Fear

We woke up this morning for church, and Morgan said he didn't feel like going. He has a cold, Kaylee came home with a cold on Friday, and Madison woke up with a sore throat. I got on facebook when I woke up and saw that LifeChurch TV's live sermon was on fear today. Perfect, I thought! I've never watched their live sermon before.....they are scheduled throughout the day and it's a video that starts and you can't pause it or anything. But, on the side they have notes you can follow along with, just like you get at church and you can even live chat with people as you watch. I highly recommend watching them on the days you can't make it to church. I love Craig Groeschel and today's lesson was truly an answer to prayer.

I have come so far when it comes to dealing with irrational fears, but it is something that is still sometimes a daily battle. I have began to realize that I do not trust God fully and I began to pray that He would help me to trust and know that He is going to be there with me, no matter what. This sermon today was an answer to that prayer. I have heard many people say that you just have to have stronger faith. Well, I believe with all of my heart that God can heal me, but He hasn't, so then I began to think that maybe He didn't want to heal me. Like maybe He's trying to teach me a lesson or something. Well, today's sermon put an end to that nonsense for me and maybe it's something you need to hear too, so that's why I'm posting what I learned today!

Life's most common fears are:
fear of loss, fear of failure, fear of rejection, and fear of the unknown.

2 Timothy 1:7 says that "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." A lot of us are paralyzed by fear. Fear is not from God!! Fear is from our spiritual enemy. God gives us power, love, and a sound mind. Fear is not the opposite of faith. Fear is just faith in the wrong things! Fear is placing faith in the "what-ifs". Wow, I really needed to hear that! It totally changes my perspective on fear.

Moses had this kind of fear when God spoke to him through the burning bush. In Exodus 4:1, he said, "What if they don't believe me and say the Lord did not appear to you?" We do this all the time. We place our faith in the bad what-ifs.

Why do your what-ifs matter?

1. What you fear reveals what you value the most. For example, if you fear the loss of a child, you value your children the most. That's not a bad thing, it just reveals what you really value. So, you can plug in your fear to see what you truly value most.

I fear losing my children. I fear dying and leaving my children without a Mom. I fear the unknown, so I'm assuming that means I value being in control. I fear public humiliation (because when I have anxiety, I have horrible stomach issues.....not fun!), so I guess that means I value what people think of me.......ouch!! I'm not happy about that one.

2. What you fear reveals where you trust God the least. So what does that mean for me? I guess I lost trust in God when He let my Mom die. In my mind, He let her die, despite my pleas for Him to save her, so maybe one day He will let my children die. Maybe one day, I will die and my girls will have to suffer like I have. When my Mom died, I suddenly realized I had absolutely no control over my life, and that is why I fear the unknown. If I'm honest, I guess I don't always trust God will be there for me. I guess I'm having a hard time truly surrendering my life to Him and knowing that He is sovereign and knows better than I do. He sees the big picture and I do not. Logically, I know this, but my heart fears it. And I guess I don't trust that God cares if I break down and lose all control in the middle of a huge crowd during one of my panic attacks.

We contribute our worrying as if that will make a difference. Answer this:
I'm not trusting God with _______. Own it. Think about it and write it down.

How do we face the what-ifs of fear?

1. Acknowledge the fear and choose to trust God. Don't just brush off your fear. You are going to choose with faith to trust God to be faithful. In Psalm 56:2-4, David made a choice to trust God, even though Saul was going to kill him. "When I am afraid, I will trust in you...In God I trust, I will not be afraid." When you're afraid, you have to choose to trust God. David says, "What can mortal man do to me?" Well, let's think of the worst case scenario. Saul could kill him! David was thinking eternally though, not just about the temporary. If you trust God, there in nothing man can do to you. Your worst what-if pales to the goodness of God. You have to say, I trust God no matter what. The closer you are to God, the less you fear.

2. Seek God until he takes away your fears. Seek Him through His word, in prayer, day and night, and with others praying for you. Psalm 34:4 says, "I sought the Lord and He answered me. He delivered me from all my fears." Do we believe this is possible? Craig tells the story of how his wife had serious health issues after having her children and how she would have numbness on one side of her body and no one knew what was causing it. She really thought she was dying and every day she would wake up, she would be surprised that she had made it to another day. She began to pray though. She was always praying and reading His word. God delivered her from her fear and her health issues. She faced her greatest fear, which was not being here for her family. She trusted God the least with this, but when she sought God, she was delivered. God can do the same for you , if you will seek after Him with all of your heart.

"I have never known more than 15 minutes of anxiety or fear. Whenever I feel fearful emotions overtaking me, I just close my eyes and thank God that He is still on the throne reigning over everything, and I take comfort in His control over all the affairs of my life." --John Wesley

God has given you everything you need for today. Craig told how Beth Moore talks about how she used to fear losing her husband. She talked it over with God and she felt Him ask her, well what would you do if it did happen? At some point, God would help you go on with your life. You have to look at your fear and go down the list of what would happen if that fear became a reality. Talk to God about it. God has not given you this spirit of fear. You would seek Him and He would sustain you. Satan wants you to be in bondage of fear, not God!

What fears have you lived with? Which ones have been a constant over the years in one form or another? In which areas of your life do you not trust God? What will you do to seek to be closer to God this week? How will you put God in between you and your fears?

What if you were set free from fear? What if God brought you here, to hear this message, so that He could do a miracle so big that it would change you forever? When you give your whole life to Christ, He will set you free. Acknowledge the sin of fear and lack of faith and call on Christ. You can live free of fear. Give your whole life to Him and surrender and be free of fear!

(See why this was such a great message that I needed to hear today?!! God is up to something and He is answering my prayers. It is not a coincidence that I just happened to run across this message today.)

What things do you fear? I would love to pray for you about them!