During the lesson, the information for you to know is written in regular type, and what we suggest speaking or reading aloud to children is in bold. All resources for this lesson, including the Teacher Guide, Student Page, Family Connection Card, and other resources can be downloaded in a ZIP file by clicking on the following link:
In some lessons you will find "resource articles." These are articles written by experts from around the world to help equip you for your work with children and adolescents. Share them with parents or guardians if you consider it appropriate.
But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is in the Lord. He is like a tree planted by the water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.
Jeremiah 17:7–8
Sometimes life is like a desert—filled with the heat of discouraging circumstances, the barrenness of failure, and the drought of uncertainty. Your confidence disappears as you face your own inabilities. The broken relationship makes you feel unlovable. The financial struggles make you feel useless. The inability to help those around you makes you feel worthless. You wander the dry pathway of disappointment and wonder if your life has meaning.
Trust in this—you are more valuable to God than you can ever imagine. So when the deserts of life surround you, you can remain confident. There is One who knows your worth and loves you completely. When your confidence is rooted in your faith in God, you are like a tree planted by the stream—filled with the water of life. Disappointment will not cause you to wither when your roots reach out to the springs of God’s unfailing love. He will be there when the heat comes. He will fill your thirsty soul and help you to bear fruit, even when your own efforts seem fruitless.
Encourage the students to can ask their family members about times they were confident about something and what gave them confidence.
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
As your students arrive, ask them to share things they are confident about. Encourage their confidence by affirming them.
Students may answer that confidence is believing in yourself and knowing you can do something. Some students may remember learning that confidence is believing the truth about who God is and who we are in Him.
Let’s see how confident you are.
Okay, let’s try another one.
Students will likely say they are confident. Allow them to try a few times.
Now put your hand on a table or on the ground with your fingers spread. Tuck your middle finger under your palm.
Allow the students to answer after each of the following questions and then try to do each action.
Students will likely think they can do this, but they probably will not be able to move their ring fingers without moving another finger as well. Let them try a few times.
Most of you were confident you could do these things. Some you could do, and some you could not do. When you can do something well or easily, like drawing a circle in the air, it builds your confidence.
But sometimes your confidence is shaken when something is more difficult to do than you thought. For example, when it was more difficult to draw circles in the air with fingers from both your hands, you may have been less confident when I asked you to lift your fingers without moving the others. You may have realized it would be harder to do than it appeared, and this made you less confident.
This can be true of other things in life, too. You may make a mistake that shakes your confidence. Someone may tell you that you cannot do something or that you are not smart enough, talented enough, or old enough to do it well—and you may start to believe it. That can shake your confidence, too.
Or maybe we do something successfully, but those closest to us dismiss it, or even abuse us for what we did. With something like these fun exercises, it does not matter if we are confident—or that we are able to do them. But if we feel that we are failing in other parts of our lives, our confidence may be shaken in a more significant way. For example, if someone tells us we are worthless or unloved over and over, we may start to believe it. Or if we make a poor choice that has serious consequences, we may feel we can never be forgiven. So how do we rebuild our confidence when it is shaken? Let’s look at someone in the Bible whose confidence was shaken—and learn how his confidence was rebuilt.
We can learn some lessons about confidence from Peter, one of Jesus’ first disciples. Before he met Jesus, his name was Simon, which was a very common name. Before he met Jesus, he was a fisherman, which was a very common job. Peter was a confident man.
Divide the students into 6 groups. Give each group 1 section of the story from the tear-out page at the end of the lesson. Give the groups 10 minutes to decide how they would like to present their sections. They can act out, read, or present their sections in a different way of their choosing. Then call the class back together and have each group present their section of the story, starting with Group 1. The story sections are included below for your reference. If possible, show The Action Bible images in the appropriate stories below.
If possible, show the students the images from The Action Bible.
We can learn several things from Peter’s life about building unshakable confidence.
Be confident in your own abilities. When Peter first started following Jesus, he was a confident man. He was confident in his own abilities and understanding. He asked questions and tried new things.
Take the first step. When Jesus asked Peter to follow him, Peter dropped his nets and took the first step. Before Peter walked on water, the first thing he did was step out of the boat.
Know when to ask for help. When Peter first stepped out onto the water, he was confident. But when he saw the wind, Peter became afraid. When his confidence was shaken, he called out to Jesus—and Jesus reached out to save him.
Learn from your mistakes. After Peter denied Jesus, his confidence was shaken. He probably doubted if he could be the rock that Jesus had told him he was. But he was forgiven—and his life was transformed. Peter was no longer just a man with confidence in his own abilities—he was a man with confidence in Jesus.
Trust in Jesus! He is unshakable! Peter knew and loved Jesus. And when he began to see himself as Jesus did, his confidence grew. He became one of the founders of the church and a man of great faith. When we trust in Jesus, we can develop unshakable confidence, too!
Most of us are like Peter. We are confident about some things and not about others. We may have done things in our lives that shake our confidence.
Think of a specific time when your confidence was shaken. For example, someone you care about left you. You felt alone and blamed yourself. You think that if you had been smarter or better, that person would not have abandoned you.
Or maybe you have done something that caused you to feel unworthy, unlovable, or ashamed. You believe that no one could ever care about you because of the mistakes you made.
Or maybe someone told you that you were not good enough. That person made you feel unimportant or that your life had no meaning. Or someone may have told you over and over how useless and worthless you are. You feel rejected and unworthy.
Give students a few moments to think quietly, and then read the following statements. As you read each one, point to a different part of your teaching area.
As I read each of these statements, think of how you felt when your confidence was shaken. I will point to a different area for each statement. After I have read all 4 statements, move to the area that matches how you felt when your confidence was shaken.
Give your students time to move to the different areas.
Find a partner in your area to talk with. Share with your partner as much as you are comfortable about the situation that shook your confidence. If you are not comfortable talking about it, just tell your partner 1 confidence-building truth you learned today. Then pray for each other.
What can we do to rebuild our shaken confidence? Remember what we learned from Peter. Be confident in your own abilities. Take the first step. Know when to ask for help. Learn from your mistakes. And, most importantly, trust in Jesus! He is unshakable!
We will now replace those untrue statements with truth from the Bible. As I read these tips and verses, come stand with me when you hear a tip and a verse that will help to build your confidence.
Stand in the centre of your teaching space in a place where the students can gather around you. Pause after reading each statement and Bible verse.
Show the Memory Verse poster if you are using it.
Be confident in your abilities.
I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:13
Take the first step.
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9
Know when to ask for help.
Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Hebrews 4:16
Learn from your mistakes.
My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
2 Corinthians 12:9
Trust in Jesus!
But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.
Jeremiah 17:7
What you believe about yourself or your circumstances can build or shake your confidence. Through His Word, the Bible, God is the ultimate confidence-builder. When you know what God’s Word says about who He is and who you are, you can believe God’s truth about yourself and others. You can be confident in Him!
Optional Supplies: Give your students paper and pencils. Have them put 1 of the confidence-building statements on their papers and write or draw about their great value that comes from God. Give them 3–4 minutes to write or draw.
If you are using the Student Pages, the students can write or draw their thoughts on these pages.
Use these tips to help you to build your confidence. And remember that you can always have confidence in God. That is a confidence that will not be shaken!
Close your time with a blessing over your students based on Hebrews 4:15–16:
Blessing: May you find comfort in the knowledge that God knows you and loves you completely. May you find confidence to draw near to Him because He understands everything about you and will help in your times of need.
Lead the teens in singing this quarter’s song, if possible.
Life on Life ©2020 David C Cook. Reproducible for home or classroom use only. All other uses require written permission from David C Cook [email protected]. All rights reserved.
