Overcoming Fear in Our Lives
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Intro
Joke: All the talk about alternative energy cars has finally reached the Bayou... but maybe it didn’t translate too well.
Boudreaux told Thibidoux, My uncle made him a new kind of car. He took the engine from a Ford… the transmission from a Chevy… and the tires from a Cadolac… and the exhaust system from Buick… Really? What did he get? 15 to 20 for Grand Theft Auto
There is a lot of things people are worrying about these days.
We still have the Russian War in Ukraine - millions of lives… people God loves have been killed.
Iran is still a bad nation after 47 years of terror sponsoring.
Money- people struggle with inflation, debt, retirement, job security and unexpected expenses…
Health - Disease, dementia, cost of medical care, cost of insurance
Family - Maybe you have kids making poor choices… parents are aging and now you become the parent… family conflict
Future - will life turn out like I planned?
Politics and the direction of the country - division, instability, loss of traditional values
Tech - AI, Identity Theft, scams, children’s exposure to harmful content
Failure - not feeling successful… disappointing others… making the wrong decisions
Past Mistakes - fear that previous mistakes will define us.
Not being in control - being unable to fix it or control it
What other people think? reputation… appearance… social media comparisons…
Missing God’s Will - uncertainty about what decision to make or direction to take.
Rejection -
Loneliness -
Church - culture moving further from God.
Fear has been the biggest tool the devil has used throughout history.
Fear has been the biggest tool the devil has used throughout history.
Paul countered that with this…
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
People are afraid of all kinds of things. snakes, spiders, roaches, germs, open places, tight places, coming to church
What’s the greatest fear you have today? war… finances… kids…
Jesus doesn’t want you and me to waste time worrying.
Jesus doesn’t want you and me to waste time worrying.
25 “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? 28 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? 31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. 34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
Listen to me. Nothing you are going through has caught God by surprise and He has not given us a spirit of fear. Fear comes from the enemy of our souls. Power, love and self discipline come from the Lord.
The world is in a panic, but as believers in Jesus, we don’t have to be in a panic like the rest of the world. We have a protector and a hope that many people do not have…
1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. 3 For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. 4 He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. 5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. 6 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. 7 Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you. 8 Just open your eyes, and see how the wicked are punished. 9 If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, 10 no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. 11 For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. 12 They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone. 13 You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet! 14 The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. 15 When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. 16 I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.”
God declares that He will protect us.
God declares that He will protect us.
1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. 3 For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease.
When we place our trust in God, He promises to protect us. He alone is our refuge, our place of safety. He is the one who rescues us from traps of the culture and the enemy of our souls. He is the one protects us from deadly disease.
6 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
We don’t have to fear disease. As you know disease can hid for a while… often people find out they are sick with something long after they are actually sick.
Iran keeps running their mouths… Putin keeps attacking Ukraine… Gas prices are up…. but God will take care of us.
Make the Lord your refuge and He will protect you.
Make the Lord your refuge and He will protect you.
9 If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, 10 no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home.
Your refuge is like your home and your home is where your heart is. Is your heart with Jesus? If Jesus is the center of your life, you are ok. You are under his protection.
So, what can we do to eliminate fear?
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. 8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.
Steps to Eliminate Fear
Steps to Eliminate Fear
1. Stop worrying about anything.
1. Stop worrying about anything.
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
Worry is expecting the worst possible things to happen and that causes stress and anxiety and will rob you of peace, joy, and sleep. it’s our basic nature. Just let someone call you to the office on Friday afternoon….
The truth is…
Most things we worry about will never happen.
Most things we worry about will never happen.
40% of the things you worry about will just NEVER happen.
30% of your worries concern the past…
12% of your worries are about your health…
10% of your worries are insignificant.
8% of your worries are legitimate.
Worry is useless. It doesn’t change the past or the future. When we worry about something, we make it bigger and bigger. When we trust God we make Him bigger and bigger.
Worry is a learned behavior and can be unlearned.
Worry is a learned behavior and can be unlearned.
One day John Wesley was walking with a troubled man who expressed his doubt as to the goodness of God. He said, “I do not know what I shall do with all this worry and trouble.”
At the same moment Wesley saw a cow looking over a stone wall. “Do you know,” asked Wesley, “why that cow is looking over the wall?”
“No,” said the man who was worried.
Wesley said, “The cow is looking over the wall because she cannot see through it. That is what you must do with your wall of trouble—look over it and avoid it.”
Faith enables us to look past our circumstances and focus on Jesus.
Faith enables us to look past our circumstances and focus on Jesus.
34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
2. Pray about everything.
2. Pray about everything.
When the Bible says to stop worrying, it will tell you to put something in its place. The Bible always replaces a negative with a positive. Replace worry with prayer.
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
Prayer defeats worry by allowing us to un-load our worries onto God.
Prayer defeats worry by allowing us to un-load our worries onto God.
When you begin to worry, stop and give it to the Lord. Jesus said come all you are weary and heavy burdened… Give Jesus your worries.
Pray about everything because God is interested in every area of our lives.
Pray about everything because God is interested in every area of our lives.
Paul tells us to pray specifically. This is important especially with 21 Days of Prayer beginning on Aug 9th. Tell God what you need and want… not some watered down general prayer. You want your kids, grand kids and great grand kids fgollowing Jesus - pray that. You don’t have to ask for God’s will - that is his will.
2 You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it.
7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
Give God your worries.
3. Develop an attitude of gratitude.
3. Develop an attitude of gratitude.
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
Gratitude is the healthiest human emotion. It actually increases your immunities so there is actually a physical benefit for being grateful. Ungrateful people are never satisfied and they are for the most part – unhappy people.
If you are feeling depressed or overwhelmed… make a list of about 20 things you are thankful for and see what happens.
You develop an attitude of gratitude by choosing to be grateful in every situation.
You develop an attitude of gratitude by choosing to be grateful in every situation.
It’s a choice that takes your attention off of your fears and problems and places your focus on the Lord and the things he has blessed you with.
18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
You develop an attitude of gratitude when you choose to focus on what you have not what you don’t have.
You develop an attitude of gratitude when you choose to focus on what you have not what you don’t have.
There is always something we can be thankful for no matter what you are going through.
4. Focus your thoughts on the right things.
4. Focus your thoughts on the right things.
A lot of our stress comes tom what Zig Ziglar called “stinking thinking.” When our focus gets off, we start worrying. If you watch the news right now, you might just begin worrying. I have heard of people who stayed up all night afraid they might miss something. Maybe that’s you or has been you at times.
8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
Paul says to fix your thoughts which means that we can fix our thoughts… choose to focus or thoughts. You decide what you think about. It’s an act of your will to focus your thoughts.
Jobs - same job and some people hate it… while others love it.
Incidents in the news - some people see the Iran thing as something terrible, I see it as something we should have done 47 years ago.
Paul said to think about things that are true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise
Use these words as a filter for your mind and what you allow into your mind and focus on.
When we refocus our thoughts from the negative to the positive, we will experience the peace of God in our lives.
When we refocus our thoughts from the negative to the positive, we will experience the peace of God in our lives.
Don’t let those depressing and fearful thoughts build a nest in your mind. Be ready to re-focus.
What you focus on determines the way you feel. The way you feel affects the way you act.
What you focus on determines the way you feel. The way you feel affects the way you act.
How you feel determines the way you act. If we think better, we will feel better and we will act better. And that will bring good things into our lives.
7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, But his heart is not with you.
If we will practice these 4 steps we will experience the peace of God.
If we will practice these 4 steps we will experience the peace of God.
Stop worrying about anything
Pray about everything.
Develop an attitude of gratitude.
Focus your thoughts on the right things.
7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Right now more than ever before people need peace in their lives. People are worried about all sorts of things: disease… relapse… war… politics…
They need what we have. A relationship with Jesus.
To experience the peace of God, you must experience the God of peace.
To experience the peace of God, you must experience the God of peace.
When you trust Jesus as your Savior, He will give you a peace that you cannot comprehend. It’s a relationship with Jesus, not a religion... relationship.
You and I were created with a vacuum or a hole in our lives... one that only a relationship with Jesus will fill.
7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
Prayer time
