Faith over Fear
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Introduction:
Three near death experiences:
Surfing at Ocean Beach - angry choppy wave day and got caught inside a huge 15 ft wave and got pulled down and pummeled spun around like I was in a washing machine, barely coming up in time for air.
When I got launched down the side of a step cliff after stepping in a void in the underbrush.
But the one i want to share more detail about today was when Jenny and I stayed at a secluded environmental campsite on the second leg of camping down the coast. We spent the day at the Morro Bay rock body boarding, then went up to our campsite in Montana de Oro State Park high up overlooking the coast.
We got to the campsite around 4pm. We had to park our car and hike up about a mile with all of our camping gear (think glamping). After we got all set up we made dinner then went for a short hike.
When we got back it started getting dark and the fog started socking us in.
To stay warm we got into our tent and got settled in. Just as we were about to go to sleep we heard footsteps.
Crunch, Crunch, Crurch...pause...crunch, crunch, crunch....pause...getting ever so closer to our tent. The mysterious person reached to front of our tent, causing every hair on our bodies to stand on end.
Then Jenny let our a blood curdling scream...it was so loud it made my ears ring.
And next doing what any husband would do in this situation to protect his wife, I yelled out, “State your name.”
It’s amazing what people do and say when they are afraid.
Summoning my bravery I said to Jenny, you need to go out there. No I didn’t do that.
I grabbing the big stick we had in the tent that we had used to knock in the tent stakes. I slowly unzipped our tent ready to take on this person face to face.
i jumped out with my stick and flashlight just in time to see the biggest raccoon I have every see, scurry into the woods.
Fear is real yall.
Trans:
Today we are going to talk about God’s insight into how to handle the inevitable fears we face everyday.
We are going to look at the nature of fear and God’s prescribed antidote for it.
Here is what i at stake for all of us...is whether we stay frozen and stuck, living in fear OR unleashing all the life God has for us so we may live full, free, dynamic lives.
My camping story made me think of a similar freak out moment experienced by Jesus’ 12 buddies.
To set the stage Jesus had just found out that his cousin John the Baptist was just beheaded by Herod, he gets into a boat to go find a “lonely place” to be by himself. Jesus was such a big deal that the paparazzi of the day tracked everything he did and let people know where he was. This lead to people coming from all surrounding cities to come hear Jesus teachings and receive healing. This is when the feeding of the 5000 took place. This is were the story picks up.
Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
Let’s put ourselves in the disciples shoes:
Already set sail for the other side of the lake when Jesus shows up out of the blue.
Jesus had done a lot of crazy things up to this point using his God powers but this was something new that the disciples had not experienced yet.
It's like finding out that your favorite superhero has a superpower that you didn't know about.
Look how they reacted.
They could have been like, oh that just Jesus using his God powers to mess with us. He is such a jokester.
The fact was the disciples were already struggling to make progress across the lake. Probably frustrated and tired, still processing all of the events of the day, and here Jesus shows up. Remember, people don’t just show up, out of nowhere in the middle of a lake. Walking on the water.
And I love Peter...he had that state your name moment by blurting out, “If it is you, tell me to come to you on the water.”
Greek word for fear:
Phobeo (5399) from Phobos (5401):
Afraid, Terrified, Very Frightened, Fearful (full of fear), To flee in fear.
Arachnophobia - spiders; claustrophobia - fear of being stuck in tight spaces
The disciples were experiencing Phasmophobia - Fear of ghosts
Followed by stultophobia - fear of looking stupid
[Fear of living a life without meaning, Fear of being misunderstood or judged, Fear of losing control, Fear of being abandoned, Fear of the unknown, Fear of change, Fear of aging, or Fear of life being lived without leaving a legacy.]
Article in Inc Magazine written by a Psychotherapist states that acknowledging your fears and facing them head-on could be the key to reaching your greatest potential.
it talks about how our attempts to work hard to prevent ourselves from feeling anxious can backfire, leaving us depressed and relegated to a boring, safe life that is void of any risk or excitement, needed to feel fully alive.
Fear Makes you Freeze
Faith Makes you Free
Change, Loneliness, Failure, Rejection, Uncertainty, Something Bad Happening, Getting hurt, Being Judged, Inadequacy, Loss of freedom
Fear of Failure - embarrassing to fail, makes us feel like we don’t measure up. Can cause us to hold back from doing something where success isn’t guaranteed.
Jonah Complex: Fear of one’s own potential. It’s a resistance to growth that stems from the fear of the unknown, the fear of failure, and the self-imposed limitations that can prevent one from actualizing their capabilities.
“A comfort zone is a beautiful place, where nothing ever grows.”
Fear of being judged - people pleaser, want to be liked, often prevents me from being my true self.
Fear of inadequacy - Not enoughs (good enough, strong enough, smart enough, wealthy enough)
Imposter syndrome: a psychological phenomenon characterized by persistent self-doubt and a fear of being exposed as a fraud, despite evidence of one’s accomplishments.
While fear can be healthy emotion to help keep us out of trouble like standing on the top of a cliff having the feeling that you feel in the pit of your stomach looking down.
Unhealthy fear can trap us and hold us back from living a full life.
God doesn’t dismiss fear, but he acknowledges it and offers an antidote. In fact depending on the version of the bible the word fear is addressed up to 500 times in the bible.
Antidote for fear is faith.
Let’s look at some verses that talk about fear and God’s guidance for us to navigate through it.
Bible creates dichotomy of two different types of fear one is an emotion of fear like the disciples were feeling and like I felt in the moment in the tent and the other is a fear of God.
Let's take a few minutes to unpack both through the lens of scripture.
For this is what the Lord said to me with great power, to keep me from going the way of this people: Do not call everything a conspiracy that these people say is a conspiracy. Do not fear what they fear; do not be terrified. You are to regard only the Lord of Armies as holy. Only he should be feared; only he should be held in awe.
Verse pairs both types of fears in one verse. There is the world’s way of dealing with things and their is God’s way of dealing with things.
Be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elements of the world, rather than Christ.
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment.
There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears is not complete in love.
Punishment - GK Kolasis - temporary torment produced by fear in the soul before the love of God brings peace
Greek for Perfect or complete: Teleioo - complete, make perfect by reaching the intended goal, bringing a state of completion or fulfillment.
Verb in the perfect tense (they call it pluperfect (PFIP) is the past equivalent indicating a past action with ongoing results that were effective at some point in the past.
This is super significant as it represents the process through our lives of allowing the full absorption of God’s love.
Love - Agape - highest level of love, unconditional, seeks to draw out the best in a person without expectation of reciprocation from the one providing the love.
Let’s take a moment to pause and consider a few things about God:
He created the universe and everything in it, yet choses to focus his attention on loving us by guiding us through this messy thing we call life.
He could look down at the mess we have made and not be faulted for just washing his hands and letting us run this world into the ground, but because of his nature he is committed to us unconditionally as we turn to him and invite him in to help us.
He knows everything about us - the good, bad and the ugly - but choses to look at us through the lens of seeing the best version of us and being available to guide us to become this person.
He has made promises - his words forever captured in this bible - for us to be able to have faith that God will stay true and be able to make our lives beautiful.
Here are some of God’s promises to us to counteract fear:
The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand.
When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.
I sought the Lord, and he answered me and rescued me from all my fears.
Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
God wants us to simply recognize him for his goodness, love and commitment to guide us.
It is interesting that it asks us to Fear of the Lord.
Hebrew word Yir-Ah: Refers to the positive quality of fearing God (Reverence, Respect, Honor). This fear acknowledges God’s unconditional love and good intentions toward us.
Fear of the Lord - recognition of God as the solution to all of life’s challenges. Respecting and appreciating him for the fact that he wants to help up.
Faith by turning to him as the answer - to his word for his truth.
At that time those who feared the Lord spoke to one another. The Lord took notice and listened. So a book of remembrance was written before him for those who feared the Lord and had high regard for his name.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his instructions have good insight. His praise endures forever.
Praise the Lord! How blessed is the man who fears the Lord, Who greatly delights in His commandments.
Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, On those who hope for His lovingkindness,
When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: fear God and keep his commands, because this is for all humanity.
Here is what i at stake for all of us...is whether we stay frozen and stuck, living in fear OR unleashing all the life God has for us so we may live full, free, dynamic lives.
What is troubling your soul right now?
What fears are keeping you stuck and unable to walk in the freedom that God has for you today?
First step is to name the fear you are dealing with.
Homologeo - Speak the same thing. Just like when God calls us to confess our sin.
We all have experiences from the past that have created our world view, our conclusions about who we think we are, how life works, and what is safe and unsafe.
God wants to help you work through the situations you have experienced in life that have led you to where you are today.
2. Believe the truth that God loves you and is for you and is ready to walk with you through the situations causing you fear.
I don’t know what brought you here today, but God is glad you are here for you to hear the truth to set you free.
3. Don’t suffer in silence or live in isolation…reach out for help.
If you feel God stirring in your heart today, please come to one of the leaders for prayer, but also let someone know you need help so we can come along side you to work through the fears and pain that is holding you back from living a faith filled life.
As we close I want to share 3 verses of encouragement from the Lord Jesus himself to help walk away from fear and toward him to help us walk a life of faith in Him.
“Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful.
I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”
Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
