Your Personal Grow-Pray-Study (GPS) Guide

Day 1: Read Psalm 46:1-2a. How do you complete the sentence: God is …? Luther moved from a God he feared and at times even hated, to a God he trusted, loved, and followed. How has this concept of Luther’s changed, revised, and grown over the last 5-10 years?

Day 2: Read Psalm 46:2b-3. The Good News in Psalm 46 is that “God is our refuge”. The Bad News: Life will bring storms. What storms have you been through or are going through? How has God been your refuge?

Day 3: Read Psalm 46:4-5. When tough times come, when life shakes you to the core, are you with God or without God? Where do you need to remind yourself that God is with you and He is your solid foundation?

Day 4: Read Psalm 46:6-7. Dave Dravecky wrote, “In America, Christians pray for the burden of suffering to be lifted from their backs. In the rest of the world, Christians pray for stronger backs so they can bear their suffering.” Where do you need to pray for a stronger back? Who can you pray for who needs a stronger back?

Day 5: Read Psalm 46:8-9. When everything was shaking in his life, Luther discovered God remains unshaken. Why? He didn’t let “life storms” in the moment blind Him to God’s grace for all His moments. Where have current storms blinded you in the past? Where has God’s grace given you the power to get through those storms?

Day 6: Read Psalm 46:10-11. How does the psalmist advise to “trust God in the storm”? When is your “be still” time with God? (“Be still” means to cease striving! And yes, GPS time counts!)

You can GO DEEPER this week by reading the books Here I Stand by Roland Blanton (classic book) and Martin Luther: The Man Who Rediscovered God and Changed the World by Eric Metaxas (October 2017).  You can also watch the movie Luther (2003) [free streaming].

You can also listen to this week's message or read the full PDF of the message & GPS.

Day 1: Read Proverbs 4:23. Why do you think Solomon puts such a high priority on guarding your heart? Where is your heart susceptible to temptations attacks? What helps you to guard your heart and to treat it as the wellspring of your life?

Day 2: Read James 1:13. God’s purpose is not to tempt us, but to give us power over temptation. Satan’s plan is not to hit us with temptation where we are strong, but where are we weak. Knowing this is Satan’s modus operandi, where do you need to spend time in prayer seeking God’s power in guarding your heart and home?

Day 3: Read Matthew 4:1, 6. Jesus tells us His story of temptation in Matthew 4. If Jesus faced temptation, we will as well. In verse 6, we begin to understand Satan’s temptation pattern. Turns out he knows the word of God, and twists it to his evil purpose. Temptation does not only involve the bad things of life, but how Satan twists what is good. Where have you seen good twisted to one of Satan’s temptation tools?

Day 4: Read James 1:14-15. Resisting temptation doesn’t make you weaker, but stronger. Temptation doesn’t last forever, but neither does it leave forever. Think back on your life. What’s an area of temptation God has empowered you to overcome? It used to tempt you, but now does so no longer. What happened? How did that change occur?

Day 5: Read Matthew 4:3-4. Jesus’ prime method of attacking temptation was to use the Word of God. Think of what tempts you and what God’s Word says about that area of temptation (you may need a concordance or go to BibleGateway.com and search for that word or topic). What Bible verse do you need to plant in your mind to guard your heart this week?

Day 6: Read 1 Corinthians 10:13. The sin is not being tempted. The sin and pain is giving into temptation. Where have you taken the way out that God provided in a tempting moment? Where have you not taken the way out that God provided? What happened? What do you pray God leads you to do next time?

 You can GO DEEPER this week by reading the book The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis, and watching this video Twisting the Truth by Andy Stanley on RIGHT NOW MEDIA.

You can also listen to this week's message or read the full PDF of the message & GPS.

Day 1: Read Matthew 6:12. Do you find it easier to ask for forgiveness or to give forgiveness? Why? Why are both needed?

Day 2: Read Matthew 18:15-17. When wronged, notice Jesus’ progression to make a relationship right. Why do you think Jesus has that progression of involvement from one to many to resolve a disagreement or wrong? How has that worked for you in giving and receiving forgiveness? Where might you need to ask or give forgiveness? One more observation about these verses – when wronged, the temptation is to see this as how you break off a relationship, and yet to treat someone like a sinner or tax collector is to see them as someone Jesus wants to be in relationship with personally. Think of a relationship that has hit a wall and there is some distance. Take some time to pray for that person today for God to be part of his or her life, for God to bless, and for forgiveness in your heart for them.

Day 3: Read Matthew 18:21-22. In Peter’s day, “3” was a considered a generous number of times to forgive someone’s sins. Peter ups the offer to “7”, a biblical number of completion, but totally inaccurate to God’s desire that we “build bridges”, not score keeping walls. Do you ever feel like God is still keeping score of your sins? Where are you tempted to keep score in relationships? Spend time in prayer today, thanking God that He does not keep score, and asking God to help you not to keep score of your own sins He has forgiven or anyone else’s.

Day 4: Read Matthew 18:27. Where do we draw the line between forgiving others and becoming a doormat? Is there even a line to draw? Where does that line exist between you and God?

Day 5: Read Matthew 18:31-34. Does holding someone accountable for future actions place a limit on the extent of our forgiveness? Do you find yourself more often in the position of needing forgiveness or needing to forgive?

Day 6: Read Matthew 6:12. You will never be more like Jesus than when you forgive. Jesus came to build a bridge across the sin that separates you from God, and He is calling you to build a bridge across the conflict that separates you from others. Where do you need to ask for forgiveness? Who do you need to ask God to forgive and to give forgiveness today?

You can GO DEEPER this week by reading the book Forgive & Forget: Healing the Hurts We Don’t Deserve by Lewis Smedes.

You can also listen to this week's message or read the full PDF of the message & GPS.

Day 1: Read James 1:17. God is the source of “every good and perfect gift”. What are three gifts He has given you in the last 24 hours?

Day 2: Read Mark 6:41. Is there a "loaves-and-fishes" area of your life where your current supply is less than your current demand? Have you expressed gratitude for the seemingly-to-small amount that God has provided?

Day 3: Read Matthew 6:34. What are some “tomorrow worries” you need to release to God? What are some “today troubles” you need to turn over to God in prayer?

Day 4: Read Mark 6:42-43. Where do you need to be satisfied with what God has provided? When will you slow down today and savor a gift God has given you in your food or other gift during the day?

Day 5: Read Proverbs 30:7-9. Where has being rich gotten in the way of your relationship with God? Where has being in need gotten in the way of your relationship with God? Take time to pray: Lord, keep my focus on my needs that You provide instead of my “greeds” I desire.

Day 6: Read John 6:35. Each weekend we feast on God’s Word on Sunday. What are you eating the rest of the week?

You can GO DEEPER this week by reading the book The Great House of God by Max Lucado.

You can also listen to this week's message or read the full PDF of the message & GPS.

In his message this week, Pastor Burkey introduced us to the concept of “are you living your life as a blueprint or as a game plan?”  One advantage of using a “game plan” is that it allows you to adjust as life changes from your will to God’s will.

Day 1: Read Matthew 6:33. START: What one step does God want you to begin this week?

Day 2: Read Mark 1:15. STOP: What’s one action is God telling you to stop right now?

Day 3: Read Ruth 1:16-17. STAY: Where does God want you to persevere?

Day 4: Read Matthew 26:39. SERVE: Who is God calling you to serve?

Day 5: Read Hebrews 10:24-25. CONNECT: Who is God inviting you to connect with face to face?

Day 6: Read Matthew 6:10b. What “clues” has God been laying out for you this week about His will for your life? Which of the five questions presents you with the biggest challenge? What is your biggest obstacle to doing this every day? Who benefited from your life -- from your actions -- today?

You can GO DEEPER this week by reading the books:

• Divine Direction: 7 Decisions that Will Change Your Life by Craig Groeschel
• Living Forward: A Proven Plan to Stop Drifting and Get the Life You Want by Michael Hyatt and Daniel Harkavy [Free ebook if you have Amazon Prime!]

You can also listen to this week's message or read the full PDF of the message & GPS.