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Fear Not!
Lesson Ten

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PAUSE this video and read Chapter Ten of your textbook: Do Not Be Afraid! - God’s Greatest Desire. Be sure to pray the prayer at the end of the chapter.

God’s greatest desire is intimacy with us. That is why we were created. And ultimately, we can be satisfied with nothing less. There is no fear in the presence of God. However, we need to seek God because we love Him and want to be with Him, not as a method to get what we want. Living in peace, free from fear, is a side benefit of a relationship with Jesus, not a goal.

None of us understands the totality or the depth of who God is. But some people have just a distorted view of God that they are afraid of Him. Some may have come from legalistic families or churches which crushed them. They may have been told that God is a Father, but their own father was mean and abusive. Our fathers, even if they were great, are not a complete picture of God. Rather, God the Father is an example to them of what a father should be like. The closer our fathers were to the example of God the Father, the easier it will be for us to relate to God the Father. If they were abusive, we look to God the Father to see what they should have been; we don’t judge God the Father by their evil actions.

If you have a fear of God because of past experiences, then you need to know that the Real God is safe. Look how many times in Scripture He is called a Rock, a Fortress, a Refuge, a Deliverer. In Jesus Christ, you have Someone Who loves you unconditionally and will never betray you. You are safe with Him. Fear will always torment you until you know Jesus is safe to be with.

Our number one priority in life, whether we are battling fears or not, is to develop our relationship with our loving Father and Jesus through the Holy Spirit. Nothing else will satisfy. Nothing else will fulfill us.

In the textbook, three ways are given to cultivate intimacy with God.

1. Obedience

This is not the forced obedience of a harsh parent, teacher or other authority figure. This is obedience out of love. God said He would write His laws on our hearts, which means we want to obey them because it pleases Him. The fact that they are only good for us is a wonderful side benefit. And this is not an obedience to earn God’s love. God’s love is complete, but our ability to experience that love and grow in an intimate relationship is related to our obedience.

The father may love the son who slaps him in the face and then storms into his room, slamming the door, but the son has limited his ability to experience any aspect of love other than discipline. The son who is in the garage with his father, talking, laughing, and working together, has the ability to experience a deeper expression of the father’s love. Which son are you?

2. Fasting

Self-denial—whether it is food or something else—is never easy. By voluntarily entering into self-denial, we show God and ourselves that He is more important than the pleasures - and even the necessities - of life. Like obedience, this is not done to earn God’s favour or love. We do it out of love because we want to know Him better. It is a demonstration of how much we value our relationship with Jesus.

3. Though soaking in His presence

When you love someone, you want to spend time with them. It isn’t a chore. It isn’t a duty that you have to perform. You actually look for ways of spending more time with them. Many a marriage has broken up because the husband has had other time priorities than his wife and family. He may have thought he was showing love by being a good provider or in other ways, but his time was spent at work, at hobbies and other interests. The message he communicated—intentionally or not—was that his spouse and family were not important. What does the time we spend with Jesus and the attitude we have about the time we spend with Jesus communicate to Him? Does He feel loved and valued by us? Or does he feel unimportant, ignored or just a tiresome duty?

Assignment

1. Read 1 John.

2. Do a Book Survey on 1 John.

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

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