Month: February 2017

Introducing the Book of Luke

Welcome!  It’s time to introduce the spring study.

Our next study will begin on Monday, March 13th in the Gospel of Luke.

We have a Luke Journal available if you’d like to have a guide to assist you in your study.

This journal includes:

*An Introduction to the Book of Luke
*An explanation of how to use the signature S.O.A.K. method of the GMG’s
*The GMG Coloring Chart
* The Verse of the Day each day
*A Reflection Question for each day
* Blank space for SOAKing each chapter of the Book of Luke

This companion Journal is NOT required to join us. 

It’s available now exclusively on Amazon.  Check it out there!

Every Monday, I’ll kick off the week with free resources and accountability here on the blog and then on Wednesdays, I’ll be here to discuss our reading from the Word, with a devotional.

You can also find Good Morning Guys on Instagram —-> HERE.

And on Facebook ——> HERE.

I’ll be back soon, with some free resources to assist you with your Bible Study.  Until then, I encourage you to subscribe in the sidebar so you don’t miss a post and follow me out on Instagram and Facebook.

I hope you’ll join us as we grow in Christ!

Johnathan

If you have any questions about our upcoming Bible Study, ask them in the comment section below.

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3 Tips for Getting Out of a Spiritual Desert

We have all had them; periods in our lives when God seems so far away.

Our souls are hungry for Him yet we can’t seem to find Him.

We are discouraged.

It’s like walking through a spiritual desert.

I know how this feels. I’ve been there, and if you’re there today, be encouraged that every single Christian has been there.

But what do we do when God is silent in our lives, and we are in a spiritual desert?

In our passage today, 1 Samuel 28:6-19, we find an example, but sadly, it’s an example of what not to do when we are in a spiritual desert. King Saul is being threatened by a huge army of Philistines and is extremely scared. Because of his own sinful worry and distrust of God’s sovereignty, he decides to treat God like his own personal genie and ask Him how this battle against the Philistines will go. 

These wrong motives in asking God, and Saul’s already broken relationship with God because of prior unrepentant sin (trying to kill David), ultimately led to silence from God.

This is the darkest place a person can be, but it was a consequence of Saul’s own sin.

Instead of realizing why God was silent and repenting of his sin, Saul makes things ten times worse and ends up going to a witch, who he asks to call up Samuel from the dead.

This is extremely dark stuff, but a reminder that there are very powerful, very real forces of evil out there opposing God. (1 Peter 5:8) Thankfully we know we are on the winning team!

God allows Samuel to appear to Saul, and as a consequence for all Saul’s sin, Samuel ends up telling Saul that there will be a huge defeat and Saul is going to die in the battle.

So what can we take away today from this story?

1. When you feel far from God, don’t turn to worldly things for satisfaction, comfort, or answers.

There’s an old song from the Christian artist Plumb that says this: “There’s a God-shaped hole in all of us, and the restless soul is searching. There’s a God-shaped hole in all of us, and it’s a void only He can fill.”

These words perfectly communicate the fact that the only thing that can satisfy our hungry, discouraged, empty souls when we feel far away from God is God Himself, not anything else in this world. Turn only to Him when you’re discouraged.

2. When you’re in a spiritual desert, look for unrepentant sin.

Often times, but not always, the reason you feel far from God is your own sin. This is clearly illustrated in the life of Saul, who continued in unrepentant sin and because of this was not answered by God.

When there is sin in our lives, it draws us away from God and makes having an honest relationship with Him difficult.

This is just like if you were to break something that belonged to your mom, and decided not to tell her about it and just hide it. It would be pretty hard to act normal and have a loving relationship with your mom with that bugging you in the back of your mind, wouldn’t it?

It’s the same way with God.

If you are feeling far from God and realize that you have been sinning without telling God and asking Him for forgiveness, repent and ask Him for forgiveness, then your close relationship with Him will be restored.

3. When God is silent, cry out to Him and trust in His promises.

Maybe there isn’t any major unrepentant sin in your life, but you still feel far from God.

This could be because of a difficulty in your life, or maybe you’re just discouraged and you’re not sure why.

When you are in this situation, that is the time to get on your knees and really cry out to God.

1 John 5:14 says, “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” Psalm 102:19-20 says, “For He looked down from His holy height; From heaven the LORD gazed upon the earth, to hear the groaning of the prisoner, to set free those who were doomed to death.” 

God guarantees us that He hears us and that He is there.

He cares and even when it feels like He isn’t there, He is.

This is when you must trust in that truth and find comfort in it. 

Johnathan

Let’s talk in the comments below:

  1. When is a time when you have felt far from God?
  2. How did you get out of your spiritual desert?

 

Final Week! Good Morning Guys Resources {1 Samuel 26-31}

Welcome back to the Good Morning Guys Study through 1 Samuel! I pray your past week of study was beneficial to your growth in your relationship with Christ. This is our last week of our study through 1 Samuel! It has been a blessing to study God’s word alongside of you all.

Our next study will begin on Monday, March 13th in the Gospel of Luke.

We have a Luke Journal available if you’d like to have a guide to assist you in your study.

It’s available now exclusively on Amazon.

I’ll post more details about this study soon.

Now back to 1 Samuel.  If you’re new, feel free to jump right in and follow along. Everything you need for this week is below, including this week’s Bible Reading Plan, Reflection Questions, and Verses of the Day.  Don’t forget to check back on Wednesday for my weekly blog post.

Here’s This Week’s Bible Reading Plan

Monday: 1 Samuel 26

Tuesday: 1 Samuel 27

Wednesday: 1 Samuel 28

Thursday: 1 Samuel 29

Friday: 1 Samuel 30-31

The Reflection Questions for the Week

Chapter 26-Monday

David trusted that God would reward his righteousness and faithfulness.

Do you trust that God will honor your faithfulness and how have you seen this in your life?

 

Chapter 27-Tuesday

David was discouraged and said in his heart, he was about to die – even though God had promised deliverance.

What we say in our hearts has incredible power to influence our choices. In what ways has your heart discouraged you in the past?

 

Chapter 28-Wednesday

God was silent when Saul called on him because he had not been following God’s revealed will for him.

Have you gone through a time of silence from God when you were living disobediently?

 

Chapter 29 -Thursday

David was in a bad place.  He had no home and was trying to live in both worlds.

Have you ever been in a place where you had too much of the world in you to be at peace with God and too much of God in you, to be at peace with the world?  What helped you to stop straddling the fence?

 

Chapter 30-31-Friday

Chapter 30

God, rich in mercy and grace, heard David’s cries for help and strengthened him.

God hears the cries of His people.  Do you need more strength for today?  Call out to God now. Write your prayer below.

Chapter 31

The account of Saul dying is sad, but sadder yet is the fact that Saul knew the previous day he would die and yet he did not repent or cry out to God.

Many tend to think that they will live as they want now and get right with God later in life.  Later never comes. Is there something you need to make right with God? Don’t wait – do it now.

 

The Verses of the Day

Monday:

The Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness.

1 Samuel 26:23

 

Tuesday: 

Then David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish.

1 Samuel 27:1

  Wednesday: 

When Saul inquired of the Lordthe Lord did not answer him.

1 Samuel 28:6

 

Thursday:

So David set out with his men early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines.

1 Samuel 29:11

 

 

Friday:

David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

1 Samuel 30:6

 

Thus Saul died.

1 Samuel 31:6

 

 

Don’t forget to join me out on Instagram every day for the verse of the day at GuysInTheWord, as well as on our new Facebook page!

I’ll see you back here on Wednesday for our weekly blog post.

Johnathan

There are Consequences to Obedience

Consequences.

The word sends chills down the spine of any young child being disciplined. It means there will be unpleasant results of whatever transgression they committed.

When we sin and disobey God, there are always consequences as a result, and they are never pleasant.

But did you know that the Bible says there will be consequences when we choose to obey as well?

You are probably wondering how there could be anything but good results when we choose to obey God. In 1 Samuel 22:6-19, however, we see a horrible tragedy as a result of obeying God.

1 Samuel 22:6-19 tells the story of a tyrannical king Saul. King Saul is very jealous of David, who he knows is going to succeed him as king and wants to stop. Saul has his heart set on killing David.

In Chapter 21, David had gotten help from a priest named Ahimelech. David was short on food and had no weapon as he was running away from Saul, so he had asked Ahimelech for help. Ahimelech had helped David graciously by giving him bread and a sword.

While the bread was holy bread designated for priests, and Ahimelech had therefore broken the law by giving it to David, it likely saved David’s life. Regardless of whether or not it’s ok to break God’s law to save someone’s life, mercy and compassion were shown here by Ahimelech.

In today’s verses, King Saul finds out that Ahimelech had shown compassion to David and provided him with supplies from a member of his army who happened to witness it.

This does not sit well with Saul, and he calls Ahimelech and all the other priests from his town and after a quick questioning, orders all 85 of them to be murdered. After this, the whole town is ordered to be killed.

This is a horrible tragedy resulting from one kind act of a priest and the evil selfishness of  a tyrannical king.

The compassionate action taken on Ahimelech’s part, albeit one that broke God’s law, was a kind action that resulted in his death and the death of all those around him.

This sad story can still teach us something today.

Many Christians face danger and even death daily as a result of their obedience to Christ.

According to Open Doors USA, “Christians in more than 60 countries face persecution from their governments or surrounding neighbors simply because of their belief in Jesus Christ.”

322 Christians worldwide lose their lives for their obedience to Christ every single month, not counting the hundreds more who endure violence for their faith.

According to 2 Timothy 3:12, these statistics should not surprise us.

It says, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

Life as a Christian is not guaranteed to be easy, contrary to many who misunderstand the gospel.

We are not guaranteed health, possessions, or any other worldly blessings.
Instead, we are guaranteed to have difficult times in our lives; times of sickness, times of financial disaster, times of broken relationships.
Most of all, we are guaranteed to be, at some point in our Christian lives, persecuted on some level for our faith.

This is not a popular message today.

We don’t want to hear these things.

But these things are necessary, and in fact, are very good for us in our faith.

God grows us through our sufferings and persecutions.

There are countless verses in the New Testament admonishing us to look to Christ in our sufferings and rejoice in them, because when we respond in this way, we are bringing more glory to God than any material or relational blessing in our lives ever could.

So today, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.”  (1 Peter 4:12-14)

 

Let’s talk in the comments below:

  1. Describe a time in your life when you were persecuted for your obedience to Christ.
  2. How have the sufferings and persecutions in your life brought you closer to God?

 

Good Morning Guys Resources {1 Samuel 21-25}

Welcome back to the Good Morning Guys Study through 1 Samuel! I pray your past week of study was beneficial to your growth in your relationship with Christ.

If you’re new, feel free to jump right in and follow along. Everything you need for this week is below, including this week’s Bible Reading Plan, Reflection Questions, and Verses of the Day.  Don’t forget to check back on Wednesday for my weekly blog post.

Here’s This Week’s Bible Reading Plan

Monday: 1 Samuel 21

Tuesday: 1 Samuel 22

Wednesday: 1 Samuel 23

Thursday: 1 Samuel 24

Friday: 1 Samuel 25

The Reflection Questions for the Week

Chapter 21-Monday

Just because we are following the Lord, it does not mean we will not have difficult times.

In Psalm 56:3, David said: “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.”  What are you afraid of today and how can you trust God more?

 

Chapter 22-Tuesday

David couldn’t go home, or go see Samuel or Jonathan, and he couldn’t go to the house of the Lord.  In a humble cave he found refuge.

How is God your refuge and safe place, in times of discouragement

 

Chapter 23-Wednesday

Jonathan could not rescue David, but he could strengthen him.

Is there someone in your life who is in an inescapable trial?  You may not be able to rescue them, but how can you strengthen them today?

 

Chapter 24 -Thursday

Rather than taking matters into his own hands, David trusted God to judge and avenge him against Saul.

What situation in your life, do you need to trust yourself less and trust God more?

 

Chapter 25-Friday

There is a great contrast between Abigail and her husband Nabal.  Abigail was god-fearing, gentle and humble despite being stuck in a mismatched marriage.

Are you stuck in a relationship that is mismatched perhaps with a boss, co-worker, family member or spouse?  How can you remain gentle and humble in this difficult situation?

The Verses of the Day

Monday:

David took these words to heart and was much afraid.

1 Samuel 21:12

Tuesday:  

David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam.

1 Samuel 22:1

 Wednesday: 

Jonathan, Saul’s son, rose and went to David at Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God.

1 Samuel 23:16

Thursday:  

May the Lord judge between me and you, may the Lord avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you.

1 Samuel 24:12

Friday:

The name of the man was Nabal,and the name of his wife Abigail. The woman was discerning and beautiful, but the man was harsh and badly behaved.

1 Samuel 25:3

 

Don’t forget to join me out on Instagram every day for the verse of the day at GuysInTheWord, as well as on our new Facebook page!

I’ll see you back here on Wednesday for our weekly blog post.

Johnathan

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