The Way Of Escape

• Would you rather try to escape from a shark in the water or a tiger in the jungle?

• LOVE Week starts next weekend! If you could go anywhere and do any service project, what would it be?

• Share an embarrassing situation you went through that you wish you could have escaped from.

Ask eGroup members to share their favorite points from the sermon, what spoke to them, a phrase or moment from the sermon they related to the most, or questions they have. If members have a hard time recalling the sermon, talk through your notes and share your favorite points.

• In a book or movie you enjoyed recently, was there a character who was tempted with something? What was the temptation, and how did they handle it?

• Think about your average day. Describe some small temptations you deal with. (e.g., that extra donut, speeding to get to work on time, avoiding housework when you get home, etc.)

• What are some bigger temptations you’ve faced in your life? (e.g., alcohol, lust, greed, anger, laziness, etc.) Why did they tempt you?

• Read 1 Corinthians 10:13. Is this passage hard for you to believe? How are our temptations different but the same?

• Now read Revelation 12:10. Why is the enemy sometimes called “the accuser”? How does that part of his character make you feel trapped it comes to temptation? (We might feel trapped simply because we feel tempted, or because we’ve given in — either way, we can feel accused.)

• What’s your way of escape when you feel trapped? What have you been running from/to? (e.g., complaining, blame, anger, alcohol, screen time, lust, etc.)

• What you escape to, you can become enslaved by. Share about a time when your escape became your enslavement. Is what you’re escaping to now enslaving you?

• Read Matthew 4:1-10. Jesus was susceptible to temptation because He had just fasted and was hungry. How are you making yourself susceptible to temptation? (e.g., not well-rested, not getting love from the right sources, not spending time in God’s Word, etc.)

• Jesus was able to resist temptation because He had just been “in the water” with God (Matthew 3). What’s your “water”? (Remembering the truth God spoke over you.) Where do you go to fight temptation and believe what God has spoken?

• Write down two temptations you expect to deal with this week. Next to each one, write down what you’re going to do to “water” yourself before they happen, and how you’re going to respond when they do happen.

Ask eGroup members to share any prayer requests they have. Record any notes or prayer requests to pray for members during the week.
 
  Father, we believe that Jesus knows and understands our temptation — and we’re grateful that He can empathize with us and lead us out of the temptations we face. This week, show us where we’ve been giving in to temptation and what escapes we’ve been using. Give us the strength to turn away from them. Break us free from anywhere we feel trapped and anywhere we’ve become enslaved to our escapes, and fill us with Your water so we can be ready to face whatever comes our way. In Jesus’ name, amen.