Developing A Heart After God

Small Group Discussion Guide

Based on the teaching by Pastor Mirek Hufton

1. SERMON RECAP

Pastor Mirek opened with Matthew 6:33 and challenged the congregation to examine whether seeking God's kingdom is truly the first priority of their lives, or whether the pursuit of provision and blessing has quietly taken center stage. He warned that the culture of the world is slowly conditioning the church to lower its standards and drift from genuine love for God, which always expresses itself in obedience and a desire to please Him. He called every believer to regularly examine their own heart, repent of what needs to be repented of, and cultivate a passionate, growing hunger for God that never settles for cruise control.

2. KEY SCRIPTURES

Hebrews 4:15 "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin."

Romans 6:13 "And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God."

Romans 6:14 "For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace."

3. ICE BREAKER

Think of someone in your life, past or present, whom you have genuinely wanted to please, perhaps a parent, a mentor, or a close friend. What did you actually change about your behavior or habits because of how much you valued that relationship?

4. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Question 1 Pastor Mirek described a slow cultural conditioning where things that once would have troubled a believer gradually become acceptable and unremarkable. Without naming specific issues, can the group identify ways that kind of drift tends to happen in a person's spiritual life? What does it usually feel like from the inside when it is happening?

Question 2 He drew a distinction between "right being" and "right doing" within the concept of righteousness, and he cautioned that the church can sometimes push grace so heavily that right living gets left out of the conversation entirely. How does the group think a healthy church holds both of those truths together without swinging too far toward either legalism or permissiveness?

Question 3 Pastor Mirek referenced Joshua 24:15, where Joshua made a bold, personal declaration that regardless of what the surrounding culture chose, his household would serve the Lord. What does it look like practically in today's world to make and keep that kind of declaration? What makes it difficult to hold that line?

Question 4 He spoke honestly about checking his own motives, examining how much time he spent on his phone, and deliberately carrying chairs and tables as a way of guarding against pride in leadership. What practices, habits, or honest questions does the group use to examine their own hearts on a regular basis? Is self-examination something that comes naturally, or does it feel uncomfortable?

Question 5 Romans 6:14 declares that sin shall not have dominion over the believer. Pastor Mirek challenged the group to use faith not just to acquire things but to actively resist and overcome sin. What does it look like, in real and practical terms, to apply faith in that direction rather than only toward provision and blessing?

Question 6 He described never wanting to be satisfied with the current level of spiritual growth, using Paul's declaration in Philippians 3 as a model, that the one thing Paul pursued was knowing Christ more deeply. Where does the group feel genuinely hungry for more of God right now? Where might complacency have quietly settled in?

5. APPLICATION CHALLENGE

Before the group meets again, each person should set aside fifteen uninterrupted minutes to pray through Psalm 139:23-24, asking God specifically to reveal one area of their life where cultural conditioning may have shifted what they once recognized as displeasing to Him. They should write down whatever comes to mind, bring it honestly before God in repentance or recommitment, and be prepared to share, at whatever level of comfort they choose, what that time with God stirred in them.

6. PRAYER POINTS

• Pray that each member of the group would develop a genuine, growing hunger for God that goes beyond acquiring blessings, a hunger that says, above all else, I want to know Him and please Him.

• Pray for protection against the slow drift of cultural conditioning, that the Holy Spirit would keep each person sensitive to the things that grieve God, and that godly sorrow would lead to genuine and lasting change wherever it is needed.

• Pray for the church as a whole to be a community that holds grace and righteous living together faithfully, a place where people are loved without compromise and told the truth without harshness.

7. MEMORY VERSE

Matthew 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."