Text: Matthew 14:22-33
1. Talk about a time you either purchased something or experienced something and it didn't meet your expectations. How did you respond?
2. Justin said, "Doubt is essential to a growing faith." When it comes to storms in your life, whether big or small, is doubt or faith your initial reaction? What has caused your faith to grow?
Either break up into groups of 3, or stay together, and discuss the following:
Identify an area of your life, or one in the past where doubt crept in (ex: finances, job, health) and be open about it with your group and work through these steps together.
The Invitation (Come out of the boat)
- Where do you need a deeper trust in Jesus right now?
The Response (Step out and act on your faith)
- What next step do you need to make? (Feel free to lovingly offer advice to each other. Speak from past experiences too) Look up Proverbs 3:5-6 and talk through its implications over the person's struggle.
The Struggle (Circumstances seem bigger than Jesus)
- What are your expectations that don't seem to be being met?
The Cry (God brings you to the end of self-reliance)
- Take some together and pray for each person to fully trust and surrender all self-efforts to control the outcome.
The Touch (Relationship with God becomes personal)
- Encourage each other with memories of times where you experienced Jesus extending His hand to you and pulling you out of the sea.
For Further Study: Look up all of these verses about faith and talk about what stands out to you. Also, how does doubt affect the verse? Matthew 21:22, Hebrews 11:1, Hebrews 11:6, Romans 10:17, 2 Corinthians 5:7, Mark 11:22-24, Matthew 17:20, James 2:14-26.