icon__search

Sample Lesson

Sample Lesson

2023 Syllabus

Preview This Study

Purchase This Study Today

This introductory-level discipleship study will challenge women to really know Jesus and look to Him in ways they may never have before. Throughout this study, the teachings of Jesus will be unfolded, and participants will be encouraged to put aside the demands of their present-day world and sit at Jesus’ feet so they might truly hear His message. As they learn to listen attentively, their hearts will be pierced by the voice of Jesus in God’s Word. They will come to know His heart and know that they can ask Him for the grace they need to obey Him fully. Be sure to order the companion study, Jesus, I Want to Love You, after completing this study.

Monday Map for In-Person Classes

11405 Park Road Suite 201 Second Floor Please see the map below for parking instructions.

Supplementary Study Materials

MEMORY PASSAGE: Matthew 5: 3-17 ESV Lesson 1: vv. 3-4 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Lesson 2: vv. 5-6 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Lesson 3: v. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Lesson 4: vv. 8-9 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Lesson 5: v. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Lesson 6: vv. 11-12 Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you Lesson 7: v. 13 You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. Lesson 8: vv. 14-15 You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Lesson 9: v. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Lesson 10: Review lessons 1-9

Sample Lesson

Wednesday Map for In-Person Classes

11405 Park Road Suite 201 Second Floor Please see the map below for parking instructions.

Introduction

Laurie Aker

We are commanded in God’s Word to love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Many of us long for our love for the Lord to grow. We want an intimate, vibrant, and dynamic relationship with Christ that transforms the way they think and act and respond to their world. In this study, we will learn how to love Jesus and follow Him fully in each and every area of our lives. We will be encouraged to continue to put aside the demands of the world and sit at the feet of our Savior and teacher so they might truly hear His message and be drawn into a radical love relationship with Him. This companion study to Jesus, I Need You, has Eight lessons (nine weeks with Introduction).

Sample Lesson

Taking the Truth to Heart

TAKING THE TRUTH TO HEART INSTRUCTIONS Follow these instructions daily and weekly (they are in your workbook as well) and use the Take a Note feature that is available for each lesson. Record your answers within Take a Note and then access them whenever you need a reminder throughout the week. You will need to create an account (like you might for Facebook or Instagram) to use this feature if you haven't already done so. DAILY: 1. Choose one Scripture from the day to apply to your heart. 2. Write it out and take it with you throughout the day to meditate upon. WEEKLY: 1. TAKING THE TRUTH TO HEART: Write one Scripture from the week that the Lord is using to renew your mind and transform your heart. (Rom. 12:2) How is God using this Scripture to teach, instruct, reprove, correct, or train you? (2 Tim. 3:16-17) 2. PUTTING THE FLESH TO DEATH: What sin (wrong thinking or ungodly thought, belief, attitude, action, or inaction) is being addressed by the Scripture you wrote? Confess this in writing. Also include an example of where you saw the evidence of this sin in your life this week. Ask for the Lord’s forgiveness and receive His mercy and grace. (1 John 1:9-10) What do you now need to “put off” from your old self (Eph. 4:22; Col. 3:5-9) or adjust in your thinking, beliefs, attitude, or behavior to submit to God and apply His truth to your mind and heart? 3. BRINGING THE TRUTH TO LIFE: Walking forward in repentance and faith by God’s grace, what will you “put on” (Eph. 4:23- 24; Col. 3:10, 12, 14)? How are you going to do this? Be specific in your plan of action and be encouraged by what the Lord is going to do. Remember God’s love in the gospel, that you have died and Christ now lives in you. Walk in love. Take God’s Word to heart. Submit to it. Humbly live it out.

Preview This Study

Preview This Study

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING: Our audio/video resources are designed to be used in conjunction with the study workbooks for a full mentoring and discipleship experience. Due to this, most of our workbooks are password protected; passwords are located in the corresponding workbooks––If you do not have a workbook containing the passwords please contact us at http://info@thistlebend.org If you do not have a workbook and would like to purchase one today––select the tab "Purchase This Study Today" listed on the previous page. You can also view the information below or purchase the workbook, ebook, and other resources at http://www.thistlebend.org More information about FALLING IN LOVE AGAIN WITH YOUR LORD So many Christian women today long to know and love the Lord but don’t know how. In this discipleship study, women are taught from God’s word what it really means to love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. As they journey through David’s Psalm 63, women will experience the kind of thirst-quenching relationship the Lord desires to have with them. Many women from many different backgrounds and churches have experienced radical heart and life transformation through this study. Falling In Love Again With Your Lord is, in the words of Dr. Heath Lambert, “robustly biblical, incredibly practical, and urgently needed.” Focus Scripture: Psalm 63 Length: Nine weeks Intermediate Level (45-60 min. daily)

2022 Introduction

Laurie Aker

Purchase This Study Today

If you would prefer, you can purchase the workbook, ebook, and other resources at http://www.thistlebend.org or you can continue the purchasing process below As Christians, we too often ignore the symptoms of sin in our lives, and we don’t take the time, have the focus, or have the trust in the Lord that is needed to look inward to the root of our sin and deal with it. The Lord has called us to be holy as He is holy, so we want our hearts to reflect the holiness and righteousness of God Most High. But we have to be willing to do the hard work to see our sin from His perspective. In this intermediate-level discipleship study, women are led to begin asking the Lord to reveal to them what is deep and hidden within their hearts, so that they can confess and believe that they will be cleansed of sin and filled instead with the righteousness of Christ. The goal of this study is lasting heart transformation, not imparting more head knowledge.

Lesson One

Laurie Aker

LESSON ONE Discussion Questions (click more) Opening Prayer Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time you have provided for us to come together to hear from you and have fellowship in your Word and to learn and apply your Word to our hearts. We need you, Lord. We need your grace all the time. We praise you for your goodness and your love and mercy. Please open our hearts to you and to one another and lead our discussion. Help us not to fear, but to put all of our hope in Christ. Help us to remember there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. May you be glorified in all our thoughts and words and deeds. In Jesus’ name, Amen. I. LECTURE Will someone share how the Lord used the lecture to speak to your heart? Did anyone have any questions or concerns about the lecture? If you ever have a question or something is unclear, please let us know. We want to serve you in any way we can! II. PLEASE READ THE MAIN POINT FROM THIS WEEK’S HOMEWORK True love is so much more than a feeling, it is something beyond us and found only in the person of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. True love is impossible apart from Christ and His righteousness. Praise God that for every believer we have been crucified with Christ, we no longer live for ourselves, but live for Christ who loved us and laid down His life for us. We have been given the love of Christ, but we must learn to live in this love. The more fully we learn to live in Him, the more we will enjoy Him and His love, and the more we will glorify Him. Life is a battle. We must daily ask the Lord for His grace to help us follow Him, walk in His love, love Him, and extend His love. The goal of this study is to learn how to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love others as we would want to be loved. To learn how to keep our eyes fixed on Christ no matter what happens, no matter what someone says. To live and to love is Christ. III. QUESTIONS FROM THE HOMEWORK 1. Go through the homework, occasionally calling on women. Read scriptures aloud. After asking a question, remember to allow a brief period of quiet “wait-time” to give women a chance to think before answering. After pausing, if no one shares, go ahead with your answer, rephrase question, and/or move on. DAY ONE Devotion: The Love of Our Life 2. Would someone please share what spoke to your heart from Day One? DAY TWO 3. Quiet Moment - Read Matthew 5:1-12. Will someone share which Beatitude spoke most powerfully to your heart? How so? 4. Going Deeper Question #1 - Based on Matthew 5:13-16, what does the Lord say you are? What are the phrases He uses to describe you? What do Jesus’ warnings mean? DAY THREE 5. Quiet Moment - Read Matthew 5:17-20. What do you hear Jesus saying in regard to the law? How can we measure up to the standard? 6. Going Deeper Question #1 - Which scripture did the Lord use to teach you about righteousness and who you are in Christ? 7. Question #2 - Which of Jesus’ warnings from Matthew 23 did you take most to heart? Why? DAY FOUR 8. Quiet Moment - Read Ephesians 4:22-24. How can our love abound more and more? How do we express our love for Christ? What does Paul tell the Ephesians to do? 9. Going Deeper Question #2 - What would it look like in your life if you were to live out His righteousness every day? What would need to change in your thinking, in your heart, in your actions, and in your relationships? 10. Question #3 - What works do you long for the Lord to do through you, that all who see will marvel at Him? DAY FIVE 11. Quiet Moment – Where and when do you struggle feeling discouraged and overwhelmed by your sinfulness? 12. Going Deeper Question #1 - Where do you see hypocrisy in your own life: when you are alone, with your family, or in public? 13. Question #2 - Would someone be willing to be transparent and vulnerable and read their letter to the Lord from the end of Day Five? Your sharing might help someone else come to a better understanding of the wall they face in their life and in their relationship with the Lord. IV. PLEASE RECITE YOUR SCRIPTURE MEMORY VERSES TOGETHER V. TAKING THE TRUTH TO HEART TIME We will now focus on taking God’s truth to our hearts and bringing it to life. James 5:16a states; “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” And 1 Peter 2:24 says, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” Please turn to your Taking the Truth to Heart and Bringing It to Life page. We will each have 3 minutes so that every woman will have a chance to share. Please record one another’s confessions on the Taking the Truth to Heart Guide on the following page so you can pray for one another throughout the week. Leaders, please set the example by always going first. VI. PLEASE CLOSE IN PRAYER

Purchase this Study Today

So many Christian women today long to know and love the Lord but don’t know how. In this discipleship study, women are taught from God’s word what it really means to love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. As they journey through David’s Psalm 63, women will experience the kind of thirst-quenching relationship the Lord desires to have with them. Many women from many different backgrounds and churches have experienced radical heart and life transformation through this study. Falling In Love Again With Your Lord is, in the words of Dr. Heath Lambert, “robustly biblical, incredibly practical, and urgently needed.”

Supplementary Study Materials

MEMORY PASSAGE: Colossians 3:5-17 ESV Lesson 1: vv. 5-6 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. Lesson 2: vv. 7-8 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Lesson 3: vv. 9-10 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Lesson 4: v. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. Lesson 5: vv. 12-13 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Lesson 6: v. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. Lesson 7: v. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Lesson 8: v. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Lesson 9: v. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Lesson Two

Laurie Aker

Lesson Two Discussion Questions Opening Prayer Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time you have provided for us to come together to hear from you and have fellowship in your Word and to learn and apply your Word to our hearts. We need you, Lord. We need your grace all the time. We praise you for your goodness and your love and mercy. Please open our hearts to you and to one another and lead our discussion. Help us not to fear, but to put all of our hope in Christ. Help us to remember there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. May you be glorified in all our thoughts and words and deeds. In Jesus’ name, Amen. I. LECTURE Will someone share how the Lord used the lecture to speak to your heart? Did anyone have any questions or concerns about the lecture? If you ever have a question or something is unclear, please let us know. We want to serve you in any way we can! II. PLEASE READ THE MAIN POINT FROM THIS WEEK’S HOMEWORK Anger is universal. We can only push aside hurt and anger for so long. When we don’t take our hurts to the Lord, they turn to anger, and when unrighteous anger isn’t mortified, it reigns. In our weakness, we need Christ’s righteousness. It is not enough to know what is right. We must learn how to live it and live it in love through Christ in us. Many who proclaim they are Christians are not dealing with their anger biblically. They deny it or repress it and then lose it. We want to be able to walk in Christ’s love and His righteousness in all of our relationships, even in those difficult relationships with people who are slow to change. Because of His love for us and our love for Him, we want to choose, by His grace, to be Christ to them. We want to know the difference between walking in the sinful flesh and walking in the Spirit of Christ. As Christians, the terrain is challenging, but be encouraged! As you cling to your Lord and crucify your flesh, He will show you the way. III. QUESTIONS FROM THE HOMEWORK 1. Go through the homework, occasionally calling on women. Read scriptures aloud. After asking a question, remember to allow a brief period of quiet “wait-time” to give women a chance to think before answering. After pausing, if no one shares, go ahead with your answer, rephrase question, and/or move on. DAY ONE Devotion: Lord, Am I Angry? 2. Would someone please share what spoke to your heart from Day One? DAY TWO 3. Quiet Moment - Read Matthew 5:21-22. What causes anger to rise up within you? What heart changes might you need to make? 4. Going Deeper Question #1 - What do you think God wants you to learn from Cain’s actions and choices? What is He communicating through the recounting of Cain’s sin? In what areas do you behave like Cain? DAY THREE 5. Quiet Moment - Read Matthew 5:23-24. Describe a time when you reacted in anger toward someone – in your heart or with your lips. 6. Going Deeper Question #2 – How should we respond to others? 7. Question #3 – What typically upsets you or pushes your buttons? When is it most difficult for you to hold your tongue, manage your anger, or respond with grace and patience? DAY FOUR 8. Quiet Moment - When you are angry, describe what you do when you are responding in a godly manner? What do you do on a “bad” day, when you give in to your anger? 9. Going Deeper Question #3 - What are the specific actions you wrote down for both putting off the “old girl” and putting on the new self? DAY FIVE 10. Quiet Moment - What did Jesus do or not do when He was angry? What are some blessings that come as a result of responding to anger in biblical ways? 11. Going Deeper Question #2 – What patterns have you been able to identify in your responses or in the circumstances that tend to set you off and cause you to get very angry or very frustrated? IV. PLEASE RECITE YOUR SCRIPTURE MEMORY VERSES TOGETHER V. TAKING THE TRUTH TO HEART TIME We will now focus on taking God’s truth to our hearts and bringing it to life. James 5:16a states; “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” And 1 Peter 2:24 says, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” Please turn to your Taking the Truth to Heart and Bringing It to Life page. We will each have 3 minutes so that every woman will have a chance to share. Please record one another’s confessions on the Taking the Truth to Heart Guide on the following page so you can pray for one another throughout the week. Leaders, please set the example by always going first. VI. PLEASE CLOSE IN PRAYER

2022 Lesson One: Jesus My Immanuel

Laurie Aker

Lesson One: Discussion Guide for Group or Individual Use (click more) Jesus My Immanuel  Opening Prayer Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time you have provided for us to come together to hear from you and have fellowship in your Word and to learn and apply your Word to our hearts. We need you, Lord. We need your grace all the time. We praise you for your goodness and your love and mercy. Please open our hearts to you and to one another and lead our discussion. Help us not to fear, but to put all of our hope in Christ. Help us to remember there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. May you be glorified in all our thoughts and words and deeds. In Jesus’ name, Amen. I. LECTURE Will someone share how the Lord used the lecture to speak to your heart? Did anyone have any questions or concerns about the lecture? If you ever have a question or something is unclear, please let us know. We want to serve you in any way we can! II. PLEASE READ THE MAIN POINT FROM THIS WEEK’S HOMEWORK Ours is a predominantly me centered world, which is what hinders a real, tangible, intimate relationship with our Immanuel. We are all so full of ourselves, but we need to be filled with Him. We are never going to deeply know Jesus and experience our oneness with Him until we begin to grasp how much our old ways of living are not His way. It is only when we comprehend our need to leave our ways behind and seek Him and His kingdom that we will be able to fully know Him as our Immanuel. Yet we continue to look like the world around us, the culture we live in. Many have an outward appearance of godliness, but are completely missing the love and holiness of Christ. Only He can move the mountains in our hearts and minds. At our salvation the Lord created a new heart in us, and now He is reviving His Spirit within us. We need Jesus! He alone is our great reward! III. QUESTIONS FROM THE HOMEWORK Go through the homework, occasionally calling on women. Read scriptures aloud. After asking a question, remember to allow a brief period of quiet “wait-time” to give women a chance to think before answering. After pausing, if no one shares, go ahead with your answer, rephrase question, and/or move on. DAY ONE Devotion: Jesus, My Immanuel 1. Will someone please share what spoke to your heart from Day One? DAY TWO 2. Quiet Moment - Read Isaiah 1:2-4. What things of the world do you long for? Where or when do you doubt God’s ways? 3. Going Deeper Question #1 - From reading Isaiah chapter 1 and 1 Corinthians 10, do you hear God’s heart for His people? How does He feel about their wanderings and idolatry? What does He deeply desire? 4. Question #3 - What areas of idolatry, indulgence, testing of the Lord, or grumbling did the Lord reveal to you? Please remember there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ! DAY THREE 5. Quiet Moment – Will someone vulnerably read the heart cry you wrote to God after reading Psalm 42? 6. Going Deeper Question #1 - What does God do in response to Isaiah’s confession and repentance? What is Isaiah’s response? What is your response? 7. Question #2 – How do you describe your current heart attitude towards the Lord and His Word? DAY FOUR 8. Quiet Moment - Read Isaiah 10:33-34. What do you need to do to spur on your growth? What do you fear when you think of the Lord pruning you? 9. Going Deeper Question #1 - What did you learn about the Lord’s lovingkindness expressed through His warnings in Isaiah 30 and 31? 10. Question #2 – Will someone vulnerably share the prayer you wrote? DAY FIVE 11. Going Deeper Question #3 - What did you learn about Christ from the New Testament and Old Testament passages you read? IV. PLEASE RECITE YOUR SCRIPTURE MEMORY VERSES TOGETHER V. TAKING THE TRUTH TO HEART TIME We will now focus on taking God’s truth to our hearts and bringing it to life. James 5:16a states; “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” And 1 Peter 2:24 says, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” Please turn to your Taking the Truth to Heart and Bringing It to Life page. We will each have 3 minutes so that every woman will have a chance to share. Please record one another’s confessions on the Taking the Truth to Heart Guide on the following page so you can pray for one another throughout the week. Leaders, please set the example by going first. VI. PLEASE CLOSE IN PRAYER

1
2
3
4
5
11