Facing Our Fears - Flipbook - Page 3
1.
RELATIONSHIP ISSUES
Human beings are relational. Men and women relate to each other. Friends relate to friends. Children
relate to parents. Adults relate to employers, teachers, and government workers. Everything in life
revolves around relationships. Why are so many of us so bad at them? And on top of that, we fear
relationship breakdown in many ways, including divorce, alienation of children, and conflicts with
colleagues or friends.
SCRIPTURES AND LIFE APPLICATION NOTES
Matthew 7:1-3, NLT: “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat
others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. And why worry about
a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?
LIFE APPLICATION NOTE: 7:1-5 By saying, “Do not judge others,” Jesus was rebuking the hypocritical,
judgmental attitude that tears others down in order to build oneself up. This is not a blanket statement to
overlook sinful behavior of others but a call to be discerning rather than negative. Turning a blind eye to
things done wrong shows that we have lost our moral compass. This leads to relativism, a worldview in
which all actions, moral or not, are equally acceptable. Jesus said to expose false prophets (7:15-23), and
Paul taught that we should exercise church discipline (1 Corinthians 5:1-2) and trust God to be the final
judge (1 Corinthians 4:3-5).
James 1:19, NLT: “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to
speak, and slow to get angry.”
LIFE APPLICATION NOTE: 1:19 When we talk too much and listen too little, we communicate to others
that we think our ideas are more important than theirs. James wisely advises us to reverse this process. Put
a mental stopwatch on your conversations, and keep track of how much you talk and how much you listen.
When people talk with you, do they feel that their viewpoints and ideas have value?
1 Thessalonians 5:11, NLT: “So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.”
LIFE APPLICATION NOTE: 5:9-11 As you near the end of a long race, your legs ache, your chest burns,
and your whole body cries out for you to stop. This is the moment when friends and fans are most valuable.
Their encouragement helps you push through the pain to the finish line. In the same way, Christians are to
encourage one another. A word of encouragement offered at the right moment can be the difference
between finishing well and collapsing along the way. Look around you. Be sensitive to others’ need for
encouragement and offer supportive words or acts of service.
Facing Our 10 Biggest Fears: A sample of Scripture and Commentary from the new Life Application Study Bible - Third Edition.
