Hey guys! Today I wanted to talk a little bit about fear, and specifically, overcoming it! But before we jump into that, I wanted to mention how awesome the Bethany quiz was! It's always so much fun to see everybody, and to get some good competition in. Also, you may have seen on my Instagram account a few weeks ago (@TheBibleQuizzingJourney) that I posted a little poll to see what kind of extra YouTube video you'd like to see. You guys decided that you wanted to see a Q&A + My Testimony video, so I've been preparing that. I actually filmed it today, but because I like using natural lighting for the most part, and because the sun sets so early right now, the lighting by the end of the video wasn't very good. So because I always want to give you guys the best of content, I'll be re-filming and editing that video later this week, and will hopefully have it out with the TBQJ Vlog #12, which is coming out this Saturday :). So you can look forward to those two videos, at the end of this week! BUT ANYWAY let's go ahead and get into this topic! Most of us probably know the verse that says, "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7), but how can we practically fight and overcome fear in real, everyday life? Fear is all around us. It's in the world - the world is pretty much ruled by it, actually - and it seems to creep in on us around every corner. There always seems to be something to be afraid of, right? That's because fear is one of the most effective weapons of the enemy, and he loves using it to his advantage. When people are crippled by fear, they really can't do anything, and he swoops in and chains them up in bondage. Most of the problems we have, can be traced back to some kind of fear. Also, this is such an effective weapon for him, because it's the opposite of love, and therefore, the opposite of everything God is. 1 John 4 talks about how that God's love casts out, eliminates, fear, because when we know and trust in Him, there's nothing to be afraid of. But even when we're getting to know God, we can still be tricked into having fear sometimes, in different areas of our lives - and we might not even realize it! This is where a lot of stress and anxiety come from. From feeling fear of rejection or failure, or even just simple insecurity. Fear cripples. That's probably it's main result. It discourages you from making progress, and it keeps you from reaching your full potential. So obviously, this is something that is completely of the enemy, and something that is totally opposite of God and everything He embodies and stands for. He's literally called a lion, and He tells us to be as bold as lions ;). Because of this, it's easy to see how we can overcome fear through Christ - any kind of fear. But how does this stuff apply to quizzing? It's a huge part of quizzing! In order to jump on a question, and give an answer in front of other people, is more than enough reason to make some people stay away. Even more than that, there's the possibility that you'll get the answer wrong, in front of other people - and that's something that makes even more people stay away :P. But for those who can stand up, time after time, and give it their all, good things usually happen. Even if you're really good at studying, and you can answer generals at three syllables, and have memorized all the material backwards and forwards, you still have to jump. You still have to take the chance that you're going to totally blow it! But the good news is, that if you don't take that chance, you blow it anyways. You miss 100% of the shots you don't take, so you might as well go for it, right? Right! But the thing is, that some people have a harder time getting over this. So I'm going to share with you, the three ways that we can go about practically overcoming this fear, so that we can start quizzing and living more victoriously.. Three ways you can overcome fear:
This is obviously easy for me to say on the internet, but learning that your value doesn't come from other people's opinions, is something I've had to learn in real life, too - and it's made life a lot easier :P. Of course, I'm not all the way there yet, but I can tell you this: Start out with the little things. If you're having lunch with some friends, don't sweat about how you eat your sandwich - they don't care. If you're exercising with other people, don't try to keep up with them if you honestly can't; do your best, and push yourself to your own limits (and have fun with it!). Life isn't supposed to be a constant, fake performance for other people. Life is just you, figuring out how to do it the best you can, with Jesus by your side. Everyone else is in the same boat that you are. 2. Be bold (even if it's fake at first) This is where I started. I had an idea of who I wanted to be, and when the time came, I kind of just went for it. And sure, it was tempting to take that boldness and just carry on with it and make it into a fake performance, like we were just talking about, but it's better to do this: Be bold when the times comes, and life calls you to, but after that, take a step back, and remember how it felt to be bold. The situation itself might have gone well, or badly, but that feeling of satisfaction, after being bold, is what you want to remember. Be bold once, and then, the next time an opportunity arises, be bold again. Don't forget to be completely and totally you, though. Be you, don't change anything. Just add a little more boldness here and there, and you'll find yourself with an extra dash of satisfaction. 3. Learn how to be confident in who you are. This is of course, the very best way to become bold, and to overcome fear once and for all. I'm not saying that it's an over night change, but I am saying, that it will probably happen faster than you think. If you're part of the TBQJ Newsletter Tribe (which you totally should be ;)), then you'll know that in the Newsletter this past Sunday, we were talking a little bit about superheroes. We were talking about how that each of us, actually are superheroes on the inside, and a little bit about how we can actually become that on the outside. It was a pretty fun Newsletter :P. But the point was that each of us is a child of God, and because of that, we are, and are capable of, incredible things.We are smart, courageous, strong, mighty, whole, compassionate, etc.. So we have every reason to be confident in who we are, and who we have to become in the future. Pretty cool. If you're part of the Newsletter Family, which you totally should be :P, you'll know that in our last Newsletter we were talking a little bit about superheroes. We were talking about how that since we are each a child of God, He has filled us with every good thing in Christ - we are strong, we are smart, we are compassionate, we are capable, etc.. And it was just an overall fun Newsletter.
But the point is, that since we are all those things, we can be confident in who we are, and who we still have yet to become in the future. So we don't have to have fear of what other people think about us, or about what might happen in the future, or about our possible failures. We can trust in the fact, even when all else fails, that our God loves us with an ever-lasting love, that will never run out, or fail, or go away. Pretty awesome. So anyways guys, I hope that God was able to speak to you through this post, and that you were able to take something away from it :). I love you guys, and again, it was awesome to see some of you at the Bethany Invitational this past weekend. I'm looking forward to seeing you all again soon! Until this Saturday (or sooner), when I'm able to post a new YouTube video, or until next Monday for another blog post, I hope that you continue to experience more and more of God's love and grace. Keep quizzing and living victoriously my friends! Keep calm and quiz on (and out)! Your fellow quizzer, Mallory
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Hey y'all! Today I'm going to be sharing with you my top ten, results-focused studying hacks, that I've been using, and that help me use my study time effectively. But before that, how are you doing today? I want you to know how incredibly loved you are, and how fondly the Father thinks of you, and especially how much He cares for you and your well-being - in every aspect, and in every part of your life. He cares a whole lot! And real quickly, I wanted to tell you about this revelation I got the other day, when I was studying through the second chapter of 1 John... You can skip over this and go ahead and go to the next section, if you want to get to the hacks - but this is pretty cool ;) I was really kind of confused when I first started to read that chapter, because it sounds an awful like John is telling us to keep the Law, or at the very least, obey all of Christ's teachings (both of which, of course, are impossible for us to accomplish in the natural). Verses 3-6 say, "And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He that saith, 'I know Him', and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby do we know that we are in Him. He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked." (sorry for the -eth's, I use KJV :P) Kind of confusing, to the New Covenant believer, at face value, right? Right! But I wasn't taking into account the truth about reflection, and producing fruit. That might not make a lot of sense, but let me explain... In the Kingdom of God, there's this law about effortless change on the outside, when change happens on the inside. This is demonstrated in a few different places, but one of the ones I was looking at was Mark 4:26-28, which describes the effortless growth of a seed: "For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear." I've said this before, but any kind of plant that produces fruit doesn't have to try to produce fruit - it just kind of happens, and that's how it is. Of course, it has to be healthy, and being fed and watered, and looked after. But if those things are happening, it's just a matter of time before you can start seeing the results. That's the law of producing fruit. But what's the law about reflection? It's that, in the way that people think of, or perceive God, that's what they're going to involuntarily reflect. It doesn't matter if how they think of/percieve God is accurate or not. Christians under the bondage of the Law, who are trying to fulfill it in of themselves, will typically see God as demanding, condemnatory, hard to please, and even mean. And unfortunately, that's what they're going to eventually reflect (to some extent or another) - and they'll probably experience a lot of frustration, whether or not it's visible to other people. Basically, what these two laws mean, is that our relationships with God greatly effect how we act, and who we become. Pretty simple, right? So when we read these verses in that light, and in the light of the previous chapter (when it's talking about walking in the light with Jesus), it becomes more clear, and easy to understand. Through fellowship with our God - which we now have access to, because of Jesus cleansing us and making us pure and holy before Him - we begin to change from carnal, to who He originally intended us to be, which is pretty much like Him. But what even is that? It's full of love, for God, ourselves, and other people; full of truth about who He is, and who we are; compassionate; all of the other fruits of the spirit; etc.. Becoming like God comes from having a relationship with Him, and getting to really know Him. So you see, "keeping His commandments/word" really just means becoming like God, because we'll start to operate how He operates, as a reflection of seeing Him for who He really is. Under the Law, and the Old Covenant, we were really dirty, stinky, and unholy - we couldn't be in God's presence, because of how much holier He was. So we had to try to keep the Law, and offer sacrifices to clean ourselves up a little, in order to be saved and have the hope of eventual relationship and fellowship with God. We had to do things, try to be like God in our natural state, in order to have relationship with Him. However, under the New Covenant and Jesus' blood and sacrifice for us, we are completely holy - Jesus gave us His holiness. Now, being holy and clean, we can be with God and have relationship and fellowship with Him. And through that relationship, we can effortlessly become like Him. And it does a full loop, because becoming like Him will cause us to walk like He walks, which is what the people under the Law had to try to do, all in of themselves. We have gone, through Jesus, from "doing the right things in order to have relationship" to "having relationship and becoming someone who does the right things". That's pretty awesome!! But anyways, sorry that was so long... I get excited :P. But let's get into these cool study hacks now! 1. Learn the material as an overview, before learning the details, or memorizing it This is what makes memorizing the material so much easier for me, a lot of the time. I usually read the material more than anything else (especially at the beginning/middle of the season), because I want to get a good understanding of everything that's going on. I want to be able to see in my mind, all of the chapters laid out, and what's in each chapter. After I know it pretty well, I start learning the details (like lists, or the genealogy), and going full throttle in memorizing whatever I'm memorizing that year. It's a lot easier, because these things have been floating around in your head for a while already, and now you're just perfecting your knowledge! This is one of my very favorite hacks, for sure, because it saves me not only a lot of effort, but a lot of time, and it also is a great way to really solidify these things in your memory. 2. Block out your study time, and do other things between sessions This is a simple thing that a lot of quizzers do, but it's so beneficial, and it really enhances your over-all results. It's pretty much taking the studying that you plan to do, and then dividing it up into a couple of pieces, that you'll work on one at a time. These divisions could be in regard to study techniques (i.e. memorizing, reviewing, reading, etc.), or in regard to time. But however you decide to do it, the most important this is to remember to give your brain a good break between these blocks of studying. This is especially helpful when we're trying to cram in as much study as possible before a big or important quiz, because it's a way to get a lot done, but not overwhelm yourself (or your memory) with too much information, too quickly. Plus, it's a great way to be a good steward of your energy, because you're allowing time for intense work, and a good amount of time for necessary rest. 3. Pace, exercise, or move around while studying This is helpful, not only to get two things done at once, but also because it helps keep you focused. It might be just me, but when I really need to learn something, I have to get up and move around. Sometimes, but not always, sitting still can be like letting your body distracting your mind (to some extent). If you really want to learn something, one of the best ways to help your brain do that, is to give your body something to do while your brain works - i.e. exercise, pacing, or going on a walk with the audio in your ears. 4. If you're in a slump, and discouraged about studying, put on a smile and a playlist of your favorite songs while you do some simple, light studying (i.e. reading) Music is a great way to snap you out of slump, frustration, or a bad mood. Purposefully associating studying with some of your favorite songs, will kind of trick your brain into thinking about studying in a different way - in a better, happier, more fun way. Also, music can be really motivating and encouraging. Picking some really good songs can not only get you out of a slump, but also propel you into an awesome sprint of hard work, and accomplishing a lot of things! 5. Repetition over long periods of time As admittedly boring repetition can be, it's really the only way to move something from short-term to long-term memory. This hack has to do mostly with memorizing and review, but it can probably go with any kind of studying you apply it to, anyway. When you're reviewing what you learned (probably the most important part of learning it), it's important to regularly revisit what you committed to memory, or else you'll eventually lose it entirely (which is really frustrating, as I'm sure most of us know :P). When you're learning new material, just try and remember to review the material that's older, and that you may have had down cold in the first few months of the season. The most common occurrence of failing to apply repetition, was called "chapter one syndrome" by my team back in South Texas as a joke :P. It's when a quizzer knows the first chapter forwards, backwards, and upside down, so they study the new stuff, and leave the first chapter (or first few) un-studied for months on end, until they begin to forget it entirely. In the end, the quizzer will get a really easy question/bonus from chapter one, but will miss it entirely, and we'll say that they've come down with "chapter one syndrome". Don't do that! Remember to review. 6. Recall at the beginning of your study sessions, to stretch your memory muscles Honestly, this sucks almost as much as doing cardio before breakfast in the morning - but just like that, it is very effective. Typically, from what I've experienced and seen in other quizzers, a quizzer will start off by quoting what they've memorized by chapter, or by listening to or reading the material. Then, later, they'll follow up with doing flashcards or the reference tool on QuizMaster, to practice their recall. However, the recall practice is a lot easier when the material is already fresh on your mind from that same day - it's a lot harder when you haven't thought of the material in 24 hours or so. This stretches your recall/memory muscles, and will really benefit you (especially if you're doing memory or according to's) in a quiz. 7. Drawing/writing pieces of the material out (for visual people) Learning best from visual/audible aids, I benefit a lot from things like writing the genealogy out on a poster, or looking at a map of Paul's journey's (for Acts), or even writing out lists, verses, and references by hand. Being able to see what you need to learn, especially if it's pretty and color-coordinated (:P), is an awesome and fun way to get it stuck in your brain. 8. Listen to the dramatized audio of the material (for light-studying) This is an awesome way to learn the material when you're doing other things (like cleaning, in the car, or playing a video game), and it made up about half of my total studying my second year, when I made first in the quiz off at the regional qualifying tournament. Especially during the gospel/Acts years, the dramatized audio CD's are definitely worth getting. 9. Look up different versions of confusing verses/passages, to better understand them Especially in 1-2 Corinthians, but in other materials too, some parts can be really confusing, and even hurtful or offensive, if we jump to conclusions about the meanings of these verses too quickly (guilty!). But there are a lot of ways that we can go about easily understanding our quiz material, and looking them up in different versions is probably the quickest, simplest way possible. 10. Study in different place, when you study sections for the first time This is also for visual people, because when I study different sections for the first time, in different rooms/places, I remember the place matched with the section, and it's just another easy alleyway to remembering things in a quiz. Well that's it for today, fam - I hope you enjoyed this post, and got something out of it that will make your studying more fun and effective! Until next time my friends, keep quizzing and living victoriously, because you're not only blessed, not only favored, but abundantly blessed, and highly favored. Love you guys! Keep calm and quiz on (and out)! Your fellow quizzer, Mallory Hey guys! As of this last Friday, The Bible Quizzing Journey is officially THREE YEARS OLD!!! I'm always super excited to hit these big milestones in my blog-writing, and content creating, because it reminds me to take a step back for a moment, and appreciate where I've come from - and where I still have to go. Three years ago, on November 17th 2014, I had just finished the qualifying quiz to go to the St. Louis Top Ten Invitational. I had prepared really hard for this qualifying quiz, and I was over the moon about making the top ten! So what did I do? I decided to start to write a blog about this thing called quizzing, that I was so ecstatic about.... and the rest is history! :P Throughout the past three years of writing this blog, I've learned things about writing, encouraging, mentoring, formatting, computers, and content creating in general. But I've especially been able to encourage myself, to keep trying to give Bible Quizzing my best effort, and to keep learning how to improve. The first two years of writing this blog were good, don't get me wrong, but I'm especially thankful for this past year. A lot of change has taken place, not just in moving to Colorado, or in finding a totally new place in my quiz district and quiz team - but in myself, and in my relationship with God. I believe that all of this positive change has been a huge factor in me growing TBQJ. I've gone from posting every once in a while - sometimes not for a month or two at a time - to planning a post every week, filming and releasing a vlog every other week, and sending out a newsletter on the opposite weeks, and making a resource library. I owe all of this creativity to God, because He is the author of inspiration! I don't want to spend a lot more time on this section ('cause I know you're super bored by now :P), but I do want to make sure that you all know that I appreciate, so much, all of the awesome support and love you have responded with! Kind comments, either online or in person, really mean so much to me, and I love hearing that a piece of my writing has helped or inspired you. Thank you, my wonderful, wonderful friends! And with no further ado, let's get into the intro for today's post!! Today's post, even though it is partly a celebration for the third-year anniversary, is also the first post in a new series! It's a lot like the series I had last season, "Favorite Parts of Luke"... Today we are starting... Highlights of Corinthians! In this series, I'm going to be periodically sharing with you, three verses or passages that stood out the most to me (overall, or in the time since the last Highlights post). I won't be going through - like last season - just chapter by chapter, or taking a part of the material in each post. Rather, I'm going to simply take all of the material into thought, and choose three highlights I haven't mentioned before. So lets do it! Number One: 1 Corinthians 8:1-3 In these verses, Paul says, "We all possess knowledge, but knowledge puffs up while love builds up", and "whoever loves God is known by God". And I'm going to tell you what I really love about that first phrase, first. "Knowledge puffs up while love builds up". That sounds an awful lot like the saying, "they don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care" - and it's so true! The world today doesn't need a bunch (more) of condemnatory preachers, or self-righteous, even well-meaning, Christians yelling at them for them to repent of their sins. The world needs to know the love of God, and that there is redemption for them, and that there is forgiveness just waiting to be accepted by them, from their loving Heavenly Father. Knowledge about God and about His word won't profit the world anything, if we don't have love, because it's love that catches people's attention. If we start with accusations right off the bat, pressuring them to accept Christ as soon as possible - because He could come any second - then they'll get on the defensive immediately, and their hearts will be further hardened towards the truth. Instead, this verse and many others, tell us that we should just be Jesus to people. We aren't called to make converts, or to "win souls for Christ". No. We're called to love the unlovely. Amen? Number Two: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 I LOVE THIS PASSAGE SO MUCH!! To be real, I love pretty much every passage of scripture that paints such an awesome picture of how our God has called us to live. "Run in such a way as to win the prize". Oh that just gives me chills! God is not a God who calls people to follow Him, and then abandons them without another glance or word, or instruction - He's a God who tells us exactly how we can get the most out of this life; How we can live it to the absolute fullest! Our calling, while we're on this earth, is partly to become as much like Christ outwardly, as we are inwardly. Our Spirits, according to Ephesians 1, are completely sealed - that means that that 1/3 of you is 100% Holy Ghost. One third of you is one hundred percent the Spirit of God. That's insane. Because of that, and because God loves us so much as His beloved children, He has called us to not give in to what is easy, but to work towards what is hard, so that we may manifest the truest beauty of our best selves. That means letting God teach us about self-discipline (as it is the title of this passage :P). We go into "strict training", just like those competing in the games, so that we will be able to run in such a way as to win the prize. We train as soldiers of the Powerful, Loving, Living and Almighty God, because we don't want to walk through our lives aimlessly! Each and every one of us has been entrusted with an imperative role to play in this world, because there is a fight, right now, waged between good and evil. You are an important instrument of God, to bring evil to it's knees once and for all, and obliterate it from the universe and beyond. So you see, we have a responsibility to all of the people whose lives we are each going to transform through the love and power of our Father, to learn this self-discipline, and train - as hard as we can - to run our race, and win first place. I don't want to waste my life. I don't want to reach the end of my days here on earth, and not be able to say that I ran as hard as I could for my God who loves me so much, and who has given me life. Rather, as Paul says, I would like this to be our war cry: "I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air." I believe in you, God believes in you - what can stand in your way? Number Three: 1 Corinthians 13 (all of it, pretty much :P) This chapter, strategically placed between chapters 12 and 14, is absolutely incredible. Yeah yeah, people talk about this chapter a lot, and it's easy to just skim over it because of that, right? Throw all of that nonsense out. I would like you to, if you haven't already, look at this passage with a fresh pair of eyes. Don't look at it through the lens of it being a popular, "over-used" part of God's Word. Rather, try to look at it as if you had never heard of it, or heart it, before. Let God speak His own message, His own view point to you. I'm not saying that all of the "generic" things people say about this chapter is wrong, but it's been chewed up so much that we can't really seem to get a lot of nutrients out of it for ourselves when we're only eating from other people's revelations. God has a revelation specifically, and exclusively for you, because you're the only person who can understand it, and hear Him, like you do. Remember that. So, looking at this passage with a fresh, original pair of eyes, what do you see? I saw God's name replace the word "love", everywhere in the chapter, because my sister off-handedly mentioned it when she saw me studying it. We can do this because in 1 John, it literally says that God IS love. It's really cool when you read it through, replacing the word "love", with "God"! "God is patient, God is kind. He does not envy, He does not boats, He is not proud. He does not dishonor others, He is not self-seeking..." etc, etc... I've spent a fraction of the time that I would like to, just meditating and thinking over each of these statements. If you ever hear or experience something that claims to be God, but fails to meet ANY ONE of these requirements, you have the right to rebuke it and push it out of the way and out of your mind, because I promise you it's not God. God's Word is perfect, and if it says that God is love, then love is God, and nothing can ever change that, amen? (Don't forget to ask God what special, personal, specific revelation and understanding He would like to give you, His wonderfully made and loved child, from this chapter!) That's all for today, wonderful people!
If you'd like to find out a little bit more about me and this blog, you can head over to our (newly revamped) about me page, "Start Here", for more information and some fun pics! Also, I would like to remind you of our Newsletter, that goes out every other Sunday afternoon - for more info on that, you can head over to our Newsletter page :). Man, I love you guys so much, and God is absolutely enthralled with you - I hope you know just how much He loves you this week. Have a fantastic Thanksgiving week and weekend, and I'll see you on Saturday for the TBQJ Vlog, Episode 8, and back here again on Monday, for another post ;). Never forget... We, the Quiz-Journeyers, quiz and live victoriously! Keep calm and quiz on (and out)! Your fellow quizzer, Mallory Hey Quiz-Journeyers! I'm super sorry this post is a day late, I had a crazy day yesterday :P. But anyways, I've got some pretty cool content planned for you, so let's hop right in to the introduction! In this post, as you can see by the title, I'll be talking a little about having a "knack for bouncing back". And what I mean by that, is building and perfecting (through quizzing, mostly) the skill of bouncing back from set backs. Now, you may be thinking that I'm just going to repeat everything I said in my "Pulling Off a Killer Comeback" post back in September. Wrong! The difference between that post and this post, is that I was mostly talking about the benefits to "coming back", while in this post, I'll be sharing with you the Biblical view on it, and I hope it blesses you! (By the way, I also have a detailed, interactive, and entertaining workbook to walk you through the entire process; You can check that out right here, or through the link in the post I just mentioned!) So first off, why is bouncing back important? Why is it an imperative skill to learn? Bouncing back is a necessary thing to be able to do (and do well), because it's what separates mistakes from failure. You only really fail when you don't get back up. I've failed (and still fail) a lot - pretty much every other hour - so you can see why I've had to start learning this lesson for myself. I guess I've always had a problem with failure, just like most people... But the key to not letting failure discourage you, is remembering that it doesn't define who you are, who you will be, or what you will be able to accomplish in the future. It's separating your identity from your ability. You may think that what we do is the only way to know who someone is, but that's not how our Heavenly Father sees it at all. He doesn't change how He sees us, or how He acts towards us based on anything we do, or based on His obligation - He only acts out of love for His kids. Out of His love for us. Bouncing back is a very Biblical skill. Take Philippians 3:13-14 for example. Paul says to "forget what is behind," (what we've done in the past) "and strain towards what is ahead", so that we can keep focused on getting better and better every single day, and not waste any more time looking backwards. You can't move forward very well if you're all turned around like that. I've never met anyone who can run better backwards than forwards - if you try to do that, you'll trip and fall down a lot more. God knows this, so He tells us, "It's okay, My grace is sufficient for you! Don't worry about anything that you've done badly, or haven't done. Focus - set your thoughts and energy and passion - towards what I've set before you, right now, to accomplish. I haven't given you a spirit of fear, so don't fear failure. Rather, look to your marvelous future with an expectation, and imagination, of the good success that I have already promised you, and given you the ability to achieve." Thank you God, thank you Daddy, for blessing us with this! How is bouncing back a skill? And how can I learn it? Obviously (I hope :P), bouncing back is definitely a skill that has to be learned; we don't have this ability programed into us right when, or before, we're born. Bouncing back has a lot to do with diligence and persistence, because it takes guts - courage - to get back up right after you've fallen down to try again; to risk falling down again. Persistence is a highly valued trait by God, because it's only when we're persistent that we will achieve real (and sweet) success: "nothing worth while ever comes easy, and nothing that comes easy is ever worth while" (that's just a quote, not a verse :P). Let me ask you this: how did you learn how to read? Someone probably taught you, for starters. You began with easy things, right? And then as you got better at it, you advanced on to harder things. You went from reading little board books to novels. But you see, it never got easier - you just got better. And this is true with everything in the Kingdom. You get better at believing for things, at casting down thoughts that don't align with the guidelines in Philippians 4, at talking with the Lord, at speaking out what you're believing, and the list goes on, and on, and on. But the difficulty of the things themselves never changed; you did. It's the same with bouncing back from set backs. When you make a mistake, you have to learn how to catch yourself right there, not let yourself get discouraged, and choose to strain towards what is ahead - with an expectation of good success. It takes a little while to change your habits. Apparently, from what I've read, it takes 30 days to make a habit, and 90 days to make a lifestyle. 30-90 days to change your behavior for the rest of your life. That sounds like a pretty good deal to me. However, those 30-90 days are the hardest you'll ever have to work! Changing something about yourself isn't usually an easy thing to do. BUT, it's a lot easier when you have God right there by your side, holding your hand, helping you along, and giving you pep talks and incredible love EVERY STEP of the way. He wants you to live life to the absolute fullest. That means that He is going to mentor you, help you along, answer your questions, be insanely gracious and patient, and give you the strength you need (and even more)! Whenever I'm feeling discouraged, or feeling like I don't know how to "do life", God always reminds me of this verse: Psalms 16:11, "You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore." Do you want to learn how to make bouncing back from set backs a habit, and learn how to not get discouraged from any mistakes you may make? God is on board to help you with it, and He will not ever put a time limit on you, or run out of patience, or pressure you in any way. Because He's got you, you've got this. Don't forget: I have a totally free, fun, interactive, and entertaining (with stories of my personal experience in quizzing) workbook that will take you step by step through the process of bouncing back (or pulling off a killer comeback).
So go ahead and do yourself a favor and download yourself a copy ;D. Haha I'm just kidding. But seriously, I think it'll really help you out if you're struggling with anything like this. BUT ANYWAY guys, I hope that you enjoyed this post, and that you will join me again on Sunday for our biweekly newsletter, and again next Monday, as we continue our wonderful quizzing journey together. Remember, Quiz-Journeyers, WE quiz, and we live, VICTORIOUSLY! Have an incredible week! I love you guys! Keep calm and quiz on (and out)! Your fellow quizzer, Mallory Hello! How are you guys doing? It's been a pretty cool season so far. We've got the Olathe Invitational this weekend, and then the St. Louis Top Ten tournament is coming up here in about a month. The 2017-2018, 1-2 Corinthians quiz season is moving fast - but we don't have to get nervous or discouraged if we're not where we would like to be. There is still a lot of time to figure out, and then implement how we're going to get there. Today, I'm just going to talk a little bit about the matter of understanding our quiz material this season. So here's how we can practically go about understanding what Paul writes...
He gave us the Holy Spirit as a comforter, and as a teacher - to explain the Word to us, as we're seeking God. We have to go into it (studying for quizzing and in general) with an attitude of "I'm going to understand this", and not, "I probably won't have any idea what this is talking about, but I'm just going to have to study it anyway". As awesome as 1-2 Corinthians is, and as much truth is in it, it won't profit us anything if we don't really know what it means - and a lot of it is confusing to begin with. PLUS, if we really understand the material, we will be able to challenge, rebut, appeal, and answer questions from that firm foundation.
I didn't realize that I needed to do this my first one or two years of Bible quizzing, and because of that, it didn't really do anything for me. But when I started to try and see it as the Bible (imagine that :P), it began adding to my motivation to study and do well in quizzing. There's this verse in Psalms, that says "the Lord is my strength and my song; He has given me victory". I don't know about you, but the Lord being "my strength and my song" makes me think of two things: 1) marching into battle with the singers up front, and totally demolishing the enemy, and 2) singing, and as you do, being filled with so much confidence, and inspiration, and passion, and love, and awe for God. Whoo. That's such an awesome verse. BUT ANYWAY The Word of God has a life that no other book in existence has ever had, or will will have. That life is what causes the change in our hearts (and thereby our lives) as we learn from it, and meditate in it. That life is the only way that we're going to start living the kind of life that God wants for us - a life full of joy, prosperity, love, and healthy friendships and relationships. Of course, how can I say all of this without John 1:1 and John 14:16, where Jesus is described as "The Word", and, "the Way, the Truth, and the Life". I would invite you to go back a reread the last paragraph with this in mind, before reading the next one, because I'm making an illustration. The Word, being Jesus, has a life that no other person in existence has ever, or will ever have. That Life, "THE Life" (Jesus), is what causes the change in our hearts and lives, as we learn from Him, and spend time with Him. That Life, Jesus, is the only WAY that we're going to start living the kind of life that God wants for us. Bible quizzing, as fun as it is, is an instrument of God in our lives that He wants to use to lead us deeper into His love - not just while we're kids, but in a way that will carry over into the rest of our lives. If you're struggling to find motivation to quiz, try looking at it as the Word instead of quiz material. Because God's Word is the most perfect, most EPIC source for long-lasting, and deeply-rooted motivation.
This is probably one of the TOP ways that I've been able to start to understand some of what is in 1-2 Corinthians this season. One of the hardest things for me so far, has been what (if taken just at face value) sounds like misogyny (dictionary definition: hatred, dislike, or mistrust of women, or prejudice against women). But I know my God - that's the important thing. I know that my loving Father and Friend would never oppress me, or cause me hurt, or force a way of life on me that is anything less than beautiful and happy. Why? Because I'm His baby, not His vessel. He loves me so much, His favorite shirt has a picture of my face on the front of it! :P Remembering who I've grown to know my God to be, reading these tough verses and passages is less crushing. On the contrary, I'm learning to not react with anger when I come across a verse like 1 Corinthians 11:7, but rather take a breath and smile, and know that God has PERFECT reasoning in what His Word says. We just can't take the Word at face value. We have to dig in and seek God's heart, before jumping to any conclusions, and causing ourselves unnecessary hurt that God never intended. In the next part of this series, I'm going to give you some practical steps to take to understand 1-2 Corinthians, when you come across a weird verse/passage. But until then, I love you guys so much, and our Father loves you so much too. He calls you blessed coming in and going out, He calls you the head and not the tail, He calls you highly favored in His sight. He has lifted up His countenance upon you - He has smiled on you - He is singing and dancing over you right now, and He has given you incredible, in-explainable peace. Because of that, you have the right, you have the capability, you have the blessings, to quiz and live victoriously. And through you grabbing on to that victory, God is going to explode through you with insane, blackout love for His people, and send tidal waves of change through the world. Have an awesome week, guys, and I will see you at Olathe on Saturday! Keep calm and quiz on (and out)! Your fellow quizzer, Mallory |
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Trending Posts:Author:Mallory is a graduated Teen Bible Quizzer originally from the Southern region, moved to the Northwest, coaching quizzing over the book of Matthew. Check out our
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