MakeOver of the Heart Bible Study

Welcome back to our second week of Make Over of the Heart! I pray God is transforming your heart, making YOU into the woman He created you to be. I have been so blessed by the comments you sweet sisters have been leaving during the study. I am so thankful for your honesty and authenticity as we journey through this make-over together.

Sherry shared on Thursday how she wants to delight in the Lord. She said, "I pray that I will learn just exactly how to Delight in the Lord and that I will remember to do that everyday. Take Delight just in knowing him. I can kind of explain that I think it should be like the delight I feel when I see my little grandson. He just makes me want to giggle and I just want to hug him. Oh to feel that same way with our father. " I know what you mean, sweet sister! I want to crawl up into His lap! I often pray, "wrap Your arms around____". I am sure that is exactly what the verses mean about wrapped up in Him like a baby bird is snuggled into its mother's feathered wings."

Peggy writes about being a reflection of Him! Oh, how I, too want to be a reflection of His Light, shining to all around me. Peggy writes, "I should have made it more personal: God will refresh me as He cleans me with PURE, clean water. All the" idols" that have become impurities in my life will be sifted and though I may not see them, I need to acknowledge that they are there ,messing up my walk on how others view me & Christ in me. What difference does HE make in me & my water supply? As God removes each particle of impurity, He will be able to replace that spot in my heart with a soft, clean, pliable, tender trait in a heart seeking to be like His heart for people." I have struggled with idols in my life as well. Lisa Bevere says an idol "is whatever what give our strength to and whatever we draw our strength from." Oh, Lord, I want to draw my strength from You and give back to you every ounce of me!

Larie writes about the incredible blood of Jesus and what that does for us: God has poured His Sons' blood over me, He has buried me in His blood. While in that blood, I was cleaned of all the dirt that stained me. Because of this, God will remind me of this. He reminds me so that I can move on into His blessings and be a useful vessel for Him and so that I will understand that I am no longer who I was. If I continue to bask in who I was, I am my own channel-blocker." Oh! That is good! I do not want to be my own "channel blocker," blocking all God wants to do in me and through me for His glory!

This week we dove right into how to delight in the Lord. Here is Tuesday's study... If you already downloaded or read from Thursday, simply scroll down to questions and please join in the conversations! Your comments and input have been such a blessing.

Father God, we come before You today giving You all honor and glory and praise. Thank You for what You are doing in these sweet sister's hearts and lives. I pray that You will totally transform their hearts. Thank You, Jesus! In Your Precious Name we pray. Amen.

WEEK TWO
A Delightful Heart


Psalm 37: 4, says “DELIGHT yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Listen to this again. This time, read it out loud: “DELIGHT yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” The Bible says to DELIGHT yourself- isn’t that a beautiful way to phrase this- to take delight in the Lord?

Delight yourself; immerse yourself in God’s love. Be passionate about the Lord and your relationship with Him. Then, when you delight yourself in the Lord, what is He going to do? He is going to give you the desires of your heart. Put God first in your life, seek first the kingdom of God, make God your first love, and then He will give you your heart’s desires! It’s a cause and effect relationship. We do something, then God does something. God blesses and favors those who love Him. And, as we grow closer to the Lord, our heart’s desires begin to change. We begin to desire what God desires!

Let’s look at man from the Bible who took delight in the Lord and enjoyed God’s favor. His name was Jabez.

From 1Chronicles 4:9-10, Jabez prayed, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed! And that You would increase my territory and that Your hand would be with me and that You would keep me from evil so that I may not cause pain.” Jabez is a man from the bible whose name means, “pain.” The Amplified Bible puts it this way, “His mother named him Jabez (sorrow maker), saying, ‘Because I bore him in pain’.” Can you imagine? When my husband and I were expecting each child, we would look up each potential name to find out its meaning. We were CAREFUL and DELIBERATE in choosing a name. Jabez was intentionally named PAIN!

This was not a great way to start out in life. Every day, Jabez heard himself referred to as “pain” from the time he woke up in the morning until he went to bed at night. Jabez could have been discouraged and lost hope. This could have been the end of the story, but God had plans for Jabez. Pay attention! God wants to teach us by giving us the story of Jabez in His Word. Jabez put his hope in the Lord and cried out for God’s favor. He went to the Lord to deliver him. Jabez didn’t seek man or man’s ways, but sought God. He prayed “Oh, that You would bless me indeed!” “Indeed” means “Please bless me greatly. Bless me A LOT!”

But, did Jabez ask for wealth, power, or kingdoms? No, he asked God to bless him how the Lord saw fit. He asked God to expand his borders or his territory. Then, as soon as the words are out of Jabez’s mouth, he realized he couldn’t do anything on his own, and needed God to help him. Jabez prayed, “Oh, that Your hand would be with me.” And he finished by asking God to keep him from temptation and sin, so that he “may not cause pain.”

What happened next in the story? The Bible says God granted his request and that Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. Bruce Wilkenson says, in The Prayer of Jabez, “When we seek God’s blessing as the ULTIMATE value in life, we our throwing ourselves entirely into the river of God’s will and power and purposes for us. All our other needs become secondary to what we really want- which is to be wholly immersed in what God is trying to do in us, through us, and around us for His glory.”

We are seeking God’s blessing as our “ultimate value!” This ultimate value isn’t a new car, a great job, a diamond ring, wealth, fame, power, or glory. This value is NOT the gifts of the world. The world would tell us that the ultimate blessings would be a perfect body, a flawless complexion, a beautiful wardrobe, a luxurious home, a perfect husband, and children.

But, when we seek God’s blessing, we are asking God to do His will in our lives. When I ask the Lord to bless me, I am asking Him to bless me in His ways and not mine. His “blessing” may be the exact opposite of what you are praying for. For instance, I may be praying for a bigger, more beautiful home. But, God blesses me with my smaller home, teaching me financial responsibility or maybe ministering to a neighbor. God knows so much better what is best for me and at what times. When I “let go and let God,” He will always “out do” any blessing in my mind. God, the Creator of the universe, and the Creator of you, knows exactly what your heart’s desire is and how best to lavish his awesomeness upon you!

God knows you better than you know yourself. Our fifth child, Abigail is a perfect example of God “outdoing” any blessing in my mind. We were not praying for, hoping for, or even expecting another child. In fact, we had given away EVERY item of baby paraphernalia. My husband and I were enjoying a new freedom of our youngest child being potty trained, going to preschool, and being semi-independent. We were excited to be able to leave the children with a babysitter and begin to spend time with one another again as a couple. We loved the fact that the kids could dress themselves, feed themselves, and entertain themselves. If you asked us if we wanted to have another baby, Brian and I would have laughed and thought it was a crazy idea. But, God had a better plan and our baby Abigail has blessed us in ways that are indescribable. Now, we can’t imagine our family without her, and laugh at the idea of having less than five children.

Your God wants to bless you. He wants to give you “jewels” or “kisses from the King.” He wants to lavish His Kingdom upon you. Just in the same way we love to surprise our loved ones with awesome gifts, our Heavenly Father loves to shower us with His blessings. Jesus said in Matthew 7:11, “If you then know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in Heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!”

However, God’s gifts are not the gifts of the world. God is so much bigger than our thoughts and imaginations. And His blessings will always be so much more than anything we can even hope for or imagine. Don’t limit God with your version of “blessings,” but instead allow God to bless you in ways He knows are best.

God has shown me so much favor at times it is overwhelming. Sometimes, God will give me a “heart’s desire” before I even realize it is my heart’s desire. In the same way, you may not even know your heart’s desires. Let me share with you an example of God knowing what we need and how best to accomplish our goals above and beyond our wildest dreams.

Several years ago, I owned a children’s birthday party business, Party Pros, in which I planned creative, themed birthday parties. I would “do” the entire party- the invitations, goody bags, entertainment, and even an elaborate cake. I had a Pirate Party, a Dinosaur Party, a Little Mermaid Party, and the ever popular Cinderella party. This party was so cute. Little girls dressed up, I did their hair and makeup, an invitation comes for the ball, the girls take a carriage ride, and we dance at the lovely ball. To make the girls into princesses, they make crowns and put on “gowns”- dresses cut from pink tablecloths. This party was every little girl’s “dream come true.”

Well, my business had gotten very popular and I had over extended what I could do. But, I loved doing these parties and could not turn down any parent. Summer months tended to be very busy, and one week I had a Thursday evening, Friday evening, and Saturday morning party scheduled. As you can imagine, the planning and preparation was time consuming for these parties, and I had committed to too many parties so close together. So, on Friday evening, after I finished a Pirate Party, and was very tired, I began finishing the preparations for the very large Cinderella party I had planned for the next MORNING. At 11:00 PM, I began cutting 18 dresses for the little girls. After about 7 dresses, I ran out of pink tablecloth.

What was I going to do now? The pink gowns were a crucial part of the party. I knew Wal-Mart, which was open 24 hours didn’t have pink tablecloth. The party stores where I usually found the pink tablecloth didn’t open the next morning until 9:00 and I had to be at the party for set up by 9:00 at the other end of town. The situation seemed hopeless. I cried out to the Lord, “God, I am so tired. I‘m so sorry- I confess, Lord, I procrastinated, and should have had this done before now. Please help me, God! I don’t know what to do! I really want the party to be perfect for this little girl. I want to do a good job for her. I know God that with You all things are possible. I trust You and know You will work this all out.”

I went to bed not knowing how God would help me, but feeling peace that He would. But, I still felt the need to control how God was going to help. So, I planned to leave early in the morning, stop at a drugstore on the way to the party to purchase ANY tablecloth, and arrive early enough to cut the remaining dresses. In my mind, I thought God’s plan would be to provide pink tablecloths at the drugstore, or some kind of tablecloth that wouldn’t disappoint the birthday girl. In the “natural,” I couldn’t see how God could help my predicament. I wasn’t expecting a miracle!

In the morning, I continued to pray. I purchased tablecloth at the drugstore, which was the ugliest floral I had ever seen. It was either that or black. Thinking ugly floral was better than nothing, I grabbed it and hurried off to the party. I refused to lose faith, and continued to pray. I cried out again to God for his help. I said, “God, I have to give this to you! I know you will take care of me. I don’t know how, this seems so impossible.” In my mind, I thought God would help me cut the ugly floral tablecloths before the party began, and that the birthday girl and her mom wouldn’t be disappointed in them. I continued praying on the way to the party.

When I arrived, the mom was waiting at the door. She had an idea for the party and was hoping I would use it. This mother had been a dancer and owned beautiful dance costumes that she had worn during her performances. She thought it would be very special if her daughter and her daughter’s friends would wear these costumes instead of my tablecloth gowns. She had wanted to ask me earlier, but didn’t want to offend me. Sheepishly, she asked, “Would you mind?”

I was speechless. I knew this was the answer to my prayer! But, this was a large party, and I wondered if there would really be enough costumes for all 18 girls. The mother and I counted the dresses one by one and there were exactly 18 beautiful sequined glamorous gowns. What an answered prayer- a miracle! I knew God was speaking directly to me, wooing me and whispering love songs in my ear.

I have to tell you it was an awesome party and I wept and sang the whole way home. God took such care of me. He had given me the desires of my heart and saved me in such a way that I knew it could only have been him! I had limited God in my mind of what He could do, but He was so much bigger than any of my wildest dreams. Like God parting the Red Sea to reveal His glory, He had allowed the mother to delay requesting that I use her gowns so that I would understand the way His hand saved me. If I had planned on using them, I would not have heard His tender love song and see the way He is willing to save me.

I had taken delight in the Lord, not just that day, but every day and he was giving me the desires of my heart. When we seek the Lord and take delight in Him, He always romances us. He wants to do things for us so that His love may be revealed. He wants to give us the desires of our heart!

Questions:

1. What are blessings in your life that God has surprised you with? Take a few moments to pray and ask God to remind you of things you may have forgotten. Please don’t say, “I can’t think of any.” I challenge you to sit before the Lord, allowing the Holy Spirit time to remind you.




2.How are God’s blessings different from the “blessings” of the world? Make a list of worldly desires and a list of God’s blessings.


I can't wait to read your comments! For Thursday, please read and ponder the following questions:

But, you ask, “How do I delight myself in the Lord? I don’t know how to delight myself in the Lord. This sounds strange. Now, I KNOW how to take delight in Oprah or Dr. Phil or my favorite TV show. I know how to take delight in chocolate. I know how to love my circle of friends. I know how to delight in the latest sale at the mall. BUT HOW DO I TAKE DELIGHT IN GOD? How do I fall in love with the Lord?”

“We love because God first loved us!” (1John 4:19) We can only love God and take delight in Him because He FIRST loved us! For God so loved the world, that He have His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16) God loves the world so much that He sacrificed His one and only Son so that we may live. God loves the WORLD, and you are included in the WORLD, but God loves YOU….personally. God loves YOU so much that He gave YOU Jesus.

When our youngest child Abby was about 8 months old, I was making my bed and I happened to look over at her. She was quietly napping in her swing. All of a sudden, I was filled with such an overflowing, intense, unconditional love for her. It was like a wave of love washed over me. I HAD to stop making the bed, drop everything and scoop her up, kissing her from top to bottom. I thought, "Abby, you are "addicting!" Sometimes I can't even do anything else but love on you!" I felt so much love for her.

She hadn't DONE anything.

She hadn't performed.

She wasn’t “being good.”

She was just….being.

And, I just felt overwhelming love for her. God whispered to my heart at that moment. “Tracy this is how I feel for you. I want to scoop you up and love on you. You don’t have to DO anything. You don’t have to perform. You don’t have to “be good.” Just BE.........”

Sweet Reader, God feels that way for you as well. He has an overflowing, intense, “gotta stop what He is doing, scoop you up and love on you” unconditional love. Beloved, we don't have to DO anything, He JUST loves us! He just has to pick us up, breathe us in, kiss us, love on us.... The God of the Universe feels that way for us! Doesn't it just bring you to your knees?

God loves you and desires that you love Him back! “The Lord Your God is with you. He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you. He will quiet you with His love. And He will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17) Your God sings over you like a mother singing to her newborn babe cradled in her arms. Do you get it? Can you comprehend how much God loves YOU? He takes delight in you. You make Him smile. You are His Beloved!

How do I delight myself in the Lord? How do I fall in love with the Lord?

You get to know this glorious Father who knows everything about you. He created YOU! He knit you together in your mother’s womb. He has counted every hair on your head. He knows the desires of your heart because he has created your heart!

How do YOU get to know this God, the Father of all Creation and Jesus, the lover of our souls? You spend time with him- in prayer, in praise, in worship! Rick Warren says in “The Purpose Driven Life,” “We bring God glory by worshipping him. God wants our worship to motivated by love, thanksgiving, and delight, not duty. Worship is far more than praising, singing, and praying to God. Worship is a lifestyle of enjoying God, loving Him, and giving ourselves to be used for his purposes. When you use your life for God’s glory, everything you do becomes an act of worship.”

Speaking of worship, let’s look at the Bible’s greatest Worship Warrior- David. As most of you know, David was a shepherd boy, fought and killed the Giant Goliath, became King, sinned tremendously, repented passionately, praised his God constantly, and became an ancestor to Jesus. When you read Psalms, you get a window into the heart of David. The Bible describes David as “a man after God’s own heart.” Listen now to the words of David. Listen to his heart and the delight he took in his God.


“O Lord, our Lord how majestic is Your name in all the earth. I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart, I will tell of Your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in You. I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. I love You Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer. My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. The Lord is my light and my salvation- whom shall I fear? We wait in hope for the Lord, He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice. As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You, O God. O God, You are my God, earnestly I seek You. My soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands. My heart is steadfast, O God. My heart is steadfast. I will sing and make music. Awake my soul. Shout with joy to God all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness, come before Him with joyful songs for the Lord is good and His love endures forever.”

This was a heart that DELIGHTED in the Lord!

Was David perfect? Far from it! You may remember that he was in lust with another man’s wife- Bathsheba. And, his selfish heart wanted what it wanted when it wanted. He took Bathsheba, and to cover up his sin when she became pregnant, David had her husband, a soldier, sent to the front line where David knew the man would be killed. But, David repented, and gave us one of the most beautiful psalms, Psalm 51. He poured out his repentant heart before the Lord. “Create in me a clean heart, O God. And renew a right Spirit within me. Cast me not away from Your presence. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation.”

David took great delight in the Lord and the Lord gave David the desires of his heart. What was David’s greatest desire? To grow closer to his Lord! He actively sought out the Lord. David cries out for more.

Notice the relationship again of our mediation scripture: “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” The first step is ours. We must delight ourselves in the Lord. God wants us to have a wild, crazy love for Him! He wants us to be completely abandoned to Him and surrendered to His love. In Hosea, God says, “Therefore, I am going to allure her; I will lead her out to the desert and speak tenderly to her.”

God wants to ALLURE us! Why does God need us in the desert before speaking to us? We are so distracted and caught up in the world. God wants to get us away from telephones and televisions, away from deadlines and commitments. Then, He can speak and be heard. Our hearts can finally hear His whisper.

So, how do you delight yourself in the Lord? You open your arms wide, you let down your guard and you ask Jesus into your heart- your put Him first. You seek him first.

Jesus said, “Knock and the door will be opened to you.” And then, in Revelation, Jesus gives us an even deeper love. He stands and knocks at our door. He isn’t going to wait for you to come to Him. His “crazy-for-you, can’t live without you” love, seeks you out! He will come to your door and knock. Revelation 3:20 says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me.” Jesus makes himself found to anyone who seeks Him, and He seeks everyone, standing at the door of our hearts, waiting for the invitation to come in.

Pray continually to fall more and more in love with the Lord each day. Continue to go to him when you are happy, sad, and angry; in doubt, frustrated, and in need. Go to the Lord for everything. Make him your best friend. Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.




Prayer
Father God, I love you! I give you all glory and honor and praise! You are the Most High. You alone are the Holy One! “Your love , O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.” Lord, please help me to fall in love with you more and more every day. Help me Lord to “delight myself in You.” I want to “love you with all of my heart , all of my soul, all of my mind, and all of my strength.” Create in me a “hunger and thirst for righteousness.” Lord, help me to “seek You in the morning, in the evening, and in the noonday.” I love You, Lord and I give You all glory and honor and praise! In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.



Questions:

1. How do you “take delight in the Lord?” What are practical things you can do in your own life that delight in God?


2. Write a prayer telling God how much you love Him. Tell Him that you want to love Him more. Ask Him to help you love Him more.


3. Do you need to be perfect for God to love you? How have you struggled with this lie in the past?



4. What is God revealing to you as you complete this study?



5. Read 2Samuel 11-12:25. This is the story of David and Bathsheba. David was not perfect, but loved the Lord intimately. God calls David, “a man after God’s own heart.” Write down your thoughts about what happened in this lesson.





6. When David repented, he wrote Psalm 51. Read this psalm. How did David feel when he saw his sin? Did he run away from God? Did it bring him closer to God?



7. Notice verse 13. What is David’s heart’s desire?



As you walk with God, He will begin changing your desires to become His desires. Notice the change in David’s desires. He went from desiring an adulterous relationship with Bathsheba to desiring the salvation of sinners.

See you Thursday!