Greater: Day 5 - Chapter 2 Discussion Questions

1. Describe your own “lesser loser life” – the ways that things like fear, self-doubt, and self-criticism make you question whether you’re a candidate for a greater life.

Satan loves to tell me that I am unworthy. He uses my past failures and trials (namely my eating disorder) to try and make me believe that I am flawed, broken, and so screwed up that I would never be useful to the Kingdom of God. When I listen to his lies, I become so wrapped up in self-doubt and dislike that I forgot all that God has done for me, and all that He was used me for in the past.

2. If you’re troubled by condemning messages in your head, where do you think they come from?

I believe that condemning messages in my head come from Satan. But he uses words that I have spoken to myself in the past. He plays on my deep seated insecurities. In my younger days, I had little to no self-confidence. I saw myself as ugly and an outcast of sorts. Satan whispers those words in my ear when he seeks to stop me in perusing the Lord.

3. In the past, how has your lesser loser life kept you from doing something you believed God was calling you to do? What do you think that you – and others – might have missed as a result?

I often wondered if I missed a calling to go into mission work. In the summer after my freshman year of college, I attended M-Fuge, and I remember distinctly feeling as though the Lord wanted me to pursue missions. But I thought that I was not a “devoted enough” Christian to do that. Then I worried what my family would think if I told them I wanted to delay college to pursue this call. So I didn’t do it. And I have to wonder if I missed a chance to reach lost souls for the Lord.

4. To you, who is a good example of a person who got past his or her lesser loser life to take hold of God’s greater things? What can we learn from this example?

The first person who popped into my head when I read this question was my father-in-law. He is just an ordinary man, not well educated, who has worked his whole life. He is soft-spoken, down to earth, and not at ALL the type of person I would expect God to call to preach. Mr. Mike thought those same things. So he spent numerous years ignoring God’s call on his life. He tried to appease God by working as a Sunday school teacher, a youth Director, singing in the Choir, and VBS chairman. But each work just left him feeling hollow, empty, and sad. When he finally submitted, he has become a powerful preacher and has won souls to the kingdom. The lesson here is simple: Trust that God knows WHO He is calling and WHAT He is calling them to do.

5. How would you describe your level of trust in God’s ability to do greats things through you?

My level of trust is small but growing with each passing day. The more time I spend with God, the more I realize how great HE is and how much He desires to use me for greater.