Focus Your Faith

Looking for a way to get the group talking? Try one of these conversation starters.

What’s something you’ve been putting your focus on this month? How has it been beneficial to you?
Interactive Game: It can be difficult to know what to do when you have many people trying to instruct you at once. Ask a volunteer from your group to draw a picture with their eyes closed while listening to instructions from one person in the group. At the same time, have the rest of the group members speak all at once to give them guidance which may or may not be helpful. The blindfolded person will need to figure out who to listen to and how to apply their instructions. Allow others to attempt the blindfolded task in turn, if desired.

Help transition the group to the discussion with one of these questions.

Select 1-2 themes from the sermon to discuss with your eGroup.

Read Joshua 1:7. “There is a difference between what you feel and who you are.” God calls us not to be discouraged or afraid, even if we feel that way sometimes. It’s okay to feel it, but we should know that that’s not who we are.
- Describe a time when your true self, the person that God knows you are, was evident to you or others. (Example: a time when you were kind, hospitable, disciplined, etc.)
- What are feelings that you experience that can be mistaken for your identity? (examples: doubt, worry, fearful)
- What can you do when you feel discouraged or afraid to remind yourself of who you really are?

We all have an internal script. We often have many voices that are leading us, from influencers, media, family, friends, etc. These distractions can prevent us from clearly hearing God’s direction. “Be very careful with what you let in you in order to face what’s in front of you.”
- How would you describe your internal script?
- What voices do you need to eliminate that are distracting you from listening to God’s direction?
- What could you do this week to eliminate or reduce the noise from voices other than God’s and focus on Him more?

“When you’re discouraged, it’s because you’re distracted.” Pastor Steven encouraged us to push through discouragement and “focus our faith,” even if that means doing for 10 minutes what we wish we could do for an hour. We need to take steps towards what God is directing us to do with what resources we have, rather than being held back by discouragement.
- Describe a time that you let discouragement hold you back from taking steps that God directed you to take.
- What has God been asking you to do lately that you’ve been fighting feelings of discouragement in?
- Pastor Steven challenged us to “focus our faith.” What is something that you know God spoke that you can obey and focus on today?

“God is not against me, but He is in it with me, working through me, fighting for me!” Which area of your life are you going to begin proclaiming this over this week?

Challenge your group to keep activating their faith. Make this a part of your eGroup time or send this activity to them after you meet.
God is not against me, but He’s in it with me, working through me, fighting for me.
Change your meditation this week. Write down what you would do if you believed that God is not against you, but that He is in it with you, working through you, and fighting for you.
Then, find ways to change your meditation by reminding yourself of these truths. You might try creating a daily reminder on your phone, or writing this meditation down and leaving it somewhere as a reminder. Share with your group how you are using this meditation to change your script.

Close out your group with prayer using one of these options:

As you close, divide your group into teams of 2. Have each person pray for the other from Joshua 1:7, for strength and courage, and to be careful and successful, along with any specific prayer requests.
God, thank you for being for us. Thank you that you are with us in every challenge and every victory. Thank you for not giving up on us, but that you are working through each of us. Thank you that you are fighting for us, and that you are always victorious. Help us this week to focus our faith on you. Help us to identify and eliminate those things that distract us from you so that we can walk with you into the new chapter you are bringing us through. This week, encourage us in the moments we need it most so that we can do the thing you are calling us to do in our homes, in our workplaces, and in our relationships. May we bring you honor as we draw closer to you to hear your voice this week. In Jesus’ name.

Want to help your group go deeper after you meet? Send them one of these resources that relates to the sermon topic.

Listen to “The Blessing” by Elevation Worship with Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes to remind yourself that God is with you and for you today and every day, everywhere you go.
If you are struggling with discouragement, check out “Feeling Discouraged?” an excerpt from Pastor Steven’s sermon “Needers & Feeders.”
When you need some guidance on recognizing God’s voice, check out “Recognizing God’s Voice,” a teaching from Pastor Holly Furtick.
To inspire hope that God is fighting for you, listen to “Never Lost” by Elevation Worship featuring Tauren Wells.