ADORATION – Reflect on God’s Greatness
GOD IS PERSONAL
God is a self-conscious Being capable of thought, will, and interaction with His creation. We can see that God is personal, especially as we read the Psalms. In the Psalms, David refers to God as “my shepherd” or “my portion” or “my light.” God is not just a portion or a Shepherd, but God is a personal shepherd to David.
Psalm 16:5 Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure.
Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not be in want.
Praise the Personal God
Praise God because He can relate with you personally. He is infinite and all-powerful, but He can also relate with you. Praise God because He can personally lead you and shepherd you.
CONFESSION: Confess your sins to God and receive his continued mercy.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
THANKSGIVING: Giving thanks to God for his specific blessings in our lives.
“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. 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. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Psalm 100
SUPPLICATION: Bringing our requests to God.
- Bring your personal prayer requests to God.
- Pray Jason and Lisa as they are home for a season. Ask God to encourage them and strengthen them during their time in the states.
SCRIPTURE READING:
James 1:1-8 – New International Version
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations:
Greetings.
Trials and Temptations
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION:
What do you do when something smells bad? You try to find the source. Why do you do this? Because a bad smell can represent a problem, or even a danger. Leaking gas, mold, dirty diaper, spoiled food…you get the point. When someone loses their ability to smell it can make life much harder. It could be the result of disease or injury, or it could be just that that they have become accustomed to the smell. Their brains no longer register the smell as a problem. Do you think it is possible that you may have become so accustomed to “stinking thinking” that it fails to register to you? Perhaps there are unhealthy thinking patterns that you have become so used to that they seem normal, even healthy? Some of the more common ones are, “The Negativity Bias,” “Me,Me” (it is always about me), “You, You” (It is usually someone else’s fault), and “God exists for my purposes.” That last one leads to wrong responses to trials. When trials come, rather than seeing them as opportunities for personal growth and God’s glory, they lead us to turn from God. It can be hard to do, but look for some stinking thinking patterns that you have become so familiar with that they have become normal for you. Look and see how these patterns are negatively impacting your faith, your relationships with others, and just your overall life well-being. You will see that though they may feel normal, they are certainly not good for you.