When Should You Trust God? (Hebrews 11)

Which of the following "Faith Stories" is most impressive to you? Why?

• Abel bringing an offering that was more acceptable than Cain's
• Enoch walking closely with God
• Noah building the ark
• Abraham leaving his home because God had called him
• Sarah believing God would give her a son
• Abraham being willing to sacrifice Isaac
• Moses' parents hiding him from Pharaoh
  
• Moses giving up his position in the palace of Egypt
• Rahab hiding the spies in Jericho
• Joshua and Israel marching around Jericho for seven days

Do any of these stories create tension in your mind? Why?

What do you think it means to "live by faith?" Who do you know that truly lives by faith?

Do you think someone can make bad decisions while claiming to "live by faith?" Give an example.

How can you know when you need to "trust God" and when you need to just take care of things yourself?

Consider the following questions*:

1. For what specifically are you trusting God?
2. On what basis are you trusting him for these things?

How can these questions help you more appropriately trust God? How can they protect you from foolishly "trusting" for something God hasn't promised?

For what will you trust God this week?

*these questions taken from Dan Phillips at the Pyromaniacs blog.