A Perfect Heart - A Woman's Heart: God's Dwelling Place Bible Study by Beth Moore

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A Perfect Heart

The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. – 2 Chronicles 16:9

We were each created fore a special purpose.  He wanted us.

Everyone who is called by My name, And whom I have created for My glory, Whom I have formed, even whom I have made. – Isaiah 43:7

My favorite quote from this lesson:  Of all the grandeur Heaven could boast, God measures His riches by His children.  We are His wealth, the apple of His eye, created to be His treasure. – Beth Moore

Matthew 6:21 tells us that where our heart is, our treasure will be there also.  God’s heart is where His treasure is.  We are His treasure.  His heart is with us.

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Our human hearts are deceitful.

The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?  – Jeremiah 17:9

The imperfect, deceitful condition of the human heart is the reason God wants us to give our whole heart to Him.

Adam and Eve were gifted with the perfect circumstances for successfully living a holy life free from sin, yet they still made poor choices.  Even under perfect circumstances, they could not maintain perfectly pure hearts.

Only God can change the condition of the human heart.

Whether or not to honor God is a choice we all must make.  Even under the worst of circumstances, Noah still walked with God.  Noah chose to honor God in spite of all the evil around him.

If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. – Joshua 24:15 

God desires us.  His heart is perfect.  Our hearts can only be perfected in Him.  Our hearts are His dwelling place.

To reap the benefits of Beth Moore’s full Bible Study lessons, I encourage you to purchase your own copy and go through each Bible study.  A group Bible study is recommended but you can go through this study individually if you wish.

Read all posts in this series here.

You can get the study book only here, but if you are doing the study alone or hosting it, you'll need the entire leader kit below.

This item is available here.

 

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The following are my notes taken during my pastor's sermon.

Praying for God's Will

When we pray for God's will:

1.  We are praying for a promise to be fulfilled.

2.  We are praying for a personal request.

*We must repent.

Before we say, "Your kingdom come," we must say, "my kingdom go."

*We must commit.

But Jesus said to him, "No one after putting his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God." - Luke 9:62

*We must be available.

3.  We are praying for people around us.

*God gives to us to give through us.

Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness;  you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.  For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God. - 2 Corinthians 9:10-12

*God meets our need when we meet the needs of others.

Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry
And bring the homeless poor into the house;
When you see the naked, to cover him;
And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then your light will break out like the dawn,
And your recovery will speedily spring forth;
And your righteousness will go before you;
The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
You will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you remove the yoke from your midst,The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness. - Isaiah 58:7-9

The Empty Garden: A Woman's Heart Bible Study Series by Beth Moore

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The Empty Garden

Last night, I started attending a new Beth Moore Bible Study, A Woman’s Heart: God’s Dwelling Place.  Our first lesson is titled An Empty Garden.  Beth takes us to a place in Genesis where God first introduces his desire to meet personally with His children.  In Genesis, that place was in the Garden of Eden.

They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.  Then the Lord God called the man, and said to him, “Where are you?’ – Genesis 3:8-9

We learn in Exodus 25 that God instructed the sons of Israel to build a tabernacle.  The purpose of the tabernacle was to provide a place for God to meet with His people – to dwell among them.

Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them. – Exodus 25:8 

God’s desire from the very beginning was to meet personally and intimately with His children.  Sin separated man from God, breaking personal communication, personal meetings between man and God.  As I read Genesis 3 again, for the purpose of this study, I read it from a different perspective.  I had already been through the introduction to A Woman’s Heart so I knew Beth’s goal is to teach us the purpose of the tabernacle – a place for God to meet and dwell with His people.  As I read verses 8 and 9, it hit me – God was going to meet with Adam and Eve.  I knew it before, but I suppose it never hit me the way it did tonight.  I realized that this was a natural and normal event in the Garden of Eden.  God must have frequently walked through the garden in the cool of the day to enjoy personal fellowship with Adam and Eve.  I can’t begin to imagine what that must have been like.

Beth goes on to teach us that God still seeks our fellowship.  He still values time with us.  He still pursues us.  Through Jesus, God has given us the gift of reconciliation with Him.  Much like God covered Adam and Eve’s nakedness with the skin of animals (animals die when they are skinned), God has covered our sin with the blood of Jesus (who died to cover our sin).

Tomorrow’s lesson is titled A Perfect Heart.  I look forward to sharing what I learn with you.

When I share what I learn, I’m careful not to plagiarize Beth’s work.  I encourage you to support Beth’s ministry by purchasing her materials and personally going through her Bible studies yourself.  When you do, you will reap the full benefit of her studies and experience God’s full blessings through your journey.

 Read all posts in this series here.

You can purchase the study book only here, but if you are doing this study alone or if you are planning to host a study in your home, you'll need the complete leader kit below. 

This item is available here.