REALLIFE STUDY GROUP

“The Perfect Gift”

 

ICEBREAKER:  What is the best Christmas gift you ever remember getting as a kid?    

 

CONFESSION:

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

I have received all that Christ is, has and does for me, in me, and through me.    

In Christ I can receive every gift that Father God wants to give to Jesus.

Every RESOURCE I need was already produced and has already been supplied in Christ.

Every GIFT I need already resides in me and has already been given to me in Christ.

Every PROMISE I need has already been promised and is already available in Christ.

Every ANOINTING I need has already been purchased and is already being poured out in Christ.

Every BATTLE I will ever fight has already been fixed and is already over in Christ.

Every CHALLENGE I will ever face has already been settled and is already working for my good in Christ. 

Every RELATIONSHIP I need to accomplish my assignment already exists and is already being networked in Christ.

Every TRUTH I need has already been decreed and has already been established in Christ.

Every VICTORY I need has already been won and is already finished in Christ.

Every CREATIVE idea, concept, invention, or insight I need already exists in the mind of God and I already have access to them in Christ.

Every GODLY DESIRE I need has already been provided and is already within my grasp in Christ.

Every ENEMY I will ever encounter is already defeated and has already been made bread for me in Christ.

Every FAVOR I need has already been arranged and is already upon me and surrounds me like a shield in Christ.

Every MERCY I need was already extended from the cross and is already new every morning in Christ. 

Every HEALING I need has already been paid for and was already secured in Christ.

Every PROVISION I will ever need has already been created and already is in my account in Christ.

Every PROTECTION I will ever need has already been procured and is already assured in Christ.

Every BLESSING I will ever need has already been pronounced over me, has already been released to me and is already operating in me, in Christ.

 

DEFINITION: Gift: A talent, endowment, aptitude, ability, power, enrichment or inclination

 

OUTLINE: 7 Facts about the Perfect Gift....It

1.    Can come in small packages or small gift-wrapped boxes

2.    Requires TLC

3.    Can come with messes

4.    Must be protected

5.    Can come in ripped packaging so don’t judge me.  You don’t know what I may grow up to be or do.

6.    May not arrive in my best timing or on my schedule

7.    Comes with no strings attached; Mary made mistakes....Even lost Jesus

 

TEXT: Matthew 7:11 (AMP); James 1:17 (KJV); Luke 2:7 (GWT)

 

STUDY GROUP QUESTIONS:

1.    There are no limitations in Christ....only lessons for learning

There are no deficiencies in Christ....only delays for development

There are no setbacks in Christ....only setups for comebacks

There are no worries in Christ....only concerns for character-building

There is no lack in Christ....only emptiness for fulfillment

There is no loss in Christ....only opportunities for success

There is no disease in Christ....only faith for healing

There is no imbalance in Christ....only endurance for stability

There is no immaturity in Christ....only growing pangs for spiritual growth

There is no impurity in Christ....only showers for cleansing

There is no imperfection in Christ....only purging for perfection

There is no waste in Christ....only leftovers for seed time & harvest

There is no defeat in Christ....only battles for victory celebrations

There is no failure in Christ....only tests for testimonies

There is no bondage in Christ....only trials for triumph

There is no bitterness in Christ....only lemons for lemonade (the bittersweet for the milk & honey)

There is no confusion in Christ....only questions for learning to trust

There is no greed in Christ....only conquest for stewardship

There is no rejection in Christ....only isolation for preparation

Which of the above “in Christ” concepts jumps out at you most?

2.    Why do you think so many people don’t believe they are a gift from God to the world?

3.    If you could have any natural or spiritual gift what would you pick and why?

4.    Describe one thing you need to do to develop your gifts?

a.    Work with a coach, counselor, or mentor

b.   Ask a friend to be your accountability partner in reaching your dreams

c.    Set some goals with deadlines

d.   Spend some time in prayer and meditation and Bible reading

e.    Read books written about, or by, someone who has become a specialist with the same giftings as you

f.     Practice using your gifts more often

g.    Take a class

h.    ________________________________________________

5.    What does it feel like when gifts come with strings attached?

6.    As a baby, and as a man in burial garments, Jesus was wrapped with strips of ripped cloth representing his desire to feel our ripped, tattered and torn lives.  How does it make you feel to know our God came down to feel our pain?

 

PRAISE & PRAYER REQUESTS:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

ACTION POINTS: My greatest gift from God besides Salvation is __________.  This year for Christmas I plan to give God __________.