I’m Not What I Thought

Conversation Starters

• Which is better? Read these pairs below, then have group members give a thumbs-up to vote for the one they think is better:

• • Chocolate or vanilla

  • Sweet tea or unsweet tea

  • Dogs or cats

  • Football or basketball

  • Books or movies

• What’s a food you thought you wouldn’t like, but now you do?

• Growing up, what job did you think you would have?

Review

Ask eGroup members to share their favorite points from the sermon, what spoke to them, a phrase or moment from the sermon they related to the most, or questions they have. If members have a hard time recalling the sermon, talk through your notes and share your favorite points.

Make It Personal

• What are some words you’d use to describe your thought life? (e.g., great, fast-paced, tough, etc.) Rate it on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being very negative and 10 being very positive.

• Are you intentional with your thoughts? (Do you pay attention to what you’re thinking?) How difficult is it for you to choose your thoughts?

• • Thoughts lead to feelings. How are you experiencing that? (e.g., I think I’m tired, and it makes me feel more tired. I think no one wants to be around me, and it makes me feel more lonely.)

• Read Mark 5:21-29. The woman had been defined by her issue. Take a few minutes to discuss this as a group: what are some things people define themselves by? (e.g., career, past trauma, things other people have said, status, etc.)

• • Do you identify with any of those? No one saw where the woman was bleeding. Where are you bleeding that no one sees? (DIG DEEPER — Is the place you go to feel better actually making it better? Where do you go to feel better?)

• Read Philippians 4:8-9. Why do you think Paul tells us to think about these good things rather than just telling us NOT to think about bad things?

• The woman’s bleeding stopped because “she thought.” (“If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.”)  You can stop IT with a thought. What are the thoughts you’ve been holding on to? (What things are you thinking about multiple times per day?)

• • What’s a thought you need to hold on to instead? How can that thought change what you do and how you think?

Act On It

“I Am Not” Activity
 
Give your group 3-5 minutes to write down their “I Am Not” list. (e.g., I am not a failure, I am not what I went through, I am not worthless, I am not unable, I am not what they said about me, etc.)
 
Share one or two of these with the group (say them loud and with conviction), then share a thought you can reflect on during the week to help you keep building those “I Am Not” statements. Remember: we can stop it with a thought!

Prayer Requests And Prayer

Ask eGroup members to share any prayer requests they have. Record any notes or prayer requests to pray for members during the week.Father, thank You for helping us see the power of our thoughts. We want to think about ourselves the way that You do. Please give us a revelation of how You see us and think about us, and use it to transform the way we see and think about ourselves. In Jesus’ name, amen.