FEAR NOT AND YOU WILL BE HAPPY Bible Study: Isaiah 41:13-20, Psalm 145, Matthew 11:11-15 For psychologists, fear is a natural defense mechanism which tries to protect one’s ego as much as possible from any perceived danger or failure. If you are ever afraid, it is not because of something already happening, it is always because of something that you think would soon happen. Fear is your mind trying to push away something that is still in the future while the brain is expecting it to happen at the same time. This tension between the mind and the brain accounts for feeling of uneasiness whenever fear sets in. Away from psychology however, fear is also a spiritual force. In fact, fear is a spirit which is capable of possessing a person leaving him or her with a deep seated feeling of defeat. A fearful person believes that life is not under his or her control. A fearful person believes that somehow, the devil and his agents are responsible for events in his or her life. A fearful person does not think he or she can change anything about his or her life. A fearful person believes more in witches and wizards than in the power of God. A fearful person will never confront his demons or those perceived witches and wizards because he has very little self-esteem and sees himself as too small to fight back. A fearful person would rather keep quiet than say the truth because he believes the forces of darkness are more powerful than those light. A fearful person lacks basic faith in the power of God, lacks confidence in God’s ability to protect and somehow expects the worst in all circumstances. In short, a fearful person is always unhappy and the reason why we are oftentimes sad is because each of us has an element of fear inside us. 365 times, the Bible encourages us to “Fear Not.” Today’s readings happen to one of those beautiful passages when God himself assures us of his backing in our life and our need to cast off fear entirely from our medulla oblongata. Isaiah says: “FEAR NOT, O worm Jacob, O maggot Israel; I WILL HELP YOU, SAYS THE LORD; your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel. I will make of you a threshing sledge, sharp, new, and double-edged, To thresh the mountains and crush them, to make the hills like chaff…. But YOU SHALL REJOICE IN THE LORD, and glory in the Holy One of Israel.” It is only when we are able to throw off our fear that we step into happiness and the way to deal with fear is to change your belief system. How? To develop confidence in God, you must realize that witches and wizards are not even half as powerful as God and secondly, you must know that people are not greater than God. So be ready to say the truth not minding what be the threats you get from people. John the Baptist was not afraid to address the Pharisees as a “brood of vipers”. He was not afraid to tell Herod, “It is wrong to take your brother’s wife.” Hence Jesus praises him today saying that the kingdom of God needs more men and women like him – men and women ready to stand anything, men and women like Elijah who can stand 400 prophets of Baal, men and women with such huge confidence in God that they become violent in spirit towards evil, violent towards sin, violent against immorality and indecency, ready to speak the truth at all times, men and women who do not allow the fear of dying deter them from doing the right thing and telling the truth, men and women ready to take heaven by force. Are you such a person that lives in a manner that when you die God will say: “My child, you see I have NO CHOICE but to admit you into my kingdom”? Let us Pray: Lord Jesus, may we be fully prepared to receive you into our hearts this Christmas that as you are born again in us, we too may become born again in the Spirit. Amen. Good morning. Be Happy. Have Faith. Live Positive. It is well with you.
Posted on: Thu, 11 Dec 2014 04:29:15 +0000
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