Putting Away Fear

It can be a despairing thought for a child to think that he must live with fear the rest of his life. Dealing with the same futile thinking that leads to fear that controls and limits him is living in an endless cycle of defeat. Efforts to bolster the child’s self-confidence end in dismal failure. Though we can teach and encourage that child, we are helpless to change a fearful heart. True change can only come through the empowering grace of the Holy Spirit who can turn a child’s heart away from self-interest and self-reliance to confident faith in the almighty, unchanging, wise, and loving God. This booklet can also be used simply as instruction about fear and the biblical response to the temptation to be fearful.

...put off your old self...to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.—Ephesians 4:22a, 23-24

Paul’s instructions in Ephesians 4:17-24 give hope to us, to the children in our homes, and to the children we teach and counsel. We can lead our children to put their confidence in Christ, trusting Him for the forgiveness of their sins and the fulfillment of all His promises to them—including the promise to change their hearts and to be their strength in weakness. We can model and instruct our children in putting off the “old self” and putting on the “new self,” and help them “be renewed in the spirit of [their] minds” as we train them in righteousness and encourage them to trust in the power of God, deny the temptations of the enemy, and practice walking in the truth.

This booklet is a resource for parents, grandparents, teachers, pastors, and counselors who desire not only to change behavior, but to approach the problem of deceit from a biblical perspective of heart transformation through “the renewing of the mind” and the power of Christ at work in the heart. Each chapter leads the child to dependency on Christ through instruction, discussion, and application, and includes a follow-up assignment focusing on the mind, heart, and will of the child.

May the instructions and activities in this booklet help you lead the next generation in walking “after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” as an expression of a transformed heart and the desire to obey and please Christ.

If you are working with more than one child, purchase a supplemental Assignment Notebook for each child.

 For younger children (ages 3-7), the book When I Am Afraid can provide an opportunity for parents to encourage children to look to God when they are fearful.