REALLIFE STUDY GROUP

“Let Go So You Can Hold On!”

ICEBREAKER: After the dust settles, the decorations are taken down, the last cookie has been eaten, the family has left, and the presents are put away and the bills start rolling in, how do you recuperate from the holidays?

CONFESSION: In the year of 2012, I will be....

More flexible and less rigid

More inclusive and less exclusive

More active and less sedentary

More content and less aggravated

More confident and less insecure

More focused and less distracted

More generous and less self-centered

Mort thrifty and less extravagant

More compassionate and less judgmental

More humble and less proud

More childlike and less childish

More Spirit led and less flesh driven

More courageous and less cautious

More obedient and less obstinate

More situationally aware and less oblivious

More God-conscious and less self-conscious

More prepared and less extemporaneous

More pensive and less defensive

More grateful and less resentful

DEFINITION: Greatness

1. Larger in quality and/or quantity than others of the same kind

2. Extensive in time or distance: a great delay

3. Remarkable or outstanding in magnitude, degree, or extent

4. Of outstanding significance or importance: a great work of art

5. Chief or principal or primary or first in line

6. Superior in quality or character; noble

7. Powerful; influential: one of the great nations of the West

8. Eminent; distinguished: a great leader

OUTLINE: Biblical Principles for Letting Go of the Old

ABRAM – Leave your comfort zone

LOT’S WIFE – Don’t look back

DISCIPLES – Shake the dust from your sandals

JOSEPH – Name your sons Ephraim and Manasseh, when you name your seed you predict your future (Rename your past while reclaiming your future)

RUTH – Converts from being a Moabite to Bethlehemite: let go of the grief of the past in order to lay hold of the gift of the future

MOSES – Makes a decree, not a request, “Pharaoh, let my people go.” (Let my future, my destiny, my inheritance go)

PAUL – Pen these words, “Forgetting those things that lie behind I press towards the mark of the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus.”

SEVENFOLD BLESSINGS (The ANDS that follow the commands)

1. AND I will make of you a GREAT nation,

*You will become the launching pad, foundation, and the platform for greatness

2. AND I will bless you [with abundant increase of favors]

*God will cause you....

a. To have favor

b. To be empowered to succeed

c. To prosper exceedingly

d. To have contentment and joy, to be happy or fortunate

e. To speak His good intentions that suits your situation

f. To have God’s best wishes released over your life

g. To be congratulated

h. To be a benefit

i. To be a gift

j. To add value

3. AND make your name famous and distinguished,

* Name: all that you are, all that you have and all that you do

Your family name will TRUMP every other name

Your name will out KARDASHIAN every other name

Your name will create a dynasty that will out MING the Kennedy’s

and the Bushes

Your name will become synonymous with a good, product or service more renown than Sony, Ford, John Deer, Timken, Hershey, Proctor & Gambol, Mercedes or Kellogg all put together

Your name will out EINSTEIN, Thomas Edison, and philosophically out PLATO, Socrates

Your name will make history, shape the present and shake the future

Your name will be remembered for winning more battles than Alexander the Great and George Patton

Your name may out cook Mrs. Fields, Bob Evans, Betty Crocker, Chef Boyardee, Emeril, or Julia Child

Your name will outlast Timex, Rolex and Seiko

Your name will let the good times roll faster than Kawasaki, Yamaha or Harley Davidson

Your name may sell more records than Elvis, The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Justin Bieber

Your name may out GLOCK, Smith & Wesson, Sam Colt and Remington

Your name will soar higher than The Wright Brothers, Bowing and Cessna

Your name may out paint Picasso, Da Vinci, Monet, Van Gogh, or Michelangelo

4. AND you will be a blessing [dispensing good to others]

*You will become an instrument, a tool, a weapon, a pipeline, a vehicle, a conduit, a medicine, a healing agent, a catalyst for change, a measuring stick, a standard, warehouse, an armory, a dispensary, a supplier, a pharmacy

5. AND I will bless those who bless you [who confer prosperity or happiness upon you]

*It will be in vogue or not politically correct, but kingdom correct, to say good things about you

6. AND curse him who curses or uses insolent language toward you;

*You won’t have to defend yourself. God will do it for you.

7. AND in you will all the families and kindred of the earth be blessed [and by you they will bless themselves]. (Genesis 12:2, 3 AMP)

*There’s a blessing that God encoded, encrypted and invested in you that is waiting to be unveiled and released. You will become a key to unlock the ability for others to bless themselves.

TEXT: Genesis 12:1-3

STUDY GROUP QUESTIONS:

1. What do you most want to let go of or leave behind in 2011? (Painful Memories, Major Regrets, Debilitating Insecurities, Bad Habits, Overwhelming Shame, Vengeful Bitterness, Double Mindedness, Lame Excuses, Raging Anger, Uncontrolled Desire, Procrastinating Laziness, Paralyzing Fear, Stifling Negativity, Rotten Attitudes, Unproductive Clutter, Unteachable Arrogance, Stressful Conflict, Belittling Thoughts, Demeaning Words, Unforeseen Circumstances, Shocking Setbacks, Divisive Separations, Draining Loss, Unhealthy Lifestyles)

2. What do you most want to lay hold of or enter into in 2012? (Exciting Opportunities, Engaging Encounters, Rewarding Experiences, Challenging Lessons, Satisfying Possibilities, Successful Endeavors, Prosperous Investments, Fulfilling Dreams, Inspiring Revelations, Creative Ideas, Amazing Accomplishments, Peaceful Moments, Spontaneous Adventures, Abundant Energy, Exhilarating Conversations, Delicious Chocolate, Endless Supply, Refreshing Times, Motivational Testimonies, Bountiful Harvests, Earned Promotions, Unmerited Favor, Encouraging Surprises)

3. God told Abram, before God changed his name to Abraham, to leave his Country: Cultural influences, ideologies, idols, attitudinal atmospheres; his Kindred: Community limitations, mentalities, mindsets; his Father’s House: Family ties, loyalties, obligations, expectations, iniquities. Why would God tell him to do this?

4. When God offers a promise or a blessing it is often preceded by a command. Can you think of one in the Bible? (HINT: If you do this, God will do this)

5. God said He would make Abram a great nation, what has made America great and what are some things that are diminishing her greatness?

6. If God were to make your name famous, what would you most want to be remembered for?

PRAISE & PRAYER REQUESTS:

ACTION POINT: Over the next 90 days I am going to __________.