Today's Study : )

Unfortunately I won't be able to join you tonight, I will be at home praying that you are blessed. Here is an excerpt from tonight's handout

from Pleasing God by Kay Smith:

When the Lord told Kay Smith that the aim of her life should be to please Him, she began to pray. Here is her account of what God showed her:

“Oh, God, just speak to my heart more about this” And then the name Enoch popped into my mind. I stopped praying and I opened my Bible and looked up Hebrews 11, where I knew Enoch was listed among the heroes of faith and read:

“By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, and was not found, because God had taken him; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God” (Hebrews 11:5).

When I was a little girl, I learned that Enoch was a “type” or picture representative of the church. Noah was a “type” of the Jewish people that would be protected during the tribulation, but Enoch was a type of the church that would be taken up in the rapture. Enoch could easily have lived and been destroyed in God’s punishment upon the world when He brought the flood. But in Genesis 5:24, it says, “Enoch walked with God and he was not, for God took him.”

Enoch’s testimony is that he pleased God. And that shout be the testimony of the bride of Christ today— that we live to please God. It should be your testimony too.

Living this way simplifies our lives. We put many things on our “to do” lists. But only one thing is needed--“Lord, I want to please You.” This way in everything you do, from washing dishes, studying for a test, to having a conversation with a friend--people will see you live a life like Enoch.

Satan's Lies

It seems like the instant you decide you are going to live a life to please God, Satan comes along and begins putting thoughts in your mind. He will cause you to think things like, Living that kind of life will be too stifling. I’ll be bored. I’ll be unfulfilled. See those lies for what they are. Satan is the father of lies. Jesus told us that Jesus comes only to steal and kill and destroy (John 10:10). Satan wants to steal this truth form you. He wants to kill your joy and destroy the life you can have if you draw closer to God. And as you walk day by day, Satan will whisper these lies to you. Sometimes he doesn’t whisper, though. Sometimes he screams. And if this doesn’t work, Satan will discourage you and tell you that you will fail. Don’t let these lies stop you!!!

For Next Week:
Read:

Ann Kimmel told a story long ago about a young man named Chad. When Chad and his family moved to a new neighborhood he had trouble making friends. Chad was not well liked by the kids. Everyday after school, his mother would see a group of kids walking by the house chatting and laughing together, but Chad would walk all by himself down the street. It broke her heart.
One day Chad came home and said, “Mom, the teacher told us we are all going to make cards for Valentine’s Day. We have thirty-three kids in our class and I want to make one for every kid.”
Chad’s mother looked at him and imagined how much work that would be. Then she thought about how Chad probably wouldn’t get any Valentines back and he would come home brokenhearted. But his face just glowed. So she decided to help him. They spent days working on all the cards.

When Valentine’s Day came, Chad went happily off to school thrilled with his accomplishment. When the time came for the cards to be passed around, Chad received one Valentine.
Afterschool Chad came walking down the street with his head down, all by himself with one Valentine in his hand. When he came inside he smiled and said, “Mom, I didn’t miss one kid!”

That is how we are to live! Let us be so excited about serving God that we don’t even notice life’s disappointments.

Questions for Thought and Prayer:


1. According to Revelation 4:11, we were created for God’s pleasure. If we choose to please ourselves in place of God, what will result?


2. Why does Hebrews 11:5 testify that Enoch pleased God? Also refer to Genesis 5:24 to assist you in your answer.


3. Girls often look to others for approval or appreciation. Why will a fullness of joy result from pleasing God in comparison to pleasing yourself or others?


Remember to write down the verses that speak to you this week in your One Year Bible, and any ideas you have for the EPICgirls Topical Bible.

Love you.

EPIC girls 2009-2010 year begins

This year we will continue in the habits that we have started and grown by— daily Bible reading, prayer, worship, sharing our faith. And we are going to add to that foundation, the strong encouragement from Kay Smith that she writes in her book Pleasing God.

The principles in her book will certainly help you clarify your priorities now in high school, as well as guide you in your plans for the future.

So many times we wonder and worry what we should be doing, and we feel guilty when we haven’t done all that we wanted to do. But we forget that we do not need to set our own expectations or meet the expectations that other people have for us, we need to only focus on God’s expectations for us. Jesus says, “Come to Me all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:29.

Many times we pick up burdens that we are not supposed to carry. We want to do it all. We want to do things that other people are doing. But what does God want YOU to do?
He wants you to please Him. You were created for His pleasure.

“You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power: for You created everything, and it is for Your pleasure that they exist and were created.” Rev. 4:11
Simplify your life! Learn what it is that you need to do, and release yourself from the pressures that stress you out and imprison you. Let us do every little thing with the desire to please Him.

EPICgirls Topical Bible

A topical Bible is a quick reference of Bible verses organized by topics. And because you are reading your Bibles every day and you have experienced God speak to you, teach you, lead you, comfort you, and help you--I would like you to make your own Topical Bible.

The first thing you need to do is come up with a list of topics that you find relevant to people your age, and then compile scriptures that address that topic. You can even include sections with commentary that help explain the verses better.

The goal is to help kids your age be able to quickly find out what the Bible says about various topics. This is your project. But we will help you compile it and bind it into a book that we can give out.

It is going to be an exciting year!