Hey Ladies,<P>This is suppose to be a Women's Bible Study and yet we really haven't been doing a formal study of the Bible for a while. Just thought it might be time to get back to the point of this forum.<P>Not that we should stop the sharing and praying for that is all a part of it but maybe it would help all of us to get our focus on some real "digging" into the word.<P>Does anyone have any suggestions or things they want to study in particular? We could always start POPW again!<P>My thought is to start making a list of suggestions and then to decide in the next few days, maybe begin something on Monday. Also, is there someone who wants to be the "ringleader"? Someone who has lead studies before or who just feels they would like to give it a whirl?<P>My suggestion for a study would be the character of God. The more we know about who God is the easier it is to trust Him with our lives and circumstances. There are alot of studies out there on the names of God which enlighten us as to His character. <P>So, lets put our collective heads together and get something going. <P>Blessings, Taj<BR>

I think that would be a great topic. I am ready and in need of some "formal" Bible study training with women who really have a heart for God.

that's a great point, I really need to get my focus off my situation and back on God.<BR>I am spending too much time in fear and self-pity. a study on character of God sounds great, another good one would be becoming a woman of excellance,

that's a great point, I really need to get my focus off my situation and back on God.<BR>I am spending too much time in fear and self-pity. a study on character of God sounds great, count me in

I think the character of God would be a great topic. I'd be interested in joining...<P>Kathi

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Who walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely upon his God. (Is. 50:10 NKJV)<P>My problem is that I like light better than darkness. But if I can see what God is doing--how He is working everything togethr for good-- then I do'nt need aith. But still I want to see. I think we all have this problem. We say we want more faith, but really what we want is sight. Sights says, "I see that it's good for me, so God must have sent it." but faith says. "God sent it, so it must be good for me." God asks us to walk by faith, not by sight. Faith is walking in the dark with God, holding His hand. God doen'st keep us immune from frouble, He says, "I will be with you in trouble." <P>Where has God asked you to walk "by faith"? Has God asked you to trust Him with an illness, a child, a finanacial crisis, a husband or lack of husband? Do you trust in the fact of God's Word or only in whay you can see? Where are your eyes? Your answers to the questions will determine whether you will have an anxious heart or a heart of peace. <BR>excerpts from--Linda Dillow, <B>Calm my Anxious Heart.</B> pp143-144.<P>These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. John 16:33<P>By faith, the humanist says that anger, bitterness, quarrelsomeness, or a nasty temper is caused by the way you were treated; by faith, the christian counselor says that these characteristics are caused by sin.-- If you fail to deal with the sin, the relief you expeience is like taking a pain pill or a toothache without fixing the tooth.-- <B>Another's response shouldn't affect my spirit because my spirit is between God and me. The circumstances that come into our lives will show us what is in our hearts.</B> excerpts from--Henry Brandt & Kerry L. Skinner--<B>Heart of the Problem</B> subtitle, How to stop coping and find the cure for your struggles.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>I do ask your forgiveness for not being here more and being more encouraging. I have felt the need to be in study and work on those log in my eye issues and these two books I am now going through. Though different in temperment, both books come to the same conclusion in regards to peace. If you are filled with the spirit, you will experience peace amid the tribulaton and if you're not experiencing the peace, look inwards rather than outwards.<P>I emotionally don't have the energy right now with my home business to lead any study. Taj, can't you do it this time? I always appreciate your insight and challenges. Whatever you all want to study is fine with me. The focus on the Lord of the Heavens is what is most important. Hugs to you all.

I too would love a Bible Study with women who are searching for God's will and peace. It would be a wonderful way to get my focus off of my situation and onto what God is trying to tell me. It has been too long since I have been involved in a spirit-filled study of God's Word

I'd be interested in a study. <P> Behold Your God is a great one of the Character of God. I'm not sure whether it is still in print. It is by Myrna Alexander. It is one of the Women's Wokshop Series Zondervan Publishing.<P>Another Cynthia Heald one is Becoming a Woman of Faith. I think this is a fairly new one.

I would be interested in knowing more about the character of God. <P>We seek God's Hand all the time, I think we also need to seek God's Face. It is through God's Face, that we will know more about how He views our H's adultery and how He views our responses to the adultery.<P>I think there are various teachings that can follow after this first study on the 'character of God", such as rejection, prayer and fasting, forgiving, etc. I think books by Derek Prince, Max Lucado, Lewis B. Smedes are some of the great authors.<P>Can you lead, Taj?<P>God Bless you<BR>weep

I am so glad that there so much much interest. The only thing that keeps us strong is to keep our focus on God and relying on His wisdom to get us through. Thats why I feel MB works....the Harley's don't push "religion" but their whole premise is permeated with God's principles.<P>I have the same needs as everyone else here and really need the input and experiences of others for perspective. This forum has truly kept me sane when nothing else was working. <P>As far as leading, I would rather look at it as a group effort. I would be willing to be more of a coordinator then a leader. <P>There are so many books out there on the character of God, those hw mentioned, and weep suggestion Cynthia Heald who is great. I have some of Kay Arthur's studies. The neat thing about this is that we can come at it from lots of different angles and discussion.<P>Maybe we should each look for a book we want to use and just pool our resources. Each of us can post a question or thought for discussion. When we have thoroughly talked it through we can go on to another.<P>The most important thing is that we apply what we learn. So maybe we can keep that in mind when we respond. How we can take the character of God and apply it to our given situations. One of my favorite choruses is, "He is my Hiding Place", that song speaks of the character of God.<P>You are my hiding place, You always fill my heart with songs of deliverance.<P>Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.<P>I will trust in You. Let the weak say I am strong in the strength of the Lord.<P>Powerful! That is the character of God. He will hide us in the shadow of His Wing. So, whenever we enter into fear we need to realize it is a trap......there is no need to fear for God's character tells us He is a God who will protect us and shelter us until the danger is past. Who else needs to hear that besides me?<P>So, lets' just get started and I'll just try and keep things flowing!<P>I'm excited.......<P>------------------<BR>"Perfect love casts out fear" I John 4:18

Need some feedback everyone. I am going out of town for a couple of days for some training in regards to teaching. I am trying to get on at the local college to teach nursing.<P>Anyways, it has been several days since posting on the character of God as a bible study. So far the response has been pretty slim. I know its a busy week with the election and all but if my approach is not working then I need some direction. I just want to work on a study with all of you, so if it isn't me to get it going then I hope someone else will.<P>See you all in a couple days.....<P>Blessings, Taj

A group Bible Study would be great. I hope that I will be able to participate. I haven't been able to log on much lately so it will be mostly just weekends for me.<P>There is a book that I am going to buy called "The Excellent Wife" by Martha Pearce. I've read a few excerpts from it and it sounds wonderful. Maybe it would be good for a study?<P>We recently did a seminar at my church called "The Role of A Virtuous Woman" based on Proverbs 31. The most important thing I got out of this seminar was "she does him good and not evil all the days of her life". This seminar was such a tremendous blessing!<BR> <BR>The suggestion of The Character of God is a good topic also. One study book that I have been going through is "A Wise Woman Builds Her House" by Erin Thiele. It's great for women who are separated and wanting to reconcile as well as those who are living with their husbands. <P>SueB, I had to comment on your statement <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Where has God asked you to walk "by faith"? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Well, I recently had a huge decision to make. The time had come where the courts would no longer let us keep putting the divorce proceedings we had started in Aug. 99 on hold. My lawyer was pushing me towards finalizing it. David told his lawyer to drop it, but he could not unless I initiated the dismissal. I was in turmoil. One side of my head was saying "you spent almost $10,000 on this divorce and would be throwing all that money away, he's still drinking, he'll do it again, he neglects you and disregards your feelings, he'll never go to those classes unless the threat of divorce is there" and the other side said "God hates divorce, divorce is not the answer, let God handle David and his behavior, and I Don't Want A Divorce!" <P>All I could do was pray, and it got to where I was so torn that I couldn't pray about it, so my prayer partner from church did for me. She told me that I needed to listen for God's voice, and to "step out in faith". So I prayed and prayed, told the Lord I wanted to do His will with regard to this situation. He led me to His word telling me that:<P>*Marriage is a covenant relationship (Mal 2:14), <P>*God HATES divorce (Mal 2:16),<BR> <BR>*What God has joined together, let no man separate (Mat 19:6), <P>*God intends for me to remain married (A wife is bound as long as her husband lives 1 Cor 7:39) and He said "10)And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband, 11) But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband;.... 13) And the woman which hath a husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him" (1 Cor 7:10-13),<BR> <BR>*That by my behavior and becoming a quiet and gentle spirit, my husband would be won without a word (1 Peter 3), <P>*and the verse that really struck home with me was Eph 5:22 - "Wives be submissive to your own husbands, as unto the Lord" - my husband wanted me to dismiss it, so to do anything else would mean that I was being disobedient to the Lord. <P>I finally felt a peace about my decision which was to call my attorney and have the divorce proceedings dismissed. The days before I made my decision and right up until I talked to the lawyer's office, Satan tried everything in the book to get me to change my mind. David's drinking intensified, he got mean spirited again. My attorney's secretary tried hard to talk me into getting divorced - saying we could always get remarried someday if David straightens up. But the Lord kept reminding me that He hates divorce and I must be obedient to his Word. I felt Him saying to me <B>"Trust Me"</B>. If anything came out of all this I think that my attorney's secretary found the meaning of the verses I quoted above as I told her these were the reasons I making my decision. By the time we finished talking, she said she understood and would pray for David and I. <P>This was about a month ago. The Lord has been right beside me through it and comforts me when I get anxious. My faith has been greatly increased and I know we are a LONG way from having the marriage God intends for us to have but I am still trusting in Him to perform His word. I praise God for what He is doing in my life and David's life and know that He wants us together, happy, unified as one before Him. I have faith in the Lord to convert my marriage and believe that "faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things unseen". Right now the evidence of my husband's salvation is unseen, but I have faith that it WILL happen. <P>God bless you wonderful praying wives!!<BR>I'm looking forward to seeing what we will be studying next!<BR> <P>