Monthly Archives: February 2022

My Thoughts

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - The Prayer Filled Life - Day 104 - Isaiah 55-6-9 - My Thoughts - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – The Prayer Filled Life – Day 104 – Isaiah 55-6-9 – My Thoughts – Growing As Disciples

Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.  Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.  “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:6-9 (NIV)

My Thoughts And Ways

Do you want to know my thoughts? Do you want to live according to my ways? Do you want to be able to know and do my will? Yes, I do. What must I do for me to be able to know your will and walk in your ways? That is a good question. Wanting to know my will and walk in my ways is a very good step. It however is not the first step. What is the first step? You must be willing to turn from your own thoughts and ways. As long as you hold on to your old thoughts and ways you are not ready to be guided by my thoughts and ways. Many of your thoughts and ways are in direct conflict with my thoughts and ways. You must not think that it is you who will decide what are the correct thoughts to think or the right ways to walk. You must set aside your thoughts and ways to follow me. That is the very first step. You must turn away from the thoughts and values and opinions of the world if want to be able to know and do my will. Is that clear? Yes, it is quite clear. I will turn away from my old way of thinking and speaking and acting. I will receive your kindness and mercy and love. I will welcome your forgiveness of my sin and cleansing of my unrighteousness. You are my Savior and Lord. I will love and follow and serve you. That is very good. Now, you are beginning to talk about the next step you must take if you want to know my thoughts and walk in my ways. I’m not sure what I said that constitutes my next step? You said that I am your Savior and Lord and that you will love and follow and serve me. Your next step is that you will seek me with all your heart and mind and soul and strength. That is how you will come to know my thoughts. That is how you will be able to walk in my ways. Now do you more fully understand? Yes, I do. Do you believe that I will tell you my thoughts and show you my ways as you earnestly seek me? Yes, I do, without a doubt. Will you seek me with all that is within you? Yes, I will. That is very good. Then you will know my thoughts and walk in my ways. Thank you, Lord.

Lord, I will forsake my thoughts and ways.  I will turn to you. I will seek you with all my heart and mind and soul and strength. Thank you for your kindness and mercy. Thank you for your pardon. Tell me your thoughts. Help me to live according to your ways. Amen

Key Question…  How are you seeking God with all your heart so you can know His thoughts and live according to His ways?

Living It Out…  Seek God with all your heart so that you can know His thoughts and live according to His ways.

Seeing It Happen…  Have faith that God will tell you His thoughts and show you His ways when you seek Him with all your heart.

Get Ready To Share…  Share with another person or your small group how God has told you His thoughts and shown you His ways.

Prayer To Bless Others…  May you seek the Lord so you can know His thoughts and live according to His ways.

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

The Prayer Filled Life – Day 104 – Isaiah 55-6-9 – My Thoughts – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                                                                    Copying not permitted                                                                    www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

Teach Us To Number Our Days

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Wisdom - Psalm 90:12 - Teach Us To Number Our Days - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Wisdom – Psalm 90:12 – Teach Us To Number Our Days – Growing As Disciples

Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12 (NIV)

Life Is Short

You have a very good prayer in your heart and on your mind today. Tell me what it is, say it aloud to me. Let yourself hear it, being asked, as a gift to you from me.

I am asking for a heart full of wisdom. I would like to be able to present my heart to you as a heart filled with wisdom. Yes, that’s very good. Is there a problem? Yes, as a matter of fact, there is. I can’t give you what I don’t have. What do you mean by that? I don’t have wisdom from within myself. Have I not been giving you wisdom as you have drawn near to me? Yes, you have and for that I cannot adequately express how grateful and thankful that I am. You have changed the entire course of my life as you have given wisdom to me. All my thoughts, desires, and pursuits have changed because you have changed my heart and transformed my mind. If I had reached the limit of the amount of wisdom that I was allowed to have, I would be fully and completely satisfied. Do you think that you are close to your limit? There is no chance of that. It’s very good that you know that. Never stop coming to me to ask for wisdom. I will never turn you away. It is my delight to give you wisdom.

Let’s talk about numbering your days. That would be great. Are you fully aware of the fact that your days on earth are numbered? I think so. But, you’re not sure? Maybe not. What would you do differently if you knew that tomorrow was your last day on earth?   I’d be more focused and urgent about getting done what you have given me to do for you. You would be more cautious about how you used your time? Yes, I would. You would make sure that you came to me to ask me how I wanted you to use your remaining time? That’s for certain. You wouldn’t waste large blocks of time doing what has very little importance? No, I would not. Your focus would be on accomplishing whatever would bear fruit for eternity? Yes, my focus would be much sharper on bearing fruit for you than it is now. What then are you learning about the wise use of your time? You are showing me that it is important that I don’t waste valuable time that you have given to me. Living, fully aware of the brevity of my life will help me to come to you to ask you how you want me to best use my time. Your instructions will help me to number, value, and fully use each day so that I can wisely use it for your kingdom and glory. Yes, that’s true and today I will give you a heart of wisdom.

Lord, I have wasted so much time and squandered so many days. Teach me to number my days so that I will wisely use the time that I have been given to serve you and bear an abundance of fruit for your kingdom and glory.  Amen

Key Question…  What has the Lord shown you about how He would like you to wisely use the days you have been given?

Living It Out…   Ask the Lord to teach you to number your days so that you will wisely use your time to serve Him.

Seeing It Happen… Have faith that the Lord will show you how to wisely use your time and each day for His glory.

Get Ready To Share…  Share with another person or your small group how you are seeking to live each day of your life for the glory of God.

Prayer To Bless Others…  May you ask the Lord to teach you to number your days so you will wisely use the time you have been given.

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Wisdom – Psalm 90-12 – Teach Us To Number Our Days – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                                                                    Copying not permitted                                                                    www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

Lost Their Self-Confidence

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Confidence - Nehemiah 6:16 - Lost Their Self-Confidence - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Confidence – Nehemiah 6:16 – Lost Their Self-Confidence – Growing As Disciples

When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God. Nehemiah 6:16 (NIV)

Impossible Work

Well, this is impossible. It can’t be done. There is no way, no how. This is so far beyond me. What’s that? This work that you have given me to do for you. How in the world did you expect that I would ever be able to accomplish this work? I couldn’t accomplish this work in a hundred lifetimes. That may be an exaggeration. But, I only have one lifetime and I certainly can’t accomplish this in it. You’re getting a little worked up about this. Are you expecting that I will disagree with you? You don’t disagree with me? No, I completely agree with you. Are you telling me that you have deliberately given me work to do that I cannot possibly accomplish?  That’s exactly what I’m telling you. Why would you do that? That seems a little unfair to me. Are you telling me that you only want me to give you work that is easy to accomplish? Do you only want work that you can accomplish with your own gifts, talents and abilities? Those are interesting questions. No, I don’t want to be given only easy work to do. No, I don’t want to be given work that is only within my gifts, talents and abilities. I’m glad to hear that from you.

Do you know why I give you work that you can’t possibly accomplish by yourself? I’m not sure. When you accomplish a job with your own gifts, talents and abilities who gets all the credit? I guess I do. That’s right. When I help you to do something that you can’t possible do who gets all the credit? You get all the credit. You get the praise and the glory because both I and everyone else knows that it is you who has accomplished a great thing in and through me. You have allowed my life to be a witness for you in the world. Do you like knowing that I have worked in and through you? Do you want to know that I have made you able to bear an abundance of fruit for my kingdom and glory? Do you like it when your life serves as a witness for me in the world? Yes, I like knowing that you are working in and through my life. Yes, I like knowing that you are making me able to bear an abundance of fruit for your kingdom and glory. Yes, I definitely want my life to serve as a witness in the world for you.  Is it fair then that I give assignments that are far beyond your ability to accomplish them without my help? Yes, it is.  That’s good. That is what I will keep on doing.

Lord, this will sound crazy. I would like you to give me work that I can’t accomplish without your help. I would like to learn how to rely on you more completely. I would like others to see you by the work you do in and through me. Amen

Key Question…  Why does God lead you into work that you can’t accomplish without His help?

Living It Out…  Ask the Lord to give you work to do that you can’t accomplish without His help.

Seeing It Happen…  Have faith that the Lord will give you work to do that you can’t accomplish without His help.

Get Ready To Share…  Share with another person or your small group how the Lord has accomplished His work in or through you.

Prayer To Bless Others…  May you have confidence in God to help you accomplish the work He has given you to do for Him.

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Confidence – Nehemiah-6-16 – Lost Their Self-Confidence – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com