Spiritual Strength

Study Guide

The following may help you reflect further on the message
(the points could also be used as a discussion guide at fellowship groups)

  1. To continue Sunday’s theme… are you having a good week? What makes the difference to how our week unfolds? How is this reflected in the experience of Jesus in Luke 4:1-14?
  2. How should we respond to the temptation to “sell our soul for the secular” (we should not live on bread alone)? Philippians 3:18-21 may help in your discussion.
  3. In the second temptation, the devil offered Jesus a temporary crown with earthly glory. Who would accept this and why?
  4. How do we respond to the third temptation when the devil tries to persuade Jesus to test God in an arbitrary and sensational way?
  5. It might be useful to look at the three Scriptures Jesus uses in his struggle with the devil (Deuteronomy 8:3; 6:13; 6:16). How significant are these references in their context as well as in the experience of Israel?
  6. Notice how the devil uses Scripture to challenge Jesus in Luke 4:10. How does this differ from the original words in Psalm 90:11-12? Is it ever right to twist a text to suit a purpose? What lessons can we learn from this in our daily walk with God?
  7. Discuss the idea in Ephesians 6:12 that… Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Are these negative forces still at work today… and if so… How?
  8. Discuss the following: “everyone experiences spiritual conflict, but it is particularly noticeable in those who are full of the Spirit and who walk in the Spirit.” How does this relate to 1 Peter 1:6-7?
  9. Discuss the response to spiritual conflict in Ephesians 6:10-11. You may also want to discuss the armour of God in vs.13-18. See also Ephesians 5:18-19.