Divine Direction: Discussion Groups - Week 1 - Life.Church

God Cares More About Who Than Do

Overview

The kickoff session of “Divine Direction” centers on three probing questions designed to move every participant from uncertainty to purposeful action. The core conviction: God’s primary will is that we become holy—set apart and steadily conformed to Christ—and from that identity our decisions flow. Rather than obsessing over distant outcomes, we listen for God’s voice in the next faithful step.

Context

Week 1 welcomes brand-new and existing life-groups, thanks hosts for opening homes and coffee shops, and sets expectations for four simple yet practical gatherings that revolve around discussion, Scripture, and prayer.

Main Points

We All Need Divine Direction

• Most-asked pastoral question: “What am I supposed to do? How do I know God’s will?”
• Everyone faces pressing choices—career moves, parenting decisions, ministry opportunities.
  • Story: Craig and Amy are weighing options for their kids and a future ministry he has prayed about “for a long, long time.”
• Groups begin by sharing one current decision where each person longs for God’s guidance. Openness fuels prayer and support.

Question 1 Where Do You Need Guidance Right Now?

• Identify a real situation “weighing on you.”
• Naming it invites the group to journey together and gives God a target for His direction.

God’s Will: Be Holy—Who Before Do

• Scripture teaches that God’s will is “that we live a holy life.”
• Holy = set apart, different, continually conformed to the image of Christ.
• Divine Direction is less a fixed destination and more an ongoing formation.

Question 2 Who Does God Want You to Become?

• Shift from “What does God want me to do?” to “Who does God want me to become?”
• Possible areas: develop a fruit of the Spirit, cultivate a new quality, break a destructive habit.
• Honesty determines effectiveness—be “incredibly honest” as you answer.

Motives Matter—Why Before What

• Even righteous acts lose value if driven by wrong motives; the “why” shapes every “what.”
• Pure motives position us to discern God’s voice clearly.

Question 3 What Is Your Next Step?

• Picture the gap between where you are and the person God is forming; large gaps can paralyze.
• Freedom comes by taking one concrete step in the right direction.
  • A lifetime of faithfulness = countless small, Spirit-led steps.
• Groups articulate a single, practical action each member will take this week.

Key Truths

• God’s foremost will is not a task list but a transformed life marked by holiness.
• Identity (“who”) guides activity (“do”); character precedes calling.
• Motives (“why”) determine the legitimacy of actions (“what”).
• Divine Direction is discovered progressively—step by obedient step.
• Honest community accelerates clarity, courage, and follow-through.

Response

• Identify a current decision and share it transparently with trusted believers.
• Reflect prayerfully on qualities God is shaping in you.
• Examine your motives before acting; seek purity of heart.
• Choose one specific next step and commit to do it this week.
• Pray for others in the group to take their next faithful step.

Closing

The session ends with a practical charge: don’t be immobilized by the distance between where you stand and where God is leading. Direction begins with the first obedient move.

“Simply take the next step.”