What is SOAP?

SOAP is an acronym for: Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer. As you prepare for participating in City Group this week, we invite you to write down your thoughts in a journal. Journaling is a great way to record and process your thoughts & what God is sharing with you.

Week of April 19th
Unless by Pastor Jeremy

OVERVIEW

This past Sunday Pastor Jeremy encouraged BeLoved to reflect on "what are you asking God for," especially in areas where faith feels difficult. We were challenged to take a “second look” at our life and circumstances. Without this second look, you may miss seeing God’s goodness at work. 

KEY POINTS

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  • Even in trouble, you don’t have to lose heart because peace, courage, and strength come from trusting God.
  • There is power in our perspective. We can choose to rejoice, choose to pray first, and to focus on what is good.
  • Faith often grows by intentionally recognizing and celebrating what God has already done.
  • Ultimately, it's time for a shift in our mindset. We must look to God again, choose gratitude and joy, and remain confident that we will see God’s goodness in our lives and church.

SCRIPTURE

As we read aloud through these verses, let's pause, reflect, and listen for what Holy Spirit might be saying to you through the Word of God.

Key scriptures from Sunday. 

  • Psalm 27:13–14 (NIV) “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

Additional Scriptures

  • John 16:33

  • Philippians 4:4–8

  • Psalm 34:8

OBSERVATION

David acknowledges a tension: he could have lost heart unless he chose to believe in God’s goodness. That word “unless” reveals how critical perspective is. Life presents real trouble, delays, disappointments, and unanswered questions, but losing heart is not inevitable, it’s connected to what we believe and what we choose to see.

Scripture shows that:
•    Strength and courage come from waiting on the Lord, not from controlling outcomes.
•    Peace is found in Jesus, even when circumstances don’t change.
•    Joy and rejoicing are choices, not just emotional reactions.
•    What we focus on shapes our reality (“think on these things”).
Sometimes we don’t lose heart because God changes the situation immediately, but because we take a second look and recognize His presence, His past faithfulness, and His goodness that we may have missed at first.

Here are four thoughtful discussion questions designed to spark honest reflection and conversation:

Q1. What is your personal “unless”? What situation in your life right now is challenging your ability to believe that you will see God’s goodness? 

Q2. Where might you need to “look again”? Can you think of a moment or season where your perspective may have caused you to miss what God was doing? 

Q3. How do you practically choose what you focus on? In light of Philippians 4:8, what helps, or hinders, you from thinking on what is true, good, and praiseworthy? 

Personal Reflection Question:

What would it look like for you to actively rejoice and celebrate God’s goodness today? Are there specific things God has already done that you need to write down, remember, or thank Him for?

APPLICATION

We need to ask ourselves honestly: What is my “unless”? What situation am I struggling to believe God for?
Instead of focusing on what I don’t see yet, and lastly i can commit to:
•    Choose perspective - look again and ask God to help me see differently.
•    Refuse to lose heart - anchor my hope in who God is, not just what He does.
•    Practice gratitude and celebration - intentionally remember and write down what God has already done.
•    Guard my thoughts - focus on what is true, good, and praiseworthy.
•    Wait with expectation - not passive waiting, but trusting that God is working.
Even a small “taste” of God’s goodness can shift everything. I will train myself to recognize those moments.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, you see the areas in my life where I am struggling to believe You. You know my “unless," the places where I’ve been tempted to lose heart. Today, I choose to believe that I will see Your goodness in the land of the living. Help me to look again. Open my eyes to see not just my circumstances, but who You truly are, faithful, present, and good. Teach me to wait on You with strength and courage, trusting that You are working even when I don’t see it yet. Holy Spirit, guard my heart and mind. Help me to focus on what is true, pure, and praiseworthy. Give me the discipline to rejoice, even before the breakthrough comes. Remind me of what You’ve already done, and help me to celebrate it. Holy Spirit, reveal Yourself in both my past and my present. Show me Your goodness in ways I may have overlooked. I choose peace over worry, trust over fear, and joy over discouragement. I will not lose heart because my hope is in You.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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