Post-Encounter

For Women
CONTENTS

LESSON 1: Relating to God

LESSON 2: The Lord's Prayer- Part 2
LESSON 3: Restoring our Self–Image
LESSON 4: Working with the Holy Spirit
LESSON 5: God's Plan for Families
LESSON 6: God's Plan for Children in Families
LESSON 7: We Were Created to Bless
LESSON 8: Knowing God's Will
LSSSON 9: Be a Woman of Purpose
LESSON 10: An Offering that Pleases God

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 INTRODUCTION
Being involved in ministry has allowed me to have contact with hundreds of women. This brought me
to the conclusion that every woman needs to sanctify “every area” of her life. We have been able to
accomplish this at our Encounters. Listening to these ladies’ testimonies, I have witnessed firsthand
God’s Restoring hand resting upon their lives, as He restores their self-worth and dignity. They feel that
in spite of their trials and struggles, they are able comprehend that someone is genuinely interested in
them – God. I believe that everyone who attends an Encounter can experience: miracles of
transformation, restoration, and salvation.

In one of the most difficult moment, in the history of Israel (where Satan had planned to destroy Israel
through a perverse Haman) God raised up queen Esther to bring forth His people to experience an
encounter with the Almighty. She led the nation to seek God’s favor during a three-day fast of
consecration. After that fast, she stood before the king and boldly asked him to cancel the order to
execute her people.

Because of one woman’s encounter with God, (what could have turned into the greatest massacre in
history) turned into a spiritual event, that brought personal benefits not only to Esther, but to her
people. What Satan had planned for death, the Lord turned into life for all the Jews. What could have
been a sad day of mourning turned into that greatest party that centuries later is still being celebrated
– Purim.

The Encounter moves the hand of God, in favor of Hid daughters. Next, the Post-Encounter gives
people direction. It also teaches them how to defend themselves against the enemy’s attacks and to
celebrate their freedom, just Jews did in Esther’s day.

The objective in every lesson id to help those who have attended an Encounter maintain the
deliverance and blessings they have received from, God.

The Apostle Paul said, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a
roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith" (1 Peter 5:8, 9a).
If every lady who goes to an Encounter makes a consistent and faithful effort to follow through with
the next step, the Post-Encounter, then God will count on her and bless her mightily.

Claudia R. Castellanos

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 LESSON 1:
Relating To God
PRIMARY BIBLICAL REFERENCES: Matthew 6:9-13

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES: Psalm 16:11; Ephesians 2:1; Acts 26:18; John 1:12; Galatians 2:20; Romans
8:1 4; Peter 1:4; Isaiah 66:1; 1 Corinthians 4:20; Isaiah 55:11; Matthew 10:8; Matthew 6:22-23;
Matthew 1:1 4; Matthew 16:19; 1Corinthians 15:43; Hebrews 11:34; John 3:3; Isaiah 60:5; Matthew
3:2; Matthew 13:19

Key Scripture:
"In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come,
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:9-10)

To be honest with you, I always considered myself someone who had a good prayer life. But after
having endured the experience my family went through in 1997—when we suffered an assassination
attempt on my husband's life—my relationship with God was stretched and my prayer life intensified.
That was a time when I determined to increase my daily prayer time. This experience was not only
extremely impacting and extraordinary, it transformed me into an intercessor.
I came to understand that through prayer we can change circumstances and receive God's direction in
every decision we face. The Psalmist said it like this, "You will show me the path of life; in your
presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore" (Psalm 1 6:1 1). In prayer, we
discover how true this is!

Understanding What a Devotional Is

The way we communicate with God is called prayer. The time we spend alone with God each day—
enjoying an intimate relationship with Him—and expressing our hearts to Him is called our devotional
time. During this time in His presence, He begins to reveal His will for our lives and shows us more and
more of His unconditional love.

In order for your devotional to be effective, I suggest you:

Choose the time and length of your devotional.
Have privacy.
Get into the habit of doing it in the morning, prior to starting your daily activities.
Be honest with yourself and with God.
Keep a Bible and notebook close at hand to write down what the Lord speaks to you
through His Word.
Have a list of the prayer requests you will present to the Lord.

PREPARING TO ENTER INTO HIS PRESENCE

The Lord Jesus taught His disciples to pray. When He did, He instructed them to be honest and not to
allow hypocrisy in their hearts. He also told them to look for a private place to pray.

I believe it is best to pray in a private place, often called a "prayer closet." In that secret, private place,
you will experience the true joy and rewards of being alone with your Heavenly Father.

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Jesus warned them that prayer was not about repeating senseless words, but about being alone with
the Author of life. He encouraged them to speak to the Father without exaggeration or repetition and
with a sincere heart.

LIVE: THE REVELATION OF THE CROSS

1. "Our Father..."
We must understand that God is the Father of excellence. He sees everything and His eyes are upon
everything that exists in heaven and on earth. There is no other god like our God. He is the most loving
and awesome Father in the universe; the closest thing to God's heart is a father's heart. No one can call
God "Father" without going through Jesus first; because Jesus opened the door for us, so we can enter
into the Father's presence. Only those who have received the revelation of the cross will be able to
know God as their Father.

On the other hand, a woman who has not understood why Jesus died for her at Calvary's Cross, cannot
get to know God as Father. When someone gets to know Jesus as Lord and Savior, she receives the
benefits of the Cross and a door is opened so she can relate to the Father.

Some people have an inaccurate image of God; this is due to the bad things they have experienced
with their natural parents. I have seen so many lives restored from the embrace of God the Father; He
is real. We often think because we do not see Him, He is not real, and we must overcome those fears
and run into His arms by faith.
Those who believe in Jesus can call God our Father because:
He gave us life when we were dead (Ephesians 2:1).
He opened our eyes and brought us from darkness to light and took us from Satan to God.
Through faith in Jesus, we received forgiveness and a spiritual inheritance (Acts 26:18).
Believing that Jesus is the Christ gives us authority to be called sons and
daughters of God (John 1:12).
We have been crucified with Christ. We no longer live, but now Christ lives in us (Galatians 2:20).
God's Spirit guides us. (Romans 8:14).
God allows us to partake of His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).

2. "In heaven..."
When you think of heaven, what do you imagine? Heaven is a place where there are no needs,
sadness, fears, oppression, and sickness—a happy place. Hell, on the other hand is full of affliction,
bitterness, distrust, infidelity, jealousy, hate, rage, and misery. Hell is a desolate place, but God's
children will not suffer there. God has appointed us to a glorious place, heaven.

Get to know God who can do all things.

The God of the Bible is a God who will help you in times of trouble. He will always be there in your time
of need, but you must first learn how to relate to Him. You need to get to know the God of the
impossible. What impossibility do you face in life? If you are not able to have children, remember that
nothing is impossible for Him. If you feel like an old maid (because the years have come and gone and
you are still unmarried), remember that nothing is impossible for God. If you are facing a financial
crisis, God is your provider. Our God always responds and is able to change circumstances. He is a God
who calls things that are not as though they were. God relates to those who put their faith in action. So
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arise and believe that the God of the impossible is with you and will help you. He wants you to ask Him
for the things you need. Go to Him in prayer, worship Him and request His intervention. God has your
best interest at heart and will always come through for you.

3. "Hallowed be Your name..."

God's nature is holy and he has called us His holy people. "Hallowed" means "holy" and includes purity,
beauty, harmony, perfection, greatness, excellence, glory, and power.

Harmony. When God created the first couple, He made them holy. Holiness brings harmony to
marriage. God said, "Let us make man in our own image and likeness." God did not create a man
without giving him His character; the Lord created man with His own nature and character.

He blessed the first couple He created by giving them His nature and made them participants in all His
riches. God created the entire universe for them and gave them His holy breath of life. Men and
women together express God's divine character. God even created sexuality and gave this to married
couples as a blessing—because it is part of God's holiness.

The opposite of holiness is immorality. When individuals follow God's guidelines, they experience joy,
happiness, and blessing. Yet when people break God's laws, they experience confusion, frustration,
and curses.

Integrity. One of the definitions of holiness is "a mark." When an object has been left in a specific place
for a long period of time, it leaves a mark and when you lift the item you can see where it has been.
When Moses went up to God's holy mountain, he experienced something similar. He communed with
God's presence for forty days and when he descended from the mountain, people could see the mark
of God upon him. Moses' face was so bright that he had to wear a veil. God's splendor was so radiant
upon Moses that the Israelites could not stand to look at him, because it confronted them and
reminded them of God's command to live "holy" lives.

When we draw near to God through His Son, Jesus, the same mark and character that is in Christ is
reproduced in us. The Apostle Paul encouraged us to walk the earth as Jesus did, blameless in all our
ways. We must walk in integrity, which is why we need to understand that holiness is necessary for
God's people.

Generosity. Our God is extremely generous. The heavens cannot contain His holiness, glory, and
presence. He does everything with an open and generous heart. When I think about the first couple, it
is obvious that God had future generations in mind when He exhibited His generosity towards them. At
first, it was all about one couple, but He gave them authority over the entire earth.

Holiness is being able to give God what we love the most. When you give to God, He surprises you by
giving back to you. In some cases, He gives you double or even one hundred times what you gave.
When we understand that the secret to prosperity is being generous with God, we will be eager to
have a heart that is more generous.
Constant joy. He was consumed with the oil of gladness, more so than His own friends, because His joy
stemmed from the fruit of the Spirit. You can never find bitterness in a home full of holiness. There is
no complaining and murmuring

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Happiness. Some people believe that being spiritual means being solemn, introverted, and isolated.
Jesus was a normal person filled with because joy, happiness, and God's presence dwells in the entire
home. Fear tends to rob us of our joy as do doubt, anguish, complaints, murmuring, and worry. We
must overcome or eliminate that which prevents us from happy and keep joy alive in our homes at all
times.

4. "Your kingdom come..."

The Lord spoke through the prophet Isaiah, "... Heaven is My throne, and earth is my footstool. Where
is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest?" (Isaiah 66:1).

Above all human thrones, we find the divine kingdom, the eternal kingdom of God, which is
predominately, a spiritual kingdom. There are various types of kingdoms. The human one tends to
value people's performance and skills; the animal kingdom values survival; the agricultural kingdom
values passivity (because things take time to grow); the mineral kingdom values productivity. Jesus told
us that He had come to establish His kingdom here on earth.

When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus, He told him "Most assuredly I say to you unless one is born again he
cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3).

The Lord was saying that every person [no matter what spiritual level) must be born again. This new
birth is produced directly by the Holy Spirit, who takes the faith of the one who believes and births a
new life in their spirit.

We must comprehend that we are spiritual beings who live in physical bodies. Through our senses, we
perceive the natural world. Through our faith in Christ, we relate to and participate in the kingdom of
God.

-The key to the Kingdom

Jesus told Peter, "And I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven..." (Matthew16: 19). What key
was Jesus referring to? A key is the only instrument that gives us access to doors that are locked.

- The key to Preaching the Gospel

One of the keys of which the Master speaks is the key to preaching the Gospel. Peter was the first one
to ever use this key to the kingdom of heaven, when he preached on Pentecost Day and three
thousand people were saved. He later used the same key at Cornelius' home where the first Gentile
church was founded.
God wants everyone to take hold of the key to preaching His Word. Paul warned the church in Corinth
that, "The kingdom of God is not in word but in power" t1 Corinthians 4:20]. When we use God's pure
and faithful word, God in turn does extraordinary things. The Lord said: "So shall My word be that goes
forth from My mouth; it shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall
prosper in the thing for which I send it" Isaiah 55:11).

When the Lord sent His Apostles to preach the Gospel, He said, "Heal the sick cleanse the lepers, raise
the dead, cast out demons..." (Matthew 10:8]. In the tenth chapter of Matthew we see how the Lord
commissioned them to preach the gospel. The only way we can transform families and cities is through
the preaching of the Gospel, which creates an atmosphere for God's presence to dwell. When a place is

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saturated with the Word His glory can fill it.

-The key to access the spiritual world.

Our contact with the physical world is through our sight, but with the spiritual world. the contact
happens through faith. The New International Version (NIV) of the Bible states in Matthew 6:22-23,
"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your
eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how
great is that darkness!"

God has given you spiritual eyes in order for you to see His kingdom, but you have to exercise that
vision. Your physical sight will try to eclipse your spiritual sight, but you must clean your eyes because
He has given you the ability to see His kingdom. God is Spirit, and only through faith you will see the
spiritual kingdom of God—the miracles you need, the physical healing, family restoration, fulfillment of
your purpose, and everything else. Isaiah 60:5says: "Then you will look and be radiant."

-The key and power to transform weakness into strength.

When you enter into the kingdom of God, weakness is transformed into strength. The Lord said,
"When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, the wicked one comes and
snatches away what was sown in his heart" (Matthew 13:19).

I am talking about principles of the spiritual kingdom, principles that will let us conduct ourselves, in
the supernatural with principles that will help transform our lives.

Sometimes, when people do not understand and confess words, the enemy then takes the Word sown
in them, (stealing it from their minds so they will not enter the blessings God has for them. These
principles I am teaching you, I have put into practice in my own life and home, and I know they are
effective.

The Lord said: "It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power"
(1 Corinthians 15:43].
This means that your weakness has to be sown and surrendered at the foot of the Cross. When your
weakness dies, you resurrect in power, and your weakness becomes your biggest strength. For
example, if your weakness is in dealing with money, this is because the enemy wants to attack your
finances, so that you will not experience prosperity.
If your weakness is sickness, it is because God wants you to understand those who are sick, as you pray
for them. If your weakness is in administrating your ministry, it could be because the enemy is
attacking your life, so you won t receive the multitudes God wants to give you.
This is the principle Abraham lived. Neither he nor Sarah was able to have children, but God wanted to
make them parents of nations, and Abraham s weakness became his biggest strength. The writer of
Hebrews said that because of the faith of the ancient men, they got strength from weakness; they
became strong in battle and made enemy armies flee. (Hebrews 11:34).

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CONCLUSION
Establishing an intimate communication with the Lord through prayer will let you experience in a real
way, the power and greatness of God. Then, you will be able to see firsthand the miracles and wonders
He has for you.

APPLICATION
Be determined, starting now, to separate a special time to initiate your devotional life, making sure you
have a private place where you can pray alone. Have your Edible at hand so you can start to discover in
God's Word the blessings He has for your life and for those you love.

Questions:
1. According to Psalm 16:11, what do you receive through Prayer?

2. What is a devotional?

3. What can you do to make a devotional effective?

4. Choose the right answer. According to Matthew 6:5-7, in order to enter into God's presence,
we should:

5. How can you bring joy to your life and home?

6. List three reasons why we can call God our Father.

7. Define what it is to be born again (look in the book The Revelation of the Cross).

8. According to your experience, have you been born again? How do you know?

9. Match the columns to the corresponding kingdom.

10. List the keys of the Kingdom and support them biblically.

11. What do you think is an impossible situation in your life? Pray specifically and continually for that
need.

12. What is God's nature?

13. According to Exodus 34:27-35, what happened when Moses came down the mount?

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 LESSON 2:
The Lord’s Prayer – Part 2
PRIMARY BIBLICAL REFERENCE: Matthew 6:9-13

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES: Psalm 40: 8; John 4:34; Matthew 26:4; Luke 12:47; Isaiah 55:10-1; Genesis
2:7-9; James 1:17; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Proverbs 10:22; Malachi 3:10; John 3:16; Matthew 14:31; 1
Corinthians 10:1; 2 Corinthians 6:14; Proverbs 8:35; John 10:27-28; Psalm 90:1-2; Psalm 91:1-4;
Deuteronomy 28; Galatians 3:1 3; John 10:27-28; Psalm 90:1-2; Psalm 91:1-4

Key Scripture
"Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day I our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us
from the evil one. For Yours, is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen"
- Matthew 6: 10-13

5. "Your will be done.

We must receive God's instruction in order to follow His will for our lives. It is important to realize that
our relationship with God is not what we would like Him to do for us, but what God wants us to do for
Him.

Many people think they are "working for" the Lord, but they are not following His plan for their lives.
That is the reason why each person needs to honestly seek to know God's purpose for her life. The
Psalmist said it this way, "I delight to do your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart" Psalm
40:8, italics added]. When you delight to do the will of God, you are fulfilled in a way that is hard to
describe. As you live in the center of His perfect will, you experience His blessing and His guidance in
your everyday life.

Jesus Christ consistently demonstrated that His will was to do His Father's will. Once He was sharing
the "Word of Life" with a Samaritan woman and even though He was hungry and was offered food, He
said, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me" (John 4:34).

Before His crucifixion, Jesus asked the disciples if they could drink from the cup He was about to drink.
He knew that they were not going to be able to participate in His horrible suffering. In Matthew 26:42,
the Lord said, "O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done."
These two examples clearly show that Jesus kept obedience to God's will as His most important
priority—even if it cost Him everything.

No woman in this world, no matter how "holy" she is, wants to go through suffering. It is natural not to
want to drink from the cup of sickness, oppression, or from the cup of a broken home! The Lord told
the Father He did not want: the suffering, pain and affliction, however above everything else, He
wanted His Father's will.

It takes discernment to recognize God's will. Sometimes God allows suffering to bring blessing, and you
learn to; take each trial with patience and love. Other times, suffering is an attack from the enemy and
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requires a different response. When you are suffering adversity, it is important to discern if God is
using it to bring growth and maturity to your life. That is why it is essential to prepare yourself to do
God's will by knowing Him and His Word.

Luke 12:47 says, "And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do
according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes." This passage talks about the servant who
knew the wish in God's heart, but did not do it. The Scripture says he will experience the fruit of his
procrastination by taking many beatings. Many people know what they must do for God, but still do
not do it.

6. 'Give us this day our daily bread."

Provision. Blessings from God are far greater than you can imagine. God wants to bless you completely
and provide for your vital needs in spirit, soul, and body. The human being needs a roof to live under
and God wants to provide good housing. The human being needs to move from one place to another
and God wants to provide good transportation. Clothing is needed and God wants to provide nice
clothing. If God dresses nature beautifully, how much more will He provide for all our needs? Yet
sometimes, we struggle in our minds because we do not believe God can do that. We think we have to
work very hard to be deserving of God's blessing. In reality, His provision is promised and all we need
to do is open our spiritual eyes to see it. Satan fights against us to prevent us from experiencing God's
blessing. He tries to deceive us to keep us living in a poverty mentality. We need to quit believing the
enemy's arguments and start believing the Word of God and His promises.

The following principles will help you walk in prosperity under God's covering:

a. Receive the breath of God

What makes us different from other created beings is the breath of God. Scripture says, "And
the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath
of life; and man became a living being" (Genesis 2:7). You are smart, you are unique, and you
are made in the image of Jesus Christ. All of these are true about you because of the breath
God gave you. A person who does not have the "ruákh" Breath of God cannot live a Christian
life. To enter into God's prosperity, you need to have the breath and the Spirit of God.

b. know that God planned a garden for you.

“The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had
formed. And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight
and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil" Genesis 2:8-9]. The Bible tells us that God—not Adam—planted
the Garden of Eden. Adam did not have to work for this garden; he only had to enjoy it. You do
not have to work to get blessings from God because He has already planned them for you. God
planted a garden full of blessings for your life. Maybe you cannot see them yet, but they are
within your reach as you wait upon Him.

c. God planted a tree of blessing for your life.

"And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and
good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil" (Genesis 2:9). The trees God planted were delicious. All the
blessings God planned for your life are good and will delight you. "Every good gift and perfect
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 gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation
or shadow of turning" (James 1:17).

Scripture also says, "The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it"
[Proverbs 10:22]. God gives you the privilege of enjoying His blessings of good health,
harmonious family relationships, inner peace and abundant provision.

d. It was good to eat of the tree.

God always wants the best for us; but in order to know it is good, we must taste it. You have to
savor God's blessings or you will never know them. You can savor God's blessings in many ways
and one of them is with your tithe. The Lord said, "Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that
there may be food in My house, and try me now in this...if I will not open for you the windows
of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it"
Malachi 3: 10).

e. God wants you to find the Tree of Life.

"For whoever finds me finds life, and obtains favor from the LORD" (Proverbs 8:35). The Tree of
Life is represented in Jesus of Nazareth. That is why Jesus said that whoever finds Him, will find
life. Look at the example of Job in the Old Testament. He went through many devastating
economic and family losses. But God met him where he was, and Job was restored to God. You
could say that Job had an encounter with the Tree of Life.

Job trusted God fully when he repented of his fear and failures and after he repented, God gave
him back everything Job had lost. For you to receive the Tree of Life, you need to repent,
turning your entire heart, soul, and mind to God. This is how you become a branch in the tree
of God.

7. "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."

Forgiveness is basic to the redemption of God. The Lord taught, "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"
(John 3:16). Once we were completely separated from God and were headed toward eternal
condemnation. He, who is great in mercy, did not count our sins. Instead He offered us forgiveness,
establishing a way for our redemption.

The truth is that we all need to receive forgiveness, but we also need to grant forgiveness to others.
Jesus said in this prayer that if we forgive people when they sin against us, our Heavenly Father will
also forgive us. But if we do not forgive the sins of others, our Father will not forgive our sins.

The best medicine for the sick human heart is forgiveness. If we could only grasp that when we forgive,
something great happens in the spiritual world. Then we would choose to forgive every time.

Forgiveness is centered in the Cross

There is nothing that compares with the power of forgiveness demonstrated in the Cross. When you
look at the cross, you will notice it has two poles—one is vertical and the other is horizontal. The
vertical pole speaks about the forgiveness God gives to us and the horizontal pole speaks of the
forgiveness we need to give to one another. That is the reason why Jesus died on the Cross with arms
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wide open. He wanted to demonstrate His desire to freely grant forgiveness to all who would come to
Him. But whom should we forgive? Simply stated, we need to forgive all those who have offended us.
Usually, the people who hurt us the most are the ones closest to us. Generally, we don't feel resentful
toward people we don't know such as store clerks or business managers. We feel the most offended by
those living under our roofs. These are the ones we need to forgive.

The Lord forgives our debts the same way we forgive our debtors. The measure of forgiveness you give
to others is the same measure He will use to forgive you. When you are reluctant to forgive, all your
transgressions will weigh you down. What you need to do is to forgive others and forget their
trespasses against you. That is exactly what Jesus did with your sins. When God forgives you, He totally
forgets that you have missed the mark. As far as the east is far from the west—that is how the Lord
forgets your rebellions and sins. As you embrace forgiveness, you will find that God will help you
forgive with faith without fear of failure. But how does that happen? The Lord gives the answer:

a. Recognize your need as the origin. Remember those moments of your life when you needed
God's forgiveness. There is not one single person who can say she does not need God's
forgiveness Every one of us has sinned and rebelled against God. We all need His forgiveness.

b. Submit to God. When you submit to God, you are given authority to resist bitterness and its
destructive effect on your life.

c. Determine to forgive. Make the decision to forgive. Many people claim that they do not feel
they can forgive, but forgiveness is not a feeling it is a decision of the heart.

d. Confess that you have truly forgiven. It is important to communicate forgiveness from the
heart. You may need to tell a person that you have forgiven her. There are times in which it
may not be appropriate to express forgiveness with words; what you do in this case is to make
the decision to forgive and say a prayer to bless the person, even if she isn't present.

Keep in mind that sometimes you will think about the person you just forgave. It will appear
that you are reliving the offense and that you haven't forgiven after all. it could be that the
enemy is trying to deceive you by planting an idea in your head that is not true.

Do not accept his tactic because you have already chosen to forgive. Realize that the offense is
a debt, and when you forgave, you canceled that debt. (When you break a debt by paying it,
you do not have to pay it again? Would you pay the same debt twice?) So, if you have already
forgiven a person's debt, do not let the enemy deceive you into thinking that you have to
forgive again.

When you forgive a person, you pull a bitter stake of unforgiveness out of your heart. Leave it
out.

e. Do not go back to resentment. Do not let the enemy fill your mind and heart with arguments
why you shouldn't forgive. You must totally forget what happened. Avoid snide comments and
unkind words intended to hurt. Your forgiveness must be total. You must never again make
room for resentment. If you have taken it to the Cross and forgiven from your heart,
resentment has lost its power over you.
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 f. Replace the negative with the positive. The Bible tells us that those who are forgiven much
love much. When you believe that God has forgiven you a little, you will love Him just a little.
But when you know God has forgiven you a whole mountain of sin, you love Him with all your
heart! If a woman has offended you in a big way, forgive her in a big way. Make the decision to
believe in her with all your heart and determine to never bring back her offenses. Bury those
transgressions and you will see how complete God's restoration is in your life.

8. "Do not lead us into temptation."

This phrase could be said this way, "God, give us the strength or faith to endure tough adversity."
People fall into temptation and begin to sink when they take their eyes off Jesus. Do you remember
what happened to Peter when he tried to walk toward Jesus on the water? When Peter focused on the
frightening circumstance of those huge waves, he began to sink. He had stopped looking to His Master.
That is why he shouted, "Lord, save me!" In that moment, the Lord held him and asked him, "O you of
little faith, why did you doubt?" (Matthew 14:31).

What made Peter fall was his lack of faith. His example encourages us to focus on God and stand firm
in faith despite the circumstances. Scripture assures us, "No temptation has overtaken you except such
as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are
able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it" (1
Corinthians 10:13). Every time a trial comes, there is an escape route, an exit prepared by God. The
following truths will help you learn to avoid the traps of temptation:

- Know that the world we live in is full of temptation. We all face temptation. We can stare at a cake
through a store window and struggle whether or not we should buy it and eat it. We think, "If I eat that
cake, I will gain weight," but another voice says, "My health is not important to me. Go ahead and eat
it."

The way to overcome temptation is to live by faith. We are not to walk in the flesh; we are to walk in
the Spirit. Scripture gives us the example of the children of Israel who did not understand and follow
this principle. They wandered in the desert forty years, making the mistake of living in the flesh rather
than living by faith.

Do not fornicate. Your body is the "temple" of the Holy Spirit. When you fornicate, realize that sin
is being committed against God's special temple. It is a desecration of what is sacred and holy to
the Lord. If you continue in this sin without repenting for it, you will stay marred down in your own
problems. Your lack of victory will open the door to a life full of adversity.

Do not gossip. Gossip becomes an easy way for us to express our dissatisfaction, but it is very
harmful. Every woman who allows her lips to gossip opens the door to the devil and his destructive
ways. Gossip ruins relationships between friends and family members; it drains our finances and
damages our lives in so many ways. Gossip brings God s judgment, as seen in the people of Israel
who wandered in the desert because they lived in the flesh. They wanted to serve a spiritual God,
but did so with a worldly mind. and that is impossible to do.

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 Live a true life of faith. We cannot fake Christianity, because the Christian life is allowing Christ to
live through us. The reason why we can live a life of faith is because it is Christ's character inside
who empowers us to live a godly life. Note that from all the people who went out of Egypt with
Moses, only Joshua and Caleb actually got to the Promised Land. Why? Well, they had a different
spirit than the others did. They lived by faith and not by what they saw. Others perished in the
desert because they did not please God by living by faith.

9. "Deliver us from the evil one."

There are two forces that operate in the spiritual world, the good and evil. Perhaps you are one of
those who say, "I do not believe in evil, I just accept the good." This is like saying, "I only believe that
the day exists. I do not believe the night exists," or "I only accept hot, but not cold." Paul said, "Do not
be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with
lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6:14).

The Bible is full of examples of people who learned to obey the Word of God and were protected as a
result. You may think, "If this is true, what about Job? If he was a holy and obedient man of God, why
did he experience so much adversity"? Have you ever thought what would have happened if Job had
not passed the test?

Not only would we have lost one of the most beautiful books of the Bible, but also we would be
ignorant of the way the enemy goes before the Lord to accuse us. Thanks to Job's dramatic testimony,
the Lord opened the veil and revealed what happens in the spiritual world—how Satan looks for and
presents arguments against us. How we can fall victims of the curse if we ignore what God has for our.
Lives, and how we receive His blessings when we listen to His voice and put His Word into practice.

Part of learning how to be delivered from the evil one is being able to recognize and undo curses that
have plagued us. Dr. Derek Prince shares seven points taken out of Deuteronomy 28 on how to know if
there is a curse working against you.
How do we know if there is a curse?

If there is mental and emotional disintegration. People lose control when they lose their mental
stability or when they are under emotional pressure. - When chronic and repeated diseases show up. It
is likely a curse if the same disease occurs through a family line For example mother, daughter,
granddaughter, etch. - When there are involuntary abortions or related feminine problems. - When
there is disintegration of the marriage and family problems. - When there are continuous financial
problems. It is interesting that that even though some people have a good income, it is never enough
to cover their debts. That is a curse. - When there is a propensity to accidents. People who don't know
why they are having one accident after another may be suffering the ill effects of a curse. - if there are
stories in the family of suicide or death by unusual ways.

Have you identified with any of these points? If so, you need to know how to break the power of that
curse on your life. It’s important to know the cause of your adversity. While you stay in ignorance, the
curse will do its job silently by giving the enemy an opportunity to keep control of your life in that area.
Only through Jesus Christ's Cross-do we get the victory over all evil influences. Paul said in Galatians 3:
13, "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us [for it is written,
14
'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree'~."

What happens through faith?

Through Christ, we are given great and precious promises of victory over the evil one:
We give up our sins through repentance and accept God's salvation.
We give our weaknesses to Jesus and accept His strength.
We give up our sicknesses and accept His health.
We give up our anguish and accept His wonderful peace.
We give up our needs and accept His provision.
We give up our will and accept the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
We give up our human knowledge and accept His divine wisdom.

10. "Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen."
Jesus boldly declares this strong and fundamental truth, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them,
and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone
snatch them out of My hand" [John 10:27-28]. Even though Jesus died in seeming weakness, He raised
up in power. Every tribe, nation, people, and tongue was given to Him. He has all power in heaven and
earth. Under His feet are all principalities, authorities and powers. He rules over everything and His
kingdom will never end.

Scripture communicates boldly that all kingdoms, power and glory belong to God. Moses understood
that. He prayed "Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were
brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting,
You are God" (Psalm 90:1-2).

One of the most beloved psalms proclaims the protection God gives to those who make Him their
shelter:

"He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High

Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, 'He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.'
Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.
He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler" [Psalm 91:1-4].

These first two lessons have emphasized ten important principles from the Lord's Prayer. Apply them
to your life so they will start to become part of you. Practice them daily until the prayer becomes your
way of living. Know that the Holy Spirit will help you flow in His presence.

CONCLUSION
When you develop true communication with your Father and seek His will, He gives you provision,
forgiveness, victory over temptation and deliverance from the evil one. Right now you must make the
decision to establish that bridge of effective communication with the Lord that will drive you to God's
mercy and His fullness.
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APPLICATION
God wants you to enjoy His blessings. From now on, do not let a day pass by without having that
special time in the secret place with your Lord. Get to know Him in an intimate, real, deep and
permanent way, and your life will be transformed..

Questions:
1. What is involved in doing God's will?

2. List principles that will help you experience prosperity.

3. What should I do to forgive?

4. According to the last answer, make a list of the people you

have found it difficult to forgive. Begin to pray over your list.

5. What does it mean to "lead us not into temptation"?

6. Christ redeemed us from the curse (Galatians 3:13). Fill in the blanks.

We give up our __________ and accept His__________

We give up our _________ through repentance and accept His __________

We give up our __________ and accept His

We give up our __________ and accept His wonderful ___________

We give up our __________ and accept __________ His __________

We give up our __________ and accept the guidance of the __________

We give up our __________ and accept His _________

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 LESSON 2:
Restoring Our Self-Image
PRIMARY BIBLICAL REFERENCE: Ephesians 2:10

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES: Genesis 2:21-23; Isaiah 43:4; John 8: 1-11; Proverbs 2:10

Key Scripture:
"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand
that we should walk in them.” -Ephesians 2:10

1. Who are You?

In the beginning God created man. God also created the woman, but He took one of Adam's ribs while
he was sleeping

I and used it to fashion her. Notice the delicate way the Lord made the woman. He did not take dust
from the earth, as L He did with man, but he took a delicate and beautiful part O of the masculine body
to complete His work of creation. When you see a woman of any culture or race, realize that she
carries in herself the characteristics of God. Paul said IIJ that we all share this one thing: "We are His
workmanship" [Ephesians 2: 10].

Discover the delicacy of women.

The word "woman" is synonymous with beauty, tenderness, and motherhood. The Lord put a detail in
her that men usually lack, sensitivity. Our sensitivity is enabled by a touch in a special way, when we
praise and worship God. With our sensitivity, God has endowed us with a strong sense of motivation,
not only for ourselves, but also for others. Does not Scripture tell us, "The wise woman builds her
house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands" [Proverbs 14:1]?
God's purpose for woman has always been to dignify her as a beautiful princess who has honor and
sensitivity and is strongly motivated to build up her house. That is what He intended not only for Eve,
but also for her descendants. However, with sin came a curse that diminished our God-granted gifts
and distorted who we are. Ever since then, the enemy has tried to use the "woman" for his purpose.
This explains why he has always exploited her beauty to lead men and women both to destruction. This
has never been God's purpose.

Solomon asked who could find a virtuous wife. God has been looking for women who are liberated in
Him and who can take their place as honorable wives, mothers, professionals and leaders in their
communities.

Jesus dignified women.

What many people don't realize is that Christianity emphasizes the importance of families and honors
women as much as men. Other parts of the world keep women in a place where they have no rights or
voices in their society. The beautiful thing about Jesus is that He took special care in dignifying women,
whatever their cultural background. The principles and promises in the Bible benefit all human beings
and are designed to bring joy to men, women, boys and girls alike.

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When you establish a relationship with God through the Holy Spirit, a fresh anointing comes to your
life. This is not like the customs in biblical days when the people prepared vessels for containing their
wine. They used clean skins of animals to contain the liquid, but if the skins were old and cracked, the
wine could not be contained in them. Instead, the people were to prepare new wineskins that were
pliable and would be useful for that purpose. Likewise, if you want the wine of the Holy Spirit in your
marriage and in your home, you need to prepare your life so the Spirit of God can come down and live
in it. Even if your marriage relationship has become dull, when the presence of the Spirit of God
descends, it brings a sweet taste to your relationship that keeps your love alive.

2. What causes the deterioration of self-image?

Love defeats guilt.
Dr. Cho tells of a story that illustrates perfectly how guilt can ruin a woman's self-image and how love
builds it back up. There was a beautiful married couple in the church. They seemed to be successful,
but something was wrong. The woman had a very sad spirit even though she had every apparent
reason to be happy. Her husband was a prosperous businessman who loved her and respected her,
and they had three lovely children. She attended church faithfully every Sunday but was so anxious and
depressed. In a counseling session with Dr. Cho, this woman opened her heart and told him about her
past. She became an orphan when she was very young, so her older sister took her into her home to
take care of her.

"She was like a mother to me. She loved me; she gave me an education," the woman told Dr. Cho.
"When I was a young woman in college, my sister got ill and went to the hospital. I took care of her
house and her children; then I had an affair with her husband. It was something that ensnared me and I
never could recover from it."

This woman felt miserable because she had to hide her situation. Not only did she have a clandestine
relationship, but also she had several abortions because of it. She felt that God could not forgive her.
She had carried all the guilt and shame inside and because of this, she felt unworthy of the precious
husband she now had. She had married him in order to escape her situation; she had promised herself
that she would marry the first man who would propose.

3. What effect does a poor self-image have on a person and how does healing come?
"The story of the woman, whose self-image was smashed by her sin, does not stop there. The woman
continued telling her story to Dr. Cho. "God gave me a husband now who has respected my life, but I
feel that I do not deserve him," she said despairingly. Then, Pastor Cho with wisdom from the Holy
Spirit told her, "Daughter, close your eyes and picture yourself in front of a lake. You throw a stone in
the lake. You see how the stone falls down into the water and you hear the big sound it makes, 'clunk,
clunk,' because the stone is a big one. Now, pretend I throw a little stone, which makes a smaller
sound, 'pac, pac'.' Even though my stone is not the same size as yours, it also makes waves in the
water, but the waves are smaller than yours. See how both stones sink down into the lake. Can you
imagine that? That example can be compared to your sins and the relationship they have to the Cross.
It does not matter the size of your sin; if you come to the feet of Jesus that big stone of sin is removed
from your life. The Lord wants you to throw your heavy burden into the depths of the lake, so you
never again will remember it. The same principle applies to a sin such as a small lie. Everything that you
put at the feet of Jesus, whether big or small, will cancel the curse it brought with it."

Until this woman truly understood Jesus had forgiven her, she could not be restored to the woman she
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once was.

Now, she has a stable home with her husband and children. Both are now happily serving the Lord.

4. How does God see me? [Isaiah 43:4].

Dear woman, you may feel that spiritual enemies have accused you and even though you have gone to
church many times, you have not forgiven yourself. You may still be a victim of your past. It could be a
small thing or it could be a big thing. You could have engaged in illicit relationships. You may have given
place to immoral sins or you may have kept a secret that has eaten you up inside. I want to tell you
God's mercy has been extended to you, and that on the Cross-of Calvary, your entire past is forgiven.
He gave His blood so you do not have to feel less than anybody else. The grace and love from the Lord
has power to restore your identity in Christ. The same word Jesus told the woman caught in adultery,
He tenderly says to us today. "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more" (John 8:11b).

It is possible that you feel condemnation in your life that has robbed you of your self-esteem and
identity in Christ. Maybe, hate or fear has kept you locked up on the inside or you have the blood from
past abortions lying in your hands. Perhaps you have been hiding some inexperienced passions from
when you were younger. Maybe you were victimized. But I want to encourage you to sit at the feet of
Jesus and hear Him say, "Daughter, just as I forgave this woman, I extend my mercy to you. Daughter,
where are those who condemned you?".

The name of Jesus silences arguments of the past and the voice of the enemy. Hear God when He says
in His Word, there is no condemnation for the daughters of God. Jesus paid a very high price, so you
could be freed from misery and you can feel loved and honored for the woman you are.

5. How to restore your self-image.

Has your self-image deteriorated due to difficult experiences you have been through? Each negative
word, each aggression and each failure has eroded your self-image until you feel inferior to everybody
else.

Whether or not you know it, your self-image is evident to the people around you. When people look at
you, what do they see? Do they see a successful woman with future and potential? Or do you feel like
a sad, hopeless woman with no self-respect or dignity? In the Encounter, you learned that your
Heavenly Father loves you and He restored not only your dignity, but a future full of success.

As you live in the presence of God and are touched by His anointing, your self-image will be restored.
You will enjoy the privilege of preaching the Gospel. When you raise your hands in prayer, the heavens
will open up to you and through your mouth others will be blessed.

The Jesus I know restores women. It makes no difference to Him your gender or your social status. No
matter what has happened in your past or present life, He can restore spontaneity and laughter -and
give you a radiance that is full of genuine beauty. You can save a fresh and sincere smile on your face
because you were forgiven, refreshed and renewed by the celestial fountain.

Today, in an act of faith, fall down at the feet of the Lord and pour out your heart to Him. Feel for the
first time how the sadness and shame of your past is forgiven and covered with the blood of the Lamb.
Offer to Him your prayer:
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"Lord, I give you this secret that no one else knows because it brings shame to me. I feel bad about
myself, but I give you this feeling. Forgive me. I am sorry I failed you. I need to be washed from all my
sins with Your precious blood. Lord, please erase my rebellion. Jesus, thank You for restoring my self
image. I feel peace because of Your great forgiveness. From now on, I will only care about how You see
me. I pray in the name of Jesus, Amen. "

CONCLUSION
As you learn to see yourself the way God created you, you will be radically changed and your self-
image restored from the damaging effects of failure and sin.

APPLICATION
Be open to God’s restoration through the essence of your life – your self-esteem. Be the woman God
created. Yourself and others.

Questions:
1. What is the image you have of yourself as a woman?

2. Does Ephesians 2:10 apply to your life? Why or why not?

3. What is guilt?

4. How can you take guilt out of your life? Consult the book The Revelation of the Cross.

5. In your life, what are the effects or consequences of your poor self-image?
As you learn to see yourself the way God created you, you will be radically changed and your self-
image restored from the damaging effects of failure and sin.

6. Look up Isaiah 43:4. How does God see us?

Be open to God's restoration through the essence of your life— your self-esteem. Be the woman God
created you to be before Him, yourself and others.

7. In prayer, ask the Lord to restore your self-image.

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 LESSON 4:
Working With The Holy Spirit
PRIMARY BIBLICAL REFERENCE: Genesis 17:1-2

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES: John 1:12-13; 2 Kings 4:8-10; Psalm 3:5; Zechariah 4:6;
2 Kings 4:30-34; 1 Corinthians 6:19; Acts 1:4; Acts 2:4

Key Scripture:
"When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, 'I am Almighty
God; walk before me and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will
multiply you exceedingly."' - Genesis 17:1-2

Something extraordinary happens when we invite the Holy Spirit to be a part of our lives and our
families' lives. We experience one of the greatest blessings imaginable as we learn to let Him perfect
us! Our example is in the Old Testament After the Lord revealed Himself to Abraham as the Lord God
Almighty, He said "Walk before Me and be blameless” (Genesis 17:1). How could that be? It would've
been impossible for Abraham to walk before God without first knowing Him as the God who could do
all things.

The same thing happens to us. In order to walk before God in perfection, we must know Him as the
God who can do all things. This can only be accomplished through faith in Jesus Christ, and when it
happens, God gives us the right to be called His daughters.

We were born, "not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:12-
13). In our flesh we may have been conceived from human seed, but in the Spirit we were born
through the Holy Spirit. Note that Paul said, "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the
Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?" (1Corinthians 6:19).

Even though the Holy Spirit lives in our bodies, He does not make us do anything we do not want to do.
He is not a dictator. When He wants us to go in a certain direction or do a certain thing, He produces in
us a desire for it. If the Lord wants to use a woman, He will guide her, her family and her ministry—He
doesn't dictate anything. In my own experience, I have seen how God touched Cesar's life then He
transformed my life. After that, He started putting my house in order and leading my daughters
towards a genuine relationship with Him.

Desire His presence.

In the times of Elisha, a woman of Shunem recognized the holy life of this great prophet. She and her
husband built an upper room for Elisha so he could stay with them and rest. (2 Kings 4:8-10).

This example shows us how we need to relate to the Holy Spirit. VW need the desire to be a dwelling
place for Him, to be His temple.

In this story, the woman prepared a bed. Table, chair and lamp stand for her guest. It should be the
same with us. We need to prepare our beds by inviting the Holy Spirit to watch over our dreams. David
said, "I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustained me' (Psalm 3:5). The Holy Spirit should also
21
be at our table, so He car bless our food and our fellowship around the table. He should be welcomed
as we sit in our chairs during our resting moments. WE should prepare a lamp stand, so the Holy Spirit
can be the one, which ignites the light in our mind.

Now, this relationship with the Holy Spirit cannot be built overnight or even after a few weeks or
months. It has to be cultivated by the way we live. You need to tell the Holy Spirit, "Lord, let my life be
a dwelling place for You. Take control of who I am and use me to show Your glory."

You need to invite the Holy Spirit into your life to such a degree that you let Him guide every step you
take by faith. Walking in faith means "to move in the supernatural dimension of the Holy Spirit's
guidance." This may not seem logical at times. Nevertheless, it is important to leave room in your life
for the possibility of divine intervention. As you do, you will see extraordinary miracles and experience
God's hand moving in every situation you go through. Scripture says this occurs "not by might nor by
power" but by the strength of the Holy Spirit (Zechariah 4:61).

Keep in mind that if you invite the Holy Spirit into your life, you need to be careful not to make Him
sad. You grieve the Holy Spirit every time you do your own will. If He tells you what to do and you only
partially obey Him, you cause Him sadness. Our obedience needs to be immediate and totally aligned
with His will.

Desire to bear fruit.

If you know God and are in submission to His Lordship you will desire to bear fruit. We have been
studying this truth in the story of the Shunammite woman. This woman and her husband did not have
what they wanted the most—a child of their own. The man was old and they became resigned to the
fact they would remain childless for the rest of their lives.

But because this woman was hospitable and invited the prophet to stay at her house, a great blessing
came to her. The prophet unleashed life through his words and told her within a year, she would
conceive and have a son. She did not believe this at the time, but after a year, she was cradling a baby
son in her arms. The prophet is symbolic of the Holy Spirit who works in our lives when He is openly
invited to come in.

Something similar happened to me in Houston. God spoke these words to me, "You will have a child.'^l
Nine months later, the woman s network was born and I understood that word. Three thousand ladies
got saved in one reunion. Even though the Lord had given me the privilege of developing myself as a
mother, wife, professional woman and political leader, I felt the greatest happiness when God brought
this ministry to my life. I was so happy because of the fruit God had given me. The only thing that
compared to that joy was the overwhelming happiness I felt when I enjoyed my own daughters.

It is important that you invite the Holy Spirit to take control of your life, your family and your ministry.
If He lives in your life, everything you do will have His blessing. Let us paint in our minds pictures full of
hope. It is important to make agreements with each one of our children so they develop friendship,
communion, laughter, and playful environments where they can be free to express what is in their
hearts. When you teach them God's Word, do not teach them in a legalistic way. Let them see the
Scriptures reflected In the fruitful led lives of their parents who relate to one another In harmony and
joy.

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There are miracles in His presence.
Our story continues with the Shunammite woman, who experienced a great loss and who needed a
miracle. One day her son of promise went out to the field to be with his father. He was struck down
(probably by a sunstroke) and died in his mother's lap. With heavy pain in her soul, she approached the
prophet, as if to say, "too something to bring my son back to life." She knew that God's servant had the
answer and she did want not leave him until she got her miracle from God. Her exact words were, "As
the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you" (2 Kings 4:30). She was certain her son was
going to live again and she would not let go until her miracle came.

You may be in a situation where the one thing you loved the most is now gone. Maybe a relationship is
dead or your finances disappeared or inside you feel torn apart. Whatever your situation is, you must
hold on to the Spirit of God and tell Him, "Lord, I will not let you go until you bless me." You need to
invite the Holy Spirit to come in and give life to all things you feel are dead, just like the Shunammite
woman asked Elisha to raise up her dead son. Elisha prayed to the Lord and covered the child's body
with his own body until the Lord brought the boy back to life. (2 Kings 4:34).

For us, the implication of this story represents this: God has to cover your mouth, eyes, and hands
because that is how you will start warming up again. God has to bring a burning coal to purify your lips
and sanctify your words. Your eyes must see what is righteous. If you have noticed contamination in
what you have been looking at, you have to ask God to forgive you today. The Spirit of God will then
purify you by opening your eyes of faith, so you can take salvation to the nations of earth. He will heal
your hands. You may have mistreated, hurt and rejected others with those hands, but today, the Lord
will sanctify them. The Spirit of God will come to your life, and you will start feeling something inside
you changing.

Three steps to live with the Holy Spirit.

1. Bear purity of heart.

You need to be certain that your sins were cleansed and the wickedness of your past erased from your
life. Then with a pure heart, you will be ready to receive the Holy Spirit. There should not be any
vestige of impurity in your life that would block the Holy Spirit's entrance to your heart.

2. Ask.
You need to ask for the fullness of the Holy Spirit. In Acts, the believers asked for the Spirit to come
down to their lives. They persevered in prayer for ten days because they were claiming the promise
Jesus gave them to wait for the gift His Father promise, which he had mentioned to them many times
(acts 1:41).The one hundred and twenty who were gathered there, did not leave until God answered
their prayers and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4)

3. Believe.
If you have asked God for His Spirit, your part now is to believe. Believing is having the certainty that
the Lord has come to live in your life as He promised through His Word. If you asked Jesus into your
heart, then you must act in faith accepting that He lives there. The Holy Spirit is as real as any person
could be in your life. He is going to give direction to your path and He will help you balance every area
of your life. When the Shunammite woman received the prophet, she was received a person. And later,
when she had a problem, she ran to that person. This is the same thing you should do with the Spirit of
23
God. Run to Him and believe Him.

CONCLUSION
Having a genuine and real relationship with the Holy Spirit allows you to experience amazing miracles.

APPLICATION
Continue to set a special time aside to spend with God. Guard your devotional time. Keep your Bible at
hand so you can start discovering in the Word the blessings God has for your life and for those who
love you. Ask and allow the Holy Spirit to come into your life and guide you.

Questions:
1. Who is the Holy Spirit for you?

2. During the Encounter, did you meet the Holy Spirit and receive His fullness? Explain your answer.

3. How do you consider your relationship with the Holy Spirit? Is it good, bad, or non-existent? Explain.

4. According 2 Kings 4:8-10, How did the Shunammite woman prepare for the coming of the prophet
Elisha?

5. Relate the element and its meaning:

Bed
Chair
Lampstand
Elisha
Bless the food, company
Watch over your dreams
Holy Spirit
Light up the mindset

6. How do we grieve the Holy Spirit?

7. List the three steps necessary to have a good relationship with the Holy Spirit.

8. The Shunammite woman needed a miracle from the prophet she had welcomed. What is the miracle
you need, and how can you receive the Holy Spirit's promise to work a miracle in your life?

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 LESSON 5:
God’s Plan for Families
PRIMARY BIBLICAL REFERENCE: Genesis 1:28

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES: Genesis 2:1 8; Proverbs 18:22; Genesis 2: 23-24; Luke 14:27-30 ; Psalm
127: 3-5; Psalm 123:3; Deuteronomy 11 :1 8-2 1; Ephesians 5:28; Ephesians 6:4; Titus 2:4; Proverbs
3:24a; Proverbs 22:15; 1 Timothy 5:8 ; 1 Timothy 3: 1; Colossians 3:21; Proverbs 31 :1; Mark 10:6-9;
Psalm 27:1 0

Key Scripture:
"Then God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply: fill the earth and subdue it;
have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves
on the earth " (Genesis 1:28).

Ever since man and woman's creation, God's purpose for them has always been to bless them through
the institution of the family. The family unit is vital for their well being and is the foundational block for
all humanity.

God chose a couple (Genesis 2:18).

Marriage is not our idea; it comes directly from God. He gave Adam a "helpmate" to be the companion
he needed. Marriage is the extension of God's own nature; it is the fullness of joy, peace and
abundance. One of the most exciting moments we experience in life is our wedding day. God puts two
people together and He blessed them so they can work to achieve their dreams of raising a generation
for Him. He gives them the opportunity to become role models for their descendants, impacting their
lives, physically and spiritually, for generations to come. (Proverbs 18:22). True love gives; it doesn't
take. When there is true love in our hearts, we put forth our best effort to make the other person
happy.

Every couple has a different story of how they met each other. But it is reassuring to know that in
reality, God was directing them and that He ordained circumstances so they could meet. And In the
process of getting to know each other, they became certain they found the complement for their lives,
so their lives could be full. Many couples have discovered they can face any adversity in life; as they
continue to grow in the conviction they have found the person God had for them. That is the kind of
commitment that will make the flame of love last in their marriage as they experience true happiness
with one another.

2. God joined them in marriage (Genesis 1: 28; 2:24).

God blessed the couple and they both received the same degree of responsibility if they were faithful
to keep things in perfect harmony, they were promised three blessings—fruitfulness, multiplication,
and lordship.

In man, God created an inner desire to be attracted to the opposite sex. The attraction God designed is
specific—men towards women and women towards men, nothing else. God gave Adam a helper the
woman. She would become his support, and together they would represent a team. Think about this:
God created abundance so that men and women would be blessed and be prosperous.
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3. God desired the following things when He created marriage:

A. That both partners would be a team.

"And the LORD God said, 'It is not good that man should be alone' " Genesis 2:18). God's nature is
threefold: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Even though they are three different persons, they always team
together. None of them can be ignored because they are all important. When God created the first
couple, He did not create the woman to be ignored or the man to be oppressed [or vice - versa). He
created them to understand that they are equally important and they need each other.

B. That man would give women the place belonging to them.

"And Adam said, 'This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman,
because she was taken out of Man' " (Genesis 2:23). Adam called his helpmate "Woman" and accepted
her as part of his own nature

The first days of marriage set the tone for your home. Your words, attitudes and thoughts during that
time are important because they will mark the nature of the union and will provide the foundation for
your relationship. A man told me on his wedding day, he flirted with and made indecent proposals to
his sister-in-law. This man, (with that disrespectful act), showed he was despising the woman he took
as his wife just to have a clandestine relationship with his sister-in-law. It shouldn't be a surprise that
for forty years, this man had an extremely unhappy marriage. Not until he truly repented and quit the
other relationship, could he restore the communion and relationship with his wife.
It is important that a newly married couple allow the honeymoon to be a special event. The
honeymoon needs to be the time when the couple lays the foundation for their marriage by speaking
words of affection, respect, and blessing to one another. It is the time when they express their dreams
for their relationship with faith, dedication and love to one another.

C. That the boundaries and sanctify of marriage would be honored.

"Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become
one flesh" (Genesis 2:241. When two people begin a marriage, there are many issues to talk through
and conquer together. It is important to guard your privacy as you form the personality of your
marriage without being influenced by negative comments from others.

D. That both partners would enjoy each other as a blessing.

"Then God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it;
have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves
on the earth"' [Genesis 1:281. There is a fullness of blessing that comes when two people marry. God
gives each marriage partner the same degree of responsibility and if they can abide in harmony, they
will be blessed with fruitfulness, multiplication and authority (lordship).

4. God says the family is important:

A. In marital stability (Luke 14:27-30) God will keep homes from separation.

B. In their descendants [Psalm 127:3-5]

Children are God's legacy. If a man dies without children, his house stays in need. The only thing that
could interrupt the building of a generation for God is infidelity. This is because when a family is
destroyed, the possibility of those children being channels of blessing is diminished.
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C. In the blessing (Psalm 128:3).
The grapevine is a representation of happiness and fruitfulness. These two characteristics are abilities
Siftings) that God has given to wives. Children are like olives, and this represents the anointing God
gives the family to be strong and victorious.

D. In marital love [Ephesians 5:28].

Love between husband and wife must be fed daily with words, attitudes and attention to little details.
The couple needs to be committed to one another with the conviction that they will not allow their
love to be diminished.

E. In the woman's leadership [Titus 2:4].

The woman needs to allow the Lord to develop her ministry. It is important that she be equipped to
train other women how she has learned to live under the blessing of the Lord.

5. God gives the couple responsibilities:

To enforce discipline (Proverbs 13:24; 22:15)

Discipline of children must be balanced—not too drastic or too permissive. The purpose of correction is
threefold:

To edify: Parents need to establish limits to help their children mature.

To motivate: Discipline administered correctly motivates children to become better people.
To comfort: Parents need to be a shelter for their children regardless of the circumstance.

B. To provide good instruction (Proverbs 22:15)

We are fulfilling God's destiny for us when we teach our children to have an intimate relationship with
God. It is important to invest time into our children as we teach them how to be fruitful in every area
of their lives.

C. To provide for needs (1Timothy 5:8).

There are two ways to look at provision within a family. In the first cycle, parents provide for their
children's needs. Later on, children have the strength to bring provision back to the family. In this cycle
the children have the opportunity to honor their parents with their goods. In either of these two
situations, it's important to have an attitude of faith and a generous heart.

D. To have balanced moral values (Colossians 3:21; Ephesians 6:4).

We need to be a good example to our children by not allowing things that are inappropriate into our
homes. We should not view movies that are violent or sexually explicit. Our mouths need to speak
good words, not bad words. Children follow the values they see their parents model.

E. To be an example of a virtuous woman (Proverbs 31:10).

The virtuous woman builds her house and becomes its hub. She has the desire to help her children
discover their gifts. She understands her husband and what he can do. She knows where her children
can grow properly and she has the ability to bring prosperity to her house. She takes matters to the
Lord in prayer when she needs an answer for her family and she looks to Him as her source.

27
F. To maintain a committed ideal marriage (Mark 10:6-9).
When a man and woman marry, they make a covenant before God to stay together. This kind of
commitment keeps the possibility of a divorce low. It will protect the couple because as they turn to
God. He will give them the strength they need to overcome every obstacle. Know that only God can
give you true love for one another and this will help you develop the marriage and family you desire.

G. To receive and demonstrate the unconditional love of God (Psalm 27:10).

Even when parents put aside their primary responsibility of caring for their children, God never does.
He enters situations to assume that responsibility and He brings healing and restoration through His
unconditional love. God's hands are always open to give comfort to each one of His children who may
have been abandoned.

CONCLUSION
If you establish your home according to God's principles and desires, you will be blessed and your
family will be shielded from destructive things. This involves knowing God's purpose for each family
member, understanding each family member's responsibility and establishing genuine commitment
based in God's love.

APPLICATION
Initiate specific actions with members of your family that will let you fulfill God's purpose for them. Be
determined to achieve your goals.

Questions:
1. What is the significance of marriage to the Lord?

2. Have you experienced true love in your life?

3. According to Genesis 1:28, what are the blessings for the couple?

4. What was God's desire when He established marriage?.

5. Match the right Biblical verses:

Column A Column B
Marital stability Psalm 128:3
Descendants Luke 14:27-30
Blessed family Titus 2:4
Marital love Psalm 127:3-5 I
Women's leadership Ephesians 5:28

6. List at least four responsibilities of the couple.

7. How is discipline to be administered?

8. According to Proverbs 31:10-31, what are the characteristics of a virtuous woman?

9. According to your previous answer, what aspects need reinforcement in your life?
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 LESSON 6:
God’s Plan for Children in Families
PRIMARY BIBLICAL REFERENCE: Deuteronomy 1 1:1 8-21

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES: Matthew 5:48; Timothy 3:16; Hosea 4:6 1; Peter2:1-2; Ephesians 4:31;
Matthew 4:4; Hebrews 5:1 2-1 4

Key Scripture:
"Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign
on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children,
speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when
you rise up. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your days
and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers to
give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth" -(Deuteronomy 11 : 18-2)

1. Treat a child's identity with care through loving actions.

People want to know who they are and where they are going. We live in difficult times; parents abuse
their children I thinking they are educating them. But let me tell you that discipline is never to hurt
them; it is to shape them. One of the greatest problems a child faces is abandonment. I talked to a
woman who had three children and was on her fourth marriage—and this marriage was falling apart.
The woman opened up her heart and said, "I never knew my father. He abandoned us when I was a
little girl, and I grew up with the emotional emptiness of a missing father. One day, I was so desperate
that I took the phone directory and dialed every person with his first and last name. I wanted to at
least talk to him, but I did not succeed." With tears in her eyes she said, "I have to know where I come
from, who I am, and where I am going." The emptiness this woman felt drove her to several failed
marriages. If parents could truly understand the damage they inflict in their children by abandoning
them and rejecting them, they would change. They would have more self-control, and they would try
harder to bring security and love to their children.

My husband and I are trying very hard not to cause any emotional wounds in our daughters. We try to
provide many happy moments in our family so their memories are good. We know that love cannot be
talked about without loving actions. Love cannot be faked; it needs to be shown by our loving example.
You can tell when there is true love in a family by the way parents treat each other with respect and
support. If a woman is a good wife, she will become a good mother, and what children admire the
most is a good relationship between their parents.

2. Help your children have a healthy self-esteem.

It is a great blessing to have a loving mother—to know there is someone who cares about us and brings
us protection. I have four daughters and I know my opinion is very important to them. In everything
they do, they always want to know what their mother and father think.

In successful times, it is important that we use our words to build a healthy self-esteem in our children.
In difficult times, we need to give them faith and courage, teaching them that God will help them in
every battle.
29
3. Cultivate communication with your children.
One serious problem in our society is the separation of the family. This has occurred because of our
technology. Virtual friends have replaced the family communication. This is the reason why it is very
important both parents and children make an effort to establish and maintain communication. All
obstacles for good communication need to be set aside to maintain an environment of openness and
sharing.
The following principles, when utilized, will help you keep the lines of loving communication open in
your family:
Set time aside daily for your children. Children do not ask for much, just to be taken into account.
Your relationship will improve much even if you start with giving them fifteen minutes a day of quality
time.

Communicate with them. Avoid raising your voice, being sarcastic, complaining or emphasizing their
mistakes. Let everything you say be positive, faith inspiring and motivating.

Create a good environment for communication. The family environment becomes very tense when an
offense has taken place and nobody has asked for forgiveness. It is fundamentally important to heal
past wounds and to leave behind all resentment.

Have recreational activities. These kinds of activities will help you integrate into the family each of the
children according to their ages.

Involve the children in important family decisions. It is very healthy for children's voices to be heard.
They need to know their opinions are important to their parents and that they will be heard. When
children have relationship with the Lord. It is surprising how wise their opinions can be.

Treat them with the same respect you give your friends. How do we want to be treated by our
friends? We want them to pay attention to us when we talk. We want them to listen to us when we
share our successes and victories as well as our failures. Children are no different. Show your respect
to them by paying attention to what they say, whether they are sharing their successes or their failures
with you.

Make them feel that they are very important to you. Express that you value them through your words
and actions. Show your affection for them.

4. As a family, spend time in the Word on a regular basis.

"Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign
on your hand, and they shall be as frontiers between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children,
speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and
when you rise up. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that
your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the LORD swore to your
fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth" (Deuteronomy 11: 18-21).

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,
for instruction in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16).
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From the first book of Genesis to the last book of Revelation, every word in the Bible is the inspired
Word of God. It was written throughout a 1 600-year period. About forty holy writers participated in
the writings, and they came from different cultures and historical eras. The social status of the writers
varied from person to person. There were powerful kings, virtuous women, judges, governors,
prophets, farmers and fishermen who were inspired to write God's words. He touched their lives and
made them conduits through which His Word could freely flow. The Word of God changed them and it
changes us today.

The blessing God has for the family has passed down from parents to their children from generation to
generation. It is every parent's responsibility to teach the Word of God to her children. It is important
you consistently give the Word to your children until it’s teaching becomes a way of life for everyone in
your home. Hosea 4:6 say, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected
knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; because you have forgotten the law of your
God, I also will forget your children."

Parents, please listen to this truth. If you forget the Word of God, it is difficult for God to bless your
children. This hurts them by stunting their spiritual growth. What hurts parents most is to see their
children hurt. We hear about men who did bad things, men who seemed to be cold and insensitive, but
when their children were hurt, they became hurt as well. The children touched a place in their heart
that was still sensitive. Let's be sensitive to our children's spiritual needs. Do not neglect to give your
children what they need to be successful—a steady diet of God's Word tempered with love.

5. How to feed children with the Word of God.

A. Provide milk.
"Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes,
desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby" (1 Peter 2: 1-2).

What maternal milk is to a baby, the Word of God is for a newly converted believer. When something
improper gets in the milk, it tastes rotten and bitter and the milk loses its nutritional value. Improper
things in everyday living are malice, deception, hypocrisy, envy, and defamation.

The Apostle Paul taught that it is necessary to get rid of all the things that impede normal spiritual
growth. He gave wise advice to the Ephesians church, telling them to never allow these poisons to get
a hold of their lives (Ephesians 4:31):
Bitterness
Wrath
Anger
Clamor
Evil speaking

We need to desire getting rid of these bad traits. When we decide to let them go, the milk of the Word
becomes sweet to our taste and it furnishes nourishment to our souls.

B. Provide bread (Solid foods).

Jesus said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the
mouth of God"' [Matthew 4:4).
31
As we mature in Christ, we get to a point in which we learn to depend on God for all our needs. We
experience His daily provision the same way the Israelites experienced it in the desert.

"For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first
principles of the-oracles of God: and-you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who
partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs
to those who are grown, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern
both good and evil" (Hebrews 5:12-14).

In the natural world, solid food is for those who have grown up. In the spiritual world, solid food is for
those who have exercised their faith and matured in Christ. Like athletes who strive to be crowned as
champions [by completely dedicating themselves to their sports, we as God's champions wholly desire
to be fed the Word of the Lord. We consistently press forward for the prize of the high calling in Christ
Jesus as we feed on the bread He provides.

CONCLUSION
It is important to build a balanced family in which your children can develop a healthy self-esteem, feel
secure, communicate openly, and have real contact with the Word of God.

APPLICATION
Gather with your whole family and establish specific goals that will allow you to build a balanced home.
Depending on the age of your children, focus on areas that include the spiritual, physical, personal,
ministerial and secular aspects of their lives..

Questions:
1. How can children lose their family identity?

2. To help keep a balanced self-esteem in your children, you must:

3. List fundamental steps to activate communication with your….

4. Fill in the blanks: From the book of Genesis to ____________, it is all the Word Of God it was
written in a period of _____________ years. There were __________________ about writers of the
Bible. They came from different __________________.

5. What is one of the fundamental duties of parents?

6. Write and memorize 1 Peter 2: 1 -2.

7. What kind of attitudes should you avoid to prevent the spiritual milk from spoiling?

8. When does the Word of God become bread for our lives?

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 LESSON 7:
We Were Created to Bless
PRIMARY BIBLICAL REFERENCE: 1 Peter 4:11

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES: Revelation 16:13-14; Psalm 149:6-9; Genesis 1 :28; 1 Peter 1 :7; Genesis
12:1; ; James 3:10 1; Chronicles 17.:23; Deuteronomy 28:1-3; 1 Corinthians 7:4; Proverbs 10:6; John
17:9; Job 1:5; Romans 10:8; Proverbs 6:2; John 17:15-17; Romans 6:22; Psalm 112; Numbers 6:23-26;
Hebrews 11 :20-21

Key Scripture:
"If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the
ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong
the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen" - 1 Peter 4:11

There is a great power in everything we say, so our mouths should always be filled with words of
blessing. Peter said, "If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him
do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ,
to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen" (1 Peter 4:11). Speaking the
Word of God puts the spiritual world to work. If our words are words of faith and blessing, the Lord's
celestial world starts to operate.

When negative words of bitterness and cursing are spoken, the realm of darkness gets into action. We
see this demonstrated in Revelation, "And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the
mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For
they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole
world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty" (Revelation 16: 13-14).

In John's celestial vision, he saw the satanic trinity composed of the beast, the dragon, and the false
witness ~prophet.
From the mouth of each one of them came out filthy spirits shaped like frogs. A particular trait these
animals have is their annoying, persistent croaking; they do not cease their noise even at night. This
could represent people who never get tired of complaining, cursing or accusing. It is like filthy spirits
control their tongues. That is why we need to be very careful about what comes out of our mouths.

One of the most powerful strategies demons use to spread their filth is through pornography and lewd
advertising. This has affected all levels of society. Gifted businessmen are deceived into thinking the
only way to sell their products is to use naked or semi-naked women. In reality, these women are
victims-themselves who has fallen into a trap. Much of society's advertising is saturated with demonic
touch and offensiveness. It's just like the sound of continual croaking of ugly frogs.

If your home is in crisis. start visualizing its transformation with the eyes of faith. Once you have
conviction in your heart, confess with your words that you have the best home in the world. Of course,
Satan will try to make you tremble by dropping bombs on you like fear and doubt. But you can defeat
them through the victory that is in Christ.

33
In faith, you can put the celestial army to work, and hearts and lives will be transformed. You will see
the glory of God in your life, in your home, your ministry, and in your business.

2. It is essential to exalt God.

"Let the high praises of God be in their mouths, and a two edged sword in their hands, to execute
vengeance on the nations, and punishments on the people; to bind their kings with chains, and their
nobles with fetters of iron; to execute on them the written judgment—this honor have all His saints.
Praise the LORD!" (Psalm 149:6-9).

When we exalt God with our mouths, the Word of God becomes sharper and powerful in our hands.
We have the authority to invoke the presence of God to take control of nations, knowing that people
who have opposed the Word will be defeated by the power of His Spirit. Demonic forces that once
controlled individuals, cities, families and nations will be locked away. Even the demonic powers that
had accommodated the "nobles" of the earth will be immobilized with iron chains. We tell them that
Jesus has already judged them on the Cross of Calvary.

3. The three-old blessing.

God's intention for creating man and woman was to powerfully bless them. He said to them: "Be
fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds
of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth" (Genesis 1: 2B). This verse indicates the
blessing did not come to Adam while he was single, but when he was married.

We need to understand that God has reserved fullness of blessings for marriages. He spoke three basic
blessings to Adam and Eve, establishing for us three areas of blessing for married couples:

Be fruitful.
To be fruitful means "to live in holiness." Paul wrote "But now having been set free from sin,
and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life"
(Romans 6:22). We can only be fruitful if we break the bondage of sin. If you want to see God's
blessing in every area of your life, you need to live a holy life. Peter said "And if you call on the
Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves
throughout the time of your stay here in fear" (1 Peter 1:17). If you call upon our God who is
holy, you need to live according to His nature.

Multiply.
Holiness leads to multiplication. It is God's purpose to grow and multiply fruitfulness in the
spiritual, personal, economic, and ministerial areas of our lives.

Exercise authority (lordship).

Holiness is conducive to multiplication, and this takes us to authority. God wants His daughters
to escalate to privileged positions. It is His desire that we walk with His authority wherever we
are. His purpose is that we are the head, not the tail; we are not oppressed or downtrodden.

4. God wants to bless us to be a blessing.

God promised to bless Abram, saying to him, "Get out of your country, from your family and from your
father's house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make
your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who
34
curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed" [Genesis 12:1-33.

To be able to fulfill His purpose of blessing His children, God always looks for a contact point, a person
who has the faith to be an example for His descendants. The Hebrew word used in Genesis 12:2 for
"blessing" is "berakah." This word means "to give the power of the kindness and favor of God. "
Generally the blessing was transmitted verbally.

The Hebrews saw that inherent in the spoken word, was the power to attract the good or to activate
the evil. When a woman expressed God's blessing to another person, she was conveying her desire to
wish God's favor for her.

In the New Testament, James perceived the power of the spoken word for good or evil, "Out of the
same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so" (James 3:10).
We can use our words as weapons to destroy or as tools to build up. Therefore, it is our responsibility
to use words that edify others. If you have purposed in your heart to walk in the ways of blessing, you
must bless daily those around you.

5. The power of God-given blessing.

David took possession of a promise given to him by God by hearing it, believing it, and claiming the
fulfillment of that promise. He prayed, "And now, O LORD, the word which You have spoken
concerning Your servant and concerning his house, let it be established forever, and do as You have
said" (1 Chronicles 17:23). God cannot change what has come out of His mouth. His Word stays firm in
the heavens because He fulfills everything He promises to His children.

In order to experience the blessing of God, it is important to hear and obey it. "Now it shall come to
pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments
which I command you today, and that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the
earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of
the LORD your God: Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country"
(Deuteronomy 28: 1-3).

This passage shows us that the blessings God wants to give us are conditional to our obedience of His
Word. Once this requirement is satisfied, we can be participants in the blessings He promised to the
people of Israel. Verses 2-13 in Deuteronomy specify the wide spectrum of blessings we can receive
through obedience to God. We will be blessed in every area, including the personal, family, economic,
emotional, business, physical and spiritual parts of our lives,

6. Prayers that bless:

Ask God to bless you. "God, I have made a pact to live according to Your Word, and I claim Your
blessings on my life and the lives of my beloved ones. I ask for Your blessing upon my health and on my
family's health. I ask You for economic provision and for Your blessing on everything I have. Prosper us
in such a way that we can bless others with our Frances. Give us creative ideas and the strength to
make wealth. Father, I ask You in the name of Jesus. "

Ask God to bless your marriage. "God, we present ourselves today to receive your blessings. We thank
you for joining us in marriage and to make us participants of the same blessings you gave the first
couple, Adam and Eve. We commit ourselves to live in holiness. Give us your grace and your anointing
35
to multiply our development in the ministry, M our spiritual lives and in our finances. Give us the
anointing of authority to do your work. We ask you in the name of Jesus, Amen.

Ask God to bless your husband. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 7:4 that a wife has authority over her
husband's body and the husband has authority over his wife's body. If God gave us this responsibility
on our husband's life, we need to use it in a proper way. The best way to do this is by blessing him.

A good blessing spoken over him is found in Psalm 1 12. You could also use the following prayer as a
pattern of "praying blessing" into his life:

"My husband, I thank God for your life. I thank Him because He chose you to be my partner. Let God
make you great, as He did with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. May you find grace in God's eyes and in the
eyes of those around you. May the Lord bless the work of your hands and everything you do. You are
blessed because you fear God and you delight in doing His commandments. You win reproduce
yourself in three generations; your descendants and disciples wit be blessed. God will bless you with
goods and wealth. You are a merciful man who has the anointing to rule. God has given you a kind
heart to help those in need. God will lift you up with His glory and give you His justice throughout your
life. "

Ask God to bless your children. God gave us a family and it is our duty to bless each one of them.
"Blessings are on the head of the righteous,' says Proverbs 10:6a. Jesus said, "I pray for them. I do not
pray for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are Yours" (John 17:9).

Many patriarchs in the Bible prayed for and blessed their children. [See the example of Isaac, Jacob and
Job in Hebrews 11:20-21 and Job 1:5. Similarly. The blessing you release over your children is a
prophetic word on their lives. Paul said in Romans 10:8, "The word is near you, in your mouth and in
your heart [that is, the word of faith which we preach."

It is important that before you release a word of blessing over your children that you believe it in your
heart first. You cannot do this just as a formality because we get bound to the word we speak.
(Proverbs 6:2) it is also important that you bless each child individually and pray regularly.
A. Ask God to bless your daughter. "Daughter, I thank God for your life. You are a gift of God in our
home. May the Lord make you as Ruth or Esther, to have favor before the eyes of God and the eyes of
men; may the Lord keep your emotions from any wounds; may the Father give you a husband who
fears Him, a man who takes care of you, protects you and loves you. May you be an excellent wife,
mother and leader. May the Lord give you prosperity and abundance in goods and wisdom. May He
give you all the petitions of your heart, and make you a thousand times what you are now. In Jesus
Christ, Amen."

B. Ask god to bless your son. "Son, I give thanks to God for your life. I bless you with the blessing of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. May the hand of the Lord be on you and make you His servant. May the
Lord bless you with wisdom, prosperity and peace. May you use, every day of your life, for making His
Kingdom greater. May the Lord give you a virtuous wife, and may you be an example for her. May the
Lord make you a thousand times what you are now. In Jesus Christ, Amen.

C. Ask God to bless the people you mentor. The Bible gave Aaron and his sons a pattern to speak

36
blessing over the children of Israel. "The LORD bless you and keep you the LORD make His face shine
upon you, and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace
(Numbers 6:24-26).

Jesus prayed for His disciples so God could always protect them. I do not pray that You should take
them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world,
just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth" (John 17:15-17).

Our disciples become our spiritual daughters. We need to consistently pray for them and bless them
because many of them are carrying the burden of the ministry.

"Father, I thank You for each one of my disciples. I bless them today with the blessing of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob. I ask You that your power protect them from all danger and evil. I pray that they can
understand the purpose of Your cad and that they will be able to fulfill it faithfully. I ask that You make
them a thousand times what they are now. In Christ Jesus, Amen."

CONCLUSION
Ever since the beginning of humankind, God's purpose has been to bless His children with fruitfulness,
multiplication, and authority. It Is In your hands to accept the challenge and become a channel of
blessing for the ones you love—blessing them in the spiritual, physical, emotional, financial, personal,
family, and ministerial areas of their lives.

Questions:
1. What does it mean to "bless"?

2. According to Genesis 1:28, explain the power of the blessing God gave.

3. Use the suggested prayers as a guide to help you write your own prayers of blessing. Activate the
power of God's blessing as you pray your words.

Your husband "My husband, I thank God for your life; may the Lord bless you, the work of your hands
and everything you do. You are a Spirit-filled man and an excellent husband, father and leader. God
bless you with health, peace, and may He make you a thousand times of what you are now." (Personal
Prayer)

Your son "Son, I thank God for your life. I bless you with the blessing Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. May
the hand of God be upon you and may He make you His servant. May the Lord bless you wit wisdom,
prosperity, and peace. May your life be an example In Christ Jesus, Amen (Personal Prayer) Your
daughter "Daughter, I thank God for your life. You are a precious gift In OL home. May God keep your
heart, take care of you, and protest you. May the Lord give you an abundance of goods and wisdom;
May He give you the desires of your heart, and make you thousand times what you are now. In Christ
Jesus, Amen.

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 LESSON 8:
Knowing God’s Will
PRIMARY BIBLICAL REFERENCE: 1 Thessalonians 5:24

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES: Genesis 25:23; Genesis 33:4,10,24,26,32,31; Romans 8:5-8; Psalm 73:27;
Romans 8:9-11; Jeremiah 1: 5; Genesis 31-32; Genesis 25:32; Matthew 4:3-4; Job 2:4; Hebrews 12:16-
17; Genesis 32:26; 2 Corinthians 12:9; Ester 5:2-3; Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 1 John 2:17;
Proverbs 10:22; Psalm 40:8

Key Scripture:
“Me, who calls you is faithful, who also will do it" - 1 Thessalonians 5:24

I lived in a very stable home before I met Jesus. After my conversion, my lifestyle didn't change
dramatically, although I knew I had been born again. When I heard my husband share his testimony, I
asked him not to emphasize his "before Christ" experiences because people would think they had to
live the same things he did. I thought that people who had backgrounds like mine would compare their
experience to his and miss the basic message of salvation.

In my life, it was adversity that I went through that turned me toward God. I lost, with very few votes,
the election to the Senate in my home country of Colombia. This moved me very much, and it was the
circumstance God allowed to happen so l could know Him personally. Before then, I considered myself
a good, hard-working person who didn't hurt anyone. Only after I lost that election was I able to reach
the conclusion that every believer needs to have a supernatural experience to fulfill the purpose of
God.

As you seek to discover God's will for your life, it is important to understand the difference between
the worldly nature and the spiritual nature. In this lesson, you will receive insight for your life on these
two natures, by studying the story of Jacob and Esau in the Old Testament.

A. The worldly nature.

Rebekah was a woman who felt two opposing natures warring inside her womb. Because her twin
babies were constantly fighting, she sought an answer from the Lord. He said, "Two nations are in your
womb, two peoples shall be separated from your body; one people shall be stronger than the other,
and the older shall serve the younger" (Genesis 25:23). God revealed to her that day that the youngest
child would have the privileges of the first-born. This came to pass in the lives of her twin sons, Esau
lithe first born who lost his birthright] and Jacob. Jacob came to represent the spiritual nature, and
Esau came to represent the worldly nature.
We must understand that in order for us to experience the will of God that we need to be willing to live
in the Spirit. "But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now
if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.

And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ for the dead
38
will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you" (Romans 8:9-11).

A worldly woman wants to take care of herself without asking God'! Direction. Because she knows God
does not approve of what she is doing, she prefers to live away from Him.

The characteristics of the worldly woman are:

She thinks about the things of the world.
She cares for the things that produce death.
Her plans are against God.
She is rebellious and does not submit herself to the Law of God

The sad outcome of practicing evil and living in the rebellious world nature is spiritual death. "For
indeed, those who are far from you *God+ shall perish; You have destroyed all those who desert you…”
(Psalm 73:27).

B. The spiritual nature.

Scripture tells us how to live in the Spirit. "But you are nol in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the
Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ
is in you, the body is dead because o sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit
of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you He who raised Christ from the dead will also give
life to you mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you" (Romans 8:9-11).

The characteristics of the spiritual woman are:

*The Spirit of Christ lives in her. She is justified by faith.
*She lives according to the Spirit and defeats the worldly nature through living in the Spirit. She totally
abandons herself to the will of God.

God knew us before we were born, and He has sent each one of us into this world with a specific
mission. "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I
ordained you a prophet to the nations" (Jeremiah 1:5).

1. Free to choose.
Our behavior is determined by the ideas we welcome into our mind. Continuing our story of Jacob and
Esau, we are taught the lesson that God gives us a will that is free to choose or reject His ways. One
day when both men were grown, Esau had come in from the field and was very weary and hungry. He
asked Jacob if he could eat the stew Jacob had prepared. Jacob responded, "Sell me your birthright as
of this day. " Esau responded, "Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?" (Genesis
25:31-32). Before Esau were two choices. His physical body desired food, and he was willing to give up
his birthright for that one meal. The birthright would have given him the "first-son blessing" as his
inheritance from Abraham and his father, Isaac]. The enemy had deceived Esau into thinking, "What
have I obtained by being the first-born? It is better to sell my birthright before I starve to death."

It is interesting to think that if Esau had chosen differently, God would be remembered as the God of
Abraham, Isaac, and Esau! But because Esau did not see the immediate blessing, he showed that he
despised his birthright by giving it away for a morsel of food.

After Jesus had spent forty days and nights fasting in the desert, the tempter said to Him, "If You are
39
the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." Jesus answered, "It is written, 'Man shall
not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God' " (Matthew 4:3-4).
The strategy the enemy uses is to drop seeds into our thoughts. This is a bait to control lives. Satan
used this trick with Job, saying, "Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life" (Job 2:4).

The enemy uses the desires of the flesh to blind the eyes of the spirit. If we allow it, this blocks our
understanding so we cannot hear the voice of God. We are then, led astray by the enemy. The writer
of Hebrews warns us not to choose the ways of the enemy, as did Esau. Ablest there be any fornicator
or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that
afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for
repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears" (Hebrews 12:16-17). Note that Esau's choice to
sell his birthright was made without any pressure from God. God highly respects the freedom of choice
He gave us.

2. How to move God's hand.

Our story of Jacob and Esau continues. Esau hated Jacob for stealing his birthright and was so angry he
intended to kill him. Jacob fled from the presence of his brother in fear. Each lived separate lives until
the time came when the brothers were to meet. Jacob was terrified that his brother still held a grudge
against him.

The most anguishing night for Jacob was when he knew his brother was coming to meet him. The
memory of Esau's threats against his life came to his mind once again. He began to feel the terror of
death and was overwhelmed with anguish because he felt destruction was coming to his house. This
made him look for refuge in prayer. It was a very decisive hour for Jacob. He knew that either God
would intervene or that evil would reach him. Scripture says that Jacob wrestled with "a Man...until
the breaking of the day" Genesis 32:Z4). The Man said, "Let Me go," but Jacob said, "I will not let You
go unless You bless me!" (Genesis 32:26). Jacob prevailed in prayer and had an encounter with the
living God.

Jacob's prayers that night ware very intense, but at the end, he felt the liberation of his soul. The name
Jacob given to the place, where he wrestled with God, is very interesting. He called it "Peniel," which
means "Face of God." All the pressure that came against him in the spiritual realm had disappeared;
fear, anguish, and desperation were all gone. Peace and trust came to his life as though a million angels
were with him.

The next day, when Jacob faced his brother, Jacob already took control over the circumstances
because he was fighting all night long for the blessing. He prevailed in prayer and the outcome was
positive. "But Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they
wept" Genesis 33:41. What · happened that made his brother change so suddenly? These are the
miracles that prayer produce, because prayer changes things. Jacob said to his brother, "Please, if I
have now found favor in your sight, then receive my present from my hand, in as much as I have seen
your face as though I had seen the face of God, and you were pleased with me" (Genesis 33:10). in
other words, Jacob was saying, "This favor you are giving me today is the same kind of favor I
experienced last night when I wrestled with God to contend for His blessing. I saw the Face of God
then, and I see the Face of God now."

40
3. God is our support.
When Jacob was wrestling with God, God touched the socket of his hip, making it go out of joint.
Genesis 32:31 says, "Just as he crossed over Peniel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip."

Jacob always did what he wanted. He always got away with whatever he wanted, without caring how
he accomplished it. His experience with the angel changed his life in a radical way because the angel
caused him to limp. The implication was from that day on, Jacob would have to use a walking stick to
assist him in walking. This spoke about a life of faith where our strength no longer matters, but our
measure of faith does. God gave this same truth to Paul: "My grace is sufficient for you, for My
strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Note that after Jacob prevailed the sun rose on him. The sun symbolizes the fact that we have found
mercy before the eyes of God. This reminds me of the way King Ahasuerus extended his scepter to
Queen Esther and said, "What do you wish, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given to
you—up to half the kingdom!" (Esther 5:3). To find grace before the eyes of God means that the
circumstances are changed by His divine power; we start living in a mercy period in which God releases
for our service, legions of angels that will help us be victorious.

4. Renewing our minds.

One of our biggest dilemmas is how to face the unknown because it produces fear, uncertainty, and
doubt. We need to conquer that, but how? Scripture encourages us to conquer the spirit world by
renewing our minds, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of
your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God" (Rornans
12:2).

Let me give you an example. We know that the Swiss once were the pioneers in the clock industry.
Unfortunately for the Swiss, the Japanese became leaders in that area because the Swiss were not
innovative with digital technology. We need to understand many of the things that were useful in the
past may not be today. The renewing of our mind always keeps us active, just like the waterfall flows
with fresh waters all the time. Every day is different from the day before. That is the reason why Paul
said, "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being
transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Corinthians 3:
18).

5. Characteristics of God's will:

It is Good.
Just as a loving mother wants to give her children the best, God has prepared for us the richest
blessings for us to enjoy.
God is very careful to give His children what they need to be fulfilled in life. God does not give the
woman to the man to make his life bitter; He gives them to one another to bless them. He prospers us
in everything. His blessing makes us rich, and does not bring sorrow with it. Proverbs 10:22

It is perfect.
The ward "perfect" speaks of something that is complete. God never leaves anything incomplete. He
gave us all things so we can abundantly enjoy them. He did not give us His Spirit in a small measure. He
never gives us small blessings, but all His blessings are great. David said, "I delight to do your will, O my
God, and Your law is within my heart" (Psalm 40:8.)
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John said, "And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides
forever" (1 John 2:17.)

CONCLUSION
When we live in the Spirit and not in the world, we can see the will of God. As we see His will, it is
important to be willing to listen to the sweet voice of the Holy Spirit and follow His ways with
persistence. We find victory in the spiritual dimension as we allow ourselves to be transformed by the
renewing of our mind. We see that the will of God is good, pleasant, and perfect.

Questions:
1. Explain the main difference between a worldly woman and E spiritual one. Give an example of each
type of person from Genesis.

2. Complete the sentences.

The worldly woman thinks of _____________. She cares of the things that lead her to
________________. Her plans are _____________. She prefers to live ____________from God.
She is ______________and does not submit herself to God.

3. What are the characteristics of the spiritual woman?

4. Explain why the will of God is:

Good.________________________________________________________
Pleasant.______________________________________________________Perfect.________________
_______________________________________

5. According to Romans 12:2. what must you do in order to prove the good, acceptable and perfect will
of God?

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 LESSON 9:
Be a Woman of Purpose
PRIMARY BIBLICAL REFERENCE: 1 John 5:4

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES: Ephesians 1: 3; Ephesians 5:27; Matthew 4:4.7,10; 1 John 3:9; Philippians
4:6; Psalm 45:7; Numbers 13:30-3; 1 Corinthians-2: 11-12; James 4:7; 1 Corinthians 2:16; Isaiah 45:7;
Numbers 13:30-31; Numbers 14:89,24,28. 29,33-34,36-38; Proverbs 12:1 4; Ecclesiastes 10:1; Proverbs
12:1 4; Proverbs 18:7

Key Scripture:
"For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the
world—our faith" - 1 John 5:40

It is important that every woman find her place in the Body of Christ. We cannot be like isolated pieces
to a puzzle; we need to be integrated in the Body of Christ through faith only then can we fulfill the
purpose He has prepared for us. God's purpose is to bless each of His children. The Apostle Paul
declared that God has "blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ"
(Ephesians 1:3.)

The spiritual blessing includes the physical, emotional, family and financial areas of our lives. When
you gave your heart to Jesus, He adopted you as His daughter. This gave you the privilege to
experience all the rights God's children enjoy. These blessings are the result of surrendering your
whole life to Jesus.

The following truths will broaden your understanding of how the blessing of God comes to you:

1. Know that you were chosen.

Every woman has experienced shopping for a beautiful dress. Even though you find a great variety of
them, you choose only one—the perfect dress. This reminds me that He chose you and me out of
billions of people. Just like with the dress, you will no longer have to be on display to see who will get
you because the One who bought you, chose you. God has taken you out of a multitude to use your life
for the purpose of radiating His glory. Through His mercies, we place ourselves in the midst of His
divine purpose, the one He had for us before creation. His purpose in choosing us is that He would
present us to Himself "a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing," but that we
would be "holy and without blemish" (Ephesians 5:27.)

2. Understand your faith.

Our faith is not human, material, emotional, or intellectual. Faith can only come from a spiritual nature
and can only grow in those who have surrendered their lives to Jesus. Faith makes us participants in
Christ's nature.

Everything that happens in our faith is part of the spiritless nature. You cannot fake faith, because
when trials come, only the ones with faith can endure through them. We know the without faith it is
impossible to please God. Even the smallest faith can move big mountains; the winners only need to
have faith of a mustard seed to conquer their biggest battles
43
3. Protect your thoughts.
The enemy works through our thoughts because he knows on we accept what he plants in our mind;
he can easily conquer our will. It is then when he starts to throw every kind of arrow we will survive his
attack if we do not accept his arrows in our mind and stand firm in our will.

Whoever falls into the trap of the enemy loses her will to him When this happens, a person is
spiritually unprotected; she becomes like a city without walls and is very easy to conquer We must
understand that behind every thought there is, spiritual being producing them. The thoughts we allow
in Our mind will shape our personalities. Paul said, "For what ma knows the things of a man except the
spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.
Now we have received, not the spirit a the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know
the things that have been freely given to us by God (1Corinthians 2:11-12.) What a blessing to know
that Go directs our thoughts!

4. You are changed.

The Queen of Jordan is an American who married the king a that country. In her biography, she tells
that when she go engaged the king gave her many gifts. but the most special gif was her changed
name. Her name used to be Lisa, but when she married, he changed her name to Snoop," which meant
"Light." The woman was transformed in her mind and in he dreams to become a different woman, a
woman who reflected the meaning of her new name—light.

It is not necessary that you marry a king to enjoy a new name because you have married the King of
Kings and Lord of Lords and it is the Holy Spirit who gives you His gifts. These gift are so precious that
they do not have material value and cannot be bought by any price. God will change the nature of your
life because the name of the person determines the nature, and you are a daughter of His. You must
be certain that you will be changed into a new person and you will be a conqueror, having passion for
souls, and a woman with holiness and commitment.

5. You have the mind of Christ.

Ask yourself this question: What would Jesus think? Everything Jesus thought was linked to the Word.
That is why Jesus said to the Father that to do His will was His delight. Everything Jesus said had the
approval of His Heavenly Father. When Satan tried to influence Jesus' thinking, Jesus said, "It is written,
'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God"'
(Matthew 4:4.) Three times during His temptation by Satan Jesus said, "It is written," and the enemy
finally left Him (Matthew 4:4,7,10.)

James assured us of victory in our battle against Satan when he said, "Therefore submit to God. Resist
the devil and he will flee from you" (James 4:7). Paul assured us that we could have the mind of Christ
when he wrote, "For who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him? But we have the
mind of Christ" (1Corinthians 2:16.)

Speaking of Jesus, the Messiah, the Psalmist wrote, "You love righteousness and hate wickedness;
therefore God, Your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness more than your companions"
(Psalm 45:7.) This author had discovered that the Messiah was the happiest person in this world; God
had given Him the anointing of joy. In other words, joy is the result of living a life in holiness, where the
love for God's justice grows strong and the decision of the heart is to separate from all kinds of evil
things.
44
6. You can have thoughts that conquer.
We can learn a valuable lesson from Joshua and Caleb and how they tried to encourage the children of
Israel to conquer their enemies and take possession of the land God had promised them. These two
men were part of a team of twelve men who went into the land to spy before they advanced. Caleb
tried to encourage the people, telling them, they would be victorious in this effort, but most of the
people with him drew back in fear "Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses, and said, 'Le us go
up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.' " However, the other ten men
who had gone with Joshua and Caleb to spy out the land said, "We are no able to go up against the
people, for they are stronger char we" Numbers 13:30-31, italics added.

It is important to see the three principles that Caleb gave his speech that tell us how to obtain victory:
- "Go up."
The life of faith requires effort and always opposes a life ir sin. The way of sin may seem to be
easy at first, but it taker you down. In contrast, faith requires our effort to climb the mountain
where difficulties are, but it assures us certainty that we will conquer them.

-"Take possession."
Joshua believed he would win against his enemies because the power of God strengthened his
life and God promised victory. This difficult situation provided the opportunity for the people
see every promise from God would be fulfilled.

-"Overcome."
An overcoming attitude says, "There are more who are with us than against us."
Joshua and Caleb believed in their hearts that God had already given them the victory. But a
spirit of discouragement came against the people to prevent them from conquering their
enemies. Joshua and Caleb tried to "stand in the gap" to help people see the big opportunity
ahead of them. But sadly, the people could not see it and missed their chance to be victorious.
They let discouragement take control of them. The men who spied out the land with Joshua
and Caleb said, "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we"
(Numbers 13:31.)

God wanted to teach the people that even though they might face strong nations. He would move His
celestial army on their behalf. He wanted them to know their enemies would fall down easily and no
longer be a threat.

But most of the people couldn't see that. The enemy used negative circumstances to plant in the minds
of these ten spies that they had to use their own strength to fight against the giants of the land. The
people took their eyes off God, causing them to be discouraged and to lose faith. Without faith, it is
impossible to please God.

Joshua and Caleb responded to this negative attitude of faith by saying, "If the LORD delights in us,
then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, 'a land which flows with milk and honey.' Only do
not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has
departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them" Numbers 14:8-9, italics added). How
did the congregation react to this great statement of faith? They wanted to stone Joshua and Caleb.

When faced with discouragement and doubt, we can take strength from the speech Joshua and Caleb
45
gave the people. It has several key principles:

A. Eli’s mercy will bring us through.

We can only please God by living a life of faith, and a life of faith is in allowing total dependency
on Him. When we do this, His best blessings are reserved for us.

B. Do not rebel.
When we do not want to conquer things the way God has told us, we are being rebellious. The
people's negativity brought discouragement followed by rebelliousness.

C. Do not fear people.

When we are afraid of our enemies, we have to accept our inferiority to them. We cannot
conquer if we are afraid.

D. Enemies are our bread.

This expression is an example of how easy victory comes when we know God is leading us to it.
Joshua knew God was on their side, but the people would not listen to his words of faith. They
would rather live in discouragement and complain because the language of faith bothered their
ears. They chose to stone the messengers of faith.

7. The power of the words of faith.

Joshua and Caleb were the only spies who spoke different they decided to believe God, and they tried
to move the pea to act according to faith and possess the land. God was pleased with them that He
said to Moses, "But My serve Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has follow me fully, I
will bring into the land where he went, and I descendants shall inherit it" (Numbers 14:24.) However, t
opposite was true for the people who disbelieved. God said to the negative things they had spoken
about their circumstance would come to pass. He told them, "As I live... just as you he spoken in my
hearing, so I will do to you" (Numbers 14:28.)

- The devastating effect of our complaints.

The whole congregation complained against Moses and Aaron saying, "If only we had died in the land
of Egypt! Or if only died in this wilderness! Why has the LORD brought us to the land to fall by the
sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return
Egypt?" (Numbers 14:2-33.)

God's answer to them was the words they spoke would happen "The carcasses of you who have
complained against me shall in this wilderness... And your sons shall be shepherds in the wilderness
forty years, and bear the brunt of your infidelity, un your carcasses are consumed in the wilderness.
According the number of the days in which you spied out the land, for days, for each day you shall bear
your guilt one year, namely foci years...Now the men whom Moses sent to spy out the Ian who
returned and made all the congregation complain again him by bringing a bad report of the land, those
very men wit brought the evil report about the land, died by the plague before the LORD. But Joshua
the son of Nun and Caleb the son Jephunneh remained alive, of the men who went to spy out to land"
(Numbers 14:29, 33-34, 36-38.)

- Slave a thankful heart.

The gate to enter God's presence is called "thanksgiving." you can't enjoy the presence of God until
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thanksgiving fills your heart Joshua and Caleb were honoring God before the congregation b confessing
His promises. And after forty years, they became the leaders of the generation who possessed the
land.

- Speak the words of the wise not the words of the fool.
Wise Solomon gave us principles we need to guide our speech. He said, "A man will be satisfied with
good by the fruit of his mouth, and the recompense of a man's hands will be rendered to him "
(Proverbs 1 2:1 4).

He pointed out the difference between wise and foolish words. "The words of a wise man's mouth are
gracious, but the lips of a fool shall swallow him up" (Ecclesiastes 10:12). And he emphasized what
happens when a foolish person's mouth leads him astray. "A fool's mouth is his destruction, and his lips
are the snare of his soul" (Proverbs 18:7).

CONCLUSION
We need to guard our thoughts and attitudes in order to live victorious Christian lives. Let's make an
effort to gain and retain the mind of Christ through the renewing of our mind in Him. Let's be willing to
conquer the things that defeat us, allowing the establishment of God's will in our lives, families, and
ministries.

APPLICATION
Resolve to have the mind of a conqueror. This involves hearing, believing and acting on the promises
God has given you for victory in every area of your life.

Questions:
1 Turn to 1 John 5:4. What does it say?

2. What does it imply to "be born of God"?

3. How and why I should protect my mind?

4. What kind of thoughts did Jesus have?

5. How can we align our thoughts to be like the thoughts of Jesus?

6. Ask yourself if your thoughts are like Jesus' thoughts. Say a prayer to Him, thanking God for the
thoughts He has about you. Ask Him for wisdom to think like He thinks and to speak words of victors
over your life.

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 LESSON 10:
An Offering That Pleases God
PRIMARY BIBLICAL REFERENCE: Proverbs 3:9-10

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES: 1 Timothy 6:17; 1 Samuel 1:11,17,20; 1 Samuel 2: 1-10. 17. 22-36; Hebrews
l 1:4; Mark 12:30; John 3:1 6; Genesis 22:16-17; Proverbs 10:7; Proverbs 3:9-10; Luke 7:4-5 1;
Chronicles 29:12; 2 Corinthians 9:7-9; Proverbs 1 1:25; Hebrews 7:2-6; Genesis 28:20-22; Mal. 3: 10-12

Key Scripture:0
"Honor the LORD with your possessions and with the firstfruits of all your increase; so your barns will be
filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine" - Proverbs 3:9-10

Hannah made a vow to God and said to Him, "O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction
of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your
maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall
come upon his head" (1 Samuel 1:11.)

I have been a Christian for more than 28 years. I read the book of Samuel many times, but just recently
I received the revelation of why Hannah pleased God.

Hannah was going through a very difficult situation in her life. She had a loving husband, but she was
unable to have children. This filled her with bitterness and anguish. A bitter person contaminates
everything around her. Bitterness affects her home and her communication with others. Someone who
lives continuously in pain is not pleasant to be around at all. And that was Hannah's situation. She
looked at her barrenness and felt sorry for herself until she discovered the key to changing her
situation—her offering.
Maybe you are asking yourself for the reason why you are living in a specific situation. (I know every
person thinks her problems are bigger than everybody else's!) But I want to share a principle from this
same passage that will help you. Through it, you will see how Hannah's offering was the key to
changing her destiny.

Hannah went to God's house where the prophet Eli was. She came to pray there but she understood
that to move God's hand she had to do something else besides pray. She felt her prayer had to be
accompanied with an offering. At that moment it was revealed to her she had to give up the thing she
loved the most. The desire of her heart was to have a son, and to give up that desire was a very big
sacrifice.

But when she realized that was the kind of offering pleasing to God, she made a vow that changed her
future. She added an offering to the prayer by promising God if she had a son, she would give him back
to God.

1. Your offering changes your destiny.

As a mother, how would you feel if you had to send your child to another country as a missionary, only
to see him once a year? Can you feel the weight and seriousness of the situation? That was the kind of
prayer Hannah rnade.
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Hannah's attitude of prayer shows us what happens when we make an offering to God. She was telling
the Lord if she had a son, she would give him to God totally. Her son would stay in the house of God for
the rest of his life. She understood this offering would change her destiny, Even though she probably
didn't know how the miracle could happen since she was a sterile woman, she wanted to raise up a
generation for God.

In response to her request, Eli, the priest, told her, "Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your
petition which you have asked of Him" (1 Samuel 1:17). Hannah got up, wiped her tears and left the
bitterness and sadness behind. And her request was granted. "It canoe to pass in the process of
time...Hannah conceived and bore a son" ? (1 Samuel 1:20.)

Note this woman went to the house of God once a year to cry her heart out asking the Lord for a son.
Let us remember in those days this distance was far and travel was hard.
People walked or rode a donkey to travel to their destinations. Every year Hannah traveled to God's
house, but this time the outcome was different because she made an offering to the Lord by faith.

We need to keep in mind Hannah did not have anything else to offer God other than what she did.
After the birth of the baby, Hannah told her husband she would stay home from the customary trip to
God's house until the child was weaned. Then when the child was no older than three years of age, she
went to the priest to show him the miracle, the answer to her prayer. Telling Eli the child was her
offering to God, she explained he would remain in that place and serve the Lord. Every year she would
visit her son to bring him a special tunic. This child became prophet Samuel. Not only was her destiny
changed, but the destiny of a nation would be changed as well.

2. The power of an offering.

To move God's hand.
In the first book of Samuel, Hannah's prayer of thanks is recorded for all future generations. If you read
this prayer, you will see the heart of a person who knows how to give God an offering. From beginning
to end, her prayer touched the heart of God.

The offering you give is a key that allows your prayer to be heard in heaven. I know you, too, want to
touch God's heart. Now you know your offering determines your future, start wishing to give an
offering like Hannah's. Let your offering be something above the ordinary. Let it touch the heart of
God. Allow your prayer to rise up to the heavens and shake it, trembling before God. This woman gave
God the thing she loved the most, the son she desired for so long. Hannah demonstrated she was a
woman who trusted God.

To shape your future.

The story continues. God had to reject Eli's sons because they were corrupt and did not know the Lord.
Scripture is very clear stating they did not respect the offerings in the house of God; this was the
beginning of their ruin. "Therefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD, for men
abhorred the offering of the LORD" (1 Samuel 2:17). Eli's sons were not interested in giving offerings to
God, even though they had seen the benefits in the life of their father. They despised the offerings of
God and sinned against Him, and they led the people to sin. This determined their destiny.

A prophet told Eli, beforehand, his family would lose God's blessing. His sons' abhorrence of God's
offerings determined their future, and because of this sin, they both died suddenly at the same time. (1
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Samuel 2:22-36.) Their lives were cut short, and a generation was not raised up for God through them.
Eli failed as a father because he was unable to teach them how to live life with the fear of the Lord. But
God raised up a simple woman, who in spite of her sterility, could light up the faith in her heart toward
God Here was a woman determined to give her son to His service for all his life. God accepted
Hannah'5 prayer because of her offering, and her son became one of the greatest prophets in Israel.

You must desire Hannah's heart and give God the best you have. Think about what you can give the
Lord—what is the mast significant thing in your life? Your offering will determine your destiny and it
will move God's hand.

3.God provides.
It took five days for the Lord to create, with all detail, everything humankind would need. God was so
generous that in the same creative act, He provided enough natural resources for everyone to live for
thousands of generations.

Paul tells Timothy to advise all the rich people to put their trust not in uncertain riches, but in the living
God who gives us all things in abundance so we could enjoy them. (1Timothy 6:17.)

True wealth can only be found in God, not in material things. Physical things will wear out, but our God
stays forever. The wise King Solomon said, "Honor the LORD with your possessions, and with the first
fruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty" (Proverbs 3:9-10.)

4. Abel's offering pleased God.

God always makes sure in our heart He is number one. God did not tell Cain and Abel what to give in
their offerings, because this was supposed to be spontaneous from their hearts. But through those
offerings, God was able to measure the level of commitment in both of them. Whose offering was
pleasing to God? It was from the person with a generous heart.

And God rejected the greedy heart. "By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain,
through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he
being dead still speaks" (Hebrews 11:4, italics added.)

You may notice that in this verse are the steps to give the right offering:
Voluntary. An offering must be an act from our will. Through it, we express the love we have
for the person who is receiving it. Children give a great example. It is very hard for them to
share something they really like. At that age, the world spins around them. But when that stage
is over, it becomes easier for them to share. God was pleased with Abel because he gave his
offering- like a child that knows the value of the gift they are giving away. Cain acted like a child
does, when they do not know how to share—he gave what he did not like.

More excellent. Abel understood that God deserved the best he could give. A "more excellent"
offering has a cost. The greater an offering is, the higher the cost. A man wishing to give his wife
a jewel must pay a price for it. The Lord said, "And you shall love the LORD your God with all
your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first
commandment" (Mark 12:30). A good offering is a message of love in which we give God our
all: the spiritual, emotional, and physical parts of our lives. When we give- to God, we do not
expect anything in return. We simply give Him our adoration.
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 Sacrifice. Abel understood that the right offering involved sacrifice. He chose the best from his
herd so it could represent his total devotion to God. "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"
(John 3:16.) The way God demonstrated His love to this world was by giving His only Son in
sacrifice. When we give God our best, we are giving back to Him, in a way, that salvation
offering He gave us.

He obtained witness that he was righteous. As we saw it before, an offering speaks. Abel's
offering was converted into a testimony before God, and that testimony made him righteous.
When God tested Abraham and he was willing to sacrifice his son, God was pleased. "By Myself
I have Sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your
son, your only son—blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as
the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall
possess the gate of their enemies" (Genesis 22:16-17.)

An offering spoken even after death. King Solomon said, "The memory of the righteous is
blessed, but the name of the wicked will rot" (Proverbs 10:7). Abel's offering remains speaking
even after his death. If an offering is so important for God, we should always make an effort to
give our very best.

5. God gives testimony of your offering.

Our offerings become arguments in our favor. You may remember the centurion whose servant was
very sick. He sent elders of the Jews to Jesus to plead with Him to come and heal the servant. The
elders "begged Him earnestly" and said that the centurion was deserving, "He loves our nation, and
has built us a synagogue" (Luke 7:4-5.) When Jesus heard this, He immediately went with them.

God examines heads.

One day when Jesus and His disciples were in the temple they were looking at how much everybody
was giving. The disciples were focused on the external show of the offerings, but the Lord was
examining the hearts of the people who were giving these offerings. The Lord identified how stingy
those who appeared very generous really were because they gave from what was left over. But the
Lord praised the one person who gave very little, because she was very poor and put forth great effort
in giving from her lack.

God likes moral uprightness (rectitude).

Integrity is the result of generosity. Cain was destroyed by his egotism, and Judas died because of his
greed. But the people who touch God's heart are able to demonstrate their commitment by their
generosity. Abel's offering speaks for him even today.

Give the offering voluntarily.

Everything that Solomon used for the construction of the temple came from a voluntary offering by the
people. This included the best materials available—gold, silver, wood and other fine materials. It is
economically a challenge to voluntarily give God the best. These challenges can always be conquered if
the people have a good spirit and are willing to give voluntarily.

Give generously and spontaneously.

The spontaneous offering is one where people give generously. The Bible tells us what should be our
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attitude in giving. "So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for
God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always
having all sufficiency in all things, may have abundance for every good work. As it is written, "He has
dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever" (2Corinthians 9:7-9).
The Bible also describes what happens to a person who has a readiness to give. "The generous soul will
be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself" (Proverbs 1 1:25).

6. Learning to tithe.
For the people of Israel, it is very normal to separate ten percent of their income for God's work; they
did this even before He established it in the Mosaic Law. Abraham tithed to Melchizedek, and he was
blessed ( Hebrews 7:2-6.)

Jacob tithed and made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me, and keep me-in this way that I am going,
and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father's house in peace,
then the LORD shall be my God. And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God's house, and of
all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You" (Genesis 28:20-22).

The Lord gave a wonderful promise that talks about the blessing He gives when we give. "Bring all the
tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this," says the
LORD of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing
that there will not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that
he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field," says
the LORD of hosts; "And all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land," says the
LORD of hosts (Malachi 3:10-12, italics added).

Let's study the blessings God has for those who have learned the importance of tithing.

"Bring all the tithes into the storehouse."

The storehouse represents the church or place where you are fed spiritually. That is the place you
should bring your tithe.

"That there may be food in My house."

With your tithe, you support those doing God's work, and He will compensate your gift to you.

"I will rebuke the devourer."

The devourer is a spirit of ruin. The Lord promises to rebuke it from us.

"and all nations will call you blessed."

The blessing will be so obvious that it will extend to other nations. They will see God's favor resting on
each of His children.

"You will be a delightful land."

This only happens when the curse is removed and the blessing is restored in our territory.

CONCLUSION
We can learn from the example of Hannah who gave an offering that cost much but in the end yielded
a blessing that changed her destiny. We can learn what is pleasing to God as we study Abel's offering
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Hebrews 11:4). it is important when we give an offering that our heart is right, and we are encouraged
to tithe so we may receive God's blessing.

APPLICATION
Take a few minutes to think about something that is costly to you that you would offer to God. Reflect
on why or why not it is difficult for you to offer to God.

Questions:
1. What does it mean to you to give an offering?

2. Why did the Lord like Hannah's offering

3. What does an offering determine?

4. List Abel's characteristics described in Hebrews 11:4.

5. What does God see in your offering?

6. What does it mean to tithe?

7. What are the benefits of tithing?

8. Think about your attitude on giving tithes and offerings. If you have failed in this area, ask the Lord
to forgive you and make a commitment to enter into the blessing.

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