Overcoming Doubt and Fear (3)

Last week we discussed hope and to overcome doubt and fear especially where the future is concerned we need to have hope. I have talked to many Christians about the November elections. Among Christians there is an overwhelming fear of what is to come and to be honest that’s not just tied to the elections. My thought pattern is this: If we, as Christians, know the bible, we know that at some point Jesus has to come which will be after some fairly hard times for Christians then I am left with 3 questions

Are we afraid of the election or is it something deeper?

Are we afraid to suffer for Christ?

Are we afraid that if the end is near we may not make it?

What I have found is this: The display of fear and doubt is usually the tip of an iceberg and when we are honest with ourselves we will find our true fear and worry which is usually, not always, but statically probable that the question is usually we don’t want to suffer or we doubt our salvation.

Truly the only way to overcome doubt and fear in any part of our lives is to deepen our relationship. For example, I love my wife. I know that she would never cheat on me or leave me for another man. She might leave me for a cabin deep in the woods, but that’s a different sermon. I have faith that my wife will stay loyal to her love for me. Why? Well without getting into how awesome I am I believe it’s because we have a deep relationship with each other. I know my wife and she knows me deeper than anyone else in my life. We talk, we spend time together, we struggle together, and we celebrate together.

The key I want to give you this morning in removing doubt and fear is relationship.

When the disciples were trying to cast out a demon of a little boy and couldn’t Jesus came on the scene. This isn’t your typical relationship verse, but stay with me because what isn’t there is just about as important as what is there.

Mark 9:29 NKJV

29 So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”

Mark 9:29 ESV

29 And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”

Why the difference and where did fasting GO? did ESV leave it out? The answer is the the later manuscripts and KJV added it in where the earlier manuscripts didn’t have fasting in the origional verse.

Mark 9:29 LGNTI:SBL

29 καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Τοῦτο τὸ γένος ἐν οὐδενὶ δύναται ἐξελθεῖν εἰ μὴ ἐν προσευχῇ.

Fasting was later added because of the immense emphasis on fasting in the early church. Fasting is contextually accurate, but not translationally accurate.

It was later added because we, as Christians, weren’t getting the picture.

Have you ever had a conversation that made you lose track of time? When Beth and I were dating, I went to Georgia for an internship she went back home to Maine. It was the first year we met and started dating. We used to talk for hours. Those phone conversations fast tracked our relationship to a deeper level than 100 dates could have. When all you can do is talk you talk about everything and there were times I would look at the clock and hours would have passed by in what seemed like minutes.

We were engrossed into each other. I wanted to hear more, I wanted her to know me deeper. Nothing would have stopped our conversations not even her going to Canada, which is when I learned about the cost of calling a different country the hard way. My parents weren’t happy.

Luke 6:12 ESV

12 In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.

This is just one verse, but there are countless times, usually before ministry, decisions, or crisis that Jesus would lose himself in prayer.

Overcoming doubt and fear comes with assurity. Assurity only comes from a deep knowing of the person you are putting your trust in. To know someone that intimately means you have to spend large amounts of time with them.

Doubt and fear is a good indicator of where the weak points of your relationship is.

If you are in a place where doubt and fear is over taking you

You must identify the truth-Why are you afraid?

Note the weak point in your faith

Build that relationship in that area

Peter denied Christ 3 times, Why? Because he was afraid of persecution. Peter had an underlying fear. Jesus in John 21 came to Peter after Jesus’ death and dealt with the root of why Peter denied Christ. Once Peter allowed Jesus to get to the root of Peter’s doubt and fear Peter became on the greatest disciples in the bible.

You cannot become who God desires you to be until you deal with roots that are holding you back from a deeper relationship with Christ.

The greatest enemy to doubt and fear is trust.

Proverbs 3:5–6 ESV

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Unfortunately the only way to grow in trust is to be put in situations where trust is required.