BECOMING MORE THAN A GOOD BIBLE STUDY GIRL - SESSION 2 - 09-16-10

SESSION TWO - BECOMING MORE THAN A GOOD BIBLE STUDY GIRL

 IN MY WALK WITH GOD

Lysa started this week's DVD segment with some fresh pineapple. She told of how she had been settling for canned pineapple instead of fresh pineapple because the outside of the fresh pineapple looked "scary". Then she watched a friend cut a fresh pineapple and realized, "I could do that. It's not so hard." She compared that to studying the Bible. Sometimes, we settle for the "canned" version - what others have studied and then told us - instead of getting the Word "fresh" for ourselves because the Bible can look "scary" on the outside. It's so big - I don't understand it - we use all kind of excuses.

She referenced Ephesians 1:17 as giving us an important clue to understanding the Bible: "I keep asking..." ASK for understanding and don't just ask once - KEEP ON ASKING. The only way we are going to have His Word dwell in us is to get it in to us and the only way to do that is to get in to the Bible for ourselves.

She used the story of David as an example of how we can learn by studying people in the Bible. Some questions we should ask ourselves when we are studying any person in the Bible are: What is odd about this passage? What could it say to me personally?

In I Samuel 16:1, 7, 10-13 we see that David was overlooked by everyone else but he was handpicked by God. (He wasn't even brought in with his brothers!) His character was developed in the fields of everyday life to match his calling. Even though David should have been afraid, he wasn't because he knew God was with him so he ran straight to the center of God's will.

If you settle for canned versions of someone else's revelations instead of studying the Bible for yourself, it could have a negative impact on your walk with the Lord. How? Because, how would you know if they were speaking the truth? Also, you can't get the same feelings from someone else's experiences as you can from your own.

Even after David was anointed as King where was he sent? Back to the fields! And he never complained once. He trusted God and didn't question.

We must remember that the fields of every day life are our perfect preparation place, just as they were David's. God knows exactly where we are and has us there for a reason. He knows His plan for us already. We need to trust Him and allow Him to work in and through our lives right where we are this moment.

Other scripture used in this week's lesson: I Samuel 17:34-37, 40, 45 and 48-49

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Each lady present received a bookmark with a picture of a pineapple and Ephesians 1:17 "I keep asking..." to help remind us not to settle for the "canned" version of the Bible.

And one lady (Alisa) was blessed with two fresh pineapples to take home! WOO HOO!!!

Please realize that this blog is a very abbreviated version of everything that we discuss on Thursday nights. Please feel free to come and join in even if you didn't sign up and don't have the books. You can really get a lot of insight just from watching the DVD session and taking part in the discussion that follows. We'd love to have you join us.

We will be watching the Session 3 DVD this Thursday, Sept. 23 at 7:00 p.m. You never know what little surprises might be waiting for ya :)



BECOMING MORE THAN A GOOD BIBLE STUDY GIRL - SESSION 1 - 09-09-10

Well, our first session in Lysa Terkeurst's Bible Study - Becoming More Than A Good Bible Study Girl - was certainly tinged with sadness. However, we had a good group of ladies and had some good prayer time and got right into it. Oh, and we had brownies - with NO nuts - for a snack! (wink, wink ladies - you'd have to be here to know what that was about)

SESSION ONE

BECOMING MORE THAN A GOOD BIBLE STUDY GIRL IN MY HEART

In the first session, Lysa used examples from her own life to remind us that we can NOT try to make any person, possession or position fill our heart. That is something that only God can do. If we try to force anything besides God to do it, it can quickly turn from a blessing into a burden.

Anything we use as a substitute for God is an idol - a false god. It wasn't just the people in the Old Testament that struggled with this. We still struggle with this today. But the same answer that their false gods gave to them is the same answer our false gods give us - there is no response, no one answers and no one pays attention.

We have to quit thinking "If only I had" statements and replace them with truths from God's Word. Proverbs 24:16 was one example she gave.

When we allow ourselves to be satisfied with God and filled up with His truth, then we can stop having unrealistic expectations from people, possessions and positions.

I must remember that just because something I DO might be a failure, it does NOT make ME a failure.

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We had a lot of good discussion after watching the video and I am enjoying the "between-sessions personal Bible Study" that she has us doing.

If you didn't sign up but would like to join us after reading this, come on! We still have an extra set of books and you really haven't missed THAT much yet. Come join us this Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. We'd love to have you.

This Thursday night there will also be an extra-special video (I hope - lol) besides the Bible Study and an important announcement to go along with it. No, it's not another Bible Study but something I think several ladies might be interested in. Come see what it is :)

HOW IS GOD SPEAKING TO YOU? (09-02-10)

There is some very exciting news at the end of this one, so DON'T SKIP TO THE END, but be sure to read ALL THE WAY to the end so you can get in on it :)

What a wonderful time we had last Thursday night. It was so interesting to hear the things that were shared of how God is speaking to different individuals. Some of the songs that were shared were "More Love To Thee", "Count Your Blessings", "My Shepherd Will Supply My Needs", "O Come All Ye Faithful" and "No Matter What". I have never heard the song, "My Shepherd Will Suplly My Needs" but the words spoke to my heart when they were shared. I know and have known for a very long time now that He DOES supply my needs, but it is so wonderful that someone else can put in to words and music what my heart is feeling. I just love that! I am going to share the words to that song later.

One lady shared that she almost feels like a "female Job" - like things are being taken from her but she is STILL going to serve Jesus anyway. She mentioned that sometimes she feels she is not able to do a lot of things that she'd like to do for the Lord but said she just remembers that He calls us for our AVAILability first and then HE will give us the ability to do what He asks us to do. We are not called to do anything else.

Another shared that she feels guilty about not witnessing more. We actually had two ladies to say this and, as we were all talking about it, we actually all felt that way to a degree. But this particular lady is praying and asking God to give her more boldness in that area so please remember this in your prayers. God knows who she is and will know who you are praying for. She said that she has to remember that God sees the whole picture while we see only a little, tiny portion. He knows why people do the things they do. He sees and judges by the person's heart while see and judge by the outward appearance of things. He sees the motive and intent of our own heart even when we may not. We may be doing something and not truly realize the intent of our heart or motive behind our actions but, if we pray and ask Him to reveal these things to us, He will. We may not like what He shows us but He will only be honest and truthful with us. The final thing she shared was that she wanted to give herself SO completely to God but asked "How do I do that?" We just have to place our life in His hands daily and truly surrender to Him and His will each day, sometimes even minute by minute and trust that, as we said earlier, He knows the intent of our heart. He knows if we are truly trying to hear Him and do His will.

Someone else shared almost the same thing - that she just wants to be closer to God, wants to FEEL Him more. We all agreed, as did she, that the one thing we have to remind ourselves of at times when we don't FEEL the Lord, is that we can NOT go by feelings. In fact, we all agreed that, more often than not, it is in the times when we don't feel Him that it is most important to praise Him and lift Him up. Why? Because that brings Him glory! (And, as an added bonus - it makes the devil mad!)

Everyone pretty much knows what I've been going through for the last year and a half and I had a lot to share of how He has been putting scriptures and songs in front of me during this time reminding me that He is in control. Just recently, the new song by Kerrie Roberts, "No Matter What" really grabbed my heart. I was like - "That's exactly what I've been saying for the last year and a half! No matter what happens, I'm going to serve Him and love Him anyway!"

I am not going to type out all the scriptures that I shared but I will tell you where to find them - their "addresses" - and you can look them up. You never know, they just might help you with something you're dealing with right now. The scriptures were: Isaiah 41:10, Psalm 97:10, II Thessalonians 2:3, Isaiah 54:17, Jeremiah 39:17, Isaiah 54:10, Micah 6:8, II Corinthians 9:8 (NLT) and Proverbs 19:21. The really neat thing about the scriptures is that after He shows one to me, I've noticed that the same scripture will pop up in something else that I receive in an e-mail or an article that I read. I just love how He reinforces things and confirms things to my heart.

He has also used Sheri Rose Shepherd's books, "His Princess" and "Prayers to My King" to really help me through this time. As well as books by Beth Moore (Breaking Free Day by Day) and Sarah Young (Jesus Calling).

He is with us each and every minute of our lives. All we have to do is call on Him and ask Him to show us His way. He is here even when we don't feel Him, even though we don't 'physically' see Him nor audibly hear Him - He IS here. He sometimes speaks in a still, small voice, so be patient, sit quietly, spend time with Him and in His Word and you will learn His voice. I know this to be true because I am learning. Sure, the enemy still tries to confuse me and make me doubt, but I am learning despite his attempts to stop me. We must not give up, we must press onward and upward. He knows our heart and the motives and intents of our heart and He will help us learn and He will and does speak to us - the question really is, "Are we listening for Him?"

MY SHEPHERD WILL SUPPLY MY NEEDS

MY SHEPHERD WILL SUPPLY MY NEED,

JEHOVAH IS HIS NAME

IN PASTURES FRESH HE MAKES ME FEED

BESIDE THE LIVING STERAM

HE BRINGS MY WANDERING SPIRIT BACK

WHEN I FORSAKE HIS WAYS

AND LEADS ME FOR HIS MERCY’S SAKE

IN PATHS OF TRUTH AND GRACE

WHEN I WALK THROUGH THE SHADES OF DEATH

THY PRESENCE IS MY STAY

ONE WORD OF THY SUPPORTING BREATH

DRIVES ALL MY FEARS AWAY

THY HAND IN SIGHT OF ALL MY FOES

DOTH STILL MY TABLE SPREAD

MY CUP WITH BLESSINGS OVERFLOWS

THINE OIL ANOINTS MY HEAD

THE SURE PROVISIONS OF MY GOD

ATTEND ME ALL MY DAYS

O MAY THY HOUSE BE MY ABODE

AND ALL MY WORK BE PRAISE

THERE WOULD I FIND A SETTLED REST

WHILE OTHERS GO AND COME

NO MORE A STRANGER NOR A GUEST

BUT LIKE A CHILD AT HOME

Now for the exciting news.................NEXT WEEK WE START OUR LYSA TERKEURST BIBLE STUDY - "BECOMING MORE THAN A GOOD BIBLE STUDY GIRL"

If you are planning to attend and haven't already let me know, PLEASE do so ASAP so I can get your books ordered. You can contact me by e-mail or on facebook. I am really excited about what God is going to do through each of us ladies in this Bible Study.

Blessings to each and every person reading this :)

TITUS - CHAPTER 3 (08-26-10)

Titus only has three chapters, but there sure is a lot packed in to those three chapters. The following is what we shared and talked about last Thursday night.

Don't forget this week - bring whatever it is that God is using to speak to you and share. I think this is going to be one of our best yet. It will be so interesting to see how He may be speaking the same thing to us as individuals in different ways.

TITUS – CHAPTER 3

 

OUR ATTITUDE TOWARD OUR GOVERNMENT

We answer to God FIRST but we must also obey our government and our leaders. The only time we are not to obey our government is when it goes against the will of God.

Romans 13:1 – Obey the government, for God is the One Who put it there. All governments have been placed in power by God.

Acts 5:29 – But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than human authority.”

OUR CONDITION WHEN WE WERE LOST

We are ALL guilty of sin. Paul is reminding Titus (and us) how we were at one time living foolish and disobedient lives. We were not serving the Lord but were serving Satan and following after the lusts and pleasures of sin. The pleasure obtained from sin is short lived and then a price has to be paid. Jesus died and paid our penalty for sin. Paul says we were living in envy, full of evil and we hated and were hated. But for the ones who have accepted Jesus, we have been freed from the penalty of sin because of His great sacrifice on Calvary.

Ephesians 2:1-3

SALVATION THROUGH JESUS CHRIST

In verses 3-8 Paul summarizes what Christ does for us when He saves us. We go from living a life full of sin to one of being led by God’s Holy Spirit. He doesn’t just wash away some of our sins – He washes away ALL of our sins and we have a new life through the Holy Spirit. We don’t get this because of anything we did or because we deserve it – it is God’s GIFT to us.

In verses 4-6 all three persons of the Trinity are mentioned because all three participate in the work of salvation. Based upon the redemptive work of His Son, the Father forgives us and sends the Holy Spirit to wash away our sins and continually renew us.

BELIEVERS SHOULD MAINTAIN GOOD WORKS

Verse 8 also reminds us to do good deeds all the time. We don’t do these deeds to “be saved” – rather we will WANT to do these good deeds out of love and gratitude for what He has done for us. We glorify the Father when we let others see our good works. How we ACT in front of others has a lot to do with how people view God and whether or not they want to be like us. We need to live a life that exemplifies Christ in everything we do.

THINGS THAT ARE UNPROFITABLE

Paul warns us in verse 9 not to get involved in foolish and unprofitable arguments. Not meaning that we shouldn’t study, discuss and examine different interpretations of difficult Bible passages. He is warning against getting involved in petty quarrels, not honest discussion that leads to wisdom. When a foolish argument develops, it is best to turn the discussion back to a helpful direction or politely excuse yourself altogether.

Throughout verses 9-11 we are instructed to warn anyone that is causing division that threatens the unity of the church. This is not to be done in a “bullish” way but in a loving way. If that person refuses to accept the correction after two warnings, then we should have nothing more to do with them as they are condemning themselves.

PAUL’S PLANS FOR WINTER

Verses 12-13 are about Paul letting Titus know that he was planning to send Artemas or Tychicus to Crete to relieve him. Paul wanted Titus to meet him in Nicopolis so they could spend the winter there and also instructed him to bring Zenas, the lawyer, with him, as well as Apollos.

DESIRE TO MAINTAIN GOOD WORKS

Paul tells us that we should not have unproductive lives. We need to learn to do good by helping others who have urgent needs. God wants us to be fruitful. If we never lead a soul to the Lord or make efforts to reach the lost, we are not being fruitful.

I don’t believe this necessarily means, going up to everyone you meet and trying to lead them in the “road to salvation”. I believe God gifts us all in different ways of leading others to Christ. Some of us may do it in talking, some may lead others to Christ through songs they sing and others may lead people to Christ simply by the life they live. There are several different ways to lead others to Christ. And I also believe that we may not even necessarily know when we have led someone to the Lord – not on this side of Heaven, anyway – we may not know til we get there just how many people we led to Him by our influence.

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Special thanks to David Parham and also the people that put the notes in my Life Application Bible. I got most of my above notes from those two places.

TITUS - CHAPTER 2 (08-20-10)

On Friday we met to discuss Titus, Chapter 2. This chapter was full of instruction for us also. Below are the notes that I took from this chapter. This week - Thursday, Aug. 26, we will be discussing Chapter 3 of Titus.

Next week, each lady is to bring anything that God is using to speak to her right now - a song, a Bible verse, a poem - ANYTHING that is being used to really speak to you right now and share it.

TITUS – CHAPTER 2

Friday, August 20, 2010

I need to teach by my actions as well as my words.

Do I have any self-control at all?

If I want to teach someone to act a certain way, then I must be sure to live that way myself. My life must reinforce what I teach. Does it? It can’t be a “do as I say do, not as I do” kind of thing.

Verse 9 speaks of slaves/masters but this can be translated to our time by employer/employee. I must always do my best for my employer. I must be trustworthy at all times.

My power to live as a Christian comes from the Holy Spirit. I can’t do it on my own. God gives me the power and understanding to live according to His will.

I can’t just turn away from sin – I must also live actively for God.

Jesus gave His life to free me. Am I living in that freedom? Am I totally committed to doing what is right? No matter what the cost?

My job is to teach and encourage others and, when necessary, to correct them. Whether they are older than me or influential in the community or wealthy – no matter what – they should not intimidate me.

I am not to let myself be threatened when I am ministering to others!

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I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow night :)

TITUS - CHAPTER 1 (08-12-10)

Last Thursday we finally got in to our study on Titus. I thought I would do something different this week and let a couple of ladies share some of their thoughts from our discussion and reading of the Word. Then, I will finish up with my own.

Samantha shared these thoughts from the reading of the Word:

What do we know about Titus? It is compact, only 3 chapters long, easily overlooked and full of insight as to God's expectation of a leader. We took the first chapter apart and opened the floor to interpretation.

During this period in Crete, we see teachers that are far too focused on the little things of God such as circumcision. Crete’s own poets and profits speak of the Cretans as liars, evil animals and lazy people who do nothing but eat, are useless, hateful and refuse to obey.

Paul leaves Titus in Crete to appoint Elders/Pastors with some strict guidelines to continue on the preaching and teaching.

Qualifications for Elder/Pastor: (According to God's Word - not ours)

Not guilty of doing wrong, have only one wife, have believing children, the children must not be known to be wild or disobedient, he must not be selfish in nature, must not cheat anyone or be quick to anger. He must not drink excessively, he must welcome guests, love wisdom, live right, holy and be self controlled. An elder must use the true teaching to show and be able to show others their mistakes.

Samantha shared these thoughts from the discussion:

After several laughs and jokes as to why Paul so passionately dislikes Cretans, we realize that we could also be called Cretans. We have all had moments of anger, gluttony and disobedience.

We took a closer look at welcoming guests. It is thought that it expands to mean, in our time, a person who is available for his people. He must be approachable in nature and enjoy a flexible schedule. Someone who is willing to visit a bed side late at night or willing to take action immediately when needed, regardless of the hour.

We looked into why having one wife is a qualification. Perhaps, that meant exactly that, one wife without concubines. It could also be perhaps one who has not been divorced or one who is a widower.

Having believing children was a given. How can a leader lead others if his own house is in disarray? It gives a funny thought to the old saying that the preacher’s kid is usually the worst behaved.

Our elder/pastor must be bold enough to set these Cretans/us on the straight and narrow with the truth.

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Jessica shared these thoughts:

In the reading and discussion of Titus, Chapter 1, I learned that God was not at all happy with the Cretans. I also learned that we, as Americans, are a LOT like the Cretans were back then - liars, cheaters and lazy gluttons. I learned what God expects of a pastor and also what He expects of His followers.

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As we were discussing the "welcoming guests" qualification of the Elder/Pastor, it was mentioned, as stated by Samantha above, that we felt this could mean that he should be someone that is approachable. I kept trying to say something but absolutely could NOT think of the word I was trying to say about it. I think it was the next day when it FINALLY came to me - it was INTIMIDATING. You don't want your Elder/Pastor to be someone that would intimidate you. You must be able to feel welcome by them at all times.

I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank Samantha and Jessica for sharing this week. They did an excellent job of summing up our discussion.

This coming week we will be studying in Chapter 2 of Titus. We are looking forward to this chapter, too.

Due to a previous obligation, however, we will be meeting on FRIDAY night this week because I can not be home Thursday night. We will meet at the same time (7:00 p.m.) and at the same place (my house) but on FRIDAY night instead of Thursday.

Thank you for keeping up with us here. We hope that you were blessed in some small way and pray that you will leave us a comment here to let us know you visited with us.

God bless you and yours and, if you live in our area, we look forward to seeing you at a meeting really soon :)

CONTINUING IN THE PSALMS (08-05-10)

We thought we were going to be studying in Titus last week but God had other plans for us. We continued studying in the Psalms as I felt that was the direction He was leading.


We read Psalm 23, 24, 37, 56, 63, 93 and 100. I was amazed at how He led us each separately to Psalms that all tied together.


He reminded us of His comfort, safety and that we can always put our trust in Him. Reminded us that we can come into His presence with no fear. Reminded us to wait on Him and, even though it may look like the wicked are winning, that He laughs at the wicked. He is on OUR side. When we are thirsty, He and He alone can satisfy our thirst. His faithfulness never fails and He knows what I need - and will supply it only as I need it, not necessarily when I think it is time.


I know that I could not have made it through the past year and months without His reassurance that He is with me and that He is in control. I am still trying to learn to keep my hands off things and give full control to Him instead of trying to "fix" things on my own. It is a hard lesson for me to learn, but I think I'm slowly getting there.


This week, (August 12) we are going to study in Titus - unless He changes our direction again. One thing I want is for us to ALWAYS be willing to go with HIS plan and not ours. I believe that is the only way He will be able to work in us.


If you haven't been able to attend yet, I look forward to seeing you as soon as your schedule permits. I missed the ones last week that have been coming but had prior committments and couldn't be here. I know God has called us together and each lady will be here in His perfect timing.


If you are reading this but you live too far away to join us, I am glad that you are keeping up with us here. I know this update was a short one but that's how it will be some weeks. Some weeks He will allow me to prepare something and have a lot to share and other weeks (like this past one), He will ask me to step aside and just let Him work - and I am perfectly okay with that :)