On the surface, you are the BIG man or woman on campus; deep down, you are scared out of your wits! Remember when we were little, phantoms like the Boogieman in the closet, the monster under the bed, or the witch in your window kept you on high alert with light on and calling out for mommy every 3 minutes? Now that you are all grown up, or least you are expected to be, why are you still wrestling with fear? Are you to just pretend that you are supposed to be brave and courageous while still hiding from all those "things that go bump in your life?".Fear is good when it motivates you to perform at your best, such as fear of failing a test will drive you to study harder, or fear of getting into an accident will force you to drive safely.It is when we allow fear to become chronic, or to cause stress and anxiety, that fear is not good for you.Fear is an emotion and nothing more.Fear is an illusion, and once you overcome the fear, the issue you were worried about will drop away.How can we break free of fear once and for all? Is it even authentically possible? Resoundingly, the answer is, "YES!" That stated, there is a caveat; you can in NO way overcome that which scares you all by yourself; nor can you defeat fear from a foundation of finite or limited "human" strength.You can, however, take on fear with the infinite, unlimited power of God's love and conquering might.Please allow me to explain how this works.First, God says to us in His Holy Word, love conquers fear.In God's Word, the Lord teaches us that such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear.If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.Let's admit, many Christians have most likely heard the saying "love conquers all." It is used in various ways and contexts, but, when it is spoken by God's own Word (Holy Bible), it is 100% true and infinitely powerful.Look at it this way, the Bible is the story, (Book of Life) of God's perfect love to mankind (us) and how His agape (perfect) love continues to triumph over the darkest of evil.God has bestowed His perfect, fear-conquering love through His ultimate gift, His Son (our Jesus), for our redemption.In other words, God has whisked us away from eternal fear into the everlasting glory and grace of His almighty love.Believe it or not, may Christians today have a nearly impossible time swallowing the idea that God will deliver them from fear, or anything else for that matter, because they believe themselves to be unworthy or undeserving before such a sovereign Father.Romans 5.8 (Apostle Paul). But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.Notice here in Romans 5.8, Paul, inspired by Jesus Himself, clearly explains for us that God does not wait for us to become perfect before He acts on our behalf---according to His will and purposes.That definitively means that God saves us not because we have earned our salvation by obeying all of His laws; God saves, protects, and loves us in spite of ourselves by His choice---By His glorious grace.Certainly, we can agree God loves us and will shelter us from any and all things that will come against us; this includes any and all things that may frighten us, scare us, or may attempt to cause us to surrender our lives to fear.Romans 8.28-31 (Apostle Paul). And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.And having chosen them, he called them to come to him.And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself.And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.Nothing Can Separate Us from God's Love.God is love, and if we trust that God is who He says He is, our faith in God's love will release us from those fears that attempt to crush our faith and negatively consume our lives.For the essence of this kind fear is not from God; for "good" is from God, as love is from God.The apostle Paul shares with us just as he shared with young Timothy, for God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.God is the author of love.In fact, His very nature is love.Fear cannot dwell where perfect love resides, especially for us who call upon the Father; we are filled with God's love.Read. Ephesians 3.20.As Christians we must remain alert to the devils wiles.The devil will do everything he can to steal and destroy all that is God.He scans the earth looking for slivers of weaknesses in our lives.He stands ready to pounce upon you and me whenever we take our eyes off of God and focus upon our fears.We must adamantly refuse to allow him access to our lives by keeping our faith strong in the LORD.When fear comes, that is the moment to run closer to God.Read. 1 Peter 5.8; John 10.10; James 4.7; James 4.8.As Christians, let us fervently never lose sight of the fact that the battle against fear is ours in Jesus' name.When the phantoms like the Boogieman in the closet, the monster under the bed, or the witch in your window comes-a-calling, or if you are just afraid of being afraid, call upon the name of Jesus and stand ready with God for battle.Read. Ephesians 6.10-17 (The Whole Armor of God).In a world riddled with paralyzing fear, Christians like us, need to look for opportunities to share the love of God with others, particularly amongst our own, and let everyone we know of the unfailing love, hope, and salvation that could only be found in Christ.And always remember in your heart, the words of the apostle John, as provided directly from God to you..The aapostle John teaches us this. But you belong to God, my dear children.You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.The next time and anytime you are overcome with fear, I encourage you to call upon God immediately and without hesitation.God is always ready to act in your best interest rendering His peace, joy, hope, forgiveness and love.Allow God to set you free from fear.God speaks to us today as He spoke to David in Psalm 27.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Conquering Fear in the Name of Jesus Christ
On the surface, you are the BIG man or woman on campus; deep down, you are scared out of your wits! Remember when we were little, phantoms like the Boogieman in the closet, the monster under the bed, or the witch in your window kept you on high alert with light on and calling out for mommy every 3 minutes? Now that you are all grown up, or least you are expected to be, why are you still wrestling with fear? Are you to just pretend that you are supposed to be brave and courageous while still hiding from all those "things that go bump in your life?".Fear is good when it motivates you to perform at your best, such as fear of failing a test will drive you to study harder, or fear of getting into an accident will force you to drive safely.It is when we allow fear to become chronic, or to cause stress and anxiety, that fear is not good for you.Fear is an emotion and nothing more.Fear is an illusion, and once you overcome the fear, the issue you were worried about will drop away.How can we break free of fear once and for all? Is it even authentically possible? Resoundingly, the answer is, "YES!" That stated, there is a caveat; you can in NO way overcome that which scares you all by yourself; nor can you defeat fear from a foundation of finite or limited "human" strength.You can, however, take on fear with the infinite, unlimited power of God's love and conquering might.Please allow me to explain how this works.First, God says to us in His Holy Word, love conquers fear.In God's Word, the Lord teaches us that such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear.If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.Let's admit, many Christians have most likely heard the saying "love conquers all." It is used in various ways and contexts, but, when it is spoken by God's own Word (Holy Bible), it is 100% true and infinitely powerful.Look at it this way, the Bible is the story, (Book of Life) of God's perfect love to mankind (us) and how His agape (perfect) love continues to triumph over the darkest of evil.God has bestowed His perfect, fear-conquering love through His ultimate gift, His Son (our Jesus), for our redemption.In other words, God has whisked us away from eternal fear into the everlasting glory and grace of His almighty love.Believe it or not, may Christians today have a nearly impossible time swallowing the idea that God will deliver them from fear, or anything else for that matter, because they believe themselves to be unworthy or undeserving before such a sovereign Father.Romans 5.8 (Apostle Paul). But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.Notice here in Romans 5.8, Paul, inspired by Jesus Himself, clearly explains for us that God does not wait for us to become perfect before He acts on our behalf---according to His will and purposes.That definitively means that God saves us not because we have earned our salvation by obeying all of His laws; God saves, protects, and loves us in spite of ourselves by His choice---By His glorious grace.Certainly, we can agree God loves us and will shelter us from any and all things that will come against us; this includes any and all things that may frighten us, scare us, or may attempt to cause us to surrender our lives to fear.Romans 8.28-31 (Apostle Paul). And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.And having chosen them, he called them to come to him.And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself.And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.Nothing Can Separate Us from God's Love.God is love, and if we trust that God is who He says He is, our faith in God's love will release us from those fears that attempt to crush our faith and negatively consume our lives.For the essence of this kind fear is not from God; for "good" is from God, as love is from God.The apostle Paul shares with us just as he shared with young Timothy, for God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.God is the author of love.In fact, His very nature is love.Fear cannot dwell where perfect love resides, especially for us who call upon the Father; we are filled with God's love.Read. Ephesians 3.20.As Christians we must remain alert to the devils wiles.The devil will do everything he can to steal and destroy all that is God.He scans the earth looking for slivers of weaknesses in our lives.He stands ready to pounce upon you and me whenever we take our eyes off of God and focus upon our fears.We must adamantly refuse to allow him access to our lives by keeping our faith strong in the LORD.When fear comes, that is the moment to run closer to God.Read. 1 Peter 5.8; John 10.10; James 4.7; James 4.8.As Christians, let us fervently never lose sight of the fact that the battle against fear is ours in Jesus' name.When the phantoms like the Boogieman in the closet, the monster under the bed, or the witch in your window comes-a-calling, or if you are just afraid of being afraid, call upon the name of Jesus and stand ready with God for battle.Read. Ephesians 6.10-17 (The Whole Armor of God).In a world riddled with paralyzing fear, Christians like us, need to look for opportunities to share the love of God with others, particularly amongst our own, and let everyone we know of the unfailing love, hope, and salvation that could only be found in Christ.And always remember in your heart, the words of the apostle John, as provided directly from God to you..The aapostle John teaches us this. But you belong to God, my dear children.You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.The next time and anytime you are overcome with fear, I encourage you to call upon God immediately and without hesitation.God is always ready to act in your best interest rendering His peace, joy, hope, forgiveness and love.Allow God to set you free from fear.God speaks to us today as He spoke to David in Psalm 27.
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