Bible Study

Following God in Our Inciting Incidents (Thoughts from My Bible Time)

November 29, 2018 // Esther Filbrun Leave a Comment

In fiction writing, there is almost always an “inciting incident”, when the main character is called—or forced, depending on the situation—to step out of their comfort zone to change their life or work to help or save someone else.

The only reason why this is used in story is because it happens in real life. All the time! Once one has responded to the call, there is no going back—quite literally! Their life has changed forever, and there is no handy “undo” button hanging around, either.

This morning in my Bible time, I was reminded of the inciting incident when reading about Mary and her calling. For Mary, when the angel appeared to her to tell her what God had chosen her for, she had a choice to accept or deny God’s call on her life. She accepted, as I’m sure we all are thankful for, and that singular incident catapulted her into a completely new (and not necessarily very easy!) life. And it changed world history…forever.

King David’s inciting incident came when he went to play harp for King Saul (1 Sam. 16:19)—or, perhaps, when he was anointed. Probably the later more than the former, although I think it’s entirely possible that we could have more than one major call/life-change in our individual lifetimes!

The prophet Samuel, as a boy, was told to deliver a dangerous message to Eli (1 Sam. 3).

Ruth had to choose between her wishes and Naomi’s wellbeing; her old gods and the God of Israel.

Esther had to choose whether she would utilize her life circumstances, and possibly lose her life, or grow bitter by them and in doing so lose her own life.

Moses…Nehemiah…Isaiah…Hezekiah…Jael…Miriam…Jeremiah…the Apostle Paul…Stephen…all had times in their lives when the call of God came to them, some audibly, often circumstantially, and they had to decide what to do.

And as Mary of old said, “behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word” (Luke 1:38), I’m praying that I, too might follow the Lord in whatever “inciting incident” He calls me to!

What have you been learning from the Word lately?

Journibles: A Rich Devotional Resource (Book Review and Blog Tour)

May 19, 2018 // Esther Filbrun 1 Comment

There are some people that are very good salesmen, even if they don’t intend to be. (Or maybe they do…I don’t know.) Anyway, when Chautona Havig shared a review of the Journibles collection on Youtube one day, I watched it and decided I wanted to try it out one day.

Imagine my delight when I saw that it was coming up for review soon, and I’d be able to get a hardcover version! I was thrilled to receive the welcome email, and eagerly anticipated the little package in the mail for the following few weeks—until, one day, there it was!

If there’s anything better than book mail, especially with a book you just can’t wait to dive into, please tell me. But that totally made my day one afternoon after work!

Some links in this review are affiliate links. They help keep this blog going, at no extra cost to you. Thank you!

About the Journibles:

WHY THE 17:18 SERIES?

In Deuteronomy 17, Moses is leaving final instructions concerning the future of Israel. As a prophet of God, Moses foretells of when Israel will place a king over the nation (v. 14). In verse 18, the king is commanded to not simply acquire a copy of the law (the entire book of Deuteronomy) from the scroll publishing house, but to hand write his own copy of the law. Thirty-four hundred years later, educators are discovering that students that physically write out their notes by hand have a much greater retention rate than simply hearing or visually reading the information. Apparently, God knew this to be true of the kings of Israel also. From such understanding came the conception of this series of books.

HOW TO USE THESE BOOKS

Each book is organized so that you can write out your very own copy of Scripture. You will be writing the Bible text only on the right hand page of the book. This should make for easier writing and also allows ample space on the left page to write your own notes and comments. From time to time a question or word will be lightly printed on the left page; these questions are to aid in further study, but should not interfere with your own notes and comments.

Check out the available books here.

My Thoughts:

I think I tend to be a little ADHD about my personal Bible time. For some reason, it always seems like I have four or five different studies all running concurrently, so it is always hard to decide what to do when. Hence, I don’t tend to make a huge amount of progress in any one thing in any particular week, but I switch around some and find inspiration from many different directions. Unlike other studies I’ve done in the past, the Journibles are very much book-based studies. I’m not sure I’ve ever done an in-depth study of any particular book, so it’s a different approach for me.

Despite the difference, though, I’ve found there’s a lot of richness missed when one just reads the scriptures. I’ve read through the Bible cover-to-cover before, probably at least four times, but I rarely ever took notes. It was just a reading exercise, and when I did my allotment for the day, I was done.

Journibles’ purpose is different, though: They intend to slow you down and make you think not only about the chapter as a whole, but see each section in it and each verse and word inside of that. It’s a very effective system.

I’ve only actually spent several personal devotional periods in my Journible so far. However, each time has been rich with meaning. I’m not quite through the first chapter of Proverbs yet, as I’m taking time to comment along the way, but even so there are several things that have jumped out at me that I haven’t noticed before.

Although I haven’t used my Journible (Proverbs) as much yet as I thought I might, I know I’ve learned a lot even in the time I have dedicated to it. There’s power in praying over the Scriptures, asking the Lord for His inspiration from them each day. There’s also power in writing them out—“claiming” them, in a sense, as your own. Each word requires precision and care, and that responsibility really helps you focus on the true meaning. I think the only reason I haven’t done more is my aforementioned ADHD in Bible study, but in all, I am thrilled to have had the chance to try this resource out—I expect I’ll be using them more in the future! It looks like it would also make a great group study tool, too—fairly intensive as far as prep work is concerned, but you would have some gems of thoughts as a result, I think!

Note: I received this book for free from CelebrateLit, in exchange for my honest review.

Check out the other blog tour stops and the giveaway here!

Let’s discuss: What are some of your favorite Bible study tools? Do you journal as part of your Bible time?

11 Bible Verses I Pray Nearly Every Day

May 3, 2018 // Esther Filbrun 2 Comments

I’m not sure where the idea originated for me, exactly. Dad’s been doing it for years—he has a list of verses he rotates through and prays over us children every evening.

I think the idea may have clicked when I saw it being used in a prayer list made for girls on one of the Facebook groups I’m in. The subject was prayers for our husbands, and each day the admin shared a prayer to pray as well as some verses pertaining to the prayer. What amazed me was the fact that these verses—ones I’ve been familiar with since before I can remember—also could be used as powerful, specific prayers! I loved it!

Since then, I set up a prayer notebook/Bible study journal, and whenever I find a verse that would be good to pray for others, I write it down.

There’s something special about praying scripture over other people. I don’t know what it is, exactly, but it comes alive—you can see your hopes and dreams for them expressed within the words of scripture. It’s an invigorating experience. And, truthfully, helpful too, in figuring out how to direct certain prayers for different ones!

11 Bible Verses I Pray Nearly Every Day — photo courtesy of www.christianpics.co

So today, I’m sharing my favorite verses that I pray for different ones I know:

My Brothers

This is the essence of what I want for my brothers—that they can be physically, mentally, and spiritually strong, the Word of God can be part of their daily lives, and that they will have victory over the evil one. It’s an amazing verse to pray for all young men (and women, too!)

“I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.” (1 John 2:14b)

This one is a little newer to me, but it’s also a precious verse. It’s great for praying for yourself, or others—just change out all the me’s for him or them!

“Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.” (Psalm 25:4-5)

Church Family/Missionaries

This one is close to my heart, because of the spiritual attacks we’ve seen over the years against the church, and the struggles I know missionaries experience every day. I know there are quite a few different verses you could use when praying for the strengthening of the church and of the Lord’s servants out on the field, but right now this is my go-to:

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)

I also really appreciate this verse—what a promise to all of us! Yes, what power we have to tap into if only we will believe and obey!

“Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.” (Psalm 2:8)

Friends

For several different people, I’ve been reminded of different verses that apply to their situations. One of the most notable examples was when a dear soul I’ve known for years was facing a major struggle. The Lord laid it on my heart to pray this verse over her for a time. Remove her mountain, Lord!

“And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” (Matthew 17:20)

Others apply more broadly to different situations. I especially use the last phrase of this verse.

“But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.” (1 Peter 5:10)

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

Many of these are also applicable as prayers for me—I tend to use them somewhat interchangeably.

“But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head. I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah. Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.” (Psalm 3:3, 4, 8)

Myself

Because sometimes I need this reminder.

“I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.” (Psalm 4:8)

I pray these two nearly every single day.

“Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.” (Psalm 143:8)

“Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.” (Psalm 119:18)

Have you ever prayed Bible verses as prayers before? What are some of your favorite prayers from the Bible?

Micah and Mary

January 21, 2018 // Esther Filbrun Leave a Comment

Currently, I’m doing a reading plan that involves reading ten different chapters in ten different books of the Bible per day. For me, it’s a fairly flexible one—some days, I only end up reading one chapter, other days it’s just five, but I always aim for all ten. The way this particular plan is set up is that once you finish reading a certain “section” of the Bible, you just start it over—and that can cause some interesting mashups at times!

A few days ago, several chapters really stood out to me, and I thought I’d share my notes from them today, as I’m still thinking about them this morning.

Key texts: Mark 14:3–9, Judges 17–18

Mark 14: The gift Mary gave Jesus (“ointment on his feet”) was to be talked about wherever the gospel was preached, forever (see vs. 9).

In Judges 18, something else has happened that will also be spoken of for a very, very long time: Micah, an Ephraimite, “did that which was right in his own eyes” (see 17:6), and made himself both graven and molten images. He then created a priest in a weird mix-up of calling these images “the LORD”, thinking he was worshiping the God of Israel.

It was an evil combination of true and pagan worship, and it happened while the house of God was at Shiloh…he still had access to the truth, but he decided to do what he thought was right.

And by that one perversion in one man, one family, everyone in Dan (well, at least the ones who came to live in a nearby city) ended up being drawn away too. This lasted “all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh,” “…until the day of the captivity of the land.” (See vs. 30-31.)

Of course, we don’t really know which captivity this was (or at least, I haven’t taken time to study that part out!)—it may have been as far out as the Babylonian captivity, or perhaps a closer, smaller one. It’s hard to tell.

What we DO know is that this perversion, confusion, and sin, lasted a long, long time.

One sacrificed everything for her LORD.

One didn’t even bother to figure out or ask what his LORD required.

One did perfectly, and caused great blessing.

One did perversely, caused great confusion, and drew many away from the truth.

Which one am I?

Both may have considered their decisions inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. It’s easy for us, me, to fall into that trap, too. Thinking that our little actions don’t really matter.

But they do.

We may never see the long-term results. Mary probably didn’t, although Micah may have, at least to a certain extent. Both thought they were in the right. But what each one did affected many, many following generations.

How am I living my life?

Am I living it right in my eyes, after the pattern of Micah, or right in God’s estimation?

How are my actions now—however inconsequential, thoughtless, or otherwise—going to affect those around me…and the generations following me?

What a sobering thought!

As we start this next week, let us never forget that each action, each decision, does matter. Yes, God gives grace. But we’re still responsible to continue living for Him in everything we think and do.

“For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:” —Ephesians 5:8

“Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.” —1 Timothy 4:16

“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light; Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.” —1 Peter 2:9-10

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” —1 John 1:7

What have you been learning in your personal devotional time lately?

Fearless and Full of Faith

April 22, 2017 // Esther Filbrun Leave a Comment

A month or so ago, I was memorizing the last of a memory verses list that I had created a year or more previously. I came to Daniel 3:17-18, and as I began working on the passage I was struck with the beauty in it.

Imagine the scene:

Court retainers line the smooth walls of the throne room, their eyes keenly intent on the three young men standing before the great king Nebuchadnezzar, ruler of Babylon, conqueror of much of the known world. The king’s eyes flash as he stares down each unrepentant man by turn, his voice a low rumble of angry thunder as he bends toward them. “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that you do not serve my gods, or worship the golden image that I have set up?”

The young men don’t waver for a second. Not once does their gaze shift to each other, and yet they remain silent. Waiting. The court tenses, each man knowing the fate of these foolish leaders if they don’t follow the king’s command.

“I will give you one more chance,” Nebuchadnezzar continues, his voice growing harsher with each word, “to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments. But if you refuse, you will immediately be thrown into the burning fiery furnace.” He pauses for a second, his gaze shifting from one uplifted face to the next. His final words cut through the room, a defiant challenge to those listening. “What god can save you from my power then?”

The throne room is silent. The king still leans forward, his threatening, keen gaze on the three men—administrators of the province of Babylon—standing before him.

Slowly, one sandaled foot raises and settles without a sound, another follows. A young man looks down at the tiles below his feet for a moment, takes a deep breath, and as he raises his eyes to meet those of the king, his shoulders draw back—not in pride, but in power.

“O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.”

The court gasps at his boldness, their attention riveted on the young speaker standing just one pace beyond his fellows. Many glance at the unmoving face of the king, then back to the firm yet hopeful countenance of the bright-eyed youth as he continues, “But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

An explosion of furious words blasts through the air, shattering the breathless silence.

This statement…it’s powerful.

I don’t think I’d ever considered faith in the light I saw it in that morning while reviewing memory verses. These three young men—dear friends of Daniel—had complete trust in God.

I’m sure, as they stood there meeting the gaze of this king who could order their death at any moment, that there was some unease in their hearts. Any human facing death is bound to have a little (or maybe not, maybe I’ve always assumed that that’s a fact of life?). But they had such faith in the Lord that they weren’t overly concerned about it. They didn’t even mention death in their reply to the king! Their strength came from the Lord, and they knew it—and weren’t overly worried about other people knowing about it either.

This is true fearless faith.

Unswerving, unbending trust in the LORD, the Creator of the world and the Upholder of all things…including their lives.

As I was mulling over this beautiful fearless faith, I had to think of some of the other Bible stories that have to do with faith. Not too much later after memorizing these verses, my brothers and I listened to a dramatized audio version of David and Goliath from Your Story Hour. (By the way, I love how Your Story Hour shares Biblical stories! As a child, I often was quite bored with the same stories over and over, but they have a way of presenting them in a whole new light—I highly recommend looking into them if you want a fresh perspective for you or your children!)

Consider 1 Samuel 17:45-47:

“Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands.”

Notice all the confident verbs (I think that’s what they are…correct me if I’m wrong!) in the passage. Again, David had no doubt that God would deliver Goliath into his hand; it was just a matter of going out and conquering him, which he saw as no challenge.

And of course there are plenty of other examples in the Bible too:

Abraham and Isaac (“God will provide Himself a lamb” Gen. 22:8)
Caleb (“give me this mountain” Josh 14:12)
Jonathan and his armor bearer (“there is no restraint to the Lord” 1 Sam. 14:6)
Jehoshaphat (“our eyes are upon thee” 2 Chron. 32:7)
Ezra (“The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him” Ezra 9:22)
Job (“I know that my redeemer liveth” Job 19:25)
Paul in the shipwreck (“I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me” Acts 27:25)

I’m sure there are others, but these are the ones that I’ve remembered or been referenced to in my study.

I looked this subject up in my Thompson Chain-Reference, and the label they gave was “victorious faith”. That’s what these people had—victorious, fearless faith. Wow.

So I ask myself this evening: Do I have this unwavering, unrelenting faith in God?

Could I stand firm, even if I knew I faced certain death, and proclaim boldly that God is who He says He is and He will do what is best—whether to glorify Himself in taking me home to glory, or perform a miracle? That’s a tough call! I hope I can say yes, but I don’t know. Sometimes my faith seems to be quite weak!

How about you? Do you have this kind of faith? What would you do in a situation like the three young men were facing? Do you know of any other Biblical stories that would fit on this list? Has anything special popped out to you in your memorization time lately?

Wait

November 27, 2016 // Esther Filbrun Leave a Comment

Wait on the Lord

In my single-digit days, one of the things I most despised hearing from Mom were the words “hold your horses!” And, sadly, as I’ve gotten a little older that hasn’t changed much. She still reminds me, when I start heading down multiple what if? rabbit trails at once, to stop, be patient, and well…just wait.

Funny thing is, the Bible has some things to say about this too. Psalm 27:14, for example, has this to say about it:

“Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.“

And, of course, one of my favorite verses lately has a similar theme to it:

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

The thing is, God doesn’t always show us His “understanding” right away. He doesn’t even “strengthen our hearts” right away. He doesn’t always “direct our paths” just as soon as we pray, “direct me, please!”

It’s hard to wait when you’re afraid. Hard to believe that God really is going to come through and be with you, is going to follow through on His promises. I think of all those people listed in Hebrews 11, and wonder how many of them battled fear even while clinging to the faith that earned them a place among the “cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1)? Many, I’d expect.

So today, as I go about my daily life, trying to commit my cares to the Lord and asking Him to help me trust Him more, I’m asking for patience to wait. For patience to just rest, see that the Lord is good, and follow His plan.

Not trusting is wearing—physically, emotionally, spiritually. But trusting Him? While it may be hard, we can be sure we have a firm foundation—because Christ has risen! (See 1 Corinthians 15:13-22.)