1. What do you think it means to examine your heart? How often do you do this? What is most difficult about self-examination? Why is this so difficult to do?

2. Why is it easier to watch other people’s hearts over our own hearts?

3. Proverbs 4:23 gives us this stern warning: “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” Why do you think we must watch our hearts with all vigilance? What are some practical ways we can do this? How can your HG help you to watch your hearts with all vigilance?

4. What do you believe causes you to sin? Where do circumstances (unkind boss, angry spouse, crazy driver, pornographic materials, etc.) come into the process of our sin?

5. According to James 4:1-2, what causes us to sin? Explain what James means. How does knowing where sin comes from help us in dealing with sin?

6. Share some specific areas with the group where you need to watch your heart? Pray together over these areas.

7. Do you see the fruit of the Spirit or the fruit of the flesh exhibited in your life? How do you think you can see more of the fruit of the Spirit in your life? Why do you think, as Christians, we still see the fruit of the flesh evident in us? What can we do to help one another exhibit more fruit of the Spirit?

8. Sam spoke of a good thing (to have a date with Shua) that ended up being nothing more than a rotten apple (angry towards her for wanting her own time). Have you ever seen your good intentions slowly become something completely self-centered and sinful? How can this happen? What can stop such a thing from happening? How does Galatians 5:17 explain this happening?

9. Read over Romans 7:21-24. How does this explain bad fruit in our lives, even as Christians? Is this a legitimate reason then to throw up our hands and give up in our fight against sin and in our desire to produce good fruit?

10. How does Romans 7:25 and 8:1-2 give us comfort when sin still exists, and yet, protect us against indifference towards sin?

11. How are our righteous deeds like polluted garments according to Isaiah 64:6? Does this mean that we should cease striving to produce righteous deeds? How does this quote by Martin Luther answer this problem:

If you could rightly consider the incomparable price, you should hold as accursed all those ceremonies, vows, works, and merits before grace and after, and throw them all down to hell. For it is a horrible blasphemy to imagine that there is any work whereby you should presume to pacify God, since you see that there is nothing which is able to pacify Him but his inestimable price, even the death and the blood of the Son of God, one drop whereof is more precious than the whole world.