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b'What\\u2019s your biggest fear? Heights? Spiders? Snakes? Death? Those are the common ones, but there are other fears that are a little too close for comfort. For example, teens (and adults) tend to get bombarded with a lot of social fears. There is so much pressure to have the perfect body, the perfect performance, the perfect \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153stuff\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\u2014or at the very least to look like your life is perfectly put together. There just doesn\\u2019t seem to be room for being human.\\nSociety feeds into those fears because the world\\u2019s focus is not on pleasing God but on trying to make yourself or others happy. But guess what? Each person has a different idea of what makes them happy, so, ultimately, we\\u2019re all struggling with how elusive happiness is\\u2014but everyone is too afraid to admit it. And so, out of that fear, we as humans become so focused on superficial happiness that we become afraid of being open and honest with others about the deepest aspects of ourselves (including our fears).\\nAs Christians, we don\\u2019t have to be wrapped up in and motivated by fear. God has made us in His image, and He has called us His children (Genesis 1:27; John 1:12). When we put our faith in Jesus, He gives us a new identity: His righteousness (Romans 3:21-22). In that identity, there is no fear\\u2014only true satisfaction and joy in knowing our Creator, even when our circumstances are less than happy.\\nI once read somewhere that the Bible says \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153do not fear\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d 365 times. Even if that number isn\\u2019t exact, it shows how much God cares about our fears. He knows our deepest thoughts, even before we know how to express them (Romans 8:26-27). He knows why we fear what we fear, and yet the Bible says He \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d (2 Timothy 1:7). \\n\\u2022 What are some fears you have, based on society\\u2019s pressures? \\n\\u2022 What do you think God has to say about those specific fears? \\n\\u2022 If you know Jesus, how can you live bravely knowing that God is always with you, even when you are fearful (Matthew 28:20)? \\nGive all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nIsaiah 41:8-10; 43:1-4'