Read Exodus 5:1-2. To Pharaoh, Moses’ God is only one among many Gods, a powerless entity that he need not fear. His disrespect and irreverence are clearly products of his ignorance, all resulting in his disobedience. If irreverence produces disobedience, then true reverence will produce and promote obedience. This clarifies why growing to know God is essential. The Bible and God’s Spirit are major elements that promote the knowledge of His mind and will. Discuss the benefits of living Godly lives.

Read Amos 4:6-9. Consider the increase inthe U.S. of thenumber and intensity of what insurance companies call "acts of God". It never seems to get quite bad enough to send the nation into a tailspin, but it is just enough that, like the Egyptian Pharaoh, as a nation wecontinue to harden our hearts. Consider the benefits of staying close to God, in terms of being warned about the events of the last days. Share how God grabbed your attention and turned you away from a crooked path you were on.

Read Hebrews 3:6 -13. The Bride of Christ now lives surrounded by Babylon The Great. What are our responsibilities to Christ in this deceptively perilous time?

Read Philippians 2:5-11 and Matthew 5:16. It is not enough to think of others; we must engage in the nitty-gritty of true service. Some of the paradoxes of the Christian life are that the more we give, the more we receive; the more we sacrifice, the more God blesses us. Discuss the steps Christ took in this Philippians passage as a model for how we may live.

Read Philippians 2;13-16. Contrast the life of the believer with those who live in, and for, the world. We will never know what is the dividing line between what God supplies and what we are responsible to do. We launch the sailboat; God supplies the wind. We plant the seed; the power of God in nature produces the plant’s growth and harvest. One thing is sure, however – our walk toward holiness will always be uniquely difficult enough to be challenging and perfectly fulfilling. What is the perfect standard by which the Christian is to measure his life?

Read Exodus 20:16 and Proverbs 22:1. Despite our upbringing and our genetic makeup, we ourselves bear much of the responsibility of becoming what we hope to be. Trustworthiness and righteous reputations are built on the witness of what we do before others. Consider that hypocrisy and self-deception are components of bearing false witness. Discuss the value - present and eternal - of having God’s truth form the foundation of your life.