At the end of each chapter, there are 10 reflection questions. You will be required to respond to 1 reflection question of your choice for each chapter. Post your answer in the comments section below the prompt in the Spaces App. Answers must be at least 2 paragraphs, grammatically correct, and spell-checked. Read the post of one class peer and comment one paragraph on what they said. Due each Friday. Class discussion may be based upon these reflections.
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Have you felt in different seasons in your life a longing for more... more understanding, more of God's presence and power, more of God's love experienced and expressed. What have you done about this longing.
For me I believe we always want more. For me when I want more of God's presence I find myself going to church more often... I tend to put on worship music and start praying. I also read the Bible and surround myself around other believers
I love soaking in the presence of God. I feel His presence everywhere that I go. I love praying and asking God to show me more of His Glory. I also know that obedience is very important if you want God to show Himself to you!
4. What does it mean to wrestle with the central question of the book of Joel? ("Who can endure it?")
What it means to wrestle with the question of "Who can endure it?" to me is all a matter of the heart. Have you wholehearted turned to God? Are you seeking to live your life in a way that glorifies Him? In order to be able to endure the coming tribulations we must not be focused on the cares of this world.
We must be seeking His face and be praying continually. We must pray in intercession and be ready for His return.
9. Why does god want large scale prayer? Isn’t personal enough?
God wants to partner with those that desire his mercy. The only way to do this is by showing his nations mercy and. Agreeing with him through intercession. We must gather, worship and pray humbling ourselves before him. God promises to head out prayers , forgive and heal our land. The great tribulation is coming so we must interceded for our nation. The wrath of God lists off multiple thing with out land that he is angry about . If we embrace Jesus anointed and fully agree to live his way prayer, fasting and studying the word I key. Jesus is key tells us in Mathew 7:24-27 that we survive a flood by building our house on a godly lifestyle,. Prayer, fastening, & obedience. Sermon on the mount gives direct instructions on how to live for God. Jesus in psalm 2 days “ ask me and I will give you the nations inheritance” Jesus relates to his father through intercession . coming together for prayer groups or gatherings is a powerful force in the spirit realm for our nation. Matthew 5:43-44 says you have heard that it was said you should love your neighbor and hate your enemy but I say you love your enemies bless those who curse you do good to those who hate you and PRAY for those who spitefully use you and persecute you”. The prophetic Jeremiah also spoke of a time when the people of the nations would pray for Israel, and declare the intention of the lord, to save her people. call spoke of this prophetic promise of God as a future reality and not as one that has been fulfilled 30 years before the crack of Christ there would be a coming redemption of deliverance of the Jewish people, and this idea began to emerge again among believers in the mid-19th century. The Lords desire is to bring fullness of righteousness in his people, Israel in the end, times in the light of the southern degree the Lord promised the city of Jerusalem, that he will initiate a setting of watchmen or intercessors, who will not hold their peace day or night. We have examined this prophetic premise in light of global prayer movement in the emergence of night and day prayer ministries with a burden for Jerusalem. This is a promise unfolding right before us. The Lord gave specific charge to intercessors he established in the city of Jerusalem, as well, as those with hearts to join them in prayer throughout the earth. intercessors would come and continue to cry out before his presence that he would release on his heart for the city of Jerusalem.
#8 Have you felt in different seasons of your life a longing for "more" --more inderstanding, more of God's love experienced and expressed, etc. What have you done about this longing?
Yes, I have felt different seasons of longings for more. I have had many different longings for more. Sometimes, I would find myself trying to figure out if this was really what this life was suppossed to be and how it had to be about more than what I was experiencing. Sometimes, I would experience things that would propel me to want more and I would be so full of excitement. Other times, the boredom with life that I would experience would push me into seeking for more.
During all of the times of uncertainty that I was experiencing, there was a stirring in my heart that was drawing me closer to God. It was a thirst, that nothing else but God could quinch. I would then find myself reading the Word more, digging for answers. I would be getting involved more in church services with the the choir practice and worship services. I would be at the Bible book store, searching for studies on whatever might be speaking to me at that time in my life.
As I look back through my journey, I see that what I needed in my life was very much what others needed as well. When my children were small, I needed to be with other ladies and moms. I wanted to be able to be a Godly mom, and I wanted to have my children have a circle of playmates that were from like minded moms. Well I didn't just attend a moms group for fellowship, I created a moms group and shared the Word of God with those moms. I felt the need for grandma's to love on our children while we studied and shared in our trials and joys. So I invited the elderly to sit with the children , it was a beautiful time. Both were over joyed to experience love.
At another time in my life, I was homeschooling my children, and I can remember the draw to share more of the Lord with the homeschooling families in our group. It happened to be at this time of year. I knew the families didn't believe the way my family did, or prehaps they hadn't been exposed to the feasts of the Lord in their church. I prayed and tottered with the stirring inside of me. I didn't want to be that weird mom that didn't believe the way everyone else did. I wanted the comfortableness of the fellowship the way it was, but yet I found myself needing more. That more of Jesus in my families life again. Well, I of course surrendered to the call of the Lord to share Him in a new way, perhaps a paradigm shift for the moms group. As it all unfolded, I ended up teaching the moms about the Spring Feast Days. We together then did a stations of learning for the children in one of the moms churches. Each of the moms taught the children a different aspect related to the Feast Day that we presented. It was a blessing to me and to each of them. The Pastor of the e church even gave me a warm smile. I know it pleased the Lord.
I am always amazed how the Holy Spirit stirs with in us, and once we come to surrender to Him, we are made complete again. It's like a broken relationship to some extent. When we do what our Father asks of us, we trust, we learn, and we grow. Then we can share and fully see the plan God has set forth for us to go and make disciples in all nations. Those nations can even be a small homeschooling moms group!
Many years have gone by since then, and many many more stirrings have taking place. Home Bible studies, home excersise classes, biking groups, youth group events, school food ministries and even work ministry callings have all been times of stirrings in my life that the Lord has used to draw me nearer to Him and prepared me for His work. The most recent stirring with in me has resulted in attending TSOM. I can not wait to see what the Lord has for me next. I wonder what He wants me to do for Him and how I will accomplish that, it is unknow to me right now. But as the pattern continues, I pray, draw nearer to Him, study His word, share the Word as I grow, shine my lite into wherever He takes me and always give Him all the glory!
Abby, I believe you’re right on about people being afraid of change and the unknown. We have experienced things and have expectations, good or bad that jade our perspectives. Most people like “comfortable”, including me sometimes 😆.
I also agree that people want to be smart and make fun of things they don’t understand, including other people. You are very wise! You are going to help a lot of people get a better perspective and understanding about God and life.
10. Why do “scoffers and mockers” pretend that everything will be the same, and nothing will ever change? What does this gain them and how can we avoid this personally?
I believe that the reason people pretend things will always be the same is people are afraid of change. People are afraid of the unknown, the uncertainty, and the instability of the future. If everything stays the same it might not be great but at least it will be expected. Other people will have dealt with everything before if nothing ever changes. Then of course with the theory of evolution, people can say that even if there is change it will be millions of years from now and the intelligent beings of that time will be smarter than the people of now and will be capable of dealing with that slow, steady change. Anyway, people like to think that they are smart, they like to think they know more than others. People make fun of things they do not understand, especially when they think they are being smarter and better than the people they are making fun of.
Making a fool of another person gains the "fool" negative attention and the mocker indirect positive attention. So mocking people is a way that people can make themselves feel good about themselves. Also, it is one thing for a person to think they are smarter than someone else, (not a good idea but at least the only person it’s affecting is the person thinking it.) and another thing for that person to bring attention to himself by making the other person look stupid and making himself look superior. The way to avoid doing this to others is pretty simple: be humble; don’t mock anyone; recognize the fact that how a person seems on the surface does not always reflect their true character; recognize the fact that making fun of someone does hurt that person; respect others and their opinions whether or not you agree with them; treat others the way you would want to be treated. Also, stop caring about what other people think of you and instead care about what God thinks of you, you will quickly stop humanly seeking human attention and instead start living the way God wants you to live.
Ch 5 Who can endure it?
#7 Jesus promised that the “poor in Spirit” would be “blessed”. What does it take to recognize our true spiritual condition and ask God for help? Why is this often so hard for us to do? 
As human beings, we are ignorant of our truly desperate and sinful condition. Without Jesus, we are sinful to the core, foolish, and shortsighted; self-centered, self-indulgent, and self-satisfying. We look to worldly wisdom for our solutions to our spiritual problems. Apart from him, and before salvation (being born again), we have a stony heart, and a dead spirit because of sin. We are by nature, sinful and destined for destruction…in this world, and for eternity. 
In his kindness, and in his mercy, God gives us a new heart and a new spirit (Ez 36:26-27) so we can become honest of our sin and walk in his ways. When we recognize our true spiritual condition in relation to God, and without him, we are poor in spirit, and in humility and meekness recognize our need for him. “For apart from him, we can do nothing”. (Jn 15:4-10)
I believe this is so hard for many because they have been influenced by the “religious spirit”. This is a works-based mentality not for salvation, but for favor and acceptance in the world and from God. It is a way of thinking in order to “look like” a Christian, which actually looks nothing like Jesus. It is a self centered, and self motivating way to do good works out of the flesh. It is not resulting from a love relationship with Jesus and a motivation from the spirit of God. It is deceptive and many are believing this lie from the enemy. I know, because I was influenced by it myself until God released in me a spirit of wisdom and revelation. I have since repented of this thinking, and turned to God, loving Jesus with all my heart. I also believe that it is vital to be in a Body who also has the spirit of wisdom and revelation and is walking in the Spirit and in love with Jesus. Obedience is key along with prayer and fasting. ❤️