No Fear

​Community Group Discussion Guide: No Fear
 
Read Text: Isaiah 41:10 ‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
 
Icebreakers:

1. Do you have any phobias?  (Fear of heights, snakes, spiders, public speaking, etc.)  Do you think that your phobias are justified or are they the result of imagination?
2. There is a glass bridge in China (Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge) that is almost 1,000 feet above the canyon floor and covers a span of 1,400 feet.  Would you cross that bridge?  (Why or why not?)  Personally, I would rather sky dive.
3. If God has not given us a spirit of fear, where do you think fear comes from?  (I know, it is a loaded question)

 
Big Idea: Fear has its origins in the fall of man.  When sin entered the world and brought a curse upon the earth and the inhabitants thereof, all living things became vulnerable.  Just the threat of harm, of injury, of pain, of illness, of death, or trouble of all sorts; is cause for fear.  Mankind tends to fear both the known and the unknown.  Some of our phobias are unjustified, simply figments of our imagination.  Other fears are based in reality, where the source of our fear is a threat to our well-being.  That said, the most common command in the Bible tells us “not to fear.”  For the Believer it comes down to this: Our faith in God must be greater than our fear.
 
Text Exploration:
Isaiah 41:10 ‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
 
               Our text contains two commands and 3 promises from God.  (Let’s break it down)
 
Two Commands:

1. Do not fear (for I am with you)
2. Do not anxiously look about you.

 

• We are not arbitrarily told “not to fear.”  We are not to fear, for God is with us.  How does the knowledge that God is with you help allay your fears?
• What are some of the “things about us” that can cause fear?  (Example: How can we stay informed without becoming fearful when watching the news?)

 
Three Promises:

1. God will strengthen you.
2. God will help you.
3. God will uphold you.

 

• Can you think of any other scriptures that talk about God being your strength?  (Phil. 4:13; Psalm 27:7,8)
• How does God “help” us? 
• Notice that the promise of “upholding us” is based on God’s righteousness.  What is it about the righteousness of God that is cause for faith?

 
Wrap-up: Courage is a Christian virtue that we express in times of stress.  Why are we courageous?  We are courageous for God is with us and for us.  This does not make us passive; it causes us to pray with confidence.  Ephesians 6:18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.