Springs of Life Cedar Rapids

How do you respond when the giant turns out to be something that you created?Questions for the Road:1. In what ways do you personally “Run to Gath” in seasons of pain, exhaustion or stress?2. Where are you right now: In the battle, running or in need of sitting by the Brook Besor?3. Based on your responses to the previous questions, what is the Welcome of God that He is inviting me into?

 Desperate, dried up and can’t see what’s coming. That’s perfect, actually. Questions for the Road:1. Have you ever felt tempted to compromise in a desperate situation? What happened?2. Review the Wilderness Survival Guide. Which of these steps do you need to lean into in this season…?Wilderness Survival GuideSeek refuge in God’s presence: Stop running & set up campUse the tools He’s given you: Renew your mind, Put on full armor, Prayer & Praise Ask for guidance: The Word, Holy Spirit, God’s People

 How do you kill your archenemy? With Grace and Kindness.1.) What can be done to cultivate more consistency in the Quiet Space with God? 2.) Are there parts of your calling or identity that you have doubted up against a Raging Saul? 3.) What would it look like to practice humility and a fear of the Lord in the presence of your enemy? 

 The odds are not in your favor, and your giants know it. But in God’s power, they’re about to have a bad day.Questions For The Road: 1. In what ways have you allowed the giant that taunts you to paralyze you in fear?2. The size of the giant doesn’t matter to God. What are some things you can do to refocus away from your giant and towards God?3. What could your life look like as a result of being more God-focused on a daily basis?

QUESTIONS FOR THE ROAD:“Consider Your Defilement” - You may not be ignoring God’s command to build a temple, but is there any area of your life that you are not walking in obedience to His Word? Or something He has specifically told you? May we pray like David, “Search me, O God, and know my heart…!”“Consider Your Deliverance” - Could you proclaim that today is the day you realign your life with God’s will for you? “From this day on, from this 25th day of the first month…”“Consider Your Legacy” - Do you have a God-given dream or vision that hasn’t come to pass yet? What would a “long obedience in the same direction” look like? What could it look like for that vision to be fulfilled in generations to come?

One step at a time, remembering the promise in the face of discouragement.QUESTIONS FOR THE ROAD:Think Steps, Not Miles: As you begin the work of turning vision into action, what are the steps you need plan to plan for?What can you use as a tangible reminder that you are playing the long game with the vision God has given you—especially when the inevitable discouragement comes?Be honest, do you see your vision as God’s Victory? Take time to articulate why, or why not, and also what needs to change to for your perspective stay in this truth.

For some, it’s not a matter of what, but when. But for ALL, the time is now.QUESTIONS FOR THE ROAD:What’s your greatest barrier to acting on the vision God has given you?What areas of your life do you feel like you have sown much, and harvested little? Ask God for wisdom in what your next steps might be.Consider what work needs to be done. Ask God to renew the vision for you: Relationally | Physically | Financially | Vocationally | Spiritually

New Year, New You... or is it? What ACTUALLY will be different in this new year?A New Year by Scott Buckley https://soundcloud.com/scottbuckley Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://www.audiolibrary.com.co/scott-buckley/a-new-year Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/FrLsadzQ2qc

Why is it that at the end of seasons that we reflect on how it began? What if the end is the beginning? And how do we just sit and let that happen?Questions for the Road:In what ways have you experienced the disappointment of “hope deferred?”What have you been attaching your hope to lately?What promises of the “God of Hope” can you stand on in this season?How can you share the fruit of this Living Hope with someone else?

Perfect Peace doesn’t mean everything settles down. It means you’ve found the right place to stand.Questions For The Road:What part of your life would you currently describe as having an absence of peace?Read Isaiah 26:3-4. What step do you need to take in your current absence of peace to keep your mind “stayed on Jesus”?How are you sharing your harvest of the Fruit of the Spirit with others? What would it look like to increase in sharing?

Get JOYHow to Keep your JOYHow to Spread your JOY

Love has to start here, or what follows won’t work.QUESTIONS FOR THE ROAD:1. How did the “Revelation of God’s Love” personally change you?2. In what ways is the Fruit of this Revelation of Love evident in your life today?3. In seeking to cultivate the Love of God through greater communion, what spiritual practices can you implement or grow in?

Are we living out the golden rule, or just weaponizing it?Whether we realize it or not, we spend a lot of time focused on “Me”. But to fully experience the life God has for us, we must be willing to reject our own comfort for the good of others. It’s not easy, and it sure isn’t comfortable. But when you deny yourself, God can do so much more. Using a blueprint found in Romans 12, we’ll discover that when there’s more of God in you, you Self, Less. QUESTIONS FOR THE ROAD:1.Take an honest evaluation: How have you turned the Golden Rule into your own Code of Reciprocity?2.Think of someone you might consider to be your “enemy”. What would it look like for you “Bless and not Curse” them?3.Those are two big questions, so we’ll just leave you with them for this week…

When you are abundant in your generosity, you need less.Whether we realize it or not, we spend a lot of time focused on “Me”. But to fully experience the life God has for us, we must be willing to reject our own comfort for the good of others. It’s not easy, and it sure isn’t comfortable. But when you deny yourself, God can do so much more. Using a blueprint found in Romans 12, we’ll discover that when there’s more of God in you, you Self, Less. QUESTIONS FOR THE ROAD:1.Let’s do a heart check: are you operating from a Cycle of Scarcity, or out of God’s Abundance? 2.Take inventory of what God has given you to manage. How is God leading to you today to give back to His Kingdom?

When you put others before yourself in service, you take less.Whether we realize it or not, we spend a lot of time focused on “Me”. But to fully experience the life God has for us, we must be willing to reject our own comfort for the good of others. It’s not easy, and it sure isn’t comfortable. But when you deny yourself, God can do so much more. Using a blueprint found in Romans 12, we’ll discover that when there’s more of God in you, you Self, Less. QUESTIONS FOR THE ROAD:1.Where am I holding on to “more for myself” instead of offering myself as a living sacrifice?Consider areas where pride, entitlement, or self-focus might be keeping you from fully participating in God’s work or serving others.2.How am I using the gifts and grace God has given me for the benefit of the body, not just for myself?Reflect on whether your gifts are fostering “we” over “me,” and how you can take less for personal glory while investing in others.3.Am I practicing sober, honest judgment of myself in accordance with the faith God has distributed to me? Think about whether your mindset is humble and balanced, or if you tend toward self-elevation, comparison, or focusing on instant gratification.

The problem with a living sacrifice is that it keeps trying to crawl off of the altar.Whether we realize it or not, we spend a lot of time focused on “Me”. But to fully experience the life God has for us, we must be willing to reject our own comfort for the good of others. It’s not easy, and it sure isn’t comfortable. But when you deny yourself, God can do so much more. Using a blueprint found in Romans 12, we’ll discover that when there’s more of God in you, you Self, Less. Questions For the Road:1. What are you holding onto, or trying to control, that feels like a burden? What might happen if you were to ‘Cast’ those to God?2. What does a practical next step in ‘humbling yourself under the mighty hand of God’ look like in these same things?3. Don’t go it alone! Who can you reach out to for support in taking these next steps?

Everyone has influence with someone, and an incredible opportunity to impact the future.How does it feel to know someone's in your corner; supporting, coaching, sharpening and cheering you on? Now imagine if entire generations could experience support like this. Using models of generational relationships in scripture, we’ll learn what can happen when we develop relationships that shape, share insight, and speak into our souls.QUESTIONS FOR THE ROAD:1. Who is behind you that you can invest in? How can you help them see their God-given potential? Could you pray for them, mentor them, or serve alongside them?2.Where can you be a “John Housten” in someone’s life this week? What is one small action you can take this week to believe in someone, speak life into them, or help them step into God’s calling?