Overcoming Fear
We read in Isaiah 41:10, “Fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Surely I will help you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” (TLV)
There are two phrases in the above mentioned verse that I wish to highlight in this sermon. The first is ‘fear not’ and the other is ‘I will strengthen you.’ There seems to be some connection between fear and weakness and the Lord guarantees such that He would not only strengthen them, but also help and uphold them.
During this season of pandemic, we have studied in depth from Psalm 91 that when the Lord is our dwelling place, no disease will come near us. When challenged with stressful situations, there are a myriad emotions that take over, thereby causing several health issues. It is however, the will of the Lord to take over and bring healing to our bodies and minds during these trying times.
Job’s fears overtake him
We read in Job 3:25-26, “What I fear most overtakes me. What I dread happens to me. I have no peace! I have no quiet! I have no rest! And trouble keeps coming!" (GW)
In the above mentioned verse Job explained how the very things he feared and dreaded overtook him, so that he lost his peace, quiet, rest and ended up with turmoil.
There is an interesting point to note from Job’s experience. Whenever, we keep on pondering on our circumstances and imagine the worst, oftentimes they become a reality. So many are stressed and hard-pressed on every side, simply because they have allowed themselves to be dominated by fear. I hope by the end of this message that God will grant you grace to overcome every one of these fears that may have gripped you.
Necessary and unnecessary fears
Fears can be categorized as those that are necessary and those that are not. For instance, when we are crossing a main road, we exercise caution before we do so and the reason is that we do not want to be run over by a speeding vehicle. This is an essential fear that helps us to be safe and being fearless or careless in such a situation, might be harmful to us. This is the same fear that alerts us to be careful when dealing with fire, warns us to not put our fingers into an electric socket or jump off a tall building. These fears are good as they keep us safe and prevent us from doing things that could be detrimental to us.
However, there are many other fears that grip our hearts that are totally baseless. Generally, these fears begin as worries, which constantly play on our mind. Many parents for instance constantly worry about their children’s future, their jobs, marriage and so many other things.
No Need for worry
These are the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:34, "So don't ever worry about tomorrow. After all, tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (GW)
Jesus is categorical that we are not to worry about tomorrow. He further emphasized that each day had enough trouble of its own and therefore we should let tomorrow worry about itself. Nevertheless, we as human beings are filled with so many worries. They say some people worry that they have nothing to worry about. Jesus knew that worry when left unchecked would certainly lead to fear and anxiety. When fear takes over, it creates negative thoughts of probable dangers which play on our emotions, which ultimately affects our physical and mental health.
Let me illustrate this with an example. A mother sat sullen, her hands on her chin as she watched her ten year old son at play. Her husband who watched her, inquired as to what was the reason for her being so somber and she replied, ‘Our son is so tall at age ten, so I am wondering how much taller would he be when he is a grown up. If he grows to be so tall, will we be able to find him a girl tall enough to be his wife?’ It may sound hilarious, but most of our fears are truly such baseless fears. These worries and fears that we often entertain, will not change a single situation.
There are two categories of people who worry. Those who are stuck in the past and worry about all the things that they did wrong and the wrong choices they made. There are others who are so worried about the future and concerned about the plausible issues that they could encounter. Someone rightly said, "The past is history and the future is a mystery". If people are struck in either our past or our future, they will most certainly lose out on the present and on the joys that could be theirs today.
The life that Jesus lived while here on earth was extremely simple and uncomplicated. Early in the morning He spent time with God the Father and then He went about ministering from town to town. Wherever He went, people were healed, lives were transformed and He did wonders and miracles. He Himself had no place to stay or call His own. His disciples were unschooled and ordinary men.
However, not once do we see Jesus worried or anxious about anything for He knew that the Father was in control of everything. So it is only apt that Jesus’ words to not worry about tomorrow can actually be followed by those of us who are His children. If we could learn to pray about each day, do that which is needful, seek God’s guidance to His will for the day, there will no room for worry in our lives.
Someone said it this way, ‘Every opportunity to worry should be turned into an opportunity to trust in God.’ So for instance, if paying your children’s fees is the issue, instead of worrying, do all you can on your part and depend on God to meet the rest of it.
We need humility to trust God
The one basic quality we need to have this dependence on God is humility. Humility is when one comes to the place of realization that we do not know everything, but that God is all knowing and therefore, we can surrender everything into His hands. A humble person alone will do what is possible for him to do and be ready to submit everything into God’s control.
We read in 1 Peter 5: 6-7, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” (ESV)
This is the mandate the word of God has set for us, that we should humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God or be in submission to Him. So many are in confusion because they are trying hard to accomplish things on their own and are not willing to seek God’s wisdom or guidance. To submit to God means to implicitly obey His word and to let go of all the things that He does not approve of. God cares for us and those who are willing to acknowledge His Lordship and submit to Him in humility will be free from all their worries and anxieties. Not only does the Lord promise to care for the humble, but He also assures us that they will also be exalted in due time. Most of our worries pertaining to our family, our jobs, our children and future are all valid, but if we are willing to live in humility under submission to the word of God, He will intervene to sort out all those issues that entangle us and cause us to be anxious.
Hannah turned her worry to joy
In 1 Samuel Chapter 1 we read about Hannah who was barren and she was totally distraught. She was upset about her situation and realized that no one, not even her husband could help change her predicament. It was in such a state that Hannah decided to take this matter to God, who alone could help her change her plight.
We read in 1 Samuel 1:10, “She was deeply distressed and prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly.” (ESV)
And then in 1 Samuel 1:18 … “Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.” (ESV)
After Hannah had poured out her heart to the Lord and shared all her grief in His presence at the temple, she rose up and went away with gladness of heart, ate and her face was no longer downcast. God answered the fervent prayers of Hannah and in due time He blessed her with a son. Even before Hannah received her blessing she was willing to give her son back to the Lord for His service and the blessing that she received was many more children from the Lord.
Hannah was so unlike many of us who are so overwhelmed with apprehension about the future that they cannot even enjoy the food that is placed before them today. Anxiety has made them lose their appetite. Like Hannah we must learn to leave at the Lord’s feet all our anxieties and once we have done that, we should go on with complete confidence that the Lord will take over and handle everything. We may go into God’s presence with sorrow and grief, but when we come away from His presence our faces should radiate the joy of the Lord.
The fear of relationships
There are many who have been hurt in relationships by people’s words or actions. As a result of these experiences they shy away from making commitments for close relationships and prefer to live singly.
These are the words of God as we read in Genesis 2:18, “Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone;” (ESV)
God who created the heavens and the earth and everything in them, He found that all of it was good as they were created. However, after God created Adam, He made Adam realize that it was not good for Adam to be alone and therefore created Eve.
Our past experiences and emotions may prompt us to believe that it is better to be alone, but God who created us thinks otherwise. It is good for God’s children to realize that it is not advisable for them to be in isolation, as this is contrary to God’s plan for each one of us.
God heals the brokenhearted
We read in Psalm 147:3, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” (ESV)
Our God is one who heals those who are brokenhearted and is ever ready to heal all our wounds and hurts. For instance, if we had a fracture in our left hand and it was in a cast, we would be extra cautious in the way we handle it because of the pain and discomfort. Also we will take precaution to see that no one touches that hand by mistake and we will often use our right hand to protect the hurt left hand. In reality there are so many who are still holding on to their hurts and not permitting anyone to come close to them fearing pain of being hurt again. The Lord admonishes such to come to Him, for He is the master healer and the one who can bind our wounds to bring about healing and wholeness to our mind and bodies.
The difference between Peter and Judas Iscariot
Before Jesus chose His twelve disciples, He prayed much about it. He chose them to be with Him. For three and a half years the disciples lived with Jesus and among them were Peter and Judas Iscariot. While Peter denied Jesus, Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus. The consequence was that both of their hearts were filled with remorse and there seemed to be a breach in the relationship that they both had with Jesus.
Peter was penitent and cried bitter tears for his act of disloyalty, but he allowed Jesus to restore him and heal his wounds. Peter was therefore transformed to be the leader of the early church who lived a life of great fruitfulness for the Lord and the extension of His Kingdom. On the other hand Judas Iscariot decided that it was the end of the road when he betrayed Jesus. He was not humble and willing to get back to Jesus and secluded himself from Jesus and all the other disciples.
If you observe the life of Judas Iscariot it began with love for money, which led to murmuring, which later led him to unwanted associations thereby giving room for Satan to take over his life. Judas Iscariot tried to give back the money he collected for his act of betrayal, but the Jewish leaders refused to accept it. He tried desperately to undo his mistakes, but sadly it was far too late. Judas Iscariot chose isolation and instead of turning to Jesus, he sought after those who became responsible for his downfall.
If we were to describe a disciple today we could say it this way. A disciple is one who desires to be with Jesus, longs to do His will and lives a life that is pleasing to Him in every way. A lesson from Judas Iscariot is that when we give the Devil a foothold in our lives, he will use us for his cunning schemes and then conveniently dispose us. There are two important lessons we need to learn from the lives of Peter and Judas Iscariot. Firstly when we are reconciled with God, He will certainly heal us of all our hurts and will restore us back to Himself to be used for His greater purposes. Secondly, we also need to be reconciled with people and when we do so the Lord will help us establish stronger relationships.
Let me conclude with this verse from 1 John 4:18, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” (ESV)
Love is the foundation for all relationships, for perfect love will cast out all fear. There are many who are hesitant to take that step of reconciliation for fear that they will be hurt again and hence are choosing a life of seclusion or solitude.
The Lord encourages us to be filled with love instead of fear. Fear will bring untold misery and hardships and to be fearful means we are not perfected in love. Let us permit the Lord to deal with all those unnecessary fears that are lurking inside and release us from all of them. Only when we are rid of all these fears will be able to lead the abundant and wholesome life that God has in store for us. God has called us to live a life of joy and victory. May the love of God enfold us and may all the uncalled for fears be completely removed from our hearts and minds.
Pastor F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by Sis. Esther Collins
