Overcoming Fear

As a result of the events and emotions of the past several years, people are living a life right now that seasoned with beer like a ferocious enemy is just poised to invade bringing more worry and more anxiety in the life we thank you for joining Dr. Michael Doucette for leading the way audio because of next Dr. Yousef encourages you with words that Paul shared with Timothy biblical words putting into perspective the fears that you may be experiencing in 2022. Welcome to leading the way with pastor and the author of the new book, never give up. Dr. Michael used to join him for the beginning of a practical series, complementing his new book, never give up.

So listen with me now to Dr. Michael used to never give up on biblical truth. Never give up on the infallibility of the word of God may never give up on the ferry trip once delivered, never give up on the biblical orthodoxy and when you understand the backdrop to this official second epistle of Timothy when you understand the importance of this message for our generation where the apostle Paul be aged imprisoned apostle realize that his days are numbered in the the day of his meeting Jesus face-to-face is approaching. He decides to leave Mr. Percival as his legacy for future generation of church leaders and church members from the book of acts and from historical documents.

We know that the apostle Paul was imprisoned twice was imprisoned twice your memory of the shipwreck going from Jerusalem to Rome there that his first imprisonment was more like a house arrest. He was in the rented accommodation.

Sure he was on the guard, but he was rented accommodation. He was able to receive visitors. But then he was freed because of lack of evidence against him. Then there is a strong indication that he went from there to Spain. You remember when he wrote to the Romans and is that I have longing to come to you so that you must send me on my way to spend all of his life. The desire of his love, the longing of his life was to go to Spain and preach the gospel thereto.

That way he would've covered the Empire from side to side after P preach in Spain and come back that he was arrested and throw us. This was during the time of the great persecution you remember Nero burnt Rome and blamed it on the Christian and the severe persecution began. Back then, and it was so severe that Paul himself was arrested and he was placed in a dungeon.

This aged physically weak apostle of God was languishing in a dungeon. We don't know exactly how long the apostle Paul was in the dungeon and the miserable place.

But we know that from there. He was taken to the place of execution on the Augustine way there he laid his gray-haired on the grindstone and in a moment, the executioners acts decapitated him and Paul. This experience absence from the body, and presence of the Lord instantly sometimes immediately before that horrible violent act. The apostle took pen to paper and he wrought for the future generation. I am so grateful to the sovereign Lord for preserving such a document. Also, I believe that the apostle Paul wrote this epistle so that every person who's defeated my experience victory and triumph that each one minor joy in the midst of their despair that everyone of us can experience encouragement in the midst of discovery. The one thing that comes through again and again and again is that the apostle Paul knew his spiritual son Timothy. He knew him only to well. He knew his strength and he knew his weaknesses. He knew how prone Timothy was to discouragement and how these prone to self-pity and how is prone to the temptation of throwing in the towel and giving her. Timothy apparently was a timid soul is not assertive, which made unscrupulous people take advantage of him and, therefore, the apostle Paul as he contemplates his own departure from this side to heaven. He writes to Timothy, and basically if I can put it in fewer words saying to him, never give up.

Can you say that with me. Never give up as a look with me at the first seven verses of chapter 1, second Timothy in verse one, you see the apostle Paul asserts as he does in all the epistles. He asserts his unique calling in Christ Jesus. The unique call on his life like all the other 12, the apostle Paul was qualified to be called an apostle, because the main qualification for being called an apostle is that they have seen the resurrected Jesus and that is why the apostle Paul called himself an apostle because he not only saw the resurrected Jesus on the road to Damascus, but he was commissioned by the resurrected Jesus to take the gospel to the Gentiles. And that is why now is not afraid to die in Jesus and for Jesus. Look at verse two. Paul addresses Timothy, our son, of course, is not his physical son is a spiritual son Timothy Kim to the Lord through the ministry of the apostle Paul, and Paul becomes his spiritual father if you follow leading the way you know that we have the 2025 vision that I believe God gave me after fasting and praying in the vision is that when I get to heaven. I want to see 1 million people spiritual sons and spiritual daughters with me in heaven and I thank God that this is already happening. Look with me versus 3 to 6. Here you find that some of the most intensely personal words that you ever hear from the apostle Paul.

These are the most intensely intimate words that the apostle ever expressed in all of his writings here. He said the Timothy. I remember you in my prayers. Not just when upright in the morning, not just on occasions not like I said to others in remembrance of you. Every time I think of your pray for your nonowner. He said, I pray for you. Night what I'm encouragement was shot in the arm to Timothy to know that the great apostle Paul praying for him day and night valiant night and he said, as I pray for your day or night, Timothy.

I recall your tears. I recall your faith, your sincere faith. I recall your godly heritage.

I recall your godly mom and your godly grandma who have prayed for you who have ministered to you who instructed you, so much so that you are prepared as soon as he heard the message of the gospel you believed it. The beloved. I want to stop you for a minute and tell you.

Sowing seed in the minds and the hearts of your children at home and grandchildren will bear fruit.

Trust me I say it on the authority of the word of God. You might not see the fruit right away. You might not experience that fruit immediately. But make no mistake about it sooner or later the fruit will come about in Timothy's case. Obviously his mom and his grandmother have trained them well in the Old Testament and are shorten the prophecies about Jesus in the Old Testament, they prepared his heart to be expectant of the coming of the Messiah.

They obviously taught him to hold for the coming Messiah from the pages of the Old Testament, they taught him the importance of living expectantly of the coming Messiah. No wonder that kind of preparation compelled him better soon as he heard from the apostle Paul that the Messiah came that he lived that he died that he rose again that is ascended into heaven, and that is soon coming back as Judge Timothy put his faith in Jesus Christ, amen.

We don't know, but apparently Timothy's father was a Gentile and possibly Greek is not mentioned here.

Some speculate but what Paul is doing here, his giving us an example of what I taught you when I preach to first Corinthians chapter 7 when Paul said that the children of a believing spot one parent doesn't have to be about one a sanctified and that believing parents, meaning that God has a plan for the children of even one parent is a believer, I hope that you vividly remember that and hear what the apostle Paul is doing is saying here is an exhibit a is an exhibit a of what I'm teaching about how the children of believing parents will come to Christ. Exhibit a is Timothy Timothy because of his faith of his mother and his grandmother in the preparation and the seeds that they are planted in his heart and his life. Now he became the success of the great apostle Paul and Paul says I remember how you received the Holy Spirit. When we laid hands on you remember how you got the gift of the Holy Spirit that we all have the gifts of the different gifts of the Holy Spirit and you remember how you exercise that gift of the Holy Spirit. And here he says the great encourager of the apostle Paul is saying. I remember all of that. Timothy and I thank God for you. Those truly magnificent word to a discouraged Timothy, beloved, probably the same devil who was working on Timothy to discourage him the same devil who was trying to tempt him to give up is the same devil was working on some of you today know that is the same devil is ascended up. Probably the same devil who were standing Timothy destroying the towel and give up or slow down and give up the fight is that same devil is tempting you today that I would do whatever it takes to encourage you to get up, get on the family album get out the word of God and start remembering start remembering God's past blessings start remembering God's pass protection start remembering God passed watching over you start remembering how he rescued you.

Sometimes he did not even know what start remembering how God used you in the past, how God worked in you in the past and today, that same God wants to bless you, encourage you and use you again.

Which brings me to the very heart of what Paul is saying to Timothy in this particular passage is what is saying is the Timothy shake off your timidity, shake off your fear, shake off your discouragement shake off your weariness, shake off the temptation to give up and take it easy. Look at verse seven with me. For God did not give us the spirit of fear or timidity. It's really the same word, but the spirit of power and of love and of self-control.

I understand from this that there is a specific spirit, evil spirit, not from God has nothing to do with God's an evil spirit and he specializes in fear. If you read my book conquer. I show you the hierarchy in the spiritual realm and Satan and his and his demons. There is powers and authority under all have a hierarchy in this evil spirit is not from the Lord. As I said specializes in fear not.

Don't know how many demons could be billions or trillions we don't know we have no idea how many demons he would have deployed this particular evil spirit he would deploy to work on God's believers, we don't know we don't know how many of those demons are doing the bidding of that evil spirit. But it doesn't matter. What matters is that we recognize and that is not from the Lord is an evil spirit. The Bible says he who is in us that the Holy Spirit is greater than he was in the world this evil spirits. All of them put together. He whose interest is greater than he was in the world can you say that with me. He is in us is greater than he was in the world. The evil spirit of fear has one over arching task all lawyers that are focused. I don't think the demons have ADD and I do and I have to work hard and concentrating. They are laser focused, what is it whether they wanted do they want to paralyze your effectiveness.

They want to neutralize your impact they want to know your spiritual senses. They want to terrify you into a prison cell of your own making. I hope the irony is not wasted on any of us. Paul is another dungeon of Roman prison, but he knew that if we live in fear. We are in a prison worse than his.

If we live in fear were behind bars more powerful than steel.

If we live in fear. We are in the prison more inescapable than Alcatraz not beloved, listen to me.

Fear can destroy your abilities.

Fear can hamper your drive.

Fear can paralyze your commitment. Fear can stunt your spiritual growth.

Fear can destroy your marriage, your family and your relationships.

Fear can destroy your health and even can kill you, which is the desire of the devil. Anyway, that is why Paul wants Timothy and every one of us to know that because the devil controls the spirit of fear, and because the devil is a liar he will masquerade you will not, and say I am fear here to terrorize you.

No no no no no you will come to something like being super cautious not talk about just being careful and just want to make sure I'm doing the right thing. That's not take risk.

This not do crazy things less not trust God with things that we not sure he's gonna do or not is being incapable and feeling inadequate or insecure or lacking in confidence. False humility others can do better because they can.

But God is calling you, beloved, I know what I'm talking about.

I have experience with raw fear within inches of my face facing death, but the Holy Spirit of God breathed and me and said fear not, in fact, that is why those two words are repeated by Lord Jesus again and again and again.

Fear not, fear not safe with me.

Not fear not life. Why, because Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life not a life. The life fear, not death. Why, because Jesus said I am the one who lives was dead, and behold, I am living forever more. Fear not the unknown.

Why, because Jesus said I am the Alpha and the Omega and the beginning and the end and everything in between. The one thing the great apostle has learned in over 30 years of working with the Lord serving the Lord, preaching the gospel of the Lord.

One thing he understood that this only one antidote to fear, beloved, listen to me there's only one antidote to fear what is it what is it what is it that God who is in total control of your life can banish fear out of your life might not happen in an incident, but it's a daily thing. Ask yourself the question, what is stopping your effectiveness.

What excuse do you have for not serving and giving and doing is it fear of failure are not all about failure of experience to my life many times but I would rather try to do something and fail than succeed at nothing to listen to me you cannot be defeated unless you accepted defeat in your heart literally repeaters you cannot be defeated unless you accept defeat in your heart. Please email ride I'm about to finish falling down does not make you a failure. Staying down does did you get that falling down does not make you a failure but staying down because failure is never your undertaker is only your teacher failure is never a dead-end street when you are in Jesus, it's only a detour. Sometimes I hear people say will Michael my past sins are just haunting me, not if you place them under the blood of Jesus a man God buried your sins in the deepest sea and that he put a sign fishing is not allowed. Is it the feel of the unknown, the Bible said no weapons formed against you will prosper my look like succeeding, but it will not prosper. The Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear.

And so the word of God to us today. All of us were regardless of where we are the word of God as he spoken to Timothy is spoken to everyone of us. We need to know that God is in control of every aspect of our lives no matter how much the devil my bark.

We already have received the victory because he has given us the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit gives us power gives us courage gives us strength give us the ability to love the unlovable gives us all that we need to be faithful soldiers of Jesus Christ. Can I get an amen will you bow your heads with me please father. I lift up my brothers and sisters.

I lift up every discouraged person. I lift up every timid individual. I lift up every fearful person. Father I pray that you today visit every trembling heart, with the power of your Holy Spirit, that each one would rise up and bless your name rise up and do some great things for you because you are a great God for all of this in Jesus name, amen. Thank you. Love the words you heard from Dr. Yousef and Monica. The Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear this is leading the way with Dr. Michael. You know if fear has set up camp in your life helpful to have a conversation with one of our staff pastors and you can do that by visiting LTW.org/Jesus taken intact. You can also scan to live frequently asked questions about spiritual life and letting LTW.org/Jesus, no matter how hard these days may be, no matter how trying those times might become, no matter how challenging the situation is known learn the keys to spiritual endurance overcome spiritual reign of the next iteration to stand firm on biblical truth.

Dr. Yousef's new book, never give up his life in prison.

The apostle Paul urged his young disciple Timothy never give up on prayer never ever give up once for all entrusted to the saints, ever give up.

Dr. Mike unpacked all rich words (second Timothy works that will help you in the midst of danger and despair. The word of God to the point of recognition in this use of bills aspects of what it means to never give up timeliness compromise is like fresh how to call for additional ordering information is 8666264356866626435. Thanks.

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