UNDERSTANDING AND DEALING WITH FEAR

Isaiah 41:10 (KJV) 10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

I. Fear is a Very Real Problem

Fear is a problem but it hasn't always been a problem. It was a perfect paradise that God created for Adam and Eve. Not only was everything physically perfect but everything was spiritually and emotionally perfect as well.

Do you realize that Adam could not have got indigestion from what he ate and ultimately could not have ulcers from worrying about what he may or may not have to eat tomorrow.

But into that paradise enter the plight of disobedience and sin. And with that sin came the consequences of sin. If you study Genesis 3 you know there was a curse pronounced upon the woman, a curse on the ground and a curse on the serpent. But there was something else that happened to Adam that would allow him to know that the curse was in effect before it was ever pronounced by God Himself.

Genesis 3:9-10 (KJV) 9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

This is the first mention of fear in the bible and it is directly related to man's sin. with sin in the world there also came fear in the world.

Ladies there would not have been any fear of mice if sin had never entered into the world. Mice, rats spiders, snakes, lion and tigers would not have to be feared. No fear if sin had not entered.

If you read Psalm 91 it describes to us varies things that can cause us to be afraid. The noisome pestilence, the terror by night, the arrows by day, the lions, the deadly snakes..

Psalm 31:13 (KJV) 13 For I have heard the slander of many: fear was on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life.

Paul wrote that in the last days perilous times shall come and with those perilous times comes an outbreak of fear.

A advice columnist sais she get 10,000 letters a month and asked if there was one thing that seemed to predominate more than anything else and she said Fear...people are afraid of losing their health, their wealth, of losing their loved ones, people are afraid of life itself. We live in a very fearful society. Life expectancy today is far longer than a century ago but our fears are greater.

A poll was taken of Americans that was asked what is your greatest fears? and they wound up with a list of six top fears.

1. The Death of a loved one,

2. Contracting a deadly or disabling disease. Just a few years ago there were just a handful of Sexually transmitted diseases but in our day it has exploded with adultery, homosexuality, perversion and it is another great reason why you ought to keep yourself for your spouse and him/her only.

3. Financial Failure...that is true for husband and wife both but the husband usually fills the pressure from that more than the wife.

4. Nuclear War

5. Being a victim of a crime...robbed, assaulted, or worse yet murdered.

6. Spiders and Snakes

In 1973 in London England a team of marketers asked 3,000 US Citizens what their biggest fears were. The 1st was speaking in front of a large crowd. 2nd was the fear of heights. the 3rd was the fear of bugs, and so on....

Fear can cause us to do some silly things. A woman had been on a vacation to Las Vegas and won at a slot machine a huge bucket of quarters. She told her husband that she was going to take them to her room before they went to dinner. She was so scared of being robbed and had always been sacred of that. She pushed the button on the elevator and the door opened and there were two men already on there. She became very suspicious and had a great fear of even getting on there but stepped on anyway and went to the corner of the elevator. The door closed and nothing happened. The elevator did not move and all of a sudden one of the men said hit the floor and in an instance she threw those quarters and fell on the carpet of the elevator and pleaded with them to take her quarters but spare her life. One of the men said "Lady I am a professional comedian and I was just telling my bodyguard to hit the floor on the elevator panel to take us where we are going.

Little Georgie was asked by his friend do you all have morning prayer in your house? No we prayer at night time we are not afraid in the daylight.

A little boy was afraid of the dark. One night he was told by his mother to go out on the back porch and get the broom. She could see fear grip him. She replied don't be afraid Jesus is out there. He will look after you and protect you. The little boy looked at his mother and asked are you sure? yes honey I am positive He is everywhere and always ready to help you. The boy thought and went to the back door, slowly opened it and looked into the darkness and spoke and said Jesus are you out here...nothing. He said a little louder Jesus if you are out there will you hand me the broom?

One study said that one in twelve American live in constant fear over some phobia of some sort. They counted over sixty different phobias including acrophobia-fear of heights, agoraphobia-a fear of market place, aluraphobia-a fear of cats, demaphobia-a fear of crowds, nictaphobia-a fear of darkness, piraphobia-a fear of fire, hydrophobia- a fear of water, closterphobia-a fear of tight places. Fear is a common problem. We all have them and some time or another.

Daniel 10:19 (KJV) 19 And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me.

It is so easy to see other people's fear but it may not be so easy to see your own.

II. Fear is Contagious:

Deuteronomy 20:8 (KJV) 8 And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren's heart faint as well as his heart.

Fear is contagious, let someone just start a tale that creates fear and it becomes contagious. ILL. When we were little we didn't live far from the Ashland cemetery. A tale was started on night that the police were in pursuit of a werewolf and it had leaped the 6 foot cemetery fence and got away and was warning everyone to stay inside. That was a night of fear that ultimately lead me to grandma house farther away from the cemetery.

I grew up with fears-fear of thunderstorms, chocking.

And so fear is a real problem, it is contagious and if we are going to conquer fear we have to allow the higher positive godly fear of the Lord conquer the lower negative earthly fear of man.

Matthew 10:28 (KJV) 28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Here are those who could destroy your body so how do you get over that fear? By allowing the higher fear to conquer the lower fear. By fearing him that is able to destroy both body and soul in hell.

Ten times the bible commands to Fear God. Thirty-two time the bible commands to Fear the Lord.

Joseph said I fear God-more than he feared Potipher.

Psalm 66:16 (KJV) 16 Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.

Luke 23:39-40 (KJV) 39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. 40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?

During the plagues:

Exodus 9:27-30 (KJV) 27 And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. 28 Intreat the LORD (for it is enough) that there be no more mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer. 29 And Moses said unto him, As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands unto the LORD; and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou mayest know how that the earth is the LORD'S. 30 But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear the LORD God.

Moses was saying the only thing that is going to make you stop what your doing is the fear of God.

Now look if you will that the Fear of the Lord is presented as something wonderful and then it can be presented as something horrible. And that depends on you.

The fear of the Lord is a positive that wipes out all other fears. Or it can be viewed as negative because you look up and see this God bringing all this judgment on your life.

It could be a fearful respect that rejoiceth over God awesome power or it could be a horrible terrible frightened fear over your life and that depends on you.

ILL. A Missionary to Africa was showing and the shower head was clogged up do to the calcium buildup. He found a needle or pin and began to clean each hole out in the shower head. After he was through he thought this will need to be done again so he looked for a place to store the needle or pin. He noticed an electrical wire running over head in the shower and thought he would put the pin in the rubber coating of the wire. He said the next thing he knew something knocked him cleared out of the shower. He says it has been 22 years ago and he still has a strong reverence for electricity.

Electricity is a wonderful thing especially if you were out of it when the storm a few weeks ago hit. But used the wrong way it came become dangerous.

Our God is a wonderful God but don't try to find out if he is truly a powerful God. You can find it out.

A young man said before he got saved he would visit his grandmother and she would always end the visit by praying for him and giving him money. He always endured the prayer to get the money. As she prayed for him he always remembered a plaque on her wall that read "Thou God Seeth Thee". It gave him the willies. But one day he got saved and when he returned to visit grandma he read the plaque and it brought comfort and peace and delight. He said it made him feel wonderful.

If God is not feared then God is not truly Loved. The bible says perfect love cast out fear. If God is not feared then God is not truly loved then life can be filled with all kinds of fears.

The key to conquering destructive fear is to replace the fear of man with the fear of God.

Isaiah 8:11-13 (KJV) 11 For the LORD spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying, 12 Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid. 13 Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.

In other words choose your fear. If you fear God you don't have to fear these people. But if you fear these people it is because there is something in the life that is not fearing God.

There is no such thing in this life as the total absence of fear. It is never meant by God to have a total absence of fear. There is either the wrong kind of fear or the right kind of fear. and the fear of God is the right kind and positive. And the wrong kind of fear is a negative thing.

The right kind of fear is positive energizing while the wrong kind is a potentially destructive thing. You are either fearing God or you are fearing man.

The fear of God occurs 8 times in the bible and the 1st time was where Abraham betrayed his own wife when he said surely the fear of God is not in this place. Genesis 20:11 (KJV) 11 And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife's sake.

When people get in trouble is when they lose their fear of God. That is why the middle east is in such turmoil is because they do not know the true God.

2 Samuel 23:3 (KJV) 3 The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.

There was a time in our country when everyone was expected to be a Christian or at least a strong believer in God. Especially a judge or a public servant. It is terrible how our judicial system rules without any fear of God.

Psalm 36:1 (KJV) 1 The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes.

you want to know why a man commits a crime he doesn't think anybody is watching. Isn't that why Achan stole the forbidden things? but there was someone that saw it that might as well been forty thousand that saw it.

Romans 3:18 (KJV) 18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.

2 Corinthians 7:1 (KJV) 1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Ephesians 5:21 (KJV) 21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

what would happen if we lived where we knew that God was constantly watching our every action and every conversation. We love to hear about God watching us when we need him but when we are letting someone have it well it is not to comforting then.

The fear of the Lord occurs 30 times.

2 Chronicles 17:10 (KJV) 10 And the fear of the LORD fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were round about Judah, so that they made no war against Jehoshaphat.

The fear of the Lord caused them not to be attacked.

2 Chronicles 19:7 (KJV) 7 Wherefore now let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts.

Psalm 19:9 (KJV) 9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. It is like when you fear the Lord it is a pure sacrifice of love and praise that you can bring to Him. Because you are bringing to Him the very best that you can bring and as you fear Him and honor Him and respect Him, Love Him and appreciate Him. That fear of God cast out all of that other fear.

Proverbs 1:7 (KJV) 7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. That is why we need the ten commandments back on the school wall.

Ill. When Judge Roy Moore was fighting to keep the ten commandments in his courtroom. A prosecuting attorney testified against them saying they make him feel bad when they are in there.

If man's laws are not based on God's laws then there is no fear of God. years ago you did not live in adultery because man's laws corresponded with God's laws and it said you would be in trouble if that occurred. Now all that has changed and man's laws say it is no big deal but God wrote His laws in stone and not plastic. And it would do us well to learn to fear the Lord to have peace when facing eternity.

Have you ever noticed that faith in God and Fear of God are almost the same thing. Both are grounded in a strong belief in the reality of God. The fear of God says since I believe in God I can do whatever God wants me to do and faith in God says since I believe in God I can do whatever He wants me to do.

The fear of God sees God bigger than anything or anyone else.

The fear of God is the awareness that God is seeing everything that we are saying and doing. He is happy when we do right and he is not happy when we do wrong.

ILL A group of kids at a supermarket saw a basket of apples free with a sign that said please only take one and remember God is watching you. They went a little further and saw some cookies that just said free. A little girl said take as many as you want cause God is watching the apples. And really that is what we think that God is just watching us at church but God is watching us everywhere.

David defeated Goliath by his fear of God being greater than his fear of Goliath.

Hebrew children not doubt probably had some trepidation about the fiery furnace but their fear of God was greater than their fear of the king and God helped them through it.

Daniels' fear of God was greater than the Lion's den.

courage is obeying the will of God in spite of your fear.

D L Moody said there are two ways to go to Heaven-I am afraid but I will trust in God or I will trusting in God I don't have to be afraid.

See the difference the fear of God conquers the fear of man.

III. So you Develop Courage How?

1. By choosing to fear God. Proverbs 1:29 (KJV) 29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:

2. You think of the consequences of fearing man rather than God: Proverbs 29:25 (KJV) 25 The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe. It will cause you to focus on the negative rather than the positive. It will cause you to exaggerate the negative.

3. You trust and rest in the Sovereignty of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is on the throne when I feel like it and he is on the throne when I don't feel like it.

4. You grow courage by being brave when you don't feel like it. David said a lion and then a bear came and then the giant. Your courage will grow as you allow the Lord to develop it in you.

ILL. A police officer gave a young girl a ticket for driving around a train arm crossing. And exactly one year later she thank the police officers because just a week before a whole car load of teenagers were killed by being hit by a train while going around the cross arms.

One fear conquered another fear. A higher consequence fear defeated the fear of the lower of the teenagers.

There is a higher king, there is a higher consequence, and if I do what I am suppose to do then I don't have to fear what can happen to me. God is bigger than anything.