study guide for week one of 40 Days in the Desert

Transcription

1 Purify My Heart study guide for week one of 40 Days in the Desert

2 Instructions 40 Days in the Desert is designed to be a tool to assist you in seeking a more complete understanding of God s will for you at this point in your life. The spiritual direction you gain from it will be in proportion to the effort you put into it. There are no magical formulas or tricks when it comes to understanding God s will. The key is simply being intentional and disciplined about giving our attention to God s word and the leading of the Holy Spirit. The most important part of this study guide is the blank page opposite of each daily study. Use it to record your thoughts as you meditate on the word, answer the questions, and examine your life. It will require more effort, but you will get more out of this study if you take time to record your thoughts. Suggestions for completing the daily study 1. Pray for an open heart and mind as you begin each day s lesson. 2. If possible, complete your study in the morning so you have the entire day to meditate on the word. 3. Try to study at the same time and place each day. 4. Sit at a desk or table when you study. Recliners and beds tend to cause your eyes to close. 5. Consider including fasting as a spiritual discipline during the course of the study. 6. Don t believe the lie that you can skip today and catch up tomorrow.

3 Purify My Heart I N T R O D U C T I O N But the Lord said to Samuel, Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. I Samuel 16:7, NIV There is nothing more vital to a healthy relationship with God than the heart. There is a direct correlation between the condition of one s heart and the condition of one s relationship with God. The truth is, when God looks at us, He looks at our heart. He doesn t know us by our physical features, our actions, or our position in life. He knows us by our heart. The purpose of this week s study is to help us look deeply into our own heart and begin to see ourselves as God sees us. It could be a scary journey and it could prove to be life changing. Purify My Heart

4 MONDAY, DAY 1 Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 17: What one word would you use to describe the condition of the man who trusts in the flesh and turns his heart from God (17:5-6)? 2. What one word would you use to describe the condition of the man who trusts in the Lord (17:7-8)? 3. What is it about the heart that makes it difficult for us to know whether our heart really belongs to God (17:9)? 4. What is the only way we can get true perspective on the condition of our heart (17:10)? Looking at your life: How much of your heart are you withholding from God? Are there areas of your heart that you have shut off to God? Prayer Focus: Ask God to begin the process of unravelling the deceitfulness of your heart. Ask for the courage to face whatever painful, embarrassing, shameful things might be hidden there. Ask for faith to trust that His grace is greater than your sin and pain. The human heart has so many crannies where vanity hides, so many holes where falsehood lurks, is so decked with deceiving hypocrisy, that it often dupes itself. John Calvin

5 TUESDAY, DAY 2 Scripture Reading: I Kings 3: What does Solomon s request for a discerning heart reveal about his understanding of the nature of the heart? 2. How did God express His pleasure over Solomon s request for a discerning heart? 3. How do you think God might have responded if Solomon had asked for wealth, long life, or something other than a discerning heart? 4. How would Solomon s request for a discerning heart affect the people over whom Solomon ruled? Looking at your life: Is a discerning heart at the top of your prayer list? How might your life and the lives of those around you be affected if your heart were more discerning? Prayer Focus: Ask God to give you a discerning heart so that your life can be a blessing to those over whom you have influence. And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul, and to observe the Lord s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good. Deuteronomy 10:12-13, NIV

6 WEDNESDAY, DAY 3 Scripture Reading: I Kings 11: What caused Solomon s change of heart? 2. What did Solomon love more than God? 3. How did God express His displeasure with Solomon s change of heart? 4. What impact would Solomon s change of heart have on the nation of Israel? Looking at your life: What relationships or things in your life are competing with God for your heart? Prayer Focus: Ask God to reveal areas of idolatry in your life that are keeping you from giving your heart totally over to God. I have lived forty years and somewhat more and carried my heart in my bosom all this while, and yet my heart and I are as great strangers, and as utterly unacquainted, as if we had never come near one another. Isaac Ambrose

7 THURSDAY, DAY 4 Scripture Reading: Exodus 7: What does the fact that Pharaoh would ask Moses for a miracle indicate about the condition of his heart? 2. Why didn t Pharaoh accept the testimony of the miracles performed by Moses and Aaron? 3. What made Pharaoh s heart hard? 4. How did God respond to Pharaoh s hard heart? Looking at your life: In what areas is your heart hard and unresponsive to God? What signs are you refusing to accept as a testimony that God is calling you to act? Prayer Focus: Ask God to reveal the areas of your heart that are hard and ask for the courage and faith to make them soft again. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51:17

8 FRIDAY, DAY 5 Scripture Reading: Matthew 15: According to v.11, what is it that makes a man unclean? 2. From where does uncleanness originate? 3. According to v. 14 what caused the blindness of the Pharisees? 4. How can the heart be kept clean? Looking at your life: How much of your relationship with God is simply lip service as opposed to heart service? Based on what you hear coming out of your mouth, what areas of your heart would you say need to be cleaned? Prayer Focus: Ask God for a clean heart. Ask Him to purify your thought life and your motives so that every word that comes from your mouth and every action you take will reflect a heart that honors Him. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts and he knows everything. I John 3:19-20