~Open in prayer~
Icebreaker
•If you were a fish, what would you be?
•What is your favorite restaurant? Have you ever met a celebrity? If so, who?
MESSAGE REVIEW
God flips the script by restoring what the enemy has taken from us. And he never restores us back to our original position, he gives us double or triple of what we lost. When we are going through pressure in life, don’t give up because God is working in your favor. He will stretch you more than you think you can handle but if you remain faithful you will see you are stronger than you thought!
LET’S TALK ABOUT IT!
•Read Joel 2:23-26,28. People can give us another job, another spouse and any material thing. But only God can restore our time. If you had more time during the day, what would you use it for?
•Read Mark 3:1-5. God always puts people over principles. Jesus made the man with the withered hand whole on a day that religion said he couldn’t perform miracles. The verse says the man was completely restored. What is the difference between being healed and being restored?
Mark 3:5 says, He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. Stretching is putting a demand on ourselves. And you don’t know how strong you are until a demand has been put on you. What happens when you skip the stretching before a workout? Has God stretched you during Covid?
•Jesus has a way to create an environment to reveal our weaknesses. People with deep imperfections should be able to go to church and feel safe. Have you ever had a not so pleasant situation at a church? How did you stay focused on God and His greater purpose?
PRAYER FOCUS & REQUESTS
Ask your group if they have any prayer requests or praise reports. This week pray for those who are still being stretched. Pray that those people who have lost something stand firm that God will restore them completely.