We’ll start with chapter 5 today, and Wednesday lets transition to chapter 6.
LIGHT (You can download it in a PDF or download in MSWord). Please print it and post it everywhere and you allow His promises to lead you out of the shadows of doubt and into the LIGHT of LOVE this week.
Our verse for Today:
“I am the light of the world. If you follow Me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” John 8:12, NLT
Today’s Assignment:
Read chapter 5. This is a shorter chapter but oh so important!! Be sure to highlight or underline anything that resonates in your heart and journal what you sense God is showing you.
Connecting:
What are one or two things you’ve read so far in Chapter 5 that you sense God’s bringing to “light” for you? Are there verses or sentences you’ve underlined or highlighted? Click “share your thoughts” just below this post and do just that.
REMEMBER: If you are reading this via email, click here to return to my website to connect in community. That is the best part of an online study, so I hope to see you there!
This part spoke to me … “… our family of origin does not define our true identity.” Thank you for pointing that out. God made us and wants to define us. We are his.
Turning….Always turning back to Him and His Light!!! and knowing that He is using my doubts and insecurities to bring me closer to Him–more dependent on Him!!!!
What an awesome God…
In Chapter 5, Renee’s words, “Instead of waiting for God to zap us with confidence and remove our doubts, let’s ask God to use our doubts to draw us into a deeper place of dependence on Him and His promises.”
I remember so many times in my past asking God to give me confidence especially when I knew I’d be in a public speaking situation. I wish I would have prayed to be drawn deeper into acknowledging my need to be more dependent on Him instead of using Him as a “vending machine.” But now I know how to pray and move my focus toward Him.
Thank you Renee!
I agree with Judie. Focus is my hardest issue. It’s so hard, sometimes, not to focus on myself and the pain I’ve experienced. One day a friend of mine “apologized” on behalf of everyone who had ever caused me pain! It was so wonderful to hear the words, “I’m sorry,” when they had never actually been said. So, to all of you, on behalf of everyone who has ever caused you pain, “I’M SORRY I HURT YOU AND CAUSED YOU PAIN!!! PLEASE FORGIVE ME!!!!” May God continue to heal us all! Love you, dear sisters!
One thing that I kept going back to was
Changing my focus. When I focus on me I turn my focus from God and then I lose his guidance
Like most of you, I felt like Chapter 5 was written just about my life! Most of the chapter has been highlighted. I loved that Gideon told God his insecuties! I loved the reminder that “once we become daughters of the King, we have a royal inheritance that determines who we are.” The list of doubts – I have every one of them! But I loved the turning! “Turning away from self”, Turning toward God”, “Turning away from doubt”, “Turning toward truth”, “Turning away from darkness”, “Turning tward light”. I am ready to turn! I pray that we all turn toward God in all areas of our lives!
The Lord is working on my faith walk. I still struggle with my daughter and her depression and negative mind set. I adopted the verse that I am a royal preisthood years ago. I know I was set apart to serve the Lord. I refuse to live by my circumstances. Even when i’m weary I will claim the promises of my Lord. He will bring my faith to completion. I will run the race of faith just like the apostle Paul did. If I should fall I will get up again and again and again until it is completed.
Thanks for sharing Maureen. You are absolutely right taking that step of Courage and walking into Faith.
Thank you for sharing Juanita.
As I read over this chapter I could relate. People tell me God’s light shines through me. If only I would step into Faith and be in his light every day everything would be okay for me. My husband has stepped away from his Faith. At one time He used to have the strongest Faith in our family.Going to church every Sunday, Attending Bible Study, Praying at dinner time. As time goes on I have had to step up into that role I continue to pray he would find his way back into the light.
When others post the same struggles I then realize we all can benefit from one another’s stories.
I ask for prayers that one day my husband would find his way back to what he once had.. Stong Faith that did not waver.. God Bless
OFTEN God will callous beyond your limitations to do something that requires faith.It is not so much what he wants you to does what He wants to do in you, as you depend on Him. God has been giving me vision that is beyond my capabilities and courage. He Reminds me that if I empty myself of me and let God use me as his writing utensil, so to speak, He will do great things through me. I have to get my eyes off of myself and on Himor I will fall.He knew that by conquering the mminiatures he would conquerors personal enemies of fear and doubt. I find it interesting that God would put us through trials urging us to take steps of faith to rid us of our fear and doubt. When we did things that we can not do in our OWN strength we know that God can through us. If God is for us……. courage is taking a step out in faith and relinquishing our perceived control. He will bless our efforts beyond our wildest dreams if we take a step of faith. This is difficult. I Heard on K LOVE a saying that fear does not suit me as a Christian. The opposite of fear is faith. I an human and I fall. However, the milestone I spend with Him, the clearer his guidance. Becomes and if I follow Him he has got myback. If I go my oOWN way he allows me to fall, like the proticle son and takes me back when I am willing to listen and follow.
Probably weird to say but it is so reassuring to read through the comments and see the struggles everyone is having. I have been on this journey to really deal with my insecurity over the last year. Through counselling when my marriage was struggling and my husband told me he was leaving last year, I realized my own behaviours when I feel threatened emotionally and how that impacts others. I always doubt that God can really use me and my experiences for Him and it makes me feel so much better to know that there are others who are sucked into insecurity as well. Sometimes we walk through life thinking we are the only ones who don’t have it together!
God Bless!
Hey everybody! I underlined two things while reading (and as I am going through a trial – these must be relevant to it): 1) “I had created the shadow by blocking the light” and 2) “We were not designed to block the light or to be the light”
When I reflect on these two lines and having the talks with my church campus coordinator, I have learned that maybe I am getting in God’s way. That I need to trust in God completely. A few weekends ago, as I was praying to God and asking Him, “Are Your sure?”, He answered (clearer then ever before), “Trust in Me”. I could not believe I was hearing His voice but quickly said “Okay, God”. Along the lines of not blocking the light (my trial involves a true reconciliation with my ex-husband who has lost his way with God), I realized that my confidence had been shattered by the words and actions of my beloved. I had placed my confidence in him instead of Him. God is using this trial to remind me of His ultimate goal for me which is He, Himself. And I am living my life to share the light that is within me.
I am not to block the light from myself or others and I am not the light but rather a vessile to share the light.
I ask all you prayer warriors to pray for my love to turn his heart to God again. This man once told me that he needed Jesus everyday but now questions the foundations of Christianity. I love him. Although he does not understand, I know one day he will. Our marriage will not be restored wholly until he turns to God and places Jesus in the middle of his heart. Thank you friends! Praise to God for showing me how to depend on Him and showing me the way!!!
Praying, Juanita! Father God, we lift Juanita and her love to You. Thank You that Your love for both of them is great and deep. Please strengthen Juanita in her inner man to maintain her stand for her and her husband and their relationship. Please silence the lying voices around her love and let TRUTH abound in his heart. We pray for a restoration of his relationship with You and then with his wife. Please continue to grace Juanita in this part of her journey. May Juanita’s love be a great example to her love and his heart be turned to God once again. We bind the enemy over this couple in the Name of Jesus. Amen!
Thank you for what you shared here, Juanita. Thank you for reminding us that we, all too often, block the light and get in God’s way. We, indeed, must lean into and on Him. God bless you richly!