouraged and is still through Christ and the Church encouraging us today by going before us and preparing the way, encouraging us and preparing us for the road ahead of us, and HE IS STILL the ONE sending us... HE DID in fact COME DOWN, became Flesh for us.. and dwelt among us, unto this day within our hearts... *HOLY SPIRIT* guiding us into all truth. HIS WORD* Praise God!
Blessings, SZ
This will have to be posted in 4 of 5 parts for all the answers to the Video <3
ReplyDeleteFor Our Group Discussion, here are the questions we are asked to consider and ponder within ourselves:
Is there something God is asking you to do by FAITH?
Yes, several things...
What is it?
I am being nudged by GOD, to continue Trusting HIM with my family and marriage the relationships and their salvation.
Remember: Moses, refused, he chose, he considered, he looked, he left & he endured.
My thoughts:at first thought, I am reminded of Jonah, and how he ran from GOD or tried to...are you/we running from GOD? Is here something he is asking from us that we do not have the faith to do or do we have fear? Or are we NOT sure it is GOD asking us?
My biggest thing is to REMEMBER that God is in control when I am actually IN THE MIDST OF an all out attack from the enemy... I am quickly reminded, and take it to prayer... soaking in the WORD to see what GOD has to say about my situation in HIS WORD to build my faith, endurance and patience in those areas.
What is your Verb? *All my verbs are written in blue italics & ALL CAPS.*
ReplyDeleteMy personal Verb(s) are: WAITING, being PATIENT WHILE ENDURING, PRAYING, INTERCEDING & LAYING MY PROBLEMS AT THE FOOT OF THE CROOS, for the LORD, & then, WALKING AWAY WHILE, HAVING FAITH ~ BEING STILL, and STANDING THEREFORE, KNOWING HE IS GOD ~ EPHESIANS chapters 4-6.
How Have You Seen God's Sovereignty & Your Obedience Working Together?
For me, personally, I have seen God's Sovereignty being used in accordance with my obedience with regard to my marriage. For example: I had in this past year... an issue (BIG OBSTACLE~I like to say, that every Obstacle is an opportunity for faith) come into the midst of our marriage. I have been married for 25 years... and this past year, (For whatever reason) my husband had decided that he did not any longer love me, and told me so in addition to wanting a divorce but had no intention of leaving our home. This was a great SHOCK to me, but not a surprise, because of how he'd been acting. But, none the less, painful to hear spoken out loud. (Sometimes we know things but would prefer to keep them hidden inside us to protect ourselves from the truth, whereby NOT helping the problem, which is what I have been doing) I won't go into the details of the what's and why's. So, I had a choice to make... I had of course, gone through my time of grief/crying that day... and decided to give myself a night out of the house, and went to stay at my brothers house where I knew I would have time to pray and spend time with the LORD in quiet.
During that time in prayer, not even 24 hours, about 3pm the next afternoon; my sister-in-law asked me if I knew what I was going to do. (I had been invited to stay with them as long as necessary, as I was embraced by all my family members and were in prayer for me as well during this great trial)
Following is the answer:
In answer to her question, as we sat at her dining room table, alone, I said, yes... I know exactly what I am supposed to do. I went on to explain to her what the Lord had spoken to my heart through prayer during the past evening and that morning, which was the following, being the answer to this question above: How Have You Seen God's Sovereignty & Your Obedience Working Together? The Lord had told me it was time to go back home now... right now. That very moment that she had asked me the question was the exact moment I knew that the time was right. He, (the LORD) had said that I was to go home, walking by the Spirit and not by the flesh... NOT TO LOOK AT MY CIRCUMSTANCES and to, like Proverbs says in chapter 31 to do him (my husband) ONLY Good, all the days of my life. To be chaste, loving, kind, holy, and NOT TO speak a word unless I was asked about where I had been (because I did not tell him I was leaving or where I was going) and that I was to KNOW that the WORD SAYS that my husband could be won without a word spoken by me... I was to put my husband into the Lords hands, and be filled with faith, knowing that I had prayed, believing GOD that HE had all things in control... in HIS SOVEREIGNTY & along with MY OBEDIENCE ~ HE would fight my battle me... and I was to choose my battles carefully with my own tongue. I was to be the woman God had called me to be despite what was going on all around me.
ReplyDeleteSo that is exactly what I did... IT WAS NOT EASY... I shed many tears in intercession and grief, and fear tried to come in but I took it captive with the WORD Of GOD. I would PRAISE GOD because I knew that the LORD INHABITS THE PRIASES OF HIS PEOPLE, and I also, JUST WAITED ON THE LORD IN HIS PEACE. I believed and quoted HIS WORD to myself over and over again for each individual situation in faith... the Main scriptures at that time were:
YOU CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGHTENS YOU
I have NOT given you a spirit of fear but POWER, LOVE AND A SOUND MIND
Greater is HE THAT IS WITHIN YOU THAN he that is in the world
WE ARE NOT OF THIS WORLD
and many more...
Sorry about the short NOVEL One more section to complete the answers following:
Well, to make a long story short... the outcome was a success... approximately 6 month later, my husband, ( all the while, bit by bit) I would notice some changes starting to take effect, until one day he hugged me, and said: I DO LOVE YOU!
ReplyDeleteI replied to him, (PRAYERFULLY FIRST), you know, that is the first time you have told me you love me since the time you told me you did not... he responded, really??? It is? And I said Yes, and he said, well, I do love you, and hugged me again.
Now, it is still a work in progress... my husband went to the altar for a salvation call before we were married and started off on the right foot, but the cares of this life crept in, along with his fears and money issues... and before I knew it the seed took root, and he stopped going/coming to church over the years... stopped reading his bible, and even stopped wanting to hear conversation about God to the point of walking out of a room when a conversation about God would start.
Well, That healing in our marriage took about 6 months... and right now, he is going to church once in a while, without my asking him to, even when I've been sick and not been able to go myself, he's said... You know, I think I'm going to go to church tonight/today/this morning... SHOCKING for me, that had NEVER happened in 25 years. Although, I do not know why I am so surprised to see my GOD working in my life, because HE has always been faithful throughout my walk with HIM in so many other ways... As Moses in the Wilderness, I felt as if I was in the wilderness for a time... and I WAS OBEDIENT; although GOD DID THE WORK while I rested <3 Praise HIS HOLY,, Matchless Name, Jesus the Christ the “I AM WHO I AM” ( all that you need) If we would just rest in HIM and HIS WORD/PROMISES <3
How Can Knowing God is a Sovereign God, Effect the way You Live Daily, Today?
It can help you KNOW that if you believe, rely and trust in and on HIM... that all thing will work together for those that LOVE HIM and are the Called according to his will giving HIM ALL THE GLORY.
After all, HE knows what is best for us, so I trust HIM with my life, because I do NOT know what tomorrow brings, but HE DOES...
Thank you for your patience with my long answers <3 Hugs, Susie
We ARE more than Conquerors through Christ Jesus Our Lord. I would not have been able to live through many of my own personal life experiences without HIS (Holy Spirit's) Help... Amen & Amen
ReplyDeleteLove Blogging here with you all... and reading your blogs.
Have a Blessed Week
Hugs, SZ
am I hoped you enjoyed your time of rest <3
ReplyDeleteI was thinking more on this Week 4 and remembered one more ting I wanted to say about it:
God is NEVER LATE ~ HE SEES EVERYTHING/EVERYONE ~ HE IS ALWAYS RIGHT ON TIME
Hugs, SZ
Loved reading the comments about waiting on the LORD ~ I remember when I was new in the lord over 35 years ago... it seemed very easy to me then to have FAITH because it was new... and then as the years went on and my trials changed, children grew... now I am 55 years old... I am back again, being changed again back into HIS image... seems to me, I did some turning around during those years of child rearing, and didn't have the time I have now to focus on ME and my walk with the LORD as I do now, that I am home, and retired...
ReplyDeleteJust some thoughts to add to the blog above <3
SZ
Action words, Verbs, that were coming to me, as I continue to ponder on this week 4 study is to evangelize, and I am so amazed that as I read through the blogs above that it was also mentioned here, as well... evangelizing is just in my nature... as a child of GOD... sometimes I have trouble being quiet <3... but I LOVE people... and I know that moving forward evangelizing I end up preaching to myself...
ReplyDeleteBlessings & Hugs,
SZ
Sz said... HI Pam, thank you for your information about the other blog... I will look for it <3
ReplyDeleteI loved spending time with my group this past week. It was my first time with them and all of the women were precious... we fit like a glove, and I kept thinking that we were perfectly woven together, as Joseph's coat of many colors... for such a time as this... ironically, I did not know that when I told them how I felt, but they had apparently, already (before I had joined the group) had identified with Joseph and his colorful coat in their group together... and were astonished at my mentioning it, out of no where, as if it were a confirmation that I belonged there... I felt right at home, and was welcomed by all. I am looking forward to our next meeting this tuesday <3 thank you, again, Pam, for all you are doing... I am loving this study :) It was amazing to me how we confirmed each other's comments on all we had to share... the Lord was certainly at work... I was Blessed.
SZ
PS This is our 4th week, So I will start blogging on this page for the remainder of our study <3 thanks for the update <3
It's amazing to me, how easily I fall into the wrong way (like with my tongue) when I am not prepared that day in the WORD. It seems easy the way the Fathers of Faith Make it seem; but in reality, they really lived the life, which is what we need to do... walk by faith not by sight... easier said than done but as I am finding out, the older I get in the LORD the easier it has become with HIS HELP ALONE>... I am also finding out that the attacks become bigger EEK LOL as well, and right before there is a miracle coming, it seems as though our faith is tested... JUST WAIT... It's coming <3 Praise God...
ReplyDeleteBlessings & Hugs, Sz
BTW thank you, Pam for the tip on studylight.org ; I love to dig deep and study and it's always nice to hear of a new sight <3 I sometimes use Biblegateway.com for the ease of reading and copy/paste options, and they have several more versions but more difficult when it comes to the manuscript study of the original words... for that I like blueletterbible.org
ReplyDeletethanks again,
Blessings, Sz
The First Review Lesson Made me take notice of something I would like to share: The first 6 verses of Hebrews 11 show us just another piece of a puzzle Example ~ {"PREFLOOD - Creation, Abel & Enoch} so, as I thought about this, the entire Bible is also broken into sections like the Creation, PRE-FLOOD, Noah the Flood, The Law & Moses, the Major and Minor Prophets, the Song of Solomon, Psalms, Proverbs, Job, to quickly sum up, and the NT ~ the Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, Letter to the Romans, Jews (Hebrews) churches & Revelation. Then when you take each Book and break it down into sections there are acrostics, symbolisms, acronyms and more... the Word has so much to be studied, and so much to offer, that studying for so many years, I am undone with awe over how much there is to learn and what can be learned as I study.
ReplyDeleteHugs, Susie
PS just thought I would share that through my studies <3
Susie . . . it is amazing to see God at work, isn't it?! Praise God for how He is working in your marriage.
ReplyDeleteWorkbook Notes: SHORT OVERVIEW of Verses 1-6 {Short Review Page 6o }
ReplyDeleteFirst ex-Pre-Flood ~ Creation, Abel, Enoch
An Overview of the Text of Hebrews 11 1-29
Recording our thoughts in a Short Review-Faith:
Verse 7 {Short Review ~ Page 61} Flood ~ NOAH -Warned by God about things not seen~ Flood
Verses 8-12 {Page 61 SHORT REVIEW}
Abraham & Sarah Believed God and walked NOT knowing by Faith toward a PROMISE.
Verses 13-16 {Short Review Page 62}
Died in Faith w/out Seeing the Promise, Knowing a better country, heaven was their home.
Verses 13-16 {Short Review Page 62}
These all died in Faith w/out seeing the Promise, believing Heaven to be their HOME.
Verses 13-16 {Short Review Page 62} Abraham & Isaac's Faith Tested, found faithful, allowing the Blessings of the Promise to continue.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteVerses 23-29 {Short Review Page 63}
ReplyDeleteMoses chose the High road, kept the Faith and Passover, as a type of salvation.
OVERVIEW STUDY````````````````````````````````````````````````````````{Short Review-Page 64}
NEW TOPIC OF OVERVIEW STUDY QUESITONS
Now, take what you've written and condense it by one-half. Include memory “triggers” for the parts you leave out. (For example, words like FLOOD and EXOCDUS can trigger thoughts about what people were like before and after these events.)
Pre-Flood ~ Abel, Enoch
Flood ~ Noah
Promise ~ Abraham & Sarah
Testing~ Abraham & Isaac
Moses ~ Passover – Exodus
ALL THESE EVENTS IRONICALLY ~ Are Foreshadows of a the Salvation to come.
Finally, as concisely as you can, summarize the story line of Hebrews 11:1-29.
Abel & Enoch were Pre-Flood descendants and Pleased God by Faith, which move forward to the Flood and Noah & his family being the only family left to continue the blood line pleased God by FAITH Built an Ark; bringing us to Abraham & Sarah to whom was given the son of Promise, Isaac... from that point Abraham Isaac's father, and only begotten son's Faith were tested, God finding them pleasing and Righteous in HIS eyes... all by Faith, our ancestors blessing their sons one generation after another, continue the faith, which bring us to Moses who took the Israelites, throuthout Egypt by Faith; bringing us to the Passover, and the shedding of blood for the Salvation of Israel.
What has been your biggest application point so far?
Each point shows God's Faithfulness, Man's obedience, and their faithfulness to God, in turn, bringing about a type of Salvation through each story .
Continuing Review- Review of Hebrews 1-29 Page 64
ReplyDeleteDo you have any striving behaviors in your life that are devoid of faith? If so, how are you addressing them?
My Health. I am working on confessing God's Word and Promises by Faith Remembering Who I am in Christ, and walking by faith, enduring, and moving forward, believing ~ Romans 8:28 which says:
He works all things out for the good for those He loves and who are the called according to His purposes in Christ Jesus.
Is God calling you to step out by faith in a direction you can't fully see? How?
Yes, I believe God is calling me back into the ministry after a time of rest. I have been studying and walking by faith, waiting on the Lord, and building a stronger faith understanding new things in HIM daily in my life <3
The reason I can't fully see it, is because I don't see how my husband fits into the plan, as I am working through some issues, as I continue to believe for better things in my marriage, though at this point, I can't see except by faith, how that could happen... which I do believe and am waiting for God's perfect timing... and praying, waiting patiently, as Ephesians says to stand therefore, when you've done all you can do...
Thank you, Pam, YES It is so amazingly Praise Worthy, to See HIM WORK FIRST Hand in my life <3 HE IS GOOD and FAITHFUL <3
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Susie
I go to my group tomorrow, I am looking forward to it :)
Give me love to your group! :)
ReplyDelete