Beyond the Weekend: EPIC
Stories of Trust, Failure and Faith That Point to Jesus
What does it look like to believe God, not just believe in God? This fall, we're diving into the raw, unfiltered stories of biblical heroes who wrestled with doubt, took dangerous detours, and discovered that trusting God means following him even when you can't see the outcome. Their epic journeys of trust, failure and faith all point to the ultimate hero—Jesus.
Key Messaging Points:
- There's a difference between believing in God and believing God
- God speaks in life's detours and disruptions
- Wrestling with God transforms us
- Trusting God means obeying before you see the outcome
- Every story of human struggle points to Jesus
Kingdoms in Conflict
Read: Daniel 1:8-16 Listen: Daniel 1
He asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. Daniel 1:8
Daniel and his friends find themselves far from home, serving a king they did not choose, in a culture very different from their own. They are citizens of two kingdoms – Babylon and God’s. At times, these kingdoms collide. Daniel is expected to eat the king’s food and drink his wine. Eating that food meant breaking God’s dietary laws, and Daniel was committed to honoring God even in small decisions. Instead of reacting with disrespect, Daniel acts with humility. He asks permission to follow a different diet. His conviction is firm, but his attitude is gracious. He holds fast to God’s truth while showing respect to the people around him. God honors Daniel’s faithfulness by giving him favor with the chief official (Daniel 1:9).
Daniel’s story reminds us to approach conflict with grace and truth. We also live in two kingdoms. We belong to Jesus, but we move through workplaces, schools, teams and communities daily. Sometimes the values of God’s kingdom conflict with the expectations around us. When that happens, we can respond as Daniel did – with conviction grounded in God’s Word and with grace that reflects God’s heart. Jesus teaches us to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done” (Matthew 6:10), inviting God’s ways to shape our choices.
TODAY: Identify one situation in your week when you feel tension between cultural expectations and God’s values. Pray this throughout as you enter that situation: “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven,” and trust God with the outcome. Explore Daniels’s story further on the Beyond the Weekend Podcast—find it wherever you listen to podcasts or on YouTube.
