Not a Hostage – Discover

We all have bad habits and weaknesses we wish we could break. We want and try to do things right but somehow we continue to mess up in the same way we always have. Not A Hostage will help you discover that you cannot solve a problem if you don’t know what the problem is.  Once you figure out the problem, do you know the steps to fix it? How do we keep ourselves from taking steps backwards?  Let’s discover biblical principles to overcoming bad habits, weaknesses, and problems, in order to start living the free life.

Scripture: Romans 7:15-18

Discussion Topics:

1. In this 2 part series called “Not A Hostage” we are using Romans 7:15-18 as our theme verse. Take some time to read this verse and discuss.  If you can relate to the verse and its message, how can this help you in your day-to-day living?
2. As Paul is writing Romans 7:14-23 he tells us about his internal struggles and failures that his sin nature is causing him. He concludes this line of thinking in verse 24 where he says, “What a wretched man am I!” We see here that Paul connects his failure to his identity. Do you think this is a healthy or unhealthy thing for us to do? What are the negative ramifications to doing this? What negative identity do you ascribe to your person?
3. How can this proclamation, “I am not a hostage to sin!”, be true in our lives? Paul helps us find this truth when he says that the key to not being a hostage is a “WHO thing” not a “DO thing”. The problem isn’t that we are sinning, it is because we are sinners. The WHO that we are looking for is found in Romans 5:15 where it says we need to be found in Christ. What does it mean to be found in Christ?