Weird Request
Hey, I know this is kinda random, but on Monday afternoon, I found out about someone in our church that literally has no bed. like… He is sleeping on a floor right now, and he needs a bed. Does anyone in your group know of a bed that we could get him? I will pick up and deliver myself. Just text or Slack or email me and let me know! Thank you! End of randomness.
Wake up from what?
Paul, writing to the Roman believers, says “the hour has come for you to wake from sleep.” (Rom. 13:11) How can christians be “asleep?” You go to church, participate in a lifegroup, and serve others on a regular basis… How could you and I be asleep?
On Sunday, I said that we are distracted into sort of a brain fog. Let’s be honest.. What are our big distractions right now for us, for our families? What things take your time and attention that aren’t worthy of your time and attention?
How do those distractions affect your relationship with God?
Proverbs 4:23 NLT
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
There has been a lot of talk this past weekend about knocking out the enemy in the Middle East. We are spending all kinds of time, money, attention, and even lives in this conflict, right? Who is our real enemy?
How should that understanding change the way we look at this conflict, at politics, at social media arguments, conflicts at work and school?
Ephesians 6: 12 NLT
For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
Red Alert?
1 Peter 5:8 NLT
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
How do you eat an elephant?
Does the enemy use this same strategy with us? On Sunday I talked about supressing fire before a ground attack. Has the enemy been taking a longer, slower approach? How has he been softening us up before a full-on attack?
Guard the Gate
Romans 12:2 ESV
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.
What is discipling you most right now: friends, apps, social media, shows, sports, Fox News, or Scripture?
What are two practical “guardrails” you could put in place this week to protect your mind and heart?
Jeremiah 17:9 NLT
The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?
Jeremiah says the human heart can trick us. When have you believed something mainly because it felt true, not because it was true? How can you tell the difference?
Psalm 1 describes a person who delights in God’s Word and becomes like a healthy tree. What habits help a person become spiritually “healthy and steady,” and what habits make a person spiritually “dry”?
1 Peter 3:15 ESV
but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,
If a friend asked, “Why do you believe in Jesus?” what would you say in 30 seconds? What part would be hardest to explain?