The GPS

What our series "Plan B" is all about

Who doesn’t want to know God’s will for their lives?  And yet sometimes we view it like a Magic Eight Ball, jigsaw puzzle, maze, or a GPS.  What if God’s will wasn’t like any of those things?  Would we be so afraid of Plan B?

The GPS

Sometimes we wish that God would send us a step by step plan for His Will, or at least a vision to say what He wants for us.  However, most of the time we just feel like we walk by faith and doors keep slamming in our face.  In the Bible, Paul and Silas went through that is Acts 16.  They tried and tried to find where God wanted them to preach, but God kept shutting them out.  Then Paul gets a vision while in the city of Troas that he should go and preach in the province of Macedonia.  It seems like God sent this great, life-altering call, but when you look at the map, you see otherwise.  Based on the locations that they already were, we can see that Paul and his missionary group were already heading to Macedonia in the first place.  God closed the doors He didn’t want them to go through, and then when they started going the way He wanted, God confirmed their decision.  This is the way He normally leads us, not with visions but with closed doors to lead us to the ones He will open.

The Point

If we walk by faith, God will open the right doors

At Home Suggestions

Talk about a time when a door closed for you.  Talk about how you felt, and then how God used that to lead you to the open door that He wanted for you.

Read Psalm 27:14 Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord. (NIV)

Ask: What does this ask us to do?  Why does it ask us to do it twice?  While we are waiting, what should we do?  Why is it so hard to become discouraged when we are waiting?  How can you be strong in that time?

Explain that we are asked (twice) to wait for the LORD.  The psalmist really wants to emphasize this because he knows how hard it is to be strong while waiting. 

Pray that your family would wait for God to open the right door as you walk by faith.

The Jigsaw Puzzle

What our series "Plan B" is all about

Who doesn’t want to know God’s will for their lives?  And yet sometimes we view it like a

Magic Eight Ball, jigsaw puzzle, maze, or a GPS.  What if God’s will wasn’t like any of those things?  Would we be so afraid of Plan B?

The Jigsaw Puzzle

Often we have a picture of how our lives are going to work out, only to become frustrated when the pieces don’t fit together that way.  James 4:13-16 asks us to reevaluate the way that we plan our own futures.  It’s not that we can’t make plans, but we must be sure that God is at the forefront of the plan-making process.  Without that our plans are merely arrogant boasting.  But when we ask God to direct our steps, it’s as if He hands us the pieces to the puzzle one at a time and creates a picture that is even more beautiful that we could ever have done on our own.

The Point

We make plans, but God is in control

At Home Suggestions

Talk to your teens about areas of your life that didn’t work out the way you planned.  Remind them that while it is very important to have dreams, goals, and even plans for their lives, they must allow God to shape those plans to His Will.  This isn’t easy (in fact, it’s kind of scary) but it allows Him to create the life that He has for us.

Read Isaiah 26:3 You will keep the mind that is dependent on You
in perfect peace,
for it is trusting in You. (HCSB)

Ask: What does it mean to be “dependent” on God?  When we do that, what does God promise to do?  How can trusting in God bring us peace about the things we can’t control?  How can trusting in ourselves rob us of peace?

Explain that even though we aren’t in control of every circumstance in our lives, God is.  When we trust in Him and His plan, rather than our own, we have peace about whatever comes our way.  When we trust ourselves instead of God, we don’t have peace because we’ve put ourselves in control of things that we can’t control.

Pray that your family would trust in God’s plan for your lives instead of in your own abilities.

The Magic Eight Ball

What our Series "Plan B" is all About

Who doesn’t want to know God’s will for their lives?  And yet sometimes we view it Magic Eight Ball, jigsaw puzzle, maze, or a GPS.  What if God’s will wasn’t like any of those things?  Would we be so afraid of Plan B?

The Magic Eight Ball

Many of us had this toy growing up, and we would ask it a “yes” or “no” question, shake, and then out of the murky blue would come an answer.  And even today, some of us wish that God would work that way too, giving us all the answers about everything He is calling us to.  In 1 Kings 19, God leads Elijah to call Elisha as his successor.  This wasn’t Elisha’s plan for his life, but it is God’s plan.  Elisha was a wealthy farmer, and now God is calling him to leave that stability, predictability, and comfo

rt behind.  And since there is tension between Elisha’s “Plan A” and God’s “Plan B”, Elisha slaughters his oxen and cooks them over a fire made from his plow, to ensure that he would never look back.

The Point

You don't have to understand fully to obey immediately

At Home Suggestions

Talk with your teens about a time when God asked you to do something very different from what you were expecting.  How did you experience the tension between your “Plan A” and God’s “Plan B”?

Read James 4:17 Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. (NLT)

Ask: Has there ever been a time when you knew what you ought to do, but you didn’t do it?  When God has a plan for you, do you have to understand fully to obey immediately?  What are some things you ought to do now, even though you don’t understand where that path may take you in the future?

Explain that none of us need to understand everything to be able to obey God now.

Pray that your family would follow God’s call on their lives without looking back, even if you don’t understand everything.

Live

What our Series "Antennas" is all About

God is speaking, but if we don’t have our antennas set to hear, we will miss it.  This series helps us all to know how to hear what God is saying to us.

Live

We all want to hear from God – to experience His presence and feel His direction – but sometimes things seem unclear.  Jesus says that there is a reason for that.  In Matthew 5:8, Jesus said “God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God” (NLT)  When we are pure in heart we can see God, but when sin clouds our vision everything becomes blurry.  It’s through repentance of sin, with the help of people around us like our families and our small group, that we can live our lives in such a way that we are truly ready to hear what God is saying to us.

At Home Suggestions

Talk to your teens about what repentance means to you.  Tell them about a time when you couldn’t hear God because your lifestyle drowned out His voice.  How did things get back on track for you?

Read Ephesians 4:1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. (NLT)

Ask: What does Paul beg his readers to do?  Why does He do that?  What does he say that indicates that he himself has done this?  If Christianity were a crime today, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

Explain that Paul asks us to live a life worthy of our calling, because we’ve been called by God.  This means that our lifestyle should reflect the call that God has placed on our lives when He saved us from our sin and brought us into a relationship with Him.  Paul writes this as someone who is in prison for his beliefs about Christ, so he proves that he has lived in such a way that everyone knows he is a follower of Jesus.

Pray that your family would be different because of your relationship with God.

Talk

What our series "Antennas" is all about

God is speaking, but if we don’t have our antennas set to hear, we will miss it.  This series helps us all to know how to hear what God is saying to us.

Talk

Talking about your faith is a good way to grow in your faith.  In particular, sharing your faith with someone who doesn’t believe will grow you, and it could also lead to someone else receiving forgiveness from God.  But often we are scared to share our faith, which is why we are reminded in Mark 16:16 that “Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned.”  Condemned is a strong word, but Jesus chooses that word to let us know that even though we might worry what might happen to us, what is going to happen to them if they don’t believe is far worse.

The Point

If you want to hear what God is saying to you, talk about Him

At Home Suggestions

Talk with your teens about some people they know who need to hear about the Good News.  Come up with a plan of how to share the love of Christ with them.

Read 1 Corinthians 9:22 To the weak I became weak, in order to win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I may by every possible means save some. (HCSB)

Ask: What is Paul trying to say here?  Have you ever seen someone do something like this?  How could you try to do this?

Explain that Paul values salvation so much that he is willing to do whatever it takes to reach people for Christ.  It doesn’t mean he lies about himself or changes himself, but he is willing to step out of his comfort zone if it means someone might accept Christ. 

Pray that your family would be willing to be uncomfortable if it means someone could find forgiveness in Jesus.

Pray

What our Series "Antennas" is all about

God is speaking, but if we don’t have our antennas set to hear, we will miss it.  This series helps us all to know how to hear what God is saying to us.

Pray

  

So many of us don’t bother praying because it doesn’t seem to work the way we want, or because God already knows our needs, or because we’re not sure if God is even listening.  If prayer were all about our requests, then those would all be really good reasons not to pray.  But Galatians 4:6 gives us something more.  It says that God wants us “to call out, ‘Abba, Father.’”  Abba is an Aramaic word that translates to something like our word “Daddy.”  God wants a relationship with us that is so close that we consider Him our “Heavenly Daddy.”  And we build this kind of relationship through prayer.

The Point

Prayer is more about a relationship with God

than about our requests

At Home Suggestions

Talk with your teens about the difference that prayer has made in your life.  Talk to them about some things you have seen God do because of prayer.  But most importantly, talk about how your relationship with God is better when prayer is a habit in your life.

Read 1 Timothy 2:1-4

Ask: What does this passage ask us to do?  Who does it ask us to pray for specifically?  Why do you think that’s important?

Explain that this asks us to pray for others, in particular those in authority.  Praying for others is important because we are often focused in our prayer time on ourselves and our needs, but praying for others helps us to not only connect with God but also with those that we pray to Him for.  Praying for our leaders often seems like a big task, but those who have more authority need even more prayer.

Pray just like this passage asked you to, for the people around you and for the authorities who lead you.

Hear

What our series "Antennas" is all about

God is speaking, but if we don’t have our antennas set to hear, we will miss it.  This series helps us all to know how to hear what God is saying to us.

Hear

We all want to hear from God, but there are so many excuses not to read our Bible.  It’s hard to understand, we don’t like reading, and we’re really, really busy.  But God says that “People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matt 4:4).  That means that just like our bodies need to be nourished to survive, so do our souls.  We need God’s Word to set our antennas to hear from Him.  We weren’t made to live without it.

The Point: If you want to hear what God is saying to you, read his Word

At Home Suggestions

Talk with our teens about a plan to connect with God Word daily.  Each student was given a 4 week devotional called “Know God,” and our series will connect with what it is teaching.  If your teen struggles with reading, volunteer to do it together as a family.  Do whatever it takes to encourage your teens to give their souls the nourishment they need by getting rid of all the possible excuses.

Read Romans 5:4 For whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that we may have hope through endurance and through the encouragement from the Scriptures. (HCSB)

Ask: What is Paul talking about when he says “whatever was written in the past”?  What does he say that stuff was written for?  How can reading it every day make a difference in our own lives?

Explain that Paul is talking about God’s Word, and that it was written to instruct us how to live, and to give us hope and encouragement in our daily lives.  I don’t know about you, but that sounds pretty good to me!

Pray that your family would feed more than your bodies, but also your souls.