Opening Question:

We all hear different voices telling us what to do, what to believe, and what matters. What is one voice or opinion that has strongly influenced a decision you’ve made—and looking back, do you think it was the right voice to listen to?

Key Takeaways:

• We will always have different voices competing for our attention, but we have to decide which voice gets the final vote.
• What we feel can influence our decisions, but our feelings are not always a trustworthy guide.
• The fear of what other people think can cause us to compromise what we know is right.
• Following God sometimes means choosing His voice over our feelings, our own understanding, or the approval of others.
• Trusting God means submitting to what He says, even when we don’t fully understand it.

Discussion Questions:

Part 1: The Voices We Hear

1. Saul spared what he thought was valuable and destroyed what he thought was worthless. What does this reveal about how our own feelings and opinions can affect the way we respond to God?
2. Think about the different “voices” you hear throughout a normal week—your feelings, friends, family, culture, social media, your own thoughts, and God. Which of these voices tends to have the most influence over your decisions? Why?

Part 2: The Voice of Others

1. Proverbs 29:25 says, “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.” What does “fear of man” look like in everyday life?
2. Have you ever known what you should do but chose differently because you were worried about what someone else would think? What made their opinion feel more important in that moment?
3. Sometimes we can make a decision that looks good to other people but isn’t actually what God is asking of us. Why is approval from people so easy to measure, while trusting God often requires faith?

Part 3: Giving God the Final Vote

1. Saul told Samuel that he had followed God’s instructions, even though he had only followed part of what God said. Why do you think we sometimes convince ourselves that partial obedience is enough?
2. Read Proverbs 3:5–6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” What would it look like to actually live this out when you don’t understand what God is doing?
3. Is there an area of your life right now where your feelings, your own understanding, or someone else’s opinion is louder than God’s voice? What would it look like to give God the final vote in that area? What is one practical decision you can make this week to become more aware of God’s voice and more willing to follow it?