GT Weekend

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

The GT Weekend! ~ Questions 2 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) There is a pervasive and insidious lie in our culture today: people are basically good. Many of us believe this lie (to some extent) without even knowing it. We live as though we can make ourselves “good enough” and acceptable to the people around us, and ultimately to God. Shining light on this deception, God’s word reveals to us our need for a Savior by showing us how sinful we actually are. Without the work of Jesus, all our “good works” are like dirty rags (Isaiah 64:6). We need Him to cleanse us from our sins and make us right with God as only He can do because He is both fully divine and fully human. It is only through a relationship with Jesus we can find righteousness and be made whole. Consider today, dear sister, if there are areas in your life where you have convinced yourself you can make yourself good enough. Where have you denied God’s power in an attempt to fix yourself? What would it look like to invite Jesus into the broken places, and accept the truth that only He can make you right with God? Ask God to show you where you need His healing presence, and ask Him to help you accept His grace in the process.

2) How many times have we treated prayer like a cosmic vending machine? “If You give me X, then I will do Y.” Or “I will give anything if Your will just…” fill in the blank. It can be tempting in our moments of deepest longing and desperation to believe God is holding out on us or that we know better than He does. But in reality, God loves to give good gifts to His children. He doesn’t give half-baked plans or empty hope; He gives good and perfect gifts. What are you waiting for? Perhaps you are waiting for a husband, or a child, or a promotion at work. Maybe you are waiting for clarity for the next step you are supposed to take in life. How are you talking to God about those things? Have you fully surrendered your desires and trusted His goodness over your limited perspective? Or are you demanding, and attempting to manipulate, God into giving you the desires of your heart? Take some time to consider what it means that God gives good gifts. Be honest with God about your desires, then ask Him to give you a heart fully surrendered to His will.

3) What a wonderful thought that our God needs nothing! He is fully sufficient and does not rely on anyone or anything to help Him. While this thought can rightfully wound our pride, it should bring us comfort knowing He is fully self-sufficient. This truth frees Him to willfully choose to love us without condition! Our God loves us so much He chose to suffer and die for us, even though He was under no obligation to do so. What beautiful, breathtaking love! As the children’s song goes, “Jesus loves me, this I know!”. Not only does He love us, He also desires us. He desires a deep relationship with us, and He invites us to respond to His call. How will you respond? Where do you need His helping hand in your life? (Hint: everywhere!) Do you need to turn from your sin, and believe in Him for the first time? Do you need reassurance of His love for you? Do you need help overcoming sin and shame in your life? Do you need His enabling hand to help you walk in obedience to what He is calling you to? Write down one or two specific ways you know you need Jesus. Ask Him to be your Helper, and then walk in obedience to Him. Our all-sufficient God is delighted to sustain 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 Philippians 4:4-7 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Prayer Journal
How great is Your love for me, oh God! You came down so low that I might be made right with You. You did not save me because of Your need, but because of Your love and desire to have a relationship with me, even though I had nothing to offer. Help me to constantly remember my need for You. Help me to abide in Your love through obedience to Your word. I acknowledge I so often fall short. I see my need when I sin against my friends, my neighbors, my family, and against You. I see my need when insecurity and self-sufficiency rule my thoughts. I see my need when I try to be good and fail. Please forgive me for my arrogance, and draw me into a closer relationship with You. Show me where I am still trying to do things on my own, and help me to trust in Your sufficiency. You are my only hope in life and death. Help me to rely on You in all things.

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! ~ Questions 2 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) The world offers us an empty promise that we can be free only when we are true to ourselves. We are lured in and seduced by the idea of living totally for ourselves doing what feels good and rejecting what is uncomfortable. The motto of a generation rings out: you do you! But the only reward for this kind of life is bondage. We sink under the weight of our own selfishness. We must instead surrender to the wisdom of our kind master, Jesus, who has given us a better way to live. Where are you still living in bondage to your old self? What sins do you need to lay aside so you might fully surrender your life to the freedom found in Jesus? Prayerfully read Colossians 3:1-10 again. Ask God to reveal to you where you are holding on to false promises of freedom, and ask Him for true freedom in Him. Stretch your soul by confessing your sin to a trusted sister and asking her to pray for you as you surrender to Christ. (James 5:16) As you share your burdens with others, they can speak the truth in love, strengthening you for the work ahead.

2) Hebrews 11:1 tells us “faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (NIV) But what happens when our confidence waivers? What happens when we are not so sure about the things we cannot see? Where do we go with our questions? When I have questions, I want to know the answers. Quickly. I often turn to Google to answer my questions. But questions about God can be trickier. We have a choice when we have questions about God. We can run and hide, and decide for ourselves God isn’t worth our time, or we can press in and ask Him to reveal His truth to our clouded hearts. God is big enough to handle our questions, but we must be willing to do the hard work of asking Him to help us. Where do you go with your questions? What have you doubted about God, and how have you tried to find the answers? Are your questions drawing you into conversation with Him, or pushing you further away? Have an honest conversation with the Lord today about your questions. Boldly voice them out loud and ask Him to grant you wisdom and discernment. You may not get your answers today or tomorrow, but you can start the process of pressing in and seeking out the heart of Jesus.

3) On Friday, Rebecca reminded us of the hard truth that no one can follow God’s law perfectly. There is no such thing as “close enough” when it comes to obeying God. The only way for a person to be saved is by trusting fully in the work of Jesus on the cross. We read, “either we are covered completely by His righteousness purchased for us… or we are on our own.” And sisters, this is good news! We never need to wonder if we are being “good enough” or working “hard enough.” If we believe in Jesus, we are accepted by God. Because of that acceptance, we are free to walk in obedience. And when we fall short, Jesus is delighted to welcome us back with open arms, comforting and forgiving us, never surprised by our weakness, but identifying with us and healing us. Do you believe this? Or are you still trying to earn your place in God’s kingdom? Spend some time today thinking about what it would look like to be fully surrendered to God, not trying to work your way into His good graces, but simply receiving the gift of righteousness that Jesus offers. How would you live differently if you truly believed God accepted you, not based on your work, but on the work of Christ? Ask God to help you live out of that truth.

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 36:5-9 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Lord, your faithful love reaches to heaven,

your faithfulness to the clouds.

Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,

your judgments like the deepest sea.

Lord, you preserve people and animals.

How priceless your faithful love is, God!

People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

They are filled from the abundance of your house.

You let them drink from your refreshing stream.

For the wellspring of life is with you.

By means of your light we see light.

 

Prayer Journal
Oh heavenly Father, it is true: “The wellspring of life is with You [and] by means of Your light we see light.” (Psalm 36:9) You are the kind and gracious master, providing us with a life that is full and abundant and free. I know I often turn aside from Your good plan. I question Your goodness, and I seek my own way. Help me, oh Lord, to be humble and obedient to Your word. Help me to see where I have strayed from your design. Lord, my questions feel so big sometimes. Help me know You are bigger than my questions. Help me turn to You with my questions, and may they draw me in closer to You. I admit I often try to earn Your approval as I would with an earthly authority. Remind me of the grace You have freely lavished upon me, and help me to walk in obedience as a response to Your grace, and not as a means of proving myself. Thank You that I never need to wonder if I am acceptable to You. Thank You for the assurance you provide to Your children. May I never lose sight of Your abundant love for me.

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! ~ Questions 2 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) One of the most prevalent questions in our shared human experience is, “What is the meaning of life?”. We have found many different ways to answer this question on our own terms, but Monday’s Journey Study brought us face-to-face with one of the most common false answers and also with the truth. Many people think that getting the most pleasure out of life is what “it’s all about”, but God tells us glorifying Him and remaining in close relationship with Him is the only path to true fulfillment. How have you regarded fun and pleasure in your own life? Have you placed the false promise of pleasure above your need for relationship with God? If I’m honest, I frequently choose pleasure over relationship with God. While it is not wrong to find pleasure in our lives, when pleasure becomes a stumbling block to following Christ, we must make a choice. Will we follow God’s will or the siren call of “fun?”  Write down two ways you can choose to forego a pleasure that is tripping you up and choose to glorify God instead. This may look like fasting from social media for a time or giving up a certain TV show that is fun, but not glorifying to God. Ask God to show you where you can bring Him the most glory.

2) You may have heard it said that all religions are basically the same. They all boil down to the idea that if you are a good person and do good things, you will go to heaven when you die. Contrary to this common belief, the astonishing truth is following Christ means acknowledging you cannot be a good person or do enough good things to get to Heaven. Jesus is the only way to Heaven. On Wednesday, we saw how believing in Jesus and receiving His grace is the only way for us to be saved. Have we taken the time to really reflect on the wonder of this truth? God’s grace doesn’t depend on our ability to “be good.” God lavishes His grace on us even when we least deserve it. Sister, do you believe that? Or have you been burning the candle at both ends working to try to earn God’s favor? If you believe in the work Jesus did for you on the cross, you can take time today to rest in Him. Thank Him that His work is enough and find comfort in knowing you are secure in His grace.

3) Have your conversations with God ever felt one-sided? You sit down to pray, asking God for your deepest heart-felt desires and then… nothing. All is quiet. You wonder why you even bothered to try. Then as time goes by, you keep bringing your requests before Him, asking Him to do as He promised. And one day, your prayers are answered. Maybe not the way you had thought they would be, but God proved Himself faithful in the end. I have many stories of times I had all but given up on God answering my prayers, and yet, He has never failed me. If you don’t have any stories of answered prayers, I would challenge you to go back and look at past prayers. Look for the ways God has been working in your life. If you don’t have any prayers to look back on, start today. Write down your requests and your prayers to God. Then eagerly look to see how He answers them. When you see how God works in your life through your prayers, write down what you observe and thank Him for His faithfulness. Remember the truth that God gives good gifts to His children, and glorify Him when He shows up for 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 Ephesians 1:3-8 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us for adoption to Himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight.

Prayer Journal
Praise the Lord! Praise His holy name forever! You, oh Lord, give meaning to our lives. You make a way for us to behold Your goodness. You hear our prayers. Forgive me Lord for the ways I have neglected to glorify You in my life. Forgive me for the ways I have chosen pleasure and comfort over Your good plan for my life. Help me to identify the idols in my heart that draw me away from You. Thank You that I do not need to earn Your grace, but that while I was yet a sinner, You gave your life for me. Help me to treasure the gift You have given me and to share it eagerly with others. Most of all, I thank You for hearing my prayers and giving me just what I need, even when I do not know how to ask.  Forgive me for my neglect of prayer and my disregard for Your faithful answers. Help my heart to be attuned to the wonder of Your glorious answers to my prayers. .Help me to say, “the Lord has helped me to this point!”

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! ~ Follow Week 3

Leave a Comment

The GT Weekend!

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

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) Children seem to be born to ask questions. Day in and day out, they are curious about the world and how it works, so they ask! But as children grow older, sometimes their questions can move from curiosity to challenging and disrespecting others. As we seek to learn more about the Lord,our questions can reveal our heart posture toward Him. Take a moment to think about the questions you have been asking God lately. Are you asking Him for guidance? Maybe you are questioning why certain things have happened in your life or the lives of loved ones. Have you been questioning His character or motivations? Write down some of the questions you find yourself asking lately or the questions that keep coming up in your life. Consider what these questions reveal about your heart. Are you seeking to know God, or justify yourself?Are you asking questions to get at the heart of God’s will or to protect your own will? How do you respond to the answers God gives (or chooses not to give)? Are you content with His ways, even when they are not your ways? Take some time to reflect on your questions and your heart attitude. Confess where you have fallen short, and ask God to continue to reveal His character to you.

2) Have you ever feared surrendering fully to God because you worried it would mean packing up and moving across the world? Or maybe you anxiously wondered if surrender would be equated with sudden poverty. Go ahead and take a minute to think about your pre-conceived ideas surrounding fully relinquishing all parts of your heart and life to Christ. Which areas is the Spirit bringing quickly to mind? You know, the ones you push away firmly and discount! (I know, because I’m doing the same thing!) Be willing to hold these close for a moment. Why do you fear surrender? Do you truly have control in this moment anyway? Do you truly believe the Lord is kind and good toward you at all times? Even in surrender? Consider the man living in the graveyard from Wednesday’s Journey Study. Ravaged by demons who sought to destroy him, this man was as good as dead to everyone who knew him. In what way do you see that your sin renders you to the graveyard like this man? Jesus brought healing, instant forgiveness, and sanity to a hopeless situation and the man’s response was a pleading for Jesus to take him away with Him. The man was seemingly willing to surrender everything about his home and family to follow Christ, but Jesus sent him home. Sometimes, well, often times, surrender doesn’t look like we expect, but Jesus knows precisely the best path to accomplish our obedient following. Are we willing to go?

3) Friday’s Journey Study closes with the question, “Where might God be calling us to use what He’s already given us for His glory?” As we looked at the character of Lydia, we saw a woman who was intentionally putting herself in a place to be exposed to the Word of God, even when it was potentially uncomfortable. Then, after hearing His Word, she responded in obedience. What steps do you need to take to be like Lydia? Are you making space in your life to hear the Word? This will look different in different seasons of life. Maybe you don’t have time to sit and read chapters at a time, but can you make time to listen to a chapter or two of Scripture while you make your lunch? Or maybe you do have time to read. Are you stewarding that time well? When you hear His word, are you responding in obedience, taking what you have learned and applying it to your life? Make time this week to truly evaluate your habits. Write down a plan for how you will make time to sit under God’s Word, and then how you remember to apply what He teaches you. Trust that He will bless the time you show up to learn from Him.

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 Mark 8:34-35 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

And calling the crowd to Him with His disciples, He said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.

Prayer Journal
Gracious God and Savior, You are so good to us. I will never cease to be amazed by Your patience and kindness toward me. Even in my doubts and questions, You are steady. Even when I demand my own way, You are forgiving. Even when I drift from You, You bring me back and welcome me with open arms. I know I fall short of Your standards. Thank You for making a way for me to be made right with You. Thank You for being able to withstand my questions. Thank You for being trustworthy as I submit my will to Yours. Thank You for being a God who draws near. Help me, oh Father, to be steadfast. Help me to learn from my questions, to humble my heart, and to draw near to You. Help me to not grow weary in doing good, but to seek You out in every area of my life. Let my life bring glory to You in every way.

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! ~ Follow Week 2

Leave a Comment

The GT Weekend!

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

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) Nehemiah was coasting along in life with a good job, popularity, and respect in the kingdom, but God’s call on his life changed everything. How did it begin? Lesley showed us on Monday that Nehemiah’s journey in following God began with his heartbreak over his people’s dire situation. Social justice is bubbling up all over the world lately with people on all sides of various issues. Racism, life in the womb, minority groups, politics, sex trafficking, and much more are each providing us opportunity for our hearts to break with the compassion of God. Have you considered how these social issues are offering much more than the chance for you to either voice your opinion or tuck quietly away? For Nehemiah, God used a social justice opportunity to take Nehemiah deeper in his walk with God and stretch him in leading God’s people. Ask God to open your eyes to the injustices happening around you, your neighborhood, your city, and your part of the world. Even seemingly small things like having honest conversations, listening well, or showing genuine compassion to those with different views than you can be the beginnings of following God into your next steps!

2) Surrender in following God rarely, if ever, happens in our timeframe. Rather, it’s over time, and small instances of simple surrender, that we learn the discipline of full life submission to the Savior. No one wakes up one morning and decides to be mature in their walk with God; steadfastness in following is built one step of faith at a time over a lifetime. True surrender is always accompanied with a heart of humility that bends to Jesus before ourselves, loving Him most. In what scenarios in your everyday life do you most easily find yourself elevating self over someone else? For me, I love control. Whether it’s the flow of my household, how I spend my time, my vision for our family, or even the way I fold my towels, I am quick to push my ideals over anyone else’s. Humility is hard fought on the battleground of my heart, and it always begins with a willingness to surrender. Write a gut honest prayer to the Lord about your own wrestling match with humility and surrender, then ask the Lord to remind you, moment by moment, that surrender is worth it.

3) Yesterday, Parker profoundly shared, “When we come to face our reflection, we do not often see ourselves as beloved daughters of the Most High God.” Each of us wake up in the morning for one more day ahead of us. Whatever fills our days or how it looks in our current season of life, it meets us again on repeat when we pull back the covers and step into the shower. Passing by the mirror on our way into the day, what is your common heart response? If you aren’t sure, make a mental note to linger tomorrow. Do you see a woman worthy of descriptors such as captivating, beloved, chosen, delighted, dignity, and strength? The Lord God does. Whether you have surrendered the whole of yourself to Him or are pushing the boundaries of real faith in Jesus, the Lord God views you as worth the price He paid with His life to offer you total freedom from sin and salvation for eternity. He sees beauty. As Paul crossed from death to life on the day when he finally met the Lord face to face, so the same Jesus waits to meet with us, face to face. Deliberately choose this weekend to reframe your reflection and see what the Lord God sees in your mirror!

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

Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

Prayer Journal
Oh Father God, Your way is beautiful. Your precepts are pure and true. Your law brings delight and joy to my heart, my steps, and my relationships. In You is life and only in following You am I found free to dance in endless delight. Jesus, I praise You that True Abundant Life is discovered without end in You! To find You, and know You in deeper ways, always results in fullness. Oh Yahweh, joy of my desire, to dwell with You forever, to understand You, to gaze upon Your beauty, to walk in the ways You have carved, this is joy. Beckon my heart back to 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! ~ Follow 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) Job didn’t know God as deeply or as intimately before he suffered as he did after. Truly following the Lord more closely cannot be pulled out of thin air like shaking a magic 8 ball when you need an answer. Big decision? Time to ask the Lord and get your roadmap, right? This isn’t what Scripture teaches. Real, genuine following, like wisdom, begins by fearing the Lord (Proverbs 9:10) and is continued as an overflow of deepening your relationship over time and struggle. The more difficulties we walk through while leaning into God, the more we come to know and trust the good heart of our Savior. It’s in the toughest times we can learn most steadfastly to listen for His voice and trust His heart. Then, when other life decisions come, we have already learned what it looks like to keep following Him. What are some things you know about God? Go ahead and list them out on paper or your phone. Now make another list of characteristics about God you have experienced as a result of struggle. Spend time in prayer, asking the Lord to keep teaching you to hear His voice leading you and showing you who He is.

2) As human beings, we like to think we have all the control over ourselves. We own our own paths in life and have total control, at least that’s what we like to think. How quickly we forget the Lord God is sovereign over all things. He leads our paths, He pursues our hearts. Often times, it’s the Lord who surprises us with His embrace as He draws us near, amazing us by His tenderness in calling us to follow Him. God called both Abram and Andrew when they least expected it, but His invitation radically changed their lives. Neither man needed to spend long amounts of time trying to decide if they should follow where God was leading, He simply guided them as their hearts chose to respond. Sometimes, we like to make our decisions more difficult than we should, when we are truly just being called to follow and trust His heart as He leads us best. Consider where you’re over-complicating what it is to follow Jesus in your everyday life. What would it look like to lean back and trust His lead instead of your over-complication? Why not simply tell Him about it? Lay it all out before Him, talking out loud of your worries and your desire to trust Him over you; let Him calm your heart!

3) Sarah begins her Journey Study yesterday by asking a pertinent question, “Who but God would invite an ex- murderer to lead an entire nation?” Surely, we would not. Incredulously, God would, because He doesn’t judge our ability to follow Him based on our past performance (or failure). He knows that when we surrender to His power and ability to work through our brokenness, He will do things in us that are far beyond our imaginings. In what ways have you discounted yourself from opportunity because you are peering at it from the vantage point of your lack? Perhaps you’ve even found yourself comparing what you are not to what someone else is. There exists no such measure of comparison with the Lord! He calls us each to follow Him in total surrender of ourselves so He can use our lives for eternal work. Grab a sharpie for your skin, a bright notecard for your mirror, or text a friend to remind you frequently this upcoming week to surrender to His work in you, remembering it is both important and eternal!

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 3:7-8 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Don’t be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
This will be healing for your body
and strengthening for your bones

Prayer Journal
Father God, following is hard. It means a constant dying to myself, my plans, and my ability to see and trust myself. While I say with my words that I want to follow You, and I do mean it, Abba, my actions betray my spoken word at times. In honesty, following You feels dark and confusing at many points. I find it easy to question whether I’m actually, truly following You because it can feel like I’m stumbling down a ravine at midnight. I fear being crushed like Job, waiting for what feels like an eternity as Abraham did, or being continually mocked and criticized like Moses. Remind me over and over that Your definition of success is only summed up in two words, “faithful obedience”. Next time I’m tempted to define my “win” by the standards of the world, a big platform, or plenty of people following me, break through my pride and remind me it’s about my faithful obedience to Your call to do whatever is next. Thank You for loving me enough to provide a plan and a whisper to just follow 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! ~ Reveal 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) Roving about in the dark, difficult seasons of our lives doesn’t rank high on anyone’s “list of favorite things to do”, but we all face tumultuous times when confusion, fear, and doubt swirl incessantly. As Sara beautifully reminded us on Monday, these times of darkness can indeed be used by the hand of a loving God, to help us see Him with fresh eyes of faith. There are treasures of hope glimmering in the darkness that we might otherwise miss. Be still, hold fast to truth while allowing the emotions to hit you, then prayerfully ask the Father of Love to teach you to “dance in the dark” as you seek His hope and certain triumph. Sometimes, calling out our current reality for what it is, helps us move miles forward. What your pockets of swirling confusion and doubt right now in this Christmas season? What specifics are speaking into this uncertainty? Name them. Write them. Hold them in your hands without backing away. Search Scripture to speak truth and hope over these dark spaces, asking the Lord to teach you to dance, even here. The book of Psalms is a great place to begin looking for timeless, steadfast hope! Share the psalms that have encouraged you in our Facebook group (Gracefully Truthful Community) or tell a close friend!

2) While Christmas is supposed to be light, airy, magical, and winsome, it’s during this season we often feel the pull of sadness and aching the most. No amount of gifts under the tree or sugar cookie frosting can compensate for the places we try so hard to silence. Especially now, as the Christmas tree glitters, the longing for real joy runs deepest. Perhaps it is significant that it’s now we hunger most for hope, real hope. Perhaps we feel its absence so deeply, because it’s now Jesus came to be born, live out love, and die sacrificially, effectively purchasing eternal hope. Christmas glitters last for December, the hope Jesus offers each of us lasts forever! Even if we have long followed Jesus, and we know for certain our hope is in Him alone, we are easily tempted during this season to forget. We are eager to exchange our eternal perspective for temporary happiness, placing unrealistic expectations on gifts, relationships, and magical Christmas experiences. Carve out space this weekend to sit with the Lord who was birthed centuries ago, in humblest of ways, for us. Ask Him to reveal the places in your heart you have readily exchanged true hope for temporary pleasure. Consider drawing a simple cross on your wrist as a visual reminder of real hope in this season!

3) One night this last week, my son spoke up while preparing for bed, “Just think about it mom… We, full of sin, are born in hospitals or warm houses. But God, fully HOLY…. He was born in a cave. He surely loves *all* people!”. In a few simple words, my 9-year-old summed up the hope of the gospel and the gift of One God who loves us completely, passionately, and unconditionally. We are indeed desperate for a Savior. Every Christmas seems to be adept at revealing just how deep this need runs! We are the ones who deserve the cave, yet we cling so intensely to our baubles of glowing faces on perfect Christmas cards, elaborate meals, and wonderfully happy children. It feels easier to cover up the magnitude of our need. We forget we are sinners. We forget we need a Savior. In the rush for more of this and less of that, we gloss over the simple, but remarkably profound reality, that a holy God chose us. What a true Christmas Gift to be loved by the Divine in spite of the glaring reality we are tragically imperfect. Where are you feeling lack this weekend? Perhaps it’s “too much” or a sense of “not enough”. Whatever it is, write it out on a sheet of blank 8 ½ x 11 printer paper. Then grab a pair of scissors and follow these directions to turn your “lack” into a beautiful snowflake! (https://www.firstpalette.com/craft/paper-snowflake.html) Place it in your Bible or hang it from your ceiling as a reminder that the Lord of all perfectly loves 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 Jeremiah 23:24 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

“Can a person hide in secret places where I cannot see him?”—the Lord’s declaration. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?”—the Lord’s declaration.

Prayer Journal
“Silent Night, Holy Night” surely does not describe the majority of my nights, especially during December. But, Lord, as Your Spirit has prodded me, peeling back the layers I love to cover the corners of my heart with, I admit to filling the quiet with noise on purpose. Too much quiet leaves too much space to be reminded how unholy I am. Lord, let me not shy away from this place of honesty with myself and especially before You! There are no hidden places that You cannot see! You came to reveal every secret place that Your glory might be welcomed in and true life overflow. “”Can a person hide in secret places where I cannot see him?”—the Lord’s declaration. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?”—the Lord’s declaration.” (Jeremiah 23:24) Teach me to come humbly to You, as You came humbly to us, that You might be born afresh in my soul!

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