Living 2 B Free

Esther 7:1-4
Chapter 6 was where the story line changed direction.
Although Esther seems to plan her words and her timing very carefully, we know a sovereign God was the reason for her success. She approached the King with little or no experience at this type of negotiating but God used her carefully planned approach.
It is not by our words alone that any of us can reach another soul for Christ but by the power of the Holy Spirit. If we are willing to know the truth we would be set free by it. (John 8:32) We know that God’s truth can set us free. We are also set free by our truthfulness no matter what it costs us. Esther fasted, prayed and planned because she knew she was going to have to tell King Xerxes the truth about herself, that she was a Jew and she knew that that truth could cost her her life. By her honesty, she can be the vessel that is used to deliver her people. If we are honest about where we have been, we can be the vessel that God uses to deliver people from situations similar to what we have experienced. Sometimes it is worth telling our story.
Esther 7:5-6
Esther exposes the enemy Haman and refers to him as the “adversary” which is the meaning of the name “satan”. Be aware of satan’s schemes. He uses the same tactics as always to make promises that lead to destruction. Just as Esther exposed Haman to Xerxes, we need to expose satan to Christ. Our King already knows how satan works and when we stand by our King we can claim the victory and deliverance that comes through Christ.
Esther 7:7
As much as a crisis can divide a marriage, it can also bring a couple closer together. This crisis has brought the King and Queen to common ground.
Haman stayed back to beg for his life. Even if Esther had any mercy to offer Haman, how could she take a chance that he was sincere now that his life was at stake. Mercy is not something that we give in every situation. We often have to battle with a decision to trust someone or not. God knows the hearts of people and He knows sincere repentance. We often have to examine a situation very closely in hopes of making the right decision to trust the untrustworthy or to give something to someone simply because they want it. We can be assured that if someone is worthy of mercy and does not receive it, God will be sure they receive it. Also if we offer mercy to those that don’t deserve it, there will come a day if regret has not caused true repentance that God will bring justice.
Esther 7:8-9
Haman tried to condemn a people for a crime they did not commit. Now Haman is sentenced to be hung for his actions and the last action he was accused of was one that he did not commit. Justice is often served back in the same way we have served it. satan used Haman and then betrayed him. We will never benefit by acting on satan’s lies. He uses us to cause destruction and then turns the tables to destroy us.
Xerxes seems to be presuming something on the base of jealousy. After all he hadn’t summoned Esther in a month and she has now invited Haman to join them for not one dinner but two. We can often come to a wrong conclusion when our mind is running out of control. Our feelings are not accurate sources for making assumptions and are often invitations for inappropriate responses.
Harbona seems to be in a position to see from more than one perspective. He has information without the emotion. We are wiser to act on information than emotion. Haman was headed to a familiar place that he prepared. Without God, that is our destination. With God, we can walk down a better path, one prepared by God.
Esther 7:10
Xerxes anger had subsided. He seemed relieved to have destroyed the one that has given his ego a blow. He seemed to have forgotten the greater crisis still hanging over the Jews. We have a tendency to view the crisis in how it effects us and not see the other half of the crisis and how it affects others. Esther’s truth of being a Jew is also still hanging over her head. Esther told the truth but there still seems to be some things that need to take place to win the war. There were still problems to be taken care of.
Haman’s life did not end well. May our lives and the lives of those we love end well. No matter where we have come from, God can end our story well. Most of us have ordinary lives that involve paying bills and taking trash out. We don’t often get greatness by seeking the extraordinary. With God the extraordinary often happens while we are doing the ordinary. We don’t often recognize them in the midst of our everyday routine.
Haman was poisoned by his desire to achieve greatness. Where did that desire for greatness come from? Did he hear it all his life growing up? He no doubt heard the history between the Jews and the Amalekites. Parents are often the ones blamed for what their children do even when they have the best intentions. Our identity needs to be in Christ not the things we are destine to achieve. We can have expectations of greatness if we balance it with respect for others.
Another hindrance to doing something good, is to think it has to be perfect. God expects obedience not perfection. We looked at this earlier in our study. When we have a gift, God is the one who gave it to us and He expects us to use it. We need to learn what to do with it. Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 1:6-7 to work on our gift. We are responsible for what we do with it. There is a difference between having a gift and knowing what to do with it. When encouraging young people, your children and others, we need to find a balance between encouragement and making them aware of their need for God’s guidance.
When God is the center of our greatness, we no longer feel the pain of having us being our focus. We were created for something greater which satisfies our God-given need to matter. We will feel empty when we focus on attaining a personal greatness. Fulfilling our purpose for the greatness of God is to live a fulfilled life. The greatest things we do will be God-things. We who are able are called to spill our drink offering over the needs that surround us even when it goes unnoticed.

Esther 6:1-3
God does not sleep.(Psalms 121:4) He works out details and timing of events while we wait on Him, while we sleep, etc. While Esther postponed granting her request, God was at work. God can use anyone to fulfill His will. Xerxes was a part of God’s plan to deliver the Jews whether he realized it or not. God has the sovereign ability to use a pagan as well as a follower.
It was the 3rd night of fasting. The third day is significant. Jewish history has declared the 3rd day to be the day that some relief would be seen. All this timing was more than coincidence. Providence is unfolding. Five years had passed since Mordecai had exposed the assassins. Thirteen years of Xerxes reign had been chronicled but when Xerxes couldn’t sleep on this specific night and ordered to have his chronicle read, it just so happened that the scroll was unrolled to reveal Mordecai’s loyalty to King Xerxes.
God’s people were unfaithful which nearly destroyed them but even in their unfaithfulness, God shows His faithfulness. God also has us deliberately hear or read things at specific times that impact us. He loves and cares about us so much that He is willing to set up moments like that to speak to us. God speaks all languages universally, internationally, and personally. He does this through timing and also when we read His word.
Esther 6:4-6
God’s timing again. Haman is in the right place at the right time. Xerxes had been up through the night wanting to right a wrong while Haman had been up all night having gallows built. Haman was eager for revenge and also honor. Haman presumed he was entitled to be honored. Too many today have a sense of entitlement. Thinking of ourselves too much from a positive or negative perspective can cause us to presume others are doing the same and that will cause us to be preoccupied with unhealthy thoughts. We can also crave honor, whether we receive it or not, so much that it will eventually cause us to make a fool of ourselves. Instead of being full of ourselves let’s keep a repentant heart.
Esther 6:7-9
To be honored in this way with the kings crown, robe, and horse is comparable to asking for kingship. Haman seemed to already be high on a horse. We tend to think what we can’t have will fill the emptiness that only Christ can fill. When we strive so hard to have what shouldn’t be, we miss all the other goodness that God continues to offer. Many times we allow one small thing into our lives that leads us to places we said we would never go and before we know it, we are entangled.
When we feel God forbids certain things in our life, we think He is trying to keep us from something enjoyable. Christ gave His Son for us so that we may have life. The other things He gives us is easy.(Romans 8:32) He will always give us things that lead to life. It is satan that lies to us and offers us things that lead to death and twists the truth to offer us good things but at the wrong time. The only way to keep from being deceived is to remain in a relationship with Christ who is the Truth and test everything by the Word of God.(Romans 12:2)
Esther 6:10-11
God’s Word is Spirit and Life. They can teach us just as much about what we don’t want to be as they can about what we want to be. Proverbs 16:18 tells us pride comes before a fall. Haman could have humbled himself at any moment but instead was humiliated and he did it to himself. He has just been bucked off his high horse. It may be hard to come to the feet of Jesus with our open hearts but it is a whole lot easier than being knocked down. It becomes easier the more we do it because we learn that Christ will never fail us.
You will always rise from your knees stronger. Esther 6:11 was a royal event that as Beth says was probably the longest day of Haman’s life. What kind of emotions, actions, words, facial expressions do you think were going on in these men?
Esther 6:12-14
Mordecai did not let the honor go to his head. When they were done honoring him, he returned to work. He did the same when the edict was issued. He continued to go to work to a place where the edict was initiated. If we get overlooked for affirmation or promotion, so be it. Just do our job. If we get elevated or celebrated so be it. Let’s do our job. If we walk with Christ in His spotlight, the world’s spotlight, whether for us or against us, will be dim. The world’s spotlight will be so insignificant that it will not dictate how we act or feel like acting. God gives us our significance and satisfies our need to be noticed. Amen.
Mordecai was going to continue to do his work no matter what happened to him. However, where did Haman go? It seems he went home to grieve over himself. Do we find ourselves doing this at work, at church, maybe even in our home when we don’t get acknowledged or don’t get treated the way we think we should be treated. If so, does it help and does it set a good example? Maybe we should follow Mordecai’s example.
“Haman rushed home, with his head covered in grief” and then “the king’s eunuch’s arrived and hurried Haman away to the banquet.” I can relate to the rushing. At times do we over schedule and seem to just get done with one event to hurry to another? How often do we wait on the Lord and ask Him, “Why do you tarry?” and then when He moves, we aren’t ready. As Beth put it, “Our cries, ‘Lord, why do You wait?” turn into ‘Lord, wait!'”
Did Haman put on a different face before going back into the presence of the king? It doesn’t say but do we put on different faces based on who’s presence we share or can we be free to be ourselves?
It seems that Haman was getting exhausted trying to keep his ego a float. He tried to have his friends and family help but it seems they were also exhausted. When our insecurities aren’t placed at the feet of Jesus, we can exhaust ourselves as well as those around us.
Haman’s friends/advisors had different advice this time. Are we ever a little wiser after the fact? Are we ever so headstrong that we don’t want to listen to other’s advice and then when things fall apart, we wish we had listened. Or maybe someone asks our advice and we don’t want to share our thoughts because they may get mad because we don’t see it the same way. At least looking at things from different perspectives and seeking wise counsel, we can make better choices. We should be able to accept good counsel even if it might shatter what we thought was a “great idea”.
Sometimes we may see a bad situation coming to a head and repress those misgivings only to watch them unfold to say “I knew it”. Difficult situations can expose our underlying character traits but God uses those situations to teach us and grow us to new heights if we let Him.
Friends may get weary of supporting us or fear being around us in troubled times but we have a God that will never leave us or forsake us. He is never afraid and does not wear out. Zeresh and Haman’s advisers have now concluded that Haman can’t come against a Jew and win. When we are in a relationship with God through Christ, we too can know that God will bring us through whatever we must endure.
We aren’t fighting for a victory, we are fighting from a victory. The fight was won when Christ went to the cross, took the keys, and rose a Victor. It is easier to fall at His feet if we don’t allow ourselves to think we are above anyone else. We can spend time lifting ourselves just to fall or we can spend time lifting others. What is more satisfying? Of the two scenarios who of the two will have less of a fall when we are called to bow at the throne for “every knee will bow”.

Esther 5:1-2
As Esther prepares to approach the king, she knows that this is forbidden and it may be her end. Fear is the biggest tool of the enemy. We are told in God’s word more than anything else to “fear not”, “do not be afraid”. We can trust God with our lives. No matter what happens, even the things that we don’t think we could ever handle, God is faithful and He will pick us up if we let Him.
Sometimes we do have devastating things happen to us. Life is that way because of the fall. If we seek God, we will survive. When we can trust God with our lives no matter what, trust Him with even our worst nightmare, then satan has lost his power and we have gained victory.
If _______________________, then God.
You put your biggest fear in the blank. Chances are that your biggest fear will never happen but if it does, God will get you through it. We of course don’t invite suffering and don’t desire it. Christ asked God if there was any way “may this cup be taken from me” (Matt 26:39) At times we may have to suffer or watch a loved one suffer. It is hard but we cannot wholly avoid it. Our list of fears can be thrown in satan’s face by telling him, “If ______________________, then…
• God will take care of me.
• then God has a plan.
• then God desires to accomplish something big in me.
• then God’s going to demonstrate His sufficiency to me.
• you can write a few “then statements” of your own.
Unconditional trust in a Savior who loves us more than His own life will get us through anything. He suffered for us because God had a plan. If we are going to do any suffering, it would be better to do it trusting in a God that can bring something good from it. If we suffer, God has a plan.
Trusting is hard but living in fear is torture. We are not to live in bondage. We need to be intentional about the way we live and the things we do. Esther was prepared spiritually, mentally and physically to overcome her fear. At times when we are so close to our fear, we don’t always feel like God is there but He is and He is going to deliver.
We know that approaching the king meant death if the king did not extend his scepter. If we didn’t know the ending we would think she had a “chance” of dying. She had more than a chance. Her probability of dying was great. She had a “slim chance” of having the king extend his scepter. The only thing that made the difference is that God had a hand in whether Xerxes would show her favor. God is in control of our destiny but He gives us choices and His favor will change our probability of failing.
Just as King Xerxes allowed Esther to approach, our Heavenly Father, King of all Kings allows us to approach. He invites us to bring our needs to His feet. Our God extends His scepter and wants to deliver us. We need to reach out and touch the scepter, the hem of His garment.
Esther 5:3-8
God knows what He is asking of us and He knows how hard it will be for us. He pushes us so that we depend on Him because we can do immeasurable more with Him and to help us grow beyond what we could ever be on our own. We don’t have to be perfect at what He asks us to do. We just have to be willing. With Him we are able to do more than we can imagine. He will prove that to you as you step out into the water.
What if Esther would have waited until her nerves settled before approaching the king? Based on my own experience, I think she would have decided to not approach. It seems that when God asks you to do something, your adrenaline flows to motivate you but if you wait then the urgency is gone. If you can be brave enough to do something that makes your hands shake and your heart pound, God will show you that you will survive and that you can trust Him when you are obedient to what He asks of you.
God does not look at our failings as people do. He looks at them as willingness and obedience despite what others are thinking/saying or how we are feeling.
Esther 5:9-10
Haman was at his highest while the Jews were at their lowest. A major character flaw is revealed when a person can only be happy when someone else is down. Nothing leaves us more hollow than being full of ourselves. Haman was too concerned about his ego to see what was really going on. Haman’s ego is inflated with the idea that he gets to dine with the King and Queen. Small gathering for a meal with the king was ordinarily reserved for the king’s mom or the queen.
His mood took a turn for the worse when he exited to see Mordecai at the gate showing no fear and then did not stand to acknowledge his presence. Haman must have thought Mordecai would be so devastated by the edict that he would no longer be able to work at the King’s gate, a place from where the edict originated. We can be in a devastating circumstance but as a child of God, we do not need to be devastated.
In this circumstance, prayer and fasting has changed things. Kneeling to pray can give us the power to stand. A man without God has no idea of the power that can be obtained through a humbling before an Almighty God. We need to know our standing in God’s eyes so we keep it in perspective with how we see ourselves and how we perceive others to see us. The only way to do that is to constantly go humbly to God in prayer. Ephesians 2:6-7 tells us we only have a lofty position because of Christ. When we are positioned in Christ, we no longer have that need to exalt ourselves and others no longer have power to affect our mood by their actions.
Haman’s mood was out of control because of his ego being blown up by himself and deflated by another’s actions or lack of action in this case. Beth says, a “depleted ego looks anywhere for inflation. If it can’t find pride, rage provides ample hot air.” Haman somehow managed to keep from throwing his temper tantrum right away.
Esther 5:11-13
God formed us in His image but He is God and we are not. Scripture helps us see that and also shows us who He meant us to be. God wants us to repent so that He can repair us.
Now we have Haman having his temper tantrum in the form of a party trying to pump himself full again only to come crashing down. He was surrounded by friends and family but still let one person keep him from being happy. We should not be mastered by the ones that won’t bow to our desires and demands. We need to examine our desires and demands and realize others are not here to cater to our desires. Bondage can be in the form of a person if too much of our time is spent thinking about them whether negative or positive. It could be someone that we are attracted to or someone we despise. Galatians 1:10 tells us to focus on pleasing God not men, which would include ourselves. We can recognize these people when they are the ones that make us feel out of control by trying to perform to impress or sometimes making a fool of ourselves. It isn’t necessarily the person mastering us but our thoughts about the person. God can heal our minds of these thoughts and break that bondage.
Beth tells us “to let Haman’s stronghold make us aware of our own”. It is probably visible to others. Embarrassment can be an asset if we let it motivate us to make a change. It may eliminate future or worse embarrassment. 2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us to make every thought obedient to Christ.
The sad thing is we act the way we do to get satisfaction for ourselves but if the person would actually do what we thought they should, would it “fix us”? To allow ourselves to be preoccupied like this by a person goes deeper than that. God is the only one that can truly “fix us” and give us the right perspective. If we feel fixed by someone conforming to our ways, that is only going to be temporary until they or someone else does it again. God can “fix us” so we don’t have to act and react in the same fashion as our past. When we admit to our brokenness, we can move toward our wholeness.
Esther 5:14
Haman is not happy. You have heard, “happy wife, happy life”. Well in this case, “happy Haman, happy household”. His wife and friends suggest a solution that pleases Haman. Have you ever wondered what to do with a person that isn’t happy with themselves and brings the whole party down? Beth thought if someone was brave enough they may have said, “Grow up and get over yourself, It’s not all about you.” The suggested remedy was gallows which, in this context, would have been to impale the body to display him and disgrace him. Haman wouldn’t just be happy with having Mordecai dead. He wanted him disgraced. Maybe Zeresh shows a little impatience by suggesting such an over the edge solution to regaining his happiness. Do we ever want to just tell someone to quit “whining and do something, anything”? Sometimes that “anything” can back fire. Some questions to consider to see where you stand. Which ones may describe you.
_____ Do I have a low tolerance for those around me that become upset or are uncomfortable about a circumstance?
_____ Do I feel like I have to solve problems that arise that affect a loved one?
_____ Do I get tired of hearing others whine about the same thing over and over that I would agree with “any” solution?
_____ Do I get involved in a loved one’s conflict with other people and allow their feelings to affect my feelings?
_____ Do I get so involved that I feel like I have to solve the problem and in my attempt I become irrational?
I have found that praying before speaking and reacting does wonders. God can often save us from over reacting, making a wrong choice or looking like a fool. He will often work out the situation. He will also defend us so we don’t have to feel the need to defend ourselves. He has a better way of making wrongs right.

Esther 4:1-3
The Jews were scattered among the Persians. They had become comfortable in a very pagan world. God has told His people that His protection would be on them if they worshiped Him only. He still loved them but would not shield them. Now their enemies were about to annihilate them. They now realized they had turned away from God and needed to repent and return to their God. Sometimes our situation is because of what we are allowing to come before God, the things we are allowing into our lives that keep us from spending time with Him. Mordecai dressed in sackcloth and ashes was a way to humble himself, presenting himself as poor in spirit and dead without God. We are dead without Christ. Christ came to give us life and life to the full. Not just eternal life but a satisfying life here on earth. We won’t find satisfaction in the things that the world offers. God will give us good gifts along the way but they in and of themselves do not bring genuine satisfaction.
God will allow things into our lives that will cause us to turn back to Him where we can find life again. Joel 2:13 tells us how patient He is with us. Acts 3:19-20 is an invitation to repent so that we can be restored. What a privilege.
Esther 4:4-8
Mordecai refused the clothes Esther sent to him. This situation was not a simple need. This was a matter of life and death and he had his sackcloth on for a reason. A change of clothes would not help the matter. There are times that we can’t change our circumstances by what we are able to do. Sometimes it takes calling on our God. Esther was trying to help Mordecai with something that would not fix the problem.
Esther was surrounded by those that were to protect her and please her but that was not helping the situation. We often try to protect and help others because we think that is what we should do but that does not always help them. I think of our kids when we always try to make them “comfortable”, or doing for people at times when they need to do for themselves or not being straight forward with someone because we may hurt their feelings. We are not always doing them justice. We also want to offer quick solutions rather than taking the time to listen and understand the whole situation.
Life is full of difficulty and by dealing with them instead of avoiding them, we can grow spiritually. Helping others avoid their difficulties does not always help them. It is sometimes because of facing the difficulties that we can gain strength, to keep from being crushed. Esther was about to be told the seriousness of the problem. She was about to find out how much endurance she had. When we discover what we have, we are free to fulfill our destiny. We realize we are not as fragile as we thought and we can become the warriors that God planned for us to be.
Esther 4:9-11
Esther has to examine herself to see what her true attributes are. Now that she knows what is happening and what the consequence will be or could be, she has a decision to make. By becoming Queen, she has a changed life. With that changed life has come different priorities. Now she has a dilemma.
I can see this from both sides. If you were once serving God and walked away, your priorities have changed and when faced with a crisis, you may choose to return to your old priorities and decide to put God back at the top of your list. On the other hand if you never lived for Christ and you decide you want God to work in your life, you will need to adopt new priorities or you will return to your old ways which will hinder your desire to improve your life. We have to be intentional about the decisions we make.
Since Esther has been Queen she has her physical needs met. She has been detached from seeing the real needs of people. If we continue to ignore real needs because we don’t see anything that we can do to help, we begin to replace real needs with needs that aren’t really important. We begin to see inconveniences as a crisis. We need to get our eyes off ourselves and recognize the real crisis.
Esther has not been summoned by the king in 30 days so she is not feeling like he has much desire to see her. This could be weighing on Esther’s confidence. She did not feel like she had much of a chance of changing the situation. We can feel like this at times but sometimes we or our loved ones can be worse off by us not doing something.
Ester 4:12-14
Esther was in a position to do something that God knew she would be the right one for the job. You too are in a position to fulfill a destiny that God has in store. We think Esther was in a more prominent position than us but if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior, what do the following verses say about us? Matt 11:11, Matt 13:11-12, Luke 17:20-21, 1 Corinthians 4:20,       1Peter 2:9, Revelation 1:6, Revelation 5:9-10 We are a child of the King. No matter where we are or how we are treated, our status is secure. you have been placed in a position to do a work “for such a time as this”. We have “a time to be born and a time to die” (Ecclesiastes 3:2) and we have time set for us and exact places that we should live. (Acts 17:26) In Christ, “we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works everything in conformity with the purpose of His will”(Ephesians 1:11)
Our lives are significant. God will accomplish His agenda whether or not we walk in obedience to our calling but we would miss our fulfillment of our life purpose. It is when we feel like the job is too big for us and then God does something miraculous and we become someone we never knew was possible. that is when you know there is no doubt that God exists and you would rather walk in obedience to a purposeful life than to think that life was to be easy and meaningless. We can sit on the other side of glory and realize we have fulfilled our destiny.
It may be the toughest moment in your life that will reveal your destiny. You may have to choose between a worldly decision or a Godly decision. That decision will determine the fulfillment of your destiny. The war is being waged and there is a cloud of witnesses cheering you on.
Esther 4:15-17
Esther once hid her identity and now prepares to make a difference. Esther has come to her “defining moment”. A moment that reveals that we are not who we have seemed to be. Our decision will determine if we fulfill God’s purpose.

Esther 3:1-4
God’s word transforms lives and renews the mind. Christ’s love can do more with our limited vision than we can ever imagine. We live in a mean world but we don’t have to respond back in the same way. If we could take our hurts to God and allow Him to heal, we could avoid our ugly side from being seen. It is easier to allow the ugly to come out because we don’t take the time to go to God but it brings negative consequences that could have been avoided and shows our insecurities and lack of control. We would have so much power and save ourselves so much grief by taking our feelings to God and dealing with them the way He advises.
We must be careful what we say about others. What we say may or may not be true but the enemy will use it to destroy. According to Proverbs 18:7-8, it effects the most inward parts of those participating. God will move our heart to do the right thing and to keep our conviction. Mordecai was able to not kneel day after day just as Joseph was able to resist temptations made by Potiphar’s wife day after day in Genesis 39:2-10. satan will keep at us hoping to catch us at a week moment but remember that when we are weak, we become stronger when we put our minds to it and with every success, we become stronger. Respond with your mind not your feelings. When you can’t walk away, you should run. Colossians 3:2 tells us to set our minds on God not on earthly things which would be the circumstance or that moment. If we act on how we feel at the moment instead of focusing our mind on the big picture, we may make a wrong choice. What we decide at that moment is going to determine what direction we go and what kind of consequence we have.
We must be intentional and seek God to become stronger. May you allow God to work steadfastness of mind in you that “the bolts of your gates will be iron and bronze and your strength will equal your days.” (Deuteronomy 33:25)
Esther 3:4-7
Meanness originates from a real or imagined threat. God could heal that area of brokenness if we take our feelings to Him and allow him to show us why we feel threatened.
It only hurts ourselves and others when we can’t get over our anger. Ephesians 4:26-27 tells us not to let our anger cause us to sin. We think we get revenge by being angry but even health officials agree that anger and unforgiveness will harm us more than the one we are angry with.
Any evil, man-made plan against a child of God must go through God’s hand. Any appointment on a man-made calendar such as a doctor’s calendar, a hospital calendar or a judge’s calendar is also subject to God’s calendar. God will decide what is done each day. It is best for us to be under His protection.
Esther 3:8-11
satan has a limited leash when it comes to attacking God’s children. his most powerful tactic is psychological by destructively influencing our thoughts. We need to apply God’s Word to those thoughts so they don’t rob us of our joy. Psalms 23:4 tell us how we can overcome fear of evil. If we are God’s child, 2 Timothy 2:13 tells us that God will remain faithful even when we lack faith. Haman used truth and conjures up a lie just as satan does to us. satan tries to get back at God by attacking us. God calls us by name and to satan we are just instruments of destruction for revenge. We need to learn to stand and use God’s Word to deflect satan’s lies.

Esther 3:12-14
Haman’s edict was sent out on the 13th so when the people received it, the Jews were gathered for Passover. They would be telling stories and remembering God’s deliverance which would give them hope to be delivered again. it is beneficial to remember what God has called us from. God also allows events in our lives to happen at perfect times.
We don’t often recognize the perfect timing as they probably did not at that time either but when we get the full picture, the timing is often the clincher or plays a very important role in the outcome. Haman thought it was perfect timing to spoil their celebration, but God knew it was to be perfect timing to remind them who they wee and especially whose they were. By remembering one deliverance, we can be confident in the next. He who has delivered you from_______________ can also deliver you from ______________. You fill in the blank. Nothing is too big for God. Keep reminding yourself what God has done for you to keep you encouraged for what He is going to do.
Esther 3:15
How do Haman and Xerxes enjoy a little party knowing the turmoil they have caused in Susa? Don’t let your heart grow so hard that it no longer feels. Feeling is a good thing. We should feel sorry when we have offended anyone. We have a conscience for a reason so that we can repent and be restored. When all else fails we know that someday all wrongs will be made right by an all knowing, all wise God. It will be better to go before Him now. He loves you and wants to make things right before the day of sentencing.

***satan and pronouns referring to him are purposely lower case