11/07/2018
Cell groups today at 4 Ayema, 12 2nd Avenue at 1800 the Waterfalls one starts at 1730
*STRAIGHT LESSON 28/52*
*Scriptures*
*_Philippians 4 v 6-7_*
_Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus._
*_Psalms 78 v 32,33,41,42,56,57_*
_ β¦. In spite of this they still sinned, and did not believe in His wondrous works. Therefore, their days He consumed in futility and their years in fear. Yes, again and again they tempted God, And limited the Holy One of Israelβ¦β¦..They did not remember His [i]power: The day when He redeemed them from the enemy,β¦β¦..Yet they tested and provoked the Most High God, And did not keep His testimonies, But turned back and acted unfaithfully like their fathers;_
*Objectives*
An attitude of thankfulness leads us to peace and victorious living as believers. While the children of Israel were going through crisis in the wilderness their hearts became hardened. Their circumstances made them ungrateful for all God had done to deliver them from bo***ge. They lost sight of the promise and become consumed by anxiety. They lost peace, murmured and complained and in their hearts turned back to Egypt. Their unfaithfulness led them to fail to inherit Godβs promises. Believers can suffer the same fate today. Like the children of Israel, the journey to the promise passes through the wilderness, a place of testing. Testing presents crisis. Crisis can lead to anxiety. Philippians 4 encourages us to be prayerful and thankful to counter anxiety. We are not thankful for the crisis, rather we maintain an attitude of thankfulness in the crisis trusting God to see us through. We remember what God has done, the victories he has seen us through, and stand firm on His promises. We are sustained by the testimonies of His faithfulness. Remembering our testimonies fosters thankfulness and encourages the believer to persevere while trusting God for deliverance and victory. An attitude of thankfulness stimulates hope which feeds our faith towards an expectant end.
*Questions*
1. What is your attitude in the wilderness?
2. Share with your cell family how you could benefit from having an attitude of thankfulness?
3. What steps can you take now to be more deliberate about being thankful in and through crises?