Your struggles are not random. They are signals that, when answered, can lead you toward a thriving life.
In the Free to Thrive Study Guide, designed for use with the Free to Thrive Video Study, Josh McDowell and Ben Bennett will take you on a journey of healing. They'll teach you how to overcome struggles, hurts, and unwanted behaviors by engaging your unmet longings.
Meant for use in a group setting such as a Bible study, church staff training, Sunday school class, or small group gathering, each session follows this format:
- Introductory questions to get you thinking about the topic
- Video teaching and small group discussion, including several readings from the Bible
- Reflection and prayer as a group
In addition, you'll hear encouraging stories of actual people who have also faced hurt and struggles and found real healing and thriving lives.
In the Free to Thrive Study Guide, Josh McDowell and Ben Bennett present biblical, time-tested, and research-supported principles for overcoming hurts, struggles, and hindrances to a whole life--a life of wholeness instead of brokenness--the kind of life you were born to live.
| How to Use This Guide |
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ix | |
| Introduction |
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xi | |
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Session One Legitimate Longings |
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1 | (12) |
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Session Two Your Seven Longings |
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13 | (10) |
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Session Three Your Unmet Longings |
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23 | (16) |
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Session Four Identifying the Unwanted |
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39 | (12) |
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Session Five Listen to Your Longings |
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51 | (10) |
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Session Six What Your Brain Needs You to Know |
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61 | (12) |
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Session Seven You've Got the Wrong God |
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73 | (10) |
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Session Eight Seeing Yourself as God Sees You |
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83 | (12) |
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Session Nine You're Made for More |
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95 | (14) |
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Session Ten What's True for Me Is True for You |
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109 | (10) |
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119 | (16) |
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129 | (2) |
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131 | (4) |
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The Met and Unmet Longings Table |
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135 | (3) |
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138 | (2) |
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140 | (1) |
| Additional Resources |
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141 | |
For over 60 years Josh McDowell has provided breakthrough moments for more than 45 million people in 139 countries about the evidence for Christianity and the difference the Christian faith makes in the world. Through his work with Cru and the global outreach of Josh McDowell Ministry, millions of people worldwide have been exposed to the love of Christ. He is the author or coauthor of more than 150 books, including such classics as More Than a Carpenter and Evidence That Demands a Verdict.
Ben Bennett is an author, speaker, and the Director of Resolution Movement a global movement helping young people overcome hurts and struggles and thrive in life. He has faced addiction, trauma, and other mental health struggles in his journey toward a wholehearted life. Through many mistakes, missteps, false starts and restarts, Ben discovered proven tools and principles that have helped him overcome the hurts and struggles that hindered his journey toward wholeness. For the past 10 years, he has partnered with world renowned therapists and ministry leaders, helping individuals young and old understand and work through the underlying factors driving the unhealthy patterns in their lives. Ben offers a unique and fresh perspective on how to find freedom, healing, and a life of thriving through Christ and others. He has been a staff member of Josh McDowell Ministry since 2017.
