Character Building--Lesson 9--Don't Give Up--Peter

Discussion Questions:

1.  How has putting on Christ changed the things that are unseemly in your life?  What can you look back and see that wearing Christ every day has completely healed?

2.  How does it help to know that you have training wheels for your faith and character development?  How does our pride sometimes keep us from accepting the help that is available to us?

3.  What does it say to you that there are so many things Peter writes about in his epistles that he struggled with in his own walk with Jesus?  How have you seen practical wisdom come out of failure?

4.  How have distraction, carelessness, and/or overconfidence caused issues with your character?  What kinds of things help you avoid falling short in these areas?

5.  What is your next step in character development?  What are you learning from the lessons of this sermon series and from the life experiences you have faced lately?

Character Building--Lesson 8--What Will We Choose--Manasseh--II Chronicles 33

Discussion Questions:

1.  How have you seen God completely change a person’s perspective, so they move from disbelief to powerful faith?  How does God use pain to bring change of perspective?

2.  How does someone who has been provided such a deep spiritual feeding turn far away from the LORD?  What does this teach you about the need for personal convictions?

3.  What does it mean that the 3rd & 4th generation are affected by the choices we make?  How does this help you to understand the responsibility you have for those coming after you?

4.  How have you seen God chase after you?  How do guilt and/or shame negatively influence your understanding of His pursuit of you?

5.  Describe the amazing grace of God.  How has He rescued you personally from oppression and exile?  How does this move you to repentance?  What needs repentance in your life?

Character Building--Lesson 7--So Much Potential--Judges 13-16

Discussion Questions:

1.  What compromises with the world have you seen our church family struggle with?  What areas in your personal walk are tempting to compromise?

2.  How is our rebirth and walk with God like the birth of Samson?  What advantages have we been provided through the Spirit of God?  What signs has God provided of the strength and victory available to you?

3.  Why, when we see thousands of blooms on the strawberry plants is it difficult to pick them off and wait another year?  How does this delayed gratification work in other areas of life?

4.  Do you have any areas of Kryptonite (or Samsonite) that you are willing to admit in front of a group?  How do you get rid of this baggage, so you are not influenced by it?

5.  Describe the encouragement it rings you to see God answer the prayer of one who failed as bad as Samson did, and how a stubble of faith can accomplish so much.