Hello, everyone! I don't know about the rest of you, but it always takes me MUCH longer to settle into new routines than I want it to and this year has been no exception. Getting into the flow of new school routines isn't easy for me -- especially after over a year of distance learning! Well, it turns out that getting back into the flow of creating and sharing these studies is also taking a bit more time than I wanted it to. Oh well! I'll just keep going, trusting in God's grace upon grace and your understanding and patience as we get into the swing of things for this fall. We'll get up to speed eventually!
We have already kicked off our first two Sister Circles meetings where we discussed the video and notes below. Like I mentioned in the last email, you can now also LISTEN to this reflection on being transformed by knowing God on the Sister Studies Podcast if you prefer the audio only. Look for Episode 05 ~ Transformed by Knowing God (Fall 2021 Intro).
I truly believe God longs to comfort and guide us when we are hurting or lost. When we PAUSE and PRAY, asking God to help us know Him exactly where we are, the Holy Spirit will remind us of God's PRESENCE with us always, His PLEASURE because we are calling on Him and seeking Him, and the PURITY of His love for us. God will remind us of His PROMISES, fill us with His PEACE, and lead us into His PERFECTION (rather than a perfection of our own imagination). Jesus will open our eyes to see His PERSPECTIVE of us, others, and our circumstances, remind us of His PLAN to work everything for our good and His glory, and help us see an eternal PURPOSE beyond what we can imagine. The Holy Spirit will fill us with POWER as we believe, PROVIDE for our every real need, and PROTECT us from attacks and harm from the enemy. God will teach us to PERSEVERE and be PATIENT as we walk by faith. And we will PRAISE God for His goodness to us.
VIDEO NOTES:
Why are we still studying what it means to know God?
1. Our growth brings glory to God. 2 Peter 3:18 (NLT) "Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen." When we grow in the knowledge of Jesus, our growth and lives will bring more glory to God and we will know His glory! Growth might come more slowly than we want it to, but it will come!
2. We want to be more like Jesus. Colossians 3:10 (NLT) "Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him." Being like Jesus is something we grow into as we know God, not as we force ourselves to be better or different.
3. As we know God more, we will trust Him more. Proverbs 3:5-6 (CSB) "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight." As we know God more, we'll experience His faithfulness and know more peace because we'll know He is trustworthy. We will make better and wiser choices in every area of life as we trust and listen to God.
4. We experience God's grace, peace, power, provision AND MORE as we KNOW HIM. 2 Peter 1:2-3 (CSB) "May grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." God has provided so much and blessed us in so many ways, but if we don't know God, we won't experience all He has for us.
3. As we know God more, we will trust Him more. Proverbs 3:5-6 (CSB) "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight." As we know God more, we'll experience His faithfulness and know more peace because we'll know He is trustworthy. We will make better and wiser choices in every area of life as we trust and listen to God.
4. We experience God's grace, peace, power, provision AND MORE as we KNOW HIM. 2 Peter 1:2-3 (CSB) "May grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." God has provided so much and blessed us in so many ways, but if we don't know God, we won't experience all He has for us.
The more we SEEK GOD, the more we will KNOW God.
Let's ask God to help us know Him and His...
Presence, Pleasure, Purity,
Promises, Peace, Perfection,
Perspective, Plan, Purpose,
Power, Provision, Protection,
Perseverance, and Patience.
I truly believe God longs to comfort and guide us when we are hurting or lost. When we PAUSE and PRAY, asking God to help us know Him exactly where we are, the Holy Spirit will remind us of God's PRESENCE with us always, His PLEASURE because we are calling on Him and seeking Him, and the PURITY of His love for us. God will remind us of His PROMISES, fill us with His PEACE, and lead us into His PERFECTION (rather than a perfection of our own imagination). Jesus will open our eyes to see His PERSPECTIVE of us, others, and our circumstances, remind us of His PLAN to work everything for our good and His glory, and help us see an eternal PURPOSE beyond what we can imagine. The Holy Spirit will fill us with POWER as we believe, PROVIDE for our every real need, and PROTECT us from attacks and harm from the enemy. God will teach us to PERSEVERE and be PATIENT as we walk by faith. And we will PRAISE God for His goodness to us.
I'm not saying that every time we stop to pray we will be conscious of experiencing God in all of these ways. I do believe, however, that in time, if we take the time to seek God, we will experience more and more of God in this way. So no matter what kind of Problems, Pain, or Persecution we might be facing, let's remember OFTEN to PAUSE, PRAY, and PRAISE.
Let's also remember that one of the best ways to know and experience God is by spending time with the Body of Christ. You are still invited to join one of our Sister Circles! They will be meeting again later this month. We have one group meeting once a month on a Wednesday morning and another group meeting once a month on a Sunday morning, and we'd love to have you join us. (Other groups may be added if schedules allow and enough others are interested, so let us know!)
May God bless you as you continue to grow in Him. He loves you so very much.
Love,
Melissa
