The story of Sarah is found in the book of Genesis.

Influential Women Of The Bible: Sarah
The story of Sarah is found in the book of Genesis.
Sarah is the wife of Abraham whose name was originally Sarai (Genesis 11:29). Her name was changed to Sarah when she was promised that she would bear a son and become the mother of nations and kings (Genesis 17:15-16).

Sarah went with her husband Abraham in his journey from Ur of the Chaldees to Haran and eventually into the land of Canaan. She could not have children during most of her marriage. When God promised Abraham that his children would become a great nation and that the land of Canaan would be given to his descendants, Sarah was still barren. After ten years had passed, Abraham and Sarah still had no children. Sarah decided to give her Egyptian slave, Hagar, to Abraham to have a child. Hagar conceived and bore a son, Ishmael. God promised that a nation would come from Ishmael but that he was not the child God had promised Abraham. Sarah herself was to be the mother of this child. Finally when she was ninety years old, she gave birth to her son Isaac, twenty-five years after the original promise of a child to Abraham (Genesis 17:17).
Every woman drawing closer to God will face the challenge of trusting him. Although at the beginning Sarah struggled with her faith, but at the end she trusted in God’s promise. Job 8:7 says, “Though thy beginning (is) small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.” Many times God’s word doesn’t take effect immediately but as we hear it over and over our faith begins to increase. The same is true of Sarah. The writer to the Hebrews in our text expressed the fact that it was “through faith” that Sarah “received strength to conceive seed.” This was the beginning. Then she needed faith to “deliver the child” in her old age. This was the end. Her faith in God’s promise caused her body to do what it wasn’t strong enough to do before. Her body was now restored to perform its natural functions. Her dead womb was supernaturally revived. She trusted God to the end. Sarah trusted God alongside her husband Abraham to fulfill His promise.
Romans 8:35 says: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” We can let nothing separate us from the promises of God! We can’t allow being barren; deadness; not feeling productive, to separate us from what God has promised. My sisters, let the example of Sara’s faith encourage you also to trust God to the end. You may not see it in the beginning but keep declaring God’s promises. You will soon discover God to be faithful to His word in the end. Hebrews 3:14 says, “For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end.” I have confidence that God is going to see me through, no matter what the case may be, I know He is going to fix it for me! Have faith like Sarah, to know that God will see you through to the end!!!

The Grace of Giving

The Grace of Giving
2 Corinthians 8:1-7
Today we live under a new covenant established by God through the shed blood of His Son Jesus (Heb. 9:15). Based on what Christ did, Romans 12:1 tells us to present ourselves “as a living and holy sacrifice, [which is] acceptable” to the Lord. If you are a child of God, all of your abilities, time, and money belong to Him.
The principle of sacrificial living can be seen in the early church. Those new believers eagerly sold their possessions and property to meet the needs around them (Acts 2:45). In response to their generosity, God blessed them with glad hearts, favor from the people, and increasing numbers.
Macedonian churches also understood the priority of giving. Even though the believers there were extremely poor, they begged for the opportunity to help financially. Scripture says they excelled at the “grace of giving” (v. 7 niv).
Under Old Testament law, God required a tithe (a tenth of one’s animals and crops) to support the temple (Lev. 27:30-32). When the nation drifted away from this practice, the Lord sent Malachi to warn them of the consequences for disobeying. By not giving their tithe, they were robbing God of what was rightfully His (Mal. 3:8). We certainly don’t want to be guilty of withholding the Lord’s money from Him.
Having appointed us to be His stewards and entrusted us with resources, God expects us to give generously. Jesus praised the impoverished widow in the temple for her sacrificial giving (Mark 12:41-44). When we trust the Lord with our finances as thewidow did, we’ll excel at the grace of giving.

Ruth and Naomi return to Bethlehem in hopes of fostering a livelihood.

Ruth 2

Ruth and Naomi return to Bethlehem in hopes of fostering a livelihood.
INSIGHT
When Boaz, a noble and godly man, hears of Ruth's noble and godly actions, he is moved with appreciation for the kind of person she is. When he finds her gleaning in his fields, he bestows kindnesses on her. Ruth asks why he should take notice of her since she is a foreigner. Boaz replies that it is because of all that she has done for Naomi. The way we live our everyday lives communicates a "life message" to others. When we live for the Lord, that message is a beacon of light to others.
PRAYER
Praise the Lord for His sovereignty and for the fact that He works His will regardless of the failures of His children:
Praise the Lord!
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord?
Who can declare all His praise?
Blessed are those who keep justice,
And he who does righteousness at all times!
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel
From everlasting to everlasting!
And let all the people say, "Amen!"
Praise the Lord! (Psalm 106:1-3, 48).

Pause for praise and thanksgiving.

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me,
and I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me to hear joy and gladness,
That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
Hide Your face from my sins,
And blot out all my iniquities (Psalm 51:7-9).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind.

Now pause to pray this affirmation to the Lord:
Jesus answered and said to him,
"If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word;
and My Father will love him,
and We will come to him and make Our home with him"
(John 14:23).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:
The renewing of your mind
The needs of your extended family
Whatever else is on your heart
Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:
Bless the Lord, all you His hosts,
You ministers of His, who do His pleasure.
Bless the Lord, all His works,
In all places of His dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul! (Psalm 103:21-22).
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Shiphrah, Puah and Jochebed

Influential Women Of The Bible
Shiphrah, Puah and Jochebed

Exodus 1:15 And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah: 16And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live. 17But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive. 20Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. 21And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses. (Exodus 1:15-21)

2And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. (Exodus 2:2)

In the first chapter of Exodus, Shiphrah and Puah are singled out for their bravery and their efforts to save the Hebrew children. As the population of the people of Israel grew in Egypt, Pharaoh was threatened by the large number of Hebrew slaves and their potential power. So he commanded that all Jewish male babies be killed so that the Israelite population couldn’t expand any further. He gave a particular assignment to the two midwives of the Hebrew community, Shiphrah and Puah, to see to it that all male Hebrew babies be killed. Despite the possible danger to their own lives, Shiphrah and Puah disobeyed the order. They lied and told Pharaoh that the Hebrew women were giving birth so fast that the babies were arriving before they could get there. At the same time, an Israelite woman named Jochebed gave birth to a son and hid him for three months. Then she risks everything by putting him in a wicker basket instructing her daughter Miriam, to place the basket in the river. Through God’s sovereign control, God allowed Pharaoh’s daughter to find the baby and have compassion on him. Even though she identified him as a Hebrew child who should be killed, she takes Him into the household of Pharaoh as her own son. Of course, we know who the child was. He would become the future deliverer of Israel. His name was Moses!

Because these three women decided to risk it all, God provided a deliverer for His people. We should take note, and realize Shiphrah and Puah took the position of helping to give birth despite obstacles they would have to face just to secure deliverance for God’s people. Jochebed took the position of giving birth just so deliverance could come to God’s people. The enemy does not want what is inside of you to come out. What is inside of you is great; what is inside of you is world changing; what is inside of you is the ministry of reconciliation! 18And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; (2nd Corinthians 5:18). What is inside of you is too big to stay inside of you, so it is time to get in the birthing position. Like these three women, what position you take can lead to deliverance for many.

A Jewess, Naomi, and her two daughters-in-law lose their husbands.

Ruth 1

A Jewess, Naomi, and her two daughters-in-law lose their husbands.
INSIGHT
In Ruth, we see one of the most stirring examples of loyalty in the Bible. In spite of Naomi's urgings to the contrary, Ruth stays with her, looking not for personal fulfillment or material comfort but longing merely to maintain the relationship with one whom she loves. This loyalty comes from a pure heart, and it is not surprising that it extends not just to Naomi but also to the Lord. In stark contrast to Samson, Ruth's selflessness leads to beauty, fulfillment, and seeking the good of others. We should take instruction for our own lives and live as Ruth, not as Samson.
PRAYER
Because we can have the beauty of the Lord in our lives, give thanks and praise to Him:
Blessed be the name of the Lord
From this time forth and forevermore!
From the rising of the sun to its going down
The Lord's name is to be praised. . . .
Who is like the Lord our God,
Who dwells on high,
Who humbles Himself to behold
The things that are in the heavens and in the earth? . . .
He grants the barren woman a home,
Like a joyful mother of children.
Praise the Lord! (Psalm 113:2-3, 5-6, 9).

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O Lord;
Let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me.
For innumerable evils have surrounded me;
My iniquities have overtaken me,
so that I am not able to look up;
They are more than the hairs of my head;
Therefore my heart fails me (Psalm 40:11-12).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind. Now pray this affirmation to the Lord:
"He who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life" (John 5:24).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:
Faithfulness with your talents
Your state and local leaders
Your activities for the day
Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:
To Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began . . . to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen (Romans 16:25, 27).

Selfish Christianity

Selfish Christianity
John 6:22-27
Which interests you more—who Jesus is or what He can do for you? I’m afraid that too many of us are more concerned about what He can give us than we are about getting to know who He is.
But this is nothing new—Jesus had this problem when He walked on earth. The crowds often sought Him out for what He could do for them. Even though their needs were quite often legitimate, Christ knew their motives.
There is a fine line between selfishly trying to use the Lord to get what we want and humbly coming to Him with our needs and struggles. Some of the issues we bring to Him are so pressing and urgent in our minds that our desire for Him to take action in the way we want becomes greater than our willingness to submit to His will. At times, what we call “faith” is really a demanding spirit.
We must remember that our needs will come to an end, but Jesus Christ will remain forever. If our prayers have dealt only with presenting our requests to the Lord, we’ve missed a great opportunity to get to know the One with whom we’ll spend eternity. Let’s invest time in pursuing intimacy with Christ. Then we can enjoy the benefits of that relationship forever.
How much of your communion with God is devoted to your needs—even legitimate ones? Are you spending any time getting to know the Lord? Although God delights in our prayers and tells us to pray about everything, He also wants us to come to Him just because we enjoy being with Him.

Samson is subdued and later dies in his final act of resistance.

Judges 16

Samson is subdued and later dies in his final act of resistance.
INSIGHT
"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap" (Galatians 6:7). Samson's lustful foolishness finally catches up with him, and in a profound example of bad judgment, he discloses the secret of his strength to a woman who had betrayed him repeatedly. Samson violates his Nazarite vow, and all his power leaves him. His eyes are gouged out and he dies, not avenging the Lord against the Philistines but avenging the loss of his own eyes. It is a heartbreaking conclusion to a life that is tragic-tragic not only because of what it was, but even more for what it could have been.
PRAYER
Thank the Lord and give Him your praise. By His grace, we can escape consequences similar to those Samson experienced by living for Him:
I will praise the Lord with my whole heart,
In the assembly of the upright and in the congregation. . . .
His work is honorable and glorious,
And His righteousness endures forever.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
A good understanding have all those who do His commandments.
His praise endures forever (Psalm 111:1, 3, 10).

Pause for praise and thanksgiving.

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:4-5).
Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind.

Now pause to pray this affirmation to the Lord:
"This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent" (John 17:3).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:
Greater love for the lost
Mission work in Africa
Whatever else is on your heart
Finally, offer this closing prayer:
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13).
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