Believe Study Guide
Session 2: Personal God
Personal Study
Last week you examined your beliefs about who God is. Perhaps you learned something about God or about yourself that you never knew before. That’s great! This week before your group meeting, read Believe, Chapter 2: Personal God. Then spend some time allowing the Scripture to take root in your heart and evaluating your feelings about how God is involved in your daily life.
Read
Read Believe, Chapter 2: Personal God and answer the following questions.
1. Describe the common patterns found in these verses.
2. As you read these passages, what questions came to your attention?
3. What did you read that stunned you? Challenged you? Motivated you? Confused you?
4. Explain how you have personally experienced God in your life.
5. In what ways have pain and suffering caused you to be more aware of God’s presence?
6. How have you seen pain and suffering bring others closer to God?
Evaluate
Based on your reading from Believe, Chapter 2: Personal God, evaluate your level of confidence in the statements below, using a 1–6 scale (1 = no confidence, 6 = complete certainty).
______I believe God has a purpose for my life.
______I believe pain and suffering can often bring me closer to God.
______I believe God is actively involved in my life.
______I believe God enables me to do things I could not or would not otherwise do.
Take Action
Memorizing Scripture is a valuable discipline for all believers to exercise. Spend a few minutes each day committing this week’s Key Verse to memory.
Key Verse: “I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:1–2)
Recite this week’s Key Idea out loud. As you do, ask yourself, does my life reflect this statement?
Key Idea: I believe God is involved in and cares about my daily life.
Answer the following questions to help you apply this week’s Key Idea to your own life.
1. How would this belief-in-action express itself in your life?
2. What visible attributes can be found in someone who is personally connected to God?
3. What is impeding your ability to experience God in a personal way? How can you overcome these obstacles?
4. What action step can you take this week to increase your awareness of God’s involvement in your daily life?
Journal
To help you keep all your Believe thoughts and materials in one place, note any verses or insights God gives you as you spend time with Him this week. This is also a great place to attach your sermon notes from the weekend messages.
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Group Meeting
Welcome!
Welcome to Session 2 of Believe. If this is your first time together as a group, take a moment to introduce yourselves to each other before watching the video. Then, feel free to get started!
Video Teaching Notes
As you watch the video segment for Session 2, use the following outline to record some of the main points.
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Getting Started
Begin your discussion by reciting the Key Verse and Key Idea together as a group. On your first attempt, use your notes if you need help. On your second attempt, try to state them completely from memory.
Key Verse: “I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:1–2)
Key Idea: I believe God is involved in and cares about my daily life.
Group Discussion
As a group, discuss your thoughts and feelings about the following declarations. Which statements are easy to declare with certainty? Which are more challenging, and why?
I believe God has a purpose for my life.
I believe pain and suffering can often bring me closer to God.
I believe God is actively involved in my life.
I believe God enables me to do things I could not or would not otherwise do.
Based on your group’s dynamics and spiritual maturity, choose the 2–3 questions that will lead to the best discussion about this week’s Key Idea.
1. Have you ever asked yourself, “Does God care about me?” If so, what experience or thought helped formulate your answer?
2. Describe the specific ways you experience God in your daily life.
3. What activities or disciplines heighten your awareness of God’s activity in your life?
Read Psalm 23 together and choose 1–2 questions that will lead to the greatest discussion in your group.
1. Psalm 23 describes God as a good shepherd who leads, guides, refreshes, comforts, prepares, and anoints his sheep. Which action best describes your interactions with him?
2. How does freedom from worry demonstrate confidence in God’s ability to provide and care for us?
3. Why is it challenging to trust that God’s ways are higher than our ways? How can we overcome these obstacles?
4. What thoughts and emotions come to mind when you think about the fact that God has good plan for your life?
Closing Prayer
Close your time together with prayer. Share your prayer requests with one another. Ask God to help you put this week’s Key Idea into practice.