Devotional Workbook

Extraordinary Devotional Workbook

Copyright © 2009 by Messenger International

Published by: Messenger International, P.O. Box 888, Palmer Lake, CO 80133-0888

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brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations that are unmarked (or marked NKJV) are taken from the

NEW KING JAMES VERSION.

Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the AMPLIFIED® Bible.

Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

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Scripture quotations marked CEV are taken from the CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH VERSION®.

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from The Holy Bible, KING JAMES VERSION.

Copyright © 1970 by Thomas Nelson Inc.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®.

Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan

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International Bible Society.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, NEW LIVING TRANSLATION.

Copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189.

All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked The Message are taken from THE MESSAGE.

Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing

Group.

Scripture quotations marked TEV are from TODAY’S ENGLISH VERSION.

Copyright © by American Bible Society, 1966, 1971, 1976, 1992.

Scripture quotations marked TLB are taken from THE LIVING BIBLE.

Copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187. All rights reserved.

Unless otherwise noted, italics and bold treatment used in Scripture, Voice of the Ages, and Fascinating

Facts indicate the author’s added emphasis.

WRITTEN AND EDITED BY: Vincent M. Newfi eld

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www.preparethewaytoday.org

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Designer: Heather Huether

Quick Overview and Suggestions for Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IV

Chapter 1: God’s Pleased with Extraordinary . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Chapter 2: Revealed as We Are . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Chapter 3: You Can Do It! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Chapter 4: Newness of Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Chapter 5: Holiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Chapter 6: The Kingdom Within . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Chapter 7: The Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Chapter 8: Beyond Comprehension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Chapter 9: True Faith Is Relentless . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Chapter 10: What Are You Listening To? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Chapter 11: The Flesh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

Chapter 12: God’s Imperial Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

Table of Contents

IV

Helpful Tips to Make the Most

of Your Extraordinary Journey

Welcome to the Extraordinary Devotional Workbook! We’re excited and honored

you have chosen this curriculum. The in-depth study you hold in your hands,

along with John’s dynamic book and video and audio teachings, pack the

potential to revolutionize your life!

Much prayer and research have been invested in creating this interactive study.

It contains 12 chapters that directly relate to the 12 teaching sessions. Each

chapter is crafted from one or more chapters in the Extraordinary book and

consists of a series of revealing questions and an inspiring devotional, along

with a place to “Journal Your Journey” of growth each week.

YOU’LL ALSO BE EQUIPPED THROUGH FEATURES LIKE…

• Heaven’s Appeal – life-transforming words from Scripture. We encour-

age you to take time to meditate on the message of these passages that

contain the power to transform your life.

• Voice of the Ages – timeless truths from heroes of the faith. Be open

to receive direction and wisdom from these pioneers who have blazed

the trail before you.

• John’s Quotes – Power statements from the book and teaching series

that emphasize and reinforce the core theme of each chapter.

• The Bottom Line – a concentrated overview of the entire lesson,

encapsulating the highlights and insights you’ll want to remember.

Along the way, you’ll also discover several fascinating facts, important defi ni-

tions, and a special section of scripture references for further study. Everything

has been prayerfully selected to help you apply these principles, teaching you

how to unveil your hero!

Be sure to write down any personal thoughts, feelings, ideas or insights the Holy

Spirit reveals to you in the journal and notes sections at the conclusion of each

chapter. The scriptures and principles that come alive and explode on the inside

of you are divine treasures to cherish. This will help you grow spiritually and is

well worth investing the time to jot down for future review.

V

We also suggest you…

• BEGIN AND END WITH PRAYER. With each session, invite the Holy

Spirit to teach you and guide you into all truth (see John 16:13). As you

complete the chapter, ask Him to permanently seal in your heart what

you have learned.

• READ THE RELATED CHAPTERS in the Extraordinary book, watch or

listen to the teaching, and then complete the session in the devotional

workbook.

• PACE YOURSELF to complete each chapter during the week or allot-

ted time. You may do it as part of your daily routine or work on it two or

three nights a week. Remember, there is no right or wrong way to do it;

this is your personal study with the Lord.

• BE CONSISTENT & COMMITTED. Whatever time and place you choose

to do your study, stick to it. If you fall behind, don’t quit. Press on to the

end. God will faithfully bless your every effort.

• BE HONEST with yourself and God as you answer each question.

Knowing the truth of God’s Word and the truth about yourself will bring

freedom to your life that can be found no other way.

Remember…

…The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you—and more [besides] will be given to you who hear.

—Mark 4:24 AMP

So give yourself wholeheartedly to this 12-week course. Be open to what your

heavenly Father wants to do in your life. There are many questions that will more

than likely be answered as you saturate yourself in the truths that are presented.

Before you begin, pray this prayer with us:

Lord, grant me a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of You. Flood the eyes of my heart with light, so that I can know and understand more fully the hope to which You have called me, and how rich is Your glorious inheritance in all the saints. Thank You for teaching me and equipping me to live extraordinarily…in Jesus name, Amen!

[based on Ephesians 1:17-18 AMP]

xtraordina

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind

has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.

—1 Corinthians 2:9 NLT

1

1. Unlike any other part of creation, men and

women are created in the image of God.

We are “godlike,” meant to refl ect His ex-

traordinary nature—prospering, reproducing

and taking charge of the earth (see Genesis

1:27-28 The Message).

a. When you hear the word extraordinary,

what images and feelings come to mind?

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_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

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b. Which people in your life would you say

live extraordinarily? Why?

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

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Extraordinary means “beyond what is usual, customary, or ordinary; exceeding the common mea-sure; remarkable, rare, wonderful.”1 Words synonymous with “extraordinary” include amazing, exceptional, and special. The op-posite of “extraor-dinary” is ordinary, meaning “common, average, mundane, usual, or normal.”

Please refer to chapters 1, 2 and 3 in the Extraordinary book,

along with session 1 of the teaching series.

God’s Pleasedwith Extraordinary

Extraordinary vs. ORDINARY

“ Your life is unique, special, and by no means an accident. No one is common, no one is menial; we were created for the extraordinary. Each of us has a unique path that God has prepared for our lives.

JOHN BEVERE adapted from chapter 3”

1

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2

voic

e c. Of all the extraordinary men and women in the Bible, whom do you

most admire and/or connect with? Why?

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

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2. As you begin this journey discovering the extraordinary life God has

planned for you, take a few moments to evaluate your thoughts on

being a Christian.

a. Describe the current image you have of Christianity.

(Be honest; there’s no wrong answer.)

_________________________

________________________

_______________________

______________________

_____________________

____________________

___________________

b. Who or what specifi c things

(circumstances, experiences)

have helped form this image?

_________________________

_________________________

_________________________

_________________________

_________________________

_________________________

3. Satan, the god of this world and

archenemy of both God and

us, masterfully manipulates the

world’s system and all those who

are not born again and belong to

God. One of his primary purposes

is to paint a picture showing that

God’s people are not extraordinary.

“If conversion to Christian- ity makes no improvement in a man’s outward actions— if he continues to be just as snobbish or spiteful or envious or ambitious as he was before—then I think we must suspect that his ‘conversion’ was largely imaginary; …A tree is known by its fruit; or, as we say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. When we Christians behave badly, or fail to behave well, we are making Christianity unbe-lievable to the outside world. The wartime posters told us that Careless Talk Costs Lives. It is equally true that Careless Lives Cost Talk. Our careless lives set the outer world talking; and we give them grounds for talking in a way that throws doubt on the truth of Christian-ity itself.”

—C.S. Lewis2

Voice of theAges