I Am Afraid - Part 1

Are you afraid? Do you dread tomorrow? Are you terrified of the future?

Today, I share three promises of assurance that with God on your side, you don’t need to fear anyone or anything. 

I remember as a child, I was afraid of the dark. I thought there were monsters in my closet and if I called out for mom’s help, she wouldn’t get there in time to protect me before they attacked me in my sleep. I felt like “Sheryl the timid and fearful.” I wondered if I’d ever feel brave and confident. 

1.  The first promise is God waits for your prayer – “Rescue me, O Lord!”

When fear causes us to tremble emotionally, spiritually and even physically, it’s because we don’t understand what is happening or we don’t know what the future holds. We feel out of control. Our circumstances envelop us with the unknown. Fear is a natural response to danger. In Psalm 40:1, David cries out “Rescue me, O Lord…,” living for years in the fear of what could happen, what might happen, David’s future was uncertain as the victim of King Saul’s pursuit. 

 2. The second promise is in Christ - You are an Overcomer. 

Instead of focusing on your feelings or lack of strength, accept God’s truth – in Christ, you are an overcomer. As believers, we can rely on the truth of our position in Christ.  John 16:33  “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” 

3. The third promise – Exchange fear for faith.

Today we are reminded that feelings of fear and dread are rooted in lies from the enemy. Today, we learned to lay down the looking to people for security and learning to rest in the truth that in Christ we are overcomers. Ask yourself: Am I living from my peace in Christ — or trying to control people or circumstances? Take minute to declare truth over yourself today: I am complete in Christ. I lack nothing.” (Col. 2:10)

Remember these three promises from God to you:

Promise 1. God waits for your prayer —Learn to pray “Rescue me O God.” (Ps. 40:1)

Promise 2. God says you are an Overcomer — Speak the truth aloud “In Jesus, I am an overcomer.” (John 16:33)

Promise 3. God expects you to exchange your fear for faith — Speak the truth aloud “I am complete in Christ. In Him, I lack nothing. (Col. 2:10)

In today’s episode, please review and print show notes and review the scriptures with a friend. It will help to speak God’s truth aloud every day this week. Let God’s truth replace your fear with a deeper faith. God already sees you courageous in His Son. He does not measure you by your flaws, failures, or shortcomings. He sees Christ in you. He sees His Son in you, brave and fearless in Him.

Thank you for joining me, I am excited to be part of your journey. Please share this episode and hit subscribe so you don't miss any new episodes. I can't wait for you to experience God's peace, comfort, and wholeness.

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Transcript

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Are you afraid or haunted by fear? Do you dread tomorrow? Are you terrified of the future? Today I share three promises of assurance that with God on your side, you don't need to fear anyone or anything. Restore your heart starts right now. Each week I bring tips and tools from God's Word to help you identify and overcome triggers, trauma, or tragedy. When your heart is hurting or broken, God's heart breaks right along with yours. If you're anything like me, you've asked questions like, why am I going through this? Or when will my suffering end? Or will my pain ever stop? You felt abandoned and alone. Be encouraged. You've found a friend here who knows. God understands each hurt. God cares about each loss. Everything that has happened to you has broken God's heart. Let's get started. I remember as a child, I was afraid of the dark. I thought there were monsters in my closet, and if I called out for mom's help, she wouldn't get there in time to protect me before they attacked me in my sleep. I felt like Cheryl the timid and fearful. I wondered if I'd ever feel brave and confident. I kept thinking there was something wrong with me. It seemed like everyone else was bold, fearless, and secure. My feelings of being timid were confirmed over and over again. My identity was I was fearful. I was afraid, and that's what I became. Maybe you can relate. In our striving to measure up, to fit in, to be like those we think are bold and strong, we feel even more afraid, exhausted, and defeated. That brings us to our first promise, and that is that God waits for your prayer. Rescue me, O Lord. When fear causes us to tremble emotionally, spiritually, and even physically, it's because we don't understand what's happening or we don't know what our future holds. We feel out of control, and we are. Our circumstances take us over with the unknown. Fear is a natural response to danger. In Psalm 40, verse 1, David cries out, Rescue me, O Lord. He lived for years in the fear of what could happen, what might happen. David's future was uncertain as the victim of King Saul's pursuit. What you and I can do in the midst of our fear is understand who's in control. We can move through our fears into the confidence of God's provision and protection, and that overrides the feeling of fear. In Psalm 34, 4, David shares how God provided for him. He said, I sought the Lord and he answered me and delivered me from all of my fears. Resting in the finished work of Christ means we trust him with everything. This means we surrender and yield. We say yes to God and his ways. And this begins in the mind. Our obedient response is an act of our will. In Christ, we have the tools to stand firm and be victorious over fear. And that brings us to the second promise is in Christ, you are an overcomer. Instead of focusing on your feelings or lack of strength, accept God's truth. In Christ, you are an overcomer. As believers, we can rely on the truth of our position in Christ. Jesus said in John 16, 33, I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble, but take heart. I have overcome the world. Jesus Christ did the work God required him to do. We don't have to add anything to it. We just have to believe it. God wants us to rest in the position he provides, not in anything that we create. Instead of staying in a place of overwhelm, Jesus offers us his peace so we may overcome. Fear is an emotional response to an unknown future or uncomfortable situation. Fear can motivate us to faith, but it can also cause us to doubt God and His provision. When we doubt God, it opens up the door for defense mechanisms like self-pity, discouragement, anger, and even depression. The Hebrew word for fear is Peshad, and that means to tremble, to be on one's guard, or to have terror. If we remind ourselves in the midst of fear, that Jesus overcame death, so you and I could overcome fear. We can have victory. The only solution we need is Jesus Christ. We have a God-given choice to take responsibility for what is ours. We have the opportunity to know who we are in Christ. We are a holy child of the living God who already has everything we need to be the woman God has created us to be. God has given us every spiritual blessing. That's in Ephesians 1:3. He knew what we would want. God has already done everything to enable us to walk in wholeness. But it's up to us to make that daily choice to live as God intended or not. It's time to believe what's true about you, sister. This is not positive thinking because you in Christ are an overcomer. You can say it out loud. I am an overcomer. That brings us to the third promise: exchange your fear for faith. Vance Havner says, most of us would live by faith if we knew that the rewards would be forthcoming inside of two weeks. So true, huh? We don't know what our future holds, but God does. We let God be God when by faith we actually trust Him as the God of our future. We can walk into the uncertainties and unknowns, trusting He's already there waiting for us. Isaiah 12, verse 2 says, Surely God is my salvation. I will trust and not be afraid. Someone once said, I do not know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future. And it's with that, let me encourage you, if you struggle with fear or dread, you can renew your mind with the word of God. Sanctification, that is maturity in Christ, is the process of learning to walk in the Spirit and claiming the promises that are already yours. Just as a child grows into their inheritance, you're growing in the understanding of what Christ has given you. As you begin to understand, you learn to trust Him in a greater way. And when you do, your faith grows deeper. Instead of asking from a place of lack, why not shift your prayers to agree with God's provision? Instead of praying, God, give me courage, pray, thank you, Lord, that your courage is already in me. When you believe you are complete in Christ, you stop striving. You move from insecurity to confidence, from lack to abundance, from trying to earn God's favor to resting in it. And this changes how you approach relationships, work, and spiritual battles. You now operate from victory. Feelings follow faith. Today we're reminded that feelings of fear and dread are rooted in lies from the enemy. We learn how to lay down looking to people for security and learning to rest in the truth that in Christ we are overcomers. Ask yourself: Am I living from my peace in Christ or trying to control people or circumstances? And take a minute to declare truth over yourself today. I am complete in Christ, I lack nothing. And that's Colossians 2, verse 10. Remember these three promises from God to you today. Promise number one, God waits for your prayer. Learn to pray, rescue me, O Lord. Promise number two, God says you are an overcomer. Speak the truth aloud. In Jesus, I'm an overcomer. Promise number three, God expects you to exchange your fear for faith. Speak the truth aloud. I am complete in Christ. In Him, I lack nothing. In today's episode, please review and print the show notes and review these scriptures with a friend. It really helps to speak God's truth aloud every day. And I encourage you to try and do it every single day this week. Let God's truth replace your fear with a deeper faith. God already sees you as courageous in his son. He doesn't measure you by your flaws, your failures, or shortcomings. He sees Christ in you. He sees his son in you, brave and fearless in him. Thanks for joining me for Restore Your Heart. If you're fearful, remember, greater is he that is in you than he that's in the world. In Christ, if God is for you, who can be against you? You don't have to strive to earn what God's already given you. His opinion of you is enough. Please subscribe and leave a review at S-H-E-R-Y-L, G as and go, T S N Tom.com. This is Cheryl Geesprecht Turner. I hope you join us for the next episode. As in Christ, we hear his words spoken over us Bible verses about courage and boldness. See you then.