Category: Fear Is A Liar

¹⁸ There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. ~ 1 John 4:18

Fear, an age-old enemy, attacking from generation to generation, relentless in its pursuit to defeat the strongest of men. A very true and accurate description of Fear by someone I love and miss dearly. Fear is an enemy that will intimidate you and throw lies your way in hopes that you never stand up to it. Why? Because Fear will have to back down. Fear uses this tactic because Fear doesn’t have the authority to touch you.

Here’s what I mean: Fear can’t beat you. It can’t scratch you. It can’t cause you actual harm. It can’t take your life. But it can convince you that others will. It will try its best to control you because it knows that if you refuse to give in to its demands, it no longer has any root in your life. So, it’ll bring friends with it, like anxiety, depression, suicide, shame, etc.

Mankind has struggled with Fear from the very beginning. After Adam ate the fruit and heard God in the Garden, Fear entered his life. Each and every one of his offspring after him have had to battle this enemy in one form or another. How do we fight and defeat this relentless enemy?

By standing firm in the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God. Love that doesn’t take into consideration its own needs or safety but will do whatever it takes to protect those dwelling in said love. This is what we hold to. The love of God.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Stand In Love.

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¹⁸ “Do not let Hezekiah mislead you when he says, ‘The Lord will deliver us.’ Have the gods of any nations ever delivered their lands from the hand of the king of Assyria? ¹⁹ Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they rescued Samaria from my hand? ²⁰ Who of all the gods of these countries have been able to save their lands from me? How then can the Lord deliver Jerusalem from my hand?” ~ Isaiah 36:18-20^NIV

Sennacherib, king of Assyria, invaded Israel in the days of Hezekiah, king of Judah. Now, his Commander was at the wall speaking to Judah so that he might send Fear into their hearts. Isn’t that how the enemy works? He comes to you and starts speaking with the utmost confidence, “Did you see God save that one?” “Did you see God intervene on their behalf?” And if we’re not careful, Fear will walk right into our nation through a door that we opened for him.

See, the enemy will show you where other people failed. Where other people fell short. Where other people missed the mark. Then he’ll ask, why would you be any different? Why would God save you? There’s nothing special about you. But you have to remember that he’s the Father of Lies, so his minions that come to you to harass and intimidate you are well-versed in his lies as well. Don’t believe them.

When the lies of the enemy come your way, turn to God. Remind Him and yourself of those verses He promised you. Remind Him and yourself that you are His, and He alone can save and defend you. Stand strong and don’t give in to the intimidation of the enemy.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Not Intimidated.

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¹ Now Abraham moved on from there into the region of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur. For a while he stayed in Gerar, ² and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” Then Abimelek king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her. ~ Genesis 20:1-2^NIV

Abraham’s fears often influenced his decisions. Twice he was deceitful about his wife Sarah being his sister and never mentioning that she was his wife. It was in those times of fear that Abraham forgot the promise of God. See, God promised Abraham and made a covenant with him that he would have not only a son but descendants more numerous than the sand of the seas and stars of the heavens. Because Abraham believed this promise, it was counted to him as righteousness, yet, there were days when fear shook his belief and caused him to fall short.

Abraham was afraid that they would kill him if he claimed Sarah as his wife because she was so beautiful. Abraham didn’t take into consideration that he had a direct promise from God that he would have an uncountable multitude of offspring and the whole world would be blessed through him. He didn’t consider that God was with him, and he had a call on his life, so he had nothing to fear. That’s us today. We allow fear to yell louder than the call and promises of God. If God has promised you something, don’t allow fear to take it from you. What God has for you, someone, or something else can take it from you. Jesus warned the Church in Philadelphia to be careful not to let anyone take their crown (Revelation 3:11).

The enemy is a roaring lion on the prowl, seeking someone to devour. We have to be on guard. We have to fight against fear. We have to quiet his lies and silence his threats. We have to cling to the promises and call of God on our lives. We have to stand up and fight for what God has for us. This life is a race. It has obstacles, hurdles, and other runners. We can’t let any of them stop us from receiving all God has in store for us.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Silence Fear.

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¹⁵ Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. ~ Matthew 7:15-20

In today’s Church, we’re afraid to say anything that may offend someone. I was recently at a Church where the pastor from the platform was explaining his childhood. Specifically, the legalism of the Oneness Holiness Pentecostal Church he got saved in and the dead catholic church he grew up in. There was really no critiquing of the churches. Simply that, one was legalistic and the other dead. He then quickly defended himself with, ‘There’s good people in both churches. I’m not trying to critique anyone. I just want to tell you my experience.’

Why has the Church become like this? Why are we so afraid to offend people by speaking Truth? Sin isn’t to be tolerated. It’s not to be overlooked. Its feelings aren’t to be taken care of. It’s to be called out. It’s to be corrected. There’s not a time when we should try to protect the feelings of sin by quieting the Truth. No. Jesus said blessed are those who are not offended by Him. Jesus is Truth. We can’t quiet the Truth in order to make sin feel more comfortable.

We’re the body of Christ. The Temple of the Living God. Sin should never be comfortable around us. Sin should never feel safe around us. In the Spirit should be a big sign that reads “No Safe Zone Here” right over our heads. That’s what we should drive for. God’s Spirit should be so strong within us that sin flees from our presence because it’s afraid to be in the presence of God shining through us.

Dear LORD, please shine through me. Help me to remove all sorts of fear from me. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that I might be a mighty vessel for You to use for Your Kingdom. Fill me with a Spirit of Discernment so that I might discern between right and wrong. My thoughts and Your thoughts. Darkness and Light. Teach me Your ways and fill me with strength and courage. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

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⁶ He appointed military officers over the people and assembled them before him in the square at the city gate and encouraged them with these words: ⁷ “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him.” ~ 2 Chronicles 32:6-7

Judah was being threatened by Assyria, and yes, they were the leading world power. Yes, they had a large, mighty, experienced, and well-funded army. But Hezekiah reminded them of the God factor. And today, you may be facing your Assyria. Maybe you’re being bullied at work or at school. Maybe it’s a health issue or a problem only God knows about, and it’s overwhelming. Or maybe you just need to be reminded today of the greater power that dwells in you. For greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. Don’t be afraid; you are an overcomer because you are a child of God. Be strong; you can do all things because Christ strengthens you. You are blessed and highly favored because you are a creation and child of God.

Heavenly Father, pour out Your love today on Your people. Encourage hearts and strengthen minds. We are Your people and the sheep of Your pastures. Cover and provide for each household that reads and believes this message this morning. In the name of Jesus, we pray, amen.

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¹¹ But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. ¹² When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile believers, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. ¹³ As a result, other Jewish believers followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. ¹⁴ When I saw that they were not following the truth of the gospel message, I said to Peter in front of all the others, “Since you, a Jew by birth, have discarded the Jewish laws and are living like a Gentile, why are you now trying to make these Gentiles follow the Jewish traditions?” ~ Galatians 2:11-14^NLT

Peter, like all of us, was human. He wasn’t perfect. There was only ever one perfect person, and that was Jesus. Peter was like us. He had flaws, hiccups, and he made mistakes. He even had to be corrected by someone who had received salvation long after he had. Peter had been saved for years before Paul, yet it wasn’t the number of years that counted but what they did in those years.

See, Peter was only saved from his sinful nature; he never persecuted the Church. Yes, he denied Christ three times, but Christ forgave him physically on earth after the resurrection. Paul, on the other hand, wasn’t just saved from a sinful nature; he was saved from persecuting and executing the Church. He was there from the stoning of Stephen onward until that day on the road to Damascus. Paul was, arguably, saved from a much greater sin and, as Jesus put it, therefore, loved more. The more you love, the less you fear. Peter feared the reaction of those in the Church. He was afraid of being criticized and rejected by those he was comfortable around, and in doing so, he sinned.

The same spirit of Fear that made him flee in the garden when Jesus was arrested and made him deny Jesus in the courts of the High Priest caused him to fall into sin once again. See, Fear isn’t an easy spirit to overcome. Fear doesn’t just leave because you preach the Gospel or you’ve been saved a long time. Fear is something you have to completely remove from its roots and entirely expel out of your life. And when it comes knocking at your door again, you can’t answer it. You can’t give it any kind of foothold into your life again. Why? Because it’s a controlling spirit. It’s a dominating spirit that demands you to bow to it.

But if you do, LORD forbid, fall into the grasp of Fear again and sin, God will always send you help, just as He sent to Peter. Peter, as stated earlier, was saved long before Paul, but it took a man that had no fear to confront Peter in person and correct, with Scripture, his faults. Peter wasn’t above correction because he walked and talked with the LORD. He wasn’t above correction because he was given the keys of the kingdom. Why? Because Peter was human, just as we all are. So, when someone shows you the inaccuracies of your beliefs, actions, or statements in Scripture, don’t be angry. Don’t become defensive. Accept that correction so that the LORD might redeem you from the place you have fallen and might continue to use you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Expel It Entirely.

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²⁶ I declare today that I have been faithful. If anyone suffers eternal death, it’s not my fault, ²⁷ for I didn’t shrink from declaring all that God wants you to know. ~ Acts 20:26-27^NLT

Paul was confident that he had done all he could do. He lived his life with no regrets. How many of us can say the same? Today’s Church is silent because of Fear. We’re afraid of being ostracized, persecuted, taunted, fired, or hurting someone else’s feelings. The Truth has been silenced, and where it isn’t completely silenced, it’s perverted. We take bits and pieces of the Scripture and preach a cherry-picked message that will tickle the ears of our listeners. But what good are we truly doing? The saint is still asleep, and the sinner is still lost.

I heard about a man who would get up all hours of the morning to pray for his congregation. Why? Because according to him, “I have 8,000 souls I must give an account for, and I know not their condition.” How many of us take the people put into our lives as seriously as this man? Each person we come in contact with is a soul that we have the chance to save. A soul that we have the chance to plant a seed in or to harvest.

If we look back on our lives, can we truly say that we’ve done all we could have done to witness, guide, lead, disciple, and pray for the souls we’ve come in contact with? If we are to give an account of all that we did on that final day, what’s more important: Speaking the Truth and making disciples of every nation or bowing down to Fear and remaining silent? Don’t let Fear keep you from spreading the Word. When we give into Fear, Fear then takes control and takes us farther than we wanna go. The silence of the Church only breeds darkness in the world. Light can only be shown by those who have the Light living within them. Therefore, shine the Light of the world into the world. Be like Paul and live your life with a clear conscience.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Live Without Regret.

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