Desperation is ATTRACTIVE to Jesus. Turn your desperation towards your Savior.

• What thoughts or images come to mind when you hear the word desperation?
• To you, what does it mean to be desperate?
• Why would desperation be attractive to Jesus? Share a few positive outcomes that can result from desperation.

” I needed to turn off the noise.” - Tammy Harner

• What negative “noise” is present/loudest in your life?
• How does the level of negative noise effect the relationships in your life?
• In what ways does it change the actions in your daily life?

Medicating is a natural response to the pressures and problems of life. Some people choose destructive habits and behavior patterns. However, not all methods of medication is as easy to identify. First Corinthians 10:23 says that “not everything is constructive or beneficial.”

• Are there habits and/or activities that are excessively present in your life that could be the result of self medicating? If you’re not sure, ask a close friend or family member. Give them permission to speak a brutally honest truth.

• Discuss the difference between medicating and compensating.

• What lies/hurts from your past have carried over into your present?

“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed -not only in my presence, but now much more in absence - continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, of it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” Phil. 2:12-13

• What are you doing to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling”?
• What areas of your life have you experienced victory?
• What areas of your life is God is working and moving?

The answer to your problems is found in the TRUTH of who Jesus Christ becomes in your life.

What if Jesus really is WHO HE SAYS HE IS.

• How could those two truths impact how you view yourself? your family? your job?

The God of the universe is ready to meet you.

•What step do you need to take this week to change your focus from your situation to an attitude of desperation for Jesus?

Spend a few minutes praying for you the individuals in your group. If your group is willing share specific needs.

A lie believed as truth has the power to control your life.

“As a man thinks in his heart so is he.” Proverbs 23:7

Lie: I’m Not Good Enough

Share a time when this lie played a role in your personal life. How did the lie effect your thoughts? At your job? With your family?

Which of these thought patterns do you most identify with?
Inferiority, Insecurity, Guilt, Worry

We have two options in our response to this lie;

1. I can Preform Better

Take a quick survey of your group; how many of us have ever tried to attain something (affection, praise, or attention) by preforming better (working harder, joining more activities, or committing time/attention/resources to tasks)

What results did you see after your effort to preform better? What was the cost of preforming better?

2. Receive - A new life that comes from a new system.

We live in a society that defines us by what we do or what we have. The type of car we drive, how far we throw a football, our kid’s GPAs, and the size of our house play factors in how society defines who we are.

As believers in Christ, what (or whom) defines our identity?

If God the Father, through his Holy Word, is the only one who defines us, what steps can we take to live in His definition of us and not the world’s? Why

The only healthy option is to reject the system and receive Christ.
What does it look like to reject the system our society has set up to define us?

What thoughts or reactions did you have to Reemah’s story during Toby’s message? If you didn’t get a chance to see the testimony follow the link below to view the video on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVqRMxS8M4Q

The Truth that counteracts this week’s lie is a simple one: You Are Not Good Enough, None of Us Are

Nothing we can say or do will earn more love or acceptance from God. God’s love for us is extravagant in the face that we do not earn it. The amount He loves us is not based on how many times we pray or how often we mess up. His love is always available to those who seek Him. Once we begin to grasp this truth our personal lives can be radically changed.

What can you do this week to remind yourself of this truth? Is there anyone in your life that needs to hear this truth? What can you do to share this truth with others? Share a moment or season of your life when God’s love for you made an impact on you or your family?

Toby posed a question that God had asked him many years ago. God asked Toby, “Are You Done Yet?”
How does that question resonate with you?

What steps can this group do this week, to help each other live in God’s truth rather than the lies of the enemy?

Spend a few minutes praying together.

“As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”  Proverbs 10:7

“Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” Matthew 16:17-18

What are some of the lies that others have said about who you are that you have unintentionally lived out? 

How have your beliefs about yourself changed as you have the learned the truth about who God says you are?

The truth, “I am chosen” should impact how we see ourselves.  How does our world change when we believe this truth at our core? What images come to mind when you here the truth I Am Chosen?

Deny the lie..Matthew 16:24

After recognizing the lies that are said about us, we are able to stand firm against them.  We will need to deny them daily.  What are action steps you can take every day to deny those lies? What practices do you had in place within your daily life to hear God’s Truth?

Hear a new voice…Romans 8:16

Some of the old voices we have listened to in the past can continue to speak too loudly in our lives?  How can we proactively surround ourselves with new voices?
How are you connecting to God during the week?

Cross Timbers Denton has Uprising groups that meet on Tuesday and Thursday nights at 7pm. If you are interested in more information, please contact: dentongroups@crosstimberschurch.org.