intimately

Pause V Day 1 Beginning

Leave a Comment

Pause Five, Day 1

Beginnings can be a double-edged sword.
There is the excitement of starting something new and fear of the unknown.

When we think of the Bible and beginnings, it brings to mind Genesis and the creation story. It began so well, but took a tragic turn after Eve and Adam ate the forbidden fruit.
See the double-edged sword?

But there is one beginning that’s so spectacular and glorious,
everything except awe and wonder fall away.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1)

John’s opening lines harken back to Genesis 1:1,
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”.

The Divine Word, Jesus, who was with God and was God, came to earth and walked among us. I get goosebumps thinking about the Creator of everything, stepping down from heaven to intimately engage with His creation.

Ponder that reality for a few moments.

So we wouldn’t miss Him, the Word sent a messenger to herald His imminent arrival. And the beautiful part? The messenger, John the Baptist, was himself a miracle from God. His mother was barren and both parents were well past the age for childbirth (Luke 1:7)
But The Word (God Almighty) had always been in charge and this was no exception.
No need for apprehension because the unknown was eliminated.
How was The Word described?

The Word was also our light. And He still is.

 Look at the chaos of the world.  The darkness has left the corners and shadows and walks freely and boldly among us. We desperately need light – this light, this Jesus.

Pause your words to read about The Word. How much do you need Him to make Himself, His light, more known to you?  You will know when you read only His words.

Grab your Bible, a journal and pen,
and open your heart to bask in the presence of the Almighty!

Today's Challenge

1) Read John 1:1-18, then circle back and re-read verses 9-13 a few times through.
Answer these 3 questions in your journal from verses 9-13:
            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. Be sure to write out any questions you have as you read! If you’d like to send your questions to us, we’d love to study with you!

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

Join the GT Community on Facebook!

John 1:1-18

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 All things were created through Him, and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created. 4 In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it.

6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but he came to testify about the light. 9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.

10 He was in the world, and the world was created through Him, and yet the world did not recognize Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. 12 But to all who did receive Him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of natural descent, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God.

14 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father,
full of grace and truth.

15 (John testified concerning Him and exclaimed, “This was the one of whom I said, ‘The one coming after me ranks ahead of me, because he existed before me.’”) 16 Indeed, we have all received grace upon grace from His fullness, 17 for the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. The one and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father’s side—He has revealed Him.

How Does “Pause” Work?
1. Each day, Monday through Friday, for 3 weeks, we will provide you with a simple challenge. Each challenge 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 Five 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 Pause Five!

The GT Weekend! ~ Follow Week 1

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) Job didn’t know God as deeply or as intimately before he suffered as he did after. Truly following the Lord more closely cannot be pulled out of thin air like shaking a magic 8 ball when you need an answer. Big decision? Time to ask the Lord and get your roadmap, right? This isn’t what Scripture teaches. Real, genuine following, like wisdom, begins by fearing the Lord (Proverbs 9:10) and is continued as an overflow of deepening your relationship over time and struggle. The more difficulties we walk through while leaning into God, the more we come to know and trust the good heart of our Savior. It’s in the toughest times we can learn most steadfastly to listen for His voice and trust His heart. Then, when other life decisions come, we have already learned what it looks like to keep following Him. What are some things you know about God? Go ahead and list them out on paper or your phone. Now make another list of characteristics about God you have experienced as a result of struggle. Spend time in prayer, asking the Lord to keep teaching you to hear His voice leading you and showing you who He is.

2) As human beings, we like to think we have all the control over ourselves. We own our own paths in life and have total control, at least that’s what we like to think. How quickly we forget the Lord God is sovereign over all things. He leads our paths, He pursues our hearts. Often times, it’s the Lord who surprises us with His embrace as He draws us near, amazing us by His tenderness in calling us to follow Him. God called both Abram and Andrew when they least expected it, but His invitation radically changed their lives. Neither man needed to spend long amounts of time trying to decide if they should follow where God was leading, He simply guided them as their hearts chose to respond. Sometimes, we like to make our decisions more difficult than we should, when we are truly just being called to follow and trust His heart as He leads us best. Consider where you’re over-complicating what it is to follow Jesus in your everyday life. What would it look like to lean back and trust His lead instead of your over-complication? Why not simply tell Him about it? Lay it all out before Him, talking out loud of your worries and your desire to trust Him over you; let Him calm your heart!

3) Sarah begins her Journey Study yesterday by asking a pertinent question, “Who but God would invite an ex- murderer to lead an entire nation?” Surely, we would not. Incredulously, God would, because He doesn’t judge our ability to follow Him based on our past performance (or failure). He knows that when we surrender to His power and ability to work through our brokenness, He will do things in us that are far beyond our imaginings. In what ways have you discounted yourself from opportunity because you are peering at it from the vantage point of your lack? Perhaps you’ve even found yourself comparing what you are not to what someone else is. There exists no such measure of comparison with the Lord! He calls us each to follow Him in total surrender of ourselves so He can use our lives for eternal work. Grab a sharpie for your skin, a bright notecard for your mirror, or text a friend to remind you frequently this upcoming week to surrender to His work in you, remembering it is both important and eternal!

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 Proverbs 3:7-8 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Don’t be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
This will be healing for your body
and strengthening for your bones

Prayer Journal
Father God, following is hard. It means a constant dying to myself, my plans, and my ability to see and trust myself. While I say with my words that I want to follow You, and I do mean it, Abba, my actions betray my spoken word at times. In honesty, following You feels dark and confusing at many points. I find it easy to question whether I’m actually, truly following You because it can feel like I’m stumbling down a ravine at midnight. I fear being crushed like Job, waiting for what feels like an eternity as Abraham did, or being continually mocked and criticized like Moses. Remind me over and over that Your definition of success is only summed up in two words, “faithful obedience”. Next time I’m tempted to define my “win” by the standards of the world, a big platform, or plenty of people following me, break through my pride and remind me it’s about my faithful obedience to Your call to do whatever is next. Thank You for loving me enough to provide a plan and a whisper to just follow You!

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

Esther Day 1 Known & Loved

3 Comments

Read His Words Before Ours!

Esther 1
Genesis 3
Isaiah 43:1-7

Esther, Day 1

When was the last time you looked in the mirror and saw radiant beauty?
Or how about the last time you felt someone wasn’t valuing you, so you fought to prove them wrong?

In Esther 1, the King of Persia made a bold statement about the value of the queen based on her appearance. The king had publicly called for his wife to display her beauty in the midst of a party of his royal comrades. He insisted his drunken guests be given the opportunity to shameless gaze upon her. Bravely, Vashti refused.

The king saw her flawless beauty, but didn’t value her heart.

Queen Vashti surely had the right to not be paraded in front of a drunken crowd like a beauty trophy. She had the right to be valued, known, and loved for her, not just her face and her body.

Why?
Because when God created human beings, He made them in His own image. (Genesis 1:27)
Every one of us carry equal value because we bear the image of the Lord God.

If Queen Vashti, along with all women everywhere across all of time, carried this value and image of God, why the struggle and fight for value and control?

The answer lies in the story lines of the first woman, the lies she believed, and the consequence for her exchange of truth for deception.
He said to the woman:
I will intensify your labor pains;
you will bear children with painful effort.
Your desire will be for your husband,
yet he will rule over you. (Genesis 3:16)

Eve was given this curse from the Lord as a consequence for choosing sin and self over a relationship with God in the garden of Eden.
Eve had been hand-crafted by the Lord and designed for deep, satisfying relationship with Him.
She was intimately known from her core and emotions and longings, to her toenails and freckles.
She was perfectly loved and delighted over.
But she bought the lie that said she was missing out on something else; that God was being stingy with her.
So, Eve chose disobedience over delight, and lost everything.

The curse says a woman’s desire will be to usurp authority.
Where Eve once found delight in the dance of mutual submission,
the fire for control now raged in her belly.

When we view the struggle that has existed for generations between men and women through the lens of this curse, our struggle makes sense.
We feel we’ve been cheated out of something, and we want it back.

But suppose what we’ve been cheated out of isn’t control?
Suppose it’s our core identity of being known and loved?

When Eve believed God was holding out on her, she pushed back and grasped for control.
For our girl Vashti, she already knew she was neither known nor loved by King Ahasuerus, so resting under his value of her was inconceivable.

How differently Vashti’s story could have been if her husband had valued her, known her deeply, and fought to protect her because he loved her?

How differently might our own stories be if we sink our fingers into the same truth?

If our value doesn’t come from perceived control….
If the reflection we see in the mirror is already viewed as beautiful….
If our biggest emotions and our deepest longings are fully known and satisfied….
If we are perfectly loved…
Wouldn’t our everyday stories be different?!

God knew Eve and He loved her, despite how she hard she fought for her own way.
God knew and loved Queen Vashti, regardless of how her husband devalued her.
God knows and loves each one of us, regardless of how we devalue ourselves or how we feel the need to fight for our own control.

God created us to enjoy the richest, fullest, most abundant life possible as we dance to the rhythm of His love. He crafted our stories to be played out under extravagant overtures of being fully known and deeply satisfied. Because we were irreparably broken under the heavy curse brought on by sin, He chose to pursue us as His beloved ones.

He took our curse upon Himself as He died in our place at the cross.
While we embraced lies that He was holding out on us, He surrendered everything to bring us back to Himself.

Often, like Queen Vashti, our thirst for value and significance press us against a wall, leaving us lusting for control and craving attention, but feeling cast off for not being “enough” in some form or fashion. What a difference it would make if we anchored on the shore of truth, knowing full well we were already known and loved!

YOU are known.
YOU are loved.
YOU have value and worth.
Let your true identity play out across the pages of your story!

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 Esther 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 Esther!