I don’t think I’m ready for this

Would you rather learn how to drive all over again or teach a teenager how to drive?

Which team are you — Team Car Stickers, or Team NO Car Stickers? (Do you have any stickers on your car?)

What’s something you weren’t ready for when you became an adult? (e.g., working, bills, finding housing, etc.)

Ask eGroup members to share their favorite points from the sermon, what spoke to them, a phrase or moment from the sermon they related to the most, or questions they have. If members have a hard time recalling the sermon, talk through your notes and share your favorite points.

• On a scale of 1-10, how ready do you feel for the stage of life you’re in? (Did you expect to feel differently?)

• Share about an area of your life you don’t feel ready for. Why do you feel that way? (What would make you feel ready?)

• Read Judges 6:11-13. How do you identify with Gideon and his response to the angel? Talk about some of the prayers you’ve prayed to God that you maybe later hoped He wasn’t listening to.

• God hears us when we cry out, but relief usually comes in the form of action. What are some things that might keep us from action? Are you experiencing any of those things? (e.g., anxiety, doubt about what to do, belief that there’s nothing we can do, etc.)

Read Judges 6:14-24. Holly gave us four things to help us know God’s character and to encourage us to step into action.

• God calls you according to your potential. Think about where in your life you don’t feel ready. What labels are you giving yourself that don’t agree with the potential God sees? (e.g., I don’t feel ready to be a parent, but I am positioned to be one, so God must see potential in me to be a parent. Where do you need to tell yourself God is looking at you and saying, “Yes, you”?)

• God prepares you along the way. When God gives you an assignment, He’ll make it big enough to question, but small enough to take the first step. Where are you still waiting or making excuses because you don’t feel ready? How can you use “starting faith” and just take a first step? (Is there something you can do with a better attitude or a bigger purpose in mind?)

• God is patient with you. What does the call to surrender your life to God mean to you in this season of life? What’s holding you back from surrendering to Him? (What are some things you might be holding back from Him? Grudges? Pride? Behaviors?)

• God will give you peace markers. Share some peace markers from your life — moments or events when you know God was with you. (e.g., sermons, songs, text messages, something you saw, etc.)

Pick one of the four focuses Holly gave us to act on this week:

1. Write down the potential God sees in you. Pray over it this week, and walk in the belief that you have what God sees.
2. Identify a first step you can take and use “starting faith” to take it.
3. Ask yourself what parts of your life you haven’t fully surrendered to God, and commit to giving them over to Him.
4. Spend a few minutes writing down the peace markers God has given you. Put them somewhere you can see them each day, and reflect on what God has done for you. Let them encourage you to be bold and step out in faith each day.

Ask eGroup members to share any prayer requests they have. Record any notes or prayer requests to pray for members during the week.

Father, thank You for always being ready even when we don’t think we are, for taking every step with us, and for growing us along the way in every season. Show us the actions we can take this week that will let us see You move. Thank You for 15 years of this ministry and all that You’ve done through it! In Jesus’ name, amen.