Crown & SwordSpiritual Training for

Becoming A Royal Warrior

Christine Jaynes

Mission: Part I: Renounce the spirit of fear

Part II: Participate in the spirit of powerPart III: Embrace the royal title

Part IV: Engage in the battle

Digging Deeper 1James 1:22-25 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do

what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it

says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after

looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks

like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives

freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard,

but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

1. Prayerfully write out a commitment to yourself and God about completing this study. (Page 14 provides an optional worksheet to do this!)

2. Create a plan for follow-through. Write it out in order to be sure that you are not just looking at this curriculum that points you toward the Word, and then the next moment forgetting the truth you just received.

Digging Deeper 2Hebrews 12:1-312 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of

witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so

easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked

out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of

faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its

shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of

God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so

that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

1. What are some sins that you need to throw off in order to not be entangled on this leg of your race?

2. In what ways can you fix your eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith today?

3. Consider the joyous reward Jesus had set before Him, motivating Him to suffer the way He did. Record your thoughts.

4. What are things that you can think about that would give you joy and hope in persevering in whatever season you’re in right now?

5. How have you grown to be better through previous seasons of persevering?

Digging Deeper 3Hebrews 10:36-3936 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God,

you will receive what he has promised. 37 For,

“In just a little while,

    he who is coming will come

    and will not delay.”38 And,

“But my righteous one will live by faith.

    And I take no pleasure

    in the one who shrinks back.”39 But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed,

but to those who have faith and are saved.

1. How is it evident in your life that you need to persevere to do the will of God?

2. Why is it worth it to you to persevere in the will of God to receive what He has promised? Explain your answer.

3. List some of God’s promises to you.

4. Describe what a righteous person living by faith looks like.

5. Record some thoughts you have about being a person in whom God takes pleasure.

Digging Deeper 4Hebrews 11:66 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone

who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards

those who earnestly seek him.

1. The fact that you are working through this curriculum is evidence that you are earnestly seeking God. What are the expectations you have for yourself and for God at the time of completing the work of Crown & Sword?

2. Before proceeding, examine the practicality of your expectations regarding your time commitment and make any necessary adjustments.

3. How are you expressing your faith today? Rest assured that your God is pleased.

4. Identify a time when you didn’t follow through with a commitment that you should have, and compare it to a time that you did complete a commitment and felt victorious.

Part I

Balancing Clay

God did not give us a spirit of fear.

The Mission:

Renounce Fear By Embracing Truth

Ch.1 Equilibrium

“ Be stubborn about your goals, and flexible about your methods.”Unknown

Digging Deeper 51 Corinthians 9:24-27 24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one

gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone

who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get

a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last

forever.26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do

not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my

body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I

myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Psalm 37:77 Be still before the Lord

    and wait patiently for him;

do not fret when people succeed in their ways,

    when they carry out their wicked schemes.

1. When do you find yourself “running aimlessly”, without purpose?

2. Define “the prize” and why it’s worth beating your body to attain it.

3. Do you ever “strike a blow” to your body making it your “slave”? If you do, define your reason for doing so. What prize are you looking for when you take this action?

4. Identify a difference between someone “being still before the Lord, waiting patiently for Him” (Psalm 37:7) and someone “running aimlessly” or a “boxer beating the air.”

5. I have heard that waiting is an action word. Do you agree? Do you think it possible to “be still before the Lord” while “running in a way to get the prize”? How does one do such a thing?

Digging Deeper 6Numbers 32:2727 But your servants, every man who is armed for battle, will cross

over to fight before the Lord, just as our lord says.”

Psalm 46:9-109 He makes wars cease

    to the ends of the earth.

He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;

    he burns the shields[a] with fire.10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;

    I will be exalted among the nations,

    I will be exalted in the earth.”

1. Is there a place in your life where you have been given instruction and you need to follow through to “fight before the Lord”?

2. While Psalm 46 is likely referencing how God will make wars cease at the end of time, think about how He has already won the victory and that victorious peace can actually dwell in you now, because of Christ. Where in your world do you hear God speaking the words, “Be still, and know that I am God”?

Digging Deeper 71 Timothy 6:1212 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to

which you were called when you made your good confession in the

presence of many witnesses.

Exodus 14:14

14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”1. How can you “fight the good fight of faith” today?

2. What does it look like to “take hold” of the eternal life while living and functioning in this non-eternal body?

3. Where in the past have you seen the Lord fight for you?

4. Do you have a tendency to fight things in your flesh while forgetting to be still and allow the Lord to fight? Identify any habits that distract you from allowing the Lord to work out His deliverance, in His way.

Ch.2Be The Clay

“Have no fear of perfection- you’ll never reach it. “ Unknown

Digging Deeper 82 Corinthians 3:1717 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there

is freedom.

1. Do you know your personality type? If you do, do a refresher and read up on your personality again; if you don’t, take a test and learn about it. (Truity.com or 16 personalities.com have free tests!) This is important to help identify the unique ways in which you were made.

2. Do you ever finding yourself trying to be something you’re not? Write out and explain your answer. Is there any sense of freedom when you think of how God made you and that He had a purpose for making you that way?

Digging Deeper 9Galatians 5:1It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do

not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

1. Where in your life do you feel like the yoke of slavery may be threatening you?

2. How can you “stand firm” and avoid this burden of slavery?

3. Write a list of your strengths and weaknesses.

4. What weaknesses can you celebrate where the Lord is working and making you stronger?

5. How would you define “freedom” in your life?

Digging Deeper 10 James 2:12-1312 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that

gives freedom,13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to

anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

1. In your own words, define “the law that brings freedom.”

2. How does one act and speak in a way that recognizes that law?

3. Make a list of your likes and dislikes. (Reading, cooking, hiking, playing with kids, etc.) Recognize that these things are part of how God specifically made you.

4. At what times do you find that you don’t have mercy on yourself? How can mercy triumph judgment in your life?

5. How does giving yourself mercy while recognizing your personality, likes/dislikes, and strengths and weaknesses allow you to extend mercy to others?

Ch.3Pounding Clay

“The greatest fear that people live in is the fear of what other people think.”

David Icke

Digging Deeper 11Ephesians 2:8-108 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is

not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no

one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ

Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

1. How can this verse be translated to “you’re off the hook”?

2. How do other people's expectations of you, both explicitly communicated or implied, create insecurities and doubts?

3. How do your own expectations impact those doubts and insecurities?

Digging Deeper 12Isaiah 45:9-129 “Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker,

    those who are nothing but potsherds

    among the potsherds on the ground.

Does the clay say to the potter,

    ‘What are you making?’

Does your work say,

    ‘The potter has no hands’?10 Woe to the one who says to a father,

    ‘What have you begotten?’

or to a mother,

    ‘What have you brought to birth?’11 “This is what the Lord says—

    the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker:

Concerning things to come,

    do you question me about my children,

    or give me orders about the work of my hands?12 It is I who made the earth

    and created mankind on it.

My own hands stretched out the heavens;

    I marshaled their starry hosts.

1. What are some quarrels you may have picked with your Maker regarding His design of you?

2. Have you ever felt the need to quench a desire in your heart because you thought it was fleshly, when really it was a desire that God had intentionally put there? Is there any place in your heart that might need to experience the law of freedom now?

3. Do you ever find yourself thinking or saying things about others that may insult the One who made them? Define those times and repent of the moments when this has happened in the past, and be ready to repent of any other instances that might happen in the future.

Digging Deeper 131 Corinthians 12:4-314 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes

them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same

Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in

everyone it is the same God at work.7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the

common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message

of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the

same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of

healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another

prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another

speaking in different kinds of tongues,[ and to still another the

interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the

same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he

determines.12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its

many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all

baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or

Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to

drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not

belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the

body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not

belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the

body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of

hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of

smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every

one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part,

where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one

body.21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head

cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those

parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and

the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor.

And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special

modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment.

But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts

that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but

that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part

suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part

rejoices with it.27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of

it. 28 And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second

prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of

helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. 29 Are all

apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work

miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do

all interpret? 31 Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.

1. How does this passage inspire you to celebrate yourself?

2. When are there times that you are tempted to think that because you are weak in one area that you don’t belong in the body of Christ at all?

3. Anybody can relate to this, because everyone has a body and experiences the necessity of it working together. Everyone has also experienced discomfort when the body doesn’t all work together. Describe a time when part of your body wasn’t working right and how it affected the rest of your body.

4. Describe a time when someone in your life was hurting and how that affected you.

5. Describe the different ways that you’ve witnessed others gather around someone who was hurting, each person offering a different set of giftings.

Digging Deeper 14Galatians 5:13-1813 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use

your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly

in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command:

“Love your neighbor as yourself.”15 If you bite and devour each other,

watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of

the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the

Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each

other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are

led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

1. Compare verses 13 & 18. “You were called to be free… but do not indulge” versus “but if you are led by the Spirit you are not under law.” We are not under law, yet we mustn't indulge in laziness, gossip, crudeness, cruelty, lust, gluttony… the list is more extensive in verses 19-20. Are you using your freedom responsibly?

2. How can we not gratify the desires of the flesh?

Ch.4In Walks Iniquity

“You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you.”

Ezekiel 28:1

Digging Deeper 15Luke 10:18-2018 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

1. Imagine the scene of Jesus with his Father, witnessing Satan falling from heaven. Record any thoughts you have regarding verse 18.

2. Have you ever encountered satanic power? Have you ever caught a glimpse into the unseen spiritual realm and witnessed any of Satan’s havoc?

3. Prayerfully record your thoughts about having authority to overcome all the power of the enemy.

Digging Deeper 16Matthew 8:23-2723 Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed

him. 24 Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the

waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples

went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”26 He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got

up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely

calm.27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even

the winds and the waves obey him!”

1. In verse 26, Jesus uses the Greek word “deilos” for afraid. One of Strong’s Concordance definitions for that term is “faithless.” Where is there a place in your life right now where faith could cure your fear?

2. Where have you seen “wind and waves” obey Jesus in your own life or the lives of others? How does remembering those incidents strengthen your faith?

3. Find a Scripture that moves your spirit towards faith. Write it down, place it in a prominent spot, memorize it, and practice it. Use it, by speaking it out loud, whenever you sense the spirit of fear coming near. Write down any results.

Digging Deeper 171 John 4:1818 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because

fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made

perfect in love.

1. How would you define perfect love?

2. In what way would perfect love drive out fear?

3. How do we allow ourselves to be punished by fear?

4. This verse reveals just how crucial renouncing fear is for anyone who wants to be made perfect in love. Compose a prayer centered around 1 John 4:18.

Digging Deeper 18Genesis 21:8-208 The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned

Abraham held a great feast. 9 But Sarah saw that the son whom

Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, 10 and she

said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that

woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.”11 The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his

son. 12 But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy

and your slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it

is through Isaac that your offspring[a] will be reckoned. 13 I will make

the son of the slave into a nation also, because he is your offspring.”14 Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of

water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and

then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in

the Desert of Beersheba.15 When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of

the bushes. 16 Then she went off and sat down about a bowshot

away, for she thought, “I cannot watch the boy die.” And as she sat

there, she[b] began to sob.17 God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar

from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be

afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. 18 Lift the boy

up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”19 Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she

went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.

20 God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and

became an archer.

1. In verse 17, God tells Hagar not to be afraid. How does this story relate to defining the difference between facts and truth? Write out the facts of the circumstances surrounding Hagar and Ishmael. Then write out the truth concerning those circumstances.

2. Is there a circumstance in your life right now that has a tendency to provoke a feeling of fear in you? List the facts. Then list the truth.

Ch.5Ground Battles

“Focus on the air battle”Diane Gorsuch

Digging Deeper 19Ephesians 6:1212 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the

rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world

and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

1. “We do not battle against flesh and blood.” How does this Scripture clarify anything going on in your circumstances today?

2. Does thinking about the “heavenly realms” and the air battle blow your mind at all? How are the heavenly realms actually more real than the earthly realm?

3. Name a few instances when you’ve mistakenly struggled against flesh and blood, people, perceiving that they were the enemies?

Digging Deeper 20Ephesians 2:1-7As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which

you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the

ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those

who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one

time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and

thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But

because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us

alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by

grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and

seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order

that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his

grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

1. Examine verses 2 and 3 and record your thoughts about them.

2. What did God do in verse 6? So technically, in the heavenly realms, where are we?

3. If we actually believe verse 6, then how easy is it to gain a perspective of the air battle?

4. What sight then, if we are sitting where God says we are sitting, might provoke us to live a life of gratitude?

Digging Deeper 21Colossians 1:13-2313 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of[a] your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

1. Write down verses 13, 16, and 22. Underline “free from accusation” in verse 22.

2. Compose a prayer in response to these verses

Digging Deeper 22Daniel 10:7-147 I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; those who were with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves. 8 So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless.9 Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground.10 A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. 11 He said, “Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling.12 Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. 13 But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. 14 Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.”

1. In breaking down this small piece of Scripture, what can you gather about the spiritual realm?

2. The angel that spoke with Daniel referenced the “Prince of the Persian Kingdom,” “the king of Persia,” and “the prince of Greece.” This leads us to believe that Satan has an order and system in which he conducts his business. It seems that he has put a certain presence in power over certain territories. When you think about the specific and certain rulers, authorities, powers of darkness, and forces of evil that might be in charge of your specific location, what is your first reaction? What is the appropriate response?

3. Is there any way you could believe that an angel might be sent in response to your prayer as it was to Daniel? Why?

4. How does this Scripture impact your view of the air battle?

Ch.6Other Jars

“We rise by lifting others.”Hunting-loise

Digging Deeper 23Romans 12:3-83 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

1. Pinpoint any places in your heart where you have a hard time embracing other members of the church.

2. Verse 5 states that we belong to each other. What feelings and thoughts does this provoke in you?

3. Evaluate how you are contributing to the body with your gifts. How you are encouraging others to do the same?

Digging Deeper 24Romans 14

Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2 One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.5 One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written:

“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,‘every knee will bow before me;    every tongue will acknowledge God.’”12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. 14 I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. 15 If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no

longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.22 So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

1. This chapter is a lot to swallow. Take a moment to pray for someone who you feel has offended you. Ask God to help you become “unoffendable” and to empower you to both feel grace and extend grace to this person.

2. Record your thoughts on verse 15. Pray that God would make you aware of how your actions affect those around you.

3. Write out verse 19.

4. Create an action plan to apply this verse in at least two areas of your life.

Digging Deeper 25Jeremiah 29:1111 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.

1. Write out this verse.

2. Speak this verse out loud.

3. Speak this verse again, this time inserting the name of those people in your world who can be difficult.

4. After doing #3, have your feelings altered toward these people at all? Explain.