The law in the Old Testament was given according to Scripture to be a schoolmaster to show us that we needed a savior. That no one was perfect or could keep up with all of the commandments in the Word of God (The Holy Bible). There are 2,713 commands in the law of Moses, these do not include the 106 commands that were given in the Book of Genesis prior to the life of Moses. Reference (Finis Dake Annotated Reference Bible, authorized King James Version p. 177). Obviously we are not going to be able to keep all of the commands flawlessly and if we do not, then we must be judged by the law, which leads to death usually. In James 2:10 it says, “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.” Thank God that we are saved by Grace and not by works. There is a Spirit out there that tries to keep people under the law of the Old Testament, it has been around since the beginning. Paul addresses this spirit in the Epistle (Letter) that was written to the Galatians. The Galatians had already received the gospel message (That Christ died for their sins), but these Judaizers were trying to put them back under the law of works, to make yourself right with God. In Ephesians it says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” You are saved through faith, not of works!!! People would love to take credit for what the Lord has already done, try to show that they are worthy. I got news for you, you are not worthy at all. It is only by Grace that you and I have been saved, nothing else. Jesus did say that the not one tittle of the law was going to be destroyed until the end and that the law was perfect. Do you know why He said this? Because He is going to use it to judge those who do not believe in Him on judgment day, that’s why!

In the New Testament the Pharisees and Sadducees were following Jesus around always trying to use the law to condemn Him, but Jesus constantly corrected them with their interpretation of it. Jesus actually would take them to an even higher level then they even understood. I will give you an example of this with just one of these incidents. We are going to talk about Adultery. Jesus said to the Pharisees ““You have heard that the law of Moses says, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust in his eye has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:27-28). You see Jesus was letting them know that He knew their motives, their intentions and that He knows what is going on in their hearts. They were not believers and they were actually trying to put people back into bondage thru the law of Moses. The next time someone tries to put this unnecessary yoke upon you, correct them twice according to Scripture, then if they do not take the correction, the Word of God, tells us to have nothing to do with them. But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless. Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned. (Titus 3:9-11 NKJV). I hope that you have a better understanding about why the law was given and remember the law is black and white, there is no gray area, no mercy, and definitely no grace in the law, that is the reason why Scripture tells us that Jesus fulfilled the law when He died on the cross, and Jesus’ statement from the cross confirms this when He said “It is finished.” He was speaking about the fulfillment of the law, because it says that there is no remission of sins without the shedding of blood and according to the law if you were to kill and innocent man, then your blood was required of you. Well, guess what? This is where Satan lost his grip on humanity, because Jesus actually fulfilled this requirement, because He was sinless!!! Well, I hope that the LORD blesses you through this study and that you do not come under the bondage of this spirit that continues to ensnare people with the wiles of the Devil, and that you follow up with Ephesians chapter 2 and the book of Galatians to get a better understanding on this subject. May God Bless You and keep you from the lies of the enemy, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Law: all the rules that tell people what they must or must not do, made by the government of a city, state, nation, etc. (the law of the land).

Matthew 22:35-40

One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”

Jesus replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the other commandments and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

Galatians 3:24-26

Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

Romans 13:8-10 (NKJV)

Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Galatians 5:13-15

For you have been called to live in freedom – not freedom to satisfy your sinful nature, but freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if instead of showing love among yourselves you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another.

James 2:8-13

If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Luke 6:27-28 (NKJV)

“But I tell you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.

( Side Note:) These are the four laws of love, you will notice that they are action words, a verb is an action and God has told us to do these things accordingly. Especially to those who do these things to us.

John 13:34-35

“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

( Side Note: ) You will notice that this is the only new commandment that Jesus gave us, that we should love one another as He has loved us. Not as we know how to love one another. He said that there is no greater love than a man lay down his life for his friends. The question is, have you been doing that lately? Putting others above ourselves is not natural for our sinful natures, but as Christians it is crucial that we do this. That is exactly what Jesus did by coming down here to earth and taking our place on the cross.

John 15:9-17

“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey me, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father and remain in his love. I have told you this so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! I command you to love each other in the same way that I love you. And here is how to measure it – the greatest love is shown when people lay down their lives for their friends. You are my friends if you obey me. I no longer call you servants, because a master doesn’t confide in his servants. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. I command you to love each other.

Sometimes being poor is a choice, as it says in Proverbs 10:4 “Lazy people are soon poor;” now I do not believe that this is the truth about most people that consider themselves poor. Even Jesus said to His disciples that the poor would always be with us. But when you look at Scripture you will notice that God has a lot of good things to say about the poor. He does not look down at the poor, He actually teaches in Scripture that He is their defender, their provider, and their Creator, just as He says about making the rich man (Proverbs 22:2). God tells us about the calamity of the poor throughout Scripture and how hard life is for them. All of the real life struggles that they endure.

In Scripture it is taught that we have a lot of opportunities to reach out and help the poor, and if we do then we are going to blessed by God (Proverbs 19:17, 14:31, 14:21, 28:27). If we oppress them, take advantage of them, shut our ears to their cries for help, if we stand by and watch people take advantage of them and do not speak up in their behalf, then according to Scripture we are doing the wrong thing and there will be consequences according to Scripture. When you read through this study, read it slowly and meditate on what the Scriptures are saying to you!!! Let them sink in and ask God to give you opportunities to be a blessing to others and to give you the discernment not to reach out and help their drug addictions and alcoholism, but to actually help those who need a meal or just need financial help. I have heard it said that if you have change somewhere in a piggy bank or an ashtray or somewhere else, that you are actually in the upper 8 percent of the entire world’s economy, that’s right you are considered rich compared to 92 percent of the people in the world. I have heard people that I know, say that if someone has something in their house that is new and unopened that they consider that person rich. It is amazing how people look at what makes a person rich. But I want you to look at what the definition says about the poor “having little or no money; not having enough to live on; needy. That is what truly being poor is.

In Scripture you will see that it is an honor to be poor, not some kind of a virtue like some people try to teach. Some people try to teach that they are super spiritual if they are poor, this is not necessarily true at all. When you study Scripture you will see that God’s chosen people were from all sorts of different backgrounds especially in the finance department. The Book of Acts actually has to address some of these lazy people that were just acting like leeches to the other believers. So even believers can be lazy and be poor. I do not believe that this is the majority, but this is where you ask God for that discernment when you are about to help someone.

There are some interesting Scriptures in this study, such as Proverbs 21:17 “Those who love pleasure become poor,” I believe that this is a warning to those who love pleasure, that they better be better stewards of what the LORD has given them. Another Scripture that is interesting is Proverbs 29:14 “A king who is fair to the poor will have a long reign.” This is obviously a promise of God, not just an observation. In contrast to this we have Ecclesiastes 5:8-9 where we see a king who milks the land for his own profit and the poor are forgotten about because of red tape and bureaucracy.

The lesson to be taught here! Be fair and just with the poor stand up for them where they cannot and do not worry about pleasing man, but instead reach out to the poor and please God and see if He does not return to you some kind of real blessing. As it says in Proverbs 19:17 “If you help the poor, you are lending to the LORD – and he will repay you!” I don’t know about you, but I believe that our God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills, who created the universe, who I have personally put to the test on many of His promises throughout Scripture, tells me that He is going to repay me, I am sure the dividends will be more than sufficient. I do not think that you could probably make a better investment than to have God tell you that He will repay you!!! Well, I hope that you will view the poor differently than you have in the past and that God gives you an opportunity to be blessed by Him, so that you can be a blessing to others. May God Bless You and keep you and may you be rich in faith!!!!!

Poor: adj. 1. having little or no money; not having enough to live on; needy

Proverbs 10:4

Lazy people are soon poor; hard workers get rich.

Proverbs 10:15

The wealth of the rich is their fortress; the poverty of the poor is their calamity.

Proverbs 13:7

Some who are poor pretend to be rich; others who are rich pretend to be poor.

Proverbs 13:8

The rich can pay a ransom, but the poor won’t even get threatened 

Proverbs 14:20

The poor are despised even by their neighbors, while the rich have many “friends.”

Proverbs 14:21

It is sin to despise one’s neighbors; blessed are those who help the poor.

Proverbs 14:31

Those who oppress the poor insult their Maker, but those who help the poor honor him.

Proverbs 17:5

Those who mock the poor insult their Maker; those who rejoice at the misfortune of others will be punished.

Proverbs 18:23

The poor plead for mercy; the rich answer with insults.

Proverbs 19:1

It is better to be poor and honest than to be a fool and dishonest.

Proverbs 19:4

Wealth makes many “friends”; poverty drives them away.

Proverbs 19:7

If the relatives of the poor despise them, how much more will their friends avoid them. The poor call after them, but they are gone.

Proverbs 19:17

If you help the poor, you are lending to the LORD – and he will repay you!

Proverbs 19:22

Loyalty makes a person attractive. And it is better to be poor than dishonest.

Proverbs 21:13

Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in their own time of need.

Proverbs 21:17

Those who love pleasure become poor; wine and luxury are not the way to riches.

Proverbs 22:2

The rich and the poor have this in common: The LORD made them both.

Proverbs 22:7

Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender.

Proverbs 22:16

A person who gets ahead by oppressing the poor or by showering gifts on the rich will end in poverty.

Proverbs 22:22-23

Do not rob the poor because they are poor or exploit the needy in court. For the LORD is their defender. He will injure anyone who injures them.

Proverbs 28:3

A poor person who oppresses the poor is like a pounding rain that destroys the crops.

Proverbs 28:6

It is better to be poor and honest than rich and crooked.

Proverbs 28:8

A person who makes money by charging interest will lose it. It will end up in the hands of someone who is kind to the poor.

Proverbs 28:11

Rich people picture themselves as wise, but their real poverty is evident to the poor.

Proverbs 28:27

Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing. But a curse will come upon those who close their eyes to poverty.

Proverbs 29:7

The godly know the rights of the poor; the wicked don’t care to know.

Proverbs 29:13

The poor and the oppressor have this in common – the LORD gives light to the eyes of both.

Proverbs 29:14

A king who is fair to the poor will have a long reign.

Proverbs 30:11-14

Some people curse their father and do not thank their mother. They feel pure, but they are filthy and unwashed. They are proud beyond description and disdainful. They devour the poor with teeth as sharp as swords or knives. They destroy the needy from the face of the earth.

Proverbs 31:8-9

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those who are perishing. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice 

Psalm 107:39-41

When they decrease in number and become impoverished through oppression, trouble, and sorrow, the LORD pours contempt on their princes, causing them to wander in trackless wastelands. But he rescues the poor from their distress and increases their families like vast flocks of sheep.

Psalm 109:16-22   Side note: This was a prayer to God from a poor soul.

For he refused all kindness to others; he persecuted the poor and needy, and he hounded the brokenhearted to death. He loved to curse others; now you curse him. He never blessed others; now don’t you bless him. Cursing is as much a part of him as his clothing, or as the water he drinks, or the rich food he eats. Now may his curses return and cling to him like clothing; may they be tied around him like a belt. May those curses become the LORD’s punishment for my accusers who are plotting against my life. But deal well with me, O Sovereign LORD, for the sake of your own reputation! Rescue me because you are so faithful and good. For I am poor and needy, and my heart is full of pain.

Psalm 37:14-15

The wicked draw their swords and string their bows to kill the poor and the oppressed, to slaughter those who do right. But they will be stabbed through the heart with their own swords, and their bows will be broken

James 1:9

Christians who are poor should be glad, for God has honored them.

Isaiah 61:1-2   Side note: This was a prophecy about Jesus, 680 years before he appeared. He quoted most of this verse in Luke 4:18-19, and said that this prophecy was fulfilled in Luke 4:21. But the day of the LORD is still to come.

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me, the LORD has appointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to announce that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the LORD’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.

Ecclesiastes 5:8-9

If you see a poor person being oppressed by the powerful and justice being miscarried throughout the land, don’t be surprised! For every official is under orders from higher up, and matters of justice only get lost in red tape and bureaucracy. Even the king milks the land for his own profit!

Ecclesiastes 6:7-9

All people spend their lives scratching for food, but they never seem to have enough. Considering this, do wise people really have any advantage over fools? Do poor people gain anything by being wise and knowing how to act in front of others?

Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless; it is like chasing the wind.

Luke 6:20

Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said, “God blesses you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is given to you. 

Proverbs 15:15

For the poor, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast.

Proverbs 13:23

A poor person’s farm may produce much food, but injustice sweeps it all away.

Proverbs 16:8

It is better to be poor and godly than rich and dishonest.

Proverbs 16:19

It is better to live humbly with the poor than to share plunder with the proud.

Integrity is something that is lacking throughout our society today and its affects are evident. This is a virtue that has truly been forgotten. We believe that it is alright to lie, cheat and steal and that there are no consequences for our actions. We have this greedy mentality that says that we are owed something that we are not. Our youth has gotten this entitlement mentality that believes that they deserve what everyone else has without putting in the energy or the time to earn it. Integrity is something that is taught into a person, our sinful nature is selfish and wants everything now. In our instant gratification society with all of the advances of technology it is just getting worse.

Because of the split in the family unit and family values being throw out the door, we have people doing what is right in their own eyes. The fathers with integrity are few and far between and the women are worn out from trying to play two roles at home as the father and the mother. This leaves the children without the much needed family interaction of love, time, and good values being taught to the children when they are the most perceptive for it. When the parents do not have integrity, it is especially hard for the child to understand, because they want to be like mom and dad and a lot of the times they just follow their footsteps. Now some children get understanding and do just the opposite because they have figured out that they do not want to be like their parents who do not have such values as integrity. They see all of the dismay around their parents from the lack of integrity and they do not want all of the drama.

I want to point out some of the benefits to having integrity in the Scriptures. Number one God protects those who walk with integrity. It says in Proverbs 2:21, that those who have integrity will remain in the land, that is a promise from God. It says that those with integrity have firm footing, that means that they do not slip easily or fall down often. It says that the LORD is pleased with those who have integrity, and as you will see this integrity can save your life according to the story given in Genesis. I hope that the LORD will give you integrity and if you have it already, that the LORD will strengthen you in it and bless you for it!!! May the LORD Bless You and keep you from the Evil One and his ploys to ensnare you and to entangle you where you compromise your integrity, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Integrity: the quality of being honest and trustworthy; honesty or uprightness

Proverbs 2:6-7

For the LORD grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He grants a treasure of good sense to the godly. He is their shield, protecting those who walk with integrity.

Proverbs 2:20-22

Follow the steps of good men instead, and stay on the paths of the righteous. For only the upright will live in the land, and those who have integrity will remain in it. But the wicked will be removed from the land, and the treacherous will be destroyed.

Proverbs 10:9

People with integrity have firm footing, but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall.

Proverbs 10:29

The LORD protects the upright but destroys the wicked.

Proverbs 11:20

The LORD hates people with twisted hearts, but he delights in those who have integrity.

Genesis 20:1-13

And Abraham journeyed from there to the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and stayed in Gerar. Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, “Indeed you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.” But Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, “Lord, will You slay a righteous nation also? “Did he not say to me, She is my sister? And she, even she herself said, He is my brother.” In the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands I have done this.” And God said to him in a dream, “Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her. “Now therefore, restore the man’s wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.” So Abimelech rose early in the morning, called his servants, and told all these things in their hearing; and the men were very much afraid. And Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? How have I offended you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done deeds to me that ought not to be done.” Then Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you have in view, that you have done this thing?” And Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will kill me on account of my wife. “But indeed she is truly my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. “And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said to her, “This is your kindness that you should do for me: in every place, wherever we go, say of me, “He is my brother.”

Gifts from God, everybody loves gifts, but gifts from God, wow what a concept! As you will see in this study faith is a gift from God, not everybody gets it. Everybody has a chance to receive that gift, but it is their choice. I tell people all of the time that children are a gift from God (Psalm 127:3), but not everyone sees children this way. Some people when you give them a gift, if it is not up to their expectation, do not show any appreciation for the gesture. They either re-gift it or throw it away, donate it, etc. I believe this is the way some people view their children. Those who know that their children are gifts from God usually treat them well, and they really do become quite the blessing in their lives.

God has quite a list of gifts that He specifically gives to the people. Faith, prophecy, ability to speak in tongues, gift of interpretation of tongues, apostles, prophets, evangelist, pastors, teachers, peace of mind and heart, to enjoy your work and lot in life, the ability to give wise advice, the gift of special knowledge, the power to heal the sick, the power to perform miracles, the gift to discern between the Holy Spirit and another spirit, ears to hear and eyes to see are a gift from God. The Holy Spirit gives these gifts to whoever He decides, that is His job. There are a few gifts that we are told to pray for, like the gift of prophecy, this type of prophecy means to have edifying speech for the people of the church. To help people in their time of need, by ministering to them. The gift of tongues is addressed by Paul, because people who had this gift were not using it properly and others did not understand it so they did not necessarily like it. The gift of tongues is a gift to that person so that they can speak to God and be edified for themselves. If there is someone to interpret the tongues than it can be used to edify the church, but remember that God is a God of order, not disorder. That is the reason Paul told those who had the gift of tongues to pray for the interpretation of tongues, to edify the church with what the LORD was speaking to them about.

Scripture teaches us to not be shy and to ask the LORD for these different gifts. I believe that the LORD has a plan for each of us and that His Holy Spirit knows exactly what we need and when we need it to glorify God. Each one of us according to Scripture has been given gifts and it is our job to explore them and see what we already have. Remember that God has given all of us gifts and be thankful for the gifts that we have received from the perfect gift giver. Explore your gifts and share them with others and you will have an abundant life!!! I hope that you get something out of this study and that it is revealed to you what your gifts are so that you can use them to edify the church body. May God Bless You and keep you and enjoy your gifts!!!!!!!

Ephesians 2:8-10

God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

1 Corinthians 13:8-10

Love will last forever, but prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will all disappear. Now we know only a little, and even the gift of prophecy reveals little! But when the end comes, these special gifts will all disappear.

1 Corinthians 14:1-17

Let love be your highest goal, but also desire the special abilities the Spirit gives, especially the gift of prophecy. For if your gift is the ability to speak in tongues, you will be talking to God but not to people, since they won’t be able to understand you. You will be speaking by the power of the Spirit, but it will all be mysterious. But one who prophesies is helping others grow in the Lord, encouraging and comforting them. A person who speaks in tongues is strengthened personally in the Lord, but one who speaks a word of prophecy strengthens the entire church.

I wish you all had the gift of speaking in tongues, but even more I wish you were all able to prophecy. For prophecy is a greater and more useful gift than speaking in tongues, unless someone interprets what you are saying so that the whole church can get some good out of it.

Dear brothers and sisters, if I should come to you talking in an unknown language, how would that help you? But if I bring you some revelation or some special knowledge or some prophecy or some teaching – that is what will help you. Even musical instruments like the flute and the harp, though they are lifeless, are examples of the need for speaking in plain language. For no one will recognize the melody unless the notes are played clearly. And if the bugler doesn’t sound a clear call, how will the soldiers know they are being called to battle? And it’s the same for you. If you talk to people in a language they don’t understand, how will they know what you mean? You might as well be talking to an empty room.

There are so many different languages in the world, and all are excellent for those who understand them, but to me they mean nothing. I will not understand people who speak those languages, and they will not understand me. Since you are so eager to have spiritual gifts, ask God for those that will be of real help to the whole church.

So anyone who has the gift of speaking in tongues should pray also for the gift of interpretation in order to tell people plainly what has been said. For if I pray in tongues, my spirit is praying, but I don’t understand what I am saying.

Well then, what shall I do? I will do both. I will pray in the spirit, and I will pray in words I understand. I will sing in the spirit, and I will sing in words I understand. For if you praise God only in the spirit, how can those who don’t understand you praise God along with you? How can they join you in giving thanks when they don’t understand what you are saying? You will be giving thanks very nicely, no doubt, but it doesn’t help the other people present.

Ephesians 4:4-13

We are all one body, we have the same Spirit, and we have all been called to the same glorious future. There is only one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and there is only one God and Father, who is over us all and in us all and living through us all. However, he has given each one of us a special gift according to the generosity of Christ. That is why the Scriptures say,

“When he ascended to the heights,

he led a crowd of captives

and gave gifts to the people.”

Notice that it says “he ascended.” This means that Christ first came down to the lowly world in which we live. The same one who came down is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that his rule might fill the entire universe.

He is the one who gave these gifts to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ, until we come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature and full grown in the Lord, measuring up to the full stature of Christ.

John 17:6-8   Side note: This was Jesus speaking to God the Father in heaven.

“I have told these men about you. They were in the world, but then you gave them to me. Actually, they were always yours, and you gave them to me; and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything I have is a gift from you, for I have passed on to them the words you gave me; and they accepted them and know that I came from you, and they believe you sent me.”

1 Peter 4:10-11

God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God’s generosity can flow through you. Are you called to be a speaker? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Are you called to help others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then God will be given glory in everything through Jesus Christ. All glory and power belong to him forever and ever. Amen.

Matthew 7:7-11

“Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks. You parents – if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.”

Ecclesiastes 5:19-20

And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life – that is indeed a gift from God. People who do this rarely look with sorrow on the past, for God has given them reasons for joy.

John 14:27-29

“I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn’t like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid. Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again. If you really love me, you will be very happy for me, because now I can go to the Father, who is greater than I am. I have told you these things before they happen so that you will believe when they do happen.”

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

And now, dear brothers and sisters, I will write about the special abilities the Holy Spirit gives to each of us, for I must correct, your misunderstandings about them. You know that when you were still pagans you were led astray and swept along in worshiping speechless idols. So I want you to know how to discern what is truly from God: No one speaking by the Spirit of God can curse Jesus, and no one is able to say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

Now there are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but it is the same Holy Spirit who is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service in the church, but it is the same Lord we are serving. There are different ways God works in our lives, but it is the same God who does the work through all of us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us as a means of helping the entire church.

To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another he gives the gift of special knowledge. The Spirit gives special faith to another, and to someone else he gives the power to heal the sick. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and to another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to know whether it is really the Spirit of God or another spirit that is speaking. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, and another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Holy Spirit who distributes these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.

Proverbs 20:12

Ears to hear and eyes to see – both are gifts from the LORD.

Psalm 127:3-5

Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him. Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows in a warrior’s hands. How happy is the man whose quiver is full of them! He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates.

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.   

Romans 12:6-11

God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out when you have faith that God is speaking through you. If your gift is that of serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, do a good job of teaching. If your gift is to encourage others, do it! If you have money, share it generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

Don’t just pretend that you love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically.

Praying, the communication between us and God. This subject is misunderstood on so many levels. Some people believe if they repeat something long enough that God will listen, and to some extent they are right. The reason I say some extent, is because if it is in God’s will He might answer it the way you would like. If it is not His will your answer will probably be no. I have heard it said that God answers prayer in three answers, yes, no, and wait. In Scripture it is taught that we should keep on praying diligently and do not quit. I have personally prayed about things for years before I have seen any results. I have also prayed and seen immediate results. I have prayed and had God answer my prayers, but not in the manner that I would have liked Him too. There was a time in my own personal prayer life that God quit answering my prayers and I did not understand, but the Lord revealed to me that He wanted more intimacy with me and I was not being that intimate in my prayer life. He explained it to me like this, He said I am His child and how would you like it if your child did not talk to you about all of the details of their day? That when you wanted to know what was going on in their life, that they just gave you the cold shoulder. When He put it to me in those terms, I realized that I had not been praying the way that I should be. I have an older daughter and through the years we have had a very close relationship. She has been pretty honest with me and has always known that I will not judge her if she makes a wrong decision. She knows that I have her back if anything goes wrong and she also knows that I love her with all of my heart, we have an awesome relationship. Well, I was convicted, because I knew that my prayer life was lacking, so I asked the Lord to show me how to pray. Of course He gives you Scripture to show you, so He, pointed me to the LORD’s prayer and to Jesus’ prayer to the Father. The first one (The LORD’s prayer/Matthew 6:5-15) is a template for prayer. This section of Scripture gives you a how to guide on prayer. Jesus’ prayer in John chapter 17  shows you how to pray in detail. To dig into the intimacy that the LORD wants from His children. Pray to God like He is your friend, your dad, your protector, your provider, your healer, your shelter, most of all recognize that He is God Almighty!!!!!!!!! Yes, you have a relationship with the Creator of the Universe, think about that, He has chosen to reveal Himself to you!!! If for some reason you do not have this relationship, please go to the home page and read Relationship with Jesus. This will explain how to have this relationship in detail with the Father.

In this study I am going to point out some different aspects to prayer that the LORD has revealed to us for our own benefit. This is not an exhaustive study on this subject at all, there is a lot to study about in the Word of God (The Holy Bible) about this subject. There are many prayers in the Bible throughout the Old Testament and the New Testament, many of the Psalms are actually prayers made to God. This study is just a little bit of detail on a very vast subject in Scripture. It is intended to help you better understand how to communicate with God and to have an effective prayer life. Prayer is our best weapon against evil and in our society today, they are trying to do away with prayer. The best thing about prayer is that you can do it anywhere and at any time. You can do when you are in prison, when you are in the shower, when you are driving (Do not close your eyes), when you are actually speaking to someone (If you need to), I do this when I see that the communication is either not getting comprehended or presented correctly. This is the beauty of prayer. People cannot stop your prayer life, you do not need to speak out loud to have an effective prayer life. God hears you regardless!!!

There are some things that I want to address that will hinder your prayer life before we get started. Unconfessed sin will totally hinder your prayer life. Being harsh with your wife will hinder your prayer life. Unforgiveness will hinder your prayer life. In the Lord’s prayer it tells us that if we want our sins forgiven that we need forgive those who have sinned against us. In Mark 11:26 it says “But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.” You notice it says first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against. We need to do what the Lord has asked us to do.

Now let’s address prayer, we are told to go away by ourselves, shut the door behind us and pray to the Father in secret (Matthew 6:6). What the Lord is telling us to do is get alone with Him and express ourselves to Him. The reason that we get away by ourselves and shut the door is because He is telling us to be alone in a quiet place if possible, so that we can hear His still small voice (1 Kings 19:12). God speaks to us in different ways. He speaks to us through Scripture (The Holy Bible), through people (2 or 3 people who do not even know each other telling you the same thing), through signs, and of course through His small still voice. The reason that most people do not recognize it is because they are so distracted with all of the chaos around them. The cell phones, people, noise, work, children, obligations, sports, television, etc. People have a hard time hearing the voice of God. The Bible says to be quick to listen and slow to speak, and if people would learn to do this, they can over time discipline themselves to discern the differences in the voices that they hear. I tell people that there are three different voices that we hear in our spirit, God, the Evil One, and of course ourselves. The problem, ourselves wants to agree with the Evil One a lot of the times, because of our sinful nature. We know that it is the LORD when it lines up with Scripture (God’s will), we do not even necessarily want to do it and good comes out of it when we do it. If you are being prompted to do something that is not the will of God, it is either you or the influence of the Evil One. A lot of people beat themselves up on this one, because they continue to fall for the schemes of the Devil and they start believing the lies that he keeps telling them about themselves, that they are no good and that they will always do the wrong thing and that they are not worthy of coming before God, because of their sin. It is all a lie right from the pit of Hell!!! We were never worthy, that is why Jesus had to die for our sins, the ones from the past, the ones in the present, and the ones in the future. Try to focus on this first lesson on prayer, getting alone with God. The Evil One is going to try and send a thousand messages at you and try to distract you, but just pray in Jesus’ name for the peace in the storm, make your request known to God and if you cannot hear the voice of the LORD, then just sit back and watch for the answer to the prayer. When you see results, you know that He heard you.

One of the things that I want to address about prayer, is that when you pray for someone and you start seeing their whole life start falling apart around them and you do not understand why, keep praying!!! I am a mechanic by trade and I tell people that if you want to rebuild an engine and do it right you have to first tear it down so that you can rebuild it properly. You throw certain parts away and install new ones into it after you do all of the machining, when you do machining it removes unwanted metal and brings it to fresh metal again, then you surface the fresh metal the way that you want it and start reassembling it, this is kind of what the LORD does to us when we are being overhauled. He has to tear us down before He can start overhauling us. Do not get discouraged, God knows what He is doing in that person’s life.

In 2 Thessalonians 1:11 Paul prays for the Thessalonians that God would make them worthy of the life in which He called them. That by God’s power, He would fulfill all of their good intentions and faithful deeds, that they desired to do. Paul prayed for the Ephesians for spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that they would grow in their knowledge of God, he also prayed that they would be flooded with God’s light in their hearts and understand the wonderful future that God has promised and called them to. Paul also prayed that they would understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe in Him. According to Scripture we can move mountains through prayer. People would say that this is impossible, but I say that the mountains that the LORD is talking about are those mountains in people’s lives that continue to confront them on a daily basis, drug addiction, alcoholism, greed, selfishness, sexual perversion, and the list goes on and on. And I can tell you that I have personally been delivered of my own mountains, God has removed them!!! Paul further prays for the Ephesians that God will give them a mighty inner strength through His Holy Spirit, and that Christ would be more and more at home in their hearts as they trusted Him. Paul understood intercessory prayer. Intercessory prayer is praying for others. Paul was always doing this and this is one major reason that Paul had such success in his personal ministry.

Jesus’ prayer (John chapter 17), in this prayer to our Father in heaven, Jesus fully recognizes that everything that was in His possession came from the Father and Jesus thanked Him for it. He had a spirit of gratitude. He eludes to how personal that their relationship is and that is what He desires for His disciples, to have true intimacy with each other. He prays protection over them from the Evil One. He prays that the LORD would make them pure and holy by teaching them the words of truth (The Holy Bible). He conveys that His mission was not to take them out of this world, but to send them out into it to relay His message (The Gospel). Jesus speaks about how His disciples are His glory. Jesus speaks about how He desires that His love will shine through His disciples, are we doing that?

In 1 Peter 4:7 we are told to be earnest and disciplined in our prayers. In James chapter 5 we are told to confess our sins to each other and pray for each other. Use wisdom in this, know the brother or sister that you are confessing to, make sure that they are the kind of person to keep a secret, just because they are a pastor does not necessarily mean they do not gossip. I have heard testimonies of people not using wisdom, then paying the consequences later. I tell people a good rule of thumb is to tell God all of the details and tell others the general issues, not details. In James chapter 5 we see testimony of answered prayer from a righteous man who was earnest in his prayer. One thing that I believe people do, is that they do not sometimes believe that their prayers will be answered and if this is so, they can count on them not being answered. Being earnest in your prayers, means that you so desire them to come to fruition that you are putting all you have into your petition before God to get it done. Now in Mark chapter 11 you see that it says that if you believe in your heart and pray in Jesus’ name that you will have it. But just because you believe God is going to answer your prayer, does not mean that He is going to answer it specifically how you prayed for it. He might, but He might not, and just because we know that He can, does not mean that it is necessarily His will to answer it in the way that you desire. Paul had a thorn in his flesh that he prayed about to the LORD and the LORD told Paul that His grace was sufficient for him. He did not honor that prayer for whatever reason. He did give Paul a little bit of understanding when He told Paul that His power would be shown through Paul’s weakness. There are things that happen in this life that we do not understand and we might not even agree with, but the one thing that I do know is that God is just and true and that He loves me, so I trust Him with my life. The closer I come to God throughout the years, the more I trust Him, even if I do not understand. Sometimes He gives me understanding, sometimes He doesn’t for many years. But I still trust Him!!!

The final thing that I want to bring to your attention in this study is that we are told to pray for our enemies. This is not a natural thing to do, we want justice or even vengeance, but we definitely do not want to pray for them. As it says in Matthew 5:44-45 “Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven.” The one thing that I have found all throughout Scripture is to put it to the test, do what it says, and sit back and analyze the results. On this subject, I have to say that it was one of the hardest to put into practice, but when I did, the results were just as God said it would be. Things got better and just as it says in the book of Proverbs, if you are right with God, that your enemies will be at peace with you. You will be amazed that by praying for those who persecute you, you will actually find that it brings peace into your life also. In the book of Romans they were told to pray for the authorities so that they would have peace, it is the same concept, you want peace, pray for those who are against you and see what happens. Well, I hope that this study blesses your life and I hope that it benefits your prayer life. I would like to suggest a movie to see called “The War Room”, this movie was one of the best movies I have seen that addresses proper prayer with the LORD, it shows what I have explained being put into action. May God Bless You and keep you and may your prayer life come to life, in Jesus’ name, Amen!!!

2 Thessalonians 1:11

And so we keep on praying for you, that our God will make you worthy of the life to which he called you. And we pray that God, by his power, will fulfill all your good intentions and faithful deeds.

Ephesians 1:16-18

I have never stopped thanking God for you, I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future he has promised to those he called. I want you to realize what a rich and glorious inheritance he has given to his people.

Ephesians 1:19-20

I pray that you will begin to understand the incredible greatness of his power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.

Ephesians 3:14-19

When I think of the wisdom and scope of God’s plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit. And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

John 17:1-26

When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. For you have given him authority over everyone in all the earth. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. And this is the way to have eternal life – to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. I brought glory to you here on earth by doing everything you told me to do. And now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began.

“I have told these men about you. They were in the world, but then you gave them to me. Actually, they were always yours, and you gave them to me; and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything I have is a gift from you, for I have passed on to them the words you gave me; and they accepted them and know that I came from you, and they believe you sent me.

“My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. And all of them, since they are mine, belong to you; and you have given them back to me, so they are my glory! Now I am departing the world; I am leaving them behind and coming to you. Holy Father, keep them and care for them – all those you have given me – so that they will be united just as we are. During my time here, I have kept them safe. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold.

“And now I am coming to you, I have told them many things while I was with them so they would be filled with my joy. I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not. I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They are not part of this world any more than I am. Make them pure and holy by teaching them your words of truth. As you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself entirely to you so they also might be entirely yours.

“I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me because of their testimony. My prayer for all of them is that they will be one, just as you and I are one, Father – that just as you are in me and I am in you, so they will be in us, and the world will believe you sent me.

“I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are – I in them and you in me, all being perfected into one. Then the world will know that you sent me and will understand that you loved them as much as you love me. Father, I want these whom you’ve given me to be with me, so they can see my glory. You gave me the glory because you loved me even before the world began!

“O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. And I have revealed you to them and will keep on revealing you. I will do this so that your love for me may be in them and I in them.”

James 5:13-18

Are any among you suffering? They should keep on praying about it. And those who have reason to be thankful should continually sing praises to the Lord.

Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. And their prayers offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make them well. And anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results. Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for the next three and a half years! Then he prayed for rain, and down it poured. The grass turned green, and the crops began to grow again.

1 Peter 4:7

The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers.

Matthew 7:7-11

“Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks. You parents – if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.

Matthew 5:43-48

“You have heard that the law of Moses says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and on the unjust, too. If you love only those who love you, what good is that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Matthew 6:5-15

“And now about prayer. When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I assure you, that is all the reward they will ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father secretly. Then your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you.

“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered only by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, because your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! Pray like this:

Our Father in heaven,

may your name be honored.

May your Kingdom come soon,

May your will be done here on earth,

just as it is in heaven.

Give us our food for today,

and forgive us our sins,

just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us.

And don’t let us yield to temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.

“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

Luke 6:28

Pray for the happiness of those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.

Proverbs 15:8

The LORD hates the sacrifices of the wicked, but he delights in the prayers of the upright.

Psalm 122:6

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May all who love this city prosper.

Mark 11:20-26

The next morning as they passed by the fig tree he had cursed, the disciples noticed it was withered from the roots. Peter remembered what Jesus had said to the tree on the previous day and exclaimed, “Look, Teacher! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”

Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God, I assure you that you can say to this mountain, ‘May God lift you up and throw you into the sea, and your command will be obeyed. All that’s required is that you really believe and do not doubt in your heart. Listen to me! You can pray for anything, and if you believe, you will have it. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”

Who can find a virtuous woman? This is the question! We can see that the virtuous woman has a lot of different attributes. She is highly valued, her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value, because of her. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of his life. She is a hard worker, she works from early morning. She is a good provider for others. She is wise in her business deals. When she makes a profit she invests it to provide more. She is diligent in her work, she is strong for her tasks. She recognizes how to make a profit, she works until the sun goes down. She helps the poor and the needy. She prepares for the seasons, her household does not have to worry about being cold from lack of preparation. She takes care of herself, her appearance. Her husband is respected because of her. She is strong and has decency. She does not worry about the future for she understands who holds it (God). She is wise in speech and faithful instruction comes out of her mouth. She watches over her house and does not waste a moment. Her children arise and call her blessed. They recognize God’s hand on her life. Her husband also calls her blessed and recognizes God’s hand on her. Her husband cherishes her above all other women. Her husband is wise enough to know that charm is deceptive and beauty fades, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. He will give her the reward she has earned, and her works will give her praise among the people.

Now I want to address some of the details that we see about the virtuous woman. Number one, not every woman is going to attain to all of the attributes of this woman and if you have praise God!!! This is a template to follow as a virtuous woman, something to look at yourself and say, am I doing what this woman is doing? If not, then you can look at it and see where you need to improve, we all need to do this from time to time. I know what some of you women are thinking, I can’t do all of this who has the time and the patience! Well don’t feel bad, us guys we have to compare ourselves to Christ and you know that none of us are even going to get close. He is perfect unlike us.

I have met some very awesome women in my time, but there is nothing more attractive to me than a godly woman being virtuous in all that she does. Our society has gotten so far away from these attributes today, that there are not that many attractive women, most of them have bought the lies and defiled themselves with all sorts of worldly things. They are beautiful on the outside, but very ugly on the inside, this is what needs to change today, women need to work on the inside, quit selling themselves short and become modest again, showing their true beauty from within. Focusing on being kind and modest, loving and faithful, lovers of others instead of themselves. The longer that I am married to my wife, the more that I fall in love with her, for she has so many of these attributes perfected already, she is not anything like the immoral woman that is spoken about in Scripture, and as far as I can tell the Word of God only speaks of two kinds of women, the immoral and the virtuous, you have to choose which one you want to be. I hope that you pick the virtuous and that God blesses that decision!!!

This message is to the guys. You will find many women who have many of these attributes of the virtuous woman and not be that virtuous woman. Just because she acts like a virtuous woman does not mean that she is one. You need to look at how she interacts with others. Is she kind, is she diligent, does she have dignity, is she faithful, is she wise, do people speak kindly about her, is she about herself or does she think about you and her household? But above all, does she fear the LORD? This is the key to a godly virtuous woman!!! For no matter how beautiful, how smart, how sexy she is and how many of these attributes that she has, if she does not fear the LORD, she will never be this woman, because fear of the LORD will give her all of these attributes in due time, if her heart is right with God. We need to be wise when we pick a wife and we need to realize the woman that you are picking might be the woman who will raise your children. Is she kind, is she motherly? You and her might decide not to have children and that is alright also, but remember her outer beauty is going to fade and will you still love the person that she is? I hope that whoever reads this study either becomes the virtuous woman spoken of or finds the virtuous woman spoken of!!! May God Bless You and keep you and continue to perfect you!!!

Virtuous: having goodness; right action and thinking; morality; good, moral, chaste, etc.

Proverbs 31: 10-31

Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of his life. She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her. ” Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

There is so much to say about this kind of person (Male or Female), in the King James Version of the Bible, it says that this kind of person has a spirit of whoredom and as you will see, these verses describe that spirit perfectly. I know that the study is called the Immoral Woman, but this spirit can be in men also. The first thing that I want to address is that Wisdom will save you from this kind of person. From the flattery of their lips. They are not loyal people at all, as it says in Proverbs 2:17 “She has abandoned her husband and ignores the covenant she made with God.”

Now I would like to address the character of this kind of a person. They are very charming, passionate, they use flattery as a tool in their deception. They are very methodical in their thinking, they are looking for victims. It says in Proverbs 30:20 “how an adulterous woman can satisfy her sexual appetite, shrug her shoulders, then say, “What’s wrong with that?” This is their attitude towards their wrong doing, they do not care about others, just themselves. They are looking for simpleminded people who lack common sense. They seduce with their speech, they entice you into evil. Now do not get me wrong, you have a choice in this manner. In the Book of James it says, that every man is enticed by his own lust, there is another choice to be made here. God knows everyone’s motives and intentions. From the immoral to the simpleminded. Thank God for that!!!!!!

Now lets look at some of the reasons that are given why men fall for women like this. She is charming and uses flattery, she is passionate, she can be captivating, the man wants to embrace her breasts. Her lips are as sweet as honey, her mouth is smoother than oil. She has soft hands. She seduces with her pretty speech, She entices with her flattery. She is coy (mysterious). She dresses seductively. She is beautiful!!!!!!!!!

Now we are going to look at some of the warnings to the victim. It says, “her house leads to death; it is the road to hell. The man who visits her is doomed. He will never reach the paths of life.” “Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave.” It says in Proverbs 5:9-10 “you will lose your honor and hand over to merciless people everything you have achieved in life. Strangers will obtain your wealth, and someone else will enjoy the fruit of your labor.” You will realize at that point that “I have come to the brink of utter ruin, and now I must face public disgrace.” It says in Proverbs 6:29 “He who embraces her will not go unpunished.” There will be a judgment if you make the choice to go with this person, because the Word of God (The Holy Bible), tells us so. It says in Proverbs 5:21-23 “For the LORD sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes. An evil man is held captive by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him. He will die for lack of self-control; he will be lost because of his incredible folly.” It also says in Proverbs 5:11-13 “Afterward you will groan in anguish when disease consumes your body, and you will say, “How I hated discipline! If only I had not demanded my own way! Oh, why didn’t I listen to my teachers? Why didn’t I pay attention to those who gave me instruction.” In this last verse we see that there are consequences for are actions, sexual diseases are only some of them as you can tell, but don’t lose hope if you have done every single one of these things and even have the consequences of the sins you have committed, there is hope. Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins and He took our punishment that we so deserve. He nailed all of those sins to the cross and His perfect blood cleanses us and washes us clean. For it says that there is no remission of sins without the shedding of blood and if you read the Old Testament you will see that they did animal sacrifices for the covering of their sins. But this was just a foreshadow of what the Lord Jesus Christ was going to do for all of humanity when He shed His blood on the cross for our sins and made us right with God for all eternity, if we receive this perfect gift that God has sent, His son Jesus Christ. Well, I hope that the LORD reveals all sorts of truths to you, so that you can be filled with Wisdom and not fall into the traps of the immoral people out there, I hope that this study reveals how they work and how to recognize them. I also pray, that if you are one of these people committing adultery, committing immoral acts that you repent (Change direction) and get right with God and stop committing such acts. May God Bless You and keep you from the immoral woman or man and may God bless your life in Jesus’ name, Amen!!!!!!!!!

Immoral: against what is right or moral; not good or decent; corrupt, wicked, lude, etc.

Proverbs 2:16-19

Wisdom will save you from the immoral woman, from the flattery of the adulterous woman. She has abandoned her husband and ignores the covenant she made before God. Entering her house leads to death; it is the road to hell. The man who visits her is doomed. He will never reach the paths of life.

Proverbs 5:3-14

The lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil. But the result is as bitter as poison, sharp as a double-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave. For she does not care about the path to life. She staggers down a crooked trail and doesn’t even realize where it leads.

So now, my sons, listen to me. Never stray from what I am about to say. Run from her! Don’t go near the door of her house! If you do, you will lose your honor and hand over to merciless people everything you have achieved in life. Strangers will obtain your wealth, and someone else will enjoy the fruit of your labor. Afterward you will groan in anguish when disease consumes your body, and you will say, “How I hated discipline! If only I had not demanded my own way! Oh, why didn’t I listen to my teachers? Why didn’t I pay attention to those who gave me instruction? I have come to the brink of utter ruin, and now I must face public disgrace.”

Proverbs 5:20-23

Why be captivated, my son, with an immoral woman, or embrace the breasts of an adulterous woman?

For the LORD sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes. An evil man is held captive by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him. He will die for lack of self-control; he will be lost because of his incredible folly.

Proverbs 6:24-29

These commands and this teaching will keep you from the immoral woman, from the smooth tongue of an adulterous woman. Don’t lust for her beauty. Don’t let her coyness seduce you. For a prostitute will bring you to poverty, and sleeping with another man’s wife may cost you your very life. Can a man scoop fire into his lap and not be burned? Can he walk on hot coals and not blister his feet? So it is with the man who sleeps with another man’s wife. He who embraces her will not go unpunished.

Proverbs 7:4-27

Love wisdom like a sister; make insight a beloved member of your family. Let them hold you back from an affair with an immoral woman, from listening to the flattery of an adulterous woman.

I was looking out the window of my house one day and saw a simpleminded young man who lacked common sense. He was crossing the street near the house of an immoral woman. He was strolling down the path by her house at twilight, as the day was fading, as the dark of night set in. The woman approached him, dressed seductively and sly of heart. She was the brash, rebellious type who never stays at home. She is often seen in the streets and markets, soliciting at every corner.

She threw her arms around him and kissed him, and with a brazen look she said, “I’ve offered my sacrifices and just finished my vows. It’s you I was looking for! I came out to find you, and here you are! My bed is spread with colored sheets of finest linen imported from Egypt. I’ve perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let’s drink our fill of love until morning. Let’s enjoy each other’s caresses, for my husband is not home. He’s away on a long trip. He has taken a wallet full of money with him, and he won’t return until later in the month.”

So she seduced him with her pretty speech. With her flattery she enticed him. He followed her at once, like an ox going to the slaughter or like a trapped stag, awaiting the arrow that would pierce its heart. He was like a bird flying into a snare, little knowing it would cost him his life.

Listen to me, my sons, and pay attention to my words. Don’t let your hearts stray away toward her. Don’t wander down her wayward path. For she has been the ruin of many; numerous men have been her victims. Her house is the road to the grave. Her bedroom is the den of death.

Proverbs 9:13-18

The woman named Folly is loud and brash. She is ignorant and doesn’t even know it. She sits in her doorway on the heights overlooking the city. She calls out to men going by who are minding their own business. “Come home with me,” she urges the simple. To those without good judgment, she says, “Stolen water is refreshing; food eaten is secret tastes the best!” But the men don’t realize that her former guests are now in the grave.

Proverbs 11:22

A woman who is beautiful but lacks discretion is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout.

Proverbs 22:14

The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit; those living under the LORD’s displeasure will fall into it.

Proverbs 23:27-28

A prostitute is a deep pit; an adulterous woman is treacherous. She hides and waits like a robber, looking for another victim who will be unfaithful to his wife.

Proverbs 29:3

The man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but if he hangs around with prostitutes, his wealth is wasted.

Proverbs 30:20

Equally amazing is how an adulterous woman can satisfy her sexual appetite, shrug her shoulders, and then say, “What’s wrong with that?”

Ecclesiastes 7:26

I discovered that a seductive woman is more bitter than death. Her passion is a trap, and her soft hands will bind you. Those who please God will escape from her, but sinners will be caught in her snare.

This is the very reason that we celebrate Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, born in the city of Bethlehem. As I have seen on bumper stickers, Jesus is the reason for the season. In this study you will see that Jesus’ birth was prophesized about long before it happened. You will see that Jesus is God as it says in Isaiah chapter 7 & 9. You will see that His mother Mary was a virgin at the time of conception and that she conceived from the Holy Spirit itself. That no man touched her. You will also see a lot of the typical Christmas seen that is not biblical. Like for an example, in Scripture it does not say that there were three wise men, just that there were wise men who came seeking the Messiah. On that note, the wise men were not there at the birth, it was not until a few years later that they appeared to Mary and Joseph about Jesus. The ones that Scripture does teach that were there were the shepherds and the angels of heaven that announced the birth to the shepherds. According to Scripture this was the sign that the Lord Himself would choose, the virgin birth. I hope that through this study that you will understand how much the LORD loves you, to send His only begotten Son to die on the cross for mine and your sins and that Jesus is alive and sitting at the right hand of the Father in heaven. He came to this earth to fulfill prophecy and to bring good tidings to men as it is told. I hope that you study this carefully and prayerfully and that the Lord Himself reveals truths to you that you did not know about Christmas, remember it is not about giving gifts it is about receiving the most important gift ever given in history, the Messiah, Jesus Himself as your Lord and Savior, it is a time of celebration and to reflect on ourselves and our relationship to the one who died for us. To celebrate the fact that He came to die for us in our place for the sins that we have committed. May the LORD bless you and keep you and enjoy the Christmas season when it is here, now that you have the Scriptures of what it is really about!!!!!

Isaiah 7:14-15    Side note: Isaiah was a prophet 680 years before the birth of Christ.

All right then, the Lord himself will choose the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel- God is with us. By the time this child is old enough to eat curds and honey, he will know enough to choose what is right and reject what is wrong.

Isaiah 9:6-7   Side note: Isaiah was a prophet 680 years before the birth of Christ.

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His ever expanding, peaceful government will never end. He will rule forever with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David. The passionate commitment of the Lord Almighty will guarantee this!

Matthew 1:18-2:12

Now this is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her fiancé, being a just man, decided to break the engagement quietly, so as not to disgrace her publicly.

As he considered this, he fell asleep, and an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to go ahead with your marriage to Mary. For the child within her has been conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All of this happened to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:

“Look! The virgin will conceive a child!

She will give birth to a son, and he will be called Immanuel

            (meaning, God is with us).”

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord commanded. He brought Mary home to be his wife, but she remained a virgin until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We have seen his star as it arose, and we have come to worship him.”

Herod was deeply disturbed by their question, as was all of Jerusalem. He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law. “Where did the prophets say the Messiah would be born?” he asked them.

“In Bethlehem,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:

‘O Bethlehem of Judah, you are not just a lowly village in Judah,

for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people of Israel.’

Then Herod sent a private message to the wise men, asking them to come see him. At this meeting he learned the exact time when they first saw the star. Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”

After this interview the wise men went their way. Once again the star appeared to them, guiding them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house where the child and his mother, Mary, were, and they fell down before him and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. But when it was time to leave, they went home another way, because God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

Luke 1:26-56

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”

Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be frightened, Mary,” the angel told her, “for God has decided to bless you! You will become pregnant and have a son, and you are to name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

Mary asked the angel, “But how can I have a baby? I am a virgin.”

The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overwhelm you. So the baby born to you will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she’s already in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.”

Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant, and I am willing to accept whatever he wants. May everything you have said come true.” And then the angel left.

A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “You are blessed by God above all other women, and your child is blessed. What an honor this is, that the mother of my Lord should visit me! When you came in and greeted me, my baby jumped for joy the instant I heard your voice! You are blessed, because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”

Mary responded,

“Oh, how I praise the Lord.

How I rejoice in God my Savior!

For he took notice of his lowly servant girl,

And now generation after generation

Will call me blessed.

For he, the Mighty One, is holy,

And he has done great things for me.

His mercy goes on from generation to generation,

To all who fear him.

His mighty arm does tremendous things!

How he scatters the proud and haughty ones!

He has taken princes from their thrones

And exalted the lowly.

He has satisfied the hungry with good things

And sent the rich away with empty hands.

And how he has helped his servant Israel!

He has not forgotten his promise to be merciful.

For he promised our ancestors – Abraham and his children-

To be merciful to them forever.”

Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back to her own home.

Luke 2:1-35

At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) All returned to their own towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was obviously pregnant by this time.

And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the village inn.

That night some shepherds were in the fields outside the village, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terribly frightened, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news of great joy for everyone! The Savior – yes, the Messiah, the Lord – has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David! And this is how you will recognize him: You will find a baby lying in a manger, wrapped snugly in strips of cloth!”

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others – the armies of heaven – praising God;

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to all whom God favors.”

When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Come on, let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this wonderful thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

They ran to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. Then the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherd’s story were astonished, but Mary quietly treasured these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their fields and flocks, glorifying and praising God for what the angels had told them, and because they had seen the child, just as the angel had said.

Eight days later, when the baby was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel even before he was conceived.

Then it was time for the purification offering, as required by the law of Moses after the birth of the child; so his parents took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. The law of the Lord says, “If a woman’s first child is a boy, he must be dedicated to the Lord.” So they offered a sacrifice according to what was required in the law of the Lord – “either a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

Now there was a man named Simeon who lived in Jerusalem. He was a righteous man and very devout. He was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he eagerly expected the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying,

“Lord, now I can die in peace!

As you promised me,

I have seen the Savior

You have given to all people.

He is a light to reveal God to the nations,

And he is the glory of your people Israel!”

Joseph and Mary were amazed at what was being said about Jesus. Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, “This child will be rejected by many in Israel, and it will be their undoing. But he will be the greatest joy to many others. Thus, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.”

John 3:16-21

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. “For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. “But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

This is the real reason for the season. While others celebrate the Holiday season, Christians celebrate the birth of the Messiah that took away the sins of the world. As you can tell, the world has taken the blessing of God and twisted it around to really mean nothing by taking Christ out of Christmas. By changing Christmas into the Holiday Season and making it burdensome by loading people down with financial debt for the next year out of obligation to exchange gifts that nobody even needs. I hope that by reading this, that you will acknowledge what the real reason for the season is, and that you truly worship the Lord with your family and loved ones this Christmas, give all the glory in your life to him and ask that he will always be your Lord and Savior in Jesus name. Amen!

Have a very Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There are many religions that teach that Jesus did not have any brothers and sisters and some even teach that He was an only child. But according to Scripture it is clearly taught that Jesus actually had at least four brothers and at least two sisters. Now we know that Jesus was the oldest and that He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and that Mary was a virgin at His birth that is also taught in Scripture. But as you will see, Jesus’ whole genealogy is laid out for us in Scripture from the beginning of time. In the study you will see that Jesus’ reply to his disciples of who His mother and brothers and sisters are, He replied in two different ways. First He said “anyone who does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother”. The second thing He says is “Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!” He was basically saying that anyone who does the will of God is in His family also. Not necessarily His blood line is His family. We see this also with Abraham and the Pharisees. The Pharisees claimed that they were right with God because of their genealogy, but according to Jesus, that did not make them right with God at all. Jesus actually called them “children of the Devil”. Just because they were Jews and they were descendents of Abraham they believed that they were right with God, but Jesus set that record straight. Well if you would like to be a member of God’s family, all you have to do is repent of your sins (quit doing what you know is wrong), ask the LORD to forgive you of your sins, receive Him into your life as your Lord and Savior and welcome to the Family of God!!!!. To learn more about this go to the Home page and under categories you will see “How to have a relationship with Jesus”.

Mark 3:31-35

Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived at the house where he was teaching. They stood outside and sent word for him to come out and talk with them. There was a crowd around Jesus, and someone said, “Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.”

Jesus replied, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers? Then he looked at those around him and said, “These are my mother and brothers. Anyone who does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

Mark 6:1-6

Jesus left that part of the country and returned with his disciples to Nazareth, his hometown. The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. They asked, “Where did he get all his wisdom and the power to perform such miracles? He’s just the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.” They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him.

Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any mighty miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their unbelief.

Matthew 12:46-50

As Jesus was speaking to the crowd, his mother and brothers were outside, wanting to talk with him. Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and brothers are outside, and they want to speak to you.”

Jesus asked, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” Then he pointed to his disciples and said, “These are my mother and brothers. Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!”

Luke 8:19-21

Once when Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, they couldn’t get to him because of the crowds. Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and brothers are outside, and they want to see you.”

Jesus replied, “My mother and my brothers are all those who hear the message of God and obey it.”

Matthew 13:53-58

When Jesus had finished telling these stories, he left that part of the country. He returned to Nazareth, his hometown. When he taught there in the synagogue, everyone was astonished and said, “Where does he get his wisdom and his miracles? He’s just a carpenter’s son, and we know Mary, his mother, and his brothers – James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas. All his sisters live right here among us. What makes him so great?”

And they were deeply offended and refused to believe in him.

Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family.” And so he did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief.

Matthew 1:1-25

This is the record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of King David and of Abraham:

Abraham was the father of Isaac.

Isaac was the father of Jacob.

Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers.

Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (their mother was Tamar).

Perez was the father of Hezron.

Hezron was the father of Ram.

Ram was the father of Amminadab.

Amminadab was the father of Nahshon.

Nahshon was the father of Salmon.

Salmon was the father of Boaz (his mother was Rahab).

Boaz was the father of Obed (his mother was Ruth).

Obed was the father of Jesse.

Jesse was the father of King David.

David was the father of Solomon (his mother was Bathsheba, the widow of Uriah).

Solomon was the father of Rehoboam.

Rehoboam was the father of Abijah.

Abijah was the father of Asaph.

Asaph was the father of Jehoshaphat.

Jehoshaphat was the father of Jehoram.

Jehoram was the father of Uzziah.

Uzziah was the father of Jotham.

Jotham was the father of Ahaz.

Ahaz was the father of Hezekiah.

Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh.

Manasseh was the father of Amos.

Amos was the father of Josiah.

Josiah was the father of Jehoiachin and his brothers (born at the time of the exile to Babylon).

After the Babylonian exile:

Jehoiachin was the father of Shealtiel.

Shealtiel was the father of Zerubbabel.

Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud.

Abiud was the father of Eliakim.

Eliakim was the father of Azor.

Azor was the father of Zadok.

Zadok was the father of Akim.

Akim was the father of Eliud.

Eliud was the father of Eleazar.

Eleazar was the father Matthan.

Matthan was the father of Jacob.

Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.

Mary was the mother of Jesus, who is called the Messiah.

All those listed above include fourteen generations from Abraham to King David, and fourteen from David’s time to the Babylonian exile, and fourteen from the Babylonian exile to the Messiah.

Luke 3:23-38

Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his public ministry.

Jesus was known as the son of Joseph.

Joseph was the son of Heli.

Heli was the son of Matthat.

Matthat was the son of Levi.

Levi was the son of Melki.

Melki was the son of Jannai.

Jannai was the son of Joseph.

Joseph was the son of Mattathias.

Mattathias was the son of Amos.

Amos was the son of Nahum.

Nahum was the son of Esli.

Esli was the son of Naggai.

Naggai was the son of Maath.

Maath was the son of Mattathias.

Mattathias was the son of Semein.

Semein was the son of Josech.

Josech was the son of Joda.

Joda was the son of Joanan.

Joanan was the son of Rhesa.

Rhesa was the son of Zerubbabel.

Zerubbabel was the son of Shealtiel.

Shealtiel was the son of Neri.

Neri was the son of Melki.

Melki was the son of Addi.

Addi was the son of Cosam.

Cosam was the son of Elmadam.

Elmadam was the son of Er.

Er was the son of Joshua.

Joshua was the son of Eliezer.

Eliezer was the son of Jorim.

Jorim was the son of Matthat.

Matthat was the son of Levi.

Levi was the son of Simeon.

Simeon was the son of Judah.

Judah was the son of Joseph.

Joseph was the son of Jonam.

Jonam was the son of Eliakim.

Eliakim was the son of Melea.

Melea was the son of Menna.

Menna was the son of Mattatha.

Mattatha was the son of Nathan.

Nathan was the son of David.

David was the son of Jesse.

Jesse was the son of Obed.

Obed was the son of Boaz.

Boaz was the son of Salmon.

Salmon was the son of Nahshon.

Nahshon was the son of Amminadab.

Amminadab was the son of Admin.

Admin was the son of Arni.

Arni was the son of Hezron.

Hezron was the son of Perez.

Perez was the son of Judah.

Judah was the son of Jacob.

Jacob was the son of Isaac.

Isaac was the son of Abraham.

Abraham was the son of Terah.

Terah was the son of Nahor.

Nahor was the son of Serug.

Serug was the son of Reu.

Reu was the son of Peleg.

Peleg was the son of Eber.

Eber was the son of Shelah.

Shelah was the son of Cainan.

Cainan was the son of Arphaxad.

Arphaxad was the son of Shem.

Shem was the son of Noah.

Noah was the son of Lamech.

Lamech was the son of Methuselah.

Methuselah was the son of Enoch.

Enoch was the son of Jared.

Jared was the son of Mahalalel.

Mahalalel was the son of Kenan.

Kenan was the son of Enosh.

Enosh was the son of Seth.

Seth was the son of Adam.

Adam was the son of God.

I believe that the best example that we have as Christians in how to deal with Satan, is that of Jesus Christ himself and how he dealt with Satan in the book of Matthew, chapter four. Here we see how the devil works and how Jesus dealt with his tactics. The very first thing that you will notice, is that the devil tries to tempt Jesus in his flesh and at the same time he tries to make Jesus think that his Father in heaven is holding something back from him. That would be the bread, that Jesus’ flesh would be desiring after 40 days of fasting. But Jesus, by denying his flesh, was totally in the spirit and doing the will of the Father. So Jesus’ response to the devil was, “It is written, Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”

I think that it is very interesting that the devil tried to get Jesus to fall by using pride to tempt Jesus, by trying to question Jesus’ authority as the Son of God. Then after that wasn’t working that he kept trying to get Jesus to fall down, but I guess that is how he works on us to, always trying to get us to fall down also. To question God and to lower ourselves to his level. Another thing that the devil does, is he misquotes scripture, by either leaving something out or putting something extra into it. In Matthew 4:6, he tries to tempt Jesus with throwing himself down, then he quotes the word of God, specifically Psalm 91:12, but of course he didn’t quote the entire verse, he forgot to put in that the angels were to keep Jesus in all of his ways. This is obviously very important that Jesus stays doing the will of the Father in heaven. If he didn’t then I guess he wouldn’t of got on the cross and took all the sin of the world upon himself, for our sakes.

Here is the verse that really puts Satan in his place Matthew 4:10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.” Now I don’t know about you, but if you look at this verse I would say that Jesus is making a very clear statement here. He tells Satan that he is to worship and serve the LORD and Him only. When Jesus told Satan this, Satan left His presence. In James 4:7 we are told to “Resist the Devil and he will flee from you.” Then we see that even Michael the Archangel told Satan “The Lord rebuke you.” We do not have any power over Satan, but the LORD does and He gives us authority over Satan and his demons if we only believe. Jesus told us that we shall do mightier works than Himself if we only believe and if you study church history you will see that this is true. Just read Foxes Book of Martyrs if you want some historical input on this subject. Remember, you only have this authority if you are one of God’s children. That means that you have to be born again. As it speaks about in John chapter 3. I hope that this study benefits you and that you understand the authority you have over evil in the name of Jesus, may God Bless You and keep you in Jesus’ name, Amen!!!!!!!!

Matthew 4:1-11

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: “He shall give His angels charge over you,” and, In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.” Jesus said to him, “It is written again, You shall not tempt the LORD your God.”

Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.” Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

James 4:7

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Jude 9

But even Michael, one of the mightiest of the angels, did not dare accuse Satan of blasphemy, but simply said, “The Lord rebuke you.” (This took place when Michael was arguing with Satan about Moses’ body.)