REALLIFE STUDY GROUP

“Be Prepared”

ICEBREAKER: Tell us the meal that you enjoy the most that takes the longest to prepare. (Including time to get the ingredients, prep time, baking or cooking time, and getting the presentation of the food just right.)

DEFINITIONS: Kuwn (Hebrew): Prepare

1) to be firm, be stable, be established 2) to be set up, be fixed, be secure, be enduring, be securely determined 3) to be directed aright, be fixed aright, be steadfast (moral sense) 4) to fix, make ready, prepare, provide, provide for, furnish 5) to arrange, order, ready provide, right, fixed, set, direct, order, fashion, variant, certain, confirmed, firm

OUTLINE: 8 Conditions of Readiness

1. To stay in a constant state of readiness

2. To be fully stocked, resourced, & completely supplied

3. To be mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually alert, sober

4. To be in your place or position

5. To know what you need to know before you need to know it

To have what you need to have before you need to have it

To be in position to do what you need to do before you need to do it

6. To be armed for battle, to have your weapons locked and loaded with your

finger on the trigger.

7. To become so familiar and so well practiced that what you do becomes

second nature

8. To be fully trained, equipped, adapted, furnished

TEXT: Matthew 25:1-13, Jonah 1:17; 4:6-8

STUDY GROUP QUESTIONS:

1. In Exodus 15:2, Moses sang this song, “The LORD [is] my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he [is] my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him.” A habitation is a dwelling place. What needs to change in your life to make God feel comfortable hanging out with/in you?

A. An out of control temper

B. A sneaky way of doing things

C. A greedy mentality ( Not always generous)

D. Moody & irritable when tired

E. Procrastination of the hard stuff

F. Compromise sometimes

G. More Boldness & Faith

H. ________________________________________

2. 2 Timothy 2:21 says, “If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified and meet for the master's use, prepared unto every good work.” What do you think the word “these” is referring to and what are some good works we will be prepared to do for God?

3. God took 100 years to have Noah build an ark and prepare for a flood. He took forty years to prepare the Israelites to live in the Promised Land. He took seven years to use Joseph to prepare for seven years of global famine but many years before that to prepare Joseph for the task. How long has God been preparing you and what has He been preparing you for?

4. Often if we want to be prepared we have to be repaired. What event or situation in your life has it taken you the longest to repair or recover from?

A. A Death

B. A Divorce (Separation, Break-up of close Friendship)

C. A Disaster (Storm or War)

D. A Debt (Loss of Job or financial crises)

E. A Disease (Sickness or Injury)

F. A Depression

G. _______________________________________

5. If we want to be prepared we have to be repaired and if we want to be repaired we have to be paired. The student must be paired with the teacher. The athlete must be paired with the coach. The sick must be paired with the doctor. Who has God paired you with and for what task or result?

6. Matthew 25 tells a story of ten virgins representing God’s church. Five were unwise because they were unprepared. They had no extra oil, representing the anointing received by spending time in prayer with the Holy Spirit of God. They then demanded the wise virgins to give them some. How can we change the prevalent mentality that everybody owes me something?

7. God is all about preparation. He prepared a great fish, a gourd, a worm and a great wind to get Jonah’s attention. Name a person, situation, event, or circumstance either personal or national that God has used to get your attention or prepare you.

8. What do you need to do or change to get ready for the coming of the Lord?