Fear Not
November 24, 2019 • Abigail Rose • Isaiah 41:8–10, Isaiah 43:1–3, 1 Peter 5:7
What’s your biggest fear? Heights? Spiders? Snakes? Death? Those are the common ones, but there are other fears that are a little too close for comfort. For example, teens (and adults) tend to get bombarded with a lot of social fears. There is so much pressure to have the perfect body, the perfect performance, the perfect “stuff”—or at the very least to look like your life is perfectly put together. There just doesn’t seem to be room for being human. . Society feeds into those fears because the world’s focus is not on pleasing God but on trying to make yourself or others happy. But guess what? Each person has a different idea of what makes them happy, so, ultimately, we’re all struggling with how elusive happiness is—but everyone is too afraid to admit it. And so, out of that fear, we as humans become so focused on superficial happiness that we become afraid of being open and honest with others about the deepest aspects of ourselves (including our fears). . As Christians, we don’t have to be wrapped up in and motivated by fear. God has made us in His image, and He has called us His children (Genesis 1:27; John 1:12). When we put our faith in Jesus, He gives us a new identity: His righteousness (Romans 3:21-22). In that identity, there is no fear—only true satisfaction and joy in knowing our Creator, even when our circumstances are less than happy. . I once read somewhere that the Bible says “do not fear” 365 times. Even if that number isn’t exact, it shows how much God cares about our fears. He knows our deepest thoughts, even before we know how to express them (Romans 8:26-27). He knows why we fear what we fear, and yet the Bible says He “has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7). • Abigail Rose . • What are some fears you have, based on society’s pressures? . • What do you think God has to say about those specific fears? . • If you know Jesus, how can you live bravely knowing that God is always with you, even when you are fearful (Matthew 28:20)? . Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)
What Are You Thinking?
November 9, 2019 • Robyn Mulder • 1 Kings 3:5–12, 2 Corinthians 10:5
God did an amazing job when He created humans. Our brains alone are made up of about 100 billion nerves that communicate in 100 trillion connections, controlling all of the systems in our bodies and allowing us to communicate, think, and reason. . But, because our world is broken by sin and death, sometimes our brains give us the farthest thing from wisdom. Our thoughts run wild—often with lies about who we are—influencing our feelings and actions. . For example, let’s say you enter a room. Everyone looks at you, then goes back to what they were doing. Wild, lying thoughts might go like this: “Everyone just looked at me. Nobody came over to talk to me. They probably hate me. I should just go home.” Then you might go stand in the corner because you think you don’t belong. . If you can capture those negative thoughts, you might be able to see the situation like this: “They all looked at me, but nobody talked to me. They might be just as nervous as I am. But Jesus loves me, and He loves everyone in this room. That table only has two people. I’ll see if I can join them.” Instead of standing in the corner, you choose to participate by showing Christ’s love to others. . But how can we change our wild thoughts? We can’t. We need God’s strength and wisdom, found in knowing Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:2-3). In 1 Kings 3, Solomon asked the Lord to give him wisdom, and God was pleased. He’s pleased to give us wisdom too (James 1:5). . God will greatly increase our wisdom when we read His Word, the Bible, because it shows us who we are in relationship to Him, our Creator. It tells us the good news of how Jesus can give us freedom from sin and death—and how that wonderful truth affects every area of our lives. . Capturing your thoughts to obey Christ can help you over and over as you go through life. Tell yourself truth from God’s Word instead of letting your wild thoughts push you around. • Robyn Mulder . • Step 1: Take out a piece of paper and try writing all of your thoughts down for five minutes or so. Read over them and see which ones line up with God’s Word and which ones are just wild, lying thoughts. . • Step 2: Below what you have just written, take each wild thought and rewrite it as a Christ-captured thought. . We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5 (NLT)
Get Some Rest
November 5, 2019 • Alexis Wohler • Matthew 11:28, Genesis 2:2, 1 Kings 19:1–8
"There will be a test over the material later this week,” Ashley heard the professor say as her class ended. "Will I even have time to study for that test?" she wondered. . She was taking college classes while in high school and working part-time to pay for them. Just as she felt the stress close in on her, her friend Ryan caught up with her in the hallway. “Ashley, wait up. I’ll walk you to your next class,” he offered. . Ashley tried not to show how stressed she was, but Ryan figured it out. “You’re working all week. You don’t think you’ll have time to study for this test, do you?” . When Ashley nodded, Ryan asked, “How about we get coffee after school and quiz each other on the material?” . “Count me in,” said Ashley. . Later that afternoon, Ryan quizzed Ashley at the coffee shop. But her eyes kept closing. . “History records dictate that... Ashley is asleep from exhaustion,” Ryan said, laughing lightly as he touched her arm to wake her up. . “Huh... What? Did I seriously fall asleep? Sorry about that.” . Ryan finally asked her what was wrong. Ashley admitted she was having trouble keeping up with the demands of classes and said she had no one to lean on. . “You’ve got me, Ash. I’m always here for you. If you really need rest, go to sleep early tonight. God can give you rest too, like it says in Matthew 11:28.” . As Ashley studied later that night, Ryan’s kind words and the verse he had mentioned kept coming back to her: “Come to me, all of you who are weary... and I will give you rest.” . She let the words sink in, praying, "Lord, if I’m going to pass this test, I need rest. Please fill me with Your peace." As she finished praying, she felt calmer. She closed her books and finally got some sleep. • Alexis Wohler . • Sometimes it feels like everything in the world depends on us. How does it bring you peace knowing that your life depends on Jesus, not you? . • God created us to need rest, which is why He gave us the Sabbath. What are some ways you can practice intentional rest in your own life? . • Who can you talk to when you feel overwhelmed and exhausted? . Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 (NLT)
He Gone
November 3, 2019 • Heather Risher • 1 John 4:10, Exodus 26:31–33, Matthew 27:35–37, Romans 8:39
We are all human and we all sin, so, until we see Jesus face-to-face, there will be times when we mess up (Romans 3:23; 2 Corinthians 3:18). . When we stumble, slip, and fall, sometimes it seems impossible to find our way back. We let our failures keep us from going back to our forgiving, loving God, giving them far too much influence in our lives. . Have you ever thought any of the following? . • God could never love me after everything I’ve done. . • He’ll never take me back now. . • He’s probably looking down on me now, thinking, “Well, he gone.” . • What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I just get it right? . My friend, let me tell you some truth: you are never too far gone. There is nothing you can do to separate yourself from God’s love in Christ. . We have sinned and will continue to sin; there is no avoiding it. But the good news is that Jesus Christ, who is God, came to live here as a human and die for our sins. When He died on the cross, He took all our sin with Him. He paid the price for our sins so we don’t have to. . Jesus loves us so much that He died for us and will never leave us. Because of what He did, we find our new identity in Him, not in our sinfulness. He will go to the ends of the earth to find us and love us with all His being. . Jesus tore the veil (our sin) that separated us from God (Isaiah 59:2). He rose from the grave and gave us a way to live with Him eternally. . Think about it. We can look at our sin and at that empty tomb and gladly say, “He gone.” • Heather Risher . • What has made you feel like you are too far gone? . • When have you felt this way? Is there anything connecting these times? . • What can you do to remember how loved you are in Christ? . Nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:39 (CSB)
When Fear Takes Hold
November 1, 2019 • Kristi Dennis • Mark 4:35–41, Matthew 6:25–34
"It’s scary.” . “How can I feel safe when all of these things keep happening on the news?” . “What if it happens here?” . “It’s not safe out there. Maybe I should just stay home.” . These are all things we begin to think when fear takes hold. And we’re not the only ones. Jesus’ disciples had a moment when fear was all they saw too. . The storm was raging around their tiny little fishing boat. And what was their Teacher doing? SLEEPING! . The disciples had watched Jesus heal incurable diseases and go toe-to-toe with the religious leaders of the time. But now, in the midst of the storm, while they ran around trying to keep the vessel above water, they said, “Teacher! Don’t you care that we’re going to die?” (Mark 4:38). They were so afraid that they forgot that Jesus had called each of them by name (Matthew 4:18-22). When fear took hold, all they saw was the storm. . With just a few words, Jesus calmed the storm. He asked His disciples, “Why are you afraid?” (Mark 4:40). In that moment, the words of His Sermon on the Mount may have echoed in their ears: “Consider the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they?” (Matthew 6:26) . So, when fear takes hold, know that Jesus is the sovereign God in control of even the wind and waves. He is the One who is always with us (Matthew 28:20). And He is the One who promises to one day destroy all that is fearful (Revelation 21:1-5). • Kristi Dennis . • When was the last time fear took hold of you? How did you respond? . • If you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are one of God’s people, who He promises to care and provide for. What are some examples of God’s provision and faithfulness in your own life? What about from history (Hebrews 11:1–12:3)? . • How can you focus on Jesus—and His promises to make all things new—the next time fear tries to take hold? . Consider the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they? Matthew 6:26 (CSB)