Thankful for Suffering???

So this week is different. There is no in-person Bible study this week, but God provided me with a different and important lesson to share with you. I gave you a bit of a sneak peak the other day. I copied that post and put it below.

"Ok so this may sound strange but I'm thankful for suffering. Yes you read it correctly, I'm thankful for suffering!!! This life here was never meant to be  easy. If it were easy though, what would we REALLY learn? For me, in my times of suffering, I truly appreciate all of the good times. I truly learn to take time to pray which leads to time spent with God. For me, this is how I learned to get in His Word which also leads to spending time with Him. In my times of suffering, this is when I do my most learning, make my big discoveries, have BIG spiritual growth spurts, grown my personal relationship with God!!! Thank you, God, for being firm and putting these sufferings on my path!!!"

When things are not as we'd like, and that storm has hit, I know I sure miss my better times and have learned to appreciate them. You just never know how long this time of suffering will be, so smile and think about your good times and take comfort in knowing this suffering will come to pass so you can even think about good times yet to come. In all of this I have also now learned how to be confident and content in my present suffering!!! We will not always be happy but we can decide to not let Satan steal our peace, joy, or contentment!!! This is hard but when practiced on a regular basis, it does get easier. You just have to have your mind made up. If you think it's going to be one of those days, put up your fists, stomp your feet, and you shout, "No, not today Satan! You are not stealing from me!!! You WILL NOT steal my peace OR my joy for my Lord, God gave them to ME!!! In Jesus name, amen!"

Hey look, a prayer was just said, or SHOUTED! Which brings me to my next thing I've been taught-praying. My suffering times have taught me to simply open up to God. Just put it all out there, words, feelings/emotions, tears/sobbing. My brokenness-I had to learn how to lay it down at His feet before the healing could begin. This has led me to spend time with God when I was down so I could be lifted up. That led me to spend time with God when I was feeling better. Now I'm spending time with God not just to ask him to feel better, not to just say I'm feeling better, but to praise him, give Him glory, and to say, "hey I'm here, use me." Sometimes I'm with God and I don't say anything. Just enjoy soaking Him up.

Another thing I've learned is to turn to the Word in my times of suffering. It has been proven to me time and time again that His Word is the medicine for our soul. His Word IS the manual for LIFE. It has everything we need!!!

Learning this (spending time in His Word) has also led me into spending more time with Him too.  In doing so, I not only learned so much more about who I really am, but have also learned how to hear from God, have made life discoveries, and grown so much spiritually!!! My spirit eyes and ears are more than just present, they have now been opened!!!

One of the other big things I have learned from my sufferings is patience. It's quite typical for us to want things "our" way and in "our" time. When this doesn't happen, we can get quite impatient. When you're going through a time of suffering, it's even more difficult to have patience. It was for me until I got educated on this. Now I have learned to just keep breathing (or simply take deep breathes), just keep praying, and don't REact (if you have any questions about this, let me know).

Yet another thing I more realized than learned was the firmness of God. He sticks to His plan. He doesn't just let up because we cry and "throw fits" because we don't like the way things are at that moment. He stays firm and doesn't give in since He does everything for a reason. This has also taught me to be a better parent as well.

There you have it, some of the biggest things I've learned from my sufferings which is why I'm so thankful for my sufferings!!! I'm a much better person now because of them. I also have a better relationship with God too!!! Who would have thought that awful things were actually blessings???

Session 5

Opening prayer
 Thank you father God for bringing us together so that we may praise and worship you and learn more about what your word does for us. I pray that you open our hearts and our minds so that we gain more knowledge and wisdom from your word and that we share this knowledge with others and bless others with it. In Jesus' name we pray amen

17. God’s Word makes me wiser than my enemies. (Psalm 119:98) 

NIV version 
“Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies.”
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18. The Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. (Psalm 119:105) 

NIV version 
“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”
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19. When we are afflicted, God’s Word quickens us and gives us life. (Psalm 119:107) 

NIV version 
“I have suffered much; preserve my life, LORD, according to your word.”
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20. God’s Word gives us hope. (Psalm 119:114) 

NIV version 
“You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.”
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Closing prayer

Thank you father God for allowing us to come together and in this time I ask that blessings be poured upon these people. In Jesus' name, amen!

Session 4

Opening prayer:

Thank you father God for allowing us to come together to learn more about your word. I ask you to open our minds and our hearts so that we may gain knowledge and wisdom from what we cover today. In Jesus' name, Amen.

13. God’s Word enables us to walk at liberty and at ease. (Psalm 119:45) 

NIV Version:

“I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.”
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Note: (Psalm 119:44-46)
 The writer talks about keeping the laws and yet being free. Contrary to what we often expect, obeying God's laws does not inhibit or restrain us. Instead it frees us to be what God designed us to be. By seeking God's salvation and forgiveness, we have freedom from sin and the resulting  impressive guilt. By living God's way, we have freedom to fulfill God's plan for our lives.

14. God’s Word is filled with promises to give us mercy and grace. (Psalm 119:58) 

NIV Version:
I have sought your face with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise.”
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15. “Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I trust your commands.”
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NIV Version:
“Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I trust your commands.”
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16. God’s Word is better than thousands of gold and silver pieces (Psalms 119:72) 

NIV version:
“The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.”
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Closing prayer

 I thank you again father God for us being able to gather together to learn more about your word. May it remain in our minds and our hearts forever! I ask that  you bless all of us and that we may pass those blessings on to others. We thank you for your word and all that it does for us. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen!

Session 3

Opening Prayer

 Father God I thank you for letting us all come together today to learn more about your word. I ask that you open our hearts and our minds so that we may gain more wisdom from your word and I ask that we are able to share it with others. In Jesus ' name, Amen.

9. Those who order their conduct and conversation according to the Word are blessed. (Psalm 119:2) 

NIV  Version 
“Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart—”
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10. The Word cleanses and purifies us. (Psalm 119:9, John 15:3, John 17:17, Ephesians 5:26) 

NIV versions:
Psalm 119:9
“How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word.”
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John 15:3
“You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.”
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John 17:17
“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”
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Ephesians 5:26
“to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,”
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11. The Word reduces the capacity to sin. It strengthens us against temptation. (Psalm 119:11) 

NIV Version:
“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
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12. The Word revives and stimulates us. (Psalm 119:25, Psalm 119: 50

NIV Version:
Psalm 119:25
“I am laid low in the dust; preserve my life according to your word.”
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Psalm 119:50
“My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.”
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Closing prayer:

 Father God we thank you that we were able to come together to grow in our knowledge of your word. We ask that this new knowledge remains in our minds and in our hearts and that we are able to share it with others. We ask that you bless us  and allow us to bless others with your word. In Jesus' name we pray amen!

Session 2

 Opening prayer

 Father God, thank you for the gift of your word for it is as sweet as honey to our tongues! Would you please open our eyes now to see the treasures it contains? Would you begin to till the soil of our hearts and make them fertile for planting your seeds of truth  deep within us? Lord, help us to come to your word with a desire to see you fully,  to not interpret you through our lens, but to know you as you are. Help us to approach our reading carefully, being sure not to miss the context or larger story into which each passage fits. I pray that this time would produce much fruit in us as we come to meditate on your holy revelation. In Jesus' name, Amen!

5.  Meditating on the word brings wisdom, prosperity, and success. (Joshua 1:8)

NIV Version
 Keep this book of the law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

Note:  many people think that prosperity and success comes from having power, influential personal contacts, and a relentless  desired to get ahead. But the strategy for getting prosperity that God taught Joshua goes against such criteria. He said that to succeed Joshua must (1)  be strong and courageous because the task ahead would not be easy, (2)  obey God's law, and (3)  constantly read and study the book of the law-God's word.  To be successful, follow God's words to Joshua. You may not succeed by the worlds strongholds, but you will be a success and God's eyes-and his opinion is most important.

6.  The word brings stability, fruitfulness, and fulfillment and all that we do will prosper (Psalm 1:3)

NIV Version
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in season.

Note:  The phrase "whatever they do prospers," does not mean immunity from failure or difficulties. Nor  does it guarantee health, wealth, and happiness. What the Bible means by prosperity is this; when we apply God's  wisdom, the fruit (results are byproducts)  we bear will, be good, and will receive God's approval. Just as a tree soaks up water and bares luscious fruit, we also are to soak up God's word, producing actions and attitudes that honor God. To achieve anything worthwhile, we must have God's word in our hearts.

7.  God's word upholds, guides, maintains, and propels the universe. (Hebrews 1:3)

NIV Version
 The sun is the radiance of gods glory and the exact  representation  of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

Note:   Not only is Jesus the exact representation of God, but he is God himself-the very God who spoke in Old Testament times, he is eternal; he worked with the father in creating the world

(John 1:3 Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.
Colossians 1:16  For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.)

 He is the full revelation of God. You can have no clearer view of God than by looking at Christ. Jesus Christ is the complete expression of God in a human body.

8.  God's word has the power to create. (Genesis 1)

NIV Version
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day. And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day. And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day. And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day. And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭1:1-31‬ ‭NIV‬‬
http://bible.com/111/gen.1.1-31.niv

Closing Prayer

 Thank you, father God, for letting us gather to learn about what your word does for us. Thank you for focusing our eyes and hearts on you. Thank you for giving us and allowing us to gain insight, knowledge, and wisdom along with the ability to share and bless others with it. Thank you for bringing us together in fellowship and learning. In Jesus' name, Amen!!!

 I'm so thankful that we have such a wonderful and amazing God!!!

Session 1

Opening Prayer

Father God, I pray that our minds be focused on you, Lord.  That we may be filled with your wisdom, that you fill our hearts with your spirit, and that you join all of us today as we learn what your Word will do for us.  Father God I ask that you bless this group0 and everyone in it, that we may be brought closer to you, and that we may share this new found wisdom abut you with others.  In Jesus' name we pray all of this, amen!!!

#1 The Word of God is truth and when we follow it we are made free (John 8:32)

Note: Jesus himself is the truth that sets us free (John 8:36).  He is the source of truth, the perfect standard of what is right.  He frees us from continued slavery to sin, from self-deception, and from deception by Satan.  He shows us clearly the way to eternal life with God.  Thus, Jesus does not give us freedom to do what we want, but freedom to follow God.  As we seek to serve God, Jesus' perfect truth frees us to be all that God meant us to be. 


#2 The Word is life healing and health to all who find them (Proverbs 4:20-22)

NIV version
(20)My son, pay attention to what I say;
          turn your ear toward my words.
(21)Do not let them out of your sight,
          Keep them within your heart;
(22)for they are life to those who find them
          and health to one's whole body.

Note: The word tells us how to live:
what to eat
rules/guidelines to follow
how to obey God which leads to eternal life!!!



#3 The Word heals and delivers us (Psalm 107:20)

NIV version
He sent out His Word and healed them,
     He rescued them from the graves

Note: Fools and rebels surely bring trouble upon themselves.  This psalm offers hope for those who have made a mess of their lives.  By receiving God's free gift of forgiveness (see Micah 7:18-20 and 1John 1:9).  Anyone can begin a new life and break with the past (see Romans 3:23-23 and 2 Corinthians 5:17). 

 Micah 7:18-20
(18)Who is a God like You, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance?  You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.  (19)You will again have passion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the seas.  (20)You will be faithful to Jacob, and show love to Abraham, as you pledged on oath to our ancestors in days long ago. 

1John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness

Romans 3:23-26
(23)For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  (24)and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  (25)God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood--to be received by faith.  He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-- (26)he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. 

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come, the old has gone, the new is here!

By faith in Christ, we can break addictions, heal memories, and restore broken relationships.  If we ask Christ to take control. of our lives, he will answer us.  His love reaches even those who have rebelled against Him.


#4 The Word protects us (Psalm 18:30)

NIV version
As for God, Hes way is perfect.
The Lord's Word is flawless.
He shields all who take refuge in Him.

Note: Some people think that belief in God is a crutch for a weak people who cannot make it on their own.  God is indeed a shield to protect us when we are too weak to face certain trials by ourselves, but he does not want us to remain weak.  He strengthens, protects, and guides us in order to send us back into an evil world to fight for Him.  Then He continues to work with us because the strongest person on Earth is infinitely weaker than God and needs His help.  David was not a coward; he was a mighty warrior who, even with all his armies and weapons, knew that only God can ultimately protect and save him.


Closing Prayer

Father God, I ask that these verses remain in our hearts and in our minds.  I ask that we are able to continue to feel your ever loving presence with us as we go about our day.  Thank you for your blessings, Lord and allowing us to gather today.  We praise you, Lord, for all that you do and all that you have done! In Jesus name we pray, Amen!!!