When people are big and God is small resources

Some quotes and resources related to the book Pastor Duke referred to on Sunday.
tinyurl.com/whenpeoplearebig

Who is in control?

"It is true: what or who you need will control you."

(When People Are Big and God is Small, p. 14)

Prayer...

Lord, I need you.  But right now my need for ________________ is controlling me.  
It is causing me to ....

In you, God, there is...

Amen!!

Prayer for your family

This past Sunday in EKIDZ, the lesson title was "God preserves Joseph."
The practical activity we did in the 1st through 5th grade class was making a family prayer list
(ekidzministry.blogspot.com).

In light of our current NO FEAR series this prayer lesson would be good for each of us to do.

The two big lessons from this activity are:
1.  Our families are not designed to focus on us.  God needs to be the center.
2.  There are specific things we can be praying for our family members.  Rather than worrying about our family, we should be praying to God for them.

Fear of People...

“1. We fear people because they can expose and humiliate us. 2. We fear people because they can reject, ridicule, or despise us. 3. We fear people because they can attack, oppress, or threaten us. These three reasons have one thing in common: they see people as “bigger” (that is, more powerful and significant) than God, and, out of the fear that creates in us, we give other people the power and right to tell us what to feel, think, and do.” 
― Edward T. Welch, When People Are Big and God is Small: Overcoming Peer Pressure, Codependency, and the Fear of Man

PRAYER FOCUS:  Don't let me get caught up in the fear of people!

When People Are Big and God Is Small

When People Are Big and God Is Small is a great book that specifically addresses the fear of man.

This post is taken from Justin Taylor's blog

“The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.” Proverbs 29:25

“Fear of man is such a part of our human fabric that we should check for pulse if someone denies it.”–Ed Welch, When People Are Big and God Is Small.

In order to fear God, not man, here are the steps Welch sets forth in his book, which I’ve just started and would warmly commend:

Step 1: Recognize that the fear of man is a major theme both in the Bible and in your own life.

Step 2: Identify where your fear of man has been intensified by people in your past.

Step 3: Identify where your fear of man has been intensified by the assumptions of the world.

Step 4: Understand and grow in the fear of the Lord. The person who fears God will fear nothing else.

Step 5: Examine where your desires have been too big. When we fear people, people are big, our desires are even bigger, and God is small.

Step 6: Rejoice that God has covered your shame, protected you from danger, and accepted you. He has filled you with love.

Step 7: Need other people less, love other people more. Out of obedience to Christ, and as a response to his love toward you, pursue others in love.

Psalms with the word fortress

Psalm 18
Psalm 31
Psalm 46
Psalm 59
Psalm 62
Psalm 71
Psalm 91
Psalm 144

Fear in the Psalms

Look up these verses and see what they say about fear.

Godly fear or sinful fear...

Psalm 9:20

Psalm 19:9

Psalm 23:4

Psalm 25:14

Psalm 27:1-3

Psalm 33:18

Psalm 34:4, 9, 11

Psalm 36:1

Psalm 40:3

Psalm 46:2

Psalm 49:5