5.21.13
Self Esteem
It
can be discouraging sometimes in school when you feel like there are
people all around you who are better than you.
We have all been down on
ourselves at one point whether it’s because of our looks, how smart
we are or how athletic we are. Studies have actually proven that
girls have lower self-esteem than boys, which causes us to be more
depressed as well. In high school, there is a huge amount of pressure
to fit in with the crowd, but is that what God really wants us to do?
Tonight we will take a look at how to be more confident, realize your
inner and outer beauty, and what God says about who we are.
- What does God have to say about us? Proverbs 31:10-11, 1 Peter 3:3-4
- Do you think as Christians we realize everyday how much God loves us? Do you think people who aren’t Christians realize how special they are as well?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Here
are some things that we need to keep in mind when it comes to being
confident woman in Christ:
- In God’s eyes, we are wonderfully and fearfully made! Psalms 139:14
- What matters is what God thinks of us, not our peers and others who judge us.
Think
about a Christian woman that you know or who are close with that you
really admire. What qualities does she have that you admire the most?
What about her do you love and think is acceptable and pleasing in
God’s eyes?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Now,
think about your. List the qualities that you love about yourself and
things that you think are pleasing to God.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Review
your list of qualities of both the Christian woman you chose and
yourself. Circle the qualities that you have in common. How many
qualities do you share? ___ Then, highlight the qualities that you
want to apply to your life. How do you think you can apply these?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Personal
assessment:
- Do you think that you have a high self-esteem? Why or why not?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
- Do you think there is a difference between having a high self-esteem and being cocky? How can you tell the difference if you think there is one?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Prayer
requests:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Whenever
you feel unloved, unimportant, or insecure, remember to whom you
belong.”
5.27.13
Sex Before Marriage
In
high school and college, sex is something that is often talked about
and encouraged by the people around you. Society and entertainment
have put a face on sex before marriage that it is acceptable and
should be practiced, not considering what God has commanded us to do.
As Christian women, we need to understand that this is clearly not
God's plan for us! In this study we will look into what God says
about sex before marriage, ways to avoid temptation, and things to
think about when it comes to sex.
- What does God say about sex before marriage? 1 Corinthians 6:18, 1 Corinthians 6:9, 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5
- Why do you think that people ignore what God has said and engage in sexual activity?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
As
Christians, we are commanded to be in the world and not of it. So
with all this sexual immorality around us, how can we abstain from
sinning?
- Surround yourself with good, moral people.
- Think about your future marriage.
- Wear modest clothing: If you dress immodestly, boys will be more likely be tempted to lust after you and try to get you to sin.
- Pray, pray, pray!! 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
- Anymore ideas? _________________________________________________________.
Things
to keep in mind when it comes sexual immorality:
- Satan is always waiting for the right moment to tempt you, he doesn't take a lunch break. 2 Corinthians 11:14
- If you are choosing to be with someone who is not a Christian, you need to make sure you are communicating with him on your morals when it comes to sex before you get into the relationship. This is extremely important.
- Remember that you are not alone in your struggles! Your Christian sisters are in the battlefield with you. If you are struggling, don't be afraid to talk about it.
- Once you are sexually immoral, you can't take it back. God will forgive you if you ask for repentance, but the consequences will follow you throughout the rest of your life.
- Our bodies are not our own, it is God’s! This means that we are to be selfless, not to be selfish. If we are, that is sin. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.
Think
about someone who you know around your age who has had sex before
they were married. Ask yourself these things: What did they benefit
from it? Are they still with the person that they had sex with? Are
they praising God with their actions? We
need to learn from what we see around us! Realize all the negative
effects that these decisions made in their life and know that God has
given us these commands for a reason! He loves you, and His way is
the best and only way to live a pure life. 1
John 4:19
Personal-assessment:
- As a Christian, how do you plan to stay firm on your stand to be celibate? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
- Is sex personally a temptation for you? Why or why not? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
- Write down some ways that you can help encourage your friends from sexually sinning.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
Prayer
requests:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
“Maintaining
a celibate relationship is hard, that’s why standards must be set
and God has to be centered.”
6.4.13
Dating
When
it comes to dating, things can get a little tricky. You know what you
want in a guy: a love for God, good character, honesty, humor, good
looks, the list goes on and on. It can be discouraging as Christian
girls though to live in a place where there seem to be no Christian
guys. A recent study that was conducted actually showed that only 5%
of people who live in Nevada let alone go to church, and that goes
for all religions! It’s hard to think that God has someone for you
in a place where God doesn’t even seem to exist in people’s
lives. It can also be difficult to decide when you are ready to date,
and when it’s appropriate to be in a relationship. In this study,
we will talk about how to not be discouraged, things to think about
when it comes to dating, and how we can make the right decisions that
glorify God.
- Do you think it’s okay to date when you’re in high school? Or even in middle school? Why or why not?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
- What is the purpose of dating someone?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
- Something to think about… “Dating without the intent of getting married is like going to the grocery store with no money, you either leave unsatisfied or you take something that isn’t yours.”
It
can be difficult to want to be in a relationship when you are single.
Here are some things to think about when you get down:
- Remind yourself that God knows what is in your heart, there is no need to worry! Psalms 37:4-6
- Pray, pray, pray!!
- If you really want to meet some new Christian people, there are several churches in places like California and Oregon that you can go visit. Put yourself out there!
- Remember, you already have the greatest love of all! Jesus died for us, that is the greatest love we could ever receive. John 3:16
If
or whenever you have started liking a guy who is not a Christian, we
need to keep in mind some things that are important:
- Marriage will be hard for someone who is not married to a Christian, and also on their children. 1 Corinthians 7:12-16
- Dating someone who is not a Christian can be very hard. Don’t let them take you away from your faith, stay strong! Encourage them to be interested in your faith, not the other way around. If you are dating someone who is not a Christian make sure they are open to studying about God and are interested in hearing the word.
Self-assessment:
- Have you ever been in a relationship with someone who was not a Christian? If so, how did it benefit you or the person you were with?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
- Make a list of things that you personally want in a guy. Look back on these things when you are interested in someone. Do not settle! If they don’t fit these requirements, don’t pursue it. God will give you exactly what you need.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
Prayer
requests:
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Dance
with God and he will let the perfect man cut in.”
6.11.13
Focusing During Worship
During
services, it can be so difficult to focus. There are so many
distractions during worship, as well as things you do that can hinder
your mindset when you go to church. This can become a huge problem
that should be addressed, but it can be hard to talk about with
someone. In this study, we will talk about going through the motions
on the Lord’s day, where our hearts should be during worship, and
how we can better our focus when it comes to services.
- What does God say about how we should worship?
John
4:24
- According to this passage, if your spirit is not involved during worship, is your heart really in it? Is that acceptable in God’s eyes?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
- In Philippians 1:27, it says that we should be “standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, striving side by side for the faith of the gospel.” How do you think we can be like this? Or if you already are, how do you think you can encourage others to worship this way?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
- Worship is a time to ask God for forgiveness, a chance to be closer with God, to give God our glory, to take the Lord’s supper, etc. Worship needs to be a serious matter that we take to heart and be mature about.
1
Corinthians 14:20
Here
are several ideas on how to stay more focused
during worship:
- Think about the example you are setting for younger girls who are looking up to you. Are you modeling how a Christian should act during services?
- Hold each other accountable. When you see a fellow Christian messing around on their phone or whispering a lot with their neighbor, let them know (in a KIND manner) that they are hindering your worship. It’s always hard to be corrected if you are the one at fault, but in the end the person correcting you is saying something because it’s necessary and important!
- Don’t give yourself the opportunity to be distracted. For example if you get distracted by little babies, don’t sit next to them. If drawing can be a bad habit of yours, don’t bring paper to doodle on, etc. etc.
- If you notice that you go through the motions during services, pray about it!
- Anymore ideas? _____________________________________________
Self-assessment:
- Do you find yourself “going through the motions” during services? If yes, why do you think you do so?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
- When using an iPhone, iPod, iPad etc. for a bible, is it more tempting for you to check your messages or play games? Does technology during services have effect on you at all?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
Prayer
requests:
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Life
is like a camera lens. Focus only on what’s important and you will
capture it perfectly.”
6.18.13
Tattoos & Piercings
As
I’m sure you have all noticed that a current trend in our
generation is to get tattooed and pierced. Over the years it has
become a controversial topic in the church. As Christians, some of us
might be thinking about getting our nose pierced or getting a tattoo
of a special quote. In this study tonight, we will be learning more
about this topic, taking a look at if getting pierced and tattooed is
sinful and respecting our parents wishes.
- Is it a sin to get or be tattooed and pierced?
No.
It does not directly say in the bible that it is a sin, but many
people use Leviticus
19:28
to say that it is. This verse is in the Old Testament, and is where
God is telling the Israelites to not tattoo or pierced themselves
because during that time in their culture, people were doing this to
be worshiping dead people. God didn’t want others to look at them
and think they were worshiping the dead and not him, which is why he
commanded them not to.
When
thinking about getting a tattoo or/and piercing done, we need to be
thinking about a few things.
- Just because it is not a sin to be tattooed or pierced, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have the opportunity to be.
- Is this going to be glorifying God? 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
- What are the main reasons or the purpose of wanting to get this done?
- If we are altering our appearance, is it in a positive way? Would people feel comfortable approaching us and talking to us?
- Is my placement for the tattoo or piercing appropriate?
- Are you respecting your parents wishes? Romans 17:29-32,
Ephesians
6:1-3
Self-assessment:
- Have you ever wanted to get a tattoo or piercing done before? Why? If you already have one, do you regret it?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
- Do you honestly find it hard to visualize a Christian being covered in tattoos and piercings? Would you feel comfortable talking to someone who did?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
Prayer
requests:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6.25.13
Relationship with Your Sisters
One
of the wonderful things about baptism is that when you are baptized,
you become a part of family. It’s amazing how many wonderful,
Christian people you will meet, know and love. Although this is a
very positive and necessary part of our lives, it can be hard to get
along with your sisters in Christ. But it’s also important for us
to realize that we are all in this journey together. In this study we
will be talking about what our relationships should be like, how we
can build up one another, and how to deal with some difficult
situations.
- What does God say about what our relationship with Christians should be like?
Philippians
2:4, Romans 12:10, Romans 12:15
- Do you know any older Christian women in our church (or other churches) who have this kind relationship with their sisters? Explain what they do for each other and how they act.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
- A lot of the times, as women, we can feel alone. School can be overwhelming, work can be stressful, people can be frustrating, and the list goes on and on. As Christians though, it’s our job to build one another up, especially as sisters in Christ! We are all in this together, and taking the time to pray for one another is something very important, especially when we are angry with eachother. James 5:16
Although
we are sisters, not every Christian woman you are going to meet you
are going to get along with. It can be hard and discouraging to have
negative feelings toward someone, but we need to remember what God
has commanded us to do! John
13: 34-35
- Can we still dislike our brethren, but love them as well?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
Personal-assessment:
- List 6 things that encourage you personally that a can sister can do to help you during difficult times.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
- Is there a Christian woman that you don’t know very well? Why do you think this is?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
- How often do you really pray for your sisters in Christ?
_________________________________________________________
Prayer
requests:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“A
friend hears the song in your heart and sings it back to
you
when you forget the words.”
7.2.13
Watching What You Post
Thanks to technology,
almost all of us have a serious attachment when it comes to things
such as iPhones, iPads, laptops, smart phones, etc. Although these
nifty devices can be helpful and fun to use, sometimes we can caught
up in the moment of them when posting things. In this study, we will
talk about what God says about using bad language, things to think
about before you post, and how to deal with others who are not
posting things that are acceptable according to God’s word.
- What does God have to say about using bad language?
Exodus
20:7, Matthew 12: 36-37, Ecclesiastes 5:2-3, Ecclesiastes 5:6
- Why do you personally believe girls post inappropriate pictures and statuses?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
- Some people use good language when they are talking with you, but on things like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc. they use bad language, why do you think this is the case?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
God has clearly told
us to not say His name in vain, to use inappropriate language, and
that we are going to be held accountable for our words. Although it
can be tempting, we need to understand as Christians that we need to
be a positive influence on our peers and to represent ourselves in a
Godly way. 1
Timothy 4:12
Some things to think
about:
- If we are posting bad language only on certain apps or websites because our Christian friends or family can’t see them, remember that God is the one watching you every second. You’ve already been “caught”, so don’t post it!
- Make sure to look at who you are “following” or who you are “friends” with. If they are constantly posting things that are not okay, evaluate your reasons for being in contact with that person. Are their posts influencing you in a good way? Is it what you should be looking at?
- Evaluate before you post: Is this going to glorify God? Am I representing myself as a Christian? Is this going to encourage those around me?
- If you see language that it not okay, or photos that you don’t think should be seen, say something about it! Don’t be afraid to speak up and say stop.
Pictures can also be a
trap that the devil wants you to fall in! Posting “selfies” every
now and then or what you’re eating for lunch is okay, but we need
to make sure that we are not being self-centered or taking our focus
away from God. Again, we need to think about what our purpose is for
these photos. Are we posting because we want to show off our new
outfit and brag? Are we showing a little too much cleavage because we
haven’t been feeling great about ourselves lately? Think about it!
Personal-assessment:
- Look through some photos that you have posted online or on apps. What could you improve on?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
- Think of some people you know that post things that are not according to God’s word. How can you help them and encourage them to post appropriate things?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
Prayer
requests:
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“If
only our tongues were made of glass,
how
much more careful we would be when we speak.”
7.9.13
Modesty – Clothing
As
Christians, it can be hard to make the right decisions when it comes
to clothing. There are trends all around us that we see and like, but
are our choices pleasing to God? Tonight we will take a look at what
God has to say about how we present ourselves, tips on how to dress
appropriately, and what we don’t want to look like!
- Revelation 17:4
- How do you think this verse is relevant to how things are today when it comes to modesty and how women present themselves?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
- In Proverbs 31:17, it says that a woman who fears the Lord dresses herself with strength. Do you think that as Christians, we dress ourselves this way? Have you seen Christian girls who haven’t?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
When
it comes to how we present ourselves, it’s important to understand
that we are not only representing who we are, but what God finds
acceptable in His eyes! We should be an example to others, especially
to those who do not know God. Proverbs
31:25
Besides
God’s disapproval of presenting ourselves as sexy or provocative,
what are some other good reasons to not dress immodestly that you can
think of?
- _______________
- _______________
- _______________
- _______________
- _______________
- _______________
Some
things to keep in mind:
- If you are hesitating whether or not something is immodest, it most likely isn’t okay. Either find a way to adjust the clothing to make it look better, or toss it. Don’t let a t-shirt cause a guy you might know to lust! Titus 2:4-6, Matthew 5:27-28
- When putting on a new outfit, it can definitely make you feel more confident. Is it making you feel more confident though, for the right reasons? For example, is your cleavage showing a little more than usual, and that’s why you’re feeling better about yourself?
- Shop with Christian friends or someone that you trust, that way before you buy something, you can ask them if you think it is immodest. They will give you honest feedback!
- Remember that you don’t want to be this girl! Proverbs 5:1-6
- We don’t want to our clothing to lead to these things. Galatians 5:19
- Anymore thoughts? _________________________________________________________.
Self-assessment:
- Is modesty something that you personally struggle with? If yes, why do you think this is?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
- Do you think you could ever find the courage to tell someone who is not a Christian that they are dressed immodestly?
_________________________________________________________.
Prayer
requests:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Would
you feel comfortable with what your wearing in the Lord’s
presence?”
7.16.13
Staying Close with God
Living
in a world full of sin is such a temptation. Whether it’s music,
friends, television, guys, parties, etc, it’s difficult at times to
even feel like God is with you. When we go through hard times, it’s
easy to give up, skip church, and stay home. But what we need to
realize is that we need God in our life. He is our number one
“cheerleader”, and he wants us to put our trust in him especially
when we are struggling. Tonight in our study we will talk about ways
to stay close to God during difficult times, and things that we need
to do to have a relationship with God.
- How do we know God is the one we should turn to when we are hurting or struggling? James 4:7-8
- Think about someone you know who doesn’t even have a relationship with God. Do you think that because they don’t have God in their lives that they suffer? Is this suffering now or will it be later?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Things
to keep in mind when you are not feeling close to God:
- Read James 1:17. If everything good and perfect is from God, we need to put our faith and love in Him.
- God does not approve of sin, so how could we possibly feel close to him if we are doing these things? Galatians 5:20
- How often are you praying? Matthew 6:6, 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18
- How often are you studying? 2 Timothy 2:15, Psalms 119:11
- How often are you going to worship? Psalms 150:1-6, John 4:23-24
- How often are you in contact outside of church with your Christian family? Do you even have a relationship with the people in your congregation?
- The most important relationship we can have is with God. If our hearts are not right, there is an issue!
Self-assessment:
- Can it be hard for you to sometimes go to worship?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
- What could you personally improve on when it comes to being on fire for God and having a relationship with Him?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Prayer
requests:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“The
bible is meant to be bread for daily use, not just cake for special
occasions.”
7.23.13
Under the Influence
One
of the biggest temptations for most teenagers or young adults in high
school and college is drinking and doing drugs. The “party”
lifestyle that we can be exposed to is hard to deal with when it
feels like a lot of your peers do it, when you want to fit in, or
just let loose. In this study tonight we will be discussing how to
stay away from these things, how and why it is a sin, and how we can
be a positive influence on others.
- Where does it say drinking/doing drugs is sinful? Galatians 5:19-24,
Luke
21:34-36, Romans 13:12-13, 1 Thessalonians 5:6-8,
2
Timothy 4:5, 1 Peter 1:13, 1 Peter 4:7, 1 Peter 5:8
There
are things we need to think about when it comes to drinking or doing
drugs:
- Doing drugs and/or drinking and driving is illegal. If we do these things we are violating Romans 13:1.
- If you’re being tempted to do these things by friends, they aren’t really being your friends in the first place!
- Our hearts and mind should be focused on God, and you can’t do that while your drunk or high. Colossians 3:2
- When you lose control of yourself, things can happen that you don’t expect.
Tips
on how to stay away from getting into stuff like this:
- Surround yourself with good, moral people
- Remember what your main focus should be on, getting to heaven and worshiping God!
- Anymore ideas? _____________________________________________
Think
of a person you know or people you know who drink or do drugs. Fill
out the list of negative and positive effects that doing these things
have had on their life.
NEGATIVE POSITIVE
We
need to realize that nothing good comes from drinking or doing drugs
when it comes down to it all. It’s
just not worth it.
Every time you might feel tempted to do one of these things, take a
look at the list you just made!
Self-assessment:
- Has doing drugs or drinking ever been a temptation for you? Why or why not?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
- Do you know anyone who has been seriously addicted to drugs and/or alcohol? How did it affect you and your life?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
Prayer
requests:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Today
I shall behave as if this is the day I will be remembered.”
–Dr.Seuss
7.30.13
Bitterness in Your Heart
Sometimes
when life gets hard, it can be a struggle to not be bitter about some
things that have happened to us. A friend treats you wrong, you lose
your job, a person says something unkind about you, school is hard
with loads of homework. Sometimes it feels like everything is just
coming all at you at once, and we can even start to blame God. All of
these things can cause us to be bitter, and we carry it around with
us constantly. In this study, we will be talking about how to deal
with these feelings, what God says we need to be like, and how we can
better ourselves as Christians.
- What does God have to say about holding grudges and being mean spirited towards others? Leviticus 19:17-18, James 3:14-15
- Do you see people in you high school, college, or work that can be bitter or complain a lot? How pleasant is it to be around them?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
Here
are some things to think about when it comes to having bitterness our
heart:
- The struggle you are going through with someone is not worth risking what we have in heaven! Romans 8:18
- If you are holding a grudge towards someone, God knows your heart even when you aren’t acting on how you feel.
- Life is way too short to waste on silly things that really don’t matter. Let it go!
- If you have a problem with someone, sit down and talk about it.
- Think of the fruit of the spirit: we should have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Galatians
5:22-23
- We are commanded to love one another. Matthew 22:37-40
Self-assessment:
- Think of someone who you have been bitter about something towards you before. Have you solved this issue yet? If so, how did you? If not, what steps do you need to take to forgive this person and move forward?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
- Is it easy for you to forgive somebody? Why or why not?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Prayer
requests:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Holding
a grudge is like letting someone live rent-free in your head.”
8.6.13
Modesty – Language & Actions
We
all live in a society that believes in people speaking their mind and
doing whatever they want, and this is especially the mindset for
young adults. People can say and do horrible things to each other,
and it’s definitely discouraging to have to live in a world like
this. Not only do we have to deal with these worldly people, but we
also need to reflect on what we are doing as Christians. Do we let a
bad word come out of our mouths? Do we do things to people that we
shouldn’t? It can be hard to deal with these things, and in this
study we will be talking about how we need to be behaving when it
comes to our language and actions.
- Is it a sin to use bad language and say the Lords name in vain? Yes. Ecclesiastes 5:2, Exodus 20:7, Deuteronomy 5:11, Psalms 139:20,
Leviticus
19:12
- Do we need to restrain some of the things we want to say and do? Yes.
Proverbs
17:27-28
- Do you think people in our society act this way most of the time? Why or why not?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Some
things to keep in mind when you are thinking before you say or do
something:
- We need to glorify God with our words always. Psalms 109:30
- We need to keep our mouth shut at times! Proverbs 21:23
- When we are angry and say or do things in the moment, we are being foolish. Proverbs 18:6-7
- We should be speaking like this: Proverbs 16:24
- We need to be open to what others are trying to tell us and listen!
Proverbs
18:2
What
are some healthy, acceptable tricks or ways to handle stressful or
hard situations that you use, or you have seen others use, to help
cope with these stressful times?
___________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Self-assessment:
- Do you personally have a hard time with restraining your words and actions? When is it the hardest for you to do so?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
- Do you consider words such as “oh my gosh” “OMG” “oh my goodness” “shoot” “dang it” etc. to not be something that a Christian should say? Why?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
- Have you had someone in your life who claimed that they were Christians, yet were very harsh with their actions and used inappropriate words? How did it make you feel?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Prayer
requests:
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Be
the type of person you want to meet.”
8.13.13
Being Materialistic
One
of the biggest distractions we can have today are the materials
around us. Whether it’s clothes, phones, cars, tablets, hair
products, purses, almost everything that we can be attracted to can
lead us to be greedy and jealous of others. We live in a society
where the more money and expensive things you have, “the better you
are”. In this study tonight, we will be talking about why we
shouldn’t be or become materialistic people and why money can be
such a sinful thing to have.
- Where does it say in the bible that we need to keep ourselves away from the love of money and materialistic things? 1 Timothy 6:10, Hebrews 13:5-6, Matthew 6:24
- What should we be doing instead of focusing on worldly things?
Matthew
6:19-21
In
a world full of desirable things, we need to be able to appreciate
man made things, but at the same time have our main focus be on God
and our relationship with Him rather than worldly things. Here are
some things we need to keep in mind when we struggle with focusing on
what really matters.
- Go back and read Matthew 6:19-21
- Material things are not the only thing that can take our focus away from God, our own wishes and desires are a distraction as well. When we feel this way, we need to read Psalms 37:4-5.
- We need to be happy with what God has already given us. Luke 3:14
- This is who we don’t want to be! 2 Timothy 3:2-5
- Paul learned to be content in whatever circumstances he was in.
Philippians
4:11
Sometimes we can get
the idea in our heads that we “need” something and we obsess over
it till we get it. Are we even satisfied then? No! We want something
else, always bigger and better. What we really need is God in our
lives. Next time you find yourself desiring something and obsessing
over it, remember that God always needs to come first.
Self-assessment:
- Do you honestly think that you can be a materialistic person? Why or why not?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
- If you were given $1,000,000 right now, list the top 5 things you would do with it.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Prayer
requests:
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“The
best things in life aren’t things.”
8.20.13
Stressing Over Non Spiritual Things
With
school starting back again for most of us, it’s time to get back
into the grind of things. Whether it’s homework, tests, projects,
after school activities, it’s nearly impossible to not be stressed
when you’re in school, or just stressed in general. We end up
spending so much time worrying over things that in the end really
don’t matter. In this study tonight, we will be talking about how
to de-stress, what the bible says about our feelings, and what we all
personally struggle with when it comes to stress.
- What does God say we need to do when we are stressed, anxious, or worried about something in our lives? 1 Peter 5:6-7, John 14:27, Romans 8:6, Romans 16:20, Philippians 4:6-7, Psalms 37:5, Proverbs 16:3, Romans 12:2, James 1:2-4
Here
are some things to think about when we are consumed with feelings
that can seem difficult to handle.
- When we feel anxious, stressed, worried, etc. we need to pray!
1Thessalonians
5:17
- It’s important to remember that God wouldn’t give us a task that we can’t handle. We need to keep our faith in Him!
- When it comes to stressing out, sometimes we just need a break. We need to make time for things that can help us de-stress and let out our feelings, otherwise it can lead us into doing things we wouldn’t normally, such as saying things we don’t mean and being angry with one another.
- Talk with another Christian woman that you trust. Ask if they have gone through a similar struggle that you are going through currently. We can learn a lot from the wise, older generation of women around us!
- Any more ideas? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Self-assessment:
- List five things that stress you out the most throughout the year. Then after, list some ways that you think you could do to change how you feel.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
- Do you think you handle stressful situations easier than other people do? Why or why not?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“An
arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward. When life is dragging
you back with difficulties, it means it’s going to launch you
forward into something great. So just focus and keep aiming.”
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