Image Credit:  Gift Habeshaw - Public Domain Image - via Freely Photos

After a long summer break, our church has begun a new ladies Bible study.  I’m so excited to get back!  For the next 6 weeks, we will be studying from Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed:  A Study of David by Priscilla Shirer, Beth Moore, and Kay Arthur.  Last fall, we studied A Woman’s Heart:  God’s Dwelling Place by Beth Moore.  That study made me more interested in studying the Old Testament Tabernacle than ever before.  Relating the Old Testament Tabernacle to the Holy Spirit living inside me, the New Testament Temple of the Holy Spirit, under the wisdom of Beth Moore was amazing.  I look forward to studying the subject of David under the wisdom of these three anointed ladies.

Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed:  A Study of David

Our first session was on the topic of “The Anointing.”  Have you ever thought about what it means to be anointed?  Called?  Anointed and called out by God for His specific purpose for your life?

If you have received the gift of salvation by accepting Jesus as your Lord, then you have been called to fulfill a purpose.  God has a plan for your life. He has a specific purpose for you to accomplish His purpose here on this earth.  You are hand-picked by God.  Your purpose on this earth is different from the purpose of David, but you are hand-picked just the same.

If we are hand-picked by God, then our focus must be God-centered.  If we develop what Priscilla calls a “God-consciousness,” then every decision we make will be based on that God-consciousness, making it easier to discern God’s will and purpose for our lives.

If we are hand-picked by God and we have developed a God-consciousness, then we are also sustained by God.  Our “purpose work” can become exhausting at times.  Facing adversity can be discouraging.  We might become anxious.  I KNOW I become anxious but God is my sustainer.

Here is how Priscilla puts it:

Our anxiety always stems from a desire to control and indicates that we have ceased to trust the Lord.  When we are depending on the Lord to handle the people and circumstances in our lives, the outcome will be an existence virtually free from worry, anxiety, and fear.  Peace will begin to flow like a river in our everyday living. – Priscilla Shirer

Priscilla’s quote is based on scripture from Matthew 6:30-32:

But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

Now we’ve determined that we are hand-picked by God, centered on God, and sustained by God, we need to know that we are established by God.

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “God doesn’t call the qualified.  He qualifies the called.”  That is probably one of my most favorite phrases.  So often I feel inadequate for a task I feel God wants me to do, but God doesn’t call us out based on our earthly skills or lack of them.  Instead, He calls us out and then gives us what we need to accomplish His purpose.

One of my favorite excerpts from this section of the study is this:

He didn’t select us to lead the study, mother the children, marry the man, lead the meeting, run the office, evangelize the tribe, or start the ministry because He knew we were already capable.  Rather He picked us up, dusted off our incapability, replaced it with His ability, and secured our success when we chose to rest and trust in Him to work supernaturally in us.  – Priscilla Shirer

My friend, if you have been called out by God, He will establish you for His purposes.

Finally, once we realize we are handpicked by God, centered on God, sustained by God, and established by God, then we must know that we are strategically positioned for a purpose.

When God calls us out, He calls us out to reach people.  Our purpose always has everything to do with other people.  When God called out Abraham, Esther, Paul, all our heroes and heroines of the Bible, and Jesus, it was always for the purpose of reaching other people.

I’ll leave you with this final quote from this first week of this study:

Our God is one of purpose and intent, and He intends to impact the lives of people.  He never gives a blessing, extends a gift, offers an opportunity, or creates a solution without a specific purpose.  Those whom God has handpicked for a specific calling, established with His power, and anointed by His Spirit have been given the privilege of being a conduit through which those blessings can flow to others. – Priscilla Shirer

This summary is just a brief sample of the wisdom contained in Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed:  A Study of David by Priscilla Shirer, Beth Moore, and Kay Arthur.  If this brief summary sparked your interest, then please consider completing the study at home or with a small group.

You can get the DVD Leader Kit here.

The DVD Leader Kit is available here.

You'll find all my posts about the Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed Bible Study here.

Image Credit:  skeeze - CCO Public Domain Image - via Pixabay

*Six years ago, I was given the title “Gifts for Military Families” for publication on eHow.  The article was originally published on April 23, 2010.  It is no longer published on eHow or anywhere else so I am free to publish it here.

Military families often find themselves far from home and on the move. They often miss family members and hometowns. When a military relative is deployed, family members left behind often search for items that help them feel closer to the deployed soldier. Military families benefit from gifts that help them deal with homesickness and deployments.

Gifts for Military Families

Huggable Pillow (Update - I highly recommend Daddy Dolls!)

Purchase a pillow covered in camouflage fabric or cover a pillow with the fabric. Sew on a pocket. Insert a photo of the military family member. The soldier’s relatives can hold or hug the pillow while he is away. Consider spraying the relative’s favorite cologne or perfume onto the pillow. Children of deployed parents benefit from a pillow made into the shape of a person with a photo attached to the head of the pillow. The child can easily carry the pillow around, talk to it, sing to it, read to it or sleep with it for added security.

Newspaper Subscription

Give the military family the gift of a newspaper subscription from their hometown. Have the newspaper mailed to their military home address. A hometown newspaper helps the family keep up with current events at home and they stay connected to friends, relatives and public figures. They stay informed about their high school and college sports teams and they won’t miss an article from their favorite section. If the family is deployed to another location, make sure to call the newspaper to provide the new address.

Hometown Shadow Box

Collect memorabilia from the military family’s hometown. Use items from the family’s favorite restaurants, their former high schools or colleges, their favorite movie theater and other places the family often visited. Trim the items so that they fit nicely into a shadow box. Make sure the shadow box is large enough to accommodate all of the items, but small enough for the family to pack and take with them when they move again.

Military Devotional

 Search Christian bookstores for a daily military devotional. Christian military families find comfort in reading daily devotional entries. Daily devotionals provide a source of strength, encouragement and peace for the families of military personnel. Christian bookstores often carry devotionals geared toward military families. These devotionals provide greater insight to the biblical principles associated with military life.

Read more posts about celebrations and gift giving here.