#BLOOMpeace Devotional

m o o l b

PEACE

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(C) BLOOM CONFERENCE 2020

A 20-DAY BIBLE STUDY

BY TIFFANY THURSTON

OVERVIEW I don’t know about you but I feel like the word “PEACE” has been showing up everywhere and when we prayed about what this year’s theme should be we first discussed what we saw happening in our world and what types of lies we needed to combat with God’s Truth. We have been seeing isolation, depression, anxiety, loneliness, doubt, fear, and chaos consume the headlines and we wanted the antidote for that which we believe is found in God’s Holy and Living Word.

When we found Truths for the lies we saw a theme that developed that had to do with PEACE. As I was writing this devotional I was also reminded that peace is found everywhere in the Bible. It’s one of the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22, it’s a part of the #ArmorOfGod we are told to wear in Ephesians 6:15, Jesus calls us to be peacemakers in Matthew 5:9, and Prince of Peace is one of the names for our Savior, as we find in Isaiah 9:6.

So with that, welcome to #BLOOMpeace. A 20-day Bible Study that will help us to fix our eyes on things above and help us to live in God’s peace.

In order to break it down I broke down the weeks into HEART, SOUL, MIND, and STRENTGH since Mark 12:30 reminds us that’s how we are to love the Lord our God. I thought this would be an interesting way to dive into the aspects of peace by connecting these parts.

WEEK ONE - HEART

WEEK TWO - SOUL

WEEK THREE - MIND

WEEK FOUR - STRENGTH

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“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,…” Galatians 5:22 NLT “For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.” Ephesians 6:15 NLT “God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.” Matthew 5:9 NLT “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 NLT “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.” Mark 12:30

Can’t wait to dive into all God has for us as we #BLOOMpeace together!

Here we go!

MUCH LOVE + PEACE…Tiffany

STARTS MONDAY, OCTOBER 5th with our BLOOM Discipleship Community!

Feel free to get our FREE BLOOM Devotional Emails that will correlate with this study virtually. It’s also an easy way to invite friends to do this study with you!

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WEEK ONE DAY ONE

heart

Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart; Test me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way. Psalm 139:23-24 AMP

Romans 10:10 says “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

It starts with your heart and if the position of your heart is pointed and centered on Christ - there is SO MUCH HE CAN DO and that’s where your BELIEFS will overflow from.

The heart is a fragile gift that must be cared for and tended to. I can’t think of a better place to start our study with cleaning our heart and allowing Jesus to be the King of it.

Does He (God) have your heart?

Are you willing to let Him have it all?

What parts of your heart must you surrender and clean today?

BIGGEST TAKE-AWAY

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WEEK ONE DAY TWO

heart

“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.”

1 Peter 5:7 NLT

Matthew 6:27 says “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” OUCH but it’s true. I love that we have a Heavenly Father that is willing and ABLE to carry our cares, ween us from our worries, and free us from fear. However, even though HE IS ABLE - are we willing? Willing to apply the verb of this verse which is to GIVE. And not just one worry but ALL your worries and cares to God.

What concerns are you still hanging on to that you know you need to GIVE to God today?

He is able. Let’s be willing.

BIGGEST TAKE-AWAY

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DAY THREE “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His PEACE will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 NLT

Tell God what you need and THANK HIM for all He has done…THEN you will experience God’s peace! It doesn’t get more clear than that on how to receive God’s peace. So for today, let’s do exactly that - list your needs and then list your thank you’s to God for what He has already done!

NEEDS LIST THANKFUL LIST

BIGGEST TAKE-AWAY

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WEEK ONE DAY FOUR

heart

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT

What area do you need to TRUST God with more? Is it your future spouse? Or future dream? Is it your finances or job? Is it your health or welfare? Whatever it may be - let’s CHOOSE to trust even when we can’t understand how things will come to pass or occur.

Journal on that today.

BIGGEST TAKE-AWAY

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DAY FIVE Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Colossians 3:15

Today we are going to choose PEACE even if things are chaotic. We will choose peace even when the unexpected happens. We will choose peace even if things fall apart. And we will prepare for that by writing out an actual plan of what we’ll do “if” something like that happens today.

For example, if something unexpected and stressful happens today I will stop what I am doing, take three deep breaths, play “Turn Your Eyes” by Natalie Grant and the Belonging Co, pray and ask God for strength and perspective, call my sister to help me process it if she’s free, then decide not to react but to respond the way God would want me to respond.

What will be your game plan for peace today?

BIGGEST TAKE-AWAY

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WEEK TWO DAY SIX

soul

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30

If God’s yoke is “easy” and “light” then I’m assuming it’s “MY” yoke that makes things “heavy” and “hard.” That doesn’t mean I can’t experience heavy and hard things but how much of that “heavy and hard” am I creating myself?

Today let’s take inventory of just that. What in my life is heavy and hard vs easy and light and how do I need to LET GO and TRUST GOD more in those areas and release control from myself?

Also - choose someone you’ll call today to discuss this topic with. I believe God doesn’t want us to grow alone so let’s be mindful of WHO we can be growing in the Lord with.

BIGGEST TAKE-AWAY

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WEEK TWO DAY SEVEN

soul

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world [wealth, fame, success], but forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? Matthew 16:26 AMP

Is there anything that you’ve said “I’d give anything to have ___________!”

Maybe it’s wealth. Maybe it’s a relationship. And maybe you have really good reasons and intentions to say that but lemme ask you this - would it be worth it?

What do you think Jesus meant when he said these words and is He saying anything to you through it?

BIGGEST TAKE-AWAY

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DAY EIGHT Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord, my soul.

Psalm 146:1

Let the PEACE of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.

Colossians 3:15-17 MSG

Today we are going to have a #PraiseParty! I want you to pick your current favorite worship song and if you don’t have one Google Zeo Worship and find some of our music which is modern day worship songs in Hawaiian (yes, that’s a shameless plug for my new band haha!) And what I want you to do is to just listen, worship, and receive. Listen to the Holy Spirit, praise Jesus even if you don’t feel like it, and as you DECLARE TRUTH and SING YOUR HEART OUT I pray that you’ll find peace in Jesus Name.

BIGGEST TAKE-AWAY AFTER LISTENING TO MY SONG

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WEEK TWO DAY NINE

soul

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

One of my favorite Scriptures is 2 Timothy 3:16-17 which says “All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God’s will, both publicly and privately—behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage]; so that the man of God may be complete and proficient, outfitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

I love this because it sums up the POWER and NECESSITY of God’s Word active and alive in our lives!

Today I want you to pick ONE Scripture that you will attempt to MEMORIZE this week so that you can start hiding God’s Word in your heart as it says in Psalms 119:11. Let’s be women who allow God’s Word to be ACTIVE and ALIVE in our life.

THE SCRIPTURE I WILL MEMORIZE IS:

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DAY TEN He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. Psalms 46:10 NIV

Sometimes all we need to do is be still. We believe the Lord is acting on our behalf and sometimes the best way to see that is to stop and trust Him to do what only He can do.

We see that Jesus withdrew from the crowds in the New Testament to spend time in stillness and quiet with His Father. We need to do the same and I believe that practice alone will do wonders in our relationship with Jesus and will open the door for more miracles to happen in our life.

Today I will choose to be still for _________ minutes at __________ o’clock.

BIGGEST TAKE-AWAY

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WEEK THREE DAY ELEVEN

mind

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Isaiah 26:3 NIV

Trust and peace go hand-in-hand. When we surrender to God whatever is trying to steal our calm or hijack our peace there is a shift that happens with our stress and with what we are attempting to carry that was never meant for us to carry alone.

What’s trying to seize your peace today? Don’t let it take up residence in your mind. Journal it out or talk it out with a friend and then CHOOSE to let it go. I say “CHOOSE” because at the end of the day - it is our choice.

“Lord, please help us to keep our minds STEADFAST on YOU and TRUST in YOU even with all that is going on right now. We love you and we need You. Amen.”

BIGGEST TAKE-AWAY

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WEEK THREE DAY TWELVE

mind

The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. Romans 8:6

OOHHH SO GOOD! Which one is governing your mind? The flesh? Or the Spirit?

Right now we have a battle going on for our minds and our attention and like I mentioned yesterday we get to CHOOSE who takes up residence.

If you’re finding the flesh is beating out the Spirit consider turning down the “volume” of those negative things in your life. Is it too much TV or Social Media? Is it someone you are allowing to speak into your life?

Need more of God’s Spirit? Spend more time in the Word. Memorize the Word. Listen to worship music - even keep it on overnight and let His Presence protect you. Find a friend who loves Jesus and His Word and spend more time with them. Get involved at your local church. These are all small yet big ways to help defeat the flesh in our lives so that the Spirit can be the one who governs our minds in Jesus Name.

BIGGEST TAKE-AWAY

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DAY THIRTEEN Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Romans 12:2

What does this mean to you?

Journal about any “behaviors or customs” you may have to adjust or let go of in your life that is more of this world vs God’s will for your life.

What will you do to let God transform you?

BIGGEST TAKE-AWAY

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WEEK THREE DAY FOURTEEN

mind

For, “Who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?”

But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.

1 Corinthians 2:16

One of my favorite free resources is GotQuestions.org and I’ll reference them today because I love how they have answered the question:

“How can I have the mind of Christ?”

Having the mind of Christ means sharing the plan, purpose, and perspective of Christ, and it is something that all believers possess.

In the verses leading up to 1 Corinthians 2:16, we note some truths concerning the mind of Christ:

1. The mind of Christ stands in sharp contrast to the wisdom of man (verses 5-6).

2. The mind of Christ involves wisdom from God, once hidden but now revealed (verse 7).

3. The mind of Christ is given to believers through the Spirit of God (verses 10-12).

4. The mind of Christ cannot be understood by those without the Spirit (verse 14).

5. The mind of Christ gives believers discernment in spiritual matters (verse 15). **For more info go to www.gotquestions.org and type in “mind of Christ.”

BIGGEST TAKE-AWAY

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DAY FIFTEEN Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3:2 NIV

Let’s see if you can remember what the 7 attributes of Philippians 4:8 that we taught at BLOOM are?

1.___________________________

____________________________

2.___________________________

____________________________

3.___________________________

____________________________

4.___________________________

____________________________

5.___________________________

____________________________

6.___________________________

____________________________

7.___________________________

____________________________

Now I want you to fill-in-the-blank next to it and write down something of each attribute that you can set your mind on today.

For example: 1. _True______________________

_God is in control______________

**Okay, so I gave you the first answer but now fill in the rest so that we can set our minds on things above.

BIGGEST TAKE-AWAY

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WEEK FOUR DAY SIXTEEN

strength

“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14 NIV

I love the song “Surrounded (Fight My Battles)” that says “it may look like I’m surrounded but I’m surrounded by You…this is how I fight my battles…” It’s such a great declaration and Truth that He is with us in all battles and that He is the One that can fight on our behalf we only need to be still and trust Him. Take a listen to that song today and let me ask you:

What battle must you let God fight for you today?

BIGGEST TAKE-AWAY

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WEEK FOUR DAY SEVENTEEN

strength

“I have told you all this so that you may have PEACE in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 NLT

Jesus already has the victory.

I am a huge football fan and there have been times when I’ve watched games even after I know who won. I’ve noticed my stress level is drastically lower when I watch those games because I already know who won so I don’t have to worry if my team is losing in the 3rd quarter because I know somehow they are going to make a comeback and WIN!

Well the same goes for our lives! Jesus has already WON the biggest battle over sin and death on the cross therefore even when things look crazy or really uncertain we can rest and take heart in the fact that Jesus has already made the ultimate comeback and has won the battle for us!

So let’s cut back on the stress and rest in the One who is in control and already has the victory!

BIGGEST TAKE-AWAY

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DAY EIGHTEEN He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:29-31

Those who HOPE in the Lord will RENEW their strength.

How will we choose to HOPE in the Lord today? I want you to journal on exactly that today. How we will ACTIVE hope in Lord in our lives today in hopes that we can access that hope in a practical way and see our strength renewed in Him.

BIGGEST TAKE-AWAY

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WEEK FOUR DAY NINETEEN

strength

I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13 NIV

A few years ago I looked up the Hawaiian version of this verse in the Baibala and I found something that really helped me to understand this verse on a whole new level and it was this:

E hiki no ia’u na mea a pau, ke kokua mai o Kristo ia’u. Philipi 4:13

Now you might be saying, Tiff, umm, I don’t read or understand Hawaiian.

Haha. That’s totally fine but a key word I wanted to point out was “KOKUA” which in Hawaiian means to “help, aid, assistance, relief, etc” and I thought that that was another layer to the “strength.” It’s not just the Lord giving you strength but also giving you help. Giving you aid. Giving you assistance.

Giving you relief.

Supposedly the Hawaiian Bible (Baibala) was translated directly from the Hebrew language and if that’s true that makes the translation even more rich for us to understand and comprehend.

With God - we can do anything but we must surrender and allow Him to be the “strength, help, aid, assistance, and relief” in our lives like only He can.

BIGGEST TAKE-AWAY

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DAY TWENTY The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.

My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. Psalm 28:7 NIV

May our lives be the “song” that praises Him every day!

May our words be the “lyrics” that line up with His Truth.

May our thoughts be “in tune” with His Ways.

May our hearts be the “metronome” that is powered by all He is!

With Him our lives will be a composition of His Grace and His Goodness.

Write out your praises to Him today and how your heart leaps for joy in Him!

BIGGEST TAKE-AWAY

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