I Am ~ Lesson 9

Well, it's been a while..
I think the whole getting pregnant thing just threw me off for a while! So, today I'm gonna start the I Am Bible Study, right where I left off! It's soo good... go over to The Preacher's Wife and check it out!

Discussion Questions:
1. On a scale of 1 to 10, rate yourself on how often your conversation is seasoned with the works of the Lord on your behalf? If you speak very little of Him, is there a reason you know of? If you speak often, how do people respond? Hmm.. I'd say a 7. I think my conversations are seasoned with the works of the Lord. (At least I hope they are!) I desperately want my only boasting to be in the Lord. I mean I can't even breath without His say so!!
2. Have you experienced a Set Up for a Show Up when you were uncertain whether the situation was the chastisement of the Lord or a temptation of Satan? Let me think about this..
3. Have you ever or are you now experiencing any Job trials where you can still not identify any wrong-doing on your part? I don't think I have ever experienced any 'Job trials'. If I have then they have been very minor things. (and I guess if they were minor.. they definitely weren't 'Job trials'!!)
4. Apply this principle: How can my response make my God famous? Will obedience result in my sanctification and God's Glory? The way we respond to any trial or circumstance will reflect God. I mean, if that's who we claim to put our trust in, our actions/reactions will prove whether or not we truly believe He is trustworth and faithful. You know, I don't know if I conciously think this but I should: will my response to {insert situation here} be one that brings God glory? If I can't answer yes.. then maybe I should rethink my response!! And yes, obedience always results in sanctification and brings God glory!!
5. Does the origin of our affliction matter in view of the fame God can gain from it? I don't think so.. I think that it has everything to do with how we respond.

Just a thought.. no matter how we respond.. or how we might fail.. God will get glory. It's amazing to think that He doesn't need us for His glory.. He chooses to use us to get it!

~I AM~ Lesson 8

Time for Lesson 8 of The Preachers Wife Bible Study~ "I AM"



1. Have you ever been in a situation where you had to 'go back' to a place of shame or ridicule? How did that make you feel? Yes, sometimes 'those' things in my past like to come to mind. But I've been learning a lot lately about how to break free from those things (I'm almost finished reading Breaking Free by Beth Moore! Love it!).



2. Is there any circumstance in your life that still has you running for cover? Share if you feel comfortable. No, not a particular circumstance but I do struggle with things of course. The crazy thing about life is that there will always be 'circumstances' and right now I'm learning how to deal with those circumstances. I think that best thing is to remember that our life as Christians is to bring Him glory! At least that helps me out when I'm in a bind.. that is, to remember that it's not about me anyway! Even in the discouraging and even messy parts of life, God deserves the glory and we should be looking for ways for Him to get it! Sometimes that is easier said than done in the midst of turmoil but it helps me put things into prospective when I remember what everything really is all about... HIM!!



3. When is the last time you felt like an overcomer? Last week! I have not (yet) blogged about much of my 'struggles' but maybe one day I will. I won't go into much detail here but I will say that I deal with one thing almost on a weekly basis: FEAR! Irrational fear. I have overcome a lot in that area thanks to God's peace but I still deal with it a lot. Every situation that I make it through, I consider as a situation that I have overcome! And I definitely know that it is not of my own power, Praise God!!! (or I'd be in one of those insane asylums Lisa mentioned in the study!)



4. If you have not yet taken the serpent by the tail, are you willing to stop running, take hold and trust God to transform it into a tool for wonders? I'm not sure I have 'taken the serpent by the tail' yet but I want to!!! I want God to use every part of my life! That is my desire!! I think it's exciting to see someone like Moses, who we often think of being so strong and courageous, show his weaknesses. It reminds me of the verse that says that in our weaknesses, He is strong! And that definitely is the case in Moses' situation!



5. I would like for you to write down this statement based on 1 John 2:14 somewhere you will see it often this week: "I am strong, the Word of God abides in me, and I have overcome the evil one." Memorize it. Say it over and over until you believe it. Will you do this?? Most of the time, there are no right or wrong answers, but on this one, I'm expecting a 'yes'! Sure!! I'll put it above my sink by the window where I put other verses that I'm *trying* to memorize. You know.. that's where I spend a lot of my time... at the sink! :)

I AM ~ Lesson 7

Below are this week's discussion questions. I think the biggest thing that spoke to me from this lesson is that we are inadequate but, Praise God, He isn't! God chooses to use His children, no matter who they are or what they do, to do His work. We can be a part of His kingdom work! From Moses, we can learn to just say 'Yes!' to God and leave the details up to Him! Click here to read this lesson from The Preacher's Wife online Bible study or go to the "I AM" icon on my side bar!

1. How would you answer the questions, "Who Am I?" Wow, that is a loaded question! First, I am a daughter of the King! I am a wife and mother. I am a daughter, sister and friend. I pray that I can be an instrument of God!

2. Have you ever been in a situation where you felt inadequate because of your lack of a 'tagline'? Haha.. yes! I don't even want to think about what my 'tagline' would be!

3. Do you have skills or position that you believe God could use mightily if only He would? No, I believe that He knows what He's doing! I need to always make sure that I am listening to Him though. I fail, He doesn't!


4. Have you ever lost a position or station in life you believe could have 'helped God out' with something He has asked you to do? Nope, I am learning more and more everyday that I just make a big mess of things when I try to help God! If you haven't lost out, do you perhaps feel you have to gain this in order to be useful to the Kingdom? No.

5. How are you with your dialogue vs. doubt conversations with God? Which does God hear most from you? I try to always acknowledge God's sovereignty in my life. He sees the big picture. He knows. That 2 word sentence is such great comfort! God knows! In doing this, I am trying to avoid doubt in Him and what He wants to do through me.

6. Do you believe God's Wonders become more wonderful if they originate in the ordinary? Any Scripture references come to mind? Isn't it amazing that God uses the ordinary to complete His great works! The first thing that came to mind... it being the Christmas season and all.. is Mary! He used an ordinary girl to carry His Son! Now, she wasn't ordinary as far as her virtues, I'm sure. But as far as her being an ordinary woman who had fears and uncertainty; she was definitely that!

I AM ~ Lesson Six

I AM ~ Lesson 6 "West Side of the Wilderness"

This week's study was great! I thank God for the 'burning bush' moments in my life. Yet, I also thank Him for the times I've had to be 'decidedly content'! Every day is a journey toward greater closeness and likeness to the Father.
If' you'd like to read the lesson from today please go here. The "I AM" link on the side bar of my blog will take you to the entire study. Please check it out!

Here are this weeks questions:


1. How current is your God? Is he up to date on all your issues or do you have old hurts you still hold behind your back? I don't think I have 'old hurts'. Now, of course I still deal with some things from my past, mainly just attitudes I have about myself, but God is continuously working on me in that area. I have to remember that my worth is in what He thinks of me! I am constantly bringing things to Him and letting Him be present/current in my everyday life.

2. Has the enemy ever told you there are situations that are 'old news' that are better left stuffed down? Or perhaps because they were so long ago they can't possibly be affecting you now? Oh yes, things like to creep up on me! All of a sudden something pops into my head that I haven't thought about in years. I have to chose to either let it bother me or just bring it to the Lord and let Him handle it.

3. In the matter of established authority, does God truly reign in your life? Where are you when He calls your name? He does truly reign in my life! I desire to say "Here I am!" when He calls! I want to be listening closely to hear my name!

4. Do you ever feel God has forgotten you in your 'west side of the wilderness'? Sometimes being a stay at home mom I kind of feel like I'm always in the wilderness alone :-) ! I think it's important to remember that if we daily follow in His footsteps and chose to do His will, we are doing something great in the eye's of God. I know I have been at places where I felt like God was a billion miles away, but I can always see Him when I look back at the situation. Those are usually times of growth and change and sometimes it takes that to draw us closer to Him.

5. Have you ever experienced a time of cleansing where God has illuminated and rejuvenated you? If not, do you find you are in need of this now? Yes! And wow aren't those times awesome! I love how God shows up and out at just the right time. He knows what we need and when we need it. It's breathtaking to be in the presence of the Lord and truly experience it!

*I Am* Online Bible Study (Questions) Lesson 5

My questions from The Preacher's Wife online Bible study (lesson 5). I started this 2 weeks ago and have been going back through the first 3 lessons I missed and they are awesome! If anyone is interested in doing them on their own time... Go here or click the 'I Am... so you don't have to be' icon on the side bar. I'm almost caught up, thank goodness, because I don't like doing things out of order. It's part of my quirky personality, I guess!

1. Have you ever found yourself 'in faith' yet bewildered or demoralized? Yes, I have! There have been times when I wondered what in the world I was doing.. or asked myself 'how did I get here?'.
2. Do you consider yourself content? Would you describe it as Decidedly Content or Dreamily Content? A mixture of both I think. There are moments when I purpose in my heart to be content 'in whatever state I'm in'. And just like Paul said in that (Phil 4:11) verse it is something 'learned'. I have wonderful moments where I am truly, dreamily content. Those come from all kinds of things... my husband, son and of course God. I love when I can just rest in His goodness!
3. If you are not content, are there circumstances that keep you from this feeling? I am content.. so I'll skip this one!
4. Have you ever found yourself in a place where you looked back on a period of your Christian walk and believed a great opportunity passed you by? Yes! I have missed lots of opportunity from fear! I've gotten scared and chickened out of doing things that I knew God wanted me to do.
5. Do you ever believe your faith was stronger in an earlier time in your Christianity and find yourself floundering now? Sometimes I do look back on the time when I was single and felt closer to God. I don't think I was 'closer' though, it was just a different kind of 'season' with God. Hmm.. let's see if I can explain... I think at that time in my life was the 'foundation' time. God was laying the foundation of my faith for me to build on. I was a new Christian and it was just a time of magnificant transformation in my life. Now, of course, I am still transforming, but it's a different 'season'. I'm not sure how else to explain it. I definitly do not think I'm floundering now though. I am continually drawing closer and closer to the Lord and to be honest it's a more intimate walk with Him than I have ever had.
6. Can you recognize that this season may be one of great preparation instead of a period of "I Was"? I think that it's important to remember that all seasons are seasons of preparation. I think that even if we're not preparing for a certain circumstance or opportunity in our walk, we are preparing for the coming of Jesus Christ.