Truth: If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. James 1:5 NLT
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Why is it important to surround ourselves with people who are wise?
Some of us may not think of ourselves as wise. Fortunately, wisdom is a trait we can develop. Scripture mentions a couple of ways we can grow in wisdom.
Truth: Many people say, “Who will show us better times?” Let your face smile on us, LORD. You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine. In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O LORD, will keep me safe.
Psalm 4:6-7 NLT
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Can you truly be happy apart from God?
Why or why not?
Psalm 68:3 declares that the righteous will be glad and celebrate because of God. He is the reason for our joy and our salvation. He gives us purpose and life. Those who do not believe often try to fill their lives with other things, but they ultimately are unsatisfied. –
Think about your life, or more specifically your day, and make a list of things that make you happy. Now, what if all those things were stripped away from you, could you still be happy? Would the day be a good day, or a bad day? Would life still be worth living? I fear that many of us would answer those questions with an unapologetic, “no.” –
Read: James 1:2-4 and 12, Romans 5:3-5, 1 Peter 4:12-13 and SOAP: James 1:2-4
Truth: Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
James 1:2-4
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
How is it possible to be joyful during hard times?
Most of us do not sing praises when a nail punctures the tire of our car on the drive to work or when we lose a job. Instead, we get frustrated at our situation. Yet, we can experience joy in trials. –
Read: Proverbs 31:30, Psalm 39:4 and SOAP: 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Truth: So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.-
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NET
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
What lies do you believe about your body and your health?
What is the truth according to Scripture?
On average, an American woman spends $313 per month on her appearance. However, this high price of vanity does not guarantee happiness. Proverbs 31:30 tells us that our beauty fades. We cannot trust in it to bring us everlasting joy. –
I would never tell Him that He made a flower the wrong color or made a mountain too tall or too wide but yet I looked at myself and could only see the flaws. –
Read: Ecclesiastes 3:11, Luke 12:15 and SOAP: Matthew 6:19-21
Truth: Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
Matthew 6:19-21 NLT
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Why can’t possessions provide us with the happiness we long for?
– the items we accumulate do not fill our spiritual void. Jesus taught on maintaining a proper perspective of possessions. Ultimately, our wealth and our lives belong to God.
Read: Ecclesiastes 5:10, Hebrews 13:5 and SOAP: Hebrews 13:5
Truth: Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness!
(Hebrews 13:5) NLT
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Why shouldn’t we love money?
What is a proper view of money?
King Solomon, the wealthiest and wisest king of Israel, said in Ecclesiastes 5:10 that the person who loves wealth will never be satisfied. How much do you rely on money for your own satisfaction?
People like money, but it can only bring superficial, temporary happiness. It cannot bring joy or contentment. And, money can too easily be a stumbling block for us and become an idol in our lives.
Read: Genesis 50:19-21; 1 Peter 2:22-23; Philippians 1:12-14; Psalms 10:14; and SOAP: Isaiah 43:18-19
Truth: “But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.”
Isaiah 43:18-19
While we cannot control what happens to us, we do have a choice in how we respond. We can either allow our pain to keep us in our past, or we can choose to move forward in faith trusting God to redeem our pain and bring beauty out of ashes.
Recently, I’ve been seeing a lot of women walk through incredible pain. -Not one story is alike and yet they all have one thing in common: they are broken.
Lie: I can’t be confident in the things God has called me to do
Read and SOAP: 2 Corinthians 3:4-5
TRUTH: We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. NLT
2 Corinthians 3:4-5
What do you think?
God call us to do many different things, Why should our confidence not be found in ourselves?
In whom should we find our confidence?
How will this affect our work?
Have you ever known what God wanted you to do in life, but were afraid you were incapable of completing His calling?
Read: Proverb 16:18; John 15:5; James 1:17; and SOAP: John 15:5
TRUTH: “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
John 15:5
It is no wonder that success can be addictive. But we must remember that achievements do not define us.
It’s crazy how easily we can talk ourselves into wanting to be more, have more, and do more. We’re bombarded with the lie that our worldly success defines us.