Gracefully Truthful
  • Register!
    • GT Journey Groups
  • Today’s Journey
  • Previous Journeys
  • Faces of Grace
  • GT Bookstore
  • Our Mission
    • Our Beliefs
    • GT Partners
      • Audra
      • Dee
      • Donna
      • Merry
      • Michelle
      • Rebecca
      • Sarah
      • Sara Melissa
    • Translations Matter

desires

Focus Day 10 A Holy Submission

August 30, 2019 by Audra Watson Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

James 4:1-12
Proverbs 6
Ephesians 5:15-21
Philippians 2:4-8

Focus, Day 10

Romance.
For as long I can remember I’ve fantasied about meeting ‘the one’.

In my fantasy, I would be in a crowded café. A breathtaking man would walk in and catch my eye. He would be tall and handsome with piercing blue eyes. On seeing me, he’d make eye contact and suddenly, it would feel as if we knew each other.
Entirely enamored, he would stop everything to make his way towards me.
He would introduce himself and then we’d spend the next few hours talking, forgetting all our plans for the day. We’d then agree to go out on a date, a date that would be incredible and unforgettable. We would laugh and talk the evening away, getting to know each other. We would quickly decide to begin a relationship and have many more dates just like the first. I would be so excited to introduce him to my family and friends and they would quickly fall in love with him. Soon, we would get married and start a family happily ever after……

…..but that’s not what happened

When he met my friends and family, they said they didn’t like him and that I didn’t know him.
I couldn’t believe it! He was the man of my dreams!
Why was this going horribly wrong?

To make it worse, my family began advising me to break things off.
But I simply couldn’t get away from the hold he had on me.
Like a spider casting his web, this man had entangled his prey: me.
I was stuck in his web, and every time I pulled to get away, the closer to death I felt.

This is exactly what it’s like when we flirt with the enemy of our souls.
He preys on our dreams and desires and instead of fulfillment, he takes us down a path we never wanted to go, a pathway to death.

These pathways, while seemingly charming and harmless, do not reflect God’s heart…
Adultery James 4:1
Friendship with the world James 4:4
Wars and fights James 4:4

On paper, these paths are obviously dangerous, yet our feet are often quick to walk them.

In Proverbs 6:27-28 we see how not only is flirting with the enemy and his lies not beneficial, but also exceedingly harmful,
“Can a man carry fire next to his chest
and his clothes not be burned?
Or can one walk on hot coals
and his feet not be scorched?”

The scheming lies of the enemy’s enticements are subtle and sweet.
It’s the slow process of believing small lies until, before you know it,
you find yourself living a life you never wanted.

Small, seemingly harmless decisions that lead towards enemy territory,
are nothing more than sugar-coated sins
causing us to break unity with God and His people.

The good news?!
With God’s divine wisdom, we can avoid the traps so well placed by the enemy.
The answer is submission.

Submission happens when we willing choose to place ourselves
under the authority of another person.

To me, submission is like peroxide.
When applied it to a cut, peroxide burns and stings, leaving me afraid to use it, but I still pour it on my wound because it brings healing. Just the same, submitting to the Lord brings healing and does the Body of Christ (the Church) good.

Submission to the Lord……
brings unity among believers, (Ephesians 2)
opens the pathway for us to be made new in Christ, and (Ephesians 4)
is done in reverence to God from hearts that have been awakened by Him. (Ephesians 5:15-21)

When we submit to the Lord, we are effectively saying,
“I’m willing to stop listening to the enemy’s lies about my happiness.
Instead, I’m choosing Your (God’s) wisdom over mine.”

When we choose to submit our lives to the Lord, we have the ability through the Holy Spirit, to engage in the lifestyle of mutual submission with others around us as we actively walk away from the enemy and onto the solid ground of wisely reflecting God’s heart.

What does this wisdom look like practically?
It’s a wife respecting and honoring her husband,
even when her husband isn’t loving her the way she wants or even needs.

It’s a parent taking time to care for a child,
even when their own wants and needs are needing attention.

It’s an employee showing up and working to the best of their ability,
even when their boss isn’t kind or reasonable.

It’s children obeying a parent,
even when that parent doesn’t perfectly emulate the parent God has designed them to be.

It’s a husband taking time to learn and love his wife like Christ loves the church,
even when he struggles to understand her and feels disrespected and not heard.

Walking wisely as we mutually submit to one another is not choosing the easy path.
But it is choosing the path that honors God, others, and reflects God’s heart of radical love.

Don’t flirt with death, becoming entangled in lies, instead purpose to walk wisely by choosing God’s path for life!

How are you engaging in mutual submission?
What areas can you improve in submission?
I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!

Ready for more? Dig Deeper!
Join us for every Journey Study by signing up!
Looking for yesterday’s Journey Study?
Share your thoughts from today’s Study!

Don’t miss today’s Digging Deeper!     And we’d love to hear your thoughts from today’s Journey!    Comment Here!

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 Focus Week Two! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
Click the above image for today’s Digging Deeper!

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

Posted in: Focus, God, Healing, Love, Relationship, Unity Tagged: desires, dreams, heart, holy, reflective, romance, Submission

Tabernacle Day 3 Relationship Rules

June 20, 2018 by Sarah Young Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Deuteronomy 11:22-28
Psalm 51:16-17
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Micah 6:6-8
Luke 10:25-28 

Tabernacle, Day 3

Don’t play in the street.
Don’t touch the stove.
Don’t climb on the bookshelves. 

Sometimes, kids think all parents say is NO.
As my girls are growing up, they have commented how I am mean or never let them do anything fun.
Of course, they are exaggerating, and as adults we laugh at their limited perspective. 

But then we do the same thing to God.
We complain about all the RULES.
We think He’s trying to take away all our fun; when in reality, He desires our good. 

Just like we want to keep our children safe, God wants to protect us. Just as we LOVE our little ones and long to watch them grow and learn, God wants that intimate RELATIONSHIP with us too.  After all, we ARE His children! 

In Hebrews we are reminded that God’s discipline is not only for our GOOD, but so that we can“share in God’s holiness!” In the book’s thirteen chapters, the author proves how JESUS provides a NEW and better way to relate to God.  

We see without a doubt that God longs for us to know Him deeply and personally.  This RELATIONSHIP then transforms us.  All we do stems from our love for God, in response to His love for us. 

In the Old Testament, God established a covenant with the nation of Israel. 
He provided them with rules covering EVERY single aspect of their daily lives.
We can easily get “stuck” reading through Leviticus, with all the regulations regarding what they could eat, what they could wear, how they could cut their hair, what days they could work.  Not to mention all the offerings they had to bring and the exact ways they needed to be prepared and presented.

We might start to think God is pretty legalistic, and demanding.
We are mistaken. 

Look DEEPER… 

As the Israelites made their way from Egypt to Canaan, they set up a Tabernacle every time they camped.  There, God dwelt AMONG them. 

This was VERY different from the distant gods the pagan people of the land worshipped.  

God DID give specific instructions for building of the Tabernacle, both in material and directions for construction. He also laid out clear directives for how to worship and even enter the Tabernacle. (See Exodus 25 to 30! Yes, it took 6 chapters for all the instructions!) 

Again, we might look at all these rules and picture God as a domineering dictator. We would be very, very WRONG! 

The Israelites were coming from Egypt, where people worshipped gods galore. 

Pharaoh himself was considered a god, but even he prayed to the gods of fertility, agriculture, astrology, knowledge, magic, and the afterlife.
In all, the Egyptians had over 40 false gods, each one demanding sacrifices in return for their favor and blessing. 

When the Israelites escaped after 400 years of slavery and made their way to Canaan, they were bombarded with new false deities.  

While the Israelites had a transportable Tabernacle, the people of Canaan had elaborate temples where gods and goddesses were worshipped.  Just as these temples were in the center of the city, life revolved around pleasing one deity after another.  

The people were at the mercy of the gods, hoping they sacrificed enough, but never knowing for sure how the gods would respond.  

The Canaanites went to great lengths in attempt to earn the gods’ favor, including severe fasting, mutilating themselves, and even sacrificing their children.  

God, in His GOODNESS, was working to protect His people from this awful lifestyle of emptiness and brokenness.
He offered a very DIFFERENT way to worship;
He offered a RELATIONSHIP! 

God is NOT a dictator. 
In Deuteronomy 30, God reminds the Israelites of their CHOICE to obey and be blessed, or turn away and experience His discipline. 

Unlike the deities of the time, GOD made it VERY clear what He expected, and ALWAYS followed through on His promises to bless His people when they obeyed. 

Thousands of years have passed since the days of the Tabernacle, but we have the same opportunity to CHOOSE to “love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.”  

As we give ourselves to God, we are delighted to discover that we are
NOT regulated by a long list of do’s and don’ts.
Rather, LOVE is the ONE “rule” we live by. 

With Christ, we aren’t left wondering if we’ve “done enough.”
We rest in knowing that HE did all of the work for us.
When He died in our place, paying the debt we owed because of our sin and giving in exchange His completed, perfect righteousness to us, HE finished the work on our behalf. 

From Genesis to Revelation, we see a beautiful story of redemption as the Creator God reaches out to US so that we can KNOW Him and become like Him. 

What about YOU?
God is inviting YOU to be in RELATIONSHIP with Him,
to let Him transform HOW you live and ultimately WHO you are.
Will you let God’s rule bring your freedom TODAY? 

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

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

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

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

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

Posted in: Dwell, God, Holiness, Jesus, Love, Provider, Relationship, Sacrifice, Strength, Transformation, Uncategorized, Worship Tagged: complain, desires, God, love, protect, relationship, rules, tabernacle

Social

Follow GT!

Questions or Comments?

Contact@gracefullytruthful.com

RSS Gracefully Truthful

  • Follow Day 12 Question, Follow, Faith: Digging Deeper January 19, 2021
    The Bible tells us we’re all sinners, not one of us is righteous. (Romans 3:9) None of us will attain to God’s level of holiness on our own without Jesus. We don’t even know what we should pray for and need the Spirit’s help to pray correctly! (Romans 8:26) In contrast, God is perfect! The […]
    Ann Hale

Copyright © 2021 Gracefully Truthful.

Lifestyle WordPress Theme by themehit.com