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The GT Weekend! ~ Ready 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!

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) Have you ever thought about what your struggles are meant to signify to you and those around you? If you had to guess, pick a few of your recent times of difficulty and think out loud as to what they might mean. On Monday, Rebekah challenged us through Scripture’s teaching that our trials are evidence of God’s coming judgement and coming glory. It certainly doesn’t seem likely when we think about this from our human perspective! If we slow down and surrender our struggles to the vantage point of the Almighty, and apply the truth of His Words, we can see the glimmers of coming Hope. We grieve and ache and weep because all is not well here in our world, but the Lord God designed us for perfect existence without pain. He is the Redeeming God who delights to make all things new and bring beauty from ashes. Do you believe this? Spend some time reading 2 Thessalonians this weekend, looking for how the first century believers were encouraged in their faith even in the midst of intense struggle. How can this encourage you?

2) It’s only 17 verses. I timed it and it takes about 55 seconds to read. Sisters, this is worth it! Go, right now, and read the 17 verses of truth-soaked-grace of 2 Thessalonians 2. What sticks out to you? Which parts sear your heart with urgency? Which words bring comfort or quicken your being with aching for hope to come? Where are you believing lies from the enemy of your soul? (verses 9-10) Who do you know who is trapped by the deception of the Lawless One whose desire is to keep all of us blinded to the coming glory and goodness of the Only True God? Sit with this question for a few minutes, close your eyes, and ask the Lord to show you those friends or family members who are trapped by lies that are keeping them from seeing truth. See those faces? Hear those names? Know their stories? Pray for these, Sister, pray for them!! Bring them to the Father, weep over them, beg for their eyes to be open and for them to hear and respond as the Spirit of the Living God calls out to awaken them from death to life. Is your name among those being deceived? Have you trusted Jesus to pay the blood-price earned by your sin and rebellion against Him? What’s holding you back? Are you ready to spend eternity with the God who loves you?!

3) Paul writes his letters to the churches in Thessalonica with fierce love and a passionate call to stand strong and live Ready “in the now” for the coming return of Christ. If you haven’t spent the very few minutes it takes to read his short letters, go read up! (1 and 2 Thessalonians) Now, he fervently concludes by reminding the church that God is indeed faithful, He IS coming back for His beloved people. We can be made Ready for all that is to come by deeply dwelling in His Word and leaning into His power, which He unleashes in us by the Holy Spirit to draw other people into relationship with Himself through us! Are you actively engaged with His power for this eternal kingdom purpose? Think about the common, everyday pieces of your day. The dish washing, the children watching, the friend-calling, and the meal making. Suppose it is in the mediocre and mundane that we are to glimpse to coming glory of the Father who is crafting an eternity with us that is beyond description? How might this reality shift the way you approach your everyday tasks? How can you begin changing your perspective to see the eternal in the ordinary this week?

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 2 Thessalonians 3:1-3 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

In addition, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you, and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people, for not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.

Prayer Journal
Lord Jesus Christ, You are my solid Hope. You are present now in this moment, flooding every aspect of my life just as fully whether I am aware of You or not. Every trial is seen and known, and Your Hope shoots through every tear that falls and every ache of my human heart. Your strength is for my everyday moments. Jesus, I praise You for this tender grace. Lord Jesus, lift my eyes from mu busy lists, from the pain around me, from the brokenness, and remind me Your Hope is not only present, but is also coming. These struggles are momentary and fleeting, regardless of how permanent they feel. More so, this unshakeable Hope is solid, able to support the full weight of my ache to be whole and new. Oh Christ, may I make it my aim, with eyes transfixed on Your glorious coming Hope, to share this life and love with those around me. Strengthen me to lift my eyes off myself and use my circumstances to point to You, the One who makes me Ready now for all the indescribable richness to come! Come, Lord Jesus, come, and until you do, make me ready to tell everyone about You!

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! ~ Nations 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!

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) On Monday, Laurie shared a beautiful analogy from Scripture about her work on mission in God’s kingdom akin to being poured out as the best perfume to Christ. Think about the ways you have been impacted in beautiful ways by those who, because of their love for Jesus, have loved you well. Be specific. Bring up their faces in your mind and write down their names in a note on your phone. There are many needs around us in our everyday lives whether it’s an empty pantry, kids’ transportation, dirty diapers to change, never ending errands, or long lists of “to do’s”. As you think through the ways you “pour out perfume” in your regular life rhythms, ask yourself if you are willing to make space for what or who the Lord wants you to pour into, at the expense of something or someone on your list. Return to the names on your phone of those who impacted you and decide to send them a thank you note for how they showed Jesus’ love to you. Then prayerfully, and humbly, bring your to do list to the Lord, asking Him to show you the most lovely way to pour out perfume to Him by loving others!

2) What were your experiences with church growing up? In what ways have those perceptions shifted over time? Rather than give a casual response, sit with the question for a few minutes, letting it simmer in your heart. Write down scenes or descriptive words you associated with God or church as you were younger; attach some ages that were pivotal in your formation. As you clarify your thoughts on paper, it becomes easier to see how we think differently from our current vantage point. What are some stark contrasts you notice? Janna shared yesterday how Church is defined as God’s people, but it’s often reduced to an experience. Share out loud your responses to this statement and why you feel this way. Consider how your everyday life choices reflect what you genuinely believe about Christ’s Church and the believer’s role. Ask the Lord to stretch your current view of His Bride, the Church, and expand it over time, teaching your heart to love and engage ever more deeply!

3) Make some space for special worship and prayer this weekend by planning just 15 minutes of time alone. Mark it on your calendar and do whatever necessary to keep this space set apart as sacred between you and God. Prepare your heart by thinking ahead to this time with Him, asking Him to make your heart ready to engage with His Spirit. When you’re ready, find a quiet place inside or outside, silence your phone, and open your Bible to Revelation 7:9-12. Read it several times through, slowly. I repeat, slowly, because we tend to rush things, don’t we? What words or phrases stick out to you? Bring those to the Lord, asking Him to stir your heart and speak to You through His Word. After soaking in His Words, close your eyes and let yourself imagine the scene described in these four verses. What do you see? What do you hear? What is radically different than your everyday life experience today? Consider your answer to this last question as you think through the prayer of Jesus, “Let Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.” (Matthew 6:10, emphasis mine) How can you actively take what the Lord has been speaking with you about into actionable steps in your everyday life?

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 Revelation 7:9-10 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

“After this, I looked and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language which no one could number, standing before the Throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands and they cried out in a loud voice: ‘Salvation belongs to our God, who is seated on the Throne, and to the Lamb!’”

Prayer Journal
Father, I confess my view of You and Your work around the world is much too small. I fall into my regular daily chaos or monotony, and because I don’t see it, I forget that Your work continues. Lord God, please keep prying my hands off myself, lift my gaze to see beyond my borders, and be reminded that I have an important role to play in Your Body, the Church. Give me opportunities to explore how believers are spreading the gospel in other countries and right here in my own city. Stir me in deeper ways to actively participate in the work You are already doing around me. Prod me to seek out people who are different than me, expand my horizons so I can love others better. Give me a kingdom perspective that spans all nations, peoples, and languages, then show me how You have created me to participate in building Your kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven!

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 VIII 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) On Monday, Marietta transparently shared of an idol taking up time, focus, and adoration in her life. Her willingness to be so honest gives me the courage to stop shying away from addressing “idol worship” lurking in the corners of my own heart. I want to say Jesus is my first and only love, and that every other love flows from my rich and intimate relationship with Him, but if I discount my love of self, I’ve already deceived myself. Whether it’s the desire to “control”, the urge to “fix”, or my “bad habit” (ie: sin!) of jumping to conclusions about others before hearing the whole story, I know the list of idols vying for my attention is long. If I’m not actively praying for the Lord to remove temptation from me, I will easily fall into the idolatry habit of setting up Jesus as just “one of” my many idols instead of worshipping Him as the only One deserving of my whole life. If you sat for just 60 seconds, what idols would you identify from your life? Ask the Lord for courage to look them in the face. Ask Him to give you a heart that is repulsed by idol worship. Choose one idol you feel the Lord leading you to tear down, and text a friend, asking her to hold you accountable to flee the temptation of idol worship.

2) Paul sings of the riches of God, of His vast knowledge, and depths of wisdom that are impossible to plumb in his magnificent hymn of praise. (Romans 11:33-36) The way Paul sings about these gives me the idea he would gladly sit and consider them and gaze on them for eternity without boredom. I’ve spent a considerable amount of time on many pursuits. Some worthy, and some utterly ridiculous. I can remember a season where I put countless hours into a game on my phone. How many hours have I spent belittling myself or others? Too many. The amount of time I’ve spent picking up toys after small children is quite high as well. When I consider the amount of time I’ve sat in worship, awestruck at the glories of the God I serve, I admit it doesn’t even come close to comparing. While I can easily justify my time by insisting that toys don’t pick up themselves, I forget that true worship isn’t limited to instances when I can physically sit still, open my Bible, and journal my praise. Opportunities for fully attentive heart worship are as plentiful as the seconds in my day and yours. Begin your journey into deeper worship right now by asking the Holy Spirit to guide your thoughts, to remind you to offer up praise in the everyday moments instead of just the ones you deem as “holy”. Start a dialogue with the Lord and practice continuing it throughout the day and watch your relationship with God deepen as worship colors everything!

3) Yesterday, Carol pointed us toward the constantly astounding beauty of creation helping us attentively take in the glory of the Lord and respond with worship. We interact with the earth and its beauties every day in various forms, yet it takes intentional practice to move beyond interaction to worshipping the Creator. Set aside time this weekend to explore what it would look like in your relationship with God to spout off praise as you take in the intricate details of creation around you. Did you breathe deeply? Thank Him for perfectly balanced molecules of hydrogen and oxygen. Did you remind your heart to beat? Thank Him for designing your body with such stunning handiwork, wisdom, and creativity. Did your ear catch the sound waves of your friend’s voice? Praise Him for the atmosphere we live in. Maybe you caught a glimpse of the sun, a passing cloud, a masterfully painted sunset, or even the hard-packed ground in winter, these are invitations to know the Creator better and turn your heart to praise Him for His grace, beauty, love, and care!

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 Romans 11:33-36 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Oh, the depth of the riches
and the wisdom and the knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments
and untraceable his ways!
34 For who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?
35 And who has ever given to God,
that he should be repaid?
36 For from him and through him
and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever. Amen.

Prayer Journal
Lord Jesus, how deeply I need Your truth to radically shake up my perspective and shape the way I worship You. You are good. Your love endures forever. Your faithfulness stretches to the sky. Lord God, my view of You is still too small; show me who You are. Show me Your glory. Let me glimpse Your face, so I might know You, love You, and worship You in spirit and in truth. Help my hands to slow, my mind to submit to Your renewal, and my eyes to look with fresh understanding at Your creation. Show me Yourself, Lord Jesus. In the process, expose my ugly idol worship, give me eyes to abhor it, then give me strength to tear these idols down so I can love You alone. One moment at a time, one breath of surrender after another, teach me to open my hands, lift my eyes, and offer You my whole heart, Jesus!

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! ~ Fervent 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!

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) It’s difficult to feel connected with, or have compassion for, those whose stories we do not know. For Christ-followers in the western hemisphere, this is often the case as we consider our brothers and sisters who live under constant persecution. Take some time this weekend and explore the stories of these fellow believers in greater detail, allowing their everyday experiences to shape the contours of your prayer life with increased fervency. Watch the online film for the Nik Ripkin’s Insanity of God or read some accounts of saints gone before us in Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. Study Paul’s words about his persecution and the effect his suffering had on the believers around him in Philippians 1:12-20. Be reminded that those Christ-followers who live in religious freedom are deeply connected with those who are persecuted. Commit to live and love and preach Jesus and pray fervently as one connected Body because of Christ Jesus.

2) The temptation to section off spiritual “God things” from our “everyday-everything-else” lives is strong for most of us. Without intentional discipline training to keep the two intertwined and seeing them as one life, we forget the Almighty is God of all, including our everyday moments. Just as physical discipline and self-control push us forward in fitness, these same traits further our spiritual growth. Practicing spiritual disciplines like prayer, fasting, memorizing Scripture, giving generously, and studying Scripture move us away from spiritual mediocrity and towards a life that seamlessly blends our spiritual and physical lives together as one. Of the disciplines listed above, pick one or two you haven’t practiced lately and begin incorporating them into your everyday rhythms. Wrap your strength training exercises in prayer, asking the Lord to strengthen your faith as you press forward to know Him deeper!

3) Merry concluded our Journey Into Fervent by drawing us near to God’s heart through the call to Family. Of all the different ways we think about God, at the top should be Father. He loves us as His children and invites us to come freely to Him within the tender, deep relationship of Abba Father. Not only are all Christ-followers welcomed into this sweetness with Abba, but we also are connected with one another as brothers and sisters through this wonderful adoption! I often remind my children that friends will come and go in the seasons of life, but their siblings will be with them forever. This is especially true for all who trust Jesus as their Savior because we will share eternity together with each other and our Great God and Father! When we begin viewing one another through the lens of family adopted through magnificent love, our own love for each other grows, forgiveness flows, and our differences are no longer important. Who can you begin loving more fervently as family starting this weekend?!

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 Romans 15:5-6 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Now may the God who gives endurance and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, according to Christ Jesus, so that you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with one mind and one voice.

Prayer Journal
Let’s pray Merry’s prayer together this weekend!
Our Father. It’s only by Your mercy and grace we can come to You, together. And hopefully, confidently, if stumblingly, we come to You. Lord, we don’t possess the kind of love that knits hearts together in one mind and spirit, but You do. Your word says we can ask for anything in Your name, and it will be done. Abba, we want to want unity in the Church. We don’t know how to go about it, but You do. Would you fill us with the Spirit of unity? Would you pour out love like we’ve never seen in Your Church in this age? Make us one, as You are one. You’re the only One Who can. This day, our lives and all we have are Yours alone. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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! ~ Fervent 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!

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) Does the term “fervent prayer” feel intimidating to you like it does me? When you think of giants in the faith spending hours on their knees in prayer, do you feel like giving up before you even start? The whole idea of lengthy prayer can feel awkward and even impossible, but remember that every Christ-follower is on a journey and it’s the Lord who leads us all as He pursues our hearts. Not one step on our journey into prayer is made without Him going before us and leading us tenderly by the hand. As we journey, He reveals more about our own hearts and shows us the beauty of Himself. Small utterances of faith grow into longer and ever deepening conversations of total trust and dependence. In the conversation, we learn to love Him. Spend time thinking about your conversations with the Lord this past week. Have you had any? What are they about? What would you like your conversations with the Lord Jesus to be characterized by? Jot down a few notes of how you’d like to grow in your relationship with Him, then begin by taking a step of faith and praying deeper than you have before, even if it does feel awkward!

2) Often fervent prayer can be our “last resort” in difficulty. Perhaps you’ve heard this phrase, or even said it yourself like I have, “I feel so helpless; the only thing I can do is pray.” Because prayer is the unseen work, it can be difficult to give ourselves to it fervently when all seems lost. This active prayer is made of real faith, Sister! God does not call us to “blind faith”, rather knowing Him deeply allows for our faith to grow. Marietta referred to God as the “anchor of our souls”, but unless we trust Him in this role, we will not fervently pray to Him whether life is easy or difficult. Spend some time reflecting on how much you trust the Lord. Is He your last resort, your first, or somewhere in the middle? Remember the antidote to lack of trust is knowing Him deeper, and the gateway to knowing Him is found in every page of your Bible. Set up a Knowing Journal and keep it somewhere you’ll see everyday. As you read Scripture, jot down something new you can know, and trust, about God. Let this knowing lead you into the depths of fervent prayer!

3) Sarah shared some bold, riveting statements in yesterday’s Journey Study. As you re-read these, identify which one irritates your soul, and be willing to sit in that discomfort for a few minutes. Take the “right now” to quiet yourself, be still, embrace silence, and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you. “The gospel is an issue of life or death, an eternity in heaven or in hell.” Do you agree? Does your everyday life reflect this? How so? “The fact that someone somewhere could die without Christ should be a matter of great concern to me.” In what ways does your heart already long for others to know Jesus? This is a great place to begin in prayer! Ask the Spirit to increasingly stir your heart with His desire for the lost. Boldly ask Him for names and faces of those who don’t know Jesus, write them down, and begin covering them in fervent prayer. Post reminders on your mirror, on your phone, and your fridge to intentionally pray for their hearts and for opportunities to share Jesus with them.

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 1 Timothy 2:1-4 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Prayer Journal
Teach me about fervent prayer, Jesus. Put me in your school of learning to pray with Your heart, Your passion, and Your depth of understanding. Convict me of giving into temptation to judge others from the outside while forgetting that they also represent souls in need of a Savior, just as I am. Take me deeper every day with You, whether I recognize it or not. Open my eyes to new opportunities of seeing Your hand at work and Your Spirit teaching me about You. Increase my faith, Lord Jesus! Bring people of faith into my life who can challenge me as I grow and show me by example what it looks like to trust You and share in conversation with You. Teach me to honor You as both Faithful Friend and Mighty God in my relationship with You!

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

Fervent Day 5 Character Counts

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Ephesians 3:16-21
Acts 9:1-26
Psalm 111:1-10

Fervent, Day 5

I have been blessed with amazing parents. The Lord has used them and their examples to shape me in innumerable ways throughout my life.

Sitting down to prepare for this study helped me see another such way they impacted me.

Recently, a friend of mine had unexpected car trouble and needed a ride. As it was the middle of a work day, I could not leave to help. However, I knew my parents might be available. I texted them and quickly got a response they could come to the rescue.

In this scenario, I confidently knew if my parents were not in the middle of another commitment, they would be willing to help. Over the years, they’ve shown their hearts are to serve and demonstrate the love of the Lord in tangible ways.
This pattern enabled me to ask with humble expectation. 

Just as I had confidence to ask my parents for help, Paul had confidence to pray according to the proven character of the Lord. His rich history with the Father enabled him to pray with faith and fervency.

That history began when Paul, formerly known as Saul, hunted those who loved Christ. His first encounters with the Lord involved witnessing the faith of those he persecuted. How must Saul have been impacted by the faithfulness of the Lord shown to someone literally suffering for believing in Him?

The road to Damascus encounter shifted Paul’s world, and he became as those he’d once hunted. His knowledge of the law became a foundation for freedom as he learned to walk with the Truth. The fervency with which Saul once attacked Christians became the fervency with which Paul sought to spread the Gospel.

Paul did not lead an easy life. He experienced great persecution throughout his missionary journeys. Beatings, shipwrecks, and imprisonments are only a few of his documented trials. I have no doubt Paul’s understanding of the Lord’s character carried him through every struggle. Because Paul boldly walked with the Lord in his private life, he was able to carry that boldness into his public life. The God he knew first in intimate prayer, was the God he depended on in persecution and trial. Prayer was the undercurrent weaving both together with integrity. Paul captured his encounters, both public and private, in writing so we have powerful examples of perseverance, humility, and faithfulness.

While I haven’t experienced the degree of challenges Paul did, the Lord has revealed His character to me by faithfully walking me through every season of my life. For instance, I waited for my husband for decades (for the record, I did not start counting at birth!). I relied heavily on the Lord and Scripture throughout those years. I believed I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13-14), that He would never leave me nor forsake me (Hebrews 13:5-6), and many other promises in the Word. He poured into me sustaining contentment because I knew He is faithful.

Ironically, but probably not surprisingly, the arrival of my husband presented new and intense opportunities to lean heavily on the Lord’s character and deepen my prayer life. We married as the pandemic shut down the world, and I stepped into an overwhelming whirlwind of change.

In the midst of a season when almost all of my identity markers have shifted, I have rooted myself in who the Lord says I am and trusted He would remain true to His character, bringing to pass what He desired in me. (1 Thessalonians 5:24)

I am deeply thankful for the answered prayer of my husband and all the growth my marriage has already evoked in me. I am even more appreciative that, as my world tumbles into a new normal, the Lord faithfully remains the same. Knowing I can call on Him and will surely find Him enables me to pray with confidence and purpose.

Trust His character and pray with confidence. He is faithful!

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Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Fervent Week One! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
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Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Fervent!

Fervent Day 1 Grace And Peace

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Ephesians 1:15-19
2 Thessalonians 3:16-18
Philippians 4:1-7
Romans 1:1-8

Fervent, Day 1

Every night, I tucked my children into bed, cuddled them close, sang over them, and prayed for them. It was simple, but it was also rote and rhythmic. My prayerful words were mimicked nearly word-for-word every night. Sometimes, I wasn’t even thinking about the words or the God who said He heard them. I was thinking of dishes and laundry yet undone.

Was there more?
Was this all prayer consisted of?
Were some prayers heard more clearly or acted upon more quickly?
What was prayer, really?

My internal wrestling intensified as, night after night, I kept praying the same words. I tried to change it up, I tried reading books on prayer, I wrote in my journal how I wanted to pray “better” or “deeper,” but I felt so shallow in these waters where giants of the faith had been swimming for centuries. Where did I begin? How does one become a better pray-er?

“Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us…” (2 John 1:3)

As simple as my prayers had been over my children,
the answer to my burning question was even simpler.

Know Him.

“I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.” (Ephesians 1:17)

The words were an invitation to not only swim the oceans of faith-filled prayers, but to understand the pathway for doing so was to draw up a chair and sit with the God of the universe.

One cannot pray deeply to a God one doesn’t know.
The deeper we know Him, the more we learn to trust Him, and the easier our prayers flow.

Not with artful words of a contriving tongue, but with soul-baring honesty that comes from walking with the One who is closer than our next breath, who Himself causes my heart to beat and reminds my lungs to expand.

To know Him is to love Him.
To love Him is to speak with Him.
To speak with Him is to enter the endlessly beautiful mystery, yet sweetly familiar sea, called prayer.

To this end, we at GT have crafted this Journey Theme of Fervent. It has long been our prayer for you to enter these deep ocean waters of faith-filled prayer, bringing others with you, to know this Jesus. Maybe you’ve beached here before, curiously sitting on its shoreline and allowed the lapping waves to kiss your toes, beckoning you to come and taste its saltiness with fervor. Maybe you’ve long swum with other heroes of the faith in this endless sea, finding treasures too numerous to count along the way, yet hungering to dive deeper and know the Master more.

The beautiful thing?
No matter who you are, or how many times you’ve swam the sea of prayer, there will always be greater depths to uncover because there will always be more to know of our infinite God.

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 1:2)

I’ve written before of my affinity for small things, and on this quest to know the Lord Jesus in deeper ways, these two words absolutely captivate my attention.

grace & peace

In truth?
The whole gospel is packed into these beautiful, diminutive words.

Grace for the shallow end of faith, whispering for us to go deeper.
Grace because we will never measure up to His holiness.
Grace because, on our own, knowing the Almighty with depth and intimacy, is absolutely impossible.
Grace to bridge between a Holy God and wretched sinners.

Peace, because in knowing the Almighty, His peaceful embrace hems us in on all sides.
Peace that descends in a rush to cover the unruly parts of our souls, which yearn for Him with words we can’t express.
Peace made ours in abundance because of the grace of His blood.
Peace because He has become the fullness of our lives.

Because of grace, peace thrives.
Grace & Peace.

Turns out there’s nothing rote about these simple vibrant words bursting with the hope of the gospel, which is why the New Testament writers weave them into the fabric of their prayers. Like breathing in and out, these authors prayed fervently for grace and peace to be deeply known, always discovered, and evidently lived out in real life.

Honestly, my bedtime prayers are still simple and brief, but they feel deeper to me now because I have come to better know the One to Whom I’m praying.
I’ve become familiar with the One to Whom I am pointing little hearts.
I’m praying the gospel over them as I teach them to praise, to worship God for Who He is, for the grace He gives, and for the peace in which we dance.

“Peace to the brothers, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all who have undying love for our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 6:23-24)

Come away, Lovelies, and know this Jesus who washes us with His grace.
Be bound up in His peace as you know Him deeper.
Be deeply loved and love Him in return.
And be found swimming in the ocean of endlessly adoring fervent prayer.

I’m going swimming; come with me!

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
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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 Fervent Week One! 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 Fervent!

Follow Day 8 Whole Surrender

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Read His Words Before Ours!

1 Samuel 16:1-13
1 Samuel 17:20-54
Psalm 69:1-12
Jeremiah 24:4-10
Luke 1:26-33

Follow, Day 8

Rejection. 

The experience of being turned away, excluded, dismissed, or unwanted.

Merely reading the description brings a swell of emotion, doesn’t it? We’ve all felt the sharp wounds of rejection sometime in our lives. We have experienced it at the hands of our peers, friends, and classmates. Worse, we’ve felt it from those we expect to love us best, our parents, siblings, our children, even our spouse. The closer the relationship, the more extensive the damage tends to be.

And it’s a double edged sword, isn’t it? Because when we are rejected, our deepest need to be approved and accepted is brought into sharper relief. The very thing we desire most is withheld from us, which leaves us feeling even smaller and needier, if possible. We waver between hurt that another could make us feel this way, and anger that we allowed ourselves to be so vulnerable. We’re left with an overwhelming urge to run and hide.

I remember it well. The defensive pull to withdraw from relationships and close ourselves off is powerful.   

David, the shepherd boy-turned-king, was well acquainted with rejection. When Samuel came to his father’s home in search of the Lord’s next anointed king, David was literally the last to come to Jesse’s mind. As time went by, God made space for him in King Saul’s court to play his lyre when Saul was troubled, and he became Saul’s armor bearer.

However, when Saul’s army was camped out, hiding from the threats of the Philistine Goliath, David faced rejection again. His oldest brother, Eliab, grew angry at David’s bold words. He mistook the Holy Spirit’s stirring in David for arrogance, and threw his lowly status of shepherd in David’s face. Saul heard about David’s words and summoned him, only to serve yet another helping of rejection by pointing out David’s youth and inexperience.

But David persisted. Goliath fell, and God was glorified.

Those weren’t David’s only experiences with rejection. Repeatedly, he faced rejection from those he loved and led. Saul gave his daughter Michal to David in marriage, following his defeat of Goliath, but later did everything in his power to kill him. David’s men grew tired of running and hiding, and blamed him for the situation. They, too, wanted to kill him. He faced discouragement and isolation. David literally spent time hiding in caves from those who rejected him and wanted to murder him.

But still, he pressed on.

When we think about the rejection we have faced in our lives, it pales by comparison, doesn’t it? Few, if any of us, have experienced such significant rejection.

Yet, when we do face rejection, do we allow God to heal those places and persist in following His call? Or do we turn away from the illuminating light of revelation and attempt to nurse our wounds in the dark?

I know what my answer has been. I’m betting yours has been pretty similar, too.

So, what’s the difference between us and David?
“I’m no hero of the faith!”
We’re all thinking it.

And yet.

Scripture tells us from the time David was anointed, the Spirit of God rested powerfully on him. Throughout David’s life, he wrestled with sin; he was a man, just like anyone else. But he was a wholly surrendered man. His heart posture was positioned to follow God, wherever He might lead. When confronted with his mistakes and sin, David was grieved. He acknowledged his sins against God, and he turned from his ways. Many times, David could have taken the reins and done what he thought was right. There were several opportunities when he could have simply killed Saul and taken the throne. He knew God had anointed him as the next king of Israel. No one would have blamed him; King Saul was murderous and deranged.

But David didn’t expect his God to serve and follow him. He served and followed his God.

Woo. The conviction cuts deep, doesn’t it? Same.

Because regardless of the pretty words we use to talk about our faith, and regardless of anyone else’s perception of us, our response in the face of rejection reveals our heart posture, doesn’t it? If we do not press in to follow our Father in the face of rejection, we are seeking the approval and acceptance of others over our King.
When we try to fill our need with anything other than God, we aren’t following God at all.

Think about it. Think about the time you give to the Lord. Time in prayer, in relationship with Him. I’m not talking about what you “do” for Him. Do you give your time to the Lord? Do you serve and follow your God? Or do you do what makes you happy, and expect Him to fit in somewhere around the edges?

Do we really know what it means to be wholly surrendered, Love? Perhaps the greater question: do we even think it possible in this day and age?

Love, it is! But it’s not something we can manufacture in our own strength or willpower. It is only possible by the power of the Holy Spirit. The truth? It’s not something our human nature even wants. God Himself must instill the desire within us.

In the same way God turned David’s heart toward Himself, He can and will do the same for us, Love!

The real question is . . . do we want Him to?

Heavenly Father, You are my King. I confess that I haven’t lived like it, but I want to change. Lord, change my heart, and give me a desire to live fully surrendered to Your will. I can’t do it on my own, but I know You can and will. Show me how to respond to You, every day. I love and praise You, only. In Jesus’ name, amen.


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

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 Follow Week Two! 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 Follow!

The GT Weekend ~ Beloved 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!

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) God delights to give good gifts to His children. We know “every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.” (James 1:17) Marriage, as we saw in Monday’s Journey Study, is a delightful gift from the Lord. God’s plan for marriage was for a man and woman to delight in one another and to reflect His love to the world. Married woman, are you delighting in your husband, or are you focusing on where he is lacking? Are you trusting in God’s plan for your marriage and finding ways to show your husband that you enjoy him, or are you focusing on pleasing yourself? Write down one way you will show your husband you desire him AND one way you can grow in your desire for God. Unmarried sister, have you entrusted the Lord with your desires? Are you living each day to the glory of God, trusting that His timing is perfect? Write down any area in your life that you have believed God is holding back a good gift from you, and ask Him to reveal His heart toward you in that area.

2) In Wednesday’s Journey, we read about the beauty of intimacy between lovers. Merry listed four traits the intimate couple in Song of Solomon display for one another. They are transparent, honest, vulnerable, and purposeful. Transparency, honesty, vulnerability, and intentioned purpose can each help us grow in relationship with our spouse and with our God. These traits also require trust and courage to live out in real life because they open us up to the possibility of being hurt. To the married woman, where are you holding back in your marriage for fear of being hurt? Marriage relationships are complicated and messy when it comes to trust and vulnerability. Neither are easy. As wives, we can only be responsible for ourselves, not the actions and heart attitudes of our husbands. As far as it depends on you, list specific ways you can move deeper into vulnerability and intimacy with your spouse. Consider if there are sins on your side that may be hindering your relationship and pray through these and share with your spouse. Write down specific areas or actionable ways you can begin increasing vulnerability with your husband. Ask God to give you courage and to enable you to take steps to love your husband well. To all sisters, how are you pursuing intimacy with your Heavenly Father? Take time today to verbalize or write down ways you have been holding back from trusting the Lord; ask Him to help you seek intimacy with Him.

3) Before marriage, we can build up expectations for how married life will be, but because we live in a broken world, and we marry broken people, marriage often falls short of our grand expectations. Personally, I thought my husband would always know exactly what to say or do to make me feel better, but surprise! He can’t read my mind. Women, what are you asking from the men in your life (whether implicitly or directly) that only God can provide? Are you hoping for your husband (current or future) to make you secure with his words and actions, or to heal your broken places? Are you demanding he provide you with stability and peace in a tumultuous situation? Look to Jesus. Only Jesus can heal and provide us with true satisfaction. Confess where you have fallen short, and ask the Lord to help you find your satisfaction in Him. For wives, this frees your husband to be the man he is able to be, rather than burden him with unrealistic expectations.  For single women, this allows you to find satisfaction in your current season. If God provides a husband for you, you will be setting a course for a healthy relationship, loosed from the chains of unrealistic expectations.

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 Proverbs 31:10-12 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Who can find a wife of noble character?
She is far more precious than jewels.
The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will not lack anything good.
She rewards him with good, not evil,
all the days of her life.

Prayer Journal
Oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth. You alone can satisfy the deepest longings of my heart. You alone can heal my broken places and pursue me with perfect love. Oh that I would find my satisfaction in You! Forgive me for the idols of my heart, for my worship of lesser loves. Help me to identify and eliminate all distractions that would keep me from loving You rightly. Help me to honor my husband by following You as Lord and not asking him to do a job he was never intended to do. Show me where I have sinned against my husband, and help me to humbly seek restoration with him. I ask You to continue to bless my marriage with joy and satisfaction and desire. Thank You that Your design for marriage is good. Remind me that my marriage is a picture to a broken world of the love You have for Your church and of her desire to follow You. Finally, I pray for my sisters who are longing to be married. Help them to find their satisfaction in You. Help them to pursue a life-giving relationship with You, and to be content in every situation, trusting that Your timing and Your plans are best.

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

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

Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music