The Best Way to Live Your One and Only Life – Week 5
Icebreaker:
- On a scale of 1-10, take a moment and rate how life is treating you right now. Share with the group.
- Share one high and one low from the week.
Review:
- You have a soul, it longs for something.
- Jesus came to quench the thirst of your soul.
- Your soul must be renewed first.
- Once renewed it can be filled with new values.
Note: Many people have tried to live out these new values without their soul being renewed. All it does is create aggravation.
Main Point: Learn how to talk to yourself instead of listen to yourself.
Going deeper:
- In light of this week’s sermon, what is new information, challenged, or stood out to you?
Read aloud Psalms 42:1-11
- How does the Psalmist describe himself?
- We don’t know exactly what caused his affliction, but if you had to guess, what type of stress do you think he was under?
- How does he react to his problems?
- His soul is downcast yet, he still thirsts for God, why?
- How do you see him talking to himself instead of listening to himself?
- Why is talking to yourself instead of listening to yourself so important?
- What does it do to or for your spiritual wellness?
- How does that help in all areas of your life?
We also see the Psalmist pour out his heart to God.
- When was the last time you poured your heart out to God?
- How does acknowledging what is going on in your soul grow your faith?
Read aloud:
“The first thing we have to learn is what the psalmist learned. We must take ourselves in hand. He is talking to himself, he is addressing himself. It is important to see that this is not morbidity, or introspection. We must talk to ourselves instead of letting ourselves talk to us. In spiritual depression we allow ourselves to talk to us instead of us talking to ourselves. Am I being deliberately paradoxical? Far from it. This is the very essence of wisdom in this matter. Have you realized that so much of your unhappiness in this life is due to your listening to yourself instead of talking? So this man stands up and says, “Self, listen for a moment!” and you must go on and remind yourself of who God is, what God is, what God has done, and what Go has pledged Himself to do. And then on this great note defy yourself, and defy other people, and defy the Devil and the whole world and say with the man, “I shall yet praise Him, He is my God!”
Dr. David Martin Lloyd Jones
- What does this mean to you? Can you paraphrase?
Read aloud 1 John 3:19-20
- What does it mean to “set our hearts at rest in his presence?”
- Where does our hope come from?
Challenge:
Every issue that causes you problems is due to listening to yourself.
Every goal you achieve, every obstacle you overcome, every mountain you climb, every success you have is because of talking to yourself.
- What area of your life needs your attention most right now?
- How will you begin to talk to yourself instead of listen?
