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PROFIT IN PAIN

“It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes.” ~ Psalm 119:71   REFERENCE: Psalm 119:67-72   Pain is a constant companion in life. It is any suffering, discomfort, or distress; it can be physical or emotional. Nobody likes to go through pain; in fact, we pray not to, but pain has been the womb through which many great things were birthed. We were all born out of pain – ask the mothers. Pain will only be absent in heaven, so while here, we must find profit in pain. Pain can come in different...
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DINAH’S DECISION: THE WEAK LINK

“And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter. Now his sons were with his livestock in the field; so, Jacob held his peace until they returned.” ~ Genesis 34:5 REFERENCE:  Genesis 34:1-7 & 25-27 We saw how Dinah’s curiosity led her into the hands of a vile man; what she called ‘seeing life’ turned to ‘tasting trouble.’ In life, we can choose our sins, but we often cannot choose the consequence; sometimes, it is more than we bargain for, or are willing to pay. Jacob was a man greatly favored by God; he had the assurance that God would...
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DINAH’S DECISION: CUTE & CURIOUS

“Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.” ~ Genesis 34:1   REFERENCE: Genesis 34:1-7   We rarely hear about Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah. Imagine the love and attention she enjoyed in the family as the only daughter with twelve brothers. They would dote on her, protect her, and shower her with good things and gifts. She must have been Daddy’s girl. Dinah grew up in a godly home with godly values. Her father was a patriarch and a prophet who had encounters with God...
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BETRAYAL

BOUNCING BACK FROM BETRAYAL

“He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me, for there were many against me.” ~ Psalm 55:18 REFERENCE: Psalm 55:16-23 Betrayal by a trusted ally or family member is one of the most painful experiences you could ever have. The physical pain is nothing compared to the emotional trauma and shock. You wonder, “How did I get here? What did I miss? What did I do to deserve this? Why did s/he do this?” Our last episode revealed bible characters that got betrayed: Jesus, Job, Joseph, and David, our main character. The good thing with these...
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BETRAYAL

THE BITTERNESS OF BETRAYAL

“For it is not an enemy who reproaches me; then I could bear it...but it was you, a man my equal, my companion and my acquaintance.” ~ Psalm 55:12-13 REFERENCE: Psalm 55:4-8 & 12-14 Here, we find David, a man after God’s heart, not worshipping or composing praise songs but in bitter lamentation, dealing with fear, and on the border of depression. He said, “My heart is severely pained within me.” He was so horrified by his recent experience that he wished he had wings like a bird and could fly away from the pain and the horrors of his suicidal thoughts. David...
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blessing

360-DEGREE BLESSING

“Praise the Lord! For all who fear God and trust in him are blessed beyond expression. Yes, happy is the man who delights in doing his commands.” – Psalms 112:1 (TLB)   REFERENCE: Psalms 112:1-10   Some people’s lives are stories of setbacks, frustrations, and misfortunes. However, others with a similar background never seem to have any stumbling blocks and seem immune to trouble. Invisible forces are at work in both cases, defining each person’s destiny for good or evil. Deuteronomy 28 calls these forces, ‘blessings and curses.’ To be blessed means having supernatural power working for you, and being...
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LEAH’S LONGING: IRONIES OF LIFE

“Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister, and said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I die!” ~ Genesis 30:31 REFERENCE Genesis 29:31-30:2 Humans are mostly needing beings, preoccupied with things they desire, and spend time praying about things they lack. Leah desperately wanted her husband’s affection; she longed to hear him say, “I love you,” and if it meant bearing several sons to get it, so be it. However, it was not on record that Jacob loved her. It seems the more sons she birthed; the more aloof Jacob was from her. She finally...
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LEAH’S LONGING: PERFORMANCE TRAP

“She conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will become attached to me because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore, his name was called Levi.” ~ Genesis 29:34   REFERENCE: Genesis 29:30-35   Leah was a woman unloved by her husband; this created a great gap (her husband’s attention and affection) that she needed to fill. Although God compensated her by making her prolific in child-bearing, she lived her life trying to gain her husband’s love, as we can see in our main text. Leah saw child-bearing as a way of getting her husband to love...
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LEAH

LEAH’S LONGING: GREAT GAP

“When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.” ~ Genesis 29:31   REFERENCE: Genesis 29:30-35   Leah was a wife of fraudulence forced on Jacob by Laban, her father. Jacob loved her younger sister Rachel instead, and worked to pay for her dowry. But Laban tricked him into marrying Leah because he said it was improper for the younger sister to marry before the older. Jacob had to work for a second seven years for the dowry and still married Rachel. Hence, Jacob loved Rachel and ‘tolerated’ Leah. How emotionally crushing would this have...
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ALL-ROUND DELIVERANCE

“He shall deliver you in six troubles, yes; in seven no evil shall touch you.” – Job 5:19 REFERENCE: JOB 5:19-24 God is a very present help in trouble. That is, in trouble, He is with you to deliver you. In our text, Eliphaz said about God, “He will deliver you in six, and indeed, in seven troubles.” No matter the kind or size of the trouble you find yourself in, you are assured of God’s deliverance. There is nothing that will confront you in this life that God cannot confront, there is no trial that comes your way that...
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