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Our Current Bible Study
Breaking Free: Making Liberty in Christ a Reality in Life
by Beth Moore
by Beth Moore
About Me
- Melanie
- I am a wife and a mom, seeking the face of the Lord and learning to trust Him for everything.
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What Is Living To Praise Him?
It is a blog designed for a women's online Bible study, a place to strengthen and develop friendships, a place to learn more about Jesus, and a place to share your thoughts and concerns.
The first Bible Study, Breaking Free: Making Liberty in Christ a Reality in Life, by Beth Moore, starts Monday, September 7, 2009. A schedule for the study is posted in the month of August. If you would like to participate in the study, just follow these steps:
1. Purchase the book
2. Read (according to the lessons found in the schedule)
3. Log onto the blog
4. Look for the most recent "lesson"
5. Click on the comment section **If you are not already a member of blogspot.com, you will need to register
6. Leave your comment(s) about the lesson
You can jump into the study at any time!!! OR...If you don't want to read the book, you can visit the blog and read along anytime.
If you have something personal you would like to discuss, please email me at livingtopraisehim@hotmail.com
Who am I? I am a southern girl at heart who loves the city. I am a Wife to Scott...and computer guy, amazing Dad, and exceptional Husband AND a Mom of three little ones...Isaac 4, Eric 2, and Lauren 7 months. I am so in love with the Lord and I want to help build “His kingdom here on earth as it is in Heaven”. I'm going to be participating in this study right along with each of you. I am hoping to develop new friendships, strengthen the ones I have, and learn more about the Lord!!
Can't wait to study with you!
Living To Praise Him-
Melanie
The first Bible Study, Breaking Free: Making Liberty in Christ a Reality in Life, by Beth Moore, starts Monday, September 7, 2009. A schedule for the study is posted in the month of August. If you would like to participate in the study, just follow these steps:
1. Purchase the book
2. Read (according to the lessons found in the schedule)
3. Log onto the blog
4. Look for the most recent "lesson"
5. Click on the comment section **If you are not already a member of blogspot.com, you will need to register
6. Leave your comment(s) about the lesson
You can jump into the study at any time!!! OR...If you don't want to read the book, you can visit the blog and read along anytime.
If you have something personal you would like to discuss, please email me at livingtopraisehim@hotmail.com
Who am I? I am a southern girl at heart who loves the city. I am a Wife to Scott...and computer guy, amazing Dad, and exceptional Husband AND a Mom of three little ones...Isaac 4, Eric 2, and Lauren 7 months. I am so in love with the Lord and I want to help build “His kingdom here on earth as it is in Heaven”. I'm going to be participating in this study right along with each of you. I am hoping to develop new friendships, strengthen the ones I have, and learn more about the Lord!!
Can't wait to study with you!
Living To Praise Him-
Melanie
Ch 12 was interesting. I’d never thought of legalism that way in the church. I think people turn to some of those legalistic rules not to hurt anyone but it’s because it’s what they were taught. Personally, I think the ‘performance replacing passion’ stems a lot from the ‘regulation replaces relationship’. I can think of one personal example that I struggled with for a long time and that was of tithing. I have a lot of 7th Day Adventists and we know they worship on Saturday. There were 2 things those family members stressed while I was growing up. They were that Sat was the right day to worship and I shouldn’t do anything on that day, I was sinning if I adorned myself with jewelry/makeup and that I must tithe. The jewelry part, I ignored but struggled with the other two for years. I finally overcame one a few months ago and that was the day of worship. I realized any day was the right day to worship God but that I truly needed to focus on HIM during my time of worship, not what was for dinner, is the house clean etc. The tithing part I still struggle with sometimes. I know it’s the ‘right’ thing to do and so I do it but then I wonder if I’m doing it correctly or am I really being cheerful about it. A friend told me the other day that I wasn’t tithing correctly. I was supposed to be tithing based on the gross vs. net of my check. Boy did that start a conversation but she’s not the only individual that I’ve had that type of conversation. All those things get in the way of just enjoying God’s presence and being passionate about HIM and trusting HIM.
ReplyDeleteWhen Beth asks the question which obstacles do I have the most trouble with, I’d have to say all of them. Conversations like the ones above leads to not trusting God, a form of unbelief which to me leads to you trying to fix it (Pride) which leads to worry so you’re not praying as you should (prayerlessness) and may lead towards you depending on someone/something to resolve the issue for you (Idolatry).
When I read back some of the things I’ve written, I have to question myself, why do I make my life so much harder than it needs to be? It really makes me aware of the things I need to do to really be free in Christ. My liberty is already given it’s just for me to reach out and take it but giving everything to HIM. Sounds easy doesn’t it, then why is it so hard to put into practice?
This is a pretty intense lesson. I have been trying to "take my time" like Beth said...and try to do what I need to do to complete all the questions in chapter 13. But it is taking me longer than I thought it would. However, I am trusting the process and believing it is going to help me become free in Christ. I will post more later.
ReplyDeleteI have to be honest. When I started this study...even knowing a little of what it was about....I had NO idea how deep and powerful it was going to be. Even though Beth warned us not to get "stuck" in and with chapter 13...I did and have. But praise God...I was able to move past it...and on. I have completed most of the questions at the end of the chapter, but not all of them. So I decided to take Beth's advice and move on....and come back to them later. I know the enemy would like for all of us to get stuck...or distracted....or angry....or upset...or lazy....but I am praying that we will not...in Jesus name! I really loved something Beth said in chapter 15....“The enemy is hoping we'd rather remain in denial than face the truth and let God's Word penetrate our lives and set us free.”
ReplyDeleteSo, if you are like me...and found this lesson challenging, I urge you to ask the Lord to help you get through it, so that you can move forward. Let's put on the full armor of God, so that we can march boldly onto and into freedom and liberty in Christ.
Ephesians 6:10-18
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
Also, Beth reminds us that God is a giver, and He wants to bless us! "Our goal is not to just learn the Bible...God want's WHOLE hearts...NOT JUST BIG HEADS." WOW! "God's commands were given..not to enslave us...BUT to set us free!" Thank you Lord!
Oh, one other thing. In chapter 13...this part really spoke to me..."we can't please God OR find freedom in rule keeping." Before surrendering my life to Christ, I used to think that if I could just abide by all of God's rules, that He would love and accept me...however, it seemed immpossible! I thought that if I followed all of the rules, that is all it took. Little did I know that it was more than about JUST following the rules!! It's about having a personal relationship with HIM! Yes, God does ask us to obey...but he also asks us to trust. (The Holy Spirit has put that song on my heart so much today.) He also wants our hearts...why? Because he wants to KNOW us....and He wants us to KNOW Him! It's not until you meet Him...need Him...cry out to Him...trust Him....trust IN Him...that we really get to KNOW Him...and He us. Because it's in those times that we take off the mask...take down the viel...bow our knee....lift our hands in surrender, that we really let God examine our hearts and know who we are. I'm praying....and believing....that we can all come before the Lord (through this lesson and the many to come) and get real not only with ourselves, but more importantly with God. I don't know about you, but in answering some of the questions in chapter 13, I discovered things I had no idea were even there....BUT GOD did! So, I'm thankful He is in our midst and helping us break free.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading chapter 12 about the last obstacle - legalism. I think it can be so easy to have "rules" to follow, etc. instead of seeking for that relationship. To have any meaningful relationship requires much effort & it is often easier to just "DO" than to work on having the relationship God wants to have with us. I pray that the "DOING" I do is because of my love for God & that my heart not be tied up in legalisms.
ReplyDeleteChapter 13 was strange for me. I never knew either one of my biological grandfathers. I did have a maternal step grandfather & he died when I was 12. So, I truly feel I had no influence from grandfathers. My paternal grandmother was a Christian, but she lived 2 hours from us & I did not spend a lot of time with her. My maternal grandmother had not been a good mother to my mother during her growing-up years. For that reason, I think, I was not with her alot either. Both of my parents were raised by a grandmother for much of their lives. If I have baggage from these past generations, I am not aware of it. Perhaps, I do & I need to pray that God reveal it to me. Since both of my daughters will be reading this & will be looking back asking the questions that Beth asked us to ask, I sincerely ask them to share with me if they see differently than I do.
I want to reread chapter 14 before posting about it!
In chapter 14, I loved the idea that God is jealous FOR us. That having a godly jealousy means being jealous for someone, not of someone. To think of God being jealous for me is quite amazing.
ReplyDeleteThe heavy part of this chapter for me concerns the fact that as parents & grandparents, we must be very careful how we are living so that our children don't end up reaping the "whirlwind"!! The story of the dog learning to walk without her 2 back legs & then the puppies walking just like her was really eye-opening! I pray ( like Beth did ) that if my daughters are walking like me, that it is a walk with God.
At Bible study this evening at my church, my pastor quoted Harry Emerson Fosdick & I wanted to share it with all of you. "Fear paralyzes while faith empowers. Fear imprisons while faith liberates."
That's so great Mom! I love that quote!
ReplyDeleteI too loved the story Beth told about the puppies learning to walk like their Mom. That was amazing! I praise God often that I am not walking like my Mom....with the Lord! I know you are too :) I am also checking myself regularly with God, to assure that I am doing everything in can to "show" my children how and why I walk with the Lord, so they will one day as well....and prayfully, with no bondage from generational sin.
Ch. 12 Leagalism...I am not trying to judge, but I have observed many Christians who seem to be captives to legalism. I honestly don't feel that I have, but I pray God will show me if or when I do. I liked at the end of the chapter how she said that her hope was that at the end of this study we could say "We enjoyed God" rather than "We enjoyed this Bible study":) Beth ask in her questions at the end of the book, which obstacle do we struggle with the most. I must regretfully say prayerlessness. I need to spend more time down on my knees,crying out to our God through His son Jesus Christ. I want my sons to know that I am a praying MOM! Satan is just always there to try and keep me from it. I pray that God will help me stand firm and bend my knees more!
ReplyDeleteCh. 13 WOW! God hit home with this part of Beth's bible study. I have finally came to the point in my life that I have learned to love my mother because God told me to and He reminds me to Honour her. God does not ever say I have to like her ways or actions. Beth said it good, when she says, "without dishonoring our family". I have learned to say when people ask about our relationship, I love her because God gave her to me as my mother:) I know He has a reason, I pray she turns her heart back to Him. She was raised in a Christian home and knows without a doubt more scripture than I, but her heart is so bitter. Once I started reading chapter 13, I didn't stop until chapter 17, so I am posting on through to the next Lesson! I was just so interested in what God was saying to me in this section:) I have dealt with a lot of generational sin and have been grateful to have stopped a lot of it in my personal path with the help of God and those people that He put in my life. No doubt he gave me a spiritual mother(Barb) to guide me throughout my teenage years or else I would not be where I am today without alot of horrible detours. I had a great friend, who was my English teacher(Ms. Riley-for those who know her),she told me once that sometimes it helped if we were too afraid to confront someone regarding these horrible situations that Beth refers to, she said write that person a letter! She said that you don't have to send it or even keep it, just write out your feelings on paper. It worked for me! I must say, I wrote an 8 page paper then burned it, but when I see that person today, I don't have hatred and sinful thoughts towards him. I still remember how they hurt me,but I have forgiven them! I know God has too, it is up to him now to just ask Him for forgiveness.
Beth talks about bad traits we see in ourselves that we reflect to our children, I see that flare up in me sometimes and I hate that! When I go to discipline my children I want to do it God's way, not my mother's way! I want them to see Christ in me even when I am disciplining them. I try to make a conscious effort to not "sound" like my mother. I pray for His will in my life and pray my children see Him in me:)As Beth pointed out, we can be the link that changes the route of our generation! I pray I am strong enough to be that link! Pray for me as I will for each of you!
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ReplyDeleteOk...so my Mom brought it to my attention this evening that in my last comment, I said that I'm so glad that I'm "not" walking like my Mom....I think was I meant was that I'm so glad that I'm not walking like I used too....and that I'm praising God that I am walking LIKE my Mom...with the Lord!! Thanks Mom :) Love you!
ReplyDeleteChantel, how are you feeling? I too pray that I can be the link to break any generational bondage...I will for sure pray for you and everyone else!
I am feeling better!This is my second night back to work, hurting a little. Thanks for the prayers:) I completely understood what you were trying to say in your post:) You are fortunate to have a loving, Godly mother who understands you...lol! Have a blessed week!
ReplyDeleteOMG~~~Chapter 12 has been a hard one to read for me!!!!! I never realized that legalism could be defined that way. I so thought of some of the churches in my area that are GUILTY of this!!! The area that I need to work on in this chapter is building a better prayer life--I believe I have even mentioned this in my prior posts. However~~it seems as if life happens and I am not sticking with the prayer plan that I put in place. I am soooo in love with the sentence that tells me that he created the Sabbath for MY benefit not my imprisonment. YEAH!!!
ReplyDeleteNow here is where it gets a little difficult for me~~~looking at the faults in others to keep things interesting!!!! I have tears in my eyes while reading this sentence. I am this person thru and thru--I will have to say that I have gotten better--but I still have a long way to travel in this area!!!! I just can't hardly stand myself sometimes--when I think about all the times that I have done this very thing!!!
So this is gonna be an area I need prayer in from myself and from the group. Beth tells me that GOD takes my spiritual temp straight from the heart~~she he knows that my temp is on the higher end and I am working on getting it even hotter!!!!
WOW!!! Chapter 13 has been really hard for me to read and even more so--to do the activity that Beth asked me to do!!!! Family ruins continue to be the seedbed for all sorts of destruction. Oh gosh~~this is powerful!!! I pray every evening that I am not growing a seedbed of destruction in my son. I do try to live a life as a believer in HIM~~however~~I feel as if I fall short. I will now pray each day that I may learn from my mistakes so that I don't pass the generational hand-me-down baggage to any member of my family.
ReplyDelete