Day 21

                        
Provision Defined in Webster's Dictionary:

-The action of providing or supplying something for use.

-Supply with food, drink, or equipment, esp. for a journey

Synonyms noun. supply verb. supply - provide - cater - victual

1.What do you think about when you hear the word PROVISION?

Cindy talks about how God is good to me, but His provision is not always financial...My God is a God of kept promises..The deeper my relationship with God, the easier it is for me to trust in His promises. p.69


2. What does provision mean when it's not just financial?

Deeper relationship with God=Deeper Trust

 I don't mean to be, but I find myself being a bit prideful at times.  It's had to admit but it's true.  I have trouble asking for help.,it's the fear what needs to be done won't get done. p.70

3. How many of us women find ourselves just doing tasks instead of asking for help?

4. Perhaps its fear of rejection, pride, or maybe feeling like others just won't accomplish a job like we do.  Do you ever feel this way???

Striving.....Being everything for everybody..to the point of physical illness..is what Cindy describes when she says I had to let go, trust, and move beyond my fear..I needed to learn I was not the be all, for the world. p.70-71

 

Genesis 11 The Message (MSG) “God Turned Their Language into ‘Babble’”

11 ^1-2 At one time, the whole Earth spoke the same language. It so happened that as they moved out of the east, they came upon a plain in the land of Shinar and settled down.

³ They said to one another, “Come, let’s make bricks and fire them well.” They used brick for stone and tar for mortar.⁴ Then they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower that reaches Heaven. Let’s make ourselves famous so we won’t be scattered here and there across the Earth.”
⁵ God came down to look over the city and the tower those people had built.
^6-9 God took one look and said, “One people, one language; why, this is only a first step. No telling what they’ll come up with next—they’ll stop at nothing! Come, we’ll go down and garble their speech so they won’t understand each other.” Then God scattered them from there all over the world. And they had to quit building the city. That’s how it came to be called Babel, because there God turned their language into “babble.” From there God scattered them all over the world.

5. What's the difference between bricks and stone?


When we allow ourselves to be used by God's grace and annointing His spirit flows out of us and we become sturdy like stone reflecting the creation of our maker.

However, when we get caught up in receiving the glory for our God given talents and we are self-motivated instead of God-motivated then we are like man-made brick and we reflect only ourselves...people's lives cannot be changed by something man-made, but can be by something God-created so we must ask ourselves are we ready to be stones or are we content being bricks and the second answer is true, where will this type of thinking lead us?

Your willingness to never say no takes away an opportunity from someone else who would grab hold of the project with just a little nudge... Ask for help.  Step to the side and let others grow too p.71

Although this is a hard concept to embrace at times, especially as women, when we allow God to take control he will give us wisdom.  If we are striving instead of seeking Him then things just don't work as well.  Let's all be mindful to use our God-given gifts and talents and be thankful for God's annointing, but also acknowlege that there is a time to rest and decline other opportunities even if their positive if it means that we will have to strive.

StrIvIng has two I's, brIcks also has an I.  When we use our own worthiness=I and build our lives with brIcks our foundation will not be firm and we will continue to strIve meaning we will live trying to do something in our own sinful nature. Be content with God holding you with His grace, being used by His annointing..for such a time as this...
 

PART 3: PIMA OR SUPIMA- Intro 3

1.The soft feel of Pima and Supima make them very desirable in bedding.(p.65).

How many times have we heard the saying "the grass is not always greener on the other side?"  Each season has its own challenges...

2.My first set of Egyptian cotton 600 count sheets.  They were a soft lavender color, solid... no print..(p.67).

How many people spend this lifetime looking for something solid?

Obviously the solid in our lives is always Christ, however there are some christians who struggle with the fact that no one's life will ever be perfect.

3.It didn't take long for me to understand the satin sheets were sweet but they required special care.  Up to this point, my sheets were exceptionally functional. Suddenly I had to wash on gentle cycle, dry on delicate and change them twice a week because they were hot to sleep on...I learned as I entered this new season of my life, God was teaching me my treasure was where my heart lay. p.67

Today, we spoke about Nehemiah 8:10 and the importance of the joy of the Lord.  Cindy also discusses this.  The joy of my life was in the moments we'd struggled and then broken through to sucess.  New sheets were a tradition I'd begun years earlier that offered me hope for the future.  Now my hope for the future lies solely in the hand of my Father..My home was comfortable, my heart conent and happiness shifted from the things of the world to the spiritual. p.68


If we allow the joy of the Lord to be our strength then the outside events of our lives will not affect our inner peace.  The storms around us may rage, but with joy from the Lord being our strength we can rely on God for our present and our future endeavors.  After listening to the song above and  to Angie Smith/Selah story behind the song "I will carry you."  Think about how God has helped you have a different perspective on life's challenges...perhaps it was a situation that could have been looked at as tragedy and yet God blessed you through it because your eyes remained looking at Him.

Still prima doesn't come without its problems.  As wonderful as they are, the require maintenance..But so do I. p.68

So many times we may become comfortable being a christian, content on what we know to already to be true, perhaps there is times where we struggle with continuing to seek God's face and will for our lives, but God truths can teach us something new every day. 

 

1 Corinthians 3:2 

I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.   As we learn more about God, more is expected of us.  Although we may start our walk with God with baby food, His destiny for us does not include us just partaking of baby food.  As we mature in God our responsibilities grow...much like how Cindy discusses how her sheets are "softer" now, but they also require a whole lot more responsibility.  Once we grow and mature in the Lord, we are responsible for upkeeping a deep daily walk with Him so that we can continue to be transformed by his word and promises.  It is the walk with Him that keeps us afloat when life's circumstances are out of our control..He is always in control. 



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!