Beth Moore "Entrusted" Session 5: Fulfill Your Ministry

Session 5 of the Entrusted series suspended us right between the third and fourth chapters of 2 Timothy.  We looked at the complexity and camaraderie of a servant's life.

What we talked about in this session was "something very special to the apostle Paul and very important to us ramping up our effectiveness as mighty servants of God."

Wouldn't sanctification be so much easier if there weren't a lot of people in our life?  Beth says, "we would do so much better under the steeple without some of those people."

We began chapter 3 of 2 Timothy with Paul telling us that not only will it be perilous times because of circumstances around us, but the last days would be perilous times because of people.

He talks about what people will be like.  Read 2 Timothy 3:1-5.

We're right in the middle of Paul telling us all the things that are going to go array and 2 Timothy chapter 4 tells us things that have gone array with people because of relationships.  He ends it up with such a tenderness and love.  You realize how much people have meant to apostle Paul.

We see something amazing about Paul - something that we must reflect in our own life, if we're going to have joy while here on this journey.

We read Romans 16:1-16 (which is a letter by Paul as well).  We see 27 names of associates of apostle Paul that he is sending greetings to.  These names reveal an "authentic holy networking."

Many women were mentioned in this list of names.

Beth reminded us that if we are going to ramp up our effectivness, we also need to ramp up our connectedness.  In these verses are revealed many connections with people.  Many of these people are also mentioned in other NT books.

We are so much stronger together.  We're meant to encourage one another across the generations.

Beth mentioned that "in our culture today, it's unfortunate that we tear each other down in a public place".  Facebook, twitter etc.

We must stand together as one body of believers - servants of Christ.  

In I Corinthians 4:1 the word "servant" in Greek means "under rower".  Servant: subordinate, servant, attendant, or assistant in general.  The subordinate official who waits to accomplish the commands of his superior. 

Beth went on to give us four points about the under rower:

1.  Rowers don't build up and maintain muscle by rowing downstream.

We can be spiritual steroids to one another.

2. Staying in rhythm and sync with a team takes concentrated effort.

We don't always get to choose our fellow rowers.  Iron sharpening iron.  Getting through conflict and reaching the other side can sharpen us and make us stronger.  Are we willing to work through conflict and not just walk away?

3.  Rowing also necessitates a certain amount of repetition.

Expect repetition.  It can be tedious, but we have "boat songs": every worship service we sing our "boat songs".

4. Rowers have each other's backs.

Satan know that if he can come between those rowers (us), he can get the boat off course.

Have we slandered our brothers and sisters in Christ?  Have we been faithful behind their backs?  Have we affirmed the slander of others by remaining silent?

We have been with "rowers" who are not safe with us behind their back.  We must repent.  

"Life is hard enough for our brothers and sisters - let's have their backs."

Next session: "Face to Face

Beth Moore "Entrusted" Session 4: Difficult Times, Difficult People

We're nearing the end of our study of "Entrusted" by Beth Moore.  What a journey we've had these last four weeks.  Only two more sessions to finish.

Pre-Session
In the pre-session talk, a question was asked about how to know our calling.  This is Beth's answer:

• Say "yes" to God
• Ask Him to bring you to the place where you know Him
• Start walking it out
• Let Him plan the course
• The Word of God will give you just enough light to know where to take the next step

It was also said that "so many times we think there is one calling and we need to find it.  There isn't one specific thing we're trying to figure out.  It's a matter of being sensitive to where God is leading us."

Session 4

In this session, Beth weaved in bits and pieces of her own story. She shared with us her biggest eye-openers of the last 40 years of ministry.

Our scripture was 2 Timothy 2:20-26.  We focused more on verse 26 in this chapter:

"and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will." ESV

Beth emphasized two thoughts here:

• God has a will for our life
• Satan has a will for our life

"It's not archaic thinking to know that there is a demonic world.  We need to know and believe there is a kingdom of darkness."

Beth strongly instructed us to not leave sound doctrine.  

Biggest Eye-Openers

1. The forces of evil are meaner and abler than most of us ever pictured.

• We had better be ready for attacks.  Second Thessalonians 2:8 says this "God will breathe on the man of lawlessness."  The kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness are not equal, but they are two opposing forces
• The enemy has great wrath.  He wants to touch God's children (Revelation 12:7-12)
• The enemy wants to prove us unfaithful.  The most effective thing the enemy can do is to entangle us to prove us unfaithful.
• The more entangled we are, the less faithful we will be with what has been entrusted to us
• We are not our own worst enemy, but we are our own worst enemy's accomplice
• We can have a sincere and pure devotion to Christ and be completely seduced by the devil
• Regular warfare is hard ball.  Seduction is curve ball.  The enemy is an artist at seduction

2.  This faith-life is a fight from beginning to end.

• The enemy will minimize what Christ has done and then destruct us. But we must "take hold" (I Timothy 6:11-12)
• We must wrestle it out (Acts 14:22) - learn to fight
• Our cloud of witnesses is cheering us on

3. Even amid the evil that beleaguers (surrounds) or befalls us, God is continually and mercifully after our good.

• Luke 22:31-32 was used to reveal to us that Peter had something that needed sifting
• We cannot hide what needs to be sifted in us.  It must be defeated in us
• The thorn stands as a guard over our life

4.  God purposely set up the system where it demands dialogue and dependency to function properly.

• Jesus is after an invasive relationship with us
• He's pushing the envelope of our communication with Him continually
• Complete dependency
• Invasion of God
• We can't walk in the gray zone
• You will be delivered.  Your life is just beginning after going through it

5.  Jesus. Is. The. Best. Part.

Anything entangling us from knowing that Jesus is the prize, you will want to deal with.

Session 5: "Fulfill Your Ministry"

Beth Moore "Entrusted" - Session 3 "Strong in the Grace"

Welcome to session 3 of the Beth Moore "Entrusted" series.  Session 3 was called "Strong in the Grace."

We're halfway through this series with only 3 more sessions to view.

A question was posed to Beth Moore: How do we know what the will of God is for us to do?  Her answer was this: when we're exhausted but energized by what we do.

She encouraged us to stay the course and live lives of faithfulness.  She also discussed in the pre session that we need to have portions of people poured into our lives - teachers, mentors.

Part One
Beth dissected our theme scripture for this session in 2 Timothy 1:6-7:

"Therefore, I remind you to keep ablaze the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands.  For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgment."

"Fan into Flame" - this is something that is active and requires motivation from us to rev up the flames in our life.

"The gift of God" - it's supernatural. He gives the unction. To do what exactly? To fulfill the divine purpose we have during our earthly stay. 

"You've got to have God to serve God."

Beth described some things that help her to "fan into flame" her gift and spiritual fervor:

• Getting trained
• Scripture
• Prayer
• Music
• Exposing herself to people who are on fire

We are enormously gifted.  Start praying for what that gift is.  Scriptures used:

• I Corinthians 12
• Romans 12
• I Peter 4
• I Corinthians 14:1 - earnestly desire

In using scripture to "fan the flame" or be quickened by the Holy Spirit, we turned to:

• Jeremiah 23:29
• Jeremiah 20:9

Some ways to "fan the flame" in prayer:

• Colossians 4:2
• I Kings 18:44

Expect it.  Watch for it to come.  

Listen to and read the teaching of people "who are a lot of fire" - Hebrews 10:24-25:

"And let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works - not staying away from our worship meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day drawing near." - HCSB

Timothy had prophecies made over him about his gifts for ministry.  He was officially publicly recognized when Paul and the elders laid hands on him - I Timothy 4:14.

But in 2 Timothy, this is a private letter, and Paul's personal role in Timothy's commissioning is appropriately mentioned here.  He was officially ordained.

Part Two

Dissecting 2 Timothy 1:7

"For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love and sound judgment."

In this context, "a spirit of fear" means cowardice.

It also can produce a perversion of all three of the components mentioned above in verse 7.

• Perversion of power = powerlessness or abuse of power
• Perversion of love = lust or hate
• Perversion of self-control = a drive to control others

Beth discussed also with us the word "power" in verse 7 as well.  Greek word used is dunamis meaning power, especially achieving power.  

She discussed the word meaning from duna meaning able or capable.  What's the difference?

Able meaning you possibly could do it if you wanted to.

Capable meaning you sieze the power and use it.  It. Is. Mine.

Moving on, Beth gave us different versions of the last word in verse 7:

• ESV - self control
• NIV - self-discipline
• NKJV - sound mind
• HCSB - sound judgment

Self-control used here in the Greek sophronismos - to discipline, correct; sound mind, sober judgment.

We were reminded that we're in a war and we need to have a lot of backbone.  We've not been given a spirit of fear.....

Next: Session 4 "Difficult Times, Difficult People"

Beth Moore "Entrusted" - Session 2: Purpose and Grace

Beth Moore has been using the context of 2 Timothy to teach us about the relationship between Paul and Timothy and to "guard the deposit that was entrusted to you", which is the gospel of Jesus Christ and the giftings given by the Holy Spirit.

In session 2, Beth reminds us of the goal of this series once again:

Mighy servants of God turned loose on this globe to fulfill our callings in the great name of Jesus.

To do:

• What we are called to do
• And what we are put on this planet to live out

Some of our effectiveness will be wrapped up in our connectedness.  In our generational connectedness (elder/younger), we must remember that we who are older must not hover over our "little sisters" so they can't complete their calling.

With this generational connectedness, we must give others the freedom to be who they are and to learn at their own pace.  It also depends on our relationship with younger women how much correcting we can speak into their life.  Relationship is key.

As Paul and Timothy were generationally connected in a healthy relationship, so can we do the same.

Timothy and Paul's relationship merges in I Timothy.  He leaves Timothy in Ephesus to shepherd the church.

We also learned that there are three books in the NT that comprise the "Pastoral Epistles:"

• I Timothy
• 2 Timothy
• Titus

These are the young men that Paul has left in charge to shepherd the early congregration of believers.  Paul is stressing through these letters that "this is the way to pastor this church, the way to raise them up."

In I Timothy 3:14-15, Paul writes to Timothy, who is probably in his early to mid 30s (I Timothy 4:12), about the way a believer ought to behave in "God's household."  In 2 Timothy, she says, more personal language is directed towards Timothy than in I Timothy and Titus.

Paul has been mentor to both Timothy and Titus, nurturing them along.

In I Timothy 1:1-19 notice the phrase "my true child of the faith."  And then in verses 3-19, the key words here are entrusted and entrust.

The word in verse 11 that is used for entrust or entrusted is the same Greek word that translates for us "Faith" (pistis), Beth says.

God is saying this to us:

"Can I trust you with what I've called you to?"

There are two things that have been entrusted to us as was entrusted to Timothy:

• The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ
• And the gifting God has given us to share

We are to share the story correctly:

• What He came for
• What He fulfilled
• What He has done for us
• What a difference that makes for us

We must pass this down correctly and soundly.

We personalized this phrase from I Timothy 6:20:

Oh _____ (your name), guard the deposit entrusted to you!

Notice that we do the guarding.

In 2 Timothy 1:12-14, the word entrusted in this passage is a different Greek word than in I Timothy which is "Phylasso" - guard or protect.

Two points Beth gave to us:

1. We don't effectively guard what we don't highly esteem.

2.  If we can't stand to be questioned, we will be too childish to stand guard.

Younger women, you must keep the charge entrusted to you because us older women will be gone.  What is that charge:  to teach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ exactly as it is with the giftings given to you.

The word "charge" means to declare, to tell, to give the charge like a military man would do to those under him.  Nine times in these two letters to Timothy, Paul says to him "I charge you."

Closing:

Until you have the opportunity to do what you are called to do, just do what you are needed to do.

Next: Session 3 "Strong in the Grace"

Beth Moore - Entrusted Session 1 - Divine Triangulation

We began session 1 of the "Entrusted" series by Beth Moore on Wednesday night.  This 6-week series is concerning 2 Timothy - Paul's final letter to his beloved son Timothy.  

He is entrusting him with the gospel and not to be ashamed to fulfill God's call on his life.  Beth Moore will challenge us as well in this study to do the same.

Our theme for session 1 was found in Acts 14:1-7.  Though we won't find the younger man's name anywhere in sight, Paul's last letter to Timothy originates in Acts 14.

In verse 6, Lystra was the crossing of the paths of Paul & Timothy.

In this study, Beth says "we will establish one enormous goal.  We were meant to be mighty!"  We must grasp that there is no higher calling than to be called servant of God.  Her statement says it all:

"Mighty servants of God turned loose on this globe in the great name of Jesus."

In the New Testament, Paul and others describe themselves as the servant of God or bond-slave of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Any age, any background can be raised up to be a mighty servant of God.

The truth is we cannot be mighty on our own.  Beth said this: "only when the Holy Spirit begins to fill us and the word of God begins to thrill us, that's when courage starts coming to the surface."

We must remember that we are not just studying the scriptures to build up our Bible knowledge.  We study to get to know our God.  In knowing the scriptures, we can then be equipped to do what He's called us to do.

In Acts 14:1from the NIV it says ".....there they spoke so effectively...."

How can we ramp up our effectiveness?  Through the Word of God and through the Holy Spirit.

How should we communicate our faith?

• Share Christ's story (Luke 1)
• Share your story
• Share our story

Bring to them what you know.  A big part of our effectiveness is also our connectedness.

Throughout this series the constant theme will be the Paul & Timothy Paradigm.  The elder and the younger.  The elder bringing the younger along, getting him on his journey and his calling.

Beth also stressed that we cannot become a mighty servant of God by ourself.  We need connectedness to the body of Christ.

Along with our effectiveness we also need focus.  We cannot mulitask and think we are effective.  We must decide on what we want to focus on.  The question we need to ask ourselves is:

What do I really want my life to be about when it's all said and done.

Walking with a higher level of effectiveness takes faith.  Look at Acts 14:8-11.  Paul "looked at his face".  He must have noticed something in this man when he looked at him - probably noticed his faith.  What did the man do?  He sprang up to his feet.

We can do everything right but never get to the next level of effectiveness without faith - Hebrews 11:6.

We learned:

• We are called to do what we cannot do
• We are called to be someone we cannot be
• We are called to speak to mountains

Through the Spirit of God, we are enabled to do this.  God responds to our faith.

We are apt to say to ourselves "but I've always been this way."

We were then challenged by this statement:

"Who among us is willing to believe the power of Jesus could dramatically change something that has been true of you since birth?

God has always been miraculous, omnipotent, all-knowing, all-seeing, all-wise.  He's always been the creator who can make something out of absolutely nothing.  And because God has always been who He's always been, you do not have to be who you've always been."

Powerful statement.

Look at Acts 14:11-18 - the people reacted to what had just been done.  Know this, that all our serving lives, we will deal with "erroneus estimations of others."  Those who adore us can also so drastically turn quickly on us.  They first wanted to sacrifice to Paul and Barnabas thinking them gods and then so quickly turned on them.

Notice what Paul did after he was stoned by the people:

"...he got up and went back into the city."

Beth's last words in this session to us were these:

Just. Keep. Getting. Back. Up.

Session 2: "Purpose and Grace"

Priscilla Shirer: "Discerning the Voice of God" Session 6

We have come to the last session on the "Discerning the Voice of God" series.  Priscilla Shirer is an incredibly clear communicator when she teaches.

Session 6: A Continual State of Readiness.

Take care of the one thing, Priscilla stated.  If you do this, so much of the other messes will be worked out.  Pay attention.

What is that "one thing?"  Hearing the voice of God.  It will lead us to "just being a Christian attending church to someone who is actually alight to the fire of God."

We need to live by the supernatural not just the natural.  Don't just participate in religious activity but do the "one thing."

The one thing is relationship with Jesus Christ.

We looked at John 10:1-5, 27 but particularly verse 27:

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me...."

The truths Priscilla shared with us in this one verse were a wealth of information of what is important in hearing the voice of God.

We were given four points to look at:

#1 - The Relationship - My sheep

We learned a bit about shepherding in the Middleastern culture at this time:

• Shepherds could have up to 100 sheep in their fold
• A shepherd would sleep in a sheepfold with the sheep
• There could be up to 9 or 10 shepherds with their sheep all coming into the same sheepfold

One shepherd would stay behind in the fold.  He was called the porter.  He would lay his body across the opening of the sheepfold so that he would become the door of the fold.  The protector.  Everyone had to pass through him to get in.  No stranger could enter.

In the morning, when the shepherds came back from town to claim their flock of sheep, the porter would confirm that each shepherd was one of the true shepherds of one of the flocks inside and then would allow him to pass inside.

The shepherd would then call his sheep.  Only the sheep who knew that shepherd's voice would recognize it and follow him out.

Priscilla then went to John 14:6: "I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me."

There is only one way to have a relationship with God: know the shepherd.

When you become a believer, you become part of the family of God.

We now, as a believer, have the rights and privileges as recorded in Ephesians 2:19:

"Therefore you are no longer outsiders (exiles, migrants, and aliens, excluded from the rights of citizens), but you now share citizenship with the saints (God's own people, consecrated and set apart for Himself); and you belong to God's (own) household."

Romans 1:18-25 tells us that creation speaks about our God - gives general revelation about Him.  But we need more than just general revelation.  We need details, specifics.

I Corinthians 2:14 says this: "But the natural (unbelieving) man does not accept the things (the teachings and revelations) of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness (absurb and illogical) to him; and he is incapable of understanding them, because they are spiritually discerned and appreciated, (and he is unqualified to judge spiritual matters).

Hearing's God voice, Priscilla said, is not possible for someone who isn't born into the family of God.  With this relationship, we then have access to God and hear His voice.

#2 - The Result - Hear My Voice

Expect God to speak

This is our default posture.  Relationship equals hearing His voice.

Remember also that delays and detours are divine interruptions.  You're going along in life and bam!  You hit a speed bump.  It's there for a reason.  Pay attention!

Then He gives the reason they hear His voice:

#3 - The Reason - I know them

The shepherd would spend time with the sheep collectively and individually.  Also, he would have a specific call that was unique to one sheep as well as to the whole flock.

This doesn't happen today.  Electronics has taken over shepherding.  She said they "brand them and move on or hover with a helicopter to herd them."  According to Priscilla, they don't have to get to know their sheep anymore. 

"If there is one reason we have lost intimate relationship with our Shepherd, it's with each new advancement in modern technology, intimacy ends.  Time with Him ends.

She mentioned a book called "The Tyranny of the Urgent" by Charles Hummel.

Social media, internet, pings and notifications on phones has taken our attention.

Priscilla said that "we just need to give God a turn to talk."

"When I talk, nothing happens; when God talks, the universe comes into existence." - Bob Sorge

We need to leave space to just listen to God.  Everything God has to say to us will fall within the boundaries of scripture, so spend time reading the scriptures was Priscilla's urgent cry to us.  He will shine a spotlight in His scriptures to us.

#4 - The Response - They follow Me

We need to trust that He is a good Shepherd.  He's not only a good Shepherd:

He is your great Shepherd. (Hebrews 13:20)

Our time of study ended with with Priscilla saying:

"We need to know that He only leads to green pastures and still waters to refresh us.

We have a good Shepherd.  Follow where He leads."

Speak Lord!

Priscilla Shirer: "Discerning the Voice of God" Session 5

What a journey we have taken in this study with Priscilla Shirer.  She's talked about our stance of obedience, that the Holy Spirit is the primary way we hear from God, the Holy Spirit guides us progressively, personally and internally, and that discerning the voice of God connects strongly to God's character. 

In Session 5, Priscilla talks about "Revealing of His Plans."  

This is the statement Priscilla made:  "Our God showers us with grace and mercy, kissing us so to speak, but we're totally unaware of it."  She had just related a story about her boys and ended with this statement.

It's hard to hear His voice when life is tough or we're in a season of dryness.  She said that when we're in these times, we have to remember:

• He is for you
• He is with you
• His handiwork still surrounds you
• He intends to do you good

In Exodus 3:1-2, there is an encouragement for us in these scriptures.

Moses was in a dry place - the middle of the desert tending sheep for 40 years.  It was in this dry place, that the "smoke signal of God's glory", as Priscilla puts it, shows up.

This is what you need to know in your dry place:

Principle #1 - God manifests His presence in the desert.

Bushes don't burn in palaces.  They burn in deserts.  

The best place for His voice to be clearly heard is not when we're in the place where life is going great (the palace), but while in the dry wilderness season of your life (the desert).

She instructed us not to be discouraged there but to "look to see traces of His glory all around you."

What can happen in this place?

• our hearts are more tender
• we're expecting to see glimpses of God's glory
• expecting God is going to move

C.S. Lewis said this:

"God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain."

God is weaving together a masterpiece for your life when you think He is doing nothing - nothing is happening, nothing is changing.

"Your life is a masterpiece God is writing", Priscilla said.

Do you think God has forgotten you?

Hebrews 13:5b says this: "I will never leave you nor will I forsake you."

We looked at several passages of scripture relating stories of difficulties and seeing God's hand in it all:

• Luke 24:13-35 - Road to Emmaus
• Isaiah 6:1 - King Uzziah's death
• Daniel 3 - The fiery furnace
• Habakkuk 2:3 - Habakkuk lamenting the state of the nation
• Genesis 37-47 - Joseph's story
• Book of Esther - Esther's story
• Book of Ruth - Ruth's story
• Luke 22-24 - Jesus' story

We learned that the beauty of these stories and our God is that "difficulty turns into triump."

The key to seeing God's plan while in the desert is to take your attention off of the circumstances and place them on God's presence in the circumstances.  See Exodus 3:3 "I must turn aside and look."

Moses looked at the supernatural act happening in front of him.

We should not magnify the problem, but magnify our God - worship Him.  We must be intentional about doing this in our season of dryness.

A book Priscilla mentioned that might help us fix our attention on Jesus is a written-down book of prayers.  These prayers, she said, can be a launching pad for conversations with God when we feel too dry to even pray.  ("A Diary of Private Prayer" by John Baillie).

She also mentioned that in Exodus 3:1 "Moses was in the wilderness performing the duty he was instructed to perform."  We were asked to highlight:

• pasturing
• leading
• mountain of God

He wasn't disengaged.

Sometimes the reason why we don't hear God's voice in our season of dryness is we have totally disengaged from what He has given us to do.  Our attitudes and actions are not fully invested in what He has put in front of us to do.

Principle #2 - God equips you for His purposes in the desert.

Moses is called to attend another type of flock - the Israelities. 

Maybe you're feeling stuck or feel as if you're not gaining any ground.  Maybe you're wondering why you're in this season.  Remember this:

He's giving you the character , the substance, the fortification, the foundational work that will be necessary for Him to accomplish His work through you.

God is doing a foundational work in us during this season that we cannot see.  "It will be exactly what you'll need for the next season of your life."

Moses was not just leading the Israelities but leading them to a particular destination: the mountain of God (Exodus 19-20).

Principle #3 - God recharts your course in the desert.

....take your sandals off. The place you're standing on his Holy ground."

Everytime we see glimpses of God's glory, it's our invitation to worship, Priscilla said.

Her encouragement to us in our season of dryness was that:

• our ears would be open
• our heart would be primed
• our eyes would be alight

So that:

We would see the goodness and grace of God even in our desert season.

Session 6: "A Continual State of Readiness" 

Priscilla Shirer "Discerning the Voice of God" Session 4

We're halfway through the DVD-based Bible study with Priscilla Shirer.  Only two more amazing teachings to go.  She's always inspiring and challenging us to go deeper.

These are my notes from Session 4 "Reflective of His Heart."

Priscilla shared a story about how her mom, when she had to leave Priscilla at a relatives home, would cup Priscilla's chin in her hands and say "I will come back to get you.  I will return so wait until I come to get you."  This always reassured her and made her feel secure and safe.

God is like this with us as well.  When we go to His word, He cups our chin in His hands and says "this is who I am. Everything I have promised, I will accomplish, if you will just believe me and trust my character."

Our God has a very strong character.

Priscilla said that "discerning God's voice connects strongly to God's character."  If we know His character, we'll know His voice.

Psalms 119:10 and 18 were our go-to verses for this session.

David had experienced so many difficulties in his life.  He knew the feeling of God not hearing him in prayer as well as many other circumstances: 

• Family issues
• Wanted by the King of Israel and on the run
• Knowing the pit of sin and needing God's mercy
• Experiencing the feeling that the wicked were prevailing

We see in Psalms 119:10 that he set his sights on the Lord, focusing on Him.

"With my whole heart have I sought You, inquiring for and of You and yearning for You; oh, let me not wander  or step aside (either in ignorance or willfully) from Your commandments." NIV

Have you noticed that sometimes in our difficulties we stop focusing on God, stop yearning for Him and desiring Him above everything else?  Do you see in verse 10 that David does the seeking?

Priscilla shared a couple simple keys to help us in this time of hearing God.  

The first key to hearing God is to refocus our attention just on God Himself.

Ask these questions, Priscilla said:

• Am I using God?
• Do I only want Him for what He can do for me?
• Do I only want Him because I'm anticipating and expecting that He will speak to me and give me a word?
• Am I truly seeking His presence alone?

We need to just want to be with Him.  In our church culture today, we're so busy being entertained, Priscilla said, that we barely have time to worship.  We've lost the desire to just be with Him.  She said "we need to spend time with the God we say we have relationship with."  Powerful.

"What will make us different and "mark" us is His presence, His annointing."

A.W. Tozer said this:

"Whoever seeks God as a means toward desired ends will not find God.  The mighty God, the maker of heaven and earth, will not be one of many treasures, not even the chief of all treasures.  He will be all in all or He will be nothing."

Frantic religious activity isn't always proof of a God-seeker.  We need to practice the presence of God.

What does that mean?

In our everyday life: being at the playground with our kids or grandkids praying for each one as they play, folding clothes and meditating on a verse, doing dishes and praying while you do dishes or meditating on a verse you've posted at your sink, walking, driving to and from work praying, helping a friend in need - reminding ourselves that He is the prize. 

I read somewhere that it's the small things we do each day that make a difference.

Priscilla also shared that "whatever the Bible teaches you about the character of God becomes the framework through which you can more clearly discern what He will want to speak to you in the future."  Think about that statement.

The Word of God speaks to us.  The Holy Spirit knows exactly what we need if we would just value being in His presence.

In Psalms 119:10, David also puts the responsibility on the Lord:

"Do not let me wander from your law."

And in verse 18:

"Open my eyes"......

Our heart should say "I'll come to Your Word, but You do the opening."

When we are seeking Him, God will hold us close to keep us from wandering.  He will open our eyes.  He will give us understanding.

Key #2 to hearing God is relax.  

"It is our responsibility to get to know God.  It is His responsibility to keep us from wandering astray."

"It is God's responsibility to cause you to hear and recognize His voice."

Just remember, that if we are wandering, the Spirit will let us know.  What is our response?  "Yes, Lord."

In summary, we can say that the more we know God, the more we'll hear His voice and know His voice.

Priscilla ended this session with this:

"The more you connect with the conviction of the Holy Spirit on the inside of you, pause to just hear what the Spirit is saying, or challenging and impressing upon you, the more intimate you are with Him, then you will find that errors are lessened in your ability to discern the voice of God."

The Holy Spirit is our "hound of heaven."

Next: Session 5 "Revealing of His Plans"

Priscilla Shirer's "Discerning the Voice of God" Session 3

Session 3 notes from Priscilla Shirer's "Discerning the Voice of God".

Continuing to teach about the person of the Holy Spirit and His voice, Priscilla shared with us that the start of her ministry was progressive.  The doors just kept opening up as she walked through each door - "enough light for the step", she says.

Her advice to us was "keep doing what He's put in front of you to do today."  Great advice.  This is the same advice my dad gave me in being a pastor's wife and my calling.

The main verse used was John 16:13

"But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth for  He will not speak on His own initiative but whatever He hears, He will speak, and He will disclose to you what is to come.

The Greek word for guide in this verse, Priscilla says, means to lead someone who is already on one's way or a person who advises, points out and shows others the way."

So, the Holy Spirit guides you progressively.

"......so that we may know the things freely given to us by God..." I Corinthians 2:12.

What has been freely given to us - that is our assignment right now, Priscilla said.  "Our frustration comes when we want more than what God has freely given to us."  Wise words.

Another piece of good advice was this:  "If we rush too quickly forward to the destiny God has for us, the character in us will not be fortified."

Each step carries something for us into the next step.  "Invest yourself fully right where you are."

The verse in John not only says He guides but there is someone He guides: You!  

The Holy Spirit guides you personally.

He knows you.  Everything about you.

The Holy Spirit is the one who awakens our desires to be more fully engaged to His, Priscilla shared.  He aligns us up to Him.

Priscilla put it like this:  "He realigns our want to so that our want to wants to do what God actually wants us to do."  

Think about that for a moment.

This verse in John not only says guide, you but also the word into.
Which means - He guides you internally.

What does that mean?

"There is an internal layer of truth that we do not have access to in our human wisdom."

With the Holy Spirit in us, He helps us to see what's below the surface, not just what we are seeing with our physical senses.  We can see "into" a person, a situation, a reaction.  "It changes our response" because we can now respond with the gifts of the Spirit not our own human spirit.

He allows us to "see" what's in our "blind spot."  The Holy Spirit will steer our: 

• will
• emotions
• conscience
• heart

The result: 

A soul completely transformed from the inside out.

According to the apostle Paul in Ephesians 6:14 we need to have on our breastplate of righteousness to guard our heart, so we can be transformed, not allowing the enemy any access to our heart.

We learned that the heart is the hub of our soul.

The enemy is after our heart.  "If he can get access to our heart, he has access to our mind, will, emotions and conscience."

The enemy wants to set up strongholds in our life.  These strongholds stand against the knowledge of God.

We can stand firm against the schemes of the enemy.

Priscilla ended with this statement:

"keep the airways clear between us and God, have our spiritual radar peaked and ready to pick up on divine frequencies and hear God's Word for our lives."

Next week Session 4: "Reflective of His Heart"

Priscilla Shirer Session 2: "Discerning the Voice of God"

Welcome to Session 2 of Discerning the Voice of God.  Priscilla's teaching: The Holy Spirit, was captivating and challenging to all of us on this great adventure in God's Holy Word.

Her opening statement was "make sure you're doing what God has called you to do. Look for that 'well-done.'"

She talked about our front line, our assignment or mission. For each of us, it will look different than someone else. Priscilla said "to know what the front line is for your life, you must hear the voice of God."

Our example, Jesus Christ, only did the will of His Father and nothing else.  

For us, we spend too much time "doing the good thing that when the God thing comes, we don't have enough energy left for it."

Jesus spent time with the Father to know His will, so must we.

Matthew 17:5 talks about the transfiguration.  The Father spoke from Heaven saying "this is my beloved Son....listen to Him."  The key word here is listen.

A personal relationship with Him includes a two-way conversation. "He gave all to have a personal, one-on-one relationship with us."

• Six different trials
• Brutal whippings
• Beatings
• Mockings
• Crown of thorns driven into His skull
• Hung Him high, stretched Him wide, hung His head, died

He didn't just give us salvation, but also gave us the Holy Spirit, a gift given to us.

The Holy Spirit is the primary way that we hear from God, Priscilla said.  We looked at Ephesians 1:13-14a (ESV) where it says "when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit who is the guarantee".....

Sealed means:

• to mark
• to certify
• to enclose with a seal
• to authenticate

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity with glory, grandeur and the power of the Father.  Since he lives in us as well, we have the glory, grandeur and power of the Father.

The Holy Spirit is our down payment.  With the Holy Spirit's seal in our life, He is our pledge.  Priscilla said "everything He has promised He will do."  The Holy Spirit gives us"the privilege to tune in to divine frequencies."

Every human being - saved or unsaved - is made up of three parts, Priscilla shared: Body. Soul. Spirit.

Body: physical world, 5 senses.

Soul:  mind, will, emotions.

Spirit: the real you - designed for connection with God.

It's the Holy Spirit that regenerates us. "He becomes the cable, the network, so we can have relationship with God and hear from God."

"If the Holy Spirit lives in you, you haven't changed, you have been exchanged."

Priscilla encouraged us that "relationship is the prerequisite for recognition of God's voice."

We then looked at Ephesians 1:17-20 (ESV).  The main words in these verses are:

• spiritual wisdom (v.17)
• revelation (v.17)
• knowledge (v.17)
• know (v.18)

Paul is asking God to give the Ephesian believers a revelation of the gift that they have.  

Cooperating with the Holy Spirit is essential.  We cooperate by yielding and surrendering.

Priscilla also said that "external signs will not be the primary way we hear from God, but will confirm the leading of the Holy Spirit."

Our soul is also comprised of our conscience as well.  It is not the voice of God.  "Our conscience is shaped upon the way we were raised, and the environment we were raised in."

The goal of the Holy Spirit is to sanctify us; mold us to look more like Christ.  The Holy Spirit will seep out into areas of our life and our unregenerate conscience the moment we are saved, Priscilla shares.  "He shakes our conscience awake to be more aligned to God."

"When we feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit, take note of the conviction."

Priscilla gave us the red light, yellow light, green light conviction analogy:

• Red light. His way of saying STOP.
• Yellow light of dis-ease means WAIT.
• Green light of ease and peace is His way of saying GO.

The apostle Paul confirms this connection with our conscience and the Holy Spirit in:

• Romans 9:11 "my conscience bears witness with the Holy Spirit.
• Acts 23:1 "I have lived my life with a good conscience before God."
• 2 Timoty 1:3 "I thank God whom I served with a clean conscience."

Priscilla also stated that the way we can distinguish God's leading through our conscience in our life is this: "your own voice, your own thoughts, your own subconscience will try to convince you, argue with you, rationalize, work to try and get your mind and your heart to cooperate, but God's voice has authority."

He will never say anything to us that is outside the boundaries of His word.

In conclusion, "we yield to the Holy Spirit because He knows the mind and thoughts of God.  As we yield, we experience the abundance He has come to give."

Practice hearing God!

Next: Session 3: The Holy Spirit's Voice

Priscilla Shirer "Discerning the Voice of God" Session 1

The Girlfriend's of Faith Bible study Discerning the Voice of God session 1 - "A Proactive Stance to Obedience" was a heart-rending start to this series.  All of us experienced varying degrees of searching our heart regarding our stance of obedience.

To begin, Priscilla Shirer reminded us that trends come and go but what never changes is the "timelessness of our God."  Our God is not transitional. He does not change.

She spoke about the things we can definitely count on about our God.  The things that still matter:

• Prayer 
• Stillness
• Time spent in God's Word to renew our mind
• Faith is still the shield of that extinguishes the flaming missiles of the evil one
• Jesus is still the only mediator between God and man
• Obedience
• Holiness 

Priscilla shared her story of the balance beam in her gymnastic class.  Before her coach would give her any further instructions, such as twists, turns, leaps, he made sure her alignment was correct on the balance beam.  She waited for his okay to continue. He would stand at the end of the beam and check her posture, making sure her whole body was aligned correctly so no injuries would occur.  When it was correctly aligned, he would then give her further instructions, the next move.

This was a powerful imagery for all of us.  Listening, obeying, waiting for the next bit of instructions.  Obedience is where it starts, Priscilla said. Aligning ourselves to the voice of God and then moving on His instructions, His commands.  The question is this, "do we really want to hear from God?  Have we postured our heart in a state to say yes Lord?"

The questions posed by Priscilla were:

• Are we off balance in any way in our life?
• Do we need to be realigned?
• Is there an area of fear, pride, ego, intimidation in our life?
• Is there an area we need to loosen our grip on?
• What keeps us from being fully engaged in obedience?

The main scriptures Priscilla used in session I were from 2 Kings 5:1-3, 9-14 and Luke 4:27.

The story refers to Naaman whose leprosy remained dormant - not fully revealed as yet - functional leprosy.  It had been hidden for many years.  She suggested to us that we also "live in a generation of functional leprosy."  We fail to highlight the leprosy that plagues our life.  It's possible to be a functional leper.

It was the captive girl in verse 3 who knew to go to Elisha the prophet.  It gave us something to think about.

In verse 7, the King tore his clothes when he read the letter sent to him by the King of Israel. "Am I God to kill and to make alive, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy?"

Priscilla suggested that when we "misplace our issues onto other people to carry, who were never supposed to be God for us, we cripple them under the weight of burdens they were never created to bear."  

We must turn our eyes upward where our help really comes from -Psalm 121:1-2, Psalm 20:7.

Elisha's response:  "send him to me."  God is calling to us as well "come to me."

Priscilla concluded that in this passage Naaman's issue is pride. She said "Naaman had expectations and so do we."

• It's too simple to be supernatural - but the ordinary is the disguise of the divine
• It's too small to be big - sometimes the biggest moves of God are wrapped up in the smallest assignments of obedience
• It's too dirty to be clean

"God will get to the leprosy in our soul first before He deals with the leprosy of our circumstances."

"Go wash" was the command.  Wash in this dirty Jordan river 7 times.  A filthy body of water, inconvenient and far to go for Naaman.  But the words "I thought" appear in scripture. Naaman had suggestions:

• Damascus is closer
• There's clearer, cleaner waters there to wash in

Do we sometimes give God suggestions about how He should work in our lives, our circumstances?  

Priscilla shared that "God sometimes will have us trudge into difficult, uncomfortable places; places that stretch us, but it's the dirty that will make us clean. Just like Jesus.  He became dirty, taking on our sin to make us clean."

Verse 14 says "so he went down and dipped." Humility is the bridge to our healing.  We need to say "yes Lord, I surrender."

Session 2 will begin the teaching "The Holy Spirit."

7 Ways to Stay Connected to Your College Student

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I found this helpful article for all those who have kids leaving for college this year.  I hope this helps you with the transition:

Set up a weekly or biweekly time to video chat or plan a date when you'll visit. That way, everyone will have a specific time or date to look forward to. But don't forget that students get busy, sometimes forget, or don't always have that much to say. Don't take those missed video dates or unanswered texts personally. Hey, you may need a little "grace" now and then, too!

Support them, and yourself, with prayer. Identify other parents in your church or community who also face their child's absence from home. What a great opportunity to reconnect with parents of your child's friends apart from the context of being "your child's parents." Set aside time each week to meet, discuss issues the students may be facing, offer advice on parenting from afar, and lift up any praises/prayers/concerns you may have. Also, ask your student if she/he has anything specific that the group may pray for.

Invest in your student's intellectual interests. Take them to a bookstore to select a book on their area of study. Be aware of magazine articles, newspaper clippings or TV programs that feature their interests. If your teen wants to be a veterinarian, for example, ask your local vet for resources your student might enjoy. If you have friends that work in the profession your child would like to enter, ask them to speak with your child. When your student knows you care about more than just grades, they're more likely to focus on the learning process rather than the resulting GPA. You may learn a little something too!

Remember details of their lives. As they tell you about new friends, jot down a few things about each one so you can demonstrate your interest in the progression of these friendships over the year.

Help them keep family traditions alive. Send holiday kits complete with carving patterns for jack-o'-lanterns, cookie-baking supplies for Christmas, or construction paper and glittery markers to make Valentine cards. Not only will they be reminded of good times at home, but you'll find comfort in knowing they're carrying on those traditions with their new "family" of friends at school.

Surprise them with little gifts. Send a postcard from your hometown, a subscription to a favorite magazine, or an e-card "just because." And don't forget: College kids always love homemade cookies!

Jeremy Wallace, an admissions counselor for Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga, provided ideas for developing these tips.