Desired Takeaway
Participants will see that trials in life are not just hardships to endure or escape—they are opportunities for deep spiritual formation. The aim is to recognize God’s desire to form a whole, mature person through testing, and to embrace wisdom from above instead of living with divided loyalties.

Icebreaker
What is something you’ve practiced over time that you’ve gotten better at (hobby, skill, sport, etc.)?

1. Lean In (Get Everyone Talking)
What’s something hard you’ve gone through that, in hindsight, shaped you for the better?


2. Look Down (Explore the Text)
Read James 1:1–18 together. What words or phrases stand out to you? How does James describe the purpose and outcome of trials in verses 2–4?


3. Look Out (Connect to the World)
Why do you think our culture often encourages us to avoid, escape, or numb our pain instead of leaning into it? How might this cultural message conflict with James’ call to let endurance do its work?


4. Look In (Internalize God's Word)

• When life gets hard, what are you most tempted to reach for (control, distraction, comfort, withdrawal, etc.)?
• How have you seen trials reveal what’s really going on inside you?
• Where might you be living with “divided loyalty”? What would surrender look like for you in that area?

5. Live It Out (Move to Action)
Imagine a community of people who embraced trials not with bitterness but with joy, wisdom, and surrendered hearts. What would that community look like? How would it feel different from the norm?


 Exercises for the Week

• Daily Surrender
Each morning this week, pray the Wesleyan Covenant Prayer (see below). Reflect on what it stirs in you. Write down any part that feels especially challenging or freeing.
• Wisdom Request Journal
Start a small journal where you honestly write about one trial you're facing. Then, write a prayer each day asking God for wisdom. Pay attention to any insights, nudges, or conversations that might be God’s response.
• Practice with People
Share something you’re currently struggling with—however small—with a trusted friend or mentor. Invite their perspective and ask for prayer. Let someone carry the burden with you.

Prayer Prompt
God, you are good—even when life is hard.

You are forming me—not just fixing my problems.

I ask for your wisdom. Help me see my trials the way you see them.

Give me an undivided heart that trusts you completely.

Shape me into someone who is whole, mature, and ready for whatever comes.

Thank you for being with me in the process. Amen.


Wesleyan Covenant Prayer
I am no longer my own, but yours.
Put me to whatever you will,
place me with whomever you will.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be put to work for you or set aside for you,
praised for you or criticized for you.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and fully surrender all things
to your glory and service.

And now, O wonderful and holy God,
Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer,
you are mind, an dI am yours. So be it.
And the covenant nomad on earth,
let it be fulfilled in heaven. Amen.