By Randy Hooley
1 Corinthians 3:11
Week 1
Day 1: God’s Acceptance
Day 2: Salvation is Free
Day 3: God in You
Day 4: A New Family
Day 5: Assurance of Heaven
Day 1
God’s Acceptance
Some people question their salvation because they struggle to live up to the standards. You try to live right but find yourself doing things you don’t want to do. Some people feel they must “straighten up” their lives before they give their life to Christ. The fact is you are not perfect, you were born with a sinful nature and nothing you can do of yourself can change that. When you accepted Christ as your savior, He now lives in you through His Spirit. God forgave you and accepted you where you were at. He took your sin and gave you Jesus’ righteousness as a free gift. The Holy Spirit wants to begin a process in you to mend, restore, and give you victory over your sinful nature and make you more and more like Jesus.
Questions To Ponder
Read: Ephesians 2:8-9
Does God’s acceptance of you as one of His children depend on your perfection?
Read: 1 John 1:9
When you stumble and fall, what has God promised?
Read Romans 5:6-11
Why has God accepted you as His child?
Day 2
Salvation is Free
Some people get the idea that God will place our good works and bad works on a balance, and hopefully our good works will outweigh our bad works. But this is not how salvation works. The Bible is clear that Jesus’ death on the cross was a once and for all sufficient sacrifice that satisfied God’s judgment of our sin. There is nothing more that can be done or that we can do. This does not mean that when we come to Christ we can continue in our old sinful ways. Jesus lives in us through Holy Spirit, and we need to allow the Spirit to begin a work of transformation in us. If our salvation depended on our good works, we could never be sure of eternal life because Jesus was the only one that lived a perfect life.
Questions To Ponder
Read: Ephesians 2:8
What do we have to do in order to receive salvation?
Read: Psalm 103:12
What has God done with your sin?
Read Romans 3:27-28
What is your salvation based upon?
Day 3
God in You
When you invite Jesus Christ into your heart, a miracle happens! God now lives in you through His Spirit. Just as you are all different and unique, so are your experiences at salvation. Some feel His presence instantly, some feel His presence over time as they get to know their heavenly Father. Your salvation isn’t based on your emotions, what you feel, but is an act of faith. Sooner or later, you will begin to sense the presence of Holy Spirit in you whether you are at home, work, church, or anywhere you are, He is there with you and in you. Jesus said His Father will send Holy Spirit to comfort, counsel, help and strengthen you. Only a person who knows Christ can experience this.
Questions To Ponder
Read: Romans 8:14-17
What does a person who has accepted Christ begin to sense?
Read: John 14:17
Can a person who does not know Christ have Holy Spirit living inside of them?
Read John 14:16-17, 26
Who brings God’s wisdom into your life?
Day 4
A New Family
When you accept Christ into your life you become part of a family, the family of God, also known as the body of Christ or the Church. The Church is made up of people from all around the world, from all walks of life. Locally, Christians gather in congregations, some are independent, some are part of a fellowship of churches, some are part of a denomination. They all vary in structure, some are quiet and somber, some are loud and festive and everything in between. The body of Christ is His provision for you to grow, to be loved, cared for, and ministered to. Christ wants you to be entrenched in a local body where you can be secure and protected, like a shepherd protects his sheep. The Bible says, “Our enemy the devil prowls around like a lion looking for someone to devour”. I Peter 5:8.
Questions To Ponder
Read: 1 Corinthians 12:13
Where did God place you when you accepted Christ?
Read: Acts 20:28-29
What did Paul say to the elders and pastors of the Ephesian church?
Read John 10:11-16
Who does the Bible portray Jesus and us, His children?
Day 5
Assurance of Heaven
A lot of people “hope” they will go to heaven when they die. Can you really know for sure you will go to heaven? According to the Word of God you can be sure. A well-known verse, John 3:16, says, “Whoever believes in Me will not perish but have eternal life”. The Bible is clear that when you believe and accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior that your sins are forgiven and you have eternal life with God. God knows your heart (Hebrews 4:13) if you are serious about your relationship with Him and making Him Lord of your life. When you have questions or doubts you have to remember your salvation isn’t based on feelings but on faith in God and His Word. God and His Word will never change!
Questions To Ponder
Read: 1 John 5:11-13
Can you know for certain that you will go to heaven?
Read: Matthew 24:35
How sure can you be of God’s promises?
Read: 2 Corinthians 5:7; Matthew 4:4
As you read God’s Word and His promises, what must you remember?
Week 2
Day 1: A New Life
Day 2: A New Person
Day 3: A New Purpose
Day 4: A New Conflict
Day 5: Becoming a Winner
Day 1
A New Life
Accepting Jesus Christ as your savior is the most important decision you will ever make. It is not complicated; anyone can comprehend God’s plan of salvation. Let’s review the steps you begin to understand when you come to Christ.
1. You realize that God loves you so much that He gave His only
son to die on the cross for you.
2. You were convicted of your sin and realized you needed to repent. The definition of sin is “missing the mark”, and we all have missed the mark in one way or another. Repentance means “to turn”, you were following your own path and you turned around and are now walking in the opposite direction following God’s path.
3. You are saved by grace; it is a free gift and all you have to do is receive it by faith and trusting in God and His Word.
4. Accepting Christ is much more than lip service or something done halfheartedly. It is an act of the will done sincerely and with all your heart.
5. Now that you have experienced a change inside because of your new faith in God, you need to let it out by openly confessing your belief in Christ.
Questions To Ponder
What must a person do to accept Christ as Savior?
John 3:16
Romans 3:23 & Mark 1:15
Ephesians 2:8
Romans 10:9-10
Day 2
A New Person
When you accept Jesus Christ as your savior something happens to you deep inside. The Bible says you become a new creation and that your old condition has passed away. By going to church and building relationships with other believers and hearing the Word of God taught and reading the Bible yourself, the Holy Spirit will help you begin a brand-new life. You will have a new assurance of God’s love and acceptance and that you are going to heaven. You will find that when you face temptation or when life gets hard that you are not alone. Your Heavenly Father is always there along with your new church family.
Questions To Ponder
Read: 2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 3:10
What happens when a person accepts Christ as Savior?
Compare the following people before and after salvation:
BEFORE AFTER
Demon possessed man Mark 5:5 Mark 5:15
Peter Matthew 26:74 Acts 5:15
Saul/Paul Acts 9:1 Acts 21:13
John Luke 9:53-54 1 John 4:7
Day 3
A New Purpose
When you give your life to Christ, you have a new purpose, a new reason for living. Now that God lives in you through the Holy Spirit, He wants the change that took place in your heart to influence every area of your life, such as your thoughts, your actions, your talk, your relationships, and your goals. The work of Holy Spirit is to help you become more and more like Jesus. Some of the things God uses to help you grow are:
1. The Bible, God’s Word will speak to you and reveal His will for your life and show you the kind of person He wants you to be.
2. Prayer, your relationship with God is a personal one. You must spend time talking and listening to Him and developing an intimate prayer life.
3. Fellowship, becoming part of a family of believers can encourage and minister to you and in time you will minister to others.
4. Life, God can make all things work for your good! Only God can take your life experiences, good and bad and bring healing and restoration and then use them to teach and mature you in your faith.
Questions To Ponder
Read: Romans 8:28-29
What can God do with everything you have been through in life?
Read Hebrews 10:25
What is this verse telling you?
Read: John 8:31-32
What must you do to be a disciple of Jesus?
Day 4
A New Conflict
When you accept Jesus Christ into your life you will begin to experience a conflict that you probably never had before. In the Bible the apostle Paul called it a battle between the flesh and the Spirit. When you gave your heart to Jesus, God placed His Holy Spirit in you to join with your spirit to give you a new nature. Your old nature, or the flesh, still wants to live the way you use to. Your new nature, or the Spirit, wants to live according to the Word of God and please Christ. The flesh wants its own way and doesn’t want to lose control, but the Holy Spirit wants to change you from the inside out, to submit to God and His will for your life. Your old nature will tend to oppose anything that is making you think and act more like Jesus, so it is important to strive to live according to the Holy Spirit.
Questions To Ponder
Read: Galatians 5:17
What is the conflict every Christian experiences?
Read: Galatians 5:19-21
List the behavior of people living in their sinful nature.
Read: Galatians 5:22-24
List the behavior of people living in the Holy Spirit.
Day 5
Becoming a Winner
Now that you are a new creation in Christ and have Holy Spirit residing in you, you have a new power you didn’t have before. Now you have to exercise it and learn how to use it. There are many christians who don’t understand how to walk in the power of Holy spirit. Even Paul, who wrote most of the new testament, had to learn that you can’t control your sinful nature by your own human effort. Paul wrote extensively in Romans chapters 6, 7, and 8 the importance of continually yielding to Holy Spirit. It is by giving it all up, surrendering to Christ and following the “urges” of Holy Spirit that you gain power over the flesh and walk in the Spirit. It doesn’t happen over night, it is a process of learning to live a life for Christ and no longer for yourself.is making you think and act more like Jesus, so it is important to strive to live according to the Holy Spirit.
Questions To Ponder
Read: Romans 8:5-8
What does the Bible say about a person who remains under the control of the flesh or sinful nature?
Read: Romans 8:6, 13
What does the Bible say about a person living according to the Holy Spirit?
Read: Romans 8:29
What is God’s desire for each one of us?
Week 3
Day 1: Companionship
Day 2: Temptation
Day 3: What if I Sin
Day 4: My Resources When Life is Hard
Day 5: Why Storms?
Day 1
Companionship
Becoming a Christian doesn’t mean that all your problems will go away, but it does mean that you will never have to face another difficulty alone. The Bible is full of stories of God’s people facing difficult situations and how He helped them. The difference for you now is, that as a Christian, Holy Spirit not only lives in you but will help and guide you through trying circumstances. In John 14:16, Jesus called Holy Spirit a Comforter, Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener and Standby (Amplified Version). In verse 18, Jesus said, “I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you”. He does this through Holy Spirit, and now in every storm of life, He is there with us and in us.
Questions To Ponder
Read: John 16:33
Does being a follower of Christ mean no more problems?
Read: Mark 4:35-41
What can we learn from this story?
Read: Romans 8:38-39
What wonderful promise do we have as believers?
Day 2
Temptation
Now that you are a Christian, temptation to sin does not automatically go away. All Christians experience temptation, but now through Holy Spirit, you have an inner strength that you never had before. To experience temptation doesn’t mean you have sinned, it is what you do with the temptation that determines whether you sin or not. God promises in His Word that He won’t allow you to be tempted beyond your ability to resist (I Corinthians 10:13). There are several steps you can take to help you resist temptation.
1. Avoid it. Don’t allow yourself to keep thinking about it or to dwell on it. (Romans 13:14)
2. Flee from it. Run in the opposite direction. Avoid situations or places or even some people where you know you will be tempted. (2 Timothy 2:21 & 22)
3. Read your Bible. Growing in knowledge of the Word of God will build your spiritual muscles. Read it personally as well as hearing it taught and preached (Psalm 119:11). Jesus understands what you are going through because He had to resist temptation also and He will help you (1 John 4:4).
Questions To Ponder
Read: Hebrews 4:14-16
What does it mean to you that Jesus completely understands what you are going through during times of temptation?
Read: Matthew 4:1-11
What can you learn from the way Jesus handled temptations?
Day 3
What if I Sin?
Your Heavenly Father has provided the Holy Spirit to give you inner power to guide you and help you not to sin. But if you do, you need to know how to deal with it. If you fall, do not give up! Get back up dust yourself off and move on. It is vital to keep your close relationship with your Heavenly Father. You do this by being quick to acknowledge your failure and confessing your sin to the Lord and asking for His forgiveness. And if you have wronged someone, asking for their forgiveness also (Matthew 5:24). Then accept God’s forgiveness. His Word says, “If we confess our sins, He will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” One of the strategies of Satan and his demons is to put feelings of guilt and shame on you, but you can stand on God’s Word that says, “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Paul wrote in Romans Chapter 5 that there was more than enough grace to cover our sins but was quick to point out in chapter 6 that it is not a license to sin. Paul also wrote we are not to let sin rule and have dominion over us, but to yield ourselves to Holy Spirit to guide us in newness of life.
Questions To Ponder
Read: 1 John 1:9
If we fail the Lord, what do we do?
Read: Psalm 103:10-13
What does the Lord do with our sin?
Read: Romans 8:34-35
What do we do with feelings of condemnation or questions if the Lord still loves us?
Day 4
My Resources When Life is Hard
Sometimes life can take unexpected turns and we find ourselves in a crisis or in situations we never thought we would be in. We feel pulled in different directions at one time and confusion has filled our minds. What do we do? Where or to whom do we turn? As a new believer in Christ, the one thing you do not do is isolate. First, you turn to the One who saved you. The Lord is the solid Rock we can stand on, and find strength and security (Psalm 62). We run to our Heavenly Father in prayer and pour out our hearts to Him. Philippians 4:6 tells us to make our requests known to God in all circumstances with thanksgiving. When we make praise and worship part of our prayer life, it will ease our anxiety. Secondly, along with talking to our Heavenly Father about our concerns, we need to be in His Word so our Father can talk to us. The Bible is full of wisdom, counsel, knowledge, instruction and encouragement. Psalm 119:105 says, “His Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.” The Lord can guide us through His Word. Thirdly, we can seek help from the leaders and mature believers of church family. The Bible says we are members of one another and we are to bear one another’s burdens. It also says to subject ourselves to the leadership and listen to their counsel.
Questions To Ponder
According to the bible, the Lord is called our ___________ and we are His ___________. (Psalm 103:13, Romans 8:14-16, 1 John 3:1-2)
Read: Mark 13:31; 2 Timothy 3:16-17;2 Peter 1:20-21
Why is the Bible called the Word of God?
Read: Hebrews 10:24-25; Ephesians 4:12-16
How does the following Scripture portray the purpose of the Body of Christ?
Day 5
Why Storms?
Everybody at one time or other wonders why we have to go through times that are extremely hard. Some people blame God, but we have to remember we live in a fallen world. In Genesis 3 we read that Adam and Eve, influenced by Satan, questioned and disobeyed God and sin came into the world. Satan was a beautiful, powerful angel created by God, but he became very proud and boastful and thought he could take God’s place. God cast him and a third of the angels that supported Satan out of heaven. So now Satan opposes God in every way he can. Paul explained in Romans that by one man’s disobedience (Adam) sin, death and condemnation came into the world and by one Man’s obedience (Christ) righteousness, life, right standing with God came! But we still are living in a world full of people living in their fallen nature according to the appetites of the flesh and influenced by Satan and his angels. Jesus told His disciples that in this world you will have trials and tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. As followers of Christ, we are overcomers also. We follow in confidence the One who deprived Satan and sin of its power over us! No matter what we are going through, we can have an inner peace that comes from our trust in God that He is working out His plan and purpose whether we can see it or not. Only God can use all things and turn them into something that will shape us and benefit us and others.
Questions To Ponder
Read: Isaiah 64:8; Jeremiah 18:1-6 and Romans 8:29
When we give ourselves to Christ, what does He begin to do?
Read: Jeremiah 29:11; Romans 8:28 and Matthew 8:24-27
God is the only one that can do what with our storms?
Read: Romans 8:35-39 and Hebrews 13:5-6
Our heavenly Father can be trusted because…
Week 4
Day 1: Prayer
Day 2: Hearing God
Day 3: Seeking God’s Will
Day 4: Church
Day 5: Abundant Life
Day 1
Prayer
When you become a Christian, the Lord wants to have a relationship with you, He desires to have fellowship with you daily. Just as developing a relationship with someone involves talking to them, the Lord likes to hear from you as well. Jesus’ disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray. Jesus gave them an example of prayer that gives us a pattern to help us start a prayer life. It is found in Matthew 6:9-13 and is commonly referred to as the Lord’s Prayer. First, Jesus told us to address God as our Father because as a Christian we have become His child. Second, always keep in mind Who and What our Heavenly Father is, that His Name is above every name, and He is holy and always deserves our worship and honor. Third, we ask and seek His will to be done in our lives so that we can be used to expand His Kingdom here on earth. Fourth, we ask our Heavenly Father to supply all our needs. Fifth, we daily confess any wrongdoing and ask for His forgiveness, and along with that we ask forgiveness for anyone who may have wronged us. Sixth, we ask for deliverance from evil, we ask our heavenly Father to help us have victory over our temptations. Then end with praise and thanksgiving, giving your Heavenly Father all the glory and always praying in Jesus’ Name.
Questions To Ponder
Read: Psalm 95:1-3; Psalm 100 and 1 Thessalonians 5:18
What is a good way to approach our heavenly Father?
Read: Philippians 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:7
What are we to do with our cares and worries?
Read: Psalm 34:15; Isaiah 59:1 and 1 Peter 3:12
Can we know that our heavenly Father is listening to our prayer?
Day 2
Hearing God
In our new relationships with our heavenly Father, not only does He want to hear from us, but He wants to speak to us. The Bible refers to the Lord as our Shepherd and to us, His followers, as His sheep. In John chapter 10, Jesus said He was the Good Shepherd, and His sheep know His voice and follow Him. Sheep actually have the ability to become familiar with their shepherd’s voice and will follow him but will not follow an unfamiliar voice. The Lord created us with the ability to communicate and hear Him. Just as a baby is born with the ability to speak and hear, it must be developed and learned as they grow and mature. So it is also with a new Christian. As they grow and mature in their relationship with the Lord, they will develop the ability to hear Him. Jesus said in John chapter 15 that He doesn’t call us servants but friends, because a servant doesn’t know what his master is doing or thinking but He calls us friends because He has made known to us everything He heard from His Father. Now through Holy Spirit He still desires to speak to us.
Questions To Ponder
Read: Romans 10:17 and 2 Timothy 3:16-17
What is one of the main ways God speaks to us?
Read: John 10:27
What do Christ’s sheep do?
Read: Proverbs 3:5-7
What steps can we learn from this Scripture to hear from God?
Day 3
Seeking God’s Will
According to Scripture, God has a plan and a purpose for each one of us (Jeremiah 29:11). How do we discover what His plan is for us? How do we know His will in the big decisions in life? Our heavenly Father loves us and wants the best for us, so it is important to pursue His will. We will look at some steps we can take to receive God’s direction.
Look in God’s Word for direction. The Bible is “inspired” or “God breathed”, when you spend time in it the Lord will speak to you. The Bible is full of instruction, wisdom and counsel to guide you. (2 Timothy 3:16).
Spend time with the Lord in prayer. Pour out your heart to Him and also be quiet before Him to listen. Be aware of your emotions and be open and honest before the Lord, are your emotions and intentions right and pure? You must have a submissive and humble heart, realizing God knows what is best and you don’t (Psalm 25:9).
Seek out good Christian counsel from the pastors, elders and leaders of the church. God can give direction to us through others that have gifts of the Holy Spirit to speak into people’s lives. They can help us see opportunities or doors that God may be shutting or opening (Proverbs 19:20).
Listen for that still small voice in your heart. It is an inner feeling or prompting that you begin to sense. Do you have peace about it? You shouldn’t do anything that robs you of God’s peace in your heart. In Philippians 4:7, Jesus heard from His Father. Now through Holy Spirit He still desires to speak to us.
Questions To Ponder
Read: Psalm 119:105 and Proverbs 16:3,9
What is one of the major things God uses to show us His will?
Read: Romans 12:1-2 and 1 Corinthians 2:14-16
How does becoming more like Christ help us in our decision making?
Read: Psalm 25:9 and James 3:17-18
What kind of people does the Lord guide?
Day 4
Church
When you become a believer and follower of Christ, you also become a “belonger”. You now belong to your heavenly Father and His family, which is the Church. Much of the New Testament in the Bible is about the Church and its purpose and function. It is crucial for your survival and spiritual growth to belong to a Bible-based church where the gifts of the Spirit are operating, and people are being ministered to with the love of God. Everyone who comes to Christ needs healing of some kind, they are broken, lonely, hurt and wounded. Jesus wants to heal and restore, and He does this through the spiritual endowments He placed in the body of Christ, the church. The church is like a hospital where people can be mended. Then it becomes a family where you develop relationships and have fellowship. It is through this constant fellowship that you are taught, trained and discover your spiritual talents and gifts. As you are ministered to by the church, you become equipped to minister to others. Now through the church as a believer you belong to a family and become a follower of Christ to build His Kingdom.
Questions To Ponder
Read: Matthew 9:36
How do you think Jesus views people outside of the Church?
Read: John 10:10
What is the work of Satan and the work of Christ?
Read: Ephesians 4:12-16
What is the purpose of the Church, the Body of Christ?
Day 5
Abundant Life
In the gospel of John 10:10, Jesus said, “The thief (Satan) comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it in abundance.” Unlike the thief who came to get, Jesus came to give. The Bible says out of His fullness and abundance we all have received blessing upon blessing. Jesus gave an example of how growth takes place in the Kingdom of God. He said that It is like a mustard seed, the smallest of all seeds, when it is planted it becomes the largest plant in the garden. When we first came to Christ, our faith starts out small. As we grow and mature through God’s Word, prayer and Christian fellowship, our faith grows and becomes larger and stronger. The Bible is full of stories of small beginnings that God used to change lives, countries and history. The Bible says that with God all things are possible. When we offer to God our abilities and talents, no matter how small we may think they are, He can bless and multiply beyond what we would expect. Doing our own thing is so deeply ingrained in our culture that we have to learn through renewing our mind by His Word that real joy is in doing God’s will instead of our own. The Bible says that when we experience the love of Christ and the fullness of God and we let the power of Holy Spirit work in us that He is able to do super – abundantly over and above all that we ask or think.
Questions To Ponder
Read: Romans 12:2 and Colossians 3:1-2
What’s one of the things we need to do to live the abundant life?
Read: John 15:10-11
How important is the Word of God to having joy?
Read: Titus 3:6; John 4:14 and 7:38
What kind of giver is God?
Week 5
Day 1: Love God’s Way
Day 2: Think God’s Way
Day 3: Talk God’s Way
Day 4: Giving God’s Way
Day 5: A New Mission
Day 1
Love God’s Way
You repented and came to Christ because you realized and felt how much God loved you; maybe for the first time in your life. Our heavenly Father has an amazing, powerful, sacrificial love that never ends. It is unconditional, a divine love expressed to ungrateful and unworthy people regardless of if it is returned or not. It is a supernatural love that can break down the walls of protection wounded people put up around themselves and it can penetrate the hardest heart. Romans 5:5 says that when we came to Christ, “God’s love was poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit”. Now we have God’s amazing love in us, and He wants to touch those around us with His love flowing through us. As we grow in Christ and His love, we will grow in our love for people, especially those in our church family. We will also develop a passion to touch the unsaved with the love of God. When you allow God’s love to soften and transform your heart, you will be able to love the unlovable, those who are different than you, those who are looked down upon, and even those who may have hurt you. Your heavenly Father wants you to be like His Son, Jesus and love like He loved.
Questions To Ponder
Read: Ephesians 5:1-2 and 1 John 4:7-8
Who are we to imitate?
Read: John 13:34-35 and 1 John 4:10-11
What is one of the signs of a disciple?
Read: Romans 5:6-8; 1 John 3:16 and 4:9-10
What is different about God’s love?
Day 2
Think God’s Way
Living a new life for Christ brings about changes in us. One of those changes is in our thought life. As we grow, the Holy Spirit will reveal to us more and more that our thoughts sometimes are not good or pure. We’ve spent our life up to the point of salvation developing attitudes, opinions, and thought patterns and now we realize there needs to be some changes in this area. As it says in Romans 12, we need to dedicate all our members and faculties as a living sacrifice to God, devoted to pleasing Him. So now instead of being fashioned after the world, we are being changed by renewing our minds, by the power of Holy Spirit working through His Word. It is a process that takes time and can be challenging. We live in a society that pushes thinking and ideologies on us that are contrary to the Word of God. We are bombarded through entertainment and the media with impurity and lust, murder and hate, greed and lack of respect, living for self. The Bible says in Isaiah 55 that God’s thoughts and ways are higher and not like our thoughts and ways. One of the practical steps we must do is control what we watch and hear. What we feed our minds with will determine whether we have defeat or victory in our life. A thought to keep in mind is to imagine Jesus sitting beside you, would you look, would you watch, would you listen? 1 Corinthians 2 says the natural man (unsaved) doesn’t understand the teaching and revelations of the Spirit of God, but the spiritual man (saved) does because his mind is becoming more and more like Christ’s mind, with thoughts, feelings and purpose like Him.
Questions To Ponder
Read: Psalm 119:15-16 and 129-130
What should we meditate on?
Read: Romans 8:5-6; 1 Corinthians 2:14-16 and Ephesians 4:22-24
What is the difference of a mind of a person before Christ and the mind of a person who is born again?
Read: Ephesians 5:12 and Philippians 2:5
Whose attitude should we imitate?
Day 3
Talk God’s Way
Our speech is a big part of our daily lives. What we talk about and the language we use will tell people a lot about us. Learning to speak like a follower of Christ doesn’t mean we talk about God all the time or that we have to sound pious. We all have different personalities because God created each one of us unique. He wants us to be ourselves, but we have to recognize that God will want to make some changes in our speech. He doesn’t want good things and bad things coming from our mouths. Jesus said in Luke 6 that a tree is known and identified by the fruit it produces. Then He said that out of the abundance or overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. When we gave our hearts to Christ, He came to live in us and immediately began a remodeling project in our heart and along with that He started overhauling our mind and mouths. When there is blessing and cursing coming from our mouths, James 3 says that this should not be. It also says our tongue can be full of deadly poison when we curse men who were made in God’s image. This dishonors our Savior and tears down our witness. Proverbs has much to say about our words, in chapter 18 verse 21 it says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue,” Oh the power our words can have! They can tear down or build up. We need to always be looking for opportunities to bless and encourage with our speech.
Questions To Ponder
Read: Proverbs 15:1 and James 3:3-6
Why is the tongue so dangerous?
Read: Exodus 20:7; Ephesians 5:4 and Colossians 3:8
What does the Bible say about cursing?
Read: Proverbs 10:21; Ephesians 4:29 and Colossians 3:16-17
What kind of speech will honor the Lord?
Day 4
Give God’s Way
As you begin your journey following Christ, you will discover that the Kingdom of God operates much differently than the kingdoms of the world. The Bible teaches a different way of looking at our material possessions. God created and owns everything; and as children of God, we belong to Him and everything we have belongs to Him. We are stewards, not owners, and we are responsible and accountable to God for everything we have been given and what we do with it, including our money. The Bible gives us principles on how to view money and how to use it. The Bible teaches us to give tithes and offerings to the Lord. Tithe means tenth or ten percent and offerings are any amount you give after your tithe. His Word says if we withhold our money, we are robbing Him. A worldly viewpoint would ask, “If God owns everything, why would He need my money?” As a child of God, we operate in His Kingdom. Our heavenly Father isn’t after our money as much as He is after our hearts, He wants all of us. He wants us to be like Him, as a child imitates his father. God is a giver, and He wants us to be givers as well. He wants us to grow in our faith, trust and obedience to Him and His Word. The Lord wants to supply all our needs, but if we disobey His Word, we are blocking Him from blessing us. He told us in His Word to try it, to give Him our tithe first, not last or from the leftovers of our income and see if He will make ninety percent that is blessed go further than one hundred percent that is cursed. Giving will strengthen your faith, draw you closer to God, and will open the gates of blessing in your life. We don’t give to get, but we get to give! It is an investment in God’s Kingdom and Eternity.
Questions To Ponder
Read: Leviticus 27:30 and Proverbs 3:9
To whom does the Bible say the tithe belongs?
Read: Proverbs 3:9-10; Malachi 3:10-11 and Luke 6:38
What does God promise to do if you tithe?
Read: Matthew 6:21; Acts 20:35; 1 Timothy 6:17-19 and 2 Corinthians 9:6-7
What should be the attitude of heart and mind when giving?
Day 5
A New Mission
When you accepted Christ as your Savior you were adopted into the family of God. Your heavenly Father wants you to become involved in the family business, to participate in His Kingdom. He has a mission for each one of us in His family. Jesus said He didn’t come to be served but to serve, and He calls us to live a life of serving others. Within the family, the church, we receive fellowship, healing of our hurts, training in His Word, growth into the image of Christ, revelation of our spiritual gifts and the ministry we are called to do. The church also reaches out to draw people to salvation in Christ and God wants each one of us to share the Good News of the gospel and what He has done for us. We all can share the love that God poured into us and let that love flow through us to touch those around us, our family, our friends, our neighbors, and our co-workers. Jesus said in John 7, “He who believes in Me from his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water,” that represents the work of the Holy Spirit. He said rivers not a pond, and rivers have a current, a flow. Picture that living water flowing through you and touching unsaved, hurting people around you. As you receive, you give to keep that “flow” going. Jesus loved people and was always ministering to them. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5, “God reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation, we are Christ’s ambassadors aiming to bring others to restoration through a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ..”
Questions To Ponder
Read: Matthew 9:36 and 18:12-14
How did Jesus feel about people who didn’t know Him?
Read: Matthew 22:36-40
What is the second greatest commandment?
Read: Matthew 28:18-20
What is referred to us as the “Great Commission”?