Bible Study: Fear, Part 1

I am about to start a Bible Study at my home, and it is my turn to pick the subject.  So in the next few weeks, we will be talking about fear;  the spirit of fear, Fear of God, and just plain being afraid in our day to day life.  I thought that maybe ya'll would be interested in my notes for your own personal study.  So here is the first sessions notes.  I hope that you find them comforting and encouraging.  God Bless!


                FEAR, PART ONE:

JAMES 4:7- “Submit yourselves, then, to God.  Resist the devil, and he WILL (not might) flee from you.

{ Come Near to God:

1.)  Submit to God- yield to his authority and will; commit your life to him, be willing to follow him.

2.)  Resist the Devil- Don’t Allow Satan to entice and tempt you.

3.)  Wash your hands…..and purify your hearts- lead a pure life; replace your desire to sin with the desire to experience God’s purity.

4.)  Grieve and mourn and wail- have sincere sorrow for your sins; express that sorrow

5.)  Humble yourself before the Lord- He will lift you up! [Recognize that your worth comes from God alone. Work in God’s power according to His guidance] }

II TIMOTHY 1:7- “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

{BE BOLD!!!  Do not allow others to intimidate us and neutralize our effectiveness for God.  Allow the Holy Spirit to strengthen you and help you overcome your fears.  It is not what man says you can do.  It is about what God tells you to do. }

ACTS 10:34,35- “ Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.”

{Don’t allow barriers to prevent you from spreading the gospel.  God wants everyone to know that He loves them.  Paul had issues with this, because of the Jewish-Gentile conflict in his time.  However, God gave him the resources he needed to accomplish what he asked Paul to do.  Remember that God will give you all you need to perform the tasks he requires of you.  Be courageous and trusting.  God has it all worked out for you.}

HEBREWS 13:6- “So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.  What can man do to me?”

{ Trust God to meet all your needs.  God’s grace is enough.}

JOHN 15:7- “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given to you.”

{Stay close to Christ.  It doesn’t matter how good you try to be, your relationship with Christ is what truly matters. There is nothing you can do to earn the grace bestowed upon you.  We cannot earn it.  We do not deserve it, but God loves us so much that he gives it to us anyway.}

I JOHN 4:18- “There is no fear in love.  But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

{Focus on God’s love for us.  Allow him to love others’ through us.  His love will quiet all of our fears and help us gain confidence.}

PSALM 23:4- “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff comfort me.”

{There is no escaping death.  But, allowing God to guide you and comfort you.  His eternal comfort is incomparable with what death presents.}