Hey, summer Bible study sisters! Watch the video if possible because I only put the barest bones in the written part of these summer Bible study posts. This version of your instructions is mostly for back up but, if you prefer to just get your assignments for your gathering this way and bypass all my verbose video-commentary, I certainly do understand that! Feel free! I just want to make sure you’ve experienced some personal interaction on here. Smiling.
OK! Here are your instructions for today and, remember! Your comments to this post are meant to be comprised of your responses to each of the interactives:
1. Based on the question in the middle of p.37 of your homework: To what specific area of holy bravery does God seem to be calling you in this present season?
2. Drawn from the portion on p.46 regarding the 5 ordinary tasks you perform on a daily basis, share a memory of an ordinary circumstance in which God met with you in an extraordinary way. If you’re new to all this and can’t think what to share, don’t feel lame or unspiritual. Pray for Him to do this very thing with you over the coming days and I have a feeling you won’t be disappointed.
3. Based on p.50 and the discussion about the first part of the divine declaration to Gideon, how confident or insecure do you tend to be regarding God’s promise that He is with you? Explain your answer.
4. Look at the bottom of p.57. Would you be willing to share the pair of terms that best describe a disparity you’ve dealt with between your self-perception and a biblical view of who you are in Christ? If you’re willing, also briefly explain your answer.
Ok, Sisters! That’s it! When you leave your comment, please be sure to put your first name, your city, whether you are in a small group or going solo, and your succinct responses to all or at least several of the interactives.
I’m crazy about you! Stay in the Word! We’ll meet again in 2 weeks on July 9th. Have Weeks 3 and 4 of your homework finished for that gathering if at all possible. So much love to you.
Siesta Summer Gideon Study – Week 2 from LPV on Vimeo.
I’m a little late responding. I found out I got a teaching job for next year and have been gathering and going through my things preparing. God truly surprised me with this. Scott and I are so thankful.
1. Holy Bravery: My pastor asked me to mentor my best friend (who’s trying to restore her marriage) through the Breaking Free Bible Study. Whew!! She’s knows me as well as I know her, no pretenses here. So I’m completely relying on God to help me speak HIS words and not mine.
2. 5 things I do daily: shower, brushing my teeth, laundry, dishes, feeding my man, my dog, and myself. One of the most significant times I remember Jesus speaking is in earlier darker days of my life- Taking a shower, Jesus overwhelmed me with how much He loved me “just as I was!!” But just as my shower was cleaning my body, He was cleaning my mind and heart of lies I was believing that were holding me back.
3. I am definitely more confident now of His presence with me in all circumstances because of how faithful Jesus was in my past circumstances where I struggled to believe He was with me. He SO patiently and compassionately dealt with my unbelief and helped me get to that place of belief and confidence that He is truly with me all the time.
4. The pair of terms I struggled with the most are “rejected/accepted”. It’s taken years for me to finally get God is FOR me, not against me. I truly love Him and accepted Him as my Savior, so good, bad, or ugly, He accepts me and works in me to become all I’m meant to be. And to remember, it’s not about me, it’s about being accepted “IN JESUS”, who is perfect in all His ways. Thank you Jesus.
It is truly amazing at God’s timing. Breaking Free and the Story of Gideon with Pricilla is amazingly connected. God speaks in all ways and through all things and can bring anything together He desires.
Kimberly W., south Georgia, solo…sorry just now posting these two weeks…I’m behind
1) To continue on with my children and possible future grandchildren to love the Lord and teach them as the worlds generations decline.
2) Loading and unloading the dishwasher…how Jesus washes us everyday and cleans us up so that we can be used over and over again for His glory.
3) I know it and believe it in my heart and mind. Sometimes I feel His presence very strongly, other times I feel as if He is close by but not right next to me.
4) Ungifted>Equipped…When I first started my new job I felt very scared and ungifted having been out of the work force for 15 years. I had prayed for a job for awhile and I knew that this job was divinely given. Today I can say that the Lord as equipped me everyday to learn and learn quickly this new job. I thank him daily for it and equipping me to do a job that, at first, seemed intimidating. My weaknesses definitely are God’s strengths!
1. Witnessing: I need to not care what others think. Not fear if they ask what I can’t answer. Just live like Jesus and be His messenger.
2. I need to pray for seeing God in my everyday, ordinary experiences. Usually just feel so warn and run down by them. Need to realize God is there and it is all for Him.
3. I know in my head that God is with me, He says He is. I many times have trouble knowing this in my heart lately. I feel like such a failure quite often. Not only do I fail, but I repent and fail at the exact same thing. I have so many insecurities-Am I really worth His love? I need to cross over from knowing the bible to really knowing it with my life and intimacy with Jesus. I feel like right now I am in a pit. I have stood on the mountain top before, but these pits are so slippery and I am in them before I realize what happened. I don’t know why it’s so hard to get out, especially when you know that the view from that mountaintop is so grand. This here is why I chose to try this study – I need to get back in His Word and turn my life back towards Him.
4. fear/courageous – I fear what others will think. I fear if I know enough to tell someone about Jesus. I fear questions that may be asked. How will work treat me? What will others think when I tell of Jesus’s love yet I don’t seem to have myself together right now. I want to be overflowing with Gods love spreading it but I fear the rejection and condemnation.
Lindsay, Calhoun, Solo
I am very behind on my posts, but I don’t want to miss out on these great reflection questions.
1. I answered this specific question in a previous post, but wanted to reply again with answers 2-4.
2. For some reason I get tired of packing the diaper bag each day. I had to create a diaper bag checklist because I seemed to forget something each time we left the house. When I thought about this, however, I realized how crazy I was for letting this bother me. What a precious gift to be packing for my sweet baby boy. It’s a reflection of my greatest earthly gift that the Lord has provided our family with, and I know these “Diaper Days” won’t be here for long.
3. Sometimes I let the lack of a certain “feeling” make me think that the Lord is not with me, but I know deep down that’s not true. We can’t always depend on “feelings” because many times our feelings can be deceitful. I’ve also noticed, however, that when I am feeling like the Lord is not near; it ALWAYS has something to do with how much time I have spent with Him. If anyone pulls away it’s me; never Him. I have to cling to the truth that He is with me; always.
4.Insignificant/Special: I’m one of those people who wants to be liked and who wants to feel like they’re doing something “big” in the world; like I’m actually making a difference. I struggle with feelings like my day-to-day activities aren’t making a bit of difference and that I”m not pleasing the Lord because the things I do are insignificant. He’s teaching me to see the significance in what I would consider the “ordinary” or “small” things.
1. To know who I am according to Him, to hold on to His Promises, to share Him with those near to me.
2. Yesterday He met me while I was waiting for something. It was totally unscripted and that’s how I knew it was Him.
3. I tend to be super insecure when it comes to giving everything to God. It wasn’t until Week 2 Day 4 where I was faced with self- image and the corresponding God image that I had this confidence come upon me. I have Truth that I can reference when I get down.
4. Insignificant/ Special: I tend to feel invisible with God and others. I forget what He has already said.
1 John 4:12
No man hath seen God at anytime. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love perfected in us