B.L.A.S.T. Kids
Battle Ready: Weapons Drawn
October 19, 2025
There are many similarities between a Nerf Blaster battle and a paintball battle. First off, the more players you have, the more fun you have. The more dressed up you are for the occasion, the more fun you have as well. The more places you have to run, to hide, to set ambushes, and to plan your attack, the more fun you have.
There are two major differences, of course. With Nerf Blasters, you don't go home with pain on your clothes. And with Nerf Blasters, you don't go home with bruises and welts all over your body. You see, Nerf Barts have one major advantage over paintballs. They don't hurt! You can get cornered and pelted with a couple dozen darts, and the only thing that will be hurt is your pride. Get hit with a couple dozen paintballs, you'll be feeling it for days. Many people don't mind because they like the mess of paintball, but many stay away from it out of fear - fear of getting hurt.
Fear is a defense mechanism. Fear keeps us from doing things that are too risky or dangerous. Fear is what keeps us from resting our arms on the hot stove, reaching down to pick up a snake, and standing too close to a ledge. But fear can sometimes lead to poor decisions. It can lead us to do something rash - or simply not do something at all, even though we know it is important.
Jesus and His disciples were all afraid on the night He was arrested. The difference was how they handled it. Fear led the disciples to act very rashly, but Jesus, after much prayer, was able to give fear to God and trust that God would make everything work out according to His good purpose!
READ JOHN 18:1-13
When Jesus was arrested, fear sent the disciples into a panic. Nine of them ran in fear. In the gospel of Mark, we read that the gospel writer Mark was so scared, he ran right of his clothes when someone grabbed his cloak. Peter reacted with the most fear when he pulled out a sword and struck one of the men who had come to help apprehend Jesus!
We know Jesus was apprehensive about this moment because we know what Jesus was praying right before the mob arrived. But Jesus did not panic. Instead of running or fighting, He gave His fear to God the Father and submitted Himself to God's plan. This was not easy, but because Jesus gave up His fears, He was able to save us from sin.
Fearcan send us running. It can make us panic. But if we give our fear to God, we can find the faith to trust that God will make everything work out according to His plan.
It's tempting for us to brush this story off as an example of Jesus' perfection versus human imperfection. "Of course Jesus gave His fear to God. He's God's Son! He's stronger than we are. He knows more than we do! How can we possibly be expected to give up our fears so easily?"
The answer to that can be found in the verses prior to our reading. When Jesus and the disciples arrived in the garden, it was late. The disciples were exhausted, and all of them fell asleep. When they slept, Jesus was praying. He prayed and cried and sweated, pleading with God the Father to make another way possible for Him to save us from sin. through prayer, Jesus found the courage to say, "Not my will, but your will be done."
Jesus stood His ground and refused to run. He refused to lash out. Before the mob arrived in the garden, He had given His fear to God. Perhaps Peter could have kept his sword put away if he had prayed. Perhaps the other disciples would have stayed and followed Jesus back to Jerusalem if they had prayed.
There's no way to know what might have happened if the disciples had given their own fears to God. Instead, we have before us a choice. When we are facing a situation that scares us, we can run and panic. Or we can get on our knees and pray. When we see how humble Jesus was, facing His own fear as he was led to certain death, it challenges us. We want to be that bold. We want to be that strong in the face of fear. We want to give our fear to God and trust HIm as Jesus did.
We you let fear hold you back from doing God's will? Or will you give your fears to God? When you feel afraid, pray. Ask God to take away your fear. Trust that God is in control, and He will make everything work out according to His plans.
How can YOU help make this lesson stick with your child?
1. Ask your child what they learned about this week during B.L.A.S.T Kids.
2. Ask your kids if there are things they are scared of . Are there practical things they can do to help deal with those fears. Then ask them how they can give their fears to Jesus.
3. Here are some discussion starters:
a. Why did Peter strike someone with his sword when Jesus was arrested?
b. Why didn't Jesus panic or run when He was arrested?
c. How can we give our fears to Jesus so we can have victory?