POINT #1 – THE 5 “W’s” OF WHY WE WILL OVERCOME (WHO and WHAT)
Many times when we are trying to solve a problem or find out information about something we can successfully gather information and solve the problem by asking 5 “W” questions that all start with “W.” Do you know what those words are? (who, what, when, where, and why) Sometimes the question “how” is asked as well. We are going to ask these “W” questions to help us know WHY Caleb believed the Israelites could OVERCOME and why we are able to overcome the things that come against us. Right now, we are going to discuss 2 of these questions, the WHO and the WHAT.
Read this summary of Numbers 13:27-33. ***(I encourage you to open your Bible to Numbers 13 and place the summary inside your Bible. We want our kiddos to know that this truly is the word of God, not just a story.***)
(v. 27-33) When they came back to their camp, they told Moses, “We went to the land where you sent us. It is a land filled with many good things! Here is some of the fruit that grows there!” They brought back some fresh grapes from the vine. And they continued to say, “But the people living there are very powerful and strong. The cities are very large and there are guards protecting the city. We even saw some Anakites, Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites.” Caleb, one of the leaders, told the people near Moses to be quiet. Then he said, “We should go up and take that land for ourselves. We can easily take that land.” But the other leaders that had gone to spy the land with him said, “We cannot fight those people! They are much stronger than we are.” So those men gave a report that made all the rest of the people sad. They said, “The land we saw was full of really strong people. They are strong enough to easily defeat anyone who goes there. We saw giants there too, the Nephilim. We felt like tiny little grasshoppers. Yes, we were like grasshoppers to them!”
In verse 30, Caleb quiets the people and says, “We should go up…” This identifies the WHO. Who did Caleb say should go up to take the land? (We) That’s right! He said WE. He was telling the Israelites that WE are the ones that should go take the land. We will be the ones to overcome the giants and take the land God promised us. So, when we look at things we need to overcome, we can answer this question in the same way Caleb did. Who will overcome the fear you have? You will! Who will overcome the worried thoughts you have? You will! Who will overcome the anger and sadness you experience? You will! Who will go and tell others about Jesus? About how He loves them and can heal them? You! You will be the one to overcome the things that come against you in life. All the hard, tough things that come against you. The WHO is YOU!
Many years later, The prophet Isaiah, had a vision. He saw into Heaven and saw God. He heard God asking different ones in Heaven, “WHO will go for us? Who will go and talk to the people for us?” Isaiah didn’t hesitate, he said, “Here I am, send me! I will go!” We want to be just like Isaiah! We want to be eager and ready to serve the Lord, to do what He asks of us. To overcome the giants that come against us.
The other question we can answer is WHAT. WHAT was it that Caleb said they should do? He said, “We should go up and …. (take the land). RIght! Take the land. Possess the land. A couple of weeks ago, we talked about taking possession. We said that when we take possession, we first have to remove what was there. Like moving into a new house, the other family has to move all of their things out before we can move in and take possession of the house for ourselves. When things come against us, we can take possession over it. We can OVERCOME. Remember, when fear comes, we tell it to get out, and we ask the Holy Spirit to fill us with perfect love and peace. When anger or sadness comes, we can tell it to leave us and we can ask the Holy Spirit to help lead us in forgiveness and fill us with joy.
Discussion Questions
- Have you ever faced a problem or something you didn’t know how to do, and you thought to yourself, “Who can do this for me?” Maybe you thought you needed Dad or Mom to help you or an older sibling? (allow child to answer and explain)
- Many times we think we need someone else to do it for us, but God may be wanting to show us how to do it on our own, and all we need to do is ask for HIS help.
- Have you ever asked God first on how you should solve a problem and let Him help you and give you the ideas first? What was the problem? How did he help you? (allow child to answer and explain)
- Do you ever see or hear someone that needs help? Maybe they need to know Jesus or about His love or His peace or joy? Maybe they need healing or to hear a kind word. Do you ever think that God wants YOU to tell them? That YOU are the WHO? (allow child to answer)
Scripture Memory Verse:
Then I heard the Lord’s voice, saying, “Who can I send? Who will go for us?” So I said, “Here I am. Send me!” – Isaiah 6:8 ERV
Prayer :
Jesus, thank you for helping us answer these questions of WHY we are able to overcome. Thank you for helping us to see that we are the ones that can and will overcome the things that come against us. We are the ones that can overcome fear, anger, worry, loneliness, hurt feelings, unforgiveness. We can overcome ALL things with your help. Holy Spirit, help us to be bold and brave to take possession of the hard things that come against us, and to KNOW that WE are OVERCOMERS. We can do ALL things through you, Jesus. It’s in your name that we pray, amen.
WORSHIP SONG:
“Super Wonderful”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnQwnIbJHis
Application Activity:
PARENTS!!! – I encourage you to take some time to think about some things you have been doing or helping your kiddos with, that maybe, they could do on their own. Ask God to show you some things, and then encourage your child and allow them to try to do some of those things on their own. Oftentimes, we underestimate what our child(ren) can do, and we don’t know what they can do, until we try it out.
***This activity can reinforce the point that “YOU are the WHO!”
Coloring Page:
Isaiah 6:2
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3uNEVAAKowpUFpWY1hYb182c28/view?usp=sharing