Shipwrecks and Snakebites Can't Stop Me Discussion Guide
SUMMARY
In this sermon, Pastor Adrian draws from the Apostle Paul’s harrowing experiences in Acts 27 and 28, including a devastating shipwreck and a venomous snake bite, to show that hardships, setbacks, and attacks from the enemy do not have the final word in a believer’s life. He emphasizes that going through difficult times is not a sign of God’s punishment or a lack of faith, but rather a reality of life that every Christian must learn to navigate with God’s help.
Pastor Adrian outlines four key responses to life’s storms: getting a specific word from God and holding onto it, settling down and trusting God rather than striving in our own strength, shaking off the attacks of the enemy without being swayed by the judgments of others, and spreading the fire by allowing our pain to become a testimony of God’s goodness. He encourages the congregation that the very things the enemy intends to destroy us with are the things God will use to bring glory to His name and transformation to those around us.
INTRO PRAYER
Heavenly Father, we come before You today with open hearts and willing spirits. Lord, just as You spoke to Paul in the middle of a raging storm, we ask that You speak to each one of us right now. Holy Spirit, move in this group and help us to set aside distractions, worries, and the noise of life so that we can truly hear what You want to say to us today. Give us ears to hear, hearts to receive, and the courage to apply Your truth to our lives. We trust that You are faithful, that You are fighting for us, and that You have a word for each person in this room. In Jesus’ mighty name, amen.
ICE BREAKER
What is one thing that always helps you feel calm and grounded when life gets stressful or overwhelming?
KEY VERSES
2 Corinthians 11:23-25
Acts 27:18-26
Acts 27:30-36
Acts 28:1-10
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS — CHOOSE YOUR GROUP
Find your group below and use the questions that fit your group best.
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When school, friends, or everything online feels like too much, what actually helps you feel calm and steady?
Paul held onto a promise from God in the storm. Do you have a verse or a word from God that helps when things get hard?
People watched, expecting Paul to drop dead from the snakebite, but he shook it off. When have you felt judged or left out, and what would it look like to shake it off and remember who God says you are?
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With study, work and big decisions ahead, how do you tell God’s voice apart from all the other noise and pressure?
Ps Adrian said a general knowledge of the Bible won’t be enough in the storm; you need a personal word from God. What does seeking God personally look like in your week right now?
What’s a setback you’d love to see God turn into a testimony down the track?
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Family life can feel like one storm after another. When the pressure’s on at home, what does settling down and trusting God instead of striving look like for your household?
Paul declared God’s promise out loud over everyone on the ship. What promise of God could you speak over your family this week?
Where have you seen God use a hard season in your family as an encouragement to others?
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Paul wasn’t truly alone in the storm because he’d been with God. Where do you most need to know God is fighting for you right now?
What does it look like to get a specific word from God for your own life and season?
Who in your life is in a storm that you could spread the fire to this week?
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Everyone on the ship panicked, but Paul stayed steady because of his time with God. Where do the people around you need you to be a steady, hope-filled presence?
What does striving in your own strength tend to look like for you, and where might God be inviting you to trust Him instead?
Is there an attack, accusation, or sense of shame you’ve been carrying that you need to shake off and stand your ground against?
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When has a personal promise from God carried you through a hard season?
Where are you tempted to keep striving and carry it all, instead of resting in what God has already spoken over you?
Who around you is in a storm that you could encourage and spread the fire to this week?
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Looking back over the years, when has a specific word or promise from God anchored you through a storm?
Paul’s hardships became a platform for God’s glory. What testimony from your life could encourage someone younger who’s in a storm now?
How can our group keep spreading the fire, passing on hope and faith to the generations coming behind us?
LIFE APPLICATION
This week, set aside intentional time to go to God in prayer and ask Him for a specific word or promise for something you are currently facing or believing Him for in your future. Write it down, speak it out loud, and choose to declare it over your life each day rather than focusing on the circumstances around you. If God has already given you a word or promise, find someone in your life this week who is going through a storm and share an encouraging word with them, spreading the fire just as Paul did on the island of Malta.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Get a specific word from God for your life and circumstances. A personal, Spirit-spoken promise gives you an anchor that holds when everything around you is shaking, just as it did for Paul in the middle of the storm.
Settle down and trust God rather than striving in your own strength. Once you have a word from God, the next step is to release your anxiety, eat something, breathe, and trust that He will bring His promise to pass.
Shake off the attacks of the enemy and do not be swayed by the judgments or reactions of others. Like Paul shaking the snake from his hand, we must refuse to be defined or defeated by what the enemy throws at us or what people say about us.
Stand your ground in faith, knowing that you are not under karma or punishment but under the grace of God. Because of Jesus, every spiritual curse can be broken and every attack of the enemy can be overcome in His name.
Spread the fire by allowing your pain and your testimony to become a tool for God’s glory. The very hardships the enemy uses to try to destroy you are the things God will use to transform your life and reach others around you.
ENDING PRAYER
Lord Jesus, we thank You for the truth of Your Word and for the example of the Apostle Paul, who refused to be stopped by shipwrecks, snake bites, or the judgments of others. As we leave this time together, we ask that You seal every word spoken and every truth received deep in our hearts. For those in this group who are in the middle of a storm right now, we declare that You are fighting for them, that You have not forgotten them, and that the plans You have for their future are greater than what they can see right now. Give each one of us the courage to seek Your specific word, the peace to trust You with it, and the tenacity to shake off every attack of the enemy and stand our ground. May our lives become a testimony of Your goodness and grace, spreading the fire of Your love to everyone around us. In the mighty and precious name of Jesus, amen.