The GT Weekend! ~ Worship X Week 3

May 28, 2022 by Marietta Taylor Leave a Comment

The GT Weekend!

At Gracefully Truthful, weekends aren’t for “checking out”.
Use this time to invite the Almighty’s fullness into you life in a deeper way!
Saturdays and Sundays are a chance to
reflect, rest, and re-center our lives onto Christ.
Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with other women in prayer,
rest your soul in reflective journaling,
and spend time worshiping the Creator who
longs for intimacy with each of us!

Worship Through Journaling

1) Know what’s good about tomorrow? It’s a new day! A clean slate. It’s even better when you know your new day comes with new mercies from God. On Monday we took a deep dive into Psalm 103 and a dip into Deuteronomy. We learned how to use Psalm 103 as a tool for pausing and focusing on the Lord’s benefits of compassion, faithful love, patience, forgiveness and renewal to name a few. Pause now and write out a prayer to the Lord for each of His benefits He brings to mind. Choose one to focus on and journal how you see it manifested in your life over this weekend. The Lord is so good to us, but how easily we forget He is constantly at work and we are reaping the benefits! We must never forget the goodness in our lives is from the Lord. Write a list of the good things you’ve recognized in your life during this Worship Journey. Praise the Lord for each of them individually. Explore Worship Nine for more on authentic adoration and “real life” worship.

2) “Is it really just noise? Or is it praises to the Lord?” Our Wednesday Journey Study answers this question. We took a walk through several Psalms, which show us how all creation responds to God’s works, which includes us as we praise God for justice and victory. Our praise, however, isn’t just intended for our words, but with instruments and songs. Our praise should be continual, in our words and in our actions. Let everything in us praise Him! Watch this worship video, https://youtu.be/2phNjrdWE28 paying close attention to the words plucked straight from Scripture. When you are done, journal how it makes you feel about praise and worship. How can you raise the level of your own worship to the Lord?

3) On Friday, Carol wrapped up the study for us by digging deep into the third verse of Great is Thy Faithfulness. From this highly beloved hymn, we uncovered that we’ve received pardon for our sin through Jesus, our Prince of Peace. He grants us not just peace, but enduring peace. We have the presence of God with us! After all, the Holy Spirit lives in us! It is He who guides us and provides strength and hope. Our God is indeed faithful! No matter our life circumstances, we have nothing to fear. God is always right there with us, sustaining and guiding us. Read through some of the Journeys from Fruitful and journal how you see the fruitfulness of God’s faithfulness in your life. Select one of those journeys and commit to praying thanks for the next week for that aspect of His faithfulness in your life. If you want a real challenge, pray through each one!

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from Isaiah 40:28-29 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the whole earth. He never becomes faint or weary; there is no limit to his understanding. He gives strength to the faint and strengthens the powerless.

Prayer Journal
O Lord, My Lord, You are the most excellent God. Lord, as I have read through this Journey, I have been convicted. I do not praise You enough. Everything good in me and everything I have is because of You. There are so many things I take for granted that I should be praising You for every day. Just like Your mercies are new every morning, so my praise should be new and lifted up to You every morning. Lord praise is due You. Let me ever praise You and appreciate all Your benefits because You are worthy.

Worship Through Community

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Send us an email at prayer@gracefullytruthful.com

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Share how God spoke to you today!
Comment Here or in our Facebook Community Group!

Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Worship X Day 14 Let Them Praise: Digging Deeper

May 26, 2022 by Marietta Taylor Leave a Comment

Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Let Them Praise!

The Questions

1) What are the sacrifices we are to offer? (verse 16)

2) Why does verse 17 command us to obey our leaders?

3) How does prayer tie into praise? (verse 18)

Hebrews 13:15-19

15 Therefore, through him let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. 16 Don’t neglect to do what is good and to share, for God is pleased with such sacrifices. 17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, since they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account, so that they can do this with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. 18 Pray for us, for we are convinced that we have a clear conscience, wanting to conduct ourselves honorably in everything. 19 And I urge you all the more to pray that I may be restored to you very soon.

Original Intent

1) What are the sacrifices we are to offer? (verse 16)
In the Old Testament there are five categories of sacrifices: burnt, grain, peace, sin and trespass offerings. Sin and Trespass offerings were required, and the remaining three were freewill. (Leviticus 4, Leviticus 7:1-6) All the offerings except grain involved the shedding of the animal’s blood. The Hebrew-Christians Paul was writing to were living in an area with Jews who did not believe Jesus was the Messiah. “The Jews were constantly reminding these Hebrew-Christians of the virtues of Judaism” (Clear Theology), which included Old Testament sacrifices which the Jews still actively practiced at the altar. In Hebrews 13:10-12, Paul reminds the people of Jesus shedding His own blood as the ultimate sacrifice, supplanting the Old Testament sacrifice system. However, this didn’t mean there were no longer any sacrifices to be made. Now, instead of sin and trespass sacrifices, the people were to offer sacrifices of praise. Instead of the fruit of their labors (crops and livestock), they were to offer the fruit of their lips. This meant verbal praise. Martin Collins points out how this echoes the priestly duties, “It was the continual responsibility of the Levitical priesthood “to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord, and likewise at evening“. (I Chronicles 23:30) Even David “praised God seven times each day”. (Psalm 119:164) The principle is that we should be praising God continually or be prepared to do so at any time, not a specific number of times a day.” (Bible Tools) Beyond verbal praise, we are also to “do good and share”. (verse 16) According to Dr. Grant Richison, “Belief and deed are inseparable. Lip service without expression in a tangible way is disjoint of biblical truth.” Praise should intentionally encompass verbally acknowledging God’s goodness and then demonstrating that goodness to others.

2) Why does verse 17 command us to obey our leaders?
Paul pointed out that Hebrew-Christians not only had a responsibility to praise the Lord, do good and share, but they also had a responsibility to submit to their spiritual leaders. Those who were appointed by God were there to lead and guide them as God instructed them. Romans 13:1 tells us “there is no authority except that which God has established.” These leaders were there to teach submission to God and to show how to live a life pleasing to the Lord. David Guzik puts it this way, “Cooperative conduct is not only a joy to leaders, but it is profitable for the whole body. It is for our own sake that we should obey and submit to God-appointed leaders.” Going further, Bible.org says, “The reason we submit is for the Lord’s sake that we may honor Him and also to avoid being disciplined by Him. Paul said this in Romans 13:2, ‘Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.’” Submitting to leaders is an act of worship to the Lord. We are acknowledging His sovereignty in appointing leaders and in teaching us through them.

3) How does prayer tie into praise? (verse 18)
Verses 18-19 might appear to veer of course, but they are in line with Paul’s teaching about praise. When we pray we are bringing our petitions and concerns to the Lord. We are acknowledging Him as the One who can change the situation, give the answer, or provide comfort and peace. He is the One in control and only He can bring about what we cannot. Paul was well aware of the power of prayer. In 2 Corinthians 11 he spoke of his numerous trials in ministry including being whipped, stoned, shipwrecked, persecuted and imprisoned. In prison, Paul prayed and God moved mightily, ultimately adding the jailer and his relatives to God’s family. (Acts 16:25-31) For the churches, Paul prayed and they flourished and grew. Every time, Paul praised the Lord. He was not shy to ask for prayer. Just as he did here, he did also in Romans 1:9-11, Ephesians 6:19, and 2 Thessalonians 3:1 to name a few. This was part of His praise, indicating that He trusted God with the ministry that had been bestowed upon him. We see it is the people’s duty to pray for him, “…to the absent leader the duty of the congregation is that of prayer. It is a Christian duty always to bear our absent loved ones to the throne of God’s grace and daily to remember there all who bear the responsibility of leadership and authority.” (Barclay’s Study Bible) Prayer for others is part of the “doing good” mandate of praise.

Everyday Application

1) What are the sacrifices we are to offer? (verse 16)
I often wonder how the priests dealt with the overwhelming stench of so much blood from the sacrifices. Then I’m reminded of the overwhelming stench of sin to God for those who are not saved. I am grateful for the blood of Jesus which cleanses us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9) 2 Corinthians 2:15 says, “For to God we are the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” How can we not praise the name of the One who makes us a pleasing aroma instead of the stench of sin? And to those who are perishing, do we not have a duty to sacrifice our pride and preferences to give them the opportunity to join our chorus of praise? We do, but the struggle is real. “For some, the harder part is taking Christianity one step further, sacrificing ourselves in service, fellowship, and communication with others, especially those outside our “community,” be it a group designated by age, experience, likes or dislikes, location, or any other boundary that applies to us personally.” (Bible Tools) Let us not forget Matthew 5:16, where Jesus instructs, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” Our good works become praise not just from us but others. Our good works multiply praise! So whatever we must sacrifice to complete those works is worth it.

2) Why does verse 17 command us to obey our leaders?
I’m a manager at my job. To some it might seem like an easy job, but they’d be dead wrong! It’s tough. I’m also a ministry leader. That’s not a cake walk either. There are so many facets of leadership but one aspect that quickly becomes challenging is trying to do the right thing and make sure everyone under your care is also doing the right thing. So, what happens when people decide to disobey? I like the way the ESV Reformation Study Bible puts it. “The leaders’ care is deep and genuine because they were appointed by God and will give their account to Him. (Hebrews 4:13) Everyone will suffer if their ministry is resisted.” It’s our duty to respect those God puts in authority over us. By resisting them, we are resisting God’s plans. There is always a consequence for this! Instead, by walking in obedience, we allow God to complete His work in us through them. Not only are we blessed, but the leaders are as well. It becomes one more thing for which we can praise God.

3) How does prayer tie into praise? (verse 18)
Paul often prayed for the churches to which he had a connection. One example is in Colossians 1 where he starts with praise, “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you.” (verse 3) Then he lists what he is praying for, “We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding”. (verse 9) But he continues to give more praise, “giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light.” (verse 12) This is a wonderful model for prayer. Praising God, presenting our requests, followed by praising Him again. It keeps our minds focused on Who will accomplish the work, and it’s not us! It always has been God and it will always be God. “Praise is about having faith in the character of God even when we are struggling with challenges in life. It is when we CHOOSE to focus on and believe in Him that our faith is exercised, and it is faith alone that pleases Him and moves Him to action in our lives—personally and corporately!” (Planetshakers Creative) Our prayers demonstrate our faith in God, just as our praises; they both honor Him for who He is and what He does.

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

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Our Current Study Theme!

This is Worship X Week Three!
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Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

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Worship X Day 5 The Unfailing One

May 13, 2022 by Marietta Taylor Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Ephesians 1:1-6
1 John 1:5-9
Psalm 100

Worship X, Day 5

Dependable and trustworthy.
Has never broken a promise.
Loving and kind, yet strong and protective.
Sounds like the perfect man, right? But these words describe someone far superior to any common man. These words merely scratch the surface in describing our Great God.

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father
There is no shadow of turning with Thee
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be

Great is Thy faithfulness.
Such a bold statement. But God can back it up.
“Know that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps his gracious covenant loyalty for a thousand generations with those who love him and keep his commands.”
(Deuteronomy 7:9)

God is a faithful covenant keeper. With the Abrahamic covenant, He swore by Himself. He fulfilled both sides of the covenant. (Genesis 15) In a covenant, the “lesser” person would walk through the cut up pieces of animals, symbolizing their own fate if they did not uphold their end. But God walked through instead of Abraham, taking upon Himself the punishment. God guaranteed the fulfillment of the covenant because He is faithful.

Thousands of years later, Jesus came, died on the cross and was resurrected to begin a new covenant for all who believe in Him. “For a thousand generations” God was faithful to Israel. And now, thousands of years later, He is still faithful to all who place their trust in Him. (Psalm 100:5) Each day is an opportunity for a fresh measure of His faithfulness.

Morning by morning new mercies I see.
We can boldly proclaim, “Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you. I will praise your name,
for you have accomplished wonders, plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.”
(Isaiah 25:1)
I can boldly proclaim it, looking back over every desperate prayer I’ve ever prayed, seeing His faithfulness to provide, direct, protect and heal.
He has never failed because His faithfulness is great.

O God My Father.
C. Sproul said, “He has given to us the right and privilege to come into the presence of the majesty of God and address him as Father because indeed he is our Father. He has adopted us into his family and made us co-heirs with his only begotten Son” (Romans 8:16)

When we profess Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we become chosen, adopted, predestined and redeemed by God. (Ephesians 1:1-6) Each day is a reminder that we are His beloved daughters.

Morning by morning new mercies I see.
Jesus gave us a way to become comfortable with calling God our Father when He said, “But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret” and “Therefore, you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, your name be honored as holy.” (Matthew 6:6-14)

This Father, who lavishes His love on us (1 John 3:1) is the one we can call on to provide our every need. (Matthew 6:31-32) He is our ultimate protector. How do we know? His Son told us, “My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” (John 10:29)

This Son, Jesus, has redeemed us “so that we might receive adoption as sons.
And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!” So you are no longer a slave but a son [.]” (Galatians 4:5-6) So as sons and daughters, we confidently call to God Our Father who gives us the best gifts.

There is no shadow of turning with Thee.
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17)

One of the characteristics of God is His immutability, which means “God is unchanging in his being, perfections, purposes, and promises, yet God does act and feel emotions, and he acts and feels differently in response to different situations.” (Wayne Grudem)

Shadows shift and change, God does not. Shadows are not always present, but God is. God Himself says “For I the Lord do not change” (Malachi 3:6, ESV) The same God who created the earth, (Genesis 1:1-25) formed Adam and Eve, (Genesis 1:26-31) parted the Red Sea, (Exodus 14:15-31) rescued Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from the fiery furnace, (Daniel 3:8-30) and sent Jesus to redeem us, (John 3:16) is the same unfailing God whose mercies are new every morning. (Lamentations 3:22-23)

As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.
A loving God who’s “faithfulness endures forever.” (Psalm 117:2) Let me tell you about Him in my life. In 2020 my uncle, sister and grandmother and a friend all passed away. I got laid off from my job. Both my daughters lost their jobs. My husband had a medical emergency and had to have an emergency procedure.

I could have wallowed in my grief, sorrow and frustration. But instead I trusted in my unchanging God. I prayed to the God who helped me deal with the sudden loss of my dad twenty years earlier. I praised the God who provided a job within one month the previous year when I experienced my first layoff. Every morning I focused my eyes on the new mercy that God provided, enabling me to live for His glory one more day.

Gift cards showed up unexpectedly. Checks showed up from people I had not connected with in year. A job came from an unexpected place. I discovered new worship music to help me through my grief. God connected me more deeply to a beautiful soul, that I now serve alongside in ministry.

That’s just a sampling of how our loving, unfailing God works. There was never a time I felt alone, because God was always with me. (Matthew 28:20) He was always supporting me. (Psalm 94:18) And whatever else may come my way, I can endure because…..

Morning by morning new mercies I see.

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Worship X Week One! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
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Here’s a link to all past studies in Worship X!

Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 28:6-9
1 Samuel 1:27-28
Mark 9:14-29

I’ve sat down several times in the last few days to convey on paper my thoughts to the lyrics of a song that I might describe as haunting (as in, poignant and evocative; difficult to ignore or forget). Little did I know that my procrastination was actually working out God’s sovereign timing. I certainly don’t condone a habit of delaying inevitable tasks, but as always God was doing something, even through my postponement.
Letting go of every single dream, I lay each one down at Your feet.
Every moment of my wandering never changes what You see.
I’ve tried to win this war, I confess.
My hands are weary, I need Your rest.
Mighty Warrior, King of the fight, no matter what I face, You’re by my side.*

On the very morning I realized I could no longer delay my writing, I was also made aware of my great need to fully embrace the truths of the song in which I had chosen to meditate. The first two words stabbed me the very moment they caught my eye.

“Letting go…”
I recognized immediately the impact of those words throughout Scripture.
Abraham
Moses
David
Hannah
These are only a few examples of the kind of surrender to which we are called.

Paul’s life and message compel us to an even more radical release of our own wills, reminding us of the most humble and genuine surrender of all through the life and death of our Lord Jesus. Philippians 2:1-11

As a mama and grandma who has kids and grandkids living thousands of miles away, I have learned that letting go is a part of life. As a foster mom, the reality of releasing hits even harder because of the massive unknown attached to it. In the past several years, I have had to let go of how I had pictured life might look and trust God with the unforeseeable future of all the children that He has placed in my care.
Laying things down that I like at my good Father’s feet is one thing.
Laying people down that I love is another.
It freshly and squarely hit me today that
letting go is always the starting point for trusting God.

On this very day, we find ourselves in a place we have never been as foster parents. We have realized that we are unable to provide everything needed for the children who have recently entered our home. The brothers who came through the door earlier this week have experienced difficulties in their lives that I’ll never fully be able to comprehend.
The neglect they have encountered is completely foreign to me.

After several days of looking at my husband with a broken heart, he confessed that he is overwhelmed and underqualified for this particular situation.
Knowing that fostering kids in need like this has to be a team effort (he is an amazing foster dad), I knew it meant we had to make a change.
I have cried and prayed.
I had to come face to face with hidden motives and agendas and plans.
I had to admit that we are not called to save every child.
We are not even called to rescue them from terrible lives.
We are only called to be faithful servants.
I confessed to God: “My hands are weary, I need Your rest.”

You are my strength and comfort. You are my steady hand.
You are my firm foundation; the rock on which I stand.
Your ways are always higher. Your plans are always good.
There’s not a place where I’ll go, You’ve not already stood.*

Sometimes I do the right thing.
Sometimes I do the right thing for the right reason.
And sometimes I do the right thing for the right reason, but with a skewed view of God.

I forget that He alone is capable of doing what is perfectly good.
Only He knows what tomorrow brings.
I may have good intentions in the spiritual battle I’m fighting,
but if I don’t recognize that He is the King of the fight,
I begin to fight for outcomes and answers
rather than fighting for faith.

As I cry out to Him, I too often hold on to a false hope in my own ability to fix and heal.
Only when I let go of all my pre-conceived notions of what should happen am I able to fully trust Him.
My faith cannot be in the moving mountains or the parting waters,
though He is able to do those things, Exodus 14, Mk 11:22-24
rather my trust is to be completely in Him, not in what He does.

When You don’t move the mountains I’m needing You to move;
when You don’t part the waters I wish I could walk through;
when You don’t give the answers as I cry out to You, I will trust.*

The Psalmist communicates so clearly again and again that our trust must be solidly placed in only One Person.
HE is our strength and comfort.
HE is our steady hand.
HE is our firm foundation.
HE is our rock.
HE is exalted.

Yet, everything that makes Him a God who is far above us Isaiah 55:8-9,
doesn’t keep Him from also being a Father who is near and good! James 1:17

I am unable to fully explain how much I needed the truths of this song to permeate my heart and mind today. Letting these kids go is so difficult.
What is the Father calling you to let go of and trust Him with?
Lord, “Truth is, You know what tomorrow brings. There’s not a day ahead You have not seen. So, in all things be my life and breath. I want what You want, Lord, and nothing else.
I will trust in You.”*
Amen!

*song lyrics by Lauren Daigle, “Trust In You”

Ready for more? Dig Deeper!
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Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Worship Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
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