Bible Study and Book Club Updates

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Believing God Online Bible Study | Week 7 Posted: 27 Sep 2015 08:39 PM PDT Welcome back to womens online Bible study as we continue our lessons from Believing God by Beth Moore. If you finished your assignments in week seven then you now realize why so many women say this is a life-changing study! I first completed my memory retrieval 10 years ago and was blessed to re-read my journal notes this week, adding more life events to my story. We will NOT ask you to share your personal memories in small groups this week. My prayer is that you do not skip this week and when it seems uncomfortable that you’ll lean closer to Jesus. Seek support from a licensed Christian counselor or your local church. Walk through the memories with Jesus beside you. Some of you are retrieving memories of abandonment and adoption from biological parents. Some of you are retrieving memories of sexual, emotional, and physical abuse. Some of you are retrieving memories of children you lost to miscarriage, infant death, cancer, childhood illness. Some of you are retrieving memories of divorce, infidelity, loss of a spouse or marriage. Some of you are retrieving memories of abortion, promiscuity, affairs, pornography and past sins. While some memories are painful, others are reminders of seeds planted in our spiritual journey. Some of you are retrieving memories of grandmothers and mothers who brought you to church each Sunday. Some of you are retrieving memories of Sunday school teachers and church camps. Some of you are retrieving memories of a convicting word spoken by a friend. Some of you are retrieving memories of a personal confession of faith and salvation story. Some of you are retrieving memories of spiritual mentors. Everyone has a story to retrieve. Everyone has the opportunity to retrieve it with the Holy Spirit as Counselor, Teacher and Reminder. Is this your time…or will you keep those memories tucked away in the dark. This is your story. Assignment For the Week Calendar your study time and small group time. Use a reminder alarm on your cell phone. Pray before you begin reading. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart to wisdom. Select a small group day and time that fits your schedule. Arrive to the private Facebook group for the one hour meeting. Read Week Eight: Believing God Can Get You to Your Gilgal in your workbook If you are listening to the audio cd's or watching the videos, watch Session Eight, available through Lifeway (not required for participation in the study)  Discussion Questions- Answer in your small group or post a comment below John 14:26 says: But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Which of His three roles is most important in your current season of life- Counselor, Teacher, Reminder? Why? God sent the Holy Spirit to teach us all things and remind us of everything Jesus has said. Do you find this comforting or troubling? Why? God has given us two families- biological and spiritual. Psalm 27:10 ESV  says: For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in. When did you first realize that you were adopted into God’s family as His treasure? What does the saying “brothers and sisters” in the Bible passages mean to you personally? This week we affirmed that God has been there all along, part of your life from when you were knitted in the womb. Is there a time in your life when you turned away from Him or did not have a relationship with Him? What event or person brought you back? With Love,

The Holy Spirit Unleashed in You Online Bible Study | Week 7 Posted: 27 Sep 2015 08:11 PM PDT Welcome back to our online Inductive Bible Study on the book of Acts, “The Holy Spirit Unleashed in You” at the Women's Bible Cafe™. We just completed Week Seven, “Don’t Know What to Do? Try Prayer and Fasting.” This week we observed Acts Chapters 13 and 14, and we traced the steps of Paul’s first missionary journey on the map on page 64. But before they were sent out, the Antioch church met to pray and fast over Paul and Barnabas and what their next steps would be. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, they began their first missionary journey. “Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.” Acts 13:3 Fasting. Have you ever given it any thought on what it truly means? Have you ever taken part in praying and fasting in your church? I did once about ten plus years ago, but I did it for all the wrong reasons. I did not know exactly what fasting truly meant, and I took part in it only because it seemed like the right thing to do since my church was taking part. I find it amazing that my Pastor spoke on the subject of fasting just this weekend at our church for a day of prayer that began on Saturday, and to prepare us for this event he suggested that we fast from Friday until Sunday. WOW! I don’t know about you, but that one day I fasted those few years back, I thought I was going to starve to death, but to fast for three whole days? Is it really possible? Yes, it is possible, because with God, all things are possible and especially when we are right in line with His Holy will. God has been preparing me for this next step in my spiritual walk with Him so I can focus on Him through prayer and to listen to His direction for my life. My Pastor said that one of the main purposes of fasting is to suppress our physical desires so that we can focus on spiritual desires. Through fasting we hear from God and allow Him to teach us. As our bodies desire food, we must also desire the Spirit of God in our lives. Therefore, during the time we normally eat we would instead take special moments to sit in the presence of the Lord. During this time of fasting, however, it is important to drink plenty of water. The body can go days without food; however, the body cannot survive without water. The power of prayer was important in those early days of the church in Antioch, and the power of prayer is unmistakable in the life of the church today. We need to have a more disciplined prayer life instead of a casual “praying for ya” post on Facebook. We do not have to be perfect at prayer, we just need to be persistent. Do you truly want to know God’s mind and His will for your life? Try prayer and fasting. Kay Arthur writes in the Thought for the Week: “Oh, how you and I need to learn the disciplines of ministering to the Lord in prayer and fasting. When we learn to sit at His feet, to seek His face, to wait upon Him, then we will know what He wants us to do.” ASSIGNMENT FOR THE WEEK: Join a small group and fellowship with your fellow Bible students. This week we will begin doubling up on our lessons for our last three weeks of our study of Acts, so please pace yourself. Complete your study of Week Eight, “Not Perfect…But Faithful; and Week Nine, “Is Your Heart Grieved by the Idols People Worship?” Pray before you begin your study. Ask your resident Teacher, the Holy Spirit, to open your heart to wisdom and understanding to learn His truths. Store in your heart Acts 13:2, and substitute your name for Barnabas and Saul. For example: “While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me, Sheree for the work to which I have called her.” DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR THIS WEEK (answer in small groups or post a comment here) Saul (also known as Paul) and Barnabas immediately responded with obedience when they knew what to do. Are you delaying obedience on something God has asked you to do? Why? Have you ever prayed and fasted? Will you share why you prayed and fasted and what happened as a result? What do you think would happen if we gave more time to ministering to the Lord in prayer and fasting? Would it make us more sensitive to the Lord’s calling of people for His work? What has spoken to you the most from your study this week? What did you see that you can apply to your life? Blessings,

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