Archive of ‘Bible Study’ category

How do you Believe in God?

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There is no special formula to start believing in God. The Bible doesn’t say that if you pray five times and read the whole Bible, then you will believe in God. In fact, the Bible says that belief is not of your own doing. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,” Ephesians 2:8 ESV. God is the only one who can open your heart to believing in him.

If you are struggling to believe in God, take heart that even the disciples, Jesus’ close friends, sometimes struggled believing in him. After the disciples witnessed Jesus perform a miracle, they still did not believe he could perform another miracle. (more…)

Easy Way to Memorize Scripture

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How to memorize Scripture WHY MEMORIZE SCRIPTURE?

You’ve probably been told to memorize scripture, but have you thought about why? Memorizing scripture is possible and can change your walk with God.

To find out why, let’s look to Jesus. Jesus is fully God and fully human, and yet he quoted scripture to attack temptation. How much more do we, who are fully human, need to memorize scripture?

Read this account of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness and notice his weapon of choice:

“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:1-4).

Jesus was the most powerful human to ever walk this planet, and what did he use to fight against Satan? God’s word. This shows us the power of scripture. It’s safe to assume that Jesus knew the content and significance of scripture. Yet he quoted God’s Word to fight against Satan and temptation.

This shows us two things: the power of God’s word to remove Satan and temptations and that to use this power we need to first memorize scripture. If we don’t have key verses tucked away in our brains, we lack the weapon when we are in battle.

Most of us know that scripture is powerful, but we fail to take the time to memorize it. I know I used to rarely spend time each week memorizing scripture. I believed a lie that the task was too hard.

When the thought of memorizing scripture first entered my mind, these are the words that followed: impossible, unattainable, hopeless, and impractical. Then one day a friend showed me this method of memorizing and my way of thinking about memorizing scripture changed. I want to show you this method so that you will have the power of scripture to use in any battle.

HOW TO MEMORIZE SCRIPTURE?

There are a lot of memory systems out there and I’m sure there is merit in all of them, but this is the one that I’ve found works best for me. Follow the steps below for each verse you want to memorize.

  1. Find a verse that has power over your weaknesses. For example, if you are struggling with purity, search your Bible or the internet for verses about purity, freedom, or the power of prayer and the Holy Spirit. (Openbible.info is a great resource for finding verses for every topic.)
  2. Read the verse through several times out loud. You can even record yourself reading the verse on your phone. This way you can listen to the verse as your driving or working out.
  3. *KEY STEP* Write the first letter of each word of the verse out on an index card. This step is what makes this way of memorizing different that others. This tip helps with long term memorization. If that does’t make sense to you, I’ve attached a photo of the verse I’m currently trying to memorize Pslam 18: 2 (NIV), “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” (INSERT PHOTO)
  4. Look at the first letters and practice saying the verse. If you need help, turn back to the full verse. Then continue practicing with just the first letters.
  5. When you think you’ve mastered the verse, try writing it down without looking at your card or Bible.
  6. Feel free to create multiple verse cards with just the letters. You can hole punch each card and tie them together with string or a circle clip. This keeps them together and allows for easy flipping from verse to verse. Now you can master a verse, move on to a new verse, and then go back to the old a few days later.

Friends, this way of memorizing scripture has drastically changed my walk with God. I am now learning how to use the power of God’s word in day to day life and fight off Satan and temptation. I pray and hope that this method will help you as well.

Do You Lack Patience?

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Do you lack patience?

I’m impatient. I don’t like waiting. I see what I want and I want it. I’m a planner and I have a beautiful plan for how I want my life to go. In my mind, this plan is perfect. Does this sound like you? We have to remember, our plans may not be God’s plans.

When our lives aren’t going according to our plans – we ask God, “Why won’t you do things our way for a change?”

We expect God to love our plan even when we reject his. Have you rejected God’s plan and decided that your plan is better? God tells us to obey him. In the book of Job, Job questions God. God responds by stating, “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?” (Job 38:2).

Just like Job, we take God’s plans and confuse them with our own words that have no knowledge. Where you there when God laid the earth’s foundation? No, yet why do we doubt God’s plan?

If we don’t like God’s rules or his plan we ask for an exception. Here are some examples: (more…)

When You Lose Your Friends because of Your Beliefs

/ Bible Study, Christian in College / 4 Comments

When you've lost your friends and feel alone. Since starting college, I have lost a few really good friends because of my faith. Both of them told me we could not be friends because my beliefs did not match up with their beliefs. This is something that is incredibly hard to hear. Even though the Bible warns us that we will lose friends and people won’t like us, it is hard to have someone you love turn their back on you.

Here are 5 lessons I took away from both experiences and from the story of Joseph:

1) God’s plans are still perfect even though we might not understand them.

Early in the story of Joseph, his brothers desert him. Essentially, Joseph loses the only friends he knows. In that moment, Joseph had no idea how God would use the pain of being deserted for his glory. We may not understand why losing a friend is part of God’s plan, but we can put our trust in God and believe that good things will come out of the pain.

In Genesis 43, there was a severe famine in Canaan. Imagine how confused all the people were. How long will this last? Are we going to die? Why is God doing this? No one could see God’s big picture – this famine would reunite Jacob and his sons with Joseph. The brothers were going to be given food in plenty and taken care of for life, but in the moment they felt only pain and hunger. In the end, Joseph and his brothers understood why God had the famine –  to reunite father and son and to give an opportunity for Joseph to show his brothers forgiveness.

2) No one can change God’s plan.

Here is Joseph’s response to his brothers: “…I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt.” – Genesis 45:4-8

Joseph’s brothers tried to control the situation by selling Joseph to Egypt, but Joseph realized that God had sent him to Egypt for a reason. God used Joseph’s brothers desertion to save lives in Egypt.

3) God’s plan is hidden to unbelievers. 

“We declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.” 1 Corinthians 2:7.

We don’t know if Joseph’s brothers were Christians or not, but their actions of selling their brother and lying to their father are not very Christ-like. Thus, God’s plan for Joseph remained hidden.

4) We have to continue to love them.

How easy would it have been for Joseph to hate his brothers? Instead, he choose to love them. Joseph blessed his brothers with gifts, food, and spared their lives. Think about the friends who have turned their back on you. We have to continue loving them.

When we are confronted with conflict, we usually respond by defending ourselves and our actions. What if we responded with the gospel? We should respond with grace, love, peace, and mercy. When my friend said goodbye, I wanted to defend myself. I practically listed all the ways I had been a good friend to her in the past. I wonder, would the situation have ended differently if I responded with the gospel? In a loving way, I should have apologized for hurting her. In a graceful way, I should have asked how I could be a better friend. In a peaceful way, I should have said I will not change my beliefs, but I don’t love you any less for your beliefs.

5) Always return to scripture.

As humans, we tend to get self-righteous. An amazing thing happened because of the situations with my friends – my faith grew stronger. Before I was confronted about my beliefs, I knew what I believed, but I did not know why. Confrontation forced me to turn to scripture to find the answers. Any time we are questioned, return back to scripture so you will understand why you believe what you believe.

 

God warns us that people will hate us. “And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” – Matthew 10:22. It hurts when people, especially people you love, hate you. God warns us that this will happen, and he commands us to endure.

Friend, I know how hard it is to lose a friend because of your beliefs. Remember that God has a perfect plan for you. He will use this situation for his glory. Surround yourself with a community of believers who will help you through this challenging time.

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What to give the birthday boy this Christmas?

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Christmas is quickly approaching. Think back on the year and all that Jesus has given us – life, friends, family, education, safety, protection, The Holy Spirit, freedom, forgiveness, mercy, grace, healing… I could go on and on forever. This year I am especially grateful that I have been blessed with the gift of learning and growing. As my undergrad experience comes to an end, I pondered on everything God taught me while I was in college. I entered into college as one Joy, and graduated a whole new Joy. All the glory to God!

Since God has given us countless gifts, what can we give him this Christmas?

How will we give him a gift that compares with his blessings that he freely gives us? It is soon Jesus’ birthday, but what can we give him that he hasn’t already given us?

Our lives? He created us. “The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” – Job 33:4

Water? He gave us living water. “Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” – John 4:10.

Love? He loved us first. “We love because he first loved us.” – 1 John 4:19.

Money? Everything is already God’s. “Peter answered, “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!” – Acts 8:20.

The only gift we can give Jesus is the unconditional sacrifice of praise.

No matter if you are in a valley of life today, stop what you are doing and tell God how much you love and adore him. No strings attached. God has given us everything. God sent his son Jesus for us, and this is the biggest gift we will ever receive.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 6:23.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” – Ephesisns 2:8.

This Christmas season, I want to praise God for being the BEST gift giver in the world.

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Shattering the Lies We Believe (Part 2): Where Do Lies Come From?

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JoyPedrow.com In Part 1 of this series, Shattering the Lies We Believe (Part 1): What Are Lies? I shared how lies are imposters of the truth. Believing lies results in choosing second best over God, who is the best. This post focuses on the creation of lies. The only way to shatter the lies from our life is to first figure out where they come from.

Where do lies come from?

Lies come from satan. “…He does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:43-44).

The enemy wants us to turn our back on God and believe lies. When we allow ourselves to believe satan’s lies, we take the crown off of Jesus’ head and give it to satan. We make him king. (Click here to read a previous post: Take Off Your Crown – Jesus is King.)

We are giving the enemy a crown he does not deserve. Satan is the king of only one thing – lies. He claimed to be like God, what a huge lie! In fact, the Bible tells us that this is why satan was cast out of heaven. Satan said he was more powerful than God (Isaiah 14:12-14).

The scary thing is – we act like satan when we claim to be like God.  When we believe that our plans are better than God’s, we act like satan. For example, I act like satan when I want control over my weight, what food I can eat, when I get married, and what decisions I make. I subconsciously play God when I want my own plans instead of God’s plans. (more…)

Shattering the Lies We Believe (Part 1): What Are Lies?

/ Believing Lies, Bible Study, Christian in College / 4 Comments

JoyPedrow.com

“Our hearts often detect the lies long before our minds begin to process them.”

We fail to realize that we are believing lies until they effect us. How scary is that. The enemy wants us to believe lies because he wants to ruin our relationship with God. The good news is that lies have no power over us. In this 3 part series, I will unpack what scripture tells us about believing lies. By looking to scripture, we can define lies, discover where they come from, and learn how to break free from their grips. As a resource, here is a step by step guide on a craft idea for a women’s ministry night: Women’s Ministry Craft Night: Shattering the Lies We Believe. Feel free to combine this series with the activity for an empowering women’s night! (more…)

Take Off Your Crown – Jesus is King

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We like to think that we are in charge of our life. I have a friend that is exploring her faith and she told me, “The biggest thing that is holding me back from making the decision to follow Jesus is that I still want control.” My friend wants to be king over her life. She understands that if she follows Jesus, she has to give up control.

Giving up control scares us, because the uncertainty freaks us out. But when we give up control, we gain freedom.

We want to be king. In our eyes, being king equates to having control of our lives and fulfilling the desires of our hearts. But there can only be one king. You or Jesus.

Taking off your crown and giving it to Jesus is not a one time decision, but a daily decision.

The word “crown” is mentioned 57 times in the  ESV Bible. Here are a few of those verses and the importance of a crown.

  • “And he took the crown of their king from his head.” – 2 Samuel 12:30.  David took off the crown and placed it on his head. What does this mean? There can only be one king.
  • “The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she won grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.” – Ester 2:17. Their can only be one queen.
  • “He has stripped from me my glory and taken the crown from my head.” – Job 19:9. If we don’t remove our crown from our own head, Jesus will.
  • “You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.” – Isaiah 62:3. When you give Jesus your crown, you become a crown of beauty in his eyes.
  • “and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ ” – Matthew 27:29. Jesus wore a crown of thorns. If we continue to make ourselves kings, we are mocking Jesus. Jesus wore the crown of thorns for us. He took on our sins for us. And what do we do? Take the crown off his head and place it on ours.

There can not be 2 kings.
We need to pray for strength to take off our own crowns and give them to Jesus.

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” – James 4:10. Humble yourself by taking off your prideful crown, giving it to Jesus, and then you will experience the true prize – being exalted by Jesus the one and only King.

What area of your life is it hardest to take off your crown and give Jesus control?

Bonus: Here are more verses about crowns you can read: Rev 2:10, 3:11, 6:2, 12:1, 14:14. 1 Peter 5:4, Jas 1:12

Even Jesus Spent Time with God + Book Review

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Spending time with God is the answer to most of our problems, especially our trust issues. I realized, that the days I struggle trusting God most are the days I don’t spend time with him. Do you trust in God’s plan for your life? Do you spend time with God on a regular basis through reading the Bible or praying?

You will begin to trust God more and know God more, the more you spend time with him.

Often, we wonder why our plans for our lives are different from God’s plans for our lives. We question, “Why hasn’t God given me ___?” Then, we begin to think that God doesn’t love us because he has not given us what we want. This happens because we think our values are the same as God’s values. We think we share the same channel of thoughts as God. But If we don’t spend time with God, we don’t know his channel. This lack of time together creates miscommunication between God and us. And a lack of trust.

To know God and understand why he does things, we have to spend time with him. Even Jesus had to spend time with God, and he is God! It is that much more important that we spend time with God!
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