INTRO–‘What are Your Priorities?’

When life gets difficult, like during a recession, it’s easy to let your priorities get distorted, but wrong priorities always lead to pain. Priorities focused on money and material corrupts your character. Priorities focused on comfort and convenience distorts your God given life purpose. And priorities focused on self-interest or self-preservation leads to loneliness and isolation. In order to recession proof your life you will need a new set of top priorities in which to focus.

• Do you feel like your top priorities are on track with God’s will or are they somewhat misplaced?


• Name one new Godly priority in which you think you should begin to focus. Who will help you?

PRIORITY #1–‘Working Faith’Read Hebrews 11:1, 6

The first priority in which to refocus is your faith. Faith is the key to living life especially when struggles or pain comes your way because it allows you to look beyond your circumstance and live with purpose that God is giving you. No matter what, faith fuels that desire to complete the journey with passion because you know that God will work out all things for good and eventually lead you to be with Christ in eternity. However, for your faith to grow you must spend time with God, period. Spending time includes: daily devotions, regular worship, serving others, and being among fellow followers of Jesus. Read Romans 8:28 & Romans 10:17

• Name a time of struggle in which you had a hard time having faith in God. What happened?


• What fuels your passions in life? Are you currently passionate about living right now?


• Describe a time your faith pushed you beyond your circumstances into being used for God’s purposes.

PRIORITY #2–‘Healthy Family’Read Genesis 50:15-20

Your second priority should be concentrated on your family; developing vital relationships with those in which you are the closest. After your relationship with God, the family has the second fundamental role in everyone’s life even though many families are not healthy or helpful. No matter how your family influenced you in your early life, you need to allow God to use you to begin teaching your family what it means to be loved by God and used by God. God wants to use you to help bring your whole family into proper relationship with Christ as well as one another, no matter what has happened in the past. Just like Joseph and his family story, what they may have meant for harm, God used for good!

• How has your family challenged your faith in God, good or bad?


• What relationship in your family now is in need of God’s healing? How will you facilitate that?

PRIORITY #3–‘Inspiring Friends’Read Mark 12:1-12

Finally your third priority should be focused on those friends who challenged you to become the best Jesus follower you can be, as well as inspire you to do bigger and greater things for God’s kingdom. Vital friendships not only surround you when you are struggling, but also give you a kick in the pants when you need it. Inspiring relationships feed on each other and God uses same-minded people to accomplish extraordinary things that could never be attempted or completed alone.

• Do your current friends help or hinder you in your walk with God? How can you make that better?


• Describe a time you and some friends accomplished something excellent for God? What inspired you?


• In which area of your life do you most need to work and improve: healthy family, inspiring friends, or working faith? What will you do?