Fear is not always a bad thing, but often our fears bring undue anxiety that keeps us from resting in the Lord. How can we have confidence in Christ?

Ten Biblical Truths for Losing Fear

What is your greatest fear, losing your job? Losing your life? Losing someone you love? Maybe losing an election, maybe losing an educational opportunity? For some of us the word “losing” is better described with the word “lost”. Maybe you’ve already lost your job, or lost someone you love or lost that educational opportunity. This is Haven Today and I’m Charles Morris telling the great story that’s all about Jesus. This is a program on how to overcome fear. Over the last few days we’ve talked about the world of the spirits, and not the Holy Spirit I might add. We had on the program Marcia Montenegro who wrote a book called “Spellbound”. She talks about being an astrologer at one time in her life, of having dabbled in the occult and matters of the New Age. She also talked about how she decided and knew all along deep down, that these things she was studying and practicing weren’t true. And so she found her way to Jesus. Or might I better say, Jesus found her. Four things, she was telling us, as the culture we live in is desensitized and as we face the following consequences, number one, our culture accepts the paranormal and the occult as harmless, useful or sometimes even good. Number two, the paranormal becomes more accessible and appealing and it’s doing that to children and teens. Number three, parents are becoming less guarded about the paranormal and the occult. And number four, children become less immune to the temptation to explore the paranormal. Go to our website, haventoday.org. We’ve left those programs up with Marcia Montenegro and we’ve also left information up about her book. Just go to haventoday.org. Well, eventually many people who find themselves dipping into the paranormal and occult find themselves in a state of fear. But people are afraid for a lot of reasons in the world we live in today and it’s not just because of the paranormal. So welcome to this program which we’re calling “Ten Biblical Truths for Losing Fear”. We’re going to put them up on our website later, so you might want to download a copy there. But stand by, we’re going to tell you what the Bible teaches that can give you freedom from fear in the next few minutes. A classic song now from Steve Green as we open our time together with a time of worship.

Song: He Holds the Keys
Performed by: Steve Green

I haven’t heard that song in a long time, Steve Green “He Holds the Keys”. It’s from his “Ultimate Classics” album. Thank you for joining me here on a Haven Today called “Ten Biblical Truths for Losing Fear”. I want to take the next few minutes and share these truths with you. These are not truths I’ve invented. These are truths borne out of God’s Word. I’ll give you some scripture with each truth but more than that, if you go to our website, haventoday.org, we’ll post all the verses of scripture that apply to every one of the ten truths. If you’ve ever suffered from fear or know someone who is suffering from fear today, whether because they’ve dipped into the paranormal and the occult, or whether they just for some reason are living a fearful life, these next few minutes really count. Listen up. Number one, don’t worry about the future. God is sovereign. He knows your needs and he is your Father. Live today for today. It was the writer of Hebrews that said, ’The Lord is my helper. I will not fear. What can any man or woman do to me?” It was Jesus who taught us to pray, “Give us day by day our daily bread.” It was the Apostle Paul who wrote in Philippians 4:19, “And my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” And then the Apostle Peter told us in 1 Peter 5:7 to “Cast all our cares upon him for he cares for you.” Number one, don’t worry about the future for God is sovereign and he knows your needs and he is your Father. Live for today. Number 2, don’t worry about changing what you cannot change. You can’t save yourself, you can’t save anyone else. But Jesus is a great Savior. He has added an eternity of days to your life. He can save anyone. He can save any situation. Pray. Expect him to answer. It was in Luke 18:26 and 27 that we read, “And those who heard it said, ‘Who then can be saved?’ but Jesus said, ‘The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.’” And a little earlier in Luke Jesus said, “And which of you by worrying can add just anything to his height? If you’re then not able to do the least, why are you anxious for all the rest?” The Apostle Paul told us in Romans 4, “And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body already dead since he was about a hundred years old,” he’s speaking of Abraham here, “and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waiver at the promise of God through unbelief but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God and being fully convinced that what he had promised he was also able to perform.” Jesus in John 11 said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he may die, yet he shall live and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” he asks. Number 2, don’t worry about changing what you cannot change. You can’t save yourself or anyone else but Jesus is a great Savior. Number 3, don’t be burdened with the things you have to do as if you have to do them in your own strength. The Lord is a very present help so just abide in him. It was in John 14 that Jesus said, “I’ll pray for the Father and he’ll give you another helper, the Spirit that he may abide with you forever. The Spirit of Truth who the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him but you know him for he dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you.” And a little later in John he says, “I am the vine. You are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him bears much fruit for without me you can do nothing.” And what would we do without the Psalms? “God is our refuge and strength, our very present help in trouble,” we’re told in Psalm 46:1. And it was Jesus again in Matthew 11:28 that gave us that classic verse that some of us memorized as children, “Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.” Number 3, don’t be burdened with the things you have to do as if you have to do them in your own strength. The Lord is a very present help, abide in him. Number 4, don’t worry about finding the Lord. He’s already found you. You have all of him and everything that belongs to him is yours. So just rejoice! Give praise! In Luke Jesus said, “Which one of you, having 100 sheep, if he loses one of them doesn’t leave the 99 in the wilderness and go after the one which is lost until he finds it. And when he’s found it he lays it on his shoulders rejoicing. And when he comes home he calls together his friends and neighbors saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I found my sheep which was lost.’” Paul the Apostle, in the opening words of the letter to Ephesus says in Ephesians 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” And then in 1 Corinthians, the beginning of that letter, he says, “But of him you are in Christ Jesus who became for us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” Don’t worry about finding the Lord. He’s already found you. You have all of him and everything that belongs to him is yours. So rejoice, rejoice and give praise. Number 5, don’t worry about the things of this world, they’re passing away. The Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom, give yourself away. Remember when Jesus said, “Don’t lay up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal.”? He also said in the Gospel of Luke, “Do not fear little flock. For it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. So once you have it, give alms away. Provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, but treasure in the heavens that do not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Paul reminded us of several things related to not worrying about this world. He reminded us in Philippians 3:7 and 8, “But what things were gain to me these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed, I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish that I may gain Christ.” And then he said in Romans 12, “I beseech you brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is good and acceptable to the perfect will of God.” Peter the Apostle said in his little first letter, 1 Peter 1:4, “To an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that doesn’t fade away, reserved in heaven for you.” Don’t worry about the things of this world, they’re going to pass away. They are passing away. The Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom and because of that you can give yourself away. Number 6, don’t live with a sense of dread and fear. His love surrounds you and defines your life. Lift up your head. I’m thinking of Isaiah 54:9-12,
“For this is like the waters of Noah for me,
when I swore that the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth.
So now I have sworn that I would not be angry with you,
nor to rebuke you again.
For the mountains shall depart
and the hills be removed,
but my kindness shall not depart from you
nor shall my covenant of peace be removed,”
says the LORD, who has mercy on you.
“Oh you afflicted one, tossed with tempest and not comforted,
Behold, I will lay your stones with colorful gems
and lay your foundations with Safire’s.”
And it goes on to say,
“All your children shall be taught by the Lord and great shall be the peace of your children. In righteousness you shall be established. You shall be far from oppression for you shall not fear. And from terror for it shall not come for you.”
And then in the Psalm, the psalmist writes in Psalm 3 verse 3, “But you O Lord are a shield for me, my glory and the one who lifts up my head.” And again back to Isaiah 60, “Arise, shine for your light has come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.” And then, I love this verse in 1 John 3 verse 1, “Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us that we should be called children of God. Therefore the world does not know us because it did not know him.” And finally, on this point, Galatians 4:4-7, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law to redeem those that were under the law that we might receive the adoption as sons and daughters and because you are sons, God has sent forth his Spirit, the Spirit of his Son, into your hearts crying out ‘Abba, Father’. Therefore, you are no longer a slave but a son and daughter, and if a son then an heir of God through Christ.” Don’t live with a sense of dread and fear. His love surrounds you and defines your life. Lift up your head. Number 7, don’t be afraid that he hasn’t heard your prayers. He always hears. He always answers prayers without fail. Ask and you can be carefree. Jesus said, “Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask and you will receive that your joy may be full.” That’s John 16:24. And then in John 14:13, “And whatever you ask in my name, that I will do that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” In Luke Jesus said, “So I say to you, ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives and he who seeks finds and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son or daughter asks for bread from any father among you, who will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish or if he asks for an egg will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?” I’ve said it once but I need to say it again, Philippians 4:6 and 7, “Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God, which passes all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” James was the brother of Jesus and he wrote a little letter of his own in the New Testament and in the opening words of James 1:5 he says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all liberally and without reproach and it will be given to him.” So don’t be afraid that he hasn’t heard your prayers. He always hears and answers prayer without fail. Ask and be carefree. Number 8, don’t be afraid that your past mistakes, sins and failures will determine your future. Your sins are forgiven and he works all things together for good. Leave your past regrets behind and head for a glorious future. Romans 3:23-26, “All have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Christ.” Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.” Don’t be afraid that your past mistakes and sins and failures will determine your future. Your sins are forgiven he works all things for good. Number 9 don’t be intimidated by Satan’s accusations. The world’s hostility, the power of sin or even death, the Lord has defeated them all. Make Jesus Christ your Lord, answer only to him. Colossians 2:15, “Having disarmed principalities and powers he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” John 16:11, a judgment, “The ruler of this world is judged.” John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you that in me you may have peace. In the world you’ll have tribulation but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.” So don’t be intimidated by the accusations of Satan, the world’s hostility, the power of sin or even death. The Lord has defeated them all. Number 10, don’t be hesitant to follow the Lord because of your weaknesses, your inadequacies, God’s strength is made perfect in weakness. Be bold and move out for the kingdom. Paul quotes Jesus, in 2 Corinthians 12:9 as saying, “’My grace is sufficient for you. My strength is made perfect in weakness,’ Therefore, most gladly, I would rather boast in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest on me.” Earlier in 2 Corinthians 3:5 he said, “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves but our sufficiency is from God.” And one other place in 2 Corinthians 4, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward person is perishing, yet the inward person is being renewed day by day.” Romans 8:26, “Likewise, the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses for we do not know what we should pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself makes intersession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” And then in Ephesians 3:20, the Apostle Paul again, “Now to him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us.”

Song: Pray On
Performed by: Babby Mason

Singing to us about prayer and spiritual warfare, Babby Mason and a song called “Pray On” here on a Haven Today, “Ten Biblical Truths for Losing Fear”. I wish I could have shared all the scriptures that we’ve put down here but I could only share just a portion of them. But I have put them all down on paper for you. I’d like to share them with you as just a way to minister to you more in your state of affair whether it’s because you’ve dabbled in the occult and the paranormal, whether you’re maybe feeling down and depressed, maybe whether something has happened in your life and you need to not be afraid. Just go to our website, haventoday.org. We’ve put these up for you under the “Going Deeper” section, “Ten Biblical Truths for Losing Fear”. I’ve put the 10 points but better than that, I’ve put a massive corpus of scripture underneath every one of them and that’s where you need to go and that’s where you need to pray. This is Haven Today and I just want to thank you for being part of this ministry and joining us in a cruel world, a world where we don’t always get answers, a world where many times we don’t even know where to turn except if you’re in Christ Jesus. You can turn to him and you never need be afraid. Now I mentioned as we began our program the book “Spellbound: The paranormal seduction of today’s kids” by Marcia Montenegro. If you missed those programs with Marcia earlier in the week she is a delightful former astrologer to be around. She was involved in a whole plethora of New Age practices and she talks about that with us on those Haven Today’s earlier this week. We’ve left them up on the website, haventoday.org. You can get a copy of the book as our thank you for supporting this ministry and helping us tell the great story. Give us the station you’re listening to also when you get in touch. Or you can call us at 1-800-654-2836, that’s 1-800-654-2836. We also have the CD called “The Secret behind the Secret”. Read about that online or you can get that as well when you give us a call at 1-800-65-HAVEN. I’m Charles Morris and thanks for being with me. Would you come back again tomorrow? We’ll be ending the week and we’ll be talking about joy and we’ll do it together, joy that’s in the great story that’s found in Christ alone. We’ll do it together here on Haven Today