Lesson Eight: Discussion Guide for Group or Individual Use (click more)
Opening Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time you have provided for us to come together to hear from you and have fellowship in your Word and to learn and apply your Word to our hearts. We need you, Lord. We need your grace all the time. We praise you for your goodness and your love and mercy. Please open our hearts to you and to one another and lead our discussion. Help us not to fear, but to put all of our hope in Christ. Help us to remember there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. May you be glorified in all our thoughts and words and deeds. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
LECTURE
Will someone share how the Lord used the lecture to speak to your heart? Did anyone have any questions or concerns about the lecture? If you ever have a question or something is unclear, please let us know. We want to serve you in any way we can!
PLEASE READ THE MAIN POINT FROM THIS WEEK’S HOMEWORK
We too, like Noah, Moses, David, and Daniel, can accomplish great and unimaginable feats as we follow God by faith, trusting in His wisdom and power. By hungering and thirsting after righteousness, we will grow into mighty warriors and witness the giants of fear, worry, and anger fall as we wield the word of truth. When we see and come to know Jesus, we see our poverty, our need, and our weakness. That is the beginning of an entirely new life with Christ! By faith we are then trained, equipped, and made more like Christ as we walk down the corridor of the Beatitudes. We will discover that by coming up under their instruction, we will be transformed.
III. QUESTIONS FROM THE HOMEWORK
Go through the homework, occasionally calling on women. Read scriptures aloud. After asking a question, remember to allow a brief period of quiet “wait-time” to give women a chance to think before answering. After pausing, if no one shares, go ahead with your answer, rephrase question, and/or move on.
DAY ONE Devotion: Blessed Are Those Who Hunger
Would someone please share what spoke to your heart from Day One?
DAY TWO
Quiet Moment – Would someone vulnerably share with the group by reading the prayer they wrote from the Quiet Moment?
Going Deeper Question #1 - What do you hunger and thirst after?
Question #4 - From the verses you read in Psalm 119 as well as Psalm 19:7-14, what did you notice about the Psalmist’s thought life and focus?
Question #5 – What cravings keep you from craving the Lord?
DAY THREE
Quiet Moment - What does God do when you make the same mistake over and over again? What does His Word say? What is your response when your child does the same thing wrong for the umpteenth time?
Going Deeper Question #1 - What do you think it means to be poor in spirit? What does it mean to mourn? What does it mean to be gentle or meek? What does it mean to hunger and thirst for righteousness? What do you think it means to be merciful? How do the Beatitudes relate? What observations did you make?
Question #3 – When was the last time you received mercy from a family member or a friend? Describe what that was like.
Question #6 – Where do you struggle the most with granting mercy?
DAY FOUR
Quiet Moment - What does Psalm 24 say about the one who may ascend the hill of the Lord? What is provided if we have a pure heart? What is the way to a pure heart?
Quiet Moment - Read James 1:6-8 and James 4:8. What is holding you back from seeking the Lord?
Going Deeper - What did you learn about holiness and purity from reading the scriptures in this section?
DAY FIVE
Quiet Moment – According to God’s Word, how do we find peace with God? How do we share God’s peace with others?
Going Deeper Question #1 – Will someone share their illustration of their spiritual life stages?
Question #3 – Will someone share the words that you circled that best describe you? What did you learn from asking a friend or family member?
Question #5 - Are you a peacemaker? Do you share the gospel with others? Are you speaking truth in love to others, or do you create conflict, nit-pick, nag, criticize or avoid? Remember, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!
PLEASE RECITE YOUR SCRIPTURE MEMORY VERSES TOGETHER
TAKING THE TRUTH TO HEART TIME
We will now focus on taking God’s truth to our hearts and bringing it to life. James 5:16a states; “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” And 1 Peter 2:24 says, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”
Please turn to your Taking the Truth to Heart and Bringing It to Life page. We will each have 3 minutes so that every woman will have a chance to share. Please record one another’s confessions on the Taking the Truth to Heart Guide on the following page so you can pray for one another throughout the week. Leaders, please set the example by going first.
PLEASE CLOSE IN PRAYER
