Share

Don’t Fight Your Future

Discussion Guide

Download
Show Leader Tips

Conversation Starters

Looking for a way to get the group talking? Try one of these conversation starters.
  • On Sunday, we got a chance to see what God can do through us by looking at our annual report. Head to elevationchurch.org/annualreport together and praise God for all He did through our church last year! Take some time to share something you are specifically thankful for from last year.
  • This was our final week of the series Do The New You. What’s been your greatest takeaway from the series?

Sermon Reflection

Help transition the group to the discussion with one of these questions.
  • What stood out to you from this week’s message?
  • What from the message encouraged you/challenged you the most?

Sermon Discussion

Select 1-2 themes from the sermon to discuss with your eGroup.
  • Read Ephesians 4:22-24. This week we learned, “the one that created you is greater than the one fighting you.” Thankfully, God wants to teach us how to put off our old self and put on our new self. When we call on God for help, He gives us the power to throw off what’s pinning us down and become who He created us to be.
    • Share a time when you called on God and He helped you overcome a struggle you were facing. What did you learn about who God was creating you to be from that situation? 
    • What is a weight that is currently pinning you down, and how can this stop you from continuing to become who God is creating you to be?
    • What can you do this week to start inviting God’s help in that situation? How can this group be praying/helping you through this situation?
  • Read Jeremiah 29:11. “If you’re still breathing, God is not through with you.” Sometimes we can feel stuck because of our past, our problems, or our preferences. But God knows the potential that He has for us. God knows the person He created you to be as you mature in Him. 
    • How have you seen God working within you to grow you and mature you recently? (examples: attending church, joining an eGroup, giving, reading the Bible) 
    • Where have you felt stuck recently in your thinking (your past, problems, or preferences), and how can you remind yourself of God’s potential for you? 
    • How can you remind yourself this week to focus on God’s plans and promises for you? 
  • Read Deuteronomy 20:19. When we’re in a long battle, our tendency can be to chop and fight everything down. However, sometimes the trees we’re tempted to chop down are the very things God wants to use to nourish us and feed us in our future. 
    • Share a time when God used a past experience of yours to strengthen and nourish you for something later. 
    • How can you combat the tendency to chop and fight everything down when you’re in a long battle? 
    • What areas in your life do you need to nurture now, so that they will be there when you need it in the future? (examples: time with family, church, health, etc)

Activating Faith

Challenge your group to keep activating their faith. Make this a part of your eGroup time or send this activity to them after you meet.
When the people of God entered the new land God led them to, they needed God to teach them. They had new land and now needed to learn a new way of feeding themselves by cultivating the land. They needed God to show them how to live in this new place. 
What new areas of your life is God cultivating and seeking to teach you as you walk forward into your potential? One of the simplest, yet most powerful, prayers we can pray is, “Lord, teach me.”  
Write those areas down on a piece of paper and ask God to teach you.
Example:
  • “Lord, teach me how to prioritize time with my family.”
  • “Lord, teach me how to stay committed to community this season.”

Prayer

Close out your group with prayer using one of these options
  • An Interactive Prayer 
    • Get into pairs and share with one another the plans, hopes, and dreams you believe God is calling you into. Pray for one another that those things will come into fruition and that you won’t lose sight of God’s plans and promises over you. 
  • A Guided Prayer
    • Dear God, thank you for knowing me better than anyone else. Remind me of the plans and potential you already have for me. Help me call on your powerful name this week when I’m feeling weighed down. Thank you for all you’ve taught me, and please help me to walk out of those truths this week. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Additional Resources

Want to help your group go deeper after you meet? Send them one of these resources that relates to the sermon topic.
  • Listen to My Testimony by Elevation Worship as a reminder this week that God is not done with you yet! 
  • Watch this YouTube short from Pastor Holly when you need encouragement and a reminder that your past is never a limitation to God’s plans for you.
  • Listen to Authority by Elevation Worship to help you reflect on the truth of God’s authority.