FEAR

Happy Sunday!

I missed you last week! I was traveling and celebrating with my immediate family. I hope you had a safe and enjoyable holiday.

I will have to listen to Bishop Alexis A. Thomas' sermon from last week and fill you in on the third "Deadly Emotion", Depression. However, today Bishop preached on the fourth "Deadly Emotion", FEAR. He used St. Luke 1:30 as his reference scripture and his topic was, "Don't Be Scared!"

Our enemy has so many tricks. He wants to gain access to the helm of our lives and use our emotions to twist us and turn us. The Apostle Paul wrote, "We’re not oblivious to his sly ways!" 2 Corinthians 2:11 (Message Translation) The enemy uses fear to immobilize us, to stagnate us, and to put us in a fear induced coma. Fear is the opposite of Faith. One minister said, "Fear is False Evidence Appearing Real".

Fear is not natural! 2 Timothy 1:7 says, "You see, God did not give us a cowardly spirit but a powerful, loving, and disciplined spirit." (Voice Translation)

There are three things the enemy wants you to think. These three things bring Fear into our lives.

1) The enemy wants you to think that GOD's Word is not true. The enemy wants you to FEAR that God will not come through for you. The enemy knows that your prosperity is vitally connected to your FAITH. Hebrews 11:6 says, "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." (King James Version) 2 Chronicles 20:20 says, "Trust in the Eternal One, your True God, not in your own abilities, and you will be supported. Put your trust in His words that you heard through the prophets, and we will succeed." (Voice Translation) Did you get that? The enemy wants you to doubt the Word and doubt the messengers. Why do you think negative reports about preachers get so much publicity? The enemy wants you to be suspicious of all the ministers of the Gospel, because he knows if you don't believe the Word they preach you won't prosper. Read it for yourself and read it in another translation or two. Don't get me wrong. There are bad people in every profession. The Apostle John wrote, "My dear friends, don’t believe everything you hear. Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you. Not everyone who talks about God comes from God. There are a lot of lying preachers loose in the world. 1 John 4:1(Message Translation) That's why it is so important to attend a Bible Believing, Bible Teaching, and Spirit-filled Church. Your very life depends on it!

2) The enemy wants you to FEAR that you will face a situation in the future that you will be inadequate to handle. ATTENTION ALL READERS! You will face situations in this life that you are not adequate to handle! Life is hard, but GOD is GOOD! God did not intend for you to handle everything yourself. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." (New Living Translation) The writer of Psalm 34:19 wrote, "The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time." (New Living Translation)
3) The enemy wants you to FEAR Death. Hebrews 2:14-15 says, "Since the children are made of flesh and blood, it’s logical that the Savior took on flesh and blood in order to rescue them by his death. By embracing death, taking it into himself, he destroyed the Devil’s hold on death and freed all who cower through life, scared to death of death." (Message Translation) Death was not God's perfect plan for man, but because of Adam's sin in the Garden of Eden, death entered the picture. God sent Jesus to our rescue! He lived a perfect human life and paid the ultimate price for our wrongdoing. When you accept his sacrifice, and believe that what he did is enough you no longer have to fear death. Sure, we all have to face death, but we don't have to Fear it. John 3:16 says, "This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him. (Message Translation)
Let's cast down FEAR this week!
Love and prayers, Cynthia