Tag: fear

Posted on

“When people are BIG … and God is SMALL”

“And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.”   I Samuel 15:24 KJV

Introduction: When our fear of man becomes bigger than our fear of God, people become VERY BIG in our lives … and consequently, they then control and rule our lives. These people may or may not be intentionally causing this fear in our hearts and in our lives, but they can do it by their words or by their actions.

Fear has two definitions on TOTALLY different spectrums … Definition #1: a strong unpleasant emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger; anxious concern; to be afraid of …Definition #2: a profound reverence and awe toward God.

Who is affected by people?

ALL of us (at some time or another) … it is not just the timid, church mouse person, but even people who seem big and bold can be affected [illus: Peter when he denied Christ 3x]

How do people get BIGGER than God?

  • When we get our eyes off of God [illus: Peter walking on water]
  • Mind/imaginations (shadows are so big; they distract us from the real deal)

Satan is a LIAR!!!

He is going to cause some deadly things to happen in our Chrisitan life to make people BIG and God SMALL … but DO NOT believe him!

  • Deceive – to cause to accept as true or valid what is false or invalid; to ensnare [trap]

  • Distress [verb; expresses an act or mode of being] – to subject to great strain or difficulties; to cause to worry or be troubled; upset

  • Distract – to draw or direct (something, such as someone’s attention) to a different object or in different directions at the same time; to turn aside; to stir up or confuse with conflicting emotions or motives

  • Depress – to cause to sink to a lower position; to press down; to lessen the activity or strength of

  • Discourage – dishearten; to deprive of courage or confidence; to hinder by disfavoring

How can we overcome the wiles of Satan … for ANY situation? The same way that Christ did in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). What do these scriptures teach us?

  1. Hebrews 12:2 – “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
  2. Deuteronomy 31:6 – “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, He it is that doth go with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”
  3. Ephesians 6:10 – “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.”
  4. Acts 5:29 – “Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.”
  5. Joshua 24:15 – “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
  6. Jeremiah 17:5 – “Thus said the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord.”
  7. Psalm 62:5-8 – “My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in Him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before Him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.” [Song: God is my Refuge]
  8. Psalm 118:8 – “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.” [illus: this is the middle verse of the Bible; notice what the middle two words are]
  9. Matthew 5:43-44 – “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”
  10. Ephesians 6:18 – “Praying always with all prayer [talking to God; asking a request/petition] and supplication [to ask humbly and fervently] in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.”

Conclusion: When we let fear slip into our lives, people will get bigger than God. Let us not just bury our heads in the sand and not acknowledge that there is a problem … that in truth we are sinning when we fear man. Confess it to God and let Him change that fear to trust in Him to lead and to guide us aright.

Homework: Prayerfully consider these questions and answer them as God speaks to you.

  1. In what area or areas of my life are people BIG right now?
  2. What situations or people control how I am acting and reacting?
  3. What deadly D has Satan made me to believe in this situation?
  4. What verses can I use to refute Satan in this situation?
  5. How can I make God bigger than my fear?

Printable PDF of Bible Study Lesson

Posted on

Day 19: Fear

“What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” Psalm 56:3

Satan loves to strike fear in our hearts because he knows that fear paralyzes. Paralysis keeps us frozen in one place. We cannot move. We cannot accomplish anything … not even things that are right beside us. If we even attempt to do things that are close to us during this paralysis, we can really botch them up because we are not able to function normally.

The definition of fear is actually two-fold. First, fear can be a reverence or submission to God. Second, it can be an emotion that is affected by the belief that something is either dangerous or threatening. I would like us to look at both of these, because both of these play a part in our spiritual battle against Satan.

First, there is our fear of the Lord. There is not much of this seen in today’s world, is there? Men do not fear the Lord. They do not respect or submit to the Lord. Oh, they claim to be Christians, but in their actions, they show the opposite.

Many scriptures encourage and admonish us to fear the Lord. Verses like Proverbs 1:7 tells us that “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Who wants to be thought of as a fool? Not me! How about you?

Second, there is our emotional fear. There are many types of emotional fears … fear of spiders, fear of heights, fear of the unknown, fear of water, fear of flying, fear of death, fear of man’s opinion, fear of change, and the list just goes on and on.   Emotional fears can be just as dangerous as our lack of fear for the Lord because they distract us, they paralyze us, and they keep us frozen in one place.

As I find myself increasing in years (not aging, you know, but just increasing in years), that I have acquired quite a fear of flying. It practically paralyzes me … and I have even been known to have anxiety attacks as well. In fact, please do not even mention anything even remotely close to severe weather, other plane crashes, etc., etc. You get my drift, do you not?

One scripture that has really helped me to keep my focus when fear wants to overtake my life is Joshua 1:5b “as I was with   Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” Just reading down through Hebrews 11 is a great help and encouragement to keep moving forward and to not let fear paralyze me. It can be very hard to take that step of faith and launch out into the deep (the unknown), but sometimes that is exactly what God is waiting for. He is waiting for you to take that step of faith and then He will show how your faith has made you whole (complete in Him)!

No matter what our emotional fear is we can overcome! Can you imagine when the Israelites arrived at the Red Sea? I imagine they stood there in fear … but as they stepped forth in faith, what happened? God parted the sea and they not only went forward on dry ground but they left behind all the bondage and fear that had been holding there in Egypt!

Do you find yourself standing at the edge of the “Red Sea” waiting for God to part the waters? Take that step of faith, my friend, and God will bring you forth to the other side … free from the bondage that has kept you in Egypt! Freedom so rich and sweet … made whole and complete in Him!