“Fear not” Be anxious for nothing” “Do not worry about anything”

Where are these phrases from?
Why all 3? It’s a very important instruction from God to us.
I’m here - obedience to my Heavenly Father.

Worry and anxiety,fear
Very prevalent today! A lot of physical and mental illnesses - rooted in anxiety about family, health, finances, making a living, the future, the mad world we live in etc..

Famous scripture:
Philippians 4:6-7
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Choose: Instead of having anxiety as a first response, we are given Godly instruction here to follow to end up having peace in everything!

Biggest command repeated most often in the Bible is “fear not”.
366x one for every day incl leap year!
Commands us first not to fear as this disables us and our calling to impact the world around us

Parable of the talents. One with only one talent stated “fear” as his reason for burying it. So even this got taken away in the end.

Fear not only makes us inefficient - it is the biggest tool of the Enemy to oppose and neutralise our faith.
To come against God....
Enemy’s goal is to “Steal kill and destroy” our faith and God’s plan for our lives.
God’s will is that “ no one should perish but all should come to repentance” - 2 Peter 3:9
Repentance is not just for the lost- far from it! It’s for all of us all the time and it’s a wonderful gift.

Satan wants “everyone to perish before they get a chance to come to repentance” Also to destroy obedient Christians who lead others to repentance” as this goes directly against his plans. He can’t destroy Christians as God’s Protection is on them so he works his plans by instilling fear, worry, anxiety and this distracts the person or delays them or causes them to avoid and shrink back from situations that are “scary” to them

FEAR - “false evidence appearing real”
Fear is the opposite of faith which is the “substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen” (Heb 11)

Fear attracts more fear - like flies to a poo- not only in your own mind but affects your actions, your family your children and passed on to the next generation. Ultimately affects your destiny ( see the one talent man). and the destiny of your children - only an inheritance of fear is left to them.

Kids that worry excessively and can’t sleep etc- often have parents with anxiety. I see it every day in clinical practice. It’s not genetic it’s demonic.
And demons are very territorial they want to hold on to the people whom they’ve possessed and to their families.

Only one way to get fear out-
“ perfect love casts out fear.” 1 Joh 4:18 perfect love? Only the perfect love of Christ.
Love is not only the antidote but - casts out fear. We can’t “ keep our own fears under control ” it needs casting out!
Demons can’t hang around and operate and attract more fear in a heart that’s full of love.
The more fear in your heart, the less love can rule. You can’t operate out of both love and fear...
Do not fear!
For example if your child is drowning your love for that child will move you more than the fear of the consequences of putting yourself in the same danger.
Happened to me and my mum in Mexico Sea. She nearly drowned and I (weak swimmer, unfit and untrained just went after her to save her) no consideration of the danger I put myself in. My love for my mum cast out any legitimate fears I could have had for my own self preservation. Luckily God sent 2 lifeguards and we were both saved that day.

As Christians we need to CHOOSE as first response NOT not worry and be anxious but we can be full of joy and trust in God’s word, His love and goodness, his eternal grace. His plans will never fail! He speaks only the truth and He won for us on the cross and He will win for us in the end. The church is his body - a bodily representation of Christ’s love with the calling to go out and cast out fear. This is His plan. We are part of the plan we are part of His “win”!

Go to Exodus 16:1-36
Manna story
Israelites moan and grumble against Moses and Aaron ( leaders) after the jubilation ( in God) of coming through the Red Sea and experiencing a series of miracles. They were scared/ worried and fearful for themselves and their children and biggest fear possibly was that God would stop helping them!
Legitimate fears - Turned against their leaders. “You brought us here to die!”
God being a good father - responds. “I will rain down bread from Heaven” don’t collect too much....
There was plenty on the dessert floor
but everyone was taught patiently by God not to be greedy or lazy but just take what you need for the day... except the day before Sabbath rest day. ( Note this was before the law was given) -was the order of man since creation, b4 the fall:- we need fresh manna every day, and a regular rest day to Contemplate God our Father, our source and He will provide enough of what we need in a daily basis.

Lesson here is:
Don’t let your anxiety and worry come out as grumbles or discontentedness! It will block your joy and your ability to be blessed in Gods provision!

40 years later...
Deuteronomy 29:5-6
Yet the Lord says, “During the forty years that I led you through the wilderness, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet. You ate no bread and drank no wine or other fermented drink. I did this so that you might know that I am the Lord your God.”

40 years of no clothes shopping or shoe shopping for a million people and nutritious food delivered to their doorstep every day. No fermented drink? Maybe it helped with sanitation in the wilderness however, this was a 40 year MIRACLE!
Not only were all these people supernaturally preserved in the wilderness, but they were trained up and toughened up in following Gods ways.... to prepare them really for the big conquest of taking the promised land.

God has to remind them!

Jump forward- to NT -a similar scenario described

Mark 6:8-13
These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 9 Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. 10 Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11 And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” They went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

In NT version- their clothes and sandals didn’t wear out they did not take food and they went out and drove out demons and healed the sick etc... would they have done this if they were fearful? NO - because Jesus said “Go and do it...” they believed Him.

Did Jesus tell us that? Did he say go and make disciples.... greater things you will do... heal the sick, raise the dead, drive out demons? If he did tell us that and we believe Him then
What’s stopping us?
I want to propose to you that fear is!

Fear is the devils tool to block God’s plans - for us and through us.

Matthew 6:28-34
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Some translations. “Give tomorrow no thought”

Does not mean be unprepared or ignorant. Just means you don’t have to worry about having enough money or enough stuff!
Someone said: Use money and stuff to bless people not use people to get money and stuff. The upside down Kingdom!
Like the manna, we just need enough for ourselves for each day and we don’t need to worry about having extra supplies so we gave enough for tomorrow as tomorrow is already covered by Him and not by our own feeble attempts to make provision for it.

Recent death of an extended family member murdered in SA, also persecuted Christians all over the world dying for their faith- now worse than ever before.
Will this make us more fearful or more faithful and bold?
Are we going to be paralysed and stopped and derailed because of fear or storm the gates of hell that will NOT prevail against the Church? Matt 16:18

Matthew 10:26-33
Have no fear
“So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.
Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

V28 - do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul....
terrorists, gangs, disease- infections, cancer, .... cannot destroy our soul
The devil wants to kill the body before the soul is saved - came to steal, kill and destroy.... the devil can’t destroy christians so he hates them even more. He tries to discredit them so people reject what they say. He also hates Jews Muslims, atheists and straight and gay people. He hates everyone made in the image of God. He is the spirit of the Antichrist- always has been always will be.

But friends we have the Spirit of God In us - the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead, and put the devil under his feet lives in you & me.The Christ who paid the ultimate price to save everyone so that NO-ONE has to go to hell.

Now don’t we owe this to every person we meet, to tell them about Jesus- their lover, their saviour. The Truth the Way and the only LIFE there is after this brief moment clothed in weak flesh- that we spend on earth?

V32: He doesn’t ask that we preach him and bible bash other people, he simply says “acknowledge me” and “don’t deny me”.

Denying him comes from fear (like Peter when the rooster crowed) but he says clearly in v.26 and v28 - fear NOT those who can only kill your body( those who do the devils works). Fear God and acknowledge me (Jesus).. this is God’s plan to carry out his will to bring max people into heaven.

Are you an agent for God who is more influenced by the devil ( who is keeping you in fear and worry) or are you a born again Christian obedient to His Word- going around NOT FEARING and acknowledging Christ before men habitually and not just in “safe environments”?
Acknowledging Jesus is lovely to hear about in the church but more important to the lost.
I’m being challenged on this - it’s HARD.
Need the Holy Spirit help - He is showing me...
Church we need to practice acknowledging Jesus and ask Him for the grace to do it and to be brave in obedience.

Revelations is about the end times and a revelation of Jesus Christ
Words frequently used in Revelation are: Repent, overcomers, testimony, witnesses. “They overcame by the BLOOD of the Lamb an the WORD of their Testimony.” This is how we reveal Jesus Christ in the End times.
By repenting from fear, acknowledging Jesus before others and overcoming any new fears as He has already overcome everything including old Satan ! Listen to God, fear not, repent from your usual first response of anxiety how? Prayer & petition & thanksgiving