Fearing the Unknown Future—Interactions - The Warrior's Journey®

Fearing the Unknown Future—Interactions

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Below are some additional interactions on the article: Fearing the Unknown Future. Read it first.

411:

What is fear? Merriam Webster defines fear in the following way:

  • To be afraid and worried
  • To be afraid or apprehensive
  • Anxious concern
  • Reason for alarm

Words:

Have you ever thought of your life in terms of an amazing story that is being written by every moment that you live? Well that is what Donald Miller, author of A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, encourages his readers to see. Miller writes about his own experience in understanding the effects of fear on our life story and says this…

“The most often repeated commandment in the Bible is “Do not fear.” It’s in there over two hundred times. That means a couple of things, if you think about it. It means we are going to be afraid, and it means we shouldn’t let fear boss us around. Before I realized we were supposed to fight fear, I thought of fear as a subtle suggestion in our subconscious designed to keep us safe, or more important, keep us from getting humiliated. And I guess it serves that purpose. But fear isn’t only a guide to keep us safe; it’s also manipulative emotion that can trick us into living a boring life.” Donald Miller, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years

Do you think that what Miller is saying is true? Why do you think fear hinders our life stories from becoming amazing?

Audio:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Scripture:

Look at these 3 Scriptures and read about what it is that God does with fear. After reading each verse, take a moment to express in your own words what it is that God does to fear.

2 Timothy 1:7
1 John 4:18
Philippians 4:6–7

When reading the next 3 verses, look at the promises that God makes to us. While reading, you might want to make a list of what God says he does when we face the unknown.

Jeremiah 29:11
Joshua 1:9
Deuteronomy 31:8

Finally read what it is that Jesus instructs us to do when facing an unknown future.

Matthew 6:25–34

Video:

In the movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Hermione, one of the new students finds herself in a peculiar and scary situation. Take a look at how she reacts to an unwelcome guest in the girl’s bathroom.

When we do not know about our future, it is easy for us to become fearful. Watch this clip from the movie the Green Lantern and notice how the crowd of people is acting out of fear.

Life Questions:

  1. Have you ever had events happen that you did not see coming, or feel any way prepared for? If you did, how did you react? If you have not, how do you think you would react? Draw a picture, write a poem, dance, sing, or write to express those emotions in a way that is meaningful to you.
  2. Have you thought of a person whom you feel safe talking to about the future—a close friend, a parent, a Chaplain, or youth worker? Write down someone’s name now and set an appointment to talk to them about events in the future that make you uneasy.
  3. Then take time to write down the feelings that you have about the unknown. Write down why it is that you feel this. Then ask God to take control. Ask God to give you his peace. Ask him to give you confidence in his plan—although it may not always seem easy, and ask for help in believing that it is the best.

Music:


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