1. Reflect
Take 15 minutes this month to answer the questions below. Allow God to highlight an area He wants to realign.
Maximizing the Season of the feast of trumpets
An Invitation to New Beginnings . . .
What does this mean?
Feast of Trumpets is a Jewish festival recorded in Scripture. Though celebrating the festival is no longer a biblical requirement for Jesus-followers, the festival holds timeless wisdom for believer’s today.
Feast of Trumpets is an invitation to the people of God to reflect, repent, and realign more fully with God’s heart. One resource described it as a time to “take inventory” of one’s “faith and faithfulness.” This invitation isn’t necessarily one of salvation (though it can be) but of re-surrender. It's an invitation to renewed yielding of an area of life – a relationship, habit, sin pattern, situation, etc. – to the lordship of Jesus Christ. This season, I invite you to join me in practicing the principles of Feast of Trumpets – of entering into a new beginning with God that brings lasting hope and abundant joy.
~ Pastor Jim
How to Use This Resource:
2. Find Truth
Find Scriptures that help you think about this area of life the way God does. Meditate on them for 5 minutes a day – while you brush your teeth, when you’re sitting in your car, when you go to bed.
3. Celebrate Progress
Consider occasionally journaling or talking with a trusted friend about the ways you start to see God’s lordship bring change. Change doesn’t happen overnight, but it will happen over time
Prayer from the Psalms:
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you (“any path of pain I’m walking on” – The Passion Translation), and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” (NLT)
- Psalm 139:23-24
Reflecting:
o Lord, where is my life being affected by emotions and/or thoughts that aren’t aligning with yours?
o What am I believing about this area of my life that doesn’t align with your truth?
o What do you want me to know about this area of my life? (This is where listening and searching for Scripture in the area God brings to light may be helpful)
Repenting and Realigning
o Lord, I confess that I have trusted (i.e. myself, others, etc.)___________ more than you in the area of _______________.
o Lord, I confess that I want to align with your leadership in this area. Please help me to turn from ________ and turn back to you with love, gratitude, and joyful obedience.
o Lord, if I need to make amends, right a wrong, or take a practical action step, please show me and lead me so that I may bear fruit in keeping with repentance. (Matthew 3:8)
Helpful Scriptures :
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 - Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Proverbs 27:17 - Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens another.
2 Peter 1:5-7 – . . .make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.
Ephesians 4:2 - With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
Philippians 4:19 - And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus
Proverbs 3:5 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
Matthew 6:26 - Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Proverbs 11:25 - A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.
Psalm 37:23-24 – The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.
Isaiah 40:31 – But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.
Romans 8:28 – And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 – For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.
Psalm 119:105 – Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:6 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Isaiah 30:21 – Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’
Philippians 4:6-7: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Psalm 55:22: Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.
2 Timothy 1:7: For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
Psalm 94:19 states, When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.
James 1:19 – My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.
Proverbs 14:29 – Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly.
Proverbs 15:1 – A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Ephesians 4:26 – In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.
1 Corinthians 10:13 – No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. . .
James 4:7 – Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you . . .
Philippians 4:8 – Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable… think about these things . . .
2 Timothy 2:22 – Flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart . . .
Proverbs 16:18 – Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall . . .
James 4:6 – God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble . . .
Philippians 2:3 – Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves . . .
1 Corinthians 4:7 – Who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?
Psalm 139:14 – I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
2 Corinthians 5:17 – Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
1 John 3:1 – See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
Ephesians 2:10 – For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Romans 15:13 – May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Psalm 34:17–20 – The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit… The Lord delivers him out of them all.
Matthew 11:28–30 – Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden… I will give you rest… my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Deuteronomy 31:6 – Be strong and courageous… the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.
Psalm 46:1 – God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Psalm 23:4: Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Isaiah 41:10: Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
John 14:18: I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.