devotion

Fervent Day 6 The Zealous Prayer

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Read His Words Before Ours!

1 Corinthians 1:4-9
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
Philippians 4:4-7
Psalm 143:1-12

Fervent, Day 6

Fervent: “exhibiting or marked by great intensity of feeling: zealous” (Webster’s).

Do you know anyone who is fervent about something? I’m sure I can be fervent about a few topics. In this season of social and political turmoil, many people are quite fervent regarding their stance on certain issues, and equally as fervent against others.

However, we might not always consider our prayers to be fervent. Perhaps we’ve never viewed ourselves as fervent prayer warriors.

Saul of Tarsus was quite fervent in how he viewed Jesus and those who followed Him. His level of fervency didn’t change after his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus; it just shifted focus. Instead of being on fire to persecute and put to death those who believed and followed Christ (Acts 8:3), he became chief evangelist, encourager, and prayer warrior (Romans 15:18-21).

What can we learn from Paul and his prayers?

In his letters to the churches and to specific people, Paul opens with thanksgiving:

“But thanks be to God [. . . ]” (2 Corinthians 2:14-16)

“We always thank God for all of you, making mention of you constantly in our prayers [. . . ]” (1Thessalonians 1:2-3)

Looking beyond physical provisions or blessings, Paul expresses his deep gratitude to the Lord for the church, the people. While he often goes on to address their sin issues, he never confuses their choices with their identities. Paul’s exhortations to holy living are laced with reminders that recipients of the letters are cherished children of the King and co-laborers with Paul in the work of the kingdom.

Paul’s call for change and spiritual growth are followed by prayers for the believers to become more loving to each other and remain steadfast in their devotion to God. He wraps up the letters by extending grace, praying his brothers and sisters in Christ would be filled with hope and continued endurance in trials.

Beloved, what if we prayed fervently for our friends?
What if we prayed fervently for our neighbors?
Those in our churches?
The lost?

When we think of fervent prayer warriors, we often think of giants of the faith, long ago, who spent hours on their knees before God in prayer.

Or, we consider the vast amounts of time Paul devoted to prayer while imprisoned, which leads us to think, since we often don’t have that kind of time, we surely can’t pray as Paul did. While praying for hours at a time is a noble and wonderful activity, be assured, we can still be fervent in our prayers, even if we only have a minute or two!

We can begin right now! Who does the Holy Spirit bring to mind? How can you pray for them? They don’t even have to be struggling with anything.

Following Paul’s example, start by thanking the Lord for them.

If you know they are facing challenging circumstances, ask God to shine His light into their situation.

If they don’t believe in God, pray for them to know and receive the hope of salvation.

Now, pick an attribute of God and pray for them to experience it in an unprecedented way: provision, healing, comfort.

Paul knew the Scriptures: The Torah, the Law, the Prophets, the Psalms of David. Like Paul, let’s personalize the Word of God for our prayer subjects, or even for ourselves. The Psalms are especially useful here, because they are not only made up of celebration, but also lament and questioning. We now also have Paul’s letters and the rest of the New Testament to use as springboards for praying and bringing encouragement to others.

Model prayers are everywhere in the New Testament! Study His Words for yourself and give opportunity to grow deeper and learn the rhythms of fervent prayer.

1 Corinthians 1:1-9
I always thank my God for you because of the grace of God given to you in Christ Jesus, that you were enriched in Him in every way, in all speech and all knowledge. (verses 4-5)

2 Corinthians 1:1-11
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God. (verses 3-4)

Begin praying with praise, and continue with prayers of intercession on behalf of others that their love for God and one another will increase. Pray for them to be comforted, and to extend that comfort to others. Pray for them to know God deeply and be satisfied in Him.  with thanksgiving and closes by exhorting the Corinthian church to love and praying God fills them with comfort.

Numbers 6:22-26
May the Lord bless you and protect you;  may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; may the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace. (verses 24-26)

Ephesians 3:16-19
I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through His Spirit. (verse 16)

Take out a piece of paper and a pen and simply begin.
Written prayers are just as good as spoken.

Be encouraged!
Your prayers reach Heaven just as easily as Paul’s did!

Our Heavenly Father is ready to respond to our prayers as we lean into fervency and encouragement!

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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 Fervent 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 Fervent!

Sola Day 12 Soli Deo Gloria: 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 Soli Deo Gloria!

The Questions

1) How does verse 31 relate to the phrase “Soli Deo Gloria”?

2) Based on the context, what will be a by-product of doing “everything for the glory of God”?

3) What will be the end result of living a life that glorifies God and seeks the benefit of others?

1 Corinthians 10:31-32

“31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. 32 Give no offense to Jews or Greeks or the church of God, 33 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.”

Original Intent

1) How does verse 31 relate to the phrase “Soli Deo Gloria”?
A movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe gave rise to what is now called the “Protestant Reformation”. The phrase Soli Deo Gloria was one of the important doctrines emphasized among the Reformers, along with the other four solas. The “Five Solas” are five Latin phrases (or mottos) that arose during this time to summarize the Reformers’ convictions about the fundamentals and essential priorities of Christianity. Through these statements, they emphasized the subtle, but not so subtle, discrepancies between themselves and the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church at the time. Breaking down this one specific phrase, we relate it to what Paul was saying here in 1 Corinthians. 1) The Latin word soli is translated into the English word “alone” or “only”, (it is the root of our English word solitary); 2) the phrase Deo Gloria means “the glory of God.” Putting this phrase together into English translates as: “to the glory of God alone.” In the Greek, the end of the verse (τι ποιεῖτε, πάντα εἰς δόξαν θεοῦ ποιεῖτε.) translates into “all things to the glory of God do.” Within the context of this passage, Paul was telling the Corinthian church the purpose of their lives was not to satisfy or glorify themselves, but to be satisfied in and to glorify God. 

2) Based on the context, what will be a by-product of doing “everything for the glory of God”?
In verse 32, Paul says in doing everything we do as unto God and for His glory (instead of ourselves), we will be aware of what is offensive to our brothers and sisters in Christ. He is not talking about offending the legalism in others. Meaning, we are intended to use our freedom in Christ to lovingly serve each other, not puff ourselves up. We know this because of what he says is other passages (Galatians 5:11-15 ). If our motive and goal is the glory of God in our lives, we will walk in the way Jesus did. Everything He said and did was for God’s glory. (John 12:27-28, John 17:1-5 ) Nothing Jesus said or did was with a hidden agenda or motive. As the Son, Christ’s oneness with God the Father was evident in His sincere devotion to bring the Father the glory He deserved. In Philippians 2 Paul tells us Jesus always brought glory to the Father and for us to have this same attitude! “Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus …” This is a by-product of living a life to the glory of God.

3) What will be the end result of living a life that glorifies God and seeks the benefit of others?
If we took the first part of verse 33 out of context, we might tend to accuse Paul of being a “man pleaser”. That is why it is so important for us to dig into the scriptures – verses within chapters within books. An overall look at Paul’s writing tells us he lived and preached with a single-minded passion and devotion to Christ alone. And that passion drove his mission. He tried to put into practice what he taught about Christ’s sacrificial life and death by putting the wellbeing of others first. Paul did not want any of his own attitudes or actions, even those which would be considered morally indifferent, to create barriers between himself and those he desired to see receive the gracious message of the gospel. Paul wanted the Corinthian Christians to be delivered from anything that kept them from walking fully in their salvation or from growing spiritually. (Colossians 1:24-27) In the following chapter, Paul went on to say that as long as he imitated Christ, they could use his life as an example of how to live. (11:1) Their spiritual salvation and growth was of utmost importance. That is why Paul lived fully and solely for God’s glory. (Romans 1:5)

Everyday Application

1) How does verse 31 relate to the phrase “Soli Deo Gloria”?
Pastor David Platt said, “God should be God-centered. Who else should He center around? There is nothing greater than Him, nothing more delightful than Him, nothing more glorious than Him, nothing more worthy of exaltation than Him. He is God! If He were to exalt anything or anyone else above Himself, He would not be the God worthy of all exaltation.” Soli Deo Gloria is the single reason for every one of the other solas. (Five Solas – TGC Course ) Only by the grace of God do we put our in faith in the Christ who is revealed in the Scriptures and Who is our only hope of eternal salvation. So, whatever we say or think or do, in all of life, we filter it through the glory of God. As our words and thoughts and actions are set in light of His glory, we are able to proceed in freedom. Then we give Him even more glory for the grace we have received to desire to live that way. (Titus 2:11-14 )

2) Based on the context, what will be a by-product of doing “everything for the glory of God”?
Using himself as an example, Paul refers to the characteristics and teachings that were known to the Corinthians. They knew of Paul’s life and the gospel he preached. (Acts 18:8) His lifelong pursuit was to glorify Christ in all things. Paul was not afraid to proclaim the exclusivity of Christ by which we must be saved, and for that he suffered greatly. (Acts 26:19-23) But here, he was cautious not to alarm the prejudices of the Corinthians who were hearing his message. With the sole purpose of bringing glory to God, Paul saw no reason to needlessly provoke those who might oppose his message. (1 Corinthians 9:19-23) We should all practice such living, to the glory and fame of God.  As followers of Jesus, we appeal to those around us, without pretense or self-promotion, by our own example of faithful living. By living consistently for the glory of God, we long for others to be moved toward the gospel because of our lives of self-denial and holiness, by the way we walk and talk, and by our genuine love for them.

3) What will be the end result of living a life that glorifies God and seeks the benefit of others?
Soli Deo Gloria has everything to do with our salvation in Christ. When the Reformers boldly proclaimed that our salvation was “to the glory of God alone,” they highlighted the grace of God. When we share the gospel of grace, that our salvation is not based on our works (Ephesians 2:4-9), we are declaring the glory of the Lord “so that no one can boast”.  Living a life that glorifies God preaches the gospel with actions as we confess it with words. When we point to God alone as worthy of worship, we will denounce all human pride and boasting and will live our lives for the sake of others’ salvation.
“God has saved us for His glory among the nations, so let us live for God’s glory among the nations. The spread of God’s global glory is not just for missionaries, and it’s not just another program in the church. Global mission is the purpose of your life. Everything you have been given in your life – your breath, your salvation, your family, your gifts, your resources, your position – everything you have, you’ve been given for this reason: the spread of God’s global glory.” (Pastor David Platt)

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
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Catch up with Soli Deo Gloria!

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!
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Our Current Study Theme!

This is Sola 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!

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

The GT Weekend! Bride 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) Take time to process where you are with the Lord.
Are you in a season of running away from Him? What has brought you to this place? Lay those at the feet of Jesus, He welcomes you with open arms.
Are you walking in step with Him? What has brought you to this place? Ask Him to protect you from the snares of the evil one.  

2) In 2 Corinthians 5:16-20, Paul paints a beautiful picture of what happens when we surrender to His will. Our hearts are completely changed; made new. Our previous identity is completely gone, not simply tweaked. God reconciles us back to Himself and then asks us to draw others into reconciliation with Him as well. Read through this passage and mark the cause/effect situations. Leave your previous identity behind and be made new!  

3) God is jealous after you, dear sister. He wants your time, your devotion, your praise to be His and His alone. Make several lists of how you are using your time, who you worship, and who you give the glory to. Pray over these lists and see where you can adjust your eyes even more carefully to God.  

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 Isaiah 40:6b-8 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.
7The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. 8The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God endures forever.” 

Prayer Journal
O God, by whom the meek are guided in judgment, and
light riseth up in darkness for the godly: Grant us, in all
our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what thou
wouldest have us to do, that the Spirit of wisdom may save
us from all false choices, and that in thy light we may see
light, and in thy straight path may not stumble; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Direct us, O Lord, in all our doings with thy most gracious
favor, and further us with thy continual help; that in all our
works begun, continued, and ended in thee, we may glorify
thy holy Name, and finally, by thy mercy, obtain everlasting
life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
From the Book of Common Prayers https://www.bcponline.org/  

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

Brave Day 2
Practicing Bravery: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days...are a pretty big deal at GT!

We search God's Word together, ask questions as we read, dig around to find the original intentions at the time of writing, and then make some applications to our everyday lives.
Along the way, we hope you'll pick up some new tools to study Scripture and you'll see truth in a new and accessible way!

Dig In!

The Passage

Looking for yesterday’s Journey Post? Check out Practicing Bravery!

1 Timothy 4:7-8 English Standard Version (ESV)

7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; 8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

The Questions

1) What are the myths that are referred to in verse 7?

2) Why is training for godliness better than physical training?

3) How does a person train for godliness?

The Findings for Intention

1) The NASB translates “irreverent and silly myths” as “worldly fables fit only for old women.” The KJV has “profane and old wives’ tales.” The original Greek word actually means old womanish or silly. So the idea here is that Timothy is not to spend his time on things that are not biblical. Whether it’s false teaching, gossip, or unbiblical self-help books, there are tons of things competing for a godly person’s attention. Instead, we are to train ourselves to be godly.

2) Verse 8 answers this question—physical discipline helps us only in this life, but godliness helps us in every way both now and in the life to come.

3) Training in the form of physical exercise was valued in the Roman world, so the imagery of an athlete training for competition is used throughout the New Testament. Paul urges Timothy to train, or discipline himself toward godliness. Godliness has the definition of reverence, respect, or piety (devotion). Timothy is to increase his reverence and devotion to God. This only happens when we put our minds to study the truth found in Scripture, when we pray, and when we learn to listen to the Holy Spirit’s guidance.

The Everyday Application

1) This phrase “irreverent and silly myths” makes me want to be sure that I am focusing only on truth! Be like the Bereans, who “received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” (Acts 17:11) Later, in chapter 6:11-21, Paul urges Timothy again to avoid “irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge.”” There are so  many “good sounding voices” that can call us away from the most important focus: the gospel of Christ. We must devote ourselves to studying the truth, living the truth, and loving others with the truth. Everything else is just noise and not worth building the foundation of our lives upon!

2) Although physical fitness is important, many people spend much more time exercising than they do pursuing holiness. Still others neglect both disciplines! Do my priorities reflect that I believe godliness is important? In 1 Corinthians 9:19-27, Paul talks about how he literally shapes his life to be gospel-sharing-focused as he again uses the comparison to physical training. He charges us to be disciplined and self-controlled as we use our everyday lives to share Jesus. Does this describe my life? Take a quick inventory and jot it down on paper to get a good look. How have you shaped your life to make sharing Jesus and living the gospel your number one priority? In what areas will you ask the Spirit to teach you more discipline?

3) Which area of your “godliness training” regimen could use some improvement? Ask God to help you discern what He would have you do this week to increase your reverence and devotion to Him—and then commit to following His leading. Remember that small shifts in our everyday moments, make huge impacts over time!

I Can Do That!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read through it (always more than a verse or two).
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!

The Community!

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

The Tools!

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources.  Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom! It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.

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. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage? 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 :-))

The Why!

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.

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

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
See all past studies in Brave!