5-Day Study Guide
Sermon Title: Abide In Him
Speaker: Dawn Everett
Main Passage: John 15:4–5
How to Use This Study Guide
This 5-day study guide is designed to help individuals, families, and Roads Groups dive deeper into Sunday’s message throughout the week. Each day includes a short focus summary, scripture reading, quote from the sermon, discussion questions, and personal application steps. Whether you are a new believer, a long-time follower of Jesus, a parent with young kids, a student, or someone leading a group, this tool will help you abide in Jesus through prayer and live out the Word of God in everyday life.
Overview
In her message “Abide In Him,” Dawn Everett invites us into a deeper, daily connection with Jesus through the gift of prayer. Prayer isn’t just for the super spiritual—it’s for every believer who wants to live a life of peace, wisdom, strength, and guidance. This study guide will walk you through practical ways to develop an ongoing relationship with God, not by striving harder but by staying connected to the Vine through daily communion.
Day 1: The Gift of Prayer
Big Idea: Prayer is a gift that never expires—but it must be opened and used daily.
Key Scripture:
Matthew 11:28 (ESV) – “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Sermon Quote:
““Prayer isn’t a burden—it’s a gift.”” — Dawn Everett
Discussion Questions:
- New Christians: What do you think it means to “receive” prayer as a gift? Have you thought of prayer as a gift before?
- Mature Christians: Is there a part of your prayer life that has become routine or neglected? What would it look like to rekindle the gift?
- Jr. & Sr. High Students: What things in your life feel heavy right now? How can you bring those to Jesus in prayer?
- Families with Young Children: Share a time when you needed help and someone helped you. What does it mean that we can ask God for help too?
- Families with Teenagers: How does the idea of prayer being a “gift” change the way we treat it in our home?
Application Steps:
- New Christians: Set aside 5 minutes today to talk to God and thank Him for the gift of prayer.
- Mature Christians: Identify one way to remove “busyness” and re-prioritize prayer this week.
- Jr. & Sr. High Students: Write down 3 things you’re stressed about. Pray about them today.
- Families with Young Children: Create a “prayer gift box” and write one prayer as a family to place inside.
- Families with Teenagers: Talk about what each family member needs from God right now, and pray together.
Day 2: Staying Connected to the Vine
Big Idea: We can’t produce fruit on our own—we must stay connected to Jesus.
Key Scripture:
John 15:5 (ESV) – “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
Sermon Quote:
““If we are not connected to the Vine, we begin to wither.”” — Dawn Everett
Discussion Questions:
- New Christians: What do you think it means to be “connected” to Jesus?
- Mature Christians: What signs show up in your life when you’re disconnected from the Vine?
- Jr. & Sr. High Students: Have you ever tried to handle life without asking Jesus for help? What happened?
- Families with Young Children: What happens when flowers are picked and not in water? How is that like us with Jesus?
- Families with Teenagers: How can we tell when our family or individual hearts are “withering”? What do we do to reconnect?
Application Steps:
- New Christians: Read John 15:1–11 and ask God to show you how to stay connected.
- Mature Christians: Identify areas of your life where you’ve been relying on yourself more than Jesus.
- Jr. & Sr. High Students: Pray each morning this week: “Jesus, help me stay connected to You today.”
- Families with Young Children: Water a plant together and talk about why it needs it. Then talk about needing Jesus.
- Families with Teenagers: Create a family check-in question: “What’s your connection to Jesus felt like today?”
Day 3: Prayer Is for Everyone
Big Idea: Prayer isn’t reserved for the spiritually elite—it’s how every believer connects with God.
Key Scripture:
Psalm 119:105 (ESV) – “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
Sermon Quote:
““Prayer is not just for the super spiritual—it’s for you.”” — Dawn Everett
Discussion Questions:
- New Christians: Do you ever feel unqualified to pray? What does the Bible say about that?
- Mature Christians: Are you unintentionally treating prayer as optional? What needs to change?
- Jr. & Sr. High Students: What lies have you believed about who can pray or how you’re “supposed” to?
- Families with Young Children: Who do you talk to every day? Did you know you can talk to God too?
- Families with Teenagers: How can our family normalize and elevate the value of prayer in everyday life?
Application Steps:
- New Christians: Begin praying with Scripture. Read a verse and respond to God in your own words.
- Mature Christians: Teach or model prayer to someone younger or newer in faith.
- Jr. & Sr. High Students: Set a reminder to pray during one class break today.
- Families with Young Children: Practice a short daily prayer together (e.g., “Thank You, Jesus, for today!”)
- Families with Teenagers: Challenge each person to pray out loud once this week—at dinner or before bed.
Day 4: Removing Distractions
Big Idea: Prayer grows when we intentionally remove what pulls us away from God.
Key Scripture:
James 4:8 (ESV) – “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
Sermon Quote:
““You control the level of your relationship with God.”” — Dawn Everett
Discussion Questions:
- New Christians: What usually distracts you when you try to pray?
- Mature Christians: What consistent habits (or lack of them) are limiting your intimacy with God?
- Jr. & Sr. High Students: What’s one way social media or stress distracts you from prayer?
- Families with Young Children: What are some noisy things that keep us from listening?
- Families with Teenagers: What would it look like for our home to intentionally make space for God?
Application Steps:
- New Christians: Set a 5-minute “quiet time” each day this week.
- Mature Christians: Turn off your phone or devices during your prayer time.
- Jr. & Sr. High Students: Try a 24-hour break from one digital distraction and replace it with time in prayer.
- Families with Young Children: Play a “quiet and listen” game with God—take 10 seconds of silence and listen.
- Families with Teenagers: Choose a time for a “distraction-free family prayer night.”
Day 5: Hearing and Obeying His Voice
Big Idea: When we listen for God’s voice in prayer and obey it, our lives are transformed.
Key Scripture:
Psalm 32:8 (ESV) – “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.”
Sermon Quote:
““Decide today: I will not go another day without seeking Him.”” — Dawn Everett
Discussion Questions:
- New Christians: What does it mean to you that God wants to speak to you personally?
- Mature Christians: What is something God has said to you recently that you’ve obeyed—or resisted?
- Jr. & Sr. High Students: How do you know when it’s God speaking to you?
- Families with Young Children: How do we listen well? How can we listen to God like that?
- Families with Teenagers: What helps us remember to actually do what God says—not just hear it?
Application Steps:
- New Christians: Ask God to speak to you—then write down what comes to mind.
- Mature Christians: Journal what God says and what your next step of obedience is.
- Jr. & Sr. High Students: Listen to one worship song and ask, “God, what are You saying to me?”
- Families with Young Children: After praying, ask your kids, “What do you think Jesus is saying today?”
- Families with Teenagers: Reflect as a family: What is God asking us to do together in this season?
“Everything you need—peace, wisdom, direction, comfort—is waiting. But you have to get quiet enough to receive it.”