129th Week, Deuteronomy Chapters 20-23 (Click on title for Video Intro)

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Click on Title for Video Introduction

 

Monday, Deuteronomy Chapter 20A (Verses 1-4)
Deuteronomy 20A
Mindy Strayer
Verse 1

Verse 1:  When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you.

THOUGHT
God tells us NOT to fear when we face our enemies because He is with us. I have read that FEAR stands for “False Evidence Appearing Real.” Jesus says that Satan is the father of all lies (falsehoods). Satan tries to use fear to get us to run away from that which God has called us to do, and he uses
it to prevent us from receiving all the blessings that God has in store for us. When we go to war against our enemies we are probably not going to see horses, chariots, and a great big army but there will be something in their place.

How do we fight fear? We don’t run away from it. We stand strong. We meditate on it and speak out God’s Word. This will unleash the tremendous power of God in our lives. When we pray in Jesus name, the devil must flee.  We trust God, have faith and believe that He will do what He says He will
do. Saints, we are told to fear God and nothing else.

PRAYER
Lord, some of us are living our lives under the devil’s oppression on us with the spirit of fear. Help us to face our fear head on knowing that You will uphold us and strengthen us. Oh God, help us to stand strong in our faith and not run from our enemies. Help us, Lord, to remember all of the times when You brought us out of darkness, when You turned our situation around, when You turned our sorrow into joy.  I pray that remembering would strengthen our faith. Your Word, Oh God, says that there is no fear in love and that perfect love, Your love, drives out all fear. Remind us of how much You love us. You love us so much that You sent Your only Son to die for our sins so that we might forever live with You. Thank You, Lord, for Your continued presence in our lives. May our lives bring honor and glory to Your Name. AMEN


Tuesday, Deuteronomy Chapter 21
Deuteronomy 21
Mindy Strayer
Verses 1-9

THOUGHT
I think our study Bible commentary hits it best. In these verses God is pointing out the need for the whole community to feel a keen sense of responsibility for what was going on around them and to move to correct any situations that were potentially harmful—physically, socially, or morally.

This is a hard one for me because I tend to want to take the backseat and not get involved in situations where wrong is being done. But God says that we need to be responsible citizens and care enough to move into action and help prevent more harm in the future. I think that this can be hard for lots of Christians because we want to stay wrapped up in God’s refuge, His protection, safe from harm. We will pray; but blood, sweat, tears, and ‘rubber-to-the-road’, is where it really gets tough. 

When bad situations arise, we need to pray to the Lord to guide us in our involvement. His Holy Spirit will lead us along the path we are to take. And then step out in faith and walk it out! I need to hear this message today!

PRAYER
Lord, this is a challenging message for some of us to hear. Please God embolden us with holy courage and a heart that cares enough to step out and be responsible members of the community in which we live. God, we trust that You will provide all of the tools that we need in order to help make a wrong a right. For Your Glory. AMEN


Wednesday, Deuteronomy Chapter 22
Deuteronomy 22
Mindy Strayer

THOUGHT
Chapter 22 was so varied in its content. Going from returning your neighbors lost possessions, to men and woman staying within their God designed role of male/female, to very practical everyday living
instructions, to a large section on marriage and various sin that can surround it. Some of the content could be taken straightforward and applied right away, and some of the content required a little more
spiritual meditation. 

I found this chapter a good example of how God really does think of it all. His Word always has the answer to our questions. Sometimes we can find the answer right away and sometimes we need to probe a little further and meditate on the Word of God before we get our answer. Lots of times the toughest questions require the most amounts of spiritual meditation and prayer with God. We have to dig a little deeper into the Bible and wait patiently for the Holy Spirit to speak to us.

PRAYER
God, thank You for Your word that provides us with direction on how to know You and how to live a holy life. Thank goodness that, Lord, You know it ALL.  You hold all of the answers to any question we will ever have. Lord, be with our friends and family who are suffering from disease and hardship.  Lord, bring them a word of encouragement and let them all know how much You love and care for them, and that You are with them through every hardship. Do this all for Your Glory, oh God, that Your Name would be lifted up in praise. We ask these things in the Mighty Name of Jesus. AMEN


Thursday, Deuteronomy Chapter 23
Deuteronomy 23 
Verse 23
Mindy Strayer

Verse 23:  Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do, because you made your vow freely to the Lord your God with your own mouth.

THOUGHT
Keeping good on your word and in a timely manner is something that I struggle with. Not because I cannot fulfill the vow, but because I choose to be lazy about moving to get it done. This is a sin. Not fulfilling a vow to the Lord is wrong and not fulfilling a vow to another person is also wrong because Jesus said, “whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” God takes it personally when we break our promises to Him and to His people.

Notice that what makes a vow a vow is when we speak it aloud. Verbally speaking aloud seals the deal, makes it valid and real. This made me think of our prayer lives. I can pray in my head, and I know that God hears me.  But there is something powerful that happens when we pray aloud to our Father. To me at least my prayer feels more real, like Jesus and I are physically facing each other and having a heart to heart conversation.
 
God gave us a voice so that we could speak. Surely He wants to HEAR our voice praying to Him. Praying out loud is not always appropriate, but I want to challenge us, myself included, to try this when it is just Jesus and ourselves. Let’s see how God will open new doors in our prayer lives.

PRAYER
Lord, thank You for giving us lips, a mouth, and a voice to be able to speak freely to You. Lord, help us to step out in faith and take our prayer life with You to another level. Thank You for the reminder of the importance and great responsibility we have when we make a promise to someone. Holy Spirit, would You guide us in our vow making, speaking into our hearts the will of God the Father. And, Father, please bless us with the grace to carry it through. God, I pray Your Power over any laziness that we may have in keeping our word to both You and other people. I ask these things in Jesus Name. AMEN



Friday, Deuteronomy Chapter 24
Deuteronomy 24
Verses 19
Jeanie Boldt

Verses 19: Cursed are those who withhold justice from the alien, the fatherless or the widow.  

THOUGHT
The Lord had a very special concern for the poor, and He depended on the generosity of His people to meet their needs. He promised to bless all who showed compassion to aliens, widows, and orphans. At times our world appears to be “ME WORLD”. We have become so selfish. I pray as Salt Shakers we will think of others who are less fortunate than we ourselves. What small act of kindness will help another this week? May each of you be blessed.

PRAYER
Father God, we praise You in all things. Guide us to humble ourselves and help those who are lonely, hungry, angry, lost in this world or have no place to call their home. May a small portion of what we have bless someone else in a very special way this week. I pray that each Salt Shaker may individually be given an event or time that we can leave a small part of our blessing for another be it money, a kind word, an act of service, a meal, a warm place to rest for a while or just friendship. Prepare those situations for us.  May we focus on Your Love and Your Grace and Mercy.  AMEN













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