In a world of anxious circumstances, it’s no wonder that many of us find ourselves dealing with fear. However, God’s people are called to live courageously. How can we live with peace and confidence in the midst of a frightening world? The only way is to remember that the Lord has promised to strengthen, help, and uphold us, and He always keeps His Word. When you’re in almighty God’s hands, you can face anything in life and experience the joy of His peace.
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while all of us have to learned to deal
with fear in our life and if you’ll
think about it we live in a very fearful
time in history and we live in a society
that’s full of fear people are fearing
about losing their job their home their
health their family their friends their
position you name it lots of things
around us that cause fear and in spite
of all that God’s people not to live in
fear and so somebody says well I got
lots of reasons to be afraid well I
would never question that but how are we
to live in the society and somebody says
well why don’t we get there how do we
get in this position the first place
well I was just asking myself that
question thinking about what I found in
the book of Ecclesiastes and the past is
just that one verse of scripture in fact
this sort of sums it all up of how we
got where we are
while this fear the simple reason we
have violated a very clear principle of
Scripture which says listen to this at
the end of the ecclesiastic the 13th
verse the conclusion when all has been
heard is fear God keep his Commandments
because this applies to every person and
we’ve decided not to do that we’ve
decided we can live the way we want to
live and we’re going to ignore the
principles and the Word of God and as a
result of that what happens we’re nation
full of fear and we fear many things we
should not have to be theron and if you
watch the news you can stir up enough
fear very easily and so the question is
how does a believer live in a fearful
generation at a fearful time in life and
at the same time be the kind of person
God wants us to be so I want you to turn
if you will to Isaiah chapter 41 and for
me personally this is the most powerful
verse in the Word of God when it comes
to fear because of the awesome promise
here and this isn’t on land or on
the line in your Bible you suddenly
ought to and what I’ve discovered is if
I put a date down by something that God
has said to me then it’s a reminder of
me that he’s interested that he cares
and he’s involved in my life so look at
this tenth verse of the 41st chapter of
Isaiah do not fear for I am with you do
not anxiously look about you
for I am your God I will strengthen you
I will help you surely I will have hold
you with my righteous right hand and
then of course he says behold all those
her anger that you will be ashamed in
Dishonored and those who contend with
you will be as nothing in my parish you
will seek those who quarrel with you but
you will not find them and those who war
with you will be as nothing and
non-existent for I am the Lord your God
who upholds your right hand who says to
you do not fear I will help you and I
can remember the time in my life when I
was going through a real big time test
and I came to this verse it says behold
all those who are angered at you will be
shamed and dishonored and those who
contend with you will be as nothing in
repair –is– you will seek them those
who quarrel with you but will not find
them and the before long I thought to
myself Oh Lord that’s a reality because
they’re all gone all of my Indians were
gone and so sometimes what happens is
this we linked your own things that God
takes care of because we forget that he
means exactly what he says and so when
you come to this tenth verse whatever
you’re afraid of this verse itself ought
to say something powerful in your life
if you’ll think about it the first
recorded conversation that God and Adam
had was Adam said I was afraid that’s
his first words in his conversation with
God and the truth is that man has been
afraid ever since so when we think about
fear how would you decide you describe
fear so what I’d like to do is give you
foundation a simple definition and I
want to give you a time enough to write
it down because we need to understand
what we are feeling it is an uneasy
feeling it is sort of a feeling of dread
it is a feeling of like an alarm going
off within us warning us of something
that is going to happen and it’s it’s
it’s this feeling of being threatened to
by something that maybe we can control
or not control but I would just
encourage you to just jot that down so
the next time you feel a bit fear you
you’ll think well this is what’s going
on that many people who are afraid who
don’t think they are they think they
admit that they’re afraid of something
is to be weak that’s not to be weak it’s
to be wise if you’re afraid of something
then be willing to deal with it now
there is fear that’s bad fear there’s
fear that’s good fear when the Bible
says fear the Lord that means to
reverence him to acknowledge him for who
he is and to respect God is God holy
righteous God the fear him does not mean
to be afraid of but it means the
reverence him in proverbs chapter 1
verse 7 the fear of the Lord is the
beginning of wisdom a reverence from him
as God as a holy respect for him that is
a fear that all of us should enjoy in
life and should be experiencing but
let’s think about why we get afraid why
why are people afraid well they’re lots
of reasons so listen I get them from
home because if you can’t identify your
theatre more than likely you won’t be
able to handle it
or one of the first things I’ve
mentioned simply this that is that our
fears whatever they are they don’t come
from God Paul said to Timothy you
remember what he said he says God has
not given you the spirit of fear but of
power and of love and of a sound mind
have you ever been so afraid you thought
you could hardly move have you ever been
so afraid that you didn’t know what to
do next or how to handle the situation
think about think about the cause of
these fears well one of the reasons we
have fears because we learned them very
early in life they
learn attitudes I can remember my mother
saying don’t get close to the river you
may fall in and drown now she was
expressing her love but she what
happened was in my little mind water is
dangerous and so it took me a while
before I ever get in the creek to learn
how to swim so when the people teach us
things early in life we think they’re
insignificant but it’s parents for
example being careful but listen our
parents have ingrained some things in us
that often times can be things that
create fear then of course there’s her
imagination one of the reasons we have
physical imagination if you imagine and
I heard ladies saying that long ago she
came to the house John the church she
said you know I didn’t I wish to watch
on TV I thought I’d never join the
church it’s too big and nobody would be
friendly nobody went panties she had
this imagination of what first that
first marriage would be like she says I
walked in here and I couldn’t get in
good but because some of the people were
welcoming me and so happy to see you why
are you from so forth her imagination
was about to keep away but our grandson
who had been watching civil I want to go
to First Baptist he coaxed her here she
joined the second Sunday but suppose she
let her imagination control then she
still wouldn’t be a part of it your
imagination is an awesome thing it’s a
great creator or but it can get you in
trouble if you’re not careful then of
course there’s ignorance ignorance can
cause us to be fearful I think about
people for example who believe that you
can be saved and lost and it’s amazing
people they almost want to fight about
it I think about this and I grew up and
did understand that
so when I say look here’s what the Word
of God says that you’re saved by the
grace of God he has atoned to your sin
past present future and so it doesn’t
mean that you’re not gonna send again
but it means that he’s paid your sin
debt in full and if you’ve sinned again
he’s going to discipline you but think
about every time you came to church and
I preached on sin and I said to you you
know if you don’t live a godly life and
you don’t live a sinless life a
sanctified life you’re gonna die and go
to hell well thought you I wouldn’t even
belong yeah I come from you know the
church
but it’s not true but when people are
taught error it can create terrible fear
in their life then of course the whole
issue of doubt it listen if you live
your doubt if you live your life
doubting God you got a you got some
reasons to be afraid if you doubt that
he loves you if you doubt that he’s
forgiven you if you’re confessing the
same thing over and over and over again
that you confess last year the year
before that in two years before that
then how can you have any freedom and
liberty and peace and contentment in
life if you’re afraid of God
well somebody says was the holy yes he’s
held it well that’s the reason to be
afraid no no no it’s a reason to
reverence him love him obey Him follow
him that’s not a reason to be frightened
by him he doesn’t want us to be
frightened by him what did Jesus say
over again fear not fear not fear not
and he says that he’s not given us the
spirit of fear but of power and of love
and of a sound mind and so these fears
in our life they have tremendous
consequences in our life think about in
this life if you’re fearful of something
it divides your mind
you can’t concentrate well on something
if you if it beneath the surface of your
emotions if you’re fearful that your
husband’s gonna leave you you feel that
your wife’s gonna leave you feel good
that your kids don’t get on drugs in
other words if there’s some continuing
fear boiling and within you then it’s
gonna divide your mind secondly it’s
gonna stifle your ability to think and
act as you should because dividing your
mind you don’t think clearly as often as
you should and so you begin to feel the
consequences of it likewise it’s going
to cause indecision because you’re gonna
feel paralyzed oftentimes in making
decisions and a procrastinator for
example is a person who does not act for
fear of not doing it perfectly are doing
it adequate to suit them they may be
they may be a very gifted person able to
do many things but if they don’t think
they can do it perfectly they don’t
think so what happens then they
procrastinate it’s like they’re
paralyzed it doesn’t work then of course
I think fear can enslave a person with a
feeling of uncertainty if you listen if
you live with it’s it’s one thing to
walk up on a snake and be afraid it
wisely and walk away it’s because that’s
that’s an incident it happened yesterday
at that moment in time it’s something
else to be afraid of something that
maybe you know what it is but it’s
ongoing it’s continuous maybe the doctor
said you’ve got nothing so or something
happens to your son of your daughter it
just hangs in there or something about
your finances whatever there are many
many things that can fit into that
category but then just the fear just
hangs in then it won’t go away how do
you handle that it’s certainly gonna
block your spiritual growth if a person
is living in fear think about this you
think about all that you know about God
and then you’re living with this fear
which is not of God and here’s God has a
will for your life and you’re afraid to
step out and there are many other people
who have challenges in life who’ve been
told they can’t do this or can’t do that
and they disuse what’s seeming that is
miraculous when somebody tells you you
can’t do something they if you is God
what do you want me to do he’s the one
who decides how he’s equipped you and
how he’s built you to do and most of us
can probably do far more than we do if
we would just trust him instead of
thinking well here’s what we do we look
at somebody else and say well I can’t do
that God isn’t expect you to do that
whatever he called you to do he’s
calling you to do it to the degree
called you to do it to fit his will
purpose and plan for your life so he
doesn’t expect us to try to measure up
to someone else it’s when other people
put their measurements on our life that
we have a lack of confidence and become
fearful the times and the truth is you
and I will never be able to become the
person God wants us to be or achieve the
things God wants us to achieve as long
as we’re afraid as long as fear
dominates our life
then we’re not gonna do it and so when
we think about how all those things
affect us I want us to think about our
health for just a moment because fear is
certainly going to affect health because
there’s no question that our emotional
being affects our whole body listen to
some of these theories is linked to
cardiovascular disease hypertension
digestive disease headaches skin
disorders also stress if a person is
worried all the time and fearful about
something it’s going to affect you it
probably affects the way you eat what
you eat how much you eat it affects
whether you exercise or don’t exercise
and so the whole system of our emotions
isn’t just something that we feel and
know up here but it affects our whole
entire body that’s the power of our
emotions now the question is how do we
deal with it how do we deal with fears
now listen carefully
what I’m gonna say will seem real simple
but didn’t everyone Jesus did he told
parables he didn’t make things difficult
I know this works there’s no doubt in my
mind whether it works or not I wants to
look at a passage of Scripture and I
want us to look at it from the
perspective if you’ll just think about
it okay God here’s something I think I’m
afraid of or whatever it might be I want
you to think about dealing with it in
this light and that is first of all to
acknowledge its presence let’s say that
you’re afraid of you’re afraid
financially that you’re going to lose
everything
and there are people living right there
whatever the fear is in your life
whatever it might be
first of all you acknowledge that it’s
there and then what you need to do is to
is to identify what’s it cause where’d
that come from why am I afraid of that
is it somebody something somebody built
into your thought processes or is it
something that you did then you are
afraid of the consequence notice what’s
the real source of it so here’s what I’m
afraid of
and-and-and-and here’s the source of it
that’s two very important points the
third one is this as once this careful
as long as I focus on what that fear is
it’s not going to get into smaller the
longer I focus on it what happens the
bigger part of my life it consumes the
more it influences my decisions on my
makeup whatever it might be so I’ve got
to change my focus if I’m gonna get over
it and free of it I’ve got to change my
focus I’ve got to get it off of that and
I got to get it on God and then here’s
what I must do I must turn my focus
immediately to the most powerful weapon
listen to the most powerful weapon that
I can have in time of fear and what is
that it’s the Word of God now with that
in mind I want you to turn back to
Isaiah 41 and I want you to look at this
in the light of who you are and what it
is that you’re facing in life and what
you may be fearful of look in Isaiah 41
now verse 10 because I look at this as
an anchor that is whatever storm I may
be facing when it comes to fear here’s
my anchor right here listen to what he
says verse 10 he says number one do not
fear why I am with you who is I am
that’s Jehovah God the sovereign creator
of the universe who held heat the Bible
says he’s established his throne the
heavens and their sovereignty rules over
everything so he says do not fear that
is listen it’s one thing for somebody to
tell you or don’t be afraid of that it’s
something else for God to say do not
fear why listen do not fear I am with
you Jehovah God’s with me look at
this do not anxious and look about you
that’s one of the most important phrases
in the whole Bible when it comes to
overcoming anything do not anxiously
look about you know I said that because
he wants to get that focus on God as
long as I focus on what I’m afraid of it
gets larger and larger and more more
important and more listen more
detrimental do not anxious and look
about you
listen heed watch this do not anxious to
look about you for I am your God not
just your friend then you have I’m your
God I’m the sovereign creator of the
universe and I’m your God I’m your
personal God then he says he says I will
strengthen you how much strengthen is he
have he’s omnipotent he says I will
strengthen you surely I will help you
then if it is surely therefore to say
listen you can rest assure to this
because I’m Who I am and because I love
you because I am your God I am going to
help you he says surely I will uphold
you with my righteous hand it doesn’t
make a difference what you face in life
listen you’re in my hands I sovereign
god of this universe you’re in my hands
I will hold you up I will lift you I
will strengthen you I’m your God you
don’t have anything that can outmaneuver
Almighty God I will uphold you with my
righteous right hand now let me ask you
a question do you believe that verse the
scriptures say Amen was it true a couple
of thousand years ago has it changed so
it’s still the same right and it’s still
the same God who made that promise right
does God change doesn’t change so if he
made that promise a couple of thousands
of years ago
watch this they don’t say anything if
you don’t mean it don’t worry about what
somebody beside you just don’t think oh
he doesn’t believe that don’t you know
that
don’t say a word if you don’t believe it
do you believe that what he said a
couple of thousand years ago about
facing our fears do you believe that
what he says in that verse is still true
if you really believe that said loudly
all right that means that you accept
this truth that your God has said that
he is your God because you’ve trusted
him through Jesus and that he will help
you he will be with you he will uphold
you he will strengthen you and he will
uphold you with his righteous right hand
is that true now is it true and if you
believe is that true for you today so
whatever you are facing you believe that
the god of this universe has given you a
personal promise I will uphold you
strengthen you be with you
I am I am your God do you believe he’s
trustworthy enough to take that fear of
yours whatever it might be and say lord
I know this doesn’t belong in my life
any longer and so what I’m gonna do is
I’m gonna take you to your word and now
from this point on I’m gonna set my
focus on you and I leave his fear down
I’m laying it down on the basis of who
you are what you said so here’s the
question do you believe that God is who
he says he is amen do you believe that
God will do what he says he’ll do amen
then you need not carry that fear and
then long because watch this you know
what this all boils down to it is a
faith battle you see what you won a
person is saying what you just said and
agreeing what you just agree with the
Word of God if you agree with that new
man what you said then if you have a
else about that listen does your doubt
affect god no amen no it doesn’t change
anything he said right if it doesn’t
affect God that doesn’t change anything
he said then do you have a reason to
hold on to this fear when God has said
you don’t have to I will uphold you with
my righteous right hand which means
whatever you’re facing in life sovereign
god of this universe is gonna hold you
safely and bring you through it no
matter what amen
no matter what well you may not be a
Christian you say well does that work
for me no it doesn’t work let me tell
you why it doesn’t work because if you
reject the Lord Jesus Christ who is
their only Savior if you reject them as
your Savior then you have rejected life
in its best you have rejected eternal
life you have rejected the love of God
you have rejected his will his purpose
his plan for your life you have rejected
the best of life you listen you have
rejected life as God Almighty intended
for you you’ve got a lot to be afraid of
because one of these days you’re gonna
die and when you die here’s what the
Bible says it is important than the man
wants to die and after this the judgment
you have lots of reasons to be afraid
but you don’t have to if you willing to
ask the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive you
of your sins
seriously you mean it asking him to
forgive you not on the basis that you’re
going to do all these things for him on
the basis that when he went to the cross
he paid your sin that it’s all he
intended to take away these fears and
give you a peace and an assurance and I
confidence to face anything in life no
matter what it is that’s who he is and
the moment you trust him as your Savior
all that you’ve heard can become
reality in your life when you agree it’s
better to live your life for God than
the living in fear uncertainty doubt
knowing that out there somewhere in the
future you’re gonna face God and that
all of you good works he’s already
declared he it’s what he’s are declared
this no matter what you do now good is
there like filthy rags when it comes
listen when it comes to saving of your
sins your good works will never work
that’s what he says and so I want to
encourage you to trust him as your
Savior
Amen father how grateful we are for your
awesome love for us and Lord we know
that you know all about fear everything
there is to know about it but you said
my peace I give unto you not as the
world gives give idea let not your heart
be troubled let not your heart be
fearful you believe in God believe also
in me and we do and we thank you for it
in Jesus name Amen
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you
you
i have visited this blog a couple of times now and i have to tell you that i find it quite nice actually. continue doing what youre doing! :p
I really enjoy this theme youve got going on on your website. What is the name of the template by the way? I was thinking of using this style for the site I am going to put together for my class project.