During Spiritual Emphasis Week, we set aside time everyday for one week to focus our attention on one particular aspect of faith. This year, we are looking at how distractions can keep us from deepening our relationship with God and set us off course from living the life He calls us to live. Throughout this week we will see how we are easily distracted by things from within us like fear, anxiety, worry, discontentment, and jealousy. These things are part of our experience in this life because of the fall. However, the devil also feeds on these feelings and uses other distractions to pull us off course from knowing our Savior and living for Him. In 1 Peter 5:8 it says,
"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen."
Pray that the Spirit would move in and among our student body, staff, and families to recognize when we are being distracted from deepening our relationship with Jesus or living out our purpose in God's Kingdom!
Join the Conversation
ON MONDAY
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ASK Tell me about the SEW kick off today. What do you think this week will be about?
SHARE Be prepared to share some of your own thoughts about the things you think distract you from your relationship with God or pull you away from the life He is calling you to live. |
ON TUESDAY
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ASK I heard you talked about anxiety and worry today. What's something that you worry about?
SHARE Talk about each other's worries. Read Matthew 6:25-27, 34. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." PRAY Pray about it together asking God to take it and help you to trust Him. |
ON WEDNESDAY
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ASK What do you think your chapel speaker, Terry Scholten, wanted you to know? What did he share that encouraged you or gave you an idea for dealing with distractions in your faith?
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ON THURSDAY
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ASK Today you looked at how you spend your time and what time could be redeemed. What was on your list that you thought you could redeem? How can I help you do that? Where could we redeem time as a family?
SHARE Be prepared to share ideas of how your own time could be used differently to spend more time with God or include him in more of aspects your life. |
ON FRIDAY
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ASK What distraction did you decide to tackle? Tell me about your trellis. What are you going to do?
SHARE Think about the time you want to redeem as a family that you discussed yesterday. Work with your child(ren) and other family members to make a family trellis and choose one goal to get you started. Make sure to establish the time and place for this and guard it carefully! Treat it like it is set in stone and you wouldn't miss it for the world! PRAY Pray about the time you are carving out to connect with God as a family. |