Reality Check: Why Pray?
James 5:13-20
Connect:
Share how you have seen God in the Highs and Lows of your week.
Discuss how resolutions made last week in “growing more like Jesus” worked themselves out – what God did in and through you (Phil. 2:13) Celebrate and thank God for those together and pray with those who experienced some “Lows” this week, for God’s encouragement for them.
Prayer:
Pray that God would lead your discussion time and bring fresh insight, conviction, and hope through your time together.
Review:
We are launching into a new series on the book of James and how we can be challenged to examine the authenticity of our faith! We have looked at navigating trials and temptations, turning faith into action( e.g. not playing favorites) and acting wisely. This week we are looking at prayer…
The Grand Tour of the message: Thinking back on what you heard this Sunday…
o What did you learn about God?
o What did you learn about people?
o What did you learn about yourself?
o What do you want to commit to putting into practice?
Reflect:
Talk about the role of prayer in your life right now— when do you find yourself praying most?
Read James 5:13
o We were never intended to do life outside of a relationship with our Father God! Happy or sad there is a way to express that situation in that relationship! Read Matt 6:9-13 together and discuss how acknowledging God as our Father affects our prayer life as we go through trouble as well as happy times.
Read James 5:14-15
o Some people say that we can get God to do anything we want if we can make ourselves believe that He will do it. Read the following passages and discuss the role of faith as we pray and act in sync with God’s will (Mark 11:21-26, Matt 13:54-58, James 4:2-3, John 15:5-8, 2 Corinthians 12:6-10, Acts 3:1-8)
Read James 5:15-16
o Making room for sin to be at home in our lives affects us spiritually and physically— talk about that (1 Corinthians 11:28-30, Psalm 66:18, Romans 1:25-27)
o We say, “Confession is good for the soul”. Why is that?
Read James 5:16-18
o The guy who was compelled by God that the rain would stop for 3 YEARS is the SAME GUY who ran away in fear from Queen Jezebel and asked God to take him! What would you say to Elijah if you were to meet him in that moment of Depression after God had worked so powerfully through him?
Read James 5:19-20
o It feels good to be a “rescuer”! At the same time, we all need rescuing at various times in life! Talk about the identity we need to keep as we are reaching out to those who are “wandering” (Galatians 6:1, Luke 15:21-31, 2 Corinthians 2:5-8, 2 Timothy 3:14-17)
Respond:
Scott closed the message this weekend with a call to ‘be reconciled to God’— to live in right relationship with Him, and otu of that to live in right relationship with each other! Spend some time asking God to search our hearts for things that are blocking the LIFE of His Spirit in and through us, and commit to following through on whatever He shows us to do… simply because it honors Him!
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