 Today, we're gonna talk about very interesting subject and I want you to open with me to Joshua chapter 1 verse 9. And it goes like this, have I not commanded you, be strong and courageous, do not be frightened, do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Today I want to talk about fear. And I'm named by subject fear not, so if you're taking notes which you should be, write a title, fear not. You know in a Bible it's, there is about 110 times that is mentioned, there is a specific scripture that says fear not, or do not be afraid, or do not be frightened, or something similar within that context. 110 times, some people, you probably maybe seen some memes or some, some things going around online that says there's 365 times that it says do not be afraid, you know, one for every day, but it's actually not accurate, it's about about about 110 times in your King James version. But even if it's 110 times, one time is enough for God to tell us to not be afraid and for us to hold on to this promise. And so today I want to talk a little bit about, a little bit about fear. We just read the scripture where God commands Joshua and he tells him, do not be afraid and you do not be dismayed. And when, so here's the background story. Israelites leave Egypt, God shows himself mind, he delivers them, he drowns the pharaoh, and they are walking onto the, on the way to the promised land. And as they're walking to the, on the way to the promised land, Israelites, they choose out 12 spies, one spy representing each tribe, so that then, so that they can go out and spy out the land and bring some goods from the land to show what God has promised them. So the 12 people, they go up into that land to spy, to spy out, they bring some, some fruits, they bring some things from that land, and they bring it back to the camp of the Israelites, and they report on it. And they said, yes, whatever God has promised us is good, whatever he promised us, there's, it's a land of milk and honey, it's, it's a great land, it's an awesome land. But, but the 10 of them say, but there are giants. And we look like grasshoppers in their eyes, and there are four devised fortified cities, and their walls are big and strong, and there is no way we can conquer them. We will be destroyed by them. Two of them, Joshua and Caleb, say, guys, yes, the cities are fortified, yes, in that land there's a lot of giants, but God said that this is our land. God said that he belongs to us, God has given it to us, let's go and fight and take the possession. And of course the crowd, the, the nation of Israel, they sided with the ten spies, they brought, that brought negative report, and they almost want to kill Moses and Joshua and Caleb. God intervened, and God got mad at them and angry, and he said, because you refuse to trust me, but you allowed fear into your life. You will not enter the promised land, you will wander around windleness for 40, for 40 years, and only your kids will enter the promised land. So now we're fast forwarding to the scripture we just read. Moses was their great leader, he was the one that heard from God, he is the one that introduced 10 commandments, and now Moses is gone, all generation died, this new generation have never seen anything spectacular, and they have a new leader they're not sure should they trust him or not. So here's Joshua, he's not sure what to do, he is not sure where to go and how to lead this nation, and first thing God begins to deal with Joshua is about a very issue that stopped them from coming into the promised land. Point number one, fear will stop you from reaching your promised land. Fear will stop you from reaching your dream, your goal, and your destiny. Before God could take Joshua into the promised land, God had to make sure that there was no fear in Joshua's life. God had to make sure to make Joshua understand that what stopped you from entering into your promised land in the first place, make sure that you don't allow the same fear to stop you from entering the promised land again. Before God is going to take you to the place where he has intended for you, where he called you, he's going to begin to deal with your trust in him, because initially what fear is is not trust in God, not trust in his promise. Fear kept a servant that was given one talent from receiving reward. Jesus in Matthew chapter 25 says a parable that there was a master who left the country and before living the country he gave his three servants, to one he gave five talents, to the other one he gave two, and the third one he gave one talent. One talent is about 73 pounds of gold. Okay, so about if we converted to today's, what it's worth today one talent was worth about 1.25 million dollars. So you see the one got 1.25 million dollars, you know one talent sounds little but when you compare it it's actually a lot. I'm sure none of you would mind to get 1.25 million dollars to do something with it, right? So when we talk about one talent we might feel bad for this guy but don't feel bad for him because he got enough, okay? Second guy got about three something million and the third guy got over six million dollars close to seven million. So not too bad, it's a nice master, he gave him good portion and so first one goes that had they got six million dollars, he multiplied it and made it twice as much. Second one did the same thing, third one comes to the master and he says master I knew you were a wicked person, you saw where you reap where you don't sow, you demand things that you shouldn't demand, you know what? I saved what you gave me, I kept what you gave me and here's what you gave me, I did nothing with it. He said because I was afraid. Fear stopped him from moving forward in life, from investing, from starting a business, from moving into the next relationship, moving into starting a family. Fear kept him where he was and the response of the master would be, you know what? Great, at least maybe you didn't lose it, I'll take mine back. No, the master said you're wicked and lazy servant. You should have at least given to the investor so that he can multiply the money so I can get mine back in return and we see that he did not get a reward, not only he did not get a reward, he got punished. Any time you allow fear to settle in your life, you will not receive a reward but you will receive punishment because fear is punishment with itself, it torments, it kept Jews from the promised land, it stopped the servant from receiving a reward and if you allow fear to creep into your life, if you allow fear to live within your life it will stop you from receiving what God has for you. Fear stops you from doing what you're supposed to do and makes you do the things that you don't want to do. Fear is paralyzing. Fear stops you from making decisions or to make or for making right kind of decisions. In scientists in Fayuna Community Research Institute in North Carolina, I think that's how you say that, they discovered you're likely to freeze on the spot rather than run when the tiger charges at you. When the tiger charges you, you're most likely to freeze on the spot, then to run. When the tiger roars, it lets out a sound waves that are audible, the ones that sound terrifying and it also lets out sound at a frequency that's so low that you can't hear it but you can feel it and so as the tiger emerges from the underground and fleshing of its colors and the sound of roar and impact of the unheard sound waves felt by you, all we come by and provided an all assault out on your senses. The effect is that you're momentarily paralyzed so that instead of reacting and running or ditching you're frozen in your tracks until the tiger attacks. Fear. Bible says that devil, that Satan walks around like a roaring lion seeking who he may devour. There's a reason why God said he walks around roaring lion because Satan's greatest, greatest tactic, greatest weapon is fear. If he can deposit fear into your heart, if he can make you be afraid to take the next step, to take the next opportunity, to step out and do something different, he can stop you from succeeding in life and he can rub you of your future that God has for you in store. Fear stops your tracks. Now let's look at, let's look at fear. There are two different kinds of fears. There's a fear that is vital, fear is vital response to your physical or emotional danger so there's fear that it's a good fear like for example you know I'm trying to walk off a second store a building you know there's a natural feel of height which is a good fear because it's you're in danger in your body or there's there's fear, there's fear that helps us to protect ourselves and react properly when we feel either physically or emotionally endangered but there's another fear. Fear there is an expectation, expectation for negative results, negative faith that's what fear is. An image of negative outcome. This is where you carry and a negative image of negative outcome. Expecting negative results. Expecting the reason why you're on try this out because you failed before and you're afraid you're gonna fail again. The reason why you're afraid to go into the relationship next relationship is because you got hurt or you got cheated upon or you've been in abusive relationship so now even when the things look right you're afraid to go into it and it's keeping you from enjoying what God has in store for you or maybe it's past failed relationships or maybe it's failed ideas, failed businesses. You tried to go and get educated in a certain area and you failed on it because maybe you couldn't understand the subject or maybe you couldn't come up with the money and you stopped and you don't try again because you have fear. Everyone experiences fear. You know sometimes you think like well there's more people that there's people that are more afraid and then and there's people those that heroes those that are brave those that are willing to die on the front of the bullet to save somebody those that are willing to do some crazy things that they don't have fear it's not that they don't have fear it's how they process the fear that's what makes the difference. Every person experiences fear even our Lord Jesus Christ do you think he was not afraid to go on the cross you think he was not afraid to get beaten and and and suffer all this brutal death that no man can survive? Yes he didn't. I am sure that he experienced that those emotions because Bible says that he was tempted in all things that's why he can sympathize with us. So from that scripture I can guarantee you that Jesus in a garden of Gassem and Gassem experienced the emotion of fear for what is about to happen the fear of unknown but Jesus Christ he submitted himself to God's will and he overcame fear that's why he came out victorious that's why on a third day he was resurrected. Fear is weak's man excuse a strong man's motivation you choose who do you want to be. Some people use fear, anxiety, uncertainty, horror or whatever terrible thing happens in their life they can use that excuse to excel to overcome to become better to prove it to themselves to prove it to other people to exceed other people use it an excuse to do nothing there was a story psychologists did a study on this one particular family it was in 1970s the two two two brothers were in a family and one was very successful the other was not successful he was constantly in trouble with the law and drinking and just having all kinds of problems the other one was very very successful very successful businessman and had doctor's degree and so they came to the successful brother and they asked him what made you successful and he told him my father he's like what do you mean he's like my father was abusive he was drunk he was nobody he was he was never to care of the family and I said and I decided to myself I will not be like my father I will be different and I made and I make sure to not be like him I make sure to do better for my life they're like okay they went and talked to his other brother to his brother and that's poor that has nothing to his name constantly in trouble with the law they asked him why are you the way you are and he told me because of my father he said what do you mean that my father was abusive my father was drunk my father was this and that and therefore I knew nothing better that's why I became one man experienced exactly the same thing decided to make something different of his life decided to change the other man experienced exactly same but decided to use fear as an excuse to do nothing when you feel facing challenges situation when you're facing unknown when fear creeps in how you're gonna survive how you're gonna pay the bills how you're gonna do this how you're gonna do that how you're gonna raise the family your single your single mom you know just get into any relationship doesn't matter you know fear can drive you to do things that you don't want to do and stop you from doing the things that you're supposed to do instead of you just get out of a better relationship and instead of taking time to recoup and get instead of taking time to refocus instead of taking time to seek God to seek his direction because of fear of being alone and jumping to the next one and the next one and the next one and life is a mess life is a bro and shadows and broken pieces or maybe you've you've had you try starting a business and it failed maybe try starting a second business and and you failed and many people say well you know business is risking it and it's not for me I can't do it maybe somebody else can do it it's just not me it's not given to me and they use it that as an excuse not to move forward and not to start another one and not to succeed and to learn from the past mistakes and when even opportunity presents a good opportunity they pass on it because they're afraid there are other people they try once twice three times four times five times and they don't allow the failure and fear of failure to identify them and they try and tell they succeed and God honors that God honors faith and God can't stand fear because fear is practically a mistrust it's not trusting God soul was afraid he was afraid of opinions of people as little as opinions of people and he lost his kingdom David went through many situations that where he was afraid he was chased by soul for him in for 13 years of his life 14 years of his life David was running from soul and always in danger in his life David process fear differently in Psalm in Psalm 56 3 says this when I am afraid I put my trust in God when I'm afraid David gives us a secret how to deal with fear when I'm afraid I put my trust in God I put my trust in his promise I put my trust in his faithfulness I put my trust in his character when I'm afraid I trust God that's why David was called a man after God's gone hard and that's why his kingdom was established forever and Jesus is coming to sit on David's throne that's the two difference between two men one man was afraid of people's opinions that's why he couldn't wait for soul he couldn't Samuel he couldn't wait for Samuel he could was afraid he said I was afraid of what people would say and he sacrificed on his own and instead of waiting for instructions from God and one lost the kingdom one established the kingdom forever I wonder where you would be today I wonder what I would be today I wonder where many people will be today if they only did not allow fear to guide them if they only overcame their fear and took the next step I wonder how many businesses would have been open today I wonder how many inventions would have been done today I wonder how many marriages would have been whole today how many new marriages would have been started today how many families would have been better how many careers would have been successful if only people would not give into fear give into anxiety fear attracts negative results in our life Job said what I feared came upon me whenever you're afraid of something whenever you constantly fear the future of the unknown or you have images of negative outcomes in your life you have this fear whatever you fear will come upon you because when fear is not kept in check it attracts the spirit the spirit called fear and that spirit brings begins to bring negative results into your life Job said what I feared came upon me came came upon me servant that we just talked that had one talent that he did not multiply he said I was afraid because he was afraid because he saw negative outcome because he saw his master in a negative image he lost his reward and not only he lost his reward he was punished he was punished fear attracts negative results into your life prior to 29 25 says this the fear of man lays a snare but who trust in the Lord is safe fear traps you fear stops you from succeeding stops you from moving forward what fears do you have today what fear says God calling you to overcome today what is stopping you from moving forward and achieving what God has in store for you the way we overcome fear is by trust in God opposite word of fear is trust you have to trust somebody greater somebody wiser somebody who knows everything somebody who's above everything and this is God he is the only one that you can trust to overcome fear you you need to commit yourself to the word of God to the promise of God if you have certain issue in your life that you're battling certain fears in your life certain phobias in your life that you're battling you need to arm yourself with the word of God with the promise of God for that specific area read it study it meditate on it memorize it until it becomes living part of you until it changes your subconscious and removes the stronghold of fear in your life there's another fear that I want to talk today about it's a demonic fear and that's something we're gonna pray here soon right now after the message whatever God can do through faith Satan can do through fear whatever God can do through faith Satan can do through fear God through our faith Bible says you can move mountains you can do great things for God our faith is a conduit for God to send things into our life to do great things in our life we see that and throughout the scripture Bible Jesus says to this person that person he says great is your faith woman great is your faith to some series he said great is your faith we see that through faith people move mountains through faith people overcame obstacles through faith people stopped a son from moving through faith they call upon assistance from God from heaven where rocks were thrown and they were came the enemies and through faith we see that Daniel here stopped to stop them out of the line we see through faith throughout the Bible and throughout the history and today through faith men of God and women of God do great things but through fear Satan can do opposite in your life because it's negative faith it's trust into negative things make sure that you always keep your heart in check make sure that you don't allow fear to settle in we experiences fear when danger arises but make sure that we process it properly and we do not allow it to stay within us fear opens the door to demonic third point there's a natural fear like logic common sense like you know don't walk off the high story building because you know you have that natural fear because you're gonna crash and die fear of death there's other fears natural common sense fear that makes sense but there are fears they're demonic and they are they have no logic behind or common sense common sense and they're unjustifiable so if you wondering if that fear that you experienced this just normalist it's just you how many wonder that if that fear is just you or it's something something different well if it's not common if it doesn't have logic behind it if it's not unjustifiable that fear is demonic it's supernatural how do you get any time you don't keep your fear in check it opens the door and invites the spirit of fear to operate in your life when that happens then you begin to experience a torment and supernatural fear there was there was a man named Chris and he had a he had a good family two kids and a wife two three years before that Chris they just got saved with their whole family they dedicated the life to God he felt relief he felt good like everything was well and as they continue with life the second child was born so with the second child more stress more more hectic more more pressure was added and that pressure was getting to him and when he started feeling that pressure he started he he start losing appetite he start just kind of not be able to fall asleep because constant stress and what I'm gonna get the money I'm gonna provide how I'm gonna take care of my family how I'm gonna raise them and this is all valid concerns and every parent has that but to what extent do you let that get to you and so Chris he got it he got himself so worried he got himself so caught up in the fear of the future and fear of not having enough money and fear of how to provide for the family that he began to experience in Narsha he's beginning to lose his equilibrium even walking I mean he began to feel the physical physically he began to feel that he be you know he wasn't able to sleep he constant diarrhea he's can't keep the food in his stomach and so one night again three o'clock at night he can't sleep he leaves the room goes into living room just so he doesn't have to disturb the family and he just turns on the radio maybe so I can so he can hear something some kind of background noise to fall asleep to and as it turns on the radio it was static he was bad reception but he hears this preacher preaching he said I couldn't understand what he's doing what he was preaching because the static because the noise but he said the radio came on clear at one point and he said God has not given you a spirit of fear but spirit of sound mind but he God is not giving you a spirit of fear but he God has not given you spirit of fear but the power love and sound mind he said it struck me he said God has not given a spirit of fear he's like first thing that I begin to hear Holy Spirit begin to tell me is that that this is a spirit now he's a new believer he says I understood I did not know anything about demonic realm I didn't know anything about spirituality but he said I felt like Holy Spirit said what you're struggling with is a spirit is not normal anxiety and it's not normal thing he began even to experience thoughts of suicide like it's better for my family to be without me it's my wife is gonna find a better husband I am worthless even to that extent and he begin to understand Holy Spirit told him that this is a spirit of fear so when he begin to understand that next thing he he did he begin to pray within himself and then he said that spirit of fear I commend you in Jesus mighty name out of my life the moment he said that he said I felt like the blanket of heaviness of fear of anxiety he's like something that like I even felt physically sinking me into sofa was lifted and I felt like light I felt like a feather and he said those thoughts never came back to me again so we see that there is a spirit of fear that comes it comes through trauma and it comes through unpleasant unpleasant situations unpleasant situations that we went through if we if you've gone through trauma maybe you got scared at night or something or maybe you were left alone and something happened or maybe you know you went through some unfortunate situation in your life you got molested you got you got abused you got you know jumped you got beaten you got you know you experienced some kind of a loss in your family loss of a friend and fear krypton free fear of death or whatever it is it's a spiritual fear and it has roots in trauma and today we're gonna pray against it and we're gonna deal with it or if you experienced constant failure setbacks limitation in your life and you kept plundering on them and plundering them you begin to say I'm nobody I'm worthless I can't amount to anything and you you you continued on a meditation on that that invites the spirit of fear or invites a bad spirit evil spirit demon Bible to operate in our life and you have a strong hold in our life and today we're gonna pray and we're gonna break those chains of Satan over our lives break the spirit of fear and today you're gonna move forward in life today you're gonna achieve what God has called you to achieve today you're gonna dream again today you're gonna reach out for what God has called you to reach today you gonna say no to fear you're gonna put an end to fear and you're gonna do what God has called you to do come on let's put our hands together for Jesus Derek Prince shares a story of his wife when she was very very little and she crawled into pantry and an accident she got locked up because people didn't see that she was in pantry her mom didn't see that she was in pantry and she locked her up in pantry and she got scared really really she really got scared and from that point on from from her childhood she experienced phobias she was claustrophobic she couldn't be in small spaces so for whole whole life she would not ride an elevator elevator doesn't matter how much she had to walk up she would never take elevator she'll always walk the stairs first her husband didn't pay attention to it he thought maybe just you know for exercise for health wise and things like that but once he asked her why are you doing this why why you never go into elevator with me but why you always walk up on the stairs and she said when I was little I got a laptop and a pension accident I got so scared I got I start having fears of small spaces and I can't be an elevator whenever I get in there I start hyperventilating on my heart starts racing and I'm afraid and so there right there they prayed a prayer of faith they command in the spirit of fear out and from that moment on she start riding elevators she could be in small spaces and the fear was completely gone whatever it is you struggling in today there's nothing that's impossible to God God could put an end today to your fear to your struggle to your anxiety to your something that's tormenting you know sleep paralysis when you experience this overwhelming fear in your sleep and you can't do nothing today God we're gonna pray and today God's gonna put an end to it we're gonna come against the devil we're gonna come against that fear we're gonna come against those strongholds that stop on you from achieving what God has called you to achieve and you're gonna reach the destiny that color goddess called you to achieve in Jesus mighty name amen church have you received something