NO NEED TO FEAR
When God is in
Charge!
by Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
We are living in momentous days. Things of Biblical proportions are
becoming daily events. The Book of Revelation in the Holy Bible, we read of
great plagues coming upon the earth in the last days. I believe the Corona
Virus is the latest harbinger to invade the whole world. Without doubt, there
are many more to come!
Is this God's way of getting our attention? Is it His way of punishing
pagan countries? I do not know, however, studying history gives us an
important sense of how He has judged nations and the world when the cup of our
pride, greed, unbelief, profanity and perversion is full!
Speaking over BBC Radio from London - having fled Norway as Hitler's
Army advanced - King Haakon stated: "The only thing that can save our
world out of difficulties and all evil, is to return to the old-time
Christianity with the old values which must totally saturate a people, if our
culture is to be safe-guarded."
THE MIRACLE AT DUNKIRK, 1940
On 10th May 1940, Hitler unleashed a military onslaught on France and
Belgium. Within days the British Army were trapped at Dunkirk with their backs
to the sea with a third of a million soldiers about to be slaughtered or
captured. Prime Minister Winston Churchill was planning to speak to the nation
about that awful tragedy.
But on 23rd May 1940, King George VI called for National Day of Prayer.
All churches were packed as the nation called upon God! The same day an urgent
request went out for boats of all sizes and shapes to cross the English Channel
to rescue the besieged army, a call ultimately answered by around 800 vessels.
Suddenly, Hitler ordered his army to halt. For three days the German
tanks and soldiers stood idle while the evacuation unfolded. Bad weather
grounded the Luftwaffe, allowing Allied soldiers to march unhindered to the
beaches.
In contrast, on Wednesday the sea was extraordinarily calm, making the
perilous evacuation less hazardous. By the time the German Army was finally
ordered to renew its attack, over 338,000 troops had been snatched from the
beaches, including 140,000 French, Belgium, Dutch and Polish soldiers. Many of
them were to return four years later to liberate Europe. All honour and glory
to God!
U.S President Donald Trump assembled a great team of medical
professionals, scientists, economic strategists, leading bankers and business
experts, who are seriously working to mitigate the impact of a horrible
plague. President Trump called for a National Emergency, and Dr. Ben Carson
stated that, he will also be calling for a National Day of Prayer!
LET US ALL PRAY FOR CANADA!
A marvelous story of faith has come to us from the Second World War. In
the Battle of Britain, the German Luftwaffe rained down about 35,000 bombs upon
London during nightly air raids, causing terrifying fear and tremendous
destruction and mayhem in large parts of the city!
For months, as sirens wailed out warnings of approaching German bombers,
the general population automatically hurried toward the nearest Air Raid
Shelter! People learned to look after one another during the nightly raids
and the 'morning after' walkabouts and cleanups!
After a terrible night of bombardment, an elderly woman was not seen in
a certain neighbourhood for several days. Her neighbors assumed that she had
either been killed by the falling bombs or that she had gone to the countryside
to escape the danger, disruption of life and incessant noise!
Sometime later, a neighbour spotted the elderly woman walking down the
street and articulated his happiness that she was alive and well! "It's
nice to see you back", he said. "I have not been away",
she replied. "Where have you been?" he asked. "I've
been at home", said the woman! "What have you been doing at
home during the air raids?" inquired the neighbour. "Sleeping",
she answered! "How could you sleep with all the noise and explosions?"
he asked.
"Oh", she replied. "I was reading my Bible and
found in Psalms 121:4 where it declares that God doesn't slumber nor sleep, so
I thought there was no point in both of us staying awake."
The Bible says: "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;
year, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness." (Isaiah
41:10)
WHAT EXACTLY IS FEAR AND WHAT DOES IT DO TO A PERSON?
Fear is a corrupting, constricting and crippling agent! Fear corrupts
through the unbelief it breeds in the heart! It constricts the flow of the
Holy Spirit and reduces the fruit that faith produces! Its crippling effect
erodes the peace and joy that results from receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and
Saviour!
WHY? Fear hampers the normal functions of the Gifts
of the Spirit, making victims and spiritual dwarfs, out of servants and
emissaries of our Lord!
Fear is divisive, demeaning, and
destructive. It creates a divided heart which
brings only condemnation and confusion! The Bible states: "But let him
ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea
driven with the wind, and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall
receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man in unstable in all his
ways." (James 1:7-8)
Fear is demeaning because it makes you think, say, and do things
that make you look foolish, puts you outside the will of God and is out of
character with Christian living! It is destructive because it destroys
your confidence in God and His Word and therefore your fellowship with Him!
The Bible confirms: "For if our heart condemn us God is greater
than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us
not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we
receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are
pleasing in His sight." (1 John 3:20-22)
What is the underlying cause of condemnation? Plain and simple: Sin! And
what is the antidote of solution for the serious problem of sin? The answer in
a nutshell, is the Blood of Jesus!
WHAT CAN WASH AWAY MY SIN?
The Bible says: "If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we
have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son
cleanses us from all sins. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and
just to forgive us and cleanse us from all sins." (1 John 1:7,9)
When the sin in cleansed away, condemnation leaves and faith leaps to
the forefront! Then, miracles occur as God answers prayer in response to
sincere faith-filled petitions coming from a clean heart!
Fear brings trepidation, torment, and terror! It is
an enemy, but fear can be neutralized, beaten, and vanquished! The Bible
states: "God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of love and
power and a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7). God does not give
anyone the spirit of fear, it is evident that fear comes from Satan, who is the
enemy of God and mankind!
The Bible says: "There is no fear in love; but perfect love
casts out fear: because fear hath torment. He that fears is not made perfect
in love." (1 John 4:17-18); "The thief (Satan) cometh not but
for to steal, and to kill and to destroy. I am come that ye may have life, and
that ye might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10)
Former alcoholic and drug addict, James Payne, wrote a gospel
song titled John 3:16. Here are the lyrics:
Alone one night at the end of my
rope,
In a hotel in Nashville praying for
hope.
In my hand was a Bible I had read as a child,
On the table was the bottle that was driving me wild.
I poured the whiskey into the
glass,
Praying that somehow I could forget my past.
Then I remembered how Jesus had died on the tree,
I poured out the whiskey and fell down on my knees.
The night Ol' Jack Daniels met John
3:16
God's word broke the chains that he had over me.
I traded Tennessee whiskey for Calvary's tree,
The night Ol' Jack Daniels met John 3:16
WHEN FEAR MEETS THE BLOOD!
That is the exact reaction that occurs when the spirit of fear meets the
blood of Jesus! When His powerful blood sweeps over our souls fear must leave
immediately! There is no room for satanic bondage of any kind in the life of a
Christian! The Blessed Holy Spirit makes us free from sin, guilt, and
fear. And He keeps us free for God's glory! Praise His name
forever!
U.S. President Roosevelt stated: "The
only thing to fear is fear itself."
In many cases that is true. Because fear is a spirit, when it digs its
deceptive tentacles into a victim, raw fear often proves to be far worse than
the object of the fear!
There is a story in Middle Eastern folklore of a great warrior who meets
a mythical rider carrying a gigantic scythe! His name was Death!
Addressing him, the warrior says: "I have just come from a
battle where I left 5,000 men dead. Where have you been and where are you
going?" The
mythical rider replies: "I have just left the area to which you are
heading." Inquiringly, the warrior asks: "How many dead
will I find there?" Death answers: "The plague killed
5,000."
The next week, the great warrior again meets the mythical rider on the
windswept desert. He hails the scythe - carrier with a shout. "You
lied to me. The plague left 20,000 dead. You told me that you had killed only
5,000!"
Death replies: "I told you the truth. 5,000 perished from the
plague. The rest died of fear!"
An old adage states: "Cowards die a thousand times before
their death. The valiant tastes of death but once!" Without
doubt, fear is a real enemy and a robber. The Bible character Job, after
having been attacked by Satan, confessed: "The thing which I greatly
feared is come upon me." (Job 3:25)
SCANNING THE HILLS KING DAVID SENSED DANGER!
The Psalmist King stated: "I will lift up mine eyes unto the
hills. From whence cometh my help? My help cometh from the Lord, which
made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved. He
that keeps Israel will not slumber. Behold, He that keeps Israel shall neither
slumber nor sleep." (Psalms 121:14)
This scripture text has been greatly misunderstood because of an
apparent error in translation. Instead of a comma after the word 'hills',
there should be a period. And instead of a period after 'help' there should be
a question mark! He wasn't looking to the "hills" for help, but to
the Lord who made heaven and earth! The entire psalm must be taken in context.
The original Hebrew conveys the message that there was danger lurking in
the hills. As King David scanned the hills assessing the danger he asked, "How
well are we defended? Where is our help going to come from?" Then he
answers his own question: "Our help will come from Almighty God, who made
heaven and earth. He will help us because He is Israel's keeper and He does not
slumber nor sleep. He's on call 24 hours a day!"
When things go wrong and it appears that the bottom has dropped out of
everything, that is not the time to become afraid or to panic! God's Word
says: "And call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and
thou shalt glorify Me." (Psalm 50:15)
Jesus said: "Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) If we must doubt,
let us doubt our doubts and put our trust totally in Jesus Christ our Lord!
God is trustworthy and good. His mercy endures forever. His intentions toward
us are only for our good and His Word is infallible, immutable, and inerrant!
(Jeremiah 29:11; Psalm 117:2)
We must listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, the Divine Helper which
the Father has sent to lead, guide, direct, comfort and heal us!
Remember, the word of God is a "lamp unto our feet and a light unto our
path." (Psalms 119:5)
Here is a powerful promise of God to us all: "Trust in the Lord,
and do good; so shall thou live in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine
heart. Commit thy ways unto the Lord; trust also in Him and he shall bring it
to pass." (Psalms 37:5)
OUR LORD WILL NOT FAIL US
He is duty bound to keep His Word to us! Satan is duty
bound to obey us when we speak in Jesus' name, against Satan's evil and
cruel designs. Our Lord has given us the legal right and power, to use His
name to bind Satan and cast him out of those that he has afflicted or
possessed! And we - God's children - are duty bound to serve Him
with all our ability by His grace and power, until He returns for us in the
rapture of the Church, or the hour of our death!
The Great Commission says: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:
and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." (Matthew
28:19, 20)
"And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the
Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved,
but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them
that believe:
"In My Name shall they cast out devils, they shall speak with new
tongues; they shall take up serpents (St. Paul in Malta); and if they drink any
deadly thing (by accident), it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the
sick, and they shall recover." (Mark
16:15-18)
He promised: "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee."
(Hebrews 13:5); ".... I am with you alway, even unto the end of the
world." (Matthew 28:20). In the original Greek, a double imperative is
used. It says, I will never, no never, leave thee. I will never, no
never forsake thee."
The word always is a term denoting time and the word alway is a term
denoting distance. JESUS wants us to know that He will be with us all the way
until our journey is over, until we see Him face to face! And that is good
enough for me! Amen.
Max Solbrekken
World Mission Box 44220 RPO Garside, Edmonton, AB T5V 1N6; Email; [email protected];
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