Man, that was good. If you could take your Bibles, go to 2 Timothy, please, chapter 1. One summer night, during a severe thunderstorm, a mother was tucking her small son into bed. She was about to turn the light off when he asked in a trembling voice, Mommy, will you stay with me all night? Smiling, the mother gave a warm, reassuring hug and said tenderly, I can't, dear. I have to sleep in Daddy's room. A long silence followed. At last, it was broken by a shaky voice saying, the big sissy. Two explorers were on a jungle safari when suddenly a ferocious lion jumped in front of them. Keep calm, the fursome explorer whispered. Remember what we read in that book on wild animals? If you stand perfectly still and look the lion in the eye, he'll turn and run. Sure, replied his companion. You've read the book, and I've read the book, but has the lion read the book? And I think that when we look at fears in our life, they're very real. I don't mean to make light of things that are bringing fear into our lives, but what I'd like to talk about tonight is overcoming the spirit of fear. Overcoming the spirit of fear. But it is very real, and we've all experienced it. We've all had it in our life. Maybe right now you've got a situation where you feel that bondage in your life where you are afraid. You're afraid of something on the horizon. You're afraid of some situation that you're facing. And I think that it's important that we begin to look at this subject of fear in a scriptural manner. In 2 Timothy chapter one, in verse number seven, one power packed verse here, it says, for God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Let's pray. Father I ask you Lord that you would just work powerfully in this time. Give me the words that I need. I pray that your spirit would do the work. And I pray, Lord, that perhaps tonight there can be some deliverance, some help brought into somebody's life. Thank you, Lord, for this opportunity. In Jesus' name, amen. As I was sitting down and I was, a couple of words were just circulating in my mind and the word is overcome. In 1 John chapter 4 it says, year of God little children and have overcome them because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. Then in chapter 5 it once again says, for whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world. And this is the victory that overcometh the world even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world? But he that believeth that Jesus is a son of God. And so we get some great powerful verses in the scripture that give us great assurance of the power that we have to overcome situations in our life and the fears that seem to bring us down or keep us paralyzed not moving forward for God. And it's a real issue. It's something that all of us face and something all of us have to consider and all of us have to have an answer for. Fear is defined in Webster's Dictionary as an unpleasant, sometimes strong emotion caused by an anticipation or awareness of danger or an anxious concern. Many people, including Christians, experience what the world terms anxiety disorders or maybe a panic attack. These anxiety disorders could range from just being a worry wart or having panic attacks, or phobias, or social anxieties. You don't like to be around people, or you need to be alone, or maybe you're scared of being alone. There's so many different phobias out there. In fact, I had a list that I had printed out and I'd worked, just read through. They have a list of over 100 phobias that exist today. ranging from fear of spiders, fear of commitment, fear of driving, fear of success, fear of God. Now, fear of God is good, but not in this sense, because some people have a wrong fear of God. There's one fear of balloons. Of course, a fear of darkness. There's fear of clowns out there. There's fear of bees. There's fear of buttons. There's fear of doctors. There's the fear of bananas. Fear of horses. And I mean, on and on, I'm just kind of picking through. Fear of choking. Some of these I don't even want to say. But there's a lot of fears here. But what we got to understand about this is this is real. This is going on in the world in which we live. There's a reason why we have a list of 100 is because people are going through stuff like this. And I think we need to know what God says about it and how that we can get freedom from these issues in our life. Fear is a byproduct, of course, of being in a sin-cursed world. Right from the beginning, Adam was afraid after he disobeyed God. He'd never feared before. But in Genesis chapter three, verse 10, after they had disobeyed the Lord, it says, and he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid. I was afraid. So because of sin, there's fear. And so that's just something we have to deal with in this sin-curse world. We'll always have to deal with it until Jesus comes again and removes us from this place. There's really two sides to fear. You gotta ask yourself, are fears always bad? Sometimes it is bad that people do not fear. There's good fears. There's helpful fears. There's helpful fears that are important for us to have, and they're based in truth, not in imagination. There's a fear of mortal danger. There's a fear of driving too fast. You know, I'm glad we have a fear of driving too fast, because if you just keep driving and getting faster and faster, you would probably hurt yourself, kill yourself. There's fear that will keep you safe in dangerous environments. There's fears that will help you to be careful on high places. I just can't seem to get around it where I have no problem walking in a straight line right here, but if you put me up like 100 feet, that same straight line doesn't look so easy. That's because I have a fear, and that fear teaches me that I need to be careful because I'm 100 feet high. Even though the same walkway, I would never fall off of that at this level. But I'm thinking be careful, because if you do fall off, that's gonna hurt, amen? Those kind of fears are important. There's some people that have a lack of fear for mortal danger. I remember one time I was working on a job, and we had some young men that were working with us, and they were kind of, you know, always very lippy and so forth, and they just thought, you know, they had no problems in life. And I kept telling them, I said, you better respect what you're doing here. I said, you don't just go underneath the ground 15, 20 feet and just pretend like you're not in some sort of a dangerous situation. And I remember the one day, the guy says, oh, we're expendable. Oh, boy. It didn't take. We were down one day. We were digging in a trench about 16 feet deep in the middle of a highway. The trench was already about, I'd say, at least 15 feet wide, maybe 20 feet. Nobody actually had to go down there. For some reason, this guy went down into that trench and stood at the bottom. And at the same moment I saw him, I looked on top and I seen at the top of the highway a crack started to appear about four feet back on the top of the highway. And before I could even hit the horn, that wall came right down on top of him and buried him where he was gone. Now, at that point, the adrenaline kicks in. We jumped down in there, we took our shovels and so forth, we managed to get his head free so he could breathe and we dug him out by hand and guess what, he was okay, he walked away. But I sure hope he's not walking around saying I'm expendable. Sometimes the natural things in life have to teach you a respect, a fear of those things that are dangerous around you. And I'm sure things change there, amen. And then of course, there's a fear of mortal danger, but there's also the fear of the Lord. The Bible talks about Matthew 10, 28, 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. In other words, we have a God that has power over the soul. And so no matter what situation you face, I'm going to tell you something, no matter who you face in this world, all they can ever do to you is hurt your physical life. But there's a power far greater than anything this world can produce, and that power is found in God. Now this isn't given to us so that we say, oh, and what's God going to do? In fact, it's totally opposite of that. But what he's wanting us to understand is here, hey, get your perspective right here, because if you think that there's power in the world that can overpower you, you haven't even begin to consider me yet. And we need to have a proper fear of God. Fearing God is when you obey God, no matter the consequence. And this is what happens, we look into this world, we fear something in this world more than we fear God and that's why we aren't obedient and that's why we're not moving forward. Because somehow we give something in this world more credence or more weight than what God has said in his word. So we need to fear God. Situations that I could use as an example is we're not tithing because we're afraid that we're not gonna have enough to pay the bills. We're afraid to go to Bible-believing church because of what people may say. We don't tell someone about Jesus because we're afraid of their response. Yet Jesus said in Luke 5 verse 10, fear not, for henceforth thou shalt catch men. Within that same command or that same admonition to the people, he said, fear not. We're not supposed to fear to tell people about Jesus. Sometimes when you're young, you fear the future. And you fear what may come down the road, or how do I know it's going to be okay? How do I know my career is going to work out? How do I know this, that, or the other? You don't know exactly how the career is going to work out, but one thing you do know is everything's going to be just fine if you obey God. That's something we know. If we fear God and obey God, no matter the consequence, you can mark this down. Everything's just simply going to be okay for you. No matter what happens around you. No matter how much money is in the bank. No matter how the job turns out. No matter who in the family goes this way or that way, it's just gonna be okay when you obey God. In Proverbs 16, verse six, it says, by mercy and truth, iniquity is purged, and by the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil. There's a purpose for the fear of the Lord. It helps us to stay away from that which hurts us. And when you look at the word evil in the Bible, it's a word that always has damage to it. It's a word that causes damage. Evil is damage. And so he's saying, if you'll just simply fear the Lord, it'll keep you from damage in your life, from you having evil hurting you, amen? That's what the fear of the Lord is about. And the fear of the Lord is not imaginary. The fear of the Lord is based in truth, and it actually brings blessing into your life. In Deuteronomy 4.20 it says, especially the day that thou stoodest before the Lord thy God in Horeb, talking about the children of Israel, when the Lord said unto me, gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they live upon the earth, that they may teach their children. The fear of the Lord is based in the words that God gives us. It's not based in your imagination of how things are gonna work out. It's not based in who you think God is. It's not based in somebody's opinion about who God is. It's based in the very precise words that God has given us in this book. That's good, because I think that phobia, that theophobia that I talked about there, is when people Fear God in a way where there's nothing truth about it. It's just simply imagination. This is what God's gonna do to me because I deserve it or because this happened or that happened. And we just think God's gonna come and destroy our life. We can know by the word of God exactly what God's gonna do in situations if we just follow what it says. He says, if you do what I say, I'll bless you. If you don't do what I say, you gotta be careful. You're never in a place where you don't know when you fear God. You always know. That's the wonderful thing about our God. He's not like this world that keeps you guessing how things are gonna go. He is a God that tells us exactly how things are gonna go. The fear of the Lord is based in the truth of the word of God. The Bible says in Proverbs 1.7, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. That's why it's so dangerous to be a fool. When you're a fool, you kick back at the truth. And the truth is there to keep you safe. And it puts you in a situation where you're just being ignorant of the fact that there's something that's going to happen and you don't care what it's going to be. But the Bible says clearly what's going to happen in your life. Because if you sow to your flesh, the Bible says you shall reap of the flesh corruption. Amen? One thing about God is you always know what He says. Illustration is, if we reject Christ as Savior, What you can know is that you will be cast into the lake of fire. If you're a child of God and you're going against the Scriptures, what you do know is that God will chastise you. You do know that. And the fear of the Lord is believing that. The fear of the Lord is saying, I know what God said, and it's true, and it's real, and so you know what I'm gonna do? I'm not gonna stay on this road. I'm gonna get back to the Lord and do right. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. It's the beginning of knowledge. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of applied knowledge to your life. You will never apply the knowledge until you fear God. Until then, all you're doing is listening, and sometimes not even that. Amen? But when you begin to fear God and just say, you know what? God just may do what he said he was gonna do. Well, then maybe I better listen. The fear of the Lord will make you listen. But fools despise wisdom and instruction. Fears. You need the fear of the Lord, it's important. What you sow, you're gonna reap. Whether to the flesh or to the spirit. I know that if I live a spiritual life and I sow to the Spirit, I'm gonna reap all kinds of benefits in my life. I know if I'm gonna be obedient, the way the Lord said, He says, hey, you tithe, you do right, He says, just watch and see if I'm gonna give you a whole bunch of blessings in your life. There's a repercussion for that, amen? Same on the other side, fearing the Lord is just believing it. Then acting upon that. That means if that's true, then this is what I'm gonna do, amen? But there's also harmful fears, and this is where we're focusing our attention tonight. In 2 Corinthians 10 verse five it says this, casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalted itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. The spirit of fear is an attitude based in the imagination. Worry. Do you know that every worry you have is based on imagination? You've never had a worry that was truth. Because the worry that you had was based on something you think is gonna happen. Can I tell you something? Just because you think it's gonna happen doesn't mean it will. But the problem with fear and the problem with worry is not necessarily the thing that you're thinking about, but what the devil's doing is actually he's paralyzing you or he's driving you to make a decision that's against God. and he's ensnaring you, he's putting you into bondage. That's where the problem lies. Satan intrudes lies into our thinking process. In John 8, 44, it says, you're of your father the devil and the lust of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning and abode not in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own for he is a liar and the father of it. His greatest weapon is the lie. And his lie produces fear. Amen? Where do you think these 100 phobias came from? Because somewhere in this person's life, as they're experiencing life and the different things that are out there, a lie was introduced while they were experiencing something. And from that point on, there was fear. Every time they're triggered by that, there's fear, there's fear, there's fear. And so the problem is really the buried lie that the devil has planted there. Now why would he do that? Is he just looking for something to do? No, Satan uses fear to paralyze your effectiveness for God. The first thing he wants to do is keep you lost. But the fearful and unbelieving, the abominable, the whoremongers, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. The fearful. His first thing he wants to do with the lie and fear is to keep you lost so you go to the lake of fire. And the second thing he does for us as believers is he plants these things because the Bible says in 1 Peter 5, 8, be sober, be vigilant because your adversary the devil as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour. In other words, the roaring lion. What would you do if a lion walked in here and started roaring? Which direction would you run? Well, let's walk toward the lion now. I got to see what this roar is all about. I'll guarantee you this, that roar is designed to scare people. That roar is designed to say, hey, I'm the boss around here. And when he roars, what happens is you begin to move in the direction that he wants you to move. And that's where the bad decisions come in. And now I'm making all kinds of decisions in my life because there's a roaring going on and it's entrapping me and I'm making decisions that are gonna keep me in bondage for a long time. He's gonna paralyze me. During the World War II, a military governor met with George General Patton in Sicily. When he praised Patton highly for his courage and bravery, the general replied, sir, I'm not a brave man. The truth is, I'm an utter craven coward. I've never been within the sound of a gunshot or in the sight of battle in my whole life that I wasn't so scared that I had sweat in the palms of my hands. Years later, when Patton's autobiography was published, it contained this significant statement by the general. He says, I learned very early in my life never to take counsel of my fears. Do you understand this? That means a lion will roar but you don't let the lion tell you what to do. You don't let the fears dictate your decisions. You don't let it drive you to make decisions because you're scared. That's what the devil wants you to do, and in fact, you begin to put yourself in bondage and make decisions that the devil wants you to make. It's a pretty serious thing. The word worry means a divided mind. In James 1.4, it says, let patience have her perfect work. That's an interesting statement. When do you need patience having her perfect? When does this happen? It happens at times where I'm saying, Lord, please help me right now, I'm scared. But the Bible says, let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not. And it shall be given him, but let him ask in faith, nothing wavering, for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed. There we are again, that roaring lion just pushing you this way, pushing you that way. God says, hey, all you had to do is ask. All you have to do is just come to me and ask me for wisdom, and I will help you through this problem. But instead of doing that, we don't believe him. Maybe we throw off a little prayer, but then we go and fear anyways, and then we begin to make decisions based on that fear. This way, that way, this way, that way. And it goes on to say, for let not that man think he shall receive anything of the Lord. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. And do you know something? Worry qualifies for this. When I'm worrying about my problems, I'm double-minded. Wow. Isn't worry acceptable? It's not. I have not found anywhere in scripture where it tells me that worry is acceptable. In fact, I find where it's sin. What are the consequences of the spirit of fear? Well, it affects every area of your life. There's physical consequences. Living under a constant threat weakens our immune system and can cause cardiovascular damage, gastrointestinal problems such as ulcers and irritable bowel syndrome and decrease fertility. Fear can impair formation of long-term memories and cause damage to certain parts of the brain. Other consequences of long-term fear include fatigue, clinical depression, accelerated aging, and even premature death. Raised blood pressure, lack of sleep. Amen? You been there? Dr. E. Stanley Jones said, I am inwardly fashioned for faith, not for fear. Fear is not my native land, faith is. I am so made that worry and anxiety are sand in the machinery of life, and faith is the oil. I live better by faith and confidence than by fear, doubt, and anxiety. In anxiety and worry, my being is gasping for breath. These are not my native air. But in faith and confidence, I breathe freely. These are my native air. A John Hopkins University doctor says, we do not know why it is that worriers die sooner than non-worriers, but that is a fact. But I, who am simple of mind, think I know. We are inwardly constructed in nerve and tissue, brain cell and soul for faith and not for fear. God made us that way. To live by worry is to live against reality. Amen. You live longer by faith than you do by fear. There's physical problems. There's mental problems. Of course, worry, anxiety, you know, irrational decisions. Many times we're driven to take medication to deal with anxiety, which has adverse effects on our mental health. I had a guy come in one time, he says, I got all these problems, and he made a list of them. I says, are you on any medication? He says, yeah, and he gives me the name. I look it up, and it was every one of the things that he had a problem with. The side effects. I'm saying something isn't right here. You're coming to fix problems that you're giving yourself because you're trying to cover the fear and the problems in your own life. Causes error in judgment and prevents taking the most reasonable course of action. We make irrational decisions in fear. It affects our spirituality. Due to imaginative fear and disobedience, you experience loss in your life. And the Bible says, and you see it throughout the scriptures, when they didn't follow God and they feared instead, they lost a lot of blessing in their life. We're placed in spiritual bondage due to fear. In Romans 8, 15, for you've not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. In other words, instead of fearing, we go to dad. Instead of worrying, we trust in our God. I'm adopted into the family of God. I no longer have to face this world on my own. I've got a father that looks out for everything in my life. I don't have to be in the bondage of fear anymore. The Bible says in Proverbs 29, 25, the fear of man bringeth a snare, but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe. Not only that, you're not gonna serve God if you're full of fear. In Galatians 1.10 it says, for do I now persuade men or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I yet please men, I should not be the servant of Christ. And sometimes because we're fearing people, we're fearing men, we're fearing what people are gonna say, we're fearing this, we're fearing that, we're not serving God. And that's a problem because we got souls going to hell. And the children of God are sitting back and not doing anything about it. Because we're scared of what people are gonna say. He says, hey, if I would please men, I couldn't be a servant of Christ. That's why I'm in your face today, Galatians. Because I'm doing this for God. And you may not like me for it, but it's the best thing for you. Amen? So to keep us from serving. Not only that, I think our families suffer. If you look at the children of Israel, when they went to the promised land, they faced the promised land. What was their problem? Hey, look at the giants, look at the walled cities, look at these things we're all scared of. We can't go in there. The problem is, when God says, okay, you're not going in there, they wandered for 40 years. And so did their kids. Their children could have been experiencing for 40 years the blessing of the promised land, but because of the fears of mom and dad, they didn't experience it. They had to wait 40 years. Now I believe God made it up to them. And I believe the Lord blessed those that went into the land. But why would we do that to our families? Why are we going to keep our families back like that? That's not right. I think I owe it to my family not to have fear in my life. I owe it to my family not to stop when God says I'm supposed to do something. And I'm gonna tell you something, there's lots of things I've been very scared to do. Sometimes you think, you know, a pastor coming up and preaching and so forth that, wow, they're just not scared of anything. I think I identify very much with General Patton. The only thing is, I just can't let my fear counsel me. That's all. Boy, in ministry, especially when you first begin, you say, well, I've got to deal with this in the future, that in the future. Oh, imagination. How is that going to work out? What about the first time I gotta sit beside someone's bed when they're dying? Or talk to that wife when her husband just passed away right there in front of you? Or their child, or this and that, and say, Lord, oh, that's too much. That's fear, and that's where the devil will begin to do that work in our hearts. You have to say, no, no, no, no. You gotta get back to the word of God, and my grace is sufficient. You just keep doing right, and I'll meet you there. I will meet you in that hospital room, God says. Now when you don't know what to say, that little prayer you say as you're going up that elevator, which I usually do every time, nobody's around, I hit second floor, oh dear God, I need your help. Oh, there's that pastor, yeah, he looks so confident. He should see me in the elevator. I don't know if that's all you guys, but I don't let the fears counsel me. So what is the cure for this? the cure for the spirit of fear. I think the first thing we need to do with the spirit of fear is we need to pray to confess your fear. Jesus Christ, when he was walking on this earth, he made a very profound statement. He says, take no thought for your life. Take no thought for your life. The apostle Paul wrote in Philippians chapter four, he says, be careful for nothing. The word careful is anxious. Well, I'm just, you know, I just got this anxiety problem. You know, it's just a part of who I am. No, it's not. You need to overcome that. That's not how God designed you. That anxiety problem is keeping you from serving God. And you need to confess that, and I'll guarantee you, you bring that fear before God, and he's gonna help you. He's gonna forgive you. He's gonna cleanse you of that. But you have to confess that it's wrong. The world today wants to make it sound like it's just a normal part of our daily living. It's not normal for a child of God. We're not given the spirit of bondage again to fear, but the Bible says we're given the spirit of adoption, whereby we call Abba Father, amen? Pray to confess your fear. You may have to re-examine past events. So I don't know what it is, but there's certain things that I'm just scared of. It's just like a real overwhelming fear that takes over. That's because you let the devil give you a lie in some place in your life. You need to go back there and confess that and get that taken back by God. You need to get some truth in that situation. Amen. That's why all these phobias, all 100 of them, fear of clowns, come on. You know why he was scared of a clown? Because the clown freaked him out. And then the devil was there just to mess up that kid. That's what he does. The devil messes us up. He messes up our children. He is sitting there constantly. I don't care if they're three, four, five years old. He doesn't care how old they are. He is constantly feeding their minds full of lies. That's why it's so important for mom and dad to be there and say, hey, guess what, son? That just ain't true. Let me show you what the Bible says. You need to fight that with the power of God. And right in that moment you can overcome that on their behalf. You see, some of us we haven't done that. We've kind of got just... I only found out about this later. The great thing about God is it doesn't matter when it's been. The same yesterday, today, and forever. He can go back to two years old and help you out over there. But you need to confess it. You need to ask for forgiveness for your fears. I had one fellow that was afraid of dying one time, and I was counseling him, and it was an overwhelming fear. Anything that would happen, he always thought he was gonna die. Somebody was getting beat up in a different apartment, he thought he was gonna die. And it all went back to when he was 12 years old, he was abused. And when he went back there and he brought that before the Lord, he was fixed. God helped them. He wasn't afraid of dying after that. That devil's a rascal. Doesn't matter how old you are. You gotta watch your kids. It doesn't matter, you know, even the protection you put around them, the devil can plant lies in their mind. It's not just about keeping things away. It's about putting the truth in. Amen? Pray to confess, place your confidence in the Lord. This is really important. There's really three areas that you have to really place your confidence in regards to the Lord. And I think this all has to do with fearing God and so forth. I'm just gonna move ahead real quick. The first thing is the power of God. The word for power, where he says, God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power. That word for power means a miraculous power. So in other words, the reason why we're not supposed to have a spirit of fear is because of power. We have a God of power. I just can't imagine these children of Israel as they're being chased by the Egyptian army, then they get kind of locked in in front of a sea in between mountains. What are we gonna do now? You see, you cannot apply natural limitations to God's power. And this is why your imaginations don't work for you. Your imaginations always work within the natural limitations around you. But we have a God with power. Which means when there's a Red Sea in front of you, you may not see it, you can't imagine it, but you just have to trust Him because He's gonna take that water, He's gonna move it apart where you can walk right across. It makes no sense whatsoever. but he's not giving you the spirit of fear, but of power, amen. They didn't know the Red Sea was gonna dry up that day. How did they know the Lord was gonna bring water out of a rock? If you'd ask me where I'm gonna get water, I wouldn't say a rock. I'd say dig a hole, I'd say go here, go there, but I wouldn't say let's go to the nearest rock and get some water out of it. But our God is not limited by natural limitations. Wow, can you imagine them worrying, oh, where are we gonna get water? Where are we gonna get water? Oh, and their body breaking down, ulcers, and oh, right? Losing years off your life, and the Lord said, I was always gonna get water from the rock. Well, then what should have been the best thing I could have done? It was way back there when I started getting thirsty, I said, don't worry about it. We've got a loving father that's gonna take care of his children. Amen? Because he's not limited by the natural world. It's power. It's a miraculous power. The second thing, it's not just power. Boy, I got some good verses I can't give you. I really wish I could, but I can't. I gotta move on. The second thing about this, about placing your confidence in the Lord, is you gotta have confidence in his person. You know, for the longest time, you know what I battled with? I really believe God had power. God can do whatever he wants to do. He's got so much power, there's nothing that limits him. But you know what really got me is, that he wouldn't do it for me. Because I thought somehow, he wouldn't care about me. He's got power, but the Bible says love. He's not giving you the spirit of fear, but of power and of love. Wow, this is where it comes home. That miraculous power that God has to overcome all natural limitations that you imagine and you worry about your whole life are going to happen, and they don't happen because God intervenes and takes care of you anyways. He does that for you because He loves you. And that's hard for us to get our mind around, but He loves us. He loves me. He sent His Son to die for me. For me. For you. I thought of Israel. So many times the Bible says you're stiff-necked. You guys are rebels, you've got some serious problems. You know what God does? Loves them. In fact, he promises them something. He says, after 70 years be accomplished at Babylon because of the punishment I'm giving you because you worship false idols, you turned your heart away from me, you didn't care about me, you didn't follow me, you didn't want me, you didn't obey me, you just went and did your own thing. After 70 years of that, you know what I'm gonna do for you? He says, I will visit you. and I'll perform my good word toward you in causing you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, say the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall you call upon me and you shall go and pray unto me and I will hearken unto you. People just turn their backs on God. We don't care about God. We do our own thing. God says, I'm still going to love you. I'm still going to help you. Now, it's not going to be easy for you because some of your decisions really made a mess for your life. But can I tell you something? Even when we make bad decisions, God still loves us. And he's not going to throw us out. He's gonna bring us back. You see, you can believe in the power of God all you want, but you really gotta believe in the person of God. Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you. For you, amen. To me, I'm thinking the power of God doesn't do me any good unless I know the person of God. And this is why we wanna go to the word of God and understand who He is. This is why I want to go to Jeremiah 29 and begin to understand the heart of God towards his people, because that same heart he had towards them is the same way he has towards me. Amen. The person of God. And the third thing is, is the presence of God. In Joshua 1.9, when Joshua was going to go into the land after the 40 years of wandering, the Lord said, have not I commanded thee, be strong and of good courage. Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed, for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. Amen. Not only do I have the power of God, and I have the person of God love, but I've got a sound mind knowing that God is with me always. That's why the great commission, he just finished it off with a little bit, and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Have not I commanded thee, he says, be strong and of good courage. Go take the land. See, in front of you today, many of us, we have something we know, and if we're trying to push it out, there is something that we know we're supposed to do for God. And we're not doing it. And God's saying, have not I commanded thee, be strong. and have good courage. I was singing in the song, bravely run the race. Bravely run the race. Amen. Until we see Christ. That's so important. See, the presence of Christ is with us, and this is how we can overcome the spirit of fear in our life. But if we don't have a relationship with God, it's not gonna happen. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? He's our God, and greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. And can I just give you one final thing that will be done? Commit to obedience to the truth in light of God's power, person, and presence. See, the Bible says in Philippians 4, verse 6, be careful for nothing. But in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. So you're giving these fears to him as they're coming. You're just saying, Lord, I'm going to give this to you. I can't handle it. I'm just going to trust you with these problems in my life. He says, I'll give you peace. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of a good report, if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things. Think in the truth, not in imagination. Amen? Then it ends off with saying this. Those things which ye have both learned and received and heard and seen in me, do, and the God of peace shall be with you. Amen. Do, two little letters, D-O, do. What does God want you to do? Your fears keep you from doing what God wants you to do. You need to commit to doing it. And you know what verse I love that goes along with this? Proverbs 16 verse 3 says this, commit thy works unto the Lord and thy thoughts shall be established. In other words, when you commit yourself to do, he says, then I'll make it make sense up here. Then I'll establish your thinking. Don't wait for your thinking to be established before you do. And that's why you're frozen in fear. You have to do first. Amen.