It's amazing how one book written by one individual has the capacity to touch the lives of so many women specifically, individually and personally. Our most recent discussion of Faithfully His was as great as usual. We spent a great deal of time discussing the difference between faith vs faithful. As Priscilla suggested, we talked about the difference, in our own words, of having faith and being faithful. One sister shared that for her having faith meant believing God while being faithful is matter of what we do when we believe God. Another shared that for her, having faith means believing that anything is possible whereas being faithful is the process and actions required to making the possible our personal reality. For example, we should all have faith that God wants us to experience abundance in this life. After all, it is his promise and we believe His promises. However, being faithful requires that we are obedient in the areas that are required for the promise of abundance to manifest in our lives personally. As Priscilla points out, having a strong set of beliefs is one thing but...making decisions according to those beliefs and adjusting your life to line up with them is quite another (pg 76).
The question then that you must ask yourself is Am I faithful? Am I being faithful to the people, place and things as well as making the decisions necessary to manifest the promises of God in my life? Or am I waiting on God to do more while sitting back relying on my beliefs alone to manifest His promises? There have been times in my life where my actions did not line up with what I said I believe. However, faithfulness requires obedience not just belief - it is a matter of what we do and not just what we believe. Are you faithful?
We wrapped up by discussing the awesome statements Priscilla makes on pg 80 about God's ability to use His Word, written thousands of years ago, to speak intimately and personally to [us] regarding His purposes for [our lives] right now. How amazing is it that God knew exactly what we would need today when the scriptures were written so long ago? He's provided the road map to our personal destiny in this ancient book and now its up to you and me to be faithful in our commitment to study and live our lives according to His Word. It is important for you to understand that the scriptures aren't just meant to be read, memorized or quoted. They are meant to be understood and obeyed. As Priscilla notes, the Bible is the tool divinely inspired to guide and equip us for a life lived faithfully and abundantly.
So I shared with them something I learned from Priscilla at the Going Beyond Jacksonville conference a few months ago. She talked about her approach to reading, studying and learning scripture. It totally changed my devotion. She explained that normally she only studies two scriptures at a time and she uses a structured, practical approach to understanding and application. First, she sets her atmosphere in a quiet still place and time. For someone of us, this is hard to come by but since you are only taking two scriptures at a time, you can fit it in anywhere you can carve out a few minutes in your day. Second she writes down her two scriptures for the day and paraphrases them in her own words. Personally, I like to keep a journal of my study notes. This may work well for you also. Its a great way to keep a record of your growth and help you to focus what you're reading. After paraphrasing the scriptures she then pulls out the spiritual principles of the scriptures and asks herself if she is living her life according to the principle. I typically write down two questions that I must answer truthfully: (1) In what ways does my life line up with this principle. (2) In what ways does my life not line up with this principle. And finally she writes out what she needs to change in her life to line up with the principle and sets a deadline for implementation. I'm telling you if you try this approach to studying the scriptures you WILL see your life change for the better!
Now I must warn you...this is not for those living in self-denial or those who do not have the courage to be exposed to the ugly truths about themselves and do something about it. If you find that your life always lines up with every spiritual principle you study, chances are you are not being totally transparent. This approach to your growth requires a very honest assessment of yourself when you ask those questions. If you allow yourself to be transparent and brutally honest with yourself or an accountability partner, you will see your growth skyrocket.
I hope to see you at our next meeting! Details below:
Date: Monday, November 28th
Time: 6:30
Location: TBD
Reading assignment: My Best pgs 89-110
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