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When we do good deeds, for God, we are doing this unto God. A way of worship to God. When we blend in the the world, we are forgetting who we are in Christ and we are going away from God's praise.

Peter tells us to abstain from sinful desires, which war against my soul. This reminder can help me when I am tempted to listen to the world's point of view.

The action and attiude about being God's people is I need to be His priest. My body should be holy to God. I need to be considerate of what God wants me to eat, drink, how I take care of it. What I listen to, or watch. I am God's very own daughter. I need to respect the fact that He is taking care of me. And I need to take care of what he has given to me.

The praise that I offer to God, is a sacrificial praise. With unconditions attached to it.

Growing up, there were a lot of times that I felt of no worth. All the way through College. When the river came to my church, all of the unworthiness, and ugliness left and I started to become a flower that was about ready to bloom. When I started to understand that I was somebody in Christ. The crust started to come off my eyes and I could see that I was a beautiful woman of God. When it comes down to how much God loves me, there is no pluses or minues. God has given me unconditional love. No matter what my finances looks like. My long-term investments is to do all that God wants me to do.

The mindset of a priest towards God is they are the servant to God. They want to do want God wants them to do. This inspires to to put my mindset on what does God want me to do for him?

When people feel like they are being judged, there is a low self-esteeme. I reconcile final judgment with God's love, I know that when God judges, he does it with love. Like a parent to a child. There must be judgment so there is respect to God. When there is no judgment, there is no respect for those in authority. When judgment is left out, and ignored the standards can't be held accountable.

Holiness is the ability to stand in the Holy of holies with no sin on me. To stand in the presence of God with no fear and worship him. I believe that right now I am in a place where I can worship the father, without any walls between me and God. When I am obedient to God, I am able to stand in the throne room of God. Knowing that I can have confidence for who I am in Christ.

The great anticipation of Jesus' coming is glory, final judgment and vindication of the believers. The inspired hope is so we won't be sloppy with the life that we have, but to live in holiness. When we don't expect Jesus to come back, we aren't watching and letting the enemy have an open door to walk in.

The basis for Christian joy is the holy spirit filling a christian up to the point where they have joy and they can't express how they feel. Joy is bubble, it makes people laugh for no reason. Some people may call this person crazy, but they don't know what is going on in the insides of a person. Emotionally, a person can't go around being depressed. When joy comes inside, it takes away all of the negative emotions and brings postitive instead. Joy is needed in our lives for us to continue. No one can't live without joy which brings love and peace. When a person is happy, there is also joy. Happiness and joy go hand in hand. Extra ?: To tell a genuine from a counterfeit joy. When one is filled with the Holy Spirit there is genuine joy. I'm not knocking anyone down who doesn't understand. I believe you can have joy without the Holy Spirit being present. We don't know when he is present or not. Ultimately tho, a person does needs the Holy Spirit's help for a total joy deep down. Counterfeit joy: is a joy that has to be made up. Genuine joy doesn't need help of any kind.

God has used my current job to refine me and purify my faith in Him. To trust that everything is going to work out to the glory of HIs name. When I first started working where I'm at now. It wasn't in the field I should be working in. God has used this field of work, to strengthen me, my walk, and to show to other's who work there who don't know God how much testing and trial can make someone into a Godly woman of God. Genuine testing that God brings can bring someone from the dark into the light. When they see what a child of God goes thru, without complaint. How a child of God can be manipulated and walk on without complaining and keep getting slapped in the face time and time again. It shows who we are in Christ.

God's part is shielding his children with power. Our part is to be a child of God. Obeying everything he tells us and commands us to do.

I believe that without forgiveness, there isn't obedience. We sin and make mistakes. We learn from our mistakes. When we obey, there is happiness. We sometimes don't think we can't have one without the other and this is wrong. When we are saved, it took grace to get to the cross. We can't do anything except to receive Jesus as our Savior. We obey God when we accept Jesus as Savior.

I can identify a whole lot when I identify my present birth home than my heavenly home. My husband keeps reminding me that I should think of my home being heaven and not my birth home. (I sometimes miss my birth home state) I feel that when my husband reminds me that heaven should be my home to look forward to, my mind starts thinking about what heaven is like. What family members will I see, friends and past church members? I start to meditate on God and being able to worship forever, and forever.

Hi! This is Katherine Root. This is my 4th study and I love the forums. The studies are great and in depth. Look forward to reading some of the posts.

Gideon becomes a judge for Israel. Gideon's leadership keeps israel strong enough both spiritual and thru the military that there were no enemy invaders. There is peace for 40 years.

The bible, Israel is spoken as if they were betrothed to Yahweh. Just like the N.T. talks about the church as Jesus' bride. By being spiritual unfaithful and bowing down to other gods, they are having spiritual prostitution and/or adultery. The relationship to God and his people is we are suppose to worship God only and be intimate with him. Any other relationships that come between God and his bride is wrong. When I don't read the bible, or spend time with God. I feel that I have not taken the time to spend with someone, like I am being rude to someone for not spending time with them.

snare= to set a trap to catch some prey. Gideon's snare was the golden epod. He set it up and the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshipping the epod and not God. Gideon may not have realized that the gold epod was a golden idol, but the Israelites thought so. When we do something that is a routine, others may see it as worship for something. Israel worshipped an idol instead of worshipping God and thanking God for the miracle and deliverance God did for them. Gideon made a golden epod that was designated for the high priests.

An epod is a gold object that has straps on the shoulders and around the waist. There are 12 stones to represent the 12 tribes of Israel. The priest wear the epod before God when they are interceding on the behalf of Israel.

Gideon asked for an earring from the share of the plunder. Gideon wasn't in the wrong for asking for an earring. It shows that he was sticking to a custom. The sin began when Israel bowed down to the gold that Gideon made.

Gideon refuses to be king because he didn't want to make God jealous. Israel's heart was wrong when they asked for a king. When the Israelites asked Gideon to be king, they didn't trust God as their king. Israel didn't know any better when they saw they needed a king instead of God.

Gideon slays Zebah and Zalmunna because they had killed brothers of Gideon. Gideon had a vengenance on these two kings. Gideon is very just when he takes the lives of these two men. Gideon is fulfilling the oblication to the brothers who had died. As christians we aren't suppose to take revenge. But to leave the situation up to God and He will take care of the situation.

The allies of Gideon refuse because they don't think that Gideon will be able to get the other Midian leaders. They might think that because Gideon asked for help that He might not be able to finish the battle. Gideon punishes the cities later because they cities were suppose to help their brother when the need was needed. The sin was they disobeyed the law of the covenant. This was a covenant between God and the Israelise. Gideon was just when he punished the cities. When christians refuse to help other christians in need. Whether on the mission field, in the inner city, or in the suburbs. We need to help others. For we may be entertaining angels and not even know

Gideon must get rid of Midian army so that there is no soliders around. When we do a job that is half way done, we aren't showing God's work in our lives. We need to do a job correctly the first time.

Gideon asks the Ephraims to go to the river and cut off the enemy. They capture Oreb and Zeeb, two Midianite leaders. The Ephraim's are angry because Gideon didn't call them to the battle until later in the battle. They wanted to be in the battle when it first started. From Gideon's answer, I learned to have a soft answer when someone is mad. To not compare in a negative way.