The last few weeks, I have been sharing thoughts from the book study my Sunday School class has been doing together.

We have been studying the book by Kay Arthur called Lord, I Want to Know You. However, I also co-taught a series on the names of God in my previous church, and I had used many books when I put together those lessons. Therefore, when I make the worksheets for my Sunday School class, I use all of those books for the notes and not just Kay Arthur’s book.

Here is a list of the posts I have already written in this series:

• Names of God (List of books I used to study for this series)
• Elohim, The Creator God (free printables)
• El Elyon, The God Most High (free printables)
• El-Roi, The God Who Sees (free printables)

This week’s name of God is El Shaddai.

This name has the meaning, “The All-Sufficient One” or “Almighty God.”

We first see this name in Genesis 17:1.

And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

Here God comes to Abram and makes a covenant with Abram that he will be a father of many nations with his wife Sarai. His name of Himself as the Almighty God is very important as Sarai is past the childbearing years. They have no children yet. However, God is Almighty. He will do the impossible and give a son to Abraham and Sarah.

El means God. Shaddai is translated “Almighty” and is used 48 times in the Old Testament. Thirty-one of those times are in Job.

“Shad” means breast and occurs 24 times. As a mother who nursed her children, I understand this picture completely. There is nothing like holding a defenseless baby that cannot survice without it’s mother’s milk. This name pictures God’s fullness or bounty, His tenderness, His desire to nurture us and make us fruitful.

When I think of this name, I often think of Amy Grant’s song that starts off with the words, ” El shaddai, el shaddai, El-elyon na adonia.” The song references many of the names of God, but when we come in contact with The Almighty God, The All-Sufficient One, El Shaddai, our response should be, “We will praise and lift you high, El shaddai.”

One section that is included on the worksheet is a section called, “Understanding how knowing El Shaddai applies to our everyday lives.”

Here are three questions we should all ask ourselves to see if we are really have a full understanding of the name El Shaddai:

• Do we believe that our problems are too big for God to handle?

If we know God as our El Shaddai, then we realize that God is all-powerful! (Rom. 16:25, 2 Cor. 9:8)

Contemplating the power of God brings you to the great realization of Paul that ‘God is able.’

catherine martin

For with God nothing shall be impossible. Luke 1:37

• Are we trying to do things in our own strength? Do we doubt that we can do what He has called us to do?

God is all-sufficient! He is enough. He is more than enough!

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:13

• Do we forget to live abundant lives?

God is the all-bountiful One!

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Ephesians 1:18-19

God not only has the power to bless His people, but He will also do so abundantly.

You can go HERE to print out the worksheet and go HERE to print out the graphic for the name “El Shaddai.”

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I am wondering if eventually I will have to close down this post. My life has changed in the six years since I started this blog. This coming school year, I have to teach at our little school. It has 9 children, but 8 different grade levels. Some of the classes I can keep kids together, but some I cannot. As the only teacher — although I have parents helping — I have a huge time commitment.

Over the next few weeks, I will continue to do this post and see how it goes. I might not write a lot, but I will share the sheets I have prepared for my ladies’ Sunday School class. We have been studying the names of God using the book, Lord I Want to Know You by Kay Arthur.

Even though we are using that book, I look through several other books for my preparation, and I use some of the information from those books as well as from our main book to prepare a weekly handout.

The first name of God that is studied in Lord, I Want to Know You is Elohim.

Did you know that the name commonly used for God in the Old Testament is the Hebrew word Elohim and that Elohim appears some 2,750 times in the Old Testament?

It’s the very first name by which God chooses to reveal Himself to us. That’s significant! It means “supreme one” or “mighty one.”

El means “mighty” or “strong” and is used for any reference to gods, including Almighty God. It displays God’s sovereignty and power.

Him in Hebrew has plural ending indicating more than one. It is a plural form of a word paired with singular verbs and adjectives. Elohim is the one true God who is also the three persons of the Trinity.

When I study the Bible, I like to see what I can learn and how I can apply it to my life. Here are some applications we can make from the study of the name of God Elohim:

• Why did He create us? We were created by Him for His glory.
  “Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.” Isaiah 43:7
  Here the word glory means “to give the correct opinion or estimate of.” We are to live in such a way as to give all creation a correct opinion or estimate of who God is.

“Your life is meant to show the greatness and glory and, in fact, the very presence and existence of God.” Catherine Martin

• Why did He create us? We were created for His pleasure. We were created to have a personal relationship with God.
• Every person is created by design and has a purpose in life.
• When you feel like God is not real or you doubt His nearness, go look at God’s creation. He created it and He made us in His image!
• When you find yourself in an impossible situation, call out to Elohim:

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God (Elohim); in him will I trust. Psalm 91:1-2

You can print out the handout I made here:

You can also print out these little cards HERE.

I printed them on cardstock every week and handed them out to the ladies in my class so they could put them in their Bibles or on their refrigerator.

The thoughtful topics for your posts could be related to but not limited to the following topics:

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We’ve been reading the book, Lies Women Believe and the Truth that Sets them Free by Nancy Leigh DeMoss as a ladies’ book study.

Most of us have an older edition, but a few of the ladies have this newer edition, and I have discovered that she has changed it quite a bit. A new chapter was added and so a few new “lies” were added, there is different formatting to the book, and some of the content has been changed.

Even with the new information, we have still been able to follow along with each other and have a great book study. I have made printables that go with the older version of the book, but I am hoping to borrow someone’s book when the book study is over and add printables for the new edition.

The chapter we will be going over this next week is
Lies Women Believe . . .  About Circumstances

I think the lie that resonated the most with me from that chapter was Lie 39:

LIE 39: I just can’t take any more.

I know that I can get overwhelmed. It is 1:20 a.m.; I have a busy VBS day tomorrow, and I am finishing this post. I can feel like I can’t take any more at times. But look at this beautiful truth:

TRUTH 39:  Regardless of what my emotions or my circumstances may tell me, God’s Word says, “My grace is sufficient for you.” His divine resources are available to meet my need — no matter how great.

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 12:9

I also liked Lie 40:

LIE 40: It’s all about me.

TRUTH 40: I exist to live for the glory and the pleasure of God. It’s all about Him.

Even though I don’t usually think, “It’s all about me,” I also don’t always remember that it’s all about Him. Many times, it’s about my kids, or my responsibilities, or my church. Even though those are great things, my first focus should be to bring Him honor and glory with what I do.

Nancy shared this Latin phrase:

CORAM DEO

Living all of life in the presence of God under the authority of God and to the glory of God.

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. Revelation 4:11

If you want to see more of the lies about circumstances, go HERE to get the printable sheet. It was a convicting chapter to read!

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For the ladies book study at our church, we are reading the book Lies Women Believe and the Truth that Sets Them Free by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. On last week’s post, I shared some highlights from chapters 2 and 3.

I have made up worksheets for chapters 4-6 as we just covered chapter 4, and I will be out of town for two of the chapters. If you want to get any of the handouts, you can print them out HERE. I still have to finish chapters 7 – 11.

Here are some of the highlights from Lies Women Believe, chapter 4-6.

• Chapter 4 discussed Lies Women Believe . . .  About Sin
  One of the lies that women believe is that my sin isn’t that bad, and another lie that some women believe is that their sin is so bad that that God can’t forgive it.

Two opposite lies — yet for each lie we have to go to the cross. If we look at how Christ died for each sin we do, then we realize that our sin IS bad. It put Him on the cross. That thought should make us want to repent of that sin, forsake it, and desire to live a holy and righteous life. Then we also go to the cross when we think our sin is so bad that God can’t forgive it. We look at the cross and remember how His blood covered our sin when we repented and put our trust in Him. He had already paid the price, whether or not we can accept it. It wasn’t so bad that He did not die for it.

• In chapter 4, there was also a discussion on how the closer we get to God, the more we see our own sinfulness. This thought went along with the lie, “ I cannot walk in consistent victory over sin.”

The truth that went with that lie is, “I am powerless to change myself; however, through the finished work of Christ on the cross, I can live in victory over sin. I have been set free through Christ.“

When we see our own sinfulness, we need to turn our eyes onto the Savior and see His awesome power and how He can give us the victory we need over that sin. I loved this quote that was in the book called The Valley of Vision.

• Chapter 5 was titled Lies Women Believe . . .  About Priorities. I liked this quote from Nancy:

Frustration is the by-product of attempting to fulfill responsibilities God does not intend for us to carry. Freedom, joy, and fruitfulness come from seeking to determine God’s priorities for each season of life, and then setting out to fulfill those priorities, in the power of His Spirit, realizing that He has provided the necessary time and ability to do everything that He has called us to do.

If you struggle with prioritizing your life, here are a few suggestions from Nancy about how to figure out what are truly the things you should be making a priority:

1. List the activities in which you are involved on a regular (daily/weekly) basis.
2. Consider the activities that are “negotiable.” Does each of these activities fit in with your (and God’s) priorities? Why or why not?
3. Prioritize each of the negotiable activities by ranking them with numbers. Are you tending to the top priorities? If not, what can you do now to simplify your schedule and your life so that you are acting on what is most important? Ask God what adjustments He wants you to make in your schedule, so that you can be sure you are glorifying Him and fulfilling His agenda for your life.
4. What do you need to do in order to be able to go to bed each night and say, “Today I finished the work that the Lord gave me to do”!

• Chapter 6 was titled Lies Women Believe . . .  About Marriage. I loved this quote from that chapter.

“The Truth is that contentment is not found in having everything we think we want but in choosing to be satisfied with what God has already provided.”

If you haven’t read the book, you should give it a chance! I think you will really enjoy it

Next week, there will be no Thoughtful Thursdays post. Have a great Fourth of July!

The thoughtful topics for your posts could be related to but not limited to the following topics:

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Since my shoulder is healing (I can go without my sling as long as I am careful to not do things I should not be doing), I am back to the very busy lifestyle a mom of five always has. I am also leading two book studies for ladies over the summer and two book studies with my kids.

One of the ladies book studies is Lies Women Believe and the Truth that Sets them Free by Nancy Leigh DeMoss (or Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth).

I have read the book many years ago, but it is good for me to go through it again and see how I might have changed or fallen into a bad habit.

As I go along in the book, I am making a handout for each chapter that lists the lies along with the truths and verses from God’s Word that go along with each truth. That way, the ladies can have a cheat sheet for when they are struggling with a certain lie. They can run to the sheet, remind themselves of the truth and read God’s truth that will combat the lie.

I am doing all of the sheets in Google Docs on one document, so the document is a work in progress as we will do chapter 4 together next week. You can use what I have done so far HERE or come back at the end of the summer for the complete set. Each handout eventually will be a one 2-sided sheet.

Here are some highlights from chapters 2 and 3:

• Chapter 2’s lie, “God is not really enough,” really made me think, “Is God enough for me?” Would I be content if He took everything away from me like He did to Job? Would I feel complete in Him if I were to live without all the Western civilization comforts that I now enjoy?

I don’t know if I can say that He definitely would be enough in those situations, but I want Him to be enough. I want to be able to say the truth, “God is enough! If I have Him, I have all I need.” Colossians 2:9-10 says:

For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

This verse made me think of the song Complete in Thee by Ben Everson. I love the words of the following verse of the song.

• In Chapter 3, Nancy quotes a line in the companion guide from Elisabeth Elliot. The line was, “The longed-for thing is material for sacrifice.” I thought, “What does that mean?” So I went and looked it up. I found a devotional that Elisabeth Elliot wrote that contained that quote. I loved the devotional. Here is part of it:

I had been praying for something I wanted very badly. It seemed a good thing to have, a thing that would make life even more pleasant than it was and would not in any way hinder my work. God did not give it to me. Why? I do not know all of His reasons, of course. The God who orchestrates the universe has a good many things to consider that have not occurred to me, and it is well that I leave them to Him. But one thing I do understand: He offers me holiness at the price of relinquishing my own will. “Do you honestly want to know Me?” He asks. I answer yes. “Then do what I say,” He replies. “Do it when you understand it; do it when you don’t understand it. Take what I give you; be willing not to have what I do not give you. The very relinquishment of this thing that you so urgently desire is a true demonstration of the sincerity of your lifelong prayer: ‘Thy will be done.’” So instead of hammering on heaven’s door for something that it is now quite clear God does not want me to have, I make my desire an offering. The longed-for thing is material for sacrifice. “Here, Lord, it’s yours.”

Elisabeth Elliot

Isn’t that good? I hope that will enrich your soul like it has mine.

Here are some great posts that have been linked up to the last month of parties:

• I liked this quote that was in Soul Survial’s post, “When People Hurt Us.”
  Nothing happens to us that isn’t first filtered through God’s hands.

• You can get some FREE Printable Bible Devotional Worksheets from The Inspired Prairie.

• Siblings Of Special Needs Kids Get The Short End Of The Stick from An Ordinary Mom’s Musings might be a post that you need to read.

• I liked the quote on meekness that was on A New Len’s post, “Wrestling with Meekness.”
  “Meekness is the acceptance of the Master’s hands on the reins without fighting.”  

• The post, “When rest is best,” by Healthbeat is great for expectant mothers.

• Advice to My Younger Self from Jennifer Lambert is a great post.

• Disappointed Again from Being Woven

• Principles of Spiritual Warfare? from Christine Malkemes

• 5 Gifts to Give your Children from The Common Place — these gifts may surprise you.

The thoughtful topics for your posts could be related to but not limited to the following topics:

* homemaking * homeschooling * devotional or Biblical posts * Christian in nature * family/marriage * inspirational *

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