B E LIE V ING GOD. Beth Moore. Nashville, Tennessee

Transcription

1 B E LIE V ING GOD Beth Moore Nashville, Tennessee

2 Introduction I am totally convinced that nothing is more valuable in our lives than time spent quietly with God. Everything else flows from this deliberate experience of sitting with Him, reading His Word, hearing His heart, and rising up to live what we believe. From our marriages and families to our jobs and daily responsibilities, everything of value to us is charged with new meaning by the time we spend letting God teach us who He is and who we are as a result of His limitless grace. The thing I love about this journaling format is that it gives you time to slow down and chew on each word of Scripture, to listen in an unhurried fashion, and to let both the demands and blessings of belief sink deeply into your heart. I pray this is going to be a life-changing experience for you, and I am so glad you ve chosen to embark on it with me. Even though there s more than one way for you to use and benefit from this book, let me tell you real quickly how it s set up. The outline for this journal is taken from the pledge of faith I talked about in the Believing God book and study course which you re hopefully already familiar with: God is who He says He is, God can do what He says He can do, I am who God says I am, I can do all things through Christ, God s Word is alive and active in me.

3 These five statements encompass virtually everything we re challenged to believe. They are the simple answer to just about any temptation you will ever face. Each devotional experience covers four pages, although you don t have to worry about completing them all at one sitting. Each includes a combination of Scripture, meditations, and journaling starters. And at the end of each devotion, you ll have a chance to write out your own prayers, letting God s Word become more than words on a page but the offering of Your lips in praise and in need of God. In between each section, I ve also given you lots of room to record Godstops. These are simply the daily, ongoing moments in your life when you recognize the fingerprints of God on a particular situation, a certain occurrence, or perhaps just a thought He sent sailing into your head. The stop part of the word is an acronym, meaning Savoring The Observable Presence. Because so many things slip by us unnoticed in an average day, we miss most of His work unless we force ourselves to pay attention to it. The way I look at it if God loves me enough to reveal Himself to me, I don t want to miss anything He may be saying. I want it all! And Godstops provide a great way to keep track of them. My prayer is that this journal will transform your belief in God from a mere noun into a new spiritual grammar that covers all the parts of speech action, description, being, and detail. May we ever encourage one another to lose ourselves in Believing God. Love, Beth

4 GOD IS WHO HE SAYS HE IS 1 Section One god is who he says he is You know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.... Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. 1 Peter 1:18-19,21

5 2 BELIEV ING GOD DEV OTIONAL JOURNAL It s Who You Know Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. Psalm 100:3-4 Psalm 100:3 carries its own powerful punch that can easily be missed in the poetry: Know that the LORD is God. Know above all else that YHWH, our covenant Maker, is Elohiym, the God over all creation. In other words, you and I must know not just hope or think that the One who cut covenant with us through the torn flesh of Jesus Christ is the same One who sits upon the universe s throne, having spoken the worlds into existence. Surrounded by a society that spouts many gods, but at best nobly agrees to equate them, you and I can know that the LORD is God. Like you, perhaps, godless philosophies have never been my temptation. The most dangerously influential opinions in my life experience have been those held by intellectuals and scholars who profess Christianity but deny the truth and the present power of the Bible. Many of them believe God exists, but they teach that He is not exactly who Scripture says He is. Or they believe that He no longer does what Scripture says He can do. It s not enough to merely hope we re on the right track. Hope alone will never dig a deep enough path to follow to our Promised Lands. Beloved, we re not going anywhere of profound eternal significance until we know.

6 GOD IS WHO HE SAYS HE IS 3 React to the Word In Caesarea Philippi, Christ gathered His disciples around Him and asked these two vital questions that beg answers from us, as well. First, Christ asked, Who do people say the Son of Man is? (Matt. 16:13). What would you tell Him people are saying about God today? But what about you? he asked. Who do you say I am? (Matt. 16:15).

7 4 BELIEV ING GOD DEV OTIONAL JOURNAL Reason with Your Heart Why do all the worldly views about God make Him out to be less than He is? How have you been able to deal with these ideas? How would you like to respond to those who challenge the notion that we can live with a vibrant, wholehearted belief in God? How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him. 1 Kings 18:21

8 GOD IS WHO HE SAYS HE IS 5 Respond with Prayer Father, so often I feel like the man who exclaimed, I do believe! then in a flood of sincerity cried out, Help me overcome my unbelief! (Mark 9:24). Please help me overcome my own unbelief, Lord, so I can start taking You at Your Word, coming to know You in such depth that... You of little faith, why are you so afraid? Matthew 8:26