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The GT Weekend! ~ Redeemed Week 3

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The GT Weekend!

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

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) On Monday, Stacy asked, “What do we do in our uncertainty? How will we handle the waiting?”. Naomi experienced seasons of loss and emptiness, of heartache and even anger, all the while, she was waiting. In the midst of the waiting, she truly didn’t know if she would ever see redemption with her eyes in this world. I know I’ve been there too. This is the stuff deep faith is made of, my friends. As the Lord strips us of familiarity and comfort, He allows us to see our need for Him, in whom exists unending delight and satisfaction. It is here in the waiting for Him, in the dearth of sweet, happy feelings, we learn the rhythm of His faithful heartbeat of love. Not feeling close to the Lord is completely expected during seasons of waiting, but take heart! He is growing your faith!

2) Boaz had seemingly nothing to gain in marrying Ruth. He incurred Naomi’s debt and the responsibility of caring for two women. Yet, he still chose to take on the role of kinsman-redeemer. Have you ever experienced a similar set of circumstances as Ruth and Naomi? Perhaps you felt as you had nothing to offer. Maybe you struggle with being “not enough”, or even “too much”. Maybe you feel as if you’re abilities aren’t valuable, or that your contribution and investment isn’t seen or noticed because it’s too small. Tightly embrace this truth, “The Lord Loves Your Weakness”, for in your weakness, His strength brilliantly shines as YOUR redeemer! In the face of our nothing, He brings His everything to lavishly love and make new whatever we surrender in fullness to Him.

3) Often, a phrase my husband will repeat when we are in conflict, is, “I just don’t understand you.” My heart response is a quick, “You’re right! You don’t understand me!”. Similarly, on a broader scope, I look around at where I’ve landed in life, what I’ve accomplished (and what I haven’t), I see my losses, I wish for what I feel should have been, and I call out, “God, I just don’t understand!” You could have fixed this, or healed her, or rescued him, or given this, but You didn’t, Lord! It’s times like this, where the Spirit reminds me that, “You’re right! You don’t understand!”, but that’s okay. I am not called to understand, only to obey, and as I obey, the Lord God of the Universe will strengthen my eyes of faith and give courage to my heart to trust Him, and Him alone instead of me! The next time you feel yourself crying out your exasperation to the heavens, remember it’s okay that you don’t get it, or see all the pieces woven together. Choose trust.

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 John 16:33 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Prayer Journal
Father, thank You for teaching me recently of the constant presence of peace You faithfully provide. Like Peter walking on the water as long as he kept his eyes on you, so can I experience peace in the middle of the swirling, loud tumbling of life. Your presence did not leave Peter as he sank into the water, but he had chosen fear over faith. Lift my eyes again and again to Yours, my Father. Remind me on repeat that Your peace is always available. Teach my heart to worship, keep me humble, and increase my faith!

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! ~ Treasure 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) Fearfully and wonderfully made? Or flawed, broken, scarred, discarded, and of little value? See, we can’t hold both as being true, Sisters. They are too far apart. Can I tell you transparently I’ve held onto one set of phrases for the majority of my life while keeping the other set in the trash? And it nearly took my life. Apart from Jesus, our past, our sins, and our shame will forever weigh us down, keeping us far from wholeness and peace. But with Jesus, shame is gone, condemnation has no place, and truth is anchored deeply in our hearts. Fearfully and wonderfully made! You and me! Choose this day what you will believe, and carry it with you as you let truth define you!

2)  Every single believer is part of every other believer. We are connected, each to the other. Which means that when we choose to pull out and away from the Body of Christ in our local churches, we make a rippling impact on the effectiveness of our church. How we view ourselves, directly affects the health of our churches! How often do you feel called and empowered to dig deep and serve and engage in your local body? Truth? Regardless of how you feel, you are called to exactly this! Lean in to this truth, wear those robes of royalty as Daughter of the King, and love your local church! What can you begin doing even this weekend to make an intentional shift?!

3)  Extending the crown of Treasure to others, especially those we wouldn’t normally engage with, can feel uncomfortable, even intimidating. But consider, how comfortable was it for Christ to leave His throneroom of endless glory, be wrapped in finite, human flesh, live out the sufferable human life, and die a cruel, shameful death…all that we would become His treasures?! Unfathomable, isn’t it?! Truly, if this King of Kings would lay aside every rightful glory in order to love us more lavishly than we’ve ever known, surely we can step up and love another outside our own comfort zone! Start praying now, this moment, for who the Lord wants you to love lavishly!

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from Romans 12:3-5 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one. 4 Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, 5 in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another.

Prayer Journal
Father, as we close out this Journey Study of Treasure, sink the truths we’ve uncovered deep into the DNA of our souls. Remind us, Holy Spirit, who we are, who we are called to be, and how you see us as righteous, lovely, handcrafted intentional vessels of your glorious love. Remind us of the high calling You’ve placed on our everyday lives to love well, to hold tightly to truth, and declare your love to the world around us. We are not our own, Father. Praise You for that! We are all parts of another within Your wonderfully crafted Bride. Urge us to dig in, to serve, to care, to cheer on others, and point them ever closer to Your heart. Thank You for calling us Your most Treasured Ones!

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! ~ Open 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)  We all have ugly, difficult, frustrating places and scenarios playing out in our everyday lives, no matter how much we wish otherwise. What are yours? The annoying person you can’t seem to avoid, the coworker driving you insane, the family member who just does not get it, or even more deeply, the people who have hurt you, who continue throwing jabs, who choose to keep dragging you through the mud. Who are these for you? These are your messy places. And Jesus wants to bring hope to every person involved, infusing love and grace like we’ve never known to each circumstance. What if we were conduits for such love? Suppose we were exactly who Jesus wanted to use to expand His kingdom in these messy places. Are we willing to allow that?

2)  “There isn’t a person on earth who is unworthy of hearing the message of Jesus.” Yes? Maybe? It’s easy to read aloud or mentally agree with, isn’t it? Of course that statement is true! But, is that how we live? If it’s actually true, how far are we willing to go to share that message? Will we give generously? Will we keep on giving, even when we receive nothing, not even an honorable mention? As you survey the treasures you have around you in your home, your car, your bank account, or even your afternoon, begin seeing these as opportunities to build God’s Kingdom through generosity. Pray over these, asking the Lord to show you how to steward what you’ve been blessed with!

3)  The Land of Offense…we’ve all taken up residency here at various points in our lives. Betrayal. Hurtful words. Neglect. Manipulation. Abandonment. What drives you away to this place of offended and hurt? Go ahead and name the ones that are your most recent experiences with offense. Give yourself permission to feel that hurt and to know that the Lord God sees you and understands your feelings, the wound, the hurt, and wants to free you from it. We can exact no retribution on another that would slay them more deeply than an offering of love and forgiveness (with appropriate boundaries where necessary). This is not a love we can manufacture, but flows from the Spirit’s love inside of us. What would it look like to surrender your right to live in the Land of Offense and choose love instead?

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from 1 Corinthians 10:32-11:1 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Give no offense to Jews or Greeks or the church of God, just as I also try to please everyone in everything, not seeking my own benefit, but the benefit of many, so that they may be saved. Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.

Prayer Journal
Never do we see our own sin more clearly when we cast but a glance at Your glory and flawless love. Our offenses against You, a Holy and Righteous God, are as innumerable as the sand on the shores. Yet, You choose love over offense. You choose to generously give us Your righteousness when we have nothing to offer but our sin-wrecked selves. You give of Yourself freely to all regardless of any pre-requisite if we just trust You to be who You say You are. Lord, as You continuously treat us with such open generous love in every moment of waking or sleeping, urge us forward to treat others like this as well. Love the world through us, 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

Seeds Day 6 Never Alone

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Read His Words Before Ours!

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

Seeds, Day 6

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

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

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

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

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

I have never been victimized by the Lord.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Seeds Week Two! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

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

Tabernacle Day 14 Heart Work: 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 Heart work!

The Questions

1) Who is the “we” in this passage?  
 
2) What is John describing in verses 1-4?  

3) What comparison does John make in verses 5-10?

4) What do we learn about our choices in this passage?

1 John 1:1-10

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. 

5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 

Original Intent

1) Who is the “we” in this passage?
From this passage alone, we do not get any indication about who the exact recipients of this letter were or where they were located. Based on the contents of the letter, we know that John is speaking to believers that he knows very well because of the way he addresses them. (1 John 2:1) We also know there are issues of false teaching from within the Christian community plaguing this congregation. (1 John 2:18-19) 

2) What is John describing in verses 1-4?
John is telling his readers he has had first hand knowledge of Jesus. He saw Him, he touched Him, and he is now testifying about what he experienced. He is an eye witness of the life of Jesus and now professes these real-life truths so that others may come to know Him and fellowship in the body. (1 John 1:3) 

3) What comparison does John make in verses 5-10?
John uses the comparison of light and dark. This is a similar analogy he makes in the Gospel of John. In his comparison, God is light and the opposite of light is darkness, which is separation from God or that which stands in opposition to God.  

4) What do we learn about our choices in this passage?
John makes it very clear to the reader we have choice in the matter of light and dark. He says we choose to walk in the light or we choose to walk in the dark. If we choose light, “we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” If we choose darkness, we have no truth in us and we are liars. This is, according to John, the most simple form of the gospel, we either follow in light or we walk in darkness.  

Everyday Application

1) Who is the “we” in this passage? 
The exact audience of this passage is not known but as we read this today, the words of John are still just as true, therefore, John’s words serve as a wake-up call for all believers. When we witness and experience God’s greatness and walk in His light, we have fellowship with one another and put Him on display. The “we” in this passage could be defined as every person who aligns themselves with Christ.  

2) What is John describing in verses 1-4? 
John says in sharing His life-experience with Christ, his joy is made complete by watching others share in the same faith. We may not have seen Christ on this Earth, but we see His power every day and have opportunities to testify about the eternal life found in Him. John told his story, which is exactly what God is asking of us, to tell our story- His story- in our life. If you are interested in sharing that story of His transformation, consider encouraging other women by writing it out and letting God use it to reach others! Contact Dee at facesofgrace@gracefullytruthful.com for more info!  

3) What comparison does John make in verses 5-10?
We recognize light and dark. It is obvious when we walk into a dark house or a dark room just how overwhelming that darkness can be. Darkness plays tricks on our mind about what and who is in the room. When we can’t see the “truth” of the room, navigating through it is extremely difficult. One flip of a switch and the room illuminates, the truth of the what and who is in the room becomes obvious. John uses this light and dark illustration to make clear how God illuminates the dark spots of our heart; where God is, darkness cannot exist. When we confess our darkness before Him, the light floods just as if a switch had been flipped. “I once was blind, but now I see.” God’s truth, His light, His forgiveness, all bring fellowship and restoration to the hurting, dark spots of our life.  

4) What do we learn about our choices in this passage?
As a believer, in the power of the Holy Spirit, we must daily choose light. The shame of an un-righteous past, the brokenness of relationships, or the lure of addiction are no match for the power of God in our life. There is no darkness and no sin so great that God’s light cannot overcome. Choosing to put the darkness of our life before Him once and for all allow us to be transformed a little bit more into His perfect, beautiful likeness as we are refined by His truth. Darkness is pervasive, it is also a liar. It comes from the Father of Lies who stands in opposition to God and wants darkness to stay. Yet, God is faithful, even in our darkness, to be a beacon of light leading us into eternal relationship with Him.  

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

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 Tabernacle Week Three!
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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 :-))

Memorize It!

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