Throughout Creation We See God's Presence in Our Lives (Days 18-20)

 

How can people look at this royal artistry [sunrise] and question the existence of the Creator?

To me, it is the ultimate of God's creation, His promise for renewal...God in all His glory offers us an opportunity to see Him brush by...just for an instant as the sun opens into day or just before the moon rises...(p.57)
 

 

 

My eyes are fresh in the morning.  I look at the world from a rested mind and a quieted heart. To me, I hear Him best in the silence of the sunrise. I love the anticipation of how the day will open and I can't wait for the surprises God has in store...Rejoice in the Lord be grateful in the beauty of His creation (p.58)

What do you think of Cindy's description of sunrise?  How is it similar or different than your own perspective when you see the sun beaming over the horizon?

 

The same darkness and undertow pull at me, sometimes in directions I am not confident.  If I stay in very shallow water I can see where I'm stepping.(p.59).

What a thrill to trust fully in the master of the sea.(p.60). Venture out a little deeper and trust even in the hard things you face. You'll come out changed.(p.62).
 

As we spoke earlier in the study, God has a plan for each of us (Jeremiah 29:11).  He teaches his children, loves them, and watches as they grow in His love.  My father in heaven loves me.  He rejoices in me and He quiets my troubled soul with His love.(p.63).

 

When we look at the sunrise every morning, or listen closely to the waves, we see and hear our Creator as His presence surrounds us.  Looking at His creation I am reminded that He is not a God of What ifs.  but He is the GREAT I AM. 

If He paints the skies better than any artist and controls the waves, what does that mean for your life or mine?

Tomorrow as you start your day take a minute to look around, see if you can spot a bird, sunset, or maybe even sunrise and thank God that we are not in charge of the artistry of the sky or the moodiness of the waves, but that God holds us in His hands along with the rest of the world and loves us right where we are...a part of His grand creation.

 

It's Half Time Ladies...

The superbowl has a half time show..so can we since we are half-way through our study!

 

"GO JESUS!

OUR REDEEMER, I can't be a doubter,

He always hears us, whether we are quiet or a little louder!

 

Time to Check In...Please make sure to answer all of the questions

Ask yourself then share with us...

What has God shown you through His word and this study in the last month?

 

Has it helped to have women around you discussing some of the same topics?

What else would you like to see in the bible study or topics that you would like covered for future studies?

From Days 16-17

He sees the deepest crevices of my heart, knows my fears and still finds me loveable. (p.53)



When I offer my purest love to Him, He takes hold of me, squeezes me tight, crams in the coaster car and says, "let's go!"(p.53).



It's amazing how God places those who are perfect for us into our lives.  If we'd only be patient, not rush His plan and process.  I firmly believe every person I meet is a divine meeting.(p.55-56).



Value those who cross your path. Love even the hard-to-love.  They will shape you and you will shape them.  Between the two, God will refine you into perfection.(p.56).

***Please feel free to share anything up to  our reading on Day 17***

The 4 P's: DAY 13-15

Only God "can soften the heart, refine the soul and brush the cotton."(p.45).  "Like Paul, I am weak for I know He is grooming me for better things, but I pray we will be fully restored."(p.47).

Do you remember our discussion on putting on the full armor of God?

Well, now that we are all suited up.. it is time to walk into
His PURPOSE.

 "Rejoice for what is behind you and give praise for what is to come." (p.47).   

                                          Reflect on Jeremiah 29:11

                 Be reminded that now as our armor is on
we must begin our journey forward remembering
not to look back in the rear view mirror, but to look
forward to the things God has for us. 

 

He has a PLAN for your life and has had this plan since the very beginning of time. 

However "more times than not, when He calls us to do something for Him,

it involves a PRICE." (p.49-50). But "we're still managing because God is

 Jehovah Jireh (God of Provision)..and Jehovah Shammah (God who is there)...

He'll take care of you too but you have to move when He nudges."(p.50-51). 

My Sunday school teacher in Alabama once said "To grow with God
you have to go with God."

What are the 4Ps?

What does that mean for your life?


Think about the 4 Ps as the points of the cross that you pick up daily...

 

 

Part 2: Percale Sheets (Intro 2 to Day 13)

"I felt, for the first time in a long time, loved.  I was grateful and as I closed my eyes to rest, I wondered what God had in store for me next."(p.37).

Sunday, the missionaries at church stressed how all of our good works even when done for church or other organizations are like Isaiah 64:6 says filthy rags. Many times we get caught up jumping through hoops in our lives and at times it becomes so monotonous that we forget the reason we are jumping.  This does not mean that what we do for God does not mean anything, because when we do things unto God He is glorified. "Sometimes our view of God becomes so skewed by the world we sander away, searching for anything that might fill the void in our lives; never seeing the loving God who waits."(p.43).  However, our righteousness is not through our deeds, but through His grace.  The missionaries stressed to stop and "soak up God."Isaiah 64:6 We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.

Resting in God may not always come easy.  Because just like "percale sheets offered a smoother time in life [they were] good..not perfect..He still refines.."(p.37)  True resting in God relies on Him to provide us with righteousness and to make the difference up when it comes to our deficits.  When we are restless at times we can rely on our God for rest. 

We can also be thankful for the "people [that] have been the glue [in life]..Look at the Creator who carefully placed the stones of those folks so you could step on solid ground. [So that you] never [fall] further than [your knees]... "God is perfect and through our imperfections, His plan is made complete."(p.42).

1 Corinthians 13:2 New Living Translation (NLT)

 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing.

 

Do you ever feel restless?
Or have you ever been a shoulder for someone who was weary and needed God's rest?

Round Table Discussion For Days 8-10

Round Table Discussion

1.What do you think she means when she says "it's easier to say I've been hurt than to admit my own failures?" (p.28)

2. Can you identify with the oyster/pearl relationship she describes on p. 29?
2b..Does anyone know how a pearl forms in an oyster?

3. Have you ever felt that "it's hard to walk away from a fight"?(p.30)
She says "our nature leads us to defend our honor regardless of whether we're right or wrong..folks waited for me to retaliate but..it wasn't my battle."(p.30). 
3b. Have you ever had a battle that you leaned on God to fight?

4.Cindy reiterates that Ecclesiastes speaks about a time for everything.."when you feel the battles of life are overwhelming ask God for discernment" (p.31)

Ecclesiastes 3:1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven

5. On p. 33 she speaks about integrity and how the scriptures in Proverbs help us to glean wisdom from the Proverbs.  Have you ever had a specific Proverb that really spoke to you?

Proverbs 10:9 The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.   5-4-3-2-1...Let's Chat!

DAY 8-9

Today, Let us ponder Cindy's thoughts.   I believe God's hand is in everything we do, in every breath we take, but at the same time, I understand sin enters in.  I'm not always the sharpest pencil in the box but I do allow God to continue to sharpen me. (p. 25)  You realize what you're doing, right?  The decision ultimately lay in my hands--stay where life was comfortable or walk into the desert...I knew God had called me into uncharted territory...(p.27)

I pondered this while reading...How would I feel if I was a pencil?

 Would it hurt to be sharpened?

 When our shavings come off what would that mean?

 I hope these questions are answered by the end of reading Days 8-9. I believe this was a revelation from God. 
The following video is from others who have also had revelations about this topic. 

Has He given you revelations about "uncharted territory?" 

Please share with us. 

 

How Will You Choose to WRITE Your Story?

 PENCIL-Putting Everything N Christ… Inspired Living

The difference between mechanical and traditional pencil is much like the difference between toxic and inspirational living. Picking up our cross daily in a fallen world is challenging, but it leads to abundant life. The lead of pencils are now made of a combination of graphite and clay and much like our earthly bodies these combined materials are soft and brittle, and easily broken.  Since these materials cannot function on their own they require some type of holder.  As we begin each day let us focus on who we allow to put a hold on our lives and decide how you will choose to WRITE your story.

Pencil Thoughts...

Hurts to be sharpened.. Less of me means more of Him=the point..
Can’t see what’s going on and have to give full control to Christ since you are trusting in His plan and His grace (through the cross).

-Eraser is pink from his blood on the cross…ready to erase any mistakes..When a pencil is not sharpened it cannot be used.

When God allows us to be sharpened (through trials) we are ridded of toxins (left-over  pencil sharpening) that we will no longer carry with us on our journey…it may not always feel good but as we allow ourselves to be sharpened we become more like Christ...when people look at us they see a wooden cross covering a fleshly body but a story of grace.

Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.

-Although graphite and clay by themselves can’t function, much like our fleshly bodies, when they are allowed to be shaped and molded in the shadow of the cross they are capable of beginning this beautiful story of redemption.

Romans 9:21 New International Version (NIV)

²¹ Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?

VS. YIELDING TO THE WORLD --REPRESENTED BY THE MECHANICAL PENCIL

-The lead is obtained on-demand “right now” just liked when we strive to obtain things before God’s allotted time. Some people call this type of pencil a “propelling pencil.”  When we choose to write our story with this pencil many time we are self-propelled...leaving God out of our lives.

-Although the lead is obtained faster by clicking once there is no more lead left  the pencil becomes useless just like when we strive and depend on ourselves and find that we get to a point where nothing is left when we are not depending on God. (When I’m out of “ME” there is nothing left…The Prodigal Son

-Although some mechanical pencils are clear and we can see how much lead is left…we may feel more in control, but at the end of the day the struggling makes us feel lifeless…

-Sometimes when we push too hard on this type of pencil and the lead cracks…useless to the writer…often times we fool ourselves.  Pushing ourselves will not be enough in a situation when God wants us to depend on Him.

-The outside of a mechanical pencil is plastic…man made…it reminds me of how we want the world to think that we are perfect, we take pills, have surgeries …but nothing can be done with our toxic flesh without God’s covering through His wooden cross.

The Will of God: DAYS 5-7

Sometimes the will of God is a little inconvenient but it's never out of the question..[the key is] learning to discern and prioritize service to Him...p. 18

You never know whose life will intertwine with yours or just how God will use you. p.18

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord

1 Corinthians 15:58 

The call we follow is not to please men, it's to please God. p.18 Over and over Paul reminds us to rejoice in the situation [we are] in. Be steadfast and courageous. (p. 19)

 

Accepting the call to serve does not promise a pat on the back...but is never in vain. God uses every seed we plant on His behalf. p.20

 

God calls us to serve, not to pick the bounty..when we plant, hoe, and work He is glorified.  If by chance we see the harvest then how fortunate are we? p. 19-20



 

Labor is gruesome, hard, and sometimes painful. But God never promised it would be easy...Once again I was broken. p.23



 

Your future [is ] in the Palm of [His] Hand. p.21  Seek His will, He wants the best for you and do not grow weary, remember that we are not broken in God's eyes.  We are lifted up, loved and held in esteem as we serve for Him and with Him. p.23

Do you ever find it challenging to do God's will?

How do you know you are in God's will?

I can't wait to hear what God is doing in each of your lives.

 

Putting on the full armor of God: Are you ready for this week? Reviewing Days 3-5

Good morning Ladies,

Since we are taking our time with each concept in order to fully understand it and since we have new members of our group that have recently joined us we will be officially covering up to day 13 this week.  Since this is not just a regular website and it is an interactive virtual bible study I encourage each of you to post at least once this week.  God has an amazing way of speaking through us to other sisters and I think this will help us to all grow from each other.

So are you ready for this week?  Let's talk about putting on the full armor of God.

Ephesians 6:11 New International Version (NIV)

Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes

 

  On p.11-12 Cindy talks about how Paul "reminded us of the importance of suiting up in the full armor of God.  Covering ourselves in the protection of Christ then taking every type of prayer request before Him."

Do you cover yourself with God's armor when you start your day? 

I encourage you to "take your needs to Christ." (p.13).

When knights accept the call in the movies what happens?

Usually there is a ceremony and they get their official armor, right?

 The hardest part of our Christian walk  "is the willingness to accept the call." (p.15)  But just like a knight is dependent on his armor for protection depending on God to cover us is important.  In fact, "the gift of dependence on God [is] having every need met and growing to know Him, Trust Him, need Him."(p.15).  David's writing shows how he "could pour himself into the hands of God in such a repentant and desiring way.."(p.16).  "Nothing is more important than quenching [your] thirst for the Father." (p.17). 

So are you hungry to get that thirst met?  Are you ready to put on your armor and be dependent on Him this week? 

 

Your mission should you decide to accept it is found below.



HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

How Deep is the Love of Christ...???

Ephesians 3:18

New Living Translation And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.   Today- Please share anything from our book that has spoken to you this week.

Are we ready for the Easter season?

As we think about preparing for the Easter season, we may see many with ashes today as this is their outward mark of repentance.  Let us be reminded inwardly that the celebration of Easter is about the death of Jesus for our sins and His ressurection.  How great is the love of our God that has unfailing love for us?!  Let us thank Him today for His grace..His grace is enough for each and every day.  While we thank Him for His grace I encourage you to pray that He would "Create in [your name] a pure heart..and renew a steadfast spirit within [your name]."(Psalm 51:10)  After all, this is the season to be renewed, revived, and delivered.  Grab hold of God's promises, as this is a season for God's love to work in us and through us as He reveals His redeeming grace to the world.  Just as Jesus rose on the third day, remember the Holy Spirit is still alive in you today.

My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.- Psalm 51:17

Psalm 51

For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.

¹ Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
² Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.

³ For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
and justified when you judge.⁵ Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
⁶ Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

⁷ Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
⁹ Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.

¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
¹¹ Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

¹³ Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
so that sinners will turn back to you.
¹⁴ Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
you who are God my Savior,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
¹⁵ Open my lips, Lord,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
¹⁶ You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
¹⁷ My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.

¹⁸ May it please you to prosper Zion,
to build up the walls of Jerusalem.
¹⁹ Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,
in burnt offerings offered whole;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.

WEEK 2

Week 2

This week we will be reviewing everything from the intro to day 13.  We will continue our discussion with a question.  What do you think it means to make the "most of every opportunity.." for christian women?- Colossians 4:5(p.9)

Cindy discusses how Paul spent a lot of his life teaching others about their actions.  "Devote yourself to prayer, be watchful, be kind, encouraging.  Let your conversations be full of grace..be wise in how you act toward outsiders and make the most of every opportunity...[sharing] the love of Christ with everyone" (p.9)

She speaks about even though the prison guards were mean, "Paul loved them anyway." (p.9)

As women in general we mostly thrive on communication, it is so easy to talk about others when they offend us, are mean to us, or ignore us.  However, it is much harder to love them with a Godly love.
How does this affect you?  Do you think it is hard for christians not to gossip?

Day 1-3 Fear and Worry…Giving Your Tattered Sheets to God even when it is not convenient

Have You Ever Been Stressed? Overwhelmed? Fearful? Worried?
What is God's answer when we are faced with difficult situations?

Matthew 6:25-34
[ Do Not Worry ] “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? ...

1. Psalm 111:10   The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.
2. Proverbs 1:7  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.
3. Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Fear- to be afraid or apprehensive

Worry- to afflict with mental distress or agitation : make anxious

When things happen in our life that are out of control it is very hard to “remember, He promises to care for us…are we not more important than the birds?”(p.8.)  As well as learning “to rejoice in Him always..”(p.10)  Cindy reminds us to “take [our] needs to Christ…[we] might just get a new set of gift wrapped sheets” (p.13).  As we move through different sheets, I am reminded that though it may be easier to get frustrated/excited/overwhelmed during different seasons the answer to my sanity lies in turning my old tattered sheets over to God so that he can launder them with His everlasting grace fabric softener and return them to me just right so that they can be used again.

1. Ephesians 5:20 Always give thanks for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ

Sister to Sister-Week One

Now its time for you to share anything from the Intro to day 6 that has ministered to you whether  it been new revelations, what God has brought you through, or seeing Him in your every day walk.  Can you relate to this first season or type of sheets that she describes?  If so, why?  Feel free to respond to any comments from your other sisters in Christ, as we may have some similar experiences shared...

Introduction/Day 1

Cindy states on p. 3 that “Forgiveness had to begin in my own heart.”  She reiterates how God shows up in the “middle of our messy lives [taking] a cheap and wounded life from shattered to renewed.”  Sometimes we have days when we feel as if our lives are spinning out of control, it is during these days where we need to hold onto God.  There is a nameless women in the bible who also had many days that were out of control…where she saught to be healed.  Many times I believe unforgiveness is a form of control where we attempt to control our lives including the people and situations around us.  I have a friend that always says.  “I give it to Him, but then I take it back…”  Before we take communion

1 Corinthians 11:28 says “ A person should examine himself first, and in this way let him eat the bread and drink of the cup.”  Perhaps the reason we are asked to do this first is because it is a reminder to give Him all of the control back over our lives.  Man’s control is what originally brought us to sin in the garden and if we are not careful, this idea of having control will carry into unforgiveness which usually never effects “the other person,” but leaves our lives in shambles.  Cindy speaks of people that do this when describing herself when she states she felt as if she had “aged far beyond my years..(p.3). When we give God control, we stop striving and can be used by Him for His purpose.  As you think about the nameless women grabbing onto part of the clothes of Jesus and finding peace and healing, think about grabbing hold of God’s presence as He will give you peace and healing through your storms…Rest in God…  Just like Cindy said “the hard part [is] accepting the fact God is always in control…season after season[even when] we’re rough and frayed” (p.4-5).

As soon as she touched Him Christ "immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him” (Mark 5:30) stopped and asked Who touched me?” Jesus asked.When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.”

When the woman saw that she was unable to hide from the Lord she “came trembling and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately.” (Luke 8: 47)

Christ looked on her and told her, “Daughter be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.” (Luke 8:48)

INTRODUCTION DAY 1

Have you ever felt rejected?

When you think of Muslin Sheets what do you think of?

 

Romans 11:15

For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?

Isaiah 53

²It was the will of the Lord that his servant
grow like a plant taking root in dry ground.
He had no dignity or beauty
to make us take notice of him.
There was nothing attractive about him,
nothing that would draw us to him.
³ We despised him and rejected him;
he endured suffering and pain.
No one would even look at him—
we ignored him as if he were nothing.

⁴ “But he endured the suffering that should have been ours,
the pain that we should have borne.
All the while we thought that his suffering
was punishment sent by God.
⁵ But because of our sins he was wounded,
beaten because of the evil we did.
We are healed by the punishment he suffered,
made whole by the blows he received.

Even though Cindy describes how these Muslin sheets were found at the “bottom of the barrel,” as she felt, we must remember that God’s love for us overcomes the rejection of the world.  Have YOU ever felt this way???  As you listen to this song take a deep breath of God’s love for you.