Praise the Lord! Hallelujah! Amen!
Today, I want to continue our message about fear. You might be asking, "Why are you talking about fear again? We don't have any fear at all". But research shows that a normal human being has, on average, 14 fears. The Bible also reminds us, "Do not fear," or "Do not be afraid," 365 times—that’s a reminder for every single day of the year.
First, we need to know who our Heavenly Father is. Unlike an earthly father who might be very strict, like my own father who was in the Air Force, our Heavenly Father is not the same way. He isn't standing with a stick, cane, or belt, ready to punish us. Our God is love. He is our everlasting Father who created us in His image and loved us first.
The Bible says in
2 Timothy 1:7, "God has not given the spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind". Fear is a spirit that is not from God; it is brought to us by our enemy, Satan. Satan's desire is to steal, kill, and destroy. His biggest tactic is to steal our faith in God's goodness and replace it with fear, which also steals our peace and security.
We can see the origin of fear in the Bible with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. God gave them a clear instruction not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The serpent came and tricked Eve, a woman, first because the devil knows that women are powerful and if he gets the woman, he gets the whole family. The serpent questioned God's command and then gave a false assurance that she would not die if she ate the fruit. The serpent's goal was to get them to disobey God's word. When they disobeyed God, Adam said, "I was afraid because I was naked; I went and hid myself". This shows us that when we disobey God, three things happen: fear comes in, we hide ourselves from God, and we cannot face Him.
However, we have been set free from sin and fear through Jesus Christ. We are no longer slaves and do not live in fear because we have been led by the Spirit of God. To overcome fear, God has given us three tools: power, love, and a sound mind.
Key Points to Overcome Fear
Power: According to Acts 1:8, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. The Holy Spirit is already in us, but we must renew it every day by actively seeking His presence and guidance through prayer and meditating on God's word.
2 Peter 1:3 says that God's divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life.
Love: 1 John 4:18 says, "There is no fear in love. Perfect love drives out fear because God is love". When we have the revelation that our Heavenly Father protects and guides us, we will not have fear. Think of a small child holding their father's hand while crossing the road; the child doesn't worry because they trust their father to get them safely to the other side. Likewise, when we hold our Father's hand and walk with Him, He will take us to our final destination, which is heaven with Jesus Christ forever and ever. He sent His one and only Son to be sacrificed for us, so He will surely take care of us. Our God will not allow us to face challenges or temptations beyond what we can bear, and He will provide a way for us to endure it.
Sound Mind: A sound mind brings calmness, well-balanced reasoning, and self-control, allowing for wise judgment. When the spirit of fear says you can't handle something, God's power says you can. When the spirit of fear says you are alone, God's love says, "I will never leave you nor forsake you". And when the spirit of fear confuses you, God says, "I'll give you my sound mind, my peace and the clarity".
Remember the words God spoke to Joshua in
Joshua 1:9: "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go". Today, God is speaking that same word to each of us. He is with us always. We can overcome fear with God's power, His love, and a sound mind. Do not fear anything; He will take care of you. Amen.