The Christian Woman Chronicles
Your "One Stop Shop" for inspirational and informational resources, worship, daily prayer points, Bible studies, and discussions. Thank You for stopping by! I hope you find something worth coming back for!
Today's Prayer Point
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Elohim, Supreme God, all our greatness is wrapped up in You. In You we are supremely victorious.
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Each day's Prayer Point is all about strengthening our walk with God and others!
View previously tweeted #daily #prayer #points at the very bottom of this page.
Follow on twitter @CWCDailyPP and tweet your own prayer points to share with Believers just like yourself!
View previously tweeted #daily #prayer #points at the very bottom of this page.
Follow on twitter @CWCDailyPP and tweet your own prayer points to share with Believers just like yourself!
Bible Study Blog and Discussions
Designed to encourage Christian Women toward in-depth personal Bible study.
- Gain a deeper understanding of God's Word
- Mature from milk to the meat of The Word
- Insightful discussions and thoughtful personal reflection
- Challenge for the Christian Woman's Living
Summer 2017
"Goals in God"
August 15 through September 5, 2017
Theme Passage: "...The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build..." ~Nehemiah 2:20(b)(NKJV)
Week One: Prayer, Nehemiah 1 (NIV)
"The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah:
In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem. They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.” When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. Then I said: “Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses. “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’ “They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.” I was cupbearer to the king."
I know it is unusual for me to actually share the wording of an entire chapter we are studying, but I felt that this one was important. Let's look at why...
1. Do you have a vision? What about a burden? Sunday my pastor made a statement that was intriguing to me. He said, "A vision will wake you up early, and a burden will keep you up late" or something to that effect. I'm sure that sometimes it may be the other way around, but the point is this, the first thing we notice from Nehemiah chapter 1 is that he had a burden AND a vision. When he heard that things were not going well or as expected, he didn't just settle for his burden. He allowed his burden to develop into a vision. Ha may have asked himself, "If no one else will do it, why don't I?" This is especially important because Nehemiah was born as a slave and had never been to Jerusalem in his life. What made him think his vision could actually come to pass? The answer is: His burden.
2. The first thing Nehemiah did after he allowed his burden to turn into vision was to pray! I could say nothing or everything on this statement alone. What I will do is point out some important, and probably already familiar aspects of Nehemiah's prayer that we can all learn from as we approach our Goals in God:
A. Verses 5-6a: He was humble. This may seem like a given, but in today's independent and "self-made" culture, it is getting harder and harder to find those who will come to God in prayer with true humility. We also see in these verses Nehemiah's burden keeping him up and vision waking him up with the words, "...hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night..." Nehemiah acknowledged that not only was God great and faithful, but asked for God's attention...he didn't assume or presume. Now we know that scripture says that if we ask anything in Jesus' name, He will do it (John 14:13), but Nehemiah's need for this extra layer of humility is reveal in his next statement.
B. Verses 6b-7: He confessed sin. The humility and vulnerability in Nehemiah's confession underscores why he felt the need to ask for God's attention. Sin stands between God and His people. It breaks our fellowship with Him and with one another. The 10 commandments are about more than just keeping a bunch of rules. They are designed to help mankind stay in good relationship with God and each other.
C. Verses 8-9: He reminded God of His promise. Nehemiah may have been born a slave, and have never stepped foot in Jerusalem or the Temple, but he knew enough of God's law that he could remind God and stand in confidence of His promises.
D. Verses 7-9: He was specific. Nehemiah was specific in his confession of sin as well as his reminder to God of His promise.
E. Verses 10-11: He reminded God once again of his great need for God and humbly asked for God's favor.
What is your burden? Your vision? Have you allowed your burden to form into a vision, or are you just carrying the burden? Have you allowed your burden to fuel your vision? Have you allowed your vision to be the answer to a very specific burden? Why not pray like Nehemiah did and see what God does in your heart? In which area of Nehemiah's prayer do you struggle the most?
In the 2017 Summer Session section below, please feel free to login and comment your thoughts, questions, and answers under Week One of the Study. I would love to hear from you! If you would NOT like your responses made public, please use the Contact Form following the Participant's Section, or email me at cwc@costlyoillp.org, and they will be posted anonymously.
In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem. They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.” When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. Then I said: “Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses. “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’ “They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.” I was cupbearer to the king."
I know it is unusual for me to actually share the wording of an entire chapter we are studying, but I felt that this one was important. Let's look at why...
1. Do you have a vision? What about a burden? Sunday my pastor made a statement that was intriguing to me. He said, "A vision will wake you up early, and a burden will keep you up late" or something to that effect. I'm sure that sometimes it may be the other way around, but the point is this, the first thing we notice from Nehemiah chapter 1 is that he had a burden AND a vision. When he heard that things were not going well or as expected, he didn't just settle for his burden. He allowed his burden to develop into a vision. Ha may have asked himself, "If no one else will do it, why don't I?" This is especially important because Nehemiah was born as a slave and had never been to Jerusalem in his life. What made him think his vision could actually come to pass? The answer is: His burden.
2. The first thing Nehemiah did after he allowed his burden to turn into vision was to pray! I could say nothing or everything on this statement alone. What I will do is point out some important, and probably already familiar aspects of Nehemiah's prayer that we can all learn from as we approach our Goals in God:
A. Verses 5-6a: He was humble. This may seem like a given, but in today's independent and "self-made" culture, it is getting harder and harder to find those who will come to God in prayer with true humility. We also see in these verses Nehemiah's burden keeping him up and vision waking him up with the words, "...hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night..." Nehemiah acknowledged that not only was God great and faithful, but asked for God's attention...he didn't assume or presume. Now we know that scripture says that if we ask anything in Jesus' name, He will do it (John 14:13), but Nehemiah's need for this extra layer of humility is reveal in his next statement.
B. Verses 6b-7: He confessed sin. The humility and vulnerability in Nehemiah's confession underscores why he felt the need to ask for God's attention. Sin stands between God and His people. It breaks our fellowship with Him and with one another. The 10 commandments are about more than just keeping a bunch of rules. They are designed to help mankind stay in good relationship with God and each other.
C. Verses 8-9: He reminded God of His promise. Nehemiah may have been born a slave, and have never stepped foot in Jerusalem or the Temple, but he knew enough of God's law that he could remind God and stand in confidence of His promises.
D. Verses 7-9: He was specific. Nehemiah was specific in his confession of sin as well as his reminder to God of His promise.
E. Verses 10-11: He reminded God once again of his great need for God and humbly asked for God's favor.
What is your burden? Your vision? Have you allowed your burden to form into a vision, or are you just carrying the burden? Have you allowed your burden to fuel your vision? Have you allowed your vision to be the answer to a very specific burden? Why not pray like Nehemiah did and see what God does in your heart? In which area of Nehemiah's prayer do you struggle the most?
In the 2017 Summer Session section below, please feel free to login and comment your thoughts, questions, and answers under Week One of the Study. I would love to hear from you! If you would NOT like your responses made public, please use the Contact Form following the Participant's Section, or email me at cwc@costlyoillp.org, and they will be posted anonymously.
Bible Study Blog Participant's Section
The Christian Woman Chronicles Bible Study Blog is meant to promote and encourage individual study of God's Word, while also providing a forum to exchange insights and answers to life in God's Word. I will be including some reflective questions to help us in our personal study time. These questions are optional and are in no way exclusive. Please feel free to share as little or as much as you feel comfortable. You may also reply privately via the contact form at the bottom of this page, or via email to cwc@costlyoillp.org.
Each week I will open our study with the study passage for that week, list a few study questions, and then be back in a couple of days to post and share my personal findings.
Please submit your questions and comments for the study under the specified "Forum" tab in the Participant's Section of this page. If you would NOT like your responses made public, please use the Contact Form below, or email me at cwc@costlyoillp.org, and they will be posted anonymously.
I pray that many will join me in building on the foundation that has already been built, which is Christ Jesus. As you do, I say thank you for joining us as we have God's Word opened up to us through study and revelation from The Holy Spirit!
With Great Expectation,
Dawn~
Each week I will open our study with the study passage for that week, list a few study questions, and then be back in a couple of days to post and share my personal findings.
Please submit your questions and comments for the study under the specified "Forum" tab in the Participant's Section of this page. If you would NOT like your responses made public, please use the Contact Form below, or email me at cwc@costlyoillp.org, and they will be posted anonymously.
I pray that many will join me in building on the foundation that has already been built, which is Christ Jesus. As you do, I say thank you for joining us as we have God's Word opened up to us through study and revelation from The Holy Spirit!
With Great Expectation,
Dawn~
Reply below for Private (Anonymous) Responses
Worship
Some of my favorite songs of Worship to compliment daily devotions and study of God's Word
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Resources for Christian Living
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~Two NEW products designed to help Christians fulfill their God-given dreams and visions. Watch the video to the right.
~Mentoring Moments for Christian Women, an inspirational blog site to help mentor Christian women toward greater spiritual and practical living ~TGIF Daily Devotional for Workplace Believers. Receive wisdom and encouragement to live out your Faith at work ~FREE Online Spiritual Gift Questionnaire from Ephesians Four Ministries |
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Daily Prayer Points for Believers (Archives)
Alabaster II Original Artwork painted by Jun Jamosmos, www.jamosmos.com
Artwork and Design, Copyright 2014 Costly Oil LP. All Rights Reserved.
Artwork and Design, Copyright 2014 Costly Oil LP. All Rights Reserved.
