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Woodlawn Family Bible Study SATURDAY BIBLE READING:    Joshua 6.12-21 In the book of Joshua we see the children of Israel defeating many places, such as Jericho and Ai. These places had become very wicked and had ignored chance after chance that God provided them to turn to Him. These places were sacrificing and killing babies. There were many different kinds of sexual sins. Many times we set back and say, “They got what they deserved.” Our nation is doing the same thing. We have aborted babies at an alarming rate since the early 1970’s. We seem to encourage sexual sins. There are very few commercials or televisions shows, today, that do not insinuate sexual sins. If we as a nation do not listen to the warnings God gives us, we will have the same judgment placed on us as the sinful places in the book of Joshua did. When God runs out of patience and judgement, it will be too late. We can increase military or weapons but it will not matter. If God says it is over, it is over!

Woodlawn Family Bible Study FRIDAY BIBLE READING:    1 Corinthians 6:9-20 When I was in school and I had a test coming up, I always wanted a list of things to study. It made it easier on my mind if I could know what to focus on and where my thought needed to be. The list, also, made me realize the things I did not have to study. God gives us lists in parts of the Bible, so we can check ourselves and see where we stand. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 is one of those places. It is a list of sins that can keep an individual out of the kingdom. We need to make some changes if we find ourselves in this list. I love verse eleven because it gives us hope. We can still repent and go to Heaven if we are willing to make some changes in our lives. God is so good! Application: Make a list of things you know you need to change in your life. Prayer Requests

Woodlawn Family Bible Study THURSDAY BIBLE READING:    1 Corinthians 1:4-31 Do you ever wonder why so many people ignore God? You can look around and see that this world had to be created by a greater power. This world and all its complexity could not have been an accident. So why do millions ignore God? Why do millions ignore the cross where Christ died for their sins? Deep down we are all selfish. We want it all right now, and so many think that includes ignoring God. Sadly they are in the process of perishing. 1 Corinthians 1:18, “For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are  perishing, but to us who are being saved  it is the power of God.” Prayer Requests

Woodlawn Family Bible Study WEDNESDAY BIBLE READING:    Psalm 4:1-8 Psalm 4:1 reads, “When I call out, answer me, O God who vindicates me! Though I am hemmed in, you will lead me into a wide, open place. Have mercy on me and respond to my prayer!” Is it not great to have a God who wants to listen to our prayers? Our God craves our love and attention. Our God will answer our prayers if we will try to pay attention to the message He sends us. Our God loves and respects us. How much time do you spend with your loving God? How often do you talk to Him? Are your prayers cold and distant? Is it something you do just to check it off your list?  Application: Develop a relationship with God. Be open with your prayers. It will change your life! Prayer Requests

Woodlawn Family Bible Study TUESDAY BIBLE READING:    Genesis 1:1-31 We live in a world of very intelligent men and women. We have developed ways to communicate across this world in a matter of seconds. We have an International Space Station. We can send pictures back from deep in the solar system. If it were all left up to me, we would struggle greatly to have fire, light and food. I am not a guy that is going to change the world with new technology. It amazes me that with all the knowledge men and women have, that they cannot find where this world would began. They look for things like the Big Bang Theory or a type of evolution. As smart as they are, they do not know where to look. A simple guy like me who cannot boil water or walk and chew gum at the same time, knows that answer. Genesis 1:1 says, “ In the beginning GOD”. Prayer Requests

Woodlawn Family Bible Study MONDAY BIBLE READING:    John 18.1-11 In John Chapter 18, we read about Judas betraying Jesus Christ. We know that he craved money and that he was paid to send Jesus to his death. We also read later how Judas took his own life. He could not deal with the problems he had caused. Peter denied Christ and he was sad and frustrated with his actions. The difference in the two men is how they handled failure. Judas took his life. He must have felt that he could not be forgiven. This is not true, because we know that on the cross Jesus asked God to forgive those who had crucified Him. Peter used his failure to inspire himself to preach and teach. He became a great power in the kingdom.  Application: How will you handle failures? Will they push you toward being a better person, or will you give up? Prayer Requests

Woodlawn Family Bible Study SATURDAY BIBLE READING:    Matthew 25:33-46; James 2:13-16 MAIN IDEA :  “IS FEELING SORRY FOR SOMEONE IN NEED ENOUGH?” DISCUSSION :  I think mercy, as it applies to our Christian responsibilities, might be defined as withholding judgment and doing good to all those in need. God tells us He will have mercy on us if we show mercy. What can we do today to start showing mercy to others?  It is easy to have compassion on the poor, homeless and hungry people that we see every day.  However, ask yourself this: Do I have enough compassion for this person to take action as Christ did?  After all, isn’t mercy just compassion in action?  If we don’t provide mercy to people who need our help we already know the consequences. Are we guilty of judging why someone needs our help?  Do we try to justify our lack of action (mercy) because they don’t meet the threshold we have set within our own mind for us to show mercy to them? Do we clear our conscience fro

Woodlawn Family Bible Study FRIDAY BIBLE READING:   Proverbs 25:14 and 1 John 1:6-9 MAIN IDEA :  “Mistake or Choice?” DISCUSSION :  If one makes a mistake, then an apology is usually sufficient to get things back on an even keel. However, most people don’t know why an apology does not always seem to be accepted. It is simply because they didn’t make a mistake, they made a choice, and never understood the difference between the two. For example, you may commit to a friend to help them by keeping their children one weekend.  Then, on your way to go pick up their children, you have an accident and can’t keep them. This failure to do what you said was due to someone's mistake, and an apology would be all that is required to make amends.   However, let’s look at a different scenario.  You have committed to keep a friend’s children one weekend. Another friend calls and invites you to go to a ball game that same weekend and you choose to go, not honoring the commitment you

Woodlawn Family Bible Study THURSDAY BIBLE READING:    Philippians 2:12   MAIN IDEA : “Do you Need Change?” DISCUSSION :  Change, in most people’s minds, takes a long time. Actually, change happens immediately - in a heartbeat. It may take a long time to decide to change, but change is instantaneous.   It is hard to decide to make necessary changes in our life. One of the reasons change is hard is because we may have previously made a mistake on what behavior is acceptable. As we mature we realize that certain behavior isn’t acceptable. We must admit, to ourselves and possibly friends and family, when we are wrong.  Sometimes we justify our actions with excuses or blame someone else. We must realize that we are responsible for working out our own salvation; blame is not going to fix it. Sometimes we give ourselves credit for good intentions and consider it fixed. We know that planning and doing are two separate things.  Realizing when change is needed is very importan

Woodlawn Family Bible Study WEDNESDAY BIBLE READING:    Philippians 4: 6-8 MAIN IDEA :  “Do you really have confidence in God?” DISCUSSION :  Do you worry too much?  Think about this: 40% of things you worry about will never happen  30% of things have already happened 12% of our worries are about needless imaginings of our health 10% of our worries are about what other people may think about you 8% of our worrying is about legitimate things So much of our energy is focused on things we can’t control or things we have no energy or ability to fix it. Many people find it hard to put all their cares and worries in God’s hands. It is human nature to worry, but as Christians we have a way to reduce the stress of worry. Two ways that can help reduce the stress of worry are God's Word and prayer. Having confidence in God is worth more to you than any confidence you may have in your own powers to handle worry. Only God can give you the internal peace to your soul du

Woodlawn Family Bible Study TUESDAY BIBLE READING:    Philippians 2:4 MAIN IDEA :  “We all have different dialects” DISCUSSION :  It seems that most of us grow up expecting everyone else to be like us, but it is not that way. We are all different. Think about it. A person in Alabama speaks the same language as a person from Scotland, but their dialects are so drastically different that they often can’t understand each other at all. Sometimes we have this similar problem in our relationships. Our languages are the same, we both love each other, but our dialects have gotten in the way.  You can completely misunderstand a message/action simply because of the different “dialects” between two people. After all, most of us grow up expecting everyone to be like ourselves. Why doesn’t everyone see and like things the same way I do?             For us to get along in this arena of family and other relationships, we must learn that the dialect we speak isn’t the only one used in o

Woodlawn Family Bible Study MONDAY BIBLE READING:    Philippians 2:3-5 MAIN IDEA :  “Is it important what others see in you?” DISCUSSION :  Do you think we have a good perspective of how others see us? Do we even think about it? Is it important for us to give thought to this? Most of the time people either think too highly of themselves or too low of themselves, compared to how others think about them.            Paul tells us in Philippians 2:3-5, ”Do not act out of selfish ambition or conceit, but with humility think of others as being better than yourselves. Do not be concerned about your own interests, but also be concerned about the interests of others.  Have the same attitude among yourselves that was also in Christ Jesus.”  We should we ask ourselves this question: "What is it about me other people would change if they could?"   Another person’s perspective about you can sometimes be as important as your perspective about yourself. As a Christian, sett

Woodlawn Family Bible Study SATURDAY BIBLE READING:    Psalm 11.1-7 MAIN IDEA :  “PRAISE PREPARATION” I recall as a child in Sunday school class singing the song: “The Lord is in His holy Temple.  Let all the earth keep silent before Him…Keep silent…. keep silent…keep silent before Him” I think that was one of those songs that the teacher could use to try to get us quiet in class. Nevertheless, the statement is true, but where is this temple?  Many people believe that this use of the word is describing God’s heavenly home, or the actual temple that would be built during the reign of Solomon.  However, for us as Christians today this phase takes on a whole new meaning.  Paul said “Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.” (I Corinthians 3.16-17) Isn’t that hard to believe!  I mean just think for a moment…Jeh

Woodlawn Family Bible Study FRIDAY BIBLE READING:    Isaiah 40-43 I hate going to the doctor! If it isn’t the way that I feel that gets me there, it is the copay I have to make at the end, or the shot that I have to get in my backside, or the lecture I get on what I should be doing that I am not. I HATE IT ALL! But the number one thing I hate about going to the doctor, is the waiting room. I hate having to wait. I guess that is my Generation X mentality. If I can get a pizza delivered to my house in 30 minutes or less, why do I have to wait hours in a waiting room? So I wait, and wait, and wait and you do too. In fact, there are several places where God just has us to wait, and whether we like it or not, we must wait! Moses waited 40 years in the wilderness of Midian before God called him to lead the nation of Israel. Noah waited almost 370 days on the ark. Joseph waited no telling how many years in Egypt and in prison before being blessed by God. The point is we ought to get

Woodlawn Family Bible Study THURSDAY BIBLE READING:    Isaiah 37-39; Psalm 76 Are you a conspiracy theorist? Do you think that the government has a massive cover up on Area 51, the Kennedy assassination, or the moon landing? There are those like Mulder and Scully that believe “ the truth is out there, “but the “man” ( whoever that may be), is covering it up because we could not handle the truth. You know that the Bible is real, because if it wasn’t someone would have found a way to hide or  cover up those skeletons in the closets that fill the lineage of Jesus Christ. Did you know that in the genealogy of Jesus we have a woman who was simply referred to as “Rahab the Harlot”? There is also Judah, a man who slept with his own daughter-in-law, thinking she was a prostitute. Then there is that whole adultery/murder scandal with David and Bathsheba. If the Bible were a man-made document someone would have found a way to keep these stories out of the Bible. God allows them in, but

Woodlawn Family Bible Study WEDNESDAY BIBLE READING:    Isaiah 35-36 We are at WAR! I am not talking about the Taliban, Isis or however else our war on terror is classified. I mean each and every one of us is at war with ourselves, and the state of our eternity hangs in the balance. Every moment we are conscious there is a battle going on within our minds over the claim of our soul. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). Are you prepared for battle today? Have you conferred with The Commanding Officer? Have you sharpened your Sword of the Spirit for the fight that is about to ensue? We cannot allow a single moment to slip away from our control, because once the enemy gets a foothold on our lives he does not want to let go. Make sure you are prepared before you go to battle today.  Praye

Woodlawn Family Bible Study TUESDAY BIBLE READING:    Isaiah 31-34 One of Paul’s friends who accompanied him on his missionary journey was named Demas. His name is only used three times in Scripture. He is first mentioned with Paul as he sends greetings with Luke and Demas to the church at Colossae. Then he is mentioned in Philemon 24 as sending greetings again with Luke and Paul to Philemon.  The last time he is mentioned, however, is not in a positive light. “For Demas, in love with this present would, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia” ( 2 Timothy 4:10).  How could a man who had followed Paul and Luke, and had seen the great and powerful things God was able to do through them, all of a sudden just desert them for present world? Was it money? Was it fame? Was it a woman? Whatever it was, it started as something small and grew into something led him away from God. Sadly, what happened to Demas is not that uncommon.

Woodlawn Family Bible Study MONDAY BIBLE READING:    Isaiah 28-30 Let’s try a little exercise: Go to your refrigerator and pull out that dish that is way in the back. You know, the one you had forgotten about and saved for lunch the next day...three weeks ago...and it now looks like a science experiment. Now open it.  I know, gross isn’t it? I mean how many colors of the mold spectrum can there be? Now that you have it open, take your spoon and dig out a big dollop and place it in you mouth. Go ahead, you can do it.  Now, swallow it. There you go.  Now that wasn’t so bad, was it?  WAIT!  NO!  NOT ON THE CARPET!  You vomited didn’t you? I would have too! We all know that feeling that we get when we put something in our mouth that we know is not going to stay there for very long. It is an awful feeling. Just think about it. That is the feeling that Christ gets about us if we are lukewarm with our faith. “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were e

Woodlawn Family Bible Study SATURDAY BIBLE READING:    Hebrews 11:1-3; 2 Timothy 3:16,17 MAIN IDEA :  “How strong is your faith?” DISCUSSION :  A boy was sitting on a park bench with one hand resting on an open Bible. He was loudly exclaiming his praise to God. "Hallelujah! Hallelujah! God is great!" he yelled without worrying whether anyone heard him or not.  Shortly after, along came a man who had recently completed some studies at a local university. Feeling very enlightened in the ways of truth and very eager to show this knowledge, he asked the boy why he was so happy.  "Hey" asked the boy in return with a bright laugh, "Don't you have any idea what God is able to do? I just read that God opened up the waves of the Red Sea and led the whole nation of Israel right through the middle."  The enlightened man laughed lightly, sat down next to the boy and began to try to open his eyes to the "realities" of the miracles of the

Woodlawn Family Bible Study FRIDAY BIBLE READING :   1 Corinthians 12:5, 6; Ephesians 2:10 MAIN IDEA :  “THE CRACKED POT: A STORY FOR ANYONE WHO'S NOT QUITE PERFECT” DISCUSSION :  A water bearer in India had two large pots. One pot hung on each end of a pole, which she carried across her neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, while the other pot was perfect. It always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house. The cracked pot arrived only half full.  This went on daily for two years, the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to her master's house. The perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor, cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by

Woodlawn Family Bible Study THURSDAY BIBLE READING :   Luke 1:37 MAIN IDEA :   “God Can Do Anything” DISCUSSION :  One winter some enemy soldiers were coming into a little town. In one of the houses near the town sat a little old grandmother.  She was praying.  “Dear God, please build a wall around us, and protect us from the soldiers,” she prayed. Her son heard her, but he didn’t believe in God.  He said, "Mother, your God cannot build a wall around us in one night."  But the little old grandmother kept right on praying. The next morning her son could hardly believe what he saw.  He couldn’t look out of the windows.  “Come here Mother,” he called. “God sent a snowstorm, and the wind has blown a big wall of snow against the house.” Now, the son believed that God can do anything and that He answers the prayers of His children. The soldiers had marched right past the house without even seeing it.   Do you worry because you have limited Gods ability or desire in y

Woodlawn Family Bible Study WEDNESDAY BIBLE READING :   John 14:16; 15:26; 1 John 4:13   MAIN IDEA : “Does the Spirit of God dwell in you?” DISCUSSION :  Navy ships that were used for gun fire support in Vietnam all had gyroscopes. This device compensates for the ships movement to keep the guns on target even when the ocean is rough, causing the ship to roll and pitch. The gyroscope helps keep the aim on the target at all times, but it is especially noticed during rough seas.   With the Holy Spirit in our lives, He is always there to help us stay focused on our target: heaven. We go through life with the Holy Spirit guiding us with decisions and choices we make, without really realizing the blessing He provides for us. When tragedy comes into our lives and the seas of life get very rough, the Holy Spirit helps us keep our life focused on the target of heaven. We know we have a helper to get us through life’s rough seas.  To help illustrate God’s dealing with man, you c

Woodlawn Family Bible Study TUESDAY BIBLE READING :   Matthew 11: 28-30 MAIN IDEA :  “Who has your hand?” DISCUSSION:  I recently saw a bumper sticker that read, "If God is your Co-Pilot, switch seats!" The story is told of a newly licensed pilot who was flying his private plane through a fierce storm. He was not very experienced in instrument landing, so when the storm worsened, he realized that the control tower was going to have to bring him in for a landing. The pilot started thinking about all of the hills, towers and buildings in the area and began to panic. Over his radio, a calm but stern voice commanded, "You just obey instructions and we'll take care of the obstructions."  Many of us have good reason to be afraid because we are sitting in the control seat of our life, trying to maneuver around every obstruction we face. Stress thrives in an atmosphere of fear and doubt when our hand is on the steering wheel of life. We need to move over,

Woodlawn Family Bible Study MONDAY BIBLE READING :   James 4: 13, 14 MAIN IDEA :   “Time to do what ought to be done?” DISCUSSION :  Some things that control our lives are money, friends, food, shelter, schedules and time. There is only one of these items that we cannot get more of if we lose it or don’t use it: TIME. God gives us 1440 minutes a day, and all of those minutes must be spent today. We cannot carry it over like AT&T minutes.  The only time that you will have this minute is NOW ... after that, it is gone forever.  We do not know how many more minutes we have left.  According to Time Magazine’s experts study, the typical person needs 42 hours a day to complete all they want to do.  So, we obviously must make wise choices about what we should do with the limited time that we have. Zig Zigler once said, “If you do what you ought to do when you ought to do it, then you will have time to do what you want to do when you want to do it.”   Remember,

Woodlawn Family Bible Study SATURDAY BIBLE READING :   Genesis 32:22-32 MAIN IDEA :   “ Choose to be persistent with your faith ” DISCUSSION :  Jacob set a good example about being persistent in our struggle to receive God’s blessings. Jacob, during his struggle with the angel in the reading, had many excuses to give up, but he didn’t. He continued to struggle.  Even after being severely injured, he didn’t consider that a reason to quit. His perseverance allowed him to get his blessing. As we struggle through life we will reach many areas in our life where the challenge to persevere seems over whelming. It may be hard to have the faith we need to continue to please God. However, we must persevere, because the blessings are too great to quit. As the Hebrew writer tells us, 'Without faith it is impossible to please Him, he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6). Do not quit j