Fellowship—Relationship with a Purpose

• Share a time when someone’s words steered you wrong. What did they say (or not say)? How did it affect you?

‌Growth—Thinking About Spiritual Matters

• Security questions, codes, and riddles are designed to be obstacles to speech. Why are these good and necessary at times? Who is stopped by such obstacles?

• When your own words make people stumble spiritually, is it usually a conscious effort or is it careless? Which would be better? Why?

• How does profanity “treat that which is holy as common?”

• Is profanity an outlier in your speech or a regular pattern? Are you offended by foul language? Who or what impacted your attitude toward “bad words?”

• Do you believe that profanity is a stumbling block to people around you? How so?

• What should we say instead? Look up Ephesians 4:29.

• What are some examples of lying that you encounter on a daily basis? What does God think about those lies? (See Proverbs 12:22)

• If we lie about our sins and weaknesses, how does that make the church weaker? What actions can other Christians not take if they don’t know the truth about you? (e.g. if I lie about a temptation, others can’t help me stand against it)

• How could our new nature in Christ (Col 3:9-10) help us to avoid lying?

• Are you reverent toward God? When are you tempted to be too casual with Him?

• How do people normally act when they are in God’s presence? See Is 6:5; Job 42:5-6; Luke 5:8; Rev 1:17. What does this tell you about your own approach?

• Have you ever used God’s own words (Scripture) as the basis of your prayers? What are the benefits of doing so? When might you try it?

Prayer—Taking Your Thoughts to God

• Pray for God’s help to honor Him with your lips. Ask Him to purify your speech and to help you stay silent rather than saying the wrong things.