He Listens

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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

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

He Refused

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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

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

If Any Of You Lacks Wisdom

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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

Your Sanctification

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - God's Will - 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 - Your Sanctification - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – God’s Will – 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 – Your Sanctification – Growing As Disciples

For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 (ESV)

Set Apart

You have been set apart to come to me. I called you by name. I sought you out. I rescued you from a life without me. I pulled your life out of the muck and the mire. I forgave all your sins. I cleansed all your unrighteousness. I have made you holy in my sight by the blood that was shed for you on the cross. I made you my own. I adopted you into my family. I made you to be my child. I have loved you with an everlasting love.  I lifted you up and set you on a firm foundation so you could begin to follow and serve me. I broke the power of sin over your life. I have made it so you can live your life with and for me. For all this, I am grateful and thankful. All praise and honor and glory belong to you. I now love you because you first loved me. It is my desire to know and do your will. I want to go and do what is pleasing to you. My life is in your hands and at your disposal. Use me for your purposes. Accomplish your plans in and through my life. Guide me to where you want me to go. Give me what you want me to do. That, I will do.

My work in you is not finished. I have made you holy in my sight. I have set your life apart and made you my own.  I will bring to completion the good work that I have begun in you. Day by day I will be working in and through your life. I will use my word to change your heart. I will use my word to transform your mind. I will make you able to think my thoughts. I will make you able to know and do my will. I will use my word to guide your life. You will know where I am guiding you. You will know the work that I am giving you to do for me. What do you think I want you to keep doing? You want me to keep drawing near to you as you draw near to me. You want me to keep meeting with you in your word. You want me to keep receiving your teaching and listening to your instruction. You want me to continue abiding in your presence. Why is that? You want me to know you. You want me to live and walk in an intimate relationship with you. Yes, I do. You want my life to bear fruit for your kingdom and bring glory to your name. Yes, I do. I know that apart from you I can do nothing. That’s right. So, I will remain vitally connected to you, so you can continue to do your work in and through my life. That will be very good.

Lord, I know you have set me apart to love, follow and serve you. You have forgiven all my sins and cleansed all my unrighteousness. Use your word to change my heart, transform my mind and guide my life. Keep on purifying me as I live my life with and for you. Amen

Key Question… How has God used His word to break you free from sins that once so easily entangled your life?

Living It Out… Allow God to continue His purifying work to continue in your life as you love, follow and serve Him.

Seeing It Happen… Have faith that you have been set apart and made holy in God’s sight by Christ’s blood shed for you on the cross.

Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group how God is continuing to change and purify your life as follow Him.

Prayer To Bless Others… May you allow the Lord to continue to change and purify your life as you love, follow and serve Him.

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

God’s Will – 1 Thessalonians 4-3-5 – Your Sanctification – 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

First Of All

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - God's Will - 1 Timothy 2:1-3 - First Of All - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – God’s Will – 1 Timothy 2:1-3 – First Of All – Growing As Disciples

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 1 Timothy 2:1-3 (ESV)

Priority Of Prayer

Did you notice those words? Did I notice what words? Did you notice the words, “first of all?” Yes, I noticed, what point do you want to make with me? Isn’t my point obvious enough? Yes, I guess so. Is that a guess? No. Tell me more about the point I am making with you. Prayer is something that you want me to do first. Prayer is not a last resort. I am to pray not because I can do nothing else. I am to pray because that is my first and best choice. You want me to bring people and needs and circumstances and issues to you. Yes, I do. You want me to pray for all people. That’s right. Prayer will do more than I could ever accomplish. Prayer will guide the work that you do give me to do. My efforts without prayer will be fruitless. You will bear an abundance of fruit in and through my life as I remain in prayer with you. Right again.

Do you believe that I will hear and answer your prayers? Do you believe that I will give and guide the prayers that I want you to pray? Yes, I do. Will you come to me? Will you sit before me? Will you pray the prayers that I give you to pray? Yes Lord, I will.

You do have a choice. What do you mean? You can live a hectic, ungodly life that is filled with noise and turmoil and desperation or you can live a quiet, peace filled, dignified and godly life. Which one do you want to live? I want to live a quiet, peace filled, dignified and godly life. I thought so. How will you do that? What promises have I made to you? It is your command that I pray for all people, including the leaders that you have placed over my life. That’s right. If I pray prayers of supplication and intercession with thanksgiving then I will be able to live a quiet, peace filled, dignified and godly life. That’s true. Does this mean that you will have no pain or suffering or difficulty in your life? No, it does not. But, I will have a relationship with you, built with prayer, that will give me peace and quiet that will help to live a godly life in and through every difficulty I will encounter. Yes, you will. That is what I want. That is the desire of my heart. I want to live a life of prayer as I walk with you through life. I want to live the dignified and godly life that you are calling me to live. That will be very good. 

Lord, I have made the mistake of allowing myself to be dragged into bitter debate with others. Under such circumstances, it has been difficult for me to pray for them. Help me to pray for all people, including my leaders, so that, I can live a quiet and peaceful life. Amen

Key Question… Why will engaging in bitter debate with others make it very difficult for you to pray for them?

Living It Out… Make it your continual practice to pray for all people, including your leaders, so you can live a quiet and peaceful life.

Seeing It Happen… Have faith that you will be able to live a quiet and peaceful life as you pray for all people, including your leaders.

Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group how you are praying for all people including your leaders.

Prayer To Bless Others… May you continually pray for all people, including the leaders God has placed over you.

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

God’s Will – 1 Timothy 2-1-3 – First Of All – 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

Do Not Love The World

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - God's Will - 1 John 2:15-17 - Do Not Love The World - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – God’s Will – 1 John 2:15-17 – Do Not Love The World – Growing As Disciples

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world–the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does–comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. 1 John 2:15-17 (NIV)  

Love Me

Do you love me? If you love me you will not love the world. Do you love me? If you love me, you will leave behind the cravings of your old sinful life. Do you love me? If you love me, you will not allow yourself to lust with your eyes over what you see in the world. Do you love me? If you love me, you will not boast about what you have. Do you love me? If you love me, you will not boast about what you have done. Now, can I answer your question? Yes, you may answer my question.   Yes Lord, I love you. I do not love the world. I do not love the things in the world. This world is not my true home. I am not foolishly storing up treasures in this life that will soon pass away. I want to store up treasures in heaven with you. Yes Lord, I love you. You have made it possible for me to walk away from the cravings of my old sinful life. Walking away from my old sinful cravings is what I have done and will continue to do with all your help. Yes Lord, I love you. I am not allowing my eyes to lust after what I see in the world. I am keeping my heart and mind and life firmly focused on you. Yes Lord, I love you. I will not boast about what I have. All that I have has come as a gift from you. You have richly blessed my life. I will not boast about what I have done. You are the one who has been working in and through my life. If I have accomplished anything it is because you have allowed me to bear fruit for your kingdom and bring glory to your name. Apart from you I can do nothing. I give you thanks and praise and glory and honor for what you have done, are doing and will do in and through my life. It is my desire and joy to both know and do your will. That is how I want to spend my life. I want you to use me to accomplish your purposes and fulfill your plans. I want to live my life loving, following and serving you. Yes Lord, I love you with all my heart and mind and soul and strength. Yes, I do know that you love me. That is very good. I agree.

Lord, I once was entangled in the cravings, lusts and boastful things of this world. Thank you for breaking me free from all of that. Now, I love you with all my heart and mind and soul and strength. Help me to know and do your will as I follow and serve you. Amen

Key Question… Why is loving the world and loving God incompatible with each other?

Living It Out… Leave behind cravings, lusts and boastful things of this world so you can love, follow and serve God with all your heart.

Seeing It Happen… Have faith that the Lord will help you to leave behind cravings, lusts and boastful things of this world.

Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group how your love for God is demonstrated by knowing and doing His will.

Prayer To Bless Others… May you leave behind the cravings, lusts and boastful things of this world so you can love God.

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional study guide click here:

God’s Will – 1 John 2-15-17 – Do Not Love The World – 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

Do All Things

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - God's Will - Philippians 4:13- Do All Things - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – God’s Will – Philippians 4:13- Do All Things – Growing As Disciples

I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13 (ESV)                        

Your Strength

I’m done. I give up. What are you done with? What are you giving up on? I’m done trying to serve you with my own strength. I’m giving up on relying on myself, trying to do what you have given me to do for you. It’s about time, don’t you think? What do you mean by that? It was never my plan for you to rely on yourself to do what I have given you to do for me. Why do you think I have given you so many tasks that you couldn’t accomplish by yourself? Is that what you have been doing? I thought maybe I was just a miserable failure. No, you are not a miserable failure. Yes, I have been giving you God sized tasks so that you would learn to come to rely on me. I want to grow your faith. I want to develop your trust. So often, you have trusted and relied on yourself. You will never be able to accomplish the God sized tasks that I give to you without your relying on me. You will never grow in your faith unless you allow me to work in and through your life. So, it is a good thing that you are done with relying on your own strength and are giving up on your own efforts. I guess so. You guess so? No, I am certain that it is good to start putting all my faith and trust in you. It is a good time for me to begin to rely fully on you for all the strength that I will need to do all that you ask me to do for you. Yes, it is.

So, what are you going to do differently? How are you going to begin to rely fully on me? Well, I will come to you to ask for your help. I will seek your wisdom. I will rely on your strength. I will ask you to give me your power. I will ask you to show me when, where, and how you want me to do something for you. I will take whatever steps you guide me to take. I will not race ahead of you. I will not lag behind you. I will not turn aside to the right or to the left. I will follow where you lead me. I will do whatever you ask of me. That will be very good.

Do you believe that I will help you? Do you have faith that I will make you able to do everything that I give you to do for me? Yes Lord, I believe that you will give me your power and strength to do whatever you ask of me. That’s very good.

Lord, I have tried to serve you with my own strength alone. Those efforts of mine have often failed miserably. I am done relying on myself. I need your help. I need all the strength that you will give me to do all that you ask me to do for you. Amen

Key Question… How are you now relying on the Lord to give you His strength to do a God sized task?

Living It Out… Rely on strength from the Lord to do all that He asks you to do for Him.

Seeing It Happen… Have faith that the Lord will give you all the strength you need to do what He asks you to do for Him.

Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group how the Lord has given you strength to His will.

Prayer To Bless Others… May you rely on Christ’s strength to do whatever He gives you to do for Him.

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

God’s Will – Philippians 4-13 – Do All Things – 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

See God

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - God's Will - Matthew 5-8 - See God - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – God’s Will – Matthew 5-8 – See God – Growing As Disciples

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Matthew 5:8 (NIV) 

Pure In Heart 

What will help or hinder your ability to see my activity in the world around you? What will you do if you want to live and walk in an intimate relationship with me? If I want to live and walk in an intimate relationship with you I must decide to walk away from the world and all its evil. How will you do that? I will make a choice. I will separate myself from what will certainly try to entangle me in the world’s sin and evil. I will not go where I should not go. I will not do what I should not do. I will choose to live a life that will not stain my heart and mind with sin and evil. Does that seem possible to you? Isn’t sin and evil everywhere you turn in the world around you? Yes, it is and at one time I was completely enslaved to sin and evil in the world. I went where I should not have gone. I did what I should not have done. I lived a life seeking all the comfort and pleasure that the world had to offer me. I lived entirely to please myself. I was on a dark path walking away from you. What happened? How was your course changed? My life had become bruised and battered and broken by the self-centered, self-indulgent, self-sufficient way I was living. I began to suffer the wages of my sinful, evil life. In my pain, I cried out to you. I asked you to show yourself to me. I told you that I wanted to turn away from my sinful life to live a new life in you. You rescued me from a life without you. You pulled me off the dark and dreary path I was on. You set my feet on solid ground and allowed me to follow you. You did show yourself to me. You showed me your love, forgiveness and mercy. You forgave me of my sin and cleansed me of all my unrighteousness. You broke the power of sin over my life. You gave me a new heart and mind. What kind of heart and mind was that? You gave me a heart and mind to want to love, follow and serve you. You made wanting to know you to be the desire of my heart. Now, I am filled with an overpowering desire to know you. That is very good. Yes, and so I now want to walk away from the sin and evil in the world so that I can love, follow and serve you. With your strength and help I will resist sin and evil of every kind. I will draw near to you as you draw near to me. I will listen to your voice. I will see your activity. I will come to know you. I will follow you to where you lead me and do what you ask of me. I will live and walk in an intimate relationship with you. Yes, you will.  

Lord, it is the desire of my heart to know you. I want to live in an intimate relationship with you. I want to hear and see your activity in the world around me. I want to be able to know and do your will. Help me to walk closely with you every day of my life. Amen

Key Question… How are you guarding yourself from sin and evil that is in the world?

Living It Out…  Separate yourself from sin and evil in the world so that you can live and walk in an intimate relationship with the Lord.

Seeing It Happen… Have faith that the Lord wants you to live and walk in an intimate relationship with Him.

Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group how you are living and walking in an intimate relationship with the Lord.

Prayer To Bless Others… May you have a pure heart, unstained by the world, so you can live in an intimate relationship with God.

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

God’s Will – Matthew 5-8 – See God – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

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

Given To You

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - God's Will - Luke 6:37-38 - Given To You - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – God’s Will – Luke 6:37-38 – Given To You – Growing As Disciples

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Luke 6:37-38 (NIV)

Your Measure

What do you hope to receive from others? What would you like to receive from me? Will you give to others what you hope to receive back from them? Will give freely what you would like to receive from me? Will you be tight fisted? Will you be open handed? Will you give sparingly or will you give generously? Your measure is what you can expect to receive back from others. What does that mean? If you measure out judgement you can expect to receive judgement. If you give out condemnation you can expect to receive condemnation. If you forgive, you will be forgiven. If you give you will receive. Is that a rule or principle? Are you asking me, “is this a rule or principle in my kingdom?” Yes, that’s it, that is my question. Yes, this is the way things work in my kingdom. Then my behavior will often determine what I receive back in life? Yes, that’s true. I will bless your life as you live as a blessing to others. I will give you a word of warning. What’s that? Don’t always expect that people will automatically bless your life just because you have blessed theirs. This is a broken and sin filled world. This is dark and evil place. I get that. You aren’t telling me anything new. Why do you think I want your measure for others to be generously filled with goodness? You want my life to shine as a bright witness in the world for you. You want others to see your life being lived out in me. Yes, I do. I will give you a certain promise. What’s that? As you live your life as a blessing to others, I will bless your life. My blessing on your life will be both now and forever. The good things that you do for me in this life will store up treasure in heaven for you. You will be repaid for all the good deeds you do for me. Every act of kindness and love you do for others you will be doing for me. Well then, I don’t want to give with some small measure. I want my measure to be generous. I want to give abundantly to others. I want to pour myself out as a generous gift to others. That will be very good.

Lord, I will generously give out what I want to receive. I will treat others just as I would like to be treated. I will not judge and condemn others. I will forgive others just as I want to be forgiven. I will give to others what I also hope to receive. Amen

Key Question… How have you become more open handed rather than tight fisted in your giving to others?

Living It Out… Give generously to others what you hope to receive back to them.

Seeing It Happen… Have faith that you will receive back what you generously give to others.

Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group how you are giving to others what you hope to receive back from them.

Prayer To Bless Others… May you give to others what you hope to receive back from them.

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship study guide click here:

God’s Will – Luke 6-37-38 – Given To You – 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

Stirs Up Division

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - God's Will- Titus 3:10-11 - Stirs Up Division - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – God’s Will- Titus 3:10-11 – Stirs Up Division – Growing As Disciples

As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned. Titus 3:10-11 (ESV)

Warning

I have a word of warning for you. What’s that? Don’t let yourself get drawn into debates and arguments and divisions in my body. Why is that? You have asked what seems like an obvious question with an easy answer. But, your question is not obvious to all and difficult to answer for many. However, I do want you to answer your own question. I want you to think deeply about your question and carefully consider your answer. I will do just that.

I know that debates and arguments and divisions damage relationships. Under such circumstances people can’t work together. What they could have accomplished for your kingdom, by working together, will never come to fruition when divisions occur and relationship are damaged. That’s right. What else? Debates and arguments and divisions that damage relationships are common place in the world. The world seems more interested in winning debates and arguments than it is in maintaining unity. That probably is an understatement. Maintaining unity, is certainly not a value that the world esteems. So, when your church acts no differently than the world, its witness for you is lost. You want your church, your body of believers to dramatically stand out as being far different than the world. You want your body of believers to be known by their love for you and each other. Yes, I do. Real, authentic, unconditional love is in very short supply in the world. Yes, it is. When your body of believers have your love on display, it stands out, it gets recognized, it gets noticed. That’s right. So, debates and arguments and divisions in your body mute, that’s too weak of a word, how about destroy, its witness in the world. People will not come to know you when they see members of your body behaving badly. People will not come to believe in you if they see that you have not made any dramatic changes in the lives of your followers. There is no better witness for you, in the world, than a changed life, that is totally devoted to loving you and others. That’s true. 

So, what do you want? I want to be used by you. I want to quell divisions and foster unity in your body. I want to be a peacemaker for you in the world. I want your love to shine brightly in and through my life. I want others to see that you are living in and through my life. I want your body to be a bold and bright witness for you, so that fruit can be born for your kingdom and glory can be brought to your name. This is my prayer. This is what I want. I will hear and answer this prayer of your heart.

Lord, I will not allow myself to be drawn into divisions in your body. I will separate myself from anyone who is unwilling to turn away from divisiveness. Use me to quell division and foster unity in your body. I want your body to be a bright witness in the world. Amen

Key Question… How are you making sure that you do not get drawn into stirring up division in the body of Christ?

Living It Out… Make sure that you are quelling division and fostering unity in the body of Christ.

Seeing It Happen… Have faith that a unified body of Christ will be a powerful witness in the world for Him.

Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group how you are fostering unity in the body of Christ.

Prayer To Bless Others… May you quell division and foster unity in the body of Christ.

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

God’s Will – Titus 3-10-11 – Stirs Up Division – 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