Day 93 of the 3rd Bible Study Journey - 3 April 2023 reflections
Day 93, 3 Apr 2023
1) Judges 13 - 15
JUDGES 13
The Birth of Samson
1 ()Jdg 2:11; 1Sa 12:9) Again the children of Israel did evil in the sight
of the Lord, so the Lord gave them into the hands of the Philistines
for forty years.
2 (Jos 19:41; 15:33) There was a certain man from Zorah,
from the tribe of Dan. His name was Manoah. His wife was infertile
and had borne no children.
3 (Lk 1:13; Jdg 6:11-12) The angel of the Lord appeared to the woman
and said to her, "Indeed, you are infertile and have borne no childen,
yet you will conceive and bear a son.
4 (Nu 6:2-3; Jdg 13:14) Now be careful, I pray, that you drink no wine
or strong drink and that you do not eat anything ritually unclean.
5 (Nu 6:5; 1Sa 1:11) For you will conceive and bear a son. No razor may
touch his head, for the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb.
He will begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines."
6 (Jdg 13:17-18; Dt 33:1) Then the woman went to her husband and said,
"A man of God came to me. He looked like a very fearsome angel of God.
I did not ask him where he was from, and he did not tell me his name.
7 He said to me, 'You will conceive and bear a son. So now, do not drink
wine or strong drink, and do not eat anything ritually unclean,
for the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb until the day he dies.' "
8 Then Manoah prayed to the Lord, "O my Lord, let the man of God whom
You sent come again to us, so that he can teach us what we should do
for the boy who will be born."
9 God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God came again
to the woman. She was sitting in the field;
but her husband Manoah was not with her.
10 The woman hurried and ran to tell her husband,
"The man who came to me the other day has appeared to me."
11 So Manoah got up and went after his wife.
He came to the man and said to him,
"Are you the man who spoke to my wife?"
He said, "I am."
12 Then Manoah said, "Now may your words come true! What will be the boy's way
of life and his work?"
13 The angel of the Lord said to Manoah, "Your wife must observe everything
that I said to her.
14 (Jdg 13:4) She must not consume anything that grows on the vine.
She must not drink wine or strong drink, and she must not eat anything
ritually unclean. She must observe everything that I commanded her."
15 Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, "Please let us detain you,
and let us prepare a young goat for you."
16 The angel of the Lord said to Manoah, "If I stay, I will not eat your
food, but if you want to make an offering to the Lord, you should offer it."
(For Manoah did not know that he was an angel of the Lord.)
17 Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, "What is your name,
so that we can honor you when your words come true?"
18 (Ge 32:29; Isa 9:6) The angel of the Lord said to him,
"Why do you ask my name? It is too wonderful."
19 (Jdg 6:19-21) Manoah took the young goat and the grain offering
and offered them to the Lord upon a rock. Then he did a wondrous
thing while Manoah and his wife watched.
20 (Lev 9:24; 1Ch 21:16) When the flame went up from the altar
toward the heavens, the angel of the Lord went up in the flames
from the altar. Seeing this, Manoah and his wife fell face down on the ground.
21 (Jdg 6:22) The angel of the Lord did not appear again to Manoah
and his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the Lord.
22 (Ge 32:30; Dt 5:26) Manoah said to his wife,
"We are certainly going to die, for we have seen God."
23 (Ps 25:14) Yet his wife said to him, "If the Lord wanted to kill us,
He would not have taken the burnt offering and grain offering from us.
He would not have shown us these things, nor let us hear things such
as these at this time."
24 (1Sa 3:19; Lk 1:80) So the woman bore a son, and she called him Samson.
The boy grew, and the Lord blessed him.
25 (Jdg 3:10; Jos 15:33) The Spirit of the Lord began to move upon him
at Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.
Judges 13
[1] And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD; and
the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.
[2] And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites,
whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not.
[3] And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her,
Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and
bear a son.
[4] Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink,
and eat not any unclean thing:
[5] For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no rasor shall come on
his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he
shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.
[6] Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto
me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God, very
terrible: but I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name:
[7] But he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and
now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: for the
child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death.
[8] Then Manoah intreated the LORD, and said, O my Lord, let the man of God
which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto
the child that shall be born.
[9] And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came
again unto the woman as she sat in the field: but Manoah her husband was not
with her.
[10] And the woman made haste, and ran, and shewed her husband, and said
unto him, Behold, the man hath appeared unto me, that came unto me the other
day.
[11] And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and
said unto him, Art thou the man that spakest unto the woman? And he said, I
am.
[12] And Manoah said, Now let thy words come to pass. How shall we order the
child, and how shall we do unto him?
[13] And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Of all that I said unto the
woman let her beware.
[14] She may not eat of any thing that cometh of the vine, neither let her
drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing: all that I commanded
her let her observe.
[15] And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, I pray thee, let us detain
thee, until we shall have made ready a kid for thee.
[16] And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I
will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou
must offer it unto the LORD. For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the
LORD.
[17] And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, What is thy name, that when
thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honour?
[18] And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my
name, seeing it is secret?
[19] So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon a rock
unto the LORD: and the angel did wondrously; and Manoah and his wife looked
on.
[20] For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the
altar, that the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar. And
Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground.
[21] But the angel of the LORD did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife.
Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the LORD.
[22] And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have
seen God.
[23] But his wife said unto him, If the LORD were pleased to kill us, he
would not have received a burnt offering and a meat offering at our hands,
neither would he have shewed us all these things, nor would as at this time
have told us such things as these.
[24] And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child
grew, and the LORD blessed him.
[25] And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of
Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.
JUDGES 14
Samson's Wedding
1 (Ge 38:12-13; Jos 15:10) Samson went down to Timnah
and saw a woman from the daughters of the Philistines.
2 (Ge 34:4; 21:21) He came back up and told his father and mother,
"I have seen a woman in Timnah from the daughters of the Philistines;
now get her for me as a wife."
3 (Jdg 15:18; 1Sa 14:6) His father and mother said to him,
"Are there no women among your relatives, or all of our people,
that you are intending to take a wife
from among the uncircumcised Philistines?"
Yet Samson said to his father, "Get her for me, for she pleases me well."
4 (Jos 11:20; Jdg 13:1) His father and mother did not know that this was
from the Lord, for He was seeking an opportunity to act against the Philistines.
At that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel.
5 Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah.
As they came to the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young
lion came roaring toward him.
6 (Jdg 3:10; 13:25) Then the Spirit of the Lord came mightily
upon him, and though unarmed, he tore the lion in two as one might
tear a young goat in two. However, he did not tell his father and his mother
what he had done.
7 So Samson went down and spoke with the woman, and she pleased Samson.
8 After a while, when he returned to take her, he turned aside to see
the carcass of the lion. And a swarm of bees and honey were in the carcass
of the lion.
9 He scooped it out into his hands and ate it as he went along.
He came to his father and mother and gave some to them,
and they also ate. Yet he did not tell them he had scooped
the honey out of a lion's carcass.
10 Then his father went down to the woman. Samson put on a feast there,
for this is what young men would do.
11 When the Philistines saw him,
they brought thirty companions to be with him.
12 (Ge 45:22; Eze 17:2) Samson said to them, "Let me tell you a riddle.
If you can explain it to me within the seven days of the feast,
then I will find thirty linen robes and thirty sets of clothes to give you.
13 However, if you are not able to explain it to me, then you will give me
thirty linen robes and thirty sets of clothes."
They said to him, "Tell us your riddle, so we can hear it."
14 He said to them,
"Out of the eater came something to eat,
and out of the strong came something sweet."
They could not explain the riddle after three days.
15 (Jdg 15:6; 16:5) On the fourth day they said to Samson's wife,
"Trick your groom into telling us the riddle, or we will burn you
and your father's house with fire. Have you invited us to steal
what we have? Is that not so?"
16 (Jdg 16:15) So Samson's wife wept all over him and said,
"You must hate me. You do not love me. You have told a riddle
to the young men and did not tell it to me."
Then he said to her, "I have not told it to my father and mother.
Why should I tell it to you?"
17 (Jdg 16:16) She wept on him for the seven days of the feast,
then on the seventh day he told it to her because she had nagged him.
Then she explained the riddle to her people.
18So on the seventh day before sunset, the men of the city said to Samson,
"What is sweeter than honey,
and what is stronger than a lion?"
Then he said to them,
"If you had not plowed with my heifer,
you would not have solved my riddle."
19 (Jdg 3:10; 13:25) Then the Spirit of the Lord mightily came upon him,
and he went down to Ashkelon and struck down thirty of their men.
He took their clothes and gave them to the ones who had explained the riddle.
His anger burned and he went up to his father's house.
20 (Jdg 15:2; Jn 3:29) So Samson's wife was given to his companion,
who had been his best man.
Judges 14
[1] And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the
daughters of the Philistines.
[2] And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have
seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore
get her for me to wife.
[3] Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman
among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest
to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his
father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.
[4] But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he
sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines
had dominion over Israel.
[5] Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and
came to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared against
him.
[6] And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he
would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his
father or his mother what he had done.
[7] And he went down, and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson
well.
[8] And after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the
carcase of the lion: and, behold, there was a swarm of bees and honey in the
carcase of the lion.
[9] And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his
father and mother, and he gave them, and they did eat: but he told not them
that he had taken the honey out of the carcase of the lion.
[10] So his father went down unto the woman: and Samson made there a feast;
for so used the young men to do.
[11] And it came to pass, when they saw him, that they brought thirty
companions to be with him.
[12] And Samson said unto them, I will now put forth a riddle unto you: if
ye can certainly declare it me within the seven days of the feast, and find
it out, then I will give you thirty sheets and thirty change of garments:
[13] But if ye cannot declare it me, then shall ye give me thirty sheets and
thirty change of garments. And they said unto him, Put forth thy riddle,
that we may hear it.
[14] And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the
strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days expound the
riddle.
[15] And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said unto Samson's
wife, Entice thy husband, that he may declare unto us the riddle, lest we
burn thee and thy father's house with fire: have ye called us to take that
we have? is it not so?
[16] And Samson's wife wept before him, and said, Thou dost but hate me, and
lovest me not: thou hast put forth a riddle unto the children of my people,
and hast not told it me. And he said unto her, Behold, I have not told it my
father nor my mother, and shall I tell it thee?
[17] And she wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted: and
it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her, because she lay sore
upon him: and she told the riddle to the children of her people.
[18] And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun
went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And
he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out
my riddle.
[19] And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon,
and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave change of
garments unto them which expounded the riddle. And his anger was kindled,
and he went up to his father's house.
[20] But Samson's wife was given to his companion, whom he had used as his
friend.
JUDGES 15
Samson's Revenge
1 (Ge 38:17) After a while, during the wheat harvest, Samson went to
visit his wife, taking a young goat. He said, "I'm going in to my wife
in her bedroom," but her father would not let him go in.
2 (Jdg 14:20) Her father said, "I thought that you thoroughly hated her,
so I gave her to your best man. Is not her younger sister better than she?
Please, let her be your wife instead."
3 Samson said to them, "This time I cannot be blamed by the Philistines
when I do them harm."
4 Samson went and caught three hundred foxes. He took torches
and turned the foxes tail to tail and put a torch between each pair of tails.
5 He set fire to the torches and sent the foxes into standing grain
of the Philistines. He burned the harvested grain, standing grain,
vineyards, and olive trees.
6 (Jdg 14:15) The Philistines asked, "Who did this?" They said,
"Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because the Timnite
took the bride of Samson and gave her to his best man."
So the Philistines went up and burned her and her father with fire.
7 Samson said to them, "Because you have done this, I will take revenge
on you, and afterwards I will stop."
8 He struck them down with a mighty blow,
then went to live in a cave in Etam Rock.
9 (Jdg 15:17; 15:19) Then the Philistines went up and set up camp in Judah.
They deployed against Lehi.
10 The men of Judah said, "Why have you come up against us?"
They said, "It is to take Samson prisoner that we have come up,
to do to him what he did to us."
11 (Jdg 13:1; 14:4) So three thousand men from Judah went to the cave
in Etam Rock and said to Samson, "Do you not know that the Philistines
are ruling us? Why have you done this to us?"
He said to them, "As they did to me, so I have done to them."
12 They said to him, "We have come to take you prisoner,
to give you into the hands of the Philistines."
Samson said to them, "Swear to me that you will not attack me."
13 They said to him, "No, we will bind you securely and give
you into their hands, but we will not kill you." They bound him
with two new ropes and took him away from the rock.
14 (Jdg 14:19; 3:10) He came to Lehi, and the Philistines shouted
as they approached him. Then the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him.
The ropes on his arms became like burned flax and the ties
on his hands dissolved.
15 (Lev 26:8; Jos 23:10) Then he found a fresh jawbone of a donkey,
reached out his hand and took it, and with it struck down a thousand men.
16Samson said,
"With a jawbone of a donkey,
heaps upon heaps.
With a jawbone of a donkey
I have slain a thousand men."
17 When he finished speaking, he threw the jawbone away
and called that place Ramath Lehi.
18 He was very thirsty, and he called out to the Lord,
"You gave this great deliverance through Your servant,
but now may I die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?"
19 (Ge 45:27) So God split open the basin at Lehi, and water flowed out
of it. He drank, was refreshed, and revived. Because of this he called
the place En Hakkore, which is in Lehi to this day.
20 (Jdg 13:1; 16:31) Samson judged Israel for twenty years
in the days of the Philistines.
Judges 15
[1] But it came to pass within a while after, in the time of wheat harvest,
that Samson visited his wife with a kid; and he said, I will go in to my
wife into the chamber. But her father would not suffer him to go in.
[2] And her father said, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her;
therefore I gave her to thy companion: is not her younger sister fairer than
she? take her, I pray thee, instead of her.
[3] And Samson said concerning them, Now shall I be more blameless than the
Philistines, though I do them a displeasure.
[4] And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and
turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between two tails.
[5] And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing
corn of the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks, and also the standing
corn, with the vineyards and olives.
[6] Then the Philistines said, Who hath done this? And they answered,
Samson, the son in law of the Timnite, because he had taken his wife, and
given her to his companion. And the Philistines came up, and burnt her and
her father with fire.
[7] And Samson said unto them, Though ye have done this, yet will I be
avenged of you, and after that I will cease.
[8] And he smote them hip and thigh with a great slaughter: and he went down
and dwelt in the top of the rock Etam.
[9] Then the Philistines went up, and pitched in Judah, and spread
themselves in Lehi.
[10] And the men of Judah said, Why are ye come up against us? And they
answered, To bind Samson are we come up, to do to him as he hath done to us.
[11] Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, and
said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us?
what is this that thou hast done unto us? And he said unto them, As they did
unto me, so have I done unto them.
[12] And they said unto him, We are come down to bind thee, that we may
deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said unto them,
Swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me yourselves.
[13] And they spake unto him, saying, No; but we will bind thee fast, and
deliver thee into their hand: but surely we will not kill thee. And they
bound him with two new cords, and brought him up from the rock.
[14] And when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him: and
the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and the cords that were upon
his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from
off his hands.
[15] And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took
it, and slew a thousand men therewith.
[16] And Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the
jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men.
[17] And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking, that he cast
away the jawbone out of his hand, and called that place Ramath-lehi.
[18] And he was sore athirst, and called on the LORD, and said, Thou hast
given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant: and now shall I
die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?
[19] But God clave an hollow place that was in the jaw, and there came water
thereout; and when he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived:
wherefore he called the name thereof En-hakkore, which is in Lehi unto this
day.
[20] And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.
2) Our Daily Bread for 3 April 2023 titled
Finding Strength in God
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
9 (Php 4:13; 2Co 12:10; Isa 40:29-31) But He said to me, "My grace is
sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."
Therefore most gladly I will boast in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ
may rest upon me.
10 (Ro 5:3; 2Co 13:4) So I take pleasure in weaknesses, in reproaches, in
hardships, in persecutions, and in distresses for Christ's sake. For when
I am weak, then I am strong.
[9] And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is
made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my
infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
[10] Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in
necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am
weak, then am I strong.
Soccer player Christian Pulisic faced several injuries that influenced his
career. After learning he wouldn't be in the starting lineup of the Champions
League semifinals game, he was disappointed, but he described how God had
revealed Himself to him. "As always, I reach out to God, and He gives me
strength," he said. "I feel like I always have Someone who's with me. I don't
know how I would do any of this without that feeling." Pulisic ultimately
made a momentous impact when he was substituted later in the game. He
initiated a clever play that led to the game-winning shot and secured
their spot in the championship. These experiences taught him a valuable
lesson: we can always view our weaknesses as opportunities
for God to reveal His immeasurable power.
The world teaches us to rely on our own strength when encountering problems.
However, biblical wisdom teaches us that God's grace and power give us
strength in the most trying circumstances (2 Corinthians 12:9). Therefore,
we can move in confidence, recognizing that we never face trials alone.
Our "weaknesses" become opportunities for God to reveal His power,
strengthening and supporting us (vv. 9-10). We can then use our struggles
to offer praise to God, giving thanks for His goodness and sharing these
encounters with others so that they can come to experience His love.
By: Kimya Loder
Reflect & Pray
When have you tried to overcome a struggle on your own?
How can you look to God for strength?
Dear heavenly Father, thank You for being the source
of my strength and guiding me each day.
For further reading, check out this article: Christian Pulisic reaches
out to God for strength with Chelsea in FA Cup, Champions League finals.
3) Daily verses taken from Billy Graham Evangelical Organisation
Words in Season Scripture Memory Tools
Week 1 Knowing God's Word Day 2 - Growing Up
2 Tim 3:16-17
16 (Ro 15:4) All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable
for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction
in righteousness,
17 (1Ti 6:11; 2Ti 2:21) that the man of God may be complete,
thoroughly equipped for every good work.
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction
in righteousness:
17 that the man of God may be perfect,
throughly furnished unto all good works.
"I can't wait till I get big!" Marc, age 5, declared. "Then I do
what I want!" Most of us, as children, shared Marc's statement.
We looked forward to that "magic age" - 16, 18, 21 - when we
would be adults: mature, able to make our own decisions.
We find, of course, that adulthood has its own share of
difficulties and conflicts. But even in our spiritual lives
we often long for a "magic moment" of maturity. As one woman
confessed, "Ever since I became a Christian, I've hoped I'd wake up
one morning to find myself mature."
But growth in the spiritual life comes gradually, like growth in
the physical world. In 2 Tim 2:16-17, Paul gives the young pastor
Timothy an important key to spiritual growing up - the Word of God.
The Word is "profitable" or "useful," Paul says, for "teaching" - that is,
for developing a right concept of God. Scripture offers "rebuke" when
we go wrong, "correction" to set us on the right path, and "training
in righteousness" so that we can grow in the image of Christ.
The purpose of Scripture's work in our lives, Paul emphasises,
is that we may be "perfect" - mature, equipped for the good things
God has for us to do. Such maturity does not come easily
or instantaneously, but it does come - sometimes imperceptibly -
as we submit our lives to the transforming power of God's Word.
Application
a) In what areas of my life do I need to grow? How can I benefit
from the Bible's
i) teaching?
ii) rebuke?
iii) correction?
iv) training in righteousness?
b) How can memorising God's Word help me grow in those areas?
4) From Prosperity Promises - Kenneth Copeland
Luke 16:10-12
10 (Mt 25:21; Lk 19:17) "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful
also in much. And he who is dishonest in the least is dishonest also
in much.
11 So if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth,
who will commit to your trust the true riches?
12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another man's,
who will give you that which is your own?"
10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much:
and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon,
who will commit to your trust the true riches?
12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's,
who shall give you that which is your own?
5) From a Book called God's Promises for you:
God's Reconciling Peace
Col 3:12-17
12 (Eph 4:2; Lk 1:78) So embrace, as the elect of God, holy and beloved,
a spirit of mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, and longsuffering.
13 (Eph 4:32; Mk 11:25; Eph 4:2) Bear with one another
and forgive one another. If anyone has a quarrel against anyone,
even as Christ forgave you, so you must do.
14 (Eph 4:3; 1Co 13:1-13) And above all these things, embrace love,
which is the bond of perfection.
15 (Jn 14:27; Eph 5:20) Let the peace of God,
to which also you are called in one body,
rule in your hearts. And be thankful.
16 (Eph 5:19; Col 1:28; Ro 10:17 ) Let the word of Christ dwell
in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing
one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
17 (1Co 10:31; Eph 5:20 ) And whatever you do in word or deed,
do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies,
kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
13 forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have
a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
14 And above all these things put on charity,
which is the bond of perfectness.
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye
are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom;
teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
Remember God's promises when You pray
The Lord's prayer
Matthew 6:9-13
9 "Therefore pray in this manner:
Our Father who is in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
10 (Mt 3:2; 4:17) Your kingdom come;
Your will be done
on earth, as it is in heaven.
11 (Pr 30:8; Isa 33:16) Give us this day our daily bread.
12 (Ex 34:7; Ps 32:1) And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
13 (1Co 10:13; Jn 17:15) And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."
9 After this manner therefore pray ye:
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
6) This come from Praying for Muslims in Canada 2015 (Is there a 2022 edition?)
Manitoba
Quick facts on Muslims in Manitoba
Manitoba 2015 population 1 282 000
est Muslim Population 21 349
CNMM Networks: Winnipeg
The Muslim population of Manitoba, understandably centred in Winnipeg, is very
diverse and represents some 48 different cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
Conservative estimates put their number at 21000 , with some suggesting
it might be twice that size.
Some outreach among Muslims has started, yet in comparison to the size
of this community, there is the need and opportunity for far more engagement.
Continued influx of new immigrants and refugees continues to see the growth
of this Muslim centre in Manitoba.
We rejoice in the Arabic fellowship meeting there and the energetic workers
among Muslims in Winnipeg.
Let us intercede in unity for:
- new Christian workers among Manitoba's growing Muslim population
- new church ministries focused on prayer, equipping and reaching Muslim
communities around them, as well as training new workers
- the Arabic fellowship and their ministries of discipling new Muslim
background believers and for effectiveness in outreach
- for the recent Somali woman who found faith in Jesus and stood her ground
in the face of opposition to her new faith.
- for current workers among Muslims to be blessed, refreshed and encouraged
with great support
Adding further
30 day of Prayers from 18 March 2023 to 18 April 2023
Day 17
The Republic of Djibouti is a small, strategically located, oil-rich country
in the Horn of Africa. Under French rule, the nation was known as French
Somaliland, until the country was granted Independence from European settlers
in 1977. The nation of Djibouti features a rugged and extreme landscape, from
arid desert plains in the South to lush green mountains in the North.
The 4 largest ethnic majorities in the nation are Somali, Afar , Omani, and
Yemeni - all of which are unreached people groups in the Horn of Africa
and the Arabian Peninsula. Hosting more stability and easier to access then
its neighbouring countries to the northeast and southeast, Djibouti is a
critical juncture for the Church to win East African and Arab unreached people
groups. Djibouti is also the name of the capital city.
People Focus Group
Afar (Danakil)
Yemeni Arab
Somali
Prayer Emphasis
- Pray for the advancement of God's kingdom throughout the 11 languages
of Djibouti, Djibouti
- Pray for the New Testament translation in Ta'izzi-Adeni Arabic
- Pray for a mighty movement of prayer to be birthed in Djibouti
that multiplies throughout the country.
- Pray for followers of Jesus to walk in the power of the Spirit.
Pray for a resurrection of God's divine purpose for this city.
My paternal side is of Muslim heritage and will offer this section to further
call for Muslim converts to Christian and any other converts to Christianity
(Hindus, Jews, aboriginals Canadian, ...) .
7) Prayers for the nation (Canada) coming from Prayer map of Canada
http://www.ehc.ca
3nd Day of the Month
a) Pray for the province of Alberta as follows:
I) Pray for the leaders of Alberta, that God's Spirit would influence then to
act justly, serve with integrity and honour high moral standards. (
1 Tim 2:1-4
1 Therefore I exhort first of all that you make supplications,
prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings for everyone,
2 (Ezr 6:10) for kings and for all who are in authority,
that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and honesty,
3 (1Ti 1:1; Lk 1:47) for this is good and acceptable in
the sight of God our Savior,
4 (Eze 18:23; 18:32)who desires all men to be saved and to come
to the knowledge of the truth.
1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications,
prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
2 for kings, and for all that are in authority;
that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
4 who will have all men to be saved,
and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
II) Pray for the churches of the province, that they would be lighthouses
beaming forth the illuminating truth of God's Word.
III) Pray that the Lord would use the Finding the Hope Campaign
and booklet to turn many hearts to Jesus
b) Pray for the Holy Spirit to bring conviction of sin
and Canadian to faith in Christ.
( John 16:8 - When He comes, He will convict the world of sin
and of righteousness and of judgment:
8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin,
and of righteousness, and of judgment:
Matthew 9:36 - But when He saw the crowds, He was moved with
compassion for them, because they fainted and were scattered,
like sheep without a shepherd
36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with
compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered
abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. )
Conclusion:
Pray to the Lord and pray not to look outside the Faith for solutions.
Pray to the Lord: "Dear heavenly Father, thank You for being the source
of my strength and guiding me each day."
Pray to the Lord and pray for Him for help in dwelving deeper in the Word.
Pray to the Lord and pray to be good stewards.
Pray to the Lord and pray for unity in the Holy Spirit.
Agree in prayer with us for:
- new Christian workers among Manitoba's growing Muslim population
- new church ministries focused on prayer, equipping and reaching Muslim
communities around them, as well as training new workers
- the Arabic fellowship and their ministries of discipling new Muslim
background believers and for effectiveness in outreach
- for the recent Somali woman who found faith in Jesus and stood her ground
in the face of opposition to her new faith.
- for current workers among Muslims to be blessed, refreshed and encouraged
with great support
- Pray for the advancement of God's kingdom throughout the 11 languages
of Djibouti, Djibouti
- Pray for the New Testament translation in Ta'izzi-Adeni Arabic
- Pray for a mighty movement of prayer to be birthed in Djibouti
that multiplies throughout the country.
- Pray for followers of Jesus to walk in the power of the Spirit.
Pray for a resurrection of God's divine purpose for this city.
Pray for the Holy Spirit to bring conviction of sin
and Canadian to faith in Christ.
1) Judges 13 - 15
JUDGES 13
The Birth of Samson
1 ()Jdg 2:11; 1Sa 12:9) Again the children of Israel did evil in the sight
of the Lord, so the Lord gave them into the hands of the Philistines
for forty years.
2 (Jos 19:41; 15:33) There was a certain man from Zorah,
from the tribe of Dan. His name was Manoah. His wife was infertile
and had borne no children.
3 (Lk 1:13; Jdg 6:11-12) The angel of the Lord appeared to the woman
and said to her, "Indeed, you are infertile and have borne no childen,
yet you will conceive and bear a son.
4 (Nu 6:2-3; Jdg 13:14) Now be careful, I pray, that you drink no wine
or strong drink and that you do not eat anything ritually unclean.
5 (Nu 6:5; 1Sa 1:11) For you will conceive and bear a son. No razor may
touch his head, for the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb.
He will begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines."
6 (Jdg 13:17-18; Dt 33:1) Then the woman went to her husband and said,
"A man of God came to me. He looked like a very fearsome angel of God.
I did not ask him where he was from, and he did not tell me his name.
7 He said to me, 'You will conceive and bear a son. So now, do not drink
wine or strong drink, and do not eat anything ritually unclean,
for the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb until the day he dies.' "
8 Then Manoah prayed to the Lord, "O my Lord, let the man of God whom
You sent come again to us, so that he can teach us what we should do
for the boy who will be born."
9 God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God came again
to the woman. She was sitting in the field;
but her husband Manoah was not with her.
10 The woman hurried and ran to tell her husband,
"The man who came to me the other day has appeared to me."
11 So Manoah got up and went after his wife.
He came to the man and said to him,
"Are you the man who spoke to my wife?"
He said, "I am."
12 Then Manoah said, "Now may your words come true! What will be the boy's way
of life and his work?"
13 The angel of the Lord said to Manoah, "Your wife must observe everything
that I said to her.
14 (Jdg 13:4) She must not consume anything that grows on the vine.
She must not drink wine or strong drink, and she must not eat anything
ritually unclean. She must observe everything that I commanded her."
15 Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, "Please let us detain you,
and let us prepare a young goat for you."
16 The angel of the Lord said to Manoah, "If I stay, I will not eat your
food, but if you want to make an offering to the Lord, you should offer it."
(For Manoah did not know that he was an angel of the Lord.)
17 Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, "What is your name,
so that we can honor you when your words come true?"
18 (Ge 32:29; Isa 9:6) The angel of the Lord said to him,
"Why do you ask my name? It is too wonderful."
19 (Jdg 6:19-21) Manoah took the young goat and the grain offering
and offered them to the Lord upon a rock. Then he did a wondrous
thing while Manoah and his wife watched.
20 (Lev 9:24; 1Ch 21:16) When the flame went up from the altar
toward the heavens, the angel of the Lord went up in the flames
from the altar. Seeing this, Manoah and his wife fell face down on the ground.
21 (Jdg 6:22) The angel of the Lord did not appear again to Manoah
and his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the Lord.
22 (Ge 32:30; Dt 5:26) Manoah said to his wife,
"We are certainly going to die, for we have seen God."
23 (Ps 25:14) Yet his wife said to him, "If the Lord wanted to kill us,
He would not have taken the burnt offering and grain offering from us.
He would not have shown us these things, nor let us hear things such
as these at this time."
24 (1Sa 3:19; Lk 1:80) So the woman bore a son, and she called him Samson.
The boy grew, and the Lord blessed him.
25 (Jdg 3:10; Jos 15:33) The Spirit of the Lord began to move upon him
at Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.
Judges 13
[1] And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD; and
the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.
[2] And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites,
whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not.
[3] And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her,
Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and
bear a son.
[4] Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink,
and eat not any unclean thing:
[5] For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no rasor shall come on
his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he
shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.
[6] Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto
me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God, very
terrible: but I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name:
[7] But he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and
now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: for the
child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death.
[8] Then Manoah intreated the LORD, and said, O my Lord, let the man of God
which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto
the child that shall be born.
[9] And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came
again unto the woman as she sat in the field: but Manoah her husband was not
with her.
[10] And the woman made haste, and ran, and shewed her husband, and said
unto him, Behold, the man hath appeared unto me, that came unto me the other
day.
[11] And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and
said unto him, Art thou the man that spakest unto the woman? And he said, I
am.
[12] And Manoah said, Now let thy words come to pass. How shall we order the
child, and how shall we do unto him?
[13] And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Of all that I said unto the
woman let her beware.
[14] She may not eat of any thing that cometh of the vine, neither let her
drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing: all that I commanded
her let her observe.
[15] And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, I pray thee, let us detain
thee, until we shall have made ready a kid for thee.
[16] And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I
will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou
must offer it unto the LORD. For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the
LORD.
[17] And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, What is thy name, that when
thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honour?
[18] And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my
name, seeing it is secret?
[19] So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon a rock
unto the LORD: and the angel did wondrously; and Manoah and his wife looked
on.
[20] For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the
altar, that the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar. And
Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground.
[21] But the angel of the LORD did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife.
Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the LORD.
[22] And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have
seen God.
[23] But his wife said unto him, If the LORD were pleased to kill us, he
would not have received a burnt offering and a meat offering at our hands,
neither would he have shewed us all these things, nor would as at this time
have told us such things as these.
[24] And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child
grew, and the LORD blessed him.
[25] And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of
Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.
JUDGES 14
Samson's Wedding
1 (Ge 38:12-13; Jos 15:10) Samson went down to Timnah
and saw a woman from the daughters of the Philistines.
2 (Ge 34:4; 21:21) He came back up and told his father and mother,
"I have seen a woman in Timnah from the daughters of the Philistines;
now get her for me as a wife."
3 (Jdg 15:18; 1Sa 14:6) His father and mother said to him,
"Are there no women among your relatives, or all of our people,
that you are intending to take a wife
from among the uncircumcised Philistines?"
Yet Samson said to his father, "Get her for me, for she pleases me well."
4 (Jos 11:20; Jdg 13:1) His father and mother did not know that this was
from the Lord, for He was seeking an opportunity to act against the Philistines.
At that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel.
5 Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah.
As they came to the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young
lion came roaring toward him.
6 (Jdg 3:10; 13:25) Then the Spirit of the Lord came mightily
upon him, and though unarmed, he tore the lion in two as one might
tear a young goat in two. However, he did not tell his father and his mother
what he had done.
7 So Samson went down and spoke with the woman, and she pleased Samson.
8 After a while, when he returned to take her, he turned aside to see
the carcass of the lion. And a swarm of bees and honey were in the carcass
of the lion.
9 He scooped it out into his hands and ate it as he went along.
He came to his father and mother and gave some to them,
and they also ate. Yet he did not tell them he had scooped
the honey out of a lion's carcass.
10 Then his father went down to the woman. Samson put on a feast there,
for this is what young men would do.
11 When the Philistines saw him,
they brought thirty companions to be with him.
12 (Ge 45:22; Eze 17:2) Samson said to them, "Let me tell you a riddle.
If you can explain it to me within the seven days of the feast,
then I will find thirty linen robes and thirty sets of clothes to give you.
13 However, if you are not able to explain it to me, then you will give me
thirty linen robes and thirty sets of clothes."
They said to him, "Tell us your riddle, so we can hear it."
14 He said to them,
"Out of the eater came something to eat,
and out of the strong came something sweet."
They could not explain the riddle after three days.
15 (Jdg 15:6; 16:5) On the fourth day they said to Samson's wife,
"Trick your groom into telling us the riddle, or we will burn you
and your father's house with fire. Have you invited us to steal
what we have? Is that not so?"
16 (Jdg 16:15) So Samson's wife wept all over him and said,
"You must hate me. You do not love me. You have told a riddle
to the young men and did not tell it to me."
Then he said to her, "I have not told it to my father and mother.
Why should I tell it to you?"
17 (Jdg 16:16) She wept on him for the seven days of the feast,
then on the seventh day he told it to her because she had nagged him.
Then she explained the riddle to her people.
18So on the seventh day before sunset, the men of the city said to Samson,
"What is sweeter than honey,
and what is stronger than a lion?"
Then he said to them,
"If you had not plowed with my heifer,
you would not have solved my riddle."
19 (Jdg 3:10; 13:25) Then the Spirit of the Lord mightily came upon him,
and he went down to Ashkelon and struck down thirty of their men.
He took their clothes and gave them to the ones who had explained the riddle.
His anger burned and he went up to his father's house.
20 (Jdg 15:2; Jn 3:29) So Samson's wife was given to his companion,
who had been his best man.
Judges 14
[1] And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the
daughters of the Philistines.
[2] And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have
seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore
get her for me to wife.
[3] Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman
among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest
to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his
father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.
[4] But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he
sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines
had dominion over Israel.
[5] Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and
came to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared against
him.
[6] And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he
would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his
father or his mother what he had done.
[7] And he went down, and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson
well.
[8] And after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the
carcase of the lion: and, behold, there was a swarm of bees and honey in the
carcase of the lion.
[9] And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his
father and mother, and he gave them, and they did eat: but he told not them
that he had taken the honey out of the carcase of the lion.
[10] So his father went down unto the woman: and Samson made there a feast;
for so used the young men to do.
[11] And it came to pass, when they saw him, that they brought thirty
companions to be with him.
[12] And Samson said unto them, I will now put forth a riddle unto you: if
ye can certainly declare it me within the seven days of the feast, and find
it out, then I will give you thirty sheets and thirty change of garments:
[13] But if ye cannot declare it me, then shall ye give me thirty sheets and
thirty change of garments. And they said unto him, Put forth thy riddle,
that we may hear it.
[14] And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the
strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days expound the
riddle.
[15] And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said unto Samson's
wife, Entice thy husband, that he may declare unto us the riddle, lest we
burn thee and thy father's house with fire: have ye called us to take that
we have? is it not so?
[16] And Samson's wife wept before him, and said, Thou dost but hate me, and
lovest me not: thou hast put forth a riddle unto the children of my people,
and hast not told it me. And he said unto her, Behold, I have not told it my
father nor my mother, and shall I tell it thee?
[17] And she wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted: and
it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her, because she lay sore
upon him: and she told the riddle to the children of her people.
[18] And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun
went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And
he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out
my riddle.
[19] And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon,
and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave change of
garments unto them which expounded the riddle. And his anger was kindled,
and he went up to his father's house.
[20] But Samson's wife was given to his companion, whom he had used as his
friend.
JUDGES 15
Samson's Revenge
1 (Ge 38:17) After a while, during the wheat harvest, Samson went to
visit his wife, taking a young goat. He said, "I'm going in to my wife
in her bedroom," but her father would not let him go in.
2 (Jdg 14:20) Her father said, "I thought that you thoroughly hated her,
so I gave her to your best man. Is not her younger sister better than she?
Please, let her be your wife instead."
3 Samson said to them, "This time I cannot be blamed by the Philistines
when I do them harm."
4 Samson went and caught three hundred foxes. He took torches
and turned the foxes tail to tail and put a torch between each pair of tails.
5 He set fire to the torches and sent the foxes into standing grain
of the Philistines. He burned the harvested grain, standing grain,
vineyards, and olive trees.
6 (Jdg 14:15) The Philistines asked, "Who did this?" They said,
"Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because the Timnite
took the bride of Samson and gave her to his best man."
So the Philistines went up and burned her and her father with fire.
7 Samson said to them, "Because you have done this, I will take revenge
on you, and afterwards I will stop."
8 He struck them down with a mighty blow,
then went to live in a cave in Etam Rock.
9 (Jdg 15:17; 15:19) Then the Philistines went up and set up camp in Judah.
They deployed against Lehi.
10 The men of Judah said, "Why have you come up against us?"
They said, "It is to take Samson prisoner that we have come up,
to do to him what he did to us."
11 (Jdg 13:1; 14:4) So three thousand men from Judah went to the cave
in Etam Rock and said to Samson, "Do you not know that the Philistines
are ruling us? Why have you done this to us?"
He said to them, "As they did to me, so I have done to them."
12 They said to him, "We have come to take you prisoner,
to give you into the hands of the Philistines."
Samson said to them, "Swear to me that you will not attack me."
13 They said to him, "No, we will bind you securely and give
you into their hands, but we will not kill you." They bound him
with two new ropes and took him away from the rock.
14 (Jdg 14:19; 3:10) He came to Lehi, and the Philistines shouted
as they approached him. Then the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him.
The ropes on his arms became like burned flax and the ties
on his hands dissolved.
15 (Lev 26:8; Jos 23:10) Then he found a fresh jawbone of a donkey,
reached out his hand and took it, and with it struck down a thousand men.
16Samson said,
"With a jawbone of a donkey,
heaps upon heaps.
With a jawbone of a donkey
I have slain a thousand men."
17 When he finished speaking, he threw the jawbone away
and called that place Ramath Lehi.
18 He was very thirsty, and he called out to the Lord,
"You gave this great deliverance through Your servant,
but now may I die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?"
19 (Ge 45:27) So God split open the basin at Lehi, and water flowed out
of it. He drank, was refreshed, and revived. Because of this he called
the place En Hakkore, which is in Lehi to this day.
20 (Jdg 13:1; 16:31) Samson judged Israel for twenty years
in the days of the Philistines.
Judges 15
[1] But it came to pass within a while after, in the time of wheat harvest,
that Samson visited his wife with a kid; and he said, I will go in to my
wife into the chamber. But her father would not suffer him to go in.
[2] And her father said, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her;
therefore I gave her to thy companion: is not her younger sister fairer than
she? take her, I pray thee, instead of her.
[3] And Samson said concerning them, Now shall I be more blameless than the
Philistines, though I do them a displeasure.
[4] And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and
turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between two tails.
[5] And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing
corn of the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks, and also the standing
corn, with the vineyards and olives.
[6] Then the Philistines said, Who hath done this? And they answered,
Samson, the son in law of the Timnite, because he had taken his wife, and
given her to his companion. And the Philistines came up, and burnt her and
her father with fire.
[7] And Samson said unto them, Though ye have done this, yet will I be
avenged of you, and after that I will cease.
[8] And he smote them hip and thigh with a great slaughter: and he went down
and dwelt in the top of the rock Etam.
[9] Then the Philistines went up, and pitched in Judah, and spread
themselves in Lehi.
[10] And the men of Judah said, Why are ye come up against us? And they
answered, To bind Samson are we come up, to do to him as he hath done to us.
[11] Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, and
said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us?
what is this that thou hast done unto us? And he said unto them, As they did
unto me, so have I done unto them.
[12] And they said unto him, We are come down to bind thee, that we may
deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said unto them,
Swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me yourselves.
[13] And they spake unto him, saying, No; but we will bind thee fast, and
deliver thee into their hand: but surely we will not kill thee. And they
bound him with two new cords, and brought him up from the rock.
[14] And when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him: and
the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and the cords that were upon
his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from
off his hands.
[15] And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took
it, and slew a thousand men therewith.
[16] And Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the
jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men.
[17] And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking, that he cast
away the jawbone out of his hand, and called that place Ramath-lehi.
[18] And he was sore athirst, and called on the LORD, and said, Thou hast
given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant: and now shall I
die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?
[19] But God clave an hollow place that was in the jaw, and there came water
thereout; and when he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived:
wherefore he called the name thereof En-hakkore, which is in Lehi unto this
day.
[20] And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.
2) Our Daily Bread for 3 April 2023 titled
Finding Strength in God
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
9 (Php 4:13; 2Co 12:10; Isa 40:29-31) But He said to me, "My grace is
sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."
Therefore most gladly I will boast in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ
may rest upon me.
10 (Ro 5:3; 2Co 13:4) So I take pleasure in weaknesses, in reproaches, in
hardships, in persecutions, and in distresses for Christ's sake. For when
I am weak, then I am strong.
[9] And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is
made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my
infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
[10] Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in
necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am
weak, then am I strong.
Soccer player Christian Pulisic faced several injuries that influenced his
career. After learning he wouldn't be in the starting lineup of the Champions
League semifinals game, he was disappointed, but he described how God had
revealed Himself to him. "As always, I reach out to God, and He gives me
strength," he said. "I feel like I always have Someone who's with me. I don't
know how I would do any of this without that feeling." Pulisic ultimately
made a momentous impact when he was substituted later in the game. He
initiated a clever play that led to the game-winning shot and secured
their spot in the championship. These experiences taught him a valuable
lesson: we can always view our weaknesses as opportunities
for God to reveal His immeasurable power.
The world teaches us to rely on our own strength when encountering problems.
However, biblical wisdom teaches us that God's grace and power give us
strength in the most trying circumstances (2 Corinthians 12:9). Therefore,
we can move in confidence, recognizing that we never face trials alone.
Our "weaknesses" become opportunities for God to reveal His power,
strengthening and supporting us (vv. 9-10). We can then use our struggles
to offer praise to God, giving thanks for His goodness and sharing these
encounters with others so that they can come to experience His love.
By: Kimya Loder
Reflect & Pray
When have you tried to overcome a struggle on your own?
How can you look to God for strength?
Dear heavenly Father, thank You for being the source
of my strength and guiding me each day.
For further reading, check out this article: Christian Pulisic reaches
out to God for strength with Chelsea in FA Cup, Champions League finals.
3) Daily verses taken from Billy Graham Evangelical Organisation
Words in Season Scripture Memory Tools
Week 1 Knowing God's Word Day 2 - Growing Up
2 Tim 3:16-17
16 (Ro 15:4) All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable
for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction
in righteousness,
17 (1Ti 6:11; 2Ti 2:21) that the man of God may be complete,
thoroughly equipped for every good work.
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction
in righteousness:
17 that the man of God may be perfect,
throughly furnished unto all good works.
"I can't wait till I get big!" Marc, age 5, declared. "Then I do
what I want!" Most of us, as children, shared Marc's statement.
We looked forward to that "magic age" - 16, 18, 21 - when we
would be adults: mature, able to make our own decisions.
We find, of course, that adulthood has its own share of
difficulties and conflicts. But even in our spiritual lives
we often long for a "magic moment" of maturity. As one woman
confessed, "Ever since I became a Christian, I've hoped I'd wake up
one morning to find myself mature."
But growth in the spiritual life comes gradually, like growth in
the physical world. In 2 Tim 2:16-17, Paul gives the young pastor
Timothy an important key to spiritual growing up - the Word of God.
The Word is "profitable" or "useful," Paul says, for "teaching" - that is,
for developing a right concept of God. Scripture offers "rebuke" when
we go wrong, "correction" to set us on the right path, and "training
in righteousness" so that we can grow in the image of Christ.
The purpose of Scripture's work in our lives, Paul emphasises,
is that we may be "perfect" - mature, equipped for the good things
God has for us to do. Such maturity does not come easily
or instantaneously, but it does come - sometimes imperceptibly -
as we submit our lives to the transforming power of God's Word.
Application
a) In what areas of my life do I need to grow? How can I benefit
from the Bible's
i) teaching?
ii) rebuke?
iii) correction?
iv) training in righteousness?
b) How can memorising God's Word help me grow in those areas?
4) From Prosperity Promises - Kenneth Copeland
Luke 16:10-12
10 (Mt 25:21; Lk 19:17) "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful
also in much. And he who is dishonest in the least is dishonest also
in much.
11 So if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth,
who will commit to your trust the true riches?
12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another man's,
who will give you that which is your own?"
10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much:
and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon,
who will commit to your trust the true riches?
12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's,
who shall give you that which is your own?
5) From a Book called God's Promises for you:
God's Reconciling Peace
Col 3:12-17
12 (Eph 4:2; Lk 1:78) So embrace, as the elect of God, holy and beloved,
a spirit of mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, and longsuffering.
13 (Eph 4:32; Mk 11:25; Eph 4:2) Bear with one another
and forgive one another. If anyone has a quarrel against anyone,
even as Christ forgave you, so you must do.
14 (Eph 4:3; 1Co 13:1-13) And above all these things, embrace love,
which is the bond of perfection.
15 (Jn 14:27; Eph 5:20) Let the peace of God,
to which also you are called in one body,
rule in your hearts. And be thankful.
16 (Eph 5:19; Col 1:28; Ro 10:17 ) Let the word of Christ dwell
in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing
one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
17 (1Co 10:31; Eph 5:20 ) And whatever you do in word or deed,
do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies,
kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
13 forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have
a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
14 And above all these things put on charity,
which is the bond of perfectness.
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye
are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom;
teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
Remember God's promises when You pray
The Lord's prayer
Matthew 6:9-13
9 "Therefore pray in this manner:
Our Father who is in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
10 (Mt 3:2; 4:17) Your kingdom come;
Your will be done
on earth, as it is in heaven.
11 (Pr 30:8; Isa 33:16) Give us this day our daily bread.
12 (Ex 34:7; Ps 32:1) And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
13 (1Co 10:13; Jn 17:15) And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."
9 After this manner therefore pray ye:
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
6) This come from Praying for Muslims in Canada 2015 (Is there a 2022 edition?)
Manitoba
Quick facts on Muslims in Manitoba
Manitoba 2015 population 1 282 000
est Muslim Population 21 349
CNMM Networks: Winnipeg
The Muslim population of Manitoba, understandably centred in Winnipeg, is very
diverse and represents some 48 different cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
Conservative estimates put their number at 21000 , with some suggesting
it might be twice that size.
Some outreach among Muslims has started, yet in comparison to the size
of this community, there is the need and opportunity for far more engagement.
Continued influx of new immigrants and refugees continues to see the growth
of this Muslim centre in Manitoba.
We rejoice in the Arabic fellowship meeting there and the energetic workers
among Muslims in Winnipeg.
Let us intercede in unity for:
- new Christian workers among Manitoba's growing Muslim population
- new church ministries focused on prayer, equipping and reaching Muslim
communities around them, as well as training new workers
- the Arabic fellowship and their ministries of discipling new Muslim
background believers and for effectiveness in outreach
- for the recent Somali woman who found faith in Jesus and stood her ground
in the face of opposition to her new faith.
- for current workers among Muslims to be blessed, refreshed and encouraged
with great support
Adding further
30 day of Prayers from 18 March 2023 to 18 April 2023
Day 17
The Republic of Djibouti is a small, strategically located, oil-rich country
in the Horn of Africa. Under French rule, the nation was known as French
Somaliland, until the country was granted Independence from European settlers
in 1977. The nation of Djibouti features a rugged and extreme landscape, from
arid desert plains in the South to lush green mountains in the North.
The 4 largest ethnic majorities in the nation are Somali, Afar , Omani, and
Yemeni - all of which are unreached people groups in the Horn of Africa
and the Arabian Peninsula. Hosting more stability and easier to access then
its neighbouring countries to the northeast and southeast, Djibouti is a
critical juncture for the Church to win East African and Arab unreached people
groups. Djibouti is also the name of the capital city.
People Focus Group
Afar (Danakil)
Yemeni Arab
Somali
Prayer Emphasis
- Pray for the advancement of God's kingdom throughout the 11 languages
of Djibouti, Djibouti
- Pray for the New Testament translation in Ta'izzi-Adeni Arabic
- Pray for a mighty movement of prayer to be birthed in Djibouti
that multiplies throughout the country.
- Pray for followers of Jesus to walk in the power of the Spirit.
Pray for a resurrection of God's divine purpose for this city.
My paternal side is of Muslim heritage and will offer this section to further
call for Muslim converts to Christian and any other converts to Christianity
(Hindus, Jews, aboriginals Canadian, ...) .
7) Prayers for the nation (Canada) coming from Prayer map of Canada
http://www.ehc.ca
3nd Day of the Month
a) Pray for the province of Alberta as follows:
I) Pray for the leaders of Alberta, that God's Spirit would influence then to
act justly, serve with integrity and honour high moral standards. (
1 Tim 2:1-4
1 Therefore I exhort first of all that you make supplications,
prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings for everyone,
2 (Ezr 6:10) for kings and for all who are in authority,
that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and honesty,
3 (1Ti 1:1; Lk 1:47) for this is good and acceptable in
the sight of God our Savior,
4 (Eze 18:23; 18:32)who desires all men to be saved and to come
to the knowledge of the truth.
1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications,
prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
2 for kings, and for all that are in authority;
that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
4 who will have all men to be saved,
and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
II) Pray for the churches of the province, that they would be lighthouses
beaming forth the illuminating truth of God's Word.
III) Pray that the Lord would use the Finding the Hope Campaign
and booklet to turn many hearts to Jesus
b) Pray for the Holy Spirit to bring conviction of sin
and Canadian to faith in Christ.
( John 16:8 - When He comes, He will convict the world of sin
and of righteousness and of judgment:
8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin,
and of righteousness, and of judgment:
Matthew 9:36 - But when He saw the crowds, He was moved with
compassion for them, because they fainted and were scattered,
like sheep without a shepherd
36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with
compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered
abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. )
Conclusion:
Pray to the Lord and pray not to look outside the Faith for solutions.
Pray to the Lord: "Dear heavenly Father, thank You for being the source
of my strength and guiding me each day."
Pray to the Lord and pray for Him for help in dwelving deeper in the Word.
Pray to the Lord and pray to be good stewards.
Pray to the Lord and pray for unity in the Holy Spirit.
Agree in prayer with us for:
- new Christian workers among Manitoba's growing Muslim population
- new church ministries focused on prayer, equipping and reaching Muslim
communities around them, as well as training new workers
- the Arabic fellowship and their ministries of discipling new Muslim
background believers and for effectiveness in outreach
- for the recent Somali woman who found faith in Jesus and stood her ground
in the face of opposition to her new faith.
- for current workers among Muslims to be blessed, refreshed and encouraged
with great support
- Pray for the advancement of God's kingdom throughout the 11 languages
of Djibouti, Djibouti
- Pray for the New Testament translation in Ta'izzi-Adeni Arabic
- Pray for a mighty movement of prayer to be birthed in Djibouti
that multiplies throughout the country.
- Pray for followers of Jesus to walk in the power of the Spirit.
Pray for a resurrection of God's divine purpose for this city.
Pray for the Holy Spirit to bring conviction of sin
and Canadian to faith in Christ.
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