Whether you’re sitting in a theater watching the newest release or cuddling up on the couch watching an all-time favorite, movies have a way of forming connections with us. From action-packed thrillers to sentimental romances, a movie’s overall message is what remains with us even after the credits start rolling. This is why I find myself drawn to faith-based films; they never fail to incorporate a memorable and teachable lesson. Even though this category includes dozens upon dozens of movies, here are seven fairly popular films guaranteed to get you hooked.
CAUTION: Have a box of tissues prepared in advance!
1. Facing the Giants
When high school football coach, Grant Taylor, hits a nonstop stream of personal and professional bad luck, he turns to God. With His help, this coach is given a newfound strength and devotion that ignites a faithful flame in the hearts of those around him.
Lesson Learned: Offer up your struggles to the Lord and you will find relief
2. God’s Not Dead
After encountering an aggressive atheist professor, one faith-fueled college student refuses to disavow his belief in God. This refusal forces him to accept the challenge of proving God’s existence to his philosophy classmates with the risk of being failed by his professor.
Lesson Learned: Trust the Holy Spirit to supply you with words to defend your faith
3. The Blind Side
The power of kindness is displayed when Tennessee couple, Leigh Ann and Sean Tuohy, take in a homeless teenager who has dealt with hardship all his life. Even after they provide him with shelter, an education and a promising football career, it is his sweet spirit and compassion that ultimately changes their lives.
Lesson Learned: Being kind to others, even strangers, will bring you closer to God
4. Soul Surfer
After talented surfer Bethany Hamilton loses her arm in a tragic shark attack, she struggles to understand the reason this happened and how she will move on with her life. With the help of key individuals and her faith, she finds peace and returns to the ocean to be a new beacon of hope for others.
Lesson Learned: Finding peace with God after tragedy will reveal new resilience
5. Fireproof
After endless marital fights and now on the verge of divorce, Caleb Holt has lost all hope in being able to save his marriage. This is until his father instructs him to do a 40-Day Love Dare, a series of challenges geared to improve marriage, which shows him that love and marriage is meant to be fought for.
Lesson Learned: A successful marriage cannot survive without God’s presence
6. Miracles from Heaven
A mother’s true devotion is shown after her 10-year-old daughter, Anna, is diagnosed with a rare, incurable digestive disorder. After months of struggle, she’s cured from the disorder by surviving a terrible accident that should have killed her. This miracle reignites the family’s certainty that, “With God all things are possible.”
Lesson Learned: Miracles are God’s way of saying He is with us
7. Courageous
After the sudden death of his daughter, Sheriff’s deputy Adam Mitchell is forced to face the hard truth that he hasn’t been living up to his responsibilities as a father. With the help of his faith, he and his friends redefine what God expects of them by signing a pledge saying that they’ll aim to be better fathers, husbands and Christians.
Lesson Learned: God’s expectations are the only ones that matter
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