How To Deal With Fear?

“When I saw their fear, I rose and spoke to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people: “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 your houses. When our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had frustrated their plan, then all of us returned to the wall, each one to his work.”- {Neh 4:14-15}.

A Young College student wanted to speak with me after I spoke at a college retreat. As I spoke I picked her out of the audience and found out her name and said, here is how not to yield to fear when it comes. I shared with her from the passage on front of the rest of the students some things from the passage…

1. – FEAR NOT – They have been threatened but he tells them to stop being afraid. But he doesn’t just leave them there, for otherwise they could as we could walk around thinking, “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid,” And what are we thinking of? Fear!” So what needs to change and how would they? This they could do as they have a…

2. – FOCUS CHANGE – Do not be afraid- Remember the LORD. The first thing is he tells them to stop being afraid instead change their focus of their thought life off the human intimidation of fear they were seeking to inject them with to Him! Remember the LORD. In chapter one He is revealed as “Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness…” and Lo as he prayed he speaks to Lord and says “REMEMBER” what You have said. He focus’s on the character of God and His promises. “…remember the Lord who is great and awesome,…”

3. – GET INVOLVED IN THE LIVES OF OTHERS– “…and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your houses.” He has them FOCUS on the welfare of others. Earlier in chapter three, many of them stood side by side in the rebuilding of the wall, each one doing what they could and assigned to them. Paul wrote, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus.”-{Phil 2:3-5}. Focus not only on your own interests but also the interests of others. The life of Jesus could be summed up in one word, “OTHERS!”

4. – FAITHFUL LORD- “…When our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had frustrated their plan, then all of us returned to the wall, each one to his work.” Note The LORD’S Faithfulness to both groups. REMEMBER THE LORD! He is SOVEREIGN. He is intimately acquainted and HE HAS THE FINAL WORD! He was in control all along and He TESTIFIED to His people and their enemies of HIMSELF! Your trials as difficult, painful as testing are opportunities for Him to testify of His faithfulness and to those who look on. Sometimes He delivers from.. Sometimes He strengthens to endure, but He is faithful. In the test, He is building faith. Your test is the beginning of a testimony to Him!Sovereign LORD. Who controls the events, and people, circumstances all under His control. Remember HE is SOVEREIGN! The last five letters in Sovereign are R-E-I-G-N. He rules!

  • “For I know that the LORD is great And that our Lord is above all gods. Whatever the LORD pleases, He does, In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps. He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; Who makes lightnings for the rain, Who brings forth the wind from His treasuries.…”-{Psalm 135:6}.  

 

  • “All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as He pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back His hand or say to him: “What have you done?”-{Daniel 4:35}.

 

  •  “For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established,    And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;”- {Isaiah 46:9-10}.

So as SOVEREIGN KING, He is Providentially working. That is He in control and directing circumstances and events to  meet a need to His end. It does not mean people are robots, but He is supernaturally meeting and directing. The people and the enemies would both know He is God. One were frustrated in their attempts, the others were embolden to continue on doing the work before them. He had made Himself known to both groups! Just as he had to Pharaoh and his people and army, when He opened the Red Sea and delivered His people on dry land and then as the enemies came through He closed the waters and they were drowned! Both had testimonies of Him. One of judgment the other of Deliverance. Moses and the people sang His praises. God is always after faith, for it pleases Him as He is the focus and He is dependable, loyal, loving, wise, all knowing, all powerful, Sovereign King! Providentially working, if we would but look…

  • SOVEREIGNTY AND PROVIDENCE IN VIEW. Note These aspects in this passage of Scripture. Note He was after faith as well from them.

“After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias). A large crowd followed Him, because they saw the signs which He was performing on those who were sick.Then Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat down with His disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near.Therefore Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?” This He was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do. Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.” One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?”Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.Jesus then took the loaves, and having given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted.When they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost.” So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”– {John 6:1-14}

HE IS SOVEREIGN KING AND PROVIDENTIALLY WORKING! Providentially providing. He provided Nehemiah  for the downcast people. He uses a lost king in chapter one and two, to provide material for his journey and the work. God controls the hearts of kings! His faithfulness to yourself. THINK and TALK the truth to yourself TRUST HIM!

After the event the young lady shared how her mom had died several years earlier and a pastor had noted about a book she had where she kept a record of the LORD’S faithfulness to her. I shared with her, out of all the people I could have called out of the audience, it was her, perhaps the same LORD who had encouraged her mom wanted her to know He would be faithful to her too. When tempted to fear she too could choose to REMEMBER THE LORD!

Don’t Forget to Remember…FEAR NOT…FOCUS CHANGE… and Remember The LORD!