How to Overcome the Spirit of Fear: Walk Out the Danger of Terror & Fear on Earth & Escape Hellfire!

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Our sinners would walk through a slim, dark hallway, where unseen hands grabbed at their ankles. Once completely disoriented and emotionally exhausted, patrons were then ushered into a comfortably lit, domestically furnished room with tissue boxes and smiling counselors ready to share the good news of Jesus with them.

Looking back, I now realize that the tactics guilt, disorientation of senses, casting doubts of their moral identity would probably qualify as brainwashing. Perhaps I knew that at the time but rationalized it because so much was at stake. After all, the year was nearly upon us. Despite living in a small town, I was a member of three different evangelical Christian churches at this time. Needing far more than just a Sunday fix, I was attending about nine different religious classes a week.

And then there were two different church camps each summer, four conventions each school year, and countless youth rallies, concerts, and theatrical productions. I even enrolled myself in a rural Christian school my junior year of high school. I was perfectly isolated from any outside influence. My dad, however, had renounced church altogether, and my mom only went on Sundays, so for the most part my zealotry was self-imposed.

I judged their lack of commitment and often stopped speaking to them for stretches of time. Unlike drug use or listening to gangsta rap, no parent worries about their kids spending too much time at church. But looking back, my overdosing on religion was becoming a serious problem. The Y2K scare was a huge focus because it was both imminently close and so mysterious even the nonreligious believed it was a legitimate threat.

At church camps and youth conventions, we cried, wailed and beat our chests in shame, begging God to forgive us our sins and never leave us behind. In the years of my adolescence, I shed enough tears to fill an Olympic swimming pool. As approached, my panic attacks grew more severe. I pondered the nature of eternity nearly every minute of the day. Whether torture or paradise, the concept itself filled me with existential dread. I finished school and began a life on the road, traveling aimlessly around the country, working an endless series of construction, restaurant, retail, factory and day-labor jobs.

Yet despite the drugs, sex and foul language that now consumed my daily existence a not-uncommon lifestyle for young Christians away from home for the first time , my faith in God remained on life support. There was too much at stake to flippantly reject it, no matter how many unanswered questions rattled in my brain. I clung to the idea that the rapture was still imminent, but my conviction was weak and I was desperate for something to keep my beliefs afloat. My early 20s were spent desperately reading as much as I could get my hands on about the Bible and why it was intellectually viable.

Believing I needed to be able to refute all arguments to the contrary — even my own — I read secular works by those who despised Christianity, such as Tom Robbins, the Marquis de Sade and Christopher Hitchens. Then one evening in San Francisco in , while watching the sun set over the Pacific Ocean, I quietly said to myself: Cold sweat raced down my back. I winced, half expecting to have a heart attack. Or a giant beast to rise from the water. The world kept turning. Just as it did in when society did not collapse from Y2K. They were young, idealistic Christians when they had me, and like so many religious parents, only had the best of intentions of rearing me in their faith.

It was Easter Sunday and I asked whether she regretted exposing me to the terrifying prophecies of the Bible at a young age. Would I couch things differently today, and not have them be so hellfire and brimstone?

You were such a scared little boy. By the time humans reach adulthood, they have a pretty good idea how to interact with the world around them. They know how to find what they need, get to where they want to be, and interact with others in a way that fulfills their intent. Many though, even those who profess a trust in God, are so fearful of not getting what they need that they feel they have no choice but to manipulate their surroundings and the people around them to their benefit. We have all met men and women who abuse and grasp out of fear. How much more they must fear the loss of control upon their deaths.

Before Peter got this warning, he denied Jesus out of fear. Directly after the warning, he reacted by demanding to know how John was going to die. The Holy Spirit alone gave him the strength to face whatever challenges he might face. Fear for those left behind. With physical death, we will be separated from our loved ones on Earth for a time. If they are not Christians, that will not be the case.

A sunset epiphany

Our commission, then, becomes to use this time together to talk to them about where they will go when they die. Ultimately, however, the decision rests with them. Just as God gives them the room to choose, we must also. Fear of the act of dying. Few of us know how we will die. Quick and painless, in our sleep, a long, drawn-out illness—the mystery of it, the inability to prepare, can be frightening.

But it is only a moment. A moment nearly everyone has gone through or will go through. And, when that moment is over, we can claim Philippians 3: And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. Often, being informed and actively participating can help assuage fear. You can take steps to prepare yourself and those around you.

Overcoming the fear of death — Practical steps. If you have a business or children or other dependents, consider their care. Decide who will take over your role and work with that person to come up with a plan. Look into a will or a trust. Make sure all of your necessary paperwork is organized and easy to find. Overcoming the fear of death — Physical steps. If you have strong feelings about what you want to happen to you should you become incapacitated, express them now.

Get a living will. Choose someone you trust to be authorized to make decisions for you should you become unable. Overcoming the fear of death — Spiritual steps. The most important thing to remember regarding death is the truth about life. You love your family and care for them, but God loves them more.

If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever. Staying in the truth of His Word, believing what He says about us and the world around us, will give us the proper perspective regarding this life and the one we will receive. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. We will so take ownership of our position as children of God that we will actively seek the day we can be like Christ and see Him as He is.

What does it mean to have the fear of God? For the unbeliever, the fear of God is the fear of the judgment of God and eternal death, which is eternal separation from God Luke For the believer, the fear of God is something much different.

The believer's fear is reverence of God. This is the motivating factor for us to surrender to the Creator of the Universe. True wisdom comes only from understanding who God is and that He is holy, just, and righteous. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. He is your praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes. While respect is definitely included in the concept of fearing God, there is more to it than that.

A biblical fear of God, for the believer, includes understanding how much God hates sin and fearing His judgment on sin—even in the life of a believer. While it is done in love Hebrews As children, the fear of discipline from our parents no doubt prevented some evil actions. The same should be true in our relationship with God.

We should fear His discipline, and therefore seek to live our lives in such a way that pleases Him. Believers are not to be scared of God. We have no reason to be scared of Him. We have His promise that nothing can separate us from His love Romans 8: We have His promise that He will never leave us or forsake us Hebrews Fearing God means having such a reverence for Him that it has a great impact on the way we live our lives. The fear of God is respecting Him, obeying Him, submitting to His discipline, and worshipping Him in awe.

Apocalyptic upbringing: how I recovered from my terrifying evangelical childhood

What does it mean to work out salvation with fear and trembling Philippians 2: If our salvation is secured by Christ, what do we need to work This text is often misused to instill fear into people, warning them that it means that they can lose salvation. What does it mean to work out our salvation with fear and trembling? Paul can hardly be encouraging believers to live in a continuous condition of nervousness and anxiety.

That would contradict his many other exhortations to peace of mind, courage, and confidence in the God who authors our salvation. The Greek word translated "fear" in this context can equally mean "reverence" or "respect. The sense in which we are to work out our salvation in fear and trembling is twofold. How can I overcome my fear of the end of days?

Why is the end of days such a terrifying prospect for some people? The best way to overcome a fear of the end of days is to be spiritually prepared for it. First and foremost, you must have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ in order to have eternal life John 3: Only through Him can you receive forgiveness of sin and have eternity with God. Second, every Christian should live a life worthy of the calling we have in Christ. But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.

For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Halloween with the Hell House

Rather than fear the future, we are called to anticipate the future with joy. Further, Scripture says we do not need to fear Judgment Day: There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. The apostle Peter reveals that, even if our future holds suffering, we need not fear: Peter and many other early believers endured much hardship and even death because of their faith in Christ.

Suffering is not to be feared; it is a blessing when it is borne for the name of Jesus. Those who do not know Christ do not have the promise of peace for the future. For them, there is a real concern because they have not settled the issue of where they will spend eternity.

Those who do know Christ do not fear the end of days. How can I increase my faith and decrease my fear? Faith and fear cannot exist together. Faith is described in Hebrews On the other hand, fear, simply stated, is unbelief or weak belief. As unbelief gains the upper hand in our thoughts, fear takes hold of our emotions. Our deliverance from fear and worry is based on faith, which is the very opposite of unbelief. We need to understand that faith is not something that we can produce in ourselves.

Faith is a gift Ephesians 2: The Christian's faith is a confident assurance in a God who loves us, who knows our thoughts and cares about our deepest needs. That faith continues to grow as we study the Bible and learn the attributes of His amazing character. The more we learn about God, the more we can see Him working in our lives and the stronger our faith grows.

A growing faith is what we desire to have and what God desires to produce in us. But how, in day-to-day life, can we develop a faith that conquers our fears? The careful study of God's Word is of primary importance in developing a strong faith. God wants us to know Him and completely rely on His direction in our lives. It's through the hearing, reading and meditation in the Scriptures that we begin to experience a strong, confident faith that excludes worry and fear. Spending time in prayer and quiet worship develops a relationship with our heavenly Father that sees us through even the darkest of nights.

In the Psalms we see a picture of David, who, like us, experienced times of fear. These are revealing words which speak wisdom to us today. God is kind and understanding toward our weaknesses, but He requires us to go forward in faith, and the Bible is clear that faith does not mature and strengthen without trials. Adversity is God's most effective tool to develop a strong faith. That pattern is evident in Scripture. God takes each one of us through fearful situations, and as we learn to obey God's Word and allow it to saturate our thoughts, we find each trial becomes a stepping stone to a stronger and deeper faith.

It gives us that ability to say, "He sustained me in the past, He'll carry me through today and He'll uphold me in the future! When David volunteered to fight against Goliath, he said, "The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine" 1 Samuel David knew the God who had sustained him through dangerous situations in the past. He had seen and experienced God's power and protection in his life, and this developed within him a fearless faith.

The Word of God is rich with promises for us to take hold of and claim for ourselves. When we face financial trouble, Philippians 4: How can a Christian overcome the fear of witnessing? Why is witnessing so frightening? Why is sharing the Gospel sometimes so scary? Possible causes of fear in relation to witnessing include shyness; past or perceived rejection or humiliation; an inability to articulate our personal testimony; a lack of knowledge of Scripture; a failure to trust in the Lord; and an ignorance of why men reject the gospel. Determining the actual cause of fear may be difficult, and understanding the reason may not dispel our fear.

But we are commanded to be bold for Jesus Ephesians 6: In the meantime we can apply some basic principles and sharpen our skills, since fear can be overcome by preparation 2 Timothy 3: If we are not walking with Christ, we will not be able to witness for Christ effectively, so we certainly need to be living a consistent, Christian life. If at all possible, we should be attending a Bible-teaching church. Also, we can always improve our knowledge of Scripture, and we should study well the book of John.

Our Lord shared the gospel with many different people. He understood Nicodemus and the woman at the well, and He used that knowledge in drawing them to Himself John chapters 3 and 4. Our approach, too, should be personally tailored. As we speak with an unbeliever, we should try to ascertain what is keeping him from salvation. Generally speaking, there are three factors that keep people from belief: A study of the Gospel of John will show that the key to successful witnessing is love.

Jesus loved people to the point of accepting the cross and separation from the Father. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can learn to love people more. When we do, we will be more motivated to share the gospel, since our desire to save people from eternal punishment will grow. Love compels us to communicate the good news. The Holy Spirit will open doors for us by convicting people of their sin and stirring up a desire for salvation, and He will arrange for our paths to cross. Our job is simply to speak with people and explain that salvation is available to every sinner, and to present the good news of salvation.

Speaking is what many find troubling, as did Moses Exodus 4:

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