Chapter 4 God Promises Hope For My Future Despite the Pain of My Past
Ladies, Welcome to week 4!! This week we are reading chapter 4 and answering the following discussion questions from the book. Also we have our second video clip this week! Don’t forget to tell us what you are highlighting and what has moved you or spoken to you this week. We want to share all that God is doing in our lives to give us all confident hearts!
One important note before we start this week, according to Renee Swope herself, chapter 4 can be difficult for a lot of women. She says "I've had women share that they wanted to quit reading and one confessed she wanted to throw the book across the room" Now I haven't read this chapter yet, as I am reading it right along with you all but I thought this would be good information to pass along so that we can be extra diligent in encouraging and supporting each other this week. I am sure Satan himself is not pleased that we are all working together to bring each other closer to our Almighty Father so that means he is working to divide us and making us lose interest in this or think it is too difficult. That liar will use our own insecurities against us jump at any chance he gets, so we need to remain strong in our worship of God, our love of Jesus, and our encouragement of each other. We need to pray for each other this week. If there is a discussion question below that you are not comfortable answering then don't answer it, answer it on your own, between you and God.
Renee Swope created a video for us to watch before beginning chapter 4, please watch this video before you begin chapter 4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vS_TrQfsJoQ&feature=youtu.be
One important note before we start this week, according to Renee Swope herself, chapter 4 can be difficult for a lot of women. She says "I've had women share that they wanted to quit reading and one confessed she wanted to throw the book across the room" Now I haven't read this chapter yet, as I am reading it right along with you all but I thought this would be good information to pass along so that we can be extra diligent in encouraging and supporting each other this week. I am sure Satan himself is not pleased that we are all working together to bring each other closer to our Almighty Father so that means he is working to divide us and making us lose interest in this or think it is too difficult. That liar will use our own insecurities against us jump at any chance he gets, so we need to remain strong in our worship of God, our love of Jesus, and our encouragement of each other. We need to pray for each other this week. If there is a discussion question below that you are not comfortable answering then don't answer it, answer it on your own, between you and God.
Renee Swope created a video for us to watch before beginning chapter 4, please watch this video before you begin chapter 4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vS_TrQfsJoQ&feature=youtu.be
Check out the video at - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0yVAqxsGdw
I can’t wait to read what you all are getting from God this week!
1. Has the pain of your past ever made it hard for your to believe in God’s promises and plans for your future? What do you sense he wants to change in your perspective?
2. Can you think of a time when you asked “If God loves me, then why…?” If so, what happened that lead you to that question.
3. Read 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. How has God comforted you and your troubles so that you can comfort others with the same hope He has given you?
4. Read Isaiah 61:1-3. What are some things God promises in these verses that you are asking Him to fulfill in your life?
**Please read the other questions from this chapter and answer them privately. There are some important topics and thoughts in the questions I left out. I left them our because they are personal questions that you need to answer, just between you and God.
watched the video then read the chapter. is it weird that i actually feel better, happier after reading it?
ReplyDeletemaybe it's because i have been thru so much change in such a short time? or maybe i am like sam, God just flooded me with his love so quickly it was like there was actually a rebirth.
i will go over questions later this week. i am so blessed to know and share with u all.
I am so happy God is refreshing you and filling you and comforting you! I love to see your daily posts on facebook :) Leaning in to him is beautiful Tammy! He is our first TRUE LOVE.
DeletePraying for you :O)
Terri
1. Has the pain of your past ever made it hard for your to believe in God’s promises and plans for your future? What do you sense he wants to change in your perspective?
ReplyDeleteI have to say yes to this question, there have been many times when I felt that God had no plans for me or my future, that I was just “stuck” I felt like I had done things that I couldn’t forgive myself for so how could God forgive me? I was/am broken and I felt like I didn’t deserve to be forgiven, I still struggle with that sometimes and I find myself asking God for forgiveness AGAIN for things I have done that I feel like have stained my soul. I know the Bible says that when we ask God for forgiveness he casts our sins into the sea of forgetfulness and we are wiped clean, so I know that when I asked God to forgive me for what I have done He did, and that I am the only one hanging on to it, He has cast my sins as far as the east is from the west yet I am the one still holding them in my heart. I think that what He wants to change in my perspective is that I AM forgiven, that I do not have to continue to ask Him to forgive me, He knows my heart is broken for what I have done and that I am truly sorry. I think that I have to accept His forgiveness and forgive myself.
2. Can you think of a time when you asked “If God loves me, then why…?” If so, what happened that lead you to that question.
I can think of many times when I asked that question. When my ex-husband abused me and cheated on me, when my mom passed away, when I had an ectopic pregnancy and lost my baby, when my dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Sometimes I felt like God was punishing me for my sins but I know that’s not how He works. I know that as a parent I love my children and I would do anything I could to shelter them from pain and hurt and in those moments I didn’t feel very sheltered and I found myself asking what I had done wrong that He didn’t want to shelter me from these pains.
3. Read 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. How has God comforted you and your troubles so that you can comfort others with the same hope He has given you?
I believe that God has used something I love to comfort me, something I instinctively turn to for comfort, I believe he has used music. I am so thankful that we have a Christian radio station here in Orlando because I feel that when I have gone through some very tough times I find comfort in the words of contemporary Christian songs. The lyrics in the songs lead to me to find those words in the Bible and to understand God’s promises and His word. The lyrics in the songs remind me that no matter what I am going through God is there, He has never left me. It seems like I always hear exactly what I need when I need it most.
4. Read Isaiah 61:1-3. What are some things God promises in these verses that you are asking Him to fulfill in your life?
I am asking for comfort as I continue to deal with the loss of my dad just a few months ago. I am asking for “a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair” because I want to be filled with the Holy Spirit and I want others to see the proof of God’s love in me. I am asking to be released from the darkness and for my broken heart to be bound up, I want to fully grasp that God has forgiven me even my most horrible sins that only I know about so that I can truly forgive myself. I want to be an oak of righteousness, not a weed in the garden.
I LOVE YOUR responses Cindy. Don't loose heart he is healing you now in JESUS name. AMEN
DeleteI Want to be the TREE too. love that you said not a weed :)
Music speaks to me too. It is spiritual warfare when doubt and stuff tries to jump on you. Speak out and tell it to flee!
I have to that to tell that depression it can't stay on me anymore. I don't relate to it and that I know my LOrd is in heaven praying for me always!
I love hearing your heart. :P love you,
Terri
1. Has the pain of your past ever made it hard for you to believe in God’s promises and plans for your future? What do you sense he wants to change in your perspective?
ReplyDelete•Yes, it took me some time to really know how much God really loved me, but I do know he really loves me and accepts me for me and I don’t have to put on or be anyone but me. I have a great job now, but because I didn’t graduate college I doubt sometimes God will provide, but the more I trust in him He will do what he says in my life and take care of me.
•I believe he wants to change my perspective about others and to see the good in them and ¬¬that He paid the price for ALL even non-christians(or when people are being ugly and mean to not react) and for me to LOVE them like he does even when it is hard and I don’t want to.UGH challenging for me.
2. Can you think of a time when you asked “If God loves me, then why…?” If so, what happened that lead you to that question.
•I thought for years something was wrong with me and God made me less than others maybe not as outgoing or smart, or such a great story teller. The more I am getting to know him and let him change me I know I am all he is and I love that. I don’t have to be like anyone, but me and that is refreshing and allows me to focus. He teaches us slowly. I have found out the more I abide in him and REST knowing I am right where He wants me and yield to him. He changes me daily. I just have to remember to persevere and when I get off HE never does. I can come back and sit with him anytime. He enjoys my company :)
3. Read 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. How has God comforted you and your troubles so that you can comfort others with the same hope He has given you?
•He always sends people to encourage me or I find a Christian message and he always speaks through his word and lets me know he cares for me and sometimes JOY comes in the morning for me a new day.You know after I read this verse everything I wrote above seemed to tie together. I love God. He heals me and sets me free from ALL, so I can show mercy to others because God is so kind and loving to me when I need comfort. I WANT TO BE a blessing to others and able to relate……NO wonder we go through so much it is for him, so we can relate.
• This also stood out to me… The Father of Mercy...I looked up mercy in Webster dictionary this helps me understand what I am reading a lot of time :P
It means- compassion or forbearance shown especially to an OFFENDER. We were all once offenders, but the Good news is if I know him I have been given ALL Compassion by my LORD no matter what! THAT’s AWESOME!!! I have to understand and get these truths rooted in my heart, so when doubt tries to attack me…I don’t relate to it anymore NOPE don’t understand doubt! I understand and relate to GOD’s word and he is MY Father of compassion and Mercy!!!!!!!!!! YAY
4. Read Isaiah 61:1-3. What are some things God promises in these verses that you are asking Him to fulfill in your life?
•I love these verses and have had to remember and read them a lot through my relationship with Jesus. I trade my ashes for HIS Beauty .His spirit is on us all and we are anointed. These are powerful words. RECEIVE and Believe and get rooted in my heart, so We can be called TREES of righteousness! Never to be moved by circumstances.
•Promises- I AM Righteous, JOY, Liberty (freedom from sin and lies over me), His anointing (to anoint something or someone is to apply something I have the HOLY SPIRIT applied on me to do his work in this earth and to be more than a conqueror.
Terri, I think you are so right about Him wanting us to love others, even those that are not easy to love, because regardless of who they are or what their beliefs are they are children of God and He loves every one of His children. The other night I found myself watching the news and seeing all the horrible things people do to each other. There was a guy who had been arrested for a heinous crime and I found myself saying "You love him??? Look what he did? How can you love him?" and I immediately thought to myself "if my son did that, I would be devastated and heartbroken and embarrassed and so angry at him" and then I heard it, that little voice in my head/heart asked "But would you stop loving him?" The answer is no, I wouldn't there is nothing my child could do to make me stop loving him/her. So of course God loves that man, just as much as He loves me, and not only that but He wants ME to love that man as well! I'm getting it but I'm still working on it. I want a heart like Jesus but it is tough.
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