The Spirit of Fear
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What “kind” of life, according to God’s Word, is the christian expected to live?
By “Kind” I mean: What kind of lifestyle, what kind of chariucteristic , what kind of attitude, what kind of spirit is to embody the child of God’s life on earth?
In other words: If I were to pray over my life: On what biblical expectations/authority do i base my prayers?
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God actually tells us, in the Word, what kind of earthly existance, if we are extreemly fortinuate, God MAY in His grace grant us.
Here is what God has to say about what He thinks of the life He has promised us:
3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
What kind of life is declared to be both good and acceptible in the sight of God?
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In heaven we have the most wonderful promises.
And about Heaven the bible says that:
9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
Amen!
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But we are not talking about Heaven.
We are not talking about the life of glory with God that follows this one.
We are talking about life, for the chuld of God, right here, right now, in this evil and fallen world.
For life here and now God has given us wonderful promises indeed.
Presence, peace, love….
But what has God said in His Word should be the hopeful expectation of the Christian?
Let us read it:
1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
What kind of life is declared to be both good and acceptible in the sight of God?
To live a quite, peaceful life characterized by godliness and honesty.
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My friends: A more simple, humble expectation of life could not be found.
And yet, as simple as it sounds, so many people fail to live it.
They fail to take hold of that which God has provided.
They fail to grow blessings in the small garden God gave them called life.
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Why?
I absolutly beleave that the reason is:
Fear.
Nothing can nuter the quite peace of a child of God faster and more devastating than the spirit of fear.
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Jesus spoke a parable specifically dealing with fear’s power to so strip the christian of hope that its shocking.
He spoke about a master who left various talents with His servants. After a while the master returns and asks each servant to present back what they did, what they accomplished with that which the master gave them.
Let us read this account:
19 After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.
20 And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.
21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
22 He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.
23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
What we see here is wonderful.
Each person embraced that which they had been given. None compared or moaned about what they recieved. They embraced the lot they had and multiplied it.
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However, there is one more servant who needs to report:
24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
This man lost what had been given to him. It was taken away.
The master called him wicked and slothful. The master labeled him as the unprophital servant.
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Why?
Why did this man lose everything?
Why did he not sow, plant, water and grow that which was granted to him?
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I will turn this question around:
We are currently not at war. The prayer of hope that we are commaned to pray for our leaders is currently answered.
God has given you, like the master gave this man, a gift of grace called life, that He wants you to experience in quite peace and godliness.
Why then, like this man, have you not sown, watered and multiplied your peace?
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For the same reason as he diddnt: FEAR.
25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
Fear will cause you to lose peace, hope, joy, strength, courage - even faith!
Why?
Because fear alwys leads to bondage.
15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
This bondage manifests itself in so many ways.
Many people have their courage swept away by fear and they get paralised.
Others have their hope swept away and become depressed.
Others have their strength swept away and become angry.
Others have their motivation swept away and turn to substance abuse.
Fear will absolutly prevent you from ever living a quite, peaceful life in godliness.
Why?
Because a godly, quite and peaceful life can only be experienced when we are both aware and saturated in God’s wonderful, redeeming and comforting love.
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And here is the problem:
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
Let me explain: We are not infinate. Our heart is limited.
God has graciously poured out His peace giving love into our hearts.
5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
But here is the problem:
Because our hearts are NOT infinate, only so much of God’s love cvan be contained.
However, God’s love is so powerful that it turns out: What the human heart can hold is enough for peace, hope and salvation.
But what if the total carrying capacty of your heart is comprimised?
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That is what fear does.
It “takes up” sacred space that should be filled with the love of God.
What do we do to make room?
7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
What is the difference between fear and a spirit of fear?
Same as the difference between lust and a spirit of lust.
When something is refered to as “a spirit of...” it means that it has a controlling power over your life.
I might watch a movie and an inapropriate scene comes on with a beautfiful acctress and i may look with lust.
But that does not mean i have a spierit of lust.
If i go and search for videos of naked woman then i have a spirit of lust.
Fear is the same.
When Kim fell down the stairs i was so afraid.
But that does not mean i have a spirit of fear.
However, if i forbid Kim to ever walk down the stairs again in case she falls again, now i have a spirit of fear.
Fear, as an emotional response to a circumstance is not the problem.
That the servant was afraid of the master was NOT the problem.
Im sure that all the servants were “afraid” of the master.
The problem was this for this one servant, his fear became a spirit of fear and it caused him to act, not in faith, but in fear.
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We cannot control how we feel.
But whether or not be act on that feeling or chose to act on faith is absolutly IN OUR CONTROL.
When God says:
7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Remember that “spirit” here refers to Governing Power.
God wants us to be Led by the Spirit - To have the Holy Spirit GOVERN our BEHAVIOR even if FEAR in a situation GOVERNS our EMOTIONS.
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The Spirit wants to govern us by supplying us with a spirit of POWER.
Bold confidence in God.
The Spirit wants to govern us by supplying us with a spirit of LOVE.
love covers a multitude of sins.
The Spirit wants to govern us by supplying us with a spirit of a SOUND MIND.
That is a mind that is controlled by the WHAT IS
- NOT BY THE WHAT IF!!!
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The question is: Who do you chose to be governed, controlled, led by?
The Spirit of fear?
or
The Spirit of power, the spirit of love and the spirit of a sound mind?