A PLACE TO START FOR A NEW BEGINNING

Student Manual

Laura L. Baker

Published by Prasso Ministries, Inc.

Copyright 1995. All rights reserved. No part of thismaterial may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including

photocopying, without the written permission of the publisher.

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PREFACE

Dear Friends,

I am so thankful that God has enabled the Prasso ministry to exist. Several yearsago God brought into my life one of “the walking wounded.” It was because ofmy association with this person that Prasso is a reality today. Jeremiah 29:11 tellsus that God knows the plans He has for us, plans for good, not evil, to give usa hope and a future. Through Prasso God has enabled thousands of men andwomen to know that hope and to know the God of that hope.

I pray that as you faithfully view each class and complete each homework les-son that you will grow to know the God who created you and planned your life. Our human experiences often distort our view of God. Our wrong choices fur-ther alienate us from Him. Many have said, “I know about God, but I don’t know Hi m.” It has been such a joy to see God become real and His truths become practical to the lives of the men and women who have come to Prasso.

My hope is that you will allow God’s Word to instruct you, encourage you, feedyour spirit, refresh your mind, and inspire love for the Lord Jesus Christ that willbe lived out in every part of your life.

Sincerely,

Laura BakerPresidentPrasso Ministries

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Biographical SketchBiographical SketchLaura Baker is the founder and President of Prasso Ministriesbased in Greenville, South Carolina. Laura was married to her latehusband, A.A. (Buzz) Baker, for 51 years before he went to bewith the Lord in December, 2013. God gives us many chapters inthe "book we call life” and Laura believes that each chapter isdesigned by Him and that His sovereignty reigns over all. Laura ispassionate about Jesus Christ and has sought to serve Himfaithfully throughout her life.

Prasso is a 12-week, biblical life-study specifically designed to helpindividuals navigate life successfully by understanding what theycan do when life isn’t working for them. One individual said, “Ofall the Bible studies I have done this is the only one that hashelped me down deep.”

Life isn’t always fair…marriages provide challenges; many arewounded in childhood; jobs aren’t always certain; individuals dealwith anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, loneliness, addiction,depression and insecurity. These are issues addressed in thePrasso study. Literally, thousands have found answers, help, andhope through the study. Prasso is being used worldwide withtranslations in French, Spanish and Korean. These translations canbe purchased through the prassoministries.com website. Prassoalso has a Teen Prasso version which is ideal for the teenagestudent.

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Special Thanks to…Special Thanks to…I want to thank those who have helped and encouragedme in writing the Prasso materials. Thank you Lori Hayesand Jane Donnell for helping with research. I owe muchto Virginia Nutz for giving hours of her time to edit thematerials. My thanks goes to Jan Prewitt for writing one ofthe Homework lessons. I want to thank Jim Berg for takinghis time one Christmas to read through and provideadvice on the Homework lessons. My heartfelt thanks toRussell Kelfer and Discipleship Tape Ministries for allow-ing me to use quotes and excerpts of Russell's teachingmaterials. Julie Dickerson, thank you for the beautiful art-work you have provided. A special thank you to my son-in-law, Cory Schearer, for designing the Prasso logo aswell as lending his expertise in several other areas. LindaColling, your eye for detail has been a tremendous bless-ing. Lastly, I want to thank Janet Davis for making thematerials look professional through her talents in graphicdesign.

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And they that know thy name willput their trust in thee: for thou,

LORD, hast not forsaken them thatseek thee. Psalm 9:10 And they thatknow thy name will put their trustin thee: for thou, LORD, hast not

forsaken them that seek thee. Psalm9:10 And they that know thy name

will put their trust in thee: forthou, LORD, hast not forsakenthem that seek thee. Psalm 9:10

And they that know thy name willput their trust in thee: for thou,

LORD, hast not forsaken them thatseek thee. Psalm 9:10 And they

GE T T I NG TOKNOW GOD

AND THEY THAT KNOW THY NAME WILL PUTTHEIR TRUST IN THEE: FOR THOU, LORD, HAST

NOT FORSAKEN THEM THAT SEEK THEE. PSALM 9:10

GETTING TO KNOW GODLESSON 2

DAY ONE: GOD IS APPROACHABLE

To whom do you go in times of distress and discouragement? Do you go to your pastor,your father or mother, your husband, or your best friend? To whom do you automatically turnwhen life’s dark days come? Is it to someone other than your Heavenly Father?

Often the reason you go to another person instead of to the Lord is that you do not truly knowwho the Lord is, nor do you understand that He is able to meet all of your needs and that Hedesires to do so.

God has revealed Himself through His Word and through His character. You learn that God canbe trusted and that He is approachable. As you understand His character you will begin toexperience His reality in your life.

Proverbs 18:10 “The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.”

•Write the following verses. Circle the words that reveal the importance of the name of the Lordand the reasons you should praise His name.

Ps. 96:2 __________________________________________________________________________

Ps. 33:21 ________________________________________________________________________

Ps. 7:17 __________________________________________________________________________

Ps. 9:10 __________________________________________________________________________

Ps. 105:3 ________________________________________________________________________

Ps. 86:12,13 ______________________________________________________________________

Ps. 119:55 ________________________________________________________________________

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“O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!” Psalm 8:1

The names of God describe His character and His nature. As you begin this lesson, would youpray that the Lord will reveal Himself to you in a personal way so that you may learn to call onHim? He is your strong tower.

Last week you studied God as Abba Father. What was the most significant truth you learned?

What truth did you most want to reject? ______________________________________________

Do you want God as your Abba Father? ______________________________________________

Read the passages listed in the chart below. Record what each of these passages reveals aboutyour Heavenly Father.

Deut. 1:30-31

Deut. 32:6

Ps. 68:5

Isa. 9:6

Isa. 49:16

Isa. 66:13

Matt. 6:14

Mark 6:34

Luke 13:34

Rom. 8:13-16

DAY TWO: SATAN’S DISTORTION

When you have bitter or painful experiences in your life, Satan uses the same tools heused in the garden of Eden to increase the pain and hurt of those experiences. He causes youto question (1) the Word of God and (2) the character of God. The two are connected, for Godhas revealed Himself and His character through His Word. This lesson will focus your attentionon who God really is and how He expects you to respond to Him.

Read Genesis 3:1-6.

• What question did Satan ask Eve in verse 1?__________________________________________

• What distortion of God’s Word did Satan plant in Eve’s mind? __________________________

• What does Satan imply about God’s character by that distortion? ________________________

• What does Eve say in response to Satan’s distortion? __________________________________

• How did Eve also distort what God had actually said? Read Genesis 2:16-17. ____________

• Satan planted a seed of doubt in Eve’s mind about God. He whispered in her ear, and shechose to listen. How is Satan using the same technique in your life? ____________________

• How did Satan undermine God’s authority in his response to Eve? (vs. 4) ________________

• Satan implies in verse 5 that God is purposely keeping something from Adam and Eve thatcould make them happier and more complete. In other words, he says, “God isn’t fair” or“God is a liar.” Satan wanted to cause Adam and Eve to doubt God and His trustworthiness.Satan always attacks God’s character. How has Satan used this deception in your life?

• To what potential element of pride in Eve does Satan appeal in verse 5? __________________

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• What does verse 6 indicate were Eve’s reasons for taking the fruit? ______________________

• In what ways has Satan tempted you to question God’s Word? __________________________

• In what ways has Satan questioned God’s character in relation to your bitterexperience? ____________________________________________________________________

To Eve and to you, Satan questions what God has said. Satan questions God’s love or fairnessto you. He tempts you to wrench control of your lives out of God’s hands and keep the controlfor yourself. The results for you are pain, bitterness, and a loss of peace – His peace.

• Describe your feelings about God: ________________________________________________

• Are you willing to obey just for obedience sake? ______________________________________

DAY THREE: GOD IS LOVE

God is love! God’s character as love frequently comes into dispute. On the one hand,new-agers proclaim that God is an all-pervading “force” of love, a concept they define as non-judgmental and all-accepting. On the other hand, many atheists or agnostics declare that the exis-tence of pain and hardship prove that God doesn’t exist at all. They say, “How can there be aGod, when thousands of people—many of them innocent children—starve to death every day?”

Sometimes you may be tempted to express a similar attitude when bitter experiences come intoyour life. You might say, “If God loves me, how can He allow THIS to happen?”

Believers and non-believers alike have trouble reconciling the love of God with pain and sor-row. Part of the problem lies in a faulty concept of love. Love is an act of the will whereby youcommit yourself voluntarily to bring about good where the welfare of another is concernedthough they may seek the worst for you. God’s love toward you illustrates this definition per-fectly: God chose to love you even before you were born (Ephesians 1:4-5); He chose a plan

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Thought:

God may have put the tree of the knowledge ofgood and evil in the garden to see if Adam andEve would of their own free will surrender andobey – just for obedience sake.

for your welfare (Titus 2:14) which would cost you nothing (Romans 6:23), but would cost Himeverything (I John 4:10). You often point to your “blessings” as evidence of this love, but youhave a harder time seeing your trials in this same light.

The other part of the problem is recognizing God’s right to control your circumstances. Youwant Him to be the “Great Magician” instead of the “Great Physician.” You want Him to makeit all go away instead of allowing Him to walk with you through the bitter experience.

Read I Samuel 1:1-18.

•What was the bitter experience Hannah was suffering?

• How did Hannah react to the problem? (vs. 7 and 10)

• How are you reacting to your bitter experience?

• What did Hannah do about her problem? (vs. 11)

• Whose good is she seeking in her prayer?

• What is Hannah’s attitude even before her prayer is answered? (vs. 18)

•What has happened to change her attitude?

• Did God love Hannah before He gave Samuel to her?

•Why do you suppose God delayed answering Hannah’s prayers?

• In your bitter experience, what has been the focus of your prayers?

Matthew 10:31Fear ye not therefore, ye are ofmore value than many sparrows.

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God takes care of His little birds.They are under His wings and Hisfeathers are very soft.

– Amy Carmichael

DAY FOUR: JEHOVAH RAAH: THE LORD MY SHEPHERD

Have you ever made a New Year’s resolution, and then before the day ended, you broke theresolution? Have you ever promised yourself not to act a certain way ever again and then failedto keep that promise? You ask, “How can God still love me?” You’ve become so discouragedwith your many failures that you no longer believe God could possibly love you.

Read Psalm 103:8-14. God’s love for you is beyond human understanding. God loves you, notbecause you deserve love but because He is love. His very nature is love.

• Write Psalm 103:11. ______________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

• Write I John 4:10. ________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

God knows you! Yet, God loves you. He doesn’t see you through rose-tinted glasses. He seesyou as you are—stubborn, willful, and often failing. In spite of this He says, “Come unto me,all ye that labour [worn down] and are heavy laden [staggering, burdened], and I will give yourest [relief].” Matthew 11:28

God is your Jehovah Raah, God—My Shepherd. He is not just the Shepherd. He is yourShepherd (if you have accepted Christ as your Savior and Lord). The name Jehovah Raahimplies a relationship. It is a name of ultimate tenderness and complete security.

Sheep are among the dumbest of animals. They cannot survive without a shepherd. They willliterally eat themselves right off a cliff on a mountain pasture. They will eat harmful grass andweeds if the Shepherd does not put them in good pastures. They will run away from the shep-herd when something scares them.

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Mary felt depressed and ashamed. She had done it again. A friend had invit-ed her out to lunch yesterday and in her efforts to impress her friend she hadlied. It seemed like such a little lie at the time but Mary knew it wasn't lit-tle; a lie is a lie.

Once again, sleep would not come as Mark lay in his bed, his heart hurtingand filled with remorse over the anger that had surfaced that day, anger atwork toward his boss, anger that he carried home and took out on the oneshe loved the most, his wife and children. He had failed again.

• Give specific examples when you have acted in ways that are harmful to you.

1. ____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

2. ____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

3. ____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

4. ____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

5. ____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

• What does Ezekiel 34:12,14,15, and 16 say about God’s care as a Shepherd?

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

Your Jehovah Raah gives you total, complete care.

When a lamb continues to run away over and over again, the shepherd will sometimes deter-mine he has to break the lamb's leg to keep it from running. The shepherd will then lovinglybind the leg and will tuck the lamb inside a pocket in his garment. He will carry that lamb untilit is well. When the lamb is finally healed and is able to walk on its own again, it will havebecome so accustomed to the shepherd’s care that it won’t want to run away.

• Describe times in your life when the Shepherd has had to “break your leg.” (Ps. 51:8)

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

• During those times, have you become more intimate with your Shepherd?

________________________________________________________________________________

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The Shepherd knows what pastures are best forHis sheep, and they must not question or doubt,but must trustingly follow Him.

Hannah Whitall Smith,The God of All Comfort

For centuries, shepherds of the East would often put their sheep in a sheepfold or pen. Thesheepfold might have been a cave or shed. Sometimes it was made of sticks, thatching, stones,or branches, and it might be made in an open area. The pens were a protection from wild ani-mals, weather and thieves. When shepherds brought their sheep to town, many different shep-herds would bring their sheep to the same sheepfold. The sheep would all mix together. Whena shepherd came for his sheep, he would simply call them. They knew his voice and would fol-low him.

• Read John 10:1-30.

• How does the Shepherd show his tender care for His sheep?

a. ________________________________________________________________________

b. ________________________________________________________________________

c. ________________________________________________________________________

• What benefits do you receive from the Good Shepherd?

a. ________________________________________________________________________

b. ________________________________________________________________________

c. ________________________________________________________________________

d. ________________________________________________________________________

• What assurance do you have from your Heavenly Father—vs. 29?

________________________________________________________________________________

Satan desires to steal your peace, to kill relationships (including your relationship with theLord), and to destroy your home and your very life. What do verses 10 and 11 say the LordJesus, your Shepherd, desires to give you?

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The Lord makes statements about Himself as a GoodShepherd. He is telling the universe, the world, and thechurch, "I am the Good Shepherd"; and if they ask, "Whereare thy sheep, what condition are they in?" can He point tous as being a credit to His care? And is it not grievous ifany of us refuse to let the Shepherd take care of us, and sobring discredit upon His name by our forlorn condition?

Hannah Whitall Smith, The God of All Comfort

DAY FIVE: DEAR FATHER…

Write a letter to God expressing your feelings about Him—not what you know intellec-tually but what you feel.

Dear God,

DAY SIX: TIME FOR REFLECTION

Now it’s time to reflect on what you have learned in these daily lessons.

Meditate on one truth that the Lord has revealed to you through each lesson concerning God.Note also how your perspective of God is changing.

Day 1:

Day 2:

Day 3:

Day 4:

Day 5:

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GETTING TO KNOW GODHOMEWORK/DISCUSSION LESSON 2

1. Why is it important to understand God’s character?

“The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.”

—Proverbs 18:10

“O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!”

—Psalm 8:1

The character of a person greatly determines your trust in that person. God’s character isdefined by His name. He is true, faithful, merciful, your healer, your righteousness, good,tender, loving etc. These are facets of His character. He cannot deny Himself; therefore,He will always be true to His character.

2. How have you doubted God’s fairness or trustworthiness?

“It is much easier to trust God when it is the other person who is hurting.”

—Jerry Bridges

• Look up the following verses. Share with group.

Matthew 12:20; Ecclesiastes 7:14; Isaiah 45:7; 43:2;Romans 9:18-21; II Corinthians 1:8-10

Group: Give specific incidents in your experience relating how you feel about God beingfair or trustworthy.

God is Adonai (Lord, Master). We must settle the fact of God’s authority.

3. What does obedience to God’s Word have to do with knowing the love of God?

The song, “Trust and Obey” says, “Trust and Obey, For there’s no other way, to be happyin Jesus, but to trust and obey.”

We are commanded in John 14:15, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” InJohn 15:10 it says, “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as Ihave kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.”

We are commanded to obey God’s Word whether we ever feel His love. But we can learnto know His love through obedience.

You must always remember that emotions are not a good barometer for making right deci-sions. Right decisions must be made on principle not on feelings.

Right actions bring about right

feelings.

Memory VerseMemory VerseFor the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath mademe free from the law of sin and death

—Romans 8:2

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For instance, you hear the alarm go off in the morning and you don’t feel like getting out ofbed. You can think of all kinds of reasons for staying in bed. You feel discouraged and outof sorts. But you get up, shower, and have breakfast. All of a sudden, you realize you arefeeling better and the day looks brighter. Right actions help bring about right feelings.

God commands you to obey Him because He knows that if you obey Him you will reapthe benefits of righteousness. You will begin to sense His faithfulness and trustworthinesswhich will foster love for Him.

God’s love for you is not based on your obedience, but you will never enjoy God’s lovewhen you live in continual disobedience. Even Jesus testified to this principle in John15:10. The Father loved His Son always, but Jesus said that He enjoyed the Father’s lovebecause He knew He was in fellowship and harmony with Him.

4. We often base our love, whether in human relationships or in our relationship with God,on whether our expectations are met.

Have you ever had your expectations affect a relationship?

How did your expectations affect the relationship?

What expectations do you have of God? Does God have to meet your expectations?

If God loved you based on His expectations of you, how much would He love you?

5. In day four of this lesson we learned about Jehovah Raah, God, my Shepherd. Namesomething specific that God showed you from the lesson that has challenged you bothin your thinking and in your behavior.

6. How has God specifically used the lesson, GETTING TO KNOW GOD?