No Fear Here!

The speaker discusses how fear can hinder one from experiencing God's best in life. Fear can invade the mind, lead to negative thoughts, and paralyze one's progress. The devil uses fear to cause confusion, doubt, and delay blessings. The speaker references the story of Gideon in the Bible to illustrate overcoming fear. They also mention a recent attack on Israel and the importance of prayer for protection. The speaker advises being vigilant and not letting fear control actions. They provide tips for online safety and caution against opening unfamiliar emails or using certain apps. The presentation ends with a reminder of God's presence and a call to prayer. No fear here. Fear will keep you from experiencing God's best in your life. Did you know that? It will first tantalize your mind where thoughts live. If you are not careful, these negative suggestions will gain ground and hijack your thinking. If you are minding your own business, aim to be at peace with yourself. Fear is around the corner at times of your heart, ready to hit you like a ton of bricks. Satan's main goal is to shut you down. This is one of the greatest tools that the enemy uses against all of us. Why does the devil delight in using fear on man? He knows that it will cause confusion in a matter, uncertainty, retreat paralyzes us from moving forward, unaccomplished dreams, delays in our blessings, doubt that God is the way, the truth, and the life. Be on alert. The Bible speaks of wars and rumors of wars. The Lord reminded me of the story of Gideon in the book of Judges chapters 6, 7, and 8. After all that God had done for the children of Israel in the past, the children of Israel were again doing evil in his sight. God's hand of protection was lifted. Before the children of Israel knew it, they had fallen into the hands of their enemy, the Midianites. A messenger angel was sent by God to let Gideon know that the Lord was with him. He also called him a mighty man of valor. The word valor means great courage in the face of danger, especially in battle. Gideon questioned the angel, which was really the Lord himself. Gideon realized it and said, Oh my Lord, if you are with us, then why have all of us fallen? He began to tell of all the miracles that their fathers had told them even when they were brought out of Egypt. He wasn't sure if God had forsaken them. Did you know that fear is the opposite of faith? God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, love, and strength. The Lord looked upon Gideon and told him to go in his might, in his strength, and that's the Lord's strength. He said, I shall save Israel from the hands of the Midianites. Gideon began to say how poor and weak his family was. His final analysis of the situation that he was facing was limited by his own thinking. If God before us thinks, who can be against us? That's what his word says. We must see ourselves in God's eyes. See ourselves as God sees us. Obedience is the key, and it's always the key. Gideon asked the Lord for a sign, then he would believe that he was not alone. Gideon prepared himself and found grace in the eyes of the Lord. The Lord impressed upon him to me a few days ago to reflect on the biblical account of Gideon and the army that God set up to win the battle. This very story we have just told you about. As I minister to you right now, today is October 7th, 2023. There was a breaking report earlier today that the country of Israel has been attacked by the enemy Hamas, a Palestine militant group. The enemy has approached and come across the borders of Gaza. The saints in the U.S. care about Israel, amen, and are actively praying right now for protection of the church and innocent people. I am so glad, my friend, that God knows the enemy of our soul whose only intent and plan is to keep fear alive and to stop us. I heard someone say that fear, F-E-A-R, means false evidence appearing real. You know, that has some merit and truth. The dictionary says fear as a noun means an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain or a threat. Fear as a verb means be afraid. Someone or something has a license to be dangerous, painful, or threatening. Please let us pray over all that is happening right now as it all unfolds. We are praying for the friends of Israel, blessing of protection and increase. The plots and plans of the enemy will be canceled in Jesus' name. Saints, there will be victory in Israel. We will continue our account of dealing with fear next time. I know right now you're waiting for your healthy tip today. If you're taking notes for future readings, write down Ephesians 5, 14, and 15. This is God's advice about walking circumspectly. Don't be fearful, child of God, but know where and how the enemy is using steps to try and shut down the plans of God and his people who are the only hope of this world. Amen. According to the Jerusalem Post today, stay ahead and mindful of the devices of the enemy. We are mindful of the devices of the enemy who is trying to find opportunities to disrupt. Luke chapter 16 and 8, and the Lord commended the unjust steward because he had done wisely, for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of life. That's really something. So, number one, defense. We need a healthy dose of common sense. Number two, be in a state of active readiness. Number three, borders and perimeters. Have a firewall to fit on your computer. If you don't recognize an email message, delete it and also delete it from your trash. Be careful of opening up pop-ups. Malware can drop payloads of harmful files into your computer via pictures, links, documents, attachments. If open, this will disrupt and create issues. Always add your own contacts when sending out an email. Examine the domain where it is coming from, that email. If you don't recognize it, don't reply. Don't open it. Change your password regularly. If someone you know is trying to contact you, they will find you, so don't worry. Beware of whatapp.com. I personally have never used this app or heard of it, but beware. And just be safe. Amen. Praise God. Our God is ever-present. This is Lucretia Jordan. We would like to thank Robin and Matthew Anderson with prayer and share and invitation to intercede in prayer for our nation on Facebook, Metta, and New Generation Christian Family Matters podcast for making our presentation to you today. God bless you again as our prayer. God bless you.