“Reach Out” – Mark Pettus June 9, 2013

Review It Did you ever notice how life runs in seasons or cycles? Summer is a time for slowing down and catching our breath, and although resting is a good thing, we cannot allow our relationship with God to take a break. Living in a world full of busyness and burnout creates in us a tendency to take advantage of any opportunity to disconnect, but our connection to God is our ultimate source of true rest. This week’s message inspires us to remain zealous about the one thing that can never take a season off – our intimacy with Jesus! Talk About It 1. Connecting with our Maker is what creates the God-shaped hole in every person’s heart. The enemy has caused many to believe that God is unreachable. They develop a “place mentality” which convinces them that God is far away in a distant Heaven sitting on a throne contemplating humanity from afar. Acts 17:24-27 reminds us that God is not far from us, and Psalm 145:18 says He is near to those who call on Him. Have you believed the lie that God is distant and unreachable? How can knowing that He is near affect your pursuit of Him? 2. Pastor Mark recalled his wife, Jill, craving foods while pregnant. The word “crave” means to feel a powerful desire for something, to yearn or beg for it. When you truly crave something, you can find no satisfaction in anything else. There is no acceptable substitute for the object of your craving. Do you have a craving for more of God in your life? Read Psalm 84:2. Have you ever felt like that? If not, what would happen if you did? Pray that God would give you a craving for Him! 3. Mark 12:29-31 reminds us to seek God with all our heart and Jeremiah 29:13 is a promise of what the result is when we do that - “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” It is not a maybe or merely a possibility! We WILL experience more of Him when we run to Him with all we have. Often we misunderstand it when God says, “I am a jealous God.” He is not jealous for the selfish reasons that make us jealous, which are to serve our own needs. God is jealous because He knows

what is best for us and knows that if we put Him first, all our needs will be met (Matthew 6:33). Is God a part of everything you do? What do you spend the most time and effort doing? How can you have a God-first relationship? 4. God created us in His image which means, like Him, we have emotions, feelings, and thoughts. Unfortunately, unlike God, we tend to be ruled by them or we allow them to determine our responses and actions. The enemy has won many battles using emotions to blur judgment, feelings to bring offense, and thoughts to create doubt. The key to overcoming these attacks is in disciplining ourselves to filter our soul and mind through God’s word. Read 2 Corinthians 10:5 and discuss practical ways to take captive our thoughts. What does it mean to make them obedient to Christ? 5. Any professional driver will tell you that their goal in any race is to win! No one enters a race without knowing the goal or the prize. Obviously, one sure way to lose sight of the prize and to likely crash is to fix your eyes on the rearview mirror instead of what is in front of us. If that is true, why do we focus on our past mistakes? When we ask for forgiveness, God forgets our past and gives us a new goal that is filled with excitement and promise (Hebrews 8:12, Jeremiah 29:11). What has God called you to do? What is your purpose? Discuss with each other what God has called you to do. If you have not already, pray you will develop your own God-first goal. The Growth Track at Highlands is a great tool for discovering your purpose. Think On It When you mention summer, most people think of the beach. We find that perfect spot in the sand and set up our towel, cooler, and umbrella. We then get in the water and enjoy ourselves a while only to look up and realize that we have drifted down the shore and our spot in the sand is hard to find. Often that is true of spirituality as well. We get busy doing so many things, even good things, and we wake up one day and find that we have drifted away from the important things. Have you drifted into a summer slump? Are there areas of your life that have taken a priority over your relationship with God? Act On It Drawing closer to the Lord is not difficult, but it takes intentionality on our part. Just like an exercise routine or a diet, we see results based on how much effort we put in. Similarly, no relationship remains strong without investing time and energy into making it better. Though it is never works-based, we must first ask God to show up in greater ways and reveal Himself to us. Then, we can seek Him daily through His word, prayer, worship, and connection with other believers. Ask yourself: What app or resource can help me stay in the Bible more? How can I share more of my life with God through prayer? Am I living a life of worship and gratitude to God? What small group should I join? Which of my current relationships build me up or tear me down? How can I serve God this summer? Make the necessary adjustments and avoid the spiritual summer slump!