Welcome to the seventh session of the No More Excuses online Bible study! We are so glad you have joined us and hope you are learning more about the men God called us to be.
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Below are this week’s video and discussion questions.
- Dr. Evans defined surrender as “placing all of our strength at God’s disposal.” How would you explain the concept of surrender in everyday, practical terms to a friend?
- Why do we so often give half-hearted effort in our sacrifice to God?
- When has God shown you that His ways are far superior to your own?
- What are some ways men disqualify themselves from special use by God?
Please comment your answers and engage with one another as we grow closer to Christ together! Join us next Tuesday for our last session!
1. Dr. Evans defined surrender as “placing all of our strength at God’s disposal.” How would you explain the concept of surrender in everyday, practical terms to a friend? It when we place everything that we have and put it under control of someone else. Kind of what you do when you join the military (no matter what Branch of Service you join)
2. Why do we so often give half-hearted effort in our sacrifice to God? Because we don’t like giving up our control completely, so we half-heartedly submit only the portion we feel comfortable with giving God.
3. When has God shown you that His ways are far superior to your own? In everything I think that I know to do or think that I am right, God always shows me that His plans for my life are far better than anything I could every come up with.
4. What are some ways men disqualify themselves from special use by God? By not making themselves available or refusing to let go of sin or things that would hinder them in service for God.
1) Dr. Evans defined surrender as “placing all of our strength at God’s disposal.” How would you explain the concept of surrender in everyday, practical terms to a friend?
The concept of surrender to me is placing all that I am before God and replacing it will all that He is. It means to just totally turn our lives over to His will, wants, and desires. I would also tell them that this isn’t a “once and your done” thing. It has to be a conscious decision that we make everyday to surrender our lives to Him.
2) Why do we so often give half-hearted effort in our sacrifice to God?
Well, I believe that there are so many things fighting for our attention these days and if you are not careful and intentional in your relationship and sacrifice to God, it will become a half-hearted effort instead of a fully devoted one.
3) When has God shown you that His ways are far superior to your own?
Wow! I don’t know where to even begin. I will just say that it took me a long time of hurt and heartache before I opened up my heart and surrendered my wants and needs over to God. However, when I reached that point, my eyes were opened and I started to realize just how great and awesome is our God. I look at my life now and I can see how His ways have totally surpassed what I could want or even hope for! No, it hasn’t been an easy breezy path with no bumps, but through it all He has showed Himself in might ways!
4) What are some ways men disqualify themselves from special use by God?
I would say men do this by refusing to let go of their pride. By refusing to be “emptied” before the Lord. I love the story in 2 Kings 4 about Elisha and the Widow’s Oil. What really stands out to me though is that Elisha tells the widow to go borrow “empty” vessels.
This speaks to me because if I want to be used by God, if I want to be filled with His presence, I have to be “emptied” of myself first.
Good stuff. Good stuff.
total surrender is something i have always struggled with. I have always tried to control things that I should have realized I could never control. I say I surrender to God but unfortunately I am sometimes double minded and try and keep a foot in each world but as it says in the bible you will live the one and honor the other or cleave to the one and hate the other. I struggle with surrender but I keep trying
Me too and wonder why calamity hits home and hard . Thank you for your honesty.
1. Dr. Evans defined surrender as “placing all of our strength at God’s disposal.” How would you explain the concept of surrender in everyday, practical terms to a friend?
I like to use the analogy of kings and kingdoms. I like to say I’m bending my knee to King Jesus. Or I’m bending my knee to His Lordship. Lordship is such a weighty word that I think most all can understand. We have got to remove ourselves off the throne of our lives and exalt King Jesus to that throne. Bend the knee!!!
2. Why do we so often give half-hearted effort in our sacrifice to God?
I think naturally mankind is lazy. At least in today’s society. We want instant gratification, we want instant results, we want change now, we don’t want to labor hard for it. You get what I’m saying. So yeah, it goes without saying that many, many “believers” are just half-hearted toward God and His ways. It’s apparent in our churches as well.
3. When has God shown you that His ways are far superior to your own?
Daily I’m reminded of God superiority to my own life and ways. I make a daily choice
4. What are some ways men disqualify themselves from special use by God?
Holding on to anything that hinders a total surrender to God. Anything or anyone that robs your intimacy with Him.
That’s good!
1. The best way i’d Explain this concept to a friend is everyday when I wake up I will pray to God first I will thank him for all I have and humbly surrender everything to him. I explain the importance of not doing it out of my own will but make sure that I go at God s pace not mine.
2. I think we don’t do it intentionally, but as men we are Keats ding issues and solving problems, most of the time we believe we know what it takes to dice a situation or issue and instead of waiting to get Gods guidance or even acknowledge God we use our “resources” to fix the issues.
3. Daily. For some reason I always want to fi my nd every situation and problem that hits me I’m learning to just stop, pray on things and allow the Holy Spirit to guide me.
4. By leaning to our own understanding. Not acknowledging God in our everyday decision making process.
Dr. Evans defined surrender as “placing all of our strength at God’s disposal.” How would you explain the concept of surrender in everyday, practical terms to a friend? I would explain that it means to serve others over yourself. In other words, it is about changing our mindset from selfishness to selflessness.
Why do we so often give half-hearted effort in our sacrifice to God? Because giving ourselves fully to Christ is hard and requires personal, professional, financial and other sacrifices that require time, talent or treasures that we are afraid to part with yet in the end everything already belongs to Him so we need to refocus ourselves to living our our purpose which means to surrender to Christ and live out a life of service.
When has God shown you that His ways are far superior to your own? Recently, I heard something the other day about how God’s favor on Abraham was based on the fact that he followed the God’s instructions without questioning. He also listened to Abraham when he tried to save Sodom and Gomorrah because he was focused on saving others including Job instead of having God destroy everything. In the end, it needed to be destroyed because there was not good there. This also gives me hope when I see good people in places like this and around this country that the Lord will not destroy us because there are thousands, if not millions, of good people still here.
What are some ways men disqualify themselves from special use by God? Not listening, focusing on our own ways or trying to do it our way instead of His way, selfishness, pride, fear.