Remember the Simplicity of Your Faith ~ The Basics of Faith ~ John 3:16

REMEMBER THE SIMPLICITY OF YOUR FAITH

Faith in Jesus Christ is not supposed to be complicated. You either believe--or you do not. 

Hence, you are either going to heaven or to hell. Either you will spend eternity with the Father or absent from him. Either you have a new self or are the same old self. Regardless, you are a sinner and you do wrong things, think wrong things, and feel wrong feelings at times. 

That's it. It is that simple.

Please grab your journal workbooks at this time and answer this question--again, please. 

195 QTP (Question to Ponder) Are you a Christian? Do you believe?

196 QTP What does it mean to believe? 

Please grab your Bibles at this time. At least three versions are suggested with one being The Amplified Bible (AMP). We are going to take a look at John 3:16. 

197 What do you learn in John 3:16 from your first version of the Bible?

198 What do you learn in John 3:16 from your second version of the Bible?

199 What do you learn in John 3:16 from your third version of the Bible?

200 What does John 3:16 mean to you?

201 Answer QTP 195 one more time, but with this new information.

202 Answer QTP 196 one more time, but with this new information.

203 What does this mean for your life?

204 How can you apply John 3:16 to your life today? 

HOW DO YOU BECOME A CHRISTIAN?

It is simply through believing what is said in John 3:16. 

Busy

So, how busy are you?

156 QTP: How busy are you?

157 Do you define yourself (your life) as busy, moderately busy, or not so busy? 

158 QTP: How much free time do you have each week?

159 How much free time do you have per day?:

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

160 QTP: When was the last time you took a Sabbath day where you did not work and were not busy, but relaxed and spent time with God?

161 QTP: How many activities do you do that are God-centered? For instance, you have to have a job in order to have food and shelter. But, is do you work for the Lord or for man? Do you pray without ceasing while you work? If you work for man and use it as prayer time, as you are able, then that is a God-centered activity. List your God-centered activities.

162 What activities can you now make God-centered activities?

163 What activities do you need to get rid of in your life?

164 What can you do in your life to get rid of activities that aren't God-centered and how can you make certain activities God-centered? List three ways:

A

B

C

165 What has God said to you today?

166 What has you said to God today?

A fast life and a fast faith

We live in a world where everything is: go, go go! and Busy, busy, busy.

We want to know all of the shortcuts. We have to save time and money, after all.

We want it all.

We want to do it all. 

We even live with the perception that we are happier and more fulfilled by the more we have and the more we do. But, are we? Or are we just so accustomed to living in this manner we cannot imagine a life outside of that where we are fulfilled constantly and have a peace and joy that carries us through every storm? 

We are tired because we want it all and we try to do it all. We are burned out. We don't have time for the things that really matter. We are just going through the motions. Maybe it's because we think people will look down on us if we do not. 

It's bad enough that we look for shortcuts through life because we know we need a break somewhere. We also look for something which will get us there fast, wherever 'there' is. 

145 QTP: However, what happens in our faith when he live in this manner? 

146 QTP: How do you live in this manner?

147 QTP: How do you try to shortcut your faith? 148 What happens when you do?

149 Does your life reflect a busyness which has stunted your faith? 

150 Are you able to focus on what really matters and what really is important? Or, does busyness prevent this from happening? 

151 List three things you can get rid of in your life today to free your schedule and give you more time:

A

B

C

152 List three ways you can stop short-cutting your faith:

A

B

C

153 Write your thoughts on this blog post today.

154 What did God say to you today?

155 What did you say to God?  

Giving God Time

Part of growing more loyal in your faith means giving more time to the Lord and his Word.

The more time you give to God, the more of a loyal faith you will have.

But, the first question we need to ask is:

143 QTP: How much time do you give to him every day and week?

This question is asked not to make you feel guilty or proud. Rather, it is asked because we need a baseline.

144 QTP: So, how much time do you spend with God each day?

Take that amount of time for the next five days. Make sure you do that as a minimum each day.

If you have not spent time each day, start with 15 minutes each day. Again, do this for 5 days.

Then, the next week, add another 15 minutes.

Add 15 more minutes every week until are able to spend at least two hours a day with the Lord and in his Word.

~ Stacy Duplease

Complacency

Note: You might feel that I ask the same questions from time to time. At first glance, that is true. However, when I ask a question in different ways, it is to bring more out and get you to look at things differently. So, please, do not skip the question. Answer it agian--even if it is the same answer. Ideally, you would mix it up a bit, though, if you are able. 

QTP: QUESTIONS TO PONDER

85 Are you practicing a good-enough, complacent faith? Where you do just enough to get by?

86 Or do you have a life-transforming, on fire, God-prioritized faith--where even your planner/to do list/schedule agrees? 

87 How do you live a good-enough, complacent faith at times?

88 Have you done it lately? 89 If so, when? 

89 How are you living a good-enough faith now?

90 How is your faith on fire today?

91 List three things you can do today, tomorrow, and for the next months, to live an active and loyal faith.

Evaluating your faith

QTP: Questions to Ponder:

Please write your responses in your journal workbook:

83 How would you define your faith?

a not very good

b complacent (neutral)

c so-so (up and down) 

d more active than not

e active, strong and loyal

84 Explain your answer to question #83. 

Analyze your daily planner and schedule: Set a plan into motion

Write your responses in your journal workbook:
66 Do you keep a planner or daily task or to do list? 67 Why or why not?
68 If you do not, please take a few minutes and write a list of everything you did the last 7 days. Write at least 4 items per day.
68 If you do, look at your planner the last 7 days. Make a quick list of the items found there. Write at least 4 items per day.
QTP: QUESTIONS TO PONDER:
69 What did you do the most? How much time did you spend doing it?
70 List the next 3 things you did the most and how much time you spent doing each:
A
B
C
71 How many of those items were spent for God? 72 How were they time for him?
73 How many were not spent for God?
74 Does your schedule, outside sleep and work, reveal God and the Word as your priority?
75 How can you put more faithful activities on your planner?
THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX
76 How did you include God and faithful activities into work? Tip: You can pray and learn to do so without ceasing, as an example.
77 How can you include your faith during family time?
78 Write into you planner three items each day that include God while you do activities you must do for the next month.
79 Write into your planner at least three items each day for the next month that are between you and God and you do not share with anyone or anything else (as far as the time).
~ Stacy Duplease

A loyal faith definition

QTP: Questions to Ponder
57 How do you define a loyal faith?
58 How do you define loyal?
59 How do you define faith?
60 How is your faith?
61 How is your loyalty to the Lord and his Word?
62 Do you have a loyal faith today? 63 Why did you answer in that manner? 64 Can you grow to have a more loyal faith in God and in his Word?
65 If you say you can grow a more loyal faith, how can you do so today? List three ways you can apply this to your life today (how you will try to develop a more loyal faith).
a
b
c
~ Stacy Duplease

Bible and Scriptural references & ~*~*~

In this blog, which is a Bible study notebook, I will mention Bible study references, for instance, Hebrews 11:1.

Most of the time, I will refer to them and ask for you to look up the verse on your own. 

Please do so.

~*~*~ Let's face it, if the reference is there, we will not do it on our own. We tend to get lazy that way. (Me included!) However, I will help us out by not putting the verse in the blog post so that we can look it up for ourselves, and preferably in at least three bible translations (if you have the time or want to make the time).

~*~*~ Write the reference in your journal workbook (I will call it by both these names for whichever is more palatable to you. Sometimes one of the names can bring a negative connotation and I do not want to bring that to you by any means). 

Let me stop for a moment.

Let us stop and take a look at this design and what it means: 

~*~*~

It is a sign to you for something to do and put in your journal workbook. ~*~*~ stands for ACTION STEP.

~*~*~ After you write the scripture reference (verse or passage) in your journal workbook, make sure to write your immediate thoughts on the verse or passage. 

~*~*~ Then, read whatever the blog post says about that verse or passage and then write your thoughts about that reference again.

~*~*~ Finally, write in your journal notebook how you plan on applying that verse to your life. 

Does this make sense?

Stacy Duplease
Inspirational Historical Romance Author & Bible Study Writer
A timeless kind of love... and a loyal faith...
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