Evans Overcoming Life

1. Auflage 2019
ISBN: 978-1-945529-79-5
Verlag: Gateway Publishing
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 200 Seiten

VICTORY IS MUCH CLOSER THAN YOU THINK. People are waiting for God to fix their problems. However, God will not do for you what He has given you the ability to do for yourself. He has provided all the tools you need to live victoriously. Jesus already did the hard part. Now it's time to do your part. Learn how to overcome rejection, fear, comparison, shame, unforgiveness, discouragement, sickness, and doubt: Understand the secrets to overcoming every attack of the enemy Address the fundamental challenges of life using God's truth Be empowered to live in God's strength, not your own JESUS GAVE YOU THE ABILITY TO OVERCOME EVERY PROBLEM, BUT YOU HAVE TO DO IT!

Autoren/Hrsg.

Evans, Jimmy

Leseproben

2

Overcoming Fear

LUKE 22:39–47 RELATES the story of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane before He suffered and died.

Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him. When He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow. Then He said to them, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation.”

And while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him.

Verse 44 says Jesus was in agony. This English word comes from the Greek word agonia and means two things. First, it means great fear or maximum emotional stress. Second, it means a contest or wrestling match—a fight for victory.

As I mentioned in Chapter 1, Jesus was the most rejected person who ever lived on the earth. From birth to death, He was rejected on every level. Likewise, here in Gethsemane, Jesus also experienced more fear than any other human being has ever experienced.

Luke, the author of this gospel, was a physician, and he mentions something that no other gospel writer records: hematohidrosis. This is a rare condition in which a person is under so much stress that the blood vessels under their skin constrict, rupture, and empty into their sweat glands. Jesus experienced so much fear and emotional distress in the Garden of Gethsemane that His blood vessels ruptured, and He began to sweat huge drops of blood.

Why do we serve Jesus and love Him so much? He endured for us what no other person has ever endured. Jesus literally took hell upon Himself so we could have heaven. He suffered what no other person has ever suffered, and He experienced more fear than any other person has ever experienced. And He overcame it. In this chapter we will learn how we too can overcome fear.

Why Did Jesus Experience Fear?

The Bible never records Jesus experiencing fear outside this episode in the Garden of Gethsemane. He had been on a boat that almost shipwrecked, but He was not afraid then. In Nazareth, the people tried to throw Him over a cliff, but He was not afraid then either. Why was Jesus afraid now? There are several reasons, the first being His identification with fellow humans.

JESUS WAS FULLY HUMAN

Remember, Jesus is a human being. It is not just that He was human—He still is. He is fully God, but He is also fully man. On the earth, even though He was God, Jesus still lived in a physical body.

We do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. For every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins (Hebrews 4:15–5:1).

Remember this Scripture when you pray. In all points Jesus was tempted as we are, yet He was without sin. Jesus can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray because He Himself was also subject to weakness. Because Jesus experienced fear on the earth, He can be compassionate for us when we pray.

We all experience fear. I experience fear just about every day. Dealing with fear is one of the major themes of my prayer life: “God, I am concerned about this … I am fearful about this …” We have an opportunity to go before the throne of grace every day.

And aren’t you glad it is a throne of grace? We do not have to get our act together to approach God. You can simply go before Jesus and say, “Lord, I am scared.” He knows exactly what you are talking about.

JESUS KNEW EVERYTHING THAT WOULD HAPPEN TO HIM

We often fear the unknown. Whether you are traveling to a new place or simply thinking about tomorrow, you do not know what is going to happen, so you may feel afraid.

However, if there is anything worse than not knowing, it is knowing. Jesus foresaw every time people would slap and spit on Him. They would pluck His beard out. They would put a crown of thorns on Him. They would mock Him and whip Him. They would make Him carry His cross. They would nail Him to the cross. Finally, He would suffer physical death.

Jesus knew that He would become sin and sickness; all the sin of the world and all the sickness of the world would come on His body. The Father would turn away from Him, and demons would feast on Him for several hours. I believe that is why the sky grew black on the Friday afternoon when Jesus died. God the Father did not want the world to have to witness what was happening to His Son on the cross as Jesus became sin.

What was Jesus afraid of? Rejection. Suffering. Humiliation. Jesus knew every detail of what was about to happen to Him, and He was afraid.

When we go before Jesus, our High Priest in heaven, and say, “Lord, I am afraid of being rejected by these people,” He says, “I know exactly what you are talking about.” When we say, “Lord, I am afraid because everybody in my family gets this particular disease. It is genetic, and I am afraid that I am about to get really sick,” He says, “I know exactly what you are talking about.” Whether we fear pain, poverty, or anything else, Jesus understands. He experienced every fear right there in the Garden of Gethsemane.

JESUS WAS UNDER ATTACK BY SATAN

Satan is the ultimate spirit of fear. Matthew 4:1–11 and Luke 4:1–13 both record that Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness, and Satan came to tempt Him. Jesus won that battle.

You can always tell the nature of a person by how they treat vulnerable people. A good person sees someone who is vulnerable and will help, support, and protect them. That is what Jesus did.

An evil person, on the other hand, sees someone who is vulnerable and preys upon that person. Satan is evil. Luke 4:13 says, “When the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him [Jesus] until an opportune time.” Satan was waiting for Jesus to become weak, and the opportune time came in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus knew He was about to be betrayed by one of His disciples and die a gruesome death. As He cried out to God the Father, Satan attacked Him with a spirit of fear.

The apostle Paul writes, “God has not given us a spirit of fear …” (2 Timothy 1:7a). Fear is not just an emotion. Fear is a demonic spirit used to control people. God will never use fear to accomplish anything in our lives. In the second half of the verse, Paul lists what God has given us: power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7b).

Hebrews 2:14–15 describes it this way:

Inasmuch then as the children [that is, us] have partaken of flesh and blood [being human], He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage (emphasis mine).

Satan uses the fear of death to control our lives. Most of us have our own particular fears or phobias, but almost every fear can be traced back to the fear of death. For example, are you afraid of being poor? Most likely, you are afraid of the possible consequences of being poor, such as starvation and death. Are you afraid of heights? No, you are actually afraid of falling from heights and dying. Are you afraid of bugs or snakes? You are afraid of dying. Bugs and snakes can bite you and kill you.

Through the fear of death, Satan holds us in bondage throughout our lives. Now let me tell you the good news: Jesus died on the cross, defeated Satan, took back the power over death, and rose again! Just before He raised Lazarus from the dead, Jesus proclaimed, “I am the resurrection and the life. . . . whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die” (John 11:25–26).

If you are a Christian, you will never die. You will never experience death. I am not saying that your body will not wear out and expire one day. I am saying that the minute your eyes close here, they open in heaven. The minute you stop breathing here, you start breathing there. The minute your senses dull here, they come alive there. You will never die because you are a born-again believer.

People who fear death and do not understand what Jesus has done live under Satan’s control. Jesus defeated death on our behalf. You do not have to live in fear. If you live here on earth, you live for God. If you stop living here and move on to heaven, that is even better. It is a win-win deal for every believer.

Jesus experienced fear so He could relate to us. He can intercede on our behalf as our High Priest in heaven because He experienced the same attacks from the devil that we do. Jesus knew everything that was about to happen to Him, but He overcame the spirit of fear, and we can too.

Good Fear and Bad Fear

There is a good fear. There is a normal, healthy fear that God gives...