Subject To Change: Part 3

BOTTOM LINE: God can change the way you see change.

SCRIPTURE: Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing (James 1:2-4 NLT).

GOAL OF SMALL GROUP: To help students understand that change can be good and God can use it to grow us.

THINK ABOUT THIS: Leaders—until high school, students typically wait on adults to assign challenges or positive changes for them. This is the first time they’ve really had the freedom and ability to challenge themselves to do something new. So they may need your encouragement and guidance as they decide who they are, what they want for themselves, and how they can accomplish it.

Create meaningful conversation. Adjust the questions as needed, and don’t feel like you need to answer all of them.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1.What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever challenged yourself to do?

2.What makes personal change so difficult?

3.What’s something you’ve been meaning to change, but haven’t gotten around to?

4.Why do you think most people resist change even when it’s good?

5.Which of the following typically keep you from making a change?

• a.You’re afraid to fail.
• b.You’re afraid to stand out.
• c.You don’t want to seem judgmental.
• d.It seems overwhelming.

6.What’s one benefit of challenging yourself to change, even if you fail?

7.What’s one area of your life where you feel like God might be challenging you in order to grow you?

TRY THIS

Leaders—using the provided note cards and pens, ask your students to identify an area of their lives where they want to choose to make a change and write that on one side of their note card. On the flip side of the card, have students write down one step they can take toward making that change happen in their lives this week.

Subject to Change Part 2

BOTTOM LINE: No matter what, God is with you.

SCRIPTURE

“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, youwill not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you” (Isaiah 43:2 NLT).

“Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33b NLT).

GOAL OF SMALL GROUP: To help students realize that God is with them no matter what changes they’re facing.

THINK ABOUT THIS

Leaders—because independence is the number one motivation at this phase, students will often feel that they have to face tough times alone to be a “real adult.” Use this as an opportunity to remind them that they are never truly alone. God is walking with them and so are you.

Create meaningful conversation. Adjust the questions as needed, and don’t feel like you need to answer all of them.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. In what ways have you experienced changes in your life that don’t meet your expectations?

2. How did those changes make you feel?

3. How do you typically cope when unexpected changes come your way?

4. What do you think it means when people say, “God is with you?”

5. Jesus once promised that in this world you will have trouble. How does knowing that God is with you change the 

way you face RIP moments or troubles?

6. What’s one thing you can do to remind yourself of what’s true about God?

7. What would be different about your life if you lived as if you believe what God says about you is true?

TRY THIS

Leaders—as a group, pick one thing you all can remember when you face RIP moments or times of trouble. It could be 

a verse, a saying, or just something that’s true about God. Once you’ve landed on something, send it out in a group text.