Anxious For Nothing | Part 4 - The Dangers of Isolation | Pastor Jason Hanash

Conversation Starters:

  • What do you do when you’re lonely? (What are your default actions under distress?)
  • What pulls you away from community and into your own beliefs during times of anxiety? (Can we really afford to do what we want over what God calls us to do?)
  • God did not design us to live lonely lives in isolation: How does this truth speak to you personally?

Ask your group members to share their favorite points from the sermon, what stood out to them, a phrase or moment from the sermon they related to the most, or questions they have. If your members have a hard time remembering, share your notes and favorite points.

Reflect:

1.)  Read Philippians 4:6-7, Psalm 142:1-7 NIV and Genesis 2:18 NLT: Pastor Jason identified three steps we should take when we are lonely. He also provided five reasons why we choose to isolate ourselves:

  • Confess your Loneliness: Psalm 25:16-17, 2nd Timothy 4:16, Matthew 26:40 & Matthew 27:46, and Ecclesiastes 4:12 (How does solitude differ from isolation? When Christ sought solitude to be with the Father before being crucified, was he selfishly isolated or intentionally connected? What does our connection with God provide for us?)
  • Take Advantage of your Loneliness: Mark 1:35-39 NIV (How are you utilizing your time? Why do you think Jesus directed his time toward the Father intentionally instead of elsewhere foolishly?)
  • Develop Godly Friendships: Acts 2:46-47 NIV (What do we truly gain through Godly friendships? Should a bad or undesirable experience with people deter us from living out our lives by God’s created design? If you buck up against God and His design for your life, do you really think things will end better for you? An eternal resolution will always outweigh a temporal solution.)

We Choose Isolation In: Naivety, Temperament, Fear, Past Experiences, and Busyness.

Evaluate yourself in each of the three areas: If inclined, share your evaluation and why you rated yourself the way you did. How can you start living out each step in more faith and in greater truth? Which of the five ways in choosing isolation do you identify with and how?

2.)  Pastor Jason shared three ways “Small Groups” are Jesus-Honoring. They are:

Where are you feeling anxious? (When we surrender to His plan and His design, our health is no longer in our hands, it’s in His? Do you really believe you’re better off in your own hands over living a surrendered life in God’s hands? When we place the weight upon our Father’s shoulders like He encourages us to, the weight is no longer upon our shoulders, it’s upon His.)

What freedoms do you stand to gain when you start saying NO to self, and YES to God? (Sometimes our freedom is just a YES away. What are you saying YES to that you need to start saying NO to? What are you saying NO to that you need to start saying YES to? Don’t let your level of comfort with what God’s calling you to do dictate your decision. A YES to God no matter what your level of comfort is with it is never a wrong decision.)

Apply It: 

God did NOT create us to be self-sufficient self-sustaining beings. Despite ones greatest wish or desire, it will never be a winning decision to “do it alone” or “live life on your own.” God created us to love Him and to love others intimately, relationally, as family. With God and others in our lives, we’re never alone and we’re never living in isolation. God created us to walk with Him and to rely upon Him, not to live absent from Him. He also created us to count on one another and to help one another because God knows every one of us is going to need some help throughout our lifetime. Collectively with God first and others is how God designed us to live – not independently, isolated, or in ignorance. Embrace God’s design. Choose to be in healthy community. Gather in love, for healing, to fulfill your mission as a child of God. God’s Way is what’s good. His Way is what’s right. His Way is what is health and life for each of us. Say YES to what brings life, healing, and fulfillment. Stay connected to God and others. By God’s design, together in love is how each of us is created to live.                                   

Prayer Requests and Closing Prayer:

Ask your group members if they have a prayer request. Write them down and continue to pray for them during the week:

Father, You created us to need You and to help one another. You know what we need and whom we need it from. Help us learn to embrace Your design Lord. Help each of us say yes to our created purpose and to living out Your design in our lives. The here and now is important to prepare us for our eternity with You. Help us grow where we need to grow Lord so we don’t stay ignorantly stuck in places we need You and others to help free us from. Have Your Way in our lives Father. You know what’s best. Help us trust in You and surrender to You – for when we do we set ourselves up for victory not defeat. May we all embrace Your design Father and live lives of love that honor You and honor one another. Your Way is best. Your Way is right. Your Way is light. Your Way is life. We choose life Lord God because we choose You over ourselves and over the world, in Christ we pray, amen.