The fear of death explained

A sick man turned to his doctor, as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, “Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me, what lies on the other side?”

Very quietly the Doctor said, “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know? You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side?”

The doctor was holding the handle of the door; on the other side of which came a sound of scratching and whining. As he opened the door a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness.

Turning to the patient, the doctor said, “Did you notice my dog? He’s never been in this room before. He didn’t know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened he sprang in without fear.

I know little of what is on the other side of death, but I know one thing: I know my Master is there, and that is enough. When that door opens, I will pass through it with gladness, and with no fear.

“Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” – Hebrews 11:1

Overcoming your fears with faith.

He did not take the ark to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. (1 Chronicles 13:13 NIV)

We are only born with two fears – the fear of falling and the fear of loud noises. That means, every other fear we have, we learn throughout our lives.

There are some very common fears, like the fear of heights, snakes or spiders. These things may stop us from being a little bit adventurous outside, however, there are more debilitating fears which can have a greater effect.

Often, due to fear, we don’t take risks, we don’t push ourselves out of our comfort zone, and we don’t speak up when we have something to contribute. This can hold us back and limit the gifts God has given us.

Fear can hold us back from standing up for someone who has been treated unjustly. Fear can stop us from reaching our dreams. Fear can put a lid on our potential. But only if we choose to allow it to.

God did not give us a spirit of fear. We are the ones who choose to fear. And we come from a long line of people who choose fear!

Even the great King David, who conquered thousands of his enemies, held back due to fear. He feared bringing the Ark of the Covenant into the city, and missed out on months of blessing from God. When we read this story we can understand why he had the fear, but we can also see how he missed out because of it.

Our lives can be the same. Through our circumstances we can worry about many things and often feel justified to do so. Yes, life can be scary and fears can feel so real, but let’s not forget who we worship.

When we choose fear, we limit ourselves to our own capabilities. When we choose God, we are open to His capabilities.

Prayer: Lord, our fears can seem so real at times. Help us not to focus on that which we’re afraid of, but help us to see what You are capable of. Amen.

Fear is not failing

When God asks us to do something, it can be doverwhelmng, terrifying even, and cause usanxiety. Maybe it is moving to a new city, asking someone if they know Jesus, or even quitting a job. This happened multiple times to Gideon, who was a Judge in the Old Testament. There is encouragement for us though. God didn’t look at Gideon as a failure because he was afraid and questioned God about the things he was supposed to do. In fact, each time he was afraid, God provided for him.

But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant. (Judges 7:10 ESV)

In this verse we read that he was afraid to go down to the camp alone. So, God told him to go with one of his servants. God could have easily said, “You failed and I will use somebody else!” But he didn’t. Don’t feel as if you’ve failed when God has called you to do something and you are afraid. He will provide a way for you to make it through your fears and succeed. Being afraid is okay, but succumbing to that fear and being disobedient is not. God will call us to do hard things in our lifetime, but as with Gideon, He will be ever present and strong in our weakness!

Be encouraged today and trust our good God to equip you for the work laid before you! Below are some amazing verses on fear

• Psalm 23:4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

• Psalm 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation– whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life– of whom shall I be afraid?

• Psalm 118:6 The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

• 2 Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

• Psalm 115:11 You who fear him, trust in the LORD– he is their help and shield.

The perfect post on what fear really is

The post below is written by a Facebook friend of mine, the Praying Medic. How aweome is this?

 

I receive a lot of prayer requests from friends who admit, ‘I’m worried’, ‘I’m afraid’ or ‘I’m fearful.’

I was asking the Holy Spirit about this yesterday. ‘Where does fear come from and how do we deal with it?’

He said ‘fear is a spirit’. And it is not from God. It’s from the enemy.

There is a spirit called fear. “We have not received the spirit of fear, but the spirit of peace, love and a sound mind.’

There is a spirit that causes fear and when you feel fearful, it’s because this spirit is controlling your thoughts and actions.

I’ve come under this spirit’s influence a lot. I’m not throwing stones at anyone. It affects all of of us at some time.

Imagine our mind is a car…

When we allow our mind to think about God, we allow the spirit of peace, love and a sound mind to take the keys to the car and steer our thoughts.

When we think of financial troubles, sickness, death, or anything we fear – we give the spirit of fear the keys to the car and it will drive us wherever it wants.

Fear is a spirit and it’s our response when our mind is being driven by the wrong spirit.

Take the keys to your thought life back and hand them back to the Holy Spirit. Don’t allow the spirit of fear to dominate you any longer.