Impact - End of Week 3

INTRODUCTION
The following is a guide to help facilitate discussion between you and the person you’re studying with or with your Connect Group. Feel free to add, subtract, or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.

OPEN QUESTIONS
They say that in the US, the number one shared fear is public speaking, followed by death, heights, bugs and insects, and drowning.  What is one of your greatest fears and why?  Have you ever had to face that fear?  What happened?

HEAD

1. Read Joshua 1:6-9, Numbers 14:30, Joshua 3:14-16, Joshua 1:10-2:1, Joshua 3:1-5, Joshua 3:14-16 together and share any wisdom, insights, or thoughts that come to you from the reading.
2. If I were Joshua, I’d be shaking in my sandals to take over for Moses, the hero.  God tells Joshua three times to be strong and courageous, reminds him that He’ll be with him wherever he goes.  Do you think Joshua heard this speech and stopped worrying or comparing himself to Moses from that moment on?  Would you?
3. Think of the Israelite journey out of Egypt on their way to the promised land.  What incidents caused them to think about turning back?  How much disappointment can one take before giving up?  What do you do when you face disappointment?  Where do you go for encouragement?
4. Obstacles.  The Israelites faced them constantly, as do we.  They were told that on the other side of the Jordan River, was the land God promised them.  But the Jordan River at flood stage was huge, dangerous.  What did the Israelites have to do to trust God and step forward in faith, again?  What can we learn from this?
5. Just like God commanded the Israelites to purify themselves before crossing the Jordan River, we too often have things that keep us from following God, trusting Him, believing His Word.  What kinds of things get in the way for us?  How do we surrender those things to take hold of all that God has promised us?

HEART

1. Have you ever had to move forward in faith, not knowing exactly how things would work out, but convicted that you had to move?  What happened?
2. Joshua likely compared himself to Moses regularly, yet comparisons can often keep us from growing, from moving forward, from being creative.  How can you and I avoid comparing all the things we know about ourselves (our shortcomings, challenges, sins), from all the things we don’t know about someone else (we only see the external, we don’t know all that is really happening in their heart or lives)?
3. When you face an obstacle in your life, in your faith, how do you address that obstacle?  Is it a sign to turn a different direction?  Is it a matter of prayer, trying to find the courage to remove the obstacle?  How do you know which route to take?
4. What are some of your own practices of confession?  How do you confess?  When do you confess?  When you do confess, are you able to let it go or do you find it hard to forgive yourself and move on?  Would there ever be any advantages of sharing your confession with others?
5. Momentum is one of our core values at Crosswalk.  How can we encourage one another to keep moving forward in faith, even when our circumstances seem against us?

HANDS
Think about someone in your faith community that you could encourage this week to keep going, to not give up, to cling to Jesus no matter what is happening, reminding them that He is always with them, will never leave them or forsake them.  You can even say you don’t know everything going on with them, but you just wanted to share a word of encouragement.  Then send them a text, write them a note, or if you’re comfortable enough, talk to them directly.  Encouraging others has a crazy reverse affect of encourage us as well.

LIVING WORDS FOR YOUR WEEK
“So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.”
1 Thessalonians 5:11 NLT