COUPLES RETREAT CHAPEL 6/7/26
“ONE ACCORD”
8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 9 Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers[a] all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.10 In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.
STAY ALERT- STAY ALIGNED
5 TRUTHS FOR STRONG RELATIONSHIPS
- ⚠️
- Not every issue is obvious
- Small patterns create big problems
✍️ Where have we become passive or unaware?
- 🤝
- The enemy is division—not your spouse
- Shift from “me vs. you” to “us vs. the problem”
💬 Say it together:
👉 “We’re on the same team.”
✍️ When do we lose sight of this?
- 🧠
- Reacting emotionally causes damage
- Responding wisely builds connection
📖 James 1:19 – Be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger
✍️ What triggers us most?
- 🧱
- Little issues can quietly destroy connection
- What you ignore today becomes conflict tomorrow
✍️ What small issue needs attention?
- 🔥
- Love is a daily decision
- Grace, forgiveness, and patience are intentional choices
📖 Colossians 3:14 – Love binds everything together in unity
✍️ What does choosing unity look like for us this week?
🛡️ PRACTICAL NEXT STEPS
✅ When tension rises: “We’re on the same team”
✅ Pause before reacting
✅ Protect time to connect (no distractions)
✅ Pray together (even briefly)
💡 Anchor Truth
“We don’t fight each other—we fight for each other.”
❤️ Couple Commitment
Say this together:
👉 “We will stay alert to what tries to divide us and stay aligned with each other.”
BALTIMORE RAVENS LEGENDS CHAPEL 5.17.26
GOD IS GOOD!!! (ALL THE TIME) ALL THE TIME!!! (GOD IS GOOD)
WELCOME
PRAYER TEXT
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
5 This is what the Lord says: “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord.
6 They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future.
They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land.
7 “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.
Jerimiah 17:5-8
Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Growth
14 When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father,15 the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
WHERE DO WE GROW FROM HERE?
The 12 Spiritual Disciplines: Essential Tools for Spiritual Growth
The spiritual disciplines are means by which individuals and communities can very literally “practice” their faith. They are tools by which Christians seek to know God, yield to the Holy Spirit’s sanctifying power, and surrender to the Divine Will in their lives. The disciplines can be instrumental tools as we seek to “tune” ourselves to God’s desires and see His kingdom as He sees it. These holy actions have been practiced by believers since the earliest times, and are firmly rooted in Christ’s commands and examples in the Gospels.
l. Introduction to the Disciplines
A) WHAT IS A “SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE”?
1. Spiritual Disciplines are not the desired end product of spiritual life – but rather they are a means to an end. They are… the intentional development of authentic Spiritual life and intimacy with God.
2. Quotes about the disciplines:
a. “God has given us the Disciplines of the spiritual life as a means of receiving His grace. The Disciplines
allow us to place ourselves before God so that He can transform us. … They are God’s means of grace.” Foster, Celebration of Disciplines, p. 6
b. “A discipline is something to which we submit in order to effect change. … God has given us the disciplines of grace as a means to help us grow in our love for him and our neighbors.”
Moore, DofG, p. 15-16
c. “The Spiritual Disciplines are those personal and corporate disciplines that promote spiritual growth.
They are the habits of devotion and experiential Christianity that have been practiced by the people of
God since biblical times.” Whitney, SDCL, p. 17
d. “A discipline is any activity within our power that we engage in to enable us to do what we cannot do by direct effort.” Willard, Spirit of Disciplines , p. 353
e. “… spiritual growth and vitality stem from what we actually do with our lives, from the habits we form, and from the character that results.” Willard, SofD, p. 20
f. Henri Nouwen Saw the disciplines as a means “to create space to meet with God that you
otherwise had not planned on.
g. M. Robert Mulholland “Things that intrude into our lives to align us with God’s purpose.”
h. Douglas Rumford “A means to develop soul memory for reflexive spiritual responsiveness.”
B) BASIC DEFINITION OF A SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE:
1. A deliberately self imposed habit that nurtures spiritual health and fosters spiritual growth leading to maturity.
2. Deliberately self imposed actions to alter existing life and thought patterns, thereby breaking the normal cycle of life and breaking the focus on the mundane to contemplate the sublime.
3. Repetitious actions driven by spiritual decisions rather than natural environmental reactions.
4. Spiritual exercises to develop “Sacred Rhythms” to engage in intentional spirituality in the pursuit of intimacy with God.
C) BASIC CONCEPTS BEHIND SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES:
1. These are called disciplines because they are not the natural intuitive thing to do. Physical disciplines include developmental exercises within the natural order of the physical body or mental aptitudes.
Spiritual disciplines are developmental exercises that open us into the spiritual realm of existence.
2. They are disciplines because I need to make a conscious choice to engage in them… they are not what I would otherwise do of my own accord.
3. There are times I don’t feel like doing what I know to be necessary for my spiritual health. Disciplines provide methodology and structure and order to carry me through the times I would otherwise ignore my spiritual health.
Author and pastor Richard Foster identifies 12 crucial spiritual disciplines. These are further organized into sections: inward, outward, and corporate practices.
Disciplines of Personal Development (Inward)
- – communicating with God (Matt. 6:9)
a. The need for prayer:
i. “THE NEWS ABOUT HIM WAS SPREADING AND LARGE CROWDS WERE GATHERING TO HEAR HIM AND TO BE
HEALED OF THEIR SICKNESSES. BUT JESUS HIMSELF WOULD OFTEN SLIP AWAY TO THE DESERTED PLACES AND
PRAY.” LK. 5:15-16
ii. “DEVOTE YOURSELVES TO PRAYER” COL. 4:2
vi. “To pray is to change. Prayer is the central avenue that God uses to transform us…. In
prayer we learn to think God’s thoughts after Him: to desire the things He desires, to
love the things He loves, to do the things He wills.” Richard Foster – Celebration of
Disciplines.
b. How would you define prayer as a spiritual discipline?
i. It is God’s chosen method of access into His presence, where we encounter Him
relationally and are comforted, directed, and strengthened.
- – focusing on God and His will (Phil. 4:8)
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
- – a reminder of the source of all nourishment (Luke 5:35)
The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.”
- – careful attention the reality that God reveals to us, especially through Holy Scripture (Luke 2:46)
After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.
Disciplines of Service to the Body of Christ (Outward)
- – seeking God’s Kingdom first (Matt. 6:33)
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
- – placing God’s will above one’s own (Luke 22:42)
saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”
- – withdrawing from the world to spend time with God (Matt. 14:23)
And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,
- – supportive action toward others (Mark 10:45)
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Disciplines of Service with the Body of Christ (Corporate)
- – acknowledging one’s sin with and to others in the community of fait (James 5:16)
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
- – giving and receiving direction from others along the journey with Jesus (Acts 15:8)
And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us,
- – taking joy is what God has done (1 Cor 5:8)
Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
- – giving God glory through attitudes and actions (1 Cor. 14:26)
What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.
The disciplines can help move our perspective from a naturalistic point of view to one that is more holy.
Examples of How Real Change Happens (Genesis 32:28 NLT
“Your name will no longer be Jacob . . . From now on you will be called Israel”
Once he confesses his manipulative behavior, God gives him a new identity.
God blessed Jacob because:
Jacob was ALONE with God (Genesis 32:24 All distractions had been removed
Jacob was HUNGRY for Godl (Genesis 32:26) He desperately wanted to receive what God had for him
Jacob was BROKEN by God (Genesis 32:25-28) He allowed God to break him and change him.
Jacob was HONEST with God (Genesis 32:27) He stopped pretending and let God work in his life.
HERE WE GROW AGAIN
G 2 Timothy 3: 16-17 Hebrews 4:12
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Hebrews 4:12
R Proverbs 27:17 Matthew 22:37-40
37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’[38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
O 1 Samuel 15:22 James 2:22
22 You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete.
W Psalm 100:4 John 4:23-24
24 For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”
Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. Ps100:4
T Romans 5:3-4 James 1:2-4
3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. Romans 5:3-4
H John 14:15-17 Luke 24:49
15 “If you love me, obey[my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate,[] who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you
Conclusion
These 12 spiritual disciplines help to combat the sinful nature and our naturalistic world view. They can bring the believer into a mental, emotional, and spiritual state of higher awareness of God, his nature, and his kingdom. These tools are one way for individuals and communities to begin to bring their focus back to the Holy One and seek his will.
The World Is A Puzzle
There was a man who had a little boy that he loved very much. Everyday after work the man would come home and play with the little boy. He would always spend all of his extra time playing with the little boy.
One night, while the man was at work, he realized that he had extra work to do for the evening, and that he wouldn’t be able to play with his little boy. But, he wanted to be able to give the boy something to keep him busy. So, looking around his office, he saw a magazine with a large map of the world on the cover. He got an idea. He removed the map, and then patiently tore it up into small pieces. Then he put all the pieces in his coat pocket.
When he got home, the little boy came running to him and was ready to play. The man explained that he had extra work to do and couldn’t play just now, but he led the little boy into the dining room, and taking out all the pieces of the map, he spread them on the table. He explained that it was a map of the world, and that by the time he could put it back together, his extra work would be finished, and they could both play. Surely this would keep the child busy for hours, he thought.
About half an hour later the boy came to the man and said, “Okay, it’s finished. Can we play now?”
The man was surprised, saying, “That’s impossible. Let’s go see.” And sure enough, there was the picture of the world, all put together, every piece in its place.
The man said, “That’s amazing! How did you do that?” The boy said, “It was simple. On the back of the page was a picture of a man. When I put the man together the whole world fell into place.”
-Author Unknown
When you think about suffering, what comes to mind? Do you envision bedraggled children with distended stomachs, a hospital patient hooked up to life-sustaining medical equipment, or a courageous veteran dealing with the aftermath of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Adversity seems to be a common denominator to human existence, but what does the Bible have to say about suffering?
Jesus spoke to His disciples about suffering. One of the most well-known verses reads, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24 ESV). The Greek word for cross in this verse is staurós. It refers to the crossbeam which the lowest criminals carried as they trudged toward their execution. The cross symbolized degradation and indescribable pain as well as sacrifice.
While the invitation to eternal life is free, it comes at a price–certain suffering.
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Christ commanded us to love one another even as . For us to know how to love each other we must understand the character of the rich deep love that Jesus Christ that Paul describes in Ephesians 3 as surpassing knowledge.
I. His love is unmerited
A. 1 John 4:10 “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the .”
B. Ephesians 2:4-7 “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
C. What escapes definition is that even when we reject Him, we disobey Him, we sin against Him, . We call it ‘’, unmerited love from God to His rebellious creation.
D. God’s unmerited love is given to us, people who don’t deserve His love to transform and change us into new creations.
E. We are such undeserving beneficiaries of God’s . He reached down to us in our absolute total depravity and lifted us to Himself pouring out His grace to us.
II. His love is unlimited
A. He, who loved us forgave us, doing so without limit.
1. Revelation 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
2. Luke 23:34 Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.’ And they divided His garments and cast lots.
B. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son…
III. His love is unselfish
A.
1. 1 Corinthians 13:5-6 Love “Does not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil; Rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth.”
2. Jesus is the perfect example of selflessness. Matthew 20:28 says, ‘Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.’
B.
• 2 Corinthians 8:9 “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”
• John 10:10 ‘The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it] more abundantly.