Week 13

Way to Go!

You have completed the first 13 weeks of “The Way to Go Lightly” study where we have covered the first 12 chapters of the book of Proverbs. Studying Proverbs is pushing us to respond with wisdom when the demands of everyday life hit us. We learned that we are constantly being bombarded with different types of knowledge from the world. How we respond to that knowledge determines if we are responding wisely based on God’s word or unwisely based on our flesh.

We have compared our human body to Solomon’s temple and learned how our physical body is likened to the outer courts, our soul is likened to the Holy Place, and our spirit is likened to the Holy of Holies.

We also learned about how we try to cover up our sinful behaviors by pretending they do not exist. We learned that this is only a temporary solution and that eventually they will surface, usually in the form of disease, whether it be mental or physical. We referred to this area of our body as our “Hidden Chambers” and we began talking about how to “clean up” this part of our body.

We also learned about how the spirit, soul and body are interconnected and how the soul has a choice when faced with daily decisions. The choice is to be led by the power of the Holy Spirit within us or be led by the power of Satan. Either way, God gives us the choice. We just have to learn to discipline ourselves to take the righteous path.

We committed to follow “the Way”. This way we know from Scripture is the only Way.

John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 8:12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

When we return we will talk more extensively about each of these areas. How does this “new creation” act? Learning is just the beginning. Acting out our faith is our goal.
1 Corinthians 13
Love
1If I speak in the tonguesof men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.


Homework for December 19, 2007
Proverbs Chapter 12

Let’s read Chapter 12 together from the New Living Translation

12:1 To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction.
2 The Lord approves of those who are good, but he condemns those who plan wickedness.
3 Wickedness never brings stability, but the godly have deep roots.
4 A worthy wife is a crown for her husband, but a disgraceful woman is like cancer in his bones.
5 The plans of the godly are just; the advice of the wicked is treacherous.
6 The words of the wicked are like a murderous ambush, but the words of the godly save lives.
7 The wicked die and disappear, but the family of the godly stands firm.
8 A sensible person wins admiration, but a warped mind is despised.
9 Better to be an ordinary person with a servant than to be self-important but have no food.
10 The godly care for their animals, but the wicked are always cruel.
11 A hard worker has plenty of food, but a person who chases fantasies has no sense.
12 Thieves are jealous of each other’s loot, but the godly are well rooted and bear their own fruit.
13 The wicked are trapped by their own words, but the godly escape such trouble.
14 Wise words bring many benefits and hard work brings rewards.
15 Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others.
16 A fool is quick-tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted.
17 An honest witness tells the truth; a false witness tells lies.
18 Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing.
19 Truthful words stand the test of time, but lies are soon exposed.
20 Deceit fills hearts that are plotting evil; joy fills hearts that are planning peace!
21 No harm comes to the godly, but the wicked have their fill of trouble.
22 The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in those who tell the truth.
23 The wise don’t make a show of their knowledge, but fools broadcast their foolishness.
24 Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and become a slave.
25 Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up.
26 The godly give good advice to their friends; the wicked lead them astray.
27 Lazy people don’t even cook the game they catch, but the diligent make use of everything they find.
28 The way of the godly leads to life; that path does not lead to death.

Prayer for help! Lord, it is as though you planned this particular chapter’s timing for us as we enter the Christmas season. Perhaps it is because we will be around family members, who upset us, or friends who irritate us, or children who have not learned the definition of gratitude. Perhaps we ourselves have not learned the definition of gratitude and will be upset if we do not receive a certain gift for Christmas. Our prayer is that we can speak only kind words that we will enter into our spirit for wisdom in all situations and not react in our flesh. We pray that you will keep our minds from satanic attack and our bodies from gluttony. May anyone we encounter see the same love you showed us when we first became your daughter. Thank you for being willing to be born only to die so unjustly for my sin. I can now spend eternity in Heaven with YOU! Praise Your Name, Amen.

1. A lot of times we can hear the word of God but obeying it is difficult. Vs 1 tells us that obedience is absolutely essential, not optional. Or you should refer to yourself as __stupid___. What is the definition of stupid? Unwise, foolish. If someone called you a stupid fool you might get a little upset, but what about the Word of God calling you that. Something to think about. How can we get better emotionally? You can not do it naturally...only supernaturally through the power of the Holy Spirit that is “perfectly” awaiting your “911.
   Psalm 30:2O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me.
   We also see from this verse and just trying to become aware of all the areas of our life that need godly change, that it is not easy. Discipline is difficult. I want to encourage you not to look back, but to press forward. As God reveals the uglies of our soul, it is then that we must discipline ourselves so that these sins will not be repeated.
2. vs 2 What is an example of wicked intentions? Wicked means: evil, sinful, satanic, devilish. Intentions means: plan, goal, purpose, deliberate. We either purpose for God or purpose for satan. Good or bad. Condemn means doom for eternity or sentence to eternity in hell. Whoa!!!!!!
3. vs 4 is a tough eye-opener. I am sure I have caused some deterioration in Dennie’s bones. Ask yourself the tough question. Am I a crown on my husband’s head or do I cause his bones to rot? Whenever I begin my pity party of discontentment with my husband, I know it is from satan but yet I allow him to control my thoughts. Yes allow, because if I were seeking wisdom from my perfected spirit I would not have thoughts of discontentment. Also, I know that I am the one being selfish if I begin looking for ways that Dennie is being selfish. It not only sickens his body but it definitely sickens mine. My goal is to be a crown on my husband’s head. Whoa again!!!!!!!!!! How???? Putting him first and not herself. Allowing him to recognize his potential and be supportive in all his efforts. Saying only kind words about him to others and to him. How much deterioration I have caused… I have no idea. Why this is so hard for me is because I am afraid of being hurt. Funny; we chase them away because of that which we are afraid will happen.
   
   Challenge/idea – buy a crown for your husband for Christmas with Proverbs 12:4 attached. Discuss the verse and make a commitment to him to “try” to work towards achieving this verse. (Do this only if you truly feel a prompting from God to do so, or it may turn into a disappointing experience).
4. vs 5 Who do you chose to receive counsel from? Someone who will cause you to go further into sin or one who points you to the Word for decision making. Ever wonder when you do receive deceitful counsel if perhaps it was given with an ulterior motive? The heart can be deceitful.
5. Vs 5 suggests that we will eventually become what we allow our thoughts to dwell on. Paul tells us in Philippians 4:8 to dwell on what is:
   
   Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
6. Vs 11 He who tills his land will be satisfied with _bread_____________.
   
   We must continue to work out our salvation to receive the Bread of life. Never give into the rotten leading of your flesh.
   
   Philippians 2:12Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling
   John 6:51I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."
   
   Frivolous – impractical …. He who follows impracticality is lacking understanding. NOT WISDOM!
   
   This verse may be referring to being too busy but not accomplishing anything. What do you think? _______________________________
7. Do you covet any thing another person has? Strong Godly husband and a family that talks/laughs/cries/communicates and an extended family that gathers together. Think before letting yourself off of this question. Then answer the question why? I think this would be the happiest I could be if that were mine. Vs 12 I don’t know if that is coveting or just desiring this because according to the verse, I don’t think a wicked man possesses that which I long for. Maybe if my fruit were ripe, and I was the crown of my husband, this desire would be mine.
8. The topic of the transgression of my lips (vs 13) just keeps coming up throughout Scripture. Am I learning about the importance of keeping my mouth/tongue behind bars?
   Words can bring destruction or bring peace. What do my words bring? When I am self focused they bring destruction. When I am focused on God, they bring peace. Help!!!! Forgive me Lord for the destruction I have caused due to my selfishness.
9. vs 17 Speaking truth with no exaggeration to make you look good in front of others may be something you struggle with. But the tongue of the wise promotes health. What does this verse say to your spirit? __Forgive me Lord for my foolish attempt to look good in front of others by saying unkind or unnecessary things about another person. It is becoming obvious to me that health comes more from the words I speak rather than the foods I eat. Purge my mouth and my hidden chambers. Allow me to look at my faults with a magnifying glass and other’s faults as your concern not mine. Allow me to stop fearing what others think of me and that others may reject me. Guard my desire to act and speak in the flesh, but that I may go into my spirit for healing.
10. Health comes more from the words that I think and speak, rather than the foods that I eat.
    
    Calculate your deceiving heart’s attempt by writing down any thought or words used to talk about someone.
    
    Deceiving – mislead …. Your soul is going to react in it’s natural response but do not be deceived or mislead by your flesh.
    
    I assume everyone wants to “agree” with me when I say sarcastic (cutting remarks, ridicule). God has brought this to my attention and I appreciate the person who disagrees with me about my comment. Then I tried to back-pedal and say…. Well, I didn’t mean it…. When really I did mean it. YUCK!
    
    Antonym of sarcasm: compliment, praise, appreciation. That sounds like the woman I want to be.
11. vs 25 Even when life is really tough, kind words are so important to hear. Tough times bring tough decision making, and that is something not too many of us have as our #1 thing to do. How exciting is it when you receive a message from God via a devotional, a person you run into that you haven’t seen in a long time, a word from the word, a phone call. Can you name an incident where this happened?
    
    Beth called me from a conference she went to and told me that the speaker’s theme was healing spiritually, mentally and physically. Her call came when I was soaking in pity over myself. I appreciated her words of encouragement to me that what I was teaching was being reinforced through the teaching of a well-known speaker.
12. Start evaluating your friends. (and family members) Vs 26 Are they leading you astray? Stray away from them if they are causing you to stray away from God.
    Are you a friend to someone you are leading astray? Be careful.
13. Vs 28 says: NLT The way of the godly lead to life; that path does not lead to death. What does it mean to follow “The way”? vs 28… NKJ In the way of righteousness is life, And in its pathway there is no death.
14. Could you explain what things means? _not sure what I meant here ~J__
    
    Following “The Way” is following the example Christ set for us. How do you do that? By knowing what the Word of God says about you as a Christ follower. You are the only Jesus some people will see today. That is pretty powerful!

Homework due January 9, 2008! 2008 is going to be great!
Proverbs Chapter 13 2008 -- a new women He will create! J

1. Exercise your spirit by reading back through chapters 10, 11, 12, and 13. This is where the practical teaching began. Write out anything you missed before and be ready to share it in class on the 9th.
2. Exercise your soul by practicing random acts of kindness. This may take a little preplanning or might come spontaneously. If a thought comes to you, act on it immediately.
3. Exercise your body by walking a little further than usual, stretching, practice your yoga positions, or lift weights.
   Do not allow the enemy of laziness creep into your life. You’re on “the Way” to Go Lightly! These questions were taken from NLT.
4. vs 1 We have been seeing this word discipline over and over and over. Make a list of the areas God is speaking to you about because I know He has brought up a thing or two! Then exercise your spirit by applying the Word to this area of your life. The soul and body will love you for it!
5. vs 2 I took this verse to mean that if we “love” others, others will want us to feast at their dinner table. You know, I think we should start inviting each other over to eat at our dinner tables. Then when we get comfortable with that, I think we should invite neighbors over to eat at our dinner table. It is easy to invite family (sometimes), but how about people that don’t look, sound, smell, or act like us.
6. Diarrhea of the mouth is a curable disease! Take one “Proverbs 13:3 verse” and call me in the morning! I teach people how to eat in order to obtain a long life, but now I see that Scripture says that shutting up will have the same results!
7. vs 4 It is hard not to judge obvious laziness. But I need to look at the hours I spend idle. How much time am I spending being “busy” but yet unproductive for the work of the Kingdom?
8. vs 6 Godliness guards the path of the blameless, but the evil are misled by sin. Apply this verse to our theme verse (1 Thess 5:23-24) Why is it that we are not blameless? We are obviously choosing to act in the flesh. Choose the spirit instead.
9. vs 9 The life of the godly is full of LIGHT and joy, but the LIGHT of the wicked will be snuffed out. The Way to Go LIGHTLY ministry is about choosing the LIGHT of the WORLD. Am I seeing this repeated over and over. Repetition is a good thing. It breaks through hard heads and stubborn personalities and begins to penetrate the soul. JOY JOY JOY
10. Get rich quick (vs 11) Multi-level marketing, stock markets, real estate…it is all a gamble as we have seen this last year. God’s word says, wealth comes from hard work. Slow and steady wins the race. Vow not to be sucked into any thing that promises quick wealth.
    Try in 2008 to receive constructive advice from those you respect (vs 13). Don’t take it personal (like I do) but see if there is any validity to what they are saying. We can’t see ourselves other than through a mirror and mirrors are often pretty distorted and blurry.
11. vs 16 Wise people think before they act. I act before I think. Again this is natural, but can be stopped. I have to resist the natural and overpower it with the spirit. STOP ME LORD BEFORE I MAKE A FOOL OF MYSELF.
12. vs 17 This made me think of how distorted a conversation can become about someone you are talking about. It not only doesn’t make you healthy but also does not make them healthy. In 2008, vow to only talk words of edification (building up someone). OK, that’s a biggie!
13. vs 18 - 20 Accept criticism, walk with the wise, or be foolish. Elaborate on this verse from an incident in your life.
14. vs 24 – this rod is between you and God. Stop judging others for the way they discipline their children. We have not lived their life nor have we walked in their shoes. It is so easy to criticize other women’s parenting. STOP and LOVE them.
15. vs 25 NLT says: The godly eat to their heart’s content, but the belly of the wicked goes hungry. There you go! God gave you permission J
    
    Wait a minute……….the New King James version says this:
    
    The righteous eats to the satisfying of his soul, but the stomach of the wicked shall be in want.
    
    Now you see the difference between versions of the Bible and how some versions may lead a godly person to actually believe they could eat to their heart’s content. But what does this verse actually mean? (so sorry L)
    
    Do not forget to study the verses I gave you from last week’s lesson.
    Romans 14:1-23 Gal 5:13-26 Gal 6:7
    
    
    God bless each of you and may the God of peace be with you and keep you safe until we meet again on January 9th, 2008!
    I love you!

Take time to rediscover the baby in the manger.

Week 11

Proverbs Chapter 11

Our theme verse is: 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who called you is faithful, who also will do it.

Last week we drew a circle, within a circle, within a circle. This represented our spirit, our soul, and our physical body. The soul touches the spirit and the soul touches the body, but the spirit does not touch the body. This indicates that the soul must choose between relying on the spirit to direct her or revert back to the allowing the body/flesh to make it’s decisions.

Who would like to explain the opening that should always remain open, and where there is an opening that needs to remain plugged up “most of the time”!

What was my explanation of what it might mean to be spirit filled, spirit led and filled with the spirit? When using the three circled diagram, I believe that it means to always keep an opening between the soul and the spirit. In other words, your life’s decisions should be based on the Word of God not on emotions (soul). If we have a born-again spirit, then the Holy Spirit will always leads us as to what we should do and say.

How can we be sure what the Spirit of God within us is saying?

Listen and wait.

Psalm 46:10 Be still and know that I am God.

Jer 42:6 - "Whether {it} is pleasant or unpleasant, we will listen to the voice of the LORD our God to whom we are sending you, so that it may go well with us when we listen to the voice of the LORD our God."

Jer 42:6 – (NLT) It does not matter if we like the message or if we don't like the message. We will obey the Lord our God. We are sending you to the Lord for a message from him. We will obey what he says. Then good things will happen to us. Yes, we will obey the Lord our God."

What does listening to the voice of the Lord mean? Obedience. Not our way but The Way. How do we know what obedience is? By listening to the voice of the Lord. He speaks to us through prayer, through reading His Word, through trials, through songs, through other people.

We just have to be listening.

We saw on our circles that the soul and the body connect or touch. I am totally convinced that there is a direct connection between mind and body. An unhealthy mind can cause an unhealthy body. But how is it that we can have a healthy mind? If we look back at our three circles we can now answer that question. The mind has to go to the spirit first for wisdom thereby opening the valve between the spirit and the soul. Once this has happened, the overflow of the spirit flows into the soul and body.

Remember, the mind must choose to either act according to the spirit or according to the flesh. There are only two ways to turn; inward or outward. If left alone without the power and knowledge of the spirit, the mind will turn to the flesh. Over time this choice will cause disease because you are not being spirit led and spirit filled.

Personally I know for myself that eating organic raw fruits and vegetables is just not enough. The mind if allowed to react in the flesh is much more of a fatal threat to the health of the body then eating processed foods.

A mind controlled by the flesh can cause heart and vascular problems, gastrointestinal problems, headaches, skin conditions, urinary problems, pain and inflammation, lung and breathing problems, immune problems. What does the physician blame these problems on? “Just because” you are old, or your family history. When was the last time a medical doctor ask you about your spiritual health?

Ever wonder why it takes us so long to listen to the voice of God when He tells us to

“Be still and know that I am God”.

1Jo 3:20 - This is the way we know that we belong to the way of truth. And when our hearts make us feel guilty, we can still have peace before God. Why? Because God is greater than our heart (conscience). God knows everything.

Our theme verse is: Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through...

I believe God created us for a purpose and unless we are seeking the power of the Holy Spirit to guide and direct our lives, we will never fulfill that purpose. We will be in continuous turmoil. We will not have peace or joy, nor will we ever be able to love. Nor will we ever be physically well.

Instead we will live in a continuous environment of argument, mental or verbal abuse, seeking the next task to take our minds off of what is really happening, over commit ourselves so we don’t have to face the pain, live in the outer courts of our temple and when the head hits the pillow at night, we cry ourselves to sleep.

Meanwhile we are creating a toxic mental and physical environment in our bodies making them excellent targets for any disease to slowly destroy the residence of the Holy Spirit.

Think you are handling everything OK?

Do a health analysis. Be honest with your overall health. List what is wrong. Then ask God to reveal to you any area of your life where there is not peace.

Keep this information in mind J! Is reverting to the ordinary responses worth your health spiritually, mentally or physically?

Homework – Proverbs Chapter 11

Chapter 10 began the breakdown of teaching us how to listen to the voice of God by choosing to follow His commands. We learn by following His commands.

May we only choose righteousness.

1. Pray for each lady represented in our class. Call someone or send an email to encourage them sometime throughout the week.
2. Give an old friend a call.
3. Smile at everyone you see.
4. Read Chapter 11 several times this week.

5. Funny! Verse 1 of chapter 11. (NKJV) Aren’t all scales dishonest? I like my scale at home. It cost $9.99 from Walmart and it weighs me less than the one at the gym. The gym scale is honest and so is the one at Publix. I’m sticking with my dishonest scale!

6. Oh but look after the but………….. God loves a just “weight”! No excuse now J
Now this obviously doesn’t mean a scale to weigh ourselves. The Lord hates cheating, and he delights in honesty. But couldn’t we apply this to our scales as well? Do not allow a $9.99 scale have any power over you. It is a piece of metal. The truth behind your weight does not come from the numbers on a scale but instead comes…according to this verse from honesty. You know the truth regardless if you get on a scale or not. How? From how you feel and how your clothes fit. Allow honesty to be your scale. Cheaters never win in the game of life.

7. vs 2 Are you a Self-centered person? Look up the definition.

Self-centered - Synonyms: selfish, self-absorbed, egotistic, wrapped up in oneself. Concerned only with one’s own desires, needs, or interests. You center life around yourself.
8. While you have the dictionary out, look up pride (egotistic, self-importance, self-satisfaction; arrogant, pretension), shame (guilt, remorse, self-disgust, dishonor, disrespect), and humble. (unpretentious, without arrogance, gentle, meek, unimportant)

The verse says: When pride comes, then comes shame; But with the humble is wisdom…. Or NLT - Pride leads to disgrace; but with humility comes wisdom.

We will see this verse repeated over and over in Proverbs. To be humble is to be obedient to God. Am I seeing that our three circled diagram will begin to make more and more sense as we read Proverbs.

Let’s begin a big circle with spirit-filled words. Our first word is humility: unpretentious, gentle, meek, unimportant.
9. Which one best describes you? I would prefer to say: humble. Truth is, I am pretty self-absorbed. God’s word tells me to be unpretentious, gentle, meek, unimportant,

Interesting: When I was looking up humble in the thesaurus, I glanced up at the word listed just before it. The word was humane (what every human should be). The synonyms were: gentle, meek, unimportant, kind, sympathetic. Was there some correlation here? Sad isn’t it? God made us to be human, but yet often we choose to be other than human, like aliens or foreigners.

La 5:2 -Our inheritance has been turned over to aliens, And our houses to foreigners.

Le 19:34 - You must treat foreigners the same as you treat your own citizens. Love foreigners like you love yourselves. Why? Because you were foreigners one time--in Egypt. I am the Lord your God!

10. Where does integrity come from? Defined as: purity, moral stature, honesty, wholeness, completeness. This can only be a gift from God nothing that we can force ourselves to obtain. Pray for this gift.
11. vs 4 verifies our prosperity discussion. Riches do not…. ……_profit in the day of wrath (judgment), but right living is a safeguard against death. It is never a dying man that wants to hug his money. Money can be a brick wall for living a “human” life.
12. vs 7 This is very interesting. Expectations…I have a lot of those. But this verse is telling me not to have them because expectations are for a wicked woman. Is that what I read here?
Vs 7 When a wicked man dies, his expectation will perish, and the hope of the unjust perishes.

13. vs 7 what hope does a unbeliever have? None other than to find Christ’s redemption before she perishes.
What part of your body destroys your neighbor? _vs mouth
Mt 15:11 - It is not the things a person puts in his mouth that make him wrong. It is the things a person says with his mouth that make him wrong."
Mt 15:17 –Surely you know that all the food that enters a person's mouth goes into the stomach. Then that food goes out of the body.
Mt 15:18 - But the bad things a person says with his mouth come from the way a person thinks. And these are the things that make a person wrong

14. I want knowledge, knowledge and more knowledge (vs 9) Where am I going to get this knowledge? HIS WORD.
15. vs 13 I remember telling my sister she was getting an etch-a-sketch for Christmas one year when we were little. I have a real hard time keeping a secret. My daughter “inherited” that trait from me. It is a weakness really. We want to be the one who gets recognized for being “in the know”. But really it makes us foolish. What comes after the but __he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.__The spirit should be directing our integrity. We should always be faithful in saying nothing to anyone (including prayer chains) about anything that someone has confided in us.
16. vs 16 A gracious woman retains honor. She does not come and go with her character. She keeps her honor. The Way to Go Lightly woman has only godly characteristics. Honor is one of them. Forgive yourself for being anything other than honorable; then ask God to forgive you. THEN get back on the Way!

17. vs 18 Do you sew? How long does it take to make a home sewn garment or a hand quilted quilt? How long does it take to sow righteousness? The completed project is so rewarding. Why not give both of them a try?

A godly woman Sows righteousness…in return she receives a sure reward.

Vs 18 Righteousness leads to life. Vs 19 Is it possible to be living dead?
Vs 20 The Lord hates people with a twisted heart? How can a Christian have a perverse heart? They are seeking the flesh for repetitive destructive advice and not the power of the Holy Spirit within them.
18. vs 24 What is one scattering? _giving of themselves __________If you are not scattering, you are withholding something. What is it (themselves /stingy and why are you withholding it? Self-centered (back to verse 2) It doesn’t belong to you anyway? (You are not your own you were bought with a price) Is it yours to withhold?

19. vs 25 The soul is described as generous. Because you understand the difference between spirit and soul, you understand that you can now CHOOSE to be generous in your soul. (Generous in your soul means living by the spirit and doing for others, not yourself.) If you choose to be generous, what will you become? Rich/Watered_(living water John 4:10,11)______________Is that monetary?

20. vs 25 what are you watering with? City water or living water. ____________________ Find the verse to back up Living Water? John 4:10, 11) Restate this verse changing the word water to explain its meaning.

It is all about doing for others. Whatever you do for others is an indicator how much living water is flowing through your soul.
The Samaritan woman answered, “I am surprised that you ask me for a drink! You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman!” (Jews are not friends with Samaritans.
10Jesus answered, “You don’t know about the thing God gives. And you don’t know who I am that asked you for a drink. If you knew these things, you would have asked me and I would have given you living water.”
11The woman said, “Sir, where will you get that living water? The well is very deep, and you have nothing to get water with. 12Are you greater than Jacob our father? Jacob is the one that gave us this well. He drank from it himself. Also, his sons and all his animals drank water from this well.”
13Jesus answered, “Every person that drinks this water will be thirsty again. 14But the person that drinks the water I give will never be thirsty again. That water I give will become like a spring of water flowing inside that person. That water will bring that person life forever.”

21. Are you seeking evil of any sort? Are you trusting in your money? Vs 28

22. Is your plant still alive that you planted at the beginning of the class? I bet you thought I forgot about that plant. Vs 28 says what?

If you take care of your body/temple (plant), it will flourish like (foliage) leaves in spring.

Reap what you sow.

Vs 30 (NLT) The godly are like trees that bear life-giving fruit, and those who save lives are wise. (NKJ) And he who wins souls is wise.

What does this mean? I believe it means that we need to be showing the Living Water that is flowing in our soul so that the lost will see the spirit within us is different than the one in them. The winning (victory) does not have a thing to do with what we have done, but has everything to do with what we are (our tree must be showing life-giving fruit). Personal witness comes from demonstrating love, (watering someone else’s garden with your living water) not judging them for their lifestyle.


23. What does vs 31 mean? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

24. Read and study Romans 14:1-23. Write down your thoughts regarding if you believe this verse is saying to you about food.

22. PLEASE start paying very close attention to what you are eating. I believe that if we would only eat God-created foods, most disease would cease to exist. Don’t ever say that whole foods are expensive. What is expensive are doctors and hospitals.


Homework for December 19, 2007
Proverbs Chapter 12


A lot of times we can hear the word of God but obeying it is difficult. Vs 1 tells us that obedience is absolutely essential, not optional. Or you should refer to yourself as ________________.
vs 2 What is an example of wicked intentions?
vs 4 is a tough eye-opener. I am sure I have caused some deterioration in Dennie’s bones. Ask yourself the tough question. Am I a crown on my husband’s head or do I cause his bones to rot?
vs 5 Who do you chose to receive counsel from? Someone who will cause you to go further into sin or one who points you to the Word for decision making. Ever wonder when you do receive deceitful counsel if perhaps it was given with an ulterior motive? The heart can be deceitful.
Vs 5 suggests that we will eventually become what we allow our thoughts to dwell on. Paul tells us in Philippians 4:8 to dwell on what is ____________________________________________________
Vs 11 He who tills his land will be satisfied with ______________.

This verse may be referring to being too busy but not accomplishing anything. What do you think? _______________________________

Do you covet any thing another person has? Think before letting yourself off of this question. Then answer the question why?
The topic of the transgression of my lips (vs 13) just keeps coming up throughout Scripture. Am I learning about the importance of keeping my mouth/tongue behind bars?
Words can bring destruction or bring peace. What do my words bring?
vs 17 Speaking truth with no exaggeration to make you look good in front of others may be something you struggle with. But the tongue of the wise promotes health. What does this verse say to your spirit? __________________________________________
Calculate your deceiving heart’s attempt by writing down any thought or words used to talk about someone.
vs 25 Even when life is really tough, kind words are so important to hear. Tough times bring tough decision making, and that is something not too many of us have as our #1 thing to do. How exciting is it when you receive a message from God via a devotional, a person you run into that you haven’t seen in a long time, a word from the word, a phone call. Can you name an incident there this happened?





Start evaluating your friends. Vs 26 Are they leading you astray?

Vs 28 What does it mean to follow the way? Vs 28… In the way of righteousness is life, And in its pathway there is no death.

Could you explain what things means? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Take time to rediscover the baby in the manger. J

Week 10

As we continue to learn from God’s Word how to heal spiritually, mentally and physically, I want to start this lesson with our theme verse.


1 Thessalonians 5:23 – 24 May God Himself, the God of peace sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ? The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

God is the ONLY one who can purify our whole spirit, soul and body through and through. Why is it that we struggle with believing that? We say that we believe, but saying it is easy. Walking it out is not.

Do you have a sinus headache? Maybe you ate nitrites, or mucous forming foods. Did you give in to the temptation to overeat the sweets the last couple of days? Or perhaps you made the choice to eat processed foods or fast foods. Did you let up on the water intake or exercise because of the busyness of the season? Did you relate the sinus headache to bad choices? They go hand-in-hand.

OK, so you slipped a few times. Your options are to get depressed and have a pity party and eat more or you can ask God to forgive you and get back on the “Way” immediately.

Don’t stay pitiful, get blameless!

Sick and tired of living a double life? Strive to live according to TRUTH. How do we do that? Stay in the WORD and then LIVE it out! Living the Word is the hardest thing you will ever love doing!

Someone share with the group about blessing a neighbor this week?

I have been bringing in the neighbor’s garbage cans. Yesterday I was gone all day and guess what??? Someone brought mine in!

Let’s go back to several previous lessons where we compared our body (temple) to Solomon’s Temple. What were the 3 main sections of the temple?

1/3rd Body- outer courts
1/3rd Soul – Holy Place
1/3rd Spirit – Holy of Holies

We are a Spiritual being. Everyone is born with a spirit, a soul and a body. When you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, you then were given a born-again spirit as a gift from God. That is the part of us that is perfect. Our born-again spirit is perfect and no one, not even Satan can take that gift from us. Now the key is to understand that our born-again spirit is indeed a gift from God and we are to treat our bodies as we would if someone gave us a priceless gift. We would handle that priceless gift with tender loving care.

How do we do this? First we have to understand what the Word of God says about our body. Jesus must be our only true healer. Because Jesus became man, He understands our struggles, pains, our feelings. He can show us the real “root causes” of our problems; and ONLY He can remove them.

We want to be genuine Christians, not outer court fronting Christians, playing the Christian façade games. We must desire to peel back the layers of disgust that cause us to continue to act from the emotional segment of our being and remove these roots from our being. We have to take responsibility for making wise choices regarding our body, and not because of pressure we receive from a doctor or husband or friend.

It’s scary, but exciting! Beware! Satan does not want us healed. Beware! Satan will whisper lies of deception in your ears. “Who do you think you are? You’ll always be sick! You’ll always be a hypocrite! You’ll always be fakey! You’ll always be fat! You’ll never change! If they knew the truth about you, none of them would like you.” “Who do you think you are trying to be something you’ll never be”!

But those are lies from the pit of hell. Do not believe them. Believe what God’s Word says about you.

Get behind me Satan!

Ephesians 1:22 He (God) put all things under his feet (Jesus’) and gave Him (Jesus) to be head over all things to the church.”

If all things are under Jesus’ feet, that includes Satan. So the question is for each of us to resolve once and for all:

Is Jesus Head over me?

Remember: This battle between you and Satan whether it be mental or physical, can end today because the Bible says that the battle is the Lords.

Proverbs 21:31 People can prepare everything for a battle, even the horses. But they can't win unless the Lord gives them the victory.

We spend a lot of time planning, preparing, and trying to figure life out. Why not allow the Lord to take the reigns of your life and leave the horse for someone else to prepare.

Psalm 103:2-5: 1 Bless the LORD, O my soul, And all that is within me, {bless} His holy name. 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits; 3 Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases; 4 Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with loving kindness and compassion; 5 Who satisfies your years with good things, {So that} your youth is renewed like the eagle.

I love this verse! It says everything that we have been talking about and then some.

Why are we looking for redemption from inside the pit of hell when we have a Lord and Savior who crowns us with loving kindness and compassion and He will make our years of life as free as an eagle!

Praise HIM!

Remember as you begin to change towards becoming this new creation, it took you 30, 40, 50 years to get to the point of misunderstanding that you currently are in, so take it easy on yourself because total transformation takes a lot of reprogramming. Pay attention to everything you do and say. Take every thought and action captive. Does it line up with God’s Word? Is it a Truth that is transforming you or a lie that is keeping you unchanged.

Hopefully pieces of the your life’s puzzle are beginning to be put together and you are feeling better about your body and your relationship with God. I want each of you to live your lives in victory and that only comes from the Holy Spirit’s power within you!

Renew your mind. That is how to transform. The mind is located in the Holy Place. Our thought life chooses between the world’s advice or God’s righteousness. Go into the Holy of Holies for complete mind renewal not into the world.

Transform by the renewing of your mind. We cannot continue to think the same thoughts and expect different results. Won’t happen.

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

2 Cor 6:16 For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, "I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE

Ladies, we should be in complete humility to have our God and creator dwelling within our decaying body. His dwelling within me is the only incentive I need to take care of my body every day including not allowing my thought life to be toxic.

Many do not understand this TRUTH. You do! What are you doing to transform yourself spiritually, mentally and physically because of understanding this truth?

Gotten a little off “the Way” lately? Get back on the righteous path toward righteous living. We will be judged

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

The Word of God is alive. There is a division between our spirit, soul, and body. And God will judge our thought life and He know the intentions of our heart.

Are you waiting until January to recommit? Don’t wait. Get back on the WAY!

Let’s get working on cleaning up our spirit, soul, joints and marrow! Use the Word of God as your cleaning material!

Proverbs Chapter 10 – Healing Spiritually

Let’s first answer the questions I gave you regarding Adam and our Spirit, Soul and Body target.

God’s word clearly divides us into three segments as we have discussed before: spirit, soul and body.

Did you look up James 2:26, Gen 2:27, Job 26:4, and Proverbs 20:27?

James 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Gen 1:7 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Gen 2:7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

Breath in Hebrew means spirit. The same meaning in Job 26:4 (whose spirit (breath) came from you and Proverbs 20:27 ; The breath (spirit) of a man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all the inner depths of his heart.

Adam’s body and soul (physical, mental and emotional parts) had no life in them until God gave Him his “spirit”. Your spirit is what gives you life.

One of the questions was: When did life enter Adam’s body? When was Adam able to walk and talk with God? It was when he breathed life into his body. I don’t think Adam could have had a soul at this point because he was totally without sin and in order to walk and talk with God (who cannot be in the presence of sin) Adam could not have had sin.

Proverbs 20:27 The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord. Searching all the inner depths of his heart.

The next question was: What happened when Adam sinned? God gave Adam a choice. It was at this time that I believe the soul was created. I did not research this thought for verification. I just don’t believe that Adam and Eve could have been walking with God had they been with sin.

How long did it take before mankind was able to walk and talk with God again? When Jesus Christ died on the cross to take away the sin of the world, it was at that point that anyone who believes this TRUTH, can indeed walk and talk once again with the God who created us.

Jesus died for the original sin of Adam that continues today. Sin originates in the soul. How can we be sinless and talk with God? Believe that by the stripes of Jesus, we are healed.

Look at your diagram. Only you can decide if you will open up your soul and let the spirit control your body and soul or close your soul to your spirit and let the soul rule the body without the spirit.

Hopefully that made sense! J

The TRUTH is that Christians are depressed, angry, sad, bitter, not willing to forgive, ungrateful, selfish, angry when all the while we possess God’s love, joy, and peace in our spirit and we never learn to open our soul to our spirit releasing the gift we were given when we became born again.

It is like we live leaning against a well full of water, but being too lazy to dip our bucket of knowledge into the well to drink from the Water of Life!

We have the same power that raised Jesus from the dead living within us but we all know that only a few will ever utilize this power.

What a shame. I want to know my born-again spirit. I want fully charged Holy Spirit batteries running at full pace all the time.

If we are dominated by our soul (how we feel) we will operate in the flesh.

“I am sick and I have this disease and that disease and my doctor said, “I will never recover” and that it is genetic and that I will get this when I am 55 and then I’ll be dead by the time I am 60. "

You have the Holy Spirit within you. Why oh why can’t we shake this strong desire to just react with our emotions.

Don’t these words sound amazing?

Victory, deliverance, healing, power, joy, prosperity, anointing!!!

It’s is indeed possible. Keep the opening between your soul and your spirit open and put a plug in the opening between your soul and your body. Only unplug it when the spirit is pouring in!

J

Answers to Chapter 10 of Proverbs:

Chapter 10 begins the Practical application of wisdom, on how to fear the Lord in daily life. We will begin to see the contrast between the Godly and the Wicked.

Glance over chapter 10. What word is repeated over and over?

But: The word but here means: on the contrary – the opposite…how not to act!

1. What is the definition of grief? _heartbreak, sadness, suffering, __Also define foolish? _unwise, stupid, When I apply this verse to my relationship with God, I can see why it is that my Father wants me to be wise. It breaks His heart when I am stupid. Stupidity is when I allow my soul to rule my body.
2. What is an example of “treasures of wickedness?” ____being vindictive, insisting on having your way, facades, mean temper, vs2
3. What can save your life? Or in other words: deliver you from death? ___right living__
4. Is that eternal death or natural death? _____both!_
5. vs 7 NLT We all have happy memories of the godly, but the name of a wicked person rots away. What legacy do you want to leave behind? Scary thought.
6. vs 9 People with integrity have firm footing, but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall. How again is it that we follow The Way? _meditating, studying, discussing, walking the walk, filling our spirit with TRUTH.
7. vs 12 Hatred stirs up quarrels, but love covers all offenses. Would this verse come in handy the next time you feel a quarrel coming on? Who amongst us needs to win the quarrels? Could I possibly stand to lose just one battle?
8. vs 17 Are you seeing a repeated command here? We are to accept correction. Define correction and does this differ from criticism? Correction is done in love for improvement, alteration, change, revision, adjustment of our wrong living. Criticism to me means judgment, find fault with, disapprove of and believe you are better than.
9. Or intentional ragging on for humor? _This is a sore spot for me because I hate humorous criticism. Am I able to evaluate the correction for validity? I should try to understand and evaluate the comment.
10. vs 19 Where was this verse hiding on Monday when I talked too much about my “unrealistic” expectations of a Cinderella Thanksgiving? It fostered sin alright. Forgive me Father. Your Word teaches me righteous living. I ignored it.
11. The fears of the wicked will all come true, so will the hopes of the godly. Whoa. As a man thinks, that He will become. What are your fears? Be careful. According to this verse they will come true. Take every thought captive!
12. 26 Are you a pain to your employer because of your laziness? ________ Vinegar to the teeth (would that be sour????)
13. vs 27 We have seen this before. Why do you suppose Solomon keeps repeating himself to his son?
14. 29 The WAY of the Lord is strength for the upright! I am on the Way to go Lightly!
15. Who will not inhabit the earth? The righteous! Do you believe you are one of the few?
16. What do you want written on your epitaph? (gravestone)…How about this: Here lies a woman that brought forth wisdom. Wow!
17. Do you want to reflect the image of Christ in that mirror you look into every morning? Just as a tree naturally produces the fruit of what type of tree it is, so you will naturally produce the fruit of wisdom if your roots flow deep into the TRUTH of righteousness.
18. Verses 30, 31, 32 describe a godly woman.

-A godly woman will never be disturbed
-A godly woman gives wise advice
-A godly woman speaks words that are helpful.

Write these three characteristics on a piece of paper and put it in your pocket. Read it throughout the day. Put it into action. All advice must be wise (from scripture). All words must be helpful. You are not to get disturbed by anyone or anything!
19. Weigh yourself. Exercise harder than your flesh desires. Eat only foods that God created. Resist the devil and he will flee.
20. Make someone happy by doing a random act of kindness everyday this week. Compliment the checkout person. Take muffins/cookies to the neighbor with your phone number on it.
21. Park as far away from the store as the parking lot allows. Walk around the store once before putting one thing in your basket. Are you an impulse shopper? Look at the items you have in your basket before checking out? Is there a food item that is not beneficial to your body? Put it back. Is there a food item that is processed, full of additives and chemicals? Put it back. Is there a drink in your basket that will give you headaches, stomachaches, and high blood pressure! (coffee J)! Put it back!

Pray without ceasing. I need your prayers. You need mine. Commit more time to prayer than to worry. Christmas will still be on Tuesday, December 25th regardless if we get the cards mailed, the packages wrapped, the tree decorated. What’s truly important? Prayer. Pray for wisdom in knowing who to bless, not out of obligation, but because we want our mirror to reflect the image of a godly.

Homework Due December 12, 2007
Proverbs, Chapter 11

Don’t forget December 17th we will be sharing dinner together. Please sign up for what you would love to bring to share. I will provide the main dish “Ginger Garlic Chicken Breast”.

My house will be overflowing with Kathleen’s Jewelry Friday night so please come.

1. Pray for each lady represented in our class. Call someone or send an email to encourage them sometime throughout the week.
2. Give an old friend a call.
3. Smile at everyone you see.
4. Read Chapter 11 several times this week.
5. Funny! Verse 1 of chapter 11. Aren’t all scales dishonest? I like my scale at home. It cost $9.99 from Walmart and it weighs me less than the one at the gym. The gym scale is honest and so is the one at Publix. I’m sticking with my dishonest scale! Oh but look after the but………….. God loves a just “weight”! No excuse now J
6. vs 2 Are you a Self-centered person? Look up the definition. While you have the dictionary out, look up pride, shame and humble. Which one best describes you?
7. Where does integrity come from?
8. vs 4 verifies our prosperity discussion. Riches do not…______________________________________
9. vs 7 This is very interesting. Expectations…I have a lot of those. But this verse is telling me not to have them because expectations are for a wicked woman. Is that what I read here?
10. vs 7 what hope does a unbeliever have?
11. What part of your body destroys your neighbor? ______________
12. I want knowledge, knowledge and more knowledge (vs 9)
13. vs 13 I remember telling my sister she was getting an etch-a-sketch for Christmas one year when we were little. I have a real hard time keeping a secret. My daughter “inherited” that trait from me. It is a weakness really. We want to be the one who gets recognized for being “in the know”. But really it makes us foolish. What comes after the but _______________________
14. vs 16 A gracious woman is retains honor. She does not come and go with her character. She keeps her honor. The Way to Go Lightly woman has only godly characteristics. Honor is one of them. Forgive yourself for being anything other than honorable; then ask God to forgive you. THEN get back on the Way!

15. vs 18 Do you sew? How long does it take to make a home sewn garment or a hand quilted quilt? How long does it take to sow righteousness? The completed project is so rewarding. Why not give both of them a try?

16. vs 24 What is one scattering? ___________If you are not scattering, you are withholding something. What is it and why are you withholding it? It doesn’t belong to you anyway? Is it yours to withhold?

17. vs 25 The soul is described as generous. Because you understand the difference between spirit and soul, you understand that you can now CHOOSE to be generous in your soul. If you choose to be generous, what will you become? _______________Is that monetary?

18. vs 25 what are you watering with? ____________________ Find the verse to back up Living Water? Restate this verse changing the word water to explain its meaning.

19. Are you seeking evil of any sort? Are you trusting in your money? Vs 28

20. Is your plant still alive that you planted at the beginning of the class? I bet you thought I forgot about that plant. Vs 28 says what? _________________________________

21. What does vs 31 mean? _____________________________________________

22. Read and study Romans 14:1-23. Write down your thoughts regarding if you believe this verse is saying to you about food.

22. PLEASE start paying very close attention to what you are eating. I believe that if we would only eat God-created foods, most disease would cease to exist. Don’t ever say that whole foods are expensive. What is expensive are doctors and hospitals.

Oh, my sincere desire is for you, my friend to let go of the addiction of Satan created foods that will destroy you. We are to become whole spiritually, mentally and physically. We cannot do that with Satan created foods fueling our bodies.

Physical Healing

Wonder why you are sick? May it is because you are eating explosives! Some ingredients in processed foods are flammable and will explode if certain conditions exist. Processed food is killing you!

Ever wonder what the ingredients in a twinkie are? Pick up and read a book called: Twinkie, Deconstructed. Your knowledge of processed foods will make you one smart cookie!

The flour to make a twinkie is processed in mills that go through eighty mechanical steps overall. No one smokes in a flour mill because flour dust is explosive. Dried milk, white sugar, instant coffee, powdered soup and powdered sugar also go through a high milling process that makes the factory dangerous.

Suppose you buy a product that the first ingredient is bleached flour. Is that the same bleach you use to get your clothes whiter?

One of the largest industries in the world is the chlorine maker industry. The same ingredient that makes household bleach makes bleach for flour. That same ingredient is chlorine.

Because it is so dangerous, chlorine (gas) for bleaching flour is usually shipped in accident proof pressurized tanks to the factory for making any product that contains bleached flour.

What starts out as a wholesome, nutrient-giving soft wheat berries, is now denatured, life taking bleached flour. The manufacturer adds “enriched” vitamins to enrich the “food”.

Bleaching flour began in the early 1900’s. People were dieing of a disease called pellagra because the bleached flour at that time had not been enriched. In 1942 the FDA simply told the flour mills to add certain vitamins to the nutrient destroyed grain. That made another trillion dollar industry come into existence.

In 1912, a biochemist realized that people who ate brown rice were immune to the disease beriberi and those who ate white rice got the disease. So he discovered and isolated the anti-beriberi factor and sold it as a vitamin. The word vitamin comes from two words: vital (necessary) and amine which means a chemical term for something made from ammonia and contains nitrogen.

After reading about how vitamins are made, I resolve to stick with eating whole foods. I am not taking any chances of what is actually contained in that little pill. Oh, the ruin that man has brought upon himself.

You probably thought vitamins are squeezed from fruit or extracted from vegetables. But they are created synthetically. Is that necessarily a bad thing? Actually synthetic is more consistent in strength and quality, but personally I prefer and recommend just eating God created organically grown whole foods.

Another thing is that the synthetic vitamins that are used to enrich flour are made in China and other foreign countries. You have no idea what you are ingesting. No idea L

Ever wonder what high fructose corn syrup is? It is way too complicated to explain. I don’t have the brain to understand it. All I know is that it is not something that I will ever eat. It is overwhelming to read about what the process consists of not just with raw sugar, but with all refining of products. How much in demand is it? One high fructose manufacturing plants produces 5 million pounds – that’s twenty five railroad cars – each day!

Satan is loving this.

Soda is 55% high fructose corn syrup. Did you know it began as only 14% but the consumer demanded it be sweeter.

Resolve today to eat only God created organically grown whole foods. If you continue eating manmade foods you are putting yourself at risk for disease. There is no mystery here as to why Christians are sick. They are eating man made greed.

You are not only killing yourself, you are killing everyone you prepare food for. Why would you want to do that?

It makes me sad how we gamble with our bodies. All for the sake of our taste buds.