What Are You Afraid Of - Fear 1, episode 146

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If you love a prodigal, you can discover help and hope for your wilderness journey right

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here at When You Love a Prodigal podcast, and also help and hope for your own like journey.

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Today I'm sharing the first of three posts leading up to the June 2nd Worldwide Prodigal

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Prayer Day.

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Our theme this year is Fear Not.

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These three podcasts are designed to prepare us as we engage in battle for the hearts and

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minds of loved ones who are prodigal in one of many possible ways.

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And if you have fears of any kind, you will discover encouragement and help here.

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Our world is full of fear—wars, earthquakes, terrorists, volcanoes, racial strife, hurricanes,

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fires, mass murders, floods, bombs, tornadoes, disease—did I just raise your fear level?

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No wonder we live in fear, dreading the next act of terror, anxious for the coming natural

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disaster.

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We know it's coming sometime.

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Where, when, how?

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Will it affect me or mine?

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Are you living on edge?

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Apprehensive?

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Suspicious?

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Or maybe our fears are more personal—financial failure, loss of a loved one, loss of a job,

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divorce—the list goes on.

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And when you love a prodigal, fears multiply.

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Is he safe?

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Is he in jail?

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Did he overdose?

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Will she survive?

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Why is she rejecting me?

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Will I ever get to meet my grandchildren?

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Where have I gone wrong?

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Afraid, fearful, even terrified.

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Many of us live life afraid.

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But God says otherwise, he says, fear not.

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There are many fear not or don't be afraid commands in God's word.

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We are admonished repeatedly not to be afraid.

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Jesus understood our tendency to be fearful, especially when circumstances are out of control

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or uncertain or just scary.

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There are nine assurances I'm going to share with all of us that were spoken by Jesus himself,

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almost always to his disciples, saying, don't be afraid.

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When he was with his disciples and they were experiencing a terrible storm on the Sea of

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Galilee, Jesus was sleeping.

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They were terrified.

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So they woke him up.

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Master, don't you know we're going to drown?

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And he replied, you of little faith, why are you so afraid?

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Then he got up and rebuked the wind and the waves, and it was completely calm.

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Another time, another storm at sea, the disciples were in the boat by themselves.

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And then they saw Jesus walking toward them on the stormy water, creating more fear in

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them than the wind had.

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But Jesus climbed into the boat and immediately said to them, take courage.

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It is I.

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Don't be afraid.

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After a night of fishing, the apostle Peter, not an apostle yet, and other fishermen had

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caught nothing.

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Jesus directed them to go back out in the deep water and try again.

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They're like, but there were no fish.

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But they did what he said reluctantly.

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And the nets were so full that the boats, they had two boats, almost sank from all the

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fish that they caught.

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And what was Peter's response?

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He was terrified.

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Who could do this?

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And Jesus said to him, don't be afraid.

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From now on, you're going to fish for people.

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When Jesus was speaking to crowds one time, Jairus, who was the synagogue leader, asked

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Jesus to come and heal his daughter who was dying.

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But then before Jesus could go, someone came and said, we're sorry, she's already died.

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And Jesus said to Jairus, don't be afraid.

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Don't believe she will be healed.

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And she was at exactly the time that Jesus said.

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Jesus was telling his disciples another time not to fear those who would harm them.

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And he said, indeed, the very hairs on your head are all numbered.

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Don't be afraid.

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Then he added, don't be afraid.

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You are worth more than many sparrows.

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And not long after that, Jesus again assured them, do not be afraid, little flock, for

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your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.

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After Jesus' crucifixion and burial and the Sabbath day had passed, early on Sunday morning,

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Mary Magdalene and another Mary went to the tomb to finish the preparation of Jesus' body.

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The stone was rolled away and an angel told them that Jesus had risen.

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And then Jesus appeared and said, do not be afraid.

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Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee.

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And there I will meet them.

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In the book of Revelation, when the apostle John sees Jesus, he says, when I saw him,

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I fell at his feet as though I was dead.

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And then he placed his right hand on me and said, do not be afraid.

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I am the first and the last.

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And then, as Jesus was with his disciples, knowing he would soon be leaving, he gave

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them a promise that is for us as well.

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He said, peace I leave with you.

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My peace I give you.

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I do not give you as the world gives.

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Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

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I will give you my peace.

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Yes, there are many legitimate things to fear, but Jesus is greater than all of them.

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He will not abandon us even when our worst fears seem to surround us to be happening

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to us.

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And what Jesus said in John 14, 27, our theme verse, sink in.

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He says, peace I leave with you.

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My peace I give you.

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I do not give to you as the world gives.

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Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

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We can hold on to that verse.

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I found it's not only been helpful for me when things were happening with our prodigal,

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but in many other situations of my life when fear seems to come and grab hold of our hearts

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or minds.

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And Jesus says, don't be afraid.

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Rest in me.

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You will be at peace.

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And he's done it over and over.

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He's given me peace, and that's what he's offering each of us.

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May the love of God and the peace from Jesus displace any fear that grips us.

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So whenever you find yourself fearing, you can remember that Jesus loves you, that God

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the Father loves you, that you have the spirit of God who lives in you.

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And whatever is happening, he's bigger, stronger, able to take care of it, even the decisions

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that your prodigal is making.

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So what about you?

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What are you afraid of?

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Which of these promises from Jesus, as he repeatedly said, do not be afraid, gives you comfort

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or hope or peace?

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I will have this all in an article on my blog post.

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And so if you want to go back and read again and see the promises that Jesus made as he

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put the fear away, I'm here.

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I want to also invite you, if you have someone that you want prayed for, that we are having

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on June 2nd, the Worldwide Prodigal Prayer Day.

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We've been doing this for 20-something years.

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You can write to us at prayerforprodigals.com or you can go to the Prayer for Prodigals

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Facebook page and give us the first name of a prodigal that you would like to be prayed

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for and we'll do it.

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And we'd also love if you would join with us.

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All you have to do is decide to pray or maybe gather some friends of yours and pray together

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on that day.

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And the information that I'll have in the show notes will tell you how to get access

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to the list so that you can pray beyond your own prodigals to other people around the world

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who are begging us to pray with them and for them.

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I will also list in the show notes some songs that I hope will help you face fear and enable

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you to walk through this fearful time with peace and courage.

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God bless you.