notes from my bible study

This study has been so good, and it's about the seven "I AM" statements that Jesus makes that are in the book of John.  I love the videos each week, because Lysa TerKeurst was in Israel when she filmed them.  I cannot recommend this study enough, if you are looking for one to do on your own, or with a small group.

The homework I've been doing for week three has been so good, and I'm only just finished with day three.  On this particular day the statement we're focusing on is from John 10:11 when Jesus says, "I am the Good Shepherd."  We've learned all about sheep and shepherds, and how in one sheep pen, there might be several different flocks with different shepherds.  The sheep will run from the voices they don't know, though, because they know their shepherd's voice.

This is why the sheep/shepherd analogy is used in Scripture.

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Lysa gives five keys to hearing God's voice.  They are so good, that I thought I'd share.

1.  Scripture~this is how God speaks to us.

2.  Peace of God~the Holy Spirit will give us peace about a situation that has been causing worry.

3.    Godly counsel~she writes that God uses other believers in our lives to either confirm something or steer us in a different direction.  (Page 79)

4.  Listen~we must set aside time to listen.  He uses still moments to speak into our hearts.  If we are too busy, we might miss that.

5.  Obey~we must obey what God wants us to do.

Barriers to hearing His voice include:

1.  Not setting aside time to spend with Him.

2.  Pride~not humbling ourselves before Him can hinder hearing from Him.

3.  Unconfessed sin~there is sin in all of our hearts, even for those of us who believe.  We must daily confess those to Him.  If we don't know what the sin is, ask Him to reveal it.  He will.

4.  Bitterness and resentment~these cause our hearts to harden.

5.  Fear~sometimes we don't want to hear His voice because we're afraid of where He will lead us.  Pray about that.

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In doing this homework yesterday, another thing I thought of was the importance of finding a prayer partner.  My friend Denise who was a bible study teacher to me for four years also always said how important this was.  The reason it's so important is because prayer is so important.  I am learning to be more and more dependent on prayer the older I get, and having someone to pray with each week is a gift from God.

In praying with someone every week, it teaches you about prayer.  I have learned a lot from praying with different people over the years.  It also keeps me accountable.  It is good to confess sin to one another, so that we can always be in prayer for each other on this matter.  I know that mine will go no further from her ears, and likewise.  

This is a desire that God started to place in my heart several years ago, and if that is something that you want, just ask Him for it.  I had been praying about finding someone, and though I don't remember how it happened, my friend Abbey and I found out this was something that we were both looking for.  So just like that, we started meeting every week, and now here we are two years later.  (I think it's been two years.)

Another thing this does is deepen the bond between the two of you.  We are way closer than just friends.  Because I know her heart and she knows mine, we can sense when something is going on with one of us.

We are not closed off, either.  We are always open for others to join us each week.

Those are my thoughts for this dreary Tuesday.  Well, some of them are not mine, but Lysa TerKeurst's.  I pray this encourages someone somewhere.  Love to all!

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