Reading: Mark 1:9-11; Ephesians 1:3-6

Devotional: Before Jesus performed a single miracle or preached His first sermon, the Father declared His identity: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." This divine affirmation came before any work was done. Too often, we seek validation through our accomplishments, striving to earn God's approval through our activity. But God establishes your identity first. You are beloved, chosen, and accepted—not because of what you do, but because of whose you are. Before you step into your next season, let God's Word define you. Your calling flows from your identity, not the other way around. Today, pause and receive this truth: God is already pleased with you in Christ.

Reflection Question: What would change in your life if you truly believed God's love for you isn't based on your performance?

Reading: Isaiah 64:1-4; Romans 12:1-2

Devotional: When heaven was "torn open" at Jesus' baptism, it represented a radical shift in perspective. God's voice broke through with supernatural clarity, establishing truth that contradicted human assumptions about the Messiah. Divine transitions require us to embrace God's perspective over people's expectations. The world may have one narrative about your life, but what is God saying? Transformation happens when we allow our minds to be renewed by God's Word rather than conformed to popular opinion. Where you stand determines what you see, and what you see determines how you respond. If you're not getting the right results, examine your perspective. Are you viewing your circumstances through heaven's lens or through fear, doubt, and worldly wisdom?

Reflection Question: What area of your life needs a "torn heaven" moment—where God's perspective radically shifts how you see your situation?

Reading: Mark 1:12-13; Deuteronomy 8:1-5

Devotional: Immediately after receiving heaven's affirmation, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested. Notice: the same Spirit who descended like a dove led Him into trial. The wilderness wasn't a mistake or detour—it was divine preparation. God doesn't waste your wilderness seasons; He uses them to train you. What you endure in one season prepares you for the next, but not just through the experience itself. It's the mental and spiritual reorientation that occurs during testing that equips you for your destiny. The wilderness strips away what's false and establishes what's true. It's where dependence is deepened and character is forged. Your trial is not punishment; it's training for the transition ahead.

Reflection Question: How is God using your current wilderness season to prepare you for what He's called you to?

Reading: Matthew 4:1-4; Psalm 119:105-112

Devotional: In the wilderness, Jesus was tempted to turn stones into bread, but He responded, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." Physical change is exciting—the new job, new relationship, new opportunity—but transition requires more than external change. It demands internal transformation anchored in God's Word. Feelings fluctuate. Circumstances shift. But God's Word remains constant. You cannot sustain a new season with old thinking. Divine transitions are maintained not by what you feel, but by what you believe. When the enemy attacks your identity, your calling, or your future, your defense isn't your résumé—it's the Word God has spoken over you. Train yourself to live by the Word, not by the weather of your emotions.

Reflection Question: What Word has God spoken over your life that you need to stand on today, regardless of how you feel?

Reading: 1 Peter 5:8-11; James 1:2-4

Devotional: Divine transitions are always confirmed by opposition. The devil doesn't waste time attacking people going nowhere. If you're facing increased spiritual warfare, resistance, or testing, it may be confirmation that you're moving toward your God-ordained destiny. The enemy fears what God is about to do through you. But here's the promise: the same God who led you into the wilderness will sustain you through it. Angels attended Jesus during His testing, and God will provide for you too. Don't let the trial make you question the transition. Instead, let it train you. Every test passed is preparation for greater authority. Every temptation resisted is character refined. Stand firm. The breakthrough is on the other side of the battle.

Reflection Question: What opposition are you facing that might actually be confirmation you're on the right path?

OPENING PRAYER (5 minutes)
Begin your group time with prayer, asking God to open hearts and minds to receive what He wants to teach through this discussion about transitions.

ICEBREAKER (10 minutes)
Question: Share about a significant transition you've experienced in your life (new job, move, relationship change, etc.). What was the hardest part about adjusting to that change?

SERMON RECAP (5 minutes)
Key Points:

1. Divine transition begins with God's Word, not your work
2. Divine transition requires accepting God's perspective over people's assumptions
3. Divine transitions are always confirmed by opposition

Main Idea: Transitions require training. Change is physical, but transition is psychological—it's the mental and spiritual reorientation needed to sustain what God is doing in your life.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (30-40 minutes)
Understanding the Difference

1. Pastor DJ distinguished between "change" (physical) and "transition" (psychological/spiritual). Can you think of a time when you experienced a physical change but struggled with the internal transition? What made it difficult?
2. Read Mark 1:9-11. Why do you think it was important for God to speak Jesus' identity BEFORE Jesus began His ministry? What does this teach us about the order of how God works in our lives?

Identity Before Activity

3. God declared Jesus as "my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased" before Jesus had performed any miracles or ministry. How does this challenge our tendency to base our identity on our performance or accomplishments?
4. What are some false identities or labels that people (or you) have placed on you that contradict what God says about you? How can you replace those with God's truth?

Perspective Shift

5. The sermon mentioned that the heavens were "torn open"—a violent, radical action. Why do you think God sometimes has to radically interrupt our perspective? What perspectives in your life might need to be "torn open" by God's truth?
6. Pastor DJ said, "Where you stand determines what you see, and what you see determines how you respond." Share an example of how changing your perspective changed your response to a situation.

Opposition and Testing

7. Immediately after His baptism and affirmation, Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tested. Why do you think opposition often follows God's confirmation? Have you experienced this pattern in your own life?
8. How can we prepare ourselves mentally and spiritually for the testing that comes with transitions? What resources or practices help you stand firm during trials?

KEY TAKEAWAYS (10 minutes)
Have group members identify which takeaway resonates most with them and why:

• Transitions should not break us; they should build us
• Divine transition is not physical movement, but spiritual alignment
• God establishes right identity before calling us to activity
• What you endure in one season prepares you for the next, but preparation includes both circumstances AND perspective
• Your trial is only a test (it's temporary and has a purpose)

PRACTICAL APPLICATION (15 minutes)
Personal Reflection:

1. Identify Your Season: Are you currently in a season of change or transition? What is the physical change, and what internal/spiritual transition is required?
2. Anchor in Identity: Write down three truths about your identity in Christ. Commit to speaking these over yourself daily this week.
3. Perspective Check: What is one area where you need to shift from people's assumptions to God's perspective? What specific Scripture can you stand on?

This Week's Challenge:
Choose ONE of the following:

• Journal Exercise: Each day this week, write down one way you see God preparing you through your current circumstances. Look for the training, not just the trial.
• Scripture Meditation: Spend 10 minutes daily meditating on Mark 1:9-11. Ask God to speak your identity over you as He did with Jesus.
• Accountability Partner: Share with one person in the group (or outside) a transition you're facing. Ask them to pray for you and check in with you weekly about how you're processing it mentally and spiritually.

GROUP PRAYER (10 minutes)
Prayer Focus Areas:

• Pray for those in the group facing significant transitions
• Ask God to help each person hear His voice about their identity
• Pray for strength to endure testing with the right perspective
• Ask the Holy Spirit to train each person through their current season

Prayer Method: Go around the circle and have each person share one specific prayer request related to a transition they're facing. Have the person to their right pray for them.

CLOSING THOUGHT
"Divine transitions are always in line with your identity and your calling. God is not just changing your circumstances; He's changing your perspective so you can sustain what He's about to do in your life."