Brave

The GT Weekend ~ Shielded Week 1

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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!

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) How would you define victorious living? How many of those answers require something beyond your ability to control to be a specific way? Amy noted in her Journey Study on Monday that she could trace the source of her lack of satisfaction, happiness, and peace back to a lack of relying on God and wearing the armor He provides. Too busy for a quiet time with God. Too much brokenness and hurt going on to be transparent with others. The need to rely on self over the Savior. Shame. The enemy is against us as daughters of the One True God, to be sure, but he does not have jurisdiction to win! Take back ground from the enemy this weekend by holding tightly to truth over lies!

2) Who have you fought with recently. Let those faces come to mind. Who has angered or frustrated you? Who do you struggle to even breath the same air with? Hold onto the mental image of their face, and begin praying for them. Right now. It’s okay, I know it’s hard to breathe right now. Hard to let your heart unclench while you look in their eyes. Maybe you even pull back. It’s okay. The reasons and justification for your anger or you pain are brimming at the surface, but call all the voices to halt. Pray for this person. Don’t stop until you feel your tension relax and you really do see their face as not that of your enemy. Don’t allow the true enemy of your heart to deceive you into believing this person is your nemesis. Keep praying for them this weekend, let God fight the battles of your heart for you.

3) One too many stacks of unwashed dishes. One too many tantrums from your toddler or door slams and eye rolls from your teenager. One more attack from your coworker. One more way your spouse added to the mountain of hurt in your heart. What holds you up in the midst? Rebekah Hargraves points us to the belt of truth, which is the whole of Scripture and every promise it holds. She notes how it isn’t a cute band of color around our waist, but as an anchor from which everything hinges for support and balance. Do you view Scripture like this? If so, stand strong in it, Sister! Continue to read His word for the sustaining life you already know the Father gives us through it and encourage others to do the same. If not, consider beginning to allow it to be that anchor for your heart. Start by reading 1 psalm a day and jotting down a few thoughts or questions as you read. The Lord Himself will guide and teach you!

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 Psalm 27:56 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

For He will conceal me in His shelter
in the day of adversity;
He will hide me under the cover of His tent;
He will set me high on a rock
Then my head will be high
above my enemies around me;
I will offer sacrifices in His tent with shouts of joy.
I will sing and make music to the Lord.

Prayer Journal
On the day of trouble and adversity, Lord, I often finish this verse with brave words of how I will rescue myself or rely on my own strength or ability to just “get it done!”. Perseverance and self-motivation leave me pretty empty, Lord, and don’t carry my heart very tenderly in the midst of hardship. There’s no room to handle my fears or unpack my frustrations. I forget You are present. I forget You have given me Your own armor, fitting it securely across my heart to protect me from the enemy of my soul. Teach me to rest in Your protection, to lay aside my anxious thoughts or angry words of retaliation, and let me rest in the peace You readily provide. Thank You for loving me so well, Abba!

Worship Through Community

Can we pray for you? Reach Out! We’d love to pray for and with you!
Send us an email at prayer@gracefullytruthful.com

Build community, be transparent, and encourage others:
Share how God spoke to you today!
Comment Here or in our Facebook Community Group!

Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

The GT Weekend! ~ Worship VI Week 1

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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!

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) Where have you “felt the brokenness of the world with your own two hands”? Do you feel yourself shy away inside as your mind brings those unbidden thoughts and feelings to the surface? Are you skimming forward past these words, quickly hiding the painful scenarios or cutting words back in the corner from where they came? Brokenness. Shame. Gaping wounds. Grief so deep. Loneliness. Loss. Weariness. Fear. This brokenness is everywhere, isn’t it? But Oh praise God we have a Redeeming Rescuer! One who heals, One who brings life, One who binds up, One who brings justice, One who brings to light what was done in secret, One who l o v e s. Will you do something brave this weekend with me? Will you bring up one, just one, of those aching broken places and hold it in your hands while you talk with the Savior about its painful edges? I will pray for you as you do; pray for me!

2)  What have been some of your “seasons of wilderness”? What has been the prevailing factor in that desert time that has most discouraged you or caused you pain? Maybe it’s loneliness, loss, fear, or even anger. In looking back at other dry, weary seasons, what good have you seen coming from that time of stretching? What impact would a shift in your perspective have? What if we began viewing our seasons as opportunities for God to draw us close and make us more like Himself instead of begging Him to release us from the suffering? It is wisdom and maturity in Christ to choose surrendered submission in our wilderness prayers!

3)  What was the reason you last decided to intentionally praise God? Whether it was vocally or in your heart, think back to the last time you remember praising Him for something in particular. Now, think back to the last time you praised Him for the good work He was doing in the midst of your life’s storm. If you’re in a storm right now, take time to physically hold out your hands as you pray, choosing praise for His character in the face of your circumstances. Ask Him to reveal more of Himself to you, showing you His glory. If you aren’t in a season of struggle right now, intentionally take this time to walk closer with the Lord. Be consistent in your quiet time Bible study, journal your prayers and study notes, connect with an accountability partner to grow together, take a vow of silence to listen more intently to the Father, and choose praise. Practicing praise in easy times, will prepare us for worship in trial.

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 Exodus 33:18 back to the Lord and let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Then Moses said to the Lord, “Please, let me see Your glory!”

Prayer Journal
Please, Lord God, remove from my heart the incessant desire to keep focusing on the temporary, the fleeting circumstances around me that frustrate me, or the people who make me forget I’m human too. Lord, I want to be ensconced by Your presence. Permeate my heart with Your glory; just let me sit here and dwell with you, drinking in Your beauty, that I may be forever transformed as a result. May my heart bring You true worship that honors and delights You. May my eyes be for You and Your magnificence so that nothing else matters because Your mighty love will flow through me to a hurting world. Hear my heart worship, Lord!

Worship Through Community

Can we pray for you? Reach Out! We’d love to pray for and with you!
Send us an email at prayer@gracefullytruthful.com

Build community, be transparent, and encourage others:
Share how God spoke to you today!
Comment Here or in our Facebook Community Group!

Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Esther Dy 10 Wisdom: The Best Adornment

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Esther 4:12-5:14
Proverbs 3:1-12
Proverbs 1:1-9

Esther, Day 10

“Oh Lord, please give me wisdom and discernment!
I know Your plans for me are far greater than any I could imagine.
I recognize how I need to know Your thoughts in this scenario.
Are You leading me to this?
What does it look like to walk this out?

Lord, I sense the outcome of this present possibility has the potential to impact the rest of my life, so the need to hear from You weighs heavy on my mind today.
Guide my feet, steady my heart, tune my ears to hear Your voice.”

The sound of my pen moving across my journal pages filled the air around me as I wrote these words and poured out my heart before the Lord. While an element of me felt somewhat overdramatic at my thoughts, another part resonated so fiercely with the significance of this season I knew not to take my journaling lightly.

When I no longer sensed any more words to pour out before Him, I set my journal aside and opened my laptop to begin working on this Journey Study. Have you ever had one of those moments in which the Lord heard and answered you before you even prayed?
This particular assignment has been in my hands for several months and it is today I opened my Bible to truly soak in the verses.

There, nestled in the middle of the Old Testament, I found another brave soul navigating the journey placed before her, a journey where literal life and death hung in the balance. Had Esther kept a journal, our words may have paralleled one another in unique ways.

In the three short chapters leading up to where we find ourselves in chapter four, Esther has lost the only family she’s known, won the longest version of the Bachelor ever, become queen of a nation and wife to a very powerful man ruled by the law of the land, and successfully kept her true heritage a secret from all in the palace. While that is enough fodder for multiple full-length movies, the plot thickens. Haman, an Agagite, who has a serious vendetta against the Jewish population in Susa and has been aggravated by one specific Jew (Mordecai) who refuses to cower before him, has gained the ear of the King. Enjoying his position, and fueled by his hatred for Jews, manages to convince King Ahaseurus to send out an edict stating all Jews to be attacked on a specific day. In essence, a mass genocide has just been approved and declared to the entire country. Esther, who is a Jew, and all of her kinsmen suddenly have targets strapped to them as the day draws closer.

This is where we find ourselves as the curtain opens on Esther 4:12. Mordecai, Esther’s uncle, sends her a message that sums up her past while prophesying her future without an altered course of action. “If you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will come to the Jewish people from another place, but you and your father’s family will be destroyed. Who knows, perhaps you have come to your royal position for a such a time as this.” Esther 4:14

Esther responded by fasting and praying for three days before going to the king. She knew the law stated that anyone who approached the king without being summoned, would likely be killed.  Rather than dismiss Mordecai’s pleading message, her immediate response to his message spoke of a beauty that went more than skin deep.
Esther understood the value of wisdom and sought it earnestly.

It was her first beauty treatment in preparation to go before the king.
When was the last time that we thought of seeking wisdom
as an element of beauty?

In Proverbs, listening to father’s instruction and a mother’s teaching is referred to as “a garland of favor on your head and pendants around your neck.”  (Proverbs 1:9)
Seeking wisdom and instruction brings beauty and leads to beautiful outcomes
when applied to a life.

In Esther’s story, she followed Mordecai’s instruction and sought the wisdom of the Lord. Through that process, the Lord poured out a courage and discernment that granted her favor with the king. Her interactions with the king and Haman resulted in an edict giving Jews permission to defend themselves on the day of their would-be-massacre.

Esther’s beauty was a key piece of the puzzle in finding herself living in the palace and married to the king. However, it was not her outward beauty that enabled her to advocate for her people; it was the beauty of her wisdom. Her time spent in the presence of the Lord, seeking His guidance, made all the difference.

The Lord’s wisdom comes through reading His Word, spending time talking with Him, and seeking the direction of mature Christians to name a few key resources. Proverbs 3 tells us to acknowledge the Lord in all our ways and He will make our paths straight.
Isn’t that a beautiful promise and thought?

Do you find yourself in a similar season of needing the wisdom of the Lord?
Seek His wisdom and submit yourself to His direction.
Be astounded at the beauty He brings forth and wear His wisdom well!


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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 Esther Week Two! 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 Esther!

Relentless Day 7 Faith Or Fear: Digging Deeper

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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 Faith Or Fear?

The Questions

1) How can I wait quietly for the Lord when I am desperate for help?

2) What does it mean that “the Lord is my portion?”

3) Why should God’s love and mercy give me hope?

Lamentations 3:21-26

Yet I call this to mind,
and therefore I have hope:

22 Because of the Lord’s faithful love
we do not perish,
for his mercies never end.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness!
24 I say, “The Lord is my portion,
therefore I will put my hope in him.”

25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
to the person who seeks him.
26 It is good to wait quietly
for salvation from the Lord.

Original Intent

1) How can I wait quietly for the Lord when I am desperate for help?
The original Hebrew title of the book of Lamentations, ekah, means Alas!  But, according to John McArthur, “rabbis began early to call the book “loud cries” or “lamentations.”  The author, Jeremiah, weeps for the calamity that God’s people have brought upon themselves because of their love affair with sin.  Even in this tragic time, though, the Lord brings hope.  Charles Swindoll notes, “at the center of this lament over the effects of sin in the world, sit a few verses devoted to hope in the Lord (Lamentations 3:22–25). This statement of faith standing strong in the midst of surrounding darkness shines as a beacon to all those suffering under the consequences of their own sin and disobedience.”  Jeremiah determines to wait quietly for the Lord’s salvation.  According to Ellicott’s Commentary, waiting quietly means “wait in silence: i.e. abstain from murmurs and complaints.”  Jeremiah understands that waiting on God without complaining brings him closer to His rescue.  Matthew Henry notes that quietly waiting is “not quarrelling with God nor making ourselves uneasy, but acquiescing in the divine disposals.”  Quietly waiting on God is yielding to His will and trusting He is in control, even when we don’t understand His plans. It is only possible if we love and trust God and acknowledge that His plans for us are for our good, even if it’s a “good” we don’t yet understand. God told Israel in Jeremiah 29:11 that His plans for them included a hope and a future.  Likewise, He promises us in Romans 8:28 that He is working all things out for our good. God promises He has destined true believers for eternal salvation and not for wrath in 1 Thessalonians 5:8-10. We can wait quietly for God’s help, even when we are in distress, because we trust His plan for us.

2) What does it mean that “the Lord is my portion?”
The book of Lamentations was written by the prophet Jeremiah at a time when the great city of Jerusalem was devastated by the Babylonian invasion of 586 B.C.  The book is full of Jeremiah’s descriptions of the pain and desolation around him, but it also contains the hope Jeremiah finds in God. That hope was found in Jeremiah recognizing God as his portion and satisfaction. Author David Guzik points out, “Jeremiah found the key to satisfaction—finding one’s portion in the LORD. Whatever measure he was to receive, whatever inheritance, whatever future, it would all be found in Yahweh.” Having the Lord as our portion means recognizing God as our ultimate source for every need. Bible commentator John Gill says this about the Lord as our portion: ”All he [God] is, and has, is theirs; they are heirs of him, and shall enjoy him forever, and therefore shall not be consumed; he is a portion large and full, inexpressibly rich and great, a soul satisfying one, and will last forever.” Matthew Henry, another theologian, states, “It is our duty to make God the portion of our souls, and then to make use of him as our portion and to take the comfort of it in the midst of our lamentations.” Recognizing the Lord as our portion is important if we are to make it through hardships in life.  With the Lord as our portion, we can always find comfort and hope.

3) Why should God’s love and mercy give me hope?
Some scholars find in the Jeremiah of Lamentations a picture of Christ.  Author Ray Stedman notes, “As you read through this book, you will find many foreshadowings of our Lord weeping over the city of Jerusalem.”   Author John J. Parsons points out that “in many profound ways, Jeremiah pre-figured the prophetic ministry of Yeshua (Jesus).”  Jeremiah also prophesies and previews some of Christ’s main teachings, including salvation and our hope in His unfailing love and endless mercy.  Jeremiah reminds himself that the Lord is always loving and always merciful, which gives him hope knowing God would be with him and help him in the terrible situation the Jewish people were in after the Babylonian invasion and destruction of Jerusalem.  Jeremiah also prophesies about Jesus’ coming, when God will make a new covenant with His people.  God will forgive their sins and write His law in their hearts (Jeremiah 31:31-34).  Author Tim Mackie asserts that Jesus’s life and death announced “the dawn of Jeremiah’s “new covenant.” Jesus would die for the sins of his own people, and simultaneously bring about that great act of forgiveness anticipated by Jeremiah.”  How amazing to see God’s plan for a Savior revealed to His people to give them hope even in their darkest days.  His love and mercy are truly remarkable!

Everyday Application

1) How can I wait quietly for the Lord when I am desperate for help?
Several years ago, I experienced unexplained vertigo.  I was anxious, wondering how I would care for my family if I couldn’t even stand without the room spinning.  I needed to get better fast, not wait on the Lord.  Yet waiting is what Jeremiah recommends in Lamentations 3:26 where he proclaims, “It is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.” Waiting did not seem good to me. But since I was dizzy just lying in bed, there wasn’t much else to do but call on God and wait for His intervention.  I began to understand Andrew Murray’s assertion that God “will never disappoint us.  In waiting on Him we shall find rest and joy and strength, and the supply of every need.”  Quietly waiting on God helped me determine that a prescribed medication was the cause of my vertigo, and I quickly improved.  But waiting on God also taught me I can trust Him with everything.  God showed me that is purpose in the waiting.  Andrew Murray says, “The waiting is to teach us our absolute dependence on God’s mighty working, and to make us in perfect patience place ourselves at His disposal.”  While I waited, my panic abated, and I recognized God was in control and watching over me.  It is not easy to wait when we want the answer NOW, but sometimes it is part of God’s plan.  In Psalm 33:20, David resolves to “wait for the Lord; He is our help and shield.”  In Micah 7:7, Micah vows he “will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.”  Once I calmed down and waited patiently for the Lord, He came to my rescue and became my Refuge.

2) What does it mean that “the Lord is my portion?”
I grew up spending summers with my sister and seven cousins at my grandma’s house.  We had lots of fun, but there were inevitable squabbles, usually over who got to drink out of the favorite green cup or who got the biggest slice of apple pie.  We each wanted ours to be the biggest and the best.  I think of that mindset when I consider the idea of the Lord as my portion.  If I want the best for my life, it is most definitely found in the Lord.  Charles Spurgeon called God’s portion the “infinite possession.”  He said, “It is better to have our good God than all the goods in the world: it is better to have God for our all than to have all and be without him.”  To have the Lord as my portion is to have the hope of eternal salvation and the hope of present refuge in God (Psalm 142:5).  To have the Lord as my portion is to have blessings found only in Christ and hope for an eternal future (Psalm 16:5). When I have God, even when I am weak, He makes me strong (Psalm 73:26). When you accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior from your sin, He becomes your portion.  He takes all of you and gives you all of Him; a trade that works infinitely in your favor!  When God is the Lord of your life, He promises to “supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).  In Matthew 7:8, God promises “everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”  To have the Lord as your portion is to have all that you need . . . the infinite possession indeed!

3) Why should God’s love and mercy give me hope?
In Lamentations 3:21-22, Jeremiah says he has reason to hope because he is reminded of God’s faithful love and his never ending mercies.  We can find hope in God’s love and mercy, too.  Ephesians 2:4-5 tells us, “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, 5 made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!”  God, through His grace, extends salvation to us through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus, who took our sins on the cross so we could be forgiven and have eternal life if we believe in Him.  When we have Christ in our lives, we have great hope.  1 Peter 1:3 tells us God has caused us to be “born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”  We have the hope of life eternal with Jesus, but we also have the hope of friendship with God while we are living this life here on earth.  Jesus tells us in John 15:14-15, “You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 I do not call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from my Father.”  This communion with God is a wonderful way God provides hope to His children!

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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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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 :-))

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Seeds Day 11 Seeds Of Encouragement

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Acts 1:6-11
Acts 9:26-27
Acts 11:19-30

Seeds, Day 11

We all come to Jesus under different circumstances and with a past.
A past without Him.
Some of those pasts are basically “forgettable”, while others are more difficult to leave behind.

The apostle Paul was no exception.

None would argue the impact Paul had on the early Church, an influence which continues to the church today.  Through the power of the Holy Spirit, he preached the good news of Jesus and because of his influence, many have come into a relationship with Jesus.  However, Paul, who began life as Saul, had a past.
A past quite different than the one we most attribute to him.

Before Saul met Jesus on the road to Damascus, his purpose was in direct opposition to the one for which he is most remembered.  In fact, he was on that road to carry out that purpose: to stop the Gospel’s advancement by killing Christians!

However, Jesus met him and changed EVERYTHING!!  (Paul’s story!)

While Paul’s purpose immediately changed after meeting Jesus, others were not so quick to forget his past.  The disciples in Jerusalem were afraid to associate with Saul, remembering who he was and what he had done. How could God use such a dramatic story if no one would give him audience because of his past?

It wasn’t until Barnabas came alongside Saul, affirming him, supporting him, and sharing his story, that others began to believe Saul had really changed and began working with him, instead of against him.  Acts 11:24 describes Barnabas as “a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith”. Barnabas believed Paul, but more so, he trusted what God could accomplish by His Spirit through a humbled heart. Because Barnabas had experienced God’s transformation for Himself, he was able to rejoice in what God alone had done while encouraging others to do the same.  Barnabas supported and encouraged Paul, ministering with him as they taught and edified the church to stay true to the Lord.

But suppose Barnabas had not affirmed Paul?

A high school girl I know has a personal mission. She has chosen to sit by another girl in church who has mild special needs, writing questions which correspond to the message, allowing her friend to interact with the sermon in ways she can better understand.
How easy it would be to allow irritation to take root or simply issue a reprimand.
What if we, like my young friend, chose instead to take someone aside, get to know them, and see how we might be able to help them learn more about Jesus? What if we come alongside another for the sake of the Kingdom so someone else can understand Jesus better?

What if, instead of coming to conclusions about the mom with disruptive kids in the grocery store who are interfering with our peace, we understood that she too has a story. What if we whispered a kind word instead of giving a judging look?

What if that child in your classroom who asks for attention in inappropriate ways is the child who ends the day in an empty home or a home with little or negative attention?  Suppose we got to know that child and took him under our wing, helping him succeed while possibly opening an opportunity for the gospel because of your investment?

What if?

How would our churches, our communities, and our schools change
if we began seeing others as image bearers of our Father
and people for whom Jesus died?

In Acts 1:8, Jesus gives His followers the charge of being His witnesses to those in our sphere of influence. To extend hope and encouragement like Barnabas did in our homes, communities, and businesses, we must get close to people, hear their stories, and be exposed to the uncomfortable.

We all have a past, some appear darker than others, but in reality,
we are all the same without Jesus!

Because Jesus changed him, Barnabas knew Jesus could change Paul.
If Jesus has changed me, I must believe He can do the same for others, even those I’m hesitant to engage.
What might God do when our hearts are ready to hear and obey Him?
Who might God want you to come alongside to encourage and make a difference for His Kingdom?
Ask, and trust the Holy Spirit to guide you!

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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 Seeds Week 3! 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 Seeds!

Seeds Day 10 Empowered To BE

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Acts 8:26-40
1 Corinthians 12:4-11
Romans 8:9-11
John 14:9-2
Ephesians 3:16-20

Seeds, Day 10

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to BE your favorite animal?
To soar like an eagle?
Carry 20x your weight like an ant?
Change colors like a chameleon?
Do acrobatics like a dolphin?

The Kratt Brothers have been helping children learn about animal “super powers” for decades.  At the beginning of each episode, they introduce an animal, highlight its unique traits, then ask something like, “Can you imagine if we really could join the pack and howl with the wolves?”  The brothers jump into position and ask “What if…” as they transform into cartoon characters who go on a creature adventure experiencing firsthand the super powers of the animal.

As I considered this Journey Study, several questions immediately stood out:

What if we lived like we had access to the Holy Spirit?
What if eternity really could be changed by our simple, willing obedience?

I couldn’t help but think of the Kratt Brothers’ enthusiastic “What if…!”

It’s easy to look at biblical men like Joseph, Daniel, Peter, or Paul and think they were super-humans with special powers.  We put them on a pedestal, figuring we could never be like them – teaching, preaching, healing, changing lives, and building God’s kingdom like crazy.

We read about strong, brave women like Ruth, Esther, Hannah, and Mary categorizing them as heroes of faith while quickly writing off OUR ability to have the same impact.

But WHAT IF…

What if we DO have the same power as Peter and Paul?!
What if we CAN make a difference in our families, communities, and ultimately the world like the heroines we admire?

What if?!

In Acts 8, we find another biblical hero, Philip; a man God used to alter the course of history.

We find Philip in Jerusalem, having just returned from Samaria.  He’s busy preaching the gospel, and despite the persecution believers are facing, the church is growing!  Demons are being cast out; the paralyzed and lame are being healed.  God is obviously at work!

In the midst of all this action, an angel tells Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”  (Acts 8:26)

What would you have done?
Pulled up GPS on your phone for exact directions?
Checked the weather app to see what you need to pack?
Looked at your calendar for your next available opening?

Of course Philip didn’t have a cell phone, but even if he did, I’m not sure he would have done any of those things.  Scripture says he simply “rose and went.” (verse 27)

Makes me think about Abraham when God told him to sacrifice Isaac.
Or when Jesus called out to James and John, “Follow Me.”
Or when an angel woke Joseph up in the middle of the night, “Flee to Egypt.”

In each instance, like with Philip, God said….
They did.

No questions asked.
No waiting, planning, or second guessing.
Just pure, simple, IMMEDIATE obedience.

As a result, God did amazing things.

In Acts, God had prepared a divine appointment for Philip.
There on the road was “an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure.”

The angel instructed, “Go over and join his chariot.” (verse 29)
Again, Philip obeys.

He doesn’t stop to play out scenarios in his head or worry about offending him or
being ignored.
He just goes.
RUNS actually.

Approaching the chariot, Phillip hears the man reading in Isaiah, about Jesus.
The man had questions.
Philip had answers.
How convenient!
Like it was meant to be!

Philip explains the Scriptures, tells him about Jesus, and the Ethiopian eunuch believes!

As if God planned it, at that very moment, they came upon water, giving Philip the opportunity to baptize his new brother.

As the eunuch comes up out of the water, an angel whisks Philip away, and the men never see each other again. The eunuch continued on his way rejoicing.
I can almost guarantee you, he told his friends and family what happened.

“It was crazy. I was sitting in the chariot, reading the scroll and all of a sudden this strange man appeared and asked if I needed help understanding the passage.  Actually, I did!  I was so confused, but he answered all my questions! I gave my life to Jesus, and then we passed some water, so I got baptized!  But when I came out of the water, the dude was gone!  He vanished!”

And remember, the Ethiopian was a court official.
I’m going to guess he also shared his incredible story at the palace.
Guards.
Cooks.
Butlers and maids.
Visiting dignitaries.
EVERYONE, even the queen herself, heard alllllll about it.

One act of obedience, and God used a single man to spread the gospel throughout Africa.

How many lives were impacted because Philip went to the road?
How was history changed because Philip ran up to the chariot?

Philip didn’t have any special powers.
He wasn’t an extraordinary man.
BUT the extraordinary GOD used him to do powerful, extraordinary things.

What if we were like Philip?

What if we surrendered our plans and started each day with,
“Here I am…use me however you need.”

What if we were willing to come alongside others in our lives, regardless of race, economic status, sexuality, or religious beliefs?

What if we were ready to hear their stories and listen to their questions?

What if we were ready to explain the hope we have in Jesus?

What if?!

You don’t need a special suit or incredible imaginations like the Wild Kratt brothers to be a heroine. If you believe in Jesus, YOU have super powers.

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS ALREADY IN YOU,
LIVING AND ACTIVE,
READY TO DO POWERFUL, EXTRAORDINARY THINGS…
if you are ready and willing!

What if we say YES to God…no matter what?

Can you imagine?!

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Seeds Day 6 Never Alone

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Galatians 1:6-17
Acts 5:17-42
Daniel 3:1-30

Seeds, Day 6

It’s Wednesday night, and as I’m pondering this Journey Study, scenes from the movie Mean Girls play in my mind. For any of you who haven’t seen it, the plot centers on a female transfer student who grew up in remote Africa with her parents and now is trying to navigate the strange cultures within the friend groups found in her new high school. One key group, stereotypically dubbed “the Plastics” due to their emphasis on perfect appearance and desire to be superior to everyone, impacts her world as she conforms to their image to be included. They have rather, um, unique rules for their group. For instance, on Wednesdays they wear pink.

Today being Wednesday is one reason the movie is on my mind tonight, but the far more serious reason resides in the truth depicted within the movie. The main character discovered that finding her identity in her new surroundings would require intentional choices regarding her circle of friends.

A famous quote from the movie is shared when one of the characters asks if “anyone has been personally victimized by (insert name of character I will not share to avoid any spoilers).” In a scene dripping with teenage angst, hands around the room fill the air. As I pictured that, I imagined other scenarios in which that question could be asked in my life and I could raise my hand as having been personally victimized. Names of people that could fill that blank went through my mind. Then I considered times my name could fill that blank and others could raise their hands. (If any of you are reading this, please forgive me.)

Then God’s name came to mind to fill in the blank.
I realized I could not raise my hand.

I could recall times where my expectations of what God should do did not match reality or moments when my flesh angrily protested at the outcome, but I can honestly say I have never been victimized by the Lord. The more I pondered that realization the more something shifted inside my heart.

I have never been victimized by the Lord.

Yet I will make choices to please the people around me to the detriment of my relationship with Him. Just as the main character in Mean Girls made choices to align herself with the Plastics, I know I have chosen others over Jesus.

Sometimes it was to avoid standing out or to keep conflict from ruining a friendship.  Regardless of the reason, I found myself seeing a line in the sand and stepping to the side that provided safety in the moment.

However, did it really provide lasting safety or peace?
This question resounds in my mind, especially after my hand raising realization from the Mean Girls movie.

The Lord has never caused me harm,
so why do I second guess following His leading?

In Acts 5 a few disciples have been imprisoned for preaching the Gospel. An angel of the Lord sets them free, telling them to return to doing exactly what got them put into jail in the first place. They obeyed and quickly found themselves, again, before the church leaders who originally ordered their imprisonment. These disciples boldly aligned themselves with the Lord and experienced the provision of the Lord, choosing faith in Jesus over fear of people, and were eventually set free.

In the process of being detained the second time, Scripture notes the disciples were taken to the church leaders unharmed for fear that the people listening to the disciples would turn on those hindering their speaking.
Fear of man is a powerful force regardless
of a person’s station, authority, or any other aspect of life.
Fear of man is a very human reality; one we need not fall into!

So, tonight I acknowledge my humanity and admit I want to be braver and bolder.
I long to be like the disciples who confidently obey the Lord,
regardless of pressures around me.
I want to be like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who walked into the fire
trusting His goodness.
I want to run the race He has for me,
because He is for me.

And I recognize that in order to do this, I must cling to the truth I discovered in my Wednesday night ponderings. The Lord has never let me down and He will not start now.
I will never be able to raise my hand saying I am a victim of the hand of God.

Instead I choose to hide in the shadow of His wings and live for His glory.
And, sometimes, on Wednesdays, I’ll wear pink just for the fun of it. J

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Glimmers Day 8 Hope; It’s Coming!

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Read His Words Before Ours!

1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Habakkuk 2:2-3
Jeremiah 29:11-13

Glimmers, Day 8

Throughout the last few years, I have had a bit of a love/hate relationship with hope.

There were times when hope was the water level that buoyed me up and allowed me to keep moving forward. Other times hope felt like the very anchor that kept my head just barely above the crashing waves.
Those were the moments when hoping that better was coming
hurt more than enduring the pain of the season.

Yet, hope is a powerful resource, and truly without it I would have given up on the plans the Lord has for me long, long ago.
So, from where does my hope come?

First and foremost, the Lord as He speaks through the Bible and the Holy Spirit’s voice (Matthew 4:4). Beyond that, hope may rise from the encouragement of fellow sojourners, reflection on previous hopes fulfilled, and the decision to live life with a hope-filled mindset. What increases your hope?

For me, the words of the Old Testament prophets bring me hope.
Several times throughout my life, the Lord has brought verses to mind that come directly from the books of the Bible that are named after these prophets.

In Scripture, there are 17 books categorized as prophetic (written by prophets).
Five of those are called major and 12 are minor. This is due to the length of the books rather than the importance of the content. The five major prophet books are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, and Daniel. The 12 minor prophet books are the last books of the Old Testament beginning with Hosea and ending with Malachi.

I find myself visiting these books frequently, receiving encouragement from the men who obeyed the Lord in announcing His will so many years ago.
The basic definition of a prophet is a person who declares the will of God.

Believers today have something those living during Old Testament times didn’t have: the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the role of the prophet was incredibly important as through these voices, lives, and written words, God’s people could know the Lord’s direction and desire. Without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, His will had to be vocalized from an external source rather than an internal one.

The lives these prophets lived and the words they spoke are captured in those 17 books at the end of the Old Testament. Throughout them you will find deep wisdom and truth applicable for today just as much as it did then. These prophets spoke the words the Lord’s Spirit gave them without knowing the big picture, but they obeyed regardless. The Lord challenged them to obey in ways that guaranteed social norms were at the minimum bent and in some cases shattered.

The examples of faith and obedience the prophets displayed is one way
hope grows in me.

The backbone of my faith is strengthened when reading their stories and, in turn, my hope rises.

I don’t know the full pictures of my life,
but just like the prophets of old,
I am to obey regardless.

I can discover the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living
as I follow Him,
even if He asks me to move outside my comfort zone.

(Side note: The Lord will never direct me to do something that contradicts His character as proven in the Word.)

Hope rises as we witness the faithful obedience of these ancient prophets.
Hope rises through the words the prophets spoke.
The words God ordained to be preserved for us to take in.

Several verses tucked into the pages of prophecy have become lifelines in the dark and clear directives for my next steps.
Hope rises here, anchored in truth!

“The Lord your God is among you,
a warrior who saves.
He will rejoice over you with gladness.
He will be quiet in His love.
He will delight in you with singing.”
Zephaniah 3:17

“The Lord my Lord is my strength;
He makes my feet like those of a deer
and enables me to walk
on mountain heights.”
Habakkuk 3:19

“Mankind, He has told each of you what is good,
and what it is the Lord requires of you;
to act justly,
to love faithfulness,
and to walk humbly
with your God.”
Micah 6:8

Isaiah.
Jeremiah.
Lamentations.
Ezekiel.
Daniel.
Hosea.
Joel.
Amos.
Obadiah.
Jonah.
Micah.
Nahum.
Habakkuk.
Zephaniah.
Haggai.
Zechariah.
Malachi.

These are prophets who faithfully obeyed the Lord, despite great cost to themselves.
Prophets who allowed the Lord’s hope to rise through their surrender.
Prophets who pointed, directly and indirectly,
to the Eternal Hope of the coming Messiah.

Challenge yourself to read through some of these hope writings in the coming weeks. Take note of the verses that bring you hope.
Who inspires you in your faith journey?
Is it Daniel in his obedience and faith as he stands amidst the lions?
Is it Hosea marrying a harlot as a representation of the Lord’s love for us?

May hope rise as you read of events declared before they would happen and then their fulfillment. Look for the glimmers that point to a coming Savior and take comfort in knowing that exactly what God declares, He brings to pass.
Hope; it’s coming!

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Glimmers Day 4 Hope In Surrender: Digging Deeper

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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!
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The Questions

1) How does this story point to a “glimmer of hope”?

2) What are the similarities between this sacrifice of Isaac and Jesus’ sacrifice?

3) What is the connection between faith and provision?

Genesis 22:1-18

After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he answered.

2 “Take your son,” he said, “your only son Isaac, whom you love, go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”

3 So Abraham got up early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took with him two of his young men and his son Isaac. He split wood for a burnt offering and set out to go to the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there to worship; then we’ll come back to you.” 6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac. In his hand he took the fire and the knife, and the two of them walked on together.

7 Then Isaac spoke to his father Abraham and said, “My father.”

And he replied, “Here I am, my son.”

Isaac said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” Then the two of them walked on together.

9 When they arrived at the place that God had told him about, Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood. He bound his son Isaac and placed him on the altar on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.

11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!”

He replied, “Here I am.”

12 Then he said, “Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from me.”13 Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught in the thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. 14 And Abraham named that place The Lord Will Provide, so today it is said: “It will be provided on the Lord’s mountain.”

15 Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16 and said, “By myself I have sworn,” this is the Lord’s declaration: “Because you have done this thing and have not withheld your only son, 17 I will indeed bless you and make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your offspring will possess the city gates of their enemies. 18 And all the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring because you have obeyed my command.”

Original Intent

1) How does this story point to a “glimmer of hope”?
Admittedly, there doesn’t appear to be any glimmers of hope here. The God who had decades before called Abraham out of his homeland, away from false worship, blessing him abundantly with land, servants, wealth, military power, and the promise of a son through whom he would have countless descendants, was now the same God who called Abraham to sacrifice his son. Not the son of his maidservant, Ishmael, not a sacrifice of wealth or power, but a total surrender of the son whom Abraham loved (22:2). On top of the ask to sacrifice, God told Abraham to travel to Mt. Moriah, which was three days away (22:2). Abraham had three days to mentally and emotionally consider the cost of sacrifice. Three days to wrestle with his fear and his grief, and his love. It’s one thing to obey in a split second, but another to think through all the pros and cons and wrestle within yourself when it comes to obedience. Who would Abraham love most? Isaac or Yahweh? The glimmer of hope is found in the character of God Himself. Abraham had learned to trust God over the course of a lifetime of following Him. He’d learned to trust His heart, proving even in his conversation with Isaac that his faith was in the Lord and His character of provision (22:8).

2) What are the similarities between this sacrifice of Isaac and Jesus’ sacrifice?
There are many, but here are the main ones.
The love Abraham has for Isaac is unmistakable, but so is the love shared between God the Father and God the Son. The love they share is deeper and more intimate than we will ever have the capacity to understand. It’s easy to be self-focused and consider how God loves us, but we forget how lavishly the Beings of the triune godhead love and delight in one another, which makes the agonizing sacrifice of the cross unbearably difficult to comprehend.
Isaac carried the wood for his own altar upon himself just as Christ carried His own cross to His place of sacrifice.
After three days of gut-wrenching waiting and internal wrestling, Abraham obeyed and offered his son as a sacrifice. Likewise, after three days of emotional loss, fear, and cowardly hiding away because it looked as if the enemy had won, Christ rose victoriously, having become “obedient to death”. (Philippians 2:8)

3) What is the connection between faith and provision?
Decades before this story of unswerving faith, God had invited Abraham to trust Him. The Lord told Abraham He would give him a son through whom all nations would be blessed and his offspring would be innumerable. (Genesis 15:5) Abraham believed, and because of his faith the Lord counted Abraham’s belief as righteousness. (Genesis 15:6) In our story here, Abraham trusted the Lord would still fulfill His promise, even if he had to sacrifice his son. His confidence in God’s Word is breathtaking. When Isaac questioned where the sacrifice was (which was Isaac), Abraham answered with faith, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” (Genesis 22:8) And again, Abraham told his servants, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy1 will go over there and worship and come again to you.” (Genesis 22:5) Though God had commanded a sacrifice that seemed to end all hope of the promise God Himself had made, Abraham repeatedly proved his faith in the integrity of the Lord God. Because of that faith, God provided.  He provided Isaac’s birth, He saved Isaac’s life, He provided the ram for sacrifice, and He reassured Abraham of His unchanging covenant promise to make him into a great nation. All of this because Abraham believed the Lord and chose to set Him apart as the only One worthy of the worship of his heart and life.

Everyday Application

1) How does this story point to a “glimmer of hope”?
Does Abraham’s story seem impossible? How could God ask him to sacrifice his son? But take into account Jesus’ words, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.” (Luke 14:26) In both instances, God is not condoning hating your family in the manner we think, He is asking us to consider how deep we love Him. Does our love for Him ring truer and run deeper than any other love, even those we love the most? If the Lord asked us to follow Him somewhere, would we obey despite the cost or would we elevate anything or anyone above Him? The cost of discipleship asks every Christ follower if we would rather trust ourselves or the heart of God. Following Jesus has nothing to do with feelings, but everything to do with trusting His heart. Notice that this test of Abraham’s love for God didn’t happen at the beginning of his faith journey, or somewhere in the middle, or even right after Isaac had been born. The test came when the Lord had proven His unending faithfulness over and over to Abraham with every obedient choice he made. Every step of obedience we take in following the Lord is one more step the Lord will use to teach our hearts to trust His own. Wherever you are, whatever your circumstance, today is an opportunity to trust Him. Will you hold onto Him or yourself?

2) What are the similarities between this sacrifice of Isaac and Jesus’ sacrifice?
Perhaps even more interesting than the striking similarities are the obvious dissimilarities. Where Isaac, Abraham’s only son, was offered, but saved from death, Jesus, beloved Son of the Father, was offered and sacrificed. Jesus actually died and Death had its way with Him.
Where God called out to Abraham to stop the sacrifice, Jesus cried out to the Father, “Why have you forsaken me?!” and heard nothing in response; Jesus was utterly abandoned as He took on Sin for us. (Matthew 27:46) A ram caught in the thicket was provided by God to take Isaac’s place, and centuries later on a hill not far from Mt. Moriah, the Lamb of God laid Himself down as God’s provision, taking our place and dying the death we deserve because of our sin. Through Isaac’s lineage, Jesus Christ would one day be born. One almost-sacrifice of Isaac that tested the faith of Abraham as he proved he would choose to worship the Lord God alone painted an incredible picture of a total-sacrifice that would redeem all who came to Christ through faith, choosing to worship the Lord God only. Incredible!!

3) What is the connection between faith and provision?
God made an incredible promise to Abraham and rather than scoff at it, mock it, or simply not believe, Abraham trusted God at His Word, as a result god credited Abraham with righteousness. Abraham hadn’t done anything. He hadn’t built a temple, proved he was an upstanding citizen with high morals (in fact, Abraham’s integrity had room to grow…see Genesis 12:10-20), or given away his wealth to the poor to earn God’s declaration of “righteous”. No, he simply believed God at His Word. In exactly the same way, our faith in God’s Word that Jesus Christ sacrificed Himself for us on our behalf and in our place, is credited to us as righteousness. Faith in the saving, atoning work of Jesus provides eternal redemption from sin as God declares us righteous! (Romans 5:1) Will you take the Lord at His Word?!

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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!

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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 :-))

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