If our faith is only shaped by our _____________ we stop reaching for the _____________________.

[Psalm 13:1-2] O LORD, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way? [2] How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand?

Over time our faith can shift from _____________________ to _____________________.

[Joshua 9:14-15] So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the LORD. [15] Then Joshua made a peace treaty with them and guaranteed their safety, and the leaders of the community ratified their agreement with a binding oath.

Even if our faith starts _____________________, God is not _____________________.

[Joshua 10:5] So these five Amorite kings combined their armies for a united attack. They moved all their troops into place and attacked Gibeon.

God can _____________________ even the parts of our story that started _____________________.

[Joshua 10:12-14] On the day the LORD gave the Israelites victory over the Amorites, Joshua prayed to the LORD in front of all the people of Israel. He said, "Let the sun stand still over Gibeon, and the moon over the valley of Aijalon." [13] So the sun stood still and the moon stayed in place until the nation of Israel had defeated its enemies. Is this event not recorded in [The Book of Jashar]? The sun stayed in the middle of the sky, and it did not set as on a normal day. [14] There has never been a day like this one before or since, when the LORD answered such a prayer. Surely the LORD fought for Israel that day!

The God who created _____________________ is not _____________________ by it.

[Ephesians 3:20-21] Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. [21] Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

Unanswered prayers don’t mean God is ________________.

When you honor ______________ you are honoring God. [1 Samuel 2:30b] But I will honor those who honor me, and I will despise those who think lightly of me. [Matthew 10:40-42] “Anyone who receives you receives me, and anyone who receives me receives the Father who sent me. [41] If you receive a prophet as one who speaks for God, you will be given the same reward as a prophet. And if you receive righteous people because of their righteousness, you will be given a reward like theirs. [42] And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.” Honor those in ________________. [Ephesians 6:2-3] “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: [3] If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.” [Romans 12:10 CSB] Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters. Outdo one another in showing honor. Honor our _______________. [1 Peter 3:7] In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God's gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered. Honor those _____________ your care. Honor ___________ up, dishonor ___________ down. [Mark 6:1-5] Jesus left that part of the country and returned with his disciples to Nazareth, his hometown. [2] The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. They asked, “Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?” [3] Then they scoffed, “He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.” They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. [4] Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” [5] And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 And he was amazed at their unbelief. Honoring others brings _________________ from God.

[Exodus 3:17] I have promised to rescue you from your oppression in Egypt. I will lead you to a land flowing with milk and honey--the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live."'

Some people see __________________, while others see __________________.

[Numbers 13:30-33] But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. "Let's go at once to take the land," he said. "We can certainly conquer it!" [31] But the other men who had explored the land with him disagreed. "We can't go up against them! They are stronger than we are!" [32] So they spread this bad report about the land among the Israelites: "The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge. [33] We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that's what they thought, too!"

Faith doesn’t deny obstacles it __________________ them through God.

[Numbers 14:10] But the whole community began to talk about stoning Joshua and Caleb.

It takes endurance to stand in the face of __________________.

[Numbers 14:24] But my servant Caleb has a different attitude than the others have. He has remained loyal to me, so I will bring him into the land he explored. His descendants will possess their full share of that land.

Waiting isn't __________________ as long as your faith stays __________________.

[Joshua 14:10-12] "Now, as you can see, the LORD has kept me alive and well as he promised for all these forty-five years since Moses made this promise--even while Israel wandered in the wilderness. Today I am eighty-five years old. [11] I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then. [12] So give me the hill country that the LORD promised me. You will remember that as scouts we found the descendants of Anak living there in great, walled towns. But if the LORD is with me, I will drive them out of the land, just as the LORD said."

Mature faith doesn’t ask for __________________ it asks for an __________________.

[Judges 3:9-11] But when the people of Israel cried out to the LORD for help, the LORD raised up a rescuer to save them. His name was Othniel, the son of Caleb's younger brother, Kenaz. [10] The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he became Israel's judge. He went to war against King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram, and the LORD gave Othniel victory over him. [11] So there was peace in the land for forty years. Then Othniel son of Kenaz died.

__________________ is formed through obedience.

[James 1:3-4] For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. [4] So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

[Matthew 5:8] God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. God wants to bless you for living a ____________ life. You have to purify something before it’s ____________. [1 John 1:8-9] If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. [9] But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. You have to ____________ that you have a problem. [2 Timothy 2:20-21] In a wealthy home some utensils are made of gold and silver, and some are made of wood and clay. The expensive utensils are used for special occasions, and the cheap ones are for everyday use. [21] If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work. God can use all kinds of vessels, but they have to be ____________. [1 Corinthians 6:18-20] Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. [19] Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, [20] for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. [Psalm 119:9-11] How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word. [10] I have tried hard to find you—don’t let me wander from your commands. [11] I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. ________________ is our weapon to fight off temptation. [Psalm 51:7-10] Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. [8] Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me—now let me rejoice. [9] Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. [10] Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. God ____________ can create a clean heart in you.

We are not formed in ________________.

[Nehemiah 1:3-4] They said to me, "Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire." [4] When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven.

Who is __________________ you?

[Nehemiah 3:27-28] Then came the people of Tekoa, who repaired another section across from the great projecting tower and over to the wall of Ophel. [28] Above the Horse Gate, the priests repaired the wall. Each one repaired the section immediately across from his own house.

Who you build ________________ shapes who you _____________________.

[Nehemiah 4:1-3] Sanballat was very angry when he learned that we were rebuilding the wall. He flew into a rage and mocked the Jews, [2] saying in front of his friends and the Samarian army officers, "What does this bunch of poor, feeble Jews think they're doing? Do they think they can build the wall in a single day by just offering a few sacrifices? Do they actually think they can make something of stones from a rubbish heap--and charred ones at that?" [3] Tobiah the Ammonite, who was standing beside him, remarked, "That stone wall would collapse if even a fox walked along the top of it!"

Relationships are never ________________; they _____________ you.

[Job 2:13] Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and nights. No one said a word to Job, for they saw that his suffering was too great for words.

Sometimes the most spiritually ______________ thing you can do is sit with someone in _________________.

[Job 16:2-3] "I have heard all this before. What miserable comforters you are! [3] Won't you ever stop blowing hot air? What makes you keep on talking?

Not every voice is a ______________ voice.

[Nehemiah 6:15-16] So on October 2 the wall was finished--just fifty-two days after we had begun. [16] When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it, they were frightened and humiliated. They realized this work had been done with the help of our God.

We don't take ground _________________.

[1 Thessalonians 5:18] Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. Be thankful _____ all circumstances not ________ all circumstances. We aren't grateful for something we feel _____________ to. [Romans 1:20-22] For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. [21] Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. [22] Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. We can't say that we are thankful to God and then constantly __________________. [Luke 17:11-19] As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. [12] As he entered a village there, ten men with leprosy stood at a distance, [13] crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” [14] He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy. [15] One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” [16] He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. [17] Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” [19] And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.” Gratitude is revealed in the way we _____________________. [James 1:17] Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. A thankful heart attracts more ____________________. [Psalm 50:14] Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High. It is not the ____________ people who are grateful. It is the ___________ people who are happy. [Ephesians 5:20] And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Are you counting your ________________ or your ____________________? [Psalm 100:4-5] Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. [5] For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

A life of taking ground in our faith is not a life of adversity, rather it is the of having gone through adversity with our eyes fixed on God.

[Daniel 1:5, 8-9 NET] So the king assigned them a daily ration from his royal delicacies and from the wine he himself drank. They were to be trained for the next three years. At the end of that time they were to enter the king’s service. [8] But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the royal delicacies or the royal wine. He therefore asked the overseer of the court officials for permission not to defile himself. [9] Then God made the overseer of the court officials sympathetic to Daniel.

God can do the ______________ when your aim is to please him.

[Daniel 2:14-18 NET] Then Daniel spoke with prudent counsel to Arioch, who was in charge of the king’s executioners and who had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon. [15] He inquired of Arioch the king’s deputy, “Why is the decree from the king so urgent?” Then Arioch informed Daniel about the matter. [16] So Daniel went in and requested the king to grant him time, that he might disclose the interpretation to the king. [17] Then Daniel went to his home and informed his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the matter. [18] He asked them to pray for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery so that he and his friends would not be destroyed along with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

[Proverbs 2:6 ESV] For the Lord gives wisdom, from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.

We gain ground by God for wisdom.

[Daniel 3:16-18 NET] …“We do not need to give you a reply concerning this. [17] If our God whom we are serving exists, he is able to rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he will rescue us, O king, from your power as well. [18] But if he does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we don’t serve your gods, and we will not pay homage to the golden statue that you have erected.”

[Daniel 6:10-11 NET] When Daniel realized that a written decree had been issued, he entered his home, where the windows in his upper room opened toward Jerusalem. Three times daily he was kneeling and offering prayers and thanks to his God just as he had been accustomed to do previously. [11] Then those officials who had gone to the king came by collusion and found Daniel praying and asking for help before his God.

Through Daniel’s life he cultivated a _________ of prayer and ____________ .

[1 Thessalonians 5 NIV] Rejoice always, [17] pray continually, [18] give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

[Proverbs 4:20-27 NIV]
My son, pay attention to what I say;
turn your ear to my words.
[21] Do not let them out of your sight,
keep them within your heart;
[22] for they are life to those who find them
and health to one’s whole body.

[23] Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.
[24] Keep your mouth free of perversity;
keep corrupt talk far from your lips.

[25] Let your eyes look straight ahead;
fix your gaze directly before you.
[26] Give careful thought to the paths for your feet
and be steadfast in all your ways.
[27] Do not turn to the right or the left;
keep your foot from evil.

[Hebrews 12:1-3 NIV] Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us (let’s gain ground!),[2] fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. [3] Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

The daily habits that we ___________ determine the ___________ of our life.

[Jeremiah 29:11] For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. This is a ___________ verse in ________ chapter. [Jeremiah 29:1] Jeremiah wrote a letter from Jerusalem to the elders, priests, prophets, and all the people who had been exiled to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. [Jeremiah 29:10] This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. ________ is the central character in the Bible, not ________. [2 Timothy 3:12] Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. The Good News is not that God saves us from our ___________. The Good News is that God saves us from our ________. Our faith grows the most in the _________ _________. [Jeremiah 29:5] “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. God doesn't always give us freedom ____________ suffering, but he will always give us freedom ________ suffering. [Jeremiah 29:7] And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.” God wants to use you to be a ____________ to others. [Jeremiah 29:12-13] In those days when you pray, I will listen. [13] If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. The first step in knowing God's _________, is knowing ________.