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When was the last time you had one of “those” conversations. You know- the kind where you walk away and something in your gut doesn’t sit well. Perhaps a vow was made, or maybe there was a smattering of flattery. On the surface everything seemed and sounded fine, but there’s that check in your gut that just won’t go away.

A day or two goes by, and you come to discover that the vow was void and the flattery was fake. The words of the person you trusted were worthless because truth was mixed with lies. You don’t know what to believe, and you’re left to wonder if there’s anyone left whose word you can trust.

Listen, you’ll never have to question or doubt God’s words. They’re pure and untainted by the falsehood and insincerity that winds its way through the human heart. When God says something, it’s absolutely true all the time-with no exceptions whatsoever. Not only is it exactly true, it’s also reliable and credible. With God, what He says is what we get.

Notice that the Psalmist compares God’s words to silver that’s been through the refining fire seven times. In the Bible, the number seven conveys the idea of perfection and completion. In this case, it acts as a sort of exclamation point. It’s saying that God’s words are perfectly pure and completely trustworthy! How reassuring to know we’ll never need to second-guess God’s words to us, which are really the most important words we’ll ever receive in this life. Man will let us down and lie to us, but God never will.

What does this passage reveal to me about God?

What does this passage reveal to me about myself?

Based on this, what changes do I need to make?

What is my prayer for today?

Sometimes prophecies came from an unexpected source. That’s the case with the prophecy above, which was given by Balaam, who happens to be one of the more curious characters in the Bible.

He was not an Israelite but was said to be a diviner from the region of the Euphrates River. Balak, a king who was hostile toward Israel, hired Balaam to curse God’s chosen people as they wandered through the wilderness. At first, Balaam wouldn’t comply because he knew that God was with the Israelites. But Balak upped the ante, Balaam’s greed got the better of him, and he agreed to pronounce a curse upon the people of Israel.

Instead of getting a curse out of Balaam, Balak got the prophecy that a “star will rise from Jacob” and “a scepter will emerge from Israel.” In other words, a mighty King would arise out of Israel and a star would signal His coming. This is actually a prophecy pointing to Jesus Christ and adds significance to the star that led the wise men to Him ( Matthew 2:2). Moreover, Balaam went on to say that Balak’s nation, Moab, would be cursed instead of Israel (Numbers 24:17). This certainly wasn’t what Balak had paid for!

This unexpected turn of events underscores something fascinating about prophecy. It shows that God can even use a covetous mercenary like Balaam to proclaim His truth. The message is what truly matters, not the messenger who delivers it.

Balaam eventually provided Balak with a strategy to corrupt the Israelites and was killed when God called His people to do some spiritual housecleaning (Numbers 31:1-16). He stands as a tragic figure in God’s Word. And yet, even his sin wasn’t enough to prevent the prophetic word concerning Christ from being proclaimed. The message is always greater than the messenger, and in Balaam’s case, it was much greater.

Discuss and share with the group about a time when you received something significant from an unexpected source. What message did you receive from the messenger?

Dig into Numbers 24. Where do you see the difference displayed between the message and the messenger? What were the prophetic words pointing to the future? When have you compromised with the truth God has entrusted to you? What can you learn from this lesson?

Decide to be messengers to those who have given their lives to giving the message. As a group, write a letter of encouragement and support to someone on the mission field. Remind them of the importance of their faithful service and sacrifice.

Satan is the ultimate counterfeiter. Where there’s something of spiritual value and benefit for God’s people, you can be sure that our adversary has devised a deceptive “stand-in” to lead us astray. Prophecy is no exception. The devil was hard at work during Israel’s infancy as he sought to infect the Israelites with false prophets who said they spoke “in the name of the Lord.” His agenda? To get God’s people off-track by convincing them to follow false prophets.

The problem with counterfeits, however, is that there’s always a test to reveal their true colors. When people are patient enough to apply the appropriate test, the deception will become evident and the deceiver will be exposed. God gave the Israelites a specific test when it came to the false prophets in their midst. It was really simple. If their prophecies came to pass, they were true prophets of God. If their prophecies didn’t go down as predicted, they were to be marked as false prophets and executed. No gray ground there!

By establishing this standard, God teaches us three things. First, there will be false prophets we need to watch out for. Second, true prophecy will always have a perfect track record. And last, any prophecy containing the slightest bit of error is part of the devil’s deception. When it comes to prophecy, it’s either a matter of perfection or deception, absolute acceptance or utter rejection.

This is the standard we apply to the Bible in determining it is God’s Perfect Word. There is not a single prophecy in the Bible that has proven incorrect or inaccurate in the slightest degree, and keep in mind that nearly one-third of it is prophetic in nature! This should produce a healthy appreciation in our hearts for prophecy. May we seek out opportunities to share about the Bible’s perfect prophetic track record.

Discuss an experience where you learned something was not as you had thought. How did God teach you through this?

Dig into Deuteronomy 18:15–22. What is the true test of a prophetic utterance? What was the penalty for the false prophet, and why do you think this was the case?

Decide as a group to enjoy the blessing of prophetic preaching. Set aside a time to meet together and listen to one of the messages from the Active Word archive. Choose from hundreds of messages found at ActiveWord.org.

My objective never has been to have a large church; it always has been to have a biblical church and a strong church. The growth is up to God.

Not every church is going to be a large church, but every church should be a growing church. On that final day, Jesus is not going to say, “Well done, good and successful servant. By the way, how many numbers were you running?” Rather, He will say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

I believe the church exists for three reasons: the exaltation of God, the edification of believers, and the evangelization of the world. Another way to think of it is upward, inward, and outward.

Upward. The church exists for the exaltation of God. This idea may come as a revelation to some people who think they exist to find personal happiness. The Bible says, “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself” (1 Corinthians 6:19).

Inward. The church exists for the edification of other believers. The apostle Paul said his goal was not merely to evangelize, but to warn believers, teach them the wisdom God had given him, and present them to God mature in their relationship with Christ (see Colossians 1:28).

Outward. The church is called to evangelize the world, which is the natural outgrowth of exalting God and edifying other believers. Healthy sheep will reproduce themselves.

The church is not to emphasize one of these at the expense of the other or take them out of order. You see, we are not to customize the church. We are to follow the original template Jesus gave us.

This study was prepared by Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship.

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• What The Devil Doesn’t Want You To Know
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After rebuking the Church of Pergamos for their spiritual compromise, Jesus ends on an encouraging note by promising them three things. He promises to sustain them with “the hidden manna,” He promises to give them a white stone, and He promises the stone will have a new name written on it. What’s the significance here?

Keep in mind that the Church of Pergamos was struggling with compromise. When you examine compromise closely, you often find that it’s based on three desires: the desire for security, the desire for approval, and the desire for an identity. We’ll lower our standards to unthinkable levels for these three things, and it’s likely that this was what was going on in the Church of Pergamos.

Jesus promises to provide all three of these things for them. He promised to be their security by providing them with hidden manna. As long as they remained true to Him, they would not lack for their basic needs. He also promised to provide them with the approval they were looking for by giving them a white stone. In biblical times, a black stone was used in legal proceedings to represents a person’s guilt and condemnation, while a white stone represented innocence and approval. Lastly, He promised to give them a sense of identity by giving them a new name, chosen by Him, that would now represent who they were in Christ.

Once we understand that our security, approval, and identity are found in Jesus, the temptation to sell out and compromise our spiritual standards loses its power. When He’s the only one we need, He becomes the only one we need to please.

Discuss with your group those things that convince you to compromise. How has the desire for security, identity, and approval motivated you to lower your standards? What lessons did you learn?

Dig into Revelation 2:17. What is the significance of “hidden manna”? How can the promise of this provision take away the temptation to compromise? How do you feel knowing that the Lord has a special name reserved in heaven for you? What would you say is the basis for your identity right now?

Decide as a group to get honest about what makes you who you are. Ask each member to identify those things that are shaping his or her identity. Spend some time looking at Ephesians Chapter 1 and other Scriptures to find “who you are” in Christ.

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“Who’s my neighbor?” That was the question posed to Jesus by a man who wanted to know what it takes to get to heaven. Initially, Jesus revealed that it all came down to a love-based relationship-with God first, then man. But this wasn’t enough for this man. He wanted to know who exactly his neighbor was, as if salvation was a matter of following some sort of rulebook.

Jesus wanted to get the point across that salvation is about mercy and grace, not abiding by a checklist of rigid definitions. To do so, He shared the parable that we all know as the Parable of the Good Samaritan:

“A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. A certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. A Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. A certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. and took care of him. (Luke 10:30-34 NKJV)

After painting this contrasting portrait of indifference versus compassion, Jesus springs a question on His listener:

“So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:36-37 NKJV)

Being neighborly isn’t a matter of drawing a line of exclusion. It’s about inclusive mercy. Jesus’ point is simply this: In God’s Kingdom we’re called to put away the rulebook and allow the mercy God has shown us to flow through us to as many people as possible.

Discuss, Dig, Decide

Discuss the difference between Jesus’ outlook on life and the outlook held by the man who asks Him the question. Which outlook best reflects the view maintained by each person in your group?

Dig into Luke 10:30-37 and identify the main point Jesus is making. How does this relate to the original question posed to Him, and how does it serve as a teaching tool?

Decide as a group to be neighborly to the people God has placed in your lives. Take some practical steps to help remind you of Jesus’ outlook and perspective.

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OK, now on to the study.

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But Benjamin’s warriors . . . came out and killed twenty-two thousand Israelites on the battlefield that day. –Judges 20:21 (NLT)

In an effort to deal with a serious sin committed by the Tribe of Benjamin, Israel went to war against her and lost 22,000 men. Israel knew their cause was right, but the casualties caused them to reconsider if war was the answer. They asked the Lord if this was what they should be doing, and He assured them that it was (Judges 20:23).

Israel went to war against Benjamin the next day, and this time they lost another 18,000 soldiers. This wasn’t the result they were expecting. God had told them to do this. They knew it was the right thing. But why were there so many casualties?

Again, they sought God’s will, and He assured them that this was what they were supposed to do-despite their previous losses. So for the third day in a row, Israel went to war against Benjamin. However, this time they prevailed (Judges 20:28-48).

While the Lord probably isn’t calling many of us to be involved with war, we are going to be engaged in conflicts that are spiritual in nature. Ephesians 6:12 tells us that we are at war against spiritual powers in heavenly places. Whether we realize it or not, we’re waging war against the spirit world right now.

Battles are taking place all around us. Marriages need rescuing, spouses need saving, the hurting need healing, and our own hearts need cleansing. But what do we do when the battle doesn’t seem to be going our way? Two options are open to us. We can fold and surrender. Or we can do what Israel did. We can stick with the war-even when it looks like we’re losing it.

Discuss, Dig, Decide:

Discuss perseverance with your group. Share about a time when you were clearly following the will of God but the results weren’t what you expected. How did this affect your faith?

Dig into Judges 20:20-48. What lesson can we learn here? How do the disturbing accounts of warfare and death remind you of the consequences of sin? How would you have responded if you had been leading Israel?

Decide as a group to come to the aid of someone who has been bruised in battle. Is there a war veteran in your church or community that you and your group could bless in some way? Show the person gratitude for his or her perseverance, and offer an expression of thanks.

This study is from Pastor Bob Coy of The Active Word.

View more bible studies from Judges.

The battles were all over, all of the enemies were dead & once again it was peaceful and safe in Israel. Sounds great, right? It could have been, but unfortunately for Gideon, the glow of past victories blinded him to this simple fact: A great past doesn’t guarantee a glorious future.

Gideon did something in Judges Chapter 8 that would have seemed unthinkable back in Judges Chapter 6. When the fighting was all over, he made an ephod, which was an object of worship in those days. Keep in mind that the first thing God told Gideon to do was to tear down his own father’s pagan altar of worship.

So we see Gideon repeating his father’s sins, and sadly, all the people of Israel followed him. Even more sad, this is the note Gideon’s life ends on, leaving him with a tarnished legacy complete with a spiritual asterisk next to his name.

What did Gideon do that took him so far off course? It’s not what he did. It’s what he didn’t do. He didn’t keep up on his relationship with the Lord. He let the spiritual things in his life go. He let them slip. And he let them drift. This is exactly what we are warned against in Hebrews:

So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it. (Hebrews 2:1 NLT)

Simply put, the danger of drifting away from God’s truth is real. We see it in Gideon’s life, and it’s a sober reminder that it’s how you finish that really matters, not how you start.

Discuss, Dig, Decide:

Discuss and share with your group the tragedy of failing to finish strong. Who do you think of when you think of someone who finished strong? Who comes to mind as someone who didn’t finish well? What happened ?

Dig into Judges 8:22-35. What change do you see in Gideon’s heart? How did his choices affect the future of Israel? What legacy did Gideon leave? How does this story inspire you?

Decide with your group to guard against a faltering finish. Establish some group accountability to help maintain your spiritual health. Connect weekly to encourage one another and build each other up (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

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