Overcoming Fear – Episode 153
Overcoming fear is something that is important and real for all time, but especially for this present time in which we live. In this episode, we will discuss how we can allow fear to rule our lives or combat it with the spiritual tools we have freely available to us.
Sponsor Media Angels, Inc. – One More Child book — A Few Minutes With God
Are you fearful? If so, join the club with many of my friends on Facebook. It seems that everyone is fearful of something and angry and upset. Fear is something that creeps in without us even expecting it and then it quickly turns to anger, because fear is a great motivator of self-preservation. And if we are fearful we tend to lash out.
Do you know about the tools you have in your arsenal as a Christian? The spiritual tools? Well, let me introduce you to a few:
- The Word. The Bible is filled with the tools we need to overcome the evil one. The armor of Christ comes to mind – Ephesians 6:10-18
- Our faith. Our faith will sustain us but needs to be shored up – that is why we watch uplifting shows or videos and we listen to podcasts that will enrich and encourage our faith journey.
- Our community. This is our family first, then our friends. We have a prayer force that is very strong if it is used wisely (no gossip – just the prayer request, and it does not need to be specific. God knows.)
Let’s start with the Word of God. The word became flesh and dwelt among us – why wouldn’t we call on the Holy Name of God?
John 1:14 – The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Friends, as I share these scriptures with you write them down and read and memorize the verses that you can call to mind in a time of need. If you need a quick prayer, try the Jesus prayer. Invoking the name of Christ is all you need. Another quick prayer is, Jesus I Trust In You – this comes from the Divine Mercy prayer.
At the Name of Jesus – every knee will bow and tongue profess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Philippians 2:9-11
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
We know that perfect love cast out all fear, or as the Scriptures so eloquently puts it in 1 John 4:18 But perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment.
Fear is horrible and it is crippling. Every time you are fearful turn to the Scriptures. And, this is food for thought. If we do not fear death we have nothing to fear. If our life with God is on a solid foundation why do we fear? Nothing will happen without the permissive will of God, especially over the elements. God is the God of all. He parted the waters of the Red Sea. I believe there is a time of persecution coming – and it is already here in some places of the world – but I also know that if we stay vigilant and in prayer HE will protect us. If not we get to see Him sooner! I know that alone will cause some of you to become worried, but we do not know the time or place, the hour when the Lord is coming back. If we are a Christian our hope is in Christ. Period.
So many people today are paralyzed with fear and are angry. They are angry that people don’t understand or see their side of things or are just plain evil. Groups and sides are aligned with no middle ground. What happened to brotherhood, sisterhood, and praying for each other? Only the silent majority is silent. I’m not saying to go out there and slam into people as people slam into you. I’m saying that our voices can be heard where they really count, in prayer, and in the Divine will of God. Do what he tells you. This is what Mary said, the mother of Jesus at the wedding feast of Cana. She said to listen to the Lord and then you can watch miracles happen, in your own life and in the lives of others.
We are in a time where the scriptures say that we will be against each other this level of anger is unprecedented. I have never seen more sparing of brother against brother and sister against sister. We are in a war of words where right is considered wrong and wrong is right. You can not post an opinion on social media without the people who know better swoop down to tell you you are wrong. The question is not of right and wrong it is of principalities of darkness.
The Bible warns us of this in Matthew 10: 21-23
“Brothers will turn against their own brothers and hand them over to be killed. Fathers will hand over their own children to be killed. Children will fight against their own parents and will have them killed. Everyone will hate you because you follow me. But the one who remains faithful to the end will be saved. When you are treated badly in one city, go to another city. I promise you that you will not finish going to all the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes again.”
The Son of Man, the second person of the Trinity has already come and as we read in the Scriptures, will come again. God told us in the 10 Commandments – Thou Shalt Not Kill. Yet abortion is still running rampant in our cities – and people today even Christians do not think that pro-life politicians is the only issue we should be concerned about. Friends, Pro-life as the ultimate issue. We look at our conveniences and our livelihoods but we do not think the murdering of innocent children is evil? No wonder we live in fear.
Do we have love? Does perfect love cast out all fear? Let’s look at 1 John 17-20
This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world, we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.
Let us Pray:
Lord help us to love each other – give me the words to mend fences, to love my neighbor to love those who persecute me for righteousness sake. Dear Lord please cast out the fear in my life. I ask for the following prayers – and I pray this in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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