Diet Bible Study

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I am telling you completely give up dieting. Completely give up condemning your self for overeating. I know this is a scary concept, just to give it up and not be in control, but trying so hard to stop dieting has created the addiction. The more people try to diet, the fatter they get. Being overweight doesn't mean you are weaker than thin folks are, it just means you have tried harder to lose weight. Don’t believe me? Continue reading Romans 7 4 Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God. 5 For when we were in the flesh, THE SINFUL PASSIONS WHICH WERE AROUSED BY THE LAW were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. 6 But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.

7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. 9 I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. 10 And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. 11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. 12 Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.

13 Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful. 14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. 16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.

21 I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. 22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am!

Even Paul struggled with sin, we tend to think of him as “Saint Paul,” but he was a sinner saved by grace just like you and me. He goes through his list of sins in frustration with himself, then just as it seems he will be lost to hopelessness of ever recovering he ask in the last part of verse 24, Who will deliver me from this body of death? Ah… then he remembers, 25I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.

It’s a little hard to understand these verses in the New King James version; I like how the Message interprets it. The Message version was translated from the original ancient Greek in today’s English rhythms and idioms.

1-3 You shouldn't have any trouble understanding this, friends, for you know all the ins and outs of the law—how it works and how its power touches only the living. For instance, a wife is legally tied to her husband while he lives, but if he dies, she's free. If she lives with another man while her husband is living, she's obviously an adulteress. But if he dies, she is quite free to marry another man in good conscience, with no one's disapproval.

4-6 So, my friends, this is something like what has taken place with you. When Christ died he took that entire rule-dominated way of life down with him and left it in the tomb, leaving you free to "marry" a resurrection life and bear "offspring" of faith for God. For as long as we lived that old way of life, doing whatever we felt we could get away with, sin was calling most of the shots as the old law code hemmed us in. And this made us all the more rebellious. In the end, all we had to show for it was miscarriages and stillbirths. But now that we're no longer shackled to that domineering mate of sin, and out from under all those oppressive regulations and fine print, we're free to live a new life in the freedom of God.

7 But I can hear you say, "If the law code was as bad as all that, it's no better than sin itself." That's certainly not true. The law code had a perfectly legitimate function. Without its clear guidelines for right and wrong, moral behavior would be mostly guesswork. Apart from the succinct, surgical command, "You shall not covet," I could have dressed covetousness up to look like a virtue and ruined my life with it.

8-12 Don't you remember how it was? I do, perfectly well. The law code started out as an excellent piece of work. What happened, though, was that sin found a way to pervert the command into a temptation, making a piece of "forbidden fruit" out of it. The law code, instead of being used to guide me, was used to seduce me. Without all the paraphernalia of the law code, sin looked pretty dull and lifeless, and I went along without paying much attention to it. But once sin got its hands on the law code and decked itself out in all that finery, I was fooled, and fell for it. The very command that was supposed to guide me into life was cleverly used to trip me up, throwing me headlong. So sin was plenty alive, and I was stone dead. But the law code itself is God's good and common sense, each command sane and holy counsel.

13 I can already hear your next question: "Does that mean I can't even trust what is good [that is, the law]? Is good just as dangerous as evil?" No again! Sin simply did what sin is so famous for doing: using the good as a cover to tempt me to do what would finally destroy me. By hiding within God's good commandment, sin did far more mischief than it could ever have accomplished on its own.

14-16 I can anticipate the response that is coming: "I know that all God's commands are spiritual, but I'm not. Isn't this also your experience?" Yes. I'm full of myself—after all, I've spent a long time in sin's prison. What I don't understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. So if I can't be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God's command is necessary.

17-20 But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can't keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don't have what it takes. I can will it, but I can't do it. I decide to do good, but I don't really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don't result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.

21-23 It happens so regularly that it's predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God's commands, but it's pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.

24 I've tried everything and nothing helps. I'm at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn't that the real question?

25 The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.

The real mistake comes when you let Satan condemn you and keep you down there. Get back up, praise Jesus for this freedom, ask Him for forgiveness, and He will forgive you. Jesus never condemns you. He may show you where you are sinning so you can cry out to Him and ask for help, he doesn’t condemn. The dictionary defines the word condemn as, "To pronounce unfit for use.”

Read how the King James Version interprets it.
Romans 7:8 (KJV) 8 But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. ([from dictionary.com]desire, (R.V., "coveting"); Col. 3:5 (R.V., "desire"). The "lust of concupiscence" denotes evil desire, indwelling sin.) For without the law sin was dead. 11For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.
So what causes the compulsion to overeat? ______________________
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The sin is not just overeating; it’s also worrying about overeating or about being thin. Its sin to overeat and it’s also a sin to worry so much about your overeating. When we obsess about looking or being a certain way and don’t trust God and His timing we become obsessed with the thing that takes up so much of our thought life. God wants you to be thin, but He also wants you to learn from being overweight.

We need to let it go, and here is how you do that. Every time you eat and even when you are thinking about eating, you need to pray. Ask God to help you to stop eating when you are full. Ask Him to help you recognize fullness, and ask Him to help you stop when you are satisfied, then, and this is the hard part, die to your will.

Romans 8:36-39 As it is written: “ For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.


37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

What does the phrase “die to your will” mean to you? ______________
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I Corinthians 6:12, 13 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. 13 Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
And
I Corinthians 10:23 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.

Read John 3:17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

Read Colossians 2: 20-22 again, Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations— 21 “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” 22 which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men?
How many diets have you been on that didn’t parish with use? When you first start a diet, you are filled with hope. You have faith knowing this is the one. Then about three weeks into it or so, you give up. You need to keep up the positive thoughts going. Keep saying to yourself, I am a new creation, that old person is dead. I am strong in Christ Jesus. When you were born again you received the fruits of the Spirit, one of those fruits are, self-control. You need to have faith that you received it. Say I have self-control and say it to yourself often. Put up little sticky notes to remind you to say it. Instead of being occupied with the diet and what you eat, be occupied with the goodness God has placed in you.

WOO-HOO STILL TOO LONG, CONTINUED ON NEXT POST

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Philemon 1:6 That the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.

It is so sad that in the United States, people are more occupied with diets and thinness than ever before and we have never been fatter. As I mentioned earlier, one diet says eat carbohydrates (sugar) and very little fat and another diet declares, eat only Protein (fat) and very little sugar. Another diet says, only eat fat and carbohydrates in certain combinations and certain times a day (Talk about being occupied) all of these diets have Doctors and experts who can, and will substantiate their claims with an appearance of wisdom. God is not the author of confusion!

I Corinthians 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.

Jesus doesn’t want us to be burdened by all these rules. That’s why Jesus died so we don’t need to live by laws and regulations. In reality, all these laws do is make us more engrossed on the forbidden like the people at the resort who fished off the balcony.

Review Colossians 2:23, The last part of this passage holds the real key 23These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.
In your own words, express what the preceding three passages mean to you. _____________
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All of these rules and regulations are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh. Consider the diets you have been on, have any of these "man-made" rules made you desire less food? __________________________________________________________________

They all have an appearance of wisdom; however, they do little to change the heart. All they do is cover up the problem they don’t heal the wound.

We have tried all the world has to offer; now it’s time to turn to Jesus. He is the only one who can transform you and heal your wounded heart.

Read Matthew 11:28-30 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." We are heavy laden by all the rules and regulation of dieting. In Jesus, we can have rest from the burden.
Notice Jesus doesn’t say learn about me, He says learn from me. That suggests a relationship. In your own words, write what the phrase, “learn from me” mean to you? ____
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How has your being overweight made you feel Punished? ____________________________
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Let’s see what Bible has to say about this old sinful nature.

Read Romans 6:1-23 1What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! 16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. 18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.


20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord

Do you feel like a slave to overeating and your weight? ______
When I was overweight I didn’t want to go any were or do anything, nothing fit right, I felt like people were thinking bad things about me.

Being a slave to sin brings death, and always leads to bad things Being a slave to God always leads to good things, Sin equals: fat, self hate, fights, by contrast Righteousness equals: being thin, healthy, self love, love of others, etc. When sin has control over you, it affects your life and the life of your family, you want to stop, but you can’t. You are a spiritual slave to it. Those who are without Christ are slaves to sin, but we who are believers in Christ are free from this bondage. Because Jesus has set us free. When you are following Christ and doing His will, you feel full of vitality. Everything feels light and clean and the whole world seems so much better. You have to receive this in faith.

Fill in the following blanks with the words, “me," and "I". Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over _____, for ____ am not under law but under grace.
You are free from sin it does not have power over you. The Bible says you are in control; you can make a decision. I am sorry to say I use “I Can’t” and I have the power and authority to say, “I will.” Say the preceding scripture to yourself and Satan, whenever you feel helpless to resist his lies.

John 8:36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

This scripture says we are free, yet we still hold on to the chains that used to bind us. The lock is broken but we are holding the chains together because Satan has us convinced we are still bound by them. He is a liar, but, we are not blameless, we allow him to convince us with a lie, because it gives us great excuses. Jesus makes it clear, we are without an excuse, He has set us free.

Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

When you seek to gratify your own desire we become a spiritual two year old, you want what you want, when you want it! You are being prideful you don’t want to submit to Gods plan for your life.

We fight against this nature all the time but there is a right and a wrong way to fight. It’s only through faith we can be set free from this bondage and become a new creation in Christ, its not rules its power.

Luke 9:23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

When baptized unto Christ, it symbolizes the old man dying to self and arising as a new creation. There are many scripture references on the new man, read the ones I have listed pray, spend time in quiet meditation with God ask what He wants to show you.
READ: Romans 8, II Corinthians 5:17 and Colossians 3:10-17

In light of today’s study, what was the scripture or statement in today’s lesson that most spoke to your heart? __________________________________________________________
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What steps of faith does God want you to take towards Him today? ____________________
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Rephrase the scripture or statement into an expression of faith_________________________
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I Corinthians 10: 31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Definitions:
Idol: A false God: and object of passionate devotion excessive devotion.
Idolize: to make an idol of, greed selfish desire beyond reason.
Idolatry as, "To put your trust, Love, devotion in anything other than God."

The Neilson Illustrated Bible Dictionary says, “In the New Testament period, the term idolatry began to be used as an intellectual concept. Idolatry became not the actual bowing down before a statue but the replacement of God in the mind of the worshiper.”

Read Colossians 3:5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
Put to death covetousness, which is idolatry. I like how the NIV Bible interprets it: Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed which is idolatry. What does the word greed mean to you? _________
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The dictionary defines it as a selfish desire beyond reason. When you desire food past the point of satisfaction, you desire food beyond reason. The over eater must understand the vicious nature of idolatry. While we may not make or bow down to a statue we have to be on guard constantly so we don’t let food and the obsession to be thin come between God and us. As soon as it does, it becomes an idol, and being overweight is the evidence. Some of the synonyms for greed are; gluttony, voracity, ravenousness, hunger and self-indulgence, sound familiar? The Antonym for greed is moderation.

Besides food, idols can be material objects such as houses, land, cars, also people, or those whom we love. Objects of worship can even include things like fame, reputation, hobbies, pride, and deeds done in the name of the Lord. Any overindulgence i.e. Greed is Idolatry. When you over eat you are greedy for more food than you body needs.

Idolatry is a dangerous and deceitful sin. No wonder the prophets preached against it so often and so strongly.

An idol is defined as; a false god on object of passionate devotion. How many times have you hidden food or waited until you were alone to eat and then been angry when you were interrupted. God showed me how greedy and passionately devoted I was to my god one day in a somewhat humorous but sobering way, but before I tell you this story I need to preface it with a confession of a couple of my many weaknesses.

I have a little aversion to germs in food and a terrible phobia of mice. I go into hysterics and panic when I see one.

Now on with my story; My favorite thing to eat in the whole world is warm pecan pie ala mode and I couldn’t wait until the kids went outside to play because I had made a pecan pie, and there were only three pieces left and five people in my family!

By the time my girls finally went outside, I was lusting for my treat. There I was all alone with my love. Even though I wasn’t the slightest bit hungry, I thought I had better steal the chance while I had it.

I lovingly cut a large piece of the delicious treat, put it on a small decorative desert plate and placed it in the microwave and set the time so it would be the perfect temperature, I got the vanilla ice cream out of the freezer. I was thinking about how wonderful the warm pie taste with the cold ice cream. Right on time the microwave beeped signaling my pie was the ideal temperature. I adoringly pulled my sweet prize out and put the frozen ice cream on the pie.

Just then, the front door slamming interrupted the moment I was having with my lover. I immediately got angry with the person who would break up my stolen moment. I decided they were out to get me and came in at this moment just to bug me.

My darling but willful five-year-old, Tayler, came in and climbed up on the stool in front of me saying, “I want a piece.”

Although this made me angry, I held my temper in check, as I was still sane enough to appreciate I was being unreasonable.

I passed her my piece of pie and began to cut another from the pie in the refrigerator.
She decided the perfect piece of pie I had given her was not good enough and started poking it with her tiny finger saying look it’s too hot to eat mama you made it too hot.

My temper was mounting, and my sanity level was plummeting, looking at her petulant face, and watching her little finger poking holes all over the thing of my affection. Gritting my teeth, I said, “fine!”, and slid the cold piece of pie her direction knowing full well this would not satisfy her.

Soon, we were nose to nose mouths wide open each throwing a doozey of a tantrum, trying to out shout each other, she howling and crying and me yelling.

Finally, I sent her to her room, because I’m the biggest. I sat down determined to eat my pie still fuming.

Looking at what had once been my masterpiece and now was a protuberant lump full of holes, cold pie swimming in warm separated white watery "goo" that used to be ice cream, but I was still determined to eat it, muttering at how she had spoiled everything because now I couldn’t even enjoy my pie—because of the guilt—

I cut a piece with my fork, raised it to my mouth... When my nine year old, who had walked in just before the tantrum episode, and was a witness to the unholy melee, said calmly,

“Mama did you know Tayler was playing with the neighbors mouse and didn’t even wash her hands?”

That was it! I totally lost control, I was about to do something Tayler would have been punished for. I raised my fork behind my ear and was getting ready to fling it, when God chose that moment, sweetly speaking to my raging heart, in a still, small, un-condemning, voice.
“You love this pie more than you love anything.”

I was so convicted, as I sat there I realized, I had been worshiping, adoring and loving that mess more than my children, and most of all my Lord. I had completely lavished all my love and affection on this god. It was my golden calf and I was worshiping at its feet.

If you give your affection and love to the one who truly deserves it, He will fill your life with joy. Anything you give up he will replace with something better.

Read: Psalm 107:9 For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness.

Do you feel satisfied or filled with goodness after you have eaten the forbidden food, and by forbidden, I mean something you eat when you’re not physically hungry, or does it leave you feeling empty and longing for more? You have a hunger for God and are seeking satisfaction else were. Food will never satisfy you. It wall always leave a craving more.

Read I Corinthians 10:14-32 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to wise men; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 17 For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread.

18 Observe Israel after the flesh: Are not those who eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar? 19 What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? 20 Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons. 22 Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?

23 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. 24 Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being.

25 Eat whatever is sold in the meat market, asking no questions for conscience’ sake; 26 for “the earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness.”

27 If any of those who do not believe invites you to dinner, and you desire to go, eat whatever is set before you, asking no question for conscience’ sake. 28 But if anyone says to you, “This was offered to idols,” do not eat it for the sake of the one who told you, and for conscience’ sake; for “the earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness.” 29 “Conscience,” I say, not your own, but that of the other. For why is my liberty judged by another man’s conscience? 30 But if I partake with thanks, why am I evil spoken of for the food over which I give thanks?

31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God,
Write I Corinthians 10:21 ____________________________________________________
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Contemplate this scripture; mull it over in your mind. Write how it makes you feel to think when you overeat you are communing, Fellowshipping, with demons? __[wash my mouth][wash my mouth][wash my mouth]_______________
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When I read this passage, it made me sick! The sickening part of this is the objects of worship are actually demons. You can make anything a god, but in doing so you are worshiping or communing with Satan, dictionary.com defines communing as,

1. To converse or talk together, usually with profound intensity, intimacy, etc.; interchange thoughts or feelings.

2. To be in intimate communication or rapport: to commune with nature.
–noun
3. Interchange of ideas or sentiments.

It’s a hard thought to think, but let’s be honest; when I was in such a rage over the pie, I wasn't worshipping God. The object wasn't a threat, the pie isn't dangerous. The danger is the demons associated with the idol.

What do you think verse twenty-three from the above scripture, means when it says: All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify? _____________________________________________________________
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We have liberty, yes, we are not under the law we can do whatever and still go to heaven. Overeating and the desire to be thin is not a sin in itself (v23 all things are lawful…). What makes a sin a sin is how you feel about it. If you make something an idol, including the desire to be thin, you have placed it above God and are communing with demons.

Read: Mark 12:30 And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart. It’s your soul that’s hungry not your stomach. Feed it with the Word of God. Go to your true God and worship at His feet. He will satisfy your needy soul.

Read: Psalm 107:1-9

In light of today’s study, what was the scripture or statement in today’s lesson that most spoke to your heart? __________________________________________________________
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What steps of faith does God want you to take towards Him today? ____________________
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Rephrase the scripture or statement into an expression of faith_________________________
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Memorize the following scripture this week.

I Corinthians 10: 31 _________, whether you eat or drink, or ________ you do, do all to the ______ of God.

In the last study, we learned that when we idolize food and obsess about our weight, we are actually communing with demons. I know this is upsetting, especially when you feel you are powerless to stop, but God has the answer. The reason you are overweight is that while you are eating, you are in denial. When you are stuffing, you are zoned out; you set your rational thought aside, and just do it. Think about the moment that you start to overeat. Your eating speeds up, because you zone out and go to denial or self-lies. You speed up because you want to get it down before rational thought returns.

Ephesians 4: 17-24 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; 19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

This Study is about being present in the moment. In the next few lessons, we’ll learn, God fights our battles. You will be learning how to employ His power. The first thing you need to learn is how to be present in the moment. That’s the new “fad phrase” but what does it mean? There is power in this moment right here. Our present moment shapes our future destiny, and determines how long you will be your present weight.

I mindlessly gave up so many of my moments. Probably 95% of our weight is due to mindless eating. Its called rationalization, when you’re not in the moment (or reality) the definition of rationalization is 1: to make something irrational appear rational or reasonable 2: to provide a natural explanation to (as a myth) 3: to justify one’s behavior or weakness especially to oneself 4: to find plausible yet untrue reasons for conduct.

I don’t know about you, but that hits home. This is how Satan gets you to sin. He provides great excuses, and because we want the second cupcake, we are all too willing to go along with it.

So how do we resist the temptation? Think about a sin that would be preposterous for you to do such as, committing murder, or shoplifting, something that is not a temptation to you at all. Now think about what would happen if Satan tempted you with it. You would laugh at the temptation; you would pass it up in your mind as being ridiculous, you wouldn’t even contemplate it. That’s why Satan doesn’t tempt you with those things. His method is to try to destroy you a little at a time. One little moment of weakness, one little suggestion, then another moment and another suggestion.

God is all-powerful, but because He has given you free will, He won’t do anything without your invitation, and your faith that He can do it. The battle is God’s, but your part isn’t a passive one. You’re the one that pulls the trigger and God is the bomb. Pulling the trigger is an emotional battle for you because you want the stupid cupcake, you want to zone out and be numb, but after you activate Gods power, it’s easy. How do you think you set God’s power in motion? What is the trigger? ___________________________________
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Faith and prayer, giving it to God, thinking positively about God’s power. You say, “God, Satan in knocking at the door, will you please answer it.” If Satan is still nagging you with rationalizations, put your hand on your stomach. Ask yourself “am I hungry?” Be in the moment, if you’re not hungry (don’t rationalize) pray more. Satan makes it a bigger deal than it is.

Proverbs 14:16 A wise man fears and departs from evil, But a fool rages and is self-confident.

When Satan was tempting Jesus in the wilderness, he tried three times. He won’t just go away, stay in each moment, moment by moment; thinking confidently about God’s power, Satan will give up eventually.

James 4:7-10 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Bombard sin with prayer use the shock and awe war campaign against the enemy, with bombs that are relentless.

A typical scenario will be:
You’re going along great, your following Jesus, staying focused on Him. You’re feeling wonderful then you pop a mint in your mouth, which would be ok, other than you start to think it might be bad.

I Corinthians 6:12 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

God wants you to understand this concept He says almost the same thing again.

I Corinthians 10:23All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.

So now, Satan has a foothold and begins his sinister attack. Then you pop another mint and another, you say to yourself “It’s only a small candy, it won’t hurt,” then you start to focus on the food, and love it, because it becomes a forbidden fruit. Next comes an extra meal your stomach didn’t ask for, “but you might be hungry!!!” It’s been an hour or two since your last meal, or your daughter brings home pizza after getting off work at the local pizza joint and you have already eaten dinner, but how many times do you get the unexpected pleasure of pizza? You tell yourself “I’ll just have a sliver of a piece,” and before you know it, you have eaten half a pizza, one sliver at a time. You’re are right back where you started, Satan is saying “You’ve blown it now any way, I guess God can’t help you after all” then your positive thoughts start to become more and more negative, one little thought at a time.

Does this sound familiar? When the little suggestion is first made, is the best time to take action, but you can take control at any time, in any moment this scenario takes place, with prayer and positive thoughts of Gods power. Pray, and ask God to forgive you, think positive thoughts and just start fresh and new with that. Don’t let it become the forbidden fruit, honestly, the best way for me to do that has been to simply say/pray, “Jesus, Satan is knocking …

You have a completely new moment to begin anew. Satan will come back, no doubt starting with something small and moving up, he will say you’ve already blown it, might as well give up.

The secret formula is prayer, and faith (positive thinking) knowing God will give you the power to resist. Just say no, ask God for help, say “God help me,” and believe He will protect you from this pizza. Be present in the moment, and then walk away, now! Just say no. If you can’t get away, pray the whole time. On the other hand, if you don’t want God’s help because you want the pizza too bad, ask God to help you ask for help. Say God right now I want this pizza I don’t want your help, please help me to want your help. IT WORKS. IT WORKS, IT WORKS. Any temptation can be handled this way. God will not forsake you. All the fighting we do is so unnecessary, if we could only get a sense of the power we possess through Jesus

Wrong thinking goes like this: You see a tempting treat, you fight with yourself for a millisecond but the way you fight is, “I have no self control, I can’t do it, and before you can ask God for strength (because you really want the treat) you stuff it in your mouth, you zone out with vague feelings of self contempt.

Guess what! I have fabulous news! You do have self-control.

Read Galatians 5:22-25But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

One of the attributes of being saved is you get all the fruits of the Spirit automatically, you don’t have to grow into them, they are yours. God won’t make you take them, but they are yours if you will have them.

Read Isaiah 40: 28-31 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, 31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

What does it mean to wait on the Lord? The Definition of the word wait is; 1: to remain inactive in readiness or expectation. To act as attendant or servant. To be ready. The synonyms for wait are, stay, remain, hang around, linger.

We try so hard to fix things when we are uncomfortable, we are like baby eaglets flapping our wings, working hard to fix our situation, crying and wondering why God would do this to us. Temptation, like all trials, is a test. God made tests to help you expand your knowledge and identify areas you need help. Don’t try to fight the temptation by flapping your wings and working hard. Rise above it wait for God, He will lift you up and rescue you.

When you are tempted, rise above it like an eagle. Eagles know when a storm is approaching before it breaks, and will fly high above the storm and wait for wind. When the storm hits, He sets his wings so the wind will pick him up and lift him above the storm. While the storm is raging below he is soaring above the tempest in peace. He doesn’t get away from the storm; he uses it to fly higher. He doesn’t flap his wings straining to fly higher, he barley moves his wings at all.

Too long, continued on next post

Continued from previous post

It’s hard to understand sometimes why God allows us to be tempted, and we feel so weak. Just like a baby eagle who doesn’t understand when the mom messes up their nest. She rips it to pieces until all the soft feather stuff is gone and all that’s left is stickers and hard stuff. If that’s not bad enough the momma eagle pushes the baby out of the nest! The baby flaps furiously trying hard to fly, and when all seems lost the momma swoops down and catches the baby on her back. She does this again, and again, until the baby eaglet learns to stop flapping and relax into the current. They glide effortlessly, rising higher and higher.

Read Deuteronomy 32:11,12 As an eagle stirs up its nest, Hovers over its young, Spreading out its wings, taking them up, Carrying them on its wings, 11 As an eagle stirs up its nest, Hovers over its young, Spreading out its wings, taking them up, Carrying them on its wings,

Trying to fight Satan will exhaust you. Just say, “Jesus, Satan is knocking will you answer it”? Then glide away, knowing God has taken care of it.

When you were saved, you received the Holy Spirit and one of the fruits, or attributes of having the Holy Spirit, is self-control. You see, Satan is a liar; he is the master of illusion, nothing more. That’s what he does, and you have been listening to his lies for so long you believe them. It is time to counter those lies.

Your goal is to be thin, but you have to reach many little goals before you can accomplish your main goal. You are not going to wake up one day at your goal weight. It will take many little battles and many little victories, one by one, moment by moment.

Isaiah 28:9, 10 “Whom will he teach knowledge?
And whom will he make to understand the message?
Those just weaned from milk?
Those just drawn from the breasts?

10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept,
Line upon line, line upon line,
Here a little, there a little.”

Remember Satan will flee if you resist him, but he tried tempting Jesus three times before he gave up, and he didn’t give up for good, the Bible says he went away, waiting for a more opportune moment.

Luke 4:12 13 Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.

God gave you a beautiful gift and it is time to start treating your body, soul, and mind as such. Just you wouldn’t verbally attack your loved one, you will not allow your inner talk to ridicule, put down, or in any way abuse you. It is time to stop now. The Holy Bible says you have self-control. When you're having a hard time pulling away from that last bite, say to yourself “I have self control because I have the Holy Spirit.

II Chronicles 20:14-17 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. 15 And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16 Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. 17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is

Let’s see how God answers the door.

II Kings 6: 8-18 Now the king of Syria was making war against Israel; and he consulted with his servants, saying, “My camp will be in such and such a place.” 9 And the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are coming down there.” 10 Then the king of Israel sent someone to the place of which the man of God had told him. Thus he warned him, and he was watchful there, not just once or twice.
11 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was greatly troubled by this thing; and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you not show me which of us is for the king of Israel?”

12 And one of his servants said, “None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.”

13 So he said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and get him.”
And it was told him, saying, “Surely he is in Dothan.”

14 Therefore he sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city. 15 And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?”

16 So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, “LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 18 So when the Syrians came down to him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, and said, “Strike this people, I pray, with blindness.” And He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.

You are God’s child, just as Elisha was. He never changes He is still fighting the enemy with chariots of fire. He answers the door with strength and power.

Genesis 14:11-16 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of asphalt pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled; some fell there, and the remainder fled to the mountains. 11 Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. 12 They also took Lot, Abram's brother's son who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.

13 Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner; and they were allies with Abram. 14 Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15 He divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants attacked them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. 16 So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people.


17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley), after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him.
What do all the scriptures above have in common with each other? _____________________
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They were all small armies defended by God through faith.

When I would hear the phrase “leave it at the cross”, I thought it meant to stop sinning, give the sin to God and don’t pick it back up. I used to get so upset with myself because I couldn’t leave the sin at the cross and not pick it back up. I was addicted. Then I realized I had the phrase wrong, the phrase means to accept any answer from God. If God answers your prayer and stops you from overeating, praise Him. If He doesn’t and you continue to overeat, praise Him. This is why this is the hard part. It may not be God’s will for you to be thin yet, He may want to teach you something first, I say “yet” because I don’t believe God wants us to die addicted to anything, but you can’t do it on your own. Trying just makes you want it more. Surrender it to God’s will and be free from self-condemnation. Have faith in God, and know He has your best interest at heart.

The Good thing is this takes all the pressure off you. You are giving it to God and therefore not obsessing over the law, eventually food will become a non-issue for you because it loses its magnetism, when it’s no longer the forbidden fruit.

Read Matthew 7: 7-10 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him.

What purpose would it serve your Father in heaven, if He let you down? The only hard part is breaking thru the emotional barrier, of wanting His help or sometimes it’s hard to believe God wants to help you.

Read I Corinthians 10:1-22

In light of today’s study, what was the scripture or statement in today’s lesson that most spoke to your heart? __________________________________________________________
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What steps of faith does God want you to take towards Him today? ____________________
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Rephrase the scripture or statement into an expression of faith_________________________
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I Corinthians 10: 31 _________, ______ you _____ or ______, or ________ you do, do _____ to the ______ of God.

Matthew 12:30 And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.

God is not as concerned about the shape of your body as He is the condition of your heart. A apart from you being overweight is a manifestation of the condition of your heart and what you have been running to for comfort and satisfaction. We have to run to God for comfort and support, not food.

Read II Corinthians 1: 3, 4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

II Corinthians 5:9 (NIV) Says, So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.

What is your goal? Be honest with yourself. What is your true purpose for losing weight? ___________________________________________________________________________
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Is it to be thin earn the respect of others do you think “they” will love you more? Most people if they are honest with themselves admit their motivation for dieting is to look better, and no wonder! We are under so much pressure to be perfect. We are assaulted twenty-four hours a day from TV and magazines.

The Bible says seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you.

Read Matthew 7:7,8 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

Make it a priority to heal spiritually first and then the physical will follow.

An apple tree doesn’t strain and groan to get the fruit out. It automatically bears fruit if fed, watered and if it gets plenty of sunshine. To grow in the Lord you have to spend time reading the word getting to know Jesus by going to church and listening to Christian music, filling your life and mind with the one who loves you. It isn’t an option; it’s a requirement.

John 15:5-8 "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

And

James 4:7-10 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

Reject dieting for the purpose of weight loss only. Unlike all the other diets we have been on the bottom line of this diet is moderation. You don’t need to worry about what you eat or how you eat it. You can use that time to fall in love with Jesus. How do you think you fall in love with Him? How do you draw near to God? __________________________________
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You draw near to God by getting to know Him! If you are married or engaged, you know that when you first fell in love, you stayed up all night just talking. You enjoyed just being together. If you told that person “I’m going to spend thirty minutes a day with you and memorize one thing about you a week.” Would they have been happy with that? I don’t think so, you get to know someone by spending time with them, talking to them, thinking about them, listening to them. You steal every moment you can just to look in their eyes and hear their voice.

Use your own Bible and write down the following passages:

Philippians 2:3, _____________________________________________________________
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Psalm 37: 4, ________________________________________________________________
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Use your own Bible and fill in the blanks Romans 8:5-9 _____________________________
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____________________________________________ For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
What do all these passages have in common? ____________________________________
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They are all in regards to God being first in your life. Seeking Him and getting to know Him. Acknowledging Him as your Master, accepting the fact that He knows what is best for you, and then He will give you the desires of your heart. He knows what you truly desire better than you do.
When you get to know Jesus through reading His word and spending time with Him, the Holy Spirit will breathe new life and truth into your entire being. You will discover amazing strength when you’re empowered by the Holy Spirit. Stop trying to change your eating habits in your own strength. We have read it, we are the branches and He is the vine, our life source, do you believe it? I think a lot of us who are overweight, think it’s our lot in life, our cross to bear. It’s not about that at all. We all have to fight the tendency to sin and gluttony is a sin. Some people have the tendency toward pornography, or homosexuality. You wouldn’t think it’s Okay for them to ruin their lives with that. The same goes for your sin. It’s not about you it’s about your ministry and what God has planned for you life.

Read Romans 8:1-17

In light of today’s study, what was the scripture or statement in today’s lesson that most spoke to your heart? __________________________________________________________
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What steps of faith does God want you to take towards Him today? ____________________
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Rephrase the scripture or statement into an expression of faith_________________________
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I Corinthians 10: 31 Therefore, [wash my mouth][wash my mouth][wash my mouth][wash my mouth]________ you [wash my mouth][wash my mouth]_________ or ________, or ________ you do, do ________ to the _________ of _____.

A way out

Day ___________________________ Date ___________________________

The definition of escape is: to get free or away to avoid a threatening evil, flight from or avoidance of something unpleasant.

Read I Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Now fill in the Blanks with or your name.

No temptation has overtaken _________ except which is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow __________ to be tempted beyond what __________ is able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that __________ may be able to bear it.

This is a promise from God! To _________!

God does make a way of escape. Sometimes these escapes are blatant and you can see them for what they are if you’re looking.

My pecan pie episode for instance was an escape. Another escape might be dropping the food down your shirt. Other escapes are more subtle, such as a small check in your spirit that makes you want to try to justify the bite before you take it. God is faithful in this, but you have to watch for the way out and don’t harden your heart to it when it happens. When you harden your heart to Gods prompting it makes it easier to ignore Him the next time you are tempted and that could lead you to backslide. Then you’re right back where you started.

The Lord will rescue you from these temptations remember they are tests and test are given to examine what you have learned. The test builds your faith. Sometimes a temptation is like a pop quiz it will seize you when you are off guard. That’s when you should call out to God. Tell Him I am so weak Lord, and you are so strong in helping me. I want an extra bite of this delicious food and I can’t resist it.

Remind yourself He is the vine, you are the branch, and you can’t do anything without Him. Recite scripture to yourself, say, "I believe in You". I believe greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. I believe you will make a way out. I believe Your weapons are mighty in demolishing strongholds. I believe I can run and not grow weary. I believe I am righteous through You and You will never permit me to be moved. I have done this countless times in just this same way and I’ll find myself sort of playing with my food and walking to the sink to throw it down the disposal. When I pray like this, I feel a strong rush of God’s mighty power surging through me.

You don’t have to use my exact words just acknowledge you are out of control and can’t handle the situation use scripture, and He will quickly step in. I can testify, when I have prayed this way, in faith God has never let me down. However, there have been times when I ask God to rescue me and He rushed to rescue me, but I still insisted on my way and exercised my will over His. I have hardened my heart and made it easier for Satan to get a foothold the next time.

Read from your own Bible and then write down the following scriptures:

Psalm 55:22 ________________________________________________________________
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Isaiah 40:29 ________________________________________________________________
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Isaiah 40: 31 ________________________________________________________________
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I have started II Corinthians 3:4, 5 finish the scripture by filling in the blanks, using your own Bible.

And we have such trust through Christ toward God 5 _______________________________
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In any of these Scriptures, does it ever say you are required to stand and fight Satan on our own strength or will power? __________ You can’t! Its impossible Satan is too powerful; you can’t defeat him on your own.

Read Jude 9-11: Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" 10 but these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves. 11Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.

And

II Tim 4:18 says; And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!

Psalm 61:1- 4 Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer. 2 From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 3 For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy. 4 I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah

According to the passages, you have just read how are we to approach an attack? __________
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Run away from the sin and run to your Father. Trust God to shelter you. Your responsibility in the battle is to ask for help. The hard part is to break through the emotional barrier of “I want it” or in other words your will. Once you submit your will and ask God for help, He is right there. All the previous scriptures and many more are all promises God mad to you.

Fill in the blanks: Hebrews 4:14-16 _____________________________________________
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_______________________________________________ 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our Weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Romans 8: 26______________________________________________________________
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_______________________________________________________________27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

II Corinthians 12:9, 10 ______________________________________________________
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____________________________________________ 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

What does God think about our weakness? _______________________________________
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God doesn’t love you any less when you make mistakes. He wants you to know He understands your weaknesses. I heard a sermon once; The Pastor took a one-hundred dollar bill out of his pocket. He asked his audience “How much is this worth, a hundred dollars right?” We all agreed with him. Then he crumpled it up and said, "How much is it worth now?" Then he threw it on the ground and stomped on it a few times, he asked how much is it worth now? Then he kicked it around for awhile. Any way I think you get the point. We are not worth any less to God if we make a mistake. He loves you and He will make a way out. You have to train yourself to look for them. If you’re eating and you, get a phone call that could be your way out, or you may find something gross like a hair. As long as you are praying and asking God for help, you will be sensitive to these prompts. If you harden your heart, it won’t be as easy to recognize.

Read: John 10:25-29

In light of today’s study, what was the scripture or statement in today’s lesson that most spoke to your heart? __________________________________________________________
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What steps of faith does God want you to take towards Him today? ____________________
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Rephrase the scripture or statement into an expression of faith_________________________
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I Corinthians 10: 31 _________________________________________________________
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Faith is belief in, or a confident attitude toward God, that requires a commitment to His will in our life. Taking God at His word and acting on it.
The definition of sin is an offense especially against God; Fault a weakened state of human nature in which the self is estranged from God.

How do you think we become estranged from God? _________________________________
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It’s not God who moves away or loves us less. There have been times when I have felt so far from God, and I didn’t know why. When I finally examined myself, I found I was harboring sin. I suppose I felt guilty and blamed God for my sin. Sin makes us feel separated from God and in a way, we are. When you feel this way remember, it’s not God who has moved. He is still on the chosen path and we have strayed away.

Why do we sin? We all know intellectually that Gods path is best possible one, so why do we choose to sin?

Let’s examine some of the Ten Commandments and try to identify some of the reasons we prefer to become our own gods by choosing our own path.

• Coveting: lack of faith in God, that he wont give us what we desire
• False witness: Afraid if you tell the truth God won’t take care of it
• Stealing: lack of faith that God will provide for your needs.
• Adultery: lack of faith that God has given you the best person to share your life with, or that you are missing something.
• Taking Gods name in vain: lack of faith in his superiority and lack of respect.
• Idolatry: lack of faith in God as a provider of all your needs

Can sin can be defined as lack of faith! ______________________

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Romans 14: 23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.

Philippians 4:19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

There were two times Moses sent spies to investigate the Promised Land, Canaan, let’s study the differences between the two examples
Read: Numbers chapters 13 and 14 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 "Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader among them."

3 So Moses sent them from the Wilderness of Paran according to the command of the LORD, all of them men who were heads of the children of Israel. 4 Now these were their names: from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur; 5 from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori; 6 from the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh; 7 from the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph; 8 from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun; 9 from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu; 10 from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi; 11 from the tribe of Joseph, that is, from the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi; 12 from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli; 13 from the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael; 14 from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi; 15 from the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.

16 These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua.


17 Then Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, "Go up this way into the South, and go up to the mountains, 18 and see what the land is like: whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many; 19 whether the land they dwell in is good or bad; whether the cities they inhabit are like camps or strongholds; 20 whether the land is rich or poor; and whether there are forests there or not. Be of good courage. And bring some of the fruit of the land." Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.


21 So they went up and spied out the land from the Wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob, near the entrance of Hamath. 22 And they went up through the South and came to Hebron; Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, were there. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) 23 Then they came to the Valley of Eshcol, and there cut down a branch with one cluster of grapes; they carried it between two of them on a pole. They also brought some of the pomegranates and figs. 24 The place was called the Valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster which the men of Israel cut down there. 25 And they returned from spying out the land after forty days.

26 Now they departed and came back to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 Then they told him, and said: "We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28 Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the South; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan."

30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, "Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it."

31 But the men who had gone up with him said, "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we." 32 And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, "The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 33 There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight."

Numbers Chapter 14 So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. 2 And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, "If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! 3 Why has the LORD brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?" 4 So they said to one another, "Let us select a leader and return to Egypt."

5 Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.

6 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; 7 and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: "The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. 8 If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, "a land which flows with milk and honey. 9 Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them."

10 And all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Now the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of meeting before all the children of Israel.

11 Then the LORD said to Moses: "How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them? 12 I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they."

13 And Moses said to the LORD: "Then the Egyptians will hear it, for by Your might You brought these people up from among them, 14 and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that You, LORD, are among these people; that You, LORD, are seen face to face and Your cloud stands above them, and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. 15 Now if You kill these people as one man, then the nations which have heard of Your fame will speak, saying, 16 "Because the LORD was not able to bring this people to the land which He swore to give them, therefore He killed them in the wilderness.' 17 And now, I pray, let the power of my Lord be great, just as You have spoken, saying, 18 "The LORD is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation. 19 Pardon the iniquity of this people, I pray, according to the greatness of Your mercy, just as You have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now."

20 Then the LORD said: "I have pardoned, according to your word; 21 but truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD-- 22 because all these men who have seen My glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put Me to the test now these ten times, and have not heeded My voice, 23 they certainly shall not see the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it. 24 But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it. 25 Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valley; tomorrow turn and move out into the wilderness by the Way of the Red Sea."

26 And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 27 "How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who complain against Me? I have heard the complaints which the children of Israel make against Me. 28 Say to them, "As I live,' says the LORD, "just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you: 29 The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above. 30 Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in. 31 But your little ones, whom you said would be victims, I will bring in, and they shall know the land which you have despised. 32 But as for you, your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness. 33 And your sons shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years, and bear the brunt of your infidelity, until your carcasses are consumed in the wilderness. 34 According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, for each day you shall bear your guilt one year, namely forty years, and you shall know My rejection. 35 I the LORD have spoken this. I will surely do so to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. In this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die."'


36 Now the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation complain against him by bringing a bad report of the land, 37 those very men who brought the evil report about the land, died by the plague before the LORD. 38 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive, of the men who went to spy out the land.

39 Then Moses told these words to all the children of Israel, and the people mourned greatly. 40 And they rose early in the morning and went up to the top of the mountain, saying, "Here we are, and we will go up to the place which the LORD has promised, for we have sinned!"

41 And Moses said, "Now why do you transgress the command of the LORD? For this will not succeed. 42 Do not go up, lest you be defeated by your enemies, for the LORD is not among you. 43 For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you shall fall by the sword; because you have turned away from the LORD, the LORD will not be with you."

44 But they presumed to go up to the mountaintop. Nevertheless, neither the ark of the covenant of the LORD nor Moses departed from the camp. 45 Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt in that mountain came down and attacked them, and drove them back as far as Hormah.

The children of Israel wandered for forty years, a trip that should have taken about twelve days. The first time Moses sent spies into the Promised Land, they were looking at the future battle through their own strength, and because of their lack of faith in God, and God said they were rejecting Him. Now see what happened after they had been wandering and learning about God for forty years.

Too Long, continued on the next post

Continued from previous post

40 Years Later:

Joshua Chapter Two; 1Now Joshua the son of Nun sent out two men from Acacia Grove to spy secretly, saying, "Go, view the land, especially Jericho."
So they went, and came to the house of a harlot named Rahab, and lodged there. 2 And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, "Behold, men have come here tonight from the children of Israel to search out the country."

3 So the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, "Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered your house, for they have come to search out all the country."

4 Then the woman took the two men and hid them. So she said, "Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. 5 And it happened as the gate was being shut, when it was dark, that the men went out. Where the men went I do not know; pursue them quickly, for you may overtake them." 6 (But she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order on the roof.) 7 Then the men pursued them by the road to the Jordan, to the fords. And as soon as those who pursued them had gone out, they shut the gate.

8 Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof, 9 and said to the men: "I know that the LORD has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you. 10 For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. 11 And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. 12 Now therefore, I beg you, swear to me by the LORD, since I have shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father's house, and give me a true token, 13 and spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death."

14 So the men answered her, "Our lives for yours, if none of you tell this business of ours. And it shall be, when the LORD has given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with you." 15 Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall; she dwelt on the wall. 16 And she said to them, "Get to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you. Hide there three days, until the pursuers have returned. Afterward you may go your way."

17 So the men said to her: "We will be blameless of this oath of yours which you have made us swear, 18 unless, when we come into the land, you bind this line of scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you bring your father, your mother, your brothers, and all your father's household to your own home. 19 So it shall be that whoever goes outside the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we will be guiltless. And whoever is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head if a hand is laid on him. 20 And if you tell this business of ours, then we will be free from your oath which you made us swear." 21 Then she said, "According to your words, so be it." And she sent them away, and they departed. And she bound the scarlet cord in the window.

22 They departed and went to the mountain, and stayed there three days until the pursuers returned. The pursuers sought them all along the way, but did not find them. 23 So the two men returned, descended from the mountain, and crossed over; and they came to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all that had befallen them. 24 And they said to Joshua, "Truly the LORD has delivered all the land into our hands, for indeed all the inhabitants of the country are fainthearted because of us."

You know the rest of the story, the Hebrews marched around the walls seven times and they crumbled. God demolished that stronghold. The only thing His people had to do was praise His holy name.

In your own words, explain what you think made a difference in the two times the spies were sent out to scout out the Promised Land. ___________________________________________________________________________
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Read Numbers 13:33 again. 33There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight."
Who were they depending on to win this battle, and what did the enemy look like compared to them? ___________________________________________________________________
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Now read Joshua 2:24 again; 24 And they said to Joshua, "Truly the LORD has delivered all the land into our hands, for indeed all the inhabitants of the country are fainthearted because of us."

Whom did the Israelites depend on to win this battle? _____________________________
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What did the enemy look like compared to them? __________________________________
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In both instances the enemy had already been defeated by God, the only thing that was left was to go in and possess the land by faith.

Look at Joshua 6:20; So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.

Possession of the land fell simply with a shout of the people. The wall was utterly destroyed in a moment. Doesn’t this show God’s complete supremacy over all His people’s enemies? ______________

Read Hebrews 3: 16-19; and fill in the blanks. 16 For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? 17 Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? 19 ____
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Unbelief is a sin and when we don’t believe God will give us the power to walk away from the food when we are not hungry shows a total lack of faith, just like the first set of spy’s, you limit God’s Power with your lack of faith.

Read Psalm 78:41, 42 Yes, again and again they tempted God, And limited the Holy One of Israel. 42 They did not remember His power: The day when He redeemed them from the enemy.

Our battle with the refrigerator, and all the battles we face every day, in a way parallels this battle. None of them is won by us, it’s God in you, who defeats your enemy. If we see our overeating as the enemy and our being thin as the promised land we should go in and posses the land by faith, and mean it!

I heard a story once that illustrates the battle and how our Father fights for us.

A father and his little girl were driving along in the car when suddenly a bee flew in the window. The girl panicked because she was allergic to bees and could die if stung.

Her father quickly grabbed the bee held it in his fist, he held on tight until the bee stung him, and then he let the bee fly out of his fist.

His little girl screamed in terror “Oh no Daddy you let the bee go now he is going to sting me”!

No, don’t worry he can’t hurt you anymore; he said opening his fist to show her the stinger still stuck in his palm.

Jesus took Satan’s stinger on the cross. We don’t have to be afraid of him anymore. The only power over us he has is to scare us by telling lies. The voices you hear in your head telling you “you can’t do it”! “Start later” “It’s not your fault, go ahead and overeat”; are all lies of Satan, and we need to recognize them as such, because then you can use Scripture to overcome him.

One of my favorites is, Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

It’s quick and easy and to the point. The only weapons we need are prayer, the Word of God and faith in them.

Read Joshua 6

In light of today’s study, what was the scripture or statement in today’s lesson that most spoke to your heart? __________________________________________________________
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What steps of faith does God want you to take towards Him today? ____________________
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Rephrase the scripture or statement into an expression of faith_________________________
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Memorize the following scripture this week.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him

Why do you think Jesus was well received as a young man in Nazareth, (His hometown) but He was rejected as Messiah. ___________________________________________________
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Read Mark 6:1-6 Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. 2 And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! 3 Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?" So they were offended at Him.

4 But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house." 5 Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.

Write Mark 6:5 from the above scriptures in the space below. ________________________
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__________________________________6 And He marveled because of their unbelief!!!

Think about this situation for a moment, what were the people of Nazareth feeling? They had seen Jesus grow up in grace and wisdom. The Elders had taught Him in the synagogue, He was their star pupil, and they probably congratulated themselves often for being such wise and masterful instructors. Now here comes this same young man, whose knowledge and wisdom far surpasses their own understanding. He begins teaching them things that they know are true, but don’t want to recognize as such.

The Pharisees were looked upon as being the final say in all matters of the law. They loved their positions, They had all gone through the proper political channels, and Jesus had not. Because of there arrogance, they wouldn’t humble themselves. They became indignant, and wouldn’t accept He was now there superior, refusing to see Him as their Messiah, rejecting Gods superiority.

Read Luke 4:16-30 16 So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. 17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:
18 "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.

20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." 22 So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, "Is this not Joseph's son?"

23 He said to them, "You will surely say this proverb to Me, "Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country. 24 Then He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. 25But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; 26 but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."

28 So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, 29 and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. 30 Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.

This is the passages Jesus taught on that day, Isaiah 61:1, 2 "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn.

By citing these words from Isaiah, Jesus was claiming His royalty and His prophetic mission. Jesus proclaimed the fulfillment of Gods plan and the promise of Himself, the Messiah. Since He was the figure described in the passage He was showing them He did all the things mentioned in Isaiah.

He did heal broken hearted people (still does). He proclaims liberty that through Him we are set free from sin. He does heal the blind both physically and spiritually.

The congregation was angry because they were arrogant. They felt He was being presumptuous. They were offended because He had the audacity to put Himself above them by claiming His royal status when they considered Him to be only a carpenter.

Read Matthew 9:14-29 14When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. 15As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.

16"What are you arguing with them about?" he asked.

17A man in the crowd answered, "Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. 18Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the
spirit, but they could not."

19"O unbelieving generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me."

20So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.

21Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?"
"From childhood," he answered. 22"It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us."

23" 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes."

24Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"

25When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil spirit. "You deaf and mute spirit," he said, "I command you, come out of him and never enter him again."

26The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, "He's dead." 27But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up. 28After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, "Why couldn't we drive it out?" 29He replied, "This kind can come out only by prayer."

Write Matthew 9:23 from the scripture versus above. _______________________________
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The disciples tried to heal a demon possessed boy and couldn’t. Then the desperate father went to Jesus and Jesus said, O faithless generation… The father of the boy said “if you can.” Jesus said “if you can believe.”

Sometimes believers can be nagged by doubt and even though this poor father didn’t have the faith he took the correct course, by appealing to Jesus for help with his disbelief. The Father of the possessed boy said “Lord I believe help my unbelief” Jesus healed the boy.

Later the disciples asked why they couldn’t heal him. Jesus said this kind could come out only with fasting and prayer. I used to read this passage, and I wondered why this demon possessed person was harder. Why did this one require fasting and prayer? Then God showed me and we find the clue in the conversation between the father and Jesus. This family had been battling this demon for a very long time. It was deeply entrenched in their psyche. Even though the father of the boy, had heard and seen all that Jesus was doing, it was still hard for him to believe, Jesus could help him.

Fasting bolsters our faith. God doesn’t need us to fast to perform the miracle but rather it’s for our benefit. The disciples could not exorcize the demon because the father didn’t have enough faith. The power was there, but they couldn’t apply it. We actually limit God’s power with our unbelief.

Read Mark 6:5,6 again, in case you missed it the first time. Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching. Jesus was amazed at the people of His home town, because they had so little faith.

I was amazed too when I first read Mark 6:5, 6a because I didn’t realize that our faith was so essential for performing miracles.

The passage says; Now He-could-do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And He marveled because of their unbelief.

He couldn’t do any mighty works because they didn’t believe. I was also taken aback when I realized my lack of faith was rejection of Gods sovereignty. When we doubt God can keep us from a candy bar, or worry, we are actually rejecting God, by not believing He is able to give us the strength to resist the temptation.

Read, Psalm 78:40-42 How often they provoked Him in the wilderness, And grieved Him in the desert! 41 Yes, again and again they tempted God, And limited the Holy One of Israel. 42 They did not remember His power: The day when He redeemed them from the enemy.

READ Hebrew 14:8-10 And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked. 9This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, 10 said with a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and walked.

Before Paul could pray for this man to be healed, he had to determine weather he had enough faith. Faith is a necessary element to the healing process, and has to be present before the healing is set in motion.
Daily reading: Romans 5:1-5

In light of today’s study, what was the scripture or statement in today’s lesson that most spoke to your heart? __________________________________________________________
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What steps of faith does God want you to take towards Him today? ____________________
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Rephrase the scripture or statement into an expression of faith_________________________
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Memory Verse

Hebrews 11:6 But _________ faith it is __________ to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who _______ _______ Him.