Post Encounter+for+Women+ +Edited

Post-Encounter

For Women CONTENTS LESSON 1: LESSON 2: LESSON 3: LESSON 4: LESSON 5: LESSON 6: LESSON 7: LESSON 8: LSSSON 9: LESSON 10:

Relating to God The Lord's Prayer- Part 2 Restoring our Self–Image Working with the Holy Spirit God's Plan for Families God's Plan for Children in Families We Were Created to Bless Knowing God's Will Be a Woman of Purpose An Offering that Pleases God

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INTRODUCTION Being involved in ministry has allowed me to have contact with hundreds of women. This brought me to the conclusion that every woman needs to sanctify “every area” of her life. We have been able to accomplish this at our Encounters. Listening to these ladies’ testimonies, I have witnessed firsthand God’s Restoring hand resting upon their lives, as He restores their self-worth and dignity. They feel that in spite of their trials and struggles, they are able comprehend that someone is genuinely interested in them – God. I believe that everyone who attends an Encounter can experience: miracles of transformation, restoration, and salvation. In one of the most difficult moment, in the history of Israel (where Satan had planned to destroy Israel through a perverse Haman) God raised up queen Esther to bring forth His people to experience an encounter with the Almighty. She led the nation to seek God’s favor during a three-day fast of consecration. After that fast, she stood before the king and boldly asked him to cancel the order to execute her people. Because of one woman’s encounter with God, (what could have turned into the greatest massacre in history) turned into a spiritual event, that brought personal benefits not only to Esther, but to her people. What Satan had planned for death, the Lord turned into life for all the Jews. What could have been a sad day of mourning turned into that greatest party that centuries later is still being celebrated – Purim. The Encounter moves the hand of God, in favor of Hid daughters. Next, the Post-Encounter gives people direction. It also teaches them how to defend themselves against the enemy’s attacks and to celebrate their freedom, just Jews did in Esther’s day. The objective in every lesson id to help those who have attended an Encounter maintain the deliverance and blessings they have received from, God. The Apostle Paul said, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith" (1 Peter 5:8, 9a). If every lady who goes to an Encounter makes a consistent and faithful effort to follow through with the next step, the Post-Encounter, then God will count on her and bless her mightily.

Claudia R. Castellanos

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LESSON 1:

Relating To God PRIMARY BIBLICAL REFERENCES: Matthew 6:9-13 ADDITIONAL REFERENCES: Psalm 16:11; Ephesians 2:1; Acts 26:18; John 1:12; Galatians 2:20; Romans 8:1 4; Peter 1:4; Isaiah 66:1; 1 Corinthians 4:20; Isaiah 55:11; Matthew 10:8; Matthew 6:22-23; Matthew 1:1 4; Matthew 16:19; 1Corinthians 15:43; Hebrews 11:34; John 3:3; Isaiah 60:5; Matthew 3:2; Matthew 13:19 Key Scripture: "In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:9-10) To be honest with you, I always considered myself someone who had a good prayer life. But after having endured the experience my family went through in 1997—when we suffered an assassination attempt on my husband's life—my relationship with God was stretched and my prayer life intensified. That was a time when I determined to increase my daily prayer time. This experience was not only extremely impacting and extraordinary, it transformed me into an intercessor. I came to understand that through prayer we can change circumstances and receive God's direction in every decision we face. The Psalmist said it like this, "You will show me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore" (Psalm 1 6:1 1). In prayer, we discover how true this is! Understanding What a Devotional Is The way we communicate with God is called prayer. The time we spend alone with God each day— enjoying an intimate relationship with Him—and expressing our hearts to Him is called our devotional time. During this time in His presence, He begins to reveal His will for our lives and shows us more and more of His unconditional love. In order for your devotional to be effective, I suggest you: Choose the time and length of your devotional. Have privacy. Get into the habit of doing it in the morning, prior to starting your daily activities. Be honest with yourself and with God. Keep a Bible and notebook close at hand to write down what the Lord speaks to you through His Word. Have a list of the prayer requests you will present to the Lord. PREPARING TO ENTER INTO HIS PRESENCE The Lord Jesus taught His disciples to pray. When He did, He instructed them to be honest and not to allow hypocrisy in their hearts. He also told them to look for a private place to pray. I believe it is best to pray in a private place, often called a "prayer closet." In that secret, private place, you will experience the true joy and rewards of being alone with your Heavenly Father. 3

Jesus warned them that prayer was not about repeating senseless words, but about being alone with the Author of life. He encouraged them to speak to the Father without exaggeration or repetition and with a sincere heart.

LIVE: THE REVELATION OF THE CROSS 1. "Our Father..." We must understand that God is the Father of excellence. He sees everything and His eyes are upon everything that exists in heaven and on earth. There is no other god like our God. He is the most loving and awesome Father in the universe; the closest thing to God's heart is a father's heart. No one can call God "Father" without going through Jesus first; because Jesus opened the door for us, so we can enter into the Father's presence. Only those who have received the revelation of the cross will be able to know God as their Father. On the other hand, a woman who has not understood why Jesus died for her at Calvary's Cross, cannot get to know God as Father. When someone gets to know Jesus as Lord and Savior, she receives the benefits of the Cross and a door is opened so she can relate to the Father. Some people have an inaccurate image of God; this is due to the bad things they have experienced with their natural parents. I have seen so many lives restored from the embrace of God the Father; He is real. We often think because we do not see Him, He is not real, and we must overcome those fears and run into His arms by faith. Those who believe in Jesus can call God our Father because: He gave us life when we were dead (Ephesians 2:1). He opened our eyes and brought us from darkness to light and took us from Satan to God. Through faith in Jesus, we received forgiveness and a spiritual inheritance (Acts 26:18). Believing that Jesus is the Christ gives us authority to be called sons and daughters of God (John 1:12). We have been crucified with Christ. We no longer live, but now Christ lives in us (Galatians 2:20). God's Spirit guides us. (Romans 8:14). God allows us to partake of His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).

2. "In heaven..." When you think of heaven, what do you imagine? Heaven is a place where there are no needs, sadness, fears, oppression, and sickness—a happy place. Hell, on the other hand is full of affliction, bitterness, distrust, infidelity, jealousy, hate, rage, and misery. Hell is a desolate place, but God's children will not suffer there. God has appointed us to a glorious place, heaven. Get to know God who can do all things. The God of the Bible is a God who will help you in times of trouble. He will always be there in your time of need, but you must first learn how to relate to Him. You need to get to know the God of the impossible. What impossibility do you face in life? If you are not able to have children, remember that nothing is impossible for Him. If you feel like an old maid (because the years have come and gone and you are still unmarried), remember that nothing is impossible for God. If you are facing a financial crisis, God is your provider. Our God always responds and is able to change circumstances. He is a God who calls things that are not as though they were. God relates to those who put their faith in action. So 4

arise and believe that the God of the impossible is with you and will help you. He wants you to ask Him for the things you need. Go to Him in prayer, worship Him and request His intervention. God has your best interest at heart and will always come through for you.

3. "Hallowed be Your name..." God's nature is holy and he has called us His holy people. "Hallowed" means "holy" and includes purity, beauty, harmony, perfection, greatness, excellence, glory, and power. Harmony. When God created the first couple, He made them holy. Holiness brings harmony to marriage. God said, "Let us make man in our own image and likeness." God did not create a man without giving him His character; the Lord created man with His own nature and character. He blessed the first couple He created by giving them His nature and made them participants in all His riches. God created the entire universe for them and gave them His holy breath of life. Men and women together express God's divine character. God even created sexuality and gave this to married couples as a blessing—because it is part of God's holiness. The opposite of holiness is immorality. When individuals follow God's guidelines, they experience joy, happiness, and blessing. Yet when people break God's laws, they experience confusion, frustration, and curses. Integrity. One of the definitions of holiness is "a mark." When an object has been left in a specific place for a long period of time, it leaves a mark and when you lift the item you can see where it has been. When Moses went up to God's holy mountain, he experienced something similar. He communed with God's presence for forty days and when he descended from the mountain, people could see the mark of God upon him. Moses' face was so bright that he had to wear a veil. God's splendor was so radiant upon Moses that the Israelites could not stand to look at him, because it confronted them and reminded them of God's command to live "holy" lives. When we draw near to God through His Son, Jesus, the same mark and character that is in Christ is reproduced in us. The Apostle Paul encouraged us to walk the earth as Jesus did, blameless in all our ways. We must walk in integrity, which is why we need to understand that holiness is necessary for God's people. Generosity. Our God is extremely generous. The heavens cannot contain His holiness, glory, and presence. He does everything with an open and generous heart. When I think about the first couple, it is obvious that God had future generations in mind when He exhibited His generosity towards them. At first, it was all about one couple, but He gave them authority over the entire earth. Holiness is being able to give God what we love the most. When you give to God, He surprises you by giving back to you. In some cases, He gives you double or even one hundred times what you gave. When we understand that the secret to prosperity is being generous with God, we will be eager to have a heart that is more generous. Constant joy. He was consumed with the oil of gladness, more so than His own friends, because His joy stemmed from the fruit of the Spirit. You can never find bitterness in a home full of holiness. There is no complaining and murmuring 5

Happiness. Some people believe that being spiritual means being solemn, introverted, and isolated. Jesus was a normal person filled with because joy, happiness, and God's presence dwells in the entire home. Fear tends to rob us of our joy as do doubt, anguish, complaints, murmuring, and worry. We must overcome or eliminate that which prevents us from happy and keep joy alive in our homes at all times.

4. "Your kingdom come..." The Lord spoke through the prophet Isaiah, "... Heaven is My throne, and earth is my footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest?" (Isaiah 66:1). Above all human thrones, we find the divine kingdom, the eternal kingdom of God, which is predominately, a spiritual kingdom. There are various types of kingdoms. The human one tends to value people's performance and skills; the animal kingdom values survival; the agricultural kingdom values passivity (because things take time to grow); the mineral kingdom values productivity. Jesus told us that He had come to establish His kingdom here on earth. When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus, He told him "Most assuredly I say to you unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). The Lord was saying that every person [no matter what spiritual level) must be born again. This new birth is produced directly by the Holy Spirit, who takes the faith of the one who believes and births a new life in their spirit. We must comprehend that we are spiritual beings who live in physical bodies. Through our senses, we perceive the natural world. Through our faith in Christ, we relate to and participate in the kingdom of God. -The key to the Kingdom Jesus told Peter, "And I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven..." (Matthew16: 19). What key was Jesus referring to? A key is the only instrument that gives us access to doors that are locked. - The key to Preaching the Gospel One of the keys of which the Master speaks is the key to preaching the Gospel. Peter was the first one to ever use this key to the kingdom of heaven, when he preached on Pentecost Day and three thousand people were saved. He later used the same key at Cornelius' home where the first Gentile church was founded. God wants everyone to take hold of the key to preaching His Word. Paul warned the church in Corinth that, "The kingdom of God is not in word but in power" t1 Corinthians 4:20]. When we use God's pure and faithful word, God in turn does extraordinary things. The Lord said: "So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I send it" Isaiah 55:11). When the Lord sent His Apostles to preach the Gospel, He said, "Heal the sick cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons..." (Matthew 10:8]. In the tenth chapter of Matthew we see how the Lord commissioned them to preach the gospel. The only way we can transform families and cities is through the preaching of the Gospel, which creates an atmosphere for God's presence to dwell. When a place is 6

saturated with the Word His glory can fill it. -The key to access the spiritual world. Our contact with the physical world is through our sight, but with the spiritual world. the contact happens through faith. The New International Version (NIV) of the Bible states in Matthew 6:22-23, "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" God has given you spiritual eyes in order for you to see His kingdom, but you have to exercise that vision. Your physical sight will try to eclipse your spiritual sight, but you must clean your eyes because He has given you the ability to see His kingdom. God is Spirit, and only through faith you will see the spiritual kingdom of God—the miracles you need, the physical healing, family restoration, fulfillment of your purpose, and everything else. Isaiah 60:5says: "Then you will look and be radiant." -The key and power to transform weakness into strength. When you enter into the kingdom of God, weakness is transformed into strength. The Lord said, "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart" (Matthew 13:19). I am talking about principles of the spiritual kingdom, principles that will let us conduct ourselves, in the supernatural with principles that will help transform our lives. Sometimes, when people do not understand and confess words, the enemy then takes the Word sown in them, (stealing it from their minds so they will not enter the blessings God has for them. These principles I am teaching you, I have put into practice in my own life and home, and I know they are effective. The Lord said: "It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power" (1 Corinthians 15:43]. This means that your weakness has to be sown and surrendered at the foot of the Cross. When your weakness dies, you resurrect in power, and your weakness becomes your biggest strength. For example, if your weakness is in dealing with money, this is because the enemy wants to attack your finances, so that you will not experience prosperity. If your weakness is sickness, it is because God wants you to understand those who are sick, as you pray for them. If your weakness is in administrating your ministry, it could be because the enemy is attacking your life, so you won t receive the multitudes God wants to give you. This is the principle Abraham lived. Neither he nor Sarah was able to have children, but God wanted to make them parents of nations, and Abraham s weakness became his biggest strength. The writer of Hebrews said that because of the faith of the ancient men, they got strength from weakness; they became strong in battle and made enemy armies flee. (Hebrews 11:34).

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CONCLUSION Establishing an intimate communication with the Lord through prayer will let you experience in a real way, the power and greatness of God. Then, you will be able to see firsthand the miracles and wonders He has for you. APPLICATION Be determined, starting now, to separate a special time to initiate your devotional life, making sure you have a private place where you can pray alone. Have your Edible at hand so you can start to discover in God's Word the blessings He has for your life and for those you love. Questions: 1. According to Psalm 16:11, what do you receive through Prayer? 2. What is a devotional? 3. What can you do to make a devotional effective? 4. Choose the right answer. According to Matthew 6:5-7, in order to enter into God's presence, we should: 5. How can you bring joy to your life and home? 6. List three reasons why we can call God our Father. 7. Define what it is to be born again (look in the book The Revelation of the Cross). 8. According to your experience, have you been born again? How do you know? 9. Match the columns to the corresponding kingdom. 10. List the keys of the Kingdom and support them biblically. 11. What do you think is an impossible situation in your life? Pray specifically and continually for that need. 12. What is God's nature? 13. According to Exodus 34:27-35, what happened when Moses came down the mount?

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LESSON 2:

The Lord’s Prayer – Part 2 PRIMARY BIBLICAL REFERENCE: Matthew 6:9-13 ADDITIONAL REFERENCES: Psalm 40: 8; John 4:34; Matthew 26:4; Luke 12:47; Isaiah 55:10-1; Genesis 2:7-9; James 1:17; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Proverbs 10:22; Malachi 3:10; John 3:16; Matthew 14:31; 1 Corinthians 10:1; 2 Corinthians 6:14; Proverbs 8:35; John 10:27-28; Psalm 90:1-2; Psalm 91:1-4; Deuteronomy 28; Galatians 3:1 3; John 10:27-28; Psalm 90:1-2; Psalm 91:1-4 Key Scripture "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day I our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours, is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen" - Matthew 6: 10-13

5. "Your will be done. We must receive God's instruction in order to follow His will for our lives. It is important to realize that our relationship with God is not what we would like Him to do for us, but what God wants us to do for Him. Many people think they are "working for" the Lord, but they are not following His plan for their lives. That is the reason why each person needs to honestly seek to know God's purpose for her life. The Psalmist said it this way, "I delight to do your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart" Psalm 40:8, italics added]. When you delight to do the will of God, you are fulfilled in a way that is hard to describe. As you live in the center of His perfect will, you experience His blessing and His guidance in your everyday life. Jesus Christ consistently demonstrated that His will was to do His Father's will. Once He was sharing the "Word of Life" with a Samaritan woman and even though He was hungry and was offered food, He said, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me" (John 4:34). Before His crucifixion, Jesus asked the disciples if they could drink from the cup He was about to drink. He knew that they were not going to be able to participate in His horrible suffering. In Matthew 26:42, the Lord said, "O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done." These two examples clearly show that Jesus kept obedience to God's will as His most important priority—even if it cost Him everything. No woman in this world, no matter how "holy" she is, wants to go through suffering. It is natural not to want to drink from the cup of sickness, oppression, or from the cup of a broken home! The Lord told the Father He did not want: the suffering, pain and affliction, however above everything else, He wanted His Father's will. It takes discernment to recognize God's will. Sometimes God allows suffering to bring blessing, and you learn to; take each trial with patience and love. Other times, suffering is an attack from the enemy and 9

requires a different response. When you are suffering adversity, it is important to discern if God is using it to bring growth and maturity to your life. That is why it is essential to prepare yourself to do God's will by knowing Him and His Word. Luke 12:47 says, "And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes." This passage talks about the servant who knew the wish in God's heart, but did not do it. The Scripture says he will experience the fruit of his procrastination by taking many beatings. Many people know what they must do for God, but still do not do it.

6. 'Give us this day our daily bread." Provision. Blessings from God are far greater than you can imagine. God wants to bless you completely and provide for your vital needs in spirit, soul, and body. The human being needs a roof to live under and God wants to provide good housing. The human being needs to move from one place to another and God wants to provide good transportation. Clothing is needed and God wants to provide nice clothing. If God dresses nature beautifully, how much more will He provide for all our needs? Yet sometimes, we struggle in our minds because we do not believe God can do that. We think we have to work very hard to be deserving of God's blessing. In reality, His provision is promised and all we need to do is open our spiritual eyes to see it. Satan fights against us to prevent us from experiencing God's blessing. He tries to deceive us to keep us living in a poverty mentality. We need to quit believing the enemy's arguments and start believing the Word of God and His promises. The following principles will help you walk in prosperity under God's covering: a. Receive the breath of God What makes us different from other created beings is the breath of God. Scripture says, "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" (Genesis 2:7). You are smart, you are unique, and you are made in the image of Jesus Christ. All of these are true about you because of the breath God gave you. A person who does not have the "ruákh" Breath of God cannot live a Christian life. To enter into God's prosperity, you need to have the breath and the Spirit of God. b. know that God planned a garden for you. “The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" Genesis 2:8-9]. The Bible tells us that God—not Adam—planted the Garden of Eden. Adam did not have to work for this garden; he only had to enjoy it. You do not have to work to get blessings from God because He has already planned them for you. God planted a garden full of blessings for your life. Maybe you cannot see them yet, but they are within your reach as you wait upon Him. c. God planted a tree of blessing for your life. "And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" (Genesis 2:9). The trees God planted were delicious. All the blessings God planned for your life are good and will delight you. "Every good gift and perfect 10

gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning" (James 1:17). Scripture also says, "The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it" [Proverbs 10:22]. God gives you the privilege of enjoying His blessings of good health, harmonious family relationships, inner peace and abundant provision. d. It was good to eat of the tree. God always wants the best for us; but in order to know it is good, we must taste it. You have to savor God's blessings or you will never know them. You can savor God's blessings in many ways and one of them is with your tithe. The Lord said, "Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try me now in this...if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it" Malachi 3: 10). e. God wants you to find the Tree of Life. "For whoever finds me finds life, and obtains favor from the LORD" (Proverbs 8:35). The Tree of Life is represented in Jesus of Nazareth. That is why Jesus said that whoever finds Him, will find life. Look at the example of Job in the Old Testament. He went through many devastating economic and family losses. But God met him where he was, and Job was restored to God. You could say that Job had an encounter with the Tree of Life. Job trusted God fully when he repented of his fear and failures and after he repented, God gave him back everything Job had lost. For you to receive the Tree of Life, you need to repent, turning your entire heart, soul, and mind to God. This is how you become a branch in the tree of God.

7. "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." Forgiveness is basic to the redemption of God. The Lord taught, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). Once we were completely separated from God and were headed toward eternal condemnation. He, who is great in mercy, did not count our sins. Instead He offered us forgiveness, establishing a way for our redemption. The truth is that we all need to receive forgiveness, but we also need to grant forgiveness to others. Jesus said in this prayer that if we forgive people when they sin against us, our Heavenly Father will also forgive us. But if we do not forgive the sins of others, our Father will not forgive our sins. The best medicine for the sick human heart is forgiveness. If we could only grasp that when we forgive, something great happens in the spiritual world. Then we would choose to forgive every time. Forgiveness is centered in the Cross There is nothing that compares with the power of forgiveness demonstrated in the Cross. When you look at the cross, you will notice it has two poles—one is vertical and the other is horizontal. The vertical pole speaks about the forgiveness God gives to us and the horizontal pole speaks of the forgiveness we need to give to one another. That is the reason why Jesus died on the Cross with arms 11

wide open. He wanted to demonstrate His desire to freely grant forgiveness to all who would come to Him. But whom should we forgive? Simply stated, we need to forgive all those who have offended us. Usually, the people who hurt us the most are the ones closest to us. Generally, we don't feel resentful toward people we don't know such as store clerks or business managers. We feel the most offended by those living under our roofs. These are the ones we need to forgive. The Lord forgives our debts the same way we forgive our debtors. The measure of forgiveness you give to others is the same measure He will use to forgive you. When you are reluctant to forgive, all your transgressions will weigh you down. What you need to do is to forgive others and forget their trespasses against you. That is exactly what Jesus did with your sins. When God forgives you, He totally forgets that you have missed the mark. As far as the east is far from the west—that is how the Lord forgets your rebellions and sins. As you embrace forgiveness, you will find that God will help you forgive with faith without fear of failure. But how does that happen? The Lord gives the answer: a. Recognize your need as the origin. Remember those moments of your life when you needed God's forgiveness. There is not one single person who can say she does not need God's forgiveness Every one of us has sinned and rebelled against God. We all need His forgiveness. b. Submit to God. When you submit to God, you are given authority to resist bitterness and its destructive effect on your life. c. Determine to forgive. Make the decision to forgive. Many people claim that they do not feel they can forgive, but forgiveness is not a feeling it is a decision of the heart. d. Confess that you have truly forgiven. It is important to communicate forgiveness from the heart. You may need to tell a person that you have forgiven her. There are times in which it may not be appropriate to express forgiveness with words; what you do in this case is to make the decision to forgive and say a prayer to bless the person, even if she isn't present. Keep in mind that sometimes you will think about the person you just forgave. It will appear that you are reliving the offense and that you haven't forgiven after all. it could be that the enemy is trying to deceive you by planting an idea in your head that is not true. Do not accept his tactic because you have already chosen to forgive. Realize that the offense is a debt, and when you forgave, you canceled that debt. (When you break a debt by paying it, you do not have to pay it again? Would you pay the same debt twice?) So, if you have already forgiven a person's debt, do not let the enemy deceive you into thinking that you have to forgive again. When you forgive a person, you pull a bitter stake of unforgiveness out of your heart. Leave it out. e. Do not go back to resentment. Do not let the enemy fill your mind and heart with arguments why you shouldn't forgive. You must totally forget what happened. Avoid snide comments and unkind words intended to hurt. Your forgiveness must be total. You must never again make room for resentment. If you have taken it to the Cross and forgiven from your heart, resentment has lost its power over you. 12

f. Replace the negative with the positive. The Bible tells us that those who are forgiven much love much. When you believe that God has forgiven you a little, you will love Him just a little. But when you know God has forgiven you a whole mountain of sin, you love Him with all your heart! If a woman has offended you in a big way, forgive her in a big way. Make the decision to believe in her with all your heart and determine to never bring back her offenses. Bury those transgressions and you will see how complete God's restoration is in your life.

8. "Do not lead us into temptation." This phrase could be said this way, "God, give us the strength or faith to endure tough adversity." People fall into temptation and begin to sink when they take their eyes off Jesus. Do you remember what happened to Peter when he tried to walk toward Jesus on the water? When Peter focused on the frightening circumstance of those huge waves, he began to sink. He had stopped looking to His Master. That is why he shouted, "Lord, save me!" In that moment, the Lord held him and asked him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" (Matthew 14:31). What made Peter fall was his lack of faith. His example encourages us to focus on God and stand firm in faith despite the circumstances. Scripture assures us, "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it" (1 Corinthians 10:13). Every time a trial comes, there is an escape route, an exit prepared by God. The following truths will help you learn to avoid the traps of temptation: - Know that the world we live in is full of temptation. We all face temptation. We can stare at a cake through a store window and struggle whether or not we should buy it and eat it. We think, "If I eat that cake, I will gain weight," but another voice says, "My health is not important to me. Go ahead and eat it." The way to overcome temptation is to live by faith. We are not to walk in the flesh; we are to walk in the Spirit. Scripture gives us the example of the children of Israel who did not understand and follow this principle. They wandered in the desert forty years, making the mistake of living in the flesh rather than living by faith. Do not fornicate. Your body is the "temple" of the Holy Spirit. When you fornicate, realize that sin is being committed against God's special temple. It is a desecration of what is sacred and holy to the Lord. If you continue in this sin without repenting for it, you will stay marred down in your own problems. Your lack of victory will open the door to a life full of adversity. Do not gossip. Gossip becomes an easy way for us to express our dissatisfaction, but it is very harmful. Every woman who allows her lips to gossip opens the door to the devil and his destructive ways. Gossip ruins relationships between friends and family members; it drains our finances and damages our lives in so many ways. Gossip brings God s judgment, as seen in the people of Israel who wandered in the desert because they lived in the flesh. They wanted to serve a spiritual God, but did so with a worldly mind. and that is impossible to do.

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Live a true life of faith. We cannot fake Christianity, because the Christian life is allowing Christ to live through us. The reason why we can live a life of faith is because it is Christ's character inside who empowers us to live a godly life. Note that from all the people who went out of Egypt with Moses, only Joshua and Caleb actually got to the Promised Land. Why? Well, they had a different spirit than the others did. They lived by faith and not by what they saw. Others perished in the desert because they did not please God by living by faith.

9. "Deliver us from the evil one." There are two forces that operate in the spiritual world, the good and evil. Perhaps you are one of those who say, "I do not believe in evil, I just accept the good." This is like saying, "I only believe that the day exists. I do not believe the night exists," or "I only accept hot, but not cold." Paul said, "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6:14). The Bible is full of examples of people who learned to obey the Word of God and were protected as a result. You may think, "If this is true, what about Job? If he was a holy and obedient man of God, why did he experience so much adversity"? Have you ever thought what would have happened if Job had not passed the test? Not only would we have lost one of the most beautiful books of the Bible, but also we would be ignorant of the way the enemy goes before the Lord to accuse us. Thanks to Job's dramatic testimony, the Lord opened the veil and revealed what happens in the spiritual world—how Satan looks for and presents arguments against us. How we can fall victims of the curse if we ignore what God has for our. Lives, and how we receive His blessings when we listen to His voice and put His Word into practice. Part of learning how to be delivered from the evil one is being able to recognize and undo curses that have plagued us. Dr. Derek Prince shares seven points taken out of Deuteronomy 28 on how to know if there is a curse working against you. How do we know if there is a curse? If there is mental and emotional disintegration. People lose control when they lose their mental stability or when they are under emotional pressure. - When chronic and repeated diseases show up. It is likely a curse if the same disease occurs through a family line For example mother, daughter, granddaughter, etch. - When there are involuntary abortions or related feminine problems. - When there is disintegration of the marriage and family problems. - When there are continuous financial problems. It is interesting that that even though some people have a good income, it is never enough to cover their debts. That is a curse. - When there is a propensity to accidents. People who don't know why they are having one accident after another may be suffering the ill effects of a curse. - if there are stories in the family of suicide or death by unusual ways. Have you identified with any of these points? If so, you need to know how to break the power of that curse on your life. It’s important to know the cause of your adversity. While you stay in ignorance, the curse will do its job silently by giving the enemy an opportunity to keep control of your life in that area. Only through Jesus Christ's Cross-do we get the victory over all evil influences. Paul said in Galatians 3: 13, "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us [for it is written, 14

'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree'~." What happens through faith? Through Christ, we are given great and precious promises of victory over the evil one: We give up our sins through repentance and accept God's salvation. We give our weaknesses to Jesus and accept His strength. We give up our sicknesses and accept His health. We give up our anguish and accept His wonderful peace. We give up our needs and accept His provision. We give up our will and accept the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We give up our human knowledge and accept His divine wisdom.

10. "Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen." Jesus boldly declares this strong and fundamental truth, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand" [John 10:27-28]. Even though Jesus died in seeming weakness, He raised up in power. Every tribe, nation, people, and tongue was given to Him. He has all power in heaven and earth. Under His feet are all principalities, authorities and powers. He rules over everything and His kingdom will never end. Scripture communicates boldly that all kingdoms, power and glory belong to God. Moses understood that. He prayed "Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God" (Psalm 90:1-2). One of the most beloved psalms proclaims the protection God gives to those who make Him their shelter: "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, 'He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.' Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler" [Psalm 91:1-4]. These first two lessons have emphasized ten important principles from the Lord's Prayer. Apply them to your life so they will start to become part of you. Practice them daily until the prayer becomes your way of living. Know that the Holy Spirit will help you flow in His presence. CONCLUSION When you develop true communication with your Father and seek His will, He gives you provision, forgiveness, victory over temptation and deliverance from the evil one. Right now you must make the decision to establish that bridge of effective communication with the Lord that will drive you to God's mercy and His fullness. 15

APPLICATION God wants you to enjoy His blessings. From now on, do not let a day pass by without having that special time in the secret place with your Lord. Get to know Him in an intimate, real, deep and permanent way, and your life will be transformed.. Questions: 1. What is involved in doing God's will? 2. List principles that will help you experience prosperity.

3. What should I do to forgive? 4. According to the last answer, make a list of the people you have found it difficult to forgive. Begin to pray over your list.

5. What does it mean to "lead us not into temptation"? 6. Christ redeemed us from the curse (Galatians 3:13). Fill in the blanks. We give up our __________ and accept His__________ We give up our _________ through repentance and accept His __________ We give up our __________ and accept His We give up our __________ and accept His wonderful ___________ We give up our __________ and accept __________ His __________ We give up our __________ and accept the guidance of the __________ We give up our __________ and accept His _________

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LESSON 2:

Restoring Our Self-Image PRIMARY BIBLICAL REFERENCE: Ephesians 2:10 ADDITIONAL REFERENCES: Genesis 2:21-23; Isaiah 43:4; John 8: 1-11; Proverbs 2:10 Key Scripture: "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” -Ephesians 2:10

1. Who are You? In the beginning God created man. God also created the woman, but He took one of Adam's ribs while he was sleeping I and used it to fashion her. Notice the delicate way the Lord made the woman. He did not take dust from the earth, as L He did with man, but he took a delicate and beautiful part O of the masculine body to complete His work of creation. When you see a woman of any culture or race, realize that she carries in herself the characteristics of God. Paul said IIJ that we all share this one thing: "We are His workmanship" [Ephesians 2: 10]. Discover the delicacy of women. The word "woman" is synonymous with beauty, tenderness, and motherhood. The Lord put a detail in her that men usually lack, sensitivity. Our sensitivity is enabled by a touch in a special way, when we praise and worship God. With our sensitivity, God has endowed us with a strong sense of motivation, not only for ourselves, but also for others. Does not Scripture tell us, "The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands" [Proverbs 14:1]? God's purpose for woman has always been to dignify her as a beautiful princess who has honor and sensitivity and is strongly motivated to build up her house. That is what He intended not only for Eve, but also for her descendants. However, with sin came a curse that diminished our God-granted gifts and distorted who we are. Ever since then, the enemy has tried to use the "woman" for his purpose. This explains why he has always exploited her beauty to lead men and women both to destruction. This has never been God's purpose. Solomon asked who could find a virtuous wife. God has been looking for women who are liberated in Him and who can take their place as honorable wives, mothers, professionals and leaders in their communities. Jesus dignified women. What many people don't realize is that Christianity emphasizes the importance of families and honors women as much as men. Other parts of the world keep women in a place where they have no rights or voices in their society. The beautiful thing about Jesus is that He took special care in dignifying women, whatever their cultural background. The principles and promises in the Bible benefit all human beings and are designed to bring joy to men, women, boys and girls alike. 17

When you establish a relationship with God through the Holy Spirit, a fresh anointing comes to your life. This is not like the customs in biblical days when the people prepared vessels for containing their wine. They used clean skins of animals to contain the liquid, but if the skins were old and cracked, the wine could not be contained in them. Instead, the people were to prepare new wineskins that were pliable and would be useful for that purpose. Likewise, if you want the wine of the Holy Spirit in your marriage and in your home, you need to prepare your life so the Spirit of God can come down and live in it. Even if your marriage relationship has become dull, when the presence of the Spirit of God descends, it brings a sweet taste to your relationship that keeps your love alive.

2. What causes the deterioration of self-image? Love defeats guilt. Dr. Cho tells of a story that illustrates perfectly how guilt can ruin a woman's self-image and how love builds it back up. There was a beautiful married couple in the church. They seemed to be successful, but something was wrong. The woman had a very sad spirit even though she had every apparent reason to be happy. Her husband was a prosperous businessman who loved her and respected her, and they had three lovely children. She attended church faithfully every Sunday but was so anxious and depressed. In a counseling session with Dr. Cho, this woman opened her heart and told him about her past. She became an orphan when she was very young, so her older sister took her into her home to take care of her. "She was like a mother to me. She loved me; she gave me an education," the woman told Dr. Cho. "When I was a young woman in college, my sister got ill and went to the hospital. I took care of her house and her children; then I had an affair with her husband. It was something that ensnared me and I never could recover from it." This woman felt miserable because she had to hide her situation. Not only did she have a clandestine relationship, but also she had several abortions because of it. She felt that God could not forgive her. She had carried all the guilt and shame inside and because of this, she felt unworthy of the precious husband she now had. She had married him in order to escape her situation; she had promised herself that she would marry the first man who would propose.

3. What effect does a poor self-image have on a person and how does healing come? "The story of the woman, whose self-image was smashed by her sin, does not stop there. The woman continued telling her story to Dr. Cho. "God gave me a husband now who has respected my life, but I feel that I do not deserve him," she said despairingly. Then, Pastor Cho with wisdom from the Holy Spirit told her, "Daughter, close your eyes and picture yourself in front of a lake. You throw a stone in the lake. You see how the stone falls down into the water and you hear the big sound it makes, 'clunk, clunk,' because the stone is a big one. Now, pretend I throw a little stone, which makes a smaller sound, 'pac, pac'.' Even though my stone is not the same size as yours, it also makes waves in the water, but the waves are smaller than yours. See how both stones sink down into the lake. Can you imagine that? That example can be compared to your sins and the relationship they have to the Cross. It does not matter the size of your sin; if you come to the feet of Jesus that big stone of sin is removed from your life. The Lord wants you to throw your heavy burden into the depths of the lake, so you never again will remember it. The same principle applies to a sin such as a small lie. Everything that you put at the feet of Jesus, whether big or small, will cancel the curse it brought with it." Until this woman truly understood Jesus had forgiven her, she could not be restored to the woman she 18

once was. Now, she has a stable home with her husband and children. Both are now happily serving the Lord.

4. How does God see me? [Isaiah 43:4]. Dear woman, you may feel that spiritual enemies have accused you and even though you have gone to church many times, you have not forgiven yourself. You may still be a victim of your past. It could be a small thing or it could be a big thing. You could have engaged in illicit relationships. You may have given place to immoral sins or you may have kept a secret that has eaten you up inside. I want to tell you God's mercy has been extended to you, and that on the Cross-of Calvary, your entire past is forgiven. He gave His blood so you do not have to feel less than anybody else. The grace and love from the Lord has power to restore your identity in Christ. The same word Jesus told the woman caught in adultery, He tenderly says to us today. "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more" (John 8:11b). It is possible that you feel condemnation in your life that has robbed you of your self-esteem and identity in Christ. Maybe, hate or fear has kept you locked up on the inside or you have the blood from past abortions lying in your hands. Perhaps you have been hiding some inexperienced passions from when you were younger. Maybe you were victimized. But I want to encourage you to sit at the feet of Jesus and hear Him say, "Daughter, just as I forgave this woman, I extend my mercy to you. Daughter, where are those who condemned you?". The name of Jesus silences arguments of the past and the voice of the enemy. Hear God when He says in His Word, there is no condemnation for the daughters of God. Jesus paid a very high price, so you could be freed from misery and you can feel loved and honored for the woman you are.

5. How to restore your self-image. Has your self-image deteriorated due to difficult experiences you have been through? Each negative word, each aggression and each failure has eroded your self-image until you feel inferior to everybody else. Whether or not you know it, your self-image is evident to the people around you. When people look at you, what do they see? Do they see a successful woman with future and potential? Or do you feel like a sad, hopeless woman with no self-respect or dignity? In the Encounter, you learned that your Heavenly Father loves you and He restored not only your dignity, but a future full of success. As you live in the presence of God and are touched by His anointing, your self-image will be restored. You will enjoy the privilege of preaching the Gospel. When you raise your hands in prayer, the heavens will open up to you and through your mouth others will be blessed. The Jesus I know restores women. It makes no difference to Him your gender or your social status. No matter what has happened in your past or present life, He can restore spontaneity and laughter -and give you a radiance that is full of genuine beauty. You can save a fresh and sincere smile on your face because you were forgiven, refreshed and renewed by the celestial fountain. Today, in an act of faith, fall down at the feet of the Lord and pour out your heart to Him. Feel for the first time how the sadness and shame of your past is forgiven and covered with the blood of the Lamb. Offer to Him your prayer: 19

"Lord, I give you this secret that no one else knows because it brings shame to me. I feel bad about myself, but I give you this feeling. Forgive me. I am sorry I failed you. I need to be washed from all my sins with Your precious blood. Lord, please erase my rebellion. Jesus, thank You for restoring my self image. I feel peace because of Your great forgiveness. From now on, I will only care about how You see me. I pray in the name of Jesus, Amen. " CONCLUSION As you learn to see yourself the way God created you, you will be radically changed and your selfimage restored from the damaging effects of failure and sin. APPLICATION Be open to God’s restoration through the essence of your life – your self-esteem. Be the woman God created. Yourself and others. Questions: 1. What is the image you have of yourself as a woman? 2. Does Ephesians 2:10 apply to your life? Why or why not? 3. What is guilt? 4. How can you take guilt out of your life? Consult the book The Revelation of the Cross. 5. In your life, what are the effects or consequences of your poor self-image? As you learn to see yourself the way God created you, you will be radically changed and your selfimage restored from the damaging effects of failure and sin.

6. Look up Isaiah 43:4. How does God see us? Be open to God's restoration through the essence of your life— your self-esteem. Be the woman God created you to be before Him, yourself and others.

7. In prayer, ask the Lord to restore your self-image.

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LESSON 4:

Working With The Holy Spirit PRIMARY BIBLICAL REFERENCE: Genesis 17:1-2 ADDITIONAL REFERENCES: John 1:12-13; 2 Kings 4:8-10; Psalm 3:5; Zechariah 4:6; 2 Kings 4:30-34; 1 Corinthians 6:19; Acts 1:4; Acts 2:4 Key Scripture: "When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, 'I am Almighty God; walk before me and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly."' - Genesis 17:1-2 Something extraordinary happens when we invite the Holy Spirit to be a part of our lives and our families' lives. We experience one of the greatest blessings imaginable as we learn to let Him perfect us! Our example is in the Old Testament After the Lord revealed Himself to Abraham as the Lord God Almighty, He said "Walk before Me and be blameless” (Genesis 17:1). How could that be? It would've been impossible for Abraham to walk before God without first knowing Him as the God who could do all things. The same thing happens to us. In order to walk before God in perfection, we must know Him as the God who can do all things. This can only be accomplished through faith in Jesus Christ, and when it happens, God gives us the right to be called His daughters. We were born, "not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:1213). In our flesh we may have been conceived from human seed, but in the Spirit we were born through the Holy Spirit. Note that Paul said, "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?" (1Corinthians 6:19). Even though the Holy Spirit lives in our bodies, He does not make us do anything we do not want to do. He is not a dictator. When He wants us to go in a certain direction or do a certain thing, He produces in us a desire for it. If the Lord wants to use a woman, He will guide her, her family and her ministry—He doesn't dictate anything. In my own experience, I have seen how God touched Cesar's life then He transformed my life. After that, He started putting my house in order and leading my daughters towards a genuine relationship with Him.

Desire His presence. In the times of Elisha, a woman of Shunem recognized the holy life of this great prophet. She and her husband built an upper room for Elisha so he could stay with them and rest. (2 Kings 4:8-10). This example shows us how we need to relate to the Holy Spirit. VW need the desire to be a dwelling place for Him, to be His temple. In this story, the woman prepared a bed. Table, chair and lamp stand for her guest. It should be the same with us. We need to prepare our beds by inviting the Holy Spirit to watch over our dreams. David said, "I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustained me' (Psalm 3:5). The Holy Spirit should also 21

be at our table, so He car bless our food and our fellowship around the table. He should be welcomed as we sit in our chairs during our resting moments. WE should prepare a lamp stand, so the Holy Spirit can be the one, which ignites the light in our mind. Now, this relationship with the Holy Spirit cannot be built overnight or even after a few weeks or months. It has to be cultivated by the way we live. You need to tell the Holy Spirit, "Lord, let my life be a dwelling place for You. Take control of who I am and use me to show Your glory." You need to invite the Holy Spirit into your life to such a degree that you let Him guide every step you take by faith. Walking in faith means "to move in the supernatural dimension of the Holy Spirit's guidance." This may not seem logical at times. Nevertheless, it is important to leave room in your life for the possibility of divine intervention. As you do, you will see extraordinary miracles and experience God's hand moving in every situation you go through. Scripture says this occurs "not by might nor by power" but by the strength of the Holy Spirit (Zechariah 4:61). Keep in mind that if you invite the Holy Spirit into your life, you need to be careful not to make Him sad. You grieve the Holy Spirit every time you do your own will. If He tells you what to do and you only partially obey Him, you cause Him sadness. Our obedience needs to be immediate and totally aligned with His will.

Desire to bear fruit. If you know God and are in submission to His Lordship you will desire to bear fruit. We have been studying this truth in the story of the Shunammite woman. This woman and her husband did not have what they wanted the most—a child of their own. The man was old and they became resigned to the fact they would remain childless for the rest of their lives. But because this woman was hospitable and invited the prophet to stay at her house, a great blessing came to her. The prophet unleashed life through his words and told her within a year, she would conceive and have a son. She did not believe this at the time, but after a year, she was cradling a baby son in her arms. The prophet is symbolic of the Holy Spirit who works in our lives when He is openly invited to come in. Something similar happened to me in Houston. God spoke these words to me, "You will have a child.'^l Nine months later, the woman s network was born and I understood that word. Three thousand ladies got saved in one reunion. Even though the Lord had given me the privilege of developing myself as a mother, wife, professional woman and political leader, I felt the greatest happiness when God brought this ministry to my life. I was so happy because of the fruit God had given me. The only thing that compared to that joy was the overwhelming happiness I felt when I enjoyed my own daughters. It is important that you invite the Holy Spirit to take control of your life, your family and your ministry. If He lives in your life, everything you do will have His blessing. Let us paint in our minds pictures full of hope. It is important to make agreements with each one of our children so they develop friendship, communion, laughter, and playful environments where they can be free to express what is in their hearts. When you teach them God's Word, do not teach them in a legalistic way. Let them see the Scriptures reflected In the fruitful led lives of their parents who relate to one another In harmony and joy. 22

There are miracles in His presence. Our story continues with the Shunammite woman, who experienced a great loss and who needed a miracle. One day her son of promise went out to the field to be with his father. He was struck down (probably by a sunstroke) and died in his mother's lap. With heavy pain in her soul, she approached the prophet, as if to say, "too something to bring my son back to life." She knew that God's servant had the answer and she did want not leave him until she got her miracle from God. Her exact words were, "As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you" (2 Kings 4:30). She was certain her son was going to live again and she would not let go until her miracle came. You may be in a situation where the one thing you loved the most is now gone. Maybe a relationship is dead or your finances disappeared or inside you feel torn apart. Whatever your situation is, you must hold on to the Spirit of God and tell Him, "Lord, I will not let you go until you bless me." You need to invite the Holy Spirit to come in and give life to all things you feel are dead, just like the Shunammite woman asked Elisha to raise up her dead son. Elisha prayed to the Lord and covered the child's body with his own body until the Lord brought the boy back to life. (2 Kings 4:34). For us, the implication of this story represents this: God has to cover your mouth, eyes, and hands because that is how you will start warming up again. God has to bring a burning coal to purify your lips and sanctify your words. Your eyes must see what is righteous. If you have noticed contamination in what you have been looking at, you have to ask God to forgive you today. The Spirit of God will then purify you by opening your eyes of faith, so you can take salvation to the nations of earth. He will heal your hands. You may have mistreated, hurt and rejected others with those hands, but today, the Lord will sanctify them. The Spirit of God will come to your life, and you will start feeling something inside you changing.

Three steps to live with the Holy Spirit. 1. Bear purity of heart. You need to be certain that your sins were cleansed and the wickedness of your past erased from your life. Then with a pure heart, you will be ready to receive the Holy Spirit. There should not be any vestige of impurity in your life that would block the Holy Spirit's entrance to your heart. 2. Ask. You need to ask for the fullness of the Holy Spirit. In Acts, the believers asked for the Spirit to come down to their lives. They persevered in prayer for ten days because they were claiming the promise Jesus gave them to wait for the gift His Father promise, which he had mentioned to them many times (acts 1:41).The one hundred and twenty who were gathered there, did not leave until God answered their prayers and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4) 3. Believe. If you have asked God for His Spirit, your part now is to believe. Believing is having the certainty that the Lord has come to live in your life as He promised through His Word. If you asked Jesus into your heart, then you must act in faith accepting that He lives there. The Holy Spirit is as real as any person could be in your life. He is going to give direction to your path and He will help you balance every area of your life. When the Shunammite woman received the prophet, she was received a person. And later, when she had a problem, she ran to that person. This is the same thing you should do with the Spirit of 23

God. Run to Him and believe Him. CONCLUSION Having a genuine and real relationship with the Holy Spirit allows you to experience amazing miracles. APPLICATION Continue to set a special time aside to spend with God. Guard your devotional time. Keep your Bible at hand so you can start discovering in the Word the blessings God has for your life and for those who love you. Ask and allow the Holy Spirit to come into your life and guide you. Questions: 1. Who is the Holy Spirit for you?

2. During the Encounter, did you meet the Holy Spirit and receive His fullness? Explain your answer.

3. How do you consider your relationship with the Holy Spirit? Is it good, bad, or non-existent? Explain.

4. According 2 Kings 4:8-10, How did the Shunammite woman prepare for the coming of the prophet Elisha?

5. Relate the element and its meaning: Bed Chair Lampstand Elisha Bless the food, company Watch over your dreams Holy Spirit Light up the mindset 6. How do we grieve the Holy Spirit?

7. List the three steps necessary to have a good relationship with the Holy Spirit.

8. The Shunammite woman needed a miracle from the prophet she had welcomed. What is the miracle you need, and how can you receive the Holy Spirit's promise to work a miracle in your life?

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LESSON 5:

God’s Plan for Families PRIMARY BIBLICAL REFERENCE: Genesis 1:28 ADDITIONAL REFERENCES: Genesis 2:1 8; Proverbs 18:22; Genesis 2: 23-24; Luke 14:27-30 ; Psalm 127: 3-5; Psalm 123:3; Deuteronomy 11 :1 8-2 1; Ephesians 5:28; Ephesians 6:4; Titus 2:4; Proverbs 3:24a; Proverbs 22:15; 1 Timothy 5:8 ; 1 Timothy 3: 1; Colossians 3:21; Proverbs 31 :1; Mark 10:6-9; Psalm 27:1 0 Key Scripture: "Then God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply: fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth " (Genesis 1:28). Ever since man and woman's creation, God's purpose for them has always been to bless them through the institution of the family. The family unit is vital for their well being and is the foundational block for all humanity.

God chose a couple (Genesis 2:18). Marriage is not our idea; it comes directly from God. He gave Adam a "helpmate" to be the companion he needed. Marriage is the extension of God's own nature; it is the fullness of joy, peace and abundance. One of the most exciting moments we experience in life is our wedding day. God puts two people together and He blessed them so they can work to achieve their dreams of raising a generation for Him. He gives them the opportunity to become role models for their descendants, impacting their lives, physically and spiritually, for generations to come. (Proverbs 18:22). True love gives; it doesn't take. When there is true love in our hearts, we put forth our best effort to make the other person happy. Every couple has a different story of how they met each other. But it is reassuring to know that in reality, God was directing them and that He ordained circumstances so they could meet. And In the process of getting to know each other, they became certain they found the complement for their lives, so their lives could be full. Many couples have discovered they can face any adversity in life; as they continue to grow in the conviction they have found the person God had for them. That is the kind of commitment that will make the flame of love last in their marriage as they experience true happiness with one another.

2. God joined them in marriage (Genesis 1: 28; 2:24). God blessed the couple and they both received the same degree of responsibility if they were faithful to keep things in perfect harmony, they were promised three blessings—fruitfulness, multiplication, and lordship. In man, God created an inner desire to be attracted to the opposite sex. The attraction God designed is specific—men towards women and women towards men, nothing else. God gave Adam a helper the woman. She would become his support, and together they would represent a team. Think about this: God created abundance so that men and women would be blessed and be prosperous. 25

3. God desired the following things when He created marriage: A. That both partners would be a team. "And the LORD God said, 'It is not good that man should be alone' " Genesis 2:18). God's nature is threefold: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Even though they are three different persons, they always team together. None of them can be ignored because they are all important. When God created the first couple, He did not create the woman to be ignored or the man to be oppressed [or vice - versa). He created them to understand that they are equally important and they need each other. B. That man would give women the place belonging to them. "And Adam said, 'This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man' " (Genesis 2:23). Adam called his helpmate "Woman" and accepted her as part of his own nature The first days of marriage set the tone for your home. Your words, attitudes and thoughts during that time are important because they will mark the nature of the union and will provide the foundation for your relationship. A man told me on his wedding day, he flirted with and made indecent proposals to his sister-in-law. This man, (with that disrespectful act), showed he was despising the woman he took as his wife just to have a clandestine relationship with his sister-in-law. It shouldn't be a surprise that for forty years, this man had an extremely unhappy marriage. Not until he truly repented and quit the other relationship, could he restore the communion and relationship with his wife. It is important that a newly married couple allow the honeymoon to be a special event. The honeymoon needs to be the time when the couple lays the foundation for their marriage by speaking words of affection, respect, and blessing to one another. It is the time when they express their dreams for their relationship with faith, dedication and love to one another. C. That the boundaries and sanctify of marriage would be honored. "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh" (Genesis 2:241. When two people begin a marriage, there are many issues to talk through and conquer together. It is important to guard your privacy as you form the personality of your marriage without being influenced by negative comments from others. D. That both partners would enjoy each other as a blessing. "Then God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth"' [Genesis 1:281. There is a fullness of blessing that comes when two people marry. God gives each marriage partner the same degree of responsibility and if they can abide in harmony, they will be blessed with fruitfulness, multiplication and authority (lordship).

4. God says the family is important: A. In marital stability (Luke 14:27-30) God will keep homes from separation. B. In their descendants [Psalm 127:3-5] Children are God's legacy. If a man dies without children, his house stays in need. The only thing that could interrupt the building of a generation for God is infidelity. This is because when a family is destroyed, the possibility of those children being channels of blessing is diminished. 26

C. In the blessing (Psalm 128:3). The grapevine is a representation of happiness and fruitfulness. These two characteristics are abilities Siftings) that God has given to wives. Children are like olives, and this represents the anointing God gives the family to be strong and victorious. D. In marital love [Ephesians 5:28]. Love between husband and wife must be fed daily with words, attitudes and attention to little details. The couple needs to be committed to one another with the conviction that they will not allow their love to be diminished. E. In the woman's leadership [Titus 2:4]. The woman needs to allow the Lord to develop her ministry. It is important that she be equipped to train other women how she has learned to live under the blessing of the Lord.

5. God gives the couple responsibilities: To enforce discipline (Proverbs 13:24; 22:15) Discipline of children must be balanced—not too drastic or too permissive. The purpose of correction is threefold: To edify: Parents need to establish limits to help their children mature. To motivate: Discipline administered correctly motivates children to become better people. To comfort: Parents need to be a shelter for their children regardless of the circumstance. B. To provide good instruction (Proverbs 22:15) We are fulfilling God's destiny for us when we teach our children to have an intimate relationship with God. It is important to invest time into our children as we teach them how to be fruitful in every area of their lives. C. To provide for needs (1Timothy 5:8). There are two ways to look at provision within a family. In the first cycle, parents provide for their children's needs. Later on, children have the strength to bring provision back to the family. In this cycle the children have the opportunity to honor their parents with their goods. In either of these two situations, it's important to have an attitude of faith and a generous heart. D. To have balanced moral values (Colossians 3:21; Ephesians 6:4). We need to be a good example to our children by not allowing things that are inappropriate into our homes. We should not view movies that are violent or sexually explicit. Our mouths need to speak good words, not bad words. Children follow the values they see their parents model. E. To be an example of a virtuous woman (Proverbs 31:10). The virtuous woman builds her house and becomes its hub. She has the desire to help her children discover their gifts. She understands her husband and what he can do. She knows where her children can grow properly and she has the ability to bring prosperity to her house. She takes matters to the Lord in prayer when she needs an answer for her family and she looks to Him as her source.

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F. To maintain a committed ideal marriage (Mark 10:6-9). When a man and woman marry, they make a covenant before God to stay together. This kind of commitment keeps the possibility of a divorce low. It will protect the couple because as they turn to God. He will give them the strength they need to overcome every obstacle. Know that only God can give you true love for one another and this will help you develop the marriage and family you desire. G. To receive and demonstrate the unconditional love of God (Psalm 27:10). Even when parents put aside their primary responsibility of caring for their children, God never does. He enters situations to assume that responsibility and He brings healing and restoration through His unconditional love. God's hands are always open to give comfort to each one of His children who may have been abandoned. CONCLUSION If you establish your home according to God's principles and desires, you will be blessed and your family will be shielded from destructive things. This involves knowing God's purpose for each family member, understanding each family member's responsibility and establishing genuine commitment based in God's love. APPLICATION Initiate specific actions with members of your family that will let you fulfill God's purpose for them. Be determined to achieve your goals. Questions: 1. What is the significance of marriage to the Lord? 2. Have you experienced true love in your life? 3. According to Genesis 1:28, what are the blessings for the couple? 4. What was God's desire when He established marriage?. 5. Match the right Biblical verses: Column A Marital stability Descendants Blessed family Marital love Women's leadership

Column B Psalm 128:3 Luke 14:27-30 Titus 2:4 Psalm 127:3-5 I Ephesians 5:28

6. List at least four responsibilities of the couple. 7. How is discipline to be administered? 8. According to Proverbs 31:10-31, what are the characteristics of a virtuous woman? 9. According to your previous answer, what aspects need reinforcement in your life? 28

LESSON 6:

God’s Plan for Children in Families PRIMARY BIBLICAL REFERENCE: Deuteronomy 1 1:1 8-21 ADDITIONAL REFERENCES: Matthew 5:48; Timothy 3:16; Hosea 4:6 1; Peter2:1-2; Ephesians 4:31; Matthew 4:4; Hebrews 5:1 2-1 4 Key Scripture: "Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth" -(Deuteronomy 11 : 18-2)

1. Treat a child's identity with care through loving actions. People want to know who they are and where they are going. We live in difficult times; parents abuse their children I thinking they are educating them. But let me tell you that discipline is never to hurt them; it is to shape them. One of the greatest problems a child faces is abandonment. I talked to a woman who had three children and was on her fourth marriage—and this marriage was falling apart. The woman opened up her heart and said, "I never knew my father. He abandoned us when I was a little girl, and I grew up with the emotional emptiness of a missing father. One day, I was so desperate that I took the phone directory and dialed every person with his first and last name. I wanted to at least talk to him, but I did not succeed." With tears in her eyes she said, "I have to know where I come from, who I am, and where I am going." The emptiness this woman felt drove her to several failed marriages. If parents could truly understand the damage they inflict in their children by abandoning them and rejecting them, they would change. They would have more self-control, and they would try harder to bring security and love to their children. My husband and I are trying very hard not to cause any emotional wounds in our daughters. We try to provide many happy moments in our family so their memories are good. We know that love cannot be talked about without loving actions. Love cannot be faked; it needs to be shown by our loving example. You can tell when there is true love in a family by the way parents treat each other with respect and support. If a woman is a good wife, she will become a good mother, and what children admire the most is a good relationship between their parents.

2. Help your children have a healthy self-esteem. It is a great blessing to have a loving mother—to know there is someone who cares about us and brings us protection. I have four daughters and I know my opinion is very important to them. In everything they do, they always want to know what their mother and father think. In successful times, it is important that we use our words to build a healthy self-esteem in our children. In difficult times, we need to give them faith and courage, teaching them that God will help them in every battle. 29

3. Cultivate communication with your children. One serious problem in our society is the separation of the family. This has occurred because of our technology. Virtual friends have replaced the family communication. This is the reason why it is very important both parents and children make an effort to establish and maintain communication. All obstacles for good communication need to be set aside to maintain an environment of openness and sharing. The following principles, when utilized, will help you keep the lines of loving communication open in your family: Set time aside daily for your children. Children do not ask for much, just to be taken into account. Your relationship will improve much even if you start with giving them fifteen minutes a day of quality time. Communicate with them. Avoid raising your voice, being sarcastic, complaining or emphasizing their mistakes. Let everything you say be positive, faith inspiring and motivating. Create a good environment for communication. The family environment becomes very tense when an offense has taken place and nobody has asked for forgiveness. It is fundamentally important to heal past wounds and to leave behind all resentment. Have recreational activities. These kinds of activities will help you integrate into the family each of the children according to their ages. Involve the children in important family decisions. It is very healthy for children's voices to be heard. They need to know their opinions are important to their parents and that they will be heard. When children have relationship with the Lord. It is surprising how wise their opinions can be. Treat them with the same respect you give your friends. How do we want to be treated by our friends? We want them to pay attention to us when we talk. We want them to listen to us when we share our successes and victories as well as our failures. Children are no different. Show your respect to them by paying attention to what they say, whether they are sharing their successes or their failures with you. Make them feel that they are very important to you. Express that you value them through your words and actions. Show your affection for them.

4. As a family, spend time in the Word on a regular basis. "Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontiers between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth" (Deuteronomy 11: 18-21). "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16). 30

From the first book of Genesis to the last book of Revelation, every word in the Bible is the inspired Word of God. It was written throughout a 1 600-year period. About forty holy writers participated in the writings, and they came from different cultures and historical eras. The social status of the writers varied from person to person. There were powerful kings, virtuous women, judges, governors, prophets, farmers and fishermen who were inspired to write God's words. He touched their lives and made them conduits through which His Word could freely flow. The Word of God changed them and it changes us today. The blessing God has for the family has passed down from parents to their children from generation to generation. It is every parent's responsibility to teach the Word of God to her children. It is important you consistently give the Word to your children until it’s teaching becomes a way of life for everyone in your home. Hosea 4:6 say, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children." Parents, please listen to this truth. If you forget the Word of God, it is difficult for God to bless your children. This hurts them by stunting their spiritual growth. What hurts parents most is to see their children hurt. We hear about men who did bad things, men who seemed to be cold and insensitive, but when their children were hurt, they became hurt as well. The children touched a place in their heart that was still sensitive. Let's be sensitive to our children's spiritual needs. Do not neglect to give your children what they need to be successful—a steady diet of God's Word tempered with love.

5. How to feed children with the Word of God. A. Provide milk. "Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby" (1 Peter 2: 1-2). What maternal milk is to a baby, the Word of God is for a newly converted believer. When something improper gets in the milk, it tastes rotten and bitter and the milk loses its nutritional value. Improper things in everyday living are malice, deception, hypocrisy, envy, and defamation. The Apostle Paul taught that it is necessary to get rid of all the things that impede normal spiritual growth. He gave wise advice to the Ephesians church, telling them to never allow these poisons to get a hold of their lives (Ephesians 4:31): Bitterness Wrath Anger Clamor Evil speaking We need to desire getting rid of these bad traits. When we decide to let them go, the milk of the Word becomes sweet to our taste and it furnishes nourishment to our souls. B. Provide bread (Solid foods). Jesus said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God"' [Matthew 4:4). 31

As we mature in Christ, we get to a point in which we learn to depend on God for all our needs. We experience His daily provision the same way the Israelites experienced it in the desert. "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the-oracles of God: and-you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are grown, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil" (Hebrews 5:12-14). In the natural world, solid food is for those who have grown up. In the spiritual world, solid food is for those who have exercised their faith and matured in Christ. Like athletes who strive to be crowned as champions [by completely dedicating themselves to their sports, we as God's champions wholly desire to be fed the Word of the Lord. We consistently press forward for the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus as we feed on the bread He provides. CONCLUSION It is important to build a balanced family in which your children can develop a healthy self-esteem, feel secure, communicate openly, and have real contact with the Word of God. APPLICATION Gather with your whole family and establish specific goals that will allow you to build a balanced home. Depending on the age of your children, focus on areas that include the spiritual, physical, personal, ministerial and secular aspects of their lives.. Questions: 1. How can children lose their family identity? 2. To help keep a balanced self-esteem in your children, you must: 3. List fundamental steps to activate communication with your…. 4. Fill in the blanks: From the book of Genesis to ____________, it is all the Word Of God it was written in a period of _____________ years. There were __________________ about writers of the Bible. They came from different __________________. 5. What is one of the fundamental duties of parents? 6. Write and memorize 1 Peter 2: 1 -2. 7. What kind of attitudes should you avoid to prevent the spiritual milk from spoiling? 8. When does the Word of God become bread for our lives?

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LESSON 7:

We Were Created to Bless PRIMARY BIBLICAL REFERENCE: 1 Peter 4:11 ADDITIONAL REFERENCES: Revelation 16:13-14; Psalm 149:6-9; Genesis 1 :28; 1 Peter 1 :7; Genesis 12:1; ; James 3:10 1; Chronicles 17.:23; Deuteronomy 28:1-3; 1 Corinthians 7:4; Proverbs 10:6; John 17:9; Job 1:5; Romans 10:8; Proverbs 6:2; John 17:15-17; Romans 6:22; Psalm 112; Numbers 6:23-26; Hebrews 11 :20-21 Key Scripture: "If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen" - 1 Peter 4:11 There is a great power in everything we say, so our mouths should always be filled with words of blessing. Peter said, "If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen" (1 Peter 4:11). Speaking the Word of God puts the spiritual world to work. If our words are words of faith and blessing, the Lord's celestial world starts to operate. When negative words of bitterness and cursing are spoken, the realm of darkness gets into action. We see this demonstrated in Revelation, "And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty" (Revelation 16: 13-14). In John's celestial vision, he saw the satanic trinity composed of the beast, the dragon, and the false witness ~prophet. From the mouth of each one of them came out filthy spirits shaped like frogs. A particular trait these animals have is their annoying, persistent croaking; they do not cease their noise even at night. This could represent people who never get tired of complaining, cursing or accusing. It is like filthy spirits control their tongues. That is why we need to be very careful about what comes out of our mouths. One of the most powerful strategies demons use to spread their filth is through pornography and lewd advertising. This has affected all levels of society. Gifted businessmen are deceived into thinking the only way to sell their products is to use naked or semi-naked women. In reality, these women are victims-themselves who has fallen into a trap. Much of society's advertising is saturated with demonic touch and offensiveness. It's just like the sound of continual croaking of ugly frogs. If your home is in crisis. start visualizing its transformation with the eyes of faith. Once you have conviction in your heart, confess with your words that you have the best home in the world. Of course, Satan will try to make you tremble by dropping bombs on you like fear and doubt. But you can defeat them through the victory that is in Christ. 33

In faith, you can put the celestial army to work, and hearts and lives will be transformed. You will see the glory of God in your life, in your home, your ministry, and in your business.

2. It is essential to exalt God. "Let the high praises of God be in their mouths, and a two edged sword in their hands, to execute vengeance on the nations, and punishments on the people; to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; to execute on them the written judgment—this honor have all His saints. Praise the LORD!" (Psalm 149:6-9). When we exalt God with our mouths, the Word of God becomes sharper and powerful in our hands. We have the authority to invoke the presence of God to take control of nations, knowing that people who have opposed the Word will be defeated by the power of His Spirit. Demonic forces that once controlled individuals, cities, families and nations will be locked away. Even the demonic powers that had accommodated the "nobles" of the earth will be immobilized with iron chains. We tell them that Jesus has already judged them on the Cross of Calvary.

3. The three-old blessing. God's intention for creating man and woman was to powerfully bless them. He said to them: "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth" (Genesis 1: 2B). This verse indicates the blessing did not come to Adam while he was single, but when he was married. We need to understand that God has reserved fullness of blessings for marriages. He spoke three basic blessings to Adam and Eve, establishing for us three areas of blessing for married couples: Be fruitful. To be fruitful means "to live in holiness." Paul wrote "But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life" (Romans 6:22). We can only be fruitful if we break the bondage of sin. If you want to see God's blessing in every area of your life, you need to live a holy life. Peter said "And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear" (1 Peter 1:17). If you call upon our God who is holy, you need to live according to His nature. Multiply. Holiness leads to multiplication. It is God's purpose to grow and multiply fruitfulness in the spiritual, personal, economic, and ministerial areas of our lives. Exercise authority (lordship). Holiness is conducive to multiplication, and this takes us to authority. God wants His daughters to escalate to privileged positions. It is His desire that we walk with His authority wherever we are. His purpose is that we are the head, not the tail; we are not oppressed or downtrodden.

4. God wants to bless us to be a blessing. God promised to bless Abram, saying to him, "Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who 34

curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed" [Genesis 12:1-33. To be able to fulfill His purpose of blessing His children, God always looks for a contact point, a person who has the faith to be an example for His descendants. The Hebrew word used in Genesis 12:2 for "blessing" is "berakah." This word means "to give the power of the kindness and favor of God. " Generally the blessing was transmitted verbally. The Hebrews saw that inherent in the spoken word, was the power to attract the good or to activate the evil. When a woman expressed God's blessing to another person, she was conveying her desire to wish God's favor for her. In the New Testament, James perceived the power of the spoken word for good or evil, "Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so" (James 3:10). We can use our words as weapons to destroy or as tools to build up. Therefore, it is our responsibility to use words that edify others. If you have purposed in your heart to walk in the ways of blessing, you must bless daily those around you.

5. The power of God-given blessing. David took possession of a promise given to him by God by hearing it, believing it, and claiming the fulfillment of that promise. He prayed, "And now, O LORD, the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house, let it be established forever, and do as You have said" (1 Chronicles 17:23). God cannot change what has come out of His mouth. His Word stays firm in the heavens because He fulfills everything He promises to His children. In order to experience the blessing of God, it is important to hear and obey it. "Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, and that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God: Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country" (Deuteronomy 28: 1-3). This passage shows us that the blessings God wants to give us are conditional to our obedience of His Word. Once this requirement is satisfied, we can be participants in the blessings He promised to the people of Israel. Verses 2-13 in Deuteronomy specify the wide spectrum of blessings we can receive through obedience to God. We will be blessed in every area, including the personal, family, economic, emotional, business, physical and spiritual parts of our lives,

6. Prayers that bless: Ask God to bless you. "God, I have made a pact to live according to Your Word, and I claim Your blessings on my life and the lives of my beloved ones. I ask for Your blessing upon my health and on my family's health. I ask You for economic provision and for Your blessing on everything I have. Prosper us in such a way that we can bless others with our Frances. Give us creative ideas and the strength to make wealth. Father, I ask You in the name of Jesus. " Ask God to bless your marriage. "God, we present ourselves today to receive your blessings. We thank you for joining us in marriage and to make us participants of the same blessings you gave the first couple, Adam and Eve. We commit ourselves to live in holiness. Give us your grace and your anointing 35

to multiply our development in the ministry, M our spiritual lives and in our finances. Give us the anointing of authority to do your work. We ask you in the name of Jesus, Amen. Ask God to bless your husband. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 7:4 that a wife has authority over her husband's body and the husband has authority over his wife's body. If God gave us this responsibility on our husband's life, we need to use it in a proper way. The best way to do this is by blessing him. A good blessing spoken over him is found in Psalm 1 12. You could also use the following prayer as a pattern of "praying blessing" into his life: "My husband, I thank God for your life. I thank Him because He chose you to be my partner. Let God make you great, as He did with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. May you find grace in God's eyes and in the eyes of those around you. May the Lord bless the work of your hands and everything you do. You are blessed because you fear God and you delight in doing His commandments. You win reproduce yourself in three generations; your descendants and disciples wit be blessed. God will bless you with goods and wealth. You are a merciful man who has the anointing to rule. God has given you a kind heart to help those in need. God will lift you up with His glory and give you His justice throughout your life. " Ask God to bless your children. God gave us a family and it is our duty to bless each one of them. "Blessings are on the head of the righteous,' says Proverbs 10:6a. Jesus said, "I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are Yours" (John 17:9). Many patriarchs in the Bible prayed for and blessed their children. [See the example of Isaac, Jacob and Job in Hebrews 11:20-21 and Job 1:5. Similarly. The blessing you release over your children is a prophetic word on their lives. Paul said in Romans 10:8, "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart [that is, the word of faith which we preach." It is important that before you release a word of blessing over your children that you believe it in your heart first. You cannot do this just as a formality because we get bound to the word we speak. (Proverbs 6:2) it is also important that you bless each child individually and pray regularly. A. Ask God to bless your daughter. "Daughter, I thank God for your life. You are a gift of God in our home. May the Lord make you as Ruth or Esther, to have favor before the eyes of God and the eyes of men; may the Lord keep your emotions from any wounds; may the Father give you a husband who fears Him, a man who takes care of you, protects you and loves you. May you be an excellent wife, mother and leader. May the Lord give you prosperity and abundance in goods and wisdom. May He give you all the petitions of your heart, and make you a thousand times what you are now. In Jesus Christ, Amen." B. Ask god to bless your son. "Son, I give thanks to God for your life. I bless you with the blessing of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. May the hand of the Lord be on you and make you His servant. May the Lord bless you with wisdom, prosperity and peace. May you use, every day of your life, for making His Kingdom greater. May the Lord give you a virtuous wife, and may you be an example for her. May the Lord make you a thousand times what you are now. In Jesus Christ, Amen. C. Ask God to bless the people you mentor. The Bible gave Aaron and his sons a pattern to speak 36

blessing over the children of Israel. "The LORD bless you and keep you the LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26). Jesus prayed for His disciples so God could always protect them. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth" (John 17:15-17). Our disciples become our spiritual daughters. We need to consistently pray for them and bless them because many of them are carrying the burden of the ministry. "Father, I thank You for each one of my disciples. I bless them today with the blessing of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I ask You that your power protect them from all danger and evil. I pray that they can understand the purpose of Your cad and that they will be able to fulfill it faithfully. I ask that You make them a thousand times what they are now. In Christ Jesus, Amen." CONCLUSION Ever since the beginning of humankind, God's purpose has been to bless His children with fruitfulness, multiplication, and authority. It Is In your hands to accept the challenge and become a channel of blessing for the ones you love—blessing them in the spiritual, physical, emotional, financial, personal, family, and ministerial areas of their lives.

Questions: 1. What does it mean to "bless"? 2. According to Genesis 1:28, explain the power of the blessing God gave. 3. Use the suggested prayers as a guide to help you write your own prayers of blessing. Activate the power of God's blessing as you pray your words. Your husband "My husband, I thank God for your life; may the Lord bless you, the work of your hands and everything you do. You are a Spirit-filled man and an excellent husband, father and leader. God bless you with health, peace, and may He make you a thousand times of what you are now." (Personal Prayer) Your son "Son, I thank God for your life. I bless you with the blessing Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. May the hand of God be upon you and may He make you His servant. May the Lord bless you wit wisdom, prosperity, and peace. May your life be an example In Christ Jesus, Amen (Personal Prayer) Your daughter "Daughter, I thank God for your life. You are a precious gift In OL home. May God keep your heart, take care of you, and protest you. May the Lord give you an abundance of goods and wisdom; May He give you the desires of your heart, and make you thousand times what you are now. In Christ Jesus, Amen.

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LESSON 8:

Knowing God’s Will PRIMARY BIBLICAL REFERENCE: 1 Thessalonians 5:24 ADDITIONAL REFERENCES: Genesis 25:23; Genesis 33:4,10,24,26,32,31; Romans 8:5-8; Psalm 73:27; Romans 8:9-11; Jeremiah 1: 5; Genesis 31-32; Genesis 25:32; Matthew 4:3-4; Job 2:4; Hebrews 12:1617; Genesis 32:26; 2 Corinthians 12:9; Ester 5:2-3; Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 1 John 2:17; Proverbs 10:22; Psalm 40:8 Key Scripture: “Me, who calls you is faithful, who also will do it" - 1 Thessalonians 5:24 I lived in a very stable home before I met Jesus. After my conversion, my lifestyle didn't change dramatically, although I knew I had been born again. When I heard my husband share his testimony, I asked him not to emphasize his "before Christ" experiences because people would think they had to live the same things he did. I thought that people who had backgrounds like mine would compare their experience to his and miss the basic message of salvation. In my life, it was adversity that I went through that turned me toward God. I lost, with very few votes, the election to the Senate in my home country of Colombia. This moved me very much, and it was the circumstance God allowed to happen so l could know Him personally. Before then, I considered myself a good, hard-working person who didn't hurt anyone. Only after I lost that election was I able to reach the conclusion that every believer needs to have a supernatural experience to fulfill the purpose of God. As you seek to discover God's will for your life, it is important to understand the difference between the worldly nature and the spiritual nature. In this lesson, you will receive insight for your life on these two natures, by studying the story of Jacob and Esau in the Old Testament.

A. The worldly nature. Rebekah was a woman who felt two opposing natures warring inside her womb. Because her twin babies were constantly fighting, she sought an answer from the Lord. He said, "Two nations are in your womb, two peoples shall be separated from your body; one people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger" (Genesis 25:23). God revealed to her that day that the youngest child would have the privileges of the first-born. This came to pass in the lives of her twin sons, Esau lithe first born who lost his birthright] and Jacob. Jacob came to represent the spiritual nature, and Esau came to represent the worldly nature. We must understand that in order for us to experience the will of God that we need to be willing to live in the Spirit. "But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ for the dead 38

will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you" (Romans 8:9-11). A worldly woman wants to take care of herself without asking God'! Direction. Because she knows God does not approve of what she is doing, she prefers to live away from Him. The characteristics of the worldly woman are: She thinks about the things of the world. She cares for the things that produce death. Her plans are against God. She is rebellious and does not submit herself to the Law of God The sad outcome of practicing evil and living in the rebellious world nature is spiritual death. "For indeed, those who are far from you *God+ shall perish; You have destroyed all those who desert you…” (Psalm 73:27).

B. The spiritual nature. Scripture tells us how to live in the Spirit. "But you are nol in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because o sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to you mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you" (Romans 8:9-11). The characteristics of the spiritual woman are: *The Spirit of Christ lives in her. She is justified by faith. *She lives according to the Spirit and defeats the worldly nature through living in the Spirit. She totally abandons herself to the will of God. God knew us before we were born, and He has sent each one of us into this world with a specific mission. "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations" (Jeremiah 1:5).

1. Free to choose. Our behavior is determined by the ideas we welcome into our mind. Continuing our story of Jacob and Esau, we are taught the lesson that God gives us a will that is free to choose or reject His ways. One day when both men were grown, Esau had come in from the field and was very weary and hungry. He asked Jacob if he could eat the stew Jacob had prepared. Jacob responded, "Sell me your birthright as of this day. " Esau responded, "Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?" (Genesis 25:31-32). Before Esau were two choices. His physical body desired food, and he was willing to give up his birthright for that one meal. The birthright would have given him the "first-son blessing" as his inheritance from Abraham and his father, Isaac]. The enemy had deceived Esau into thinking, "What have I obtained by being the first-born? It is better to sell my birthright before I starve to death." It is interesting to think that if Esau had chosen differently, God would be remembered as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Esau! But because Esau did not see the immediate blessing, he showed that he despised his birthright by giving it away for a morsel of food. After Jesus had spent forty days and nights fasting in the desert, the tempter said to Him, "If You are 39

the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." Jesus answered, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God' " (Matthew 4:3-4). The strategy the enemy uses is to drop seeds into our thoughts. This is a bait to control lives. Satan used this trick with Job, saying, "Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life" (Job 2:4). The enemy uses the desires of the flesh to blind the eyes of the spirit. If we allow it, this blocks our understanding so we cannot hear the voice of God. We are then, led astray by the enemy. The writer of Hebrews warns us not to choose the ways of the enemy, as did Esau. Ablest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears" (Hebrews 12:16-17). Note that Esau's choice to sell his birthright was made without any pressure from God. God highly respects the freedom of choice He gave us.

2. How to move God's hand. Our story of Jacob and Esau continues. Esau hated Jacob for stealing his birthright and was so angry he intended to kill him. Jacob fled from the presence of his brother in fear. Each lived separate lives until the time came when the brothers were to meet. Jacob was terrified that his brother still held a grudge against him. The most anguishing night for Jacob was when he knew his brother was coming to meet him. The memory of Esau's threats against his life came to his mind once again. He began to feel the terror of death and was overwhelmed with anguish because he felt destruction was coming to his house. This made him look for refuge in prayer. It was a very decisive hour for Jacob. He knew that either God would intervene or that evil would reach him. Scripture says that Jacob wrestled with "a Man...until the breaking of the day" Genesis 32:Z4). The Man said, "Let Me go," but Jacob said, "I will not let You go unless You bless me!" (Genesis 32:26). Jacob prevailed in prayer and had an encounter with the living God. Jacob's prayers that night ware very intense, but at the end, he felt the liberation of his soul. The name Jacob given to the place, where he wrestled with God, is very interesting. He called it "Peniel," which means "Face of God." All the pressure that came against him in the spiritual realm had disappeared; fear, anguish, and desperation were all gone. Peace and trust came to his life as though a million angels were with him. The next day, when Jacob faced his brother, Jacob already took control over the circumstances because he was fighting all night long for the blessing. He prevailed in prayer and the outcome was positive. "But Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept" Genesis 33:41. What · happened that made his brother change so suddenly? These are the miracles that prayer produce, because prayer changes things. Jacob said to his brother, "Please, if I have now found favor in your sight, then receive my present from my hand, in as much as I have seen your face as though I had seen the face of God, and you were pleased with me" (Genesis 33:10). in other words, Jacob was saying, "This favor you are giving me today is the same kind of favor I experienced last night when I wrestled with God to contend for His blessing. I saw the Face of God then, and I see the Face of God now."

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3. God is our support. When Jacob was wrestling with God, God touched the socket of his hip, making it go out of joint. Genesis 32:31 says, "Just as he crossed over Peniel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip." Jacob always did what he wanted. He always got away with whatever he wanted, without caring how he accomplished it. His experience with the angel changed his life in a radical way because the angel caused him to limp. The implication was from that day on, Jacob would have to use a walking stick to assist him in walking. This spoke about a life of faith where our strength no longer matters, but our measure of faith does. God gave this same truth to Paul: "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). Note that after Jacob prevailed the sun rose on him. The sun symbolizes the fact that we have found mercy before the eyes of God. This reminds me of the way King Ahasuerus extended his scepter to Queen Esther and said, "What do you wish, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given to you—up to half the kingdom!" (Esther 5:3). To find grace before the eyes of God means that the circumstances are changed by His divine power; we start living in a mercy period in which God releases for our service, legions of angels that will help us be victorious.

4. Renewing our minds. One of our biggest dilemmas is how to face the unknown because it produces fear, uncertainty, and doubt. We need to conquer that, but how? Scripture encourages us to conquer the spirit world by renewing our minds, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God" (Rornans 12:2). Let me give you an example. We know that the Swiss once were the pioneers in the clock industry. Unfortunately for the Swiss, the Japanese became leaders in that area because the Swiss were not innovative with digital technology. We need to understand many of the things that were useful in the past may not be today. The renewing of our mind always keeps us active, just like the waterfall flows with fresh waters all the time. Every day is different from the day before. That is the reason why Paul said, "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Corinthians 3: 18).

5. Characteristics of God's will: It is Good. Just as a loving mother wants to give her children the best, God has prepared for us the richest blessings for us to enjoy. God is very careful to give His children what they need to be fulfilled in life. God does not give the woman to the man to make his life bitter; He gives them to one another to bless them. He prospers us in everything. His blessing makes us rich, and does not bring sorrow with it. Proverbs 10:22 It is perfect. The ward "perfect" speaks of something that is complete. God never leaves anything incomplete. He gave us all things so we can abundantly enjoy them. He did not give us His Spirit in a small measure. He never gives us small blessings, but all His blessings are great. David said, "I delight to do your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart" (Psalm 40:8.) 41

John said, "And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:17.) CONCLUSION When we live in the Spirit and not in the world, we can see the will of God. As we see His will, it is important to be willing to listen to the sweet voice of the Holy Spirit and follow His ways with persistence. We find victory in the spiritual dimension as we allow ourselves to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. We see that the will of God is good, pleasant, and perfect. Questions: 1. Explain the main difference between a worldly woman and E spiritual one. Give an example of each type of person from Genesis.

2. Complete the sentences. The worldly woman thinks of _____________. She cares of the things that lead her to ________________. Her plans are _____________. She prefers to live ____________from God. She is ______________and does not submit herself to God. 3. What are the characteristics of the spiritual woman?

4. Explain why the will of God is: Good.________________________________________________________ Pleasant.______________________________________________________Perfect.________________ _______________________________________

5. According to Romans 12:2. what must you do in order to prove the good, acceptable and perfect will of God?

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LESSON 9:

Be a Woman of Purpose PRIMARY BIBLICAL REFERENCE: 1 John 5:4 ADDITIONAL REFERENCES: Ephesians 1: 3; Ephesians 5:27; Matthew 4:4.7,10; 1 John 3:9; Philippians 4:6; Psalm 45:7; Numbers 13:30-3; 1 Corinthians-2: 11-12; James 4:7; 1 Corinthians 2:16; Isaiah 45:7; Numbers 13:30-31; Numbers 14:89,24,28. 29,33-34,36-38; Proverbs 12:1 4; Ecclesiastes 10:1; Proverbs 12:1 4; Proverbs 18:7 Key Scripture: "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith" - 1 John 5:40 It is important that every woman find her place in the Body of Christ. We cannot be like isolated pieces to a puzzle; we need to be integrated in the Body of Christ through faith only then can we fulfill the purpose He has prepared for us. God's purpose is to bless each of His children. The Apostle Paul declared that God has "blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3.) The spiritual blessing includes the physical, emotional, family and financial areas of our lives. When you gave your heart to Jesus, He adopted you as His daughter. This gave you the privilege to experience all the rights God's children enjoy. These blessings are the result of surrendering your whole life to Jesus. The following truths will broaden your understanding of how the blessing of God comes to you:

1. Know that you were chosen. Every woman has experienced shopping for a beautiful dress. Even though you find a great variety of them, you choose only one—the perfect dress. This reminds me that He chose you and me out of billions of people. Just like with the dress, you will no longer have to be on display to see who will get you because the One who bought you, chose you. God has taken you out of a multitude to use your life for the purpose of radiating His glory. Through His mercies, we place ourselves in the midst of His divine purpose, the one He had for us before creation. His purpose in choosing us is that He would present us to Himself "a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing," but that we would be "holy and without blemish" (Ephesians 5:27.)

2. Understand your faith. Our faith is not human, material, emotional, or intellectual. Faith can only come from a spiritual nature and can only grow in those who have surrendered their lives to Jesus. Faith makes us participants in Christ's nature. Everything that happens in our faith is part of the spiritless nature. You cannot fake faith, because when trials come, only the ones with faith can endure through them. We know the without faith it is impossible to please God. Even the smallest faith can move big mountains; the winners only need to have faith of a mustard seed to conquer their biggest battles 43

3. Protect your thoughts. The enemy works through our thoughts because he knows on we accept what he plants in our mind; he can easily conquer our will. It is then when he starts to throw every kind of arrow we will survive his attack if we do not accept his arrows in our mind and stand firm in our will. Whoever falls into the trap of the enemy loses her will to him When this happens, a person is spiritually unprotected; she becomes like a city without walls and is very easy to conquer We must understand that behind every thought there is, spiritual being producing them. The thoughts we allow in Our mind will shape our personalities. Paul said, "For what ma knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit a the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God (1Corinthians 2:11-12.) What a blessing to know that Go directs our thoughts!

4. You are changed. The Queen of Jordan is an American who married the king a that country. In her biography, she tells that when she go engaged the king gave her many gifts. but the most special gif was her changed name. Her name used to be Lisa, but when she married, he changed her name to Snoop," which meant "Light." The woman was transformed in her mind and in he dreams to become a different woman, a woman who reflected the meaning of her new name—light. It is not necessary that you marry a king to enjoy a new name because you have married the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and it is the Holy Spirit who gives you His gifts. These gift are so precious that they do not have material value and cannot be bought by any price. God will change the nature of your life because the name of the person determines the nature, and you are a daughter of His. You must be certain that you will be changed into a new person and you will be a conqueror, having passion for souls, and a woman with holiness and commitment.

5. You have the mind of Christ. Ask yourself this question: What would Jesus think? Everything Jesus thought was linked to the Word. That is why Jesus said to the Father that to do His will was His delight. Everything Jesus said had the approval of His Heavenly Father. When Satan tried to influence Jesus' thinking, Jesus said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God"' (Matthew 4:4.) Three times during His temptation by Satan Jesus said, "It is written," and the enemy finally left Him (Matthew 4:4,7,10.) James assured us of victory in our battle against Satan when he said, "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you" (James 4:7). Paul assured us that we could have the mind of Christ when he wrote, "For who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ" (1Corinthians 2:16.) Speaking of Jesus, the Messiah, the Psalmist wrote, "You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness more than your companions" (Psalm 45:7.) This author had discovered that the Messiah was the happiest person in this world; God had given Him the anointing of joy. In other words, joy is the result of living a life in holiness, where the love for God's justice grows strong and the decision of the heart is to separate from all kinds of evil things. 44

6. You can have thoughts that conquer. We can learn a valuable lesson from Joshua and Caleb and how they tried to encourage the children of Israel to conquer their enemies and take possession of the land God had promised them. These two men were part of a team of twelve men who went into the land to spy before they advanced. Caleb tried to encourage the people, telling them, they would be victorious in this effort, but most of the people with him drew back in fear "Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses, and said, 'Le us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.' " However, the other ten men who had gone with Joshua and Caleb to spy out the land said, "We are no able to go up against the people, for they are stronger char we" Numbers 13:30-31, italics added. It is important to see the three principles that Caleb gave his speech that tell us how to obtain victory: - "Go up." The life of faith requires effort and always opposes a life ir sin. The way of sin may seem to be easy at first, but it taker you down. In contrast, faith requires our effort to climb the mountain where difficulties are, but it assures us certainty that we will conquer them. -"Take possession." Joshua believed he would win against his enemies because the power of God strengthened his life and God promised victory. This difficult situation provided the opportunity for the people see every promise from God would be fulfilled. -"Overcome." An overcoming attitude says, "There are more who are with us than against us." Joshua and Caleb believed in their hearts that God had already given them the victory. But a spirit of discouragement came against the people to prevent them from conquering their enemies. Joshua and Caleb tried to "stand in the gap" to help people see the big opportunity ahead of them. But sadly, the people could not see it and missed their chance to be victorious. They let discouragement take control of them. The men who spied out the land with Joshua and Caleb said, "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we" (Numbers 13:31.) God wanted to teach the people that even though they might face strong nations. He would move His celestial army on their behalf. He wanted them to know their enemies would fall down easily and no longer be a threat. But most of the people couldn't see that. The enemy used negative circumstances to plant in the minds of these ten spies that they had to use their own strength to fight against the giants of the land. The people took their eyes off God, causing them to be discouraged and to lose faith. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Joshua and Caleb responded to this negative attitude of faith by saying, "If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, 'a land which flows with milk and honey.' Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them" Numbers 14:8-9, italics added). How did the congregation react to this great statement of faith? They wanted to stone Joshua and Caleb. When faced with discouragement and doubt, we can take strength from the speech Joshua and Caleb 45

gave the people. It has several key principles: A. Eli’s mercy will bring us through. We can only please God by living a life of faith, and a life of faith is in allowing total dependency on Him. When we do this, His best blessings are reserved for us. B. Do not rebel. When we do not want to conquer things the way God has told us, we are being rebellious. The people's negativity brought discouragement followed by rebelliousness. C. Do not fear people. When we are afraid of our enemies, we have to accept our inferiority to them. We cannot conquer if we are afraid. D. Enemies are our bread. This expression is an example of how easy victory comes when we know God is leading us to it. Joshua knew God was on their side, but the people would not listen to his words of faith. They would rather live in discouragement and complain because the language of faith bothered their ears. They chose to stone the messengers of faith.

7. The power of the words of faith. Joshua and Caleb were the only spies who spoke different they decided to believe God, and they tried to move the pea to act according to faith and possess the land. God was pleased with them that He said to Moses, "But My serve Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has follow me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and I descendants shall inherit it" (Numbers 14:24.) However, t opposite was true for the people who disbelieved. God said to the negative things they had spoken about their circumstance would come to pass. He told them, "As I live... just as you he spoken in my hearing, so I will do to you" (Numbers 14:28.) - The devastating effect of our complaints. The whole congregation complained against Moses and Aaron saying, "If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only died in this wilderness! Why has the LORD brought us to the land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return Egypt?" (Numbers 14:2-33.) God's answer to them was the words they spoke would happen "The carcasses of you who have complained against me shall in this wilderness... And your sons shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years, and bear the brunt of your infidelity, un your carcasses are consumed in the wilderness. According the number of the days in which you spied out the land, for days, for each day you shall bear your guilt one year, namely foci years...Now the men whom Moses sent to spy out the Ian who returned and made all the congregation complain again him by bringing a bad report of the land, those very men wit brought the evil report about the land, died by the plague before the LORD. But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son Jephunneh remained alive, of the men who went to spy out to land" (Numbers 14:29, 33-34, 36-38.) - Slave a thankful heart. The gate to enter God's presence is called "thanksgiving." you can't enjoy the presence of God until 46

thanksgiving fills your heart Joshua and Caleb were honoring God before the congregation b confessing His promises. And after forty years, they became the leaders of the generation who possessed the land. - Speak the words of the wise not the words of the fool. Wise Solomon gave us principles we need to guide our speech. He said, "A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth, and the recompense of a man's hands will be rendered to him " (Proverbs 1 2:1 4). He pointed out the difference between wise and foolish words. "The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool shall swallow him up" (Ecclesiastes 10:12). And he emphasized what happens when a foolish person's mouth leads him astray. "A fool's mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul" (Proverbs 18:7). CONCLUSION We need to guard our thoughts and attitudes in order to live victorious Christian lives. Let's make an effort to gain and retain the mind of Christ through the renewing of our mind in Him. Let's be willing to conquer the things that defeat us, allowing the establishment of God's will in our lives, families, and ministries. APPLICATION Resolve to have the mind of a conqueror. This involves hearing, believing and acting on the promises God has given you for victory in every area of your life. Questions: 1 Turn to 1 John 5:4. What does it say? 2. What does it imply to "be born of God"?

3. How and why I should protect my mind?

4. What kind of thoughts did Jesus have?

5. How can we align our thoughts to be like the thoughts of Jesus?

6. Ask yourself if your thoughts are like Jesus' thoughts. Say a prayer to Him, thanking God for the thoughts He has about you. Ask Him for wisdom to think like He thinks and to speak words of victors over your life.

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LESSON 10:

An Offering That Pleases God PRIMARY BIBLICAL REFERENCE: Proverbs 3:9-10 ADDITIONAL REFERENCES: 1 Timothy 6:17; 1 Samuel 1:11,17,20; 1 Samuel 2: 1-10. 17. 22-36; Hebrews l 1:4; Mark 12:30; John 3:1 6; Genesis 22:16-17; Proverbs 10:7; Proverbs 3:9-10; Luke 7:4-5 1; Chronicles 29:12; 2 Corinthians 9:7-9; Proverbs 1 1:25; Hebrews 7:2-6; Genesis 28:20-22; Mal. 3: 10-12 Key Scripture:0 "Honor the LORD with your possessions and with the firstfruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine" - Proverbs 3:9-10 Hannah made a vow to God and said to Him, "O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head" (1 Samuel 1:11.) I have been a Christian for more than 28 years. I read the book of Samuel many times, but just recently I received the revelation of why Hannah pleased God. Hannah was going through a very difficult situation in her life. She had a loving husband, but she was unable to have children. This filled her with bitterness and anguish. A bitter person contaminates everything around her. Bitterness affects her home and her communication with others. Someone who lives continuously in pain is not pleasant to be around at all. And that was Hannah's situation. She looked at her barrenness and felt sorry for herself until she discovered the key to changing her situation—her offering. Maybe you are asking yourself for the reason why you are living in a specific situation. (I know every person thinks her problems are bigger than everybody else's!) But I want to share a principle from this same passage that will help you. Through it, you will see how Hannah's offering was the key to changing her destiny. Hannah went to God's house where the prophet Eli was. She came to pray there but she understood that to move God's hand she had to do something else besides pray. She felt her prayer had to be accompanied with an offering. At that moment it was revealed to her she had to give up the thing she loved the most. The desire of her heart was to have a son, and to give up that desire was a very big sacrifice. But when she realized that was the kind of offering pleasing to God, she made a vow that changed her future. She added an offering to the prayer by promising God if she had a son, she would give him back to God.

1. Your offering changes your destiny. As a mother, how would you feel if you had to send your child to another country as a missionary, only to see him once a year? Can you feel the weight and seriousness of the situation? That was the kind of prayer Hannah rnade. 48

Hannah's attitude of prayer shows us what happens when we make an offering to God. She was telling the Lord if she had a son, she would give him to God totally. Her son would stay in the house of God for the rest of his life. She understood this offering would change her destiny, Even though she probably didn't know how the miracle could happen since she was a sterile woman, she wanted to raise up a generation for God. In response to her request, Eli, the priest, told her, "Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him" (1 Samuel 1:17). Hannah got up, wiped her tears and left the bitterness and sadness behind. And her request was granted. "It canoe to pass in the process of time...Hannah conceived and bore a son" ? (1 Samuel 1:20.) Note this woman went to the house of God once a year to cry her heart out asking the Lord for a son. Let us remember in those days this distance was far and travel was hard. People walked or rode a donkey to travel to their destinations. Every year Hannah traveled to God's house, but this time the outcome was different because she made an offering to the Lord by faith. We need to keep in mind Hannah did not have anything else to offer God other than what she did. After the birth of the baby, Hannah told her husband she would stay home from the customary trip to God's house until the child was weaned. Then when the child was no older than three years of age, she went to the priest to show him the miracle, the answer to her prayer. Telling Eli the child was her offering to God, she explained he would remain in that place and serve the Lord. Every year she would visit her son to bring him a special tunic. This child became prophet Samuel. Not only was her destiny changed, but the destiny of a nation would be changed as well.

2. The power of an offering. To move God's hand. In the first book of Samuel, Hannah's prayer of thanks is recorded for all future generations. If you read this prayer, you will see the heart of a person who knows how to give God an offering. From beginning to end, her prayer touched the heart of God. The offering you give is a key that allows your prayer to be heard in heaven. I know you, too, want to touch God's heart. Now you know your offering determines your future, start wishing to give an offering like Hannah's. Let your offering be something above the ordinary. Let it touch the heart of God. Allow your prayer to rise up to the heavens and shake it, trembling before God. This woman gave God the thing she loved the most, the son she desired for so long. Hannah demonstrated she was a woman who trusted God. To shape your future. The story continues. God had to reject Eli's sons because they were corrupt and did not know the Lord. Scripture is very clear stating they did not respect the offerings in the house of God; this was the beginning of their ruin. "Therefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD, for men abhorred the offering of the LORD" (1 Samuel 2:17). Eli's sons were not interested in giving offerings to God, even though they had seen the benefits in the life of their father. They despised the offerings of God and sinned against Him, and they led the people to sin. This determined their destiny. A prophet told Eli, beforehand, his family would lose God's blessing. His sons' abhorrence of God's offerings determined their future, and because of this sin, they both died suddenly at the same time. (1 49

Samuel 2:22-36.) Their lives were cut short, and a generation was not raised up for God through them. Eli failed as a father because he was unable to teach them how to live life with the fear of the Lord. But God raised up a simple woman, who in spite of her sterility, could light up the faith in her heart toward God Here was a woman determined to give her son to His service for all his life. God accepted Hannah'5 prayer because of her offering, and her son became one of the greatest prophets in Israel. You must desire Hannah's heart and give God the best you have. Think about what you can give the Lord—what is the mast significant thing in your life? Your offering will determine your destiny and it will move God's hand.

3.God provides. It took five days for the Lord to create, with all detail, everything humankind would need. God was so generous that in the same creative act, He provided enough natural resources for everyone to live for thousands of generations. Paul tells Timothy to advise all the rich people to put their trust not in uncertain riches, but in the living God who gives us all things in abundance so we could enjoy them. (1Timothy 6:17.) True wealth can only be found in God, not in material things. Physical things will wear out, but our God stays forever. The wise King Solomon said, "Honor the LORD with your possessions, and with the first fruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty" (Proverbs 3:9-10.)

4. Abel's offering pleased God. God always makes sure in our heart He is number one. God did not tell Cain and Abel what to give in their offerings, because this was supposed to be spontaneous from their hearts. But through those offerings, God was able to measure the level of commitment in both of them. Whose offering was pleasing to God? It was from the person with a generous heart. And God rejected the greedy heart. "By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks" (Hebrews 11:4, italics added.) You may notice that in this verse are the steps to give the right offering: Voluntary. An offering must be an act from our will. Through it, we express the love we have for the person who is receiving it. Children give a great example. It is very hard for them to share something they really like. At that age, the world spins around them. But when that stage is over, it becomes easier for them to share. God was pleased with Abel because he gave his offering- like a child that knows the value of the gift they are giving away. Cain acted like a child does, when they do not know how to share—he gave what he did not like. More excellent. Abel understood that God deserved the best he could give. A "more excellent" offering has a cost. The greater an offering is, the higher the cost. A man wishing to give his wife a jewel must pay a price for it. The Lord said, "And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment" (Mark 12:30). A good offering is a message of love in which we give God our all: the spiritual, emotional, and physical parts of our lives. When we give- to God, we do not expect anything in return. We simply give Him our adoration. 50

Sacrifice. Abel understood that the right offering involved sacrifice. He chose the best from his herd so it could represent his total devotion to God. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16.) The way God demonstrated His love to this world was by giving His only Son in sacrifice. When we give God our best, we are giving back to Him, in a way, that salvation offering He gave us. He obtained witness that he was righteous. As we saw it before, an offering speaks. Abel's offering was converted into a testimony before God, and that testimony made him righteous. When God tested Abraham and he was willing to sacrifice his son, God was pleased. "By Myself I have Sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son—blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies" (Genesis 22:16-17.) An offering spoken even after death. King Solomon said, "The memory of the righteous is blessed, but the name of the wicked will rot" (Proverbs 10:7). Abel's offering remains speaking even after his death. If an offering is so important for God, we should always make an effort to give our very best.

5. God gives testimony of your offering. Our offerings become arguments in our favor. You may remember the centurion whose servant was very sick. He sent elders of the Jews to Jesus to plead with Him to come and heal the servant. The elders "begged Him earnestly" and said that the centurion was deserving, "He loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue" (Luke 7:4-5.) When Jesus heard this, He immediately went with them. God examines heads. One day when Jesus and His disciples were in the temple they were looking at how much everybody was giving. The disciples were focused on the external show of the offerings, but the Lord was examining the hearts of the people who were giving these offerings. The Lord identified how stingy those who appeared very generous really were because they gave from what was left over. But the Lord praised the one person who gave very little, because she was very poor and put forth great effort in giving from her lack. God likes moral uprightness (rectitude). Integrity is the result of generosity. Cain was destroyed by his egotism, and Judas died because of his greed. But the people who touch God's heart are able to demonstrate their commitment by their generosity. Abel's offering speaks for him even today. Give the offering voluntarily. Everything that Solomon used for the construction of the temple came from a voluntary offering by the people. This included the best materials available—gold, silver, wood and other fine materials. It is economically a challenge to voluntarily give God the best. These challenges can always be conquered if the people have a good spirit and are willing to give voluntarily. Give generously and spontaneously. The spontaneous offering is one where people give generously. The Bible tells us what should be our 51

attitude in giving. "So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have abundance for every good work. As it is written, "He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever" (2Corinthians 9:7-9). The Bible also describes what happens to a person who has a readiness to give. "The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself" (Proverbs 1 1:25).

6. Learning to tithe. For the people of Israel, it is very normal to separate ten percent of their income for God's work; they did this even before He established it in the Mosaic Law. Abraham tithed to Melchizedek, and he was blessed ( Hebrews 7:2-6.) Jacob tithed and made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me, and keep me-in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father's house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God. And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God's house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You" (Genesis 28:20-22). The Lord gave a wonderful promise that talks about the blessing He gives when we give. "Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this," says the LORD of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field," says the LORD of hosts; "And all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land," says the LORD of hosts (Malachi 3:10-12, italics added). Let's study the blessings God has for those who have learned the importance of tithing. "Bring all the tithes into the storehouse." The storehouse represents the church or place where you are fed spiritually. That is the place you should bring your tithe. "That there may be food in My house." With your tithe, you support those doing God's work, and He will compensate your gift to you. "I will rebuke the devourer." The devourer is a spirit of ruin. The Lord promises to rebuke it from us. "and all nations will call you blessed." The blessing will be so obvious that it will extend to other nations. They will see God's favor resting on each of His children. "You will be a delightful land." This only happens when the curse is removed and the blessing is restored in our territory. CONCLUSION We can learn from the example of Hannah who gave an offering that cost much but in the end yielded a blessing that changed her destiny. We can learn what is pleasing to God as we study Abel's offering 52

Hebrews 11:4). it is important when we give an offering that our heart is right, and we are encouraged to tithe so we may receive God's blessing. APPLICATION Take a few minutes to think about something that is costly to you that you would offer to God. Reflect on why or why not it is difficult for you to offer to God. Questions: 1. What does it mean to you to give an offering?

2. Why did the Lord like Hannah's offering

3. What does an offering determine?

4. List Abel's characteristics described in Hebrews 11:4.

5. What does God see in your offering?

6. What does it mean to tithe?

7. What are the benefits of tithing?

8. Think about your attitude on giving tithes and offerings. If you have failed in this area, ask the Lord to forgive you and make a commitment to enter into the blessing.

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