Life Group - Study Guides

Have you ever felt like real, effective prayer is for the “professionals”? Both Matthew and Luke record the disciples asking Jesus to teach them to pray. He did just that: The Lord’s Prayer is that model prayer for us. It is not what to pray but how to pray. It is a lovely, unifying prayer when Christians of many denominations gather for a service or memorial. Even in our private prayer times, Jesus’ prayer is the template, not just the recitation, that we should use to develop our own prayer life with the Father. He wants us to pray effectively!

Do you ever feel like you are missing something? You're doing what you think is right, but God is not showing up in miraculous ways. He seems silent and you feel defeated. Maybe it’s time to study and see exactly what God wants from us.

Jesus gives us the ultimate example of what it means to be a servant: He taught, healed, and cared for all types of people. More than that, He laid His life down for us all. If we want to follow Jesus, He calls us to live as He lived: being a servant in every room and every aspect of our lives. Let's look at scripture and discuss how we can apply this in our lives.

We tend to think of worship as a song set in the weekly service, or something we can watch but not take part in doing. Real worship—worship in spirit and in truth—comes from a heart that is earnestly seeking God throughout the days and weeks. It’s not limited to an hour at the church building. This week, we are challenged to build an altar and worship continually with our lives.

We all grow tired of even the best things. It can also be true of our faith. This week, we learned that we must be intentional about keeping our hearts tuned to God. When our faith becomes dry and boring, we must seek Him to find joy in His presence. Let’s learn how to keep our hearts tender and seeking after God.

No matter if they were hurtful (“good-for-nothing”) or exaggerated (“Hey, Princess!”), the labels attributed to us can affect our lives. We live up to them. We see ourselves as our worst critics see us, or we become entitled—just as doting adults taught us to be. The way to break free of labels and live up to God’s best for us is to look to Him for our worth. What does He say about you? Once you know, you can be confident in that identity.

Life is hard and we have difficult tasks ahead of us: finishing the project, healing a relationship, starting a business, even quitting a career to go back to school! This saying is healthy: “We can do hard things.” However, many of us struggle with starting or completing the dreams God has given us. God has a strategy and has supplied all the resources you need to do all He has put in your heart to do.

Much of the stress we have about money and finances comes from fear. Will I have enough? Am I a success? Am I providing for my family and giving them a great life? We need to replace fear with confidence and satisfaction. God is our help and our provider. He never meant for us to handle this pressure. He has a plan to free us from stress. In fact, He will provide all we need for a life that honors Him.

All throughout the Bible, mighty men and women of the Bible have failed, gotten up, and trusted God again. Failure is not the end: it is a wonderful teacher...if you know how to “win at failing.” God’s plan for following Him leads us back to success as we obey His directions.

Jesus told us that in this world we would have trouble. He also said that He was sharing this odd bit of news with us so that “in Me you may have peace.” God loves you. He knows your pain, stress, and struggles. Jesus has overcome the world and death, yet we still suffer today. Paul gives us the strategy for releasing those anxieties and fears and focusing on God.