Study Notes

I.      There’s a major difference between feeling and “being” afraid

A.    People have defined fear as a feeling or emotion; the moment people feel afraid they believe they are being afraid; feeling afraid is not being afraid (Psalm 3:1-6)

1.      2-Fearful thoughts and emotions are trying to work in his soul

a.    He probably feels afraid and has the opportunity to “be afraid”

b.    Fearful thoughts and emotions are an opportunity to be afraid; but you don’t have yield to the emotions and thoughts and be afraid

2.      5-Sleeping acting faith; even though he feels afraid, he refuses to be afraid

3.      6-I will not be afraid; he obviously has the opportunity to be afraid

B.     “Being” denotes acting while feeling refers to an emotion you have

1.      You can feel one way and “be” another (ex: feel depressed and be joyful)

2.      People have experienced a frightened emotion or a fearful thought and they believe that’s being afraid, but that’s feeling afraid

C.    To have fearful emotions & thoughts does not mean that you are “being afraid” 

1.      Thoughts and the emotions operate in the soul realm and you cannot stop thoughts are emotions from coming, but you can determine if they stay

a.    If you allow fearful emotions & thoughts to linger, soon you’ll act in fear

2.      If you had a frightened emotion or a fearful thought and that mean you were “being afraid” then nobody could keep the commandment of God “Fear not”

a.    You’re not violating that commandment to “fear not” because you have a thought or feeling; you’re violating it when you start being afraid

3.      People get the idea that they can’t help it where fear is concerned because these thoughts and emotions come and they feel like that can’t help that

a.    You can’t help which ones come, but you can keep them from staying

1)       They say, “Well I can’t help it, I’m just afraid.” --- No you feel afraid and you can help it and you don’t have to be afraid

b.    Psalm 23:1-6-David couldn’t help the thoughts and emotions that came, and even though he probably felt afraid he refused to be afraid

1)       He’s running for his life; he’s in a dry, barren forest; the King and his army are after him; he’s in the valley of shadow of death; Thoughts & feelings of fear must be there presenting themselves

2)       He’s being faith, instead of being afraid: He confessed the Word

D.    Because people don’t know the difference between being afraid and feeling afraid there have been fear-myths running ramped in the church

1.      Myth: Everybody is/has to be afraid of something

2.      Myth: Everybody’s going to be afraid & all we can do is just learn to manage it

3.      Myth: It’s not realistic to think that you could have no fear

4.      Truth: Everybody is going to have the opportunity to be afraid

5.      Truth: Everybody is going to have a frightened emotion or a fearful thought Truth: Nobody ever has to “BE AFRAID” and everybody can live a fear-free life never “BEING AFRAID”

II.     Being afraid means you’re acting on the fear/in fear and this is when you begin to violate the command to “Fear not”

A.    Fear is a perverted form of faith; fear is a belief 

1.      God put faith in Adam and when Adam sinned Satan twisted/perverted faith

2.      What was faith in God to bless, provide, & protect became faith in Satan to steal, kill, & destroy

3.      Fear is confidence/belief in Satan to bring misfortune in your life; particularly more confidence in Satan to harm you than God keep you

a.    If you stick with faith in God long enough it’s going to effect your emotions; they’ll be ones of peace, joy, and happiness

b.    If you stick with faith in Satan to bring misfortune it’s going to effect your emotions; you’ll be fearful, worrisome, tormented, discouraged

4.      Luke 8:22-They were afraid and Jesus said locate your faith

a.    Their faith was in Satan to harm them through the storm; that is fear

5.      Mark 4:40-He said to be fearful is to have no faith; fear has to do with what you believe more than how you feel

a.    Fear was their problem and yet he didn’t address their feeling, he addressed their believing

B.     Both faith and fear need actions because they’re both beliefs (James 2:26)

1.      What you believe (faith or fear) is not revealed in what you say you believe or what you feel like you believe, but in how you act

a.    You can say you believe God’s Word where your finances are concerned and feel like you believe, but if you act discouraged when another bill comes, then your actions spoke louder than your words

2.      Faith and fear without works/actions has no power and is inoperative  

a.    Satan is after the act of fear the way God is after the act of faith, because it’s the act of fear that grants Satan access into your life

3.      You might feel afraid or have fearful thoughts, but until you act on the fear, you haven’t violated “Fear not”

C.    Fear is not in the feelings or thoughts you have it’s the believing and acting

1.      Mark 4:35-41-The disciples were guilty of being fearful b/c they didn’t act like what Jesus said was true; they acted in fear like what the storm said was true

2.      You’re not violating fear not because of a feeling or thought you have

III.   In the middle of fearful thoughts & emotions never act in fear

A.    People feel afraid & in response to those feelings they start being afraid (confess fear)

1.      When the feelings of fear arise you disagree with them, not agree with them (Galatians 3:13, Deuteronomy 28:66, Psalm 107:2, 2 Timothy 1:7)

2.      The truth is you’re free from fear; what your feelings say vs. what’s the word say

B.     Never act on the fear; never be afraid

1.      Acting discouraged, depressed, anxious are all acts of fear (Joel 2:21-22-You can’t be glad & be afraid; Job 5:21-You can’t be laughing and  be afraid)

2.      In the middle of thoughts & emotions can u stand up and say look this is simple Satan I have no confidence in u so why act like what you’re saying is true

C.    You cannot be trusting God & be afraid at the same time; you can feel afraid & trust God; but you can’t be afraid and be trusting God

1.      Isaiah 12:2, Psalm 112:7-8-To trust God is to not be afraid

2.      John 14:1,27-You can trust God in the middle of fearful emotions and thoughts, but if you are afraid you’re not trusting him

3.      Psalm 56:3-4,10-11-With the opportunity to fear he’s going to trust God instead

D.    Trust is not faith, but it is an act of faith

1.      You can’t be afraid (acting in fear) & acting in faith/trusting at the same time

2.      Psalm 18-Acting in faith by trusting God accessed God’s power

3.      Jeremiah 17:7-The results of trust

E.     Anything you do afraid you do not trusting Him and therefore God never wants you to do anything not trusting him (Judges 7:3,10, Deuteronomy 20:8)