heart

Worship X Day 2 Proclaiming Praise: Digging Deeper

Leave a Comment

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 Proclaiming Praise!

The Questions

1) What aspects of God’s character are revealed in Psalm 9?

2) Who are “the wicked,” and what is God’s response to “the wicked”? (verses 5, 16-17)

3) What can we praise God for when He is acting as judge? (verses 16-20)

Psalm 9

I will thank the Lord with all my heart;
I will declare all your wondrous works.
2 I will rejoice and boast about you;
I will sing about your name, Most High.

3 When my enemies retreat,
they stumble and perish before you.
4 For you have upheld my just cause;
you are seated on your throne as a righteous judge.
5 You have rebuked the nations:
You have destroyed the wicked;
you have erased their name forever and ever.
6 The enemy has come to eternal ruin;
you have uprooted the cities,
and the very memory of them has perished.

7 But the Lord sits enthroned forever;
he has established his throne for judgment.
8 And he judges the world with righteousness;
he executes judgment on the nations with fairness.
9 The Lord is a refuge for the persecuted,
a refuge in times of trouble.
10 Those who know your name trust in you
because you have not abandoned
those who seek you, Lord.

11 Sing to the Lord, who dwells in Zion;
proclaim his deeds among the nations.
12 For the one who seeks an accounting
for bloodshed remembers them;
he does not forget the cry of the oppressed.

13 Be gracious to me, Lord;
consider my affliction at the hands of those who hate me.
Lift me up from the gates of death,
14 so that I may declare all your praises.
I will rejoice in your salvation
within the gates of Daughter Zion.

15 The nations have fallen into the pit they made;
their foot is caught in the net they have concealed.
16 The Lord has made himself known;
he has executed justice,
snaring the wicked
by the work of their hands. Higgaion.
Selah

17 The wicked will return to Sheol—
all the nations that forget God.
18 For the needy will not always be forgotten;
the hope of the oppressed will not perish forever.

19 Rise up, Lord! Do not let mere humans prevail;
let the nations be judged in your presence.
20 Put terror in them, Lord;
let the nations know they are only humans.
Selah

Original Intent

1) What aspects of God’s character are revealed in Psalm 9?
Psalm 9 refers to God by several of His names. The first being “LORD” in verse 1, which is actually the Hebrew name for Yahweh or Jehovah. (Got Questions) This name means the one true, self-existent, eternal God and it’s the personal name God used of Himself when He revealed Himself as the “I AM” to Moses at the scene of the burning bush. In verse 2, the psalmist also names God as “Most High”, or Elyon, which literally translates as Highest of Highest or Elyon Elyon. This name emphasizes that nothing is higher than God for only He holds all authority and rule. The psalmist specifically includes these two names to emphasize God’s interaction with His creation as a God of justice. (verse 4) One of the most common names for God in the Old Testament is Elohim, derived from an ancient word for “judge.” Woven into the character of Elohim, which means supreme God of all gods, is His unchanging character of justice. Though Psalm 9 doesn’t specifically refer to God by this name, this element of God’s character is on display in this particular writing. Try reading through the psalm and taking a few notes of how God’s justice is displayed and what the implications are for His just character.

2) Who are “the wicked,” and what is God’s response to “the wicked”? (verses 5, 16-17)
The wicked described in this psalm, and in most places in Scripture, are those who have actively rejected God and His ways. They are guilty and deserving of punishment for their rebellion. While we all share this verdict of guilty because of our sin (Romans 6:23), Scripture names the wicked as those who have no desire to repent and turn from their sin. The wicked are actively hostile toward God, perpetually living as morally wrong, allowing their sin to rule over them. (Romans 6:12) Like all of us apart from the mercy of God, the wicked are condemned to an eternity of death and God’s wrath upon them (John 3:36) due to the condition of their hearts and the actions flowing from corruption. We see a progression revealed in this psalm as to how the merciful and just God responds to the wicked. First, He rebukes them (verse 5), drawing attention to their sin. Whenever God convicts the sinner of their wickedness, it is meant to spur them to repentance; this is His kindness to us! (Romans 2:4) When a person, or nation, refuses to heed God’s rebuke and turn from their sin, God allows them to be ensnared by the work of their own hands (verse 16), their foot is caught in the net they concealed (verse 15), and they fall into the pit they have made (verse 15). Finally, He destroys the wicked who are unrepentant, erasing their name forever and ever (verse 5); this is eternal condemnation.

 3) What can we praise God for when He is acting as judge? (verses 16-20)
As God judges the wicked, Psalm 9 provides some outcomes of His justice and the benefits provided to those who do repent and trust Him.

  • Our enemies retreat, stumble and perish before Him. (verse 3)
  • The oppressed will NOT perish forever (verse 18); He remembers the cry of the oppressed (verse 12); He lifts the oppressed up as we turn to Him in dependent trust and repentance (verse 13).
  • God is gracious (verse 13) and fair (verse 8); He does not abandon those who seek Him (verse 10); He is a refuge (verse 9); He works wonders (verse 1); He upholds our cause (verse 4); He judges with righteousness (verse 8); He provides salvation (verse 14); He makes Himself known (verse 16).

We see the repeated phrases in Psalm 9 that speak to the utter destruction of those who are enemies of God, and, when we align ourselves with Him, who are our enemies as well. He destroys, ruins, and uproots the wicked; even the memory of them perishes.

Everyday Application

1) What aspects of God’s character are revealed in Psalm 9?
While we all want justice, we rarely want justice meted out to ourselves. We don’t like facing the reality that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23, emphasis mine). Jesus said, “This is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil.” (John 3:19, emphasis mine) When confronted with our sin, we resort to hiding and blaming as Adam and Eve did in Eden. We each sin by loving our selfish desires, idolizing our lusts, and worshipping everything except God. The God of Justice rightly deems us worthy of the consequence of eternal death for our sins against His holiness. (Romans 6:23) This would be tragic if it were the end of the story. If the final declaration is that we are sinners relentlessly rebelling against the righteous judge, and that our response would always be a knee-jerk reaction to hide from his Light and blame Him and others for our sin, we would be right to despair of all hope. But God is merciful and righteous. The Hebrew word for mercy depicts humble stooping to show gracious favor to those undeserving of kindness. Even as we were God’s enemies, He chose to die in our place, taking our punishment for sin upon Himself. (Romans 5:8, 1 Peter 2:24) Justice was served at the cross where God’s wrath was poured out on His Son instead of humanity. (Romans 5:9) This is the God of mercy, and the God of righteous judgment. This is a God of humble stooping (Philippians 2:6-8), a God who seeks and saves the lost (Luke 19:10), and a God who desires none to perish (2 Peter 3:9). This God of supreme justice and immeasurable mercy is worthy of our worship!

2) Who are “the wicked,” and what is God’s response to “the wicked”? (verses 5, 16-17)
It is tempting to look outward whenever we hear the word wicked. Surely, this is not a descriptor of ourselves! Even in psalm 9, the psalmist speaks of his enemies. “Oh, God,” we say, “Smite the wicked!” Yet, we don’t want to be smitten by Him; we want to be welcomed and justified. What about us? We are the wicked. All have sinned. All fall short of God’s holiness. This is me. This is you. The wicked aren’t limited to that person who is upsetting me or not living as I wish they would. We need to be so cautious of the sin of the Pharisees in Jesus’ day who quickly pointed to others’ sin while ignoring their own. Jesus called them “whitewashed tombs” (Matthew 23:27) who were dead within and completely unaware of their own need for God. They refused to acknowledge their sinfulness, which meant they couldn’t accept a God who would show them unmerited mercy and grant them salvation at His cost. They simply did not perceive themselves as needing a Savior; they were good enough on their own. Let’s respond to the word wicked by saying, “This is me. I need Him.” Thank Him that we are counted as righteous because of His work, not our own because we could never earn righteousness. Apart from His mercy, the inclination of our hearts is rebellion against God, and our destiny is the condemnation of the wicked. May we have compassion on the wicked as God has compassion on us, for at the cross, the ground is level. We all come to Him as rebellious sinners in need of a Savior.

3) What can we praise God for when He is acting as judge? (verses 16-20)
I remember a time when I began to understand that those who had deeply harmed me in the past were recipients of God’s just wrath, and I could trust Him to act justly on my behalf. For the first time, I felt a comfort deeper than I’d previously known. I saw God’s judgment as being on my behalf, not against me. He was judging the wicked, my enemies, so to speak, for harming His beloved daughter, as any good, protective father would. God’s judgment is ultimately a very good thing; it’s one we can trust without needing to take justice into our own hands. (Romans 12:17-21) Imagine a world where justice didn’t matter, and no one enforced the laws established for safety, harmony, and preservation of freedom. God is a God who cares enough to judge rightly. We can praise Him that He judges the unrighteous, and that He offers mercy in that process, but ultimately those sins committed against Him and those He loves do not go without retribution. (Romans 12:19-20) God cares deeply for the oppressed. And though the oppressed suffer for a time, He is aware of their suffering, and He is near to them. (Psalm 34:18) He always has the oppressed on His heart. He sees, hears, and cares when we are pressed down and persecuted and when we face trials of all kinds. (1 Peter 4:19) He also cares about those around us who suffer and He calls us to represent Him in their lives with love, compassion, and just action. When God judges, He does it with righteousness, fairness, grace, and mercy. He is never unkind or mean, unfair or temperamental in His judgments. We can trust Him as Elohim, the just God of all gods.

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

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 Worship X Week One!
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.

Eden Day 11 The Blame Game

Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Genesis 3
Psalms 51
John 10:1-13
Romans 8:31-39

Eden, Day 11

Sin.
It’s an ugly word.
We often try to avoid it, saying instead: I messed up, my temper got the best of me, I was hangry, rules are just suggestions.

Reading the Old Testament fascinates me, because it’s easy to see not much has changed since the beginning of time.

For example, consider the conversation between God and Adam in Genesis 3:8-10 (emphasis mine) regarding sin:
“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. So the LORD God called out to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ 

And he said, ‘I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.’”

Can’t you imagine this happening today?
During those times when I try to “hide” from God because of my sin, I imagine God whispering to my soul, “Hey Lori, whatcha’ doin over there?”
I imagine replying, “Hiding from you God, duh.”
Joking aside, we all do this. Much like Adam and Eve, in our sin, we try to hide from God, hoping He won’t notice.

But God does notice. In Genesis 3, we see God gently nudging Adam to come clean by asking some pointed questions:
“Where are you?” (verse 9)
“Who told you that you were naked?” (verse 11)
“Did you eat from that tree I commanded you not to eat from?” (verse 11)

Still, Adam won’t admit his sin. He sidesteps God’s first question about his nakedness; instead, launching into “it wasn’t my fault,” beginning the first blame game. (Genesis 3:12) And don’t we do this? Yet we cannot hide from God, or fool Him with blame-shifting. He sees us exactly as we are: naked, exposed, and afraid.

I think of our youngest daughter when I read this story. From an early age she came to us, without prompting, to admit she (or her sister) had done something wrong. Given her second-born-child tendency to push boundaries, this happened often!

As a parent, this was a pretty sweet gig. We could rest assured that if either child had transgressed, our youngest would let us know long before we would find out on our own. Thinking back, I have no idea where this behavior came from, because I have always been a “rules are basically suggestions” kind of girl.

But she was nearly always compelled to admit her wrongdoing,
and when you think about it, isn’t this exactly how we should be with God!
Unlike us parents, God already knows when we sin,
and He wants our honest confession.

Psalm 51 is a great example of confessing sin that stems from true heartfelt repentance. When confronted with his sin, verse 4 describes King David acknowledging it by saying to God,

“Against You—You alone—I have sinned and done this evil in Your sight. So You are right when you pass sentence; You are blameless when You judge.”

Like Adam and Eve and King David, we too have a sneaky enemy who twists God’s words, tempting us into sin. John 10:10 tells us our enemy is coming to “steal and kill and destroy.” Therefore, we need to be on guard, ready to meet the lies of the enemy with God’s truth. In this same verse, Jesus also says, “I have come so that [you] may have life and have it in abundance.” Instead of agonizing over our sin or trying to hide it, we can come before our gracious Savior and confess, “I have sinned, Jesus, and I’m sorry.”

Indeed, Scripture explains,
“If we say, ‘We have no sin,’ we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:8-9)

Romans 8:31-39 provides us with the confident hope we need when dealing with sin. Read these words slowly and then spend some time reflecting or journaling on their meaning.

“What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He did not even spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything? Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies. Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; he also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us. Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: 

Because of you
we are being put to death all day long;
we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered. 

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

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

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

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

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Eden Week Three! 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 Eden!

The GT Weekend! ~ Eden Week 2

Leave a Comment

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) In the beginning of Genesis, we catch a glimpse of the life God intends for us. We see beauty in every aspect of life, even, or perhaps especially, in work. In our broken world, we can easily lose sight of the biblical significance of labor and its fruit. Society’s version of work leaves us disheartened, unfulfilled, and stressed because it shifts the focus off God. When you find yourself in the thick of it at work, what’s your focus point that renews your strength and motivates you? If it’s anything but God, you will eventually find it insufficient. When we change the lens through which we view labor, filtering our perspective through God’s character, we realize the gift of work! Each day, God provides opportunities to glorify Him and align ourselves with His character as we enter work attempting to model Him as He diligently labored over Creation. When you struggle to push through whatever labor you face, pray for God to shift your lens and align your heart with His. Don’t be discouraged should you not see tangible fruit from your labor, instead remind yourself of the truths Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:58, “be steadfast…excelling in the Lord’s work because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain,” and Galatians 6:9, “let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.”

2) Temptation is perhaps Satan’s most effective tool to spiritually attack mankind. He merely sets up situations that pull at the sinful desires of our flesh, knowing our bodies are at war with the Spirit of God living inside us, leaving us weakened and vulnerable. The best illustration of handling temptation is on display as Jesus suffered temptation in the wilderness after His baptism by John. He spent 40 days and 40 nights being tempted by the devil, but effectively resisting the urge to sin. (Matthew 4:1-11) Each time Satan spoke, Jesus replied using Scripture from the Old Testament. He used God’s words, the very words we read in our Bibles today, to expose Satan’s lies with Truth. This requires us to spend intentional time studying the Bible. Scripture is God’s favorite way to talk to us. What are some activities you could sacrifice in order to make time to listen to God and equip yourself against temptation? Could you wake up 30 minutes earlier, or turn off the television a little bit sooner, or scroll on social media a little less?

3) Jesus didn’t spend his time as a human here on earth building marble laden castles, throwing lavish feasts, and laughing drunkenly in wide hallways ordained with gold and silver. He walked the dirt lined paths of His earthly kingdom with His bare feet alongside messy, imperfect people, healing the sick and despised. He engaged them with questions that illuminated truth, tore holes in their lies, brought understanding and healing, and exposed those who weren’t yet ready to hear the answers they sought. God has never stopped asking us questions, engaging us in conversation to illuminate, heal, and expose the sin in our lives and lead us back to Him. His goal has always been to share in relationship with His creation, so make it a point, today, to follow His lead and engage the next person you run into with His love. Be open minded and intentional. After all, you never know where a question could lead, or how the Lord could use your obedience to rescue a soul for eternity!

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 2 Corinthians 11:12-15 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

But I will continue to do what I am doing, in order to deny an opportunity to those who want to be regarded as our equals in what they boast about. For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no great surprise if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will be according to their works.

Prayer Journal
Dear Yahweh, I thank you for being the guiding star that ever points north and whose light never falters. Each morning, You give me a day full of new opportunities to bring glory to Your name. I ask for Your help in shifting my gaze back to You when I lose sight of this gift. Please give me a heart that aches for Your Word and a soul thirsting for truth. I ask for Your direction when navigating worldly temptation. Please, Holy Spirit, remind me to put on Your armor in protection of the enemy as Ephesians 6:10-18 commands. Help me recollect Scripture in my times of weakness and allow me to move forward with the shield of faith and my feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace.

Give me courage to explore the power of asking questions not just with my loved ones and close friends, but with strangers and even my enemies, as I remember this battle we are in is not against flesh and bone, but against spiritual powers beyond what my eyes can see. Help me remember You love my enemy just as You love me. Thank You, Yahweh, for Your endless grace and mercy. May Your will be done in me today and every day. Amen.

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

Wilderness Day 11 Lost, Alone, Forgotten

Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Genesis 37:1-11
Genesis 39:21-23
Genesis 50:21-23
Psalm 94:17-19
Matthew 28:16-20

Wilderness, Day 11

Lost, alone, and forgotten.
Discouraged, hurt, and betrayed.
We all experience these along our journeys.

These feelings were all too familiar to another wilderness wanderer, Joseph. Great-grandson of the Hebrew patriarch, Abraham, Joseph was one of 12 sons. More specifically, Joseph was his father’s favorite son, a fact which did little to endear him to his brothers.

Joseph was further divided against his brothers by his special gift of dreams.
Dreams centering on his older brothers, and even parents, serving him. (Genesis 37:1-11) Dreams he enthusiastically shared with his family, without forethought, wisdom, or humility. You see, Joseph wasn’t perfect. Today, we would call him immature or even a brat. Finally, the family dysfunction reached a point where, embittered with hatred against Joseph, his brothers sold him as a slave. (Genesis 37:12-36)

Purchased by a rich Egyptian, Joseph was betrayed, alone, and forgotten. I’m sure Joseph wondered, “Why?” Why the dreams? Why the hatred? Why the pain? Similarly, when we are in our own wilderness, we may ask God, “Why?”

Sometimes, there may be an obvious answer, and we can use that understanding to help us learn, or navigate our way through the trial.

Other times, however, our “why”s are met with silence.
Wrestling with the unknown becomes a part of our wilderness story.

For Joseph, no clear answer was forthcoming.
Yet he continued to cling to God.

In Egypt, “The Lord was with Joseph [. . . and] Joseph found favor with his master.” (Genesis 39:2-4) Unfortunately, this same master would ultimately imprison Joseph for a crime he didn’t commit. (Genesis 39:3-20)

Even in prison, “the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him. He granted him favor with the prison warden” (Genesis 39:21), and soon, all prisoners were under Joseph’s authority. Still, this wasn’t enough to earn his release; he was trapped, with no way out.

Ironically, the same supernatural gift that first thrust Joseph into the wilderness would be the means of his freedom. While in prison, a series of God-empowered dream interpretations took Joseph from the lowest position in Egypt to second-in-command. (Genesis 40, 41) In his new role, Joseph was tasked with storing enough crops to feed the entire country during a subsequent famine. (Genesis 41:46-57)

The famine was the final step in the fulfillment of Joseph’s boyhood dreams, as his brothers found themselves bowing before him with requests for food to sustain their families. (Genesis 42:5-6)

In this moment, possessing all the power to exact revenge and presented with the perfect opportunity to wield it, we see the work of wilderness time in Joseph’s heart.

He extended forgiveness to his family.

“But Joseph said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result–the salvation of many people. Therefore, don’t be afraid. I will take care of you and your children.’ And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.” (Genesis 50:19-21)

At last, Joseph understood the answer to all the “why”s.

Why the dreams?
Why the slavery?
Why the prison?
So Joseph would be in the right place, at the appointed time. God crafted every step to position Joseph in Egypt, at the palace, before the famine, to save many lives.

The nice thing about Joseph’s story is we already know the ending. But, when Joseph was bound to other slaves, stumbling through desert sands on the way to Egypt, he didn’t understand what was happening, or why. He was deep in the wilderness of the unknown.

Our future is unknown to us. We will have wilderness seasons like Joseph. We may not be sold into slavery or tossed in prison, but we will feel lost, alone, and forgotten.
Yet Joseph’s story reminds us God has not forgotten us.

Psalm 94:17-19 declares God’s love is unfailing and He brings us joy. Our circumstances do not define us. We are God’s, and He has not left us alone.

In Matthew 28:20, Jesus concludes the Great Commission by promising, “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” We may feel left alone in this world by those around us, but the Lord is always with us.

We are not lost; He is leading us.
We are not alone; He is with us.
We are not forgotten; He is working in us and through us.

Wilderness Wanderer, though we may not understand all the “why”s right now, we can hear Joseph’s heart echo across the generations . . . cling to faith . . . find joy . . . embrace hope . . . for God is with us, and He is working out His plan. Even in the wilderness.

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

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

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

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Wilderness Week Three! 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 Wilderness!

Build Day 13 Building Security

Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Nehemiah 11:1-12:26
1 Chronicles 23:24-32
James 4:13-17

Build, Day 13

In the first eight years of our marriage, my husband and I moved five times. Our moves were always long-distance, always for a different reason, and always into a drastically changed environment.

Once, we lived and worked in an inn. Another time, we lived with family. We spent a year in a stereotypical apartment complex without neighborly sentiment. Three years passed in a house in a mostly senior neighborhood. Now, we live in a townhouse and count the neighbors with whom we share our walls as friends.

Every place we’ve lived, God has been faithful to us, often by providing unexpected relationships. But transplanting is still hard, and often, finding new fellowship takes time.

In Nehemiah 11, many people faced the challenge of being transplanted. Some had returned to Israel from exile in Babylon, already uprooting their lives from a big city to resettle in a land ravaged by years of war and neglect. Others had been left behind in Israel during the exile, pouring themselves into maintaining life in an exposed, broken place.

With Jerusalem’s temple and wall rebuilt,
it was time for her citizens to move in and embody
what those physical structures represented.
Community.

Some families needed to relocate within the walls to fulfill God’s call to be God’s people, in God’s city, living God’s way, praising Him night and day together.

Of all the catalysts motivating my husband and I to move, never once was it because someone cast a lot. For the people in Nehemiah 11, however, it was exactly this. The ancient practice of casting lots in most cultures was somewhat akin to flipping a coin to make a decision. The idea was to make an impartial, unbiased decision about who would have to transplant to form this community. The unspoken emphasis in a biblical context was the heart motivation to surrender decisions to the Lord.

Can you imagine having the location of your home decided for you by mere chance? This is the place you’d return every day after work, make your own, and maybe even raise your family. You’d have no say over the neighborhood, your neighbors, or how far you were from the marketplace.

For Israel, casting lots wasn’t a game of chance, left to “fate”.
Rather, being selected to transplant was viewed as a decision from the Lord.
God had formed Israel as a people.
God had provided the Promised Land,
brought them out of it as punishment for longstanding sin,
and preserved a remnant for Himself.
These Israelites were that remnant.

Although being transplanted wasn’t easy and not many volunteered for it, it was actually quite an honor to be part of the new community forming in Jerusalem. Being a resident there meant having a front-row seat to watching God’s promises being kept and participating in the work and worship He’d called Israel to participate in long ago.

Israel’s leadership, including Nehemiah, fundamentally recognized that bringing residents home to Jerusalem absolutely must be accomplished God’s way.

While casting lots may have appeared to be the “deciding factor”
in choosing which families were transplanted,
but God was sovereign over each “flip” of the proverbial “coin”.

A variety of people may have been selected, but they were purposefully picked from each of the tribes God preserved: Judah, Benjamin, and the Levites.

These new residents of Jerusalem were also called to perform specific tasks in specific ways. They were assigned jobs according to their heritage. For instance, “Mattaniah—he and his relatives were in charge of the songs of praise.” (Nehemiah 12:8) This was in line with God’s previous design for Jerusalem and Israel, outlined several times in the Old Testament, such as 1 Chronicles 23:24-32, where the duties of the Levites are described.

In the long list of names found in Nehemiah 11-12:26, we discover a group of individuals willing to trust God and surrender their plans or preferences in order to relocate, take on particular jobs, and participate in a community organized around worship. Theirs is an example of what we’re all challenged to do in James 4:15 as followers of Jesus, “You should say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.‘”

We see modern examples of this in missionaries and church planters who are willing to relocate to fulfill God’s calling. Any Christ-follower who chooses to actively trust God and honor Him wherever they live demonstrates this willing, humble, active obedience, even when unexpected circumstances lead them to move, or limit their choices of neighborhood.

If you’ve transplanted recently, or you know someone who has, be encouraged. It is hard, but you’re not where you are, or engaged in the work you are, by mere chance!
God has placed you for a purpose.

Don’t miss Friday’s Journey Study to see how God is working
to build a new community through us!

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

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

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

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Build Week Three! 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 Build!

Build Day 11 Building Renewal

Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Nehemiah 9:5-37
Nehemiah 10:30-39
Daniel 9:3-10 
Psalm 51
1 John 1:8-10

Build, Day 11

Sin is something we usually want to hide. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve tried to hide their knowledge of their nakedness. (Genesis 3:7) In the Garden of Gethsemane, Judas called Jesus friend as he betrayed Him to the religious leaders with a kiss. (Matthew 26:47-49)

For hundreds of years, the Israelites were stuck in a cycle of sin, crying out, repentance, forgiveness, restoration, and then sin again. They knew their history, but here, under the leadership of Nehemiah, was a fresh chance to get it right.

Envision this scene.
Your church is assembled in a public space with heads full of dust, wearing sackcloth, with stomachs rumbling from fasting for days. And then, out loud, everyone confesses their sins and the sins of their ancestors. You read through the Bible, spend time worshiping the Lord, crying out to Him and confessing some more.
Corporate repentance. 

Now envision yourself, burdened for your community. You start your day connecting to the Lord “by prayer and petitions, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.” (Daniel 9:3-10)
Personal repentance.

We should be excited about this model of personal (Daniel 9:3-10) and corporate repentance (Nehemiah 9:1-4). Personally, I was ready to run at “heads full of dust”! This isn’t about pride or appearance. It’s about seeking spiritual renewal from God.

Throughout the Bible, we see renewal stemming from repentance.
1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Acts 3:19-20 tells us, “ Therefore repent and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped out, that seasons of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord[.]” 

Personal repentance brings renewal by giving us
the right perspective on sin (Psalm 51:3-5),
restored relationship with God through His forgiveness (Psalm 51:2, 7-9),
and willing hearts to stay turned from our sin and toward God. (Psalm 51:12-13)

We also see corporate repentance throughout the Bible.
In 2 Kings 23:1-3, King Josiah read the Word before the people. They made a covenant “to follow the Lord and to keep His commands, His decrees, and His statutes[.]” (2 Kings 23:3)

In Ezra 10:1-4, the prophet Ezra “[…]prayed and confessed, weeping and falling facedown” while the people also wept, confessed their unfaithfulness to God, and made a covenant with God to “send away all the foreign wives and their children[.]”

Corporate repentance draws us closer to God individually and as a community because we lament our ancestors’ sins along with our own and collectively vow to turn back to God. It also brings us in line with our duties from 1 Peter 2:9 as “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

From Nehemiah 9:5 to 37, Nehemiah proclaimed God’s praise, and gave an account of how God provided for and protected Israel. As he recounted each event, Nehemiah pointed to the people’s sins and unfaithfulness contrasted against God’s steadfast faithfulness. It was a stunning reminder that “There is no one righteous, not even one.” (Romans 3:10)

It’s also a reminder of God’s character and power. When we feel weak, we can draw strength from the Creator of the world. When we are being persecuted, we can know God is able to handle our enemies as He did Pharoah. When we are in need, we’re reminded that if God could provide manna and quail from heaven, He can surely help us. And we are refreshed by knowing, even when we sin, and we will, God is a “forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love[.]” (Nehemiah 9:17)

How can we practice these things today?

For personal and corporate repentance and renewal, we should come before Him with humility. We do this by verbalizing our wonder at His character and holiness. Then we should move into a time of confessing sin. Personally and corporately, we should be doing this on a regular basis. Just like we are eager to restore a relationship with a loved one by apologizing for an offense and changing our future behavior, we should take this even more seriously with the Lord.

One additional step we can take is modeled in Nehemiah 10:30-39, where they wrote out the changes they promised to make. Similarly, what if we wrote out, following some examples from our text, our commitments to the Lord? Here are a few examples:

“On Sunday, I will not take an extra shift at work. I trust the Lord to provide those extra funds.” (Nehemiah 10:31)

“Our family will agree on an additional gift to give to the church yearly.” (Nehemiah 10:32)

“I will cut unnecessary purchases and give it to my church or a ministry,” or “I will reserve time on my calendar to serve at church or with a ministry each month.”  (Nehemiah 10:35-37)

If we record and review our promises, we can trust our faithful God will bless us to do even more! We will be able, because He is able. Imagine the testimony our lives will be to His honor and glory!

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

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

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

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Build Week Three! 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 Build!

Build Day 4 Building Plans: Digging Deeper

Leave a Comment

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 Building Plans!

The Questions

1) What is Nehemiah’s goal?

2) Who are Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem?

3) Why are they accusing Nehemiah of rebelling against the king and how does Nehemiah respond?

Nehemiah 2:19

19 When Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard about this, they mocked and despised us, and said, “What is this you’re doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”

Original Intent

1) What is Nehemiah’s goal?
God fulfilled His promise of land to Abraham and the Israelite descendants (Genesis 12:1-3)during the time of Joshua. (Joshua 3-4) However, the Israelites lived in a constant cycle of obeying God, being led astray by an event, disobeying God, and finally God calling them back to Himself. This cycle went on for generations. In 597 B.C., God allowed the Israelites to be captured and taken into Babylonian captivity and the city was utterly destroyed. (Jeremiah 52) Nehemiah hears of the devastation of the remnant left in Judah (Nehemiah 1) and it breaks his heart. He has a desire to return to his people in Judah and rebuild Jerusalem’s wall so he makes a request of the king. (Nehemiah 2:4-5) The king allows for Nehemiah’s return and once arriving in Jerusalem, sets upon on a mission to accomplish the incredible feat of rebuilding the city walls.

2) Who are Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem?
These three men were not Israelites. They were from the people groups God had driven out of the Promised Land when He first gave it to the Israelites. While the Israelites had been in captivity their city had been left in ruins for over 100 years. These three men represented nations around Jerusalem who wanted the city to remain in ruins, for it was rendered impotent and without threat. They did not want the work Nehemiah and the Israelites were trying to accomplish to be completed. Their end goal was to prevent the Israelites and, as shown throughout the rest of Nehemiah’s story, they would stop at nothing to accomplish their goal.

3) Why are they accusing Nehemiah of rebelling against the king and how does Nehemiah respond?
Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem, along with others of the surrounding nations, accused Nehemiah of rebelling against the king in order to prevent him from his work. They acted in self-protection for, if Babylon’s king came on the scene, their own nations could also be at risk for being overthrown. The city wall Nehemiah was working to rebuild was extremely important in Nehemiah’s day. Cities were fortified for safety, and a city without a wall was open to the attacks of the enemy. These men knew if they could deter Nehemiah from his work, the city would never return to the glory it once had before being conquered. At the same time, their own cities would not experience threat from Jerusalem or Babylon. Nehemiah had been sent with letters of permission from Babylon’s king, yet these men still attempted to attack the Israelite workers as if they were rebels. Instead of collapsing under pressure, Nehemiah responded by informing his attackers that God Himself would see them to success. (Nehemiah 2:20) Nehemiah knew Who was truly in control; God’s power was supreme over the naysayers, Babylon, and even Israel itself. Only with this foundational mindset, could the building project reach its successful completion.

Everyday Application

1) What is Nehemiah’s goal?
Once Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem from Babylon he discovered firsthand the devastating ruins of the city and its wall. He immediately set out on a task to rebuild the city wall, thus restoring the city. God called Nehemiah to this work (Nehemiah 2:12), a work which seemed a major undertaking. However, Nehemiah knew God was with him. He had been praying since he first heard the news of the destruction in Judah. (Nehemiah 1:4) Just like God placed a burden on Nehemiah’s heart to restore the wall, there will be times where God burdens our heart with a task which seems larger than our abilities. It may even seem impossible. However, just as Nehemiah knew God was with him from the beginning, we must cling to the truth that God is with us. If God is calling us to something we can rest knowing He is going to work through us to complete it. We simply need to trust Him and step out in obedience just as Nehemiah did; what is impossible with man, is possible with God. (Matthew 19:26)

2) Who are Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem?
Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem were enemies of Israel. They attempted to prevent Nehemiah and the Israelites utilizing several different tactics in their plot to sideline the work. One strategy was verbal attacks. Had the Israelites listened to these men, they likely would have been unsuccessful in what God was calling them to finish. In our lives there will always be naysayers, those the enemy is attempting to use to prevent us from being successful for God’s Kingdom work. If we listen to the wrong voices, or give in to enemy tactics from Satan, we will begin to see the world through their eyes of deception. Our focus will no longer be on God and our actions will no longer be building the mission God has called us to finish. As believers, we are called to love others; when we listen to the wrong voices and the taunts of deception we stop loving others as we are loved by God. We are rendered ineffective for kingdom work. (Titus 1:16)

3) Why are they accusing Nehemiah of rebelling against the king and how does Nehemiah respond?
This accusation is thrown at Nehemiah in hopes of preventing him from rebuilding the wall. If his building project could be proven illegal, it wouldn’t be accomplished. However, Nehemiah had the authoritative and financial support of Babylon, so he could move forward against these accusations with confidence. More so, Nehemiah knew he was doing the work of the One True King. Success was guaranteed, and Nehemiah refused to be deterred so easily. Instead, he responded by pointing to the One who would bring success, not Babylon’s king, but God, the King of All. When we face the false accusations of the world as we strive to follow the calling of our Heavenly King, we too must remember Who will bring about success and Who is truly in control, the Lord God. No matter what He calls us to, the work belongs to Him and He will see it through to a successful finish. (Philippians 1:6) What a blessing and a joy we are invited into when He calls us to follow Him and build His kingdom! Paul writes that all believers in Jesus are “co-laborers” with God (1 Corinthians 3:9); what incredible work we are given as we journey with the King of Glory!

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

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 Build Week One!
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.

Build Day 3 Building Plans

Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Nehemiah 2:11-3:32
Proverbs 16:1-3
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Philippians 1:3-6

Build, Day 3

When we speak of building and relying on God, the Master Builder, throughout the building process, my mind immediately turns to parenting. As a Christian mama, my heart’s desire is to train my children in the way they should go. (Proverbs 22:6) Though I often fall short, I am daily seeking to build a legacy, attempting by God’s grace to talk with my children of God and His Word, in the hope of seeing love for God built into their hearts.

As I approach the passage from Nehemiah through which we are journeying today, I see so many nuggets of wisdom to glean and apply to my life’s work. These truths are for all of us regardless of whether you’re a parent! As Great Commission workers, we are all seeking to build God’s Kingdom!

First, I notice Nehemiah does not allow zeal or excitement to lure him into foolishly and immediately jumping head-first into construction tasks (which would be easy to do!). Instead, he surveys the area, he ponders, and he assesses before he gets to work. (Nehemiah 2:11-15) There is so much wisdom in this important first step because, as they say, “when you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.”

I see this as a lesson for me as a mama, too. With anything I am seeking to build and instill in my children, I first need to think about the end result, the character I hope my children possess as adults, what unique personalities and learning styles God gave to each one, and what they most need from me. Taking the time to engage in this important, preparatory step helps each of us work with victory and productivity. Nehemiah knew the same was true for him and his own divinely-inspired building project.

Next, I see the impact Nehemiah had on the community assisting him and vice versa. In Nehemiah 2:20, Nehemiah says, “The God of heavens is the one who will grant us success. We, His servants, will start building[.]” He proclaims these words in reply to naysayers and enemies; undoubtedly, facing this kind of opposition must have made Nehemiah’s fellow workers feel ill-prepared for the task, uncertain, and perhaps even afraid. Immediately following Nehemiah’s declaration, the atmosphere shifts, and everyone diligently sets to work. (Nehemiah 3)

This is a living testimony that “two are better than one[.]” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12) We need the help, support, and encouragement of Christian community to spur us on in the building tasks set before us by the Lord God. I have certainly seen this to be true as a parent!

This passage also highlights the importance of godly leadership in ensuring service to the Lord actually comes to pass in our churches and communities. Without someone going first (in this case, Nehemiah), the important work of rebuilding may have never happened. In fact, an earlier attempt to rebuild the wall had already stagnated and failed when Nehemiah entered Jerusalem! Nehemiah bore an enormous mantle of responsibility, which he carries with humility and sobriety, repeatedly turning to God both for direction and as the only One who could empower the completion of the wall.

When thinking about building-up my children, I see the wisdom of Titus 2:3-5 and God’s design for older, wiser women to come alongside younger women. We need older mamas-in-the-Spirit to guide, encourage, and edify us in our God-given tasks, just like Nehemiah’s community needed him!

Finally, as we have already seen in Nehemiah 2:20, the focus is not truly on Nehemiah; he is not the star of the show. He was an important, faithful leader, yes, but he was not the Master Builder; that title belonged to God alone. This is such good news, because it means we don’t need to rely on ourselves to get everything right, to complete a task perfectly, or to make it all come to fruition.

The same is true for us, who all too often feel as if the weight of the world is on our shoulders and as if the success of our parenting–or any other–endeavors ultimately depends on us. The Lord is the One Who constructs the blueprints, Who builds, and Who ensures His plans to fruition. Our role is to lean into Him, rely on Him, and follow Him.

May this truth be a source of great encouragement to your heart in whatever God-given building task you find yourself today!

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

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

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

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

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

The GT Weekend! ~ Training Week 3

Leave a Comment

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) I often find myself getting busy and eventually, I realize I haven’t eaten or been hungry. However, when intentionally choosing to fast, my attention becomes desperately focused on the necessity of food. Funny how our minds work! Not so funny is understanding that Satan is working against us by attacking our discipline of fasting with distraction. For me, I find fasting to be among the more difficult spiritual disciplines. Fasting for various reasons has become trendier in recent times, providing a more comfortable platform for discussion, but spiritual fasting is still often forgotten. On the other hand, believers who fast can be tempted to look down upon those who haven’t yet practiced fasting. For years, I didn’t fast as I was either pregnant or nursing, and undisciplined in between. The more I leaned into relationship with Jesus, the more convicted I became concerning fasting. I realized I may be missing the movement of God because I was unwilling to set myself aside through prayer and fasting. Where can you begin to train in fasting? Try giving up a single meal once a week, then move towards two and three a day. Watch how the Lord shows you Himself in deeper ways and moves mountains with your faith as you physically surrender to Him! Written by Carol Graft

2) It’s easy to become caught up in worship music and think we’ve truly worshiped the Lord fully, but Wednesday’s Journey Study showed us how worship is much more than an experience. Brenda taught us that biblical worship is a lifestyle that glorifies God, moves us to obedience and complete surrender, and cultivates respect for the Lord. Reflect on being sustained by God. Write out prayers of thanksgiving and praise for the ways He guards, protects, and preserves. As we reflect upon and see the characteristics of God, allowing Him to be everything we need in every situation, we worship! How can you incorporate meditating on God’s character into your daily schedule? As you meditate on those characteristics, find Scripture you can use to remind yourself of these truths about God’s heart so this fundamental understanding will lead our hearts into genuine worship. Written by Marietta Taylor

3) Generosity is almost always associated with giving money. While this is certainly part of generosity, we saw how exercising our generosity muscles encompasses more than finances. A generosity that reflects God’s heart is founded upon intentional and joyful sacrifice. This lifestyle of giving can involve money, prayer, sharing wisdom, or using your talents to encourage and edify the Church. I remember offering to babysit for our neighbor’s young children so the couple could enjoy their anniversary. My husband and I kept the kids not one night, but two. Something so simple, but richly life-giving to them, and memorable for all of us! Think of some instances when you’ve experienced another’s generosity toward you. Record what they did, how it made you feel, and how it reflected the heart of God to you. How have you been generous to others? Remember that being generous is something only God equips us to do. How can you make space in your life to be more generous? Begin by praying about how the Lord may be specifically calling you to be generous and then do it! If you need some inspiration, check out the Open Journey Theme! Written by Marietta Taylor

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 Colossians 3:23-24 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ.

Prayer Journal
Heavenly Father, as we close out this study on training, I pray all I have learned will remain with me. You know I struggle with consistency. So, I pray the Holy Spirit will continually nudge me to evaluate my life to reveal how I can better worship you, serve you and others, and grow ever closer to You. May I spend my everyday moments practicing for that One Day when I will finally be in Your presence, worshiping You forever. Every breath spent on this endeavor is well spent and echoes into eternity! May I never stop pursuing after, and participating in, spiritual training, for here, I come to know You in ever deepening ways. Help me be an example to others, not for my glory Lord, but for Yours. Praise Your glorious name for the good work You are doing through my surrender!

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