OVERCOMING FEAR
Origins of Fear
Perspective:
Gen. 1:26-28 ; Ps. 111:10 ; Gen. 3:10 -Mankind was created to know God, the Almighty, infinitely wise, all-knowing, and unconditionally loving One, and man was to live all of his life in the consciousness of His presence. Man was to be in awe of the magnificence of the Lord and to be the container and revealor of God on earth. In our everyday lives, we were to be constantly a visible manifestation of the invisible God, the purpose for our existence on the planet, the meaning of life.
After man decided to be his own god, the center & the source of his own life, sin entered & fear followed & becomes the driving energy of man' s life: anxiety, worry, fret, dread & panic became part of man's vocabulary.
Man who was created to fear One who unconditionally loves him, now potentially fears all persons, spirits, & created things-except the God who alone gjves him life.
Hope:
Matt. 22:37-39 ; John 14:21 , 27 ; l John 4:18 -To return from a self-loving-self to self-loving-others, one must resume the dependent attitude, to 'stand under' God in obedient faith, to again actually partake of Him , to be a participator in His love, His very life. Man was created capable of receiving and becoming the dwelling place of divine love, and revealing that love in his behaviour within creation which leaves no room for fear.
Isa. 42:7 ;61:1 ; Lu. 2:10 ; l Jn. 4:18 ; Rom. 8:15 , 16 -The Gospel is the message of what God has done in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, His death, His resurrection, the Conqueror of death, and the power of the lie; and in His exaltation He sends the Holy Spirit to come and dwell within us, returning us to the original design, by which He wills to bring us all out of the dungeon of fear where we are tormented by worry and anxiety.
Change:
Phil. 4:6 ; John 14:1 , 27 ; Isa. 8:12-14 ;26:3 -Worry centers on present and future problems as if there is no God; it gives honor , respect and reverence to the power of evil, standing in terror and awe of them.
However, the fear of God centers on the character of God, His unchanging presence within us, and His promises. Deliberately taking and acting on His promises by obedient faith, we demonstrate His love and express His peace. In this mode, we confront, work through, and rise above all of life's adversities. Thus, fear is primarily in the mind and behaviour which we can change. You cannot command your emotions.
Regardless of your feelings, you act by the word in your mind, and your behaviour will follow suit, and victory awaits.
Eph. 4:18 ; 2 Cor. 4:4 -Fear and worry describes us totally absorbed in ourselves , in self-preservation, self-interest, and self-pity, so that we see neither God nor man except as they can be used to further 'our' meaning of life. We either fear God as He designed us to do, resulting in our living in His love, OR we fear the forces that we perceive as hostile to us, taking away the illusion of our meaning of life.
Matt. 6:32-33 ; John 16:33 ; 2 Tim. 1:7 -We must accept responsibility for our fears. God command us to 'Fear Not"366 times in Scriptures. Jesus commands us to 'Be anxious for nothing', and He placed the responsibility in our hands when He said, 'Let not your heart be troubled'.
Christians feel fear, but they make it the springboard for faith to fear God. The answer to fear is the greater fear of God. Believers feel fear but know it is a lie , and replaces it with the truth of his relationship to God and the presence of God within him.
Presence of Fear or Faith
Perspective:
Gen. 1:26 -28Isa. 8:12-14;1; Rom. 1:16 ; Rom. 5:17 ; Eph. 4:1 -The only answer Scriptures gives to fear is the greater fear of the Lord. Isaiah describes how the believer transfers his fear of people and situations to the Lord who is always with him. As believers we are to 'walk worthy 'of our calling, i. e. , to walk in harmony with what we believe. The Gospel is good news of our restored relationship with God , and a return to live in God's presence. According to God's original design, we are to rule in love and in righteousness.
Hope:
Josh. 1:6-9 ; 1 Pet. 3:13-15 ; Heb. 13:5-6 -In Scripture , the presence of God is equated with the fear of God, and this is always expressed in our behaviour. A person living in the fear of God demonstrates a lifestyle of love, joy and peace-and above all, freedom from fear.
Isa. 41:10 ; Ps. 23:4 ;3:18 , 27 -The presence of God is the logic behind a life, a life without fear. God's command to change our anxious behaviour is based on the reality of His presence. Freedom from worry, fretting, and anxiety is not a miracle in our emotions but is a result of the conclusions of a Holy Spirit enlightened mind.
Ps. 62:1 , 2 , 5 , 6 ; 2 Cor. 13:14 -Living in the fear of God means not only that Christ has died and is risen from the dead, but also that He is exalted and has sent the Spirit who indwells our heart, and is the center of our true self. Thus, our biblical hope is born of a living relationship with God, and we know we are in covenant with God who is love, and Who is active on our behalf.
Change:
Lu. 9:23-24 ; Rom. 8:5-9 -We have practiced the presence of our flesh so long that we are on 'automatic' in the presence of a hostile situation. We react rather than act. We either deny there is a reason to fear, or we are immobilized and paralyzed, or we lash out in anger, afraid of our helplessness.
To counteract this tendency , we have to understand that we must act in faith , and practice the consciousness of God's presence within and with us . This does not just 'happen' to us! Notice Ps. 23:4 -it is David's determined faith and determined response to God's announcement that He is with us !
Rom. 8:26 ; Phil. 4:6-7 ; Isa. 26:3 , 4 ;40:31 -The Holy Spirit is our prayer partner, and we share every detail with God in prayer, and leave it with Him. We praise and give thanks, knowing it is the way faith anticipates His actions in our unknown future. This leads us to wait upon God which results in supernatural strength. We take time to simply sit in His presence and confess that "Thou art with me" and share the things that are the object of our worry and anxiety. When we do so, He promises that we will know the peace of God that is beyond all human comprehension.
2 Cor. 10:5 ; Prov. 16:25 ;18:21 -Every thought that comes to mind, give immediately to the Holy Spirit Who will return the right word to your mind to digest, to understand and to apply through your tongue which addresses life and rejects death.
LEARNING TRUTH TALK
Perspective:
Phil. 2:5 ; Eph. 4:23 ; Col. 1:8-10 ; Phil. 4:8 ; 2 Cor. 10:5 -The New Testament teaches that the source of our behaviour is the mind. The salvation we have received though Christ begins to be established and worked out in our thoughts before it becomes our lifestyle. It is in the mind that we look at ourselves and form a perception of who we are. We have a mental mirror that images to us who we believe ourselves to be. Accordingly, before Christ, the false images we had of ourselves, patterns of anxiety, feelings and behaviour are to be changed to new patterns that reveal the love, hope and peace of God. , i. e. , learning to think with the mind of Christ.
Hope:
Matt. 13:1-9 , 8-23 ; Jere. 31:33 ; Eze. 36:26 , 27 -We now have a new center, a new magnetic north. Christ has put His life into us, we have a new heart, and His law written on that new heart, a heart of flesh, not stone. We have new soil to receive the word of God in order to conform to his image.
Matt. 18:3 -To hear the Gospel is usually a passive act. At the surface level, it may make sense to us so that we accept it. At the same time, we may still believe in our deepest being the prompting of the Lie, and we self-talk ourselves and fail to translate the Gospel into behaviour. Having a new heart means to turn around and go in the other direction, facing the fact that we now have to build our lives on a totally new foundation. Like children, we have to relearn the meaning of our lives and how to live it. A question of choice, choosing to change, to repent which opens the door to being Christlike.
Eph. 1:18 ; Eph. 4:23 ; Col. 1:9-10 -The 'heart' in Scripture is never the seat of emotions, but the center of a man's person. The heart of a man is his mind, the way he thinks and believes about life, from his beliefs he makes his decisions. The spirit of the mind speaks to the direction the mind thinks in. As we study the word of God, we progress being filled with godly knowledge. This wisdom and understanding originates in the spirit, and this becomes the source of our behaviour which pleases God.
Change:
2 Cor. 4:3-4 ; Rom. 12:1-2 -Our genealogy, life's experiences and encounters formed us to a self-focus, and a self-defensive posture to guard us against the fears of living . From this we established a belief bank which fashioned and determined the course of life. The basic cause of all our fears is not how other people view us and how we measure up in their eyes, but how we view ourselves and measure up to our own standards.
We talk to ourselves from our source, and by it we judge ourselves and everyone else. It is by this self-talk with its endless commands, requirements, and patterns of fear, it is this thinking that we base our actions or inactions. This belief bank and resultant self-talk is to be renewed.
Gen. 3:5 ; Rom. 8:6-7 ; Eph. 4:17 ; Rom. 1:18-27 -The Satanic lie of Eden "You shall be as God' was first injected into the mind and introduced a new and totally false belief system. It reflected to man through the inner mirror that he was to find the meaning to life in his created flesh. By this lie Satan gained legal access to the mind. Thus, man outside of Christ has a mind that is blinded by flesh feelings, he is led by passion, not logic, believing man is the center and the meaning of life.
2 Cor. 10:4 -The foundational belief system and the image of our self that arose from it were fashioned and given definition in our childhood. They were laid down and built up by our forefathers and parents, and were passed into our hands to build upon and updated to pass on to our children.
2 Cor. 10:5 ; Rom. 12:1-2 ; Rom. 8:29 ; Rom. 10:9 ; 1 Cor. 2 -
Daily we replenish the mind to eventually realize that we were created capable and responsible to receive a revelation of who God is, who we are, and the meaning of our existence. We are responsible to look to the "One" who made us and ask , "Who am I?" He tells us . We are dependent upon the creator God Who is unconditional love, deriving our life from Him. In the ability of the Holy Spirit, we are to express that life, His love in our behaviour, glorifying Him in creation. This is the belief bank we are to live from , the truth of God's word embedded in our human spirit which directs our life being a blessing on earth as Jesus was, is, and in us. By this we subdue the world's influences and the devil.
Applying the Truth
Perspective:
2 Cor. 6:16-18 ; Eph. 4:20-21 ; Phil. 3:12-14 :Understanding the true foundational beliefs, the inner image of ourselves arising from these beliefs, and the inner talk that continually directs our lives, will help us to attack and destroy the lies that are behind all of our fears. The new birth does not neutralize the effect of what we tell ourselves. If we think with only the flesh-feeling input-we return, in fact, to life under the flesh, directed by the Lie We effectively silence the mind and the revelation of the truth as it is in Jesus.
Unless we understand what is going on, we will continue to live by leftover feelings and a view of life-a way of thinking-rooted in the Lie. These old lies are the factory where new lies and distortions to fit the new situation are manufactured. They are the landing strips for Satan's flying missiles to land on.
Hope:
Eph. 4:20-21 ; 2 Cor. 10:3-5 :It is the Holy Spirit Who renews the mind. We learn by Jesus, hear of Jesus, and be taught of Him, as we study the Scriptures. The Spirit would totally renew our mind and outmoded way of thinking, and would establish in us the mind of Christ-a new way of thinking.
Rom. 5:5 ; Phil. 4:6-7 ; Heb. 13:5-6 :When we take a stand of faith with the truth, the Holy Spirit then works in us mightily, pouring out and communicating the love of God to us. The love of God reaches into our fears, and surrounds and engulfs us. He enters our soul, where our emotions and thoughts are in turmoil, and speaks His peace-giving presence. We hear Him affirm us in the stand we take. He tells us He will never leave us, and we realize that He is our strength to face all our tomorrows.
John 14:6 ; 1Pet. 1:22 ; 2 John 2 ; 2 John 4 ; 3 John 4 ; 3 John 8 :We are those who have become confronted by the Truth, the Lord Jesus Himself and have renounced the Lie and obeyed the Truth. The Truth has come to take residence within us by the entrance of the Spirit of Truth. We now walk in the Truth. We are actively participating in the Truth and aggressively promoting the Truth.
Change:
Phil. 4:6-8 ; Matt. 6:25-32 :Because I am a child of the Father, I do not have to be anxious over anything; whatever is beginning to bother me, I choose with prayer and supplication with thanksgiving to make my requests known to my Father. I do now and in all hours of the day and night, choose to direct my mind to dwell on whatever is honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, of excellence and of praise.
Col. 3:1-3 ; Matt. 5:14 :I have been raised up with Christ, and I choose to keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. I choose to set my mind on the things that are above, not on things that are on the earth, because I have died and my life is hidden with Christ in God. Christ is my life and in Him I am the light of the world. I am a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden.
John 1:12 ; Rom. 8:16 ; Gal. 4:6-7 :I have received Jesus Christ and , therefore, have been given the right to become a child of God. The Spirit Himself bears witness with my spirit that I have been born of God. And because I am His son, the Father has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into my heart. I am no longer a slave, but a son and an heir-an heir of God, a fellow-heir with Christ.
Read and dwell on the following Scriptures to reinforce who and what you are in Christ:
John 15:1 , 5 , 15-16 ; Phil. 1:2 1; Pet. 2:5
Rom. 6:18 ; Eph. 3:4-10 ; 1 Pet. 2:9
1 Cor. 6:15-20 ; Eph. 4:21-24 ; 1 Jhn. 3:1-2
2 Cor. 5:17 ; Col. 1:12-14 ; 1 Jhn. 5:18
Gal. 6:18 ; 1 Thess. 5:5 ; Matt. 5:13
Out of Control (World of Non-Existence)
Perspective:
Matt. 6:34 ; Isa. 33:2 ; Ps. 90:4 ; Lam. 3:21-24 :Sin is man choosing to be independent of God's love. It is taking sides with Satan in defiance of God, turning to one's own way. When man came out from under God to live in the Lie of " I can be independent and alongside of God, "he walked out of God's shalom. The first words of man were "I was afraid". When we seek to be in control of our lives, independent of God , we create a world of fear and anxiety. Believing the Lie that he is the source and master of his own life, his world and all his futures, man seeks to create shalom independently of God. To do this he must have control over all that happens in life, today and in all tomorrows, in his own life and in the lives of those who affect his happiness.
This leads to compulsion to control every detail of his existence and that of everyone around him. If he is a god, then he must be in control. This is the world of non-existence, the territory of the Lie, that exists only in our darkened imagination and in the minds of demons.
Hope:
Matt. 6:34 ; Isa. 33:2 ; Ps. 90:14 ; Lam. 3:21-24 : Jesus commands believers to live life in increments of one day at a time, and within that, one hour at a time. We have grace for today to be used entirely on today's quota of problems and challenges. The only action we can take today is to use that grace to do what must be done today in preparation for tomorrow . We then place all the problems of tomorrow in God's hands. Scripture advises us to receive from God in the morning the grace that is needed for that day.
Ps. 23 ; Heb. 13:8 ; Isa. 26:3 ; Deut. 33:25 :David spoke of God in the present tense, giving him the strength and enablement he needs in the present moment. Resting in the fact that God is now his Shepherd gives him the wisdom to handle the problem when he actually faces it. We don't try to imagine the changing future or what we will do with it;we focus our attention on the unchanging Christ, the Ruler of history. Instead of imagining a tomorrow without God, we concentrate our picture-forming ability on who God is to us, and in us now. As he is, so are we.
Change:
Lu. 22:31-34 ; John 15:10-11 ;16:33 ; Phil. 4:7 ; Ps. 91:11-13 :We not only want to control tomorrow, but all the people who are part of our lives, who fill our todays and tonorrows. We believe it is our responsibility to heal all the wounds and hurts of our family and associates; we must have the answers to all their problems, we are responsible to provide for family and to counsel and discipline children. God commands us never to manipulate others or try to live life for them. We must repent of our sinful attempts to control the lives of others, and release them to God Who is responsible for them.
Num. 13:25-14 :35; Phil. 4:6-7 ; James 4:6-8 ; l Pet. 5:5-6 :We are afraid of change, the fear of the unknown that causes anxiety. We procrastinate learning a new skill, driving a car, fear changing jobs, meeting new people, moving to a new area, afraid of success and new challenges, fear of being found wanting. We worry over things we have no control over: the life or death of loved ones, their joy and their sadness, and the choices they make. We worry because the Lie has taught us we should control them. The fear of death is the ultimate fear of the unknown and uncontrollable.
These types of fear lead to murmuring and complaining and often directed at God. We must do as Joshua and Caleb in not fearing the unknown: they self-talked the truth, confronting themselves and their fears in the presence of God. They knew God's presence with them, and they knew God's track record.
Rom. 6:3-6 ; 2 Cor. 5:17 , 21 ; Rom. 8:1-2 ; Heb. 11:1 :The only way to be free from all fear, especially the anxiety arising from the compulsion to control, is to pass through the ultimate fear, fear of death. We must become new persons, no longer dominated and controlled by the Lie and the liar. The only way that can happen is for that lie-controlled self to die ! Jesus took our place in death and resurrection. Our response to that announcement is to repent and renounce the Lie, specifically in the area of control. Faith means death to the controlling self because the act of faith in the Gospel is admitting we can do nothing to save ourselves from ourselves and our sin. Faith abandons all efforts to make self right with God and rests with thanks in what God has done in Christ.
Act, don't wait on fear
John 14:21 -God's command is not only to love Him but to love one another. Jesus never referred to His loving God, but always mentioned loving your neighbor. By loving your neighbor, this was proof you were loving God. Jesus prayed all night so that He could talk to people lovingly in the day.
Compassion - pity, sympathy, anger at suffering of others, that I must do something about it.
l John 3:17 -God's love is never a feeling, God's love is action. Compassion arises and this leads to action.
Feelings are not sin but only become sin when feelings become the motive for which you act. Love is a choice I make over against other possibilities.
Obedience is acting in response to God but reacting is a response to a situation.
First rule of love is 'FEAR NOT'. I meet objection, I meet abuse, I meet hatred,
with forgiveness in the name of Jesus.
The Samaritan is a story that Jesus tells to warn us to do those things we have not been doing. To begin to do them now.
The Holy Spirit is already in us, we ask for His directions, and GRACE to do what He shows us to do. Our choice to do in obedience what He says, allows his love to be manifested.
Illustration
Wife complaining her unsaved husband or casual Christian prevents her from doing her best at church, at bible study when she should be attending to her husband's wounded needs. Her husband is in the ditch. She has to get down into it and begin the healing process rather than spending her time worshipping the worship.
[ The author who wrote this, may not be implying this is true in all situations, just that often it can be lack of death to self in the marriage - There are plenty of situations where the male is also doing this and also situations that seem never to be resolved no matter how much love you try to show - Pris ]
FEAR – FAR ENOUGH
We are God's invention and our job is to ask God why He invented us. As I study and increase in my knowledge of God, I will become what God intended me to be from the beginning. When I do what God's word says to do then I become what God says I am. Until I become a communicator with God, and I do as He says I am to do, I become a blessing otherwise I am a danger on this earth.
Unless I know who I am in God's chart and scheme of things, then I will relate horizontally and become what others want to condition me to be or the conditions of life influence me to be according to the circumstances of life. The key to existence is to be in awe and reverence of the Lord. Satan in the garden tells man he is to be the meaning of life. Man chose not to be present with God but to be present within himself.
As soon as the independent spirit came in, man became fractured from one another. No longer communicated with each other, each conscious of his own needs rather than the other. Instead of sharing, they began to covet and protect themselves; thus, being alone they became desolate and fear entered in. Man became John Wayne types, solitary, no need of others but sufficient unto themselves.
We all have masks on and will be what others want us to be in order to be acceptable.
Isa. 61:4 -Desolations of many generations, Adam's sinned passed on to us manifold. Jesus had 'mature faith'. Called the Father "Abba". Looked at Himself as a 'little child', did not assume an adult way of thinking.
Shalom means I am at peace in the midst of chaos because I am resting in the arms of My Father. Jesus did not see danger as the final reality because the 'final reality' is "Abba". He is beyond the storms of life.
Jesus never looked at circumstances but through them and saw the "Father". Jesus did not fear the storm because He had authority over it.
Little faith is insufficient, undeveloped, timid. It is faith for salvation only. Does not deal with protecting and providing for you every day of your life.
Little faith lives in the realm of common sense. Chaos is all around us, we are perishing, that is the reality. Little faith never thinks beyond what the preacher says, their minds are not saved. Go beyond and see the Father made all things, feeds all the animals, etc. He Who made heaven and earth loves me uniquely as an individual.
·Thus, whatever comes to me in life, comes into God's realm as well, I am not alone in anything.
There is only one Kingdom , and it is God's Kingdom. He is the only glory and the power, no other power but His prevails. What you fear has power over you. To fear God is to have no fear of anything else. Same relationship Jesus had with the Father , we have with Jesus.
Gal. 2:20 -Faith is not a struggle for it is Jesus' faith that is in me. Faith comes from Jesus Who lives inside of me. He is the author and finisher of my faith. It is not me struggling to have faith, but to allow Jesus be Himself as I confront life.
The Holy Spirit inside of me makes it all come alive. Rest in Him go thru life in complete rest in Him. Read Psalms every day of your life until it becomes real to you in every imaginable way. The Psalms tells me who my Father is "ABBA".
FEAR is a Part of Living
Fear always there:
Fear is part of living. We will always face new situations, new changes, and a sense of fear will always surround all situations, and a sense of inadequacy will surround me. All this does is reveal the creatureness of my being, and reminds me that I can't handle anything in my own strength and wisdom. Creature stuff, humanness, the flesh, that use to be god, independent of God, can't handle life. Rejoice that you cannot handle it, religion tells you can, but believe it not.
·2 Cor. 12 -When I realize I am weak then I am strong in Him.
·Phil. 4:13 -I can do all things thru Jesus Who strengthens me, Who is in me.
The secret therefore is that I can do all things because Christ is my life.
By faith, not feelings, I call upon the Lord Jesus "Let your thoughts be my thoughts, , Your strength my strength, Jesus You are my adequacy. That is the normal Christian life. 1 Cor. 1:30 .
Jesus is my living map, I can face and be victorious no matter where I go. I can face all the uncertain functions of life. As a believer, I will always feel fear, God made me that way, to be inadequate and helpless so that I learn to solely depend upon Him for all that I need.
Therefore, all of life's challenges and problems are really opportunities for Christ to reveal Himself to me and thru me.
Changes in life are really great opportunities to reveal our true potential which is Christ living in me and thru me. Thru experiences, I begin to realize from one incident to another I grow in faith as I see Jesus's adequacy take over and swallow the fear.
2Cor. 3:3-5 -God wants to work miracles thru my life every day I face new situations, something new. Every challenge that causes me to fear and revert back to the familiar is really a great opportunity for Christ's miracle to be mamifested im my life. Christ in me , the hope of glory, His life is the life I draw upon, treasures in earthen vessels, Christ in me.
John 14:26 , 16:13 -He will guide into the unknown, new territories, new ideas, new situations, thus, look forward to great opportunities to reveal our potential. Our potential always exist just ahead, new ventures, new victories, new revelations of Jesus within me.
Heb. 4:3 -Fear is really living in unbelief that Christ is not living within me. Areas which gives us fear, God has already given that area to us in Christ. Just get up and go with whatever you have in hand (as Moses with his staff) move forward and allow God fulfill that beyond the staff. Christ within me is enough to handle any tragedy, any addiction, any vacuum that exist Christ will fill it and keep out all others. My potential is always there to meet that which I have never done, where I have never been. Thus, the Holy Spirit has a lot of living in me to do, lot of dimensions of Jesus to accomplish. You can go back to Egypt, arise and be what I am, laugh at fear, and say "In Christ I can do all things!"
AFRAID OF GOD
Ps. 49 - Fear, awe, reverence, giving honor, measure and respect, in the Presence of that Person or thing-the all-powerful God. Unhealthy fear is a fear created by a distorted image of God, and giving honor to this distortion.
For 'Thy Name sake" describes the inward character, who He really is His track-record. He knows everything, my very thoughts, all-wise. Some see God as the 'judge'ready to punish. 10 commandments never given as a means for us to be accepted by God. Law is a plumbline, as a guide to tell me what crooked is and what straight is. Law reveals who God is and how to love God.
Law tells us we are helpless and cannot keep it but to drive us to God and He gives us our salvation. Most of us still trying to please God, to do works to be accepted. To please others and be accepted by them. We keep trying until we give up in hopelessness.
Feelings we express when not accepted:
'I am no good',
I always feel guilty because I was compelled to be perfect',
whatever I am doing I feel I should be doing something else,
I hate this body because this body never does what it suppose to do,
it is never perfect,
God can't put up with me, no one can,
I must please someone,
I have to be accepted by somebody, somewhere is our constant theme.
We cannot live up to the god we created in our minds a judgmental god who is never satisfied with my performance. Thus, we are appealing to our own name for our salvation-by making my behaviour perfect, I will make myself acceptable. This leads to despair because we are never satisfied in ourselves, it is never enough. It is the name of Jesus which saves me, not my name or my efforts. God accepts me by the name of Jesus Christ, not by name or efforts. Jesus is 100% God and 100% man Who lived a perfect life. First man Who overcame satan in the wilderness. He is my brother human, One who never sinned, the really genuine human.
Jesus stood in for everyone and took all human sins and paid the full penalty. When He was buried, I was buried with Him. When He arose I arose with Him.
We were completely useless, no hope whatsoever in ourselves. Our only hope is to die and start all over again. When He died, I died, when He was buried, I was buried with Him, when He arose, so did I. Now 'in Him', I respond biblically to life. Now I start new again, born-again to start a new life, a new creation without a past, a virgin set free from the world , the flesh and the devil.
[ We must get free of the demons and get healed in our inner man to walk this out
according to the Word. Yet the Word is something that has to be read, and absorbed and walked in to also get the healing. - Pris ]
FEAR OF CHANGE
Exodus 16 - Israel leaving Egypt, going into wilderness.
Gen. 2:3 -God would have us dependent upon Him, He is our blueprint. Not only dependent but united with Him, His Spirit living within us, joined with Him, He lives in us and we live from Him. He is our fuel, if you like; we can't live without Him.
He is our Lord, Our Creator, our inventor, we do as He says. As we obey Him, we love Him and reveal Him to the world as He would be seen in our behaviour. We are creatures who image God, revelators of Him, that is our destiny, our blueprint from the very beginning. The potential of any human being is God Himself. God is our potential, to reveal Him in all His love, all His strength, all His wisdom in life.
How does this work?
It works by faith. When I am faced with any situation, being united with God I am adequate for any situation. Do I need wisdom, love, strength, then God thru me manifests Himself thru me to others.
[ Pris: Whatever we lack, we can call upon God at the moment for grace we need to help – that manifestation is not automatic without relying on GOD’s Spirit ]
Gen. 2:8 -World when created was a kingdom of peace, peace with and by God, peace within myself and with others. That peace makes me prosperous in all areas of life.
·The Lie: Be independent and become your source, within self find wisdom, light, strength, do what you like or want, no longer dependent upon God, don't need Him.
Source of fear:
Fear came in when man declared himself independent from God, to declare his own kingdom of peace. Therefore , Adam had to get everything under control thru his own power. He had to know what others do, think and speak, he had to be controlling all things else he would be terribly upset. He must know and have all things in order, what must be, or if it was not, what he had to be, what was harmonious or not, have all things in balance, to change if not, etc. Able also to predict all things, the present and the future. Wisdom comes from familiarity, that is security, that which is predictable.
Change: unfamiliar situations, new happenings, throws my world out of control, things become unpredictable, I am no longer in control;thus, fear comes in and challenges my ability to handle it. Now, I realize I am no longer a god.
Imperative of change:
Change is the dynamic of life. We put things off, hoping things will be back to normal if we do nothing. Familiar things make me complacent. If my schedule changes, I have a heart attack. Hate to meet new people, fear comes in, they don't fit into my idea of those people I already know, I don't know if they will like me or not.
Become afraid of people who don't speak my language, they throw us off balance. Why do you put off learning new things, ignorance of them will show me up, and I don't want others to know I am ignorant of anything, upsets my position of being in control of my life. I might reveal to others or to myself , I am not as strong as I thought nor as wise as I imagined I was.
Loss of job, moving to another city, fear of success, all of these might reveal your weakness, that you cannot handle it: new job, promotion, being single, etc.
Addicts are familiar with and use to their addictions,gives comfort,
reluctant to give it up.
No real fear of God because we neglected the Holy Spirit. We majored on doctrine, and not on the Presence of the Holy Spirit within us, the Spirit daily revealing to our human spirit the spirit of Christ within us, a living, vital reality. Not just a doctrine but a living Spirit.
We normally look at God as Someone Who gives us something, and He will if we behave ourselves, being nice and all, then God will give.
If He doesn't then we get mad, and sulk. We are to see God as He really is. God in us, a concrete reality. God is, and from Him I live, I exist, I live from Him and in Him, in love God is love, so am I, in Him.
He came in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, and I am to confess Him as Lord. He, above all, I am from Him, He is not someone I get things [from only - Pris], He is above all of that, He is my God.
[ Pris - He is my SOURCE of all I need-material and spiritual] God is God and will remain God, nothing can stop Him, He goes for eternities. Thus, be in awe of Him, and His magnificence. He made the world, and all in it. Are we to fear anything in the world when God made it?
Stop talking like the world talks, full of fears, replace the fears of this world by the fear of God .
Instead of seeking God for things, seek Him for Who He is. See Malachi, the Sun of Righteousness, sit in the realm of this truth, let His rays penetrate into your inner being, that you may be full of God, being full of God, You have God Himself, and from Him, flows all things. Sit under His rays, let God be God, God is, God of the "I AM", be part of this, flow from this great truth. Know that God loves me just as I am, I don't have to perform. Let God be all that He is, let Him flow thru me, and all else descends into secondary levels.
Read Psalms, Epistles, be astounded at Who God is, He is worthy of our praise, be astounded at our salvation, what God has done and will do, God is worthy, He is central to the universe, Lamb of God slained before the world.
Overcome fear by a greater fear -- the fear of God!
FEAR OF DEATH
Joshua 14 -Caleb's 85th birthday. Caleb's constant cry "The Lord is with us". Hope is that God is unchanging.
Heb. 13 -always with us, never leave or forsake you no matter what. Hope is in God, not in desires or my emotions. Faith is that now I have the present possession of God's grace. Hope is always future tense, i.e., hope is faith that extends into the future.
12 spies, ten said no, 2 said yes.
Caleb suffered the fate of the naysayers, a victim of their sins, Caleb did not follow the crowd's sins, he forgave them, those who thwarted his dreams of entering the promised land. Caleb's hope was not in people but in God. He was not cynical of people, saw their failures but his faith and hope was in God , not people. Hope in God and God is in you now, that is all that matters. Neither was Caleb jealous of Joshua. Being victims of the past is having hope in self but not in God. Hoping in others, you will be disappointed, another snare . Our hope is to be in God or we will be disappointed, and cynicism will become a pattern. Then our bodies will yield to this despair and we become sicker and sicker.
[Pris – and more bitter and bitter ]
Time heals nothing, it just buries it, hides it, only the Spirit of Christ heals a broken heart. Our full potential always remains, growing and developing until the image of Christ is revealed, the potential of Christ in us. Don't put hope in people or self but only in God.
Key is to forgive the past completely, all the hurts caused by others or by self. Ask God to put His love in me in order for me to deal with the past.
Ps. 42:11 -Hope in God is a command, not what others have done or not done to us. Self-pity comes when I think there is no God, leaving God out of the equation.
FEAR OF PEOPLE
Fear is a feeling, I work thru it by an act of my will because God is with me. I replace fear by an act of the will to love and not be envious, jealous, fear of being challenged by stronger people or those who threaten my sense of well-being by their sense of superiority. I practice the Presence of the Holy Spirit within me and allow Him thru me to love those who I would normally be in fear of.
Heb. 13:20-21 -The realization of God being within me from Genesis onward. God is with me, and by this I reject the fear thought. Attack fear thought with the truth. God loves me and accepts me and approves of me regardless of what others think or say. Fear is misplaced faith, putting my faith in people to approve of me, and accept me. Be always in a state of forgiving all offenses, a permanent state of reconciliation. Choose to love, develop this disposition to love regardless, it takes time for this idea to grow and develop into the image of Christ because this is what Jesus did. Commands us to 'Fear Not" this addresses our will, not our emotions.
· Love God's way and feelings will follow.
God created man for man to reveal Him to others on this earth, to show and reveal God's love. A human bears the divine image of God, to reveal the divine character on earth. The true meaning of life is just this: to reveal the love of God to others by my behaviour. Man was enabled by his choice to exercise faith to receive this love and to love by my behaviour. That is our blueprint, our destiny to be this love. Sin states that meaning of life is that I should love myself first then I can love others, the alternative plan to life's meaning. Our blueprint is to love otherwise life does not work. God's idea is that man is to be "the being of God"to manifest the Spirit of God.
In sin , man tries to get others to love him by performing for man. If I do great deeds, or do for people they will accept and approve me. Sin looks for a substitute for the infinite , unconditional love of God. Rejecting God is rejecting love, and love is the very essence of being. Not loving brings a vacuum, brings an emptiness, which must he filled. This emptiness we try to fulfill by performance, to get people to love and accept me. Therefore, we will do anything for this acceptance.
Fear comes in when I think my audience is watching my life, and I become afraid that they may not like what they see, and give me what I need. Not being accepted, I lash out in anger. I love those who love me , and I hate those who don't. Good Samaritan meaning is that religion will worship the worship in lieu of being of service.
Today, we are told to go to our unconverted friends, but we decline saying they are drunks, evil, tell dirty jokes, the same as the passerby's of the good samaritan story. We worship the ritual, the songs, the praise time, etc. Result is we don't do anything that comes in between.
