MADE WHOLE: I’ve Had Enough!
Speaker: Daniel Erasmus
Worship: As you prepare your hearts for Life Group or during your quiet time, listen to the worship song
“Something Good by Gateway Worship” This song reminds us of how God always has our best interests at heart. That He makes a way where there seems to be no way, that He will never leave us, and His love constantly surrounds us.
Check-In: Share what your week was like focusing on God’s truth instead of on the devil’s lies. What have you put in place to try and align yourself with who you are in Christ?
Bible Readings: Read Proverbs 27:1; Philippians 4:4-7; 1 Kings 19:3-5; 1 Kings 19:11-12; 1 Kings 19: 5-6;
Psalm 127:2; Isaiah 43:1-2; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17; Psalm 27:14
Preparation and Discussion for Group Time:
In the first book of Kings, we see Elijah performing many miracles by the Power of God. Yet when Jezebel appeared on the scene, he fell apart and became despondent. He became so frustrated that he was even willing to die. Ps Daniel highlighted 4 mistakes Elijah made while experiencing worry and anxiety. Look at which ones you could possibly identify with.
- The first mistake is that “we wear ourselves out”. Elijah in his anxiety ran 160 km to escape Jezebel. He kept moving to the point where he was completely exhausted and willing to lie down and die. Are there things in your life that are keeping you busy and that you’re allowing to distract you from your circumstances? Are these things also keeping you from spending time with God? Sometimes we can be busy with God’s work (serving) but not busy with God at all. Be vulnerable as you share with the group what these are and what you can do to eliminate or reduce them.
- Another one of the mistakes we make is to isolate ourselves or “we shut people out”. Yet, we know that we cannot do life on our own, we need a community of believers to “belong”. While shutting people out another mistake we make is to “focus on the negative”. We see Elijah saying that he is not better than his father or their ancestors. What are some of the negative thoughts you focus on when feeling anxious and overwhelmed? What are some of the positive thoughts or words you can replace them with? Look at the list of scriptures in the “Checkout prayer” for some affirming truths from the Word of God.
- The last mistake we make is that “we forget God”. We can often forget to focus on our Creator amidst our anxiety. The “outside noise” from our circumstances and the devil easily distracts us. But our Heavenly Father never leaves us and is at times just whispering to us. (1 Kings 19: 11-12). Sometimes we need to adjust our posture so we can position ourselves to hear God’s whisper. What posture change do you need to make to lean into God to hear Him more clearly?
- With each of these mistakes, Ps Daniel shared 4 tools to help us combat them. Have a look at the list below and identify which one (if not all) you can apply to your current circumstance. Discuss them in your group.
i) PAUSE (Rest) – Instead of running away, run to God and find rest. (1 Kings 19:5-6 and Psalm 127:2)
ii) PERSPECTIVE – Keep your focus on who is with you (who is in control) and not on the situation/anxiety (Isaiah 43:1-2)
ii) PRAY – Prayer is our first response and not our last resort. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-17)
iv) PATIENCE – God’s timing is always perfect; we are called to be patient and wait. (Psalm 27:14)
Check out and Prayer:
As you check out, go around the group and identify one area that you will focus on improving this week by applying one of the tools mentioned above.
Who I am in Christ (taken from the Freedom Notes):
- I am God’s child – John 1:12
- I am complete in Christ – Colossians 2:10
- I cannot be separated from the love of God – Romans 8:35-39
- I have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love, and self-control – 2 Timothy 1:7
- I can find grace and mercy to help in time of need – Hebrews 4:16
- I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me – Philippians 4:13
Love God:
The memory verse for this week is 1 Philippians 4: 6-7 (ESV) “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.”
For personal study, here are suggested YouVersion devotionals:
Love People:
There are several next steps you can take on your discipleship journey over the coming weeks:
- take a step of obedience – Baptism.
- sponsor a teen to attend Elevate “Imagine” Camp 2023 or sign up to serve.
- sign up to be part of the Christmas Production.
- sign up online via Church Center or the website.
