Restore your life - Are deceivers blinding You to God's purpose for your life? - Growing Through God's Word
What’s keeping you from following your purpose?
Are you looking to restore your life and purpose? What is distracting you?
I am continuing to study Titus using the SIMPLE Method of Bible Study and Ed Hird’s book Restoring Health. Today I am working through Titus 1:11.
If you want a PDF of the SIMPLE Bible Study –
please click on SIMPLE Bible Study by Janis Cox.
Of course, I start with a prayer for God to open the Scripture to me.
S – Say the passage aloud.
They must be silenced because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach – and that for the sake of dishonest gain (Titus 1:11, NIVUK).
I – Identify the characters, the setting, and the circumstances surrounding this passage.
Since we have been following Titus verse by verse, if you are new here, you will need to go back to the beginning to better understand the characters, setting and circumstances.
Continuing from the last verse from last week:
They = mere talkers and deceivers
These deceivers are teaching things they ought not to teach.
M- Make a list of the thoughts, questions and ideas.
So how do we silence them? Everyone is involved – whole households. I wonder who the “they” were in Paul’s day. Were they people who knew God but started their own ideas? Or were they people who wanted to have people follow them – for the sake of dishonest gain. So they pretended to be “like” the apostles but without the sound doctrine of Jesus.
Were they Jewish rabbis who were following so closely to the rules they forgot to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with their God? (Micah 6:8) Remember Jesus got very angry when they turned the temple into a marketplace – Church is supposed to be a House of God.
I look at all that can deceive us. There is plenty. We have so much vying for our attention – TV, videos, movies, social media, sellers, Facebook ads, – all taking us on rabbit trails (some good some bad).
This all reminded me of Satan’s Letter.
What takes us away from the TRUTH – that we follow Jesus? Are we holding firmly to the trustworthy message as we have learned it from Jesus? (Titus 1:9)
P – Pray again for God’s guidance.
Make sure when you do this study that you take time for this step. Otherwise we are thinking our own thoughts and can be led astray.
L- Life – How can I apply what I have been studying to my life?
Deceivers come looking like goodness but they are covered up and we can’t see the truth behind them. Remember Satan is the devil in disguise. I chose the icon because Satan can come looking like a Valentine.
the two greatest dangers to … the Kingdom of God, come from two directions, money and power… Money and power crucified Christ (E. Stanley Jones).
This reminded me again of the course by Dave Ramsey, Financial Peace. We need to get a handle on money so it doesn’t get a handle on us.
I wanted to look at all the areas of my life – all of them. Where could I be deceived?
Here is what I discovered.
POWER –
That is self. I struggle with self sometimes, many times. I have to keep asking myself, am I going this for God or me?
SOCIAL MEDIA
I must watch how much time I spend on this. Which one should I focus on?
PROCRASTINATION
Of course I do what I like to do first, or what is most pressing. But maybe I need to stop and ask God where I need to focus my attention for that time?
ACTIVITIES/STUFF
God is really speaking to me about this. Is there something else I need to lay down?
About 10 years ago I heard my LIFE VERSE, “feed my lambs”. I have been trying to do this but I do go on rabbit trails. That is why this year my goal is to be Intentional to Restore my focus on God.
So in December I decided to stop writing for Inscribe, stop Under the Cover of Prayer, stop Family and Faith Matters.
I picked up being a contributor to Hope Stream Radio each Tuesday. I hope you listen to this wonderful online radio station.
And I keep hearing, do Sunday Stillness.
Of course then there are projects I need to still work on this. Which ones?
E – Exit the passage with a prayer for God to help you.
Lord, all of the things I am involved in are good things but they may not be where you want me to spend my time. Help me to wrestle through this. I am asking for clarification of the truth – the real road. Please point me in the right direction. Help me to learn the best way to “feed your lambs”. Help me clearly see and hear the deceivers. In Jesus’ name. AMEN.
Tweetable:
Are deceivers blinding you to God’s purpose for your life? (click tweet)
2015 – my year for being intentional to focus on God’s plan (click to tweet)
CALL TO ACTION
Do you want to restore your life and faith in Jesus?
Are you struggling to find time to get to know God?
Are you anxious but don’t know how to deal with it?
Do you want to know what path God has for you?
Do you need more time reading your Bible?
I have a solution for you.
Join me on my FB Page called Growing Through Gods’ Word. We learn together how to pray and how to study His Word.
This month I am offering 3 – free spots – to 3 people for a “coffee Skype or FB Messenger video” to talk over what you feel you need to accomplish these goals. The first 3 to email me get a spot. Email me at Janis Cox.
