Deborah, Jael, and Gideon

Judges 9:22-10:18
I am loving Judges!  There are so many stories about specific individuals that are really cool.  The judges were people who lead the Israelites for short periods of time.  They governed, or made judgements, between people, but they also led the army and delivered the people out of oppression.  There is a seemingly never ending cycle going on right now.  The Israelites follow other gods, fall into oppression, realize their mistakes, cry out to God, and He raises up a judge to deliver them.  Deborah was a judge and during her time a man named Barak led an army with her, but a woman named Jael had the actual victory over the king of the opposing people.  He asked her to hide him in her tent and she invited him in.  But when he went to sleep she hammered a tent peg through his head.  I think that's crazy!  I don't know how she did it.  Then Gideon became the Lord's leader.  I love his story.  He is probably one of my favorites in the Bible.  When God speaks to him, he always asks for confirmation and the Lord always gives it to him.  Oh, and he is also called "mighty man of valor" by the Lord's messenger.  That is pretty cool.  I wonder what I would be called!  So he trusts the Lord and follows His instructions and takes 300 men to battle thousands... and of course, the Israelites win because God fights for His people.  Gideon had 70 sons, but Abimelech killed all his brothers and rose to rule over the Israelites.  He did not follow God and died in battle three years later.  Then the Israelites fell into their old ways of disobedience, so they were greatly oppresses.  But this time when they cried out to God, He told them that He would save them no more.  They put away the foreign gods and served the Lord, and "he became impatient over the misery of Israel."

Luke 24:13-53
End of Luke.  Jesus had been crucified and risen.  His followers were very unsure what to think about the empty tomb.  Then Jesus appeared to them a couple of times and opened their minds to the Scripture.  Lord, open my mind!!  Then, just before He ascended into heaven, He told His followers to "stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high." verse 49  I love that!  Especially at this point in my life, where I am anticipating the Lord sending me in new directions, I do not want to make a move until I am clothed with His power from on high.  What an exciting thought!

Psalm 100
"Know that the Lord, he is God!  It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture... his steadfast love endures forever."

Proverbs 14:11-12
The tent of the upright will flourish and the way that seems right to man can lead to death.

Pray- Bangladesh
One of the poorest countries in the world because of overpopulation and many natural disasters.  Thankfully, there has been some growth in the church and work done to fight against poverty.  The country does not have an official religion, but there Islamist pressure on the government and persecution is becoming more common.  Pray for missionaries and that they would be able to use relational evangelism effectively.  Also, the use of radio and the Jesus film are very important due to low literacy levels.