I don't have all my notes on this study but will post what I have. It was a study that really impacted me.
Week 1:
Start off by memorizing these statements:
God is who he says he is.
God can do what he says he can do.
I am who God says I am.
I can do all things through Christ.
God’s word is alive and active in me.
I’m believing God.
State these words while holding up your hand
as indicated in the illustration.
God is who He says He is.
God can do what He says He can do.
I am who God says I am.
I can do all things through Christ.
God's Word is alive and active in me.
Say:
"I'm believing God."
using these motions:
I'm (point to your heart)
believing (point to your head)
God (point to Heaven)
“God…give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation of insight into the mysteries and secrets in the deep and intimate knowledge of Him, by having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which he has called you, and how rich is his glorious inheritance in the saints, his set apart ones… that you can know and understand what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of his power in and for us who are continually believing God.” Ephesians 1:17-19
My inheritance from God and the hope to which he has called me:
I don’t have a need that exceeds his power.
God exerts an incomparable power in the lives of those who actively and continually believe in him. (Pastor Rob says its power to lay down my life for Him).
The word of God can equip me for all my challenges. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (Find Bible verses with promises for victory in Christ in the areas I am struggling with, write them on note cards and carry them around).
Why we should believe God:
My biggest challenges right now:
Romans 4 (read every day):
What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter? If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about-but not before God. What does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
“Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.”
Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So that, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.
Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring-not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed- the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.
Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead- since he was about a hundred years old- and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness-for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
Romans 4:23-24(make an index card):
“The words ‘it was credited to him’ were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness-for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.”
Every person God created has an innate need to feel that some way exists to win. That’s what Rom. 4:23-24 is all about. God does not credit our righteous acts as righteousness: “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” Isaiah 64:6. Not our righteous acts, but our faith, our believing is counted to our account as righteousness. Believing God will eventually free me from cycles of sin. How? Believe God:
These have come so that your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 1 Peter 1:6 Faith is of greater worth than gold. Righteous acts motivated by legalism are of no value.
Romans 4 in one sentence: Even if the things God has promised in His word look impossible, I should believe continually and give glory to God, knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that He has the power to do what He has promised.
How do we do it (believe constantly in God)? We can’t come up with faith, we must get it from God and give it back to Him.
Memorize Mark 9:24 and Romans 4:23-24 (Put them on index cards)
“At once the father of the boy gave an eager/piercing/ inarticulate cry with tears, and he said, Lord, I believe! Constantly help my weakness of faith!” Mark 9:24
“The words ‘it was credited to him’ were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness-for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.” Romans 4:23-24
Week 2:
Summary: If we are going to believe God we must measure everything by the Bible and we must be willing for God to broaden our Biblical concepts of who He is and what He can do according to what we see in scripture rather than what we have been told.
God does not fit in a box. God is bigger than anything attainable by human understanding.
Oh God, you created the heavens and the earth. You are Lord and there is no other. You always speak the truth and your word will never be revoked. You do what is right and you are righteous. You are my Savior and I bow my knee to you and confess that you are righteous and strong beyond my comprehension.
Lord, please help me to examine and test my faith in order to remove any obstacles of unbelief that stand in the way of life more abundant, more adventurous, and more effective. Amen.
Why should we believe that God is who He says He is? Let’s look at the evidence.
What am I risking if I decide to surrender to a life of constantly believing God?
What am I risking if I don’t?
Or, what do I gain?
Give up certain foods
I will feel stronger
Give up eating all I want and when I want it
I will feel younger
Give up being spontaneous and wasting time instead of doing what’s on the schedule
I will have children who love God and others
Give up staying up late at night
I will look prettier
Have to exercise when I don’t feel like it
I will be healthier
Have to clean when I don’t feel like it, and observe time limits
I won’t be ashamed to have people in my home
Can’t tell the kids to work out their own character issues, have to look in scriptures for answers
Parties won’t be so stressful
Give up the comfort and energy I get from chocolate and sweets
The kids will be up to par on what they should be learning in school
The kids won’t be board
I will be pleasing myself
The kids will spend less time with video games and TV
I can let the days come as they will, without much energy on my part
I will be pleasing God, not by my acts and works, but by my obeying Him in areas of my life that He has shown me what He expects from me, and by believing Him to be more than able to help me obey in each area.
Doing things my way instead of God’s will leave me fat, tired, sickly, in a messy and dirty house, with kids that don’t love God and others, and don’t know their school subjects…so they won’t succeed in college and in their careers.
I will feel peace instead of depression
I will have to be about my Father’s work all the time… and His work for me is to eat and exercise on plan, to do flylady, to keep to the chore and school schedule, and to child train with the Bible, and to serve at Zarephath. He has shown me these things to be His work for me.
My husband and children would be happier and better cared for.
No hives
I can only show my love for God by believing constantly in Him to be who he says he is and to do what he says he can do. If I love Him, I will obey Him.
If I love my kids, I will do what’s best for them, and believing God to help me obey him in my areas of challenge will be best for them in every way.
I love my husband so I should do what’s best for him, obeying God will bring him blessings too.
Loving myself would mean doing what’s best for me and the way of righteousness is best for me in every way.
Summary: Laying my life down for Christ will mean giving up my own pleasures and will but it will mean gaining all that’s best for me, for my husband, and for my children.
Week 3: Believing God can do what He says He can do
Week 4: Believing you are who God says you are: Loved, blessed, chosen, adopted, accepted, redeemed, forgiven. Let us start behaving like people who believe we are who God says we are.
Ephesians 1:3-8: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will-to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.” Obedience comes from faith…the more we grow in faith, the more we grow in obedience (Romans 1:5).
Week 5: Believing you can do all things through Christ.
Intro: God is raising mighty warriors among His people. A mighty warrior for God is someone who uses the shield of faith (believing God), the sword of the Spirit (God’s word), and communicates with God (prayer). The 2 biggest obstacles we have are fear (what am I afraid of? Failing God?) and discouragement (meaning shattered, in depression and despair, not able to function… this is from Satan, do not accept it). God will never fail us. He will never relax His hand from holding me tightly. I need to be strong and courageous, meaning that I need to grab on to His hand as hard as I can, holding tightly to the one who has me in His grip.
Week 7:
Week 8:
`Week 9:
Week 1:
Start off by memorizing these statements:
God is who he says he is.
God can do what he says he can do.
I am who God says I am.
I can do all things through Christ.
God’s word is alive and active in me.
I’m believing God.
State these words while holding up your hand
as indicated in the illustration.
God is who He says He is.
God can do what He says He can do.
I am who God says I am.
I can do all things through Christ.
God's Word is alive and active in me.
Say:
"I'm believing God."
using these motions:
I'm (point to your heart)
believing (point to your head)
God (point to Heaven)
“God…give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation of insight into the mysteries and secrets in the deep and intimate knowledge of Him, by having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which he has called you, and how rich is his glorious inheritance in the saints, his set apart ones… that you can know and understand what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of his power in and for us who are continually believing God.” Ephesians 1:17-19
My inheritance from God and the hope to which he has called me:
I don’t have a need that exceeds his power.
God exerts an incomparable power in the lives of those who actively and continually believe in him. (Pastor Rob says its power to lay down my life for Him).
The word of God can equip me for all my challenges. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (Find Bible verses with promises for victory in Christ in the areas I am struggling with, write them on note cards and carry them around).
Why we should believe God:
My biggest challenges right now:
- Obey in my eating (sin of gluttony, fasting)
- Obey in exercising (be healthy as I can be so I can work better and for more years)
- Follow flylady (Prov. 31, busy at home… Ephesians).
- Follow school schedule (train them in the way they should go, Prov. 31, Ephesians)
- Child training (train up a child, all verses on how to treat your neighbor and on witnessing, and on leadership)
- Better menus for myself and my family (health and happiness of the family, ease in schedule)
- Getting to bed earlier (verse about God giving rest to His own)
- Taking an active part at church (verses on charity, helping the widows and orphans, etc)
- Need to grow spiritually (lots of verses on that)
Romans 4 (read every day):
What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter? If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about-but not before God. What does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
“Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.”
Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So that, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.
Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring-not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed- the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.
Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead- since he was about a hundred years old- and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness-for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
Romans 4:23-24(make an index card):
“The words ‘it was credited to him’ were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness-for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.”
Every person God created has an innate need to feel that some way exists to win. That’s what Rom. 4:23-24 is all about. God does not credit our righteous acts as righteousness: “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” Isaiah 64:6. Not our righteous acts, but our faith, our believing is counted to our account as righteousness. Believing God will eventually free me from cycles of sin. How? Believe God:
- I am forgiven
- I am beautiful to Him
- He has a purpose for my life
- I am a new woman
- I no longer have to carry my old baggage of sins or turn to old comforts
- He took my sins and made me righteous
- His all-surpassing power is in me
- I can believe Him one day at a time
- I am not that woman anymore, I get to make a different choice
These have come so that your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 1 Peter 1:6 Faith is of greater worth than gold. Righteous acts motivated by legalism are of no value.
Romans 4 in one sentence: Even if the things God has promised in His word look impossible, I should believe continually and give glory to God, knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that He has the power to do what He has promised.
How do we do it (believe constantly in God)? We can’t come up with faith, we must get it from God and give it back to Him.
- Yield to/be full of the Holy Spirit: Faith is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22). The word “faithfulness” is actually more accurately translated “faith”. The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance. When we yield to the Holy Spirit’s authority, His personality fills us and eclipses our own. When we are not yielded, we grieve the Holy Spirit and operate from our fleshly selves…He doesn’t leave us, but our faith shrinks. The more we submit to/are filled with the Spirit, the more faith we possess. The Holy Spirit is one with God the Father and God the Son and He always believes God. As He fills us, we yield to His belief system and believe God as well.
- Faith comes through hearing the word of God: I need to study God’s word for myself and hear expository teaching of others until many parts of the Word abide in me and build my faith. Romans 10:17
- Ask Christ to increase our faith: Often, we have the faith we need, but need courage to exercise what we already have. Other times we authentically require an increase to do God’s will, and He will not refuse it if we ask in Jesus’ name. Luke 17:1-6
- Ask Jesus to help me overcome my unbelief: Ask Christ every day to help you overcome any areas of unbelief. Confess your unbelief and ask His help to overcome it. Without faith it is impossible to please God, so we constantly have new challenges to believe God. Mark 9:14-25
- Grow in faith: The more we practice faith, the more faith we’ll have to practice. Feed on God’s faithfulness and the fatter of faith we will become. Psalm 37:3 (Trust/lean on/ rely on/be confident in the Lord and do good; so shall you dwell in the land and feed surely on His faithfulness, and truly you shall be fed).
Memorize Mark 9:24 and Romans 4:23-24 (Put them on index cards)
“At once the father of the boy gave an eager/piercing/ inarticulate cry with tears, and he said, Lord, I believe! Constantly help my weakness of faith!” Mark 9:24
“The words ‘it was credited to him’ were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness-for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.” Romans 4:23-24
Week 2:
Summary: If we are going to believe God we must measure everything by the Bible and we must be willing for God to broaden our Biblical concepts of who He is and what He can do according to what we see in scripture rather than what we have been told.
God does not fit in a box. God is bigger than anything attainable by human understanding.
Oh God, you created the heavens and the earth. You are Lord and there is no other. You always speak the truth and your word will never be revoked. You do what is right and you are righteous. You are my Savior and I bow my knee to you and confess that you are righteous and strong beyond my comprehension.
Lord, please help me to examine and test my faith in order to remove any obstacles of unbelief that stand in the way of life more abundant, more adventurous, and more effective. Amen.
Why should we believe that God is who He says He is? Let’s look at the evidence.
- Maker of Heaven and Earth:
- “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” Hebrews 11:3 God created us to please Him and what pleases Him is that we have faith in Him, so even the fact that He is our creator must be accepted by faith.
- “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1 God will give out all the answers in heaven, now He wants to see faith in us.
- “I am the Lord, and there is no other… I, the Lord, speak the truth; I declare what is right” Isaiah 45:18-19. He knows who He is and what He’s going to do. We do not have to defend God. The odds that the earth came into being on its own, of having the necessary conditions to support life by chance is 1 in 150,000,000,000,000,000.
- (Paraphrase) Why do you say…and complain that your way is hidden from the Lord and that He disregards your cause? Know that the Lord is everlasting and all-knowing. He never gets tired or weary. Hope in Him and He will give you strength and increase your power so that you can walk, run and even soar without becoming weary or tired.
- 2. Something from Nothing
- I believe God is who He said He is. Faith is complete engagement with God: holding on to God and His promises because we know He’s holding on to us. See Psalm 139:7-10
- Who does He say He is?
- The Author of the Word of God
- God our Creator. Gen. 1:1
- Worshiped only in Spirit and in Truth. John 4:4. He created us with a spirit.
- He is the creator of clean hearts. Psalm 51:10 “…create in me a clean heart”. We can do nothing to make our won hearts clean and pure. God creates clean hearts from nothing in response to our sincerest repentance and desire to be pure before Him. God does not form clean hearts in us with the existing materials of our righteous acts and self-disciplines.
What am I risking if I decide to surrender to a life of constantly believing God?
What am I risking if I don’t?
Or, what do I gain?
Give up certain foods
I will feel stronger
Give up eating all I want and when I want it
I will feel younger
Give up being spontaneous and wasting time instead of doing what’s on the schedule
I will have children who love God and others
Give up staying up late at night
I will look prettier
Have to exercise when I don’t feel like it
I will be healthier
Have to clean when I don’t feel like it, and observe time limits
I won’t be ashamed to have people in my home
Can’t tell the kids to work out their own character issues, have to look in scriptures for answers
Parties won’t be so stressful
Give up the comfort and energy I get from chocolate and sweets
The kids will be up to par on what they should be learning in school
The kids won’t be board
I will be pleasing myself
The kids will spend less time with video games and TV
I can let the days come as they will, without much energy on my part
I will be pleasing God, not by my acts and works, but by my obeying Him in areas of my life that He has shown me what He expects from me, and by believing Him to be more than able to help me obey in each area.
Doing things my way instead of God’s will leave me fat, tired, sickly, in a messy and dirty house, with kids that don’t love God and others, and don’t know their school subjects…so they won’t succeed in college and in their careers.
I will feel peace instead of depression
I will have to be about my Father’s work all the time… and His work for me is to eat and exercise on plan, to do flylady, to keep to the chore and school schedule, and to child train with the Bible, and to serve at Zarephath. He has shown me these things to be His work for me.
My husband and children would be happier and better cared for.
No hives
I can only show my love for God by believing constantly in Him to be who he says he is and to do what he says he can do. If I love Him, I will obey Him.
If I love my kids, I will do what’s best for them, and believing God to help me obey him in my areas of challenge will be best for them in every way.
I love my husband so I should do what’s best for him, obeying God will bring him blessings too.
Loving myself would mean doing what’s best for me and the way of righteousness is best for me in every way.
Summary: Laying my life down for Christ will mean giving up my own pleasures and will but it will mean gaining all that’s best for me, for my husband, and for my children.
- Creation’s Unfathomable Complexities
- Psalm 139:13-18 “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully (marvelously) made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the gains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.” 2 meters of DNA can be found in every human cell, each packaged with 46 chromosomes in an infinitesimal nucleus. The outstretched DNA in my body can reach back and forth to the sun about 50 times! God knew me in my mother’s womb and formed me.
- Psalm 139:1-7 “O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying completely, O Lord. You hem me in- behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” God watches me.
- Psalm 139:16 “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” He even knows the exact moment I will die and go to be with Him in glory.
Week 3: Believing God can do what He says He can do
- Permission to believe
- Summary: God still performs miracles. Usually, the more we believe God, the more we are likely to see and experience His intervening power. We believe little, so we see little, so we continue to believe little and see little. The unbelief of this generation may be the reason for the rarity of obvious miracles today. God is not offended by our requests for supernatural intervention, but pleased with our faith in Him. He is offended if we want miracles more than we want Him or if we want them as proof that He is.
- Test all you are taught by comparing it with the scriptures. Studying the word takes time, effort, and spiritual understanding but is extremely valuable for He promises that if we seek Him we will find Him. The scriptures are full of miracles. God is never less than He was the day He spoke the world into orbit. Believe that God still can and often does perform miracles. We desperately need God to show His glory and He is willing. When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth? (Luke 18:8). Let’s start believing our God. “Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known.” Hab. 3:2
- “Your ways, O God, are holy. You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.” Psalm 77:13-14 Let us be desperate for the wonders of God as in Psalm 74:9. Let us remind God of wonders He performed on Israel’s behalf and ask Him to act again.
- All shapes and sizes He is a God full of wonders. (Acts 2:22)
- He can stop the wind, flatten the sea, walk on the waves. He can heal any disease, feed any crowd, change water into wine, raise the dead, conquer the grave, walk through walls, and ascend to heaven from mountaintops.
- He did wonders, miracles and signs because:
- to offer proof that He was the Son of God,
- to reveal his glory to those who believe,
- because He saw great faith
- because He saw great need
- because He was moved with compassion
- because God sovereignly appointed it
- for reasons beyond our understanding
- Sometimes He does not intervene with a miracle in the earnestly-seeking Christian’s life because He chooses to use difficulty and suffering to complete His good work in us. Everyone suffers in this fallen world. He uses our suffering for good.
- Christ said, “Everything is possible for him who believes.” (Mark 9:23) If I err, let me err on the side of belief. The possible becomes far more probable for those who are continually believing God.
- Psalm 146, re-written as a prayer: Lord, I praise you with all my soul. I will praise you as long as I live. I will not put my trust in people for they cannot save. I am blessed for you are my helper and you give me hope. You made the heaven and the earth, the sea, and everything in them. You remain faithful forever. You uphold the cause of the oppressed and give food to the hungry. I am often hungry but don’t need any more food. Please fill me with your love and your Holy Spirit so I will not be so hungry anymore. You set prisoners free. Please set me free from the prison of living for my own pleasures instead of laying my life down for you. You give sight to the blind. Help me to see clearly the benefits of believing you always and you lift up those who are bowed down. I am bowed down with my own sins of gluttony, laziness, and living for my own pleasures. I often feel hopeless and tired, please lift me up. You love the righteous and watch over and sustain us. You frustrate the ways of the wicked. You reign forever, for all generations.
- Wonders never cease
- When nothing else could help
- Blessed are the unoffended
Week 4: Believing you are who God says you are: Loved, blessed, chosen, adopted, accepted, redeemed, forgiven. Let us start behaving like people who believe we are who God says we are.
Ephesians 1:3-8: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will-to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.” Obedience comes from faith…the more we grow in faith, the more we grow in obedience (Romans 1:5).
- A better sacrifice: “By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did.” Hebrews 11:4. Cain knew what was right. Something in his heart was vicious. He still had a chance to do right but didn’t. Cain’s offering represents every time a believer knows what God wants and refuses to give it. We are often quick to give Him other things, as if He won’t notice. Sometimes we give more in many other areas but doggedly withhold the one thing we know He wants, and sin crouches at our door. Abel presented his offering by faith.
- By faith Enoch: “By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.” Hebrews 11:5. God has testimonies to give of humanity’s faithfulness to him. Let us ensure that God has a glorious testimony to share about each of us. Enoch pleased God. The purpose of our existence is to please God. How did he please God? He walked with Him. God wants our company, walking with Him by faith. When we choose to walk with God rather than off the path to handfuls of other options, we find His perfect will for our lives, our promised land. What we need is focus, day in and day out, eyes on the goal. Our souls will be thrilled and filled in the constant discoveries in the glorious pursuit of God and His goals.
- By faith Noah: “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family.” Hebrews 11:7. He was greatly outnumbered. Every inclination of the thoughts of man’s heart was only evil all the time, and yet Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. Surroundings do not dictate character (see Adam and Eve as well). We will probably be scoffed at as Noah was. He obeyed God and built the ark even though he didn’t see a drop of rain.
- By faith Abraham: “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.” Hebrews 11:8 God often sends us out of our comfort zones. We need to obey God, even if we may not see the results for a long time to come. He sees the whole picture. If God has confirmed the direction He wants you to go, persevere and walk with Him there.
- By faith Isaac: “By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.” Hebrews 11:20
Week 5: Believing you can do all things through Christ.
Intro: God is raising mighty warriors among His people. A mighty warrior for God is someone who uses the shield of faith (believing God), the sword of the Spirit (God’s word), and communicates with God (prayer). The 2 biggest obstacles we have are fear (what am I afraid of? Failing God?) and discouragement (meaning shattered, in depression and despair, not able to function… this is from Satan, do not accept it). God will never fail us. He will never relax His hand from holding me tightly. I need to be strong and courageous, meaning that I need to grab on to His hand as hard as I can, holding tightly to the one who has me in His grip.
- By faith Jacob: “By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.” Hebrews 11:21. Jacob blessed Joseph’s 2nd born above his 1st born. It was out of the ordinary to do so and it displeased his favorite son, Joseph, to whom he owed so much, but he obeyed God and worshipped God for the privilege of doing so. If I am convinced that it is God’s will that I do something out of the ordinary and see that it may bring misunderstandings, I must remember that the consequences of my obedience are the Lord’s problem, not mine.
- By faith Joseph: “By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.” Hebrews 11:22 In scripture, “you” sometimes means an individual, sometimes the nation of Israel, sometimes the church. In Joseph’s case, he predicted God would free the nation of Israel from Egypt, not the particular people who heard Joseph say it. Lineage is of profound importance to God. Each generation is ultimately responsible to all those that follow. Each generation is directly responsible to their children and children’s children. God will hold each person accountable. The question is whether we will do our job. Regularly pray for your descendants, unwaveringly believing God to circumcise their hearts to love and serve Him passionately. If your parents didn’t do things God’s way, letting Him give you beauty for ashes, believing that God can do what He said he can do and that you can do what he said you can do.
- By faith Moses: “By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.” Hebrews 11:28. Moses had no confidence in himself, he had failed in the past, he heard God call him and resisted, he saw God perform wonders, he approached a stubborn and powerful pharaoh in obedience to God and incurred his wrath and the wrath of the Israelites…It took faith to believe God, even though his human mind could not understand how sprinkling lamb’s blood could deliver them from death, and by faith, he did it. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
- By faith the Walls of Jericho: “By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.” Hebrews 11:30. Joshua was a warrior and a worshiper long before he let the Israelites into the promised land. None of his training was wasted, nor is ours. Joshua was a battle strategist, yet God had him win the battle with Jericho by faith, not by strategy and might. Before Jericho was taken, God said it was already delivered into Joshua’s hands. Joshua looked with eyes of faith, he saw, then conquered. Imagine standing next to God before your own personal Jericho, see it through His eyes, through eyes of faith. Pinpoint what this particular Jericho may be for you. Ask God to give you insight into any Jericho that stands between you and your promised land. Then ask Him for the grace to follow him there in triumphal procession.
- By faith the prostitute Rahab:”By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.” Hebrews 11:31 Rahab was a prostitute when she believed God, then she let Him clean up her act. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8. Only faith could make Rahab and her family gather in that former brothel, hear the walls collapse and the people scream, and rely on a simple scarlet cord tied in her window to mark them for deliverance. She was accepted as one of the Israelites, married and raised a son who was kind and rescued a woman in distress (Boaz and Ruth) and was even in the genealogy of Jesus Christ! She once probably felt she would leave a legacy of shame, but by believing God, she left a godly legacy and was the salvation of her whole family.
Week 7:
Week 8:
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