"Happy Life Gauges"
TEXT: Heb. 6; Romans 2:11; Deut. 28; 1 John 5:13-15
TRUTHS:
1.The children of God should strive to exercise caution and wisdom concerning how much negativity they focus upon in their daily, routine lives. And although wrestling with sin in a fallen world will force us to address and think through various negative actions, attitudes, and situations, placing too much focus on those aspects of our existence can greatly impact our sensitivity to hear God’s voice and discern how He is guiding us.
2. Seeking and obeying the voice of the Lord is the absolute best thing for any person to commit to. The circumstances and details of our life are best dealt with by seeking God’s voice. This revelation is truly “one size fits all.” Meaning, no matter where you find yourself in your life, the best thing to do is seek the Lord’s voice and to respond in obedience.
3. Christianity is a repenting religion. We repent of personal sin while seeking to forgive others for their sin(s) against us. To refrain from practicing these spiritual disciplines will result in a hardened heart that grows increasingly less sensitive to the work and person of the Holy Spirit.
4. The Bible often uses the literary technique of ‘hyperbole’ to direct our attention to important biblical truths.
5. The Book of Deuteronomy introduces several “gauges” for us to use to assess our growth and maturity. And becoming a follower of Christ does not automatically ensure that what those gauges represent will be viewed as a blessing in our lives. We must examine, pray, repent, lean on our brothers and sisters in Christ, and seek to have grateful hearts.
6. What were the “gauges” that we discussed Sunday morning? Are you happy and content with: (1) where you live, (2) your offspring (children), (3) your animals and food, (4) your mental health, (5) your physical health, (6) how victorious you seem to be concerning our enemies, (7) your relationships, and (8) your household’s productivity.
7. The Church of Jesus Christ has been called to operate as a “kingdom of priests.” This requires that we handle sin in a manner that glorifies God. Through prayer, and in Jesus’ name, we have been called to deal with personal and corporate sin before our God. This ultimately brings about freedom and deliverance instead of condemnation. Furthermore, instead of harshly judging the folly and sin of others when we are aware of sin in a brother or sister’s life, we handle it like priests—we pray and ask God to forgive them and bring new life!
TALK TO EACH OTHER:
1. It seems tough, especially in our modern world, to not place immense focus on the negative in our world (and personal lives). How can a believer who is struggling in this area begin to make changes? What practices and 'weapons' have you employed to battle the temptation to overly focus on the negativity in our world?
2. What is the relationship between repenting of personal sin and forgiving the sin of others against us? Are they "connected" to each other? How does one impact the other?
3. How would you instruct someone to seek God's voice if they find themselves in severely broken life circumstances? How would you instruct someone who is on the "mountaintop?" Are there any commonalities? Do the different circumstances require different instructions?
4. How can a believer discern if they are experiencing God's blessing as it relates to the "gauges" that were discussed on Sunday morning? How can we practically use these gauges to assess our growth and maturity?
5. What does 'Truth 7' communicate about how Christ wants us to relate to one another? Why would God set it up and instruct us in this way? What does it communicate about His character and nature?
TALK TO GOD:
Pray into the following areas:
To operate as a kingdom of priests
Wisdom about how to use the 'gauges'
To be full of hope instead of pessimism and negativity (wisdom concerning what we should be focusing on both personally and corporately)
Quick to forgive others, quick to repent of personal sin
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