Self Leader
Student 2025
2.1Assignment.Devotion_UnlockingtheBungeeCords_Fear.docxGETTING STARTED
In this week’s devotion, we will consider author Steve Brown’s (2015) next “bungee” from which we should unhook: fear. A reading of the Scriptures quickly reveals that many prominent figures dealt with fear: the apostle Paul who wrote about “conflicts on the outside, fears within (2 Corinthians 7:5(new tab) ); Abraham who lied to the Pharaoh of Egypt about his wife, Sarah, telling him that she was his sister because he feared for his life (Genesis 12(new tab) ); Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples, who lied three times about knowing Jesus, in fear for his life (Luke 22(new tab) ). While there are fears that are natural and useful (such as knowing better than to get too close to a dangerous animal), there are fears that represent significant spiritual bungee cords in that they represent fear that opposes trust in God. Such fears may lead to worry, anxiety, workaholism arising from fear of failure, even paralysis of emotions and actions. A common reason for many people is the fatigue that results from the challenges and pressures of daily life. Jesus addressed this in Matthew 11:28(new tab) when he said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Brown (2015) offers five practices that often help alleviate fear:
“Rest – Fear is often magnified when we are weary. Simply getting some deep sleep can bring greater stamina and a renewed perspective.
Identify Your Fears – Name your fears. By simply identifying and naming them, you bring the fear into the light and break some of the power.
Confess and Choose to Trust – Confess the specific fear or disbelief to God and ask forgiveness where fear has replaced trust. Then, by God’s grace, choose to trust God in that specific area.
Know Your Buttons – Are there specific situations or people that press your fear buttons? Once you identify your fear buttons, you can be proactive and better prepared.
Get to the Roots – Fear can be rooted in disbelief or distortion of God’s character, our own lack of skills, limited experience, misinformation, spiritual attack, lack of perspective, or past trauma. A trusted mentor, experienced spiritual friend or godly counselor often can be a significant help in addressing the root causes of fear.”
While fear is common, we should not permit it to have control over our thinking, our decisions, our emotions, or our behaviors. The key is Who we trust and Psalm 20:7(new tab) speaks to that: “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God” (Brown, 2015, p. 64).
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Review the information in the Getting Started section.
2. Write a half-page reflection paper (Word document) that shares your thoughts/perspectives on how inappropriate fears may create obstacles for you, spiritually, personally, and/or professionally. Then, use a Bible or internet search engine to locate two different Bible passages that address the topic of fear in ways that may be helpful in allaying the fears about which you wrote.
GETTING STARTED
In this week’s devotion, we will consider author Steve Brown’s (2015) next
“bungee” from which we should unhook: fear. A reading of the Scriptures
quickly reveals that many prominent figures dealt with fear: the apostle Paul
who wrote about “conflicts on t
he outside, fears within (
2 Corinthians
7:
5
(new tab)
); Abraham who lied to the Pharaoh of Egypt about his wife,
Sarah, telling him that she was his sister
because he feared for his life
(
Genesis 1
2
(new tab)
); Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples, who lied three times
about knowing Jesus, in fear for his life (
Luke 2
2
(new tab)
). While there are
fears that are natural and useful (such as knowing better than to get too
close to a dangerous animal), there are fears that represent sig
nificant
spiritual bungee cords in that they represent fear that opposes trust in God.
Such fears may lead to worry, anxiety, workaholism arising from fear of
failure, even paralysis of emotions and actions. A common reason for many
people is the fatigue t
hat results from the challenges and pressures of daily
life. Jesus addressed this in
Matthew 11:2
8
(new tab)
when he said, “Come
to me, all you who are weary and
burdened, and I will give you rest.” Brown
(2015) offers five practices that often help alleviate fear:
“Rest
–
Fear is often magnified when we are weary. Simply getting some
deep sleep can bring greater stamina and a renewed perspective.
Identify Your F
ears
–
Name your fears. By simply identifying and naming
them, you bring the fear into the light and break some of the power.
Confess and Choose to Trust
–
Confess the specific fear or disbelief to God
and ask forgiveness where fear has replaced trust. The
n, by God’s grace,
choose to trust God in that specific area.
Know Your Buttons
–
Are there specific situations or people that press your
fear buttons? Once you identify your fear buttons, you can be proactive and
better prepared.
Get to the Roots
–
Fear c
an be rooted in disbelief or distortion of God’s
character, our own lack of skills, limited experience, misinformation, spiritual
attack, lack of perspective, or past trauma. A trusted mentor, experienced
spiritual friend or godly counselor often can be a
significant help in
addressing the root causes of fear.”
While fear is common, we should not permit it to have control over our
thinking, our decisions, our emotions, or our behaviors. The key is Who we
trust and
Psalm 20:
7
(new tab)
speaks to that: “Some trust in chariots and
GETTING STARTED
In this week’s devotion, we will consider author Steve Brown’s (2015) next
“bungee” from which we should unhook: fear. A reading of the Scriptures
quickly reveals that many prominent figures dealt with fear: the apostle Paul
who wrote about “conflicts on the outside, fears within (2 Corinthians
7:5(new tab)); Abraham who lied to the Pharaoh of Egypt about his wife,
Sarah, telling him that she was his sister because he feared for his life
(Genesis 12(new tab)); Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples, who lied three times
about knowing Jesus, in fear for his life (Luke 22(new tab)). While there are
fears that are natural and useful (such as knowing better than to get too
close to a dangerous animal), there are fears that represent significant
spiritual bungee cords in that they represent fear that opposes trust in God.
Such fears may lead to worry, anxiety, workaholism arising from fear of
failure, even paralysis of emotions and actions. A common reason for many
people is the fatigue that results from the challenges and pressures of daily
life. Jesus addressed this in Matthew 11:28(new tab) when he said, “Come
to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Brown
(2015) offers five practices that often help alleviate fear:
“Rest – Fear is often magnified when we are weary. Simply getting some
deep sleep can bring greater stamina and a renewed perspective.
Identify Your Fears – Name your fears. By simply identifying and naming
them, you bring the fear into the light and break some of the power.
Confess and Choose to Trust – Confess the specific fear or disbelief to God
and ask forgiveness where fear has replaced trust. Then, by God’s grace,
choose to trust God in that specific area.
Know Your Buttons – Are there specific situations or people that press your
fear buttons? Once you identify your fear buttons, you can be proactive and
better prepared.
Get to the Roots – Fear can be rooted in disbelief or distortion of God’s
character, our own lack of skills, limited experience, misinformation, spiritual
attack, lack of perspective, or past trauma. A trusted mentor, experienced
spiritual friend or godly counselor often can be a significant help in
addressing the root causes of fear.”
While fear is common, we should not permit it to have control over our
thinking, our decisions, our emotions, or our behaviors. The key is Who we
trust and Psalm 20:7(new tab) speaks to that: “Some trust in chariots and
