1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be watchful: your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking who he may devour.”
There are many landmines that we need to sidestep in life. These landmines are the ones that hinder us from becoming victorious in life – victorious in our relationships, service to God, and
personal success. We will be discussing these landmines in a series but right now I’m going to discuss first the landmine of fear.The Landmine of Fear
Fear is such a strange emotion. People have a huge range of fears that they face every day. Here are some fears that people have that have been given names. See if you can guess what these fears are:
- Peladophobia: fear of baldness or fear of bald people.
- Aerophobia: fear of drafts.
- Porphyrophobia: fear of the color purple.
- Chaetophobia: fear of hairy people.
- Levophobia: fear of objects on the left side of the body.
- Dextrophobia: fear of objects on the right side of the body.
- Auroraphobia: fear of the northern lights.
- Calyprophobia: fear of obscure meanings.
- Thalassophobia: fear of being seated.
- Stabisbasiphobia: fear of standing and walking.
- Odontophobia: fear of teeth.
- Graphophobia: fear of writing in public.
- Phobophobia: fear of being afraid.
2 Timothy 1:7 “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (fear), but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”
In these days many people face different fears: Some fear losing their job, others have lost their job and fear losing their house. Many fear what the future might hold. Some fear the attack of terrorists.
Let’s look at the result of fear in our lives and see how the Landmine of Fear can hinder us from being victorious in life…
I. Fear Hinders us to Trust
Fear is something EVERY ONE of us will experience. For instance, many people fear change, when new situations in family or relationship or surroundings change then you may be frightened. Experiencing fear is normal; however, to be paralyzed by fear is an indication that you question God’s ability to take care of you.
Psalm 23:4 David prayed, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Have you ever been paralyzed by fear? Did you know that the Black widow spider would paralyze their prey first before they devour it?
The fear that lacks trust in the Lord is the kind of fear that takes away the blessings of the Lord. Fear that leaves God out of the picture can become incapacitating. Fear can so paralyze us that we can only see the clouds of life and not the bright side of Life. Fear that forgets God has the view that God is only good part of the time and not good all the time.
God promises hope to all who put their trust in Him. Isaiah 40:29-31 “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary, and increases the power of the weak. Even youth grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope (wait) in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; and they run and not grow weary, and they will walk and not be faint.”
II. Fear Hinders us to Love
How does fear hinders us to love? Fear hinders us to be open with our feelings because we fear to insult or offend the one we love (Proverbs 27:5) The result, miscommunication which in turn becomes hate
While I was doing my research and preparation for this sermon, I come to study the science of Love and Fear.I realized that when a person feels fear, his body releases hormones of Adrenaline which in turn increases the heart rate, causing muscle reaction and alertness. God made us this way so that when there is upcoming danger we can be alert and we have enough adrenalin to keep up with the stress. In a way, fear is normal and essential to us.
The problem with fear is when it stays with you for a long time. Long-term fear causes Cortisol and Cortisol hormones ignites cancer cells and thus cause many disorders in our body. In order to correct this, it has to be balanced by producing Oxytocin which is an anti-stress hormone – you will be surprised to know that we produce these hormones when we LOVE.
2 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”
What kind of love do we need to give? Matthew 22:36-39 - Love God first (which follows everything) and love others like you love yourself (how do you love yourself?) Philippians 2:3-4
III. Fear Hinders us to Serve (Nehemiah 2:1-8)
Take note that in v.2 Nehemiah said, “…I was very much afraid.” BUT in v.8 he said, “…because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my request.”
Nehemiah was one who did not give up hope in the mist of fear and impending danger. Nehemiah felt called of God to travel to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls so the city would be protected against their enemies.
When the people started rebuilding the walls their enemies also went to work. All kinds of threats and accusations were made against Nehemiah and the Jews working on the walls. (Read: Nehemiah 4:10-12)
Nehemiah believed God had given him a mission and he refused to cave into fear. When the leaders in Jerusalem began to fear the threats of their enemies Nehemiah gave them reassurance:
“Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives and yours houses.” Nehemiah 4:14
Nehemiah did not panic or become fearful in the face of enemies. He did not pack and go home. He trusted God for the present and the future.
Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel…”
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