Stay Outta the Shark’s House
Main Point:
It’s hard to live the right life when you find yourself in the wrong place.
The Discussion Starter:
Adapted from a Craig Groeschel sermon, this discussion is centered around a video that was very popular on Facebook and YouTube. Veronica-Pooh Nash-Poleate has gained fame through her videos which she has spun into a TLC show called She’s in Charge. Pooh, as she’s affectionately known, is a school guidance counselor with degrees in psychology and education; and is known for her straight talk and authentic faith.
In this clip, Pooh is on her way to church and urges people to go to the beach, not the ocean, because the ocean is the shark’s house. She says the shark has the right to eat you up when you’re in their house. Pooh elaborates on this point, saying, “When chickens come in my house, guess what they get ate. When pigs come in my house, they on the plate. So, when you go in the shark’s house, you gonna get ate up!”
The Video Clip: This clip is available online at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boV0t-riFuw
Transitional Statement:
Groeschel makes the point that it’s hard to live the right life when you find yourself in the wrong place. In her video, Pooh makes it clear that if you allow yourself to be in a certain place, there will be consequences to those choices. If you are a chicken or pig, you are not going to want to be in the house of a carnivore as they will likely consume you. In the same way, you and I need to be watchful of where we end up as we will struggle to live out our faith if we find ourselves in the wrong place.
Divide into Small Groups:
Let’s go ahead and split up into our discussion groups, and then afterward we’ll come back together for a final word.
CLICK HERE for a quick training article on how to maximize your small groups using our small group format – a great resource to equip your small group leaders.
Discussion Questions:
- ASK A FEW: How do you feel about swimming in the ocean? Share your experience with the ocean and any fears you have associated with it.
- ASK A FEW: What do you think of Pooh’s video? What do you like or dislike about it?
- ASK A FEW: Why do you think Pooh is so passionate about people avoiding the ocean?
- ASK A FEW: Do you think Pooh is intending to make a spiritual point in this video? Explain why you think the way you do.
- ASK A FEW: What are some ways people end up in the wrong place, making it hard to do the right thing?
Read the following passage:
Proverbs 4:14-15
Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evildoers. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way.
- ASK A FEW: Read Proverbs 4:1-15. What are some things that stand out about this passage?
- ASK A FEW: What do you think the writer of Proverbs 4 most wanted the reader to take from verses 1-15?
- ASK A FEW: What does it mean to “walk in the way of evildoers”?
- ASK A FEW: How does someone your age who wants to do the right thing avoid being in the wrong place?
- ASK A FEW: Let’s hear from some of you, sharing some places that you need to avoid if you are going to do the right thing?
- ASK A FEW: What do you think it means to turn from “it” (the path of the wicked) and “go on your way”?
- ASK A FEW: Why do you think it’s so hard to do the right thing in the wrong place?
Wrap Up:
Pastor Craig Groeschel makes a great point in his sermon clip when he points out how King David, who was known as a man after God’s own heart – ended up in the wrong place, leading him to make the wrong choice. If David, whose passion for God is seen in the Psalms and throughout the Old Testament, can fall – what does that mean for you and I? Is anyone immune to the realities of the temptations that occur in the wrong places? No chance. Take a moment and admit your weakness to God. Consider the words of Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 when he writes; “I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me…for when I am weak, then I am strong.”
(Pause and give them a quiet moment with God)
In our weakness, we need to recognize our need to avoid the wrong places if we want to make the right choices. To do this, we must acknowledge what those places are for each of us. While sometimes we might recognize the wrong place in the moment, wisdom would be to make advance decisions that there are certain places or situations you need to avoid so you can make the right choice. Take a moment and talk through these with God and surrender them to Him.
(Pause and give them a moment to pray)
You and I need to stay out of the shark’s house, or we might get ate up! The shark’s house might be different for you than it is for others. For David it was on a roof instead of being in battle. For some it might be alone with technology late at night, with certain foods or beverages, or keeping company of certain people. No matter what it is for you, let’s be people who embrace the truth that It’s hard to live the right life when you find yourself in the wrong place. God help us avoid the wrong places that we might bring Him glory by living the right life.
CLOSE IN PRAYER
Rob Chagdes
Rob Chagdes is one of the pastors at Prairie Lakes Church in northern Iowa. In the years since he met Jesus as a sixteen year old, Rob has spent his life working to raise up the next generation to love God and invite others into His unending story. He spends most of his free time with his wife Leslie, their three amazing daughters, and their energetic dog Jedi. You can reach Rob at chagdeswrites@gmail.com .
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