Category: Weekly Study Guide

Meditating on HIS words: Joshua 1:8

November’s Theme: Gratitude

siyach or hagah

הֲגוֹת

Relax and Focus: Find a quiet space to get ready to read the verses

Read: 1 Samuel 2:1-10

Reflect: Hannah lived in mental despair for many years. Not only did she feel somewhat sorry for herself for not being able to have a child, she was likewise ridiculed by those around her. Over 2,000 years ago, Hannah’s experience lends familiarity to what occurs in our everyday circumstances. We feel sorry for ourselves when things are not going right and there are people in our lives who are ready to judge and ridicule at the drop of a hat. Yet, Hannah continued to pray. She prayed relentlessly that she would be given a child.

What goal, idea, or accomplishment are you incubating right now? Are you praying and asking God for guidance? Do you keep your plans between you and God? Or are you blabbing it to everyone?  Do you believe that you have the patience to wait for God’s answers even if these answers sometime take years? Do you listen when his answer is NO? Do you live in gratitude while waiting for the answers or when the answer is NO?

Perhaps you may have some questions you have bottled up for years that you can add to these.

Discern on the answers you’ve provided to these questions. Keep them near as a reference point for you during times of when you believe or have a desire to complain about God’s timing in your life.

Rest: Rest your thoughts and consider ways you could pray while including gratitude. Here’s an idea, maybe you can simply just spend a week thanking HIM for all that he has done and continues to do in your life. Don’t ask for anything during this time, just thank him.

Discuss: Share your findings with family members and friends who are open to listen. Be sure to discuss why this is important to you, and thank them for allowing you to share your thoughts and feelings.

Feel free to also share your thoughts on the comment link below or by clicking on the facebook icon.

STUDY GUIDE

4th Sunday Reflection in Music

Lauren Daigle

YOU SAY

Meditating on HIS words: Joshua 1:8

October’s Theme: Self-Control

siyach or hagah

הֲגוֹת

The Understanding Heart

Relax and Focus: Prepare your reading space. Relax and focus on the joy of reading God’s words.

Read: Psalm 147:3-4, 6

Reflect: Chapter 3 of this Psalm is so reassuring. It offers such comfort to those who are open to receiving God’s precise healing. Broken-heartedness appear in many forms; a broken relationship, love for someone who may be in love with someone else, a child’s behavior (especially teenagers :-), not receiving a job offer, losing a loved one, etc. etc. All very different, with the effects being almost identical.

Think of a time when someone you know shared about this broken heart. How did you react? Did you offer encouragement with no questions attached, or did you share your experience in this area while masking the troubles of the one who shared. Remember, there are many instances when people just need a simple form of inspiration, like one who heeds from blabbering or talking over, when someone has opened up about a problem. God listens to us with no interruptions. And, in his compassionate ways, he often ask us to do the same for others in his Family. He knows all of our need, but encourages us to offer areas of his existence in kindness, right here on earth. He understands our cloudy days. However, he relies on you to help, especially those Family members that don’t know HIM. Helping those who hurt, puts you in a high position to be HIS right-hand person, HIS assistant! What a great promotion appointed by the Most High this is…!

Respond: Discern on the answers you’ve provided to these questions. Keep them near as a reference point for you during times when you listen compassionately or have a nudge to ignore the heartache of someone else.

Rest: Rest your thoughts and consider ways you can become more conscious of the people around you. They may not share their feelings, but through behavior and facial expressions, it is easy to tell when friends are feeling down. Share a cup of coffee or tea with them. Allow them to talk or just be in silence. The fact that you took this time with encouragement and support, will provide your trust. Trust, so that when the time comes for them to share, they know you will listen in confidence.

Discuss: Share your findings with family members and friends who are open to listening. Be sure to discuss why this is important to you, and thank them for allowing you to share your thoughts and feelings.

Feel free to also share your thoughts on the comment link below or by clicking on the Facebook icon.

Copyrighted Material.

Meditating on HIS words: Joshua 1:8

October’s Theme: Self-Control

siyach or hagah

הֲגוֹת

No Comparison

Relax and Focus: Prepare your reading space. Relax and focus on the joy of reading God’s words.

Read: 2 Corinthians 10:12-15, 17

Reflect: By driving around simply doing basic errands, what is easily found are bumper stickers sharing the accomplishments of family members, teams, or even that of business success. However, when these achievements propel us to share in this way, it is important to discern on a simple question. Is this boasting or is this comparison? The neighbor’s child who struggles in school, may find it very difficult to compare himself with his childhood friend who is a star student. So much of a great student that her parents drives around every day sharing with strangers, how wonderful she is, by displaying this on a piece of paper taped to the bumpers of their cars.

Moving into the work environment, think of how it makes you feel when your abilities are compared with someone else’s on your team. In fact, there are some leadership styles that feed on this form of “motivational” technique, noting that it may provoke others to become just as good. And, instead does quite the opposite. When you believe that you should voice your accomplishments, ask yourself…why is this necessary for me to do? How is this helping anyone? How do I believe that God sees me? Does God see my success? Does he help me to meet my goals? Does he love and accept me for who I am?

By reading his Word, there’s a high chance that you’d find the answers to these question. God sees your beauty, he wants to accompany you in everything, he loves and accepts you and your willingness to admit failures, to try and try, as you become closer to him. As Paul encouraged us to do Boast only in what God does!

Respond: Discern on the answers you’ve provided to these questions. Keep them near as a reference point for you during times when you believe or have a nudge to boast or compare on your achievements.

Rest: Rest your thoughts and consider ways you could move from boasting and comparing, to helping. If you are an expert in a subject, offer to tutor a child who is struggling in school. If God has done something to change your life significantly, boast on this!

Discuss: Share your findings with family members and friends who are open to listening. Be sure to discuss why this is important to you, and thank them for allowing you to share your thoughts and feelings.

Feel free to also share your thoughts on the comment link below or by clicking on the Facebook icon.

Copyrighted Material.

Meditating on HIS words: Joshua 1:8

October’s Theme: Self-Control

siyach or hagah

הֲגוֹת

From Victim to Victor

Relax and Focus: Prepare your reading space. Relax and focus on the joy of reading God’s words.

Read: Psalm 91:11-12

Reflect: This prayer of Moses, a supreme man of God, discusses that you are protected by angels even in times of trouble. Not only to protect you, but to assist you in guarding your ways. Yet, questions that should be asked are—do you often sit still before responding to an uncomfortable situation? Do you trust that God’s angels will help you with the answers? Do you have a tendency to blame others based on what has happened to you in the past, or based on your current situation? How can the reassurance of this verse help you the next time you are faced with stressful situations? Striking a foot on a stone can be quite painful, just as agonizing is the discomfort inflicted on yourself and others when circumstances are out of control.

Respond: Discern on the answers you’ve provided to these questions. Keep them near as a reference point for you during times of anger, and if you continue to “lose it”, return to these verses over and over again.

Rest: Rest your thoughts and consider ways you could deflect anger toward another person or even on yourself, should this behavior show up this week. Allow yourself to be lifted-up into a new way of viewing things by becoming the victor over your words and actions toward others.

Discuss: Share your findings with family members and friends who are open to listen. Be sure to discuss why this is important to you, and thank them for allowing you to share your thoughts and feelings.

Feel free to also share your thoughts on the comment link below or by clicking on the facebook icon.