Twelve More Women of the Bible (various teachers)

Here are the notes and words for the fill-in-the-blanks in our “Twelve More Women of the Bible” women’s Bible study with various teachers (via DVDs).

Week 1 (April 13th, 2023) Proverbs 31 Woman: How Not to Do It All (Karen Ehman)

Key Scripture: Proverbs 31:10-31

All of us could have a unique poem written about us. – Karen Ehman

Social media and the challenge of presenting a life in picture-perfect moments

Is the woman described in Proverbs 31 meant to be envied, emulated . . . or something else?

Our reactions to this woman: usually one of two things

Who is this woman . . . she is more than meets the eye

What can we learn from this woman?

  1. It’s about what you do and how you do it
  2. Identify what is unique
  3. Don’t let comparison boss you around
  4. Know your true audience
  5. Have healthy fear
  6. Remember the ruby

It is always best to be an original version of yourself than a cheap, knockoff imitation of somebody else. – Karen Ehman

Do what you can; don’t do what you can’t. – Karen Ehman

Stop comparing. Throw confetti instead, commending each woman and her uniqueness. – Karen Ehman

I need to remember I am loving and serving for an audience of One. – Karen Ehman

No one can do it all, all at once. – Karen Ehman

Homework: p. 5-15

Week 2 (April 20th, 2023) Deborah: Fight Like a Girl (Bianca Juarez Olthoff)

Key Scripture: Judges 4:1-24

God is bigger than your history and more concerned with your destiny. – Bianca Juarez Olthoff

Meeting Deborah, a gifted and passionate leader

People are looking for leaders

We all face times when we need help

Meeting Barak, a reluctant leader (and others like him)

  • Gideon
  • Moses
  • Jeremiah

Lessons from Deborah:

  1. Leaders speak grace and truth
  2. Leaders trust in something bigger than themselves
  3. Leaders look different
  4. Leaders must be willing

We need to stop seeing the things we are NOT and start believing in a God who IS. – Bianca Juarez Olthoff

What you are born into doesn’t determine what is IN YOU. – Bianca Juarez Olthoff

The greatest enemy we have is Satan, and he is called the father of lies. His tactic is to remind us of what we are NOT instead of whose we ARE. – Bianca Juarez Olthoff

Satan knows your name, but he calls you by your sin. God knows your sin, but he calls you by your name. – Bianca Juarez Olthoff

You are a child of God, and whatever arena you are in, he wants to use you. – Bianca Juarez Olthoff

Our role as Christians is to lead people to Christ, so by default you’re a leader. – Bianca Juarez Olthoff

Homework: p. 22-30

Week 3 (April 27th, 2023) Shulamite Woman: We Had God at Hello (Lisa Harper)

Key Scripture: Song of Songs 1:1-17

“With one glance of your eyes you captured my heart.” Can you imagine God saying that to you? – Lisa Harper

The power of songs

Feeling less than perfect

The cost of feeling not good enough

A love story of biblical proportions:

  • Solomon and the Shulamite woman
  • Jesus and you (another love story)

God’s mercy is so much bigger than most of us ever give him credit for. – Lisa Harper

The Bible reveals God has a favorite tune too. His favorite song is actually a book in the Old Testament, and the formal canonical title for it is the Song of Songs. – Lisa Harper

That kind of “less than” feeling, that feeling of not being quite good enough, erodes intimacy in human relationships. But how much more so does that impede our relationship with the Lord? – Lisa Harper

This book of the Bible is all about how God loves us just the way we are. – Lisa Harper

Homework: p. 35-44

Week 4 (May 4th, 2023) Ruth: Staying Focused in a World of Distractions (Chrystal Evans Hurst)

Key Scripture: Ruth 1:1-22

Even good things can get in the way of God things. – Chrystal Evans Hurst

A late-night drive in the dark

Decisions over distractions:

  • Choose calling over comfort
  • Choose reliance over reason
  • Seek God’s approval over the opinions of others

Decisions lead to destiny

Our decisions lead us to our destiny, but only as much as we avoid the distractions that are bound to come up as we live this life. – Chrystal Evans Hurst

Sometimes we can think our way out of exactly the very place that God wants us to be. – Chrystal Evans Hurst

Focus on following God one decision at a time. – Chrystal Evans Hurst

Focus on the One who matters most and trust that, step-by-step, God can and will lead you to the place he wants you to be. – Chrystal Evans Hurst

If we can silence the distractions, and focus only on the fact that we are called to obey – called to live lives that bring God glory – and move forward in that, I believe we will look back and see that following the call of God was the most important thing. – Chrystal Evans Hurst

Homework: p. 49-56

Week 5 (May 11th, 2023) Puah and Shiphrah: How to Fight Your Fears (Margaret Feinberg)

Key Scripture: Exodus 1:15-22

Even when we live in a culture filled with fear, fear doesn’t have to reign, because God does! – Margaret Feinberg

The “what if” game . . . don’t play it!

Irrational fears and real fears

God’s people: from protection and prosperity to oppression and exploitation

Fear God and fear nothing else

The splendid beauty of resisting fear and following God

Three tactics to help you resist the attack of fear:

  • Recognize the battle with fear is bigger than you
  • Stay your mind on God
  • Don’t fight fear alone

Practical ideas and tools for overcoming fear

Fear God, and you have nothing else to fear. – Margaret Feinberg

Whenever we allow fear to take root, we create space for worry and anxiety to set up shop in our lives. – Margaret Feinberg

Use the promises of Scripture to stay your mind on God. – Margaret Feinberg

God invites us to bring all our fears into the light, to him. By confessing, we shift the focus from the fear to the Father. – Margaret Feinberg

If we want shalom, we must pray and ask for it. – Margaret Feinberg

Homework: p. 61-69

Week 6 (May 18th, 2023) Esther: Letting God Be in Control (Courtney Joseph)

Key Scripture: Esther 2:1-23; Esther 3:1-15; Esther 4:1-17; Esther 6:1-14; Esther 7:1-10

Storms come into every life. No one is immune to them. – Courtney Joseph

Crisis moments . . . we all face them

The story of Esther

Esther did five things:

  • She prayed
  • She was willing to perish
  • She prepared
  • She planned
  • She was patient

God is in control . . . all the time

An Ephesians 3:20 moment

God knows he is your greatest need, and when you have him, you can have faith and courage in the midst of the storm. – Courtney Joseph

If God did not use people with weaknesses, he would have no one to use. – Courtney Joseph

Don’t waste an area of pain in your life. It might be the very thing God wants to use for his glory. – Courtney Joseph

Whatever you are facing today, you can rest in God’s love and care for you. Whatever trial you are in right now is meant to point you to God. – Courtney Joseph

Esther is not the hero of her story, and I am not the hero of mine. God is the hero of every story! – Courtney Joseph

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible tells a story of our God who is in control. – Courtney Joseph

God is in control of my life . . . the good and the bad times. – Courtney Joseph

Homework: p. 75-84

Week 7 (May 25th, 2023) Priscilla: Living a Life of Blessed Ordinary (Karen Ehman)

Key Scripture: Acts 18:1-3; Acts 18:18-26

All that you have belongs to God. – Karen Ehman

Don’t compare yourself to the “exciting” lives of others

Looking at life through the right or wrong lenses

The story of Priscilla, an ordinary life

Work eagerly and diligently

Be gracious and private when you correct others

See your home as a ministry center and share it for God’s glory

Open your heart to others

When we view our home through the lens of using it to bring glory to God, it can become a sacred space. – Karen Ehman

Jesus elevated women in his time, often speaking to them when no man normally would. – Karen Ehman

We can be direct while also being discreet. – Karen Ehman

Eagerly work alongside others, using both your hands and your words. – Karen Ehman

If we begin to look at our lives through the lens that God uses, we can view our seemingly ordinary lives in a clearer way, and our calling here on Earth – however mundane it may seem – begins to come into focus. – Karen Ehman

Homework: p. 90-98

Week 8 (June 1st, 2023) Mary and Martha: Finding Life in Death (Bianca Juarez Olthoff)

Key Scripture: John 11:1-44

You can believe that God is working all things out for the good of those who believe in him, even in the middle of the mess. – Bianca Juarez Olthoff

Two stories of crisis . . . one small and one big

Discipleship: when we go through a time of “death”

Jesus’ shocking response to Mary and Martha

Can you heal? Are you able? Are you good?

The real pain Mary and Martha felt

Jesus is the resurrection . . . in all things

Where am I experiencing a kind of death?

You can worship God because he is good, he is able, and he can bring back to life that which is dead. – Bianca Juarez Olthoff

He is God, but he is not a genie who we rub and caress to obtain our wanton wishes. – Bianca Juarez Olthoff

The cost of discipleship is that it will cost you everything. But most importantly, it will solidify and strengthen your faith. – Bianca Juarez Olthoff

To be a disciple of Christ, you may not know the WHY, but you know the WHO. – Bianca Juarez Olthoff

When you lay down that thing that is bitter or that thing you want in a posture of worship at the feet of Jesus, something changes. – Bianca Juarez Olthoff

Homework: p. 103-110

Week 9 (June 8th, 2023) Bent Woman: We’ve Got God’s Complete Attention (Lisa Harper)

Key Scripture: Luke 13:10-17

Jesus never considers us to be an interruption or a bother. We are always a delight to him. – Lisa Harper

When tragedy strikes

A humorous interruption

A serious interruption to Jesus’ final synagogue sermon

Jesus confronts the religious leaders

The culture of the day and how surprising this encounter really was

Jesus, an example of how to respond to “interruptions”

God is watching you . . . what do you think he feels as he looks at you?

Jesus beckons you closer. You do not have to be bent by anything or anyone anymore. – Lisa Harper

People who are more concerned about religiosity than they are about relationship with Jesus tend to be occupied with rules instead of liberty. – Lisa Harper

Some people know Jesus as their Savior but not as their Liberator. – Lisa Harper

God wants all of us to stand up to our full spiritual height. Not to just be saved from our sins but to actually live the abundant, exuberant life. – Lisa Harper

If you will turn toward Jesus, he will never say, “Hang on a minute, this isn’t a very convenient time for me.” Instead, he will always beckon you closer. – Lisa Harper

Our past does not impede our glorious future. If you are a child of the Most High King, if you have put your hope in Jesus, stand up, stand up, stand up! – Lisa Harper

Homework: p. 115-123

Week 10 (June 15th, 2023) Woman with the Issue of Blood: When Persistence Pays Off (Chrystal Evans Hurst)

Key Scripture: Luke 8:43-48

God can be trusted. He is worth pursuing. – Chrystal Evans Hurst

Problems . . . we all face them

Persistence . . . we all need it

  • Natural persistence
  • Supernatural persistence
  • Personal persistence

Proclamation (the point of persistence)

How can you connect your situation with your Savior?

When I am tempted to give up, I remember the lives of those close to me, many of whom have experienced the glory of God shining brightest in their life in the darkest of times. – Chrystal Evans Hurst

It is often in the midst of our choice to hope in God that God shows up and moves in our circumstances. – Chrystal Evans Hurst

Be willing to do what you can with what you have. – Chrystal Evans Hurst

Our persistence matters. There’s always more available when we pursue Jesus. – Chrystal Evans Hurst

The woman with the issue of blood was persistent in the natural, but what got her healing was her persistence in the supernatural. – Chrystal Evans Hurst

Homework: p. 129-137

Week 11 (June 22nd, 2023) Elizabeth: How to Win the Waiting Game (Margaret Feinberg)

Key Scripture: Luke 1:1-45

Waiting isn’t meant to be passive but to actively stretch us to grow deeper in our relationship with God. – Margaret Feinberg

Waiting is part of life

God is worth the wait

The story of Elizabeth

God is worth the wait because God is worthy of the wait

Don’t miss the One worth waiting for

God is working in the wait

Place the weight of the wait on God

Don’t wait alone

You can get so focused on what you’re waiting on that you miss the One worth waiting for. – Margaret Feinberg

The best measure of how far your focus is off Christ is how hard you’re working to stay in control. – Margaret Feinberg

God is worth the wait because he is worthy of the wait. – Margaret Feinberg

Most likely, the work that God is doing in your season of waiting is bigger than you. And it’s not just about you. – Margaret Feinberg

God does not call us to wait alone but rather to wait on him alone. – Margaret Feinberg

Relinquish control to Christ. Trust in the WHO even if you can’t see the WHY or the HOW. – Margaret Feinberg

Homework: p. 143-152

Week 12 (June 29th, 2023) Anna: How to Live a Life Devoted to God (Courtney Joseph)

Key Scripture: Luke 2:36-38

Anything less than God himself will leave our souls hungry. – Courtney Joseph

A walk on the seashore with two different agendas

God’s desire for us to slow down and connect with him

The example of Anna . . . a woman who made daily space to draw near to God

The value of worship (showing up) as we await the return of Jesus

The power of fasting (the challenges) as we await the return of Jesus

The joy of prayer (routines help us) as we await the return of Jesus

The value of reading the words of the Bible as we await the return of Jesus

We are all different, but we can all still learn from Anna’s example.

If we don’t slow down to be in God’s Word and in prayer, we will miss the voice of God in our lives. – Courtney Joseph

Sometimes the only way to quench our spiritual hunger for God is to fast from physical food. – Courtney Joseph

Be devoted to God right where God has placed you. – Courtney Joseph

God never forgets his own. He is faithful to his children. He is answering our prayers. We must never stop praying. – Courtney Joseph

Create routines of worship, Bible reading, prayer, and fasting. It will sustain you through life’s ups and downs. – Courtney Joseph

Homework: Put into practice what we’ve learned!