TAKE AWAY
Day 4 we covered Psalm 1. The following questions are for you to ponder. Write your responses in your journal, if you have the time.
~*~ What did God say to you through Psalm 1 yesterday and last night?
~*~ Has God spoken to you about Days 1-3? Is there anything you want to meditate and think on still from those days?
~*~ How is it going with Praying the Word?
SELF-PACED OR STICK WITH THIS LAYOUT
I hope to be very clear about this. You have a choice here.
The outline I am going to give you is an option. It is not a requirement. I recommend, for the best results, that you stick with the outline. But, you can pick any 5 verses from the Bible, your pick, as long as most 3 or 4 of them are new to you each day.
I am providing a sample of 31 days with outline and verses. You can use them or ignore them. If you want to repeat previous verses, feel free to. If you are working on an issue/topic of some type and want to know what the Bible has to say about that, then look up in a concordance about that issue/topic and meditate on 5 verses per day about that issue/topic.
Does this make sense?
Here is my suggested outline.
THE PRAYING THE WORD OUTLINE: 2 CHRONICLES 7:14
I do not know about you. But, the more simple something can be for me, the better. Praying the Word can use the Lord's Prayer as an outline or other varieties. With this one, I chose 2 Chronicles 7:14. Why? It's quite a powerful verse and it lends itself to quite an easy outline for praying the Word daily.
Please grab your Bible and look up the verse. It should be one that's familiar. If not, what a treasure you are about to read. Go ahead and read it at this time. then, continue reading today's reading.
2 Chronicles 7:14, personalized, and paraphrased, states: If I am called by His name, I will humble myself. I will pray to him, I will seek his face, and will repent and turn from my wicked and sinful ways. If I do these things, then the Lord will hear me from heaven. Then, he will forgive me and my sins and will heal and restore my land.
So, here is the outline from 2 Chronicles 7:14:
Acknowledge and Humble
Petition and Intercession
Praise
Confession
Thanksgiving
= APPCT
See. that is pretty simple.
Acknowledge and Humble is to acknowledge he is God and to humble self.
Petition and Intercession is to pray for self and others.
Praise is to praise him for who he is. It's to adore him.
Confession is to confess and repent from sin and wrongdoing and to stop the temptation.
Thanksgiving is to thank God for what he has done in our lives.
Every verse in the Bible can fit into at least one of those categories.
NOTE: By the way, this series is now going to be, starting with this volume, "A MONTH OF..." Fill in the blank. This is Praying the Word. Next volume might be distractions, for example. The topics we deal with in each of the MONTH books can be prayed for in the petition and intercession section.
See. That's pretty easy.
TODAY'S PRAYING THE WORD
Here is a sample:
Acknowledge and Humble
John 3:16-17
Petition and Intercession
John 3:18 Pray for the believers and unbelievers in your life.
Praise
Isaiah 12:1
Confession
John 3:19-21
Thanksgiving
Colossians 4:2
WHAT TO DO NOW?
Take as much time as you can give this today and in your first sitting. Half an hour is great. If you only have 15 minutes, then take 15 minutes. If you have a couple of hours to spare, even better. This is self-paced and God-paced. Take what time you've got.
Then, read one verse at a time. Paraphrase each verse as you go in your journal. Take a few minutes to talk to God about it. Then, listen to what he has to say. Give him more time than what you talk. If you cannot hear Him, then, repeat the verse a few times--very slowly and see if you hear him then. If not, move to the next verse. Or, if your mind is filled with all sorts of thoughts because of that verse, then write them all down in your journal. Then, try to give God more time to speak.
When you are finished, and out of time, make sure that you remember one of those verses and carry it with you for the next 24 hours. Make note of it in your journal. Any time you talk to God about it, write down what you say and write down whatever he says to you about the verse.
By the way, if God is working through one verse, and your mind is filled and you are being moved by the Spirit, do NOT continue to another verse. Hang out in that verse for a while. If this day's reading takes you half an hour a day of sit down journaling time, along with meditating on it morning, noon, and night, then stay with it. Do not read ahead until God tells you that you are ready to do so. Just make sure you are still meditating on it constantly. If that stops, continue to the next verse. Does this make sense?
Also, make sure to have lots of silent time. Do not fill in those silences unless you are uncomfortable or restless, then repeat the verse. If nothing happens, and you do not hear from God and your mind is blank, then move to the next verse.
YOUR TURN
Now, it's your turn. Why don't you try the sample for today? Just a reminder: Make sure you journal everything.
See you tomorrow.
Stacy Duplease
Bible Study Writer & Blogger
A Loyal Faith
Find my books at/store: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/hisfiction
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