Gwydyr Rd, Crieff, UK, PH7 4BS

(from Good Word Online):

Memory text: I Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Is fear an inherent part of human life? (cf lesson comments about infants being afraid, page 35).

Saying, “don’t be afraid” (e.g. John 14:1-2) is lots easier than not being afraid.

How can one translate the admonition into practice?

  • How do counseling techniques and divine aid relate to one another? (Cf. Lesson description of counseling approaches including breathing techniques, thinking about safe things, etc.)
  • How does the success of human efforts to control anxiety affect God’s promises?
  • Trust in God is an extension of how we’ve learned to trust a parent.
  • Does trust in human beings always precede trust in God?
  • What of those whose parents have been untrustworthy—those who have been neglected or abused by their parent?
  • How does one who has been betrayed by human beings regain trust in God?
  • How does one who feels neglected by God gain confidence in God?

What do you learn from the lilies and the sparrows?

  • Do believers and unbelievers see these stories differently?
  • How would you help a skeptic who believes in an uncaring God or no God at all, come to confidence in God?

Phil 4:11-13 [11] I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. [12] I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. [13] I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

  • Are believers just Pollyanna’s, ignoring all the bad?
  • How does this relate to earlier admonition in this chapter? (verses 6, 7: [6] Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. [7] And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.)