Staying disciplined takes a lot of work and is defiantly hard. We must encourage one another to keep up the good race. Paul is encouraging the Colossians to stay disciplined and keep the faith. We are all going to face challenges with staying disciplined. We must draw strength from our faith in the Lord. We must also surround ourselves with fellow believers who will encourage and lift us up.

Questions for further thought:
1. Who do you surround yourself with?

2. When things get tough, what and who do you turn to?

Challenge: Get connected with a small group at church so you are not running the race alone.

We all need to have discipline in our lives. We need to make wise choices. If we choose to make poor choices with our health, we reap the consequences. If we do not show discipline in spending money, we end up broke. If we do not show discipline in how we deal with our spouses and children, we end up with broken homes. We must be disciplined, “take reproof,” and sometimes sacrifice immediate satisfaction for the gain in the long haul.

Questions for further thought:
1. What are some areas where you need discipline in your life?

2. What are some areas where you have seen reward, due to showing discipline?

Challenge: Choose some areas where you need discipline and make them a priority in your life.
 

Do you like to be disciplined? I know that it is not my favorite thing. At the time of being disciplined, it sure is not very fun, but those times have been some of the most valuable. If you never know you are doing something wrong, how will you ever learn the right way? In the end the right way brings the most satisfaction. You can hang your hat on the fact that you have done something to the best of your abilities. You have no regrets.

Questions for further thought:
1. What are some moments when you have been disciplined?

2. What did you learn from being disciplined?

Challenge: What can we gain from receiving discipline and how can we apply that to our daily lives?
 

As we trust God in specific situations and with our entire life, there are rewards.  This doesn’t mean a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow or a buried treasure. You can be filled with joy, peace and hope. God desires his children to depend on him and believe that he will take care of us.  As that trust increases, it doesn’t mean we will have no problems. It does mean even in troubles we can still feel joy, peace and hope.  
 
Questions for further thought: 
1. Does it seem ridiculous that you can feel joy, peace and hope in times of trouble? 
  
2. Are you in need of joy, peace and hope?   
 
 Challenge:  When an issue is weighing on your heart, think back to a time when God came to your rescue.  Concentrate on that and pray for God’s presence in your current situation. 

How do you know you can trust God to handle your concerns?  God doesn’t see things the same way we do.  He handles things differently than we would.  God’s wisdom and power are far beyond human comprehension and capabilities. God will not address things as we would or even as we think he should.  It may take more time than we like, which is why we often need to keep praying for our ability to leave things in God’s hands.  
 
Questions for further thought: 
1. Do you have an issue that keeps troubling you? 
  
2. Do you take it back after giving it to God?   
 
 Challenge: If you find yourself not feeling peace, try praying in that moment and release it to God again. 

For most of us, giving up control can be very scary.  These verses tell us not be anxious about anything.  Instead we are to give all our concerns to God through prayer, petition and thanksgiving.  The result of doing that is the peace of God which surpasses all understanding. That does not seem like a natural thing to do, but we are promised when we do, we can have peace. We still do not know how things are going to work out, but God does.  
 
Questions for further thought: 
1. What issues are you facing right now that need God’s intervention? 
 
 2. What have you been doing to fix them?   
 
Challenge: Ask God to help you release your issue to him.  Pray about it daily and claim the peace of God. 

God had promised Abram offspring numbering greater than the stars in the sky.  Abram’s wife Sarai was becoming inpatient waiting to have children through God’s blessing, so she took matters into her own hands.  She asked her husband and her maid servant to produce a child.  Things did not go well after that - big surprise.  We see in the scriptures that follow the natural consequences of that sin. As humans, it is so easy to think we are in control and that we have better ideas than God.  
 
Questions for further thought: 
1. Describe a time you went against your parent’s guidance. 
  
2. How did things turn out?   
 
Challenge: Are you experiencing the natural consequences of your choices? Confess that to God and ask for forgiveness. 

Is it easier to trust or love someone? Placing trust in another requires belief that the other person has your best interest at heart.  It requires knowing the other person very well.  Do you know for certain they are reliable and dependable?  It certainly requires a step of faith.  This scripture tells us to trust God completely, to surrender to him and he will direct our paths.  
 
 Questions for further thought: 
1. How easy is it for you to trust? 
 
2. Who can you identify that you trust?    
  
 Challenge: Reflect on areas in your life that you have a need to control.  Begin to pray about one thing you can trust to God.

To the sinners who are feeling condemned and who have given up hope, John’s words offer reassurance. Jesus Christ has already suffered your penalty in your place. United with Christ, you are as safe as He is. Don’t be afraid to ask Christ to plead your case – He has already won it. He can stand before God as our mediator. To walk today as Christ did, we must obey His teachings. We must follow His example of complete obedience to God and loving service to people. 

1. How can you be sure that you belong to Christ? 

2. What does Christ tell us to do? 

Challenge: Make Jesus your primary focus today. Don’t worry about tomorrow. Turn to Jesus in everything that comes at you today. 

True wisdom can be measured by a person’s character. Are you tempted to escalate the conflict or spread the gossip? When our speech is motivated by Satan, it is full of bitter jealousy, selfish ambition, earthly concerns/desires, unspiritual thoughts/ideas, disorder, evil. When our speech is motivated by God and His wisdom, it is full of purity, peace, consideration for others, mercy, goodness, impartiality. 

1. What would it look like for you to be a peacemaker? 

2. How will you guard yourself from being drawn into the pressures of society? 

Challenge: Make Jesus your primary focus today. Don’t worry about tomorrow. Turn to Jesus in everything that comes at you today.