MESSAGE TITLE
Walking in faith
sermon guide
Courage comes from living life in the hands of God. Hebrews 11 is known as the Bible Hall of Fame, reminding us of men and women who didn’t just believe in God, but believed God, listened to him, and lived their lives with faith and courage.
Who is your favorite Bible character, and why?
Have someone read Hebrews 11:24-27.
What does Hebrews 11 reveal about the choices these people made?
Moses was well aware that he was not perfect, but he kept his eyes on God and made his choices accordingly, living — step by step — a life of faith. Faith gave him courage.
Mike explained that knowing who you are, who you REALLY are — a much-loved child of God — fills you with unshakable confidence that enables you to walk through storms that blow into your life. We must take it deeply into our hearts that God is love and that he loves us more than we can imagine. We read in the Bible that perfect love casts out fear, and we see that courage comes from living life in the hands of God.
application
Courage begins with fighting battles within.
Have someone read 2 Timothy 1:7.
Share what are places in my life where you are “stuck”?
What keeps you from doing what needs to be done?
What would you do if you weren’t afraid?
Every person of courage must blaze a trail into his or her own heart and allow God to reveal the truth about what’s IN there. They pray “Search me O God…what do you see in me? Point out my character defects, my flaws, my fears and inadequacy and take me deeper to the root of all of that.”
Courage is the power to let go of the familiar.
Mike said, “God calls you and me OUT OF THE RECLINER. He calls us out of the comfort zone and into the courageous zone.”
Where in your life are you holding onto the familiar where God is calling you to step out in faith?
Courage comes when God’s vision and our passion come together.
Have someone read Exodus 3:7-8.
Vision ignites passion, and passion ignites a dream, and a dream ignites courage. Frederick Buechner wrote, “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger coincide.”
How could your talents and passions get connected in some way to what the world so desperately needs?
Have someone read Hebrews 11:13-16.
What does it mean to you that not all these people of faith met with “success”? What does this tell you about the life of faith? Do you find this encouraging or discouraging? Why?
wrap up
Have each person share their prayer requests. Ask someone to type them up and share it with the group. This week spend time daily praying for your group.
Ask God for the courage to walk by faith and to put our lives in his hands. Ask for the strength to live out your life with passion.
Pray you would live knowing your true identity is a much-loved child of God and that it would fill you with unshakable confidence that enables you to walk through storms like this one and any others that might blow into your life.
This week in your prayer time, be specific, and ask God to guide you. Tell him your passions and ask for opportunities to be used by him.