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Group Discussion
Questions for facilitating dynamic discussion
Under Siege
January 17,2026
Week 2: Mind Games
Jeff Griffin
2 Kings 18:17-36
Life is often harder than we expect, but God’s Word equips us to stand strong in tough seasons. This week, Jeff unveils the ways our thoughts can wage war against us and what means we have for fighting back.
What is your most persistent earworm – that is, the song that gets stuck in your head more often than any other? Or what earworm is stuck in your head right now?
1. Jeff started his sermon describing the Law of Cognition – that “you are what you think.” Can you think of ways you see that play out in yourself or people around you?
2. Read 2 Kings 18:17-25. The king of Assyria was no fool in sending his top war officials to Jerusalem ahead of the troops. Like the best sports coaches and strategists, he sought to get into the heads of Hezekiah’s people long before the battle started. In these verses, what phrases does the field commander use to get at them?
3. The Assyrians were hoping to cause what Jeff called Spiritual Insecurity: doubting the love of God and questioning their standing with Him. Let’s look at some verses that can counter such lies. Look at Lamentations 3:21-24 and Isaiah 54:10. How could those verses help you if you begin to doubt God’s love?
4. Read 2 Kings 18:28-30 & 32b-35. What idea does the commander repeat in order to plant it in their minds? What makes this an effective strategy? Can you think of any verses that would combat this attitude that Jeff called Faithless Pessimism, which is not trusting God with the future and expecting Him to be absent when you need Him? (e.g. Deut 31:6, Phil 1:6)
5. Finally, read 2 Kings 18:31-32. The Assyrian leader switched from sowing negative thoughts to offering what sounds like relief, that is, he offered a Tempting Compromise that was rooted in lies. What does he say, specifically? What makes such thoughts so dangerous?
6. Thinking about stewarding your own mind, how well do you manage getting rid of the bad and focusing on the good? Are there particular verses you go to or any verses you’d like to work on memorizing to counter the damaging thoughts that may come? Read Romans 8:37 to close.
Jeff noted that “in seasons of hardship, the chance of having really self-destructive thoughts is higher than ever.” Encourage your group that God’s Word and His Spirit are sufficient to bring you through, perhaps stronger than ever.
“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” ~ 2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV)