It’s been over a month since my last podcast. My dad passed away on October 9th and since that time I’ve been helping my mom with making arrangements for Dad’s memorial service and burial.
My dad suffered from dementia and it tested my faith as well as my mom’s.
My mom was my dad’s caregiver and so much more. Her desire to have Dad at home instead of in a hospice facility put a strain on her physically. She is 87 and still very active, but the physical requirements to take care of Dad took a toll on all of us. So once again, I am sorry that this podcast is not as frequent as it should be. Please keep my family in prayer as we deal with our grief.
Today’s podcast addresses the subject of fear.
Fear comes in many sizes. But, we are going to focus on just four categories of fear.
Worldly fear– which is the fear of man and what man can say or do to cause you harm.
Godly fear– which is the act of giving God the glory and praise for what he is doing in your life.
Fear of the unknown– manifests itself when we don’t know God. Most notably the fear of death and what happens after that.
Fear of danger– in this case fear is your friend. It’s the fear when your feet are dangling off the edge of a cliff that tells you to step back.
Worldly Fear
Before I came to the Lord I was a fearful man.
I feared what people would think of me if they knew about all my hidden sins. The anxietHeavenly Father we just give you thanks and praise and we glorify your name. Father let us not fear what man may do to us, but rather let us fear eternal separation from you. Lord, we believe that you have prepared a place for us in your kingdom. May that knowledge give us peace and comfort. Father may let us be bold to say, death where is your sting? In Jesus name we pray, amen.
y of my double life was overwhelming at times. Peace was a precious commodity, of which I had very little. But how many of you know that there are no hidden sins? You are an open book to your Lord and Savior. Do you want to be free from fear and anxiety? Then confess it, and it will have no power over you. I’m not saying shout it from the mountain tops, but rather confess it to God and someone you trust.
James 5:16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
Once you are open and honest about your past it can have no power over you.
I know, because once I came out of my denial, and not only confessed, but repented of those sins I felt as though I had just been released from prison.
Psalms 142:7 Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me.
Many individuals have made a prison in which they have grown very comfortable.
When the shackles and chains of sin and regret consume you it’s hard to see your way clearly. After a while you grow numb to the guilt and the shame. Your heart becomes calloused and Godly fear has no place in your life. Like many who are doing time in prison, you become institutionalized and see this as just the way life is.
Godly Fear
When we speak of Godly fear, it is not that we tremble and hide from Him.
But rather that we give Him all due honor, respect, and Glorify His name.
If you truly believe that God is all powerful, then worldly fear should not be present in your life. If you continue to fear the things of this world, then you are exhibiting a lack of faith in God.
Psalms 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.
Do you want to take that worldly fear and just turn it into a peace that surpasses all understanding?
Acts 9:31 So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.
If you’re walking on that path of righteousness in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit then your peace is going to multiply.
It sounds contradictory to have the comfort of the Holy Spirit while at the same time having a fear of the Lord.
But God In His infinite wisdom gave us the Holy Spirit to be our comforter. So as we give all due honor, respect and Glory to His name, we can rest assured that we will have that peace that surpasses all understanding.
2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
If we are walking in the power of the Lord, and if his love dwells in us, then you can rest assured that you will have a sound mind.
Depending upon which version of the Bible you read it can either be a sound mind or self-discipline or self-control. A sound mind can discern good from evil and right from wrong. If God’s power, love and self-control exist in your life, then you should never have a spirit of fear.
Fear of the unknown
It is by God’s grace that we will have an eternity with Him.
We know whose we are and we know that death is not the end of this journey. We have an eternal promise of a place in God’s Kingdom. Mere mortals cannot change that, even if they take our lives. If you truly believe that this life is not the end, then you should not fear death, but rather welcome it with open arms.
St. John 5:24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.
We once were dead in our sins, but now we have crossed over and are promised life eternal.
It doesn’t get any better than that.
So as I grieve the loss of my dad, I also rejoice in knowing that someday soon I will see him again.
I’d like to thank you for listening and as always may you have a week full of opportunities to share this good news with those that need to hear it.