Week 7 - Day 4

DAY 4

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone
through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to
the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is
unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who
has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet was without sin.
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so
that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time
of need. Heb 4:14-16

I (Sheri) cannot tell you how much of my Christian walk I spent
going to the throne of condemnation (or so I thought). I just
couldn’t seem to get control of my mouth or my behavior. I
would just drag myself to the throne so full of guilt and pain in
my heart for my lack of ability to walk in the truth. I never felt
like I was worthy to ask for anything of magnitude. I didn’t
realize that it was the THRONE OF GRACE. You and I can
approach God in prayer with CONFIDENCE – like a son or
daughter of a loving Father and the King of Kings!

Now, grab your SOAR notebook and take notes while you read
these amazing verses.

Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on
ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.
After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by
himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the
boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by
the waves because the wind was against it. During the fourth
watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.
When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were
terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus
immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."
"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the
water." "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat,
walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the
wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save
me!" Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.
"You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" And when
they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who
were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of
God." Matt 14:22-33

Has looking at our circumstances been a fire-extinguisher to our
faith? Faith is not a feeling and we have to keep our eyes on
Jesus!

Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their
synagogue, and they were amazed. "Where did this man get this
wisdom and these miraculous powers?" they asked. "Isn't this the
carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his
brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren't all his sisters
with us? Where then did this man get all these things?" And they
took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "Only in his
hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor." And
he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.
Matt 13:54-58

Well-meaning Christian cultures can become faithless. Sometimes
church and religious disciplines become too common, the “norm”
and just no big deal. That’s when we have substituted a dynamic
faith relationship with God for religion. Pray this with me (Amy):
Father, I pray that we will know and want nothing but you.
Imagine what it felt like to Jesus not being able to fully minister in
His hometown. He came and laid down His life for all of us –
even those that rejected Him.

Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve
years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. She
said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed." Jesus
turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith
has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment.
When Jesus entered the ruler's house and saw the flute players
and the noisy crowd, he said, "Go away. The girl is not dead but
asleep." But they laughed at him. After the crowd had been put
outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up.
News of this spread through all that region. As Jesus went on
from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, "Have mercy
on us, Son of David!" When he had gone indoors, the blind men
came to him, and he asked them, "Do you believe that I am able
to do this?" "Yes, Lord," they replied. Then he touched their eyes
and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you"; and
their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, "See that no
one knows about this." But they went out and spread the news
about him all over that region. Matt. 9:20-31

If you had to develop a statement for what the essence of all these
verses mean in 10 words or less, what would that statement be?
Write it down in your SOAR notebook. What verse has impacted
your life the most this week?

Week 7 - Day 3

DAY 3

The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry.
Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had
any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves,
because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree,
"May no one ever eat fruit from you again." And his disciples
heard him say it. On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple
area and began driving out those who were buying and selling
there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the
benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to
carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as he taught
them, he said, "Is it not written: "'My house will be called a house
of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it 'a den of
robbers.'" The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this
and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him,
because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.

When evening came, they went out of the city. In the morning, as
they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots.
Peter remembered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree
you cursed has withered!" "Have faith in God," Jesus answered.

"I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw
yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but
believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that
you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand
praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so
that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." Mark
11:12-25 KJV

Jesus made some amazing statements about faith! Is there
anything too difficult for God (the One who created everything)?
Recently, a friend of the family (Amy’s family) was diagnosed
with colon cancer. The doctors said it was terminal and that he
only had six months to live. This friend witnessed to the doctor
and told him he believed that God would heal him He later prayed
and told God that he wanted God to be “amazed” by his faith.
Guess what? Yep! This dear friend (in a matter of weeks) was
totally healed! The doctor was amazed! American Christians do
not always experience the miraculous power of God like other
believers from around the world. Could it be that we have God in
a “box?” Do we put limits on God?

What mountains are in your life? Consider this…prayer
without faith is useless.

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but
has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or
sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him,
"Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing
about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith
by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone
will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith
without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You
believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe
that-and shudder. You foolish man, do you want evidence that
faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham
considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son
Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were
working together, and his faith was made complete by what he
did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed
God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was
called God's friend. You see that a person is justified by what he
does and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not even Rahab
the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave
lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As
the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
James 2:14-3:1

How do you live out your faith? Living in obedience to God is
faith in action!

If I say I believe, but my actions don’t match, then maybe I just
have a knowledge of God. We can have knowledge of God, but
not have faith (trust and reliance upon Him). Take a minute and
evaluate where you are.

Read these scriptures:
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no
one should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we
should walk in them. Eph 2:8-10 NASB

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Rom 10:17 KJV

Isn’t it great that God provided a way for us to increase our faith?
From hearing! As you renew your mind with the Word of God,
faith will result.

Pray this: Father, I pray right now that you transform the inner
most parts of our minds and hearts through the power of your Holy
Spirit and through the renewing our minds with your Word! In
Jesus name, Amen.

Week 7 - Day 2

DAY 2 – The word “faith” is used over 250 times in the New
Testament. And without faith it is impossible to please God. Heb
11:6 KJV

In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which, when
translated, is Dorcas), who was always doing good and helping
the poor. About that time she became sick and died, and her body
was washed and placed in an upstairs room. Lydda was near
Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they
sent two men to him and urged him, "Please come at once!"
Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs
to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing
him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she
was still with them. Peter sent them all out of the room; then he
got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead
woman, he said, "Tabitha, get up." She opened her eyes, and
seeing Peter she sat up. He took her by the hand and helped her to
her feet. Then he called the believers and the widows and
presented her to them alive. This became known all over Joppa,
and many people believed in the Lord. Peter stayed in Joppa for
some time with a tanner named Simon. Acts 9:36-43 KJV

I (Sheri) love this passage! He got on His knees and prayed.
Next, he spoke to her (see also Mark 11:23). He prayed, believed
and believed it so much that he spoke to a dead person knowing
that God would give him what he had prayed for. He wasn’t
shocked at the power of God because He knew God! Do you
desire faith in God like Peter? I do! Let us fix our eyes on Jesus,
the author and perfecter of our faith, Heb 12:2

So, are you stuck with the same measure of faith? Check out these
scriptures and ask God to strengthen and increase your faith in
Him.

We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so,
because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every
one of you has for each other is increasing. Therefore, among
God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in
all the persecutions and trials you are enduring. 2 Thes. 1:3-4

Then one of the crowd answered and said, “Teacher, I brought
You my son, who has a mute spirit. And wherever it seizes him, it
throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and
becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast
it out, but they could not.” He answered him and said, “O
faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long
shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.” Then they brought him
to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed
him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the
mouth. So He asked his father, “How long has this been
happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. And often he
has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy
him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help
us.” Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are
possible to him who believes.” Immediately the father of the
child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my
unbelief!” When Jesus saw that the people came running
together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “Deaf and
dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no
more!” Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and
came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said,
“He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up,
and he arose. And when He had come into the house, His
disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?”
So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but
prayer and fasting. Mark 9:17-29 NKJV

Pull out your SOAR notebook. We have been through many
scriptures today.
• Write down what your favorite verse from this passage.
• Which verse shook you up or challenged you to know and seek
God more?

Week 7 - Day 1

EAT! - Week 7
SEEK GOD

Know God through Prayer

Objective: To seek to know God through intercessory prayer,
petitions, and faith.

Key Verse: And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds
of prayers and requests. Eph. 6:18

In 2007, my (Amy) prayer life took a huge turn for the good. I had
been walking with God for nearly 20 years, the trouble was that I
had become a professional (or so I thought) Christian. God was in
a neat and tidy box that I had made out of “good” theology. Please
don’t misunderstand. If God’s Word could be called “the box,”
then that is “THE BOX” we all can safely abide in. My “box”
forgot, left out, or misplaced the truth that our prayers can, by
faith, move mountains! Also, I rediscovered that person abiding
in Christ and living out of His righteousness, has an advantage.
James 5 tells us “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and
effective.” All Christians are positionally righteous, but not all
live out of that righteousness. Can anyone say “amen?” Basically,
my “box” blew up! I took the limits off God in my life and He
became infinitely greater to me! And I am more acutely aware of
His power working in and through me!

Prayer is one of the greatest privileges a believer has on this earth.
Through prayer we gain access to the Greatest Power Source (God
Almighty) known to man. You have an opportunity now to read,
look closely at, soak in, take seriously, receive and believe the
following scriptures. Do you want to become a person of prayer
and faith? Better yet, do you want to have effective and powerful
prayers? If you give yourself to the quest of seeking to better
understand prayer, this will be a faith-building, life-changing time
for you! Ask the Holy Spirit to teach and guide you as you study.

You may want to order and begin reading a book I (Amy) highly
recommend (The Kneeling Christian by An Unknown Author,
published by Zondervan) on prayer. My desire is that you will
know God intimately through prayer and rest in Him, and believe
like you’ve never believed before, that “With God all things are
possible”!

DAY 1 –
There are 7 days of assignments this week! You may want to
spend the next 2 weeks studying and meditating on these
passages.

Here are some ideas for your study time: Read, read and read the
Scriptures. Document in your SOAR notebook all that stands out
to you. You will see how closely prayer and faith are related.
Faith comes from hearing and hearing the word of God. Rom.
10:17

Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy?
Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should
call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him
with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith
will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he
has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to
each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.
The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah
was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain,
and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again
he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its
crops. James 5:13-18

• Do you confess your sins to one another?
All sins were paid for on the cross. However, when you are
living in a way that is not obedient or doesn’t honor God, the
Holy Spirit will convict you of this. If you continue to live in
sin as a believer, you leave a door open to the enemy to come
in and attack and you live outside the umbrella of protection
God has set out for you. Confess your sins quickly to one
another because a sin in the dark has power over you, but a sin
brought into the light can set you free!

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives
generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who
doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord;
he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. James 1:5-8
KJV

Have you ever felt like “…a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by
the wind”? I know I (Sheri) have! I remember when there was no
peace in my life. I would ask God for something, but if I were
honest with you, I didn’t really believe that He would do it.

Pray the Eph. 1:17-23 prayer from week 5 and ask God to give
you a spirit of wisdom and revelation. I have prayed this prayer
for over four years. I can testify to how God has truly flooded the
eyes of my heart to understand and believe His word.

Now He (Jesus) was telling them a parable to show that at all
times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, saying, "There was
in a certain city a judge who did not fear God, and did not respect
man.” And there was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to
him, saying, 'Give me legal protection from my opponent.' "And
for a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself,
'Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this
widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, lest by
continually coming she wear me out.' " And the Lord said, "Hear
what the unrighteous judge said; now shall not God bring about
justice for His elect, who cry to Him day and night, and will He
delay long over them? "I tell you that He will bring about justice
for them speedily. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He
find faith on the earth?"

And He also told this parable to certain ones who trusted in
themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with
contempt: "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a
Pharisee, and the other a tax-gatherer.” The Pharisee stood and
was praying thus to himself, 'God, I thank Thee that I am not like
other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this taxgatherer.
'I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.' "But
the tax-gatherer, standing some distance away, was even
unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast,
saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!' "I tell you, this man
went down to his house justified rather than the other; for
everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, but he who
humbles himself shall be exalted." And they were bringing even
their babies to Him so that He might touch them, but when the
disciples saw it, they began rebuking them. But Jesus called for
them, saying, "Permit the children to come to Me, and do not
hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”
Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God
like a child shall not enter it at all." Luke 18:1-17 NASB

According to this passage, what should your attitude be like when
you prayer?

Week 7 Group it! Part 2

Now, break into prayer partnerships and let’s pray with one
another. Be real and transparent with God. Don’t feel intimated
sharing your heart with God in front of someone else. Don’t worry
about what you sound like or about what you say or don’t say.
Just allow yourself to be vulnerable with God.
What if you don’t know what to pray? The bible is packed full of
prayers. Jeremiah 1:12 says that God’s Word is active and alive
and He watches over it to perform it, so, you can never go wrong
praying Scriptures.

Here are some scripture prayers that you may want to keep with
you to pray when needed:
• For protection - Psalm 91
• To know God, your calling, identity and what is yours –
Eph. 1:17-23
• To deepen your understanding of God – Eph. 3:16-20
• God knows your thoughts – Ps. 139:1-4
• When your mountain (your problems or circumstances)
seems too big – Isaiah 41:15 and Mark 11:23

NOW “SHARE!”
Gather back together
• Discuss why you think prayer is important?

Week 7 Group it!

GROUP “SHARE!” TIME

Read this passage together.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on
the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the
devil's schemes. 12 For 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. 13 Therefore 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. 14
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist,
with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your
feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which
you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take
the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the
word of God. 18 And 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. Eph 6:10-18

What stands out to you in these verses? One thing that stands out
to me (Sheri) is that we are in a spiritual battle. Can you see the
“Spirit world”? I can’t. So many times, I try to fight the battle
that I can see with my eyes, but there are other things going on
with the spiritual side that I cannot see. Prayer is a weapon in this
battle!

Like we shared with you on video this week, share with one
another the journey of your personal prayer life and
relationship with God.

Week 7 Share it!

SHARE! - Week 7

SEEK GOD

Know God through Prayer

Week 6 Review Question: Did you write a note to God in your
prayer journal this week? If so, would you share it with us?

Objective: To seek to know God through intercessory prayer,
petitions, and faith.

Key Verse: And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds
of prayers and requests. Eph. 6:18

Today, we have the opportunity to pray together! For some, you
might be really comfortable with this. For others, this may be your
first time and you might have the desire to run for the door, but
don’t! I (Sheri) remember the first time I had to pray aloud with
others. I was scared! I have no idea what words came out of my
mouth, but I know it was short.

Don’t worry about what you sound like or about what you say or
don’t say. Remember what God wants most of all - is YOU! He
wants a relationship with you. You don’t have a relationship if
you don’t talk to or spend time with God.

Jesus’ last words in John 17 were that the body of Christ would be
ONE like He and the Father were One. Coming together in prayer
is a great way to exercise oneness and unity. It will build you up
and help you pray on the spot with others in the future.