DIVINE: Transformed by Knowing God as our Shepherd (Week 10)

Hello, friends! 

Over two months have passed since we started this journey toward seeking to know God more deeply. Have you noticed any transformation happening in your heart? If not, don't be discouraged. Just because we can't always see the growth, doesn't mean it isn't there. 

Throughout this series so far, I have been especially blessed by the time I have spent listening to and soaking in God's word. 

Listening to the verses about God our Creator, I was reminded over and over that God our Creator...

-is supreme over all.

-is eternal, everlasting, and existed before the universe was created.

-gives life to everything.

-makes his light shine in the darkness.

-does not grow weary.

-understands everything.

-shares his strength with us.

-is worshipped by multitudes in heaven and worthy of our worship on earth.

-made each of us with love and care, on purpose, and in his image for his glory.

-is exalted as head over all.

Listening to the verses about God our Deliverer, I have been reminded that God our Deliverer...

-is the same God who created us.

-is strong and powerful.

-is our helper and shield.

-is good and his faithful love endures forever.

-answers us when we cry to him.

-is our strength and our song and gives us victory.

-is trustworthy and delivers us from shame.

-watches us and is attentive to us.

-is our refuge and our fortress.

-is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

-prepares us to stand firm against the enemy.

-IS WITH US when we walk through every hard thing.

What a wonderful God we serve! He created us in love and delivers us from and carries us through every kind of trouble. Our God is our Creator and our Deliverer, and we will see in the next few weeks that he is also our good and faithful Shepherd. Whether we are waiting desperately for deliverance of some kind or simply living our day to day lives in this complicated world, we are not left alone to figure things out and simply hope for the best. We have a God who is close to us, who knows us, and who helps us know him and follow him. He IS the way. We are not lost sheep, because we have a good Shepherd. Watch your email next week for the collection of verses to help us know and trust God our Shepherd more deeply.

It takes time to seek God, friends, but knowing God is SO WORTH the time it takes. I hope you are encouraged by how God is revealing himself to you. As we continue in this study, this is my prayer for you, friends:

Ephesians 1:16-18 NLT "16 I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, 17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. 18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance."

I am praying that God will give each one of us spiritual wisdom and insight SO WE WILL GROW as we KNOW HIM MORE.

I am praying that God will flood our hearts with his LIGHT so we will know the CONFIDENT HOPE he has given each of us.

I love the line in this song Hymn of the Holy Spirit that says, "You're the light. You're my path. You're the Shepherd of my soul." May you know the love and faithful guidance and provision of the Shepherd of your soul this week.

Following Jesus with You,

Melissa

If you haven't taken or found time yet to watch the video Reflection on knowing God as our Deliverer from last weekend, you can find it here.

If you've missed any posts from the DIVINE: Transformed by Knowing God series, you can find them all here.

DIVINE: Transformed by Knowing God as Our Deliverer Video Reflection (Week 9)

For the last three weeks, we've been seeking to know God more as our Deliverer. In the video this week, I'm sharing with you what God has been showing me and what promises and truth I have been holding onto. Watch the Video Reflection on Knowing God as Our Deliverer here or click below. In the notes below, you'll find the main points and some questions to consider. (Click here for a printable copy.)

VIDEO NOTES & DISCUSSION/REFLECTION QUESTIONS

1. God our Creator is also God our Deliverer.

How can knowing God as our Creator help us have confidence in Him as our Deliverer?

2. God is always paying attention, watching over and listening to us, but He doesn't keep us from experiencing trouble and difficulty. 

Why doesn't God keep us from experiencing pain and difficulty and trials?

3. God is teaching us to persevere and wait and He is training us for future battles. This kind of character building work TAKES TIME.

When have you had to wait for God to answer your prayers? What have you learned by going through difficult times?

4. Waiting can make us feel weak and weary and the devil will try to take advantage of that.

Do you usually remember to stand firm with God's armor so you can resist the enemy? What does "standing firm" look like?

5. God our Deliverer is WITH US in every difficult trial we face and He will always make a way even when we can't imagine how it's possible.

Have you experienced God making a way where it seemed impossible? Are you waiting for that kind of deliverance now?

In the first video in this series, I shared this belief: 

The more we know God, the more we will experience God's Presence, Pleasure, Promises, Plan, Perspective, Provision, Purpose, Peace, Protection, Power, Perfection, and Purity.

6. Remembering God is my Deliverer helps me find rest for my soul. When I trust Him and pour out my heart to Him I find refuge and peace.

As you continue to know God as your Deliverer, how do you hope to experience more of God? 

If you are able to join a Sister Circle this week, you can share your answers to any and all of these questions there or you can always leave a comment or send me a message and let me know what is connecting with you. I'd love to hear from you!

Next week we'll be shifting our focus to seeking to know God as our Shepherd. I know it's going to be so good and I can't wait to learn along with you.

May God our Deliverer give you strength and hope as you trust in Him and wait for Him this week.

Much Love,
Melissa

If you've missed any posts from the DIVINE: Transformed by Knowing God series, you can find all of them here.

DIVINE: God our Deliverer Scripture Study continued (Week 8)

 

Dear Friends,

Last week I shared a collection of verses to help us know God as our Deliverer. I don't know about you, but as I have listened to the verses daily, God has been reminding me to trust Him. He is reminding me of His presence and faithfulness and I am experiencing more peace and hope. I want that for you, too! In this email, below you'll find the second half of the verses from the video/audio recording. I want to encourage you to sit with these verses. Let your heart and mind soak in whichever truth you need to remember and claim. Let God's truth transform you and set you free as you grow in the grace and knowledge of God, your Deliverer.

Next weekend, I'll share a video review of what I've been learning through these weeks of seeking to know God as our Deliverer. We'll also be meeting in our Sister Circles! The schedule may be changing a little bit now that services are open again on Sunday mornings, but we'll keep you posted about that! And please know that you are welcome to join one of the Sister Circles whether you've come before or not and even if you haven't been reading all of the Sister Studies. You are still very welcome to join us and spend some time talking about knowing God with your sisters from church.

Here again are the options so you can listen to the verses or print them.

Video of all of the verses being read

Audio only of all of the verses (with no music)

PDF printable of all of the God our Deliverer verses

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: As you read or listen to the verses, here are some questions you can consider. (Remember you don't have to read or think about all of the verses at once.) 

Is this verse telling me something about God, asking God for something, or is God speaking?

What is God saying to me or what does God want me to remember about who He is?

Is this a prayer I could pray today or something I can remember today? 

How might praying this way or remembering this affect me today?

God our Deliverer verses (part 2)

Psalm 34 NIV
3 Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry;
17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19 The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all;

Psalm 40:1-3 NIV
1 I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him.

Psalm 144:1-2a CSB
1 Blessed be the Lord, my rock who trains my hands for battle and my fingers for warfare.
2 He is my faithful love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer. He is my shield, and I take refuge in him;

Ephesians 6:10-13 NLT
10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 

11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 

12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.

Isaiah 43:1-21 NET
1 Now, this is what the Lord says, the one who created you, O Jacob, and formed you, O Israel: “Don’t be afraid, for I will protect you. I call you by name, you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I am with you; when you pass through the streams, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not harm you.
3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your deliverer.
16 This is what the Lord says, the one who made a road through the sea, a pathway through the surging waters,
18 “Don’t remember these earlier events; don’t recall these former events.
19 Look, I am about to do something new. Now it begins to happen! Do you not recognize it? Yes, I will make a road in the wilderness and paths in the wastelands.

Isaiah 46:4 NIV
4 Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

Psalm 62:5-8 CSB
5 Rest in God alone, my soul, for my hope comes from him.
6 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I will not be shaken.
7 My salvation and glory depend on God, my strong rock. My refuge is in God.
8 Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before him. God is our refuge. Selah

If you've missed any posts from the DIVINE: Transformed by Knowing God series, you can find them all here. Visit butlerchurch.org/sister-circles to sign up for a Sister Circles small group.