Read this…Romans 10:9-13; Luke 14:25-25Ponder this…Have you ever thought that salvation was not only what you have done but what God had been doing in you all along? Do you find yourself sacrificing for things you enjoy/choose? Family, Hobbies, etc. Is there anyone you have ever known or heard of that sacrificed greatly for what they believed in? Why do you think you remember them? Is there a compelling reason to sacrifice?Agree/Disagree: It is in our nature to sacrifice for a greater cause?Have you ever felt like a follower of Christ must give up something to walk with Christ? If so, what have you had to sacrifice?Who is overall responsible for your spiritual growth? What is your plan for growth? Is it working? Why? Could DBC help you more in your spiritual walk? If so, please inform your Pastor. Pray this…Pray that you will be able to have influential relationships, informative lips, and willing hearts to share Christ with those in your midst.

Read this…Romans 8:1-2; Ephesians 1:4, 3:12; John 1:12Ponder this…Have you ever thought to yourself, “I don’t mind praying for other people, but I don’t feel right praying for myself?” What do you think is the cause of this phenomenon? To you, who is responsible for keeping the relationship with God healthy and growing? Why? (see Malachi 3:6a)As you dig into the following Scriptures, what does it say about the relationship God wants with you? •I belong to God (1 Corinthians 6:20)•I am chosen before the creation of the world (Ephesians 1:4, 11)•I have been brought near to God through Christ’s blood (Ephesians 2:13)•I am holy and blameless (Ephesians 1:4)•I am secure (Ephesians 2:20)If you are unfulfilled in your prayer life, find another follower of Christ and ask them how they keep those lines of communication open. The divide and conquer strategy is at work around us, but we can make sure it is not at work in us. Pray this…Pray for the courage to face any adversity knowing that God is a God that created you to have fellowship with him, and in your weakness His strength shines through you.

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Read this…Matthew 6:5-13; Philippians 4:6; Psalm 33:11Ponder this…Question… if God already knows, why should we pray? What’s the use? Is there a greater purpose? How has prayer affected your life? Have you seen prayers answered? How were they answered? Is it the result you desired? Maybe the greater purpose is that God desires a deeper connection with you? Perhaps, he not only wants to answer your prayers, but he also wants to teach you more about him? Oh, maybe we are on to something…In Matthew 6:5-13, Jesus lays out some key elements to prayer. Who does Jesus refer to as “hypocrites”? Does Jesus say that prayer is meant to be done in crowds? Why? In Matthew 6:9, how does the model prayer start? Why do you think Jesus started there? Could there be a connection with us learning about Him in the course of our prayer life (and the answers to our prayers)? The greatness of God is the starting place of an effective prayer life. Why?I surmise that the more we know about Him, the better we can trust him when he answers our prayers his way. Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?Pray this…That through your prayer life you will learn more about him and trust him more day to day as he answers your prayers.

Read this…Genesis 2:26-27; 2 Chronicles 7:14; Colossians 4:2; Proverbs 28:13; James 5:13-16 Ponder this…People talk about prayer like it comes easy, and it’s almost like if you don’t pray like they pray, you’re not equal. I think people want to pray. They desire to pray. And they want their prayer to matter. So what happened?The events recorded in Genesis 3 happened. The lines of communication used to be there, but then came rebellion which marred the relationship that came so easy. Now it’s a DISCIPLINE. Has there ever been a time in your life when prayer came very easy? Is it now? Why do you think that is?Discipline’s need effort and a little sweat, and prayer is not that different. They don’t come easy, but they are worth the investment.When our frailty or weakness is exposed, our prayers come more freely.What is your prayer time like right now? How many times a day do you stop and remember His work in your life? Here are some steps to kick your prayer life up a notch (thanks Emeril). 1.Humility should be you posture for effective prayers.2.Praise and thanksgiving should be the echo of your heart in remembrance for all God has done and continues to do. 3.Confess sins openly. 4.Request of him to do the supernatural while you do the natural. Pray this…Pray that the Lord would direct people around you to encourage and enable you to keep prayer a priority. To direct your prayer life or your groups prayer life, read 2 Samuel 22. David lists many of the attributes of God, and probably some you have forgotten about. Choose one a week for the next several weeks and thank God for that attribute, and tell Him why.

Read this…John 14:13-14; Hebrews 10:22; 1 John 3:21-22; Mark 11:24Ponder this…What are your prayer habits like today?Prayer is a communing with the living God, so it is a great way of warding off spiritual attacks. Have you ever thought that prayer was a weapon for the believer? If God desires to commune with people, what does that say about the relationship he wants with us? What does that say about the value he places on you? What does that say about the favor he desires to give you?Asking things “in Jesus name” invites him to speak and act on your behalf, and that centers on what?If a prayer is offered according to His will does mean that we shouldn’t offer up big audacious prayers. It means that when we pray those prayers God will accomplish greater things and we submit to his plan and purpose. When we pray for God to move mountains, he doesn’t move the mountain, he gives us a path to traverse it with his as a guide. Pray this…Pray that your walk with Christ will deepen as you seek and ask him to do the imaginable, unthinkable, and inconceivable.

Read this…Romans 12:3-8; Ephesians 4:12-16Ponder this…Ever put together a jigsaw puzzle? Ever put one together only to get the very end to find that all the pieces are not there? It’s frustrating because it will not be complete until all the pieces are present and working together to make the image whole. The Body of Christ is similar. Every follower of Christ is to work together to fill the place that they are intended to fill and serve in the area that God has equipped them to serve. And together, they would work and make the Body whole. Whose responsibility is it to find individual spiritual gifts? From Romans 12:3-8, who benefits from people finding and utilizing spiritual gifts?What role do you think the local church should play in helping people find an area of service? What level of service are you in right now? How could you go to the next level in serving today?Pray this…Pray that the Lord will reveal to you the exact place of service here at DBC.

Read this…Nehemiah 13:23-31; Ephesians 4:15; Colossians 3:16; 1 Kings 11:1, 14:22-24Ponder this…Where does an avalanche begin? At the top…In our families, businesses, and in the corporate world, the catastrophe’s usually start there also. Nehemiah understood this, and was burdened to right the wrongs of the people in Jerusalem. Do you think it was his right to order the people to change their lifestyles? Is it right for a Christian to challenge another Christian to live up to biblical standards? Who all could it benefit? In what ways?Is this a difficult thing for you to do? Why?Have you seen that sin has a trickle-down effect? How do the effects of sin effect the greater whole in families? Governmental structures? Business?Have your sins effected other people? Have you ever thought that was a possibility? What can you do today to help those around you to avoid sinful mistakes? Ask your group to hold you accountable. Pray this…Pray that you will be open to having a dialogue with others that are involved in sin to help them live the life that the Lord would approve of.

Read this…Nehemiah 13:1-22; Matthew 14:22-33; James 4:7-11Ponder this…In the OT there are many times when the people were in sin, and then, God got their attention. Some time after, they responded with repentance, and they started to live holy lives again, but the after the course of time, they fell back into the same sin condition they when in at the start. Do you have these type of cycles in life? Do you think it is possible to avoid them? Do you think there is a correlation to the cycle of sin and our complacency as a follower of Christ?The tendency is such that if we are more dependent on Christ, we will be less complacent. All so often, in our comfort and our own security, we are most likely going to be attacked. If you were complacent in your life what would likely happen? What would the long term outcome be? Do you view Peter as a hero of the faith? Why or why not? What events shaped your thinking? Peter is a guy that seemed to be the first to speak and the last to think at times. But he had guts. He proved that he had what it takes, but he was a work in progress as a follower of Christ. When walking on the water, he become complacent by taking his eyes off of Christ? Who are longing for today? As you are supposed to be walking by faith, who is it you are walking toward? The way to fight complacency is by living dependently on Christ for all that life will bring. Peter learned that, and hopefully, in your life’s journey, you have and or will too. Pray this…That you would be vigilant as a follower of Christ, devoted to Him for it all, and compassionate toward others who may be seeking Him also.

Read this…John 20:1-9; Colossians 1:19-22; Matthew 25:23; Romans 3:23Ponder this…Have you ever thought that you have not really lived up to your own standard? What standards for yourself have you fallen short of? Does it still affect you?Do you think that if you feel guilt you have truly accepted the atonement for that sin? Genesis 1:27, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”If we are image bearers of God, maybe we realize that we fall short because we are connected with Him more deeply than we think? Is this the source of our morality (because we bare his image)? If we are followers of Christ, whose standard have we fallen short of really? The standard that we have fallen short of has been gapped by Jesus on the cross and His powerful resurrection. He made peace possible. Our imperfections made perfect. Our sins covered over. His arms wide and His body beaten, so we can be redeemed and at peace with our Creator and ourselves. Pray this…Pray that you will accept His answer to the problem of sin, and that you will not try to earn merit by good works. He made peace possible. Live in that reality today. That’s the beginning to freedom in Christ.