Fear-what are you afraid of? #16

Oh the worries of Life! Have any?? Ha I think I already know the answer to that. God says don't worry about the worries of life. How can God say that? Because He is in control and when we think about it all the stuff we worry about we really have no control over....but He does! Read these verses:





Luke 12:22-34

Do Not Be Anxious

22 And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 26 If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. 30 For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.



God tells us here we are important and He will take care of us! He knows what we need! (needs not wants) He will provide. So He tells us to seek the things of God which primarily would be living Christ-like lives and telling others about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!



Don't miss verse 32! God's desire and pleasure is to give us the kingdom of heaven! Give your heart and lives to Jesus! For it is the ONLY way to get the Kingdom and then live fruitful lives of obedience to Christ! Don't fear, don't worry, don't be anxious, God has given us all we need! Thank you Jesus!



Tom

Fear-what are you afraid of? #15

Sadly today many fear they have no value. This is one of Satan's biggest lies! You are of great value to God! Look at these verses:





Matthew 10:29-31

29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.



Psalm 139:14



I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.



Psalm 139:13-16



13 For you formed my inward parts;

you knitted me together in my mother's womb.

14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are your works;

my soul knows it very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you,

when I was being made in secret,

intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;

in your book were written, every one of them,

the days that were formed for me,

when as yet there was none of them.



Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.



Romans 5:8

But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.



John 3:16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.



So do you see you are valuable to God? I mean who gives their life for you? Who forgives you over and over? Who shows mercy and grace when it is undeserved? God that's who! He has a purpose and a plan for you. Reread Jeremiah 29:11 above. God loves you more than anybody else. He sent His only son to die for you so you can spend eternity in heaven with Him! Wow! You are valuable and don't the devil tell you any different. Eliminate the fear of not being valuable from your life because God says you are of great value to Him!!!!



Tom

Fear-what are you afraid of? #14

Want a good reason not to fear anything? Here is is from God's Word...Hope it makes you shout some praises to King Jesus this morning!



Zephaniah 3:15-17





15 The Lord has taken away the judgments against you;

he has cleared away your enemies.

The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;

you shall never again fear evil.

16 On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:

“Fear not, O Zion;

let not your hands grow weak.

17 The Lord your God is in your midst,

a mighty one who will save;

he will rejoice over you with gladness;

he will quiet you by his love;

he will exult over you with loud singing.



Again while this is talking to Israel, it also is a prophetic Word to us as to what Jesus has done and will do when He returns one day soon for His followers!



In verse 15, how are our judgements taken away? Only through the shed blood of Jesus! That is it! We also see it again in verse 17, a mighty One who will save, that can only be Jesus! he rejoices over those who submit to Him with their lives. It brings gladness to Him to see us put our faith and trust in Him and follow in obedience. The is nothing like the quiet peace of God knowing He loves us. God even sings over us for He is highly elated in His children just like any good Father!



So in verse 16, we are told...do not fear! Be strong...our God is with us! I don't know about you but I need to be reminded of this often! So devil, we will not fear you or your ploys to bring fear into us for we are children of God!



Tom

Fear-what are you afraid of? #13

The passage below is talking to Israel, God's chosen people. BUT I believe it talks also to all believers. Especially our nation which was founded on the Word of God. While I have been telling you we should not fear most things we should fear the judgement of God on a nation that is turning their back on Him! The good news is what we see below...return to Him and He shows mercy, forgives, and blesses once again. Read this slowly and soak up the Word of God:



Joel 2:12-27

Return to the Lord



12 “Yet even now,” declares the Lord,

“return to me with all your heart,

with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;

13 and rend your hearts and not your garments.”

Return to the Lord your God,

for he is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;

and he relents over disaster.

14 Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,

and leave a blessing behind him,

a grain offering and a drink offering

for the Lord your God?



15 Blow the trumpet in Zion;

consecrate a fast;

call a solemn assembly;

16 gather the people.

Consecrate the congregation;

assemble the elders;

gather the children,

even nursing infants.

Let the bridegroom leave his room,

and the bride her chamber.



17 Between the vestibule and the altar

let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep

and say, “Spare your people, O Lord,

and make not your heritage a reproach,

a byword among the nations.

Why should they say among the peoples,

‘Where is their God?’”



18 Then the Lord became jealous for his land

and had pity on his people.

19 The Lord answered and said to his people,

“Behold, I am sending to you

grain, wine, and oil,

and you will be satisfied;

and I will no more make you

a reproach among the nations.



20 “I will remove the northerner far from you,

and drive him into a parched and desolate land,

his vanguard into the eastern sea,

and his rear guard into the western sea;

the stench and foul smell of him will rise,

for he has done great things.



21 “Fear not, O land;

be glad and rejoice,

for the Lord has done great things!

22 Fear not, you beasts of the field,

for the pastures of the wilderness are green;

the tree bears its fruit;

the fig tree and vine give their full yield.



23 “Be glad, O children of Zion,

and rejoice in the Lord your God,

for he has given the early rain for your vindication;

he has poured down for you abundant rain,

the early and the latter rain, as before.



24 “The threshing floors shall be full of grain;

the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.

25 I will restore to you the years

that the swarming locust has eaten,

the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter,

my great army, which I sent among you.



26 “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,

and praise the name of the Lord your God,

who has dealt wondrously with you.

And my people shall never again be put to shame.

27 You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel,

and that I am the Lord your God and there is none else.

And my people shall never again be put to shame.



Did you catch the key parts? In verses 12-13...a true repentance is needed. Asking forgiveness for our evil ways and turning from them to do them no more! God who promises us forgiveness is faithful:



1 John 1:9

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.



Verse 16...gather all ages of people to get right before God! Oh brothers and sisters how we need a revival in this nation of ours!



Verse 17...may our spiritual leaders be in prayer for the people of this nation! Oh my can other nations look at us and say where is their God? Sadly probably so! We have turned our backs on God and He will not stay where He is not welcome!



Verse 19-26 But God will show us His love and mercy if we will return to Him!!! What are we waiting on?



Verse 27...when the children of God are faithful to Him, He will protect them and no one will cause them harm.



Oh how God wants our devotion and he wants to bless us, but again He will not go where He is not wanted! So we have nothing to fear when we are right with God but if we are not we have much to fear.....God's judgement!



Tom

Fear-what are you afraid of? #12

 

Think of a time when you were as low as you could get in life. Maybe it was after the death of a loved one, a divorce, loss of a job or something else. Fear had set in and you did not know what to do next. Maybe you did not even know how you could go on living. I have good news for you this morning. You had nothing to fear because our God is in control!!! Look at these verses below:

Lamentations 3:55-57


55 “I called on your name, O Lord,
    from the depths of the pit;
56 you heard my plea, ‘Do not close
    your ear to my cry for help!’
57 You came near when I called on you;
    you said, ‘Do not fear!’

In verse 55, I have been in that pit a few times! What about you? The bad thin g about me anyway is sometimes I try to solve the problem myself before I call on the name of the Lord! Is that dumb or what! Note to self here...always call on Jesus first!

In verse 56, we see why we call upon Jesus....He hears us! He does not close His ears to those who have called upon His name as Lord and Savior! Wow! There is no better news that that my friends!

In verse 57, we are told he not only hears but He responds! He comes closer to us to whisper in our ears these sweet words "Do not fear"! In other Words Jesus is saying I have everything under control, I love you, and you will be ok....trust Me!

Those are some comforting words from our Lord! You see when we truly put all our faith and trust in Jesus in ALL situations, we do not have anything to fear! Our mighty and powerful God has us in His hands and no One can ###### us out! Praise God!

Have a blessed weekend my friends and go worship the KING!

Tom

Fear-what are you afraid of? #11

Do you like to be corrected? Ha! Me either. As I have grown older though I realize how much I need correction. When we were young and our parents had to correct us...we did not like it! But oh how thankful I am now for their love shown through correction. The reason they corrected me through spankings and groundings was because they loved me! They wanted the best for me and at the time I did not think so but I sure do now. It is the same with God! Many times we fear his correction but His children should not fear it but appreciate it as it helps us draw nearer to Him!



Jeremiah 46:28





28 Fear not, O Jacob my servant,

declares the Lord,

for I am with you.

I will make a full end of all the nations

to which I have driven you,

but of you I will not make a full end.

I will discipline you in just measure,

and I will by no means leave you unpunished.”



Here we see Israel wandered away from God and His teachings, now they must be punished. Disobedience brings consequences! It is the same for us! Look here:



Proverbs 13:24





24 Whoever spares the rod hates his son,

but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.



Now just this past week a so-called expert was on CNN and stated we should never spank your child. Well I am sorry but God has spoken here and God is the authority not man. Spankings are needed at times! This may be why many kids have no respect for authority...because talk often does not get their attention!





Hebrews 12:11



11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.



Proverbs 12:1



Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.



Hebrews 12:5-10



5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?



“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,

nor be weary when reproved by him.

6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,

and chastises every son whom he receives.”

7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.



As we see God's correction is needed and prosperous for His children. Do not fear His correction, accept it, and learn from it so we can bear the fruit of the Lord! God loves us that is why He corrects us!



Tom

Fear-what are you afraid of? #10

Ever been in fear of being arrested for your faith? We are moving in a direction if things don't change that it may be a possibility! If you have ever been on a foreign mission trip it is a big possibility! For Israel being in captivity was a reality many times. The sad thing was it was their own fault because they turned their back on God...and if we end up being arrested for our faith it may be because as a nation we turned our back on God too!



Look at what God says about captivity for Israel:



Jeremiah 46:27



27 “But fear not, O Jacob my servant,

nor be dismayed, O Israel,

for behold, I will save you from far away,

and your offspring from the land of their captivity.

Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease,

and none shall make him afraid.



God is in control. He will deliver His people and has proven that time and time again. Even when we don't deserve it. Think about all those who were in some sort of captivity in the bible...Israel in Egypt, Joesph, Daniel, John the Baptist, Paul, the disciples, and yes even Jesus. God delivered all! Some were freed to live life out and some were called home to be with Jesus...but all were delivered who had their faith in God! So why would we fear?



Look at this encouraging verse:



John 8:36

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.



When you have Jesus you are free! Someone may have a hold on your body but no one can control your mind!!!



Thank God for freedom in Christ Jesus!



Tom

Fear-what are you afraid of? #9

 

The ole saying sticks and stones break my bones but words will never hurt me is a big lie! Matter of fact they can beat us down so bad that we can get to a place where we fear what people will say about us! I have gotten to a point in life that what people say don't bother me but what God says sure does! Look what God says about hearing words from others:

Psalm 64 


   Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint;
    preserve my life from dread of the enemy.
2 Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,
    from the throng of evildoers,
3 who whet their tongues like swords,
    who aim bitter words like arrows,
4 shooting from ambush at the blameless,
    shooting at him suddenly and without fear.
5 They hold fast to their evil purpose;
    they talk of laying snares secretly,
thinking, “Who can see them?”
6     They search out injustice,
saying, “We have accomplished a diligent search.”
    For the inward mind and heart of a man are deep.

7 But God shoots his arrow at them;
    they are wounded suddenly.
8 They are brought to ruin, with their own tongues turned against them;
    all who see them will wag their heads.
9 Then all mankind fears;
    they tell what God has brought about
    and ponder what he has done.

10 Let the righteous one rejoice in the Lord
    and take refuge in him!
Let all the upright in heart exult!

Isaiah 51:7-8


7 “Listen to me, you who know righteousness,
    the people in whose heart is my law;
fear not the reproach of man,
    nor be dismayed at their revilings.
8 For the moth will eat them up like a garment,
    and the worm will eat them like wool;
but my righteousness will be forever,
    and my salvation to all generations.”

 That word revilings means speak abusively. God is very clear about the mouths of those who abuse His children...HE will take care of them! That is all we need to know folks! God is in control. Look what James says about the tongue:

James 3:5-12

5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.
How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by heck. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers,[c] these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

The only way a mouth can be tamed is to be in Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to give us the power to do so!

So let us give our mouths to God and speak life in to people! When others need to speak against us, let God handle it, He said He will! Also remember Jesus said we will face persecution when living for Him, so if you are getting verbal abuse for your walk with Jesus count it as joy...that what Paul and others did! It is a sign you are living right!

Don't fear talk, fear God!

Tom

Fear-what are you afraid of? #8

Some men/women grow in power, fame, and fortune in a life time. Many seem to want to use that power to influence others in a negative way. So when that happens people will grow to fear them. When that power is used in that fashion they are a pawn in the devils hand. So what are we supposed to do? Glad you asked...God has it covered!



Psalm 118:6



6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.

What can man do to me?



Psalm 56:4



4 In God, whose word I praise,

in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.

What can flesh do to me?



Hebrews 13:6

6 So we can confidently say,



“The Lord is my helper;

I will not fear;

what can man do to me?”



Need I say more? Ha! If you are a follower of Jesus, God is on your side! Man may have a limited amount of power that God allows him to have on this ole earth of ours but one day soon when Jesus returns the all-power will be in hands of God's children as they become joint heirs with Jesus!! Whew! That should make ya shout this morning!



Think about this...in a mans power what is the worse thing he could do to you? Take your life, right? Well for the redeemed by the blood of the lamb that has no power because as soon as we become absent from this body we are present with the Lord! Man has no power...God has it all!!!



Refer back to note #5 where we talked about we are not going to die until God is ready for us to come home anyway! Not a second before!



So this morning...don't fear your boss, your husband, the Mayor, or anybody who takes their power to their head! God is on your side and that is all you need! No need to fear...God is in control.



Tom

Fear-what are you afraid of? #7

Stress, stress, stress! Do you have any? Ha! I already know the answer to that. Do you have any fears associated with that stress? We all do. Want some good news? You don't have to have that fear and you can cut down on that stress if you can get this one thing in mind...God is in control! He always is and always will be! Look at these verses...think stress and fear are involved?



1 Kings 17:8-16

8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, 9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you.” 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.” 11 And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” 12 And she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.” 13 And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.’” 15 And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.



Yep things were bad for this woman and her son. So bad she was preparing their final meal so they could just go ahead and die! Whew....just a little stress and fear! Ever been there? I have! But then we see God step in and send his servant Elijah. We see once again God provided to meet the one in need. Don't miss this point....the woman had to show faith and provide what Elijah asked for. It was a choice...faith or no faith. She could have laughed at Elijah and turned and walked away and died! Do we have the same faith in God as she did?



Remember these words from Jesus:



Matthew 6:25-34

Do Not Be Anxious

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.



So let's get rid of stress and fear! Have faith in our God for He is in control!!!!!! Amen?



Tom

Fear-what are you afraid of? #6

In our own sin, it is healthy to have a portion of fear, after all we are sinning against a Holy, Righteous, sinless God! BUT we should not have a hopeless fear because we serve a forgiving God!

1 Samuel 12:20

20 And Samuel said to the people, “Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart.

In the verse above, Israel had just decided and elected a King to rule them. Basically turning away from God and wanting to follow other nations lead in having a King lead them. They had sinned. Samuel hear tells them though, they have nothing to fear if they will follow the Lord with all their heart. God once again was showing them mercy even in their wrong doings! The same goes for us in our sin....look how God shows us mercy:

1 John 1:9

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Just like Israel, when we turn on God and sin, if we will humble ourselves, admit we did wrong(confess), God will for give us and cleanse us! What an awesome God we serve! We don't deserve the forgiveness but He loves us and forgives! Let me give a word of caution here. This is not a sin free card. Don't play with God's mercy and grace. God's Word is clear we are to strive everyday to imitate the perfect ONE, Jesus Christ. This is the Holy life we are to give our best in doing everyday. If we sin willingly and think well I can because God will forgive me is I just confess it, you are playing a dangerous game that you will not win. God will judge all in the end and he knows our hearts!

So if you are a follower of Jesus, and you make a mistake and sin, don't fear! You have a merciful, loving Savior who will forgive if you just ask! Thank you Jesus!!!!!

Tom

Fear-what are you afraid of? #5

Are you afraid of death? Many are but if you are right with God we have no fear in death!



Judges 6:23

23 But the Lord said to him, “Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die.”



In this verse Gideon has just seen the Angel of the Lord face to face and thought he was going to die for it. BUT God said you will not die! You know what I get from that verse???? You don't die til God says! That's it folks! When God is ready for you to come home or send you to hell then its time. Not a second sooner or later! That is a key point to remember though...when it is time you better be right with Him for there are only two places after death...heaven or hell...no in between. In that line of thinking, look at this verse:



Matthew 10:28

28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.



Your body here is temporary. One of the biggest fears of man is being killed by another man, but guess what? The body you have here is temporary, the one you receive in glory (heaven) is the body that will be eternal. What a man may take here is unimportant but if you give your soul to the devil, well that's an eternity you don't want...one in hell. The him this verse is talking about who can destroy both body and soul in hell is not the devil but God whom if you have rejected allows you to go there to be continually destroyed for ever and ever! My friend do not go that route!



Jesus loves you, died for you and has paved the way to eternity! Don't miss the path!



So are you afraid of death? Why? God provides life through Jesus Christ so you have nothing to fear!



John 10:10



The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.



Tom

Fear-what are you afraid of? #4

Have you ever been asked to lead something in service to Jesus? The fears set in if you are able to handle it or if you know your bible well enough or a million other excuses. What does God say about being a leader for Him and the fears we have? Well let's check it out:


Deuteronomy 31:8

8 And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”

This verse is coming from the point where Moses is handing leadership over to Joshua to lead them into the promise land. When God leads you into a leading position He will be with you. Remember another name for Jesus is Immanuel which means "God with us".

If you recall in the bible there was a man who tired to come up with some excuses not to lead. He used excuses like...I don't have good speech, and what Am I to say, and what if they don't listen to me!!! This man was Moses! God answered all his pitiful excuses and Moses had faith and went to the Pharaoh of Egypt! May we have the faith of Moses and go where God says Go!

Moses complaint of speech is much like us...I don't know what to say...here is God's response to that:

Matthew 10:19

19 When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour.

God will gives you the Words you need to speak in all situations, now let me caution you here. You have a responsibility to know your bible by learning in Bible study, meditation, and prayer. There is no substitute for that and you are commanded in scripture to know the Word. God will provide and has already by giving us His Holy Word so do not neglect your studies!

So when we are are set in positions to lead on behalf of God...do not fear! God is with us and will provide! So whats stopping you???? Lead for Jesus!

Tom

Fear-what are you afraid of? #3

Today many seem to shrink back at those who are enemies of God. We run into folks who don't believe daily. They want to put us down or take our rights ways and in some places even hurt us for what we stand for! God has a Word for us about fearing our enemies:





Numbers 21:34



34 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have delivered him into your hand, with all his people and his land; and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon.”



Here we see Moses and Israel facing one of their many enemies. God says "Do not fear him"! Folks God is in control. Many, Many times in scripture God tells His followers not to fear the enemies of God! We are in the Hand of God. When we stand for God, no matter the outcome, you can be assured it is a demonstration of our faith and God honors the faithful! He always has and always will. Stephen comes to mind...check this out:



Acts 7:51-60



51 “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, 53 who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.”

54 When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. 55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, 56 and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; 58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.



Stephen took a stand against the enemies of Jesus and was killed for his faith! Did God honor Stephen? Absolutely! Did you notice Jesus in heaven? He is usually sitting at the right hand of God but here He is standing in honor of His faithful servant Stephen's boldness and faithfulness for Him! Praise God!



When taking a stand against the enemies of God the outcome is left to the Lord, our job is not to fear and do what God has called us to do. Be a witness for Jesus!



Stand with boldness and have no fear brothers and sisters for we serve King Jesus!



Tom

Fear-what are you afraid of? #2

Moving on as we think about what we fear but more importantly what God says about what not to fear! Today we look what we are to do in times of testing:





Exodus 20:20

20 And Moses said to the people, “Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.”



So what we are looking at here is Moses had just delivered the law to Israel and Moses is telling them they are being tested to be faithful to God by obeying Him and the law He has set before them. The same goes for us....we are not to be afraid as we are tested by the world to flee God's Word and live for self. It is a daily test that God allows us to go through. Testing comes from the devil in many forms usually where we are weakest so be prepared. Remember Job? He was tested to the fullest! Lost everything...family, fortune, friends! He was even accused of sin that was not in his life by his friends!



So when you are being tested by the devil or being tested to stay faithful to God's Word don not fear! You have the power of the Holy Spirit to over come! God is with you!



Galatians 5:16



16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.





Galatians 5:24-25

24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.



One other note: you see in the Exodus verse "His fear". That is (the fear of God) the only healthy fear for the believe and we will cover that later in our study.



Testing will come...do not fear!



Tom

Fear-what are you afraid of?

Fear...it seems we all have something we are afraid of. We are going to start a series on fear and what the bible says about fear. So sit back and let's see what God says about fear.



I googled the top 10 fears...while this list varied a little depending on which site you looked at here is what I found. See if any of these are on your list:



1. Flying

2. Public Speaking

3. Heights

4. The dark

5. Fear of intimacy

6. Death

7. Failure

8. Rejection

9. Spiders

10. Commitment



The order of some of these surprised me. I thought death would be at the top of the list! What exactly is fear? Here is how it is defined:



Fear: a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, ect., whether the threat is real or imagined.



It has been said that the phrase "fear not" or "do not be afraid" is said 365 times in the bible, although this is not true it is said over 100 times in the KJV version of the bible. Said enough times to get the point!



We need to ask ourselves a critical question...why does a follower of Jesus fear?



Could it be it says much about our faith or trust in Jesus? Or could it be the devil just knows how to push our buttons to keep our focus off of God? Or maybe something else?



Well let's go to our guide book for life, the bible, and see what God says about fear!



1. When serving God what are we to fear?





Isaiah 41:8-10



8 “But you, Israel, are My servant,

Jacob whom I have chosen,

The descendants of Abraham My friend.

9 You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth,

And called from its farthest regions,

And said to you,

‘You are My servant,

I have chosen you and have not cast you away:

10 Fear not, for I am with you;

Be not dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you,

Yes, I will help you,

I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’



God says when serving Him we are not to fear anything! This same kind of message from God is said many times to the servants of God. Abraham, David, Soloman, Daniel, and more are all told...fear not! God is with You! We have that same promise...God is with us! Hmmm where have I heard that before?



Matthew 1:23

“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”



We have nothing to fear in this life! Jesus is with us and sent the helper (Holy Spirit) to be with us after He ascended back to heaven.



So think about this...if you have given your life to Jesus, then we are his servants and should be serving Him on a daily basis. God says to His servants not to fear because He is with us, will strengthen us, help us, and uphold us with His righteous right hand which is representing His power! I don't know about you but that's all I need to know! I am in God's hand!



So are you a follower of Jesus? Are you in service to your King? Then you having nothing to fear...God is in control!



Tom

Happy Birthday America! Let's turn back to God!

Psalm 33:12

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.





Oh what a blessing it is to live in the United States. As we celebrate another another birthday of this great nation let us take time to think about where we are at with God. If we are honest with ourselves we must say as nation we have turned our back on Him and are now reaping the consequences which will not get better until we repent and turn back to Him. When we purposely make sin ok, God will not stand back and smile upon us. Things like marriage, homosexuality, abortion, adultery, and the list goes on and on, as a nation theses sins and more are being accepted as ok. Not in God's eyes. His Word is clear on these issues. The only one who can change these things are you and I. We must stand and let our voices be heard. This nation was built on God's Word and for us to be the nation we once were, we have to get back to those principles!



2 Chronicles 7:14

14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.



So as we celebrate the birthday of the greatest country in the world, let's do some thinking and then act upon what we know is right!



God bless and have a great 4th!



Tom

Source of Salvation

Answer to the question of life is below, "How do I become right with God?"



Hebrews 5:9

9 And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,



Who was made perfect, died for our sins, and defeated death? Why Jesus of course! The only way for eternal salvation. The verse doesn't end there though. Jesus said we must put out faith and trust in Him for what He has done, give Him our life, follow Him, and obey His commandments. Is this you? It takes more than empty words, and a life lived for self. That's not what Tom says but what the bible says.



Too many want to walk the fence...say the believe in Jesus but their life says different. Jesus wants a relationship with us not an occasional visit. When we truly surrender our life to Him it is obvious. For those who have, you have the abundant life Jesus promised! For those who have not sadly these words are in your future if you don't surrender your life to Jesus....





Matthew 7:21-23

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’



Jesus is our source of eternal salvation.....give Him your life and obey His Word! It truly is the abundant life both here and in heaven!



Tom

What are you striving for?

That may be a tough question to honestly answer. Most would jump right in and say serving God or something like that, at least those who claim to be followers of Jesus. Perhaps we can just look at a few things in our lives and get a pretty good picture of what we are striving after. Look at their facebook page, look at what they spend their time doing, what do they talk about most, where do they spend most of their time??? When we look at these things do they add up to striving after God or striving after things of this world? Look at these verses:



Hebrews 4:11-13

11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.



Hmmmm, God says strive to enter His rest, or heaven. Now we know our faith rests in Jesus Christ alone, He is the only way to heaven. When we truly follow Jesus though our life will shout I AM LIVING FOR AND SERVING JESUS TIL I DIE! That is striving to enter His rest. If we are failing to do that we are disobedient.



The next part of the verse (12) is letting us know if we are in the Word it will let us know if we are following Jesus as He desires because the Word will convict (pierce) us deeply when are lives are not in line with what God expects from His followers. I am so glad for the Word, when I am in right relationship to God, life is being lived to the fullest and there is no greater joy or happiness than that! Nothing in this world can even come close to comparison!



Then verse 13 reminds us of our all-knowing, all-seeing God. We can't hid our disobedience. One day we will all stand before Him, to be judged. Are you ready? Are you covered by the blood of Jesus? Are you striving to enter His rest, heaven?



Let's think about what God has said today! May it burn within our hearts.



Tom