The GT Weekend – Safe Week 3

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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!

Journal With Us!

Journal Prompts

1) Jesus says He leaves His perfect peace with us, that we need not be troubled. What is one area this is difficult for you to actually do?

2) What’s going on in your life recently that you need the strength to choose faith over fear? Where have you seen Father be faithful in answering that prayer?

3) Take a look at this map and read about the persecuted church. Reflect on what you read. http://www.persecution.com/public/prayermap.aspx

Worship In Song

Music Video: Enter the Worship Circle’s “Safe Place”

Pour Out Your Heart

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Pray With Us!

In everything, with praise and thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God!
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Send your prayer request to prayer@gracefullytruthful.com
We are committed to praying over and walking with you!

Journey With Us

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What were your thoughts from the GT Weekend?
How were you drawn near to the Father and encouraged in your faith?
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Safe Day 15
Faith Over Fear

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Hebrews 11:1-16
Psalm 139:1-12
Psalm 46:1-3

Attachment-1 (3)I’ve walked a lot of “close calls” as a mom of 8, and I’ve pleaded for safety in each of them.
A screwdriver to my son’s eye.
A knife blade to the same son’s knee. (boys…what can I say?!)
Toilet seat slammed on special parts with lots of blood. (uhh, boys…)
Choking on pizza rolls.
Waking up to my daughter’s throat and neck the size of a cantaloupe.
A fall that nearly broke a rib and caused strained breathing in a toddler.
In each instance, I prayed desperately for safe healing, and the Father was gracious, they all recovered.

In this theme of Safe, we have focused intently on how God hasn’t promised us safety or even called us to it. Rather, He wants our eyes to look with faith on the unseen, the eternal safety of our souls and the perseverant, faithful love of a God who will never let go. This emphasis can make us wonder, should I even ask for earthly safety? Does God even care about my physical safety and the ones I loved?

Let’s ask Jesus by peering into His earthly life…..

“Rise and walk!” – Jesus speaking to a lame man, after the persistent faith and love delivered the man directly in front of Jesus, lowered through a rooftop by his friends. (Luke 5:17-26)

“Child, arise!” – Jesus speaking to a dead girl, after the girls’ father pleaded for her healing. (Luke 8:49-56)

“I am willing. Be clean!” – Jesus speaking to a leper, after the man fell on his knees before Christ for healing. (Luke 5:12-16)

“Peace! Be Still!” – Jesus speaking to the wind and waves after His disciples begged for their lives (mark 4:35-41)

“Get up. Take your mat, and walk!” – Jesus speaking to the lame man, after he had acknowledged his wanting to be healed. (John 5:6-8)

Christ himself instructs us in the Lord’s Prayer to ask Him to “…give us this day, our daily bread.” He longs for us to ask. Notice that in every above scenario, Jesus generously gives after He was asked.

Does God care about our earthly safety? YES!
Should we ask for healing and safety? YES!

But in the same breath, ask for the strength to walk through loss.

Walk with me for a moment in a long-ago garden, late at night, when life and death for all humanity hung in the balance. The fullness of God wrapped in very human flesh, begged and pleaded for His safety. In gut-wrenching agony that we will never be able to fully comprehend, Jesus Christ begged the Father, “Please, let this cup pass from me.” The “cup”, of course, referring the full wrath of God poured out on Christ for the redemption of mankind. Extreme physical suffering and humiliation would pale in comparison to estrangement from perfect oneness with His Father, as He would bear our sins on the cross.
Jesus knew the price, He knew the pain, and He beseeched God for safety.
And yet….. as the plea left his lips and bloody sweat dripped off his furrowed brow, Jesus submitted to the unfathomable “un-safety”, “Yet, not my will, but Yours be done.”

Christ submitted to the will of the Father because He trusted that God’s plan was better than His own fleshly desires.

Beautifully, an angel appeared and strengthened Him.

In Christian circles, easily misunderstood phrases like “rejoice always” can lead us to think that God is up there cheering for our trials and expecting us to do the same. As a result, we end up with a twisted, sadistic view of God.
Cancer? Yay! Death? Oh be glad! Abuse? Rejoice!
None of these reflect God’s good heart!

Like the picture of Christ in Gethsemane, God didn’t jump for joy at Christ’s suffering, gleefully rejoicing over our Savior’s agony. Rather, the love of the Father supplied Jesus with everything He would need to drink the cup before Him.
That is God’s goodness!!

Next time you find yourself praying for safety and protection, remember that God is gracious and good, longing to hear you and waiting for you to ask Him! But just as fervently, ask the Father for His powerful strength to work in you as you choose faith over fear.

Ready for more? Dig Deeper!
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Don’t miss today’s Digging Deeper!     And we’d love to hear your thoughts from today’s Journey!    Comment Here!

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 Safe Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
Click the above image for today’s Digging Deeper!

Looking for other journeys from this theme? Here’s a link to all past studies in Safe!

Safe Day 14
People of the Cross: Digging Deeper

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Why do we care about Digging Deeper?
Find Out!

The Passage

Looking for yesterday’s Journey Post? Check out People of the Cross!

Philippians 1:18b-21 English Standard Version (ESV)

Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

My Questions

1) What is the “this” that will turn out for Paul’s deliverance in verse 19?

2) What does Paul mean by “to live is Christ”?

3) Paul says he knows his imprisonment will turn out for his deliverance, he expects that he will not at all be ashamed. Why is Paul so confident?

The Tools

A trip to www.studylight.org is in order here.
We will get super cozy with this site as we study Scripture together!
Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom!
It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.

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. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage?
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 :-))

The Findings for Original Intent

1) If we look to the rest of the chapter, we see that Paul mentions imprisonment in verses 7, 13, 14, and 17. So, Paul is in prison as he writes to the church at Philippi—which is why Philippians is called a Prison Epistle. Cross-references lead us to the book of Acts, starting in chapter 21, where we see that Paul was arrested because certain people didn’t like the things he was preaching. He did nothing wrong! Yet, because of Paul’s imprisonment, he had many chances to preach the Gospel at his various trials and defenses.

2) Verse 21 begins with a linking word—for—which indicates that what follows (to live is Christ and to die is gain) is the explanation for what came before (verses 18b-20). Paul talks about rejoicing, eagerly expecting that Christ will be honored in his body. Paul feels that his whole life is in pursuit of honoring Christ, and that he would give up his life to honor Christ as well.

3) Paul writes this letter from prison, yet he is confident that he will honor God, whether by life or by death. In verse 19, he mentions a couple of reasons for his certainty—the prayers of the Philippian believers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

Some Applications for Our Everyday Lives

1) Paul was definitely persecuted for his faith. I have never been put in prison for preaching about Jesus Christ, but I have certainly gone through trials. Here Paul gives us all an example to follow as to how to rejoice, even in the midst of trials and persecution. We can trust our good God to work in and through us!

2) Am I living to bring honor to Christ in every aspect of my life? Am I so confident of my eternal security with Him that I can fearlessly say, “to die is gain”? If not, why not? What questions do I have that keep me from speaking so boldly about my eternity?

3) Prayer—what a powerful tool! Am I approaching the trials in my life with prayer? Am I being faithful to pray for my fellow believers, especially those imprisoned and persecuted for their faith? And am I asking the Holy Spirit for help to honor Christ with my life?

We’d love to hear how God challenged you through today’s Journey Study! Share your thoughts, comments, and questions with the GT Community!
Can we pray for you? 
Looking for faith stories?

Want To Try It For Yourself?!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read through it (always more than a verse or two).
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!

Share Your Thoughts with the GT Community!

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. Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Desperate! Don’t miss out on the discussion – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme? See all past studies in Safe!

Safe Day 13
People of the Cross

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Matthew 10:16-39
Matthew 24:3-14
Hebrews 12:1-13
peopleofthecross
For the sake of transparency, I need to tell you that I wasn’t prepared for how writing this post would affect me.  I am cognizant of the persecution my brothers and sisters in Christ face around the globe, but to say that I think about and pray for them daily would be a stretch. In America, Christians feel “persecuted” and “marginalized” today, but our “struggles” pale when we read a few accounts of real-life, current-day martyrs. 

People of the cross.
People choosing Jesus over their own lives.
It’s sobering.  I can almost guarantee you will find yourself absolutely convicted, eyes swimming with tears when reading their stories of persecution.

One such account is that of Han Chung-Ryeol, 49.  Born in China, Han pastored a church on the North Korean border.  Han was married, and father to both a son and daughter.  He was a friend to those in need, frequently providing for their physical needs with clothing and food as he met their spiritual needs with his message of the Gospel.  Han planted his church in 1993, and led countless North Koreans to Christ. A man of the cross, he devoted his life to serving the marginalized: orphans, sex trafficked women, soldiers and the famine-starved.  Han was known for helping all who crossed into China from North Korea.  North Koreans frequently said that they trusted him because they could “see his heart”.

In February of 2016, the North Korean government issued an order for Pastor Han to be kidnapped, brought to North Korea, and interrogated.
Rather than flee, Han chose to stay and continue his ministry.

On April 30th, 2016, Pastor Han was abducted as he left his church.  Several hours later, his body was found, broken and mangled beyond recognition. Knowing full well the price he would likely pay, he chose to stay.  

As a native to that region, I have no doubt he was well aware of the abhorrent treatment that was imminent.  He saw those things occur all the time.  Rather than become calloused to it or fearful, he loved in spite of it.
He loved because of it.
Those that knew him described the trust he engendered; they said it was because they could “see his heart”.
And his heart reflected Christ.    

The question I find myself asking is this: Would the same be said of me?
When faced with opposition or the potential for controversy, do I speak the truth in love?
Or do I avoid the spotlight of transparency and sidle away from a direct answer?

I would like to say the former, but truthfully, I can’t say that I’m often faced with that decision.  We are so comfortable in America.  It’s easy to complain about our country’s political situation, or to claim that our rights are being violated, but are they really?

Have I recently been through tribulation…of any kind?
Have I struggled against sin to the point of my own bloodshed?
Have my children been tortured or murdered in front of me for my failure to recant Jesus?
Have I been put to death for my faith?
Have you?

The thing that struck me the most as I read account after account of those that have died for the sake of Jesus, for refusing to renounce His Name, is this: Their lives and their deaths communicated a rhythm of love for Jesus and those He sent to them and of death to self.
In life and in death, they served.
In life and in death, they loved.
In life and in death, they clung to the cross, and the assurance that this place is only temporary.  

Their security was in the promise of eternity with Jesus, so nothing this world threatened was ever really any threat at all.
Lord, teach us to love You better.
To model a rhythm of love throughout our lives, in actions more than mere words.  Help us to fully commit our hearts, hands and feet to serve, love and go where You lead.  Teach us to be people of Your cross.

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
Sign up to receive every Journey Study!

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

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 Safe Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme? Here’s a link to all past studies in Safe!

Safe Day 12
A Love Without Fear: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper posts are intended to help us go farther into God’s word than a simple surface reading
and are designed to help us discover new tools in the process.
Curious as to why we Dig Deeper? Here’s Why! 

The Passage

Looking for yesterday’s Journey Post? Check out A Love Without Fear

1 John 4:13-19 English Standard Version (ESV)

13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us.

My Questions

1) There are a couple of key words in this passage. What exactly does “abide” mean? “Love” is also a key word, and it can have many meanings. What kind of love is being talked about in this passage?

2) How is love perfected in us?

3) How do we abide in God? In love?

The Tools

A trip to www.studylight.org is in order here.
We will get super cozy with this site as we study Scripture together!
Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom!
It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.

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. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage?
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 :-))

The Findings for Original Intent

1) In every case in this passage, the word translated “abide” is the Greek word ménō, which means to remain, or stay. Each instance of the word “love” in this passage is the Greek word agape. This type of love is not a romantic or sexual love, nor is it a brotherly love. It is the word that describes God’s love for us, and is characterized by good will and benevolence.

2) Pay special attention to the linking words and phrases in this passage–words like “by,” “because,” “for,” and “so.” These linking words explain how the different truths fit together. Verse 17 begins with “By this is love perfected with us.” What does “by this” refer to? God abiding in us. And we see from the first verses in the passage that God abides in us when we confess Christ as our Savior. So love is perfected in us when we truly trust that Christ came to die for our sins—when we “come to know and believe the love that God has for us” (verse 16).

3) What does it mean to abide in God, or abide in love? Verse 16 tells us that God is love. God’s nature, his character, is love. So abiding in God and abiding in love are the same thing. There is a sense in which God always abides in us once we become believers—we are sealed by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30) and God will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). But there’s another sense of abide, which means to remain or stay in a certain state. We remain in love when we keep God’s love for us at the front of our minds, when we are confident that He has saved us and He will keep us, and when we operate our daily lives in that confidence.

Some Applications for Our Everyday Lives

1) It’s important to understand the truth of God’s agape love. It isn’t like the imperfect love we humans have—it is constant, unchanging and doesn’t depend on circumstances or behavior. We can trust that we are perfectly loved by God, all the time!

2) If our love has been perfected, that is, if we have trusted in Christ for salvation, then we have no need to fear judgment. Christ took our punishment for us on the cross, and no condemnation awaits us. We do not need to fear what will happen to us after we die!

3) What are the clues in my life that I am forgetting to abide in God? (Do I find myself getting selfish, irritable, entitled, etc.?) How can I keep God’s deep love for me at the front of my mind and in every interaction I have with my spouse, my kids, my co-workers, etc.?

We’d love to hear how God challenged you through today’s Journey Study! Share your thoughts, comments, and questions with the GT Community!
Can we pray for you? 
Looking for faith stories?

Want To Try It For Yourself?!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read through it (always more than a verse or two).
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!

Share Your Thoughts with the GT Community!

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. Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Safe Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme? See all past studies in Safe!

Safe Day 11
A Love Without Fear

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Joey FeekPsalm 27
Psalm 23:4-6
John 14:27

The first time I heard of Joey was last summer. My life was upside down and my heart was inside out. I was falling more and more in love with my newborn daughters. One day I found myself surfing Facebook as a distraction from the constant nagging of fear in the back of my mind. My life had turned from joyful mommy-hood bliss to a life of “what ifs” and dread. I clicked on a video of a couple singing on a small quaint stage. A beautiful brunette woman stood at a mic next to her overall-cladded, husband-playing guitar. Their voices blended into a rich, smooth velvety sound. For just a few minutes my mind didn’t think about the “what ifs” and nothing nagged my heavy heart. I was in a trance and quickly fell in love with this darling couple. For months I continued to watch and listen to this dynamic duo while battling my overwhelming fear that came with being a mommy.

One morning, Joey’s tragic news appeared on my Facebook feed: her cancer had returned and the prognosis wasn’t good. I instantly thought of a picture her husband, Rory, had shared on their Facebook page. Joey was potty training their little daughter on the side of the road. She sat with an umbrella reading a book to her sweet girl.
That was a picture of motherhood; that was a picture of love.

Tears began pouring as I felt the confusion, hurt, pain, and sorrow Joey must have been feeling. You see, Rory was facing one of my worst fears, that something would happen to me so my daughters would have to grow up without their mommy and I wouldn’t get to be there for them. It was easy for my heart to ache with Joey. I learned something in my few months of being a mama about the beautiful bond that lies between a mama and her child.
To read that baby Indiana could lose her mama tore me apart.

Months passed before I read the words I’d been dreading to read…
“My wife’s greatest dream came true today.
She is in Heaven.
The cancer is gone, the pain has ceased and all her tears are dry. Joey is in the arms of her beloved brother Justin and using her pretty voice to sing for her Savior. ”

My heart dropped. My stomach was in my throat. I read Rory’s blog post. I read old blog posts. I read and read while tears poured and it dawned on me.
Joey had no fear.
Joey was going to die, but Joey was safe.
She knew she would be safe, and she proved it to the millions who watched her as cancer overtook her earthly body. She proved it to her thousands of prayer warriors when she said, “I pray that one morning I just don’t wake up. But I don’t fear anything because I’m so close to God and we’ve talked about it so many times. I know he’s close. And I know he loves me.”

Joey had no fear because she knew she was safe in the arms of Jesus.
She was safe when she battled cancer and she is safe now.
Because being safe isn’t about perfect bodily state, it’s about your spiritual one.

Knowing she was safe, Joey could bravely allow her little daughter’s relationship with her father to grow, while she sat back and watched, so that sweet girl wouldn’t miss her mama so painfully.

Because her heart was safe, Joey could trust that God held her baby when she no longer would. Spiritual safety allowed the decision that “enough is enough” and freed her to stop fighting and prepare herself to go home. Safety with Jesus gave Joey strength to gather her family and friends around her, hold her step-daughters’ hands and snuggle her little baby to say goodbye, and remind them that they are loved.

Joey Feek’s brave example of trust pointed straight to the safety of Jesus, and she taught me to handle my own fears for safety a little differently.
I learned that when our hearts are safe in Jesus’ love,
there is no room for fear,
for fear cannot come from Him.
“Perfect Love Casts Out Fear” – I John 4:18

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
Sign up to receive every Journey Study!

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

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 Safe Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme? Here’s a link to all past studies in Safe!

The GT Weekend – Safe Week 2

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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!

Journal With Us!

Journal Prompts

1) When have you felt God asking you to do something uncomfortable, but it ended up blessing you or others around you?

2) Where do you feel God asking you to step out boldly? Is it to share your story with someone? Donate time at a local mission? Increase your giving to stretch your budget?

3) Have you experienced the radical transformation that comes with a real-life breathing relationship with Jesus? If you haven’t, what is holding you back?

Worship In Song

Music Video: Shane and Shane’s “This Is Who I Am”

Pour Out Your Heart

Thank you God for giving us eternal life in Your Son.
1 John 5:12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Thank you for giving us confidence in our salvation.
1 John 5:13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.

Thank you for giving us direction and guidance in how to follow You.
1 John 3:23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.

Have questions about what it means to really enter into a relationship with Christ based on true transformation? We’d love to chat with you!

Pray With Us!

In everything, with praise and thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God!
Click here to comment and pray with the GT Community!
Want to connect with a GT Partner?
Send your prayer request to prayer@gracefullytruthful.com
We are committed to praying over and walking with you!

Journey With Us

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What were your thoughts from the GT Weekend?
How were you drawn near to the Father and encouraged in your faith?
Share with the community and encourage other women!

Safe Day 10
That You May Know

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Read His Words Before Ours!

I John 3Attachment-1 (1)
2 Peter 1
2 Corinthians 1:21-22
I Peter 1

I love shocking our kids with our vast amount of life experience knowledge. Our son sat down to dinner one night and then suddenly made a face as he quipped to his sister in that just-between-you-and-me-secret way, “Oh no, I forgot my “sitting thing”.
Chris and I just looked at each other and smirked as he said, “You mean a whoopee cushion?”
“What?! How did you know?” our son questioned in disbelief.
“You forget that I was a boy once too,” he laughingly quipped.

There are some things we know because we’ve been told and we believe the source and can study the evidence, like history. Then there are things we know because we’ve lived it and the reality of it is so embedded in us that we simply can’t deny it.

When it comes to knowing the future, there’s simply nothing that we can know as solidly as the past. What’s done is done, but what will come….well, we can only make our best guesses, except for maybe death and taxes. 🙂

But like in everything else, Jesus offers us more.
More depth, more knowing, and infused in it all, more hope.

If anyone could claim to have known Jesus best while He was on the earth, it would have been John. He was even known as the disciple whom Jesus loved. The letter of I John opens with a poetic and persuasive picture of John’s experience:

        That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you. I John 1:1-3

John had truly experienced Jesus. He saw Him preach, heal, love, get angry, be tired and hungry, and after 3 years of walking with the Light of the World, John declares with absolute confidence that “whoever has the Son has eternal life; whoever does not have the Son of God, does not have eternal life.” I John 5:12

John’s life, career, relationships, and the trajectory of his every day were drastically altered by his hands-on experience with the Savior of the world and he pleads with us to know Christ with the same kind of intimacy. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. I John 5:13

John claims over and over in his letters that we can absolutely, most assuredly know that our eternity is safe, but he also makes it clear that not everyone will inherit it. John prods us to ask ourselves if our salvation is genuine.  Nowhere in the entire Bible do we find that “praying a prayer”, “walking the aisle”, “filling out a card”, or “attending a class” is the process of salvation. In fact, it’s entirely possible for people to “think” they have Christ, but indeed not have His inheritance at all.

Laying hold of salvation isn’t a matter of checking off a box, but radically being remade. It’s seeing your sin, seeing how unholy you are before a perfect God, and realizing you have no way to bridge that gap unless by complete trust in the righteous sacrifice of Christ given on your behalf. It’s recognizing that there is no life apart from Jesus and surrendering yourself entirely to Him.

Salvation isn’t a mental activity, but a heart choice that transforms your everything.

Just as the law of gravity says that what goes up, must come down, the law of love says that you cannot go unchanged after encountering it. Genuine love changes our hearts; it’s impossible to continue with the same heart and mind once you have authentically received Christ’s love. John cautions us, Matthew warns us, and Peter begs us, check your heart for radical transformation.

How can we know? John ties it all together for us with another solid assurance, 19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us. I John 3:19-24

If you could pull up a chair with John, sip a hot mocha with him, look him square in the eyes and ask, “John, how can I know for sure that my eternity is secure?” His answer would be 2-fold, just like the verses above. He would say you can know that you belong to the Truth and have complete confidence before the righteous God of the universe if you follow His commandment to 1) believe (genuinely and authentically with your heart) in the saving Name of Jesus Christ as atonement for your sins and 2) love one another. “All of this”, John would beckon with a wide smile and eyes fiery with passion, “is made possible by the Holy Spirit of God, whom has been given to us by God Himself.”

Salvation isn’t possible without God.
Loving others transformatively isn’t possible without God.
But all is ours through Jesus and made secure by His righteousness.
The proof is evidenced by the living and breathing of the Holy Spirit working out love in our everyday lives.

Can we know for sure that our eternity is secure? For Certain, beyond a doubt.
How are our souls kept safe? By the Holy God.
Not by our ability to obey, not even by our ability to love well, but by the gracious, good, all-powerful God whose Spirit lives and moves and breathes in us.

It’s the Spirit’s presence that seals us. Ephesians 1:13-14
Christ who continually transforms us. Colossians 1:21-23
And God the Father who stands guard over us, keeping us safe until that glorious day when we finally are welcomed home for eternity. I Peter 1:3-5
As we lean into Him, He transforms us with His beautiful fullness, meeting us right in the middle of our everyday lives and calling us ever deeper into more.

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Safe Day 9
Do Not Be Afraid: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper posts are intended to help us go farther into God’s word than a simple surface reading
and are designed to help us discover new tools in the process.
Curious as to why we Dig Deeper? Here’s Why! 

The Passage

Looking for yesterday’s Journey Post? Check out Do Not Be Afraid!

John 16:25-33 English Standard Version (ESV)

25 “I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. 26 In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; 27 for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.[a] 28 I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”

29 His disciples said, “Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech! 30 Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God.” 31 Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? 32 Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. 33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

My Questions

1) Who is speaking in this passage and to whom is he/she speaking?

2) What is the context of this passage?

3) What does Jesus’ peace look like in the midst of tribulation?

4) What does the word “overcome” mean?

The Tools

A trip to www.studylight.org is in order here.
We will get super cozy with this site as we study Scripture together!
Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom!
It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.

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. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage?
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 :-))

The Findings for Original Intent

1) In this passage, Jesus is speaking to His disciples. He references what He has been telling them about the Father and how He came from the Father. This particular interchange between Jesus and His disciples starts in John 13.

2) In John 12:23, Jesus says, “the hour has come” which for the gospel of John means the time has come for Him to die on the cross. In John specifically, Jesus uses this terminology to refer to the cross, but up until John 12, He has said, “the hour has not yet come.” (John 2:4, 7:6, 8). Now there is a turning point which starts with John 12:23 and goes through the end of John. Chapter 16 falls in the middle of this, where Jesus is telling his disciples “plainly” that He is leaving but they are not alone. He has told them the Holy Spirit is coming when He leaves. (John 16:1-15). He is giving them assurance that regardless of what they face, even losing Him and His death on the cross, He has overcome!

3) “Count it all joy, my brothers,[a] when you meet trials of various kinds,3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-4). These passages in John 16 and James 1 help us to see there are two major themes that underlie the peace that Jesus offers. The first is we are not alone. He knows there will be tribulation. He knows the trials we face and the insecure, unsafe world we live in does not compare to the glory we will see when He returns to complete what He started on the cross! The second thing is purpose. The purpose of our trials, tribulations, and unsafe situations is to bring us closer to Him, make us look more like Him, and produce in us a steadfast faith that results in being made complete in Him.

4) Using Studylight, in the original language that word “overcome” means conquer, carrying off the victory, and victorious over all His foes. When Christ says, “I have overcome the world” that means the battle is over and the victory is His! We have no need to worry or fear.

Some Applications for Our Everyday Lives

1) I love the way John tells this part of the story of Jesus’ life. His personal interactions with His disciples show His great love for them. He is warning them plainly of what is coming, but yet giving them hope despite what is about to happen. Jesus is our HOPE and in the midst of this world, He is our security and our safety net. He wanted the disciples to know and trust in Him.

2) Jesus washes the disciples’ feet (John 13) and through the next several chapters proceeds to explain to them the pending crucifixion and sacrifice. I’m sure all the things He had taught them over the past three years became real in that moment as they struggled to come to terms with His ministry on Earth coming to an end. Jesus asks them, “Do you now believe?” The solid assurance of knowing that Jesus is who He says He is and He does what He says He will do is ours!

3) God does not promise a life void of heartbreak, tribulations, and trials. Actually the opposite is true. He promises us there will be trials, there will be heartache, and there will be broken relationships. BUT, and this is a big but in Scripture: He is more, He is enough, and He has overcome!

4) We are more than conquerors! (Romans 8;37) The victory is ours when we put our trust in Jesus Christ. He has overcome this world, which means when we face things of this world, we can have a peace that though God may not take away the current ordeal, He will surely strengthen us, draw us closer to Himself, and take our misery and make into to ministry for His kingdom. There are times when He may in fact put you right in the middle of social, financial, or even physical harm to show you just how big He really is in comparison to the things of this world!

We’d love to hear how God challenged you through today’s Journey Study! Share your thoughts, comments, and questions with the GT Community!
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Want To Try It For Yourself?!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read through it (always more than a verse or two).
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!

Share Your Thoughts with the GT Community!

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. Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Desperate! Don’t miss out on the discussion – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme? See all past studies in Safe!