women’s institute woodstream church week four 40 day soul fast: restoring my soul
DESCRIPTION
Reference Trimm, C. (2011). The 40 Day Soul Fast: Your Journey to Authentic Living. Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, Inc.TRANSCRIPT
40 Day Soul Fast: Restoring My SoulRestoring My Soul in 2016!
Objectives:
We, as women of light, will be able to recognize the importance of fasting and controlling what and how we eat in order to demonstrate control of our bodies and to better serve God and others.
We, as women of light, will be able to share with other women and to apply what we have learned in order to build a stronger faith-based community within and outside of our church.
We, as women of light, will be able to recognize authentic living following a 40 day soul fast.
Reference
Trimm, C. (2011). The 40 Day Soul Fast: Your Journey to Authentic Living. Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, Inc.
3
40 Day Soul Fast Schedule
February 28 – The Properties of Thought: You Are What You Think
4
What is the evidence of a disciplined life in God?
Homework
List 5 aspects of your personality that make your special.
List 5 desires that are uniquely your.
List 5 strengths that you bring to the table.
List 5 talents that God has given you to steward.
Homework
What does it mean to be God’s offspring? To be imprinted with His DNA? What does the God gene in you look like?
Homework
Are you masking some deeper feelings by allowing what may be “habitual feelings” to dictate who you are, how you react, what you do?
Examine your emotional patterns – do you react in certain ways out of habit?
Homework
How can you stir up joy in your everyday life?
What can you do to eliminate those things that would steal your joy?
Day 16: Believing
All that a [wo]man achieves or fails to achieve is a direct result of [her] own thoughts. – James Allen
The String Theory – Nothing in the universe is static, but instead all is vibrating energy.
Turn and Talk
It shall be done for you as you have believed. (Matt. 8:13 AMP)
Power of our thought life
Difficult to change our thinking
Our thoughts are all the ways we are conscious of reality – our memories, beliefs, ideas, and images.
We can only go as far as our thoughts allow you.
Our lives move in the direction of our thoughts. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5 NKJV)
Changing our thinking is about receiving, focusing, envisioning and conquering.
Characteristic 16: Beauty
Stop and Share
“Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness” (Ps. 96:9)
True Beauty
Beauty of living in communion with God.
Comes from deep within from “the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God” (I Pet. 3:4 NKJV).
Day 17: Receiving
There are treasures hidden in Creation since the beginning of time that God is going to reveal through a human being who is asking, knocking, and seeking; who is ready to obey; and who will give Him the glory for the results.
“Yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God” (Prov. 2:3-5 ESV).
Characteristic 17: Effortlessness
Entering God’s rest. Jesus said “take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls” Matt. 11:29.
Living authentically, means not striving, conniving, manipulating, clamoring to get ahead, etc.
When we rest in God, we are operating from a place of supernatural power, causing everything you do to seem effortless.
Day 18: Focusing
It is the set of the sails, not the direction of the wind that determines which way we will go. – Jim Rohn
Turn and Talk
How is focusing our mind like setting sails on a sailboat? Give an example.
Hiding Our Thoughts
Isn’t an option, what is in will sooner or later come out.
Guard what we allow to come into our minds
Purposefully choose what to focus our thoughts on
Winning the battle of our thought life requires meditating daily on God’s Word.
Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there be any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things (Phil. 4:8 NASB).
Characteristic 18: Authenticity
Being true to who we are
Aligning every thought and action with who and what we were created to be and do
Nothing or nobody should define you
Joshua 23:11 commands us to “vigilantly guard our souls.”
Be yourself, no one is better at being you than you.
Dare to live authentically. “Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves” (2 Cor. 13:5 NLT)
Day 19: Envisioning
Jesus was asked by His disciples, “Show us how to increase our faith” to which He responded, “Does the servant get special thanks for doing what was expected of him?
Stop and Share
Why did Jesus offer this as an illustration of how to increase your faith?
Enlarge Our Capacity to Think
Don’t set our minds on things or people or circumstances that are smaller than what we desire to see manifested in the future.
The life and reality we are experiencing are the reflection of the thoughts we are thinking.
Paul said we are to live in the wide-open spaces of God’s grace and glory (Rom. 5:2).
Characteristic 19: Focus
The number one thing that keeps us from realizing our goals, maximizing our potential, and fulfilling our purpose is focus.
Wherever we place our focus, the rest of our mind, talents, abilities and emotions will follow.
Determines our future
Whatever we focus on today, we give that thing permission to exist tomorrow.
Focus continued…
Makes your faith unshakable
Quintessential to discipline which is the precursor to success and prosperity
Our thoughts create our reality – where we put our focus is the direction we tend to go. Peter McWilliams
Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions. Watch your step, and the road will stretch out smooth before you. Look neither right nor left; leave evil in the dust (Prov. 4:24-27).
Day 20: Conquering
We have an enemy who is determined to steal our destiny, kill our heart, and destroy everything we care about.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places (Eph. 6:12 KJV).
Conquering continued
God has already equipped us with the weapons necessary to win – conquering our thought life and the associated false reasoning and logic:
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor. 10:3-5 NASB).
Characteristic 20: Order
We know that we need to “Take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ (2 Cor. 10:5) but more than ordering our thoughts, we must learn to “order our days.”
A cluttered environment is a sign of a cluttered, confused soul.
De-clutter our environment so that we can de-clutter our lives.
Order continued
Gives clarity of thought and greater control of our time
Brings freshness to our environment and vitality to our soul. - Allows us to plan effectively
Junk time is as bad as junk food!
Empty time calories (TV, Internet, Gossiping)
“Don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly” (Eph. 5:17) and “make every minute count” (Eph. 5:16 CEV).
Righteousness
Defined as “conformity with God’s will and order” (Isa. 54:14 AMP)
Until we can manage time, we can manage nothing else. – Peter Drucker
The bad news is time flies. The good news is we are the pilots. Michael Altshuer
Homework
As you sit quietly in the presence of God, take an account of how you spend or allocate each hour of each day, just like you keep an account of how you spend money or allocate calories.
How can you “reorder” your day to help you better order your thoughts?
How does the order, or lack of order, in your home, office, car, or garage affect the order, or lack of order in your soul? Is there room for more order? How will you bring that order to pass? When?
This is the beginning of a new day. God has given me this day to use as I will. I can waste it or use it for good. What I do today is important, because I am exchanging a day of my life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever, leaving in its place something that I have traded for it. I want it to be gain, not loss; good not evil; success not failure; in order that I shall not regret the price I paid for it. Author Unknown
Birthday and Anniversary Celebration
A Happy Birthday to You, A Happy Birthday to You
Everyday of the Year, May You Find Jesus Near
A Happy Birthday to You, A Happy Birthday to You
And the Best Year You’ve ever had.
Happy Anniversary, Happy Anniversary, Happy Anniversary Happy Anniversary
Announcement
Objectives:
We, as women of light, will be able to recognize the importance of fasting and controlling what and how we eat in order to demonstrate control of our bodies and to better serve God and others.
We, as women of light, will be able to share with other women and to apply what we have learned in order to build a stronger faith-based community within and outside of our church.
We, as women of light, will be able to recognize authentic living following a 40 day soul fast.
Reference
Trimm, C. (2011). The 40 Day Soul Fast: Your Journey to Authentic Living. Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, Inc.
3
40 Day Soul Fast Schedule
February 28 – The Properties of Thought: You Are What You Think
4
What is the evidence of a disciplined life in God?
Homework
List 5 aspects of your personality that make your special.
List 5 desires that are uniquely your.
List 5 strengths that you bring to the table.
List 5 talents that God has given you to steward.
Homework
What does it mean to be God’s offspring? To be imprinted with His DNA? What does the God gene in you look like?
Homework
Are you masking some deeper feelings by allowing what may be “habitual feelings” to dictate who you are, how you react, what you do?
Examine your emotional patterns – do you react in certain ways out of habit?
Homework
How can you stir up joy in your everyday life?
What can you do to eliminate those things that would steal your joy?
Day 16: Believing
All that a [wo]man achieves or fails to achieve is a direct result of [her] own thoughts. – James Allen
The String Theory – Nothing in the universe is static, but instead all is vibrating energy.
Turn and Talk
It shall be done for you as you have believed. (Matt. 8:13 AMP)
Power of our thought life
Difficult to change our thinking
Our thoughts are all the ways we are conscious of reality – our memories, beliefs, ideas, and images.
We can only go as far as our thoughts allow you.
Our lives move in the direction of our thoughts. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5 NKJV)
Changing our thinking is about receiving, focusing, envisioning and conquering.
Characteristic 16: Beauty
Stop and Share
“Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness” (Ps. 96:9)
True Beauty
Beauty of living in communion with God.
Comes from deep within from “the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God” (I Pet. 3:4 NKJV).
Day 17: Receiving
There are treasures hidden in Creation since the beginning of time that God is going to reveal through a human being who is asking, knocking, and seeking; who is ready to obey; and who will give Him the glory for the results.
“Yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God” (Prov. 2:3-5 ESV).
Characteristic 17: Effortlessness
Entering God’s rest. Jesus said “take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls” Matt. 11:29.
Living authentically, means not striving, conniving, manipulating, clamoring to get ahead, etc.
When we rest in God, we are operating from a place of supernatural power, causing everything you do to seem effortless.
Day 18: Focusing
It is the set of the sails, not the direction of the wind that determines which way we will go. – Jim Rohn
Turn and Talk
How is focusing our mind like setting sails on a sailboat? Give an example.
Hiding Our Thoughts
Isn’t an option, what is in will sooner or later come out.
Guard what we allow to come into our minds
Purposefully choose what to focus our thoughts on
Winning the battle of our thought life requires meditating daily on God’s Word.
Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there be any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things (Phil. 4:8 NASB).
Characteristic 18: Authenticity
Being true to who we are
Aligning every thought and action with who and what we were created to be and do
Nothing or nobody should define you
Joshua 23:11 commands us to “vigilantly guard our souls.”
Be yourself, no one is better at being you than you.
Dare to live authentically. “Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves” (2 Cor. 13:5 NLT)
Day 19: Envisioning
Jesus was asked by His disciples, “Show us how to increase our faith” to which He responded, “Does the servant get special thanks for doing what was expected of him?
Stop and Share
Why did Jesus offer this as an illustration of how to increase your faith?
Enlarge Our Capacity to Think
Don’t set our minds on things or people or circumstances that are smaller than what we desire to see manifested in the future.
The life and reality we are experiencing are the reflection of the thoughts we are thinking.
Paul said we are to live in the wide-open spaces of God’s grace and glory (Rom. 5:2).
Characteristic 19: Focus
The number one thing that keeps us from realizing our goals, maximizing our potential, and fulfilling our purpose is focus.
Wherever we place our focus, the rest of our mind, talents, abilities and emotions will follow.
Determines our future
Whatever we focus on today, we give that thing permission to exist tomorrow.
Focus continued…
Makes your faith unshakable
Quintessential to discipline which is the precursor to success and prosperity
Our thoughts create our reality – where we put our focus is the direction we tend to go. Peter McWilliams
Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions. Watch your step, and the road will stretch out smooth before you. Look neither right nor left; leave evil in the dust (Prov. 4:24-27).
Day 20: Conquering
We have an enemy who is determined to steal our destiny, kill our heart, and destroy everything we care about.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places (Eph. 6:12 KJV).
Conquering continued
God has already equipped us with the weapons necessary to win – conquering our thought life and the associated false reasoning and logic:
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor. 10:3-5 NASB).
Characteristic 20: Order
We know that we need to “Take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ (2 Cor. 10:5) but more than ordering our thoughts, we must learn to “order our days.”
A cluttered environment is a sign of a cluttered, confused soul.
De-clutter our environment so that we can de-clutter our lives.
Order continued
Gives clarity of thought and greater control of our time
Brings freshness to our environment and vitality to our soul. - Allows us to plan effectively
Junk time is as bad as junk food!
Empty time calories (TV, Internet, Gossiping)
“Don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly” (Eph. 5:17) and “make every minute count” (Eph. 5:16 CEV).
Righteousness
Defined as “conformity with God’s will and order” (Isa. 54:14 AMP)
Until we can manage time, we can manage nothing else. – Peter Drucker
The bad news is time flies. The good news is we are the pilots. Michael Altshuer
Homework
As you sit quietly in the presence of God, take an account of how you spend or allocate each hour of each day, just like you keep an account of how you spend money or allocate calories.
How can you “reorder” your day to help you better order your thoughts?
How does the order, or lack of order, in your home, office, car, or garage affect the order, or lack of order in your soul? Is there room for more order? How will you bring that order to pass? When?
This is the beginning of a new day. God has given me this day to use as I will. I can waste it or use it for good. What I do today is important, because I am exchanging a day of my life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever, leaving in its place something that I have traded for it. I want it to be gain, not loss; good not evil; success not failure; in order that I shall not regret the price I paid for it. Author Unknown
Birthday and Anniversary Celebration
A Happy Birthday to You, A Happy Birthday to You
Everyday of the Year, May You Find Jesus Near
A Happy Birthday to You, A Happy Birthday to You
And the Best Year You’ve ever had.
Happy Anniversary, Happy Anniversary, Happy Anniversary Happy Anniversary
Announcement