One of the key issues that everyone faces in life is the “fear of failure”. We all face this fear when we are forced to step out from what is familiar to us and try something new. This creative Bible Study lesson for youth begins with a taste test and then looks at the very real example of Moses when God called him to serve him in Egypt.
What you need
- Blindfolds for each youth
- Various unusual foods cut into small pieces and placed in separate bowls (You’ll want unusual textures and flavors)
Here are some you might consider:
90% chocolate, anchovies, any herb or spice, avocado, beef jerky, black liquorice, bitter gourd, black olive, brussel sprouts, candied ginger, candy sprinkles, carrot, celery, century egg, dried fruits, graham cracker, green olive, green olives, green pepper, herring, jelly, jelly beans, jicama, kiwi, kohlrabi, lima beans, m&m’s, mango, maraschino cherries, marshmallows, melba toast, pear, peeled grapes, peppercorns, pickles, pig skin, pineapple, pomegranate, popcorn, raw potato, prawn crackers, prunes, radish, raisins, raw onion, reese’s peanut butter cup, rhubarb, rice cakes, skittles, sliced ginger, sauerkraut, sweet potato, tomato, vanilla wafers, vegemite, wasabe snacks, water chestnut
What to do
- Seat the youth, blindfolded, in a circle of chairs.
- Explain that you are going to pass around various bowls of food and youth are to take a small piece of food from the bowl, eat it and then pass the bowl on to the next person.
- The youth are not allowed to say anything that might reveal the contents to others.
- After everyone has had a chance to taste all the foods, display and identify the various foods that were in the bowls.
Debrief
- How did you feel doing this taste test?
- What were some of the thoughts that went through your head?
- What fears and worries did you have? What were some of the risks?
- How many of you tasted something good? How many of you tried something that tasted bad to you?
- How do you feel when someone forces you to try something new?
Take it to the Next Level
Make it Spiritual
- Read Exodus 3:7-4:6
- Why did moses make so many excuses?
- What were the fears that Moses had?
- At the root of these things was the “Fear of failure.” How did God help Moses over come each of his fears?
- Do we still have these same fears today when asked to try something new?
Make it Practical
- What excuses do you make when asked to try something that is new to you?
- What are some of your fears today?
- What are some of the things you are afraid of trying? Doing?
- Someone has said that “courage is the absence of fear, but doing the very thing you fear.” What does that mean for you?
- How can God’s responses to Moses help us in facing our own fears?
Make it Personal
Someone said it this way, I would rather attempt to do something great for God and fail, than to plan to do nothing and succeed.
- What is God asking you to do today that you are afraid of doing?
- Stepping out in faith, what are some God honoring risks you can take this week?
- What is something you need to trust God for in your life this week?
- What is something you have been putting off in fear that God has called you to do?
- Pray for God to replace the fear with faith and help you to take action this week? “God, I’m going to trust You in this area!”
SUMMARY
We face a lot of different fears in life. One of the most common fears is this fear of failure. No one wants to fail. We don’t want to fail our family, our friends, ourselves, and God. God almost always ask us to do things that are beyond our comfort zone, that force us to trust Him. Like Moses, one of the first things people do when they fear failure is to make excuses to why they can not do something. But God is with us. He will teach us. He has made us who we are. He is our strength. And he will take us through to the end. You can’t play it safe and please God. If you are controlled by your fears, you will miss many of God’s blessings in your life.
Additional Scripture
Psalm 27:1, 3, 5 “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? Though a host encamp against me, my heart will not fear; though war arise against me, in spite of this I shall be confident. For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock.”
Psalm 91:2-4 “I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust!’ For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.”
Galatians 1:10 “For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.”
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”
Psalm 119:103-104 “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.”
MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”
200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.