For those who were unable to make it to tonight's small group, or if you just want to be reminded of what we talk about, here is a quick recap.:
Inward Application:
- We must have patience through our suffering as we wait for Christ's return.
- Stand firm as believers as you go through trials; Don't grumble, but persevere together as you wait for Christ's return.
We then referenced John Piper's article, "In God's Place, at God's Pace" and "The Battle Against Unbelief." (handout, email Katie Wong for a copy). Through this article we discovered that being impatient translates to us being faithless. When we are unfaithful, we are basically telling God that we don't trust that he has everything all planned out for us.
Outward Application:
- What can we take in and change inward and how can they express it outward?
- What is one spiritual discipline you can apply in your life that will help you gain patience and stand firm when you're facing trials or doubt? (e.g. reading the Word, prayer, accountability, practicing the fruit of the Spirit, being still, jounal prayers, etc.)
HOMEWORK! (yes you have homework)
In the comment section please enter the following:
- any prayer requests, praises, challenges for yourself that you would like to be held accountable for
- anything you liked or have questions about
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
- Next Wednesday (9/28) is our Commitment Day. If you show up, we are going to assume that you have made a commitment to coming to our small group every week. There are only a few exceptions to not showing up, we will go over this on Wednesday.
Hope all of you have a great week! We'll be praying for you all!
Super excited for this blog and excited to get to know this SG a lot better this semester!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Katie for your devotional - I've been thinking about it a lot this week. I love the passage that was used for this topic. We need to be displaying patience in our daily lives but what we are waiting for is ultimately the second coming of Jesus! It was such a GREAT reminder on Wed!
HUGE praise this month for me because my mom has been showing a growing interest in coming out to church. She said she has not completely accepted Jesus yet but that she is getting there. She is also my prayer request! That she'll receive salvation and realize God's existence and goodness! Please keep me accountable in showing love and patience to my family.
Looking forward to reading you guy's praises and prayer requests so that I can pray for each one of you individually. Please have a great week filled with HOPEFUL prayers!
Thanks again Katie for the devotional! :D
ReplyDeleteIrene: that's wonderful to hear about your mom! I'll be praying for your family!
A prayer request that some of you may have heard last night after pulse is that I've been struggling to keep up at work. I've been given very minimal hours per week and I was told that I need to improve drastically despite my shortcomings of lack of experience. I'm praying that I can continue to work at least til the end of the semester, if that's what God wants me to do. That I can everything I earn from work for Him, and use work to glorify Him.
See you all on wednesday! :D
@Irene: OMG CONGRATS!!! It's always so encouraging to see people moving to really reach out to those who are lost. I'll by praying for your mom!
ReplyDelete@Kandice: Honey, don't worry about it too much. <3 God is good in whatever happens. Don't forget that. He has a purpose for everything we do. We might not be able to see it now, but that's only because we are unable to see beyond what is immediately in front of us.
Prayer Request: I've been a little under the weather...I might be getting sick ><. I haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately and I've been stressing over school, Pulse related things, and loneliness. I think this sickness is God's way of forcing me to take a break.
Praise: I and beginning to see peace and joy more in my life. It's slowly creeping into my life, but I definitely see more of it in my life!
Challenge: I want to work on being more loving with my words and actions. I also want to be comfortable being more open and real with others.
Irene - I'll be praying for your mom! I'm so inspired to keep reaching out to my roommate! :)
ReplyDeleteKandice - I'll pray for you to glorify him during class, at work, and at everything you do! :D
Deanna - I'll pray for God to calm your heart and help you to continue seeing joy in your life :) !
-Kaitlyn
Thanks Katie for the devotion :)
I have a combination of a PRAISE and prayer request! I'm so thankful that God has led me to Pulse and to have a roommate with curiosity about Jesus! I brought my roommate, Nicole, to Pulse this past Thursday and she had a few questions about Jesus, worship, and the meaning of "amen." She has no religious background, and I hope that God will guide me as I try to witness to Nicole more and invite her to more Pulse events.
Challenge: I hope to be more consistent in doing my daily devos and to be a light to my non-Christian friends and roommates.
I'm excited to see everyone again on Wednesday! And I'll be sure to pray for the rest of you :)
Hey you girls! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited for this blog! what a great idea, thanks deanna! :)
I'm so glad to see all of you girls use this blog already! What a great way to keep each other accountable/in touch in our busy school/social lives!
Irene- Dang girl, you have the gift of evangelism! I'm so glad that you are sharing the good news with your family and friends! I'll be especially praying for your mom interest in church and for her to have open ears and an open heart! :)
Kandice- I'm sorry. I understand that you must be frustrated or upset, but remember, in your weakness God makes you strong :) I'll be praying that everything you do will be for God's glory, and that he will use you as a light to nonbelievers!
Deannanananaaaa- I'll be praying for your prep this week! For God to heal your cold :(. I'll be praying that you don't stress, but realize that God is always good and is planning something in your life right now! YAY for joy! :D
Kaitlyn- Awh! I'm so glad that I finally got to meet your roommate! :) I'm glad you brought her out and that she is curious! It's great knowing how you are such a great testimony, and I'm sure that is one of the reasons she is asking these questions! Continue to bring her out :). I'll be praying for your daily devos! I too have problems doing devos daily -.-
It is kind of ironic how I shared about patience this week, because I feel like my patience was tested a lot this weekend -.-. I tried to tell myself the things I have learned, and of course it is always hard. I have to constantly remind myself that everything is in God's timing, and that he does have a plan with everything that happens!
Prayer Requests- My prayer requests is for time management. I have hw, tests, small groups, friends, being lazy, sleep, eating, all out of order. I need to learn how to prioritize. Another request is for reliance and trust in the Lord. I feel as though I always want to do my own thing, but what I really need to do is realize that God is in control and knows what is best for me. I need to learn how to obey and follow Him in what He tells me. Oh yeah, also pray for more patience, you have never have enough, right? :p
Praises- I am so thankful for every one of you girls in this sg! I am so excited as this semester starts :) Hopefully us girls will learn more and grow together! :D
<3 :)
sorry but who is this^
ReplyDeleteFor the future...if you can, comment using your email address so we know who is who. thanks.
Thanks for the devo, Katie! Patience is something that I've been dealing with, so it was a great topic to start off of with. I've been thinking about the devotional every day since you gave it.
ReplyDeleteMy prayer request is that I will continue to place all of my faith on Jesus Christ for everything. Pray that I won't worry or be anxious about anything, especially the two midterms I have this week (Asian American U.S. History and Nutrition) and the 2 speeches (How to put a First Aid Kit together and The Great Barrier Reef) I have to give next week. I always find myself worrying about these things, but finding that God ALWAYS provides. I need to step over to the other side and believe that God always provides before any worrying comes into the the situation.
My other praise/prayer request is also for Nicole. I am so glad that Nicole is showing more interest in Christianity. I've been praying for her since I've met her and Kaitlyn said she was hoping that she would become a Christian. I guess my prayer request is that if she asks us any questions, that we will be able to answer in wisdom, grace, and be able to show her the truth in love.
My challenge is to count my blessings every day so that I can see how thankful I should really be instead of worrying about everything.
@Irene: I will be praying for your mom! I will also be praying for you, and that you will be steadfast in continuing sharing with your mom and family. It’s really encouraging seeing you continually reaching out to your mom.
@Kandice: I will be praying for your work situation and that God will give you strength to shine for Him while you work there. Remember that whatever happens, God has a perfect reason! His will is ALWAYS good!
@Kaitlyn: I will continue to pray that God will change Nicole’s heart and open her eyes to see the truth of the Gospel.
@Deanna: It’s great that you have been able to see more peace in your life! I will be praying that you will find ways to relax. I don’t really know what you mean by loneliness, but I want to encourage you to continue to find everything in Christ! :D
@Katie: I will be praying that you will be able to manage your time, and that you will also trust God with everything so that you don’t stress or worry about the things you are going through right now!
Ok.. off to write all this stuff down in my prayer log! Ahaha. Can’t wait until I see you guy’s tomorrow! :D
Krista