Hearing the Voice of God Part 4

GOAL:

To learn how to mature in our faith so we can better hear and obey the voice of God.

CONVERSATION STARTER:

  • What outreaches are you attending during Love Week?

  • Describe a time when God ministered to you when you were serving others!

REVIEW:

Ask Champion Group members to share some of their favorite points, examples, or questions from Sunday’s sermon. Use your own notes to help you recall your own favorite points and encourage your Champion Group members to take notes and reference them as well.

DISCUSSION

Hearing the Voice of God

References: Romans 8:14-16, 1 Samuel 3:1-11

  • How does Romans 8 describe the way our relationship with our flesh should be? What does putting our flesh to death have to do with hearing the voice of God?

  • What is something unexpected that happens in 1 Samuel 3? Why do you think it took so long for Eli to realize that God was speaking to Samuel? Why did Samuel not know the voice of the Lord yet?

  • What does Samuel do in 1 Samuel 8:6-11 that shows that he knows the voice of God and was spiritually mature?

  • What is the difference between being led by our spirit and being led by our soul? How can you tell the difference between the two?

Work in the Waiting

Read: Philippians 2:12-13, Romans 12:2

  • What does Philippians 2 tell us about spiritual maturity? What do you think are some indicators of a healthy, spiritually mature Christian?

  • What role does the Word of God play in helping us pursue spiritual maturity? Describe a time when the Word of God led you to mature in one area spiritually.

  • Consider the stories of Moses, Abraham, and Peter. How did the Word and Voice of God produce maturity in these men? How was this maturing process necessary for each of these men to fulfill the work of God?

  • What do you think it means to say that “God works in you so He can work through you?” How do you feel about “waiting” for God to give you the next step of the plan He has for your life? How do you “wait’ in a way that prepares you for whatever God has for you next?

ACT ON IT

Honestly evaluate your spiritual life and look for areas of immaturity. Determine what you need to do to increase in maturity in each of those areas. It might be increasing your time in the Word or in prayer, or it might be choosing some scriptures to meditate on and act on!

BEFORE YOU CLOSE:

Read: Malachi 3:6

God instituted the tithe a long time ago and we see that the Israelites were instructed to give when God delivered the law to Moses. Because God is the same, we know that we should obey Him with the tithes and offerings! Furthermore, we can know that God did not just promise a harvest to the Israelites, but to any person who would give to Him! Even today, we can know that God will honor His promises to us when we obey Him.

If you haven’t already, take some time to obey God in the tithe this week and ask Him what He would have you give above the tithe. Thank the Lord that He never changes and that He will fulfill all His promises to you as you give to Him! You can do so by donating on the Champion Center App or through PushPay.

PRAYER, PRAYER REQUESTS, AND TESTIMONIES

Ask Champion 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.

Hearing the Voice of God Part 3

GOAL:

To learn how to yield to the voice of God and not yield to any other voice.

CONVERSATION STARTER:

  • When you vacation, do you prefer to plan your days start to finish, or relax and go with the flow? Why?
  • What is your favorite cookout side dish?

REVIEW:

Ask Champion Group members to share some of their favorite points, examples, or questions from Sunday’s sermon. Use your own notes to help you recall your own favorite points and encourage your Champion Group members to take notes and reference them as well.

DISCUSSION

Yield to His Voice

Read: John 10:1-5, Romans 6:13, Luke 11:24

  • Why do you think Jesus uses the analogy of a Shepherd and Sheep to refer to His relationship with us?

  • How have you been able to get to know the voice of the Lord?

  • What differences are there between the voice of the Lord and the voice of the stranger?

  • Some translations of Romans 6:13 read “yield yourselves to God.” What does it mean to yield to the Lord?

  • What areas do you tend to want to speed up when  you should be yielding? In what areas of life do you need to yield to the leading of the Lord?

  • Luke 11:24 (NLT) tells us not to yield to temptation. What would it mean to yield to temptation instead of yielding to God?

  • Why do you think people choose not to listen and obey the voice of the Lord?

Tune Out the Noise

Read: Matthew 16:13-17, 21-23

  • Read Matthew 16:13-17. What does this passage tell us about Peter? How do you think Peter learned to hear the voice of God?

  • Read Matthew 16:21-23. Why do you think Peter, who knew the voice of God, did not hear and understand what Jesus was saying?

  • Why do you think Christians can hear the voice of God in one area, but struggle to hear Him in another? Describe a time when you or someone you know experienced this kind of selective hearing.

  • What noise have you had to tune out of your own life to hear the voice of God?

  • What benefits have you seen from staying connected to God and training yourself to hear his voice?

ACT ON IT

Identify an area that you need to yield to the voice of the Lord and spend time this week seeking His direction. Challenge yourself to take at least one step to obey the Lord in that area by next Sunday!

BEFORE YOU CLOSE:

Read: Luke 6:38

When we give to the Lord, we show that we are not relying on our natural position. Instead, we show that we trust the Lord to fulfill the promises in His word to supernaturally provide for us above and beyond what we could ask or imagine!

Take some time to listen to the voice of God and ask Him what you should give. Thank the Lord that as you trust your resources into your hands, He provides for all your needs in accordance with His Word! You can do so by donating on the Champion Center App or through PushPay.

PRAYER, PRAYER REQUESTS, AND TESTIMONIES

Ask Champion 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.

 

Hearing the Voice of God Part 2

GOAL:

To learn how to better hear the voice of God by understanding how God sees us and laying fear, anxiety, and doubt on the altar.

CONVERSATION STARTER:

  • Who is your favorite superhero?

  • What, in your opinion, defines a hero?

REVIEW:

Ask Champion Group members to share some of their favorite points, examples, or questions from Sunday’s sermon. Use your own notes to help you recall your own favorite points and encourage your Champion Group members to take notes and reference them as well.

DISCUSSION

God Sees A Hero

Read: Judges 6:11-24, Exodus 3:3-11, 4:1, 10-13

  • What did Gideon use to disqualify himself from the work God wanted to do?

  • Why do you think Gideon was afraid?

  • How did God finally get Gideon’s attention? What does Gideon do that shows us that He received strength from the Lord?

  • Read the passages above from the book of Exodus. Compare and contrast the exchanges Moses and Gideon had with God.

  • What excuses did Moses give the Lord?

  • Why do you think God did not listen to Moses’s complaints? How do you think God responds when we choose to complain to Him? Describe a time when you felt disqualified, but God spoke to you.

Put it on the Altar

References: Romans 12:2, 1 Peter 5:5-7

  • What are some limitations that you have experienced in your own life?

  • In what ways have your past identities tried to disqualify you from the work God wants to do in and through you? How have you overcome your past?

  • Gideon had to put his fear and insecurity on the Altar before the Lord. What happens when we put those things on the altar?

  • What do you think it means to fully cast your cares on the Lord? How can you tell if you have fully cast your cares on the Lord? At what point in our main passage did Gideon fully cast his cares on the Lord and how could you tell?

  • When we cast our cares on the Lord, we allow Him to do a work in us. What does it mean to have your mind renewed by the Word of God? How does that happen?

ACT ON IT

This week, write down three declarations about the way that God sees you and say them as soon as you wake up in the morning. Decide that you will not accept any thought, mindset, or attitude that goes against the truth of what God says about you!

BEFORE YOU CLOSE:

Read: Mark 11:22-24

To see the blessing of God in our finances, we have to first believe God’s Word. We have to believe that He is truthful and just and that He will fulfill every promise He has made. When we believe God, we begin to obey him with our tithes and offerings. And once we have believed and obeyed, we have to continue to speak life. Mark 11:22 tells us that we will have whatever we ask, so when we ask God to fulfill His Word in response to our obedience, we can be sure what we will reap a harvest 30, 60, and 100 fold what was planted!

Take some time to listen to the voice of God and ask Him what you should give. Thank the Lord that as you trust your resources into your hands, He provides for all your needs in accordance with His Word! You can do so by donating on the Champion Center App or through PushPay.

PRAYER, PRAYER REQUESTS, AND TESTIMONIES

Ask Champion 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

Hearing the Voice of God Part 1

GOAL:

To learn the keys to hearing the voice of God, 1) Believe that he wants to speak to you, 2) Have hunger to hear Him, 3) Act with humility.

CONVERSATION STARTER:

  • What goals do you have for the upcoming summer months?

  • Describe your favorite summer memory.

REVIEW:

Ask Champion Group members to share some of their favorite points, examples, or questions from Sunday’s sermon. Use your own notes to help you recall your own favorite points and encourage your Champion Group members to take notes and reference them as well.

DISCUSSION

God wants to speak!

Read: Matthew 14:22-34, Acts 13:2-3, Galatians 6:4-9, John 10:27, James 4:8, Jeremiah 29:13

  • Why do you think Peter responded the way He did when Jesus said “It is I” on the water?

  • What do you think caused Peter to start sinking? Was it a lack of faith that it was Jesus who was speaking to him, or a lack of faith that He could do what Jesus told him to do?

  • When did you begin to understand that God wants to speak to you? How did that affect your prayer life?

  • In your experience, what does the voice of God sound like? How do you know that it is the voice of God and not your own voice?

  • How can you know and hear the voice of God more clearly?

  • In Acts 13:2-3, what were the people doing when the Lord spoke to them? Why do you think they were confident that they heard the voice of the Lord?

  • Read Galatians 6:4-9. How does the principle of sowing and reaping apply to our prayer life? Describe a time when you saw either a lack of God’s voice in your life or an abundance of His voice based on what you were dedicating to your relationship with Him.

Listen to what He says!

References: Deuteronomy 1:42-44, 1 Samuel 16:13-23

  • What do you think causes people to be unable to hear the voice of God?

  • Read Deuteronomy 1:42-44. What did the Israelites do wrong? Why do you think the Israelites decided to disregard the Word of the Lord?

  • What word did David receive from the Lord in 1 Samuel 16:13? How significant to you think this Word was? Why do you think that David, knowing he would be king, was willing to serve the current king?

  • What other ways did King David show humility in his life? How can you show humility and honor God in your own life?

  • What do you think causes people to disobey the word God gives them and go their own way? How can you set yourself up to hear and obey every word God gives you?

ACT ON IT

Encourage your Champion Group members to set aside one day this week to fast and pray to hear the voice of God more clearly. Take time to read the word of God, pray, and sit in the presence of God and allow Him to speak to you.

BEFORE YOU CLOSE:

Read: 2 Corinthians 9:6-8, Luke 6:38

As we listen to the voice of the Lord, He will speak to you about what you should give! The Bible tells us that we should give cheerfully to the Lord! Our joy comes out of our desire to worship God with our resources and the knowledge that when we give, we will receive a gift back, pressed down, shaken together, and running over!

Take some time to listen to the voice of God and ask Him what you should give. Thank the Lord that as you trust your resources into your hands, He provides for all your needs in accordance with His Word! You can do so by donating on the Champion Center App or through PushPay.

PRAYER, PRAYER REQUESTS, AND TESTIMONIES

Ask Champion 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.