When We Are Fearful

Welcome to the intense podcast for January 14. Wondering how to be free from the bondage of anxiety. The 41st chapter and Isaiah stands as a timeless prescription to help conquer our fears although the Scriptures, God is admonishing is not to be afraid not to be anxious because as his children, we have no basis for fear God will enable us to overcome fears and anxieties in our life with. It is something of a spur of the moment of something that comes over a period of time.

Now many people are afraid of all different kinds of things and you and I live in a society where fear is just a part of living today what I want to deal with in this message is something a little bit more subjective.

That and that is I will be with those fears that oftentimes would not even aware of. And even when we are experiencing them we can put our finger on while they're there.

While they keep cropping up in a life and what's the origin what's the root someone you turn if you will to Isaiah chapter 41. Look, if you will.

In this 10th verse he says do not fear, for I am with you, do not anxiously look about you but I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Here is an awesome promise of assurance for all of us were going through fear and anxiety and listen to what he says.

He says do not be afraid. But secondly, he gives us a word concerning an attitude here that oftentimes were not aware of pieces do not anxiously look around, you know that is one of Satan's most subtle and successful traps. That is to get our focus off of God. Looking at our circumstances. What happens, the more we look at them, the more anxious we become. Now what I want to do is I want to deal with those root causes of fear and anxiety. Well, let's look at some of these and the first one is this when you begin to look at your life and the things that cause you to have fear and anxiety. One of the primary reasons. One of those errors in thinking that just delays and that just beneath the surface is a feeling of being in adequate. That is, a person who genuinely feels in adequate is going to be anxious for example, here's an opportunity that comes along in your job or are some opportunity comes your way.

And if you feel if you want those in adequate persons you already know matter what, and how good this is your feeling is while I'm not sure that I can handle that. I know it's a one of a promotion but I'm not sure I can do that job and I'm not sure will be pleased with what I do.

I'm not sure I'll be able to hang in there and so what happens because of your feelings, your sense of inadequacy that was already there.

The offer did not make you an adequate it was already there, you begin to back off. What happens is there's a tape going on in your mind that says to you somewhere back on and got planted.

That is your inadequate UK new it won't work. You not noticing seated that don't even try, and what happens is our imagination begins to function when we get this all for this opportunity and what happens is instead of imagining yourself to be successful that you can do it.

It's a wonderful opportunity. You can move ahead in life.

Your imagination plays this trick on you. It begins the plan old tape and the old tape says no you can't do that. So the people can, but you can't, and before long.

Instead of imagining yourself to be successful. To achieve a do that.

You begin to imagine yourself as failing, and then that sets up a whole domino effect you begin to come up with all the reasons that you don't really think it'll work and that you can do it and it and it will happen that way.

And so what happens is you live in anxiety and fear. A second I think of subtle reason. Root cause of our fears and anxieties. Is this. We somehow don't believe that we can reach the standard that we set for ourselves and all of us have set certain standards your moral standards you have standards in your and your work. As far as your performance and so forth some of your very committed to doing a very good job no matter what.

Whatever it might be and so you set very high standards for yourself. Well, if you set standards that are unrealistic standards that God did midnight allow you to set you sent them for yourself sometimes we set standards that are beyond our capacity and what we do as we look around and see what other people are achieving and what they're doing in their sake, but will in fact they can do that than I can do that. What happens is most of us have set standards that are unrealistic, not even God would set those kind of standards on and so we live with anxiety will be able to measure up what is the third I believe. Root cause of these things and that is this whole attitude of a sense of guilt and that is if people live with a sense of guilt and somewhere along the way they've either done something or somehow God's this please. They live with anxiety. What is the grace of God the grace of God is the goodness of love and mercy and kindness of God. It was not because we deserve it but because his love for us does not pour out upon us and the base is what we deserve, but the basis of his character and his character says he loves us unconditionally and so there's that sense of guilt that is no way to live but you see, these are the root causes of a lot of our fears and anxieties and that's not all of them but that's that's in some let me just mention one other and that is attitudes that we grew up with and let me just give you an example. One thing my mother would say to me when I was a kid growing up I don't want to get hurt. Don't play the street don't get run over.

Don't fall down. Don't work too hard and the message to me was, don't don't don't don't don't.

Now I know what her her genuine loving motive was to take care of Charles because he's all I've got. Now she don't me to get hurt a woman to work too hard a woman to do this that the other I don't don't play roughneck Jorgen play football don't play rough no other way to play the root and so so but that's the way she felt and then of course I what she would say to me know you don't want to fail God you want to fail God's will be obedient to him. You don't you don't want to fail God. Now those were messages I got on the paper got I got a lot about this, but I got those and so what did that do for me because you see if it came from my mother, it was law it was the question of what I wanted on the recorder or not. It got only it was like being in a sound room with everything the tapes running in you put all kinds of sound that the tapes don't take it. This will tape in the small mind of mine was hearing all these things I did ask to be told those things. It was something that I was told I caught some things that are not taught.

I was taught some things.

Every single one of us has been taught and we have called a lot we didn't ask for too young to understand what the world was going on, but it was going on, and so the tape was played one of the tapes and went on was, you know, when you don't have much the tape goes off his you don't have much.

Be careful what you have. Be very careful to because you may lose if you lose it you may not get it back. One wonderful thing is what balance that tape of his is still watching my mom give when she had almost nothing to give. And somehow that balance to achieve safe you don't get that and you know what a waste of money and she would make me give an account for my money, which is a good idea and the very idea of going into debt was absolutely a horrifying thing. It would never have been done. No matter what you had a didn't have you just didn't do. And then of course when she said you don't want to fail God, and there was a tape that goes off watch out, watch out. Be sure you being obedient and careful. Don't sin against God will be doing anything. You will be doing. Jesus comes in.

So what happens I grope this tape going off. And these tapes are don't taking a risk.

Watch out for God. Be careful what you have all these things tape goes on on now you got one you you got a tape recorder going to and I've seen some of your solo winch a little bit when I start, the tape recorder because you have one going on. It is these kind of subtle lessons that we learn in life, and the recorder goes on. This is why, for example, some people no matter, no matter what they do and how much they achieve and how well they are respected and recognized they will never be able to enjoy their accomplishments and achievements alive because somebody back that told him you will never amount to anything you not going to make it in life you not going to succeed you don't have what it takes.

I'm saying to you that oftentimes laying down inside of us. There are those thought processes that go on but something comes along that sparks a sense of sudden anxiety.

But suppose I don't have enough. And suppose it gives out and supposed to get old and supposed, and there's just not enough out there is suppose this in support.

Suppose you have an accident support. You can suppose a thousand thing you can't live in the town of anxiety and fear and enjoy life. What I want you to see is this there's a way to deal with this, but if you don't realize you got a tape going and you know and you don't identify then is not gonna work. So let's look for just a moment and what are the consequences of these fears and anxiety at the least, these thought processes that are just laying in the on the surface just waiting to be ignited by some circumstance and eruption fear and anxiety within several consequences.

For example, a person is living with that oftentimes their judgment is clouded and they don't make wise decisions because they have tried to judge what because permeating all of the rationalization. The reasoning is fear and anxiety. But suppose this is suppose that but but if this is what it secondly those persons oftentimes are not as productive as they could be for the simple reason that their minds are so clouded, and they are indecisive and they are not productive because of fear of failure. Which brings me to another problem in this procrastination see a person is procrastinator is a person who weights that they think they can do it perfectly before they try and so because they fear failure so badly and the feelings of not measuring up to what is expected of them and and the feelings of the possibility of rejection because they don't measure up pair absolutely paralyzes them. You see, fear and anxiety are devastating to our work, devastating to our relationship if you living in anxieties and fears in life. Every time you get on your knees to cry out to God.

What's the take on the tapes from the start.

You don't deserve it. Washing got answer your prayer. Look at your life you don't measure up or whatever and you get up and you think, why doesn't God answer my prayer because you keep listening to the tape which has the root causes of our anxieties and fears read get rid of the tape recorder get relevant. So there are devastating effects of fear and anxiety and airline there devastating the how do we overcome these fears and anxieties in our life. Well the first thing is very important recognized that it is there. Don't deny that you're anxious not just recognize that you're fearful or anxious, but identify what is it you so how you do that is the best way to do it the next time you feel anxious all afraid of some about something, ask yourself the question, stop and ask yourself know what's going on what's going on around me. What do I think ignited this. This sense of is it something I heard was in a telephone call was it something I saw what what's ignited.

This isn't something that just been growing what what's going on around me so that I can identify the thing that caused me to feel anxious or fearful if I can identify. Then I can get back to the root if I'll identified others keep having the same will probably take and keep going. So first of all need to recognize that I am fearful and identify what's going on what's happening here. The second thing very important is my relationship to Christ, my friend. If you have a relationship with Jesus Christ you go to live with certain fears and anxieties like because you have a security. The only thing that is absolutely sure this life is Jesus Christ.

He is the only thing that is certain.

So if I'm going to really kind of fear and anxiety my life.

I must deal with my relationship to Jesus Christ because he says it is a part of the man. Once the down after this the judgment. And he says whatever man sows, is going to read so I can think of all of the principles it would cause me lots of anxiety and fear. And if you will face the truth. You will have a reason to be fearful and a reason to be anxious. If you have rejected the person of Jesus Christ, the son of God who came into this world to save you. So, to receive him by faith as my personal savior. Knowing that my sins are forgiven, past, present, future. I am a child of God, and now kept by his grace, not by performance absolutely secure. First of all recognize the presence of fear and identified secondly you relationship the Jesus Christ. Be sure that's right was number three number three is the recorder just jotted down the recorder what you want to do is once you identify these anxieties that keep creeping up what you want this to say all right. That's the tape is going all. And when you recognize and identify what is and you trace it back to its root. Here's what you can do you can just take that tape and pull it out and tear to shreds. I reject that I don't have the play that tape and will listen. Does that mean you'll never go off again though it means the next time it starts. You can say I had to accept the that's just the old tape play. I told him forget that I told that up on the list and let which lead to the next step and that is the idea of rebuking it and then been times when I got on my knees and crying out to God about something in absolutely suddenly be overwhelmed with anxiety and fear.

You know when it hit you like that is like a cloud you just smothered in, but I discovered this, all I have to say is father I want to thank you that's not of you because you said I have not given you the spirit of fear of anxiety. I rebuke that in the name of Jesus Christ I reject this feeling and refuse it. From this moment on, and I'm here to tell you it will absolutely disappear. Why because you have taken authority over a spirit that is not from God and is straight from the devil himself.

You have the power and the authority as a child of God, to rebuke and reject anything that does not come from God. You do not have to accept it as your own. So what you do is you then about tape it starts playing shut it down, cut it off. You have to listen to it. The next step is to reach for the anchor. What is the anchor go back if you will to Isaiah chapter 41. Now look at this.

All of us needed some time of the other. Those scriptural anchors we can refer to when we're facing fears and anxieties. Notice of this, let's say this is your anchor you facing some pure anxiety.

Look at this. Do not fear, for I am with you. Who's with you, the Almighty is sovereign, omnipotent God, he says I'm with you. How long is he going to be with you every moment, every step of the way to the end of life. Do not fear. I'm with you, do not anxiously look about you don't do it. This is next praise, for I am your God.

Listen your circumstances not your God no look around. Nobody can do anything to you unless I allow it.

They may have evil in mind, but I will turn in for your good does make a difference. He says don't anxious to look about you on your God, that's not your God. Nobody can control your life in me, do not anxiously look about you. I am your God. Next phrase I will strengthen you, surely I will help you know, listen whatever you facing this look right to you right there I am.

I'm going to help you through this. Then he says I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

In the Scriptures that is symbolical. Listen of God's willingness to divinely intervene in your situation, circumstance, and he says, surely I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Absolutely on question, I'm reliable and faithful got all strengthen you. I'll help you.

I'll undergird you whatever you need.

I'll let surely I will do it reach for the anchor but listen, get yourself an anchor before you begin to be fearful or afraid. But if you have the next time go back to this 41st chapter Bosnians okay God, here's what you said on claiming it.

What is he will do the next thing I will say and that is the refocus your attention because here's what happens when I look around I become anxious and fearful and I reach for the anchor. All of a sudden what's happened by his move from that which makes me anxious to that which makes me secure, I refocus my attention upon my circumstances to the anchor and what happens immediately by faith just goes out of the roof. Why because I'm reminded that he's that I'm with you on your God, I'll help you strengthen you will uphold you with my righteous right hand. What happened is amazing have fears and anxieties absolutely disappear in the presence of the living word of God, thank you for listening to when we are fearful and don't forget to stop by incensed at OIG/45 years to join in celebrating 45 years that God's faithfulness to this ministry is not The presentation of InTEXT ministries Atlanta, Georgia