Date: January 7, 2024
The Protection of God’s Name
The Point: We can trust God to strengthen and help us.
Get Into the Study
As you discuss Question #1, share some of the eight essential home security tips, as well as five cybersecurity tips:
- Keep doors and windows secure, even when at home or leaving on short errands.
- Change the locks when moving into a new home and keep any spare keys in a secure lock box.
- Keep the home’s exterior well-lit and consider motion detectors or infrared lighting.
- Create an inventory of any valuables and keep them in a fireproof safe in a hidden location.
- Take safety precautions when you plan to be away from home for an extended period, such as a vacation.
- Avoid advertising large purchases by breaking down boxes before taking them to the curb on trash day.
- Use additional security measures, including passwords, on your home Wi-Fi network.
- Install a home security system with alarms and cameras to deter criminals and record their activity if they attempt to break in.
Cybersecurity can help individuals protect their online activities, ensuring their information remains confidential. Whenever using computers, smartphones, and other devices for online banking, shopping, communication, and social networking sites, our personal and financial information is constantly at risk from cybercriminals. Here are 5 tips for improving it:
- Use strong passwords and multi-factor authentication.
- Keep your software up to date.
- Be careful about what attachments you open and what links you click on.
- Use a firewall and antivirus software.
- Be aware of the latest cyber security threats.
Continue with “Get into the Study” in the Leader Guide.
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/8-essential-home-security-tips-151420983.html
Study the Bible
After discussing Question #3 share how God protected a woman in a domestic violence situation:
Shawn Joseph was on a business trip out of state while her father supervised her six children. She had moved 1,000 miles from Georgia to Oklahoma with her children when her estranged husband, Roy Paul Joseph, threatened to kill her. But Roy had tracked her down and came to the house armed with a gun. Disguised as a delivery man, he tricked the children into letting him inside.
By the grace of God, Shawn says, her dad Terrance Pipkins retrieved his gun and defended their family! The children ran to neighbors screaming for help. The inside of the home was riddled with sixty bullet holes, including the children’s bedroom. Her dad finally shot and killed the estranged husband in self-defense. Terrance was shot several times himself and lost an eye but is expected to fully recover.
Shawn said she is grateful to her neighbors for saving her children. “I am grateful to God that they were protected from this.” She continues, “I missed my flight coming home. I feel like it was God’s protection because had I not missed my flight, I would’ve been home and possibly dead.” She calls their survival a miracle from God.
Continue: “God is worthy of our trust. He has proven Himself trustworthy to us and to others in the past. The better we know Him, the more we will trust Him
EXTRA was written by Carole Segars Waina, a Lifeway contributor for over 30 years. She became a Christian when she was 7 in a little country church under her daddy’s preaching. Carole and her husband love to travel from their Texas home to just about anywhere! They often take the whole family along, except for Oliver the cat.
Additional Questions
Icebreaker
- When have you been grateful for physical protection or shelter?
- What are some places, people, or things our culture looks to for security?
- Where do you go when you want to feel safe? Why?
- What are some things that give you security?
Psalm 91:1-6
- How can we tell if we are dwelling in the shadow of the Almighty?
- When was a time, that you can share with the class, in which you sensed God’s presence and fear abated?
- What does it look like to dwell and rest in God’s protection?
- What practices or habits can help us trust God for security, instead of ourselves?
- What does it look like to “live” under God’s protection?
- When was a time you sought God’s divine protection?
Psalm 91:9-13
- What does dwelling with God daily look like?
- How does a person’s life change when they are resting in God?
- How do we reconcile these promises with the suffering of believers?
- What obstacles have you been able to overcome when you live under God’s protection?
- In what ways can these verses encourage us, even when we walk through times of illness and suffering in life?
Psalm 91:14-16
- What does it look like to have our hearts set on God?
- What are the implications for us knowing that God will deliver and protect us?
- How will this understanding of God as protector impact your relationship with Him?
- What do these Scriptures say about God’s commitment to those who trust Him?
- How does knowing that God is with you encourage you to face the struggles of this world?
For Those in Your Group
Send the following link to your group members as either a teaser before the group meets or as a follow-up thought:
What Do You Need Protection From?
Podcast
Click here for a 20-minute podcast for both the group member and the leader.
Podcast (adultsleadertraining): Play in new window | Download
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