Be the Tree :)

5 This is what the LORD says:
"Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who depends on flesh for his strength
and whose heart turns away from the LORD.

6 He will be like a bush in the wastelands;
he will not see prosperity when it comes.
He will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
in a salt land where no one lives.

7 "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.

8 He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit."

Do you trust him with your everything? What about when "the heat" comes- when it gets hard- do you dig your roots deep into God and his word or do you topple over like a tree after a bad storm that does not have a deep root system?

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
You were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience (based on Ephesians 2:1-2).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind. Now pause to pray this affirmation to the Lord:
We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:20-21).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:
greater courage in evangelism,
the work of missions in Europe,
your activities for the day.

Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:
Since I am surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, . . . let me run with endurance the race that is set before me (based on Hebrews 12:1).

Blameless

In Psalm 101 David writes, "I will be careful to lead a blameless life- when will you come to me? I will walk in my house with blameless heart. I will set before my eyes no vile thing."
Blameless: free from or not deserving blame; guiltless: a blameless child.

Sometimes it is hard when the enemy is tempting us with so much: pride, lust, arrogance, gossip, anger, fear; Yet we are called to live a blameless life- one that is free from guilt and blame which comes from standing up and choosing not to pursue those things by not setting before our eyes or hearts no vile thing.

So what?

What do you need to remove from your eyes or your heart?
Today you can have freedom from those things and walk away with boldness

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
Our eyes look to the Lord our God,
Until He has mercy on us.
Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us! (Psalm 123:2-3).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind.

Now pause to pray this affirmation to the Lord:
But as for me, I will come into Your house
in the multitude of Your mercy;
In fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple (Psalm 5:7).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:
a greater love for the God Man - Christ Jesus,
the needs of your extended family,
your activities for the day,
whatever else is on your heart.

Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:
Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness! (Psalm 4:1).

BIBLE STUDY ACTION PLAN

Hey all I decided to change it up a bit and help you with a bible study action plan for your day! It has helped me a ton and thought you would enjoy it as well!

I. GOALS RELATED TO KNOWING THE BIBLE
A. To study books of the Bible – with commentaries (see instructions below)
B. To pray-read books of the Bible – 10 chapters a day (covers the NT each month:
235 chapters of NT = 10 chapters a day x 6 days/week = 240 chapters a month).
Journal as you pray-read through each book. File your journals in the same place.
II. THE ACTION PLAN FOR BIBLE STUDY
A. Pick your top 10 “most wanted to study” books. Study one book at a time.
B. Select the specific times in the week that you will dedicate for study.
C. How to study a book of the Bible – 5 simple steps
1. Highlight – select two commentaries, read each one, highlighting the key
sentences. Do this for one biblical paragraph at a time. Go slow.
2. Title – in your own words each paragraph in the Bible book that you study.
3. Study Notes – write insights from the commentary for the key verses from
each paragraph (sometimes write word for word, other times paraphrase).
4. Journal – write your personal meditations and observations.
5. Prayer – write a brief prayer from the passage when applicable.
NOTE – if you first write your notes on paper, then seek to type it into your
computer. Store a hard copy of your final notes in your Bible Study Notebook.
III. MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES
A. Computer, Bible Study Notebook, two commentaries for each Bible book you
study. Bible Study Briefcase – pen, paper, highlighters, notebook, commentaries.
B. Internet resources, i.e., download commentaries – www.soniclight.com (click on
study aids), www.ccel.org (old commentaries), www.otgateway.com,
www.tyndale.cam.ac.uk/tyndale/links_biblical.htm#anchortools
www.crosswalk.com, www.christiansunite.com (click on bible study aids).