God Needs New PR

Chapter 7 - God’s Thoughts About You

Summary

Having your thoughts about yourself aligned with what God thinks about you is key to living the Christian life. What God believes about you can be found in the heart of God. The heart is the belief system at the core of one’s being. God has spoken so well of you that it can’t really be expressed in words. What God believes about you and what He says about you can really only be found in Jesus.

Ch. 7 Outline - God’s Thoughts About You

• What God believes about you and what He says about you can really only be found in Jesus. He’s spoken so well of you that it can’t really be expressed in words.
  
• God Believes You Matter - One of the biggest reasons for people living without God is that they are trying to fulfill their need to belong, to be loved, to be accepted and feel they matter when they already are loved and accepted. Gen. 1:28 - Barak
  
• God Believes Your Worth His All - Parable of the Hidden Treasure - Matt. 13 - read it from God’s perspective, not with you as the main character.
  
• God Believes in His Image & Likeness - Gen. 1:26 - says we were made in His image and likeness
  

20 Things God Says About You - My Favorites - I am a friend of God. I can all things through Christ.

Scriptures

• Mathew 13:44-45
  
• Genesis 1:26
  
• Genesis 17
  

Questions

1. Where do we find what God thinks and believes about us?
   
2. When looking at the parable of the hidden treasure from God’s perspective, who is the treasure being referred to?
   
3. What is the heart’s biggest need?
   
4. How do people usually try to find love and acceptance? Share with others in your group about your experiences.
   
5. How can we learn from our experiences of trying to find love and acceptance?
   
6. What does the word bless mean in the original language? How does this signify God’s thoughts about us from the very beginning?
   
7. How do we see God’s beliefs in action in the life of Abraham?
   
8. How have you seen God’s belief in action in your life? Share your stories with your group.
   
9. What is your favorite scripture regarding what God says about you?
   
10. What are some practical things you can do to keep what God says about you in the forefront of your mind?
    

Chapter 16- Tough Questions/Myth Busters

Summary

Some good questions tend to come up in our walk with God. This section is like a Christian FAQ’s page. The questions we address here are why does God send people to hell? Why do good things happen to bad people? And also why aren’t my prayers getting answered? These are complex answers but really give you some good insight about God and His true nature when you can get a revelation of the truth about these questions

Ch. 16 Outline - Tough Questions/Myth Busters

• 1) How can a loving God send people to hell?
• God isn’t the one who sends people to hell. He gives people free choice and the only way someone goes to hell is if they choose that they don’t want anything to do with God.
• If a child has cancer, do you hate the child or hate the cancer that is killing them? When Jesus died on the cross, God was killing the thing that was killing us. What was killing us? Romans 6:23 says the wages of sin is death...not God. Those that don’t obtain eternal life will do so because of the wrong belief they have, not because God is killing them.
• Woman caught in adultery - Did Jesus say he couldn’t stand to be around her? The scriptures actually said to stone this woman, but Jesus said I don’t condemn you. Jesus was the Word of God. He judges no man according to the flesh, meaning by what they do or have.
• 2) Why do bad things happen to good people?
• The question really should be why do bad things happen at all?
• The way people make God out to be the bad guy leaves no need for the devil. It’s like we’ve made God the most valuable player on the devil’s team. The devil doesn’t play on God’s team either, he is not God’s messenger boy. John 10:10 makes it pretty clear and simple: The thief (devil) comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I (Jesus) have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
• Putting John 10:10, 1 John 3:18 and Hosea 4:6 together we can see that a lack of knowledge about the devil and his intentions leads to death and destruction (bad things).
• 3) Why does God allow bad things? True love requires a choice. In us having that free will, some will chose to reject God thus opening the door for these bad things.
• Why aren’t my prayers getting answered?
• What are you delighting in? Psalm 37:4
• Who are you praying to?
• Don’t use your faith for things, put your faith IN Jesus. That’s it. It’s his good pleasure to give you the kingdom. He knows what is best for you and He wants you to succeed even more than you do.

Scriptures

• Ezek. 16:6-14 NIV.
  
• John 8:3-11 NIV.
  
• Romans 2:4
  
• 1 John 3:8 NIV
  
• Matthew 6:7-8 NIV.
  
• Psalm 37:4
  
• John 17:3
  
• 2 Peter 1:3
  

Summary

A revelation of God’s character and nature will give us hope. But this hope is not like the world’s definition of hope. This is a confident expectation. This chapter talks about the confident expectation you can and should have in your life with God. This will give you a barometer of your thought life and revelation of God’s goodness. I talk about some things you should be expecting from God, how to combat any negative expectations and how to position yourself to continue to receive from God. It’s not just a one time event, but a continual receiving from God that you can experience.

Outline - Confident Expectation - Expecting & Receiving From God

• Hope = confident expectation. Biblical hope is a confident expectation that what you have always desired to be true in your life, already is true. It’s not begging and wishing. It’s a certainty of the glory (view and opinion) of God being revealed in those that believe in the return of Jesus.
  
• Hope deferred leads to unrelenting disappointment
  
• Lottery ticket example - the hope you have between the time you win and actually cash in your winning lottery ticket is the kind of hope we have in Christ. A confident expectation.
  
• The thing that is really cool about Biblical hope is that not only can you have a confident expectation of the life you will have with God, but you can also have a confident expectation that God is the one who will bring it forth for you.
  
• A righteous person (one who believes in God) expects blessing and understands the blessings are theirs. They have what you could call Godfidence that God is well pleased with them and that He is well able to provide for them all they need in abundance.
  
• Receiving - open hand vs. clenched fist
  
• Put yourself in a position to receive by sitting at His feet and listening to good message
  
• For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer. 29:11

Scriptures

• Proverbs 13:12
  
• Nehemiah 8:10
  
• 2 Peter 1: 2-4
  
• Colossians 3:16 NIV
  
• Jer. 29:11
  

Questions

1. Are you currently expecting anything from God? How does this speak to your relationship with God? Share with the group
   
2. When we’re not expecting or receiving from God, why do you think that is? What can we do to counteract this?
   
3. How does knowing God and His thoughts about you affect your life? Share your experiences
   
4. How would you define “the good life”? How has that definition changed over time?
   
5. What does the Message version of the Bible describe what happens when our hope is deferred? What does that look like to you? Have you ever experienced this in your life?
   
6. What is the Biblical definition of hope? How does this differ from the world’s definition?
   
7. Who is the one who will bring forth life in you? How so?
   
8. How is the example of getting a winning lottery ticket similar to the hope we have as Christians?
   
9. What is Godfidence? Would you say you have it? Why or why not?
   
10. How can you position yourself to receive from God?
    

Chapter 13 - The Sweet Fruit of Patience

Summary

Patience is very underrated but key to living the Christian life. Patience will allow you to enjoy your life and give you freedom from the cares of the world. It comes from hearing the right message and continuing in it. We need to understand how patience works to live the Christian life going forward.

Ch. 13 - The Sweet Fruit of Patience

• Patience is important. One of the fruits of the spirit. Don’t hear much about it because people don’t want to hear about it.
  
• It’s not about denying that certain things are going on, it’s just your cares will not be on the things of the world. There is no better way to wait for something then to not even be aware that you are waiting for it.
  
• Detention in school example - focusing on the clock just made it seem so much longer. Need to be able to get your mind off of what you want and rest in what you have.
  
• Babies on a schedule example - they develop patience because they know even thought they may be hungry, their parents will be feeding them soon. Otherwise they’d throw tantrums every time their hungry.
  
• Me watching Michael Jordan growing up - in awe of him because he was so great at what he did. God is great at what He does and what He does is bring life. If you can rest in Him long enough you can get to a place where you’ll be in awe of Him and His doing.
  
• The biggest factor to you having patience is only hearing a message of God and his grace. If you’re hearing a mixed message you’ll be tempted with the cares of the world and be running around like Martha. Relax! God’s got this.

Scriptures

• John 10:10
  
• Galatians 5:22
  
• Luke 10:38-42
  

Questions

1. What does patience allow you to do?
   
2. How does the example of babies being on a schedule show us about the heart of God for us and help us develop patience?
   
3. Think about somebody you know who is really good at what they do. How does that compare to how good God is at what He does? How does this help us develop patience?
   
4. Have you ever experienced being mesmerized by something that God did in your life? Meditate on that and share with your group.
   
5. What is the biggest factor to you having patience?
   
6. What are some things that lead to you being impatient?
   
7. How important do you think patience is in your life?
   
8. What does a life without patience look like to you? Can you see how one with patience is superior? How so?
   
9. How does the scripture John 10:10 encourage you and give you patience?
   
10. What are some practical things you can do to have more patience in your life?
    

Chapter 9 - God’s Perfect Will For Your Life

Summary

The question of what does God want me to do will inevitably come up in your walk with Him. If you are misguided in this area it can lead to much confusion and frustration. The perfect will of God has nothing to do with what you end up doing or not doing. The perfect will of God is simply that the quality of life that He has would manifest in your life. Don’t try to do everything right, we can’t do everything right and that’s not what God has called us to do. God’s plan is that we would be born of Him and that His life would be in us.

Ch. 9 Outline - God’s Perfect Will For Your Life

• The question of what does God want me to do will inevitably come up in your walk with Him.
  
• Romans 12:2 - Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
  
• The perfect will of God has nothing to do with what you end up doing or not doing. The perfect will of God is simply that the quality of life that He has would manifest in your life.
  
• God does not want us condemned to a life of trying to do right and not doing wrong through our will power. God’s plan is that we would be born of Him and that His life would be in us.
  
• God’s good pleasure to give you a good hand to do with what you please, not feel enormous pressure to play it exactly right
  
• Stop defining yourself by what you have and what you do. You’ll find yourself in the perfect of will of God effortlessly by doing this.

Scriptures

• Romans 12:2
  
• John 10:10
  

Questions

1. What is God’s perfect will for your life?
   
2. What hinders us from being free? How can we combat this?
   
3. What is the only thing God has called us to do?
   
4. Can you think of a time when you tried to do everything right? What drove you to do that? How did you get set free from it?
   
5. How does the wisdom of the world define you?
   
6. How does God define you?
   
7. Think about a time when you felt pressure to perform. How did it affect your life?
   
8. How does your belief about God’s perfect will for your life affect your relationship with Him and others?
   
9. What does the renewing of the mind look like to you?
   
10. How can we make this mind renewal practical in our lives?