There is only one thing that we can say for sure will happen this year: change.  But, for some of us, that’s the most terrifying guarantee of them all.  How can Jesus help us face challenges with more confidence?  What does it look like to follow Jesus into a world of change?  This week we’ll finish our series by looking at Jesus’ promise to be with us and guide us through even the biggest challenges 2024 has to offer.

Groups Discussion Guide

To view the Leader Guide for this week, click here.
To view a .docx version of this guide, click here.

Introduction 

Last week, we discussed trusting and dedicating our lives to God in the way we view and use our finances. How has the application from last week’s group gone for everyone?  

After your time of connecting, begin your meeting with prayer.  

Key Verse for the Week 

*Read this verse, then encourage the practice of memorization through the week. 

John 14:1 

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.” 

**When practiced consistently, memorizing Bible verses can be an important spiritual practice that centers your mind around the truth that God has given us. 

Connect   

• What are some upcoming events or life changes you know are potentially happening this year?  
  • How do you feel about them, considering they carry a certain lack of clarity for what will happen? 
• Why do you think people are worried about unknowns or changes in the world? What about it in their personal lives? How are these ideas of change different? 
• How are we able to prepare ourselves for the year if we don’t have a way to foresee what will happen?  
  • How do you personally try to prepare yourself?  

Opening Thought  

Sometimes life brings challenges that can cause us to be afraid and unsure of what is going to happen. New experiences, whether good or bad, can bring these feelings of uncertainty to our minds, potentially causing us to withdraw and live in the fear of “the unknown”. Jesus asks us to do otherwise, however. Jesus calls us to go to him in times where we’re not sure what’s going to happen or we have a new job or we have a tragedy in our family, or whatever may come in our lives. Jesus says we can trust him and follow him to come to a place where we feel confident and sure that no matter what comes, he will lead us through it.  

This leads us to our big idea for this week:  

Big Idea for the Week
We should lock ourselves onto Jesus to face the unknown

Unpack 

Go around your group and have someone read each of the following verses. After reading, discuss the connected questions. 

Read  

Acts 9:3-9 

Luke 5:1-11 

Unpack 

• The verses you just read described the beginning of the apostles Peter, Andrew, and Paul’s (originally named Saul) life of following Jesus. How do you think these people were feeling about their futures during these experiences?  
  • When have you felt a similar way in your life while following Jesus? 

The next two verse segments were written much later, likely while in prison near the end of both Peter and Paul’s lives. As your group reads these, pay attention to the mindset these two apostles of Jesus were encouraging their audience to have, despite their circumstances. 

Read  

1 Peter 5:7-11 

2 Timothy 4:16-18 

Unpack

• Why do you think Peter and Paul held the perspective they had, despite being in difficult situations, at the end of their lives? What do you think made going through the uncertainty of their situations easier?  
• What are some ways we can begin to prepare ourselves for difficult circumstances this year? How have you asked Jesus to prepare you for upcoming changes or unknown circumstances in the past?  
  • If you are comfortable, please share that experience with the group 

Read  

Hebrews 13:8 

Colossians 1:17 

John 16:33 

John 15:9 

Unpack 

• How do the verses you just read encourage you for any uncertainty you may feel this upcoming year? Why do these verses matter when thinking about preparing for change or unknowns?  
• How can we “remain” or “abide” with Jesus regularly? How often do you make time to do this? Why would this help prepare you for any unexpected events? 

Apply 

Based on the verses we just read, there are some things that we can do in response. Take a moment to discuss these questions as a group to decide what your personal action steps for the week can be: 

• What is one way you can begin to look for how God is working in your life from this week on? 
• How are you going to take more opportunities to “remain” or “abide” in Jesus from now on? 
• What’s a practical way your group can encourage each other this year while going through life changes and potential unknowns? 

Closing 

Read this section with the group then move to the Prayer and Verses section: 

Despite life experiences we cannot control, God tells us he is in charge of the world and we can trust that he will lead us through times of change and unsureness. No matter what comes, we can believe and have faith that Jesus will be there to guide and give us comfort when we don’t know what to expect or do. This year let’s do our best to remember that God is going to be faithful to his promise of guiding his people when they don’t know where to walk. As we give up our anxieties to him about unknowns, we can latch onto Jesus and know that he will not steer us in the wrong direction.  

Prayer and Verses 

Ask for prayer requests and conclude your time with prayer then share the Key Verse for the Week and Daily Devotional Verses with the group. 

Daily Devotional Verses  

Use the S.O.A.P. method to reflect on the verses below. 

Scripture: Read the verses several times. Reading out loud can be helpful as well. 
Observation: What can you see about the scripture you read? 
Application: What is God wanting you to believe, do, or feel, based on what you have read? 
Prayer: This is a chance to talk to God about what you have read and ask him for help in living out what you’ve learned. 

Day 1: Psalm 27:1 

Day 2: 1 Chronicles 16:11 

Day 3: Psalm 119:105 

Day 4: 1 Corinthians 15:54-58 

Day 5: James 1:2-4 

Day 6: Colossians 3:23-24 

Key Verse for the Week 

John 14:1 

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.”