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Logical Faith to an Irrational Confidence With God

When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.” Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?” The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment. MATTHEW 8:5-13 NIV

My Notes

Personal Reflection Guide

Locate a quiet place where you can clear your thoughts and emotions and become reasonably calm. Ask God to help you to be still that you may hear whatever He may want to impress upon you. Take some deep breaths or go for a walk if you think it will help. When you are ready, commit the time to God for His purposes. Ask God to help you discern in what ways your trust in Jesus has been challenged lately. How has trusting Him in these areas seemed irrational? Talk to God about the difficulties you have had in trusting Him. Pray He will reveal some actions you can take that will enable you to rely more on Him. Close your time by thanking Him for specific ways He is growing your faith. Ask Him this week to help you take one of the actions He revealed that would help grow your trust in Him. Pray to God, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief” (Mark 9:23, NLT).

Discussion Questions

Choose a couple of the following questions from each section that best fit your group. Or, have everyone read the questions, choosing which one(s) from each section that they feel led to respond to.

  1. START HERE: What is your favorite story about Jesus? Why?
  2. START HERE: What was your family and friends’ faith like growing up?
  3. START HERE: Was there a time in your life when you trusted God more than you do now?
  4. KEEP GOING: Read Matthew 8:5-13 (NLT). How would you describe the authority of Jesus to someone else?
  5. KEEP GOING: Have you ever had a scary experience that brought you closer to God? How did that experience influence your trust in God?
  6. KEEP GOING: Have you ever had an experience with God that is difficult to explain to others?
  7. KEEP GOING: What is something you regret not asking God for?
  8. LIVE IT OUT: Read Ephesians 3:20-21 (NLT). What is something seemingly irrational that you want to ask God for or trust Him with? Pray now with your group, placing your confidence in Jesus’ love, authority, and peace.
  9. LIVE IT OUT: What action do you need to take in order to move one step closer to living from a place of wholehearted trust in God?
  10. LIVE IT OUT: This week, pray the following prayer (or something like it) daily: “Jesus, I believe that You are able to do immeasurably more than I can ever ask or imagine. Please give me the ability to trust You with every aspect of my life.” Next time you gather in group, share how this prayer practice changed you.