LAUNCH:

Which would you choose —
Coke or Pepsi?
No TV for a month or no music for a month?
Lose your sight or lose your hearing?
Math or history?
Be able to fly or turn invisible?

Some of these choices are no-brainers. Just about everyone who drinks cola can say without much thought whether they prefer Coke or Pepsi. Some are a little harder, but even so, these are all hypothetical choices. What about when it comes to life choices? How do you make a decision when the decision is not easy?  Where is God in the process? How do you know if this is God’s will? This purpose of this study is to help you understand some principles for discerning God’s will.

EXPLORE:

Read Romans 12:1-2

1. According to verse 1, what is the motivation for presenting our whole selves to God?

2. As you think about your life and salvation, what are some of those “mercies” or things that God has done for you?

3. How would knowing that your life belongs to the Lord make a difference in the way you make decisions?

4. What are the commands Paul gives in verse 2? According to that verse, what is the result if we follow those commands?

5. Why do you think God wants us to submit to him and obey his teachings before we’ll understand his will?

6.  Psalm 119:105 tells us God’s Word is a “lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”  It shows us the way. What are some things that you already know God’s Word tells us are clearly his will?

APPLY:

7. How does it make you feel to know that God’s will is “good, pleasing and perfect”?

8. What are some difficult decisions you are facing today?

9. Here are some practical steps you can start working through to help you discern God’s will in decision making. Remember this is a process in relationship with God, it usually doesn’t happen in an instant. You can begin now as time allows, and then continue working through it on your own time.

Work through the following questions. If there are any you don’t have an answer to, or need more information, write down your questions and action points. You can come back to them outside of this study time. (For example, for question 1, you might write an action point to look in the Bible for insights related to your decision, or commit to spending regular time reading your Bible if that is something you aren’t consistently doing.  For question 3, you might make a list of people you can ask for godly counsel.)

MY DECISION: __________________________________________________

1) GOD’S WORD – What does God’s Word say about the decision?

(Is this an area where I already have clear guidance? Are there principles in his word that apply to my situation?)

2) THE HOLY SPIRIT – What have I sensed the Spirit prompting me to do as I spend time with God in prayer?

(Have I talked with God about the decision?)

3) OTHERS – What insights have I gained from the counsel of others? (Don’t depend on others to make the decision for you. But people who know you well, understand the situation, and can give you a godly perspective might have insights to help you in the decision.)

4) CIRCUMSTANCES – How has God been working in circumstances?

(What is God doing around me? Is he closing or opening opportunities?)

5) MY DESIRES – What are my desires?

(We can’t rely completely on our desires because, let’s be honest, we all want things that we know God does not want for us. However, if God is calling you to something, he will place a desire in your heart for that thing.  Listen to the desires that God may be placing in your heart.)

6) WISDOM – What does wisdom say?

(God gave us a brain! Make a list of pros & cons for the different choices you have in your decision.

10. Do you have any insights on your decision that you want to share with the group as you have started working through the process?

LAUNCH:

What is something you would like to do more, but never seem to have the time to do?

Let’s look at a story where people are investing their time in different ways and see what Jesus says about it.

EXPLORE:

Read Luke 10:38-42

1. What things do you observe about Martha from this passage?

2. How is Mary using her time differently?

3. What specifically does Martha want and how does Jesus respond to her?

4. Does the way Jesus responded seem surprising to you? Why or why not?

APPLY:

5. Do you identify more with Martha (worried about many things) or Mary (able to rest and in a place to hear from Jesus) or neither or both?  Why?

6. What are ways you spend your time wisely? What are some ways you spend your time foolishly? Are there any things you know are important that are currently getting pushed out by other things?

7. How do you personally decide what things should be priorities in your life? How does spending time with God in his Word and prayer help you shape your priorities?

8. Think about your typical 24 hour day:

What are some of the activities you do in a typical day? (examples might be sleep, school, personal hygiene, eating, homework, watching TV/movies, social media, spending time with God, sports or clubs, jobs etc.)

The two clocks below represent the 24 hours in your typical day. Draw two clocks like the ones below on a separate sheet of paper.  Fill in the clocks with how much time you typically spend on each activity.

9. As you look at the clocks above, Do you feel like the most important things are getting the time they need? What adjustments do you think God is leading you make in your life and schedule to make sure you don’t let the important things get pushed out by the less important things?

10. Where in your schedule do you have time to spend time with Jesus and learn from him? If you don’t have it, where do you think God wants you to put it?

LAUNCH:

Have you ever dreamed about winning the lottery? How do you think it would change your life? What would you buy if you won a million dollars?

Many people look to the lottery for financial security, but according to multiple studies about 70% of all lottery winners will end up going broke and filing for bankruptcy. 70%!!  Are you surprised by this? Why do you think this is?

Money (or a lack of money) is a huge topic in our culture. Let’s look at just a couple of many passages where the Bible talks about money.

EXPLORE:

Read Luke 12:13-21

1.  In verse 13, what is the person in the crowd concerned about?

2. What is Jesus’ response to him?

3. Summarize Jesus’ parable in your own words. What is the main point of this story?  What was the man trusting in? What happens to him?

4. How have you seen this same attitude toward money demonstrated in our culture today?

5. Jesus says, “Life is not measured by how much you own.” (v.15)  What do you think he means?

6. Read Luke 12:22-34  What is the attitude we should have towards money and possessions?

7. What are the thoughts in this passage that you find most encouraging?  What thoughts do you find hardest?

APPLY:

8. The passage talks about storing up treasures in heaven. How can we use our money and resources here on earth to store up treasures in heaven? 1 Timothy 6:17-19 gives us some additional insight. What are some ways it tells us we can do that?

9. When you think about the money you have (whether it is from an allowance, a job, or given to you), where does most of it go?

10. What are some specific ways you can store up treasures in heaven while you are in high school? (What are some of the needs you see around you that you think God might want you to invest in? Are there ways you can contribute to his kingdom work?)

11. Read 2 Corinthians 8:9. When you see Jesus’ generosity to you and consider what we’ve talked about in this study, how do you sense God’s Spirit nudging you to act differently about money?

FOR FURTHER STUDY:

Sometimes we don’t know where our money goes. It just seems like we don’t have enough. A great way gain understanding of how we use our money is to keep track of our spending. For 3 weeks (using your phone or a small notebook), write down everything you spend – the date, the place and what it was for. Then take a look at what you spent. How much of it was spent on things that were important or lasting? Looking back at it, how much do you feel you wasted? How much do you think was invested in storing up treasures in heaven? Are you surprised by where your money went? Are there any changes you would like to make in your spending habits?

Read the following quotes and respond:

“Money must not call the shots. I may have plenty of money to buy a new car, but that is not the point, for I will not serve money. I serve God, so I will buy the car only if I sense his direction to do so. Likewise, if I feel God’s leading to go to the mission field or help a brother in need, I do not say, “No, there’s no money, so I can’t.” That also would be serving money. God is my master, and money is at his disposal. I must first discern not what money says, but what God says. Money may be a factor, but it is never the factor.  God, not money, is sovereign. Money – whether by presence or absence – must never rule my life.” – Randy Alcorn, Money, Possessions, and Eternity

A.W. Tozer questions, “We can discover what our treasure is by answering 4 basic questions: What do we value most? What would we most hate to lose? What do our thoughts turn to most frequently, when we are free to think of what we will? And finally, what affords us the greatest pleasure?”  Based on these four questions what is your treasure?

LAUNCH:

You’re sitting at home and you are hungry and you want to eat some pizza — What parts of your body do you need to make that happen?

What part of the body is most important in the pizza job? What if the hand or another part decided not to do its job?

EXPLORE:

1. Imagine a task that is huge, never been done before, and needs to be done perfectly. God gives such a task to the people of Israel when he gives them instructions to build a place for worship him called the tabernacle. How detailed and complex were his instructions? Have someone read Exodus 25:8-9 and26:1-8.

2. If you were receiving these instructions and knew they had to be accomplished perfectly down to the tiniest detail, how would you feel?

3. Read Exodus 31:1-11. How does God ensure that the work can be accomplished?

4. God has given us as followers of Jesus a seemingly impossible task as well.  What is the work he is calling us as believers to do and how does he provide the means to accomplish the task?

5. Some of the key passages in the New Testament on spiritual gifts include Romans 12:3-8, 1 Peter 4:10-11, 1 Corinthians 12:1-31, Ephesians 4:4-8, 11-16.  Break the group up into smaller groups to explore different passages and have them each share with the group what they find.  Have someone write down each group’s answers and summarize, answering these 2 questions:

a.)What do you learn about spiritual gifts?
b.) What are some of the spiritual gifts God gives?

APPLY:

6. Do you know what your spiritual gifts might be? Are there any in the above passages that seem to describe you? (It’s okay if you don’t know. People discern their spiritual gifts through service over time, but share if there are any areas that you feel passionate about or think you might enjoy.)

7. These questions might help you discover more about your gifts: “When you are involved with activities at your church or with Cru, what needs do you notice first?”  “Which activities am I involved in that the Lord seem to bless?”  “What have other mature Christians who know me well (like parents, disciplers, youth leaders) noticed about me?” Share your answers with the group.

8. What are some things you are going to do in the next week to seek to discover or use your spiritual gifts?

FOR FURTHER STUDY:

If you would like to take an online spiritual gifts test, here is one designed for youth. http://www.spiritualgiftstest.com/test/youth

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