Fear
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More than 80 times the Bible says “Do not fear, do not be afraid” Evidently they were afraid and needed to be reminded.
Abraham, Hagar, Issac, Jacob, Moses & the Israelites(14x), Joshua, Gideon, Elijah, Hezekiah, Solomon, Jehoshophat, The people of God (Isaiah 12x), Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Joseph, the Mary’s, Zechariah, Mary, shepherds, disciples, Paul, John the R, Persecuted church All were told, “Do not be afraid”. Fear affects us all! No one who has ever done anything significant has not experienced fear. Many people have been inhibited from making a contribution to life by fear. Not all fear is bad. There is a healthy fear
However, much of what we fear is unhealthy, irrational. We are afraid of things that may never happen What are the things we fear in your day to day life? What are the things we fear in our Christian life? Things that keep us from enjoying our Christian experience…
Things you can do to live above your fears 1. Try to limit fear inducing mental input – even the TV news can make the world seem a very scary place. It only tells you about the people who got robbed, stabbed, killed, not about the ones who were safe all day 2. Counter your fears with positive thoughts. Many of our fears come from dwelling on faulty beliefs, negative thoughts – Phil 4:8,9 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. 9 …. And the God of peace will be with you” 3. Prayer is crucial – tell God of your fears. God wants you to trade your fears and anxieties for trust in Him – Phil 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus When we give your fears to God, He gives us a peace that cannot be explained 4. Monitor when your fear rises and falls- Be aware of when your fear levels rise and when they fall. Knowing that these feelings will pass helps you to cope better
5. Focus on behavior rather than feelings. Acknowledge your fear but keep moving forward with your life. Choose no to let it control you. Say to yourself, “This is how I feel, buth this is how I am going to act”. Many inhibiting fears are calmed by positive action 6. Replace fear with love.
Jn 4:18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
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2017-06-29