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STUCK
STEVE BAYER
THE OVERTIME
Want more from this Sunday's message? Here is additional content that didn't make the cut for the Sunday morning message!
GROUP CHAT
Want to go deeper in the message? We have just the study for you! Each week, we offer a video, along with discussion questions! You can do this study by yourself, with a friend, or even your family! You'll find those questions below!
OVERVIEW
This week we looked at the story of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt as a picture of what it can look like when God wants to lead us forward, but we struggle to leave what is familiar behind.
Being stuck doesn’t always mean life is falling apart. Sometimes everything is functioning, but nothing is changing. We may still believe in God, attend church, pray, and go through the motions while realizing that we haven’t grown spiritually in a long time.
Israel experienced something similar. God promised to deliver them from slavery and lead them into a new land, but years of bondage had shaped the way they thought. Even after God rescued them, they repeatedly struggled to trust Him enough to follow where He was leading.
God wasn’t simply trying to make Egypt better for Israel. He wanted to lead them out of Egypt altogether. In the same way, sometimes we ask God to change our circumstances when He wants to do something much deeper within us.
Ultimately, following God requires trust. We may not know where the entire journey leads, but God continually invites us to trust Him with the next step.
BIG IDEA
You can't go where God is leading you if you don't leave where you are now.
ICE BREAKER:
When you realize you’re lost, are you more likely to ask for directions or keep going until you figure it out yourself?
Optional follow-up: How has that worked out for you in those moments?
KEY TAKEAWAYS
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Being stuck doesn't always look like failure. Sometimes everything in life appears to be functioning while nothing is really changing. We can even become spiritually stuck while continuing to attend church, pray, and believe in God.
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God is always leading His people forward. Abraham left his home, Israel left Egypt, the disciples left their nets, and Paul left his old life. The Christian life was never intended to be static.
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God wasn't trying to make Egypt better—He was leading Israel out of it. We often pray for God to change what is happening around us while God may be trying to change something much deeper within us.
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What is familiar can feel safer than what is unknown. Israel wanted freedom until following God became frightening. Sometimes we remain stuck simply because the place we know feels safer than trusting God with somewhere new.
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Years of bondage can shape the way we think. Israel had been enslaved so long that they struggled even to hear God's promise of freedom. Fear, shame, anxiety, bitterness, failure, and other struggles can begin to shape how we see ourselves, God, and our future.
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Difficulty doesn't necessarily mean we're going the wrong direction. Israel encountered the Red Sea almost immediately after leaving Egypt. The obstacle wasn't evidence that God had abandoned them. It became an opportunity for them to learn that they could trust Him.
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Faith isn't pretending the giants aren't real. Ten spies measured the giants against themselves. Joshua and Caleb measured the giants against God. Faith recognizes the reality of the struggle while believing God is greater.
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God usually gives us a next step rather than the entire plan. Faith isn't knowing where every step leads. Faith is trusting the One who is leading.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Opening — Recognizing When We're Stuck
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The sermon said, "Sometimes being stuck looks like everything is functioning, but nothing is changing." What do you think that kind of stuckness looks like in someone's life?
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What are some signs that a person may be spiritually stuck even though, outwardly, they are still doing all the normal Christian things?
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Why do you think it can sometimes be difficult for us to recognize that we've become stuck?
Digging Into the Story
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Read Exodus 6:6–9. God gives Israel an incredible promise, yet verse 9 says they couldn't listen because of their "broken spirit and harsh slavery." How do you think years of slavery had changed the way they saw themselves and their future?
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The sermon said, "God was speaking hope, but all they could hear was hopelessness." How can our past experiences, failures, fears, or hurts affect the way we hear what God says about us?
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God wasn't trying to make Egypt more comfortable for Israel; He wanted to lead them out of it. Where do you see the difference between asking God simply to improve our circumstances and allowing God to change us?
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Read Exodus 14:11–12. Israel had prayed for freedom, but when following God became frightening, they immediately wanted to return to Egypt. Why does the familiar sometimes feel safer than freedom?
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The Red Sea appeared while Israel was following God's direction. What does that teach us about the assumption that following God should make life easier?
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The sermon said, "Faith doesn't pretend the giants aren't real. Faith simply believes God is greater." How is that different from ignoring problems or simply trying to think positively?
Getting Personal
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The sermon suggested that everyone has an "Egypt"—something familiar that can keep us from moving forward. It could be fear, shame, anxiety, addiction, unforgiveness, approval, negative thinking, spiritual complacency, or something else. Without feeling pressured to share more than you're comfortable sharing, what might your Egypt be right now?
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Which is harder for you personally: believing that God has something better, letting go of what is familiar, or trusting Him when you can't see what comes next? Why?
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Is there an area where you find yourself repeatedly asking God to change someone or something around you when God may be inviting you to allow Him to change something within you?
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Israel could have entered the Promised Land much sooner, but fear and unbelief kept them in the wilderness. Are there places where fear may be keeping you from taking a step you already sense God asking you to take?
Moving Forward
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The sermon said, "You don't have to have the whole journey figured out." Why do we sometimes feel like we need to know how everything will work out before we're willing to obey God?
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What is the difference between asking, "God, show me the whole plan," and asking, "God, what is my next step?"
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Think about this question personally: Where might God be inviting you to trust Him right now?
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If you knew you could trust God completely with the outcome, what step would you be more willing to take?
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Finish this sentence as honestly as you can: "I don't want to stay stuck in ____________. I believe my next step is ____________."
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS:
This week, choose at least one of the following:
1. Identify Your Egypt
Spend some quiet time asking God:
"What have I become so accustomed to that I no longer recognize how much it is affecting me?" Write down whatever comes to mind. Don't immediately try to fix it. Begin by honestly bringing it before God.
2. Stop Asking God Only to Change Egypt
Think about one situation you've repeatedly asked God to change. Instead of only praying, "God, change this," begin asking: "God, what are You trying to change in me through this?" Pay attention to what He begins showing you.
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3. Identify Your Giant
What currently feels too big for you? Write it down. Then underneath it write: "The struggle is real, but God is greater than my struggle."
Spend time praying specifically about what trusting God would look like in that situation.
4. Take One Next Step
Don't try to figure out the entire journey. Ask: "God, what is the next step You're asking me to take?" It might be forgiving someone, asking for help, confessing a struggle, joining a group, serving, beginning Freedom Nights, talking with a pastor, or surrendering something you've been holding onto. Then take that step.
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5. Replace an Old Thought
Identify one thought that may be keeping your mind in "Egypt":
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"I'll never change."
"I'm not good enough."
"My past defines me."
"Nothing will ever be different."
"I can't handle this."
Find a truth from Scripture that challenges that thought. Write it somewhere you'll see it throughout the week and intentionally return to God's truth when the old thought comes back.
CLOSING PRAYER PROMPT
Close your group by giving everyone a quiet moment to ask: "God, where am I stuck, and where are You asking me to trust You?" Then pray together.
Ask God to reveal the places where fear, shame, hurt, comfort, or unbelief have kept you from moving forward. Thank Him that He is still God, leading people out of bondage and into freedom. Ask Him for the courage to trust Him even when you cannot see the entire journey.
Finally, surrender your next step to Him. God, I don't need to know the whole journey. Help me trust You enough to take the next step.