Fighting Your Fears

FOREWORD

Dealing With Your Feelings

You may know these people; they can be found in every facet of life. Person #1 cries easily and often while person #2 becomes easily angered and screams and yells frequently; person #3 is easily excited and shows it through his rapid talking and body movement. When we talk about these people, we simply say, “Well, they are just emotional.” Now it almost sounds like if one doesn’t cry easily, scream often, and talk rapidly that they have no emotions and that’s not true. As a matter of fact, crying, screaming, and rapid talk are not emotions – they are the display of our emotions. Every person has emotions. God made us that way. We are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) and God has emotions. God loves (John 3:16), God hates (Proverbs 6:16), God gets jealous (Exodus 20:5). The fruits of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23 are all “emotional.” Our “emotional man” is uniquely joined to our spiritual man and one will never mature spiritually without maturing emotionally as well. God desires that we be strong emotionally.

Our prayer is that this series will help in that area as we look at how to deal with the giants in your life. TABLE OF CONTENTS

Lesson One ...... Fear

Lesson Two ...... Discouragement

Lesson Three ...... Loneliness

Lesson Four...... Worry

Lesson Five ...... Guilt

Lesson Six ...... Temptation

Lesson Seven ...... Anger

Lesson Eight ...... Resentment

Lesson Nine ...... Doubt

Lesson Ten ...... Procrastination

Lesson Eleven ...... Failure

Lesson Twelve ...... Jealousy FIGHTING YOUR FEARS

Lesson One

The Greek word for fear is phobia. For example…

 Mysophobia is the fear of dirt,  Hydrophobia is the fear of water,  Nyctophobia is the fear of darkness,  Acrophobia is the fear of high places,  Taphophobia is the fear of being buried alive,  Xenophobia is the fear of strangers,  Hematophobia is the fear of blood,  Necrophobia is the fear of the dead,  Claustrophobia is the fear of confined spaces, and  Algophobia is the fear of pain.

So let me ask you: what is it that you fear? The consequences of fear can be devastating spiritually.

Notice with me the five-fold results of fear.

1. Fear Disregards God’s Plan (Deuteronomy 1:27-28)

With their greatest hopes and dreams laid out before them like a beautifully wrapped present, they should have surged forward with joy and anticipation. They had been delivered from Egypt, crossed the Red Sea, seen Pharoah’s army destroyed; but they could not stand against one final obstacle: fear.

2. Fear Distorts God’s Purpose (Deuteronomy 1:27-28)

Fear brings out our very worst: complaining, distrust, finger- pointing, despair; and fear distorts our perception of things.

3. Fear Discourages God’s People (Deuteronomy 1:28)

The word discouraged means to take away courage. Fear is more contagious than a common cold. If you don’t think that fear is contagious, stand in the hallway and yell, “Fire!!” Fear is more infectious than any disease. 4. Fear Disbelieves God’s Promises (Deuteronomy 1:29-33)

The challenge before the Israelites wasn’t something that came out of nowhere and demanded that they trust in some mysterious god. This was an invitation from the one Who led their journey and supplied their needs; but in spite of that, fear disbelieves God’s promises.

5. Fear Disobeys God’s Principles (Deuteronomy 1:26)

There is a little phrase in the Bible, such a simple phrase, and one that God sees fit to repeat often all throughout the Scripture. The phrase goes like this, “Fear not….” Fear disobeys God’s principles.

Notice secondly, how to face the giant of fear.

Two words that reveal our fear is “What if… .”

“What if I’m making the wrong decision?” “What if this isn’t the right partner for me?” “What if the business venture fails?” “What if I get homesick on the mission field?”

How can we face our fears?

1. Confront Them Honestly

You may long for your fear to simply go away, or vanish, or wear off. But it isn’t going anywhere. If you want to defeat it, you must be like David. Gather up your stones and advance boldly.

2. Confess Your Fear as Sin

“Whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” Your fear, no matter what it might be, is sin which will beset you.

3. Claim God’s Promise of Protection Lay these verses out before you and quote them daily, especially during times of fear. Deuteronomy 31:6, “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” Psalm 27:1, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 118:6, “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?” Proverbs 3:25-26, “Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.” Proverbs 29:25, “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.” Isaiah 41:10, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”

4. Cultivate a Closer Relationship with the Lord

Did you know that your fear level is ultimately a referendum on the closeness of your friendship with God? I John 4:18, “Perfect love casteth out fear.”

5. Commit Your Life to Jesus Christ

There is one ultimate fear we must all face. That fear is death. But when one is saved, death should not terrorize you. II Corinthians 5:8, “… to be absent from the body [is] to be present with the Lord.”

Notes DESTROYING YOUR DISCOURAGEMENT

Lesson Two

The fourth chapter of Nehemiah puts us in the middle of some exciting times. Nehemiah, the gifted organizer, has arrived in a chaotic situation, but Nehemiah was used by God to jump start the rebuilding of the walls around Jerusalem.

During this process the Israelites were under constant attack from every side. Nehemiah 4:8, “And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.”

But God had a different idea. He empowers his servant, Nehemiah, day by day, brick by brick, all along the way.

That is not to say, though, that there were no discouraging times. Nehemiah had to deal with discouragement day after day and brick after brick, but how? How did Nehemiah deal with discouragement? How can we deal with discouragement? Let’s look at destroying your discouragement by looking at two points.

First, how do you recognize discouragement?

1. Factor one in recognizing discouragement is fatigue (Nehemiah 4:10). Vince Lombardi once said, “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.”

2. Factor two in recognizing discouragement is frustration (Nehemiah 4:10). Have you ever worked in a project or situation for a long period of time and just feel as though you are going nowhere fast? Frustrates you, doesn’t it? Frustration is just another word for discouragement. You really have three options:  You can live out,  You can wear out, or  You can burn out.

3. Factor three in recognizing discouragement is failure. Nehemiah 4:10, “The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed [fatigue], and there is much rubbish [frustration]; so that we are not able to build the wall [failure].” I’m sure you know that negative talk is infectious and will cause others to become discouraged as well. 4. Factor four in recognizing discouragement is fear (Nehemiah 4:11- 12). Criticism is toxic; it will poison everyone around it.

This leads us to point two: how do we respond to discouragement?

1. First response: cry out to God (Nehemiah 4:4, 5, 9).

2. Second response: continue the work God has given you to do (Nehemiah 4:6). No matter how devastated you may feel, no matter how down in the dumps you may be – DON’T STOP!!

3. Response three: concentrate on the big picture (Nehemiah 4:13-14). Nehemiah’s men were fanned out across the perimeter, working on little sections of the wall and that was the problem, they were so separated that they couldn’t communicate and encourage one another. So Nehemiah positioned the people so they could see one another and encourage one another so they could see the big picture of the wall going up.

4. Fourth response: claim the encouragement of God’s promise (Nehemiah 4:14). In times of discouragement, run, don’t walk to the Word of God. A good Scripture to run to is Psalm 46:1-3, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.”

5. Fifth response: carry someone else’s burden. Is that not what Nehemiah did in going to Jerusalem? He lived in the king’s palace. He was in the king’s court. But he left his comfort zone and carried someone else’s burden.

Notes LIBERATION FROM LONELINESS

Lesson Three

Loneliness comes to all of us sooner or later – friends die, family members die, we get old and feel forsaken. In a society where people live in impersonal cities and suburbs; where electronic equipment often replaces one-on-one conversations; where people move from job to job, state to state, and marriage to marriage; loneliness has become an epidemic.

So how can we be liberated from loneliness?

I. The Experiences of Loneliness

A. The Lonely Single

Ann Kiemel expresses her loneliness in a poem:

God, It’s New Year’s Eve and I took a hot bath and poured powder and lotion and perfume recklessly, and donned my newest long, dainty nightgown. I guess I was hoping all that would ease the agony of being alone in such a gallant, celebrating, profound moment when everyone so likes to be with someone to watch a new year in.

It hasn’t helped too much. I’ve tried to sleep hoping that would beat away the endless hours, but after all afternoon and two hours tonight, I’m worn out from sleep. I’ve stumbled from one room to the next, wanting to cry….

O God, the walls are so silent… and there is no one around to laugh and change the subject… I so wish for a friend’s lap, to bury my head and let my tears spill unabashedly and freely….

B. The Lonely Spouse

Many single people would be shocked to know that marriage is no surefire answer for loneliness. Many a married person will spend tonight alone, not knowing where their mate is or what they are doing.

C. The Lonely Survivor

I guess almost nothing stings like the death of a spouse. It leaves the survivor with many a lonely day and night, but most of all a lonely heart.

D. The Lonely Senior (Saint)

Many a senior saint sits waiting in an assisted living center for someone, anyone to come and end their loneliness.

E. The Lonely Sufferer

I read the following from a book entitled Loneliness Is Not Forever. “It was when the lights went out and the room was suddenly plunged into darkness that the awful awareness came. The traffic of the hospital went on like an uncontrolled fever outside my door. But inside that room it became still, so still that you could sense, even believe, that the walls were moving and the room was becoming smaller. I was never a lonely person up until then…But now I knew what it was. My family had gone home together to that familiar, safe place. But I was here alone, isolated, facing the uncertainties of what hospitals mean.”

F. The Lonely Servant

Many a servant of God has experienced the feeling of loneliness: Joseph, Moses, Joshua, David, Elijah, Elisha, and the list goes on and on. II. Ending the Loneliness Four keys to ending loneliness…

A. Acknowledge the Reality of Your Loneliness

Loneliness doesn’t come because of something you did or even something someone else did. It doesn’t come because of something you are lacking. It comes because you are human. All of us will, in all likelihood, experience loneliness. The first key to victory over it is to acknowledge it: “I’m lonely.”

B. Accept God’s Provision for Loneliness

We need to remember that ultimately only God can solve our problems, including this one.

C. Allow God’s Word to Fill Your Mind and Heart.

Psalm 27:10, “When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.” Hebrews 13:5-6, “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”

D. Activate Your Network of Friends

We are old in I John 1:7, “…if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another….” Always remember, loneliness is a choice – not necessarily the isolated moments, but the lingering in loneliness is always a choice.

Note Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a three-fold cord is not quickly broken.”

Notes WINNING OVER WORRY

Lesson Four

We’re going to explore one of the most encouraging and comforting of all of Jesus’ teachings. It’s a part of the Sermon on the Mount, and it’s actually divided into two sections. Section one is found in verses 25 – 30 of Matthew chapter 6, while section two is found in verses 33 – 34.

Notice first of all some facts in regard to worry.

I. Facts about Worry

A. Fact Number One: Worry is Inconsistent (vs. 25).

Anytime you see the word therefore, you have to look back and see what it’s there for. If you go back to verses 19 and 20, we are told to lay up our treasure in heaven, and in verses 22 and 23, we are told to have a single eye. The idea is focusing on one thing. Then in verse 24, we are told not to have two masters. So the principle is, if we lay up treasure in heaven, and we are focusing on God, and He is our Master, we need not worry about the things of this life (verse 25). Worry is inconsistent when God is our Master.

B. Fact Number Two: Worry is Irrational (verse 26).

Look at Luke 12:6, “Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?” A farthing is a copper coin worth about one cent? Now compare that to verse 26, if God cares about the sparrow worth two cents, then don’t you think that we are more valuable to God than the sparrows? If so – and God takes care of the sparrows, worry is irrational.

C. Fact Number Three: Worry is Ineffective (verse 27).

Note: The interpretation of the verse seems clear, but perhaps Jesus was going a bit deeper. What if we were talking about money rather than inches? Which of you by worrying can add to your income? The answer, of course, is you can’t – worry is ineffective.

D. Fact Number Four: Worry is Illogical (verses 29-32).

Note: How many office hours have these lilies put in? How many dues have they paid? Have you ever seen a lily suffer an anxiety attack? They simply sway in the breeze, reaching heavenward toward the source of their water and sunshine. They do nothing more or less than what they were designed to do: bring glory to their Creator…and so it is with us. When we bring glory to God, our worry is illogical.

II. Fighting Against Worry How can we be victorious over worry?

A. You need a priority system (verse 33). 1. The Kingdom of God 2. The righteousness of God

B. You need a strategic program. We need a systematic strategy to weed out worry.

1. Leave tomorrow alone. This does not mean don’t plan. We all need to be organized. As a matter of fact, most worry about tomorrow is due to a lack of planning for tomorrow. 2. Don’t dwell on yesterday’s mission. 3. Don’t dwell on yesterday’s success. 4. Don’t dwell on yesterday’s distress.

Priority: 1. Necessary 2. Needy 3. Nice

Key Verses: Psalm 50:15, “And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.” Psalm 55:22, “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” Philippians 4:6-7, “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” I Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

Notes GUARDING AGAINST GUILT

Lesson Five

Introduction In surveys done by the Barna Group and the Christian Coalition, four out of every ten males over the age of twelve are involved in pornography on the Internet. Twenty-eight percent of all adults are involved in adultery. Eight percent of all women have had an abortion that other family members are not aware of, and that twenty-six percent of all women have had an abortion. Two-thirds of all employees have stolen or defrauded something from the company in which they are employed. Did you know that over twelve percent of all homosexuals are still “in the closet?” And are you ready for the fifty-five percent of all people in America over the age of twelve who are hiding some sin, and walk around with feelings of guilt?

Guilt could easily be called the invisible giant. For this lesson, let’s look at the following in regard to guilt.

I. The Agony of Guilt – Psalm 32

A. Silence (verse 32) What else is there but silence during the time of guilt? We can’t talk to people for fear of them knowing what we have done, and fear of them talking to others, and we can’t talk to God (Psalm 66:18). “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:.” It was so silent that all David could hear was his groaning.

B. Sorrow (verse 4) David, King David, an army stood ready to obey his beckoning call, and palace staff obeyed his every command; but David’s conscience could not be overruled.

II. Accusation of Guilt – II Samuel 12:1-7 The whole story is laid out for us in our text. The voice of God came to Nathan. It was time for David to be accused of his guilt. Victory seldom comes without accusation!!

III. The Admission of Guilt – Psalm 51 David’s admission of guilt was made in three confessions

A. I’m very sinful (verses 1-3)

B. I’m very sorry (verse 4)

C. I’m not very smart (verse 6)

David describes his wrong in four ways.

A. Transgression (verses 1-3)

B. Iniquity (verse 2)

C. Sin (verses 3-4)

D. Evil (verse 4)

IV. The Answer to Guilt – Psalm 51:2-12

A. Restore (verse 8)

B. Renew (verse 9)

C. Refocus on the future (verse 13)

Notes Notes

TAMING YOUR TEMPTATIONS Lesson Six

Introduction We all go through temptations in our life. The key is being victorious over the temptations that come our way.

J. Wilbur Chapman once said, “Temptation is the tempter looking through the keyhole into the room where you live. But sin is when you unlock the door and let him in.”

Temptation is a fork in the road. You choose which direction you go.

We are told in I Corinthians 10:13, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

Notice with me what I call the “Temptation Tamer” checklist. It’s a list of weapons you can use against when being tempted to “open the door.”

1. Recognize the Possibility of Temptation  To be forewarned is to be forearmed.  Always remember I Corinthians 10:12, “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”

2. Request Help in Time of Temptation  Twice Jesus tells us to pray in regard to temptation.  Matthew 6:13, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.”  Matthew 26:41, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

3. Resist the Devil and He Will Flee From You James 4:7, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

4. Retreat from Temptation  Flee from idolatry. I Corinthians 10:14, “Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.”  Flee from immorality. I Corinthians 6:18, “Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.” II Timothy 2:22, “Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”  Flee from greed. I Timothy 6:10-11, “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.”

5. Remove Any Means of Sin from You  Proverbs 4:14-15, “Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.”

6. Replace Bad Influences with Good Ones  Proverbs 13:20, “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.”  II Corinthians 6:14, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?”

7. Resolve to Take the High Road  Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

Notes ATTACKING YOUR ANGER

Lesson Seven

Introduction We hear terms of anger all the time – such things as a parent saying to a child, “Temper, temper, temper;” or we’ve all heard of road rage; or we’ve heard someone say, “They’ve gone postal.”

Now when I’m angry with you, that’s called righteous indignation; but when you’re angry with me, that’s called sin. In this lesson, let’s attack anger by looking at the following.

I. Recognizing Sinless Anger Ephesians 4:26-27, “Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.”

A. Biblical Anger  Galatians 5:20, “Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,....”  Proverbs 29:11, “A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterward.”  James 1:19-20, “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.”  Psalm 32:8, “Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.”

B. Jesus’ Anger – John 2:12-17 Aristotle said, “A man who is angry on the right grounds against the right person, in the right manner, at the right moment, and for the right length of time deserves great praise.” The anger of Jesus embodies every clause in that statement.

II. Renouncing Sinful Anger Ephesians 4:31, “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: ….” Let me give you a prescription for curing your anger.

A. Don’t nurse your anger. We have to remember that anger is a choice.

Anger is caused by… 1. frustration, 2. humiliation, and 3. rejection. Don’t nurse it!!

B. Don’t rehearse your anger. Ephesians 4:29, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” We all know people who talk about their anger and the more they talk, the angrier they become.

C. Don’t disperse your anger. Proverbs 19:11, “The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.”

D. Reverse your anger.

III. The Four-Fold Reaction to Anger

A. You can repress it.

B. You can suppress it.

C. You can express it.

D. You can confess it.

RESISTING RESENTMENT

Lesson Eight

Introduction I recently read about a man who was bitten by a rabid dog. As a result the man was diagnosed with rabies and told by the doctor he was going to die. The man quickly grabbed a pen and a piece of paper and began to write furiously. The doctor looked at him and said, “It’s good to see that you are writing out a will.” The man looked at the doctor and said, “Doc, this ain’t no will; it’s a list of people I plan to bite before I die.”

Picture – good picture of resentment!! The Bible also paints us a detailed portrait of the malignant giant called resentment. Let’s take a closer look, shall we?

I. The Examination of Resentfulness

You will not find the word resentment in the concordance of your Bible. It’s a modern term, but the idea is nothing new. Paul does use a phrase that comes very close to the meaning of resentment. We find the phrase in, of all places, I Corinthians 13:5. “Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;….” Mark the words thinketh no evil. It comes from a Greek word logizomai. It means to calculate or reckon. It’s a bookkeeping term which carries the idea of writing down with permanent ink. The idea is that as believers we are not to walk around carrying out a continual grudge against others: a pretty great picture of resentment.

II. The Example of Resentment

David is the textbook example of so many matters of the heart. Well, David is a model for resentment as well. Notice I Kings 2:5- 6, “Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, unto Abner the son of Ner, and unto Amasa the son of Jether, whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet. Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down to the grave in peace.” III. The Expense of Resentment

Psychology tells us that the weed of bitterness is cultivated at a great price. When we choose to hold on to resentment, we relinquish control of our future. We trade the freshness of a new day and all of its possibilities for the pain of the past. “Resentment,” someone once said, “is swallowing the poison and waiting for the other person to die.”

IV. Five Steps to Resisting Resentment

A. Number one: think it through. B. Number two: write it down. C. Number three: work it out. D. Number four: talk it over. E. Number five: give it up.

Notes DESTROYING YOUR DOUBTS

Lesson Nine

Introduction Have you ever doubted? Maybe you’ve doubted your salvation, or doubted if God heard your prayers. I have known some that even doubted the love of God.

The one word most associated with doubt is, why? Of all God’s creatures, we are the only ones who seek to understand, to secure the reason and the rationals behind the actions of God. Why am I here? What is the significance of my life?

For most of us, doubt is the aftermath of pain and shock. So in this lesson let’s look at doubt and see if by God’s grace we can begin to destroy your doubts!!

I. Dealing with Doubt There probably is no greater illustration in the Word of God than that of Thomas. He is not called doubting Thomas for nothing.

* He doubted the word of his fellow disciples. John 20:24-25 John 14:4-5

II. Doubt Develops in Isolation (John 20:24) Thomas had missed the fireworks. Jesus had appeared, shown his wounds and pointed toward the future. Great joy and celebration had broken out in the room. Jesus was alive! But notice John 20:24, “But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Did’y-mus, was not with them when Jesus came.”

Ten men had gathered together in the custom of the bereaved. When someone near us dies, we gather at someone’s home, people bring food and come to console and comfort. Solitude isn’t recommended during this time for we need encouragement and the mingling of spirits to uplift us. But Thomas had drawn apart and had missed not only the consolation, but the miracle.

The principle being when doubt comes, don’t linger in darkness and solitude – that’s where doubt lives. Stay connected to people and you’re more likely to stay connected to your faith, rather than your doubts.

III. Doubt Demands Evidence (John 20:25)

Thomas recites the skeptic’s creed, “I’ll believe it when I see it.” Scratch that…”I’ll believe it when I feel it.” A doubter doesn’t accept one’s word easily. That’s why they are a doubter.

Now remember, Thomas never called the disciples’ claim impossible, he never ruled out a miracle. He simply had to see the evidence for himself.

IV. Doubt Draws us Back to Christ (John 20:26)

It’s significant that Thomas, despite his reservation, has lingered among the disciples since their claim of seeing Jesus. Here is the difference between doubt and disbelief: doubt says “I’ll stay and investigate;” disbelief walks away.

Note: Jeremiah 29:13, “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”

V. Doubt Can Deepen Our Faith (John 20:27-28)

When you get a question mark all straightened out, what do you have? Why, an exclamation point!!! Honest questions lead to powerful declarations.

Notice verse 28. Thomas, the doubter, replaces his question with an exclamation, “My Lord and my God!”

VI. Destroying Your Doubt How?

A. Acknowledge your doubts prayerfully.

B. Analyze the evidence diligently. C. Accept the limitations humbly.

Notes POSTPONING YOUR PROCRASTINATION

Lesson Ten

Introduction A scholar once surveyed the Scriptures to discover the most significant words in all the Bible. He wanted to find the saddest word, the happiest word, the most emotional word, and so on. When he came around to the most dangerous word, he identified it as tomorrow. The word is a thief, he said, that robs dreamers of their dreams, and the talented of their greatest achievements. It keeps men and women from coming to Christ. The prince of preachers, Charles H. Spurgeon, once said, “Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow! Alas, tomorrow never comes! It is on no calendar except the almanac of fools.”

Let us look at procrastination.

I. Procrastination Robs You of Your Opportunities for Service (Luke 9:59-62)

This seems to be a stringent approach. Shouldn’t we take time out for funerals? Shouldn’t we show our families the courtesy of checking in to tell them we are checking out?

Have you ever considered all those who procrastinated in their service for God?  Cain  Moses  Elijah

Just to name a few!

II. Procrastination Robs You of Opportunities to be Successful

You don’t need to be a Christian to understand this point. You need to be a Christian to enter heaven, and to live the abundant life, and to escape punishment, but this particular point holds true for every human being, saved or unsaved. There is no successful person who is a procrastinator.

III. Procrastination Robs You of the Opportunity for Salvation (Acts 24:24) This is the most dangerous procrastination of them all. Note with me the following:

A. Felix

B. Drusilla

C. The Instructor 1. Righteousness 2. Temperance 3. Judgment to come

IV. Two Major Problems with Procrastination

A. Procrastination does not take into account the uncertainty of life. (James 4:13-14)

B. Procrastination does not take into account the uniqueness of conviction.

1. Isaiah 55:6, “Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.” 2. Psalm 119:60, “I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments.” 3. Ecclesiastes 12:1, “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw night, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;….”

Notes FACING YOUR FAILURE

Lesson Eleven

Introduction If there is anything that fascinates us more than a success story, perhaps it’s the opposite: a portrait of failure. The most beloved of all cartoonists, Charles Schultz, captured the hearts of America with the unforgettable creation of Charlie Brown, who never quite got his toe into the football. He never knew the love of the little red-haired girl. In baseball, he never made it off the pitcher’s mound without his shoes, socks, cap, and shirt all being stripped from him by a batter’s line drive. Even his dog, Snoopy, couldn’t remember his name. His friends called him “blockhead.”

Charlie Brown once said, “I’m learning to dread one day at a time.” Failure: most of us have failed on more than one occasion. The point is – how did we handle failure when it came our way?

I. Facing the Reality of Failure (II Corinthians 4:7) Failure is guaranteed. Mark it down. Expect it early and often. This isn’t an outbreak of pessimism, but a hearty dose of reality. Note the following verses.

II Corinthians 4:8, “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;….”

James 3:2, “For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.”

Psalm 103:13-14, “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.”

II. Facing the Reason for Our Failure (II Corinthians 4:17-18)

A. We fail now to succeed later.

B. We fail in the incidental to succeed in the important.

C. We fail in the temporary to succeed in the permanent. D. We fail outwardly to succeed inwardly.

III. Facing the Results of Failure (II Corinthians 4:16) “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.”

Failure makes philosophers of us all.

How can failure help us?

A. Acknowledge your failure.

B. Accept God’s forgiveness. Psalm 103:10, “He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.”

C. Apply the lessons of failure toward success.

D. Accept failure as a fact of life, not a way of life.

E. Arise from failure and start again. Jonah 3:1-2, “And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Ninevah, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.”

F. Avoid judging the failures of others.

Notes JOURNEYING BEYOND JEALOUSY

Lesson Twelve

The words jealousy and envy are often used interchangeably, but there is a difference.

 Envy is when someone wants what someone else has.  Jealousy is when you don’t want someone to have what you’ve got.

This certainly is not following the admonition of Romans 12:15, “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.” We are also warned in Proverbs 14:30, “A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.” So let’s look at jealousy and the journey it takes us on.

I. Jealousy Travels In Circles

A. Proprietary Circles

Genesis 26:13-14, “And the man waxed great and went forward, and grew until he became very great: For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.”

B. Power Circles

Numbers 16:1-3, “Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men: And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown: And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the Lord?”

Psalm 106:16, “They envied Moses also in the camp, and Aaron the saint of the Lord.” C. Performance Circles

I Samuel 17 – 18

D. Personal Circles

Luke 15:29, “And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment; and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends;….”

II. The Character of Jealousy

A. Jealousy destroys others.

B. Jealousy destroys us.

Special Notes

III. Facing the Giant of Jealousy

Four things that must be done to defeat jealousy in your life:

A. Renounce jealousy as a sin;

B. Remember your rival in prayer; C. Reaffirm God’s goodness to you; and

D. Rekindle God’s love in your heart.