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Self-Government under God

Weeks 2 to 7

God Ruling over Us

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠-𝗨𝗣 • What is one of the most challenging things you do every day? Why do you do it anyway? • Do you like following instructions? Why or why not? Recall an instance explaining this. • Tell us about one decision you made this week. What factors did you consider in making it? 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘺, 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘩. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘩, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘸. 𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵: 𝘴𝘦𝘹𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘪𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘺, 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘺, 𝘦𝘯𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘫𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘺, 𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳, 𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘺, 𝘥𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦. 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘫𝘰𝘺, 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧-𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭; 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘭𝘢𝘸. 𝗚𝗔𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟱:𝟭𝟲–𝟮𝟯 Self-government under God is perhaps the most basic and foundational to the three spheres of government God instituted: the family, church, and civil government. Without self-government, all these will break down and fail. In Luke 16:10, Jesus said that those who “𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩.” Hugo Grotius, an influential seventeenth-century philosopher, political thinker, jurist, and theologian, affirms this truth. He said that the ruler of a kingdom or nation should first be able to manage smaller units of civil government, such as a province or village. Before this, he should be able to govern his family and himself. And ultimately, he should first be ruled by God. This is evident in Genesis, where God designed Adam and Eve to rule over creation, while being under God’s rule. Though the term “self-government” or “government of self” cannot be found in Scripture, this concept is in the Bible and “self-control” is the term closest to it. In this lesson, we will study some basic truths found in the Bible concerning self-government and how we can apply them in our lives. 𝟭. 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗚𝗼𝗱. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘺, 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘩. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘩, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰. . . . 𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵: 𝘴𝘦𝘹𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘪𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘺, 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘺, 𝘦𝘯𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘫𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘺, 𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳, 𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘺, 𝘥𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦. 𝗚𝗔𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟱:𝟭𝟲–𝟭𝟳, 𝟭𝟵–𝟮𝟭 (Read also 𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟳:𝟭𝟰–𝟮𝟱.) In this passage, 𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘩 does not just refer to our physical bodies. It refers to our fallen nature—sinful, worldly, and selfish. Left to ourselves, our flesh will rule over us, enslave us, and keep us from doing what’s right. We cannot rule over the flesh on our own. But if we are governed and led by God’s Spirit, we won’t 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘩. Among the works of the flesh presented in verses 19–21, which commonly derail our society’s leaders and discredit them before our eyes? What do you think would happen if we were unable to rule over our flesh? 𝟮. 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗮 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀. “𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳, 𝘖 𝘐𝘴𝘳𝘢𝘦𝘭: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵.” 𝗗𝗘𝗨𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗢𝗠𝗬 𝟲:𝟰–𝟱 𝘐 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦, 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱. 𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟭𝟮:𝟭 To be ruled by God, we must first have a relationship with Him. This relationship will, in turn, affect every area of our lives. In Deuteronomy 6, God instructs His people to love Him with all of their hearts, souls, and might: • The 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 includes our inner-being: thoughts, will, and emotions. • The 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭 refers to all the life that is in us. • 𝘔𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 means all of our passionate energy and strength. In Romans 12:1, believers are also taught to offer their bodies to God as a 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦. This means giving our whole self to God in worship. The apostle Paul said that this is our reasonable and appropriate response to God’s mercy to us in Christ. How is the term 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦 ironic? What do you think it means? 𝟯. 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗚𝗼𝗱. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘫𝘰𝘺, 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧-𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭 . . . 𝗚𝗔𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟱:𝟮𝟮–𝟮𝟯 Though we can exercise limited self-control in some areas of our lives, we are unable to fully govern ourselves. The 𝘧𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵, including self-control, only comes from a growing relationship with God. It is a natural byproduct, not something we can force or manipulate. As we continue to know God more, abide in Him, and yield to His work in our lives, we will be transformed and empowered to live self-controlled lives. What are some good habits you would like to start but have been unable to so far? 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • Is God the ruler of your life? Does He call the shots? How does this reflect in your life, and are you willing to submit to His Lordship? • What is the value of self-control or self-government under God? How do you think the fruit of the Spirit will grow in your life and be evident to those around you? • What is one thing you would like to accomplish, but have been unable to do with your own strength? Are you willing to rely on God’s power and ability? How can you abide in Him this week and trust Him to work in your life? 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 • Thank God for the fruit of the Spirit that He gives each believer. Pray that you would follow the Holy Spirit’s leading, resulting in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. • Declare your dependence on God and your submission to His Lordship in every area of your life. • Pray that your life under God’s rule would lead others to know and surrender to Christ as well. Pray that your thoughts, words, and actions would honor God every day.

Governing Our Hearts

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠-𝗨𝗣 • Would you consider yourself cautious or adventurous? Recall an instance explaining this. • What do you do when you wake up every morning? Take us through your routine. • Recall a time when a family member or friend mourned a loss. How did he or she grieve or process it? 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝘒𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘷𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦. 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗕𝗦 𝟰:𝟮𝟯 𝘋𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵. 𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟭𝟮:𝟮 In the Bible and particularly in the Old Testament, the heart does not just include our desires and emotions. It also refers to our mind and will. We are to 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 or guard our hearts 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘷𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 because all other areas of life spring from it. The truth is, the unredeemed heart is deceitful and sick (Jeremiah 17:9). This causes an internal struggle, and in addition, the fallen world pressures us to conform to its pattern. However, we are called to be 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘢𝘭 of our minds. Governing the human heart (mind, will, desires, and emotions) is the key to governing oneself. This is the primary battleground. The good news is, God promised to give His people 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 (Ezekiel 36:26). Today, we will examine Scripture to see how we can yield to God’s work so we can govern our hearts. 𝟭. 𝗩𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱. 𝘒𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘷𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦. 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗕𝗦 𝟰:𝟮𝟯 𝘞𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘺 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 . . . 𝟮 𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟭𝟬:𝟱 Every day, we are bombarded with a multitude of thoughts—from ourselves and others. These thoughts often enter and dwell in our minds unfiltered. Scripture tells us to be vigilant with our hearts and thoughts. Though 2 Corinthians 10:5 is addressed to the church community, this principle could also apply to us as members of that community. We can’t and shouldn’t entertain every thought. Instead, we are to take them captive. We should guard our thoughts the way a security officer checks and restricts entry into a building. The security officer’s job is to make sure that only those who should enter do and that rules are followed (e.g., proper identification or attire). If not, entry is restricted. Likewise, we should examine our thoughts and determine if they are aligned with God’s truth. Only then do we entertain them. When and how are you most unguarded with your thoughts? How have you learned to 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘺 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵? 𝟮. 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱. 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. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘦—𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝗣𝗛𝗜𝗟𝗜𝗣𝗣𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟰:𝟴–𝟵 Just as prevention is better than cure, governing our heart and filling it with God’s truth is better than merely detecting ungodly thoughts and emotions. It’s like receiving a vaccine rather than having to treat the disease. Sometimes we try to deal with our runaway thoughts and emotions without getting to the root of the problem. The truth is, our thoughts and emotions respond to what our minds are filled with. If we keep on allowing negative ideas to enter our hearts unfiltered, we will naturally respond with negative thoughts and emotions. On the other hand, deliberately and frequently filling our minds with the truth of God’s word will bear good fruit. As a result of thinking of everything good, our hearts can rest in God’s promise: 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶. What kind of thoughts do you normally gravitate to? How do you deliberately fill your heart with God’s truth? 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • If your heart were visible to others, what do you think they would see? How can you guard your thoughts better and align them with God’s word this week? • In what area of your life do you have a hard time governing your heart? How is this only possible through Christ, and what is your prayer for this area of your life? How can you deliberately think about what is good every day? • Beyond your church community, who can you encourage and inspire to govern their hearts this week? What do you think you will say? How can you lead them to trust God and His word? 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 • Thank God for His instructions through His word. Acknowledge your need for Him in your heart and life. Commit to filling your heart with the truth of His word every day. • Pray that your life and thoughts would be aligned with God’s word. Ask Him for His grace and power for you to deliberately think about what is good. • Pray for wisdom and courage to declare God’s truth to others and help them follow Jesus.

Governing Our Tongues

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠-𝗨𝗣 • Do you consider yourself active on social media? Why or why not? • What’s one thing you are passionate about and share freely with others? • Recall a time you said something carelessly and hurt a loved one. What happened? 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝘐𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘺 𝘶𝘴, 𝘸𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭. 𝘓𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰: 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘢 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴. 𝘚𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳, 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘻𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦! 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦, 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘯𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺, 𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘥, 𝘰𝘧 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘢 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘦. 𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭, 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯. 𝗝𝗔𝗠𝗘𝗦 𝟯:𝟯–𝟴 (Read also 𝗝𝗔𝗠𝗘𝗦 𝟯:𝟵–𝟭𝟮.) In this passage, James, a leader of the first-century church in Jerusalem and a biological half-brother of Jesus, talks about how important it is for believers to tame their tongues. 𝘛𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘦 here isn’t just a body part; it also means what we communicate—spoken or written, face-to-face or online. The words we use can negatively affect the entire course of our lives. How many problems in the world do you think were triggered by a careless word? Wars, strife, and division began from what people have said. This is not just true historically; we see it happening online all the time. James concludes that 𝘯𝘰 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘦. Left to ourselves, we would even hypocritically use our tongues for both good and evil. Taming the tongue is only possible when one is under God’s governance. Today, we will look at how we can govern our tongues with God’s power. 𝟭. 𝗟𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗯𝗲 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗚𝗼𝗱. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘺, 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘩. . . . 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘫𝘰𝘺, 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧-𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭 . . . 𝗚𝗔𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟱:𝟭𝟱–𝟭𝟲, 𝟮𝟮–𝟮𝟯 Paul warned the members of the Galatian church against using their words to hurt one another. But he knew that people by their own power can’t fully control their sinful tendencies. Because of this, he didn’t simply tell them to stop. He told them to 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵, meaning to live life led by the Spirit of God. Rather than uselessly focusing on taming our tongues, we should focus on abiding in our relationship with God through faith in Christ. As we do so, God’s Spirit will work in and transform us. Our lives—including our speech—will be characterized by the fruit of the Spirit. When our words are full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, how can we advance God’s kingdom and disciple a nation? 𝟮. 𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗼𝗱𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀. “. . . 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭.” 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗪 𝟭𝟮:𝟯𝟰–𝟯𝟱 𝘒𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘷𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦. 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗕𝗦 𝟰:𝟮𝟯 In Matthew 12, Jesus revealed that the Pharisees’ accusations against Him exposed who they really were. There’s a solid principle here: Who we really are in our hearts comes out in our words. Out of what’s in our hearts, we speak. This can even be seen in our interests, hobbies, and passions. As mentioned, we need to check what fuels our hearts and guard what enters it. If we allow evil thoughts and ideas to enter our hearts unfiltered, these will come out. But if we meditate on God’s will and word, good, godly, and life-giving words will flow from us. What is King David’s prayer in Psalm 19:14? 𝟯. 𝗗𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘂𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲. 𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘯𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘶𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱, 𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳. 𝗘𝗣𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟰:𝟮𝟵 If we’re not careful, we can use our tongues for both good and bad purposes. But if our tongues are dedicated to God, they are instruments to be used solely for His purpose—to build people up and speak grace. We dedicate our tongues to God continuously and deliberately so He may be honored in everything we say. What is 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘶𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 and what do you think this will cause? How have your words communicated 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳? 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • How would you describe or evaluate the words that come out of your mouth or that you share online? Why do you think the tongue is so difficult to tame? What are you willing to do differently starting today to govern your tongue? • How can the gospel and God’s goodness in your life be evident to others around you? What are some ways you can declare the gospel through your life and tongue? • Think of four people you can encourage this week. How will you speak life to them? What will you tell them? 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 • Thank God for His word that teaches us the power of our words and speech. Dedicate your tongue to God, and ask Him for wisdom and a divine ability to govern yourself every day under Him. • Pray that your words would reflect God and cause people to know Him. Lift up specific situations or relationships in which you have a hard time restraining your tongue. Ask God for strength and self-control. • Pray for healing over a relationship that may have been scarred by hurtful words. Pray to forgive and ask God for reconciliation and peace.

Governing Our Bodies

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠-𝗨𝗣 • Think about one thing people do to take care of their bodies that you can’t relate to. Why do you think they do it? Why wouldn’t you? • Growing up, what was one thing you had a hard time sharing and wanted to keep to yourself? Why? • What’s one thing about yourself that you wish you could change? Why? 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧-𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦. 𝘚𝘰 𝘐 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘳𝘶𝘯 𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘭𝘺; 𝘐 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘹 𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘪𝘳. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭, 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘐 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥. 𝟭 𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟵:𝟮𝟱–𝟮𝟳 In this passage, Paul compares himself to an athlete, who 𝘦𝘹𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧-𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, especially his body, in order to win a prize. However, Paul was going for an imperishable reward. This is not to gain salvation, which we receive by grace through faith. The reward Paul aimed for is available to all believers when we come before Christ’s Judgment Seat one day. It will be given for what believers did on earth to serve others, preach the gospel, advance God’s kingdom, and make disciples. To get this eternal prize, Paul said that he disciplines his body and keeps it under control. Many Christians are derailed from advancing God’s kingdom and living out His purposes because they find it hard to discipline their bodies. Some believers fall into the trap of sexual immorality or addiction. Others fail to take care of their bodies and suffer the consequences of weakness, sickness, or even early death. Although God is powerful, gracious, and able to redeem our failures, the way we govern our own bodies has a large effect on what we can do for His kingdom. Governing our bodies can’t simply be done through willpower—it can only be done by encountering the truth of what Christ has done for us. In this lesson, we will look at three truths about our bodies that will empower and motivate us to govern ourselves well to advance God’s kingdom and disciple a nation. 𝟭. 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁’𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆. 𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵? 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘦? 𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳! 𝘖𝘳 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘫𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘳? 𝘍𝘰𝘳, 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯, “𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘩.” 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘫𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝟭 𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟲:𝟭𝟱–𝟭𝟳 Imagine yourself as one of Jesus’ disciples during biblical times. Could you imagine taking His hand and using it to slap another person? Would you invite Jesus into a brothel? Of course not. As His disciple, the thought would probably never even cross your mind. Why? Because this is Jesus—the Son of God Himself! Imagine that your hands and mouth are the hands and mouth of Jesus. What would you do with them now? This is what Paul says in the passage: Our bodies are members (body parts) of Christ. We are not just His people; we are parts of His body. Just like an arm and a leg belong to a body, we belong to Him. We have already been united to Christ through faith in Him. Because we are part of Him, when we lay our hands on the sick, it is as if Christ Himself is laying His hands on them. When we preach the gospel, it is as if Christ Himself is speaking love, grace, and truth. How has knowing this changed the way you view, treat, and use your body? 𝟮. 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝘆 𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘁. 𝘖𝘳 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘎𝘰𝘥? 𝟭 𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟲:𝟭𝟵 Most people, upon entering old church buildings, feel a sense of awe and wonder. Because of this reverence, making noise or acting inappropriately there seems to be out of the question. In the Old Testament, God instructed Moses to build a tabernacle for His people to worship Him and offer their sacrifices. Many years later, God’s people built a temple where His glory could dwell. While ordinary people could enter its outer and inner courts, it had a Holy Place reserved for priests, and a Most Holy Place where God’s presence was manifested. The Most Holy Place was so holy that only the High Priest could enter it to offer sacrifices for sin, and only once a year. When the priests entered the 𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 (referring to the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place), there was much awe, reverence, and holy fear among all. Today, because God lives in you, your body is the equivalent of both the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. Since God’s Spirit dwells in you permanently, with how much reverence and awe should you treat your body? Would you deliberately use it for sin? 𝟯. 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘦. 𝘚𝘰 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺. 𝟭 𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟲:𝟭𝟵–𝟮𝟬 𝘐 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦, 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱. 𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟭𝟮:𝟭 We can exercise our rights over the things we own. However, as believers, our body is not something we own. We were destined for destruction because of sin, and Jesus redeemed us with His own blood. He endured pain, humiliation, rejection, suffering, and death for our salvation. As a result, our whole selves belong to Him. In Romans 12:1, 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 means giving God worship that is true, proper, appropriate, and reasonable. In light of Christ’s sacrifice, why do you think presenting your body to God as 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦 is appropriate and reasonable? 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • How will you respond to the truth that God owns your body and it is the temple of the Holy Spirit? What is one thing you will do differently to govern your body well? • This week, take time to reflect on 1 Corinthians 6:19–20. Commit to respond to this passage and apply it in your life. • How can you, with everything you have and are, advance God’s kingdom and tell people about the gospel? 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 • Thank God for making you a member of Christ’s body and a temple of the Holy Spirit. Commit to govern your body the way God wants you to. • Pray that your life, body, and actions would reflect Christ. Pray that God alone would be glorified. • Pray that the members of Christ’s body—the Church—would continue to preach the gospel and advance God’s kingdom.

Governing Our Time

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠-𝗨𝗣 • If you had more time, what would you like to do? • What’s one thing you want to be remembered for? Why? • Who is the most punctual person you know? Compared to him or her, are you punctual? 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝘓𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦, 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘪𝘴. 𝗘𝗣𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟱:𝟭𝟱–𝟭𝟳 To be effective in advancing God’s kingdom and discipling a nation, we need to submit every area of our lives to God’s governance. This includes our time, which is a precious commodity. Unlike money, time is a non-renewable resource and can’t be regained once it is lost. Every day, we have an opportunity to deliberately govern our time and place it under God’s rule. If we don’t manage our time, other people and circumstances will control it and dictate what fills our calendars. The apostle Paul exhorts God’s people to be wise in managing time and 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘶𝘴𝘦 of it. Today, we will look at three realizations from the Bible about our time and how we can govern it well. 𝟭. 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁. 𝘚𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘢 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘥𝘰𝘮. 𝗣𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗠 𝟵𝟬:𝟭𝟮 Moses prayed to God to teach His people to live wisely. The Good News Translation of this verse is: 𝘛𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘴, 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦. When we realize our resources are limited, we learn to truly value what we have. Wasting clean water is easy until we realize it can run out and have to conserve it. Wanting to bring everything on a trip is convenient until we realize we have limited space and have to choose what we really need. We can take time for granted until we realize how limited our time on earth is, and we don’t even know how much of it we actually have. We will have to prioritize what really matters. How do you think understanding the truth that life is short will change the way people make decisions? 𝟮. 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 . . . 𝘏𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦. 𝗘𝗖𝗖𝗟𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗦 𝟯:𝟭, 𝟭𝟭 (Read also 𝗘𝗖𝗖𝗟𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗦 𝟯:𝟮–𝟭𝟬.) Scripture says that God has a proper time for everything. He has plans for us and a corresponding timetable. Sometimes we feel like we don’t have enough time to do what He’s telling us to, including growing in our relationship with Him. That may mean we are doing too much—things He has not asked us to do or has set for another time. The truth is, we can’t do everything right away or simultaneously. Timing is important. If we don’t realize this, we may experience discouragement or even burnout. How are you learning to figure out God’s proper timing for your life? 𝟯. 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆. “𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶.” 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗪 𝟲:𝟯𝟯 What is truly important? What should we prioritize and devote our time to? While there are many important things in life, Jesus tells us to 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 God’s kingdom and righteousness. If we do that, all other things will fall into place. The most important in God’s kingdom is the King Himself. Since our right standing with God (or righteousness) comes through faith in Christ, our relationship with Him must be our main priority. Seeking His kingdom also involves seeking to advance His kingdom agenda in our lives, family, and nation. When God’s kingdom comes first in our lives, what does He promise? What do 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 refer to (Matthew 6:25–31)? 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • Think about how you have been governing your time. What are one or two things you will start doing to make the best use of the time God has given you? • In a practical way, what does prioritizing God and His kingdom look like for you? • What is your prayer for your life and the time God has given you? In which relationship or area of your life do you realize that life is short? What will you do about it? 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 • Thank God for His sovereign hand upon your life. Thank Him for every year, day, and minute He has ordained for you. • Ask God for wisdom and grace to make the best use of your time. Pray that you would understand what the Lord’s will is for you, your family, your community, and your nation. • Pray for God’s kingdom to advance in your nation. Pray for God’s will and purpose to prevail, according to His timing.

Governing Our Money

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠-𝗨𝗣 • If you could double your regular allowance, paycheck, or source of income, what would you do with the extra money? Why? • How do you decide if you will buy something you want? Take us through your decision-making process. • Who is the most extravagant person you know? How does he or she spend money? 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 “𝘋𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘶𝘱 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘭, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘶𝘱 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘭. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰. . . . 𝘕𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺. . . . 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶.” 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗪 𝟲:𝟭𝟵–𝟮𝟭, 𝟮𝟰, 𝟯𝟯 (Read also 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗪 𝟲:𝟮𝟱–𝟯𝟮.) Aside from governing our thoughts, hearts, bodies, and time under God, we need to learn to govern our money. Money here is not just bills or coins; it includes all the resources we have of material value—property, investments, and even our jobs or careers. Money plays such an important part in our daily lives that Ecclesiastes 10:19 says 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. We need money for our daily necessities, education, and work. We also need it in order to advance God’s kingdom in the nations. Perhaps no material thing is as connected to all the different aspects of our lives as money. That’s why it is a major area which we need to govern under God. In this lesson, we will look at what Jesus says about money and how it should be viewed and put to use. 𝟭. 𝗪𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆. “𝘕𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺.” 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗪 𝟲:𝟮𝟰 Jesus said that we can’t serve both God and money. We either serve God and use our money in service of His kingdom, or we prioritize money over God. By saying this, Jesus is emphasizing that those who love and serve God need to govern their money in order to place it under His rule. Money can be God’s rival when it comes to our devotion, trust, and hope. Loving money and living for it is dangerous. Money itself isn’t evil; loving it is. The apostle Paul said that 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘴 and even causes believers to turn away from their faith and experience many pains (1 Timothy 6:10). This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have money or build wealth. Rather, money is a tool and has a purpose. It shouldn’t govern us. Instead, we should govern it and place it under God’s rule. How have you seen this verse to be true in life? 𝟮. 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲. “𝘋𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘶𝘱 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘭, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘶𝘱 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘭. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰.” 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗪 𝟲:𝟭𝟵–𝟮𝟭 We need to have a new kingdom perspective regarding money. It is not meant for the accumulation of wealth and resources. Yes, it can be used to meet our needs. However, it is meant to be used to store 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯. This means using it for the purposes of bringing people into the kingdom of heaven. (See also Luke 16:9.) People are God’s treasure and inheritance, and His desire is for people to be saved and be part of His kingdom. One way that we can use our finances for God’s purposes and glory is by faithfully giving the tithe (the first ten percent) or firstfruits of our income to God. However, using our money for God’s kingdom purpose goes beyond the tithe (Proverbs 3:9). We are to seek Him and look to His word for wisdom on how to manage the rest. The Bible has much to say about saving, investing, and borrowing money, as well as providing for our families, managing our finances, and passing on an inheritance to our children. When we manage our money according to God’s word, it can be used and maximized to effectively bring more people into His heavenly kingdom. According to Jesus, how secure are our earthly treasures? What about our treasures in heaven? 𝟯. 𝗪𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗱𝗼𝗺. “𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘹𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴, 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨, ‘𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘵?’ 𝘰𝘳 ‘𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬?’ 𝘰𝘳 ‘𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳?’ 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘭. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶.” 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗪 𝟲:𝟯𝟭–𝟯𝟯 When people hear that our money is to be used for God’s kingdom and His glory, a common response is, “What about my needs?” Jesus tells us that we should not be anxious about our material needs. This does not mean that we should not think about them. It means that we should not worry too much about them. Why? Because God already knows our needs and is concerned about them. He also promises that as we 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 His kingdom and righteousness, all these things will be added to us as well. This truth frees us from the love of money and its control over our lives. When we realize that God knows our needs and wants to meet them, we will no longer make decisions based on our desire for money. Rather, we will be empowered to manage our finances and put them in the service of God. What does Proverbs 3:9–10 say about those who honor the Lord with their wealth? 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • How can you honor the Lord and serve His kingdom purpose with your money? What did you learn today and how will this affect the way you spend, save, and give? • Do you consider yourself a good steward of the resources God has given you? How can you use what you have to advance His kingdom? • How do you think you can contribute to national and societal transformation? Is there a need you can meet in your community or an endeavor you can be part of? Spend some time this week seeking God and answering these questions. 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 • Thank God for His blessings and provision in your life. Pray that your heart would be aligned to His, and that He would be honored through your life and wealth. • Dedicate all that you have to God. Trust Him for His abundant provision and grace for you and your family. Pray that as you seek God’s kingdom, all these things will be added to you as well. • Ask God for wisdom and creative ideas to build wealth, be a channel of His blessings, and contribute to national transformation. Pray that you would sow into the kingdom of God cheerfully and generously, and that God’s kingdom would continue to advance in your nation.