aliya721

God doesn't honor her for lying to the king's men. He honors her for assisting the spies in doing His work. Each action was on the side of the coin. She simply decided she would do what was right in the Lord's eyes, despite what it looked like to us.

I agree with this 100%. Rahab was redeemed and this was orchestrated by God because He knew that she believed in spite of who the world knew her as! He takes the lowest of the low and makes them His own. We are all sinners and have fallen short. God in His infinite mercy is calling us all to redemption.

Rahab was willing to risk it all. She had heard and she believed in Yahweh. She knew that He was with those men and she made them promise to deliver her and her household. She didn't care if she defied the king. She was going with the spies.

I think the spies were sent there to learn how things operate in the land so that they could easily take it. I think it is interesting that they sought refuge in the likely candidate's house. This tells me that this was definitely orchestrated by God. She would be the one to house men yet she was also the one who had a fear and reverence for God that ended up saving her family. In our eyes, the unlikely candidates are actually the ones God is pursuing.

When I meditate on the Word of God, I am actively choosing to fill my mind with the Word and think on it, apply it, and reflect on it. It is unlike Eastern meditation which has you focus on you and clearing your mind. I want to be in tune with God so that He is who I see and who my eyes are on. When we spend time reading and meditating on the Word, it will renew us as He will speak through His word revealing matters to us.

Amen! I chose this Bible study but I actually think it chose me. I have been going through cluster headaches for the past 23 years. My life verse is Joshua 1:9 and I have that posted right in front of me where I can see it. What kinds of things might Joshua be tempted to fear if he were to allow himself to dwell on his anxieties? I feared the headaches coming at night, waking me out of bed, making me vomit, and there not being any recourse or way to escape. I also discovered I actually have an entire list of fears and anxieties and the devil uses each of them against me in many ways. Joshua could have been fearful of his age, the fact that he was now responsible for a nation. Or the fact that he didn't want to screw up. What does it mean to "be strong and very courageous"? Be strong in the power of God. If we had to be strong in our own might, we would fail each time. It is his strength that we need. Being very courageous is important. It means trusting Him wherever he tells He will lead us and to do it believing in faith that He is right there guiding us. The image I had in my mind the entire time I was pacing the floor with my headaches this morning was of Jesus in the boat telling Peter to come. And He told me to come, hurting, crying, suffering, He told me to come, and then He walked with me through my pain, empathizing with me all the way. What is the distinction between weakness and strength in Joshua's situation? What is the relationship between fear and faith? Fear is the opposite of faith. Can you be courageous and still be fearful?

It's important to Joshua because it is a guiding light, a beacon, a firm understanding that the Maker will never leave him. What reassurance when you are tasked with such a responsibility! This is so for me, especially now. Joshua 1:9 is my life verse and hangs over my desk but this is basically the start. I am suffering with cluster headaches and the pain is unbearable. To know that the God of heaven sees me, walks with me and will never leave me is encouraging and something I can rely on. I trust Him. Everyone will fail but God will not. Even knowing this, I know that I can do nothing without Him. I need His strength. I am so weak and I am just me. He is God, all knowing, all everything and I must stand firm on this.

This is a conditional promise as it takes action from you. You actually have to take a step of faith and move. You cannot be passive to claim God's blessings. In the same breath, what He has for you is for you, but don't think that God is serving us by waiting to give these things to us when we are not showing faith to go get it. In my life personally, God has positioned me to be able to step into a role where I can impact many schools in the way that I have asked. However, I cannot be passive. I must trust Him to lead me there and guide me in the way I should go so that He can be glorified.

Each one is beneficial and meaningful to me. The suffering that Peter talks about may not be in terms of health, but specifically today, I am going through one of my cluster headache spells. This is 23 years of having this, 23 years of not getting closer to understanding what they are or how to stop them, but as I opened the Word, the 2 verses stuck out for me. "And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen." (5:10-11) I believe that I will be healed and that this suffering is for a short time. My trust and faith is in Him alone.

Peter tells us to be self controlled-something I am working on. I am not disciplined in many ways although I appear to be. I am not horrible but I am a work in progress. I basically need to set my mind and keep it set. alert-know the tactics of the devil. Know the Word because he uses this very cunningly to manipulate things. resistant-we must be consistent with our resistance. It is hard but God is with us so be determined to resist firm and endure suffering- we need to stand strong knowing that when we suffer we suffer for the right reasons, our faith In Ephesians 6:10-17, Paul talks about putting on the full armor of God so that we can stand completely against the devil's schemes. It is similar to Peter is saying. When we stand firm, we are standing with the belt of truth and the other "armor" representing our faith, salvation, and God's Word.

We need to stay alert because he can steal our present right from under us. He can fill us worry, doubt, fears that we need not have. We have to be completely aware of his tactics and how clever he is. He knows the word inside out and will use this very deliberately to get us to fall. If we don't stay alert, we will succumb.

We should give them to God and not dwell on them, not ruminate over it. Trust that the Lord will do what is necessary. Pray and propel! We should do this knowing that He cares for us in all things just like He cares for the flowers and the animals ensuring that their needs are met.

True servant leadership is something that will be visible in a leader's walk before given this authority and afterwards. It will be genuine and very obvious. When we fail to do this, we can hurt the body and miss a huge opportunity to minister to others.

Great points. Yes, the pastor first needs to lead like Jesus. There must be a servant heart that is apparent to all. It is not the pastor's church. The congregation is the church, not the walls. Without checks and balances as far as what is necessary and anything specific to church governance, everyone fails and God is not glorified.

The person may not wish to serve for the right reasons. The wrong reasons would be for perks, status, or privileges and this dilutes the church's power. Service should be natural. If you aren't interested in doing it, you should pray for God to give you that servant heart.

This was an interesting section since it would appear that all of the titles are essentially the same, to have a responsibility for the members of the flock. Sometimes churches today may have a myriad of levels and titles which in some instances may just be for the title itself versus the responsibility. I can't really say emphatically that this is the case, but when you look at the disparity between the pastor ad his crew compared to the flock, something is very wrong.

Not willing to take up our cross means that we are giving in to fear and this is the exact opposite of trusting and putting our faith in Him. It is easier to say no to something that could hurt us but bring reward spiritually than it is to go all in. Fighting for the underpriviliged and marginalized. Advocating for homeless and orphans. When we do this, we are fighting for those who don't have a voice but if we do it too long people may look at us strangely or discriminate or not see our heart and stop the good works. But push forward because God sees.

If I never experience persecution, I could never grow closer to God as everything can appear that its always easy for me. People could perceive that I get the easy breaks or that I wouldn't understand suffering for Jesus' sake. I am also probably not digging in and seeking Him. I am more of a superficial Christian, one who doesn't take the risks that Jesus did.

What I am suffering pales in comparison to what Christ suffered on the cross. The simple fact that my own suffering allows me to grow in Him is indeed a privilege. I don't feel worthy of this yet I know that it is necessary for my growth spiritually. I just pray that I do not fail.

Yes, avoiding persecution or "taking the easy way out" is indeed easy and is exactly what our flesh wants. If we give in, we aren't letting Him be strong when we are weak. We cannot be a witness to others. I have been distracted but God is in His kindness lifted my eyes and helped me see where I should be. Repentance is constantly happening as I am along this journey and staying mindful of where I want to spend eternity. I have seen this unfortunately and it has touched all peoples, pastors, great people doing great things for God. It is sad and I will pray for them.

Very straightforward and to the pint. As I read and pondered on this question, I know that I am guilty. I have asked God to forgive me and to keep me humble in all things. I am experiencing this as of late at my job where I feel the need to perform at higher levels because my boss is comparing myself and another coworker. It is rather stressful and an environment that has become awkward. While my first thought is not to exalt myself, there are certain things I have to do because of my position. I have to take this to God in prayer completely because it is definitely not the easiest to speak about and I don't want to come across as negative or prideful ;(

Well written and I couldn't agree more! Humans don't like to be held accountable for anything. It embarrasses us and makes us feel like we dropped the ball, when at times, we have and need to be called on it. It makes PRIDE rise up in us when we should be exhibiting HUMILITY. To combat this, we need to be mindful and alert, confessing our sins one to another.

I think part of it has to do with them wanting to test us but another part is that this is just natural behavior for them. We then become tempted because we want to please them even though we know it is wrong. WE can resist this by making our stance sure. We can be firm at all times so that they respect you. I experienced this for 4 years at a job. Each sales meeting everyone would drink until they were drunk and do really stupid things. I would always order a Shirley Temple (sprite and grenadine). They would laugh and try to do lots of things to get me to change. I held my ground and in Year 5, it finally stopped.

Yes, He sacrificed Himself for us. Just a few words but the weight of it all is unfathomable. His attitude was one of love pure and simple, humility, and obedience. If I arm myself with this attitude, sin should flee. I would be obeying the word, remaining humble, and showing love. If I lined up any sin against those three and still proceeded then I am not arming myself. Take overeating which I also am guilty of from time to time, If I choose to engage in this behavior, how is this showing love for self? What am I sacrificing? How am I being obedient? Applying this for any sin, should help shine the spotlight and move me further and further away from it.

I have pledged my faith in Jesus. I have been baptized 3 times (baby, adult and then again for reasons I will not share which could cause contention). I do not believe baptism is necessary to be saved. If this was the case, then was the other guy on the cross given a pass? Would people who have not yet been baptized pass away, do they just go to hell? I am thankful for my baptism as it is a constant reminder of His death and burial and His love for me.