Leonard Ravenhill said, “Five minutes inside eternity and we will wish we had sacrificed more, wept more, grieved more, loved and prayed more and given more.”
We must purpose to live our lives in light of eternity allowing God’s priorities to shape our perpsectives!
Luke 24:32 They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" NIV
What does it look like for you to live a life that is consumed w God? This is a place where reading your Bible and praying in a way that awakens a burning heart and you choose daily to be a person who lives in God’s presence.
A speech pathologist will tell you that if a child is having a hard time speaking correctly they don't first check the tongue. They first check the ears. What you're speaking is the result of what you're hearing.
This is why Jesus tells us to be careful what we hear in Luke 8:18. Jesus is concerned with the input of our lives because the input of our lives determines the output of our lives.
When the input of your life has eternal value the output of your life will have supernatural power.
James 3:4-5 A small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. 5 In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. NLT
The tongue seems tiny in comparison to the body but has great power in regard to your future. Winds are going to blow and storms are going to come into your life. Resist the temptation to rehearse the storms. When storms come you actually need to steer your boat into the waves to keep it from capsizing.
In other words don’t just drift through storms hoping they go away. Turn directly into that storm and rise up in a declaration that speaks directly to whatever challenge has come your way! Stop complaining & start believing! Make an attractive sound that attracts the right realm into your life! Complaining attracts darkness. Faith attracts the light!
You have the God-given capacity to keep your peace and calm the storm – if the input of your life is right.
Josh 1:8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. (NIV)
Joel 3:10 “…Let the weak say I am strong!”
Ps 91:2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." (NIV)
Psalm 118:2-4 “Let Israel say: “His love endures forever.” Let the house of Aaron say: “His love endures forever.” Let those who fear the Lord say: “His love endures forever.”” NIV
We Bring GP2RL Action Point:
Purpose every day to rehearse the mind of God as you rehearse specific verses from God’s Word. Consider taking the Turn The Page Challenge.
DISCUSSION GUIDE FOR COMMUNITY GROUP LEADERS
Click here for a downloadable pdf file of this guide.
LEADER’S NOTES: In this season we are focusing on what it means to live our lives in light of eternity. Eternal priorities enlarge life’s perspective well beyond where temporal priorities exist. Our hearts were made to be enlarged by Christ, and all creation cannot replace his supremacy.
Knowing the supremacy of Christ enlarges the soul so that the world and its little thrills become as small as they really are. The human soul was made to see and savor the supremacy of Christ. Nothing else is big enough to enlarge the soul as God intended and make little lusts lose their power.
THE POINT: We are created to behold the eternal perspective of God. When we do this it changes our world from the inside out.
DISCUSSION OPENER:
1. What are some common phrases your family used when you were growing up that are unique to you and your family?
What you hear on a regular basis is what you will say without thinking anything about it. This is why it is so important that we be listening to God’s guidance and direction every single day of our lives. God’s guidance is discovered by consistently reading God’s Word and spending time in prayer practicing the presence of God as a lifestyle.
Hearing the right things positions us to then begin to say the right things and what we say is truly important.
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
2. What stands out to you in the following three verses?
Ps 91:2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” NIV
Lam 3:24 I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” NIV
Joel 3:10 “…Let the weak say, ‘I am strong!’ NIV
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
3. Share a time when you saw somebody stay positive in a negative situation.
4. What are some ways you can work to be more positive about what you’re saying in every situation?
In many ways you are a prophet of your own future. People who predict hardship and people who prophesy greatness in their lives both seem to be right. It is very important to make sure you are thinking thoughts that are positive so you are saying things that are aligning to God’s plans in your life.
The Lord’s Prayer is where Jesus taught the disciples how to pray. It is important to note that Jesus specifically said to “say” when you pray:
Luke 11:2 Jesus said to them, “When you pray, say (Our Father in Heaven hallowed be your name…)
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
5. Conclude by asking people to pray out loud as you close.
We Bring GP2RL Action Point:
Purpose every day to rehearse the mind of God as you rehearse specific verses from God’s Word.
Consider taking the Turn The Page Challenge.