No Happier Now

“Watch out! Be on guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” -Luke 12:15-

When Torrie & I were first married, we lived in a very, very small apartment. It was the best we could do at the time, but we looked on the bright side. For example, we just had to plug the vacuum cleaner once because its cord could reach every where in the apartment from one outlet. It was small but it was cozy.
We didn’t Have central air or heat; there were no double-panned windows, so ice would form on the inside of the windows. The walls were paper thin and I’m fairly certain that the one bathroom we had was taken out of a small airplane.
We were just starting out and we were technically living well below the poverty line. We ate Ramen noodles regularly. A night on the town meant ice water for two and then splitting an appetizer. Our goal was to keep the check under $10. Yep, the servers loved us.
Years later, we were lying in bed reminiscing and playing “Can you top this?” And cracking each other up with the memories. Then we grew quiet and she said, “Are you any happier now than you were then?” I didn’t even have to think. “No,” I said. “I’m not.”
That story isn’t unique; if you’ve been alive for awhile, you can probably tell a similar one. Even though we know experientially that money won’t satisfy us, still we always seem to be chasing it. But the Bible reminds us many times that our lives are not measured by how much we have and that wealth can never really satisfy. So Paul gives this advice to young Timothy: “Flee from pursuing wealth; don’t put your hope in money. It is so uncertain. Be rich in good deeds. Be satisfied with having food and clothing. ‘Godliness with contentment is great gain’ ” (see 1 Timothy 6:6-19). It’s advice worth heeding.

DENYING TODAY
Sit with your spouse or a close friend and tell some of your own “remember when” stories. Ask yourselves the same question: Are you any happier now than you were then? Read 1 Timothy 6:6-19, and then write several phrases of Paul’s advice regarding money and possessions. Underline the ones you most need to be reminded of today.

Money, More Money

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
-Matthew 6:24-

You knew we’d get to this issue at some point, right? The god of money has been around a long time. Oh, you used to know him as gold and silver, heads of cattle or animal skins — pretty much anything that could be traded. These days he goes by cash, dough, bacon, benjamins, moolah, bank, and the list goes on. He might even take the form of a plastic card or be a file named “portfolio.”
Money has grown so dominant in our culture that it’s difficult for us to stand far enough back to get a perspective. No matter what we may say, many of us live as if the pursuit of wealth is the real goal in life. Sometimes we hear rich people say things like “Money doesn’t make you happy,” but most of us think they all probably flew first class to some exotic destination where they get together and agreed to say that to make the rest of us feel better.
We pay lip service to the idea that money isn’t very important, but the way we spend our time and the things we pursue reveal our true beliefs. For many, the ultimate fantasy is winning the lottery or inheriting a fortune from some rich relative.
The wisest — and wealthiest — man who ever lived, King Solomon, recognized that “whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income” (Ecclesiastes 5:10). The apostle Paul, who knew what it was like to live both with wealth and in poverty, came to this conclusion: “My God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). It might surprise you to know that even Jesus spoke a great deal about money. Of the 38 parables He told that are recorded in the Gospels, 16 of them deal with the topic of money.
And He spelled out a pretty succinct bottom line: You cannot serve both God and money.

DENYING TODAY
Have you fallen into the trap of serving the money god? Test yourself with these revealing questions: How often do you compare what you have and how much you make to others? How much anxiety do finances add to your life? To what extent are your dreams and goals driven by money (or lack of it)? What is your attitude toward giving? Maybe today you would consider giving some money away even before someone asks.

Marriage

It is better religion to be kind at home than to pray in church.

Our feelings vary from day to day. A close friend, who has one of the greatest marriages I know, shared with me a feeling she had very early in their married life. One day, all of a sudden, she looked at her husband and her heart sank. Something had happened to her feelings for him. The thrill was gone. She was conscious of saying to herself, “Okay, this is it. This is the way it’s going to be. I’ve made a commitment to God – and to my husband – and I’m going to live by that commitment, not feelings.”
And so she proceeded, by faith, to love her husband sincerely – if not with the same sense of thrill and depth of emotional feeling. It wasn’t long before one day, just as suddenly as the feeling had gone, the feeling returned…and more. It overflowed!

The apostle Paul has given very clear guidelines for Christian marriages. And though these guidelines can be humanly challenging, they are fully achievable with the power of the Holy Spirit. Read Ephesians 5:21-33.

4 Biblical Truths About Christian Marriage

1.) Husbands and wives are first subject to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and then mutually subject to one another.

2.) The husband needs to be the spiritual leader of the home in the same way that Christ is the leader of the church.

3.) Both the husband and wife are to be loving, sacrificial, caring, responsible, and committed & consistent.

4.) It is the desire of God’s heart to do whatever it takes to keep the marriage together, and for each couple to experience His love through the other.

My Time With God

Preparation Time
Read Ephesians 4:26-31.

Check the areas you are struggling with in your marriage:

( ) Unresolved Conflict ( ) Children ( ) Finances
( ) In-laws ( ) Not in Love ( ) Communication
( ) Kindness/Respect ( ) Spouse non-Christian
( ) Previous marriage problems ( ) Other
( ) Spiritual Growth

Waiting Time
During your waiting time, let God…

Love You.
“God, I feel your love today, especially through my spouse, because…”

Search You.
“God, You have permission to reveal any issue that I have not forgiven or needs to be forgiven.”

Show You.
“God, is there anything that I need to know as I enter this day?”

Confession Time
Read Colossians 3:12-14. Then confess the areas that are hurting, or at least not helping your marriage.

Bible Time
We can never pray out of God’s will when we pray God’s Word.

…Read Philippians 2:1-5 slowly a couple of times.
…Close your eyes & allow a main truth to surface in your heart.
…Pray the Scripture and allow God to minister to you.

Meditation Time
After praying the Scriptures, write down the thoughts that God has impressed upon your mind:

Intercession Time – Praying for Others
Begin this time with a prayer of blessing and thanksgiving for the marriages of the people for whom you will now intercede.
Name Request

Petition Time – Praying for Yourself

How to petition God properly:
Talk to Him about the “little things.”
Be honest with God.
Pray “Thy Will Be Done.”

Prayer Requests

Application Time
The smallest obedient act is better than the greatest intention.

Q: What is the main thing that God has impressed on me today?

Q: What am I going to do about it?

Steps to take in my obedience to God this week:

My Goal: To implement the above steps in the next 7 days.

Faith Time
Faith is our positive response to what God has said. Spend a few moments praying through your eyes of faith. Tell God the positive things you see happening because of His goodness!

Praise & Thanksgiving Time

Praise God by recognizing WHO HE IS!
Thank God by recognizing WHAT HE HAS DONE!

This Week’s Memory Verse: (Philippians 2:3)

This Week’s Time Alone With God

Monday – This Lesson

Tuesday – Pray for your spouse today

Wednesday – Evaluate yourself compared to the characteristics and qualities in Colossians 3:12-14. Which one will you work on today?

Thursday – Write a letter to your spouse describing your commitment (see Matthew 19:5-6).

Friday – Review your memory verse

Finding Nemo

“I said to myself, ‘Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.’ But that also proved to be meaningless.”
-Ecclesiastes 2:1-

When my kids were little, they wanted a pet. I agreed, but there were a few conditions. The pet had to be something that didn’t bark, meow, or make any kind of noise. It couldn’t shed any kind of fur or hair. And the pet had to cost less than $5. Within those limitations, we settled on a goldfish.
At the store, there was a sign on the fish tank that said a “three day guarantee, no questions asked.” To me, this seemed like a safe policy and even good stewardship, not an omen.
The kids named the fish — wait for it — Nemo! They wanted to play with their new pet, but how do you play with a fish? You can’t take it for a walk or teach it to fetch. But you can take it swimming. So we went out to the pool. I explained to the kids that the chemicals in the pool would not be good for a fish, so we brought Nemo in a glass cup filled with water and set the cup on the edge of the pool (so he could see). While we were splashing in the pool, I noticed that Nemo was watching us. I figured he wanted to get out of the cup and into the vast ocean that the pool must have looked to him.
After a few minutes, I looked over again to check on Nemo, but the cup was empty. Apparently, the lure of freedom was so strong that Nemo had flip-flopped out of the cup and into the pool. I tried to catch him, but catching a goldfish in a swimming pool is more difficult than you might think. Eventually, though, Nemo rose to the surface, belly up. The kids were upset, but I reminded them of the 3 day guarantee and they were happier.
Nemo might have been having the time of his life, but what he didn’t know was that what promised pleasure was really bringing poison. When pleasure becomes our primary pursuit, it delivers the opposite of what it promises. Pleasure has this unique trait: The more intensely you chase it, the less likely you are to catch it. Philosophers call this the “hedonistic paradox.” The idea is that pleasure, pursued for its own sake, evaporates before our very eyes.
Jesus painted this sharp contrast: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). Here is the powerful truth I hope you discover: When we worship God by denying ourselves, we experience what we were really wanting all along — deep and ultimate pleasure.

DENYING TODAY
Think for a moment about the pain that pursuing pleasure has brought you. Write down a time (or times) when the pursuit simply didn’t deliver what it had promised. We are told to count the cost of following Jesus, but for a few minutes, consider the cost of pursuing pleasure instead.

Humbled To Be Exalted

“Do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. . . . Everything they do is done for people to see. . . . Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! . . . Woe to you, blind guides! . . . You snakes! You brood of vipers!” -Matthew 23:3, 5, 13, 16, 33-

Matthew 23 records one of Jesus’ last sermons here on earth. It’s a sermon traditionally known as “The Seven Woes,” and it is directed at the religious leaders of the day — the Pharisees. In this particular sermon, Jesus holds nothing back. If you grew up thinking of Jesus as a “Mr.Rogers” character who was always smiling, winking at people, and wearing a sweater vest, the tone Jesus takes with these religious leaders may surprise you. He isn’t trying to fix the Pharisees; He’s not simply giving them a warning or a caution. Jesus isn’t offering them counsel or advice. He is strongly opposing these religious leaders because He doesn’t want people to confuse following the rules with following Him.
The word “woe” is both an expression of grief and a curse, and Jesus repeats it multiple times. He is saying to the Pharisees, “Cursed are you. You’re afflicted and tormented.” And He is saying to us, “Don’t imitate these leaders.” Jesus is not impressed with their fancy robes, wordy prayers, or self-righteous authority. He takes issue with the way they operate. And Jesus doesn’t want His followers to imitate them or admire them.
Instead, He wants us to “imitate God” (Ephesians 5:1 NLT). He calls us to deny ourselves and have the “same mindset as Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). He practiced what He preached: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). He reminds us that in His kingdom, “anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all” (Mark 9:35). And He used the Pharisees to illustrate this “upside-down way of Jesus” truth: “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12).

DENYING TODAY
Read Philippians 2:1-11. Write down several words or phrases that jump out at you. Take a quick but thorough inventory of your last several days. Describe a time when you demonstrated “selfish ambition or vain conceit.” Is there someone you need to make amends with because you didn’t consider or value them above yourself? When did you look out only for your own interests? Humbly confess these things to the Lord. Then picture the greatest servant of all — Jesus — humbly washing your feet, forgiving your sin, extending His grace.

Where Is Your Cross?

He called the crowd to Him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”-Mark 8:34-

Here’s a true story: A Christian father was getting ready to give his Christian daughter in marriage to an atheist, and he was rightly concerned about it. So he asked his pastor to meet with the young man. A pastor having lunch with an atheist sounds like the beginning of a joke, but they hit it off immediately and talked for hours. After the young man shared his story, the pastor presented the gospel to him. It was the first time the young man heard what the pastor shared. At the end of the conversation, they prayed together and he repented of his sins and confessed that he believed Jesus is the Son of God.
The young couple got married and the husband’s new faith and commitment grew rapidly. One day after about a year, the young man called the pastor. He had been married for 8 months and said that things were going well. But he went on to explain that his father-in-law was upset with him, and he wanted to ask the pastor what he should do. His father-in-law felt that his son-in-law should “throttle back” his faith. Apparently, he had been taking God’s Word seriously in the area of tithing, and his father-in-law felt the money would be better used in saving up for a house. The older man also disapproved of his son-in-law’s decision not to work on Sunday so he could go to church to worship God. The father-in-law said, “I’m really glad you’ve become a Christian, but Jesus never wanted you to become a fanatic about it!”
In other words, “I’m glad you’re following Jesus, but why don’t you put your cross down?”
Jesus, though, makes it clear that a decision to follow Him is a decision to die to yourself. He didn’t come to this earth to modify your behavior or tweak your personality or fine-tune your manners or smooth out your rough spots. Jesus didn’t even come to earth to change you, making you a new and improved version of yourself. The truth of the gospel is that Jesus came so that you would die to your old way of life — and then live a new life for Him. He came so that you would be like Him. If you want to be His disciple, you must take up your cross daily and follow Him.

DENYING TODAY
In what ways is your story like the young man in the story I told? In what ways can you resonate with the father-in-law? What does your cross look like? In other words, describe areas of your life that you have sacrificed (or that you need to sacrifice) in order to fully follow Jesus. Meditate on this for a few minutes: If someone who knew you before you became a Christian were to describe how you’ve changed, what would they say? Would they accuse you of becoming a fanatic?

Smell You Later

“Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25)

Do you ever find yourself struggling with things that you thought you had left behind a long time ago? When I was in high school, I remember being on my way to pick up a girl for a date. As you might expect, I had to walk through her front yard. As you might not expect, it was a minefield of doggie-doo. And being nervous about the date, of course, I wasn’t watching where my big feet landed.
Her mom answered the door, smiled politely, and invited me in. As I sat on the couch next to my date, I noticed a certain unpleasant aroma. I had no clue about its source. I sniffed my date, which, in retrospect, wasn’t a good move for a new relationship. I leaned toward her parents — it wasn’t them either. The source of the smell was me. I was ground zero! I looked down at my shoes and realized that I had really stepped in it this time. Not only that, but I had tracked it through the entryway, across the carpet, and into the family room. Suddenly I wasn’t breathing well.
Some of us have mistakenly believed that once we became Christians, life would be free of complications, smooth sailing, a rosy journey with no splinters or thorns along the way. No trials or difficulties. No sins, no struggles. No doggie-doo. But even the apostle Paul discovered that following Jesus simply doesn’t work that way: “Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me” (Romans 7:21). He described a sin nature that just kept on waging war, even making him a prisoner. Paul concluded with this self-evaluation: “What a wretched man I am!” (Vs. 24).
It’s hard to understand, because we know our sins are forgiven, but we still have the old desires, the old habits. And this is the challenge for many of us. The problem is that we have tried to follow Jesus without leaving something behind.

DENYING TODAY
What are the habits, desires, and sins that still cling to you? What stuff in your life should have been destroyed a long time ago but is still managing to come along for the ride? Maybe you’d be honest enough to write them down, with today’s date, and surrender them anew to the lordship of Jesus. Memorize Romans 7:25.

The Real Problem Is…

“Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.”-Lamentations 3:40-

Recently I ran into our local Wal-Mart to buy some ink for our printer. I don’t understand why the ink costs more than the printer, but that’s not my point. Anyway, as I was heading down the aisle, I saw some shorts for sale. Summer was just around the corner, I could use a pair of shorts, and they cost all of ten bucks. So I grabbed a pair of size 42 shorts off the rack and put them in my basket. The next day, I put on my new shorts and immediately realized they were a little tight. I mean, I could get them buttoned, but that poor button was hanging on for dear life.
Do you know my first thoughts as to why the short’s didn’t fit? Well, here’s what I didn’t think. I didn’t think, Huh, I must have put on a few pounds over the winter. I didn’t think, I guess I haven’t really been watching what I eat. I never even considered for a moment that the shorts were too tight because something was wrong with me. Instead, I thought, Well, I guess you get what you pay for. Wal-Mart must have wrongly measured these shorts.
Here’s my point: Pointing our finger in the wrong direction will keep us from addressing the actual issue. The ability to deny ourselves begins with an honest assessment of where any problems lie. After all, why would you want (or even need) to surrender or sacrifice if everything in your life was already in order? Why would you need to make a life change if you aren’t the one at fault? Who would expect you to admit a wrongdoing if someone else is to blame? Denying ourselves means realizing the truth that “There is no one righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10). It requires acknowledging that we are not excluded from the “all who have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). It demands praying this risky prayer of King David: “Search me, God, and know my heart” (Psalm 139:23).
Denying myself starts with looking in life’s dressing room mirror and admitting that the problem is not with the shorts.

DENYING TODAY
Read 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. Have you ever been “deceived” in some area of your life, denying that the problem is with you? Pray out loud this short prayer from Psalm 139: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (vv. 23-24). Now listen. Have ears to hear. What truth about you is God revealing? Don’t sugarcoat it or mince words. Write it down, and surrender it today to Him.

Disordered Loves

“People are slaves to whatever has mastered them.”
-2 Peter 2:19-

“When Momma’s not happy, ain’t nobody happy.” It’s kind of a funny old saying, but you know it’s true. Regardless of whether you’re a momma yourself, I’ll bet you have firsthand experience of the power of an unhappy momma over the mood of the rest of her family. And the opposite is also true. Sometimes the reason Momma’s not happy is because she has allowed other family members to dictate her frame of mind. Everyone — moms and dads and kids — can give up too much control to others, allowing somebody or something besides God to steer their emotions up or down.
Who’s first? God or your troubled teenager? Who’s in charge? The Prince of Peace or your two-year old tantrum thrower? Do your family member’s issues and outbursts command too much of your attention? Of course we are to love our families. But if a family member consistently has control of our mindset and our emotions, it may be an indicator that God is being replaced. Jesus tells us, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters — yes, even their own life — such a person cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26). In Jewish culture, hate was used to express “a lesser form of love.” What Jesus is saying is that our love for God should far eclipse our love for our families.
The early Christian leader Augustine coined the term “disordered loves.” He was talking about legitimate objects of love that have fallen out of order, much like a mis-buttoned shirt. Loving and honoring your parents is a good thing, even one of God’s top ten commands. Loving your wife or husband is a really good thing, even a way that we imitate the heart of Jesus. But the centrality and sheer magnitude of our love for God, expressed as worship, can only be applied in one direction. God won’t share the throne of your heart with your spouse, your children, or your friends. But he will not commandeer your “disordered loves.” Instead, like the perfect Father he is, he will wait patiently for you to return to your first and best love.
Then and only then will you be free to love others well. Or let me say it this way: We love others best when we love God most.

DENYING TODAY
What person or people matter most to you in this world? Is there a relationship in your life that seems to be the determining factor in whether you are happy and joyful or sad and depressed? Can you find disordered loves in your family relationships? Repent for your misplaced relationship priorities and ask the Lord to help you shift your top priority back to Him.

Pain & Hurt

God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our labors, but screams at us in our pain.

In the first part of this century, a young boy was scarred for life by his parents as he grew up during World War 1 in Germany. His family had developed distorted priorities that left the boy emotionally alone and confused. He overheard his father talk about moving away one evening, and assumed that he would be abandoned. He decided then to toughen up and find refuge in things outside of love and family. The world suffered much from that decision — because that young boy was Adolph Hitler.

Psalm 119 is a song lyric on the priority of God’s Word. In verses 65-72, the psalmist zeroes in on the healing process of God’s Word when we face pain, hurt, and sorrow. Pain is seldom our welcomed friend, but it seems to come calling upon every single one of us at some point in our lives. So the issue is not whether or not we can avoid it. You and I simply cannot. The issue is: how will we respond to it when it arrives in our lives. In this text, the psalmist gives us “perspective on pain” in our lives:

1. God always deals with us rightly & fairly, v. 65
2. Meditation on His Word brings us discernment, v. 66
3. Pain & hurt are to be guideposts to intimacy with God, v. 67
4. God’s nature is only good, & all that He does is good, v. 68
5. We must forsake lies & buy into truth about ourselves, v. 69-70
6. Pain & hurt, though not fun, motivates us to find truth, v. 71
7. God’s Word is known as central in the healing process, v. 72

WHAT JESUS TAUGHT ABOUT PAIN . . .

Jesus Did Not Teach:
That pain is a punishment
That pain can always be blamed on our parents
That God causes suffering and pain
That God will never allow good people to suffer

Jesus Did Teach:
It is our response that enables us to grow from it
We must identify with Him, as the servant is not above his master
That it is normal while on earth
That it can be a blessing

My Time With God

Preparation Time
Psalm 119:67, “Before I was afflicted, I went astray . . .”

List 1 principle or truth God has taught you through pain in your:
Personal Life –
Family Life –
Church Life –
Business Life –
Other –

Waiting Time
During your waiting time, let God . . .

Love You.
“God, I need to feel Your love today, especially in the area of…”

Search You.
“God, You have my permission to reveal any bitter attitude or wrong motive in my life.”

Show You.
“God, is there anything that I need to know as I enter this day?”

Confession Time
Read Psalm 22:1 & 1 Kings 19:1-4

Confess areas that you have experienced hurt or sorrow and express your feelings honestly to God:

Bible Time
We can never pray out of God’s will when we pray God’s Word.
. . . Read Psalm 119:65-72 slowly a couple of times.
. . . Close your eyes & allow a main truth to surface in your heart.
. . . Pray the Scripture & allow God to minister to you.

Meditation Time
After praying the Scriptures, write down the thoughts that God has impressed upon your mind . . .

Intercession Time – Praying for Others
Begin this time with a prayer of blessing for the people of whom you will now intercede. Then, pray for any healing for pain that they may need in their life (James 5:16).

Name Request

Petition Time

How to Petition God Properly
Talk to Him about any needs you have for healing & comfort.
Be honest with God about your response to pain.
Pray “Thy Will Be Done.”

If you are facing pain & hurt right now . . .
1. Start by facing the facts (What’s happened? Don’t Rationalize.)
2. Forgive as much as can be forgiven (Hurt is legitimate, but expect release.)
3. Seek the healing of memories (God doesn’t want you to carry hurt.)
4. Find a caring community (Accountability or support group.)
5. Believe that God can be different. He is generous, forgiving, trustworthy, and truthful.

Prayer Requests

Application Time
The smallest obedient act is better than the greatest intention.

Q: What is the main thing that God has impressed on me today?

Q: What am I going to do about it?

Steps to Take in my Obedience to God This Week:

My Goal: To implement the above steps in the next 7 days.

Faith Time
Faith is our positive response to what God has said. Spend a few moments praying, through your eyes of faith. Tell God the positive things you see happening because of His goodness!

Praise & Thanksgiving Time

Praise God by recognizing WHO HE IS!
Thank God by recognizing WHAT HE HAS DONE!

This Week’s Memory Verse: Psalm 119:65-72

This Week’s Time Alone With God

Monday – This Lesson

Tuesday – Go back to the beginning of this study and review the 7 statements that the psalmist gives us as “perspective on pain” in our lives from our memory passage in Psalm 119, and answer the following questions:

Q: Which of those 7 statements do you embrace? In other words, which ones have you experienced most in your personal life?

Q: Which of those statements have you struggled with and why?

Q: Take some time, and write out a personal prayer that expresses to God the specific pain you’ve felt in your life, how you’ve responded to it, and what it has done to you, or for you, as a result.

Wednesday – Frequently, a struggle with depression can accompany emotional hurts. Notice how this happens to the prophet Elijah as you read 1 King’s 19:1-4.

We learn from Elijah that depression often:
1. Follows great excitement and victory
2. Produces feelings of loneliness
3. Causes mistaken views of life
4. Requires divine measures to end it

Notice how God deals with Elijah and depression…
1. God strengthened his hope (v. 5-8)
2. God caused him to face the issues squarely (v. 9-10)
3. God worked in a new and different way (v. 11-13)
4. God refused to let him sulk in the pit of “self” (v. 14-18)
5. God gave him clear instructions to get up and Go! (V. 15-18)

If necessary, allow God to walk you through the same process of understanding and response-ability to your own situation. If you are living free of depression right now, pray for someone else that you’ve observed is struggling with it.

Thursday – Again, go back to the beginning of this study and review WHAT JESUS TAUGHT ABOUT PAIN…

Reflect on those truths for a moment. Have you bought into any of the statements about pain that Jesus did not teach? Where do you think you have a distorted view of pain & hurt?

Now, take some time to both pray & write. What have been the God-given blessings you’ve received for having suffered through pain & hurt? Then rejoice in God’s providence!

Friday – Look again at Psalm 119:65-71.
Take some time just to meditate on this portion of Scripture. Write out what specifically God is saying to you through it today.

Again, at the beginning of the week, you were given some steps to take. If you are facing pain & hurt right now, God desires to heal you. Take whatever time you need to thoroughly walk through those steps again and meditate on them.