Spiritual Growth - Christ in You (Using your Bible)

Week 1: CHRIST IN YOU
Day 2: Using Your Bible For Christian Growth

Today's Bible verses are Psalms 119:11,  15-16 and 40:8

Your daily Quiet Time should always focus on the Bible.

Turn to the contents in the front of your Bible -- this will help you find the books you are looking for.

Find Psalm 119, verse 11.

Psalm 119:11 (NLT) 
¹¹  I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. 


Where did the writer keep the Word of God. In ____________

It is good to memorize Scripture. Another way to say the same thing is "I know it by heart." The writer used the word heart to explain where he keeps God's Word. The last part of the verse tells the reason to keep God's Word in our hearts. What is that reason? _________________________________________________

Memorizing God's Word can help you avoid sinning against God.

Find Psalm 40:8 and read it.

Psalm 40:8 (NLT) 
⁸  I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart.” 


Where can you keep verses for emergencies if you don't have a Bible with you?

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Go back to Psalm 119 and read verses 15-16.

Psalm 119:15-16 (NLT) 
¹⁵  I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways. 
¹⁶  I will delight in your decrees and not forget your word.

What feelings will you have as you learn to memorize Bible verses?

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Memorization can be fun. Don't tell yourself you can't do it. Why look at the things you already know  by heart -- telephone numbers, zip codes, people's names, streets, house addresses, book titles, important dates, etc. 

No other word of advice will have as much value as Scripture verses. Memorize Scripture on a regular basis -- two verses each week. This week's verses to memorize are Psalm 119:11 and Psalm 40:8.

When you memorizing Bible verses, it will help you resist sin. It helps you tell other people about Jesus. It is used in explaining things you believe.

Write down the verses. Carry them with you. Practice repeating the verses. 

Spiritual Growth - Christ In You (Quiet Time)

Week 1: CHRIST IN YOU
Day 1: How to Establish a Quiet Time

Just like feeding your body daily by eating food, you need to feed your soul by having a daily quiet time with the Lord.

Here are some suggestions to start a daily quiet time:

1. Have a specific time and place.
   I find mornings to be best for me. The beginning of your day will be so much better if it is started with Christ.
   I used to do my Bible study at the kitchen table while having breakfast, but for the past couple of years I have used the bedroom. I spend from 20 minutes to 2 hours daily. I use a devotional, my Bible, a pen, highlighter and journal.
   I suggest you have 15 minutes to yourself.
2. Be regular.
   Skipping days makes it harder to grow spiritually.
3. Have ready a Bible, pencil and paper. 
   For now you will use the Survival Kit for your quiet time.
4. Begin with prayer.
   Open your heart and your mind to Christ. Give Him permission to teach, lead or discipline you in your Bible study.

End with a specific plan for the day that follows what you read. 
Before you stop your quiet time, decide how your life will be different because of the things you learned in the Bible.

TODAY'S QUIET TIME:
Tell God about your love for Him. Thank Him for your many blessings. Tell Him the things you need for God to do in your life. Ask Him to use you and control you in your life today.

TODAY'S READING:
1 John 4:13-15

Go to the contents in the front of your Bible and locate 1 John. It will be in the New Testament. Read the Scripture and then in your own words, write what the verses say.
If you don't have a Bible, here is the text. But if you do have a Bible, I suggest you look it up in your own Bible to familiarize yourself with it.


1 John 4:13-15 (NLT) 
¹³  And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us.
¹⁴  Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.
¹⁵  All who confess that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God.

About these verses,
What did God give you to prove you are saved?

What do Christian people tell other people that shows God is living in them?

What other words are used to tell who Jesus is?

You have as a Christian experienced personally that God sent His Son to be your Savior. How will the things from this verse change your life today?

Write one thing you will do today that shows these verses working in your life.

Spiritual Growth - Introduction

You are a new creature. You became a Christian and began a new life when you prayed to God and accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior.

Now what? Do you say to yourself, "Is there more or is this all there is? What am I supposed to do now?"

You start learning.

I accepted Christ 32 years ago - Aug. 29, 1982. I participated in a Bible Study, a Practical Guide to Spiritual Growth, known as Survival Kit for New Christians.

It was a good place to begin then ... to learn more about what being a Christian means, and it is a good place to begin now - for you.

There are 5 Bible principles. You can remember them on your hand:

The Thumb represents the Body 
The First Finger represents your old and new natures (personalities)
The Second Finger represents things about salvation 
The Third Finger represents authority
The Little Finger represents the Five-and-Five Principle

The Palm of your hand represents Christ living in you and controlling everything.

You will face many problems and temptations in everyday life -- as a babe in Christ, much of your future growth in your Christian life depends on your relationship to the church.

There are 5 stages you will pass through:

1. The Honeymoon Stage  - This is when you are happy and excited. You have a new life. You have been baptized and you are a member of His church.
   
2. The Fight Stage  - The Honeymoon stage ends when you have your first fight. Frustration, temptation, jealousy, gossip, etc. crop up again -- the same old problems are present. Christ started to live in you when you began your new life. The old self, with all the sins, did not die. So, you have your old self with the sins and your new self with Christ living in you. The new nature and the old nature battle for control.
   
3. The Doubting Stage - You begin to doubt your salvation if you do not learn the right things.  You start thinking that just knowing you are saved is all that is important. Jesus promised  that when you became a Christian the Holy Spirit would be with you. He would teach you all things.
   (John 14:26 -  "But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you." New Living Translation)
   You need more information about salvation when you have conflict within yourself between your old life and your new life. The more you know, not just in your head, but primarily your heart, the less you doubt. Three times to know about your salvation are: a) it happens at an exact time; b) it is a process  through time as you beat the old you; c) there is a final time when Christ will make you free forever.
   
4. The Panic-Search for what is Right Stage - Here you need to learn where to go to find what is right to be protected from this stage. You must learn how to compare the truth to other things. The only place to find the truth and what is right is in the written word of God, The Bible.
   
5. The Silent Christian Stage - A silent Christian is one who does not witness, but instead substitutes church activities. A Christian who does not witness is not effective in helping another become a Christian or influencing others in a positive way for the Lord. To become effective in witnessing, learn the Five-and-Five Principle - five people in your live you can witness to and five people you cannot witness to but can pray for.

Think about these things. The 5 principles and the 5 stages.  The next time we meet we'll begin our study.

8.26.2014

Trust God and walk in His Spirit

You may struggle to trust another, but you can always trust God. Look to Him for your every answer and He will show you how to rebuild your lives. Lean on Jesus. He is your source of strength.

Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit. When we have been redeemed by the blood of lamb, our old ways have been crucified, destroyed, killed – our fleshly passions and desires become a thing of the past (or at least they are supposed to). We are new creatures. Therefore, if we say we live in the Spirit, we must also walk in the Spirit – we must not be conceited, we must not provoke another, we must not envy another.

“But the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self-control. There is no law against such things as these. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have put to death their human nature with all its passions and desires. The Spirit has given us life; he must also control our lives. We must not be proud or irritate one another or be jealous of one another.” – Galatians 5:22-26 Today’s English Version

(c) Cathy Orrick Luders 

Aug. 21, 2014

Of God -- ask, seek, knock

“Ask, and it will be given to you;” If you do not ask, how do you expect to receive?

“

Seek, and you will find;”
If you do not look, how do you expect to find what is hidden?

“Knock, and it will be opened to you.”

If you do not knock, how do you expect a door to open?

The Lord knows what you have need of and what you want, but it is up to you to make that request to Him.

The Lord knows what you are looking for, but it is up to you to acknowledge it to Him.

The Lord knows you have need of Him and His provisions, but it is up to you – it is your choice.

Won’t you choose to pray?

To ask and receive
To seek and find
To knock and open

He abides in you … always

Won’t you come and abide in Him?

“Ask, and it will be given to you; Seek, and you will find; Knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” = Matthew 7:7-8

(c) Cathy Orrick Luders 

August 21, 2014

Do you do what you desire or what you hate?

We talk of fresh starts, new beginnings. We want things to be different, better. We have that as our goal, yet it seems we are often stuck in the old world that we want so desperately to escape from. 

We remember too well. We remind another too often. We fail to move past the pain and hurt caused by another. We say we want to, but yet we remain burdened by our thoughts.

It is like what the apostle Paul says in Romans 7:15, “I do not understand what I do; for I don’t do what I would like to do, but instead I do what I hate.”  

And do you know why you do what you hate? It’s because of sin. Our old sin nature. It died when we accepted Christ as our Savior. But if we do not stay focused on Him, that old sin nature awakens within us and we end up riding it for all its worth.

We want to seek purity, but our mind captures the very thing we hate.

If we truly want a new beginning, then we must seek God at every step. To claim you have no time is a cop-out.
Start your day with prayer: 
Lord, Thank you for this day. Thank you for a place to lay our heads, to rest from the previous day’s struggles. Today, guide us as we go about our day, working, playing, talking, whatever it is, Lord, show us the best way. Show us how to speak only words that bring glory to You.  In Your name, we pray. Amen.

Keep God at the forefront always. If we do not seek God, if we continue to fall prey to our selfish nature, new beginnings will be long in coming.

We cannot hope for a turnaround if we’re constantly looking at the past and reminding ourselves and others of wrongdoings.

We reap what we sow, but we do not need to continually reap havoc. 

"Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5 NKJV)  .  

(c) Cathy Orrick Luders

August 20, 2014