Tuesday, May 11, 2010

May 4th Fear vs Faith

Fear versus Faith

A Mother’s Heart

Chapter 13

Fear
What is it?

Is Courage the opposite of fear?

What are some things you are afraid of?

~people

~failure

~illness

~public speaking

~suffering

~loss of a child

~child walking away from God or not being saved at all

~permanent disability

~pain

~angry dogs

~the dark

~death of a spouse

~divorce

~poverty

Americans' top 10 fears

According to the Boston Globe – +

1. Public speaking

2. Snakes

3. Confined spaces

4. Heights

5. Spiders

6. Tunnels and bridges

7. Crowds

8. Public transportation (especially airplanes)

9. Storms

10. Water (as in swimming and drowning)

What are some things that you are afraid of for your children?

Isolation

Unpopularity

Bullies

Child abduction

Death

Injury

Sexual abuse

Lost

Hit by a car

Bad life choices/drug, alcohol abuse, sexual promiscuity with sexually transmitted disease, pregnancy.

Reject God

Heart Break

Not finding a husband or wife

Infertility

Drowning

What is the difference between anxiety and fear?

Anxiety

According to authors Kaplan and Sadock, anxiety is “a diffuse, unpleasant, vague sense of apprehension…” It is often a response to an imprecise or unknown threat. For example, imagine you’re walking down a dark street. You may feel a little uneasy and perhaps you have a few butterflies in your stomach. These sensations are caused by anxiety that is related to the possibility that a stranger may jump out from behind a bush, or approach you in some other way, and harm you. This anxiety is not the result of a known or specific threat. Rather it comes from your mind’s vision of the possible dangers that may result in the situation.

Fear

Fear is an emotional response to a known or definite threat. Using the scenario above, let’s say you’re walking down a dark street and someone points a gun at you and says, “This is a stick up.” This would likely elicit a response of fear. The danger is real, definite and immediate. There is a clear and present object of fear.

What is the source of fear?

I did a word study on the word fear and afraid in the Bible. The first time that the word afraid is used is in Genesis 3:10. Adam and Eve had sinned by eating the fruit and they hid from God because they were naked and ashamed.

Fear entered the world as a result of sin. Before that time because Adam and Eve were in complete communion with God they had no need to fear. There was perfect trust.

Is Fear ever a positive thing?

We are told to fear God, have a healthy respect for him. As children we may have feared our parents or teachers so that we obeyed their rules.

We fear what may happen to us if we break laws like speeding or not paying our taxes.

We fear the consequences of actions, like infidelity or lying or stealing.

So some fear is for our good. It helps us lead upright and Godly lives.

Sometimes fear can even help us guard our tongues. Fear that our gossip might get back to the person we want to talk about so we say nothing.

What are some negative impacts of fear?




How does fear impact our decision making and our actions?

(example of buying a house)

~Fear causes us to make rash decisions

Jacob tricked Esau to get his birthright and due to his fear of retaliation he fled to Haran.

Exodus 2:14 Moses killed an Egyptian and had to flee to Midian

~Fear causes us to rely on our own solutions

Genesis 20:1-13 Abraham does it again.

Lot’s daughters feared they wouldn’t meet anyone to matter so they took matters into their own hand. Genesis 19:30-36

~Fear causes us to doubt God

Saul, Israel’s first king. 1 Samuel 10:8/13:5-14.

~Fear causes us to keep silent when we should speak

Joseph and his brothers: Because of their jealousy they sold him into slavery and then when they discovered he was alive they were afraid he would retaliate. They also were afraid their sin would be revealed.

~Fear causes us to sin

Fear of Man: Genesis 12:10-20 Abraham was afraid that the Egyptians would kill him for his wife Sarah because of her beauty that he asked her to lie.

~Fear destroys our witness of God to the world.

Fear of Goliath (Philistines)

~Fear causes us to deny God.

Luke 22:54-62: Peter denies Jesus.

Not being the one in control.

Do you think that either anxiety or fear is a sin?

Is fear/anxiety the absence of faith?



Questions

Faith versus Fear

What were you afraid of when you were growing up?

What fears do you have concerning your children?

What is your greatest area of fear/concern today?

Spend time praying for what was just shared in question 3.