Chapter Eleven

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Discussion Questions

When stress or problems mount up in your life, to what, or to whom, do you turn? Are you dealing with it in a way that would please God? Why or why not?

On a scale of 1-10, 1 being an extremely unhealthy diet and 10 being an extremely health diet, where would you rate yours? Does the appearance of your body, your energy level, customessaysinuk.co.uk and your general mood reflect the score you gave yourself? Would you say your diet and lifestyle is a benefit to your body or a burden?

How much coffee, tea, soda, or energy drinks do you consume on any given day? How would you (or your body) respond if you were to skip those drinks?

Can you want the best for someone in light of eternity, take action to help him or her reach that best, and at the same time see the person in a sexual, lust-filled way? The answer is no. You cannot be selfless and selfish at the same time. If you are truly focused on said person as a precious life for whom Jesus died and a child God loves passionately, you will see him or her much differently. Consider this: What if, when you stand before God, every person who has appeared in your photo album was brought before you and he or she asked, “Why did you look at me that way? Why didn’t you pray for me? Why didn’t you fast on my behalf such that the spiritual strongholds were broken?” What would you say? Guys, Adam’s excuse of “the woman you created made me do it” did not fly one bit, did it? What if the way that girl/woman dressed was because, in her mind, any attention was better than no attention? What if she did not feel loved by her father and her wardrobe was a cry for help?

Most people equate laziness with the tendency to sleep too much, but that is only one piece of the overall picture. A better description would be that we as humans are prone to ease and idleness. We not only tend to gravitate toward what takes the least amount of effort, but we also tend to kick back and relax much more than we should. Both tendencies will cause us to fall far short of our full potential. I like what Brian Klemmer said: “Do dogs like bones? No. They like steak. They settle for bones.” In what ways have you “settled” in your life?

Covetousness can live quite comfortably without a fear of being discovered or disturbed in a house labeled “prosperity.” Pride can find a safe and secure dwelling in a house labeled “success.” If the Lord walked through your prosperity house or your success house, would He find covetousness and pride dwelling there?

We as the Body of Christ are divided in many ways and over many areas. Think of the various labels we give each other. When you hear those labels, what is your reaction to the “groups” to which you do not belong? What is your reaction to the groups to which you do belong? Do we not all think that our groups are right and the other groups are wrong? Does that foster unity?

I find it very interesting what God wrote to Belshazzar in Daniel 5. Part of God’s message to the king is found in verse 27, where He said, “You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting” (Dan. 5:27, NJKV). I have asked several “What if…?” questions throughout the course of this book, and I have another one: What if God keeps track, on some kind of heavenly scale (the kind that has two platforms you can balance with equal weights) of what you spend on earthly goods versus what you invest in eternity? Think about where your money goes. Which side of the scale is getting more attention in your life?

What was the initial thought that went through your mind when I asked what you would do with the twenty-five thousand dollars?