Message: How God builds Your faith
Week of September 13, 2009

Thematic Focus
God uses a process and creates a pattern in our lives to grow our faith.

Main Points
What elements does God use to build our faith?
·  Dreams
    - Answering questions related to "What?"
·  Decisions
    - Answering questions related to "How?"
· Delays
    - Answering questions related to "When?"
·  Difficulty
    - Answering questions related to "Why?"
·  Dead-ends
    - Answering questions related to "Who?"
· Deliverance
    - Our questions turn to praise!

Scriptural Lens:
· Matthew 9:29
· Mark 9:23
· Exodus 13:17-22; 14:1-31

Pursuing clarity
Use the following structure to guide your personal reflection and/or discussion:

Opening Prayer
Take a moment to recognize Christ’s presence with you.

Opening Reflection
How does not understanding God's way of working in our lives impact us?

Scriptural Focus
Take time to read the suggested Scriptures.

Group Discussion
Use these questions to reflect further:

1. When it comes to making the decision to pursue a dream, what are the common barriers we face?
2. What are the investments we have to make and what are the insecurities we have to embrace?
3. Why do you think we don't like to face delays? Especially when it comes to waiting for God?
4. When it comes to facing difficulty, what are some of the "Why" questions we ask?
5. How does difficulty shape your character?
6. When a dream appears to be at a dead-end, what's ultimately in question?

Adjusting Focus
Take some time to answer the following questions:

What is the dream God has give you? Consider these areas of your life:

· Family
· Career
· Ministry

What decision do you need to make?

What delays do you anticipate facing? Or are now facing?

What can you learn during this waiting period?

What difficulty are you going through?

Are you at a dead-end? Considering giving up? Should you?

How do you need to pray for God's deliverance?

Maintaining Focus
How is God's Spirit prompting you to grow on the faith journey?

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Closing prayer
Take time at the close of your time together to pray for God’s assistance in the journey. Depending on how comfortable group members feel, here are some ways you could pray:

· Write out a personal prayer.
· Have the group facilitator or a designated member of the group pray.
· Have members of the group get into a smaller group to pray for one another.
· Have several members of the group pray aloud and then conclude.

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