Bends in the River
Listen to Mike and James discuss this week’s reading as we wrap up our study on River Dwellers.
Thursday, May 29th
Twists in the River
Read:
Pages 171-173 of River Dwellers
Conclusion:
If you make it to the end, CONGRATULATIONS!
I hope that along the way you have connected to God in a deep and meaningful way. I pray that you will desire that connection more and more, and that God will meet you there.
Questions:
1. It what ways has this book changed your perspectives, your daily routines and your understanding of the Holy Spirit?
2. What is one long term change that you hope to implement in your life as a result of this study?
Prayer:
Lord, we long for you to speak to us. Help us to quiet ourselves before you. Help us to be ready to receive your message. Give us the patience to wait upon you without agenda. To wait knowing that just sitting here with you is enough.
Exercise:
Find a quiet spot where you can relax. Spend a few minutes emptying your mind and taking your focus off yourself and placing it on God. Then when you are ready to listen, simply ask, “Lord, what is on your heart today?”
Wednesday, May 28th
Twists in the River
Read:
Pages 163-168 of River Dwellers
The Battle for Perspective:
I wrote a note in my book the first time I read through this section.
Troubles come
Grieve the bad
Always give thanks for the good
Allow God to redeem the bad
Never let go of the eternal promises of God
KEEP AN ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE!
These principles and practices have helped me receive a lot of healing from the Holy Spirit as I look to walk more closely with Him.
Read:
Pages 163-168 of River Dwellers
Questions:
1. What are some practices that you use to keep the right perspective during times of difficulties?
2. Are you going through a difficult time right now? If so, is there someone who could pray with you?
Prayer:
Lord, we long for you to speak to us. Help us to quiet ourselves before you. Help us to be ready to receive your message. Give us the patience to wait upon you without agenda. To wait knowing that just sitting here with you is enough.
Exercise:
Find a quiet spot where you can relax. Spend a few minutes emptying your mind and taking your focus off yourself and placing it on God. Then when you are ready to listen, simply ask, “Lord, what is on your heart today?”
Tuesday, May 27th
Twists in the River
Read:
Pages 158-163 of River Dwellers
The Dark Night of the Soul:
I went through a time when God felt absent from my life. It was a time when I had a lot of outside stresses and fear overwhelmed me. This was strange for me; I had never had an experience like this. God’s presence and peace were not with me. A friend asked me at the time, “What is God saying to you?” My response was, “Nothing. All I see is darkness.”
Once I got to the other side I realized that God had been working all the time. I could not see Him, I could not feel His presence and He definitely was not working on my expected time schedule or the way I wanted Him to, but He was there the whole time. I only needed to cross the dark valley to find Him.
Questions:
1. Have you ever had a season of darkness? If so, what was it that helped you reach the other side?
2. Did you have a greater appreciation for the light when you reached the other side?
Prayer:
Lord, we long for you to speak to us. Help us to quiet ourselves beore you. Help us to be ready to receive your message. Give us the patience to wait upon you without agenda. To wait knowing that just sitting here with you is enough.
Exercise:
Find a quiet spot where you can relax. Spend a few minutes emptying your mind and taking your focus off yourself and placing it on God. Then when you are ready to listen, simply ask, “Lord, what is on your heart today?”
Monday, May 26th
Twists in the River
Read:
Pages 151-158 of River Dwellers
Disappointments:
As God has been talking to me about joy over the last year, one of the things he showed me is how my past disappointments were causing me resentment. I am used to being a person who always looks ahead, sometimes to my own detriment, so it was weird to me that I had let negative experiences from my past gain a foothold in my life. Laying this stuff down is not easy, truly processing it while laying it down is even harder. Yet, God’s Spirit loves to heal us from these kinds of wounds bringing us new seasons of peace and joy and fruitfulness for His kingdom.
Questions:
1. What are some disappointments in your life that affect you negatively?
2. What are some steps you could take to process these?
Prayer:
Lord, we long for you to speak to us. Help us to quiet ourselves before you. Help us to be ready to receive your message. Give us the patience to wait upon you without agenda. To wait knowing that just sitting here with you is enough.
Exercise:
Find a quiet spot where you can relax. Spend a few minutes emptying your mind and taking your focus off yourself and placing it on God. Then when you are ready to listen, simply ask, “Lord, what is on your heart today?”
Friday, May 23rd
Climbing out of the River
Listen to Mike and James discuss this week’s reading.
Thursday, May 22nd
Climbing Out of the River
Read:
Pages 138-146 of River Dwellers
Dashboards of the Soul:
Today Rob talks about dashboards of the soul. I found this to be a very helpful section of the book. I know that one of my dashboard lights is anxiety. When that light is flashing I know it is time to take a moment to connect with God and discuss what is going on.
Questions:
1. List out what the indicator lights are on the dashboard of your soul.
2. What insight do these indicator lights give you into yourself?
Prayer:
Lord, we long for you to speak to us. Help us to quiet ourselves before you. Help us to be ready to receive your message. Give us the patience to wait upon you without agenda. To wait knowing that just sitting here with you is enough.
Exercise:
Find a quiet spot where you can relax. Spend a few minutes emptying your mind and taking your focus off yourself and placing it on God. Then when you are ready to listen, simply ask, “Lord, in what ways am I not living in the river?”
Wednesday, May 21st
Climbing Out of the River
Read:
Pages 133-138 of River Dwellers
Self Awareness:
One of the things that God reveled to me in his chapter is that I struggle with pride. It’s not that I boast about my deeds, it’s that I use my accomplishments to build walls around myself to protect others from hurting me. This of course affects my relationships with others and with God. I am thankful that God has revealed this to me. It is a tough thing to work through, but I look forward to bringing the walls down.
Questions:
1. Are there things in your live that you need to become more self-aware about?
2. What are the things that might be limiting your relationship with God and others?
Prayer:
Lord, we long for you to speak to us. Help us to quiet ourselves before you. Help us to be ready to receive your message. Give us the patience to wait upon you without agenda. To wait knowing that just sitting here with you is enough.
Exercise:
Find a quiet spot where you can relax. Spend a few minutes emptying your mind and taking your focus off yourself and placing it on God. Then when you are ready to listen, simply ask, “Lord, in what ways am I not living in the river?”
Tuesday, May 20th
Climbing Out of the River
Read:
Pages 126-133 of River Dwellers
Revealing our Sin:
Part of my personality is to gloss over the bad things that have happened and to focus on how good things can be in the future. One of my favorite scenes in the Lion King is when Rafiki hits Simba in the head with his staff. Simba asks, “What was that for?” Rafiki answers, “It doesn’t matter it is in the past.” If real life was only so easy.
Dealing with our past is not easy, but when we face it we have the greatest opportunity for healing and growth.
Questions:
1. Is there sin in your life that you need to confess?
2. How can I bring this into the light?
Prayer:
Lord, we long for you to speak to us. Help us to quiet ourselves before you. Help us to be ready to receive your message. Give us the patience to wait upon you without agenda. To wait knowing that just sitting here with you is enough.
Exercise:
Find a quiet spot where you can relax. Spend a few minutes emptying your mind and taking your focus off yourself and placing it on God. Then when you are ready to listen, simply ask, “Lord, in what ways am I not living in the river?”
Monday, May 19th
Climbing out of the River
Read:
Pages 121-126 of River Dwellers
Living in the Light
This chapter turns our focus from God to be a little more introspective as we take time to examine ourselves. The chapter looks at ways that we may be limiting our relationship with the Holy Spirit. It is not an easy chapter but I believe it can be the most transformative chapter in this book. I encourage you to lean into it and allow God to provide you healing.
The first time I read through this chapter, God made it very clear to me that I had things that I needed to resolve with Him. Through disappointments in my life I had closed doors to God and put limits on his involvement in my life. I had limited my trust in Him in certain areas of my life. I knew I needed to take some time to sit with God in prayer and talk with Him through the tough times in my life that had affected me in negative ways.
Questions:
1. In what ways are you not currently walking in the light?
2. What am I going to do about that?
Prayer:
Lord, we long for you to speak to us. Help us to quiet ourselves before you. Help us to be ready to receive your message. Give us the patience to wait upon you without agenda. To wait knowing that just sitting here with you is enough.
Exercise:
Find a quiet spot where you can relax. Spend a few minutes emptying your mind and taking your focus off yourself and placing it on God. Then when you are ready to listen, simply ask, “Lord, in what ways am I not living in the river?”
Friday, May 16th
Living in the River
Listen to Mike Murray and James Dieter discuss this week’s reading.
Thursday, May 15th
Living in the River
Read:
Pages 107-115 of River Dwellers
Spiritual Hunger
We started the week talking about thirst and now we will end it talking about hunger. What does your soul hunger for? When you notice yourself feeling “hunger” of any kind, this is a great opportunity to notice what it is that your appetites are drawn to.
Questions:
1. Rob says we stuff many things into our lives to suppress the spiritual hunger of our souls. Is this something you struggle with? If so, what are some of the things that you use to satisfy the hunger of your soul?
2. What is one thing you can do this week to begin to feed your spiritual hunger in a way that would honor God and truly satisfy your soul?
Prayer:
Lord, we long for you to speak to us. Help us to quiet ourselves before you. Help us to be ready to receive your message. Give us the patience to wait upon you without agenda. To wait knowing that just sitting here with you is enough.
Exercise:
Find a quiet spot where you can relax. Spend a few minutes emptying your mind and taking your focus off yourself and placing it on God. Then when you are ready to listen, simply ask, “Lord, what is on your heart today?”
Wednesday, May 14th
Living in the River
Read:
Pages 101-107 of River Dwellers
Spiritual Disciplines
Take some time to reexamine the list of spiritual disciplines that Rob gives to help us to enter into God’s presence. Just like any relationship, your relationship with the Lord will really benefit from some intentionality in your pursuit of Him.
Questions:
1. Which of these disciplines appeal to you the most?
2. Make a plan to add one of these disciplines into your life for the next week.
Prayer:
Lord, we long for you to speak to us. Help us to quiet ourselves before you. Help us to be ready to receive your message. Give us the patience to wait upon you without agenda. To wait knowing that just sitting here with you is enough.
Exercise:
Find a quiet spot where you can relax. Spend a few minutes emptying your mind and taking your focus off yourself and placing it on God. Then when you are ready to listen, simply ask, “Lord, what is on your heart today?”
Side note: Is the exercise working? If not maybe try a different prayer posture. I often find that I can hear God best while I am walking. And if I do that walk in an area surrounded by God’s beautiful creation the success rate goes up even more. This will be different for everyone, so if it is not working I encourage you to mix it up a bit.
Tuesday, May 13th
Living in the River
Read:
Pages 96-101 of River Dwellers
The Manifestation of God’s Presence
Many times during a group prayer session I have heard people say, “I don’t know if this is from the Lord, but…” Then they go on to deliver a prayer that feels very divinely inspired. I think it is important in these moments to let people know that it is evident that it was God speaking through them.
Let us encourage each other as we seek God’s presence and leading in our lives.
Questions:
1. What are some changes you can make to increase your sensitivity to the Spirit?
2. Can increasing your sensitivity be as simple as looking for God more often during your day?
3. Write down how God might have been active in your life today
Prayer:
Lord, we long for you to speak to us. Help us to quiet ourselves before you. Help us to be ready to receive your message. Give us the patience to wait upon you without agenda. To wait knowing that just sitting here with you is enough.
Exercise:
Find a quiet spot where you can relax. Spend a few minutes emptying your mind and taking your focus off yourself and placing it on God. Then when you are ready to listen, simply ask, “Lord, what is on your heart today?”
Monday, May 12th
Living in the River
Read:
Pages 87-96 of River Dwellers
Cultivating God’s Presence
What is your soul thirsty for? Jesus invites those who are thirsty to come to Him to be satisfied and to experience the rivers of living water. With this chapter we begin to explore what it means to be a river dweller – to live in the river and in step with the Holy Spirit.
Questions:
1. In what ways have you confused religious activities with experiencing God’s presence?
2. In what ways have you forsaken the living waters only to dig your own broken cisterns
3. What changes can you make to cultivate God’s presence in your life?
Prayer:
Lord, we long for you to speak to us. Help us to quiet ourselves before you. Help us to be ready to receive your message. Give us the patience to wait upon you without agenda. To wait knowing that just sitting here with you is enough.
Excercise:
Find a quiet spot where you can relax. Spend a few minutes emptying your mind and taking your focus off yourself and placing it on God. Then when you are ready to listen, simply ask, “Lord, what is on your heart today?”
Friday, May 9th
The River Rises
Mike Murray and James Dieter discuss content from the second week of readings in our study.
Thursday, May 8th
The River Rises
Read:
Pages 77-81 of River Dwellers
Preparing to Listen
The cry of my heart is that I want to hear from God more. My question is, ‘how do I get there?’ I am sure we all have different struggles in connecting with God. My biggest struggle, which I am embarrassed to share, is showing up on a regular basis. The creator of the world is willing to talk to me and I lack motivation to show up.
That is embarrassing.
Rob gives us some things to think about today as we all look to get better at connecting with the Holy Spirit.
Questions:
1. What is your biggest struggle in getting yourself ready to listen to God?
2. What are some changes that you could make in your life to improve your connection with God?
Prayer:
Lord, we long for you to speak to us. Help us to quiet ourselves before you. Help us to be ready to receive your message. Give us the patience to wait upon you without agenda. To wait knowing that just sitting here with you is enough.
Exercise:
Find a quiet spot where you can relax. Spend a few minutes emptying your mind and taking your focus off yourself and placing it on God. Then when you are ready to listen, simply ask, “Lord, what is on your heart today?”
Wednesday, May 7th
The River Rises
Read:
Pages 70-77 of River Dwellers
Interpreting and Delivering a Word
Today we transition from ‘what it is’ to ‘how do we do it’. Rob does an excellent job talking about how to deliver a word with humility, grace and mercy.
Questions:
1. Have you ever had someone deliver a word to you? How did it go?
2. Has God ever given you a word to deliver to someone else? How did it go?
Exercise:
The next time you have an opportunity to pray for someone, spend time just listening to God for what he would want you to say. Wait without agenda, intent to only pray what God tells you to pray and to be willing to walk away praying nothing. If God gives you something to share practice delivering that in a way that would honor Him and build up the person it was for.
Prayer:
Lord, help us to be humble, gracious and merciful as we convey your words to others.
Tuesday, May 6th
The River Rises
Read:
Pages 60-70 of River Dwellers
God Speaks
Over the past year God has been talking to me about joy. On three different occasions he has connected with me on this topic. First by asking me a question, second by giving me a vision and lastly through a dream. Did he choose these three different ways just so I could share this with you today? Maybe.
Exercise:
Write down a story of a time when God spoke to you through a vision, a dream, your emotions, your mind’s eye or by speaking directly into your knower. Again, I encourage you to put pen to paper for this one as writing it down will make details come to your mind which you may have forgotten about and there is a good chance that the Holy Spirit will speak to you as you are writing this out.
Prayer:
Lord, we long for you to speak to us. Help us to quiet ourselves before you. Help us to be ready to receive your message. Give us the patience to wait upon you without agenda. To wait knowing that just sitting here with you is enough.
Monday, May 5th
The River Rises
Read:
Pages 53-60 of River Dwellers
God Speaks
Of all the ways that God connects with me, I find that hearing Him speak to me is the most precious. The
thought that the creator of the universe wants to talk to me is incredibly special.
Exercise:
Write down a story of a time when God spoke to you either in an audible voice, a gentle whisper or just by guiding your thoughts.
Again, I encourage you to put pen to paper for this one as writing it down will make details come to your mind which you may have forgotten about and there is a good chance that the Holy Spirit will speak to you as you are writing this out.
Prayer:
Lord, we long to hear your voice. Help us to quiet ourselves before you. Help us to be ready to receive your words. Give us the patience to wait upon you without agenda. To wait knowing that just sitting here with you is enough.