Next Steps--Lesson 22--Unshakeable--Psalm 15

Discussion Questions:

1.  How important is being in the presence of the LORD to you?  What is the danger of being in His presence?  How does this play into having character and integrity fitting for His Kingdom?    

2.  What are some ways recorded in the Scriptures that mankind has attempted to approach God on their own terms?  How have you seen mankind fall into the same trap in modern times?

3.  If approaching God is such a dangerous thing, how do we live in a bond of covenant love with Him?  Why is God “tabernacling” among us important?  How has God shown His willingness to put His tent among our tents in the Old Testament and the New Testament?

4.  How important is the call to “walk with Me and be blameless”?  What does blameless look like?  How does one walk with God and be blameless without falling into the trap of trying to do this by our own power or standard of holiness?

5.  Who does the work of transforming us?  What is God’s role?  What is our role?  How do the things David uses as his standard for dwelling with God in Psalm 15:2-5 show transformation from the heart instead of merely looking the part?

6.  If you graded your spiritual life and character by its authenticity, what grade would you give yourself?  Why?  What areas of transformation could help you improve your grade?

7.  What does it mean that God will make us unshakeable?  How does the history of the Temple show that we are not made unshakeable by man’s power or wisdom?  How does the history of the Temple show the importance of character in line with what God says?

Next Steps--Lesson 21--No Compromise--Daniel 3 + Various Passages

Discussion Questions:

1.  What does it mean that God is sovereign?  How does believing in the sovereignty of God play into the development of one’s character and integrity?    

2.  What trouble have you had standing when everyone else seems to be bowing to the gods of this world?  Are there any areas of your character or integrity in which you know you should have stood, but you bowed down anyway? 

3.  How did Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego prepare themselves long before the situation of bowing to the golden statue arose?  How have you seen choices from your past help or hinder your ability to do the right thing in a moment of quick decision?

4.  How have you seen people shift from faith in God to faith in faith?  How has this affected their peace and hope?

5.  How does trust in the sovereign plan of God help with things like suffering and other heinous events that take place in this fallen world?  How have you seen God allow or even use darkness to bring about His good intentions?

6.  Why is it best for our character to be based upon God’s promises and covenants?  How does this bring stability to what seems to be shifting sand in ethics and morality?

7.  Why have comfort and happiness become gods in most people’s lives?  How does emphasis on comfort and happiness work against healthy character and integrity? 

8.  Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego wound up providing a witness to God by the standing they did.  How have you seen witnesses provided in our own time by people who chose to stand when most everyone else bows?

Next Steps--Lesson 20--Discipline of ther Mind

Discussion Questions:

1.     What struggles do you have with keeping your mind focused upon the eternal Kingdom instead of getting caught up in focusing upon the temporary?  What kinds of things help you think about what matters for eternity?

2.     How are anxiety and worry tied to what you place into your mind?  What kinds of filters or boundaries do you have for the types of things you let into your mind?

3.     How is our view of money more a character issue than an amount issue?  How did Paul learn to be content whether he had much or little? 

4.     Why is understanding the King and the ways of His Kingdom so important for character development?  How do you suppose the Master would have reacted in the Parable of the Talents toward the person with one talent if when the Master returned he told him he had lost his talent because there was someone in need and he gave it to help them out?

5.     What “glasses” has God provided for you to see Him and His Kingdom better?  How often do you forget to put on your “glasses”?  Why do we let ourselves get used to life without “glasses”?

6.     In what ways have you seen people use distortion to fix distortion?  How does one effectively surrender their viewpoints to the viewpoints of the LORD?

7.     Do you agree that our reactions show better who we really are than our actions?  What kinds of reactions does God need to transform in your life?

8.     What kinds of lies do you tell yourself that you know are not true if you take time to compare the lies to the word of God?  How do these lies maintain their power in our lives if we see they are not true?