Soaping Through Proverb 31, Verses 3-4 & Feminine Friday Link-Up Party!

Scripture:
Do not give your strength to women, Or your ways to that which destroys kings.  It is not for kings, O Lemuel, It is not for kings to drink wine, Or for rulers to desire strong drink,   –Proverbs 31:3-4

Observation:
Lemuel’s mother warns him against women who would draw his mind and body away from leading his people and from all ways which would destroy his leadership.  She also warns him to avoid strong drink which could effect the way he leads his people.

Application:
Leaders and people who are to set a Christian example for others should avoid any person, manner of speaking, actions and even strong drink –any addiction–which might hamper our leadership roles or even our Christian witness.  We cannot be effective leaders and witnesses if we let something unwholesome control us.

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.  Philipians 4:8 NASB

Prayer:
Father God, thank You for Your Word that instructs us on righteousness.  It is good to have it, so we always know what is right and wrong in Your eyes.  “Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:11).  Help me, Father, to hide Your word in my heart so that I may know it inside-out and up-and-down.  We learn Your ways through the Scriptures.  Father, I ask that You keep my heart pure, so I may do Your work more effectively.  Protect me from those things that would lead me astray.  Shoe me the sinful areas of my life which are preventing me from being an effective witness.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

How can we prevent worldly things and addictions from controlling us?
Please share your thoughts!
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Feminine Friday is a weekly Link-Up Party all about those things that make a Christian woman feminine and girly! We are looking for all your fashion, hair/make-up tips, articles about being a Christian woman–pretty much any thing about being “girly” from a Christian woman’s standpoint! If it’s about Christian women, we want you to share it! Please join in the fun and do a little blog hopping! This is a fun way to discover new blogs and make some new friends. Leave a link to ANY AND ALL of your “feminine” blog posts.

Instructions:

1. Post a link to your feminine posts to the linky below. Simply click on the text link that says: You are next… Click here to enter
2. Enter your DIRECT link to the post you wish to share and fill out the remaining information requested.
3. You may enter as many links as you desire.
4. You MAY link to other link-ups, giveaways, and reviews..
5. Once you post a link to your blog post, please place a text link or use the graphic below to link back to the Feminine Friday Link-Up Party. You should have a link to this link-up part on EACH post you share here.
6. Be sure to also click “like” on any article you liked to vote for that article. I will be featuring the most popular articles next week on the blog and my Facebook page!
7. Have fun! I can’t wait to see what links you leave behind!

If you would like to use the graphic below, simply cut and paste the html coding out of the box below the graphics to quickly link back to here.

Linking To: Modest Monday, Mama Moments Mondays, Better Mom Mondays, Welcome Home Link-Up, Titus 2sday, Making a Home, Domestically Divine Tuesday, Teach Me Tuesday, Titus 2 Tuesday,

Wednesday in the Word – Luke 15

This year, I’m working my way through the New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs.  My friend Sam over at Sam’s Noggin has started a link up called Wednesday in the Word and I’ve decided to participate each Wednesday.  I’m currently in Luke and today my scheduled reading was Luke 15. For my Wednesday in the Word posts I will share my SOAP for that day.  I will share what I’m learning in the Word with you and I hope that if you have any insights that I’ve missed that you will share them with me.  I’m not a Bible expert…just a simple woman trying to understand God’s truths.  So, without further ado, here is my SOAP for Luke 15.

Scripture:

“And he said to him, ‘Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours.  But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.'”  Luke 15:31-32.

Observation:

The story of the prodigal son.  A father celebrates the return of his son who left his home with all he had and lived it up in the “big city”.  Son, loses it all and returns home humbled and ready to serve in his father’s house as a servant.  Father welcomes him home with open arms and a party.  Brother who never left, is jealous and upset that the wastrel brother is celebrated while he, the one that stuck around is not.  Father explains that they should celebrate because he has returned to the fold and is no longer lost or possibly dead.

Application:

When a person comes to Christ, I want to celebrate and raise that person up.  To be available to help and mentor them.  They need the attention more, because they still have so much to learn and lack the Spiritual maturity of an older Christian (not in physical age but Spiritual age).  We celebrate with them and encourage them to prepare good soil for  their “seed” of faith to fall into.  Good soil produces good “seeds” that grow, increase and yield greatly.

“Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow; as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up. “Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil.  “And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.  “Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.  “Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”  (Mark 4:3-8)

Prayer:

Father God,  help me to always celebrate when a lost soul comes to you. Help me to be there to help them mature Spiritually and grown in You Word.  I want to be an encourager and be with them as the “seed” of their faith grows.  I want to see it increase and be blessed by the yield that tiny seed produces.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Linking to: Wednesday in the Word, Proverbs 31 Thursday, Inspiration Friday, Feasting in Fellowship Friday, Making Your Home Sing Monday, Modest Monday, Mama Moments Mondays, Better Mom Mondays, Welcome Home Monday, A Handful of Heart Monday, Monday’s Musings, Encourage My Heart Tuesday, Domestically Divine Tuesday, Gratituesday, Thankful Homemaker Tuesday, On Your Heart Tuesday, Teach Me Tuesday, Titus 2sday,

Wednesday in the Word

Over the next year, I’ve committed to reading the entire New Testament, Proverbs and Psalms.  Basically I’m reading 1 chapter per day (or about 2 psalms).  I’m using the Daily Light Reading Plan – New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs found on Heartlight  So, my friend Sam over at Sam’s Noggin has started a link up called Wednesday in the Word and I’ve decided to participate each Wednesday.  I’ve used the SOAP method before, but I’ve kind of forgotten about it here lately.  For my Wednesday in the Word posts I will share my SOAP for that day.  I will share what I’m learning in the Word with you and I hope that if you have any insights that I’ve missed that you will share them with me.  I’m not a Bible expert…just a simple woman trying to understand God’s truths.  So, without further ado, here is my SOAP for the day:

Scripture:

discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you, delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech, who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness, who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perverseness of evil, men whose paths are  crooked, and who are devious in their ways. Proverbs 2:11-15

Observation:

Reading and understanding Scripture is the only real way to keep our path in righteousness.  If we don’t know what Scripture says on a subject, we will easily be led astray by the perverted speech of those who wish to deceive us.  We need to be as the Bereans.

Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.  Acts 17:11

Application:

I need to actively be in the Word daily.  I need to compare all my beliefs to Scripture to see if they are sound and righteous.  I need to search the Scriptures to verify I am doing what is true and right.  This will prevent me from being led astray by those who wish to pervert God’s Word.

Prayer:

Father God, help me to carve out time each day to spend in Your Word.  Show me the things I need to learn and show men errors in my beliefs.  Help me to grow in the knowledge of Your Word and to apply it to my daily life.  Show me those in my life who would try to pervert me from Your truths.  Help me to walk the paths of uprightness.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Want to join us?  Post your SOAP on your blog and then hop over to Sam’s Noggin and join in the linky!

Linking up to: Wednesday in the Word, Mama Moments Monday, Modest Mondays,