healing

The GT Weekend! ~ Questions 2 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) There is a pervasive and insidious lie in our culture today: people are basically good. Many of us believe this lie (to some extent) without even knowing it. We live as though we can make ourselves “good enough” and acceptable to the people around us, and ultimately to God. Shining light on this deception, God’s word reveals to us our need for a Savior by showing us how sinful we actually are. Without the work of Jesus, all our “good works” are like dirty rags (Isaiah 64:6). We need Him to cleanse us from our sins and make us right with God as only He can do because He is both fully divine and fully human. It is only through a relationship with Jesus we can find righteousness and be made whole. Consider today, dear sister, if there are areas in your life where you have convinced yourself you can make yourself good enough. Where have you denied God’s power in an attempt to fix yourself? What would it look like to invite Jesus into the broken places, and accept the truth that only He can make you right with God? Ask God to show you where you need His healing presence, and ask Him to help you accept His grace in the process.

2) How many times have we treated prayer like a cosmic vending machine? “If You give me X, then I will do Y.” Or “I will give anything if Your will just…” fill in the blank. It can be tempting in our moments of deepest longing and desperation to believe God is holding out on us or that we know better than He does. But in reality, God loves to give good gifts to His children. He doesn’t give half-baked plans or empty hope; He gives good and perfect gifts. What are you waiting for? Perhaps you are waiting for a husband, or a child, or a promotion at work. Maybe you are waiting for clarity for the next step you are supposed to take in life. How are you talking to God about those things? Have you fully surrendered your desires and trusted His goodness over your limited perspective? Or are you demanding, and attempting to manipulate, God into giving you the desires of your heart? Take some time to consider what it means that God gives good gifts. Be honest with God about your desires, then ask Him to give you a heart fully surrendered to His will.

3) What a wonderful thought that our God needs nothing! He is fully sufficient and does not rely on anyone or anything to help Him. While this thought can rightfully wound our pride, it should bring us comfort knowing He is fully self-sufficient. This truth frees Him to willfully choose to love us without condition! Our God loves us so much He chose to suffer and die for us, even though He was under no obligation to do so. What beautiful, breathtaking love! As the children’s song goes, “Jesus loves me, this I know!”. Not only does He love us, He also desires us. He desires a deep relationship with us, and He invites us to respond to His call. How will you respond? Where do you need His helping hand in your life? (Hint: everywhere!) Do you need to turn from your sin, and believe in Him for the first time? Do you need reassurance of His love for you? Do you need help overcoming sin and shame in your life? Do you need His enabling hand to help you walk in obedience to what He is calling you to? Write down one or two specific ways you know you need Jesus. Ask Him to be your Helper, and then walk in obedience to Him. Our all-sufficient God is delighted to sustain you!

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 Philippians 4:4-7 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Prayer Journal
How great is Your love for me, oh God! You came down so low that I might be made right with You. You did not save me because of Your need, but because of Your love and desire to have a relationship with me, even though I had nothing to offer. Help me to constantly remember my need for You. Help me to abide in Your love through obedience to Your word. I acknowledge I so often fall short. I see my need when I sin against my friends, my neighbors, my family, and against You. I see my need when insecurity and self-sufficiency rule my thoughts. I see my need when I try to be good and fail. Please forgive me for my arrogance, and draw me into a closer relationship with You. Show me where I am still trying to do things on my own, and help me to trust in Your sufficiency. You are my only hope in life and death. Help me to rely on You in all things.

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! ~ Follow 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) Children seem to be born to ask questions. Day in and day out, they are curious about the world and how it works, so they ask! But as children grow older, sometimes their questions can move from curiosity to challenging and disrespecting others. As we seek to learn more about the Lord,our questions can reveal our heart posture toward Him. Take a moment to think about the questions you have been asking God lately. Are you asking Him for guidance? Maybe you are questioning why certain things have happened in your life or the lives of loved ones. Have you been questioning His character or motivations? Write down some of the questions you find yourself asking lately or the questions that keep coming up in your life. Consider what these questions reveal about your heart. Are you seeking to know God, or justify yourself?Are you asking questions to get at the heart of God’s will or to protect your own will? How do you respond to the answers God gives (or chooses not to give)? Are you content with His ways, even when they are not your ways? Take some time to reflect on your questions and your heart attitude. Confess where you have fallen short, and ask God to continue to reveal His character to you.

2) Have you ever feared surrendering fully to God because you worried it would mean packing up and moving across the world? Or maybe you anxiously wondered if surrender would be equated with sudden poverty. Go ahead and take a minute to think about your pre-conceived ideas surrounding fully relinquishing all parts of your heart and life to Christ. Which areas is the Spirit bringing quickly to mind? You know, the ones you push away firmly and discount! (I know, because I’m doing the same thing!) Be willing to hold these close for a moment. Why do you fear surrender? Do you truly have control in this moment anyway? Do you truly believe the Lord is kind and good toward you at all times? Even in surrender? Consider the man living in the graveyard from Wednesday’s Journey Study. Ravaged by demons who sought to destroy him, this man was as good as dead to everyone who knew him. In what way do you see that your sin renders you to the graveyard like this man? Jesus brought healing, instant forgiveness, and sanity to a hopeless situation and the man’s response was a pleading for Jesus to take him away with Him. The man was seemingly willing to surrender everything about his home and family to follow Christ, but Jesus sent him home. Sometimes, well, often times, surrender doesn’t look like we expect, but Jesus knows precisely the best path to accomplish our obedient following. Are we willing to go?

3) Friday’s Journey Study closes with the question, “Where might God be calling us to use what He’s already given us for His glory?” As we looked at the character of Lydia, we saw a woman who was intentionally putting herself in a place to be exposed to the Word of God, even when it was potentially uncomfortable. Then, after hearing His Word, she responded in obedience. What steps do you need to take to be like Lydia? Are you making space in your life to hear the Word? This will look different in different seasons of life. Maybe you don’t have time to sit and read chapters at a time, but can you make time to listen to a chapter or two of Scripture while you make your lunch? Or maybe you do have time to read. Are you stewarding that time well? When you hear His word, are you responding in obedience, taking what you have learned and applying it to your life? Make time this week to truly evaluate your habits. Write down a plan for how you will make time to sit under God’s Word, and then how you remember to apply what He teaches you. Trust that He will bless the time you show up to learn from Him.

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 Mark 8:34-35 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

And calling the crowd to Him with His disciples, He said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.

Prayer Journal
Gracious God and Savior, You are so good to us. I will never cease to be amazed by Your patience and kindness toward me. Even in my doubts and questions, You are steady. Even when I demand my own way, You are forgiving. Even when I drift from You, You bring me back and welcome me with open arms. I know I fall short of Your standards. Thank You for making a way for me to be made right with You. Thank You for being able to withstand my questions. Thank You for being trustworthy as I submit my will to Yours. Thank You for being a God who draws near. Help me, oh Father, to be steadfast. Help me to learn from my questions, to humble my heart, and to draw near to You. Help me to not grow weary in doing good, but to seek You out in every area of my life. Let my life bring glory to You in every way.

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

Follow Day 6 A Time To Act

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Nehemiah 1:1-2:5
Nehemiah 4:1-14
Nehemiah 6:15-16
Luke 10:30-37

Follow, Day 6

Life seemed to be going well for Nehemiah. As cupbearer to the Persian king, he was in a well-paid and influential position. He was highly respected, trusted enough to be privy to the king’s most important conversations, and even responsible for the king’s life. For a Jew in exile, his success was remarkable.

Yet when his brother arrives with news from Jerusalem, Nehemiah’s heart breaks.

After years of displacement, the Jewish people have finally been freed from captivity and permitted to return home, but all is not going well. Although the people are back in their land, the city walls remain in ruins and the gates have been burned to the ground. They are “in great trouble and disgrace.” (Nehemiah 1:3)

Presumably, Nehemiah’s success in Susa had led him to remain there, rather than choosing to return to Jerusalem, but the impact of his brother’s words is profound, revealing the concern Nehemiah still has for his homeland and people.

“When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for a number of days, fasting and praying before the God of the heavens.” (Nehemiah 1:4)

His prayer is passionate and heartfelt, appealing to God’s unfailing love and pleading for restoration.

Nehemiah’s compassion for the Jewish people and his grief over their situation also prompt him to act, and he asks God to grant him the king’s favour.

It is not until five months later that his opportunity comes, but it is clear the situation in Jerusalem has remained on his mind and in his heart. On this particular day, the depth of his sorrow becomes evident to the king, and as Nehemiah begins to explain the situation and request the king’s help, he demonstrates he has also thought through the details. He has a plan to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and he knows exactly what he will need from the king to turn his vision into reality.

It is a costly plan, one which means leaving the luxury of the palace to go on a long and arduous journey. It will involve effort and sacrifice.

Yet there seems to be no doubt in Nehemiah’s mind his passion and calling have come from God, and he knows his plan will only succeed by God’s grace. His compassion for the Jewish people and his desire for restoration mean he is willing to follow wherever God leads.

What about you? Is there a situation where you feel sorrow and compassion? A longing for justice or restoration?

Often, that’s a sign God is moving.

For me, one of those areas of compassion is women who have experienced childhood sexual abuse. It breaks my heart to see the wounds inflicted on so many, and I long to point them to hope in Jesus and to see restoration. This passion has built over the years, even when I had no idea what to do with it. As with Nehemiah, it has involved seeking God, praying about each step, and waiting for the right moment.

One day, as I listened to the parable of the Good Samaritan, the familiar story struck me in a fresh way.  Just like the Samaritan, I was moved by compassion to take action, to do what I could to help the bruised and the broken, to be willing to inconvenience myself to help them to a place of healing. I knew I had to find a way.

Eventually, I completed a mentor training course with Journey to Heal Ministries and launched the programme in my church. Like Nehemiah before the king, I was terrified. It is difficult to raise a topic no one wants to talk about yet, I couldn’t let go of the call to “speak up for those who have no voice.” (Proverbs 31:8)

And like Nehemiah, I experienced God’s favour. I was able to begin mentoring someone straight away and I witnessed God’s healing power. Others came forward to offer help and support in various ways, and I saw God at work in ways I would never have imagined . . .

. . . And then COVID . . .

As I write, it has been six months since lockdown restrictions paused our work, and it may be several more months before it can resume.

In some ways, it’s comforting to recognise Nehemiah faced challenges, too. In his case, the difficulties came not from a global pandemic, but from people who opposed the rebuilding.  As soon as the work began, so did the mocking and reviling, and it continued throughout the rebuilding process.

Yet Nehemiah persevered. Despite facing ridicule, mocking, and even death threats, he was determined to keep looking to God and he encouraged the people to do the same. (Nehemiah 4:14)

He kept taking the next small step of obedience and,
one brick at a time, the wall was built.

What a day that must have been when, after 52 days of hard work (not to mention the months of prayer and preparation), the wall was finally finished!

Following God brings no guarantee of an easy life or a straightforward path, but Nehemiah’s story encourages us to keep seeking God for the next step, to follow where He leads, and to trust He will bring to completion the work He has begun.

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Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Follow 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 Follow!

Blessed Day 4 Blessed Are Those Who Mourn: 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 Blessed Are Those Who Mourn!

The Questions

1) What events caused King David to mourn so deeply before the Lord?

2) Matthew 5:4 says, “Blessed are those who mourn…” What blessing was David praying for?

3) How did God comfort David?

Psalm 51:6-13

Surely you desire integrity in the inner self,
and you teach me wisdom deep within.
7 Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Turn your face away from my sins
and blot out all my guilt.

10 God, create a clean heart for me
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not banish me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore the joy of your salvation to me,
and sustain me by giving me a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach the rebellious your ways,
and sinners will return to you.

Original Intent

1) What events caused King David to mourn so deeply before the Lord?
The prophet Nathan came to David one day telling him a story of two men: One poor, the other rich. The rich man had many sheep, but the poor man had only one lamb. The lamb was dear to the family and loved like a pet. One day, the rich man had a visitor and he needed to serve him dinner. But rather than slaughtering one of his own sheep, he took the poor man’s sheep and served it to his guest. When King David heard this story, he was furious. Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man!’” (2 Samuel 12:7-9) The whole sordid story can be found in 2 Samuel 11-12. When Nathan confronted David with his sin, David was immediately mournful and confessed his sin before God. David wasn’t repentant because he had been caught in his sin, but he realized he had sinned against God. His fellowship with God had been severed; this is what caused his great mourning.

2) Matthew 5:4 says, “Blessed are those who mourn…” What blessing was David praying for?
David’s sin was crushing his soul during this time. He must have been relieved to be found out and his sin exposed because this is when healing of our hearts can begin. In the many months between the time when David committed these sins and his confession, he had not escaped the sense of sin, it was always before him. (verse 3) He could not escape his sinfulness. He was miserable in his sin, as a child of God should be. (Guzik) When Nathan confronted him, he became very aware of the heaviness of heart that had been there all along. He knew his body ached to have that fellowship once again with the Father. In Psalm 32:3-4, David writes, “When I kept silent, my bones became brittle from my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was drained as in the summer’s heat.” David desired to be cleansed from his sin and his sin blotted out. He wanted to be able to rejoice in the Lord once again. (Psalm 51:7-9). Again, we see in Psalm 32, he wrote of how good it is to be forgiven. “How joyful is the one whose transgression is forgiven; whose sin is covered! How joyful is a person whom the Lord does not charge with iniquity and in whose spirit is no deceit!”

3) How did God comfort David?
God comforted David foremost by returning His Spirit to David. His spirit was made right with God giving him the fellowship he desired once again. Though his son would die, God did not take Bathsheba away from him; indeed, their second son, Solomon, became the next king of Israel and God allowed Solomon the privilege of building the temple. God kept his promise to keep David’s family in the throne of Israel. David had a third son with Bathsheba, Nathan, who is the son in which the line of David (through Mary) would bring Jesus into the World. (Luke 3:23-38) What a comfort to have a new spirit, David was once again willing to serve God as He prescribed. David was again able to teach others about the joy of salvation and to sing of His righteousness and declare God’s praise. And ultimately, draw others to God.

Everyday Application

1) What events caused King David to mourn so deeply before the Lord?
The prophet Nathan came to David and confronted him about his sin. And David mourned. While we may have leaders or friends we are accountable to, more deeply, we have the Holy Spirit living within every believer, guiding our actions and convicting us of sin. If we are in tune with the Spirit, we mourn when we realize we have allowed sin to creep into our lives. The Apostle Paul mourned at his inability to please God. He wrote how we all know what is right, but we don’t do it. (Romans 7:14-25) Just as David cried out in Psalm 51, so did Paul cry out his mournful repentance. We also struggle with our carnal nature in keeping God’s law. C.S. Lewis said, “No man knows how bad he is until he has tried to be good.” (Enduring Word, Romans 7) But Praise God! “His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” (2 Peter 1:3) After we are saved, the Holy Spirit dwells in us, guides us, and convicts us of sin. We could not follow Jesus without His power. However, we cannot experience His power without totally yielding to Him. From the moment of spiritual birth, the Holy Spirit indwells, or resides in, every Christian. But to be controlled by the Holy Spirit, we must, as an act of our wills, completely surrender our lives in obedience to Christ. (Vonette Bright, CRU, Campus Crusade for Christ)

2) Matthew 5:4 says, “Blessed are those who mourn…” What blessing was David praying for?
The Apostle Paul shares with us in Romans 5:1-5 some of the blessings of our salvation.
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have also obtained access through him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we boast in the hope of the glory of God… But where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness, resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:20-21 There is no greater blessing than the joy found in forgiveness. Bill Gaither wrote, “Oh the joy that floods my soul!” A new song bubbles up with joy in our heart when we are forgiven and cleansed forever. And the Victory! He sought me and bought me with His redeeming blood! (Bartlett). What a treasure we have in this wonderful peace… For I’m kept from all danger by night and by day, And His glory is flooding my soul!” (Cornel) What a blessing to be found in Christ. Have you found the joy of salvation? Have you mourned over your sin and repented to God?

3) God comforted David. How does God comfort us?
The Holy Spirit is our Comforter. When we sin against God and hurt others, it is as if we can’t breathe. I remember times when I have hurt others, I was afraid to go to them and confess. I feared their rejection and possible retaliation. But once I confessed and received that forgiveness, I could breathe again. My fear disappeared; my heart was comforted in the restoration of fellowship and a wonderful peace overtook my spirit. While believers never need to fear that the Holy Spirit will be removed from us, He is our permanent seal, our fellowship with God through the Spirit can be estranged and broken by our sin.
Yesterday, in her Journey Study, Lori said, “on the other side of mourning are abundant blessings.” Revelation 21:4 reminds us, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more.”  Our vision is clouded by the sin we allow to persist by not fully addressing it or trying to excuse it. But if we are faithful to humble ourselves (I mean true, honest to goodness, on-our-knees-humbling ourselves) before God, then He is faithful to wipe away our tears and forgive our sin (1 John 1:9).  What a comfort to be completely forgiven and filled with His Spirit. And what an even greater comfort on the day when He wipes away every tear from our eyes forever!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Blessed Are Those Who Mourn!

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

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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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Neighbor Day 14 Wounded One: 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 Wounded One!

The Questions

1) Who is the expert on the law and what does he want to know?

2) According to this parable, who is my neighbor?

3) What can be learned from Jesus’ illustration?

Luke 10:25-37

25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Original Intent

1) Who is the expert on the law and what does he want to know?
Luke simply identifies this man as an expert of the law. We don’t know his exact job or role, but we do know he would have been well versed in the law of Moses, or the Torah, which are the first 5 books of the Bible. He comes to Jesus wanting to know how to gain eternal life. He was likely looking for a checklist of what he needed to do in order to earn eternal life. However, Jesus turns the question back to this man, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?”. The man answers by quoting Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. This dialogue leads the expert to ask, “who is my neighbor?” He is looking for a box to check in effort to prove to himself that he is keeping the law and worthy of earning eternal life.

2) According to this parable, who is my neighbor?
While the Samaritan man who helped is the obvious answer, we need to understand the relationship between Jews and Samaritans in order to see the significance of the point Jesus is making. Samaritans were despised by Jews. Israel had been split into 2 kingdoms, the southern and the northern. In the northern kingdom, people married from the hated Assyrian empire. Due to that they were seen as a mixed race, people who were not true, pure bloodline descendants of Abraham. This created a separation between these two groups of Jews. Jesus uses this parable, intentionally selecting the characters of His story to be religious people pitted against a Samaritan to show not only who a neighbor is, but also how to be a neighbor. It would have required a true act of love for the Samaritan to take care of this man regardless of the cost. Jesus is forcing the expert to look inside himself and realize radical love would require caring for others no matter who they are or where they come from.

3) What can be learned from Jesus’ illustration?
The obvious answer is how to love our neighbor. However, when we look deeper into the parable, we see it is often easy to justify unloving behavior. The expert was looking for justification for his behavior and confirmation that his rule-following was enough to satisfy God. However, it never would be and Jesus uses this illustration to show the expert exactly this reality. We learn what a true expression of love looks like from the parable. In this case, it is loving beyond ourselves to meet the need of another. Sometimes the need is obvious, as it was with the injured man. Other times a need is only recognized in a relationship with others as the Holy Spirit gives us insights. Either way Jesus’ point is simple, care for one another with radical, humble, generous love.

Everyday Application

1) Who is the expert on the law and what does he want to know?
The expert has all the head knowledge of what the Old Testament contains. He is all about living in the legalities of what Scripture says. This expert is attempting to live a “good enough” life, one that will earn him salvation, on his own. However, being a true believer is not about checking boxes and living a “good enough” life. The truth is, none of us are capable of living a good enough life, because the standard is impossible high. Only absolute perfection is acceptable, which is why God, in His great love, sent Jesus to perfectly fulfill what we never could. Jesus offers His own righteousness to us, while He takes our imperfections. The question we must wrestle with is will I be like the expert, trying to do it on my own, or will I surrender, allowing God to live and love through me?

2) According to this parable, who is my neighbor?
Mark Black writes, “The astute reader recognizes this Samaritan is acting just as Jesus has acted: he has compassion, he touches the ‘unclean’, he heals, and he uses his possessions for the benefit of the needy.” Jesus was the perfect neighbor during His life on earth. The Samaritan in the story took care of a man who would have despised him. The reality is, Jews and Gentiles alike treated Jesus with contempt in His last days, yet Jesus still loved them enough to die on the cross. He was still willing to give up His life for us. When we look at Jesus, we see He was unconcerned with race or lineage, but instead He was concerned with our need, specifically our spiritual need. If we behave as Jesus did, we will live a life that shows love to all peoples regardless of race, religion, social status, or anything else we often allow to divide us. It means treating all of humanity as our neighbor.

3) What can be learned from Jesus’ illustration?
Matthew Henry writes, “It is the duty of every one of us, in our places, and according to our ability, to succour, help, and relieve all that are in distress and necessity.” As I reflect on these verses and the quote from Matthew Henry, I cannot help but relate them to the time we are living in. I cannot think of a better time in our lives to be a neighbor. We are in the midst of a global pandemic. While this pandemic demands we live life practicing a new concept of social distancing, it is not an excuse to deny love to others. It is not a pass to forget about our neighbors. If anything, this illustration shows us how we need to look beyond what is right in front of us, instead looking for the need. It requires us to lean in to how God is asking us to be His hands and His feet in a time when people are so desperate for truth and answers. The needs may be obvious, or they may only be known in a relationship, or as the Spirit prompts our hearts. This isn’t a time to withdraw into ourselves, but instead offer help and love as we are able. The question is, are we rising to the challenge of loving our neighbors with the same radical, humble love demonstrated by the Samaritan and Jesus Himself?

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

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 Neighbor 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.

Open Day 7 The Unconventional Open: 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 The Unconventional Open!

The Questions

1) Can my faith in Christ save someone else?

2) If it’s 100% true that we must each believe in order to be saved, why did Mark record that Jesus saw the faith of the paralytic’s friends and then said, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”? (Mark 2:6)

3) Why did Jesus forgive the man’s sins first instead of healing his body?

Mark 2:1-12

When he entered Capernaum again after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2 So many people gathered together that there was no more room, not even in the doorway, and he was speaking the word to them. 3 They came to him bringing a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4 Since they were not able to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and after digging through it, they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying. 5 Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

6 But some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts: 7 “Why does he speak like this? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

8 Right away Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were thinking like this within themselves and said to them, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?  Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat, and walk’? 10 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he told the paralytic— 11 “I tell you: get up, take your mat, and go home.”

12 Immediately he got up, took the mat, and went out in front of everyone. As a result, they were all astounded and gave glory to God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Original Intent

1) Can my faith in Christ save someone else?
The mysteries we find within Scripture, that themselves whisper of the vast mysteries bound up in the heart of God, are many. But they are recorded on purpose for us to read and study and pray over. How prayer works, and how a believer’s faith impacts another person, whether lost or saint, is one of those mysteries. We can delve into the subject and consider it from all angles until we wear ourselves out thinking it through, but at its end, we can put it to rest knowing that our mighty God is completely sovereign and utterly beyond our ability to fully understand or comprehend. There is no box we can fathom that is able to contain God. Because Scripture is wholly true, it will never contradict itself. Where a verse seems to go against other Scriptures, it simply means we have a surface understanding of that passage and need to study and pray more thoroughly. Studying the Bible and rightly applying it does not mean simply reading it and taking what we want to hear from it! A strong, steady truth repeated often from Old Testament to New is that our faith is our own. No one can save us on our behalf. We must each make the choice whether to surrender ourselves to Christ or keep trusting ourselves to save us from our sin. Either we believe, and take God at His word, or we don’t. But that belief is individualistic, every single time. (Romans 3:22, Romans 10:9-10, Genesis 15:6)

2) If it’s 100% true that we must each believe in order to be saved, why did Mark record that Jesus saw the faith of the paralytic’s friends and then said, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”? (Mark 2:6)
I believe the answer is two-fold. First, God designed believers to live together in community, to love and act and move as one Body, with great unity. All throughout Scripture, we are commanded, not simply invited, to pray for one another, carrying each other’s everyday burdens (Galatians 6:2) as well as praying for opportunities for the Kingdom of God to advance and His gospel to be made known.  (Colossians 4:3) Prayer is an integral part of following Jesus in everyday life. He calls us to pray on behalf of those who have already believed in Him and those who have yet to trust Him at His Word. What these four men did by physically bringing their friend to Jesus’ house is a perfect picture of what every believer does when they pray for another. As we pray, we are carrying these people into the presence of God, directly into His throne room of grace and mercy where He hears and listens! (Hebrews 4:16) We do have influence on other’s engagement in the presence of God through our own faith, whether that person is a Christian or not. Second, Jesus did indeed see the faith of the four friends and so chose to call out this man and bring forgiveness to Him and eventually healing of His body. However, simply because Mark records Jesus’ noting the faith of the four, does not at all preclude that Jesus also saw the faith of the paralytic in his heart. A few verses later, Jesus makes it clear He has authority and power to know precisely what is in our hearts, whether good or evil. Naturally, Jesus saw the heart of the paralytic as well, and knew he was ready to accept Christ as His forgiver of sin and healing of His soul.  When it comes to matters of salvation, we must keep two things forefront. 1) Salvation is accessed through faith alone by grace alone and 2) God is sovereign, meaning we are not privy to all the inner workings of who is genuinely saved and who isn’t. That is for God to know and work out, not us.

3) Why did Jesus forgive the man’s sins first instead of healing his body?
First, the man’s most primary necessary healing, like each of us, was his soul. The mortal wound of his soul, caused by sin, was damning this man to an eternity separated from God. The paralytic’s restoration to God through Jesus was the most pressing healing. Second, Jesus did heal the man’s body, but for an incredibly focused purpose: glory to God and growth for the Kingdom. God does not heal for the sole happiness and health of the one being healed; His main purpose is always to draw others into Himself and we are drawn to Him by His revelation of glory.  The paralytic, though physically healed, one day died and his healed body ceased working. However, that same man, is right at this moment, dancing free in the very presence of the God whose glory was revealed on that day when his sins were forgiven! The temporary physical healing was a profound platform by which to demonstrate the pressing eminence of the eternal!

Everyday Application

1) Can my faith in Christ save someone else?
No, I cannot save anyone, no matter how much faith I have or how much it grieves me to watch them turn away from the Lord again and again. And neither can you. Paul grieved like this over his fellow Jews who, though they knew and studied every pen stroke of the Old Testament law and prophets, they missed the whole point of Jesus’ death and resurrection as the fulfillment of those very law and prophets. Paul wrote, “For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers…” (Romans 9:3) As much as we grieve for lost, our faith cannot save them. They must make that choice for themselves just as we had to.

2) If it’s 100% true that we must each believe in order to be saved, why did Mark record that Jesus saw the faith of the paralytic’s friends and then said, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”? (Mark 2:6)
While we clearly cannot give someone else salvation, no matter how much we love them, we can and must have influence in their spiritual lives by faithfully praying for them. We are called to bring others before God’s throne, asking Him to reveal His glory to them that they too might “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.” (Romans 10:13) I hope you’re as convicted to read this as I am to write it, Sisters. Let’s be faithful Christ-followers and steadfastly bring our friends before the Lord just as these four men did for their paralyzed friend! Begin making a list of those in your sphere of influence, or even those on your street, who don’t know Jesus. Begin praying for them by name for their salvation! Ask for doors to be opened for you to share your own faith journey and what Jesus has meant to you. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you opportunities to invite these people you know and love to church, or even just over for a meal as you faithfully invest in their faith journey.

3) Why did Jesus forgive the man’s sins first instead of healing his body?
We can look around our world, our churches, and even our families and our hearts break with the heavy physical suffering being experienced by all of us on varying levels. Children sick with cancer, babies who never breath outside the womb, wives who bury husbands, parents who bury children, spouses who live with abuse, aunt and uncles who watch nieces and nephews ruin their lives, and grandparents who find themselves starting over as they parent their grandchildren. The ache is grievous, the load is heavy, and oh how our hearts break in agony wishing we could remove the pain, the wound, and the hurt. But we cannot. And so, we beg the God of all to do it for us. And often times, He does! But sometimes, though He certainly could, He does not. I’ll be straight up with you, we just cannot know all the reasons behind all of our whys and why nots on earth, but we can know for absolute certainty, that when the Lord God heals, and even when He doesn’t, there is a purpose. A good purpose. A purpose that He, and He alone, will use to expand the kingdom and grow our faith if we will allow Him. What we see is temporary. What is coming is eternal. What we live out today is just a vapor. What we invest in with faith will last forever. Pray, Sisters. Pray for the Lord to bring physical healing and make His Name great in the process, but please pray that far beyond the physical, that our hearts will lean into His good Father heart, and we will remember that His eternal healing is indeed coming!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with The Unconventional Open!

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 Open Week Two!
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.

Pause 2 Day 6 The Sword & The Scalpel

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Pause 2, Day 6

The wound refused to heal.
The flesh surrounding the wound was hot, pink and tender.
The doctor’s brow furrowed as he poked around, speaking in low tones to the nurse, who scurried away. The wound was deeply infected, needing to be lanced, infection drained, cleansed and perhaps packed. The nurse returned with a cart bearing medical supplies in tidy rows,
the silver blade of the scalpel glinting in the light.

The doctor explained the procedure; the patient didn’t hear.
His eyes were fixed on the silver blade.
It was true the wound refused to heal, and intervention was needed, but the scalpel?
Yes, the scalpel.
If the wound was ever going to heal, the scalpel must be part of that plan.    

As the doctor lanced, drained and packed the wound to allow physical healing,
so the Spirit of God desires to pursue the healing of our souls.

To do this, He must remove the infectious sins impeding our spiritual healing.
Scripture describes His Word as a sharp, two-edged sword.
Swords lacerate, wound and even kill!
But in the hands of our Great Physician, the Sword of the Spirit is an instrument of healing. 

Due to our innate depravity, besetting sins are imbedded in the deep tissue of our souls like infectious bacteria. Allowed to remain, those sins multiply, leaving our souls riddled with festering infection and rendering the work of our hands ineffective for Kingdom growth.

With truth, our Great Physician cleanses our souls, leading us to repentance and the fullness of a redeemed life. He then packs our wounded souls with the healing balm of grace upon grace. 

“I will walk in my house with blameless heart. I will set before my eyes no vile thing” 
Psalm 101:2-3 

When my flesh cries out for gratification, Scripture’s truth speaks clearly.
As I welcome its healing, I feel the deep slice of the sword of truth and know my self-will must die if I am to be healed and whole. 

Without the sword of truth, our only option is to remain entangled in besetting sins,
observing the abundant life from a distance,
yet never truly partaking.

Without the sword, there can be no healing.
Therefore, I welcome the sword,
for by it I am healed and set free to run in pathways of the abundant life.
1 Peter is a book about solid hope.
It’s also about running fervently away from sin that chokes the lifeblood of our freedom in Christ,
and our effectiveness in building God’s Kingdom. 

Peter’s passion for Jesus and His redemption available to all is woven throughout his first, short letter.
As we continue to Pause this week, walk slowly through the words Peter wrote.
See his heart, hear his passion, run from the world’s enticements, and sink your feet deep into the solid rock of HOPE! 

Today's Invitation

1) Read 1 Peter 1 and answer these 3 questions in your journal:
a) What do these verses tell me about God and His character?
b) What do these verses tell me about others and the world around me?
c) What do these verses tell me about me and my heart?

2) Close your time by praying for these truths to take root in your heart and for the Holy Spirit to remind you and teach you more about these things today.

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
Sign up to receive every Journey Study!
Connect with our community on Facebook!

Join the GT Community on Facebook!

I Peter 1

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ: 

To those chosen, living as exiles dispersed abroad in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, chosen 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient and to be sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ. 

May grace and peace be multiplied to you. 

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead 4 and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. 5 You are being guarded by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.6 You rejoice in this, even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials 7 so that the proven character of your faith—more valuable than gold which, though perishable, is refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; though not seeing him now, you believe in him, and you rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 

10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who prophesied about the grace that would come to you, searched and carefully investigated. 11 They inquired into what time or what circumstances the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating when he testified in advance to the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.  12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you. These things have now been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—angels long to catch a glimpse of these things. 

13 Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be sober-minded and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance. 15 But as the one who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct; 16 for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy. 17 If you appeal to the Father who judges impartially according to each one’s work, you are to conduct yourselves in reverence during your time living as strangers. 18 For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from your fathers, not with perishable things like silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was revealed in these last times for you. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. 

22 Since you have purified yourselves by your obedience to the truth, so that you show sincere brotherly love for each other, from a pure heart love one another constantly, 23 because you have been born again—not of perishable seed but of imperishable—through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For 

All flesh is like grass,
and all its glory like a flower of the grass.
The grass withers, and the flower falls,
25 but the word of the Lord endures forever.  

And this word is the gospel that was proclaimed to you.

How Does “Pause” Work?
1.Each day, Monday through Friday, for 2 weeks, we will provide you with an invitation to get away with the Savior. Each one is designed for you to engage with the Almighty in a deeper way and perhaps in a new way than you have been recently.

2. Having a journal is a must! You’ll want to take notes as you walk this special Journey of Pause.

3. Each week focuses on one or two passage of Scripture and we walk with you as you study and flesh these out for yourself. As you write your thoughts, read His Word, and pray, questions might come up. That’s Perfect! Ask a trusted fellow believer, a pastor, or send us an email as you work through them!

4. Jumping in at the middle? No problem! Here is the entire Journey Theme.

5. Connect with others on Facebook by visiting our GT Community Group!

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 Pause 2 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 Pause 2!

Sketched IV Day 10 Delilah

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Judges 16:3-20
Proverbs 14:1
Proverbs 22:14
John 8:3-11
2 Corinthians 5:16-6:1

Sketched IV, Day 10

If you ask me, people are too quick to judge.
If other people had been in the same shoes that, I, Delilah, found myself, perhaps they would’ve made the same choices.

Who’s to say?
All I know is that I did what I felt I had to.

I’ll never forget the infamous day I met Samson.
I knew he wasn’t from my area of town, the Valley of Sorek.
No, he was from the dreaded Israelite territories.

The valley I call home is centered directly between Israelite land and Philistine land, so one might imagine how torn I felt. I live in the midst of intense fighting and constant land disputes between the two dueling nations, but then Samson came along.

This strong, rugged, handsome man whose reputation (for……) went before him clearly loved me, and I him, I suppose.
But sometimes a girl has to do what a girl has to do.

Samson was Israel’s hero.
Judge and mighty conqueror, he was their rescuer and our feared enemy.
Philistine leaders approached me in order to trap him and win the upper hand politically.
They gave me an offer I felt I couldn’t refuse.
I went for it.

In exchange for thousands of pieces of silver, all I had to do was find out from whence came all of Samson’s strength. Easy, right?
And I needed the money!
Silver is hard to come by these days. The land is constantly being divided, lives are being lost, blood is being spilt, and the Israelites are taking land that doesn’t belong to them.
Why wouldn’t I cash in on this offer from the Philistines?

Cash in, I did.
I went to Samson to determine the cause of all his superhuman strength. The stubborn oaf didn’t answer me truthfully the first time. He made me look like an idiot in front of the Philistine leaders. He did this not once, not twice, but three times.
What was he holding on to?! And Why?!

Finally, I knew what would get to him. We women can be quite wily and manipulative when the situation calls for it. So, that’s what I did – I harnessed my immense power of influence as a woman, turned on the waterworks, and accused him of not truly loving me since he refused to tell me the truth. That worked, and the “strong” man caved.
I knew he would.
No man can resist the waterworks.

Did I feel bad when I saw the subsequent treatment he endured at the hand of the Philistines as a result of what I had done?
I admit I did for a time.
But I don’t see how the treatment he suffered was any worse than the treatment he had dished out to the Philistines.
Turn-about is fair play, I say.
Meanwhile, I’m enjoying the look of all this silver in my home!
No more wondering where the next meal will come from for me!

~~~~
It’s so easy for me to look at people like Delilah, in the Bible or otherwise,
and instantly jump to judge them.
Perhaps you can relate?
But wait, put yourself in her shoes and consider why she may have done what she did.
Not to say the actions were right, simply that sometimes, they are at least understandable.
Realizing this helps us to approach others
with humility and grace,
even when dealing with outright sin that must be addressed.

In the story of Samson and Delilah from Judges 16,
Samson, the strongest man of his time,
became a weakling in the hands of a woman,
and as he surrendered his vows to the Lord.

We see this happen all the time, even today.
Proverbs 14:1 explains,
“The wisest of women builds her house,
but folly with her own hands tears it down.”

As women, we carry with us incredible power of influence, either for good or evil.
Proverbs 22:14 says,
“The mouth of a forbidden women is a deep pit;
he with whom the Lord is angry will fall into it.”

Delilah was a forbidden woman to the Israelite Samson, because God had set apart the Israelites for the purpose of declaring His glory to the nations around them and not becoming like them, worshipping false gods.
Israel was to be holy as God was holy (Leviticus 19:2),
putting the Lord on display.

Samson chose to honor and please himself, forsaking the Lord,
and we see what became of him.

Throughout the Word we are given examples of sinful women who destroyed the men who pursued them. On the flip side, however, we also see wonderful examples of godly women who influenced the men around them for good.

In the Garden of Eden, the serpent went to Eve, knowing that if he could seduce her, turning her eyes from the fullness of God, Adam would come tumbling down as well with her power of influence.
Sure enough, he did. They both did.

So, today, I ask you sweet sisters, how are you wielding your power of influence?
For good? Or for evil?
How are your words and actions impacting the spouse, child, friend, co-worker, boss, neighbor, parent, or grandparent near you?
Are you building up the Kingdom with your own hands?
Or are you, perhaps inadvertently, working to tear it down?

The good news of the Gospel is that even if you have used your power in ungodly ways in the past, by coming to Christ, you are “...a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Cling to that truth and rejoice in it; harnessing it to spur you on to faith and good works!

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

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

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 Sketched IV 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 Sketched IV!

The GT Weekend! Misunderstood 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) How are you at sitting still before the Father? It’s tempting to be busy doing good things in His name. But if we do good works separate from being steeped in His presence, we’re wasting our time. Where can you adjust your schedule this week to spend more time at the feet of Jesus?

2) Life is often tumultuous and unpredictable. Where have you experienced loss and needed hope? Share your interactions with the death of a loved one or loss of a relationship. Ask the Lord to pour out healing or bring restoration to your life. Wait on Him as He is faithful to breathe a soothing balm over your loss and hope found in His Name.

3) When you hear lies people believe about Scripture being brought to light, how do you feel? How do reconcile these commonly held beliefs with truth from the Word? We highlight using www.studylight.org to study the meaning of Scripture. Try it out and tell us what you found at prayer@gracefullytruthful.com.

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 130:5-8 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

5 I wait for the Lord; I wait
and put my hope in his word.
6 I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning—
more than watchmen for the morning.
7 Israel, put your hope in the Lord.
For there is faithful love with the Lord,
and with him is redemption in abundance.
8 And he will redeem Israel
from all its iniquities.

Prayer Journal
Lord Jesus, you know me better than anyone. You know that my love language is acts of service, You created me that way! As I battle against myself to balance the desire to serve with spending time with You, let me wait on You! I choose to put my hope in Your word as I wait. I need Your redemption to flow in my life; bring me close to Your heart, Lord.

As I think back over the loss of our son, I have so many questions. The biggest one I come back to is, “did shoveling the snow that day cause his death?” Lord, as I rethink these questions, I wait on You for comfort. I know there are many questions this side of Heaven that I will never have answered. Pour out your grace to cover those questions until I am before You and reunited with my sweet boy.

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