TGFABT – Psalm 4

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1. Great video message today!! I love the questions Wendy challenges us to meditate on this week. What do I love without purpose, misleading my mind and misplacing my judgment? That whole idea of love delusions is definitley something to reflect on this week. What gods false gods do I desire? I loved the reminder that God wants our obedience and trust before our gifts. My notes say: Offer God your sacrifice of total obedience and heartfelt praise. When I choose to do things I do not necessarily want to do but do to obey Him, He is honored and I am blessed.

2. It’s lunch time and I closed my door and turned out the overhead light so I could listen to Wendy’s message and just really think about her message today. When she talked about delusions and loving things more than God I’m thinking, ‘why don’t I do this every day? Do I love my work more than the time I spend with God?’ My answer right away is no but then I look inside and see all of the things that I allow to distract me. I love the way Wendy picks out a specific point for us to focus on each week along with any of our own items. I really liked when she reminded us of the song ‘Trust and Obey.’ I’ve always loved that old hymn, I can still hear my mom playing it on the piano after I went to bed as a little girl, but I’m not sure if I every really took it to heart. Have I always done that, trusted and obeyed? I will be doing much soul searching this week because I know that when I do trust and obey God, life is richer for me and everyone around me.

   1. Jackie, I love that you are devoting your lunch time to working on this study. That is such a great use of your break at work. Very encouraging for me to hear this; I will be trying it as well!

3. The video today was just wonderful! I love the down-to-earth approach Wendy has. It makes me feel like she is a close friend. I agree, Jackie, I love the way she picks out a specific point for us to focus one. I think I love that approach so much because she always seems to pick a point that I never would have gotten myself. Like this week, I am not sure that I would have really, really paid attention to the phrase “love delusions.” What she said is so true though; a delusion is empty and doesn’t help me fulfill any purpose to which God placed me on the earth. What things in my everyday life do I love more than I love spending time with my Lord and Savior?? This is something I will be thinking about and praying about this week.

4. I enjoyed this weeks message, as it challenges me to reflect on really looking at what is important to me vs.what should be important to me. I will look at the false gods I worship and work on conquering them.

   1. Lori,
      I like how you said that:
      What IS important and what SHOULD BE important.

5. Truth Tuesday…so important like Wendy points out to ask God to reveal where my love delusions are….ask and then be silent and listen.

6. Enlightened by Wendy’s comments about the things we become delusional that takes me away from God. Food continues to absorb my thoughts and I never considered this delusional. I intend to be more thoughtful of this when I am full and still desire more food! Have a great Tuesday everyone!

7. As I approach the big 6-5 I have had my mind so much on what I am going to do in life – retire, continue to work. Then what will I do with my mom as her memory continues to decline. When I listen to Wendy I realize that is my delusion. My weakness – I’m really not going to God and then listening. I have a poem that I use in GriefShare ‘Let Go and Let God.’ I use the poem because I need to remind myself of this all of the time. I am a control freak and have a hard time letting go.
   As children bring their broken toys
   with tears for us to mend,
   I brought my broken dreams to God,
   because He was my friend.
   But then, instead of leaving Him,
   in peace, to work alone;
   I hung around and tried to help,
   with ways that were my own.
   At last, I snatched them back and cried,
   “How can you be so slow?”
   “My child,” He said,
   “What could I do?
   You never did let go.”
   Hope this poem helps all of you to remember to let God work in your life instead of you holding onto everything yourself. Have a great day everyone!!

   1. Jackie, what a great poem! Thank you for sharing! In today’s world all of us are victims of the “hurry up” crowd and hate the waiting! Sometimes it is most difficult to understand God’s timeline.
      May God help us all to be patient while we wait for the changes we seek to happen!

8. Throughout this lesson I keep remembering bits of an old song from Joni Mitchell ( yes I’m that old ,lol)

   I’ve looked at love from both sides now
   From give and take and still somehow
   It’s love’s illusions I recall
   I really don’t know love at all

   Tears and fears and feeling proud,
   To say “I love you” right out loud
   Dreams and schemes and circus crowds,
   I’ve looked at life that way.

   It’ s truly amazing how God knows instinctively how to reach each one of us in ways that we will be reminded of his love for us. It’s equally amazing how his words permeate our lives in day to day living without opening the Bible!
   We just have to open our eyes and ears to realize it.

9. Word Wednesday…I liked Wendy’s comments on the word traslated to lies. My ESV study Bible actully uses the word lies in verse 4. I don’t know if you all have taken time to look at a different version of the verse each day, but it really does add to insight and understanding when you do look at multiple versions. Yesterday’s e-book study reinforces the idea of true love instead of false love made up of lies. This is a great reminder to me to continue to ask the Lord to help me love HIM with all my heart, soul, mind and strength.

10. Good morning ladies! It’s hump day! Word Wednesday. My life has been plagued with deceptions. False hopes, dreams, endeavors, and intents. I too can rest easily (most nights) knowing that God has my back and will provide what I truly need.

11. Good Morning Ladies! I had a busy night last night so I did not get to the study. This morning it was wonderful to wake up and work on the study. It really feels like I am getting my day started off right! I really enjoyed the e-book study today. Especially where Wendy says that because love becomes distorted in our fallen world, we end up wandering for love without purpose and loving the wrong things. We become vulnerable and easy prey for the wrong types of love. I will remember this today and strive to feel God’s perfect love to me and pass that love on to the people around me!

12. Leasing! Brought me to think our time on earth is just leased for a short time, our time with God is permanent and eternal! What an awesome thought for today.

    1. Love that , Vicki!!!

13. Thankful Thursday: so thankful God provides True Love for me!!!! He is faithful and I can find security and peace in Him.

14. Today I am thankful for being able to attend the Quilt/Sewing Expo in Cleveland!

    1. Kim – I would love that also. Good for you. Have a great time.

15. I am thankful for safe flights to and from North Carolina and a few days of rest that God provided. I revisited with someone I lost contact with over 25 years ago and it seemed like we never were apart. We were together 4 days. What a blessing.

    1. Vicki…both sound wonderful, a time of rest and reconnecting with an old friend. Steve and I have had an opportunity to recconect with friends we hadn’t see in 10 years. What a blessing. We wondered why we had stayed apart for 10 years and thought about all we missed during that time. It makes me think of times when I stay away from sitting down with God and spending time with Him. One day can lead to another and then a week and then a few weeks and before you know it, a lot of time has passed. Like our friends we reconnected with, I always wonder why I can allow this to happen. Thank goodness God is there and when we reconnect He is waiting, but oh what we miss when we don’t take time to spend in His Presence continually. The events of the past couple of years in our lives is just one thing that reminds me to stay close and get strength from hm.

16. Today I am so thankful that I was able to find a hard copy of the book I started reading on my tablet and had the time at lunch to get the book, stop for lunch and start reading, ‘The Blessing.’ God is good!!

17. Today I am doing Word Study Wednesday and Thankful Thursday. It has been a busy week for me! I have missed doing the study every night this week and will be working on finding more time in my day to devote to the study! I have never heard the term “leasing” used in this context. It is probably because I generally do not read the KJV. I looked up leasing in a bible dictionary and (spoiler alert!) it occurs again in Psalm 5. I couldn’t find any other occurrence in the Bible! I think this term is something I would like to further research as I have a hard time grasping the connection between our modern day definition of leasing and the old English version. There has to be some type of connection there! Anyways, I like what Wendy says about false gods having “limited power” and when that power runs out we are left longing for real love. I pray that we all are seeking after God’s real love, not the limited love false gods bring.

    Today’s e-book study was wonderful! Wendy directs us to Joel 2:12-13 and asks what we are to do as we return to God from chasing false gods. We are to “rend” our hearts. I didn’t understand this word, so, again, I used a bible dictionary. To rend is to tear clothing in mourning or repentance. So instead of rending my clothing in mourning, I need to have a heart full of repentance. I must “rend” my heart of any affection or allegiance to another god. WOW!! What a powerful scripture! God’s Word is amazing!!

    Today, I am thankful for the second job my husband started this week! We are so blessed!

18. Faith Stretching Friday- God is speakingn to me through this study and our SS school study. Obey God and love those that are difficult to love in tangible ways starting with loving Him with all my heart, soul,mind and strength, I cannot imagine how blessed He is when we obey Him even when it is hard.

19. I haven’t spent the time I would have liked in the lesson this because of many circumstances, bit I am trying to catch us today. I so appreciate the poem Jackie shared showing me how I ask God for help and then try to tell him what that help should be. I need to learn to be still and listen and then obey. I was having trouble applying the word leasing so I was glad to see Vicki’s thoughts on it.

    I am thankful for God’s patience with me and his direction for my life.

20. Dear Wendy and Sisters:
    I was amazed when I read first verse ‘ Give me relief from my distress”.
    Years ago, I was going through a difficult situation and I let the distress take over leading to self pity . This is not good! I learn to look at God at all times.

    “Love Delusions” “False Gods” . I think my marriage was one of them. I hang on to it as it was the thing that cures everything, that brings forever happiness, that is the sublime / greater thing that I had accomplished ; false god.

    God is the only one that has to have our first love. He is the Owner, Creator, Almighty one.
    Certainly , I have to search my heart , make an inventory , confess my wrong and be silent. Thank you and god bless you all.

21. May 24 2107. Is there anyone else taking this study? I am always blessed with new insight. The teaching on loving delusions hit the spot. There are so many things that I have wanted to do and be for God and what He has given me is far from all the dreams that I planned for myself. It has been a very painful process in letting go those things that I have desired and have not received. God has gently said that I have all eternity to pursue all the dreams he has placed in my heart. I don’t need to do everything now. This has been a big deal. But I am thankful for your confirmation and challenge to keep laying those delusions down.

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