Author: chapdan2

14 Best Comforting Prayers for Loss of a Loved One – ConnectUS
— Read on connectusfund.org/14-best-comforting-prayers-for-loss-of-a-loved-one

This prayers are some awesome!

Is Addiction a Disease or a Choice? An Addict’s Perspective.Posted on May 4, 2017

Brie GowenBrie Gowen

I have seen a lot of articles and conversations on social media lately asking the question if addiction is a disease or a choice. When I see this topic I typically put my guard up, and naturally I take it pretty personally. After all, I’m an addict. I would venture to guess that most people who just know me via social media or as an acquaintance (aka, Facebook friend) are not aware of this little fact. I certainly don’t look like an alcoholic. And my husband doesn’t look like a drug addict. In fact we look like the perfect couple who has it all together, and in many ways, thanks to God’s grace, we do. He healed us both.

I’m a working nurse and a homeschooling mom. I own my own small, skincare business, and my husband owns a local restaurant. We thrive in our businesses, our relationships with one another, and also as role models to our children, but it wasn’t always this way. Once upon a time our lives were ruled by addiction. I almost said even as writing this that we allowed our lives to be ruled by addiction, but that seemed to be putting more power in our hands than I think they may deserve.

I come from a long line of addicts. Alcoholism runs in the family, along with suicide and other mental health illnesses. Because of this fact I always knew that drinking would be a bad idea for me, but I made the choice to drink anyway. There’s that word. Choice.

Looking back I’m unsure of when choice ended and the disease of addiction took ahold of me, but it seems like the lines blurred. I don’t think I ever made the conscience decision to become so dependent on alcohol that I couldn’t go a day without it. I don’t recall growing up with dreams to sit in my garage inebriated and crying over how miserable my life had become. I don’t think I ever said, “I’m going to continue to indulge in this substance that puts my life and the life of others in danger.” I never wanted to put my nursing license or my patients at risk because I was too weak to not be hung over on a work day. I didn’t think I’d ever be stupid enough to put a five-year-old in my car and drive intoxicated to go get more beer, but I did. I didn’t desire to yell and fight with the people I loved. I didn’t want to blackout and not remember hour blocks of time. I didn’t make the choice to develop such ridiculous, dangerous, and self-destructive behaviors. By that point I felt without choice.

It had started with a choice, but somewhere along the way it became something I no longer controlled. It controlled me. In a sinful world I had fallen, and I couldn’t get back up no matter how much I wanted to. Every day I would wake up feeling like crap. I would say to myself, today is the day I stop. But then I wouldn’t. I couldn’t.

Substance addiction changes the chemical composition of your brain. I do believe the propensity to overindulge or to lean towards addiction is inherited. I think we all as human beings make an initial choice to use, but then the sin overtakes your heart. It becomes a battle, an anchor, chains binding you. No one chooses to hurt the people they love.

I didn’t drink my first six pack and say, “I’m going to become so dependent on alcohol that I have to ostracize myself from others. I want to drink so much that I get to a point where I can’t imagine how to live life without it.”

Addicted fathers don’t choose drugs over seeing their kids.

Addicted mothers don’t choose to steal from the people they love.

You don’t choose to destroy your life, self-esteem, health, and the trust of those people who care about you. Who would choose that?

And even when you choose to leave addiction behind it’s more powerful than your choices. I emphatically proclaim that I didn’t beat addiction. I believe the Lord gave me the strength to overcome it, but I think it’s still there like a lion sneaking in the brush. I realized that I was an addict, and as an addict I didn’t have the liberty to casually use alcohol like so many of my friends and loved ones do. I had to choose to leave it completely behind, but that’s not the end of it. It’s a choice I have to make every day because the power of addiction isn’t something as simple as saying “yes, I will,” or “no, I won’t.” It’s much more than that. To say otherwise is giving human weakness too much power, but to say addiction cannot be overcome is not giving God enough credit.

Addiction is no respecter of persons. It can take over the kindest young man from the best family, and it can affect the intelligent professional who carries herself with grace. Addiction may start with a choice, but the slippery slope it becomes that leads to certain destruction goes beyond any conscience decision any human being would ever make. I think to answer the question of whether something is a disease or a choice isn’t as simple as that. After all, life never is.

Bill (not his real name) spoke honestly and revealed to me over lunch that as he reads the Bible he is finding it difficult to believe some of the miracles he is reading about. I responded by asking him, “Do you mean things like the whale that swallowed Jonah, and Noah and the story of the Ark, with all the animals on board?” He said, “Yes, that is exactly what I am talking about!”

When I asked Bill if there are any miracles that he didn’t have any problem believing, he said, “Oh yeah, I believe the story of Jesus and how Jesus died, was buried and rose again. I believe Jesus died for my sins and that he has forgiven me.”

“That’s great, Bill. Do you believe the first miracle in the Bible? The miracle of God creating all the plants, the animals and sun, moon and stars and finally Adam and Eve?”

“Yes, I believe that too,” he affirmed.

A crucial truth that I presented to Bill was that if we don’t believe the Genesis account of creation, or stories about Noah and the Ark, we will have problems later on believing what Jesus has to say. Why? Because Jesus talked about Noah, and clearly believed in the story of Noah. Jesus, in fact said that before He returns again, the conditions on earth would be much like they were in Noah’s day. If Jesus didn’t get it right about Noah, then how can we trust anything he says?

That made sense to Bill, and he is beginning to start taking God at His Word. That is called faith. Faith begins by “hearing the Word of God” (Romans 10:17) and faith grows as we continue to look to God for everything, instead of trying to “lean on our own understanding” or natural reasoning (Proverbs 3:5-6).

After Bill confirmed to me that he already believed two of the most important miracles of the Bible, I explained to him that if he believes the first miracle of the Bible–that a powerful God created everything, and the miracle of Jesus dying for our sins, and rising from the dead, then it is quite logical to believe God can do anything. Bill agreed, and once again, like he has been in the habit of doing lately, he goes on his way wearing that great big smile.

I was asked this very question the other day. I was sitting across the table from an eager young man that I recently had the privilege of leading to Christ. We met at a restaurant at his request. He had questions… and lots of them! It’s thrilling to see him so hungry to understand the Bible. In fact he was more interested in discussing the Bible than he was eating.
When my friend Bill (not his real name) asked me this question, it took a moment to understand where he was coming from. Then I recalled the New Testament I gave him right after leading him to Christ, and the instruction I gave him about reading it. I failed to mention to him that there are four gospels, and that each writer is presenting Jesus Christ to the world through their writings under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
This is what was puzzling to him. He would read Matthew and then begin to read Mark, only to discover that Mark was starting over and telling about the beginning of the story of Jesus all over again. He found the same thing happened when he got to Luke.
I then explained to Bill, that each writer was writing with the guidance of God to tell the story of Jesus. They were not giving us four different gospels, because there is only one gospel, but these are four independent witnesses sharing with the world, the truth about Jesus Christ. There are many things that each writer says that are similar, but if we read carefully we will find some distinct differences as well. I explained to Bill that the differences in their testimonies are COMPLIMENTARY and not CONTRADICTORY.
Bill was like a sponge as I explained that the four gospel writers were telling the story of Jesus, giving their unique perspective and it seems with a unique audience in mind too. It seems Matthew had the Jewish people in mind, Mark had the Romans in mind, Luke had the Gentile (anybody not a Jew) in mind, and John wanted the whole world to embrace what He had to say about Christ.
There is a lot more to tell, but I wanted to make sure Bill didn’t get stumped by reading these accounts and wondering why in one place two blind men are mentioned while another account only mentions one. To illustrate this, I asked Bill to imagine being one of four people that witnessed an accident. The policeman arriving on the scene asks him and the other three to write out what they saw. In those four accounts there would probably be many things similar, yet there would be distinct differences too. One might have only seen two cars crashing into one another, while another saw that a third car failed to brake when the first two cars crashed and included that in their report too. Another may have seen all three cars were damaged but because that person arrived on the scene a few seconds after the fact, he was not able to report anything about who hit who.
The fact that the reports of each person varied some doesn’t mean that somebody wasn’t telling the truth. In fact, whenever four witnesses give a report on the same crime and they all tell the exact same story the exact same way it sends up a flag to the detective interviewing the individuals that they must have gotten together to collaborate about their stories. This is called collusion. When this happens, witnesses are usually not considered reliable, and may in fact be trying to cover something up.
Satisfied with the answers I gave to his concerns, this inquisitive young man grinned widely. It is always a delight and blessing to see new converts with such a fervor to know Christ and grow in faith and understanding!

TO THE ARCHITECT HE IS THE CHIEF CORNERSTONE.

TO THE ARTIST HE IS THE ONE ALTOGETHER LOVELY.

TO THE ASTRONOMER HE IS THE BRIGHT AND MORNING STAR.

TO THE BAKER HE IS THE BREAD OF LIFE.

TO THE BANKER HE IS THE REDEEMER.

TO THE BIOLOGIST HE IS THE LIFE.

TO THE BUILDER HE IS THE SURE FOUNDATION.

TO THE CARPENTER HE IS THE DOOR.

TO THE EDUCATOR HE IS THE GREAT TEACHER.

TO THE FARMER HE IS THE LORD OF THE HARVEST.

TO THE FLORIST HE IS THE LILY OF THE VALLEY.

TO THE GEOLOGIST HE IS THE ROCK OF AGES.

TO THE LAWYER HE IS THE LAWGIVER.

TO THE NEWSPAPERMAN HE IS THE GLAD TIDINGS OF GREAT JOY.

TO THE ORPHAN HE IS THE EVERLASTING FATHER.

TO THE PHARMACIST HE IS THE ONLY GUARANTEED PRESCRIPTION.

TO THE PHILANTHROPIST HE IS THE UNSPEAKABLE GIFT.

TO THE PHILOSOPHER HE IS THE WISDOM OF GOD.

TO THE PREACHER HE IS THE WORD OF GOD.

TO THE RANCHER HE IS THE GOOD SHEPHERD.

TO THE SERVANT HE IS THE GOOD MASTER.

TO THE SICK HE IS THE ONLY CURE.

TO THE STUDENT HE IS THE INCARNATE TRUTH.

TO THE TOURIST HE IS THE MAP TO HEAVEN.

TO THE TRAVELER HE IS THE WAY.

TO THE WEARY HE IS THE GIVER OF REST.
BUT JESUS IS MORE THAN WHAT IS IN THESE DESCRIPTIONS. TO SIMON PETER HE WAS “THE CHRIST, THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD.” TO THE SINNER HE IS “SAVIOR, COUNSELOR, AND MEDIATOR.”

TO HIS DISCIPLES TODAY HE IS THE “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

TO THE CHURCH MEMBER HE IS THE ROCK ON WHICH THE CHURCH IS FOUNDED!
WHO IS JESUS TO YOU?

Author Unknown

CREATION
(1) The eternal God
(2) Creation of Angels
(3) Creation of the Universe
(4) Creation of Mankind
(5) Life in Paradise

“FALL”
(6) Fall of a Powerful Angel
(7) Beginning of Human Sin
(8) The origin of Death
(9) Promise of a Satan Conqueror
(10) Sin’s Extensive Effects
(11) Provision of Covering
(12) Banishment from the Garden
(13) Cain and Abel
(14) Seth and His Descendants

“FLOOD”
(15) The Great Flood

“BABEL”
(16) The Tower of Babel

“PATRIARCHS”
(17) Promises to Abram
(18) Destruction of Sodom
(19) Abram’s Son Ismael
(20) Abram’s Son Isaac
(21) Isaac’s Son Jacob
(22) Israel’s Family to Egypt
(23) Israelites in Egypt

“MOSES”
(24) Moses’ Call to Leadership
(25) Plagues in Egypt
(26) The Passover
(27) The Exodus from Egypt
(28) The Mosaic Covenant
(29) The Golden Calf Rebellion
(30) Tabernacle in the Wilderness
(31) God’s Provision for Forgiveness
(32) The Day of Atonement
(33) Unbelief at Kadesh
(34) The Bronze Serpent
(35) Preparation for Canaan
“JOSHUA”
(36) Conquest of the Promised Land

“JUDGES”
(37) The Judges, an Era of Spiritual Darkness
(38) Some Bright Lights in an Era of Darkness

“MONARCHY”
(39) Saul, Israel’s First King
(40) King David, a Special King for Israel
(41) David’s Messianic Psalms
(42) King Solomon, David’s Son

“DIVISION”
(43) The Kingdom of Israel Divided
(44) God’s Prophets Elijah & Elisha
(45) Pre-Exilic Prophecies of Israel & Judah

“EXILE”
(46) The Exiles of Israel & Judah
(47) Exilic Prophecies from Judah
(48) Exilic Prophecies from Babylon

“RETURN”
(49) Jews Return to Jerusalem
(50) The Walls Rebuilt & the People Revived

“ANTICIPATION”
(1) Four Hundred Years of Anticipation

“ARRIVAL”
(2) Birth of Jesus, the Christ
(3) Family History of Jesus
(4) Early Events in Jesus’ Life

“SECLUSION”
(5) Temptations by Satan
(6) John the Baptist’s Testimony
(7) The Selection of Jesus’s Disciples
(8) Encounter with a Religious Leader
(9) Encounter with a Samaritan Woman

“POPULARITY”
(10) Spread of Jesus’s Fame
(11) Jesus’ Power over as Stormy Sea
(12) Jesus’s Power over a Legion of Demons

“OPPOSITION”
(13) Jesus’s Claims of Oneness with God
(14) Jesus’ Power over Blindness
(15) Stories of God’s Love and Forgiveness
(16) Jesus’ Teaching about Hell
(17) Jesus’ Power over Death

“SUFFERING”
(18) Jesus’ Triumphal Entry
(19) A Prophetic Discourse on the Mount of Olives
(20) Jesus’ Last Supper with His Disciples
(21) Betrayal of Jesus
(22) Jesus’s Appearances before Unjust Judges
(23) The Crucifixion of Jesus, His Humiliation & Suffering
(24) Jesus’ Death & it’s Provision for Mankind

“VICTORY”
(25) The Resurrection of Jesus Christ
(26) Appearances & Impact of the Resurrected Jesus
(27) Great Commission
(28) Ascension of Jesus

“APOSTLES”
(29) The Gospel & Jews in Jerusalem
(30) Life & Ministry in the Early Church
(31) The Gospel to the Fringe of Judaism
(32) Conversion of Saul of Tarsus
(33) Conversion of Cornelius
(34) The Church in Syrian Antioch
(35) Paul’s First Missionary Journey
(36) The Jerusalem Council
(37) Paul’s Second Missionary Journey
(38) Paul’s Third Missionary Journey
(39) Paul before Roman Judges
(40) Final Years of the First Century A.D.

“CHURCH”
(41) Two Thousand Years of Church History
(42) Jesus’ Return for Believers
(43) Future Judgment of Believer’s Works

“TRIBULATION”
(44) Future Period of Tribulation
(45) The Return of Jesus Christ

“KINGDOM”
(46) The Future Earthly Kingdom of Jesus Christ

“JUDGMENT”
(47) Satan’s Final Doom
(48) The Great White Throne Judgment
(49) The Destruction of the Heavens & Earth

“RESTORATION”
(50) The New Heavens & New Earth

Disciplemaking Strategies: Bible Storying
The Bible Storying method is an excellent disciplemaking strategy. It’s based on the reality that “even if people like learning through reading, reading by itself is not the best way to move information from the head to the heart.” (Real Life Discipleship, p 156)

One of the best things about Bible Storying is that it keeps the Bible central to the process of making disciples who make disciples. Jim Putman, pastor of Real Life Ministries in Post Falls, Idaho, notes, “We believe that the Bible is the best curriculum available, but we also believe that having trained leaders with the Bible in their hands is God’s best way of making disciples.” (p. 157)
If you are looking for a simple, reproducible method of disciplemaking that places a high value on the authority of Scripture, utilizes the Bible as the curriculum, and affects people at a heart level, consider Bible Storying.

Here’s how it works…
1. Choose a story set from the Bible that is relevant (OT to the Cross, The Gospels, Book of Acts, etc.)

2. The group leader learns one of the stories or assigns someone to learn the story. (Learn so the story is told without reading it, but not word for word.)

3. While the storyteller tells the story, the group reads along to see if the storyteller has missed anything.
4. When finished, the storyteller or leader will rebuild the story, pointing out anything that was missed.
5. The leader often asks someone to tell the story back to everyone without reading. (No one knows who will be asked, so everyone pays attention.)

6. Once the story has been told, rebuilt, and told again, the group leader asks questions to draw out the important truths in the story. For example:
a. What new things did you discover in the story that you did not know before?
b. What did you learn about God?
c. What did you learn about people?
d. Which person is most like you in the story?
e. What will you take away from this discussion?
f. What will you do with what you have learned?
7. Each person identifies application points for their own life.

Bible Storying gives every believer an opportunity to engage in the disciplemaking process. You will quickly discover that you don’t have to be an expert to tell a story. By simply telling the story, asking questions, and committing to this process – you can reproduce disciplemakers!
8 Benefits of Storying
1. It helps people know the Bible.
2. It helps recruit leaders. (Storytelling is part of the human experience.)

3. It is better for real learning.
4. It better arms people for service.
5. It helps people disciple their kids.
6. It helps leaders assess where people are spiritually.
7. It keeps small groups from being boring.
8. People get to know each other.

TODAY’S MISSIONAL CHALLENGE

Use Bible Storying with a small group of friends. Discuss the benefits of this strategy for disciplemaking!
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Author
Dave DeVries
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Dr. Dave DeVries is a coach, trainer and strategist – and founder of Missional Challenge. He is passionate about coaching and training church planters and missional leaders. His training skills have been used to mobilize church planters, pastors and ministry leaders across the country and around the world. Missional Challenge partners together with churches, networks and denominations to advance disciplemaking movements globally.With 25+ years of church planting and leadership development experience, Dave brings his passion and encouragement to those he trains and coaches. He created The Multiplication Cycle™ to assist church planters to start churches by making disciples. He has trained and coached hundreds of coaches and church planters across the United States and internationally.Dave has been coaching pastors and church planters for more than ten years. His experience in church multiplication led to his doctorate in transformational leadership at Bakke Graduate University. He also received a Master of Divinity from The Master’s Seminary and graduated from Biola University with a B.S. in Business Administration.

General Bible study questions

These questions can help you better understand the word and help it come alive in you.
What do you think is the key message of this chapter?
What did you learn from this chapter?
Which point in this chapter spoke to you the most?
Why do you think God included this chapter in the Bible? What’’s the point?
Do any of these truths written thousands of years ago apply today? If so, which ones? How do they apply?
Are there truths in this chapter that contradict the ideas we hear in the world? If so, what are they?
Is there something in this chapter that surprised you? If so, how were you surprised?
Are there any verses in this chapter that confuse you or that seem to contradict other parts of the Bible?
In view of what we have read, what changes do you think God would want you to make in your attitude, words, or actions?

If we listen to the outcry against many Christians today it is common to hear people say that we are an “intolerant” lot. I do think as I process this accusation through the lens of scripture and let God be the judge on these things we might discover that many Christians are not really “intolerant” enough!
In Revelation 2:20 Jesus rebuked one church for being too “tolerant” of things which are false, such as false prophets. In Revelation 2:2 Jesus commended a church for being intolerant of EVIL.
There are very few times this word is found in the bible, so these should help us to get some insight in this matter. From a biblical perspective I think Christians must get a balanced view on the subject. I also think that many who do not like the views of Christians should be more honest about what they are saying. The truth is that everyone of us are “intolerant” of some things. For example, most Americans on either side of the political, social, or racial spectrum would say that they have no tolerance for murderers and rapists. Almost everyone would say this is evil and should not be tolerated.

If we think about this realistically, the very ones who cry out that Christians are “intolerant” are quite intolerant themselves toward the very people they are hurling this accusation at.
If Christians are going to learn to have a biblical world view about society then it is important to learn to “hate” in a biblical way and to “love” in a biblical way. This may sound silly to some, but not to those who are willing to explore what the scriptures have to say about these matters.
The Psalmist David in just one Psalm addressed both of these things. Two times in Psalm 119 David said he “hated every false way” and one time in that Psalm he said he “hated lying” and another time he says “he hated vain things.” Now we would need to study the Bible to learn what things we need to learn to hate. When a person comes to Christ this process begins. Before coming to Christ we hated certain things and we loved certain things. What happens from the moment we begin our journey we learn to “hate many of the things we once loved and to love many of the things we once hated.” This is exactly how it should be too.
To be clear, I must say we must not treat others with a hateful spirit at all. All mankind is created in the likeness and image of God and should be treated with dignity regardless of whether we agree on certain things or not. But to say that we cannot hate certain things that God tells us we should hate is quite unfair. This is especially so when it becomes apparent that the very ones who say Christians are hateful are often more intolerant themselves. This should not surprise a Christian however because Jesus actually taught his disciples that we should expect to be hated by others in this world the more we identify with Christ.
I also see in Psalm 119 that David said there were certain things that he now loved. Seven times in that Psalm David said that he loved God’s word. He loved the “precepts” “the law” “the testimonies” and he talked about how it important it was to love “thy name” talking about God.
Since God says quite a lot on this subject it would be wise to learn what God loves and hates and to get in line with God on these matters. One day we will all stand before God and the only opinion that will matter then is God’s. We cannot vote our way into heaven by a majority vote. We must be chosen by God and we must choose for God and His Son. If we don’t love God here and love his Son, then one day we will be rewarded with getting to live for eternity without Him. In the end we all get what we want. If we love fellowship with God and Christ while we are here there will much more of that in eternity. The opposite will be true to those who say “No” to God now, because they just do not love what God loves and they do not hate what God hates. So as believers let us be careful that in all our efforts to not offend others we offend the very one that gives to us life now and immortality later on. Loving our neighbor is the second of the great commands, but loving God must always precede that just as our Lord instructed in His Word, telling us that this is the first and foremost of all His commands.

Things to think about.

Dan McKenney

THE FOLLOWING IS AN OUTLINE OF THE BOOK BY THE TITLE “THE PLEASURE OF MY FATHER’S FELLOWSHIP” BY MARTIN PURYEAR. I WAS GRANTED PERMISSION TO SHARE THIS OUTLINE BY THE AUTHOR. THE BOOK CAN BE PURCHASED THROUGH THE WEBSITE BELOW. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE AUTHOR’S BIBLE STUDY METHOD FOR HAVING A GREAT QUIET TIME WITH GOD. IT IS GREAT FOR THE INDIVIDUAL AND THE AUTHOR EXPLAINS HOW TO MAKE IT USEABLE IN A SMALL GROUP FORMAT. THIS BOOK ENCOURAGES BIBLE READING AND AN EXCELLENT METHOD FOR PROCESSING GOD’S TRUTH SO IT CAN BE LIVED OUT AND SHARED WITH OTHERS.

http://www.stewardoftruth.com/store.htm

1 Peter 2:2-3 (ESV) Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— [3] if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

THE TWO THINGS I SHOULD ALWAYS LOOK FOR WHEN I READ THE BIBLE

1. What truth is this passage teaching?
2. How will I apply this principle to my life?

Note: Spiritual truth takes place when one begins to obey the truth he or she already knows.

John 7:17 (ESV) “If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.”

These are the words of Christ as He was teaching in the Temple.

HOW TO PRACTICE MY QUIET TIME:

1. Begin with prayer.

1 Cor 2:11-12 (ESV) “For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him: So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.”

2. Read one or more chapters of the Bible.
3. What is the one truth that stands out to me today?
4. Record the key thought in that days journal page.
5. Now, lift up a prayer to God for what He has shown you.

HOW TO WRITE AN APPLICATION:
1. I should PRAISE God for what He is like (HIS CHARACTER)
2. I should THANK Him for what He has done (HIS WORKS)
3. I should TRUST him to do what He has promised He would do.
4. I should OBEY His command.
5. I should IMITATE or AVOID this character trait.

MY RESOLVE TO THE TRUTH REVEALED
1. Does this truth reveal something about God’s character for which we should PRAISE Him?

2. Does this truth reveal something that God has done for which we should THANK Him?

3. Is this truth a PROMISE God has made for which we should TRUST Him?

4. Is this truth a DIRECT COMMAND that we should OBEY in our ATTITUDE or our BEHAVIOR?

5. Is this truth a GODLY (or UNGODLY) CHARACTER TRAIT that we should IMITATE or AVIOD?

HOW TO WRITE AN APPLICATION STATEMENT:

1. A response statement should include words like “I will” and “who” “what” “when” and “where.”

2. An example of this would be:

Someone might read Titus 2:9-10
“Urge bondslaves to be subject to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing…Not pilfering, but showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect.”

3. The key thought the reader may come to might be.
“My work ethic is to be a reflection of the faith I have told others I have in Christ.”

4. The application statement may read:
“Starting MONDAY, I will not pilfer time from my employer by taking 25-30 minutes for a break when he allows me only 15 minutes. I will be careful to watch the clock and return to work on at 10:15 and 2:15.”

In this example, the WHO is my employer, the WHAT is to be careful to watch the clock and return to work at 10:15 and 2:15, the WHEN is starting Monday, and the WHERE is at work.

THE BIBLE READING PLAN:

1. Start with the 10 week plan in the workbook and then the 500 plus day plan after.

2. Read the assigned reading each day and then record the key thought for that days reading. Lift up a prayer to God each day thanking Him for what He has shown you.

3. At the end of the week you should have seven key thoughts. Now, take the key thought out of those 7 and write an application statement based on that key thought. Pray this commitment back to God.