Own It

Click Here for the video podcast Two Words: Own It Own it. The mindset for this week is transparent ownership. Transparent ownership is about taking personal responsibility. It’s about personal accountability. It’s being socially, emotionally, and relationally aware of how we operate. Owning it is self-awareness of our words, actions, reactions, and motivations. It’s having a pulse on your personal and professional relationships, and your relationships with your wife and kids. Owning it pushes us towards transparency and healthier relationships. What we’ll also find is that transparent ownership actually enhances the culture around you. A quick correction from last week’s episode: here is a link to the further reading on spiritual warfare from Gary Black: Going Deeper in Spiritual Warfare LOCKER ROOM DISCUSSION GUIDE S10E8:  “Two Words: Own It” 1. Share a time when you were caught “red-handed” as a kid. What was your initial response in the moment? What have you learned from the experience? 2. How would you define the word “ownership”? What does this currently look like in your own life? 3. There are a number of barriers or roadblocks to taking ownership. Which of the following hinders your ability to take ownership and why:    - Fear    - Guilt / Shame    - Insecurity    - Perfectionism    - Pride 4. How does a lack of ownership affect our relationship with God and our relationships with other people (e.g. home, school, sports, work, etc.)? What ways do you see a lack of ownership manifesting in our culture? 5. Read Genesis 2:15-17 and Genesis 3:1-13. Before the Fall, God gave Adam work, responsibility, and freedom with limits. Although Eve often takes the brunt of the criticism, the first sin is actually Adam abdicating his responsibility. This resulted in them covering and hiding in their shame then blame-shifting when God confronts them. Why is this pattern our natural response? How do we guard against it? 6. Read Hebrews 4:16. Does this verse change your perspective on how we can approach God? If so, how?  7. Read 1 John 1:8-10 and Romans 2:4. We need to own our sin and not allow our sin to own us. Do these passages make you more willing or more reluctant to approach God with what you need to own? Why? 8. Read Psalm 51:1-19 and Psalm 32:1-5. Although David learned the hard way (see 2 Samuel 11 & 12), these Psalms reveal a true heart change. How has God redeemed the moments in your life when you felt like you blew it? 9. Read 2 Corinthians 5:21 and Luke 23:34. Jesus demonstrated the ultimate form of ownership on the Cross when He took on the sin of the world. He even asked God to forgive His persecutors as He hung on the Cross. How should the example of Jesus impact the way we engage and interact with the people in our sphere of influence? 10. Who do you need to “own it” with this week? Is it your significant other, your kids, your co-workers, your classmates, your teammates, or your friends? Pray and ask God to give you the courage to initiate a conversation and the discernment to navigate the discussion.