Well, as you can see, Satan is very active in trying to deter me from my blogging! Satan, you will NOT win because I have God on my side! Get out of my way because I chose God!
Since I am way behind on the blogging, I am going to write about what I have studied for the past TWO weeks.
First of was the principle of Scripture and how important it is that we read Scripture daily. In John 15:7, it says, "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." This verse has come to mean something totally different to me now as a result of this scripture. It has also caused me to really think about what the verse is really saying. I think as a society, we tend to focus on the part of the verse, "ask, whatever you wish, and it will be done for you" mainly because we are selfish and only think of ourselves. I have come to realize that if we are in the scripture everyday, then we will pursue God's will and as a result, our requests will be directed toward God's will. So, it's not a "give me everything I wish" type of request that we will seek of God, but one that is directed toward His will. That was a very powerful concept for me to realize.
I also learned that the more I read, the deeper my relationship with God will be. I will be able to get a better idea of WHO God is and His attributes as well as His will for my life. He is my Heavenly Father, why wouldn't I want to know Him better. I have really abused it up to this point and I guess it is typical of most people because He isn't someone we see as tangible and in our face physically everyday. We just tend to think of Him as this "guy" "way up there" that doesn't really care about the little things in our life. Yet, He does. He wants us to give it all over to Him.
Another revelation I learned was that I don't need to be a scholar to understand His word. I'm going to understand the scripture and get something different out of it than the person next to me, reading the same scripture. That is the Holy Spirit at work in us. Isn't that amazing! I loved this statement that I read, "It is not simply a book (Bible) that we read, it is a book that reads us." As my teacher pointed out, if you compare the writings of the day when the Bible was written, only the Bible is considered "living" because it applies to our lives even today whereas most writings of the time were only applicable for that time period. In Proverbs 30:5, it talks about how His word is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. How can we fail, when we have God and His word to protect us in our time of need!!
Another part of the lesson talked about our faith and the Word. It spoke directly to me when I read "What a difference it makes when we stop trying to solve our problems and start trusting God!" That is so true!! When I got my teaching certificate, I tried to find a teaching job and had applied at over 50 school districts across Texas. When the only phone calls I received asked if I was a coach as well, I got very frustrated because all I wanted to do was teach!! Come on, didn't they want a great teacher??? I remember having a conversation with our pastor one night (shortly before the school year started and I was still jobless) and He had asked me if I had given it over to God. I told him that I hadn't. When I got out to my car, I kid you not, I literally looked up and said, "Fine God, you want to find me a job...Find it because I am sick of trying to find one!" Literally, less than 24 hours later, I got a call from Kingwood High School requesting an interview. I drove over there the next day and on the drive back, I was convinced that I probably didn't get the job because most Social Studies teachers tend to be liberal and I mentioned that my favorite book up to that point was a Christian one talking about God's purpose for me. I couldn't believe it, by the time I got back home, they called me to tell me that I got the job. I had to be there by Friday, although school started on Wednesday. I literally got the job in less than 24 hours from giving it over to God!! Since then I have given over that portion of my life to God, but being the control freak that I am, there are still some areas that I think I can do better than God. That is crazy but I am slowly learning to let go of it all and give it to Him.
I know this post seems very long, but there was such good information, I don't want to overlook it!
The next section was looking at life with a renewed mind. It was very interesting to think that God looks at all of our situations differently than us. I had never thought of this concept before now. He sees ahead of us and knows the ultimate ending so why wouldn't He? He takes the negatives in our lives and turns into something positive although we may not see it at the time.
In terms of receiving His word, we learned that God has planted the seed of his Word in our hearts once we accept Him into our lives, but it is what we do with that seed that really matters. Do we neglect it and produce nothing? Do we use it solely for ourselves? Or do we water it and produce many fruits? It really made look at what I do with Jesus and His word and if I am really producing anything? Wow! That is profound! It's like it says in James 1:22, "But prove yourselves doers of the word, not merely hearers who delude themselves." It is like looking the mirror. I can read the word (looking in the mirror) but if I don't use it (leaving the mirror), it is worthless.
I think the most controversial part of this whole study that I have done was on supplication. I loved the statement that we typically associated or equate prayer with asking. Isn't that the truth!!?? The only time a lot of people (including me) pray is when we want something whether it be riches or just answers to our misery. In fact, prayer is our communion with God. It is what builds our relationship. Now to the controversial part, the author said that it is a sin not to pray for literally EVERYONE. I am still processing that one. He quotes Samuel saying that it was a sin not to pray for the people He was responsible for. He also mentions Jesus' command (not request, mind you) to love your enemies and PRAY for them. We debated this topic with no definitive answer except for that God is going to convict us of who we need to pray for.
What I found really interesting was the lesson on Jesus' model for prayer, also known as the Lord's Prayer. I have always found it interesting that some churches use it as THE prayer rather than a model. It was like I was telling the teacher, even using the format that it suggested in the book (just like saying the Lord's Prayer over and over), I feel like my prayer likes a sincerity if I follow some format rather than just talking straight up to God. It really does take on a new meaning though if you really dig deep into what the prayer is saying....
The last lesson of our class ( MAJOR :( ) was the author's advice. He says that one of the most powerful ways to pray is to pray Scripture. I have found that to be so true. When Bailey was afraid of the dark a few months back, we prayed together and I used the Scripture in Isaiah 41:10 (?) that says "Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my mighty right hand." How powerful of a Scripture that is. I kept reminding Bailey that God says that He never leaves us. It is Satan telling us to be scared but God assures us that He is with us always. Now, my daughter doesn't have a fear of the darkness and I know it is because we prayed Scripture. What a powerful and wonderful tool that God has given us to live our lives!
Now I am faced with my biggest fear since the study is over! Will I maintain my routine of studying His word or will Satan win and convince me to stop. I pray that God wins this battle because I want my kids to see a Godly woman in me. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment