Week 5
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ICEBREAKERS
- Have you taken the Healing the Heart class?
- What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?
- Do you read a daily devotional?
OPEN IN PRAYER
MESSAGE REVIEW
God is the designer of our lives. We all have purpose and destiny placed in us. The bible says all of our days are ordained before anything came to be, and we are here on earth slowly becoming what we already are. Even though God meticulously designed our lives, we still decide if destiny is lived out. The pattern in the bible is that God gives the blueprint, the people obey Him and His direction, and then He will reward with His glory. God told Moses to build the tabernacle, and He gave them all the instructions on how to build it. Israel did everything He said, and He blessed them with His presence in the tabernacle. The bible is not a behavioral code of conduct, but it is a book of kingdom principles and laws and tells you how heaven operates. When you use the keys to the kingdom, you will unlock something from heaven that will come right into your life. Let’s dig more into this powerful word!
LET’S TALK ABOUT IT!
- Read Mark 4:3-12 Jesus is speaking to thousands of people, and He is scattering seed (word) everywhere. Once He finished preaching, He sat with His disciples, and they asked why He spoke differently to the multitude compared to the way He spoke to them. Jesus told them the kingdom’s secret was given to them, but to those outside, everything was in a parable. Jesus considered all the outsiders were only takers, but His disciples gave up everything to follow Him. Salvation is free, but the kingdom comes to the seeker. When you operate God’s way, it directly conflicts with the way the world functions. Jesus questioned the disciples about the parables and told them that if they did not understand, they would not understand anything else He said. Why did Jesus treat the disciples differently than He did the multitudes that He preached to? What were the disciples able to be trusted with that the others were not?
- Read Mark 4:13-20 Jesus spoke about the four types of people in the parable when the farmer sows the word. He said some hear it, and Satan comes and steals it as soon as they do. The second is like a seed sown on rocky ground where they hear the word and at once receive it with joy, but there is no root, and it lasts a short time. Third is like seed sown in thorns; they hear the word, but the worries of life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and their desires come and choke the word, and it is unfruitful. Lastly, others are sown in good soil; they hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop, some 30, 60, and 100-fold of what was sown. Ask yourself what kind of soil are you? How are you receiving the Seed of God?
- Read Jeremiah 17:9-10 The scripture states that the heart is dark and deceitful that no one can figure out. But God searches the heart, and He examines the mind of man. God gets to the root of things and treats them as they really are, not as they pretend to be. Do you ask the Holy Spirit to check your heart frequently? What is a way to keep your heart free of pollution (unforgiveness, bitterness, resentment, etc.)?
- Read James 1:26 The Bible says that those who consider themselves religious but do not keep a tight reign on their tongues deceive themselves. In other words, your mouth boasts of things that your heart does not believe, and you end up deceiving your own heart. Why is it important as a follower of Christ to first know God’s truth and second to speak it? Is this also a heart issue if negative words or thoughts come from your mouth?
PRAYER FOCUS & REQUESTS
Ask your members if they have any prayer requests or praise reports.
Examine your life. Are you a taker? Or are you a disciple of Christ? What changes need to be made if any? Ask your leader and group to pray for one another regarding this.