Jeremiah - Women's Bible Study Preview Book: Daring to Hope in an Unstable World

by Melissa Spoelstra

Overview

This pocket-size book provides a snapshot of the underlying message of the complete study—that by surrendering our wills to God and placing our hope in Him alone will help us live intentionally in an unstable world. Based on the Bible study: Jeremiah: Daring to Hope in an Unstable World.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781426793936
Publisher:	Abingdon Press
Publication date:	08/05/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Melissa Spoelstra is a popular women’s conference speaker (including the Aspire Women’s Events), Bible teacher, and author who is madly in love with Jesus and passionate about helping others to seek Christ and know Him more intimately.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Bible Theology and enjoys teaching God’s Word to diverse groups and churches within the body of Christ. She is a contributor to Girlfriends in God online devotional as well as Proverbs 31 ministries First Five app. She is the author of eight Bible studies (Acts, The Names of God, Romans, Elijah, Numbers, First Corinthians, Joseph, and Jeremiah) and four books (Total Family Makeover, Total Christmas Makeover, 30 Days of Prayer for Spiritual Stamina, and Dare to Hope). Melissa makes her home in Pickerington, Ohio, with her pastor husband and four kids.

Melissa Spoelstra is a popular women’s conference speaker (including the Aspire Women’s Events), Bible teacher, and author who is madly in love with Jesus and passionate about helping others to seek Christ and know Him more intimately.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Bible Theology and enjoys teaching God’s Word to diverse groups and churches within the body of Christ. She is a contributor to Girlfriends in God online devotional as well as Proverbs 31 ministries First Five app. She is the author of eight Bible studies (Acts, The Names of God, Romans, Elijah, Numbers, First Corinthians, Joseph, and Jeremiah) and four books (Total Family Makeover, Total Christmas Makeover, 30 Days of Prayer for Spiritual Stamina, and Dare to Hope). Melissa makes her home in Waxahachie, Texas, with her pastor husband and four kids.

Read an Excerpt

Jeremiah - Women's Bible Study A Preview Book

Daring to Hope in an Unstable World

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By Melissa Spoelstra

Abingdon Press

Copyright © 2014 Abingdon Press
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4267-8896-3

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CHAPTER 1

Raising the White Flag

Surrender

Have you ever felt like you are right on the brink? Just one more emotional strain, relational conflict, financial setback, or physical ailment will send you right over the edge, causing you to want to give in and quit. The prophet Jeremiah gives us a glimpse into the instability in his own life. He encountered family and ministry problems and even got into some legal trouble. It's easier to relate to a guy who certainly never pretended to have it altogether.

In the midst of Jeremiah's personal troubles and those of the surrounding culture, God gave him a message of surrender. But this call to surrender wasn't permission to just cop out and throw in the towel because of life's many hardships. Though it can be tempting to consider giving up as a parent, employee, or friend when the going gets tough, God calls us to a different kind of surrender. Through the prophet Jeremiah, God called the people of Judah to trust in Him by surrendering to His leading instead of trying to sort out life from their limited vantage point. And God gave Jeremiah plenty of opportunity to demonstrate how to do this. Again and again we see him looking to God's ways—made known through God's Word—over his own. Jeremiah said,

When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God of Heaven's Armies.

Jeremiah 15:16

We can learn a lot from this humble prophet's example. See if God's mega-theme of surrender through Jeremiah's life and writings echoes into your own white flag anxieties.

No Excuses

Jeremiah first responded to God's call with many reasons why he couldn't do what God asked of him. Choosing to obey God would cost him family relationships and social standing. He also told God he was too young.

"O Sovereign Lord," I said, "I can't speak for you! I'm too young!" The Lord replied, "Don't say, 'I'm too young,' for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you."

Jeremiah 1:6-7

Jeremiah made excuses, but God met every one with an assurance of His divine help and power. Eventually Jeremiah chose to believe and obey God in spite of his doubts and fears. In faith he followed God instead of giving in to his insecurities.

What nudging from God's Spirit have you been hearing lately? What plan has He revealed that will entail giving up some things you'd rather not? What excuses have you been making to get out of following God's clear leading? Jeremiah found that, although following God wasn't always easy, surrendering to God brought blessing while making excuses resulted in suffering consequences. As you consider what is holding you back from complete surrender to God, listen for God's voice of help and power assuring that He will empower you in every situation.

Surrender and Popularity

I know we like to pretend popularity was something we outgrew after high school, but many of us are still trying to find the right lunch table decades later. People-pleasing can influence our words, actions, and attitudes. We want people to like us. What about those times when totally yielding to God might upset our spouse, friends, or family members? God calls us to be faithful and obedient even when we must stand alone.

When Jeremiah boldly proclaimed God's message of surrender, he faced opposition from government leaders. In an effort to silence him, King Zedekiah ordered that he be placed in a large cistern. Jeremiah discovered that obedience doesn't always mean that life will be easy. He found himself at the bottom of a pit, realizing that God values character and obedience over personal comfort or human applause.

So the officials took Jeremiah from his cell and lowered him by ropes into an empty cistern in the prison yard. It belonged to Malkijah, a member of the royal family. There was no water in the cistern, but there was a thick layer of mud at the bottom, and Jeremiah sank down into it.

Jeremiah 38:6

How about you? How could completely yielding to the Lord in your life possibly affect those around you? Would they talk about you behind your back or think you've become a fanatic? What audience most greatly influences your daily decisions? Even though surrender won't always bring you popularity, God says He will bless you. His good plans might not always feel good in the moment, but obedience affords great long-term benefits. God promised to take care of Jeremiah and longs to shower us with His comfort as well.

Confirmation

Once we lay aside excuses and determine to please God above people, what if we still don't know what God is saying to us? Did we really hear God say we should quit our job, have another baby, or start a new ministry? Jeremiah's messages from God seemed so clear, yet even he sought confirmation. He stayed in close fellowship with God through honest dialogue coupled with deep study of His Word. While God can speak through anything or anyone, Jeremiah found God's confirmation most often through prayer, Scripture, and people. God also confirmed his word through Jeremiah by taking away his peace until he obeyed. On one occasion, Jeremiah described the unrest he felt until he obeyed God with these words:

But if I say I'll never mention the Lord or speak in his name, his word burns in my heart like a fire. It's like a fire in my bones! I am worn out trying to hold it in! I can't do it!

Jeremiah 20:9

I also have had times when I have asked God to direct me by giving me peace about a decision. When we weren't sure about a medical decision after praying, seeking counsel, and searching God's Word, I asked God to take away the overwhelming peace I felt about the procedure if it wasn't His leading. I felt His peace and lightness about proceeding when usually I would be fearful about this type of procedure, and I never regretted the choice later.

By following Jeremiah's example of intimate dialogue with God and careful study of God's Word, we can begin to discern whether a thought or idea is from the Holy Spirit or just our own desire. We also can find affirmation through people, circumstances, and when God "burns" His word in our hearts as He did in Jeremiah.

Defining Success

I find this thinking creeping into my own soul at times:

I follow God = everything should go well for me.

But this is not biblical. The list is long of those who followed God and found hardship and difficulty. People mocked Noah for his boat project. Joseph's brothers put him in a pit and sold him. David hid in caves on the run for his life from King Saul. Jeremiah preached boldly but no one listened. His family rejected him, and his government imprisoned him.

We tend to define ourselves by our accomplishments, appearance, or intelligence. Yet Jeremiah shows us that even the most faithful followers can feel anxiety and depression and struggle to believe God through rough circumstances.

I hurt with the hurt of my people. I mourn and am overcome with grief.

Jeremiah 8:21

Jeremiah didn't walk around pretending everything was great when it wasn't. He told God he was frustrated and confused. He asked God questions about justice, and then he listened to God's truth and comfort. He continued to trust as he worked through his complaints and doubts.

God invites us to come to Him and wrestle through our personal battles. These struggles don't mean we are unsuccessful Christians. Instead, they give us an opportunity to take our thoughts and emotions to God.

How do you define success in your life? Do you need compliant kids, a brilliant career, or a thriving ministry to feel a sense of worth and identity? According to Jeremiah's message, we find that true success is found in surrendering to God. God protected Jeremiah through their intimate relationship and taught him that eternal things matter more than temporary ones. Jeremiah realized that blessing comes from making the Lord your hope and confidence. By making the Lord your hope and confidence, you, too, can find the blessed life that leads to true success.

White Flag Anxiety

Jeremiah didn't try to sugarcoat his pain. He boldly told God that he wished he were never born. He called God's help uncertain and blamed Him for the suffering he endured. He held nothing back, and God responded to Jeremiah with comforting words, promising to take care of him.

Even though our circumstances may range from puzzling to downright depressing, we can know that God is the One who will take care of us, too. He doesn't leave us as orphans in a sea of questions, trials, and difficulties. He promises to walk with us.

In the midst of the anxiety that often results from surrendering control, God called Jeremiah to be an influencer. To do this, Jeremiah talked with God, devoured God's Word, and chose to stand alone—confident of the Lord's presence and power. God told Jeremiah,

"They will fight you, but they will fail. For I am with you, and I will take care of you. I, the Lord, have spoken!"

Jeremiah 1:19

Do you ever stuff your pain instead of honestly working through it with God? Have you joined in with the crowd regarding media choices, gossip, spending habits, or some other area of life when taking a stand could be unpopular? Where are you being dragged down instead of being a spokeswoman with God's message?

While raising the white flag isn't usually easy, its benefits are innumerable. Jesus surrendered to His Father's will and it resulted in our salvation. He calls us to take up our cross and follow Him. When we yield our plans to His, He can use us to bring His message of hope to an unstable world so desperately in need of it.

Where is God calling you to surrender today? Is there something you've been holding back because of fear or uncertainty—a relationship, a material item, a habit? Lay it down right now and hear God's tender words saying, "I will take care of you."

CHAPTER 2

Recognizing Counterfeits and the Real Deal

Idolatry

Have you ever struggled with riding the roller coaster of circumstances? When people seem to like us, stress levels are low, and things are going well in our world, we soar. But then we spiral downward when people are critical, money gets tight, or unexpected situations throw us off the ride completely. While God created us to experience emotions throughout life's ups and downs, we must be careful about what we have given ultimate place or priority in our lives. If we aren't careful, we might find ourselves living in despair because we put our hope in things that don't ultimately satisfy.

Jeremiah wrote about the danger of putting anything above God in our lives.

Idols are worthless; they are ridiculous lies! On the day of reckoning they will all be destroyed. But the God of Israel is no idol! He is the Creator of everything that exists, including Israel, his own special possession. The Lord of Heaven's Armies is his name!

Jeremiah 10:15-16

Let's consider some of the ways that Jeremiah's prophecy helps us discern the difference between spiritual counterfeits and the real deal.

Forgetfulness

Jeremiah uses jewelry and wedding dresses as illustrations of things we rarely forget. He writes,

"Does a young woman forget her jewelry? Does a bride hide her wedding dress? Yet for years on end my people have forgotten me."

Jeremiah 2:32

Even now I can remember the details of my dress, complete with lace and a long, satin train. I will never forget the large shoulder pads that were so in vogue back then. We remember things we value as important. Yet somehow in the craziness of our daily routines, schedules, meetings, and all the things we "must" do, God sometimes falls to the bottom of the list. We say He is first in our lives, but the focus of our time and attention might reveal that we sometimes settle for convenient counterfeits over true connection with our God.

Through Jeremiah's words of prophecy, God asks us to remember Him and not allow anything or anyone to take His place in our lives. What do you never forget because you value it so greatly? In what ways do you struggle with forgetting God? As we elevate God in our lives and value Him above all else, we will find ourselves less prone to forget. We'll remember His love, His justice, and His desire to have a deep relationship with us.

Spotting a Fake

God uses a word picture through Jeremiah to illustrate the difference between idols and Himself. Jeremiah says that God is like a fountain of living water—fresh, pure, and unlimited in supply. Then he likens idols to cracked cisterns. Cisterns were holes dug into the ground or rock for storing rainwater. And cisterns with cracks were completely useless for holding even dirty, stagnant water.

I find myself sometimes drawn to building cisterns. It keeps me busy, makes me feel like I'm contributing, and gives me the assurance of a backup plan just in case God doesn't come through. Yet these cisterns are always cracked—flawed. Without divine direction and supernatural guidance, we can spin our wheels in efforts that won't yield results. We need God's help to know where to invest our time, what opportunities to pursue, and how to make the best decisions.

When we go it alone—without drinking from the fountain of living water—we find that building cracked cisterns leaves us exhausted, dirty, and empty. Speaking through Jeremiah, God told how He felt about His people's cracked cisterns:

"For my people have done two evil things: They have abandoned me— the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!"

Jeremiah 2:13

Trusting in God, obeying His Word, and walking closely with Him is what will quench our spiritual thirst. God offers us living water, but He never forces us to drink.

We need to evaluate which practices in our lives lead to drinking from the fountain of God and which lead us toward self-reliance and personal idolatry. While the rest of his culture built leaky cisterns, Jeremiah persevered in drinking from the fountain of God. As you lay aside your counterfeits and drink deeply from God's fountain, you'll find a quenching of your spiritual thirst that you'll want to share with others.

Counterfeit Consequences

God is a good daddy. He loves His children too much to leave us settling for empty substitutes. In Jeremiah's day, God gave clear instructions through His Word and issued warnings through His prophet when the people got off track spiritually. He was willing to stop His plans for exile if His people would stop their idolatrous ways.

"This is what the LORD of Heaven's Armies, the God of Israel, says: 'Even now, if you quit your evil ways, I will let you stay in your own land. ... But I will be merciful only if you stop your evil thoughts and deeds and start treating each other with justice; only if you stop exploiting foreigners, orphans, and widows; only if you stop your murdering; and only if you stop harming yourselves by worshiping idols. Then I will let you stay in this land that I gave to your ancestors to keep forever.'"

Jeremiah 7: 3, 5-7

Eventually, after their continual disobedience, He followed through with the consequences He had warned them about—just as a loving parent would.

Sometimes in my life I look to people, retail therapy, food, or media consumption in an attempt to quench my spiritual longing, and it feels good in the moment. However, when I live on a diet of soul junk food, the spiritual flab begins to affect my health. While the consequences may not present themselves immediately, the plaque slowly builds in the arteries of my relationship with God. Apathy, bitterness, or distance in my relationship with God can slip in unnoticed until a crisis or conflict uncovers their presence.

Settling for counterfeits brings consequences that affect our spiritual health and keep us from the good plans God has for us. As we keep our focus on God—the "real deal"—we can then more easily spot the fakes in our lives. God wants to give us Himself in the midst of a world that offers every kind of substitute.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Jeremiah - Women's Bible Study A Preview Book by Melissa Spoelstra. Copyright © 2014 Abingdon Press. Excerpted by permission of Abingdon Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Contents

Introduction,
1. Raising the White Flag Surrender,
2. Recognizing Counterfeits and the Real Deal Idolatry,
3. Opening Our Ears Listening,
4. Staying Spiritually Sensitive Heart Issues,
5. Quitting the Blame Game Personal Responsibility,
6. Finding the Source of Our Hope The Promised Messiah,
Notes,