Old Testament Seminary Teacher Manual

Contents
Title Page
Introduction to the Teacher Manual
Lessons 1–2
Old Testament Lessons
- Lessons 1–2
  Welcome to the Old Testament
- Lessons 3–6
  Moses 1; Abraham 3
- Lessons 7–9
  Genesis 1–2; Moses 2–3; Abraham 4–5
- Lessons 10–12
  Genesis 3–4; Moses 4–5
- Lessons 13–15
  Genesis 5; Moses 6
- Lessons 16–18
  Moses 7
- Lessons 19–21
  Genesis 6–11; Moses 8
- Lessons 22–24
  Genesis 12–17; Abraham 1–2
- Lessons 25–28
  Genesis 18–23
- Lessons 29–32
  Genesis 24–33
- Lessons 33–34
  Genesis 37–41
- Lessons 35–37
  Genesis 42–50
- Lessons 38–40
  Exodus 1–6
- Easter
- Lessons 41–44
  Exodus 7–13
- Lessons 45–47
  Exodus 14–18
- Lessons 48–51
  Exodus 19–20; 24; 31–34
- Lessons 52–55
  Exodus 35–40; Leviticus 1; 4; 16; 19
- Lessons 56–57
  Numbers 11–14; 20–24; 27
- Lessons 58–60
  Deuteronomy 6–8; 15; 18; 29–30; 34
- Lessons 61–64
  Joshua 1–8; 23–24
- Lessons 65–67
  Judges 2–4; 6–8; 13–16
- Lessons 68–70
  Ruth; 1 Samuel 1–7
- Lessons 71–73
  1 Samuel 8–10; 13; 15–16
- Lessons 74–76
  1 Samuel 17–18; 24–26; 2 Samuel 5–7
- Lessons 77–80
  2 Samuel 11–12; 1 Kings 3; 6–9; 11
- Lessons 81–82
  1 Kings 12–13; 17–22
- Lessons 83–85
  2 Kings 2–7
- Lessons 86–89
  2 Kings 16–25
- Lessons 90–91
  2 Chronicles 14–20; 26; 30
- Lessons 92–93
  Ezra 1, 3–7; Nehemiah 2; 4–6; 8
- Lessons 94–96
  Esther
- Lessons 97–99
  Job 1–3; 12–14; 19; 21–24; 38–40; 42
- Lessons 100–103
  Psalms 1–2; 8; 19–33; 40; 46
- Lessons 104–106
  Psalms 49–51; 61–66; 69–72; 77–78; 85–86
- Lessons 107–108
  Psalms 102–103; 110; 116–119; 127–128; 135–139; 146–150
- Lessons 109–112
  Proverbs 1–4; 15–16; 22; 31; Ecclesiastes 1–3; 11–12
- Lessons 113–116
  Isaiah 1–12
- Lessons 117–118
  Isaiah 13–14; 22; 24–30; 35
- Lessons 119–122
  Isaiah 40–49
- Lessons 123–125
  Isaiah 50–57
- Lessons 126–129
  Isaiah 58–66
- Lessons 130–133
  Jeremiah 1–3; 7; 16–18; 20
- Lessons 134–137
  Jeremiah 31–33; 36–38; Lamentations 1; 3
- Lessons 138–141
  Ezekiel 1–3; 33–34; 36–37; 47
- Lessons 142–145
  Daniel 1–7
- Lessons 146–148
  Hosea; Joel
- Lessons 149–151
  Amos; Obadiah; Jonah
- Lessons 152–154
  Micah; Nahum; Habakkuk; Zephaniah
- Lessons 155–157
  Haggai 1–2; Zechariah 1–4; 7–14
- Lessons 158–160
  Malachi
Lessons 161–165
Life Preparation Lessons
- Lessons 161–165
  Doctrinal Mastery: Finding Answers to My Questions
- Lessons 166–170
  Scripture Study Skills
- Lessons 171–176
  For the Strength of Youth Guide
- Lessons 177–180
  Building Self–Reliance
- Lessons 181–187
  Physical and Emotional Health
- Lessons 188–191
  Preparing for Future Education and Employment
- Lessons 192–195
  Succeed in School
- Lessons 196–200
  Missionary Preparation
- Lessons 201–204
  Temple Preparation
- Lessons 205–208
  Teachings of Church Leaders

Managing Stress and Anxiety: Jesus Christ Can Help Us Manage Our Stress and Anxiety

“Managing Stress and Anxiety: Jesus Christ Can Help Us Manage Our Stress and Anxiety,” Old Testament Seminary Teacher Manual (2026)

“Managing Stress and Anxiety: Jesus Christ Can Help Us Manage Our Stress and Anxiety,” Old Testament Seminary Teacher Manual

Physical and Emotional Health: Lesson 184

Managing Stress and Anxiety

Jesus Christ Can Help Us Manage Our Stress and Anxiety

A mother and her teenage daughter interacting in an outdoor setting. Shot in Argentina

We all feel stress and anxiety. These emotions can help us accomplish daily tasks and meet the challenges of life. However, prolonged stress and anxiousness can negatively affect us. Thankfully, the Savior has promised us His help and His peace (see John 14:27). This lesson can help students practice skills that draw upon the Savior’s power to manage stress and anxiety.

Student preparation: Invite students to think of situations when they feel stressed or anxious and ways they can turn to the Lord for help.

Possible Learning Activities

Stress and anxiety

Note: You do not need to be a mental health expert to teach this lesson. Pray for Heavenly Father’s guidance, follow the lesson materials, and trust the Holy Ghost. If students share the personal struggles they face or ask questions you cannot address as part of this lesson, express your gratitude for their trust in confiding in you. Reassure them that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love them. Encourage them to seek additional counsel from parents, Church leaders, school counselors, or other emotional health professionals.

Consider beginning the lesson in a way that helps students think about managing stress and anxiety. For example, the following scenario could be used or adapted to better relate to your students:

If someone could only lift 25 kg (55 lbs) and they tried to lift 70 kg (154 lbs), what would likely happen? How might they feel?
What if this same person started lifting 25 kg (55 lbs) and gradually added small amounts of weight every week? How might it affect their strength? How might they feel?
What would happen if this person never tried to lift more than 25 kg (55 lbs)?
How might the weight in these situations be compared to managing stress and anxiety?

2026 Old Testament Seminary Teacher Materials

As you study this lesson, seek help from the Lord as you learn skills that can help you manage feelings of stress and anxiety.

Counsel from a prophet

Read the following statement from President Russell M. Nelson, looking for how we can overcome our anxieties.

18:59

The Lord has declared that despite today’s unprecedented challenges, those who build their foundations upon Jesus Christ, and have learned how to draw upon His power, need not succumb to the unique anxieties of this era. (“The Temple and Your Spiritual Foundation,” Liahona, Nov. 2021, 94)

What did you like or learn from this statement?

Students may mention a truth like: As we draw upon the power of Jesus Christ, we can manage our anxieties.
What do you think it means to draw upon the Savior’s power?
How might His power help us manage stress and anxiety? Which additional resources could Jesus Christ help us recognize?

The remainder of this lesson gives students an opportunity to practice applying gospel principles that can help them draw upon the power of Jesus Christ to manage anxiety.

Examine our expectations and turn to the Lord for help

One way to deal with our stressful or anxious feelings is to recognize our expectations and align them with what the Lord desires for us. Unrealistic or unmet expectations can be a strong source of disappointment and stress.

Read Mosiah 4:27, looking for what the Lord expects of us.

If students do not point it out, note that the Lord does not expect us to run faster than we have strength, yet He still expects us to be diligent. We do not need to lift too much, but we do need to be steadily trying.

For an example of someone who needed to examine their expectations, share with students that as he led the children of Israel as the prophet, Moses tried to do more than he should have. The Lord helped Moses through the counsel of his father–in-law, Jethro.

Read Exodus 18:13–18, looking for why Moses’ father in law was concerned.

Which phrases indicate what would happen to Moses if he continued counseling the people all day every day?
What might this look like today?

Define

Explain to students that it can be a useful skill to evaluate their expectations by using the following two questions. Consider writing them on the board.

Am I trying to do more or less than the Lord would have me do (either run faster than I have strength or not be diligent)?
How can I turn to the Lord for help?

Model

If you were in the situation Moses faced, how would you answer the two questions on the board?

If additional modern-day examples may be useful, consider inviting students to share some unrealistic expectations they or others have had. They could use the questions on the board to evaluate the following expectations:

I am going to read the Book of Mormon for 90 minutes a day.
I am never going to make any mistakes again.
I don’t need to prepare for a mission. I’ll just figure it out while I’m there.

Practice

Select one thing in your life that causes you stress and anxiety and practice evaluating your expectations. Seek the guidance of the Holy Ghost as you ask yourself the questions on the board and think about how you can turn to the Lord for help.

Counsel with someone you trust to identify the next step

Define the skill

Help students understand that after they examine their expectations, the Lord wants to help them know what to do next. One way the Lord helps us is through others; for example, counseling with someone we trust. As students counsel with others, they can discuss what must get done now, what can wait, or what could be dropped or done by someone else. Reassure students that it is not helpful to feel guilty for setting healthy boundaries or by saying “no” or “not yet” to some opportunities.

Model the skill

The Lord helped Moses through his father–in–law, Jethro. As Moses counseled with his father-in-law, Jethro proposed a solution to the problem.

Read Exodus 18:19–24, looking for what Jethro counseled Moses to do next.

Why do you think Jethro’s counsel was helpful?

Instead of facing all his problems at once, Moses was able to get the help he needed to take the next step.

Who are some people the Lord may want you to counsel with when you feel stress and anxiety? What counsel have they given you?
How has wise counsel reduced stress or anxiety for you or someone you know?

Help students recognize that the Lord can help them through parents, older siblings, teachers, counselors, mental health professionals, Church leaders, and others when they feel anxious or stressed.

Practice the skill

In your study journal, reflect on a time when you felt overwhelmed, stressed, or anxious. Write whom the Lord may want you to counsel with about what to do next and how you think talking with that person may help you.

Consider inviting students to review the handout and share what they liked or learned through this lesson. Add your own thoughts and bear testimony of the truth of this lesson.

Additional Resources

Why is it important to rely on the Lord with our problems?

Elder Terence M. Vinson of the Seventy taught:

10:18

[R]ather than solve the problem Himself, the Lord wants us to develop the faith that will help us rely upon Him in solving our problems and trust Him. Then we can feel His love more constantly, more powerfully, more clearly, and more personally. We become united with Him, and we can become like Him. (“Drawing Closer to God,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2013, 105) (time code 4:04 to 4:29)

What can cause feelings of discouragement and anxiety?

Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

23:27

I personally believe that much of discouragement and anxiety comes from failing to understand or remember God’s plan and trust in His power when troubles arise. Without the conviction of God’s reality, His love, and His plan of happiness for His children, young minds can see their future as bleak and fragile. (“Trust in God,” [seminary and institute annual broadcast, Jan. 2024], Gospel Library) (time code 7:00 to 7:25)

Where can I learn more about managing stress and anxiety?

“Managing Stress and Anxiety,” Chapter 4 in the manual “Finding Strength in the Lord: Emotional Resilience.”

Debra Theobald McClendon, PhD, “Discerning Your Feelings: Anxiety or the Spirit?,” YA Weekly, Apr. 2019. (Note: this resource includes a helpful chart that contrasts the characteristics and feelings of the Spirit with anxiety.)

Eric D. Snider, “I’m Stressed! What Now?” For the Strength of Youth, March 2024, 34–35.

How can I be sure I have the right balance in my life?

Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

Sometimes we reflect on all of our responsibilities at home, school, work, and church and wonder how we can achieve a balance among the many competing demands on our time. Instead of driving ourselves crazy trying to do everything at the same time, we should identify the few fundamental things that are our highest priorities. We then can strive to give each of them the attention they need—one at a time.

Don’t spend all of your time trying to achieve this perfect [balance] because it doesn’t exist. Focus on the things that matter most in the moment and you’ll have the Lord’s help to be able to juggle and attend to all of those important priorities in your life. (Facebook, Apr. 19, 2021, https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=316563470106033)

Supplemental Learning Activities

Rely on the Lord to deal with stress and anxiety

After identifying the bolded truth, you could show the video “Anxiety After My Mission” (5:05) as an example of drawing upon the Savior’s power. You might ask how the young man in the video had to examine his expectations and take the next step.

5:6

An additional way to manage stress and anxiety

You could explain that when we are stressed, it can be helpful to take time to ponder and be grateful for what the Lord has done for us. One way to do this is by writing five things you are grateful for each day in a gratitude journal.

Invite students to read Exodus 18:7–12, looking for how Jethro and Moses recognized what the Lord had done for Moses and His people.

Invite students to write at least five specific things they recognize the Lord has done for them in their study journals. It can also help to write why they are grateful for each blessing. You could then invite students to reflect on this skill by asking questions like:

How do you feel after listing these five things?
Why might it help someone who feels stressed or anxious?