Gideon- Week 5

Hello Ladies, we’ve just finished reading week five of the Gideon Bible study written by Priscilla Shirer. We saw a major turn of events as our Biblical hero goes from a God-centered life back into a self-centered life. Equipped by God to overcome his own insecurity, Gideon the hero becomes Gideon the disrespected in a very short time. His demise was listening to the flesh rather than listening to the Lord. Has this ever happened to you?  It’s easy to be deceived by the enemy of lies. When we stop seeking wisdom from God through prayer, Bible study and fellowship…we open the door to spiritual warfare.  Perhaps each of us is a bit like Gideon in someway or at sometime in our lives. When God uses our weakness for His strength….we need to stay in relationship with Him so that strength is not misused by the flesh. For Gideon, insecurity became courage and then courage became sin. Make sure you don’t cross the line with the gifts the Lord give to you. A wise woman knows when to yield to the Spirit and capture all thoughts through a Christ-centered heart.

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For Next Week

• Read Week Six in the workbook
• Listen to Audio Session six and seven or Video Session six and seven at Lifeway.com (optional due to cost)

Group Discussion- Answer here or with your small group 

1. On page 123 in the workbook you listed three difficult situations you are facing right now. Then you listed your natural weapon of response and your spiritual weapon. Without naming the difficult experience, name the natural weapons you listed in your chart.
2. Okay, now share the spiritual weapons…again…do not share the difficult situation. The reason we are doing it this way is that the weapons are clues to the situation!
3. What “logic” does the enemy typically use against you to disguise the spiritual nature of your struggles and to mask his role in them? (page 124)
4. How do you feel most fatigued in your life right now? Spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically or other. Explain your choice. (page 136)
5. How is your relationship with God affected when you feel week and uncertain about yourself and a task? How does the way Jesus responded in prayer and solitude (Mark 1:35-38) help to keep you on track?

Gideon- Week 4

Hello Ladies!

Our womens online Bible study continues this week as we discuss our fourth lesson from  Gideon by Priscilla Shirer. We expanded our understanding of God’s patience, unlike human patience. The term “long-suffering” is used to describe this supernatural patience God has for His children. Thank you Lord for that!!

Our lesson this week also explored spiritual gifts and Priscilla presented 4 Steps in Giving Our Gifts to God. You’ll find a Lifeway Spiritual Assessment Tool online when you click here to help you further research what your gifts are.

Finally, we explored Gideon’s famous “fleece test.”  Hopefully you looked at times in your own life and discovered when and how God confirmed His message to you. It’s important to know the difference between seeking confirmation and sitting in unbelief, as Priscilla described so well this week in Bible study.

This week was filled with some great self-discovery questions, so I hope you took  time to pray and complete the workbook answers. Be sure to visit Beth Moore’s blog when you click here and watch the update that was given for this week. Remember, she is updating two weeks at a time and we are updating once a week.


For Next Week

• Read Week Five in the workbook
• Listen to Audio Session five or Video Session five at Lifeway.com (optional due to cost)

Group Discussion- Answer here or with your small group (From Beth Moore’s Blog)

1. We can get no further than p.70 to stumble on something we could talk about all day.  Glance at the bottom of the page and talk about the effect that your weakness tends to have on you when you focus on it.
2.  Turn to p.75 and discuss the first paragraph and your answers to the second question: How have you seen misdirected credit lead to misplaced trust or unhealthy desires for you or someone else?
3. Turn to p.97 and share which answer you chose in response to the following question and explain why you tend to lean that direction: If you are in a season of life in which you feel insecure or doubtful about God, His Word, or His calling on your life, how do you honestly feel God is responding?
4.  How did the 4 Steps in Giving Our Gifts to God on page 101 resonate with you or open your eyes? Conclude with the quote Priscilla Shirer gave us in the middle of p.107 – “honest doubt in which faith lives.” Give an example of honest doubt that you have had at a time when you were still full of faith. A time when those two things were not at odds but part of that same stretch of journey.

Gideon- Week 3

Hello Ladies!

We have just finished the third week of our E-study, Gideon by Priscilla Shier.  I hope you are enjoying this study and that you are able to keep up.  Please remember to post your responses to the questions either here or in the Facebook group. While this is a self paced study, it is not meant for you to feel alone.  Please let me know if you would be interested in a Facebook chat one day this week where we can be more interactive with each other.  I also hope that you have enjoyed the bi-weekly videos by Beth Moore.  Let me know if you would like to view the video that goes with the series. 

This week we learned about Simplicity, and turning a small portion of bread and fish into food for thousands. We saw how five small stones in the hands of David brought down his Goliath. We read the testimony of Gideon as he battled his army and his fears not by his own strength, but by the strength of God. Wowser! I know that I can do all things through Christ because he strengthens me!  Do you?

We also learned this week about fighting fear and staying alert as members of God’s army here on earth. What does this mean to you personally? How will you apply the concept to your own battles in life. Do you seek strength from the Holy Spirit, or are you depending on yourself to carry you through? Pray and ask for more discernment about this as you finish the remainder of this week. Look for ways that your feelings might not be in alignment with God’s Truth, and celebrate those that are inside His will.

Finally, seek opportunities to apply this great wisdom from Priscilla Shirer “The secret is not in obtaining but in releasing.” Who or what do you need to release in order to be inside the will of God? What is God calling you to fast from?

For Next Week

• Read Week Four in the workbook
• Listen to Audio Session four or Video Session four at Lifeway.com (optional due to cost)

Group Discussion- Answer here or with your small group 

1. What would redirecting your focus look like in practical terms? Discuss some strategic things believers can do to redirect their attention off themselves and onto the Lord. (Page 73)
2. What practical strategies can you put in place to foster humility? (page 76)
3. Without getting in to details, Has pride gotten in your way?
4. What is your normal response when faced with letting go?

Gideon- Week 2

Welcome to week 2 of Gideon by Priscilla Shirer! What a blessing to spend our summer expanding our knowledge on Gideon. During our first week of this topical study we learned the about Cycle of Redemption and the historical timeline of events leading to rebellion and discipline.

This week Gideon encounters an angel..pause and think about that! Can you imagine an encounter with an angel! Priscilla Shirer writes “Having your spiritual radar up in constant anticipation of His presence- even in the midst of the joyful chaos and regular rhythms of your everyday living- is paramount in hearing God, because sometimes the place and manner you find Him is the least spectacular you’d expect.” As believers, we need this holy expectation of a divine encounter. Never assume you will only have an encounter in church on Sunday morning or during your devotional time. Always be ready to receive Him. Priscilla writes “To be aware of God’s purpose you must be aware of His presence.”

Priscilla reminded us this week that “the ordinary is often the disguise of the divine,” and invites us to become aware of divine opportunities to serve God.  I hope you wrote some of the scripture verses on index cards this week…and that you will memorize them to prepare for your assignment from God.

May you be bold for Jesus….accept His calling and radiate His love.

Prayer Requests
Thanks for your prayer requests, they are lifted up daily.

For Next Week

• Read Week Three in the workbook
• Watch the Beth Moore video on her website when you click here

Group Discussion- Answer  any or all here or on Facebook page (some based on Beth Moore’s questions)

1.  Based on the question in the middle of p.37 of your homework: To what specific area of holy bravery does God seem to be calling you in this present season?
2. What expectations do you think Believers have about how God reveals Himself? How do you think these expectations have been formed? (page 42)
3. Drawn from the portion on p.46 regarding the 5 ordinary tasks you perform on a daily basis, share a memory of an ordinary circumstance in which God met with you in an extraordinary way.
4. Based on p.50 and the discussion about the first part of the divine declaration to Gideon, how confident or insecure do you tend to be regarding God’s promise that He is with you? Explain your answer.
5. Why do you think it is critical for believers to understand their identity before moving forward to their destiny? How can an incorrect or malformed spiritual identity hamper someone’s spiritual success? (page 57)
6. Look at the bottom of p.57. Would you be willing to share the pair of terms that best describe a disparity you’ve dealt with between your self-perception and a biblical view of who you are in Christ? If you’re willing, also briefly explain your answer.