The Beginning of the Story: The study delves into the creation narrative, highlighting God’s intentional design and the introduction of humanity. It emphasizes that the beginning of the Bible sets the stage for understanding the rest of Scripture.
The Fall and Its Consequences: The narrative of Adam and Eve’s disobedience is examined, illustrating how sin entered the world and disrupted the harmony between God and humanity. This event underscores the need for redemption.
God’s Covenants and Promises: The study explores the covenants God made with His people, focusing on His promises and faithfulness. These covenants are seen as pivotal in understanding God’s unfolding plan throughout Scripture.
The Role of Truth in Spiritual Armor: Drawing from Ephesians 6, the study discusses the metaphor of the “belt of truth” as part of the spiritual armor. It emphasizes the importance of grounding oneself in the truth of God’s Word to stand firm against challenges.
Connecting the Old and New Testaments: The session highlights how events and themes from the Old Testament foreshadow the coming of Christ in the New Testament, demonstrating the seamless connection between both.
🧠 Summary
Week 2 of Seamless provides us with a deeper understanding of the foundational truths of the Bible, emphasizing the interconnectedness of Scripture. It encourages us believers to recognize the importance of God’s covenants and the role of truth in their spiritual journey. By examining the beginning of the biblical narrative, participants are invited to see the continuity of God’s plan from creation to redemption.
My women’s bible study group are doing seven online sessions covering the book called “Seamless” by Angie Smith where she summarizes the bible, making it easier to understand it as one whole story rather than everything that it encompasses. Here’s notes from the first week!
Seamless by Angie Smith
Week One:
Day One: Introduction
* The Purpose of this study is to simplify the bible and make it less intimidating for readers to access The Word
* The bible wasn’t written for experts. It was written for us.
Day Two: Creation & Fall
* “In the beginning…” Genesis 1:1 Three simple words launch us into Gods love for us.
* God created the earth in 7 days
The list of what was created each day:
* Light/Dark Day/Night
* Sky/Heaven
* Earth/Seas & Plants
* Sun/Moon/Stars
* Birds/Fish
* Land Animals/Humans
* Day 7: Rest
* What resulted from the original act of disobedience against God (the fall) was the turning point for humanity. The first sin against God.
* Satan asked Eve in Genesis 3:1 “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit of any of the trees in the garden?” Satans approach in the verses 2-7 is very conniving, cunning and sly.
* God created a situation where His people could choose whether or not to live in accordance with His rules. They chose not to.
* Sin took root into the Garden of Eden and it will grow into a monstrosity before God, in His mercy, will send His Son to us.
Day Three: Results of the Fall
* God asked in Genesis 3:9 “Where are you?” When he is asking this question he wasn’t asking them to identify their location but rather their condition. He wanted to pull Adam and Eve out of their fear and shame so He could meet them where they are.
* God knows exactly where you are as He knew where they were -mind, body, soul and spirit. What He wants from you is the same as He wants from them. To come to Him no matter how difficult it seems.
* Adam blames God & Eve for the Fall because “God gave Eve to him and Eve was the one to commit the sin.”
* Eve in turns blame the serpent. We always have a choice to believe either God or the Devil. It can’t be both.
* Sagan will bruise the heel of God’s people, he will wound them and have a negative effect on their lives. He is the enemy of God and the Devil will always do his best to injure and mislead God’s children. But a wound to the heel is not lethal; it’s temporary.
* After Adam & Eve is sent out of the garden we see the pattern of sin continues in their children. The first murder is committed by their son Cain against his brother Abel out of jealousy.
* Other people existed also at this time. It is said that Adam and Even had other sons and daughters but we only hear of Cain, Abel and Seth.
* Seth who has a son of his own named Enoch. Not to be mixed with Cain’s son also named Enoch.
* Enoch fathered Methuselah who fathered Lamech who fathered Noah
* Read Genesis 6:5-8
* Wickedness overcame the land and the sin of the world worsen. God knew the depths of the humans hearts and knew they were alienating themselves further from Him.
* Understand that we aren’t God and we cannot simply put ourselves in His place. He is all knowing. He cannot go against His nature or His promises.
Day Four: The Flood
* Noah found favor with God and told him to build a great ark because He was about the flood the earth.
* It rained for 40 days and 40 nights (whenever the number 40 comes up in the bible it indicates a time of testing.
* It stopped raining after 40 days but the water didn’t disparate until 150 days later.
* The first thing that Noah did when he got off the ark was build an alter for God and offered burnt offerings.
* One of the central themes of Scripture is the use of sacrifice as a symbol of our need for atonement.
* God made the first animal sacrifice back in Genesis chapter 3 when He made animal skin clothing for Adam and Eve.
* God blesses Noah for his faithfulness and tells Him to be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth. Let’s try this whole humanity thing over again.
* God uses the symbol of a rainbow as a promise to never flood the earth again.
* Even when we didn’t deserve it. God gave us another chance.
* God doesn’t have to love you, but He does. You don’t have to earn it.
Day Five: Job & Babel
* The members of the heavenly court come together and Hod gives Satan permission to test His most righteous servant, Job.
* Satan strips Jobs life away from him.
* I believe God is good even when we don’t always understand all the particulars of His decisions.
* Job shows faithfulness amidst the suffering.
* In suffering we should turn to God and find comfort in Him.
* Noah’s three sons were Shem, Ham and Japheth and they multiplied until the world was full of people again.
* The world spoke one language until they decided to build a great city and make a tower for themselves.
* God took this as humans were trying to elevate themselves and no longer put Him first.
* The Tower of Babel was a monument that stood for men’s desire to be important.
* God scrambled their ability to understand a language and had them spread out instead of building power together.
Singleness is a gift. It’s a time for cultivating wholehearted devotion to Jesus, a time for growing in faith and contentment. A time for self control, for seeking and building the Kingdom of God. Singleness was meant to be lived in relationship with Jesus, and it is this relationship that brings beauty, joy, and purpose. It is this relationship that brings abundant life.
We hear so much about the Proverbs 31 woman but what does that really mean? The purpose of Proverbs is to implement wisdom, discipline and understanding. It was written by Solomon who had a history of lustful behavior. It was written to his sons and the men of Israel to seek Godly wisdom. In Proverbs 31 he highlights the importance of the perfect, Godly woman. When reading it as a woman we can often interpret it to God speaking to us, his children, as he asks us to seek the true wisdom within each of us and pursue a pure life.
History and Overview of Proverbs:
Title and Author: The book of Proverbs is traditionally attributed to King Solomon, renowned for his wisdom. The title “Proverbs” comes from the Hebrew word “Mashal,” meaning “parables” or “sayings.” Solomon is credited with writing the majority of the proverbs, although other contributors include Agur (Proverbs 30) and King Lemuel (Proverbs 31).
Historical Context: Proverbs was written during the reign of Solomon, around the 10th century BC, a period marked by peace and prosperity in Israel. This era allowed for the flourishing of wisdom literature, as the nation was not preoccupied with warfare or survival.
Audience: The primary audience of Proverbs was the people of Israel, particularly young men who were being molded for leadership and responsibility. However, its teachings are universal and timeless, applicable to all who seek wisdom.
Purpose: The purpose of Proverbs is to impart wisdom, discipline, and understanding. It aims to guide individuals in living a life that is pleasing to God, characterized by righteousness, justice, and equity (Proverbs 1:2-3).
Genre and Style: Proverbs is a collection of wisdom literature, characterized by short, pithy sayings and poetic parallelism. It uses metaphors and similes to convey deep truths.
You don’t have to be single in order to pursue or become a Proverbs 31 woman. I think it is sometimes hard when we go through life and find our soulmates and have our children to identify ourselves outside of those relationships. I do believe it’s important to do self-work and deep dive into who we are on an individual level. It’s important for us women who are often caretakers to take care of ourselves and pour into ourselves so we can furthermore pour into those that we love. “You cannot pour from an empty cup”, as they say.
Furthermore, when you feel good on the inside and develop a strong sense of self, you begin to glow with confidence, reassurance and a type of strength that cannot be dimmed or lessened. This can attract truly wonderful things in life whether it’s a new job, opportunity or partner. Your path becomes clearer and the possibilities of what you can accomplish are endless.
What verses or statements stand out most between the two pictures?
What are some of your strengths in life? What do you think that you can work on?
Do you believe in the Law of Attraction?
What do you look for in an ideal partner? Do you see any of these traits within yourself?
Do you find that your ideal partner reflects someone God would want for you?
What is your favorite verse about love?
As you dive into your femininity, it’s important to devote time with God so that you can truly hear Him. The biggest part of your spiritual journey is setting time aside so that your goals and aspirations align with God’s goals and aspirations for you. Ladies, this even applies to dating and relationships with others. Those who are meant to be in your life will stay even after you pray about them. If you pray that God touches the hearts of those that you love and care about He will work on their hearts just as He is working on yours. The more you take God seriously the more He will work in favor of you. Think about Job and his journey with God.
Practice dating with God. Take long nature prayers walks, use arts and crafts as a form of creative worship, have devotional time in a cafe, express your love and gratitude for God throughout your day, and take a picnic with Jesus. There are so many ways you can set time aside to build your relationship with Him, single or not.
Godly Dating
The Law of Attraction suggests that positive thoughts bring positive outcomes in people’s lives. I believe that this can go a step further and say that the more you build yourself up and step into your Godly femininity the more you attract the right people in your life, this goes for not only men or partners but also friends. Your glow can even inspire those who are already in your circle to do the same.
It can be scary to date as a Christian, you want your beliefs to align with others and you don’t want to push people away by feeling like you are too much. But you should embrace being too much. Embrace being yourself. The right person is going to love and cherish you for who you are and see your value and try to feed into that and not shy away. It can be scary but it will be well worth it in the end. You will find people who will turn you away or not stay and you have to be okay with that. You have to be willing to stand on your boundaries and remain confident in your life choices. You may have to be the one to turn away and that is okay too.
Christian Dating Tips:
Pray for each other.
Pray before meals together
Have a weekly bible study date
Do bible reading plans together
This can be done with devotionals or through the bible app! Just set a daily reminder and chat about it! You can choose a plan that works best for you two!
Consider going on a church date.
This can be with your home church or theirs or even one that is completely different! After church go out for lunch and discuss the sermon and what you thought about the experience
Respect that family responsibilities and church responsibilities come before dates and relationship
Be honest and open with each other
Be encouraging and respectful
Pray together before making decisions
Talk/pray about your futures together
Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul and mind before you love each other
Put God first in your relationship, always.
Don’t stress too much about where to go, or what to do, just have fun.
Don’t just date to date, date to see if they are the person God wants you to spend your life with.
Praise God together, serve God together, study God together and love God together.
Which of these 15 tips stand out to you the most?
You will come across a lot of toxic people in this world, not just in the dating scene. There are safe, Godly ways to deal with certain people. First of all you want to pray for them and hand them over to God. (Matthew 10:14) Like I mentioned before, God knows people’s hearts way better than we do. You may see the potential in someone but God knows them better. Set clear boundaries. (Matthew 18: 15-17) This can mean distancing yourself physically (1 Corinthians 15:33) and letting go emotionally. (Proverbs 4:23) Give yourself time to heal spiritually, mentally and physically (Psalm 34:18) They’re called toxic for a reason. These people can wear down your soul and drain you. Give yourself time to heal from this and detect yourself healthily. Lastly, spend time with healthier relationships (Proverbs 27:17) It’s important to always embrace those in our lives that are for us and love us deeply and truly. Surround yourself with your people. The people that bring out the best in you.
If you are single and thinking about dating or dating already it’s important to pray for your future spouse. You want these prayers to reflect the person you see yourself being with. Even if you are already in a relationship or married it’s important to continue to pray for your spouse and your relationship.
How to pray for your future spouse:
That he/she will resist sexual temptations. (1 Corinthians 6:18; Ephesians 5:3-5)
That he/she will make wise choices (Galatians 5:13)
That he/she will have great knowledge of the Lord (2 Peter 3:18)
That he will have a heart for our children (Colossians 3:21; Malachi 4:6; Ephesians 6:4)
That he will be the spiritual leader of the family (1 Corinthians 11:3)
That he/she will be a hard worker. (1 Corinthians 15:38, Colossians 3:23, Proverbs 31:31)
That he/she will love me deeply. (Ephesians 5, Colossians 3:19)
That he/she will have spiritual endurance (Hebrews 12:1, Isaiah 40:31)
What are some other prayers you would like to add to this list?
What do you feel is the biggest struggle for dating in this day and age?
What do you think can be done to make it better?
Do you feel as though most men in today’s age are husband material?
What do you look for in a Godly Husband?
How to know a relationship is from God?
It comes back to you even after you surrender it and let it go.
It brings peace, not confusion.
It comes with a purpose and feels like an answered prayer.
It’s rooted in Christ. Pulls you closer to Jesus, not further away.
You feel grace all around you and it helps you recognize the mercy of God.
Books of the Bible I Read During the 75 Hard for Jesus Challenge:
As some of you may know I did the 75 Hard for Jesus Challenge from August 28th- November 9th. This challenge consisted of reading a chapter of the bible a day which wasn’t very hard but it did take a lot of focus. I am grateful for the Bible app on my phone for allowing my access to the bible anywhere especially on long work days or just days where I couldn’t take the time to sit with my bible. I chose to start with the shortest books of the bible and working my way up so that i felt more accomplished by the end of the challenge!
I ended up reading 23 books of the bible plus a little more so that I could get a background history of the books I was reading! It was fun to bounce around the bible and see how it all ties together in the end!
The List:
1 John (5 chapters)
2nd John (1 Chapter)
3rd John (1 Chapter)
Jude (1)
Obidiah (1)
Philemon (1)
Haggai (2)
Titus (3)
Nahum (3)
Habakkuk (3)
Zephaniah (3)
Joel (3)
1 Thessalonians (5)
2 Thessalonians (3)
Colossians (4)
Jonah (4)
Malachi (4)
Philippians (4)
Ruth (4)
James (5)
Lamentations (5)
For 75 chapters! I’m going to finish posting the summaries soon! Thank you for your support during this challenge!
A collection of poems announcing the downfall of Assyria and Nineveh
Assyria was one of the great ancient empires and also known as one of Israel’s great oppressors. Assyria’s expansion into Israel destroyed The Northern Kingdom and it’s tribe there. (2Kings17)
The fall of Assyria came in 612 BC, Babylonians rose up and took the city of Nineveh (Assyria’s capital) Chapter two depicts the fall of the city of Nineveh followed by chapter three where it depicts the fall of the empire entirely. BUT chapter one’s introduction to the book begins with the Lord’s anger and how he plans on seeking vengeance for his people of Israel and heal the oppressed and those who go against Him. God appears to judge the evil among nations.
“The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in Him.” Nahum 1:7
Nahum quotes Exodus (34: 6-7) by saying The Lord is slow to get angry, but His power is great and He never lets the guilty go unpunished. The poems then goes on to discuss the differences and similarities to The Fate of the Nations vs. The Fate of God’s Faithful Remnant. He never mentions Ninevah or Assyria by name in chapter one which could imply a few things:
Nahum is portraying Ninevah’s fall as an example of how God is at work in different points of history.
Chapter two then brutally depicts the battle of Ninveah and the state in which the city becomes.
Chapter three goes into detail about how the city’s downfall effects Assyrian’s as a whole. “Woe to the city built on innocent blood” He proceeds to explain that their own voilence is what ultimately lead to their downfall.
Titus was a Greek follower of Jesus. He was sent to the Island of Crete off of the Grecian shore to restore houses of the lord.
There is a term in Greek literature called Kritizo which means to be a liar (to be a Cretan). They were notorious for things such as treachery, violence and sexual corruption. Paul looked at Crete to be a perfect place to host churches because of its many harbors and the amount of traffic it had as it was known to deliver goods throughout different parts of the Mediterranean. But due to its nature a lot of corrupt leaders came and took over said churches and started spreading false news. Titus was sent to set things straight.
Titus’s mission was to spread the word about hope of eternal life as promised by the God that does not lie. This is an important factor because the Cretans historically believed in the Greek gods including their “chief god” Zeus, who was well known as a liar, manipulator and deceptor. Paul wanted to be clear that this God, the true God did not lie and has promises of eternal life and salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ. Christian life is about truth and faithfulness which is completely different than what they historically believed.
Titus first line of work was to devote new leaders or elders whose way of life matched more with the Christian way of life. These leaders were to be mature husbands and fathers who are known for their integrity, devotion to Jesus, self-control and generosity, not only in their home but in their community as well. They wanted to replace the corrupt leaders with these types of men.
Some of the things that the corrupt leaders were teaching was that Christians had to observe the practice of Jewish religions, such as reading the Torra in order to follow the Jewish Messiah and they were motivated by money alone. While they claimed to know God, their Cretan way of life and actions showed that they deny Him.
Due to what was portrayed by these leaders it set a bad example for Christians and what they stood for. They discredited God’s word and made the Christian life not as compelling.
Titus 2: Doing Good for the Sake of the Gospel
You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. 2 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.
3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.
6 Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. 7 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8 and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.
Titus is being called to teach the Cretans about how to be truly devoted to one another and the mission that God truly stands for. It is a completely different value system than what the Cretans are used to.
11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
15 These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.
Jesus had four half-brothers; Jacob, Joseph, Simon and Judah. (see Matthew 13:55)
Judah is the author of this chapter. He was initially going to write about the salvation in Christ but instead felt compelled to instead write warning us against false prophets and corrupt teachers. He addresses those who distort God’s grace as an excuse to sin. and reject the authority or Jesus.
Jude was very well versed in the Hebrew Bible and Jewish literature and he makes a lot of cross references to other stories and biblical figures. He refers to Israel’s rebellion, rebellious angels in Enoch, the men of Sodom, and even the testament of Moses; pointing out the sins that the stories hold such as those who rebel against God’s authority, the sexual immorality and the rejection of God’s messengers.
He then brings up those who have corrupted others in three more old testament references. He reminds us of Jesus’ reminder in Matthew about corrupt teachers coming and distorting the Good News.
Metaphor: Community of Jesus = “God’s New Temple”
Prayer in the Spirit
Love of God = Obedience
The Most Holy Faith = The Good News
Praise the only God that can keep you from stumbling.
Jude 1: But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. 18 They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” 19 These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.
20 But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.
22 Be merciful to those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.
24 To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
All the key ideas comes from Jesus’s final speech in John Ch. 13-17
1 John 1: 5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
God is light. If you keep Jesus commands to love one another you will also walk in the light. Those who continue to walk in the darkness and allow hatred in their heart are not true followers of Christ, according to the command. We have been forgiven of our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us.
Also, do not deny the Son of God. Those who truly believe that Jesus is the Son of God will find favor and forgiveness.
1 John 3: 19 This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: 20 If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. 24 The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
Beware of anti-messiahs and deceivers
Know the truth
Do what is righteous in HIs sight
God is love. Trust in God’s love. Allow God’s love to guide our hearts and override any fears that we may have. Trust God’s love and that His testimony that Christ is king and that acceptance in that and love for your neighbor will lead you to eternal life.
1 John 5: 18 We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them. 19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. 20 We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
2 John
John warns the church against deceivers and false prophets.
10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them. 11 Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work.
3 John
Be welcoming of your brothers and sisters. Those who share with you the truth and the light.
5 Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters, even though they are strangers to you. 6 They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way in a manner that honors God. 7 It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. 8 We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth.
The obedience of God’s people is part of how God works in the world.
This should motivate humility and action.
Haggai’s ministry was to call the people to finish the Temple. This was taken place after the Babylonian Exile to New Jerusalem. (see 2 Kings 24-25)
1: 1-15 Haggai claims that the people are putting their houses before the House of the Lord and putting themselves above God. He points out that this could be the reason their harvest is low and they aren’t as blessed as they one were. So they decided to rebuild the temple.
2: 1-9 Elders who remember Solomon’s temple compare this new one to the old. Haggai addresses these shattered expectations and and remind them of the promise of God’s future kingdom.
2: 10-19Two months later, Haggai addresses the call to convent faithfulness.
Impurity= Injustice, apathy
Obedience = Blessing
Unfaithfulness = Ruin
Only true convent faithfulness will lead to the coming of God’s kingdom and blessing.
2: 20-23 The future hope of God’s kingdom could be in the hands of Zerubabbel who is from the line of David.
That he/she will resist sexual temptations. (1 Corinthians 6:18; Ephesians 5:3-5)
That he/she will make wise choices (Galatians 5:13)
That he/she will have great knowledge of the Lord (2 Peter 3:18)
That he will have a heart for our children (Colossians 3:21; Malachi 4:6; Ephesians 6:4)
That he will be the spiritual leader of the family (1 Corinthians 11:3)
That he/she will be a hard worker. (1 Corinthians 15:38, Colossians 3:23, Proverbs 31:31)
That he/she will love me deeply. (Ephesians 5, Colossians 3:19)
That he/she will have spiritual endurance (Hebrews 12:1, Isaiah 40:31)
calling c.p 