Hello Reading Squad! It’s finally Friday! Was it just me or did it feel like a long week?! Hope you’ve had a wonderful week and are enjoying “I Choose Brave.” Here are this week’s discussion questions:
Introduction
*The author asserts that we need more than just a cute Instagram caption to combat fear. What social media advice for fear have you come across?
Chapter 1 – The Truth about Fear
*Katie says that our fears are directional, always pointing towards what we prize. Have you considered this? In what direction are your fears pointing you?
*“The fear of the Lord is the key to wisdom, and wisdom is key to rightly aligning our fear” (pg. 23). What would seeking wisdom in your daily life look like as you seek to understand and align fear?
Chapter 2 – What Do I Know of Holy?
*What does “Fear the Lord” mean to you? What sorts of images or thoughts does this phrase conjure up for you?
*What does it mean to you to “choose brave”? Has this definition changed for you as you’ve read these chapters?
Chapter 3 – When Life Gets Your Attention
*In what ways has life suddenly got your attention?
*“The fear of God is a fear that bids us to come” (pg. 42). How does the fear of God prove to be an invitation into His presence? Had you ever thought of it that way before?
Chapter 4 – Goodbye-Fearlessness
*How has the message of fearlessness pervaded your life? Have you believed you needed to be completely fearless?
*Katie discusses that we should not be fearless but rather that we should properly align our fear. Do you agree with this? Why or why not?
Scripture of the Week
Psalm 86:11
Proverbs 1:7
Proverbs 9:10
Prayer of the Week
For Next Week
*Read Chapters 5-9
When I heard the next book was going to be centered on fear, I outwardly gave a victory fist pump but inwardly started to become anxious because I knew this would force me to face my fear, literally.
Growing up, I feel I had a healthy sense of fear: I wasn’t an exceptionally shy kid but I didn’t let my curiosity run wild either. It’s always been easy for me to get to know others, and I generally enjoy learning new things and taking on adventures.
But as I take a closer look into my life, I realize I haven’t had to deal with much hardship. I don’t say this boastfully. And because of this, I believe I’m a lot more ignorant, naive, and sensitive to interpreting and dealing with fear.
Fear can face plant you. I feel I have been in this position a handful of times over the past few years, and it can seem paralyzing. Perhaps for many it’s only in that frozen state that God can truly get our attention.
The author couldn’t have said it any better: “Glimpsing our limits, the end of us, a lack of control or ability to make things happen, pushes up against the reality of who God is.” (Page 25)
I’ve been on the floor begging God for help, holding my breath as time seems to stand still. In those moments, even my fears appear to be choked, gasping for air.
Like everything else, fear has to go somewhere. We can either run away from it or try to understand and face it.
The author mentioned how everyone says the Bible calls us to not fear but rarely addresses the times we are told to do so. “Fearing the Lord” for me has always been equated with respect and reverence. It is so refreshing to see the author’s insight on this belief: that fearing God is an awestruck response to His real and amazing power, and furthermore an invitation for us to dive deeper into our relationship with Him!
More and more I realize how little I can control. Perhaps that is why fear can overwhelm, cripple, and suffocate us if we let it. Fear isn’t going to leave, as much as I’d like it to. But by properly aligning our fear and locking “eyes with the Savior [who goes] before us in perfect peace” (Page 54), we will start to rest in Him and be able to see Him move.