Decree: Part I
Goal:
This week’s discussion will help us understand the authority that allows us to confidently decree the Word of God.
Conversation Starter:
This week we talked about how our words have consequences. Have group members share about times when their words, or the words of someone they know, had consequences, either good or bad.
Review:
Ask Life Group 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.
Discussion
We can trust the Word of God
Read: Isaiah 55:11
In this verse, God declares something about His word. What is it?
What promises does God make in His Word? What promises stand out to you and are personal to you?
How do we access these promises in our own life?
How do you think believing and decreeing are tied together? Will one work without the other? Why does declaring the Word of God require faith?
We have the authority to decree in our own lives
Read: Job 22:21-30
In this passage, Eliphaz, a friend of Job, is telling Job that turning to righteousness will cause God to hear his prayers and fulfill his decrees. What is the difference between a prayer and a decree?
What does Eliphaz seem to indicate is a requirement for God to fulfill our decree? What gives us that authority?
Read Romans 3:22. Where does our righteousness come from?
Make it Personal
Based on what you say, what does your future look like?
Pastor Nathan said, “If I don’t like what I’m seeing, I need to look at what I’m saying.” James 3:8 says that blessings and curses cannot come from the same mouth. In what ways do we need to bridal our tongues so that we can send our word in the direction we want to see God move in our life?
In addition to declaring and decreeing the Word of God, what steps can you take in your own life to see positive change?
What things do we do that make it easier or harder to control our tongue?
Act on it
When you take control of your tongue, you control your destiny. Challenge yourself this week to speak only things that are in line with the word of God. Choose not to let your mouth speak both blessings and curses!
Prayer, prayer requests, and testimonies
Ask Life Group members to share any prayer requests or testimonies they have. Record any notes or prayer requests to pray for members during the week.
Decree: Part II
Goal:
Conversation Starter:
Review:
Ask Life Group 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.
Discussion
Dry bones come alive
Read: Ezekiel 7:1-14
When Elisha saw the valley of dry bones, it didn’t look like anything good could come out of it. What are some dry areas in your life?
What did God have Elisha do and why? What can we do to see life come into the dry areas of our lives?
What did God require from Elijah in order to see the dry bones come back to life? How important is obedience to the word of God today? How can we use our words to be obedient to God?
Respond with Confidence
Read: Matthew 17:14-20
When Jesus talked about having faith to move a mountain, he showed us that we have the authority and responsibility to use our own words to see mountains moved in our life!
Taking this scripture into account, what does our reaction to a trial say about us and our faith? What can we do to grow our faith so we have a Godly response?
David didn’t just respond to the negative words or situations around Him, he went on the offense! How did David’s confidence in the Lord affect his ability to prophesy victory over Goliath? How was that confidence released?
Make it Personal
Pastor Nathan said, “Everything begins with a heart of understanding.” How would you describe what is in your heart? Does it fully understand the promises of God? What areas can you grow in?
If we want to have hearts full of faith, what should we be taking into our spirit? What should we avoid? Are there any areas of your life that you think you could improve by changing what you put into your heart?
David was confident in the Lord. When we are confident in God, we understand that nothing can separate me from his love or void my position as His child. How does this affect the way you view yourself and the authority God has given you?
Act on it
God has given all authority to us! That means that not only are we children of God, but we have the power to act like it. This week, dedicate some time to meditating on the word of God and allowing it to get into your heart. Look for opportunities to use that confidence to speak against a negative word or situation and declare victory for yourself in Jesus’s name!
Prayer, prayer requests, and testimonies
Ask Life Group members to share any prayer requests or testimonies they have. Record any notes or prayer requests to pray for members during the week.
Decree: Part III
Goal:
This week’s discussion will show us the ways in which our words are seeds that we sow into our lives and will explain the
importance of sowing seeds that are not in line with what we can see or understand, but with the Word of God.
Conversation Starter:
People tend to like to have control of their surroundings and to be able to piece together the way that things are going to work in their own strength. Do you know anyone in your life who likes to have this kind of control? What kinds of things do you like
to control in your own life?
Review:
Ask Life Group 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.
Discussion
The Word is a Seed
Read: Proverbs 18:21
The author of this proverb is comparing the words we speak to a seed in the ground. In what ways are our
words like seeds?
In Genesis 11:22 God promises that there will always be seedtime and harvest. When we apply this concept to our words,
how important is it to watch over what we say?
When a farmer plants a seed, he does so believing that the seed will bear fruit. He believes
that the seed will not lay dormant in the ground. The farmer requires the faith to see beyond what is in front of him and instead see the promise and the potential stored within that seed.
Pastor Nathan said, “God doesn’t need you to figure every detail out.” In fact, trying
to figure every detail out can keep you from engaging your faith and believing what God has said. When a farmer plants a seed, he does so believing that the seed will bear fruit. He believes that the seed will not lay dormant in the ground. The farmer requires
the faith to see beyond what is in forton of him and instead see the promise and the potential stored within that seed.
We Plant and Water before we see results.
Read: Number 13:16-20, 27-33, Numbers 14:1-4, 11-12, and 20-26
In Genesis 17:18, God promised Abraham that his descendants would inherit the land of Canaan. In our passage
above, the spies were sent out to explore the land of Canaan. Based on our sermon this week, what mistake did the 10 spies make?
How did the ten spies perspective compare to Joshua and Caleb’s assessment of the situation?
What was the seed each group of people sowed (the 10 spies vs. Caleb and Joshua) and how did it affect the
outcome of their situation?
In our own lives, how can we guard against being like the 10 spies and strive to have faith like Joshua and
Caleb?
Sometimes we like to have complete control over what is going on in our lives, and that desire for control
can cause us to live by sight rather than faith. What other outside factors can we allow to influence our faith?
Make it Personal
What are some areas where it is easy for you to try to figure out things in your natural understanding?
Pastor Nathan said that we should see our words as a hand reaching out to
possess what we are speaking.
What are some other examples, either in the Bible or in your own life, of people receiving the very things that they spoke?
What are some words God has given you, either personally or through His Written Word, that you can go back
to when you need to build your faith?
Act on it
The word AMEN means, “so be it to me.” When we say, all God’s promises are yes and amen, we are really saying, all God’s promises are true, and they’re true for me too! What promises in the Bible are you saying Amen to this week? Challenge yourself to speak life into those promises and sow seeds of faith regardless of what you see!
Prayer, prayer requests, and testimonies
Ask Life Group members to share any prayer requests or testimonies they have. Record any notes or prayer requests to pray for members during the week.
Decree: Part IV
Goal:
This week's discussion will show us how to connect our faith with our words and have integrity with our speech.
Conversation Starter:
This week Pastor Joie talked about how our words carry weight and have consequences. Describe a time when you had to follow through on a promise you made off-handedly, or describe a time when someone failed to follow through on a promise to you and the consequences of those actions.
Review:
Ask Life Group 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.
Discussion
Faith does not waver
Read: Romans 4:18-24
Even though God promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations, Abraham was facing some very real obstacles when it came to having children. What does the word say about Abraham’s faith in the face of these obstacles?
Verses 20 and 21 indicate that Abraham did not waver in his faith! He was fully persuaded. What promises of God are you fully persuaded on? What does the fruit of being fully persuaded look like?
Who are some people, in the Bible or in your personal life, who are fully persuaded that the promises of God are for them? What is the fruit of their life? How do you know that they believe?
Faith and words must work together
Read: Genesis 22:1-14
Isaac is the son God promised to Abraham. In the natural, it did not seem that Isaac would be able to survive being sacrificed. How do we know that this was not Abraham’s belief?
James 2:22 says, “You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.” How did Abraham’s faith put his faith to work in this situation? What role did his words play in exercising his faith?
Pastor Joie talked about how our words and our faith must work together. Our words have to have integrity in order to have power. How can we ensure that our words work with our faith in the Word of God? What can we do to correct either a faith problem or a word problem?
Make it Personal
What is one promise of God that you find yourself struggling to align your words and your faith?
What does it mean to speak with integrity when it comes to faith?
How does knowing that you are accountable for every word you speak affect the way you view your words?
Act on it
This week, meditate on the consequence of your words. Decide what seed you want to sow into your life and write some declarations so you are constantly planting and watering that seed. Continue to build up your faith so your words reflect the condition of your spirit.
Before you Close:
This week in our offering message, we talked about God’s promise in Malachi 3:10.
Read Malachi 3:10
When we bring all the tithes into the storehouse, God promises to open the windows of heaven and provide a blessing so large we won’t be able to take it all in. Tithing isn’t for God’s benefit, it is for your benefit! If you want to activate that principle today and do what God says, test him in the tithe, you can do so by donating on the Champion Center App or through PushPay now.
We also want to make sure we are constantly reaching out to others and seeing them won to the kingdom of God. Take a moment to ask your group members if anyone is planning on bringing anyone to life group next week. Take note of any names and pray for God to give them ears to hear and a heart that desires to know Him.
Prayer, prayer requests, and testimonies
Ask Life Group members to share any prayer requests or testimonies they have. Record any notes or prayer requests to pray for members during the week. Take time to pray and ask if anyone would like to receive salvation, baptism of the Holy Spirit, or prayer for a physical need.
Decree: Part IV
Goal:
This week's discussion will show us how to connect our faith with our words and have integrity with our speech.
Conversation Starter:
This week Pastor Joie talked about how our words carry weight and have consequences. Describe a time when you had to follow through on a promise you made off-handedly, or describe a time when someone failed to follow through on a promise to you and the consequences of those actions.
Review:
Ask Life Group 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.
Discussion
Faith does not waver
Read: Romans 4:18-24
Even though God promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations, Abraham was facing some very real obstacles when it came to having children. What does the word say about Abraham’s faith in the face of these obstacles?
Verses 20 and 21 indicate that Abraham did not waver in his faith! He was fully persuaded. What promises of God are you fully persuaded on? What does the fruit of being fully persuaded look like?
Who are some people, in the Bible or in your personal life, who are fully persuaded that the promises of God are for them? What is the fruit of their life? How do you know that they believe?
Faith and words must work together
Read: Genesis 22:1-14
Isaac is the son God promised to Abraham. In the natural, it did not seem that Isaac would be able to survive being sacrificed. How do we know that this was not Abraham’s belief?
James 2:22 says, “You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.” How did Abraham’s faith put his faith to work in this situation? What role did his words play in exercising his faith?
Pastor Joie talked about how our words and our faith must work together. Our words have to have integrity in order to have power. How can we ensure that our words work with our faith in the Word of God? What can we do to correct either a faith problem or a word problem?
Make it Personal
What is one promise of God that you find yourself struggling to align your words and your faith?
What does it mean to speak with integrity when it comes to faith?
How does knowing that you are accountable for every word you speak affect the way you view your words?
Act on it
This week, meditate on the consequence of your words. Decide what seed you want to sow into your life and write some declarations so you are constantly planting and watering that seed. Continue to build up your faith so your words reflect the condition of your spirit.
Before you Close:
This week in our offering message, we talked about God’s promise in Malachi 3:10.
Read Malachi 3:10
When we bring all the tithes into the storehouse, God promises to open the windows of heaven and provide a blessing so large we won’t be able to take it all in. Tithing isn’t for God’s benefit, it is for your benefit! If you want to activate that principle today and do what God says, test him in the tithe, you can do so by donating on the Champion Center App or through PushPay now.
We also want to make sure we are constantly reaching out to others and seeing them won to the kingdom of God. Take a moment to ask your group members if anyone is planning on bringing anyone to life group next week. Take note of any names and pray for God to give them ears to hear and a heart that desires to know Him.
Prayer, prayer requests, and testimonies
Ask Life Group members to share any prayer requests or testimonies they have. Record any notes or prayer requests to pray for members during the week. Take time to pray and ask if anyone would like to receive salvation, baptism of the Holy Spirit, or prayer for a physical need.