Fear is a reality of life. It is true for believers and anyone else. We are talking about phobias - fears of height, fears of cockroaches, lizards, etc. We’re talking about FEARS that cripple us, that prevent us from doing what God wants us to do, that keep us from living a normal life.
So don’t feed your fear! Don’t dwell on it. The more we entertain it, the more it controls you.
Fear will take control of you, only if you allowed it!
TWO DOGS AT FIGHT
An American Indian once shared: "It seems, my brothers, that I have two dogs fighting in my heart: one is a very good dog, a beautiful white dog and he is always watching out for my best interests. The other is a very bad dog, a black dog, which is always trying to destroy the things that I want to build up. These dogs give me a lot of trouble because they are always quarreling and fighting each other."
One of his friends looked up and asked, "Which one wins?"
His reply was, "Whichever one I give in to."
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Tim 1:7
The word ’timidity’ is not just being timid, but terror - the terror that overtakes us in extreme difficulty. Why Paul uses this phrase - because Timothy, being young, was facing suffering and hardship. That’s why Paul says, "join with me in suffering for the gospel..."
Don’t be afraid of what man can do to you. Don’t be afraid of what the devil tries to do. God has given us MORE. The HOLY SPIRIT who dwells in us - His presence gives us power, love and self-discipline (a sound mind). (a ’wise head’, to discern and understand, not easily deceived...)
(1) POWER - He Can Help You Through It
Rid yourself of fear by focusing on the power of the One who is present with you.
David says - Psalm 23:4 "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."
What can you do when you’re going through a very terrifying, difficult experience of your life? You may lose your focus of God - your circumstances and pains overwhelm you. All you can see is unfairness, suffering and pain.
But David did not lose sight of God. How could David make such a claim, that "I will fear no evil" in the midst of great difficulty? Because he knew where to look. "You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."
Rather than turn to the surrounding, David turned to the Shepherd. Rather than stare at the problems, he stared at the rod and staff. In the most difficult part of the journey, he still notices the rod and staff in His hands. Do you?
If you feel you are in "the valley of the shadow," get off to a quiet place. Quit struggling for a little while. Forget the many details. Stop and look for the rod and staff. They are still in His hands. He is still in-charge. "There is power in His presence." Fear God and you’ll have nothing to fear.
God will lead you THROUGH, not around, the valley of the shadow of death. And, by the way, aren’t you glad it’s just a shadow?
It’s like playing golf. You hit the ball into the bush, surrounded by trees. What do you do? You’ll look for an opening. You’re not going to stare at the trees; you’re going to look for an opening and hit the ball out. Find an opening and FOCUS on hitting the ball THROUGH it.
(2) LOVE - He Cares For You, You’re Not Alone
1 John 4:18 "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear..."
Learn to turn yourself and your loved ones to the love and care of God. We believe in a good God, but we must (like David), "Taste and see that the Lord is good." (Psa 34:8)
It’s one thing to know, it’s quite another to "taste and see" - David said that out of experience. He went through a terrifying time when on the run from Saul - 1 Sam 21:10-15
10 That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath. 11 But the servants of Achish said to him, "Isn’t this David, the king of the land?... (they recognised him). 12 David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath. 13 So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard. 14 Achish said to his servants, "Look at the man! He is insane! Why bring him to me? 15 Am I so short of madmen that you have to bring this fellow here to carry on like this in front of me? Must this man come into my house?"
TRUST IN HIS UNCHANGING LOVE FOR YOU -
The way to find and keep peace is outlined for us by the Prophet Isaiah:
Isaiah 26:3-4 3 You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. 4 Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.
Notice the word "shalom" is repeated twice in the phrase "perfect peace". You can experience the full blessings of ’shalom, shalom’ simply by trusting and leaning on the Lord. The Amplified version of this verse shows us exactly how.
You (God) will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind (both its inclination and its character) is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You. So trust in the Lord (commit yourself to Him, lean on Him, hope confidently in Him) forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting Rock (the Rock of Ages). (Amplified)
YOU LOOK AT JESUS - in the Garden of Gethsemane
It was the greatest struggle of His entire life - He saw something in the future so fierce that he begged for a change of plan (if that is even possible) - "Father, if you are willing, take away this cup of suffering" (Luke 22:42)
Notice something - the first one to hear his fear is His Father. He could have gone to his mother Mary, his siblings at home. He could have confided in His disciples. He could have assembled a prayer meeting. All would have been appropriate and possible, but none were His priority. He went first to His Father.
How we tend to go everywhere else. First, we solve it ourselves; get a self-help book; then to our family and friends. Not Jesus - the first one to hear His fear was His Father in heaven. Jesus knew the Father loves Him. The only One who can truly give Him the peace and the courage to face the cross was His Father. No one else can.
Are you equally assured of His love and care for you, just like Jesus?
(3) SOUND MIND - He Guides You Out, Believe Him
"Spiritually minded" - mindful of what God wants, how God thinks...
Not deceived by Satan to believe in untruths. We know what is right. We know His words, His ways.
When we analyze the problem of fear, 9 times out of 10 we find that we are guilty of wrong believing. Superstition is a result of wrong belief.
ƒð astrology - your stars, Chinese version will be your animals, what can happen to you
ƒð "touch wood" - shunning bad luck
ƒð Lucky numbers - fear of anything associated with 13
Wrong believing brings fear. Right believing brings faith.
The faith can help us overcome fear. We can’t expect God to protect us from every evil of the world during this life. But we can have utter confidence that we are, indeed, empowered by God, loved by God, and guided by Him to know what is true and what is not.
Jesus often asked His disciples, "Where is your faith?" (Luke 8:25) That’s the way to deal with fear.
In the height of the storm in the Sea of Galilee, the disciples were overcome with fear. They cried out, "Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?" (Mark 4:38)
Jesus did not withdraw from the human stream - from the misery and pains we go through - He developed a way of life - a faith in God as the source of supply and a relationship with God that gave Him strength on the inside - so that when He was in these problems He could rest (in the midst of the storm), He could have a calmness of spirit.
In fact, He seemed surprised that they were so disturbed! Jesus calmed the storm and asked the disciples, "Where is your faith? Why were you so afraid?"
He was saying, "Look, the very faith I have in My Father you can have. I was able to find strength to relax and be strong in this storm means that you can too! You don’t have to be afraid. Why are you so fearful when you can have this relationship with God, when you can open up yourself and give and expect a miracle? Where is your faith?"
Conclusion
Can Sleep When the Wind Blows (Author Unknown)
Years ago a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops. As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals.
Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer. "Are you a good farmhand?" the farmer asked him.
"Well, I can sleep when the wind blows," answered the little man.
Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man’s work.
Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand’s sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled, "Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!"
The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, "No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows."
Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away.
The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew.
MORAL: When you’re prepared, spiritually, mentally, and physically, you have nothing to fear. Can you sleep when the wind blows through your life? The hired hand in the story was able to sleep because he had secured the farm against the storm. We, as believers in Christ, secure ourselves against the storms of life by grounding ourselves in the Word of God.
How to prepare? Do not live your life without God being first in your life.
