Sessions 11–15

11. God is Our Saviour

Whatever the odds against you may be—even if they seem insurmountable—remember this: God is with you. He is the Lord who walks with you, guides you, and by His Word removes all fear, doubt and obstacles from your way. As the Bible says, ‘He will neither leave us nor forsake us.’ God is our ever-faithful and loving Father.

Key Scriptures

He will say to them, ‘Listen to me, all you men of Israel! Do not be afraid as you go out to fight your enemies today! Do not lose heart or panic or tremble before them. For the Lord your God is going with you! He will fight for you against your enemies, and he will give you victory!’(‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭20:3-4‬, ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬)‬‬‬‬

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.(1 Peter 1:18-19, NIV)

For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.(Colossians 1:13-14, NIV)

Illustration

The True Story Behind The Song ‘I Have Decided To Follow Jesus’

… Into these hostile and aggressive communities, came a group of missionaries from the American Baptist Missions spreading the message of love, peace and hope in Jesus Christ. Naturally, they were not welcomed. One missionary succeeded in converting a man, his wife, and two children. This man's faith proved contagious and many villagers began to accept Christianity.

Angry, the village chief summoned all the villagers. He then called the family who had first converted to renounce their faith in public or face execution. Moved by the Holy Spirit, the man said:

"I have decided to follow Jesus."

Enraged at the refusal of the man, the chief ordered his archers to arrow down the two children. As both boys lay twitching on the floor, the chief asked, "Will you deny your faith? You have lost both your children. You will lose your wife too."

But the man replied:

"Though no one joins me, still I will follow."

The chief was beside himself with fury and ordered his wife to be arrowed down. In a moment she joined her two children in death. Now he asked for the last time, "I will give you one more opportunity to deny your faith and live." In the face of death the man said the final memorable lines:

"The cross before me, the world behind me. No turning back."

He was shot dead like the rest of his family. But with their deaths, a miracle took place. The chief who had ordered the killings was moved by the faith of the man. He wondered, "Why should this man, his wife and two children die for a Man who lived in a far-away land on another continent some 2,000 years ago? There must be some remarkable power behind the family's faith, and I too want to taste that faith."

In a spontaneous confession of faith, he declared, "I too belong to Jesus Christ!" When the crowd heard this from the mouth of their chief, the whole village accepted Christ as their Lord and Saviour.

Source: renewaljournal.com

Prayer Points

• Surrender every part of your life to Jesus. He’s either Lord of all, or not Lord at all
• Thank God for saving you and walking with you in His goodness
• Thank God for the joy of salvation
• Ask God to challenge your faith by giving towards a First Fruits pledge

Daily Task

• Do a study on ‘surrender’. If you’re unsure how, team up with someone
• Spend time in worship and listen to a word on surrender via the HCC app
• Journal anything that God has spoken to you about

Mental Health Food

Jesus loves you so much that He laid His life down for you. God values us so much that He sent His Son to die for you. He bought you with a price and so now your life is not your own, it belongs to God. Everything you do should be to bring joy and pleasure to Him. Dwell on God’s love for you and write out as many Scriptures of God’s unfailing love as possible.

12. God is Our Passion

God is fiercely passionate about you, so much so that He gave His one and only Son so that you could spend all eternity with Him. He is a jealous God, longing to be Lord of all in our hearts and lives. When we could devote ourselves to so many things, God’s favour rests on those who devote themselves to Him and His house first.

Key Scriptures

"But why did you need to search?" he asked. "Didn't you know that I must be in my Father's house?"(Luke 2:49, NLT)

My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.(Psalm 84:2, NIV)

One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.(Psalm 27:4, NIV)

Illustration

“That boy will beat me one day,” remarked a tutor to a friend, watching the young Michaelangelo work his chisel and hammer.

Although a slow learner in the beginning, he went on to become better than all the other boys in the apprenticeship, and in time — better than the tutor himself.

Michelangelo was a great believer in hard work, that typical trait persistent in all men of Genius. He held that there was nothing which the imagination conceives that the mind cannot do. “If people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery,” he once remarked, “it would not seem like genius at all.” He attributed all his prowess to studying a little more, and working a little harder than his contemporaries.

When he was a boy, his parents, seeing his interest in the arts, declared that no son of theirs would ever follow the discreditable path to poverty that the profession of an artist would lead to, and forbade him from ever pursuing it, punishing him for covering his walls and furniture with sketches. His passion, however, burned in him like a coal, and would not let him rest until he had made a name for himself in the field. A few years later when he was a young man on his own, it seemed for a time that his parents had been right, for at one stage of his life, he was so poor that he could not afford to have his younger brother come visit him where he was working because he had only one bed which he shared with three other workers.

But he pursued the work with such relentless vigour that during his early years he lived a very frugal life, a little bread and wine was all he needed for supper. He would often rise in the middle of the night to resume his work by candlelight, and on some occasions, would be too tired to undress, and slept in his uniform, ready to spring to action as soon as he was refreshed by sleep.

His work was filled with such incredible detail that he would take days, sometimes weeks working on one specific feature of his art, such as bringing out the detail of a bulge of a vein on the arm, or working on the striation of a muscle fiber on the thigh.

“I do not see any progress since my last visit,” said a friend to him once on a returning visit after several weeks.

“But,” replied the sculptor, “I have retouched this part, polished that, softened that feature, brought out that muscle, given some expression to this lip, more energy to that limb, etc.”

“But these are minor things!” exclaimed the visitor.

“Perhaps,” replied the great artist, “but minor things make perfection, and perfection is no minor thing.”

Even in the last years of his life, already famous, the 89 year old would still be found chipping away at a block of marble or painting some work of art on a canvas, working as fervently at 89 as he had done at 20.

His last, unfinished work, the Pietà Rondanini, can be found today at Sforza Castle in Milan. While most men would recline at an easy chair and take pride in being elevated to the status of modern Genius, he would cheerfully say “Ancora imparo!” meaning; “I am still learning”.

Source: Paul Gwamanda on Medium.com

Passion keeps people practicing, working, training and studying long after others have stopped. It can seem obsessive. Whilst some may spend their lives trying to win earthly prizes, accolades and awards, as believers, our focus should be first and foremost on eternity and the one who we will spend eternity with (1 Corinthians 9:24-26). Our best energy should be spent building what God is building—His church!

Prayer Points

• Ask God to give you a greater zeal for His presence and His house
• Ask God to show you more of who He is
• Ask God to reveal any areas that are distracting you or causing you to neglect your relationship with Him
• Prayerfully consider Jeremiah 29:12-13, Jeremiah 33:3 and Isaiah 50:4-5

Daily Task

• Remove any distractions. Resist the temptation to check your phone or social media
• Spend time in prayer and worship. Sing of God’s goodness, faithfulness, and greatness
• Look up the following verses: Zechariah 8:2; Isaiah 41:9-10; Isaiah 9:7; John 3:16; Jeremiah 31:3. Write down what these scriptures reveal about God’s passion
• Read Philippians 3:5-11. How did Paul’s passion change? Write down anything that God reveals to you

Mental Health Food

Read Zephaniah 3:17 and remind yourself that God takes great delight in you. He rejoices over you with joyful songs. He is your mighty saviour. He will calm all your fears.

13. God is Our Promise

God always keeps His promises. He is passionate in His commitment to fulfil His promises—not out of obligation or duty, but because it would be inconsistent with His very nature to fail. He is truth, and what He says is certain. He is love, and He fulfils His promises out of His zealous love for you. He is eternal, and His promises are weaved into a far greater plan that we can’t yet see. He is never late and always perfectly on time. He is glorious not only in how He brings His promises to fulfilment, but also when. He is able even when we are not. But His promises are more than an answer to our present needs, troubles or uncertainties, they are promises of His very glory for all eternity. It’s the promise of sharing in who He is, knowing Him, and worshipping Him forevermore. That is our true gift!

Key Scriptures

God's way is perfect. All the Lord's promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.(Psalm 18:30, NLT)

It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.(Isaiah 55:11, NLT)

And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world's corruption caused by human desires.(2 Peter 1:4, NLT)

Illustration

In Genesis 18:1-15, God promised to give Abraham and Sarah a child, but Sarah couldn't believe it. In her mind, both she and her husband were too old and her time of child-bearing had passed. The thought of her bringing life into the world seemed ridiculous. But Sarah was wrong, because nothing is too hard for God. Though she initially laughed in disbelief, we see in Genesis 21:1-7 that God did the impossible. The couple welcomed a son named Isaac.

This story reminds us that it’s never too late for God, and His promises don’t expire.

Prayer Points

• Read 2 Corinthians 1:20 and declare that all the promises of God are yes and amen. Be specific in declaring ‘yes and amen’ to each and every promise God has given you, both for the present life and eternity
• Declare the names of God in your situation, remembering that He is Lord of all, He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords (e.g. He is Jehovah Jireh—my provider; Jehovah Rapha—the God who heals; Emanual—the God who is with us; Jehovah Shalom—he is our peace; Jehovah Raah—the Lord my shepherd)
• As you wait on Him, ask God to show you what He wants to teach you in this season and how He wants to transform you into the person He wants you to be. Ask God to show you how you can serve, love, give and minister to others even as you wait
• Pray for the needs of others who are also waiting on God to move in their situations

Daily Task

• Spend 15 minutes praising and worshipping God for who He is, for His faithfulness, and for His incomparable grace, glory, wisdom and power
• Read Romans 4:17-22. For each verse, write out what Abraham did and/or what God did. What can you learn from Abraham’s example?
• Write out the promises of God that He has already fulfilled. Thank God for all He has already done
• Look up each of these Bible verses and write out his promise for you today: Isaiah 26:3; Isaiah 41:10; Isaiah 41:13; Isaiah 43:1-2; Matthew 6:33; Matthew 7:7-8; Luke 11:13; John 8:36; John 10:27-29; Ephesians 3:20; Philippians 1:6; Philippians 3:20-21; 2 Peter 1:3; Hebrews 13:5

Mental Health Food

When doubt, fear or worry creep in, take those thoughts captive (2 Corinthians 10:5) and replace them with a declaration of God’s word, believing that every promise is yes and amen! Make an intentional decision to choose faith over fear. Remember, God is not fickle, nor does He lie. He is not like man and will not let you down or let you go. Nothing you are facing and nothing you have done is too big for God.

14. God is Our Security

There is a security in God that is stronger than any physical structure. He is a shield around you. He commands His angels to guard you. He protects you, defends you and saves you, giving you peace in spite of anything that might be happening around you. Our security comes not from our finances, retirement plans, careers or other people, but from trusting in the God who is the same God yesterday, today, and forevermore.

Key Scriptures

Those who trust in the Lord are as secure as Mount Zion; they will not be defeated but will endure forever. Just as the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, both now and forever.(Psalm 125:1-2, NLT)

For the Lord is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap.(Proverbs 3:26, NLT)

He led me to a place of safety; he rescued me because he delights in me.(Psalm 18:19, NLT)

Illustration

On 11th September 2001, Michael Hingson was working on the 78th floor of the North Tower in the World Trade Centre when, at 8.46am, the American Airlines Boeing 767 crashed into the North Tower. With jet fuel spilling into the floors below, the North tower swaying, and ceiling tiles, debris and burning paper falling around him, Michael sat with his assistance dog, Roselle, at his feet. Blind soon after birth, Michael heard the boom above him and the screaming around him but could not see what had happened. Roselle, his guide dog, had a fierce fear of thunder, but remained still and calm in the explosion. Believing that they were a team, Michael chose to trust Roselle’s judgement, relying on Roselle’s sight even when his own senses suggested that something extraordinary had happened. He didn’t panic, knowing that if Roselle seemed calm, they could evacuate. Steadily, Roselle would guide Michael as he walked the 1,460 steps down stairway B and out onto the New York City streets to safety.

Source: Thunder Dog by Michael Hingson

It would have been easy for Michael to panic and rely only on what his senses told him, but he chose to trust his safety and security to a much-loved guide dog who could see what he could not and who could guide him when the way ahead was uncertain. As believers, our safety and security is no less grounded in trusting in God, who can see what we cannot and who will guide us and protect us on life’s journey, even when we can’t see every step, turn and detour along the way.

Prayer Points

• Ask God for help in any area where you or your family need His protection today
• Ask God for wisdom and direction so that you can walk securely along the path He has for you (Proverbs 3:6)

Daily Task

• Spend time praising and worshipping God
• Read 2 Kings 6:8-20. Write down anything God speaks to you about
• Read Exodus 3:1—4:17. What was the source of Moses’ insecurity and what were God’s answers?
• Prayerfully read Psalm 121

Mental Health Food

We can sleep knowing that we are kept safe and secure (Psalm 4:8). We do not need to worry about what might happen or dwell on our fears, but can trust God to keep us. Read Psalm 91 and write down every verse that speaks to God’s protection, safety, security, and shelter. Ask God to grant you peace and rest as you learn to live in the shelter of the Most High.

15. God is Our Joy

Our joy in God is not dependant on our circumstances; it comes from our position in Him. God wants us to experience true joy—a gladness that is not dependant on emotions or feelings but flows from His presence in our lives. There is no limit to the abounding joy we can experience and no limits to the glory God wants to reveal within us. However deeply we have already come to know God, there is always yet greater beauty to behold.

Key Scriptures

I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.(Psalm 9:2, NLT)

You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine.(Psalm 4:7, NLT)

You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.(Psalm 16:11, NLT)

Illustration

According to Charles Spurgeon, the story behind the hymn, ‘More to Follow’ was as follows. A man named Mr Rowland Hill had pledged to give a poor minister £100, and sent him £5 in an envelope marked ‘more to follow’. At the end of the next month, another £5 was sent with the same message, ‘more to follow’. This continued until the full amount was given. The ‘more to follow’ came to an end, but it is never so with God. The experience would inspire the words:

Have you on the Lord believed? Still there’s more to follow
Of His grace have you received? Still there’s more to follow
Oh, the grace the Father shows! Still there’s more to follow
Freely He His grace bestows, Still there’s more to follow
More and more, more and more, Always more to follow
Oh, his matchless, boundless love! Still there’s more to follow

Have you felt the Saviour near? Still there’s more to follow
Does His blessèd presence cheer? Still there’s more to follow
Oh the love that Jesus shows; Still there’s more to follow
Freely He His love bestows, Still there’s more to follow
More and more, more and more, Always more to follow
Oh, his matchless, boundless love! Still there’s more to follow

Have you felt the Spirit’s power? Still there’s more to follow
Falling like the gentle shower? Still there’s more to follow
Oh, the power the Spirit shows, Still there’s more to follow
Freely He His power bestows, Still there’s more to follow
More and more, more and more, Always more to follow
Oh, his matchless, boundless love! Still there’s more to follow

Source: spurgeon.org

Prayer Points

• Start by rejoicing in God! Praise Him, reminding yourself of His matchless beauty and glory
• Spend 10 minutes simply thanking God for all He has done for you
• Ask God to fill you afresh with His Spirit

Daily Task

• Worship God for 30 minutes
• Read and reflect on Philippians 4:4. Consider: are you always full of joy in the Lord? Why/why not?
• Read 1 Peter 1:3-9. What did Paul consider would cause the church to rejoice with ‘glorious, inexpressible joy’?

Mental Health Food

In Nehemiah 8:10, it says that the ‘joy of the Lord is our strength,’ meaning that the joy of the Lord is our safety, refuge, protection and stronghold. Joy is not the same as happiness; happiness is dependant on how we feel about our circumstances and situations, but joy is promised by God despite our circumstances. The joy of the Lord gives us strength even when our own strength might otherwise be failing.