Participants: Bill Santos
Series Code: IIWC
Program Code: IIWC201230
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00:02 >>Bill: According to Psychology Today - fear is a vital response to
00:06 physical and emotional danger-if we couldn't feel it, we couldn't protect 00:11 ourselves from legitimate threats. 00:14 But often we fear situations that are in no way life-or-death, and 00:19 thus hang back for no good reason. 00:23 Trauma or bad experiences can trigger a fear response within us that is 00:28 hard to quell. 00:31 Yet exposing ourselves to our personal fears is the best way to move past 00:36 them. 00:49 ANNOUNCER: It has stood the test of time. 00:53 God's book: the Bible, 00:56 still relevant in today's complex world. 01:01 It Is Written, 01:04 sharing the messages of hope around the world. 01:31 Many folks today have fear of failure - not sure how many of you have seen the 01:35 Nike ad with Michael Jordan where he says . 01:59 Or the Nike print ad that said . 02:42 There is the story told by the wife of a world famous tightrope walker shortly 02:46 after he had fallen to his untimely death. 02:50 She said that her husband had spent too much time preparing not to fall that 02:56 he forgot to properly practice the fundamentals of walking on a simple 03:02 piece of rope. 03:04 She said, "The power of fear can be deadly!" 03:09 Matthew 10: 29 - 31 says . 03:41 Some people live in fear all their lives. 03:44 Some of the fears that haunt us are totally irrational. 03:50 Did you know that that the number one fear that people list in surveys is 03:55 the fear of speaking in front of an audience. 03:59 It even beats out death in most surveys. 04:04 Jesus says that the ideal antidote for fear is faith in God. 04:12 It is reported in Genesis chapter 15 that God came to Abram in a dream and 04:19 the very first words heard by this servant of God are "fear not." 04:28 Luke 1: 30 reports that when the angel, Gabriel, appeared to Mary he says 04:34 to her "Do not be afraid . 04:36 . 04:37 . 04:41 " Now, further remember when the Angel comes to the shepherds keeping 04:44 watch over their flock in the dark of night, in Luke 2: 10, the angel declared 04:57 Yes, "fear not." 05:02 Great words, comforting words, yet ones we tend not to hear with the 05:07 original power and purpose they were intended to convey. 05:12 Well once again we have the privilege of having with us Dr. Leader from 05:14 Toronto's York University. 05:21 Dr. Leader, thank you so much for once again taking the time to provide some 05:28 powerful insights to us. 05:31 Dr. Leader, let me ask you this, how powerful are the words found in scripture 05:34 "fear not". 05:39 Thank you Bill once again. 05:41 When the Creator lovingly formed us, He wired us with an array of emotions. 05:46 Emotions serve as thermostats or thermometers, giving us 05:50 information about our environment. 05:54 Fear is an emotion that serves to alert us to danger: real or imagined. 05:59 The autonomic nervous system prepares us for fight or flight. 06:04 This is the body's emergency system and was designed to take care of 06:09 life's emergencies. 06:13 We respond almost automatically, but when the danger is past, our 06:18 autonomic nervous system is no longer activated, and we go along more 06:22 calmly with life. 06:25 Many develop all kinds of fears, and, for the most part, keep the body on 06:31 emergency alert for prolonged periods. 06:37 Because the body is not designed for this, we wear our bodies down needlessly 06:44 with fear, stress, and eventually, we suffer physically and develop 06:50 emotional and psychological illnesses such as generalized 06:53 anxiety disorder, phobia, anxiety disorders, and obsessive-compulsive 06:58 disorders. 07:02 We live in times of fear: fear of economic disaster, fear of losing our loved 07:07 ones; fear of being attacked; fear of terrorism. 07:10 You can add yours here. 07:14 Fears can turn into phobias, interfering with our daily functioning. 07:21 Those of you who have been victims of trauma that has not been treated may find 07:27 that you live in fear that it may happen again. 07:31 In fact, you may also have developed panic attacks and are experiencing night 07:35 terrors. 07:39 We all experience fear at one time or another. 07:42 Fear is problematic only when it is extreme and interferes with our daily 07:47 functioning. 07:50 Some become paralyzed in life and find it difficult to leave their home, 07:56 sometimes they are months in the home; others dread speaking in public no 08:00 matter how small the group. 08:04 Multiplied many others are plagued by the fear of what others think and say 08:08 about them. 08:12 Or what they think others think and what the think other are saying about 08:15 them. 08:16 My Bible tells me, 08:29 Many books of the Bible contain verses telling us not to fear. 08:34 Others contain variations such as "do not be afraid", or "be of good 08:40 courage. 08:46 " We do know also that we spend much of our time fearing some outcome which 08:48 never happens, yet we engage in the wearisome habit of fear. 08:52 You see, God knew that throughout our lives, we would experience 08:58 situations in which fear might be activated. 09:03 So, to encourage reliance on Him who made us, He sent us encouragement 09:08 ahead of time. 09:11 He knew the effect that fear could have on His children as we journey 09:15 through life. 09:17 Until we reach a place of complete trust and faith in Him, His works, and His 09:22 promises, we will be plagued by fear. 09:27 So for our use, the words "fear not" reverberate in books in the Bible 09:33 starting at Genesis right through to Revelation. 09:38 Fear is a most powerful tool the enemy uses to draw our attention away 09:43 from what God is actually doing in our lives, or wants to do in our lives. 09:47 It often distracts us from what is really important. 09:51 "Fear not" in Scripture really is designed to teach us to really trust 09:56 God. 09:58 It's a question of faith. 10:01 It is challenging us to taste God's ability to do powerful things, 10:06 impossible things in our lives. 10:11 It makes all the difference when we, though faced with fear, can stand 10:19 on God's invitation to take courage. 10:23 Here are some: To Abram God said: 10:34 To Isaac, after several quarrels between his herdsmen and Gerar's 10:40 herdsmen over wells that were dug, (Gen. 10:43 26:24), He said: 11:00 In the face of famine, to Jacob after he discovered that his son Joseph was 11:05 still alive, and was a ruler in Egypt, He said in Gen. 11:11 46:3 11:21 When the children of Israel were fleeing from Pharoah, they found 11:24 themselves hedged in by sea, and mountain. 11:28 Pursued by the Egyptian army, they were very afraid. 11:54 I like Joshua. 11:57 In Joshua 1:9, when faced with the awesome task of succeeding Moses in 12:02 leading the children of Israel across the Jordan, God encourages Joshua. 12:21 One of my favourite places to go to when fear rears its head in my personal 12:25 life is II Chron. 12:28 20:17. 12:32 King Jehoshaphat receives word that three armies were approaching his 12:34 country: Moab, Ammon, and Mt. 12:37 Seir. 12:39 The assurance that comes to him was: 12:56 Isn't it time that we draw back and let God take care of the things that cause 13:00 us to be afraid? 13:02 David in many a psalm cried out to God because of persecution and fear. 13:08 Every time and in each of these situations he sings of God's deliverance. 13:16 He had faith in God's ability to deliver him from fear. 13:20 This reminds me of one of his psalms, Psalm 23:14 13:37 Why not let go of that fear as you turn to the One who has instead of 13:42 fear, given you a spirit of power, love and a sound mind. 13:50 Amen! 13:53 Back to you pastor Bill. 13:56 >>Bill: Well thank you Dr. Leader. 13:59 Let's turn your thoughts now back to the Old Testament . 14:02 Here in 1 Samuel 17, we see an incident that would put the reality of fear 14:08 into any person. 14:11 Goliath comes up to present the challenge to the Israelites. 14:17 As David comes upon the scene, he sees how Goliath presents the challenge. 14:23 Unfortunately, his fellow believers are defeated by fear, and they run back to 14:27 the camp. 14:30 This small lad, David, cries out, "For who is this uncircumcised 14:36 Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?" 14:42 While his fellow believers are paralyzed by fear, David is propelled by 14:47 faith to meet this giant of a man. 14:51 Turn to the New Testament passage in Acts 18:5-11 for just a moment. 15:01 Here we read . 16:12 Paul has just left Athens and he was greatly discouraged. 16:15 He has almost allowed himself to be frozen and paralyzed by fear. 16:20 Things in general had not been going well for Paul. 16:25 It had been tough, in this sophisticated center of learning in Athens. 16:30 We catch a spirit of tiredness when Paul comes to Corinth. 16:35 I believe here we have Paul, the great missionary, asking the 16:39 question, "Is it worth it all?" 16:43 With this comes a physical decline, a spiritual low, so to speak. 16:49 David comes forward, not backwards, and volunteers, because he trusts in the 16:55 power of God to overcome any fear or limitation he might have. 17:00 God always looks for the "availability" of a servant long before he 17:05 judges the "ability" of the person. 17:09 David would not have gone out to do battle with Goliath and been 17:17 victorious if he had allowed the power of fear to paralyze his human 17:22 abilities. 17:25 However, when he declared his availability to God, God took his human 17:29 abilities, now energized by faith, and they were more than sufficient to 17:34 defeat the giant of Goliath. 17:39 David learned that believing in the power of God provides a way of 17:43 seeing and believing far beyond the normal perception of our human 17:48 eyes and mental insight. 17:52 The power of fear often seduces us into believing only what we can see. 17:58 If you wait to see before you believe, you will not see very much in life, 18:06 because the giants like Goliath will have blocked your view. 18:12 There is no doubt that it is our faith and trust in God which is necessary to 18:19 save us, but with trust comes training. 18:22 Training means discipline. 18:24 Discipline means taking time out for learning. 18:28 When was the last time you faithfully opened the Bible? 18:34 You can't succeed in taming the lion of fear unless you strengthen your 18:42 life with the sword of the Spirit which is God's word, The Bible. 18:49 When David trusted God, and used his training as a shepherd, he could face 18:53 the world with all its Goliaths on the outside . 18:55 . 18:57 . 19:01 Yes, a human soul cannot be defeated or destroyed unless the poison of fear 19:02 gets on the inside. 19:07 Know this truth and it will set you free from the gripping power of fear. 19:16 On August 20, 1991, a priest, Father Alexander Borisov demonstrated how 19:24 the power of faith was greater than the power of fear. 19:30 Fear was beginning to grip the hearts and minds of the Russian people. 19:35 So this man of God, propelled by faith in God, found himself passing out 19:42 Bibles right smack in a midst of the uprising in Red Square. 19:47 The Soviet military was in position to silence the voice of the people 19:50 yearning for freedom. 19:52 He took to the streets with Bibles. 19:55 The military was ready with bombs and bullets. 20:00 So the priest and the members of the local one year old bible society 20:06 actually climbed onto the tanks and began passing out Bibles. 20:12 They passed them out to the soldiers on the streets. 20:18 They stopped the tanks with nothing but arm loads of Bibles, and when they 20:24 had opportunities they would climb on top of the tanks and throw the Bibles 20:29 inside. 20:34 One morning a soldier was given a larger size children's Bible because 20:38 they ran out of New Testaments. 20:41 It was larger than would fit in his front pocket. 20:45 Realizing this and wanting to keep the Bible with him, he emptied his pocket 20:49 of bullets so the Bible would fit. 20:55 Yes, the power of fear can be deadly. 21:00 However, the power of faith can be transforming and victorious. 21:07 We believe, because Jesus Christ is Lord, that the Bible and its truth are 21:13 always greater than bombs and bullets. 21:20 I want you to know today that while God is great and beyond all human 21:27 comprehension, He also is the God who, through Jesus, has taught us that 21:32 He knows us all by name and that His eye is on the sparrow; therefore, His 21:41 eyes are on us. 21:45 Fear not because we are of more value than many sparrows. 21:55 Let me ask you today: if the power of fear can be deadly and defeating, does 22:01 not this book (The Bible) and its testimony declare with boldness and 22:10 confidence that the power of faith can be delightful and daring? 22:20 Instead of wearing Nike shoes to prevent the reality of fear from 22:28 paralyzing your life, why not put on the whole armor of God. 22:37 What a friend we have in Jesus, 22:44 All our sins and griefs to bear! 22:50 What a privilege to carry 22:57 Everything to God in prayer! 23:03 Oh, what peace we often forfeit, 23:10 Oh, what needless pain we bear, 23:18 All because we do not carry 23:25 Everything to God in prayer! 23:32 Have we trials and temptations? 23:39 Is there trouble anywhere? 23:47 We should never be discouraged- 23:54 Take it to the Lord in prayer. 24:01 Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? 24:08 Take it to the Lord in prayer! 24:17 In His arms He'll take and shield thee, 24:23 Thou wilt find a solace there. 24:33 Amen, Amen. 24:46 >>Bill" Lets pray. 24:49 Gracious loving heavenly Father, we thank you for you love and your mercy 24:54 towards us. 24:56 Father, at this moment we think of those living lives paralyzed by fear. 25:02 May they cling to Jesus and find the answer in Him to all of their anxieties. 25:13 Be with each and every viewer, bless us I pray in Jesus name, Amen. 25:33 >>Dave: God is great and beyond all human comprehension. 25:37 We are told that his eyes are even on the sparrow, therefore his eyes are on 25:41 us. 25:44 Pastor Bill has prepared a book that includes all of the messages in this 25:46 series. 25:48 The book is called "Fear not, for I am with you". 25:51 We would like to send it to you as our gift. 25:54 Here is the information you need to get your copy. 26:45 >>Bill: We have come to the end of another It Is Written program. 26:48 I want to thank you for taking the time to be with us today and each and 26:53 every week that you join us. 26:56 You can always visit our web site I tIsWrittenCanada.ca. 27:01 On the web site we have a number of interesting things, spend some time 27:06 there - you can see that all of our programs are archived there in case you 27:09 missed any. 27:11 You can send prayer requests - you know every morning the staff meets 27:14 and they pray over the requests that come in. 27:17 You can even send a donation online if you feel so impressed to 27:21 support this ministry. 27:24 We also have a Youtube channel YouTube.com/IIWCanada - 27:29 all of the programs are on there also - and you can share those programs with 27:35 friends and relatives and maybe refer other people to the It Is Written 27:39 program. 27:41 You can also follow us on twitter. 27:44 Well our prayer and the desire of our hearts is to be back together with you 27:48 again next week. 27:51 In the mean time, you remember, it is written man shall not live by 27:56 bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. 28:05 $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ $$$$$$$$$$$$ |
Revised 2015-02-06