Esther

Tonight I finished the Beth Moore study of the book of Esther with my Women's Small Group.  What an amazing story!  And so much more lies within the words as you did deep into it with Beth.  I've enjoyed every single homework page and have come out more wise.  Here are some profound pieces, mostly that are Beth's words, that I don't want to forget.  I've bold my favorites.

You can't amputate your history from your destiny.  That's what redemption is!

God reserves the right to tell us what happened in The Bible, without telling us how He reacted to is.  He is so wholly secure in His own spotless integrity that He doesn't have to be accountable to us.

We can't depend on a good mood to get us through.  We need more than a mood.  We need a mind-set.

Remember what God has done for you!  Remember who you are.

It will often be a crisis for God to pivot our direction.

Psalm 100:3 Know that the Lord is God.  it is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.

Most of our problems are a world deeper than our appearances.

We need to force ourselves to tell the difference between simple inconveniences and authentic tribulations.

I was not called to an easy life.  I was called to a purposeful life.  

It is in the times of greatest struggle, when you make the Godward decision over convenience ... you have come to a critical moment in the fulfillment of your destiny.  A defining moment.

In a crisis situation there is no neutral position.  A failure to decide brings personal loss and misses the opportunity to fulfill God's purposes.

No one is born brave.  The most said command in the Bible from God to us is "Do not be afraid!"

You may be one brave decision away from the most important step in your destiny.

1 John 4:18 Perfect love casts out fear

Once Satan sees what we believe would be the end of us, he threatens and torments us with it.

We must determine to trust Him no matter what.  Sometimes God's hand is so close that it covers our eyes.

God isn't interested in our stellar performance, but in our hearts.

Nothing leaves us more hollow that being full of ourselves.

Wait upon the Lord, that's where our strength comes from.

God is never late, but He misses a few good opportunities to be early.

Great lives are never achieved by making greatness the goal.  To live for the greatness of God is to live the great life.  Everyone who embraces the glory of God as our purpose will end up doing great things precisely because we do God-things!

His patience always involves His passion.

We can't fret our way to victory!

We fear things we just made up!  God doesn't save us from our vain imagination.

If [something terrible] happens, then God!  If [this], then God!  He'll always be there.

Isaiah 49:16 "See, I have engraved you on the palm of my hands."  Meaning that God holds us so tight that we leave a mark in His hand.  Know that when you are in a tight fist of your own fear, He has you held even tighter!

Divine work through ordinary means is what we call Providence.  Providence cancels out every coincidence.

My paraphrase of Psalm 16:5:  I chose Him and He chooses me.

Getting the credit is the wrong reason to do the right thing.

God knows.  God sees.  God acts.  God is for us.

I hope some of these words can entice you to get a group of women together and take this journey.  It's sure tough being a woman!

Study Guide