The Force Discussion Guides

1. DON'T BE A QUITTER.
   

   "But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded." 2 Chronicles 15:7

   
   

     Discussion Question: Share times in your life when you were victorious with God's strength.

   
   

2.  PREPARE FOR DIFFICULT DAYS.  
   

   "Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are." 1 Peter 5:8-9

   
   

    Discussion Question: Are you going through difficult times? What things and areas in your life could you turn over to God? How can we rely on God in difficult times?

   
   

3.   REMEMBER THE MISSION. 

"But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you..." 1 Timothy 6:11-12

4.  LIVE FOR THE GLORY OF GOD.

    "And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory." Colossians 1:27

      Discussion Question: Our mission is to endure the race of life and rely on God through it. Talk about some trials in your life that you fully relied on God and he came

through. How great it will be to endure the hardships of life and at the end hear God say, "Well done my good and faithful servant!"

"No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us." Romans 8:37

1. MAKE PRAYER OUR PRIORITY.
   

   "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19

   
   

     Discussion Question: What areas in your life do you need to make a priority to pray for?

   
   

2.  PRAY TOGETHER AND FOR TOGETHERNESS.  
   

   "And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near." Hebrews 10:25

   
   

   "Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one  glorious hope for the future." Ephesians 4:3-4

   
   

    

3.   PRAY FOR HEALING. (spiritual, physical, mental, emotional, and relational)

"Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results." James 5:13-16

      Discussion Question: Discuss the importance of the body of Christ. How has having people that you can lean on and pray for and with helped you in your walk? Who are

some  of these people you pray with in your life?

4.  PRAY FOR BOLDNESS IN SHARING THE GOOD NEWS.

    "For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile." Romans 1:16

"And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words." Romans 8:26

1. THE HOLY SPIRIT'S POWER CHANGES OUR STATUS
   

   "So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God's Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, "Abba, Father." For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children. An since we are his children, we are his heirs. In face, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering." Romans 8:15-17 NLT

   
   

   Discussion Question: How has God moved you from outside of the family to inside of the family?

   
   

2. THE HOLY SPIRIT'S POWER ADJUSTS OUR FOCUS
   

   "Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit." Romans 8:5 NLT

   
   

   "So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses." Galatians 5:16-18 NLT

   
   

   Discussion Question: How can God refocus you so that you can carry out the mission that He has for you?

   
   

3. THE HOLY SPIRIT'S POWER TRANSFORMS OUR HARVEST
   

   "A good tree can't produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can't produce good fruit. A tree is identified by it's fruit. Figs are never gathered from thorn bushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart." Luke 6:43-45 NLT

   
   

   "But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Galatians 5:22-23 NLT 

   
   

   Discussion Question: How can the Holy Spirit transform your harvest?

   
   

1. KNOW YOUR ENEMY.
   

   "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:8

   "...The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work." 1 John 3:8

   
   

   Discussion Question: Sometimes bad things happen to us and sometimes we are under spiritual attack from the enemy. Can you distinguish the difference between the two? And how?

   
   

2. ASSERT YOUR AUTHORITY.
   

   "Jesus came and said to them, 'All power has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go and make followers of all the nations. Baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.'" Matthew 28:18-19

   
   

   
   

3. PUT ON YOUR ARMOR.
   

   "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes." Ephesians 6:11

   
   

   Truth, Righteousness, Gospel of Peace, Faith, Salvation, Spirit, Word of God

   
   

   Discussion Question: Which of these weapons can you use to fight the enemy? And how?

   
   

4.   CONTINUALLY PRAY.

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." Ephesians 6:18

1. THE ONE LIVING IN ME IS GREATER.
   

   "...the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world." 1 John 4:4

   "For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7

   
   

2. I AM NEVER EVER ALONE.
   

   "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn't looking for him and doesn't recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you." John 14:16-18

   "...For God has said, 'I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.' So we can say with confidence, 'The LORD is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?" Hebrews 13:5-6
   

   
   

3. I AM NO LONGER WHAT I ONCE WAS.
   

   "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" 2 Corinthians 5:17

   
   

   
   

4.   I HAVE AN IMPORTANT MISSION WHILE ON THIS PLANET.

"And then he told them, 'Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned." Mark 16:15-16

Discussion Question: Think through the mission God has given you. Are you allowing the Holy Spirit to make you aware of the forces around you? Are you allowing the Holy Spirit to show you opportunities to affect someone's life?