Your Personal Grow-Pray-Study (GPS) Guide

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Learn to stay C.A.L.M. -

• Celebrate God’s goodness (Philippians 4:4)
• Ask God for help (Philippians 4:6)
• Leave our concerns with God (Philippians 4:6)
• Meditate on good things (Philippians 4:8)

Day 1: Read Isaiah 26:3. Anxiety spikes when we seek to be in control of our own lives. To rejoice always, we must trust that God is in control in a world out of control. Where does life feel out of control today? Spend some time in prayer turning any anxiety into a prayer to trust God and to receive His peace.

Day 2: Read Matthew 6:25-27.  A Swedish proverb says, "Worry often gives small things a big shadow." When we worry, we tend to over-emphasize the significance of less-than-significant things. Take a look at your worries. Write them down. Where are they casting a big shadow? How might you follow Jesus’ advice today to look at how God cares for a part of His creation as a reminder that He cares for you?

Day 3: Read Matthew 6:32-33. The Hawaiian word for anxiety means “no breath”. The Latin word for anxiety means “to choke” or “to squeeze”. What’s choking your life right now? What are you chasing that’s squeezing you tight and leaving you anxious? Why are you running after things God already knows you need? Where do you need to adjust your priorities to seek God’s Kingdom first?

Day 4: Read Matthew 6:34. I love this verse. You have enough going on today, you don’t need to worry or be anxious about tomorrow. Where have you seen God at work in your day for the past 24 hours? Where do you need to see Him at work in your life right now?

Day 5: Read Philippians 4:4. To rejoice is to return to the source of your joy. What is the source of your joy? How are you doing at returning to that source each day? What keeps you from rejoicing always?  What helps you to rejoice always?

Day 6: Read Philippians 4:5. The secret to joy is that the Lord is near. That means He’s coming back one day to take us to heaven. That also means He’s here with you right now. Where do you need to be reminded that the Lord is near? As you look back at the past week, how are you doing in rejoicing always? All the time? Most of the time? Once in a while? Today in prayer return to the source of your joy – Jesus. Share your worries and anxieties, your hopes and your dreams, most of all let Him share His great love for you.

You can Go Deeper this week by reading the book: Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World by Max Lucado.

Don't forget you can listen to this week's message or read the full PDF of the message & GPS. 

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Day 1: Read 2 Peter 3:18. In the past 12 months, how have you grown in your prayer life? Blessing others? Making your mark by serving others? What have your answers to the first three questions taught you about Complete Love?

Day 2: Read Philippians 4:6. Paul says do not be anxious about anything. What anxieties do you tend to hold tightly? From what Paul writes, what might help you let go of your anxiety?

Day 3: Read Galatians 5:22-23. When you think of the fruit of the Spirit, what comes to mind? Why? Take some time today to pray the excerpt from John Stott’s prayer: Holy Spirit, I pray that this day you will fill me with yourself and cause your fruit to ripen in my life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Day 4: Read John 15:5. When do your spiritual habits move from “routine” to “rut-ine”? What helps get you out of the rut or dry places in your spiritual life? How does God’s Word help you to grow on a daily basis and to live life each day?

Day 5: Read Luke 24:44-45. What Bible verses do you think Jesus used to explain who He is to the disciples? What Bible verses are guiding lights for your faith?

Day 6: Read 2 Peter 3:18. Who is discipling you? Whom are you discipling?

You can Go Deeper this week by reading the book: Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World by Max Lucado.

Don't forget you can listen to this week's message or read the full PDF of the message & GPS. 

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Day 1: Read Deuteronomy 6:4-5. What example of following God did you experience growing up? What example of following God are you passing on to family and friends?

Day 2: Read Deuteronomy 6:6. What Bible verses are anchored in your heart? How did they get anchored there? Is there a Bible verse you need to add today to anchor your heart for the challenges you face and the memories you make?

Day 3: Read Deuteronomy 6:7. Moses reminds us that God’s Word is active in all of life, and that all of life is a teaching moment. Where have you learned some unexpected lessons about God and life in the past week?

Day 4: Read Deuteronomy 6:8-9. The movie War Room features a room with visual reminders to guide prayer. What are some visual reminders in your home, office, or car that remind you of who God is, what God has done, and what God desires to do in your life? Where might you need to add a visual reminder?

Day 5: Read Deuteronomy 6:1-3. Faith development in life is not automatic, it is acquired. What intentional plan are you using to grow in your faith? (Bible reading, GPS?) What intentional plan are you pursuing to develop the faith of the next generation?

Day 6: Read Deuteronomy 6:0-12. What seeds of faith are taking root in your life so that you do not forget all that God has done for you? As you look back over the last week, month, year, decade, how has God been at work in you that you do not want to forget and that you want others to remember?

You can Go Deeper this week by reading the book: The Blessing by Gary Smalley and John Trent.

Don't forget you can listen to this week's message or read the full PDF of the message & GPS. 

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Day 1: Read 2 Corinthians 4:13. Think of five beliefs you have that help clarify your faith in Jesus. How do such beliefs give you assurance in turbulent times?

Day 2: Read 2 Corinthians 4:13-14. One reason we're sometimes reluctant to witness is that we don't feel completely confident in our knowledge of the basics of our beliefs. Look at your life with God and what it was or what it might have been without Him. Share your story of the difference Jesus has made in your life and can make in someone else’s life too. If you don’t have anyone to share your story with, pray for God to provide the opportunity to tell someone about Jesus!

Day 3: Read 2 Corinthians 4:15. When have you witnessed something done that has led you to thank God and tell others about the overflow of His goodness? When have you done something that has led others to thank God and tell of His name?

Day 4: Read Psalm 130:7-8. Full Redemption – Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross that paid for your life, for my life, for all lives, is the greatest act of suffering that leads us to give God glory. And yet, the end of the story is not the cross, but the empty tomb. What does the cross of Jesus mean to you? Why is it important to remember the empty tomb as well?

Day 5: Read 2 Corinthians 4:16-17. Everything we deal with day in and day out tempts us to focus on the temporary: money problems, health problems, relationship problems, and so on. But if we can look beyond these things, and focus instead on the presence of God, we can experience the renovating work of His Spirit. What causes you to lose heart? What helps keep your heart grounded in God during tough times? How can you share such solid hope with others?

Day 6: Read 2 Corinthians 4:18-5:1. Never underestimate the power of sharing Jesus’ love in your works and words with others. How has Jesus’ love been shared with you by somebody’s works or words? Whom might Jesus be calling you to share His with love through your works and words?

You can Go Deeper this week by reading the book: UnChristian - What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity … and Why It Matters by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons.

Don't forget you can listen to this week's message or read the full PDF of the message & GPS. 

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Day 1: Read 2 Corinthians 4:7. God is the source of our treasure. We think life consists of accumulating the stuff; we think the answer to fulfillment is somewhere out there. But it's already in your possession. When does stuff get in the way of following your Savior? Where do you find yourself more driven by greed than grace?

Day 2: Read 2 Corinthians 4:5-6. The light is not the outside jar of clay, but the glory of Jesus shining through. Think of a challenge or problem you faced (or are facing in life). How is Jesus’ light shining through? Where, in the problem, have you found the power of His presence?

Day 3: Read 2 Corinthians 4:7. Jars of clay would be the least valuable in an ancient Greek or Jewish household. They are considered fragile and easily broken. They are common and ordinary, but with the treasure of Christ at work, you become extraordinary. How have you seen God make the ordinary be extraordinary in someone’s life? In your own life?

Day 4: Read 2 Corinthians 4:8-9. Linda Poindexter puts it, “One small crack does not mean that you are broken, it means that you were put to the test and you didn’t fall apart.” Paul has his contrasting phrases of life’s problems and God’s possibilities. Which one sticks out for you? How might you describe life’s problems and God’s possibilities at work in your life?

Day 5: Read 2 Corinthians 4:7. We have been given treasure in jars of clay. Why? The world focuses on the jars of clay. How might you focus (like Paul does) more on the treasure inside the jar, inside of you?

Day 6: Read 2 Corinthians 4:10-12. No matter your past, or you present, God desires to give you an incredible future. Jesus came and died for our sins that we might have the treasure of life He brings. How has Jesus’ story of death and resurrection been shared with you recently? What story of God at work in your life can you share with others?

You can Go Deeper this week by reading the book: Unexpected: Leave Fear Behind, Move Forward in Faith, Embrace the Adventure by Christine Caine.  You can also listen to a recent Relevant Podcast with Christine Caine.

Don't forget you can listen to this week's message or read the full PDF of the message & GPS.