Monthly Archives: October 2011
Do’s and Don’ts of Deciphering the Will of God
DO remember that God is far more concerned with our character than our addresses or job titles. His purposes for you are likely to focus more on who you are to be rather than what you are to do.
DO investigate what the Bible says about the topic. If God’s Word offers clear direction, follow it!
DON’T test God with a “fleecing” when He has already made His Will known in Scripture. If He has already made it clear, asking for a miraculous confirmation is not only delayed obedience, it is doubt and disobedience. His will for you will never contradict Scripture.
DO seek wise counsel from trusted, mature believers. Talking to your closest friends is great, but if they’re still “baby” Christians, they may lack the wisdom to help you see God’s plans for you.
DON’T seek advice only from people you know will agree with you. This isn’t guidance, but flattery.
DO pray about it. Lots. And LISTEN to what God may say to you.
DON’T believe that the mere act of praying about something justifies whatever action you want to take. “Oh, I prayed about it, so it must be what God wants.” This type of thinking is very, very dangerous. If praying about something instantly guarantees the right decision, then, in theory, we can easily pray about everything and never make wrong decisions. That belief alleviates us of personal responsibility and gives a get-out-of-jail-free card to every bad choice. It’s immature. It’s bad doctrine.
DO think. We should pray AND think! Sometimes God expects us to do crazy things that defy human logic (as in Gideon’s case). Often, though, the wisdom He gives is compatible with logic. Look around you. Do you have other believers confirming your direction? Or are they all wondering what in the world you’re doing? Does the course of action you are considering align with other common threads in your life or does it take a u-turn from where God has already led you? Pros and cons lists can be very helpful. God does give us wisdom; wisdom frequently involves logic. Use the wisdom He gives by thinking through your situation and your options carefully.
DO SOMETHING. A lack of specific, audible instruction from God does not warrant a lack of action. Yes, we should wait upon the Lord, but you can still do something while you wait.
Scripture to Discover:
The entire book of Ephesians is a great place to start learning about the will of God. As I tried to pinpoint specific passages that would speak on this topic, I found that I couldn’t prune down the list to a few simple verses. So I strongly encourage you to read the whole book. Specifically, take note of Ephesians 4:22–24 and 5:6–17.
Also, take a moment to look up 1 Thessalonians 4:3 and Romans 12:2.
More Resources
- 10 Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe by Larry Osbourne: Multnomah Books, 2009.
- God’s Guidance: Finding His Will for Your Life by Elisabeth Elliot: Revel, 2006 (2nd ed.).
Like this:
Author Interview: Kathi Macias
Deliver Me From Evil is the first book in Kathi Macias’s Freedom series. It seeks to expose the truth behind modern day slavery, specifically sexual exploitation both here in the United States and abroad.
I have to stop here. Those of you who know me or have followed this blog for a while know that my family possesses a history of sexual abuse covering several generations. I praise God every time I look at my daughter that He has enabled us to escape and break this destructive cycle. I mention this here (1) to praise God, but (2) to let you know that I did not want to read this book. Just the cover description made me nervous and nauseous. But I believe in this cause. I believe that too many people are ignorant of what is going in the shadows much closer than most realize. And so I read the book.
If you are worried about gut-wrenching explicit descriptions of despicable acts, relax. This author does a fantastic job of making people aware of the presence and reality of these truths without glorifying them, without forcing those interested in the cause to rub our noses in the filth. I so very much appreciate this. Readers don’t need to know exactly how bad things are too understand that they exceeded bad. They have crossed too many lines and we cannot stand for it any more. Action must be taken.
Okay, sidebar pushed back to the side, today I have the honor of hosting an interview with Kathi Macias, the author of this book. Let’s get started. Read the rest of this entry
On Gideon (Judges 6–9)
We’ve made it halfway through our study on the book of Judges! I hope you’re all still with us. If you’re new to this series of posts, scroll back a bit through past posts to see anything you may have missed.
This week we’re covering Judges 6–9. The whole section centers on Gideon, his battles and his sons. Gideon’s story often raises questions about how to decipher the will of God. Before we get to that application, however, we need to talk about the facts of the story. (We will talk about deciphering God’s will on Saturday. Be sure to come back then to join in that discussion!)
I’ll not recount Gideon’s whole story here. It’s far more effective for you to read the passage yourself. (You can do that HERE.) It won’t take terribly long. I promise.
Gideon
Let’s make some observations. What did Gideon do right? What did he do wrong?
Gideon obeyed God, even in the details that defied human logic. It took him a while to get there, but he did eventually get there, in spite of the crazy instructions he was given.
Seriously, God? You want to diminish the army until we’re outnumbered 450 to 1? And our weapons will be torches, trumpets and clay pots? Can’t we have some swords? Maybe even a decent ox goad or a woman with a tent spike?
It’s possible Gideon thought all these things, but that’s not recorded for us. What is recorded is that he eventually did exactly what God told him to do. Read the rest of this entry
The five- … er, four-minute post
As usual, when I’m not blogging I’m doing other things.
That was incredibly profound, wasn’t it? Yup. You come here for the good stuff, I know.
I only have a few minutes so now is the perfect time for a little catch-up. So, let’s see … what have I been doing other than blogging?
I’ve been writing Bible studies. If you’re following along with our study in Judges, we’re up to chapters 6-9 tonight (post going up tomorrow). Our discussion will revolve around Gideon and some do’s and don’t's of deciphering God’s will. Should be interesting!
I’ve been making purses and ornaments and wreaths and Kindle covers. You can see most of those on my Etsy site: www.Zaties.etsy.com. You can also catch photos of things not yet listed on our facebook page. We hope to have more stuff up, including some goodies even the guys might like, by the end of the month.
Speaking of the month, it’s almost over! This brings both jubilation and trepidation to my soul. Jubilation because I absolutely love the colors and the fall breezes and those last fleeting moments of being able to play outside before the oppression of winter descends upon us. We’ve gone apple picking and park hopping. We’ve hit the zoo and the playground and filled our weekends playing football in the backyard. It’s just so much fun! And such an amazing testimony to God’s goodness. Just three months ago my son was in a semi-body cast and bound to bed or his wheelchair. Now he’s running (albiet with a slight limp) and jumping in piles of gorgeous, crisp leaves.
Trepidation comes because I hate Halloween and, now that we’re in the public school system, Halloween seems to be an integral part of my children’s education every October.
With Wicca being one of the fastest growing religions in the US, I have to ask: What happened to separation of church and state? Yes, yes, I know … Halloween is a “religious” holiday in America in the same way that Christmas is a religious holiday. In other words, it’s only religious if you want it to be. It’s often considered more cultural than religious. But inconsistencies still exist. We’re not allowed to sing Christmas songs in public school, yet every day my kids come home with a new Halloween song or poem or chant.
Our school permits only three class parties each year: Halloween, winter and end-of-school.
Really?? I understand no Christmas because we do have a diverse student body, but no Valentine’s Day? No Thanksgiving? No Memorial Day? No other American holidays? Nope. Halloween, allegedly, is the only holiday that doesn’t offend. There is a problem with us elevating a celebration of death and morbid or mangled creatures.
Therein lies my problem. I actually adore the IDEA of cultural Halloween. I mean, how cool is it for everyone to play dress-up and go get candy from friends and neighbors? That’s a wonderful community-building event!
My problem is the fact that, because of this holiday, my kids must walk past countless skulls, zombies and maimed corpses on our way to school. That kindergarten girls come to school in sexy cougar leotards and fishnet hose. That six-year-old boys get to squirt their friends with fake blood all day long … that all the parents stand by laughing and commenting about how cute it all is. NO! This is not cute! It’s disturbing!! Cute is dressing up like a butterfly or a superhero or Bo Peep. Cute is singing a fun song about pumpkins or falling leaves or hide-and-seek. Cute is not having an ax stuck in a child’s skull and chanting about witches’ brews and spells.
Wow. And that ends my allotted time for this blog post … and my annual rant on Halloween. 
Baby, It’s Cold Outside! (a giveaway!)
It’s not really cold here. Yet. But I’ve been feeling all wintery anyway.
With Zach having PT three hours a week and regular orthopedic appoints, with Ellie having piano and the odd necessity for me to arrive at the school an hour before pick-up just so I can get a decent parking spot, well, all of these factors have joined forces to give me lots and lots of waiting time — a.k.a. reading time.
One of the books I recently finished was Susan May Warren’s Baby, It’s Cold Outside. This novel tells of five near-strangers trapped in a storm house during a Christmas blizzard. It may have been seventy degrees outside, but you can bet I, vicariously trapped in the story, grabbed my fuzzy socks, made hot chocolate and asked my husband to start up the fire. (In case you’re wondering, he refused to fuel my fantasies.)
Speaking of fire, have you seen Amazon’s new Fire? Being the ebook convert and Kindle evangelist that I am, I watched the live podcast of its release and, of course, my husband ordered one that same day. So cool! I’m still waiting for it to arrive so I can steal it from Rick’s sweet hands.
As part of this book’s release, the author is hosting a giveaway — including a new Fire! Oh, and of course a free copy of this heart-warming book.
Here are the details:
Warm up to Christmas early this year with Susan May Warren’s Baby, It’s Cold Outside! To celebrate the release of her new Christmas book with Summerside Press, she and the publisher are giving away a Kindle Fire and hosting an early Christmas Party on Facebook!
Read what the reviewers are saying here.
One festive winner will receive:
- A brand new Kindle Fire
- Baby, It’s Cold Outside by Susan May Warren
Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. Giveaway ends on 10/26!
But, wait there’s more! Join Susan May Warren on 10/27 for merriment and a few early Christmas presents at her Baby, It’s Cold Outside Christmas party! Grab your Christmas sweaters, socks and pj’s and join Susan and a few friends for a fireside chat about her recent books (Heiress & Baby, It’s Cold Outside), holiday traditions, favorite Christmas recipes, a trivia contest and more! Invite your friends and don’t miss the fun!
RSVP here and we’ll see you on October 27th at 5 PM PST / 8 PM EST!
