1. FEAR IS A ______________ EMOTION.

Definition: Fear is an emotion induced by a perceived danger or threat, which causes changes of behaviors, such as fighting, flight, or freezing from perceived traumatic events.1

• Fear is closely related to the emotion anxiety. Fear says, “I have to take control because I’m threatened,” while anxiety imagines threats.
• When we feel threatened, fear can come upon us very quickly.

1 Kings 19:1-4 (NLT) 1When Ahab got home, he told Jezebel everything Elijah had done, including the way he had killed all the prophets of Baal. 2 So Jezebel sent this message to Elijah: “May the gods strike me and even kill me if by this time tomorrow I have not killed you just as you killed them.” 3Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. 4Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.”

SOME VOICES OF FEARS WE MIGHT RELATE TO:

• • “I’m afraid my kids are going to go down the same road I did, and it terrifies me!”
  • “I’m afraid of being rejected and hearing I’m no good; I’m afraid of getting hurt again!”
  • “I’m afraid if they really knew me and my past, they wouldn’t want me!”
  • “What if I lose my job? How am I going to pay our bills?”
  • “Is my loved one going to make it through their medical illness?” Each of these statements can have a powerful effect on us.

2. OUR __________________ TO FEAR AND ANXIETY:

• • Fight: control, attack, defend
  • Flight: run, hide, move
  • Freeze: being paralyzed to not respond

When we believe the lies of our fears, they can consume us and rob us of our joy.

• The devil will do anything he can to steal our joy.
• He wants us to live in fear and worry so that we take our eyes off of God.

1 Peter 5:6-8 (NIV) 6Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 8Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

3. WORSHIPPING JESUS ________________ OUR FEARS.

• Worship is putting God in His rightful place over your circumstances.
• Worship allows us to become sober minded—to get our minds off of the problem so we can think and not just react.

1 Peter 5:6-8 (NIV) 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 8Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

Worship allows us to take our thoughts captive.

2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV) We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

2 Timothy 1:6-7 (NLT) 6This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. 7For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

John 16:31-33 (NLT) 31Jesus asked, “Do you finally believe? 32But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when you will be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. 33I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

WHERE WILL YOU GO WHEN THE STORMS OF FEAR COME UPON YOU?

QUESTIONS TO REFLECT AND DISCUSS:

Passages to consider: Psalm 23; Matthew 8:23-27; 2 Timothy 1:7; 1 John 4:18

• Something stood out to you in the sermon—what was it?

1. What joys or wins did you experience this week, particularly in the area of taking thoughts captive?

2. Read Psalms 23 and Matthew 8:23-27 OR choose a passage from the sermon. Read them twice. A) What do you discover about God in these passages? B) What do you discover about people and life in them? C) What do you discover about fear?

3. How do you typically respond when you sense fear? B) What kind of patterns do you see in things that can bring fear to you?

4. What are you discovering or understanding more about trusting God in the midst of feeling fear or other emotions? A) How do you recognize and grow in “the fear of the Lord”?

5. What are ways that help you recognize when fear might be driving others? Think about family, friends, and co-workers.

6. What have you discovered about yourself and the beliefs and emotions that could be the boss of you in this series? A) What adjustments are you seeking to make? Bonus: Read 1 Peter this week.