CRUCIBLE Discussion GUIDE
IMAGE versus CHARACTER
The word crucible has three definitions:
- A vessel used for melting a substance
that requires a high degree of heat
- A severe test
- A place or situation in which
concentrated forces interact to cause change or development.
Before this study did you know what a
crucible was?
In what ways can you relate to the definitions?
In 1 Samuel 16:7, God tells Samuel, “Do
not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD
does not look at the things mans look at. Man looks at the outward appearance
but the LORD looks at the heart. “In what ways does that perspective differ
from the typical attitudes of most people? How would our society change if we
began valuing people’s hearts instead outward image?
Israel wanted a king not because of a
conviction about the best form of government or because God was no longer
willing to guide them, but because they wanted to be like all the other
nations. Can you relate to that desire? In what circumstances have you made
decisions in order to be more like other
people?
Think through some of your recent
decisions. Who were you trying to please? How much does your image usually play
into your decision-making process? How much does God’s perspective factor into
your decisions?
This section focuses on how God often
chooses to qualify the called rather than call the qualified. In what ways does
that encourage you or challenge you? Are you dealing with a challenge now that
you don’t feel qualified to handle? Does feeling unqualified mean that it isn’t
God’s will? Why or why not? What do you think would happen if you decided
simply to lean on Him?
Are you in crucible moment right now? If
so, in what ways is it challenging or testing you?
CRUCIBLE Personal Reflection SECTION
for your Quiet Times [alone with God]
IMAGE versus CHARACTER
Society often emphasizes image above
substance.
We are bombarded with messages about what we “should” be in
terms of weight, clothes, financial
status, who we marry, who we date, where we vacation, and so on. Judging people
on the outside rather than what’s on the inside seems very accepted, normal and
natural.
In what ways has this tendency affected you?
Have you caught yourself
making judgments, about appearances too?
Each person on this earth is loved and valued by God. In
fact, we receive our value from God not from anything in this world. Spend this
week looking at people through that lens---as a son or daughter of God.
How
does this perspective change the way you treat people?
Each day is spent making decisions----at
home, at work, in relationships.
Pay attention to the motivation behind your
decisions this week.
Do you see a theme in how you make your choices?
Do you
tend to pursue financial security?
The approval of others?
Greater power or
influence?
Wintley Phipps said, “It is in the quiet
crucible of our personal private sufferings that our noblest dreams are born
and God’s greatest gifts are given.“
What do you think of this statement?
Can
you think of examples of dreams and gifts God has given you in past crucible
moments?
Read Isaiah 43:2 Often as we go through
challenging experiences, we forget how God carried us through problems in the
past. Make a list of the ways you’ve seen God show up in your life.
As you go
through your next or your current crucible, use this list to remind yourself of
God’s faithfulness.
FINAL APPLICATION:
We can choose whether
to resist or embrace God’s process.
What choice will you make?
CRUCIBLE Discussion GUIDE
FEAR versus FAITH
Just as God was able to move David from
being a simple shepherd boy to reigning as king through fire and intense
stress. He’s transforming us too—from the inside out. Among His key tools for transforming us are the “giants” in our
lives.
Who or what is your Goliath?
When have you had to deal with something
that scared or intimidated you?
Did you approach it with faith or with fear?
What was the result?
Many people have accepted their Goliaths
as a fact of life . Sometimes people whose fear has won out faith are seen as
“wise” “realistic” or “sensible”.
These people may also see those with radical
faith as reckless.
Think of a few people who fit each of these descriptions.
1) Accepting of
Goliaths and “realistic” and
2) Radical
in faith and fearless against giants.
Which kind of person seem to be most
content?
Which one has more impact in God’s kingdom? Why?
Faith is often a great threat to those
who are controlled by fear. When we decide to walk by faith, we may quickly
find that those controlled by fear oppose us.
Why do you think this is?
Have you
experienced this dynamic in your life?
How did you respond?
Saul tried to dress David in his own
battle gear and offered David his own weapon to use. David was uncomfortable
and knew he wouldn’t succeed if he approached the situation like Saul would.
Have you ever been in that situation ----trying to succeed in “clothes” that
don’t fit?
Why it is important to approach your Goliaths as yourself and not
trying to be like someone else?
In last week’s lesson, we saw that God
often chooses to qualify the called rather than call the qualified. Isaiah
55:8-9 says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my
ways….. as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than
your ways and my thought than your thoughts. “Many times God puts us in
situations that we don’t understand and don’t feel equipped to handle. What do
you think your Goliath looks like from God’s point of view? How do you think
your life would change if you acted as if your Goliath was God’s battle and not
yours?
CRUCIBLE Personal Reflection SECTION
for your Quiet Times [alone with God]
FEAR versus FAITH
Goliaths can show up in any area of our
lives---relationships, work, addiction, unresolved hurts, finances, phobias and
more. The real issue isn’t how it shows up or what we have to do to overcome
it; it’s whether we are going to face it with the heart of a David or the heart
of a Saul.
When you think of your Goliath, which kind of heart do you think you
have?
Why?
Many of us have a hard time facing our
Goliath because we are comparing its size and strength to our own and not to
God’s. we let our giants take our focus off of God and put it onto them. But
God is always bigger than our problems, and He isn’t sitting around waiting for
us to offer a solution. This week make a list of seven of God’s
characteristics---like loving, faithful, fierce, comforting, strong, merciful,
etc. pick seven that are particularly reassuring to you and spend time each day
thinking of how God’s nature relates to your Goliath. What happens to your
perceptions of the size of God and the size of your Goliath when you do this?
What else can you do to help change your perspective?
It is said that “God’s faithfulness in
the past is the basis for our faith in the present.” Saul faced Goliath with
fear, but David faced the giant with faith. How had God been preparing David
for this moment throughout his life? Look back on your past lions and bears.
How did God show up in your past battles? How has been preparing you for your
current battles?
Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else ,
guard your heart, for it is the well spring of life.“
What do you need to do to
take care of your heart?
How can you keep your heart focused on God’s character
instead of focusing on your Goliath?
How can you do practically help yourself
remember God’s past faithfulness?
What can you do this week to specifically and
intentionally guard your heart?
You may know someone who is facing an
enormous giant in his or her life right now.
As we’ve seen, faith is a threat
to those who are controlled by fear. Is there someone who needs you to walk
with them in their crucible?
What can you do to encourage their faith instead
of their fear?
FINAL APPLICATION:
What step do you
think God wants you to take first to conquer your Goliath by faith?
CRUCIBLE Discussion GUIDE
CIRCUMSTANCES versus TRUTH
1. Are you struggling with a decision today?
Is there something you’ve been waiting for or praying about God hasn’t yet answered?
If so, in what ways have you been tempted to take matters into your own hands?
In what ways are you choosing to focus on truth?
2. We’ve all heard the saying “When God closes a door, He opens a window.” Have you found that to be true in your experience?
When your present circumstances don’t seem to reflect God’s truth how have you been able to discern His will?
3. Read Matthew 7:24-27.
True security comes from building our home on the “rock” of God’s Word.
In what ways do you depend on God in your Life?
What sources of provision and protection other than Him do you tend to seek?
4. One of the most challenging things for anyone to do is wait for an answer or direction from God, yet in Psalms, many of them written by David, are filled with instructions to wait on God.
How hard is that from you to do?
Have you ever been mistaken an open door for God’s will?
Are you ever tempted to take control or manipulate circumstances?
5. Two major points in this session are that God’s process is almost always different than we expected and God’s timing is almost always slower than we hoped.
How have you seen this play out in your life?
Looking back on your life, what would have happened if you’d received what you wanted exactly when you wanted it?
6. It’s often said that “character is who you are when nobody is watching.”
Why do you think character matters even when no one notices?
Do you think it was important to David to be able to look back and know he became king without manipulating the process? Why or why not?
CRUCIBLE Personal Reflection SECTION
for your Quiet Times [alone with God]
CIRCUMSTANCES versus TRUTH
1. Helen Keller said, “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet.
Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” Think back on the times in your life when God ask you to wait for an answer or when you had to wait on God to fulfill His promise to you.
What was God teaching you while you waited?
What did you learn in those times?
2. We’ve seen that God’s way and His thoughts are different and higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9). Even though we know that’s true we still often assume we know the best answer, best direction, or best outcome. We don’t see God working our situation out for us .In Proverbs 3:5-6, He tells us not to lean on our own understanding but to trust Him as He directs our paths. Is there anything that’s stands in the way of trusting God will all of you heart?
If so, what? What would you need to let go of in order to stop leaning on your own understanding?
3. Take out a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle. On one side, list all the thoughts, circumstances, relationships, delays, questions, and fears you have. On the other side list God’s truth or promise for each one. If you can’t find a verse, list one of God’s characteristics like faithful, just or merciful. How does compiling this list change your perspective?
In light of God’s Word, His character and His promises, why it is difficult to trust Him sometimes? Which is easier for you to depend on—the God of the Bible or the god of your feelings?
4. Read Romans 12:2.
In order to follow God’s will, we must renew our minds. How do we do that?
Now and read Philippians 4:8-9 and 2 Corinthians 10:5.
God means for us to replace all our anxieties, fears, insecurities, and stress with confidence and trust in His willingness and ability to care for us. What can you do practically to accomplish that?
What would it take for you to retrain your thoughts?
What obstacle do we face in stepping outside our typical thoughts of anxiety or resentment to be able to focus on trusting God and all that He is doing for us?
How can we overcome those obstacles?
5. David was able to become king with a guiltless heart and clean hands, and God was pleased.
Is there anything you need to change in your life in order to come out of your situation with a heart that is guiltless and hands that are clean?
FINAL APPLICATION:
What is the biggest decision you are struggling with right now?
Will you commit to base your decision on God’s truth instead of your circumstances?
DECEPTION versus INTEGRITY
Discuss what you’ve heard
Look at this progress chart that was discussed in the session:
DESIRE >>> TEMPTATION >>> SIN >>> DEATH
What were initial thoughts about this chart?
How have you seen this pattern played out in your life?
The demand for immediate gratification is a rampant problem in today’s world.
Everyone seems to be looking for the fastest way to make money, lose weight, buy a new car, or do whatever their heart desires.
We seem to crave bigger and better, and we want it now without having to worry about the consequences.
When you make decisions, how often do you think about the long range consequences?
Do you tend to be more preoccupied with the immediate benefits of your decisions or their long term effects? Why?
In addition to long range consequences, David didn’t think about the collateral damage of his sin.
His choice to sleep with Bathsheba impacted much more than just the two of them.
In what ways have you seen your sin impact those around you?
In what ways have you seen the sins of others impact you?
Before we do the unthinkable, we think the undoable.
Many times we think our thoughts won’t hurt anybody because they are completely private.
Yet many times it’s those thoughts that eventually make the unthinkable seem justifiable.
Is there anything in your thought life that would be damaging if it manifested in real life?
Why is it important to keep our thoughts pure?
This tragic series of events could have all been avoided if David had been where he belonged.
What implications does that statement have for your life?
How can being where we’re supposed to be keep us from doing what we shouldn’t do?
Darkness and secrecy help fuel the power of sin.
Satan tries to isolate us and make us believe we’re unique in our struggle.
Have you ever experienced this?
Have you seen it in someone else?
Is there any sin you need to bring to the light?
If so, what steps can you take this week to find someone safe to talk to and discuss it with them?
DECEPTION versus INTEGRITY
For Personal Reflection [QUIET TIME]
Before we do the unthinkable, we think the undoable.
What temptation are you dealing with today?
Look at the progress chart again.
Can you locate where you are in this cycle?
Matthew 6:22 says, “If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.” Psalm 119:105 says God’s Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. In light of these verses, how would you assess the path that you’re on?
Is it a healthy and godly path?
Read 1 Corinthians 10:13 and think back to the exit example.
Has God provided any exists that you need to take?
If so, what might be preventing you from taking it?
We might think that our choices only impact us, but that isn’t true.
Think everyone who was caught in David’s lie and attempted cover ups.
Has anyone been caught in the collateral damage of your sin?
If so, what can you do to make things right?
Sometimes we are caught in the collateral damage of someone else’s sin.
If that’s true for you, what positive steps are you taking to heal from the damage and avoid repeating the pattern? Are there any steps you need to take to forgive?
Proverbs 4:23 says ‘’ Above all else, guard your heard, for it is the well spring of life.
“To be serious about guarding your heart means that you have to risk someone knowing the truth about what is in your heart. Satan’s goal is to isolate us; when you drag your secrets into the light they lose the power to take you down the wrong path.
Is there someone in your life you can trust with your heart?
Will you take the risk and talk to that person?
FINAL APPLICATION:
What positive steps does God want you to take in order to protect you moral purity?
ARROGANCE versus HUMILITY
Discuss what you’ve heard
Uriah dies.
Bathsheba mourns.
David marries Bathsheba.
Bathsheba gives birth.
They all live happily ever after.
All’s well that ends well.
Does deception and sin ever end that neatly?
What are some of the lingering consequences of sin that you have seen in your life or in the lives of others?
Being sent to confront a king with his sin was no easy task, yet Nathan did it without hesitation.
How much faith and trust do you think Nathan must have had in order to obey God’s instructions? Can you remember a time when you had to do something difficult because it was God’s will?
How did you respond?
Second Samuel 11:27 says, “The Thing David had done displeased the Lord.”
When we’ve disobeyed God, there’s a connection between God’s displeasure in us and our misery. Have you ever worked hard to cover up a secret only to find yourself miserable?
Why was that a painful experience?
Which do you think is less painful: coming clean or maintaining the secret?
Why?
Many people believe that whatever happens between consenting adults in fine.
What do you think God’s perspective on that belief is?
Have you ever seen “private” sin that have far-reaching impact?
Why do you think it’s important to confess sin to God and others who have been affected by it?
Why does it require great humility to do that?
How did Nathan confront David?
Why do you think?
His approach was able to penetrate David’s defenses?
What can we learn about how to confront someone from Nathan’s example?
God so completely redeemed David’s greatest sin that David named a son after Nathan, and this son had a place in the genealogy of Jesus. To what degree do you let past mistakes “disqualify” you from present or future opportunities?
Do you believe God is able and willing to redeem your sin? Why can you be sure that He is able to overcome any limitations or constraints created by your past mistakes?
ARROGANCE versus HUMILITY
For Personal Reflection [QUIET TIME]
The crucible moment in this story pits arrogance against humility. David’s adultery and his cover-up demonstrate a willful disregard of God’s law. He behaved as if the king was above the standards imposed on normal people. In any of your roles in life, do you feel that normal standards don’t apply to you? Have you seen examples in yourself or others of ”making an exception” in order to justify sin?
When Nathan confronted David, God equipped him with a story that would capture David’s attention- a story about shepherding for a former shepherd. If God wanted to reach you heart, what kind of stories or examples would He uses? Have you noticed God using someone or some situation to get your attention? What do you think He is trying to tell you?
If you’ve been trying to maintain secrets and deceptions, what kind of confrontation would it take for God to correct you? How would you respond to a “Nathan” who boldly told you the truth and pointed out the coming consequences? Would you tend to respond with defensiveness and arrogance, or with humility and repentance? Why?
Most people tend to be either lovers or truth lovers or truth tellers. Balancing the two attitudes is difficult, but Nathan seemed to have a mastered the ability to speak the truth in love. Which way do you tend to lean? Have there been times when you’ve found it necessary to go against your natural tendency in a friendship? If so, how did you respond?
The fact that David named a son after Nathan was a profound expression of humility. Nathan was a constant reminder of David’s sin and the worst time in his life. But David embraced his past and embraced even our mistakes? In what ways is it important to leave the past behind and move forward? How did David find that balance?
FINAL APPLICATION; Are there any areas of your life in which you need to fallow David’s path back to God? If so, what steps can you take this week to do that?
DISAPPOINTMENT versus EXPECTANCY
Discuss What You’ve Heard
Before David began following his dream, he stopped and asked God if the dream fit His plans.
Why is that important to do?
How much frustration do you think we could save ourselves if we only pursued the dreams God endorsed? How intentional are you about slowing down to listen for God’s direction?
Many people are afraid that if they submit their longings to God, He will deny them or give them answers they don’t want. What do you think would happen if you laid down your expectations and asked God show you His plans for your life?
Is there anything you need to let go of in order to hear God’s plans for you? If so, what?
David could have focused on his disappointment, but he chose to worship God.
Why do you think he was able to do that?
Have you ever responded to God that way or seen someone who has?
What thoughts are we tempted to think about God when we are deeply disappointed?
In what ways has your life turned out differently than you expected?
In what areas of life have you experienced the denial or delay of a dream?
Have you been able to move past your disappointment in that area? How have you responded?
Have you thought much about the bigger picture and your dreams may extend beyond your own generation?
Why is it important to have longings that are bigger than ourselves?
How would you feel about your delayed dreams if you knew God had delayed them in order to do something more lasting with them that you envisioned?
Read David’s prayer in 2 Samuel 7:27-29.
Do you think this prayer required courage?
Why or why not?
Why is it scary to let go of our expectations and embrace God’s plan?
What did David do to pursue his dream even after he knew he would not see the fulfillment of it? What can you do to pursue your God- given longings while you are waiting for their fulfillment?
