2 Timothy 1:7
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
1 John 4:18a
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment
Fear is a tormenting spirit. It stops you and paralyzes you.
You can’t see over it or around it. Fear can debilitate you.
Fear is the opposite of faith.
Hebrews 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
To get rid of fear we must first know what causes it.
One cause of fear is focusing on the temporal. After the feeding of the 5,000, on the way to the other side of the sea, a storm arose.
Funny how our greatest storms come as we are trying to obey God. When Peter took his eyes off Jesus, FEAR hit him.
So fear will hit you if you focus on your surroundings.
Is what you are SEEING causing you to fear? Can you only see bills, debt, pain or sickness in your life? Get your eyes back on Jesus. He came to destroy the works of the devil.
#1 Greater is He that is IN YOU.
#2 If you believe the evil report, fear will rise.
Every day you and I are bombarded with evil reports. Bad news. Negative talk, murder, child abuse, deaths, etc.
Jesus said perilous times would come and men’s hearts would fail them for fear.
We must hear the report of the Lord.
Ten spies turned a nation because of fear. Only two came back shouting, “WE GOT THIS!”
They saw the same giants but their report was one of faith. GOD’S WORD IS TRUE.
So fear wiped out an entire generation. So many Christians are overwhelmed with an evil report. “The doctors have given up hope.” People start telling you how you are going to die.
The creditors talk about the bleak outlook.
Fear trying to drown your faith. But the righteous are as bold as a lion.
Numbers 13:30
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.”
Ok you may say, “But, I do have giants in my life. FAITH does NOT DENY the giants. When you are sick faith does not deny the pain or the condition.
Faith believes God to fix the condition.
When you’re faced with debt, faith does not deny the bills. Faith remedies the situation by bringing it to God’s Word and power.
The problem comes; fear comes when we pick up the problem and put down the Bible.
Romans 10:16-17
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?”
17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Who’s report will you believe? Accepting where you are at NOT only causes fear but strengthens the grip fear has on you.
The longer you accept your present condition of sickness, bondage or poverty/debt, the longer fear takes ROOT in your thinking.
And the longer that goes on the longer you accept it AS NORMAL.
400 years Israel had a SLAVE MENTALITY. Every time it got rough they wanted to go back to it. So because they could not see a way out, they died bound by fear and doubt.
In John 5, a lame man was paralyzed for 38 years.
Talk about disappointment, disillusionment, frustration and despair.
Easy to give up hope. But it does NOT have to be that way.
Jesus said to him, “DO YOU WANT TO GET WELL?”
Yours for revival,
Pastor Francis Armstrong
