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Be Not Afraid of Their Faces

A young prophet with every excuse, a crowd that mocks him daily, and a fire he can’t keep in

  • 🔥 Youth 14–15
  • Week 43
  • 📅 Sunday, October 25, 2026
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

God knew me before I was born and sent me here now on purpose, so I don’t have to be older, louder or more popular to stand for Him; He is with me, even when people mock me.

I can stand for what I believe with honesty and kindness, even when it’s awkward, because God knows me and is with me.

Study it yourself firstRead Jeremiah 1–3; 7; 16–18; 20 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Jeremiah 1–3; 7; 16–18; 20)
Know the chapters

Jeremiah was called as a prophet while he was still young. That was about forty years before Jerusalem fell to Babylon. The Lord told him, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee… and I ordained thee a prophet,” in 1:5. Jeremiah’s first reaction was an excuse: “I cannot speak: for I am a child,” in 1:6. The Lord didn’t argue about his age. He said, “Say not, I am a child… Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee,” in 1:7–8. He touched Jeremiah’s mouth. He promised to make him “an iron pillar,” in 1:18.

Jeremiah 1:5 is also a key witness of premortal life. Latter-day scripture teaches that we lived with God before this life. Some were chosen there for work on earth. See Abraham 3:22–23, Alma 13:3 and Doctrine and Covenants 138:55–56. The For the Strength of Youth section “God’s plan is for you” speaks to this. Knowing God’s plan helps youth know who they really are and who they can become. It gives them courage in hard times.

The rest of the block shows how hard Jeremiah’s calling was. He told the people they’d left the Lord, “the fountain of living waters,” for “broken cisterns, that can hold no water.” That’s 2:13. He stood at the temple gate and warned people not to trust empty words while living wrongly, in 7:1–7. At the potter’s house, he watched a marred pot get reshaped into something new, in 18:1–6. A priest named Pashur had him beaten and put in the stocks, in 20:1–2. Jeremiah admitted he was mocked every day and wanted to quit. But the Lord’s word was “as a burning fire shut up in my bones.” He couldn’t hold it in, in 20:7–9.

Teachers-age youth and Young Women live with Jeremiah’s problem every day. They’re young. Many feel they can’t speak up. Faith can make you the odd one out at school or online. Don’t promise it’ll be easy or that no one will mock them. Jeremiah’s own record says otherwise. Promise what the Lord promised: I am with thee. The goal isn’t loud, preachy courage. It’s honest, kind, steady courage.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Jeremiah 1:4–10, 1:17–19 and 20:7–9. Run the Excuse Generator with the Big Timer. Tell the Lunch Table case from Teach Mode and ask each scene’s question. Read Jeremiah 1:5 and say 1:7–8 together. Practice Pressure Lines with the Name Spinner. Close with a time you felt too young to speak up. Brought nothing? You don’t need anything.

What to bring3 items

Tick what you have. Forgot something? Every step that needs a supply has a no-supplies version in the plan below.

Before class

  1. Read Jeremiah 1 and 20:1–9. Skim the Lunch Table scenes so you can tell them in your own words.
  2. Think of a time you felt too young or too scared to speak up, and what the Lord did. Keep it to a minute.
  3. Optional: text a youth to read Jeremiah 1:5 aloud and lead the key verse motions.

If your class is wild

  • This lesson can drift into “be brave and bear your testimony at lunch!” Don’t let it. Honest, kind courage is often quiet. Not laughing at the joke. Leaving the chat. Simply answering a sincere question.
  • Maya is made up. If her story matches someone in your class too closely, change her name and a detail or two.
  • Some youth have really been mocked or left out for their faith. If someone shares that, thank them. Don’t rush past it.
  • In Pressure Lines, keep the pressure realistic but clean. If a line gets uncomfortable, laugh it off and go to the next screen.
  • If energy dips after the case, run the Iron Pillar Challenge before more talking.

The 25-minute plan24 min + bonus

Bonus steps are for when you have extra time. Steps that mention Teach Mode, the Sound Board or other class games refer to the Gospel Sparks app; on the web you can play Forehead Guess and Scripture Showdown from this page.

1. Hook

The Excuse Generator

3 min

Naming our excuses out loud makes Jeremiah’s excuse, and the Lord’s answer, feel personal.

  1. SAY“Rapid fire. Forty-five seconds. Give me every excuse a teenager could use for not doing something hard for God. Like speaking up, saying no or inviting a friend.”
  2. Start the Big Timer. Repeat each excuse as they call it out. I’m too young. It’s awkward. Someone else will. I don’t know enough. I’ll lose friends.
  3. Ask: “Which one do you hear the most?”
  4. Ask: “Which one is the most honest?”
  5. SAY“A young prophet named Jeremiah used one of these on the Lord Himself. Keep his excuse in mind. Next is a situation that could happen this week.”
🌪️ If the excuses get silly, laugh and keep going. Silly ones are still honest.
⏱️ Big Timer (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 🙈 The Excuse Generator: why NOT do something hard for God? · 45 seconds. Go!

2. Story

Case: The Lunch Table

8 min

Walking through a realistic moment of being mocked for faith, with Jeremiah’s words beside it, lets youth find honest, kind and steady courage for their own week.

  1. SAY“Maya is made up. But this could happen at any school tomorrow. I’ll tell it a piece at a time. You decide what’s going on.”
  2. Tell each scene, read its verse, then ask its question. Take two or three answers before moving on.
  3. At scene 3, don’t shame Maya.
  4. SAY“Most of us have shrugged like that. Jeremiah wanted to quit too.”
  5. After scene 6, ask: “The friends didn’t change between scene 3 and 5. So what did?” Listen for this. Maya decided who she was and remembered who was with her.
🌪️ If someone says “I’d just leave the table,” take it seriously. Say, “That’s an option. What would Jeremiah 1:8 add to it?”

Class screen: 🍕 The Lunch Table: “Wait. You actually believe that stuff?” · A case study · Jeremiah 1 and 20

3. Scripture

Known Before You Were Born

4 min

Knowing that God knew us before birth and sent us here now gives courage that doesn’t depend on age or popularity.

  1. SAY“Before Jeremiah made his excuse, the Lord told him something about who he was.”
  2. Read Jeremiah 1:5 aloud. Ask: “If God knew you before you were born, why’d He put you here? This school. This family. This year.”
  3. SAY“Latter-day scripture teaches that we lived with God before this life. We were prepared there for work here.”
  4. Point to Abraham 3:22–23 and Doctrine and Covenants 138:55–56 for anyone who wants more. Show Jeremiah 1:7–8. Teach the motions and say it twice.
  5. Ask: “Which phrase would have helped Maya at lunch?”

Class screen: 🗣️ “Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee” · Jeremiah 1:7–8

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: Scriptures or the Gospel Library app (phones are fine)

  1. SAY“Before Jeremiah made his excuse, the Lord told him something about who he was.”
  2. Read Jeremiah 1:5 aloud.
  3. Ask: “If God knew you before you were born, why do you think He put you here now?”
  4. Show Jeremiah 1:7–8 on your phone or tablet. Teach the motions and say it together twice. Ask which phrase would have helped Maya at lunch.
4. Talk it over

Pressure Lines

6 min

Practicing real answers to real pressure, scored for honesty, kindness and steadiness, turns the case into something youth can do.

  1. SAY“Let’s practice. Each screen is something someone might really say to you. Answer like a real person, not a seminary video.”
  2. Tap the Name Spinner to pick who answers. Give them twenty seconds, then let others add.
  3. The class scores each answer with fingers. One each for honest, kind and steady.
  4. SAY“You don’t have to win the argument. An iron pillar just doesn’t move.”
💬 Ask the class
  • “Wait, you actually believe all that church stuff?” What’s an honest, kind, steady way to answer that in a sentence or two?
  • “Seminary is so pointless. Why do you even go?” How would you answer without preaching?
  • “Everyone’s sharing this video. Just watch it.” What do you actually do?
  • In Jeremiah 20:9, Jeremiah admits he wanted to quit. Is it OK to feel that way about your faith sometimes?
  • Where do you need to remember “I am with thee” this week?
🌪️ Loud answers usually score lower than calm ones. Point that out. Steady beats loud.
🎡 Name Spinner (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 🏛️ Honest · Kind · Steady: how would you answer?

5. Testimony

He Knew You Then. He’s With You Now.

3 min

A short, real testimony connects the case to the Lord’s promise.

  1. SAY“Let me tell you about a time I felt too young or too scared to speak up.”
  2. Share your story briefly, and what the Lord did.
  3. SAY“The Lord didn’t promise Jeremiah that no one would mock him. He promised, ‘I am with thee.’ And I’ve found that promise to be true.”
  4. Give the challenge and invite a youth to pray.

Class screen: 🤝 “I am with thee.” · Jeremiah 1:8

6. Wiggle break

Iron Pillar Challenge

3 minBONUS

A balance test shows what a fixed point does for us when everything around us wobbles.

  1. SAY“Everyone up. Stand on one foot with your eyes closed. Twenty seconds.”
  2. Start the Big Timer. Most will wobble.
  3. SAY“Round two. Same thing, but eyes open. Fix them on one spot on the wall that doesn’t move.”
  4. Start the timer again. This time it’s much easier.
  5. Read Jeremiah 1:18 and 17:7–8. Ask what their fixed point is when everyone around them is wobbling.
⏱️ Big Timer (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 🦩 Iron Pillar Challenge: find your fixed point · Jeremiah 1:18

7. Game

Scripture Showdown

4 minBONUS

A quick team quiz reviews Jeremiah’s calling and his hardest days.

  1. SAY“Two teams. This Scripture Showdown is all Jeremiah.”
  2. Tap Scripture Showdown. Give ten seconds per question and a bonus point for finding the verse.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown: Jeremiah

Case study

Case: The Lunch Table

Jeremiah 1:5–8, 18; 20:7–9 ↗

Scenes

  1. 🍕😂 Lunch table, a normal Tuesday

    Maya is fourteen. At lunch, her friends are laughing at a video. It mocks “church kids.” The clothes. The rules. The weird beliefs. Everyone’s laughing. Maya laughs a little too. And she hopes nobody remembers she goes to seminary.

    🙌 Ask: “Honestly, what would most people do at this table?”

  2. 🤨❓ “Wait. You actually believe that stuff?”

    Then her friend Jess turns to her: “Wait, you’re one of them. You actually believe all that?” Everyone looks at Maya. Her mind goes blank. She thinks: I’m fourteen. I can’t explain this. I’ll sound stupid.

    🙌 A youth reads Jeremiah 1:6. Ask: “What’s Maya’s version of ‘I am a child’?”

  3. 🤷😶 She shrugs it off

    Maya shrugs. “I mean, my family does. It’s whatever.” Everyone moves on. But the rest of the day she feels sick about it. She didn’t lie, exactly. She just made herself small.

    🙌 A youth reads Jeremiah 20:9. Ask: “Why can staying quiet feel like a fire in your bones?”

  4. 📖🌙 That night: “Say not, I am a child”

    That night, Maya does her Come, Follow Me reading. She lands on Jeremiah 1. A young prophet uses the same excuse she did. The Lord doesn’t say, “You’re older than you think.” He says, don’t say that. And don’t be afraid of their faces.

    🙌 Everyone reads Jeremiah 1:7–8 together. Ask: “What could ‘Be not afraid of their faces’ look like for Maya tomorrow?”

  5. 💬📱 Round two, in the group chat

    The next day, someone posts another church-kid meme in the group chat. Maya types. Deletes. Types again. Then she sends it. “Ha. I actually do believe it. It helps me. You don’t have to agree.” Two laughing emojis. One eye-roll.

    🙌 Ask: “Was that a win? What made it honest, kind and steady?”

  6. 🗨️🙂 A private message

    That night, a quiet girl from the chat messages her privately. Maya barely knows her. “Hey, can I ask you something about your church? Things are kind of hard at home.” Somebody was watching after all.

    🙌 A youth reads Jeremiah 1:18. Ask: “Who else is watching when you stand like an iron pillar?”

Key verse

Jeremiah 1:7–8 ↗
“Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.”
In plain words: Don’t use your age as the excuse. Go where I send you and say what I give you to say. Don’t be afraid of the looks on people’s faces, because I am with you and I will get you through.
🙌 “Say not, I am a child” = shake your head, hand low at kid height · “thou shalt go” = point forward · “thou shalt speak” = hand from mouth outward · “Be not afraid of their faces” = look around the circle at everyone’s faces, chin up · “I am with thee” = hand on your own shoulder, like someone standing beside you.

More verses

Jeremiah 1:5 ↗
“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee”
In plain words: Before you were born, God already knew you and set you apart for something.
Jeremiah 2:13 ↗
“they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.”
In plain words: They left a fresh, never-ending fountain to dig cracked tanks that can’t hold anything.
Jeremiah 18:6 ↗
“Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand”
In plain words: Just like clay in a potter’s hands, you’re in God’s hands, and He can reshape you.
Jeremiah 20:9 ↗
“But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.”
In plain words: I tried to keep quiet, but His word burned inside me like fire. I couldn’t hold it in.

Forehead Guess words16 words

  • 🧑 Jeremiah
  • ✨ Premortal life
  • 🏛️ Iron pillar
  • ⛲ Fountain
  • 🕳️ Broken cistern
  • 🏺 Potter
  • 🟫 Clay
  • 😠 Pashur
  • 🔒 Stocks
  • 🔥 Fire in my bones
  • 🚪 Temple gate
  • 🌳 Tree by the river
  • 😂 Mockers
  • 🎣 Fishers
  • 🙅 Excuse
  • 📚 Seminary
Clues for each word
  • Jeremiah: Young prophet who said “I am a child”
  • Premortal life: Where God knew you before birth
  • Iron pillar: What the Lord made Jeremiah (1:18)
  • Fountain: Of living waters: the Lord
  • Broken cistern: A cracked tank that holds no water
  • Potter: Reshaped the marred vessel
  • Clay: What we are in God’s hands
  • Pashur: Priest who put Jeremiah in the stocks
  • Stocks: Wooden lock for hands or feet
  • Fire in my bones: Why Jeremiah couldn’t stay quiet
  • Temple gate: Where Jeremiah preached in chapter 7
  • Tree by the river: Stays green in drought (17:8)
  • Mockers: Laughed at Jeremiah every day
  • Fishers: The Lord sends them to gather Israel (16:16)
  • Excuse: “I cannot speak: for I am a child”
  • Seminary: Daily scripture class for high schoolers
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown9 questions

  1. What was Jeremiah’s excuse when the Lord called him?
    • A. “I am too busy”
    • B. “I am a child”
    • C. “I am not worthy”
    Show answer

    ✅ B. “I am a child” Jeremiah 1:6. The Lord answered, “Say not, I am a child.”

  2. According to Jeremiah 1:5, when did the Lord know Jeremiah?
    • A. Before he was born
    • B. When he turned twelve
    • C. After he became a prophet
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Before he was born “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee.”

  3. What did the Lord tell Jeremiah not to be afraid of?
    • A. The dark
    • B. Their faces
    • C. The Babylonians
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Their faces Jeremiah 1:8. “For I am with thee to deliver thee.”

  4. In Jeremiah 2:13, what did the people trade the fountain of living waters for?
    • A. A river
    • B. Golden cups
    • C. Broken cisterns
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Broken cisterns Cracked tanks that can hold no water.

  5. What did the potter do when the clay pot was marred?
    • A. Threw it away
    • B. Made it again into another vessel
    • C. Sold it cheap
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Made it again into another vessel Jeremiah 18:4. The Lord can reshape us too.

  6. Who had Jeremiah put in the stocks?
    • A. Pashur
    • B. King David
    • C. Baruch
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Pashur Jeremiah 20:1–2. Pashur was an official at the temple.

  7. What did Jeremiah say the Lord’s word felt like inside him?
    • A. A cold stone
    • B. A heavy chain
    • C. A burning fire in his bones
    Show answer

    ✅ C. A burning fire in his bones Jeremiah 20:9. He couldn’t keep it in.

  8. What did the Lord promise to make Jeremiah in 1:18?
    • A. A king
    • B. An iron pillar
    • C. A rich man
    Show answer

    ✅ B. An iron pillar Along with a defended city and bronze walls: steady against opposition.

  9. Jeremiah 17:8: someone who trusts the Lord is like a tree planted by…
    • A. the waters
    • B. the temple
    • C. the desert
    Show answer

    ✅ A. the waters Its leaves stay green even in drought.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

  • I Am a Child of God Hymns, no. 301

    Jeremiah 1:5 in a song: God knew you before you came here. Find it ↗

  • Choose the Right Hymns, no. 239

    A hymn about steady courage when choices are hard. Find it ↗

  • How Firm a Foundation Hymns, no. 85

    Its promise of never being deserted matches the Lord’s “I am with thee.” Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Iron Pillar Week

Pick one moment this week when you’d normally go along with something you don’t believe in. It might be a joke, a conversation or a group chat. Be an iron pillar: honest, kind and steady. Before school each day, read Jeremiah 1:8 and tell yourself, “He is with me.” Bonus: ask a parent or leader about a time they felt too young to stand up for something.

Text the parents

This week in class we worked through a made-up but very real situation. A teen got asked at lunch, “You actually believe that stuff?” We read about Jeremiah, a young prophet who said, “I am a child.” He was mocked daily, but the Lord’s word was “as a burning fire shut up in my bones,” in Jeremiah 20:9. We learned that God knew us before we were born, in 1:5. He promises, “I am with thee,” in 1:8. We practiced honest, kind, steady answers to real peer pressure. Ask your teen which pressure line felt the most real.

📝 After class

What worked? Who needs a check-in this week? Jot it here on a printed copy, or in the app’s private class notes.

Got extra time?

🏺 The Potter’s House · 4 min

  1. Give a youth some play dough to shape into a pot. Halfway through, squish it. Have them start again.
  2. Read Jeremiah 18:1–6. Ask: “Why doesn’t the potter throw the clay away?”
  3. Ask what staying soft in the Lord’s hands looks like when you’ve messed up. Connect it to repentance.

🎣 Fishers and Hunters · 4 min

  1. Read Jeremiah 16:14–16. The Lord promises a gathering greater than the Exodus, using fishers and hunters.
  2. Ask how a fisher and a hunter find people differently. Some come to the net. Some you go looking for.
  3. Ask: “How can people our age help gather Israel, online and in person, without being pushy?”

🌱 Root Out, Pull Down, Build, Plant · 3 min

  1. Read Jeremiah 1:10. Prophets were sent to root out and pull down, and to build and plant.
  2. Ask what prophets have asked us to pull down in our lives lately. Then ask what they’ve asked us to build or plant.
  3. Invite each youth to pick one thing to pull down and one to plant this week.

🥤 Leaky Cisterns · 4 min

  1. Hold the cup with holes over the bowl and pour in water. Watch it drain. Read Jeremiah 2:13.
  2. Explain that a cistern is a tank dug into rock to store water. Ask why anyone would leave a fountain for this.
  3. Ask what broken cisterns people our age try to fill up on. Then ask what helps them drink from the fountain of living waters.

Sources

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version, the Bible used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Tap or click a reference to open it in Gospel Library. Start with the official Come, Follow Me manual; these ideas are here to help it come alive.

All Youth 14–15 lessons