missions

The GT Weekend! ~ Sketched VII 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) Adam, a youth pastor who had been heavily influenced by his own youth pastor, sat across from another impressionable youth at a local coffee shop. Adam didn’t expect this moment, but is willing to sit in the uncomfortable while the boy across from him wrestles with the big questions about God raging in his heart. Here is discipleship lived out. Here is missional living, right in the heart of everyday life! Adam was willing to engage in another’s life, get messy, and face the uncomfortable right alongside him. Are you? Who has God already strategically placed in your life, waiting for you to get messy and live missionally alongside? Are you willing to sit still and allow the Holy Spirit to enter into another’s wrestling to bring about life change? Start praying for God-sized engagement in the life of someone around you!

2) When you think of “missionary” or “evangelism” or “sharing the gospel”, what happens inside your heart? What images come to mind? Do you find yourself pulling back with fear or breathlessly leaning in with anticipation? The missionary who shared her story on Wednesday admitted that her story likely met none of your expectations for what a missionary looked like. What if this statement was more of the “norm” for missional living? Just suppose our fears for sharing Jesus and being a missionary are unfounded? What if we are anchoring our visual concepts and heart fears of missions on a base of deception planted by the enemy to deter us from living out what God has richly called us into as He builds His eternal kingdom through us? What if?!

3)  Nikki began her story by stating she didn’t know what God was calling her into in the long run, but it all began with one step of obedience because she saw a desperate need. Often, this simple beginning is how the Lord motivates our feet to run towards Him and into His mission for us. He begins by stirring our hearts with a need we can visibly see and increasingly long to meet. This passion is not a mediocre passing thought, but a need that persists and chases. Where do you see this in your life? Or maybe that need was once a fiery burn in your chest, but you chased it away with other things. Just suppose the Lord God Almighty was calling you into something bigger than you can imagine, and all He asks right now is one step of obedience as you see a need?

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from Isaiah 6:8-9 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” And he said, “Go, and say to this people: ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’

Prayer Journal
Whom will You send, Abba? Will You send me? What of my fears? Do I know you well enough? Is there even an “enough” requirement to be sent? Where will I go? To the lost, Lord, You always send to the Lost, to the Broken, to those stuck in their sin. Oh Lord, remind me moment by moment, that “those” are “me” without You. We are the same! Lord, You are sending me out to people just like me. You are sending me to my people. Whoever “my” people are in different seasons whether months from now or decades, break my heart for them. Stir my heart with passion for them to know you deeply and intimately as You stir their hearts to reject their sin and love You most and best. Here I am, Lord, send me!

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

Sketched VII Day 5 All In

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Genesis 13:5-18
Matthew 8:18-22
Luke 14:25-27

Sketched VII, Day 5

My husband and I said, “Yes” to the something big two years ago.
We’ve been married 10 years, we have three children, two with us, and one with Jesus. We’ve lived in seven houses in three countries.
We’re familiar with the Lord asking us to do something and us (trying) to say yes.

Our most costly “yes”, however, came when He asked us to Go.
For us, going meant moving across the world to share the Gospel with people who haven’t heard it and don’t have access to it from other people in their culture.
These are the unreached.

The price tag for obedience is varied for many, but Jesus says in Matthew 8 it may involve not having a place to lay your head. In Luke 14, Jesus says one should hate his father and mother in order to leave and follow Him. While not literal in meaning, these examples demonstrate what it looks like to surrender. We must be ready to give up everything we hold dear to us if we really want a deep, vibrant relationship with Him. This is not only my family’s cost for obedience, this is for every Christ follower!

Serving in cross-cultural evangelism is hard.
We moved to a country where we knew no one and didn’t speak the language. The food was strange and spicy, the traffic didn’t seem to have any system beyond Don’t Crash. While we have a really comfortable place to live, the plumbing is taped together, the washing machine is filled with mold, and the bugs and critters seem to multiply overnight.

One of our elderly neighbors passed away a few months ago. We attended the wake service for her and our eyes were opened again to the lostness and lack of hope without Jesus. Her religion believes that the night someone dies, God and Satan fight for the soul of the deceased. In order to get that person to Heaven, the family and friends must say special prayers and recite parts of their holy book with great fervor.
Hopefully, the deceased makes it in to Heaven.

We sat for nearly three hours listening to these petitions.
Many people had the prayers memorized.
Some used a book as they recited empty, hollow, words.
Wearing a scarf and long sleeves in the uncooled room was stifling.
Our kids were fussing and bored, tired of sitting quietly for so long.
Spiritually, the heaviness and darkness in that place was oppressive.
This is part of our price for following Jesus with everything we have.

When we see the heart of God, it’s easier to understand why He requires a 100% surrender. Jesus says in John 10:16,
“I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen.
I must bring them also.
They too will listen to my voice,
and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.”

The why is rooted in radical love!

This neighbor and her family belong to an unreached people group in our city.
If there is no one to tell them of the redeeming love of our Creator God,
How Will They Know?

How will they believe anything different
than their traditional upbringing dictates?

Paul asks these same, bold questions in his letter to the Romans.
How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in?
And how can they believe without hearing about him?
And how can they hear without a preacher?
And how can they preach unless they are sent?
As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!
(Romans 10:14-15)

If all Christ asked of us was a head-nod assent to the fact that He is God and died to save us, then we not only cheapen His sacrifice, but we also miss out on being bearers of His good news. The cost to carry the good news is high, it’s total surrender.
But it is worth it!

Jesus asks us to give all, but He gave all of Himself first.
And He did it out of love for the lost who did not know Him.

Part of our task is sharing the Gospel with everyone the Holy Spirit prompts us to share with. This requires boldness we do not possess on our own, which is why God gives us His own Spirit inside of us to teach us how to surrender in obedience.

We frequent our neighborhood mall, markets, and playgrounds with the desire to proclaim the Good News often. We also work with a local group of believers to bring increased health to our church, with the long-term goal of seeing them reach their neighbors with the Gospel. All that sounds good on paper, but in the flesh, it’s messy at best, and always involves surrender.

In reflecting on our previous year on the field, the Lord has taught me repeatedly how the goal of my life is not to make it easy.
I’m not promised an easy life in Scripture.
In fact, I’m promised quite the opposite.
“If they persecute me, they will persecute you also.” (John 15:18)

In the midst of this challenging year, He has shown how the joy of my salvation will sustain me. By God’s grace, we may learn to be more effective on the field, but it likely will never get easier. And that’s okay.

What “yes” is He leading you into today, dear one?

Carve out time to ask Him, Lord what would you have me do?
Listen for His gentle whispers.

Praise the Lord, you don’t have to be ready for what He’s asking you to do.
He’ll do it through you as you give Him your yes!
Count the cost, place it before Him as an offering, and step out in surrender.
Immense joy, found in that tight space, is waiting for you!

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

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

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!

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 VII Week One! 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 VII

The GT Weekend! ~ Captivating 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) Does the idea of mission work strike fear inside or fill you with delight? We tend to think of missions only in the context of overseas, but the Lord’s work is everywhere. His desire is for all nations and all peoples to experience His rescuing love, and that includes all the places you are comfortable going in everyday life and all the places you’ve silently vowed you’d never go. Maybe you aren’t called overseas, but maybe you are and fear stops you from even trying. What you are called into as a Christ-follower is missions, the “where” is the only question. Check out the mission opportunities at your church, both local and abroad, keep your eyes on the Savior’s, and follow in obedience just one step at a time!

2)  Do you ever feel like your prayers don’t matter? What if these are just words we say without Someone to hear and respond? Yes? Me too. These are lies from an enemy who wants nothing more than to steal, kill, and destroy us and our sweet relationship with the Father through prayer. If prayer were not so powerful, the lies circling about it wouldn’t be so tempting. Think through your prayer list, what are your requests most often made? Health? Safety? Thank you for this food? Leaders of nations to walk in wise counsel? The unity of the church locally and globally? The tenacity of our persecuted brothers and sisters? This weekend, choose to stretch both your prayer list and your faith. Refuse to believe lies about prayer’s effectiveness, and stand in the gap for those we need our prayer!

3) If we are truly all, as Christ-followers, called to go. Where is your ‘go? What is stopping you from acting on that “go”? Be honest with yourself and with God and lay out your fears. Or maybe you’ve already gone, maybe you’re in the middle of a difficult, but obedient “go”. Maybe you have some disappointments, are feeling discouraged, or lonely, or are running on empty. Maybe you find yourself wondering why you chose to “go”. Please, lay those before the throne too, Sister. Whatever part of Go you find yourself in, spend time being gut-honest with the Lord who calls and faithfully equips, and ask Him to remind you what it means to give your life to save another.

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 Acts 16:9-10 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

Prayer Journal
Your call on our lives is clear, Lord, to make Your Name known to all. Lord God, break our hearts for what breaks Yours! Teach us what it means to give our life for another just as You did for us. Ignite within us a passion for reaching, for loving, and an unquenchable thirst to go wherever Your Spirit leads us. Take us into Your presence, let us not leave unchanged. May we hear the cry of our fellow mankind, tune our ears to hear their desperate plea for a love that rescues. May we obediently display our love for You by going where you send!

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

Captivating Day 15 Life For Life

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Isaiah 61:1-3
Luke 9:23-24
Acts 16:6-10

Captivating, Day 15

As I sat down to write this Journey Study, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.
Within an instant, I was taken back to twelve-year-old Sara (who actually went by Lizzie, but that’s another story for another day), sitting in the church sanctuary pew, tears streaming down her face. I was a wreck!
My church’s mission team was heading to Jamaica for a week and was in the process of presenting a slideshow detailing how they would minister on the trip.

I sat captivated by the testimonies, the preaching, the song and dance, and envisioned myself walking the roads and sharing the gospel.
The longer I watched, the more tears I shed.

My mom leaned over and asked me what was wrong, as I was clearly engulfed in emotion.
Four words mumbled from my mouth through silent sobs.
I need to go.

 I had known about missionaries, and mission trips my entire life, but I’d always viewed it as something to do when I got ‘older’, whatever that meant.
It wasn’t until my sister gave us all hugs and said, ‘see you later’ I realized missions wasn’t intended for just some believers,
It was intended for every believer.

As mom and I talked, I couldn’t help but wonder why the emotion, and why the longing? It brought questions up in my heart, and I knew I needed to find answers. By the end of the night, we decided if I still felt the same way next summer, then I could sign up for my first mission trip.

Over the course of the next few months, I felt I heard the word ‘missions’ more than ever.
It’s beautiful the way the Spirit works to create a hunger within us, isn’t it?!
When you are increasingly sensitive to His leading, and really pressing into Him, He reveals His direction ever more consistently and clearly in our lives. From guest speakers, to videos, to Scripture, I felt drawn to missions more and more.

When the next summer rolled around, I had signed up for not one, but two trips. I was heading to El Salvador, and a couple weeks later, to Jamaica. It didn’t matter that it was summer and I was supposed to spend my days at the pool, what mattered to me was going. What mattered was obeying what God had told me to do.

The trip to El Salvador was overwhelming. To see how the world lives beyond my sphere was eye opening, especially as I wasn’t much older than most of those we interacted with.
I had spent one night on our trip praying and praying about what God wanted me to do with my life when I heard His voice for the first time.

I’ve called you to this, my daughter. To proclaim the Good News. To be a missionary.

I knew then, my life was forever changed.
This was why I was engulfed in emotion.
This was why the Spirit had been speaking to me for the last year.
He was preparing me to listen and obey.

The theme of the week in El Salvador was Vida por Vida, which means Life for Life.
Jesus gave His life,
So we can live our lives,
To tell others about Him.

This is the Gospel lived out!

If I wouldn’t have laid my own desires down, I would’ve missed what God created me to do. To make disciples, to teach them the Good News.

Following Him in obedience will always involve sacrifice.
But it will always be worth it!

Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of
The Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you.
And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20

We were all created to go.
It could be within the walls of your home, in the checkout aisle, across the street to neighbors, or going to the 10/40 window, but the mission is the same.
To ensure every person on earth has heard the name of Jesus.

If you’ve never been on a mission trip before, I encourage you to pray about it, then follow through and sign up for one. It’s incredible to see the Lord working beyond your everyday borders.

Will it cost you?
Yes
Will it be worth it?
Beyond measure, friends, beyond measure, as you give your life for another life.

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

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

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

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