For Such a Time as This

10-28-10
Esther 3-4
Lesson 2
"For Such a Time as This!"

"When the enemy plots your demise, the King is planning your reward,"

from Tommy Tenney's
12 Protocols of the Palace.

Israel's future is at stake, hanging in the balance; how will they survive another enemy that wants them ALL wiped out, driven into the sea? With God's sovereign hand, that's how! He is sovereign over kings and kingdoms; "The King's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes." Pr. 21:1 Have you noticed in Scripture how God always fulfills His purposes through the most unlikely characters? A meek shepherd boy became king, a harlot is in the bloodline of Christ, a Moabite woman leaves her homeland and returns with her mother-in-law and marries into the lineage of the Messiah, a Jewish baby placed in a basket floats to a maiden in the palace of Egypt where he would be prepared to deliver his people, a simple young girl and young man engaged to be married, would have their fairy-tale interrupted so that she would give birth to the King of Kings! Get the picture? God's ways are not our ways. Esther is a rich "fairy-tale like" story buried in the heart of the Old Testament, where a simple Jewish girl is given access to the throne room of the greatest kingdom on earth. Only our Great God can do that!

If this were a drama on today's television, the cliffhanger from today's episode would be, "Will Esther risk her life and go into the King, interceding on behalf of her people?" Tune in next week! What about that life in the palace? We learned today using a timeline that Esther has now been in the palace for five years before the events of Esther chapter three occur. Life is going great; lots of pretty things, parties, and oh, the decor. She is in "high cotton" as we say in the south. Isn't that the way life is at times, just when you think all is well, then it happens - something hits your life and rocks your little palace, and you come to a crisis of belief. What will you do? Will you bow to the "Haman's" of this world? Or will stand in your faith and refuse to pay homage to the enemy? Mordecai had fear, but not of man; he feared his God and rested in the deliverance that he knew God would deliver.

Then there is Esther, sending Mordecai the messages to change his clothes, stop his mourning; what is wrong with you? Mordecai sends her a message of what has happened and how the edict has been sent to kill all of the Jews, and that she must intercede on their behalf. I can so relate to Esther, I would have done the same thing, quoting rules and laws, excusing my way out of the conflict. - did we not all see what happened to Queen Vashti? And then comes the infamous lines from Mordecai to Esther, "And who knows whether you have attained royalty for such a time as this?"

What have you attained for such a time as this? What sphere of influence do you have? Will you go in, count the cost, deny yourself, and lay down your life for someone else or something you believe in? Kay's tape today began with her posing to us two questions:

1. What am I living for? For what reason do I live the way I live? (For such a time as this)
2. What would I lay down my life for? (If I perish, I perish)

Esther became more than just a pretty face; somewhere between message two and message three from Mordecai, she rolled up her pretty little sleeves and changed from a meek girl taking commands from Mordecai to a strong woman instructing him to have the people fast for three days. Then she said, "And thus I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish." Somehow, Esther was able to step back and look at this moment in her life as God's calling for such a time as this.

God has a purpose for you as well, dear one. Everything we do should doxa, or glorify Him and testify to the world that truly God hath sent His Son. When we use our gifting, in our sphere of influence, we are "Esther's" in our own little world. Kay gave us four points that support this truth:

The Reason I Live...

1. The reason I live is to bring God pleasure. (John 10:17, 2 Cor. 5:9)
2. I live knowing that God is going to bring His kingdom on earth. (John 4:34, 5:30, 6:38-39)
3. The reason I live is to bring Him glory. (John 17:4)
4. The reason I live to His glory is because there is a reward. (Rev. 22:12)

What will you do when an old enemy comes knocking on your palace door? Will you pack your bags and run? Will you make up excuses and compromise? Will you go in to the throne room and risk your life? These are not easy questions for any of us, but they are questions we need to think about, for who knows, perhaps we are studying Esther so that we will be equipped "For such a time as this!"

Laboring with you and through Him,

Phil 1:6

"For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus."

If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It!

9-23-10
Nehemiah 3-5
Lesson 2
"If it Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It!"

Surely, you have heard the expression, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," or "Let sleeping dogs lie," or "Never wake a sleeping baby." All say essentially the same thing - leave things that are working alone and concentrate on what really needs attention. A few months ago, I decided to not only clean out clutter from my home, but to also fix and repair anything that was broken in the house. I made a list as I cleaned each room and went to Wal-Mart and Home Depot seemingly hundreds of times. When the repairs were beyond me and Keith, I would make a list for my Dad to complete. After I had written several repairs on the list, he would come to my house for the day taking the items one by one. Of course, my Mother also came along as his "assistant;" they almost entirely built their camp house by themselves, so experience is not lacking on their part, however, I will say it is entertaining watching them do the work.

One of the jobs that should have only taken about 30 minutes, took a complete morning because as it turns out, we were trying to fix what was not broken. As my dad was installing the new fan and light fixture in my bedroom, he finally got to the last detail, putting in the light bulb. We turned on the switch and nothing came on. He took the light kit off again and checked the wiring - nothing. He then took the fan down and checked that wiring - nothing worked. Finally, we called a friend of ours who is an electrician, and he asked a had we checked the breaker switch, and some other details. And then he said, "Are you sure the light bulb works?" Wouldn't you know it, the bulb had been damaged during the installation, and we had wasted all of that time and effort trying to fix what was not broken!

Unlike our experience, Nehemiah was a leader who simply knew how to surmise what needed to be done and when it needed to be done. He exemplified many great leadership attributes as he lead the Israelites in a seemingly overwhelming task - the rebuilding of approximately 4 to 6 miles of stone walls and ten gates along with several towers. My commentary mentioned that there were 42 different areas mentioned that got repairs. Nehemiah's plan was well thought out because he had already prayed for months before he stepped one foot into the rubble and ruins of Jerusalem. This is just one of the many great qualities about him; here is the "C" wordlist again as we step back and look at this incredible leader:

Concerned about the ruins and the people (mourned, wept, fasted, and prayed for four months)
Called on God about the matter
Called on God's Character and Covenant
Confessed his and the nation's sin
Committed to the task (Asked God for success and compassion before the king)
Courageously stood before the King ( his courage was based on who his God was)
Called on God (Prayed as he spoke to the king)
Composed before the king and clearly requested what he needed
Cautiously began (he waited three days after he arrived and then quietly at night surveyed the damaged walls)
Challenged the people (simply told them about what God had done and that how His hand had been upon him)
Conflict refuted with Confidence in who his God was, NOT who he was
Commissioned the work within Cooperation and Community (all worked and worked together - "and next to him")
Commissioned the work within logical locations (started at the sheep gate and worked in front of their own house)
Conflict refuted with Calling on God (told His God about the enemies actions)
Commissioned the guards (set up a guard to protect the builders)
Calmed the people's fears (reminded the people of who their God was)
Credit to God (gave God the glory for frustrating the enemies plans)
Converged the builders, burden carriers, and the guards (all armed, ½ build while ½ guard)
Conveyed an emergency plan (trumpeter blows - all rally to the sound)
Credit to God (our God will fight for us!)
Commissioned shift work and "water break" rules
Confronted the sin of the people(faced the conflict from within and told them to STOP IT!)
Consulted with himself (calmed his anger before he contended with the nobles)
Contended with the nobles and the rulers
Called an assembly AGAINST the people
Conveyed why the usury against their brother was "scripturally" wrong
Called for an oath to be taken and issued a clear warning
Commanded by example (he had not taken pay, not burdened the people, and not gained from other's loss)
Called on God - "Remember me for good, according to all that I have done for this people"

And that's just chapters one through six! There's much more to learn as we continue through this saga.

And now - SO WHAT? Are you going to just sit back and admire all of those "C" qualities, or are you going to meditate on them and seek the Lord about what and how He would have you REBUILD? It has got to move from the page to the pavement! Why? Because conflict will come - your Lord Jesus warned you to expect trouble. So, are you going to face and refute the "ites" of this world like Nehemiah did? You must know and learn who your God is, and that He will fight for you as well. For your God can, "...whistle for the fly that is in the remotest part of the rivers of Egypt and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria." Is. 7:18 If He is sovereign over kings and kingdoms, He is certainly sovereign over your enemy and your circumstance. BUT... you still have to arise and do the work. Look back at the "C' list again and look at what Nehemiah had TO DO!!!! Yet, all the while, he rested on His God's sovereign, powerful, and strong hand!

So, if it ain't broke, don't fix it! But if is - arise and build! (But be sure to check the light bulb first!)

Laboring with you and through Him,

Phil 1:6

"For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus."

P.S. I plan to type of the list that Kay gave on the video when I get a chance. If any of you got the notes down in a good order, I would love to have a copy. Any takers?

Hearing God's Yes When the World Screams No!

6-6-10
Ezra/Haggai
Lesson 2a
Ezra Ch. 4

What is God stirring your heart to do? You know it's Him, but you are scared, afraid of the response or rejection of others. Perhaps, you started the project, but because of opposition, you are now discouraged and wonder if you were ever suppose to do this at all? Yet, you have not completed the task, your hands have gone limp and your are discouraged just like the people of Israel were in Ezra chapter four as they tried to restore the temple. God had stirred their hearts, that was NOT the problem - the problem was the opposition they faced as they tried to follow the will of God. Listen, it's WAR out there and we need today's lesson more than ever. We have to learn how to hear God's YES when the world is screaming NO!

There were many applications from the lesson and I plan to get them to you in letter form in an upcoming lesson. But for now, I want to focus on the major truth we can apply to our lives. We have to learn how to move from fear to faith. In our Matthew study we saw that faith fixes fear, but how do we grow our faith? Well, our lesson shows us - by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, that through perseverance and encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." (Romans 15:4) Have you ever been really down and discouraged and God sent messages to you throughout that day or week? Sometimes He will send me the same verse over and over; this reminds me that He is a God that is always with me, and like in says in Ezra 5:5 that "His eye is on me" just like it was on the elders of Israel. He sends me "Haggai's and Zechariah's" just like He did Israel. As a matter of fact, many of you have been used by God to bring me encouraging words many times; He uses you and perhaps you didn't even know that He was speaking through you!

God's Word is a sure Word and we can count on Him to do what He says. Our problem is that we wanted it yesterday - 20 years to re-build, is too long to wait! Perhaps it would not have taken as long if they had greater faith. So too, is our problem - FAITH. I don't know about you, but each week as I do my homework and study His Word, my faith grows. Then, we come together and corporately study, my faith grows more, and we are encouraged by the assembling of ourselves together. His Word and the fellowship with other believers is like a booster B-12 shot to my soul! I am renewed each Thursday - I am a better wife, mother, and friend because His Word has renewed my mind. This renewing grows my faith, as I not only drink in His truths, but I see that God has woven the tapestry of His covenant keeping ways throughout the Bible. I can count on Him - I can trust Him. The result - PEACE and confident Faith!

As I listened to the video, I was reminded of all of the nourishing verses we learned in some of the minor prophets. I went back and grabbed them from that letter and listed them below because they so relate to our lives as we face opposition from the enemy. I encourage you to pray these out loud over yours or some else's warfare and opposition:

When I reach a crossroad of distress in this life …

I will Remember…
The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble. And He knows those who take refuge in Him.
(Nahum 1:7)
The Lord is slow to anger, but great in power, but He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished.
(Nahum 1:3a)

What I will Do…
“But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord, I will wait on the God of my salvation. My God will hear me. Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy. Though I fall, I will rise. Though I dwell in darkness, the Lord is a light to me. (Micah 7:7-8)
I will stand on my guard post. I will station myself on the rampart. And I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me. (Hab. 2:1)

Even though…
… the fig tree should not blossom.
And there be no fruit on the vine.
Though the yield of the olive should fail.
And the fields produce no food.
Though the flock be cut off from the fold,
And there be no cattle in the stalls.

Because I know…
The righteous man will live by faith. (Hab. 2:4) not by sight. If it was seen it would not be faith –
because faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things unseen. (Heb. 11:1)
And I know The Lord is in His Holy Temple ...(Hab. 2:20a)

Therefore ...
I will exult in the Lord.
I will rejoice in God of my salvation.
The Lord God is my strength.
And He has made my feet like hinds feet and has made me to walk on my high places.(Hab 3:17-19)
so…let all of the earth be silent before Him (Hab.2:20b)

So, what do I mean by hearing God's yes when the world is screaming no? In Romans 4:18, it says, "In hope, against hope, Abraham believed in order that he might become a father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, "So shall your descendants be." In the next couple of verses it describes how he looked at his and Sarah's bodies - good as dead, but with respect to the promise of God, he did not waiver in unbelief, but grew strong in faith. Abraham's faith grew because he believed the promises of God rather that the screams of a world that would say NO WAY! The word here for hope literally means, in hope (God's yes) against hope (the world's no) to hear God's YES when the word screams No! Abraham knew that the world only saw the outer circumstances - they did not know that He had a promise keeping God. God promised Him that He would have a seed from whom ALL the nations of the earth would be blessed. The only problem was that it would be 25 years before it came about. Oh, if God would only beat to our drum? Maybe, we should learn to beat to His!

You know, the Christian's life is sort of like sitting in the middle of the LSU stadium - DEATH VALLEY (appropriately named) and trying to hear God's whispering YES while almost 100,000 are screaming NO! Now, listen closely for His stirring your heart, and perhaps His whisper of YES. You can do this! Why? Because He said you could - He keeps His promises! YOU ARE NOT TIGER BAIT! Arise, and do the work, and do it by faith!


In the Name of OUR GREAT GOD,