No Reason To Fear Part II
Download MP3Welcome to a place of peace, hope, and divine encouragement. This is Joy in Every Step with your host, beloved preacher, retired teacher, and faithful faithful servant of the Lord, Sarita Bernadette. Each week, Sarita shares heartfelt messages rooted in the word of God, filled with wisdom, joy, and the gentle reminder that God cares deeply for you. Whether you're walking through the valleys or dancing on the mountaintops, Sarita's voice will guide you back to his promises step by step. So open your heart, settle your spirit, and take the next step in faith with Joy in Every Step.
Sarita Bernadette:Hi there I'm Sarita Bernadette and welcome back to another episode of Joy in Every Step. I'm so glad you're here. We began the previous episode with a scripture that has a special place in my heart. It's one of the first scriptures I memorized as I came into a relationship with the Lord as an adult. In second Timothy one:seven, For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Sarita Bernadette:Let's talk more about fear today. The enemy of our souls has long used this against believers. It's a serious stronghold. One of the notions shared last week was a call to vigilance when it comes to fear. First Peter five and eight states, Discipline yourselves, keep alert.
Sarita Bernadette:Like a roaring lion, your adversary the devil prowls around looking for someone to devour. Yielding to fear leaves the door open for the enemy to come into our lives and do what he does steal, kill, destroy. That's his sole mission. We also recognize that fear may show up at the door. When it comes knocking, we have to be aware of what it is and guard against letting it in to take up residence.
Sarita Bernadette:So what do we do to combat fear? There are some biblical steps or actions we can take to confront fear head on. First, we need to be honest about what we're feeling. Identify the fear and tell the Lord about it. My mother always says that: Tell the Lord about it.
Sarita Bernadette:Confess it. We are to acknowledge the fear and its root cause. Ask the question: What's causing this feeling right now? What is this about? And beloved, be open about that.
Sarita Bernadette:Be willing to admit what's really going on. Is the fear real or is this one of those what if scenarios running through your mind? Then make a note of the outcome so you can continue to work on specific fears. Next, we do what the Word says in second Corinthians ten and five: We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. Take those fearful thoughts captive.
Sarita Bernadette:What does that look like? It looks like refusal to let fearful thoughts run away with our minds and paralyze us. We are determined not to live in fear. When the thoughts come, we immediately replace them with the truth of the Word of God. We actively fight against fearful thoughts.
Sarita Bernadette:We do that through this next step or action: search the Word of God, find appropriate scriptures to both meditate on and speak. We are to actively fight fearful thoughts with the word, find verses, to memorize, and to speak. We opened this episode with two Timothy one:seven, and that's a great place to start. It's important to speak the word out loud, to refute the lies of the enemy. We directly confront and replace whatever thoughts the enemy is pushing with the truth of the Word of God.
Sarita Bernadette:And beloved, it's important to memorize some scriptures. Yes, memorize some scriptures. We need to be able to recall them quickly. Find the ones that work for you and copy them over and over. Say them over and over until you've mastered them.
Sarita Bernadette:Repetition is the key to real learning is a quote from Jack Canfield, one of the co authors of the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series, and I've experienced this firsthand. It works with scriptures. Take those scriptures you've memorized and ruminate on them until they become real to you. Meditate on the scriptures. And speaking God's word out loud will also encourage your spirit and build your faith.
Sarita Bernadette:Say them out loud. Next action: pray the scripture. Here's what that means: take those same verses of scriptures that you're memorizing and turn them into prayers. For example, using Philippians, four:six-seven: Father, your word says we should not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let our requests be made known to you. Your word reminds us that your peace, which surpasses all understanding, will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Sarita Bernadette:Father, I'm bringing a specific request today. And then you spell it out to the Lord. You say, I'm in need of and you fill in the blank, I believe that your peace is filling my mind right now, Father God. The fear is being replaced with confidence. I believe that you are here with me in this moment and for that, Father, I am grateful.
Sarita Bernadette:Lord God, I thank you that your peace guards my heart and my mind in Christ Jesus. It's important for us to be specific about what we need and to pray with gratitude, beloved. Pray with gratitude. Being specific, spelling out our problems, helps us understand exactly what we're dealing with, and it helps us to shift the burden to the Lord. Then praying with gratitude helps bring peace, because it it shifts the focus from our anxiety, from our worries, to God's faithfulness.
Sarita Bernadette:It's reassuring to remember how God has shown up in the past. Some additional scriptures to memorize, to meditate on, and to pray might include Isaiah 4one 10: Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you.
Sarita Bernadette:I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. Psalm 50 six:three When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. First John four eighteen There is no fear in love perfect love casts out fear for fear has to do with punishment and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. And Isaiah fifty four and seventeen, no weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from me, says the Lord.
Sarita Bernadette:Another action to take when dealing with fear is worship. And beloved, prayer and worship work together in a powerful way. Worship is a weapon is not just a cliche. Worship will change your whole perspective. Some of you know what I'm talking about.
Sarita Bernadette:It shifts our focus from our own personal issues to God's grace and his goodness and his power. It reminds us in his presence of how faithful he is. He shows up every time. God is faithful. The next action is trust in God's presence.
Sarita Bernadette:Trust. Trust. Yep. That's an action word. Psalm 20 three:four reminds us, Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.
Sarita Bernadette:Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Beloved, even in the darkest of times, even in the darkest valley, he is with us. One more action: complete surrender and trust. We've talked about surrender before. So perhaps it's just me, but I am aware that fear sometimes stems from the need for control.
Sarita Bernadette:We want to know how things are going to go, right? I know I'm not alone. We want to know the outcome. We want to be involved if possible. Understanding that God is sovereign relieves us of the need to know every detail of everything.
Sarita Bernadette:It also relieves us of the pressure to get everything right. We don't have to be in charge. God's got it. He has indeed given us free will and a degree of authority here on earth. However, he is the omnipotent one.
Sarita Bernadette:God's got it. Beloved, God understands that we may deal with fear at times. He is always present to help us confront it, and there's proof throughout his word. In the book of Exodus, Moses told the Lord that he was not qualified to go before Pharaoh on behalf of the nation of Israel. God showed him that he was present.
Sarita Bernadette:He showed him through miracles, signs, and wonders. That enabled Moses to gain confidence and to lead the people to freedom. In Judges six and seven, Gideon was hiding in a winepress because he was fearful, but God called him mighty warrior. He showed Gideon over and over again that he was with him, and eventually Gideon overcame his fear and led that small band of fighters into battle and won. Gideon saving Israel is proof that what God says about us is more powerful than our fears.
Sarita Bernadette:When we are weak, he is strong. In one Samuel 17, David, a young shepherd boy, faced Goliath, a giant Philistine that had veteran soldiers running scared. David recalled how God had been present when he killed both a lion and a bear with no weapons. Yes, with his bare hands. He trusted God would give him the victory again.
Sarita Bernadette:We know that God cares for our mental and emotional well-being. In one Kings 19, the prophet Elijah ran away in fear for his life. He was exhausted, he was lonely, and he was feeling like a failure. God didn't meet him with rebuke. He provided for his physical needs with food and rest.
Sarita Bernadette:Then he ministered to him in a still, small voice and gave him spiritual strength. God renewed Elijah's mission and he went on to do a mighty work for God. Then in the fourteenth chapter of Matthew, Peter. Peter steps out of the boat to walk toward Jesus and begins to sink. Fear shows up when he focuses on the wind and the waves instead of staying focused on Jesus.
Sarita Bernadette:Jesus saves them and he says, You of little faith, why did you doubt? The lesson here is when facing fear, keep your eyes on the Master and don't let the circumstances dictate your actions. Beloved, we have the power, strength, and authority through the Holy Spirit to take action and stand against fear. Joshua one:nine This is my command: Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
Sarita Bernadette:You've been listening to Joy in Every Step. I'm Sarita Bernadette, and I'm grateful you chose to spend some time here with me. Feel free to share this episode with someone you know would appreciate it. You can find Joy in Every Step wherever you listen to your podcasts and give us a follow there. Do check out the website at joyineverystep.org.
Sarita Bernadette:See you next time.
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