FREEDOM FROM FEAR – Get Out of Your Shell!
2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJ) For God has not given us a spirit of fear,
but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
INTRODUCTION:
A little 2 year old girl stands at the edge of a swimming pool frozen. Her daddy is in the water with his arms raised up toward his little angel saying, “Jump; it’s okay princess, daddy will catch you.”
In that moment that little girl feels for the first time the inner conflict that we have all felt time and again through out our lives. On the one hand fear tells her to stay put; the water is cold, deep and dangerous. She can’t swim. She has never done this before. She is the one being called on to risk her life. What if something bad happens?
On the other hand it is not a stranger calling her to jump; it’s her daddy in the water. He is bigger and stronger than she is. So far he has been trustworthy. Daddy who helped her learn to walk; he has always been there to pick her up when she falls, and to wipe away her tears. The smile on his face says he is confident in the outcome of her jump.
What is a two year old to do? The battle between trust and terror, faith and fear has begun. Trust says, “Jump!” Terror shouts, “Don’t do it!” WHEN FEAR SAYS “NO” FAITH SAYS “GO!”
ILLUSTRATION: John Ortberg writes in his book, If You Want to Walk on Water You’ve God to Get Out of the Boat:
“What would you guess is the most common command in Scripture?
“It is not for us to be more loving. That may be the core to God’s desire for human life, but that is not his most frequent instruction.
“Writers about spiritual life often speak of pride as being at the root of human fallenness, but the Bible’s most frequent imperative does not have to do with avoiding pride or gaining humility.
“It is not a command to guard sexual purity or to walk with integrity, important as those qualities are.
“The single command in Scripture that occurs more often than any other-God’s most frequently repeated instruction-is formulated in two words:
“Fear not. Do not be afraid. Be strong and courageous. You can trust me. Fear not. Why does God command us not to fear?”
If You Want to Walk on Water You’ve God to Get Out of the Boat, page 117-118
Ortberg asks a good question, “WHY DOES GOD COMMAND US NOT TO FEAR?” What do you think? Why has God repeatedly told us throughout to not be afraid?
“Lloyd Ogilvie notes there are 366 ‘fear not’ verses in the Bible-one for every day of the year, including one for leap year!” Get Out of the Boat, page 118
Many reasons can be offered as to why God tells us to not be afraid. However, I don’t think God’s primary motivation is to spare us emotional discomfort and pain. No pain—no gain! Often our faith grows the most through difficult circumstances—circumstances we fear. Once more, if you think about it, God does not say “fear not” to people and then remove the cause of their fear. More often than not God takes them through the very situation that caused their fear in the first place. Sometimes difficulties only go from bad to worse which would tend to increase the level of fear in most people.
One reason God says “fear not” so often because fear is the number one cause of temptation that keeps us from living out God’s will. Fear paralyzes us and keeps us from doing what God wants us to do. Fear traps us like a turtle inside its shell. Let’s talk about fear and discover how we can break free from its control of our lives. Lets Get out of our shells!
I. What is fear?
1. In its simplest form fear is an internal warning cry designed by God.
a) God created us with the ability to sense danger. Fear is the unpleasant feeling that motivates us to take action to protect us. We are ready to do what is necessary to move to a safe place and away from what threatens us.
b) Fear prepares our body to run, hide or fight. Fear sends adrenaline into our bloodstream to give our muscles the needed energy boost. Your heart pounds so your body is ready to go into overdrive. The pale look of fear is caused by blood being diverted from the surface of the skin to our muscles. The eyes widen as the pupils dilate so we get as much visual sensory information as possible; the ears are attentive to every sound.
ILLUSTRATION: Think about the way your body responds when you ride a roller coaster. Part of you is terrorized by the sights and sounds as well as the speeding motion with the sudden twists, turns, tugs and twitches. I enjoy riding roller coasters, and yet there are still some that I have not conquered like the X-flight; there is just something about standing up to ride a coaster that I haven’t been able to get comfortable with in my head. Coasters cause fear and yet there is also the thrill, laugher and happiness of the moment because rationally you know that you are completely safe from any real danger.
2. Of all the fears and phobias we could list they would all fall into two broad categories—healthy and unhealthy fears.
a) Fear can be a good thing. Healthy fear protects us from danger. We all have a certain fear of heights that keeps us from jumping off the side of a mountain or tall building. When we reach the top of a ladder there is a certain uneasiness that warns us about standing on the top with nothing to hold onto. I want my son to retain a fear of driving too fast, not just to keep him safe going around a curve in the road, but to also keep him from being notice by the policeman’s radar.
b) Fear can also be a bad thing; it can paralyze us and keep us from doing things that we should do. Sometimes our fears are irrational. Instead of fear happening when it is needed—when a truck runs a stop sign as you begin to go through the intersection, or when your child is playing with the hairdryer next to a bathtub full of water—fear also comes when it is neither helpful nor wanted. Fear can flood our hearts when we are not truly threatened.
c) Sometimes our fears become habitual; that’s when our fears become worries. Worry is really nothing more than distorted fears. Normally fear is caused by an EXTERNAL SOURCE, but worry and anxiety is more often INTERNAL. Worry begins in our mind, but brings the same emotional and physical toll as real fears. Fear is temporary, a response to an external stimuli. Worry is long term fear; it has moved into our hearts and unpacked its bags. Worry won’t just leave; it has to be evicted and kicked out. That’s why you need to make God the Landlord of your heart; God will send worry packing.
3. The spirit of fear.
• 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJ)
For God has not given us a spirit of fear.
God did not give us a spirit of timidity (NIV)
a) Unhealthy fear—regardless of its form—is not from God.
b) Satan wants to bind us with chains of fear. He wants to use fear to keep us from God, to cause us to not trust God’s faithfulness, love and power. Satan will use fear to stop us cold in our tracks so we are unwilling to take steps of obedience. The devil uses fear to harm our relationships with one another. Fear separates; love unites.
• Ephesians 6:12 (NIV)
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
c) Satan would like nothing more than for us to think that our fear is just all in our heads, that we can overcome our fears using our own strength. Fear is more than just physiological processes within our bodies; fear is more than just an emotional response or the way we think.
d) Fear is a weapon and strategy Satan uses to defeat us. The devil wants to destroy us and he will use fear as a lethal weapon.
e) God has not given us a spirit of fear BUT HE HAS GIVEN US A SPIRIT OF POWER LOVE AND SELF DISCIPLINE! I’m glad Paul didn’t leave us wondering what to do with our fear. God has provided the spiritual weapons to overcome the enemy and set us free from our fear. God sets us free to stick our neck out and get out of our shells to live our lives free from fear.
f) Tuck that thought away for a moment and we’ll come back to it to take a closer look at how God enables us to be free from fear. But before we do that, let’s think about the price we must pay when we give into our fear.
II. The consequences of giving into our fears.
1. When we give into our fears we suffer loss, to overcome our fears is to find great gain.
a) Think about that little girl on the side of the pool. If she gives into her fears and runs to mommy she is going to lose the confidence in herself to overcome future fears. She will miss out on the laughter that comes when she splashes into the water safe in her daddy’s hands. She will never know how much she can trust her daddy.
b) But what happens if she jumps? Instead of suffering loss she will experience great gain by overcoming her fears. She will feel good about herself knowing she did it. She will be ready to tackle future fears with greater confidence. She will experience the joy of splashing daddy in the face and seeing his smile. She will grow to trust her daddy more and know that his love for her is dependable.
c) We may imagine that our fears are greater than that little girl frozen at the side of a swimming pool (but don’t try to convince her of that), nevertheless we too will either suffer loss by giving into our fears, or we will experience great gain by overcoming our fears.
2. Loss of self-esteem and worth versus the gain of confidence and self-assurance.
a) When fear causes you to run and hide your inner sense of self-confidence and esteem is beaten down. Even if thing turn out okay in the long run, when you give into your fears you know the truth: “I’m afraid. I didn’t do the right thing. I’m a wimp. I took the easy way out.
b) However when you face your fears and take action, you get a deep sense of satisfaction—even if things don’t turn out the best. Facing your fears cause you to grow; you feel good about yourself. Inside you know I did the hard thing. I took on a challenge. I have courage and strength.
3. Loss of destiny versus the gain of a God-given future.
a) When you yield to fear you miss out on what God has planned for you.
• Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
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.
b) Fear keeps us from moving towards the future God intends for us to have. Fear seeks to trap us with failure. We can never do the things we have dreamed; we should just give up and be satisfied with what we have.
c) In a strange way some people are more afraid of succeeding than they are of failing. What will happen after I’ve made it and done what no one thought I could? What then? Fear of success can keep us from pursuing our dreams just as much as the fear of failure.
d) When you overcome your fears you are free to receive the future God has ordained for you to have. Don’t let fear rob you of God’s blessings!
4. Loss of happiness and peace versus the gain of lasting joy and peace.
a) Have you ever met a happy worrywart? Who do you know that is filled with joy and anxiety all at the same time? Fear robs you of joy!
b) When you live with fear you will find yourself depressed; hope will be hard to find. Anxious thoughts will always be in your mind.
c) When you defeat your fears and break free you will find true gladness and joy. Your heart will be light instead of heavy. When you are free from fear you will even find lasting joy in the midst of difficult and trying circumstances.
d) You can live with fear or you can live with joy, but you can’t live with both. The choice is yours. Live with your fears or overcome them and start living with joy!
5. Loss of genuine relationships versus the gain of authentic intimacy.
a) One of the natural responses of fear is to hide, to conceal and cover up. Right from the beginning fear has caused people to hide. What was Adam’s response after he had sinned and heard God calling him?
• Genesis 3:10 (NIV)
He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid."
b) Mankind has been hiding from God and one another ever since. I was afraid of being exposed of being found out, so I hid. Fear makes us hide.
c) Fear is the cause of superficial relationships. Fear is what causes a man to seek out pornography or a prostitute because deep down he is afraid of being open and transparent with a real woman. What if my wife finds out about my weaknesses?
d) We hide behind smiles; we guard our feelings. We hide behind what we really think with platitudes and nice words. When asked how we are doing we just say “FINE” afraid to share our sorrow and pain.
e) Let’s break free from our fear and lay down our masks; let’s stop living in a world of make-believe and learn to be honest and real with God and one another. When we overcome our fears we find authentic intimacy.
6. Loss of trust in God versus a growing and vibrant faith that holds like an anchor through all the storms of life.
• Hebrews 6:19-20 (NIV)
[19] We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, [20] where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.
a) When we give into our fears we never learn that God is trustworthy. Fear tells us God is not big enough to help us with our problems. Fear says God may throw out a lifeline, but the line will break before He pulls us in. Our understanding of God is distorted; we doubt He will ever be able to come to our rescue.
b) When you step out in faith and conquer your fears you discover that God is there to be your help. God shows Himself to be faithful; He has not abandoned you, but is with you to be your refuge!
• Isaiah 43:1-3 (NLT)
[1] . . . The Lord who created you says: "Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. [2] When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. [3] For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
7. Instead of loss let’s learn to overcome our fears and experience great gain!
a) Let’s be set free to grow in confidence and self-assurance, to have a healthy self-esteem.
b) Let’s discover our God-given future, to fulfill the destiny God has planned for our lives.
c) Let’s be free to have real and lasting joy.
d) Let’s stop hiding in fear so we can move beyond superficial relationships and enjoy authentic intimacy.
e) Let’s grow in faith so fear will never rob of having a God confidence to trust the Lord in every situation.
III. Freedom from fear; God’s supply to overcome!
• 2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT)
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
1. God has given us a Spirit of power.
• Philippians 4:13 (NLT)
For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need.
a) God has given us His Spirit, the Spirit of POWER! Nothing is too difficult for us because God gives us all the strength we need.
b) Some might think: “Well if I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me, then why can’t I pick up that 900 pound boulder in front of the church?” Paul isn’t just talking about physical strength. Paul is talking about having the strength to empower you for everything you need. Notice: CHRIST GIVES ME THE STRENGTH I NEED.
• 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NIV)
[9] But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. [10] That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
c) Paul leaned that even in his weaknesses Christ gives Him all the strength he needs. How many of us have leaned that lesson? When I am weak, then Christ is strong in me. When I empty myself of me and my ability, then there is room for Christ and His ability.
d) What do I need to fear? In my weakness, WHEN I AM MOST VULNERABLE, Christ is strong within me and keeps me safe from anything that may cause me to fear. Christ and the power of His Spirit with in us sets us free from fear. We can stick our necks out and live outside our shells because it is the Spirit of Christ that lives with us inside our shell! He is there with power when I need Him.
e) Through the power of Christ I am free to have hope and to live a life overflowing with joy and peace!
• Romans 15:13 (NIV)
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
2. God has given us a Spirit of love.
a) Perhaps you are wondering, “How can love help to set us free from fear?”
• 1 John 4:16-18 (NIV)
[16] And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. [17] In this way, love is made complete among us . . . [18] There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
b) If you struggle with fear you need to get to know God better. Let God immerse you in His love. When you get lost in God’s love your fear will get lost, love will banish fear from your heart. With God’s love we have nothing to fear because nothing will ever overpower God’s love for us.
• Romans 8:35-39 (NIV)
[35] Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? [36] As it is written:
"For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."
[37] No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. [38] For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, [39] 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.
c) Paul learned that He could rest in the love of God because nothing could harm him there, nothing could take him out of God’s loving hands. WHY WAS PAUL SO CONFIDENT OF GOD’S LOVE?
• Romans 8:28 (NIV)
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
d) Paul doesn’t say God can work good in ONLY SOME THINGS—PAUL SAYS ALL THINGS! In the most difficult of circumstances, in those times when fear wants to control my life and take me captive, no matter what may happen, I AM NOT AFRAID BECAUSE GOD IS IN CONTROL OF MY LIFE. No matter what it may look like on the outside, God is at work in and through the circumstances of my life to accomplish His good and perfect plan for my life! God will bring good even out of tragedy; therefore I have nothing to fear.
3. God has given us a Spirit of self-discipline (a sound mind).
a) To set us free from the spirit of fear God has given us a Spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline or as the KJV says a sound mind.
• Proverbs 25:28 (NIV)
Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.
b) The walls of a city served one purpose—the walls were set up to keep the people within the city safe from their enemies. A man without self-control, who lacks a sound mind, is a defenseless city—a city living in fear of their enemies. The Message Bible puts it like this: “A person without self-control is like a house with its doors and windows knocked out.” Such a man lives in a house with no security, nothing to protect him and his family from burglary and violence.
• Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)
But the fruit of the Spirit is . . . [23] self-control.
c) Self-discipline and having a sound mind is not about self or what we can do for ourselves. Being of sound mind, having self-discipline and self-control is to live your life under the control of the Holy Spirit! Self-control comes when we are no longer in our ‘right mind’ instead we take on the mind of Christ!
• Romans 12:2 (NIV)
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.
d) If I try to live my life like everyone else then I’m going to be given over to a life of uncertainty and fear, but if through Christ my mind is transformed and renewed by His Spirit, then I will live a life free from fear because I am living my life in the center of God’s will. When I know God’s will for my life, then nothing can cause me fear because I know God will take me through every situation and circumstance. My mind will be focused instead of giving place to fantasy and futile and unproductive imagination.
e) God has given us a sound mind; He has empowered us by His Spirit to be self-disciplined not only in our words and actions, but also in our thoughts. Therefore we are free from fear and can live in peace.
• Isaiah 26:3-4 (NIV)
[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.
Conclusion: FREEDOM FROM FEAR – Get Out of Your Shell!
2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJ) For God has not given us a spirit of fear,
but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
