The WHY HER? Bible Study Companion

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1 The WHY HER? Bible Study Companion Know the Truth. Live the Truth. It changes everything. ONLINE BIBLE STUDIES

2 Hey everyone! I m Sarah Travis and I want to welcome you to our Why Her? Bible Study Companion! Melissa Taylor and I have written this to come alongside you as you journey through the P31 Online Bible Study. It s designed to help you dig deeper into the biblical truths shared by Nicki Koziarz in her book Why Her? and focus on the Lord and not her! Melissa and I are not Bible scholars or anything. We are just two women who love God and His Word and want to bring it into every single area of our lives. We long for Scripture to lead us, guide our thoughts and change our lives daily and we long for the very same thing for you. For our Why Her? study we will have one Bible study lesson each week. You can choose to do this whenever it is a good time for you. We would suggest reading the chapters first and then sitting down with us later in the week. A few things to think about: 1. Do I have a quiet space where I can focus? 2. Have I set aside adequate time to devote to Bible study today? (approximately 25 minutes) 3. Do I have all the supplies I might need? (pen, paper, Bible, Why Her? book, etc.) 4. Are my heart and mind prepared to receive what the Lord has to teach me today? 5. Have I prayed? Our prayer is for you to walk away from this companion feeling like you are able to open your Bible and be equipped to study God s Word yourself. Before we dive in, let s pray together! Dear Lord, Thank You for leading me to this study. You know my heart and my thoughts. You know the comparison struggles that plague my mind and affect my words and actions. Help me look to You and not to the lives of others. Help me to see who You created me to be and to lean on Your Truth and promises. Lord, help us all to walk away from this study believing that we are Your children, equipped to study Your Word and increasing in knowledge and faith daily in order to carry out Your plan for our lives for such a time as this. In Jesus name, Amen. Now, let s get started! Sarah

3 Week 1 with Sarah Travis Truth One: You Need to Be Honest My crazy little toddler has a set of bowls and plates he eats from every day. On one of them is the phrase God Made Just One and on another Bee Yourself. That s the message we are studying and praying we can live out. Friend God made just one of you, so be yourself! Easier said than done though, right?! In Chapter 2, Nicki shares the following verse with us: Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else. Galatians 6:4 (NIV) Now when I think of the word test, I think of answers! The word test is also translated as analyze and examine. I also think of grades and rewards. Nicki says: Culture tells us to set our eyes on IT this impossible standard, this prize that none of us can quite identify (page 35). So, what is the standard against which we are testing ourselves, and what is the prize we should set our eyes upon? I know one thing for sure: I m not meant to be measuring myself up against others, but oh how I do that every single day. No, we are to test our actions using God s Word as the answer book and strive for the prize only He can provide. Now, let s do a little keyword search! One great way to find answers in the Bible is to do a keyword search. A concordance is the big name for a resource we can turn to that has pulled together the places in the Bible where the same word is used. I like to do a search on biblehub.com because it pulls from every translation of the Bible. Head to Bible Hub and do a keyword search for prize and use the next page to write down a few of the verses you discover.

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5 Here are a few I discovered: I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14 (NIV) And now the prize awaits me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. 2 Timothy 4:8a (NLT) All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. 1 Corinthians 9:25 (NLT) Time to be honest (I need to do the same). Answer the following questions: What are you striving for? What is your goal? What is the reward you are seeking? What should your heart and mind be fixed on?

6 Nicki tells us: Honesty teaches us to stop fearing what we don t have so we can see what we do. (page 26) One way to see what we do have is to look to the Bible. God tells us what we should be thinking about! Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about such things. Philippians 4:8 (NIV) Here s what I would like us to do now as we end our time together for this week. Think about these things in our lives. I know this can sometimes feel awkward because we don t like to look at, or think about, the positives in ourselves. Going back to the verse Nicki shared in Chapter 2: Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else. Galatians 6:4 (NIV) When I looked up the word pride on Bible Hub I learned that: This boasting (exulting) is always positive when it is in the Lord, and always negative when based on self. By thinking about these things in our lives, we are taking our eyes off others and placing them on the person God created in us. We don t do this in a prideful, look-at-me way, but in a way that gives Him glory and recognizes our uniqueness, which helps us to become more and more like who He wants us to be. What is true about who you are as a child of God?

7 What do you love about how God created you? What admirable qualities did God place in you? What do you do for the Lord that is worthy of His praise? Honesty teaches us to stop fearing who we are not so we can see who we are created to be and it is beautiful, my friends! Join Melissa next week as we continue our journey together!