Judges 16:22-31

"Then Samson prayed to the LORD, 'Sovereign LORD, remember me again. O God, please strengthen me just one more time. With one blow let me pay back the Philistines for the loss of my two eyes.'"v.28
In spite of Samson's past, God still answered his prayer and destroyed the pagan temple and worshipers. God still loved him. He was willing to hear Samson's prayer of confession and repentance and use him this final time. One of the effects of sin in our lives is to keep us from feeling like praying. But perfect moral behavior is not a condition for prayer. Don't let guilt feelings over sin keep you from your only means or restoration. No matter how long you have been away from God, he is ready to hear from you and restore you to a right relationship. Every situation can be salvaged if you are willing to turn again to him. If God could still work in Samson's situation, he can certainly make something worthwhile out of yours.

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

Judges 16:1-21

Then Delilah pouted, 'How can you tell me, ‘I love you,’ when you don’t share your secrets with me? You’ve made fun of me three times now, and you still haven’t told me what makes you so strong!' She tormented him with her nagging day after day until he was sick to death of it." v.15-16
Samson was deceived because he wanted to believe Delilah's lies. Although he could strangle a lion, he could not smother his lust and see Delilah for who she really was. How can you keep your desire for love and sexual pleasure from deceiving you?
1. You must decide what kind of person you will love before passion takes over. Determine a person's character and faith in God are as desirable as his or her physical appearance.
2. Because most of the time you spend with your spouse will not involve sex, your companions personality, temperament, and commitment to solve problems must be as gratifying as his or her kisses.
3. Be patient. Time and observation often reveal what is beneath the pleasant appearance and attentive touch.

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

Merry Christmas

Found this the other day and it made me laugh. My 3 year old loved it, and I am sure our Middle Schoolers will also.

Judges 15

"Samson was now very thirsty, and he cried out to the LORD, 'You have accomplished this great victory by the strength of your servant. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of these pagans?'"
Samson was physically and emotionally exhausted. After a great personal victory, his attitude declined quickly into self-pity - "Must I die of thirst?" Emotionally, we are most vulnerable after a great effort or when faced with real physical needs. Severe depression often follows great achievements, so don't be surprised if you feel drained after a personal victory.

During these times of vulnerability, avoid the temptation to think that God owes you for your efforts. It was HIS strength that gave you the victory. Concentrate on keeping your attitudes, actions, and words focussed on God instead of yourself!

Judges 14

"Then the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him." v.19
Samson impulsively used the special gift God gave him for selfish purposes. Today, God distributes abilities and skills throughout the church. The apostle Paul states that these gifts are to be used "to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ." To use these abilities for selfish purposes is to rob the church and fellow believers of strength. As you use the gifts God has given you, be sure you are helping others, not just yourself.

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

Judges 13

"When her son was born, she named him Samson. And the Lord blessed him as he grew up. And the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him while he lived in Mahaneh-dan, which is located between the towns of Zorah and Eshtaol. v. 24-25
Samson's tribe, Dan, continued to wander in their inherited land, which was yet unconquered. Samson must have grown up with this warlike tribe's yearnings for a permanent and settled territory. Thus, his visit to the tribal army camp stirred his heart, and God's Spirit began preparing him for hs role as a judge and leader against the Philistines.

Perhaps there are things that stir your heart. These may indicate areas where God wants to use you. God uses a variety of means to develop and prepare us: hereditary traits, environmental influences, and personal experiences. As with Samson, this preparation often begins long before adulthood. Work at being sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading and the tasks God has prepared for you. Your past may be more useful to you than you imagine.

Judges 7

"The Lord said to Gideon, 'You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength.'"v.2
Self-sufficiency is an handicap when it causes us to believe we can do what needs to be done in our own strength. To prevent this attitude among Gideon's soldiers, God reduced their number from 32,000 to 300. With an army this vastly outnumbered, there could be no doubt that victory was from God. The men could not take credit. Like Gideon, we must recognize the danger of fighting in our own strength. We can be confident of victory against life's challenges and temptations only if we put our confidence in Gods and not ourselves.

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

Judges 6

"'Sir,' Gideon replied, 'if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.'” v.13
Gideon questioned God about the problems he he and his nation faced and about God's apparent lack of help. What he didn't acknowledge was the fact that the people had brought calamity upon themselves when they decided to disobey and neglect God. How easy it is to overlook personal accountability and blame problems on God and others. Unfortunately, this does not solve our problems. It brings us no closer to God, and it escorts us to the very edge of rebellion and backsliding.

When problems come, the first place to look is within. Our immediate response should be confession to God of sins that may have created our problems.

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

Judges 4

"After Ehud’s death, the Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight. So the Lord turned them over to King Jabin of Hazor, a Canaanite king. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-haggoyim. Sisera, who had 900 iron chariots, ruthlessly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years. Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help." v.1-3
After 20 years of unbearable circumstances, the Israelites finally cries to the Lord for help. But God should be the first place we turn when we are facing struggles or dilemmas. The Israelites chose to go their own way and got into a mess. We often do the same. Trying to control our own lives without God's help leads to struggle and confusion. By contrast, when we stay in daily contact with the Lord, we are less likely to create painful circumstances for ourselves. This is a lesson the Israelites never fully learned. When struggles come our way, God wants us to come to him first, seeking his strength and guidance.

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

Joshua 24

"'So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.'" v.14-15
The people had to decide whether they would obey the Lord, who had proven his trustworthiness, or obey the local gods, which were only hand-made idols. Talk is cheap. It is easy to say we will follow God, but it is much more important to live like it. It's easy to slip into a quiet rebellion - Going about life in your own way. Joshua told the Israelites to destroy their foreign gods, or idols. To follow God requires destroying whatever gets in the way of worshiping him. We have our own form of idols - greed, wrong priorities, jealousy, prejudices - that get in the way of worshiping God. God is not satisfied if we merely hide these idols. We must completely remove them from our lives. The time comes when you have to choose who or what will control you. The choice is yours. Will is be God, your own limited personality, or another imperfect substitute? Once you have chosen to be controlled by God's Spirit, reaffirm your choice every day.

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

Joshua 23

"'So be very careful to follow everything Moses wrote in the Book of Instruction. Do not deviate from it, turning either to the right or to the left. Make sure you do not associate with the other people still remaining in the land. Do not even mention the names of their gods, much less swear by them or serve them or worship them. Rather, cling tightly to the Lord your God as you have done until now.'" v.6-8
Joshua knew the nation's weak spots. Before dying; he called the people together and gave commands to help hem where they were most likely to slip:
1.) Follow all that is written in the Book of Instruction without turning aside.
2.) Don't associate with the pagan nations or worship their gods.
3.) Don't intermarry with the pagan nations.
These temptations were right in their backyard. Our associations and relationships can be temptations to us as well. It's wise to identify our weak spots before we break down. Then we can develop strategies to overcome these temptations instead of being overcome by them.

Taken from the MLT Life Application Study Bible

Joshua 10:1-15

"So Joshua and his entire army, including his best warriors, left Gilgal and set out for Gibeon. 'Do not be afraid of them,' the Lord said to Joshua, 'for I have given you victory over them. Not a single one of them will be able to stand up to you.'" v.7-8
Joshua's response shows integrity. After having been received by Gibeonites, Joshua and the leaders could have been slow about their attempt to rescue them. Instead, they immediately responded to their call for help. How willing would you be to help someone who had already deceived you, even though you had forgiven him of her? We should take our word just as seriously as Joshua did.

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

Unbelievable Calling

Today as I put the final touches and thoughts to my talk for tomorrow called an “Unbelievable Calling”, which is part 2 of a series we are calling the “Unbelievable Christmas”, I can’t help but think about how this story, history, has impacted my story.

Tomorrow, we are specifically looking at Luke 1:26-38, where Gabriel tells Mary she has been chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus. At first, she was she was confused as to how this could happen, but in verse 38, Mary simply responds saying, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true”. Please keep in mind; the text doesn’t say that Gabriel told Mary everything that would happen. She simply knew what she was told, that by the power of the Holy Spirit, she was going to become pregnant. She held to the truth that “Nothing is impossible with God.” This fact alone was enough for Mary causing her to put total trust in God alone.

Like Mary, many of us have accepted God’s unbelievable call to work with teenagers. We didn’t know why or how God would use us. We simply trusted that He was calling us to something greater than ourselves. We knew deep within our hearts that nothing was/is impossible with God. So we set out to work with students!

Little did we know that this calling would be full of ups and downs, we simply trusted God with the details of our lives. Had we known that . . . we would wonder if we were truly making an impact in the lives of teenagers, we would be criticized for trying things differently, not everyone would see things the way we see them, we would make mistakes, sometimes the people that are closest to us are the ones that hurt us the most, lock-ins are really long (and from the devil), that we aren’t invincible, that some students just won’t like us, leadership takes work, bigger isn’t always better, that students have a mind or their own no matter how many times we teach on a subject, Satan would attack our family, we would feel alone, that we would question our calling, ministry was messy, we would not receive a lot of encouragement, we would have sleepless nights thinking about all the things that need to be done, and the list goes on and on, would we have still trusted God to use us?

If Mary had known all the details, would she have responded the way she did? If God had revealed every detail to us, would we have responded the way we did?

If God had revealed every detail it would eliminate the element of faith. When God calls us, He simply asks us to step out in faith. As we step out in faith, we trust He is using us, somehow, somewhere, and in someone, to make a difference for eternity. If somehow, God would use me, and you, to make a difference in someone’s life for eternity, than this unbelievable calling is well worth it!

You have an Unbelievable Calling! God chooses to use people like us to do unbelievable things, not because we are great, but because He is great. The fact is, He has chosen you in an unbelievable way, so He can do unbelievable things through you. The next time discouragement comes knocking at your hearts door, remember, “Nothing is impossible with God.”

Joshua 7

"'Get up! Command the people to purify themselves in preparation for tomorrow. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Hidden among you, O Israel, are things set apart for the Lord. You will never defeat your enemies until you remove these things from among you.'" v.13
Things to be "set apart" refers to all the clothing, cattle and other plunder that God said to Israel should destroy when they conquered Jericho. It was not that they found a good use something that was going to be thrown out anyway. This was a serious offense because it was in direct defiance of an explicit command of God. Notice the results of Achan's sin:
1.) Many men died 7:5
2.) Israel's army melted in fear 7:5
3.) Joshua questioned God 7:7-9
4.) God threatened to withdraw his presence from the people 7:12
5.) Achan and his family had to be destroyed 7:24-26

When Israel eliminated the sin from their community, these were the results:
1.) God's encouragement 8:1
2.) God's presents in battle 8:1
3.) God's guidance and promise of victory 8:2
4.) God's permission to keep the plunder and livestock from the battle for themselves 8:2
Throughout Israel's history, blessings came when the people got rid of their sin. You will experience blessings when you turn from your sin and follow God's plan wholeheartedly.

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

Joshua 5:13-6:27

"Now the gates of Jericho were tightly shut because the people were afraid of the Israelites. No one was allowed to go out or in. But the Lord said to Joshua, 'I have given you Jericho, its king, and all its strong warriors. You and your fighting men should march around the town once a day for six days. Seven priests will walk ahead of the Ark, each carrying a ram’s horn. On the seventh day you are to march around the town seven times, with the priests blowing the horns. When you hear the priests give one long blast on the rams’ horns, have all the people shout as loud as they can. Then the walls of the town will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the town.'"
God told Joshua that Jericho was already delivered into his hands - the enemy was already defeated! What confidence Joshua must have had as he went into battle! Christians also fight against a defeated enemy. Our enemy, Satan, has been defeated by Christ. Although we still fight battles every day and sin runs rampant in the world, we have the assurance that the war has already been won. e do not have to be paralyzed by the power of a defeated enemy; we can over-come him through Christ's power.

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

Joshua 3

"So Joshua told the Israelites, 'Come and listen to what the Lord your God says.'" v.9
Just before crossing over into the Promised Land, Joshua gathered the people to hear the words of the Lord. Their excitement was high. No doubt they wanted to rush on, but Joshua made them stop and listen. We live in a fast-paced age where everyone rushes just to keep up. It is easy to get caught up in our tasks, becoming too busy for what God says is most important - listening to his words. Before making your schedule, take time to focus on what God wants from all your activities. Knowing what God has said before you rush into your day can help you avoid foolish mistakes.

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

Joshua 2

Before the spies went to sleep that night, Rahab went up on the roof to talk with them. 'I know the Lord has given you this land,' she told them. 'We are all afraid of you. Everyone in the land is living in terror. For we have heard how the Lord made a dry path for you through the Red Sea[b] when you left Egypt. And we know what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River, whose people you completely destroyed. No wonder our hearts have melted in fear! No one has the courage to fight after hearing such things. For the Lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.'" v.8-11
Many would assume that Rahab - a pagan, a Canaanite, and a prostitute - would never be interested in God. Yet Rahab was willing to risk everything she had for a God she barely knew. We must not gauge a person's interest in God by his or her background, life-style, or appearance. We should let nothing get in the way of our telling people the Good News.

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

Joshua 1

'"Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.'" v. 6-9
Many people think that prosperity and success come from having power, influential personal contacts, and a relentless desire to get ahead. But the strategy for gaining prosperity that God taught Joshua goes against such criteria. He said that to succeed Joshua must
1. be strong and courageous because the task ahead would not be easy
2. obey God's law
3. constantly read and study the Book of Instruction - God's Word - The Bible
To be successful, follow God's words to Joshua. You may not succeed by the world's standards, but you will be a success in God's eyes - and his opinion is most important.

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

Deuteronomy 34

There has never been another prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. v.10
Moses was the only person who ever spoke with God face to face. He was called Israel's greatest prophet. Yet even this great man was not allowed to enter the Promised Land because he disobeyed God. No matter how good we are or how much we've done for God, we sometimes disobey him. The result of our disobedience is that we will be disciplined. God disciplined Moses severely but still called him his friend. When you experience the sting of God's discipline, respond as Moses did. Don't turn away in anger, embarrassment. Instead, turn toward God with love, openness, and desire to do better.

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible.

Deuteronomy 31

Then Moses called for Joshua, and as all Israel watched, he said to him, 'Be strong and courageous! For you will lead these people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors he would give them. You are the one who will divide it among them as their grants of land. 8 Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you'" v.7-8
Moses had taken the people has far as he could (knowing he is a bout to die) and it was time for him to pass the leadership baton to someone else. Moses selects and commissions Joshua to be the new leader. Joshia has been watching and learning from Moses for sometime and exhibits qualities of leadership, faith, and confidence. The important lesson here is that Moses had prepared someone to take his place when he would no longer be there. Who am I preparing for leadership in case of my absence?

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

Deuteronomy 30

"The Lord your God will delight in you if you obey his voice and keep the commands and decrees written in this Book of Instruction, and if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and soul." v.10
God delights in us when we obey his commands. Just like we delight in our kids when they obey. So what about when we don't listen to God's commands . . . does he throw us to the curb? The answer is no. When my son doesn't obey me, I have to correct him. I don't delight in his misbehavior, in fact, it make me angry that he isn't listening. Do I love him less in these times . . . NO. I still love him very much but I have to discipline his bad behavior so it doesn't lead to more bad behavior. God does the same with us, I am thankful that He is a patient God, aren't you!!!

"'Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster. For I command you this day to love the Lord your God and to keep his commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in his ways. If you do this, you will live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy.
But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and if you are drawn away to serve and worship other gods, then I warn you now that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live a long, good life in the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy.
Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! 20 You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This[b] is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.'" v.15-20
Moses challenged Isreal to choose life, to obey God, and therefore to continue to experience his blessings. God doesn't force his will on anyone. He lets us decide whether to follow him or reject him. This decision, however, is a life-or-death matter. God wants us to realize this, for he would like us all to choose life. Daily, in each new situation, we must affirm and reinforce this commitment.

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible