Holy Spirit

The GT Weekend! ~ Philemon Week 1

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The GT Weekend! ~ Philemon Week 1

Katelyn Palmer

February 18, 2023

church,Faith,Family,Fellowship,Holy Spirit,Identity

Rest your soul through reflective journaling,
praying Scripture,
and worshiping the Creator who
longs for intimacy with each of us!

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Pray His Words Back To Him!

1 Thessalonians 5:14-21

And we exhort you, brothers and sisters; warn those who are idle, comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See to it that no one repays evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good for one another and for all. Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything. (...) Don’t stifle the Spirit. Don’t despise prophecies but test all things. Hold on to what is good.
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Prayer Journal Entry

Yahweh, I come to you tonight broken and defeated, but with the words of Psalm 56:3 on my heart, “When I am afraid, I will trust in You.” I am ashamed of how much I have pulled away from You, which only gives the enemy room to taunt me and make me believe I should pull away even more.

I’m so grateful to know I’m not strong enough to separate myself from You, Lord – nothing is – but sometimes the darkness of the world makes me forget truth. So many are struggling, including myself, and depression seems to cover society like a weighted blanket.

As I meditate on Your Word and Your character, Lord, I ask You to bring to mind verses of comfort for my soul and encouragement. I know that ultimately, I will triumph by Your hand (Psalm 92:4); I just need spiritual refreshment, as do my brothers and sisters.

As I await your whispers of comfort, I will do as You commanded in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 and rejoice in Your love, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in everything. Hear my prayer, oh Lord, and do not hide from my plea for help. (Psalm 55:1)
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Worship Through Song

Journal Prompts

JOURNAL ONE

Paul is particular with his letters when it comes to his greetings and closings. Like bookends, he illustrates unity in both. Philemon 1:1-4 is a great example of how Paul sees himself in relation to Christ, how he sees his intended audience as family in Christ, and how he remains in constant prayer for every brother and sister he encounters.

In just the opening sentences of his letter, Paul demonstrates the kind of attitude we are meant to have toward our believing brothers and sisters. He closes his letters with the same grace and reverence toward each believer.

It’s important to remember that churches in Paul and Philemon’s day didn’t own properties or buildings in which to meet, they gathered in homes for worship, preaching, and shared fellowship. These churches were intimate, tight communities that depended on one another and supported each other in daily life.

With this understanding, when we consider Paul’s terminology of “fellow laborers,” “fellow prisoners,” “coworkers,” and “sister/brother”, we gain a deeper appreciation for what these terms truly meant in real life. These terms support the intimacy of a small home church and the true compassion Paul had for these believers.

Are we seeing others this way when we show up to our local churches on Sunday? Are we compassionately loving one another by first seeing them as beloved family members? This weekend, ask the Lord to prepare your heart to see your church family through new eyes!

JOURNAL TWO

The Bible was written by men inspired by the hand of God. God wastes nothing in our lives and certainly wastes no words in the Bible. In studying Paul’s letter to Philemon, Rebekah noted how Paul directed his audience’s attention to God’s call for unity between Jewish and Gentile communities through Christ simply by combining two common greetings from both peoples: “grace to you” (Jewish greeting) and “peace to you” (Gentile greeting).

With the simplicity of a greeting, God reminds us of the work Jesus finished with His death and resurrection as He, the God of Peace and Grace, reconciled sinful humanity back to Himself by paying our debt.

Because of His perfect redemptive work on our behalf to bring us peace, we are then empowered to spread His peace and grace to others, along with His love. (Ephesians 2:14)

As we share His love in our everyday lives, we carry out Jesus’ command to love others in the same way He has loved us with grace, peace, mercy, forgiveness, and compassion. (John 13:34-35)

In God’s hands everything is connected and purposeful, especially including our surrendered life to Him. If that isn’t something worth rejoicing over, then I don’t know what is!

JOURNAL THREE

The story of the widow who feeds Elijah and her family on God’s provision fascinates me! (1 Kings 17:8-16) The physical drought their land was experiencing is interesting to me as I consider the spiritual, emotional, and mental drought of our post-COVID world. The widow in this story was on her last bit of food and prepared to die with her son once it was gone.

Many today are feeling that same devastation following the COVID pandemic. Depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and other mental health concerns are at an all-time high. Just as Elijah served as a vessel to rescue this woman and her son from a seemingly hopeless end, we too must be the instruments of rescue for those around us as we carry around the hope of Christ.

We are the vessels, like Elijah and even like the jars that held the flour and oil, and the Holy Spirit is God’s provision inside us. Under Christ’s leadership and by His Spirit, we have the power to bring restoration from spiritual drought one soul at a time, but this requires surrendering ourselves to God’s ways.

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family,generosity,grace,hope,love,peace
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Philemon Day 5 For Glory

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Philemon Day 5 For Glory

Sara Cissell

February 17, 2023

Broken,Faith,Fullness,Holy Spirit,Journey

Read His Words Before Ours!

Philemon 6-7
Psalm 92:1-4
1 Kings 17:1-16

In 1 Kings 17, the prophet Elijah is sent to a widow’s home during a multi-year drought. He asks her for bread. Her reply captures her desperation: 

“As the Lord your God lives, I don’t have anything baked–only a handful of flour in the jar and a bit of oil in the jug. Just now, I am gathering a couple of sticks in order to go prepare it for myself and my son so we can eat it and die.” (1 Kings 17:12)

Elijah urged the woman to bring him bread, declaring the flour and oil wouldn’t run out until it rained again. 

Day after day, her jars never remained empty.
The Lord persistently filled the vessels.
Neither the flour jar nor oil jug wrought their own provision;
the Lord was their miraculous provider.

Why bring this Old Testament story into the midst of a Journey Study about an early church pastor? Philemon’s New Testament challenge, and perhaps your own circumstances, share similar threads with this long-ago widow, her lack, and her faith. 

Daily, the widow who fed Elijah removed “that last bit” of oil and flour from their containers and experienced afresh the Lord’s provision. Philemon, as a believer who carried the Holy Spirit inside him, had the opportunity to do the same, look at his lack and experience the Lord’s Presence. 

Paul prayed over Philemon, “I pray that your participation in the faith may become effective through knowing every good thing that is in us for the glory of Christ.” (Philemon 6)

Paul’s prayer summons Philemon to become an active participant in walking out His surrender to the Lord while reminding him that effective faith is possible only through Christ. 

As Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 15:10, his work on behalf of the kingdom was effective only through “the grace of God that was with me.” The widow’s vessels were lacking, and as we look inside, or around us, we may come to much the same conclusion: lack. Philemon was already demonstrating faith, but the becoming effective of faith required a deeper knowing, a real-life, ongoing experiencing, of every good thing already set out for him through Christ.

Did God know, since the beginning of time, He would continuously satisfy the widow’s lack with His infinite supply? Abundantly, yes.

He knew the same for Philemon when He sent Christ to satisfy the debt Philemon owed for his sin. Just as surely as the Lord God knew He would give enough to the widow, He knew He would one day deposit His own Spirit of Holiness inside Philemon to lead and guide him into knowing Himself deeply.

Sister, take a breath with me, He offers the same for us.

How do we know more of the Almighty?
By reading His Word, empowered by the breathing of the Spirit of God in us.

Psalm 92 focuses on praising the Lord for what He has done and who He is.
The psalmist testifies of an experiential walking with and knowing of the Lord God.

“For You have made me rejoice, Lord,
by what You have done;
I will shout for joy
because of the works of Your hands.”
Psalm 92:4

“You have lifted up my horn […] I have been anointed with the finest oil.”
Psalm 92:10

“The Lord is just;
He is my rock…”
Psalm 92:15

In keeping our eyes focused on “the glory of Christ” (verse 6), our growth will be cultivated by Him and defined by His character, enabling us to fulfill the Lord’s purposes, effectively living out our faith in the everyday. 

As we practice tuning the ears of our hearts to know His voice through His Word, we will be drawn deeper into worship, which naturally leads to a life fully surrendered to the Love of Christ. Working like an ever-deepening spiral, the more we know Him, the more we will worshipfully surrender, the more our faith grows, and by the Spirit’s work, our effectiveness for the Lord increases exponentially.

This surrendered life resulting in effective faith, deeply refreshes the hearts of our “fellow ones”, brothers and sisters in Jesus. Joy floods and encouragement abounds from this rich well of surrendered following of the Lord Jesus.

“For I have great joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.”
Philemon 1:7

Paul observed the impact of Philemon’s life on those around him, and documented it in the pages of Scripture. May we live worthy of similar description by those in our spheres of influence! 

The widow in 1 Kings 17 obeyed the Word of the Lord, offering up her lack to the God of infinite Supply.

Her act of faith-filled worship brought refreshment physically and spiritually while ensuring her survival and increasing her faith.

Paul prodded Philemon and, by extension, us, to do the same.

Suppose we chose to lift our lack to the Supplier in faith, listening attentively to learn His voice in ever more intimate ways through His Word, and allow Him to make our offering effective to not only His kingdom, but usher in refreshment to the Church?! 

Dear sisters, I pray our hearts are captivated by the glorious Gospel:
Having conquered sin through His death and resurrection,
Christ has sent His Spirit to live within us.

May we recognize that on our own, we are ordinary earthen vessels (2 Corinthians 4:7), as incapable of sustaining life as the widow’s hollow jars. Like Philemon, may our faith become effective as we embrace the Spirit’s leadership, surrendering every part of us to be used for His glory.

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faith,God's Word,prayer,worship
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Philemon Day 5
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Philemon refreshed the saints through his acts of kindness, which should encourage all who claim to love Jesus to follow Philemon’s example. We never know when a simple act of kindness will refresh those who were directly impacted as well as those who have witnessed the kindness.
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Sketched X Day 5 Injustice Upon Injustice

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Isaiah 30:15-22
Genesis 37:12-36
Genesis 39:1-20
Acts 8:26-40

Sketched X, Day 5

Joseph
My body racked with pain and it shook violently. Of their own volition, sobs overtook my frame. My legs could not sustain my weight and I crumbled beneath my grief. I gasped for air, my ribs pressed in, and I tasted the metallic hint of blood where my own teeth had crushed my tongue in anguish. The pain was too much. My fists clenched and opened rhythmically as I furiously pounded the hardpacked earth beneath me.

No, I wasn’t being tortured by enemy forces. No whip lashed my back. My head was not bowed by blows to my brow. The agony inside threatened to swallow me whole.

Injustice upon injustice was mine.
“Yahweh!” “Where! “Are!” “You!”
Each word punched the air as I screamed, the stone walls deafly pressing my agony back upon my ears.
Other prisoners banged on their bars to stop my clamor, but I didn’t care. What did it matter? My only hope of escape had flown away, the stones seemed tighter every day, and the memories of old dreams mocked me every time I closed my eyes.

My brothers’ sheaves bowing down to mine, then theirs turned to laugh at me with disdain.
My beautiful coat paraded as a king’s and then covered in goat’s blood.
The stars encircled me and then my embers exploded into oblivion.

Why would you mock and humble me, Yahweh?!
I obeyed you!
I listened to Your voice and believed You when You gave me dreams.
I was faithful to You and didn’t give in to temptation with Potiphar’s wife!
I sought You, not myself, for the answers to other prisoners’ dreams.

AND WHAT HAS MY OBEDIENCE GOTTEN ME?!
Injustice Upon Injustice

Philip
“I don’t understand,” the Ethiopian continued as he turned his eyes from the scroll to meet mine. “Who was despised? Why should we bother if he was rejected?”

Instantly, gruesome images and horrific sounds assaulted my mind’s eye as Isaiah’s centuries-old prophesies had played out right before me days before. The Spirit of Christ living within me had brought me to this Gentile Ethiopian’s chariot because he needed to know the truth. He needed to meet the risen Christ that Isaiah had foretold would come to suffer.

As the scenes in my mind flashed, God’s Spirit inside loosed my tongue and I explained Isaiah’s words.

“His body was wracked with pain as the Roman whip bit into his flesh, tearing skin away and exposing the bones of His spine and ribs. His wrists bled profusely where He was tied to the whipping post. The cries of a man near death hung in the air that morning, haunting all of us. The whip was not enough, of course”, I continued, not even seeing the Ethiopian beside me, for I could only see the scarcely recognizable body of Jesus in my mind.

“Thorns pierced His brow,” I went on, knowing I could do nothing to stop my voice from shaking. “Blood. So much blood, it was everywhere. But even the nails piercing innocent flesh and the wretched pain they brought, were nothing compared to the agony inside Him as He was separated from the Father as He bore our sin.”

I caught my breath and fixed my eyes on the Ethiopian. He must understand. “He was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities.” (Isaiah 53:5)

I made no attempt to stop the flood of tears now streaming down my face as I repeated Jesus’ anguished words from the cross, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?!” (Matthew 27:46)

The man’s eyes still clouded with confusion, so I begged the Spirit to make it clear to him as I said, “Isaiah’s prophesied Messiah is Jesus. He took our place, took our punishment for our sin and suffered injustice upon injustice, that we might be freely restored to God forever.”

Joseph
Slowly my heavy weeping slowed, my body spent. Dirt that had mixed with my tears and saliva caked my face. Broken and shaking, I lay silent, wondering if the Lord would hear my cries.

Unsuspectingly, an early memory of my father wafted over me like a welcome embrace. I saw my young, boyish self sitting at his feet and heard his strong voice warming me as he told me again how the Lord had come to him in one of his dreams. My eyes were alight with wonder that Yahweh would speak to Father and unwittingly my breath caught in my chest as I remembered one particular phrase, “I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you.” (Genesis 31:12) The God of Dreams SEES injustice. Surely, Yahweh longs to reverse the curse of injustice and usher in His favor just as He did with my Father!

I uncurled my frame and sat upright, wiping my face and breathing deeply, calmly, as if with new life. Yahweh sees. As I held onto this truth, repeating it over and over, memories came flooding back of how the God who sees injustice and gives Himself for the righteous had acted for me and generations before me.

Yahweh was indeed a faithful God and deep inside, I knew my story was not over here surrounded by stone, dirt, and darkness. He would finish the plans He had for me; I would wait for Him.

I bowed my head as fresh tears of gratitude washed my face. My once-clenched fists now lifted upward with palms raised in worship to the God of all Faithfulness who would take my injustices and finish the work to make me whole!

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A Note About Sketched
In this series, we are stepping into the shoes of various characters throughout history. Some are biblical, some are well-known in modern day times, and some are people our writers know personally. We do our best to research the culture and times surrounding these individuals to give an accurate representation of their first-person perspectives on life and the world, but we can’t be 100% accurate. “Sketched” is our best interpretation of how these characters view(ed) God, themselves, and the world around them. Our hope is that by stepping into their everyday, we will see our own lives a little differently!
Enjoy!
And keep watching for Sketched Themes to pop up throughout the year!

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!

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Whole Day 10 Bringing The Broken

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Whole Day 10 Bringing The Broken

Marietta Taylor

July 1, 2022

Called,Faith,Healing,Holy Spirit,Sacrifice

Read His Words Before Ours!

Isaiah 53
Psalm 103:1-5
Luke 8:43-48
Romans 5:1-11
Psalm 34:15-22

God is calling us to stand up and stand out. 

But not just for ourselves. We are called to let our “light shine before others,” leading them to healing, to wholeness. (Matthew 5:14-16) Who better to speak for the broken than us?

We have been, and are often still, broken.
We have been broken-heartened, broken in spirit, and left with the broken promises of man. But we also know One who is “faithful in all His words and gracious in all His actions.” (Psalm 145:13) It is to Him we lead others. 

We’ve frequently needed to speak 

with broken words 

about broken places 

created by broken systems. 

But we also know the One who “offered himself without blemish to God” on our behalf to “cleanse our consciences from dead works so that we can serve the living God[.]” (Hebrews 9:14) Because of His sacrifice, we can speak of our brokenness while being made whole. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Who better to tell a hurting, dying, and broken world about a baby born in a broken kind of way to a family many considered broken for none had ever heard of a virgin birth! (Luke 1:26-38) Even Joseph wasn’t sure about Mary’s character. (Matthew 1:18-20) How could a baby born in a feeding trough be anything special? (Luke 2:4-7) 

Yet this little family changed the world. This baby, Jesus, grew up to heal and minister to people broken physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and socially. He was the One who would give His life as a broken body on a broken tree for all broken people through the rest of time, so they would no longer be broken, but whole and free. (Isaiah 53:5)

How could we not answer the call of the One who was just like us, yet higher than us (John 1:14), Who gave all for us to save all of us? (2 Peter 3:9) 

He calls to each of us,
“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:18-20) 

We know that as disciples, we are made free. (Isaiah 61:1-3)

This message comes through us, but it is not just for us. Just like He was for all, the message we bring is for all because He is interested in saving us all. 

“He himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world.” (1 John 2:2)

So we stand up and we share how our faith stands out. (1 John 5:4) It’s not because we are great, but because the One within us is great. (Romans 8:11) He causes us to continually reach for Him Who is greater than any brokenness in us. (Psalm 34:18)

He is the Great Physician who doesn’t say, “Heal thyself,” but “Be healed.” It brings to mind the woman with the blood issue. (Luke 8:43-48) Bleeding for twelve years with no relief in sight, she reached out and touched the hem of Jesus’ garment and was instantly made whole. She was set free from the brokenness that had bound her for too long. 

So let us, through every story, help broken people discover how to be free, to be whole by reaching out and touching Him, Jesus, the only One who can make us whole. 

“So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free.” (John 8:36)

“Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works[.]” (Hebrews 10:23-24)

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broken,calling,disciples,Greater,hurting,Made Free,Stand Up,The One,whole
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Whole Day 10
Digging Deeper

Why does the Gospel of Mark matter to us in the 21st century? Mark wrote for the Gentile, the non-Jew, which unlike the early church, now encompasses most of us reading this today. By focusing on how Jesus lived His life as a servant, though He was worthy of all honor and prestige, we, as His followers, glean how to be a servant in our own everyday lives. As Christ didn’t use His status as God as a reason to sidestep the humility of humanity, neither do we have any reason whatsoever to not lavishly love and generously serve all people.
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Whole Day 6 Oppression’s Source

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Whole Day 6 Oppression’s Source

Guest Writer

June 27, 2022

Faith,Follow,God,Grace,Holy Spirit,Hope,Journey,Prayer,Strength,Struggle,Suffering,Truth

Read His Words Before Ours!

John 10:10-13
Ephesians 6:10-20
2 Corinthians 10:3-5
Psalm 44:3-4

In our family, we regularly discuss politics, local news, and current events. However, when a conversation surrounding values took an emotional turn, we knew something deeper was stirring up; our children were seeking a biblical understanding about a belief we strongly held. Feelings of guilt and failure, on my part as mother, overcame me. 

My children couldn’t possibly be the ones struggling with biblical foundations and truths. How could this happen?

After much careful consideration, prayer, and wise counsel, we decided we would not run from hard truths or leave our kids alone to interpret their questions. Instead, we would study and engage with them. In months to follow, when the Holy Spirit led, we attempted to address a multitude of questions about Biblical concepts. 

As we peeled away the layers, I soon realized my children, like many others, needed abundantly more spiritual guidance to help navigate the topics significantly impacting and shaping their faith journeys.

In an article by Christianity Today, a study found that out of 500 youth group graduates, over 70 percent reported having serious doubts about faith. These students’ opportunities to express and explore their doubts were correlated with greater faith maturity. In other words, it’s not doubt that’s toxic to faith, it’s silence.  

I realized God was working on our family’s behalf, bringing attention to areas within our life that were out of alignment with Him. My family messiness was no different than others, which highlighted a message of its own: as believers, we’re not given immunity from assaults of the enemy. 

In fact, Jesus promised we “will have suffering in this world” (John 16:33) and described our enemy as “a thief [who] comes to steal and kill and destroy.” (John 10:10) 

In my family’s journey, I understood the enemy is a liar, and I was not going to feel pinned down by doubt, blame, insecurity, comparisons, fear, or relational discord. My family prayed, and God revealed we needed to make some adjustments. Our initial steps were refocusing our priorities (putting God first), being intentional with our time, having patience with our children in learning the word of God, and seeking community.

Furthermore, the Spirit revealed a deeper truth to me during this tumultuous time.
The struggles we were facing needed to happen.
God didn’t want me to spend all my time trying to fix every problem of my children or of this world; He wanted to show me how to fully lean on Him and demonstrate this dependence in every area of my life. 

Through this adversity, God wanted to fill me with His strength. In 2 Corinthians, preacher Paul uses the language of siege warfare to talk about engaging in spiritual battle.

“For although we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh, since the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds.” 
(2 Corinthians 10:3-4)

As believers, we are not left defenseless. Satan wants to disrupt God’s place in our lives b y displacing God’s authority with deceptive, manipulative evil schemes. This truth should remind us we cannot defeat Satan in our own strength and neither can we fight spiritual battles without God’s protection and weapons. (Psalm 44:3-4)

In Ephesians, Paul talks about the spiritual weaponry available to Christians, often called “the full armor of God.” (Ephesians 6:10-20) Paul emphasized the reality that our warfare is against more than the natural temptations of flesh. There are powers in the unseen world against which we are powerless, except through the aid of Christ.

Spiritual armor prepares us to face any and all spiritual battles we encounter. These battles are not fought against “flesh and blood” enemies, but against the “cosmic powers of this darkness[.]” (Ephesians 6:12) Satan’s strategy is clever; he uses technology, popular culture, consumerism, misinformation, and distorted views about biblical truths to wage war against us constantly. 

But we’re not falling for it. The real enemy, the real source of oppression in our world, is the devil, not people, places, or things. The spotlight of God’s truth will effectively expose every single scheme of the enemy.

By God, we have all been given weapons to fight the unseen. For me, I needed to take this truth seriously in my parenting. 

We’re called to follow God, Who is “the way, the truth, and life.” (John 14:6) 

Follow God, Who has come so we “may have life and have it in abundance.” (John 10:10)

Follow God, Who brings true peace and freedom from oppression as His death and resurrection “conquered [the powers of] the world.” (John 16:33)

As we follow Him, His grace is sufficient, and we can have hope and victory in any spiritual battle that comes our way.  

Lord, following You is hard. Sometimes it feels our brokenness is cliché, but I’m so grateful we serve a God who cares. A God who knows our battles, and equips and sustains us through them.

Help us to push away from culture, familiarity, and likeness, instead embracing Your Word and Your love. May we find strength in Your infinite and absolute goodness, and when the battle is fierce, remind us the true source of oppression is the devil himself.  May we not be afraid to stand firm, as parents and leaders of faith, by putting on the full armor of God. Amen.

*Written by Keshia Jackson

Tags :
guilt,Oppression,patience,protection,Refocus,The Enemy,victory,whole
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Whole Day 7
Digging Deeper

True Christ-followers have recognized the oppression in our own souls by Sin and sought freedom from the Only One powerful enough to provide our forgiveness. Full of grace and truth, this merciful God delivers His own Spirit inside the heart of all who have truly surrendered to Him. By this power of God Himself inside us, He actively empowers, leads, and equips us to accomplish God’s mission of building His kingdom and pressing back against evil in everyday life.
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June 20 - July 8, 2022 - Journey Theme #109

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Champion Day 15 He’s The Hero

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Luke 5:1-11
Luke 6:12-16
John 18:16-27
John 21:15-19
1 Peter 2:1-17

Champion, Day 15

For as long as I can remember, my husband has contended the fictional comic book character Batman is the only plausible superhero. When asked why, he will happily explain: unlike other illustrated literary superheroes, Batman doesn’t have any special powers or alien origins.

Immeasurable wealth and influence? Sure.
Mad ninja skills and physical prowess? Check.
Insanely cool superhero lair and technological marvels to help him fight crime? Yup.

But aside from the seemingly endless supply of money and inner torment,
Batman is basically just a regular guy with excellent resources. 

This might seem an unusual way to introduce a journey with Peter, but stay with me.

When we study the radical accounts of miracles God performed through Peter, it’s easy to see him as a spiritual giant.

He boldly exhorted those in Jerusalem following the Holy Spirit’s outpouring on Pentecost (Acts 2:14-36).
He miraculously healed (Acts 3:6-8),
raised the dead to life (Acts 9:38-43),
was the first to witness the unveiling of God’s complete plan of salvation for all people (Acts 10:9-33),
was imprisoned for his faith and proclaiming the gospel (Acts 4:1-4),
was freed from jail. by angels (Acts 12:6-19),
and people were healed simply by his very shadow (Acts 5:12-16).

With a resume like that, anyone would assume Peter was basically a Biblical beast. In a way, he was, but if we only examine the miracles and remarkable eternal impact of Peter’s life, without acknowledging Peter’s colorful humanity and frailty, we miss the best things about Peter’s story.

Just like the overarching account of Scripture and every vignette therein, Peter’s story points to God, His plan for salvation through Jesus Christ, and the redemption He alone brings.

Peter was a man of humble beginnings. His work was essential to the economy, but could hardly be considered illustrious. Brash and outspoken, Peter was impulsive, rough around the edges, and often ruled by his emotions.

When the disciples saw Jesus walking on water, they were frightened. (Matthew 14:22-33) Jesus comforted them; when He was tested by an impulsive Peter, Jesus invited him to step onto the waves. Peter initially fared well, but became afraid and began sinking.

Peter failed. 

When Jesus told His disciples He would be killed, and raised to life on the third day, Peter “caught feelings” and again tested Jesus, rejecting what He said outright. (Matthew 16:21-22)

Again, Peter failed. 

When Judas betrayed Jesus, Peter was overcome by his emotions, drew his sword, and cut off a man’s ear. (John 18:1-11)

Jesus also prophesied Peter would deny Him three times. Vehemently, Peter objected and declared he would never. When Jesus’ words came to pass and he heard the rooster crow, Peter was broken. (John 18:16-27)

Failure.
Again.

It’s heartbreaking, isn’t it?
Separated from the Messiah, Peter carried the weight of his personal betrayal of the Master he loved while Jesus was persecuted, crucified, and buried. Even after He was resurrected to life three days later, Peter’s actions undoubtedly haunted him.

Time and again, Peter messed up,
and doubted,
and hurt others,
and didn’t believe Jesus,
and argued with the very Son of God,
and failed.

Over, and over, and over.

Oh Peter. I can relate. On every. single. count. 

But then.

“When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?’

‘Yes, Lord,’ [Peter] said to him, ‘you know that I love you.’

‘Feed my lambs,’ [Jesus] told him.”
(John 21:15)

Three times, Peter had denied Jesus.
Three times, resurrected Jesus asks this question and commissions Peter, restoring him to full relationship and ministry.

Herein lies the beauty of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the trajectory of salvation!

Peter wasn’t enough. Yet, Jesus called him.
Peter failed, many times. Yet, Jesus disciplined him in love.
Peter denied Jesus. Yet, Jesus died for him.
After all that, Jesus offered him redemption, commissioned him, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, transformed Peter to be a living demonstration of the work of the Gospel. 

The most important part of Peter’s story is that
he
wasn’t
enough.

In fact, Peter was basically just a regular guy, with excellent (read: supernatural) resources.

When we look at the accounts we see in Scripture and compare ourselves to the people we read there, we miss the point completely. Throughout all of Scripture, no one was ever enough, except Jesus Christ.

When faced with that reality, Peter put his faith in Jesus. He allowed himself to be transformed completely. Because of that surrender, the Holy Spirit was freed to work through him.

Beloved, the truth is, we aren’t enough, either.

If we were, then we would actually BE God.
We wouldn’t need salvation, because we wouldn’t sin.
We wouldn’t need sanctification, because we would already be completely holy. 

Just as He saw Peter, Jesus sees us as we really are, in all our frailty and failure and not enough. Because He IS enough, He transforms us into a new creation! Praise be to God!

Jesus, thank You for being enough, for filling every gap and showing Your strength in my weakness. Teach me to walk in Your ways and help me to remember that You are the real Champion in all of Scripture, and in my life.

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Champion Day 9 Fearful Made Fierce: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

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

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Fearful Made Fierce!

The Questions

1) How do we “keep on growing” in knowledge and discernment? (verse 9)

2) How do we “approve the things that are superior”? (verse 10)

3) What is the “fruit of righteousness” that comes from Christ? (verse 11)

Philippians 1:3-11

3 I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you, 4 always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 7 Indeed, it is right for me to think this way about all of you, because I have you in my heart, and you are all partners with me in grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how deeply I miss all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment, 10 so that you may approve the things that are superior and may be pure and blameless in the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.

Original Intent

1) How do we “keep on growing” in knowledge and discernment? (verse 9)
In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, we recognize warmth and respect shared between author and recipients. Writing to thank them for support of his ministry and to commend a fellow laborer, he admonishes them to continue to press on to be ever more like Christ. What then was he speaking of as he referred to growing in knowledge and discernment? He was encouraging them to focus on the teaching of Jesus and knowing Him deeply, which would result in growing in His love apart from a performance tied to keeping the Old Testament law. The Bible is divided into two central teachings, Old Testament and New Testament. All Scripture is God-breathed, meaning it is inspired by God and is useful for teaching. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) Before Christ, the instructions were centered around the prophets’ Old Testament laws and instructions. After Christ’s resurrection, the laws concerning sacrifices and rituals around cleansing and food restrictions were no longer relevant for Christ came to perfectly fulfill the law. (Matthew 5:17) Paul encouraged the Philippians to grow in their knowledge of Christ, but how were they to do this if all they knew were Old Testament laws? He urged them to watch out for those who claim the old laws were the only way to salvation. (verses 2-3) He instructed them to recall the new knowledge they had learned about Christ. (verse 10) Finally, Paul directed them to grow in wisdom and discernment by increasing their love for Christ and one another, which naturally comes from knowing Him more fully. (verses 9-11)

2) How do we “approve the things that are superior”? (verse 10)
Christ came to fulfill the law on our behalf because it’s impossible for sinful humans to be perfect or somehow attain righteousness on our own (Romans 3:23); we need Someone Perfect to be righteous for us. (Matthew 5:17, 2 Corinthians 5:21) In Jesus’ day, all the laws found in the Old Testament, including the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-21) and animal sacrifice, were regularly practiced by the Jewish community. Until the ministry of John the Baptist, the Law was the guidepost, or guardian, for what holiness looked like, but when Jesus came, He opened the door to access God through faith in Christ. (Galatians 3:22-26) From that point, the gospel of freedom from sin and eternal hope has continued to be shared. (Luke 16:16) Christ was the perfect sacrifice who died and was resurrected from the dead in order to save sinners from the eternal condemnation of death deserved for sin. (Romans 3:21-26, 1 Peter 3:18, 1 Timothy 1:15) How does all this relate with approving the things which are superior in Philippians 1:10? Later in his letter, Paul names the superior thing as knowing Christ, “I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. […] My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death […].” (Philippians 3:8, 10) Christ is the fulfillment of all things superior. Everything of excellence carries His mark, which is why Paul closes his letter with the reminder, “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—dwell on these things. Do what you have learned and received and heard from me, and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:8)

3) What is the “fruit of righteousness” that comes from Christ? (verse 11)
Jesus often taught by using parables, which were stories His audience could easily relate with because of common knowledge and cultural norms. Christ cursed a fig tree (Mark 11:12-25), spoke of winnowing wheat (Matthew 3:12), and the true vine and vinedresser (John 15:1). While some parable-language may not carry much significance to our modern ears, the idea of farming and fruit still resonates with us. To help His audience understand how righteousness is evidenced in a person’s life, He used the analogy of fruit. The tree bears fruit, and so do our lives, but we must not miss the small details, “[T]he fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ.” A Christian’s righteousness cannot come from themselves, only Christ, and it is grown by the work of the Spirit who lives within all who belong to Christ. Paul purposed in his letter to explain this cultivating work of the Holy Spirit and what it looks like. The fruit, although displayed in various “flavors” or attributes in life, are each a manifestation of the Holy Spirit who is given to all who have trusted Christ as their personal Savior. The Spirit’s fruit “is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control”. (Galatians 5:22) Christ perfectly lived out each of these evidences of the Spirit of God throughout His earthly ministry.

Everyday Application

1) How do we “keep on growing” in knowledge and discernment? (verse 9)
When Christ offered Himself as a sacrifice for our sins, there was no longer a need to sacrifice animals to absolve transgression. Christ took the punishment, which is death and separation from God, for each of our sins on the cross. To grow in knowledge and discernment is the goal of every Christ-follower. Those new to the faith should seek wisdom from Scripture and from other believers who have long walked with the Lord. Those who have lived many years with Jesus in their heart should continue to grow in their understanding of Scripture and engagement in biblical community. First, we must recognize we are new creatures when accepting Christ; the old ways of thinking have gone, and new life has appeared through Christ. (1 Corinthians 5.13) Next, we must learn to study the Bible correctly. (2 Timothy 2:15) In studying the Bible’s context, we learn how to worship (Psalm 100), why we have forgiveness for our trespasses in Jesus (1 John 1:9), practical ways for living in God-honor ways (Psalm 1:1-2), how to prepare for battle against Satan, our enemy (Ephesians 6:10-17), and much more! The Bible is the inspired Word of God and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16), containing everything we need to grow up in Christ (2 Peter 1:3). We were once held in the bondage of sin’s slavery, but in Jesus, we are called to walk in the freedom offered us by the love of Christ. We can only do this as we study the One who was the Word (Jesus) so that we may know Him and that He may dwell in us. (John 1:1)

2) How do we “approve the things that are superior”? (verse 10)
The Bible describes the human heart as deceitful above all things. (Jeremiah 17:9) If we use our hearts, emotions, or fleeting desires as the measure by which we approve what is superior, we will constantly be in error. We must choose to look to Christ, not the heart, to determine not simply “better”, but to clearly understand what is “best”. This kind of discernment is the wisdom James writes of in his letter, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5) As Paul taught the Philippians to think about things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and commendable, there is no more excellent example of superiority than Jesus. (Philippians 4:8) Jesus, the Word, is Truth. (John 17:17) His actions were honorable, His reasons just, His motives pure, and His actions commendable. Jesus moved men’s hearts from obeying the law for the sake of obedience to showing love to all peoples no matter their gender (John 8:1-11), ethnicity, (John 4:7-39), or economic status (Mark 12:41-44). The more we lean into knowing the Lord Jesus Christ through studying His Word, prayer, and engaging in biblical community, as Paul modeled for us, the more we view everything through the lens of the Superior One, Christ Jesus!

3) What is the “fruit of righteousness” that comes from Christ? (verse 11)
At the click of a button, the television comes on. With the swipe of our fingers, we can find almost any piece of information we desire. We can purchase items and have them delivered with the tap of a finger. Satellites take pictures of places on earth where we will never travel. It seems we can have our wants satisfied and our desires fulfilled, yet many live with loneliness and despair. None of the convenient pleasures mentioned above were meant to bring joy. For a time, they may bring happiness, but to find joy, we must learn to live like Christ, whose delight was doing the will of his Father through the work of the Holy Spirit. (John 5:19, Hebrews 9:14) We can follow in the steps of Jesus in three specific ways. First, we must desire to be covered by Christ’s righteousness, which requires us to acknowledge our state as sinners eternally separated from God. (Matthew 5:6, Romans 3:23) When we ask God to cover us with the righteousness of Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us, beginning His work of making us new. (2 Corinthians 5:21, John 14:26) Secondly, we must offer our bodies as living sacrifices as we surrender to the Spirit who cultivates His life in us! (Romans 12:1-2) Finally, we must never be lacking in zeal as we follow the Lord; He is to be the focal point of our everyday lives. (Romans 12:11-13) All of this is impossible on our own merits and efforts. Jesus came to perfectly fulfill the law on our behalf, so that He can now fill us with all the fullness of God and His power. (Matthew 28:18, Ephesians 3:19) Then, we are free to live for Christ based on love, not laws. (Ephesians 3:20-21)

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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

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Why Dig Deeper?

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

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

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

Study Tools

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

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

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

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Whole Day 7 Oppression’s Source: Digging Deeper

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Whole Day 7 Oppression’s Source: Digging Deeper

Rebecca Adams

May 28, 2022

Christ,Digging Deeper,God,Heart,Holy Spirit,Love,Sin

Discover the original intent of Scripture. Make good application to our everyday lives.
Become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

This DD Connects With "Oppression's Source"
Why Dig Deeper?

Read His Words Before Ours!

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

3 For although we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh, 4 since the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments 5 and every proud thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ.
Read More Of His Words

The Original Intent

1) “Flesh” is mentioned three times in one sentence. What is meant by this focus-word? (verses 3-4)

The Bible uses “flesh” in different discussions with different meanings based on context and purpose of the discussion. This should remind us that studying Bible words in their original language and context is extremely important. 

The Old Testament prophet Ezekiel spoke positively of flesh when he prophesied of a coming day when the Lord would give Israel a new heart, replacing their heart of stone with a heart of “flesh”. (Ezekiel 36:26)

Paul spoke positively of flesh in a similar meaning of “soft and malleable” when he wrote to the Corinthian believers of Christ’s letter of love written by the Spirit on “human” hearts. (2 Corinthians 3:2)

Of the 140+ times the Greek word for flesh, σάρξ, is used in the New Testament, however, the connotation is overwhelmingly negative. It’s largely associated with sin and often used to contrast the life that is only available through surrender to the Spirit of God at work in a genuine Christ-follower with the life of enslavement to sin that is the default heart-position for every human being. (Romans 7:5, Romans 8:5, 2 Corinthians 7:1)

In some cases, however, σάρξ is a neutral reference simply stating a reality in the same way we might say, “we all have skin and bones”. Paul’s usage in the context of these verses is mixed!

First, he acknowledges a reality that we, speaking to genuine Christ-followers, are living in our human flesh (neutral reality). Then Paul moves deeper and teaches us that our ability to fight against sin and sinful desires isn’t limited by either the flesh of our human reality or the sinful impotence of our former way of life before coming to Jesus for freedom and forgiveness.

We are equipped with a far greater power than anything Sin or Humanity can offer for we have the power of the Almighty God at work within us!

The Everyday Application

1) “Flesh” is mentioned three times in one sentence. What is meant by this focus-word? (verses 3-4)

We see oppression in the broader scope of our culture, cities, and the globe and we ache, knowing it is surely not as it was meant to be. It’s easy to see the vastness of oppression and feel completely incapable to make a difference.

What could we do with one ordinary life against such incredible brokenness? Just as easy to dismiss is the reality of our weaponry as genuine believers in Jesus.

True Christ-followers have recognized the oppression in our own souls by Sin and sought freedom from the Only One powerful enough to provide our forgiveness. Full of grace and truth, this merciful God delivers His own Spirit inside the heart of all who have truly surrendered to Him.

By this power of God Himself inside us, He actively empowers, leads, and equips us to accomplish God’s mission of building His kingdom and pressing back against evil in everyday life. His purpose to give freedom from oppression spans everything from the relationships within our walls to the nations around the world.

If we seek the Lord, pleading His cause of justice, He will move in us as His ministers of reconciliation to bring about His purposes by His power. (Luke 4:18-19, 2 Corinthians 5:19)

The Original Intent

2) What is laid out to be demolished? (verse 4-5)

Paul purposed to describe not only our power source “through God” (verse 4) but also our battle plan for how to use our weaponry against a targeted enemy.

We should also note from this passage the importance of using God’s weapon in God’s way for it to be effective. “[…] weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds.” (verse 4)

The strongholds to be demolished by God’s power are marked by arguments against God which are sourced by arrogant pride. Anything that runs counter to knowing God, which encompasses all that He is and the freedom from sin He offers through the sacrificial blood of Christ, is pure arrogance. In ancient times, attacking enemies would lay siege to a city.

If the attacking army endured long enough, eventually the isolated city would run out of supplies, manpower, and sustenance providing an easy target for victory. This was common knowledge, especially for the strategic trade city of Corinth who fought many battles to protect its location and power by building strongholds.

If victory was more likely for the attacker of the stronghold, how much more effective would the All-Powerful God of the Universe be against any spiritual stronghold? None fights like the Lord God; His victory is sure and certain. No stronghold can sustain His power!

The Everyday Application

2) What is laid out to be demolished? (verse 4-5)

Only when we bring all things under the lordship of Christ, as “captives” from the enemy, can we adjust our mindset to become more like Christ in how we engage the world around us.

We all have “strongholds” in our hearts and lives, areas we arrogantly don’t want to surrender. We will remain captives in these citadels until we decide to surrender to Christ’s ways. Only His weaponry can free captives from the chains of sin, flesh, and pride.

Ask the Lord to reveal the areas of your own pride. As you let the Spirit lead you to reflect, what areas do you bristle at with quick justification?

This is pride, Sister.
Call it out for what it is, surrender it to the Lord Jesus Christ, and be freed from the citadel of your own making. Let the gospel ring out loud and clear in your life and overflowing in your relationships! 

As you survey the landscape of your city, nation, and the world, what strongholds is the Spirit leading you to be heartbroken over because of oppression? Fight these with the weaponry God provides! (Ephesians 6:10-20)

The Original Intent

3) Are believers meant to demolish other’s arguments with decisive verbal victories and claim Christ as their authority? (verse 4-5)

Paul’s language sounds intense with words like weapons, warfare, and demolish! Does this intensity match how Christ commands us to live as His followers? Are we to engage in verbal biting combat until we prove our victory?

Sisters, this is not the Lord’s way, and neither is it Paul’s point!

Again, studying the full context of biblical passages is essential! Backing up to verse 1, we gain an entirely new insight, “Now I, Paul, myself, appeal to you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble among you in person[…].” 

What a starkly different description Paul gives of himself! Demolish, warfare, meek, and gentle don’t commonly fit together. You might picture Paul as a fierce, stalwart itinerant preacher, but the early church had quite a different perspective. His letters were received as kind, gentle, wrapped in humility, and threaded through with deep affectionate love for the Church. There was even word going around that Paul was too “soft” to lead and didn’t carry any real authority. He was just too gentle to make a real difference or hold anyone accountable.

This section of Paul’s letter addresses this misconception with bold clarity. As gripped with compassion as Paul was for the lost, those who lived as enemies of Christ (Philippians 3:18, Romans 9:3), he had no tolerance for sin and mishandling of Scripture. He would fight tooth and nail to protect right interpretation of God’s Word and identify sin as vile rebellion within the church. (2 Timothy 2:15, Titus 2:1)

The Everyday Application

3) Are believers meant to demolish other’s arguments with decisive verbal victories and claim Christ as their authority? (verse 4-5)

Paul stood on the side of God’s authority by His own Word expressed through His Spirit. There is no higher authority. There is no safer place to be than sheltering behind the God who moves against the oppression of sin.

Likewise, there is no more dangerous place than living in active rebellion against this same God. Paul was widely known for carrying himself with the likeness of Christ’s meekness, gentleness, humility, and broad-sweeping compassion. He urged all fellow believers to do the same in their everyday lives, which includes all Christians today. (Colossians 3:12-17)

Consider how your children, spouse, or neighbor might describe you. How do you respond when your well-laid plans don’t work out? How do you treat those with whom you are angry? When you experience injustice or even simple disappointment what attributes color your face, tone, and body language?

Like Paul, are you widely known for your gentle compassion? Harsh, cold, biting words, tone, and actions shouldn’t describe any genuine Christ-follower.

Arrogance says I must win this argument and prove my point. Confidence in Christ says because I love you so deeply, I am compelled to point you to truth with firm gentleness. (2 Corinthians 5:14)

God will win against sin’s grip for His victory is sure and certain over every stronghold, but how we handle ourselves as His ambassadors will either further His kingdom or stand in rebellion against Him. How will you choose to live today?

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Eden Day 9 Temptation Tactics: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

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

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Temptation Tactics!

The Questions

1) What does Paul mean by his questions in verse 1 and what is his motivation in asking?

2) What does “buried with Christ by baptism into death” and “raised from the dead” mean in verse 4?

3) Does Paul mean that once a person is in Christ they will never sin again? (verses 6-11)

Romans 6:1-15

What should we say then? Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply? 2 Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Or are you unaware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be in the likeness of his resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be rendered powerless so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin, 7 since a person who has died is freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him, 9 because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will not die again. Death no longer rules over him. 10 For the death he died, he died to sin once for all time; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11 So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its desires. 13 And do not offer any parts of it to sin as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness. 14 For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under the law but under grace.

15 What then? Should we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? Absolutely not!

Original Intent

1) What does Paul mean by his questions in verse 1 and what is his motivation in asking?
In the preceding chapter, Paul reminded his audience of the consequences of sin through Adam’s rebellion and the gift of redemption in Jesus’ sacrifice. (Romans 5:12-21) He then shifted to asking his readers if they should continue to sin in order that grace may multiply to them in forgiveness through Christ. Paul wants his readers to reflect carefully on their everyday choices. Does Christ’s sacrifice allow them a free pass to continue sinning? Paul quickly answers his own question with a definitive, “Absolutely Not!”. (verse 2) He continued by reminding them that once they have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, the believer is “dead to sin” and alive to Christ. Jesus died an excruciatingly painful death to pay the penalty of death and separation from God, which all of us deserve; this radical sacrifice speaks to the seriousness of sin. His resurrection does not minimize the gravity of sin and its deadly consequences. Paul’s intention is to remind them of this.

2) What does “buried with Christ by baptism into death” and “raised from the dead” mean in verse 4?
In Paul’s day, baptism meant immersion in water as was instituted by John the Baptizer. This meant they were completely covered, or buried, in water resembling Christ’s death and burial. Just as Jesus died for the consequence of sin, those who are baptized are symbolically buried along with Christ. Rather than burial in the ground, it’s a burial using water. The Roman believers to whom Paul was writing knew this meant their old, sinful ways were dead and buried with Christ and a new creation was now born through the resurrection of Jesus from the grave. When they were raised out of the water, it symbolized freedom from the penalty of death for their sin. They were now rebirthed (John 3:3-6), having moved from death to life, raised with Christ to walk in the newness of His resurrected life by the power of His Spirit alive inside every believer. While baptism doesn’t save us, it’s generally the first act of obedience for a new Christ-follower who has given themselves to Him. Baptism is the outward symbol of an internal reality; it publicly declares Jesus’ blood now covers all sin and the new believer no longer looks like their former selves. (Galatians 3:27)

3) Does Paul mean that once a person is in Christ they will never sin again? (verses 6-11)
Paul speaks a great deal about believers being dead to sin, especially in the first several chapters of Romans. However, he is not saying that once a person is in Christ they will never sin again. Verse 14 provides clarity when he writes, “sin will not rule” meaning it doesn’t have the final say and we aren’t owned by it as believers in Jesus, but learning to submit our new selves to the rule of Christ is practiced and learned over an entire lifetime. Paul alludes to this “training to be like Christ” in verses 12-13 when using language like “do not let sin” and “do not offer any part [of your mortal body] to sin”. (emphasis mine) Our flesh will still desire to sin when we are lured away from Christ by temptation, and at times, we will decide to choose sin and offer ourselves to sin instead of to Christ. Paul passionately reminded his readers they are not controlled by their sinful selves and former pattern of living. Christ lives in them through His Holy Spirit who helps them discern what is sinful and what is not and leads them to make choices that honor the new life we have been given in Jesus!

Everyday Application

1) What does Paul mean by his questions in verse 1 and what is his motivation in asking?
Paul’s question regarding sin and grace should cause us to stop and contemplate our own approach to sin. The obvious answer is no, we should not sin more so Christ’s grace can be poured out on us. Justifying our sin proves a callous understanding of the offensiveness of sin and the immense sacrifice of Christ on our behalf. Charles Spurgeon speaks of this when he said, “If Christ has died for my sin, I cannot rifle with the evil that killed my best friend.” We deserved death for our sin, but Jesus paid the price with His life. The reward of redemption back to God is a gift we could never earn on our own for God, in all His holiness, cannot be in the presence of sin. The NLT Study Bible says, “The availability of God’s mercy must not become an excuse for careless living and moral laxness.” We do not earn the right to sin more in order to gain more grace. There is no excuse for sin for the believer. On the contrary, when we accept Jesus as our Savior from sin, we become a new creation and our old self is dead along with our old desires to keep on sinning. (Colossians 3:3-4). As we grow in our relationship with Christ, His Spirit shapes us to look more like Him and less like our sinful selves. We will never be free from the pull of sin’s alluring temptation until the day we are finally with Jesus in eternity, but our desire to give into sin lessens as we grow closer to God.

2) What does “buried with Christ by baptism into death” and “raised from the dead” mean in verse 4?
Just as the early believers’ sin nature became spiritually dead and was buried and then were raised from the dead with a new Christ-nature, so are we! The moment we accept Jesus, we become a new creation, one that belongs to Him. Our sin is paid for and our lives are covered by the blood of Jesus. He has paid the price for our sin and we no longer live bound by a sin nature that desires to follow cravings that oppose God and His character. Jesus broke the chains of bondage and freed all who believe in Him. Early believers practiced full immersion baptism which follows the example of Jesus’ baptism by John. (Matthew 3:13-17) Many believers today still practice full immersion baptism as a symbol of their faith in Jesus. When we choose to do so, we are following the model of Christ, and putting on display that we have surrendered to Jesus. Our lives are no longer ruled by Sin for we have been buried with Christ in the grave, and been raised with Him from the dead to live the rest of our days as a new creation. As Paul wrote in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me! The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” When we know our old sinful self has been put to death, we are motivated to resist sin and allow our lives to be transformed through the Holy Spirit.

3) Does Paul mean that once a person is in Christ they will never sin again? (verses 6-11)
By no means do these verses mean we will never sin again, even as devoted Christ-followers! But when we do choose sin, the Spirit blessedly convicts us, and we are grieved for how we’ve rebelled against God who sacrificially saved us. John’s letters remind us, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) As Paul adamantly penned, “you are not under law but under grace.” (verse 14) As we wait for the return of Christ, we’re surrounded by a sinful, fallen world; temptation to sin abounds and sometimes we sin. However, we can be encouraged that with the Holy Spirit living in us, He will grow us to look less like our old sinful selves and more like Christ. Consider keeping a prayer journal as a way of marking where you are now spiritually; as you grow over time with Jesus, you will be able to look back and see how He has continued to shape you to be like Him! As believers we will sin less the closer to walk with Christ, but the battle against sin remains. Paul addresses this in Romans 7:14-25 where he writes of the inner struggle against sin, “For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do.” Sisters, we will sin after accepting Jesus until the day we die or He returns, but resist the urge to use His forgiveness as an excuse to sin! Instead, let’s allow Jesus to change our heart desires to long for Him more than our sin. When we do sin, let’s be quick to accept the conviction of the Spirit, ask forgiveness, and be restored in our relationship with God!

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

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Study Tools

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

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