Book Club Questions for Praying God's Word

1.Moore defines a stronghold as anything that holds a person in a place of defeat or captivity — a way of thinking, feeling, or behaving that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. How does that definition compare to how you have previously understood the word 'stronghold'? Does it feel too broad, too narrow, or just right?

2.The book's foundational text is 2 Corinthians 10:3–5, where Paul says we demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive. In your own words, what does it mean to 'take a thought captive'? What would that look like on a Tuesday morning?

3.Moore argues that strongholds are fundamentally battles of the mind — and that the antidote is not positive thinking but Scripture prayed with faith. Why do you think the mind is such a primary battlefield in the Christian life? What does this suggest about how you spend your mental energy each day?

1.Moore identifies unbelief not merely as intellectual doubt but as a functional posture — living as though God cannot or will not act on our behalf. What is the difference between honest doubt (which God welcomes) and unbelief as a stronghold (which God calls us to war against)?

2.Romans 10:17 tells us that 'faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.' Moore builds her entire approach on this verse. How does praying Scripture specifically feed and strengthen faith in a way that other forms of prayer might not?

3.The desperate father in Mark 9:24 cries out, 'I believe; help my unbelief!' Moore treats this as a model prayer — honest, desperate, and aimed at the right Person. Have you ever prayed something this raw? What makes it hard to be that honest with God?

1.Moore distinguishes between healthy self-respect (knowing your worth as an image-bearer of God) and pride as a stronghold (the posture of self-sufficiency and self-exaltation). In your own words, where does the line fall? Can a person appear humble outwardly while nursing pride inwardly?

2.Isaiah 14 gives us a window into the fall of Satan — five 'I will' declarations that place the self on the throne. Moore connects this to the human heart's tendency toward the same pattern. Where do you notice the 'I will' reflex in your own thinking — the subtle insistence on being in control, being right, or being recognized?

3.James 4:6 declares that 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' The word 'opposes' is striking — it is not passive indifference but active resistance. How does this verse change the stakes of pride as a spiritual issue? Have you ever experienced that divine resistance in your own life?

1.Moore expands the biblical concept of idolatry well beyond religious statues to include anything we love, trust, or fear more than God. How does Ezekiel 14:3's phrase 'idols in their hearts' reshape your understanding of what an idol actually is?

2.Think about the categories of your life: relationships, career, comfort, reputation, children, health, entertainment. Which of these has the greatest pull on your heart and attention? By Moore's definition, does any of them qualify as an idol in your life right now?

3.Moore argues that idolatry is not just about what we worship explicitly but about what we run to when we are anxious, bored, or in pain. What is your default comfort? What do you instinctively reach for when life gets hard — before you reach for God?

1.Moore names prayerlessness not merely as a discipline failure but as a spiritual stronghold — a pattern rooted in lies about God, self, and prayer itself. What are some of the underlying beliefs that fuel prayerlessness? ('God won't listen,' 'I don't have time,' 'Nothing changes anyway'…)

2.The parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18:1–8 is Jesus' own argument for why we 'should always pray and not give up.' What does the parable say about God's character that is meant to motivate persistence? How does Moore use this passage?

3.1 Thessalonians 5:17 commands us to 'pray without ceasing.' Moore does not interpret this as literal non-stop words, but as a lifestyle of ongoing communion with God. What would a life of unceasing prayer actually look like in practice for someone with your specific schedule and responsibilities?

1.Moore argues that a deeply rooted sense of rejection can become a stronghold — a lens through which every relationship and circumstance is interpreted. How does an old wound of rejection shape what we expect from God, from others, and from life in general?

2.Psalm 27:10 says, 'Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me.' Moore holds up this verse as God's direct answer to the deepest rejection a person can experience. Have you ever felt forsaken — by a parent, a friend, a church, a spouse? How does this verse speak into that wound?

3.Ephesians 1:3–14 is a sustained declaration of the believer's acceptance in Christ: chosen, adopted, redeemed, sealed. Moore insists that praying this passage regularly can rewire the rejected heart over time. Read it aloud together now. Which phrase feels most personally powerful? Which one is hardest to receive?

1.Moore defines the stronghold of addiction broadly — substances (alcohol, drugs, prescription medications, food) can all create bondage that the will alone cannot break. How does understanding addiction as a spiritual stronghold — not just a physical or psychological problem — change how you approach it or pray for those who struggle with it?

2.1 Corinthians 6:12 says, 'Everything is permissible for me — but I will not be mastered by anything.' Paul's criterion for freedom is not a list of rules but a question of mastery: What masters you? What in your life would you find it genuinely difficult to give up for thirty days?

3.Romans 6:6–14 declares that the old self was crucified with Christ and that sin's mastery over the believer is broken — we are dead to sin and alive to God. Moore insists this is the theological ground for sobriety and freedom. How do you preach this truth to yourself or to someone you love who is fighting addiction?

1.Many Christians struggle with sexual strongholds but feel too ashamed to name them, even in prayer. How does Moore's framework — bringing the struggle directly into prayer using God's own Word — break the shame cycle rather than reinforce it?

2.1 Corinthians 6:18 says to 'flee sexual immorality' — the language of running, not just resisting. What does 'fleeing' look like in a culture saturated with sexual content? What does it require from you specifically in terms of choices, boundaries, and accountability?

3.1 Thessalonians 4:3–8 frames sexual purity not primarily as a rule but as a calling rooted in holiness and love for neighbor — because sexual sin 'wrongs' the other person and 'defrauds' them. How does framing purity in terms of love and neighbor-care change the motivation for sexual integrity?

1.Moore describes unforgiveness and bitterness as a stronghold that harms the person holding it far more than the person who caused the original offense. Do you agree with this? Have you experienced the physical, emotional, or spiritual weight of carrying unforgiveness?

2.In Jesus' parable of the unmerciful servant (Matthew 18:21–35), a man forgiven an enormous debt refuses to forgive a small one and is then handed over to the 'jailers' (or 'tormentors'). Moore connects this directly to the inner torment of unforgiveness as a self-imposed prison. What does the parable say about the relationship between receiving forgiveness and giving it?

3.Hebrews 12:15 warns us to 'see to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.' The image of a root is important — bitterness starts small and underground. How can you detect a bitter root in your heart before it grows into a tree that 'defiles many'?

1.Moore acknowledges that depression can have physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual dimensions — and that it is not simply a faith deficit. Why is it important to hold this complexity rather than reducing depression to either 'just a chemical imbalance' or 'just a spiritual problem'?

2.Psalm 42's repeated refrain — 'Why, my soul, are you downcast? … Put your hope in God' — is a model of preaching truth to yourself in the midst of despair. The psalmist does not pretend the darkness isn't there; he argues with his own soul. What is the difference between spiritual denial and this kind of honest, God-directed self-talk?

3.Elijah, after his greatest spiritual victory on Mount Carmel, collapsed under a broom tree and asked to die (1 Kings 19:4). God's response was not a lecture on faith but food, water, and sleep. What does God's tender, physical response to Elijah's despair tell us about how He meets us in our darkest moments?

1.Moore draws a crucial distinction between godly sorrow (2 Corinthians 7:10), which leads us to repentance and is healthy, and the stronghold of condemnation, which keeps us stuck in shame long after we have repented. How do you tell the difference in your own experience?

2.Romans 8:1 — 'Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus' — is perhaps the most radical sentence in the New Testament. Why is this verse so difficult for many sincere Christians to actually receive and rest in? What gets in the way?

3.1 John 1:9 promises that if we confess our sins, God is 'faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.' The basis of forgiveness is not our remorse but God's faithfulness and justice — already satisfied at the cross. How does anchoring forgiveness in God's character rather than in the depth of our feelings change how you approach confession?

1.Moore identifies deception as the root-level stronghold — the soil in which all other strongholds grow. Every other stronghold, she argues, is sustained by a lie. What lie, specifically, sustains the stronghold you have found most personally challenging in this book?

2.Jesus calls Satan 'a liar and the father of lies' (John 8:44) and says that abiding in His Word is what makes us truly free (John 8:31–32). What is the connection between staying in God's Word and remaining free from deception? Why does neglecting Scripture make us so much more vulnerable?

3.James 1:5–8 describes the double-minded person as 'unstable in all he does' — tossed by the wind. Moore applies this to the person whose mind holds both truth and lies simultaneously without resolving the conflict. Do you recognize any areas of double-mindedness in your own belief system — where you assent to a truth in church but live by a contradiction at home?

1.Looking back across all eleven topical chapters, which stronghold hit closest to home for you? What was it about that chapter — a specific Scripture-prayer, an insight, Moore's framing — that made it land so personally?

2.How has your understanding of spiritual warfare changed over these thirteen weeks? Before reading this book, how would you have described spiritual warfare — and how would you describe it now?

3.Moore's central method is praying Scripture — taking God's Word and returning it to Him as prayer. Has this become more natural for you over the course of this study? Where have you seen the most fruit from this practice?