Alarm

"God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." (2 Timothy 1:7 ESV)

Confronting Fear with God's Help

What motivates you? Are you motivated by fear? Or, are you motivated by God's grace in your life? Does a sense of fear push you to work hard at your occupation? Does fear motivate your study habits, exercise routines or family conversations? The sad reality is that many people have simply become comfortable with fear and insecurity. However, Jesus Christ offers a better way. Through Christ, believers receive a "spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control (2 Tim. 1:7)." Deuteronomy 31:6 states, "Be strong and courageous. Do not fear...for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you." Yet, many followers of Christ live in a state of fear, where they consistently fall captive to anxiety and insecurity.  

Over the past month, I've had the privilege of preaching a message series entitled "alarm", where the goal has been to target the BIGGEST fears residing in the lives of my students (thus, the creepy picture above). And here's what I found along the way: trust is a difficult subject to pass. Meaning, I too struggle with fear, insecurity and anxious thoughts. If I were honest, I wake up most mornings with a fear of man. Therefore, my prayer for my students, for you and for myself is that God would empower His people to trust Him more.

I believe there are four major fears that every person needs to fight against.

Fear #1 - CHAOS: The fear of not being in control. 
Question - What if __________ happens?

In 1 Samuel 19:1-18, David finds his life in a state of chaos. King Saul has just thrown a spear at his head (fortunately for David, he was a horrible shot), and now David is running for his life. However, amidst the chaos, David pens these words, "I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears (Psalm 34:4)." 

BIG IDEA = When the chaos hits, seek Jesus and trust God! 

Fear #2 - COLLAPSE: The fear of failure. 
Question - What if I'm not "good enough"? 

Has the fear of failure ever caused you to miss out on something great? Well, you're not alone. In Deuteronomy 1:19-33, Moses is telling a story to the people of Israel. It went something like this: "40 years ago, your parents failed to take possession of the Promised Land. Why? Because they got scared. They failed to trust God, and therefore, missed out on the inheritance God had promised them." As Christians, we should be "content with weaknesses (2 Corinthians 12:10)" and embrace failure as an opportunity to trust in God's strength. 

BIG IDEA = Feeling week and incapable allows God to work more powerfully through us! 

Fear #3 - CHASM: The fear of rejection. 
Question - What if I'm alone? 

In 1 John 4:18-19, God's Word says, "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. We love because he first loved us.” Here's the powerful reality of this passage: As a follower of Christ, God loves you! Which means, He has adopted you into his family (Romans 8:15). The incredible truth of the gospel is that at the moment of your salvation you become a son or daughter of God, which means God has accepted you. 

BIG IDEA = God's perfect love removes the fear of rejection!

Fear #4 - CAUGHT: The fear of being found out. 
Question - What if they find out? 

Lastly, the fear of "getting caught" drives many people to hide, cover and isolate. But again, God's Word offers a better way. Take the story of David and Bathsheba for example. If you've never read it, check out 2 Samuel 11-12. In the story, we see King David ("man after God's own heart") fall into sexual sin. But it gets worse, David goes from lust to adultery to murder in a brief period of time. Why? Because he was afraid of getting caught. He knew that this sexual sin would become a public scandal and would destroy his kingship. So what did he do? He hid. He covered. He lied. He deceived. He murdered. However, there is good news. David confessed his sins to God, and he received forgiveness. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9)."

BIG IDEA = Don't hide your sin; confess your sin.

Now what? (Psalm 56)
I'd like finish by offering five steps to overcoming fear.
  
1 - Confront fear honestly! (v.3) Be honest with yourself. Allow others to be honest with you. Be honest before God.  

2 - Confess fear as sin! (vv. 3-4, 10-11) The only time fear is seen as righteous is when it is directed at God (e.g. Prov. 9:10). Every other fear is sin, because you have failed to trust God.  

3 - Hold firmly to God's promises! (vv. 8-11) Meditate on the incredible promises of God. (cf. Ps. 118:6; Prov. 3:25-26; Prov. 29:25; Is. 41:10)  

4 - Seek a better friendship with Jesus! (vv. 12-13) Cultivating a closer relationship with Jesus should be a daily goal of every believer.

5 - Commit your life to Jesus! (v. 13) Without Jesus, it is impossible to resist fear. If you've never trusted Jesus as your Savior, you must start there.

Do you struggle with fear? If so, which fears do you struggle with the most? I challenge you to confess that fear to God, asking for His forgiveness. And lastly, commit to praying and living out the truth of Psalm 56:3, "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you."