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WEEK 2 SERMON DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR GROUPS

January 14, 2024

The power to change: Breaking the cycle that’s breaking you

Introduction:

Have you ever gotten a food craving so bad your mouth started watering just thinking about it? Why do you think you crave whatever it is you crave? When you dwell on a thought, you begin giving it life. Eventually, those carvings turn into actions. The problem with cravings is that we often don’t see any consequences until it is too late.    

Bottom Line: How can I refuse what I’m craving for this moment, to receive what I want for my life?

Something To Talk About:

Breaking the cycle means ending a repetitive pattern of harmful behavior or thoughts. Based on who you want to become, what habit/craving do you need to break?

  1. Watch your circumstances and cues: Remove the cue if you want to break a bad habit. If you want to stop what you do, you remove the cue. When you go to a certain place, you’re cued and triggered to act in a certain way. For example, if you want to eat right, you probably don’t overeat at the gym, right? Where do you overeat? At the all-you-can-eat buffet where you’re trying to be a good steward and get your money’s worth. If you want to get high, you won’t do it at church. The places where you go matter. Think about Sampson. Sampson didn’t sleep with a prostitute in his hometown. He took 56,250 steps away from where he was into enemy territory. If there are certain places, just don’t go there. That’s right. It’s not worth it. You stay away from those places. 
  2. Watch yourself: craving: Craving isn’t a bad thing. But we must realize God created us to crave more of Him. Many of us have misplaced that craving by overindulging in other things. In our unchecked drive to consume, we become the ones consumed. Our ravings, however, can easily turn into obsessions, leading us into wild over-consumption (James 4:1–3). The fact is you are not alone. Everyone experiences some cravings.  Know your weakness, starve your craving with scripture, and ask God for help. Cravings are part of the human condition. But we don’t have to give them control. If you feel trapped in the midst of an enthralling craving, whatever it is, God offers a way out. 

Discussion Questions:

  1. Are all cravings sour?
  2. How far are you willing to go to feed your craving? Why do you want what you want? 
  3. Whenever you have a craving, take a moment to pause and peek behind the curtain. What promise are you expecting that craving to fulfill?
  4. God does not want our days consumed in futility. Futility means useless, ineffective, meaningless, or frivolous activity. Do cravings fall into that category?
  5. Think about some of your different habits. What are some of the cues in your life that trigger these habits?
  6. Please talk about your mindset when it comes to your habits. What needs to shift in your mindset to break bad habits?
  7. Share about a habit you want to break. How will your life look different as a result of breaking this habit?
  8. Read 1 Corinthians 10:13: Within this scripture is God’s promise that He always makes an escape route for every temptation. What does that mean to us?
  9. To overcome cravings, ask the Lord in prayer to show you the escape route He has provided and the strength to take it.
  10. What can you do this week to get unstuck from your desires?
  11. What was your main takeaway from this week’s message?

Take One Thing Home with You:

C. S. Lewis masterfully illustrated the destructive power of worldly cravings in The Silver Chair. The great lion, Aslan, sends Jill and Eustace on a quest to rescue the lost prince of Narnia. He tells Jill to memorize the signs leading them to the prince. Puddleglum, a wise Narnian marsh wiggle, joins them.

The three encounter a charming lady who urges them to seek refuge at the castle of the giants, where they’ll find a hot bath, a soft bed, and delicious food. After nights of camping in the cold, the children can think of nothing else. Driven by a craving for comfort, they ignore Puddleglum’s cautions and forget their mission.

Their desire for comfort took them off their quest and led them straight into the peril of death.