FEAR FACTOR
Definition
of Fear
Fear is an emotion induced by a perceived threat which
causes entities to quickly pull far away from the threat and usually hide. It
is a basic survival mechanism occurring in response to a specific stimulus,
such as pain or the threat of danger. In short, fear is the ability to
recognize danger leading to an urge to confront it or flee from it (also known
as the ‘fight-or-flight’ response) but in extreme cases of fear (horror and
terror) a freeze or paralysis response is possible.
Fear is essential for survival but must be contained once
the threat is eliminated or understood, otherwise it will take over our
thoughts and possibly cause mental or physical illness. Imagine a smoke
detector continuing to sound an alarm even after the fire has been
extinguished.
Confront
the fear
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” (FDRoosevelt)
How can we
remove fear? BY TRUSTING IN GOD!
In spiritual terms, the opposite of Faith is Fear.
Where is
your focus? We must focus on God and on His promises.
Fear gives more power to something other than God. It
removes our focus on God.
Apostles in boat during storm
(“why are you afraid?.)
Peter walking on water. (fear
of man changed to fear of God)
Peter focused on Jesus (if you see
me you see the Father)
God says:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own
understanding. (Proverbs 3:5)
MURPHY’s
LAW
"Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong"
Please do not live your life based on Murphy's Law.
Please live your life based on God's promises.
“We are more than conquerors through Christ who loves us.” (Romans 8:37) “more than conquerors” to
me means not only will you defeat your fear but you know even before you start
that you will be victorious.
IMAGINE
THIS:
Imagine watching a baseball game where your favorite team is
losing then you discover that you are watching a delayed forecast and your team
has already won the game. You now watch the game with a totally different
perspective. Even though there are errors, strikeouts, coaching mistakes, erroneous
base running, etc.
… YOU KNOW THAT YOU ARE STILL GOING TO WIN.
What does
God’s Word say about FEAR?
“DO NOT FEAR” or similar wording is mentioned 365 times in
the bible … one for each day of the year. Hmmm?
BE STILL & KNOW THAT I AM GOD. (Psalm 46:10)
God did not give us a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind. (2Timothy
1:7) i.e. Pure Love of Jesus, Power from the Holy Spirit to resist the lies and threats of the enemy and a Sound Mind to always Trust in God.
God is your
defender. God is by
your side.
God will ALWAYS take care of you.
“The battle
belongs to The Lord.” (1 Samuel
17:47)
“Never
will I leave you, never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)
“I am with
you always.” (Matthew 28:20)
How big is
your God?
Do not limit God. Do not corner God. Allow Him to take
over.
Don't tell
God how big your storm is.
Tell your storm how big your God is!
Jaime’s
Dream
I had a dream that I was sitting on the side of a large hill
and an evil army with a million demons was approaching about 2 miles away (a
scene taken right out of the ‘Lord of the Rings’). I was so scared … I started
to pray for protection and Jesus asked me to crawl to the top of the hill and
look on the other side. I saw an incredibly bright light and a hundred million, no, billion angels with an army that was many, many times larger than the evil army … they were waiting there to
protect me. I felt really bad for the dark army (they didn't have a chance) and I asked God to please
have mercy on them. Jesus looked at me and He said, "What you are seeing is The Truth!"
Lift your your arms to embrace God and receive His blessings (gifts) &
His love
The enemy will always bring fear to keep you from your
blessings & joy.
Lift your Shield of Faith to protect you from your fears. You have a Helmet of Salvation, a Breastplate of Righteousness, a Belt of Truth, Sandals of Preparation and the Sword of God's Word.
QUICK EXERCISE:
Take a moment to imagine the most POWERFUL GOD possible.
The result will only be a grain of sand in the ocean what God truly is.
What can possibly be larger than God?
If God is for us, who can possibly be against us? (Romans 8:31)
Story of David
Conquering Fear (Goliath was 9 feet 9 inches tall).
David had more faith in God than any of his people.
Then, why did David pick up 5 stones for his slingshot?
It turns out that Goliath was 1 of 5 giants in the enemy camp.
David was ready to handle all 5 of them.
GOD IS NOT
A GENIE
The other day, in prayer, I apologized to God because I kept
asking for things as if He were a Genie or a vending machine. He instructed me
that instead of always asking for things, to THANK Him, trusting in His unlimited
love and for His eventual resolution to my requests:
1. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by
prayer and petition, WITH THANKSGIVING, present your requests to God. (Phil
4:6-7)
2. He will
give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)
3. For
those who love God, ALL things work out for good. (Romans 8:28)
FEAR OF
GOD? (is not actually fear)
How can I possibly fear ABBA (daddy)? Submit to God, be
obedient. RESPECT
Know your place. Think less of yourself and more about our Awesome God.
“The fear
of the Lord leads to life. Then one rests content, untouched by trouble.” (Proverbs 19:23). "Be still and know that I AM GOD!"
Worship God by obeying His will for us which is:
Be joyful always, pray without ceasing and give thanks for all
things.
(1 Thess
5:16)
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this
world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Ephesians 6:12)
The battle belongs to the Lord. (1 Samuel 17:47)
“Even
though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for
You are with me.” (Psalm 23)
PLEASE REMEMBER THIS:
If you do not have the time to pray at least 30 minutes every day,
then you should pray for at least one hour every day.
GOD’S
PLAN FOR US
IMAGINE THIS . . .
Imagine having a meeting with your
parents, with your best friends and with God to plan out your life. Your
parents know your past and a lot about you, your friends may know a lot about
how you feel about things. Now, God knows the past, present and future, He
knows your innermost thoughts and feelings, He knows what others are thinking
and where their hearts really are and He loves you unconditionally and wants
the best for you. Now, you must choose (using your Free Will). Do you choose
your plan, your parent's plan, your friend's plan or God's plan? It only makes
sense for us to move all other plans out of the way and to choose God's plan
(God's will) for us and for our families. Our future with God is so exciting …
exceedingly and abundantly filled with His blessings and guidance and love.
God's plan for you may involve some difficult moments and
experiences, you need to be very patient, you need to trust that God loves you
and wants the best for you and that eventually, all things will work out for
the best (no matter how bad things seem to be at the moment).
All athletes endure losses and defeats, difficult moments in
training, pain, etc. before winning a medal, yet the end result is magnificent.
The most beautiful plants need to be pruned and trimmed ... if you were a
plant, this would really hurt, yet the results are amazingly beautiful.
“Faith is
being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (We live by faith not by sight). (Hebrew 11:1)
“So do not
fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will
strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 11
"All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who
oppose you will be as nothing and perish. 12 Though you search for your
enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as
nothing at all. 13 For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right
hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” (Isaiah
41:10)
GOD ALWAYS HEARS
YOUR PRAYER
God definitely
hears your prayers! No more suffering!
It has been too long, your time of joy has come.
God wants you to be full of joy and peace.
His kingdom is here now … step into His kingdom
and give yourself over to Jesus. He will fill you with so
much joy
that it will be running over, exceedingly and abundantly in
your life.
The greatest joy in the world is not
the joy of acceptance or having possessions.
These things are only temporary and eventually,
they bring us right back to where we started.
The greatest joy in the world is realizing
that you are truly loved by God,
no matter what you have ever done
and no matter what you will ever do.
We have nothing to fear with God by our side.
In the same way that we trim away
dead or unhealthy branches from a tree
so it can grow to be strong, beautiful and healthy,
God will do the same with us.
The trimming will be very painful,
extremely sad, unexplainable at times
and very disappointing, but eventually,
the end result is amazing and your health
and beauty (inside and out) will overflow
with so much love, joy and peace.
God, I submit myself entirely to you. You have my total
trust and all my love.
LET US PRAY
Father, above all else today, we choose your will - to
be joyful always. We commit ourselves to pray throughout the day with Jesus by
our side. And Father, today I will be conscious of giving you thanks in all my
circumstances and for all my blessings. Holy Spirit, please help me to open my
mind, my soul and my heart.
In the name of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
AMEN