Divine Disruption December 15th Faith Over Fear Chapters 11-15
December 22nd The Legacy Lives On Chapters 16-20
Chapter Summaries And Questions Janice Rhodes Casey / Marben Bland
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CHAPTER 11 Getting Our Attention "The COVID 19 Disruption was a way for God to get our attention" Tony Evans Romans 1:21–24 describes what happens when an individual, family, church, or nation depart from God: “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals, and reptiles. Therefore, God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts” (NIV).
HOW DID GOD GET YOUR ATTENTION DURING THE PANDEMIC?
CHAPTER 12 GOOD NEWS ON GOOD FRIDAY 22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never never come to an end;23 they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. 24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” Lamentations 3:22-24 During the pandemic lockdown, Chrystal Evans Hurst streamed a daily talk show. It was a time for her and others to focus on the Lord. One of her favorite conversations was a Friday chat with her father, Dr. Tony Evans. Dr. Evans, mentioned the difficulties of losing loved ones including the loneliness of the lockdown and being without his wife, Lois who died in December 2019. He relied on Lamentations of 3:22-24 during those difficult days.
QUESTIONS/ THOUGHTS LAMENTATIONS 3:22-24 01
In these days of change is or should the love of God be “steadfast?”
What does the “new mercies every morning” of God 02 mean to you? How does that square with the steadfastness of God?
Chapter 13
Strength In Your Struggles S TO STA Y A
Dr. Tony Evans
Y
W
"Every honest believer, at some point, comes to a place where instead of singing praises, they sing the blues. We have all cried out in the dark, “God, where are you?”
during The Holidays CL D OS E TO GO
1. Start Your Day With Scripture
It sounds simple, but it can also be very hard to read the Word regularly. Still, I have found that when I start my day in the Bible, my heart and mind are better prepared to respond to God’s presence throughout the rest of the day.
2. Make Time to Serve
Too often, the holidays can cause us to focus on ourselves—what we want, what we wish we had and how much we must do. But when we take time to serve others through our church and community, we are fulfilling a central call of the Gospel (1 Peter 4:10, Galatians 5:13).
3. Listen to Good Music
In our home and car, I play music that reminds me of God’s presence in my life.
4. Pray When You Feel Overwhelmed
Feeling overwhelmed during this time of year is common, and one of the best ways to release stress is to verbally “cast all your anxiety on [God] because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). I talkw with God out loud about what is causing my stress and anxiety. Asking Him for His peace is a necessity for me this time of year!
5. Know How To Say No
Saying yes to everything this time of year won’t do anything except exhaust and deplete you.
How do you stay closed to God during the holidays?
Faith Over Fear
Chapter 14
ISAIAH 43:2-3 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. 3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush[a] and Seba in your stead.
QUESTIONS / REFLECTIONS
1. What is your greatest fear? 2. What comforts can you take from this scripture? 3. How would you use this scripture to help calm the fears of a loved one? 4. Do you have “go to scriptures” songs or prayers that help calm your fears?
The Right Thing Along The Way
Chapter 15
Leviticus 25:3-6, 11-12
If you follow my statutes and faithfully observe my commands, I will give you rain at the right time, and the land will yield its produce, and the trees of the field will bear their fruit. Your threshing will continue until grape harvest, and the grape harvest will continue until sowing time; you will have plenty of food to eat and live securely in your land. I will give peace to the land, and you will lie down with nothing to frighten you. . . . I will turn to you, make you fruitful and multiply you, and confirm my covenant with you. . . . I will place my residence among you, and I will not reject you. I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.
God prepares us through the ordinary, everyday tasks of life. There are no insignificant task in God's kingdom.
Questions & Reflections
Priscilla Shirer
How is God involved in your everyday life? What are the spiritual practices you take part in daily?
DWELL Chapter 16
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; M y God, in Him I will trust.” —Psalm 91:1–2 NKJV Between the pandemic and personal losses, I’ve come to realize that healing comes with sitting in an open, truthful relationship with the Lord. Not out of religion or requirement or anything other than dwelling in relationship with Him every single day. Relationship is built on honesty. Honesty about my pain, my disappointments, my expectations. Instead of pretending, I talk to God about the times I feel that He failed me or how it seemed like so many of those promises we proclaimed did not come to pass. If I feel that God has let me down, I talk to Him about it instead of hiding it. To me, that’s true intimacy. I’m not acting like I’m okay and keeping it all inside because that’s the proper religious thing to do.
J o n a t h a n
E v a n s
What does it means to dwell with God?
Chapter 17
The Art Of Surrender
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we[b] boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Romans 5:1-5 NIV
How could I remain hopeful after God did not answer one of the biggest prayers of my life?
Tony Evans Hope is our expectation for the future. I had hopes that my wife, Lois, would be completely restored. We had goals, dreams of the future, great things we wanted to do together for the Lord and with each other. God chose not to answer my prayer in the way I had hoped. So I had to hold on to a hope that God, in His wisdom, had a greater purpose and plan that could only be fulfilled in this way. So, I cling to hope in Him. Hope for strength, for courage, for help in finding a way to move forward.
Tony & Lois Evans
Surrender is admitting that God’s plan is better.
Reflect on God's Better Plan For You.
Divine Reset Chapter
In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by Jeremiah is known as the weeping prophet. If you are already depressed, the book of Jeremiah will probably not be your go-to for devotional time. Why did this young prophet weep? Because the people had departed from God and everything was falling to pieces, families were torn to shreds, and the culture was collapsing around him. Sound familiar? We want the coronavirus to disappear, for racial harmony to arise, for dignity to reassert itself, for unity to be magnified and manifested. Jeremiah said that first, there must be a resetting of priorities. We must stop defining success by society’s standards and replace it with kingdom standards.
means of Christ Jesus. So, after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. 1 Peter 5:10 NLT
What are the kingdom standards we should use in the resets of our lives?
Deuteronomy 30:19-20 19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Priscilla
Anthony
A lot of things we thought were so important don’t matter as much anymore.
Tony
I can’t go back to the way things used to be. I don’t want to. God has brought me and my family a new normal, and we are pressing on.
Jonathan Chapter 19
The best thing we can do is love God and enjoy this short life with the people we love.
Chrystal No matter what you are going through. Hold tight to God. You are going to be okay.
What Matters
Most
What Matters Most To You?
The pace of our lives has always been fast. Mom would remind us over and over again, “Slow down. Take time. Stop and smell the roses before they’re gone.” She could see from the outside looking in that if we weren’t mindful of our schedules and commitments, we could easily be overrun by them. Her wise counsel continues to help me make decisions about the pace and priorities in my life. Balance is tough, but it’s an ongoing pursuit.
Chapter 20
Legacy Lives On See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:19 NIV
1. How does legacy inspire legacy? 2. What new thing(s) is God doing in your life? 3. How would you describe this book and Bible Study to others?
I think about all the loved ones we have lost over the last few years. The Bible says they will not return to us, but we shall join them. On that day it will be all sweet and no bitter, all peace and joy, no more loss or grief or pain. Because of the hope we have in Christ, we will see Mommy again. That takes away a bit of death’s sting. Until then, we will carry the mantle, and we will carry on.
Anthony
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