April 2017 Issue – Doing Hard Things

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Prayer Prompts – Boldness

Is praying intimidating? I mean, think about it… we are talking to the King of the universe! Do we dare address Him as Father? Do we dare even speak to Him at all? You’d think not, wouldn’t you? But our wonderful Creator wants us to talk to Him; and not just talk to Him, but pour out our hearts to Him, to ask things of Him, the great things and the ridiculously small things. Oh, how we don’t deserve this! Our King asks that we ask things of Him! He asks that we ‘bother’ Him! Scripture is full of examples of this! Think of the Psalms, all the dark, hurting and doubting ones, to the awe-filled, worshipful, dancing ones! The early patriarchs sure talked a lot with God too, often demanding things of Him. Jacob wrestled with Him. And don’t forget Abraham’s conversations with Him in Genesis 18. Or fast forward a few hundred years and think of Moses! God has commanded us to be bold in prayer, we must not be afraid to talk with our King, our Father, to ask Him things.

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Romans 8:31-32 (NIV)

If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Luke 11:13 (NIV)

“If we have faith the size a mustard seed, we can move mountains. Yet, we are so pathetic in our faith and our prayers. It is time for me (us) to stop rendering God useless in our minds. We need to start having radical faith. And, we need to see that our “mountains” (struggles, sins, addictions, etc.) are nothing compared to our God. Instead of talking about our mountains, we need to begin talking to them. Declare them to be smaller than your God, and then turn away. They are not worth your time. Your God is bigger and better. We can so easily become distressed and worried. As children of God, we need to pray about this and ask God to make us unshakeable.”

-Emma Roth

So I challenge you: dare to pray. Dare to ask. Dare to trust.

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5:16b (NIV)

And in Christ we are righteous!

 

*Note: We do not post the full Th!nk magazine on this blog, to read the full magazine for free monthly, emails us at thinkauthors@gmail.com!

Dissect it! – Worship

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

Romans 12:1

Let’s look at the first part, as a proper dissection should go. ‘In view of God’s mercy’. The first admonishment Paul gives us when instructing us in worship is this: in view of God’s mercy. In view of God’s mercy, His favor, His grace, His compassion, and His forgiveness in the face of our multitudes of disgusting sin. Did you know that the actual definition of the word ‘mercy’ is ‘unmerited’ or unearned ‘favor’? When you worship, do you go into it thinking of God’s mercy, or of what you ate for lunch, what you want from God, and how horrible you are? None of those are right! As Paul says, we must go into worship in view of God’s mercy. This is especially apparent if you go back and read the last few verses of chapter 11, where Paul speaks of his wonder at God’s power and mercy.

Alright, in view of God’s mercy. Got that. What’s next? ‘To offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God’. A living sacrifice. In the Old Testament when an animal was chosen to be  a sacrifice to God- whether is was a sin offering or a thank offering or some other offering- they would have to be the best of the best of the animals, not blemished in the slightest. Just as er should be a living offerings. Scripture says that we should be holy as God is holy (1 Peter 1:16). Set-apart for God. I was recently reading in Numbers and it was listing all the sacrifices and what was required for each individual one. It was interesting to see that the sin offering wasn’t the most demanding one- rather that of the thank offerings and praise offerings. How important they are! So, how can we be a living sacrifice? Well, first of all, we must be set apart for God, the best that we can be for Him. That is an act of worship to God. The true and proper act of worship.You don’t have to only be singing to worship God and give Him the glory and thanks that he deserves, but you can worship Him even more by loving others, and honoring Him with all that you are! Whether it is through art, or sports, or singing, or dance, or writing, or serving! That is what is being a living sacrifice: being completely and totally God’s. That is what our whole purpose is anyway! To bring Him praise and delight (Philippians 3). That is what our spiritual act of worship is. Do you love your savoir enough to do this? To truly offer your body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God? And to not just talk about it, but to actually do it? It isn’t easy, and this decision is a dangerous one that you can’t make once, but that you have to renew daily. Are you ready? Are you willing?

*We do not post the full magazine on this blog. To read the entire magazine, subscribe for free by emailing us at thinkatuhors@gmail.com.

Dissect it! – Witnessing

Dissect it! “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.”John 6:44 (NIV) So. Dissect this verse. Okay, so the first part is this: ‘No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws them’. This calls for two steps of action on our part! We can preach at people as cleverly, convincingly, and passionately as we want, but without God it will all come to nothing. We cannot save them (who was is on the cross?), we cannot change their hearts, and neither is it our job. This is freeing! We are still called to do our part, but God is responsible. Woe be to us, however, if we try to do it without God. Okay, I’m getting distracted. The two steps of action. Right. Well, the first one is to pray. To pray for the people you want to witness to. To pray for the people’s hearts. That they may be ready to receive God’s truth. Without prayer and without God, trying to share the Good News with someone might cause more harm than good. So pray. Pray that God may draw them. May prepare and call their hearts.This also means that we need to have our own close relationship with God. If you need to, maybe reevaluate your relationship with Him. Many times I will pray and ask God, “Give him/her a hunger, and desire for You unlike anything they have experienced before. That they may not be satisfied until they find You.” (Matthew 7:8) Now for the second step: Share! And trust God to ‘raise them up on the last day’. For He will be faithful. He loves them more that you can ever imagine or comprehend and He wants to spend eternity with them in Heaven. (Philippians 1:6)

‘For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.’ 2 Peter 1:16 (NIV) ‘So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.’ 1 Corinthians 3:7 (NIV)                             (To read the entire magazine, subscribe for free by emailing thinkauthors@gmail.com)

Book Look-Growing Up Duggar: It’s all about relationships

Book Look

Growing up Duggar : It’s all about relationships by Jana, Jill, Jessa, and Jinger Duggar is a really good book!These four sisters each have 18 siblings (most of which are younger than they are), and in this book they explain how their big family works and how they all get along. If you are familiar with the TV show 19 Kids and Counting, you will remember these girls from it. This book explains how you as a Christian girl, teenager, and woman should interact with the crazy world we live in. As the Bible says, ‘we are strangers and aliens in this world’ we have to learn how to be in the world but not of it.’ This encouraging book explains how you should be in your relationships with:

• Yourself
• Your parents
• Your siblings
• Friends
• Boys
• Your country
• The world
• And most importantly, God

We hope you like this book as much as we do!