- Fervent Reading: Chapter 10, "Your Relationships"
- Bible Reading: Philippians 2:1-15, Colossians 3:12-17
"If I were your enemy, I'd work to create division between you and other Christians, between groups of Christians, anyone with the potential for uniting in battle against me and my plans. I'd keep you operating individually, not seeing your need for the church or tying yourself too closely to its mission. Strength in numbers and unity of purpose…I would not allow things like these to go unchecked."
Notes from the study:
"Mark the ones that form the inner circle around your heart…the people who are most influential in helping you stay spiritually on task and on target—people who most likely depend on you in the same way. Think of your spouse, your closest girlfriends, your accountability partners, the other participants in your discipleship group. Do you ever sense any tearing or breaking between the close bonds you share with these people?" -Fervent
- Make a list of your inner circle of friends (Start with your husband, then your closest friends, and so on, trying to keep it to under 10 people):
- Pray for the people on this list daily and fervently the way you pray for your own pressing needs and struggles. In your time of prayer, break down any walls threatening to divide you. Fight for unity.
"Prayer helps us stay focused on bigger things, on much more eternal things than the petty stuff that threatens to puff itself up beyond actual size and become some huge deal it doesn't deserve to be. In prayer we experience the kind of hard-fought peace that unties us into an army of soldiers for Christ." -Fervent
Satan often has us bickering against the people we need the most—the ones God has put into our life to help us and encourage us; the ones who need our building up and encouragement as well.
"And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more as ye see the day approaching."
Hebrews 10:24-25
"Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another."
Romans 14:19
"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful."
Colossians 3:15
"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!"
Psalm 133:1
Let's Study Psalm 133:
In this Psalm, David describes the beauty of unity among God's people. Although this unity among believers is impossible to nature, divine grace amazingly makes the impossible, possible. The "dew" in verse three is a symbol of God's power to give and renew life. To put it in very basic terms, God knows how life works best. He knows what makes relationships thrive. In ourselves and with all of our pride, we cannot know this beautiful unity in our families, in our churches. It is the presence of God in our lives that makes this possible. As we take the time to pray, to know our God, to surrender to Him, that is when He fills us with His Spirit and gives the grace for us to truly prefer others above ourselves. This unity is to God's glory and to our good. How much our lives are lacking when we are busy producing discord and division, rather than building up others through the strength we find when we go to God in prayer.
Personal Story: The other night, my husband did a few consecutive things in a row that irritated me—minor things that could have easily been overlooked—but when put together in a short space of time and on a night when I was already tired, I couldn't seem to keep the words from coming out of my mouth, "What is wrong with you?" Of course, said in a very demeaning tone. A nicer word usage, but I was basically saying, "Are you stupid?!" I quickly went to take my shower, fearing what might come out of my mouth next. As I was in the shower, a battle was going on in my head. I knew I should pray. We had just studied last week about forgiving others and this week I have been studying about fighting for our unity. But, I knew "I was right" and I knew if I prayed, God would probably tell me what I didn't want to hear. It took me to the end of my shower, but finally I found the courage (and HUMILITY!) to pray. I simply asked the question we learned last week that is the first step to humility: "Lord, what do I do?"
Before I even finished the question the Lord impressed on me that I need to go ask my husband for forgiveness because my response to him was not respectful or submissive. Then, I needed to let the children know that I was wrong, explaining to my daughters that Momma was not being submissive to Dadda as the head of the household and letting my boys know that God has made man the leader of the home and so he is responsible for the choices he makes and Momma was wrong to challenge Dadda. So, that is what I did. And, instead of a night where I would go to bed early out of anger, we made some french press coffee and were able to have a great talk, where because of my better (more humble) spirit, he felt free to share some struggles he was having at work and some things God was teaching Him. Grace restored our evening! God's way is not the easy way. We have to cut through a thick wall of pride—by His grace!—but when we submit to Him, He proves that He is the Creator and He knows how the human heart works. He knows how to renew life!
Let's study Philippians 2:
"If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,
Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 2:1-5
In verse 5, Paul points to Christ as the greatest example of selflessness. Believers are to have the same mind, or attitude as Christ in dealing with others. This verse reminds us that the exhortations in verses 1-4 can be summed up by the phrase:
"Be like Christ."
As we read further on in the text, verses 6-8 highlight the humility of Christ. "Jesus Christ selflessly and humbly did what was necessary to meet the needs of others, namely, to die on the cross as the sin-bearer. Paul's message to the saints is to have the same mindset as Christ" (RH Study Bible).
"Pursuing unity with the body of Christ flows from union with Christ" (RH Study Bible Notes: Philippians 2:1-4).
In order to be more like Christ, we have to know Him more by spending time with Him in prayer.
Today, our final lesson together brings us full circle back to where we started. To prayer. We have been focusing on the many areas Satan attacks our prayer life—our identity, fears, pressures, past and so on. All of these areas of our lives are well protected through prayer. As we learned in Ephesians, "Submit to God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you."
- Look over the Contents Page at the beginning of the book and circle the strategy you struggle the most to gain victory in. Keep your prayer card or a verse from that chapter in a key place where you can be reminded to pray often for this area of your life where Satan is attacking you.
I hope the following truths we learned on prayer will stay with you as they have stayed with me:
- The Purpose of Prayer: To proclaim God's glory
"Ultimately, all prayer is for the glory of God. The best answer He can give to any prayer is whatever answer brings Him the most glory. "For His name alone is exalted; His glory is above earth and heaven" (Ps. 148:13). "Everyone who is called by My name," He says, has been created for My glory" (Isa. 43:7).…the "glory of the Lord"—a phrase repeated numerous times in the Bible—is when God reveals a glimpse of who He is. Awesomeness on display. Visible evidence of the vast significance of His being. When He reveals His glory, He is unwrapping a measure of His identity—some of His nature, His holiness, His power, His lovingkindness.…
But watch what happens. Throughout history, throughout Scripture, we see God unwrapping additional features of His glory, revealing Himself to individuals in ways that are new and unexpected to them. Abraham, for instance, when God told him to offer his only son Isaac as a sacrifice (Gen. 22), had prior knowledge of God as Creator, as a guide, as a faithful promise-keeper. But in the context of this present challenge, God was about to unwrap a new element of His glory in a stunning display.
The Bible's reporting of this event shows Abraham's stoic obedience to what God had said: "Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering" (Gen. 22:2). But the irrationality of this divine command could not been lost to him. Isaac was the child of promise (Gen. 17:21). He was the miracle baby born to a hundred-year-old man and his ninety-year-old wife. To think, after twenty-five years of waiting, after the remarkable birth of this covenant child, that God would order Abraham now to kill him? It made absolutely no sense—the same way some of the events of your life perhaps seem to make no sense. You can't believe, as you pray, that this is happening. What is God doing?
He is thinking of His glory.
Abraham expected that God would resurrect Isaac if he sacrificed him (Heb. 11:19). But on Mount Mariah, when the angel of the Lord saw Abraham's faith, when he stopped him from sacrificing Isaac, something unknown about God suddenly clicked. When Abraham heard the rustling of a ram in the nearby brush—an animal suitable as a sacrifice in Isaac's place—God was revealing Himself vividly as Jehovah Jireh, 'The Lord Our Provider.' He had kept this part of His glory somewhat hidden until He could reveal it at the exact, perfect moment when He knew Abraham would most value it and worship Him because of it.
God could've demonstrated or shown Himself to be Abraham's provider in another way, at an earlier time. But He chose this way, and this time, so His glory would be revealed with maximum impact.
This is God's pattern. He makes His glory known progressively in your life—and through your life—from one situation to the next."
(Kendrick, The Battle Plan for Prayer)
- The Priority of Prayer: Prayer must be where we run FIRST! If a wealthy man in your town were to offer you $1,000 every morning for simply showing up at his doorstep at 6:00 am, would you be there? Of course! You know the value of money. Our God is offering us so much more in prayer—let prayer become your $1,000 each morning—the one thing you rearrange all other things around—knowing that it is prayer that will make you truly "wealthy." "In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3).
- The Power of Prayer: We learned the strength of praying Scripture, allowing the Spirit to impress the Word of God on our hearts. So, let's continue to write out our prayers and add verses to the pages. And let's hang them up in our prayer closets. While you don't have to have a prayer closet, I do highly recommend it. It will become a special, quiet place that you can run to often. The Bible does put great value on going to God in secret (Matt. 6:6). And, let's pray fervently, while living obediently.
- The Pattern of Prayer: You have to figure out what works best for you. The goal is that you are praying! If you overwhelm yourself with a journal and prayer cards and a long list of requests to the point that you never seem to have time to pray, then it's not working! Find something that works for you, that is motivating to you and grow with it.
FIRST, always remember to come into His presence with Thanksgiving. Praise leads to adoration, which is the best place to start. This is where we pause and reflect on our great God and all He has done.
SECOND, Humble yourself before Him. Your heart of gratitude should lead naturally into this, where you confess your sins and ask the Lord to "create a clean heart" in you and "renew a right Spirit" in you (Psalm 51:10).
Because I am a busy mom, I have chosen to divide up the next step, which is the asking of requests. This keeps me from getting overwhelmed and giving up:
Morning Prayers: I start my morning by praying for the things that are Pressing (today's needs, struggles, decisions) and for my Inner Circle (husband, children, very close friends and family).
Evening Prayers: My husband and I choose to do this with our children before we tuck them into bed. It ends the evening on a sweet note and also teaches the children to care about the needs of others. This is when we will pray for extended family, friends, people at church, unsaved, children of friends and family that are unsaved, etc. On Saturday night, as we look ahead to Sunday, we will pray for the pastor and other leaders, including leaders of the country and missionaries. I have a friend who puts missionary prayer cards in a photo flip album on their kitchen table and they pray for a different missionary each night before supper.
You can get as creative or be as simple as you like with this. My husband prefers to just pray for family and friends as they come to mind and as the Lord burdens his heart. He is a very caring person and often has several people on his mind throughout the day, so when he sits down to pray, it is not very difficult for him to know who to pray for. But, if you're afraid you might leave someone out, you can start a journal/list, or 3x5 cards in an accordion file where you put each family member or friend on a card and divide it up by nights. Or you can get really creative (for you Pinterest types) and have the kids make cards with the pictures of the people you are praying for. I also encourage you to at least once a week, allow the kids to pray. As you pray, you are teaching them how to pray. And as they pray, they are putting it into practice and learning that it is not just adults who can talk to God. Plus, you will be richly blessed as you hear their faith-filled, sincere prayers.
We have seen in these lessons that we have a real enemy, but we know that he has already been defeated! Let's remember to look to our powerful God in prayer every day for the strength to overcome.
"Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen."
Jude 24-25
Thank you for being a part of this Spring Bible Study! May "the Word of Christ dwell in you richly" this summer in all wisdom as you seek Him before and above all else!
-jolene
