You Say

You Say – By Lauren Dangle

Main Point:  We hear many voices in our lives saying who we are, but ultimately our identity and security comes from the truth of what God says about us.

About the Artist – Lauren Daigle

Lauren Daigle grew up in southern Louisiana in a home that would find her constantly in song.  Her love for music started at an early age where she wrote her first ever song – about chocolate milk – at age five.  As a fifteen year old, Lauren was diagnosed with an immune deficiency that would cause her to stay at home for two years.  Daigle credits that time in her life as the period when she learned about God’s character and was prepared for the path He had laid out for her.  It was in this season where God laid the foundation in her life that would lead her to pursue music.  Daigle tried out for American Idol three times, her first attempt being when she was seventeen years old.  Through those failures, Lauren learned her calling was to write music for God’s glory.  Her first album, How Can It Be, achieved significant success and was constantly on top of the Christian charts.  Her third album Look Up Child was released in September of 2018.

Song Lyrics:

I keep fighting voices in my mind that say I’m not enough
Every single lie that tells me I will never measure up
Am I more than just the sum of every high and every low?
Remind me once again just who I am, because I need to know

You say I am loved when I can’t feel a thing
You say I am strong when I think I am weak
You say I am held when I am falling short
When I don’t belong, You say I am Yours
And I believe, I believe
What You say of me
I believe

The only thing that matters now is everything You think of me
In You I find my worth, in You I find my identity

You say I am loved when I can’t feel a thing
You say I am strong when I think I am weak
You say I am held when I am falling short
When I don’t belong, You say I am Yours
And I believe, I believe
What You say of me
I believe

Taking all I have and now I’m laying it at Your feet
You have every failure, God
You’ll have every victory

You say I am loved when I can’t feel a thing
You say I am strong when I think I am weak
You say I am held when I am falling short
When I don’t belong, You say I am Yours
And I believe, I believe
What You say of me
I believe

Oh, I believe
Yes, I believe
What You say of me
Oh, I believe

Introducing the Song – You Say This:   You Say is the lead single off Daigle’s third studio album. Billboard magazine describes the song as one where Lauren sings of a worth that is found in God and whatever he says about her strength and ability to be loved.  In an interview with CCM Magazine, Daigle says the song brought up the issue of identity and trying to figure out how to exist when I felt like so many things were pulling me in so many different directions.  She continues saying, I think a lot of times we build these complexes based on insecurity, based on fear, based on rejection, and the lies we have to constantly overcome.  And so this song for me was just a reminder of identity…that I know when I’m weak, He’s strong, so how do I change that and bring that into my everyday life?  The song has hit the top spot on the Billboard Hot Christian Songs, #44 on the Billboard Hot 100, and has spent time in the top 20 on the iTunes Top Songs chart.

The Music Video:  The music video can be viewed for free at:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIaT8Jl2zpI

Hand out Lyrics and Play Song: 

Transition Statement – You Say This:  This song talks about the voices around us that tell us we aren’t good enough or strong enough, but then gives us a contrasting perspective.  The lines of the song that start with “You say” are truths that go against our feelings and tell us when we can’t feel a thing, when we think we are weak, when we are falling short, when we don’t belong – God has something to say to us.  It then becomes our choice whether or not to believe.  Let’s take some time and talk about this song and what God wants us to know about our identity.

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:

1. AROUND THE CIRCLE: In less than ten seconds, how would you describe yourself?
2. ASK A FEW: What did the ways we described ourselves have in common?
3. ASK A FEW: The song says I keep fighting voices in my mind that say I’m not enough, every single lie that tells me I will never measure up.  From your experience, what are some specific examples of things the voices and lies might be saying to people your age?
4. ASK A FEW: What are some of the sources of the voices and lies in your life and the lives of others?  Are there any sources that should be removed or lessened in your life?
5. ASK A FEW: The song says you are loved, strong, held, and that you belong to God.  Which of these is the hardest for you to believe and why?
6. ASK A FEW: Which of the things from the last question is the one that is the easiest for you to grab onto and believe?
7. ASK A FEW: Why is it sometimes so hard to believe what God says about us?
8. ASK A FEW: Does what you do determine who you are, or does who you are determine what you do? Talk about why you think the way you do.

   Read the following passage: 

   2 Corinthians 10:4-5

   The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. ⁵ We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 

9. ASK A FEW:  This section of 2 Corinthians 10 features the apostle Paul making an appeal to the people of Corinth to be obedient to Christ.  At the time of his writing, there were false teachers around in who were working to sell a different gospel. Here Paul writes that believers have weapons to fight against those lies.  What does he say about these weapons in these verses?
10. ASK A FEW:  A stronghold is a fortified place.  What do you think it means to have a stronghold set up in your mind? Why is this a dangerous thing?
11. ASK A FEW:  What does it mean in verse three when it says “for you died?”
12. ASK A FEW: Pretension is just a fancy way to say assertion or claim.  What kinds of arguments or claims do people make today that go against what we know about God?
13. ASK A FEW:  What do you think it means to take every thought captive to Christ? 
14. ASK A FEW:  What are the weapons we fight with that have the power Paul talks about? (Prayer and God’s Word)
15. ASK A FEW:  The principle here is to identify the lie and replace it with the truth.  Let’s practice this right now.  Can someone identify a lie they believe about themselves and replace it with the truth of what God says about them?
16. AROUND THE CIRCLE:  What keeps us from opening God’s Word and spending time in prayer?  What are some things you’ve learned that have helped you make those things a reality in your life?

Wrap Up – You say this: 

During this time we talked about the song You Say and our fight against the voices in this world that try and tell us who we are.  We identified some of those voices and the things they say about us.  We talked about identifying the lies and replacing them with the truth.  We talked about considering removing some of the sources of these lies from your life. If you remove things from your life, it’s often wise to add something.  How can you incorporate prayer and God’s Word into your life in fresh and realistic ways, so you can be ready to fight?

(Pause and give them a quiet moment to reflect on this.)

Faith is when we believe what God says and act on it, no matter how we feel, because we know He can be trusted.  The Bible tells us in Romans 10:17 that faith comes when we hear God’s Word.  As you consider new ways to incorporate God’s Word into your life, take time and ask God to build your faith.  Ask God to help you believe what He says is true, especially what He says about you.

(Pause and give them a moment to pray silently.) 

God created you to be His. He loves you, He gives strength, and He is near.  Let’s be people who believe Him, even when it’s hard – and let’s be people who are doing whatever it takes to know His truth.  May He give us the grace to identify the lies that come at us and believe His truth no matter how we feel, because we know He is good.

CLOSE IN PRAYER