If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat by John Ortberg
Week 6: Chapter 5 — Facing Our Challenges and Fears
Read Chapter 5 of If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat. Primary Scripture: Matthew 14:27; 2 Timothy 1:7; Isaiah 41:10.
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Fear is not the opposite of faith — but it is one of the greatest obstacles to water-walking, and this chapter takes an honest, compassionate look at the fears that keep us anchored to the boat.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Ortberg identifies fear as one of the primary reasons people stay in the boat. He distinguishes between healthy fear (which protects) and toxic fear (which paralyzes). How do you tell the difference in your own experience?
2.The chapter explores the fear of failure — the worry that if we step out and sink, we will be humiliated, prove ourselves unworthy, or lose what we have. How much does the fear of failure shape your decisions? Where did that fear come from?
3.Ortberg points out that Jesus' words to the frightened disciples are 'Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid' — and he argues that this sequence matters: courage is commanded before the fear is removed. What do you make of the idea that courage is not the absence of fear but action taken in spite of it?
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