Spiritual Survival Guide
1: Starting Well: Surviving Spiritually on the Inside
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours. 8 “For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and wrongdoing. In my faithfulness I will reward my people and make an everlasting covenant with them. 9 Their descendants will be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the LORD has blessed.”—Isaiah 61:1-9
g. Apathy—I’m too messed up to care at this stage. h. Fatalism—It’s just a big revolving door; I’ll be back in prison again soon. 4.Who is God calling and anointing you to go preach the good news to? To comfort? To bring gladness and praise instead of mourning and despair? 5. What images from Isaiah appeal to you most? Why? a. Freedom for the captives. b. Rebuilding and restoring our broken city. c. Being a righteous oak that reveals God’s splendor. d. Living shame-free. e. Being in an everlasting covenant relationship with God himself.
DISCUSS
We offer suggestions for some possible answers, but don’t feel confined by them. 1.What must this news have felt like to the Jewish captives in exile when they heard this promise of deliverance from God? 2. Does this feel like the “year of the LORD’s favor” for you? Why or why not? 3.When God’s great reversal comes, and when freedom and release come for the captives, what’s the appropriate response for them to have? a. Payback—Stick it to those who stuck it to you. b. Relief—The nightmare is over. c. Gratitude—God is faithful and kept his promise. d. Resentment—What took so long? e. Joy—We’ve been blessed! f. Confusion—Okay, what next?
PRAY
Pray for each other, for those still inside, and for those outside.
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