The Exile's Resistance

Can you name an occasion in your life where you were trying to solve a problem, only to realize later there was an underlying issue that you didn't realize that made it impossible to truly fix it? How did you feel in the process? What led you to finally getting to the root of the problem?

In the sermon on Sunday, we saw that Peter teaches that there is actually an enemy 'behind' the brokenness and pain in the world, an enemy Peter calls the 'devil.' We'll also see what some of the symptoms of this enemy's attack look like, as well as the cure.

What are Peter's exhortations or commands in the passage?

What do these commands tell us about the nature of the problem? If the solution matches the problem, then what seems to be the problem Peter aims to address with these commands?

Which of the 'symptoms' in the 'Diagnostic scan' talked about in the sermon is most evident in your life?

What does it look like to "be humbled" (Passive command), "casting your anxiety on him" in your life?

What enables you to recognize and remember that God does indeed care for you?

Notice the passage ends with four future tense verbs, that function as a promise in the passage. In what ways in your life have you tried to live by your own strength, poise, power, or grit? How did it go? With these four future tense verbs, we learn where our power truly comes from. How do you embody trusting in his strength this week?