December 23, 2024

Lord, Teach Us to Pray – Week 12

December 15, 2012 by

Today we are finishing the series entitled Lord, teach us to pray!

Do you ever cry out with that same desire as Jesus’ disciples did — ”Teach {me} to pray”?

Each Saturday over the last few months, we have been intentionally pursuing asking the Lord to do just that—teach us to pray. I believe that, as we have looked at learning how to pray through the Scriptures, we have developed the heart of daughters who delight, yearn, love to pray to their Father!!!

Jesus was asked this important question by His disciples. One of the places that it is recorded is in Luke 11, verse 1: “Then He was praying in a certain place; and when He stopped, one of His disciples said to Him, Lord, teach us to pray….”

Listen to the words that He spoke to them when they asked:
Pray, therefore, like this:
Our Father
Who is in heaven,
hallowed (kept holy) be Your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven (left, remitted, and let go of the debts,
and have given up resentment against) our debtors.
And lead (bring) us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
Amen.
Matthew 6:9-13

The first week, in this series, we focused on the very first, and most important aspect, of Jesus’ instruction—addressing God Almighty as “Our Father….” We found that He wants to be our Father…our Abba Father!

The second week, we looked at the very next aspect of prayer that Jesus deemed of importance—“Who is in heaven.” This attribute tells of the utmost importance of God Who is in heaven. And we also were reminded of an awesome promise from God, that we will dwell for all eternity with Jesus and our Father, Who is in heaven.

Then we came to the third aspect, as we followed Jesus’ instruction,— “hallowed (kept holy) be Your name.” And we looked at five examples in the Scriptures where Almighty God is described as holy: we saw the Psalmist proclaim that ‘You are holy’…that the prophet Habakkuk called Him ‘my Holy One’…that Isaiah saw in a vision God seated on His throne with the seraphim proclaiming ‘holy, holy, holy’…that Jesus our Lord prayed ‘Holy Father’…that one of the seven angels praise Almighty God saying ‘You Who are and were ‘O Holy One.’ What a privilege that our Father…Who is in heaven…would allow us to come before Him and call Him ‘holy!’

After that we looked at the next aspect of prayer that Jesus deemed important—‘Your Kingdom come.’ We considered the question, “What is the Kingdom?” by focusing on just two ways to understand what Jesus meant. The first connotation that “Kingdom” has refers to the eternal Kingdom. And then to understand “Kingdom” in another way, we looked specifically at Matthew chapter 13 where Jesus spoke in parables and used tangible examples to help His disciples (and us!) to understand the importance of having the Kingdom established in our hearts. He wants you and me to be in that Kingdom along with Him.

Then the following week we focused on another aspect of Jesus’ instruction: ‘Your will be done.’ It is Almighty God’s will that we are to be concerned about…not our own. We considered scripture after scripture and saw our Lord’s constant example of desiring not His will but His Father’s. If it were ever possible for anyone to justifiably state and act on their own will, it would have been Jesus; true? Jesus always desired His Father’s will, always sought His Father’s will, always purposed to know His Father’s will so that He always did His Father’s will. And what did we find was His Father’s will?—salvation and redemption through Jesus Christ.

And the next week we studied the phrase ‘Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven’ from the perspective of our Lord’s life and ministry. We read that Jesus came down from heaven not to do His own will but to do the will of His Father on the earth. Jesus was always the perfect example to His disciples. He simply and clearly taught His disciples (and us!) to do always seek to do the same.

The following week we considered the phrase, “Give us this day our daily bread.” We recognized that Jesus IS the ‘bread of life.” We clearly saw Jesus’ heart of compassion, wanting His disciples (and us!) to live forever by partaking of the Bread of Life. We also looked at Jesus’ instruction that if they would pray, “give us this day our daily bread…” they would be humbly acknowledging that their heavenly Father already KNEW what their needs would be that day.

Then we focused on the next direction Jesus gave as He taught His disciples (and us!) to pray. It is the request to “…forgive us our debts.” We looked first at the record where Peter asked Jesus how many times did he need to forgive? Jesus answered him, ‘I tell you, not up to seven times, but seventy times seven!” Nothing has changed. We, too, are to forgive “…seventy times seven…” (In other words, just keep on forgiving!) Then Jesus gave further clarification and direction to Peter and the other disciples. He held nothing back in communicating that forgiveness, or the refusal to forgive, is an issue of the heart. God through Christ has forgiven us for SO much! And He compassionately, mercifully, and lovingly, continues to forgive us as we repent and ask.

We looked next at His direction to His disciples (and us!) to ask our Father to “lead us not into temptation…” Of great importance is to remember that God does not “tempt” anyone (James 1:13, 14). And in Matthew 4:3 we clearly saw that THE tempter is satan, our enemy. We are not alone in handling temptation. He understands and has shown us how to handle satan’s tempting. We saw Jesus’ great example in Matthew 4:1-11. His response—the very thing that kept Him from being tempted—was the truth of the Scriptures. Jesus replied to satan each time with “…it is written….” We, too, can have the assurance of the truth of the Scriptures when our enemy tries to tempt us.

And then we focused on the final instruction Jesus gave to His disciples (and us!) as He taught them how to pray–“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” These two phrases are to be understood together in their context. Jesus clearly stated that not only did they need to recognize temptation but also recognize that they could not ‘handle’ it on their own—they needed to pray for God’s deliverance. One portion of Jesus’ prayer (in John 17) includes asking God “keep and protect them from the evil one,” and also Jesus praying for “…all those who will ever come to believe in (trust in, cling to, rely on) Me.” THAT IS US! You and me…mentioned in Jesus’ precious prayer to God! Our reliance on our heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus (seated at His right hand) gives us the ability, the strength to be delivered from evil.

Now, the phrase we studied last week was ‘for Yours is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever.’ In Jesus’ teaching His disciples (and us!) to pray, He began and ended with praise. Praising God should be a part of all of our communication with our heavenly Father but especially in our prayers. Jesus made sure that His disciples (and us!) knew that God was to be glorified and praised! His final point to them (and us!) when they asked Him to teach them to pray was the importance of praising and glorifying God.

_____

And, finally, we come to Jesus’ very last word as He taught His disciples (and us!) to pray—“amen.’ In the Hebrew language, ‘amen’ simply is an affirmation, a recognition of truth, “so be it.’

I read a quote that impacted me greatly, and I would like to share it with you.  “The word “amen” is a most remarkable word. It was transliterated directly from the Hebrew into the Greek of the New Testament, then into Latin and into English and many other languages, so that it is practically a universal word. It has been called the best known word in human speech. The word is directly related—in fact, almost identical— to the Hebrew word for “believe”  (amam), or faithful.  Thus, it came to mean “sure” or “truly,” an expression of absolute trust and confidence.”*

But equally important, I think, is to put yourself in the sandals of the disciples. Think about it for a moment…. Here they are with their Master. Throughout the months that they have spent with Him, they have seen Him pray all along. And finally, one of them blurts out, “Lord, teach us to pray!” And so, as we have seen, He takes them step-by-step through a series of instructions; helping them to have the right heart attitude towards God when they pray.

That, truly, is what this instruction of our Lord’s is all about—having the right heart…not the perfect words…not a ‘method’ of praying. But rather to approach our Father God with humility and to…

Acknowledge that He is our Father,
and that He dwells in heaven,
and that He IS Holy, Holy, Holy.
Recognize that His Kingdom will come
and that His Will will be done on earth
just as it is in heaven.
Ask for our daily bread, every day.
Deal with forgiveness,
and to give up resentment against others.
Acknowledge where temptation truly comes from,
and our need to be delivered from the evil one.
Praise Him…giving Him the honor and the glory forever!

Jesus had so much compassion towards His disciples (and us!), knowing of their need to be led in such a way that they then could pray after He left them and returned to His Father in heaven. His instruction gave them (and us!) the ability to pray on their own.

Oh. How. He. Loves. Us. So. <3
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In our study A Daughter’s Worth, we have focused this week on being ready to hear God’s voice..being sensitive to leading of the holy spirit…being prepared to wait on God…being willing to accept His answer…being confident in Who God is and His perfect provision for us. Perhaps could we say that we have been working on preparing our hearts to say ‘amen.’ Or ‘so be it!’

This week instead of a question, I believe we can confidently make the statement, ‘I, ______, (insert your precious name here) am a daughter of the Most High God, and to Him I am of SUCH worth!

 “Amen!”

* I found this quote in a number of sources (the Online Bible, Bible.org, etc.) and have quoted from the ‘The Blue Letter Bible.org;’ source unknown.

If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We’ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Please email GCH_Decaf@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information.

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A Daughter’s Worth: Week 11 / Day 5 – Be Confident of God’s Involvement

December 14, 2012 by

Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart

         and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.

  Proverbs 3:5-6

How many of you know that it is difficult to let go of certain things that concern us personally? To be honest with you, it use to be almost impossible for me to let go of anything that concerned me in any way. I use to feel like I was the only one who would be able to fix whatever needed fixing.

Well, I was busy with a process that involved the future of me and my immediate family. Although I prayed about this process and what needed to be done, I was all over the place. I did endless research; I read whatever was said about this process we were involved in. I worried whenever I submitted something, and I use to get agitated with my husband whenever he took too long completing some paperwork. Well, needless to say that we were not successful completing the process.

Things only started to fall in place once I surrendered everything, and I mean everything to God and admitted that I did not understand what is going on and need Him to direct my path.

What you have to understand is that God only wants what is best for His children. We might think that a certain person will make us happy, or if we can just get a particular outfit or whatever we are into at the moment; but God knows exactly what we need, and His plans for our lives are far more awesome than what we can ever imagine.

I was so inspired by the following scripture in the Amplified Bible. Hebrews 13:5

Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for he [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [ Assuredly not!]

Oh my, what an  awesome assurance!!!!

Girls, I want to challenge you today to be confident of God’s involvement in your lives. Know that God has your best interest at heart.

Let’s Pray:

Father, thank You for each girl who will read this blog. Thank You that we don’t have to be worry about anything and that we can trust You with our every need. We admit today that we need You to guide us and be with us in all of our endeavors.   Amen.

If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We’ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Please email GCH_Decaf@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information.

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A Daughter’s Worth: Week 11 / Day 3 – Be Prepared to Wait on God

December 12, 2012 by
Today’s blog post is brought to you by Jordan Spring.
My jaw dropped when I saw that this is my topic for the week… The Lord KNEW that I was the one who needed to write about waiting on Him! I say that because I have been in a season over the last two-ish years, a season in which I have had to wait on Him.
“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart. Wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:14
I have known since I was 13 that I loved leading worship, but it wasn’t until I was 17 that I decided I wanted to go to ministry school to pursue it. I started researching ministry schools and Bible colleges that offered classes for worship leading. Meanwhile, my family started struggling with our finances. I found a Bible college in Texas that I was really interested in, but nothing seemed to work out for me to go there.
So I was back at square one, after spending what was supposed to be the first semester of my freshman year at home, asking the Lord where HE wanted me to be. I spent an entire day on my face, praying and reading the Word. I really felt peace in my heart that He was going to reveal to me where I was supposed to go.
The next day a friend of mine texted me and told me about this ministry school in Birmingham, Alabama. I immediately looked it up on the computer and requested more information. I got a phone call the next morning from a lady on staff and when I tell you I KNEW right then that I was supposed to be there, I am not lying. I had a PEACE and an EXCITEMENT in my heart that I had not felt about the other school. I found out about the school in February and made plans to go to school in August.
I made steps toward leaving home, but because of our financial situation, I was very limited to what I could do. I also needed a car, which I knew my parents could not afford. I continued to trust the Lord, and I trusted that He would send me to school when He knew it was the right time. July came around and I just knew that it was not possible for me to go to school the following month.  Thank goodness I listened to the Lord! He blessed me in the CRAZIEST ways for being obedient to Him.
During this semester there have definitely been times when I have wanted so desperately to be in school, learning more about my calling. But I trusted the Lord. And I would have never DREAMED that He would have GIVEN me a car through a precious friend!!! And that might have never happened if I had gone to school this past August.
I am still waiting on the Lord’s timing for me to go to school. I thought that all I needed was a car in order for me to get there, but the Lord has really revealed to me that I need Him to say, “okay, GO!” So I am waiting again this semester, not because I am lacking anything, but because I know that this is not when I am supposed to be there. And I know that when I do get there, it will have been SO worth the wait because it will have God’s BLESSING and His hand will be ALL over it!!
Pray with me~
Lord, thank You for loving us enough to keep us in “waiting room” seasons, because You know what is best for us. You know when we are not ready, and You open doors when we are. I pray we never stop trusting You just because we can’t see a way out of the waiting room. You are so good.
If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We’ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Please email GCH_Decaf@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information.
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A Daughter’s Worth: Week 11 – Day 2: Be Sensitive to the Holy Spirit

December 11, 2012 by

 

I have a story to tell you and it’s not pretty.  It’s one of those stories that you really wish had never happened and you never had to own up to.  But the truth is, it did happen and it is part of my history.  Kind of like a Series of Unfortunate Events, only I was a main character and I made decisions that I knew I shouldn’t have and I paid the price for my actions.   I have to tell you so you will see how the Holy Spirit works in our lives if we let Him.

First of all, to have the Holy Spirit in your life you have to have given your life to follow Jesus.  That is #1.  Getting to know Jesus and what He expects from us is #2.  Learning to walk the walk and talk the talk is #3.  Making a mess of life and making changes to bad behavior and habits is part of #3.  Deciding that God’s way is best and that He wants what is best for me, that’s #4.  Today’s story comes in at #3 and I’ll tell you about how I learned about #4.

I have to tell you that I am a very stubborn and strong-willed person.  Sometimes that works in my favor, sometimes it gets me into trouble.  Finding that balance is where the Holy Spirit comes in.  I was raised in church and was drawn by the Holy Spirit to give my life to Jesus when I was 11.  Boy was that a hard admission to make when you are stubborn and head strong…and shy.  I knew I needed Jesus and I knew He wanted me.  I was afraid to admit it publicly because people would look at me.  My God did not give up on me and He continued to tell me to come to Him.  Finally at summer camp, during cabin quiet time, I gave my heart to Jesus.  No tears, no hysterics, no party…just obedience to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.  Peace entered my heart and calmed the inside of me.  That was pretty cool, then I had to tell my mom, and my pastor, and my church.  It’s biblical you know.  Romans 10:9 says, “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”  So after I told my church, I got baptized…in the river, the Tennessee River, just like the old songs and the movies show it.

Man, I was on fire…on the inside.  Still shy, you know.  I dug in to the Bible even more than I had before.  My favorite verse was, and still is Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;  6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.  At 12, I felt God (through the Holy Spirit) tell me of the plans He had for my life.  I asked Him questions and He answered me.  I have held those words in my heart all these years.  They are just as real today as they were when I was 12.  I am now living those plans that God revealed to me when I was young.  Never could I have known what my life would look like, or who I would marry, or how many kids I would have, or that I would be leading an online Bible study.  I had to trust that if I gave my life to Jesus, He would take care of the details.

So HERE is where I MESSED up and had a NO good, DIRTY, rotten, Horrible DAY for about a year.  :-/  I was in church, in school and everybody had boyfriends.  I felt left out and really wanted a boyfriend soooo bad.  I prayed for a boyfriend, ANY boyfriend to make me feel special and show the world that somebody wanted me.  I was getting attention from some boys, but none that I really liked or thought would be a good choice.  I got really tired of waiting for the person God was preparing for me and decided to take a risk on a “bad boy”.  Well, in my defense, he was the pastor’s son, he rode my school bus and he was kinda cute.  He also cussed, smoked pot on said school bus and didn’t do his homework.  He and his buddies got into all kinds of trouble, but he liked ME.  HMMMMM, what’s a good girl to do?

So back to #3.  I got distracted from walking the walk, because the talk I was talking was not good.  I let this relationship with the boy distract me from the plan God had for me.  I got in trouble at school.  I lost some friends.  I got two In-School suspensions and one 3-day unpaid vacation that my parents were not thrilled about.  (sarcasm here)  I’m surprised they let me live.  It was a close call in my house for a while.  My sophomore year of high school is one I wish I could get a do-over, or take a HUGE eraser to and wipe it from my history.  I can’t erase it, because it brought me to #4, “Deciding that God’s way is best and that He wants what is best for me”.  I had to learn the hard way and some of you do too.  Maybe I went through that way back then so I could share it with you today.  DON’T DO WHAT I DID!

Ava tells us in today’s lesson, “When you focus on God, the Holy Spirit goes to work.”  Try really hard to get your heart focused on God.  Push out the distractions and listen for the Holy Spirit to speak to you.  Just because I messed up at 14, I didn’t erase God’s plan that He gave me when I was 12.  He didn’t throw me away because I made a bad decision, or several bad decisions.  He loved me and drew me back to Himself and taught me to walk the walk.  I’d like to say that was the only mistake I made in my life, but it’s not.  It is however, one that I was embarrassed to talk about for a long time.  Now it is part of my love story with Jesus.

LET’S PRAY: 

Heavenly Father, Thank you for loving us enough to let us make our mistakes, correct our path and give us a job that brings glory to YOU.  Forgive us when we mess up.  You know we are going to mess up and need you to come to our rescue.  Thank you for picking up the pieces of our heart and putting it back together.  We love you, Father and want to bring you all of us to use any way you want.        AMEN

Much Love,

Mama T <3

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If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We’ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Please email GCH_Decaf@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information.

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A Daughter’s Worth: Week 11/ Day 1 – Be Ready to Hear God’s Voice

December 10, 2012 by

Phil 1_9_10

The first question Ava asks us this week is have you ever heard the voice of God.  When I was your age I don’t think I ever thought God had a voice.  I surely never heard Him talk to me.  For as much as I prayed to God I never thought of it as a communication; one in which God would actually talk back to me!  As I grow in my relationship with God my favorite moments with Him are when He is talking to me.  Do you believe God talks to us?  Have you ever thought what His voice sounds like?

I have come to find out that His voice sounds like a powerful song full of God’s truths.  His voice sounds like scripture found in God’s living Word.  His voice sounds like my mother, sister, or godly friend who speaks God’s truth and encouragement to me from time to time.  His voice sounds like my grandmother’s letters to me.  All of the ways he talks to me have one thing in common.  God’s voice is found in His truth.  There are lots of things in this world that are filled with God’s truth we just have to open our eyes, ears, and hearts to them.  God’s voice is found differently to everyone, but when you find it you will hear the same thing, His truth!

How do we go about opening up to hear from God?  I just recently have figured this one out, and I continue to learn as I spend time with God.  It is all about the relationship that we have with God.  When I was your age I did not understand what having a relationship with God was.  When I found out that God desired to have a relationship with me, it changed my life!  When I started embracing the relationship I could have with God, I started to open my heart, eyes, and ears to what the Bible had to say about this relationship.  I started knowing God as my God and not just as a God.  I also found the truth of what this relationship is like through lyrics in a Christmas song by Amy Grant.

Fragile finger
Sent to heal us
Tender brow prepared for thorn
Tiny heart
Whose blood will save us
Unto us is born
Unto us is born

I have heard this song over and over again for the last 10+ years, never feeling my heart ever so gently touched by the sound of these words. Last year when I heard these lyrics for the first time in the Christmas season I actually shed a tear knowing the Lord was speaking to me through these words. How beautiful, how precious is our Savior. Tiny heart whose blood will save us and it has, and it will forevermore. How blessed I am to have accepted such a sacrifice. I thank the Lord for bringing me to the point where I am today; as hard as it was. I am to the point where I understand that I will never fully understand the depth of those words, the pain and love behind every one of them.  Have you accepted the beautiful sacrifice of Jesus’ blood?  Are you living in a personal relationship with God?

Are you wondering what a relationship with God looks like?  The relationship itself is different for everyone but there is one factor that is the same with everyone-God.  The only places we can go to find out who He is and what He is like is in the Bible or in praying to Him.  The more time we spend with Him the more we are ready to hear from Him.  When we believe who God is, when we are confident in His truths that is when we are ready to hear from Him!

Really think about how amazing it would be if you could hear from God all of the time.  Wondering what you should do about a situation in your life?  Wondering what is right and what is wrong?  Wondering who you should talk to about this or that?  God has all of the answers for you.  He is willing to tell you what to do, what is right, and is the one we should be talking to about everything in our lives.  It may seem too good to be true.  Do we really have access to a perfect best friend?  One who will always be there for us, and always lead us towards Heaven.  It is true, we do have access daily to our perfect best friend, Jesus.

It is my prayer that you find your relationship with God.  It is my prayer that you desire to hear God’s voice in your life, daily.

Philippians 1:9-10 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,  so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.

Think about where you need to hear God’s voice in your life.  What are you unsure of or needing answers for?  Do what the Bible tells us to do, grow in Christ’s love gaining HIS knowledge and HIS depth of insight so that you may be able to hear HIS voice in your life!

Let’s Pray:  Lord, I thank you for the privilege we have in prayer.  We get to communicate with the creator of the Heavens and the Earth.  Even better, we get to hear back from you!  Thank you for guiding us and speaking to us exactly what we need to hear.  I ask that the hearts of these girls are open to accepting your love and voice in their life.  We thank you for the relationship we have with you!  We love you so much, Amen!

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If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We’ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Please email GCH_Decaf@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information.

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A Daughter’s Worth: Week 11 – Fulfilling Your Purpose

December 9, 2012 by

Week 11 — Fulfilling Your Purpose

Did you know that you, yes YOU, were created to do good things for the Lord, for such a time as this?  Ephesians 2:10 tells us, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago”.  God knew before you were even born that you would do good things!  He already had those things planned out before you were even thought of!  Isn’t that something to think about?!?!

So how do we know what those good things are that He has planned for us to do?  It starts by seeking Him first.  Being ready and willing to seek Him, to hear Him, and to follow Him.

This week in Week 11, that’s exactly what we are going to talk about….”How do I fulfill the purpose God has for me?”  So let’s start by looking at our Reading Assignment for this week.  If you are behind on the study, I would encourage you to catch up as quickly as possible.  This is really going to be an amazing chapter this week!

READING ASSIGNMENT:

Monday, Day 1: Be ready to hear God’s voice

Tuesday, Day 2: Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit

Wednesday, Day 3:  Be prepared to wait on God

Thursday, Day 4: Be willing to accept “yes” or “no”

Friday, Day 5: Be confident of God’s involvement

And then Saturday, Coleen will have Week 11 about the Lord’s Prayer!  This has been an awesome series!  I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have!

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And now a word from Morgan:

Hey Girls,

Hope you have been a awesome time in this study!  This next week is all about fulfilling our purpose on Earth, which I know may sound strange to some of you, but we have a purpose we were put here on Earth for a reason. Which to me blows my mind, this week we will be talking about how we need to listen to God when He talks to us, And that we also need to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, and follow His lead.

We will also talk about just being confident that God is at work in us, and to also be willing to hear “Yes” or “No” from Him, which is hard at times, but I know that over this next week we will grow closer to God, and listen to His Call for our lives!

Have a Blessed Week Everyone!

Christi & Morgan

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If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We’ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Please email GCH_Decaf@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information.

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A Daughter’s Worth: Week 10 / Day 5 – Reach Non-Believers Around You

December 7, 2012 by

Prepare your hearts

As we come to the end of 10 weeks, we have been discussing how to tell your story to others, how to keep your life clean, continue to grow, and how to influence your younger ‘sisters’. That is a lot for some to do. Don’t feel overwhelmed though, you have a great resource to help you through all of this, God and His word, the Holy Bible, and your friends. Now it is time to discuss how to reach the non-believers.

Was there someone in your church or family that you looked up to? Did she talk to you every week, or maybe everyday at school? Is there someone who looks up to you? Ava gave us a check list as an indicator as for living our lives. Here is just a couple: Do you pray for unbelievers to see God, do you invite them to church? The list she gave was not all-inclusive but a good way to gauge where you are in your walk.

When we read about Paul’s situation in Acts 26: 15 And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16 But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, 17 delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you 18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.(ESV)  This is a high road for anyone to follow, let alone Paul.

You see, Paul was a Pharisee, a man who was chosen to STUDY the Jewish laws and customs. A Rabbi never chose anyone to mentor unless that young man had potential. Paul was ready and willing to prove his love for the Jewish people no matter who he hurt in the process. While on the road to Damascus, Paul had a divine meeting with Jesus in a very unique way. Paul was blinded by a bright light. He could not see, but he could hear. Those with him probably did not hear what was being said to Paul, but could hear Paul Jesus speaking. Paul was told, as it is said above, to preach the good news of salvation to the Gentiles, that they may receive forgiveness of sins.

We should never assume someone is saved just because they go to church. Just because we sit in a church every Sunday, this does not mean we are saved. We are saved by asking Jesus into our hearts, professing Him as Lord of our life and following Him. In order for us to witness fully to our friends we need to do 4 things:

1) read God’s word daily and pray. Ask God for those moments when we need to share our story with someone. Maybe write out a short version pf your testimony and then write out one for when you have more time to sit and explain why it is important to have that relationship with God.

2) Pray about specific non-believers that you know and ask the Holy Spirit to be with you when you are sharing.

3) Speak from your heart and share what God lays on your heart to share.

4) Know that the Holy Spirit is there with you, praying you through and giving you the confidence to share.

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We need to prepare our hearts in order to share effectively with others. Ask God to reveal places where forgiveness is required and ask how to receive or give forgiveness. Do you need to rededicate your life to God? Then do it, you will reap such huge benefits. Now Ava asks that you think of 3 people whom you will pray for regularly for the right opportunity to share what God has done for you and how living in His perfect will has made a huge difference in your life.

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Let’s pray:
Father, we come before You asking that Your Holy Spirit reveal in us places where forgiveness needs to be given in order for us to share Your love, grace, and mercy with others. Lord use me as Your mouth piece even when it is scary. Help me to slow down and listen to Your prompting and help me see God opportunities as they appear. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen!

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For the A Daughter’s Worth Online Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. You can order the book right through our website from clicking the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage.

If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We’ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Please email GCH_Decaf@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information.

 

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A Daughter’s Worth: Week 10 / Day 4 – Influence Your Younger Sisters

December 6, 2012 by

I grew up in a house with two sisters and I was the oldest. Boy was that interesting! It was a little stressful at times because my mom and dad always made sure to remind me of this one very thing, “Tonya you are the oldest and you should always set a good example for your younger sisters.” I heard it so much that it became a part of who I am today. It’s not saying that I have never did anything wrong, because I have…who hasn’t? But I have always strived to set a good example for my sisters, to be a good role model for them.

I can remember a time when my parents allowed me to babysit for the first time. My two younger sisters were my guinea pigs. Well they decided that they wanted to play softball in the house…now why on earth did they want to do that when we had a lovely backyard?  Well, the inevitable happened…my parents’ new china cabinet, glass window was broken! I asked who did it and of course, they both yelled, “Not me!!  🙁 Well, when my mom and dad got home and my mom saw the crack, she was angry! She asked the question that ALL parents would ask, “What happened? Who broke it?” Well, I honestly didn’t know, but because I was left in charge, I took the blame and the punishment. My sister has told me that what I did that day showed her how much I loved them and she wanted to follow in my footsteps.  When we got older, she said that it reminded her of what Jesus did for all of us when we sinned.  Jesus knew no sin, but yet He died on the cross for us. That is LOVE!

Girls, you can be a positive role model for your younger sisters, as well as your younger relatives and friends. They are watching you, so be careful what you say, what you do, and how you interact around them. You can make a difference in their lives, which brings me to my next story.

1 Timothy 4:12

Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

My sister, who is two years younger than I, used to follow me to a ministry called Young Life, every Tuesday after school. She wasn’t old enough to go, but my leader allowed her to tag along. She followed my every move. I didn’t know it then, but I know it now. She decided one of those days after sitting through numerous Club Talks that she wanted to know Jesus for herself. She had been following my on my heels and watching me, and when I accepted Christ, renewed my walk with Christ, it was then that she followed me up to the stage and put her hand in Jesus’ hand and she has been walking and working for Him ever since. I am so very proud of her!

I would hate to think what her life would be like now, if I had not been a positive influence in her life :-/ What an AWESOME God we serve!

Girls, whatever you do…live your life as if Jesus is watching you ALL the time, which He is!! Be the same person when people are watching and when they are not…that my girls is called Character.

Let’s Pray: Heavenly Father please help the girls to know that You are always watching them and so are their younger sisters (biological and spiritual). Remind them to be the young women that You have designed for them to be. Remind them that little eyes are watching them. In Jesus Christ name I pray. Amen.

Love, Tonya

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For the A Daughter’s Worth Online Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. You can order the book right through our website from clicking the sign-up form button located at the top of our webpage.

If you are interested in joining us in our GCH: decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We’ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Please email GCH_Decaf@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information.

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A Daughter’s Worth: Week 10 / Day 3: Continue to Grow

December 5, 2012 by
GodIsntFinishedWithMeYet
Today’s blog is brought to you by Jordan Spring!
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I was saved when I was 5 years old. FIVE. And to be honest, I don’t remember much about that day- other than what my mom has told me. From five years on, I had a real relationship with God. I trusted Him to provide my every need. I drew near to Him in the difficult days. I knew He was who He says He is.
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I continued to grow in my understanding of what it meant to be a believer, and as I grew in that, my relationship with Him grew. There were times when my relationship with Him felt dry and stagnant. Each time I was in that place, I would ask the Lord how to grow or what was standing in between us, and He would always reveal it to me. Sometimes the thing that stood between us was a person, a hobby, or a lie I had believed. Sometimes I found those things painful to let go of, but it is ALWAYS so much better to grow in my relationship with the Lord than to hold onto something that is harmful to it.
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“He who began a good work in you will be faithful to carry it on to completion.” Phil. 1:6 ~He is continuing the work He began in us by showing us the areas in which we need to grow!
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I have grown SO much over the past few years. The Lord has allowed me to experience circumstances where my need for Him was so great that I couldn’t even face the day without clinging with all of my strength to Him. I don’t EVER want to be in a place where I feel that there is no need for Him. Even when we discover what our purpose is, we need HIM to give us the strength to walk it out. Even when things look like they’re exactly how we want them, we should be praising Him and thanking Him. We need Him, in those times, to remind us not to set the good things above Him in our hearts. My prayer is that I would never stop learning. My prayer is that I would never stop falling in love with Him.
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Lord, thank You for wanting a relationship with us! And thank You for loving us enough to tell us when we need to lay things down. I pray that we would never stop growing. Lord, continue to teach us more about You and more about who You have created us to be. Amen.
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God’s Blessings,
Jordan
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For the A Daughter’s Worth Online Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. You can order the book right through our website from clicking the sign-up form button located at the top of our webpage.

If you are interested in joining us in our GCH: decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We’ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Please emailGCH_Decaf@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information.

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A Daughter’s Worth: Week 10 / Day 2 – Keep Your Life Clean

December 4, 2012 by

 

I talked to my girls about some of the names girls get called when they try to live out their life for God.  I added a few ‘old school’ words I heard when I was in school, too.  Things haven’t changed so much.  See if these look familiar:

Teacher’s Pet                                       Party Pooper                                        Weak

Goodie 2 Shoes                                   Kill Joy                                                  Stuck Up

Know It All                                           Buzz Kill                                                Goody Goody

Nerd                                                      Lame                                                  Add Yours Here

When people think about you, what kind of words come to mind?  I look over this list of words meant to hurt and cause peer pressure.  They say these words to make themselves feel okay about the way they are choosing to live their lives, not so much about the way a “good girl” lives hers.  So look back over that list again.  Is there really anything bad on that list?  Is there anything there that would cause God to be ashamed of your behavior?  Can you bring glory to God as you live your life…even if people call you names like that?   I know you have heard the words that “Bad Girls” get called.  Think about that list.  Is God glorified if you are living a “bad girl” kind of lifestyle?

At this point in our study, we have learned what God expects of us as a Daughter of the King.  We know how to bring our earthly parents joy and we know how to make our Heavenly Father happy.  It’s time to live out our faith in God.  There may still be some bad habits we have, or some areas in our lives we need to turn away from.  Look how easy it is to change:

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.  Psalms 51:10

When your heart is clean, your thoughts will change, your actions will change, people will notice.  In today’s lesson of A Daughter’s Worth, Ava Sturgeon says, “After accepting Christ, you begin to desire the clean heart that He provides. “  Then Ava encourages us:  “Sharing Christ is so much easier when you become a living testimony.” 

For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.  Luke 6:45b

Live YOUR Faith.  It’s impossible to give away something you don’t have.  Make sure the people in your life can see the change Jesus has made.  You won’t be perfect, but you will be forgiven and can begin each day fresh and new.  Show love, kindness, compassion and generosity.  There will be a different list of words people will say about you.  Words that truly do bring glory to God, the Father and words that you WILL NOT be embarrassed by.

Before we go, I want to remind you of ways to Keep Your Life Clean:

•Put God first. This means making the commitment to seek God.

•Finding ways to be a blessing. “Being a Blessing” means taking the focus off yourself and placing it onto someone else.

•Acting right on purpose. This means treating people with kindness, respect, and patience, even those that are hard to love.  Right behavior is Christianity in action.

Let’s Pray:

Heavenly Father,  We want to bring glory to You.  We want others to see Your life shining through us.  Create in us a clean heart.  Give us the desire to remove those bad habits from our lives and live for You.  Help us to treat others with kindness, respect and patience.  Help us as we walk out our faith, especially on the hard days.  We love You Lord.  AMEN

Be A Blessing,

Mama T <3

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For the A Daughter’s Worth Online Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. You can order the book right through our website from clicking the sign-up form button located at the top of our webpage.

If you are interested in joining us in our GCH: decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We’ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Please email GCH_Decaf@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information.

Filed Under: Teens Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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