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Articles by Rita Reid

Glorious Gumption: Deborah

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You don’t hear the word gumption used very often. I like the sound of it. It makes me think of courage. It involves wisdom, discernment, spirit, ability, and judgment, among other things. It also requires good old-fashioned get-up-and go! When gumption is utilized in a godly way, I call it glorious. Join me this week as we look as some women who displayed glorious gumption in their lives and understand how we can do something similar!

 

Deborah

Barak told her, “I will go, but only if you go with me.”

“Very well,” she replied, “I will go with you. But you will receive no honor in this venture, for the Lord’s victory over Sisera will be at the hands of a woman.” So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh.  

Judges 4:8-9, NLT

Tuesday_Day_Two_Pic-Trust_God_SignWhen was the last time God told you to do something and you got someone else to do it for you? As believers, the Holy Spirit prompts us to obey the Lord, but we sometimes ignore His commands. It doesn’t have to be anything over the top, either. It could be something as simple as a prompting to go to someone and share your story of what the Lord has done in your life.  “Oh, that’s too hard, Lord. I would but I’m too nervous to go by myself.” We ignore the prompting.

Other times, we may half obey Him by modifying his command. We grab our best godly girlfriend and tell her something like, “Hey girl, I know how you love to share your testimony with others. Come see so-and-so with me. God’s got something for us to tell her.” We’ve just put our trust in someone else ahead of putting it in God. Is half obedience really obedience at all?

It’s not like God’s going to crumble and say His plan is ruined because we disobeyed Him. When we fail to obey God’s commands, He still accomplishes His plan, often with someone else who’s willing to obey. They get a blessing and we miss out. God still gets His glory.

This was the case for the people in today’s Dose verses. Read them.  God told the prophetess Deborah to pass on His command to Barak to call out warriors and go to an appointed place for war.  God even gave her instructions for Barak explaining what He (God) was going to do to give Barak the victory over the enemy (Judges 4:4-7). Barak chose to let Deborah lead, over God.

Deborah, however, rose to the challenge and was utilized to take part in the military campaign to overthrow the Canaanite tormentors. She put her faith squarely in the hands of God and acted without hesitation. Her trust was in God to protect and direct her. What glorious gumption this took!

God used Deborah to accomplish His task because of her wealth of faith and Barak’s lack of faith.

Sometimes we trust in people over God. We have the possibility of leading others to the Lord with our testimonies of how God is working in our lives, but when we don’t show the faith and courage to lead, God may decide not to use us.

Are you trusting in people over the Lord today?

Glorious gumption through trust in God,

Rita

[Read Judges 4 & 5 for more of this story]

Glorious Gumption: Esther

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You don’t hear the word gumption used very often. I like the sound of it. It makes me think of courage. It involves wisdom, discernment, spirit, ability, and judgment, among other things. It also requires good old-fashioned get-up-and go! When gumption is utilized in a godly way, I call it glorious. Join me this week as we look at some women who displayed glorious gumption in their lives and understand how we can do something similar!

 

Esther

“…though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.”  

Esther 4:16, NLT

Monday_Day_One_Pic-Fear-Courage_SignHave you been reluctant to ask for help from someone in authority for fear something awful would happen to you?  For example, in a work situation, you may need to bring a matter to the boss’s attention. He may be the only one who can take the required action. Yet you fear he won’t listen to you, or worse, not believe you. You may ask, “What’s going to happen to me if I approach him?”  Perhaps the better question is what’s going to happen to others if I don’t?

Queen Esther experienced a similar, even more serious, predicament. She needed help from the king but had to get past the king’s evil top official, Haman. Haman had plotted to get rid of the Jewish people, Esther’s people, through directly targeting her uncle, Mordecai. Mordecai told her she needed to speak to the king on behalf of her people and herself (Esther 4:5-15).

Initially, Esther didn’t want to face the reality of Haman’s order to kill the Jews. She was preoccupied with her own fear that she could be killed for coming before the king without being invited. This very real fear prevented her from considering the long range results should she refuse to do the right thing in a timely manner.

Read today’s Dose verse. Esther eventually agreed to assist her people by going before King Xerxes, despite the uncertainty of whether she’d be welcomed or harmed. This action took great courage, glorious gumption! (Esther 5: 1-3)

Esther also prayed, fasted, and asked her people do the same (Esther 4: 15-17). She displayed godly wisdom in seeking God first and selecting the right time and atmosphere to present her requests to the king (after a couple of feasts, where he’d be relaxed and more receptive to a favorable answer. See Esther 5:4-8 and chapter 7.)

Sometimes the only thing blocking us from receiving the help we so desperately need is our own fear. When we trust God to move us through our fear to appropriate action we can act with glorious gumption, even against the threat of death, as Esther did!

Dear one, are you failing to act today due to your fear? Ask God for help and surround yourself with godly believers to pray with you.

Glorious gumption over fear,

Rita

[Read all of Esther for more of this story]

Our Heart-Soil: Planting Seed

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Have you ever thought of your heart as a bed of soil for the seed of God’s Word to grow? When better than spring—a time known for new growth—to consider the soil of our hearts? How well does it allow the word of the Lord to grow? Won’t you join me this week as we search for answers? You might be as surprised by what we discover!

Planting Seed

“Then Jesus said to them, “If you can’t understand the meaning of this parable, how will you understand all the other parables? The farmer plants seed by taking God’s word to others.”

Mark 4:13-14 NLT

Soil isn’t the only thing important for effective seed growth. The planting of the seed is just as vital because, without proper planting, no seed will grow.

Friday_Day_Five_Pic_#1-Onion_PlanterYears ago, I wanted to help my mother grow vegetables in our backyard garden. One day she asked me to plant the row of onions while she went inside to take care of something. “No problem, Mother, I can do that!” However, it seemed to take them a long while to come up. After no sight of onions for some time, my mother asked me if I’d ever even planted them. I assured her I had.

“Then why aren’t they showing,” she queried? Finally, she went out to check them herself and discovered that I’d placed each bulb in the ground pointy-side down. No wonder they weren’t growing. I’d planted them upside down. They’d never grow that way. Turns out I didn’t have any idea of how to plant the onions because I’d never actually seen her do it nor did I bother to ask. I mean, how hard could it be, right? You’ve got a bulb, you’ve got the ground, and you shove it in there, voila! I thought I knew. Had I simply asked, wouldn’t she have told me? Of course she would.

The same principle applies with spreading God’s Word. Read today’s Dose verse. God commands us to spread the Good News of salvation to others. But, if our hearts are not receptive to the Holy Spirit and God’s word, like those of the religious leaders Jesus spoke to in parables, we won’t be equipped to plant His seed to anyone.

Friday_Day_Five_Pic_#2-Hands_on_BibleWhen our hearts are right toward the Lord, the Holy Spirit works in and through us to plant the seed of God’s word into the hearts and lives of others. We need only be willing and ask Him to do so.

There are so many people around us who don’t know the hope of salvation and new life in Christ Jesus. Maybe you’re saying today that this is you, Dear Lady. Do you want Him to change you? He’s waiting to, just ask.

If you’re already a believer, have you asked the Master Planter how He wants to use you to effectively sew the seed of His Word into the lives of people within your sphere of influence today? He is faithful and will provide you with the answer.

Planting the seed,

Rita