Monday Morning Ladies Bible Study

06/23/2026

The wine of the flesh promises relief, pleasure, escape, and excitement, but it always leaves the soul emptier than before. Scripture says, “Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). Many churches, though they would never say it that way, effectively forbid the wine of the Spirit by resisting spiritual hunger, fearing deep encounters with God, distrusting the gifts of the Spirit, and reducing Christianity to order, intellect, and respectable routine. In doing so, they leave people with a form of religion but without the joy, liberty, power, and satisfaction that the Holy Spirit gives. At Pentecost, some thought the disciples were drunk, but Peter declared this was the outpouring of the Spirit promised by God (Acts 2:13-17). The world’s wine dulls the conscience and inflames the flesh, but the Spirit fills the believer with holy joy, purity, boldness, worship, and real communion with Christ. This is the better wine, the one believers should not fear, but desire and experience.

A. W. Tozer (1897-1963) was an American pastor, author, and prophetic voice in the Christian and Missionary Alliance. Though largely self-educated, he became one of the most influential devotional writers of the twentieth century, known for calling the church out of dead formality and into deeper holiness, worship, and intimacy with God.

Revival Press

06/23/2026

When Jesus Comes to a Pity Party
Psalm 69; Hebrews 4:16

Have you ever hosted a pity party — and no one showed up but you? Many of us have. What might surprise you, however, is that one of God's mightiest and most beloved warriors admitted that he too suffered from self-pity during a very dark time in his life.

David knew deep suffering. Betrayed, rejected, and overwhelmed, he poured out his anguish in Psalm 69, often called "An Urgent Plea for Help in Time of Trouble." He cried, "Reproach has broken my heart, and I am full of heaviness; I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none" (Ps 69:20, NKJV). He was exhausted, misunderstood, and sinking — and no one had come to his pity party.

What makes Psalm 69 even more remarkable is that most theologians recognize it as one of several Messianic Psalms — one that foreshadows the sufferings of the coming Messiah. Like David, Jesus also longed for someone to stand with Him in His darkest hour. In the Garden of Gethsemane, His disciples couldn't stay awake to pray with Him even for one hour. At His trial, everyone fled — including Peter, who later denied even knowing Him. His closest friends left Him to suffer alone. Yet because of what He suffered, Jesus, our High Priest, fully understands our loneliness and pain — and invites us to "come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Heb 4:16, NKJV).

So how did David work his way through despondency when no one came to his aid? He charted a path worth following. First, he turned to God in faith, confident that He would answer (vv 1, 13–18). Second, he released his enemies to God's justice rather than nursing bitterness, saying, "My adversaries are all before You" (v 19). Third, and most powerfully, he chose to worship before deliverance came: "I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving" (v 30). Praise became his way out of the pit.

The best antidote when you feel alone with your troubles is to follow David's example: bring your pain honestly to God, release what you cannot control, and praise Him in the waiting. When Jesus shows up at your pity party, He doesn't just offer sympathy — He brings the mercy, grace, and hope that only He can give.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I bring my troubles to You and trust their solution to Your wisdom and timing. Before I see the answer, I choose to praise You — with a thankful heart, knowing that You hear me when I call, and that You will never leave me to suffer alone.

Copyright 2026 Anne Wilkins

06/23/2026

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Reordering Our Priorities

The northern tribes of Israel in Amos' time seemed like they were doing all the right things. They offered sacrifices to God and were exact in their religious observations. And yet, the book of Amos is written to them as a warning—a warning that destruction that would befall them if they refused to change?

Why?

Because they had neglected the true heart of loving and worshiping God.

While they were doing many of the "right" things, it's what they weren't doing that drew God's ire. They failed to take care of the poor and needy. They turned their eyes away from injustice. Many had turned to idols for help and prayer.

Through Amos, God told the people of Israel that it is just as important to be righteous inwardly as it is outwardly. We cannot say we love God and others when we fail to help people who are within our power to help.

Just as James 1:27 tells us, true religion includes helping orphans, widows, and those who are in distress. James goes on to write that faith without works is a dead faith (James 2:26). In short, faith is both believing in the Lord and doing the things He has told us to do.

Take some time to think about your own life: How much time do you prioritize on your own spirituality versus serving others?

What ways can you begin to take steps toward serving in your church, your neighborhood, or your school in order to help those in need. All of these are ways that our faith becomes complete in Christ as we follow after Him.

06/23/2026

Isaiah 7:1-25

A Message for Ahaz

7 When Ahaz, son of Jotham and grandson of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah, the king of Israel, set out to attack Jerusalem. However, they were unable to carry out their plan.

2 The news had come to the royal court of Judah: “Syria is allied with Israel against us!” So the hearts of the king and his people trembled with fear, like trees shaking in a storm.

3 Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Take your son Shear-jashub and go out to meet King Ahaz. You will find him at the end of the aqueduct that feeds water into the upper pool, near the road leading to the field where cloth is washed. 4 Tell him to stop worrying. Tell him he doesn’t need to fear the fierce anger of those two burned-out embers, King Rezin of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah. 5 Yes, the kings of Syria and Israel are plotting against him, saying, 6 ‘We will attack Judah and capture it for ourselves. Then we will install the son of Tabeel as Judah’s king.’ 7 But this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“This invasion will never happen;
it will never take place;
8 for Syria is no stronger than its capital, Damascus,
and Damascus is no stronger than its king, Rezin.
As for Israel, within sixty-five years
it will be crushed and completely destroyed.
9 Israel is no stronger than its capital, Samaria,
and Samaria is no stronger than its king, Pekah son of Remaliah.
Unless your faith is firm,
I cannot make you stand firm.”
The Sign of Immanuel

10 Later, the Lord sent this message to King Ahaz: 11 “Ask the Lord your God for a sign of confirmation, Ahaz. Make it as difficult as you want—as high as heaven or as deep as the place of the dead.”

12 But the king refused. “No,” he said, “I will not test the Lord like that.”

13 Then Isaiah said, “Listen well, you royal family of David! Isn’t it enough to exhaust human patience? Must you exhaust the patience of my God as well? 14 All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’). 15 By the time this child is old enough to choose what is right and reject what is wrong, he will be eating yogurt and honey. 16 For before the child is that old, the lands of the two kings you fear so much will both be deserted.

17 “Then the Lord will bring things on you, your nation, and your family unlike anything since Israel broke away from Judah. He will bring the king of Assyria upon you!”

18 In that day the Lord will whistle for the army of southern Egypt and for the army of Assyria. They will swarm around you like flies and bees. 19 They will come in vast hordes and settle in the fertile areas and also in the desolate valleys, caves, and thorny places. 20 In that day the Lord will hire a “razor” from beyond the Euphrates River—the king of Assyria—and use it to shave off everything: your land, your crops, and your people.

21 In that day a farmer will be fortunate to have a cow and two sheep or goats left. 22 Nevertheless, there will be enough milk for everyone because so few people will be left in the land. They will eat their fill of yogurt and honey. 23 In that day the lush vineyards, now worth 1,000 pieces of silver, will become patches of briers and thorns. 24 The entire land will become a vast expanse of briers and thorns, a hunting ground overrun by wildlife. 25 No one will go to the fertile hillsides where the gardens once grew, for briers and thorns will cover them. Cattle, sheep, and goats will graze there.

06/22/2026

Growing to Be Like Jesus
Ephesians 4:15; 2 Peter 3:18; Romans 10:17; 1 Thessalonians 3:12

In the natural world, living things are constantly renewing and regenerating to maintain life. When an organism stops growing and repairing itself, metabolic decline begins, eventually leading to death. The same holds true for our spiritual lives. We are either growing in Christ or slowly dying.

Spiritual growth is not an optional phase in a Christian's life — it is evidence of life itself. As Paul wrote, we must "grow up in all things into Him" (Eph 4:15, NKJV).

Growing in Knowledge: We are called to intimately know the One we follow. Peter commanded: "Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Pe 3:18, NKJV). He wasn't referring to collecting intellectual facts about Jesus, but rather urging relational intimacy — which requires consistently feeding on His Word and spending time alone with Him in prayer. A.W. Tozer said it well: "The man who would truly know God must give time to Him."

Growing in Faith: Faith is the root of our spiritual life, and it must expand. As Romans 10:17 reminds us, "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." When we saturate ourselves in Scripture, our faith grows. Renowned evangelist D. L. Moody confessed: "I prayed for faith... but it didn’t seem to come. Then I opened my Bible, and began to study... and faith has been growing ever since." So, if your faith is weak, start reading and studying the Scriptures, and watch it grow.

Growing in Love: A healthy spiritual tree always bears fruit, including the greatest of all: love (1 Cor 13:13). This agape love enables us to lead and serve others with humility — and it is the surest sign of a maturing faith. Raymond Woodward put it plainly: "Love is the greatest mark of spiritual maturity. If you're growing in God, you're growing in love." So, as Paul wrote, "May the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all" (1 Thess 3:12, NKJV).

How much have you grown in Christ over the past year? If you've found yourself in a spiritual winter — a season where growth has paused — don't despair; even in dormancy, roots can run deep. But do not stay there. Dig into the Word, seek Him in prayer, and ask His Spirit to spark a fresh season of growth, beginning today.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to continually grow in all things, especially in my knowledge of You. Increase my faith to believe You for the impossible. And help me to love — even the unlovable people who cross my path.

Copyright 2026 Anne Wilkins

06/22/2026

A Promise of Restoration
Amos 9:11-15

11 “In that day I will restore the fallen house of David.
I will repair its damaged walls.
From the ruins I will rebuild it
and restore its former glory.
12 And Israel will possess what is left of Edom
and all the nations I have called to be mine.”
The Lord has spoken,
and he will do these things.
13 “The time will come,” says the Lord,
“when the grain and grapes will grow faster
than they can be harvested.
Then the terraced vineyards on the hills of Israel
will drip with sweet wine!
14 I will bring my exiled people of Israel
back from distant lands,
and they will rebuild their ruined cities
and live in them again.
They will plant vineyards and gardens;
they will eat their crops and drink their wine.
15 I will firmly plant them there
in their own land.
They will never again be uprooted
from the land I have given them,”
says the Lord your God.

06/22/2026