Service Video, Message Notes, & Community Group Guide

MESSAGE NOTES

3 Step Process to Victory over Evil - Exodus 17:8-16

The first step: Obey God’s commands.

When God gives a command, whether audible or written, obedience to his command is the first step to releasing God’s power in your life to have victory over evil.

The 2 components of obeying God’s commands – hearing and following. To obey you have to first hear. Rarely God speaks in an audible voice directly to us, so how do we know!? God wrote you a 66 book love letter with all his instructions called the Bible. Start there. Read it everyday, memorize it, think about it, replay the stories and verse in your head. If you do that, and then stop and listen, I guarantee you God will speak to you clear as day! I bet my life on it.

Read his word and pray every single day, "God speak to me, direct me, give me your commands," and you will hear his voice. And just as a son knows his father’s voice in a crowd, because he has heard it so many times, the more you hear and listen for God, the easier it will get.

Then the second part is follow. Once you get the instructions, you must surrender to them and be willing to follow immediately where ever it leads. What happens if you don’t? What happens if you do not complete step one…simple: defeat. This is Satan’s main goal for your life, that evil would overcome and defeat. This is what is at stake in obeying God, victory or defeat of the evil in your life.

The second step: Enlist the help of other believers in your battle.

There will be times that you cannot make it on your own but that’s why we come together, that’s why all the leaders in the church are in community groups, because enlist others in the battle is God’s way to victory over evil in your life.

The third step: Remember God’s power by telling others.

This is a critical step in the process that most people leave out because the battle may already be over they move on.

Crossroads Community Group Guide

Click here to join a Community Group! (All groups meet online.)

A. Welcome

B. Purpose: Our purpose is to spread the Kingdom of God. We do this by multiplying groups of people who care for each as God's family. We begin by inviting new people to our group and building them to be followers of Jesus. Each person here has the potential to be empowered to start and be the leader of a new group and spread God's kingdom.

C. Worship Time: Yes I Will

D. Announcements

• Weekly Resources on Crossroads Facebook Page

• Daily Devotional Video: The Encouraging Word with Pastor Willie

• Events: Crossroads Website

E. Review

1. How did you do with what you wanted to apply from last week?

2. Who did you invite to the group for this week?

F. Opening Question: What do you do when you need to hear from God?

G. Background Information

Moses was the leader of the people of Israel and Joshua was his younger assistant. Moses was preparing him for leadership. Note that Moses was praying and needed others to help him while Joshua and the army were down in the valley fighting the enemy.

The Amalekites were the enemies of God's people and sought to destroy God's people. They worshiped Baal, the storm god. This "religion" also involved cutting themselves to point that blood had to gush out. As well as they had the practice of ritual prostitution involving only the male heads of the household and sacred temple prostitutes whose lives were devoted to the worship of Baal - in current terms, they were sex slaves. These are things that God will not tolerate.

H. Word: Exodus 17:8-16

1. What key words do you see in these verses?

2. Tell in your own words what happens in these verses.

3. What are the details?

I. Discuss the following general questions together.

1. What catches your attention in these verses?

2. What new thing did you discover in the story or verses that you did not know before?

3. What did you learn about God (Father, Jesus, or Holy Spirit) from the story?

4. What do you learn about people from the story?

5. What important lessons for us do you see in this story?

J. Commitment - Obedience - Application: What specifically will you commit to apply in your life from this study?

K. Prayer Time:

1. Pray for new people by name who you want to join your group.

2. Pray for your group to multiply.

3. Pray for the needs of the members of the group. Divide into 2 groups, for male and female.

L. For Next time: Ask each person the name of a person they will invite to the group for next week.