Women's Bible Study - September 21st, 2022

In one paragraph

Deborah walked the congregation through the reality of spiritual opposition, tracing it from the angelic rebellion described in Scripture all the way into the cultural pressures Americans feel right now. Drawing heavily on John Mark Comer's book God Has a Name and the work of several other teachers, she made the case that ignoring this conflict does not mean we are not in it. The message opened...

Read together

1. Isaiah 14 Satan declares he will someday take the place of Yahweh
2. Revelation 12 source for the idea that Satan took one third of angels with him
3. Ezekiel 28 God describes Satan as the model of perfection, full of wisdom and beauty, before pride corrupted him
4. Matthew 25 Jesus said hell was originally made for Satan and his demons
5. Revelation 20 how it all ends for Satan
6. Matthew 4 Satan tempts Jesus in the desert, including telling him to throw himself down and to turn stones to bread
7. Ephesians 6 our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against rulers, authorities and spiritual forces of evil
8. 2 Corinthians 2:11 so we are not taken advantage of, we cannot be ignorant of Satan's schemes
9. 2 Corinthians 4:4 the God of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers so they cannot see the gospel
10. 1 Thessalonians 2 a spirit of confusion at work
11. Isaiah 59 spiritual blindness; truth is gone and anyone who renounces evil is attacked
12. Galatians 1 rebellion, division and a perversion of God's promises and commands
13. John 8 Satan is the father of lies
14. Matthew 4 Satan is a tempter
15. 2 John 1 Satan is a deceiver
16. John 10 Satan is a thief who comes only to destroy and hurt
17. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Paul lists sins and warns that those who say these lifestyles are okay will not inherit the kingdom of God
18. 1 John 4:4 the spirit at work within believers is greater than the spirit at work in the world
19. Matthew 16 Jesus tells disciples to deny themselves, take up their cross and follow him
20. Philippians 2:3 do nothing out of selfish ambition but in humility value others above yourself
21. Ephesians 2:10 you are God's masterpiece, created to do good works planned for you long ago
22. 1 Corinthians 15 thanks be to God, He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ

Talk about it

1. Deborah described her time at the safe house in Thailand as deepening her faith in Christ. Has there been a moment in your own life when you saw clearly that there are two forces at work in the world? What did that do to your faith?
2. Deborah said we can be careless and reckless with our spiritual life, going day after day without consulting God on decisions about money, moving, or relationships. Where in your own life do you tend to leave God out of the conversation, and what would it look like to change that?
3. Pastor Steve Cuss defined an idol as anything other than Jesus that you feel you have to have in order to be okay. Which of the four idols Deborah described, having control, being the center of attention, always being right, or being liked by everyone, do you most recognize in yourself, and why?
4. Deborah quoted Alexander Solzhenitsyn saying that to destroy a people you must first sever their roots, and that what happened in Russia came down to this: they forgot God. Do you see that pattern playing out around you today? How does it affect the way you live as a believer?
5. Deborah said our job is not to wag our fingers in people's faces but to lovingly and gently stand firm on truth, and that what is canceled today may be criminalized tomorrow. How do you personally navigate holding to what God calls true when the people around you, including family or friends, push back on it?