Character Building Bible Study for Adults

I hardly ever do this, but today I’d like to talk about one of the books I have written.  I’ve been authoring and publishing for thirteen years now, under the name Full Gospel Family Publications.  We started with one book, a family devotional Bible study for parents and children, called Character Building for Families, Volume 1.  The book really caught on, especially among home school families, and we published a Volume 2 as well.  The Character Building for Families web site is still our main site today. I’ve since written eight more books and booklets, mostly on the subjects of character and prayer, with a ninth currently in production.

A few years ago, our pastor suggested that I write a character building Bible study geared toward adults.  River Life: Entering into the Character of Jesus is the result of that suggestion.  It is an outline-based study covering nine main units, spread over 36 weeks:

  1. Obedience to the King
  2. The Law of Kindness
  3. Truthful Living
  4. Unswerving Loyalty
  5. The Servant Lifestyle
  6. The Might of Mercy
  7. The Humble Heart
  8. Patience — Mark of Maturity
  9. Joyful Generosity

There is a Teacher’s Guide, scripted with everything needed to teach and bring about group discussion, and also a Student Workbook, with an answer key in the back.

I like Bible studies that are simple to follow, easy for a group leader to use without gobs of prep time, that speak to where the newer believer is, and yet are meaty enough to provoke thought in the seasoned Christian.  Because that is what I want for myself, that is what I have put together in River Life.

I like to build a great deal of flexibility into how my books can be used.  River Life: Entering into the Character of Jesus works well within the adult Sunday School or Christian education class, or as a home Bible study.  The student workbook is also a complete, stand-alone manual, so that those who cannot attend a group gathering can still use the book for individual study.  River Life is written with the intent to allow about one hour, once a week, for each lesson.  Besides covering nine major topics, the 36 weeks are further divided into twelve week sections (which works well for many adult education courses).

Probably the best part of the River Life study is that it hits Christians where they live.  The goal is to transform each of us into the image of Jesus.  It is not just head knowledge. It teaches solid biblical principles, but goes beyond that to bringing deep heart conviction and real-life application.  I had to live through each of the character topics personally while writing about them — either through God working on my own attitudes or through having to deal with other people’s attitude issues pastorally.  (My husband and I are elders in our local church, which amounts to being lay pastors.)  I tell people that writing this book took the “stuffin’s” out of me!

If you need a character study, whether for your personal life, your church’s Christian ed. program, or for home Bible study use, please take a look at River Life: Entering into the Character of Jesus.  There are sample pages on the web site to give you a good feel for what the book is like.  There are also discounts available for multiple copy purchases.

River Life: Entering into the Character of Jesus

Forever Ruined for the Ordinary

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I love to tell others about reading gems that I have stumbled upon.  Some years ago, I read Joy Dawson’s book, Forever Ruined for the Ordinary: The Adventure of Hearing and Obeying God’s Voice.  It was one of those “keeper” books — the kind you know you will read again, and even if you don’t, you still want to make sure it is on your bookshelf — just in case.  I not only kept it; I bought copies for all the special people in my life.  I don’t do that every day of the week.

So, why was this book so important to me?  It spoke to a deep hunger in my life to better understand hearing the voice of God.  I had been hearing God speak to me for years, yet I wanted more, and Joy helped me with that more.

She’s still helping me.  I picked up the book again a couple of weeks ago and reread it, and it has been a wonderful experience for me.  Joy covers such topics as hearing God is everyone’s privilege, conditions for hearing His voice, ways God speaks to us, reasons guidance is delayed, how to avoid deception, and how obedience relates to clear hearing of God’s voice.  She majors on encouraging her readers to ask God to speak before making even small decisions.  She also majors on assuring us that God’s character is so trustworthy that He will never let us down.

One of the most helpful sections for me was the one about deception.  She asserts that pride is always the trigger to deception.  We do not need to fear deception if our hearts are humble and teachable, because God will quickly correct our course if our hearts are right.  She explains how people get deceived, how to quickly get out of the trap if we are already there, and how to stay out of deception’s snare in the first place.

Joy emphasizes getting quiet before the Lord in order to hear Him.  (I guess this makes her one of the original ”soakers” before soaking prayer became popular.)  She exhorts her readers to submit themselves to the authority of their church leadership, if they want to hear God properly.  She talks a great deal about the fear of the Lord protecting us from operating out of a fear of man.  She comments, “[Being] totally submitted to the control of the Holy Spirit in the fear of the Lord … releases us from the fear of other people,” and, about the pressures to perform, “When you’ve chosen to be nothing so that He may become everything, you don’t sweat it.”

Whether you are just now setting out on the journey to hearing God’s voice,  or whether you’ve been on the path for a long time already, I highly recommend Forever Ruined for the Ordinary, by Joy Dawson.

Quotes from Forever Ruined for the Ordinary

Purchase at Amazon: Forever Ruined for the Ordinary

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Criticalness or Discernment? (Part 2)

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If the flip side of criticalness is discernment, how can we tell the difference between the two?  There is nothing wrong with seeing a real flaw in someone else.  This is just reality at work.  We observe the ways people act, and sometimes wrong motives are very obvious.  It is what we do with what we see that makes the difference.

Ask yourself these questions:

1.  Do I love the person any less because of what I see in him?

2.  Do I take a secret pleasure in seeing this fault in him?

3.  Do I feel superiority or scorn towards him?

4.  Do I have a desire to point out his fault to others?  (Love covers sin.)

5.  Am I eager to see God “punish” him?

6.  Do I write him off as unworthy of any useful place in ministry?

These and other negative feelings about people are strong indications of a judging heart.  The discernment may in itself be correct, but, if we harbor negative attitudes toward people in our hearts, we have crossed over the fine line into criticalness.

God does not give us permission to judge our brothers and sisters.  Finding their flaws is His job, and He doesn’t deal with them in the same way we would.  We tend to want to slap people for the things we see in them that aren’t quite right.  God wants, rather, to whittle on them to change their flaws into strengths.

Sometimes we judge others because we live by a certain set of standards, and we assume everyone else knows and should live by the same code.  God does have standards spelled out in the Bible, but how we interpret the ins and outs of applying them depends somewhat on our personality, the way we think, and the family culture in which we grew up.  In addition, when we see other people doing things that we feel are wrong, we need to remember that God doesn’t convict us all of the same things at the same time in our lives.  We must extend grace toward those who have different standards than we do.  God will work out their realization of what needs changing inside of them in His own good time.

The Christian life is not living according to a set of rules.  Real Christianity is fueled by a yearning to have God’s innocent, pure heart.  If we can grasp the difference between these two mindsets, we will be more likely to view others with mercy, rather than judgment.

When we find ourselves responding with sorrow over others’ failings, a loving desire to pray for change in them, or a desire to help them overcome in any way that we can, we are exhibiting a right attitude.  We who struggle with criticalness can take heart in knowing that God is actively moving us into giftedness in discernment, as long as we yield ourselves in humility to His reforming hand.

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This article is based on an excerpt from Lee Ann’s book, River Life: Entering into the Character of Jesus, an adult Bible/character study, suitable for use by the individual or as part of a group study.  For more info and sample pages, please visit our web site.

 Previous: Criticalness or Discernment? (Part 1)

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Criticalness or Discernment?

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A friend of mine recently expressed her sorrow over being a critical person.  I did not see her in that way.  What I saw was a woman of keen discernment.  She may have had moments when she operated in criticalness, but by and large, she was picking up on things in the spirit that she needed to know for her own safety and for the safety of those she ministers to.

Many Christians struggle with being critical, or with thinking they are.  It is important not to judge others, but if we are so afraid of judging that we are not allowing ourselves to hear clear warnings prompted by the Holy Spirit, we are missing out on important guidance from the Lord.

True discernment is deeper than merely observing others’ faults.  It is understanding of what is really going on, of motives behind actions, of heart attitudes.

There are two types of discernment – the natural and the spiritual.  Even those who are not Christians can have a natural discernment gift.  We say they are astute, and that no one can pull the wool over their eyes.  They tend to be analytical, understand how people tick, and are able to work well with others as a result.

God can impart to us a higher level of discernment as well.  People who operate in spiritual discernment will sometimes feel an uncomfortableness or an inner warning that something is not right about a person or situation.  God may be giving them discernment for the sake of protecting the local body of Christ from hidden evil.  God does not give us discernment about wrong in another person merely so that we can have inside information.  It is to help the person, or to protect ourselves or the local church.

There is a flip side to every weakness, and so it is with criticalness and discernment.  A character flaw is nothing more than a God-given character strength that has been marred by our fallen, sinful nature.  When sin entered the world, it corrupted the good things that God had placed within mankind.  God wants to restore us by remaking our flaws into the strengths they were originally intended to be.  For instance, stubbornness made positive becomes persistence or tenacity.  Bossiness, when trained and modified with tact and a motive of servanthood, becomes excellent leadership.  Criticalness is the peculiar flaw of those whom God has gifted in discernment.  Although discerning people may always struggle to some degree with judging others, God’s redemptive plan is to make something useful and powerful for His kingdom out of what was once a weakness.

Tomorrow, we’ll talk about how to tell the difference between criticalness and discernment.

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This article is based on an excerpt from Lee Ann’s book, River Life: Entering into the Character of Jesus, an adult Bible/character study, suitable for use by the individual or as part of a group study.  For more info and sample pages, please visit our web site.

Next: Criticalness or Discernment? (Part 2)

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The Prophetic Intercessor

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Recently I read James Goll’s The Prophetic Intercessor.  It’s a wonderful book, and I learned so much.

Here are a few of the concepts taught by Mr. Goll:

About “groaning in the spirit” (Romans 8:26, 27): “Those who are self-satisfied will have difficulty groaning; those who are desperate will have great difficulty not groaning.”

Intercessors not only build a wall or hedge of protection about others to keep out satanic attack.  They also build a wall to stave off God’s judgment by crying out for mercy for an individual or a people.

Worship and intercession must go hand in hand.

“Tenacity and endurance are required when the result seems to be delayed.  Even when the breakthrough begins, it takes eyes of discernment to see it.”

There is a relationship between responsibility and authority. If we have a God-given responsibility, we are granted authority through prayer.

“Discernment must be stewarded carefully.  We will either turn it into private intercession or gossip and slander.”

Anna, who prayed night and day in the temple (Luke 2:36, 37), was called a “prophetess” by God, yet she did not have a public ministry.  She ministered to the Lord in the secret place of intercession.

One of the most helpful chapters for me was the one on wisdom issues.  It dealt with protecting ourselves when doing spiritual warfare.  Mr. Goll talked a lot about keeping our focus on Jesus, rather than having our eyes on the devil or what the devil is trying to accomplish.  He commented that often the enemy brings problems to the forefront of our lives for the sole purpose of distracting us from Jesus and to derail our pure devotion for the Lord.  We do not need to war about everything; we can pick and choose which fights are important for us to engage in.  We must let Jesus guide our use of authority, rather than wearing ourselves out fighting every battle that comes along.

I was encouraged to find out that although Mr. Goll is considered to be one of the top prophets of our day, he was not sovereignly gifted in the prophetic from birth.  He did not experience fantastic open-eyed visions from the time he was a child.  He came into it gradually, through purposefully and diligently desiring to be prophetic and through actively praying Ephesians 1:15-19.  I am not among those who have been sovereignly gifted in the prophetic, either, and I took heart and hope in reading that I can come into a high level of hearing and seeing in the Spirit by asking God to increase it in me.  (Isn’t it great that God wants to reach down and pull up those of us who are average into higher levels than we ever thought we could get to?)

I highly recommend The Prophetic Intercessor to anyone with a leaning toward prayer, from the person who is still wondering if he or she has a call to intercession, on up to the most seasoned of prayer warriors.

Purchase this book at Amazon: The Prophetic Intercessor

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