Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Ephesians & Prayer

Week 2 of the Ephesians Study with Good Morning Girls!  This week God is focusing my heart on prayer.  Here are the two main ideas God has me thinking about...


1. Praying for "Fellow Believers" constantly.  I am sorry to say that I have been convicted this week of my commitment to pray for other Christians.  Paul encourages me to not just pray for them but to "Give Thanks" for them.  And then he gives me some very direct prayer instructions that I believe I should pray for anyone in any situation.  Pray that God would give "Spiritual Wisdom & Insight" & "flood hearts with light" so that His people will grow in their knowledge and understanding of God; the hope He gives & His power in their lives.  Now that is something ALL people need!


2. Praying for Myself!  Basically, I am in need of spiritual wisdom & insight!  Daily, I need the Holy Spirit to flood my heart with light so that I can have a deeper understanding of God, the hope He gives me & His power in my own life.  


Prayer is a powerful thing...this I do know.  God is calling me to a more commited prayer life for those who believe in His Son.


Ephesians 1

15 Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere,t16 I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly,17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdomt and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.
18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.t19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Ephesians 1:1-10

I am excited to be doing my very first Good Morning Girls bible study!  For the next 12 weeks I will be journeying through the book of Ephesians but it will not be alone!  I personally think it is so neat to be part of something "BIG" that God is doing in the lives of women around the world.  Here are a few things I like about this study:


1. Simple: this study does not require a lot of time or resources.  Each day you focus on a few verses from the book of Ephesians and then you use a simple method to meditate and roll over what you have read.
2. Scripture Writing: I love to write out scripture!  It helps the word sink into my mind and heart better than just reading it.  By the end of the 12 weeks I will have copied (in my hand writing) the entire book of Ephesians.
3.Social Encouragement: that's you!  It's awesome to know that you are out there taking this same journey through Ephesians with me and that God is speaking to you too!  I can't wait to see what God is saying to His girls. 
4. God is Speaking: DUH!  He has already been speaking to me this week!

God is Speaking:
God is showing me how He loves me and that He is for me.  Here are my thoughts from Ephesians 1:1-10:

  • Do I live like a "faithful follower of Jesus"? v.2
  • Do I believe that God has "blessed me with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms"? v.3
  • Do I believe that I am "united with Jesus"? v.3
  • Do I believe that God "chose me before He made the world to belong to His Son"? v.4
  • Do I believe that I am "holy and without fault" in God's eyes? v.4
  • Do I believe that God "adopted me into His family"? v.5
  • Do I believe that God is "pleased" or happy because he adopted me? v.5
  • Do I give enough "praise" for these truths? v.6
  • Do I believe that God "purchased me with the blood of Jesus"?  v.7
  • Do I live like I am "free"? v.7
  • Do I live like one who is covered by "grace, wisdom & understanding"? v.8
  • Do I look forward to the "mysterious plan" when God will "give all authority to Jesus"? v.9
  • Do I thank God enough for His "mysterious plan"?
Wow, I certainly could not answer yes to all of these but the funny thing is that the more I focused on these verses God began to change my heart and I began to see how God sees me.  I also began to see how I want to live each day and what I will be choosing to believe.  God is for me!  Thank you God for your Word and thank you that it changes my heart!