John 14:18-21 I will not leave you as orphans…The one who loves me will be loved by my Father...” NIV
The orphan heart is easily distracted with counterfeit affections: addictions, compulsions, escapism, busyness, hyper-religious activity, etc.
This perpetuates a mindset of spiritual weakness when God wants us all to be spiritually strong.
I will not leave you as orphans but will introduce you to the Father’s transformational love.
I believe in the season ahead:
The church is being transformed from a room of consumers being led by a minister into a room of ministers being led by God together as a family.
Jesus is always trying to deal with what’s going on within us because that’s the key to dealing with every area of our lives. Are you spiritually well?
Psalm 119:11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You! NKJV
Let’s look together at Psalms 119 letting God’s Word speak for itself today as the Holy Spirit helps each of us comprehend something God desires to reveal.
I believe in the season ahead the church will be transformed from a room of consumers being led by a minister into a room of ministers being led by God.
John 6:45 It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. NIV
Isaiah 54:13 All your children will be taught by the LORD, and great will be their peace. NIV
My prayer for us today!
Psalm 119:18 Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. NIV
There are wonderful things in the Bible! We need to see the wonders in the Bible because when we see them, we are changed by them.
We cannot see this without the supernatural work of God in our lives. Open our eyes God so we may see the wonderful treasures of your Word. If you don’t do this we can’t see them.
God must do a work. We are blind if God doesn’t do a work. Every feel like reading the Bible doesn’t work for you?
Jacob wrestled with God to experience God’s blessing. You will need wrestle with God at times to receive what God desires for you to possess from Scripture.
If we can’t see the wonders of God’s Word then we need to ask God to help us. The Bible should be a wonderful book to you. Some people resolve that the Bible is boring. Don’t be content with this conclusion. Notice David, a Bible author, had to pray this prayer! How encouraging!
I want to give you specific prayers to pray in this same contextual idea of exploring the treasure of God’s Word.
We should pray . . .
God teach us your Word.
Psalm 119:12 "…Teach me Your statutes" NKJV
(See also Psalm 119:33, 64b, 66, 68b, 135).
True learning of God's Word is only possible if God himself becomes the teacher in and through all other means of teaching.
God make us understand your Word.
Psalm 119:27 Make me understand the way of Your precepts… NKJV
(Psalm 119:34, 73b, 144b, 169).
In this prayer we’re asking God to do whatever it takes to get us to understand his word.
God incline our hearts to your Word.
Psalm 119:36 Incline my heart to Your testimonies And not to dishonest gain. NAS
Your outward man and your inward man are not in harmony. These two natures are inclined to move in opposite directions. David’s prayer is asking God to awaken a hunger in his heart toward God’s Word regardless of what his natural inclinations may be.
God establish our steps in your Word.
Psalm 119:133 Establish my footsteps in Your word… NAS
Establish my footsteps in Your word, And do not let any iniquity have dominion over me.
God, seek after us when we go astray from your Word.
Psalm 119:176 I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant… NAS
Consider the source as you read this verse. David was a man after God’s own heart. Not only do we find him crying out for a deeper appetite for the things of God, but we see how he ends with a confession of sin and the need for God to come after him to bring him back. This is something we must all pray again and again.
We Bring GP2RL Action Point:
Turn The Page with absolute expectation this week.
SPIRITUAL WELLNESS: SPIRITUALLY STRONG
DISCUSSION GUIDE
Click here for a downloadable pdf file of this guide.
When the sons and daughters of God possess a healthy perspective fruitfulness results and the world becomes a better place.
The spirit of Ishmael (heart of an orphan) wars against the spirit of Isaac (heart of a son). This seems to be the dominating spiritual battle on the earth.
John 14:18-21 “I will not leave you as orphans… The one who loves me will be loved by my Father...” NIV
God’s plan is for us to hear the Father’s voice together as a family. This is why we start each group with this as our first question:
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
1. Where are you reading in your Bible and what are you sensing from God in this season of your life?
Adam modeled a conversational relationship with his Father God before the Fall. Throughout the Old Testament we see the reiteration of God’s desire and plan to restore this conversational relationship to his sons and daughters. When Jesus says, in Matthew 4:4, “man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God”, he’s actually quoting this from the Old Testament, Deut 8:3.
Clearly God is interested in a conversational relationship with us when we see that he sent his son to rescue us announcing him as “the word” made flesh. God was saying, “I’d like to have a word with you.” Entering into a conversational relationship with God will change your life. It will change your world!
John 6:45 It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. NIV
Isaiah 54:13 All your children will be taught by the LORD, and great will be their peace. NIV
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
2. Share a time when you saw God’s hand at work in bringing something about in your life.
Some Christians say they’ve never heard the voice of God. This can’t be true. They wouldn’t be born again
if hadn’t heard God’s voice. Salvation is conversion in response to invitation. God initiates the conversion
conversation, and we respond.
At times in our lives we might not feel we’re hearing the Lord but we do sense his presence. He is the Word and that is his voice. The presence of his word is the presence his voice and it shapes us in a variety of ways as we learn to be responsive to what God is doing.
One way we practice hearing God’s voice is to purpose to read God’s Word.
Psalm 119:18 Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. NIV
There are wonderful things in the Bible! We need to see the wonders in the Bible because when we see them, we are changed by them.
We cannot see this without the supernatural work of God in our lives. Open our eyes God so we may see the wonderful treasures of your Word. If you don’t do this we can’t see them.
Conclude by praying the following verses over everyone in your group. Consider having individuals take each verse and make it their prayer for each other.
Psalm 119:12 “…Teach me Your statutes” NKJV
God teach us your Word. We know that true learning of the Word is only possible if God himself
becomes the teacher in and through all other means of teaching.
Psalm 119:27 Make me understand the way of Your precepts… NKJV
God make us understand your Word. In this prayer we’re asking God to do whatever it takes to get
us to understand his word.
Psalm 119:36 Incline my heart to Your testimonies And not to dishonest gain. NAS
God incline our hearts to your Word. Our outward man and your inward man are not in harmony.
These two natures are inclined to move in opposite directions.
David’s prayer is asking God to awaken a hunger in his heart toward God’s Word regardless of what his natural inclinations may be.
We Bring GP2RL Action Point:
Turn The Page with absolute expectation this week.