Abiding Fruit: Peace

This week I was forced to have peace.  Our internet went out and so I spent more time with my son and I also took naps.  However, even by reading this passage everyday, I don't think I have scratched the surface of God's peace for my life!  I have a few physical problems that are causing me to worry.   What I need to do is make a big poster of the words of this passage (Philippians 4:4-9) to remind me of what God wants to teach me!

Here is some of what God taught me this week:
*Be full of joy.
*Rejoice!
*Be considerate.
*Pray about everything.
*Tell God what I need.
*Thank him for all he has done.
*Live in Christ Jesus.
*Fix thoughts on what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable.
*Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
*DO NOT worry about anything!!


If I put into practice all the things I have learned.in this passage I will have God's peace.  I absolutely crave God's peace.  I know I am too caught up in the things of this life that I don't choose to live God's way and therefore do not experience the peace I so strongly desire.

Dear Lord, help me to cement your words into my soul and practice all you have taught me so I can have your peace.  Amen!

I am connected to Do Not Depart and Good Morning Girls.

Abiding Fruit: Joy

This week I read Psalm 16 for 5 days looking at truths, commands and promises that focus on joy.  What I found most interesting was that safety and security in the Lord is what gives me joy.

Here are some of the truths and promises:
*God keeps me safe.
*He is my refuge.
*Good things come from the Lord.
*The Lord is my inheritance.
*The Lord is my blessing.
*He is my guide.
*He is always with me.
*He is right beside me.
*He shows me the way of life.
*He gives me joy.
*I can live with him forever.


Lasting joy is based on God's presence with us.  I need to experience the presence of God daily in my life.  This life is full of heartache and I find myself dwelling on the negative.  I recently started writing my 1000 gifts list.  I'm using it to focus on positive things that God has given me in my life.  In this psalm I learned that joy is safety and security in God.  When it seems that parts of my world are crumbling, I know that I have the solid foundation of God to rest upon.  With God I am safe, he is my refuge, he is with me, beside me and gives me joy in his presence.  Today I want the JOY of the Lord to permeate every part of my being.  I want no circumstance to drag me down, but be lifted up to God for in him, I have all I need.

I am hooked up Do Not Depart and Good Morning Girls.

Abiding Fruit: Love

This week I read all about Love from 1 Corinthians 13.  What I really like about this study is that each day we read the same passage, but look for different things.    Here are some things I learned about love.

What love is:
*suffers long (patient)
*kind
*never fails
*rejoices in the truth
*bears all things
*believes all things
*hopes all things
*endures all things

What love is NOT:
*envious
*puffed up
*rude
*self-seeking
*provoked
*think evil


Everyday I read this passage and I realized how little love I give.  I learned that nothing in my life matters if I do not have love.  I am so selfish by nature.  I'm praying that in my interactions with others, especially my family, that I will choose love and overflow with love.  Love is- patient, kind, rejoices in truth, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, never fails and is the greatest!

CHOOSE LOVE!

I am hooked up with Do Not Depart and Good Morning Girls.
Next week we learn about Joy! 

Abiding Fruit Study

Right before I started my Good Morning Girls study in 1 John I found this amazing study at Do Not Depart called Abiding Fruit. I am yearning to be more filled with the Fruit of the Spirit. I decided to do this study as well as my Good Morning Girls. This study is a bit different. Every week we read the same passage for 5 days with new things to look for.  The 5 days are: Initial read/context, Truths, Promises, Commands and Application.

We started studying Galatians 5:16-26 (The Fruit of the Spirit).  There is a war between Spirit and Flesh.  The secret to a fruit filled life: Walk by the Spirit!

The next week we looked at John 15:1-11 (Fruit comes from Abiding in Christ).  If I abide in the Vine I will bear fruit, be pruned, I am clean, ask for desires/shall be done, glorify the Father, be a disciple, have love and joy.  I learned that abiding is believing, depending, persevering, remaining and enduring.


This last week has been the hardest when we read Romans 7:15-24 (Why we struggle).  This week showed me how utterly sinful I am.  My will chooses evil above good because I am sinful. The war between evil and good is raging in my soul.  I see that the ONLY way to come out of the pit is to be in God's Word, prayer and ask for deliverance as often as I need to so that my evil will be squelched.  I know this will be an ongoing issue in my life.  I pray that God will make me strong to stand against evil!


This week we move on to 1 Corinthians 13 (Love).  I can't wait to study that!


Click on over to Do Not Depart for further thoughts on each of these passages and a download of all the Scripture that will be covered over these 13 weeks.