Live the Word Bible Studies

Welcome to Live the Word

I'm happy you have visited this site, where my goal since 2001 has been to help people all over the world understand and then apply the word of God in their lives. If you look on the right hand side of this blog site, you will see the name of each book in the New Testament, where you will find what I call a devotional commentary for every verse in those books. My goal was not to do a technical study, but rather a practical one that presented not only insights, but also questions and recommendations to help you apply or live the word. I have now published those studies in book form, but it's time to expand my work with something new (pictured here are two of my commentary covers, and they are all available in paper or Kindle format through Amazon).

Once I completed the New Testament, I wanted to continue my Live the Word series but wasn't sure how. For several years, I had the idea to develop a Purpose Study Bible, similar to others on the market like The Spirit-Filled Bible, The Leadership Bible, The African Bible, and The Student Bible. Each one of those incorporates insights about a particular topic right in the Bible itself, providing a convenient and easy-to-use commentary. I have been teaching on the topics of purpose, creativity, goal setting, time management, and faith since 1991, and have gained insight and often taught about or written about those topics from a biblical perspective.

For the remainder of my days, I want to share what I have learned with my readers on these five topics I have labeled the five Gold Mine Principles, and this format seems like an economical way to do so (since I'm not ready to undertake publishing a Bible) and a good next step for the Live the Word series. This particular study began with Genesis and is moving in an orderly fashion through the rest of the Old Testament. Should I live long enough, I'll finish the Old Testament and then move on to the New.

I also want to learn from my readers, so I invite you to post comments to supplement, adjust, or augment what I have written. My goal, however, isn't to make us all experts on what the Bible has to say about purpose or creativity or goals or faith, but rather to help us become people of purpose, for as Jesus said, "Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them" (John 13:17). That's why my commentaries are called Live the Word, for that is what we are expected to do once we know it.

I hope you enjoy reading these studies as much as I enjoy writing them, and I hope you will be an active participant by sharing your own insight and testimonies. Thank you, and may the Lord bless the reading and study of His word!

Purpose Study Bible 273: Purpose Opposition

It's an interesting phenomenon that your opponents and enemies don't show up until you start to pursue your purpose. After God gave Gideon his assignment, we read,

The people of the town demanded of Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he has broken down Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.” . . . Now all the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples joined forces and crossed over the Jordan and camped in the Valley of Jezreel (Judges 6:30, 33).

The Bible doesn't tell us much about Gideon's life before his encounter with God, but it's safe to say it was pretty "normal." He grew up where he was, had friends and family, and was trying to eke out a living like everyone else. Then one day, God showed up and his life was never the same. Suddenly, he had people who wanted to kill him!

Most of us will never engage a purpose that's life-threatening, but each of us will encounter opposition of some kind when we step out to do God's will through our creative purpose. It may be opposition from within, like fear and doubt. It can be family opposition as they seek to direct us to where they think we should go. Or, it can be opposition from without, just like all the eastern peoples showing up to stand against Gideon.

Where is your greatest opposition coming from right now? Is it inside your head and heart, inside your circle of friends and family, or outside forces? Has this resistance stymied you, or are you pressing through it? Do you see that these opponents are actually doing you a favor by confirming you are on the right path?

If you had no opposition, you would never know God as your refuge and deliverer. What's more, your obstacles strengthen your resolve and bolster your confidence when God helps you move forward. If forces are pressing against you to keep you where you are, it's time to confront them and move on to achieve the creative and purposeful things God has given you the chance to do.

Purpose Study Bible 272: Family Support

When God directed Gideon to tear down his family's Baal altar, the townspeople were upset and demanded that Joash, Gideon's father, turn his son over to them for punishment. This is how he responded:

But Joash replied to the hostile crowd around him, “Are you going to plead Baal’s cause? Are you trying to save him? Whoever fights for him shall be put to death by morning! If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar" (Judges 6:31).

We don't know how much Joash knew about Gideon's assignment to lead the people, but when he was recruited to oppose his son, he refused and instead stood with him against the people. And we know that Gideon went on to fulfill his purpose and defeat Israel's enemies, thanks in part to his father's support.

Each member of a family should seek to know and then support one another's God-given purpose. While each one's purpose may be hard to understand or not clear initially, the family remains the best purpose support system one for another. Do you know your the purpose for your family members? What can you do to support them? Do they know yours? What can you do to better communicate what God is revealing to your family about your creative purpose?

There are some like David whose family did not support his purpose and there are others, like Esther and Daniel, who had no family that we know of (although Esther had her cousin Mordecai). However, God's best is for creative purpose to be revealed and nurtured in a family setting. Therefore, do what you can now and later to be a family of purpose, and help one another as each one pursues the will of God.

Purpose Study Bible 271: Family Fear

After Gideon confirmed he was indeed hearing from the Lord that he was to lead his people to victory over their enemies, God gave him his first assignment:

That night the Lord said to Gideon, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one that is seven years old. Pull down your father’s altar to Baal, and cut down the Asherah pole standing beside it. Then build an altar to the Lord your God here on this hilltop sanctuary, laying the stones carefully. Sacrifice the bull as a burnt offering on the altar, using as fuel the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down.” So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord had commanded. But he did it at night because he was afraid of the other members of his father’s household and the people of the town (Judges 6:25-27).

Gideon's first act wasn't to attack his external enemies, but rather to deal with one closer to home. He had to tear down his family's ties to idolatry. Gideon did what God asked but did it at night for fear of his family's response.

Family pressure can be an obstacle to your creative purpose. Perhaps you are concerned about your family's or friend's response when you accept and act on your purpose? Maybe your family has a business and the expectation is that you will be part of it? Or maybe many of your family have the same career and there is pressure for you to follow their lead? Or perhaps your family's history isn't one that includes serving the Lord and now you are faced with establishing a new culture that represents the Kingdom of God?

Is God asking you to do something that may not be understood by your family or friends? That's what Gideon was facing. He obeyed the Lord, however, and it turned out later that his father defended his son's decision! You can't control people's responses to your decisions and there are no guarantees that people will be as accepting as Gideon's father. However, you must face where family fear may be hindering your obedience and confront it so you can be and do all that God has for you to be and do.

Purpose Study Bible 270: Peace

When Gideon realized that he had indeed been conversing with God Himself, he had a panic attack:

When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he exclaimed, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!” But the Lord said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.” So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord Is Peace (Judges 6:22-24).

But the Lord comforted him, reassuring him that His intentions were peaceful and were for the good of his people. Thereafter, Gideon constructed an altar to help him and others remember his encounter and revelation.

You also need a revelation that God is peace, that He is not trying to trick or mislead you by putting His desires in your heart. He made you as you are, so you can draw, paint, speak, build, grow, sing, or do what comes naturally for you without fear that you are getting ahead of Him or stepping outside His will. You can pursue the dreams in your mind and heart for they are not the result of ego or evil intention, but a supernaturally natural way of understanding and pursuing God's will for your life.

What are you afraid to do? What boundaries have you set that are not from the Lord that you have determined not to cross, which are now limiting you and your effectiveness for Him? What could you do if you accepted and walked in the reality that your God is the God of peace where you are concerned? When Gideon grasped that he had seen God and lived, he went on to accept God's role for his life. Now, God wants you to do the same.

Purpose Study Bible 269: Is He Waiting for You?

The Lord suddenly and without notice appeared to Gideon, announcing that he was the vessel God had chosen to deliver the people from the Midianites.

Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you.” And the Lord said, “I will wait until you return” (Judges 6:17-18).

Gideon wasn't expecting to be promoted at the time, so he asked for a sign that it was really the Lord who was speaking to and directing him. So he set off to prepare an offering, to which the angel of the Lord responded, "I will wait until you return." God was willing to wait for Gideon and He's willing to wait for you.

You see, God's choice and call are sovereign and irrevocable. Yes, He may find someone else if you refuse, but they won't do what God wanted like you can. Their gifts, experience, and perspective are not the same—they can never be the same—so God waits for you because you are the only one who can do it like you.

So in what area is God waiting for you? Is He waiting for you to write the book, learn the language, take the trip, start the business? He's willing to wait and He is will to confirm His purpose for you, but you still at some point need to cooperate. Has he confirmed His will for you, perhaps on multiple occasions, yet you still procrastinate?

The good news in this story is that Gideon did return, God did confirm His will, and Gideon accepted God's call to lead. Now you have a decision to make. Will you do the same as Gideon or will you keep God waiting for you to return when you are ready to face your fears and accept your creative purpose? It's up to you.

Purpose Study Bible 268: How?

In the last study, we saw that the Lord instructed Gideon to "go in the strength you have" to fight the oppression of the Midianites.

“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive" (Judges 6:15-16).

Gideon asked a simple, one-word question: How? He could not see how he was possibly equipped to do what God was assigning, but the solution to his problem was simple: God would be with him and together they would complete the task. This is similar to what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 6:1" "As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain."

God is with you to do what He has given you to do. If you need to write, He is with you. If you need to give mercy, He is your source for that mercy. Whatever your purpose and whatever your gifts, the answer to the question "how?" is always the same: He will be with you to complete the work, but only if you cooperate and don't receive His grace in vain.

Do you need a reminder today that you are not alone? Where do you have Gideon's attitude? Do you respond like Gideon when God's prompts you to go or do: "How"? If you have accepted God's help, are you willing to go all the way and finish the job? God is willing to be your partner. The question remains, however: Are you willing to be His?

Purpose Study Bible 267: Your Strength Is In Your Call

When God showed up to tell Gideon that he was chosen to lead the people out of bondage, Gideon complained, to which the Lord replied,

The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” (Judges 6:12).

"Go in the strength that you have" and "Am I not sending you?". Those are two important points in your own call to purpose and creativity. You may not feel equipped to do what God has put before you to do, but since faith requires some kind of action response, you should take steps to do what is in your heart to do where you are with what you have. Then the truth found in Hebrews 11:34 will become a reality: "whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies."

Your weakness will transform to strength, but you will get that strength not before you go into battle but when you do. And where does this strength come from? Of course, it comes from the Lord, but let's be more specific. It comes from the Lord sending you to do what you were created to do. Your strength is in your call, your purpose, your mission—or whatever you choose to call it.

What can you do today with the strength that you have, trusting God for more as you go? What battle are you afraid to enter, but now you know God will energize you in it, not before? Where have talked about God's strength being made perfect in your weakness but you're afraid to apply that truth? God encouraged Gideon to go and use what he had and God is saying the same thing to you. Act and then you will see God act even more fully and powerfully on your behalf.

Purpose Study Bible 266: A Mighty Warrior

In Judges 6, we read how wayward Israel was suffering because they had betrayed God. They cried out for help and that's where the story of Gideon begins:

"When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, 'The Lord is with you, mighty warrior'" (Judges 6:12).

God appeared to Gideon and greeted him with a strange salutation, for Gideon had no history of leadership that we know of or any military background for that matter. Yet God greeted him with the title "mighty warrior." In other words, God saw Gideon differently than Gideon saw himself. Either Gideon didn't understand what God had said or he was in no mood for faith affirmations concerning his identity, for he immediately complained to the Lord about the current situation for him and the people.

The point is that it's important for you to walk in who God sees you to be and not who you think you are. It's also necessary for you to step away from what's on your mind and focus on what's on God's mind. That means you have to put aside family, finances, and the cares of this world in order to hear an accurate word from God as to who you are, what your gifts are, and what your purpose assignment is.

Do you have God's perspective on who you are? Do you want it? If you have it, are you walking in it or like in the parable of the sower, has this happened to you: "The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful."? God wants you to know who you are, but you must cooperate with Him as He shows you, and then you must disengage from what you have been doing so you can embrace your creative purpose.

Purpose Study Bible 265: The Someone Is You

Throughout the book of Judges, God's people had sinned and were therefore being oppressed by their enemies. When that happened, God would use certain people to deliver them. In Judges 4, He used a woman to kill the commander of their enemy named Sisera. You may want to read the story for yourself, but here is just one verse for you to consider:

“Most blessed of women be Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, most blessed of tent-dwelling women" (Judges 5:24).

In this verse from Deborah's victory song, she praised a woman named Jael and called her blessed. Why? Because she had seized the moment and done something to help her people. We do not read that God told Jael to do this. In fact, no one told her to do what she did. Her people's enemy came into her tent and was vulnerable, and she took matters into her own hands, literally using a stake and hammer, and took out Sisera. After the victory, Deborah praised God and blessed Jael.

God will bring situations before you and expects you act according to who you are and what you know. If you're a writer, there will be times to write. If you are involved in some other form of creativity, then God expects you to create. He may send you a directive of what to do, but the longer you have known the Lord, the more He will expect you to act and not wait.

What situation is before you that you should or could act as Jael did? What are you waiting for? What are you afraid of? Why are you so surprised that if God wants to do something for others, He desires to go through people like you to get it done? Don't ever think or say, "Someone needs to do something." Instead, just assume you are the someone and then act according to the opportunities and open doors that are before you.

Purpose Study Bible 264: Your Part, Our Part, His Part

The first line of Deborah's song sung to commemorate Israel's victory was:

“When the princes in Israel take the lead, when the people willingly offer themselves—praise the Lord!" (Judges 5:2).

The leaders in Israel finally led and the people responded accordingly, and then the Lord got involved:

“When you, Lord, went out from Seir, when you marched from the land of Edom, the earth shook, the heavens poured, the clouds poured down water. The mountains quaked before the Lord, the One of Sinai, before the Lord, the God of Israel" (Judges 5:4-5).

You have a purpose, something for you to do that only you can do. It may involve leading or you may be required to contribute your gifts to a team that you are not leading. The important thing is for you to know who you are, what you can do, and then get busy doing it—preferably with others who also know who they are. When that happens, God is released to do what only He can do because His people are accepting responsibility to do what He created them to do.

What were you created to do? Do you know? Are you willing to pay the price to find out? With whom can you fulfill your purpose and express your creative gifts? It says in Zephaniah 2:17, "For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs" (NLT). That's the dynamic we see in Judges—when the people engaged, God was activated.

In Judges 5:2, Deborah and the people were singing, but our goal is to have God sing over us because of us. That will only take place when we each accept our role in God's plan and go about joyfully being who God made us to be.