Session 4: His

AS YOU READ, LOOK FOR

• God’s character.

• How God sees you.

• Biblical truths about being His.

STUDY

THINK IT THROUGH

Many high school athletes set the ultimate goal of playing sports at the next level—collegiate and then pro. These athletes make sacrifices devoting long hours of training and playing the sport they love.

And then all of a sudden, our social media feeds begin to fill up with student-athletes who have made commitments to colleges across the nation. Students find the schools to fit their majors and sports and find a coach who is willing to give them a chance to play at the next level.

When you commit to a team, you feel a sense of belonging and inclusion. After you graduate, you become an alumnus of the school, and hopefully, you will always be proud to be a part of it! You may wave your school flag outside of your house on game days and wear your school sweatshirt to celebrate where you belonged for a few years of your life.

As competitors and humans, we long to belong, fit in and feel accepted. We want to be a part of a team that makes us feel worthy and loved.

But did you know that without an affiliation with a sport or specific team, you’ve already been invited to be on a team? And this is no ordinary team— this team is the greatest team ever created. It’s team Jesus.

When we accept Christ’s invitation to love and follow Him as Christians, we obtain that sense of belonging. We are “His”. Let’s dive into what God says about being a part of His heavenly team.

THE WORD

Grab your Bibles and let’s look to some key verses. While there are hundreds of them that point to aspects of belonging to Him, we’ll start with some basics to get a handle on being His. Take 10 minutes to read the following verses and record what it says about who you are:

The good news is we don’t have to apply to be accepted on Team Jesus! The moment you turn your heart back to Him, He grafts You into His faith-family tree and He places you on His team to play this game we call “life.” Do you know why? Because He loved you first.

God created you with a plan and a purpose in mind to reach the people where He has placed you for His glory. He created you for the position He needs you to play and He chose you from the beginning, just as you are. He hopes, in return, you will choose Him and become part of Team Jesus.

Here’s what to know about Team Jesus:

• His team is not based on performance. God chose you to be on the team because of who you are, not as a result of what you have done. Take a minute to reread 1 John 4:7-11.

• His team is free to join. Jesus paid the price for you to be on the team. He did all the work. Take a minute to reread John 14:6.

• His team is forever. You can be on this team in every aspect of your life, at every stage and at any age. In fact, the longer you are on Team Jesus, the stronger you become! Take a minute to reread John 3:16.

Here’s what happens when we accept Jesus’ invitation:

• You move from being alone to belonging. Take a minute to reread Psalm 100:3.

• You shift from being rejected to accepted. Take a minute to reread Romans 14:18.

• You change from being an outcast to fitting in. Take a minute to reread Romans 11:17

• Your heart empties itself of fear and fills itself with love. Take a minute to reread Romans 5:8.

Now that you are on Team Jesus, you need to know your opponent, and you can be sure we all have one! Your spiritual opponent knows your weaknesses and he knows how to tempt you to try to make you fail. However, the moment you join Team Jesus, you become His and He places the powerful Holy Spirit, known as The Champion, within you! The Champion comforts you, guides you and fights every battle for you (those you see and even those you do not see)!

The adversary will try to deceive you into believing lies: I’m not enough; I’m all alone; I don’t belong here; No one loves me. But remember, you are on a new team and you have a new position! We must have a strategy to fight the adversary!

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Remember, you are not alone. You do not play the game on your own. You have The Champion within you, a team of believers around you and a strategic plan for victory!

TEAM TIME

Application

As teammates, you can help each other learn to the Truth about who you are as God’s daughters. The theory that there’s strength in numbers is supported in Scripture—starting with the Father Himself as One of Three—and it certainly applies to you in your quest to embrace who you really are. By joining forces with your teammates, you can multiply your strength and resources in the battle for your souls. As a group, let’s work through the following questions and activities together:

1. God created you to play the position He needs you to play on His team. How does it feel to know you were created for today, to be His, so that you could help to meet the needs of the people right where He has placed you for such a time as this?

2. At what moment in time did you realize you have an adversary?

3. Have there been times where you have felt let down by someone close to you? How did it make you feel? How does it make you feel knowing God never leaves you alone?

WORK IT OUT

Read Isaiah 43:1

Before our next meeting, be bold and attempt to memorize.

PRAYER

As we close in prayer, remember that you are HIS.