Using the example of those in Hebrews 11, what do you need to do to make your faith more contagious?
This Bible study was prepared especially for the Fall 2021 Newsletter.
Once a week, I walk with a friend. We have two rules that we follow: we must walk at the same pace and we must walk in the same direction, or we won’t be walking together. The same two rules apply to walking with God. We must walk at His pace which is step-by-step obedience to His Word, and we must walk in His direction, which is the surrender of our will to His. Isn’t it time you took a walk with God?
*Restate the command God gave to Abraham in v.1. Give the three phrases that indicate
Abraham’s obedience to that command in vs.4-5.
*How old was Abraham when he followed through on his commitment to pursue God?
*How old were you when you began to walk with God? Do you think you are too old to begin a lifetime commitment? Too young? Too busy? Too poor?
*What do you learn from the following people who also walked with God: Genesis 5:21-24 with Hebrews 11:5; Genesis 6:9 with Hebrews 11:7; Luke 24:13-27?
*What special promise is given to those who walk with God in 1 John 1:7? Claim it for yourself as you walk with God.
This Bible study was prepared especially for the Summer 2021 Newsletter.
The purpose of our new book, JESUS FOLLOWERS, is to urge you to walk with God. Starting now, if you aren’t already. Now. While you have the opportunity.
I continue to be thankful for how Rachel-Ruth seeks to pass the Baton to her three girls and also diligently endeavors to pass it to other children and their parents, who need encouragement as they run their race of faith.
As you read Rachel-Ruth’s story from JESUS FOLLOWERS, I pray you will be prompted to seek opportunities to pass the Baton to those within your home, as well as to others in your wider circle of influence.
For His Glory,
When we’re walking in step with God, the Holy Spirit may give us a nudge, an intuition, a sense of foreboding, an urgency, a strong vision of a person or situation, a burden on our hearts, a nagging feeling, a check in our spirits. We have to be careful not to ignore these “red-flag warnings”. Instead, we need to take whatever it is to prayer immediately and allow God to show us how to take action, if that seems called for.
Even though I often feel insignificant and powerless, I know God uses my prayers. I have been leading my mom’s personal prayer team for the past ten years. She established a prayer team when she started her ministry, because she knew she couldn’t do all that God had called her to unless she was covered in prayer. We meet once a week for the singular purpose of praying through any prayer requests she may have personally or in her ministry. Each of the other seven ladies who meet with me are amazing prayer warriors, some of whom have been on my mom’s prayer team for over thirty years.
One fall morning in Raleigh, we were praying for my mom, who was teaching her yearly seminar at The Cove in Asheville. As we prayed through each of her requests, I kept getting a picture in my head of a bear! I felt an urgency to pray that no bears would harm Mom while she was staying at a cabin on The Cove property in the mountains, especially since she loves to go on walks. Honestly, I felt a little like I was being overly dramatic, but I knew it was the Lord putting bears on my heart. The Holy Spirit was giving me a serious red-flag warning, and I needed to respond to it by praying.
That afternoon Mom called and told me about something that had happened when she headed out for her afternoon walk. As she left the cabin, she realized she had forgotten her cell phone, so she returned to the cabin to get it. When she went back outside, she noticed a movement in the woods below the cabin porch. She quietly stood, staring at the movement, then realized it was a bear. Because my mom is adventurous, she at first thought how fun it was to see a bear out in the wild. Then, to her astonishment, she saw that the bear was heading straight for her! She immediately ran into the cabin and shut the door. The bear walked up on the cabin porch, where she had just been standing. She described him as looking deranged, like he was half-starved. He had bald patches on his back, he was thin, and he was growling. He jerked his head back and forth, sniffing the air. Then he looked into the cabin through the large window. He stood up on his back feet, growling. He actually walked around the cabin two more times; but in the end, praise the Lord, he walked away. Mom said that if she had not returned to get her cell phone, she would have begun her walk on the gravel road, and the bear would have caught her too far from the cabin for her to run to safety.
What would have happened if I hadn’t responded to that burden to pray against any potential threat from a bear? How faithful God was to give me those spiritual instincts—those red flags from the Holy Spirit—to know when and how to pray.
God continues to remind me to heed His prompts. At times I’ll skip a particular gas station and drive to another because something doesn’t feel right. Or I’ll be talking to someone and get an uneasy feeling, a warning in my spirit to be on guard with that person. Or I’ll be listening to a conference speaker, and an alarm bell goes off in my head, warning me that what the person is saying is not true to God’s Word.
Is God warning you about something? Could the Holy Spirit be giving you red-flag warnings to protect you and those around you? To get you to change direction or alter your schedule? Or to alert you how to pray?
In these last days of human history, now more than ever, I know I need to spend time in prayer and in God’s Word, developing a sensitivity to the Spirit’s warnings as I choose to heed the red flags. He is my Defender. My Protector. My Good Shepherd will lead me in the right paths if I follow Him. My walk of faith is much safer when I do.
For His Glory,
Rachel-Ruth L. Wright
This is a picture I took of the actual bear Rachel-Ruth speaks about in her story of Red Flag Warnings. I’m so thankful for a daughter that heeds His warnings! Only Heaven will reveal all the unknown dangers God has protected us from throughout the years in answer to prayer.
Message taken from Anne and Rachel-Ruth’s new book, Jesus Followers. Releases October 2021.
Once a week, I walk with a friend. We have two rules that we follow: we must walk at the same pace and we must walk in the same direction, or we won’t be walking together. The same two rules apply to walking with God. We must walk at His pace which is step-by-step obedience to His Word, and we must walk in His direction, which is the surrender of our will to His. Isn’t it time you took a walk with God?
*Restate the command God gave to Abraham in v.1. Give the three phrases that indicate Abraham’s obedience to that command in vs.4-5.
*How old was Abraham when he followed through on his commitment to pursue God?
What a joy to share Mother’s Day with my family…and with you! To help celebrate, I pulled in Rachel-Ruth and her youngest daughter, Riggin, for a video blog. Each of us spontaneously shared life-lessons we took from our mothers. The thread through the generations was the example of authentic faith in God’s Word.
Every May, Naismith Hall of Fame Basketball Coach Sylvia Hatchell invites Rachel-Ruth’s Bible study, plus friends, neighbors and family from far and wide to come for a picnic at her beautiful home. Hundreds of men and women gather for inspirational music and barbecue. Then as the sun sets and the geese fly overhead, Rachel-Ruth and I have the privilege of sharing God’s Word.
Dr. Ed Young graciously invited me to give the message at all three of his Mother’s Day services at 2nd Baptist Church in Houston, TX. I was warmly received by all. Dozens of people responded to the invitation to surrender their lives to Jesus.
What a privilege I was given to address the United in Purpose attendees on the opening night of their conference–in ATT Stadium where the Dallas Cowboys play! Coach Tom Landry said the difference between good athletes and great athletes is about 18 inches– the distance from the head to the heart. I made the same comparison using Isaiah as an example of someone who made the transition from his head to his heart when he experienced personal revival as a result of deep repentance of sin. Then I invited the attendees to draw a circle around themselves, and make sure everything in the circle was right with God.
Steve Dick, the president and CEO of Inspiration Tours, is my dear friend who has organized three of my trips to Israel and is now supervising the plans for my Mother’s Day Tour in May 2022. He also hosted the Fresno/Clovis, CA, Prayer Breakfast which was held in the Grizzlies Baseball stadium, and invited me to speak to those gathered. It was a fully blessed time of ministry that included a visit to his office.
After not traveling for fourteen months due to COVID restrictions, my first time on the road was to Austin, TX, to speak to the Governor’s Prayer Breakfast. I was richly blessed by Governor Abbott who went out of his way to affirm me personally, then gave a powerful testimony of his faith in God and the importance of prayer in his life.
The daughter and granddaughter of Billy Graham offer a warm and inspiring glimpse into their family life, sharing stories that reveal spiritual wisdom and practical insight for raising the next generation of Jesus Followers.
In order to instill truth that leads to genuine faith, parents and grandparents must be intentional. Using the metaphor of a relay race, Anne Graham Lotz and her daughter, Rachel-Ruth Lotz Wright, demonstrate how the baton of faith is passed from generation to generation through our witness, our worship, our walk, and our work. Within the framework of Anne’s exploration of biblical characters from Genesis 5, Rachel-Ruth tells family stories that will encourage, inspire, and motivate Christians to follow hard after Jesus and to develop their children and grandchildren into Jesus Followers.
While some stories are funny, some heart-wrenching, others awe-inspiring, each “snapshot” conveys a spiritual truth along with an application that will help you continue, or begin, building a legacy of authentic faith.
When you preorder Jesus Followers,
you will also receive:
Join Rachel-Ruth for Bible Study in SeptemberAnne’s daughter, Rachel-Ruth Lotz Wright, is leading an online women’s Bible study. You can join her live or review the recorded study on our website (click here to visit). Here is a personal note from Rachel-Ruth:
If there was ever a time to be in God’s Word it is now!! I am so excited to have Bible study starting back up! We are going to study the second half of Genesis this year. I love the Old Testament, and I felt like the Lord led me to go back to the beginning . . . where it all started.
I’m looking forward to all that God wants to teach us. I think we all need it and are hungry to hear from Him. Since we will be online, let’s pray God gives wings to this Bible study to reach people all over the country and the world!
I can’t wait to go back to Israel and share this blessing with you! I have chosen May 3-13, 2022, as the dates for the tour because they include Mother’s Day. How special it will be to enjoy this Mother’s Day Tour: For Women Only, as we also celebrate this meaningful time of the year. Together.
Many of you have come to know my daughter, Rachel-Ruth Lotz Wright, through her weekly online Bible study. I have invited her to share the teaching responsibilities with me so that at each significant site you will be richly fed.
I promise this is a blessing you won’t want to miss! Please invite your friends, your daughters, your granddaughters, your mothers, your grandmothers, your aunts, and your sisters to participate in what I know will be a life-enriching and faith-strengthening experience.
If you would like to receive AnGeL Ministries’ full newsletter by email or postal delivery, click here to sign up for our free resources!
We at AnGeL Ministries are praising God for the impact of our online Bible study, Jesus in Me, which was offered in partnership with FaithGateway. Over 150,000 people participated! The brief testimonies that follow are evidence that God’s Word brings light to our understanding and joy to our hearts…
• I am amazed how great Anne’s Bible Study method opens up the Word of God for me. I am seeing things that I’ve never seen before. This has forever changed my Bible studying (KD)
• WOW & WOW!!! It gets wower each day and session!!! I am loving this Bible Study, and I am learning much wisdom. I always tried to read the Bible in a day…too much pressure & didn’t really capture revelation to the extent needed. I really enjoy and find much more significance in breaking it down, a few verses each day, so I can meditate, as we are being shown & taught here. This is much more effective for me.…Taking it slowly but surely & loving it; I am so grateful!!! I want to prepare myself, so when I meet Jesus on THAT DAY/face-to-face, I will be prepared!!! THANK YOU!!! (JS)
• This study has helped me become not only more dedicated to study, but to understand how the Holy Spirit whispers to my spirit what He would have me to hear and learn in that scripture I’m reading. I’m sensing a more powerful application and conviction of God’s word by taking time to listen, work through, and apply every scripture I read…(DD)
• I grew up in a church with much the same emphasis as Anne in regard to the Holy Spirit. He was viewed more as a 3rd person. Not as important as God and Jesus. I never heard a lot of in-depth teaching on the Holy Spirit. I’m 77 and have been a follower of Christ most of those years. I’ve spent my life in missions, but this study is opening my eyes as never before to the invisible Jesus who lives in my life and I’m excited for all that is yet to come. Wow! It can’t get better than that! (CP)
• My life is completely different knowing the Holy Spirit is a living person inside me. (CC)
• I’ve felt a little lost the last few years and need to be obedient and return to reading my Bible. At the close of the Bible study, the tears were flowing and I heard the small whisper of the Holy Spirit saying “I AM HERE”. (BG)
• I woke up discouraged and feeling very hopeless…I’m reminded that Jesus is there to help me, living inside me…Alive! There’s Hope because we serve an Almighty God Who loves us so tenderly. (N)
• I had a stroke two days ago and needless to say it scared me silly. My writing was completely impaired. Tonight as I am trying to pick up this study, I am reading John 14:25-27. When I could not read my own writing, I was reminded that the Holy Spirit knows and understands all that scribbling…. I’ve got the Holy Spirit by my side even when I’m sick. (B)
• I am thrilled…to hear the “whispers of the Holy Spirit.” I have been doing Bible studies for years, but this is really a blessing as an approach for studying. I especially like the questioning step. It is like adding Miracle Grow. The more I freely question, the deeper it goes. I think not restricting or limiting the questioning really makes a difference for me. (VH)
• I am so excited to know more in this study of God’s Holy Spirit and how I can truly hear him speak to me. I believe Jesus had Anne write this book for the brokenhearted women out there who need God’s holy, precious Word to speak to us. (RS)
• I love having the comfort and peace of knowing that the Holy Spirit is living in me, loves me, and guides me even when my focus may become blurred. He is always there to bring clarity! (JH)
• I realize that I have to unlearn what I did before. The discovery of reading, praying, and asking God is the way He is quieting my heart and mind as I enter His presence. No additional resources are needed: only God, His Word and me with my pen and notebook.(JD)
• I’m understanding more from the verses I read than I ever have before. Who knew I was starved and unaware of the food that was waiting for me. (C)
• Since this Bible Study started, I have noticed that my prayer life has improved a lot. I realize now that the Holy Spirit is working inside me to direct my prayers. I must admit my prayer life used to be in shambles, as I kept repeating myself and Satan did his best to discourage me from praying. Now, with the Holy Spirit guiding me, my prayer life is much better, and I can truly thank God for the gift of the Holy Spirit. (PM)
These are only a few of the testimonies we have received at AnGeL Ministries. I find them truly thrilling and very encouraging! If each person who participated in this study online turns around and offers it to others, or facilitates a Jesus in Me study group in church or at home, would God the Holy Spirit use it to spark revival in the hearts of His people? Please, Father God, let it be so.
For Your Glory. Amen.
If you were unable to participate in the online study offered by FaithGateway, it is still available through AnGeL Ministries by clicking here.
Steve Noble, a long-time friend of both my husband and myself, hosts a daily radio show, Called2Action, that has a broad outreach. While talking with him on air, he also set up his camera for a live Facebook event. He is energetic, a little edgy, and I always enjoy our discussions.
Dr. Brent Crowe is VP of Student Leadership University, Orlando, FL. He is partnering with Lifeway to produce a video Bible Study that will include interviews with influential evangelical leaders he believes will impact the next generation. My daughter, Rachel-Ruth, and I were both privileged to be invited to participate in a video interview.
MCI, a church based in Bogota, Colombia, invited me to give two messages to their annual convention that draws over 100,000 people and is broadcast in five languages. I recorded the first message, which underscored the Gospel, from my office studio. The staff was able to put me in front of a stained glass backdrop. The second message, which was a call for God’s people to repent of sin, was given from my home in a more personal setting. Both messages concluded with a prayer for those who wanted to either commit, or recommit, their lives to Jesus.
Give phrases from the following verses for each of the statements below:
119:9-11; 119:105; 119:72; 119:11; 119:24; 119:9; 119:28; 119:47; 119:88; 119:103; 119:111; 119:127; 119:130; 119:143; 119:159; 119:162; 119:165
THE JOY OF MY HEART
THE TREASURE THAT I SEEK
The video and study guide are sold separately.
In Jesus in Me, Anne draws on her rich biblical knowledge as well as her personal story—including her recent cancer journey—to help us understand that the Holy Spirit is not a
magic genie, a flame of fire, or a vague feeling. He is a Person who prays for us, guides us in our relationships and decisions, comforts us in pain, and stays by our side at all times. In this simple, yet profound teaching, she explores seven key aspects of the Holy Spirit that will revolutionize how you understand and relate to this vital third Person of the Trinity.
Like all of us, Anne has lived through a very challenging year. As she sought the Lord, His Spirit seemed to whisper to her from John 17. As a result, she developed three powerful messages based on what the Spirit seemed to be saying to her: Jesus Is Praying for You. She shared the messages in November at her annual seminar at The Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove, and AnGeL Ministries is offering them now for the first time. Added to this album is a fourth message given at that same seminar by Anne’s daughter, Rachel-Ruth Lotz Wright. Based on Esther, this message addresses the fear that is present in the world. We believe all four messages are very timely and will be a blessing to you.
If you would like to receive AnGeL Ministries’ full newsletter by email or postal delivery, click here to sign up for our free resources!
Give phrases from the following verses for each of the statements below:
119:9-11; 119:105; 119:72; 119:11; 119:24; 119:9; 119:28; 119:47; 119:88; 119:103; 119:111; 119:127; 119:130; 119:143; 119:159; 119:162; 119:165
THE JOY OF MY HEART
THE TREASURE THAT I SEEK
THE LIGHT TO MY EYES
THE KEEPER OF MY WAYS
THE STRENGTH OF MY LIFE
GOD’S WORD IS__________________(put into your own words what God’s Word is to you)
What blessing would you miss if you didn’t read your Bible every day?
This Bible study was prepared especially for the Spring 2021 Newsletter.
