Hi friends! So happy you are here for this month’s discussion questions!
I hope you enjoyed “Don’t Miss Out” and gained new insight into the Holy Spirit and how He works in our lives. It was so fascinating to read about all the ways He helps us and guides us! What a gift that the Lord has given us. I thought that Jeannie did a great job of not sensationalizing the Spirit and spiritual gifts but gave a very affirming and practical view of it. Ultimately, I think we can come away from this book knowing we need the Spirit…and He is available!
I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on “Don’t Miss Out” and your answers to the discussion questions! Thank you for reading along with me!
Here are the discussion questions:
*Before reading this book how would you have described your relationship or knowledge of who the Holy Spirit is? After reading it, how would you describe it? What is different?
*Which name or characteristic of the Holy Spirit is particularly meaningful to you?
*In Ephesians 1:13 we read that we are “sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.” Why is this significant? What does this mean to you personally?
*Jesus’ ministry while on Earth was accomplished in the power of the Spirit. Why is that important? How does knowing you have that same Spirit help you face your day to day life?
*What was so important about Pentecost – both for the disciples and for us today?
*Have you ever felt a nudge from the Holy Spirit? What was that like? How did you respond?
*Compare and contrast conviction and condemnation. In which of these two does the Spirit work? Was there anything that surprised you about how the Spirit works in conviction?
*Where do you need to surrender your will to God’s will so that you can live more empowered by the Spirit? What are some practical things you can do to invite the Spirit to move freely in your life?
*What does it mean to be “filled with the Spirit”?
*Where might you be “side-stepping” the Holy Spirit rather than walking in step with Him? How does the Spirit help us to obey God?
Scripture of the Month
Ephesians 3:20
1 Corinthians 2:4-5,13
2 Corinthians 1:22
Romans 15:13
John 14:16
Romans 5:5
Acts 1:8
Prayer for the Month:
Father God, we thank You for the Trinity and for Your Holy Spirit. As we read this book and process it, I pray that we would be more attuned to Your Spirit and how He is drawing us closer to You. Help us to live empowered by the Spirit and to walk in step with Him everyday. We come to You asking that we be filled with the Spirit. Produce the fruit of the spirit in our lives and help us to know that we can live out our lives and callings with the endurance, strength, and power that You give us through the Spirit. Help us not to miss out on what You have called us to do because we’re fearful, but help us to know and believe that You have given us the power through the Spirit to do whatever You would have us to do. We don’t need to worry that You will leave us or abandon us. Thank You for this amazing gift that we have as believers and I pray that this is the beginning of a lifelong friendship with Your Holy Spirit and that we can walk alongside Him all of our days. Thank You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
For Next Month
Check out THIS POST for all the details for November!
Before reading this book, I had a general understanding of who the Holy Spirit is. I knew there were three parts to God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I recognized the Spirit lives inside those who have chosen to follow Jesus. But I never thought much about the Holy Spirit being a person or guide in my life – a comforter, yes, but even my idea of how He comforts was vague and self-centered.
For me lately, my spiritual journey has focused on understanding sanctification more thoroughly. As that relates to the Holy Spirit, this means I’m learning how He doesn’t just make Himself at home in me (i.e., entering into my life when I accepted Christ as my Savior) and kick His feet up – relaxing or keeping quiet – but that He is living and active within me and wants to fill me with His power. A little light turned on in my head when I read: “Yes, the Holy Spirit is fully present in every believer, but not every believer enjoys the fullness of His presence.” (Page 175) While I have had a general sense the Holy Spirit works in believers’ lives after they’re saved, I have been underestimating His role throughout the sanctification process.
Simply said, I have never given it much thought what the Holy Spirit was doing in my life after He arrived. I have focused on God and Jesus and left the Holy Spirit out the majority of the time. I understood the saved part pretty well, but was having a hard time figuring out what freedom in Christ looked like. As the author stated: I was living forgiven but not free.” (Page 148)
Besides partly being ignorant, I do think it’s true that I have left out this Person of the Trinity because I’m not too interested in having Him fill me: “we aren’t desperate for Him to fill us with His Spirit.” (Page 173)
There are a number of reasons this is the case, but for me, one of the top ones is pride. Like the author states, “[i]t’s always been far more about what not to do than what to do.” (Page 174)
I’ve come to realize in the last few years why I didn’t do many things that I “wasn’t supposed to do”: I had an image to maintain. Clarification: I felt pressure to keep the image I had created and keep people liking me for “the good choices I had made.”
While I don’t necessarily regret a lot of my “good” choices, there’s a lot of effort – and therefore exhaustion – that goes into keeping up appearances. Again, relating this to how I believed the Holy Spirit worked in my life…well, honestly, I just didn’t really think about Him. I figured if I wasn’t doing things that needed correcting, I didn’t necessarily need His help. I knew He was there with me, but I ignored Him so much of the time because I didn’t see myself rightly, didn’t understand who He really was, and didn’t realize what it really means to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
I was so proud (i.e., full of self-reliance and self-assurance) and had filled up my life with my own concerns and interests that there was little room for Him to work. The question really is: “We have all of Him, but does He have all of us?” (Page 111)
I don’t know why, but the picture that comes to mind when I think of the Holy Spirit being neglected/overlooked is of a houseguest constantly carrying his suitcase – never unpacking because there is no room for his things. “He will come to us and fill us only to the degree that we are willing to be filled.” (Page 175)
Why don’t we want Him? Why don’t we want to be filled with Him and experience all He has to offer? We are so quick to keep our fists closed, even to the unknown good that is offered to us. I say “unknown” good because while we may have a general sense that what the Lord provides isn’t bad for us, we are left in the dark (i.e., faith) much of the time as to the details of what His plans for us look like. So sadly, we’d rather not get our hopes up and stay stuck in our ways: all the while carefully filling our schedules, and thus our minds, with more of that which we only dream will make us happy. “We fill our lives with lesser things. We try to find hope in what we can make happen and we search for joy in what we can accumulate.” (Page 173)
Deep down we know we can’t do it on our own, but our flesh – our human nature and ability – is so sinful. Our hearts have been deceived, and we are therefore stubborn and disillusioned, having the hardest time coming to terms with our limitations. This is why the author reminds us that “…allowing Him to be our guide does cost us our pride…” (Page 119) He wants to fill us, but He’s not going to force Himself upon us.
But the amazing part is He is willing to help change our willingness to want Him…we only have to ask. That requires swallowing our pride and acknowledging that we need help and He knows better. It takes time, a lifetime. It is a continual dying to ourselves, a wrestling that we will feel greatly because we want to be right and enough. I love how the author said: “obedience will feel burdensome until Jesus is beautiful.” (Page 154)
So much of the time the right thing is the hard thing. Oh how I wish it at least felt good more often when we are good or do good!? But this is, again, because we are surrendering ourselves – and it’s painful because we’ve been doing the same thing for so long…and we live in this fallen world. “We’ve been tricked into operating in low-power mode, settling for helping ourselves rather than receiving the Spirit’s far superior help.” (Page 64)
It’s a risk to trust. But we won’t be disappointed trusting the Holy Spirit. He intercedes in us, for us, after all. Being filled with Him allows us to start living in the freedom Jesus purchased for us! We have been set free – we need to let that wash over us! While the enemy wants to keep us from experiencing that freedom, I don’t think he needs to do too much a lot of the time because we do a great job getting ourselves tangled up in bondage. And yet we can breathe a sigh of hope and joy and relief knowing 100% that: “Jesus set [us] free. Now the Spirit is in [us] to help [us] live free.” (Page 152)
This is SO good. You really hit the nail on the head… I feel like God has been reaching His hand out to me to pull me out of my own pit of pride and selfishness and I keep refusing to grab ahold. Why do I want to stay stuck?! It’s really true that it’s pride and surrender and dying to self and those are not fun. But…freedom. So thankful God is so patient and doesn’t give up on us!