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I am being so blessed by this bible study! God is using this to SPEAK to me. Most days there is one particular thing that just really gets me! I love reading your answers and thoughts. Hope you are having a wonderful week!
Simply God! Each week something pops out and becomes the title of the week's blog. This week it wasn't hard to find...it was in the introduction!!! On pg. 57 where Abram responded to God, " O Sovereign Lord, what can you give me?" I laughed and thought, seriously...you just called him "sovereign Lord" knowing that all too well, I've done the same thing!!! Ouch. :)
Day 1 pg. 60. Parallel between Eve and our personal reflection.
Can I just say, wow! How many times have I heard the creation story and never got this! Conviction over me when she pointed out Genesis 3:1 "Did God really say..." "He will be God whether we make room or not but how much we miss if we do not allow Him full space in our hearts." I don't want to miss anything. So, now to my personal reflection with our modern day society. We are such an "easy fix," "fast food generation," "debt," "time/energy into personal gain." I could go on and on!
Day 2 pg. 63 Struggle between what is true and the truth.
Honestly, this is such a selfish thing, I have security in what I know I can do. This sounds horrible, but when I really thought about it, it is the truth (no pun intended). I rely on God but it definitely has been a learning curve. For those of you who know me, know I am super strong willed. I like to have a plan and I like to to control all the details. I know it is God who gives me favor and blessings, and strengthens me to do it but sometimes I've been known to "force" things I really want because I could! Y'all still love me right?
One of my favorite things was you have to "train my studying the original." later down on the page.
Day 3 pg. 65 & 66
Question 1 How do these verses encourage with challenges you are facing?
Question 2 What strategy of Sennachenrib's can you most closely relate to?
1. Encourages me to know that God fights for me!!!
2. The questioning technique, Are you sure God? Did you really say? You want me to do what? Those are me!!!
I love Hezekiah's example of obedience here.
Day 4. Let's just redo this whole day!!!!!! :)
I wanted to go back over 2 Timothy 3:1-6 cause y'all that can preach!!!
Especially verse 6. So reanswer, "According to verse 6, how do these people and their beliefs make their way into our homes?"
Gain control over WEAK-WILLED WOMEN. At first I thought OH MY GOODNESS. Never noticed that before!!!!! I really don't watch TV unless it it Nick Jr (can I get an amen from the moms out there!), music b/c I love it and my kids are with me I really only listen to praise and worship music I'm guarding their hearts and mind as well as my own, I do love the People magazines, etc...but really have tried to stay away from them. Because I was convicted over it in the past and because I really could care less! I've already "been through" this day a while ago BUT the weak willed women part of the scripture caused me to want to really stop and think! So, this is what I came up with...let me know what you think. I've heard before that "women are the heart of the home" and I agree. We do a lot (notice I didn't put it all but pretty close, haha). Guarding our hearts and minds is so important. I don't want my daughter being weak willed. I want her to be strong in the Lord and in who He has created her to be ( my son as well) I want NO compromise in myself that would even allow evil into my home. My personal reflection answer on pg. 69 was God show me more ways that I can be obedient and convict me when I am being weak willed!!!! And just like Kelly pointed out on pg. 70 True conviction doesn't look for loopholes and it isn't sad!! I completely agree with this statement and I'm so thankful for God's conviction otherwise we'd be "normal."
Day. 5 pg. 74 End in prayer asking for God's truth and awareness of Satan's lies.
"I am reminded of my need to viglantly know God's truth while being able to identify the deceptions of the Enemy." The whole Carrie personal story on pg. 73, I've done that a million times. Had no idea that it was a deceptive lie from the enemy! Wow. It does put me in a bad mood. I do allow it to change my responses and treatment of others!! I was so appreciative for the example. So, my prayer (short version) God, thank you for your truth. Allow it to flow through me. Help me identify deceptions of the enemy, guard me heart and mind.
Day 1:
ReplyDeleteThe first thing that came to my mind was the fact that our society tells us that buying "stuff" will make us happy, when really it causes debt, regret, destroys families and marriages. We look for satisfaction is all the wrong places and miss out on God's best.
Day 2:
I feel like my career is so important and that the timing has to line up perfectly between my job, my husbands job, having babies, etc but God's truth is that only His plan and timing are perfect!
Day 3:
THe truth is that God has already fought and won the battle that I dwell on in my mind! Believing this truth can free me from my worries-
Day 3 Q 2:
Sennacherib caused them to have doubts about their leaders. I tend to feel like the administration/management at my work is "out to get us" so to speak. This idea is often and topic of conversation among employees and grows as it is discussed. The fact is that we don't really know this to be true. I can't find the verse I want to quote, but I've read in the bible before where it says to respect and follow your leaders b/c God put them in their positions.
Day 4:
Verse 6 says they make their way into our homes by winning our confidence. I think TV is the main way this happens. We watch shows that "everyone else" does and we all discuss them later. The sinful things that are depicted become less and less shocking and we write it off as "just a show". I have watched my share of soaps in the past, so I'm not judging but thats the first thing that popped into my mind when I read the phrase "weak willed women"
Day 5:
Carries story really jumped out at me too, it was exactly what I do. Playing out a situation in my mind, wondering what the other person was thinking, allowing those lies to negatively taint my attitude, damaging my emotional well being- WOW! My prayer is that I will be able to know the difference between God's perfect truth and satan's deceptive lies that hurt and damage me and that I will call on Him to give me the wisdom to not believe those lies when they come.
First I have to say this Bible study gets better and better every week! I love what she said about conviction (p. 70). This past week’s study was very convicting, but it’s been very freeing.
ReplyDeleteDay 1-The Word says clearly that Jesus is our living water (John 4) and He can fulfill every need, every emptiness. I have felt Him tell me over and over “let Me satisfy you” and “make Me it.” Yet, I listen more to the voice that says “Can Jesus REALLY meet every one of your emotional needs? Can you REALLY be satisfied by One you cannot physically hear, see, touch?” I have fallen for that deception time and time again, looking for fulfillment in people, not God.
Day 2-Kelly is right in saying “circumstances often present things that are ‘true.’” It may be true that someone said or did something hurtful to me, but struggle not to let that turn into a truth “you are not loved.” Or it may be true that I am going through a tough circumstance and feel like God is not there when I am praying through that moment. But the truth is that He will never leave or forsake me.
Day 3- 1) I love that God is fighting for me! If I really, truly believed this (which I do now), I don’t think I would struggle so much (see answer to day 2).
2) Definitely the questioning. They made the Israelites question their trust in God and their leader. Also pointing out the enemy’s victories. This even happened to me as I was considering this Bible study. The thought came to mind “You’ve done this Bible study, this, and this, and you are still in the same place. What makes you think God is going to change you now with this study?” So glad I did not listen!
Day 4-TV, internet, music, magazines. At first I was not convicted by this. My husband got rid of our cable a long time ago—we thought all the TV shows and even commercials have gotten too bad for our kids to see. And I don’t get any of the gossip “US” magazines or trashy “Glamour/Cosmo” ones. I used to love, love, love country music but now I don’t feel right singing along to songs about one night stands or Sunday-only Christianity. But then I thought of the internet and how I read some of the Yahoo “news” articles like “10 Ways to Shinier Hair” or “5 Ways to Instantly Boost Your Mood.” How dumb and superficial! Why do I read that stuff? Do I really need shiny hair to feel pretty? Is a piece of dark chocolate going to make my mood better in the midst of a child’s temper tantrum? I need to stick with Scripture.
Day 5-Oh my goodness, the song and Carrie’s story really hit home with me. My prayer—“Father, I have an enemy who is out to destroy. He is a murderer who kills slowly with an onslaught of lies. Thank You that You made this so clear to me in Your Word today. I’ve let his lies defeat me mentally, emotionally, and spiritually over and over. I feel like he has stolen days from me. God please fight for me. Please fill my heart and mind with Your truth. You have told me that there is NO TRUTH in what Satan say, so I pray that I no longer fall for it. Psalm 139 is the rest of my prayer, Lord. Thank you for your everlasting love.”
DAY 1: Isn't it so neat how bible study gives us insight into scripture that we have known by heart since childhood, but we or at least I have failed to make a connection to myself. All these years when I thought of Eve and how she was deceived, I've been like...thanks a lot Eve, now the world is all messed up and it hurts to have babies...GREAT! But I love this study for helping me to blame her less and see from her perspective more and see how I probably would have done the same thing. The first thing that popped in my mind, was how I am a sucker for diet plans, excercise equipment and cosmetics...they are gonna make me skinny and beautiful in just days...right?!? I have to say I have improved in this area since becoming a mama, but only 'cause I'd rather spend money on my babies :)
ReplyDeleteDAY 2: I struggle with what is true: my husband has not spoken to his Dad in several years because of unforgiveness. And even worse, just when I think my husband is getting past the hurt, his Dad goes and does something else hurtful...and we know THE TRUTH tells us in the bible to honor our father and to forgive our trespassers. I struggle with this, knowing Jason should forgive, I encourage him to forgive, but I also see how the hurts keep piling up and how my father-in-law never seems to change. I feel like I sabotage my own prayers about this, because he's one of those people that make you doubt even God can change him, though I KNOW HE CAN!!! In Jesus's Name, AMEN!!
DAY 3:
1. These truths SHOULD give me the confidence that I can take on and do ANYTHING God calls me to!!
2. I tend to 2nd guess myself and God...is this thought wisdom from God warning me not to do something or fearul thoughts from satan.
OK, Hudson just woke up from nap, will post day 3 and 4 later...
DAY 4: i've just got to say, all this "weak-willed woman" stuff was way b4 the invention of remote controls,and I dont know a man who doesn't love the remote and want control of it ha,ha!! Having said that, God has really gotten my attn. lately that almost every show on prime-time TV has a gay couple now...they are just really trying their best to make us get comfortable with the idea and think every family should have one. Lately I have had the opportunity to hear several teenagers give their testimony of how God has delivered them from homosexuality and they have made me realize how common it is with young people today. Having said that it all goes back to what Amber wrote about making sure we gaurd our hearts and our children's hearts!! We can't let these shows creep into our homes. If our kids see us laughing at this stuff, they are going to think it is all ok and acceptable. WE CANT LET THAT HAPPEN!!
ReplyDeleteDAY 5:
I am so glad Kelly included that story, because clearly it enlightened us all!! I definitly do that and always wrote it off as just me over analyzing everything...Dear Lord, Thank you for the comfort of knowing you will never lie to me!Thank you so much for each close relationship I have. Thank you Lord for protecting these relationships by not letting me listen to satan's lies, and when satan tries to make me have doubts about these relationships. Please give me the wisdom to know each time satan tries to attack me this way. Thank you Jesus for using this study to make me aware of this. In Jesus' name, AMEN!