Wish You Were Here - Part 3

INTRODUCTION

There are two kinds of wishes you can have about your life: those outside of your control and those under your control. When it comes to the wishes under your control, the only difference between you and the person you wish to be is the decisions you make. And those decisions are regulated by your self-control.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Are you a planner or are you more spontaneous? How do you benefit from that tendency? What does it cost you?

2. Do you think our culture values self-control? Explain.

3. Read Proverbs 25:28. Talk about a time when a lack of self-control caused you to lose progress in an area of your life.

4. Read 2 Corinthians 10:3–5. Is it difficult for you to believe that it’s possible to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ”? Why or why not?

5. As you think about where you are versus where God wishes to take you in the future, what are some things that might be at stake? What might you or others lose or miss out on if you don’t “take captive every thought”?

6. What is a thought you need to take captive? What is one thing you can do this week to begin to take that thought captive? What can this group do to support you?

MOVING FORWARD

Self-control starts in the mind. It is key to getting where you wish you were. What are the thoughts that result in behaviors you’re trying to avoid? What are the thoughts you need to take captive? Take time to think about it. Choose thoughts that result in behaviors you wish for your future.

CHANGING YOUR MIND

Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control. Proverbs 25:28