Fear, Facts, and Faith

Fear, Facts, and Faith 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 12 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;… For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. This is a great word for all of us today. A pastor was riding in a taxi. He leaned ahead and tapped the taxi driver on the shoulder. The driver screamed and lost control of the cab, bounced over the curb and stopped inches from a large plate window. For a few moments everything was silent and then the cap driver said, “I’m sorry, but you scared the daylights out of me.” The frightened passenger apologized and said he didn’t realize a tap on the shoulder would frighten him so much. The driver said, “No, it is entirely my fault. This is my first day driving a cab. I’ve been driving a hearse for the last 25 years.” That story describes a lot of people today. People are jumpy. Fear. People are afraid. Mark Hitchcock said, “Fear is the mood of the mob. There is a stampede of fear out there. Fear is a great motivator. Preparation is one thing but a dominate obsession and fear is another.” We need to conquer fear and face fear with faith. Now, in 1933, Franklin Delano Roosevelt said these immortal words: "We have nothing to fear but fear itself." Now, those are beautiful words, but I don't agree with them. A healthy dose of fear can protect us. Jesus literally told us—to fear on one occasion. He said: "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" ( Matthew 10:28). And, if you are not saved, then you've got something to be afraid of. If you're facing a future without God, then you've got a lot to be afraid of. Somebody said, "Well, I just don't believe in frightening people into religion." Well, I'd rather frighten you into Heaven than to lull you into Hell. Jesus said: "Fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." And then, also, the Bible speaks of the fear of the Lord—that's a good fear. That means to reverence the Lord. If you fear God, you don’t fear other things. Today there is a spirit of fear and it is very destructive. Fear develops because we have forgotten Who God is and what He has done. We need to remember this. Paul wrote Timothy to put him in remembrance (1:6). If we don’t remember we will worry. You can worry yourself sick. Worry is a terrible thing. Jesus, speaking of the last days, said that one of the marks of the last days would be this: that men's hearts would fail them for fear. People with a spirit of fear have physical problems brought on or enhanced by fear. Fear is making a good living. Adrian Rogers said, “Fear in your life is like sand in machinery. Faith in your life is like oil—it lubricates life. Fear will do the same thing to you that sand will do to machinery.” We forget who powerful unhealthy fear is. Look how we are being controlled by fear. Mass panic and hysteria. Resources are depleted. Try buying toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and other goods. Freedom can be taken overnight. We now see how easy it can be done. Ultimately fear is a killer. It is a destroyer. May I recommend a book, “Fearless” by Max Laccado. The first emotion after the fall of man was fear. God knows this and so the most frequent command in the Bible is, “Fear not.” One out of every six commands of Jesus have to do with this topic. “Do not be afraid.” Now, here are the three elements that you take and put in your life—these three things: power, love, and a sound mind—and you can have a future free from the bondage of fear. 1. Endued With Power (Courage) The power that he's talking about is the power of the Holy Spirit of God. Now, do you know why we are afraid when we are afraid? Fear, at its center is a perceived loss of control.We're afraid that we do not have the resources to meet our enemy. I mean, if we have a foe that we feel is bigger than we are, then we are afraid. If I understand that I have greater strength than my foe, then there is no need for me to be afraid. Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world" ( 1 John 4:4). You need to glimpse at your problems and gaze at your God. 2. Enriched With Love (Compassion) The Bible says: "Perfect love casteth out fear" ( 1 John 4:18). Love counteracts fear. The verse literally means that I don't have to be afraid, because God loves me perfectly. Where His love is present, fear is cast out. Now, I just rest in that love. I say, "Lord, no matter what happens to me, I know that I know that You love me. And, because You love me, and because You are all powerful, 'All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose'" ( Romans 8:28). But, there's one other thing that is necessary—not only does God endue us with power, not only does God enrich us with love, but God also enlightens us with a sound mind. 3. Enlightened With A Sound Mind (Discipline) (Control) Fear finds a foothold in our minds and then when fear comes in, it blows things out of proportion. Now, these words “sound mind” literally mean that God has given us discipline—or self-control, or a discerning spirit. "Wise discretion"—that's what the words sound mind mean. You see, so many of the things we are afraid of we are afraid of not on the basis of reality, but because the deceiver has made us afraid. We need to live sensibly and balanced. Be levelheaded. Access reality clearly. Refuse to give in to irrational behavior which is what fear causes us to do. It is the ability to keep our fear in check in the face of panic or passion. It is hard to get the truth on this virus. Megyn Kelly tweeted, “I’m so frustrated right now ... that we can’t trust the media to tell us the truth without inflaming it to hurt Trump ... that Trump has misled so many times we no longer know when to trust his word ... that even I as a journalist am not sure where to turn for real info on COVID.” What is a sound view on this present virus. Eric Barger said, “When viewed in context, this virus is presently affecting far fewer people and is projected to take far fewer lives than common influenza does each year. That is a fact. However, that is not to say that it is not serious or that it couldn't become far worse. COVID-19 is far more contagious and can be carried and spread for several days by individuals who are not exhibiting any symptoms nor even aware they are infected. What is at issue, besides the disease itself, is the public's perception of and reaction to this crisis. I guarantee that those who want to take evil advantage - especially of our way of life - are carefully watching how this current scenario plays out. The Globalists love chaos, just as revolutionaries do. Let's not forget what Obama's then soon-to-be chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, stated back in 2008: "You never want a serious crisis go to waste. But what I mean by that, it's an opportunity to do things that you think you could not do before." God gives us a sound mind. That is this: We are able to take these things and to look at them in the clear light of God's Word. And, many times, you have to take yourself by the nape of the neck and make yourself analyze these things. When fear comes knocking, don’t let it in. You see, we have to look past what might happen to us in the immediate moment and see that God is ultimately victorious. That's what Paul did, in 2 Timothy 1:12—he says: "For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day" ( 2 Timothy 1:12). "Now, Timothy, you're ashamed of the testimony of our Lord." "I'm not ashamed." "Why?" "Because, I know in whom I have believed. I am persuaded that He is able to keep me." Now, that's a sound mind. He wasn't blown away by all of these things that the devil was doing. Now, he had a commitment—a faith in the Lord Jesus. We can’t be blown away by what is happening in these times in which we life either. How to respond to people who ask about the hope within us. 1. “I serve a powerful God.” He is bigger than this virus. We don’t need fear if we have faith. 2. “I know a loving God.” Share the love of God with people. I am secure because God loves me. Encourage them to draw near to God because nothing can separate us from the love of God. (See Romans 8:37-39). This is a time for us to show His love. Show compassion. 3. “God gives me a sound mind.” I have peace. I am at rest. The one fear above all others is the fear of death. For the believer life and death is a win win thing. The power of death has been defeated. 4. Warn them of a worse time coming for those who haven’t received Jesus as their personal Savior. A time of tribulation is coming that will make this virus look like a picnic. See how easy it will be for someone to rise up and take control of the world. The Bible calls him the antichrist. There will be incredible devastation. The Tribulation will be the worst time to live in human history. How much better to ask Jesus into your heart now and watch it all from heaven!