Author: kristen from praywritegrow.com

except

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PRAY

Lord we thank you that in Christ we are victorious. Help us to live our lives as the kingdom citizens that we are. Help us Lord to see your truth today.

WRITE

READ 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

"For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you 
except Jesus Christ and him crucified."
-Paul
1 Corinthians 2:2
  • How did Paul define his testimony in this passage?
  • What did preaching point to?
  • Where did he desire their faith to rest?
  • in 1 Corinthians 2:2 he explains the basis of his message – what is it?
  • Where should we keep our focus?
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, 
let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, 
and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 
 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, 
who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,
despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrew 12:1-2
  • I think often we are so focused on our faith, that we sometimes forget where our eyes should be fixed. how does the Hebrews passage describe Jesus?
  • He is the founder and perfecter of our faith. May our eyes be ever fixed on him as we remember the sacrifice that He made for us. He now reigns in victory – and so do we.
  • Take time now to praise Him! Here is Elevations Worship – Resurrecting

GROW

Father God, thank you that you have begun a good work in us and that you will see it to completion. Help us Lord to live according to your way, and love with your love so that people can see our Savior, Jesus Christ. Lord equip us that we would do your will for your glory! Amen!

sacrifices

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PRAY

Lord we thank you that you have called us to serve you. We praise you that you have given us a clear picture as to what it means to be your follower and what that looks like. Help us Lord so that we can be a picture of your love and grace here on earth.

WRITE

READ HEBREWS 13

“Do not neglect to do good 
and to share what you have, 
for such sacrifices are pleasing to God."
HEBREWS 13:16
  • Using Hebrews 13 write a list of actions we are directed to take.
  • What has God stirred in your heart?
  • Pray and ask God if he is directing you to change or add anything to your everyday life.
  • Pray Hebrews 13:20-21 over yourself and those you love.

GROW

Father God, thank you that you have begun a good work in us and that you will see it to completion. Help us Lord to live according to your way, and love with your love so that people can see our Savior, Jesus Christ. Lord equip us that we would do your will for your glory! Amen!

parched

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PRAY

Lord we thank you that you have created us to be in relationship with you. We praise you because you love us so much that you have called us to yourself through your son Jesus Christ. Lord may we always look to your steadfast love and put our hope in you.

WRITE

READ PSALM 42

“By day the Lord commands his steadfast love,
    and at night his song is with me,
    a prayer to the God of my life."
PSALM 42:8
  • Do you ever feel spiritually thirsty? Do you ever desire more of God? Do you ever ask God where He is?
  • That is exactly what we see in Psalm 42. How does the psalmist phrase it in verse 1?
  • How is our need for God highlighted by likening it to our hunger and thirst?
  • In verse 5 The psalmist asks themselves a question – write it down?
  • What is the immediate response?
  • No matter what, our hope is in God alone! In verse 8 we see a reminder of who we are putting our hope in. Write down the way God is described.
  • El Hayyay is the “God of my life”. What does it mean to you to make the Almighty Father the God of my life?
  • Is there something that you are hungering or thirsting for more than God. Pray about it and ask God to help you make Him your satisfaction!

GROW

Tory Kelly – Psalm 42
I had never heard this song before today – but tears flowed as I listened. We need you Lord…

Lord may look to you alone to satisfy our hunger. May you fill our thirsty souls with more of you! May you be always El Hayyay – the God of our life. We are kingdom citizens – help us to remember this as you pour yourself into us through your Spirit. We need you Lord – “Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.” (Psalm 33:22) Amen….

delight

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PRAY

Lord we thank you that when we delight in you, you give us the desires of our heart. May our heart be fully yours as we meditate on your word and seek your face. Lord may our delight be in you alone.

WRITE

READ PSALM 37:4

“Delight yourself in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
PSALM 37:4

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God 
with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 
And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 
You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them 
when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, 
and when you lie down, and when you rise.  You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, 
and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 
You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."
Deuteronomy 6:4-9

"'Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 
And he (Jesus) said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God 
with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 
This is the great and first commandment.'"
Matthew 22:36-38
  • Take time to think about the word delight. Write down some synonyms.
  • We do not often think of enjoying God. Think about when you meet a good friend for coffee – you delight in the time that you spend with this dear person. You look back on your conversation, you appreciate their thoughtfulness. Do you do the same with God?
  • As Matthew 6:21 tells us -“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Where is your treasure – what do you delight in?
  • Our delight in God is directly related to our heart. As we see God direct His people as they prepare to enter the promised land – “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” – Jesus then reiterates this in Matthew 22. Where is your heart?
  • See – when our heart is delighting in God – God desires to give us what our heart desires. When our joy, treasure, satisfaction come from God… he desires to give us more of himself. What is one thing you can change or add to your daily routine to help you enjoy our loving heavenly Father?

I love to worship God and one of the ways that I enjoy God is through song. This is one of my favorite Psalms and it lead me to this song today… “But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, ‘Great is the Lord!'” Psalm 40:16

GROW

Lord as we meditate on you and your word. May we remember that we are called to delight in you. Help us today to enjoy your presence with us. Help us Lord to devote our hearts to you. May we love you Lord with our heart, soul, and mind. May we pour out our praise to you because our hearts are full of you. May our treasure be you! Alleluia! Amen!

rest

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PRAY

Lord we thank you that you are our place of rest. Help us to see what that looks like in our lives.

WRITE

READ MATTHEW 11:28-30

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, 
and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you 
and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, 
and you will find rest for your souls. 
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
-Jesus 
Matthew 11:28-30
  • We are called to pursue (2 Timothy 4:22) – write about what we are called to pursue.
  • We are called to strive (1 Timothy 4:6-10) – write about how we strive.
  • We are called to seek (Matthew 6:33) – write down what we are called to seek
  • But Jesus also tells us that we must rest in him. Take time to pray and ask God to shine a light on where you are doing your will and not His. Write down what you sense He is speaking to you.
  • Take time to carve out time to rest. Jesus desires for you find rest for your soul – in Him! Write down one way you can do that this week.

GROW

Lord we are called to do your work. To strive to honor you and to seek your kingdom above all. But you also call us to rest in you. Help us Lord to not seek your will and not our own, help us Lord to rest in your grace remembering your love is steadfast and eternal. May we each take refuge in the shadow of your wings, feast on the abundance of your house, and drink from the river of your delights (Psalm 36:7-9)

sealed

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PRAY

Lord open our eyes to the abundance of your grace. Lord help us see who we are In Christ…

WRITE

READ EPHESIANS 1:3-14

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
who has blessed us in Christ with 
every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places"... 
Ephesians 3:3
  • Using verses 3 & 4 write down what God has done for us in Christ.
  • What did God do for us in love?
  • Using verses 7-14 write down what God has done for us in Christ.
  • Who sealed you?
  • When were you sealed?
  • What does it guarantee?
  • It is awesome to see all that God has done for us in Christ! He loves us so much and desires us to be in relationship with him – to unite all things to himself. Still – there is an additional purpose for the transformation he works in us. I would note that both the beginning and the end of this passage are praise. In fact verses 11& 12 tell us, “having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,  so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.” Take time now to sing his praises – turn on your favorite praise song and give God glory! And spend time in prayer thanking Him for all that he has done for you!

GROW

Thank you Lord that in Christ we have been transformed. Thank you Lord that your grace is enough. Thank you Lord that “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” Ephesians 1:14 May our lives ever sing your glory.

strong

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Read Psalm 18

WRITE

  • Write down all the words that the Palmist uses to describe God.
  • Take time in prayer to praise him using these words.

I love this song by Matt Maher… Deliverer

GROW

We praise you God that you alone our our strength. Help us today to trust you for who you are. May we always know your hand is upon us and no situation is hopeless. But that you are our refuge, support and our deliverer. Alleluia. Amen…

masterpiece

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Thank you Lord that you have knit us together in our mothers womb. Thank you Lord that you have known us before the foundation of time and that you have numbered every hair on our head. Thank you that you know us and you see us and that when we come to know Jesus – that you never leave us. Alleluia!!!!

WRITE

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 ESV

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. Ephesians 2:10NLT

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10 NIV

  • What do you think of when you imagine a masterpiece?
  • That’s you! You are God’s masterpiece! Write a prayer of thanksgiving to God for all the special ways he has gifted you.
  • When God gave you a new life in Christ he did it for a purpose. According to this verse, what is that purpose?
  • This verse tells us that God has already planned the good works for us – we just have to walk in them. Do you see God calling you to walk in any certain way? Write a prayer asking God to reveal where he wants you to walk – how your life can glorify Him!

GROW

Dear Father God! Thank you so much that you have created us to be unique and special. That you have gifted us in special ways and you have created good works for us to accomplish in your name. Guide us Lord so that we will honor you and bring you glory with our lives. We know that “You make known to me the path of life;  in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11 – so lead us Lord that we may experience your joy as we walk in your ways.

good enough?

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Thank you God that we do not ever have to ask this question? We praise you Jesus that you alone have made us sufficient! Alleluia

WRITE

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.  For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—  but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6-8

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 1John 4:10 NIV

  • The Romans passage has several adjectives describing our condition when Christ died for us. Write them down.
  • It is so easy for us to begin to believe that we are not good enough. Or maybe just that we aren’t enough. How does the 1 John passage change that thinking?
  • God’s love doesn’t change (Numbers 23:19 & Psalm 86:15) – When you add them all up what does this show you about the relationship between your goodness and God’s relationship to you (see also Ephesians 2:8)?
  • Stop trying to be good enough – and start seeking God and His goodness. Trust in Jesus for your salvation. Trust in God’s plan. Repent (what can you leave behind today) and seek God’s will and transformation in your life. Write a prayer
  • His love is complete. His love is steadfast. His love is so great He sent his Son to die for us. The Bible is full of God’s love for us – and examples of His steadfast love and faithfulness. Jump in and look for some more.

GROW

Dear Father God, thank you ! Thank you that your love is not conditional, that it is steadfast and complete. Thank you that our salvation is not earned, but given as a gift to us. Help us lay down the lies that have plagued us, help us see only your truth and love. May this open our eyes to how we can seek and serve you each day. In Jesus Name… AMEN!

glorious

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PRAY

Oh Lord! We come before you today thankful for the gift of your Spirit in our hearts. Thank you that you do not leave us where you find us. Thank you that you transform and use ordinary people to shine your glory in this dark world. Help us to pursue you and your glory in our lives.

WRITE

READ 2 Corinthians 3:4-18

“And we all, with unveiled face, 
 beholding the glory of the Lord,
 are being transformed into the same image 
 from one degree of glory to another. 
 For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”
 2 Corinthians 3:18
  • Thinking of our study yesterday, and knowing that the Spirit is in us and at work in our lives, why are we confident?
  • As humans it is easy to believe that we don’t do enough or are not good enough. But what does this passage tell us about our sufficiency?
  • Our sufficiency is from God! Alleluia! This is the beauty of the New Covenant in Christ. Let’s make two lists… Old Covenant & New Covenant. Using verses 7-17 write down the characteristics of the two covenants.
  • Using 2 Corinthians 3:18 write down an “I” statement. Because of Christ I have an unveiled face…

GROW

What joy to know that God loves you so much that He has redeemed you and is working to transform you. Know that what Christ has done for your makes you sufficient & free! Now – live like it!

Dear Father God, thank you ! Thank you that you have lifted the veil from our eyes and hearts. Thank you that you have given us a New Covenant in the blood of our Savior Jesus Christ! Thank you for the freedom and life that gives us. Help us to live today in your sufficiency. Help us today to open our hearts as you to continue to transform us from one degree of glory to another. May our lives be evidence of you…

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