Seek & you will find.

I am beginning to learn how much time it takes to truly study the word of God. There is so much to be known in scripture.  But to be honest, I have always been the kind of girl to make an excuse not to be in the word because I didn’t know how to study the word or I didn’t feel equipped or smart enough to really understand what I was studying. Total lies. If anyone is with me in that boat, get out!

⁷ “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.⁸ For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.⁹ Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? ¹¹ If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!” Matthew 7:7-10

It is a promise that when we seek our Father, He will be there. Don’t be like me and make excuses. Instead, seek our Father in prayer & in the study of His word. Ask and find Him in His word. He wants us to know Him. Don’t let lies keep you from spending time getting to know your daddy!!

However, if you are one of those people that feel like you may not know how to study the bible hopefully the below will be helpful to you.

Last week we learned how to study the bible inductively. Inductive bible study is just a big word for using the bible as our primary tool when studying it. Inductive is used to equip people to find truth for themselves in Gods word in order to know it, use it, and teach it.

There are 3 key ideas: Observation, Interpretation, & Application.

1.     Observation: What does it say?

Simple: Read the text and see what is says

Detailed: Always asking the questions - Who, What, When, Where, Why & How?

2.     Interpretation – What does is mean?

Simple: What does the text say?

Detailed: Must consider the context of the scripture. Context rules interpretation.

3.     Application – How does the meaning apply to me?

Simple: Observation & Interpretation result in belief change or Behavior change.

Detailed: Belief change is when the scripture result in believing in something. Behavior change is when scripture results in doing something. Sometimes the two are linked where a belief change causes a behavior change.

After a week of doing the inductive bible study I have gleaned so much. When we take the time to seek truth from the word of God we start to see it come alive in our own lives. I am so excited to see all that God is going to reveal to me through this method of study this year: A method I feel is easy and applicable to all. So maybe if you are like me and struggle to study, this method will help you!

Recap:
Seek & you will find
Inductive bible study rocks!
(Any questions about it shoot them my way)

WEEK 2.75

Sorry for the delay, friends. This past Monday (when I had hoped to post my second blog post) we had our very first assignments due & I got a little caught up in them. So I apologize for the delay & hope not to have it happen again!

My word for the past (almost) two weeks would have to be time-management. Truly learning time-management, that is. As class, assignments, discipleship, internships, and everyday life has started to take off I am beginning to learn that 24 hours in a day is not very much time when you have not planned well.  I thought I had learned time-management by now, but I have never had this much to balance and this much encouragement to strive for excellence in everything…even my planning. It excites me to see how much the Lord can do when we even hand our schedule over to Him. I am beginning to learn that time is a resource we can use to our benefit or watch it pass us by.

This week we were also given our accountability partners for the year, and God totally knew what was up! Per usual I might add!! Not only was it perfect timing, as things were starting to become tasks rather than opportunities for growth, but He knew exactly who to place as my accountability partner. Shelby and I went to high school together, once a Bearkat always a Bearkat, I guess! However, it is so much more than that. Shelby has such a genuine soul; she wants to seek Christ at the root of it all with a real, passionate, & relentless spirit! I am so excited to see what grand adventures the Lord has in store for her, our time together, and the year a head! He is good, and knows my heart & need far better than I do myself!

So the truth of the matter is I haven’t completely figured out the whole time-management thing. Even as I have struggled to write this post today I have failed to do many other things I needed to get done. However, I am learning. God is being faithful in so many small and big things that I can’t help, but try to manage the time He has given me here. There is so much to learn & so many people with stories that need to be known & loved. He has given me so much and so in return, I can give Him my time!

RECAP:

Learning time-management

(Any helpful hints, send them my way)

Pray for Shelby and I

New post coming sooner this time 

New Adventure

KI Class of 2015

“To me, Adventure has always been to me the connections and bounds you create with people when you’re there. And you can have that anywhere.” – Bear Grylls

It has been a little over a week since I moved to Branson, Missouri to start the Kanakuk Institute. For those that do not know what that is let me fill you in. The Kanakuk Institute is an 8-month discipleship program devoted to learning God’s Word better, how to study it and how to defend it while living in a community of 70 other believers who desire to seek the same truth. And I am beyond excited for this adventure the Lord has me on. I’m excited to learn how to better study His word, how to defend my faith, discipline, truth, and to live in this incredible community. If you would like to keep up with my new adventure make sure to check my blog out each week. I will be posting weekly and would love for y’all to join in with me.

Week one was super busy, but if there is one word that the Lord has placed on my heart from all that we did and learned; it would be community. But what does true community look like? I’m always brought back to the early church in Acts 2.

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” [Acts 2:42,46-47]

Here at the Institute we get the unique opportunity to live like the early church did. In true community, where we all meet daily together to devote ourselves to the study of the Word, prayer, praising God together as the body of believers, eating all our meals together, and enjoying one another. This is a community most of us will probably not experience again, at least not in the way that we are literally living daily life together.  And my prayer would be that from this community the Lord would add daily to our numbers by those being saved. That we wouldn’t miss this opportunity to edify each other as we seek the same Savior. I pray that we will use this community to the glory of God to make disciples and to love others.  Because at the end of the day our purpose is the same, “to go and make disciples of all nations.” (Matthew 28:19a) I am thankful for this year and all that is to come.

However, we do live in a broken world and none of us, including myself, are perfect. There will be times when we don’t want to be held accountable, don’t want to do our campus job or to share a room anymore. So I ask that y’all join with me to pray against division, and for humility in us all.  Pray that instead of running from conflict we would use it as a tool to grow and edify one another.

So, this new adventure is here. I hope you’ll join with me! But like Bear Grylls said Adventure could be anywhere because it is just where you build community. I may be in a new place with new people, but I pray that we all are seeking to create relationships and adventure wherever the Lord has you in this season.

Welcome to my adventure!

Recap: Weekly post starting now, whoop!

Pray against division for the KI class of 2015

Create your own adventure this fall