Live the Word Bible Studies

Purpose Study Bible 211: Your Special Place

The Lord had a set place where He would meet with the people and leaders on their journey to the Promised Land, which they simply referred to as the "tent of meeting."

The Lord said to Moses, “Now the day of your death is near. Call Joshua and present yourselves at the tent of meeting, where I will commission him.” So Moses and Joshua came and presented themselves at the tent of meeting. Then the Lord appeared at the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the cloud stood over the entrance to the tent (Deuteronomy 31:14-15).

It was a place where God would reveal Himself to them in an actual physical manifestation, in this instance a pillar of cloud.

Jesus seemed to have this kind of place called the Garden of Gethsemane where He went the night of His betrayal. It also seems that the desert wilderness in Matthew 4 was also such a place. After Jesus' Resurrection, He told the disciples to meet in Galilee, even though they were already assembled in Jerusalem. It was there that He gave them what we know to be the Great Commission to go to all the nations.

Sometimes, there is a special place that you also seem to find the Lord whenever you go there. It may be what some call a "prayer closet," a place in your home or office that is a dedicated place of prayer and worship for you. But it doesn't have to be a "holy" place. It may sound strange, but for me, it's live sports events or travel that seem to refresh me and serve as places where God reveals Himself to me.

For you, perhaps it's a museum, or travel, or the mountains, or the beach. It's important that you pay attention to where that place is and get there as often as you can. Have you ever given thought to where your "tent of meeting" is? Where is that special place for you? Keep in mind, it may not be a place, but an activity like writing poetry, reading certain kinds of books, study, or teaching. Just pay attention to where you are and what you're doing that produces a sense of joy and wonder, and you will have found a key to a productive life and thriving relationship with the God of your special place.

Purpose Study Bible 210: Confidence

The Lord gave the people this directive if the people of the Land refused to come to terms with their presence:

^"If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city" (Deuteronomy 20:12).

Do you know how they laid siege to a city? Basically, they surrounded the city and waited until the inhabitants ran out of food or water and surrendered. If the attacking army ran out of provisions first, then they would call off the siege and the inhabitants were safe.

Usually, the attacking army built fortifications around the city to ensure that no one could get in or out. Who built those fortifications? It was those who had the creative skill to build. And who organized the siege? It was those who had the insight to lay out the plan and the leadership to communicate it and organize the troops. The point is that a simple command like "lay siege to the city" required people of purpose who were creative. They had to know what to do and when to do it.

When God gives you an assignment, He doesn't give you one you can't complete. You may not be sure you have the wherewithall to get it done, but God does. Where have you been trying to talk God out of what He has given you to do? Where have you been delaying, trying to talk yourself out of it? Are you supposed to be part of a team where what you can do will complement the rest so the task can get done?

In short, it's time for you to exhibit the same confidence in yourself that God has in you. Or perhaps it's better to say it's time to have the confidence that God knew what He was doing when He gave you your gifts and then the assignment that involves using them.

Purpose Study Bible 209: The Flame of Faith

Last week, we saw that the priest and army commanders were to weed out the fearful as the army went into battle. That's because both fear and faith are contagious and the army didn't need anyone spreading fear germs. Then once the fearful had been removed, we read

"When the officers have finished speaking to the army, they shall appoint commanders over it" (Deuteronomy 20:9).

The leaders weren't chosen until the fearful were gone, which meant that faith, not battle prowess or physical strength, were the most important characteristics to be looked for in the commanders. The same is true for you.

If you are going to be purposeful and creative, you have to deal with your fear and have faith. We read in 2 Timothy 1:7, "For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." You may memorize that verse but that doesn't guarantee you aren't full of fear about certain things. What's more, most of us ignore the context for that verse, which we find in 2 Timothy 1:6: "For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands."

The context for "no fear" is in expressing "your gift." You are to "fan into flame" the gifts God has given you. That means you are to be a raging inferno and not "this little light of mine" that you then cover with a bushel because you don't want to draw attention to yourself. Where is fear controlling your actions? Could you lack of promotion from God be cause of your fear? What gifts do you have that are like a fire? What can you do to fan those gifts into a more significant flame?

Your flame is to act like the burning bush that Moses was attracted to. That bush burned but was never consumed. When you are in your purpose and when you have confronted your fear, you will serve as a bright beacon of encouragement for others to give themselves permission to be who God made them to be because they see you doing the same.

Purpose Study Bible 208: Contagious

Moses prepared the people as best he could for what they were about to face when they entered the Promised Land and unfortunately that included times of warfare:

"When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. He shall say: 'Hear, Israel: Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them. For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.' ... Then the officers shall add, 'Is anyone afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so that his fellow soldiers will not become disheartened too'” (Deuteronomy 20:2-4, 8).

It was the priest and not their generals or leaders who was to encourage the troops, first of all reminding them that the Lord was going with them to fight against their enemies. Therefore, they were forbidden to be "fainthearted or afraid." That indicates fear is a rational decision and is the opposite of faith and trust.

If someone was not willing or able to overcome their fear, then they were to go home. Why "So their fellow soldiers will not become disheartened too." That indicates that fear is contagious, and thus the fearful had to be segregated from the faithful. If fear was contagious, then it must mean that faith is contagious too. Consequently, your fear and your faith are transferable. Someone can catch either from you because you are contagious—you don't exist to be by yourself, but to fight alongside others.

Where have you decided to live with fear, making peace with its presence? Have you "gone home" so to speak, not willing to pay the price to fight for God's promises? How can you make your faith a source of inspiration and encouragement for others? Through a testimony? Your actions? How can you keep the truth uppermost in your mind that as you go, God has already gone before you to give you the victory? Fear or faith? Which do you want to be known for? I hope you choose faith but if not, don't allow your fear germs to infect and weaken other people.

Study Bible 207: Comparison

When Moses died, this was the testimony of the people:

Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, who did all those signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do in Egypt—to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land (Deuteronomy 34:10-11).

Moses was such a "giant" in the lore of Israel so much so that centuries later, people were still "following him" when Jesus lived and taught. Yet that didn't prevent other prophets after him from accepting and fulfilling their prophetic call, even though Moses was the "best" and God spoke to him face to face.

When you look to express your purpose and creativity, you can be intimidated by others who are more gifted, skilled, or anointed than you are. In fact, no matter what you do, there's always someone you look at and say, "Wow, I wish I was more like them," which means you can never feel good enough to be who you are. This speaks to one of the obstacles to being effective in your purpose and that is the habit of comparison. When you look at what you do and compare it to what others have done, it can cause you to stop being creative.

In your opinion, you aren't "as good" as the other person (and of course, you always compare yourself to the best in your field that ever was). Stop and think about that. What is good where creativity is concerned? Is creativity a process and can your simple efforts today lead to stellar creativity tomorrow? Is it wise to compare your initial or even mature efforts to what someone else may have spent a lot of time developing? 

Paul described an important principle that he used when he looked at his work: "We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves.  When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise" (2 Corinthians 10:12-13). Why not do something creative this week, or take a purpose step, and discipline yourself not to compare it to what anyone else has done? Is it the best it can be right now? If it is, then I would say you have done a good job.

Purpose Study Bible 206: Wisdom for What?

God helped Moses take care of a succession plan for after he died. Joshua was the man and we read in Numbers 27 what Moses did to identify Joshua as such:

So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit of leadership, and lay your hand on him. Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly and commission him in their presence" (Numbers 27:18-19).

As Moses was about to die, we then read this:

Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what the Lord had commanded Moses (Deuteronomy 34:8).

In one instance, Joshua had the spirit of leadership and in another the spirit of wisdom. Is it a fair and logical conclusion then that Joshua had a spirit of wisdom to lead because leadership was his purpose in life? Then can we also assume that this wisdom was to help him do creative things as leader for he was certainly going to face problems and challenges no one had ever faced before which were going to require God's creative wisdom to address them?

It's not enough to know your purpose; you then need to know what to do with it and how to fulfill it. That will involve creative wisdom for no one has ever tried to be who you are for you are a unique being. For me, I need wisdom to build in Africa, to write, and to publish around the world? "God, give me specific wisdom for those endeavors!"

If you were going to ask for the spirit of wisdom, what would it be for? Would it be to teach, to lead, to build, to give, to learn? Is there someone in your life or even online who can mentor or impart something to you like Moses did to Joshua? It's sort of like raising a child. Their birth is the easy part, the hard part is the next 21 years! To raise them you need wisdom and the same is true for your God-given purpose. Ask for it in faith and then expect to receive it so you can be effective doing what God created you to do.

Study Bible 205: Family Business

Last week, we looked at part of Moses' blessing he bestowed on the tribe of Judah. This week, let's look at it in its entirety:

“Your Thummim and Urim belong  to your faithful servant. You tested him at Massah; you contended with him at the waters of Meribah. He said of his father and mother, ‘I have no regard for them.' He did not recognize his brothers or acknowledge his own children, but he watched over your word and guarded your covenant. He teaches your precepts to Jacob and your law to Israel. He offers incense before you and whole burnt offerings on your altar. Bless all his skills, Lord, and be pleased with the work of his hands. Strike down those who rise against him, his foes till they rise no more" (Deuteronomy 33:8-11).

A Levite wasn't called into a Levitical ministry; they were born into it. In a sense, that was their family business and they were to carry on the tradition in accordance with God's requirements. In modern families, this can be carried too far when parents insist children follow in their family's footsteps or work in the family business. But there are situations where that is normal and appropriate.

What talents or skills does your family have? What trades or careers have they pursued? What talents have your family members have? Could those answers hold clues to your purpose in life? It could be that God doesn't want you to follow your family's tradition, or perhaps He does. And if He does, you will do it in a style and creativity that is consistent with who He made you to be.

The point this week is to seek God's will and not automatically assume it is His will or assume that it isn't. Or maybe it's His will for you to start a family business that is cross-generational. As you seek your purpose, don't overlook the obvious that God put you in your family for a reason so that you can carry on a purpose that was established before you were even born.

Purpose Study Bible 204: Skills

Right before Moses died, he recorded the words of blessing he spoke over each tribe. Some of the tribes got only a few words and other tribes got many, but here is part of the blessing for the tribe of Levi, the priests who were to handle the worship affairs of the nation:

"Bless all his skills, Lord, and be pleased with the work of his hands" (Deuteronomy 33:11).

What a simple prayer but one that is so appropriate for any one of God's people, for now we are a nation of priests: "For you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light "(1 Peter 2:9, NLT). We can show others the goodness of God because we are His people, His Levites and servants, and He is in the midst of who we are.

What is implied in the verse from Deuteronomy 33? Each one had skills or talents, perhaps the equivalent of what we would call gifts today. Moses prayed for God's blessing on those skills that they would be used effectively and that what they produce would result in their intended purpose and design. This blessing implied fruit, for Moses asked that God would be pleased with the "work of his [Levi's] hands."

Are you praying for the blessing to be on someone else's work? Are you asking God to bless your own skills and talents? Are you producing something through the work of your hands according to your skills? Are you giving God something to bless through the work you do? If God is going to get His work done on earth, He has to use you. Don't make it difficult for Him to do so, but position yourself to be pleasing to God by making your skills available to Him and others.

Purpose Study Bible 203: To The End

Moses wrote down everything he felt his people would need to know as they entered the Promised Land. He couldn't go in with them, so the next best thing to do was to write so that his voice would be heard even after he was gone. The Word reports,

^"After Moses finished writing in a book the words of this law from beginning to end ..." (Deuteronomy 31:24).

There is one important word in this short statement. Do you know what it is? If you said finished, you would be correct. It had a beginning—something which many writers have—and an end, which all writers must have if they want to call themselves an author. Moses didn't talk about his book. He didn't just start his book. He didn't go over it again and again to perfect it. He wrote and finished it, and it turned out to be quite a long book.

Many people talk about writing a book or two, but a book doesn't get written by talking about it. It requires a general plan that starts with the purpose and then some thoughts that could be chapters. Then it requires writing every day, for if someone writes every now and then, they have to waste time re-reading what they have written to pick up where they left off. Then the temptation is to edit what they've written which can prevent them from making progress, all because they aren't writing with urgency or regularity.

Do you have a book on your heart? When are you going to produce it? Do you think it will easier to do later rather than now? Have you started something but haven't finished it? Writing requires being committed to see the project through to the end, pressing through the fear that it's inadequate—that you're inadequate—and getting help from a coach or editor if need be. Don't wait any longer to make your publishing dream a reality. If you want to write a book, do what Moses did by making sure your work has a beginning and an end.

Purpose Study Bible 202: A Long Song

After all the instruction Moses gave in the book of Deuteronomy, the Lord had him summarize the blessings and curses for obeying the Law in a song:

“'Now write down this song and teach it to the Israelites and have them sing it, so that it may be a witness for me against them.' ...  So Moses wrote down this song that day and taught it to the Israelites" (Deuteronomy 31:19, 22).

We then read in Deuteronomy 32:1-43,

Moses came with Joshua son of Nun and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people. When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel, he said to them, “Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you—they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess" (Deuteronomy 32:44-47).

It doesn't appear that Moses put the words to music; that was someone else's gift. However, he wrote the lyrics through the Spirit's inspiration, but the melody wasn't inspired. It was something to help the people remember the words of the song. It turned out to be a long song, included in Deuteronomy 32:1-43.

Perhaps God has laid it on your heart to write something, perhaps a play, a song, poetry, music, a blog, or even short stories and a book. What are you doing with that inclination to create? Are you putting it in the category of this inspired song? In all probability, God won't dictate what you're to produce. That will emanate from your own God-given creative gift.

Are you cooperating with your creative urges, or are you finding all kinds of excuses why now is not the right or best time to create? Are you waiting on God to do what only you can do, like write, rhyme, or produce? Moses's song wasn't meant to entertain or edify the people; it was to teach them. It was a tool to help them remember the life-and-death consequences of their obedience. Don't take your own creativity and yourself so seriously. It's meant for you to enjoy and then, if you have the courage to share it, for others to do the same.

What's more, the more you exercise your creativity, the easier it will be to do so. You will grow and have more confidence in your creative abilities. This week, ask God to help you, but then summon the courage to take steps to make your creative thoughts a reality. Your work may not be something that future generations will appreciate like Moses' song was, but it's still worthy of your effort to produce it. And until you do, you don't really know how God will use it.