Eternal truth, healthy food for our souls, and trustworthy direction for how to live are all to be found in the Bible. You want your marriage to change, it’s here; you want your nation to change, it’s here. Economics, war, government, morals, joy, parenting, education, truth—it’s all in the Bible.
God will teach you, equip you, speak to you, and transform you as you engage with His Word on a regular basis.
Matthew 24:35 (NIV)
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
Matthew 4:4 (NIV)
Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
2 Timothy 3:16–17 (NIV)
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Psalm 119:105 (ESV)
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
James 1:22 (NIV)
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
Learn from the Bible (from teachers/preachers, discussion in Small Groups)
Listen to the Bible (online, audio Bibles, Bible apps)
Read the Bible on your own (personal devotions, reading plans)
Read the Bible with others (Small Groups, family)
Memorize verses from the Bible
Meditate on verses from the Bible
Obey what is written in the Bible
The quality of our relationships often depends on the quality of our communication. Communicating is a fundamental part of our everyday lives. We communicate with many different people for many different reasons. We make requests, exchange ideas, and listen to what others are saying. It’s very natural to us.
God wants communication with Him to also be natural to us. It is His desire that we develop a life-giving prayer life. At its core, prayer is communication and conversation with God. God wants us to cultivate our ability to communicate and converse with Him. He wants us to learn to hear what He is saying to us.
Growing in our prayer life will enhance the quality of our relationship with Him.
Mark 1:35 (NIV)
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
Jeremiah 33:3 (NIV)
Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.
John 10:27 (NIV)
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
Philippians 4:6 (ESV)
...Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving (“thank you” are the two greatest words of faith) let your requests be made known to God.
Matthew 6:9–13 (ESV)
Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
P—Praise God: Choose to focus on God, and establish right positioning. He is God; you are not.
R—Repent: Turn from or surrender anything the Lord brings to mind, especially any areas of unforgiveness.
A—Ask
Y—Yield: “Your will, not mine.”
E—Expect: Expect to hear from Him and for Him to move in your life.
R—Respond: When He prompts you, respond to Him; do what He tells you.
“Worship is our response, both personal and corporate, to God for Who He is, and what He has done, expressed in and by the things we say and the way we live.” Louie Giglio
“Devotion to Christ is where the human heart is most satisfied.” Michael Fletcher (Manna Church LeaderStep, Week 2)
Psalm 150:6 (ESV)
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Psalm 37:4 (ESV)
Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Romans 12:1 (ESV)
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Malachi 3:8 (NIV)
Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, “How have we robbed you?” In your tithes and offerings.
Acts 2:42–47 (NIV)
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Hebrews 10:24–25 (NIV)
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
1 Corinthians 15:33 (ESV)
Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”
It takes effort and ongoing fellowship to develop genuine accountability. Though sometimes challenging, developing accountability relationships has incredible benefits.
We need trusted friends who know us, love us, and help us deal well with our secrets, our weaknesses, and our life challenges.
Proverbs 27:17 (NIV)
As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
James 5:16 (ESV)
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
Ecclesiastes 4:9–12 (ESV)
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
All of us, at one time or another, have been significantly wounded, offended, inconvenienced, betrayed, abandoned, rejected, mistreated, and disappointed. The consequences of others’ hurtful behavior and words often have far-reaching and ongoing impacts on our lives. Nevertheless, as Christians, we are commanded to forgive.
Forgiving people for what they have done is often very difficult. Forgiveness involves turning over to God the person who hurt us and what they did (or didn’t do). It involves handing over to God the “cases” we have built against other people. It involves trusting God with our pain.
Learning to forgive is necessary for us to grow in our relationship with Jesus and to develop healthy relationships with other people. A healthy habit of forgiving people is perhaps the most difficult of healthy habits to cultivate. But, the freedom it produces is well worth it.
Someone once said, “When we refuse to forgive someone, it’s like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.”
“A refusal to forgive means that God stands back and lets you cope with your problems in your own strength.” R.T. Kendall (Total Forgiveness)
Ephesians 4:31–32 (ESV)
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Luke 6:37 (NIV)
Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
Matthew 18:21–22 (NIV 84)
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive someone who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”
Luke 6:28 (NIV)
...Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
It’s not always easy, but it is simple.
Ask God: “Who do I need to forgive?”
Ask God to give you strength to choose to forgive them for what they have done (or failed to do).
Then, choose to forgive and release them for what they have done. Just do it!
Be willing to tell your story. There will be times when the Holy Spirit prompts you to tell others about Jesus—to share your story. Your story is a unique, powerful expression of the love of God. There is someone in your sphere of influence who is looking for your story.
Mark 16:15 (ESV)
...Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.
1 Peter 3:15 (ESV)
...but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect…
Romans 10:13–15a (ESV)
For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent?
Acts 1:8 (ESV)
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
Sometimes, people need to hear the Message; but, sometimes, people need to see the Message. (Evangelism = telling, serving = showing.)
We are called to be visible expressions of the love and kindness of God. We are called to be a source of help for the needy.
We are also called to bring help in areas of social injustice. Our voices need to be heard where people are oppressed. And, our words need to be backed by practical deeds.
Connect with your Manna Church site leaders to learn how you can serve those in need.
Matthew 5:16 (NASB)
Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 25:35–36, 40 (NIV)
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me… Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.
Isaiah 1:17 (ESV)
...learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.
James 1:27 (NIV)
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
We are to love the world by reaching the lost and serving those in need. Naturally, when you think about loving the world, these two come to mind. But, if we want to accomplish these things well, it will often involve financial resources.
2 Corinthians 9:6–11 (NIV)
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.” Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
1 Timothy 6:10 (NIV)
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
Luke 6:38 (ESV)
...give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.
The tithe is returning to God what is already His.
Malachi 3:8,10 (NIV)
“Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ In tithes and offerings... Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.”
Giving offerings displays our generosity, as well as our commitment to advancing God’s Kingdom.
Crucial to our growth in the above disciplines is our relationship with the Holy Spirit! We are all encouraged to “be filled with the Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18 NIV). For believers, this simply means that we are to be continually and increasingly surrendered to and dependent on the Person and ministries of the Holy Spirit.
We can ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit any time. We can surrender to Him and His ministries any time, especially as we read our Bibles, develop our prayer lives, and cultivate a lifestyle of worship. Consider asking the Holy Spirit to fill you when you wake up each morning or in important circumstances. See what He will do!
John 14:26 (NIV)
But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
John 16:13–14 (NIV)
...When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.
Luke 11:13 (NIV)
If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!
For more on the Holy Spirit’s ministries:
Ephesians 6:18
Romans 8:26
Acts 1:8
Acts 2:1–4
Acts 2:38–39
Acts 4:31
Acts 8:14–17
Acts 19:1–7
1 Corinthians 12
1 Corinthians 14