under "As You Begin"
The whole idea of surrendering to someone else's control runs counter to the prevailing mind-set of our culture - we don't want anyone telling us what to do - we want to be in control of our own lives! But, paradoxically, we are never truly free until we have fully surrendered ourselves to the Word and will of God.
The thought of delving into this topic may cause some apprehension in your heart, but as you engage in this study, you will encounter a wise, loving, merciful Lord who can be trusted.
The more you fully relinquish yourself to Him, the more you will discover that He has your best interests at heart and that His will truly is "good, acceptable, and perfect" (Romans 12:2).
May your deepest heart's desire become that of the Savior who lifted His eyes heavenward, even as He faced the cross, and said, "I delight to do Your will, my God."
under "Tips for Group Leaders":
Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you through the Word, to help you be real with one another, and to bring about any needed change in each heart.
Some of the questions in this discussion guide call for a level of transparency and openness that many people are not accustomed to. Encourage the members of your group to respect each other's privacy by not discussing contributions outside the group. [I think this is very important for us.]
Let's remember that God is patient and gracious with us as He conforms us to the image of His Son, and that we need to extend the same patience and grace toward each other.
The goal is to grow together in our understanding of God and His ways and to experience individually and as a group the reality of the message of this book.
Encourage each member to read the chapter and to complete the "Making It Personal" section found at the end of most chapters.
First, read through these discussion points for the introduction:
1. The introduction distinguishes between our initial surrender to Christ as our Lord and Savior (or conversion), and a lifetime of surrender (or consecration), as we learn to live out the implications of that initial surrender. Briefly describe the setting and circumstances of your conversion - your initial surrender to Christ.
2. "The fully surrendered life is intended to be - and can be - the norm for every one of God's children" (p. 25). Do you agree with this statement? From your perspective, is the "fully surrendered life" the "norm" for most of the believers you know?
3. Review and discuss the four reasons suggested in this introduction why professing Christians may have areas of their life that are "unsurrendered" to God (pp. 22-24). Which of those four scenarios do you think are most common among "believers" whom you have observed? Could you share an illustration out of your own life of one of those scenarios?
4. Do you fear what a lifestyle of full surrender might cost you?" (p. 25). What fears might people have about fully surrendering every aspect of their lives to God? What fears have you experienced at one point or another in relation to full surrender?
5. "The truth is that resistance is far more costly than surrender" (p. 26). Share out of your personal experience either the cost of resisting God on some particular point or the blessing you have experienced through relinquishing control of some area of your life to the Lord.
6. What do you know about the heart and ways of God that should make it easier to trust Him and relinquish control to Him?
[Hang in there, ya'll. Don't be scared off by how many discussion points there are! What I want you to do is pick at least two to comment on. If you have time to comment on more - or all six of them - feel free to.]
~ a little more from Nancy Leigh ~
"A Word of Encouragement"
Don't try to talk yourself out of (or let anyone else talk you out of!) any conviction that God may be bringing to your heart. You may have made a profession of faith; others may think of you as a "good Christian". But you if you have never "waved the white flag" and surrendered your life to Christ, seek out your pastor or a mature Christian for care and counsel.
In the life of a believer, the Holy Spirit brings conviction, not condemnation. Conviction is sweet because it is accompanied by the promise of grace to change. Condemnation brings guilt (usually heaped on by the Enemy) that we will never measure up to God's demands. Without being born again and trusting God's power to change us, that would be true. Don't let condemnation rob you of the joy of this journey toward change!"
Remember: "Our God abounds in mercy and grace; He is willing to offer a full and complete pardon to those who lay down their weapons" (p. 26).
[Okay . . . keep in mind that we are all on "this journey toward change"! Let's dive into this blog discussion. Pick at least two discussion points and share what's on your mind and heart. Let's take from now until Saturday June 16th to do this. Then, the week of June 17 - 23rd we'll blog-discuss chapter one. We'll do one chapter a week from then on until we finish the book. I'm excited, ya'll !!!!!]
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