SPACE Program, Book 08

THE CHRISTIAN AND HIS EMOTIONSOUTLINE

I.DEALING WITH FEAR.II.DEALING WITH BITTERNESS.III.DEALING WITH GUILT,Part One.IV.DEALING WITH GUILT,Part Two.V.DEALING WITH FRUSTRATION.VI.DEALING WITH DEPRESSION.VII.DEALING WITH JEALOUSY.VIII.DEALING WITH ANGER.IX.DEALING WITH BOREDOM.X.DEALING WITH LONELINESS.Part One.XI.DEALING WITH LONELINESS.Part Two.XII.DEALING WITH CRITICISM.Part One.XIII.DEALING WITH CRITICISM.Part Two.XIV.DEALING WITH IMPULSIVENESS.Part One.XV.DEALING WITH IMPULSIVENESS.Part Two.187

Lesson l

THE CHRISTIAN AND HIS EMOTIONSDEALING WITH FEAR INTRODUCTION

:Fear is inner panic. It suggests the possibility of loss and is supported by visions of theunknown, the unexpected, the uncontrollable. Fear causes our imaginations to go wild andconvinces us that the worst is about to happen. Fear is a painful and distressing emotion. See IJohn 4:18.Some fear is desirable. For example, the fear of God and the fear of fire. Our concern isfear that destroys or at least limits our effectiveness as Christians.Our fear may be of our own making. We fear we will go under financially. Yet theroot cause of our financial difficulty may be wrong decisions, overspending, and undisciplineduse of credit cards. Fear of divorce often results from actions such as unfaithfulness or failingto give proper time and energy toward making our marriage work. We may fear the future because of unwise decisions we've made in the past.Our fear may be caused by things which are outside our control such as inflation, worldeconomics, the choices our children make, and illness.Our fear may be caused by our feelings of inferiority, lack of experience, or the feelingthat others are more qualified than we are.

I.THE BASIS OF THE CHRISTIAN'S SECURITY IS CHRIST.

The basic cause of fear is insecurity. The following verses state that in Christ we havesecurity.A. We are secure in Christ because we have been redeemed.See I Peter 2:24. The Bible leaves us no doubt as to the significance of Christ'sdeath. He, the very Son of God, died in your place and mine, receiving in His body the penalty that you and I deserved. By this act He redeemed you and me.The word redemption means to be freed from the penalty of our sin by another.B. We are secure in Christ because we have been adopted. We are no longer a slave, but a child of God with full rights and privileges. See Romans 8:15-17. Thespirit of bondage is to live in an attitude of fear and apprehension. The spirit of adoption is to live in security. Fear is replaced by acceptance, a feeling of belonging, security.C. We are secure in Christ because we have a special relationship with the eternal God.He is our Father. Jesus spoke in Matthew 6:25-34 of the loving care which our heavenly Father extends to his children. He has graciously promised to providefor us the necessities of life -- food, drink and clothing -- if we put Him first. Our relationship to our heavenly Father is the basis of our security. Paul spoke of theFather's gift to us in II Timothy 1:7.188

Lesson 1 (cont’d)

II. SCRIPTURAL PRINCIPLES TO USE IN DEALING WITH FEAR.

Becoming a Christian does not automatically free us from fear. We cannot prevent fear from presenting itself; but we can refuse to allow it to become a houseguest.A. Bring your fear out into the light. Examine your fear to see it for what it is, to see if there is anything you can do about it. Be honest with yourself as to whether youhave really taken the matter to God in prayer.B. Decide that you want to be free of this fear. God has given to us a free will. He willnot force us to receive even that which is good (a calm mind free of fear).Making up the mind to do something about the fear that is tormenting us iscrucial. The victory begins here. John 13:17.C. Replace fear with praise. Fear gains its control over our lives through our minds.Fear seeks to control the imagination, to make our minds dwell on “the whatif's”, and our own inability to face and control these possibilities. When fear presents itself, replace it with praise based on promises. See Philippians 4:8;Psalm 56:3-4.D. Give the fear to God. That which you give becomes the receivers to own and do withas he likes. This is exactly what Peter is saying in I Peter 5:7.

CONCLUSION:

A lack of faith means an abundance of fears. Trust God to do as He promised inPhilippians 4:19, and your fears will take wing and fly away.Answer the following questions:1. In the introduction, there are three things listed that may cause fear in our lives, whatare they?a.b.c.2. What is basic cause of fear?3. Who is the Person that gives us security?4. List the three reasons why we as Christians have security in Christ.a.b.c.5. If we put God first in our lives all of our needs will be met. Matthew 6:33.TRUE or FALSE6. List the four principles to use in dealing with fear.a.b.c.d.7. After becoming a Christian does this free you from the emotion of fear?YES or NO8. The lack of faith in what causes an abundance of fear?189