We were made to have fear.

  • Proverbs 22:3
  • Fear is useful and keeps us alive.
  • Healthy fear can be a good thing.

Fear is real.

  • Man and beast have fear.
    • God made us and them that way.
    • Protected and fed by animals’ fear of us – Genesis 9:2
  • Fear can help us – Proverbs 1:7
  • Fear can hinder us – Matthew 25:24-28
    • Fear of acting in this case was called wicked and lazy.

What causes fear?

  • Danger
  • The unknown or unfamiliar
  • Overwhelming opposing force
  • Personal experience – II Corinthians 12:20-21
  • Other people’s experiences – Acts 9:26
  • Disapproval of others – John 9:17-22
  • Immediate consequences for actions – Jonah 3:4-9

Kinds of fear

  • Reverence and respect
    • Cornelius – Acts 10:1-2
    • Jonah – Jonah 1:1-3
  • Mortal fear
    • Belshazzar – Daniel 5:1-6
    • Saul and the Israelites – I Samuel 17:8-11, 21-24
    • Peter – Matthew 14:27-31
  • Phobias
    • Spiders, snakes, etc.
    • Heights, people, situations
  • Memory fear
    • “I remember what happened last time I did that.”
  • Fear of consequences
    • Jonah – Jonah 3:10-4:3
    • Ecclesiastes 8:11

It can be controlled

  • If we couldn’t control our fears, God wouldn’t have told us not to fear.
  • Some general guidelines
    • Objectively examine what makes you afraid and why (awareness)
    • Known what you can use to mitigate it (knowledge)
    • Learn to use those items of mitigation (confidence)
    • Example – fear of flying

Subjecting fear

  • Knowledge
    • Proverbs 1:7
    • Matthew 10:24-33
  • Familiarity
    • Doing activities that make you fearful
    • Understanding better through instruction
    • Confidence through repeated exposure
  • Faith
    • Matthew 10:29-30 – Truly believing you will be all right
    • Faith that God is with you
      • Jeremiah – Jeremiah 1:4-8
      • Apostles – Matthew 28:19-20
      • Other times and other ways

Love

  • I John 4:16-19
  • Motivation to put the fear behind you.

Helping others gain courage

  • “Encouragement”
    • Isaiah 35:3-4
    • Acts 11:22-24 (Acts 4:36)
    • Colossians 4:7-8
    • Hebrews 3:13
  • Mentorship and examples
    • Missionary activities rarely done alone.
    • Titus 2:1-8

Why is courage so important?

  • Why work so hard for it
  • Why strive to encourage others?
    • God instructs us
    • It has eternal consequences – Revelation 21:8

Take courage

Encourage others