The Holy Spirit part 1-The Spirit Gives Strength

*This series will focus on the Holy Spirit.  It is a survey course of 14 parts.  Pacing from the reading material comes from Zonderzan's 2-week pacing guide.  When commentaries and other study resources are used I will cite the author. 

Prayer Prompt: Lord, let me be sensitive to Your power in my life.

Read for Context: Judges 14

Introduction:  Crazy chapter!  I’ve heard this story in Sunday school growing up, but now as a married woman and mom I noticed other things.   First, that men haven’t changed much.  He sees a woman and just wants her as his wife?  Are men visual creatures or what!  Then there is the parents.  They don’t seem to stand up to him very much, especially since what he wanted was against God’s law.  But this was the time of the Judges, where everyone did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 17:6).  And the woman.  She cries and whines until she nags him so much that he finally gives in.  It is good to remember that our God uses imperfect people and fills them in a mighty way for His purposes.   

Study: Judges 14:3-6, 19
·         What reason did Sampson’s parent’s give for not wanting him to marry?  Read Joshua 23: 11-13.
·         What was the Lord’s plan for Sampson’s desire to marry? 
·         What happened when he was filled with the Spirit?

What Does it Mean to Me?
·         What word does your translation use to describe the filling of the Spirit?  The Hebrew word is tsalach, which means to rush, to advance, prosper, make progress, succeed, be profitable.  How would you describe how you feel when you are filled with the Spirit? Have you ever been?  If not, why?

Live it Out:
·         Read Ex 31:3.  In this chapter God is describing his servant Bezalel to Moses, who is one of the Israelites who God appointed to do the artistic designs for the tent of meeting.  Our God has given you special talents to do the work only you were created to do (Ephesians 2:10). Today try to live with an awareness of the Spirit and His filling specifically for the work He has called you to. 

Meditation: 
·         Write down a verse or truth God has shown you today through this study.  Put it somewhere you will see it often and remember His word for you today. 

Comments

MonicaSnider said…
I look forward to getting friends involved in your bible study with me so we can discuss it here in the comment section.
March 8, 2011 at 11:05 AM
Rayna said…
I do too! Please feel free to forward the link to my site to anyone is interested in this format of connecting. I hope it's a great thing for busy mom's...
March 8, 2011 at 5:35 PM
Missy Rus said…
Honestly, I do not think I have ever read or heard this story. Of course I remember STRONG Samson from Sunday school but do not remember any other details about him. What a bizarre story! I loved thinking about how I feel when filled with the Holy Spirit- strong, capable, empowered, close to God and JOYOUS!! It was just wonderful to try to put that "welling up" and "welling over" feeling into words. :) In praying about the work God specifically has for me to do I started to think about whether or not I might consider homeschooling my boys (since Caleb starts Kindergarten next fall). I am praying for His guidance and wisdom on the issue since I NEVER thought I would even consider such a CRAZY idea. But lately it seems to make more and more sense. I desire to build a strong foundation of faith for my boys so that they grow into men of God. Maybe homeschool is one of those steps. Maybe it is part of my calling...
August 23, 2011 at 3:20 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Titus Study Overview

Sisters and Seekers, So excited to announce that I will be writing a bible study for you on the book of Titus.  I recently read a book by Jen Wilken called Women of the Word  and was inspired to study using her method and create a study out of what I'm learning for you!  Please check out her book as a resource if you want to dig a little deeper. Before we get started, I want to highlights some concepts from her book that I think are important to cover because they give a framework to keep in mind as we go.  The bible is a library, a collection of books with one big message.  It is the message of God and His story, it's not a book about us.  It has an overarching theme of creation-fall-redemption-restoration and every book in the Bible tells part of this one big story that God is telling through His word.  You may have heard this referred to as the metanarrative.  Knowing how what we are learning fits into this big story will help us make conne...
Read more

Study Introduction: Developing a Ministry of Reconciliation

Image
My husband and I finished a four-year process of home building this last February.   Throughout the process we had paperwork, permits, receipts, product manuals, samples of materials, and even some tools and parts left by the sub-contractors that looked important.   So we kept them all.   We put them in a box.   People that know me well know that I love efficiency and organization.   But for this I just needed a box.   A place to put all this stuff that I know I’m supposed to have but don’t have time to deal with.   Stuff that is probably important, but thrown in none-the-less.   It gives me comfort to know at any time I can dig around in this box and find what I need when I need it. Today it occurred to me that my faith is like this box.   One of the fun things about building (and there really isn’t a lot of “fun” involved so you hang on to the joys no matter how small) is getting to customize many things.   One of the things we chose a...
Read more

Devotional: Balance

This should be your ambition: to live a quiet life -1 Thess 4:11 I thought I’d mix things up and share something I’ve been learning a lot about lately: balance.   This verse above has been in my head quite a lot as I’ve been feeling different demands start to pull on me.   All of us have so many different responsibilities and interests that take our time; from family life and work, to hobbies and social events.   It seems like the calendar in my house is often running the show.   In this chapter Paul is writing about how Christians should live.   The word ambition means to be fond of honor, strive to bring something to pass and make a certain state your aim.   Then a few words later Paul then describes the tone of our day-to-day life as quiet.   This doesn’t mean you should be shy or a doormat, but to rest, cease from labor, not to be running around, to say nothing and hold one’s peace (this is my constant need!).   A friend once shared that you ...
Read more