Fear, Inc.

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October, 23rd, 2016 .:. .:. Room 301

Pathways Kids Weekend Small Groups

This curriculum is for the 4th, 5th and 6th graders.

This Weeks Scope

You Refuse, You Lose

Bible Story: You Refuse, You Lose (Joshua and Caleb) Numbers 1314
Bottom Line: You can do what you should even when others are afraid.
Memory Verse: Be strong and brave. Do not be afraid. Do not lose hope. I am the LORD your God. I
will be with you everywhere you go. Joshua 1:9b, NIrV
Life App: Couragebeing brave enough to do what you should do, even when youre afraid.
Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what.

Welcome Time
Welcome kids and spend time engaging in conversation and catching up. Get ready to experience
todays story.
Before kids arrive, pray for each regular attendee by name. Pray for those who might visit your group
for the first time. Fear is contagious, especially when it comes to kids. Pray for Gods protection around
your few as they may be facing things that are frightening or scary. Ask God to give them courage to
help them be brave in the presence of others who are fearful.
The Bible Story: Numbers 13 and 14 (Sorry it is a lot, I provided it for a reference)
The LORD said to Moses, Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the
Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders. So at the LORDs command Moses sent
them out from the Desert of Paran. All of them were leaders of the Israelites. (Moses gave Hoshea son
of Nun the name Joshua.) When Moses sent them to explore Canaan, he said, Go up through the
Negev and on into the hill country. See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are
strong or weak, few or many. What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns
do they live in? Are they unwalled or fortified? 20 How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees in it
or not? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land. (It was the season for the first ripe
grapes.) So they went up and explored the land from the Desert of Zin as far as Rehob, toward Lebo
Hamath. They went up through the Negev and came to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai and
Talmai, the descendants of Anak, lived. (Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)
When they reached the Valley of Eshkol, they cut off a branch bearing a single cluster of grapes. Two of
them carried it on a pole between them, along with some pomegranates and figs. That place was called

the Valley of Eshkol because of the cluster of grapes the Israelites cut off there. At the end of forty
days they returned from exploring the land. They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole
Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole
assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. They gave Moses this account: We went into the land
to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live
there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of
Anak there. The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill
country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan. Then Caleb silenced the people
before Moses and said, We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.
But the men who had gone up with him said, We cant attack those people; they are stronger than we
are. And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said,
The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We saw
the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anakcome from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in
our own eyes, and we looked the same to them. That night all the members of the community raised
their voices and wept aloud. All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole
assembly said to them, If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! 3 Why is the LORD bringing
us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldnt
it be better for us to go back to Egypt? And they said to each other, We should choose a leader and
go back to Egypt. Then Moses and Aaron fell face down in front of the whole Israelite
assembly gathered there. Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those
who had explored the land, tore their clothes and said to the entire Israelite assembly, The land we
passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into
that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the LORD.
And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone,
but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them. But the whole assembly talked about stoning them.
Then the glory of the LORD appeared at the tent of meeting to all the Israelites. The LORD said to
Moses, How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in
me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them? I will strike them down with a plague and
destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they. Moses said to the LORD,
Then the Egyptians will hear about it! By your power you brought these people up from among
them. And they will tell the inhabitants of this land about it. They have already heard that you, LORD, are
with these people and that you, LORD, have been seen face to face, that your cloud stays over
them, and that you go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. If you put all
these people to death, leaving none alive, the nations who have heard this report about you will
say, The LORD was not able to bring these people into the land he promised them on oath, so he
slaughtered them in the wilderness. Now may the Lords strength be displayed, just as you have

declared: The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not
leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth
generation. In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have
pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now. The LORD replied, I have forgiven them, as you
asked. Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the LORD fills the whole earth, not
one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who
disobeyed me and tested me ten times not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to
their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. But because my servant
Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and
his descendants will inherit it. Since the Amalekites and the Canaanites are living in the valleys,
turn back tomorrow and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea. The LORD said to
Moses and Aaron: How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the
complaints of these grumbling Israelites. So tell them, As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to
you the very thing I heard you say: In this wilderness your bodies will fallevery one of you twenty
years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. Not one of you
will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and
Joshua son of Nun. As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to
enjoy the land you have rejected. But as for you, your bodies will fall in this wilderness. Your children
will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies
in the wilderness. For forty yearsone year for each of the forty days you explored the landyou will
suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you. I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will
surely do these things to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They
will meet their end in this wilderness; here they will die. So the men Moses had sent to explore the
land, who returned and made the whole community grumble against him by spreading a bad
report about it these men who were responsible for spreading the bad report about the land were
struck down and died of a plague before the LORD. Of the men who went to explore the land, only
Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh survived. When Moses reported this to all the
Israelites, they mourned bitterly. Early the next morning they set out for the highest point in the hill
country, saying, Now we are ready to go up to the land the LORD promised. Surely we have sinned!
But Moses said, Why are you disobeying the LORDs command? This will not succeed! Do not go up,
because the LORD is not with you. You will be defeated by your enemies, for the Amalekites and the
Canaanites will face you there. Because you have turned away from the LORD, he will not be with
you and you will fall by the sword. Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up toward the highest
point in the hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the LORDs covenant moved from the
camp. Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and attacked
them and beat them down all the way to Hormah.

What You Need: Paper and pen

What You Do:
Set out paper and a pen to play a game of Hangman using words that name things people are
often afraid of.
When one of the kids has an idea, ask him to draw lines for each letter of the word or phrase
that hes thinking of. When hes ready, tell the other kids to take turns guessing a letter they
think is in the word(s). If they guess correctly, the letter is added to the appropriate line.
Continue until someone can guess the fear.
Repeat as time allows, giving each person a chance to be the leader.
What You Say:
Everyone is afraid of something. Fears can be gigantic and can keep us from obeying God. But the
truth is, even the scariest thing we can imagine is not scary at all to God. [Transition] In Large Group
were going see what it looks like to trust God even when a fear feels as huge as a GIANT. Lets
go find out more about courage.
Lead your group to the Large Group area.

Activity #1
What You Need: timer on phone, Bible
What You Do:
Ask kids to form a wide circle around you. Have everyone turn and face the outside of the circle
and then join hands.
Explain that you will walk around the inside of the circle and randomly tap a kid on the back. The
kid whos tapped should immediately say, START, and then squeeze the hand of the person to
his right. Start the timer and time how long it takes for the squeeze to go all the way around
the circle and back to the kid who started it. Youll stop the time when you hear him say, STOP.
Ask the kid who began the squeeze to answer one of the review questions listed below.
Then choose another kid and repeat the game. The goal is to beat the previous times as they
correctly answer a review question.
Review Questions:
o What was the name of the land God had promised to give the people of Israel?
(Canaan)
o How many spies did Moses send into Canaan? (12)
o What were some of the things the spies were told to find out about the Land of Canaan?
(What the people were like. Were there a lot of people in Canaan? Were the people
strong? Did the towns have high walls around them? Was the land good for growing
crops?)
o What was scary about Canaan to some of the spies? (the high walls around the cities, a
lot of tall people)
o What are the names of the two men who werent scared off by the thought of conquering
the land of the Canaanites? (Joshua, Caleb)
o What did Joshua and Caleb do when the Israelites started to panic and were ready to
head back to Egypt? (reminded them that God is with them, encouraged them to believe
that God would help them defeat the Canaanite people)

o
o
o

How many of the Israelites were allowed to eventually enter the land God promised to
give Israel? (two: Joshua and Caleb)
How long did the Israelites wander in the wilderness as punishment for their unbelief?
(40 years)
What is todays Bottom Line? [Bottom Line] You can do what you should even when
others are afraid.

What You Say:

Out of all the spies who went into the land of Canaan, only two had enough courage to believe that
God would provide a way for them to conquer the land. The fears of the spies were contagious and
spread through the Israelites as quickly as our hand squeezes moved around the circle. Only Joshua
and Caleb lived out todays Bottom Line: [Bottom Line] You can do what you should even when
others are afraid. Like them, we all face situations where others are ready to bail, jump ship, throw in
the towel, and call it quits. We might even be tempted to join them.
But just as fear can be contagious, so can courage. You dont have to let fear take over and control
you. Instead, ask God to help you stand up with courage the way Joshua and Caleb did. When
everyone else is ready to give up, God is ready to use you to speak up for Him and bravely do whats
right. You might be the voice God uses to give others a new perspective on a scary situation and help
them trust God in ways they never thought about before.
[Make It Personal] (Share a way God has used you to stand up in a situation where others were
ready to quit. How did you feel? What helped you to not give up?)

Activity #2
What You Need: Scaredy Kids Cards Activity Page
What You Do:
Give each kid one card. Tell them to not let others know whats on their cards.
Explain that each card describes a silly fear such as the fear of pencils. Tell them that whatever
is on their card is now their biggest, worst, and craziest fear.
Give the group about five minutes to mingle and ask one another the same question such as,
Describe the perfect pizza.
Tell kids that as they chat with one another they must act out their individual fear (without saying
what it is) while trying to discover the fears of others.
When the time is up, call the group together and let everyone guess each kids fear.
If you lead mostly older kids, consider asking these discussion questions:
What are some real fears kids your age have?
What might happen in the following situations if you chose fear instead of courage? What if you
chose courage instead of fear?
o Your soccer team has a new coach whos intense and tough. The rest of the team starts
quitting.
o While hanging out with a group of your friends, they decide to smoke cigarettes and dare
you to try one too.
o One of the kids from school whos in your Small Group is being teased for reading the
Bible and going to church.

What does God use to change a Scaredy Kid into a Courageous Kid? what does that look
like, in light of the fears you guys just listed?

What You Say:

The fears in our game were silly, but there are real fears in life that are not funny all. No matter who we
are, each of us has something that freaks us out and makes us a scaredy kid at times. Its especially
hard when others are afraid too. We can say well be brave and courageous but when were actually in
the thick of a scary situation, its easy to wimp out. This week, look for opportunities to do the right
thing, even if others dont. For example, you might need to speak up when a kid is being treated badly
even though you know youll get laughed at. Maybe youll have to make a hard choice and walk away
from a situation thats dangerous or unwise even when your friends dont. You wont always get the
bravery thing right, but God will use each experience to help you learn how to trust Him in bigger ways.
And trusting in God is the secret to being courageous even when others arent. With Gods power,
[Bottom Line] you can do what you should even when others are afraid.

Prayer
Opposites

Time

What You Need: scraps of paper, markers

What You Do:
Ask kids to think of people who are in uniquely difficult situations where there can be a lot of fear
and pressure to go with the crowd instead of being courageous even when others are afraid.
They should write each person on the scraps of paper
Here are some examples:
o Government leaders (president, congressmen, etc.)
o Men and women in the military
o Teachers and principals at schools
o Music and movie stars
o Pastors and church leaders
o Missionaries
o All of us as we try to be courageous in our schools, neighborhoods, and families
Spread the cards out on the floor and invite those who are willing to pray for one or two of the
people you written on them. Encourage the others to pray along silently.
Close the prayer time by including the names of all your kids in a final prayer similar to the one
below.
What You Say:
Dear God, we pray for the many people around the world who need to be courageous and stand for
whats right even when others are afraid. We pray for ourselves as well. (Name each kid in your group
and pray a sentence prayer for each one.) Give us the power of your Holy Spirit to not be afraid. You,
Lord, are bigger than any fear and we praise You for the strength You give us to do and say whats
right. In Jesus name, amen.
In our Bible story today, 10 of the spies reported that they were afraid to attack the land. Joshua and
Caleb spoke up and reminded everyone that God would keep His promise and provide a way for them
to conquer the land. The Israelites let a wave of fear sweep over them. This week, be careful not to be
like the Israelites. Instead of melting into a puddle of fear or panic, take God at His word. Remember

His promise to be with you then choose to trust Him. God is powerful, loving, and wise. There is nothing
that you cant face with His help.