Baby Steps with our Bible Study

We had an awesome night in our Bible study! A couple of days ago I had suggested to Mike that we spend some time on forgiveness in our work book. I knew there was some unforgiveness and because we were studying it this week, it made perfect sense. Mike, being led by the Spirit, really opened up their eyes to what Jesus said about forgiveness. Matthew 5:23-24 talks about if you have an issue with someone you must be reconciled with your brother before you can go to the altar. Matthew 6:14-15 says, “If you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Mike went through a scenario with them asking them if a certain situation happened to them would they forgive and 4 of them said “No!” but after we had both shared short testimonies and lots of scriptures in the Bible they changed their minds. When we went around asking for prayer requests 3 of them stated they needed to forgive someone and wanted everyone to pray for them to be able to do this! We have also been encouraging them to memorize scripture and to do their homework. The first couple of weeks we struggled to get them to do this, then Mike came up with an idea to buy some food, because they are sooooo hungry, and reward them for good behavior. They have started doing their homework and memorizing scripture, resulting in confidence and growth. It is wonderful to see them taking these baby steps and becoming better disciples.