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 ________.

[Judges 6:1-5] The Israelites did evil in the LORD's sight. So the LORD handed them over to the Midianites for seven years. [2] The Midianites were so cruel that the Israelites made hiding places for themselves in the mountains, caves, and strongholds. [3] Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, marauders from Midian, Amalek, and the people of the east would attack Israel, [4] camping in the land and destroying crops as far away as Gaza. They left the Israelites with nothing to eat, taking all the sheep, goats, cattle, and donkeys. [5] These enemy hordes, coming with their livestock and tents, were as thick as locusts; they arrived on droves of camels too numerous to count. And they stayed until the land was stripped bare.

Pressure doesn’t just shape ________________ it shapes how you see ________________.

[Judges 6:11] Then the angel of the LORD came and sat beneath the great tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites.

God doesn't call who you ________________ but who you are ________________ to be.

[Judges 6:12] The angel of the LORD appeared to him and said, "Mighty hero, the LORD is with you!"

God doesn't wait for you to have ________________ to give you a ________________.

[Judges 6:13] "Sir," Gideon replied, "if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn't they say, 'The LORD brought us up out of Egypt'? But now the LORD has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites."

What you believe about ________________ will always shape what you believe about ________________.

[Judges 6:14] Then the LORD turned to him and said, "Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!"

When God chooses someone he _________ what they ________.

You have all the ________________ that you need right now!

[Judges 6:15-16] "But Lord," Gideon replied, "how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!" [16] The LORD said to him, "I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man."

Our identity shouldn't be in _________-confidence it should be in _________-confidence.

[John 15:5] "Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.

[Hebrews 11:33] By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them.

[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 ________.

Christmas is the beginning of your CALLING.

[John 8:12] Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, "I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won't have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life."

God's Light wants to work THROUGH you.

[Matthew 5:14] "You are the light of the world--like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.

You are not just saved from the DARKNESS, you are sent INTO it.

Darkness is not your ENEMY, it is your ASSIGNMENT.

[Matthew 5:14-16] "You are the light of the world--like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. [15] No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. [16] In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

Faith was never meant to be INVISIBLE.

[Matthew 5:13] "You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.

The light grows in COMMUNITY, not in ISOLATION.

Light shines through your STORY not your PERFECTION.

[Revelation 12:11a] And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony.

The light has come TO you so that it can move THROUGH you.

[Matthew 28:18-20] Jesus came and told his disciples, "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. [19] Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. [20] Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

You will never take ground with your ____________ if you haven't taken ground in your ____________.

[Numbers 13:32-33] 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!"

You can take people out of ______________ in a moment, but it takes a long time to get the ______________ out of people.

God wants us to experience __________________!

[Psalm 34:3 ESV] Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!

What you __________________ in your mind will __________________ your life.

[2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV] We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Your mind is the territory the enemy fights __________________ for.

[Joshua 1:6-9] "Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. [7] Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. [8] Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. [9] This is my command--be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

Meditation is filling your mind with _____________________ until it changes who you are.

[Numbers 13:16] These are the names of the men Moses sent out to explore the land. (Moses called Hoshea son of Nun by the name Joshua.)

Taking ground in your mind requires __________________ while still __________________.

[Joshua 3:15a] It was the harvest season, and the Jordan was overflowing its banks.