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Fear Not
Lesson Four

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PAUSE this video and read Chapter Four of your textbook: Do Not Be Afraid! Be sure to pray the prayer at the end of the chapter.

Today’s lesson is very blunt, but it is not intended to bring condemnation. Condemnation is always from the devil. The Holy Spirit brings conviction to restore relationships and rebuild our lives.

It is important to realize that we do not have direct control over our emotions. Like I said in the last lesson, we feel what we feel. However, emotions will follow actions. As we choose to act in faith—regardless of how we feel—emotions will eventually follow.

So it is not the emotion of fear that separates us from God and holds us back. It is when we choose to act [or not act] because of fear. In the example in your textbook, everyone against the wall felt fear, but the author did not let that fear hold him back from stepping forward into God. We must not allow fear to stop us. We must continue confessing and acting on the faithfulness of God.

READ HEBREWS 3:7-4:16.

Here we see that God has a place of rest for His people. Rest does not mean inactivity; it does not mean going on a holiday. The rest of God means being able to do what God wants us to do without fear or stress. We can move through life as Jesus did. Jesus faced extremely stressful situations, but He did so in the peace of His Father, resting in complete confidence that His Father was in control.

The Israelites were asked to go into battle against large, powerful, demonized armies to possess the promised land. Yet it was not God’s desire for them to do so in fear, but in the confidence that He was in control and would give them the victory.

What was it that kept them from entering into the rest God had for them and also kept them out of the promised land? It was hearts made hard by sin’s deceitfulness [3:8, 13] and unbelief [3:19]. They entertained and indulged sin in their lives, which made them distrust God, even though they personally witnessed some of the greatest miracles in nature ever performed!

And notice, we are not talking about the Egyptians, Moabites or other heathen nations. These were Israelites—people chosen by God and who were following Him. Also, notice that it is “brothers and sisters” that the writer of Hebrews is cautioning not to follow the example of the Israelites. In other words, this was written to Christians. Christians can fail to enter the rest of God through unbelief.

How can we fail to enter into this rest, free from fear?

1. Rebellious sin in our lives that we refuse to deal with.

2. Unbelief in the goodness, love and power of God in our personal lives. We may believe it in a general sense, but not in personal applications.

God’s Word is alive and active, judging the thoughts of our hearts. So what is the answer?

The answer is Jesus Christ. Read Hebrews 4:14-16 again. Jesus is our High Priest. He understands everything we are going through. He knows our weaknesses and temptations because He faced them Himself - yet He never failed or sinned once. As we approach Him in faith, He will give us the grace we need to conquer every fear we face and enter into His rest. We need to express our faith by choosing to step away from the wall—no matter how we feel — and to ask for His mercy, grace, and power in our lives. He will never leave us or forsake us. It doesn’t matter how big or impossible our challenge may seem; Jesus is bigger and more powerful.

One very practical way to exercise our faith in times of weakness is to pray, sing, and meditate on the Psalms.

Assignment

1. If you have given in to fear in your life [as opposed to feeling the emotion of fear but not acting on it], confess the sin of unbelief and ask for forgiveness.

2. Read Psalm 23 three times a day for a week. Read it once when you first get up, once around noon, and once before you go to bed. Read [not quote] it carefully and slowly. Think about each verse and what it means for who God is, who you are and what God is doing in your life.

Return to the Lessons.

For more information about Glenn Davis, see our About Glenn page or visit Glenn Davis Books.

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