October 21, 2013

Victory over Fear

I'm not much of a TV preacher fan. But I love Charles Stanley.

Fear is something many Christians have struggled with and Charles Stanley wisely shares on this subject.

Fear - an uneasy feeling, a feeling of dread, a feeling of an alarm warning us, feeling threatened by something.

He begins by telling us there is good and bad fear.

When the Bible speaks of fearing the Lord it means being reverent, acknowledging Him for who He is, to respect God as God, a holy righteous God.

This kind of fear does not mean being afraid.


But when we are afraid in life we should remember what the Lord has said and that He means what He says:

"Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."
Isaiah 41:10
                                                              
And its also important to know fear does not come from God:

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." 2Timothy 1:7 

He then shares these feelings linked with fear:

A. Greed is fear of not having enough.

B. Rejection is concern about not being accepted.

C. Guilt is apprehension that our wrongs might be discovered.

D. Discouragement is a fear of failure caused by a lack of confidence.

E. Anger is caused by a fear that we may not get our way.

F. Jealousy is the fear of losing control of what we desire.

G. Indecision is caused when we worry about making a wrong choice.

I can especially relate to the fear of rejection. It's a fear instilled in me from my childhood, but a fear that I'm learning is not from God.

Because of this fear of rejection as a child, I also feared God rejecting me.

I loved this sermon because Charles Stanley went through some of the same fears as me. I appreciated the part where he explained how having the wrong view of God can keep us in fear.

He explains here:

Growing up he says some people were - " fighting to hold onto a belief that if they sin against God and sinning while they die they will go to hell." In other words if you were a Christian and sinned, and then died before you repented, you would go to hell.

He continues: "I would not hold onto that belief one second!" 

But this is what was taught when he was growing up and what I often heard as well. It scared the life out of me and I often, as Charles Stanley says he did, went to bed feeling scared and asking God to save me over and over again.

We must look to the cross for the answer.

He continues saying:

"Jesus payed your sin debt in full. He has atoned for your sin, past, present and future. It doesn't mean you will not sin again but that when you do He will discipline you."

Jesus payed your debt in full!!! There is no need to fear rejection from Him.

"And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,

by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross."      Col. 2:13-14

I love this quote by Francis Chan:

"To call someone a Christian simply because he does some Christian-y things is giving false comfort to the unsaved. But to declare anyone who sins 'unsaved' is to deny the reality and truth of God's grace."

Charles Stanley goes on to say:

"I was a pastor for a long time before I genuinely, emotionally felt, oh I knew it, I preached it, but before I emotionally felt God really loved me as a person. It was a long time. It was a wrong view of God."

If you are a believer in Christ then you are saved and you need not fear.

"And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." Acts 2:21

Here's the full sermon:




Here's the Sermon Outline 



Charles Stanley has recently written a book dealing with emotions, one of them being fear. It's called Emotions: Confront the lies. Conquer with Truth.

I'm really looking forward to reading it.

Buy it  HERE on Amazon



32 comments:

  1. Great post, Cathy! I really enjoyed reading it. I love listening to Charles Stanley's teaching! He's definitely one of my favorite preachers.

    Thanks so much for sharing this. :)

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    1. One of mine too! He has such a gentle and loving spirit. I always feel blessed after listening to him.

      Thanks for stopping by! : )

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  2. Hello there. I really like Charles Stanley. I have been reading his InTouch devotional magazine since the early 1990s. I enjoyed your post today, thank you so much for sharing. Annette from http://awell-wateredgarden.blogspot.com

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    1. I wonder if the magazine is online? I'll have to check into it, sounds good. Glad you enjoyed the post. : )

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  3. Hi Cathy, I enjoyed your thoughts on fear. I, too, grew up in a church that emphasized sin and confession--leading to fear for my salvation. It led me to me so focused on myself and my sins that it was hard to extend the love of Christ to anyone else. When we repent God gives us grace and mercy. We can share the joy of our salvation.

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    1. You took the words right out of my mouth. How do we reach out to others when we are so fearful about our own salvation?

      I'm so glad God is patient. He is teaching me that His love is so much bigger than I ever imagined. The power of the cross means so much more when we accept His love and rest in His promises.

      Thanks for stopping by Carol! : )

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  4. I'm a Charles Stanley fan too - I always listen to him when I need inspiring! That's great how he said a wrong view of God can keep us in fear - I think the wrong view of God is responsible for many problems. This is a great post, thanks for sharing :)

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    1. I find Charles Stanley inspiring and encouraging as well. I'm glad I came across this sermon.

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting Rhoda! : )

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  5. Great thoughts! We have nothing to fear with God.

    Thanks for linking to Woman to Woman's Word Filled Wednesday! God bless.

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    1. Thanks again for the opportunity to link-up at your lovely blog!

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  6. Fear is something I've struggle with, too. How blessed that God constantly reminds me that I have nothing to fear. Thank you for allowing God to use your words.

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    1. So thankful for God's reminders! Welcome and thanks for leaving your thoughts. : )

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  7. I have been blessed by Charles Stanley's ministry as well. He is one of the few ministries around that still do a monthly magazine (In Touch) & send it out for free. I enjoyed this post very much.

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    1. I really need to check out this magazine! : ) Thanks for stopping by.

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  8. This is an awesome post. This is my introduction to your blog and I’m refreshed and confirmed by your thoughts and the confirmation of them by both Charles Stanley and Francis Chan, whom I both enjoy as great teachers of God’s word. I struggle with fear of failure which I know is a trick of the enemy. I remind myself that I am God’s daughter and there is no fault in Him so that anything I don’t succeed in has a lesson in it for my further success. There are many things from my past that set me up to fear success as well as failure, but God’s word continues to knock down those generational curses and past wounds. I am encouraged by your post! Thank you.

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    1. Welcome to my blog! So glad this post encouraged you Elizabeth. Thanks for sharing here. I love hearing how God is working in others lives.

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  9. I appreciate charles Stanley, too. I used to go to work listening to his sermons on the radio. what a blessing it was in my life! I love your blog! Thank you :)

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    1. Thanks for your kind words and for stopping by! : )

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  10. Great post! I grew up with some of the same fears, but it's so good to be free from that now! I'm here from Weekend Brew.

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  11. Hi, I'm following you from the Weekend Brew.
    It is funny how man can take Scripture and add in his own fears to twist the meaning. I will have to view this video when I have more time, looks like a good one.

    Blessings,
    <><

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    1. Hope you get a chance to watch the video soon, it's very good. Thanks for stopping by! : )

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  12. Cathy - Such an inspiring post! Yes, God doesn't say, "Fear a little less, my children"...instead God says, "Fear NOT". So refreshing to know, "He is with us always" isn't it! ~ United in Him, Jen

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    1. Hi Jen, I agree! Thanks for stopping by! : )

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  13. I struggle with discouragement and rejection. The fear of failure and fear of not being accepted have been a big part of my life. I am learning to find my worth and value in Christ, in Him alone.

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    1. Me too and the more I get to know Him the more I understand my worth and value in Him. Thanks for stopping by and sharing Barbie. : )

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  14. Interesting take on not being called a Christian because you sin. I think that if you are living in sin, though, that does bring into question whether you are really a Christian or not. At least that's the way I've heard it explained.
    It is good to know that Jesus has paid for our sins, past, present, and future and that we don't have to fear that total redemption when we are dying.
    Blessings,
    Janis

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    1. Yes I agree, if you are living your life in rebellion against God through sin then that's a different story.
      I'm also learning what the grace of God is and it's so much more than I thought to those who seek Him. Thanks for stopping by Janis and leaving your thoughts. Appreciate your visit. : )

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  15. Charles Stanley has so much to offer. His messages are clear and easy to understand, relating to our everyday life. I recently listened to a message on 'Rejection' and was so blessed by it. Thank you for taking the time to share.

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    1. I really enjoy listening to his messages as well. Thanks for stopping by. : )

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  16. Thank you for such a thought provoking post, Cathy. I battle with rejection and discouragement - I hate it when I allow myself to be hurt in this way. As you said, at the end of the day the only opinion that matters is God. He doesn't reject me. Thank You Lord.
    God bless

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  17. That book on emotions looks like a really good one. It's so important to recognize our feelings as real just as they are but then to confront them with truth. This is a lesson I am learning right now. Thanks so much for sharing this at Booknificent Thursday!
    Tina

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Feel free to leave your own thoughts in the comments. I try to respond to all of them by the end of the week. : )