Women's Bible Study - September 7th, 2022

In one paragraph

This was the opening session of a community women's Bible study called Thrive, led by Deborah at First Baptist Jackson. She introduced the study's central question: whether it is possible to flourish and experience genuine peace when the world, or our personal lives, are falling apart. The session focused on building a foundation for that question by walking through four marks of assurance that a...

Read together

1. James 4:8 promise that if we draw close to God, He will draw close to us
2. Exodus 3:7-8 key verse for the study, Yahweh sees and hears the misery of His people and comes to rescue them and lead them to a land flowing with milk and honey
3. Deuteronomy 29:9 the Lord told the Israelites that if they follow His word they will prosper
4. John 1:12 all who believe in Jesus and accept Him are given the right to be children of God, reborn of a spiritual birth
5. Romans 10:9 confessing with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believing He was raised on the third day means you are saved
6. 1 John 5:1 whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born into the family of God
7. 1 John 2:29 everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him; we are saved for good works
8. 1 John 4:7 love comes from God and anyone who loves is a child of God
9. 1 John 3 the way we know we are transforming from death to life is that we love our brothers and sisters
10. 1 John 5:4 every child of God defeats the evil world and achieves victory through faith

Talk about it

1. Deborah read from Exodus chapter three where God tells the Israelites 'I have seen the misery of my people... I have heard them crying out... I am concerned about their suffering.' When you hear those three phrases, 'I see you, I hear you, I care,' which one is hardest for you to believe right now, and why?
2. Deborah described two competing narratives always running at the same time, one from Yahweh and one from the world. Where in your daily life do you find the world's narrative loudest, and what does it tend to tell you?
3. Deborah said that 'if I am not feeling at peace, if I am not feeling hopeful, I am believing a lie, either a lie about God or a lie about myself.' Has there been a time when you recognized a lie you were believing? What helped you see it for what it was?
4. Deborah walked through the A plus B equals C idea, that it is not the adversity itself but what we believe about it that shapes our well-being. How does that land with something you are facing right now? Does it feel true, or does it feel like a hard thing to accept?
5. Deborah closed with four markers of assurance that we are children of God, confession, change, compassion, and how we handle conflict. Which of those four feels most alive in your life right now, and which one feels like the area where you most need the Holy Spirit's help?