These studies guides are designed for you to print and study at your leisure.  Learning about the special truths of God's word as they apply specifically to the widow will be an encouragement to your heart.  Please feel free to share them with others and maybe they will be a tool for you to use in small groups as well.

   These two studies will help us to understand first, how to have a meaningful relationship with God and second, to know how God desires to be loved by us as taught in His Word.

   If you click on the topic you want from the index below it will take you directly to that section.

Widow for a Season Studies

Study on our Relationship with Christ

Our relationship with God is a study that builds on the ideas introduced in the Chapter 1 study guide concerning our identity in Christ.  As a review you should read the book of Ephesians and focus on the passages that emphasize our position and identity in Christ.  Note the references to spiritual elements -- especially our place in the heavenlies.

This study will introduce the idea of what it means to believe God vs. believing in Him and we will expound on that idea further in the Chapter 7 study guide entitled the same.

Consider the important difference between believing in God and believing God.  Is believing in God more or less important than believing God?

Read:

Genesis 3:1-6

Genesis 2:19-20

Genesis 9:2

Questions to consider:

Read:

Genesis 15:1-6

Hebrews 11:8-19

Numbers 13-14 -- use the King James Version 

   for this reading and focus on the following:

          Numbers 13:1-2

          Numbers 13:25-14:1

          Numbers 14:6-9

          Numbers 14:28-35

Hebrews 3:14-19 -- do you believe the Children of   

   Israel believed in God?

Hebrews 3:29 -- why were they not permitted to enter 

   into the promised land?

Questions to consider:

Study carefully Jeremiah 29:11-14a -- please use the  

       King James Version for this reading

Write out the steps of our encounter and interaction with God as He describes it to be.

How can you know what God is saying to you for sure?

How does waiting on God fit into this process?

WILL THIS CHANGE YOUR REGULAR ENCOUNTER WITH GOD?  HOW?

If we use this model, can our relationship with God be confined to a schedule?

In order to have a relationship with God,

NOW LET'S CONSIDER HOW GOD DESIRES TO BE LOVED BY US IN THE STUDY BELOW

Widow for a Season Studies

Study on Loving God

Read the following verses and write out the five ways that God says He wants us to love Him

Deuteronomy 6:4-5

Matthew 22:37

Mark 12:30

Luke 10:27

John 14:15

I have used the Strong's Concordance to look up the meaning for each of the five ways we are to love God and they are defined below (numbers are the references used by Strong's Concordance)

Heart (2588) and Soul (5590) are the only two ways used in every passage

Mind (1271) is only used in the New Testament passage

Strength (2479) is added in two New Testament passages

Might (3966) is only used in the Old Testament passage

Let's look closer at each way we are to love God:

Heart -- thoughts, reasonings, will, inner location [decision, choice]

Matthew 15:18-19 says that the actions and words of man are evidence of what is in the heart.

James 1:14-15 reveals how those actions are decided by the will

John 14:15 says if you love me you will keep my commandments -- decision of the will; this how we love Christ with all of our heart

Soul -- immaterial part of man held in common with animals

Ecclesiastes 3:19 says that man and beast are in common that both die, and both have breath; verse 20 says they both go to the same place -- to the dust 

Genesis 2:7 says that God breathed the breath of life into man at creation and he became a "living soul"

Matthew 10:28 suggests the soul lives beyond physical death.

Mind -- understanding, intellectual faculty, [knowledge]

Strength -- from kata (2596) meaning against; to prevail against

Matthew 4:10 -- Jesus says "Thou shalt worship [out of love] the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve."   It was the powerful Word of God that prevailed against Satan in the temptation of Jesus (See also Ephesians 6:17 and Hebrews 4:12)

-- This word strength suggests physical strength and health

2 Timothy 1:7 says that God did not give us a spirit of fear but power, love, and a sound mind."

Might -- speedily, quickly, [immediately, without question]

NOW TAKE WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED AND GIVE FEET TO THESE VERSES.  WRITE DOWN WHAT SPECIFIC ACTION  IS DESIRED BY GOD AS YOU LOVE HIM WITH ALL OF YOUR HEART, SOUL, MIND, STRENGTH, AND MIGHT.