Coming out of the Sunday Feb 21 teaching, “Letting Go of Fear”, spend some time in prayerful reflection and dialogue with your Home Church/Friends/Family around any combination of these questions:
Read Mark 4:35-41 and 1 John 4:18-19 before starting. Pray and ask God to speak.
- Lent is a season where we are invited to “let go”. Let go of our sin, let go of shame and let go of anything that may hinder us in our relationship with God. How do you think fear interferes with people’s relationship with God?
- How do you think the disciples were expecting Jesus to respond when they said to him “Do you not care if we perish” (Mark 4:38)? Are there times in your life where you have found yourself saying something similar?
- Jesus asks them “Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?” (Mark 4:40). Dan suggested that faith and fear are contrasted in this text. Do you agree? How does fear limit our faith?
- When the disciples realize that Jesus is capable of stilling the wind and the waves, they are amazed. They struggle with the realization that Jesus may be more than they thought he was. Have you ever had an experience where Jesus responded in a way you did not expect that challenged your perception of him?
- In 1 John 4:18, it is suggested that “perfect love drives out fear”. Why do you think love can counter the power of fear in our lives? How have you seen that play out in your own life?
- What fears are you struggling with currently? How could God’s love or the gift of faith dispel those fears in your life? What does it look like to let go of fear today?
Spend time in prayer bringing your fears to God. Confess them openly and honestly. Bring one another before God and ask him to meet you. As you surrender your fears to him, ask him to fill you with his faith and love.
