Category Archives: Fear
Keep Going!
Isa.35:3 “With this news, strengthen those who have tired hands,and encourage those who have weak knees. 4 Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, and do not fear,for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.”
God is thoroughly equipping us to banish, expel, get rid of, and to eradicate the fear of failing from our lives. Do not be casual about this season, there is nothing simple about God’s work in our lives. If we could achieve these things in our strength, God would not have sent us a Helper. The truth is you and I need help so please submit to the Holy Spirit.
A lot of the time, the factors that cause failure are totally out of our control. There are so many things that are out of our control. For Read the rest of this entry
Staying Power
Isa.60:1 “Arise, shine;For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you”
The only way to avoid failure is never to try. On this side of eternity, no one is perfect. To overcome the fear of failure you must understand that everybody fails. Jam.3:2 “We all stumble in many ways.” Did the Bible say a few of us, or the mediocre, or the less than perfect stumble? Not at all! The Bible says ALL stumble, including evangelists, business moguls, prophets, leaders, and pastors etcetera. The day you get that, you set yourself free.
As God Sees
Matt.25:25-26 “So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground . . . His master replied, `You wicked, lazy servant!’”
The truth is no matter how successful we are in some areas of life; we still struggle with the fear of failure in other areas of life. It is not uncommon to find someone that is successful in his finances being afraid for his marriage. Or someone that is successful in his marriage being afraid of failure in his career. Or someone that is successful in parenting being afraid of failing in the area of personal direction. The question is can we really be free from the fear of failure or is it something that we should accept as part of life?
Audience of One
Gal. 1:10 “Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ” [with emphasis]
I choose a long time ago that only the approval of God will stand in my life. You cannot seek the approval of men and the approval of God at the sam
e time. What is it going to be – men or God? It is a choice you have to make, no one can do it for you. Choose to live your life for the audience of one – The One. Guess what? This One follows you everywhere. He is there with you when you are sitting at your desk, diving in your car, and surfing the Internet. The objective is not to scare you but for you to live for His approval.
Line of Sight
Ps.27: 1 “The Lord is my Light and my Salvation. I will fear no one.” [GN, with emphasis].
Jn.12:42-43 “…many believed in Jesus. But they would not admit it for fear of the Pharisees… They were more concerned to have the approval of men than the approval of God” [Ph].
The last damaging effect of the fear of rejection that we will be looking at is: it Produces depression and unhappiness. Being more concerned about the approval of men rather than the approval of God produces depression and unhappiness.
What’s Your Concern
Jn.12:42-43 “…many believed in Jesus. But they would not admit it for fear of the Pharisees… They were more concerned to have the approval of men than the approval of God” [Ph, with emphasis]
Today we will continue with the damaging effects of the fear of rejection. Another damaging effect is the fear of rejection makes us bow to peer pressure. So to avoid peer pressure we imitate other people. When I started pastoring, every pastor I knew wore a tie. I do not have a problem with wearing ties but sometimes I just did not feel like wearing a tie. A lot of people find themselves acting, talking, or dressing in certain ways just to be accepted by others.
A Snare
Prov.29:25 “Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety” [with emphasis]
Life always presents us with something to be afraid of. It appears that before every next level there is a fear to conquer. A young person dealing with peer pressure gives in to pre-marital sex. A lady, laboring under the yoke of her parents that say she will never amount to anything. A wife that continues to give in to the absurd demands of an abusive husband. A husband that continues to entertain and endure the damaging demands of his wife. The person whose schedule is overbooked because he or she cannot manage or say no to Read the rest of this entry
More Than Money
Ps.37:25 “I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.” [NIV, with emphasis]
The futurist magazine did an extensive survey and discovered that the number one fear of the future is financial fear. The research also revealed that there is no amount you can make or save that cannot be lost. Is that not scary? The fear of a financial future is major for a lot of people. So how can we banish financial fear? How can we be free from financial worries in a world that is highly financial and how do we live without financial fears or financial worries? There is hardly anything you will do these days without spending some Read the rest of this entry
Love Can
1 Cor.13: 13 “Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love”
Receive the love of God. Just receive it. God says that as far as the east is from the west so far has He removed our transgressions from us. According to 1 John, when God forgives us and we do not receive His love or believe that we have been forgiven, the Bible says we are calling Him a liar. Some people feel that they need to pay for their sins, so they enjoy feeling guilty. God’s forgiveness and love for you has nothing to do with how you feel. Yes there is a place for Godly sorrow do not get me wrong, but when that has led to Read the rest of this entry
Ctrl+Alt+Love
2 Cor. 4:2 “In the full light of God’s truth we live…” [GN, with emphasis]
The second antidote to fear is Love. 1John 4:18 “Love contains no fear — indeed fully developed love expels every particle of fear, for fear always contains some of the torture of feeling guilty” [Phillips, with emphasis]. How much fear is contained in love? None! If you love the Lord, you will have no fear of spiritual things and no fear of eternity. Love does not entertain fear. Fully developed love sweeps through the life and purges fear. Peradventure there is a grain of fear lurking around, fully developed love will sweep it out. Read the rest of this entry
