imPOSSIBLE: But I've Tried

CHANGING

WHAT I'VE DONE

MESSAGE

I SURRENDER TO YOU

FROM THE INSIDE OUT

GRAVES INTO GARDENS

LORD I NEED YOU

Coffee Questions (to help you process the message):

1. What's one thing you've tried to change about yourself that turned out to be harder than you expected? (getting up earlier, eating healthier, putting your phone down, becoming more patient, etc.)

2. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate to do. (Romans 7:15) Paul describes the struggle of knowing what he should do but failing to do it. Have you ever experienced that tension between what you want to do and what you actually do? And how did you respond? Why do you think knowing what's good doesn't always lead to doing what's good?

3. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. (Romans 7:18) Garry suggested that desiring change isn’t enough because the behaviour we want to change is connected to something deeper happening inside us. For example, worry might be connected to fear, and a lack of trusting God. Or a struggle with generosity might be connected to a lack of security and trust in God. Why is it important to ask, “What's going on inside me that's contributing to what I'm doing?” What might that look like in everyday life?

4. Garry suggested that willpower alone can't transform our hearts and that surrender is where transformation begins. What do you think it means to surrender to God when you're struggling to change? How is that different from trying harder or giving up?

5. Garry used the illustration of golf lessons to explain that transformation takes practice, patience, and learning a new way of doing things. What are some spiritual habits or practices that can help us develop new patterns of living? Which of these have you found helpful, or which would you like to develop?

6. Read Romans 7:24-25. Paul asks, Who will free me? rather than What will free me? The ‘who’ is Jesus. How does seeing Jesus as the one who transforms us, rather than simply looking for another technique or self-improvement strategy, change the way we approach personal growth?