Relentless

Sketched VIII Day 11 Giver Of Sight

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Sketched VIII Day 11 Giver Of Sight

Abby McDonald

September 7, 2020

Faith,Healing,Hope,Jesus,Longing,Relentless,Salvation,Sketched,Worship

Read His Words Before Ours!

Mark 8:22-26
Psalm 27:13-14
Lamentations 3:25-26

Sketched VIII, Day 11

The sound of familiar voices woke me, but opening my eyes revealed nothing but more darkness. Even after all this time, each morning brought a renewed longing to see the faces of loved ones. I feared forgetting them.

Estimating the time by the temperature in the room, I sat up and felt my surroundings, getting my bearings. My sandals sat by the bed, and I slid into them, one foot at a time.

Excited energy crackled in the air. Outside my window, I heard people walking, but I didn’t know what was happening. Everyone seemed to be heading east, chasing after someone or something.

What was going on?

My friends’ voices grew louder.
They were inside now.

“Berel, hurry! You must come with us now. Jesus is coming! He is here in town.”

I’d heard of Jesus. Stories of Him were spreading throughout Bethsaida and many claimed He was the Promised One. But I wasn’t so sure. A carpenter from Nazareth was not the Messiah I envisioned from the prophets’ description.

Besides, I wasn’t sure healing was part of my story. How many times had I prayed from the psalms, asking God’s forgiveness and for my affliction to be removed? How many times had my friends fasted on my behalf on the Day of Atonement, with no resulting change? Hope was buried somewhere deep within me, and seemed too dangerous to reach for again.

But my friends were hopeful and relentless. They pushed me toward the door as my inner monologue of doubt and questions shouted in my ears. Regardless of what I thought, my friends believed this man could heal me, and they were not going to miss this opportunity. Even if it meant dragging me down the road to the carpenter.

Resigned to their efforts, I allowed them to lead me. The day was already hot as we made our way down the dirt road and I felt beads of sweat forming on my forehead. After we’d walked about half a mile, I heard my friend Alon cry out, “There He is! It’s Him!”

His hands left mine for a moment and I sensed he was using them to plead with Jesus.

“Please, Rabbi. If You could just touch him. Please. He has been blind many years, but we know You can heal him.”

Time seemed suspended as we stood in the street. I had a feeling Jesus was looking at me assessing my need, and perhaps even my faith. Then, before I had the chance to speak or plead my case, my eyes were wet with a slimy residue. What was happening?!

I began protesting, but strong fingers pressed against my eyelids. Warmth permeated from them and when He removed His hands, I noticed something. The darkness that had been my world for years was no longer pitch black; light began filtering in. I could see shapes where before, I saw nothing.

Something I barely recognized pulled at my heart. It had been so long since I felt it, I almost pushed it back down.

It was hope.

Was this man capable of healing me? Was this the beginning? A juxtaposition of fear and possibility overtook me; I knew a crossroads of choice had come.

“Do you see anything?” (Mark 8:23)

Jesus’ question interrupted my warring thoughts. His voice was calm and centered, and I felt He already knew the answer. Although I didn’t fully understand it, I knew the question went beyond my physical sight: He was asking me to make a decision. I also knew honesty was the only way to answer Him.

“I see people; they look like trees walking around,” I said. (Mark 8:24)

I wanted to see. I tasted it and now I longed for it with everything in my being. Hope and firm belief sprang to life in my spirit, silencing doubt and fear. This Messiah could indeed heal me, fully and completely. The soft light and blurred shapes were only a fragment of what He could do. I knew it.

My body trembled as He reached out again. I could make out the shape of His hands this time. His fingers caressed my eyes again, but this time I had no doubts about His ability. As soon as He removed His hands, my belief was confirmed. Tree shapes became people. Masses devoid of detail became faces and I saw hope in everyone’s eyes.

Suddenly, my body felt lighter, as though a weight was lifted. This Jesus saved me! He was the One.

My friends jumped with excitement as they realized I was healed. I looked at the face of the man who changed my life forever. I will never forget how His eyes spoke of kindness and compassion, but there was something else. A sadness. As if He knew something I didn’t. I hoped I wasn’t a part of it.

A posture of worship overtook me, and I wanted to shout my story from the center of town. After all, if this Messiah restored my sight, what could He not do? Everyone needed to know about Him.

Jesus had other plans. He sent me home with instructions not to tell anyone about what happened. Why? I didn’t understand it, but somehow I knew I needed to listen to Him. So even when my neighbors questioned me about my healing, I remained quiet.

But my quietness could not hide the transformation inside of me. Every morning when I woke up, my renewed sight brought fresh cause for worship.

People around me witnessed the change, too. They saw hope, once buried, now resurrected.

And they went looking for this man called Jesus.

A Note About Sketched

In Sketched themes, we imaginatively step 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 viewed God, themselves, and the world around them.

Perhaps we will find parts of our story reflected in theirs!

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Chasing,compassion,darkness,forgiveness,giver,God,kindness,light,Messiah,Promised One,Sight
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Recent Journeys

Sketched VIII, Day 12
Digging Deeper

Sometimes the clearest place to find God is in the midst of thick darkness. When life is chaotic and uncertain, solitude is the surest place to find God. To know Him, and the fellowship of His sufferings, requires an intimacy that cannot be found in peace and security wrapped around material things or even other relationships.

Instead, God’s peace is found when you leave what you have known to follow Him. “He who dwells in the SECRET place of the Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” (Psalms 91:1)
Dig Deeper!

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Prayer is central to our ministry as believers in Jesus as we carry eachother’s burdens and intercede for one another. Our team is honored to share the work of praying alongside you!

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Aug 24 - Sept 11, 2020 - Journey Theme #76

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Sketched VI Day 10 Denise

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Sketched VI Day 10 Denise

Guest Writer

October 11, 2019

Cross,Gift,God,Holy Spirit,Relentless,Sin,Sketched,Strength

Read His Words Before Ours!

1 John 1:5-10
Luke 7:41-50
Jeremiah 29:11-14
Jeremiah 33:1-3

 

I sat there, on the seat while the pastor and my sister sat next to me and prayed over me. She was speaking in tongues, but what I heard from her were all my sins…one by one being laid at the cross to be cleansed and my soul renewed!! 

I was raised believing in God but not really practicing any faith. I had the opportunity to attend church as a child but lost the will to attend or even know God in my teen years. I was distracted in a world of sin and bad choices. I barely graduated high school, dabbled in drugs and alcohol, and had friends that, looking back now, I shouldn’t have called friends. I always knew God was there, but I didn’t seek Him out. Instead, I chased friends, parties, and selfishness.

When I was 20, I found myself pregnant out of wedlock and living far away from family. I was in a relationship with the father, but I was bound and determined not to get married just because I was pregnant. It was a hard season.

I worked in fast food, he worked in clothing. We lived in a TINY 1 bedroom apartment that was roach-infested and I witnessed child abuse across the courtyard. When my daughter was 3 weeks old my mother sent me the money for the marriage license and we wed. I thought it was the right thing to do for my daughter and for us. When she was 8 weeks old, I wasn’t working and he quit his job, which sent us home to my folks in Kansas City. He found a job and we moved into a 2-bedroom apartment. I soon found a job as well, and we attempted to do life.

Having my daughter, that sweet innocent gift, is what changed my mindset.
I knew I couldn’t do this on my own anymore. My husband was immature and we fought constantly. I was almost ready to leave when I found out I was pregnant with our second child. A Son. I tried to stick it out, surviving until our son was 18 months, before I moved out and embarked on the journey of being a single mom with two very tiny children.

Somewhere in the middle of all the chaos right before I left, was that morning I went to church with my sister and she prayed over me.

I am NOT a morning person…but I woke up early that day and phoned her.
“What time is church?”

She gave me the time, but said I could go to a later service if I wanted.
“No, I will be there.”

I hustled, got the kids ready, and ran out the door to church. I put the kids in the nursery classes and sat through that sermon. I cannot tell you what he taught on. The message itself didn’t pierce my heart…but God did.

I struggled to hold back tears through the entire service.
I was a mess!
I knew my marriage was ending and I knew I needed God!
At the end of the service when they invited anyone who needed prayer to come forward, I grabbed my sister’s hand and walked to the front. I couldn’t speak, but I wept.

My sister said, “I think she wants to accept Christ.” I could only nod.
The pastor began praying over and for me and my sister was speaking in tongues by my side. But, I heard and understood the words – it was not an inaudible language.
It was the Spirit speaking, and I heard every sin I’d ever committed spoken before God.
My sister didn’t hear that, the pastor didn’t hear it, but I did.

And with each sin spoken at His feet, my heart and soul became clean,
and the burden I had been carrying started to lift.

I would love to say, “I never struggled again and I was perfect from that day on!”
Yeah, that would be a lie.

But, I did have Christ within me, helping me, slowly and gently leading me.
He loved me even when I messed up.
He loved me even when church was not on my radar.
He loved me when I was unlovable. 

Since that day of finding Jesus, so many years ago, I got remarried and had another son and now, I even have three precious grandchildren.

I could tell so many stories from that day to now, but the bottom line is that God alone
is my strength, my Redeemer, my solid ground, and my safe place.
He is there when we ask.

He will show up if you ask Him to show you He is real.
He will!

Simply call, and then watch; He will answer!
I pray you feel His presence today through my story.
I pray He touches you in a new way and that you too are changed by His relentless love!

A Note About Sketched

In Sketched themes, we imaginatively step 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 viewed God, themselves, and the world around them.

Perhaps we will find parts of our story reflected in theirs!

Tags :
cleansed,Denise,God did,Innocent,redeemer,renewed,selfishness,sweet
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Recent Journeys

Sketched VI, Day 10
Digging Deeper

Even though Israel rebelled full force, God gave them a hope and a future. Even though we also rebel full force because our hearts are sin-sick, God gives us a free gift of salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9) that will result in a life after death that is beyond comprehension in beauty, safety, and abundance.

This is indescribable!

For today, life on earth, He gives us His presence, His Word, His Spirit dwelling inside of us to teach us, comfort us, and never ever leave us alone, and He frees us from every guilt and shame of our past! No monetary, worldly perspective of “happiness” can compare!
Dig Deeper!

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Prayer is central to our ministry as believers in Jesus as we carry eachother’s burdens and intercede for one another. Our team is honored to share the work of praying alongside you!

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Explore This Journey Theme!
Sep 30 - Oct 18, 2019 - Journey Theme #59

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The GT Weekend! ~ Sketched VI Week 1

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The GT Weekend!

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

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) God loves you fully! This was a stunning realization for Rhonda as she found herself on the backside of an abortion. Shame weighed her down like a wet cloak, reeking of heavy grief everywhere she went. Surely, God had rejected her and written her off! But His loving pursuit finally won her over. As she surrendered to Him, He prompted her to transparently share of her own tragic experience; she came face to face with her shame and the Lord transformed it into a tool to reach others with His love and encourage them to leave the heavy load of shame with Jesus. Where are you carrying shame, regret, and guilt? Don’t shy away! Identify them clearly and take the bold move to share part of your story with someone this week, even if it’s a close friend. The Lord wants to us our stories to point others to Himself and the hope He offers!

2)  In Pat’s sharing of her story, we see deep heartache and tragic wounds, which could have (and should have) left her bitter, hurt, angry, and on the sidelines for the rest of her life as she despised other’s happiness. So much was stolen away from Pat! Rather than bitterness and anger, Pat’s life reflects beauty, grace, tenderness, and mercy. As she attests, the only difference is Christ, His salvation, and His continuous comfort meeting her where she was and moving her into a sweet relationship with Him. Where have anger and hurt felt justified for you in your story? How has Jesus made a difference for you? If you’ve never surrendered those hurts to Him, what might it be like to be free from those old chains or anger and resentment? Speak with the Lord about these!

3)  Paula described how she would follow the Lord, then stall out and wander slowly away from Him over time. Each time, despite Paula’s unfaithfulness (like all of us!), the Lord was faithful in His love to her as He pursued her and showed her His relentless, never-giving-up love. Paula’s faith journey grew every time, and her faith in Christ grew stronger, the more she embraced living within biblical community, serving in her local church, and leaning in to God’s true character over her own ideas. In what ways do you see some of Paula’s story in your own? Where are your own cycles of walking away and being drawn back?

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 46:1-3 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore, we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though hits waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling.

Prayer Journal
You are the God who offers continual refuge, strength, and help, yet in my foolishness, I often try to manage my trouble on my own. How good You are to me as you remind me of Your character and Your faithful love! Lord, I confess that from my limited perspective, I don’t recognize You drawing me back to you, instead I only see situations which frustrate me. Remind me, Spirit, that You have plans far above my own, that Your heart is for me to know You and walk in daily trust with You. Keep drawing me back to Your side, Abba!

Worship Through Community

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

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

Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

The GT Weekend! ~ Relentless 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) Rachel shared on Tuesday that her lips will quickly declare she worships God and God alone, but sometimes a closer look at her real everyday life can speak otherwise. When we examine how we spend (or save) our money, how we spend our time, and how we view others, we can quickly uncover more idol worship than we care to admit. Abby wrote on Monday of her own struggle with idol worship, and the process the Lord took her through to lay them down and worship God alone. As you consider how prevalent idol worship is in our culture, take some time to identify some idols you might be unintentionally worshipping. As you process, as the Lord to reveal these to your heart and shift your heart to want Him the most!

2)  If God truly has a calling for each of our lives just like He did for Samson and Jeremiah and countless other individuals whose stories we read in Scripture, then He must have a purposed intention for your life as well! Have you discovered this purpose? If so, you are experiencing the peace and delight that comes from following Jesus! If you’re following His purposes, you should also be encountering difficulties, struggles, and even persecution from the enemy and the world around you for following Jesus. Take heart! He who has overcome your heart and given you His love inside you, has overcome the world around you and He alone holds the final victory. Keep pressing in! “Do not become weary in doing good, for in due time, you will reap a harvest if you do not give up!” (Galatians 6:9) Write this verse on a notecard and put it somewhere to encourage your heart with truth!

3) Anything we push above our heart’s worship and life’s worship of Christ the King to whom we’ve pledged surrender, is an idol of our own design. Sisters, idol worship is no small thing. It’s number one and number two on God’s 10 commandments; because His heart longs for sweet intimacy with us, without the distraction of any one or any thing else. Now isn’t the time to tuck away, turn heads, and bow out of the conversation. As you sit with the Lord this weekend, call out those idols, break them before the Lord, and ask God to shift your heart in how you see those idols and how you see the Lord of love and life! Only one is worth your affection, your time, talent, and treasure. Only One. How long will you put up with a heart divided?!

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 Hoesa 2:16-17 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

And in that day, declares the Lord, you will call me ‘My Husband,’ and no longer will you call me ‘My Baal.’ For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they shall be remembered by name no more.

Prayer Journal
From the world’s perspective, true happiness comes by success of our hands, and having every desire of our hearts fulfilled. But You turn this wisdom upside down, insisting the only way to true satisfaction in this life and the one to come is by total surrender to You, Your ways, and Your desires. You, in Your infinite wisdom, know this to be true, yet we, I, foolishly run spurn Your ways. Father, it is unfathomable to me how You could possibly see my rejection, know that I love my own idols more than I love You, and yet still pursue me! You long for a relationship with me So Much that you willingly, relentlessly, pursue me and my heart. There is never a moment where you say, okay, good enough, just plateau out and I’ll come back to check on you in a few months. No, there will always be more to experience, know, understand, and be satisfied with about You! May I ever delight in Your presence, Abba! Cut away these idols, Lord! Give me only 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

Relentless Day 15 Everyday Idols

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Exodus 20:1-17
Deuteronomy 4:15-24
Judges 17:5-12
Hosea 2:14-23
Matthew 22:34-40

Relentless, Day 15

“Do not have other gods besides me.
Do not make an idol for yourself,
whether in the shape of anything in the heavens above
or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth.”
(Exodus 20:3-4)

Consider this your “real talk” alert, Loves.
We’re diving deep, and quick.

Scripture shows us the Lord created mankind for the express purpose of relationship with Him. We were designed to have fellowship with our Maker and to worship Him only. When Adam and Eve sinned by placing their desire for knowledge over their trust in God (as He knew they would), the Lord was forced to banish them from the garden of Eden. He is incapable of contradicting Himself, and when sin separated Adam and Eve from Him, the next phase of His plan was set into motion.

When God raised up Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt, the Lord used him to deliver His Law in the form of the ten commandments. These laws were important, but not for the reason you might think. Here’s where many of us (both historically and currently) miss the mark, right along with the Israelites: The ten commandments were the original outline of the Lord’s laws, but the intent behind them was to illustrate that no mere man or woman could ever uphold them. These commandments were not designed to give God’s people a list of rules to follow so they could make themselves holy before Him. They were created to show the Israelites they could not possibly save themselves…
and to highlight their overwhelming, inescapable need for a Savior.  

However, when they embraced the ten commandments God dictated to Moses, God’s chosen people missed the mark. Rather than recognizing they would never be able to fulfill the Law, they became so focused on the doing, they failed to focus on the Doer. Instead, they placed their trust in themselves, elevating their own self-righteousness over the Righteous One. In doing so, they effectively broke God’s Law by elevating the Law above the Lord, and by placing their ability to uphold His commands above relationship with Him…
which created an idol in their hearts.

The account of Micah and the Levite in the book of Judges shows the danger of what can happen when we allow other things to take God’s rightful place in our lives.
Both of them fell short by doing what felt right to them.

Micah adopted a custom of idol worship; it is clear his heart did not belong to the Lord. The Levite was passing through when Micah stopped him, and regardless of what he knew to be right, he accepted Micah’s offer for money, shelter and food in exchange for effectively endorsing and joining Micah in sin by being his household “priest.” Each man exhibited idolatrous behavior. Micah’s was evidenced by his worship of graven images, while the Levite’s was exhibited by placing provisions and shelter above obeying the Lord.

Sometimes it’s hard to relate to Scriptural accounts like the one we just worked through. You may not find yourself around many graven images or physical idols.

I know I don’t.

But friend, if we are stuck on the physical representation of an idol,
we are missing the message here.
If we’re being honest with ourselves, every one of us can think of a time when we have placed something, someone, or some desire above our personal relationship with the Lord.

We talk about our struggle to squeeze in quiet time with the Lord.
We are so busy we can’t carve out time to read and study His Word, pray, or worship Him.

But we seem to have no problem finding time to do other things that matter to us.

Can we be real here?
Can we ask ourselves a few questions, and can we answer honestly?

What matters to me so much that I make sure it happens or takes precedence over everything else, no matter what?
What am I placing above the Lord?
What am I failing to yield to Him?

Whatever that thing is, whether it is:
our spouse,
our children,
our relationship status,
our financial security,
our career,
our self,
our image,
our future,
our comfort,
our entertainment,
or any other thing,
if we elevate it above our relationship with God by giving it more time, attention, thought, pursuit, or desire than we give to the Lord,
we
have
made
it
our
idol.

Woo. My heart. Conviction.
But the truth is the conviction that stirs us in this moment means nothing if we do not respond in obedience to what the Lord is revealing.
We must also obey Him.
We must turn toward God, and away from our everyday idols. 

When we do this, and ask for His holy help,
we can rest assured that He Who is faithful will forgive us! (1 John 1:9)

Lord, I come to You today, convicted of my sin.
I repent of making ________________ an idol in my life.
Jesus, You are my only King forever.

Take Your rightful place as the ruler of my soul, spirit and body, and help me to walk in step with Your commands. Forgive me for worshiping anything but You with my time, attention, heart, money, body, or any part of my life.
You are the only One worthy of my worship.
Thank You for the new work You are doing in me starting now!
I yield every part of my life to You today.
In Jesus’ Name, amen.


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Relentless Day 14 Relentless Chase: 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 Relentless Chase!

The Questions

1) What does it mean to be chosen, or known, as several other versions say?

2) What does it mean to be set apart and appointed?

3) What is the response to this verse?

Jeremiah 1:5

I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born. I appointed you a prophet to the nations.

Original Intent

1) What does it mean to be chosen, or known, as several other versions say?
In verse 4 Jeremiah informs readers that the Spirit of the Lord came to him; what follows is his encounter with God, or more specifically, the calling of God on his life. In this call, we learn incredible details for the call on the life of every believer. God tells Jeremiah that, before he was formed in the womb, he was chosen, or known, by God. There is incredible intimacy described here! The God of the universe intimately and loving created Jeremiah as an infant, but He knew Jeremiah, and the plans He had for him, before that knitting together of his tiny body ever occurred. Matthew Henry says it better than I ever could, “(God) let him (Jeremiah) know He who gave him his commission is the same One that gave him his being, that formed him in the belly and brought him forth out of the womb, that therefore He (God) was his (Jeremiah’s) rightful owner and might employ him and make use of him as He pleased, and that this commission was given him in pursuance of the purpose God had purposed in Himself concerning him, before he was born.”

2) What does it mean to set apart and appointed?
God tells Jeremiah specifically what his role in the kingdom is, exactly what his purpose is. Jeremiah was to be a prophet to the nations. In this calling, God is informing Jeremiah, as well as commissioning him out into that role. It was time for Jeremiah to accept and embrace God’s call regardless of his age. In verses 8-10 we see more details of this appointment. God did not simply call Jeremiah and then leave him alone to figure everything out on his own. God also equips Jeremiah and gives him His words to share (verse 9).

3) What is the response to this verse?
God didn’t force Jeremiah into his calling. God simply invited Jeremiah into His divine plan. Jeremiah had a choice to make, would he step out in faith and embrace that calling or would he run the other way. In the Old Testament, God gives examples of both. Jeremiah chose to step into his calling, regardless of what it would look like in his life and the sacrifices it would mean for him. Jeremiah chose God right back. However, Jeremiah did not make this choice immediately. In Jeremiah’s account beyond this one verse, we learn Jeremiah thought he was too young and objected to his calling (verse 6).

Everyday Application

1) What does it mean to be chosen, or known, as several other versions say?
Just as Jeremiah was intimately known and called into a purposeful life, such is the calling for everyone who chooses to follow Christ. Matthew Henry says, “The great Creator knows what use to make of every man before He makes him. He has made all for himself.” Just as Jeremiah was known and chosen for a purpose before he was formed so are each of us. God has a plan and a design for every human being. He intimately and specifically crafts us in our mother’s womb with those purposes and plans in mind. He makes no mistakes. What that means for each of us is that we need to embrace this plan and design in order to realize our fullest delight and purpose. None of us look the same as another, and none of us play the exact same role in the Kingdom of God, but we all have a divinely ordained purpose, and it’s the perfect one for us!

2) What does it mean to be set apart and appointed?
Jeremiah was not the only person to be set apart and appointed by God. We see throughout Scripture God calling people into His purposes and appointing them to His work. He didn’t always appoint people in the same way, and He still doesn’t today. On a large scale, believers are all called and set apart to make disciples of all nations as Jesus appointed us in Matthew 28:19-20. This calling is for every single believer and God empowers and equips each of us to live out that calling. However, God goes about this work in different ways in each of us. God sets His people apart and appoints them to His purpose often utilizing the gifts unique to each believer while also using the different passions in each of us. Where might God be calling you to live out the purpose He has for you?

3) What is the response to this verse?
Just as a Jeremiah had a choice to make, so do we. God invites all of us to play a role in His greater story and we, like this Old Testament prophet, must choose whether we will say yes or whether we will choose fear and make excuses to not join God in His work. The Lord will never force us. He is not a God who wants to control us, rather He is a God who desires deep, intimate relationship with us. Just because He loves us and has purposed a plan for us doesn’t mean the call will always be easy, Jeremiah’s sure wasn’t, but it will always be worth it. It may take us out of our comfort zone, or to a place we never dreamed we would go, but when we choose to say yes and join in on God’s activity, it is always more than we could ever dream or expect. The choice is mine and the choice is yours… what will we choose? How can you live out that choice starting today?!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Relentless Chase!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Relentless Week Three!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

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 :-))

Memorize It!

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

Relentless Day 13 Relentless Chase

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Judges 13-16
1 John 1:5-10
Jeremiah 1:4-10 (ESV)

Relentless, Day 13

When I think of God’s relentless pursuit of His people there are so many stories that come to mind. The story of Samson wasn’t one of them until recently.

About a year ago in Bible study, we were talking about Samson’s story. We noted how his life was unique in the sense that he was so very clearly called by God yet he chose to live in ways that were directly opposing to that call. We even said wow, we never want to be like Samson! But by the end of the conversation someone said, “aren’t we all like Samson?”. Truthfully, none of us could say no.

We blatantly disobey God’s word.
We make His call on our lives about us.
We flirt with the enemy.
We allow the enemy to capture and blind us.

Every single person has acted, will act, or does act just like Samson.
The good part about Samson’s story, and ours, is how God’s love brilliantly colors the mess of lives.

From the womb, God’s love was on full display in Samson’s life.
“Then the woman came and told her husband, “A man of God came to me, and his appearance was like the appearance of the angel of God, very awesome. I did not ask him where he was from, and he did not tell me his name, but he said to me, ‘Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. So then drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.'” Then Manoah prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, please let the man of God whom you sent come again to us and teach us what we are to do with the child who will be born.”

 In Judges 13:6-8, God had set Samson apart before he was even in his mother’s womb.
Likewise, in Jeremiah 1:5 (ESV) it says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” 

God also sent His power upon Samson, even in the midst of his disobedience regarding God’s laws. (Judges 14:19, Judges 15:14)

 Samson disobedience and disrespect for God permeated his life….
He touched a corpse, slept with a prostitute, pursued a woman that wasn’t a Nazarite, and told her the secret source of his strength.
Samson’s sins were many, but his biggest mistakes that eventually lead to his downfall, were in his heart.

Samson took for granted his gift of strength while also taking his life into his own hands; he felt his own ways and wisdom were better than God’s.
He knew what God said,
he knew God had an intentioned, set apart purpose for his life,
but he wanted creative control on how those plans came about.
He dethroned God and enthroned himself.

Here’s the reality, we all do that.
We ask God to follow us, instead of us following Him.
We invert the gospel, asking God bless our plans, desires, and will.
In reality, the gospel is us our full surrender to the Lordship of God.

What would it take for us to realize our lives are not our own and the
best and safest place to be is under the lordship of the triune God?
For Samson, it took the destruction of his life….
He was captured by the enemy, beaten, and abused. Samson hit rock bottom before he finally looked up and surrendered total control, giving God lordship over his life.

For the first time in his life, Samson asks God to fill him with the strength God gave to him so long ago, after it had been taken from him. (Judges 16:28)
He finally recognized it was not his strength but God’s strength through him.

Samson’s humble surrender, opened the door for God to do what He always does.
He showed off His character of tender love and grace.
He is faithful and just to forgive our sins,
no matter how bad they may seem.
(1 John 1:9)

Samson’s life reminds me so much of my own.
No matter how far I take my life into my own hands, He is faithful to work on my behalf, faithfully continuing to relentlessly chase my heart.
He shows up even when I’m trying to act out of my own strength,
but at the end of the day His heart is for me to turn and make the humble ask for Him to work through me.

His heart for people is that we would dethroned ourselves and enthrone Him in every aspect of our everyday lives. Our call is total surrender to His lordship as we trust His plans, desires, and will for our lives over our own.

Stop chasing yourself, Sister, and let His chase catch you!

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

Relentless Day 12 Repent From Rebellion: 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 Repent From Rebellion!

The Questions

1) What are ways we bow down to another god besides the Lord?

2) How can God be jealous?

3) Why would God be jealous for His reputation?

Exodus 34:14

Because the Lord is jealous for his reputation, you are never to bow down to another god.  He is a jealous God.

Original Intent

1) What are ways we bow down to another God besides the Lord?
An idol is defined by author M.G. Easton as “image-worship or divine honour paid to any created object.”  The first mention of an idol in the Bible is in Genesis 31:19, when Rachel hides her father’s idols in her saddlebag as she sets out on a journey with her husband.   The Israelites also picked up idol worship during their sojourn in Egypt, but as M.G. Easton points out, “the idolatry learned in Egypt was probably rooted out from among the people during the forty years’ wanderings; but when the Jews entered Palestine, they came into contact with the monuments and associations of the idolatry of the old Canaanite races. . .”  By New Testament times, according to Editor James Orr, idolatry meant not only image-worship but also “giving to any human desire a precedence over God’s will.”  The Scriptures are very implicit in instruction regarding idolatry.  They tell us not to bow down to false gods (Exodus 34:14) and not to defile ourselves with foreign idols (Ezekiel 20:7).  Anything we put ahead of God in our lives can become an idol and must be avoided if we desire to honor the Lord.

2) How can God be jealous?
To our American way of thinking, the word jealous has a negative connotation associated with envy and pain, but in a Biblical context, jealousy has a positive meaning. The words jealous and zealous are the same Hebrew word, qana’, which means “to be zealous or jealous.”  In English, both words come to us from the Greek root zelos.  We can use this concept of zeal to better understand how God can be jealous.  Author Kyle Idleman notes, “we think of zeal as being intense enthusiasm. That idea captures why God is so possessive about us: He is, as He says, a consuming fire of passion for us.”  God’s jealousy is a way of Him showing us His love.  Author Richard L. Strauss clarifies, “there is no selfishness in His jealousy.  It is the appropriate expression of His holiness.” Author John Piper concurs, explaining that God’s jealousy “does not rise from fear or weakness but from a holy indignation at having his honor and power and mercy scorned by the faithlessness of a fickle spouse.”  For Christians, a jealous God is a holy, loving God who is passionate about His bride, the church.

3) Why would God be jealous for His reputation?
When Israel journeyed toward the Promised Land during their exodus from Egypt, God gave them Ten Commandments to follow.  Many of these commandments reflected God’s holiness and sovereignty.  His first command was in Exodus 20:3, “Do not have other gods besides me.”  His next command warned them not to make idols or to worship idols because He is a jealous God. (Exodus 20:4-5)  As preacher Charles Spurgeon explains, God is jealous “when he beholds His throne occupied by false gods, His dignity insulted, and His glory usurped by others.”  Author Ken Easley points out, “For God, jealousy may also be understood as His continually seeking to protect His own honor. . . It is right for God to seek His own honor, for He alone deserves it.”   Because God is the one true God, He alone is worthy of praise, glory and honor, and He is jealous when false gods reign in the hearts of His people.  As author Richard L. Strauss points out, “Since He is the highest and greatest being there is, infinitely holy and glorious, He must be passionately committed to preserving His honor and supremacy.  He must zealously desire exclusive devotion and worship.  To do less would make Him less than God.”  May we remember each day to give the one true God the glory and praise He deserves.

Everyday Application

1) What are ways we bow down to another God besides the Lord?
If you asked me what I worship, I would answer “the Lord God” without hesitation.  But if you looked closely at my life (my calendar, daily schedule, bank statement, social media activity,) would my real-life answer ring true to my words?  Or would I have to add a few more “gods” to my list?  Author John W. Ritenbaugh observes, “People make a god of money, athletics, hobbies, traveling, or whatever they devote almost their entire lives to.”  John Piper notes that idolatry “starts in the heart: craving, wanting, enjoying, being satisfied by anything that you treasure more than God.”  Even good and healthy pursuits and passions can become a problem if our heart is not in the right place, putting God above all else.  We can help guard ourselves from idols (1 John 5:21) by purposing to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, which Jesus calls the greatest commandment.  The more we pray, read the Bible, and focus on Jesus’ love for us, the better perspective we have of God’s rightful place in our hearts.  John Piper suggests that “We make a god out of whatever we find most joy in. So, find your joy in God and be done with all idolatry.”  Let the joy of the Lord be our strength as we purpose to make Him number one in our hearts and lives.

2) How can God be jealous?
It is hard to make time to hang out with extended family and friends, but I try to be intentional about it because I want to nurture those relationships.  Nothing irks me more than sitting down with my loved ones to find myself staring at the back of their phones and tablets.  I find myself jealous for their conversation and interaction.  I want them to spend time with me.  I want them to want to spend time with me more than they want to check the scores, scroll through Facebook, or post a goofy picture.  I wonder if this is how God feels about us sometimes.  He longs to spend time with us, share His plans with us, and abide with us. (John 15:5) God desires us to worship Him. The Scriptures encourage us to praise Him: “Sing to the Lord, you His faithful ones, and praise His holy name”. (Psalm 30:4) Scripture also tells us God inhabits the praises of His people. (Psalm 22:3) This means that praising Him brings His presence.  God is longing to commune with us…are we inviting His presence, or are we ignoring His invitation, oblivious to His jealous love for us?

3) Why would God be jealous for His reputation?
Have you ever done great work on a project and not have it appreciated?   Or worse yet, have the credit given to someone else?  That is a little bit what it must be like for God when we don’t recognize His sovereignty.  He is the Creator of the universe, yet at times we relegate Him to the bottom of our to-do list while we place other “gods” before Him.  Even if they are truly wonderful things, like our family or our ministry, these other loves do not deserve our fidelity over God.  Author Kyle Idleman teaches, “God is jealous for your heart, not because He is petty or insecure, but because He loves you.  The reason why God has such a huge problem with idolatry is that His love for you is all-consuming. He loves you too much to share you…”  God is jealous for our love and attention, and He wants to be number one in our hearts.  It is a blessing to be so wholly and completely loved, but one we take for granted.  Because He is jealous for His reputation as the God above all gods, He will not let us forget the glory and praise that are due Him.

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Repent From Rebellion!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Relentless Week Three!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

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 :-))

Memorize It!

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

The GT Weekend! ~ Relentless 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) “If the Lord is for us, then why has all of this happened to us?!” Gideon’s question hits all of us. If we are willing to be honest, then you know as well as I do, I’ve pleaded with the Lord over this query. I’m challenging you and me to be bold before the Lord and write out what our fill-in-the-blanks are for this question in relation to our own lives. “If the Lord is for me, why did my friend commit suicide? Why is my marriage so difficult? Why am I so weary?” Pray these to the Lord from a place of transparency and seek His solace and His answers over your own. Connect with a trusted, believing, friend in the next few days and share your thoughts, asking her to pray with you.

2)  Amy shared on Wednesday of times she had questioned God’s love for her, run from Him in anger, and have failed to follow Him. Take some time to write down, even if it’s on your phone’s notes, times when you have done the same. There is something powerful that happens in our hearts when we verbalize reality. As you take steps to be transparent with yourself, pray over these and bring them to the Lord. Tell Him honestly what you have questioned, why you were (or are) angry, and why you have run. Pray. Seek His Word, studying it as you pray for His Spirit to free you and show you His relentless love!

3)  We all like winning, don’t we? Reaching the goal, checking off that list, knowing we hit the target square on, we crave that win! Kendra reminded us yesterday that God always wins, meaning that His purposes cannot be thwarted and what He intends to accomplish, He will do. What would it look like if we abandoned our ideas of winning, and instead picked up the Lord’s? What if He became our source for strength and we shifted our eyes to see His win instead of our own? What radical difference might it make if we knew that whenever we aligned ourselves with His ways over ours, we would be assured His victory in His way and in His time?

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 Lamentations 3:22-24 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

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

Prayer Journal
Because of Your love….I am here tonight to praise You, I held my babies tight today, I slept peacefully last night, I saw the sun this morning, and breathed in Your new morning mercies. Because of Your love, gracious, good Father! Your love is better than life itself! (Psalm 63:3) Teach me, on repeat, to view my days and moments and relationships and circumstances through the lens of “because of Your love” just like the psalmist wrote. Teach my lips to sing it, my hands to love with Your love, and my eyes to see with Your love. You alone are my portion, Oh God; how great is Your faithfulness!

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