April Book Club Private page
Book Club Study Guide
Spring Cleaning — Let God search, purify, and renew
No Favoritism
- This verse is about showing favoritism to the rich while casting down the poor — not a license to judge others
- God plays no favorites — the door is open to everyone regardless of who they are or where they're from (Acts 10:34–36)
- People won't turn to Jesus if we judge them — our love must be truly impartial to be truly effective
Do you treat people differently based on status, appearance, or background — even subtly? Who in your life might need you to show up with more impartial, no-strings love?
Spiritual Murder
- All gossip should end with us — we are called to rebuke the person sharing it, not pass it along
- Jesus equates anger with murder (Matthew 5:21–22) and John goes further: hatred is murder (1 John 3:15)
- When we write someone off as "dead to us," we commit spiritual murder — setting aside God's love for a soul that still has breath and still has hope
Is there someone you've written off — decided is "dead to you"? What would it look like to ask God to bless them instead, even if reconciliation isn't possible?
Put On Kindness
- Kindness is not just politeness — it's genuinely caring for others and showing them honor, sensitivity, and empathy
- Our acts of kindness shine brighter because they contrast the harshness people are so accustomed to
- Forgiveness is a core part of kindness — letting go of offenses keeps our hearts tender and helps us see others through Christ's eyes
When did someone's unexpected kindness change something for you? Who in your life right now needs you to be the contrast — the warmth in a world of harshness?
Peace Giver
- The world's peace is circumstantial — it disappears when things get hard. Jesus' peace is steadfast and rooted in His unchanging nature
- Jesus is not pacing in heaven with anxiety — He is the Prince of Peace, seated with all authority (Hebrews 1:3)
- We are called to be the calm in others' storms — peace is a fruit of the Spirit, not a feeling we manufacture
What is currently most threatening your peace? Is there a difference between the peace you're experiencing and the peace Jesus says is available to you?
Obedience
- Obedience is more important to God than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22) — it's the daily small decisions that build a foundation of faith
- Jesus' obedience led Him to the cross — and through it we are made righteous. Our obedience, following His example, can lead to transformation we can't yet see
- Obedience is driven by love, not law — when we love God, obeying Him is the natural response, even when it's hard
Is there something God has been asking you to do that you've been delaying? What's one small act of obedience you could take this week that honors Him?
A New Heart
- A heart of flesh is tender and responsive to God's leading — a stony heart resists Him. Hardness comes from unforgiveness, pride, fear, or love of comfort
- Our daily encounters with strangers are not accidents — we may be the only representation of Jesus someone ever encounters
- God is capable of replacing hearts of stone with hearts of flesh — in us, and in those around us
What hardens your heart most easily — unforgiveness, pride, fear, or comfort? How can you practically keep your heart tender and open this week?
Holy
- Holiness is not just Sunday behavior — it's a transformation of the heart expressed in every aspect of life
- We don't strive for holiness to earn salvation — holiness is the fruit of a life surrendered to Christ, the natural result of abiding in the vine (John 15:5)
- It's not about perfection — it's about a sincere commitment to honor God and reflect His love so we can effectively build His kingdom
What area of your everyday life — not just Sunday — do you most feel God calling you toward greater holiness? What's one specific choice you could make differently this week?
The Big Thread This Month
April asked us to let God into every room: clean the heart, bridle the tongue, forgive freely, step off the judgment seat, love without favoritism, stop spiritual murder in its tracks, put on kindness, carry peace, obey in the small things, receive a new heart, and pursue holiness not as a rule but as a way of life. Spring-cleaning isn't a weekend project — it's a lifetime of open doors.
Tonight's Discussion
No set agenda — just 10 questions. You pick where we go.
Every entry this week stood on its own — so tonight, I'm not choosing for you. Look through these 10 questions, pick the ones that hit closest to home, and let's go there together. This is your conversation.
Is there someone in your life you've been treating differently because of their status, appearance, or past — even if you'd never admit it out loud? What would truly impartial love look like toward them?
Have you ever written someone off as "dead to you"? What happened — and is there any part of you that knows God hasn't written them off? What would it look like to pray for their soul instead?
Gossip should end with us — we're called to rebuke the person sharing it, not pass it along. Have you ever actually done that? How did it go? What made it hard or easy?
The devotion says our kindness shines brighter because it contrasts the harshness people are used to. When did unexpected kindness from someone completely change your day — or even your life? Who needs that from you right now?
Jesus is not pacing in heaven with anxiety — He is seated, in peace, with all authority. What's the gap between that picture and how you actually feel right now? What would it take to receive His peace instead of manufacturing your own?
We're called to be the calm in others' storms. Who in your life is in a storm right now — and are you showing up as peace or are you adding to the noise?
Obedience is more important to God than sacrifice. Is there something God has been nudging you to do that you've been substituting with something that feels more spiritual or more comfortable? What is it — and what's actually stopping you?
What hardens your heart most easily — unforgiveness, pride, fear, or love of comfort and convenience? How do you notice it happening, and what brings your heart back to tender?
The devotion says our daily encounters with strangers are not accidents — we may be the only Jesus someone ever sees. Can you think of a moment this month where that was actually true for you? Did you take it or miss it?
Holiness is not about perfection — it's a sincere commitment to honor God in your entire way of life, not just on Sundays. What's one area of your everyday life that you've kept off the table from God? What would it look like to hand Him that room?
Closing April
A whole month of spring-cleaning. God didn't just clean the visible rooms — He went after the closets, the corners, and the locked doors. That's what real renewal looks like. Come back in May ready to move — because a clean heart has room for everything He wants to put in it next.
Go around the room. Each person names one thing God cleaned this month — and one thing they're believing Him for in May. Pray over each one.
Book Club Study Guide
Spring Cleaning — Let God search, purify, and renew
Put Sin Aside
- Hindrances aren't always dramatic — they can be habitual sins, unhealthy relationships, or negative thought patterns
- We run surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses — those who went before us and testify to God's faithfulness
- Fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith — He will empower you to keep going (Hebrews 12:2)
What is the one thing currently slowing your race — a habitual sin, an unhealthy relationship, or a thought pattern? What would it look like to lay it down today?
Unanswered Prayers
- Kingdom-focused prayer aligns us with God's perfect timing — self-serving prayer misses the mark
- But even pure-hearted prayers sometimes go unanswered in our lifetime — and God's faithfulness isn't limited by time
- God designed His promises to span generations — He wove us into the fulfillment of prayers prayed long before us
Is there a prayer you've been waiting on for a long time? How does the idea that God's plan spans generations change how you see that waiting?
Love Without Friendship
- You can love someone without being their friend — compassion and deep influence-sharing friendship are different things
- Abraham was called God's friend because God was willing to share His plans and consider his input — that's the standard of friendship with God
- Our guidance should come from the Holy Spirit and those who submit to Jesus — not worldly voices, however close they are
Where are you getting your information and guidance right now — from God's Word and Spirit-led people, or from worldly voices? Is there an influence you need to reexamine?
God Longs for Your Spirit
- God jealously longs for our spirits — there is a constant war in the spiritual realm for our attention and surrender
- Satan knows Scripture better than we ever will and uses it against us as a legalist — our defense is continual submission to God
- True freedom is found in serving Christ — the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of liberty (2 Corinthians 3:17)
Does the idea that God jealously longs for your spirit move you? What area of your life are you holding back from full surrender to Him?
Daily Surrender
- There is no one kinder than God — His kindness leads us to repentance, not His wrath
- The moment we forget the cross — the blood that eternally cleanses us — is when sin can most easily take hold
- Stay vigilant, keep your heart tender, take up your cross daily — your life is not your own, you've been bought with a price
Is there anything you're double-minded about right now — something you're holding in one hand while reaching for God with the other? What needs to be released?
One Judge
- Judging others places us on a seat that belongs only to God — only He can truly discern motives and understand the full story
- Love sets boundaries because it discerns the destruction ahead — but it does so without condemning the person
- This principle applies inward too — being harsh with yourself puts you on the judgment seat against yourself, which also belongs only to God
Are you quicker to judge others, or yourself? How does Romans 8:1 — "no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus" — speak to the court you hold in your own mind?
Discerning Fruit
- Discernment protects — judgment condemns. They are not the same thing and must not be confused
- Discernment says "I should not partner with this person" — judgment says "this person is beyond hope"
- Apply the Galatians 5 test: does this person's life bear fruit of the Spirit — love, joy, peace, self-control?
Is there a voice or influence in your life you need to examine by its fruit? How do you personally tell the difference between godly discernment and judgmental thinking?
The Big Thread This Week
This week is all about clearing the internal clutter: shed what slows you down, pray with kingdom motives, guard your influences, submit fully, surrender daily, step off the judgment seat — for others and for yourself — and discern without condemning.
Tonight's Study
There is one Judge — and that seat belongs to God alone. Even over yourself.
One Judge
"Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it…There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you — who are you to judge your neighbor?"
- Judging someone means placing ourselves on a seat that belongs only to God — only He can fully discern a person's motives, history, and heart
- The Bible calls us to wisdom, not blindness — love sets boundaries because it discerns destruction ahead. But boundaries protect; they don't condemn
- When someone is hard-hearted, stop preaching and start praying — the Holy Spirit is the only one who can soften a heart and open eyes to see
- We cannot force transformation in anyone — our job is to love, pray, and trust God with the outcome
- April 16 adds an important companion truth: discernment protects, judgment condemns — they are not the same thing
Is there someone in your life you've moved from discernment into judgment about — someone you've privately written off as beyond hope or beyond your grace? What would it look like to hand them back to God?
The devotion says "stop preaching, keep praying" for hard-hearted people. Is that hard for you? Why do we sometimes keep talking when prayer is actually the more powerful move?
What's the practical difference between loving someone, setting a healthy boundary with them, and judging them? Can you think of an example where you've done all three — or confused them?
The Court You Hold Against Yourself
"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
Are you harder on yourself than you are on anyone else in your life? What does the running commentary in your head about yourself actually sound like?
What's the difference between Holy Spirit conviction and self-condemnation? How do you tell which voice is speaking when you feel guilty about something?
Is there a failure, a season, or a version of yourself that you've never fully released to the cross? What would it mean to let Romans 8:1 be the final word on it?
How does learning to step off the judgment seat toward yourself actually make you more gracious toward others?
Closing the Circle
The judgment seat has one occupant — and it isn't you. Not for your neighbor, not for your enemy, and not for yourself. Romans 8:1 is not a suggestion. It's the verdict. Receive it — and then extend it to everyone around you.
Ask each person to name — silently or aloud — one person they've been judging and one way they've been judging themselves. Then pray Romans 8:1 over the whole room together.
Book Club Study Guide
Spring Cleaning — Let God search, purify, and renew
Presumptuous Sins
- Jen shares a personal story of betrayal — even after bringing it to God, she couldn't stop overanalyzing
- An offended heart is the breeding ground of deception (John Bevere) — taking God's seat of judgment is itself a presumptuous sin
- Don't pray to remove every obstacle — pray for God's will, guidance, and the grace to be refined in the fire
When you've been hurt or betrayed, do you tend toward overanalyzing or trusting God to be the judge? What does it look like practically to step off the judgment seat?
Worthless Religion
- An unbridled tongue undermines our testimony and causes real harm — to ourselves and others
- Our words are a direct reflection of our hearts — what comes out reveals what's inside
- A bridled tongue requires intention: pause, pray, and ask the Holy Spirit to guide your words before you speak
Is there a relationship or situation where your words have not matched your faith lately? What would it look like to let the Holy Spirit guide your tongue there?
Humility Creates Unity
- Humility is countercultural — the world promotes self-importance and competition, God promotes others-first living
- Practicing humility requires a heart transformed by God, not just willpower
- True greatness in God's kingdom is marked by a servant's heart, not a platform
Where does pride or comparison most easily creep into your life? What's one concrete way you could practice putting someone else first this week?
Confident
- Faith is not a feeling — it's assurance and conviction rooted in God's character and His Word
- The heroes of Hebrews 11 faced enormous trials and remained steadfast because they knew who God was
- Our faith grows as we experience God's faithfulness — each trial becomes a faith builder, not a faith breaker
What is a promise from God's Word you need to hold on to right now? How can the group help you stand firm in it?
Heaven's Perspective
- The more we focus on something, the bigger it appears — fixing our eyes on earthly problems makes them feel insurmountable
- From our heavenly perspective (Ephesians 2:6), we are already spiritually seated with Christ — above our circumstances
- He is able to do far beyond all we ask or imagine — our problems shrink when we see them from where He sits
What problem has been feeling like an insurmountable mountain lately? What changes when you try to see it from heaven's perspective instead?
You Must Forgive
- Forgiveness frees us from the chains of resentment and bitterness — it's not about excusing the offense
- Joseph forgave his brothers not because they deserved it but because he trusted God had a greater plan
- Sometimes God allows what He could easily prevent because it shapes us into who we need to be to fulfill His plan
Is there someone you need to forgive — not for their sake, but for yours? What's the hardest part of releasing that to God?
Open Rebuke
- Paul publicly called out two women in the church — not out of cruelty but out of love for the body
- Dissension in the body of Christ is serious — the devil's goal is to divide and destroy
- When you experience church hurt, bring it to Jesus first — then follow Matthew 18:15–17 step by step
Have you ever experienced church hurt or conflict within a faith community? How did you handle it — and what would you do differently with Jesus' model in Matthew 18?
The Big Thread This Week
Spring-cleaning keeps going deeper: guard your heart from presumption, bridle your tongue, choose humility, stand in faith, fix your eyes above, forgive as you've been forgiven, and handle conflict with love. Every day this week is God cleaning out a different room.
Tonight's Study
Words wound → and forgiveness is how we heal what they've broken
Worthless Religion
"If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless."
- James doesn't soften this — an unbridled tongue doesn't just cause problems, it makes our entire faith worthless. That's a serious word
- The tongue is a symptom, not the root problem — our words reveal what's already in our hearts (Luke 6:45). Bridling the tongue starts with what's inside
- We deceive ourselves when we think we can compartmentalize — "I'm a good Christian" while speaking destructively in private, at home, or online
- An unbridled tongue can destroy marriages, friendships, churches, and reputations — sometimes in a single conversation
- The Holy Spirit wants to be invited into our mouths before we open them — pause, pray, then speak
James says unbridled speech makes religion "worthless." Does that feel too strong — or does it land as true when you think about it honestly?
Where does your tongue tend to get away from you most — in frustration, in gossip, in complaining, in criticism? What does that reveal about what's happening in your heart?
Is there someone who has been on the receiving end of your unbridled tongue — someone you may need to go back to? What's the next right step?
An unbridled tongue creates wounds.
Forgiveness is what God asks us to do with them — on both sides.
You Must Forgive
"Bear with one another; if anyone has a complaint against someone else, forgive him. Indeed, just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must forgive."
- Forgiveness is not saying what happened was okay — it's releasing the debt so bitterness doesn't take root and poison everything else in your life
- Joseph's forgiveness of his brothers is one of the most powerful pictures in all of Scripture — "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good" (Genesis 50:20)
- Sometimes God allows what He could easily prevent — because He can see how the wound will shape us into exactly who we need to be to fulfill His plan
- Unforgiveness keeps us in chains — the person who hurt you has often moved on. We punish ourselves by holding on
- The standard for our forgiveness is not "what they deserve" — it's "what God gave you." That's a high bar, and it requires His help to meet it
Is there someone — or something — you've been carrying unforgiveness toward? You don't have to name them, but can you acknowledge it's there?
Joseph said "you intended harm, but God intended good." Is there a painful situation in your life where you can begin to see — even faintly — how God might be using it for something greater?
What's the difference between forgiving someone and trusting them again? How do we forgive without being naive or setting ourselves up to be hurt the same way?
Closing the Circle
The tongue and forgiveness are two sides of the same door. What we say can break things — and choosing to forgive is how God puts them back together. Both require the same thing: surrender. Let the Holy Spirit guard your mouth, and let Him carry what you've been holding.
"Is there one word you need to take back — or one person you need to release — before you leave tonight? Let's pray for each other to actually do it."
Tonight's Study
Spring Cleaning — Let God search, purify, and renew
Spring Cleaning
"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me."
- David wrote Psalm 51 immediately after Nathan confronted him about Bathsheba — this is not a casual prayer, it's a broken man crying out from the floor
- True transformation starts from within — spring-cleaning the heart means examining thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors, not just outward behavior
- Purifying the heart means letting go of things that hinder our relationship with God: bitterness, unforgiveness, negative thought patterns, sinful habits
- When we invite God to create a clean heart, we are inviting Him to point out the impurities — and then trusting Him to remove them
- This is the beginning of a new month and a new season — spring is not just a metaphor. It's an invitation to start fresh
When you think about "spring-cleaning" your heart right now, what's the first thing that comes to mind? What feels like it's been cluttering things up?
David wrote this prayer from a place of deep failure and shame. Is it easy or hard for you to pray this vulnerably with God? What gets in the way?
What would it look like practically this week to invite God into a specific area that needs His cleansing — not just acknowledge it, but actually open the door?
April 1 is the ask — "Create in me a clean heart."
April 2 is the surrender — "Examine me. Know my thoughts. Show me what I can't see."
Together they form one complete prayer of renewal.
Pop Quiz
"Examine me, God, and know my heart; test me, and know my thoughts. See if there is in me any hurtful way, and lead me along the eternal way."
- God already knows everything — He exists outside of time and created time for our finite minds. When He tests us, it's not for His benefit, it's for ours
- His tests help us process our own decisions, evaluate our hearts, and find our way back to the narrow road that leads to life
- Spiritual spring-cleaning requires honest self-reflection — you wouldn't skip a dusty room when cleaning your house. Don't skip the dusty rooms in your heart either
- Asking God to examine us is an act of courage and trust — we're saying "I want to see what You see, even if it's uncomfortable"
- The goal isn't condemnation — it's course correction. He reveals in order to heal, not to shame
Is there an area of your heart right now that you've been avoiding — a dusty room you haven't wanted God to walk into? What's kept the door closed?
The devotion says God tests us to help us grow, not because He needs information. Does that reframe how you feel about seasons of testing or discomfort in your life?
What's the difference between God examining your heart and you beating yourself up? How do you tell the difference between Holy Spirit conviction and condemnation?
Closing the Circle
March was about being bold enough to go out. April begins by going in — letting God clean house so what flows out of us is actually Him. You can't give what you don't have. Spring-cleaning isn't a detour from the mission — it's preparation for it.
Pray Psalm 51:10 and Psalm 139:23–24 out loud as a group. Let that be your collective ask and surrender for the month ahead.