No. 1 – Introduction
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God loves women! All through the Bible He has given wisdom for us to respond, react and reign in every situation of our whole lives. These twenty-nine women we will look at in this study will encourage us to love God more, draw closer to Him and see how great is His mercy and faithfulness. We cannot do anything that will make Him love us more than He does today, and nothing we do will make Him love us less.
Salvation is not just so we can have a ticket to heaven but it is for us to be whole people, spirit, body, and soul (mind, will and emotions).
When God created the earth with a word from His mouth it says in Genesis 2:7 that “the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into His nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” The word ‘formed’ means squeezed together, whereas in Genesis 2:18 it says “The Lord God said “It is not good for the man to be alone, I will make a helper (giver of aid and assistance) suitable (to surround) for him” then in Genesis 2:22 it says “Then the Lord God made (carefully handcrafted) a woman from the rib He had taken out of the man, and He brought her to the man… For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united (cleave = never stop chasing) to his wife and they will become one flesh” Genesis 2:24. The bond with our partner should be greater than with our parents. The ‘one flesh’ is not just a physical union. There is so much more to marital oneness than the sexual union, 1 Corinthians 6:16-20. We are to be one in every way, Hebrews 13:4, sharing our deepest thoughts, our choices and our emotions.
It is vital that we look at sex from the Bible perspective. It does not teach that sex in itself is sin, but God-created, God-ordained and God-blessed. God gave us the physical magnetism between the sexes for an expression of Eros love and multiplication of the human race, Genesis 1:28; Psalm 127:3-5. Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Glorify God in your body.
So God went to a lot of trouble when making women. They were delicately balanced in every part of their being, as whole persons. In the love relationship that God intended, we can expect to have a truly beautiful, intimate time, Song of Songs 2:3-13; Song of Songs 7:1-13; Proverbs 5:17-19.
We can all be ‘Real Women’ today, not moulded to the world’s pattern of success, or sex objects, but moulded to the pattern laid down in the Word (Psalm 139; John 10:10), which gives complete fulfilment in this life and amazing blessings in the life to come. We are REAL;
R = Royal, 1 Peter 2:9; Righteous, 2 Corinthians 5:21; Responsible 1 Corinthians 7:23-24.
E = Eternal, John 10:28; Expectant, Romans 8:19; Excited, 2 Corinthians 4:13-18; Excellent, Titus 3:8.
A = Adoring, Psalm 95:6-7; Altogether, Luke 10:42; Attentive, Ephesians 6:7.
L = Loving, Hebrews 6:10; Loyal, John 13:35; Long-suffering, Galatians 5:22; Laughing, Luke 6:21-22:
Are you REAL or religious?
As we look at this new challenge we can look at lives from long ago written about in the Bible. God thought they were so important that their names are recorded down through history and we can see that women from all walks of life had joys and sorrows, victories and failures. We can learn from their lives, what we need to know to live in our own amazing time in history.
This is the last of the last days, so we know that life is not easy for anyone. As we look to the Maker’s instructions, we can see that there is an answer for every problem if we will only make a quality decision to respond and to obey whatever the Bible and the Holy Spirit tell us to do.
In this new series, we shall be looking at the lives of many women and the lessons we can learn in order to apply the same principles to our own lives.
As we look at these women we need to look at:
- Their lifestyle.
- What challenge is there for me today?
- What do I have to change?
- What encouragement is there for me?
- Can I use this revelation to help someone else?
It is so vital that, as we look at the Word, we understand that it is in order to grow in our spirit and our relationship with God, rather than head knowledge which is foolish, Matthew 7:24-29.
We expect that by the time we complete these studies:
– we will all know our Father much better, Ephesians 1:17-18.
– be on far more personal terms with Him, Psalm 73:25.
– have dealt with areas of our lives that have held us back for years, 2 John 5 and
– be able to walk more closely with the Holy Spirit on a daily basis, Ephesians 1:19.
– we will have seen amazing miracles John 14:12 and
– be surrounded by the favour of God. Psalm 90:17; Psalm 5:12.
There is a great sense of urgency and excitement that the last Revival (Joel 2:28-32), that so many are expecting, is just around the corner. So it will not be long before Jesus comes back for His beautiful Bride, the Church.
In ‘Joy for Life’ we are responsible to prepare a place where all women can receive spiritual food, refreshment, and encouragement. When Revival comes, we will already be in place to receive all newcomers, so that they can be nurtured and can grow in a very ideal atmosphere. This is like preparing a nursery for the new baby in order to make the situation just right for the baby to grow to its full potential. “We are called to go into the world and make disciples of all Nations, baptising them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you….” Matthew 28:19.
“The reason the Son of God was made manifest (visible) was to undo (destroy, loosen, dissolve) the works of the devil.” 1 John 3:8 Amp. What is our reason for being here?
So make the decision for change today and take a note of your God given plans, so that you can keep referring to them to encourage yourself.
No. 1 – Introduction – Challenge Questions
1. Read the introductory notes; is there anything that has spoken to you? Can you make a definite decision to look at the Word each week and make a commitment today to make any changes that are necessary to fulfil that commitment? Faith is always active!
2. What areas of your life do you expect to have changed when you have completed the course? (E.g. your relationship with God, with other people; health; tongue; temper; finances etc.)
Read Genesis 1:26-31.
3. What was the pattern that God used when He made man? Who was present at the making of man?
4. What jobs were given to man?
5. How did God feel about what He had made on the sixth day?
Read Genesis 2:15-25.
6. What was the rule that Adam had to obey, in the Garden of Eden?
7. How did God create woman?
Read Genesis 3:1-20.
8. What was the situation that Eve lived in before she ate the fruit?
9. Who do you think was the serpent? See Isaiah 14:12-15 AMP
10. What was the serpent’s first tactic when deceiving Eve?
11. Is he around today? Give an example.
12. What difference did the Fall of Eve and Adam make to their life?
13. What curses did God give to the woman because of her disobedience?
14. Choose one verse from this whole study in Genesis and learn it by heart.
15. Is there anything you have learned from this study that is new for you? How will you apply this to your life?
16. Review the whole study about Eve and write one short sentence to sum up what happened here.