Pacific Church

Red Letters : How Jesus Described Himself // I Am the Bread of Life

John 6:35 NIV

35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

1. The Bread as a Sign

John 6:14-15 NIV

14 After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

John 6:24-27 NIV

24 Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus. 25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” 26 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.

2)  The Bread as a Sustainer

John 6:28-31;35 NIV

28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” 29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” 30 So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’’ 35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe.

John 6:48-49 NIV

48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die.

John 6:51 NIV

51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

1 Corinthians 11:23-24 NLT

23 For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread 24 and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.

1 Corinthians 11:25 NLT

25 In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this to remember me as often as you drink it.”

1 Corinthians 11:26 NIV

26 For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.

3) The Bread as a Statement

Questions:

1. What does it mean to you when Jesus refers to Himself as “the Bread of Life”? How does this title resonate with you?

2. Our culture promotes saving as much as possible, yet Jesus’ Kingdom teaches “daily bread”. As a Believer, how do you process this? Which way do you see yourself leaning more towards?

3. Which of the many titles Jesus gave Himself speaks to you the most? What emotions do you feel? What are things you can start today that will help you trust God that much more?

Jonah 1:11-12 NASB 11 So they said to him, “What should we do to you that the sea may become calm for us?”—for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy. 12 He said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm for you, for I know that on account of me this great storm has come upon you.”

Jonah 1:15-16 NASB 15 So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging. 16 Then the men feared the Lord greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.

Jonah 1:17 NASB 17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights.

1. What if the SWALLOWING was TO SAVE?

2. What if the RESTRICTION was to RESTORE?

Jonah 2:1-9 NASB  1 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the stomach of the fish, 2 and he said, “I called out of my distress to the Lord, And He answered me. I cried for help from the depth of Sheol; You heard my voice. 3 “For You had cast me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, And the current engulfed me. All Your breakers and billows passed over me. 4 “So I said, ‘I have been expelled from Your sight. Nevertheless I will look again toward Your holy temple.’ 5 “Water encompassed me to the point of death. The great deep engulfed me, Weeds were wrapped around my head. 6 “I descended to the roots of the mountains. The earth with its bars was around me forever, But You have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God. 7 “While I was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, And my prayer came to You, Into Your holy temple. 8 “Those who regard vain idols forsake their faithfulness, 9 But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation is from the Lord.”

3. What if the PURGING was to PROVIDE?

Jonah 2:10 NASB Then the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land.

1 Peter 4:12-13; 19 NIV 12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 19 Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

Jonah 3:1-3 NASB Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you.”3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord.

Questions:

1. What if the situation that feels “SWALLOWING” to you is actually to save you from something? How might you process it differently?

2. What if the “RESTRICTING” season you are in is actually to RESTORE or heal you? How might that work? How would you know?

3. What God wants to use the “PURGING” (or mess that you find yourself in) to PROVIDE for you in some way? What might that look like and how can you best navigate that provision?

Red Letters : How Jesus Described Himself // I Am the Resurrection and the Light 

John 11:3-7 NIV 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”4 When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, 7 and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.” 

1. The Question of TIMING 

John 11:4 NIV 4 When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” 

John 11:14-15 NIV 14 So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, 15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 

John 11:17 NIV 17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 

John 11:25-26 NIV 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 

2. The Question of TEARS 

John 11:32b-35 32b “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. 35 Jesus wept. 

3. The Question of TRUST 

John 11:38-43 NIV 38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” 40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 

John 3:16 NIV 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 

Questions: 

1. Have you ever felt like God was too late in answering your prayer? How did you process that experience? 

2. Jesus feels your pain. What does it mean to you that the God of the Universe hurts when you hurt? How does that impact your relationship with others? 

3. Describe an experience in your life where trust was broken. How did you react? What are the steps you are currently taking to courageously walk in faith?

Genesis 15:6 NIV 

6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. 3 Characteristics of Faithfulness Found in Abraham That We Can Mimic Today 

1. His Confidence 

Genesis 12:1-4 NIV 

1 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. 2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran. 

2. His Conduct 

James 2:20-21 NKJV 

20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 

3. His Carry On 

James 2:22-23 NKJV 

22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. 

Questions: 

1. What does the word faithful mean to you? When you hear that word, who or what comes to your mind? 

2. How does the idea of God being a loving father resonate with you? 

3. Part of faithfulness is not giving up. Describe an experience in your life where this played out. What did you learn?

1. The Good Shepherd Purchases His Sheep 

John 10:11-13NIV 

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 

2. The Good Shepherd Pursues His Sheep 

3. The Good Shepherd Protects His Sheep 

John 10:10a NIV 

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; 

John 10:27-30 NIV 

27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.” 

Questions: 

1. The Good Shepherd purchases His sheep. What does it mean to you that Jesus Christ has taken “ownership” over your life? How does that make you feel? 

2. Jesus is always willing to leave the 99 to pursue the one.. Describe your Jesus encounter. How did you come to Christ? 

3. Describe a scenario where you felt like God truly protected you. How did that affect you? What lessons did you learn from that experience?

John 8:12 NIV 

12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 

1. His Light is meant to REVEAL 

John 8:6-8 NIV 

6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. 

Jeremiah 17:13 NIV 

13 Lord, you are the hope of Israel; all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the Lord, the spring of living water. 

John 8:9-11 NIV 

9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” 

John 9:1-5 NIV 

1 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world. 

2. His Light is meant to RESTORE 

John 12:35-36 NIV 

35 Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. 36 Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them. 

3. His Light is meant to REFLECT 

Matthew 5:14-16 NIV 

14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. 

Questions: 

1. The Light of Christ is meant to reveal the state of our own hearts, as well as the loving and forgiving heart of the Father. What does that statement mean to you on a personal level? How have you experienced this in your own life? 

2. When you consider the fact that Christ's Light is meant to restore us, have you experienced a specific time or season, where you saw this play out in you? Have you ever been used by God to be a healing agent for someone else? If so, please describe that experience and how it affected you. 

3. Christ’s light, ultimately, is to be reflected from Believers to others. Do you see this within your own local church? If so, describe how you see this in action within your community of Believers, as well as on a personal level.

Acts 16:31 (NLT)

31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.”

Two Parts of the Basics of Communion:

1. The Purpose of Communion     
2. The Practice of Communion

The Purpose of Communion:

1. TO REMEMBER (What Jesus Did For Us)

 1 Corinthians 11:23-24 (NLT)

23 For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread 24 and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.

1 Corinthians 11:25 (NLT)

25 In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this to remember me as often as you drink it.” 

2. TO PROCLAIM (What Jesus Did For Us)

 1 Corinthians 11:26 (NLT)

26 For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.

The Practice of Communion

1 Corinthians 11:27-31 (NLT)

27 So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. 29 For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.

31 But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way. 

Questions:

1. What role has the practice of remembering what Christ did for you on the Cross played in your life? How has it impacted you?
2. Communion brings us closer to God. How has Communion affected your relationship with Jesus? How has it impacted your relationship with others? 
3. Why do you believe Jesus was so adamant about remembering his death and resurrection? What are ways that you can be more intentional with honoring His direction for you?

Joshua 24:15b NIV 

as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. 

Joshua 23:1-3 NIV 

1 After a long time had passed and the Lord had given Israel rest from all their enemies around them, Joshua, by then a very old man, 2 summoned all Israel — their elders, leaders, judges and officials — and said to them: “I am very old. 3 You yourselves have seen everything the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake; it was the Lord your God who fought for you. 

1. Continually Look Back with Gratitude 

Joshua 23:9-11 NIV 

9 “The Lord has driven out before you great and powerful nations; to this day no one has been able to withstand you. 10 One of you routs a thousand, because the Lord your God fights for you, just as he promised. 11 So be very careful to love the Lord your God. 

Joshua 23:14 NIV 

14 “Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed. 

1 Chronicles 16:34 NIV 

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. 

Philippians 4:12-13 NIV 

12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength. 

1. Continually Look Back with Gratitude 

2. Continually Look Out for the Gimmicks 

Joshua 23:6;9-13 NIV 

6 “Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left. 9 “The Lord has driven out before you great and powerful nations; to this day no one has been able to withstand you. 10 One of you routs a thousand, because the Lord your God fights for you, just as he promised. 11 So be very careful to love the Lord your God. 12 “But if you turn away and ally yourselves with the survivors of these nations that remain among you and if you intermarry with them and associate with them, 13 then you may be sure that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you. Instead, they will become snares and traps for you, whips on your backs and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land, which the Lord your God has given you. 

Joshua 24:14-15 NIV 

14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” 

1. Continually Look Back with Gratitude 

2. Continually Look Out for the Gimmicks 

3. Continually Look Forward with His Grace 

Joshua 24:19-22 NIV 

19 Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.” 21 But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.” 22 Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord.” 

Hebrews 9:15 NIV 

15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. 

Questions: 

1. In what ways does gratitude impact your daily life? Who is someone that you know who practices thanksgiving? Describe an experience that you had with them where gratitude was on display. 

2. Have you ever been the victim of being tricked by the enemy? Describe the experience you had? How were you able to overcome the situation that you found yourself in? 

3. How do you view the future of your life? What are things that you are pursuing and hoping for that you feel are part of your story? What are you doing now to see those goals come to fruition?

Three things to remember about your place in HIS story. 

1. Your Origin Matters Gen 1:27-28a; 31a NRSV 

So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them, 31 God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. 

Genesis 5:1b-2 NRSV 

When God created humankind, he made them in the likeness of God. 2 Male and female he created them and he blessed them and named them “Humankind” when they were created. Image: something that contains the essence of something else. Likeness: substance; expressing a resemblance 

Colossians 1:15 

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 

2. Keep God at the Center 

Acts 17: 26-29 NIV 

26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ 29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 

I Corinthians 15:49 NRSV 

Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust we will also bear the image of the man of heaven. 

Ephesians 2:10 

For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life. 

I Corinthians 15:57-58 NIV 

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 

John 14:12 NLT 

'I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. 

Ephesians 4:24 NLT 

Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, 22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. 

James 1:23-24 NIV 

23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 

3. We Can Trust GOD and HIS Process I 

Corinthians 13:12 NIV 

For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 

Ezekiel 36:26-27 NIV 

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. 

2 Corinthians 3:17-18 NRSV 

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom. 18 And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit. 

Matthew 28:18-20 NRSV 

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always , to the end of the age.” 

Questions 

1. How does knowing you are made in the image and likeness of God affect how you view your natural origin story? 

2. Have you ever had a season in your life when you felt distracted or off course? What would be the benefit of centering God in those moments? 

3. Share an example of a time when you have trusted God and His process. How did it change your view of who He is in your life?

Joshua 9:1-2 NIV 

1 Now when all the kings west of the Jordan heard about these things—the kings in the hill country, in the western foothills, and along the entire coast of the Mediterranean Sea as far as Lebanon (the kings of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites)— 2 they came together to wage war against Joshua and Israel. 

1) Your Advancement Attracts Attacks 

1a) Your Advancement AND ALIGNMENTS Attract Attacks 

2) Your Perseverance Presents His Power 

Joshua 10:7-10 NIV 

7 So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, including all the best fighting men. 8 The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you.” 9 After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise. 10 The Lord threw them into confusion before Israel, so Joshua and the Israelites defeated them completely at Gibeon. 

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NIV 

9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 

Joshua 10:10b-11 NIV 

Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. 11 As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the Lord hurled large hailstones down on them, and more of them died from the hail than were killed by the swords of the Israelites. ‭‭

2 Corinthians‬ ‭10:3-4‬ NIV 

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 

Ephesians 6:10-13 NIV 

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 

Ephesians 6:17b-18 NIV 

...and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. 

3) Your Confidence Is Crucial 

1 John 5:14-15 NIV 

14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. 

Joshua 10:12-14 NIV 

12 On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” 13 So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. 14 There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a human being. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel! 

Questions 

1.Can you recall an experience where you felt under attack by the enemy due to an advancement in your spiritual journey? How did you respond? 

2.Perseverance plays a powerful role in the life of every believer. What has persevering through a trial looked like in your life? 

3.What are 3 things you can do to build confidence in your belief that God will answer your prayers? What other areas of your life do you lack confidence? How can you grow in those?