INCLUDED IN THIS GUIDE
1. Connect
2. Pray
3. Main Scripture
4. Explore and Discuss
5. Further Study
6. Personal Application
7. A Practical Exercise
8. Scripture Memory

CONNECT
Here are some questions to get the conversation rolling. Feel free to use any or all of these.
◾ What stood out to you from the devotional or your Bible reading this week?
◾ What hinders you in your pursuit of quiet time with God?
◾ Describe your quiet time with God.

PRAY
Spend a few minutes in prayer, drawing your attention toward God. Consider these prayer points as you invite God to lead and guide you.
◾ Dear Lord, I pray you’d help me hear your voice above the noise.
◾ Help me tune out the distractions and give You more time.
◾ God, help me see where I need to shift my priorities to grow closer to You.
◾ I pray that through quiet time with You, I’m strengthened and emboldened to share the Good News of Jesus with the world.
◾ May the people of Brookwood (you might name specific people) see the need for quiet time and incorporate that into their daily rhythms.

EXPLORE AND DISCUSS
1. When have you felt like you were in the wilderness? How did you come back from that feeling?

2. The Greek word for wilderness is eremos. What or where is your eremos?

3. After His baptism, Jesus was tempted by the devil. How have you been tempted or attacked after becoming a believer?

4. How does knowing that Jesus overcame 40 days of temptation strengthen you in times of temptation, doubt or failure?

5. Read 1 Corinthians 10:13. How can these words help you get through times of temptation?

6. How does being in the Spirit help overcome temptation and sin?

7. Describe a time when you were spiritually empty. How did that affect your life?

8. Often when Jesus wanted to go to a quiet place to pray, the crowds found Him. How do you set boundaries around your quiet time?

9. What do you need to put aside to grow closer to God?

10. Even working for the kingdom can keep you from spending time with God. How can you balance working for God and being with God?

11. Jesus’ solitude and prayer were used to be in union with the Father and to prepare Him for His work. How does your quiet time prepare you each day for what you’ll face?

12. If we don’t slow down and listen to God, we can’t recognize His voice from the enemy's. How do you discern who’s speaking?

FURTHER STUDY
What do you learn about solitude from the following verses? Which words, phrases or concepts are most significant to you?

PERSONAL APPLICATION
1. In solitude, pause and ask God what He wants to say to you. Then spend a few minutes quietly listening for His voice.
2. How can you apply this week’s lesson in your life?

A PRACTICAL EXERCISE
Physically move yourself to a place of solitude. Find a park, a trail or your yard away from your normal space. Spend time there with God in prayer and listen for what He says to you.

SCRIPTURE MEMORY
One of the best ways to hear God throughout the day is to memorize Scripture. God often brings His Word back to mind at just the right time! Here’s a verse to memorize based on this week’s theme:

But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Matthew 6:6 (NIV)

App and the Daily Devotional
Spend time with God with the Daily Devotionals available on the App. You can also find Sunday Message resources and videos, leave prayer requests, give and more.

Why Jesus?
If you’ve never experienced God’s forgiveness and grace, we’d love the opportunity to talk with you about a life-changing relationship with Jesus. Email thepastors@brookwoodchurch.org or call 864.688.8200

Additional Study Tools
For additional Bible Study tools, guides and devotionals, check out bible.com, youversion.com, biblegateway.com and blueletterbible.org.