Monthly Archives: December 2025

Children Of God

Posted on by
Reply
Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - God's Will - 1 John 3:1-3 - Children Of God- Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – God’s Will – 1 John 3:1-3 – Children Of God- Growing As Disciples

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. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. 1 John 3:1-3 (ESV)

Look Like

Have you ever wondered what you will look like? I’m not sure what you mean. You do know that I am molding and shaping your life every day. You are the work of my hands. You are my masterpiece. I am making you into the person I have called you to be. I am helping you to live the life that I have called you to live. Yes, I know it is true that you are doing your work in me, for me and through me. There is not one part of my heart and mind and life that you are leaving untouched. Day-by-day you are changing my heart, transforming my mind and guiding my life. That’s right. So, I will ask you again, “Have you ever wondered what you will look like when you are my completed work?” That seems obvious to me. Really? Tell me what you will look like. I think you are asking me a trick question. Why do you say that? If you asked me to tell you who I would look like the answer might be too obvious. I’m sure that you wanted me to think about your question a little longer and far more deeply. That’s right. Anyhow, I know that you want me to look like your Son, Jesus Christ. That’s true.

How have I been changing you day-by-day? How have I been changing your heart, transforming your mind and guiding your life? You have been changing me day-by-day as I have come into your presence. I have met with you in your word. I have met with you in prayer. I have met with you in worship. You have allowed me to draw near to you. You have drawn near to me as I have drawn near to you. I cannot be in your presence and remain unchanged. That’s right. As I am in your presence you are making me to be like your Son. This work of yours will only end when I come to see you face to face. Then I will be completely changed. Now, I see in part, then I will see in full, then I will be completely changed. Yes, you will. Make this your hope. Yes Lord, I will.

Lord, it is so exciting that I will come to look like you. That is the desire of my heart and mind. That is the goal of my life. I want to think your thoughts, speak your words and do your deeds. Day by day make me like you until I come to see you face to face. Amen

Key Question… What has the Lord been using to change you day by day so you can become more like Him?

Living It Out… Keep your hope firmly fixed on Jesus Christ so you can live the life of purity He has called you to live.

Seeing It Happen… Have faith that the Lord will change you, day by day as you keep your hope firmly fixed on Him.

Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group how Jesus Christ has been changing you as you keep your hope on Him.

Prayer To Bless Others… May your hope be firmly fixed on Jesus Christ so you can live the life of purity you have been called to live.

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

God’s Will – 1 John 3-1-3 – Children Of God – 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

He Listens

Posted on by
Reply
Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - God's Will - John 9:31 - He Listens - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – God’s Will – John 9:31 – He Listens – Growing As Disciples

We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will. John 9:31 (NIV) 

Heard And Answered

Do you want to pray prayers that I will hear and answer? I see some hesitation on your part. This is not a hard or trick question. It is a simple question. I noticed that you did not say it has a simple answer. No, I did not. Of course, I want to pray prayers that you will hear and answer. What kind of prayers will you not hear and answer? That is a very good question that I will let you answer. I thought you might say that. You will not hear and answer prayers that are outside of your will. I may ask you for something that might not be good for me. I may ask for something that might take my life in the wrong direction. I might ask for something well before I am ready to receive it. I may even ask for something that will never be inside of your will for you to hear and answer. That’s true.

How will you begin to know what prayers are inside and outside of my will? How will you know when to ask for what you need from me? I will only know how and when to pray by living in an intimate relationship with you. You will speak to me as I listen attentively to you. You will give me prayers to pray. You will place good and right and pure prayers on my heart. You will bring prayers to pray to my mind as I love, follow and obey you. That’s right. What has the potential to hinder your ability to hear from me? What might even hinder your desire to come to meet with me in prayer? What might lead you to pray for what is completely outside of my will. If my heart and mind and life are wrapped up in the things of this world I might not even think to pray. If I am filled with pride and self-sufficiency I might feel no need to pray. If my life is entangled in sin my prayers will no doubt miss the mark. I will almost certainly pray for what is outside your will. That’s true.

What is a good way to start your prayers? What will you do as you begin to pray to me? I will humble myself before you. I will come to rely on you. I will confess my sins to you. I will ask you to forgive and cleanse me of all my sin. Will I hear this prayer? You will always forgive and cleanse me of my sin as I confess it to you. Yes, I will. As you humbly confess your sins and come to rely on me, what will you be ready to do? I will be ready to listen to you. You will be ready to listen to me. You will give me prayers to pray that you will hear and answer. Yes, I will. 

Lord, I don’t want anything to hinder my prayers. I don’t want sinful thoughts, words, or deeds to make it so you cannot hear and answer my prayers. Forgive and cleanse me of all my sin. Give me prayers to continue to pray as I love, follow and obey you. Amen

Key Question… How are you making confession of your sin a regular part of your prayer time with God?

Living It Out… Follow and obey the Lord so that nothing will hinder your prayers being heard and answered.

Seeing It Happen… Have faith that the Lord will hear your prayers as you follow and obey Him.

Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group how the Lord has heard and answered your prayers.

Prayer To Bless Others… May your hope be firmly fixed on Jesus Christ so you can live the life of purity you have been called to live.

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

God’s Will – John 9-31- He Listens – 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

He Refused

Posted on by
Reply
Discipleship Devotional Study Guide- God's Will - Genesis 39:6b-10 - He Refused - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide- God’s Will – Genesis 39:6b-10 – He Refused – Growing As Disciples

Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her. Genesis 39:6-10 (NIV)

Remove, Reject And Run 

Do you want to be able to refuse temptation? You are thinking that I have asked you a very easy question. That thought did cross my mind. You should know that I have not asked you an easy question. Why is that? Hasn’t your experience told you that I have not asked you an easy question. What do you mean by saying that? Think deeply about the question that I have asked you. The quick and easy answer to my question, that you could give to me might be, “Of course, I want to be able to refuse temptation.” Has that always been the truth? Have you always wanted to refuse temptation? Have you ever enjoyed being tempted? Have you ever lingered around temptation with the thought that you will refuse it when you get around to refusing it? In the meantime, you enjoyed temptation. Yes, everything you are saying is true. I have enjoyed temptation. I have lingered around temptation. I have even savored temptation in my heart and mind. If you savor temptation in your heart and mind will you be able to refuse it? Will you be able to reject temptation? Will you be able to run from temptation? No, I doubt it. 

What has your experience taught you about refusing temptation? If I want to refuse temptation I must start by removing all its sources from my life. I must put temptation on a starvation diet. There are places I should not go. There are things I should not do. There are even people that I should not allow into my life. I should not be found in the wrong times at the wrong times, if I want to refuse temptation. That’s right.

What has your experience taught you about rejecting and running from temptation? Timing is everything. There is a time to reject temptation. There is time to run from temptation. When is the right time to reject and run from temptation? The time to reject and run from temptation is right now. I have never found the way of escape out of temptation when I have lingered around it. If I linger around temptation, I will surely give in to it. That’s true.

Do you want to refuse temptation? Yes, I do. Will you eliminate sources of temptation from your life? Yes, I will. Will you immediately reject and run from temptation when it comes your way? Yes, I will. That will be very good.

Lord, I will remove myself from all known and obvious sources of temptation. I will not allow myself to be in the wrong places at the wrong times. When temptation comes my way, as it will, I will refuse and run from it, at once, with all my strength and speed. Amen

Key Question… Why must you never delay in running away from a temptation that has come your way?

Living It Out… Remove yourself from sources of temptation as you refuse and run away from them when they come your way.

Seeing It Happen… Have faith that the Lord will help you to remove sources of temptation as you refuse and run away from them.

Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group how you are you are refusing and running away from temptation.

Prayer To Bless Others… May you remove sources of temptations and refuse and run from them when they come your way.

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

God’s Will – Genesis 39-6b-10 – He Refused – 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

If Any Of You Lacks Wisdom

Posted on by
Reply
Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - God's Will - James 1:5-8 - If Any Of You Lacks Wisdom - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – God’s Will – James 1:5-8 – If Any Of You Lacks Wisdom – Growing As Disciples

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. James 1:5-8 (ESV)

Humbly Pray Faith Filled Prayers

What wisdom do I need? Why do I need wisdom? Why have I foolishly thought I did not need wisdom? Why have I resisted others when they were more than willing to give me wise counsel? I don’t even like to ask for directions when I’m lost. What explains that? Those are questions I ask myself. Those are good questions. What are your answers? I need wisdom because I am not a wise person. I need wisdom because I don’t know it all. I don’t have all the answers. I’m not even wise enough to ask the right questions. I’m not wise enough to recognize wisdom when it has been freely and generously offered to me. Why is that? We both know the answer to that question. I’m as proud as I am unwise. Do you think there is a correlation between your pride and your lack of wisdom? There is no doubt that. Pride has been behind my thinking that I don’t need any additional wisdom. Pride is the reason I am reluctant to ask for directions even when I’m certain that I am lost. You’re on to a very important thought.

You will need two things if you want to come to ask me for wisdom. What’s that? What two things will I need? You tell me. I’m guessing that I will need humility to be willing to come and ask you for wisdom. Good guess. I will need to lay down my pride and admit that I need your wisdom. I will need to acknowledge that I don’t know it all and have all the answers. That’s right. What else? I’m not sure. Have you ever doubted that I would hear and answer your prayers? Have you ever wondered if I would really give you wisdom, when I ask me for it? I guess so. You guess so? I know that I have prayed prayers that were filled with doubt. I have something to say to you. What’s that? Don’t bother praying doubt filled prayers asking for my wisdom. I know why that is. Tell me. I will not receive any wisdom from you when my prayers are filled with doubt. That’s right. Will you humbly pray faith filled prayers asking me for wisdom? Yes Lord, I will. Then you will generously receive wisdom from me. I will give you all the wisdom you will need to know and do my will. I will give you all the wisdom you will need to live your life with and for me. That’s what I want. That is very good.

Lord, there is no doubt about it, I need your wisdom. On my own, I have taken many missteps. I have made huge mistakes. I have gone down dead ends. I have wasted time. I have lost resources. Please give me the wisdom I need to know and do your will. Amen

Key Question… When have you failed to listen to wise counsel the Lord was giving to you through others?

Living It Out… With a heart full of faith ask God for all the wisdom that you will need so you can know and do His will.

Seeing It Happen… Have faith that the Lord will generously give you wisdom, when with a heart full of faith, you ask Him for it.

Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group how God has given you wisdom to know and do His will.

Prayer To Bless Others… May you with a heart filled with faith ask God for all the wisdom you need.

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

God’s Will – James 1-5-8 – If Any Of You Lacks Wisdom – 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