Tag Archives: for when your endurance is fully developed

Ask Our Generous God

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The Virtuous Life - Day 206 - James 1-2-8 - Ask Our Generous God - Growing As Disciples

The Virtuous Life – Day 206 – James 1-2-8 – Ask Our Generous God – Growing As Disciples

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.  For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.  If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.  But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.  Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.  Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do. James 1:2-8 (NLT)

Be Filled With Joy

If I need anything, I need wisdom. Why do you say that? On my own, I am not wise. I make dumb mistakes. I make foolish decisions. I take missteps from which I must stop, go back, and retrace my steps and start over. I can’t tell you how many times I have thought, or spoken, or acted unwisely. My foolish ways have cost me time, wasted resources, and worn me out. At no time do I need your wisdom more than when I am going through trials. On those occasions, I need to cry out to you in prayer to ask you for wisdom. Maybe that is one of the blessings of going through trials. How so? Trials show you that you need wisdom, Trials cause you to ask for my help. Trials make you come to rely on me. If you never went through trials or if you never needed my help, would you cry out to me and ask for my help? Let me ask you another question. I’m listening. When has your faith grown stronger? Has your faith grown stronger when the water is calm, and everything is smooth sailing or has your faith grown stronger in the storms of life when you have taken refuge in me? My faith has grown stronger when I have been forced to take refuge in you. Then maybe, you should consider giving thanks for the trails have come your way. I could ask you a few more questions. Go ahead. Has your endurance, as one of my followers, strengthened as you have gone through trials in life? Have you developed a more intimate relationship with me as you have suffered trials? Has your prayer life grown deeper as you have prayed faith filled prayers when storms swirled all around you? Have you learned to hold on to me more tightly as you have gone through all the twists and turns and ups and downs of life? Yes, my endurance has strengthened, my relationship with you become more intimate, my prayer life grown deeper and my hold on you stronger as I have gone through trials in life. Then, for that rejoice. Then, for that give thanks. Then, for that be filled with joy for how trails have performed a good work in your life. That I will do. That will be very good. Thank you, Heavenly Father.

Heavenly Father, there is no doubt, I need your wisdom, especially when I am going through trials in life. I will, with a heart filled with faith, cry out to you for help. I will rely on you to give me wisdom, grow my faith, and strengthen my endurance as I follow you. Amen

Key Question…  What wisdom has God generously given to you when you asked Him for His help?

Living It Out…  Rely on your Heavenly Father to give you wisdom, grow your faith, and strengthen your endurance as you pray to Him.

Seeing It Happen…  Have faith that your Heavenly Father will generously give you wisdom as you faithfully ask Him for it.

Get Ready To Share…  Share with another person or your small group how your Heavenly Father has given you wisdom in the trials of life.

Prayer To Bless Others…  May you ask God for wisdom as you go through trials in life.

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

The Virtuous Life – Day 206 – James 1-2-8 – Ask Our Generous 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                                                                                    http://www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

An Opportunity For Great Joy

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - The Prayer Filled Life - Day 64 - James 1:2-8 - An Opportunity For Great Joy - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – The Prayer Filled Life – Day 64 – James 1:2-8 – An Opportunity For Great Joy – Growing As Disciples

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.  For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.  If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.  But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.  Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.  Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do. James 1:2-8

Place Your Faith

How will you respond to troubles when they come your way? Will you try to avoid them at all costs? Will you treat them as if they were your worst enemy? Will you try to ignore them with the hope that they will go away all by themselves? Will engage in an all-out effort to try to overcome troubles with your own power and strength? Will you become bitter with the thought that you don’t deserve to be experiencing troubles? Will you follow your own counsel and seek your own advice when you find yourself in trouble? Will you place your faith in your closest and wisest friends? Will you listen to anyone and everyone who offers you advice? Where will you place your faith? You certainly do have a lot of questions for me today. Do you find them to be good questions, that you will do well to consider? Yes, they are good questions. I know some things for certain. What’s that? I have not welcomed troubles into my life as friends. The idea of finding myself in the troubles of life has not brought joy into my heart. I have tried to avoid troubles. I have ignored troubles. I have hoped that troubles would quickly disappear. I know for sure that I have often placed my faith in everything and anyone other than you. I have foolishly relied on myself and others. The dumbest thing I have done was to live by my own counsel and follow my own advice. For all the ways I have misplaced my faith, I ask for your forgiveness. You are forgiven. What would you like to do differently? I would like to place my faith in you alone. I would like to rely on you on every day and in every circumstance of my life. I would like to pray faith filled prayers to you for wisdom as I walk through life with you. I would like to live in an intimate relationship with you as you guard and guide me through life. I would like to live with the joyful knowledge that the troubles of life will only serve to strengthen my faith in you. Troubles will draw me nearer and closer to you. In that way, yes, I can admit that troubles can and should be welcomed into my life because I know that you will powerfully use them for good in my life. Yes, I will. Will you place your faith in me as you go through troubles in life? Yes, I will. That will be very good. 

Lord, I have not always placed my faith in you alone. I’m sure that comes as no great surprise. Forgive me. Through all the troubles of life, I will place my faith in you. I will rely on you. I will ask for your wisdom. I will ask for your help. Strengthen my faith in you. Amen

Key Question…  When have you asked God for wisdom as you have gone through troubles in life?

Living It Out…  Place your faith in God alone as you go through troubles in life.

Seeing It Happen…  Have faith that God will hear and answer your prayers for wisdom as you place your faith in Him alone.

Get Ready To Share…  Share with another person or your small group how you are learning to place your faith in God alone.

Prayer To Bless Others…  May you place your faith in God alone as you go through troubles in life.

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

The Prayer Filled Life – Day 64 – James 1-2-8 – An Opportunity For Great Joy – 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