The passage this message was preached from, in full, with every other passage it reached for.
Genesis 12:3God's promise to Abraham to bless those who bless him and curse those who curse him, and that all families of the earth will be blessed through him
3 I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who treates you with contempt. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you.”
Leah's story, naming her sons Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, used to illustrate the breakthrough that comes from praise
1 Then Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the children of the east.
2 He looked, and behold, a well in the field, and, behold, three flocks of sheep lying there by it. For out of that well they watered the flocks. The stone on the well’s mouth was large.
3 There all the flocks were gathered. They rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again on the well’s mouth in its place.
4 Jacob said to them, “My relatives, where are you from?” They said, “We are from Haran.”
5 He said to them, “Do you know Laban, the son of Nahor?” They said, “We know him.”
6 He said to them, “Is it well with him?” They said, “It is well. See, Rachel, his daughter, is coming with the sheep.”
7 He said, “Behold, it is still the middle of the day, not time to gather the livestock together. Water the sheep, and go and feed them.”
8 They said, “We can’t, until all the flocks are gathered together, and they roll the stone from the well’s mouth. Then we water the sheep.”
9 While he was yet speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she kept them.
10 When Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban, his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban, his mother’s brother, Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother’s brother.
11 Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept.
12 Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s brother, and that he was Rebekah’s son. She ran and told her father.
13 When Laban heard the news of Jacob, his sister’s son, he ran to meet Jacob, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all these things.
14 Laban said to him, “Surely you are my bone and my flesh.” He stayed with him for a month.
15 Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my brother, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what will your wages be?”
16 Laban had two daughters. The name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.
17 Leah’s eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and attractive.
18 Jacob loved Rachel. He said, “I will serve you seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter.”
19 Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you, than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me.”
20 Jacob served seven years for Rachel. They seemed to him but a few days, for the love he had for her.
21 Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her.”
22 Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast.
23 In the evening, he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him. He went in to her.
24 Laban gave Zilpah his servant to his daughter Leah for a servant.
25 In the morning, behold, it was Leah! He said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Didn’t I serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?”
26 Laban said, “It is not done so in our place, to give the younger before the firstborn.
27 Fulfill the week of this one, and we will give you the other also for the service which you will serve with me yet seven other years.”
28 Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week. He gave him Rachel his daughter as wife.
29 Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah, his servant, to be her servant.
30 He went in also to Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years.
31 Yahweh saw that Leah was hated, and he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.
32 Leah conceived, and bore a son, and she named him Reuben. For she said, “Because Yahweh has looked at my affliction; for now my husband will love me.”
33 She conceived again, and bore a son, and said, “Because Yahweh has heard that I am hated, he has therefore given me this son also.” She named him Simeon.
34 She conceived again, and bore a son. Said, “Now this time will my husband be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore his name was called Levi.
35 She conceived again, and bore a son. She said, “This time will I praise Yahweh.” Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing.
clothe yourself with humility, God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble, cast your care on him, resist the devil who prowls like a roaring lion
1 Therefore I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and who will also share in the glory that will be revealed.
2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion, but voluntarily, not for dishonest gain, but willingly;
3 neither as lording it over those entrusted to you, but making yourselves examples to the flock.
4 When the chief Shepherd is revealed, you will receive the crown of glory that doesn’t fade away.
5 Likewise, you younger ones, be subject to the elder. Yes, all of you clothe yourselves with humility, to subject yourselves to one another; for “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time;
7 casting all your worries on him, because he cares for you.
8 Be sober and self-controlled. Be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
9 Withstand him steadfast in your faith, knowing that your brothers who are in the world are undergoing the same sufferings.
10 But may the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.
11 To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
12 Through Silvanus, our faithful brother, as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand.
13 She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, greets you; and so does Mark, my son.
14 Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace be to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, face to the ground, praying that the cup would pass but surrendering to the Father's will
1 When Jesus had finished all these words, he said to his disciples,
2 “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”
3 Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people were gathered together in the court of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas.
4 They took counsel together that they might take Jesus by deceit, and kill him.
5 But they said, “Not during the feast, lest a riot occur among the people.”
6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,
7 a woman came to him having an alabaster jar of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table.
8 But when his disciples saw this, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste?
9 For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.”
10 However, knowing this, Jesus said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? She has done a good work for me.
11 For you always have the poor with you; but you don’t always have me.
12 For in pouring this ointment on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.
13 Most certainly I tell you, wherever this Good News is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of as a memorial of her.”
14 Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests,
15 and said, “What are you willing to give me, that I should deliver him to you?” They weighed out for him thirty pieces of silver.
16 From that time he sought opportunity to betray him.
17 Now on the first day of unleavened bread, the disciples came to Jesus, saying to him, “Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?”
18 He said, “Go into the city to a certain person, and tell him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.”’”
19 The disciples did as Jesus commanded them, and they prepared the Passover.
20 Now when evening had come, he was reclining at the table with the twelve disciples.
21 As they were eating, he said, “Most certainly I tell you that one of you will betray me.”
22 They were exceedingly sorrowful, and each began to ask him, “It isn’t me, is it, Lord?”
23 He answered, “He who dipped his hand with me in the dish, the same will betray me.
24 The Son of Man goes, even as it is written of him, but woe to that man through whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for that man if he had not been born.”
25 Judas, who betrayed him, answered, “It isn’t me, is it, Rabbi?” He said to him, “You said it.”
26 As they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks for it, and broke it. He gave to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.”
27 He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave to them, saying, “All of you drink it,
28 for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the remission of sins.
29 But I tell you that I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on, until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s Kingdom.”
30 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
31 Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of me tonight, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’
32 But after I am raised up, I will go before you into Galilee.”
33 But Peter answered him, “Even if all will be made to stumble because of you, I will never be made to stumble.”
34 Jesus said to him, “Most certainly I tell you that tonight, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”
35 Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you.” All of the disciples also said likewise.
36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go there and pray.”
37 He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and severely troubled.
38 Then he said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here, and watch with me.”
39 He went forward a little, fell on his face, and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me; nevertheless, not what I desire, but what you desire.”
40 He came to the disciples, and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What, couldn’t you watch with me for one hour?
41 Watch and pray, that you don’t enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42 Again, a second time he went away, and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cup can’t pass away from me unless I drink it, your desire be done.”
43 He came again and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy.
44 He left them again, went away, and prayed a third time, saying the same words.
45 Then he came to his disciples, and said to them, “Sleep on now, and take your rest. Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
46 Arise, let’s be going. Behold, he who betrays me is at hand.”
47 While he was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and elders of the people.
48 Now he who betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, “Whoever I kiss, he is the one. Seize him.”
49 Immediately he came to Jesus, and said, “Hail, Rabbi!” and kissed him.
50 Jesus said to him, “Friend, why are you here?” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.
51 Behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck the servant of the high priest, and struck off his ear.
52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place, for all those who take the sword will die by the sword.
53 Or do you think that I couldn’t ask my Father, and he would even now send me more than twelve legions of angels?
54 How then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that it must be so?”
55 In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, “Have you come out as against a robber with swords and clubs to…
the bleeding woman who touched Jesus's cloak and was healed, used as the central illustration for deciding to thrive
1 They came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.
2 When he had come out of the boat, immediately a man with an unclean spirit met him out of the tombs.
3 He lived in the tombs. Nobody could bind him any more, not even with chains,
4 because he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him, and the fetters broken in pieces. Nobody had the strength to tame him.
5 Always, night and day, in the tombs and in the mountains, he was crying out, and cutting himself with stones.
6 When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and bowed down to him,
7 and crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have I to do with you, Jesus, you Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, don’t torment me.”
8 For he said to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!”
9 He asked him, “What is your name?” He said to him, “My name is Legion, for we are many.”
10 He begged him much that he would not send them away out of the country.
11 Now on the mountainside there was a great herd of pigs feeding.
12 All the demons begged him, saying, “Send us into the pigs, that we may enter into them.”
13 At once Jesus gave them permission. The unclean spirits came out and entered into the pigs. The herd of about two thousand rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and they were drowned in the sea.
14 Those who fed them fled, and told it in the city and in the country. The people came to see what it was that had happened.
15 They came to Jesus, and saw him who had been possessed by demons sitting, clothed, and in his right mind, even him who had the legion; and they were afraid.
16 Those who saw it declared to them what happened to him who was possessed by demons, and about the pigs.
17 They began to beg him to depart from their region.
18 As he was entering into the boat, he who had been possessed by demons begged him that he might be with him.
19 He didn’t allow him, but said to him, “Go to your house, to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how he had mercy on you.”
20 He went his way, and began to proclaim in Decapolis how Jesus had done great things for him, and everyone marveled.
21 When Jesus had crossed back over in the boat to the other side, a great multitude was gathered to him; and he was by the sea.
22 Behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, came; and seeing him, he fell at his feet,
23 and begged him much, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Please come and lay your hands on her, that she may be made healthy, and live.”
24 He went with him, and a great multitude followed him, and they pressed upon him on all sides.
25 A certain woman, who had an issue of blood for twelve years,
26 and had suffered many things by many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better, but rather grew worse,
27 having heard the things concerning Jesus, came up behind him in the crowd, and touched his clothes.
28 For she said, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be made well.”
29 Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
30 Immediately Jesus, perceiving in himself that the power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd, and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”
31 His disciples said to him, “You see the multitude pressing against you, and you say, ‘Who touched me?’”
32 He looked around to see her who had done this thing.
33 But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had been done to her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.
34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be cured of your disease.”
35 While he was still speaking, people came from the synagogue ruler’s house saying, “Your daughter is dead. Why bother the Teacher any more?”
36 But Jesus, when he heard the message spoken, immediately said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Don’t be afraid, only believe.”
37 He allowed no one to follow him, except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.
38 He came to the synagogue ruler’s house, and he saw an uproar, weeping, and great wailing.
39 When he had entered in, he said to them, “Why do you make an uproar and weep? The child is not dead, but is asleep.”
40 They ridiculed him. But he, having put them all out, took the father of the child, her mother, and those who were with him, and went in where the child was lying.
41 Taking the child by the hand, he said to her, “Talitha cumi!” which means, being interpreted, “Girl, I tell you, get up!”
42 Immediately the girl rose up and walked, for she was twelve years old. They were amazed with great amazement.
43 He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and commanded that something should be given to her to eat.
God began a good work in you and will carry it to completion until the day of Christ's return
1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Jesus Christ; To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and servants:
2 Grace to you, and peace from God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 I thank my God whenever I remember you,
4 always in every request of mine on behalf of you all, making my requests with joy,
5 for your partnership in furtherance of the Good News from the first day until now;
6 being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.
7 It is even right for me to think this way on behalf of all of you, because I have you in my heart, because, both in my bonds and in the defense and confirmation of the Good News, you all are partakers with me of grace.
8 For God is my witness, how I long after all of you in the tender mercies of Christ Jesus.
9 This I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment;
10 so that you may approve the things that are excellent; that you may be sincere and without offense to the day of Christ;
11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
12 Now I desire to have you know, brothers, that the things which happened to me have turned out rather to the progress of the Good News;
13 so that it became evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my bonds are in Christ;
14 and that most of the brothers in the Lord, being confident through my bonds, are more abundantly bold to speak the word of God without fear.
15 Some indeed preach Christ even out of envy and strife, and some also out of good will.
16 The former insincerely preach Christ from selfish ambition, thinking that they add affliction to my chains;
17 but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the Good News.
18 What does it matter? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed. I rejoice in this, yes, and will rejoice.
19 For I know that this will turn out to my salvation, through your prayers and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
20 according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will in no way be disappointed, but with all boldness, as always, now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life, or by death.
21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
22 But if I live on in the flesh, this will bring fruit from my work; yet I don’t know what I will choose.
23 But I am in a dilemma between the two, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.
24 Yet, to remain in the flesh is more needful for your sake.
25 Having this confidence, I know that I will remain, yes, and remain with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith,
26 that your rejoicing may abound in Christ Jesus in me through my presence with you again.
27 Only let your way of life be worthy of the Good News of Christ, that, whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your state, that you stand firm in one spirit, with one soul striving for the faith of the Good News;
28 and in nothing frightened by the adversaries, which is for them a proof of destruction, but to you of salvation, and that from God.
29 Because it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer on his behalf,
30 having the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear is in me.
The message in order, in a few minutes of reading.
This teaching, given by Deborah at a women's Bible study at First B Jackson, drew from Genesis 29, Mark 5, and 1 Peter 5 to show how praise, humility, and a decision to thrive can carry a person through circumstances that are not going to change. It was the final session of a multi-week study built around the acronym THRIVE. Deborah wove together scripture, personal stories, and a friend's grief to make the case that breakthrough comes not when our circumstances shift, but when we do.
What was said
Deborah opened by putting praise and thanksgiving on the same coin. Thanksgiving, she said, is the command to give thanks in all circumstances, not for them, and research backs up what Scripture already teaches: gratitude reshapes the brain and the body. But its other side is praise, and the two cannot really be separated. When you start praising God, she said, you find yourself thanking him, because they pull from the same source.
She grounded that claim in the story of Leah. Jacob's unloved wife named her sons out of her pain: Reuben because God saw her suffering, Simeon because God heard that she was hated, Levi because she hoped her husband would finally bond with her. None of those things changed. But with her fourth son, she stopped naming him after what she wanted from Jacob and simply said, this time I will praise the Lord. She named him Judah. Deborah pointed out that Jesus came from the tribe of Judah, not Reuben the firstborn, and asked whether that was connected to the moment Leah stopped looking at her circumstances and looked at God instead.
She then turned to 1 Peter 5, the passage God gave her after a severe personal hurt from someone she had invested deeply in. Peter's call to clothe yourself with humility landed hard, she said, because her instinct was to defend herself. She laid out the exchange she felt she had with God: I saw what happened. Are we going to do it your way or mine? She quoted Charles Spurgeon, who said obedience to the will of God is the pathway to perpetual favor and everlasting joy, and she put that alongside Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, face to the ground, asking if the cup could pass, but surrendering his will. Obedience, she said, is not abstract. It costs something in the flesh every time.
Peter's image of the devil as a prowling lion sent her to research actual lion behavior, which she found matched the text closely. Lions study their prey's habits and weaknesses before they move. They hunt at night. They target the weak and the isolated. She pressed each of those points into practical application: anoint your sleep by praying or listening to worship rather than lying awake with fear, and stay in community because isolated people get picked off. She cited Ecclesiastes on the one who falls alone being in real trouble, and Paul's letter from Asia where he credited his listeners' prayers with helping deliver him from despair.
The final section followed the woman in Mark 5 who had been bleeding for twelve years. Deborah identified three movements in her story. First, she made a decision that she was going to get to Jesus, and that decision cost her something, because leaving isolation and entering a crowd meant risking her life under the law. Second, she made a plan and moved toward him. Third, Jesus did not let her stay invisible. He called her out in front of the crowd, let her tell the whole truth, and then called her daughter, restoring her physically, socially, and emotionally in a single moment. Deborah said that is what God does: he himself will restore you, make you firm, strong, and steadfast, as Peter put it, but there is a sequence, and it starts with a decision only the individual can make.
She closed by returning to her friend who lost a son in 2019 and was now watching her surviving son relapse. That friend had called her over the weekend asking for prayer. Deborah had texted her the next day and the reply came back: keeping my eyes off circumstances and keeping my eyes on Jesus. She said she has this weird peace. Deborah held that up as the point of the whole study. Leah ended at extreme joy and being set free. The bleeding woman went in peace and was healed. The friend was at peace in an impossible week. The thread connecting all of them was the same: fix your eyes on God, not your circumstances, and let him work.
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Deborah talked about how Leah moved from depression to praising God, and how that shift changed something in her even though her circumstances stayed the same. Has there been a time when you chose to praise God in the middle of a hard situation, and what did that do for you?
Deborah shared that when she was deeply hurt by someone she had invested in, the Lord asked her, 'Are we gonna do it your way or my way?' What does it actually cost you, in a practical sense, to lay down your defense and humble yourself the way 1 Peter 5 describes?
Maybe practice another song? Does anyone need to practice goodness of God? Does anyone need to practice?
I will sing of the goodness of God love your voice you.
Of We're Let's just do be the chorus. I love you both. Have a good life. Did everybody get some of that yummy spread back there? Let's stand up together if you're still eating go ahead and finish roll have plenty of time to finish our plates mine's sitting there looking at me for as my reward If I oh, look at that.
Well, let's lift our voices in praise today because he is worthy. Amen?
Let's really do this today. Yes, lord. Do. I'll raise a hallelujah louder louder than the unbelief yes we do I'll raise a hallelujah my weapon is a melody do you know that this morning I'll raise a hallelujah Sing a little louder. Come on.
Let's sing it. Sing a little louder. Sing a little louder. Oh, sing a little louder. Sing a little Just lift your voice to him today.
Oh, sing a little louder. Louder. Sing a little louder. Oh, sing a little louder. Come on, sing a little louder.
Oh, sing a little louder. Sing that one more time. I raise.
Just with your eyes closed for a minute, just cast aside all your cares, all your worries today. We just come to you. We remind ourselves today of who you are. We get our eyes off our circumstances off ourselves, and we just fix our eyes on you today. That whatever we're going through, we remember, Lord.
We won't forget. But don't forget who you are, what you're capable of. Just stand on who you are today in Jesus' name.
We won't forget your greatest God. Sing this. I won't I won't forget You're the God who fights for me, lord of every victory. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
You have torn apart the sea. You have led me through that deep hallelujah hallelujah you got
it let's sing that again you're the
God you're the God who fights for me lord of every Hallelujah. Hallelujah. For Hallelujah.
Thank your through. That We this is not our home that we thank long to be with you, but you're guiding us. You're leading us. If we just have eyes to see you, eyes to see how you're prompting,
how you're leading. You're a good, good father. You lead us slow. I cloud by day, a sign that you are with me. A fight by night, Come on, sing it.
You're the God who fights on me, lord of every victory. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. You have led me through that deep hallelujah sing that again you're the God you're the God who fights for me lord of every victory hallelujah
Let's just listen to these words. Think about this that this song is called Egypt and of course it's talking about the exodus and how faithful God was to lead Israel out of Egypt, but how do we apply that through the cross today? And this bridge just says, you stepped into my Egypt and you took me by the hand. What captivity, what bondage has he taken you out of? Just remember that today.
Just thank him. Let that worship just rise no matter what you're going through right now. Just thank him that he took you from death to life, to freedom out of bondage.
We praise you God. Because you stepped into my Egypt and you took me by the head. You marched me out in freedom into the promised land. And now I will not forget you, God. I'll sing of all you've done.
Death is swallowed up forever. And by the fury of your love, yeah. Because you stepped into my Egypt and you took me by the hand. You marched me out in freedom into the promised land. Sing that.
And now I will not forget you, God. I'll sing of all you've done. Death is swallowed up forever by the fury. Sing that again. You stepped.
You stepped into my Egypt. You took me by the hair. Lord of every victory hallelujah declare that hallelujah you have torn apart the sea you have led me through the deep hallelujah hallelujah one more time you're the God you're the God who fights for me lord of every victory hallelujah hallelujah you have torn apart the sea you have led me through the deep hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah of the goodness of God yeah
I your
voice I will sing of the goodness of God.
While we're singing now, your goodness is running after. I just see this picture in my mind of there's just heartache for someone that you love. Maybe it's a spouse, a son, a daughter, a parent that's just has not bent the knee of their heart to the Lord yet and I just feel like it's a good reminder that his goodness is running after them too. They may not have turned yet, but the Bible says in Song of Solomon that one glance of our eyes, one glance ravishes his heart. All they have to do is glance.
They don't have to change every single one of their ways. Oh, we say to ourselves, they're so far. They're so far. How will they ever? One glance, and he meets us there.
So, Lord, we just take a moment. We lift up those people around us. Maybe there's some people in this room that haven't glanced his way yet, Lord. We just thank you for your goodness. We thank you for your mercy.
Thank you that you are always running, running after us when we stray. Oh, you're so good. We just lift those people up just right where you are, just whoever that is in your life. I've got a couple. Lord, catch them.
Lord, thank you. You keep running. Turn their hearts to you today. Bring someone in their path, Lord, to share your good news. Let those seeds be water that are in there.
Let them turn their heart and their life over to you. Just let them surrender. Find your goodness. Lord, we just praise you. We thank you.
We thank you for this study. We thank you for these women around us, for these friends around us. Thank you that you bring us relationships that can glorify you. Lord, we just ask you right now. Would you continue to be in our conversations today, in the teaching today, seal in our hearts what you've been doing and how you've been moving?
We just tell you we love you. We love you, Jesus. And everybody said, amen. Great worshipers today.
Does this work? Yes. Oh, dear. Okay. Natalie, do you have some announcements?
We can start with that. Okay. We do have some announcements we're going to do at the end. What an amazing praise and worship. Wow.
Thank you, Lyssa and your whole team and pastor Ray and pastor Carl and beautiful Charlene and Christine and Renee. You're all amazing. Thank you so so much. So our last week, I have to tell you this is so bitter sweet for me. I'm kind of ready for a break, but I'm gonna miss you so much.
We are we are gonna continue offering something in the winter. I hope you saw the handout. Yes. So make sure you sign up because we don't want to pester you with emails if you didn't sign up. But if you signed up, we'll keep you abreast of what's going on.
Where is that handout sheet? Where's Anne Marie? Anne Marie has it. We're gonna pass it around from table to table. Thank you, Anne Marie.
Alright. So I had so much to share with you today. And have you ever heard that saying, the mind can absorb no more than your seat can handle?
So
I had to condense a lot. And I did. I did. So in your study guide, I hope you had a chance to spend some time in your study guide because we did an acrostic for Thrive. And the first one, T, is for Thanksgiving.
And don't have time to go through all six letters but I do wanna hit on the first two. And the other side of the coin of thanksgiving. So Paul says to give thanks in all circumstances. I remember when I came back to the Lord and that was the verse in Bible study and I thought, well, that's crazy. I can't give thanks for cancer or thanks for abuse, but it is so important that little verb in all circumstances.
He doesn't say give thanks for all circumstances but in because when we invite the Lord in, he starts moving in the midst of whatever circumstances we're in. And did you I hope that you read in the study guide researchers have and I love, you know my favorite thing is when secular research backs this up Because why does God tell us to give thanks? It's good for us. It's good for us in every way. Research shows that we sleep better, that we our heart rate lowers, that we just feel better.
And then our brain starts to identify blessings instead of everything that's going wrong. It's just so good for us to give thanks. But today, I'm gonna open with the other side of the coin of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is one side of a coin the other side is praise. Praise and thanksgiving go together you can't really have one without the other.
Have you noticed when you're praising God, you just start thanking him? Because they're just so closely related. Now there's a saying that we can choose our friends, right? But we can't choose our family. Well, God actually did choose his family.
He chose what family line Jesus would be born through and the first human that he shares this with is Abraham. He said, Abraham, from your seed the Messiah would be born. And furthermore, in Genesis twelve three, he told Abraham, I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you. And I just have to throw this in, doesn't have anything to do with our study, But from Revelation, we learned that in the end times, just as throughout the history of humankind, there will rise up a movement against Abraham's descendants, against the Jews. And in my news feed yesterday, I was reading some articles I could not believe speaking out against Jews.
And I'm like, is it coming again? So we as followers of Christ believe the entire Bible and God says, I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. We are called to support our Jew the Jews of this world. They are not following Jesus now, but they will. They will during the tribulation.
Okay? And we're adopted into the family. They are still God's chosen, and we are God's chosen as well. Do we I would prefer that. Okay.
Okay. Should I turn this on? Okay. It's on. Testing, testing.
Woo hoo. Melissa, is it good? Can you hear me, Natalie? Thank you, Ray. Thank you so much.
It takes the team right? Thank you. Okay so just had to throw that in. It doesn't have anything to do with the study but just keep your eyes on the news. Because we're going to see an increased movement, an increased anti semitic movement.
Alright. So what's really interesting is this summer I was talking to one of my dear dear friends. She was my neighbor, our kids grew up together. And in 2019, I'm like an aunt to her kids. In 2019, I'll never forget I just sat down on the deck with Greg and she called and said, my son is dead.
Her son who's my kid's age had died in a sleep, we we still don't know what happened and I saw her this summer and I said, how are you doing? How are you how are you having so much joy? Like she she was so joyful. And she said, I just had this amazing breakthrough Deborah and it came from Genesis 29. So I wanna read Genesis 29 and the importance of praise.
And she started praising God just like Leah praised God when her circumstances were very difficult. And my friend told me, I realized my circumstances are not gonna change. He's not coming back. So what am I going to do to thrive? In Genesis 29, Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son and named him Reuben because she said, for Adonai has seen my suffering.
And I love this because what was our first verse when we came together that Yahweh told Moses to tell the people, I see you, I hear you, and I want to rescue you. And we see this theme again with Leah. So Leah became pregnant and she said, Adonai has seen my suffering. Now my husband will love me. Because the backstory with Leah, Jacob was Abraham's son.
Jacob had 12 sons who became the 12 tribes of Israel and Leah was married to Jacob. But it was a very sad and loveless marriage because Jacob didn't love Leah. Jacob loved her sister Rachel. And not only did Leah have to deal with her husband not loving her, I have to wonder what was her father thinking. Her father who should have had her back tricked Jacob into marrying her knowing he loved her sister.
Not a very good father. Right? So she has her father, her husband, and her sister is part of the mix too. So she says, Adonai has seen my suffering. And that word suffering means I'm depressed because my husband doesn't love me.
Make him love me Lord. That was basically her prayer. Now, we've talked about the importance of names. She named Ruben this because in the ancient world when you had a baby, you would often name your child based on your circumstances or your emotional state or something about the child. Okay?
Like Ruben's uncle's name was Esau. Esau means hairy, so I guess he was a hairy baby. Hairy. But Leah names him Ruben and then she became pregnant again and gave birth to another son. This time she says, Adonai heard that I am hated.
So he sees me, he hears me, he sees my husband doesn't love me, he hears that my husband is literally the translation means hateful. So Leah is in some pretty difficult circumstances. She said, the Lord has given me this one also and she named him Simeon. Then she became pregnant again and gave birth to another son and in the ancient world this would have been a triple blessing. This would have been huge to Jacob because they wanted boys to carry on their name and to carry on their business.
They didn't have this workforce to draw from. They drew from their family. So Leah was like, okay, this is it. Triple blessing. She named this one Levi, which meant now my husband and I will bond.
We'll be one. Well, that didn't happen for Leah. But something happened with baby number four. She became pregnant again and gave birth to a son and said, this time, I praise Adonai. She didn't even talk about Jacob.
She said, this time I'm just gonna praise the Lord. I don't think my circumstances are gonna change. I'm gonna praise Adonai and she named him Judah. And she stopped having children for a while. I think she stopped having children because she was just in a different place now.
She had a breakthrough. She was gonna turn her eyes off her family circumstances which were pretty bad. She was depressed in the beginning and she was gonna turn her eyes on Adonai, her Lord and Master master, and just receive whatever he was going to give her. And maybe just say thank you for these four blessings. Thank you for everything you have given me.
My husband is probably not going to love me. It's interesting that Jesus came not from Reuben, which would have been the normal thing, but from Judah, the fourth son. In Revelation, we're told that the savior of the world is the lion from the tribe of Judah. Why is he from the tribe of Judah? Was it because Leah had this breakthrough and praised the Lord when she had Judah?
Isn't that amazing how praising the Lord just causes this breakthrough in our life? Our circumstances might not change. My friend's son wasn't coming back. Okay? Leah's family wasn't going to change but something changed in her heart.
And how do we know this for sure? I think this is fascinating. Her last son Zebulun, she named Zebulun which means a state of extreme joy. Isn't that amazing? And then after him her last child was a girl, Dinah.
And Dinah means justice. It means to be set free, to be authenticated. Well, Jacob didn't authenticate her, so who did? Adonai. And it means to be delivered and defended.
Wow. Praising God just causes this breakthrough in our circumstances. I saw it with my friend and Leah is the perfect example. You know what scripture says? I know Charlene and Natalie and Ali know this verse that God inhibits the praises of his people.
Isn't that the most beautiful verse? That's why I personally will not teach Bible study without opening and praise and worship because I want God to inhibit our presence today. God inhibits the praises of his people. And do you remember in our first study, I handed out the names of God with the Bible verses and I shared how that was a game changer for me because I knew there were some circumstances in my life that were not most likely going to change. I never give up, I still pray but most likely not.
So I would look up those verses about the names of God and the peace and the joy that would overcome me was because I had turned my eyes upon Jesus and focused on him and praised him for being my Jehovah Shammah. He was right there with me. My Jehovah Shalom, the Lord my peace. My Jehovah Jireh, the Lord who heals my broken bleeding heart. That is the God that we worship, the big g God.
So you want a breakthrough in your life with a difficult circumstance? Start praising the Lord. Do whatever it takes. Change your favorite stations on your radio to message and K Love and Moody Radio and the bot station. Start praising God.
The next one I want to talk to you is a similar one to Thanksgiving, how Thanksgiving and praise just go together. Well humility and obedience are the same coin just different sides of the coin. In your study guide we talked about humility because it was the H in Thrive so it was really perfect to do. But I was talking to another friend this summer and I was like have you noticed how you know, just going over this narrative that we listen to and how we can't turn our minds off sometimes. But I said, have you noticed how it's usually with a relational conflict that it is the hardest to stop our mind from replaying the offense or replaying the hurt or replaying the how could he or she say that or replaying your defense.
Right? Have you noticed that is the hardest narrative to stop a relational conflict when someone just sticks a knife in your heart? Well, I have this happened to me in a very powerful way. Fairly recently, someone that I had invested a lot in. I'm talking a lot of prayer, a lot of time, a lot of sacrifice, a lot.
And this person hurt me like no other. I mean, was I did that blubbering cry kind of hurt and my husband's like, oh my gosh, are you having a nervous breakdown? Because that's not usually where I go. And I I said, yeah, I might be. I don't know how to get past this pain.
So I went to the Lord and I said, you've gotta give me a different narrative. I need a word from you. It was very interesting. The Lord led me to first Peter five starting in five b. Clothe yourself with humility.
Why? Because the Lord opposes the proud but he gives favor to the humble. Therefore, humble yourself under the mighty hand of God and in due time, he'll work it out. In due time, he will lift you up. But in the meantime, cast your care upon him because he really cares about you.
But be alert and be of sober mind because you have an enemy. It's not really that person. You have an enemy. Peter calls him out. He's the devil and he prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
So what do we do? We stand firm. We should resist him by standing firm in our faith and just remember that your brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of sufferings that you go through. But I love how Peter ends it. He says, and the God of all grace, he has called you to his eternal glory in Christ Jesus after you've suffered for a little while.
He himself he himself will restore you. He will make you firm, strong, and steadfast. He himself will do that. To him be the power forever and ever. Amen.
Okay. So I started playing that narrative but I have to tell you at first I was like, are you kidding me Lord? Humble yourself. I'm the victim here. You I went through my defense.
I did this and I did that and I showed up and I obeyed you and now you want me to humble myself? What the heck? I took it to the mat with the Lord. I was like, you've got it unpack this for me. It's not making sense to me.
Well, it was very interesting because I felt the spirit say to me, I saw you. I heard what happened. Are we gonna do it your way or my way? I know you have a defense. Will you lay it down?
Will you just lay it down and let me deal with this? That was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I mean, I I went through a 100 times with my husband. He's like, oh my gosh. He's like, Deborah, I really don't wanna hear about this again.
He's like, for heaven's sakes, lay it down. I'm like, but Greg, look at this. It's either my way or your way, the Lord said. Will you trust me to deal with this? Will you trust me in due time to lift you back up out of this pit that you're in?
Will you trust me? Charles Spurgeon says, obedience to the will of God is the pathway to perpetual favor and everlasting joy. What did Peter say about the humble? God favors the humble. But you won't be humble if you don't obey and it's the hardest thing in the world.
I I am telling you, I used to go to classes, Bible study classes years ago and you know it was all unicorns and rainbows. Okay. Don't receive that. It is hard. It is hard in my flesh to humble myself and obey when God calls me to do something that man, I was locked and loaded and shooting for bear.
I'm not kidding. And I laid it down because you know what? Jesus is our example. Philippians two eight, being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and was obedient obedient to death. Wow.
And it wasn't easy for Jesus. In Matthew 26, Jesus was in the Garden Of Gethsemane and he took three of the disciples with him and he said, my soul is exceedingly sorrowful even to death. And he said, stay here and watch. And then he went further, and this is such an unbelievable visual. He fell on his face.
He is completely down, face to the ground, and he's praying, oh my father, if it is possible at all, can you let this cut pass from me? But not my will, your will be done. There's a bigger picture. Right? A.
W. Tozer said, have you noticed how much praying for revival has been going on and how little revival has resulted? He said, the problem is we can't substitute praying for obeying. It doesn't work that way. It won't work.
That is not what this says. Jesus said, if you really love me, if you're my child, you're gonna have to obey. And it's not because he's like some control freak. He knows it's best for us. It was absolutely the best thing for me to lay that down because I would have just caused more trouble.
You think that person was gonna see it my way? No. They weren't gonna see it my way. And so that was just me proving that I was right which meant nothing. Absolutely nothing.
But I see that God is doing a mighty work and I'm in it to win it until my last breath. I will see victory in that situation. Peter said, cast your cares upon him because he cares about you but be alert and of sober mind because you have an enemy and he's the devil and he prowls around looking for someone to devour. Okay. So because research is my favorite thing, I'm like, I'm gonna research why Peter would call him a lion.
And this is really interesting because I live in a place where I hike and there are lions. So I'm like, okay I learned a lot. So first of all Peter would have been familiar with lions because lions still lived in Israel right up until the thirteen hundreds. So a few things about a lion. A lion is very slow to move in the beginning.
They the lion watches the prey's behavior before the lion moves. Isn't that interesting? He watches the prey's behavior before he moves. He observes habits. He observes weaknesses.
And I I just love this because I have heard Christians say, well, you know, the devil made me do it. And you know what I say? I don't receive that. The devil cannot. He does not have access to get inside you and make you do anything.
We sin because we want to sin. Just confess the sin. Okay? But he does watch our behavior. He does watch our behavior and he knows how to influence us.
The research said that when you come up on a lion, never turn your back and run. That's interesting, isn't it? This is what it said. It said, resist him standing firm. Does that sound familiar?
Resist him standing firm. I mean that would definitely be a Holy Spirit moment where Jesus helped me not to run from this lion, but I'm prepared for bears and lions. In the name of Jesus back away. That's my plan and my bear spray. Yes.
But how do we resist him and stand firm? How do we do that? We resist him by saying, I am a child of God. Okay? I can do anything through him who strengthens me.
The power at work within me is greater than the power at work within you. That's how we resist him. And this was very interesting too. Did you know that lions mostly hunt at night? They don't go out when the sun is out usually for their prey.
So I have this thing where I try to anoint my sleep because I don't know why it is. It's at 02:00 in the morning, 03:00 in the morning, 04:00 in the morning. That's when if if anything I'm concerned about the fear comes in, the worry, the anxiety. So how do you anoint your sleep? Go to sleep saying Psalm 23 or the Lord's prayer but like you mean it, not like blah blah blah but like you mean it.
Go go to bed singing a praise song or I put my earbuds in because my husband doesn't wanna hear it so I put my earbuds in and I listen to praise song. Okay, anoint your rest. And this was the most interesting one I thought. Lions typically attack the weak and the one who is isolated. So this is why community is so important.
This is why Jesus was so about coming together like this because we're iron sharpening iron. We encourage one another. This is where the NTHR reach out and invest in others comes from. We won't thrive alone. We will be picked off because you do get picked off when you're isolated.
So when that happened to me, I called my two mentors and they prayed over me and then they checked in on me. They're like, what tape are you playing today Deborah? Until I got through it. Okay? So we reach out and invest in others.
And I will tell you there is something about being with like minded followers of Christ that just unleashes this authority over the devil in our lives. We just start recognizing lies and we stop playing those narratives. Ecclesiastes four ten says, if one person falls, the other can reach out and help but someone who falls alone is in real trouble. We need each other, we need sounding boards, we need to pray for one another and we need someone to be praying over us. Paul wrote about the importance of this.
He in in your study guide, I gave you an example. Another example, he was in Asia and he said, I thought I was gonna die. It was so hard. And he said, we were in great despair. But he said, God delivered us and you helped with your prayers.
And I give thanks for you and I ask favor over you because your prayers mattered. Our prayers we think, oh, well I can't do anything except pray. Well, that's the most powerful thing we can do. It is the absolute most because then we're inviting God into the circumstance. This was interesting to you, my last thing about lions.
Most animals are killed by a lion when they run out of fear because they stumble and then the lion holds down their neck, puts his paw over their mouth and nose and suffocates them. And I thought this is so fascinating because what have we been talking about was the most powerful thing we can do? We can not allow the truth to be suffocated. The truth, the narrative that we play and the truth that we speak one conversation at a time. Do not let the enemy intimidate you and that no one's gonna like you if you speak up.
That's suffocating the truth. We will not let him do that. Suffocating the truth is just silencing the truth. No. We will speak the truth because the victory is ours and the God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory no matter what it ends well for us in Christ Jesus.
But in the meantime, after we've suffered a while, he himself will restore us, make us stand firm, strengthen us, and make us steadfast. You know what steadfast means? A confident woman of Christ. So t h r I v e, that's the acronym for Thrive. I want to close though, I gave you a handout on three powerful lessons from a lady who chose to thrive in really difficult circumstances.
This is the lady who was never named in the Bible, but she was just referred to as the bleeding woman. I'm like, okay. So from Mark chapter five, a large group followed and pressed around Jesus and a woman there who'd been subject to bleeding for twelve years. So in ancient Israel, if she was bleeding she also had to be isolated. She couldn't be with people.
Talk about isolation for twelve years. Okay. She didn't have a smartphone. She couldn't text her friend and say, I'm having a really bad day. She couldn't call someone.
She was just straight up isolated for twelve years bleeding to death. She has suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and has spent all she had and yet instead of getting better she grew worse. Okay, so physically she's hemorrhaging, emotionally she's hemorrhaging because she's isolated, financially she's bankrupt. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak because she thought if I could just touch his clothes, I will be healed. Immediately, the bleeding stopped and she felt in her body free from the suffering.
At once, Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around and he said, who touched my clothes? Okay. Jesus is omniscient. He knew who touched him.
Why did he say that? I think he said that because he when he was with a crowd, it was usually prominent men all around him and the women were in the background. He planned for this to happen. He planned for this. He wanted the crowd to know who touched him, someone who was an outcast, someone who was invisible, he was about to make her very visible and he wanted her to know.
This was part of his great plan for her. The woman knowing what happened to her came and fell at his feet trembling with fear. Why was she trembling with fear? Because she left isolation and she was in a crowd. According to the law of that day, you think we have some crazy laws?
She could have been stoned to death for that. So she doesn't know what's happening. She's terrified. She's like, oh my gosh, she's calling me out. What's gonna happen to me?
But Jesus looked at her and I love this next thing. She told him the whole truth. She gave her entire testimony what she had been through, how alone she was, how she can even reach out to anybody but she came that day to reach out to Jesus. Jesus allowed her this platform with all this crowd, with these prominent men to share her journey. She told the whole truth And you know what he said when she was finished?
He said, daughter, daughter, in front of everyone, he called this outcast daughter. In other words, you're not alone anymore, daughter. You belong. Your faith has made you well. He said, go in peace and be free from your suffering.
Wow. Does he himself restore us? He restored her physically when she touched him, when she reached out to him. He restored her socially when he declared that her faith had made her well. He gave her credibility.
He restored her emotionally when he said, daughter, you have great value is what he was saying to her. I love the story of the bleeding woman because she was gonna thrive no matter what her circumstances. So point one, what did she do? What was the first thing that she did? She made a decision.
She made a decision that she was going to thrive and you and I have to make that decision. No one can make it for us. Just like our our decision to accept Jesus as our savior, nobody can do that for us. Only we can do that. Only we can make the decision to stop the hemorrhaging of our heart, to fill the empty places inside us, and to say, I'm going to thrive.
We can't hope for it, wish for it, or I'm going
to send
you good good vibes of Thrive. That doesn't mean anything. We have to make the decision. And this is one of the themes we've been talking about that decision is going to cost you something. And the first thing it's probably gonna cost you is it's gonna drive you out of your comfort zone.
What did Natalie say last week? She said, we can live in our truth all day and it's kinda comfortable. But living the truth can be very uncomfortable. I had a a teacher that used to always say in Bible study, if you always do what you've always done, you'll always be what you've always been. So you have to make the decision, I'm gonna start thriving.
Our quote from this week was the unexamined life is not worth living. So when I make that decision, I I love what Natalie said last week too about the pie chart. I look at my pie chart from yesterday. Okay. What where did I spend my time yesterday?
My energy? My money? Where are my thoughts all day? Where where where were my words all day? What did I do all day?
Did I give the Lord even the slightest slice of my pie? We make the decision to thrive by giving him more of our day. And number two, that girl, she made a plan to get herself to Jesus. So you and I have to make a plan to get ourselves to Jesus. She put it on the line.
She was in an impossible situation, but you know what she knew? All things are possible with God. All things are possible with him. So we have to start asking ourselves, does this decision or how I'm living my life, does it take me one step closer to Jesus or one step further away from him? Because our thoughts will take us closer or further.
So we have to become aware. We have to make a plan to get ourselves there. I mean, I I made the plan years ago. I listen to Christian radio. I listen to podcast with Christian speakers that I trust.
I'm in the word. I surround myself with people of the word. I'm still in the world. I'm out there too but I need you to encourage me. And my plan to get to Jesus is that he is waiting there for me every single day.
I just need to show up. Right? So make a plan. And if that plan involves changing your schedule, change your schedule. Do whatever it takes because that's number three.
Start moving. Just move. Move your feet. Move your thoughts. Move your schedule around.
Just start saying yes to Lord, to the Lord. Start saying yes to the things that he says yes to. Start believing that all things are possible with God. Lisa, thanks for coming up. So that same friend who lost her son, talk about difficult circumstances.
She called me this weekend. She has one more son. Right? And she said, Deborah, please pray. This is the son that we always prayed for because in high school, he got with the wrong crowd and started using.
He's been clean since his brother's death and now he's using again. She said, I cannot lose both my kids. Please pray. So I if please pray for her too if you think of it. So we prayed together and I said, listen, how have you been sleeping?
And she said, it's rough. Okay. Isaiah twenty six three and four, he will keep in perfect peace those whose thoughts are fixed on him. Those who trust in him. So in the middle of the night, you don't think about what he's doing out there and the trouble he's getting into.
You say, thank you Jesus. You see him. You hear my prayers. You will help me. I texted her yesterday.
I said, how are you doing? She's like keeping my eyes off circumstances and keeping my eyes on Jesus. And she said, it's weird. I do have this weird peace. I'm not freaking out.
I'm at peace. Don't receive any lies from the devil. You tell him I don't receive that. I receive the truth of Jesus and don't receive any lies from anyone else. Leah stopped receiving the lies from Jacob.
You know what? Leah was lovable. Leah was amazing and the Lord made sure she knew that. And that's how in the end she said, I live in an unbelievable joy. I have been set free.
I have been authenticated. I mean something because I came from the hand of my Lord. Some of us are bleeding inside and we don't need to be, And some of us have been hemorrhaging for far too long. Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be healed.
You know what Jesus says about us? He says, come to me because I wanna do immeasurably more than you could ever ask or even imagine in your mind. Bring it to me and let me get to work with you. Do we believe him, ladies? Do we believe that we can thrive?
Do we believe him? Is that a yes or a yes? Yes. Is that a yes or a yes? Okay.
We believe him. Lord, thank you for this amazing word that you have given us in Thrive. Thank you, Father, for every single soul in this room. I know, Lord, we're here because we want to thrive. And I believe what you said in Philippians, that you began a good work in us and you will carry it to completion until the day Jesus Christ returns.
Lord, we invite you to be to continue that great work in all of us. Thank you, Jesus. Amen. Yeah. Nelly, do you wanna do the announcement real quick?
Okay.
Alright. Alyssa, thank you so much. And the whole worship team, that was so amazing to have the full band up here. A couple of things. First, I just wanna take a second and pray for our dear friend, Casey.
She's one of the small group leaders. We got a call this morning that she was on her way to the doctor. Right? Later found out she was on her way to the ER, and she's having some concerning symptoms. So just really quickly, heavenly father, we pray just a blessing and protection over Casey.
Pray that you take away all of her fears and anxieties that whatever is going on can be diagnosed quickly, that you would heal whatever is ailing her. But, God, if that's not your plan, if that's not your will, I just pray that Casey would be faithful, that her doctors would be filled with wisdom. You give her family courage and peace. Amen. A couple announcements, ladies.
So
first of all, this is our last week, and I can't believe it's gone so fast. We would like to continue. I know there's a handful of you who would like to continue meeting. And as you know, Deborah spends months writing these studies. So Deborah and I are currently prayerfully considering how we can extend this without Deborah writing a whole another study quickly before January starts.
And so I would just encourage you guys to sign up the table on the back or let me know. But let's right now, the plan would be that next week, same time, same place. We're not gonna have a full worship band. It's not gonna be Deborah's teaching. But at the very least, whoever is available and wants to be here can meet and pray.
At the very least, just pray for one another. Talk about what God is doing in your life, what you're reading, and then maybe this will evolve. Hopefully, we could have a little discussion or content, but stay tuned. But if you wanna continue meeting, please, I just feel called to to create the space for that. Second, we do need volunteers for Christmas luncheon and for if gathering and any other future women's events.
So if you are willing to help coordinate, set up, plan food, it's a huge labor of love, and we need an army to pull these things off. Three, the collection. Thank you, ladies, so much. Your donations have covered the cost of childcare and have enabled us to tip the gentleman who sets up the room for us every week and clears it out and resets it up for for the sanctuary on Sunday. So thank you so much.
I also wanna invite our friend Violetta up here if she will. And, Alyssa, you can feel welcome to continue playing. I just I I we could I could listen to you play forever, but also until someone tells us. Okay.
Don't stop.
Don't stop.
We have talked a lot this whole study about the changes you can create in your life. And first, I wanna start by saying last week we talked about the great commission is to go and make disciples of all nations. First of all, there is so much opportunity just beyond these church walls. We live in a dark community by, I think, the actual textbook definition of unreached people group given this tiny, tiny percentage of Christians in this valley. I think we are an unreached people group here in Jackson, Wyoming.
So I I just wanna start by saying Violetta and her husband, Florine, have been missionaries here in Jackson, not officially with the title, but they live on mission here in Jackson. Florine, you've probably met him at Smith's. Violetta has served in the schools here and now homeschools our girls. She translates for Spanish speakers during Sundays. She does Awana.
Like, she has just poured. They've all poured whole family has poured into this church. But they are going back to Romania, and they're raising funds to cover their expenses. But I just wanted Violetta to share a little bit because they're planning to leave this spring and how cool. I know you you ladies hopefully are giving of your time and resources already, but it is so much more meaningful when you can write a check and you know where it's going rather than just sending it in the mailbox across the world.
So to be able to support the hands and feet that are gonna be on the ground sharing the name of Jesus is pretty special. So I know Violetta doesn't love large crowds, but she has graciously agreed to come say a few words because I know I won't do the story justice. Thank you, Natalie.
Hello. My name is Violeta. I am married to my wonderful husband, Florin, whom you all know from Smith's. We are blessed with three wonderful girls, Brianna, Melissa, and Andrea. We are originally from Romania, and that's where we're planning to head back to.
We are we have been serving faithfully at Farsby for the last eight or so years. God has, stirred our hearts to go back to Romania to serve him there the same way you have served here. We'd like to continue to serve there. Our main purpose and goal for going to Romania as missionaries will be, to spread the gospel of Jesus, to show the love of God that we have been shown through all the people here in our community, here at our church, to show the same love that has been shown to us, to show it to the people of Romania, to share the gospel and to see God working in that country, in our country to save people. If you would like to support us, like miss Deborah said this morning, the most powerful tool you have is prayer, and prayer goes straight to God who is the most powerful.
And he is our father, and he loves us. So please pray for us if you'd like to support us. We also have in the foyer at the entrance, we have the little prayer cards that have more information about us. There's also another letter that says a little bit more about us and how we came to, say yes to God and want to go and be in missionaries. A little bit of backstory is, in 2012, we went to serve together, my husband and I, to in a Hispanic church in Houston, Texas.
And while we were serving there, my husband went on a mission trip to Mexico. While he was on a mission trip to Mexico, he he served in a community that knew had very, very little immaterial things, but, were very eager to hear about God and his salvation. When he came back, we were talking, and he was telling all about his mission trip. And he said, I feel like God is calling us to go back to Romania. I want to go back and serve him.
What I've seen in Mexico, it's what I feel that God is asking me to go and do in Tex in Romania, back in Romania. And at first, I did not necessarily share the same sentiment with him. We decided to pray. We asked the pastor of the church that we are in to pray with us. And after much praying, instead of God changing his mind about going back, God changed my heart too.
So that's how we decided that we want to go and serve God. It is the most important thing that we can do in our life. There is nothing better and greater that we can do with our life except to give it to God and serve him all the days of our life. So thank you for the opportunity to share this with you. And before at the on your way out, you can grab our prayer card.
It has the information. We do need your prayers, as well as financial support on the back of the card that gives all the information that you need. We'd greatly appreciate your prayer and your support. Thank you. Thank
you. Oh my gosh.
And I think one other tiny part of the story that Florine had shared is he grew up, and correct me if I'm wrong, in, like, a gyp gypsy community. Is that right? Yes. And that's what his heart is. It's this kind of underground community that you can't just show up.
We as Americans couldn't show up and know how to reach this community, but but Florin does because that is where he's from. That was his people. So God gives us all different stories and he wants to use those stories. The last thing that I wanna mention, and we're gonna have a little bit of open discussion time, although that not very much. The last couple of weeks in our group, there there's a lot of mama bears in our group.
Okay? A lot of moms, of students, of of all ages in Jackson, and we have continued to pursue this discussion and something is stirring in our hearts. So last week, prayed, God, if you want us to speak out in our community and advocate for our students, you fling the door wide open. And ladies, this week, I feel like he is just throwing up open the doors and saying, Natalie, this is what you do. You connect, you make space, and then I always do something with it.
So in a couple weeks, on November 16, Wednesday, November 16, I will be here at 10AM to meet and pray about what we as moms of students in the community of Jackson, how we can advocate for our students, and how we can do it respectfully, humbly, and peacefully, not from a political platform, but to know how to pave the way for our future generation. It's a scary world out there, and I know the sentiment is, what can we possibly do to shift an entire nation in a new direction? We can't, but we can do something in our local community. I'm certain. I have an advocate inside one of the schools that God just plopped into my lap this week.
It extends to curriculum. It extends to social issues, but I just wanna prayerfully explore and see what God does with that. So that will be one month from today here on Wednesday, November 16. If you want to meet and pray specifically for our students and how we can petition, advocate, create, catalyze change in our community. And then, Deborah, do you wanna come back up and oh.
Oh, it's here. 10AM. Just our normal Bible study time. And I think we wanted to wrap up with just some open small group time so that we can hear what God has been doing in your lives in the last seven weeks during the study.
You can stop. Thank you.
Yeah. So it's just open mic. If any of you have something on your heart, maybe where the Holy Spirit asked you to change a narrative or something you did in your day to change your schedule. I know Benita's listening to Moody Radio now. So, or a question or a thought, anything.
Raise your hand. Natalie and I will run to you. Chris, was that a hand raised?
I thought.
Haven't changed a lot of things in my life, but I plan on doing so. But while these words were up in front of me, I, took a picture of it. And I think that my kids it's it's so well said. And, I think all of us should take a picture of those words. They're amazing.
If you have younger children, in their forties, that are raising their children, It's so important to bring Christ into their life even if they go to church because all my kids go to church. And, and they're they're extraordinarily busy families and and I can see holes and places where when I was in their place, 40 something that I wish somebody would have said something to me And so that was my that was my thought.
You're you're talking about the song. Right? It's called Well Done by the Afters. The afters. Melissa sings it better than they do.
Miss Nancy. No. You're not fossy. You you take charge, girl.
It's it's sort of playing off of what Chris was talking about. I have a friend in talking about being isolated. I hate the way way I sound on this. But she works all the time. She goes to church but she doesn't have the relationship.
And you can't get the relationship isolated off by yourself. And I just encourage anybody that knows somebody or if you're doing it yourself because we've actually had people say they thrive being alone. You can't thrive being alone. And you can't thrive if you don't have a relationship with Jesus. And I don't care if you go to church.
She's gone to church all of her life. And she knows everything but she doesn't have him. To express herself to. So just I encourage you to get those isolated people out of the corner.
Yeah. We just get picked off when we're isolated, you know, because we don't even realize how sideways we can get until a friend says, hey. No. That's not really truth. Right?
Yeah.
Does anyone have the courage to share maybe something they reflected on last week in terms of lies? Are there lies or narratives that you're believing or a tape that you let play too long in your head? Maybe it's hurt, habit, or hang up as we discussed last week. Does anyone have the courage to share something that was kind of brought to light during the study?
Not that I have courage, but I just I did have a a cool thing this week. I was working on, we we do we have a caretaking business now that my husband's retired, and I was going through the last year and just making sure everything was in order, and this one particular account was a total mess. And I I I couldn't find the checks. I you know, it was just like and immediately, you know, Satan attacks me and goes, you failed. You have just made such a mess.
And I'm thinking, how am I going to tell my husband? You know, he's going think that I lost my mind. And so I just I got so stressed. And, you know, I'm not feeling good, and it's 10:30 at night and I should just go to bed. And finally, you know, it's like, just go to bed.
And so I go to bed, and I lay there. I'm thinking, how could I possibly have let this thing get to be such a mess? And so I grabbed my phone, laying there in the dark, and I love Psalm one thirty nine one through 18. It's a scripture that God has had me memorizing, and I go to that a lot. So I go to my phone, and I just open the the Bible app and the read part thinking, I'll go find Psalm one thirty nine, you know, one through 18.
It opens to Psalm one thirty nine verse 23. And I thought, oh, well, maybe I'm supposed to read that. And it says, search me, oh God, and know my heart, test me, and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. And I went, wow, that's what I'm supposed to read.
Not not, you know, oh, you're just so wonderful and you've made me so well. I need to read this, and this is a test, and am I going to trust you or not? And so, you know, I went back to sleep, and I have to confess that I had more sleepless moments over it. But, you know, when I dug into this situation and got some help from the other, you know, the other party, it's totally resolved, and it really had nothing to do with what I had done. But there's that, you know, saying attached to and says, this is is all your problem.
And just, you know, when we when we say God test me and teach me and he does. So, not always fun but he does.
Thank you for sharing. Courageous?
Does anyone want to just share maybe an encouragement on their schedule, how they've maybe worked time in for a devotional or when they pray or something that just works for them so we can share with others. Alright. Christine.
Yeah. You said schedule, so that's what God had in my heart. I I I hadn't seen Deborah in in a long time actually, but when we did see each other this summer, she was sharing with me about this group. And I always knew this group existed, but as a a working mom and and, you know, basically being a business owner of sixteen years and four kids, I never really scheduled the time to do something like this. So having dinner with, Deborah earlier this summer, we talked about scheduling time for God and scheduling time to do something like this, and I'm so blessed by this group.
I'm so blessed by all of you. I'm so grateful for Deborah, for doing this, for Natalie, all the time and the effort that, you know, these things are they're a lot of time and a lot of commitment. And so just wanted to give you guys a major blessing, some major kudos, maybe not just from me but from all of us that we're so grateful for you guys.
Thank you. Thank you.
Thanks be to God.
Thank and I'm so glad you made it. Yeah. Yeah. She has four kids, full time job, so yeah. Here, Trena.
No.
I don't.
Hi.
Let's hold this really far out here. Don't sit in Nancy's group because she'll call you out. You are a mom bearer. So all I I think what miss Nancy wants me to share is just the fact that, when I first moved here twelve years ago, came a young mom. One of the biggest things that brought me to the Lord was Bible study and I remember raising littles and you had a pumpkin seat and you look like Lizzie even though that's not Lizzie's baby but you've got a pumpkin seat and you're like and just having these women that are going through the same thing in that same season of life, but also the ladies in a different season.
And then the ladies who have grandbabies just pouring into each other was just saved my life and was such a awesome part of my growth and my relationship with the Lord. And, obviously, Deborah's done I mean, gosh, you've been doing this forever. I mean, I think the first one I came to was had to have been, like, seven years ago cause I think strike was, like, six months old. Anyhow and it was such an important thing and just, how I've met so many people and have gained these incredible relationships. And, obviously, COVID kinda put everything on hold, but this is such an awesome place to be and just growing in these relationships and having people pray for you and I feel like I've always known the Lord is there and he answers prayers but like being in this group and like meeting Nancy and like the prayer.
I am not gonna take up all this time. Anyways, prayer has been such an awesome thing, and I've seen lots of man's prayers. My grandma Darla was is 85. She was in a car accident in the beginning of September. She was flown from the car at 75 miles an hour.
They hit a semi. My grandma, my grandma's little best friend passed away on the scene of the accident. And my grandma My grandma survived, and she's, now we're, I think, seven weeks ago. The accident was tomorrow, and she's home, and she's amazing. And that we had the first day was Wednesday.
Her accident was the very next day and I didn't even know. I know a few of you ladies but I just immediately heart was
so
broken and my grandma, long story, my grandma raised me and so she's my mama and I remember, I missed the next week but I sent out a just a thing on our Email. I was like, please pray for my grandma and the next week we were here, Nancy, who I'd only met once, printed out the picture that I sent. She was just praying for my grandma. And so, grandma Darla's fine. That's not
Grandma's going home. Grandma is home. Yes. Thank you, Trena. Good job.
Good job, Nancy. Yes, okay. Jennifer.
Since Trena was in my last Bible study and I'm inspired by her, I just thought I'd speak to the ladies in my group to thank you so much for being here, for showing up, and it we need each other. We need we need more and more of this. We need to support and admonish and uplift each other. In times so that we can strengthen our faith just like it says in Philippians. And I just wanted to read from Philippians.
I pray that your love will overflow more and more and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ's return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation, the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ, for this will bring much glory and praise to God.
Thank you. Good word. I hope that you all do believe that God began a good work in you. Mean that verse is so amazing. He began a good work in you, right?
Okay, Sammy. Oh gosh, do I call Sammy? Sammy, you're ready. Oh, I'll go first.
Quick. I just wanted to say this morning I was reading in James and it was talking about being undivided. And so, you know, don't have one foot in the world and one foot with the Lord because, you know, we do that a lot. And just be all in for Jesus because that's what we've learned. That's how we thrive.
It just the culture is difficult and that's why another reason why we need each other to remind us, take that foot out of world and put it back over here, the solid foundation. So, anyway, thanks. Are
you all in? Is that a yes or a yes? Yes. Yes. Okay.
Okay.
I just wanted to share an experience from a a Christmas luncheon that we had several years ago. When we were all gathered at Snow King, and mom and aunts got up, and she
was like, alright. Y'all ball your heads. We're gonna pray.
And I was like, okay. Okay. We're we're doing this. And in the middle of the prayer, I heard the Holy Spirit say, open your eyes.
And I'm like, but mom and aunt said, bow your head and pray.
I don't wanna be disobedient to her. And the Holy Spirit's like, open your eyes and look around. And so I opened my eyes and I looked around. Everybody had their heads bowed, and every single woman was praying.
And the Holy Spirit whispered to me and said, this is my army.
And just like the whole, you know, community thing keeps coming up. And, you know, the enemy did a really good job isolating us. I mean, you even mentioned it in your study. He did his work to separate the herd, and that's where we're vulnerable. And I you know, I'm a I'm tend towards isolationism just because I'm I have a sensitive spirit, and, you know, I get hurt really easily.
So my challenge to you guys is a challenge to myself. Like, at least once a week. Start with once a week. Call somebody that you haven't seen in a long time and find out what's going on. That's my challenge to me.
That's you know, I mean, we are so busy in Jackson. Right? I mean, that's another one of the enemy's tactics. Keep us so busy that we don't invest in each other. And so that's just my encouragement to you.
I mean, that could be a fallen soldier. So, just encourage you guys to go get them.
Thank you, Renee. Yeah. Which is the perfect segue into our Christmas luncheon. Our last one was 2019, and then we were shut down because of COVID. It's been a challenge.
Please pray that the Lord would part the Red Sea because the prices have literally doubled. So we want to do it, it's an amazing outreach and we have about 300 women that come so we're not gonna let that stop us but we have to figure it out. So pray that we can figure that out. Well, so I've been talking to Snow King because they hold the largest room and to we did actually more than 300 but to stop it at 300, it's minimum 13,000. It was 8,000 before and we were able to raise that.
But that's bare bones. It's probably going to be more when she comes back to me with a final figure. Mary. You're reading our minds. Yeah.
Yeah. We're gonna have to increase that to 22 because, I mean, you can't even go to picnic and get a salad and a drink for $20. So we are gonna do that. Okay. Well, if you have influence, we are a community Bible study.
We represent a lot of churches. If you have influence with your church, first b has been very generous. That the Presbyterian church has been generous, and then it kinda stops there. So if you have influence with your church and you know someone that could contribute to the luncheon, it won't cover the cost but it will help a lot.
And you got us penciled in on a date?
Yes. Wednesday, December 7. Wednesday, December 7. Yes. We do, Alyssa and her team do this amazing praise and worship Christmas thing.
It's very joyful and uplifting. And then I do an inspiration and they have a full sit down lunch which so many years a lot of women say this is the only Christmas event I get to go to. So it's an outreach we encourage everyone to invite their neighbor, their friend who doesn't go to church because this is also the only time they're probably gonna hear about Jesus, the real reason for the season. And it's just beautiful. You know, everyone wears red.
Deborah, I can't help but think
Yeah.
We've there's been doors open. I just feel like God has been laying a foundation during the pandemic when we were all in isolation and we all grew to hunger for this so much that now that we're brainstorming what's gonna happen after Yeah. Christmas, it I can only imagine that 300 women getting an invitation to come do this with us would double our set. You know what I mean? I I think that would be a huge avenue.
We had another question just about details. Capacity. Oh, we're gonna sell it out.
Do you remember, Jana? I think one year we had 350. Yeah, was it three fifty? So that's about the max because we do set up tables and it's sit down and we were scared, we were terrified. Yeah.
Yeah, they do it there. The Presbyterian Church, we did it there one year. It was beautiful. Fewer women though, that's the thing about and it was, the facility was free but then catering cost almost as much. So it's like, I know.
So we're looking at that too, Chris. Yes. The 13,000, yeah. Probably. And Janet was talking to Gavin because he's helped us in the past and he was like, that's really actually a very good deal.
So I don't think I'm gonna get it below that.
No.
I just capped it at 300 because then you're really looking at a lot. If it's roughly $44 a person oh my yeah. Mhmm. Mhmm. That's right.
Mhmm. Mhmm.
Yeah. But because I don't need to be rude, but
I want everyone to hear you.
Jesus again and get a free meal. I'm just speaking honestly like this is for you to invite someone who needs to hear about Jesus. I was right? For $13,000, don't y'all come with your fancy sweater by yourself.
That's a word of truth isn't it? Yeah and I do share the message of salvation so it's a little nerve racking because some of these people don't wanna hear it, but they're there. So Merry Christmas. Yeah. Alright.
Natalie, do you have any closing?
Yes. The last thing I just wanted to say is I think, going back to the Jackson's a small town. Our churches are small. We don't have the resources for every single church to have their own high school ministry and their own women's ministry, and I'm so grateful. This is truly what I I just kind of felt this word coming back was, like, body of Christ.
Body of Christ. Like, we're missing there's holes in each of our churches to complete that whole body just because we're so lean, and we lost so many people during COVID. So this is what it takes to fulfill. We have Lissa from Tribe leading worship. Our head pastor at First Bee Ray is up here playing bass.
You know? We have, like, ladies represented, I think, from every church. Deborah's at Gateway. I'm here. Like, it's just so awesome to be reminded that this is a community.
We have to operate as a community in a town of 10,000 people in order to be a full expression of the body of Christ. And so I'm so grateful for you ladies saying yes to this, to high school ministry, and I truly feel like this is just the beginning of what he's gonna do. So thank you, Deborah, for all of the hard work that went into writing that study.
Thank you, Lisa. And Natalie learned the sound system. Hallelujah. Right? Okay.
We love you all, and we'll be praying for you. And you'll be receiving something about the Christmas luncheon.
From my personal email, hopefully. If y'all didn't get an email from me yesterday from my personal email, hopefully, that ironed out the kinks. Then come see me so I can make sure you're on my list. Perfect.
Woah. Woah.
Woah. Deborah.
What? Holy cow.
We've never had this before.
What? Like, everybody Oh my gosh.
My gosh. So much. Wow. I don't even know what to say.
