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| "Let
the little children come to Me, and do not forbid
them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly,
I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom
of God as a little child will by no means enter
it." — Mark 10:14-15 (NKJV) |
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| Last
month, we began our study on child-like faith by examining
two powerful characteristics — humble
dependence and a teachable
heart. First, we caught a glimpse of the
Apostle Paul's humility with an in-depth, phrase-by-phrase
breakdown of Philippians 3:8. Then, we looked into the
original Hebrew to get a clearer picture of King David's
willingness to wait patiently for the Lord's direction,
guidance, and wisdom. If you haven't read Part 1 yet, click
here. |
| This
month, we continue our study with a look at two more
characteristics of child-like faith: unconditional
trust and mustard seed faith.
Let me invite you to pray this simple prayer with me: |
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Heavenly
Father, please open my heart to the truth of your
Word. I lay aside all preconceived notions, all
human wisdom — and I choose to become like
a little child. Holy Spirit, I give you full permission
to work within my heart, taking out what needs
to go and replacing it with your Truth. In Jesus'
name I pray, amen. |
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Click
the shovel icon if you ever want
to "dig deeper" into any of the
points below. |
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| 1 |
| Unconditional
Trust |
dig
deeper » |
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| "Trust
in the LORD with all your heart, and lean
not on your own understanding; in all your
ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct
your paths." — Prov 3:5-6 (NKJV) |
| Picture
a child walking through a dense forest for
the first time with his father. As they duck
under low-hanging branches, amble over moss-covered
logs, and tip-toe through trickling streams,
the child never considers letting go of his
father's hand and venturing off alone. Why?
Because he lacks understanding of his surroundings,
and true security is only
found under his father's care and guidance. |
| The
child places full, unwavering confidence in
his father to direct their journey, as well
as provide protection along the way — and
the child's only responsibility is to hold
onto his father's hand. |
| As
adults, we must choose to let go of our own
human "understanding" and cling
to the hand of our Abba Father, trusting
that He knows exactly what we need and will
lead us in the right direction. Read
more |
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| 2 |
| Mustard
Seed Faith |
dig
deeper » |
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"...if
you have faith as a mustard seed, you will
say to this mountain, 'Move from here to
there,' and it will move; and nothing will
be impossible for you." — Matt
17:20 (NKJV)
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| The
mind of a child is a blank slate — and
whatever is written on that slate is immediately
embraced at face value. So when a child hears
Jesus speak those words, "Nothing will
be impossible for you," he believes
them, no questions asked. |
| However,
as we all know, life doesn't always turn
out as expected. And in these critical moments,
if we're not careful to guard our hearts,
the devil slithers in, poisoning our minds
with disappointment, failure, and regret
and eroding the groundwork of our faith. |
| As
the doubt builds, we construct walls to protect
us from getting hurt. But instead of protecting
us, these walls trap in our regrets and keep
out the freedom that comes from taking God
at His Word, no matter what our feelings
or circumstances tell us. Read
more |
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| » YOUR
HOMEWORK: TAKE TIME TO WATCH |
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| Set
aside at least an hour sometime this
week to just sit back and watch your
kids — or if you don't have kids,
find a local park and sit by the playground! |
| Take
a notebook and write down your thoughts.
Here are a couple ideas to help you
get started: |
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Describe
what you see when you look
into a child's eyes, then
go down the list and check
which characteristics are
still present in you today. |
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Remember
back to when you were a
child. What do you most
need to "re-learn" from
your childhood? |
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| And
lastly, and most importantly, ask
God to help their child-likeness
rub off on you! |
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| • |
THE
MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language.
Copyright © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson.
All rights reserved. |
| • |
THE
NEW KING JAMES VERSION, Copyright © 1982,
Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. |
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 USE
THIS STUDY
within PC Study Bible |
| To
integrate this study into your PC Study Bible Version
4 library: |
| 1 |
Click
on the file below. |
| 2 |
select "Open" or "Run" in
the file download window that appears.
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| 3 |
Follow
the instructions on your screen. |
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| (will
only work with PC Study Bible Version
4) |
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have PCSB V4?
Try | Buy | Upgrade |
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| 1 |
UNCONDITIONAL
TRUST
Rediscover the peaceful security of resting
in the care of your Abba Father. |
| 2 |
MUSTARD
SEED FAITH
Rekindle a simple faith free from the traps
of cynicism and doubt. |
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| • |
Psalm
18:30 |
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Psalm
31:14-15 |
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Proverbs
3:5 |
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2
Corinthians 1:9-10 |
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Matthew
17:20 |
| • |
Matthew
19:26 |
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| 1 |
Why
is trust in general so difficult? |
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Is
it easier for you to trust God, yourself, or
other people? Why? |
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What
is the biggest thing that keeps you from trusting
God completely? |
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What
is one area of your life that you're struggling
to trust God in right now? |
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| 1 |
Read
Matthew 17:20 as a group. What do you think
Jesus is saying here? |
| 2 |
Why
do you think He chose a mustard seed to illustrate
faith? |
| 3 |
In
your daily life, both big decisions and small,
do you rely more on human reason or your faith
in God? |
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