How to Handle Your Fear | Part 1

You have the spirit you listen close to Adrian Rogers when you focus all your brain that takes all the blue sky and you don't say you don't understand what you are what you can hear just because you forget all the blessings of God. Some of you are immensely gifted, tremendously blessed by this something you're afraid of, and it is because you forget all the blessings and the gifting's of God in your life because you have focused loan.

Your fear will continue love worth finding featuring the can. The truth of the gospel, found in the practical messages Adrian Rogers. Today we begin part 12 messages on handling fee now. Fear can be productive. It's an instinct God's put in us to help protect and preserve us and our loved ones. But the Bible warns us about the damage, destruction and debilitation of a spirit of fear, the apostle Paul's instruction in second Timothy chapter 1 reveals more about that spirit of fear you have your Bible turn there now will begin in verse six as Adrian Rogers shows how to handle your fear.

I want to talk today about how to handle your fear actually not know how to handle your fear. But how to conquer fear or tell you about what God's word has to say about overcoming fear and conquering fear and facing fear with faith and how to live a future free from the bondage of fear right now in second Timothy chapter 1 beginning in verse six I read these words, Paul is speaking to Timothy and he says wherefore I put the and remembering about stir up the gift of God which is in the by the putting all of my hands, for God has not given us the spirit of fear, 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 as we get into this message. Let me talk to you little bit about the bondage of fear. But before I really get into that even let me take that you have to be careful to analyze their because not all fear is bad.

Some fear is good, and some fear is productive and some fear is of God himself. Now, about 1933, Franklin Delano Roosevelt said these immortal words. We have nothing to fear but fear itself was a beautiful words but I don't agree with him is a lot to fear. Besides fear I would never teach my children. There's nothing to fear but fear itself as long as their rattlesnakes and drunken drivers and rapist and muggers in and I would never teach them that there's nothing to fear but fear itself. Fear is a productive program active mechanism that God is put in all of us and that kind of fear. There's nothing wrong with it is very vital is very good.

It is an instinct that God has put into us help protect us and preserve. So, I'm talking about fear.

I'm not talking about that kind of fear. And then there are other kinds of fear that you know the Bible tells us Jesus literally told us to fear.

On one occasion, he said.

Fear not him which is able to destroy the body is not able to destroy the soul, but rather fear him who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell have you not saved you got something be afraid of, and I might try to talk you out of it. I wish I could reinforce it today that I could show you dear friend that if you're facing future without God you got a lot to be afraid of. Jesus said you all to be afraid and somebody says well I just don't believe in, and frightening people into religion a lot rather frightened unit have them in the love you in the hell Jesus said fear him who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell and then also the Bible speaks of the fear of the Lord. That's a good fear. The Bible says in the book of Proverbs at the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

That is, you don't have a modicum of sense in my suit, fear the Lord about to fear the Lord doesn't mean that you cringe before God is not the idea the Bible word for fear there means reverence, irreverence, the Lord, you have a holy respect for God, now and electrician. He has a fear of electricity if he's going to have a lot of longevity on the job right and is a meaty trouble every time he goes to work, but it does mean that he knows what's in those wireless and so as a respect for that power. Now that's the idea of the fear of the Lord is no competition between fearing God and loving God.

As a matter fact, the man who fears God the most loving, the best limited definition of the fear of the Lord, the fear of the Lord is love on its knees, is what it is just love on its knees. The Bible says, the fear of the Lord is clean is not a filthy fear. It's a good fear. It's a it's a very productive. So when I talk about that kind of fear were talking about something that the Bible calls him a spirit of fear.

Look in verse seven for God is not given us this. Fear this is a negative kind of fear that we would call spirit of fear today. I guess we would call it a phobia of phobia. We were psychologist or psychiatrist would go to phobia the dictionary lists about 700 different kinds of phobias, beginning with a an inning whizzing this phobias fears of all kinds of things.

Acrophobia thereby places some people do. You just can get them up and I place I mean that no matter, there's a guardrail or anything else they just had almost an inordinate fear of five places and claustrophobia fear} some people if you get them in the room is too small with no windows or doors.

I look for and they didn't very nervous and after a while, just almost have to get out.

People have just the opposite. They have a fear called Agoura phobia, which is a fear of open places if they're out in the open field and in the walls anything to close a man they get frightened and they get nervous for people who have an inordinate fear of getting sick at work all past the phobia there fear of disease. Some of these people constantly washing the hands that we all wash her hands. But you know not all the time. These people are they that have this fear of sickness.

I know fear that a lot of people have called ergo phobia fear work and II guess the worst fear of all this global phobia fear. Fear some people are afraid to go to be afraid and so they constantly stay afraid because they're afraid to go to be afraid.

It's a terrible thing, because it's a Catch-22 type of thing and they can get out of this fear of fear when I these are senseless fears. These are fears that are not productive fears, their negative fears there.

What we would call a spirit of fear now will affect some of these things and some of things that I mentioned are relatively harmless. But, dear friend there other fear is a spirit of fear that is not just relatively harmless, but deeply damaging and destructive and debilitating.

The Bible speaks of the bondage of fear. I want you to see the destructive power of the spirit of fear, and then I want you to see the delivering power of the spirit of faith. I want you to see how God will set us free and and how see them face fear and overcome. All right now, think about the destructive power of fear. The destructive power of the spirit of fear. I want you to notice three basic things that fear will do to anybody here. I'm talking about a spirit of fear not productive. Fear. But I thought about destructive fear. For example, I notice what I'm going to call fear and forgetfulness. Notice in verse six, the apostle Paul says to Timothy, wherefore I put them in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God which is in the by the putting on of my hands. Now Timothy was a very gifted man unusually equipped and anointed to do the work of God.

He had a remarkable gift of God, but he failed to use and why did he fail to use the gift that he had forgotten about.

So the apostle Paul says I put the in remembrance you forgotten who you are, you have forgotten your ability.

You have forgotten what God has done for you and what God was to do through you, Timothy.

You are very gifted man, but you forgotten what caused him to forget it was this is fear. You see, look, if you will, and see how verses six and seven are connected by a says now wherefore I put in remembrance of thou stir up the gift of God which is in the by the putting out of my hands for metalwork four connects those two verses for God is not given us the spirit of fear that the idea is that fear had caused him to forget. When you focus on fear, then that takes all the blue out of your sky and you don't see you don't understand who you are what you can do and that fear just because you forget all the blessings of God. Some of you are immensely gifted, tremendously blessed, but there's something you're afraid of, and it is because you forget all the blessings and the gifting's of God in your life because you have focused on your fear, rather than trusting in the Lord and focusing on the Lord. Now Timothy at this time and have much to be afraid of it.

Anybody had anything to be afraid of. It was Paul who wrote this newer Paul was when he wrote this Paul was in prison I look in verse eight he says be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner. Now Paul was a prisoner of the Lord in the metaphorical sense and that he was a bondslave to the Lord Jesus was also present in the literal sense in that he was imprisoned, Paul was in prison when the rope is France waiting to be executed, but Paul is not quaking notice in verse 12, Paul says that which cause I also suffer these things. Nevertheless, I'm not a shame, for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he's able to keep that which I committed to him against that day. Paul said I know who's IN. I know what I committed to the Lord I'm in prison yes I'm in prison but I had not forgotten who God was and how great God was now different. Paul had his eyes focused on the Lord and even though Paul is writing in prison you could just feel the breath of heaven flowing through that prison and if you're free today if you're free today I want to you.

Your friend that your fear your fear is because you forgotten who God is and what God is done for you okay now let me move on and talking about fear and forgetfulness. Verse six, but also fear and failure. Verse eight. Notice in verse eight.

Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me his prisoner.

Now what happened to Timothy was that Timothy had failed to share Christ, and he had failed to stand up for the apostle Paul.

Why Paul was in prison, and Timothy was afraid of what might happen again and feared shut his mouth and fear had paralyzed him. Did you know different that when we ought to succeed. Many of us fail, for one reason, because we listen to that sinister minister of fear.

The devil rather than listening to God and that fear has paralyzed us no matter how gifted we are.

I heard of a man whose farm was failing, whose wife needed an operation the mortgage on the farm was due payment on the tractor was due, but tuition was due banks when loading any money is not a farmer but he decide only thing left for him to do is to rob a bank and so he tried to get up his courage.

So walking around the block trying to get up his courage try to get up his courage at all to get out in his mind how he would do it. He had a bag for the teller to put the money and they had a gun to fight the teller with Andy and little speech memorized.

As I walked into a bank and he got all confused because he was frightened to death and rather than giving the teller that bagged up with the money and he shoved the gun to the teller and then he took that loose bag and he pointed at her and he said to her no stick with me.

This is a mess up folks Pharaoh do that to a lot of people who have abilities that are on you and gifts better barrier and gifts that are forgotten not to you why because you are afraid to stand up to sing in the icy fingers of fear rip your throat. There may be some Bible teachers out there that maybe some preachers out there that maybe some gifted people out there, your gift will never be used, not because you cannot but because you have been intimidated by theme in Matthew chapter 25 Jesus gave the parable of the talents and how you gave to everyone. Different talents and then there was one man who said I took your talent.

Lord and I hid it in the ground because I was 40 because I was �40 major think these people from witnessing.

It is not that they don't want to see people say it is not that they don't be used of God, be honest, the major thing that shuts the mouths of most of us is fear.

Fear of failure.

So many people are afraid they going to fail that they do fail, have you ever gotten behind a person when you're driving who's afraid of allies going to turn red in time to get there. It has they project their failures that they are just ready to fail and therefore they do fail, and like Joe. The thing that I and it is a built-in fear that just comes upon us and we just projected ourselves now you'll have to be a weak person to be a fearful person. Strong people sometimes are very much afraid, and I I was rated by Julius Caesar who the shouts of the enemy were were music to his ear. Julius Caesar was afraid of plunder and it would thunder he would want to get underground Medicaid.

I just would equate Peter the Great, the great czar of Russia a great political and military leader was afraid to cross a bridge and he put 1 foot on the bridge. He began to crumble his ordinary people in some areas of their lives can be possess by an extraordinary fear that will keep them from being what they are all to be. I wonder if you been neutralized by fear.

I want to send out some of you businessmen who will never succeed in this because of fear. I wonder if if they're not people here who have been shot by the devil to the Bible space of almost all their lifetime more in bondage because a fee because of fear.

Now let me talk to you not only about fear and forgetfulness where we just didn't forget who we are in the giftedness of God in fear and failure that makes us ashamed and afraid to do what we could do and ought to do, but also fear and frailty. Did you know that fear can literally seconds week in our bodies that you are in second Timothy turned up first Timothy chapter 5 look in verse 23 Paul says to Timothy drink no longer water but use a little wine fly stomach sake and mine often infirmities here was a man who was sickly mouth. Was he afraid because he was sickly. Perhaps so, but I think is more reasonable to say that he was sickly because he was afraid.

I think he had a fearful disposition and I believe that fearful disposition literally made him sick limited.

What a well-known American internist Dr. said at a roundtable discussion called psychosomatic medicine. He said this in spite of what they say 90% of the chronic patient to see today's physicians have one common problem that trouble did not start with a call for chest pain or hyper acidity. And 90% of the cases. The first symptom was fear.

Fear. Some doctors tell us that an arthritic condition may be exacerbated greatly inflamed because of worry and fear. You can wear yourself stiff. Fear is a terrible thing Jesus speaking of the last days, said one of the marks of the last days would be this bad man's heart's would be failing them for fear, congestive heart failure because of fear. People are carrying a load of fear actually have failure physical problems because of fear. Fear in your life is like sand in machinery faith in your life is like oil a lubricates life fear will do the same thing to you that San will do machinery so I've talked to you about fear and the destructive power of the spirit of fear.

Now let me talk to you little bit about the delivering power of the spirit of faith.

I thank God that Paul doesn't just tell us the problem, but he gives us the answer. He's giving Timothy the answer, but what is giving Timothy the answer.

He's also giving you the answer for he says in verse seven for God hath not given us the spirit of fear but of power and of love and a sound mind. But here are the three elements that if you take them and put them in your life. These three things power, love, a sound mind. You can have a future free from the bondage of fear when I say the bondage of the I'm not saying a future free from fear. I would want future free from fear.

I know about productive fear productive fears good some years ago our phone rang in the middle of the night I answer the phone and was one my son's roommates in college down in Texas and Waco, Texas. He said Mr. Rogers. Isn't David supposed to be coming back to school today and I said what yes he left early this morning. Patient had plenty of time to be there. I would've thought he needed by eight or 9 o'clock. It was after midnight.

He said well Mr. Rogers.

I just thought I'll let you know he's he's not here. I got to thinking about that old rattletrap car he was driving was a dark stormy night and all those things a go through that is mine. I thought well maybe a blowout may be in a ditch maybe been around maybe minaret babies at a gas meter talk.

He said Mr. Rogers you have any idea where he is. I said no son I don't I said please call me an hour. Let me know if using early morning he called back Mr. Rogers.

He's not here how this before then he should've been how you going to find someone in hundreds of miles of road 2200 and I thought to myself as I felt that spirit of fear coming to me Adrian you preach the people you told not to be afraid you told him that because I given us a spirit of fear in your afraid. Widen your sermon work is a well operator to make Anna still didn't work all that fear was there.

I said I my hypocrite why have I been preaching something that is not true, why, why am I afraid right now and I realize that the fear as I analyze it was a legitimate fear that God gave me a legitimate fear that says all right do something, just don't go back to sleep.

If there is anything you can do doing well in that case, it was nothing I could do a limited I had committed to the Lord and what happened. The numbness go had known the Dallas in Dallas. He met somebody looking for directions and he's driving all over Dallas trying to help this man out. Now there's a difference. Also, point fear and worry. I realize also I began to worry. Nice a lot I can do that. I just put that in your hand and I did and and committed it to the Lord will, in today's part of the lesson right there and continue this message coming up on Monday. Now in the meantime, maybe have a prayer request that you liked this year we would love to come alongside you if you can go to our website homepage@lwf.org/radio and scroll down to find our prayer wall.

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