January 11th - Small Group Guide

January 11th - Small Group Guide

Small Group Guide “OPEN YOUR EYES”

Opportunity is closer than we think, it just requires attention.

GROUP GOAL
To help the group slow down, recognize where God is already at work, and practice spiritual attentiveness instead of rushing into plans or resolutions.

OPENING 
Question: What’s something you drove past, walked by, or overlooked for a long time until one day you realized it was actually important or valuable?

NEW YEAR ≠ NEW VISION
A new year gives us: new calendars, fresh energy, good intentions, but vision doesn’t come from January. It comes from attention. Jesus didn’t tell His disciples to: work harder, plan better, wait longer He simply said: “Open your eyes.”

GOD IS ALREADY WORKING—WE’RE JUST NOT ALWAYS NOTICING
Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. John 4:35

Jesus says the fields are ready now.
That means:
  • God is already stirring hearts
  • conversations are already lining up
  • needs already exist
We don’t launch God’s work. We step into it.

Illustration — The Construction Zone
Think about driving through your town when road construction is happening. The work starts long before the cones go up. Crews survey. Plans are drawn. Materials are staged. When you finally see the orange cones, the work has been happening for weeks. In the same way, when God invites us into something, He’s already been working long before we noticed.

Discussion
  • Where do you tend to assume God is not working?
  • Why do we often believe opportunity is “later” instead of “now”?
Modern Truth: The biggest risk this year isn’t failure, it’s distraction.

WE MISS OPPORTUNITIES WHEN WE’RE STUCK IN THE PAST
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 19 See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:18–19

Sometimes what blocks the future isn’t fear it’s familiarity.
We get stuck thinking:
  • “That didn’t work before.”
  • “This is how it’s always been.”
  • “I already know how this turns out.”
Most of us use GPS automatically. But imagine refusing to update it. Roads change. Detours appear. New routes open. An outdated GPS doesn’t mean the destination is wrong it means the directions need updating. God’s doing something new but we’re still following old routes.
Discussion 
  • What past experience might be shaping your expectations too strongly?
  • Where might God be inviting you to see something differently this year?
Modern Truth: God’s new work often requires new focus, not new resources.

OPPORTUNITY USUALLY SHOWS UP QUIETLY
The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.1 Kings 19:11–12

Opportunity is rarely flashy. Often, it’s ordinary. It looks like: a conversation, a small need, a moment to listen, a nudge you could easily ignore. You drive past the same highway exit every day. Same sign. Same ramp. One day you finally take it—and realize it leads somewhere significant: a new neighborhood, a great restaurant, a shortcut you didn’t know existed. The exit was always there. You just never noticed it.

Discussion
  • What “small moments” do you tend to dismiss too quickly?
  • Why do we expect meaningful opportunities to be dramatic?
Modern Truth: You don’t fall into impact. You notice it.

IV. BEFORE WE DO ANYTHING—WE HAVE TO SEE
Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. John 4:35 (again)

Before strategy. Before programs. Before goals. Jesus says: “Lift your eyes.” Awareness comes before obedience.

A good doctor doesn’t rush to prescribe. They listen. Observe. Ask questions. Diagnosis comes before treatment.

In the same way, Jesus pauses His disciples not to delay action, but to sharpen their awareness.

Discussion
  • Where are you tempted to rush into action instead of slowing down?
  • What might change if you practiced seeing before doing?
Modern Truth: Awareness is the first act of obedience.

PRACTICE — A SHARED CHALLENGE
Daily Prayer (One Sentence): “God, help me see what You’re already doing.”

CLOSING PRAYER “God, slow us down enough to notice You. Open our eyes to the people, moments, and opportunities right in front of us. Help us not chase what’s next and miss what’s now. Teach us to see before we act. Amen.”