HOSTS
Make sure to start off with prayer. Open up group with this icebreaker:
Pastor Jodi climbed up Camp Muir. Have you ever climbed a mountain? Is this on your list of things to do? Share about your experience.
TALK-IT-OUT
Open YouVersion and read: Psalm 103:8–18
Main points from this week's message:
Hope for something better, hope for more, hope for God’s best. Hope is what advances us.
Talk-it-Out: As you read Psalm 103:8–18, what stands out to you as you read these verses?
Main Point: I have hope beyond my past. Read Philippians 1:20. When we find hope in our past, we carry it to our current circumstances.
Talk-it-Out: The goal isn’t to avoid every valley; just don’t let that valley hold you hostage. What are some of the things in your past that are holding you back from reaching your mountain top?
Talk-it-Out: Share what mountains and valleys God has already brought you through. Do you see how He has been faithful? Do you believe He will do it again?
Main Point: I have hope in my present circumstances. Read Matthew 6:34. If a mountain has conquered you, don’t give up. Don’t let it conquer you twice. “Ain’t no river wide enough to keep me from my future self… from God’s best.”
Talk-it-Out: Pastor Jodi shared that she quit the first time she went to climb the mountain, but she didn’t quit. She did it again and made it. What steps do you need to take toward God’s best for your life?
Main Point: I have hope for the future.
Talk-it-Out: Pastor Jodi talked about moving. Are you the type of person that must keep everything because you might need it or are you the type of person that is able to get rid of things easily? Are you keeping baggage from the past, just in case you need it for the future? What do you have to get rid of to move your life forward toward your best future? Remember this thought: We can have HOPE beyond the PAST, in our PRESENT circumstances, and for the FUTURE because:
- God is for you, not against you.
- God forgives and forgets.
- God will never leave you.
WRITE-IT-OUT
Write down the things you are having a hard time moving past. Journal about the mountains you’ve climbed, the valleys you’ve gone through and the rivers you’ve crossed with God’s help.
LIVE-IT-OUT
Read and remind yourself: Nothing can keep you from hope that is in your next step! “Kid, you’ll move mountains! And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and 3⁄4 percent guaranteed) You have brains in your head, you have feet in your shoes, you can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re off to great places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way!” –Dr. Seuss
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Finish group with prayer requests and praise reports.