SOAR Discussion Questions  |  24 February 2019

The Hard Heart
The key focus in this series is on GROWING.  In the area of spiritual growth, it is foundational that we understand that God is the key player.  He is the divine initiator.  If we removed God from the passages of the Bible we would have very little of the Bible left.  That is because He is the key player.  Yet, we live our own personal lives forgetting that God is the key player in our life.  May the Spirit open our eyes to recognise in a greater way how God can be the Lord of our lives.

In the Bible, discipleship is more endangered by lack of faith and hardness of heart than by external dangers.  More than Bible Study, prayer, sharing our faith, and circumstances, God often addresses the hard heartedness of His people as the key reason why God could not move in their lives.  A hard heart is a heart that stops us from seeing and allowing God to be the key player in our life of discipleship.  Let us work with God to soften our hearts so that we can allow Him to become the key player in our discipleship.

Discuss one or more of the following questions.

1. Pastor Chee mentioned some things that cause restlessness in our hearts – uncertainty in the future, fear of losing faith, the need to please others, having self-focused ambition, struggling with sin.  Which one do you struggle the most with?  What is your next step to overcome in this area?

2. When you have a restless heart where do you go to find rest and was it effective? What does that rest look like? What can help you move forward into entering the rest?

3. What do the wanderings of the Israelites for 40 years in the wilderness teach us about our human nature?  What do they teach us about God?  What lessons can we learn from their example?

4. In what areas of your life have you been wandering around for ‘40 years’when it should have been ‘40 days’?  What is your next step in breaking this cycle of restlessness?

5. God promised the Israelites the Promised Land but they lacked the faith that God will give them victory over the people in the land. The Israelites’ lack of faith prevented them from entering in the rest.  Share a time when your lack of faith prevented you from entering into the rest. How can you continually instill faith into your life?

7. Do you have a restless heart due to external circumstances that are beyond your control?  In what way can you obtain internal rest and peace even if these circumstances do not change?  

8. In Hebrews 3:13 it tells us that a way to help others overcome a hardened heart is to encourage one another. When was the last time you were proactive in encouraging and instilling faith in others?  Is there somebody right now that you could encourage?  Write down their names and decide when you are going to do it.  In what ways would you like other people to encourage you?

• Is there a truth that God wants you to obey?  
• What will you do to obey this? I will…