WELCOME ICEBREAKER On what basis do you tend to judge people?
1. talents
2. appearance/dress
3. character
4. intelligence
5. potential
6. accomplishments
7. lifestyle
8. education
9. faith
10. possessions WORSHIP John 4:24 “For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” WORD Read the key texts:
Prov. 4:23
Guard your heart more than anything else, because the source of your life flows from it.
1Sam. 16:7
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” Have the group look up the corresponding verses that coincide with the issues we need to guard our heart from. 1. Unforgiveness: Col 3:13, Prov. 19:11
2. Jealousy: Prov. 27:4
3. Great Disappointment: Prov 13:12
4. Desire to retaliate: Rom 12:17
5. Anxiety: Matt 6:33,34
6. Compromising /Backsliding: Rom 12:1,2
7. Greed: 1 Tim 6:10, Prov 15:27 Discussion Questions - What does it mean to guard? (Look up the definition in the dictionary and have it ready.)
- Which of these do you struggle with the most?
- We all know how to guard our PIN’s, passwords, access numbers and so on, but what practical steps can we take so that these things don’t penetrate or violate our “heart account”?
- What would be the opposite action of each one of these?
WORK Ask the group if any would like prayer for strength to guard their hearts in one of these areas. - Pray for other needs in the group.
- Ask the group to pray for the building project. Pray specifically for John as he leads this department, pray for the project to come in on budget, pray for protection of the workers and pray for favour with all the parties involved.
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