Category: Staying Deep with God

Proverbs 21:17

“He who loves pleasure will become a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not become rich.”

Q: What is harmful pleasure?

Psalms 101:3

“I will set no worthless thing before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not fasten its grip on me.”

Q: What is David saying about pleasure in order to avoid great harm to your life and your most important relationships?

Psalms 119:48 & 119:103

“And I shall lift up my hands to Your commandments, which I love; and I will meditate on Your statutes.”

“How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”

Q: What would your life be like if you had a heart for God’s pleasure as David did?

Psalm 119:37

“Turn away my eyes from looking at vanity, and revive me in Your ways.”

Q: What prayer do you need to pray today to begin to find your pleasure in God?

Exodus 20:7

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.”

Q: What does it mean to “take God’s name in vain?”

Psalm 139:19 & 20

“O that You would slay the wicked, O God; depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed. For they speak against You wickedly, and Your enemies take Your name in vain.”

Q: What do these passages tell you about listening to music and watching movies & television that include profanities?

 

Picture

Matthew 5:6

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

Q: Drug, porn, tobacco and alcohol users always need “just a little bit more” to be satisfied in their pursuit of pleasure. What is it about God that makes him totally sufficient in your pursuit of pleasure?

 

Paul

1 Corinthians 6:18-20

“Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”

Q: Contrast “harmful” pleasure and “helpful” pleasure as pointed out in this passage. What makes sexual sin stand out among all other sins?

2 Timothy 3:1-4

“But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure than lovers of God.

Q: When does entertainment pleasure become an abominable idol?

 

APPLICATION: How do these passages relate to me today? What changes do they bring to my life?

LOCKER ROOM: Is there anything this week that you have been enslaved to, and how we can help you?

 

Proverbs 4:14-19

“Do not enter the path of the wicked and do not proceed in the way of evil men. Avoid it, do not pass by it; turn away from it and pass on. For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; and they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble. For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day. The way of the wicked is like darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.”

Q: Compare/Contrast the paths of the righteous and the wicked. Why do the wicked not realize they are stumbling on the path they take?

Psalm 16:11

“You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.”

Q: What do you notice about the path God sets before us?

 

Picture

Matthew 7:13-14

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

Q: What is the picture that Jesus is describing here? Why do you think the way of the Christian is narrow?

Matthew 7:21-23

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”

Q: What is Jesus saying to us in this passage? What does practicing lawlessness look like?

 

Paul

Romans 8:14

“For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”

Q: How does the Spirit lead you?

 

Peter

2 Peter 2:1

“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.”

Q: Why is it so important to know the truth and obey God? Are you on the narrow or the broad path?

 

APPLICATION: How do these passages relate to me today? What changes do they bring to my life?

LOCKER ROOM: Is there anything this week that you have been enslaved to, and how we can help you?

 

Proverbs 3:5-6, 28:14

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart

And do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He will make your paths straight.”

“How blessed is the man who fears always,

But he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.”

Q: In this passage, what does it meant to trust the Lord? What are some areas of your life that you find difficult to trust the Lord with?

Psalm 17:10-12

“They have closed their unfeeling heart,

With their mouth they speak proudly.

They have now surrounded us in our steps;

They set their eyes to cast us down to the ground.

He is like a lion that is eager to tear,

And as a young lion lurking in hiding places.”

Psalm 139:23-24

“Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me and know my anxious thoughts;

And see if there be any hurtful way in me,

And lead me in the everlasting way.”

Q: The individual in Psalm 17 has a heart that is closed to God while the individual in Psalm 139 has a heart that is open to God. How do you know if your heart is closed or open to God?

 

Picture

Matthew 13:14

“In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says,‘You will keep on hearing, but will not understand; You will keep on seeing, but will not perceive…’”

Matthew 7:7

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”

Q: Again, Matthew 13 talks about a person with a closed heart to God, while Matthew 7 talks about a person with an open heart to God. What do these verses say about a closed heart and an open heart?

Luke 7:13

“When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, and said to her, ‘Do not weep.’”

Q: What does this verse say about the heart of Jesus? How does your heart respond to others, especially those on the fringe of society?

 

Paul

Hebrews 3:12-15

“Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end, while it is said…”

Q: How do we keep our hearts from becoming hardened? Are there any areas of your heart that are currently hardened to God?

 

Peter

Hebrews 4:5-7 & 18

“…and again in this passage, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’ Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly had good news preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience, He again fixes a certain day, ‘Today,’ saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before,’Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.’”

Q: Do you need God to soften your heart? Are there any family members or friends that your heart is hardened toward?

APPLICATION: How do these passages relate to me today? What changes do they bring to my life?

LOCKER ROOM: Is there anything this week that you have been enslaved to, and how we can help you?