Lessons & Focus Questions

What is denial? Denial is a false sense of beliefs that are not based on reality and a self-protecting behavior that keeps us from facing the truth. 

Small Group Questions:

1. Am I in denial about something in my life? 

2. Am I going to let my past failures or present situation prevent me from taking this journey? 

3. Am I afraid to change? 

4. What are my fears of the future? 

5. Do I keep beating myself up over past mistakes? 

6. Have I accepted God’s forgiveness? 

7. Am I wearing a mask to appear like everything is okay when it is not? 

8. Am I willing to change?

What is powerlessness? Powerlessness is lacking the power to do something or prevent something from happening.

Small Group Questions:

1. When was a time you felt powerless in your life?

2. Why is it difficult to say the words, “I’m powerless?”

3. Have you read about Paul’s powerlessness in Romans 7? Does that

make you feel better or worse? Why?

What is hope? Hope is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen; a feeling of trust.

Lesson 3 Small Group Questions:

1. Which source of Hope written on the table can I relate to? What source of

hope has failed me? What source has proven itself true?

2. What hurt, habit or hang up am I open to changing? Are there any that I

am not open to changing right now? Why?

3. What hurt, habit or hang up am I expecting God to change? Are there any I

have doubts He can change?

4. What is keeping me from experiencing God’s power to change in my life?

5. Have I come to a place where I have concluded that God is my higher

power?

Lesson 4 Small Group Questions:

1. What do you think your friends at school would say if you asked them

what it meant to live a full life?

2. What might your teacher say and your parents say?

3. How else do people in our society see fulfillment in life?

4. Do you think people are generally successful in finding fulfillment in life?

Why or why not?

5.How does living the full life Jesus described look different from the way

non-Christians in our culture live?

What is peace? Freedom from disturbance; tranquility; freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions; harmony in personal relations.

Small Group Questions:

1. What things do I rely on myself for in stressful situations, instead of seeking

God for my sense of peace?

2. How do I rely on friends to help me with the pressures I face? Do I think my

friends can be peace robbers?

3. What are some ways God has brought you peace during stressful situations?

4. What have you learned about trusting God to help you through the pressures

of your life?

5. What is a simple way I can remember to stop in the midst of pressure and ask God to help me?

What does it mean to turn? Turn means to bend or change the course of; to alter the drift, tendency, or expected result of.

Lesson 9 Small Group Questions:

1. We all come bringing our hurts, habits, and hang-ups when walking into The

Landing. What brought you here?

2. What have you repented of (turned away from) since you began coming?

3. What is something you still need to turn away from and give to God? Are

you ready and willing to do that tonight?

4. Be honest... who has the seat at your table? Are you still allowing the enemy

to sit at your table and tell you lies? Is Jesus waiting for you to turn toward

Him and ask Him to take the seat back?

5. Have you ever made the decision to turn to Jesus and trust Him to lead you

through life? If not, what is holding you back?

Lesson 10 Small Group Questions:

1. Which son in the story do you relate to the most and why?

2. How do you think the father felt in the story?

3. How did you expect the father to react when the prodigal son returned?

4. How does it make you feel to know that God loves you no matter what you

do?

5. Have you ever gotten jealous because someone got something that you

wanted or was treated better than you? How do we turn our thoughts and

feelings around so that we can celebrate instead of being jealous?

6. What do you think the main point is that God is trying to communicate in

this story?

7. Think of someone you know who may be running from God (don’t say any

names, but think of them to yourself). Take a moment to pray that they would

turn back to God.

What is an action? Action is a thing done; it is the accomplishment of a thing usually over a period of time, in stages, or with the possibility of repetition.

Lesson 11 Small Group Questions:

1. The Bible describes conversion as being “born again.” It’s a metaphor for

the deep change that happens in us when we turn away from our bad choices

and turn our life over to God. When have you had an experience that’s like

that (something that made you feel changed into something new)?

2. What are the obstacles you face in turning your life over to Christ –

including hurts, habits, or hang ups?

3. Have you turned your life over to the care of Christ? If not, what is holding

you back?

4. Would you like to share what you wrote on your index card with the group

so that we can help walk alongside you as accountability partners?

5. What do you see as your next “action” to take? 

Lesson 12 Small Group Questions:

1. Have you ever wanted something so badly that you went out of your way to

get to it? If you feel comfortable, explain.

2. Why do you think Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus so badly?

3. How would you feel if Jesus came to your house unannounced? Think about

your room; is it clean? Is there anything that you wouldn’t want him to see?

What is honesty? Honesty is fairness or straightforwardness of conduct; the quality of being honest.

Lesson 13 Small Group Questions:

1. What is something that you used to believe as a little kid that you learned

wasn't true? How did you learn the truth? How did it affect you?

2. When it comes to significant issues, how do you decide what is true in your

life?

3. How do you decide which is the best source of information for you?

4. Reread 1 Timothy 4:3-4. What are some issues you believe people have

allowed “itching ears” to confuse instead of pursuing the truth?

5. Why are some people resistant to digging for the truth?

6. Why are some people skeptical to acknowledge the truth?

7. What does it mean that when we seek truth, we are really seeking God?

Lesson 14 Small Group Questions:

1. Can you look back at your life and see times where you needed a “heart

change” and tried a temporary fix instead? What could you have done

differently?

2. What are some steps you can take to initiate the “heart change?”

3. What are some of the “micro-lies” that you have used or heard?

4. What are some of the ways you have tried to “fit in?” How could you have

done that differently to work on belonging, instead of just “fitting in.”

5. Let’s encourage honesty! Write down 3 truths about yourself. If you having a

hard time, think through these three questions. How am I physically? How

am I emotionally? How am I spiritually?

What is community? A community is a unified body of individuals with common interests.

Lesson 15 Small Group Questions:

1. What’s the hardest thing about finding and keeping good friendships?

2. Why do you think so many friendships are shallow?

3. How have your friendships helped you journey closer to God?

4. How have they hindered you in that journey?

5. Why would God create us to need friendships with others rather than just

making us self-sufficient?

6. Finding close friends requires us to be a close friend. How would you finish

this sentence: I want to be a better friend by… 

Lesson 16 Small Group Questions:

1. Talk about someone you know whose “walk matches his or her talk”—how

do you know it does?

2. What are the indicators of a growing relationship with Jesus?

3. Has someone helped you on your journey toward freedom and a close

relationship with God? If so, tell us about it.

4. What’s the difference between compassion and pity?

5. How do you know when you’re talking to a good listener—what “cues” do

you pick up that the person is listening well?

What is inventory? An inventory is an itemized list of current assets; the act or process of taking inventory.

Inventory Worksheet

Small Group Questions:

1. Who is a person that you’re angry with, who has hurt you, or that you’re

afraid of? If you’re comfortable sharing, explain.

2. What are the specific hurtful actions that have damaged you? Explain.

3. What have been the effects of those hurts in your life?

4. What damage have those hurts caused in your life?

5. Were you an accomplice in your own hurt in any way? If so, how? If not,

why not?

6. What changes have you made since you’ve started coming to The Landing?

What is spiritual inventory? Spiritual inventory is taking time to assess where you are in your journey and relationship with the Lord to see if there are any hindrances to your growth in that relationship.

Inventory Worksheet

Lesson 19 Small Group Questions:

1. Is there someone in your life that you have hurt or wronged in some way?

How has that affected your relationship with them?

2. What makes it difficult to forgive someone?

3. Is forgiveness something that is important to you? Why or why not?

4. How can having someone you trust to confess and share things with help?

5. How can an attitude of thanksgiving affect your relationships?

Lesson 20 Small Group Questions:

1. What are some things about your life that have made it hard to believe that

God truly loves you?

2. When you think about your life, what are some ways you have sacrificed

your integrity?

3. How well have you guarded your mind in the past?

4. As you have shifted away from things that “muddy up” your mind and

focused more on God’s truths, how has your life been impacted?

Lesson 21 Small Group Questions:

1. Who has hurt you and how has that hurt impacted the way you view that

person?

2. How has that hurt impacted the way you view God?

3. In what circumstances do you find it hard to maintain a positive attitude?

Do those circumstances remind you of a previous hurtful situation?

4. In what ways have you mistreated your family or another person close to

you?

5. In what ways have you mistreated your body?

6. What bad attitude or bad habit are you struggling with that you want God to

replace in your life?

What is a celebration? A celebration marks something, such as an anniversary, by festivities or other deviation from routine; it means to hold up or play up for public notice.

Small Group Questions:

1. Why is it important to share with others what God has done?

2. How can sharing what God has done for you impact others?

3. How have you been encouraged at the Landing?

4. What is something you can celebrate today?

5. What is something you want to be able to celebrate in the future?

No Specific Questions this week.

What is a confession? A confession is a formal statement admitting that one is guilty of doing something.

Lesson 24 Small Group Questions:

1. What keeps you from practicing the discipline of confession?

2. Which is easier, confessing to God, yourself or someone else? Why?

3. How does confession make you stronger?

4. How does confession make you freer?

5. Who do you have in your life right now that you can be radically honest with

and that can hold you accountable? If you do, what keeps you from sharing

your hurts, habits and hang ups with them?

Lesson 25 Small Group Questions:

1. What gets in our way of “turning back to God?”

2. Why is it sometimes hard to believe that our sins, hurts, hang-ups, and habits

are truly “washed away?”

3. After he returned, do you think the youngest son in the parable of the

prodigal son struggled to receive his father’s love? Why or why not?

4. How would you feel if you forgave someone for something they’d done to

you, but they refused to forgive themselves? Explain.

5. If you were God, and you heard the confessions you’ve offered over the last

two weeks, how would you respond? Explain. 

What does admit mean? To confess acknowledge the truth or existence of something.

Lesson 26 Small Group Questions:

1. What’s something you learned about the story that you’d never heard

before? If this happens to be the first time you’ve heard this story, what

surprised you most, and why?

2. What’s the most relevant aspect of the story to your own life?

3. Why is it “not enough” to simply determine to stop sinning in your life?

Why is it so important to admit our faults to another safe person?

4. For you, what’s the hardest aspect when you think about admitting your sins

to someone?

5. Think of a time when you “came clean” and admitted a wrong you did to

someone—how did that impact your life and your relationships?

Lesson 27 Small Group Questions:

1. If we never admitted our own responsibility for the hurts, habits, and hangups in our life, how would that impact our relationships?

2. Why is God so interested in us dragging our sins out of the shadows and into

the light?

3. Forgiveness isn’t always easy to accept—what makes it difficult for you to

receive mercy from God and others?

4. Is it possible to feel completely “clean” in life? Why or why not?

5. When have you felt “clean” in your life, and why did you feel that way?

What is being ready? To be ready is to be in a suitable state for an activity, action, or situation; fully prepared.

Lesson 28 Small Group Questions:

1. Is there anything in your life you feel like God is telling you to let go of? If

you feel comfortable, would you like to share what it is?

2. Is there anything in your life that you’re afraid to let go of?

3. Is there anything you’ve tried to let go of in the past, but it keeps coming

back?

4. What’s one thing you’ve learned today that may help you let go of it for

good?

5. Have you been successful in letting something go? How did that make you

feel?

Lesson 29 Small Group Questions:

1. What are some things that keep you from taking risks on this journey toward

freedom?

2. Why is it relatively easy to talk about change, but hard to actually make the

changes?

3. What can we do, today, to show “the master” that we’re willing to take risks

to make changes in our life?

What is victory? Victory is achievement of mastery or success in a struggle or endeavor against odds or difficulties.

Lesson 30 Small Group Questions:

1. What have your past attempts to overcome your character issues or hurts,

habits, or hang-ups been like?

2. As humans, we are all imprisoned by sin and can’t get out. Why is this truth

so important?

3. Most of us have exhausted ourselves trying to “get better”—why is that path

a hopeless one for us?

4. Instead of trying hard to get better, what’s something you could do every day

to trust in God’s power to bring you victory?

5. What’s the most difficult thing about trusting God to give us victory over our

issues, rather than trusting ourselves to do it?

Lesson 31 Small Group Questions:

1. What have your past attempts to overcome your character defects or hurts,

habits, or hang-ups been like? Were they successful? Why or why not?

2. Instead of trying hard to get better on your own, what is one thing you could

do every day to give God’s way a try?

3. Do you think it is possible to experience victory over hard things that are out

of your control? If yes, how?

4. Share one hurt, habit, or hang up, that you have experienced victory over.

5. Share a hurt, habit, or hang up that you are struggling with now and what

you are going to do this week to turn that over to God.

What does it mean to make amends? Amends means to make minor changes in order to make it more accurate; to make better or improve.

Lesson 32 Small Group Questions:

1. In your own words, what does “making amends” mean?

2. Is there a situation or relationship that you need to hand over to God

completely (because, in your flesh, you can’t fix it without him)?

3. Can you think of one specific situation where you need to ask forgiveness

from someone? If you feel comfortable, share it with your small group.

4. Are you ready and prepared to surrender what is written and wash your rock

clean?

Lesson 33 Small Group Questions:

1. What’s your idea for making amends in your life? If you would like to share

a hurt you’ve caused in a particular situation, please briefly share.)

2. Why is making amends just as important for you as for the people you’ve

hurt?

3. Why is it so difficult to say “I’m sorry?” 

What does it mean to forgive? Forgiveness is the action or process of forgiving or being forgiven.

Small Group Questions:

1. What is your experience of forgiveness?

2. Are there people that you have yet to forgive or feel like you can never

forgive?

3. What are the benefits of forgiving? Are there any negatives?

4. How does someone forgive the seemingly unforgivable?

5. What is your definition of forgiveness?

6. Why do you think people choose to not forgive others?

What is a celebration? A celebration marks something, such as an anniversary, by festivities or other deviation from routine; it means to hold up or play up for public notice.

Small Group Questions:

1. Why is it important to share with others what God has done?

2. How can sharing what God has done for you impact others?

3. How have you been encouraged at the Landing?

4. What is something you can celebrate today?

5. What is something you want to be able to celebrate in the future?

What is grace? Grace is unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification.

Small Group Questions:

1. Why are “bad grades” so hard to accept?

2. Whose “grade” means the most to you—parents, friends, teachers, or

another specific group of people? Why?

3. Why do so many of us seem to struggle with receiving grace?

4. Why does it so often seem better to us to work our way out of our problems,

rather than receive God’s grace for them?

5. Do you grade others the same way you grade yourself? Why or why not?

No specific questions.

What is a crossroads? A crossroads is a point at which a crucial decision must be made that will have far-reaching consequences

Small Group Questions:

1. What have you observed about the way most people make big decisions?

What do you like and not like about that?

2. Why do some people seem to change in life, while others seem stuck forever

in their old patterns?

3. Can you choose one time every day where you can connect with Jesus?

What time of day works best for you and why?

4. What’s one way you feel like you’re at a crossroad in your life right now?

Explain.

5. From your perspective, what are some of the strategies for sticking to the

positive changes you want in your life? 

What is daily inventory? Daily inventory is reserving a daily time with God for self-examination, Bible reading, and prayer in order to know God and his will.

Daily Inventory Handout

Lesson 42 Small Group Questions:

1. What’s something that surprised you or challenged you about this journaling

experience?

2. Why is it so important to our growth in Christ – and our ability to move

through our hurts, hang-ups, and habits – to follow this practice of a “daily

inventory”?

3. If you have journaled in the past, how did it impact your everyday life?

4. What are some of the things that could keep your from journaling, and what

are ideas for overcoming those hurdles?

5. Is there something you’d like to share from your journaling experience

today?

Lesson 43 Small Group Questions:

1. Today, how did I show love to others? Did I act in an unloving way toward

anyone?

2. Today, did others see me have joy because I have a personal relationship

with the Lord? If not, why not?

3. Today, was I patient? What caused me to lose my patience?

4. Today, would anyone say I was kind or good? In what ways did I act

unkind?

5. Today, how was my faithfulness? Did I keep my word with everyone?

What is relapse? Relapse is a deterioration in someone's state of health after a temporary improvement

Small Group Questions:

1. What is a lie that Satan has convinced you to believe?

2. What does God say the truth is about that lie from Satan, and are you willing

to replace those thoughts with the truth today?

3. Who is someone that you know who could become your accountability

partner?

4. What will you do to begin the connection of accountability with that person

this week?

What is gratitude? Gratitude is the quality of being thankful; a readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.

Small Group Questions:

1. What are your top three pet peeves… the things that really get on your nerves?

2. What are three things that you are most thankful for?

3. How can people in poverty stricken countries be thankful?

4. How can being spoiled cause us to struggle with being thankful?

5. In Colossians 3:12, why did Paul use the metaphor of "clothe yourself" to describe how

we should think and act?

6. Paul lists eleven things in Colossians 3:12-15 that we should "clothe" ourselves

with. Which are the easiest for you and why? Which are the most difficult?

7. What are some things you can do to grow an attitude of gratitude in your life?

What does it mean to give? To give is to freely transfer the possession of something to someone; to hand over to.

Small Group Questions:

1. What is one way you can give back to others?

2. What is one way to serve that seems natural for you?

3. How did it feel telling your story to someone?

4. Do you think you’d be able to tell our entire group your story?

5. How can your story help someone else?

6. How are you doing with your daily journaling?

What does yes mean? Yes is used to give an affirmative response.

Small Group Questions:

1. Did hearing other peoples’ stories get you excited to share your own? Why or why not?

2. What is something in your life that you hope God will recycle?

3. What are some ways you are already saying “yes” to God in your own life?

4. What’s one way other people say “yes!” to God that you really admire? Explain.

5. How are you doing with your daily journaling?

What is a celebration? A celebration marks something, such as an anniversary, by festivities or other deviation from routine; it means to hold up or play up for public notice.

Small Group Questions:

1. Why is it important to share with others what God has done?

2. How can sharing what God has done for you impact others?

3. How have you been encouraged at the Landing?

4. What is something you can celebrate today?

5. What is something you want to be able to celebrate in the future?