from Rachel: To Know God and Believe Him

֍A Christian is held captive anything that hinders the abundant and effective Spirit-filled life God planned for her֎

Circle what Paul added in 1 Corinthians 2:9 to Isaiah’s description
“no mind has conceived.”

Why have we been “chosen” (Isaiah 43:10)?
– ”so we may know God
– ”so we may believe God
– ”so we may understand He is God”

According to these verses, describe the One you have been chosen to know, believe, and understand to be God.

“He is the One and only God, there is no other savior, He is from the beginning, no one can deliver out of His hand, and when He acts, no one can reverse it.”

Have you received Christ as your personal savior? “Yes” Paraphrase John 8:36 in the space below:

“If Jesus releases you from bondage in your sin, you are truly released.”

If you already know Christ, how long have you been a Christian?

“In a month or two, it will be 26 years – exactly 2/3 of my life.”

How would you characterize your relationship with God? “close and personal”

If you said ‘close and personal,’ what characteristics of your relationship reflect a degree of familiarity?

“I turn to the Lord for help in many small things, and I thank and praise Him for many also (not necessarily all the same ones). I’m not very disciplined about meeting with Him every morning, but I keep trying, and I chat with Him a little before every meal.”

How would you best characterize your level of trust at the present? “deep”

Describe experiences that have had both a positive and negative impact on your present level of trust.

Positive: “God is with me through good, peaceful, blissful times. I feel Him and lean on Him even more through bad and painful times; numerous injuries, friends relocating, car problems, bitter disappointments, and redirecting of my life’s course.”

Negative: “Some examples of the above pains have caused me to cry out to Him with questions of why He caused or allowed them, but then we work through them together, and He helps me see some answers.”

Have you recognized any symptoms of captivity? “no”

What is Benefit 1 [that God has allowed us]? “To know God and believe Him”

Conclude by writing our definition of captivity (accentuated in today’s study) in the space below so you can begin to commit it to memory

“A Christian is held captive by anything that hinders the abundant and effective Spirit-filled life God planned for her.”

Write a brief prayer, making yourself fully available to God; thank Him for being satisfied with nothing less than what “no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has conceived.”

“Lord, thank you for the times when I am able to be Your hands and feet and voice for my brothers and sisters in You. Help me to want to do so even more, remove my reluctances, and help me let go of my desire for so much ‘me-time.’ Help me to feel satisfied instead with time with You and studying Your word. Thank You for this time. Amen.”

Dearest Rachel –

I suppose it’s possible that if I were able to step back in time and ask you about the notes you’d written, you might find yourself at a loss to explain yourself (not least because these were never meant to be reviewed by anyone other than yourself; it’s not quite like going through someone’s diary after they’d passed, but it’s not unlike it, either). At the moment you wrote these, you might have been able to detail why, on the first page, you checked three out of the five supposed benefits that God intended for His children, and marked Xs on the other two. I’m guessing that you didn’t personally feel like you were experiencing those two benefits, in particular; on the other hand, perhaps if I asked you about it years later (like right now, for that matter), you might allow that you would probably check and cross out different ones, based on those same, but changing, emotions.

I’m going to guess that the ‘satisfaction’ issue is connected to your recognition of your constant desire for what you refer to as “me-time.” Even then, you were aware that there were things you would rather do at a given time than working on this study, or any at all. It could feel like an obligation, rather than something you really wanted to do (such as watching a television show or playing a video or board game). For what it’s worth, I’m not about to condemn that, as I dwell in my own house of glass, and I suspect anyone who reads this, if they take the time to consider it, must do likewise. I don’t think that rules out the benefit, though; the fact that we want to do something else we consider to be more fun than meeting with God isn’t necessarily a reflection of one’s lack of satisfaction with Him. It may simply be a falling into temptation; or conversely, if we do get together with God despite it feeling like some sort of obligation, it can be considered a necessary form of self-discipline. Like with my visits to the gym, they may not be pleasant in and of themselves, but we can be satisfied with the results (a pity I never had that to offer as an example while you were around, to encourage you – and myself).

As for enjoying God’s presence, well… I suppose that’s no longer an issue for you now, eh? And to be fair, any experience of His presence while down here would likely pale in comparison; but if you didn’t always feel it, let alone enjoy it (although I suppose if you were to be able to do the former, the latter ought to follow on its heels), I can certainly relate to it as well. So once again, I can’t say ought against you; I’ve certainly felt the same.

Someday, I’ll arrive at the level at which you’re at; until then, keep an eye on me, and wish me luck. I’m going to need it.