Brian's Blog

Breaking Free from Fear

// December 14th, 2009 // Sunday Messages

Fear is a prison! It holds you captive, it keeps you from recognizing your full potential.  This prison of fear can seem inescapable, but there is good news, if you are a Christian you already hold the key to your release!

Luke 12:4-5 (MSG) “I’m speaking to you as dear friends. Don’t be bluffed into silence or insincerity by the threats of religious bullies. True, they can kill you, but then what can they do? There’s nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life—body and soul—in his hands.

We all deal with the “fear of Man” in one way or another, worrying about how others are going to respond to us, this fear, though, will keep you from the “fear of God.” 

The “fear of God” is not a sense of being afraid of Him, it is a reverence and respect for Him, a deep love and admiration. 

1 John 4:17-18 (AMP) In this [union and communion with Him] love is brought to completion and attains perfection with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgment [with assurance and boldness to face Him], because as He is, so are we in this world.
There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love’s complete perfection].

(NKJV) “Perfect love casts out all fear.”

Love is the “anti-fear.”  I love my wife so much that I would die to save her life, my love for her would override any fear in a life threatening situation that would normally cause me to want to hide to protect myself.  I wouldn’t even give it a second thought at the moment, I would just act.

This passage tells us that as we live in union and communion with Him our love is perfected.  Webster’s defines communion as, “intimate fellowship or rapport.”  This intimate fellowship is the key to breaking free from fear.  As we love Him and He loves us back we will come to a place where our love for him will override the fear of man.  When this happens we will be able to walk into a normally fearful situation with the confidence that He is on our side and won’t let us fail.

Insecurity, inadequacy, worry and timidity (shyness) are all products of fear.  These are all weapons that the enemy uses to destroy our ability to do the things God has called us to.  God’s Spirit living in us should produce boldness in our lives!

Fear brings the thought of judgement, or the feeling that punishment is coming.  The only people that have to be afraid of God’s punishment are those that have not accepted the sacrifice that Jesus made.  His death was for the purpose of receiving our punishment.  Once you accept His sacrifice your punishment has been settled!  God is not waiting to punish anyone, he is waiting to restore anyone who will come to Him and apply the sacrifice of His Son to their life.

I encourage you to listen to the audio from this last Sunday morning as I was given the opportunity to address this issue to our congregation.    Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

class="wpaudio">Brian Rake-
Break Free from Fear

If you have never prayed a simple prayer to apply that sacrifice to your life, I encourage you to do so now.  “Dear God, I recognize that without the sacrifice of Jesus, I will be punished for my sin.  I ask you to apply that sacrifice to my life.  Thank you for allowing Him to take my punishment, I receive Jesus as my Savior, my rescuer.  Help me to live my life in a way that glorifies and shows You to the world around me.  Amen”

If you prayed the prayer, please leave a comment letting me know, and find a Christian church that will encourage your walk with God.  If you need help finding a church I will do my best to help you.