Week 5

Intro: how to use this booklet What you have in your hands could be a powerful tool. Think of

this book as a map that could help guide you in drawing closer to God and help you hear what He may want you to hear

about yourself, your world and Himself. By carving out these

moments with God, your sense of purpose may become stronger, your self-reflection may become clearer, and your love for others may grow as you understand Him and yourself

more.

Or you could throw it in the recycling bin. The choice is yours. But if you do choose to use this booklet to draw closer to God, here is the blueprint we suggest:

Set aside 10-30 minutes each day (I recommend the

morning). Set reminders for yourself so that you will be

consistent and won’t forget. Some suggestions to help you

prioritize this time with God would be to schedule it in your

day planner or cell phone calendar.

Remove any distractions during this time. Find a quiet place

where your television is off, your phone is set to silent, and if possible, that you won’t be disturbed by people interrupting

you.

Start by praying. Not sure what to pray? Try this: “God, as I

take this time with you now, help me to hear you. Help me

to focus on you. Help me to listen to you. Please speak to

me God, I want to listen. Amen”

Reflect on and answer the questions asked each day.

End your time by praying again. Not sure what to pray? Try

this: “God thank you for your grace in my life. Help me to

Genesis 28:10-19 Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. When he reached a certain

place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one

of the stones there, he put it under

his head and lay down to sleep. He had a dream in which

he saw a stairway resting on the

earth, with its top reaching to

heaven, and the angels of God

were ascending and descending on i t. There above i t s tood

the Lord, and he said: “I am

the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I

will give you and your descendants

the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like

the dust of the earth, and you will

spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and

your offspring I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave

you until I have done what I have promised you.”

Jacob’s Dream at Bethel

When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” He was

afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”

Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed

under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called

Luz.

Monday: In the cool of the day Genesis 3:8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound

of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of

the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are

you?”

10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

1) Read Genesis 2:4-3:10. Try to imagine what it would be like to

be in those moments with God and Adam and Eve. What do

you think Adam is feeling first when he is created and then when he gets caught disobeying God?

2) There are a lot of different perspectives on this story in

Genesis. Some take it literally, others may believe it was more

of a narrative to illustrate something that needs to be taught.

From your perspective, what do you think is the purpose of this story in Scripture??

3) On Sunday it was said that it when the people ate the fruit they did not just become aware of their nakedness but self

absorbed. What do you think about that? Do you think a focus

on yourself can get in the way of your connection with God?

How?

4) How can you keep your focus more on God than yourself?

5) What do you need to change in your daily habits to help you

Tuesday: When God feels distant In the Book of Ezekiel, Ezekiel’s prophecy in scripture ends with

the city being named Yahweh Shammah. These words in the

NIV are translated as the Lord is there. Through out the Old

Testament God is given titles associated with His name to describe His attributes, in this vision of Ezekiel the attribute they

emphasize is god’s presence, that God is near.

1) Does God always feel near to you? Can you remember a time where God felt distant? What was going on in your life at that time?

2) When God feels distant from you, what do you do to try and get closer to God? Do you want to get closer to God?

3) James 4:8 tells us to come close to God, and He will come

close to us. The antithesis of this could be “move away from

God, and He will move away from you.” Is there anything in

your life that might be making you move away from God?

4) What do you need to adjust in your life so that you can come closer to God?

5) What is stopping you from coming closer to God?

6) Spend some time in solitude and silence in prayer to seek God on what we have been reflecting on, is there anything you

Wednesday: Never Alone John 14:15 “If you love me, follow my

commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he

will give you another Advocate, who will never leave

you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The

world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for

him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him,

because he lives with you now and later will be in you.

18 No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to

you.

1) Read John 14:15-31. What is Jesus promise to His

followers here?

2) What does it mean to you to hear Jesus say that He never left you to be alone, that God is always with you through the Holy Spirit? Do you believe this?

3) On Sunday it was said that God is always there, we

just are not always aware. How do you think you can

raise your awareness of God in your life?

4) Is there a time in your life when you were very aware of the presence of God in your life? What made you so aware, what happened?

5) Spend some time in prayer, asking God to show

how near He is through the Holy Spirit. Ask God what

you might need to (or need not to do) today to help

you know how close He is. What do you think He told

you to do or not do?

Thursday: Call me maybe Jeremiah 29:10 This is what the LORD says: “When seventy

years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill

my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and

a future.12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me,

and I will listen to you.13 You will seek me and find me when you

seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares

the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back to the place

from which I carried you into exile.”

1) Read Jeremiah 29:10-14. This passage has one of the more

famous passages in Jeremiah, what do you think it meant for its original audience to here this?

2) What does it mean for you?

3) God speaking through Jeremiah says we are to call and come and pray to God, how often are you spending time calling to God? What gets in the way of you calling to God and praying to Him in His presence?

4) When you pray what do you usually say? Does it feel strange at times to be speaking to someone you can’t see?

5) An important part of prayer that sometimes gets overlooked

is confession. Not coming clean to God, admitting our sins to God and maybe someone we trust, can be a barrier to our

journey with God. What do you need to confess? What is stopping you? Confess to God and if you have someone you can trust, share with them as well and ask them to hold you

Friday: Seek and you shall find Matthew 7:7“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you

will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to

the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

9“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If you, then, though you are evil, 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! 12So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and

the Prophets.

11) Read Matthew 7:7-12. In this passage Jesus says to ask and it

will be given, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be

open. This passage can be interpreted in different ways, but what do you think Jesus was saying to those listening in this context?

2) Jesus is echoing the words of Jeremiah we read yesterday, when God spoke through Jeremiah and said to seek and He will

be found. What does it mean to seek God with all our heart?

3) How often are you seeking God with all your heart? What might be preventing you?

4) Where can we seek God? Are there specific places we can look to find out more about God? Read Romans 1:20, what might be a more unexpected place we can learn about God?

5) One of the most important places to seek God is through

scripture. Read Psalm 145. what did you learn about who God is and how you should respond?

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www.bromleyroadbaptist.org

CONTACT US:

Senior Pastor | Rob@bromleyroadbaptist. org

Kids’ Pastor | Christina@bromleyroadbaptist. org

Youth Pastor | Sarah@bromleyroadbaptist. org

Office | info@bromleyroadbaptist. org

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