Week 6: Experiencing God
God Speaks, Part 2
It’s week 6 of my online Bible study group. Here are some of the things I took away from the sixth week.
My Thoughts:
Today on Sabbath I did Unit 5, Day 4 and it was honestly the best! When I think of all of the negatives that I could have focused on, it could have been the most depressing day, but the fact that I was able to see all the negatives in the light of Gods truth, I became the most excited I’ve been in awhile and so thankful.
I came to a verse that I remember reading years ago that I confessed, but it was only today that God revealed to me that I never repented because I made minimum adjustments and didn’t follow through (obey). Now I know that and know that God is with me, has revealed all this to me and will help me because I’m willing, I know that it’s going to be ok. I feel so amazing about this because just before I came to that verse, I was telling God that this was something I needed to do, however I was praying that the reasons behind why I needed to do this would be reframed. Oh, He did that alright! And He even gave me the steps I needed to take in order to make it happen and I will obey. I know now that once God has told me something, that’s the time I need to respond and what’s even more amazing is that a few days before, He had actually been preparing my heart and mind to receive this revelation! I was more ready to follow His leading than I had been all those years ago because I had been taking the baby steps each day to make small adjustments; whenever He revealed light I’d ask for His guidance as well as asking for the willingness to follow and obey Him.
I am so thankful and grateful to Him! I know it’s not all sunshine and roses and not easy. Not on my own anyway. I’ve started to build the habit of doing the hard things because I know that if I look through the lens of eternity, this is worth it as well as speaking positively and looking for the positive side of everything. I am currently in physical pain, but I am thankful because I know it won’t last forever and that I will never have to feel this way again in heaven.
I am so grateful that I’m more ready to be who God wants me to be and do what He requires of me, not for the sake of doing for Him, but doing in order to apply the things in order to change my character. I want to store my treasures in Heaven and this week, God has been reframing how I see treasure. It’s no longer attached heavily to physical things, but it’s being transferred to spiritual things. I still have a ways to go and know that God’s work in transforming me will be compete when Jesus returns so I won’t be hard on myself, but I will keep showing up to His feet every moment and asking for His help in denying my selfish fleshly nature and focusing on Him. This is indeed a very Happy Sabbath.
It’s the final day of Unit 5 and it was a lesson that I was looking forward to. I love learning about prayer.
In any relationship, communication is the most important and that’s no different in one’s relationship with God.
As a kid, my dad used to say to my brother and I, “whatever you say, you need to back it up.” or “And how did you arrive at that point?” We were never allowed to come up with wild statements without being able to share how we arrived at that conclusion. It wasn’t good enough if we said this person or that person said it to me or I heard it here, though we never did any further research. So I’ve learned that whatever God says, it never contradicts His Word, because He is the living Word, and I’m starting to store these words in my mind.
Another thing my dad used to say is ‘you would never call your friend, say everything you wanted to say. End with saying thank you then immediately hang up without ever allowing your friend to get in a word edgeways. So why do we do that to God? List off a whole bunch of things then quickly say amen and get on with the day without allowing Him to ever talk?’ This is why now I try to slow down and listen as much as I talk. Even after my study session, I have to make sure that I don’t immediately rush into the things I have to do or want to get done that day, but I sit and slowly get started. I want to be with God everywhere all throughout my day.
It’s day 1 of Unit 6 and I’ve had the most terrible start. I was distracted from the get go because my fountain pens decided that they weren’t going to work.
God opened my eyes two days ago about the logo on my pens so I knew I needed to remove them from my life. I put them up on eBay and used the money received to buy some different pens in replacement. Well, let’s say it was an adjustment. I didn’t really like them that much but they were starting to grow on me a little. But when I showed up for my study this morning, I spent more time trying to get them to stop skipping or leaking than I did studying. I also spent time trying to find a replacement that would come today because I’m not going to be home for the rest of the week and need my pens.
I’m so sad now. I feel like I’ve had a bad start. I’m even sadder because I ended up just getting one pen whereas I’ve been previously using two. I know I don’t need two pens and that that’s excessive, but they have their different purposes.
I can use one. I just loved the option of going back and forth between green and purple ink when I’m doing different things. But I feel compelled to do a low-buy challenge and downsize, so I will see how this goes. I’ve survived with just one pen before, so I can do it again.
When I think about the previous lesson I went through, I can see how much I’ve grown as before I would totally need to get two pens, but as long as I have one that works and is reliable and comfortable to use, I will be happy.
I’m going to try and redeem my day and I know that these distractions were there for a reason because today was delving in more on the topic of prayer. I may read through it again later to pick up anything I may have missed out.
It’s day 2 and I found it a little difficult to concentrate as there were things I was thinking about that still hadn’t found some conclusions yet. Funnily enough, the topic of today’s lesson was pretty well matched with what I was thinking. I’ve learned that no matter what circumstance I may find myself in, God’s love and character is never changing. I can trust Him because He’s got me.
On day 4 I went on holiday and brought the pages of the book with me that I would need for the time I was away. I managed to do two days but was extremely tired. I didn't do one day because I really wanted to make sure that I gave God the time and attention that He deserved. I managed to read one paragraph before my eyes told me it was time they shut.
I ended up doing the study the next day (before bed once again), but with a hint more energy. I knocked out straight after I had finished writing my last notes, so had to leave typing on here till the day after, yet again.
A lot was revealed to me during this study and it seemed that yesterday was the perfect day for me to read it instead of the day prior, because what I had been through that day fully helped me understand my lesson when I needed to.
The Meeting:
There was no meeting this week as I ended up having to sort out some things that couldn’t be ignored or put to a different time. I’m sure I will mention it in another post in the future once things have died down.
✨ Nadine