Jennie Allen - Stuck Bible Study Leaders Guide: The Places We Get Stuck and the God Who Sets Us Free

2011 by Jennie Allen

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Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from THE ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION. 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION. 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

ePub Edition January 2014: ISBN: 978-0-5291-1799-1

contents

Leaders,

I am excited to partner with you in your efforts to pour into the lives of women! I pray that these few short pages will help to equip and prepare you to lead this study. Many of you may have led plenty of groups in the past, or perhaps this is the first youve led. Whichever the case, this is a spiritual calling and you are entering spiritual places with these womenand spiritual callings and places need spiritual power.

My husband, Zac, always says, Changed lives, change lives. If you are not first aware of your own need for life change, the women around you wont see their need. If you allow God into the inner struggles of your heart, the women following you will be much more likely to let Him into theirs. These women do not need to see bright and shiny, perfectly poised people; they need to see people who are a mess and daily dependent on God for their hope and strength.

Over and over again in Scripture we see God drawing near to the brokenhearted. On earth, Jesus moved toward sinners, saying things like, Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners (Mark 2:17). So if you feel inadequate, as though you have no business leading a group of women, be encouraged; you are just the kind of person God wants to use!

I visited a halfway house once. All of the men were just out of prison. And with tears they confessed truly owning their weaknesses and mistakes. Their hearts were bleeding for the damage they had brought to those they love and gushing at how God had forgiven them.

I wanted to be like themthese men recovering from the consequences of sin. I wanted to need God like they did, feel broken like they were, and be transparent like they were. It was as if they were already exposed... already caught. Screwed up was written on their foreheads; they saw no need to act like it wasnt. And something about that brought freedom.

Its troubling to feel broken. It is troubling to need God. But we begin as leaders with humility as our posture. We begin with repentance because all of us have sin, even if it is invisible. Pray and confess the sin that you see within yourself, and ask God for His forgiveness. It will be easy for women to follow a humble leader who also needs God.

For this peoples heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closedtheir eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with theirhearts and turn, and I would heal them.

matthew 13:15 NIV

God wants to turn and heal us, but we must live sensitive to His Spirit and in awareness of our need for Him.

Each Stuck kit includes:

see. A DVD with eight sessions

study. A copy of the study guide (each member of your group will need her own study guide).
Additional study guides can be purchased separately (ISBN: 978-1-4185-4874-2).

lead. A copy of the leaders guide

ask. A set of conversation cards

If you have a large group of women and need to break down into smaller groups during your study times, you may want to purchase additional kits so each group can have access to a leaders guide and a set of conversation cards.

We will discuss how to use each element of this kit on pages 1011.

That we would see the broken spots in our souls as the very places God most wants to meet us. He longs for humanity to see our need for Him.

For my power is made perfect in weakness.

2 corinthians 12:9 NIV

That we would obey God. God longs to free us, but we have to obey Him. And He makes no small request of us. It is found in one word: die. He calls us to die. Die to our plans for our lives, our expectations, our pride, our rights. And in dying we find life.
To know God and to be full to the brim with Him... may that become our biggest goal.

For we know that our old self was crucified with [Christ] so that the body of sin might be doneaway with, that we should no longer be slaves to sinbecause anyone who has died has been freedfrom sin.

romans 6:67 NIV

That women would be pointed to God, a God worth dying for. The rest of this leaders guide is aimed at equipping you to point the women of your group to God in ways that will change their lives.

1. Pray: Pray like the world is ending, pray like this is the last chance for people to know Him, pray like our lives and futures depend on it, pray like the future of souls in heaven is at stake... Pray like you need God.

Pray for your women:

:: That God would show them the things holding them back and keeping them from freedom.

:: That they would feel safe to open up and process.

:: That they would want more of God and that God would meet them.

:: That the conversation would be focused on God.

:: That we would be humble displays of Gods grace to these women.

:: That God would come and fall on your time together.

:: That many would come to a saving faith as they see God for who He is.

2. Lean on God: Allow the Holy Spirit to lead every moment together. We have provided you with tools that we will discuss in the next section; however, they are only tools to use as the Spirit leads you and your time together. God will have unique agendas for each of your groups as you depend on Him. Lean into your own weakness and into His strength and direction. When Jesus left His disciples to go back to His Father in heaven, He said, Dont go anywhere until you have the helper I will send you. We need to obey that same command. We dont begin until it is with the power of the Holy Spirit within us (see Acts 1:45). He is real and available and waiting to flood our lives and the lives around us as we serve and speak. But we have to wait for Him to speak, ask if we should speak and what we should speak, and ask what to do in different situations. God wants us to need Him and to depend on His Spirit. If this is not how you live on a daily basis, begin today.

3. Be transparent: If you choose not to be vulnerable, no one else will be. If you desire women to feel safe with you and your group, be vulnerable. This is not an optional assignment. This is your calling as you lead these women.

4. Listen but also lead: Listen as women share struggles. Some women are taking a tremendous risk in being vulnerable with you. Protect them by not interrupting and by instead empathizing. Do not feel the need to speak after each person shares. After most women have shared their answers to a question, turn it back to the scripture from the study guide, and help them process the truth and hope in their struggles. Avoid lecturing, but do bring the women back to truth.