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Whole Day 6 Oppression’s Source

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Read His Words Before Ours!

John 10:10-13
Ephesians 6:10-20
2 Corinthians 10:3-5
Psalm 44:3-4

Whole, Day 6

In our family, we regularly discuss politics, local news, and current events. However, when a conversation surrounding values took an emotional turn, we knew something deeper was stirring up; our children were seeking a biblical understanding about a belief we strongly held. Feelings of guilt and failure, on my part as mother, overcame me.

My children couldn’t possibly be the ones struggling with biblical foundations and truths. How could this happen?

After much careful consideration, prayer, and wise counsel, we decided we would not run from hard truths or leave our kids alone to interpret their questions. Instead, we would study and engage with them. In months to follow, when the Holy Spirit led, we attempted to address a multitude of questions about Biblical concepts.

As we peeled away the layers, I soon realized my children, like many others, needed abundantly more spiritual guidance to help navigate the topics significantly impacting and shaping their faith journeys.

In an article by Christianity Today, a study found that out of 500 youth group graduates, over 70 percent reported having serious doubts about faith. These students’ opportunities to express and explore their doubts were correlated with greater faith maturity. In other words, it’s not doubt that’s toxic to faith, it’s silence.

I realized God was working on our family’s behalf, bringing attention to areas within our life that were out of alignment with Him. My family messiness was no different than others, which highlighted a message of its own: as believers, we’re not given immunity from assaults of the enemy.

In fact, Jesus promised we “will have suffering in this world” (John 16:33) and described our enemy as “a thief [who] comes to steal and kill and destroy.” (John 10:10)

In my family’s journey, I understood the enemy is a liar, and I was not going to feel pinned down by doubt, blame, insecurity, comparisons, fear, or relational discord. My family prayed, and God revealed we needed to make some adjustments. Our initial steps were refocusing our priorities (putting God first), being intentional with our time, having patience with our children in learning the word of God, and seeking community.

Furthermore, the Spirit revealed a deeper truth to me during this tumultuous time.
The struggles we were facing needed to happen.
God didn’t want me to spend all my time trying to fix every problem of my children or of this world; He wanted to show me how to fully lean on Him and demonstrate this dependence in every area of my life.

Through this adversity, God wanted to fill me with His strength. In 2 Corinthians, preacher Paul uses the language of siege warfare to talk about engaging in spiritual battle.

“For although we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh, since the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds.”
(2 Corinthians 10:3-4)

As believers, we are not left defenseless. Satan wants to disrupt God’s place in our lives b y displacing God’s authority with deceptive, manipulative evil schemes. This truth should remind us we cannot defeat Satan in our own strength and neither can we fight spiritual battles without God’s protection and weapons. (Psalm 44:3-4)

In Ephesians, Paul talks about the spiritual weaponry available to Christians, often called “the full armor of God.” (Ephesians 6:10-20) Paul emphasized the reality that our warfare is against more than the natural temptations of flesh. There are powers in the unseen world against which we are powerless, except through the aid of Christ.

Spiritual armor prepares us to face any and all spiritual battles we encounter. These battles are not fought against “flesh and blood” enemies, but against the “cosmic powers of this darkness[.]” (Ephesians 6:12) Satan’s strategy is clever; he uses technology, popular culture, consumerism, misinformation, and distorted views about biblical truths to wage war against us constantly.

But we’re not falling for it. The real enemy, the real source of oppression in our world, is the devil, not people, places, or things. The spotlight of God’s truth will effectively expose every single scheme of the enemy.

By God, we have all been given weapons to fight the unseen. For me, I needed to take this truth seriously in my parenting.
We’re called to follow God, Who is “the way, the truth, and life.” (John 14:6)
Follow God, Who has come so we “may have life and have it in abundance.” (John 10:10)

Follow God, Who brings true peace and freedom from oppression as His death and resurrection “conquered [the powers of] the world.” (John 16:33)

As we follow Him, His grace is sufficient, and we can have hope and victory in any spiritual battle that comes our way.

Lord, following You is hard. Sometimes it feels our brokenness is cliché, but I’m so grateful we serve a God who cares. A God who knows our battles, and equips and sustains us through them.

Help us to push away from culture, familiarity, and likeness, instead embracing Your Word and Your love. May we find strength in Your infinite and absolute goodness, and when the battle is fierce, remind us the true source of oppression is the devil himself.  May we not be afraid to stand firm, as parents and leaders of faith, by putting on the full armor of God. Amen.

*Written by guest writer, Keshia Jackson

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The GT Weekend! ~ Whole Week 1

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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) How often have you wished you could just run away and hide? There have been many moments like that for me. It sounds so easy and freeing to hide from the difficulties and stresses of everyday life. How wonderful to be able to hide from situations where I’ve messed up and don’t want to call more attention to myself. Running away and hiding might seem like a lovely thing to do if it would actually solve our problems, but it won’t. Hiding, as Adam and Eve attempted to do, merely postpones the consequences. From what have you wished you could hide? What part of your past do you wish was deleted and forgotten? Have you ever brought these to the Lord? How do you imagine He would respond? Does Scripture support your answer? Mandie reminded us on Monday that, when we attempt to hide, we end up focusing on the wrong things. Truth? We are never alone, and the Lord God is for us. No matter how broken, lost or anxious we feel, Jesus is constantly present with us. Christ came precisely for the hurting, the wounded, the lost, the broken, the sinner. He isn’t afraid of our emotions, sadness, anger, or our questions. He isn’t shocked by the situations we find ourselves in, instead He endured the suffering of the cross to bring us redemptive healing. Reflect on what it might be like for Jesus to take your surrender and make you whole! What would you give Him?

 2) Our sister in Pakistan brought such insight from her experiences and urgently reminds us of the suffering Jesus promised would come to those who follow Him. Knowing the darkness of oppression exists is one thing, but seeing the face of the persecuted, hearing her story, and knowing she is paying a high price for following Jesus is entirely different. There is a cost for every follower of Jesus, but not all look the same. What challenges have you faced for holding steadfast to Christ and choosing Him over the call of the world? In what way can you fervently intercede for others facing persecution for choosing Christ? Oppression against Christianity takes many forms and is found all over the world. Though it may look different in your part of the world, it still exists. Oh, that those for whom following Jesus carries little to no physical threat would share Jesus as bravely as those brothers and sisters who endure significant oppression. Remember, we are all one Body in Jesus, highly persecuted or not. We must each continue sharing Christ together. Keeping our hearts steadfast on Jesus, our eyes and minds in His word, communing in prayer and conversation with Jesus keeps us hopeful that one day oppression will cease and Christ’s kingdom will come. Selah. Let it be so.

3) What an encouraging and transparent Journey Study Melis shared with us this week! It is never easy to confess our sins and make known our areas of weakness, but in doing so, Melis reminded us we are not alone in our struggles. When was the last time you confessed a sin to another brother or sister in Jesus? Are you participating in a community of believers where this is common? What was challenging to you personally about the discipline practices Melis described? Training for following Jesus is so important and dramatically increases our focus on the Lord. Which spiritual disciplines have been particularly effective or challenging for you as you seek to follow the Lord? Not sure what they look like? Take a peek at our Journey Theme: Training. The Lord God never intended us to live the Christian life alone, which is why He designed us to hunger for iron-sharpening-iron friendships and community that press us into knowing Him more deeply. Consider choosing a spiritual discipline that Melis listed and put it into practice in the coming week. Set up reminders on your phone, or better yet, invite a friend to join you! Whether you take a Sabbath rest, pick up a new journal, or set aside time to fast, the intentionality we invest into our relationship with the Lord always pays off! May we each commit to doing whatever it takes to nourish and cultivate our relationship with God and keep our focus on Him as He shapes us to be more like Himself!

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 1 Peter 5:6-11 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand  of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you. Be sober minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world. The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little while. To him be dominion forever. Amen.

Prayer Journal
Lord, I confess it’s difficult to be humble. Arrogance and self-love are always sneaking around my heart and it’s easy to get caught in the trap of false humility. Help me to become more disciplined in surrendering to You my anxiousness. Help me to lean steadfastly on You and the surety of Your unchanging Word every day, even every moment. I don’t want to let my guard down and give in to the cares of the world or the deceptive traps of the scheming enemy.

Lead me away from the temptation to flee my troubles without facing them and turn my heart toward worship. Make me aware of Your mercies and Your movement in my life as I surrender to You, waiting in trust for You. I know you hear me, see me, and guard me; teach me to rest here in these truths as I praise You!

Worship Through Community

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Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Whole Day 1 The Broken & The Cure

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Genesis 3
1Corinthians 15:45-49
Mark 5:21-43
John 8:1-11
Acts 9:1-16

Whole, Day 1

I sat on the floor of my closet, squeezed between an overflowing laundry hamper and a stack of neatly stored shoes. Tears streamed down my face. Maybe if I couldn’t see the brokenness, it wouldn’t be real? With the lights off and the door closed, I hoped to find an escape from the wave of emotions threatening to take me under. I was broken, in need of mending.

What makes you want to run and hide, blinded by unbidden tears? While it’s likely different for each of us, brokenness is something we all experience. Sitting in the dark doesn’t make it go away, because it knows how to burrow inside of us.

Sickness, disease, family feuds, a broken marriage, a wandering child, addiction, death, war, hate. It’s all here in our world. In the muck of life, amid the hard and the heavy, who is suitable to hold our tears?

When God created the world, He made it perfect and whole. Humanity revealed its weakness when the first Adam leaned into the Great Deceiver’s carefully crafted deception. (Genesis 3:1-7) The moment Adam and Eve chose themselves over God, the world became twisted, wraithlike, shadowed. Broken.

Before we get too consumed by righteous indignation at Adam and Eve, how often do we still fall for the lie God is withholding something good from us?

Similar to our beeline to our closets, the first Adam ran and hid. (Genesis 3:8) Maybe he, too, hoped the brokenness wouldn’t catch up to him? In His love and goodness, God didn’t leave Adam hiding under the inadequate covering he created. (Genesis 3:9-21) God sought him out and provided a suitable replacement.

God hasn’t left us in our brokenness, either. He’s provided a covering for us, as well. Jesus, referred to as the second Adam, would enter our brokenness and live out the perfect life sinful humanity could not.

“So it is written: The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” (1 Corinthians 15:45)

In His final days, he was betrayed, abandoned by those who claimed to love Him, mocked, beaten, and eventually crucified. (John 19)

He lived the life we couldn’t live
and died the death we deserved
and made a way back to the Father we could never have forged.

Over His head on the cross hung the words “King of the Jews”. (John 19:19) While this placard was tacked up in mockery, it proclaimed a haunting truth: the Jews’ long-awaited King hung on a cross, dying in front of them, at their demand.

God’s refusal to withhold anything good from His children, even Himself, was displayed that day, hoisted high on a bloody cross for all to see. Yet, they missed it. How often, amid our brokenness, do we miss the goodness of God so clearly in front of us?

It doesn’t matter who we are, our status in life, where we live, our education level, or what we’ve done, our greatest need is to know the One who made a way out of brokenness and into wholeness with Him.

When Jesus walked the earth, time and again He brought wholeness from that which was broken. When he delivered two demon-possessed men, he demonstrated authority over darkness and evil. (Matthew 8:28-34) When he healed Jairus’ daughter, He revealed His power over sickness and death. (Mark 5:21-43)

Jesus touched those whom others refused to touch, and He permitted the untouchables to touch Him. (Mark 5:25-34) He welcomed sinners, withheld condemnation, and forgave sins. (John 8:1-11) He redeemed a chief sinner into a chief messenger of the Gospel (Acts 9:1-29), showing us Jesus can change even a once-murderous heart and use it for great good.

When life hurts, when the world is unfair, when we fail, when evil is rising,
we have a place to run – the cross.
We have a place to hide – Jesus.
He is the One who willingly holds our tears. (Psalm 56:8)
He turns closet floors into prayer rooms, hiding places into healing spaces.

Our Savior understands our weakness, our brokenness. He knows what it’s like to be human.

“For we do not have a high priest [Jesus] who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.”
(Hebrews 4:15-16)

Through His death and resurrection, He has made a way to restore our brokenness into wholeness.

*Written by Mandie Maass of Brave Girls Gather

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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!

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Fruitful Day 13 The Gentleness Of Jesus

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Mark 5:25-43
Matthew 11:28-30
John 13:12-17
Galatians 5:22-23

Fruitful, Day 13

The crowds were gathering, pressing relentlessly on all sides.
With His power to heal illness and drive away demons, word was spreading quickly. People from all walks of life, with all manner of brokenness, flocked in masses in pursuit of Jesus, the Christ.

In the midst of this particular crowd was a well-respected Jewish man, high-ranking with authority and political clout as a synagogue official, for he too was desperate. Jairus was familiar with Jesus’ growing fame and His divine ability, as he had likely witnessed Jesus healing a man’s hand in the synagogue in the weeks prior. (Luke 6:6-11) None could do what Jesus did. While Jairus was surely intrigued, he entered the crushing crowd that day out of pure desperation.

His daughter’s life hung in the balance.

It’s easy to step back and critically analyze. One can afford to be curious at a distance, but when it’s your desperation, nothing matters but the pursuit of wholeness.

Jesus immediately responded to Jairus’ urgent pleas to come to his house and slowly they moved in that direction.

Again, the crowds followed.

Can you imagine being Jairus? Desperation met reality as faces swam in front of both men. The mob was filled with shoving and jostling, loud noises, body odor, and incessant pressing of desperate bodies running rickshaw over one another as one little girl’s life hovered between life and death.

I’m not really comfortable with crowds like that, but if I wanted to be near Jesus, I am certain I would have set aside my discomfort to join the throng in pursuit of Christ that day.

Which is exactly what one woman did. Like Jairus, her desperation drove her into the tangled mass of people. She’d endured twelve long years of uterine bleeding, living as a shamed outcast from her community (Leviticus 15:25-27), taken advantage of by doctors who promised cures but worsened her condition. (Mark 5:26) Ironically, she, who had lived over a decade in isolation, was now driven by desperation into a crowd of hundreds with one goal in mind. Wholeness.

Twenty-nine years ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Like this suffering woman, I’ve experienced isolation from friends and even family because of disease. People are uncomfortable with such ravaging illness and don’t know what to say, so they stay away. They fear “catching” cancer themselves, and in their attempt to self-protect, they left me alone. I imagine this woman and I had many common experiences. Fear. Shame. Abandonment. Loss. Grief. Add to those woes the fact that her condition was neither diagnosable nor curable, despite the costly search for answers, and her desperation becomes nearly palpable.

Unrelated to cancer, five years ago I experienced intestinal disorders that no test or exam could identify. I too was neither diagnosable nor curable, and after six months of constant appointments, pokes, and prods, I was exhausted. I can only imagine twelve years of such! I can hear her heart’s cry, “What could it hurt to find Jesus? I’ve tried everything else. I have nothing more to lose.”

Jairus, desperate for his little daughter’s life.
This woman, desperate for her own.

Both were met with a radical gift surpassing their expectations.
Gentleness.

I’m sure the woman planned to press through the crowds, likely on her knees, to touch just the hem of His garment and then slip away unnoticed. But at her touch, despite many hands pressed against Him, Jesus’ voice of authority pierced the cacophony, “Who touched my clothes?” (Mark 5:30)

My reaction would have been the same as the disciples’. “You see this crowd pressing in on you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” (Mark 5:31) Jesus knew the difference between the touch of physical nearness and the hope of desperate faith.

In His divinity, Jesus knew who had touched Him.
In His gentleness, He asked His question of invitation.

Tightness grips my chest as I think of her “being caught,” and then I relax, remembering Jesus’ gentleness has invited this woman to step out. I can envision His calm eyes searching the crowd for the woman’s face, fixing His gaze of compassionate love upon her. Scripture records the woman coming with “fear and trembling.” Aware of her healing, she came to Jesus, fell down before Him, and told the whole truth. (Mark 5:33)

Christ’s gentleness drew her to Himself, invited her to unpack the entirety of her brokenness, then responded by publicly calling her His own, “Daughter.” He made her whole.

Not just her body, but her soul.
“Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.” (Mark 5:34)

Amid a stunned crowd, a messenger for Jairus arrives with the tragic news his daughter has died. In the span of time it took Jesus to call one woman out of brokenness and into wholeness, another’s life passed away.

Yet, the gentle Jesus turns unhurried, peace-filled eyes to meet Jairus’ red-rimmed ones, “Don’t be afraid, only believe.”  (Mark 5:36)

The nameless woman fades away into the crowd, no longer hiding nor walking with head bowed low. She dances in grace, for the gentleness of Jesus has called her His own, healing her body, heart, and soul.

As for Jairus’ daughter, the Gentle Christ takes her slim, cold hand in His as His divine voice awakens her from death to life. (Mark 5:41-42)

Our desperation, no matter how dire, is no match for the Gentle Christ.
So bring your exhaustion, your desperation, and your faith, and find wholeness in the gentle touch of our Savior.

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

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Sketched IX Day 7 Heart Healer: 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 Heart Healer!

The Questions

1) According to this passage, what was Jesus like?

2) From this prophecy, what would Jesus eventually come to do and why?

3) What is our response to who Jesus is and what He did?

Isaiah 53:3-6

3 He was despised and rejected by men,

a man of suffering who knew what sickness was.

He was like someone people turned away from;

he was despised, and we didn’t value him.

4 Yet he himself bore our sicknesses,

and he carried our pains;

but we in turn regarded him stricken,

struck down by God, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced because of our rebellion,

crushed because of our iniquities;

punishment for our peace was on him,

and we are healed by his wounds.

6 We all went astray like sheep;

we all have turned to our own way;

and the Lord has punished him

for the iniquity of us all.

Original Intent

1) According to this passage, what was Jesus like?
If we strictly consider what God is revealing to us through this prophetic passage in Isaiah 53, Jesus was despised. This Hebrew word used, “בָּזָה”, means utterly worthless and worthy of scorn, vile, and contempt. He was rejected by men continuously throughout His public ministry on earth. Throughout the gospel accounts, Jesus was reviled when He engaged with the religious elite group, the Pharisees, but He was also held in contempt among even His own people as John testifies to in his gospel, “He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him.” (John 1:11) The words in verse 3 of Isaiah 53 describe Jesus as a man acquainted with physical and mental pain. He knew sorrow and suffering. His life on earth was not immune to loss, rejection, or misunderstanding.

2) From this prophecy, what would Jesus eventually come to do and why?
The promised Messiah would one day come as God in human flesh to carry the sickness of our soul and our bodies, which results from our sin. All the sins which chronically eat away at our hearts and bring destruction around us, He came to take these sins and their consequences on Himself. He carries them, in the way one carries a burden or a heavy load. Christ hoists the impossibly heavy load of sin’s consequences completely off us and fully onto Himself. He restores us back to Himself now, and one day, when we are with Him forever, our bodies will also be fully restored and whole. Isaiah says He was pierced for our rebellion. He voluntarily allowed Himself to be slain to take on the sin of our rejection of God and His ways. Christ bears not only the impact of sin (illness), but also the root of sin (rebellion). He was crushed (shattered, broken into pieces) for our iniquities (perversity, depravity, evil acts). All this He did for the ultimate healing of our relationship with Him, “…we are healed by His wounds.” (Isaiah 53:5, Romans 5:6-11) The hope of restoring us back to Himself in wholeness spiritually, and one day, fully physically, were Jesus’ motivations for His grand rescue mission which brought His death. We, those who would believe in Him, were the joy set before Him for which He endured the cross! (Hebrews 12:2)

3) What is our response to who Jesus is and what He did?
Isaiah paints a picture with his Holy Spirit led words, foretelling how people will respond to Jesus and His lavish sacrifice, “despised and rejected (…) He was like someone people turned away from; He was despised, and we didn’t value Him.” (verse 3) We can look at Jesus as being rejected by God, as some did at the cross. When Jesus claimed to be God, mockers wrongly concluded that if God would not save him, Jesus couldn’t be the Messiah. (Matthew 27:43) Isaiah writes of the common condition shared by every human being, “We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way…” (verse 6) We all stray (wandering about because we were seduced or deceived to leave the way) from God, rejecting His ways to go our own ways. To know the freedom Jesus offers, but to continue in this straying is another response we can have to Jesus. This arrogance and pride will lead us far from God’s loving rescue. The third response Isaiah highlights is to be healed by Jesus’ wounds, “punishment for our peace was on Him, and we are healed by His wounds.” (verse 5) This Hebrew word for healed, ”רָפָה” means to be mended, cured, and made whole. Jesus takes the soul-brokenness we bring to Him and makes us whole.

Everyday Application

1) According to this passage, what was Jesus like?
When we think of Jesus, many images may come to mind. Usually of Him teaching or healing, spending time with His disciples, or even hanging on the cross. Rarely do our thoughts veer toward the imagery of Isaiah’s prophetic portrayal of the Messiah in Isaiah 53. Isaiah tells us he was despised (worthless and worthy of scorn, vile, and contempt). His very essence was viewed with such great repulsion, it caused many to turn away from Him. Usually we don’t think of Jesus in this way. We consider Him as the One Whom crowds followed. In fact, so many followed Him that He often slipped away (Luke 5:16), left quickly for another town (Matthew 5:1 and Matthew 8:18), or got into a boat to teach. (Luke 5:3, Mark 4:1) But here, in this ancient prophecy, we see another side of Jesus as the One rejected, scorned, and not given worth. We may want to think of Jesus’ rejection in terms of the days leading up to the cross, or the crowd crying out for a thief to be released in place of Jesus. (Luke 23:18) But Jesus is despised and rejected even today when people choose to keep chasing themselves instead of surrendering to His gracious goodness held out to them. Even those of us who believe Him, can still hold parts of ourselves back, choosing to reject His offer of redemption and grace. Scripture teaches that Jesus is familiar with suffering and rejection. He knows it deeply, yet He still gives Himself fully to all. Then, in remarkable love, when we suffer in this life, we can know with confidence that He sympathizes with us. (Hebrews 4:15) Let’s both give ourselves in full surrender to, and be richly comforted by, the Savior familiar with rejection and scorn.

2) From this prophecy, what would Jesus eventually come to do and why?
Jesus withstood the rejection of men and the abusive injustice of the cross because of the deep love He has for us. His love is not based on our works (Ephesians 2:9); nor is it given sparingly or with demand for repayment. (Ephesians 2:8) His love flows toward sinners, undeserving enemies, who have chosen to rebel against Him. (Romans 5:10) Yet, He takes on the sin of the world in order to win us back to Himself because He loves the world. (John 3:16) Every soul is precious to Him and He died for the opportunity for all to be reconciled to Him if they choose to respond in total surrender to Him. (2 Peter 3:9) This is His joy! A joy that willingly scorned the shame and pain of the cross, looking beyond it toward the redemption of His people. (Hebrews 12:2) We serve a sacrificing God who reaches into our lives to invite us into relationship with Him, even though we do not deserve Him or His love. We are His beloved, and He gives His all for us. He gave His all at the cross and He gives it still. Will we receive His redemption?

3) What is our response to who Jesus is and what He did?
Isaiah’s prophecy is ancient, but every person alive today still has the same responses available to them as those living in Isaiah’s day. We can outright reject Jesus, refusing His gift of salvation. This will result in our eternal death and separation from Him for eternity, forever distanced from His love and grace. Many do this because they view Jesus as weak or insufficient as the Isaiah passage illuminates. Others choose to reject Christ because they love the darkness instead of the light because their deeds are evil. (John 3:19) Even those who receive Jesus and His gift of salvation will reject Him and His ways at times, as we still desire to serve ourselves instead of God. Those times are when we go astray, giving into temptation and leaving God’s way for our way. When we do this, we are urged to confess our sin so He can cleanse and forgive us. When we repent from that sin (change our mind and actions away from the sin), and again choose to follow Him, we are confident that He has forgiven us and empowered us to keep on following Him. (1 John 1:9) The third response is to humbly receive Him (John 13:20), His love (Romans 5:5), and His leadership (John 14:15). When we trust Jesus, we open ourselves to Him and His healing touch in our hearts and lives. We abide with Him (John 15:4) and we become like Him. (Ephesians 4:13-15)

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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 Sketched IX 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.

Sketched IX Day 4 A New Day: 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 A New Work!

The Questions

1) What is the significance of Moses and Elijah appearing?

2) What is the importance of the declaration by Father God, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.” (verse 5)

3) Why did Jesus instruct these three disciples to “not tell anyone about the vision”? (verse 9)

Matthew 17:1-13

After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. 2 He was transfigured in front of them, and his face shone like the sun; his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with him. 4 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it’s good for us to be here. If you want, I will set up three shelters here: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

5 While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased. Listen to him!” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown and were terrified.

7 Jesus came up, touched them, and said, “Get up; don’t be afraid.”8 When they looked up they saw no one except Jesus alone.

9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Don’t tell anyone about the vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”

10 So the disciples asked him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

11 “Elijah is coming and will restore everything,” he replied.12 “But I tell you: Elijah has already come, and they didn’t recognize him. On the contrary, they did whatever they pleased to him. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he had spoken to them about John the Baptist.

Original Intent

1) What is the significance of Moses and Elijah appearing?
Peter, James, and John (who were the only disciples present with Jesus in this scene) were Israelites and would have been extremely familiar with Moses and Elijah. They would have known their pivotal role in Israel’s history and how God used their lives to reveal Himself through His covenant Law and His prophets. God used Moses to rescue His people from Egypt and lead them to the Promised Land. Moses was trusted with the 10 Commandments by God and was the spokesperson who delivered them to Israel. Elijah was one of the prophets. He was a faithful prophet who spoke against the false god Baal and pointed people towards Yahweh. God did not allow Elijah to die, but instead called him to Heaven, escorted there with a flaming chariot. (2 Kings 2:11) Peter, James and John would have seen these two men as encompassing all of the law and the prophets; their presence both gave witness to Christ and pointed to Jesus being the fulfillment of the law and the prophets.

2) What is the importance of the declaration by Father God, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.” (verse 5)
This is the second time God spoke these words regarding Jesus. The first occurrence immediately followed Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist. (Matthew 3:17) God the Father is giving clear authority to Jesus’ words and mission in these statements. We see these two occurrences at critical moments in Jesus’ ministry. The first is at the beginning of His public ministry, which was followed by Jesus’ period of fasting for 40 days in the wilderness where He would be tempted by Satan. The second comes towards the end of Jesus’ life as He is preparing to suffer the consequence of the sins of the world. (1 John 2:2) These declarations by Yahweh give Jesus authority in His mission, helping Israel understand that Jesus, as God the Son, was co-equal with God the Father. The Father’s voice of love also encouraged Jesus as He walked in obedience to the Father at these pivotal moments.

3) Why did Jesus instruct these three disciples to “not tell anyone about the vision”? (verse 9)
Peter, James, and John were chosen to see Jesus in all His glory before His death and resurrection. However, it was not time for the world to see Jesus in the same way. Peter, James, and John were witnesses to the event, and were then able to share it with the world once Jesus had resurrected. If they would have told the other disciples or made Jesus’ transfiguration public knowledge before the right time, it may have deterred the mission and made the suffering which He was preparing for confusing for the world. They would have wondered even more why He could not (intentionally chose not) to save Himself. Once Jesus resurrected, this event would serve as evidence to His divinity, but it needed to be concealed until the timing was right.

Everyday Application

1) What is the significance of Moses and Elijah appearing?
Moses and Elijah symbolized the law and the prophets of the Old Testament. For us as believers, Jesus is the perfect fulfillment of both. Moses and Elijah served as witnesses to the authority of Jesus during the transfiguration. Peter, James, and John then served as witnesses to the transfiguration and Jesus’ authority. Although you and I didn’t see these events firsthand, we know about them because of the faithful witness of those men. We too have a responsibility to be faithful witnesses to the activity of God in our lives as well as the divinity of Jesus to the world. Christ’s fulfillment of the law and prophets sets us free from the requirement for us to be perfect, which is impossible! Jesus was perfect on our behalf. When we share this good news with others, and how His freedom has healed us and made us whole, we are testifying of the transfiguration of our own souls in Jesus!

2) What is the importance of the declaration by Father God, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.” (verse 5)
The Father twice declared and affirmed Jesus’ identity. First, the declaration was very public at His baptism, and then, more intimately, in front of just 3 disciples. This declaration of Jesus as God the Son is crucial. The Father leaves no room for doubting who Jesus is and affirms He is more than a good man or great prophet; He ensures the disciples understand only Christ is the promised Messiah. This declaration provides each of us hope found only in Jesus. If Jesus wasn’t who He claimed, we would be left hopeless, for no “good man” could save us from the consequence (death and separation from God) we earn because of our sin. Jesus came, the Father confirmed His identity, and Christ fulfilled God’s promise to send One who was worthy and able to pay the price for our sins. The result of Jesus’ victory over death, our punishment for sin, provides us with unshakeable, eternal hope.

3) Why did Jesus instruct these three disciples to “not tell anyone about the vision”? (verse 9)
Peter, James, and John were privy to an incredible moment in Jesus’ life where they saw Jesus in His complete divinity before the resurrection. However, the world was not ready for this truth. They were instructed to keep the moment to themselves until after He resurrected. There are moments in our life where our experiences may need to be private for a time. It doesn’t remove the incredible work of God in us, but others may not be ready to hear it yet. However, there will come a time when we are called to testify of the greatness of our Savior and the work of our Lord, just as the disciples did. When that time comes, God uses our testimony for His glory. The Lord knows when the timing is perfect, just as He did when the three disciples were able to share the incredible story of the transfiguration. In the same way, His Spirit will prompt us to share our experiences with the divine, risen Savior; He will use our witness to glorify Himself and draw a lost world to Himself.

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with A New Work!

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 Sketched IX 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.

The GT Weekend! ~ Sketched 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) Waiting. Seasons of waiting can be some of the most challenging periods of life to walk through. When you are a child, it seems Christmas will never come. When you are single and long to be married, you may find yourself acutely aware of the happily paired couples around you. When you are childless and long to be a mother, the season of waiting can feel excruciating and isolating. Each new season of life brings its own “waiting” for something to change. The blind man waited years to be healed with no guarantee of healing, but Jesus brought the fullness of redemption in an unexpected way. What are you longing and praying for? Are you contentedly waiting for God’s timing in your season of waiting? In what area of your life have you waited on the Lord and seen His faithfulness? Write these down and journal your observations as you pause and pray! Waiting on the Lord transforms our heart attitudes; when we witness His faithfulness towards us, we can respond in worship and point others to His goodness. Who is one person you could share with this week of God’s faithfulness to you? Pray now for an opportunity to do this!

2) Tamar felt the sting of faithless men on all sides in her life. A step-brother who took everything from her, a father who failed to protect her or bring justice to her situation, and a brother who took vengeance into his own hands. No one truly made things right for Tamar. Doubtless, we’ve all experienced times when others, who should have protected, or loved, us failed. Praise the Lord that when men fail us, when we reach our rock-bottom, and our shame is more than we can bear, He is our Mighty Refuge! We know Yahweh’s faithfulness, unlike mankind’s, is everlasting. Reflect on God’s faithfulness to you in your past times of need, write these out as a short prayer of thanks to Him for His unending grace. Bravely verbalize the wounds of your heart where others haven’t loved you well either out loud or on paper. Then spend some time in prayer, turning these over to the Lord, asking for healing, and reminding yourself of God’s unfathomable love for you! Our hope is in Christ alone, even when everything around us seems hopeless.

3) Mephibosheth lost almost everything he had in one day. His whole world came crashing down as a small boy, yet years later, when he could have continued living obscurely as an outcast, he was brought near by the compassion of King David. The great mercy Mephibosheth received is not unlike the great mercy we have received from God. While once we were enemies of God, He has made a way for us to be right with Him again. Knowing you have received great mercy through Jesus if you have trusted Him with your heart, are you walking in the life and wholeness that comes with it, or are you walking in the bitterness and hate of judgment? Are you rejoicing in the grace you have been given, or clinging to what you feel you have lost? How has God’s great mercy made you whole? Take some time to consider ways you can reflect the mercy you have been shown by Jesus to others in your life. Write them down! Put them in your phone or somewhere else you will be reminded to take action!

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 91:1-2, 14-15 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

The one who lives under the protection of the Most High

dwells in the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say concerning the Lord, who is my refuge and my fortress,

my God in whom I trust. 14 Because he has his heart set on me,

I will deliver him; I will protect him because he knows my name.

15 When he calls out to me, I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble.

Prayer Journal
Merciful Father, thank you that You are faithful at all times. Even in our suffering, even in our longing, even in our waiting, You are faithful to the end. I confess I often doubt Your faithfulness. In prayers that seem unanswered, in seasons of pain that seem to never end, when friends and family let me down, help me remember the hope of Your mercy and love. I know I am shortsighted, but Your plan is good. Remind me I am like the outcast, deserving of nothing, but You have brought me into Your home and made me Your child. Comfort my soul in the waiting seasons. Remind me the mercy You have given me is also meant to be extended to others from my hand. Your steadfast love endures forever; may my lips always praise 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

Borders Day 6
Seeing Hungry Souls

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Read His Words Before Ours!

John 5:19-29
John 6:1-15
Colossians 3:1-4
John 6:22-59  

Picture this: You’re one of the twelve disciples that Jesus has chosen to do life with on a daily basis while He’s on earth. You’ve just witnessed Him healing an invalid who had been lying outside The Healing Pool for 38 years and after Jesus shared the truth of how He is eternal life, you start trekking to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, breaking for rest on a mountaintop.
You sit down, ready to relax, when you notice something out of the corner of your eye.

Lifting up His eyes, Jesus saw a large crowd coming towards him.  

I can only imagine Philip, standing next to Jesus in that moment, looking at the masses of people following them.

Unlike you or I, or perhaps Phillip, the approaching crowd wasn’t intimidating to Jesus. He knew they were coming, and He knew what they needed, but Philip didn’t.
Jesus asks Phillip a simple question, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?”
The question was a test, and only Jesus knew the real answer.

I love hosting in my home. Having people gather around my table or come together for game nights has brought more joy to my life than I could describe. With that being said, I don’t know if I would be able to manage hosting a group of 5,000 without any notice. I have a feeling I would be pretty intimidated to say the least.

How many bags of chips and salsa does it take to feed the masses? Just kidding. Kind of.

Most of us know the remainder of the story. There was a young boy in the crowd who had five barley loaves and two fish. Jesus took the loaves, lifted his hands up, gave thanks to His Father, and began distributing food to all those that were seated.

When every person had their fill to eat, there were still leftovers!
Jesus had come to give in abundance, but like His encounter with the woman at the well, Jesus was here for much more than making hungry bellies full.
He came to make dead hearts alive.
Because He is the bread of life!

Phillip only saw hungry people, and frantically pointed to a human solution of money and food. But Jesus saw hungry souls, dead without His own Life.

I am the bread of Life. Whoever comes to me, shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me, shall never thirst. (John 6:35)

Jesus doesn’t give just enough to get by.
He gives so that we leave more satisfied than we’ve ever been before.

He is constantly breaking down our borders in order to help us lift our gaze, to see more than just people, but souls in need of a Savior.

Let me ask you this: What if Jesus hadn’t looked up to see more?
What if He decided to hide from the crowds, busy with His own agenda?
What if He had closed His eyes and turned away?
He would have missed an opportunity to put love on display.

When I was thirteen, I went on a mission trip to Jamaica. While there, the missionary that we were serving alongside, strongly urged us to not just take pictures of nameless kids, but to recognize them as brothers or sisters in Christ and listen to their stories.

It would’ve been so easy for me to just take a bunch of pictures and give it the caption ‘playing with orphans at the orphanage’ and move onto the next kid. I was young, in a different country, and naïve in my faith, but when I learned about Alex, about his mother leaving him at the doorstep of the orphanage because of his physically disabilities and her inability to care for him, his story blew away all concept of borders in my mind.

Loving someone with your whole heart is scary, especially loving someone you just met. When you love, there is always the chance of loss, and at that point in my life I didn’t want to love him too much, for the fear of the unknown when I walked away.
Would anyone else love on him like this? Would he be okay? Would he be adopted?
How could anyone just abandon their child?

The second day I visited Alex, the Lord sweetly reminded me of Mark 12:31:
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And the second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

It was as if I was having my own ‘lifting up my eyes’ moment.
Alex broke down my borders, and Jesus let me see beyond myself.
I held Alex. I prayed for him. I worked his fingers from a clenched state to an open one as many times as he would allow, and then did the same with his legs.

Jesus looked up and saw the crowd coming towards Him.
He knew He would satisfy them, body and soul.
His love changed them, changed me, forever.

In the same way, if I hadn’t looked up to really see Alex,
I would’ve missed an opportunity to put God’s love on display,
which changed my life forever.

Are you looking up?

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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 Borders 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 Borders!

Day Eight
Desperate for Healing

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Click & Read Desperate-Week2-Day2
Mark 5:21-34
Isaiah 61:1-3
Ezekiel 34:1-16
John 10:7-18

No mama likes having sick kids, but probably the only benefit is more snuggle time.
I was reminded of this again the other night as my 3-year-old woke up with a fever and made his way into our room. He came padding up to my side of the bed (always my side) and whispered in his sick little voice, “I just wanted to be with you. Will you hold my hand?”
My heart melted, despite my fatigue and I reached for his fevered little hand. Sharing sleeping space with our infant is one thing, but adding a sick toddler with flailing appendages is another, so I grabbed his pillow and blanket and suggested he sleep on a cushion right next to our bed. Again he groggily whispered, “But I want you to hold my hand.” So I sat on the floor rocking him a bit hoping he’d drift off, but he didn’t, so I moved him instead to the foot of our bed. I snuggled him up with his pillow and Curious George blanket as I held his hot little hand, hoping he’d fall asleep soon. After seemingly forever in a cramped position, I inched away to go back to my own pillow, but his little croaking whimper stopped me, “Will you still be able to reach my hand?”

He just wanted a touch.
He was tired and sick and weary.
He could have asked for a lot of things, but he only wanted one. My touch.
Sometimes it takes our desperation to point us to what we really need.

My 3 year old has no problem asking for a million things when he’s healthy; like candy and coffee and my phone and watching Curious George. But sickness changes him and makes him realize that he just needs me.

The same was true for a woman who lived centuries ago. She had been sick for 12 years….bleeding for over a decade! She had tried everything, spent everything, lost everyone, until she became so desperate that she only had one chance left.
“If I could just touch Him”
And so she got lost in a crowd of people pressing in on Jesus, with one secret motivation: “Touch Him.”
She pressed in, hiding in her shame, probably crawling around peoples’ feet until she saw it…the hem of His garment.
She reached out a shaky, desperate hand to touch Him.
Instantly she knew she was healed and in the next heartbeat, she was called out by the Healer.

“Who touched me?”, He called out. The crowd fell back and his disciples scoffed, “There’s people everywhere, Lord! Everyone is touching you!”

But Jesus had a plan. He wanted more for the woman than to simply stop her bleeding. He had seen this moment coming, intentionally healed her, and He wanted more.

The women froze, knowing she had been changed, but she was still so full of fear. What had she done?! She had been an outcast of society for a dozen years and now, here she was, on center stage before the Great Healer with every eye in the massive crowd on her.

Her body had been healed, but she was still desperate for healing.

She flung herself at the feet of Christ, shaking with fear as she managed to tell the Lord everything. As women generally do, she probably didn’t succinctly state, “I touched you and was healed.” Mark’s gospel hints that there was a more…an outpouring of her heart. She was an outcast, she was unclean, she was damaged, she was broken, she was desperate to be healed and so she told Him everything.
Graciously, the Healer does something unique next.
He calls her Daughter.

Unheard of! She who had groveled at the feet of the Messiah was now called “Daughter”?! Unthinkable!

Jesus goes even farther by telling the woman that her faith has healed her. This healing went much farther than physical; this healing was a faith thing, it was a healing of her heart. She wasn’t an object of shame anymore, she was “Daughter”, she was redeemed, she was whole in her heart.

The woman’s shame and her fear, her sickness, drove her to touch the Master and in return, she got much more than a healed body. Her desperation drove her to what she needed most, a wholly healed heart.

Like my son, and like this woman, I need to stop covering up my desperation with other stuff and let it draw me to what I need the most….simply to reach out and touch Him.

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

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

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Desperate 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 Desperate!