Women's Bible Study - October 12th, 2022

In one paragraph

Natalie shared her personal testimony of a decade spent enslaved to perfectionism, eating disorders, and people pleasing, tracing how small, unchecked lies about her own worth quietly took over her life. She walked through how those lies are planted, how they grow, and what it actually looks like to fight back. Her talk was the final teaching in a multi-week women's study at First Baptist Jackson....

Read together

1. Genesis 3 Read aloud to illustrate how sin starts subtle through the serpent planting seeds of doubt with Eve
2. Romans 1:21 Quoted to show how futile thinking and darkened hearts lead to being given over to sinful desires and exchanging truth for a lie
3. 1 Corinthians 5 Referenced to explain handing someone over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh so the spirit might be saved, and the warning that a little yeast leavens the whole batch
4. John 18 Referenced for the Pilate interrogation of Jesus and Pilate's question 'What is truth?'
5. John 8 Quoted: 'If you abide in my word and you are my disciple, you will know the truth and the truth will set you free'
6. Mark 5:13 Quoted as the salt of the earth passage to illustrate the purpose believers have in preserving, healing, and seasoning the world with truth
7. Matthew 28:19-20 Quoted as the Great Commission to go and make disciples, attributed as 'Mark twenty eight nineteen and twenty' in the transcript
8. Galatians 5:13 Quoted: 'You are called to freedom, only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another'
9. Titus 2 Referenced for the duty of older and more mature believers to teach and encourage younger and less mature ones
10. Jeremiah Referenced for the potter's house illustration of God molding and shaping clay as a picture of His relationship with us

Talk about it

1. Natalie described sin as starting subtle, like the serpent planting a small seed of doubt in Eve's mind rather than making a bold frontal attack. What is a lie you once believed that started small and seemed reasonable at first?
2. Natalie drew a contrast between 'your truth' and 'the truth,' saying that the truth requires change while your truth allows you to stay the same. Where have you seen that play out, either in your own life or in what you observe around you?
3. Natalie listed six steps she used to fight back against lies: name it, confess it, commit to change, replace lies with truth, find community, and serve others. Which of those steps feels most difficult for you personally, and why?
4. Natalie talked about the pie chart exercise she uses with the young women she leads, mapping out how you spend your time and what you are filling yourself with each day. If you made that pie chart honestly right now, what would it reveal?
5. Natalie said that Andrea almost did not show up to high school ministry that night because she believed the lie that her work there was finished. Has there been a time when you nearly walked away from something, or are walking away now, because you are not seeing visible results?