Jesus, I Want to Love You

Introduction

Laurie Aker

We are commanded in God’s Word to love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Many of us long for our love for the Lord to grow. We want an intimate, vibrant, and dynamic relationship with Christ that transforms the way they think and act and respond to their world. In this study, we will learn how to love Jesus and follow Him fully in each and every area of our lives. We will be encouraged to continue to put aside the demands of the world and sit at the feet of our Savior and teacher so they might truly hear His message and be drawn into a radical love relationship with Him. This companion study to Jesus, I Need You, has Eight lessons (nine weeks with Introduction).

Lesson One

Laurie Aker

LESSON ONE Discussion Questions (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. I. 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! II. PLEASE READ THE MAIN POINT FROM THIS WEEK’S HOMEWORK True love is so much more than a feeling, it is something beyond us and found only in the person of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. True love is impossible apart from Christ and His righteousness. Praise God that for every believer we have been crucified with Christ, we no longer live for ourselves, but live for Christ who loved us and laid down His life for us. We have been given the love of Christ, but we must learn to live in this love. The more fully we learn to live in Him, the more we will enjoy Him and His love, and the more we will glorify Him. Life is a battle. We must daily ask the Lord for His grace to help us follow Him, walk in His love, love Him, and extend His love. The goal of this study is to learn how to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love others as we would want to be loved. To learn how to keep our eyes fixed on Christ no matter what happens, no matter what someone says. To live and to love is Christ. III. QUESTIONS FROM THE HOMEWORK 1. 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: The Love of Our Life 2. Would someone please share what spoke to your heart from Day One? DAY TWO 3. Quiet Moment - Read Matthew 5:1-12. Will someone share which Beatitude spoke most powerfully to your heart? How so? 4. Going Deeper Question #1 - Based on Matthew 5:13-16, what does the Lord say you are? What are the phrases He uses to describe you? What do Jesus’ warnings mean? DAY THREE 5. Quiet Moment - Read Matthew 5:17-20. What do you hear Jesus saying in regard to the law? How can we measure up to the standard? 6. Going Deeper Question #1 - Which scripture did the Lord use to teach you about righteousness and who you are in Christ? 7. Question #2 - Which of Jesus’ warnings from Matthew 23 did you take most to heart? Why? DAY FOUR 8. Quiet Moment - Read Ephesians 4:22-24. How can our love abound more and more? How do we express our love for Christ? What does Paul tell the Ephesians to do? 9. Going Deeper Question #2 - What would it look like in your life if you were to live out His righteousness every day? What would need to change in your thinking, in your heart, in your actions, and in your relationships? 10. Question #3 - What works do you long for the Lord to do through you, that all who see will marvel at Him? DAY FIVE 11. Quiet Moment – Where and when do you struggle feeling discouraged and overwhelmed by your sinfulness? 12. Going Deeper Question #1 - Where do you see hypocrisy in your own life: when you are alone, with your family, or in public? 13. Question #2 - Would someone be willing to be transparent and vulnerable and read their letter to the Lord from the end of Day Five? Your sharing might help someone else come to a better understanding of the wall they face in their life and in their relationship with the Lord. IV. PLEASE RECITE YOUR SCRIPTURE MEMORY VERSES TOGETHER V. 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 always going first. VI. PLEASE CLOSE IN PRAYER

Lesson Two

Laurie Aker

Lesson Two Discussion Questions 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. I. 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! II. PLEASE READ THE MAIN POINT FROM THIS WEEK’S HOMEWORK Anger is universal. We can only push aside hurt and anger for so long. When we don’t take our hurts to the Lord, they turn to anger, and when unrighteous anger isn’t mortified, it reigns. In our weakness, we need Christ’s righteousness. It is not enough to know what is right. We must learn how to live it and live it in love through Christ in us. Many who proclaim they are Christians are not dealing with their anger biblically. They deny it or repress it and then lose it. We want to be able to walk in Christ’s love and His righteousness in all of our relationships, even in those difficult relationships with people who are slow to change. Because of His love for us and our love for Him, we want to choose, by His grace, to be Christ to them. We want to know the difference between walking in the sinful flesh and walking in the Spirit of Christ. As Christians, the terrain is challenging, but be encouraged! As you cling to your Lord and crucify your flesh, He will show you the way. III. QUESTIONS FROM THE HOMEWORK 1. 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: Lord, Am I Angry? 2. Would someone please share what spoke to your heart from Day One? DAY TWO 3. Quiet Moment - Read Matthew 5:21-22. What causes anger to rise up within you? What heart changes might you need to make? 4. Going Deeper Question #1 - What do you think God wants you to learn from Cain’s actions and choices? What is He communicating through the recounting of Cain’s sin? In what areas do you behave like Cain? DAY THREE 5. Quiet Moment - Read Matthew 5:23-24. Describe a time when you reacted in anger toward someone – in your heart or with your lips. 6. Going Deeper Question #2 – How should we respond to others? 7. Question #3 – What typically upsets you or pushes your buttons? When is it most difficult for you to hold your tongue, manage your anger, or respond with grace and patience? DAY FOUR 8. Quiet Moment - When you are angry, describe what you do when you are responding in a godly manner? What do you do on a “bad” day, when you give in to your anger? 9. Going Deeper Question #3 - What are the specific actions you wrote down for both putting off the “old girl” and putting on the new self? DAY FIVE 10. Quiet Moment - What did Jesus do or not do when He was angry? What are some blessings that come as a result of responding to anger in biblical ways? 11. Going Deeper Question #2 – What patterns have you been able to identify in your responses or in the circumstances that tend to set you off and cause you to get very angry or very frustrated? IV. PLEASE RECITE YOUR SCRIPTURE MEMORY VERSES TOGETHER V. 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 always going first. VI. PLEASE CLOSE IN PRAYER

Lesson Three

LESSON THREE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS AND OPENING PRAYER 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.   I.             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!   II.           PLEASE READ THE MAIN POINT FROM THIS WEEK’S HOMEWORK   We are all first and foremost betrothed to Christ. Our hearts were knit to His in salvation. We are one in Him and with Him. Our understanding of true purity, fidelity, and covenant love begins with Him. We must take these foundational truths to heart, live in them fully, and enjoy Him fully. As we seek purity and physical intimacy as the Lord intended it, we want to keep our minds and our hearts in communion with the Lord – to please Him and not ourselves. We are called to be holy as He is holy. Therefore, we must take a good hard look at what our eyes are doing, what our minds are thinking, and what our hearts are hiding. Wandering eyes, minds and hearts damages our oneness with Christ and with one another and hinders intimacy. True intimacy begins with Christ. Physical intimacy between spouses is a picture of our intimacy with Christ. Sex as created by God is a wonderful gift to us and all for His glory. The path to true intimacy is found when two people, united in marriage by God, are following Christ in absolute surrender to Him as their Lord. It is found in the midst of a pure, covenant relationship with God and with each other lived out by daily walking in the footsteps of grace, servanthood, unconditional love, mercy, and sacrifice. This is true biblical love. Self will fight against this union, but we must put self to death to pursue oneness with Christ and with one another. This is a process. As we hear Jesus’ words to us in the Sermon on the Mount and take them to heart, we will begin experiencing true kingdom living and true appropriate intimacy with our Lord and with our husbands, which will impact the intimacy we have in other relationships as well.   III.         QUESTIONS FROM THE HOMEWORK 1.    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: Betrothed to Purity   2.     Would someone please share what spoke to your heart from Day One?   DAY TWO   3.    Quiet Moment - Read Matthew 5:27-30. Do you find yourself going places in your mind that you really shouldn’t? What or who is taking the place reserved only for the Lord or your husband? A career, a hobby, your children, or a friend?   4.    Going Deeper Question #2 - What does Solomon say to his son? What can we learn?   5.    Question #3 - Where do you see difficulties in your relationship with the Lord or with your husband? Where do you need to make adjustments?    DAY THREE   6.    Quiet Moment - How can you foster more of the right kind of desire for your husband? How might it look in your relationship with the Lord?   7.    Going Deeper Question #1 - What is the progression of sin we can observe in David’s life? What did you learn that you can apply to your own life or to help your children as they grow into teenagers?   DAY FOUR   8.    Quiet Moment - What does it mean to leave and cleave? Have you “left” everything to follow and cleave to the Lord and to your husband? What have you not “left”?   9.    Going Deeper Question #3 - Will someone vulnerably share an area in your marriage relationship where you continue to struggle, fall short, or fail? If you are single, please share where you continue to struggle with sin, selfishness, pride, or control..    10. Question #4 - Would someone share how it went sharing your list of “hot buttons” with your husband?   DAY FIVE   11. Quiet Moment - Have you been able to look at your heart, or are you afraid? Do you find that there is only partial obedience to His Word? In what area do you struggle the most?   12. Going Deeper Question #2 - Would someone share one example of what it could look like in day-to-day life with your husband if you really focused on living out oneness in your marriage?    13. Question #5 - Will someone share the plans you made for a special night with your husband or Lord?   IV.         PLEASE RECITE YOUR SCRIPTURE MEMORY VERSES TOGETHER   V.            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 always going first.   VI.         PLEASE CLOSE IN PRAYER

Lesson Four

Lesson Five Part One

LESSON FIVE: Hymn, Opening Prayer and Discussion Guide for Group or Individual Use (click more) Hymn Sung Before Class Before the Throne of God Above by Sovereign Grace Before the throne of God above I have a strong and perfect plea A great High Priest whose name is love Who ever lives and pleads for me My name is graven on His hands My name is written on His heart I know that while in heav'n He stands No tongue can bid me thence depart No tongue can bid me thence depart When Satan tempts me to despair And tells me of the guilt within Upward I look and see Him there Who made an end to all my sin Because the sinless Savior died My sinful soul is counted free For God the Just is satisfied To look on Him and pardon me To look on Him and pardon me Behold Him there, the risen Lamb My perfect, spotless Righteousness The great unchangeable I Am The King of glory and of grace One with Himself, I cannot die My soul is purchased by His blood My life is hid with Christ on high With Christ my Savior and my God One with Himself, I cannot die My soul is purchased by His blood My life is hid with Christ on high With Christ my Savior and my God With Christ my Savior and my God With Christ my Savior and my God 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.   I.             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!     II.           PLEASE READ THE MAIN POINT FROM THIS WEEK’S HOMEWORK   Jesus is there for you, Jesus has been there for you, and Jesus will be there for you. He wants you to be utterly dependent on Him. He hears every word, every praise, every whimper, every moan. If we are going to be light in the world and a city set on a hill, we have to have persistent, personal, and private prayer in place. As God’s daughters, we have been given complete access to the power of heaven. We must hide ourselves in our prayer closets and separate ourselves from the world around us long enough and purposefully enough. We want to be able to impact our world, rather than the world impact us. We have been given complete access to the power of heaven but if we do not use it, we are going to be pathetic, paltry, and painted facades, good for nothing. The most important work we do in our relationships with the Lord, with our families, and in our church or occupational ministries is to pray. The Word of God tells us that we are dust and to dust we shall return – that we can do nothing apart from Him – but there is no measurement for what we can do with Him and in Him through prayer! We are ambassadors for His kingdom, and our most efficient and effective work is accomplished in prayer so that we might glorify and enjoy Him!   III.         QUESTIONS FROM THE HOMEWORK 1.    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: Private, Power-filled Prayer   2.    Would someone please share what spoke to your heart from Day One?   DAY TWO   3.    Quiet Moment - Do you have a place you can run to with the pressures, concerns, and demands of your world? Is it a place where you know you will have uninterrupted fellowship with the Lord? Is it a place where you know He will meet with you? Are you building that secret garden of prayer with Him? 4.    Going Deeper Question #1 - What did you learn from Jesus’ example of prayer in these verses?   5.    Question #4 - Is there anyone you have had a disagreement with? Have you done everything you could to restore that relationship? Is there any unforgiveness in your heart?   6.    Question #5 - What keeps you from praying? What keeps you from going to the Lord first and always and continually?   DAY THREE   7.    Quiet Moment - What do both Jesus and James instruct in Matthew 7:7-11 and James 1:5-8? What do you need to ask yourself? Do you doubt the power and effectiveness of prayer? Do you sometimes feel that you are praying to the four walls around you? Do you go to the Lord with all your concerns, lay them at His feet, and then know they have been addressed and that they are in His hands?    8.    Going Deeper Question #1 - What did you observe from reading Luke 11:1-13?   DAY FOUR   9.    Going Deeper Question #1 - What does James say are the hindrances to prayer?   10. Question #3 - What is the reason that we are to love and pray for our enemies according to Matthew 5:45?   DAY FIVE   11. Quiet Moment - What does praying in earnest look like to you? How can you pattern this principle in your family, with your children, or with your friends? What is the benefit of earnest prayer?   12. Question #2 - Whom do you need to be interceding for as Abraham did?   IV.         PLEASE RECITE YOUR SCRIPTURE MEMORY VERSES TOGETHER   V.            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 always going first.   VI.         PLEASE CLOSE IN PRAYER

Lesson Five Part Two

LESSON FIVE: Opening Prayer and 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.   I.             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!     II.           PLEASE READ THE MAIN POINT FROM THIS WEEK’S HOMEWORK   Jesus is there for you, Jesus has been there for you, and Jesus will be there for you. He wants you to be utterly dependent on Him. He hears every word, every praise, every whimper, every moan. If we are going to be light in the world and a city set on a hill, we have to have persistent, personal, and private prayer in place. As God’s daughters, we have been given complete access to the power of heaven. We must hide ourselves in our prayer closets and separate ourselves from the world around us long enough and purposefully enough. We want to be able to impact our world, rather than the world impact us. We have been given complete access to the power of heaven but if we do not use it, we are going to be pathetic, paltry, and painted facades, good for nothing. The most important work we do in our relationships with the Lord, with our families, and in our church or occupational ministries is to pray. The Word of God tells us that we are dust and to dust we shall return – that we can do nothing apart from Him – but there is no measurement for what we can do with Him and in Him through prayer! We are ambassadors for His kingdom, and our most efficient and effective work is accomplished in prayer so that we might glorify and enjoy Him!   III.         QUESTIONS FROM THE HOMEWORK 1.    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: Private, Power-filled Prayer   2.    Would someone please share what spoke to your heart from Day One?   DAY TWO   3.    Quiet Moment - Do you have a place you can run to with the pressures, concerns, and demands of your world? Is it a place where you know you will have uninterrupted fellowship with the Lord? Is it a place where you know He will meet with you? Are you building that secret garden of prayer with Him? 4.    Going Deeper Question #1 - What did you learn from Jesus’ example of prayer in these verses?   5.    Question #4 - Is there anyone you have had a disagreement with? Have you done everything you could to restore that relationship? Is there any unforgiveness in your heart?   6.    Question #5 - What keeps you from praying? What keeps you from going to the Lord first and always and continually?   DAY THREE   7.    Quiet Moment - What do both Jesus and James instruct in Matthew 7:7-11 and James 1:5-8? What do you need to ask yourself? Do you doubt the power and effectiveness of prayer? Do you sometimes feel that you are praying to the four walls around you? Do you go to the Lord with all your concerns, lay them at His feet, and then know they have been addressed and that they are in His hands?    8.    Going Deeper Question #1 - What did you observe from reading Luke 11:1-13?   DAY FOUR   9.    Going Deeper Question #1 - What does James say are the hindrances to prayer?   10. Question #3 - What is the reason that we are to love and pray for our enemies according to Matthew 5:45?   DAY FIVE   11. Quiet Moment - What does praying in earnest look like to you? How can you pattern this principle in your family, with your children, or with your friends? What is the benefit of earnest prayer?   12. Question #2 - Whom do you need to be interceding for as Abraham did?   IV.         PLEASE RECITE YOUR SCRIPTURE MEMORY VERSES TOGETHER   V.            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 always going first.   VI.         PLEASE CLOSE IN PRAYER

Lesson Six

  LESSON SIX: Discussion Guide and Opening Prayer for Group & 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.   I.             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!   II.           PLEASE READ THE MAIN POINT FROM THIS WEEK’S HOMEWORK   God owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10) and every dollar in every bank account. Therefore, our funds would best be spent for the furtherance of the kingdom. It can be so hard to remember that everything we have is His and that we need to spend it the way He wants us to. We are to use what God has given us, or rather entrusted to us, to build bridges, develop relationships, display generosity, extend a helping hand, and provide cups of cold water to drink. As much as we may say we are giving our all for Jesus, our checkbook may say otherwise. Materialism has stormed our nation, taken us by surprise, and taken its toll. We can listen to all the voices around us proclaiming their truth and their way, or we can know His truth and His way. Following His way leads to true life, not only for ourselves and our children but also for those around us whom we might impact, both near and far. The Lord is able to take our measly mammon and multiply it by His magnificent might and amazing grace to bring many, many, many into His heavenly mansion!   III.         QUESTIONS FROM THE HOMEWORK 1.    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: God, Mammon, and Mocha   2.     Would someone please share what spoke to your heart from Day One?   DAY TWO   3.    Quiet Moment - What does money mean to you? What place does it have in your life? How do you make the decisions about the use of your money? Whom would you say you serve, God or mammon?    4.    Going Deeper Question #1 - What is Jesus communicating through the parable of the dishonest manager? How can you apply what He is teaching?    DAY THREE   5.    Quiet Moment - Do you know what is in your heart? Do you sense your sin or the temptation to sin in this area? Would someone please read the prayer they wrote in response to this question?   6.    Going Deeper Question #2 - What do you sense the Lord has given or entrusted to you (financially and otherwise)?    7.    Question #3 - What would the master’s comments be to you? What are you doing with what He has given to you? Have you invested what you have been given for His purposes or for your own?   8.    Question #4 - Do you think Jesus is speaking only (or even primarily) of money? What things besides money has the Lord given you that you need to use for His kingdom? DAY FOUR   9.    Quiet Moment – When you are asked to give for the progress of the gospel, for the support of a ministry, or a missionary couple, how do you give? Do you think it would be irresponsible to give not knowing how you will pay your next grocery bill? Why or why not?   10. Quiet Moment - Is it difficult to think about giving up something you enjoy to provide a need for someone else? Why or why not?   11. Going Deeper Question #1 - What can you learn from John 12:1-8 and Acts 4:32-37?   12. Question #4 - In reading Mark 6:7-13, what crosses your mind when you hear Jesus tell the apostles to take no money in their belts? What is Jesus saying in between the lines about trusting God to provide? How might this passage be applied to your daily call to the great commission and how you see money and resources?    DAY FIVE   13. Quiet Moment - What do you learn from the verses in 1 Timothy 6:17-19?    14. Going Deeper Question #2 - According to 1 Timothy 6:11-16, what are we to flee? What are we to pursue? What does Paul charge the rich to do? What is the Lord saying to you? IV.         PLEASE RECITE YOUR SCRIPTURE MEMORY VERSES TOGETHER   V.            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 always going first.   VI.         PLEASE CLOSE IN PRAYER

Lesson Seven

LESSON SEVEN: Discussion Guide for Group & 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.   I.             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!   II.           PLEASE READ THE MAIN POINT FROM THIS WEEK’S HOMEWORK   It seems we worry about everything, but we were not built to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. Worry can disguise itself as care and concern and thus distort our perspective and impact our actions and attitudes. Our hearts and minds get easily fixed on a circumstance, a wayward child, a failure, a conversation, etc., and we lose our fix on Christ. It is not that all that is going on in the world is unimportant or that it doesn’t need attention or prayer. But it’s how we respond that makes the difference. The Lord cares for us more than any earthly father could. Absolutely everything is under His power and His authority, and we are His daughters. Our worry is not pleasing to God. It is not what He desires. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6). Of course, underneath worry is fear. God tells us more than one hundred times in the Bible, ‘Do not be afraid.’ We are called to turn from our worry and worship the Lord, our God. We are given the comfort of knowing that when we deny ourselves, pick up our crosses, and follow Him, we can rest in Him. “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you” (Is. 26:3). This is the sweet fragrance of faith – a picture of a life of worship instead of a life of worry.   III.         QUESTIONS FROM THE HOMEWORK 1.    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: Worry or Worship?   2.     Would someone please share what spoke to your heart from Day One?   DAY TWO   3.    Quiet Moment - Will someone vulnerably share from their list of fears?   4.    Quiet Moment - How did the Lord speak to you through His word in Matthew 6:25-34, instructing you about why not to worry?   5.    Going Deeper Question #2 - Will someone share a fear and the scriptures you found that spoke to your fear and to the faithfulness of God?     DAY THREE   6.    Quiet Moment – Where are you most inclined to be vulnerable in worrying about the things of the world?    7.    Going Deeper Question #1 - What insight did you gain from reading Luke 12:22-31?   8.    Question #4 - Thankfulness is worship. Will someone share from their list of thanks to God?   DAY FOUR   9.    Quiet Moment – What in your tomorrows do you worry about? In your weakest moments, what thoughts are flowing through your mind and your heart? What strategy or weapons does the enemy try to use to get you to worry about tomorrow or go down the path of pride, making plans to fix or prevent situations with human wisdom and strength?   10. Going Deeper Question #1 - What scripture did you choose to give you light when you are overcome by the darkness of the night?   11. Question #2 - What does the psalmist affirm in Psalm 139? How does the psalmist handle his anxiety and circumstances? What does he ask God to do?   12. Question # 4 – What do you see the Lord revealing in you?   DAY FIVE   13. Quiet Moment - In reading Luke 12:8-12, what does Jesus say we are to do?   14. Going Deeper Question #2 - What are your thoughts about rejoicing in being considered worthy to suffer dishonor for the name of Christ?   15. Question #3 - Would each person share the first name of one person they wrote down to share the gospel with or one way you will take time to build a relationship? Please take time now to pray together for the people on your lists. IV.         PLEASE RECITE YOUR SCRIPTURE MEMORY VERSES TOGETHER   V.            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 always going first.   VI.         PLEASE CLOSE IN PRAYER

Lesson Eight

 LESSON EIGHT Discussion Guide for Group & 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.   I.             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!   II.           PLEASE READ THE MAIN POINT FROM THIS WEEK’S HOMEWORK   The only reason we can love Jesus at all is because He first loved us!  God’s Word teaches us that the way we respond to the love of Christ is by knowing His Word, believing His Word, and obeying His word out of love for our Savior. Receiving God’s unconditional love for us is integral to our faith. When we humbly seek His mercy and gratefully receive His grace – we are then able to extend to others that which we have received. We must continually remind ourselves of the basis of our acceptance – it is entirely because of what Christ has done for us. Only by receiving His love for us are we able to love Him and others. Allow yourself the freedom to surrender and entrust your heart to the Lord. You may have a hard time trusting. Ask Him in faith to help you. Allow Jesus to develop in you the selfless, all-encompassing love that is possible only through Him.    III.         QUESTIONS FROM THE HOMEWORK 1.    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: Jesus, I Want to Love You   2.    Would someone please share what spoke to your heart from Day One?   DAY TWO   3.    Quiet Moment - Without sharing names, when have you been unfairly or unkindly treated or judged by family, friends, work associates, or others?   4.    Going Deeper Question #1 - In what situations do you find yourself judging others? Whom do you judge, perhaps a bit too often and a bit unfairly? Describe what you do or how you feel in these instances.   5.    Question #4 - How can you consider others higher than yourself? What do you need to change in the way you relate to others? How can you pray for them?     DAY THREE   6.    Quiet Moment - Describe in your own words what the wide gate looks like considering the world around you.   7.    Going Deeper Question #3 - What is it that the Lord revealed to you that you would be unwilling to do to follow Him? What would you be afraid to lose?   DAY FOUR   8.    Quiet Moment - Where do you look for help, for answers, for the way?   9.    Going Deeper Question #2 - If Jesus were to take a look at your deeds, at the things you do from sunrise to sunset, what would He see? Whose to-do list are you doing each day, yours or God’s?   10. Question #3 - What spiritual disciplines have you established that have helped you to walk with the Lord? What disciplines do you want to work to incorporate into your life?   DAY FIVE   11. Quiet Moment - According to Matthew 7:24-29, what is the consequence of not obeying and what causes this consequence?   12. Going Deeper Question #1 - What is your house built on? How do you withstand the lie, the crisis, or the famine when it comes?   13. Question #2 - What does the Bible say about love and obedience?   IV.         PLEASE RECITE YOUR SCRIPTURE MEMORY VERSES TOGETHER   V.            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 always going first.   VI. PLEASE CLOSE IN PRAYER