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Food for Thought
_{^{For the week of June 15, 2008}}
(Questions and Scriptures for further study)

1. Pastor Larry just kicked off a new series called “Satan’s Favorite Lies” in which we learned that our enemy’s favorite lie is to try and convince us that God can’t be trusted. Are there some areas of your life that are more difficult than others to trust God with or put in His hands?  Circle any below or jot down your own areas.

Marriage         School              Future          Work / Job         Friends
Children          Forgiveness     Health          Finances            Safety

How can the directives and the promise found in Proverbs 3:5-6 help you trust God with a difficult area in your life? 
 
Proverbs 3:5-6
    Trust in the Lord with all your heart
        and lean not on your own understanding;
    [6] in all your ways acknowledge him,
        and he will make your paths straight. _^[NIV]
 

2. It would be foolish for us to ignore our enemy or assume that we have nothing to worry about.  It would be equally foolish to overestimate his power or to ignore all the reasons we have for trusting in God.  Read the following verses and write down as many reasons for trusting God as you can find.
 
Deuteronomy 31:7-8
    Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, "Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their forefathers to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. [8] The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."  _^[NIV]

Psalm 136:1-12
    Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
    [2] Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
    [3] Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.
    [4] to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.
    [5] who by his understanding made the heavens,
His love endures forever.
    [6] who spread out the earth upon the waters,
His love endures forever.
    [7] who made the great lights--
His love endures forever.
    [8] the sun to govern the day,
His love endures forever.
    [9] the moon and stars to govern the night;
His love endures forever.
    [10] to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt
His love endures forever.
    [11] and brought Israel out from among them
His love endures forever.
    [12] with a mighty hand and outstretched arm;
His love endures forever. _^[NIV] 

Psalm 146:1-10
    Praise the Lord.
   Praise the Lord, O my soul. 
    [2] I will praise the Lord all my life;
        I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
    [3] Do not put your trust in princes,
        in mortal men, who cannot save.
    [4] When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
        on that very day their plans come to nothing.
    [5] Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
        whose hope is in the Lord his God,
    [6] the Maker of heaven and earth,
        the sea, and everything in them--
        the Lord, who remains faithful forever.
    [7] He upholds the cause of the oppressed
        and gives food to the hungry.
    The Lord sets prisoners free,
        [8] the Lord gives sight to the blind,
    the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
        the Lord loves the righteous.
    [9] The Lord watches over the alien
        and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
        but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
    [10] The Lord reigns forever,
        your God, O Zion, for all generations.
 Praise the Lord. _^[NIV]
 

Jeremiah 17:5-8
    This is what the Lord says:
   "Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
        who depends on flesh for his strength
        and whose heart turns away from the Lord.
    [6] He will be like a bush in the wastelands;
        he will not see prosperity when it comes.
    He will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
        in a salt land where no one lives.
    [7] "But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
        whose confidence is in him.
    [8] He will be like a tree planted by the water
        that sends out its roots by the stream.
    It does not fear when heat comes;
        its leaves are always green.
    It has no worries in a year of drought
        and never fails to bear fruit." _^[NIV]
 

Matthew 6:25-34
    "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? [26] Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? [27] Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
    [28] "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. [29] Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. [30] If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? [31] So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' [32] For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. [33] But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. [34] Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. _^[NIV]

Is there anything you need to put into practice from these verses?

3.  Peter heard some tough words from Jesus in Matthew 16:21-23.  How would you describe what happened in this conversation based on what you learned in this week’s message?
 
Matthew 16:21-23
    From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. 
    [22] Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!"
    [23] Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." _^[NIV]

What lie did Peter likely buy that led to his response?

Can you think of any lies that Satan has “whispered in your ear?”

How can the principles found in Ephesians 6:10-18 help you resist those lies?
  
Ephesians 6:10-18
    Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. [11] Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. [12] For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. [13] Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. [14] Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, [15] and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. [16] In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. [17] Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. [18] And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. _^[NIV]