Peacemakers: Day One

Finding Peace Between Me & God

WEEK ONE

Welcome to the Fall Session of #theFives! It’s time to jump in with both feet, holding nothing back, excited to hear from God this morning!

Let’s be real: Prayer isn’t always easy. There are obstacles in our way– never-ending to-do lists, the inability to focus, demands from our family, friends, and even our job– it seems there will never be a way to enjoy a consistent, fruitful prayer life! What I have found from years of leading #theFives is this: the battle starts in our minds.

The battle starts in our minds.

That’s right. The way we think, feel, and even dream about God’s character determines the way we pray! Before we can dive into 5 weeks of becoming #Peacemakers, we need to find peace with the way we view God. For this first week we will discover the truth about how God sees us in our sin, speaks to us in our hearts, and uncovers a relationship of love and honor.

DAY ONE

“Once you were alienated and hostile in your minds expressed in your evil actions. But now he has reconciled you by his physical body through his death, to present you holy, faultless, and blameless before him— if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith and are not shifted away from the hope of the gospel that you heard. “

Colossians 1:21-23

This verse is a perfect example of the sacrifice of Jesus. Simply put, we were gross and sinful and did some yuck stuff. Jesus came to earth to be a perfect man and sacrifice to pay the price for our sin. His physical body was the payment to get us into heaven, even though we aren’t perfect. He in turn presents us to God as “holy, faultless, and blameless before him (God)”.

God sees you as perfect. When we do not feel at peace with God, it is usually because we have built a wall between us and Him. We believe ourselves to be unworthy of God’s love, so we view God as being displeased with us. As a result we pull back from His love or decide not to pray because we think He is mad at us. That feeling of being at odds with God can be the one road block to total freedom from guilt and shame in our humanity.

LET’S PRAY

1.) Sit in the quiet. Whether you prayed yesterday or last year, it is always good to get reacquainted with God’s voice. Pick a space that is distraction free and not too cozy (we don’t want you falling asleep!). Grab your Bible, journal, and a pen and begin writing down any thoughts you have about the verses above as you sit quietly.

2.) How do the words “holy, faultless and blameless” make you feel? Pray for God to give you more words that would describe the way He feels about you. If you have a hard time hearing His voice, use you Bible to look up verses about how He sees you. Write down what you find or hear.

3.) Pray for God to begin restoring your relationship with Him. Is there any unconfessed sin that needs to be addressed? Use the remainder of your time to let God search your heart to bring peace to your relationship. Reflect on this song as you do–