Facing Your Fear
Notes
Transcript
Review
Review
Turn to Nehemiah 4
At the beginning of Nehemiah chapter four, Nehemiah received some unfair criticism. We all know what that’s like, but Nehemiah showed us the Biblical way to handle it.
He didn’t respond to their criticism, he immediately brought it before God.
He didn’t seek vengeance; he sought God’s justice
He didn’t internalize the criticism; he deflected it
Read slowly:
By letting the Lord be the outlet of his soul, Nehemiah blunted the arrows of criticism that were shot at him. Most importantly, he continued doing what God had called him to do. Verse six tells us this.
Introduction
Introduction
Read Nehemiah 4:6
The criticizers wanted Nehemiah to quit, but he did the exact opposite! Because he didn’t quit, the people didn’t quit either. They got the wall rebuilt unto half of its height. They weren’t at the finish line yet, but the project was halfway done!
Someone has defined leadership as “the art of getting people to do what they ought to do because they want to do it.”
Wiersbe, Warren W.. Be Determined (Nehemiah): Standing Firm in the Face of Opposition (The BE Series Commentary) (p. 38). (Function). Kindle Edition.
Nehemiah was successful at leading his people to do what they needed to do. They kept building in spite of the criticism. Let’s continue reading and see what happened once the Jews hit the halfway mark.
Read Nehemiah 4:7-12
Lieutenant Richard “Dick” Winters was a highly respected American Army officer best known for his leadership of Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division during World War II.
Born: January 21, 1918, New Holland, Pennsylvania
Died: January 2, 2011, Hershey, Pennsylvania
He participated in some of the most significant battles of World War 2, including D-Day, Operation Market Garden, and the Battle of the Bulge. He and the men of Easy Company would be among the first Allied soldiers to reach Hitler’s mountain top retreat in the Swiss Alps during the final days of the war.
Many years later, Major Winters described the fear he felt the night before D-Day. He said,
“I spent a long time staring into the dark. I wasn’t afraid of dying. I was afraid of letting my men down.”
Even this brave American warrior knew what it was like to be afraid. He had his own fears - perhaps not of dying, but of failing to lead his men.
So did Nehemiah. In the verses that we just read, he knew what it was to be afraid. So did the Jews that he lead. So do you, if you’re honest with yourself.
Fear is a common problem in America.
In verse seven, we find out that the enemies of the Jews had formed quite an alliance.
Next slide here:
Sanballat lead the Samaritans to the north of Jerusalem. He teamed up with Tobiah of the Ammonites, Geshem of the Arabians, and the Ashdodites, men of a Philistine city to the west of Jerusalem.
They all plotted together to attack Jerusalem, apparently from all sides.
This time, the enemy was not just angry, they were really angry. The entire narrative that we’ve seen so far reveals that Sanballat and his allies progressively became more hostile towards the Jews:
Nehemiah 2:10 - Sanballat and Tobiah are highly displeased that Nehemiah has come to help the Jews.
Nehemiah 2:19 - they laugh at the Jews and suggest that they are going to rebel against the king
Nehemiah 4:1 - they are angry at the Jews and attempt to discourage them
Nehemiah 4:7 - they are extremely angry at the Jews and conspire to kill them
At this point in the story, violence is the next course of action. If words wouldn’t stop Nehemiah, then weapons would have to.
Read slowly:
Get this: the Jews were facing an existential threat from their enemies.
They feared for the safety of their families.
They feared for their homeland that they were trying to rebuild.
They feared for their sons’ and daughters’ futures.
Fear gripped their hearts, including Nehemiah’s.
Have you ever wished that you could simply turn off the switch and not feel that fear anymore? Nehemiah and the Jews didn’t have that luxury - neither do you - so I want you to learn how they faced their fears.
How did Nehemiah lead the Jews through their fear of lurking enemies and possible death?
Next slide here:
They prayed - Nehemiah 4:9
Read Nehemiah 4:9
“Pastor Tim, you mean to tell me that every time Nehemiah experienced a problem, he prayed?”
If that’s what you’re thinking, then good for you! You’re catching on! YES!!!
If for no other, I love the man Nehemiah for this one simple reason: every time he was faced with a problem, he prayed! It’s the first thing that he does!
1:4 - Nehemiah receives heartbreaking news about Jerusalem, fasts and prays
2:4 - Nehemiah is in the middle of a big conversation with the king - he prays
4:4 - Nehemiah is criticized - he immediately prays
4:9 - Nehemiah hears of the plan to assault Jerusalem - so he lead the Jews to pray
We find Nehemiah praying to the God of Heaven no less than twelve times throughout this entire book. (He is an excellent study on Biblical prayer.)
Application: What is the first thing you do when you are faced with a problem? What is the first thing you do when you are afraid?
The New Testament, particularly the apostle Paul, talks about the difference between a spiritually minded Christian and a carnally minded Christian. A carnal Christian is someone who thinks like the world instead of like Christ. Both types of Christians are saved, obviously, but there is a vast difference in how they think. And it’s evident how they face their fears.
Read slowly:
You see, the first thing that spiritually minded Christians do is they pray. The last thing that carnal Christians do is they pray.
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Christian, how do you face your fear?
Nehemiah shows us that the first thing you do, is that you pray, and believe that the God of Heaven will hear your cry.
Mention copies of the Promises that God hears his children when they Pray
The second thing that Nehemiah lead the people to do is that…
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They prepared - Nehemiah 4:9, 13, 16-21
Read Nehemiah 4:9, 13, 16-21
Nehemiah lead the people to pray and then he lead them to prepare.
The enemy was coming. Rumors were swirling that they would attack from every direction.
I’m no expert on military tactics, but any combat officer worth his salt will tell you that when you setup a military camp of any kind, you better establish the perimeter and create some open space so you can have a clear line of sight on anyone approaching.
The Jews that were rebuilding the wall had a problem. The debris that remained around the wall was so great it created two concerns:
It hindered the work of the builders
It provided cover for the enemies to ambush the Jews
Read Nehemiah 4:11
If that wasn’t bad enough, the other Jews in the surrounding region that stood on the sidelines and wouldn’t lift a finger to help them said, “Hey, you better come back home! They’re going to come and kill you!
Read Nehemiah 4:12
They said this ten times!
If I were Nehemiah, I would have looked at them and with my voice dripping with sarcasm I would have said, “well thanks for the help and the encouragement, guys!”
The situation was dire. Their world was about to come crashing down. They had prayed, but their fears were only growing and becoming more real, so notice what Nehemiah lead the Jews to do: they prepared.
They didn’t sit on their hands.
They didn’t say, “woe is us, we’re doomed!”
Even though the situation was desperate, they set a watch and organized a portion of the people into a hometown militia who stood guard while the rest worked.
Application: If you have something fearful that you know is coming down the pike, don’t try to avoid it. God never intended for you to run from your fears; He intended for you to prepare for it.
I am amazed how many times people are genuinely afraid of something in their lives but they won’t do a single thing to prepare for it.
One of the scariest things I’ve ever done in my life happened just a few years ago when we lived in Eastern NC.
As an assistant pastor, I was somewhat active in the local and state politics of that region just as I am starting to do here. Well one year, a local organization of Christian citizens hosted a political event in New Bern, NC. Several hundred people would be in attendance. This event was going to feature state representatives, state senators, sheriffs and officials of all kinds, the most prominent being Paul Newby, who was campaigning to be and is today the chief justice of the NC Supreme Court.
A month or two in advance, a pastor friend called me and said, “Hey, would you like to attend this event?”
I said, “yes, I would.”
He said, “Good! Now, would you sing the National Anthem for us when we start the program?”
I said, “oh.”
I agreed, but I was fearful. You can ask my wife.
I had the same feeling in my stomach that I had the first time I ever climbed an upright silo at the dairy farm. I had a feeling of fear.
But you know what I didn’t do? I didn’t wing it.
I didn’t try to escape my fear either. I didn’t drink alcohol to calm my nerves like some vocalists do before singing the national anthem. Some of them have made complete fools of themselves.
I faced my fear and did everything I could to prepare for that moment. I didn’t want to be the singer that forgot the lyrics to one of our most revered songs. I didn’t want to start the song too high or too low. So I practiced it over and over again.
Listen: preparation is part of facing your fear.
Do you have a big surgery coming up? Are you fearful about going under the knife? That’s certainly a normal thing. Pray and tell God all about your fears and then prepare: get your house and yourself in order. Prepare for the “what if’s.” Don’t avoid them. Take time to prepare yourself physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.
Are you anticipating a big change in your life? Maybe its a new job or retiring from a job. Some of you have graduated and are entering a new chapter of your life. Is that change full of unknowns? Does it make you fearful? Escapism and a lack of preparation will only help your fears to come true.
Are you fearful of what will happen to your family when you pass away? Then prepare for it, because the Scriptures continually remind us that death is an inevitable part of life.
Are you prepared at this moment to pass into eternity? Do you know with certainty that you will be in the presence of God?
I have no doubt that Nehemiah was fearful of the possible attack, but he didn’t try to avoid it; he prepared for it.
When Nehemiah and the Jews were fearful, they prayed, they prepared, and thirdly…
Next slide here:
They paused - Nehemiah 4:14
Read Nehemiah 4:14
Earlier in this message, I said that fear is a common problem in America. Young and old, public figures and private individuals, rich and poor, intellectuals and non-intellectuals: none are exempt from fear.
It seems that with each passing decade, we are becoming more and more of an emotionally and mentally fragile culture. That’s not just my opinion, the data on this is clear. Let face it: we don’t handle our fears well. Anxiety and the spiraling mental health of Americans is a growing point of discussion in our culture. A NY Times article from May 13th, said,
Mental health has been worsening for young people in general, and for boys in some different ways than for girls. Among boys ages 3 to 17, 28 percent have a mental, emotional, behavioral or developmental problem, compared with 23 percent of girls, according to the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative.
https://archive.is/1FvKK#selection-1207.0-1218.0
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/13/upshot/boys-falling-behind-data.html
Three days ago, a Federal Government health commission released a report concerning the rise of chronic health diseases in America. The report is 72 pages long. Page fourteen includes a section entitled, “American Youth face a Mental Health Crisis.” Here’s a few highlights:
Teenage depression nearly doubled from 2009 to 2019
Between 2016-2023, the prevalence of diagnosed anxiety increased 61% among 12-17 year olds. Here’s another way I can explain it: in 2016, 10% of adolescents were diagnosed with anxiety, but by 2023, 16.1% of adolescents have been diagnosed with anxiety.
“Suicide is now the second leading cause of death in teens aged 15-19”
There are many reasons why people commit suicide, but its apparent that fear and anxiety is a big problem in America.
Now consequently, fear has become a big industry. A lot of money is spent trying to treat different types of fear.
This week I talked to a pastor friend who has a growing youth ministry in a rural part of the state. Among the teens that he has personal contact with, he did a mental headcount and estimated that 50% are on medication for non-physical health needs.
I served as a Bible camp counselor for about four summers. The camp nurse was becoming more of a pharmacist than anything else. That’s even more the case now.
One news article about the report said the following:
“The report found that prescribing medication to children has skyrocketed in recent history
250% increase in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder prescriptions between 2006 and 2016 despite scientific evidence that the prescriptions did not "improve outcomes long-term,"
1,400% increase between 1987 and 2014 for antidepressant prescriptions for kids
800% increase in antipsychotic medications for children between 1993 and 2009.”
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/rfk-jrs-highly-anticipated-maha-report-paints-dismal-state-child-health-national-security-concerns
According to the Federal Government report, American children are highly medicated compared to the children of other countries.
“Psychotropics [drugs that affect a person’s mental state] for ADHD are…prescribed 2.5 times more in US than in British children, and 19 times more than in Japanese youth.”
Application: Church family, please understand, I am not opposed to all medication, but particularly when it comes to dealing with fear and anxiety, medication that alters the state of your mind should be a last resort, not a first resort.
You read this report and you’ll find that even the Federal Government is saying that drugs are not the silver bullet that we were taught to think that they are. Page seventeen is subtitled, “American children are highly medicated — and it’s not working.”
Application: Christian, what are you going to do when you are afraid? How are you going to face your fear?
The default solution in our culture is to get medicated. Medication can be a useful tool, but it is not a cure-all. Again, I am not opposed to all medication, but I caution you that it should be last resort and only after undergoing significant testing.
When faced with fear, Nehemiah lead the Jews to do three things:
They prayed.
They prepared.
Thirdly, they paused.
They paused - maybe not physically, but they did mentally. They set their minds on the God of Heaven.
Read Nehemiah 4:14
They paused long enough to meditate on their God. They deliberately guided their thoughts to remember the Lord and who He is. As they worked, they didn’t let their minds wander to the enemies lurking around them. They kept their thoughts fixed on the God that was watching over them. In so doing, they steeled themselves to face their fears and to fight for their families.
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on thee: Because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever: For in the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:
What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Christian, submit yourself to the Spirit of God that resides in you. Let Him control you, and He will give you peace.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Read slowly:
As Lieutenant Winters fought in the battles of World War 2, being an Army officer and a leader of men did not exempt him from feeling fear. Neither did Nehemiah’s rank as a governor exempt him from fear. Being a child of God doesn’t exempt you from fear either, but God has given you the tools live and to thrive in spite of that fear. Nehemiah showed us that you must pray, you must prepare, and you must pause when Facing Your Fear.
Invitation
Invitation
Come to the altar and lay all of your fears before the Lord.
