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The GT Weekend ~ Calling Week 2

October 17, 2020 by Erin O'Neal 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) What is your “why” as a follower of Christ? As we consider the magnitude of our eternal blessing of eternity in the presence of God, everything else in life seems to fade in comparison. When we grasp the depth of this truth, we ought to be stirred to invite others to share in the blessing with us regardless of any struggles we may experience as we share. When you read this study, did a name jump to your mind of someone you want to share Christ with? Maybe you have a friend who is far from God or someone who has drifted away from your church body in the last few months, realizing she doesn’t really miss the Lord. Maybe there is a college student you know who is struggling to reconcile her faith and her doubt. Set up a time to get together with this friend with the express purpose of sharing your faith and how God is working in your life. Commit to pray through Ephesians 3:14-21 for your friend every day leading up to your appointment. If you are struggling to come up with a name, have a conversation with God in your journal about what would keep you from setting this kind of appointment and ask Him to send someone into your life with whom you could share the gospel.

2) In Ephesians 4:1, Paul urges the Ephesians to live in a manner worthy of their call. Those who have been called to follow Jesus have the honor, privilege, and responsibility to live focused on God, becoming the people He wants them to be. By practicing spiritual disciplines, we can learn and grow in our faith so we can walk in a worthy manner. In Galatians 5:19-23, we see two lists of behavior patterns and character traits to help us visualize and grasp what our way of living ought (and ought not) look like. Take some time to read these two lists again. Did any traits from the first list stand out to you as ways you have been living and need to change? Honestly evaluate your life before the Lord and write down the specific ways you have been living outside of a manner worthy of your calling. Repent of those things, and ask God to help you walk in a new way. As you look at the second list, consider how you have grown in your walk. Name a specific fruit of the Spirit God has developed in you. Write down a prayer of thanksgiving to God for the work He has done in your life.

3) The book of Ephesians talks frequently about living in unity with the body of Christ. When we trust Jesus as our Savior, we become a part of a new family, the family of God. With this new family comes a new set of expectations and a new way of living. This new way of living can only be authentic when it comes from the Holy Spirit working in our lives, changing us from the inside out. We can try to force outward actions, but true change can only come from imitating Christ and allowing Him to change our inner selves. Where in your life have you been forcing an outward change without submitting your heart attitudes to the Lord? Take some time to write a prayer asking God to reveal the heart attitudes you are holding onto that need His redemptive work. As you see those attitudes in your life, confess them and ask for His changing power in your life. Take part in your spiritual family by telling a trusted friend what you are struggling with and asking her to pray with you for true and lasting life change.

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 Ephesians 3:20-21 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us— to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer Journal
You, oh Lord, are able to change lives. You have come down from Your holy hill and made a way for Your people to be united to You and be one in You. You have given Your children great gifts and blessed us with a new way of living. Help me, merciful Father, when I fall short. Search me and reveal the ways I am trying to fix myself or make myself better without relying on Your power and transforming work. Help me to leave behind my old way of life, my fleshly desires, and my sinful tendencies. Make my heart soft to the spiritual fruit You are growing in my life. Help me to live my life so others see Your changing work. Thank You for the many ways you have already changed me. Thank You for setting me free from my old ways of life and for bringing renewal to my relationships. You have shown up for me in ways I could never have imagined. Give me courage to speak your truth to those around me, so they may also experience the life-changing work You do every day.

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

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Posted in: bride, Called, church, Clothed, Discipleship, Dwell, Equipped, Faith, Follow, Fullness, Journey, Joy, Need, Purpose, Worship Tagged: calling, church, GT Weekend, journal, prayer, purpose, scripture

Calling Day 8 Live Worthy

October 14, 2020 by Marietta Taylor Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Ephesians 4:1-16
Deuteronomy 6
Galatians 5:16-26

Calling, Day 8

“I’m curious. How did you save your marriage? I need to know so I can try to save mine,” my friend inquired.

I knew she was looking for a magic bullet. I didn’t have one for her, though. “We prayed individually. We went to our Bibles and discovered what marriage is supposed to look like. We read Christian marriage books.

“And at the end of the day, we just decided to love each other like Jesus loves us.” It wasn’t the easy answer she was looking for, but it was the truth. 

When I said my marriage vows, I was called to be a wife. As Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:1, I needed to live worthy of that calling, just as my husband needed to live worthy of his calling as a husband. But most importantly, we needed to walk worthy of being called by Christ.

Marriage is an earthly reflection of God’s relationship with us, His bride; so, Sister, regardless of your marital status, if Jesus lives in your heart, Paul’s exhortation to walk worthy of God’s calling is for you.

When Paul started Ephesians 4:1 with the word “therefore,” he reminded us of Ephesians 1 through 3. In those chapters, we find that by knowing God and accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we receive
spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1:3),
grace (Ephesians 1:7),
salvation (Ephesians 2:5-6),
power (Ephesians 3:16-17)
and unity (Ephesians 2:11-22).

These wonderful gifts are freely given to us.
And we honor God when we use them to reflect Him to others. 

Focusing on God enables us to live worthy of the gifts of salvation and the Holy Spirit.
But how?

If you’ve been in church, you’ve probably heard prayer is how we “conversate” with God. In these ongoing conversations with our Father, it’s helpful to dedicate space to listening, so we can also hear from Him. And finally, sometimes He answers me while I’m doing mundane things, too! He can speak to me at any moment, from driving in my car to preparing a meal!

Reading and studying the Bible are also important. We read not just to learn God’s instructions, but also to know His character. Again, human interactions mirror our relationship with God. Just as we grow closer to people as we spend together and learn their character, we can know God is loving, just, merciful, patient and faithful by reading His Word. 

God’s character and heart for us are revealed all throughout Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation. For example, in Deuteronomy 6, we learn what it means to fear God (Deuteronomy 6:2). This does NOT mean we ought to be afraid of God, but rather, we ought to live in respectful awe of God’s character and the greatness of His power and might.

And when we fear Him, we try to walk in obedience to His commands, which He gives us in the Bible. See how it’s all connected?

Finally, when we meet in community, we gain others’ perspectives about and experiences with understanding and applying Scripture. We can also be encouraged and challenged by other believers. Just like children learn life skills from older siblings, we can learn from those who are more spiritually mature. Consider Titus 2:2-8, which exhorts both men and women to teach those younger than them, both in physical age and spiritual maturity.

As we pray, read, and study the Bible, meet in community and revere Him, we come to know and love Him more, “with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:5)

Then, in a natural outpouring of this love, we begin to reflect Him to others around us. In doing so, we display His heart and character to those in our spheres of influence who may not know Him.

For instance, my friend was not a believer.

But she watched my husband and I work through an extremely difficult period in our marriage.
She watched me change attitudes and behaviors.
She watched my husband transform as he studied.
Thus, we were able to show her Jesus through our daily actions.

But when our lives do not align with the Bible, we can turn people away from the gospel. If our lives look more like the list from Galatians 5:19-21 than the one in Galatians 5:22-23, who would want that Jesus? I wouldn’t, would you?

And finally, Scripture urges us to remain consistent in our obedience and resulting godly behavior. We cannot live double lives. Even Peter falls prey to this trap of duplicity and is corrected by Paul in Galatians 2:11-14. May we never cause others to regard the Church as hypocritical.

In this Gracefully Truthful Community, we read and study the Bible. We learn about God’s character. We share authentically with each other. In this is place, we can grow in spiritual maturity. We are helping each other learn to live worthy of our calling!

I’m so glad I took those baby steps years ago. Because I, because we, chose to live worthy of the commitment to which God called us, my husband and I will celebrate 28 years of marriage this December.

So ladies, I declare with confidence, if the Spirit of God lives within you, then you CAN walk and live worthy of your calling.
Go show the world.

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

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

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

Posted in: Ignite, Journey, Joy, Kingdom, Legacy, Life, Love, Meaning, Ordinary, Paul, Praise, Scripture, Strength, Struggle Tagged: calling, paul, prayer, real life, worship, worthy

The GT Weekend! ~ Questions Week 3

March 7, 2020 by Rebecca 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) Prayer is mysterious, isn’t it? This speaking into air, or only in the quiet confines of our hearts, to a God we cannot see, yet Who sees every detail of us and listens to every thought, whisper, or shout. What is your perspective on prayer? Are there some prayers that work? Does God hear everything and choose not to answer some? Is God miserly, only choosing to answer those prayers He approves of as being good enough? Do you need to reach a certain level of holiness to pray? According to Scripture, God’s main purpose in inviting us to pray is we can know Him and enter into a deeper relationship with Him. If prayer is the doorway to knowing God better, do you want to walk through it? What could that intentional decision look like beginning this weekend?

2) Is God loving or angry? What is His perpetual disposition towards humanity? Towards you? Is He sometimes pleased with you and other times frustrated, annoyed, distant, or angry? Do you feel God is obligated to love you, but doesn’t really like you? Pull out your journal and set a timer for 5 minutes, giving yourself permission to freely write down every thought you have regarding these questions. Remember there is no one judging you for your honest questioning! The root question that, if answered, dramatically colors every other question we raise about God is, “what do you think of God?”. It sounds simple, doesn’t it? Try answering that question for yourself, especially in relation to how God views you. Then take your answers to Scripture and see what God says about Himself!

3) In the everyday running rhythm of our lives, we can feel important, as if life revolves around what we do or don’t do. Responsibilities are always present, decisions to be made, and consequences to live with as a result. In the grand scheme of the universe, however, our lives are so fleeting and temporal. Important people in society or in the world who enjoy popularity or power, likely don’t even know you personally exist unless you have a special connection. Your daily struggles are not known to them and neither do they care to know. Magnify their position to infinity, and you have a tiny glimpse of God. Yet, despite all logical thought, He is present with us and intimately aware of every single daily joy and struggle. How does this reality shape the landscape of your heart this weekend?

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from Psalm 34:4-7 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

I sought the Lord, and He answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.
This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
and saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.

Prayer Journal
Amid all the questions we’ve studied in the past three weeks, and all the questions that still poke holes in the corners of my heart, how comforting and sweetly good it is to know this solid truth, “I sought the Lord and He answered me.” You are gracious and kind, generously leading me to know You deeper. You embrace me and my question and every single doubt as you steadfastly hold me, continuing to teach me about Your good heart. Help me to hold onto what You’ve taught me to be true, and keep my focus on those things as most important. Help me not to get so caught up in my wrestling on smaller things, that I miss the bigger things: Your love for me is boundless, Your sacrifice covers my sin, and You have designed me on purpose to live boldly for You in telling others about 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

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Posted in: Comfort, Deep, God, Good, GT Weekend, Jesus, Joy, Love, Relationship, Sacrifice, Scripture Tagged: Always, angry, better, Invite, knowing, Loving, near, prayer

Treasure Day 15 Treasure, Found!

January 24, 2020 by Rebecca 2 Comments

Read His Words Before Ours!

Matthew 13:44-46
Philippians 3:7-11
Hebrews 11:23-28

Treasure, Day 15


The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field,
which a man found and covered up.
Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Matthew 13:44

Ellie* checks out my groceries at the local store almost every time, despite the size of the store and the many aisles to choose from. Truthfully, I tended to avoid her aisle about 3 years ago. She’s a bit rough around the edges and a little sharp with her demeanor. Ellie is older than me and one would think we have almost nothing in common, except being in the same store at the same time.

But three years ago, God began using Ellie to show me how rough my own edges were.
The edges of my heart.

It was lent, the 6 weeks before Easter, when God pressed on me to pray for total strangers.
Not just pray for them, but actually ask them how I could pray for them.
Verbally ask total strangers.
Whoever God’s Spirit told me to ask.

It was a hard request for me to receive, and follow through in obedience.
I love random, but that kind of random was r e a l l y stretching me.
But I said yes, having no idea where God would lead.

He lead me to Ellie.
I balked, but I spit out the words with what was hopefully coming across as a smile. I glanced at her name tag while I loaded up the conveyor belt with shredded cheese and tortillas, took a big breath, and said, “How can I pray for you, Ellie?”

My heart was pounding, but that’s pretty much what big-step-obedience feels like for me. Step into what God was already doing beforehand, and trust His plans are wiser than my own.

She threw in some colorful words, but she also fervently asked me for a genuine prayer request. I don’t remember what her specific request was now, but she did say something that stuck out to me, “I can always use prayer!”.

In that moment, I realized how sharp my own edges were. So sharp, I was willing to keep others at arms’ length (or longer) all because I had deemed them without value of my time or investment.
Ouch.
I had deeper heart issues than I realized.

Was I valuing my own view of being God’s treasure, without also extending that same view of treasure to others?
Yes.

Had I decided I was more of a treasure than Ellie?
Yes.

Those words aren’t easy to write, ladies.
Because they are painfully true.

Something else stuck out to me in our brief, but forever transformative encounter, Ellie recognized her need for God-sized intervention in her life, and she wanted it. She took all she knew of God and all she knew of herself, and said yes.

Sisters, I found treasure that day, and it changed my life forever.

As believers, we get scared pretty quick when it comes to telling other people about Jesus, don’t we? Come on, raise your hand with me, both of them. J
But when we come face to face with the crazy, amazing reality that we ourselves are the beloved of God, the treasure of Christ transforms us.

Remember the dude’s random story at the beginning of this Journey Study? The guy who discovered treasure and sold all he had in his joy to buy that field?
That guy is us!

We are called to give away the entirety of ourselves to hold unswervingly to the treasure of Jesus and abundantly share Him with everyone.

When I’m at the gas station, when I’m getting coffee, when I’m waiting in line at the check-out, when I’m talking with the gal who does my hair, when I chat with the neighbor down the street, I’m thinking about Ellie. I’m wondering what other treasure God has waiting for me to find as I intentionally invest in another life, by shifting my perspective and seeing them as Treasures instead of just faces.

As we obediently take one big breath of obedience after another, we eventually find ourselves on the brink of one breath away from sharing the full story of Jesus with our own “Ellie” because Jesus Himself has led us there, prepared the way behind and before, and is just waiting for us to step into obedience.

Now, I choose Ellie’s aisle on purpose. I know about her son, the way she likes her coffee, and what she did over the holidays. I pray for Ellie regularly that she would one day understand the fullness of what a precious treasure she is. When the day comes for me to fully tell the story of Jesus lavish love for her, I’m confident His Spirit will empower me to take a big breath and speak in obedience, just as He has been doing.

The last time I was in the store, Ellie chased me through the store unbeknownst to me, until she finally caught up to me, called my name, gave me a big hug, and said, “my favorite part about you is that you pray for me.”

In that moment, as I looked in Ellie’s eyes, I saw diamonds.
Treasure, Found!

*Ellie’s name has been changed and some details modified to protect her story

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

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 Treasure 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 Treasure!

Posted in: Christ, God, Holy Spirit, Joy, Obedience, Transformation, Treasure, Trust Tagged: ask, Empower, found, Kingdom of Heaven, prayer, speak

The GT Weekend! ~ Relentless Week 2

September 21, 2019 by Rebecca 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) “If the Lord is for us, then why has all of this happened to us?!” Gideon’s question hits all of us. If we are willing to be honest, then you know as well as I do, I’ve pleaded with the Lord over this query. I’m challenging you and me to be bold before the Lord and write out what our fill-in-the-blanks are for this question in relation to our own lives. “If the Lord is for me, why did my friend commit suicide? Why is my marriage so difficult? Why am I so weary?” Pray these to the Lord from a place of transparency and seek His solace and His answers over your own. Connect with a trusted, believing, friend in the next few days and share your thoughts, asking her to pray with you.

2)  Amy shared on Wednesday of times she had questioned God’s love for her, run from Him in anger, and have failed to follow Him. Take some time to write down, even if it’s on your phone’s notes, times when you have done the same. There is something powerful that happens in our hearts when we verbalize reality. As you take steps to be transparent with yourself, pray over these and bring them to the Lord. Tell Him honestly what you have questioned, why you were (or are) angry, and why you have run. Pray. Seek His Word, studying it as you pray for His Spirit to free you and show you His relentless love!

3)  We all like winning, don’t we? Reaching the goal, checking off that list, knowing we hit the target square on, we crave that win! Kendra reminded us yesterday that God always wins, meaning that His purposes cannot be thwarted and what He intends to accomplish, He will do. What would it look like if we abandoned our ideas of winning, and instead picked up the Lord’s? What if He became our source for strength and we shifted our eyes to see His win instead of our own? What radical difference might it make if we knew that whenever we aligned ourselves with His ways over ours, we would be assured His victory in His way and in His time?

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 Lamentations 3:22-24 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

22 Because of the Lord’s faithful love
we do not perish,
for his mercies never end.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness!
24 I say, “The Lord is my portion,
therefore I will put my hope in him.”

Prayer Journal
Because of Your love….I am here tonight to praise You, I held my babies tight today, I slept peacefully last night, I saw the sun this morning, and breathed in Your new morning mercies. Because of Your love, gracious, good Father! Your love is better than life itself! (Psalm 63:3) Teach me, on repeat, to view my days and moments and relationships and circumstances through the lens of “because of Your love” just like the psalmist wrote. Teach my lips to sing it, my hands to love with Your love, and my eyes to see with Your love. You alone are my portion, Oh God; how great is Your faithfulness!

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

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Posted in: Attention, Busy, Called, Discipleship, Excuses, Faith, Freedom, Good, Identity, Kingdom, Obedience, Praise, Prayer, Relentless, Wisdom, Worship Tagged: GT Weekend, journal, love, prayer, pursuit, relentless, worship

Open Day 7 The Unconventional Open: Digging Deeper

August 6, 2019 by Rebecca 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 The Unconventional Open!

The Questions

1) Can my faith in Christ save someone else?

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

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

Mark 2:1-12

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

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

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

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

Original Intent

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

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

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

Everyday Application

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

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

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

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

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Open Week Two!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up
to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

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

Posted in: Captivating, church, Digging Deeper, Faith, Gospel, Grace, Holy Spirit, Open, Paul, Peace, Prayer, Purpose, Struggle, Suffering, Trust, Truth, Unity Tagged: faith, gospel, healing, neighbor, open, prayer, salvation, share, stories, Truth

Anchored Day 2 Saints, Apostles, & Brothers: Digging Deeper

February 19, 2019 by Rebecca 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 Saints, Apostles, & Brothers!

The Questions

1) Why does Paul call out that he is an apostle “by God’s will” and notes that Timothy is “our” brother? (verse 1)

2) Is there a significance to Paul’s greeting, “grace and peace to you from God our Father”? (verse 2)

3) Why would Paul include a reference to his prayers for this particular church in his greeting, especially since he hadn’t met them? (verse 3)

Colossians 1:1-3

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and Timothy our brother:
To the saints in Christ at Colossae, who are faithful brothers and sisters.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you

Original Intent

1) Why does Paul call out that he is an apostle “by God’s will” and notes that Timothy is “our” brother? (verse 1)
Paul was writing to Gentile believers he had never met; he had only “heard of their faith” through Epaphras. (verse 4, 7-8) Through Epaphras, the brothers and sisters in Colossae would have known who Paul was and of his missional heart for the Bride of Christ, His Church. They knew their own pastor, Epaphras, was a believer because of Paul’s willingness to extend the gospel and disciple him. To receive a letter of encouragement and instruction from Paul would have carried significant weight because of his reputation alone, but Paul doesn’t put any stock into man-made reputation. Instead, Paul puts the full weight of his authority and ability to speak truth over them as a church body on the effective call and will of God the Father, working in community with God the Son, Jesus Christ. Then, distancing himself even further from what could be seen as his “self-made-platform”, Paul identifies Timothy as the collective “our” brother in the Church. What Paul is preparing to write and teach isn’t about himself or puffing up his reach as a pastor with authority, it’s about the community of Christ as brothers and sisters, all saints together.

2) Is there a significance to Paul’s greeting, “grace and peace to you from God our Father”? (verse 2)
Lest we forget, every word of Scripture was written on the breath of the Holy Spirit. He used human writing styles, human words, and human author’s unique stories and experiences, but the words and message are fully the Lord God’s. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) Every word of Scripture is significant, which is why we take such time and energy to study it well. (2 Timothy 2:15) This isn’t simply a Pauline greeting we casually pass back and forth like, “Hey, how are you?” “Good! We are doing great! How are you?” “Good thanks!” This greeting is rooted deep in the anchor of the gospel. Grace. God’s richest gift to mankind demonstrated through the offering of Jesus’ sacrifice for our sin. When we accept this gift of undeserved grace, unable to be earned by our attempt at being good, we have peace with God. Grace and Peace. Because of His grace, we have peace. Peace with God and peace we can extend to others. Paul’s greeting is not an ordinary hello, it’s rooted in the depth of the gospel, because only there in the anchor of lavish grace, do we have hope for relationship, for life, for community, and for peace.

3) Why would Paul include a reference to his prayers for this particular church in his greeting, especially since he hadn’t met them? (verse 3)
Again, nothing preserved in Scripture is accidental or unimportant. All of it holds treasure to reap as we seek to know and understand God better. “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you.” This single sentence reveals much! It was commonplace for Paul to pray and when he did, it wasn’t a show or religious rite, but a conversation centered around a deeply intimate relationship with God as Father. God wasn’t a foreign entity Paul worked to appease and then occasionally beg Him for something. Prayer allowed a vibrant, continuous relationship to grow between Father God and beloved child. Paul’s prayers, while deep and intimate, were woven through with gratitude. When Paul prayed for the church, gratitude bubbled up for their partnership in the gospel. He was grateful for the opportunity to share the mission with other believers. (verse 4) Whether he personally knew them or not, what mattered most was that these brothers and sisters, fellow saints, were co-laborers for the gospel. Going farther in the letter, Paul has “big rock” items to teach them as he corrects their beliefs, but despite the issues ahead, Paul begins with gratitude for these, his brethren in Christ.

Everyday Application

1) Why does Paul call out that he is an apostle “by God’s will” and notes that Timothy is “our” brother? (verse 1)
Are you involved in a local church body? If so, who are you able to identify as leaders? Are you attaching that label of leader to yourself? If not, you should be. You, sister, have a calling and responsibility as a member of God’s Body, to be actively serving her and partnering with other members to preach Christ! If you’re already serving in the local church, think through who you are willing to link arms with in serving the mission of the church. Do you view someone as “beneath” you? Who do you, perhaps unwittingly, choose not to serve with? Paul’s message is clear, not just in Colossians, but in each of his other letters; the unity of the church is paramount to her accomplishing the mission of God. Pray through how you can leverage your role, regardless of what it is, to strengthen that unity. Partner well, love well, live well in biblical community with fellow brothers and sisters, remembering that it is only because of Christ that we, together, have this mission!

2) Is there a significance to Paul’s greeting, “grace and peace to you from God our Father”? (verse 2)
What if we, like Paul, began looking at each of our interactions as opportunities to share the gospel? Suppose the words we choose to use in our relationships very intentionally pointed towards Christ? What would our social media accounts reflect? Would the tone shift? Might people leave our conversations better encouraged, or maybe seeing the face of God a little more clearly? Challenge yourself to become more cognizant of the questions you ask, the intention behind the asking, and the words you use in your response. Intentionally deciding to bless another with truth can be as simple as “grace and peace”.

3) Why would Paul include a reference to his prayers for this particular church in his greeting, especially since he hadn’t met them? (verse 3)
In just this one sentence, we see such a deep and wide scope of Paul and his prayer life. What about yours mimics this model? Where would you like to see your prayer life grow? Is prayer mostly a “you-talking” experience? Do you use prayer in conjunction with Scripture? How often do you sit, still and silent, before the Lord, just to listen? Keeping a prayer journal is a great way to reflect on the content of your prayers. How often is gratitude woven throughout them? How frequently do you simply enjoy the glory of being in God’s presence and meditating on His character?  Consider too how often you lift other saints before the Lord, and with what attitude you do so. When we position ourselves at the Throne of Grace, the Spirit will naturally move our hearts to intercede for brothers and sisters. Joined to the Father, insistently means joined to the Saints in this beautiful community of Church! What is your prayer for the church? Share it with the GT Community today on Facebook and let’s encourage each other as we pray for one another!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Saints, Apostles, & Brothers!

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 Anchored 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.

Posted in: Paul, Peace, Praise, Prayer, Purpose, Relationship, Scripture, Thankfulness, Truth, Unity, Worship Tagged: Community, father, prayer, unity

The GT Weekend! Awaken Week 1

January 12, 2019 by Rebecca 2 Comments

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) Vulnerable transparency is at the core of Gracefully Truthful. If we can’t be honest with ourselves, how could we possibly be honest before the Lord God who knows us intimately? But honesty costs us something precious, our pride. We all have those places we’d rather stay in control of, even if they are failing miserably. What’s yours? What if you turned that ache into a prayer for mercy to your Maker?

2) Go back and read Day 3, Awakening The Desperate, and make a list of areas in your own life where you feel you are reaching the “Land of Desperate”. What would it look like to surrender those places into the hands of the One who seeks after your heart? After making your list, sit in a quiet place and hold open your hands, praying as you release those areas to the Lord and spend some time dwelling on Psalm 16.

3) Do you ever struggle with feeling like your prayers don’t matter? Do you catch yourself wondering if God even listens or cares about the details of your life? These are temptations in disguise, subtly shifting our perspective from the truth of God and His character to feeling sorry for ourselves. The practiced discipline of steadfastly choosing to worship despite how we feel is something to grow up into as we become more like Christ. Choose a visual reminder (maybe draw on your mirror with a marker or use our lockscreen for your phone) to help you remember to steadfastly choose to worship the Lord this weekend.

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from Psalm 16:7-8 back to the Lord and let His Spirit speak to you through it!

I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.
I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

Prayer Journal
Ah Lord, how sweet it is to sit here in Your presence! Lord, the places of my heart that hold shadows of fear, doubt, anxiety, and pain…Jesus, You know them well. Give me Your treasured counsel, instruct my heart in these lonely places, teaching me trust and depend on You alone. Help me turn to Your voice instead of the taunting voices of my own insecurities.

I know with my eyes focused on You and the safe refuge of Your shelter, my life will not be shaken despite the circumstances that may swirl around me, ever shifting. Teach me to anchor my heart here with You, Lord. How I love Your Word and Your presence! I bless Your Name for your goodness towards me. Awaken me with Your love!

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

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Posted in: Character, Comfort, Community, GT Weekend, Hope, Inheritance, Mercy, Worship Tagged: GT Weekend, hope, praise, prayer, promise, relationships, worship

The GT Weekend – Glimmers Week 1

December 15, 2018 by Rebecca 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) The enemy wooed Eve away from truth by questioning her view of God. Satan wanted Eve to think God wasn’t as true to His character as she had believed, he wanted her to think God was ‘holding out on her’. Think about some recent circumstances when you’ve been tempted question similarly. Consider the thought processes you go through when you are being led to believe a lie rather than truth. Pray over those areas and ask the Spirit to root your heart deep into truth as you prepare for future battles.

2) Do the words ‘hope’ and ‘surrender’ seem incompatible? When has your life situation appeared utterly hopeless while at the same time you felt incredibly powerless to make anything different? These are sweet spot for the Savior to do a mighty work! Read through Abraham’s ‘impossible’ and ‘heartbreaking’ situation in Genesis 22. Go slowly and put yourself in his shoes. Finish your time by taking your own impossibilities and surrendering them to the Lord of Hope!

3) What do you think about the Ten Commandments? What emotions rise up when you think about a lawmaking God? Remembering that how we feel and what we think of God is the most important thing about us. Take a few minutes to write down the honest adjectives on how you view God. Only honest answers count!

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from Philippians 2:6-8 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God,
did not consider equality with God
as something to be exploited.
Instead he emptied himself
by assuming the form of a servant,
taking on the likeness of humanity.
And when he had come as a man,
he humbled himself by becoming obedient
to the point of death—
even to death on a cross.

Prayer Journal
You, the Lord of ALL, God of all, Creator of all, Master, Ruler, Almighty God.
You, who owe no one anything.
You, who need nothing.
You, chose to empty yourself, become a servant, take on flesh like mine, become frail, tired, emotional, and hungry.
You chose death.
That I might live.
Oh Christ! How glorious You are!
If I have nothing else, oh King, if family is lost, if tragedy wraps me up, if my finances fail, and my health is lost, You Are Still Worthy of my praise.

So, here my Jesus, accept my uplifted hands.
I come to worship You for 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

Tweet
Posted in: Adoring, Broken, Character, Courage, Excuses, Faith, Faithfulness, Forgiven, Freedom, God, Grace, Help, Holiness, Hope, Inheritance, Mercy, Praise, Prayer, Scripture, Sin, Trust, Truth, Worship Tagged: beginning, future, grace, GT Weekend, hope, peace, prayer, relationship, Sin, worship
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  • The GT Weekend! ~ Follow Week 3 January 23, 2021
    And calling the crowd to Him with His disciples, He said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. The post The GT Weekend! ~ Follow […]
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