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Sermon Discussion Guide - 01/04/2026
Published January 3, 2026
Fearless:
Fearless Start
Sermon Recap
This message kicked off the year with one big idea: God’s presence matters more than our confidence. In Joshua 1, God doesn’t hype Joshua up, He names reality (“Moses is dead”) and gives a lifeline: “I will be with you.” Fearless living isn’t about never feeling afraid; it’s obedience with God in the scary moments, shaped by God’s promises and anchored in Scripture (and echoed again in Jesus’ promise to be with us in Matthew 28:20).
Ice Breakers
- What’s the silliest thing you’ve ever been afraid of (as a kid or as an adult)? Why?
- What’s the best way to calm you down? Why?
- If you had to instantly delete ONE app from your phone forever, which one would it be? Why?
Discussion Questions
1. When was a time fear didn’t stop you from moving forward, but it did affect how you moved forward (hesitant, controlling, stressed, etc.)?
- Context: Dallas said fearless isn’t the absence of fear; it’s obedience even when we’re afraid. The shift is trusting God’s presence more than our panic, and measuring success by faithfulness, not outcomes.
- Application: What’s one specific “next step” you know you should take, and what would obedience look like even if the fear doesn’t go away right away?
2. What’s a “Moses is dead” moment you’ve faced - an ending, loss, or shift you didn’t get a vote on?
- Context: In Joshua 1, God names reality before calling Joshua forward. The moment is real, the weight is real, and the calling is real, yet God leads with presence: “I will be with you.”
- Application: If God is calling you to “rise up” after that ending, what might that look like in your life right now (a role to step into, a decision to make, a habit to change)?
3. What’s the first emotion you tend to feel when you open your phone: peace, gratitude, curiosity… or anxiety/outrage/high alert? What do you think that’s doing to you?
- Context: The sermon pointed out that we live in a world that produces comfort but is addicted to fear, and that fear doesn’t just make us cautious; it can make us selfish, short-sighted, even harsh toward others.
- Application: What’s one “Less phone, more promises” change you could try this week that would actually be realistic, and how would you know it’s helping?
4. When you’re anxious or uncertain, what are your go-to coping patterns (control, avoidance, overthinking, distractions, “I’ll deal with it later,” etc.)?
- Context: God told Joshua to keep Scripture close: on his mouth, meditated on day and night - not as an occasional boost, but a steady rhythm.
- Application: What’s one simple Scripture rhythm you can build (short passage, daily reminder, reading plan, memorizing one verse), and when/where would it fit best in your real life?
5. Have you ever discouraged someone (or yourself) from something because it felt risky, even if it might have been from God? What was underneath that?
- Context: Near the end, Dallas said fear can turn us into gatekeepers when we should be encouragers. Sometimes what people need to take a step is a friend in their corner, someone who helps them choose faithfulness over fear.
- Application: Who could you be a “fearless friend” to this week, and what’s one concrete way you could encourage them (text, apology, prayer, showing up, or cheering on their next step)?
Prayer
- Make sure to spend time in prayer as a group when you meet.
- Have group members share prayer requests, and pray for them.
- You could have one person pray for all the requests, or each member pray for one person.
- Keep a record of those requests and ask about them on a weekly basis.
Leader Tip
You don’t have to ask every question. Rephrase them, skip around, and follow the best conversation. If the group locks onto one topic, let it breathe - that might be the Spirit leading the night.