Faith WOD

TODAY'S STEPS
READ:  Proverbs 18

REFLECT:  On what basis can we choose good friends?

RESPOND:  List the top 3 individuals you turn to when you encounter defeat in your life.

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"A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."

Faith WOD

TODAY'S STEPS
READ:  Psalm 51

REFLECT:  Why did David offer this prayer?

RESPOND:  Locate one Biblical example of someone who lost, or simply did not get what they wanted.  How did this turn out as a blessing?

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"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me."

Faith WOD

TODAY'S STEPS
READ:  Hebrews 13

REFLECT:  How does a content heart operate?

RESPOND:  List 3 positive results from experiencing defeat.

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"The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The Lord is on my side..."

READ:  James Franklin's reaction to the SEC Championship defeat

Faith Weekend WOD - 5/18/2012 to 5/20/2012

Add to your knowledge...

Commit this passage to memory:  "He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.  ¹⁷ He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. ¹⁸ They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support.  ¹⁹ He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me." (Psalm 18:16-19)

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Faith WOD - 5/17/2012

Look for one person to encourage today that has recently encountered defeat.  Send them a note, text, or give them a call.

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"The next morning the Israelites got up and pitched camp near Gibeah. ²⁰ The men of Israel went out to fight the Benjamites and took up battle positions against them at Gibeah. ²¹ The Benjamites came out of Gibeah and cut down twenty-two thousand Israelites on the battlefield that day. ²² But the men of Israel encouraged one another and again took up their positions where they had stationed themselves the first day. ²³The Israelites went up and wept before the LORD until evening, and they inquired of the LORD. They said, “Shall we go up again to battle against the Benjamites, our brothers?”  The LORD answered, “Go up against them.”

 ²⁴ Then the Israelites drew near to Benjamin the second day. ²⁵ This time, when the Benjamites came out from Gibeah to oppose them, they cut down another eighteen thousand Israelites, all of them armed with swords.

 ²⁶ Then the Israelites, all the people, went up to Bethel, and there they sat weeping before the LORD. They fasted that day until evening and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the LORD. ²⁷ And the Israelites inquired of the LORD. (In those days the ark of the covenant of God was there, ²⁸ with Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, ministering before it.) They asked, “Shall we go up again to battle with Benjamin our brother, or not?”  The LORD responded, “Go, for tomorrow I will give them into your hands.”

 ²⁹ Then Israel set an ambush around Gibeah. ³⁰ They went up against the Benjamites on the third day and took up positions against Gibeah as they had done before. ³¹ The Benjamites came out to meet them and were drawn away from the city. They began to inflict casualties on the Israelites as before, so that about thirty men fell in the open field and on the roads—the one leading to Bethel and the other to Gibeah.  ³² While the Benjamites were saying, “We are defeating them as before,” the Israelites were saying, “Let’s retreat and draw them away from the city to the roads.”

 ³³ All the men of Israel moved from their places and took up positions at Baal Tamar, and the Israelite ambush charged out of its place on the west of Gibeah. ³⁴ Then ten thousand of Israel’s finest men made a frontal attack on Gibeah. The fighting was so heavy that the Benjamites did not realize how near disaster was. ³⁵ The LORD defeated Benjamin before Israel, and on that day the Israelites struck down 25,100 Benjamites, all armed with swords. ³⁶ Then the Benjamites saw that they were beaten." (Judges 20:19-36)

Faith WOD - 5/16/2012

List the top 3 individuals you turn to when you encounter defeat in your life.

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"Do your best to come to me quickly, ¹⁰ for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. ¹¹ Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. ¹² I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. ¹³When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments.  ¹⁴ Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. ¹⁵ You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message.  ¹⁶ At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. ¹⁷ But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. ¹⁸ The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen." (2 Timothy 4:9-18)

Faith WOD - 5/14/2012

Locate one Biblical example of someone who lost, or simply did not get what they wanted.  How did this turn out as a blessing?

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"You can't win 'em all.  You have your good days and you have your bad days.  Don't be afraid to lose." (Tommy Hearns)

Faith WOD - 5/14/2012

List 3 positive results from experiencing defeat.

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"Before success comes in any man's life he is sure to meet with much temporary defeat and, perhaps, some failure.  When defeat overtakes a man, the easiest and most logical thing to do is to quit.  That is exactly what the majority of men do." (Napoleon Hill)