Date: Oct 30th, 2011
Speaker: Pastor Kevin Snyder
Title: Overcoming the Barriers to Growth: Fear
Intro
We are continuing in our series on barriers to spiritual growth.
2 weeks ago we looked at Peter and talked about stumbling forward (overcoming past failures.)
Today, on this Hallowe’en Day I would like us to talk about fear.
John Bonnell writes:
Psychologists… have established that at birth two fears are already present: fear of loud noise and a fear of falling. While we begin our lives with only two fears, it is not long before we succeed in accumulating scores of additional ones. The fear of thunder and lightning, of the dark, of people, of life and of death – these have all been taught to children by adults, for they have learned them by watching adult behavior…People are afraid to walk on the streets, afraid to cross a street, afraid to ride in automobiles, or trains, or airplanes…And as for imaginary fear, tens of thousands of people throughout the nation are afraid every time they open a letter, tremble when they see a priority letter, or are startled when the telephone rings or even when someone suddenly calls to them. They live in constant fear and feel that some , indefinable menace haunts all their days.”
Fear is common and it is often hard to get over. In fact, debilitating fear & anxiety makes up about 1/3 of the dollars spent on mental health claims…18% have a fear or anxiety disorder.
So it is a common & costly issue…costly in terms of our freedom, joy, productivity and growth.
Speaking of costly….man went to doctor…
i.e.
“Doc,” he said, “I’ve got trouble. Every time I get into bed, I think there’s somebody under it. I get under the bed, I think there’s somebody on top of it. Top, under, top, under ... you gotta help me, I’m going crazy!”
“Just put yourself in my hands for two years,” said the doctor. “Come to me three times a week, and I’ll cure your fears.”
“How much do you charge?”
“A hundred dollars per visit.”
“I’ll think about it,” said Shakey.
Six months later the doctor met Shakey on the street. “Why didn’t you ever come to see me again?” asked the psychiatrist.
“For a hundred bucks a visit? A friend cured me for ten dollars.”
“Is that so! How?”
“He told me to cut the legs off the bed!”
Well, I am not suggesting in 20 minutes I can cure you of fear or that overcoming fear is that simple. But hopefully we can gain some understandings from Scripture that can limit the hindering power of fear in our lives. And if you do suffer I encourage you to call Stacey – works for Anxiety Center…can find more extensive help.
Let’s begin by looking at the 3 aspects of Fear.
3 Aspects of Fear
1. Emotion
Fear is a natural and legitimate emotion.
It is like an indicator light on the dash of your car. It isn’t the problem it indicates a problem.
Sometimes the problem is good.
3 basic “Good Fears”
a. Potential Dangers
i.e.
rattlesnake – wide path, snowstorm – not drive ; machine that has the power to hurt us
That fear causes us to be cautious and careful. ..as opposed to this guy
ie.
Cowboy Jim was the Pearly Gates.
In a discussion with St Peter, tell me a bit about how you sought to help people on earth.
'Well, I can think of one thing,' the cowboy offered.
'On a trip to the Black Hills out in South Dakota , I came upon a gang of bikers who were threatening a young woman. I directed them to leave her alone, but they wouldn't listen. So, I approached the largest and most tattooed biker and smacked him in the face, kicked his bike over, ripped out his nose ring, and threw it on the ground. I yelled, 'Now, back off or I'll kick the daylights out of all of you!'
St. Peter was impressed, 'When did this happen?'
'Oh, a couple a minutes ago.'
Fear at times is good… safety, protection…
In the Bible we are actually told to “fear” 2 basic things:
2. Fear God
Proverbs 9:10
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Matthew 10:28
28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
In case of fearing God, fear is akin to reverence. …not immobilizing, debilitating fear.
- It is a deep sense of respect that affects how we behave …for we know the power and judgement of God.
- We recognise we will give an account to someone who has the power to deal with us.
- It affects our worship as we recognise that this is not just a “buddy” but a holy God who is high and lifted up and who holds the keys to life and death in his hands.
In fact, it is when we “fear God “ that all the other fears have a way of subsiding.
i.e.
A little girl asked her father if he was afraid of the dark. He told her he wasn’t. She asked if he was afraid of snakes. He said he wasn’t. Asked if he was afraid of big, ugly spiders….again he told he wasn’t.
The girl thought for a moment and then concluded, “Then the only thing you are afraid of is Mom.”
Fearing one big thing often removes the fear of many other little things.
If we fear God we are less fearful of what people think of us. One of the things Jesus pointed out that led to the hypocrisy of the Pharisees was their “fear of man.” …
C. Those in Authority
Romans 13:3 – 5
3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. 4 For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.
Those are some natural or good “fears”.
- Cause us to be careful
- Respect God and reverence each other as creatures created and valued by God
- Cause us to live in an orderly and respectful society where we submit to the rule of law.
2. Perception
Bible acknowledges the emotion of fear. … but it would appear it is a controllable fear. Bible gives many reasons to regulate or remove the fear :
- “Fear not… for I am with you…”
- “Fear not…. for I bring good news…”
- “Fear not… for I am the Alpha & Omega”
- “Fear not…for the battle is the Lord’s”
Our perception affects our fear level.
If we perceive …
- God’s presence (I am with you),
- God’s promises (the battle is the Lord’s),
- God’s power (I am the Alpha & Omega) it reduces our fear level.
“Don’t worry (dread) because you have a Heavenly Father who knows what you need…”
If we don’t perceive those things ; if we perceive we are alone in this world, with no outside help, no assurance of a hopeful future …then our fears increase.
We fear the stock market…for our safety…our future… death… persecution… our fears in this world multiply as we lose sight of the presence, power & promises of God.
Exercise:
Think of a fear you have…Is God anywhere in the picture of that fear?
How would faith in God’s presence…power …or promises change that picture?
Another aspect of fear is…
3. Response
Fear can either move us or immobilize us.
a. Move Us
i.e.
One only has to go to a rodeo to see how fear can motivate people to action. Bull starts chasing and that fear leads to a lot of scurrying.
Or watch the stock market – fear or greed are the 2 driving forces it seems.
i.e.
Garden of Gethsemene – Judas and gang came – moved them to run ….so afraid one left his cloak.
b. But fear can also be immobilizing.
i.e.
Firemen and rescue workers, soldiers run so many mock drills…prepare them to act when in a fearful situation.
The other factor about fear is our response…
- Triggered subconsciously by some past trauma
- Some distorted reality
Past failures can create a fear that keeps us from moving forward…linguist
Our response can cripple us…we never step out of the boat.
Question:
How much does fear keep you from doing something you know would be good for you?
Self-Assessment
Before we talk about remdies to fear lets do a little self- assessment
1. Emotion
Give yourself a % , as how much of your day do you live in fear?
What would change if you brought God’s presence, power and promises to greater consciousness in your day?
Note:
If you are doing something wrong, I dare say your fear level is way up there….afraid of getting caught or found out by police (– illegal), spouse (cheating or hiding a problem), boss ( if pilfering supplies or not giving honest day work), death & God (if not right with him)
2. Perception
What frames your perspective?
FEAR ______________________________________FAITH
3. Response
What have you chosen not to do in life because of fear or runaway from?
- go to school
- start a business
- get involved in ministry
- Make a commitment to Christ
- Take a step out of the boat…
Part B: Remedies
1. Trust God
Psalm 56: 3 –
“When I am afraid,
I will trust in you.
In God whose word I praise
In God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can mortal man do to me?”
2. Real Relationships
1 John 4:18 – “perfect love casts out all fear.”
Both with God and people.
i.e.
When Adam & Eve sinned it says they hid from God. They experienced a new emotion in relationship to God – fear.
When we become incongruent
- different with God in his house than we are away…fear getting close
- different in our relationships when with people than when we are behind their backs…when we gossip about them….fear them
- when we break the law – fear police
- when do something spouse disapproves of or wrong – fear being found out.
The greater freedom is not having to hide. When our relationships are filled with truth and transparency 7 our lives are congruent.
But we do know that we were once there, too–trapped in a lot of people-pleasing, dysfunctional relationships. (That’s where a lot of our anxiety came from–trying to live life based on what others thought or wanted rather than based on our preferences and choices). And we remained in them because we thought we had no choice.
Living authentically means CHOOSING to live authentically and exercising your freedoms. The more you do, the more authentic your life will become.
The more our relationships grow in unconditional love the less fear we have of each other.
It’s becomes so good to say
“I’m afraid of coming to small group because I don’t know my Bible, I’m afraid to pray out loud, I’m afraid you’ll find out I struggle with anger… I’m not doing very well as a cn at work or school.”
As you seek to be real and loving, the fear level in your life can drop immensely.
3. Limit Fear-Producing stimulation
a. News
For some people not watching all the news and shows would help reduce their fears
b. Media – bent on feeding our fears
c. Say a word about Hallowe’en – Holiday that circles around fear. I’m not saying you shouldn’t participate but rather consider how you participate. How many fears do we create with this event in our kids? – fear of dark, evil, ghosts….And if we downplay that as nothing how much harm do we do by making that stuff as innocent as Santa claus?
Can we redeem this holiday from fear? Can we lose the demonic, evil, and paranormal weird elements from it for our kids? Focus on the fun, the neighbourhood feeling, the goodness of people instead of the other…
4. Resolve not to act on Fear
i.e.
Littlest Mermaid – Triton was deathly afraid of humans. His fear drove him to forbidding Ariel from any contact. Didn’t work. By the end of the movie – Ariel marries a human , is given feet, and the wedding is attended by both humans and sea creatures. And the dreaded human actually saves Tritans life and kingdom.
Fear causes us to stay in our little world.
It can keep us from stepping up, out and in.
Diagram
- Fear can keep us from stepping up in our spiritual life. We don’t grow in that area.
- It can keep us from community and from others .
- It can keep us from looking within for fear of what we will find.
And so we stay in this little triangle and never push it out.
Fear will do that to you.
Wrap-Up
What direction in the triangle are you hindered by fear?
What is one area where you are being held back?
- spiritual steps – take a step of faith, step out of boat, trust God more…
- rel with others - commit to a small group, to initiating a conversation, taking a step across the room, to extending hospitality, to get involved in serving or volunteering
- personal step – to do some looks within, initiate counselling, stop and engage in some personal reflection,….slowdown and quit avoiding God….fear what he might say….look in the mirror.
Choose one area.
Bring it God.
One step you will do to push back the fear level.
Click here to return to sermon page
The New International Version. 2011 (Pr 9:1–10). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
The New International Version. 2011 (Mt 10:28). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
The New International Version. 2011 (Ro 13:3–5). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.