HOW TO LIVE WITHOUT FEAR AND FACE LIFE WITH FAITH AND CONFIDENCE
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OUTLINE
1. FOCUS YOUR ATTENTION ON GOD NOT ON YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES
2. LISTEN TO THE VOICE OF GOD NOT THE VOICES OF PEOPLE OR SATAN
3. SEEK GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART
4. DO NOT ALLOW THE PAST OR THE PRESENT TO ROB YOUR CONFIDENCE CONCERNING THE FUTURE.
5. BE FILLED WITH THE POWER OF GOD
6. BE FILLED WITH THE LOVE OF GOD
7. BE FILLED WITH A SOUND MIND
THE MESSAGE
HOW TO LIVE WITHOUT FEAR AND FACE LIFE WITH FAITH AND CONFIDENCE
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1. FOCUS YOUR ATTENTION ON GOD NOT ON YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES
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In order to live without fear and face life with faith and confidence we must focus our attention on God and not on our circumstances . We must fix our eyes on Jesus who is the author and the finisher of our faith. In the incident in the Bible where Peter walked on water , we find that as long as he was focused on Jesus he was able to walk on the water. But when he focused on the storm and the wind , Peter was filled with fear and began to drown. Even in our life as long as we focus on the Lord and not on our circumstances , we can live without fear and face life confidently. We can triumph over adversity and trials. But if we focus on the circumstances , we will allow fear to dominate us and will not be able to triumph over our adversities.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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HEBREWS 10:35-39
So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.
You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.
For in just a very little while,"He who is coming will come and will not delay.
But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him."
But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.
HEBREWS 12:2
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
MATTHEW 14:22-32
Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.
After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,
but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.
When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It’s a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear.
But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid."
"Lord, if it’s you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."
"Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"
And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.
2. LISTEN TO THE VOICE OF GOD NOT THE VOICES OF PEOPLE OR SATAN
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In order to live without fear and face life with faith and confidence , we must listen to the voice of God. Faith comes by hearing the word of God. As long as we are listening to the voice of God , we will be filled with faith and confidence. But if we start listening to the voices of fear and doubt and unbelief , we will become fearful and lose our faith and confidence. We must be careful and not allow fearful voices to speak into our lives. We must continually keep hearing the word of God and the promises of God in order to build up our faith.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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ROMANS 10:17
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
PSALM 85:8
I will hear what God the LORD will speak, For He will speak peace To His people and to His saints; But let them not turn back to folly.
JUDE 20
But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.
1 TIMOTHY 4:6
If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed.
3. SEEK GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART
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In order to live without fear and face life with faith and confidence , We must seek God with all our heart. He is the one who can deliver us from all our fears. We must seek the Lord with the faith and assurance that He will reward us when we earnestly seek Him. We cannot substitute seeking God by anything else . We cannot avoid seeking God ourselves by asking others to seek God on our behalf. God is a refuge for us and we must seek Him and pour out our hearts before Him . The Lord will answer our cry and deliver us from all our fears.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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PSALM 34:4
I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.
HEBREWS 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
PSALM 62:8
Trust in him at all times, O people;pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.
4. DO NOT ALLOW THE PAST OR THE PRESENT TO ROB YOUR CONFIDENCE CONCERNING THE FUTURE.
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In order to live without fear and face life with faith and confidence , we must not allow the past or the present to rob our faith and confidence concerning the future. We may have had bad and painful experiences in the past. Our hearts may have been broken and crushed by some tragedy. But we should not allow those experiences to ruin the rest of our lives . We should not live forever with the fear that those experiences will be repeated in our lives. The Lord will not allow those past experiences to happen again and again. He will do a new thing in our lives. Just as He promised in the days of Noah that He would not destroy the world by water again , the Lord promises us that He would not be angry with us again. He promises to shower us with His mercy and compassion. He promises to grant us a bright future. We should not allow our present difficulties to take away our confidence about the future. Our present trials are not permanent. The Lord will turn our situation around. He will fulfill His purpose for our lives.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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ISAIAH 43:18-19
"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.
ISAIAH 54:7-10
"For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back.
In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you," says the LORD your Redeemer.
"To me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So now I have sworn not to be angry with you, never to rebuke you again.
Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you.
JEREMIAH 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
PSALM 138:7-8
Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me.
The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands.
5. BE FILLED WITH THE POWER OF GOD
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In order to live without fear and face life with faith and confidence , we must be filled with the power of God. We should not allow the spirit of fear to fill our hearts. The Lord does not give us the spirit of fear . The Lord wants us to be filled with power. The Holy Spirit will give us great boldness to live for God . Therefore in order to live without fear , we must be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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2 TIMOTHY 1:7
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
ACTS 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
6. BE FILLED WITH THE LOVE OF GOD
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In order to live without fear and face life with faith and confidence , we must be filled with the love of God. When our hearts are filled with the love of God , we will be filled with great faith and confidence. We will not fear anything or anyone. We will rest in the confidence of God’s love for us. We must be filled with love for God and for people. We must not allow hatred , bitterness , anger , envy , unforgiveness and other evil attitudes to fill our hearts. These evil attitudes will corrupt our hearts and open the door for fear and doubt to dominate our lives.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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2 TIMOTHY 1:7
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
1 JOHN 4:18
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
ROMANS 8:35-39
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
7. BE FILLED WITH A SOUND MIND
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In order to live without fear and face life with faith and confidence , we must filled with a sound mind. When we have a sound mind , we will not be harassed with unnecessary fears and suspicions. We will not live under imaginary fears and dangers. We will not make a mountain out of a molehill. We will understand each situation clearly . We will not become unnecessarily suspicious of people , always doubting their motives. We will be able to understand people well and establish good relationships . When we are filled with a sound mind ,we will experience great peace of mind and live a happy life filled with faith and confidence.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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2 TIMOTHY 1:7
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
PHILILPPIANS 4:8
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
ROMANS 12:2
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
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