WAR ROOM WEEK 5 IMPACTED BY GRACE

IMPACTED BY GRACE

How time flies. This is our last week in War Room study. I hope you have found a least one beneficial information or enlightenment through this study. This week we are focusing on our identity in Jesus. All that we have discussed so far has led up to this. Jesus is our connection point to God through our prayer life.

When we come to God, repent of our sins, and accept His Son as our Savior, God’s grace transforms us. This week’s study is an examination what that transformation can be like.

Do you watch faith-based movies? One of the interesting things about these movies is the journey that one character takes. In the end there is AWAYS a CHANGE. Not only in the movies War Room, Fireproof and Courageous which were created by the same people, but even the Tyler Perry movies and plays. Perry’s Medea is not that character. In fact she is so messed up with the knowledge of the Christian life, but she always has words of wisdom for that character that is on that journey.

It is all about “taking off the old self and putting on a new one”, which is an active part of being a follower of Christ.

Write in your journal five or more characteristics of a transformed life. What was the most transformation that you experienced as a believer? Or has there been a transformation?

One of my favorite pastors, Charles Stanley explains Christian transformation like this:” it is like restoring old furniture, it’s a two stage process. First, one must take off the old. Then you have a clean slate to put on the new!”  When I read that, I start to think about it and realize there is a “sanding process too” that even happens are you are putting on the “new”.

This sanding process or “pruning” is an important step in bringing forth God’s desire for us. We need to recognize that God is still in the process of “restoring” your life to be the person He created you to be. And when He is finished, He will bring “this piece of furniture” to His home to dwell with Him there.

MOVIE CLIP SUMMARY

Tony has realized the “errors of his ways”. He has been fired from his lucrative job and Elizabeth, his wife is trying to pick up extra job opportunities not only to “make ends meet” but he has restitution to pay soon. Tony is talking to Elizabeth. He doesn’t understand the “kindness” that Elizabeth is showing toward him after all he had said and done. He confesses that he deserved to be fired because he was deceiving his employer so that he could be the “top salesman” of the company.  He also admits to deceiving Elizabeth. “I almost cheated on you Elizabeth. But you know that.” He asked her why was she still there with him.  All the while Elizabeth sit in quiet and listens with compassion.  He tells her that he saw her prayer closet and those prayers she wrote for him. “Why would you do that” He asked.  She finally speaks and says with a soft gentle voice, “I am not done with us.” “I will keep fighting but my contentment doesn’t come from you” “Tony, I love you, but I am HIS before I was yours.” “And because I love Jesus I am staying right here”. Tony gets on his knees in front of her and repents. “I’ve asked God to forgive me, but I need you to forgive me.” Then Elizabeth givens him that “Amazing Grace” and forgives him.

Why do you think Elizabeth felt the need to declare to whom she truly belongs? Have you ever wrestled with the idea of being forgiven?

READ GALATIAN 2:19-20 Write in your journal the phase “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me”. Reflect on you own life, what had God done in your to make this statement true in your life?

READ JOHN 15:1-8

Write in your journal the instructions Jesus gave His followers.

To abide means to CONTINUE TO BE PRESENT or to be HELD or KEPT CONTINUALLY. This means everlasting. The result of this “abiding” is fruit. READ THE FOLLOWING VERSES. Write down the fruit that God seeks.

GALATIANS 5:22            HEBREW 13:15    ROMANS 6:22               COLOSSIANS 1:10

ROMAN 10:13-15

What fruits are present in your life?

 

QUOTE FROM THE MOVIE- “ I was ready to defend myself. Except this time I can’t. I hate saying this, but I deserved to get fired. I was deceiving them. I was deceiving you.” – Tony Jordan WAR ROOM

 

Confession is not easy. It is rather difficult and hard.  No one wants to ADMIT their FAULTS, ACCEPT any responsibility or guilt. But after confession there is another step. REPENTANCE.  Repentance is not only admitting sin, but also turning away from it.  It is repentance that establishes forgiven in our relationship with God.

There are two important keys to forgiveness.  The first key is atonement.  “ Without the atonement of sin, there cannot be forgiveness”

READ 1 PETER 2:24

Whose sin did Jesus bear? Jesus died so we might live for what? How have YOU been healed? What does it look like to live for righteousness in day to day life? How does your life reflect that?

The second key is repentance. According to Wikipedia, repentance is the activity of reviewing one’s actions and feeling regret for wrong doing. General involves personal CHANGE and the resolve to life more responsible. Repentance is a beautiful and powerful thing.

READ ACT 3:19

Why do we need to repent and turn back? What is the result of that repentance?

How many times have you wanted a “do-over” in your life? We all want a refreshing or restart at certain times and seasons in our life. REPENTANCE IS NOT A NEGATIVE THING!!  It is a REFRESHING thing.

Do you need to repent in any of the following areas: pride, selfishness, control, comparison, bitterness, perfectionism? Take a moment to confess and repent of those NOW. Ask God to help you avoid these sins in the future.  Ask God to reveal to you areas of sin that you need to confess. Ask him to change your heart’s view of your sin so that you see it like God does.  Then your refreshing will begin.

 

QUOTE FROM THE MOVIE- “But I’ve learned that my contentment can’t’ come from you. Tony, I love you but I am His before I am yours and because I love Jesus, I am staying right here.” – Elizabeth WAR ROOM

 

READ PHILLIPIANS 4:11-13

Content. What does content mean to you?  Content, strong enough to need no aid or support; sufficient; independent of EXTERNAL circumstances; content with one’s lot. It is a state of peacefulness. Another word is JOY. This has NOTHING to do with what is going on in your world, on the outside. It is what is going on, on the inside.  It is different that happiness. Happiness DEPENDS on circumstances. CONTENTMENT/JOY is “in spite” of circumstance.

I like this statement in the study book. “Contentment is an illusion in the American landscape today. The drive for MORE in every arena has created a culture where NOTHING is EVER close to enough. MORE money. MORE status. MORE education. MORE busyness. MORE. MORE. MORE” What do you think?

Have you attempted to FIND contentment? In what areas of life have your struggles to find contentment?

READ HEBREWS 13:5 Write in your journal, in your words what this means.

The nearness of God allows contentment and joy REGARDLESS of circumstance. When Paul wrote to the Philippians he was in prison, chained to a guard. He was awaiting a trial in Rome that would probably bring the result of his death. But he was contented. I know we probably have never been in a position like that but think of some trials in your life in the past. Were you contented?

In the movie, Elizabeth marriage was falling apart and she learned to be content in Christ.  The test of whether Christ is “enough” usually doesn’t happen to us when everything is going great.  We are tested when things are going wrong or having to “climb” those big mountains or when we are in the “valley”.

READ the following Scripture and list in your journal the things that helped Paul find contentment/joy.

     PHILLIPIANS 4:6-7    PHILLIPIANS 4:8-9     PHILLIPIANS 4:13      PHILLIPIANS 4:19

Write a prayer in your journal using these things to teach you to find contentment in God regardless of your circumstances.

 

QUOTE FROM THE MOVIE- “I asked God to forgive me. But I need your to forgive me. I don’t want you to quit on me, Liz”- Tony WAR ROOM

“I forgive you”- Elizabeth WAR ROOM

 

Three most powerful words of the movie.

 I FORGIVE YOU.

READ MARK 11:25. What does this say we should do when we pray.

READ HEBREWS 4:16. What are you invited to do? In what manner does it invite us to do it?

Go back a few verse and READ HEBREWS 4:12-15

Without forgiveness, there can be no boldness, no confidence and no generosity.

If we truly experience the gospel of Jesus, no relationship is EVER the same again. When we have been hurt or wronged by others, the gospel will remind us to look at ourselves as a sinner FIRST.  The clearest mark of God’s grace in our life is a generous spirit (forgiveness) toward others.

 

Now our study has completed. Reflect on these questions regularly to keep you growing to be more Christ-like.

How will you continue to examine your walk with Christ and seek to line it up with Scripture?

How will you help another believer grow in his or her walk with Christ?

How will you continue to lean on God’s grace and submit Him?

In what ways will you continue to resist the Devil?

Closing with Miss Clara’s powerful prayer from the movie.

“HELP ME TO STAND ON YOUR WORD ABOVE ALL ELSE. HELP ME TO FIGHT ON MY KNEES AND WORSHIP YOU WITH MY WHOLE HEAR. HELP ME TO PROCLAIM WITH MY LIFE THAT YOU ARE KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. GUIDE ME TO PEOPLE WHO WILL CALL UPON YOUR NAME. RAISE UP THOSE WHO LOVE YOU AND SEE YOU AND TRUST YOU. CALL US TO BATTLE, LORD” AMEN

 

 

WORSHIP SONG