“Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10
The Kind of Fear that Comes from Believing satan’s Lies & Deception
Fear is the opposite of faith. You cannot have faith and fear at the same time. Having faith means ‘Trusting in God 100%”, having fear means ‘trusting in god(s)- problems, issues, concerns...’ So we must choose whom we will serve: God or god(s). We must choose: what will I have: faith or fear?
When people allow fear to come in, for that moment, they are being deceived into meditating upon the worst; for that moment they look at their problems and conclude the problems are much bigger than God. They look at the problem and the lies instead of looking at the solution and the truth – for that moment, they forget that God is their God and that God is with them.
We are not to fear nor have even any trace of fear all the days of our lives. So God commands us 365 times a year, ‘DO NOT FEAR’. It is said, ‘DO NOT FEAR’ is in the Bible 365 times. Each day of your life, God reminds you ‘TODAY, I AM YOUR GOD, DO NOT FEAR’. It is said that in the Hebrew language, ‘DO NOT FEAR’ is a very strong command that has no direct English translation. We are absolutely forbidden to entertain even the least speck of fear.
Learn to Trust Like a Child
I am thinking about young Titus in our church. He is less than a year old and his father often time has him on his shoulder, playing with him, giving him a shoulder ride. His father sometimes throws him in the air, catches him and they play like this – young Titus has never fear to fall, he trust his dad fully that when he is thrown in the air, dad will catch him. The idea of dad abandoning him cannot enter his mind. To young Titus, the idea of dad leaving him to fall, leaving him alone to harm does not exist. 100%, Titus trusts in his dad. Prayer: We must pray that the Lord restores us to our innocence age and give us a child like faith. But it begins with us smashing all other idols we have put our trust in and making God our one and only trust.
Not too long ago, I found myself alone in a kitchen with a homeless man whom I did not know very well. He told me his plans to move to a certain state and asked what I thought. I asked him first if he had prayed before making those plans. I also mentioned that I could see in the future those plans will not work but bring him harm. With my advice, I might have lit the gasoline on fire! This man got so mad, so upset by the truth [later on he confessed], ‘that I prophesied his plans will not go well’. He had rage on his face, he paced back and forth in the kitchen where I was, trying to pick a fight but I stayed quiet and focused on my work. Earlier he had mentioned to us how he spent years in prison for trying to subdue his dad. He also was charged of assaulting the police and was in jails for that. Even with all those stories he had shared with us, I was not afraid! Faith is my weapon!
In that place where I was alone with him, in his rage – voices came to me from afar, ‘there are knives here, what if he does this and that…” I did not entertain those thoughts and voices but cast them all out at once, because I know, and I know and I know… the One Who is always with me 100% 24x7. “It is God who is greatly feared among the holy ones; when He lifts His voice, nations rage, kingdoms crumble; the earth melts. The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth". Amos chapter 4:13 says, “For behold, He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind and reveals His thoughts to man, who turns the dawn to darkness and strides on the heights of the earth--the LORD, the God of Hosts, is His name."
I did not fear the man. How can I fear when the power of God in me is very strong! The fire inside of me was rising up to let me know, “I am available should you need me!” How can I fear when I know and have seen there are millions of angels guarding me? How can I fear if God is for me?
Beloved brothers and sisters, so much time is wasted focusing on this person and that person who is giving me this look…' you know pastor, he might want to harm me… this and that…' But to whom did you give your life to? Who is with you 24x7 and within you? The Bible says, "Greater is He who is in me than the devil who is in this world”. So my friend, FEAR NOT! There is no need to be afraid.
The Kind of Fear that Comes from Sinning Against God
Fearing = Sinning
The first time we sea fear in the Bible is in Genesis 3. Something had happened to Adam who used to fellowship with God, talk to Him face to face without any fear. In Genesis 3:10, the devil had talked to Adam and Eve, they had obeyed the voice of the devil rather than God’s voice. When God came looking for them, Adam said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” Adam and Eve feared because 1. They had talked to the devil. 2. They heed the voice of the devil and disobeyed God’s voice. Disobedience is sin. In other words, Adam had sinned. 3. Adam feared also because he got his eyes off of God and he got his eyes on himself! Self focused! He started looking about himself, his condition, his problems instead of looking up to God
When there is fear in us, we must ask ourselves: Am I trusting God in this? Have I talked to the devil somewhere and came in agreement with him? Have I obeyed the devil? We must always ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any sin in us and repent for it. We are also to repent for focusing on self. We are to repent for looking at the problem, worshipping the problem rather than the Answer. There are those who talk about the problem more than you talk about your God! Repentance is so much needed today!
In “Angels Assignment” book, Pastor Roland Buck who was visited by angel Gabriel writes: "Another of the many beautiful truths God gave me through the mouth of the angel Gabriel was that everything God has promised is already completed as far as God's book in heaven is concerned. This statement was very difficult for me to understand, so Gabriel took a pencil which I held in my hand, and drew a rough sketch of the picture frame. Webmasters Note: Picture below is from the book.
Everything God has promised is completed in this picture. But, he said, "Here is a tiny little spot representing things unclear to you - things not yet complete. You often spend your time looking at these things until the tiny spot expands outward and fills the frame, and totally hides what God has done. If you look to Jesus instead of the problem, you will see the complete picture." In Isaiah 43:2 the Lord said, "When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you." If you look at the waters of trouble, it will hide the picture, but if you look to Jesus, that little piece that looks so ominous to you has to shrink back into place and then you will see the whole picture complete with.
Recommended Book to Read: Angels on Assignment
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