Yes to God Bible Study!

Lelia is leading us through Lysa TerKeurst's book "What Happens When Women Walk in Faith: Trusting God to take you to amazing places" and this week we are discussing chapters 6 and 7. Here are my reflective thoughts.

Lysa has been talking about the journey we make through famine phases of life within her chapters. Ever been there? I kind of feel like I am there now. But her words on page 65 were so encouraging "This life is not about me. its about joining hands with Jesus to fulfill whatever tasks He sets before me and to share His love with all He brings my way. Don't miss this point--though the famine phase is hard, it does not have to be void of joy. Look for the joy".

How many times do we live in the moment and allow our hearts to be harden to the pain and suffering, the darkness that may surround us. How do we see joy in those time? Do we seek to experience joy in those circumstances?

First I must ask, where does your joy come from? Start there. If joy is doing a hobby..then do it during those dark times. If joy is serving other, even though your heart cries out in pain...serve others. If joy comes from burying yourself into scripture...go there, search God out and ravish His words. I cannot count how many times my heart has been discouraged and a piece of scripture has brought joy into my being, like a candle in a dark room!

"Breakthroughs happen when we get about the business of honoring God moment by moment, step-by-step, day by day by what we do and, more importantly, with the thoughts we think while we do." (pp.66)

The heart and mind work together. You know when someones heart is not into something-it shows in their actions, in their words. So when we travel in a famine, what does our heart, ours words, and our actions reflect? Are we honoring God? If we expect to get out of the famine, this dry spell, are we seeking to honor God in these areas of the heart, mind and our actions?

For example, if you chose to honor your husband and love him as the gift that he is to you, then you reflect this in your heart and mind through your actions...even when (or should I say after) you have failed in anger. A dry spell in marriage is often cut short when one chooses to honor their mate actively in their heart, mind and actions-I have lived this, I'm sure many of you have also. I have also lived in a famine in a marriage in which I did not choose to honor my husband no matter what I was feeling or who was wrong. The famine ended in death, death of the marriage. So too is the potential in our walk with God, our walk in faith. Famine can destroy and kill the relationship but keeping focused on honoring God throughout it, seeking Him as our joy in the pain will lead us out of the famine phase.

"God is calling you, wooing you, pursuing you, inviting you to something richer with Him. May your ordinary be invaded with His extraordinary invitation to press through the famine phase and live life His way." (pp.66)

I just love Lysa's expression that God is "wooing" us. That's His love for us and that kind of love stirs such warmth and feelings of being secure (my word from She Speaks). Falling in love with Jesus-that's what it is all about...a daily falling in love with Jesus. Jesus is the way-the "only way to live with purpose now". Within every famine a vision must be held onto, a hope must be in place to reach for.

God wants us to be able to walk through our life with joy, His joy. He wants us to walk in faith, full faith that He will be all we need in all things.

"Sometimes the greater act of faith is not praying for the mountain to move instantly but rather hanging in there while God helps you to move it bit by bit." (pp. 73)

I am someone who looks for the "instant" but how much better I am, how much more I have grown spiritually in the "bit by bit". So each morning as you sit down with you Bible and your cup of coffee before you start that day you have to ask "Lord, what is my assignment today?" and be still...listen...seek His voice...look for His path. Be satisfied in Him. Let Him be your joy in the famine.

My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him

~Psalm 62:5

My reflective thoughts for this wonderful study. Again, I have been blessed.

Joyfully In Him~Pamela (MrsJoeB)