30 Day Challenge: "One Month to Love" Day #5

Copyright@2010 by Kerry and Chris Shook 
(Published by Waterbrook Press 12265 Oracle Blvd, Ste. 200 Colorado, Springs, Co. 80921)

Week 1: The Art of Being All There

Day 5: Staying At the Table (Being All There During Conflict)

Series Scripture: “A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for a time of adversity” Prov. 17:17

Quote: 

“True friends stab you in the front.”- Oscar Wilde

“Avoid viewing conflict as a sign that there must be something wrong with the relationship. Instead, view conflict as an opportunity for growth.” - Will Mosier

A lot of people struggle with being there when tough issues are raised because they just don’t want to deal with uncomfortable emotions. Many of us  have past experiences, sometimes from childhood, in which volatile emotions frustration, anger and disapproval created unsettling  and uncomfortable feelings in us.  The bad news is that overtime you suppress a tough issue in a relationship in order to avoid conflict, you pay for it in the end. Avoidance eventually undermines the integrity of the whole relationship and keeps it on a superficial level. If you want to go to a new depth in relationships, it’s essential to be willing to face difficult issues and stay engaged  until you work through them.

Communicating about tough issues is a lot like playing a game of Ping-Pong. Many times when one person gets up the courage to talk about something that’s really bothering them, the other person decides to ignore the problem and pretend everything’s fine. Wouldn’t it be incredibly frustrating if you were playing Ping-Pong, and every time you served, your opponent let the ball drop off the table and never hit it back? In the same way, nothing is more frustrating in a relationship than bringing up a difficult issue and the other person always letting the ball drop. The goal of communicating through conflict is to stay at the table, volleying back and forth and talking through the issue. 

Another way we sometimes mishandle conflict is by slamming the ball and trying to force a quick conclusion to the argument. By playing  this way, we’re still not really participating in the game; we’re simply using brute force to end the conflict quickly. This is a picture of not effectively being present with the other person and mutually working through a difficult issue. There’s a story of a newly married couple who used a “Ping-Pong” ball to help them talk thru conflict. How? One of them talks while holding the ball and the other listens. When finished, the other takes the ball and then speaks while the other is listening. The rule in the couples relationship, is while they are in conflict, the one holding the ball is allowed to speak while the other has to listen. Maybe you need an object that helps you remember to stay at the table during conflict and really listen. 

Challenge

1. When faced with conflict, do you get more emotional, or do you tend to withdraw? Think about how the people closest to you handle conflict. How do you address conflict with them?

2. James 1:19-21, encourages, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted  in you, which can save you.” Are you quick to listen or become angry? What does human anger produce if not righteousness?

3. From one to ten (with ten being the highest), rate yourself on how well you really listen to the people in your life.

30 Day Challenge: "One Month To Love" Day #4

Copyright@2010 by Kerry and Chris Shook
(Published by Waterbrook Press 12265 Oracle Blvd, Ste. 200 Colorado, Springs, Co. 80921)

Week 1: The Art of Being All There

Day 4: Invisible (Being All There On a Deeper Level

Series Scripture: “A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for a time of adversity” Prov. 17:17

Quote: “The question is not what you look at but what you see.” - Henry David Thoreau

Have you ever felt like you were invisible? Ever been talking to someone and realized they weren’t really listening but were looking past you to see if someone more important was in the room?Sadly, it’s often  the people closest to us that we treat as invisible. We some times look right at them but miss who they really are. We can be with them in person but gloss over their needs and concerns, failing to see what’s underneath. 

**Do you really see the people  closest to you? Do you see their needs , their feelings, their dreams, their fears, their passions? Do you see their heart?**

Unfortunately, it sometimes takes a breakdown- of a car or a life - to refocus us on whats really important. Jesus puts this in perspective in John 4 when he encounters a samaritan woman. The bible tells us that Jews did not associate with Samaritans, but Jesus  focused on hearts, not prejudices. Despite societal customs that surround ed their meeting , Jesus saw her heart. Of course, Jesus is God, and we’re not . We don’t have divine powers to see into people’s hearts. But in Jesus we have a model for relationships. He dismissed the distractions of society to notice and speak to the woman at the well. He perceived that what she claimed on the surface was not what truly rested deep in her heart. An the God of the universe chose to be all there for her.

Maybe you haven’t even taken the time with someone to share your won needs. One of the interesting things about the account of the woman at the well is that Jesus started it all by expressing his need: “I need a drink of water.” When you dare to express your own unseen needs, you tacitly give permission for others to do the same. If you really want to be a good friend or son or daughter, you’ll care enough to look and listen for what someone is wrestling with underneath.

Challenge

1.Spend some time alone thinking about the people you’ve named as your key relationships and reflecting  on times you’’ve been together recently. What was said? What wasn’t said that might suggest a deeper need?

2. Take a second look at someone this week in your neighborhood, or school whom nobody (including you) really notices. How could you make that individual feel noticed and valuable?

30 Day Challenge: "One Month To Love" Day #3

Copyright@2010 by Kerry and Chris Shook
(Published by Waterbrook Press 12265 Oracle Blvd, Ste. 200 Colorado, Springs, Co. 80921)

Week 1: The Art of Being All There

Day 3: Zoning In (Being All There in the Moment)

Series Scripture: “A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for a time of adversity” Prov. 17:17

Quote: “Only through focus can you do world-class things, no matter how capable  you are.” - Bill Gates

It is the dream of every child to be special in the eyes of their loved ones. Children haven't  yet learned to mask this insatiable desire to be loved, and they instinctively know if their parents are really paying attention to them. As kids grow, their pleas to be noticed shift from physically tugging  on our hand or pant leg to verbal requests. And as they continue to grow into teenagers, we might not hear them call, “Watch me”, but the silent cry is still there. It’s not just that they want you to acknowledge them; it’s that they need to know their important to you. 

“Wherever you are, be all there.” That means that when someone I love is talking to me, I work to block out distractions and give them my complete attention so I can really connect with them. Being all there isn’t  always easy, but it’s also not complicated. Here’s a suggestion, first, a conscious effort to clear your mind of outside distractions. The second, is to step into the other person’s world, which simply means to focus on what the other person’ s joy or need or hurt really is.

Multitasking is a smart time-management strategy in lots of situations.  But the very thing that makes multitasking effective  in some situations makes it destructive in relationships. That’s because if I really want to connect with another person on a deep- level, it takes 100 percent of my effort and awareness. To fully connect  on a deep level in any relationship, I’ve  found I have to intentionally choose to be there.  To be all there. 

The art of  being all there  starts with the unselfish act of taking what we ourselves long for  and realizing that others want the same thing from us. The people you love need to know they are important in your eyes. The best way to communicate that is to be present with them and focused on them, to clear your mind of distractions and dare to live fully in their world.

Challenge

1. Practice being all there with God this week by reading Psalms 46. Concentrate on verse 10a. “Be still and know that I am God.” 
2. In John 14:27 Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Take some time reading this and accepting this. How does reading this and knowing this change the way you look at your everyday life. Answer this for yourself. 
3. Try an experiment this week with one of your key relationships. When you’re with them (in person), focus on them wholly, block out your own needs and worries , and consciously make them the most important person in your world. Afterward, write down your impressions and transfer them into your journal, of what happened as a result. (Wed.)

30 Day Challenge : "One Month To Love" Day #2

Copyright@2010 by Kerry and Chris Shook

(Published by Waterbrook Press 12265 Oracle Blvd, Ste. 200 Colorado, Springs, Co. 80921)

Week 1: The Art of Being All There

Day 2: Face to Face (Practicing the Art of Being all There)

Series Scripture: “A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for a time of adversity” Prov. 17:17

Quote: “To the world you may be just one person, but tone person you may  be the world”- Brandi Snyder

At one time, something as simple as talking face to face with the people around us was evidence of relationship. But in a time of the world wide web, staying close is a quick as clicking a button. Our modern life  and culture have led us to believe that relationships should come to us. We’re used to calls coming in, message notifications popping up on our iPhone, and e-mails materializing in our inbox. In many ways our relationships seem to arrive at our doorstep, so to speak, and we end up managing the people in our lives through keystrokes and mouse clicks.

Why is physical presence important in relationships? For one thing, just the effort it takes to show up in someone’s life speaks volumes. These actions validates the notion of sacrifice that is needed for relationships. The cost of friendship shown in the act of being there tells a person they are important to you. Most communication takes place nonverbally through facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice. 

In Hebrews 13:5 God says to us, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” That verse is a powerful reminder to me of the value my Creator places on his relationship with me. God chooses to be all there for me no matter what I go through in life. God is never too busy. God is never preoccupied  with something more important. He is always present and available.

The point of each day’s reading  this week is to explore the art of being all there. It starts with physical presence - showing up in person to be with someone in their life experiences. The simple part of being all there is deciding to do it. The hard part is the cost of being there in terms  of time, energy and commitment. 

Challenge

Think about the three relationships you named yesterday. Hopefully, you wrote those names down in  your relationship journal . Consider the personal cost to you of being present with each one of them. Are they worth it to you? Are they worth the cost of your time , energy and commitment?

Week 4: Play to Your Strength

2 Timothy 2:6

6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands...





Dana's Thoughts
Paul is encouraging Timothy here by telling him to use the gifts God has given him. When we use the natural gifts and talents that God has given us they get stronger. Don't be afraid to use your abilities to point back to the reality that Jesus has made you who you are.

Week 3: Refocus on the Future

Philippians 3:13
13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead...



Dana's Thoughts:

It is so easy for us to dwell on the past. As Christians it's easy for us to focus on all of the bad we've done and give into the temptation to just give up. Paul is showing us by his example here, that if we focus on the future and the hope that comes from Christ, we can rest in knowing The Holy Spirit will guide us. 

Week 2: Raise Your Expectations

Matthew 19:26

26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Dana's Thoughts:

Jesus says this to his disciples because of an encounter they all just had. A rich young ruler comes to Jesus and asks Him what it takes to get to heaven. Jesus responds by telling the young man to keep the commandments. At the time the Pharisees were teaching many different commandments to follow which is why the young man responds with "which ones?" After Jesus tells him which ones the young ruler says "I have followed them, why do I still lack?"

In this case  Jesus asks the young ruler to give up all of his money and possessions and follow Him. Sadly, the man could not. which leads us to this verse. Our salvation is not dependent on what we can do but what Christ can do and has done. Maybe you feel like something is lacking in your walk with God, try asking Him what he wants you to do and trust that he will show you. Then hold on to this verse because sometimes what He wants is impossible for us to do without him.

Week 1: Recharging Your Batteries

Isaiah 40:31

but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.

Dana's Thoughts: 

Take some time each day to meditate on this scripture as you commit it to memory. Having hope that God is with you, can change your perspective on what you face in your day to day life. As you walk through your day, try to remember to "hope in the Lord" and cling to the promise that he will help you "run and not grow weary" and "walk and not be faint."

Day 40 - September 29, 2014

Today's Reading: 1 John 3:11:-24 (NIV)
¹¹ For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. ¹² Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous. ¹³ Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. ¹⁴ We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. ¹⁵ Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.
¹⁶ This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? ¹⁸ Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. ¹⁹ This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: ²⁰ If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. ²¹ Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God ²² and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. ²³ And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. ²⁴ The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.


Dan's Thoughts: 
Last day of this blog being supplied to you.  You know what to do.  Live it out.

I miss you all.

Your Friend,
Dan

Questions For Reflection:

1.  Which verse stuck out to me the most?  Why?

2.  What is God telling me through this passage?

3.  What transformation in my heart needs to take place because of what this passage means?

Day 39 - September 28, 2014

Today's Reading: 1 John 3:1-10 (NIV)
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. ² Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. ³ All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.⁴ Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. ⁵ But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. ⁶ No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. ⁷ Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. ⁸ The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. ⁹ No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. ¹⁰ This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.

Dan's Thoughts: 
You have two days left.  Its time to break you off of my thoughts, and help you develop your own.  Read this passage and ask yourself key questions that help you apply these verses to your life.  You're in the captains chair now.

Questions For Reflection:

1.  Which verse stuck out to me the most?  Why?

2.  What is God telling me through this passage?

3.  What transformation in my heart needs to take place because of what this passage means?

Day 38 - September 27, 2014

Today's Reading: 1 John 2:15-29 (NIV)
¹⁵ Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father^[d] is not in them. ¹⁶ For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. ¹⁷ The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

¹⁸ Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. ¹⁹ They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us. ²⁰ But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. ²¹ I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. ²² Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son. ²³ No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

²⁴ As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. ²⁵ And this is what he promised us—eternal life. ²⁶ I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. ²⁷ As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.




²⁸ And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.
²⁹ If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.


Dan's Thoughts: 
What in the world do you love?  Often, that leads to compromise in your walk with God.  It's nearly impossible to love God and love the world.  Let the Holy Spirit direct you to places of worldly love that remain in your heart, and cover them with a godly perspective.  This was a long passage.  Pay extra attention to all of it though.  It's good stuff.

Questions For Reflection:

1.  Which verse stuck out to me the most?  Why?

2.  What is God telling me through this passage?

3.  What transformation in my heart needs to take place because of what this passage means?

Day 37 - September 26, 2014

Today's Reading: 1 John 2:1-10 (NIV)
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. ² He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world ³ We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. ⁴ Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. ⁵ But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: ⁶ Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. ⁷ Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. ⁸ Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining. ⁹ Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. ¹⁰ Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. ¹¹ But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.

Dan's Thoughts: 
Verse 4 jumps off the page to me: if we say we know God, yet ignore who he is and what he says, we completely miss the point.  Do you know God?  Do you act like it?  What part of your life still needs to transform to be more reflective of God at work inside you?  Often times, I find that I need to do a better job of loving people (verse 11).

Questions For Reflection:

1.  Which verse stuck out to me the most?  Why?

2.  What is God telling me through this passage?

3.  What transformation in my heart needs to take place because of what this passage means?

Day 36 - September 25, 2014

Today's Reading: 1 John 1:1-10 (the whole chapter!) (NIV)

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. ² The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. ³ We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. ⁴ We write this to make our joy complete. ⁵ This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. ⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. ⁸ If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

Dan's Thoughts: 

When was the last time you shared what God has done in your life with somebody else?  Do you proclaim with your words and your actions what God means to you?  What message do people hear from your life?

Questions For Reflection:

1.  Which verse stuck out to me the most?  Why?

2.  What is God telling me through this passage?

3.  What transformation in my heart needs to take place because of what this passage means?

Day 35 - September 24, 2014

Today's Reading: 2 Peter 3:14-18 (NIV)

¹⁴ So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. ¹⁵ Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. ¹⁶ He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. ¹⁷ Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. ¹⁸ But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

Dan's Thoughts: 

What do you need to do today to be at peace with God?  He's been patient with you (verse 15).  But now its time to do business with Him!  Turn yourself back towards Him.  Repent of your sin.  Rest in the forgiveness that comes from the grace of God himself.  He loves you. He loves you. He loves you.

Questions For Reflection:

1.  Which verse stuck out to me the most?  Why?

2.  What is God telling me through this passage?

3.  What transformation in my heart needs to take place because of what this passage means?

Day 34 - September 23, 2014

Today's Reading: 2 Peter 3:8-13 (NIV)

⁸ But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. ⁹ The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. ¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. ¹¹ Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives ¹² as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. ¹³ But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

Dan's Thoughts: 

Did you know that God is outside of time?  Like, if time is a line from 0 to 100, God is not a number. He's above the numbers looking down on them.  He can see any spot on the timeline at any time.  He knows your past.  He knows your present.  He knows your future.  Trust him because He knows.

Questions For Reflection:

1.  Which verse stuck out to me the most?  Why?

2.  What is God telling me through this passage?

3.  What transformation in my heart needs to take place because of what this passage means?

Day 33 - September 22, 2014

Today's Reading: 2 Peter 3:107 (NIV)

Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. ² I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles. ³ Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. ⁴ They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” ⁵ But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. ⁶ By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. ⁷ By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

Dan's Thoughts: 

How many reminders do you need to do your chores from your parents?  God sees us the same way sometimes: we need multiple reminders on what we as Christ followers ought to do.  But at some point, you need to mature and start doing it without being asked.  Don't ever forget what God has done for you.  Cling to that memory, even when the nay-sayers come along!

Questions For Reflection:

1.  Which verse stuck out to me the most?  Why?

2.  What is God telling me through this passage?

3.  What transformation in my heart needs to take place because of what this passage means?

Day 32 - September 21, 2014

Today's Reading: 2 Peter 2:10-22 (NIV)

[Continuing about false teachers...]
Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings; ¹¹ yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not heap abuse on such beings when bringing judgment on them from the Lord. ¹² But these people blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like animals they too will perish. ¹³ They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you. ¹⁴ With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood! ¹⁵ They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer, who loved the wages of wickedness. ¹⁶ But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey—an animal without speech—who spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness. ¹⁷ These people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. ¹⁸ For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. ¹⁹ They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.” ²⁰ If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. ²¹ It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. ²² Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.”

Dan's Thoughts: 

What potential lies do you believe?  What does God's Word say about them?  Do you know?  Or do you know what somebody else told you?  Every belief you have should be rooted in God's Word.  Do you believe that book is true?  Check your beliefs and what other people tell you with what God tells you!  You'll always find truth.

Questions For Reflection:

1.  Which verse stuck out to me the most?  Why?

2.  What is God telling me through this passage?

3.  What transformation in my heart needs to take place because of what this passage means?

Day 31 - September 20, 2014

Today's Reading: 2 Peter 2:1-10 (NIV)

But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. ² Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. ³ In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. ⁴ For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment; ⁵ if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; ⁶ if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; ⁷ and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless ⁸ (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— ⁹ if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment. ¹⁰ This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority.

Dan's Thoughts: 

So your science teacher says you come from an ape.  Or from some sort of saliva-looking substance found under a moon rock.  I've got news.  You are in the captain's chair.  You need to figure out what is true and what is not.  And it only gets worse as you get older and into college.  People are out there trying to tear down the truth of Jesus Christ.  What will you stand for?

Questions For Reflection:

1.  Which verse stuck out to me the most?  Why?

2.  What is God telling me through this passage?

3.  What transformation in my heart needs to take place because of what this passage means?

Day 30 - September 19, 2014

Today's Reading: 2 Peter 1:12-21 (NIV)

¹² So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. ¹³ I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, ¹⁴ because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. ¹⁵ And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.  ¹⁶ For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. ¹⁷ He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” ¹⁸ We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. ¹⁹ We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. ²⁰ Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. ²¹ For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Dan's Thoughts: 

Your body is a tent (verse 2).  A tent is a temporary structure made to only hold you for a while.  If that's the case, why do many of us care so much about how we look?  What if we spent more time praying for the lost than doing our hair, makeup, shopping for clothes, or making sure our "swag" was just right?  Give that a try this week, and see how your heart for the people you pray about changes, and how much less pressure you put on yourself to look a certain way.

Questions For Reflection:

1.  Which verse stuck out to me the most?  Why?

2.  What is God telling me through this passage?

3.  What transformation in my heart needs to take place because of what this passage means?

Day 29 - September 18, 2014

Today's Reading: 2 Peter 1:3-11 (NIV)

³ His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. ⁴ Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. ⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶ and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷ and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. ⁸ For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. ¹⁰ Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, ¹¹ and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

Dan's Thoughts: 

You have every tool you need to be a Christ follower in your tool box.  You just need to know where to find them and how to use them.  Verse 5 encourages you to make EVERY EFFORT to figure this out.  Don't leave anything on the table.  Push yourself to daily die to self, and in the process bring glory to God.

Questions For Reflection:

1.  Which verse stuck out to me the most?  Why?

2.  What is God telling me through this passage?

3.  What transformation in my heart needs to take place because of what this passage means?