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Forgive Your Sins

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - So That - Mark 11:25 - Forgive Your Sins - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – So That – Mark 11:25 – Forgive Your Sins – Growing As Disciples

But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.” Mark 11:25 (NLT)

Make A List

Make a list. Make a list of what? What’s our topic? You want me to make a list of people to forgive? You got that right. There is no need to hurry either. I want you to think deeply. I want you to go way back. How far? Go back to your earliest years and keep going right up until today. Put everyone on your list that has harmed or hurt you. Make your list as exhaustive as your memory will allow. You will need to come back to your list several times before it is really complete. Don’t leave anyone who has hurt or harmed you off your list. Do you understand the task? Yes, I do.

Once you have completed your list forgive everyone that has hurt or harmed you. Let go of the pain that they caused you. Release yourself from the anger and resentment that you have held on to all these days and months and years. Offer a prayer of blessing for everyone on your list. You are going to be forgiving each person. You are going to be moving on from the baggage that you have carried as a result of the ways that you have been hurt. You are going to be set free from the weight of your unforgiveness. You are not minimizing your past hurts. You have been hurt. You have been wounded. There is no doubt about that. I am here to heal all your hurts and wounds. Today, you will be moving forward. You will no longer allow your past hurts and wounds to keep on harming you. Today you will be set free as you forgive others just as I have forgiven you. How does this sound to you? It sounds fantastic. I have held on to anger and resentment and unforgiveness for far too long. You got that right.

Going forward I want you to have a heart that is ready, willing and able to forgive others. No longer will you hold on to anger, resentment and unforgiveness. No longer will you keep a list of who has wronged you. No longer will you seek revenge. No longer will try to get even. No longer will you let the bitterness of unforgiveness hinder your prayers. Here is what I want you to do. When you start to pray I want you to take a quick inventory. Ask yourself if there is anyone that you need to forgive. Offer your forgiveness to those who have hurt and harmed you and then move on and draw near to me in prayer. Will you do this? Yes Lord, I will forgive others just as you have forgiven me. That will be very good.

Lord, I don’t want to be unforgiving. I don’t want my prayers to be hindered. I want to be ready to forgive others as you have forgiven me of all my sins. Help me to be a witness for you by the way that I show your unconditional love and forgiveness to others. Amen

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

So That – Mark 11-25 – Forgive Your Sins – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

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

Have Faith In God

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Promises - Day 296 - Mark 11:22-25 - Have Faith In God - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Promises – Day 296 – Mark 11:22-25 – Have Faith In God – Growing As Disciples

Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God.  I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart.  I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.  But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.” Mark 11:22-25 (NLT) 

Ask Me For Help

Will you do that? Will I do what? Will you ask me for help? Don’t I ask you for help? Haven’t I asked you for help? This are good questions. Let me ask you some more questions. I’m listening. When do you ask me for help? Am I your last resort before you have tried everyone and everything else? How do you ask me for help? Do you pray prayers that are filled with faith? Those are some tough questions. I can see what you are pointing out. What am I pointing out? You want me to come to rely on you. You want me to ask you for help. You want me to bring all my prayers to you. You don’t want to be my last resort after I have exhausted every other possibility or avenue of help. You want me to draw near to you in prayer, to pray faith filled prayers that you will hear and answer. You want me to live my life in a constant dialogue of prayer with you. Yes, you do understand what I am trying to point out. I stand ready to hear and answer your prayers. Don’t let anything stand in the way of your developing an intimate prayer life with me. What could stand in the way of my developing an intimate prayer life with you? You tell me. I will try, here goes. I could allow myself to become busy and so caught up in the activities of life that I fail to set aside time to pray. I could become so self-reliant and self-sufficient that I don’t think I need to pray. I could become proud and think that I can take care of all my wants and needs by myself. I could allow myself to become so filled with doubt that I couldn’t pray prayers that you will hear and answer. I could live a dark and sinful life that would crowd out any desire to come to meet with you in prayer. I could hold on to grudges and live a bitter, unforgiving, prayerless life. How am I doing? You have well stated reasons why you, or anyone else, could fail to develop an intimate life of prayer with me. What is the one reason you will develop an intimate life of prayer with me? I know that you love and care for me. You delight in hearing and answering my prayers. Yes, I do. Will you live an intimate life of prayer with me? Yes, I will. That will be very good. 

Heavenly Father, I have something to confess. I have not always asked for your help when I have been in trouble. Often, turning to you, in prayer, has been a last resort. Forgive me. Now, I will continually pray faith filled prayers as I walk through life with you. Amen     

Key Question…  How are you learning to turn to God right away when you find yourself in difficult circumstances?

Living It Out…  Immediately turn to God to ask for His help when you find yourself in trouble.

Seeing It Happen…  Have faith that God will hear and answer your faith filled prayers to Him.

Get Ready To Share…  Share with another person or your small group how God has been hearing and answering your prayers.

Prayer To Bless Others…  May rely on God as you pray faith filled prayers to Him.

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

Promises – Day 296 – Mark 11-22-25 – Have Faith In 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

Prayer With An Alert Mind

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Promises - Day 254- Colossians 4:2-6 - Prayer With An Alert Mind - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Promises – Day 254- Colossians 4:2-6 – Prayer With An Alert Mind – Growing As Disciples

Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.  Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains.  Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should.  Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity.  Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone. Colossians 4:2-6 (NLT)   

Opportunities

You need to be prayerful. You need to be watchful. You need to be thankful. Why is that? I’m not doubting that I need to be prayerful, watchful, and thankful. I want to understand fully why I need to ne prayerful, watchful, and thankful. I doubt that I know what you have on your mind. So, here I am, you have my full attention. I am listening attentively to you. You will miss opportunities to be my witness in the world if you are not prayerful, watchful, and thankful. You will not recognize wide open opportunities to proclaim me to others if you are not prayerful, watchful, and thankful. Can you be more specific? Can you give me more details? Yes, I can. Yes, I will.

If you are prayerful you will be listening attentively to me. You will hear my voice guiding you through life. You will be relying on me. You will not be relying on yourself. Remember your thoughts are not my thoughts. Remember your ways are not my ways. As you prayerfully listen, you will go where I guide you. As you prayerfully listen, you will do what I ask of you. Your heart and mind and life will be open to what I want to do in and through you. You will be able to know and do my will. Are these good enough reasons to be prayerful? They are excellent reasons to be prayerful. I will be prayerful as I walk through life with you. That will be very good.

You need to be watchful. Being watchful is a part of being prayerful. You will have wide open opportunities to share me with others. Doors will open wide for you to proclaim the good news of the Gospel to others. If you are not prayerfully watchful you will likely fail to recognize these opportunities. You will be distracted. You will be busy. You will be diverted to a thousand different tasks that will have no lasting and eternal value. You will misspend your time and talents and resources on what will not last. You will not bear fruit for my kingdom. You will not store up treasure in heaven with me. Are these good enough reasons to be watchful? They are excellent reasons to be watchful. I will be watchful as I walk through life with you. That will be very good.

You need to be thankful. You will go through up and down and twists and turns in life. You will experience pain and suffering and loss in life. How you go through difficulties and adverse circumstances will determine if you will or will not be a powerful witness for me in the world. You can become bitter and resentful or you can remain thankful that I am with you help through life. Know this, your darkest hours will be some of your best opportunities to shine brightly for me in the darkness of this world. Is this a good reason to be thankful? This is an excellent reason to be thankful. I will be thankful as I walk through life with you. That will be very good.

Lord, I will be watchful, prayer and thankful as I walk through life with you. Use every circumstance of my life as an opportunity to be a bold witness for you. Give me abundant opportunities to proclaim you graciously, attractively, and powerfully to others. Amen

Key Question… When have difficult and trying circumstances given you an opportunity to be a witness for Christ?

Living It Out… Be watchful and prayerful and thankful looking for every opportunity to share Christ with others.

Seeing It Happen… Have faith that you will be given wide open opportunities to share Christ with others.

Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group how you have been given opportunities to share Christ with others.

Prayer To Bless Others… May you be devoted to prayer with an alert mind and thankful heart.

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

Promises – Day 254 – Colossians 4-2-6 – Prayer With An Alert Mind – 4 Page Discipleship 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

But Take An Interest In Others

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Promises - Day 237 - Philippians 2:1-4 - But Take An Interest In Others - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Promises – Day 237 – Philippians 2:1-4 – But Take An Interest In Others – Growing As Disciples

Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate?  Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.  Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.  Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. Philippians 2:1-4 (NLT)  

It’s Not About Me

I know, I know, it’s not all about me. What’s not all about you? Life is not all about me. I am not the center of the universe. Life does not revolve me. The sooner I realize this, I mean really realize this, the better. Why is that? I am more than a little embarrassed to come to realize how self-centered my thoughts have been. Even being embarrassed is another symptom of my problem. People are not thinking about me. I am not on everyone’s mind. That’s true.

What are you going to do about your self-centeredness? Even that is heard to hear. That question is hard to take. But it is one for me to think deeply about. That will be good. However, I do know what I will do. What’s that? I will take my focus off myself and put it on you. That will be step one. I will consider you and all that you want to give me. What do I want to give you? You want to give me encouragement. You want to comfort me with your love. You want to fill me with your Spirit.  You want to give me a loving and tender and compassionate heart. You want to root me in fellowship in your body of believers. You want me to work together with fellow believers to accomplish your purposes and fulfill your plans. You want to give me a humble and sacrificial heart that has no need or desire to impress others. In short, in more ways that I can think of, count, or even imagine, you want to make me like you. You want me to follow your example. You want me to love like you loved. You want me to give like you gave. You want me to serve like you served. Yes, I do. That brings me to step two. Step two, was all that you have already mentioned just part of step one? I think so, there is much overlap between step on and step two, of that I am sure. Tell me what is step two. I will look not only to my own interests but also to the interests of others. I will humbly consider others as better than myself. The way I see it, step one puts my focus on you. Step two puts my focus on others that you have called me to love and serve. If I implement step one and two, I will leave my self-centered life far behind me. I will live the life you have called me to live. I will be able to go and do what you ask of me. Yes, you will. That will be very good.   

Lord, I will look out not only for my own interests but also for the interests of others. I will have a tender and compassionate heart for those in need.  I will work together with one mind and purpose with fellow believers. I will fully love others just as you love me. Amen

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

Promises – Day 237 – Philippians 2-1-4 – But Take An Interest In Others – 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

Be Patient As You Wait

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Promises - Day 229 - James 5:7-11 - Be Patient As You Wait - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Promises – Day 229 – James 5:7-11 – Be Patient As You Wait – Growing As Disciples

Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen.  You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.  Don’t grumble about each other, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. For look—the Judge is standing at the door!  For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.  We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy. James 5:7-11 (NLT)

Patiently Wait

What will happen to you as you patiently wait my return? If I patiently wait for your return my heart and mind and life will be focused on you. My attention will not be captured by the thoughts and opinions and values of this world. My life will not be one long pursuit of all the comforts and pleasures that this world has to offer. I will live with the knowledge that this world is not my true home. I am just passing through this brief life. Whether you come quickly and return to this earth, or I leave this life very soon, it does not amount to much difference to me personally, at least in one regard, I will be seeing you soon. That is true.

You will be seeing me soon, there is no doubt about that. How does that knowledge impact your life today?  Knowing that I will see you soon reorders my priorities. I want my life to count. I don’t want to waste time. I don’t want to misspend my life. I want to accomplish your purposes and fulfill your plans. I want to know and do your will. I want to go where you guide me. I want to do what you ask of me. I want to live a bold life as a bright witness for you in the darkness of this world. I want to bear fruit for your kingdom and bring glory to your name. I want others to come to know and love and follow and serve you because they have seen your life being lived out in and through me. You have very good desires within you. Do you believe that I will fulfill these desires of your heart? Yes, I do. You put these desires in my heart. You will certainly fulfill them. Yes, I will, you can count on me.

As you go through different seasons in life how are you able to endure them? As you encounter twists and turns and ups and downs and trials of every kind, how do you find strength to overcome them? Not by myself, not with my own strength, not under my own power, that is for sure. As my heart, and mind, and life are focused on you and your return I am encouraged. You give me hope. You give me strength. You keep me moving forward with you. Yes, I have. Yes, I am. Yes, I will. Keep your heart and mind and life focused on me. I will supply all you need. Thank you, Lord. 

Lord, patiently waiting is not one of my stronger gifts. That is an understatement, I know. Help me to keep my heart and mind and life focused on your return. Help me to patiently endure even the difficult seasons of life, as I continue to love, follow, and serve you. Amen

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

Promises – Day 229 – James 5-7-11 – Be Patient As You Wait – 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

Being Watchful

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Becoming Like Christ - Day 61 - Colossians 4:2-6 - Being Watchful - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Becoming Like Christ – Day 61 – Colossians 4:2-6 – Being Watchful – Growing As Disciples

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.  Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Colossians 4:2-6 (NIV)

Every Opportunity

I want to see and take every opportunity that you give me to serve you. I want to walk through doors of opportunity that you will open so that I can faithfully do the work you will give me to do for you.  I want to be able to boldly proclaim the good news of the Gospel to those who do not know you. I want to live wisely before others so that my life will serve as a vibrant witness for you in this dark world. Give me your words so that I will speak life giving grace filled words that will draw others to you. Let all my words be seasoned with salt so that I can add your flavor to everyone in the world around me. You have very good desires in your heart and mind. You want what I want. I am sure that these desires that are in my heart have come from you. Yes, these desires that you have expressed do come from me.

How will the desires that you have in your heart be fulfilled? That is a question that I would like to ask you. Well, that is a question I have asked you. If you have asked me a question you must want me to think about the answer or maybe I already know the answer. That’s right. I will do both. That’s good. Then tell me your answer. I will.

The desires that you have placed in my heart will be fulfilled as I remain watchful and thankful in prayer. As I pray, you will show me what you want me to see. You will show me doors of opportunity to serve you. Yes, I will. As I pray, you will help me to be a bold and fruitful witness for you in the world. Yes, I will. As, I pray, you will give me grace filled words to speak that you draw others to you, Yes, I will. As I pray, you will help me to live and speak a life seasoned with salt that will spread the flavor of you everywhere. Yes, I will. Will you continue to be watchful and thankful in prayer? Yes Lord, I will. That will be very good.

Lord, I will be watchful and thankful in prayer. As I pray, help me to take every opportunity to serve you. Guide my prayers so I and others will have doors of opportunity to boldly serve you. Help me to live wisely so I will speak grace filled words to outsiders. Amen

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

Becoming Like Christ – Day 61 – Colossians 4-2-6 – Being Watchful – 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