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Jesus, I want to love you Part 3 `

Date: Aug 1, 2016
Categories: Bible reading plan
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August 1st starts Part 3

Reading plan began on July 18th.  You can also find this reading plan on the YouVersion Bible app https://www.youversion.com

Search for “Jesus:  I want to love you more Part 3”

All the content of the reading plan can be found down blow.

Just the scriptures (scroll down  below for full plan)

8-1      Matthew 5:27-32

8-2      Matt. 5:27-30, Ex. 20:1-21, Prov. 7:1-5, I Thess. 5:23-24

8-3      Matt. 5:28, I Cor. 7:1-9, Prov. 5:15-23, 2 Sam. 11:1-27

8-4      Gen. 2:22-25, Gen. 12:1-7, Gen. 24

8-5      Gen. 15:1-8, Gen. 22:1-18, Rom. 5:6-11

8-6      Ephesians 5:21-33

8-7      Revelation 2:7

JESUS, I WANT TO LOVE YOU: PART 3

PATHWAY TO TRUE INTIMACY

In Part 3 we tackle the subject of intimacy as it relates to the topics of lust, impurity, adultery, and divorce. Let’s listen to what Jesus teaches in the Sermon on the Mount and elsewhere in His Word about true intimacy.

[Day 1]  PATHWAY TO TRUE INTIMACY

Read Matthew 5:27-32.

Sex, as created by God, is one of the most precious and marvelous gifts God has given to us. It is a wonderful gift, with very clearly defined boundaries and guidelines. God designed sex in marriage specifically for us and for His glory. It was designed not only to give great pleasure and to multiply mankind, but to glorify God. God said that the husband and wife are to become one, because, through this “oneness,” we reflect Him and bring Him glory (Gen. 2:18-25; Eph. 5:31-33).

As we seek true intimacy with the Lord and our spouse, we must always keep our focus on Him. Are your eyes wandering where they shouldn’t? What about your mind? We often think we aren’t playing with fire if we don’t visit inappropriate sites on the Internet or if we are not entering into a relationship with another person of the opposite sex, but what about our hearts? Does your heart wander? Sometimes the “wandering” is as simple as allowing your mind to consider what the neighbor is doing or how a co-worker pays attention to you. It may all seem so innocent at first, but, left unchecked, sin has a way of escalating. Underneath the “innocent” flirtation, much more is going on than meets the eye. Let us seek to guard our hearts.

PRAISE HIM

God, you are so good and kind. You are with me wherever I go, even into the night, into my fears, into my weaknesses, or even into my bedroom with my spouse. (Ps. 3:3-8)

ADMIT YOUR SIN

Lord, help me. Please be there to hold my hand when you show me where I am wandering in my thought life or when I am not guarding my heart with other people. (Ps. 7:12-16)

Lord, I admit that I . . .

THANK HIM

Take time now to thank Him for always being ready to hear your cry, come to your aid, and forgive your sin. Thank you, Lord. (Ps. 18:16-19)

ASK HIM

Lord, help me stand firm against any unholy sexual thoughts. Strengthen my resolve to not withhold my body from my spouse and to love my spouse sacrificially. Help me be all that he/she needs me to be. Help me bless him/her throughout the day and into the night when we are alone together. Help us have an increasingly intimate and fulfilling relationship. (Ps. 5:1-3)

[Day 2] GUARD HEART AND MIND—IN THE WORD

Read Matthew 5:27-30, Exodus 20:1-21, and Proverbs 7:1-5.

Do you find yourself going places in your mind that you really shouldn’t? Married or single, be on guard. It’s amazing how much your thought life can affect your desire for your spouse and his/her place in your heart, and the intimacy of your relationship with him/her and with the Lord. Is there anything that takes the place that is only reserved for the Lord or your spouse?

A beautiful way to begin to guard our hearts and minds is to allow the Lord to wash us with the water of His Word. Regarding the Exodus passage, ask the Lord to prick your conscience in the area that needs adjusting. Our inner heart condition directly impacts our relationships with others, especially with God and with our spouse.

In Proverbs, what did Solomon say to his son? What can we learn?

Most of us (particularly women) long for meaningful relationships, for romance, tenderness, and intimacy. But unconfessed sin, wrong priorities, and lack of time spent with the Lord in His Word can profoundly affect our sex lives in a negative way. Casual regard for the Word and its instructions will directly impact our marriages, our homes, our family lives, and our effectiveness in the church and in the world. Conversely, seeking the Lord first will profoundly affect your relationship with your spouse and your sex life in a very positive way. If you are not pursuing the Lord with all your heart, there is a very good chance that sexual and emotional aspects of your marriage will be stunted as well as spiritual ones. An emptiness, a disconnect, and a superficiality will exist that even our children will sense. The ripple effect spreads much further beyond the marriage bed or the four walls of your home.

Where do you need to make adjustments? Where do you see difficulties in your relationship with the Lord or with your spouse?

Ask the Lord to search your heart. In your thinking, is there anything you need to bring before Him? Call out to Him! He wants you to have incredible, life-changing intimacy with Him and with your spouse. There is nothing He cannot forgive. There is no feeling, no matter how angry or apathetic, that He cannot change!

Close by reading 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24.

[Day 3] GUARD HEART AND MIND—CHANNEL DESIRE

Read Matthew 5:28, 1 Corinthians 7:1-9, Proverbs 5:15-23, and 2 Samuel 11:1-27.

God made men and women with strong sexual desires. There is absolutely nothing ungodly about these desires when they are channeled in the right path and exercised within the sanctity of marriage. Focus on what you read in 1 Corinthians and Proverbs.

Biblical passion and love for our mate is a gift given to us by God. When fostered, it will draw us closer to our spouse and to God. How can you foster more of this biblical passion for your spouse? Although I don’t have four children running around underfoot any longer, there are new demands and stresses in my day. I have to exercise great discipline to stop what “needs” to get done to do what my husband would really, really like to have done. I have to make a conscious choice to put aside what I am doing, to get myself ready for him, and to prepare for later in the day. I not only have to prepare outwardly, but I also have to prepare my mind and my heart to settle down and to give myself permission to enjoy him and to enjoy us. What could you do this afternoon to get yourself ready and help move your marriage further down the pathway to intimacy? How might that look in your relationship with the Lord?

Keeping in mind Jesus’ words in Matthew 5, reflect upon the choices that David made (from the 2 Samuel passage). He certainly was not guarding his heart and his mind. Consider the progression of how things spiraled into sin. What can you apply to your own life or to help your children as they grow into teenagers?

David’s first step into adultery was taken when he stopped watching over his heart, when he became “lazy” about walking in the path of righteousness. It is easy to become lazy if we aren’t spending time in the Word. If we are being hearers of the Word and not doers, our hearing will grow dull, and we will not hear the Word any longer. Take time now to pray that the Lord will give you attentiveness to any lazy areas in your relationship with Him or in your relationship with your spouse or others.

[Day 4]  BUILDING ONENESS IN COVENANT

Read Genesis 2:22-25, Genesis 12:1-7, and Genesis 24.

What do you think it means to leave and to cleave? Have you sought to truly “leave” so that the Lord can establish a new thing in your marriage and in your family?

In Genesis 12, God asked Abraham to leave his homeland and his father’s house and go to the land God would show him. Abraham had no idea where he was going, but he believed God, and God later made a covenant with him to fulfill His promises to him. Marriage is a covenant as well, one that is not made to be broken. Have you “left” everything to follow and cleave to the Lord and to your spouse? Rebekah is a great example of this (Gen. 24).

Identify the areas in your marriage relationship where you continue to struggle, fall short, or fail miserably. (If you are single, consider where you continue to struggle with sin that would negatively impact your relationship with a spouse. Also think through this question remembering your relationship with your Lord, Jesus Christ. Is. 54:5). Think of the covenant God has made with you. Think of the seriousness of covenant with a spouse. Lay your heart before the Lord and allow Him to cleanse you of all unrighteousness. Ask Him to be your help and your strength. Ask Him to go before you—to be all that you need in these situations.

Make a list of your “hot buttons,” both good and bad, such as: things that hurt you, things that make you feel loved, things that make you feel ignored, etc. Ask your spouse to make a list as well and then share them one night this week when you are cuddled up on the couch.

Close in prayer. Praise Him for who He is and for what He has done and will do for you. God has called you to cleave to Him and to your spouse. How are you doing? Plan a special date or late-night dessert for you and your spouse to share together one night this week. For you who are not married, what might it look like for you to plan a special time with the Lord? You might plan a night of doing nothing but spending time with the Lord in His Word.

[Day 5]

GOD FULFILLS THE COVENANT

Read Genesis 15:1-18, Genesis 22:1-18, and Romans 5:6-11.

It is absolutely amazing to see God’s covenant with Abraham fulfilled by God Himself! Observe carefully how Abraham participated, but also notice carefully what Abraham does not do.

Think about what you have learned this week about covenant. Remember that the two parties would take the animals and split them in half, signifying the consequences to themselves if they did not keep the covenant. As you read Genesis 22, did you remember Abraham sleeping, and the smoking oven and flaming torch passing through the pieces? And now, in this passage, we see God provide the sacrifice.

According to Romans 5:6-11, who is our sacrifice? Consider these things as you think through your marriage. Who has walked before you? Who has died in your place? Know that He is for you and not against you. He is your strength, your forgiveness, and your peace.

Why is all this so important and significant to understand in light of our marriage covenant? It is a vivid picture showing that God knows we cannot do it alone. It’s a reminder that He is our righteousness. We have no righteousness of our own, and long ago, on the mount, it was provided. It is by His grace that we can make it! We are one with Him and with our spouse, so we need to live out what we already have to overcome any challenge, any attack, and any weakness—because He Himself is the sacrificial lamb. Isn’t this beautiful and amazing? In our weakness, God is strong, and He is glorified.

Thank God for giving you Himself and providing all you need. When we are growing in oneness, something truly beautiful happens and God is glorified. Close in prayer to the Lord and ask Him to give you a greater understanding of His perspective on intimacy and on your covenant relationship with Him and, if you are married, on your covenant relationship with your spouse. Ask God to build your desire for intimacy with Him and to build your desire to live for Him and for others.

[Day 6]

ONENESS AND COVENANT

Read Ephesians 5:21-33.

Marriage is an outward picture of our oneness with the Lord. It is an example of how wonderfully close the relationship is between God and those who belong to Him. The picture of the covenant between Christ and the church is found in the marriage covenant.

Be marriage-minded and think about what it could look like in day-to-day life with your spouse if you really focused on living out oneness in your marriage. I have started the first one for you. (Talk together if you are married and discuss how you could implement one or two of the following.)

ONE in Christ: Reading God’s Word, praying together on a daily basis for those the Lord has placed in your lives.

The two become ONE:

ONE because of Christ:

ONE for Christ:

Submit to ONE another:

Why is understanding oneness and covenant so important? It is the key to unity. The enemy hates our unity in Christ because it so beautifully reflects and glorifies the Triune God, three in one. Division, enmity, and disillusionment are of the devil. He wants to destroy our covenant bond. It can happen very subtly. Division begins with a thought, a critical and unforgiving spirit, or a wandering or selfish heart. Are your activities and energies during the week building oneness in your marriage? Are you for your spouse or are you against him/her? Are you harboring any critical, divisive, or unforgiving thoughts? Allow the Lord to search your heart.

If you haven’t yet, make plans for a special night.

If you are single, spend special time with the Lord. Praise and thank Him for being your provider and your covenant king. Confess any sin in your heart, areas in which you haven’t cleaved to the Lord fully and are focusing too much on your singleness and not enough upon being the Lord’s bride. Thank God for the gift of His son and for the gospel.

If you are married, plan a special in-home date for you and your spouse. Prepare yourself inside and out. Before the evening, go before the Lord in prayer. Specifically ask God to search your heart to see if there is anything you are doing that is breaking oneness between you and your spouse. After you have prepared inwardly, plan on how you will prepare yourself outwardly. Now what will you do? Will it be dinner? Will it be dessert? Just a snack? In the dining room? In the living room? In your bedroom? Have fun!

[Day 7]

TAKING THE TRUTH TO HEART

Read Revelation 2:7.

Reflect on the study this week.  Ask yourself the following questions.

1. Did I listen carefully? Did I have a teachable heart? What did the Lord want me to hear this week?

2. What do I need to get on my knees about and take to the Lord?

3. What do I need to do?

4. What do I need to stop doing?

5. What do I need to ask the Lord for His grace to help me live out in the power of His Spirit and not in my own strength? Apart from God, we are unable to do anything, but He says that if we ask anything in His name He will do it. What should I ask?

Close in prayer before the Lord.

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