Another classic we cannot miss is Abba’s Child. My own copy is heavily highlighted and we will spend two weeks here, and still only scratch the surface.
Until we understand how deeply beloved we are by God, we will crave the praise of man, becoming imposters, more concerned about our appearance than our heart. Brennan Manning said, “We may even refuse to be our true selves with God — and then wonder why we lack intimacy with Him.”
As Jack Miller contrasted the orphan to the child, Manning contrasts the imposter BS Pharisee to the child.” God wants us to lay down our masks, our deadly doing to impress others and run instead to Him in repentance and trust, confident of His reception.
My dear friend Twila grew up in a Christian but legalistic home, so easily fell into measuring her worth by how well she kept the rules or by what other believers thought of her. She fell into a very long and deep depression, wanting to die. Her counselor kept stressing that she was God’s beloved and recommended she read Abba’s Child. It finally went from Twila’s head to her heart, and this is her testimony.
Sunday:
1. Does anything penetrate your heart from the above? If so, what and why?
2. Share a time when you sensed you were indeed, beloved by God.
Monday: Man After God’s Heart
Brennan Manning never had complete victory over his alcoholism. Yet while Christians might dismiss him for that reason, God never did. Manning writes:
A “slip” from an alcoholic is a terrifying experience…when the person sobers up, he or she is devastated. When I relapsed, I had two options: yield once against to guilt, fear, and depression — or rush into the arms of my heavenly Father; choose to live as a victim of my disease — or choose to trust in Abba’s immutable love.
And he quotes Simon Tugwell:
Like runaway slaves, we either flee our own reality or manufacture a false self which is mostly admirable…and superficially happy. We hide what we know or feel ourselves to be (which we assume to be unacceptable and unlovable) behind some kind of appearance which we hope will be more pleasing. We hide behind pretty faces which we put on for the benefit of our public. And in time we may even come to forget that we are hiding, and think that our assumed pretty face is what we really look like.
3. Summarize what both Manning and Tugwell are saying.
4. David sexually abused Bathsheba, and when she became pregnant, tried to cover it up by sending her husband Uriah to the front of the battle.
A. When Joab came with the news of Uriah’s death, how did David respond? (2 Samuel 11:25)
B. What route was David taking: hiding or running into God’s arms? Why, do you think?
5. God sent Nathan the prophet with a story to penetrate David’s heart, and it did. How did David respond in:
A. 2 Samuel 12:13?
B. Psalm 51?
6. How does God describe David in Acts 13:22?
7. Is there an area of your life, a habitual sin, you are endeavoring to hide from yourself, others, or God? How does this keep you from what your heart really craves?
Tuesday: Man After The Praise of Man
8. The contrast to David is King Saul, who longed for the praise of man. How can you see this in 1 Samuel 18:6-10? Why, in light of eternity, is this a snare?
9. How, again in contrast to David, did Saul respond when God sent a prophet to confront him about disobeying his orders to destroy all the Amalakites and their animals? See 1 Samuel 15:13-23.
God loves who we really are — whether we like it or not. God calls us, as He did Adam, to come out of hiding. No amount of spiritual make-up can render us more presentable to Him.
Brennan Manning
10. The key to overcoming self-hatred and craving the praise of men is believing in our heart that no matter what, we are God’s Beloved. Take some time to meditate on the Father’s love and share what He shows you.
A. Psalm 103:13
B. Hosea 11:3-4
C. Luke 15: 17-24
D. 1 John 3:1
Wednesday: Glittering Images
Photo by Borko Manikoda
“The Imposter” is the most talked about chapter in Manning’s book. He talks about wanting to preserve his own “glittering image” at all costs.” I hid from my true self through my performance in ministry. I constructed an identity through sermons, books, and storytelling. I rationalized that if the majority of Christians thought well of me, there was nothing wrong with me. The more I invested in ministerial success, the more real the imposter became. Craving the affirmation he missed in childhood, he had “an insatiable appetite for affirmation.” He was preoccupied with his weight, crestfallen when it went up, concerned about what others would think. He was excited when other authors quoted him. He longed to be noticed by man.
11. What thoughts from the above resonate with you?
On a silent retreat with God in the Colorado Rockies, God whispered: Brennan, you bring your full presence and attention to certain members of the community but offer a diminished presence to others. Those who have stature, wealth, and charisma — those you find interesting or charming or pretty or famous — command your undivided attention, but people yu consider plain or dowdy — those of lesser rank performing menial tasks, the unsung and the uncelebrated — are not treated with the same regard. This is not a minor matter to me, Brennan. The way you are with others every day, regardless of their status, is the true test of faith.
12. What thoughts from the above resonate with you? In what ways might you be an imposter — where you are different in private than public, or give more attention to certain glittering people than to others?
13. What do the following Scriptures say that is helpful in understanding how to see others?
A. 2 Corinthians 5:16
B. Matthew 25:31-40
Thursday: Our Deepest Desire
Whether we realize it or not, from the time we are born, our deepest desire, which God put in our hearts (eternity in our hearts) is union with Him. I have always loved this quote from The Seduction of Lesser Gods by Leslie Williams:
Without realizing what we are doing, like Rachel, we sit primly on our camels, hiding our idols under our skirts, wondering why we are not reconciled to the God we profess.
Manning puts it like this:
We even refuse to be our true selves with God — and then wonder why we lack intimacy with Him. The deepest desire of our hearts is for union with God. From the first moment of our existence, our most powerful yearning is to fulfill the original purpose of our lives: to see Him more clearly, love Him more dearly, follow Him more nearly, as the old prayer says. We are made for God, and nothing less will really satisfy us.
14. What do the following psalms tell us?
A. Psalm 37:4
B. Psalm 63:1-5
15. If you truly believe the above, how might it affect how you live today?
Friday: Our Prayer Time
This quote from Abba’s Child by Jeffrey Imbach (The Recovery of Love) impacted me:
Prayer is essentially the expression of our heart longing for love. It is not so much the listing of our requests but the breathing of our one deepest request, to be united with God as fully as possible.
16. With the above in mind, how might it alter your prayer time today? Then go ahead and pray that way on your own.
1. Does anything penetrate your heart from the above? If so, what and why? Twila’s testimony Psalm 18. God pulled her up from the depths because He delights in her. That resonated with me because I have been feeling this way like she did when she was rollerblading and hit the 5th mile. 2. Share a time when you sensed you were indeed, beloved by God. God knows I love fellowship with Him and my sisters and brothers at church so He gave us a home where we can host community group. Just last night was a beautiful time where our pastor came to visit and broke bread with us. When we headed to study, the topic was God’s love for us and His desire for intimacy. It was a wonderful time of sharing as we went through Genesis 1 & 2.
Speaking of this, I hated that I missed last week! We put our house on the market the last Friday in April so I’ve been busy cleaning, organizing and in the mornings now it’s just keeping the house tidy before I go to work. Our hope is we can find a house closer to the Kansas/Missouri border so my husband doesn’t have to drive a 45 minutes to and from work. We moved here so I could take care of mom, but she passed two months after we moved. I’d like to live closer in too so it’s not that bad if we move, but I do love our home.
I love the description of your community group in your home. I guess you won’t be able to do that when you move — right? But I understand. I remember you were on the cruise with us when Twila did the above!
I love Twila’s thoughts on Psalm 18 that you shared here, Rebecca: God pulled her up from the depths because He delights in her. The phrase “He delights” is a beautiful one!
Oh, how I love that God pulled Twila up from the depths because He delights in her! I will pray that your house sells quickly and that you find the perfect place closer to your husband’s work, Rebecca. I pray that it will be a home where you can continue to host community group. You are a blessing.
Sunday:
1. Does anything penetrate your heart from the above? If so, what and why?
—I can identify with Twila’s story in that I didn’t understand the Father’s love for me personally even though I knew God loved everyone, me included. Fortunately I was never victim to the depression that takes hold of so many but I wasn’t secure or happy in the love of God as my very real Father. I was always feeling less than and trying to measure up.
2. Share a time when you sensed you were indeed, beloved by God.
—When God began to deal with my lack of understanding of who he was as my loving Heavenly Father and pour into my life a number of resources and a real confirmation of his love for me personally He gave me a deep sense of being loved. The following was is something I wrote at that time and probably have shared it here before but it answers the question of how I began to truly sense God’s love for me as my Father.
“I doubted God’s love. I doubted God’s love for me personally.
I believed God loved me as a part of the world because “God so loved the world”. I had no doubts about God and Who He is. I love his Word and I am in awe of Who He is and what He has done and is doing. But I longed for a sense that I wasn’t just one of the many. I always felt I was down the line in favored status. Yes I knew God loved everyone equally and unconditionally but I didn’t feel it. But a number of months ago as I was pondering my relationship with God as my father and wondering about that time when I will see Him face to face. How it would feel to have him look at me personally one to one. I began to cry. He gently showed me I doubted his love for me and that my doubt was sin. Amid my tears I confessed my sin to him. Then over the past months He has been leading me to specific resources that validate me in the love he has for me. First it was a conference by Dee Brestin on her book “Idol Lies”. Then a little 25 day devotional booklet given to me by a friend called “Loved Beyond Measure”.
In our Sunday School class we have been studying “Knowing God” by J I Packer. He addresses the attribute of God as Love. And now I am part of this bible study from a book called “You Are Loved”. God is amazing isn’t He?!
The background of my doubt came out of personal insecurities starting in my childhood and carried into adulthood influenced by circumstances and relationships. But nothing in my life has the right to excuse my doubt of God’s love for me personally. It is based in His Word and His Word is Truth.“
Bev, thank you so much for taking the time to give us your testimony. It seems so many of us have the same basic testimony of not feeling the love of God for us personally. Maybe that is a special weapon from the Enemy to God’s children, as he knows how much it negatively affects us in so many ways and especially affects our usefulness for the Kingdom of true love and light. I remember you said recently and repeated it here again, that is is actually a sin to not believe His great love for us. That speaks to my heart in a special way as I do not want to sin against Him. I want to choose to just simply take Him at His Word and believe Him. I always thought I would like inscribed on my tombstone one day, “We have known and have believed the love that God has to us.” I John 4:16.
What a wonderful verse Miriam for a tombstone. Yesterday at church in sharing stories we saw, as you have shared, how many didn’t realize how God loved them personally.
Missy, a song came to mind:
‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,Just to take Him at His word;Just to rest upon His promise;Just to know, Thus saith the Lord.
What a very sweet and appropriate song for this conversation, Bing! And, yes, it is indeed so sweet just to trust in Jesus and to take Him at His Word and to rest upon His promise.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Bev. I have had moments when I felt this way: “Yes I knew God loved everyone equally and unconditionally but I didn’t feel it. But a number of months ago as I was pondering my relationship with God as my father and wondering about that time when I will see Him face to face. How it would feel to have him look at me personally one to one. I began to cry. He gently showed me I doubted his love for me and that my doubt was sin. Amid my tears I confessed my sin to him.”
Rebecca D.
Bev, your story is so encouraging, and I love to hear how God not only led you to these studies to help you embrace more His love for you. He didn’t lead you to just one, but several. He was over flowingly showing you His love for you.
Sunday:
1. Does anything penetrate your heart from the above? If so, what and why?
I loved Twila’s recitation of Psalm 18 from memory. I can really feel the honesty and realness of her testimony. To some degree, I have a similar upbringing as hers-I grew up in a Christian but legalistic home.
As far as I can remember, my family, immediate and extended, always had high expectations of me. I am the oldest girl among my cousins and early on, I would hear comments like, “Do this like how Bing does it”. It was ingrained in me at a pretty young age that my significance is based on what I do and how I look. And when I did not meet expectations, I often received a disapproving look. This continued to high school and college and my nursing career. I struggled with feelings of shame and doubt and would dwell on small and big issues alike and consider that the fault was often mine. Then, if not mine; I would start blaming the other person.
I know God loves me, but I have continued to struggle with understanding how He can love me despite my human failures and gross sins. It was several years ago when a friend loaned me the book “The Prodigal God” by Tim Keller that God slowly opened my eyes to His unconditional love as my Abba Father. I was the young brother but also have so much of the older brother in me. Like Bev, I also found Dee’s book, Idol Lies. By then, I have heard Dee speak at a conference in KC, and read a couple of her books so I was shocked when I saw her opening sentence about her being an idolater! What? Dee Brestin, an idolater? I devoured that book in one day fast reading through the examples. And I remember crying while reading that book and acknowledging that I, too, was an idolater. and I realized I had so many idols to confess about and get rid of!
Now I know who to go to when my idols threaten to rule my life. And I feel like I am quicker to remember who I am-Abba’s child.
2. Share a time when you sensed you were indeed, beloved by God.
“God wants us to lay down our masks, our deadly doing to impress others, and run instead to Him in repentance and trust, confident of His reception.”
I was gone for a few days last week and when I got back, my husband told me about the many things that have happened in our community. For some reason, I felt left out of the excitement (and limelight-ugh to acknowledge but true at that moment) that could have come if I/we have been asked to be involved. My idols of approval and significance reared their ugly heads (and I can almost feel a “head” rising, I am not kidding). I was taken aback by the sudden onslaught. Negative thoughts flooded my mind, and I realized I am being attempted and that I need to correct my thinking by dwelling on the truth. So, I took my Bible, entered a quiet room in the house, and prayed to God to clear my mind and to help me set it on Him. After what seems like forever, there came quiet consolation of who I am in Christ. A warm feeling of being enveloped by an assurance that God has received me (warts and all) and loved me, nevertheless. He reminded me that I am the apple of His eye. I don’t need the praise of man. Then I remembered that my word for the year is “emptied”. He showed me that in emptying myself of “self” I can experience His fullness. What a loving Father I have!
I love your entire testimony here, Bing, especially the last part of what happened when you got home and how your idol reared its ugly head. I appreciate your honesty because idols rear their heads often in my life and cause me so much despair. I’m so glad to hear how God met you as you sought Him in a quiet place, and how He showed you His love despite failure. I need that grace so much, too, for I’ve been a failure this weekend and my daughter pointed it out in a big way, even telling me that I am so much unlike God. Even my reaction to her saying that was proof of my idol and sinful attitude when I am thinking I am doing so much good for her and my Lord. I found myself in so much self-loathing after that interaction. Oh, God, deliver me from myself and satisfy me with Your goodness and love to me, despite my failure.
Oh Missy, I’ve been there in my reactions to having my idols and/or sinful attitudes pointed out by others. It especially wounds when it’s close family who does it.
Oh Bing, Thank you for sharing. What a blessing to hear your story and your experience of God’s faithfulness to you and even in this past week your practice of “emptying” yourself and experiencing the arms of our loving Heavenly Father.
Oh, Bing! I love how you are so open and real with your feelings. I am so thankful that God has received me, too~ warts and all! 🙂 I join you and Bev in my love for Dee’s book “Idol Lies. “It was life changing for me and it has also been life changing for my daughter! I love and appreciate all of you dear women on this Blog. I am so thankful that we are walking this path together. I am always inspired by your honest hearts and love of the Father.
What stood out to me the most is Twila’s recorded testimony. I can so relate to her background and ensuing depression. God has also been showing me Psalm 18 lately and I was thrilled to see how God used that same Psalm to show Twila God’s special love and care for her. I would also like to memorize that psalm. Memorization has a special way of really getting the Scriptures into my heart via my mind.
God has shown His special love for me this week by causing my recent biopsies to be negative for cancer. I was being enrolled in a cancer study and things were looking ominous. I know He would still love me dearly if He allowed the cancer, but I feel His love for me in this as I have been called to be a single mom of very needy orphans. He has blessed me with a new lease on life this week and I am so grateful.
Miriam, Praise God for this gracious answer to our prayers for you. I have a close friend who dealt with breast cancer this past year and in her diagnosis she made the point that she and her husband were choosing to trust God “Even if” it didn’t go well. As it turns out so far it has gone as well as it can and her prognosis is very good. I see that same heart in you. Even if you choose to trust God.
Oh, Missy! Praise God for this wonderful answer to prayer!
Thank you, Lord for holding Missy in the hollow of Your hand and loving her so well. Thank you for giving Missy a new lease on life, to continue loving and raising her precious children, Your children that she loves so well. How I praise You, Jesus, for the beautiful ways I see answered prayer in the lives of Bev, Rebecca, Bing, Laura and Missy this week. Thank you for Dee and how much her writing, especially, Idol Lies, has opened each of our eyes to the temporary things we often are drawn to, instead of looking at You. You are a personal God, Who loves each of us in a deep and individual way. You see how our hearts can stray so easily, yet You are there waiting for us to simply love You more than all this world has to offer and You love us so much more deeply than we can comprehend. Open the eyes of my heart Lord, to You.
“You see how our hearts can stray so easily, yet You are there waiting for us to simply love You more than all this world has to offer”. So much I long to love Him more than anything!
1. Does anything penetrate your heart from the above? If so, what and why?
I can feel how Twila was pained in her depression. I know that depression to a certain extent. I do believe God loves me, I can even feel it in my heart, at times. I get side tracked by the weight of this world. The having to live up to the standard, and forget. I get consumed by the idols of appearance. I forget.
2. Share a time when you sensed you were indeed, beloved by God.
Every time God shows up (and it is often at times), I know and feel His love for me again. Just this past week, when I was searching for a proper consequence for something that Grace did, instead of asking Siri, I asked God. I checked the verse of the day. It was exactly the answer I needed. He does love me!
Laura, I so love your honesty and how you stated you forget twice. Yes, it’s as simple as that. We forget! So true, and God knows that so that helps me not to choose to be a victim of guilt for forgetting, but know He understands and wants me to run to Him. If we didn’t have a problem with forgetting, God wouldn’t have written scripture for us. 🙂 I too smiled at asking God instead of asking Siri. Love it.
3. Summarize what both Manning and Tugwell are saying. They are both saying that we can choose to run to our idols whether it be putting on a mask for approval from others, or running to a vice that is a temporary salve to pain, or run into our Abba Father’s loving arms. If we yield to our vice or pretty face consistently, it can easily become our identity whether it’s an alcoholic which the world looks on as “bad”, or a happy, pretty face who has everything, which the world looks at as “good”. 4. David sexually abused Bathsheba, and when she became pregnant, tried to cover it up by sending her husband Uriah to the front of the battle. A. When Joab came with the news of Uriah’s death, how did David respond? (2 Samuel 11:25) He put on a mask, and embellished the lie by acting concerned and like he was against Uriah’s death. He came across to the messenger as a comforter to Joab and as an avenger against the evil Hittites who killed Uriah. B. What route was David taking: hiding or running into God’s arms? Why, do you think? Hiding. He wanted to look good to those around him. He was hiding his sin and in the arms of his idol. 5. God sent Nathan the prophet with a story to penetrate David’s heart, and it did. How did David respond in: A. 2 Samuel 12:13? He repented B. Psalm 51? He turned from desiring his idols to desiring God. 6. How does God describe David in Acts 13:22? A man after God’s heart for He yields to God and will do what God asks. 7. Is there an area of your life, a habitual sin, you are endeavoring to hide from yourself, others, or God?How does this keep you from what your heart really craves? This is good timing. Yes, I have been struggling with resentment toward someone close to me. I think it’s a way of protecting myself and at the same time testing them to see if they truly are sincere. So my sinful heart craves sincere and honest love from a human and I’m not running to my Abba Father’s loving arms first and trusting Him to provide what no one else can. My heart craves a faithful, enduring, cherishing, and honoring love which no human being can 100% give to someone else without failing at some point. Only God can be that to me. So while I am testing this person to see if they are truly sincere, I’m growing resentment that I even have to test this person, and missing what my heart really craves and that is running to Abba Father for comfort and faithful love. This sounds mixed up because I am at this point, so this study is helping me to sort this tangled mess in my heart out!
I am weary of this struggle in your life, Rebecca, yet so proud of how you are handling it. Yet I do pray for this person to show the fruit of true repentance.
Monday: Man After God’s Heart
3. Summarize what both Manning and Tugwell are saying.
—Manning recognized he had choices to make on how he would respond and deal with his slipping back to alcohol. It was either the negative of guilt, fear and depression and having a victim mentality or running to God who as his loving Heavenly Father would gather him in his arms and he could trust would still love and accept him because God is unchangeable in his love and acceptance of us.
Tugwell says we often flee our own reality and put on a “pretty face” trying to hide our feelings of being unlovable and unacceptable.
4. David sexually abused Bathsheba, and when she became pregnant, tried to cover it up by sending her husband Uriah to the front of the battle.
A. When Joab came with the news of Uriah’s death, how did David respond? (2 Samuel 11:25)
—David basically said tell Joab don’t worry about it. Some live and some die. I would say his response was indifferent.
B. What route was David taking: hiding or running into God’s arms? Why, do you think?
—Obviously he was running from his reality and hiding by putting on a pretty face that things were ok. I think David was trying to ignore and salve Amy guilt for his sinful 3. Summarize what both Manning and Tugwell are saying.
—Manning recognized he had choices to make on how he would respond and deal with his slipping back to alcohol. The negative of guilt, fear and depression and having a victim mentality or running to God who as his loving Heavenly Father would gather him in his arms and he could trust would still love and accept him because God is unchangeable in his love and acceptance of us.
Tugwell says we often flee our own reality and put on a “pretty face” to try and hide our feelings of being unlovable and unacceptable.
4. David sexually abused Bathsheba, and when she became pregnant, tried to cover it up by sending her husband Uriah to the front of the battle.
A. When Joab came with the news of Uriah’s death, how did David respond? (2 Samuel 11:25)
—David basically said tell Joab don’t worry about it. Some live and some die. I would say his response was indifferent.
B. What route was David taking: hiding or running into God’s arms? Why, do you think?
—Obviously he was running from his reality and hiding by putting on a pretty face that things were ok. I think David was trying to ignore and salve any guilt he had for his sinful actions.
5. God sent Nathan the prophet with a story to penetrate David’s heart, and it did. How did David respond in:
A. 2 Samuel 12:13?
—David acknowledged he had sinned against God.
B. Psalm 51?
—David says in verse 4 “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight,….”
6. How does God describe David in Acts 13:22?
—As a man after his own heart.
7. Is there an area of your life, a habitual sin, you are endeavoring to hide from yourself, others, or God? How does this keep you from what your heart really craves?
—I see the sins of my life as less habitual now because of the misery they bring and because of the breach of fellowship they can cause. In my older age I tend to run more quickly to my father’s arms where I find the loving acceptance and forgiveness that I crave.
5. God sent Nathan the prophet with a story to penetrate David’s heart, and it did. How did David respond in:
A. 2 Samuel 12:13?
—David acknowledged he had sinned against God.
B. Psalm 51?
—David says in verse 4 “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight,….”
6. How does God describe David in Acts 13:22?
—As a man after his own heart.
7. Is there an area of your life, a habitual sin, you are endeavoring to hide from yourself, others, or God? How does this keep you from what your heart really craves?
—I see the sins of my life as less habitual now because of the misery they bring and because of the breach of fellowship they can cause. In my older age I tend to run more quickly to my father’s arms where I find the loving acceptance and forgiveness that I crave.
1. Does anything penetrate your heart from the above? If so, what and why?
I love hearing Twila’s story and listening to Psalm 18. I read the Psalm, as she is quoting it. So powerful. I have not dealt with Twila’s kind of depression, yet this year I have had moments of desperate fear of the future. The power of this Psalm, every word penetrated my heart. He is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer, even on the days when I am not worthy. He is the Lord; He is my Lord, He is always worthy to be praised.
2. Share a time when you sensed you were indeed, beloved by God.
It is like walking in quicksand some days. I have had times when I felt, I was not sure I could go on and could not imagine a future without my husband, if the Lord chooses to take him home. I have felt very undeserving of God’s love, because of my sin of fear and distrust in God and His will. Some days I am like a bobbing cork, in the middle of the sea and I cannot see the shore…that feeling of panic. My word for this year is Trust and I have struggled often with that this year. Yet, I saw and felt the love of God at a memorial service for a man, who suffered for 13 months with pancreatic cancer. He was 58 years old. His wife is an amazing woman of faith. The only thing Hui wanted talked about at his service, was that we each need to know Jesus. Jesus loves each of us. I heard the words he said to his family and friends, I heard that struggles he endured; I thought how it was such a parallel to what Dee and Steve went through. I came home and opened my copy of Dee’s book, The God of All Comfort. Once again, I read her story, her testimony to God’s personal love and care. I read Isaiah 43:1-2. I read the words to The Far Side Banks of Jordan. I sense that God does love me, unworthy me. He loves my husband and He has a plan for us. I can’t see the plan and I am scared, but I feel that He is with me and will show me the way step by step. I am not worthy, but He is faithful to draw me close to Him, under His wing. His Love is sure. His Word is truth. He Loves even me. The words of the hymn: Be Still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.
Oh Patti,
May God bless you with the very close presence of Himself through this very hard time of your husbands health. Asking God to ease your troubled soul and keep you in the moment right by his side.
You are so precious, dear Patti. You are such a testimony of God’s grace though I know you must falter at times in this sea of distress. May God’s love and presence be so very real to you and may you sense His arms around you. Love and prayers.
3. Summarize what both Manning and Tugwell are saying.
We tend to hide our real selves, who we are and what we feel, behind a happy face or success, to protect ourselves from others seeing the “real flawed me”. 4. David sexually abused Bathsheba, and when she became pregnant, tried to cover it up by sending her husband Uriah to the front of the battle. A. When Joab came with the news of Uriah’s death, how did David respond? (2 Samuel 11:25)
David’s response was a mask for the satisfaction he felt, at hearing the news of Uriah’s death. B. What route was David taking: hiding or running into God’s arms? Why, do you think?
David was hiding his sin; how did he think that God would not know. He used his authority to destroy a life, in order to have his lustful gain Bathsheba as his wife. 5. God sent Nathan the prophet with a story to penetrate David’s heart, and it did. How did David respond in: A. 2 Samuel 12:13? David confesses that he had sinned against the Lord. The Lord did not punish David with the penalty of death. B. Psalm 51? David repents of his sin and confesses that he has sinned against the Lord. David repents and asks the Lord to create in him a clean heart and renew his steadfast spirit. Most importantly, he does not want the Lord to cast him out of His presence. I love verse 17: The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God. You will not despise. 6. How does God describe David in Acts 13:22? “I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will.” A repentant heart. 7. Is there an area of your life, a habitual sin, you are endeavoring to hide from yourself, others, or God? How does this keep you from what your heart really craves? I long to be in the will of God, yet my mind and heart can wander. I need to constantly tend my heart, read God’s Word, abide in Him and pray. I also need to be aware of my idols and turn my eyes back to Jesus.
3. Summarize what both Manning and Tugwell are saying. We hate our sin and how that makes it feel about ourselves.m We can fall into despair or put up a facade of who we d like to be sometimes fooling our selves that is who we are When we fail and the wall comes down, we can try to deal with sin and self in the same old way or as Manning says run to the Father.
4. David sexually abused Bathsheba, and when she became pregnant, tried to cover it up by sending her husband Uriah to the front of the battle.
A. When Joab came with the news of Uriah’s death, how did David respond? (2 Samuel 11:25) sent a message back to Joab don’t let this displease you and kind of shrugged his shoulders and dismissed the horror of what happened as this is what happens in war.
B. What route was David taking: hiding or running into God’s arms? Why, do you think? Hiding I think he’d gotten used to having things his way and may have thought he could do as he wanted. The passage begins by saying in the spring when kings go off to war. David stayed home
5. God sent Nathan the prophet with a story to penetrate David’s heart, and it did. How did David respond in:
A. 2 Samuel 12:13? He confessed “I have sinned against the Lord.”
B. Psalm 51? He confessed his sin to God and asked God to cleanse him from his sin. He asked not to be cast away or the HOLY SPIRIT takrn from him and to restore his joy.
6. How does God describe David in Acts 13:22? As a man after God s heart who will do His will.
7. Is there an area of your life, a habitual sin, you are endeavoring to hide from yourself, others, or God? How does this keep you from what your heart really craves? Sometimes I tell a lie to make things go smoothly. So I’m deceiving myself and mot trusting God to take care of things.
1. Does anything penetrate your heart from the above? If so, what and why? Definitely the concern about how we appear to others at the expense of our relationship to God. Many times in my interactions with other people my concern is more to whether I look like a Christian to them than whether I am being faithful to God in what I am doing or saying. 2. Share a time when you sensed you were indeed, beloved by God. It’s probably mostly when I recall all of the “coincidences” in my life that lead to my marriage and life with my husband, someone that I first met at a church that I briefly attended between the ages of 10 and 12. The way that we ended up together during a time that neither one of us was going to church or even seriously thinking about God in our lives. How a Christian woman on an Army base got me to start going to church and my husband went because I was going. We both ended up dedicating our lives and our family to Christ. When I look back on this I know that I am beloved of God. His fingerprints are all over this!
I love how God was in your life and brought you together as children, then later as husband and wife. And the woman on the Army base, who got you both going to church. Love “His fingerprints are all over this!” Oh, how we see Him in our lives when we look back at all He has done!
8. The contrast to David is King Saul, who longed for the praise of man. How can you see this in 1 Samuel 18:6-10? Saul was jealous when David was praised more than he was. Instead of seeing the truth that David did accomplish more and deserves to be praised, though Saul was praised it wasn’t enough, he allowed his idol of approval have him and believed the lie, and Saul’s heart grew and grew against David. Why, in light of eternity, is this a snare? He gave satan a chance to pounce on him and the only way to get more praise would be to squash David. 9. How, again in contrast to David, did Saul respond when God sent a prophet to confront him about disobeying his orders to destroy all the Amalakites and their animals? See 1 Samuel 15:13-23. He became defensive the first time stating he did obey God. Even when he agreed with Samuel that he did sin against God he blamed the other men for pressuring him. God didn’t have to send Samuel to help bring Saul to his senses. This shows me even more how God pursues and has compassion on prodigals. God loves who we really are — whether we like it or not. God calls us, as He did Adam, to come out of hiding. No amount of spiritual make-up can render us more presentable to Him.
Brennan Manning 10. The key to overcoming self-hatred and craving the praise of men is believing in our heart that no matter what, we are God’s Beloved. Take some time to meditate on the Father’s love and share what He shows you. A. Psalm 103:13 God has deep unconditional compassion for me, even when I’m in my most ugly moments. B. Hosea 11:3-4 God consistently leads me with kindness and love even though I don’t realize how How much kindness and mercy He’s shown me. C. Luke 15: 17-24 God wasn’t casual about the son who repented and came back, He ran to him. God who is Holy, who loves fiercely was rejected by his son and instead of enacting judgment and rejecting him, He did the complete opposite. He was overly thrilled and his emotions driven by Love burst out of Him. So God loves me like this! Whenever I wander or struggle with hiding, He wants me to turn and come out for He longs to hear my voice. It’s lovely to Him. D. 1 John 3:1 I have no “right” to be His daughter. I have no authority or power in it because I did nothing to gain, or deserve, or lose union with Him. I didn’t have to “win” God over. He was already enamored with me, pursued me and made me His via the cross and resurrection. I’m His, so when I try to hide from Him, I truly can’t. Psalm 139: 7-12 Where can I go where His presence isn’t there? I might think He’s aloof or that He can’t see the sin in my heart I’m struggling with, but He can and does and isn’t going to condemn me, He wants to break and bend me into His image so He can ravage me more with His love, and so He is with me even in the battle with sin, even when I’m sinning and don’t see it, or justify it. He’s with me, showing me what it is, and helping me to overcome. SO THAT our relationship can grow sweeter and sweeter. SO THAT others will see His character, His Holy Spirit in me and He will draw them to Him. I wasn’t expecting God to bring me back to my senses with all of this from this verse! Thank you, Lord. Help me to remember this today, and to delve into this more and more for I want to be completely free from the sin that entangles me and keeps my heart at bay from you, even though you are with me. I want a more vibrant and passionate relationship with you. It seems like it ebbs and flows with me, but with you, oh! You are 100% consistently passionate for me. Help me to take my mind off of me, and put it on you. What I don’t have relationally here on earth, that I long for. What I long for can only be found in you. Help me to turn from this constant disappointment that is filling my heart with resentment, and with your fingers turn my face away from this idol and turn toward you like flint. You’ve helped me see your love for me this morning in a deeper way, help me not to forget when my flesh presses into me. Woe is me that I would even forget!!! I long for this sinful flesh to be gone.
Rebecca, I so agree with Patti. That is a powerful prayer. “I want a more vibrant and passionate relationship with you. It seems like it ebbs and flows with me, but with you, oh! You are 100% consistently passionate for me. Help me to take my mind off of me, and put it on you…What I long for can only be found in you. Help me to turn from this constant disappointment that is filling my heart with resentment, and with your fingers turn my face away from this idol and turn toward you like flint. “
8. The contrast to David is King Saul, who longed for the praise of man. How can you see this in 1 Samuel 18:6-10? Why, in light of eternity, is this a snare?
King Saul was angry when David received praise from the women, who came out and singing to Saul and David. Saul become jealous and distrustful of David. It showed that the Lord was not in Saul’s life; Saul’s heart was concerned with the temporal not the eternal. 9. How, again in contrast to David, did Saul respond when God sent a prophet to confront him about disobeying his orders to destroy all the Amalakites and their animals? See 1 Samuel 15:13-23.
Saul disobeyed the voice of God and did what was evil in God’s sight. He tried to justify his behavior by saying he kept the choicest animals for sacrifice to the Lord, but this was rebellious behavior. He was once again, putting his own evil greed and desire over obeying the Word of God. David had a repentant heart; Saul’s continued self centered actions, took him away from the heart of God. God loves who we really are — whether we like it or not. God calls us, as He did Adam, to come out of hiding. No amount of spiritual make-up can render us more presentable to Him. Brennan Manning 10. The key to overcoming self-hatred and craving the praise of men is believing in our heart that no matter what, we are God’s Beloved. Take some time to meditate on the Father’s love and share what He shows you. A. Psalm 103:13 God knows that my heart is fragile and tempted to wander. He knows my idol of self approval and He continually draws me back to Himself and shows me that the only approval I need is from Him. B. Hosea 11:3-4 The Father is so ever gentle in correcting us and bringing us back to Him. A footnote in my Bible speaks of the Father lifting the son to His cheek. God is tender and gentle in His correction of me. C. Luke 15: 17-24 My Father is heartbroken when I am disobedient and stray from Him and His will. Yet, He has so much love for me, that when I return to Him, He quickly welcomes me back with a compassionate embrace. Such a beautiful visual picture. D. 1 John 3:1 To be a child of God is the greatest gift. It does not matter if the world knows us, for they do not know Him; It only matters that my life is pleasing to Him. That is all I need. That is more than enough. There is nothing the world could possibly offer that could come close to being a child of God.
Monday: Man After God’s Heart
Brennan Manning never had complete victory over his alcoholism. Yet while Christians might dismiss him for that reason, God never did. Manning writes: A “slip” from an alcoholic is a terrifying experience…when the person sobers up, he or she is devastated. When I relapsed, I had two options: yield once against to guilt, fear, and depression — or rush into the arms of my heavenly Father; choose to live as a victim of my disease — or choose to trust in Abba’s immutable love.
And he quotes Simon Tugwell: Like runaway slaves, we either flee our own reality or manufacture a false self which is mostly admirable…and superficially happy. We hide what we know or feel ourselves to be (which we assume to be unacceptable and unlovable) behind some kind of appearance that we hope will be more pleasing. We hide behind pretty faces that we put on for the benefit of our public. And in time we may even come to forget that we are hiding, and think that our assumed pretty face is what we really look like.
3. Summarize what both Manning and Tugwell are saying.
4. David sexually abused Bathsheba, and when she became pregnant, tried to cover it up by sending her husband Uriah to the front of the battle.
A. When Joab came with the news of Uriah’s death, how did David respond? (2 Samuel 11:25)
He was dismissive of the gravity of his sin and went on as usual by commanding Joab to destroy the city. Lesson: My sin has lasting ripple effects on others.
B. What route was David taking: hiding or running into God’s arms? Why, do you think?
He was hiding from God so as not to face (denial) the reality of his sins.
5. God sent Nathan the prophet with a story to penetrate David’s heart, and it did. How did David respond in:
A. 2 Samuel 12:13?
I have sinned against the Lord.
B. Psalm 51?
Against you have I sinned, O God.
6. How does God describe David in Acts 13:22?
A man after God’s heart.
7. Is there an area of your life, a habitual sin, you are endeavoring to hide from yourself, others, or God? How does this keep you from what your heart really craves?
I know my heart craves unconditional love, but my natural tendency is to work for it. This morning when I woke up, the Lord brought this to mind: “Bing, there is nothing you can do, or I want you to do to earn my love. You are loved as you are. Just as you are, come to me.”
Oh, Such a beautiful reminder, Bing! I know my heart craves unconditional love, but my natural tendency is to work for it. This morning when I woke up, the Lord brought this to mind: “Bing, there is nothing you can do, or I want you to do to earn my love. You are loved as you are. Just as you are, come to me.”
Tuesday: Man After The Praise of Man
8. The contrast to David is King Saul, who longed for the praise of man. How can you see this in 1 Samuel 18:6-10? Why, in light of eternity, is this a snare?
Many accorded praise to David’s conquest and Saul was jealous of him. He wanted himself to be above David. This is a snare for Saul because it will keep him from focusing on God; he will be self-focused from then on. Praise of man will lead him to destruction for God opposes the proud.
9. How, again in contrast to David, did Saul respond when God sent a prophet to confront him about disobeying his orders to destroy all the Amalakites and their animals? See 1 Samuel 15:13-23.
He rationalized his actions by saying he saved the best of plunder to sacrifice them to the Lord. He also excused himself by saying he was afraid of his men and gave in to them. But Samuel replied that God delights in obedience rather than burnt offerings and sacrifices. God loves who we really are — whether we like it or not. God calls us, as He did Adam, to come out of hiding. No amount of spiritual make-up can render us more presentable to Him.
Brennan Manning
10. The key to overcoming self-hatred and craving the praise of men is believing in our hearts that no matter what, we are God’s Beloved. Take some time to meditate on the Father’s love and share what He shows you.
This quote from Brennan Manning sums it up for me. “No amount of spiritual make-up can render us more presentable to Him.”
I realized that many times, I am equating God’s love for me with how I love others. That is sin, I realized, as I am putting myself on par with God! My love for others is often so conditional. It is crazy to think this way when I know in my head that it is not true. Yet, that is my default mode. I will keep a notebook of these verses you have shared here, Dee, and add to them. So, when feelings of doubt, shame, and guilt come, I can re-read them, and let the work of His Word and the Spirit revive me and assure me of His love for me. Look to Jesus. Keep Him in the forefront. Keep north. I hope to commit them to memory; Twila’s example encourages me.
Tuesday: Man After The Praise of Man
8. The contrast to David is King Saul, who longed for the praise of man. How can you see this in 1 Samuel 18:6-10? Why, in light of eternity, is this a snare?
—Saul expressed his jealousy of David and felt threatened by him. A jealous spirit is a selfish attitude that wants its own satisfaction and displays a hatred for those who have what they want. It becomes a wasted life focused on self and oblivious to having a Christ-like heart that is concerned about the well being and good of others.
9. How, again in contrast to David, did Saul respond when God sent a prophet to confront him about disobeying his orders to destroy all the Amalakites and their animals? See 1 Samuel 15:13-23.
—Saul lied to Samuel the prophet and then made excuses and justified his actions not taking seriously the commands that God had given him. He was impatient and disobedient. His heart and character were sorely lacking. David had a heart for God and a close person relationship wanting to follow God’s plans. When he did sin against God he didn’t make excuses but practiced true confession and repentance.
10. The key to overcoming self-hatred and craving the praise of men is believing in our heart that no matter what, we are God’s Beloved. Take some time to meditate on the Father’s love and share what He shows you.
A. Psalm 103:13
“As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.”
—Our God is a compassionate and caring Father
B. Hosea 11:3-4
“Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk; I took them up by their arms, but they did not know that I healed them. I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them.”
—Our God is a teacher and healer. He is kind and brings relief in our lives.
C. Luke 15: 17-24
““But when he came to himself, he said,…. I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you….. And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you….. “But the father said….. let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.”
—Our God is unconditional in his love and acceptance and is a redeemer and restorer.
D. 1 John 3:1
“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”
—Our God makes us his children. A true part of his family so that the world doesn’t recognize us because it refused to recognize Him.
8. The contrast to David is King Saul, who longed for the praise of man. How can you see this in 1 Samuel 18:6-10? Why, in light of eternity, is this a snare? When king Saul was offended when David was credited with killing more men than the King King Saul was wanting the praise and approval of men rather than the praise and approval of the Father. King Saul wasn’t turning to God
9. How, again in contrast to David, did Saul respond when God sent a prophet to confront him about disobeying his orders to destroy all the Amalakites and their animals? See 1 Samuel 15:13-23. King Saul chose only partial obedience and spared the king and then blamed the people for taking the spoils. As king he should have killed the king of Amalek and forbidden that any spoils were taken. God loves who we really are — whether we like it or not. God calls us, as He did Adam, to come out of hiding. No amount of spiritual make-up can render us more presentable to Him.
Brennan Manning
10. The key to overcoming self-hatred and craving the praise of men is believing in our heart that no matter what, we are God’s Beloved. Take some time to meditate on the Father’s love and share what He shows you.
A. Psalm 103:13 God has compassion on us as a father who has compassion on his children.
B. Hosea 11:3-4 a tenderness and nurturing in how He cared for Israel. Teaching them, taking them by the arms, healing them, bending down to feed them.
C. Luke 15: 17-24 once again tenderness. Not waiting for the prodigal to reach him, but running to him, kissing him, clothing him and calling for a celebration.
D. 1 John 3:1 The Father lavishing love on us and calling us His children.
3. Summarize what both Manning and Tugwell are saying. All people have the tendency to hide who they really are. They want to appear to be acceptable in either their own or other peoples’ eyes. 4. David sexually abused Bathsheba, and when she became pregnant, tried to cover it up by sending her husband Uriah to the front of the battle. A. When Joab came with the news of Uriah’s death, how did David respond? (2 Samuel 11:25) He didn’t even acknowledge Uriah’s death, he just said the sword devours one then another. Don’t worry about it. (This story has always bothered me.) B. What route was David taking: hiding or running into God’s arms? Why, do you think? Hiding, because, at that moment, he was a coward and used his authority to try to cover his sin. 5. God sent Nathan the prophet with a story to penetrate David’s heart, and it did. How did David respond in:
A. 2 Samuel 12:13? He admitted that he sinned before God. B. Psalm 51? He throws himself on God’s mercy. He begs to be cleansed of his sin. 6. How does God describe David in Acts 13:22? As a man after God’s heart.
7. Is there an area of your life, a habitual sin, you are endeavoring to hide from yourself, others, or God? Yes, I can sugar coat it to myself (managing my sin as my pastor puts it), hide it from others, but nothing is hidden from God. How does this keep you from what your heart really craves? My heart really craves closeness to God. My sin keeps me focused on myself and my comfort. I spend less time in prayer and bible study and it just perpetuates the problem.
“All people have the tendency to hide who they really are. They want to appear to be acceptable in either their own or other peoples’ eyes.”
Dawn, I sure agree with you on that.
4. David sexually abused Bathsheba, and when she became pregnant, tried to cover it up by sending her husband Uriah to the front of the battle. A. When Joab came with the news of Uriah’s death, how did David respond? (2 Samuel 11:25)
He gave a flippant response; basically, c’est la vie!
B. What route was David taking: hiding or running into God’s arms? Why, do you think?
Running. He definitely did not want to face the truth! 5. God sent Nathan the prophet with a story to penetrate David’s heart, and it did. How did David respond in: A. 2 Samuel 12:13?
He repented. B. Psalm 51?
He repents. He admits he is a sinner. He asks forgiveness.
8. The contrast to David is King Saul, who longed for the praise of man. How can you see this in 1 Samuel 18:6-10? Why, in light of eternity, is this a snare?
Saul was jealous of David. His people praised him for killing thousands, and David, tens of thousands. He cared more about this than what God thought. This is upside down thinking. To receive eternity, we must consider God first.
9. How, again in contrast to David, did Saul respond when God sent a prophet to confront him about disobeying his orders to destroy all the Amalakites and their animals? See 1 Samuel 15:13-23.
He chose his own path and didn’t listen to the Lord. He thought his way was better.
10. The key to overcoming self-hatred and craving the praise of men is believing in our heart that no matter what, we are God’s Beloved. Take some time to meditate on the Father’s love and share what He shows you. A. Psalm 103:13
He is my Father. He is tender and compassionate.
B. Hosea 11:3-4
He teaches me. He loves me with kindness. He feeds me.
11. What thoughts from the above resonate with you?
All his thoughts! I can say, same here! While I still struggle like Brennan, I used to be totally entrapped by my approval idol and comfort idol the most and pretty much all the other idols because I didn’t know those were idols until I went through Dee’s study on Idolatry. Her Idol lies study made a huge impact in my growth in Christ though I never feel like I’ve grown, it’s huge just to even be aware when my heart is going in the wrong direction. 12. What thoughts from the above resonate with you? In what ways might you be an imposter — where you are different in private than public, or give more attention to certain glittering people than to others? I mentioned my sin of resentment issue to our counselor last night and he said it is so easy to forget I’m still healing from the pain of the past because of him watching me lead worship, and because I seem so much calmer and content. So I was hiding this from my counselor and husband. While I can hide, I’m not good at hiding for long for it will come out. I’m glad God made me that way though!
I grew up on both sides, poor grandparents on one side and wealthy grandparents on the other, I’ve been around popular people, a few famous people, and the homeless. So to me people are people made in the image of God regardless of status or class. That said, I am VERY attracted to godly people who are honest and real about their struggles. I would’ve been attracted to people like Brennan Manning and Rich Mullins for they were sincere. Doesn’t matter if they are famous. I tend to bristle, or stay away from believers who are judgmental and seem to always have it together. No sin issues, perfect kids, and who look down on families and others who are dysfunctional. BUT have I EVER done that?? Yikes!!! I’m thankful Jesus made it clear that the Father loved the older prodigal son too. SO bristling and not getting to know them isn’t the posture God would want for me!
“I’m thankful Jesus made it clear that the Father loved the older prodigal son too. SO bristling and not getting to know them isn’t the posture God would want for me!”
Rebecca, I identify with that.
13. What do the following Scriptures say that is helpful in understanding how to see others? A. 2 Corinthians 5:16 To not regard anyone from a worldly point of view. B. Matthew 25:31-40 It isn’t my business to judge others, that is Jesus’ business, and He does and He will. 🙂
11. What thoughts from the above resonate with you?
—The weight thing.
“He was preoccupied with his weight, crestfallen when it went up, concerned about what others would think.”
I have lived under the issue of weight all my life “concerned with what others would think”.
Physical size and appearance was a message I learned early on. I was a “chubby” child. Even my own siblings picked on me for it. My dad made it plain how he wanted my mom to look. Not overweight or matronly.
A number of years ago I developed an attitude of I don’t care about how much I weigh. I became sick and tired of feeling like every bite of food that went into my mouth was sin. I felt like I just couldn’t win. I know it contributed to my feeling that I would just never be one of God’s “favorite” children. What a lie! Thankfully as I shared already on Sunday of this week my Abba Father moved in my heart to change that thinking and loved on me in meaningful ways to settle it in my heart. It’s just what we learned from the last question asked yesterday. “The key to overcoming self-hatred and craving the praise of men is believing in our heart that no matter what, we are God’s Beloved.” I reiterate “no matter what, we are God’s Beloved”.
12. What thoughts from the above resonate with you? In what ways might you be an imposter — where you are different in private than public, or give more attention to certain glittering people than to others?
—Just 3 years ago because of Type 2 diabetes to bring down my A1c and avoid taking drugs I lost a significantly noticeable amount of weight. I have received an incredible amount of praise for “how good I look”. From Christian’s and non Christians alike. After so many years of being overweight and, frankly I still am listed as obese on the weight charts, I am a little bit galled by the comment. In most cases I just say thank you and move on. But the emphasis being on “looking good” clearly implies to me I was not as acceptable as an overweight woman by most of the world. Just as God challenged Manning for being drawn to “the beautiful people” and giving less or little attention to those like me (an overweight woman) it makes the point of how it reinforced my need to look good for approval.
Today my heart aches deeply for the obese people around me and in our society there are many. My imposter tendencies are trying to be nice to glittering people when they fawn over each other for how good they look and I often find that disgusting. I just don’t want to be around them. But God challenges my heart to love equally. High or low. Fat or skinny. Rich or poor. Shiny or not. To be genuinely loving of all and to practice grace which is my word for the year. I try to accept all from both sides of the coin and consider the question. What are their heart’s needs?
13. What do the following Scriptures say that is helpful in understanding how to see others?
A. 2 Corinthians 5:16
—The NIV says
“So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view….”
I think that says it well and is key to looking at others not from a worldly point of view but from God’s point of view which is a heart of love and acceptance.
B. Matthew 25:31-40
—Verse 40 says “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
I think the point here is about the least being the most needy. It’s about seeing people in their need and then coming along side of them to help meet their needs. And that is not just physical like food, water and clothes. But along with the physical needs to consider what are their heart needs. It very well could be loving acceptance. It usually is for all of us. That is why grasping the wonderful truth of Abba Father is so important.
Thank you for sharing these thoughts, dear Bev. This world keeps telling us what beauty is and I am so thankful that we have our Abba Father, who shows us true beauty is in our hearts, where we can show His love to others. I am so thankful that God sees and knows our hearts. A godly heart shines so brightly in the world, where good looks fade and glitter turns to rust. As I continue to age (and rust), I am trying to embrace my wrinkles and work on keeping mobile so my joints don’t rust so fast. 🙂 I so appreciate you! And you are beautiful just as you are!
11. What thoughts from the above resonate with you? It is so human to want affirmation from others, but it can be draining to everyone. It is hard to be real. One of my favorite books, The Velveteen Rabbit, has that great quote about being “Real”. It is hard to be real in this world, but I so want to be real, even when my fur is all rubbed off. It is comfortable and happy to feel accepted, yet I wonder how productive our lives are living that way. It is good for our egos to be admired greatly, but I have to go back to what is it that I truly need to be if I truly serve God the way I say I want to serve Him. It is giving up all for Him. The words are easy to say, but I need the whole armor of God every second of the day to do that. And I fail way too often. 12. What thoughts from the above resonate with you? In what ways might you be an imposter — where you are different in private than public, or give more attention to certain glittering people than to others? I tend to internalize my stress, so I may be calm in public and may cry when I am alone. I am not terribly attracted to the glittering people. I once was, when I was very young, but glittering people tend to be so self focused that there is no room in their lives for anyone that does not help them shine. I am more comfortable with the quiet and lonely people of the world. I would rather have few true friends than a whole roomful of glittering acquaintances. 13. What do the following Scriptures say that is helpful in understanding how to see others? A. 2 Corinthians 5:16 As a Christian, I am called to see others with the eyes of Christ. The surface glitter is not the substance. Help me, Jesus, to see others through Your eyes; help me to see with my heart, Lord. B. Matthew 25:31-40 We are not to look down on others. It does not matter what I look like, my status or wealth in this world, but how I treat others and that I see others, rich or poor, crippled or whole, through the eyes of our Father. Help me to do this daily, dear Lord.
11. What thoughts from the above resonate with you? I can struggle with concern about what others think of me and tend to be silent in a group so I don’t foolishly say anything that I think others are judging Yes concerns about my weight.
On a silent retreat with God in the Colorado Rockies, God whispered: Brennan, you bring your full presence and attention to certain members of the community but offer a diminished presence to others. Those who have stature, wealth, and charisma — those you find interesting or charming or pretty or famous — command your undivided attention, but people yu consider plain or dowdy — those of lesser rank performing menial tasks, the unsung and the uncelebrated — are not treated with the same regard. This is not a minor matter to me, Brennan. The way you are with others every day, regardless of their status, is the true test of faith.
12. What thoughts from the above resonate with you? In what ways might you be an imposter — where you are different in private than public, or give more attention to certain glittering people than to others? I don’t like it when I make an opinion of someone based on superficial appearance or some of what I consider inappropriate or loud behavior or lack of appreciation for something I ve done for them. I tend to hide in public and then some conversation will resonate with me and I share too much and don’t listen to others.
13. What do the following Scriptures say that is helpful in understanding how to see others?
A. 2 Corinthians 5:16 we should refuse to view people merely by outward appearance. That is how Christ was viewed with limited human insight.
B. Matthew 25:31-40. Christ welcomed those who tenderly care for the sick and needy.
11. What thoughts from the above resonate with you?
Oh how I long to be the skinny, tall models of the catalogs I receive in the mail! I suppose it’s because I will then “belong.”I will then be better than my short, stumpy body. I try to tell myself God made me just as He wanted me, but I can’t seem to appreciate it. I don’t love myself very much…
I saw your video of you dancing. I think God made you to be a graceful dancer and you are that. (and I am sure you are taller than I am, as I am elfin size!) 🙂
Laura, I so love you for being you and being so honest with us. I do think that those skinny tall models have their own struggles different than we “littles” have. You are beautiful as you are!
8. The contrast to David is King Saul, who longed for the praise of man. How can you see this in 1 Samuel 18:6-10? Saul was greatly concerned about being #1 in the eyes of the people. Why, in light of eternity, is this a snare? Because this world will pass away and the only thing that matters is what God thinks of us. 9. How, again in contrast to David, did Saul respond when God sent a prophet to confront him about disobeying his orders to destroy all the Amalakites and their animals? See 1 Samuel 15:13-23. He tried to make excuses and lie about his behavior. God loves who we really are — whether we like it or not. God calls us, as He did Adam, to come out of hiding. No amount of spiritual make-up can render us more presentable to Him. Brennan Manning 10. The key to overcoming self-hatred and craving the praise of men is believing in our heart that no matter what, we are God’s Beloved. Take some time to meditate on the Father’s love and share what He shows you. He loves me even when I am doing the exact opposite of what I should be doing.
Amen, Dawn. I just started the book too. I loved the experiences he mentions in “The Word Before”. He is talking about how we need to reclaim our core identity as Abba’s Child. I so related to this…
14. What do the following psalms tell us? A. Psalm 37:4 I think we tend to look at the second half of the verse, yet I find the first half the most important. Delighting our selves in the Lord first, will give you the desire of our hearts. Our hearts deepest desire is truly knowing God, which far outweighs anything this world has to offer. I love this quote by A.W. Tozer…it says it so well: “We pursue God because, and only because, He has first put an urge within us that spurs us to the pursuit (and) when the Holy Spirit shows us God as He is we admire Him to the point of wonder and DELIGHT.” Oh that His Spirit would raise up a generation who so admires God that delighting in Him becomes our insatiable pleasure that far exceeds anything this world has to offer. B. Psalm 63:1-5 Seek the Lord, earnestly and Praise His name. Only He can satisfy the desires of my soul. 15. If you truly believe the above, how might it affect how you live today? As I face the day each day, first I want to spend time in prayer, acknowledging Him and Praising His Name for who He is. Thanking Him for all His is and all that He has done in my life. His lovingkindness truly is better than life. I want my words and actions to praise Him with joy in all I do.
Patti, Oh my, this post is RICH. With humility and wisdom. All of it made my heart jump, and especially the AW Tozer quote. and this, “when the Holy Spirit shows us God as He is we admire Him to the point of wonder and DELIGHT.”
14. What do the following psalms tell us?
A. Psalm 37:4 delight ourself in the Lord and He will give us the desires of our hearts
B. Psalm 63:1-5 that we are to seek the Lord above all else. His love is better than life and we are to want to praise Him.
15. If you truly believe the above, how might it affect how you live today? That I will get my thoughts off me and what goes on around me and put my focus on Him. He will take care of everything.
Judy, So good. To trust Him with the things that so easily distract us from Him. “That I will get my thoughts off me and what goes on around me and put my focus on Him. He will take care of everything.”
12. What thoughts from the above resonate with you? In what ways might you be an imposter — where you are different in private than public, or give more attention to certain glittering people than to others?
I’m not sure I relate to this. My parents really did raise us to love everyone and appreciate all cultures. One time not long ago, we were on a train in a big city. No one would sit next to a homeless man; he smelled. We had our kids with us ( 8-14 years). I either had to stand or sit by him. I sat next to him because he counts too! I hope (🙏) our kids realized what I was trying to teach them. I might have cared about the glitter when I was young, but oh have I learned as an older woman!
I think one way I might be prejudice, is that I appreciate the kids who care about learning and do try hard, compared to those who don’t, in school.
13. What do the following Scriptures say that is helpful in understanding how to see others? A. 2 Corinthians 5:16
14. What do the following psalms tell us? A. Psalm 37:4 To delight ourselves in the Lord B. Psalm 63:1-5 Every fiber of our being longs for Him and He is our only satisfaction. 15. If you truly believe the above, how might it affect how you live today? Keeping up a facade keeps me focused on myself and not on God and therefore keeps me from my ultimate satisfaction. I need to stop protecting myself from possible hurt or rejection from others and be honest about myself, my frailties and my faults. Because He already knows that about me and loves me even though I am frail, flawed and sinful.
One thing that I have come to realize is that I will wait to overcome or be delivered from a recognized sin before I speak of it to others. I’d rather say, “I used to…then I was delivered” than say, “I’m doing … and I can’t (or won’t) stop.
Dawn — this is so very good — praying it for you and all of us:
I need to stop protecting myself from possible hurt or rejection from others and be honest about myself, my frailties and my faults. Because He already knows that about me and loves me even though I am frail, flawed and sinful.
“Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.”
—I’ve always loved these verses. To trust, delight and commit all result in satisfaction and blessing in having a close and meaningful relationship with the Lord.
B. Psalms 63:1-8 MSG
“God—you’re my God! I can’t get enough of you! I’ve worked up such hunger and thirst for God, traveling across dry and weary deserts. So here I am in the place of worship, eyes open, drinking in your strength and glory. In your generous love I am really living at last! My lips brim praises like fountains. I bless you every time I take a breath; My arms wave like banners of praise to you. I eat my fill of prime rib and gravy; I smack my lips. It’s time to shout praises! If I’m sleepless at midnight, I spend the hours in grateful reflection. Because you’ve always stood up for me, I’m free to run and play. I hold on to you for dear life, and you hold me steady as a post.”
—I loved how Peterson wrote these verses in The Message. They also speak to the satisfaction, contentment in a relationship with God and the motivation to praise Him.
It’s 2:30 am and I can’t sleep so have been reading and praying.
This section contributed to grateful reflection on my part. God’s Word is so sweet!
15. If you truly believe the above, how might it affect how you live today?
—Believing these scriptures truly affect my heart’s attitude and bring encouragement and joy to my heart.
Oh, Bev, I love the Peterson quote and I love this:—Believing these scriptures truly affect my heart’s attitude and bring encouragement and joy to my heart.
14. What do the following psalms tell us? A. Psalm 37:4 – Take delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. B. Psalm 63:1-5 – My whole being longs for God for His love is better than life. There is nothing on earth that can satisfy.
15. If you truly believe the above, how might it affect how you live today? In the stressful moments in life it would affect who or what I run to first. I think I need to remind myself often if not daily that God made me to delight in Him, and because of Him, I’m in union with the Trinity. When I do, it changes everything inwardly. The day’s mountains become hills in light of His majesty and I find myself wanting Him more than anything or any idol.
This might be another rabbit trail, but I realized after mom passed away that I ran to her first way too much. The beautiful thing about how God moved in her death is that I started running to Him more, and first. So instead of pressing into my mom first I’m pressing into God first. YET, not as much as He wants me to, because often other things dazzle me and attract me to them first too often.
Now I’ve found myself on the way to work, on the way home, and during the day conversing with God. After all, the truth is I’m already spending eternity with Him, just here on earth right now!! So why not converse with Him all the time NOW, instead of short moments when I “pray”, then the day goes on. Even though the Holy Spirit convicts me, counsels me, and helps me to slow down and truly listen and “see” others when they talk with me during the day-believe me, He does! I still can be like a sloth, slow before I press into Him. But hallelujah for Christ’s death and resurrection! For His daily rescue of me. This is part of intimacy with Him for He is always communing with me through His Holy Spirit inside me. BUT do I desire to commune with Him, to respond, to initiate as passionately as He does with me? Does He really capture my heart? This body of sin-ugh, but the delight He gives me in Him when we are intimate-just those moments when I sense Him, and hear Him bring me over the moon. Can’t explain it well, but I’m missing out when I run to anyone or anything else!! I love my mom dearly, but this is way more satisfying.
Oh, this is so sweet, Rebecca! My mom lived with us for 14 years and I had a similar transition that the Lord led me through….but I could never put is into such beautiful words! Thank you for sharing from your heart! Amen to this: When I do, it changes everything inwardly. The day’s mountains become hills in light of His majesty and I find myself wanting Him more than anything or any idol. I love the reminder that we are already spending eternity with Him, starting here on earth!
What inspiring answers. I hope to grow into that time of relationship wanting him more than any idol and your focus is on him not the mountain. Thank you
14. What do the following psalms tell us? A. Psalm 37:4
Delighting in the Lord means you will always be at peace in all situations.
B. Psalm 63:1-5
I long for God.
I have seen His beauty and works.
I will praise Him forever.
15. If you truly believe the above, how might it affect how you live today?
Focusing on Him is most important. I will take my Bible study, prayers, and commitment to Him more seriously. I will strive to love Him more dearly, follow Him more nearly, and see Him more clearly today. I will be happy and joyful because of this.
I love that you repeated that song that Paige always uses — so succinct for our hearts.
Focusing on Him is most important. I will take my Bible study, prayers, and commitment to Him more seriously. I will strive to love Him more dearly, follow Him more nearly, and see Him more clearly today. I will be happy and joyful because of this.
1. Does anything penetrate your heart from the above? If so, what and why?
“Until we understand how deeply beloved we are by God, we will crave the praise of man…more concerned about our appearance than our heart.” I get this all too well. Recently when talking with God, I talked with Him about the fact that what I see myself doing a lot is not being able to get out of my own head when I’m with other people, and metaphorically, looking at other people and their reactions (what they say, facial expressions, body language) to me as if they are mirrors reflecting back to me who I am, if I am accepted, if I am liked, if I am loved. I know this about myself and I know that it comes from not being fully secure in God’s love for me.
I also thought Twila’s testimony was beautiful as she shared about her depression and wanting to die. I love how Psalm 18 is so personal to her and how she said it by heart.
2. Share a time when you sensed you were indeed, beloved by God.
These instances have been few and far between, but one instance happened last year when I was on Holy Island in Northumbria. Our group of pilgrims met each morning for a time of spiritual retreat, Scripture reading, meditating on Scripture, prayer, worship. On one particular morning, it was as if I could sense God actually smiling down upon me and I felt loved.
3. Summarize what both Manning and Tugwell are saying.
I am not an alcoholic, but I can “slip” in other ways. I believe to “slip” means to revert back to an old habit, way of thinking or acting, or even a specific sin that we thought we were done with. After doing this, I have two choices: to be overcome with guilt, shame, self-pity, self-hatred, or depression, or to run to God, believing that His arms are still open to receive me. I can say the words of the psalmist, “Forgive me according to your mercy, according to your unfailing love.”
I am trying to understand what it means to “flee our own reality”. Maybe it means to pretend what’s happening isn’t happening, to live in denial, or to stay so busy or distracted as to keep it pushed down, out of our awareness. I think I get what it means to manufacture a false self. It’s kind of like being a chamelion, adjusting my outward behavior to whatever group of people I’m with in order to fit in with what I believe are their expectations. It’s presenting myself in such a way as to make myself appear better than I know I really am, to not want to admit my sins and failures, and it’s often done out of fear or being found out, being afraid that if people know what I’m really like, they will reject me.
4. David sexually abused Bathsheba, and when she became pregnant, tried to cover it up by sending her husband Uriah to the front of the battle.
A. When Joab came with the news of Uriah’s death, how did David respond? (2 Samuel 11:25)
David said, in essence, “Tell Joab not to worry – it wasn’t his fault Uriah was killed. The sword kills this one today, and that one tomorrow.” It was just fate.
B. What route was David taking: hiding or running into God’s arms? Why, do you think?
I believe David was hiding. He was distorting the reality of what happened. It was he who told Joab to put Uriah near the wall so that he would likely be killed. Now, he acts as if it was all just an unfortunate coincidence. He was fleeing his own reality that he was the mastermind behind it all.
5. God sent Nathan the prophet with a story to penetrate David’s heart, and it did. How did David respond in:
A. 2 Samuel 12:13?
David admitted to Nathan that he had sinned against the Lord.
B. Psalm 51?
David gets honest with God, as revealed in many verses such as, “Against You, and You alone, have I sinned. I have done what is evil in Your sight.”
“Your judgment against me is just.” “I was born a sinner from the moment my mother conceived me.” “Remove the stain of my guilt.” “Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves.”
6. How does God describe David in Acts 13:22?
God removed Saul as king and replaced him with David, because God said of David, “He is a man after my own heart.”
7. Is there an area of your life, a habitual sin, you are endeavoring to hide from yourself, others, or God? How does this keep you from what your heart really craves?
It keeps me from the joy of being fully known and yet fully loved and accepted. It keeps me living with a pervasive sense of fear, especially the fear of truly being known.
I love how you always ask questions to make us all think, Susan.
“Flee our own reality”
I think because our hearts are deceitful, we really believe Satan’s lies, however he has designed them for our particular curvature of the soul — whether it is the importance of outward beauty, or that dying to ourselves will not lead to joy…
What you said here is often true of me:what I see myself doing a lot is not being able to get out of my own head when I’m with other people, and metaphorically, looking at other people and their reactions (what they say, facial expressions, body language) to me as if they are mirrors reflecting back to me who I am, if I am accepted, if I am liked, if I am loved. I know this about myself and I know that it comes from not being fully secure in God’s love for me.
In contrast, I think of the proverb that says if a man’s ways please the Lord He will make even his enemies be at peace with them.
16. With the above in mind, how might it alter your prayer time today? I really need to empty myself of me and my expectations for prayer and just express my longing for love. I liked that in the book Abba’s Child, Brennen talked about how dry his prayer time had become and how it felt more like a duty, a chore; whether he prayed requests or scripture his mind was a scattered mess that left him unfulfilled.
Love this from Dawn about how in prayer we need to express our longing for love. So simple, true, and efficacious. A pickleball friend who is new to a deep love relationship with Jesus said she asked Him to help her have the faith to surrender, to take one foot out of the world and put them both with Him, because she was scared, but she saw a love we had for Him that she wanted. He answered that prayer, she says “”I’m all in and so happy!”
8. The contrast to David is King Saul, who longed for the praise of man. How can you see this in 1 Samuel 18:6-10? Why, in light of eternity, is this a snare?
Saul was upset when women from all the towns of Israel were singing a song, saying that Saul had killed his thousands, but David his “ten thousands”! This was after the army returned when David had killed Goliath. Saul was immediately filled with jealousy, and he feared that next, they would want to make David the king. In light of eternity, no one is going to brag about what he did here on earth, and there won’t be any comparing ourselves or our accomplishments with others in heaven. It was when this jealousy took over that God sent a tormenting spirit to torment Saul. His soul was beginning to be twisted, and he didn’t recognize it and at least ask God to help him turn away from his anger and jealousy.
9. How, again in contrast to David, did Saul respond when God sent a prophet to confront him about disobeying his orders to destroy all the Amalakites and their animals? See 1 Samuel 15:13-23.
First, Saul told Samuel that he had carried out the Lord’s command. When Samuel asked Saul why the animals weren’t destroyed, Saul made an excuse, saying that they spared the animals in order to sacrifice them to the Lord. But the Lord hadn’t asked Saul to do that. Then it says that Saul brought back King Agag alive, but he excused that by saying that they killed everyone else. He kept insisting that he did obey the Lord. David, on the other hand, made no excuses. He simply said, I am the man.
10. The key to overcoming self-hatred and craving the praise of men is believing in our heart that no matter what, we are God’s Beloved. Take some time to meditate on the Father’s love and share what He shows you.
A. Psalm 103:13
God is like a Father to His children; like an earthly father who is tender and compassionate. I can see though how those whose father was not tender and compassionate might struggle with this image. Or even if you are not treated in this way by those close to you, it might be difficult to imagine God being of this mindset towards you.
B. Hosea 11:3-4
Here God pictures himself as a father taking care of a small or helpless child, like taking hold of a child’s hand and helping him to walk. He is hurt when we don’t even realize or worse, don’t care that He cares for us in this way. God uses the imagery of stooping down to help us. This is really striking because this is not a “god” who is disdainful and far-removed from us. It’s almost a mothering image.
C. Luke 15:17-24
God the Father is on the lookout for His children to come home, and when He sees them, He doesn’t care that He runs in an unseemly way, hiking up His robes and baring His legs and running to His child. He sacrifices His dignity to restore dignity to His tattered and soiled child, covering him with the finest robe, and pulling him into an embrace.
D. 1 John 3:1
God’s love is seen in that He calls us His children. We are in His family, we belong to Him. I just got some memories of when my kids were very young, like toddlers and preschoolers; when they’d misbehave out in public and I’d feel embarrassed by their behavior because I thought it reflected badly on me. I’d often feel angry at them for making me look bad. Even when I sin and behave badly, God isn’t embarassed to call me His child.
What a lovely description of God’s love for us, Susan. God the Father is on the lookout for His children to come home, and when He sees them, He doesn’t care that He runs in an unseemly way, hiking up His robes and baring His legs and running to His child. He sacrifices His dignity to restore dignity to His tattered and soiled child, covering him with the finest robe, and pulling him into an embrace.
16. With the above in mind, how might it alter your prayer time today? Then go ahead and pray that way on your own. To remain silent and allow God to access my heart. Ask Him what He finds, what needs to be flushed from my heart, unforgiveness? the hurt of rejection? Resentment? Jealousy? Judgement?
Prayer is essentially the expression of our heart longing for love. It is not so much the listing of our requests but the breathing of our one deepest request, to be united with God as fully as possible. 16. With the above in mind, how might it alter your prayer time today? Then go ahead and pray that way on your own.
One thing I have been praying about is letting go of things and of memories that bring up negative thoughts. Just like I clean out my closets, I need to clear my heart and mind of clutter that can be harmful to my relationship with God, family and friends. I was talking with my daughter about forgiving those who do not apologize and ask forgiveness. I felt how life changing it can be to truly forgive and bury the past grievance at the bottom of the ocean. How much I need to have my heart let go and pray to feel God’s love so deeply that I can pass that love on to others. I have been reading two books that have inspired my prayer life. “Thin Places” by Tracy Balzer and “Breath as Prayer” by Jennifer Tucker. Tracy takes groups on Spiritual Pilgrimages to Iona, Scotland. (This reminds me of Susan’s journey to Northumbria) It has helped me to keep my prayer focus more on my relationship with God and praying for others, through His will and His eyes and not praying through my desire of how I want my prayer answered. (I hope this makes sense.) Breath of Prayer has helped me to keep a prayer on my heart every time a negative thought pops up. Heart grievances can cause such internal stress, which can manifest themselves in our attitudes, even when we don’t realize it. 17. What is your take-a-way and why?
I truly need God’s love in every aspect of my life. I pray to be humble and let go of my prickly, selfish ways. I pray to accept God’s love and His running after me, though I am a prodigal. And I need to have the kind of love in my heart that lets go of anything that gets in the way of my relationship with God (like me and my stubborn or selfish desires). I love this from Manning: “My identity as Abba’s child is not an abstraction or a tap dance into religiosity. It is the core truth of my existence. Living in the wisdom of accepted tenderness profoundly affect my perception of reality; the way I respond to people and their life situations.”
17. What is your take-a-way and why? Slow down in my morning quiet time. Thank you ladies for sharing that at times you struggle with you are God s beloved. That is still a hard concept for me. Of course He loves me. God is love and He loves everyone. The world unfortunately is filled with conditional love. My prayers have been to understand that no matter what I do or fail to do, God loves me and to train myself to look to Him and keep my thoughts on Him.
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1. Does anything penetrate your heart from the above? If so, what and why? Twila’s testimony Psalm 18. God pulled her up from the depths because He delights in her. That resonated with me because I have been feeling this way like she did when she was rollerblading and hit the 5th mile.
2. Share a time when you sensed you were indeed, beloved by God. God knows I love fellowship with Him and my sisters and brothers at church so He gave us a home where we can host community group. Just last night was a beautiful time where our pastor came to visit and broke bread with us. When we headed to study, the topic was God’s love for us and His desire for intimacy. It was a wonderful time of sharing as we went through Genesis 1 & 2.
Speaking of this, I hated that I missed last week! We put our house on the market the last Friday in April so I’ve been busy cleaning, organizing and in the mornings now it’s just keeping the house tidy before I go to work. Our hope is we can find a house closer to the Kansas/Missouri border so my husband doesn’t have to drive a 45 minutes to and from work. We moved here so I could take care of mom, but she passed two months after we moved. I’d like to live closer in too so it’s not that bad if we move, but I do love our home.
I love the description of your community group in your home. I guess you won’t be able to do that when you move — right? But I understand. I remember you were on the cruise with us when Twila did the above!
I love Twila’s thoughts on Psalm 18 that you shared here, Rebecca: God pulled her up from the depths because He delights in her. The phrase “He delights” is a beautiful one!
Praying for the sale of the house, the cleaning (ugh), the finding a new house/church, and the peace in the midst of chaos 😉. Love you sister! ♥️♥️
Oh, how I love that God pulled Twila up from the depths because He delights in her! I will pray that your house sells quickly and that you find the perfect place closer to your husband’s work, Rebecca. I pray that it will be a home where you can continue to host community group. You are a blessing.
Sunday:
1. Does anything penetrate your heart from the above? If so, what and why?
—I can identify with Twila’s story in that I didn’t understand the Father’s love for me personally even though I knew God loved everyone, me included. Fortunately I was never victim to the depression that takes hold of so many but I wasn’t secure or happy in the love of God as my very real Father. I was always feeling less than and trying to measure up.
2. Share a time when you sensed you were indeed, beloved by God.
—When God began to deal with my lack of understanding of who he was as my loving Heavenly Father and pour into my life a number of resources and a real confirmation of his love for me personally He gave me a deep sense of being loved. The following was is something I wrote at that time and probably have shared it here before but it answers the question of how I began to truly sense God’s love for me as my Father.
“I doubted God’s love. I doubted God’s love for me personally.
I believed God loved me as a part of the world because “God so loved the world”. I had no doubts about God and Who He is. I love his Word and I am in awe of Who He is and what He has done and is doing. But I longed for a sense that I wasn’t just one of the many. I always felt I was down the line in favored status. Yes I knew God loved everyone equally and unconditionally but I didn’t feel it. But a number of months ago as I was pondering my relationship with God as my father and wondering about that time when I will see Him face to face. How it would feel to have him look at me personally one to one. I began to cry. He gently showed me I doubted his love for me and that my doubt was sin. Amid my tears I confessed my sin to him. Then over the past months He has been leading me to specific resources that validate me in the love he has for me. First it was a conference by Dee Brestin on her book “Idol Lies”. Then a little 25 day devotional booklet given to me by a friend called “Loved Beyond Measure”.
In our Sunday School class we have been studying “Knowing God” by J I Packer. He addresses the attribute of God as Love. And now I am part of this bible study from a book called “You Are Loved”. God is amazing isn’t He?!
The background of my doubt came out of personal insecurities starting in my childhood and carried into adulthood influenced by circumstances and relationships. But nothing in my life has the right to excuse my doubt of God’s love for me personally. It is based in His Word and His Word is Truth.“
Love hearing your journey into understanding the depth of love He has for you personally!
Bev, your answer to #2 encouraged my heart today. Thanks!
Bev, thank you so much for taking the time to give us your testimony. It seems so many of us have the same basic testimony of not feeling the love of God for us personally. Maybe that is a special weapon from the Enemy to God’s children, as he knows how much it negatively affects us in so many ways and especially affects our usefulness for the Kingdom of true love and light. I remember you said recently and repeated it here again, that is is actually a sin to not believe His great love for us. That speaks to my heart in a special way as I do not want to sin against Him. I want to choose to just simply take Him at His Word and believe Him. I always thought I would like inscribed on my tombstone one day, “We have known and have believed the love that God has to us.” I John 4:16.
What a wonderful verse Miriam for a tombstone. Yesterday at church in sharing stories we saw, as you have shared, how many didn’t realize how God loved them personally.
Wow~ Missy, this is golden! “We have known and have believed the love that God has for us.” I John 4:16.
Missy, a song came to mind:
‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,Just to take Him at His word;Just to rest upon His promise;Just to know, Thus saith the Lord.
What a very sweet and appropriate song for this conversation, Bing! And, yes, it is indeed so sweet just to trust in Jesus and to take Him at His Word and to rest upon His promise.
Thanks Bev. This was a good reminder for me.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Bev. I have had moments when I felt this way: “Yes I knew God loved everyone equally and unconditionally but I didn’t feel it. But a number of months ago as I was pondering my relationship with God as my father and wondering about that time when I will see Him face to face. How it would feel to have him look at me personally one to one. I began to cry. He gently showed me I doubted his love for me and that my doubt was sin. Amid my tears I confessed my sin to him.”
Rebecca D.
Bev, your story is so encouraging, and I love to hear how God not only led you to these studies to help you embrace more His love for you. He didn’t lead you to just one, but several. He was over flowingly showing you His love for you.
Bev, thank you for sharing your beautiful journey into the heart of God and His love for you.
Sunday:
1. Does anything penetrate your heart from the above? If so, what and why?
I loved Twila’s recitation of Psalm 18 from memory. I can really feel the honesty and realness of her testimony. To some degree, I have a similar upbringing as hers-I grew up in a Christian but legalistic home.
As far as I can remember, my family, immediate and extended, always had high expectations of me. I am the oldest girl among my cousins and early on, I would hear comments like, “Do this like how Bing does it”. It was ingrained in me at a pretty young age that my significance is based on what I do and how I look. And when I did not meet expectations, I often received a disapproving look. This continued to high school and college and my nursing career. I struggled with feelings of shame and doubt and would dwell on small and big issues alike and consider that the fault was often mine. Then, if not mine; I would start blaming the other person.
I know God loves me, but I have continued to struggle with understanding how He can love me despite my human failures and gross sins. It was several years ago when a friend loaned me the book “The Prodigal God” by Tim Keller that God slowly opened my eyes to His unconditional love as my Abba Father. I was the young brother but also have so much of the older brother in me. Like Bev, I also found Dee’s book, Idol Lies. By then, I have heard Dee speak at a conference in KC, and read a couple of her books so I was shocked when I saw her opening sentence about her being an idolater! What? Dee Brestin, an idolater? I devoured that book in one day fast reading through the examples. And I remember crying while reading that book and acknowledging that I, too, was an idolater. and I realized I had so many idols to confess about and get rid of!
Now I know who to go to when my idols threaten to rule my life. And I feel like I am quicker to remember who I am-Abba’s child.
2. Share a time when you sensed you were indeed, beloved by God.
“God wants us to lay down our masks, our deadly doing to impress others, and run instead to Him in repentance and trust, confident of His reception.”
I was gone for a few days last week and when I got back, my husband told me about the many things that have happened in our community. For some reason, I felt left out of the excitement (and limelight-ugh to acknowledge but true at that moment) that could have come if I/we have been asked to be involved. My idols of approval and significance reared their ugly heads (and I can almost feel a “head” rising, I am not kidding). I was taken aback by the sudden onslaught. Negative thoughts flooded my mind, and I realized I am being attempted and that I need to correct my thinking by dwelling on the truth. So, I took my Bible, entered a quiet room in the house, and prayed to God to clear my mind and to help me set it on Him. After what seems like forever, there came quiet consolation of who I am in Christ. A warm feeling of being enveloped by an assurance that God has received me (warts and all) and loved me, nevertheless. He reminded me that I am the apple of His eye. I don’t need the praise of man. Then I remembered that my word for the year is “emptied”. He showed me that in emptying myself of “self” I can experience His fullness. What a loving Father I have!
I love your entire testimony here, Bing, especially the last part of what happened when you got home and how your idol reared its ugly head. I appreciate your honesty because idols rear their heads often in my life and cause me so much despair. I’m so glad to hear how God met you as you sought Him in a quiet place, and how He showed you His love despite failure. I need that grace so much, too, for I’ve been a failure this weekend and my daughter pointed it out in a big way, even telling me that I am so much unlike God. Even my reaction to her saying that was proof of my idol and sinful attitude when I am thinking I am doing so much good for her and my Lord. I found myself in so much self-loathing after that interaction. Oh, God, deliver me from myself and satisfy me with Your goodness and love to me, despite my failure.
Amen to this, Missy: Oh, God, deliver me from myself and satisfy me with Your goodness and love to me, despite my failure.
Oh Missy, I’ve been there in my reactions to having my idols and/or sinful attitudes pointed out by others. It especially wounds when it’s close family who does it.
Oh Bing, you melt me with your encouragement.
Oh Bing, Thank you for sharing. What a blessing to hear your story and your experience of God’s faithfulness to you and even in this past week your practice of “emptying” yourself and experiencing the arms of our loving Heavenly Father.
Oh, Bing! I love how you are so open and real with your feelings. I am so thankful that God has received me, too~ warts and all! 🙂 I join you and Bev in my love for Dee’s book “Idol Lies. “It was life changing for me and it has also been life changing for my daughter! I love and appreciate all of you dear women on this Blog. I am so thankful that we are walking this path together. I am always inspired by your honest hearts and love of the Father.
What stood out to me the most is Twila’s recorded testimony. I can so relate to her background and ensuing depression. God has also been showing me Psalm 18 lately and I was thrilled to see how God used that same Psalm to show Twila God’s special love and care for her. I would also like to memorize that psalm. Memorization has a special way of really getting the Scriptures into my heart via my mind.
God has shown His special love for me this week by causing my recent biopsies to be negative for cancer. I was being enrolled in a cancer study and things were looking ominous. I know He would still love me dearly if He allowed the cancer, but I feel His love for me in this as I have been called to be a single mom of very needy orphans. He has blessed me with a new lease on life this week and I am so grateful.
Thank You Lord!! ♥️♥️
Oh such good news, Miriam.
Miriam, Praise God for this gracious answer to our prayers for you. I have a close friend who dealt with breast cancer this past year and in her diagnosis she made the point that she and her husband were choosing to trust God “Even if” it didn’t go well. As it turns out so far it has gone as well as it can and her prognosis is very good. I see that same heart in you. Even if you choose to trust God.
Oh, Missy! Praise God for this wonderful answer to prayer!
Thank you, Lord for holding Missy in the hollow of Your hand and loving her so well. Thank you for giving Missy a new lease on life, to continue loving and raising her precious children, Your children that she loves so well. How I praise You, Jesus, for the beautiful ways I see answered prayer in the lives of Bev, Rebecca, Bing, Laura and Missy this week. Thank you for Dee and how much her writing, especially, Idol Lies, has opened each of our eyes to the temporary things we often are drawn to, instead of looking at You. You are a personal God, Who loves each of us in a deep and individual way. You see how our hearts can stray so easily, yet You are there waiting for us to simply love You more than all this world has to offer and You love us so much more deeply than we can comprehend. Open the eyes of my heart Lord, to You.
“You see how our hearts can stray so easily, yet You are there waiting for us to simply love You more than all this world has to offer”. So much I long to love Him more than anything!
Missy, “…things were looking ominous.” God is very gracious to change the ominous into a “new lease on life”.
Praise God!
1. Does anything penetrate your heart from the above? If so, what and why?
I can feel how Twila was pained in her depression. I know that depression to a certain extent. I do believe God loves me, I can even feel it in my heart, at times. I get side tracked by the weight of this world. The having to live up to the standard, and forget. I get consumed by the idols of appearance. I forget.
2. Share a time when you sensed you were indeed, beloved by God.
Every time God shows up (and it is often at times), I know and feel His love for me again. Just this past week, when I was searching for a proper consequence for something that Grace did, instead of asking Siri, I asked God. I checked the verse of the day. It was exactly the answer I needed. He does love me!
Instead of asking Siri, I asked God. Oh how you make me laugh out loud.
Laura, I so love your honesty and how you stated you forget twice. Yes, it’s as simple as that. We forget! So true, and God knows that so that helps me not to choose to be a victim of guilt for forgetting, but know He understands and wants me to run to Him. If we didn’t have a problem with forgetting, God wouldn’t have written scripture for us. 🙂 I too smiled at asking God instead of asking Siri. Love it.
LOL on Siri, Laura. I am guilty of searching the web instead of going to God as well. We do forget. Oh, how we forget!
Wow! “Hey, God…….!” Love it!!
Hahaha!!!
3. Summarize what both Manning and Tugwell are saying. They are both saying that we can choose to run to our idols whether it be putting on a mask for approval from others, or running to a vice that is a temporary salve to pain, or run into our Abba Father’s loving arms. If we yield to our vice or pretty face consistently, it can easily become our identity whether it’s an alcoholic which the world looks on as “bad”, or a happy, pretty face who has everything, which the world looks at as “good”.
4. David sexually abused Bathsheba, and when she became pregnant, tried to cover it up by sending her husband Uriah to the front of the battle.
A. When Joab came with the news of Uriah’s death, how did David respond? (2 Samuel 11:25) He put on a mask, and embellished the lie by acting concerned and like he was against Uriah’s death. He came across to the messenger as a comforter to Joab and as an avenger against the evil Hittites who killed Uriah.
B. What route was David taking: hiding or running into God’s arms? Why, do you think? Hiding. He wanted to look good to those around him. He was hiding his sin and in the arms of his idol.
5. God sent Nathan the prophet with a story to penetrate David’s heart, and it did. How did David respond in:
A. 2 Samuel 12:13? He repented
B. Psalm 51? He turned from desiring his idols to desiring God.
6. How does God describe David in Acts 13:22? A man after God’s heart for He yields to God and will do what God asks.
7. Is there an area of your life, a habitual sin, you are endeavoring to hide from yourself, others, or God? How does this keep you from what your heart really craves? This is good timing. Yes, I have been struggling with resentment toward someone close to me. I think it’s a way of protecting myself and at the same time testing them to see if they truly are sincere. So my sinful heart craves sincere and honest love from a human and I’m not running to my Abba Father’s loving arms first and trusting Him to provide what no one else can. My heart craves a faithful, enduring, cherishing, and honoring love which no human being can 100% give to someone else without failing at some point. Only God can be that to me. So while I am testing this person to see if they are truly sincere, I’m growing resentment that I even have to test this person, and missing what my heart really craves and that is running to Abba Father for comfort and faithful love. This sounds mixed up because I am at this point, so this study is helping me to sort this tangled mess in my heart out!
I am weary of this struggle in your life, Rebecca, yet so proud of how you are handling it. Yet I do pray for this person to show the fruit of true repentance.
Such a practical example we can all relate to, Rebecca! Running to others instead of to God! I needed that in a big way!
Monday: Man After God’s Heart
3. Summarize what both Manning and Tugwell are saying.
—Manning recognized he had choices to make on how he would respond and deal with his slipping back to alcohol. It was either the negative of guilt, fear and depression and having a victim mentality or running to God who as his loving Heavenly Father would gather him in his arms and he could trust would still love and accept him because God is unchangeable in his love and acceptance of us.
Tugwell says we often flee our own reality and put on a “pretty face” trying to hide our feelings of being unlovable and unacceptable.
4. David sexually abused Bathsheba, and when she became pregnant, tried to cover it up by sending her husband Uriah to the front of the battle.
A. When Joab came with the news of Uriah’s death, how did David respond? (2 Samuel 11:25)
—David basically said tell Joab don’t worry about it. Some live and some die. I would say his response was indifferent.
B. What route was David taking: hiding or running into God’s arms? Why, do you think?
—Obviously he was running from his reality and hiding by putting on a pretty face that things were ok. I think David was trying to ignore and salve Amy guilt for his sinful 3. Summarize what both Manning and Tugwell are saying.
—Manning recognized he had choices to make on how he would respond and deal with his slipping back to alcohol. The negative of guilt, fear and depression and having a victim mentality or running to God who as his loving Heavenly Father would gather him in his arms and he could trust would still love and accept him because God is unchangeable in his love and acceptance of us.
Tugwell says we often flee our own reality and put on a “pretty face” to try and hide our feelings of being unlovable and unacceptable.
4. David sexually abused Bathsheba, and when she became pregnant, tried to cover it up by sending her husband Uriah to the front of the battle.
A. When Joab came with the news of Uriah’s death, how did David respond? (2 Samuel 11:25)
—David basically said tell Joab don’t worry about it. Some live and some die. I would say his response was indifferent.
B. What route was David taking: hiding or running into God’s arms? Why, do you think?
—Obviously he was running from his reality and hiding by putting on a pretty face that things were ok. I think David was trying to ignore and salve any guilt he had for his sinful actions.
5. God sent Nathan the prophet with a story to penetrate David’s heart, and it did. How did David respond in:
A. 2 Samuel 12:13?
—David acknowledged he had sinned against God.
B. Psalm 51?
—David says in verse 4 “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight,….”
6. How does God describe David in Acts 13:22?
—As a man after his own heart.
7. Is there an area of your life, a habitual sin, you are endeavoring to hide from yourself, others, or God? How does this keep you from what your heart really craves?
—I see the sins of my life as less habitual now because of the misery they bring and because of the breach of fellowship they can cause. In my older age I tend to run more quickly to my father’s arms where I find the loving acceptance and forgiveness that I crave.
5. God sent Nathan the prophet with a story to penetrate David’s heart, and it did. How did David respond in:
A. 2 Samuel 12:13?
—David acknowledged he had sinned against God.
B. Psalm 51?
—David says in verse 4 “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight,….”
6. How does God describe David in Acts 13:22?
—As a man after his own heart.
7. Is there an area of your life, a habitual sin, you are endeavoring to hide from yourself, others, or God? How does this keep you from what your heart really craves?
—I see the sins of my life as less habitual now because of the misery they bring and because of the breach of fellowship they can cause. In my older age I tend to run more quickly to my father’s arms where I find the loving acceptance and forgiveness that I crave.
1. Does anything penetrate your heart from the above? If so, what and why?
I love hearing Twila’s story and listening to Psalm 18. I read the Psalm, as she is quoting it. So powerful. I have not dealt with Twila’s kind of depression, yet this year I have had moments of desperate fear of the future. The power of this Psalm, every word penetrated my heart. He is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer, even on the days when I am not worthy. He is the Lord; He is my Lord, He is always worthy to be praised.
2. Share a time when you sensed you were indeed, beloved by God.
It is like walking in quicksand some days. I have had times when I felt, I was not sure I could go on and could not imagine a future without my husband, if the Lord chooses to take him home. I have felt very undeserving of God’s love, because of my sin of fear and distrust in God and His will. Some days I am like a bobbing cork, in the middle of the sea and I cannot see the shore…that feeling of panic. My word for this year is Trust and I have struggled often with that this year. Yet, I saw and felt the love of God at a memorial service for a man, who suffered for 13 months with pancreatic cancer. He was 58 years old. His wife is an amazing woman of faith. The only thing Hui wanted talked about at his service, was that we each need to know Jesus. Jesus loves each of us. I heard the words he said to his family and friends, I heard that struggles he endured; I thought how it was such a parallel to what Dee and Steve went through. I came home and opened my copy of Dee’s book, The God of All Comfort. Once again, I read her story, her testimony to God’s personal love and care. I read Isaiah 43:1-2. I read the words to The Far Side Banks of Jordan. I sense that God does love me, unworthy me. He loves my husband and He has a plan for us. I can’t see the plan and I am scared, but I feel that He is with me and will show me the way step by step. I am not worthy, but He is faithful to draw me close to Him, under His wing. His Love is sure. His Word is truth. He Loves even me. The words of the hymn: Be Still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.
Oh Patti,
May God bless you with the very close presence of Himself through this very hard time of your husbands health. Asking God to ease your troubled soul and keep you in the moment right by his side.
Thank you, Bev. The Lord is so good.
Oh my dear friend, bobbing in a sea, yet grabbing His lifeline. I love you and am praying for you daily.
Thank you, dear Dee. The Lord is so faithful, loving and good. How I Praise His Name, Abba Father!
You are so precious, dear Patti. You are such a testimony of God’s grace though I know you must falter at times in this sea of distress. May God’s love and presence be so very real to you and may you sense His arms around you. Love and prayers.
3. Summarize what both Manning and Tugwell are saying.
We tend to hide our real selves, who we are and what we feel, behind a happy face or success, to protect ourselves from others seeing the “real flawed me”.
4. David sexually abused Bathsheba, and when she became pregnant, tried to cover it up by sending her husband Uriah to the front of the battle.
A. When Joab came with the news of Uriah’s death, how did David respond? (2 Samuel 11:25)
David’s response was a mask for the satisfaction he felt, at hearing the news of Uriah’s death.
B. What route was David taking: hiding or running into God’s arms? Why, do you think?
David was hiding his sin; how did he think that God would not know. He used his authority to destroy a life, in order to have his lustful gain Bathsheba as his wife.
5. God sent Nathan the prophet with a story to penetrate David’s heart, and it did. How did David respond in:
A. 2 Samuel 12:13? David confesses that he had sinned against the Lord. The Lord did not punish David with the penalty of death.
B. Psalm 51? David repents of his sin and confesses that he has sinned against the Lord. David repents and asks the Lord to create in him a clean heart and renew his steadfast spirit. Most importantly, he does not want the Lord to cast him out of His presence. I love verse 17: The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God. You will not despise.
6. How does God describe David in Acts 13:22? “I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will.” A repentant heart.
7. Is there an area of your life, a habitual sin, you are endeavoring to hide from yourself, others, or God? How does this keep you from what your heart really craves? I long to be in the will of God, yet my mind and heart can wander. I need to constantly tend my heart, read God’s Word, abide in Him and pray. I also need to be aware of my idols and turn my eyes back to Jesus.
3. Summarize what both Manning and Tugwell are saying. We hate our sin and how that makes it feel about ourselves.m We can fall into despair or put up a facade of who we d like to be sometimes fooling our selves that is who we are When we fail and the wall comes down, we can try to deal with sin and self in the same old way or as Manning says run to the Father.
4. David sexually abused Bathsheba, and when she became pregnant, tried to cover it up by sending her husband Uriah to the front of the battle.
A. When Joab came with the news of Uriah’s death, how did David respond? (2 Samuel 11:25) sent a message back to Joab don’t let this displease you and kind of shrugged his shoulders and dismissed the horror of what happened as this is what happens in war.
B. What route was David taking: hiding or running into God’s arms? Why, do you think? Hiding I think he’d gotten used to having things his way and may have thought he could do as he wanted. The passage begins by saying in the spring when kings go off to war. David stayed home
5. God sent Nathan the prophet with a story to penetrate David’s heart, and it did. How did David respond in:
A. 2 Samuel 12:13? He confessed “I have sinned against the Lord.”
B. Psalm 51? He confessed his sin to God and asked God to cleanse him from his sin. He asked not to be cast away or the HOLY SPIRIT takrn from him and to restore his joy.
6. How does God describe David in Acts 13:22? As a man after God s heart who will do His will.
7. Is there an area of your life, a habitual sin, you are endeavoring to hide from yourself, others, or God? How does this keep you from what your heart really craves? Sometimes I tell a lie to make things go smoothly. So I’m deceiving myself and mot trusting God to take care of things.
1. Does anything penetrate your heart from the above? If so, what and why? Definitely the concern about how we appear to others at the expense of our relationship to God. Many times in my interactions with other people my concern is more to whether I look like a Christian to them than whether I am being faithful to God in what I am doing or saying.
2. Share a time when you sensed you were indeed, beloved by God. It’s probably mostly when I recall all of the “coincidences” in my life that lead to my marriage and life with my husband, someone that I first met at a church that I briefly attended between the ages of 10 and 12. The way that we ended up together during a time that neither one of us was going to church or even seriously thinking about God in our lives. How a Christian woman on an Army base got me to start going to church and my husband went because I was going. We both ended up dedicating our lives and our family to Christ. When I look back on this I know that I am beloved of God. His fingerprints are all over this!
I love how God was in your life and brought you together as children, then later as husband and wife. And the woman on the Army base, who got you both going to church. Love “His fingerprints are all over this!” Oh, how we see Him in our lives when we look back at all He has done!
Patti,
You are always such an encouragement to me!
Love this from Dawn: “His fingerprints are all over this.”
I love this story of the proof of God’s clear leading and deep love for you even when you weren’t loving Him back. Such an encouragement to me.
8. The contrast to David is King Saul, who longed for the praise of man. How can you see this in 1 Samuel 18:6-10? Saul was jealous when David was praised more than he was. Instead of seeing the truth that David did accomplish more and deserves to be praised, though Saul was praised it wasn’t enough, he allowed his idol of approval have him and believed the lie, and Saul’s heart grew and grew against David.
Why, in light of eternity, is this a snare? He gave satan a chance to pounce on him and the only way to get more praise would be to squash David.
9. How, again in contrast to David, did Saul respond when God sent a prophet to confront him about disobeying his orders to destroy all the Amalakites and their animals? See 1 Samuel 15:13-23. He became defensive the first time stating he did obey God. Even when he agreed with Samuel that he did sin against God he blamed the other men for pressuring him. God didn’t have to send Samuel to help bring Saul to his senses. This shows me even more how God pursues and has compassion on prodigals.
God loves who we really are — whether we like it or not. God calls us, as He did Adam, to come out of hiding. No amount of spiritual make-up can render us more presentable to Him.
Brennan Manning
10. The key to overcoming self-hatred and craving the praise of men is believing in our heart that no matter what, we are God’s Beloved. Take some time to meditate on the Father’s love and share what He shows you.
A. Psalm 103:13 God has deep unconditional compassion for me, even when I’m in my most ugly moments.
B. Hosea 11:3-4 God consistently leads me with kindness and love even though I don’t realize how How much kindness and mercy He’s shown me.
C. Luke 15: 17-24 God wasn’t casual about the son who repented and came back, He ran to him. God who is Holy, who loves fiercely was rejected by his son and instead of enacting judgment and rejecting him, He did the complete opposite. He was overly thrilled and his emotions driven by Love burst out of Him. So God loves me like this! Whenever I wander or struggle with hiding, He wants me to turn and come out for He longs to hear my voice. It’s lovely to Him.
D. 1 John 3:1 I have no “right” to be His daughter. I have no authority or power in it because I did nothing to gain, or deserve, or lose union with Him. I didn’t have to “win” God over. He was already enamored with me, pursued me and made me His via the cross and resurrection. I’m His, so when I try to hide from Him, I truly can’t. Psalm 139: 7-12 Where can I go where His presence isn’t there? I might think He’s aloof or that He can’t see the sin in my heart I’m struggling with, but He can and does and isn’t going to condemn me, He wants to break and bend me into His image so He can ravage me more with His love, and so He is with me even in the battle with sin, even when I’m sinning and don’t see it, or justify it. He’s with me, showing me what it is, and helping me to overcome. SO THAT our relationship can grow sweeter and sweeter. SO THAT others will see His character, His Holy Spirit in me and He will draw them to Him. I wasn’t expecting God to bring me back to my senses with all of this from this verse! Thank you, Lord. Help me to remember this today, and to delve into this more and more for I want to be completely free from the sin that entangles me and keeps my heart at bay from you, even though you are with me. I want a more vibrant and passionate relationship with you. It seems like it ebbs and flows with me, but with you, oh! You are 100% consistently passionate for me. Help me to take my mind off of me, and put it on you. What I don’t have relationally here on earth, that I long for. What I long for can only be found in you. Help me to turn from this constant disappointment that is filling my heart with resentment, and with your fingers turn my face away from this idol and turn toward you like flint. You’ve helped me see your love for me this morning in a deeper way, help me not to forget when my flesh presses into me. Woe is me that I would even forget!!! I long for this sinful flesh to be gone.
Your answer to D. is so powerful, Rebecca. I need to read this daily.
Rebecca, I so agree with Patti. That is a powerful prayer. “I want a more vibrant and passionate relationship with you. It seems like it ebbs and flows with me, but with you, oh! You are 100% consistently passionate for me. Help me to take my mind off of me, and put it on you…What I long for can only be found in you. Help me to turn from this constant disappointment that is filling my heart with resentment, and with your fingers turn my face away from this idol and turn toward you like flint. “
Oh Rebecca how you minister to us with your deep and thoughtful ponderings.
Your prayer moves me, dear Rebecca.
8. The contrast to David is King Saul, who longed for the praise of man. How can you see this in 1 Samuel 18:6-10? Why, in light of eternity, is this a snare?
King Saul was angry when David received praise from the women, who came out and singing to Saul and David. Saul become jealous and distrustful of David. It showed that the Lord was not in Saul’s life; Saul’s heart was concerned with the temporal not the eternal.
9. How, again in contrast to David, did Saul respond when God sent a prophet to confront him about disobeying his orders to destroy all the Amalakites and their animals? See 1 Samuel 15:13-23.
Saul disobeyed the voice of God and did what was evil in God’s sight. He tried to justify his behavior by saying he kept the choicest animals for sacrifice to the Lord, but this was rebellious behavior. He was once again, putting his own evil greed and desire over obeying the Word of God. David had a repentant heart; Saul’s continued self centered actions, took him away from the heart of God.
God loves who we really are — whether we like it or not. God calls us, as He did Adam, to come out of hiding. No amount of spiritual make-up can render us more presentable to Him.
Brennan Manning
10. The key to overcoming self-hatred and craving the praise of men is believing in our heart that no matter what, we are God’s Beloved. Take some time to meditate on the Father’s love and share what He shows you.
A. Psalm 103:13 God knows that my heart is fragile and tempted to wander. He knows my idol of self approval and He continually draws me back to Himself and shows me that the only approval I need is from Him.
B. Hosea 11:3-4 The Father is so ever gentle in correcting us and bringing us back to Him. A footnote in my Bible speaks of the Father lifting the son to His cheek. God is tender and gentle in His correction of me.
C. Luke 15: 17-24 My Father is heartbroken when I am disobedient and stray from Him and His will. Yet, He has so much love for me, that when I return to Him, He quickly welcomes me back with a compassionate embrace. Such a beautiful visual picture.
D. 1 John 3:1 To be a child of God is the greatest gift. It does not matter if the world knows us, for they do not know Him; It only matters that my life is pleasing to Him. That is all I need. That is more than enough. There is nothing the world could possibly offer that could come close to being a child of God.
Patti, our Abba is gentle and lowly, indeed.
Amen, Bing. So thankful for our Abba Father.
Monday: Man After God’s Heart
Brennan Manning never had complete victory over his alcoholism. Yet while Christians might dismiss him for that reason, God never did. Manning writes:
A “slip” from an alcoholic is a terrifying experience…when the person sobers up, he or she is devastated. When I relapsed, I had two options: yield once against to guilt, fear, and depression — or rush into the arms of my heavenly Father; choose to live as a victim of my disease — or choose to trust in Abba’s immutable love.
And he quotes Simon Tugwell:
Like runaway slaves, we either flee our own reality or manufacture a false self which is mostly admirable…and superficially happy. We hide what we know or feel ourselves to be (which we assume to be unacceptable and unlovable) behind some kind of appearance that we hope will be more pleasing. We hide behind pretty faces that we put on for the benefit of our public. And in time we may even come to forget that we are hiding, and think that our assumed pretty face is what we really look like.
3. Summarize what both Manning and Tugwell are saying.
4. David sexually abused Bathsheba, and when she became pregnant, tried to cover it up by sending her husband Uriah to the front of the battle.
A. When Joab came with the news of Uriah’s death, how did David respond? (2 Samuel 11:25)
He was dismissive of the gravity of his sin and went on as usual by commanding Joab to destroy the city. Lesson: My sin has lasting ripple effects on others.
B. What route was David taking: hiding or running into God’s arms? Why, do you think?
He was hiding from God so as not to face (denial) the reality of his sins.
5. God sent Nathan the prophet with a story to penetrate David’s heart, and it did. How did David respond in:
A. 2 Samuel 12:13?
I have sinned against the Lord.
B. Psalm 51?
Against you have I sinned, O God.
6. How does God describe David in Acts 13:22?
A man after God’s heart.
7. Is there an area of your life, a habitual sin, you are endeavoring to hide from yourself, others, or God? How does this keep you from what your heart really craves?
I know my heart craves unconditional love, but my natural tendency is to work for it. This morning when I woke up, the Lord brought this to mind: “Bing, there is nothing you can do, or I want you to do to earn my love. You are loved as you are. Just as you are, come to me.”
Oh, Such a beautiful reminder, Bing! I know my heart craves unconditional love, but my natural tendency is to work for it. This morning when I woke up, the Lord brought this to mind: “Bing, there is nothing you can do, or I want you to do to earn my love. You are loved as you are. Just as you are, come to me.”
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Tuesday: Man After The Praise of Man
8. The contrast to David is King Saul, who longed for the praise of man. How can you see this in 1 Samuel 18:6-10? Why, in light of eternity, is this a snare?
Many accorded praise to David’s conquest and Saul was jealous of him. He wanted himself to be above David. This is a snare for Saul because it will keep him from focusing on God; he will be self-focused from then on. Praise of man will lead him to destruction for God opposes the proud.
9. How, again in contrast to David, did Saul respond when God sent a prophet to confront him about disobeying his orders to destroy all the Amalakites and their animals? See 1 Samuel 15:13-23.
He rationalized his actions by saying he saved the best of plunder to sacrifice them to the Lord. He also excused himself by saying he was afraid of his men and gave in to them. But Samuel replied that God delights in obedience rather than burnt offerings and sacrifices.
God loves who we really are — whether we like it or not. God calls us, as He did Adam, to come out of hiding. No amount of spiritual make-up can render us more presentable to Him.
Brennan Manning
10. The key to overcoming self-hatred and craving the praise of men is believing in our hearts that no matter what, we are God’s Beloved. Take some time to meditate on the Father’s love and share what He shows you.
This quote from Brennan Manning sums it up for me. “No amount of spiritual make-up can render us more presentable to Him.”
I realized that many times, I am equating God’s love for me with how I love others. That is sin, I realized, as I am putting myself on par with God! My love for others is often so conditional. It is crazy to think this way when I know in my head that it is not true. Yet, that is my default mode. I will keep a notebook of these verses you have shared here, Dee, and add to them. So, when feelings of doubt, shame, and guilt come, I can re-read them, and let the work of His Word and the Spirit revive me and assure me of His love for me. Look to Jesus. Keep Him in the forefront. Keep north. I hope to commit them to memory; Twila’s example encourages me.
“I am equating God’s love with how I love others.” Good to see that — His love is deeper than the ocean!
Tuesday: Man After The Praise of Man
8. The contrast to David is King Saul, who longed for the praise of man. How can you see this in 1 Samuel 18:6-10? Why, in light of eternity, is this a snare?
—Saul expressed his jealousy of David and felt threatened by him. A jealous spirit is a selfish attitude that wants its own satisfaction and displays a hatred for those who have what they want. It becomes a wasted life focused on self and oblivious to having a Christ-like heart that is concerned about the well being and good of others.
9. How, again in contrast to David, did Saul respond when God sent a prophet to confront him about disobeying his orders to destroy all the Amalakites and their animals? See 1 Samuel 15:13-23.
—Saul lied to Samuel the prophet and then made excuses and justified his actions not taking seriously the commands that God had given him. He was impatient and disobedient. His heart and character were sorely lacking. David had a heart for God and a close person relationship wanting to follow God’s plans. When he did sin against God he didn’t make excuses but practiced true confession and repentance.
10. The key to overcoming self-hatred and craving the praise of men is believing in our heart that no matter what, we are God’s Beloved. Take some time to meditate on the Father’s love and share what He shows you.
A. Psalm 103:13
“As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.”
—Our God is a compassionate and caring Father
B. Hosea 11:3-4
“Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk; I took them up by their arms, but they did not know that I healed them. I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them.”
—Our God is a teacher and healer. He is kind and brings relief in our lives.
C. Luke 15: 17-24
““But when he came to himself, he said,…. I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you….. And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you….. “But the father said….. let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.”
—Our God is unconditional in his love and acceptance and is a redeemer and restorer.
D. 1 John 3:1
“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”
—Our God makes us his children. A true part of his family so that the world doesn’t recognize us because it refused to recognize Him.
8. The contrast to David is King Saul, who longed for the praise of man. How can you see this in 1 Samuel 18:6-10? Why, in light of eternity, is this a snare? When king Saul was offended when David was credited with killing more men than the King King Saul was wanting the praise and approval of men rather than the praise and approval of the Father. King Saul wasn’t turning to God
9. How, again in contrast to David, did Saul respond when God sent a prophet to confront him about disobeying his orders to destroy all the Amalakites and their animals? See 1 Samuel 15:13-23. King Saul chose only partial obedience and spared the king and then blamed the people for taking the spoils. As king he should have killed the king of Amalek and forbidden that any spoils were taken.
God loves who we really are — whether we like it or not. God calls us, as He did Adam, to come out of hiding. No amount of spiritual make-up can render us more presentable to Him.
Brennan Manning
10. The key to overcoming self-hatred and craving the praise of men is believing in our heart that no matter what, we are God’s Beloved. Take some time to meditate on the Father’s love and share what He shows you.
A. Psalm 103:13 God has compassion on us as a father who has compassion on his children.
B. Hosea 11:3-4 a tenderness and nurturing in how He cared for Israel. Teaching them, taking them by the arms, healing them, bending down to feed them.
C. Luke 15: 17-24 once again tenderness. Not waiting for the prodigal to reach him, but running to him, kissing him, clothing him and calling for a celebration.
D. 1 John 3:1 The Father lavishing love on us and calling us His children.
3. Summarize what both Manning and Tugwell are saying. All people have the tendency to hide who they really are. They want to appear to be acceptable in either their own or other peoples’ eyes.
4. David sexually abused Bathsheba, and when she became pregnant, tried to cover it up by sending her husband Uriah to the front of the battle.
A. When Joab came with the news of Uriah’s death, how did David respond? (2 Samuel 11:25) He didn’t even acknowledge Uriah’s death, he just said the sword devours one then another. Don’t worry about it. (This story has always bothered me.)
B. What route was David taking: hiding or running into God’s arms? Why, do you think? Hiding, because, at that moment, he was a coward and used his authority to try to cover his sin.
5. God sent Nathan the prophet with a story to penetrate David’s heart, and it did. How did David respond in:
A. 2 Samuel 12:13? He admitted that he sinned before God.
B. Psalm 51? He throws himself on God’s mercy. He begs to be cleansed of his sin.
6. How does God describe David in Acts 13:22? As a man after God’s heart.
7. Is there an area of your life, a habitual sin, you are endeavoring to hide from yourself, others, or God? Yes, I can sugar coat it to myself (managing my sin as my pastor puts it), hide it from others, but nothing is hidden from God. How does this keep you from what your heart really craves? My heart really craves closeness to God. My sin keeps me focused on myself and my comfort. I spend less time in prayer and bible study and it just perpetuates the problem.
“All people have the tendency to hide who they really are. They want to appear to be acceptable in either their own or other peoples’ eyes.”
Dawn, I sure agree with you on that.
Amen to Bev, Dawn. I think that is so true of all of us. So important to keep our eyes on Jesus. It reminds to to weed out my idols daily.
4. David sexually abused Bathsheba, and when she became pregnant, tried to cover it up by sending her husband Uriah to the front of the battle.
A. When Joab came with the news of Uriah’s death, how did David respond? (2 Samuel 11:25)
He gave a flippant response; basically, c’est la vie!
B. What route was David taking: hiding or running into God’s arms? Why, do you think?
Running. He definitely did not want to face the truth!
5. God sent Nathan the prophet with a story to penetrate David’s heart, and it did. How did David respond in:
A. 2 Samuel 12:13?
He repented.
B. Psalm 51?
He repents. He admits he is a sinner. He asks forgiveness.
6. How does God describe David in Acts 13:22?
As a man after His own heart.
8. The contrast to David is King Saul, who longed for the praise of man. How can you see this in 1 Samuel 18:6-10? Why, in light of eternity, is this a snare?
Saul was jealous of David. His people praised him for killing thousands, and David, tens of thousands. He cared more about this than what God thought. This is upside down thinking. To receive eternity, we must consider God first.
9. How, again in contrast to David, did Saul respond when God sent a prophet to confront him about disobeying his orders to destroy all the Amalakites and their animals? See 1 Samuel 15:13-23.
He chose his own path and didn’t listen to the Lord. He thought his way was better.
10. The key to overcoming self-hatred and craving the praise of men is believing in our heart that no matter what, we are God’s Beloved. Take some time to meditate on the Father’s love and share what He shows you.
A. Psalm 103:13
He is my Father. He is tender and compassionate.
B. Hosea 11:3-4
He teaches me. He loves me with kindness. He feeds me.
C. Luke 15: 17-24
He is forgiving.
D. 1 John 3:1
He calls me His child.
11. What thoughts from the above resonate with you?
All his thoughts! I can say, same here! While I still struggle like Brennan, I used to be totally entrapped by my approval idol and comfort idol the most and pretty much all the other idols because I didn’t know those were idols until I went through Dee’s study on Idolatry. Her Idol lies study made a huge impact in my growth in Christ though I never feel like I’ve grown, it’s huge just to even be aware when my heart is going in the wrong direction.
12. What thoughts from the above resonate with you? In what ways might you be an imposter — where you are different in private than public, or give more attention to certain glittering people than to others? I mentioned my sin of resentment issue to our counselor last night and he said it is so easy to forget I’m still healing from the pain of the past because of him watching me lead worship, and because I seem so much calmer and content. So I was hiding this from my counselor and husband. While I can hide, I’m not good at hiding for long for it will come out. I’m glad God made me that way though!
I grew up on both sides, poor grandparents on one side and wealthy grandparents on the other, I’ve been around popular people, a few famous people, and the homeless. So to me people are people made in the image of God regardless of status or class. That said, I am VERY attracted to godly people who are honest and real about their struggles. I would’ve been attracted to people like Brennan Manning and Rich Mullins for they were sincere. Doesn’t matter if they are famous. I tend to bristle, or stay away from believers who are judgmental and seem to always have it together. No sin issues, perfect kids, and who look down on families and others who are dysfunctional. BUT have I EVER done that?? Yikes!!! I’m thankful Jesus made it clear that the Father loved the older prodigal son too. SO bristling and not getting to know them isn’t the posture God would want for me!
“I’m thankful Jesus made it clear that the Father loved the older prodigal son too. SO bristling and not getting to know them isn’t the posture God would want for me!”
Rebecca, I identify with that.
So many good insights here, Rebecca. Thank you! I appreciate your honesty.
Rebecca D. continued
13. What do the following Scriptures say that is helpful in understanding how to see others?
A. 2 Corinthians 5:16 To not regard anyone from a worldly point of view.
B. Matthew 25:31-40 It isn’t my business to judge others, that is Jesus’ business, and He does and He will. 🙂
Dee – the comments above are mine and are awaiting moderation. So it’s Rebecca D. 🙂
Wednesday:
Glittering Images
11. What thoughts from the above resonate with you?
—The weight thing.
“He was preoccupied with his weight, crestfallen when it went up, concerned about what others would think.”
I have lived under the issue of weight all my life “concerned with what others would think”.
Physical size and appearance was a message I learned early on. I was a “chubby” child. Even my own siblings picked on me for it. My dad made it plain how he wanted my mom to look. Not overweight or matronly.
A number of years ago I developed an attitude of I don’t care about how much I weigh. I became sick and tired of feeling like every bite of food that went into my mouth was sin. I felt like I just couldn’t win. I know it contributed to my feeling that I would just never be one of God’s “favorite” children. What a lie! Thankfully as I shared already on Sunday of this week my Abba Father moved in my heart to change that thinking and loved on me in meaningful ways to settle it in my heart. It’s just what we learned from the last question asked yesterday. “The key to overcoming self-hatred and craving the praise of men is believing in our heart that no matter what, we are God’s Beloved.” I reiterate “no matter what, we are God’s Beloved”.
12. What thoughts from the above resonate with you? In what ways might you be an imposter — where you are different in private than public, or give more attention to certain glittering people than to others?
—Just 3 years ago because of Type 2 diabetes to bring down my A1c and avoid taking drugs I lost a significantly noticeable amount of weight. I have received an incredible amount of praise for “how good I look”. From Christian’s and non Christians alike. After so many years of being overweight and, frankly I still am listed as obese on the weight charts, I am a little bit galled by the comment. In most cases I just say thank you and move on. But the emphasis being on “looking good” clearly implies to me I was not as acceptable as an overweight woman by most of the world. Just as God challenged Manning for being drawn to “the beautiful people” and giving less or little attention to those like me (an overweight woman) it makes the point of how it reinforced my need to look good for approval.
Today my heart aches deeply for the obese people around me and in our society there are many. My imposter tendencies are trying to be nice to glittering people when they fawn over each other for how good they look and I often find that disgusting. I just don’t want to be around them. But God challenges my heart to love equally. High or low. Fat or skinny. Rich or poor. Shiny or not. To be genuinely loving of all and to practice grace which is my word for the year. I try to accept all from both sides of the coin and consider the question. What are their heart’s needs?
13. What do the following Scriptures say that is helpful in understanding how to see others?
A. 2 Corinthians 5:16
—The NIV says
“So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view….”
I think that says it well and is key to looking at others not from a worldly point of view but from God’s point of view which is a heart of love and acceptance.
B. Matthew 25:31-40
—Verse 40 says “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
I think the point here is about the least being the most needy. It’s about seeing people in their need and then coming along side of them to help meet their needs. And that is not just physical like food, water and clothes. But along with the physical needs to consider what are their heart needs. It very well could be loving acceptance. It usually is for all of us. That is why grasping the wonderful truth of Abba Father is so important.
Thank you for sharing these thoughts, dear Bev. This world keeps telling us what beauty is and I am so thankful that we have our Abba Father, who shows us true beauty is in our hearts, where we can show His love to others. I am so thankful that God sees and knows our hearts. A godly heart shines so brightly in the world, where good looks fade and glitter turns to rust. As I continue to age (and rust), I am trying to embrace my wrinkles and work on keeping mobile so my joints don’t rust so fast. 🙂 I so appreciate you! And you are beautiful just as you are!
11. What thoughts from the above resonate with you? It is so human to want affirmation from others, but it can be draining to everyone. It is hard to be real. One of my favorite books, The Velveteen Rabbit, has that great quote about being “Real”. It is hard to be real in this world, but I so want to be real, even when my fur is all rubbed off. It is comfortable and happy to feel accepted, yet I wonder how productive our lives are living that way. It is good for our egos to be admired greatly, but I have to go back to what is it that I truly need to be if I truly serve God the way I say I want to serve Him. It is giving up all for Him. The words are easy to say, but I need the whole armor of God every second of the day to do that. And I fail way too often.
12. What thoughts from the above resonate with you? In what ways might you be an imposter — where you are different in private than public, or give more attention to certain glittering people than to others? I tend to internalize my stress, so I may be calm in public and may cry when I am alone. I am not terribly attracted to the glittering people. I once was, when I was very young, but glittering people tend to be so self focused that there is no room in their lives for anyone that does not help them shine. I am more comfortable with the quiet and lonely people of the world. I would rather have few true friends than a whole roomful of glittering acquaintances.
13. What do the following Scriptures say that is helpful in understanding how to see others?
A. 2 Corinthians 5:16 As a Christian, I am called to see others with the eyes of Christ. The surface glitter is not the substance. Help me, Jesus, to see others through Your eyes; help me to see with my heart, Lord.
B. Matthew 25:31-40 We are not to look down on others. It does not matter what I look like, my status or wealth in this world, but how I treat others and that I see others, rich or poor, crippled or whole, through the eyes of our Father. Help me to do this daily, dear Lord.
11. What thoughts from the above resonate with you? I can struggle with concern about what others think of me and tend to be silent in a group so I don’t foolishly say anything that I think others are judging Yes concerns about my weight.
On a silent retreat with God in the Colorado Rockies, God whispered: Brennan, you bring your full presence and attention to certain members of the community but offer a diminished presence to others. Those who have stature, wealth, and charisma — those you find interesting or charming or pretty or famous — command your undivided attention, but people yu consider plain or dowdy — those of lesser rank performing menial tasks, the unsung and the uncelebrated — are not treated with the same regard. This is not a minor matter to me, Brennan. The way you are with others every day, regardless of their status, is the true test of faith.
12. What thoughts from the above resonate with you? In what ways might you be an imposter — where you are different in private than public, or give more attention to certain glittering people than to others? I don’t like it when I make an opinion of someone based on superficial appearance or some of what I consider inappropriate or loud behavior or lack of appreciation for something I ve done for them. I tend to hide in public and then some conversation will resonate with me and I share too much and don’t listen to others.
13. What do the following Scriptures say that is helpful in understanding how to see others?
A. 2 Corinthians 5:16 we should refuse to view people merely by outward appearance. That is how Christ was viewed with limited human insight.
B. Matthew 25:31-40. Christ welcomed those who tenderly care for the sick and needy.
11. What thoughts from the above resonate with you?
Oh how I long to be the skinny, tall models of the catalogs I receive in the mail! I suppose it’s because I will then “belong.”I will then be better than my short, stumpy body. I try to tell myself God made me just as He wanted me, but I can’t seem to appreciate it. I don’t love myself very much…
I met you and I don’t even know who you are talking about!
I love you Dee 😘
I saw your video of you dancing. I think God made you to be a graceful dancer and you are that. (and I am sure you are taller than I am, as I am elfin size!) 🙂
😇
Laura, I so love you for being you and being so honest with us. I do think that those skinny tall models have their own struggles different than we “littles” have. You are beautiful as you are!
You are probably right Bing 😉
End of the year at school. I’m exhausted.
8. The contrast to David is King Saul, who longed for the praise of man. How can you see this in 1 Samuel 18:6-10? Saul was greatly concerned about being #1 in the eyes of the people.
Why, in light of eternity, is this a snare? Because this world will pass away and the only thing that matters is what God thinks of us.
9. How, again in contrast to David, did Saul respond when God sent a prophet to confront him about disobeying his orders to destroy all the Amalakites and their animals? See 1 Samuel 15:13-23. He tried to make excuses and lie about his behavior.
God loves who we really are — whether we like it or not. God calls us, as He did Adam, to come out of hiding. No amount of spiritual make-up can render us more presentable to Him.
Brennan Manning
10. The key to overcoming self-hatred and craving the praise of men is believing in our heart that no matter what, we are God’s Beloved. Take some time to meditate on the Father’s love and share what He shows you. He loves me even when I am doing the exact opposite of what I should be doing.
I just started Abba’s Child yesterday and i can already tell that this is something that I need to hear.
Wonderful, Dawn.
Amen, Dawn. I just started the book too. I loved the experiences he mentions in “The Word Before”. He is talking about how we need to reclaim our core identity as Abba’s Child. I so related to this…
14. What do the following psalms tell us?
A. Psalm 37:4 I think we tend to look at the second half of the verse, yet I find the first half the most important. Delighting our selves in the Lord first, will give you the desire of our hearts. Our hearts deepest desire is truly knowing God, which far outweighs anything this world has to offer. I love this quote by A.W. Tozer…it says it so well: “We pursue God because, and only because, He has first put an urge within us that spurs us to the pursuit (and) when the Holy Spirit shows us God as He is we admire Him to the point of wonder and DELIGHT.” Oh that His Spirit would raise up a generation who so admires God that delighting in Him becomes our insatiable pleasure that far exceeds anything this world has to offer.
B. Psalm 63:1-5 Seek the Lord, earnestly and Praise His name. Only He can satisfy the desires of my soul.
15. If you truly believe the above, how might it affect how you live today? As I face the day each day, first I want to spend time in prayer, acknowledging Him and Praising His Name for who He is. Thanking Him for all His is and all that He has done in my life. His lovingkindness truly is better than life. I want my words and actions to praise Him with joy in all I do.
I so see this in your life, Patti.
Thank you, Dee.
Patti, Oh my, this post is RICH. With humility and wisdom. All of it made my heart jump, and especially the AW Tozer quote. and this, “when the Holy Spirit shows us God as He is we admire Him to the point of wonder and DELIGHT.”
Thank you, Rebecca.
14. What do the following psalms tell us?
A. Psalm 37:4 delight ourself in the Lord and He will give us the desires of our hearts
B. Psalm 63:1-5 that we are to seek the Lord above all else. His love is better than life and we are to want to praise Him.
15. If you truly believe the above, how might it affect how you live today? That I will get my thoughts off me and what goes on around me and put my focus on Him. He will take care of everything.
Judy, So good. To trust Him with the things that so easily distract us from Him. “That I will get my thoughts off me and what goes on around me and put my focus on Him. He will take care of everything.”
So good, Judy.
12. What thoughts from the above resonate with you? In what ways might you be an imposter — where you are different in private than public, or give more attention to certain glittering people than to others?
I’m not sure I relate to this. My parents really did raise us to love everyone and appreciate all cultures. One time not long ago, we were on a train in a big city. No one would sit next to a homeless man; he smelled. We had our kids with us ( 8-14 years). I either had to stand or sit by him. I sat next to him because he counts too! I hope (🙏) our kids realized what I was trying to teach them. I might have cared about the glitter when I was young, but oh have I learned as an older woman!
I think one way I might be prejudice, is that I appreciate the kids who care about learning and do try hard, compared to those who don’t, in school.
13. What do the following Scriptures say that is helpful in understanding how to see others?
A. 2 Corinthians 5:16
Think of others as made by God.
B. Matthew 25:31-40
How we treat others, we treat Christ.
This is so good and true: How we treat others, we treat Christ.Thank you, Laura.
14. What do the following psalms tell us?
A. Psalm 37:4 To delight ourselves in the Lord
B. Psalm 63:1-5 Every fiber of our being longs for Him and He is our only satisfaction.
15. If you truly believe the above, how might it affect how you live today? Keeping up a facade keeps me focused on myself and not on God and therefore keeps me from my ultimate satisfaction. I need to stop protecting myself from possible hurt or rejection from others and be honest about myself, my frailties and my faults. Because He already knows that about me and loves me even though I am frail, flawed and sinful.
One thing that I have come to realize is that I will wait to overcome or be delivered from a recognized sin before I speak of it to others. I’d rather say, “I used to…then I was delivered” than say, “I’m doing … and I can’t (or won’t) stop.
Dawn — this is so very good — praying it for you and all of us:
I need to stop protecting myself from possible hurt or rejection from others and be honest about myself, my frailties and my faults. Because He already knows that about me and loves me even though I am frail, flawed and sinful.
Amen!
Thursday: Our Deepest Desire
14. What do the following psalms tell us?
A. Psalm 37:3–5 ESV
“Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.”
—I’ve always loved these verses. To trust, delight and commit all result in satisfaction and blessing in having a close and meaningful relationship with the Lord.
B. Psalms 63:1-8 MSG
“God—you’re my God! I can’t get enough of you! I’ve worked up such hunger and thirst for God, traveling across dry and weary deserts. So here I am in the place of worship, eyes open, drinking in your strength and glory. In your generous love I am really living at last! My lips brim praises like fountains. I bless you every time I take a breath; My arms wave like banners of praise to you. I eat my fill of prime rib and gravy; I smack my lips. It’s time to shout praises! If I’m sleepless at midnight, I spend the hours in grateful reflection. Because you’ve always stood up for me, I’m free to run and play. I hold on to you for dear life, and you hold me steady as a post.”
—I loved how Peterson wrote these verses in The Message. They also speak to the satisfaction, contentment in a relationship with God and the motivation to praise Him.
It’s 2:30 am and I can’t sleep so have been reading and praying.
This section contributed to grateful reflection on my part. God’s Word is so sweet!
15. If you truly believe the above, how might it affect how you live today?
—Believing these scriptures truly affect my heart’s attitude and bring encouragement and joy to my heart.
That passage from The Message! 🙂 Have you read his biography?
Yes Dee, I did read his biography a few years ago. I greatly enjoyed it. 😊
Oh, Bev, I love the Peterson quote and I love this:—Believing these scriptures truly affect my heart’s attitude and bring encouragement and joy to my heart.
14. What do the following psalms tell us?
A. Psalm 37:4 – Take delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.
B. Psalm 63:1-5 – My whole being longs for God for His love is better than life. There is nothing on earth that can satisfy.
15. If you truly believe the above, how might it affect how you live today? In the stressful moments in life it would affect who or what I run to first. I think I need to remind myself often if not daily that God made me to delight in Him, and because of Him, I’m in union with the Trinity. When I do, it changes everything inwardly. The day’s mountains become hills in light of His majesty and I find myself wanting Him more than anything or any idol.
This might be another rabbit trail, but I realized after mom passed away that I ran to her first way too much. The beautiful thing about how God moved in her death is that I started running to Him more, and first. So instead of pressing into my mom first I’m pressing into God first. YET, not as much as He wants me to, because often other things dazzle me and attract me to them first too often.
Now I’ve found myself on the way to work, on the way home, and during the day conversing with God. After all, the truth is I’m already spending eternity with Him, just here on earth right now!! So why not converse with Him all the time NOW, instead of short moments when I “pray”, then the day goes on. Even though the Holy Spirit convicts me, counsels me, and helps me to slow down and truly listen and “see” others when they talk with me during the day-believe me, He does! I still can be like a sloth, slow before I press into Him. But hallelujah for Christ’s death and resurrection! For His daily rescue of me. This is part of intimacy with Him for He is always communing with me through His Holy Spirit inside me. BUT do I desire to commune with Him, to respond, to initiate as passionately as He does with me? Does He really capture my heart? This body of sin-ugh, but the delight He gives me in Him when we are intimate-just those moments when I sense Him, and hear Him bring me over the moon. Can’t explain it well, but I’m missing out when I run to anyone or anything else!! I love my mom dearly, but this is way more satisfying.
Oh, this is so sweet, Rebecca! My mom lived with us for 14 years and I had a similar transition that the Lord led me through….but I could never put is into such beautiful words! Thank you for sharing from your heart! Amen to this: When I do, it changes everything inwardly. The day’s mountains become hills in light of His majesty and I find myself wanting Him more than anything or any idol. I love the reminder that we are already spending eternity with Him, starting here on earth!
What inspiring answers. I hope to grow into that time of relationship wanting him more than any idol and your focus is on him not the mountain. Thank you
Great testimony about running to God more after your precious mom died. She was so lovely.
Rebecca, You did explain it well and beautifully. 💕Thanks for sharing.
14. What do the following psalms tell us?
A. Psalm 37:4
Delighting in the Lord means you will always be at peace in all situations.
B. Psalm 63:1-5
I long for God.
I have seen His beauty and works.
I will praise Him forever.
15. If you truly believe the above, how might it affect how you live today?
Focusing on Him is most important. I will take my Bible study, prayers, and commitment to Him more seriously. I will strive to love Him more dearly, follow Him more nearly, and see Him more clearly today. I will be happy and joyful because of this.
I love that you repeated that song that Paige always uses — so succinct for our hearts.
Focusing on Him is most important. I will take my Bible study, prayers, and commitment to Him more seriously. I will strive to love Him more dearly, follow Him more nearly, and see Him more clearly today. I will be happy and joyful because of this.
1. Does anything penetrate your heart from the above? If so, what and why?
“Until we understand how deeply beloved we are by God, we will crave the praise of man…more concerned about our appearance than our heart.” I get this all too well. Recently when talking with God, I talked with Him about the fact that what I see myself doing a lot is not being able to get out of my own head when I’m with other people, and metaphorically, looking at other people and their reactions (what they say, facial expressions, body language) to me as if they are mirrors reflecting back to me who I am, if I am accepted, if I am liked, if I am loved. I know this about myself and I know that it comes from not being fully secure in God’s love for me.
I also thought Twila’s testimony was beautiful as she shared about her depression and wanting to die. I love how Psalm 18 is so personal to her and how she said it by heart.
2. Share a time when you sensed you were indeed, beloved by God.
These instances have been few and far between, but one instance happened last year when I was on Holy Island in Northumbria. Our group of pilgrims met each morning for a time of spiritual retreat, Scripture reading, meditating on Scripture, prayer, worship. On one particular morning, it was as if I could sense God actually smiling down upon me and I felt loved.
3. Summarize what both Manning and Tugwell are saying.
I am not an alcoholic, but I can “slip” in other ways. I believe to “slip” means to revert back to an old habit, way of thinking or acting, or even a specific sin that we thought we were done with. After doing this, I have two choices: to be overcome with guilt, shame, self-pity, self-hatred, or depression, or to run to God, believing that His arms are still open to receive me. I can say the words of the psalmist, “Forgive me according to your mercy, according to your unfailing love.”
I am trying to understand what it means to “flee our own reality”. Maybe it means to pretend what’s happening isn’t happening, to live in denial, or to stay so busy or distracted as to keep it pushed down, out of our awareness. I think I get what it means to manufacture a false self. It’s kind of like being a chamelion, adjusting my outward behavior to whatever group of people I’m with in order to fit in with what I believe are their expectations. It’s presenting myself in such a way as to make myself appear better than I know I really am, to not want to admit my sins and failures, and it’s often done out of fear or being found out, being afraid that if people know what I’m really like, they will reject me.
4. David sexually abused Bathsheba, and when she became pregnant, tried to cover it up by sending her husband Uriah to the front of the battle.
A. When Joab came with the news of Uriah’s death, how did David respond? (2 Samuel 11:25)
David said, in essence, “Tell Joab not to worry – it wasn’t his fault Uriah was killed. The sword kills this one today, and that one tomorrow.” It was just fate.
B. What route was David taking: hiding or running into God’s arms? Why, do you think?
I believe David was hiding. He was distorting the reality of what happened. It was he who told Joab to put Uriah near the wall so that he would likely be killed. Now, he acts as if it was all just an unfortunate coincidence. He was fleeing his own reality that he was the mastermind behind it all.
5. God sent Nathan the prophet with a story to penetrate David’s heart, and it did. How did David respond in:
A. 2 Samuel 12:13?
David admitted to Nathan that he had sinned against the Lord.
B. Psalm 51?
David gets honest with God, as revealed in many verses such as, “Against You, and You alone, have I sinned. I have done what is evil in Your sight.”
“Your judgment against me is just.” “I was born a sinner from the moment my mother conceived me.” “Remove the stain of my guilt.” “Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves.”
6. How does God describe David in Acts 13:22?
God removed Saul as king and replaced him with David, because God said of David, “He is a man after my own heart.”
7. Is there an area of your life, a habitual sin, you are endeavoring to hide from yourself, others, or God? How does this keep you from what your heart really craves?
It keeps me from the joy of being fully known and yet fully loved and accepted. It keeps me living with a pervasive sense of fear, especially the fear of truly being known.
I love how you always ask questions to make us all think, Susan.
“Flee our own reality”
I think because our hearts are deceitful, we really believe Satan’s lies, however he has designed them for our particular curvature of the soul — whether it is the importance of outward beauty, or that dying to ourselves will not lead to joy…
What you said here is often true of me:what I see myself doing a lot is not being able to get out of my own head when I’m with other people, and metaphorically, looking at other people and their reactions (what they say, facial expressions, body language) to me as if they are mirrors reflecting back to me who I am, if I am accepted, if I am liked, if I am loved. I know this about myself and I know that it comes from not being fully secure in God’s love for me.
In contrast, I think of the proverb that says if a man’s ways please the Lord He will make even his enemies be at peace with them.
That is interesting, Dee, that Satan designs lies for our particular curvature of the soul.
16. With the above in mind, how might it alter your prayer time today? I really need to empty myself of me and my expectations for prayer and just express my longing for love. I liked that in the book Abba’s Child, Brennen talked about how dry his prayer time had become and how it felt more like a duty, a chore; whether he prayed requests or scripture his mind was a scattered mess that left him unfulfilled.
Love this from Dawn about how in prayer we need to express our longing for love. So simple, true, and efficacious. A pickleball friend who is new to a deep love relationship with Jesus said she asked Him to help her have the faith to surrender, to take one foot out of the world and put them both with Him, because she was scared, but she saw a love we had for Him that she wanted. He answered that prayer, she says “”I’m all in and so happy!”
8. The contrast to David is King Saul, who longed for the praise of man. How can you see this in 1 Samuel 18:6-10? Why, in light of eternity, is this a snare?
Saul was upset when women from all the towns of Israel were singing a song, saying that Saul had killed his thousands, but David his “ten thousands”! This was after the army returned when David had killed Goliath. Saul was immediately filled with jealousy, and he feared that next, they would want to make David the king. In light of eternity, no one is going to brag about what he did here on earth, and there won’t be any comparing ourselves or our accomplishments with others in heaven. It was when this jealousy took over that God sent a tormenting spirit to torment Saul. His soul was beginning to be twisted, and he didn’t recognize it and at least ask God to help him turn away from his anger and jealousy.
9. How, again in contrast to David, did Saul respond when God sent a prophet to confront him about disobeying his orders to destroy all the Amalakites and their animals? See 1 Samuel 15:13-23.
First, Saul told Samuel that he had carried out the Lord’s command. When Samuel asked Saul why the animals weren’t destroyed, Saul made an excuse, saying that they spared the animals in order to sacrifice them to the Lord. But the Lord hadn’t asked Saul to do that. Then it says that Saul brought back King Agag alive, but he excused that by saying that they killed everyone else. He kept insisting that he did obey the Lord. David, on the other hand, made no excuses. He simply said, I am the man.
10. The key to overcoming self-hatred and craving the praise of men is believing in our heart that no matter what, we are God’s Beloved. Take some time to meditate on the Father’s love and share what He shows you.
A. Psalm 103:13
God is like a Father to His children; like an earthly father who is tender and compassionate. I can see though how those whose father was not tender and compassionate might struggle with this image. Or even if you are not treated in this way by those close to you, it might be difficult to imagine God being of this mindset towards you.
B. Hosea 11:3-4
Here God pictures himself as a father taking care of a small or helpless child, like taking hold of a child’s hand and helping him to walk. He is hurt when we don’t even realize or worse, don’t care that He cares for us in this way. God uses the imagery of stooping down to help us. This is really striking because this is not a “god” who is disdainful and far-removed from us. It’s almost a mothering image.
C. Luke 15:17-24
God the Father is on the lookout for His children to come home, and when He sees them, He doesn’t care that He runs in an unseemly way, hiking up His robes and baring His legs and running to His child. He sacrifices His dignity to restore dignity to His tattered and soiled child, covering him with the finest robe, and pulling him into an embrace.
D. 1 John 3:1
God’s love is seen in that He calls us His children. We are in His family, we belong to Him. I just got some memories of when my kids were very young, like toddlers and preschoolers; when they’d misbehave out in public and I’d feel embarrassed by their behavior because I thought it reflected badly on me. I’d often feel angry at them for making me look bad. Even when I sin and behave badly, God isn’t embarassed to call me His child.
What a lovely description of God’s love for us, Susan. God the Father is on the lookout for His children to come home, and when He sees them, He doesn’t care that He runs in an unseemly way, hiking up His robes and baring His legs and running to His child. He sacrifices His dignity to restore dignity to His tattered and soiled child, covering him with the finest robe, and pulling him into an embrace.
16. With the above in mind, how might it alter your prayer time today? Then go ahead and pray that way on your own. To remain silent and allow God to access my heart. Ask Him what He finds, what needs to be flushed from my heart, unforgiveness? the hurt of rejection? Resentment? Jealousy? Judgement?
Prayer is essentially the expression of our heart longing for love. It is not so much the listing of our requests but the breathing of our one deepest request, to be united with God as fully as possible.
16. With the above in mind, how might it alter your prayer time today? Then go ahead and pray that way on your own.
One thing I have been praying about is letting go of things and of memories that bring up negative thoughts. Just like I clean out my closets, I need to clear my heart and mind of clutter that can be harmful to my relationship with God, family and friends. I was talking with my daughter about forgiving those who do not apologize and ask forgiveness. I felt how life changing it can be to truly forgive and bury the past grievance at the bottom of the ocean. How much I need to have my heart let go and pray to feel God’s love so deeply that I can pass that love on to others. I have been reading two books that have inspired my prayer life. “Thin Places” by Tracy Balzer and “Breath as Prayer” by Jennifer Tucker. Tracy takes groups on Spiritual Pilgrimages to Iona, Scotland. (This reminds me of Susan’s journey to Northumbria) It has helped me to keep my prayer focus more on my relationship with God and praying for others, through His will and His eyes and not praying through my desire of how I want my prayer answered. (I hope this makes sense.) Breath of Prayer has helped me to keep a prayer on my heart every time a negative thought pops up. Heart grievances can cause such internal stress, which can manifest themselves in our attitudes, even when we don’t realize it.
17. What is your take-a-way and why?
I truly need God’s love in every aspect of my life. I pray to be humble and let go of my prickly, selfish ways. I pray to accept God’s love and His running after me, though I am a prodigal. And I need to have the kind of love in my heart that lets go of anything that gets in the way of my relationship with God (like me and my stubborn or selfish desires). I love this from Manning: “My identity as Abba’s child is not an abstraction or a tap dance into religiosity. It is the core truth of my existence. Living in the wisdom of accepted tenderness profoundly affect my perception of reality; the way I respond to people and their life situations.”
17. What is your take-a-way and why? Slow down in my morning quiet time. Thank you ladies for sharing that at times you struggle with you are God s beloved. That is still a hard concept for me. Of course He loves me. God is love and He loves everyone. The world unfortunately is filled with conditional love. My prayers have been to understand that no matter what I do or fail to do, God loves me and to train myself to look to Him and keep my thoughts on Him.