How to Say No to Fear & Yes to Peace – Life Is a Journey, part 18
Want peace instead of fear? This message tackles how to replace fear with peace. Learn the secret to living free of anxiety and experiencing the peace of God.
Through this series, you’ll learn how to live well & enjoy God's promises. You are loved by God; He knows your name. He has a plan for your life. Get helpful advice, encouragement, and hope for a life well lived in 2021 and beyond.
Are you walking in faith and victory? Set your eyes on the promises of God. You only have one life journey; say yes to Jesus. Like the parables of the buried treasure and the valuable pearl, stop at nothing to gain your entry into the kingdom of heaven.
No need to fear with God in your corner.
Healthy vs Unhealthy Fear
As we looked at last week, there are two types of fear: healthy fear and unhealthy fear.
“Fear not” appears 63 times in the Bible. But variations on this theme are found over 300 times in scripture. It is directed to individuals and/or groups in a variety of circumstances. It is clear that God doesn’t want his people to fear in the face of adversity or decision.
‘He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.’”’ (2 Chronicles 20:15, NIV).
Don’t be afraid because the battle is God’s, not yours. I want you to take that verse to heart.
You are worth more to God than you can imagine. Sometimes, we are told that fear of the Lord is a good thing (Proverbs 1:7, Proverbs 15:33). The Hebrew word for fear in these two verses means reverence, respect. Not that of being afraid or dread of the Lord.
Why is it that we should not fear or dread the Lord? It is because he loves us (1 John 4:19). Perfect love casts out unhealthy fear because unhealthy fear has to do with punishment. Because of God’s love, “he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will” (Ephesians 1:4-5, emphasis added).
So, if you are in Christ, you have no reason to fear or be afraid, whatever may come.
We can however, acknowledge that it is good to hold the Lord in a place of fear, reverence and awe in our hearts. After all, he is the creator and the giver of life, he is sovereign and all authority and power is his and he holds the universe and everything together. Godly fear and reverence is spiritually healthy and should give everyone the idea to have honor and praise towards God Almighty.
But sadly, not everyone has such reverence or fear of the Lord. Again, the fear of the Lord is not being afraid but rather a respect and reverence for who God is. He is God Almighty.
Fear, terror, dread or the fear of being afraid has a proper place in God’s hands alone. Give it all to Jesus. Give all your unhealthy fears to God.
Replace fear with peace
As believers we have no reason to fear or be afraid. We need to learn to give unhealthy fear in our hearts to God Almighty. But sadly, many of us hold on to the unhealthy fears and anxiety rather than giving them to the Lord. It is possible to live free from unhealthy fear and anxiety.
How do we live free of fear?
Lean on the Lord.
Trust in the Lord and know that he loves you with an everlasting love and desires for you to live in peace and free from fear.
Pray and seek the Lord with all your heart and give those fears to him.
Refuse to allow fear to rule in your heart.
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:4-7).
Rejoice! God’s peace is with you.
The Apostle Paul reminds us that the Lord is near and that we have no reason to be anxious or fear anything. In fact, we should rejoice! Paul tells us that the peace of God transcends all understanding and will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.
As believers we should experience the peace of God, and allow the peace of God to overpower and erase any unhealthy fears that may try to develop and take root in our heart. Attacks from an unsuspecting enemy may arise. Give those fears to the Lord in prayer and allow the peace of God to fill your heart. Then rejoice and be glad knowing that the Lord is with you.
How can you experience this peace? Discipline.
Friends, fear and anxiety are only resident in our hearts if we allow it to be. The truth is that we can experience the peace of God as we set our hearts and minds on Christ and give him all our unhealthy fears and anxiety.
We learned last week that God did not give us the spirit of fear; but that of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. We noted that a sound mind involves self-discipline. We need to develop the discipline of giving God our unhealthy fears and anxiety. We need to break the awful habit of harboring unhealthy fear in our hearts and develop the habit of praying and giving God those fears and anxieties.
Remember, the Lord is near, so don’t fear or be anxious about anything. Rather, trust the Lord. He knows what is best. He loves you with an everlasting love and he will deliver you safely into his kingdom. He will guard your heart and mind in Christ.
How To Live Free of Fear
We need to learn to live free from unhealthy fear and anxiety. You may be thinking, but Pastor Rich, you don’t know what I am going through. I want you to consider what the Apostle Paul experienced. Paul was beaten, shipwrecked, imprisoned, his life was being threatened daily (see 2 Corinthians 11:24-29). It sounds to me that Paul had ample reasons to live in fear and develop an unhealthy anxiety in life with all he was going through. However, Paul knew the secret to living a victorious life and defeating unhealthy fear and anxiety was to give them all to Jesus.
Lean on God and give him your fears.
Paul learned to lean on the Lord, and give God all the unhealthy fears, worries and anxieties. Paul knew God was able to deal with all of it, better than he ever could. Paul experienced the many benefits that come from trusting in and leaning on God:
Paul was able to sleep in peace.
Paul was able to sing and praise God, even in prison.
Paul could rejoice knowing that God was near.
Paul was able to endure physical, emotional, financial hardships all because he trusted God.
Paul realized he did not need to worry. He knew God Almighty; Jesus, his Lord and savior, had everything under control.
Jesus reminds us not to worry:
“25 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?”
“32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:25, 32-34).
In other words, why worry? God’s got it under control. Trust him. Pray and tell him what’s bothering you and then let it go. Give him all your fears and don’t take them back.
Learn to place those troubles in their proper place. Put them in God’s hands, rather than keeping them bound up in your heart and mind. I want you to understand that the enemy of your soul wants to kill, steal and destroy. He wants you to focus on whatever unhealthy fear, anxiety and troubles that he can, in the hopes that you will be so distracted, that you will not focus on Jesus and the truth found in the word of God; the word of God that breathes hope, life and peace to your heart.
How do you give God your fears? Pray and believe.
Once you have decided to give your fear and anxiety to God, begin to Pray and make your requests known to God. Thank him for what he will do and for the peace of God, which he will impart to you in the midst of your situation.
Take your cares, needs and fears to the Lord. Give them to him, he is able to take those fears and give you the peace of God that is beyond understanding.
God already knows what you need. He knows what you are going to pray even before you pray, and yet you are told to make your requests known to him. By bringing your prayers to him, you are displaying your dependence on God. You are acknowledging God’s ability to hear, answer, and meet every need. You are relying on God, the Father, who knows better than you what your needs are.
Jesus tells us how we are to pray in Matthew 6. Jesus teaches us that when we pray, we are to acknowledge God as our heavenly Father. We also acknowledge God’s kingdom and that his will that is in heaven, to be done on earth and as we seek God’s will we bring our requests to him (Matthew 6:6-13).
We should seek only what we need for the day: Give us today our daily bread. We have no need to worry about tomorrow because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own (Matthew 6:34).
We have no need to be anxious about things that are yet to happen; rather we are to seek the forgiveness of our debts and as we have forgiven our debtors, we ask the Lord to lead us not into temptation but rather deliver us from the evil one (Matthew 6:12-13). I want you to take note that we should seek forgiveness of our debts as we forgive our debtors. We are not to do one without the other. Understand, we are to forgive just as Christ has forgiven us.
When we pray, we have no need to be anxious. God knows all we need.
The secret to having peace is trusting God with your fears.
As we acknowledge God for who he is and bring our needs to him, we can expect the peace of God to fill our hearts. The peace of God will give you reason to rejoice. It is a peace that we cannot explain, a peace in the face of adversity, a peace in the midst of a storm, a peace that others who don’t know God as their Lord and savior cannot understand because they are focused on the circumstance rather than on the Lord who holds the universe and everything together.
Remember the verses we read earlier:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6).
Paul reminds us to thank the Lord as we present our prayer requests to the Lord.
Thank God for:
Who he is.
Sending Jesus and the grace and mercy that was shown you when you asked him to forgive you of your sins.
The love he has shown you and all the world, in that who so ever would believe in Jesus shall not perish but have eternal life.
The love and faith that is in your heart.
Thank him that you have no need to worry of fear because, through the power of Christ, anything is possible.
Because of Christ, Paul could say:
“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:12-13).
Are you living with unhealthy fears in your heart? Give them all to Jesus. Are you worried about tomorrow? Give that to Jesus.
As you look at the news today, and around the world, there are legitimate reasons to fear. Put fears in their proper place: with Jesus. For the Christian, fear belongs in the hands of God. God is able to turn those fears around into opportunities to glorify God almighty.
Begin to pray and seek the Lord. Pray with the understanding that God is able to turn those unhealthy fears into times of rejoicing. Begin each day with prayer and acknowledge you can do everything through him who gives you strength.
Thank God for all he has done, and will do, in your life each day. Troubles may still come, but God is able to deliver you out of them.
Suggested Praise and Worship
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