Awakened...Feelings Follow Actions

Our meeting this time was something a bit different...we watched a movie called "Awakened" (winner of 2014 Best Documentary at the Christian Worldview Film Festival) and then had a discussion about it afterwards.

Some of the film's topics included using the years of your youth wisely, avoiding crushes, handling wordly influences and technologies with wisdom, evangelism, seeking a deeper relationship with God, and communicating with parents.

For more information on the movie (which I highly recommend to every family with young tween or teen aged girls!), go to the official page at:

http://awakenedthemovie.com/

A review of the movie can be found on the Christian Film Database site at:

http://www.christianfilmdatabase.com/review/awakened-2/

Submission

Set 6 Meeting 7 – Submission

Are we compartmentalizing our Christianity?  Do we go to church for 2 hours on Sunday and consider our spiritual duty done for the week?  Are we living our lives in submission to Christ and His will in everything we do, or do we seek to rule our own lives?  Do we have a vibrant loving fellowship with the Lord, or an apathetic, distant one?  Do we crave the things of the Lord, or the things of the world?  Are we feeding our flesh or our spirits? Do we hear from the Spirit and often feel the presence of the Lord, or have we quenched and grieved the Spirit to the point where we can’t remember the last time we felt God working in us?

While we know we’ll never be without sin this side of heaven, are we honestly, to the best of our ablility, striving to choose to obey God’s will and Word?

The following testimony was found here:

http://serious-things.com/testimony-obedience-his-presence-and-blessings/

Praise God that He continues to persevere and have patience with me.  Praise Him for His never ending love.  Blessed be the Lord Jesus.  Thank you Lord.. Thank you for sacrificing yourself for my sins.  I love you too.  He’s teaching me that obedience is very important.  He has allowed satan to sift me, repeatedly, on the same topics in my life.  I have found that these repeated areas are the lesson, that must be learned. Now don’t get me wrong, we must not look at obedience in a fashion to gain blessings.. That’s selfishness and not a heart for God. When I speak about received blessings, a blessing is a result of having a right heart for God.. Having a right heart for God will result in obedience, out of love for Him and reverence.. which results in blessings. If the blessings are first then it is the me-first mentality versus God first.

I have had a challenge with a certain sin that has repeatedly come up in my life, a lack of obedience.  I was quenching the Spirit because I like what I did more than I liked obeying Him.  Thank you for forgiving me Lord.  I found that it boiled down to just heeding His voice.  It was a matter of choice..  Choose obedience to God or disobey.  He has been trying to teach me this over and over.. He has given me the “outs” every  time.  And even though I have noticed the outs almost single time, I chose to grieve the Spirit.. I did this cuz I loved what I was doing more than Him.  Ugh, that’s hard to confess, but I had to confess it to Him.  It’s Truth.

At any rate, here is a testimony or 2. I was going through the same cycle of this sin.  My self-talk said “You’re good now.  You’re more filled.. You’re stronger now.  He’s with you.  You can do this.”  Ah, then the sword of the Spirit came into my thoughts..”Take heed lest you fall…”  Then I heard the Lord say… “Remember…. Remember all of these previous times… You said the same thing and sinned every single time.  These are memorials and they are there for a reason.  What makes you think this time is any different that the previous ones?”  DING, the light went off.  I have continued to sin in this area because I kept deceiving myself into thinking I was strong enough to overcome.  This time, I knew better, with the Helpers help.  Blessed be our Guide.  So, I chose obedience.  Bam, the very next morning, 3 prayers were answered. Blessings.

This happened a couple of weeks ago, and I don’t remember all 3.  1 was for a brother in-Christ who helped me come to the Lord.  He was falling and then he ended up MIA.  I couldn’t reach him for around 6mo.  I kept praying for the Lord to help bring him back to Him.  Bam, 6:30 the next morning, he called.  “Joe. I’m back with Christ.”  Praise God!  The other, also for months, I was praying for a family member to draw near to the Lord. I talk to this family member that day, bam, he starts talking about the Lord.. about faith, etc.  I didn’t have to do anything.. God did it (that’s another topic on its own).  I don’t recall the 3rd one, i should have blogged about it when it was fresh.  I do remember 3 prayers answered the next morning.. Obedience and blessings.

This happened again last week.  An email went out to the Body at our church.  A brother in-Christ who cannot see needed a ride to the dentist.  I’m laid-off and had the time.. but I didn’t want to do it.  The Lord showed me that if it’s something “I” don’t want to do, then do it.  lol.  The night before the dentist appointment, I was convicted.. I called him out of obedience “Do you still need a ride?”  He said “Praise God! Yes I do.”  The next morning, I pick him up.  He was going to a community college to have his teeth cleaned.  I told him that I’ve tried to get in there for a cleaning but they are so backed up and are not returning my calls.  I dropped him off and decided I would go in and talk to them when I came back to pick him up.  As I drove off… I get a call from the receptionist at the clinic from my friend’s cell phone: Blessings: “We have an opening today at 3pm.. If you can make it, we’ll knock $10 off”.  Praise God! But He’s better than $10 off.. I said blessings.. not a kind gesture, haha:  I show up, they do the initial examination.. and then the instructor comes over.  She checks out my teeth and said that they are having a hard  time filling 24 slots for the student’s final exams.  They only have 12 filled.  She said my teeth perfectly fit the criteria for one of these slots.  She said that if I agree to it, all of the xrays they just took and the cleaning will be free of charge.  Of course I accepted. 

Obedience (hearing a doing) results in blessings.  Hearer and a doer. See somewhere around James 1:24. When I disobey the voice of the Lord, I separate myself from God.  When I hear His voice and know what He wants me to do… I have to force myself to be in obedience, regardless of what I want to do. That’s a heart towards God and we will surely receive blessings. He says so.

Is He good or is He good?  I so love you Lord.. thank you for helping me. This testimony of how obedience and blessings work can be witnessed in a real-life situation here as well: Faith in God’s provision

God bless you and yours,

Joseph

The following teaching was found here:

http://www.gotquestions.org/obedience-to-God.html

Question: "Why is obedience to God important?"

Answer: Obedience to God proves our love for Him (1 John 5:2-3), demonstrates our faithfulness to Him (1 John 2:3-6), glorifies Him in the world (1 Peter 2:12), and opens avenues of blessing for us (John 13:17).

Faith is necessary to please God (Hebrews 11:6), and if our faith is genuine and true, we will live a lifestyle characterized by righteousness, modeling the example set for us by Jesus Christ. We obey His commands, not because we have to, but because we want to, because we love Him. We are enabled to obey because, once we believe in Christ and are saved, we are remade. We are not the same people we once were. As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

When we obey the Lord, we can live a life of joy, without shame, rooted deeply in the Lord and confident in our eternal hope. “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17). Our obedience is actually part of our assurance that we truly know God (1 John 2:3).

When God’s children obey their Heavenly Father, He is glorified. Jesus told us that the plan is for others to “see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Of course, performing “good deeds” requires obedience to the One who calls us to good deeds. A Christian’s testimony of holiness is a strong witness that God is at work in the world.

“Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in obedience to him” (Psalm 128:1). The Bible often tells us that God blesses and rewards obedience. James 1:22-25 says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. . . . Whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.” See also Psalm 119:1-2.

God is gracious. If we haven’t been living for Him, if we haven’t been following His commandments, if we’ve been living in and for the world, we can be transformed by the blood of Jesus Christ. We can ask God for forgiveness, and He will give it. And He will choose to forget the sin, just as if we had never committed it in the first place. God is glorified when He extends forgiveness, because it is written, “I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds. . . . Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more” (Hebrews 10:16-17).

Watch the following video on Submission to God

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUT87moWVx0

Scripture:

Philippians 2: 5 – 11

Hebrews 13:17

James 4:7

1 Peter 2: 13 – 25

1 Peter 3: 4- 6

1 Peter 5: 5 – 6

Main Concepts:

Submission is more than just obedience.  It is an attitude from your heard; it’s joyfully putting yourself under someone else’s authority and giving up your own way.

Our pride often gets in the way and causes us to want to make our own decisions, be independent, or do things our own way, instead of submitting to others

Submission is one of the hardest things to do.  But God blesses and rewards us for choosing to obey Him.  We will partake of His divine guidance, protection, and favor when we choose Him as Master of our lives.

Craft

Tea

Being Wise Stewards of Money

Set Six Meeting Six Being Wise Stewards of Money

What an amazingly gorgeous day it was!  We brought out the sun umbrella and had this meeting outside on the patio...

Stories:

Give examples of how you have saved or spent your money wisely or foolishly.

The parable of the talents (Matthew 25: 14 – 30)

The story of the widow’s mite (Mark 12: 41-44)

A story about George Mueller and how he trusted God to provide:

{George Müller (German – 1805 – 1898), a Christian evangelist and Director of the Ashley Down orphanage in Bristol, England, cared for 10,024 orphans in his life.  He was well known for providing an education to the children under his care, to the point where he was accused of raising the poor above their natural station in life. He also established 117 schools which offered Christian education to over 120,000 children, many of them being orphans.}

"The children are dressed and ready for school. But there is no food for them to eat," the housemother of the orphanage informed George Mueller. George asked her to take the 300 children into the dining room and have them sit at the tables. He thanked God for the food and waited. George knew God would provide food for the children as he always did. Within minutes, a baker knocked on the door. "Mr. Mueller," he said, "last night I could not sleep. Somehow I knew that you would need bread this morning. I got up and baked three batches for you. I will bring it in."

Soon, there was another knock at the door. It was the milkman. His cart had broken down in front of the orphanage. The milk would spoil by the time the wheel was fixed. He asked George if he could use some free milk. George smiled as the milkman brought in ten large cans of milk. It was just enough for the 300 thirsty children.

The Boy Was a Thief

George Mueller was not always a person of such great faith and good character. As a young boy growing up in Germany in the early 1800s, he often stole money from his dad. As a teenager, he sneaked out of a hotel twice without paying for the room. One time he was caught by police and put in jail. As a Bible college student, George loved going to bars, drinking, gambling, and being the life of the party. He also loved making fun of people, especially Christians.

Surprised by a Bible Study

One day, a friend invited George to go to an off-campus Bible study. He went only because he wanted to make fun of the Christians later. But to his surprise, he liked the Bible study. For the first time, he saw people who really knew and loved God. He attended each evening. Before the end of the week, he knelt at his bed and asked God to forgive his sins.

George's friends saw a change in him immediately. He no longer went to bars or made fun of people. He spent more time reading his Bible, talking about God, and going to church. Soon he found that his friends did not want to be around him anymore.

When George told his father that he had decided to become a missionary, his father became very upset. He wanted George to have a high-paying job and not be a poor missionary. He told George that he would not give him any more money for school. George knew he had to do what God was calling him to do, even if his dad didn't support him.

An Hour after He Prayed, the Answer Came

George went back to college without knowing how he was going to pay his tuition. He did something he thought was a bit silly for a grown man to do. He got on his knees and asked God to provide. To his surprise, an hour later a professor knocked on his door. He offered George a paid tutoring job! George was amazed! This was the beginning of George Mueller's dependence on God.

Almost Dying Turned out for the Best

After finishing college, George was ready to begin his missionary work in London, England. But there was one problem: Germany required all healthy men to serve at least a year in the army. George wanted to get to his mission as quickly as possible; however, he became very sick. His illness was so serious that he almost died. It also made him unable to serve in the army. He was now free to go to England as a missionary.

No More Rich Seat/Poor Seat

George became the pastor of a small church in England. The church wanted to pay him a good salary from the money it received renting pews to rich church members who sat at the front of the church. (Poor members had to sit in the "cheap" seats in the back.) George told them that this had to stop if they wanted him to be their pastor. Even so, he did not allow the church to pay him a salary. He trusted God to meet his needs, and God did. George and his family never missed a meal and were always able to pay their rent. George began to sense, however, that God had something else for him to do.

Praying Food into the Home

Each day as George walked the streets, he saw children everywhere who had no mom or dad. They lived on the streets or in state-run poorhouses, where they were treated badly. George felt God calling him to open an orphanage to take care of the children.

George prayed, asking God to provide a building, people to oversee it, furniture, and money for food and clothing. God answered his prayers. The needs of the orphanage were met each day. Sometimes a wealthy person would send a large amount of money, or a child would give a small amount received as a gift or for doing chores. Many times food, supplies or money came at the last minute, but God always provided without George telling anyone about his needs. He just prayed and waited on God.

More than 10,000 children lived in the orphanage over the years. When each child became old enough to live on his own, George would pray with him and put a Bible in his right hand and a coin in his left. He explained to the young person that if he held onto what was in his right hand, God would always make sure there was something in his left hand as well.

It has been more than 165 years since George Mueller took in his first orphan. His vision continues today as Christians around the world are inspired by his faith to depend on God to meet their needs and the needs of helpless children. You can see the story of George Mueller's life in a video called The Obstacle to Comfort.

Scriptures:

Psalm 41:  1 – 3

Proverbs 3:  9 – 10

Proverbs 13:  11

Ecclesiastes 5: 10

Malachi 3:  8 – 10

Matthew 6:  33 – 34

2 Corinthians 9:  6 – 15

James 4:  2

Main Concepts:

Everything we own has come from, and really belongs to, God.  He has entrusted it to us and given us the responsibility to use it wisely.  We will one day give account for Him for how we have used that which He has given to us.

An important part of learning to handle money wisely is to learn to be content with whatever the Lord chooses to give you.  Trust that He is the One who knows what is best for you, and He is able to take care of all your needs.  Don’t focus on what you want to get, focus on the blessings you already have.

Another important part of usng your money wisely is to remember to give back to God what He has given you!  God promises that He will bless us when we give to others.  Being generous is a blessing to others, but also yourself.  Hudson Taylor, famous missionary to China said, “The less I spend on myself and the more I gave to others, the fuller of happiness and blessing did my soul become.”

We should build wise spending, saving, and giving habits into our lives now, as we prepare for His calling for us in the future.

We can never outgive God.  He loves to give (John 3:16), and He wants us to experience the joy that comes from giving sacrificially out of our love for God and others.

“…he which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.  Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give;”  2 Cor. 9: 6 -7

Activities

Tea

Diligence

Set Six Meeting 5 – Diligence

Stories and Illustrations:

“Little Corners”

from The Pansy found here: 

http://library.timelesstruths.org/texts/Stories_Worth_Rereading/Little_Corners/

Georgia Willis, who helped in the kitchen, was rubbing the knives. Somebody had been careless and let one get rusty, but Georgia rubbed with all her might, rubbed, and sang softly a little song:

“In this world of darkness, we must shine, You in your small corner, and I in mine.”*

“Why do you rub at the knives forever?” asked Mary. Mary was the cook.

“Because they are in my corner,” Georgia said, brightly. “ ‘You in your small corner,’ you know, ‘and I in mine.’ I will do the best I can; that is all I can do.”

“I would not waste my strength,” said Mary. “I know that no one will notice.”

“Jesus will,” said Georgia; and then she sang again—

“You in your small corner, and I in mine.”

“Cooking the dinner is in my corner, I suppose,” said Mary to herself. “If that child must do what she can, I suppose I must. If Jesus knows about knives, it is likely that he does about dinners.” And she took particular pains.

“Mary, the dinner was very nicely cooked today,” Miss Emma said.

“That is all due to Georgia,” said Mary, with a pleased face. Then she told about the knives.

Miss Emma was ironing ruffles; she was tired and warm. “Helen will not care whether they are fluted or not,” she said. “I will hurry them over.” But after she heard about the knives, she did her best.

“How beautifully my dress is done!” Helen said. Emma, laughing, answered, “That is owing to Georgia.” Then she told about the knives.

“No,” said Helen to her friend who urged, “I really cannot go this evening. I am going to prayer meeting; my ‘corner’ is there.”

“Your ‘corner’! What do you mean?”

Then Helen told about the knives.

“Well,” the friend said, “if you will not go with me, perhaps I will with you,” and they went to the prayer meeting.

“You helped us ever so much with the singing this evening,” their pastor said to them as they were going home. “I was afraid you would not be here.”

“It was owing to our Georgia,” said Helen. “She seemed to think she must do what she could, if it were only to clean the knives.” Then she told him the story.

“I believe I will go in here again,” said the minister, stopping before a poor little house. “I said yesterday there was no use; but I must do what I can.”

In the house a sick man was lying. Again and again the minister had called, but the invalid would not listen to him. Tonight the minister said, “I have come to tell you a little story.” Then he told him about Georgia Willis, about her knives and her little corner, and her “doing what she could.” The sick man wiped the tears from his eyes, and said, “I will find my corner, too. I will try to shine for Jesus.” And the sick man was Georgia’s father.

Jesus, looking down at her that day, said, “She hath done what she could,” and gave the blessing.

“I believe I will not go for a walk,” said Helen, hesitatingly. “I will finish that dress of mother’s; I suppose I can if I think so.”

“Why, child, are you here sewing?” her mother said. “I thought you had gone for a walk.”

“No, mother; this dress seemed to be in my ‘corner,’ so I thought I would finish it.”

“In your ‘corner’!” her mother repeated in surprise, and then Helen told about the knives. The doorbell rang, and the mother went thoughtfully to receive her pastor. “I suppose I could give more,” she said to herself, as she slowly took out the ten dollars that she had laid aside for missions. “If that poor child in the kitchen is trying to do what she can, I wonder if I am. I will make it twenty-five dollars.”

And I seemed to hear Georgia’s guardian angel say to another angel, “Georgia Willis gave twenty-five dollars to our dear people in India today.”

“Twenty-five dollars!” said the other angel. “Why, I thought she was poor?”

“Oh, well, she thinks she is, but her Father in heaven is not, you know! She did what she could, and He did the rest.”

But Georgia knew nothing about all this, and the next morning she brightened her knives and sang cheerily:

“In this world of darkness, we must shine,

You in your small corner, and I in mine.”

Share personal testimonies about diligence…what was the benefit?  About slothfulness…what was the consequence?

Sword Drill

Prov. 4:23    Prov. 10:5    Prov. 12:24    Prov. 15:19    Prov. 18:9    Prov. 20:4    Prov. 24: 30 – 34    Prov. 26: 13 – 16    Romans 12:11    Colossians 3:23   Hebrews 6:11    Hebrews 12: 1 -2

Main Concepts to Emphazise

It is important for us to learn diligence now as we are preparing to be wives and mothers in the future.

Diligence is putting our whole heart into each task, knowing that we are doing it as unto the Lord.

Scripture warns us of the dangers of slothfulness and laziness.  A little bit of slothfulness leads to more and more slothfulness.  Without us even realizing what is happening, precious time is being lost forever.

Time is one of the most valuable resources that God has given us.  We will never be able to get it back.  Choose to use the years of your youth wisely.

The world’s attitude is that we should do only what we have to do to get by.  But diligence is being willing to go the extra mile, giving above and beyond what is required of us.

Satan will do anything he can to keep us from doing the work God has given us to do.  Discuss some of the specific priorities the Lord has given and some of the ways the enemy seeks to distract us (media!!!)

A common weakness for many girls can be the temptation to spend a lot of time daydreaming.  What are some ways we can deal with this?

Life is short.  We should be seeking to serve the Lords as much as we can with the amount of time He gives.  Don’t put off until tomorrow what you could do today.

It is important to have the right priorities in place and to use wisdom in discerning how much time we give to various activities.  Spending time with the Lord and taking care of our responsibilities should come before entertainment or pleasure.

“Seest thou a man diligent in his business?  He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean (ordinary) men.”  Prov. 22:29

Activities

Doing a task diligently amidst distraction…

List of excuses contest…

List of time wasters contest…

Tea and Treats

Christmas Break!

For our Christmas meeting this year, we spent our time together working in groups on a ministry opportunity...making no sew, fringe polar fleece blankets to be given away to the homeless.

Each year it seems there are more and more people on the side of the road asking for food, work, money, or sometimes just a smile.

Unfortunately our first reaction might be to judge these people and wonder if they ended up where they are based on their own poor decision making.  I've always thought that even if this was the case, just the fact that this person is so 'down and out' that they're willing to humble themselves by asking for handouts on the side of the road, I have a hard time not giving them something if I have something to give...and sometimes it is just a big smile!  Carrying protein bars, or other small food items, as well as water bottles is always a great way to bless someone.  Now that the weather is cold and miserable...giving someone a fleece blanket is another opportunity to bless.

I was very proud of each girl as they diligently spent most of our meeting time working on their blankets.  The gals who finished earlier went on to help the others and every blanket was completed in record time!

Finally, after all that hard work, we sat down to a bounty of Christmas goodies and Secret Santa gifts.

Merry Christmas from Bellevue Bright Lights...see you in 2015! :)

Turning Hearts Towards Fathers

Set Six Meeting 4 – Turning Your Heart to Your Father

Listen to Sarah’s message on CD

Giving pieces of your heart away (make a paper heart…share ways you can give pieces of your heart away to things other than the Lord…tear off pieces of the heart to illustrate the point)

Ministry Opportunity!

Please have the girls bring 4 yards of polar fleece fabric (2 yards each of complimentary patterns – choose darker patterns as this will be a ministry for homeless men).  We will make the blankets at our Christmas meeting and then each girl will give their blanket to someone you see asking for money on the side of the road (no shortage of that now a days!) before Christmas.  The girls will each need to bring a good pair of sewing scissors for that meeting to cut the fringe of the blankets – these are tied fringe fleece blankets.

Prayer time

Sword Drill

Main Concepts:

It is our responsibility to bring honor to our earthly fathers by being respectful and appreciative.    It is honoring and pleasing to your heavenly Father when you work towards being respectful in your actions, words, and attitudes with your earthly father.  Authority is a good thing, despite what the world teaches, and an independent and rebellious spirit will lead to many troubles and trials in life.

Be sure to remember that while your heavenly Father is perfect in every way, your earthly father is not.  If you have struggles in your relationship with your earthly father, know that God is the perfect Father and will cause all things to work for good.

Be mindful of the good qualities your earthly father has and have grace for their shortcomings.  We are to honor our fathers, not because they are perfect parents, but because God has put them in place as our authority (Go around the group and name things you admire about your Dad…)

Activities

Tea

Encouraging Younger Siblings

Set Six Meeting Three Encouraging Younger Brothers and Sisters

Stories:

Joseph

Hudson Taylor  http://www.wholesomewords.org/missions/biotaylor5.html

Share some things you appreciate about your brothers and sisters and how God has used them in your life.

Share a time when a word of encouragement was a special help to you….

Prayer:

That the girls would purpose to become encouragers and servants in their homes.

That the Lord would bless each of these girls’ siblings and use their familes as teams working for His kingdom.

Scripture:

Prov. 15:1

Eph. 4:29

1 Thess. 5:11

1 John 3: 11-18

1 John 4:20-21

Main Concepts:

Our homes are the best places to practice serving the Lord.  It is often easy to do what is right and to be a bright light when you are in public and you know that other people are watching you…but the real test comes when you are at home with your family.

It is important to realize the influence that we have with our brothers and sisters and the responsibility that we have to set a good example for them to follow.

The Lord gave us our brothers and sisters to help accomplish His purpose for our lives, but many girls view their siblings only as trouble or irritations.  Instead, we should learn to see the blessing that they truly are and purpose to develop close relationships with them.

“And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.”  Matthew 10:42

Look for ways to be extra encouraging to your siblings this week.  Consider what a privilege it is that Jesus would call us His brothers and sisters!  (Matt. 12:50)

Activity

Tea