God's Purpose For You - Conclusion

The video links are no longer working. The video playlist has been deleted from YouTube. 

Sallee's Notes

• Beth shares a brief testimony about her childhood abuse.
• Childhood abuse will trip you up.
• How could something like that happen to a child?
• Why does this happen? Why did he let it happen to you? Why?
• Beth believes in the sovereignty of God. As a father who loves me as he looked at what my purpose would be in my own generation.
• We have a purpose in our lives. 
• That is what matters. We have a purpose. 
• She has used what has happened everyday in her ministry to help her relate to people.
• It makes it easier to get down on my knees and serve someone.
• It is hard to come from my background and be full of yourself.
• God has had constant purpose in my life. 
• Listen we just have these few minutes on this planet. 
• It matters to God what our purpose is.
• After reflection, thought, and deliberation the purpose God knew would exceed the pain.
• If the purpose could not exceed the pain the answer is no.
• If it's just pain and no purpose -  that's what we get when we do not cooperate with Him. 
• If you are a child of God and you went through something difficult, God has a purpose for it.
• If you don't cooperate, you will live it out in vain.
• The Enemy thought if for evil. God thought it, deliberated  it, reflected upon it and knew He would use it for good for the saving of lives. 
• I'll take that. 

Luke 22:41-42 (

41 He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will (boule), but yours be done.

• Absolutely nothing is allowed to come to you and into your life through the permissive will of God. That does not have some bearing on God's purpose for you in your own generation

• What purpose is it supposed to serve? 
• We have to let him bring healing into our lives so we can live out his purpose for us. 
• People are hurting out there.
• We have problems too! We gather and pray before a conference.
• People need hope.
• Full throttle effectiveness.
• Every time I get to minister to one of you out of my background I'm serving my purpose.
• I was told early on that I would sink my ministry if I shared my story.
• I was chosen for my generation when these painful things are Praise God coming out of the closet.
• Some of us with a background of shame can stand up and brush our hair out of our eyes and serve our purpose. 

Psalm of the Week - 47:6-9 - Week of 28 July, 2014

6 Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! 
7 For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with understanding. 
8 God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne. 
9 The princes of the people have gathered together, The people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; He is greatly exalted.
NKJV
Personal Application
Lord, I sing your praises! I sing praises to my King! Lord, you are King of all the earth. Let me sing your praises with understanding. Lord. you reign over the nations as you sit on your holy throne. I am one of your people and I have gathered together with my brothers and sisters. Lord. let the princes of the people gather together and praise you. Lord God, I know that the shields of the earth belong to you. I will sing your praises to all the people. Amen. 

Anthem Lights - Fight Forever (Official Lyric Video)

I have included the complete playlist for Anthem Lights. Number 3 is the "Official Lyric Video."
I hope you enjoy this song as much as I do. May God bless you brothers and sisters!
SalleeB

Motorcycle Version - The Workers are Few

Psalm of the Week - Psalm 46:10 - Week of July 21, 2014

10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

I love how John Gill explains the phrase "Be still, and know that I am God" 

"but that they should not be fearful, nor fretful and impatient, or restless and tumultuous; but be quiet and easy, resigned to the will of God, and live in an assured expectation of the appearance of divine Providence in their layout. And "know"; own and acknowledge that he is God, a sovereign Being that does whatsoever he pleases; that he is unchangeable in his nature, purposes, promises, and covenant; that he is omnipotent, able to help them and deliver them at the last extremity; that he is omniscient, knows their persons, cases, and troubles, and how and where to hide them till the storm is over; that he is the all wise God, and does all things after the counsel of his own will, and makes all things work together for good to them; and that he is faithful to his word and promise, and will not suffer them to be over pressed and bore down with troubles. Who further says for their encouragement, and is to be hearkened to in it,"

John Gill"s Exposition of the Entire Bible

Personal Prayer Application

Dear God, 

I am tired of being fearful, fretful and impatient. Help me to be still. My desire is to be quiet and calm, not restless and troubled. I want to be still. I know that you can do all things. Help me Father, to accept your will and your plans for me. For I know that you are faithful and keep your promises. 

Let me exalt you among the nations and upon the earth for as long as I shall be here. 

Thank you God for all the times that you have sheltered me from the storms in my life. For the times when I was still and calm inside while troubles swirled around me. Thank-you for all the times that you have given me the strength to endure the troubles and trials in my life. I know that you are God and that through you all things are possible. 

Amen

God's Purpose For You - Week 5

The video links are no longer working. The video playlist has been deleted from YouTube. 

Sallee's Notes

• God is still the I AM of our generation
• This is not a God forsaken world.
• For God so loved the world...
• God has not forsaken this world
• He is the I AM now.

Three Points of the Bible Stud

1. God's Purpose for You in Your Own Generation is Highly Personal
2. God's Purpose for You in Your Own Generation is Perfectly Timed
3. God's Purpose for You in Your Own Generation is Carefully Protected

Luke 22:41-42

41 He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 

42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will (boule), but yours be done.

• Absolutely nothing is allowed to come to you and into your life through the permissive will of God. That does not have some bearing on God's purpose for you in your own generation
• We have no idea what happened in the spiritual realm when Christ died on the cross.
• We have no idea what it would be like to take on the weight of sin and have God turn his head from us.

• Purpose - original Greek word for purpose was boule.
• Definition of boule: will, project, intention, deliberation, reflection.

Genesis 50:20

20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

• We have an enemy who wants to harm us, but God intends it for good to accomplish what is now being done in your generation.

Jeremiah 29:11

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

God's Silly Putty

Sallee Bonham - God's Silly Putty

Have you played with silly putty? Think about silly putty; it is flexible, bendable, stretchable. Images and text can be imprinted on it by pressing it against printed paper and then you can make them disappear by kneading the silly putty. You can use silly putty in this manner over and over.

I want to be God's silly putty; flexible, bendable, and stretchable. He can shape and mold me into His image.The imprints I hold are from being pressed against his Word, the Bible. Then, He kneads and shapes me some more. The previous imprints are invisible, but not forgotten. Each time I study the Bible, I am being imprinted with a new image or picture that God reveals to me.

"Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching, My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him."
John 14:23 NIV

Psalm of the Week - Psalm 46:1-3 - Week of 14 July, 2014

1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

Personal Application

God you are my ever-present help when I am in trouble. You are my refuge and strength. I will not fear, even if the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the sea. I will not fear though the sea waters roar and foam and the mountains quake from the sea's surging. I will not fear because you are my refuge and strength. God I know you are my ever-present help in trouble. 

Amen. 

God's Purpose For You - Week 4

The video links are no longer working. The video playlist has been deleted from YouTube. 

Sallee's Notes


Ephesians 2:10 (End of Week 3/Beginning of Week 4)

 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Acts 17:26-27

26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 

• Our time on planet Earth was set by God. 
• He knew us before the foundation of the world.
• He even knew our works.
• Our personality, our gifts were made before he foundation of the world.
• Its our whole reason for being here. 

 God's purpose for you in your own generation is perfectly timed.

Acts 13:36

36“Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed.

• In my own generation I have been called to serve God's purpose.
• We are exactly where we are supposed to be in this time frame, in this generation.
• In our own generation means that we are relevant 
• Nothing is more challenging than being a relevant Christian
• Being a relevant Christian  mean we can be in touch with the world to understand what is going on without the world getting all over us.
• If we can accept this challenge in the power of the Holy Spirit, nothing is more powerful.
• We can show people the relevance of God's Word in the world today.
• If Christianity is the narrow way, Christian relevance is walking a tight rope.
• Carnality is to the left if we fall off.
• If we fall off to the right we will fall into hyper spirituality. We can get in such a religious mode that no one knows what we are talking about. We are perceived as weird.

John 5:36-42 (Jesus is speaking)

Witness of Works 

36“But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish—the very works that I do—testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me.

Witness of the Father

37“And the Father who sent Me, He has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form. 38“You do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent.

Witness of the Scripture

 39“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; 40 and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life. 41“I do not receive glory from men; 42but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. 

• Let's do the hard thing that matters
• We are going to be doing something hard anyway.

Let us do the hard thing that matters.

Psalm of the Week - Psalm 41:1-3 - Week of 7 July, 2014

1 Blessed are those who have regard for the weak;the Lord delivers them in times of trouble.

2 The Lord protects and preserves them—they are counted among the blessed in the land—he does not give them over to the desire of their foes.

3 The Lord sustains them on their sickbed and restores them from their bed of illness.

4 I said, “Have mercy on me, Lord; heal me, for I have sinned against you.”

Four Points to Consider

• The people of God are not free from poverty, sickness, or outward affliction, but the Lord will consider their case, and send due supplies. 
• From his Lord's example the believer learns to consider his poor and afflicted brethren. This branch of godliness is usually recompensed with temporal blessings. 
• Nothing is so distressing to the contrite (repentant, sorry) believer, as a fear or sense of the Divine displeasure, or of sin in his heart.
• Sin is the sickness of the soul; pardoning mercy heals it, renewing grace heals it, and for this spiritual healing we should be more earnest than for bodily health.      Matthew Henry's Commentary

Personal Application

Father God, thank you for blessing me and delivering me from times of trouble while I help others. Thank-you for protecting and preserving me as I walk through life trying to help others. Thank-you for sustaining me and restoring me when I have been ill, physically and spiritually. Amen.

God's Purpose For You - Week 3

The video links are no longer working. The video playlist has been deleted from YouTube. 

Sallee's Notes

• What is the difference between a purpose and a plan?
• The plan is how God fulfills his purpose for you.

Psalm 139:16-18

16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be. 17 How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand—when I awake, I am still with you.

• How different would our life be if we imagined God thinking about us?
• What kind of God is that? A God who thinks of us that significantly.
• Science and medicine has developed to the point that we can see an unborn child.

Beth shares about her daughter's 3D ultrasound.

• God looked at us in our mother's womb and He said,"Do you have any idea how loved you are?"
• That is the love of God.
• A thought through plan and he is not the only one with a plan for our life today.

Ephesians 6:10-12

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 

• the word schemes means a plan. An orderly, technical plan. 
• There is an enemy of your soul and he has a plan for your life.
• His purpose is to take away glory from God.
• God's purpose is to show much glory through your life.
• God's purpose is to give us hope and a future.
• He will prosper us with nonphysical things like satisfaction, fulfillment, fruit bearing, peace of mind.
• The Enemy's purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy.
• There's a plan going.
• A plan with purpose. 

God's purpose for you in your own generation is perfectly timed.

Acts 13:36

36“Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed.

• In my own generation I have been called to serve God's purpose.

Acts 17:26

26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 

• Our time on planet Earth was set by God. 
• He knew us before the foundation of the world.
• He even knew our works.

Ephesians 2:10

 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Does Where You Eat Impact Your Witness?

Is There A Difference? 

Where do you go to eat? There are so many choices: At a gastropub, a sports bar and grill, a fast food restaurant, a bistro, a cafe, a diner, a fine dining restaurant that offers drinks with the meal, an ethnic restaurant with or without drinks, and the list can go on. Is there a difference between a restaurant with drinks versus a bar with food? Let's start with the definition of a restaurant vs. the definition of a gastropub.

According to Dictionary.com and Merriam-Webster Online:

Restaurant is an old French word (1827) that means "food that restores." Today, restaurant means a commercial establishment where meals are prepared and served to customers.

Gastropub is a term that came into use in the early to mid 1990's. Today, a gastropub means a pub, bar, or tavern that serves good food and high quality alcoholic beverages.

Are You an Evangelist?

As a follower of Jesus Christ, have you ever thought about the impact that eating at a restaurant, or a gastropub  has on your witness? All Christians are lifestyle evangelists whether they realize it or not. Lifestyle evangelism is simply living in a way that makes it obvious that you are a follower of Jesus.

People are watching you inside and outside of your home. You are being watched by your family, your friends, and members of your community. Human nature, curiosity, or a tendency to people watch causes us to watch the actions of people who surround us. Again, my question to you is, "How does where you choose to eat and/or drink affect your witness as a lifestyle evangelist?"

OH No!

My decision of not eating at a gastropub, or an establishment that focuses on liquor, began to take shape after the following incident.

A thrift store opened up in my hometown next door to the local sports bar and grill. Now, thrift stores draw me in as a magnet draws iron shavings. Quickly, I began to park my motorcycle in front of the thrift store, that was next door to the sports bar and grill on a weekly basis. (I take my motorcycle so I can't buy too much!) After several weeks went by, a casual acquaintance at the grocery store said to me," I saw your motorcycle parked at the bar." My response was, "What?" then I laughed and said, "OH no, my motorcycle was parked at the thrift store!" The casual acquaintance's face brightened in relief at that information and they laughed along with me.

Stop It!

I can hear you thinking that the acquaintance was a busy body. Stop it! A valuable lesson was given to me at an important time in my walk with the Lord. My journey in a motorcycle ministry was just beginning when this incident happened.

Simple Choices Have a Large Impact

The incident also showed me how quickly people would believe the worst about me based upon a false appearance. Avoiding the appearance of wrongdoing became important to me. I started parking my motorcycle in the side parking lot between the thrift store and the newspaper office. A simple choice, with a large impact on my lifestyle evangelism, was made. Where I eat at underwent a similar revision.

Effectiveness vs Appearances

Being an effective witness and lifestyle evangelist for Jesus Christ is important to me. I ride my motorcycle wearing a vest that has a picture of a hand clasping a bible on the back. I do not want my witness impacted by eating at a gastropub,or other establishments, that focus predominantly on alcoholic beverages and food. I do not want someone who has heard my testimony saying, or thinking," I saw her at the bar and grill. She is no different than I am! I do not need her Jesus." It is important to me that I avoid the appearance of wrongdoing, or placing a stumbling block in front of someone else.

Examine Your Choices

I am not writing this article because I think followers of Christ should not drink, or that drinking is wrong. My reason for writing this article is to make you aware of how your lifestyle choices affect your witness as a follower of Jesus Christ. Again, I am not saying drinking is wrong, or that Christians cannot drink. I do want you to look at your beliefs about drinking and eating establishments and the impact it may, or may not, have on your lifestyle evangelism. All Christians are lifestyle evangelists.



21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; 22 abstain from every form of evil.
1 Thessalonians 5:21-22

3 giving no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited, 4 but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses,…

2 Corinthians 6:3-4