This week we began our study time with prayer requests, followed by our opening prayer. Rosemary started our discussion beginning with our Handout from Day (Weeks) Two/Three; she asked us to go over the verse. Rosemary asked if anyone had any thoughts to share?
“And do not be conformed to this world (this time or age) but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect (pleasing, pure, holy) will of God (Power flows from purity. Seek purity and you will find power).”
Devotional: Think Right – Live Right
Genia had sent Rosemary an email about a woman moaning and complaining all day; her back was hurting her and she was working up a stellar case of self-pity. When her husband came home, she told him of her horrible day in her best "poor me" voice. Her husband did not seem impressed. His response was an eye-opener.
Think Right ... Live Right
Today's Truth
"Think about the things that are good and worthy of praise. Think about the things that are true and honorable and right and pure and beautiful and respected" (Philippians4:8, NCV).
Friend To Friend
I was absolutely pathetic as I moaned and groaned my way up the stairs. My back was killing me! I had just spent four long hours taking down Christmas decorations, packing them in boxes, hauling each box down three flights of stairs to the basement and hoisting every one of those heavy, packed-to-the-brim boxes up on shelves that are taller than I am. Do you get the painful picture?
I was working up a stellar case of self-pity when my husband came home from work and asked what I had been doing all day. "I did two loads of laundry, wrote two devotions, took care of Justus while Danna studied, answered email and then it took me four hours to take down all of the Christmas decorations," I declared in my best "poor me" voice. Dan did not seem impressed. "It really took you that long? I didn't think you had that many decorations out this year. Why didn't you wait until I got home so I could help you?" he asked. I didn't want to wait. I was not happy ... and more than a little upset with him for not being more sympathetic. But my sweet husband was not done.
"Your problem is not in your back, honey. Your problem is in your mind," he patiently explained. I could see the conversation going down the tube fast but managed to muster up just enough self-control that kept me from saying what I really wanted to say. Instead, I sweetly asked, "What do you mean?"
Sidebar: Three months ago, I was in a car wreck that caused some fierce muscle spasms in my back and resulted in several visits to the chiropractor. Two months ago I had a stomach virus that lasted a week followed by the Thanksgiving holidays during which we had our kids and grandkids for a week ... which was incredibly wonderful and deliciously chaotic. The day they left, I went to the doctor with a respiratory infection that turned into bronchitis that soon blossomed into walking pneumonia from which I am still recovering. Do you feel my pain?
"Honey, you have been so sick - not to mention being rear-ended by a car going 70 miles an hour. Why did you feel like you had to decorate the entire house in the first place?" Dan asked. I know. I could not believe it either! "It was Christmas!" I sputtered in frustration. And then I saw it. The problem really is in my mind. I had allowed wrong thinking to dictate wrong priorities.
The mind is a great battlefield. The Bible tells us that we have the mind of Christ because we have a personal relationship with Him, but we still have to allow or choose to "let" the mind of Christ be in control. Every day we are at war for the control of the mind. Who wins that war is up to us and the choices that we make.
Proverbs 23:7 tells us, "For as he thinks within himself, so he is" (NASB). In other words, what we think about powerfully influences who and what we will become. Our actions, our attitudes and habits are born in the mind, an offspring of the thought life we entertain.
We can literally change our life by changing how we think - but we cannot do it alone. God's standard and guideline for our thought life is very clear and demanding. In fact, it's completely impossible without God's power at work in our life.
"Think about the things that are good and worthy of praise; think about the things that are true and honorable and right and pure and beautiful and respected" (Philippians 4:8, NCV).
We choose what we watch and read, the conversations we have and the time we spend in the Word. If the mind is not filled with good, trust me, the enemy will fill it with bad. The human mind will always set itself on something. Paul is challenging us to wisely choose that setting, taking charge of our thoughts by inviting the Holy Spirit to empower God's standard for the mind.
My husband often says, "You can't keep a bird from flying over your head but you can keep it from building a nest in your hair." Now stay with me. Impure and wrong thoughts will come but we do not have to entertain them and invite them to "come on in and stay awhile." When we choose to surrender the control of our mind to God, He will honor that choice and give us the strength and power to think right. And when we think right - we will live right.
Let's Pray
Lord, I confess to You that I often struggle with the way I think. I desperately need Your help. Please make me aware of the influences that draw my mind away from You and show me how to avoid each one. Teach me how to fix my thoughts on You and give me a hunger and thirst for Your Word. Today, I surrender the control of my mind to You, Father.
--
Clay in the Potters Hand
Amy Tise
Your Problem is in Your Mind
Her husband said to her "Your problem is not in your back, honey. Your problem is in your mind.” It was not pain, it was in her mind. She was recovering from serious injury and illness but thought she could do things the way she always used to do them. When her husband pointed this out to her she sputtered in frustration. And then she saw it. The problem really is in her mind. She had allowed wrong thinking to dictate wrong priorities.
How does this relate to us you might say? Things change in life, for her it was the accident, but like her we can’t keep doing the same things we have been doing and expect to be transformed. In order to understand this concept “to change our minds” we need to examine how the woman thought.
Key Point: Only Way to Transform is by Renewing our Mind
The only way to transform is by changing our mind; by the renewing of our minds. In the previous weeks we learned that when we are transformed we are changed from within; by the renewing of our mind - into His image. God wants us to be transformed in what we think, in the way we think and act.
How are we transformed, changed, by the entire renewal our mind?
- By changing internally with new ideals and new attitudes, actions and reactions
- God’s path, His will, His way.
§ Lord change me; what Thou wilt, as Thou wilt, when Thou wilt
- By studying God’s Word – His Living Word
- Praying
- Fellowship
- Practice – Consistent, life-long practice is required
Critical Success Point: Battlefield of Our Mind
The mind is a great battlefield. The Bible tells us that we have the mind of Christ because we have a personal relationship with Him, but we still have to allow or choose to "let" the mind of Christ be in control. Every day we are at war for the control of the mind. Who wins that war is up to us and the choices that we make through our thought processes. This battle for control of our mind influences the right thinking or the wrong thinking we adopt is ever raging; even if we don’t believe it or aren’t aware of the war’s existence.
2 Corinthians 2:10 says “What I have forgiven…has been for your sakes…to keep Satan from getting the advantage over us; for we are not ignorant of his wiles and intentions.
In Joyce Meyer’s book and devotional, “Battlefield of the Mind”, she talks about this; how wrong thinking will dictate wrong priorities and the problems we face – Ouch!
Joyce says “We are engaged in a warfare – a warfare that rages and never stops. We can put on the whole armor of God, halt the evil one’s advances, and stand fast on the Word of God, but we won’t put a complete end to the war. As long as we are alive, our minds remain Satan’s battlefield. Most of our problems are rooted in thinking patterns that produce the problems we experience. This is where Satan triumphs – he offers wrong thinking to us all. This isn’t a new trick devised for our generation; he began his deceptive ways in the Garden of Eden. The serpent asked the woman, “Can it really be that God has said, ‘You shall not eat from every tree of the garden?” (Genesis 3:1a). That was the first attack on the human mind. Eve could have rebuked the tempter; instead, she told him God would let them eat from the trees, but not from one particular tree. They couldn’t even touch that tree, because if they did, they would die.
“But the serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die, For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing the difference between good and evil and blessing and calamity” (vs.4-5).
This was the first attack, and it resulted in Satan’s first victory. What we often miss about temptation and the battle our enemy levels against us is that it comes to us deceptively. Suppose he had said to the woman, “Eat of the fruit. You’ll bring misery, anger, hatred, bloodshed, poverty, and injustice into the world.
Eve would have recoiled and ran away. He tricked her because he lied and told her what would appeal to her.
Satan promised, “You’ll be like God. You’ll know good and evil.” What a marvelous appeal to the woman. Wasn’t he tempting Eve to do something bad – or at least he phrased it in such a way that what she heard sounded good.
That’s always the appeal of sin or satanic enticement. The temptation is not to do evil or to cause harm or bring injustice. The lure is that we will gain something.
Satan’s temptation worked on Eve. “And when the woman saw that the tree was good (suitable, pleasant) for food and that it was delightful to look at, and a tree to be desired in order to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she gave some also to her husband, and he ate” (3:6).
Eve lost the first battle for the mind, and we have continued to fight for it since that time. But because we can have the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we can win – and we can keep on winning.
Joyce Meyer, Battlefield of the Mind Devotional, Pages 1-3
What is our goal of change in our life?
Our goal is to change and be transformed into the likeness of His Son; into Christ-likeness. God wants us to be formed into His image so the world will not penetrate us and diminish us. He brings this about by the renewing of our mind; something different than before. Under God’s influence we will know, understand, and embrace God and His pleasing and perfect will for us. But we cannot achieve this without remaining in His Word.
Jesus said in John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains (lives in, stands for, stays, continues, keeps on, abides) in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
Become Christ-like through Scripture.
How do we believe, trust, and remain in obedience to God and His will for our lives - not our will? How do we do what pleases God and not man? By following the ongoing process of utilizing God’s Living Word - Scripture; allowing God to transform us from the inside-out. We can only become Christ-like by understanding exactly who He was, what He did, and how He did it. The Scriptures are a blueprint for Christ-likeness.
Invitations and Praise Reports
An invitation was extended to Evelyn Christenson Ministries group; 10 elderly ladies have committed to pray for us as we work through this study. They are in Minnetonka, MN.
Rosemary shared how the group on Wednesday night is changing; four new ladies she might never expect decided to attend. She asks that we pray for these four women in particular.
Homework Review – What Touched You?
Rosemary asked “What touched you this past week during your reading time or what really made you think?”
Another Surprise: Confirmation
Terry was moved by the story on pages 41-42 about the man coming to the house asking “Could I see the pastor?” Evelyn said that her mother-hen defense for Christ went us and she said, “It’s terribly early and Chris is still asleep. Could you come back a bit later?” The man said, “I have to tell somebody. Could I tell you?” Monday morning! But she said, “Wait until I turn off the washer and dryer.” She returned and said, “OK. Tell me.”
The man said, “Do you know what? The most amazing thing happened to me.” She halfheartedly replied, “Really?” “Yup. A week ago I was driving my truck down Broadway, and I was blaming everybody for what was going on in my home – my kids, my wife, my employer. But suddenly the Lord said to me, ‘You are the one who needs to change, not all the rest of the people. You need to be changed.’ As I drove I think I even closed my eyes once and prayed, ‘Lord, change me; Lord, change me.”
Evelyn was in amazement: Lord, change me! It was all coming into focus. The “Lord, change me” concept had been given to him too. It was spreading. God was spreading it!
The man had to tell somebody about all of the good things that were happening over this time, because he had been praying ‘Lord – change – me! And all of these things have happened in my whole relationship with people – just because I prayed ‘Lord, change me!’”
Key Point: Relationships do Change when we Pray “Lord, Change Me.”
Sadly, like many of us, this man had problems that were rooted in thinking patterns that produced the problems he was experiencing. Remember, this is where Satan triumphs – he offers wrong thinking to us all. We will always be in the battle for control of our mind, but we are victorious in Christ when we remain in Him.
This is the exciting part of the changing process! Relationships with people do change when we pray, “Lord, change me.”
Evelyn Christenson realized that God had not given this fabulous thought to her to be kept selfishly to herself – only to see herself change. But God had intended all along that it was to be shared with others whom He wanted to change.
God gives us, as He did Evelyn, confirmation that we heard Him correctly, that we are on the right or wrong path through people many times. She received her confirmation through this man who received the same message from God – we are the ones that need to change our way of thinking. Lord, Change Me.
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for our instruction in righteousness.” (Page 46)
God has the Answers to Your Problems – Scriptures are a Personal Instruction Manual
Darlene shared that she had never thought about the Bible in this way before; an instruction manual from God. She discovered that when she has a question about something she should go to the Word first, no where else.
On page 38, we see the discussion of where the ladies were asked to read Colossians 3 by themselves. She instructed them to read only until God spoke, and then stop and pray about what He was saying to them. In every instance the Lord stopped each one of them at the answer to her problem. God has personal, individual instruction for each of us.
God wants us to trust Him in every aspect of our life; even the smallest detail. God was saying to Evelyn as well as to us on page 43, “Just trust Me. Just trust Me.” Evelyn said “the great part of trusting the Lord is that He never lets you down.”
Remember the battling women at the retreat in previous chapter? They were all looking to change the other person and didn’t see the need to change their attitude, action, or reaction in the slightest. Battlefield of the mind was strong with each person in that group. They all discovered that they each needed to be transformed by the renewing of their minds; “Lord, change me” concept through God’s Living Word.
Deanna shared, that like Darlene, she also gleaned a lot from 2 Timothy 3:16 on Page 46. Like many of us, Deanna asks, “What does God want of me? What is He saying to me? I don’t hear God talking to me. I need to listen better.” She can see changes in herself; even how selection process has changed regarding the person she wants to date. Her criterions are so different than even a year ago; he has to be Christian.
Galatians 5 – Freedom in Christ and the Leading of the Holy Spirit
We discussed the necessity of living by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. Do not be led by your sinful nature rather be led by the Holy Spirit.
What is the sinful nature? Galatians 5:19 says, “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Prayer should not be a “Drive-up Window” Request
Rosemary indicated that there was a discussion in her Wednesday night class regarding what prayer is and isn’t. They discussed what prayer is and is not. Prayer is not a wish list or a drive-up window request we present to God. Rather, prayer is communication with God. We talk to God in our prayers and through a whole new way of reading the Bible.
Last week we discovered Pronouns and how tailoring a passage to reflect our name and personalizing it we can use the Living Word to fashion our prayers or answer our hardest questions. In any case, all Scripture is Profitable and is God breathed. It is profitable for doctrine (life principles), for reproof (rebuke), for correction, for our instruction in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16).
Chapter 3: Changed – For Others Too
We then started to look at other aspects of Chapter 3. We began our quest by looking on Page 37, the first paragraph;
“Those fourteen months marched silently along with God continuing His rebuking, refining, enlightening, and changing. I was aware of each step, but still had not thought of it as anything more than a process for me.”
When God rebukes you what does that mean? Reprimand, scold, and admonish, improvement, alteration or correction. God uses His Living Word to correct or alter our thought processes, to modify our behaviors and actions, and to adjust our way of thinking. Over time, His Word changes us into Christ-likeness. The opposite of rebuke is praise.
On page 26, we read that as God spoke to Evelyn forcefully out of the 139th Psalm, the idea of Scripture is profitable for reproof (2 Timothy 3:16) became evident. Psalm 139:23-24 says “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Just like God need to show Evelyn through His Word what displeased Him and what she needed to be change in her, God needs to show us what displeases Him and what needs to be changed in us. Lord, Change Me was written in the margin of her Bible. How is Scripture refining us? Through hardships and how we handle them, through prayer requests so forth. Rosemary is currently reading the book of James. In the first chapter we discover James was trying to convey two key themes on how to God refines us and what our responses should be. Those themes are: 1) Trials and Temptations (James 1: 1-18), 2) Listening and Doing (James 1:19-26). In James 1:2-3 (NIV) we find that we should “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”
Throughout the Bible we will see that refining is symbolized by melting of silver and gold in a furnace; in essence, burning off the impurities. God is refining us through our trials, when He burns off all the impurities and unrighteousness we become Christ-like. Because of this refining, we should consider it pure joy because the trials are testing and proving our faith. Romans 5:1-5 tell us that our trials and our suffering produces perseverance; this in turn produces character, and character produces hope; and hope does not disappoint us. Romans 5:1-4 - Peace and Hope
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
1 John 3:3 says “All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.”
What is enlightening mean? Informative, instructive, or helpful; God’s Word is all these things. God’s Word explains things to us; it makes clear what God wants us to do and not do in our lives. His Living Word enlightens us by explaining things to us; God’s ways and paths.
Darlene provided us an example of enlightenment when she discussed going to Scripture for the answers to our life questions. When we have a question we need to start going to someone who can really do something about our situation; we need to start going to God. Ask Him how you should handle a situation… catch yourself before you saying something. Ask Him for help with your attitude, action and reactions. What should I say Lord? How should I say it Lord? He will instruct you on the way to go.
Treasure: His Word - A Lamp unto my Feet
On page 36, Evelyn tells us that when she has needed direction for her life, had He never left her groping in the dark, trying to find her way. No, Sir. He had given her His Word as a “lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” Psalm 119: 105. As she has obeyed God’s instructions, He has changed her, step by step, into the person He wanted her to be. Ongoing Spiritual War – Our Wrong Thinking
The Spiritual War it is all around us. We need God to show us how to fight the good fight of faith and make clear every step we are to take regardless of the situation or circumstance we are facing. His Enlightenment is a moment-to-moment process many times.
Remember what Joyce Meyers had to say about Satan? As long as we are alive, our minds remain Satan’s battlefield. Most of our problems are rooted in thinking patterns that produce the problems we experience. This is where Satan triumphs – he offers wrong thinking to us all.
What does changing mean? It means altering, shifting, varying, adjusting leading to transforming…our mind; change our way of thinking. Do you have thinking patterns that generally cause you pain or problems? Change them with God’s help through Scripture.
Change is not easy is it? But change is necessary to alter the course of our actions or reactions, modify our faulty way of thinking based on falsehoods to God’s way of thinking which is holy and pure; righteous.
Change Means Forbearing and Forgiving Others
Remember the ladies at the cabin story again? The major problem was everyone in the room thought they were right. They couldn’t even admit they might each be wrong. One woman wouldn’t even read the Bible verse when asked to.
On Page 39, we heard of such anger that a young woman had that “She trembled with anger as she ranted on about a woman she couldn’t stand, a woman who was attending the retreat. “Why,” she exploded, “she actually talks and gossips about our pastor. And I won’t go to prayer meeting if she’s going to be there because I get so furious when she prays. Would you believe she actually prays against him right in front of him?”
Evelyn had used her “read until” technique with group. As she raved on, Evelyn paused and turned to the woman and asked her, “And where did God stop you in Colossians 3?”
Colossian 3:13 - “Forbearing one another and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any; even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” Evelyn asked the woman “Is that where He stopped you?” (Nod.) “How long have you been a Christian?” “Three Months” “Did God forgive anything in you when you became a Christian?” A look of shock crossed her face. Then she put her head on my shoulder and began to weep. “Oh, it’s my fault, isn’t it? I’m the one who needs to change, not her. I’m the one God needs to change.”
Forbearing one another means to be patient, tolerant, and long-suffering like Christ was with us. This once angry woman has seen that she was to forgive others as He had forgiven her – forgiven her of all her past sins when she accepted Him as her Savior three months before.
Critical Success Point: Only God Has the Answers
These women thought Evelyn Christenson had the answer to their questions. While others may be able to help us the one with the real answers to our questions is God. When we need to make decisions God gives us the direction we need through His Holy Word.
The key is going beyond what others say about us to what God says about us; who we are in Christ. The only way to do that is going to the Source: God’s Living Word - Scriptures.
Change Means Forbearing and Forgiving Ourselves
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
In the daily online devotional, “Forgiving Ourselves”, by Os Hillman he describes life for the person who cannot forgive themselves; they choose to remain in bondage. He tells us about the murderer that was condemned to life in prison. Then one day something amazing happened. The guard came and opened the jail cell. "You are free to go. Someone else is taking your place," said the guard. "How can this be? I am still guilty!" said the prisoner. "Your debt has been paid. You are free to leave," said the guard once more. The prisoner decided not to leave. "I cannot allow another to pay my debt," said the prisoner. Because of his pride he chose to remain in bondage.
Imagine the guilt Peter must have felt when he betrayed the Son of God three times by saying he never knew him. Imagine what he must have felt the moment he reunited with Him after the resurrection.
The hardest person to forgive sometimes is ourselves. It is especially hard for high achievers to forgive themselves. We think we are above such failure. However, the Bible says we all sin and it is impossible to remedy that sin by ourselves.
"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives?" (1 John 1:8,10). The question is not whether we will sin; the question is what we will do when we do sin.
There is only one thing for us to do. Go to the cross. Jesus paid for that sin by dying on the cross. Picture yourself writing your sin on a white piece of paper, then pinning it to the cross. Now, leave it there. The cross is for sinners. When Jesus looks at you, He no longer sees your sin. He cannot see the sin because He can only see the cross.
When you come to Jesus with your sin, there is nothing more you can do besides confessing and renouncing your sin. Sometimes it may require restitution with others. However, once you confess your sin and ask forgiveness, it is no longer on the ledger of debts.
To Hear from God We MUST Come Clean: Confess, Repent = Change
We each have to look at ourselves and see things that we are not very proud of in our life, in our personality or character. We can be a senior citizen having spent our entire life in church and still be a babe in Christ; not understanding one thing about God’s specific instructions we each can receive through the Living Word to grow in Christ. The person though mature in age is spiritually poor; still on milk after all these years. They have not matured spiritually; which is what our goal of having a true relationship with Christ is all about. Going to church and participating in ministry does not take the place of the personal relationship that God wants to have with us. We can’t have a two-way conversation with God when we have sin separating us; He’s not listening.
As Os Hillman pointed out, we all sin on a daily basis. We all do things that displease God. If we claim to be without sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. That is exactly where the senior citizen was in their mind; deceived. If you can’t hear God talking you need to examine what is separating you from God.
Sometimes we just don’t want to talk to God about our sin. The sin may actually be fun and exciting or feel good; such as over eating, drinking alcohol, gambling, and an intimate relationship with a man who is not our husband, gossip, pride, and so forth. We sometimes hold onto the sin and do not want to come clean with Him. There is one simple problem with this thought process – you can’t hear God speaking to you.
In order to hear what God is saying in His Word or in prayer time, you must come clean!
Come Clean! We need to ask God each day, “What did I do today that displeases you Lord?”
Rosemary used Anne Graham Lot as a perfect example. She was preparing for a retreat but just was hitting blank wall. She couldn’t prepare for over 5 days and the retreat was upon her. God shook her to the core through a book that was on the back of the commode where she was staying. God showed her that she was full of pride; acting spiritually but far from it. She thought she had arrived and fully matured. She couldn’t prepare for the retreat because she needed to come clean with the sin; God was nudging her to confess.
In order for the Holy Spirit to say “Stop right there little lady” you need to come clean with the stuff – the sin – that grieves God. God simply will not speak to you when there is so much stuff between you and Him. He hears you but He chooses not to answer your prayers. You don’t hear Him because you need to come clean of all the stuff that displeases Him. Sometimes, we aren’t even aware of the exact sin that is separating us from His presence. This is where we need to come clean and ask God each day, “What did I do today that displeases you Lord?” It is usually very, very humbling and enlightening.
The opposite is true as well. When we are faithful to God and follow His instruction and commands, when we truly “…walk along the path of His commands, that is where my happiness is found” (Psalm 119:35) we are transformed and uplifted; delighted. God is repaying us with peace when we follow Him. To follow Him is a good feeling.
What is God doing when we feel happiness? God is growing us, we are feeling the growth and it feels good like on a mountaintop. But this mountaintop experience fades. As we experience something different every day are emotions may change as well. Our happiness is found when we look to God for instruction in every area of our life walking along the path of His commands – the Living Word; even the smallest of things.
Psalm 119:32 says, “I run in the path of Your commands for You have set my heart free.” In other words, in God giving us His Word and our following His instruction He has not restricted us as we think; He has freed us. Outside of God’s Word, we are engaging in an ongoing, energy draining, life-sapping, up-stream swim in our lives; we will feel chaos and have no peace in our life or while working through problems on our own strength.
When we have these feelings of happiness, the mountaintop experiences, God is wooing or courting us to give us a glimpse of what He has for us. The greatest goal of His wooing you is He wants you to hear Him.
When we do not accept Him as a 24/7 lover of our soul, our happiness is fleeting. In order to hear from God we truly want to hear from him. Wooing is all about saying “I’m ready God. I want to grow spiritually and get off the milk that I have been on, I need meat now.
Does God Really Talk to Me?
Yes, God really does talk to each of us. The personal relationship God desires to have with us comes from God talking to us and with us; He wants two-way communication. He won’t talk if there is so much stuff between you that you can’t hear Him anyway.
God talks to us in many ways. For Deanna, it was an email from South Africa. God is talking, reminding her that what she did for this family with the Shoe-box Ministry was important to Him. The email is a reminder; God talking to her about what pleases Him.
Other ways God talks to us include:
· Through His Living Word
Our Conscience: A Personal Message from God
When God is talking to you it is true intimacy with your heart. Your conscience comes from God, it is part of your DNA and who you are.
God has personal messages for each one of us tailored to our specific needs and issues we encounter.
The Holy Spirit works through our conscience. God wants to refine our conscience to tell us things we couldn’t know, do things we couldn’t do as we found in Beth Moore study.
Our conscience is a part of us and is God-given. Romans 1:18-31 tells us this is innate, inborn, inherent, and native to us all; all people are born with a conscience so that no one has an excuse. That means Christians and non-Christians alike.
18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy.
In the book “Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis, the author discusses the fact that we are all born understanding the difference between “Right vs. Wrong”. The title of the first chapter is Right and Wrong as a Clue to the Meaning of the Universe.
God separated what He considered acceptable from displeasing behavior within the universe and within each of us. This separation of right and wrong is something that we innately have. It is some type of standard of behavior built into our being; all people. It explains our will for justice and fairness for ourselves and the world around us. This standard of behavior comes from God; He created this separation.
Chapter 1 in the book says “Each man is at every moment is subjected to different sets of laws but there is only one of these which he is free to obey. As a body, he is subjected to gravitation and cannot disobey it; if you leave him unsupported in mid-air, he has no more choice about falling than a stone has. As an organism, he is subjected to various biological which he cannot disobey anymore than an animal can. That is, he cannot disobey those laws which he shares with other things; but the law that is particular to his human nature, the law he does not share with animals or vegetables or inorganic things is the one he can disobey if he chooses. This law is called Law of Nature because people thought that everyone knew it by nature and did not need to be taught it.”
When we Keep God in A Box - Unbelief
Deanna asked a good question, “When we are driving around looking for a parking space and praying for it to be right next to the door, is that God answering us if get the spot or don’t? What is God really doing?
When we try to figure out when something is God and something is not God we are putting Him into a box and narrowing our understanding of who and what He really is; the Creator of everything. He created everything including the car, the parking lot, the building, the earth it sits. He owns it. We are stewards of what He owns.
Rosemary had a great example to answer this question that we can find on Page 34. We need a changed attitude toward people, things and situations in our lives. Like the pastor who called his banker saying our car is in the ditch, we need to learn to say the same thing in all situations like Evelyn learned with her health, “God, our body is sick.”
We need to entrust every aspect of our life to God. What a great way to live! No friction, no hassle; just total obedience to His specific instruction. According to Evelyn “This obedience to His specific instruction has done more than anything else in my life to take the pressure off and change my whole outlook on life.”
Key Point: Antidote to Unbelief - Trust God
On Page 43, we discover it is hard to learn what God has for us when we have unbelief. The antidote for unbelief is trust. The Lord kept telling Evelyn and the president of women’s retreat, “Just trust Me. Just trust Me.” We need to trust in God’s agenda not ours. He is saying “Just Trust ME!”
Remember, the great part of trusting the Lord is that He never lets you down. Unfortunately, when we have our own agenda and say “I can handle it by myself.” We are really saying to God, I don’t want to bother You or I don’t need You which is unbelief that God is trustworthy.
Writing in our Bible Discussion
On Wednesday night, Rosemary had a woman who was afraid to write in her Bible because she was taught not to. Many people believed that it was irreverent to desecrate the Living Word.
On her way to work the next day, between 7:30 and 8:30 am, she was listening to the radio station 830AM in Winston Salem. They were discussing this very same issue. It doesn’t matter if you tear that Bible to pieces. What matters is that you are in the Word looking for instruction and that God is ordering your every step, from your 1st to your last breath. You must know with certainty that God has been working with you, for you and to you in every step of the way. Yeah, sometimes we get the parking spot and sometimes we don’t.
Partner You May Never Have Known You Have
We discussed happiness again what it means to others. The answer provided was more peace, joy no matter what we have going on in our lives. We all have stuff in our lives, but can have peace and joy in the face of great adversity.
We can have this with a partner you never knew you had that you can talk about everything to God. No holds barred. He never leaves us or forsakes us. We may leave Him but He is always by our side.
Never lonely is a falsehood. We can be in a room full of people or with our husband and still be lonely trying to make connections with people that can and do let us down.
But we always have someone to speak to no matter what; that is God. He is available 24/7, always! He wants us to go to Him with absolutely everything. He is our Partner!
Cathey shared one of the times of deepest despair in her life; she was feeling totally alone. She was in an accident almost lost her leg and to top it all off her daddy had Alzheimer’s. It seemed like the world she knew was crashing in around her. She went in to take a cold shower crying out “God, this is your man. Why? How could you take his memory from him and diminish him like this? Why, God? Why?”
Then all of a sudden the song “Trust and Obey” came to her mind. Verse by verse God ministered to her. Even though she still didn’t know why, she knew that like Jesus in Gethsemane, it was the hardest thing she ever had to do. It was a cup that God would not pass from her. But He was with her through it!
We can’t always see how God is working, what emotions are brought up; they are different for everyone.
Darlene commented she discovered that there will always be a want or need in her life. This is true for us all. There will always be something else we will have to deal with. It will be this way until we are in heaven.
Grass Isn’t Always Greener
Sometimes we look at someone else who seems to have it all together; she’s got everything we think. But then we find out that this perfect person with the perfect world really is smoke and mirrors. We find out that they have something in their lives that we are not aware of – that the grass wasn’t greener on the other side.
God is Changing Us: Even When It Doesn’t Look Like it!
Rosemary told us the story when Mike had his back surgery. He was in terrific pain and it seemed like the surgery made the pain worse. She was wondering if the needed to call the doctor and talk about Pain Management. The doctor asked is the pain better this week versus last week? And indeed it was.
We need to evaluate our situations in truth. The truth was yes he was in pain but he was improving. It wasn’t as bad as the week before.
Ask yourself the question, “Is life better, what I have now, versus before I became a Christian?” If Christ is truly my Savior, I can never go back to the way I was. The fact is no way will any of us go back to the pride, the control, the gossip, what ever we were before Christ. Because we know that there was absolutely no peace, nothing but total chaos.
Pray for God to give you something special, just for you today and this week.
Greg Laurie: God Speaks to Us According to Our Personality – It’s Personal
God is awesome. He created each of us differently. We each have our own personality. We speak and hear God differently – It’s Personal! God speaks to each of us according to our own personality that is what makes it personal.
Rosemary is a serious person. She said “When I talk to God he speaks and says ‘You are prideful, you must let this go today.’” God and Rosemary had a serious conversation even though she never heard and audible word in the room. God said it clear over all the sounds in the room.
Go to God Expecting to Hear Him. Call to God, seek Him; He will answer! It is like Evelyn and her prayer “Lord, change me!” God confirmed she was on God’s path in the right direction by sending the man to her door that early morning. Such a gift she just couldn’t keep to herself.
When we have change in us, believe it or not the change is portrayed in us in a way that others can see.
1. Read Until – Read God’s Word Until He Speaks
a. Don’t read any more (Page 43). If you read on after He speaks, you’ll get confused, not knowing what you should pray about.
2. Ask God “Why did you stop me at this point Lord? What are You saying to Your Word to me Lord?” – Pray stop and listen to God!
When He stops you, meditate on this. God is speaking to you about something. This is also part of communication process with God. Analyze His reason for stopping you at that particular point in His Word.
3. Ask God, “What needs changing in my life Lord?” – Listen for God’s Answer. Discover the need God knows you have. Determine what you can do to change – Knowledge.
4. Ask God, “What do I need to do about what You just told me Lord?” – Listen and Take Action!
a. Taking action means applying the knowledge you have acquired from God’s Word to your life situation – Learned wisdom.
b. Record your learned wisdom into your Spiritual Diary.
Critical Success Points: Listen Between Questions & Expect a Response
Be sure to listen as He gently brings answers to your mind. God’s speaking to you in the Scripture may only be a little nudge, or you may think some words are popping out in bold print.
Rosemary used the example on Page 26, when Evelyn read until God spoke to her from the Book of Proverbs. During those fourteen months, God gave her much instruction about obtaining wisdom: “Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.
Once again God was impressing upon Evelyn the truth that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (9:10). And that wisdom was to be found in His Word.
Psalm 25 was so important to Evelyn; let us make it important to us as well.
Remember when Evelyn started to read and God stopped her at one little four-letter word in the fifth verse – W-A-I-T (see page 23)?
1Unto thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul.
2O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.
3Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.
4Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.
5Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.
Wait or hope in the Lord. Wait for the good that God has for you; God’s best. Wait on God, and, by a believing hope, wait for Him. She was to trust God and stay in His Word, as are we.
Key Point: Pray to Remove Preconceived ideas about the Scripture
Rosemary stressed that we don’t take scripture out of context. On Page 44, Evelyn says “Then we prayed a simple prayer. ‘Lord, remove all our preconceived ideas about this portion of Scripture. We want You to tell us afresh what You want changed in us today.’
Silence – Go to Your Quiet Spot
Following this prayer Evelyn asked the group for complete silence, explaining that it is impossible for God to speak to us if we are chattering, discussing, and talking to each other. So, a slightly bewildered but willing group sought their private spots with the Lord and began reading.
We are to pray to God for His direction. As we saw before on Page 46, 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for our instruction in righteousness.” (Page 46) As we begin to see that all Scripture is God breathed, profitable, teaching us we will see change in our beliefs because God is talking to us and we are listening.
Remember - God Cannot Be Put into a Box
What we think is science is God the Biggest Scientist!
When we keep ourselves in a state of doubt, and keep putting God inside of a box we miss the best that God has for us!
God sometimes wants us to change our beliefs in our doctrine. But most of the time He wants changes in our actions. In this study, “Lord, change me”, Evelyn is stressing to us that we have got to go to the Bible, precept by precept, line by line, command by command. This is between you and God; where the rubber meets the road.
“Whom shall He teach knowledge? And whom shall He make to understand doctrine? Them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line, her a little, and there a little” (Isaiah 28:9-10, italics mine) Through hundreds of verses God spoke directly to Evelyn during her fourteen month “Lord, Change Me” process. He had piled precept upon precept, line upon line, showing her what needed to be changed and how to depend completely upon Him for wisdom to change. This maturing was for those weaned from milk, those who were growing up – by the renewing of the mind!
God Speaks to all of us Individually and to Many Collectively
The greatest example is how this study came about; the man coming to the house confirming the message to Evelyn.
Key Point: Change Comes from Obeying
Change doesn’t come when God speaks to us; change comes from obeying what God is telling us to change. He can talk to one day; but you need to obey. If you don’t, this is sin separating you from God. You won’t hear from Him until you come clean!
Pronouns: How to take God’s Word and Make it about You.
Let’s take Psalm 25 and Make it Important to You!
1 In you, LORD my God, I put my trust.
Are you going to talk to someone else; not asking His opinion; not listen to God. Or will you trust God? He wants to hear from you. He is God; He wants to hear from us. God can do whatever we need.
2 I trust in you; do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.
Rosemary had us make a picture in our mind – a movie in our brain about what this verse is saying. King David was in a cave hiding from his enemies. His enemies were hunting him down and trying to kill him. These people were going to drag him through the streets of the city and show off the capture of this great King thus shaming him.
Remember Evelyn’s shame that she felt with the embarrassing segment shown on TV – Video. (Page 14)
The War is The Same – Battlefield of the Mind |
Who were King David’s enemies? | Who were Evelyn’s enemies? | |
· People hunting him down; Saul’s army | | |
| | |
| | |
We can be attacked by any one of the three, the world, our flesh /self, or Satan. Our attacks can be any combination of the three; one or all of the above. However, the battle is always the same; a battle for your mind.
Write in your Spiritual Diary
Think about it, do you really trust God? Or do you trust something other than the God of the Universe? Trust the awesomeness of God, understand and know who God really is.
The first verse of Psalm 25 set the tone for the entire study; understanding the awesomeness of God.
Key Point: If you don’t trust God you don’t really know God.
Think of a recent experience where you felt shame when you acted silly by gossiping or lying for example. Who were your enemies? Our enemies are the World, Flesh/Self, and Satan. The Battlefield was your mind!
Guess what? Your recent experience of sin and shame is covered by Grace; see verse 3.
Grace
3 No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause.
Satan was without excuse because he originally was in heaven with God. He had lived in the presence of God. The world is treacherous and God will get those in the world. But the problem is that our enemies are not going away. What it means to you is that you just need to keep the enemies away from you; getting them off your back.
Justice: Our God is a just God; this is His character. He is truth and righteous; the only authority. We all like His loving side but He is holy and cannot put up with the things that displease Him; SIN! Sin is simply unacceptable to Him. He needs to show us what displeases Him and how He judges, what He judges.
God is our Teacher and Savior
4 Show me your ways, LORD, teach me your paths.
5 Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
Write in Your Spiritual Diary
1. Teacher - Define who the Teacher is; God is our Teacher
2. Who is the Student? David said to God, show me, and teach me. We need to think on this one!
3. Savior – What does it mean? God wants to not just save us from hell but from things we experience everyday!
Rosemary had given Darlene Charles Spurgeon quote for her sister.
God’s grace is sufficient if we seek it. We must put our faith and trust in God instead of the world; conforming to it and its trappings. Be transformed through great faith in Jesus brings heaven to our souls on earth and realize the best that God has for us. We grow in our relationship with Christ in ways we never thought we could. We begin to grow in our spiritual walk with God.
4. Hope in Jesus Second Coming. It’s not a wish for things to come – eternal life; a faith thing.
5. Mercy and Love Go Together
6 Remember, LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.
6. Past Sins for Each of Us
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me,
for you, LORD, are good.
Does anyone regret their youth? “Isn’t it personal to you girls”, Rosemary asked. Remember where you used to be? Remember all of that sin that separated you from God?
Remember me, Lord. I confess that I’ve got stuff in my past O Lord. I you to need to remember your love and mercy for you are God, O Lord.
8 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
God instructs who? ME! Why because I am a sinner and God is good and upright. He wants me to know His ways so I can follow them.
Let’s be specific here. We are worthy of who teaches us, not by anything we have done but by the great love of Jesus. This love is totally unconditional. By the blood of Jesus on the cross you and I are worthy of who teaches. But we must know Him and accept Him to be worthy.
9 He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.
We have got to be humble, not proud, in order for God to guide us. We need to get over the notion that “I don’t need anyone, I can do it by myself” attitude. We need to get this straight today, right now! This could be our last day here. We need to get this straight, “Apart from Christ we can do nothing”. (Philippians 4:13)
10 All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.
11 For the sake of your name, LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.
These verses go back to Sin – Sinner discussion. Who fears the Lord has reverence for the Lord. It is a fearful thing when we consider what God will do to those who are not saved. What about the loved ones we lost that we aren’t sure if they are saved? This is where we hope in the Lord.
When we revere God, we are respecting and fearing Him all at the same time. We are also obeying Him and His instruction that He provides us. We must trust and obey God because He is in the driver’s seat. Though are sin is great, He wants to forgive our iniquity.
10. Instruction is Personal – Special Just for You!
12 Who, then, are those who fear the LORD? He will instruct them in the ways they should choose.
God will instruct each of us personally in the way we should go; the way we should choose. His instruction is personal.
13 They will spend their days in prosperity, and their descendants will inherit the land.
14 The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.
15 My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only he will release my feet from the snare.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.
17 Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish.
18 Look on my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins.
19 See how numerous are my enemies and how fiercely they hate me!
20 Guard my life and rescue me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
21 May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, LORD, is in you.
22 Deliver Israel, O God, from all their troubles!
See Handout: Day (Week) Four – 1/27/11
