My Beth Moore Weekend

I went to Beth Moore's Living Proof Live event last weekend...my first time...and it was SO GOOD!!! I've been a huge fan of hers since I did the Believing God study with a group of women a few years ago.

If you haven't heard her or done any of her studies. You should! You'll be blessed! Also, she does a great job of going back to the original language to capture any part of the definition that might have been lost in translation.

For her Living Proof Live events she has a different topic each time. For this one we looked at Isaiah 32:1-8 and our memory verse was verse 8, which says:

"But the noble man makes noble plans, and by noble deeds he stands."

She made 8 points concerning these verses. I'll try to do it justice (and I know this is long, sorry). I've still been processing it all.

1) Every life needs a noble plan.
She has us ask our selves what are you hoping for in 5 years? (life for you, where you'll be, who will you be) Then...ask if you're on your way that direction. We can get in a position where we might be thinking "Yall just go on, this is not what I signed up for." But we've got to get up and do it. Do the plan.

We spend our life reacting so our life feels like a train wreck. We cant get ahead, cant get a plan. Sometimes we're caught in the past, wishing to change it. A stronghold of regret. Well, you cant change it. Move on. Job 17:11; Prov 14:22; 16:3-4; 19:21

What if we planned to fulfill the Lord's purpose? And what is that purpose? Jesus came to save, but there's so much more than that. What would happen if he were reigning king in our lives? This plan is for those whom Jesus reigns in their life, not just saved it. Until we're in the kingdom, the kingdom is in us.

2) The noble plan is to show God to your fellow man.
Verse 2 says "Each man will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land."

We're here to be a benefit to a lost world. To be a shelter from the wind, a refuge from the storm, a stream of water in the desert and a shadow of a great rock. It's not about "being" good. It's about "doing" it. We know a tree is good by its fruit...not by just being a good tree.

Selfishness robs us because we're looking in and not out. Tragedy and crisis causes the strong to become weak. We live in the land of exhaustion. And we want to make ourselves comfortable...no conflict or arguments. But if we do that we'd be lonely and miserable because problems come with human interaction. That's why He wont exempt us from difficulty. How can we be a shelter from the storm if we've never been in one or needed one?

Don't force shelter on people who want to stay in the storm. There are many that do want shelter, so open your eyes to them.

3) All it takes to be noble is to be a willing volunteer. Judges 5:1-9
What does it take to be noble? To be a shelter, refuge, stream, shadow? The Hebrew word for noble means to be willing, free, large hearted. It means to be a willing volunteer. Ex 36:2-6

Nothing will give you more paralysis in ministry than a spirit of perfection. (Ouch!) Don't wait to be great to do something good. God's not here to pressure you. He offers life to the full...if you want it.

4) The opposite of a noble is a nabal.
Hebrew for noble is "ndb" or "nadab" which means free will (offering), willing volunteer. Hebrew for fool is "nbl" or "nabal" (remember the story of Abigail and Nabal?) which means...fool, stupid.

5) Any nabal can become a noble.
You make that decision. The mark of a nabal is he/she just doesn't get it. But God gets it...gets us. Even when we don't get ourselves. When he's reigning king of our hearts and minds we can see it and God gives us a little insight.

If we're going to benefit others (be a shelter, etc) we've got to start listening to them. Let them talk it out and not be thinking of the next thing we're going to say. If we don't, we wont get insight into what they're not saying, but wish they could. Nabals don't listen. Nabals are rash and just react to things.

If we're going to be a shelter, etc we're going to get told things. What will you do with what you know? You've got to have discernment, which means you've got to pray, get in the word, and let God direct you.

6) Any noble can become a nabal. Gal 6:1; 2 Cor 11:2-3
We can never get so spiritual that we wont end up in a ditch. When you grow, Satan attacks because you're a threat. Learn to fight! Don't be a wimp, be a warrior. He deceives to get you away from pure hearted devotion. There's nothing Satan loves more than to turn a shadow (a refuge, etc) into darkness.

We can become a hiding place for someone who comes to us with their sin because they trust us. Be their refuge, but don't still be their refuge in that sin 6 months later.

Sometimes people call carnality as "being real." No! It's not. Only carnal people think carnality is cool.

Don't let a group of people you're supposed to lead intimidate you into not leading. If God put you in that position to lead. Lead. This includes parents. Be the parent! Don't let your kids intimidate you into not parenting.

7) The power of a noble trumps a nabal. 1 Sam 25:32-42
It's a tricky thing when you're trying to be a noble, under the authority of a nabal. Don't loose heart. Don't forsake the wisdom of God.

Hosea 14:1-2, 4 He's a willing volunteer in your life. Plan to be faithful, a shelter, refuge, stream, shadow. Plan it in advance.

8) A noble man sustains noble plans by knowing when to hide.
Commit to a new plan, but how can you keep it up for the rest of your life? We cant maintain that position if we don't get that from God. Know when to take a break and hide in the shelter of our God. Sometimes we need to check out for a while (beyond our daily time with him). Mk 6:30-31

If we commit to this life we will wear out. So take a "time out" with God. Know when you get that signal. We cant be a shelter, etc if we don't have one. The trap is we try to get a little from God then do a lot for him.

Ways to know when you need to go to time out (not because you're in trouble, but for rest):
~ when we do it but no longer feel it. Prov 119:32 (NKJV), 2 Cor 4:1
~ when we start thinking we're the only one. (you're taking too much credit!)
~ when we start developing a stronghold of negativity. (when we get gripey!)
~ when we cannot get full...of whatever it is we indulge in to make us feel better. Binge on God!

She closes by reading out of A Beautiful Fight by Gary Thomas where he says our private life affects us in our public life. What we do in secret shapes us.

What if our secret life was intimacy with Christ. It will come out!