New Hope
Continuing Education, October 2006
William
Gaultiere, Ph.D.
Intro
Everyday
at New Hope we talk to many people who are afraid. Most
of the time they don’t come right out and say it, but
if we listen with our hearts we can sense they’re scared.
Being afraid
is no fun! Worse, it may move us to go
into hiding or attack in anger. We need help from God
and one another for our fears.
Again and
again in the Bible God says to us, “Fear not!” And
he shows us to live free of fearfulness. We can make
progress with overcoming fear and learning to live with security
and confidence, love and courage. As we see this in our
own lives it gives us the strength we need to help the callers
and chatters with their fears.
If you
struggle with fear maybe you’d share that in
class for your benefit and for our shared learning as a class? I’d
like to help you develop an action plan for overcoming your
fear.
WHAT
ARE SOME COMMON FEARS?
Fear is
universal. We all feel afraid at times. Many
people have problems with fear. Perhaps you and I! What
are the most common things people are afraid of?
Rejection/abandonment
Being alone
Disappointing others
Somebody’s
anger or criticism
Myself
(or a loved one) being hurt or dying
Failure
Making
the wrong decision
Speaking
in front of a group of people
What
the doctor said or might say
Having
a panic attack,
Going
to hell,
A
phobia (spiders, heights, closed spaces, flying, leaving home)
Letting
go to really have fun/exceitment
GOOD
FEAR
Good fear
is to respond wisely to a real danger! Like
if you see a lion ahead of you on your hike turn around and
get out of there!
The
Fear of the Lord
“The
fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom…. perfect
love casts out fear” (Proverbs 9:10a, NIV & 1 John
4:8b, NKJV).
In the
Bible we get glimpses of an awesome and adventurous Lord! “He
makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the
wind” (Psalm 104:3b, NIV). “His lightning
lights up the world” (Psalm 97:4, NIV) and he counts
the stars in the heavens (Psalm 147:4) and the hairs on our
heads (Matthew 10:30). He watches over the little sparrows
(Matthew 10:29) and considers each of our thoughts as precious
(Psalm 139:17), each of our tears as worth recording (Psalm
56:8). He “stirs up the seas so that is waves
roar” (Jeremiah 31:35b, NIV) and he also calms the
seas by holding up his hand and saying, “Quiet! Be
still!” (Mark 4:39). He speaks to us in thunder
(Jeremiah 10:13) and also in gentle whispers (1 Kings 19:12). He’s
a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24) and he is in the
fire with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3). He
comes to us as the Good Shepherd of Psalm 23 and the Revelation’s
bloody lamb that was slain.
C. S. Lewis
in the Chronicles of Narnia series presents so many
compelling pictures of God in the character of Aslan, the
lion. For instance, in The Lion, the Witch and the
Wardrobe Lewis shows us the tough and tender sides of
God, inspiring us to fear and to love God. Peter, Susan,
Edmund and Lucy have walked through the door of the wardrobe
into the magical kingdom of Narnia, full of delightful talking
animals and trees and daring adventures. The King of
Narnia, Aslan the Lion, is nowhere to be found. It is rumored
that “Aslan is on the move,” but he seems to
have allowed the White Witch to take over Narnia and she
has made it always winter there and has been using her wand
to turn people and creatures who oppose her into statues.
The four
children find themselves caught up in a battle to free Narnia
from the white witch’s spell and in the process they
come upon Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, loyal followers of Aslan.
The Beavers assure the children that according to prophecy
Aslan is about to return and furthermore, the prophecy says
that the four of them are to rule with him in Narnia’s
royal city of Cair Paravel! The children don’t
know what to make of this exciting and yet scary news. Lucy
and Susan, wonder what Aslan is like and so they ask the
Beavers about him.
“Is
- is he a man?” asked Lucy.
“Aslan
a man!” said Mr. Beaver sternly. “Certainly not.
I tell you he is the king of the wood and son of the great
Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea. Don't you know who is the King of
Beasts? Aslan is a lion - the lion, the great Lion.”
“Ooh!” said
Susan, “I'd thought he was a man. Is he - quite safe?
I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”
“That
you will, dearie, and no mistake,” said Mrs. Beaver. “If
there is anyone who can appear before Aslan without their
knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else just
plain silly.”
“Then
he isn't safe?” said Lucy.
“Safe?” said
Mr. Beaver, “don't you know what Mrs. Beaver tells
you? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe.
But he's good. He's the King I tell you.”
If you
think about it you realize that God has a big problem: He
is enormously intimidating and yet he wants to be desired,
he is perfectly holy and yet he wants closeness with sinners. That’s
why he mostly hides his awesome glory and power from us and
when he or even an angel appears he says “Fear not!” The
lion comes to us as a lamb. Immanuel comes to us as
baby. The King comes to us as a servant.
Just as
if we don’t fear God then we don’t really know
him so also if we remain afraid of God then we don’t
really know him. If we’re frightened that God
is going to be mean to us or demand that we do something
that we don’t want to do it shows that we haven’t
yet learned to rely on his faithful love. We need to
believe and rest in our God’s love for us. We
need an emotional healing in our image of God. Our
self-talk needs to come into agreement with what God’s
Word and Spirit are saying to us, as in Romans 8:
- “There
is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans
8:1, NIV).
- “He
who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to
your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you” (Romans
8:11b, NIV).
- “For
you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again
to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And
by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father’” (Romans
8:15, NIV).
- “The
Spirit helps us in our weakness” (Romans 8:26b, NIV).
- “In
all things God works for the good of those who love him” (Romans
8:28b, NIV).
- “If
God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31b,
NIV).
- “We
are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans
8:37b, NIV).
- “[Nothing]
will be able to separate us from the love of God that is
in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39b, NIV).
BAD
FEAR
Control
Trying
to control possible problems that are outside your responsibility
and power. Control issues are a huge source of anxiety!
Isolation
Fear
can isolate us from caring people who could help.
Avoidance
Habitual,
avoiding fear triggers – e.g., panic disorder, phobias. When
you avoid what you’re afraid of your world gets smaller
and smaller.
Anticipatory
fear is almost always worse than the actual situation – it
becomes the problem, generating anxiety and defense mechanisms
to shut down the anxiety.
Paranioa
Paranoia – projection,
untrue dangers (e.g., psychosis)
Generalized
Anxiety
Fear
starts out as having a specific object that frightens. Anxiety
is diffuse and general. A prolonged problem with fear
becomes generalized and internalized as anxiety.
Anxiety
is a secondary emotion that is always unhealthy; it’s
the result of denying other emotions (fear or anger or hurt)
and causes other problems like stress related illness, difficulty
concentrating, and a lack of peace and well-being.
RESOLVING
FEARS
Learn
to Accept Reality
The
truth is always your friend! Jesus said, “You shall
know the truth and the truth shall set you free” (John’s
gospel).
Let
go of Trying to Control
The
Serenity Prayer is worth living by: “God grant me the
serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage
to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
Practicing
the spiritual discipline of submission – prayerfully
abandoning outcomes of situations to the Lord – is
hugely helpful for overcoming fear problems. Pray, “Thy
kingdom come, thy will be done” or “Father, into
your hands I commit ________.”
Own
your Projections!
Remember
Jesus’ teaching on the log and the speck.
Trust
God and Others
“Said
the Robin to the Sparrow:
‘I should really like to know
Why these anxious human beings
Rush about and worry so.’
Said the Sparrow to the Robin:
‘Friend, I think that it must be
That they have no Heavenly Father
Such as cares for you and me’”
(Elizabeth Cheney, Streams in the Desert, October
10).
Meditation
“Peace
Be Still” (Mark 4:35-41)
35 That
day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go
over to the other side." 36 Leaving the
crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat.
There were also other boats with him. 37 A
furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat,
so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus
was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke
him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" 39 He
got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be
still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. 40 He
said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still
have no faith?" 41 They were terrified and
asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves
obey him!"
What word
or phrase comes to mind?
Think
about a storm in your life. What do you feel?
What
do you notice about Jesus in the storm?
Scripture:
31 Fear Nots from the Bible
It’s
been said that there are 365 “Fear Nots” in the
Bible, one for each day of the year! There are actually more
than 365 verses in the Bible guiding us in how we deal with “fear” (or “afraid”, “frightened”, “terrified”)
and other verses on “worry,” “anxiety”,
and related issues. We can be sure that each day the
Lord says to us: “Fear not.” Again and
again in the Bible his promise to us is: “You will
not fear… by day” (Psalm 91:5). Here are
31 of these passages (from the NIV) and the “fearless
truth” God is teaching us. If each day for one
month you talk to God and a friend about one of these Scriptures
and the issues it stirs up for you then it’ll become
a habit of thinking, desiring, and doing for you to trust
God and “fear not”!
Fear
not: the Lord, Creator and Savior, calls you by name to
say, “You’re mine!”
“But
now, this is what the LORD says - he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have
redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine’” (Isaiah
43:1).
Come
to Jesus with tiresome burdens to rest in his care as you
work with him
"Come to
me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you
rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle
and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30).
Fear
not: the Shepherd is with you to train you to find comfort
in him
“Even
though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your
staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4).
Don’t
be anxious – instead pray, ask, give thanks, be guarded
by God’s peace
"Do
not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer
and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will
guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7).
Jesus’ way
is to simplify: Don’t worry. Be like the birds
and flowers. Seek God.
"Therefore
I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat
or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life
more important…? Look at the birds… your Heavenly
Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And
why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field
grow…. Will he not much more clothe you, O you of little
faith?… But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,
and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore
do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about
itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:25-34).
The
fear of the Lord alone is the beginning of wisdom,
not the end
“The
fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow
his precepts have good understanding” (Psalm 111:10a).
God’s
perfect love (can come through people) is the end of wisdom – and
fear
“Dear
friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another… There
is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because
fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made
perfect in love” (1 John 4:11, 18).
Fear
not: the Lord wants to hold your hand and help you
“For
I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, ‘Do not fear; I will help you’” (Isaiah
41:13).
God
wants to set you free from fear by being a Daddy to your
inner child
“For
you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to
fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption and by him we
cry, ‘Abba, Father’” (Romans 8:15).
If we
live in the Lord’s light and salvation we need not
fear any threat
“The
LORD is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? The
LORD is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid?...
Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war
break out against me, even then will I be confident” (Psalm
27:1, 3).
When
you fear the Lord you discover that he is a compassionate
Father
“As
a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion
on those who fear him” (Psalm 103:13).
Fearful
hearts need encouragement to put hope in God’s help
and justice
“Say
to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine
retribution he will come to save you’" (Isaiah 35:4).
Give
up all your worries to God who cares for you
“Cast
all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1
Peter 5:7).
Fear
not: The Lord’s ministering angels bring peace to
those who trust Christ
“But
the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you
good news of great joy that will be for all the people’” (Luke
2:10).
Fear
not: God is with you, strengthening you and upholding you
“So
do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am
your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold
you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).
Fear
not shame and you’ll have no fear
"Do
not be afraid; you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace;
you will not be humiliated” (Isaiah 54:4a).
Practice
being quiet before God; learn to be still in his presence
“Be
still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10a).
Jesus
taught us not to fear people, but the God who cares for
little sparrows
“I
tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the
body and after that can do no more. But I will show you
whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the
body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear
him. Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet
not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very
hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are
worth more than many sparrows” (Luke 12:4-7).
God
doesn’t frighten those who trust him; he gives them
power, love, self-control
“For
God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power,
of love and of self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7).
Fear
God who delights in you and bad news won’t scare
you - you’ll overcome!
“Praise
the LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who
finds great delight in his commands… He will have no
fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. His
heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look
in triumph on his foes” (Psalm 112:1, 7-8).
Fear
not: Call the Lord and he comes close and comforts your
fears
“You
came near when I called you, and you said, ‘Do not fear’” (Lamentations
3:57).
The
risen Christ brings peace to those who are hiding behind
locked doors
“On
the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples
were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with
you!’” (John 20:19).
Caution! To
be saved rely on God to “work in” you and then “work
out” of you
“Continue
to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it
is God who works in you to will and to act according to his
good purpose” (Philippians 2:12b-13).
To fear
God is to recognize that he alone is glorious, holy, and
to be worshiped
“Who
will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For
you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship
before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed” (Revelation
15:4).
Fear
not suffering: do what’s right and look to God’s
spiritual blessings
But
even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. ‘Do
not fear what they fear; do not be frightened’” (1
Peter 3:14).
Paul
accepted his weakness, relied on God’s grace, was
made strong in Christ
“Three
times I [Paul] pleaded with the Lord to take [the thorn in
my flesh] away from me. But he said to me, ‘My grace
is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ …That
is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults,
in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I
am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:8-10).
Fear
not public speaking: learn to trust God to give you the
words to say
“Do
not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is
given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the
Holy Spirit” (Mark 13:11b).
Step
into God’s light – be true, open with him and
others – and he’ll empower you
“Everyone
who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light
for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever
lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be
seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God” (John
3:20-21).
Look
to Jesus for the gift of the Father: the Spirit as your
indwelling Comforter
“I
will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor
[“Paraclete”: Comforter, Encourager, Advocate]
to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth… You
know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I
will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you (John 14:16-18).
The
Lord sets us free from fear by removing our punishment
and our enemy
“The
LORD has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your
enemy… Never again will you fear any harm… The
Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will
take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing” (Zephaniah 3:15,
17).
We need
prayer to overcome our fears of sharing the good news of
Jesus
“Pray
also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given
me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the
gospel” (Ephesians 6:19)
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