Grip of fear

Well, Happy Halloween.
In honor of Halloween Pastor Duane preached his sermon this morning on fear and faith.

It could not have come at a more perfect time.

I've really been swimming in fear lately, or rather drowning in it..I should say.
Fear and Satan's lies has such a grip on my heart. This whole month of October has just been a C R A Z Y one. I've had so many ups and downs and I feel like I've been on an emotional roller coaster.

I'm just exhausted.

Spiritually and emotionally.

It it so draining trying to fight off the voice of the enemy in my life. I just need to run straight into God's arms and rest in Him. In His comfort and His peace, and His truth.

Sometimes Satan's voice is so loud, it's hard to know what the truth is.

Pastor Duane talked about a lot of things this morning that I want to highlight but one thing that stuck out was the word foothold. It's a weakness in our life that Satan THRIVES off of. There is one specific weakness, fear, that I constantly come back to and Satan loves to make me tremble in fear about it.

Here are some of the sermon notes I took:
-Faith is belief in what God has said. Fear is false evidence appearing real.
-Whether something is true or not, it appears true because it is believed
-It is possible to walk in faith but experience fear at the same time
-When we walk in TRUTH we are set free from fear and anxiety


"There is no fear in love[dread does not exist], but full grown love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror..." 1John 4:18

This verse has been a comfort to me..
"For we are God's [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live]."
Ephesians 2:10
How awesome?
It really jumped out at me how many ways planned can be said and are said in this passage..(this is the amplified version mind you)

1. Predestined
2. Planned beforehand
3. Prepared ahead of time
4. Prearranged

WOW! It was like God was shouting at me through this verse Friday morning. God has my life, I have NO reason whatsoever to worry about it. But, so why do I then?

The other passage that really helped with my struggle against those sins like I talked about, and God's disappointment is in Hebrews 12:3-11

3Just think of Him Who endured from sinners such grievous opposition and bitter hostility against Himself [reckon up and consider it all in comparison with your trials], so that you may not grow weary or exhausted, losing heart and relaxing and fainting in your minds.

4You have not yet struggled and fought agonizingly against sin, nor have you yet resisted and withstood to the point of pouring out your [own] blood.

5And have you [completely] forgotten the divine word of appeal and encouragement in which you are reasoned with and addressed as sons? My son, do not think lightly or scorn to submit to the correction and discipline of the Lord, nor lose courage and give up and faint when you are reproved or corrected by Him;

6For the Lord corrects and disciplines everyone whom He loves, and He punishes, even scourges, every son whom He accepts and welcomes to His heart and cherishes.

7You must submit to and endure [correction] for discipline; God is dealing with you as with sons. For what son is there whom his father does not [thus] train and correct and discipline?

8Now if you are exempt from correction and left without discipline in which all [of God's children] share, then you are illegitimate offspring and not true sons [at all].(B)

9Moreover, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we yielded [to them] and respected [them for training us]. Shall we not much more cheerfully submit to the Father of spirits and so [truly] live?

10For [our earthly fathers] disciplined us for only a short period of time and chastised us as seemed proper and good to them; but He disciplines us for our certain good, that we may become sharers in His own holiness.

11For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems grievous and painful; but afterwards it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it [a harvest of fruit which consists in righteousness--in conformity to God's will in purpose, thought, and action, resulting in right living and right standing with God].