We are happy to be back at it with you all diving into God’s Word week in and week out!
Remember to challenge yourself to read through the entire text FIRST before starting your homework and then again as many times as you can after that throughout the week…maybe instead of a scroll through instagram. ;)
Text “devoted” and “devotedmatthew” to the number 68878 to receive the weekly announcements, praise songs for the upcoming meeting, and links to the previous teachings and answer guides.
This week’s HEAD-HEART-HANDS section is focused around #11 in our workbook, which is centered around the Feeding of the 5,000.
If you are next up for testimony time in small group, come ready to share how God moved in your heart regarding this section and share the action you took from the “hands” portion below.
HEAD (memory verse):
'And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. ' II Corinthians 9:8 NKJV
This verse conveys just as the retelling of the Feeding of the 5,000, that God does the work of multiplication with what we faithfully put before Him for the use of service to those around us. He has given us all the resources necessary to accomplish every good work he has planned for us(Ephesians 2:10). This is not just a matter of material resources. God gives us an abundance of joy, love, peace, etc that we need to live life and glorify Him and meet the needs of the around us. We have to choose by faith to walk in these things. We get to show up with our meager offering of a “few loaves and fish” and watch Him do the work of multiplication.
HEART (prayer focus):
Ask God to help you live with an “abundance mindset” rather that a “scarcity mindset”.
—Pray FOR an Abundance mindset- Example-I have all that I need in Jesus. God will give me what I need for this day(daily bread) to walk in my calling. I am blessed. I am loved. I am rich in accordance with the economy of the Kingdom of God. (abundance is trusting in the endless promises of God, giving what we have and trusting God will use it)
—Pray AGAINST a Scarcity Mindset- Example-I don’t have what it takes to do _____. If I only I had _____ then I could _____. I am not lovable. I am not smart enough. I will never be able to ____. I don’t have enough. I am not enough. Etc. (scarcity is based in lies we are told from our flesh, the devil, and the world.)
Abundance is living through the propelling of God’s power in all things, scarcity is thinking the power we need to accomplish Kingdom work comes from ourselves. When it comes down to it, scarcity mindset is IDOLATRY. We make it all about ourselves and elevate what we think we can do above what God can and will accomplish if we trust Him to do it! Confess where you have been living with a scarcity mindset before God and claim the promise of abundance in Jesus to do what you are called to.
HANDS (word in action):
Choose to do something that will have Kingdom Impact this week that requires you to take a step forward in faith trusting '…God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.' (Philippians 4:19)
Examples-
-Invite someone to coffee to chat about Jesus. (someone you don’t know well from small group, that person you aren’t sure if they know Jesus or not, someone new to town, that mom you always see at drop off)
-Volunteer to serve in an area of need in your local church. (kids ministry, nursery, greeting team, home visit, altar team, etc. The place that makes you uncomfortable- the “I could never do that” place. Even if you try and it’s not necessarily your fit, you can know that you tried!)
-Start giving a tithe of your income OR up your monetary offering to your church whether that’s towards the missions fund, choosing to sponser a kid for upcoming camps(maybe you start saving now to have the money in time if necessary), or commit an amount to a specific Kingdom focused non profit etc.)
-Intentionally set aside time with your child, do a puzzle or something they like, and talk about this lesson about God Jesus feeding gate 5,000 and all of the above ^, on their level of course. (You are capable of teaching them spiritual truths!!)
Put one foot forward as an act of faith in something that will advance the Kingdom of God!
