Noemi S.’s Journal

I left a huge comment and can't find it. This is a test to see if this still working.

Esther was in a position of power and great influence when persecution hit "her people" -the Jews. I believe culturally in America we Christians have been in a subtle but huge way in persecution. And to our shame, many of us "have remained silent" about our faith or justified compromise as a product of evolution and the "times". Mordecai's faith spoke loud and clear that if queen Esther did not intercede, God would deliver their people thru another means but her life and her family would perish. Our children and children's children are dieing and going to hell because we in this day choose silence and neglect to use the power and influence we have to glorify God and disciple others to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Ruth made a decision, she said to herself "wait a minute, I'm not going back to what I had before I met Naomi and her family, her people have to be better than mine, her God is better that all the ones I grew up with, I will stay with her, her God, and her people. God rewards this mentality and Boaz blessing to Ruth is a promise to us who are willing to leave behind what we are familiar with that is worldly and unholy to pursue and take refuge in the God who is holy, just and merciful.

Ruth saw virtues in Naomi that exceeded that which she saw from her parents, and her home land, and was willing to leave it all behind. She saw something more beautiful in Naomi's culture and values, She weighed the cost in her mind of what was better; to stay among her culture, or stay with her mother in law and see for herself what Jerusalem was all about!

this was a man that was loyal to the king because no amount of money was enough to disobey the king. in the kings heart he wanted to keep his son Absalom alive as a loving father would have done. and there are things that man wants that is not in the will of God.

this verse up to 47 is so powerful, it gives me chills to read the conviction that Davin had in the God of Israel. there is power in the name of God. truly David knew that the Lord was with him and that God would give him victory like He did with the lion and the bear. May this story impart strength and conviction in the mighty God we serve and worship, the Lord Jesus whose name has been exalted above every other name.

I get caught up in ministry work and service that I forget the primary commandment is to Love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul and strength. I focus on all the offerings I can make for the Lord that my personal prayer life and bible study, my intimate devotion to the Lord gets placed on the back burner. Holy Spirit help me return to my First True Love, renew the joy of my salvation, renew a right spirit within me. Perfect Love come and remove from me all the fear that torments me, in Jesus holy name I pray. Amen.

Saul seems to be very impulsive and reckless with his mouth. he made vows that only caused more difficulty for others. What shocks me is that though he was careless by putting a curse upon anyone who ate that day, that despite all that Jonathan did, in this verse Saul is not the least bit remorseful but curses himself and is willing to kill his son for the sake of fulfilling his vow.

All I can say is that there are many people, even Christians that struggle in their prayer life because they do not believe the truth of this scripture. They believe the lie that because God knows everything from the begining to the end and because Jesus's sacrifice guarentees forgiveness of the past, present and future sins that they do not have to confess their sins in prayer to God. The truth is that the work of the cross guarentees forgiveness of past, presant, and future sins IF we confess them in prayer. Suicide is a fatal decission. There is no oppertunity to confess the already commited sin of killing yourself. After death is judgment. Those that commit suicide are going to hell unless they are children who don't know better.

This is deffinately an area that I struggle and experiance unfortunatly too often. I have learned that too many distractions takes away the ability to be focused in things that make you consious of God. And when we loose consiousness of God we forget to pray and even loose the perseverance in and the diciplin of prayer. Ultimately without consistant comunication with the Father thru prayer we all become vulnerable to all types of temptation. Holy Spirit, please, in Jesus precious name help me and others that struggle in this area overcome the distractions of this life so that we may be alert and sober minded, so that we may grow in ever increasing perseverance in prayer! In Jesus name, amen.