SUE BOHLIN MESSAGE TOPICS
sue@probe.org
How to Handle the Things You Hate but Can't Change
My testimony of how God helped me deal with polio, the resulting poor self-image,
and my anger toward Him concerning the polio: basically, learning to see myself from
His perspective, and learning to give thanks for all things. It's online here.
Seeing Ourselves from God's Perspective
What we think of ourselves isn't the important thing: what counts is what God thinks and says about us. It is incredibly encouraging to look at the beautiful evidences of God's love and affirmation that show us how very much He esteems us:
- Fearfully and wonderfully made
- Princess
- Chosen before the foundation of the world
- Gifted with spiritual gifts
- Accepted in the Beloved
- Bride of Christ
Learning To Give Thanks as a Way of Life
I share how learning to give thanks as a way of dealing with the trauma of having
polio led me to the very difficult ability to give thanks for something far more
traumatic: the early death of my first child. God's sovereignty is the reason we can
give thanks for everything that happens to us. I conclude by leading the women in prayer for
a list of things to give thanks for, ranging from the easy (for their vision) to the
difficult (unanswered prayer, difficult people in their lives).
Changing Our Negative Self-Talk
I identify a long list of lies ("old tapes") we tell ourselves, messages from
parents, childhood classmates, the media, and ourselves. We are in bondage to these
tapes, especially if we don’t even realize they are there. After identifying each lie,
I provide the biblical truth with which to fight the old tape.
A Woman of Grace
There is such a lovely fragrance that comes from the heart of a woman who knows how
to forgive! This lecture covers the reasons people can't or don't forgive, and
how to overcome those obstacles to experience peace.
Unpack Your Bags, This Guilt Trip Is Cancelled! (False Guilt)
- What is guilt?
- Sources of guilt
- How to set boundaries without feeling guilty
What Are You Doing Pushing That Porsche? (Walking in the Spirit)
- Christ Himself is the Christian life
- We live by faith the same way we trusted Christ
- The difference between walking in the flesh and walking in the Spirit
Look in the Mirror, Your Royal Highness! (Your Identity in Christ)
- Bride of Christ
- Princess
- Abba's Child
Standing at the Foot of Niagara Falls (Reveling in Grace)
- What is grace?
- Freedom in grace
- Grace-killers: the bondage of legalism
- Grace as a way of life
An Accurate View of God
Instead of trying to feel good about ourselves by comparing ourselves to others, we need
to look at God Himself, since He is the source of our true worth. I discuss 8
attributes/characteristics of God and what impact these have on us as His children:
- Sovereign
- Creative
- Faithful
- Provider
- Father
- "Fruity" (spiritual fruit)
- Safe Place
- The Divine Bridegroom
A Gentle and Quiet Spirit
- The Beauty of a Godly Life
- The Beauty of a Gentle and Quiet Spirit
- The Beauty of a Submissive Heart
- Holiness
- God's Holiness (Isaiah 6)
- Personal Holiness
- Holiness is directly connected with obedience
- Holiness means hating sin
- Holiness needs to be pursued with a plan
The Value of Suffering
- It prepares us to be the Bride of Christ
- It allows us to minister comfort to others who suffer
- It develops humble dependence on God
- It displays God's strength through our weakness
- Suffering gets us ready for heaven.
Thinking Like Jesus Does
Some of this is material from Probe Ministries' Mind Games conference, discussing some
of the big questions in life and in our culture:
- How do we explain the fact that people do both good and evil?
- How do we know the difference between right and wrong?
- Where did the universe come from?
- Why do bad things happen to good people?
- Does God hate me when trouble comes?
- What happens to a person at death?
- Are angels real?
The Wellspring of Joy
The wellspring of Joy is Jesus Himself, Who promised a fountain of living water would
flow from within us when He indwells us. So why do we see so little joy in believers?
Three obstacles to joy are explored: unforgiveness, self-sufficiency, and shame.
Good and Angry
- Causes of anger
- Mishandling Anger
- Handling anger destructively
- How to handle anger constructively
Becoming an Encourager
- Principles of Encouragement
- How to be an Encourager
Communication in Marriage
- Unity
- Submission
- "Rules for a Good Fight"
Your Work Matters To God
- Faulty Views of Work
- Work's Intrinsic Value
- Work's Instrumental Value
INDUCTIVE BIBLE STUDY
This is a four-message series, teaching how to do Inductive Bible Study (where
the student digs for understanding by herself) in the context of teaching the
book of Colossians.
Observation--What Does It Say? (Part 1, Colossians 1)
- Doing an overview of the book
- Ask the "5 W's and an H."
- Mark key words and phrases.
- Look for lists.
- Look for contrasts and comparisons.
- Look for things that are repeated.
Observation--What Does It Say? (Part 2, Colossians 2)
- Look for things that are related.
- Look for expressions of time.
- Look for terms of conclusion.
- Develop paragraph and chapter titles.
Interpretation--What Does It Mean? (Colossians 3)
- Remember that context rules.
- Compare Scripture with Scripture
- Use study tools.
- Interpret Scripture literally, but know when to interpret figuratively.
Application--What Difference Does It Make? (Colossians 4)
- Ask yourself, What does the passage teach?
- Put on your "SPECS."
- evelop a Principle for Living for each section you study.
PRAYER
Adoration
- Misconceptions about the purpose of prayer
- Distinction between adoration and thanksgiving
- Scriptures that refer to various attributes of God
- Hand out list of biblical titles for God and list of Psalms to pray back to Him
Ideally, this session concludes with a time of small prayer groups where the ladies spend about 20-30 minutes doing nothing but praising and worshipping God, using as their tools the lists of Psalms and titles of God, as well as the various attributes we just looked at.
Confession
- Some biblical prayers of confession
- Sinful attitudes we need to consider, mainly from Hosea:
- Idolatry
- Self-sufficiency
- Not reading the Word
- Disobeying
- Running ahead of God
- Trusting man, not God
- Forgetting God/arrogance
- Pride: the root of bitterness, unforgiveness, and a critical spirit
Thanksgiving
(Also given as "Learning To Give Thanks as a Way of Life")
I share how learning to give thanks as a way of dealing with the trauma of having
polio led me to the very difficult ability to give thanks for something far more traumatic:
the loss of my first child. God's sovereignty is the reason we can give thanks for
everything that happens to us. I conclude by leading the women in prayer for a list of
things to give thanks for, ranging from the easy (for their vision) to the difficult (unanswered
prayer, difficult people in their lives).
Supplication
- The Language of Prayer
- Prayer as an Expression of Love
- Praying in Jesus' Name
- The Role of Faith
- Persistent Prayer
- Unanswered Prayer
- Prayer and the "Law of Agreement"
- Praying Scripture
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