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Overview
Yes, life has a way of taking the life out of us. We often go through challenges that seem so much greater than our strength. But God is telling us that our glory days are still ahead. We only need to grasp that truth and live in faith to realize this promise. We serve a God who fights for us.
In this six-session video Bible study (DVD/digital video sold separately), bestselling author and pastor Max Lucado invites you to walk out of the desert and into the Promised Land of God's presence and glory. With teachings from the story of Joshua, Lucado will help you and your group:
- See the surprising ways God fulfills his promises.
- Understand how every battle is ultimately a spiritual battle and what that means for us.
- Learn how to pray more boldly than you ever have before.
God had a Promised Land in store for the Israelites, but they had to grasp that reality, change their mindsets, and take action to receive it. The same is true for us today.
This study includes leader helps, discussion questions, conversation starters, and between-session activities to enhance your understanding and application of Max's teaching.
Sessions include:
- These Days Are Your Glory Days
- Inherit Your Inheritance
- Walk Circles Around Jericho
- Pray Audacious Prayers
- No Falling Words
- God Fights for You
Designed for use with Glory Days Video Study (sold separately).
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780718035976 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | HarperChristian Resources |
| Publication date: | 09/15/2015 |
| Edition description: | Study Guide |
| Pages: | 112 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.50(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.40(d) |
About the Author
Visit his website at Max Lucado.com
Facebook.com/Max Lucado
Instagram.com/Max Lucado
Twitter.com/Max Lucado
Youtube.com/Max Lucado Official
The Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast
Read an Excerpt
Glory Days
Living Your Promised Life Now
By Max Lucado
Thomas Nelson
Copyright © 2015 Max LucadoAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-7180-3597-6
CHAPTER 1
Session 1
THESE DAYS ARE GLORY DAYS
The Promised Land — hope, life, passionate faith, fertile relationships. Should these be the exception or the rule? The book of Joshua helps us see the wilderness is not our true home and the Promised Land awaits all those who are ready to enter. Glory Days are just around the corner, just across the river, close enough to touch. So prepare yourself and step forward. Your Glory Days await you.
Introduction
Do we ask too much of God? Do we desire more than we should? Is God weary of our longings and dreams? In The Weight of Glory, C. S. Lewis responds to these questions this way:
It would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.
As the people of Israel wandered in the wilderness, they looked back on their time in Egypt with selective memory. Although they had been in slavery, beaten, and oppressed ... at least they'd had basic food. After God delivered them from Egypt with a powerful hand, parted the Red Sea, and rained heavenly bread from the sky, they looked over their shoulder and cried, "We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost — also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic" (Numbers 11:5).
The Israelites stood in the wilderness with the Promised Land ahead of them and Egypt behind them. But instead of dreaming of the Glory Days that awaited in a land flowing with milk and honey, they remembered the cucumbers and onions of Egypt.
It is time to march, run, skip, and press forward. No matter how good things might seem in the rearview mirror, what lies ahead can be better. It is time to dream big, to ask of God with boldness, and to believe that our Glory Days are ahead of us.
Talk About It
Welcome to the first session of Glory Days: Living Your Promised Land Life Now. If you or any of your fellow group members do not know one another, take some time to introduce yourselves. Then, to get things started, discuss one of the following questions:
C. S. Lewis says we can become like children who are content making mud pies in a slum when God offers a holiday by the sea. What are some of the small things we can become entangled in and enamored with that keep us from experiencing the fullness God wants to offer?
or
What are some of the good, big, and beautiful things we can receive from God if we open ourselves to the greatness of his love and the wonder of his generosity?
Video Teaching Notes
As you watch the video teaching segment for session one, use the following outline to record anything that stands out to you.
The Great American Immigration period: millions of people boarded boats bound for the hopeful shores of America, a land that spoke of a new hope and new beginning
The journey of the Israelites: the highlights and the lowlights
The seven years of conquest represented a fresh start and a new season for the Israelites ... and we need a fresh start and a new season as well.
The book of Joshua dares us to believe the best days of our lives are ahead of us — that God has a Promised Land for us to take.
The Promised Land was the third stop on the Hebrew people's iconic itinerary: first there was Egypt, then the wilderness, and finally Canaan.
Each stop represented a state of mind: the Israelites were enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt, slaves to fear in the wilderness, and finally people of promise in Canaan.
Canaan symbolizes the Promised Land life we can have right now — a dream of Promised Land living and our Glory Days.
So many of us are living humdrum lives — as if we, like the Israelites, are stuck in the wilderness — but how would the world change if we marched into our Promised Land?
Video Discussion and Bible Study
Take a few minutes with your group members to discuss what you just watched and explore these concepts in Scripture.
1. Think of a time when God led you to a new beginning and a fresh start. What would you have missed if you had refused to follow God into this new chapter of life?
2. During this session's teaching, we saw how the people of God had been through hard times of loss, hurt, and brokenness. Their history was peppered with pain, and their memories often brought tears and shame. Why is it important for us to honestly remember the low points, rebellion, and struggles of God's people?
If we are going to follow God into the Promised Land and experience our Glory Days, why is it essential for us to look back and remember our own pain, loss, and struggles?
Pause at this point and spend three or four minutes in silence as a group reflecting on your own life, struggles, rebellion, pain, and loss. Ask God to help you remember where you have come from so you can take delight in what he has prepared for your future.
3. Read Joshua 21:43–45. This glorious and hope-filled summary comes near the end of Joshua. It is a highlight of the whole history of God's people. What kind of picture do these verses paint? What could your life look like if these words described the next season of your life?
4. Israel's pilgrimage to freedom began in Egypt, continued in the wilderness, and culminated in the Promised Land. Talk as a group about each of these chapters in the journey of God's people:
Egypt
• What did God's people experience?
• What challenges did they face?
• How was God present and at work?
• What lessons did they learn?
The Wilderness
• What did God's people experience?
• What challenges did they face?
• How was God present and at work?
• What lessons did they learn?
Canaan (The Promised Land)
• What did God's people experience?
• What challenges did they face?
• How was God present and at work?
• What lessons did they learn?
5. Read Romans 8:37–39, Philippians 4:4–7, and Colossians 3:15–17. The Promised Land is not a physical place but a spiritual space. It is the space in which we live when we understand who Jesus is and who we can become as we follow him. What do these passages tell us about ourselves and how we should live as we walk with Jesus?
What is one way you can walk more closely with Jesus in the coming weeks so you can experience the promises declared in these passages?
6. Read Exodus 15:22–24, 16:1–3, and 17:1–4. What patterns do you see in the attitudes and words of God's people? How do we tend to act just like the people of Israel when it comes to facing challenging and difficult life circumstances?
What are some of the dangerous consequences of a complaining and negative spirit?
7. As discussed in the video, we can be out of Egypt, but Egypt's not out of us! Even when we know Jesus and are set free from our sins, we can still live in bondage. What are some of the ways Christians continue to live as if they are in Egypt (the land of bondage and oppression) even after coming to faith in the Savior?
What is one way you see yourself going back to attitudes and actions from your old life? How can your group members pray for you and support you as you seek to walk out of the past and into the Promised Land of God's goodness, grace, and freedom?
8. Read 2 Corinthians 3:16–18. This passage notes a number of things that happen when we follow Jesus and walk with him into the Glory Days he has prepared for us. Describe what each of these can look like in our lives each day:
• We see God with unveiled faces ...
• We live in the freedom of the Spirit ...
• We are transferred into Jesus' image ...
9. What is keeping you from walking out of the desert and into the Promised Land? What will you begin doing, or stop doing, in the coming week so you can move toward God's plan for your life?
Closing Prayer
Take time as a group to pray in any of the following directions:
• Thank God for the good and wonderful blessings he gives with such freedom and love.
• Pray for clarity as you look in the rearview mirror of life and ask God to protect you from idealizing the past.
• Ask God to show you what wilderness attitudes and behaviors you need to leave behind as you enter into the Promised Land he has prepared for you.
• Pray for diligence and discipline in reading God's Word on a daily basis so you can have ever-present encouragement to move forward in your faith.
• Ask God to make you discontent with simply believing in Jesus and pray you will become more like Jesus in every way.
BETWEEN SESSIONS
Reflect further on the content covered during this session by exploring additional material from Scripture and from the book Glory Days.
Personal Reflection
Take time in personal reflection to think about the following questions:
• As I look back on my life, when have I experienced Glory Days and a deep sense of God's presence and leading? What was I doing and how was I living during this season that propelled me into God's Promised Land living?
• What attitudes and actions am I holding on to that are keeping me in the wilderness and out of the Promised Land? What do I need to do to let go of these?
• What can I begin doing today to embrace the Glory Days God wants to give me and take steps into God's Promised Land?
Personal Actions
Now take some time to put the principles discussed during this session into practice.
Glory Days Declaration
Declare the words below as you begin each morning during the coming week. Think about the words. Make this a confident prayer. Thank God these things are true. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you walk boldly forward into the Promised Land life that is prepared for you.
These days are Glory Days.
My past is past,
my future is bright,
God's promises are true and his Word is sure.
With God as my helper,
I will be all he wants me to be,
do all he wants me to do,
and receive all he wants me to receive.
These are the Glory Days.
Three Chapters in Your Life
During this session, we looked at three stages in the Israelites' history. The first was about bondage, the second was about wandering, and the third was a time of Glory Days. Reflect on these three stages in your life. What does each one look like?
Egypt: a time of bondage, slavery, and oppression
• What was your life like before you knew Jesus and experienced his forgiveness and deliverance?
• How did God set you free? How has your life changed since putting your trust in Jesus?
• Why is it important to never idealize this past chapter of your life?
The Wilderness: a time of wandering, wondering if God is strong enough, and wasting time walking in circles
• What do you need to protect against so you do not wander back into the wilderness?
• How can you guard against wilderness attitudes and actions that can cause you to walk in spiritual circles?
• When do you tend to doubt God's powerful presence in your life and his plan for your future? How can you battle against those attitudes?
Canaan (the Promised Land): Glory Days of abundance, fruitfulness, forward movement, victory, and spiritual maturity
• What are some of the Promised Land experiences in which you are engaged right now? How can you grow in these areas of your life?
• How can you keep your heart and eyes fixed on Glory Days living and avoid letting your mind wander back to Egypt or the wilderness?
• How will you thank God and celebrate the good gifts of the Promised Land? What will you do to move deeper and deeper into the Glory Days lifestyle that God longs for you to experience?
Glory Days Dreaming
The Glory Days that God has for his children are bigger, more beautiful, and more abundant than you can imagine. Spend some time to prayerfully dream about what God might want for you in some of the areas listed below. Note this is not about your desires, your "bucket list," or your self-centered pursuits; it is about God's will and the Promised Land he has for you.
What is God's dream and will for your relationship with him?
What is God's dream and will for your engagement in the local church?
What is God's dream and will for how you love and serve the hurting?
What is God's dream and will for your close relationships (family and friends)?
What is God's dream and will for how you spend your free time?
What is God's dream and will for how you use the resources he has placed in your care?
Recommended Reading
As you reflect on what God is teaching you through this session, read chapter 1 of Glory Days by Max Lucado. In preparation for your next session, read chapters 2–4.
Journal, Reflections, and Notes ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________
CHAPTER 2Session 2
INHERIT YOUR INHERITANCE
The God of heaven and earth offers grace, power, hope, abundant life, joy beyond measure, purpose, and every spiritual blessing that heaven holds. Our part? Receive it. We must open our hearts and lives to embrace the heavenly inheritance he purchased with his own life. What could possibly keep God's children from freely receiving what God freely gives? That, indeed, is the question!
Introduction
He had every reason to say, "I can't!" He had been a killer of Christians. He had persecuted the people of God, ravaged churches, and brutalized the people who were now his spiritual family. When God called Saul to serve him and changed his name to "Paul," the former persecutor of the church could have built a case as to why God could not bless or use someone like him.
She was a foreigner — a stranger in a strange land. She was a widow with no rights or privilege in the ancient world. "I can't" could have been her life motto. Had Ruth known at the time that God would prepare a path for her to become part of the lineage of the promised Messiah, she would have been as shocked as anyone.
He had fallen, and fallen hard. Although David was called "a man after God's heart," he had followed his lust down a road of covetousness, adultery, and murder. In his brokenness and in the aftermath of his rebellion, he could have lived out the rest of his days hiding behind the epitaph, "I can't."
The Bible is a laundry list of unlikely people who God used in spite of their weaknesses, sins, folly, and flat-out disobedience. When undeserving rebels come home and receive their heavenly inheritance, everything changes. When we inherit the inheritance God offers:
Prisoners of war become queens ... just ask Esther.
Fear-filled and denying fishermen turn into Spirit-filled evangelists ... just ask Peter.
Barren women become the mothers of nations ... just ask Sarah.
Trembling farmers turn into mighty warriors ... just ask Gideon.
What's your story? If you have received the inheritance God offers through Jesus, it is time to leave the wastelands of "I can't" and walk into the Promised Land of "look what God can do!"
Talk About It
To get things started for this second session, discuss one of the following questions:
If you are living in the Promised Land of God's amazing inheritance, what have you received, and how is this reality changing your life?
or
If you have not yet left the wilderness to embrace your life in the Promised Land, what is standing in the way?
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Glory Days by Max Lucado. Copyright © 2015 Max Lucado. Excerpted by permission of Thomas Nelson.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
A Word from Max Lucado, 7,Session 1 These Days Are Glory Days, 9,
Session 2 Inherit Your Inheritance, 27,
Session 3 Walk Circles Around Jericho, 45,
Session 4 Pray Audacious Prayers, 61,
Session 5 No Falling Words, 77,
Session 6 God Fights for You, 93,
Small Group Leader Helps, 107,
Notes, 109,