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The GT Weekend! ~ Worship VIII 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) Grab a pen and prepare for interaction! Scroll the word “worship” across your page and then write down every word that comes to mind. No judgement and no filtering! You might be surprised at what shows up from under your pen. I know I was! When you’ve given space and allowed pause for freedom, look back through your list and ask the Lord to stir your heart. Ask Him to show you more of Himself and more of you as you think about worship. Which words raise their hand and stick out to you? Sit with those. Why do they prod you for attention? What might the Lord want you to understand about these words? Look through your list again and note which ones make your soul press back a bit. Where is your discomfort? Ask the Lord to show you truth and uncover any misconceptions you might have about worship. Close out your time by meditating on Tuesday’s study passage from Revelation 21:5-6. Read it over slowly and consider the insights the Holy Spirit brought to you as you read and pray!

2) Paula wrote on Wednesday of how easy it is to simply recite truths, but forget to allow the Holy Spirit to radically transform our everyday moments with those powerful realities. Let’s keep the interactive reflection going by writing down as many truths you know for sure are actually a real reflection of God according to the Bible. (For example… God is “love”) 30 seconds…..and GO! Now pause and before you critique your word choices, pray and be still. Ask the Spirit to take you deeper into truth and to tear down lies you believe. Now read through your list and circle a few you feel most drawn to and even a couple you feel uncomfortable with. Looking at these words specifically, ask yourself how your everyday moments and interactions might be different if you really truly genuinely believed that about God and His character. Remember you’re only picking words that are actually biblical and true…. So that means “God being angry with me” doesn’t count. J If you’re feeling stuck, try reading Psalm 36:5-12 for some good descriptions.  Ask the Lord to remind you throughout the weekend of His good character and allow them to shape your real life!

3) We can’t stop being interactive with our journals and pens now! What is an image that comes to mind when you think of being relationally “close” to someone? Do your best to doodle that image on your page (don’t worry, you don’t have to show everyone later J). Now think of an image representing “distant” relationally; draw this farther down your paper. Settle in to your seat and think of scenes from your life where you felt close or distant from God and write down a few words to describe each of these under the appropriate image. Before you start digging into these, close your eyes, and ask the Lord to show you new insights about your heart and His, ask Him to draw you into worship. Pen in hand, write down some feelings you associate with each scene. What strikes you as interesting? What do you feel yourself putting up walls against? What emotions are stirring? What differences you do you see in your perspective of God and yourself and others in each scene? Look up Psalm 34:18 and read it out loud as you consider each distant scene. Hold onto truth! Look up Psalm 96:10-12 and be reminded of this truth about our celebratory God as you read these verses aloud for each close scene. Christ is present, every moment, every breath, every sadness, every joy. Lean in to Him!

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from Psalm 116:17-19 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

I will offer you a thanksgiving sacrifice
and call on the name of the Lord.
I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people,
in the courts of the Lord’s house—
within you, Jerusalem.
Hallelujah!

Prayer Journal
Father God, thank You for being a creative God! Thank You for showing me more of Who You are and revealing new insights to me by the power of Your Spirit. I praise You for Your Words which come alive as the Spirit leads me in understanding them! How kind and gracious You are to hear my cry, to listen to me, to love me. Lord, remind me of these truths I’ve learned today. Wrap them around my shoulders as if they are Your very arms embracing me. Spirit, keep the words of Scripture close to me this weekend. Slow down my mind and my hands so I can make space for true worship. I love You, Lord God, may my heart and lips and hands pour out praise to 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

Focus Day 12 Giving Space And Losing Control: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Giving Space And Losing Control!

The Questions

1) Does verse 13 prohibit or discourage believers from making plans?

2) Does the warning to the rich (5:1) connect to the previous verses in chapter 4?

3) The Bible plainly teaches that overt disobedience to God is sin, sometimes called a ‘sin of commission’; but how serious is it to simply neglect to do what is good, sometimes called a ‘sin of omission’? (verse 17)

James 4:13-5:6

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.” 14 Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes. 15 Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So it is sin to know the good and yet not do it.
Come now, you rich people, weep and wail over the miseries that are coming on you. 2 Your wealth has rotted and your clothes are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have stored up treasure in the last days. 4 Look! The pay that you withheld from the workers who mowed your fields cries out, and the outcry of the harvesters has reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts. 5 You have lived luxuriously on the earth and have indulged yourselves. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned, you have murdered the righteous, who does not resist you.

Original Intent

1) Does verse 13 prohibit or discourage believers from making plans?
We can know that James is not discouraging planning because of what he says in verse 15. He isn’t dealing with man’s plans as much as he is encouraging the reader to consider God’s sovereign rule in everything, just as the writer of Proverbs does: “Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the Lord’s decree will prevail” (Proverbs 19:21) and “Don’t boast about tomorrow, for you don’t know what a day might bring.” (Proverbs 27:1) Both Bible authors are expressing what God intends our posture to be towards Him, and what our attitude should be as we make plans. Under the influence of the Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21), James was recalling and emphasizing these Old Testament principles. Neither the writer of Proverbs nor James prohibit planning. In fact, there are many Proverbs that encourage it! (Proverbs 15:22; Proverbs 16:3, Proverbs 24:27, and Proverbs 6:6-8) The focus is our need for humility and dependence on God as we plan, recognizing that He is in control of our present and future.

 

 

2) Does the warning to the rich (5:1) connect to the previous verses in chapter 4?
Bible scholars disagree about who James is directly addressing in James 4:13-5:6 (studylight.org). Whether he was speaking to those inside or outside the church, it’s clear that his appeal was urgent and serious and meant to be heard by all. James makes the same connection in chapters 4 and 5 that we find in the Gospel of Luke. Jesus told a story about a man who made plans for himself regarding his money. (Luke 12:16-21) This man proved his arrogance in the way he misused what was in his possession. James’ mention of the cause for their fights and quarrels (4:1-2) gives us insight into the attitude that had crept in to the hearts of his hearers.  Self-sufficiency was evidently taking the place of dependence on God. There were those in the church who had been influenced by an egotistical perspective which puts man in control rather than God. (James 4:6-10 ) James’ serious words in 4:13 and 5:1 take a similar tone to the Old Testament prophets like Isaiah. (Isaiah 10:1-2) The first words in both verses, “come now”, were meant to get the audience’s attention and reveal their self-reliance regarding their plans and possessions. The Expositor’s Greek Testament explains that “this expression of disapproval occurs only in 4:13 and in James 5:1 in the New Testament” and has a similar meaning to the phrase “woe is you.”

3) The Bible plainly teaches that overt disobedience to God is sin, sometimes called a ‘sin of commission’; but how serious is it to simply neglect to do what is good, sometimes called a ‘sin of omission’? (verse 17)
We don’t find the phrases “sin of omission” and/or “sin of commission” mentioned specifically in the Scriptures. But the Bible contains many verses which mention sin as a result of not doing something God’s Word commands us to do, as well as those sins a person deliberately commits. In the New Testament, Jesus uses a parable to compare a righteous Samaritan to an unrighteous priest and a Levite. The latter, knowing what was good, failed to do it. The former demonstrated his compassion by stopping to assist a man in need (Luke 10:30-37).  In His story, Jesus was making it clear that not doing the good thing was sinful. In Matthew 25:42-46 , those who are separated from Christ are the ones who saw others’ needs but did not provide for them. There was not intentional harm done, but there was an absence of intentional good. The subtlety of this kind of sin, sin of omission, is what makes this passage so serious. Just as neglecting the needy is unrighteous, so is the kind of pride that causes a lack of acknowledgment of God’s sovereign rule in our lives. “The Lord does whatever he pleases in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all the depth.” Psalm 135:6

Everyday Application

1) Does verse 13 prohibit or discourage believers from making plans?
Paul told Timothy that all Scripture was to be used in our learning. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) As we examine the many Bible passages that speak to some of our questions, we discover what the writers are teaching us through the wider lens. We know James is not instructing the Christian to stop making plans because of what the whole Bible teaches. Solomon repeatedly referred to the wisdom of planning. He even connected it to our possessions and how planning affects our future. Jesus also taught that planning was beneficial. (Luke 14:28-32) The slippery slope for us is failing to acknowledge how God is ultimately in control of every plan we make. We don’t have to verbally say “if the Lord wills” every time we plan something, but we certainly should have that thought in our heart and it should change our outlook and attitude about all our plans and encounters throughout the every day.

2) Does the warning to the rich (5:1) connect to the previous verses in chapter 4?
Most Christians would probably admit that much of their anxiety stems from something related to their finances or possessions. It is difficult to hold material things so loosely that if we lose them, we remain content. What we have can became a source of false security for us. When we let worry infest our living, we can unintentionally become hoarders instead of helpers. We can become keepers, not givers. Failure to daily see God as our sole Life giver and Lifesaver allows too much space in our hearts for the things of the world to move in and reside.
It’s important to maintain humility as we go through our lives, knowing it’s God who has given us everything we have, and He is also the One working in and through every plan to produce something good in and for us. (1 Corinthians 4:7, Romans 8:27-28) Once we learn to focus on His goodness and generosity, we can free ourselves to help others, rather than take advantage of them or oppress them for our own gain.

3) The Bible plainly teaches that overt disobedience to God is sin, sometimes called a ‘sin of commission’; but how serious is it to simply neglect to do what is good, sometimes called a ‘sin of omission’? (verse 17)
Sometimes it’s harder to see our sins of omission. We can become proud of our obedience in the way we avoid overt sins and can miss the grief we bring to the heart of God by our lack of “doing good” when given the opportunity. Though it takes time and intentional practice, it is vital that those of us who desire to please God recognize our dependence on Him. As we begin our day looking at our calendars, we can direct our attention toward Him. Do you see the “watermark” of God’s will on every page of your life’s journal? We should. It’s there in the background of our lives. The jobs we have, the money we make, the kids we raise, the friends we meet … what we commit to and what we omit should all be viewed in light of God’s will. When we take that first step of the day, let’s not neglect acknowledging His presence, His purpose, and His power in our every moment. To fail to do so is sin, and we don’t desire to grieve Him.

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Giving Space And Losing Control!

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 Focus Week Three!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

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

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

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

Study Tools

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

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

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

Memorize It!

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

Focus Day 11 Giving Space And Losing Control

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Read His Words Before Ours!

James 4:13-5:6
Proverbs 8:22-36
Jonah 1

Focus, Day 11

I sat at her kitchen island, just as I’ve done dozens of times, while we chatted about everything from her husband eating her famous sugar cookies even though they were stale, to how we both need accountability to get stuff done.
We laughed, we cried, and we talked about the Lord.
Then, as always, she said something profound. Had it been a morsel of food, it would’ve made my jaw sore from the chewing I’ve done over it.

“Don’t we all try to play God at times?
When we make decisions on our own outside of Him, even minor ones, we are taking control into our own hands and trying to play God. It is a sin every time.” 

Mic drop. 

How many times have I tried to play God?
How many times have I greatly impacted my life and my future because I forgot God is the sovereign One?
Lots; lots and lots of times.

I have thrown wisdom and God’s sovereignty to the wayside in pursuit of what my flesh and human heart felt best. I have placed my treasure in worldly values like human love, home decor, clothing, and my own vain pursuits. I’ve spent time in Scripture, studying the exact verses we just read, (up at the top, seriously, read His Words before mine!) and yet, I stubbornly refused to seek His wisdom or surrender to His sovereignty.

I am guilty of trying to play God. 

About nine months ago, my world came crashing in.
Literally nothing in my life looks the same today.
Different house.
Different car.
Different family make-up.
and the list goes on….

As the walls caved in, I told the Lord:
“I’ve tried to do it without You. I’ve done things my way because I didn’t trust You, and I’m through. I’m done with that. From this moment on, You must have all control because I’ve made a mess by myself.” 

Has this change come easily? Nope. In fact, I struggle every single day to surrender to Him.

I struggled to surrender when He told me to let go of a relationship I was clinging to with all of my might.

I struggled to surrender when He told me to give my Aldi gift card to a family while they were grocery shopping.

I struggled to surrender when I thought I felt I should pursue a job He told me not to pursue.

I struggled to surrender when He didn’t heal my sister on this side of Heaven.

Even still, I’m telling ya’ sister, my life is infinitely richer when I surrender control and pursue His wisdom over mine.

On Sunday, our pastor talked a bit about Jonah, the prophet who ran in the literal opposite direction of where God was calling Him. As I thought about Jonah and his infamous journey, which God still used (because He’s sovereign) to redeem an entire city,
I was reminded of my own “opposite-direction-journeys”.

Many times, God has given me clear direction in His word or by His Spirit, and I’ve literally turned the opposite way, running as fast as possible.  Sometimes, I’ve tripped over my own feet so quickly, it wasn’t long before I humbly returned to give God back my surrendered heart.

However, there have been times where I took off running with a nice pace going before realizing I’d been running away and was now quickly drowning as a result of my prideful insistence on my own ways. Here, God has come to my rescue, pulling me from the waves just as Jesus did with Peter so many years ago.
I don’t want to be Jonah. 

While I’m so thankful God can still redeem our disobedience when we try to “Play God”, it would be great if I never had to trip or drown to begin with.

Our lives are fleeting. We are just vapors in the wind of time.
How foolish of me to spend my life running from the One who loves me most!
How foolish of me to trust my life to my own futile hands!
Doesn’t it only make sense to trust the Almighty Father who sees and knows everything for He alone is the giver of Wisdom?!

I complained to my therapist recently about how busy I’d been.
I hadn’t accomplished anything I had wanted to because other things kept popping up.

“Are you praying about if God actually wants you to do the things that keep ‘popping up’?”, he asked.
“Um… no”, I said with an embarrassed giggle.
Because DUH! Why wouldn’t I ask Him?
Following God, surrendering our lives to His control and infinite wisdom is sometimes simpler than we make it out to be.
It’s praying about who to spend our time on.
It’s praying about where to emotionally or monetarily invest.
It’s praying about when to say no to a ministry and when to say yes.
Because living out His wisdom begins with the realization that He is sovereign, we are not, and His ways are better than my foolish, prideful attempts at control.

I get it! It’s easy to get caught up in trying to do what looks or feels right, that we leave God out. But “playing God” never ends well.

When we surrender to the loving Father,
we are giving space for His wisdom to press into us and overflow onto others.

Sisters, I feel like we’ve just finished eating a Thanksgiving meal in ten minutes… we’ve shoved so much into our mouths we are having a hard time chewing. So, pause, maybe re-read this Journey or the verses at the beginning (because you did that, right?!), and ask the Lord to illuminate His Wisdom just for you.

Take time tomorrow to dig deeper by doing the “Digging Deeper” that follows this Journey. (and if you aren’t waking up to that in your inbox, start now!)
Together, let’s choose God’s wisdom as we daily, moment-by-moment surrender to His sovereign, loving control.

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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 Focus Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

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

The GT Weekend! Chase Week 2

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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!

Journal With Us!

Journal Prompts

1) How has a change of plans brought anger in your life? After that anger wells up, we have two options; to move forward in that anger or choose to give thanks that God is sovereign over all (even the chaos!). Pray today for the Holy Spirit to help you choose thankfulness!

2) God forgave an entire city because of their immediate repentance. God’s forgiveness does not stop being offered because of your sin; that’s just the beginning! While there may still be physical consequences of our sin, God will always extend His gracious hand of forgiveness to the response of genuine repentance.

3) At the end of Jonah 2, we see Jonah was given so much grace. His response was to “sing a song of thanksgiving”. He made a resolution to move forward and share that grace but ended up being sidetracked. We’ve also been given an abundance of grace, how are we using it? Are we passing it on to others freely? Or holding onto it tightly?

Worship In Song

Music Video: Forgiveness 

Pour Out Your Heart

Lord Jesus, forgive me for the times I let my selfishness and pride give way to anger in my life. Lord, I get so stuck on my schedules, my lists, and my time. All of that focus leaves very little margin for You to do any work in my life; it’s no surprise I get all worked up that I don’t witness You working. I haven’t left You any space to do so! Let me lay ALL my life at your feet and leave it there as I watch Your hand at work in my life!

I don’t deserve Your lavish love and forgiveness. As You pour out those in my life, encourage me to be a good steward of them. Out of the outpouring of Your love at work in me, let me love others deeply and freely as You do. For Your glory, Lord!

Pray With Us!

In everything, with praise and thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God!
Click here to comment and pray with the GT Community!
Want to connect with a GT Partner?
Send your prayer request to prayer@gracefullytruthful.com
We are committed to praying over and walking with you!

Journey With Us

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What were your thoughts from the GT Weekend?
How were you drawn near to the Father and encouraged in your faith?
Share with the community and encourage other women!

Pause Day 1 Waiting Embrace

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Dear Sisters of the GT Community,
We believe so deeply that the Word of God is foundational and critical to our everyday life, that we felt the need to hit “Pause” on our regular lineup for Journey Studies.
Even really good things need to take a back seat so we can sharpen our focus in a different way.
We, as sisters in Christ, as leaders in our churches, as friends, and as daughters, as wives and as mamas, need to pause before the throne and
just
sit
in
His
glory.
We need to breathe Him in.

This sitting with the Lord is too precious to bypass, and too significant to only be for a select few in elevated places in ministry.
At Gracefully Truthful, we take this meeting with Jesus seriously.
Everyday.
And when the world is so loud, and the chaos so all-consuming,
we must remember to pause.

The holidays are coming,
our days are never slowing,
but still the Father longs to linger with each of us.
We are hitting pause for the next 3 weeks, won’t you please join us?

This Journey Theme will look and feel very different.
No regular Journey Studies or Digging Deeper Days or GT Weekends.
Just prompts for you, and for us, and an everyday reminder to Pause.

Be intentional, friends, and you have our word as GT Partners and co-laborers with you for the gospel,
that we will be intentional right along with you. 

This Pause won’t happen on its own.
The “time for God” will never knock on your door, fall into your lap, ready for you.
Commit with us to slowing enough to spend a minimum of 15-20 minutes, very intentionally, every day.
It’s only 3 weeks, but these 21 days may just change the trajectory of your walk with Jesus for the rest of your life!

Journeying with Jesus is our hearts’ desire; walk with us. Pause with us.

Whether you already have a consistent quiet time space to meet with God every day, or you’ve always had the best of intentions, but never been able to follow through, or you’ve never even considered having a quiet time to meet just you and the Almighty,
the invitation is open and waiting.
The invitation to a deep embrace.

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

Today's Challenge

1) Read Psalm 142 & 143 and answer these 3 questions in your journal:
a) What do these 2 psalms tell me about God and His character?
b) What do these 2 psalms tell me about others and the world around me?
c) What do these 2 psalms tell me about me and my heart?

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

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

Join the GT Community on Facebook!

Psalm 142

With my voice I cry out to the Lord;
    with my voice I plead for mercy to the Lord.
2 I pour out my complaint before him;
    I tell my trouble before him.

3 When my spirit faints within me,
    you know my way!
In the path where I walk
    they have hidden a trap for me.
4 Look to the right and see:
    there is none who takes notice of me;
no refuge remains to me;
    no one cares for my soul.

5 I cry to you, O Lord;
    I say, “You are my refuge,
    my portion in the land of the living.”
6 Attend to my cry,
    for I am brought very low!
Deliver me from my persecutors,
    for they are too strong for me!
7 Bring me out of prison,
    that I may give thanks to your name!
The righteous will surround me,
    for you will deal bountifully with me.

Psalm 143

Hear my prayer, O Lord;
    give ear to my pleas for mercy!
    In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!
2 Enter not into judgment with your servant,
    for no one living is righteous before you.

3 For the enemy has pursued my soul;
    he has crushed my life to the ground;
    he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead.
4 Therefore my spirit faints within me;
    my heart within me is appalled.

5 I remember the days of old;
    I meditate on all that you have done;
    I ponder the work of your hands.
6 I stretch out my hands to you;
    my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah

7 Answer me quickly, O Lord!
    My spirit fails!
Hide not your face from me,
    lest I be like those who go down to the pit.
8 Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love,
    for in you I trust.
Make me know the way I should go,
    for to you I lift up my soul.

9 Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord!
    I have fled to you for refuge.[a]
10 Teach me to do your will,
    for you are my God!
Let your good Spirit lead me
    on level ground!

11 For your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life!
    In your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble!
12 And in your steadfast love you will cut off my enemies,
    and you will destroy all the adversaries of my soul,
    for I am your servant.

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 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!

The GT Weekend – Resting Week One

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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!

Journal With Us!

Journal Prompts

1) Take a look at your schedule. Where can you build rest into your routine? It takes an intentional choice to carve out space for rest. Take the challenge and make time for it today!

2) Often, it’s in a quiet moment that we hear a gentle whisper from the Holy Spirit. What have you experienced when you spend time with God in sweet rest with Him? What benefits have you noticed?

3) It’s easy to keep busy for a variety of reasons. It’s also much easier for us to stop after we’ve identified our excuse. What is yours? To make you look/feel important? To push away pain? To protect walls that were built long ago?

Worship In Song

Music Video: City Harbor’s “I Will Rest”

Pour Out Your Heart

Lord, this topic of rest makes me uncomfortable. I’m bad at rest. I feel the pressure to look productive and stay busy. I push my husband away when he asks to rest together. My children get pushed to the side so I can cross off one more thing from my to-do list. Worst of all, Lord, spending time with You gets neglected in the name of doing more ministry. Forgive me Father. Draw me deeper in with You. I long to hear the gentle whisper from You, Spirit. I want to know Your kind of love to better share it with others. To experience the fullness of You sounds amazing, I want more of that in my life Father, pour out on me so that I might focus on staying in close communion with You.

Pray With Us!

In everything, with praise and thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God!
Click here to comment and pray with the GT Community!
Want to connect with a GT Partner?
Send your prayer request to prayer@gracefullytruthful.com
We are committed to praying over and walking with you!

Journey With Us

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How were you drawn near to the Father and encouraged in your faith?
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Space Day 15
Space To Share

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Matthew 28:16-20
Romans 10:5-17
Isaiah 52:6-12

“Boldness.” The sound of my own voice startled me and I jumped slightly. My answer surprised me even more. “I want to become more bold in my faith.” Our leader continued around the table to the next person as I wondered silently at my response. The seven of us were meeting for the first time to discuss the formation of discipleship groups and to learn more about each other. Our leader had asked each of us to share what we hoped to gain over the course of our year together.

More bold? Where on earth did that come from? I thought. I’m plenty bold. I talk to people about God all the time. I sing on the worship team, for crying out loud. I mean, I guess I can be quiet sometimes, but I’m pretty extroverted as a rule. What a weird thing for me to say. My attention returned to the other women seated around the table. The Sunday School classroom was cold, and I pulled my sweater tightly around my shoulders as I listened to each response. My own answer faded from my thoughts as our leader resumed speaking and I didn’t think of it again until I left the church building and walked to my car.

As I put my key into the ignition, I felt a gentle nudge in my spirit. Are you bold? I paused. Is it bold to tell someone at church that you will pray for them? I pushed the key in further. Is it bold to talk about what I am doing in your life on Sunday mornings… with people who know Me already? I turned the heater on and clasped my hands together.
The Spirit of God was right.
My “boldness” had been limited to others within my “Sanitized Sunday Circle”.
I had no problem sharing Him and talking about Him if those individuals attended my church or if I knew of their faith.
I felt my cheeks begin to burn as I recognized my sinful arrogance.

We can all recall times when we have taken the more comfortable path.
Perhaps we told a suffering neighbor that we would keep them in our prayers…
and swallowed the urge to pray for them on the spot.
Perhaps we kept silent when a coworker mentioned that their plans fell through for Sunday morning…
and quelled the invitation that nearly reached our lips.
Perhaps we explained a miraculous physical healing to an unbelieving friend as luck…
when God’s power was unquestionably the reason for our recovery.

Let’s face it; sharing Jesus in an unbelieving world is majorly intimidating sometimes.
So what can we do about it?
How can we begin sharing Jesus in the real world on a daily basis?

First, we can’t miss the fact that we need Jesus as much as those who are lost.
That acknowledgement looks like making sure that time alone with God is a top priority. No excuses, just deciding to make it happen. As we spend quality time in His presence, our hearts begin to mimic His and our actions will follow suit. When we set aside space to grow our relationship with Him, our reality begins to reflect His reality, which spills over onto others…in amazing, authentic ways.

As we work on developing our relationship with Him, we must also be intentional about interacting with unbelievers. For some, it might be normal to go through an entire week without interacting with one other person that does not know Jesus. Some of us may face physical limitations. Some of us are in a stage that requires us to be home a lot more than others. Some of us are in the workforce and interact with far more unbelievers than believers. Whatever our situation, we need to connect with others in real ways and decidedly purpose to share Jesus through our compassion, humility, truthfulness and forgiveness. Our behavior and choices are a direct reflection of the One we follow. Are our thoughts and treatment of others reflecting the King of our heart? Or do we have some heart work to do?

Next, we can humbly ask Him to give us His heart and His eyes. Ask Him to show us who He wants us to lovingly engage on His behalf and create space to listen for His response. Sometimes He would have us reach out to the person we would least expect, but we miss the mark because we are busy reaching out to the person we think needs Him more. We must trust that He knows what He is doing and relinquish our grip of control… no matter how uncomfortable that may make us.

Father, we love You. Forgive us for the times we have ignored Your direction and have chosen comfort over Christ. Embolden us to share You in real and practical ways as we encounter a dark and desperate world. Help us practice being available for You and show us who You would have us love on today.

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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 Space Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
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Space Day 11
Space For The Gospel

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Matthew 18:1-6
Mark 9:33-37
Mark 16:14-20
Luke 7:36-50  

I don’t remember when I heard this story and I don’t even remember where I heard this story. But, I heard a story once, a true story, about a little girl who stood up on a stage and said, “I just love Jesus, and I want everyone to know it!”

Although my surroundings were insignificant to me, that story impacted me greatly, as I have found myself thinking of that little girl many times over the years.
“I just love Jesus, and I want everyone to know it!”

Jesus invites us to become as little children.
Like the children who boldly gathered around Him, sat on His lap, and let Him love on them.
Or, like the children who dance while they worship, singing loudly of God’s love without caring what others think of their voice.

When I was just a little girl, I had a dream. I wanted to preach to hundreds of people and help them see Jesus in a way that made Him even more real. I wanted people to know that Jesus loves them, He forgives them, and has an amazing plan for their lives!

“God sent His only Son, Jesus, to come to earth and die for our sins!
But He rose from the dead! And because of Jesus, we can live forever in Heaven!”

I passionately shouted phrases similar to this to cars that passed before my house and anyone else that would take a moment to listen (even if it was only a passing hummingbird or a stray cat).

I had learned the gospel from an early age, and I was so excited, that I couldn’t help but share this good news!
The gospel was so precious to me.

Like many Christ-followers, my life became busy and my heart became crowded.
The Lord gave me passion and deep joy in doing many different things, but over time,
those things slowly became more important to me than sharing the gospel, or even treasuring my Savior.

That crowded heart is something I still battle. When I was in high school, dance, theater, academics, and even service projects, would often give sharing the gospel the boot. These days, it’s my family, work, volunteering, and friendships, that often find their way to the top of my “list”, with talking about Jesus coming second.

In Luke, we read that Jesus was invited to dine with a Pharisee named Simon. Somehow, news traveled that he would be in Simon’s home and a woman frantically grabbed her alabaster container of ointment and ran to Simon’s home, determined to see this Jesus she had heard so much about. She quietly snuck in, trying to get a glimpse of Jesus. He lounged before her on a couch, leaning on His arm with His legs stretched out to His side. The woman couldn’t see His face, but she knew it was Him. She crept closer, and the closer she got the more she became overwhelmed with her great sin compared to the sin-less-ness of this Man before her. We don’t know what her sins were, but we know they caused her great shame. This woman became broken; she couldn’t stop her tears from spilling over and onto the feet of Jesus. Ashamed, she quickly stooped down to wipe the salty tears from His feet with the only towel she had at hand: her long hair. The tears kept coming, and so, she picked up the alabaster jar she had set down when she knelt to wipe his feet, and began pouring the ointment on Jesus’ feet. She was anointing the feet of the only Man who could offer her forgiveness for the sin that consumed her.
Jesus was so precious to her.

This woman knew she wasn’t worthy.
She knew He was.
She knew she needed His grace and forgiveness.
Which He freely gave her.

That is the good news!
That is the Gospel!

We need forgiveness because we are great sinners.
And Jesus has forgiven us, because that is who He is.
Good News!

As I remember this woman’s story, and as I think about the way children hold the Gospel so dear to their hearts, I long for that passion to return in my life.
But there is no room for it when my heart is crowded with everything else I try to hold dear.

Space.
Space for the gospel to change me, everyday, and as it does, the passion to share it with others becomes intensely pressing.
Clearing space is tough, but precious treasures are worth it.

Join me, won’t you? Take the time to daily preach the gospel to yourself, allow its truths to wrap you up and press your arms outward to love others with the voice of the precious good news.
“I just love Jesus, and I want everyone to know it!”

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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 Space Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

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

The GT Weekend – Space Week Two

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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!

Journal With Us!

Journal Prompts

1) As we celebrate Christmas this weekend, where can you cut the crazy and make room for peace? Reflect on the last week and the moments you’ve had in preparation for the celebration of our Messiah. What moments are you thankful to have enjoyed with the Savior? What things would you like to do differently next year?

2) What has been most effective for you to eliminate some of the noise in your life to hear from Father? Share in the comments below, we all need some new ideas as we battle this daily!

3) There is so much that fights for our attention this time of year. Have you had ears in tune with others around you to hear their needs? In the next few days look for the quiet needs of the people the Lord brings across your path.

Worship In Song

Music Video: Pentatonix “Mary Did You Know”

Pour Out Your Heart

Father this special day of Christmas we celebrate Your great gift. Lord we thank You for making the sacrifice of sending Your son to come, live a sinless life, and die in our place so we can be restored back to You. We praise You for Your goodness to us and Your great love for us. This holiday season let us hear from You; where You’re asking us to rest with You, how You’re gently leading us to love others. Let us remember why we celebrate and share that with everyone in our lives this holiday season!

Pray With Us!

In everything, with praise and thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God!
Click here to comment and pray with the GT Community!
Want to connect with a GT Partner?
Send your prayer request to prayer@gracefullytruthful.com
We are committed to praying over and walking with you!

Journey With Us

Sign up to have GT Journey Studies sent to you!
What were your thoughts from the GT Weekend?
How were you drawn near to the Father and encouraged in your faith?
Share with the community and encourage other women!