C. BOSTIAN OVERCOMING
FEAR FEB.17, 2002
Ps 3:1-8
1 [A Psalm of David when he fled from his son
Absalom]. O Lord, so
many are against me. So many seek to harm me.
I have so many enemies. 2 So many say that God will never help me. 3 But Lord,
you are my shield, my glory, and my only hope. You alone can lift my head, now
bowed in shame. 4 I cried out to the Lord, and he heard me from his Temple in
Jerusalem. 5 Then I lay down and slept in peace and woke up safely, for the
Lord was watching over me. 6 And now, although ten thousand enemies surround me
on every side, I am not afraid. 7 I will cry to him, "Arise, O Lord! Save
me, O my God!" And he will slap them in the face, insulting them and
breaking off their teeth.
8 For salvation comes from God. What joys he
gives to all his people.
Isa 43:1
But now, this is what the LORD says--he who
created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have
redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
2 Tim 1:6-9
6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift
of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not
given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the
testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the
sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, 9 who has saved us and
called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His
own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began…
WHAT IS ONE OF THE SHORTEST COMMANDS IN ALL OF SCRIPTURE. TWO WORDS: FEAR NOT. DON’T BE AFRAID, BE STRONG, AND OF GOOD COURAGE. SO GOD’S TELLING HIS PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE
SCRIPTURE THAT THEY CAN TRUST HIM AND HE DOESN’T WANT US TO LIVE WITH
FEAR. FEAR IS A PARALYZING AND
DEABILITATING EMOTION THAT RUINS PEOPLES LIVES AND SETS THEM ON A COURSE OF
SELF DESTRUCTION, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, STRESS AND LOSS OF HEALTH AND WELL
BEING. The current fears many in this room experience include the fear of
disapproval, the fear of inadequacy, the fear of unemployment, the fear of
being drafted into active military service, the fear of future terrorist
attacks, the fear of biochemical warfare, the fear of certain illnesses, and
the fear of death. These objects of fear are not a present reality for many of
us. But for those who are experiencing these realities, your fears and
responses to your fears may create more problems for you than your
realities.
Isa 35:4
4 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be
strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a
recompense; he will come and save you.
Isa 41:10
10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not
dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea,
I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
Deut 31:8
8 Don't be afraid, for the Lord will go
before you and will be with you; he will not fail nor forsake you."
In the September 21, 2001 San Francisco
Chronicle, the headline read, "Freedom and Fear Are at War." The
truth is fear is at war with many aspects of life, not just with freedom. Fear
wars against our health. Fear wars against making good decisions. Fear wars
against obedience to God. Fear interferes with all of life.
Fear is like a fire alarm. Fear signals us of
danger and calls our mind and body to respond for survival. Unfortunately, many
people’s alarm and their responses to the alarm have been set incorrectly over
the years. Some parents program their children with repeated lies such as,
"If you don’t get A’s in your report card, you will be a failure in
life." We produce perfectionist adults who are afraid of ever failing.
Others have grown up with models of cowardice. Their constant self-protection
leads them to lives of dishonesty. The media violence has programmed the fear
alarm of many Americans. The responses are paranoid thoughts that interfere
with reality.
FEAR IS COMMON TO ALL OF US.
BUT YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS INSANITY AND THEN THERE IS
COURAGE. WHICH REMINDS ME OF A MAN WHO
APPEARED BEFORE THE PEARLY GATES AND WAS GREETED BY ST. PETER. PETER SAID, HAVE YOU DONE ANYTHING OF
PARTICULAR MERIT? AND THE MAN SAID, I
CAN THINK OF ONE THING. ONCE I CAME
UPON A GANG OF MOTORCYCLE BIKERS WHO WERE THREATENING A YOUNG LADY. I ASKED THEM TO LEAVE HER ALONE BUT THEY
WOULDN’T LISTEN. SO I APPROACHED THE
LARGEST, MEANEST AND UGLIEST OF THEM ALL AND SMACKED HIM ON THE HEAD, TORE OUT
HIS NOSE RING AND KICKED HIS MOTORCYCLE OVER.
AND THEN I TOLD HIM TO LEAVE THE GIRL ALONE OR ELSE YOU’D HAVE TO ANSWER
TO ME. PETER WAS IMPRESSED AND ASKED
HIM, ‘WHEN DID ALL THIS HAPPEN.” THE
GUY SAID, ‘O A COUPLE OF MINUTES AGO.
THAT’S CALLED INSANITY NOT COURAGE.
Ps 31:23-24
23 O love the LORD, all ye his saints: for
the LORD preserveth the faithful,
and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer. 24
Be of good courage,
and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye
that hope in the LORD.
Ps 27:13-14
13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to
see the goodness of the LORD in
the land of the living. 14 Wait on the LORD:
be of good courage,
and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I
say, on the LORD.
NOW, When I talk about courage don’t
misunderstand ME and think I’m talking about cliff diving or mountain climbing.
I’m not necessarily talking about some kind of heroic deed that brings fame.
I’m talking about daily courage. "Every single day we make choices that
show whether we are courageous or cowardly. We choose between the right thing
and the convenient thing, sticking to a conviction or caving in for the sake of
comfort, greed or approval. We choose either to take a carefully thought-out
risk or to crawl into a shrinking shell of safety, security and inactivity. We
choose either to believe in God and trust him, even when we do not always
understand his ways, or to second-guess him and cower in the corners of doubt
and fear.
"If we ever come to God it has to be
courageously, facing the truth about who and what we are.
If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept
the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to
forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. 1 John 1:8-9 (NLT)
Christianity’s not for weak, cowardly people. It requires courage to admit your
need for God.… to follow in faith. Even after beginning a life of faith it
takes courage to follow through. Why? Because God calls us to go places we’ve
never been. He puts us to tasks that we feel inadequate for. He exposes moral
blind spots in our lives that are ugly to behold.
Honestly, that’s why many folks begin with faith, but settle for religion.
Faith is active, living and sometimes scary. Religion is dead, comfortable
ritual. Faith is risk
and risk takes
faith.
DR. DAVID BARRY WRITES: ALL OF US ARE BORN WITH A SET OF INTUITIVE
FEARS. BUT NOT ALL FEAR IS BAD. THERE IS A GOOD FEAR THAT HELPS US
SURVIVE. THERE IS A GOOD FEAR THAT
TEACHES US TO RESPECT APPROPRIATE BOUNDRIES.
GOD FEARS ALERTS US TO REAL DANGER LIKE A SPEEDING CAR OR A HOT
STOVE. BUT THERE ARE ALSO BAD FEARS
THAT PARALYZE US AND KEEP US FROM WHAT WE OUGHT TO DO. BAD FEAR, HE WRITES, IS A DISTORTED FEAR
THAT IS OUT OF TOUCH WITH REALITY. IT
CREATES WORRY AND ANXIETY THAT IS NOT GOOD.
SO WHILE HE SAYS THERE IS SOME GOOD FEAR THE SCRIPTURES TELLS US OVER
AND OVER AGAIN THAT FEAR IS UNHEALTHY AND UNPRODUCTIVE. IT IS FEAR THAT HINDERS PEOPLE FROM TRUSTING
IN THE LIVING GOD.
I Jn 4:17-18
17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we
may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this
world.
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love
casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made
perfect in love.
THERE ARE TWO BASIC KINDS OF MINDSETS IN THE HUMAN RACE: ONE IS FEAR
AND THE OTHER IS FAITH. FAITH SAYS YOU
CAN TRUST GOD, YOU CAN TRUST THAT GOD’S GOODNESS, MERCY, GRACE AND POWER WILL
BE SUFFICIENT IN YOUR LIFE AND THAT YOU CAN LIVE WITH A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF
RELAXED CONFIDENCE IN GOD. OR YOU CAN
LIVE WITH A MINDSET OF FEAR. FEAR OF
BEING LEFT ON MY OWN. THE FEAR THAT SOMETHING
BAD IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO ME UNLESS I REAL CAREFUL AND CAUTIOUS. THERE IS ALSO AN ILLUSION THAT THE DIFFICULT
CIRCUMSTANCES I AM IN IS WHAT PRODUCES THE FEAR THAT RESTRAINS ME FROM ACTION. I’D LIKE TO CHALLENGE THAT THINKING THIS
MORNING BY LOOKING AT TWO KINDS OF PEOPLE THAT FACE THE SAME KIND OF DIFFICULTY
OR CHALLENGE BUT HAVE DIFFERENT RESULTS BASED ON THEIR RESPONSE TO FEAR OR
FAITH.
Num 13:26-33
26 Now they departed and came back to Moses
and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel in the Wilderness
of Paran, at Kadesh; they brought back word to them and to all the
congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 Then they told him, and
said: "We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and
honey, and this is its fruit. 28 Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land
are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the
descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the South;
the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the
Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan." 30 Then
Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, "Let us go up at once and
take possession, for we are well able to overcome it." 31 But the men who
had gone up with him said, "We are not able to go up against the people,
for they are stronger than we." 32 And they gave the children of Israel a
bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, "The land through
which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the
people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 33 There we saw the giants
(the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers
in our own sight, and so we were in their sight."
TWELVE SPIES ARE SENT INTO THE PROMISED LAND TO SEARCH IT OUT BEFORE
ISRAEL ENTERS IT. TEN SPIES REPORT THAT
IT’S A GOOD LAND BUT THAT IS PROTECTED BY GIANTS AND THAT THEY COULD NOT ENTER
THE PROMISED LAND. THEY SAID, WE ARE AS
GRASSHOPPERS IN THEIR SIGHT AND IN OURS, WE BE NOT ABLE TO GO IN. HOWEVER, JOSHUA AND CALEB SAW THE SAME
SITUATION, SAW THE SAME GIANTS AND THEIR DECLARATION WAS: WE ARE WELL ABLE TO OVERCOME THEM LET’S GO
UP AT ONCE FOR THEY ARE BREAD FOR US.
TWO GROUPS OF PEOPLE SAW THE SAME THINGS BUT CAME UP WITH A DIFFERENT
RESPONSE. ONE WAS BASED ON FEAR AND THE
OTHER WAS BASED ON FAITH.
1 Sam 17:8-11
8 Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of
Israel, "Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a
Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him
come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your
subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and
serve us." 10 Then the Philistine said, "This day I defy the ranks of
Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other." 11 On hearing the
Philistine's words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.
GOLIATH, Based on the figures in the Bible,
was at least 9 1/2 feet tall and perhaps as tall as 11 feet. The magnificence
of Goliath's armor and weapons-his bronze coat of mail, bronze greaves, bronze
javelin, spear with an iron spearhead, and huge sword-must have made him appear
invincible. For 40 days this enormous man challenged Saul's army to find one
man willing to engage in hand-tohand combat. The winner of that one battle
would determine the outcome of the war. All of salu’s army was terrified of
goliath and his challenge. Then a young
boy by the name of david was sent by his father jesse, to take a happy meal to
his big brothers who were enlisted in saul’s army. After ariving he heard the challenge of goliath but responded
differently than the rest of saul’s army.
1 Sam 17:32-38
32 David said to Saul, "Let no one lose
heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight
him." 33 Saul replied, "You
are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a
boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth." 34 But David said to Saul, "Your
servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and
carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued
the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck
it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this
uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the
armies of the living God. 37 The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion
and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine."
Saul said to David, "Go, and the LORD be
with you."
David sees the same thing that saul’s army
sees, a giant of a man like you’d find in the world wide wrestling
federation. He’s big, he’s mean and
he’s very, very strong. David runs
after this man and with a stone in a sling shot he hits him in the forehead and
kills him on the spot. Fear told saul’s
army he’s to big to fight. Faith told
david he’s to big to miss. They each
saw the same thing but they responded differently.
Luke 8:22-26
22 One day Jesus said to his disciples,
"Let's go over to the other side of the lake." So they got into a
boat and set out. 23 As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the
lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. 24 The disciples went and woke him, saying,
"Master, Master, we're going to drown!" He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm sub-sided,
and all was calm. 25 "Where is your faith?" he asked his disciples.
In fear and amazement they asked one another, "Who is this? He commands
even the winds and the water, and they obey him." 26 They sailed to the region of the
Gerasenes,
HERE WE SEE JESUS, THE DISCIPLES AND GEORGE CLOONEY IN A PERFECT
STORM. WELL, GEORGE WASN’T THERE BUT HE
COULD HAVE BEEN. THE DISCIPLES ARE OUT
IN A BOAT ON THE SEA OF Galilee and a
storm comes up. The disciples are
afraid for their life but jesus is sound asleep in the back of the boat. They wake him up and he sees the same thing
as the disciples but responds in faith and quiets the storm.
I’ve showed you three examples from the
scripture: the spies, the giant and the storm.
They represent the difficulties and challenges any of us could face on
any given day. How we respond is based
on our mindset or perspective. If my
mindset is that of fear then I will be overcome by the situation. If my mindset is based on faith then I can
overcome the fear and the challenge and live in peace.
1 John 5:1-5
5:1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the
Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as
well. 2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and
carrying out his commands. 3 This is love for God: to obey his commands. And
his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the
world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who
is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of
God.
ONE OF THE BASIC DETERMINANTS ON WHICH MINDSET YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE UNDER
IS HOW YOUR PERCEIVE THINGS OR HOW YOU VIEW THINGS OR YOUR PERSPECTIVE. PERSPECTIVE DETERMINES HOW YOU WILL RESPOND
TO LIFE’S CIRCUMSTANCES. PERSPECTIVE IS
THE ABILITY TO SORT OUT WHAT IS IMPORTANT AND WHAT’S NOT. AN UNHELATHY FEAR IS THE RESULT OF A
PERSPECTIVE THAT IS OUT OF KILTER OR OUT OF BALANCE. SO GOD COMMANDS HIS PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE SCRIPTURE NOT TO LIVE
IN THE FEAR OF WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN BASED ON THE THINGS THAT I SEE AND KNOW. ALL OF WHICH MAY BE OUT OF FOCUS AND OUT OF
PERSPECTIVE.
2 Cor 5:6-7
6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing
that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: 7 (For we
walk by faith, not by sight:)
James 1:5-8
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of
God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be
given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth
is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that
man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
8 A double minded man is unstable in all his
ways.
Gal 3:11
11 But that no man is justified by the law in
the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
Heb 10:38-39
38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if
any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. 39 But we are not of
them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of
the soul.
GOD TELLS US THROUGHOUT HIS WORD THAT WE ARE TO WALK BY FAITH AND NOT
BY FEAR. SO WHY OUT OF ALL THE
DIRECTIONS HUMAN BEINGS NEED MOST IN LIFE DOES THE LORD CHOOSE TO TELL US NOT
TO BE AFRAID? I THINK ITS BECAUSE GOD
WANTS TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE LIKE YOU AND ME TO TAKE ADVENTEROUS STEPS, STEPS OF
FAITH THAT WE WOULD BE RELUCTANT TO TAKE OTHERWISE. GOD SAYS. FEAR NOT. SO
GOD’S CALLING US TO A RISKY FAITH BUT NOT A CARELESS OR PRESUMPTOUS FAITH BUT
ONE THAT DOES INVOLVE RISK. AND IT
USUALLY COMES DOWN TO THE QUESTION WILL I GO WITH FEAR OR WILL I GO WITH
FAITH. THE NUMBER ONE THING THAT KEEPS
PEOPLE FROM LIVING ADVENTEROUS, FAITH FILLED LIVES IS FEAR. IT PARALYZES US AND ROBS US OF THE ABUNDANT
LIFE. SO OVER THE NEXT 2 WEEKS I WANT
TO BEGIN TO SHARE WITH SOME OF THE HIGH COSTS OF LIVING WITH FEAR AND WHAT WE
CAN DO ABOUT IT. SINCE GOD HAS NOT
GIVEN US A SPIRIT OF FEAR HE WANTS US TO OVERCOME OUR FEARS AND PHOBIAS.
1. THE FIRST HIGH COST OF LIVING WITH FEAR IS THAT IT DESTROYS YOUR OWN
SENSE OF SELF-WORTH. IT BEGINS TO ERODE AND DESTROY YOUR PERSONAL
SENSE OF VALUE. IT DESTROYS YOUR
ABILITY TO BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE SOMEONE MADE IN THE IMAGE AND LIKENESS OF GOD
WHO HAS GREAT PLANS FOR YOU. WHY ARE
THERE PEOPLE WHO HAVE EVERY REASON TO HAVE HIGH SELF-ESTEEM WHO HAVE
SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS, HAVE SIGNIFICANT TALENTS AND GIFTS, HAVE
SIGNIFICANT RESOURSES WHO ARE HANDSOME OR ATTRACTIVE, WHO ARE WELL LIKED YET
THEY STRUGGLE ALL THEIR LIFE WITH THEIR OWN SENSE OF WORTH? BEAUTIFUL WOMEN WHO THOUGHT THEY WERE
UGLY. OUTSTANDING ACHEIVERS WHO FELT
THEY HAD ACHIEVED VERY LITTLE AND STRUGGLE WITH LOW SELF-ESTEEM. RESEARCHERS WHO HAVE DONE STUDIES IN THIS
AREA SAYS THAT IT ALL COMES DOWN TO ONE BASIC ISSUE, THAT WHEN YOU FACE A
DIFFICULTY OR A FEAR PRODUCING SITUATION DO YOU TAKE ACTION AND TACKLE IT HEAD
ON OR DO YOU AVOID IT. AND WHAT THEY
FOUND OUT WAS THAT WHEN PEOPLE TAKE ACTION, EVEN WHEN THINGS DON’T WORK OUT
GOOD THERE IS A CERTAIN PLEASURE OR SATISFACTION AND A GROWTH THAT TAKES PLACE
INSIDE THE PERSON BECAUSE THEY ATTEMPTED A DIFFICULT THING. NOW I FACED A DIFFICULT MATTER, I FACED MY
FEARS AND I DID SOMETHING AND AS A RESULT YOU GROW INSIDE. YOU’LL NEVER BE AFRAID OF THAT THING AGAIN
BECAUSE YOU STEPPED OUT AND DID SOMETHING AND CONQUERED YOUR FEAR IN THAT AREA
OF YOUR LIFE. YOU GAIN A SENSE OF
STRENGTH WHEN YOU FACE A TOUGH ISSUE HEAD ON.
BUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU AVOID YOUR FEAR? THERE’S A NAGGING VOICE INSIDE OF YOU JUST LIKE A MEAN WIFE THAT
KEEPS REPEATING THE GUILT BASED RESPONSE: YOU DIDN’T DO THE RIGHT THING, YOU
WIMPED OUT, YOU RAN, YOU WERE AFRAID, YOU’RE A WOOS AND YOU KNOW IT’S
TRUE. YOU TOO CAN FEEL THAT SUDDEN RUSH
OF STRENGTH WHEN YOU SHOW COURAGE IN THE FACE OF FEAR.BY TAKING A DIFFICULT
SITUATION HEAD ON. YOU SEE WHEN YOU
TAKE THE RESPONSIBILITY AND FACE THE BAD THING OR THE SINFUL THING OR THE RIGHT
THING SOMETHING INSIDE YOU GROWS AND YOUR ARE STRENGTHENED FROM WITHIN AND IT
DOES BUILD YOUR SELF-ESTEEM BUT WHEN YOU DON’T SOMETHING DIES INSIDE OF
YOU. SO WHEN YOU CHOOSE TO HAVE THAT
DIFFICULT CONVERSATION WITH YOUR BOSS OR WITH A FELLOW EMPLOYEE OR A MATE OR A
CHILD OR YOU GOT AN ADDICTION OR SIN PROBLEM, INSTEAD OF COVERING IT UP OR
HIDING IT OR DENY IT YOU FACE IT, SOMETHING GROWS INSIDE OF YOU. BUT WHEN YOU FLEE INSTEAD OF FACING YOUR
FEAR SOMETHING DIES IN YOU AND IF THAT BECOMES A PATTERN IN YOUR LIFE OVER TIME
YOU’LL BEGIN TO SEE YOURSELF AS A PERSON WHO CAN’T ACHIEVE OR COMPETE IN LIFE
ITSELF.
Josh 1:5-9
5 "No man shall be able to stand before
you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I
will not leave you nor forsake you. 6 "Be strong and of good courage, for
to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to
their fathers to give them. 7 "Only be strong and very courageous, that
you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded
you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper
wherever you go. 8 "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth,
but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do
according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way
prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 "Have I not commanded
you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD
your God is with you wherever you go."
Ps 31:23-24
23 O love the LORD, all ye his saints: for
the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer. 24
Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the
LORD.
1Thes 2:2
2 You know how badly we had been treated at
Philippi just before we came to you and how much we suffered there. Yet God
gave us the courage to boldly repeat the same message to you, even though we
were surrounded by enemies.
Heb 3:6
6 But Christ, God's faithful Son, is in
complete charge of God's house. And we Christians are God's house-- he lives in
us!-- if we keep up our courage firm to the end, and our joy and our trust in
the Lord.
James 5:7-8
7 Now as for you, dear brothers who are
waiting for the Lord's return, be patient, like a farmer who waits until the
autumn for his precious harvest to ripen.
8 Yes, be patient. And take courage, for the
coming of the Lord is near.
What is courage? I think Mark Twain described
it best. He said: "Courage is resistance to fear, its mastery of fear-not
absence of fear." We all have fears. Anyone who doesn’t is crazy, not
courageous. Courage is a decision of the will not to let our fears cripple us.
Rom 12:1-2
1 And so, dear brothers, I plead with you to
give your bodies to God. Let them
be a living sacrifice, holy-- the kind he can
accept. When you think of what
he has done for you, is this too much to ask?
2 Don't copy the behavior and
customs of this World, but be a new and different person with a fresh
newness in all you do and think. Then you
will learn from your own
experience how his ways will really satisfy
you.
Rom 12:1-2
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the
mercies of God, that you
present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable to God,
which is your reasonable service.2 And do not
be conformed to this
world, but be transformed by the renewing of
your mind, that you may
prove what is that good and acceptable and
perfect will of God.
2. THE SECOND COST OF LIVING WITH FEAR IS
STAGNATION IN YOUR LIFE INSTEAD OF GROWTH.
IF
YOU LIVE IN FEAR YOU WILL NEVER EXPERIENCE THE POTENTIALGOD HAS FORM YOUR
LIFE. NOW REMEMBER, YOUR POTENTIAL CAN
NEVER BE REACHED UNTIL YOU’RE PLUGGED INTO GOD’S PURPOSE FOR YOUR LIFE. BUT IF YOU’RE AFRAID TO TRY SOMETHING YOU’VE
NEVER DONE BEFORE YOU POTENTIAL WILL BE ABORTED AND YOUR LIFE WILL BE MARKED BY
STAGNATION. ALL GROWTH REQUIRES
RISK. RISK ALWAYS INVLOVES POSSIBLE
DANGER AND DANGER INVOLVES FEAR. WHY IS
IT THAT THE #1 SELLING CHAIR IN AMERICA IS THE LAZY BOY. WHY ISN’T IT THE RISKY BOY OR THE WORK R
BOY. NO IT’S THE LAZY BOY BECAUSE WE
LOVE COMFORT AND COMPLACENCY AND THOSE ARE THE ENEMIES OF GROWTH.
2 Cor 1:19-22
19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was
preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea
and nay, but in him was yea.
20 For all the promises of God in him are
yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. 21 Now he which stablisheth
us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; 22 Who hath also sealed
us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
Heb 6:12-20
12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of
them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. 13 For when God made
promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,
14 Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply
thee. 15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. 16
For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an
end of all strife. 17 Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the
heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: 18
That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we
might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the
hope set before us: 19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure
and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered,
even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
Heb 10:23
23 Let us hold fast the profession of our
faith without wavering;
(for he is faithful that promised;)
2 Pet 1:4
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great
and precious promises:
that by these ye might be partakers of the
divine nature,
having escaped the corruption that is in the
world through lust.
Listen, TO GROW, YOU HAVE TO TAKE A RISK. WHEN WE STARTED THIS CHURCH AT THE HOLIDAY
IN BACK IN FEB. 1988 IT WAS A BIG STEP OF FAITH SPELLED: R I S K. I HAD TO FACE THE FEAR OF FAILURE EVERY DAY
FOR OVER A YEAR. AND EVEN NOW IN OUR
PRESENT SITUATION I HAVE TO BATTLE WITH THE FEAR THAT WE’RE NOT GOING TO MAKE
IT IF THIS HAPPENS OR IF THAT HAPPENS.
DO YOU KNOW THAT 90 % OF the “WHAT IF’S” OR OUR FEARS OF THE UNKNOWN
NEVER COME TO PASS. AND IF WE FOCUS OUR
ATTENTION ON THE “WHAT IF’S” OUR PERSPECTIVE CHANGES AND FEAR WINS. BUT WHEN WE FACE OUR FEARS AND CHOOSE TO
HOLD ON TO GOD’S PROMISES IN HIS WORD OUR FAITH GROWS AND WE GROW and we become
productive people who bring honor and glory
to god by their EXPLICIT obedience.
HE ASKS US TO GO PLACES WE’VE NEVER BEEN BEFORE AND HE ASKS US TO DO
THINGS WE’VE NEVER DONE BEFORE. THE
CHRISTIAN LIFE THREFORE REQUIRES COURAGE, TRUST AND FAITH IN GOD. THE OPPOSITE OF FEAR IS FAITH SO LET’S
DETERMINE TO AVOID THE HIGH COSTS OF FEAR AND ENTER THE ABUNDANT AND
ADVENTEROUS FAITH FILLED LIFE.
