So, if you watched my video blog for today you know I'm asking you to respond to an informal poll of sorts about how you're doing this week? Now I know that sometimes it's hard to look at what's going on in your life and even harder to put it in print for others to see. So I'm going to respond to my blog first to all of you and then hopefully, you'll feel comfortable. Sound like a deal? Here goes.
My hang up this week has been discouragement. I tend to be a perfectionist (big time) and this week, I let that be my downfall. Satan knows that, by the way, and it feels like he has just been slugging away. So are you wondering how I responded? Well the first day I came home, and that evening I just read a bunch of my Bible and had a good prayer time. It was good and I went to bed at peace. Next morning, though, Satan was waiting--again--and I allowed him--again--to get me discouraged. When I got home the second night I read some more, but it was more of a struggle. I was tempted to not read and just sulk, but I didn't give in. As I write this today, I'm on the upswing. :) And I'm so glad I stuck with my reading and even ended up reading extra. I definitely felt more connected with God. Plus, I finally let go and let Him carry the load.
Ok--it's your turn. Tami W.
Thanks for being open about your struggles. I used to refer to myself as a closet perfectionist, but now I find even the original Serenity Prayer helps. Of course, it is not a substitute for scripture and actually talking to God.
I've admittedly got bogged down with all of the details about the temple in Exodus. But I'm sure it was for a purpose and know that although God is omnipresent, he doesn't dwell just in a temple (or church for that matter).
That's my take, right or wrong.
Be encouraged! We can't always see the fruit of our current labors, but God knows our motives and will honor them accordingly.
Thank you for your ministry,
Scattergun
My sin is "quick to anger." I allowed Satan to "frustrate" me this morning which allowed my anger to show. I then allowed that anger to prevent me from comprehending what the word of God is trying to convey to me. It's hard enough reading about the intricate details, then allowing them to be blocked by the world. I need to restart myself and ask for forgiveness for my weakness.
Hi Tami.
Yes I totally understand what you are talking about, it happens to me too, the good thing is that we as Christians always know what to do in those times, too, NOT give up. But to be really honest, it's very hard then to just keep on reading.
As for me, it usually last about a day or two, and if I just keep on reading, the earlier I'm back on track again. The last Satan can get in to me. Thanks to God, that He send His only begotten Son JESUS, to Die for my Sin, and for your Sin,He paid it all. Halleluja
Prayer request.
I, myself (Susanna) am going for my first Skydive ever today, I have always want to do it, but I never got around to it, and it finally is here now, and I would want to ask you people to pray for me, that I can stay calm, and that I will have the best time of my Life. And that JESUS will hold His Hand right under our parachute, so that nothing can go wrong. By the way, I have somebody jumping with me, a teacher, so I'm not going all by myself anyway. Thanks a lot for your prayers, may GOD Bless YOU for that. I wish for YOU to have the best Day of YOUR life today. Take care
Susanna
Hi Tami & all,
I would just like to start out by saying, Thank you for this ministry. I am brand new to the site, this is my 1st week, & I have to say, I was faithful! Which was a huge blessing. Your ministry gives me much needed discipline & I have a new found routine, which is working great for me!!! So Thank you for that. I have also fowarded this new information on to many others, because I think we can all benefit by Powered by 4.
Would you all pray for me, the Lord has put something on my heart, I think ? A wonderful lady in my church needs help running our youth ministry on Sunday evenings. She does sooo much for soo many, & nobody is willing to help, she is doing this all alone. I'm so afraid to commit, I at this point have it in my heart to help out & be there for her and the youth, even though I do not know the first thing about running a youth group. But I have the tendency to be very enthused for awhile, & then loose interest. I really don't want to be a flake, so I'm afraid to help. What should I do?
Also I too am a bit of a perfectionist, & would really love some resources on how to run an affective youth ministry. I need knowledge & in turn this will give me confidence.
Thanx so much for your prayers & God bless you.
Your friend,
Tracy
Sometimes I've let my reading pile up for a day or so, then read a bit more to catch up. I think I'm still getting in at least 4 days a week. It definitely helps when I start early in the morning. So, on days when I wake up too early anyway and can't get back to sleep, guess where I head? My day works out much better, and then I find I sleep better the next night.
Regarding getting bogged down in the details, that's easy to do. But I'm finding that this time I'm getting a bit sidetracked by them as well, with some interesting insights. I was struck with curiosity about the construction of the ark and everything. I know there are websites devoted to just this topic, with scale reconstructions of what these people think everything looked like, and they're fascinating. But this time I looked up the measure of a cubit, then measured it out on my table. I was thinking of trying to figure out how much everything would have weighed, but got bogged down in details. That'll have to wait for another time. But the really neat thing was the base for all the furniture. Everything that was overlaid in metal was first constructed of acacia wood. Have you ever seen any? It's strong, dense, and really beautiful! So even under the coverings of precious metal or bronze, the ark, the table of offering, the altar, all the supports--they're all made of strength and beauty. God is definitely in the details!
--Denise
I this week it's been kind of a struggle reading my bible, but i did it 4 times and the only day that i did not read it, i didn't like it. I am back to work after almost 5 weeks of medical stop ( i had a surgery on my adrenal gland) and i am scared but yesterday morning as usual i pray GOD to make a way for me, because i did not felt enough strength to go back to work and i heard a voice tell me my strength is enough so i end up reading a few chapter of corinthians to find the scripture.At the beginning i was a bit mad at GOD cause He didn't answer my prayer, but after a few minutes i realized that it was truly what i need. I ask him to forgive me.
GOD bless you
Sandra
I'm doing good so far. I still have trouble remembering what I've read a little while after I read it. I'm not 2 good at answering questions after I've read a few verses. I'll B praying on it. It sure would help with my Bible Studies...LOL
I'm doing ok this week. I have trouble blodding through all the details that we see in Exodus. However, the questions for thought are helpful. They help me pay more attention to what I'm reading.
Tracy,
Thanks so much for the encouraging words about Powered by 4 and for joining the family. Glad to have you!
As for what to do regarding the youth ministry? Well, if you think God is prompting you, then I’d be very bold and intentional in putting this request before Him. Seek Him out and then listen for His response. Also if you're concerned about committing and then having it not be a fit, how about talking with the lady about trying it for a specified period of time? That would give you a taste of what it's like, and that, in turn, could help you make a long term decision. And lastly, don’t let the fact that you don’t have a bunch of youth group experience scare you off. You might be just the person God has for the job.
Thanks again for blogging and for joining P4.
Tami Weissert
P.S. We pray as a staff each work day for requests from friends of the ministry. I'll make sure your request gets on our list for next week.
Well, here I am at last. In the last week, I have read the bible maybe twice and it has been mainly because I've been on vacation here in Australia. We flew from California a few days ago, spent 3 days with some Gideons from Australia and then have celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary, and so in the thrill of it all, I haven't made the time to do a few time outs and say, "Hey all...I need to be with God for a few minutes" - I did tell my husband that I missed watching the broadcast, but that is mainly because of the Word! Tomorrow I will have a little time to myself (like NO ONE but ME) so I will have some time to rest in the Word. Since I am not a perfectionist, that doesn't bother me missing a day, but what does bother me is not having the daily time to reflect because I'm a writer at heart.
I am blessed in that I am a history buff and love the Old Testament. I have a friend that is Jewish and he brought to my attention years ago that I need to know about the history of the Jews and why they do the things they do like feast and that those are still in play today because Jesus came to fulfill not to take away from. We need to remember that the Word of God was written by Jews with that Jewish insight. I often study with a group of messianic believers and their insight opens the New Testament up because I don't think you fully understand what is going on without understanding the Old Testament.
I to have struggled to read the Word everyday but I thank Dr. Kroll for reminding me that if I miss I can come back and not beat myself up. Just pick myself up off the mat and try to do better.
And something Dr. Kroll said years ago when I was trying to decide if it was alright not read King James. He said the best bible translation is the one that I WOULD read. God Bless
I just started doing this program about 2 weeks ago. Life has made it so difficult to find time and really focus on the Bible. I think this program is going to help, even though it is definitely still a major challenge. I have so many issues/problems facing me right now. I still need to put this at #1...the issues/problems are things the enemy is putting there to keep me from #1 and I really need to remember that. It is very helpful to have this daily email waiting for me first thing in the morning. I am still working on it, but, this is a real help for me.
Anne
This ministry has indeed been a blessing. Its been a week since I have joined the p4 group and I must say there has been improvement in my bible reading. I look forward to the daily readings. Having the questions to answer in relation to the chapter has been a big help. It has helped me to see things much clearer. I also found that this past week has been really good and I know that it is all because of the time I have been spending in the word. I had no intention of allowing Satan to steal my joy.
God bless you
So a friend and I whose husbands are in youth ministry decided we needed some direction in our reading and have been doing this for 2 weeks now. It helps a ton to have guidance and we read and share our responses to the questions via email or in person to hold each other accountable and to dig in deeper. We are going for 4 times a week and doing pretty good. It's hard sometimes in the details especially being so much in church work where details can get overwhelming and people forget quickly the big picture. However, we have been encouraged that God is in the details and yet all the details fit within his big story. I am trying to remember that as I am at my parents with 2 small children for a couple weeks while my husband figures out our housing situation as the place we were supposed to move into the beginning of July still isn't ready and we are thinking it's time to back out and do something else for our family. So we pray and wait and I try not to worry and get hung up in those details...This is the first time I checked out the blog but for all of you doing this keep it up. It takes accountability and if you don't have someone personal keep tracking with this community because God put us here together. Peace!
I started this study about 2 weeks ago, and I want to thank you for making it available for us. I have done the reading for everyday! I need the structured program in order to do the daily reading. Satan is always on the attack. I have multiple health problems and of course Satan loves it and gives me a lot of excuses to not read the Bible. God blesses me in so many ways and this is one of His blessings. I recently heard in my Sunday morning Bible study, "You are God's dream come true!" My heart skips a beat every time I think of this. I hope yours does too.
I have read completely thru the Bible 3 times over the past few years, using different versions & methods. When I heard about Powered by 4, I thought time for something new. I was getting a little lackidasical & tempted to not read anymore, since I'd read it so many times. I've been using Powered by 4 for a couple of months now. I love having it come to me in email & now that I have a blackberry, I can read it anywhere! I have been consistently reading about 5 times a week & doing the in-depth questions 2-3 times a week. Sometimes my brain just isn't ready for any rigorous thinking, regardless of the time of day. At first I thought if I don't go in-depth with the questions each time, why bother? That's the perfectionist in me.;-) But I realized it's better to at least "touch base" with God through the Bible than not, and on the days when I am up to going thru the questions, it's been very meaningful. I keep a journal of what I discover as I answer the questions. Even with all the times I've read it, I still find new insights!
I have fallen short and haven't got 3 times a week yet. But I will keep trying and ask our loving Father to forgive me again. I have several distractions but, one started back to school so grandma will have some quiet time during the day. I really enjoy the daily blog. MY 1ST time to join a group on the net.God's Word just keeps talking to me. Pray that I get interferences worked out so I can attend church every service. I do listen every day on my paper route at night and look forward to everyday.
I have about 30 to 45 minutes in the morning after everyone leaves the house and I have to be at work, so I use that time for my Bible reading. For me, reading the passages outloud will often times really bring the meaning in clearer, and there's no one home to hear me! I have been a Christian some 45 years, but many times I'm not sure I understand the OT. I'm thinking if the answers were available to the questions, I'd know for sure I'm getting the message that God wants me to learn. Am I totally off base there? I also enjoy Woodrow Kroll's Early Morning Devotional through BTTB. His expository on each passage is excellent! I'm so thankful for this ministry.