FREEDOM FROM FEAR
{ This site is MOST excellent for studies to help emotional healing - not that
all is perfectly done...but best I've seen}
God's View:
Isa. 61:1-3 -Many of our emotional problems are the result of misperceptions regarding ourselves, the world around us, and, most important, God. Satan's main job is to maintain these falsehoods, and to keep us from really hearing and receiving the truth of God's word and His deliverance. As a result of the abuse and neglect we suffered as children which continues in our life, we become to believe the multitude of lies, and act accordingly from the abuse, the shame, the guilt and associated fears of our experiences. Thus, the biblical concept of salvation is basically deliverance.
Hope:
Exodus 20:5 ; l John 3:8 ; John 10:10 ; Eph. 6:12 -Satan uses the sins of our parents, the unintentional mistakes that come from their wounded spirits, the circumstances of life in our youth, our friends-whatever means are at Satan's disposal-to destroy our self worth and dignity that causes a brokenness of will and spirit. Knowing who your real enemy is-Satan-and not your genealogy and circumstances of life-is the first step to victory.
Phil. 2:12-15 ; Ps. 91:16 -To be forgiven the penalty of my sins is primary and basic, but to be delivered from all the damage sin has done is God's purpose for me until He can bring us into the place where He can show His salvation.
Heb. 10:14 ; Rom. 8:28 ; l John 5:4 -Once we are born into this family of God, we are perfect, but our sanctification, the process, has yet to be completely accomplished. When we are confident that God loves us and only wants the best for us, that He is absolutely sovereign, having this faith we have the victory already.
Change:
John 8:31 ;8:44 ; 2 Cor. 10:5 ; Heb. 4:12 -Satan strives to keep us locked up in a prison formed of his lies we learned as children, from the wounds of abuse and neglect, our parents' innocent mistakes, and general life's experiences. To get free is a spiritual battle. Though Christ has purchased our freedom, we have to use the sword of truth in order to claim it. It is truth that sets us free. Thus, to emerge victorious, we need only one weapon-the word of God.
James 5:16 ; Rom. 8:1 ; l John 4:18 ; John 17:17 -Secret shame provides fertile ground where all kinds of lies can take root. Hidden shame keeps us from entering into God's light and prevents us from gaining the experiential knowledge that we are no longer condemned which keeps us in bondage and the resultant pains and torments of the soul.
Exo. 20:5 ; l John 1:9 ; James 5:16 ; Gal. 3:13 -Ask God to reveal to you any generational sins that exist within your family. Confess these sins on behalf of your family, ask forgiveness, claiming the blood of Jesus. Confess any sins of your own, then separate yourself and future generations from the sins of your ancestors in the authority of the Name of Jesus, The Holy One of God.
ORIGINS OF FEAR
Perspective:
Gen. 1:26-28 ; Ps. 111:10 ; Gen. 3:10 -Mankind was created to know God, the Almighty, infinitely wise, all-knowing, and unconditionally loving One, and man was to live all of his life in the consciousness of His presence. Man was to be in awe of the magnificence of the Lord and to be the container and revealor of God on earth. In our everyday lives, we were to be constantly a visible manifestation of the invisible God, the purpose for our existence on the planet, the meaning of life.
After man decided to be his own god, the center and the source of his own life, sin entered and fear followed and becomes the driving energy of man' s life:anxiety, worry, fret, dread and panic become part of man's vocabulary.
Man who was created to fear One who unconditionally loves him, now potentially fears all persons, spirits, and created things-except the God who alone gjves him life.
Hope:
Matt. 22:37-39 ; John 14:21 , 27 ; l John 4:18 -To return from a self-loving-self to self-loving-others, one must resume the dependent attitude, to 'stand under' God in obedient faith, to again actually partake of Him , to be a participator in His love, His very life. Man was created capable of receiving and becoming the dwelling place of divine love, and revealing that love in his behaviour within creation which leaves no room for fear.
Isa. 42:7 ;61:1 ; Lu. 2:10 ; l Jn. 4:18 ; Rom. 8:15 , 16 -The Gospel is the message of what God has done in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, His death, His resurrection, the Conqueror of death, and the power of the lie; and in His exaltation He sends the Holy Spirit to come and dwell within us, returning us to the original design, by which He wills to bring us all out of the dungeon of fear where we are tormented by worry and anxiety.
Change:
Phil. 4:6 ; John 14:1 , 27 ; Isa. 8:12-14 ;26:3 -Worry centers on present and future problems as if there is no God; it gives honor , respect and reverence to the power of evil, standing in terror and awe of them.
However, the fear of God centers on the character of God, His unchanging presence within us, and His promises. Deliberately taking and acting on His promises by obedient faith, we demonstrate His love and express His peace. In this mode, we confront, work through, and rise above all of life's adversities. Thus, fear is primarily in the mind and behaviour which we can change. You cannot command your emotions.
Regardless of your feelings, you act by the word in your mind, and your behaviour will follow suit, and victory awaits.
Eph. 4:18 ; 2 Cor. 4:4 -Fear and worry describes us totally absorbed in ourselves , in self-preservation, self-interest, and self-pity, so that we see neither God nor man except as they can be used to further 'our' meaning of life. We either fear God as He designed us to do, resulting in our living in His love, OR we fear the forces that we perceive as hostile to us, taking away the illusion of our meaning of life.
Matt. 6:32-33 ; John 16:33 ; 2 Tim. 1:7 -We must accept responsibility for our fears. God command us to 'Fear Not"366 times in Scriptures. Jesus commands us to 'Be anxious for nothing', and He placed the responsibility in our hands when He said, 'Let not your heart be troubled'.
Christians feel fear, but they make it the springboard for faith to fear God. The answer to fear is the greater fear of God. Believers feel fear but know it is a lie , and replaces it with the truth of his relationship to God and the presence of God within him.
PRESENCE OF FEAR OR FAITH
Perspective:
Gen. 1:26 -28Isa. 8:12-14;1; Rom. 1:16 ; Rom. 5:17 ; Eph. 4:1 -The only answer Scriptures gives to fear is the greater fear of the Lord. Isaiah describes how the believer transfers his fear of people and situations to the Lord who is always with him. As believers we are to 'walk worthy 'of our calling, i. e. , to walk in harmony with what we believe. The Gospel is good news of our restored relationship with God , and a return to live in God's presence. According to God's original design, we are to rule in love and in righteousness.
Hope:
Josh. 1:6-9 ; 1 Pet. 3:13-15 ; Heb. 13:5-6 -In Scripture , the presence of God is equated with the fear of God, and this is always expressed in our behaviour. A person living in the fear of God demonstrates a lifestyle of love, joy and peace-and above all, freedom from fear.
Isa. 41:10 ; Ps. 23:4 ;3:18 , 27 -The presence of God is the logic behind a life, a life without fear. God's command to change our anxious behaviour is based on the reality of His presence. Freedom from worry, fretting, and anxiety is not a miracle in our emotions but is a result of the conclusions of a Holy Spirit enlightened mind.
Ps. 62:1 , 2 , 5 , 6 ; 2 Cor. 13:14 -Living in the fear of God means not only that Christ has died and is risen from the dead, but also that He is exalted and has sent the Spirit who indwells our heart, and is the center of our true self. Thus, our biblical hope is born of a living relationship with God, and we know we are in covenant with God who is love, and Who is active on our behalf.
Change:
Lu. 9:23-24 ; Rom. 8:5-9 -We have practiced the presence of our flesh so long that we are on 'automatic' in the presence of a hostile situation. We react rather than act. We either deny there is a reason to fear, or we are immobilized and paralyzed, or we lash out in anger, afraid of our helplessness.
To counteract this tendency , we have to understand that we must act in faith , and practice the consciousness of God's presence within and with us . This does not just 'happen' to us! Notice Ps. 23:4 -it is David's determined faith and determined response to God's announcement that He is with us !
Rom. 8:26 ; Phil. 4:6-7 ; Isa. 26:3 , 4 ;40:31 -The Holy Spirit is our prayer partner, and we share every detail with God in prayer, and leave it with Him. We praise and give thanks, knowing it is the way faith anticipates His actions in our unknown future. This leads us to wait upon God which results in supernatural strength. We take time to simply sit in His presence and confess that "Thou art with me" and share the things that are the object of our worry and anxiety. When we do so, He promises that we will know the peace of God that is beyond all human comprehension.
2 Cor. 10:5 ; Prov. 16:25 ;18:21 -Every thought that comes to mind, give immediately to the Holy Spirit Who will return the right word to your mind to digest, to understand and to apply through your tongue which addresses life and rejects death.
Ps. 31:24 ;39:7 ;71:4 , 5 ; 1 Thess. 1:3 ; Rom. 5:5 ;15:13 .
LEARNING TRUTH TALK
Perspective:
Phil. 2:5 ; Eph. 4:23 ; Col. 1:8-10 ; Phil. 4:8 ; 2 Cor. 10:5 -The New Testament teaches that the source of our behaviour is the mind. The salvation we have received though Christ begins to be established and worked out in our thoughts before it becomes our lifestyle. It is in the mind that we look at ourselves and form a perception of who we are. We have a mental mirror that images to us who we believe ourselves to be. Accordingly, before Christ, the false images we had of ourselves, patterns of anxiety, feelings and behaviour are to be changed to new patterns that reveal the love, hope and peace of God. , i. e. , learning to think with the mind of Christ.
Hope:
Matt. 13:1-9 , 8-23 ; Jere. 31:33 ; Eze. 36:26 , 27 -We now have a new center, a new magnetic north. Christ has put His life into us, we have a new heart, and His law written on that new heart, a heart of flesh, not stone. We have new soil to receive the word of God in order to conform to his image.
Matt. 18:3 -To hear the Gospel is usually a passive act. At the surface level, it may make sense to us so that we accept it. At the same time, we may still believe in our deepest being the prompting of the Lie, and we self-talk ourselves and fail to translate the Gospel into behaviour. Having a new heart means to turn around and go in the other direction, facing the fact that we now have to build our lives on a totally new foundation. Like children, we have to relearn the meaning of our lives and how to live it. A question of choice, choosing to change, to repent which opens the door to being Christlike.
Eph. 1:18 ; Eph. 4:23 ; Col. 1:9-10 -The 'heart' in Scripture is never the seat of emotions, but the center of a man's person. The heart of a man is his mind, the way he thinks and believes about life, from his beliefs he makes his decisions. The spirit of the mind speaks to the direction the mind thinks in. As we study the word of God, we progress being filled with godly knowledge. This wisdom and understanding originates in the spirit, and this becomes the source of our behaviour which pleases God.
Change:
2 Cor. 4:3-4 ; Rom. 12:1-2 -Our genealogy, life's experiences and encounters formed us to a self-focus, and a self-defensive posture to guard us against the fears of living . From this we established a belief bank which fashioned and determined the course of life. The basic cause of all our fears is not how other people view us and how we measure up in their eyes, but how we view ourselves and measure up to our own standards.
We talk to ourselves from our source, and by it we judge ourselves and everyone else. It is by this self-talk with its endless commands, requirements, and patterns of fear, it is this thinking that we base our actions or inactions. This belief bank and resultant self-talk is to be renewed.
Gen. 3:5 ; Rom. 8:6-7 ; Eph. 4:17 ; Rom. 1:18-27 -The Satanic lie of Eden "You shall be as God' was first injected into the mind and introduced a new and totally false belief system. It reflected to man through the inner mirror that he was to find the meaning to life in his created flesh. By this lie Satan gained legal access to the mind. Thus, man outside of Christ has a mind that is blinded by flesh feelings, he is led by passion, not logic, believing man is the center and the meaning of life.
2 Cor. 10:4 -The foundational belief system and the image of our self that arose from it were fashioned and given definition in our childhood. They were laid down and built up by our forefathers and parents, and were passed into our hands to build upon and updated to pass on to our children.
2 Cor. 10:5 ; Rom. 12:1-2 ; Rom. 8:29 ; Rom. 10:9 ; 1 Cor. 2 -Daily we replenish the mind to eventually realize that we were created capable and responsible to receive a revelation of who God is, who we are, and the meaning of our existence. We are responsible to look to the "One" who made us and ask , "Who am I?" He tells us . We are dependent upon the creator God Who is unconditional love, deriving our life from Him. In the ability of the Holy Spirit, we are to express that life, His love in our behaviour, glorifying Him in creation. This is the belief bank we are to live from , the truth of God's word embedded in our human spirit which directs our life being a blessing on earth as Jesus was, is, and in us. By this we subdue the world's influences and the devil.
APPLYING THE TRUTH
Perspective:
2 Cor. 6:16-18 ; Eph. 4:20-21 ; Phil. 3:12-14 :Understanding the true foundational beliefs, the inner image of ourselves arising from these beliefs, and the inner talk that continually directs our lives, will help us to attack and destroy the lies that are behind all of our fears. The new birth does not neutralize the effect of what we tell ourselves. If we think with only the flesh-feeling input-we return, in fact, to life under the flesh, directed by the Lie We effectively silence the mind and the revelation of the truth as it is in Jesus.
Unless we understand what is going on, we will continue to live by leftover feelings and a view of life-a way of thinking-rooted in the Lie. These old lies are the factory where new lies and distortions to fit the new situation are manufactured. They are the landing strips for Satan's flying missiles to land on.
Hope:
Eph. 4:20-21 ; 2 Cor. 10:3-5 :It is the Holy Spirit Who renews the mind. We learn by Jesus, hear of Jesus, and be taught of Him, as we study the Scriptures. The Spirit would totally renew our mind and outmoded way of thinking, and would establish in us the mind of Christ-a new way of thinking.
Rom. 5:5 ; Phil. 4:6-7 ; Heb. 13:5-6 :When we take a stand of faith with the truth, the Holy Spirit then works in us mightily, pouring out and communicating the love of God to us. The love of God reaches into our fears, and surrounds and engulfs us. He enters our soul, where our emotions and thoughts are in turmoil, and speaks His peace-giving presence. We hear Him affirm us in the stand we take. He tells us He will never leave us, and we realize that He is our strength to face all our tomorrows.
John 14:6 ; 1Pet. 1:22 ; 2 John 2 ; 2 John 4 ; 3 John 4 ; 3 John 8 :We are those who have become confronted by the Truth, the Lord Jesus Himself and have renounced the Lie and obeyed the Truth. The Truth has come to take residence within us by the entrance of the Spirit of Truth. We now walk in the Truth. We are actively participating in the Truth and aggressively promoting the Truth.
Change:
Phil. 4:6-8 ; Matt. 6:25-32 :Because I am a child of the Father, I do not have to be anxious over anything; whatever is beginning to bother me, I choose with prayer and supplication with thanksgiving to make my requests known to my Father. I do now and in all hours of the day and night, choose to direct my mind to dwell on whatever is honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, of excellence and of praise.
Col. 3:1-3 ; Matt. 5:14 :I have been raised up with Christ, and I choose to keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. I choose to set my mind on the things that are above, not on things that are on the earth, because I have died and my life is hidden with Christ in God. Christ is my life and in Him I am the light of the world. I am a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden.
John 1:12 ; Rom. 8:16 ; Gal. 4:6-7 :I have received Jesus Christ and , therefore, have been given the right to become a child of God. The Spirit Himself bears witness with my spirit that I have been born of God. And because I am His son, the Father has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into my heart. I am no longer a slave, but a son and an heir-an heir of God, a fellow-heir with Christ.
Read and dwell on the following Scriptures to reinforce who and what you are in Christ:
·
John 15:1 , 5 , 15-16 ; Phil. 1:2 1; Pet. 2:5
John 15:1 , 5 , 15-16 ; Phil. 1:2 1; Pet. 2:5 ·Rom. 6:18 ; Eph. 3:4-10 ; 1 Pet. 2:9
Rom. 6:18 ; Eph. 3:4-10 ; 1 Pet. 2:9 ·1 Cor. 6:15-20 ; Eph. 4:21-24 ; 1 Jhn. 3:1-2
1 Cor. 6:15-20 ; Eph. 4:21-24 ; 1 Jhn. 3:1-2 ·2 Cor. 5:17 ; Col. 1:12-14 ; 1 Jhn. 5:18
2 Cor. 5:17 ; Col. 1:12-14 ; 1 Jhn. 5:18 ·Gal. 6:18 ; 1 Thess. 5:5 ; Matt. 5:13
Gal. 6:18 ; 1 Thess. 5:5 ; Matt. 5:13 OUT OF CONTROL
Perspective:
Matt. 6:34 ; Isa. 33:2 ; Ps. 90:4 ; Lam. 3:21-24 :Sin is man choosing to be independent of God's love. It is taking sides with Satan in defiance of God, turning to one's own way. When man came out from under God to live in the Lie of " I can be independent and alongside of God, "he walked out of God's shalom. The first words of man were "I was afraid". When we seek to be in control of our lives, independent of God , we create a world of fear and anxiety. Believing the Lie that he is the source and master of his own life, his world and all his futures, man seeks to create shalom independently of God. To do this he must have control over all that happens in life, today and in all tomorrows, in his own life and in the lives of those who affect his happiness.
This leads to compulsion to control every detail of his existence and that of everyone around him. If he is a god, then he must be in control. This is the world of non-existence, the territory of the Lie, that exists only in our darkened imagination and in the minds of demons.
Hope:
Matt. 6:34 ; Isa. 33:2 ; Ps. 90:14 ; Lam. 3:21-24 : Jesus commands believers to live life in increments of one day at a time, and within that, one hour at a time. We have grace for today to be used entirely on today's quota of problems and challenges. The only action we can take today is to use that grace to do what must be done today in preparation for tomorrow . We then place all the problems of tomorrow in God's hands. Scripture advises us to receive from God in the morning the grace that is needed for that day.
Ps. 23 ; Heb. 13:8 ; Isa. 26:3 ; Deut. 33:25 :David spoke of God in the present tense, giving him the strength and enablement he needs in the present moment. Resting in the fact that God is now his Shepherd gives him the wisdom to handle the problem when he actually faces it. We don't try to imagine the changing future or what we will do with it;we focus our attention on the unchanging Christ, the Ruler of history. Instead of imagining a tomorrow without God, we concentrate our picture-forming ability on who God is to us, and in us now. As he is, so are we.
Change:
Lu. 22:31-34 ; John 15:10-11 ;16:33 ; Phil. 4:7 ; Ps. 91:11-13 :We not only want to control tomorrow, but all the people who are part of our lives, who fill our todays and tonorrows. We believe it is our responsibility to heal all the wounds and hurts of our family and associates; we must have the answers to all their problems, we are responsible to provide for family and to counsel and discipline children. . God commands us never to manipulate others or try to live life for them. We must repent of our sinful attempts to control the lives of others, and release them to God Who is responsible for them.
Num. 13:25-14 :35; Phil. 4:6-7 ; James 4:6-8 ; l Pet. 5:5-6 :We are afraid of change, the fear of the unknown that causes anxiety. We procrastinate learning a new skill, driving a car, fear changing jobs, meeting new people, moving to a new area, afraid of success and new challenges, fear of being found wanting. We worry over things we have no control over: the life or death of loved ones, their joy and their sadness, and the choices they make. We worry because the Lie has taught us we should control them. The fear of death is the ultimate fear of the unknown and uncontrollable.
These types of fear lead to murmuring and complaining and often directed at God. We must do as Joshua and Caleb in not fearing the unknown: they self-talked the truth, confronting themselves and their fears in the presence of God. They knew God's presence with them, and they knew God's track record.
Rom. 6:3-6 ; 2 Cor. 5:17 , 21 ; Rom. 8:1-2 ; Heb. 11:1 :The only way to be free from all fear, especially the anxiety arising from the compulsion to control, is to pass through the ultimate fear, fear of death. We must become new persons, no longer dominated and controlled by the Lie and the liar. The only way that can happen is for that lie-controlled self to die ! Jesus took our place in death and resurrection. Our response to that announcement is to repent and renounce the Lie, specifically in the area of control. Faith means death to the controlling self because the act of faith in the Gospel is admitting we can do nothing to save ourselves from ourselves and our sin. Faith abandons all efforts to make self right with God and rests with thanks in what God has done in Christ.
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List those areas, people and circumstances, that causes anxieties. List areas which you try to control. See yourself dead to the old fleshly reactions , see yourself filled with the Presence of the Holy Spirit . With Him you confront the old fear-filled patterns of the flesh and the controlling spirit, see the life of these lies evaporate in the Light and the Presence of Christ who now directs your life.
He is constantly at work within us, changing the old programs of behaviour that conformed to the Lie, that we may be conformed to the very image of Christ in Whom we are more than conquerors and allow Him through us to be God in the lives of others and in the circumstances of life.
Act, don't wait on fear
John 14:21 -God's command is not only to love Him but to love one another. Jesus never referred to His loving God, but always mentioned loving your neighbor. By loving your neighbor, this was proof you were loving God. Jesus prayed all night so that He could talk to people lovingly in the day.
Compassion - pity, sympathy, anger at suffering of others, that I must do something about it.
l John 3:17 -God's love is never a feeling, God's love is action. Compassion arises and this leads to action.
Feelings are not sin but only become sin when feelings become the motive for which you act. Love is a choice I make over against other possibilities. Obedience is acting in response to God but reacting is a response to a situation. First rule of love is 'FEAR NOT'. I meet objection, I meet abuse, I meet hatred, with forgiveness in the name of Jesus.
The Samaritan is just a story that Jesus tells to warn us to do those things we have not been doing. To begin to do them now.
FEAR FAR ENOUGH
We are God's invention and our job is to ask God why He invented us. As I study and increase in my knowledge of God, I will become what God intended me to be from the beginning. When I do what God's word says to do then I become what God says I am. Until I become a communicator with God, and I do as He says I am to do, I become a blessing otherwise I am a danger on this earth.
Unless I know who I am in God's chart and scheme of things, then I will relate horizontally and become what others want to condition me to be or the conditions of life influence me to be according to the circumstances of life.
·The key to existence is to be in awe and reverence of the Lord.
The key to existence is to be in awe and reverence of the Lord. Satan in the garden tells man he is to be the meaning of life. Man chose not to be present with God but to be present within himself.
As soon as the independent spirit came in, man became fractured from one another. No longer communicated with each other, each conscious of his own needs rather than the other. Instead of sharing , they began to covet and protect themselves; thus, being alone they became desolate and fear entered in. Man became John Wayne types, solitary, no need of others but sufficient unto themselves.
We all have masks on and will be what others want us to be in order to be acceptable.
Isa. 61:4 -Desolations of many generations, Adam's sinned passed on to us manifold. Jesus had 'mature faith'. Called the Father "Abba". Looked at Himself as a 'little child', did not assume an adult way of thinking.
Shalom means I am at peace in the midst of chaos because I am resting in the arms of My Father. Jesus did not see danger as the final reality because the 'final reality' is "Abba". He is beyond the storms of life.
Jesus never looked at circumstances but through them and saw the "Father". Jesus did not fear the storm because He had authority over it.
Little faith is insufficient, undeveloped, timid. It is faith for salvation only. Does not deal with protecting and providing for you every day of your life.
Little faith lives in the realm of common sense. Chaos is all around us, we are perishing, that is the reality. Little faith never thinks beyond what the preacher says, their minds are not saved. Go beyond and see the Father made all things, feeds all the animals, etc. He Who made heaven and earth loves me uniquely as an individual.
·Thus, whatever comes to me in life, comes into God's realm as well, I am not alone in anything.
Thus, whatever comes to me in life, comes into God's realm as well, I am not alone in anything. There is only one Kingdom , and it is God's Kingdom. He is the only glory and the power, no other power but His prevails. What you fear has power over you. To fear God is to have no fear of anything else. Same relationship Jesus had with the Father , we have with Jesus.
Gal. 2:20 -Faith is not a struggle for it is Jesus' faith that is in me. Faith comes from Jesus Who lives inside of me. He is the author and finisher of my faith. It is not me struggling to have faith, but to allow Jesus be Himself as I confront life.
The Holy Spirit inside of me makes it all come alive. Rest in Him go thru life in complete rest in Him. Read Psalms every day of your life until it becomes real to you in every imaginable way. The Psalms tells me who my Father is "ABBA".
FEAR IS A PART OF LIVING
Fear always there:
Fear is part of living. We will always face new situations, new changes, and a sense of fear will always surround all situations, and a sense of inadequacy will surround me. All this does is reveal the creatureness of my being, and reminds me that I can't handle anything in my own strength and wisdom. Creature stuff, humanness, the flesh, that use to be god, independent of God, can't handle life. Rejoice that you cannot handle it, religion tells you can, but believe it not.
·2 Cor. 12ff -When I realize I am weak then I am strong in Him.
2 Cor. 12ff -When I realize I am weak then I am strong in Him. ·Phil. 4:13 -I can do all things thru Jesus Who strengthens me, Who is in me.
Phil. 4:13 -I can do all things thru Jesus Who strengthens me, Who is in me. The secret therefore is that I can do all things because Christ is my life.
By faith, not feelings, I call upon the Lord Jesus "Let your thoughts be my thoughts, , Your strength my strength, Jesus You are my adequacy. That is the normal Christian life. 1 Cor. 1:30 .
Jesus is my living map, I can face and be victorious no matter where I go. I can face all the uncertain functions of life. As a believer, I will always feel fear, God made me that way, to be inadequate and helpless so that I learn to solely depend upon Him for all that I need.
Therefore, all of life's challenges and problems are really opportunities for Christ to reveal Himself to me and thru me.
Changes in life are really great opportunities to reveal our true potential which is Christ living in me and thru me. Thru experiences, I begin to realize from one incident to another I grow in faith as I see Jesus's adequacy take over and swallow the fear.
2Cor. 3:3-5 -God wants to work miracles thru my life every day I face new situations, something new. Every challenge that causes me to fear and revert back to the familiar is really a great opportunity for Christ's miracle to be mamifested im my life. Christ in me , the hope of glory, His life is the life I draw upon, treasures in earthen vessels,
Christ in me.
John 14:26 , 16:13 -He will guide into the unknown, new territories, new ideas, new situations, thus, look forward to great opportunities to reveal our potential. Our potential always exist just ahead, new ventures, new victories, new revelations of Jesus within me.
Heb. 4:3 -Fear is really living in unbelief that Christ is not living within me. Areas which gives us fear, God has already given that area to us in Christ. Just get up and go with whatever you have in hand (as Moses with his staff) move forward and allow God fulfill that beyond the staff. Christ within me is enough to handle any tragedy, any addiction, any vacuum that exist Christ will fill it and keep out all others. My potential is always there to meet that which I have never done, where I have never been. Thus, the Holy Spirit has a lot of living in me to do, lot of dimensions of Jesus to accomplish. You can go back to Egypt, arise and be what I am, laugh at fear, and say "In Christ I can do all things!" Amen.
AFRAID OF GOD
Ps. 49 - Fear, awe, reverence, giving honor, measure and respect, in the Presence of that Person or thing-the all-powerful God. Unhealthy fear is a fear creaated by a distorted image of God, and giving honor to this distortion.
For 'Thy Name sake" describes the inward character, who He really is His track-record. He knows everything, my very thoughts, all-wise. Some see God as the 'judge'ready to punish. 10 commandments never given as a means for us to be accepted by God. Law is a plumbline, as a guide to tell me what crooked is and what straight is. Law reveals who God is and how to love God.
Law tells us we are helpless and cannot keep it but to drive us to God and He gives us our salvation. Most of us still trying to please God, to do works to be accepted. To please others and be accepted by them. We keep trying until we give up in hopelessness.
Feelings we express when not accepted:'I am no good', I always feel guilty because I was compelled to be perfect', whatever I am doing I feel I should be doing something else, I hate this body because this body never does what it suppose to do, it is never perfect, , God can't put up with me, no one can, I must please someone, I have to be accepted by somebody, somewhere is our constant theme.
We cannot live up to the god we created in our minds a judgmental god who is never satisfied with my performance. Thus, we are appealing to our own name for our salvation-by making my behaviour perfect, I will make myself acceptable. This leads to despair because we are never satisfied in ourselves, it is never enough. It is the name of Jesus which saves me, not my name or my efforts. God accepts me by the name of Jesus Christ, not by name or efforts. Jesus is 100% God and 100% man Who lived a perfect life. First man Who overcame satan in the wilderness. He is my brother human, One who never sinned, the really genuine human.
Jesus stood in for everyone and took all human sins and paid the full penalty. When He was buried, I was buried with Him. When He arose I arose with Him.
We were completely useless, no hope whatsoever in ourselves. Our only hope is to die and start all over again. When He died, I died, when He was buried, I was buried with Him, when He arose, so did I. Now 'in Him', I respond biblically to life. Now I start new again, born-again to start a new life, a new creation without a past, a virgin set free from the world , the flesh and the devil.
FEAR OF CHANGE
Exodus 16ff - Israel leaving Egypt, going into wilderness.
Gen. 2:3 -God would have us dependent upon Him, He is our blueprint. Not only dependent but united with Him, His Spirit living within us, joined with Him, He lives in us and we live from Him. He is our fuel, if you like; we can't live without Him.
He is our Lord, Our Creator, our inventor, we do as He says. As we obey Him, we love Him and reveal Him to the world as He would be seen in our behaviour. We are creatures who image God, revelators of Him, that is our destiny, our blueprint from the very beginning. The potential of any human being is God Himself. God is our potential, to reveal Him in all His love, all His strength, all His wisdom in life.
How does this work?
It works by faith. When I am faced with any situation, being united with God I am adequate for any situation. Do I need wisdom, love, strength, then God thru me manifests Himself thru me to others.
Gen. 2:8 -World when created was a kingdom of peace, peace with and by God, peace within myself and with others. That peace makes me prosperous in all areas of life.
·The Lie: Be independent and become your source, within self find wisdom, light, strength, do what you like or want, no longer dependent upon God, don't need Him.
The Lie: Be independent and become your source, within self find wisdom, light, strength, do what you like or want, no longer dependent upon God, don't need Him. Source of fear:
Fear came in when man declared himself independent from God, to declare his own kingdom of peace. Therefore , Adam had to get everything under control thru his own power. He had to know what others do, think and speak, he had to be controlling all things else he would be terribly upset. He must know and have all things in order, what must be, or if it was not, what he had to be, what was harmonious or not, have all things in balance, to change if not, etc. Able also to predict all things, the present and the future. Wisdom comes from familiarity, that is security, that which is predictable.
Change:
Unfamiliar situations, new happenings, throws my world out of control, things become unpredictable, I am no longer in control;thus, fear comes in and challenges my ability to handle it. Now, I realize I am no longer a god.
Imperative of change:Change is the dynamic of life. We put things off, hoping things will be back to normal if we do nothing. Familiar things make me complacent. If my schedule changes, I have a heart attack. Hate to meet new people, fear comes in, they don't fit into my idea of those people I already know, I don't know if they will like me or not.
Become afraid of people who don't speak my language, they throw us off balance. Why do you put off learning new things, ignorance of them will show me up, and I don't want others to know I am ignorant of anything, upsets my position of being in control of my life. I might reveal to others or to myself , I am not as strong as I thought nor as wise as I imagined I was.
Loss of job, moving to another city, fear of success, all of these might reveal your weakness, that you cannot handle it: new job, promotion, being single, etc.
Addicts are familiar with and use to their addictions , gives comfort, reluctant to give it up.
No real fear of God because we neglected the Holy Spirit. We majored on doctrine, and not on the Presence of the Holy Spirit within us, the Spirit daily revealing to our human spirit the spirit of Christ within us, a living, vital reality. Not just a doctrine but a living Spirit.
We normally look at God as Someone Who gives us something, and He will if we behave ourselves, being nice and all, then God will give. If He doesn't then we get mad, and sulk. We are to see God as He really is. God in us, a concrete reality. God is, and from Him I live, I exist, I live from Him and in Him, in love God is love, so am I , in Him.
He came in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, and I am to confess Him as Lord. He, above all, I am from Him, He is not someone I get things, He is above all of that, He is my God. God is God and will remain God, nothing can stop Him, He goes for eternities. Thus, be in awe of Him, and His magnificence. He made the world, and all in it. Are we to fear anything in the world when God made it?
Stop talking like the world talks, full of fears, replace the fears of this world by the fear of God .
Instead of seeking God for things, seek Him for Who He is. See Malachi, the Sun of Righteousness, sit in the realm of this truth, let His rays penetrate into your inner being, that you may be full of God, being full of God, You have God Himself, and from Him, flows all things. Sit under His rays, let God be God, God is, God of the "I AM", be part of this, flow from this great truth. Know that God loves me just as I am, I don't have to perform. Let God be all that He is, let Him flow thru me, and all else descends into secondary levels.
Read Psalms, Epistles, be astounded at Who God is, He is worthy of our praise, be astounded at our salvation, what God has done and will do, God is worthy, He is central to the universe, Lamb of God slained before the world.
Overcome fear by a greater fear -- the fear of God!
Amen!
FEAR OF DEATH
Joshua 14 -Caleb's 85th birthday. Caleb's constant cry "The Lord is with us". Hope is that God is unchanging. Heb. 13 -always with us, never leave or forsake you no matter what. Hope is in God, not im desires or my emotions. Faith is that now I have the present possession of God's grace. Hope is always future tense, i.e., hope is faith that extends into the future.
12 spies, ten said no, 2 said yes. Caleb suffered the fate of the naysayers, a victim of their sins, Caleb did not follow the crowd's sins, he forgave them, those who thwarted his dreams of entering the promised land.
Caleb's hope was not in people but in God. He was not cynical of people, saw their failures but his faith and hope was in God , not people. Hope in God and God is in you now, that is all that matters.
Neither was caleb jealous of Joshua. Being victims of the past is having hope in self but not in God. Hoping in others, you will be disappointed, another snare . Our hope is to be in God or we will be disappointed, and cynicism will become a pattern. Then our bodies will yield to this despair and we become sicker and sicker.
Time heals nothing, it just buries it, hides it, only the Spirit of Christ heals a broken heart. Our full potential always remains, growing and developing until the image of Christ is revealed, the potential of Christ in us.
Don't put hope in people or self but only in God. Key is to forgive the past completely, all the hurts caused by others or by self. Ask God to put His love in me in order for me to deal with the past.
Ps. 42:11 -Hope in God is a command, not what others have done or not done to us. Self-pity comes when I think there is no God, leaving God out of the equation.
FEAR OF PEOPLE
Fear is a feeling, I work thru it by an act of my will because God is with me. I replace fear by an act of the will to love and not be envious, jealous , fear of being challenged by stronger people or those who threaten my sense of well-being by their sense of superiority. I practice the Presence of the Holy Spirit within me and allow Him thru me to love those who I would normally be in fear of.
Heb. 13:20-21 -The realization of God being within me from Genesis onward. God is with me, and by this I reject the fear thought. Attack fear thought with the truth. God loves me and accepts me and approves of me regardless of what others think or say. Fear is misplaced faith, putting my faith in people to approve of me, and accept me. Be always in a state of forgiving all offenses, a permanent state of reconciliation. Choose to love, develop this disposition to love regardless, it takes time for this idea to grow and develop into the image of Christ because this is what Jesus did. Commands us to 'Fear Not" this addresses our will, not our emotions.
·Love God's way and feelings will follow.
Love God's way and feelings will follow. God created man for man to reveal Him to others on this earth, to show and reveal God's love. A human bears the divine image of God, to reveal the divine character on earth. The true meaning of life is just this: to reveal the love of God to others by my behaviour.
Man was enabled by his choice to exercise faith to receive this love and to love by my behaviour. That is our blueprint, our destiny to be this love. Sin states that meaning of life is that I should love myself first then I can love others, the alternative plan to life's meaning. Our blueprint is to love otherwise life does not work. God's idea is that man is to be "the being of God"to manifest the Spirit of God.
In sin , man tries to get others to love him by performing for man. If I do great deeds, or do for people they will accept and approve me. Sin looks for a substitute for the infinite , unconditional love of God.
Rejecting God is rejecting love, and love is the very essence of being. Not loving brings a vacuum, brings an emptiness, which must he filled. This emptiness we try to fulfill by performance, to get people to love and accept me. Therefore, we will do anything for this acceptance.
Fear comes in when I think my audience is watching my life, and I become afraid that they may not like what they see, and give me what I need. Not being accepted, I lash out in anger. I love those who love me , and I hate those who don't. Good Samaritan meaning is that religion will worship the worship in lieu of being of service.
Today, we are told to go to our unconverted friends, but we decline saying they are drunks, evil, tell dirty jokes, the same as the passerby's of the good samaritan story. We worship the ritual, the songs, the praise time, etc.
Result is we don't do anything that comes in between.
BELIEF BANK
What makes us do what we do? Basement of me is the belief bank what I believe exist there and begins the process of my being.
·Thinking: This the next level, our thoughts know what is in our belief bank, in the basement, but we may not really be aware of this activity.
Thinking: This the next level, our thoughts know what is in our belief bank, in the basement, but we may not really be aware of this activity. ·Feelings: Feelings about what we think about, the emotional affect.
Feelings: Feelings about what we think about, the emotional affect. ·Behaviour: Then we do what we really believe. What we consistently think about, affects our feelings, and this activates our behaviour.
Behaviour: Then we do what we really believe. What we consistently think about, affects our feelings, and this activates our behaviour. Saul believed that Goliath was not defeatable. He held Goliath in awe and reverence. There was no fear of God in his belief bank, God was not in the equation. Thus, what you believe, you will get. All these thoughts are lies, God is bigger than anyone or anything, He created all. On Sundays , we believe God can do all things, but on Monday onwards as we face left, fear, worry, anxiety controls us.
Deuteronomy:
This book tells us God loves us, and He loves us unconditionally, loves us with a covenant love. He chose to love us voluntarily, chose to be responsible for us and to do us good all the days of our lives. I don't do a thing to earn this love.
Belief Bank:
Key: To really know that God loves me deep within me. He is with me all the time, He is in every activity to do me good. At this point , fear has to go. No matter what, God is with me.
FEAR NOT is a command to our will, not our feelings. Fear feeds upon itself, need to change belief bank. Deep inside of us, God is with us, this goes to our thinking level, to our feelings, then to our behaviour. As you follow this pattern, feelings will follow in excitement seeing what God can really do and is doing.
In belief bank, believe God is with us, and nobody else. Thus, wherever I fear is a great opportunity for God to reveal Himself in victory: finances, health, world situation, etc.
Thus, to fear other than God keeps me from revealing God in the situation, the God of love and deliverance. My fear is concerned with y my own protection, becomes self-centered , not God-centered, and thus, not free to protect others and to love them God's way.
FEELINGS OF FEAR
Some causes of fear: self-concern, self-interest, self-protection.
The self that is manifested in anger, bitterness, resentment, envy, jealousy, unforgiving spirit, fear, worry, anxiety, and so on are reactions to life that are based on 'feelings', and 'feelings'are but fertile areas in which Satan thrives. Feelings are his food, the reactions to life from which he is nourished and sustained.
Satan usually attacks our circumstances to cause stress. This produces fear, and from fear comes worry, doubt, weariness, discouragement, and finally depression, the feelings of life.
Matt. 6:33-34 -All the while God is asking us to seek His righteousness which requires an act of our will to do what God's word says to do. We are to seek Bible truths, not emotional experiences, feelings, or other stimuli. We are to respond to life by our will based on the word of God, and not react according to our feelings.
Bible truth is addressed to the mind. Don't ask self "what do I feel"? but ask self "what do I believe"?. From this I begin to stir up the spirit, and not the feelings.
Matt. 5:6 -Blessed (truly happy) are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness -- not after sensations, feelings, emotional thrills, or reactions to the world's stimuli of negatives.
Ps. 42 and Ps. 103:1-2 -Whether I feel anything or not, I am to believe the Scriptures above all else.
l John 4:18 ; Isa. 30:15 -Fear results from lack of trust in and love for God.
Gen. 1:26-28 -God is love. To be born of God is to be born of love. A child of God is constituted of love which is to be exercised in the care and love for all of creation, that is, a focus on all things other than self, the very nature of God.
Gen. 2:16-17 -Man must choose, he is not a robot. Issue of will here, to love God and be guided by Him or to become a god and be guided by the 'self', Gen. 3:5
Gen. 3:7 -The onset of self-consciousness and shame, man discovered that he could not handle life on his own, that he is not a god.
Gen. 3:8-10 -Fear is the first emotion man expressed, a separation from God, sense of punishment, man now tied to Satan.
Gen. 3:11 -Self-protection comes in, not holding self accountable, blameshifting comes in to cover self, the self that is now in union with Satan.
Fear taken care of at the Cross
Eph. 2:4-7 -We were translated from the pit of hell into the Throne room, seated with Christ in heavenly places.
Col. 3:1-3 -No longer of this world, view life from God's perspective.
Phil. 2:12-13 -We are under control of the Holy Spirit, no longer controlled by an evil spirit.
Heb. 10:19-20 -Enabled to have free access into God's presence.
Heb. 1:13 -In Christ , Satan is now under my foot.
l John 4:4 ; James 4:6-7 -Knowing who you are in Christ, resist and Satan has to flee.
Rom. 6:14 -No longer under law , but grace, grace to love as God loves, being perfected daily, compassion manifests, the true feelings emerge of a self-loving-others, the will of God exercised, fear vanishes.
SENSE OF FEAR
Definition of fear of the Bible:
"The acute awareness of the presence of power in a person or a spirit that produces in me a sense of awe, even dread, and calls forth from me honor and respect and reverence.
In this state if I react by my feelings of fear and trembling looking at the circumstances then I am lost. But if I choose and state my identity is in Jesus, my true self, my identity is in Christ, Who is in me. At this point I choose to fear God and not my feelings.
To respond to God is to acknowledge He is Lord over me and my cirumstances. God is God, there is no other God.
Ps. 46:1 -God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in time of trouble.
Vs. 10-Cease striving and know that I am God. This means. . to slacken, hang-loose, be idle, let all strength go out of you, sink down, withdraw from all hustle and bustle.
When we see a problem we immediately look for a solution. Check that impulse, and train self to think. . . . That the Presence of God is the answer. . His Presence is the solution.
Each problem is an opportunity for Christ to be revealed in me, and by this my inner man is strengthened until it becomes spontaneous. Know in spirit that God will be exalted in any and all situations.
God left satan on this earth, so that we can practice putting him under our feet each time he tries to put fear into us. Thus, spread all matters before God. He is the answer as we allow God to intervene.
We have a choice in life, to either fear God or the circumstances of life. Therefore, the answer to fear is fear. Give our fears to God Who will handle the circumstances or handle the situation myself and be controlled by the cirumstamces.
SOURCE OF FEAR
Perfect Love:
l John 4:16-18 -Perfect love cast out fear. Fear and phobias are cast out by perfect love resulting in total healing of spirit , body and emotions.
Heb. 2:15 -Mankind, two kinds: one in bondage to death; the other, freed from bondage. Man is basically fearful of punishment and rejection. Before the fall, man was birthed from God's love, and into God's love, love that is uncaused, and man was embraced by God.
Guilt and Shame:
Gen. 3:10 -Fear began, lst emotion expressed. Saw self naked and self-conscious. Prior to fall Adam saw himself thru and in and from the eyes of God. He was God conscious, knew he was loved by God.
Upon fall, shame and guilt was immediate, mind became blinded. Adam at this point conceived that God no longer loved him. Instead of looking outward to God for identity, he looked inward to himself. Self became his focus, the self focus of man established. The self looking at self over against God.
·Begins to judge himself that he is not good enough, full of shame and guilt, now must do something about this state of being.
Begins to judge himself that he is not good enough, full of shame and guilt, now must do something about this state of being. ·Judges himself by himself, sees self separated from God, feels worthless, no good, being ashamed he hides.
Judges himself by himself, sees self separated from God, feels worthless, no good, being ashamed he hides. Religion:
God placed His spirit within man, man knows there is someone greater beyond himself, and must worship someone greater than himself.
Man must create a god outside of himself, creates one just like himself because he builds a god out of his own thoughts and imagination. Thus, he builds one who is disgusted with him, a god who hates him, one who says he is unlovable, a god who rejects him, who hates all bad people.
Afraid of God, Adam hides behind the tree. Being fearful of God is basic to mankind, man being blinded by Satan.
Performance:
Man now hides in his own self works.
He will perform for God to become perfect so that God can now accept him.
This is the beginning of religion, a return to bondage, a compulsion to try to be perfect,
to be good enough by a list of rules, and a list of promises to be better on the other hand. Always in doubt if good enough, become performance oriented.
We flee from God and hide in our performances.
God only loves good people, doesn't He?
Spirit of rejection causes us to fall right back into sin.
We create a God who thinks we are worthless to begin with.
Co-dependency:
Thus, we would do anything for others if they would only love us and make us feel important:become a pastor, to serve others , to get others to need me, and make me feel worthwhile. Need others to need me so that they will love me. Compulsion to make others like me, afraid to displease them else they will reject me.
We don't have time to love others because we are too busy trying to get others to fill the vacuum within ourselves, a need to be accepted, loved and not rejected. We seek our own interest, we perform to get others to fill our void. Thus, we establish a fleshly co-dependency relationship.
Death to the Old Self:
Seeking love from others essentially is a fleshly love. God's love is a divine love. We can't produce it, we can only receive it. Even in our sinful and corrupted self, God loves us just as we are. He sent His Son to die on the cross so that He can accept us. The reason for and the purpose of the Cross is to remove the sinful self so that the Holy Spirit can abide in us.
Working out our Salvation:
Now love is in our hearts. All we have to do is to live out and exercise this divine love within . For to live is Christ, Christ to live out His life through us, a life of love and blessing to others, Gal. 2:20 ; Rom. 5:5 .
To get to this point is a daily process, takes time. We can only love because He first loved us, a love proven by the blood of Jesus. We no longer have to perform but surrender to Him. When we do fail, trust in Jesus to takeover our life. Jesus took our judgment on the cross, there is no more punishment for us. He who believes on this shall never fear death and judgment, this is gone forever.
The New and True Self:
Therefore, we no longer need others to accept us, to approve of us, the fear of being rejected does not control. We are freed in Christ to love and to minister to others as Jesus has done for us. The focus is on Christ within Who directs the true self, the self in union with the Holy Spirit, to establish God's Kingdom of love on earth.
FINANCIAL FEARS
Matt. 6:8 -Can't serve God and mammon. We must have one absolute, that which is worthy to be worshipped above everything else. Jesus is the absolute, the way, the truth and the life. All our reference points begin with God. The plumbline stands among us.
God's love is unconditional, loves us without conditions, this is the plumbline by which we judge all of life. Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, He is life, the very meaning of life. Jesus is the only value in the world. To think of money, position, possessions, etc, is abomination. Repentance is stating that the entire foundation of my life is wrong, what I trust in. Must start again, look at the plumbline.
Holy Spirit is my plumbline. Always go back to the plumbline, the Holy Spirit. Build your life according to this plumbline, the ultimate value. Whenever I have a need, turn to the Holy Spirit, not to my employer or whatever. I reach beyond the circumstances of life, and stretch toward God he is my source and resource. He is my supply, a very present help in time of trouble.
Financial Failure
We cannot serve God and mammom, the other plumbline. Mammon means to trust money to the bank, the trusting of money which becomes a demon god, the power of riches. I trust in riches because absolute power is in the money, this is the real value and meaning of life. Money makes us lie down in green pastures, it is my refuge and strength, etc.
The life of God is love, the love of money is greed, and possessions become my security. Worry over food is making an offering to mammon. If all my security is in money, then I will be worried always because there is never enough to keep me secure. Riches become my god, and count on it for security.
Put away covetousness which is idolatry, the only sin called a god. Promotion in life comes from God. We can't worry anymore because it reveals a lack of knowledge of God.
Fear is directly fractured from the plumbline which is Jesus. Fear is replaced by love by being directly related to Jesus. Learn to worship to bless God, and not to bless God in order for me to get God to meet my needs. Your needs are always met, just praise God ahead of time.
God gave His life to give me an abundant life. Now I am to evaluate all my thoughts and actions to ascertain am I worshipping God and living from Him and not to Him? I am in the absolute plumbline from God, and I allow His life to flow through me, and not my efforts to get God to do something which is already done.
God is interested in the material, the body and its needs. Little faith deals with big stuff, like heaven and hell. But in-between, living on earth is forgotten.
Blessing is to be empowered in the spirit, body, soul and mind, to be prosperous in these areas of our being. Prosperity is the spirit being full of the Presence of God, that I walk with God, He fills my mind, I am enlightened by God at all times. Prosperity of the emotions is that I have the peace and joy of the Lord-that is the riches of His blessings. Where there is no way, God will make a way.
The first miracle Jesus did was to turn water into wine 180 gallons of it. God linked Himself to the stuff of creation. Little faith is concerned with the supply rather than the Supplier. Faith does not strain because it rest on the Giver and the Supplier. Great faith is in the Supplier, not concerned with the immediate supplies.
Faith does not mean I have a lot to show you. Faith means I have no worry or concern for the morrow. I know it will be there, I know not how. Total peace and faith is in who I depend upon not upon what I have. Little faith is incapable of generosity. Faith is generous because of the revelation it has seen.
I give to glorify God and not on the expected return. Hell says to grab and hold on but God says 'give and slay hell in the face. To give is to worship. If God loves the world, then I shall be part of this world by giving as God does - by giving to mankind.
DESOLATE
We are split and fractured, playing games. Separated from Jesus, we talk to ourselves: Did you hear what they said to me? I was ignored, why did they not include me, why was I left out, etc. On and on we become obsessed with ourselves which does not allow time for others or for God's work and plan for my life.
We engineer pity for ourselves - Oh, you enjoyed yourself without me?
We see self as pious and perfect and wonder why others don't see us as such, they don't appreciate me, they take me for granted. Compare self to others and see self as superior. In the end we become phonies and berate ourselves because what we imagined ourselves to be did not materialize.
Sees self in a shameful way, pretends to be perfect when he knows he is not, and spends his life hiding himself from others. Jesus became that desolate city, He became sin that we may become as He is, God gives us the Holy Spirit , the true center of our being, the Holy Spirit of Christ lives in me.
New we build a new city, day by day, joined to my Creator, , gates opened Godward. But the false self will always try to creep in unawares. Put it to death daily by your will which is really His will within me.
Phil. 2:12-13 ; Eph. 3:20 -We choose to be present to God, an opened city. Jesus said "Abide in Me, and I will abide in you". Jesus is my true self, my true center.
When the false self creeps in, say :"I choose to be present to who I really am, a man joined to Jesus Christ. !" I am a man unconditionally loved by God. I am a man who is a son of God, the Spirit of Christ lives in me, I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, I am a man totally pardoned of my sin, that is who I am!"
I am accepted not by my works or deeds but by who Christ is Who accepts me as I am. Thus, my intentional choice is to be present to Jesus Christ Who lives within me.
Jesus is my strength, my adequacy, my wisdom, . I receive His will to do His will, to be a blessing to others, forgetting self interest for a change. God accepts me who cares if anyone else does or not. Outside of Jesus I am without strength but in Him I have all that I need to face any situation, so my focus is no longer on myself but on Him and on to others needs. I am no longer obsessed with myself.
Isa. 62:4 -What was once desolate, will belong to God, now related to my true being, now I have something to give and I give for God to others.
Choice of Faith
l Sam. 30 -David and his army return to their village and find it ravaged, all in great despair. David encourages himself by becoming one to the "I AM of God'. God becomes Who He is in any situation when we acknowledge His Presence rather than our emotions.
The role of the Holy Spirit is to connect me to God in my special situation. Key to remember is "The lord is my, the Lord belongs to you, He is your 'my' whatever happens, my shepherd, my wisdom, my strength, etc.
He is limitless goodness, power, and He has joined Himself to us in covenant. He will be all that we need:care-giver, provider, protector, refuge, strong-tower, etc. David is not praying through all his trial, but is simply making a statement.
We move from a conscious need by a leap of faith to a conscious supply.
Man is the only creature who can will, and he wills to listen to God and to God alone, not to his mind or to his emotions. God invented us and we are to work according to His design.
In my true center, I know myself, and as I listen and do as I am told by God, then I become who I am, the real me that God invented to accomplish His specific purposes in and through my life.
I am and I become a little city, in the center being the Presence of God, and I, in turn, engage in the presence of others. The gates of my city should always be open so that I give myself away.
Satan lies to have us live for ourselves, that we can be complete in ourselves. Adam willed to be present to himself, this broke his relationship with God, and Adam became alone. Also he became fractured from his wife. Now they can't communicate with God, they can't communicate with each other from a sharing standpoint but only as separate and independent units to serve their needs only.
Adam blamed Eve, no longer protected her , the giving of self to serve others evaporated. Instead of a live city, Adam and rest of man became a ghost town, desolate.
·Isa. 61:4 -Desolation of many generations.
Isa. 61:4 -Desolation of many generations. Believing the lie that I am complete in myself, then realize that it is not working, I begin to use others, and things of this life to fill the vacuum. I begin to live shame, that I am not perfect, I should be filled with all adequacies for all situations and able to meet all situations but it is not working.
I keep myself closed to others, so that they can't see my inadequacies, and see who I truly am, a fraud, not a god as satan said I would be, what's wrong, I got to make it!I put on various masks and pretend I got it made, don't need anyone, I am sufficient. I tell everyone I meet, at church, at work, etc. I am okay, things are great, etc. Self talks to self all day long that I am great, I got it made or I will make it, etc. Can't share self with others, but only draw from them to meet my needs.
I am full of self, pompous, rigid, under strict control, hiding self, terrified the world will see who I truly am, a weakling , full of fears. Seeks others to tell him how great he is. His only will in life is to will to protect himself, obsessed with his own needs, not room or ability to share and to give to others.
Ps. 84 -The Sun of Righteousness shines on us, the darkness, and gives light unto our souls. Jesus became that desolate city, became forsaken for us.
In Jesus came the Holy Spirit, the true center in any city. My suburbs is in bad shape, but the center lives in me right now, the Holy Spirit. The false self sends surges and begins the self talk that I am great , that I can make it, and become a great christian by my own efforts. But the false self was judged in Jesus. Now my will has received His will, Eph. 3:19-20 ;Phil. 2:12-13.
Jesus is my true self and when the false self surges, I reject it, and state that I am in union with Jesus Christ, my true self and center, I am all that Jesus is.
Ro. 6:3-6 ; lCor. 1:30 -I choose to be completely dependent upon Jesus Who is the source of my life. Isa. 62:4 -we become an open city; Ps. 143:5-10 - Here one deliberately chooses to listen to God.
DEPRESSION AND DESPAIR
There are two selves: one reacting to circumstances by feelings; the other responding from God to the situation. Jeremiah turned from his subjective feelings to the objective fact and faith of his covenant God.
Living the functional life does not require the natural or strong will of man, Christ is that will, Who Is, and becomes thru me. Our own will has just enough energy in it to ask for the gift of His Holy will to unite with my will. Left to myself , can't do a thing.
·Phil. 2:12-13 ; Eph. 3:20 -Our wills are embraced, and forged, and fortified by His will, What God commands He empowers or wills us to do.
Phil. 2:12-13 ; Eph. 3:20 -Our wills are embraced, and forged, and fortified by His will, What God commands He empowers or wills us to do. Jeremiah turned by grace and considered God, for His lovingkindness never ceases, always there, regardless what I do.
·Ps. 90 -Consider God loves you even in your despair, take your choice, your feelings or God's grace ready for you to receive.
Ps. 90 -Consider God loves you even in your despair, take your choice, your feelings or God's grace ready for you to receive. Faithfulness of God are the only certainties in life. Say to the Lord, "The Lord is my portion". Talk to yourself all the time, that portion is your inheritance. Whatever happens in our life is our lot :poor, uneducated, abused neglected, sickly, etc., that is the horizontal. But our true lot is God Himself, the Lord is my portion. What you did not get in life, because of circumstances of birth are failures not of God but of your earthly heritage. Now call upon God Who is your portion and what was denied now can be yours held in your heavenly bank account, to be drawn upon daily to become who and what God made you to be as you walk out the truth daily becoming more & more conforming to the image of Christ.
WHERE CURSES COME FROM
Hosea 4:6-7 - Ignorance of the devil's schemes, wiles, devises can destroy your life and those associated with you.
Deut. 28:1-68 - Simply put, one is blessed by obeying God's commandments and one is cursed if he doesn't.
Eze. 18:20-28 - Generation curses can pass on from one generation to another by ignorance. You can stop it continuing on in your life by rejecting the past, and beginning to live immediately God's way, and holding self accountable.
Prov. 26:2 - The curse causeless cannot light on you unless you allow it by thinking of the sinful past, influenced by the externals of this world, being seduced by others, and the philosophies of this generation.
Jere. 17:5-8 - Issue here is secular humanism. Human standards of right and wrong are established by a cursed mentality rather than by biblical standards. We are all influenced by the world's system of thought and ethics and as such conditioned to accept curses as normal and rational.
Ps. 7 - Living by God's word we will be overwhelmed by blessings blinding us to the curses, the presence of ill-will that blinds our perception. Therefore, by our words, our motivations and intentions are affected either by blessings or curses. We make the choice, the devil doesn't.
Ps. 10:4-7 - Persons of pride, convinced of their own strength, are cursed. They must push down others, to lift themselves up. Pride must always demean in order to be elevated. To be put down by another is to be cursed.
Ps. 109:2-3 , 17-20 - Words spoken in lies and hatred are due to an internal hatred which invokes ill-will. Be aware of these lies and surround self with the truth. Watch out for deceitful, envious and jealous people. Don't argue with these people for their curse can fall upon you.
·Bitterness: A wanting to cut and to prick, to see others wounded in order to vindicate their own hurt.
Bitterness: A wanting to cut and to prick, to see others wounded in order to vindicate their own hurt. ·Strife: To be at odds with, to put oneself forward, ahead of another.
Strife: To be at odds with, to put oneself forward, ahead of another. James 3:8-15 - Our words are only to be God's words, man's words are useless. Tongue of man has power to inflict death upon another.
Eph. 6:12 - Man in himself has no answers, he must seek God. Evil demons are behind words, not flesh and blood.
Remedies:
Gal. 3:13-14 - By the Blood of Christ, we are separated from all generation curses, being filled with the Holy Spirit, we have His power to keep self free from all curses and instead to confer a blessing upon all we contact.
2 Cor. 5:14-16 - We see others faults and blemishes dead in Christ.
2 Cor. 2:10-11 - Forgive those who have cursed me because demons are behind their words. If I don't forgive I bind them as well as myself.
Lu. 6:27 - Judge not, to judge is to curse , which will fall on me.
Heb. 4:12-14 - Declare God's word over my life and over others, and deliver all from curses.
Ps. 64:1-10 - God will deliver us from the curses of others, and cause their curses to fall upon themselves, and possibly redeem them.
Isa. 54:17 - God works on my behalf, and protects me against all curses.
Prov. 4:24 ; 18:21 - Power of life and death is in the tongue. We determine our destiny. Satan cannot put his curses on us unless we allow him by our tongue, by our thoughts and by our actions. He has no authority in my life unless I give it to him.
Prov. 12:18-19 - Use your tongue to heal, to heal yourself and to heal others.
Eph. 4:22-24 - Daily, we engage in spiritual warfare, putting -off evil, and putting-on blessings as we biblically respond to all of life's encounters.
Note: I bind and loose sins from myself or others, sins which give satan a foothold. Since Satan has been bound at the cross, my job is to command him to leave.
NOWHERE TO TURN – BELIEVE THE PRESENCE OF GOD
How did David function ?
He went back to his belief bank. David memorized the book of Deut. The Lord is my light and my salvation , I will fear no evil, for You are with me. There is no shortage to a wholesome spiritual mentality but it takes work, no quick fixes. We have to know Who God is and what He has committed to do for me , on my behalf. God invented us and wrote a book to tell us how we work. David knew God as the living God, the God Who overwhelms you with His Presence.
Truth talk
Talk to self and tell self who God is , rehearse this reality and fear will properly disappear. Now God can be revealed in the situation. Recession is not the problem, but the fear of it. Fear produces fear, fear of people produces more of the same. Fear has energy to it. As David prayed his feelings became new feelings of excitement that he has the victory in God. Being convinced of God's Presence, feelings will follow , feelings of excitement.
First battle
We are use to feelings of fear: recession, loss of job, sickness, etc. Talk to self to fight the initial resistance to fall back to fear. Develop a new attitude, a new belief bank of being loved by God, secured by Him, surrounded by His Presence, of being filled with His peace, joy, that God is and He is in me. God fights all my battles anyway. All I do is face them. Thus, change our belief system, change talk to encompass God in all my thoughts and dialogue. Then go and meet the situation acting in behaviour that is consistent with my belief.
Believer's History;
Rom. 12:1-2 -Most of us have a belief bank , full of junk; thus, renew the mind, not just the mind with any old thought. Each time fear comes, I replace it with the thought of God's Presence. He is my light, my salvation, my strength. He will give me all I need as I seek His righteousness.
Feelings only obey what I think:despair, then despair comes, etc.
·Psalms 23 , 24 , 27 , 91 , Deut 28 , and others. Truth in God must be learned, that I know within He is my strength, my adequacy, my wisdom, , that His angels are all about me.
Psalms 23 , 24 , 27 , 91 , Deut 28 , and others. Truth in God must be learned, that I know within He is my strength, my adequacy, my wisdom, , that His angels are all about me. Truth is really what is in the basement, talk consistently, believe Deut. 28 and Psalms, etc.
In the morning choose to think peace, joy, for we are commanded not to be anxious; choose not to envy, greed, lust, etc. Choose His wisdom, His thoughts. Each morning you get up, refuse all his lies, the devil, and choose truth instead.
Belt of truth is the belief bank belt, choose to trust God, not man. No man controls my life, no man controls me but God. This is the way we control fear by believing the truth in God.
LITTLE FAITH
Matt. 6:24 ;8:26 - A question of timidity, of little faith, people who are fearful, anxious especially dealing with food, clothing, and shelter as well as physical danger. Little faith is not unbelief, it is faith that is not sufficient for the moment.
Hope:
Faith is innate, placed in us when we were born-again. Faith is an innate ability to respond to a stimuli, a word or a promise. When I respond then my faith carries me to a point to where I am and to a future I haven't reached as yet.
Faith is my ability to respond to a word, a response to a word which states what will happen.
Faith is God revealing Himself to me via the Gospel. God reveals His character via the Gospel which is not news about God, it is God, a living God presented to us by the Holy Spirit Who opens our inside eyes. We respond to God and Who He is and what He has done in His Son. We rest in His name , and forget our name and what we have done.
Faith is moving on facts, the obedience of faith, responding and moving on His name and Who He is.
l Pet. 5:6-7 -Faith is as great as the object I am looking at. Faith is not something stored inside of me, but it is faith looking outside and seeing the revelation of Who God is.
Faith is seeing God pressing His love upon me. Faith is the eye of my spirit, it is not concerned with the supply, but with the supplier.
Big faith is seeing God in all His glory, little faith is just concerned with the immediate. To be fretting and anxious is to act like a heathen. Little faith does not the see the meaning of the Incarnation, God among us, living as a human being, that all our needs are taking care of by faith, and our concern should be with the development of our spirit being, being prosperous in our mind, emotions, in peace and in joy, not fretting about needs. We are to have peace and joy in whom we know, not in the things we possess or have in excess. In the midst of a famine, God will care for His own. Woman of Zarephat, cakes and meals, ravens feeding Elijah, a day at a time.
Faith is generous because of the revelation it has seen that GOD is the ultimate giver, who gives and gives. And I am to give as God gives, and not be concern about my needs, but realize that all the supply I need are stored in Heaven for my immediate disposal.
FORGET YOUR NAME
Now we are pardoned, we are accepted as long as I forget my name.
Repentance means I look at my life and say it is too late, and the only thing I can do with it is to kill it, and Jesus did that already.
Now I call upon the name of Jesus, name of the Lord. His name is the only name I acknowledge, the name of love Who pardoned me and accepted me.
I am accepted in the beloved, I am accepted by what Jesus did and is. Live the christian life by the 'strength of His name', not that I don't have enough faith, must read the bible more, attend more service, etc. After saved many still try to save self. I can't live the christian life and save myself. Only way is when Jesus comes and lives His life in me! It is impossible to live the christian life, not by my own strenth and determination but only by the name of Jesus. Jesus lives inside of me, greater is He who lives in me, etc. Pray and live by great boldness, pray Eph. 1:17-21 on a regular basis.
David pursued by Saul winds up in Gad and comes to the end of his own self-reliance, and must reach out beyond himself. Fear is a feeling and impacts upon our flesh, self-centered and self sufficient self.
Satan set up Adam and Eve to seek identity in themselves, independent of God. Seek worth in one own's talent and ability and adequacies, of which Satan is the source. The flesh has a compulsion to always want to be right, being always strong and always adequate. Then I can present myself to God and say, see I can make it to the point where You have to accept me now.
If you are not perfect, it is the fault of others, the blameshifting. Real faith is in God, God is not in the flesh. God never made man adequate, made me weak so that I would have to depend on God.
The first step to victory is to acknowledge that you are afraid, not adequate to face anything, renounce pride and realize complete dependence on God, and be filled with the Presence of God. When compulsive urges of the flesh come, I seek identity in Christ Who truly is my "true self', the living Christ Who lives in me. Faith that says " I will trust in Thee" is not human faith, faith is not me trying to believe enough, faith is of and from God.
Ps. 10-11 - In God do I trust means trust in God's strength, from His strength which is my true source. It is God's will in me, I draw upon His will into my will and then I do. His will joined to my will becomes now my will trusting in God. We partake of God's will to do His will because we are inwilled by Christ within.
Eph. 3:18-20 -His will comes into my inner will, fortifies and braces it. My will can ask out of its weakness for God's will in order to will what I cannot will by myself.
Phil. 2:12-13 ; Eze. 36:36-37 ; Jere. 31 -Writes His law into our hearts, realize we are helpless and weak, and our weaknesses are vehicles to glorify Him.
Jesus is the Head, the brain of my body. Every cell is directly connected to my brain, and all activities of the brain go directly to every cell in my body.
VICTORY OVER DEATH
Hope in God , talk to self, and tell self who and what you are in God. He never fails. Caleb walked for 40 years for his dream to come true.
Use your will, weak as it is, and ask God for the Holy Spirit to come into my will, this will strengthen it which is really His will because it is God who works in you to do His will.
l Thess. 4:13 -Death is the basis of all fears, and which births all other fears. Death reminds us that the whole of existence is without meaning.
We grieve as others do, it is normal but it is not the despair of the world. Because of what Jesus did on the cross, there is no despair. All His promises will be fulfilled. Hope looks on and looks to the end.
Faith is the present, the now receiving God's grace, hope is faith extended on to the future. Hope of the believer is Jesus Christ Himself. "I am the resurrection, ".
Resurrection is the seal of our salvation. It is the guarantee of my physical being in the new heaven and earth. We are a spirit that lives in a body, made of dust and mud. Our dust is sacred because He lives in it. This human being is the lord of the universe.
·Death is the obscenity of sin. Mankind is horrified of death.
Death is the obscenity of sin. Mankind is horrified of death. When man fell, the rest of the universe was affected. God entered into creaturehood via Mary. Jesus is a human being in all aspects. It had to be a human to get us out of this mess. Jesus abolished in His flesh, the enmity. He reconciled us in His fleshly Body thru death.
Second coming is the hope of the believer, but doom to the unbeliever. True faith faces death and old age and says "You are already lost but I will stand in eternal youth one day".
·Talk about a facelift! We will have a brand new body at the resurrection.
Talk about a facelift! We will have a brand new body at the resurrection. Second coming is the death of death. Jesus said who lives and believes in me, shall never die. Fulness of joy and pleasures evermore await us.
Little boy dying ask if his teddy bear will be with him in heaven. The answer is yes, he will have a 1000 teddy bears. All what that means is a sense of fulfillment and all the security that bear meant. For the little lad will have that and more.
Kingdom of God is in the Holy Spirit, righteousness, peace and joy. Every part of my being was made for eternity. Thus, we look for that blessed hope, Our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
AMEN !
