Living in God's Power Finding God's Strength for Life's Challenges

Living in God's Power Copyright © 1998 by Willow Creek Association Previously published as Overcoming Requests for information should be addressed to: Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530 ISBN-10: 0-310-26606-8 ISBN-13: 978-0-310-26606-8 All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible: New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other-except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher. Interior design by Rick Devon and Michelle Espinoza Printed in the United States of America 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 /?DCI/ 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 SESSION 1 LIVING IN GOD'S POWER THE BIG PICTURE Some years ago I heard a story of a fifty-six-year-old woman from Africa who faced adversity that most of us could barely imagine. Her nation was going through yet another famine, and she, in complete despondency, finally got a coupon from World Vision (a Christian relief agency) for a bag of rice. If she walked from her village to a feeding center in another city and traded the small piece of paper for a large bag of rice, she could probably stay alive for thirty days, until she had a chance to get another coupon. The woman stood in line for much of the day and finally got her bag of rice. She walked around the city, and at one point, put her bag down to tend to something. She looked away for only a moment, but when she turned back, her bag of rice was gone-stolen. At that instant she realized that for the next thirty days she would face stomach-gnawing hunger and potential starvation. There would be no extra ticket or second bag of rice. To understand the full scope of this woman's suffering, you need to know that she had lost her husband and children in a previous famine. This is adversity beyond imagination. We might not face famine, but adversity can come pounding down on us in many different ways. It is not much of an exaggeration to say that most of your small group members have felt or will feel the painful blow of adversity. It may come in the form of a financial, relational, or emotional beating. It may come from a stranger or from those closest to you. It may come slowly or out of the clear blue sky. But in the middle of our darkest moments, Jesus says, "Take courage. There is still hope. There is still a power that can sustain you during times of unbelievable tragedy and adversity." We all need to hear these words of encouragement. OVERCOMING ADVERSITY A W I D E A N G L E V I E W 1. Choose one of the areas below and describe a time you faced adversity in that area: - In the home - In the marketplace - In a friendship - In the church - In some other area of life What helped you make it through this time? A B I B L I C A L P O R T R A I T 2. In light of this passage, how would you respond to each of these statements: If you live a good life and are faithful to God, you will never face suffering or adversity. When I go through hard times, I have a feeling that God has deserted me in my time of greatest need. 3. Isaiah speaks of "waters," "rivers," and "fire." What is he talking about? What is God doing while we are going through adversities? What are some of the "waters," "rivers," and "fires" you are facing right now? S H A R P E N I N G T H E F O C U S Read Snapshot "What You Believe" 4. Why is each of these beliefs essential to overcoming adversity? 5. Take each belief andHybels, Bill is the author of 'Living in God's Power Finding God's Strength for Life's Challenges' with ISBN 9780310266068 and ISBN 0310266068.