I am God’s child (John 1:12)
I have been justified (Romans 5:1)
I am Christ’s friend (John 15:15)
I belong to God (1 Corinthians 6:20)
I am a member of Christ’s Body (1 Corinthians 12:27)
I am assured all things work together for good (Romans 8:28)
I have been established, anointed and sealed by God (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)
I am confident that God will perfect the work He has begun in me (Philippians 1:6)
I am a citizen of heaven (Philippians 3:20)
I am hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3)
I have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7)
I am born of God and the evil one cannot harm me (1 John 5:18)
I am blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3)
I am chosen before the creation of the world (Ephesians 1:4, 11)
I am holy and blameless (Ephesians 1:4)
I am adopted as his child (Ephesians 1:5)
I am given God’s glorious grace lavishly and without restriction (Ephesians 1:5,8)
I am in Him (Ephesians 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:30)
I have redemption (Ephesians 1:8)
I am forgiven (Ephesians 1:8; Colossians 1:14)
I have purpose (Ephesians 1:9 & 3:11)
I have hope (Ephesians 1:12)
I am included (Ephesians 1:13)
I am sealed with the promised Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13)
I am a saint (Ephesians 1:18)
I am salt and light of the earth (Matthew 5:13-14)
I have been chosen and God desires me to bear fruit (John 15:1,5)
I am a personal witness of Jesus Christ (Acts 1:8)
I am God’s coworker (2 Corinthians 6:1)
I am a minister of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:17-20)
I am alive with Christ (Ephesians 2:5)
I am raised up with Christ (Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 2:12)
I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:6)
I have been shown the incomparable riches of God’s grace (Ephesians 2:7)
God has expressed His kindness to me (Ephesians 2:7)
I am God’s workmanship (Ephesians 2:10)
I have been brought near to God through Christ’s blood (Ephesians 2:13)
I have peace (Ephesians 2:14)
I have access to the Father (Ephesians 2:18)
I am a member of God’s household (Ephesians 2:19)
I am secure (Ephesians 2:20)
I am a holy temple (Ephesians 2:21; 1 Corinthians 6:19)
I am a dwelling for the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:22)
I share in the promise of Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:6)
God’s power works through me (Ephesians 3:7)
I can approach God with freedom and confidence (Ephesians 3:12)
I know there is a purpose for my sufferings (Ephesians 3:13)
I can grasp how wide, long, high and deep Christ’s love is (Ephesians 3:18)
I am completed by God (Ephesians 3:19)
I can bring glory to God (Ephesians 3:21)
I have been called (Ephesians 4:1; 2 Timothy 1:9)
I can be humble, gentle, patient and lovingly tolerant of others (Ephesians 4:2)
I can mature spiritually (Ephesians 4:15)
I can be certain of God’s truths and the lifestyle which He has called me to (Ephesians 4:17)
I can have a new attitude and a new lifestyle (Ephesians 4:21-32)

STEPS FOR STUDYING THE WORD OF GOD

RELATIONALLY AND RESPONSIVELY

I.    PRAYER

Help me listen to You in a way that’s attentive to Your voice, absorbs what You say into my inner being, and acts unreservedly in a love-response to You. 

II.     OBSERVATION
               What does this say?   (“What?”)

                A.  Know general things about the book you choose to study:
                      the author, the date, the first readers, the place of writing, the purpose of the book
                B.  Notice about every paragraph: the important terms or key words, non-routine words,
                      verbs, nouns, important ideas
                C.  See the structure of the paragraph: contrast, repetitions, comparisons, cause/effect,
                          punctuation, questions/answers, climax
                D.  Be aware of the literary genre of the book and paragraph: poetry, prose, parable, historical 
                      narrative, prophecy, wisdom
                E.  Identify explicit and implicit statements through: who, what, when, where, why, how

III.      INTERPRETATION
                What does this mean?  (“So what?”)

                 Explain and define themes, truths and principles you observed based  on these laws:

                 A. The Bible is inspired by God.
                 B. The Bible is literature. If you can explain it in a literary or  grammatical sense,
                         seek no other sense.
                 C. The Bible is written over time in different historical and cultural periods. 
                        It reveals God’s story of salvation through progressive revelation.
                 D. The Bible states eternal truth in the context of story, and it uses symbols. 
                        Truth is clearly stated, found in story, and emphasized in symbol.
                 E. The Bible is its own best commentary.  Where else in Scripture is this or a similar word,
                     idea, truth, or theme repeated or explained or defined? 

IV.  APPLICATION
                What’s my “heart and hands response” to my God?   (“Now what?”)

                 A. What difference could this paragraph have made to the first readers? How might it have
                      changed their minds about God, themselves and their lives?
                 B.  What difference does it make to me?
                        1. Is there a promise to claim and live by?  (Does this promise apply to me, or just to the
                            original readers? Have I met the conditions for claiming this promise?)
                        2.   Is there something to pray or praise God for?
                        3.   Do I need to change an attitude?  (How will I go about this?)
                        4.   Is there a command to obey? (Am I willing to do this no matter how I feel?)
                        5.  Is there an example to follow or avoid?
                        6.  Is there a sin here for me to confess or avoid? (Do I need to make restitution or ask
                             someone’s forgiveness?)

                  C.     How has this impacted my understanding of, my relationship with, and my love for God?
                          How does this influence my love for others?

V.  COMMUNICATION
                  To whom can I model this truth or share what I’ve learned?

2 Timothy 3:16-17
¹⁶All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching,
rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
¹⁷so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped
for every good work.

Source Contributions:  Elizabeth Inrig in Women’s Ministries:  Life, Ministry & Missions; Scot McKnight in The Blue Parakeet; The Navigators/NavPress in LifeChange series; ec                                                                                                                                                                                        8/9/11

Prayer…powerful, wonderful prayer. In the book Becoming a Woman of Prayer, author Cynthia Heald describes prayer as “an opportunity, an invitation to intimacy with God.” We understand (and hopefully model) the foundational principle of personal, intimate prayer but what about corporate prayer…prayer together? What if we combine the invitation to intimacy with God with the special type of intimacy found in friendships we make with other women? It’s a powerful opportunity to come together and not only pray for each other, but to pray for others in our lives, to lift up the church and its leadership, to intercede for the needs of the body of Christ…the list is endless. What a privilege to join together in a powerful, relational intimacy with God, driven by a concern for His purposes.

Here are some steps you could take to start a home-based prayer group.

PRAY!
A successful at-home prayer group literally starts with prayer! Seek the Lord in prayer for like-minded women who share the same passion for Jesus and for prayer. Ask Him to make you aware of when the Holy Spirit is nudging you to step out in faith and ask someone to become a part of the prayer group.

PREPARE
There should be a clear vision for what you are trying to accomplish, as well as the focus of your particular prayer group.

Here are some questions to consider:

1. What are we trying to accomplish through this prayer group?
2. Is there a specific area of our lives that we’re especially focusing upon? (for example: kids in school; careers; personal ministries/disciplemaking; roles as wives; support in crisis; missionaries)
3. Who will we try to involve? How will we recruit?
4. When, where and for how long will be meet?
5. Do we need a group covenant or agreement outlining our commitments? Confidentiality? Availability? Other expectations?

PURSUE
Invite! Use all avenues available: personal contact, Facebook, phone, email. If it’s a group focused on praying for your school-aged children, inquire if there’s a community bulletin board at the school, or a community column in the school newsletter.

Some groups meet once a month, some once a week. Be clear on the amount of time you intend to spend together—it’s common to limit the time to one hour max.

PLACE AND PRACTICE
The first time you get together, be sure to include time for conversation and for everyone to get acquainted relationally. It’s wise to share the goals and commitments upfront, so that everyone is “on the same page.” Consider including a passage of Scripture that points to specific verses on prayer or looks at the life of Jesus and how He modeled prayer. (1)

To close your first time together, take time to pray! (2)

Each subsequent time you meet, be sure to allow time to introduce and briefly get acquainted with anyone who’s new to the group, and then give an opportunity for single-sentence “headline” updates on previous prayer requests.  And then be wise about how much time is spent talking about prayer requests, as opposed to actually praying! (3) Be sure to  honor the time limit you all have agreed to share.

PRAISE
It’s not only rewarding to get together to pray for each other and God’s purposes...it’s fun to also celebrate the answers. Consider having one of your prayer times periodically center on just thanksgiving and praise to our good God. It’s a great opportunity to enjoy the “fruits of the labor” and also give God the glory!

PERSEVERE
Keep an open mind and heart, and let God lead this new venture. As with anything else, you may need to tweak it as you go along.

May you more and more become a woman who takes with gusto the opportunity and invitation to intimacy with God through prayer!

For more information or questions, don’t hesitate to email us: elizabeth@oakwoodnow.org

--Kari Lyles, Debby Rowe, Elizabeth Cole

1. Here are some verses to consider as you look at prayer:
   Matthew 26:37-42; Luke 5:15, 6:12-13, 10:2, 11:2-4, 22:31-32; John 5:30, 8:28-29, 12:49-50, 15:1-5, 17:18-23; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; James 5:16
   
   
2. There are a number of different forms you could use…don’t get legalistically caught up in one “perfect” format. Here is a simple structure:
   ACTS:  adoration of God (acknowledgment of His attributes, personal silent confession, thanksgiving for specific answers to prayer and God’s observed generosity to you, supplication/requests.)
   
   
3. Here are some suggestions on praying aloud:
   a.    Avoid surprises. Never unexpectedly ask a woman to pray aloud.
   b.    Avoid unspoken expectations. Don’t “go around the circle” praying aloud.
   c.    Avoid “psychomanipulative” prayer. Don’t use prayer for any purpose other than communication with God Himself (for example: announcements, chastisement, preaching, complimenting, and so on.)